Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A44433
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Discourses, or, Sermons on several Scriptures by ... Ezekiel late Lord Bishop of London-Derry.
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Hopkins, Ezekiel, 1634-1690.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing H2729; ESTC R31535
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75,889
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298
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DISCOURSES OR SERMONS ON SEVERAL SCRIPTURES BY THE Right Reverend Father in God EZEKIEL Late Lord Bishop of LONDON-DERRY LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader ALthough the following Sermons need no Epistle to commend them to any intelligent Reader yet Custom having made it necessary to say something for the Satisfaction of the World concerning the Posthumous Works of deceased Persons I shall therefore speak a few Words briefly The Reverend Prelate the Author of them was a Person of great Natural Parts and Excellent Learning as well as of great Piety and Charity One that adorned the Church of England whereof he was an Eminent Pillar ruling well in the Church of God and therefore deserved double Honour as the Apostle speaks And doubtless his Reward is now great in Heaven with his Lord and Master whose Service here on Earth was accounted by him as his highest Honour and that which he professed himself most ambitious of He was a Person of great Modesty and Humility having very mean and low Thoughts of himself and his own Abilities which was the Reason why the World had so little Knowledge of him from the Press having published nothing See his Vanity of the World and A Funeral Sermon c. Octavo but what he was constrained to either by the restless Importunity of Friends or the Commands of those that some Time were his Superiors But the Intendment of this Epistle being not to give the World an Account of the Life of this Excellent Person whose Praise is deservedly in the Church of God I forbear to add any thing farther concerning him hoping it will shortly be done by a more worthy Pen. And as for the following Sermons the excellent Style in which they are written and the exact Accuracy with which they are penn'd may give abundant Satisfaction unto All in the Reading of them that they are His Lordship 's own and were fairly written with his own Hand and copied out from thence since his Death by one of his nearest Relations and so transmitted unto the Press The Subject Matter of them being agreeable to the Divine Inspirations of the Holy Scriptures will speak better for themselves than the Words of any other can And that they may be very useful and profitable unto those that heard them and unto all that shall read them is the hearty and sincere Prayer of the Publisher Farewell THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK CONTAINING The Titles of the several Subjects treated of therein with the Texts of Scripture from which they are handled I. The Folly of Sinners in making a Mock at Sin from Prov. 14.19 Fools make a Mock at Sin II. True Happiness A Sermon preached at St. Lawrence Jewry from Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have Right to the Tree of Life and may enter through the Gates into the City III. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ A Sermon preached on Easter-Day from Act. 2.24 Whom God hath raised up having loosed the Pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it IV. Brotherly Admonition In several Sermons from Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him V. The Dreadfulness of God's Wrath against Sinners Explained in several Sermons from Heb. 10.30 31. For we know him that hath said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord. And again The Lord shall judge his People It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God â—primatur Z. Isham R.R.D. Henrico Episc Lond. a Sacris THE FOLLY OF SINNERS In Making a Mock at Sin A SERMON ON PROV XIV IX BY EZEKIEL HOPKINS Late Lord Bishop of London-Derry LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. THE FOLLY OF Sinners c. PROV 14.9 Fools make a Mock at Sin WE are not generally to expect any connexion either of Sense or Sentences in this Book of the Proverbs Other parts of Scripture are like a rich Mine where the precious Ore runs along in one continued Vein But this is like a Heap of Pearls which though they are loose and unstrung are not therefore the less excellent or valuable The Text I have now read is one of them an entire Proposition in it self without relation to or dependance upon any Context In it The Division of the Words we have these things considerable First The Character or Periphrasis of wicked and ungodly Men and they are said to be such as make a Mock at Sin Secondly Here is the Censure past upon them by the All-wise God and the wisest of Men they are Fools for so doing Fools make a Mock at Sin The Words are plain and obvious only the Phrase of making a Mock may seem subject to some ambiguity and various acceptations and indeed the Scripture useth it in divers Senses Sometimes it signifies an abusing of others by violent and leud Actions So we read that the Hebrew Servant Gen. 39.17 says Potipher's Wife came in unto me to mock me Sometimes it signifies an exposing of Men to Shame and Dishonour So the wise Man tells us Wine is a mocker Prov. 20.1 Sometimes it signifies an imposing upon the Credulity of others things that seem incredible and impossible So we read in Genesis when Lot had declared to his Sons in Law the Destruction of Sodom it is said Gen. 19.14 He seemed unto them as one that mocked Sometimes it is taken for a failing in our Promises and thereby defeating and frustrating the Expectations of others And thus Herod is said to be mocked by the wise Men Matth. 2.16 in Matth. 2.16 But none of these are at all congruous to our present purpose nor applicable to the Words of the Text. There are therefore two other acceptations of this Expression What 's meant by Mocking frequently occurring in the Holy Scriptures First This Word Mock is commonly taken for scoffing or bitter taunting at others Thus our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ suffered the Flouts and Derisions of an insolent Rabble who set him at nought and mocked him Luk. 23.11 as St. Luke speaks Thus those blessed Martyrs and Confessors that followed his steps are said to have indured the trial of cruel Mockings Heb. 11.36 as the Apostle tells us And indeed this is the difference between a wise Reprover and a bitter Mocker that the Words of the one are like Balm both soft and sanative but the Words of the other are like sharp Swords which cut deep into the Minds of Men and commonly make them rankle into Hatred and Malice And doubtless there are very many Spirits can sooner put up an injury done them than a cutting bitter scoff because nothing expresseth so much Contempt nor shews how despicable we account them as a fleering Gibe
that are every where committed the Murthers Uncleannesses Blasphemies Drunkenness and all those Prodigies of Impiety that every where swarm amongst Men how by Lying Stealing Swearing Hos 4.2 and Committing Adultery they break out until Blood toucheth Blood What else see we now in all this but the woful Effects of our own corrupt Nature Here we see our selves unbowelled and discover what we our selves are at the price of other Men's Sins For as in Water Prov. 27.19 Face answereth unto Face so doth the Heart of Man to Man We have therefore more reason to lament the Sins and Miscarriages of others than to make a Sport and Mock at their Wickedness since we our selves are the very same and prone enough without the Restraining Grace of God either to imitate or exceed them Hence then Use I First Shews the Evil of tempting others to sin Consider what an accursed horrid thing it is to tempt others to sin only that thou mayest afterwards make Sport with them and raise a Scene of Mirth out of the Ruins of their Souls I wish this were not as common a Practice as it is damnable See what dreadful Woes God denounceth against such Habak 2.15 16. by the Prophet Woe unto him that giveth his Neighbour Drink that puttest thy Bottle to him and makest him drunken also that thou mayest look upon his Nakedness his Shame and Dishonour Thou art filled with Shame for Glory Drink thou also and let thy Foreskin be uncovered the Cup of the Lords Right Hand shall be turned unto thee and shameful Spewing shall be on thy Glory Hence have these Devils for that Name belongs to them who do his Work invented all those Artifices of Excess and Drunkenness to draw on others to debauch themselves and their Reason that they may have Matter to laugh at their sottish Actions and to boast how many they have made to fall under the Puissance of their Riots But certainly if there be an Hell as it is certain there is or if that Hell were not made in vain as it was not these wretched Sinners can expect nothing else but to have their Portion therein with those Devils whose industrious Factors they have been And there the Cup of God's Right Hand a Cup of pure Wrath and unmix'd Fury shall be given them and they be forced to drink it off to the very Dregs and Bottom of it spewing out Fire and Brimstone eternally Use II Secondly Shews the Wickedness of those that sin only to tempt others to sin Hence think how desperately impious wicked Wretches they are who sin only to make others Sport that buffoon themselves into Hell and purchase the Pleasing others with the dreadful Damnation of their own Souls And yet How frequent is this in the World How many are there that will neither spare God nor Heaven nor Scripture nor Religion nor common Modesty if they come but in the way of a Jest Nothing how sacred how venerable soever it be can escape them if they can but turn it into Drollery I need not mention what Tropes and Metaphors Men have found out to talk lasciviously by almost every one is perfect in that piece of Rhetorick Nor what strange monstrous Lies some will aver openly to raise either Mirth or Wonder in Company And that which is worst of all is that now the Holy Bible is become a mere Jest Book with them a Common Place for Wit and merry Discourse and the Devil again speaks Scripture out of these Men's Mouths they know no more of it than what they abuse and all their Meditations and Comments upon it are only how such and such Passages may be ingeniously perverted and turned into Burlesque to heighten the Mirth of the next profane Company they meet Impious Wretches that dare to violate the most tremendous Mysteries of Religion and expose their God to Scorn his Oracles to Contempt and their own Souls to Eternal Perdition only for a little Grinning and Sneering of a Company of vain yea mad Fools who think they commence Wits by applauding Blasphemy But these Wits as they are profane and impious so they prove themselves very Fools thus to sport themselves to death Their Laughter is rather spasmical and convulsive than joyous a Risus Sardonicus caused by Venom and Poyson They go down merrily to Hell and frolick themselves into Perdition And thus I have done with the first sort of Fools namely those that make a Sport and Mock at other Men's Sins The Second Particular is to shew They are Fools that make a Mock at their own Sins that they are Fools who make a Mock at their own Sins so as to think the Commission of them but a slight inconsiderable Matter And here I shall shew you First That wicked Men do generally account Sin a small slight Matter Secondly What it is that induceth and persuades them to account so slight of it Thirdly Their gross and inexcusable Folly for so accounting of it First That wicked Men do generally account Sin a small inconsiderable Matter may appear from these three Things I. Slight Provocations and easie Temptations Slight Temptations make some Men sin are sufficient to make them rush boldly into the Commission of Sin Any slight inconsiderable Gain and transitory fading washy Pleasure yea oftentimes a meer Gallantry and Humour of Sinning is enough to make them venture upon any Crime that the Devil or their own wicked Hearts shall suggest to them Yea those very Things for which they would scarce suffer a Hair of their Heads to be twitch'd off are yet forcible enough to persuade them to lie or swear Sins that murder and destroy their precious Souls for ever What is this but a plain Demonstration that they account Sin a mere Trifle and look upon it as a small and slight thing to offend the most high God II. It is very hard and difficult to work these Men to any true Sorrow and Compunction for their Sins Hard to work Sinners to a true Sorrow for Sin Turn the Mouth of all the terrible Threatnings that God hath denounced in his holy Word against them and let them thunder out all the Woes and Curses that are in the Magazine of God's Justice against them yet these wicked Wretches are not startled at it but still hold fast their Confidence and Boldness when they have lost their Innocency and Integrity and cannot nor will not be persuaded that God should be so angry and incensed for such small matters III. If they are at all moved with these things yet they think that a slight and formal Repentance will suffice to make amends for all They pacifie their Consciences and think they appease God also by crying him Mercy and find it as easie a matter to repent of their Sins as it is to commit them And therefore certainly these Men must needs have very slight Thoughts of Sin who can be so easily tempted to commit it and are so hard