actuated by a full diet and inflation of the soul through taking in of knowledge virtue or the like which is intended indeed for nourishment for the soul but through some vice in the digestive faculty turns all into air and vapors and windiness whereby the soul is not fed but distended and not fill'd but troubled and even tortured out of it self To this first kind of pride may be accommodate many of the old phancies of the Poets and Philosophers the Gyants fighting with God i. e. the ambitious daring approaches of the soul toward the unapproachable light which cost the Angels so dear and all Mankind in Eve when she ventured to taste of the Tree of Knowledge Then the phancy of the Heathens mentioned by Athenagoras that the souls of those gyants were Devils that 't is the Devil indeed that old Serpent that did in Adam's time and doth since animate and actuate this proud soul and set it a moving And Philoponus saith that winds and tumours i. e. lusts and passions those troublesome impressions in the soul of man are the acceptablest sacrifices the highest feeding to the Devils nay to the very damned in Hell who rejoyce as heartily to hear of the conversion of one vertuous or learned man to the Devil of such a brave proselyte I had almost said as the Angels in Heaven at the repentance and conversion of a sinner This is enough I hope to make you keep down this boiling and tumultuousness of the soul lest it make you either a prey or else companions for Devils and that 's but a hard choice nay a man had far better be their food than their associates for then there might be some end hoped for by being devoured but that they have a villanous quality in their feeding they bite perpetually but never swallow all jaws and teeth but neither throats nor stomachs which is noted perhaps by that phrase in the Psalmist Death gnaweth upon the wicked is perpetually a gnawing but never devours or puts over Pride in our education is a kind of tenderness and chilness in the soul that some people by perpetual softness are brought up to that makes them uncapable and impatient of any corporal or spiritual hardness a squeasiness and rising up of the heart against any mean vulgar or mechanical condition of men abhorring the foul clothes and rags of a beggar as of some venomous beast and consequently as supercilious and contemptuous of any piece of God's service which may not stand with their ease and state as a starch't Gallant is of any thing that may disorder his dress Thus are many brought up in this City to a loathing and detestation of many Christian duties of alms-deeds and instructing their Families in points of religion of visiting and comforting the sick nay even of the service of God if they may not keep their state there but specially of the publick prayers of the Church nothing so vulgar and contemptible in their eyes as that But I spare you and the Lord in mercy do so also The third kind of pride is a supercilious affected haughtiness that men perhaps meekly enough disposed by nature are fain to take upon them for some ends a solemn censorious majestick garb that may entitle them to be patriots of such or such a faction to gain a good opinion with some whose good opinion may be their gain Thus was Mahomet fain to take upon him to be a Prophet and pretend that 't was discoursing with the Angel Gabriel made him in that case that his new wife might not know that he was Epileptical and so repent of her match with a beggar and a diseased person And upon these terms Turcism first came into the world and Mahomet was cried up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greatest Prophet to omit other witness as the Saracen fragments tell us that we have out of Euthymius Thus are imperfections and wants sometimes even diseases both of body and mind assumed and affected by some men to get authority to their persons and an opinion of extraordinary religion but rather perhaps more Oyl to their Cruse or custom to their trading But not to flutter thus at large any longer or pursue the common-place in its latitude the Pharisees pride here expresseth it self in three things 1. his posture standing apart 2. his manner of praying altogether by way of thanksgiving 3. his malicious contemptuous eye upon the Publican The first of these may be aggravated against the schismatick that separates from the Church or customs but especially Service and Prayers of the Church 'T is pride certainly that makes this man set himself thus apart whereas the very first sight of that holy place strikes the humble Publican upon the knees of his heart afar off as soon as he was crept within the gates of the Temple he is more devout in the Porch than the Pharisee before the Altar The 2 d. against those that come to God in the pomp of their souls commending themselves to God as we ordinarily use the phrase commending indeed not to his mercy but acceptance not as objects of his pity but as rich spiritual Presents not tears to be received into his bottle but jewels for his treasure Always upon terms of spiritual exultancy what great things God hath done for their souls how he hath fitted them for himself never with humbled bended knees in acknowledgment of unworthiness with St. Paul who cannot name that word sinners but must straight subsume in a parenthesis of whom I am the chief 1 Tim. i. 15 and for the expression of the opinion he had of his own sanctity is fain to coyn a word for the purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word not to be met with in all Greek Authors again before he used it less than the least of the Saints Ephes iii. 8 And Jacob in a like phrase I am less than all thy mercies Gen. xxxii 10 The Litany that begins and ends with so many repetitions importuning for mercy even conjuring God by all powerful names of rich mercy that can be taken out of his Exchequer to have mercy upon us miserable sinners this is set aside for the Publican the sinners Liturgy nay as some say for the profane people only not to pray but to swear by But this only as in transitu not to insist on The 3 d. expression of his pride is his malicious sullen eye upon the Publican and that brings me to the next thing proposed at first the Pharisees censoriousness and insinuated accusations of all others I am not as other men extortioners c. or even as this Publican 'T were an ingenuous speculation and that which would stand us in some stead in our spiritual warfare to observe what hints and opportunities the Devil takes from mens natural inclinations to insinuate and ingratiate his temptations to them how he applies still the fuel to the fire the nourishment to the craving stomach and accommodates all his
may do so here of this there is no doubt but it belongs to charity or duty toward men in its latitude of which alms giving is one most special part and except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven the text on which that heavenly Gospel-Sermon was preach'd upon the Mount If we have any design toward Evangelical perfection toward the Christian pitch the abundance of goodness and mercifulness as that is improved by Christianity then this third years tithing will prove but a beggarly thin proportion that that a Jew if he were a religious one would have been ashamed of But be our aims never so moderate if a door-keepers place will serve our turn to be one of the Nethinim of the meanest rank in the kingdom of heaven yet still we must exceed that proportion of the Jews righteousness their third years tithe that they were bound to or else we are strangely mistaken in Christianity I am unwilling to descend to the arraigning or indicting or so much as examining any man here for the omissions of his former life in this kind my humble lowliest request is that you will do it your selves and if either through ignorance you have not reckoned of it as a duty or through desire to thrive in the world you have omitted to practise it heretofore you will now at last at this instance take it into your consideration and remember that there is such a thing as charity a pale wan despised creature commended to Christians by Christ not to suffer it any longer to go for one of those Magicians Serpents which faith like Moses's rod is appointed to devour if it do know this that that rod is the verier serpent of the two and for the quickning that resolution in you I shall proceed unto the third particular the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to consider it as a duty and so to make an end of my first general In this slothful but confident age of the world 't were admirably worth ones pains to instruct men what duty is now under the Gospel what the very word signifies in a Christian Nomenclature There are so many descants of fantastical brains on that plain song of the Apostles We are not under the law but under grace that 't is scarce agreed on among Christians what 't is to be a Christian nothing more unresolved than what 't is that 's now required under the second Covenant as necessary to salvation One thinks that the believing all fundamentals is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only qualification for a Christian and what hath duty to do with that Another makes the Gospel consist all of promises of what shall be wrought in us and on us by Christ and so gives an absolute supersedeas for duty a◠a legal out-dated thing that is utterly antiquated by grace Another contents himself with purposes and resolutions thin airy inclinations to duty and is utterly indifferent for any performance doubts not but to pass for a Christian as regenerate as S. Paul when he wrote c. 7. to the Romans though he never do the good that he resolves live and die carnal and captived and sold under sin A fourth dissolves all to a new-found faith A full perswasion an absolute assurance that he is one of Gods elect is abundantly sufficient to estate himself in that number a piece of magick or conjuring that will help any man to heaven that will but phansie it enrol their names in the book of life in those sacred eternal diptycks by dreaming only that they are there already Others there are that seem kinder unto duty are content to allow Christ some return of performances for all his sufferings yet you see in the Gospel 't is in one but the patience of hearing him preach A Lord thou hast taught in our streets we have heard so many Sermons passes for a sufficient pretension to heaven in another the communicating at his table We have eat and drank in thy presence a sufficient viaticum for that long journey a charm or amulet against fear or danger in a third the diligence of a bended knee or solemn look of formal-outside-worship must be taken in commutation for all other duty and all this while religion is brought up in the Gentlemans trade good clothes and idleness or of the Lillies of the field vestiri non laborare to be clothed and not labour Duty is too mechanical a thing the shop or the plough the work of faith or labour of love are things too vile too sordid for them to stoop to heaven will be had without such sollicitors Shall I instance in one particular more That Satan may be sure that duty shall never rescue any prey out of his hands one thing you may observe that most men never come to treat with it to look after to consider any such thing till indeed the time comes that no man worketh till the tokens be out upon them till the cry comes that the bridegroom is ready to enter that judgment is at the door and then there is such running about for oil as it 't were for extreme Vnction and that a Sacrament to confer all grace ex opere operato on him that hath scarce life enough to discern that he received it the soul sleeps in it's tenement as long as its lease lasteth and when 't is expired then it rouseth and makes as if 't would get to work the Christian thinks not of action of duty of good works of any thing whilst life and health lasteth but then the summons of death wake him and the prayers which he can repeat while his cloaths are putting off shall charm him like opium for a quiet sleep Thus doth a death-bed repentance a death-bed charity a parting with sins and wealth when we can hold them no longer look as big in the Calenders of Saints stand as solemnly and demurely in our diptycks as judgment and mercy and faith that have born the heat and burthen of the day Our hearts are hardned while it is to day against all the invasion of Law or Gospel judgments or mercies threats or promises all Christs methods and stratagems of grace and just at the close of the evening the shutting in of night we give out that the thunderbolt hath converted us the feaver came with its fiery chariot and hurried us up to heaven Surdus mutus testamentum facit quite against Justinians rule he that hath sent out most of his senses before him and retains but the last glimmering of life is allowed to make his Will and reverse all former acts by that one final Satan hath all the man hath to give under hand and seal all his life time the spring especially and verdure of his age the children pass through the fire to Moloch and just as he is a dropping out of the world he makes signs of cancelling that will and by a
and lives not to gaze upon the Sun to the dazling nay destroying of your eyes but as it were in a burning-glass contract those blessed sanctifying rayes that flow from it to the enlivening and inflaming of your hearts And 2. In the behalf of others so to digest and inwardly dispense every part of sacred knowledge into each several member and vein of Body and Soul that it may transpire through hands and feet and heart and tongue and so secretly insinuate it self into all about you that both by Precept and Example they may see and follow your good works and so glorifie here your Father which is in heaven that we may all partake of that blessed Resurrection not of the learned and the great but the just and so hope and attain to be all glorified together with him hereafter Now to him c. SERMON II. PHIL. IV. 13 I can do all things through Christ that strengthneth me THose two contrary Heresies that cost St. Austin and the Fathers of his time so much pains the one all for natural strength the other for irrecoverable weakness have had such unkindly influence on succeeding ages that almost all the actions of the ordinary Christian have some tincture of one of these scarce any sin is sent abroad into the World without either this or that inscription And therefore parallel to these we may observe the like division in the hearts and practical faculties between pride and sloth opinion of absolute power and prejudice of absolute impotence the one undertaking all upon its own credit the other suing as it were for the preferment or rather excuse of being bankrupts upon record that so they may come to an easie composition with God for their debt of obedience the one so busie in contemplation of their present fortunes that they are not at leisure to make use of them their pride helping them to ease and if you look nearly to poverty too Revel iii. 17 the other so fastened to this Sanctuary this religious piece of prophaneness that leaving the whole business to God as the undertaker and proxy of their obedience their idleness shall be deemed devotion and their best piety sitting still These two differences of Men either sacrilegious or supine imperious or lethargical have so dichotomised this lower sphere of the World almost into two equal parts that the practice of humble obedience and obeying humility the bemoaning our wants to God with Petition to repair them and the observing and making use of those succors which God in Christ hath dispensed to us those two foundations of all Christian duty providing between them that our Religion be neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither the vertue of the Atheist nor the prayer of the Sluggard are almost quite vanished out of the world as when the Body is torn asunder the Soul is without any farther act of violence forced out of its place that it takes its flight home to Heaven being thus let out at the Scissure as at the window and only the two fragments of carcass remain behind For the deposing of these two Tyrants that have thus usurped the Soul between them dividing the Live child with that false Mother into two dead parts for the abating this pride and enlivening this deadness of practical faculties for the scourging this stout Beggar and restoring this Cripple to his Legs the two Provisions in my Text if the order of them only be transposed and in Gods method the last set first will I may hope and pray prove sufficient I can do c. 1. Through Christ that strengthneth me You have there first the Assertion of the necessity of grace and secondly that enforced from the form of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports the minutely continual supply of aids and then thirdly we have not only positively but exclusively declared the person thus assisting in Christo confortante it is by him not otherwise we can do thus or thus Three particulars all against the natural confidence of the proud Atheist 2. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I can do all things First the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and secondly the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. The power and 2. the extent of that power 1. The potency and 2. the omnipotency and then 3. this not only originally of Christ that strengthneth but inherently of me being strengthned by Christ Three particulars again and all against the conceived or pretended impotence either of the false spie that brought news of the Giants Anakims Cannibals in the way to Canaan Numb xiii 32 Or of the Sluggard that is alway affrighting and keeping himself at home with the Lion in the streets some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or other difficulty or impossibility whensoever any work or travel of obedience is required of us Prov. xxvi 13 It will not befit the majesty of the subject to have so many particulars by being severally handled joyntly neglected Our best contrivance will be to shorten the retail for the encreasing of the gross to make the fewer parcels that we may carry them away the better in these three Propositions I. The strength of Christ is the Original and Fountain of all ours Through Christ that c. II. The strength of a Christian from Christ derived is a kind of Omnipotency sufficient for the whole duty of a Christian Can do all things c. III. The strength and power being thus bestowed the work is the work of a Christian of the suppositum the Man strengthned by Christ I can do c. Of these in this order for the removing only of those prejudices out of the Brain which may trash and encumber the practice of piety in the heart And first of the first The strength of Christ is the Original and Fountain of all ours The strength of Christ and that peculiarly of Christ the second Person of the Trinity who was appointed by consent to negotiate for us in the business concerning our Souls All our tenure or plea to grace or glory to depend not on any absolute respectless though free donation but conveyed to us in the hand of a Mediator that Privy Seal of his annexed to the Patent or else of no value at that Court of Pleas or that Grand Assizes of Souls Our Natural strength is the gift of God as God is considered in the first Article of our Creed and by that title of Creation we have that priviledge of all created substances to be able to perform the work of nature or else we should be inferior to the meanest creature in this for the least stone in the street is able to move downwards by its own principle of nature and therefore all that we have need of in the performing of these is only Gods concurrence whether previous or simultaneous and in acts of choice the government and direction of our will by his general providence and power However even in this Work of
in then doth it run about the pastures scorns to be kept within any compass Thus is it with the soul of man if it be ordered within terms and bounds if it have a strict hand held over it if it be curb'd and brought to its postures if it have reason and grace and a careful Tutor to order it you shall find it as tame a Creature as you need deal with it will never straggle or stray beyond the confines which the spirit hath set it the reason is because though it be in it self fluid and moist and ready to run about like water yet Deus firmavit Aquas God hath made a Firmament betwixt the waters as he did Gen. i. 7 i. e. he hath establisht it and given it a consistency that it should not flow or pour it self out beyond its place But if this Soul of man be left to its own nature to its own fluid wild incontinent condition it presently runs out into an Ocean never staies or considers or consults but rushes head-long into all inordinacy having neither the reins of reason nor God to keep it in it never thinks of either of them and unless by chance or by Gods mercy it fall into their hands 't is likely to run riot for ever Being once let loose it ranges as if there were neither power on Earth to quell nor in Heaven to punish it Thus do you see how fluid how inconstant the Soul is of its own accord how prone it is how naturally inclined to run over like a stream over the Banks and if it be not swathed and kept in if it be left to the licentious condition of it self how ready is it to contemn both reason and God and run head-long into Atheism Nay we need not speak so mercifully of it this very licentiousness is the actual renouncing of Religion this very walking after their own lusts is not only a motive to this sin of scoffing but the very sin it self A false Conception in the Womb is only a rude confused ugly Chaos a meer lump of flesh of no kind of figure or resemblance gives only disappointment danger and torment to the Mother 'T is the soul at its entrance which defines and trims and polishes into a body that gives it Eyes and Ears and Legs and Hands which before it had not distinctly and severally but only rudely altogether with that mass or lump Thus is it with the Man till Religion hath entred into him as a Soul to inform and fashion him as long as he lives thus at large having no terms or bounds or limits to his actions having no form or figure or certain motion defined him he is a Mola a meer lump of man an arrant Atheist you cannot discern any features or lineaments of a Christian in him he hath neither Eyes to see nor Ears to hear nor hands to practice any duty that belongs to his peace Only 't is Religion must take him up must smooth and dress him over and according to its Etymon must religare swathe and bind up this loose piece of flesh must animate and inform him must reduce him to some set form of Christianity or else he is likely after a long and fruitless travel to appear a deformed monstrous Atheist But not to deal any longer upon simile's lest we seem to confound and perplex a truth by explaining it I told you the licentious voluptuous life was it self perfect Heathenism For can you imagine a man to be any but a Gentile who hath abandoned all love all awe all fear all care of God any one of which would much contract and draw him into compass who hath utterly put off every garb of a Christian who hath enjoy'd the reins so long that now he is not sensible or at least contemns the curb or snaffle if he be but check't with it gets it in his teeth and runs away with it more fiercely The Heathen are noted not so much that they worshipt no God at all but that they worshipped so many and none of them the true Every great friend they had every delight and pleasure every thing that was worth praying for straight proved their God and had its special Temple erected for its Worship So that do but imagine one of them every day worshipping every God whom he acknowledged in its several Oratory spending his whole life and that too little too in running from one Temple to another and you have described our licentious man posting on perpetually to his sensual devotions worshipping adoring and sacrificing every minute of his life to some Idol-vanity and bestowing as much pains and charges in his prophane heathenish pleasures as ever the Gentiles did on their false gods or the most supererogating Papist on their true We are wont to say in Divinity and that without an Hyperbole that every commission of sin is a kind of Idolatry an incurvation and bending down of the Soul to some Creature which should alwayes be erect looking up to Heaven from whence it was infused like water naturally inclined to climb and ascend as high as the Fountain or Head from whence it sprang And then certainly a licentious life is a perpetual Idolatry a supineness and proneness and incurvation of the Soul to somewhat that deserves to be called an Idol i. e. either in St. Pauls acceptation of it nothing an Idol is nothing 1 Cor. viii 4 or else in the most honourable signification only an Image or some rude likeness or representation of God We are the Image of God our selves and whatsoever is below us is but an imperfect draught of him containing some lineaments some confused resemblances of his power which created them have no being of their own but only as shadows which the light doth cast And therefore every love every bowe every cringe which we make to any Creature is the wooing and worshipping of an Image at best in plain terms of an Idol nothing What degree then of Idolatry have they attained to who every minute of their lives bowe down and worship make it their trade and calling for ever to be a solliciting some pleasure or other Some exquisite piece of sensuality to bless and make them happy which have no other shrines to set up but only to their own lust to which they do so crouch and creep and crawle that they are never able to stand up right again like those Trees which the Papists talk of which by bowing to our Ladies House when in walks by the Wood toward Loretto have ever since stood stooping Thus do you see how the latter part of my Text hath overtook the former the walking after his own lusts becomes a scoffer the licentious man proceeded Atheist and that with ease his very voluptuous life is a kind of Atheism and the reasons of this are obvious you need not seek or search far for them For first this walking in their own lusts notes an habit gathered out of many acts he hath
Rendrings more nicely and proposed either my own or others Opinions concerning the Causes or Grounds of their Variations which I acknowledge to be more than was necessary to the Work in hand yet deemed it a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which the Learned Reader would be gratified and the more Unlearned not considerably disturbed in his pursuit 24. As for the Syriack that also hath been often conducible to my Undertaking as departing frequently from the LXXII where there was reason for so doing and more simply rendring the Original than the Chaldee as a Paraphrast pretended to do 25. Besides these I have had the Directions sometimes of the Jewish Scholiasts especially Aben Ezra and Kimchi and sometimes of the Jewish Arab Interpreter and of Abu Walid and R. Tanchum which three I wholly owe to the Favour of my most Learned Friend Mr. Pocock who hath those Manuscript Rarities peculiar to his Library and hath been forward to communicate them and which is more his own great Judgment in several Difficulties when I stood in need thereof And by these and other Helps which were more accessible I at length atteined to that measure of Understanding of this very obscure Divine Poem which is here communicated to the Reader by three Steps or Degrees First by some light change of the Translation Secondly by larger Paraphrase and Thirdly to those that have the curiosity to desire the Reasons of these by way of Annotations 26. And if what is here communicated prove in any proportion successful toward the designed End the giving the Reader the plain Understanding of this Book it will then leave behind it a manifold Obligation to make use of it to his own greatest Advantage not only by gathering out of the whole as from a Panacea those peculiar Medicaments which may fit him in whatsoever Occasions but by allotting himself every day of his Life a Dimensum of Heavenly Meditation and Devotion conversing with God in those very Words they need not be refined or put into Rhythme to fit them for his turn the Antients contented themselves with the plain Prose and found it fittest for use with which for this common End the Use and Benefit of Mankind he so long since inspired the Psalmist 27. Till by some better Guidance Men have acquired some competent Understanding of the Book this Paraphrase may possibly be Useful in their retirements to be read Verse by Verse together with the Psalm as Interlinears have been provided for Novices in all Languages But when the Psalm is understood and the recesses competently opened then this designed Help will but incumber the instructed Christian and so is in duty to be laid aside and changed for the indeavour of drawing to himself the most proper Juice out of every Line and then inlarging his Thoughts and inflaming his Zeal on each occasion that the Periods of the Psalm shall severally suggest and the good Spirit of God excite in him whether in relation to himself or others 28. To which purpose it is much to be wished that they that allot any conconstant part of their time to private Psalmody and to that end have as the Antients prescribed and practised gotten the Psaltery perfectly by heart quilibet vinitor every Tradesman at his Manual Work having by this means the whole time of his Labour vacancy for his Devotion would be careful not only to keep their Hearts in strict attendance on their Tongues that it may not degenerate into Lip-labour but also to give them a much greater scope of inlargement to improve these Impresses to beat out this Gold into Plate and Wire by Reflections Applications Soliloquies and so to fasten these on the Mind with references to the Texts which suggested them that they may be so many Topicks and Helps of Memory to bring back the same with all the Advantages that united Devotions shall beget in them when they recite the same in the publick Offices of the Church 29. I have heard of some Pious Men which have constantly compleated the whole Work of their private Prayers by inlarging their Meditations on the several Petitions of the Lords Prayer the profit whereof is probably much greater than of the same or greater space laid out by others in the multiplied Recitation of the same Divine Prayer And proportionably the reciting a few Psalms daily with these Interpunctions of Mental Devotion suggested and animated and maintained by the native Life and Vigour which is in the Psalms may deserve much to be preferred before the daily Recitation of the whole Psalter whereof the Devotions of some Asceticks is said to have consisted The danger being very obvious and easily foreseen that what is beaten out into immoderate length will lose of the massiness and nothing more fit to be averted in Religious Offices than their degenerating into heartless dispirited Recitations 30. That our Devotions unto which the Psalter is set to minister may not be such we are 1. To take care that our Lives bear some conformity with these Patterns and 2. Very sollicitously to attend and provide that the Psalmist's Effusions have the Psalmist's Spirit and Affection to accompany them that we borrow his Hand and Breath as well as his Instrument and Ditties The Antient Fathers of the Church are very pressing on this Subject Form thy Spirit by the Affection of the Psalm saith S. Augustine If it be the Affection of Love inkindle that within thy Breast that thou mayst not speak against thy Sense and Knowledge and Conscience when thou sayst I will love thee O Lord my strength If it be an Affection of Fear impress that on thy Soul and be not thy self an insensible Anvil to such Strokes of Divine Poesie which thou chantest out to others O consider this ye that forget God lest he pluck you away and there be none to deliver you If it be an Affection of Desire which the Psalmist in an holy transportation expresseth let the same breath in thee accounting as S. Chrysostome minds thee on Psal 42. that when thou recitest those words Like as the Hart desireth the Water-brooks so longeth my Soul after thee O God thou hast sealed a Covenant betrothed and ingaged thy Soul to God and must never have a coldness or indifferency to him hereafter If it be the Affection of Gratitude let thy Soul be lifted up in Praises come with Affections this way inflamed sensible of the weight of Mercies of all kinds Spiritual and Temporal with all the Inhansements that the seasonable Application thereof to the Extremities of thy Wants can add to thy Preservations and Pardons and Joys or else the reciting the Hallelujahs will be a most ridiculous piece of Pageantry And so likewise for the petitory part of the Psalms let us be allways in a posture ready for them with our spirits minutely prepared to dart them up to heaven And whatever the affection be Cor faciat quod verba significant Let the heart
righteous judgment in God and a testimony that all that should pass should be from Gods particular disposing And so it was in the story before the fatal siege of Hierusalem all the Christians in obedience to Christs admonition Mat. 24.16 fled out of Judea unto Pella and so none of them were found in Judea at the taking of it See note on Mat. 24. g. 7. Hear O my people and I will speak O Israel and I will testifie against thee I am God even thy God Paraphrase 7. Then shall he establish a new law with these his faithful servants the disciples of Christ the members of the Christian Church entring into a stedfast covenant of mercy with them ratified and sealed in the death of his Son 8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings to have been continually before me Paraphrase 8. And abolish the old Mosaical way of Sacrifices and holocausts of bullocks c. constantly offered up unto God by the Jews 9. I will take no bullock out of thy house nor he-goats out of thy fold Paraphrase 9. And never any more put the worshipper to that chargeable gross sort of service of burning of flesh upon Gods Altar that the smoak might go up to heaven and Atone God for them as was formerly required whilst the Jewish Temple stood 10. For every beast of the forrest is mine and the cattel upon a thousand hills 11. I know all the fouls of the mountains and the c wild beasts of the field are mine 12. If I were hungry I would not tell thee for the world is mine and the fulness thereof 13. Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats Paraphrase 10 11 12 13. For indeed this kind of service was never appointed by God as that which he had any need of or pleasure in it If he had he might have provided himself whole hecatombs without putting the Israelites to the charge or trouble of it having himself the plenary dominion of all the cattel on the earth and fouls of the air and the certain knowledge where every one of them resides so that he could readily command any or all of them whensoever he pleased But it is infinitely below God to want or make use of any such sort of oblations sure he feeds not on flesh and blood of cattel as we men do There were other designs of his appointing the Israelites to use these services viz. to adumbrate the death of his own eternal Son as the one true means of redemption and propitiation for sin and the more spiritual sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving and almes to the poor members of Christ which may receive real benefit by our Charities which cannot be imagined of God 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High Paraphrase 14. And such are the sacrifices which under the Messias are expected and required of us 1. That of the Eucharist the blessing God for all his mercies but especially the gift of his Son to dye for us and this brought to God with penitent contrite mortified hearts firm resolution of sincere new obedience and constantly attended with an offertory or liberal contribution for the use of the poor proportionable to the voluntary oblations among the Jews and these really dedicated to God and accepted by him Phil. 4.18 Heb. 13 16. 15. And call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Paraphrase 15. 2. That of prayer and humble address unto God in all time of our wants to which there is assurance of a gracious return and that must ingage us to give the praise and glory of all to the Messias in whose name our prayers are addrest to God 16. But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth 17. Seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee Paraphrase 16 17. But as for those that make no other use of these mercies of God than to incourage themselves to go on in their courses of sin which think to perform these sacrifices of prayer and praise and yet still continue in any wilful known vice unreformed make their formal approaches unto God but never heed his severe commands of reformation these have no right to the mercies of this Evangelical Covenant and do but deceive themselves and abuse others when they talk of it and the more so the more solemnly they pretend to piety and talk of and perhaps preach it to others 18. When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him and hast been partaker with adulterers Paraphrase 18. Such are not only the thief and adulterer those that are guilty of the gross acts of those sins but such as any way partake with them in these 19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil and thy tongue frameth deceit Paraphrase 19. Such the evil speaker and lyer 20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Paraphrase 20. The backbiter and slanderer 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Paraphrase 21. When men commit such sins as these God doth not always inflict punishment on them immediately but defers and gives them space to repent and amend that they may thus prevent and escape his punishment And some make so ill use of this indulgence and patience of his which is designed only to their repentance as to interpret it an approbation of their course and an incouragement to proceed securely in it But those that thus deceive themselves and abuse Gods mercies shall most deerly pay for it God shall bring his judgments upon them here cut them off in their sins and pour out his indignation on them in another world 22. Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Paraphrase 22. This therefore is matter of sad admonition to every impenitent sinner that goes on fearless in any course of evil immediately to stop in his march to return betimes lest if he defer Gods judgments fall heavily upon him selfe him and carry him to that place of torment for then there is no possible escaping 23. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Paraphrase 23. Whereas on the other side the Christian duties required v. 14. Repentance and charity c. and the orderly spending of these few days of our life in this world are beyond all the sacrifices of the Law an eminent means of glorifying God and providing for the present bliss and eternal salvation of our souls Annotations on Psalm L. V. 3. Shall come The notion of Gods coming must here first be established as that
and to become able to steer thy whole life by those excellent rules of all sorts and never transgress any of them 10. When wisedom entreth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul 11. Discretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee Paraphrase 10 11. And when by these closer and more intimate embraces by the constant practice of vertue and experience of the sweetness of it which at a distance is never discerned wicked men knowing not what belongs to it thou comest to esteem it as it really is the most desirable valuable and even sensual pleasing course especially if compared with the unsatisfying empty joys or rather vexations and burthens of the flesh and world this very apprehension of it if there were nothing else will prove a consideration of great efficacy a competent armature against all temptations whensoever any the most specious promising sensual or secular bait shall invite and solicit thee out of thy road of obedience and adherence to the commands of God thine own judgment will assure thee that it bids thee to thy loss that by catching after that phasme or shadow of false pleasure thou shalt deprive thy self of the most real solid and durable joys which are all made up in the constant exercises of all moral and Christian duties humility meekness mercifulness peaceableness contentedness temperance purity justice c. and are not to be found in the confines of the contrary vices which beside the wounds and gratings of an accusing conscience bring all manner of uneasiness and dissatisfactions along with them nay even pains and torments after them And this one would think should be sufficient to uphold and continue us unchanged in the ways of vertue to fortifie us against all such treacherous competitours as come on purpose to rob and waste and undoe when they most pretend and undertake to gratifie and oblige us 12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man from the man that speaketh froward things Paraphrase 12. To secure us from the snares that tempters are ready to lay for us ch 1.10 and keep us from imitating or associating with them in their unlawfull destructive practices designed to shed others blood but generally redounding to their own mischief bringing that on themselves which they projected against others ch 1.18 19. 13. Who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness Paraphrase 13. Considering what a strange irrational choice it must needs be to forsake what is so infinitely valuable and advantagious in exchange for that which is so detestable and destructive even the same that it would be to leave a direct lightsome way that conducts to all bliss for a melancholy gloomy crooked path that leads to eternal misery 14. Who rejoyce to doe evil and delight in the frowardness of the wicked Paraphrase 14. Can there be any thing so distant from right judgment so contrary to all even humane measures as to delight and take joy in doing things that are most detestable without any intuition of gain or advantage by them to place a felicity in affronting God and nature and going on obstinately and imperswasibly in such abhorred fruitless courses which beside the pleasure of opposing all that is good which none but devils one would think should have taste of or appetite to have nothing else to recommend them to any man 15. Whose ways are crooked and they froward in their paths Paraphrase 15. Were they not as crooked and distorted as their ways are were not their hearts set wholly on opposing and despising of all that is good and perversly bent never to hearken to any sober counsels it were impossible they should thus like and love their wandrings and prevarications such chargeable gainless variations from their duty 16. To deliver thee from the strange woman even from the stranger which flattereth with her words Paraphrase 16. The very same method will fortifie thee against all other the most enticing ensnaring sins particularly that of unlawfull embraces The vertue either of virginal or conjugal chastity is certainly so much more pleasant and desirable than the liberties of various lust be it recommended to thy phancy by never so many flattering and false colours that thy own judgment and discretion v. 11. is sufficient to arm thee against any such be they never so insinuating proposals 17. Which forsaketh the guide of her youth and forgetteth the covenant of her God Paraphrase 17. Were there nothing but the breach of the conjugal faith and perjurious falseness that such commissions are guilty of thiâ— were enough to avert any man from this sin with another man's wife The adulteress is a most scandalous disloyal person breaks through the greatest obligations both of duty and kindness justice and gratitude to her lawfull and tender huâ—band and having entred into mutual sacramental bands a most strict covenant to him and vow to God of continuing her love and faith to him constant and undefiled she most traiterously violateth all these obligations and thou that joynest with her in the sin art beside thine own guilty of all her falsenesses 18. For her house enclineth unto death and her paths unto the dead Paraphrase 18. But beside the horribleness of the sin the punishments which it must expect to meet with may most reasonably deter any man from it All the plagues and miseries of this world and rottenness and wretched diseases and death are the ordinary attendants of it Whilst men are in pursuit of this sin it speaks them fair v. 16. promises them pleasure at a distance but they that are thus ensnared find â—n abyss of infelicities inseparably annext to it 19. None that go unto her return again neither take they hold of the paths of life Paraphrase 19. And beyond all one curse attends this sin that it is a kind of hell to them that are once engaged in it As to him that is once in those chains of darkness there is no possibility of returning to a capacity of any tolerable much less happy life so those that are any thing deeply immerst in this sin of adultery seldom ever get out of it again Experience shews of such how unsuccessfull all calls of God the most powerfull methods of his grace and providence are to disintangle them or to recover them to a life of sobriety and piety 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous Paraphrase 20. And as this prescribed method cannot doubt to be successfull in fortifying thee against the temptations forementioned so it will be abundantly sufficient to secure thy perseverance in all piety by considering how much a more easie nay delectable joyous course it is v. 10. than that which either the world or flesâ— can tempt thee to 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect shall remain in it Paraphrase 21. Piety having the promises even of this life
felicity of this life consists they shall also be means of accumulating all other prosperities upon us They whom all men love and revere will be in least danger of being hurt by them but on the contrary shall receive all aids and assistance from them and they that have the favour of God have therein a title to all auspicious influences of his providence which are the onely sure way to prosperity here and to all eternity 5. Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thine own understanding 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths Paraphrase 5 6. A second duty that I shall recommend to thee on the same account as a special ingredient in thy prosperities is the reposing thy trust entirely and cordially on God so as not to rely on thine own wisedom contrivances or artifices to compass thy designs in this world but to keep thy self to the ways and means which God affords thee and approves of and this beyond all worldly policies will secure thee of a most happy and easie and expedite passage through all the dangers of this life 7. Be not wise in thine own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil 8. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones Paraphrase 7 8. A third quality of the same form is humility as that contains a very lowly opinion and conceit of ones self Rom. 12.16 and withall a tender awe and reverence to God and fear of displeasing him a readiness to obey him in all he shall require of us a conscientious abstaining from all sin a conquest over the temptations of the world or flesh an uniform obedience in opposition to that pride and contumacy and despising of God which the Psalmist notes in the wicked Psal 10.4 And nothing can more contribute to thy prosperity bodily and ghostly than this Confident overweening persons run themselves into strange inconveniencies but humility keeps men safe makes them seek aid and help from others and call constantly to God for that direction and assistance they stand in need of and the rejecting and averting of all wicked proposals secures us from them and neither the most sovereign medicines nor the most plentifull provisions of all things conducible to the body tending and cherishing it as the Gardner doth his ground with continual watering can contribute more to the acquiring of health and strength and agility and an athletick habit of body than this one advantage of humility and conscientious exact walking contributes to all worldly good successes As for ghostly health and strength which come wholly from the grace and spirit of God that is in especial manner promised to the humble and obedient and withdrawn from the proud or else repell'd by them 9. Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first-fruits of all thine encrease 10. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine Paraphrase 9 10. A fourth duty that will tend extremely to the same end of advancing not onely thy eternal but even thy secular interests is a carefull constant paying to God all that he hath by any law required of thee and even by voluntary oblations exceeding that proportion which is strictly required hereby acknowledging that all thou hast cometh to thee merely from his bounty and is no way owing to thine own labour or subtlety but merely to his blessing Of this sort are the tithes and first-fruits and all other payments among the Jews due to the Temple and the Priests and other Officers of the Temple and in proportion all that hath ever been consecrated to God or his service in the Christian Church And of this sort also is the second tithing part whereof was spent at the feasts part assigned to the refreshing of the poor fatherless c. so was the second tithing every third year and so the gleanings of their harvest c. and being given to them is acceptable as given to God and so is much to the honour of God and an act of acknowledgment and thanksgiving to him answerable to which is setting apart some constant considerable proportion out of our revenues or gains for a stock of charity to our poor Christian brethren And if this duty be carefully and liberally and chearfully performed merely on design to bless and praise God and to provide for those whom he hath appointed his proxies upon earth to receive our works of piety and mercy it shall be so far from lessening thy store that it shall generally be a means of encreasing it exceedingly Nothing shall more tend to the bringing down a blessing upon all thy undertakings and so to the enriching thee than this see Mal. 3.10 Whereas they that withhold what is thus due much more they that sacrilegiously invade what is by others consecrated unto God or that oppress the poor are to expect nothing but blasts and improsperities and beggery It being ordinary for great estates and whole families to be utterly wasted by these means which yet according to wordly measures might expect to be most enriched and raised thereby 11. My Son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither be weary of his correction 12. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a father the son in whom he delighteth Paraphrase 11 12. It is true that every of these Aphorisms premised must be understood with a limitation or condition leaving place for some mixtures of the cross which all men in this valley of tears as the punishment of sin must sometimes expect and pious men have no exemption from them their greatest temporal felicities come with some allay or dash of afflictions and persecutions Mar. 10.40 When these come then is the season of another sort of Christian vertues patience meekness submission not onely to God's will which may not be resisted but also to his wisedom who can and doth choose for us that which is absolutely best and most wholesome though at the present dolorous and unwelcome and from that consideration ariseth also matter of refreshment and chearfulness so far at least as that we be not discouraged in our course of piety or any way tempted to slacken our zeal or to discover the least weariness or despondency of mind on this occasion but rather to rejoyce and be exceeding glad Matth. 5.12 And this thou wilt find no difficulty to doe if thou but consider that as all afflictions come from God so they are not acts of hatred in him but preparatives to his favour and reconciliation punishments indeed for sin but such as God in mercy inflicts here that he may not condemn with the world the very same that the corrections of a Father to a Son designed onely to his good and are therefore generally most frequent to those Children when they offend whom the Parents love most tenderly In them whatsoever is amiss or any way improveable the Parents excessive love makes
reading it seems 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to acquire or possess which they the rather did because in the latter part they thought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fitly rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 emulate which being so mistaken they were to add somewhat to supply the Ellipsis which might be possest as the man of violence could not and this caused the addition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contumelies whether in the active sense the wrongs and contumelies which they deal out to others or the reproaches that fall upon themselves for their sins even their punishments in this world As for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that style fitly denotes the oppressours violent or injurious V. 34. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surely he derideth the deriders from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 derisit they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God resisteth is set against the proud fully expressing the sense though not literally the words for as those that violate and despise God's Law are the proudest rebels so God's setting himself against them contrary to the giving them grace in the latter part is the scorning of them the not hearkening to or relieving their greatest wants And in this their rendring onely changing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God two Apostles recite this verse Jam. 4.6 and 1 Pet. 5.5 CHAP. IV. 1. HEar ye children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding 2. For I give you good doctrine forsake you not my law Paraphrase 1 2. There is nothing so fit for all young and tender years to be seasoned with to be educated in by the care and discipline of their parents as the Laws of God for the directing of their lives It is the best portion the parent can assign the child more valuable than any other inheritance And then it nearly concerns us all that such a treasure be not cast away upon us that we lay it up safely in the heart make use of it to the direction and conduct of our whole lives and never knowingly or willingly transgress it as long as we live 3. For I was my father's son tender and onely beloved in the sight of my mother 4. He taught me also and said unto me Let thy heart retein my words keep my commandments and live Paraphrase 3 4. No child could be more passionately loved and valued by parents than the writer of this book Solomon was by his father David and mother Bathsheba And the great expression of this their love was the affording him this timely instruction daily inculcating to him the great necessity and advantages of exact and uniform obedience to all the commands of God towards a happy and prosperous life here and the attaining of eternity 5. Get wisedom get understanding forget it not neither decline from the words of my mouth Paraphrase 5. And the same paternal affection obliges me to inculcate this admonition to all the sons of men that whatever labour or industry it costs them they get this treasure into their possession the onely true wisedom and prudence that of knowing their duty of all sorts in order to the practice of it and never neglect or transgress those rules which this book gives them for the direction of their lives 6. Forsake her not and she shall preserve thee love her and she shall keep thee Paraphrase 6. And to this they have all encouragement as well as obligation Nothing shall tend more to their both present and eternal good than a strict unintermitted uniform observation of these rules All safety and tranquility and happiness here is made over to men on these onely terms They that thus keep close to God his providence is engaged to their protection and the very practice of these vertues it self hath a moral efficacy and an assurance of God's blessing accompanying it to keep men from all evil ghostly and bodily here and hereafter 7. Wisedom is a principal thing therefore get wisedom and with all thy getting get understanding Paraphrase 7. And therefore in all reason as this is to be the first and principal of our care to possess our hearts of this treasure so whatsoever else is afterwards sought or pursued must be with its due subordination to that The constant practice of all Christian duties must never be intermitted by the intervention of our secular aims but taken along to accomplish and secure all other acquests to us 8. Exalt her and she shall promote thee she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her Paraphrase 8. And no man shall ever loose by what is thus bestowed whatsoever value or love thou expressest to this sort of wisedom shall be abundantly repaid to thee by her They that endeavour not onely to exercise themselves constantly in the Law of God but to bring it in credit and fashion in the world to attract and engage all others in the same that prize and love it above all that appears most splendid or amiable in the world shall find this the most certain never-failing course to heap honour and estimation on themselves in the eyes of all such men whose good opinion is worth having And over and above all this the acceptation and praise of God and eternal glory with him hereafter is their most assured reward 9. She shall give to thy head an ornament of grace a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee Paraphrase 9. And indeed this is a special privilege of piety the exercise of Christian graces humility charity temperance c. that it renders thee amiable in the sight of all men S. Peter calls it the ornament of a meek and quâ—et spirit 1 Pet. 3.4 and S. Paul mentions it under the style of whatsoever things are honourable and of good report Phil. 4.8 no external ornament or bravery like it the most glorious regal crown doth not give such a lustre to him that wears it as the exercise of these graces doth But this is not all it not onely adorns but protects is by God's blessing and by the radiency of its own beauty a defensative and most sovereign amulet to him that hath it to secure him from the effects of mens malice the maxime being generally true though as other general rules it may bear some exception sometimes that men will not harm them who follow that which is good 1 Pet. 3.13 10. Hear O my son and receive my sayings and the years of thy life shall be many Paraphrase 10. Were I to exhort thee as a father a son most fatherly and prudentially to that whereon thy greatest and most durable weal even in this world depends I should absolutely recommend to thee the constant practice of piety the strict observation of those good rules which true saving wisedom prescribes thee being able to assure thee from heaven and even by a regular consequence that the blessings of a long and happy life do generally attend it From
reconcile these contrary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that we might one day celebrate an Advent indeed and that the completion of the Prophecy of this Text might be an Ingredient in the Solemnity that this of ours might be one of those Nations and People judged and rebuked i. e. convinced and converted by the Incarnate Saviour for then would these words of the Text be verifi'd of us They shall beat their Swords c. The words are the Character or Effect of Christ's Kingdom of the state and power of his Gospel in mens hearts and I shall view them first absolutely in the several parts or branches of this Character and then relatively as they are peculiarly verified of the state of the Gospel or as they are a character of that In the Absolute view you have 1. The Swords and Spears on one side 2. The Plough-shares and Pruning-hooks on the other 3. The Passage or Motion of one of these into the other by way of Beating In the Relative view we shall 1. have occasion to vindicate the truth of this Prophecy against the contrary appearances 2. To shew you how and by what means Christianity undertakes to work this great work to beat the Swords c. I begin with the Absolute view and in that with the most formidable part of the Prospect the Swords and Spears sharp assaulting piercing weapons found out and forg'd by the passions and wits of men to arm their rage to satisfie their covetings and ambitions to manage all the quarrels that the carnal or diabolical affections of men have commenc'd or inflam'd through the world These are the gross Elements made use of by the Prophet figuratively to express the instruments of our Hostilities that lie more covertly in our hearts these invisible Swords and Spears animosities uncharitable unpeaceable humors that Christ came to allay and temper to transform and beat into other shapes And to put off the Figure and give you plain words instead of it Three sorts there are of these quarrels or Hostilities which seem all to be comprehended in these words First though more improperly our Hostilities against God our rebellions and resistances against his will our contrary walkings to him the throwing off that yoke of Moral or Christian duties breaking those bands casting of those cords Psal 2. and that either 1. In an universal dislike of his Government a direct nolumus hunc that profest Atheism that begins to set up to gather Disciples and Proselytes abroad in the world that Chair of the Scorner that disclaims Religion as a pusillanimous thing a ridiculous pedantick quality that hath in their opinion dis-spirited and emasculated the world Or else 2. by particular oppositions to his commands in the retail sinning over all the Precepts on either Mount taking part with the Law of the Members against all the Empires of the Law of the Mind and under a Christian profession doing as much despight unto Christ as he that hath shut him out of his mouth and brain also And in relation to these Hostilities it is that we Ministers are posted from Heaven like so many Heraulds at the news of a Battery or approach of the Enemy to demand a Parley before men proceed any farther in their giantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fighting against God and our Embassie is very submiss as though God did beseech you by us as Lot doth the Sodomites on their assault of the Angels We pray you Brethren do not so wickedly We pray you in Christ's stead that you will not proceed in your course that you will be pacified and reconciled unto God And sure these are formidable slaughtering-weapons very bloudy threatning Enemies that make God think fit to send out Embassies for Treaty and not venture his Heaven to be stormed by them A second sort of Hostilities possibly here meant are these against our selves the fatallest and bloudiest in the world the piercing and wounding and butchering our own poor Souls deforming and infeebling them with our wasting habits of sin exhausting the very principles of civil ingenuous Nature leaving never a vital spark or seed of humanity behind but violating and grieving and quenching all a direct felonia de se murthering and assassinating these divine creatures which God had prepared to people Heaven and casting them out to the noisom'st dunghills employing them to the meanest offices in the world Nay Hostilities to the Flesh it self those sins that undertake to serve the grosser part of us to have special fidelities and kindnesses to the flesh in all their warrings against the Soul are not yet so faithful in their performances work oft the greatest malices to that very flesh cast it sometimes into the fire sometimes into the water despoil it of all the honour beauty spirits joys and life it self leave it in the pitiousest disfigured rifled wasted flesh imaginable and so have their malices and treacheries against that also But the truth is these are but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prelusory lighter brandishings of these swords The uncharitablenesses here especially designed are in the third place those that as our material swords and spears are ordinarily imployed against our Brethren or fellow-Christians either upon their Lives or their Reputations or their Souls 1. On their Lives when either our ambitions or revenges or which is the worst of all and the bloudiest assassinate when 't is set on it when 't is gotten into the Jesuite Chamber of meditation our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bitter envying or zeal when that I say like the bloud of the Mulberries to the Elephant shall inflame us to a brutality a thirst of our Brethrens bloud turning the Christian into a Nimrod a mighty Hunter before the Lord giving the Church that new notion of Militant in shedding as much of other mens bloud and triumphing in that effusion as in the Primitive times it poured out of its own veins when the Heathen Persecutors called for it when Christians shall design God Sacrifices bloudy Cannibal Oblations and in that other stern sense of the Apostle's words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rational humane sacrifices whole Herds and Hecatombs at once and think to avert judgments to work expiations to perform supererogating services to God by that means 2. On their Reputations whether in the Language of the Slanderer and Reviler whose words are spears and arrows and his tongue a sharp sword in the Psalmist's dialect the preparative to that former practising on the Life putting men into wild beasts Skins that they may be worried and torn to pieces in their disguises or whether yet in the higher strain of the censorious Anathematizer that breaths out woes and damnations passes that bloudy sentence upon all that walk not in his path toward Canaan this spiritual assassinacy this deepest die of bloud being most Satanically designed on Souls and because they cannot get those into their power practising it in Effigie slaughtering them here in this
vital energy of the Gospel God of his infinite mercy grant us all even for the sake and through the operation of his Son Jesus Christ that wonderful Counsellor that mighty God that Father of this Evangelical state that Prince and that God of peace to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be ascribed as is most due the honour the glory the power praise might majesty and dominion which through all ages of the world hath been given to him that sitteth on the Throne to the Holy Spirit and to the Lamb for evermore Amen The II. SERMON MATTH 11.30 My yoke is easie and my burthen is light THat the Christian's Heaven should be acknowledged his only blissful state and yet they which pant for bliss never think fit to enquire after it That Christ the way to that heaven should be truly styled by one Prophet the desire of all Nations and yet they that look on him be affirm'd by another Prophet to see nothing in him that they should desire him That a rational creature should be made up of such contradictions as to desire life most importunately and yet as passionately to make love to death to profess such kindness to immaterial joyes and yet immerse and douz himself in carnal to groan and languish for Salvation i. e. an eternal state of purity and yet to disclaim and flie it whensoever any impure delight is to be parted with might have leave to exercise and pose a considering man were there not one clear account to be given of this prodigy one reason of this fury the many evil reports that are brought up of the way to this good land the prejudices fatal prejudices infused into us the vehement dislikes and quarrels to all Christian practice that only passage to our only bliss We have heard of an Angel with a flaming Sword at the gate of Paradise which our poetick fears and fancies have transformed into a Serpent at the door of the Hesperides garden that Angel fallen and turned into a Devil we have heard of the Cannibal Anakims in the confines of the promised Land that devour all that travel toward that Region and our cowardly sluggish aguish fancies have transplanted all these into Christendom made them but emblems of Christ's duri sermones the hard tasks unmerciful burthens that he laies on his Disciples yea and conjured up a many spirits and Fairies more sad direful apparitions and sent them out all a commanded Party to repel or to trash us to intercept or incumber our passage toward Canaan to pillage and despoil the Soul of all Christian practice of all that 's duty in Discipleship Three of these prejudices our Saviour seems to have foreseen and prevented in the words of this Text. 1. That there is no need of doing any thing in Discipleship Christ came to free from yokes to release from burthens the Gospel's made all of promises Obedience to precepts is a mere unnecessary And for the preventing of that prejudice you have here as a yoke and a burthen so both of Christ's owning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my yoke and my burthen A second prejudice of them that being forc'd to confess the necessity of Christian obedience do yet resolve it impossible to be perform'd discerning the burthens in my Text must have them unsupportable burthens no hope no possibility for us to move under them and then studium cum spe senescit their industry is as faint as their hope Desperation stands them in as much stead as Libertinism did t'other they are beholden to the weight of their burthens for a supersedeas for taking them up And for the preventing of that prejudice you have here this character of Christ's burthen not only supportable but light my burthen is a light burthen A third prejudice there is yet behind of those that having yielded the both necessity and possibility of Christian obedience are yet possest of the unpleasingness and bitterness of it like those in the Prophet cry out The burthen of the Lord the burthen of the Lord the yoke a joyless melancholick yoke the burthen a galling pinching burthen and to them hath our Saviour designed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here as the most significative epithet to express the nature of the Christian yoke We have rendred it but imperfectly my yoke is easie it signifies more richly my yoke is a benign yoke all pleasure and profit made up in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord is gracious 1 Pet. 2.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.4 signifies the bounty we render it the goodness of God that which immediately before is the riches of his bounty and proportionably the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gracious bountiful yoke a mine a treasure of bounty a good a joyous and a gainful yoke And he that is thus answered in all his objections confuted in all his fears and prejudices and excuses for Libertinism if he do not acknowledge the reasonableness of Christ's advice take my yoke upon you take it for its own sake though it were not laid upon you by Christ my necessary my light my gracious yoke he that will not accept of some office in the house of so good a Master I know not what kind of address to make to him I must leave him to Pythagoras's Sponde's that could cure a Mad man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rectifie the errours of his appetite first and then his mind first of his spleen and then his brain before any portion of this bread of life will be diet for him I have drawn you the lines which lie folded up in this Text the filling each up with colours in the shortest manner I could devise would prove a work of more time than is now my portion The expedient I have resolved on is to leap over the two former and only fasten on my last particular as that which includes and supposes the two former as that which will bring its reward with it invite and feed your patience and in all probability obtain your belief because there is never an interest never a passion about you that it contradicts Your patience being thus armed with a fight of the guesses but one stage and that the smoothest you ever pass'd I shall presume you ready to set out with me and it is to consider that anticipation of the third prejudice in the Epithet affixt to Christ's yoke in the fulness of its significancy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my yoke is a benign a gracious a pleasant a good and a gainful yoke Yea and that in this life at the taking the yoke upon you a present gooodness in it here though there were never a treasure of rewards never a heaven after it at least as the present paradise of a true Disciple is considered apart abstracted from that future expectation my yoke is a good yoke is for the present the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is hath an influence on the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
as much of hell in the extinction of this flame as in the raging of that in the chill numm'd as in the raving tormented spirit as fatal a Lethargy from the one as Fever from the other If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha saith St. Paul Blessed Apostle I cannot imagine thy Gospel-spirit could permit thee to deliver those words as a wish or prayer for curses on any even enemy of Christ may not this form of speech be a Scheme of Apostolick Rhetorick If any man love not the Lord Jesus he is and shall be for the very present he is the interpretation of those thundring sounds anathema maranatha a miserable accursed creature the very not loving the chilling of that blessed passion within his breast is the saddest curse that the Devil could design his hated'st enemy Add unto this that other branch of Charity that ray which Prometheus in the figure stole from heaven to inspire and warm the world with that inferiour elementary fire love of our fellow-men our fellow-Christians and tell me if there be any thing so capable not only of the quà m bonum but the quà m jucundum too that hath so much of the pleasant as well as the vertuous in the composition The ground of all pleasure is agreement and proportionableness to the temper and constitution of any thing the reason saith Boethius that men love Musick so well is the answerableness of the Notes in that to those observed by nature in the fabrick of our bodies And say we is there any thing so agreeable and harmonical so consonant to our reasonable nature to the ingenuity of our kind and consequently so universally delightful to all that have not put off Man in exchange for Panther and Tigre as that which Christ hath left us our duty yea and our reward the loving of the brethren that language that Song of love that we are to practise here that we may chant it in heaven eternally 'T is said to be a speech of Christ's which the Nazaren Gospel hath recorded though our Bibles have not and it seems by St. John all was not written which Christ spake to them Nunquam laeti sitis nisi cum fratrem in charitate videritis There is no spectacle of delight to a Christian nothing of value sufficient for a Disciple to rejoyce at but to see his fellow-Disciples embracing one another in love And they say Mahomet was such an admirer of this quality that he once resolved to have inserted a Precept of good-fellowship among his Laws because he thought he had observed though most ridiculously mistaken that that which is indeed the bane was a promoter of this Charity I conceive I have the suffrage of all mankind that Charity is a pleasing grace and of the wisest and most pondering observers that Friendship is the only sweet neighbour and companion of life that which being drained from its baser mixtures which would otherwise cause satiety becomes the prime ingredient in the glorified Saints of whose state we understand little but that they are happy and love one another and in that for ever happy that they for ever love one another charitas nunquam excidit and so their bliss nunquam excidit neither And then behold and admire the goodness of this yoke Christ's design even in this life to set up charity friendship above all vertues as high as it is above all felicities to settle that for the prime Christian duty which hath most of present blessedness in it to make that our burthen which is our bliss our yoke which is our boon and withall to separate it from all those mixtures which would either imbitter or shorten cool or satiate our love the lusts and excesses and the prides that would make the most ingenuous delight either less ingenuous or less delightful that love of my Brother's vertues love of his Soul love of the Nature that Christ assumed and died for and carried to Heaven with him love of the Image of God in him that most transporting durable pleasure And all this will be abundantly sufficient to make up a second instance of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the graciousness and pleasantness of this yoke A Third shall be by referring you to the most extemporary view of the commands of the Decalogue which Christ came not to destroy but to fill up and perfect Temperance is the only Epicurism Continence or Conjugal Chastity the only Supersedeas to that black flame that is the Incontinent's daily Hell even in this life But above all that Precept of the Old and Mystery or Craft of the New Testament Thou shalt not covet that of Contentment with whatsoever lot the prohibition of all desire which seemeth such a galling restraint to the carnal man with his bored tub of insatiate desire as Jamblichus calls it about him but to him that hath taken this yoke upon him is the gainfullest not duty but donative not burthen but purchase and preferment that any mortal is capable of The Philosopher could resolve it the way to help any man to whatever he wanted detrahere cupiditatibus to pare so much off from his desires as his desires were larger than his fortune To bring down his ambitions to his lot would be as rich a prize as the compassing and acquiring all his ambitions Contentment is in earnest the Philosopher's Stone that makes Gold of any thing the Pandora's Box that hath all wealth and honour and pleasure in its disposing makes the poorest Eremite the richest possessor the most scorned abject the most honourable person the Recluse or the mortified Christian the most voluptuous liver in a Kingdom every diminution that can come by the malice of men or devils a pleasurable calamity whilst the largest possessions in nature without this one skill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this sovereign piece of Alchymy are still the perfectest beggery imaginable The Devil 's whole Map or Landskip of all the Kingdoms and glory if as liberally offered so actually bestowed is not able to satisfie the lusts of one eye much less to fill up the angles and vacuities of one heart without it That one prudent instruction of Quod sis esse velis nihâ—lque malis in one Poet or Permittes ipsis expendere numinibus in another or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a third Stand still and see the salvation of our God is a far richer provision than all their more glittering fictions of Golden Apples and Golden Showers and Golden Fleeces and Golden Rods that could make such sudden metamorphoses yea and of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Golden Nets the Golden Ages can afford us In heaven saith Christ they neither eat nor drink marry nor are given in marriage and yet are better satisfied and pleased than they below that are fed in Mahomet's Dining-room or lodged in his Seraglio The not desiring those pleasures of life is to them the same thing with
to conceal the pleasure of it to keep it from boiling over from running out at mouth in vain-glory To make a poor man happy and by a seasonable alms to reprieve and rescue him that was as it were appointed to death is that God-like quality as Pythagoras agrees with Christ that kind of creative power that of all things men are best pleased with and therefore naturally they love those better as their creatures whom they have thus obliged than any their liberallest benefactors This the good-natur'd Tyrant Phalaris if his Image be truly drawn in his Epistles took more joy in than in all his other Greatness design'd that Tyranny that cost him and others so dear to no other end than that it might yield him that one pleasure the power of obliging many and accordingly he wooes and beseeches to be allowed this favour nay quarrels and threatens his Bull to those that would not afford him this joy of pouring out his largesses upon them This so delightful a piece of duty so perfect voluptuousness to any ingenuous man is withal let me tell you be it never so incredible the gainfullest trade the thrivingest way of merchandise for the wealth of this world that any Projector can direct you to Give me leave for once to interpose in secular affairs thus far as to assure you of that that I will pawn my whatever is mine for the truth of it and for which I conceive I have so many plain promises in the Scripture that 't were infidelity in me I am sure to doubt of it That the exercise of this duty of alms-giving was never the impoverishing of any Family but constantly the enriching Let it be tried and I will once set up the Ensurers Office that whatever goes out on that Voyage shall never miss to come home with gain there is no man that parteth with any thing for Christ's sake saith he but he shall have an hundred-fold more in this life Add but this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this of gain to that of delight the policy to the even sensual ravishment of it and you will resolve that Christ was a good Master that if you had been call'd to counsel at that great Parliament had had your Negative in that power of making Laws for Mankind you would not have chosen a smoother and more agreeable yoke for your selves than this that Christ hath design'd for you I promised to make this as evident by another head of probation the enumeration of the special goods that have ever been prized by Mankind but that were a new Deep and you have no stock of patience to hold out that Voyage Among all that have ever pretended to that Title I will suppose that of Honour hath gotten the Primogeniture supplanted all other Pretenders in an ingenuous Auditory and therefore one word to that and I shall think I have made good my undertaking Honour I conceive to be the Daughter of Heroick action and specially of Victory And is there any such sweeping triumphant Conqueror in the world as the regenerate Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he overcometh the world overcomes himself that Lion and that Bear that David combated with his furious rageful Passions Achelous in all his shapes and is always in pursuit of that Victory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 still in the present he is always overcoming overcomes enemies the injurious person by not retributing of injuries the very tyrant persecutor whose adoration he hath when he can get none of his mercy whilst t'other that is frighted out of his conscience and integrity is scorn'd and kick'd into hell by him yea and the Devil that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evil one whom when the Christian resists he conquers fugiet he shall flie from thee yea and overcomes and reproaches and triumphs over all the world besides practises those duties upon Christ's commands which neither Jew nor Heathen ever thought themselves obliged to Athenagoras can challenge all the Philosophers and Law-givers of the world to equal Christ in one Precept or Christians in one practice of theirs that of blessing of enemies and no Goliah of Gath being able to answer his challenge no uncircumcised Philistine of confidence to meet him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Christian is the only victor he conquers the whole world about him yea and those glittering Courtiers of the superior world outvies and conquers Angels in that one dignity of suffering for Christ and so becomes the renowned'st Champion under heaven To this I should add again if I had not said so much of it already and if 't were not a baser earthier consideration the profit and secular advantage of which the Christian life let the insensate worldling think what he will hath the peculiar only promise from him which hath the sole disposing of it Some mistakes there are in judging what worldly Prosperity is Let it be rescu'd from these mistakes as particularly from that of signifying a present few months vicissitude of power and wealth so sure to be paid and confuted from deserving that Title by that of the Prophet When thou ceasest to spoil thou shalt be spoiled let it signifie as alone it doth truly signifie that competency not that superfluity which hath all the advantages and none of the pains of wealth in it and no question the doing our duty though it be the present leaving of all for Christ's sake is that which doth not use to fail of the liberallest sort of harvest the hundred-fold more in this life i. e. all the true advantages of those possessions without that addition which would be bare profitless incumbrance and which if it were added would prove a most disadvantageous diminution I shall venture the brand and punishment that belongs to the most infamous Cheat whenever any Disciple of Christ shall think fit to call me his underminer or enemy for this doctrine when he shall think fit to tell me really that Honesty is not the only Prudence the surest foundation and treasure of worldly bliss I have done with the particulars I promised And now put all together and you will never think the Preacher a Tyrant more never pity the Melancholick but envy the ravishments of him that hath taken up this yoke yea though it have a Cross annexed to it to follow Christ you will never put in for your part in Mahomet's Paradise exchange your purer Gospel for a grosser Alcoâ—an having in this very yoke of Christ a satisfaction to all your longings a richer harvest of joys in the present possession than all the false Prophets and false Christs could feign for their Clients in the latest reversion And having thus fortifi'd you I shall now challenge the Rival Satan to come out to thee to bring forth his pleas and pretensions for thee to interpose his exceptions if he have any why this hour should not be the solemn Aera the date of thy long farewel to the Kilns and
be true which Pamelius cites out of Honorius that instead of the antient oblation of bread and wine the offering of money was by consent received into the Church in memory of the pence in Judas sale Only 't were well if we were a little more alacrious and exact in the performance of the duty and more care taken in the distribution especially that that notorious abuse of this most Christian custome which they say I hope unjustly some part of this city is guilty of in converting this inheritance of the poor into a feast of entertainment for the Officers of the Church may be branded and banish'd out of kenn It is yet but a sin which like some in Aristotle hath never a name had never yet the honour to be forbidden if it should chance to live to that age thrive and prove fit for an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the imposition of a name let me have the favour to Christen it A new-found sacriledge a most inhumane at once and unchristian profanation And if you want an embleme for it that antient piece of Nathans designing will serve the turn the rich man feasting on the poor mans ewe lamb his luxury maintained by the others bloud 'T were an admirable work of Ecclesiastick discipline some way or other to bring the Corban in such favour with us that it might prove a bank or storehouse in every parish able to supply the wants of all but much better if we would fall in love with it our selves as a way of binding up both the tables of the Law into one volume of ministring both to God and man by this one mixt act of charity and piety of mercy and of sacrifice and so in the wise mans phrase to lay up our riches in Gods storehouse without a metaphor But if it please you not that any body though in the resolution it be Christ himself should have the disposal of your alms as charity now adaies is a pettish wearish thing ready to startle and pick a quarrel with any thing that comes to meddle with it then shall I not pursue this design any farther So thou art really and sincerely affected to the setting out of the third years tithing thou shalt have my leave to be thine own Almoner have the choice of the particular way of disposing and ordering it thy self And yet three things there are that I cannot choose but be so pragmatical as to interpose in this business 1. For the quando when this tithe should be set out Let it not be deferred till the Will be a making till death forces it out of our hands and makes it a non dat sed projicit only a casting over the lading when the ship is ready to sink nor yet till our coffers be ready to run over till a full abundant provision be made for all that belong to us for that is to feed the poor like the dogs only with the orts of the childrens table but as other tithes are paid just as the increase comes in presently after the whole field is reap'd so must the poor mans tithing also set out I say then dedicated to that use that we may have it by us at hand told out ready when the owner calls for it 'T was a thing that Antoninus recounts as matter of special joy that which he numbers amongst the felicities for which he was beholden to the Gods that he was never ask'd of any that he thought fit to give to that he was answered by his Almoner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there was not store at hand to perform his will A most joyous comfortable thing in that heathen Emperors opinion and yet that that will hardly be attained to unless we take some such course as this mentioned in terminis by S. Paul 1 Cor. 16.2 Vpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gathering when I come a weekly provision laid in and ready in numerato for this purpose that you be never surprized on a sudden and so disabled to perform this duty 2. For the quibus I would answer To all whom Christ hath made our neighbours and brethren and I know not any that are excluded from this title But you would then think I were set to sollicite against the laws of this realm and plead the cause of the idle wandering beggar that most savage barbarous unchristian trade among us set a man would think in the streets by the devil on purpose to pose and tire and non-plus mens charity to dishearten and weary them out of this Christian duty No we have a countermand from the Apostle against these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disorderly walkers 2 Thes 3.7 that if any would not labour neither should he eat v. 10. the best alms for them the seasonablest provision and charity to such is the careful execution of laws upon them to set them every one single in an orb to move in by that means perhaps to teach them the skill in time to be alms-givers themselves at least to become fit to be receivers For such of all others is the fixt stationary diligent labouring poor man whose motion is like that of the trembling sphere not able to advance any considerable matter in a whole age be they never so restless whose hands with all their diligence cannot give content to the mouth or yield any thing but stones many times to the poor child that calls for bread All that I shall interpose for the quibus shall be this that seeing a do good to all is now sent into the world by Christ and that but little restrained in any Christian Kingdom by an especially to the houshold of Saints all Christians being such and seeing again no man hath hands or store to feed every mouth that gapes in a kingdom or particularly in this populous city we may do well to take that course that we use in composing other difficulties referatur ad sortem let the lot decide the main of the controversie and reserving somewhat for the publick somewhat for the stranger somewhat for common calamities somewhat as 't were for the universal motion of the whole body somewhat for excentricks let the place whereon our lot hath cast us be the principal orb for our charity to move in the special diocess for our Visitation And when that is done and yet as 't is in the parable there be still room store left for others also then to inlarge as far as we can round about us as motion beginning at the centre diffuses it self uniformly sends out his influence and shakes every part to the circumference and happy that man who hath the longest arm whose charity can thus reach farthest The third thing is that my text obliges me to the how much out of every mans revenues may go for the poor mans due which brings me to the second particular the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here
dumb act of revocation bequeaths his soul to God and his Executor must see it paid among other Legacies and all this passes for legal in the Court and none of the Canons against the ancient Clinici can be heard against them The greatest wound to duty that ever yet it met with among Christians Thus do our vain phansies and vainer hopes joyn to supplant duty and good works and dismiss them out of the Church and if all or any of this be Orthodox Divinity then sure the duty of alms-giving will prove a suspected phrase haeretici characteris of an heretical stamp and then I am fallen on a thankless argument which yet I must not retract or repent of but in the name of God and S. Paul in this way that these men call heresie beseech and conjure you to worship the God of your Fathers For this purpose shall I make my address to you in Daniels words Dan. 4.27 Break off your sins by righteousness and your iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor righteousness and mercy the two degrees of alms-giving that I told you I hope that will not be suspected when he speaks it Shall I tell you what duty is what is now required of a Christian and that in the Prophet Micah's phrase Mic. 6.8 And now what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God justice and mercy the two degrees of alms-giving again that I told you of and I hope it will not prove offensive when he speaks it Shall I tell you of a new religion and yet that a pure one and the same an old religion and yet that an undefiled for so the beloved disciple calls this duty of charity a new Commandment and an old Commandment 1 Joh. 2. it shall be in S. James his words Jam. 1.27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world Shall I tell you in one word that though heaven be given us freely yet alms-giving is the consideration mentioned in the conveyance that men are acknowledged the blessed of God and called to heaven upon the performance of this duty that although it pretend not to any merit either ex congruo or condigno yet 't is a duâ—y most acceptable in the sight of God that alms-giving is mentioned when assurance is left out charity crown'd when confidence is rejected I love not to be either magisterial or quarrelsom but to speak the words of truth and sobriety to learn and if it be possible to have peace with all men only give me leave to read you a few words that S. Matthew transcribed from the mouth of Christ Mat. 25.35 Then shall the King say to him on his right hand who should the King be but Christ himself Come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat Tell me in the name of truth and peace who now were they for whom the Kingdom was prepared from the foundation of the world who were there the objects of that great dooms-day election his Venite benedicti If Christ do not tell you neither do I the Text is of age let it speak for it self For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat If all this will justifie the doctrine and make this Text Christian perswade your judgments that charity may be the Queen of heaven maxima autem harum charitas the greatest of these is charity without affront or injury done to any other grace I hope it will be seasonable for your practice also as it hath been for your meditation become your hands as well as it doth now your ears And to infuse some life some alacriousness into you for that purpose I shall descend to the more sensitive quickning enlivening part of this Text the benefit arising from the performance of this duty Dicas coram Domino then thou shalt or mayest say before the Lord thy God And in that I promised you two things 1. To shew you in thesi that confidence or claiming any thing at Gods hands must take its rise from duty in performance 2. In hypothesi to give you the connexion betwixt this confidence and this performance claiming of temporal plenty upon giving of alms 1. In thesi That confidence or claiming any thing at Gods hands must take its rise from duty in performance If there be any doubt of the truth of this I shall give you but one ground of proof which I think will be demonstrative and 't is that that will easily be understood I am sure I hope as easily consented to that all the promises of God even of Christ in the Gospel are conditional promises not personal for the Law descends not to particular persons and in this the Gospel is a Law too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law of faith nor absolute as that signifies irrespective or exclusive of qualifications or demeanure for that is all one with personal and if either of those were true then should Christ be what he renounces a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an accepter of persons and individual Entities and so the mercies of heaven belong to Saul the Persecutor as truly as Paul the Apostle Saul the injurious as Paul the abundant labourer Saul the blasphemer as Paul the Martyr It remains then that they be conditional promises and so they are explicitly for the most part the condition named and specified 2 Cor. 6.17 Come out and be you separate and touch not the unholy thing a the condition you see set foremost in the Indenture and then I will receive you and therefore most logically infers the Apostle in the next words the beginning of c. 7. Having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Had the Promises been of any other sort but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these i. e. conditional Promises the Apostles illation of so much duty cleansing and perfecting had been utterly unconclusive if not impertinent So Rom. 8.28 All things work together for good to whom to them that love God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that are called according to purpose the word called a noun in that place not a participle noting a real not only intentional passion those that are wrought upon by Gods call and are now in the catalogue of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lovers of God and that is the condition in the subject and then to them that are thus qualified belongs that chain of mercies predestination vocation to a conformity with Christ justification glorification immediately ensuing You see the proof of my ground by a taste or two Now what condition this is that is thus prefix'd to Gospel-promises that is not obscure neither Not absolute exact never sinning
perfect obedience that was the condition of the first covenant made in paradise when there was ability to perform it but a condition proportioned to our state sincerity in lieu of perfection repentance in exchange for innocence evangelical instead of legal righteousness believing in the heart i. e. cordial obedience to the whole Law of Christ impartial without hypocrisie or indulgence in any known sin persevering and constant without Apostasie or final defection and at last humble without boasting If you will come yet nearer to a full sight of it sometimes regeneration or new life is said to be the condition Except you be born again you can in no wise enter Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new creature Sometimes holiness without which nemo Deum no man shall see the Lord Sometimes repentance in gross nay but except you repent sometimes in retail repentance divided into its parts he that confesseth and for saketh shall have mercy sometimes repentance alone but now commands all men every where to repent as if all duty were contained in that sometimes in conjunction with faith repent you and believe the Gospel sometimes faith sometimes love sometimes self-denial sometimes mercifulness sometimes hope but that an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a this hope that sets us a purifying every one of these when you meet them single goes for the only necessary the adequate condition of the Gospel to teach you to take them up all as you find them leave never an one neglected or despised lest that be the betraying of all the rest but make up one jewel of these so many lesser gems one body of these so many limbs one recipe compounded of so many ingredients which you may superscribe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catholicon or the whole duty of man From this general proposition without the aid of any assumption we may conclude demonstratively enough promises of the Gospel are conditional promises therefore all confidence must take rise from duty Duty is the performance of that condition and to be confident without that is to conclude without promises and consequently to claim justification or pardon of sins before sanctification be begun in the heart to challenge right to heaven before repentance be rooted on earth to make faith the first grace and yet define that assurance of salvation to apply the merits of Christ to our selves the first thing we do and reckon of charity good works duty as fruits and effects to be produced at leisure when that faith comes to virility and strength of fructifying what is all or any of this but to charge God of perjury to tell him that impenitents have right to heaven which he swears have not or to forge a new lease of heaven and put it upon Christ the calmest style I can speak in is that it is the believing of a lie and so not faith but folly an easie cheatableness of heart and not confidence but presumption Hope a man may without actual performance of duty because he may amend hereafter though he do not now and so that possibility and that futurity may be ground of hope but then this hope must set us presently upon performance He that hath this hope purifies himself or else it is not that grace of hope but an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a youthful daringness of soul a tumour a disease a tympany of hope and if it swell farther than it purge if it put on confidence before holiness this hope may be interpreted desperation an hope that maketh ashamed an utter destitution of that hope which must bestead a Christian O let us be sure then our confidence our claims to heaven improve not above their proportion that we preserve this symmetry of the parts of grace that our hope be but commensurate to our sincerity our daringness to our duty A double confidence there is pro statu and Absolute pro statu when upon survey of my present constitution of soul I claim right in Christs promises for the present and doubt not but I shall be bless'd if I be found so doing Absolute when at the end of life and shutting in of the day I am able to make up my reckonings with S. Paul I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness a crown of felicity I have done what I had to do and now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is nothing behind but to receive my pay I have been too long upon the general consideration of the connexion between confidence and duty if it were an extravagance I hope 't was a pardonable one I descend with speed to the hypothesis the connexion betwixt this confidence and this performance claiming of temporal plenty upon giving of alms my last particular And that I shall give you clearly in this one proposition That alms-giving or mercifulness was never the wasting or lessening of any mans estate to himself or his posterity but rather the increasing of it If I have delivered a new doctrine that will not presently be believed an unusquisque non potest capere such as every auditor will not consent to I doubt not but there be plain texts of Scripture more than one which will assure any Christian of the truth of it Consider them at your leisure Psal 41.1 2. Ps 112. all to this purpose Pro. 11.25 12.9 19.17 and 28.27 Add to these the words of Christ Mar. 10.30 which though more generally delivered of any kind of parting with possessions for Christs sake are applied by S. Hier. to the words of Solomon Pro. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth quia centuplum accipient in hoc tempore because saith he they receive an hundred fold in this world And that no man may have any scruple to interpose 't is set in as large and comprehensive a style as the art or covetous scrupulous wit of man could contrive for his own security There is no man who shall not All which being put together must to my understanding make it as clear to any that acknowledges these for Scripture as if the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daughter of voice were come back into the world again and God should call to a man out of heaven by name bid him relieve that poor man and he should never be the poorer for it 'T is not now to be expected of me in conscience having produced this kind of proof the express texts of Scripture to add any second to it I might else farther evidence it from examples not such as Moscus's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will furnish you with for I know not of what authority they are nor yet from S. Hieroms observation who is said to have turned over histories on purpose and never found any merciful man which met not with some signal blessing in this world as the reward of that vertue but even by appealing to your selves and challenging any man here
the Sabbatical year which you know were to be left to the poor And again that there are four seasons wherein the plague was wont to rage especially in the fourth year upon the non-payment of the poor mans tithe the third year on the seventh upon the like default in the sixth in the end of the seventh upon default concerning the seventh years fruits that were to be free and common and the last yearly in the close of the feast of tabernacles upon the robbing of the poor of those gifts that at that time were left unto them the gleanings of the harvest and vintage the corners of the field the fallings c. Add to this one place more of Rabbi Bechai Though saith he it be unlawful to prove or tempt the Lord for man must not say I will perform such a commandment to the end I may prosper in riches yet Mal. 3.10 and Prov. 3.10 there is an exception for payment of tithes and works of mercy intimating that on the performance of this duty we may expect even miracles to make us rich and set to that performance on contemplation and confidence of that promise And 't is strange that we Christians should find more difficulty in believing this than the griping reprobated Jews strange that all those books of Scripture should be grown Apocryphal just since the minute that I cited those testimonies out of them This I am resolved on 't is wan◠of belief and nothing else that keeps men from the practice of this duty whatsoever 't is in other sins we may believe aright and yet do contrary our understanding hath not such a controuling power over the Will as some imagine yet in this particular this cannot be pretended Could this one mountain be removed the lessening of our wealth that alms-giving is accused of could this one scandal to flesh and blood be kick'd out of the way there is no other devil would take the unmerciful mans part no other temptation molest the alms-giver And how unjust a thing this is how quite contrary to the practice at all other Sermons I appeal to your selves At other times the doctrine raised from any Scripture is easily digested but all the demurr is about the practical inference but here when all is done the truth of the doctrine still that we shall not be the poorer for alms-giving is that that can never go down with us lyes still crude unconcocted in our stomachs A strange prepossession of worldly hearts a petitio principii that no artist would indure from us I must not be so unchristian whatsoever you mean to be as to think there is need of any farther demonstration of it after so many plain places of Scripture have been produced Let me only tell you that you have no more evidence for the truth of Christs coming into the world for all the fundamentals of your faith on which you are content your salvation should depend than such as I have given you for your security in this point Do not now make a mockery at this doctrine and either with the Jew in Cedrenus or the Christian in Palladius throw away all you have at one largess to see whether God will gather it up for you again but set soberly and solemnly about the duty in the fear of God and compliance with his will and in bowels of compassion to thy poor brethren that stand in need of thy comfort those Emeralds and Jacinths that Macarius perswaded the rich virgin to lay out her wealth upon and this out of no other insidious or vain-glorious but the one pure Christian forementioned design and put it to the venture if God ever suffer thee to want what thou hast thus bestowed Dorotheus hath excellently stated this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are saith he that give alms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that their farms may prosper 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and God blesseth and prospers their farms There be that do it for the good success of their voyage and God prospers their voyage some for their children and God preserves their children yea and some to get praise and God affords them that and frustrates none in the merchandise he design'd to traffick for but gives every one that which he aimed at in this liberality But then all these traffickers must not be so unconscionable as to look for any arrear of farther reward when they are thus paid at present they must remember 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have no depositum behind laid up with God for them and therefore it is necessary for a Christian to propose to himself more ingenuous designs to do what he doth in obedience to and out of a pure love of God and then there is more than all these even a kingdom prepared for him Matt. 25. I must draw to a conclusion and I cannot do it more seasonably more to recapitulate and inforce all that hath been said than in the words of Malachy c. 3.10 Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse no doubt but this comprehends the duty in the text the compleveris anno tertio the poor mans tithing that there may be meat in my house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it If this will not open the misers hand unshrivel the worldlings heart I cannot invent an engine cunning or strong enough to do it Thou that hast tired and harass'd out thy spirits in an improsperous successess pursuit of riches digged and drudged in the mines thy soul as well as thou and all the production of thy patience and industry crumbled and mouldered away betwixt thy fingers thou that wouldest fain be rich and canst not get Plutus to be so kind to thee art willing to give Satan his own asking thy prostraveris for his totum hoc to go down to hell for that merchandise and yet art not able to compass it let me direct thee to a more probable course of obtaining thy designs to a more thriving trade a more successful voyage not all the devotions thou daily numbrest to the Devil or good fortune not all the inventions and engines and stratagems of covetousness managed by the most practised worldling can ever tend so much to the securing thee of abundance in this life as this one compleveris of the text the payment of the poor mans tithing And then suffer thy self for once to be disabused give over the worldlings way with a hâc non successit reform this error of good husbandry this mistake of frugality this heresie of the worldling and come to this new Ensurers office erected by God himself prove and try if God do not open thee the windows of heaven Shall I add for the conclusion of all the mention of that poor unconsidered merchandise the treasures of heaven after all this wealth is at an end the
Christ making all that but a Chimaera and so evacuating or antiquating that old tenure by which we hold all our Spiritual Estate The Romanists again at least some of them bestowing upon the blessed Virgin after Conception such Jurisdiction in the temporal procession of the Holy Ghost that no grace is to be had but by her dispensing that she the Mother gives him that sends the Holy Ghost and therefore gives all gifts quibus vult quomodo quando per manus that she is the neck to Christ the head Cant. vii 4 and Sublato Virginis patrocinio perinde ac halitu intercluso peccator vivere diutius non potest and store enough of such emasculate Theology as this And yet others that maintain the quite contradictory to all these acknowledging a necessity of supernatural strength to the attaining of our supernatural end and then ask and receive this only as from the hands and merits of Christ without the mediation or jurisdiction of any other are yet had in jealousie and suspition as back-friends to the cause of God and enemies to Grace because they leave man any portion of that natural strength which was bestowed on him at his Creation Whereas the limits of both of these being distinctly set there may safely be acknowledged first a natural power or if you will call it natural grace the Fathers will bear you out in the phrase Illius est gratiae quod creatus est St. Jerom Gratia Dei quâ fecit nos St. Austin and Crearis gratia St. Bernard And that properly styled the strength of God but not of Christ enabling us for the works of nature And then above this is regularly superstructed the strength of Christ special supernatural strength made over unto us not at our first but second birth without which though we are men yet not Christians Live saith Clemens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind of embryon imperfect heathen of a child in the womb of the Gentile dark uncomfortable being a kind of first draught or ground colours only and monogram of life Though we have Souls yet in relation to spiritual acts or objects but weak consumptive cadaverous souls as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Old Testament word for the Soul and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 72 signifies a carcass or dead body Numb v. 2 and otherwhere and then by this accession of this strength of Christ this dead Soul revives into a kind of omnipotency the Pygmie is sprung up into a Giant this languishing puling state improved into an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that even now was insufficient to think any thing is now able to do all things which brings me to my second Proposition The strength of a Christian from Christ deriv'd is a kind of Omnipotence sufficient for the whole duty of a Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Can do all things The clearing of this truth from all difficulties or prejudices will depend mainly on the right understanding of the predicate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my Text or the whole duty of a Christian in the proposition which two being of the same importance the same hand will unravel them both Now what is the whole duty of a Christian but the adequate condition of the second Covenant upon performance of which salvation shall certainly be had and without which salvare nequeat ipsa si cupias salus the very sufferings and saving mercies of Christ will avail us nothing As for any Exercise of Gods absolute Will or Power in this business of Souls under Christs Kingdom I think we may fairly omit to take it into consideration for sure the New Testament will acknowledge no such phrase nor I think any of the Antients that wrote in that language Whereupon perhaps it will he worth observing in the confession of the Religion of the Greek Church subscribed by Cyrill the present Patriarch of Constantinople where having somewhat to do with this phrase Of Gods absolute Dominion so much talked on here in the West he is much put to it to express it in Greek and at last fain to do it by a word coyned on purpose a meer Latinism for the turn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an expression I think capable of no excuse but this that a piece of new Divinity was to be content with a barbarous phrase Concerning this condition of the second Covenant three things will require to be premised to our present inquiry 1. That there is a Condition and that an adequate one of the same extent as the promises of the Covenant something exacted at our hands to be performed if we mean to be the better for the demise of that Indenture As many as received him to them he gave power c. Joh. i. 12 to these and to none else positively and exclusively To him that overcometh will I give Rev. ii 7 I have fought a good fight c. 2 Tim. iv 7 henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown then begins the title to the Crown and not before when the fight is fought the course finished the faith kept then coelum rapiunt God challenged on his righteousness as a Judge not on ground of it his absolute pleasure as a Lord which will but upon supposition of a Pact or Covenant which limits and directs the award and process for according unto it God the righteous Judge shall give And Mark xvi 16 in Christs farewell speech to his Disciples where he seals their Commission of Embassage and Preaching to every creature He that believeth not shall be damned this believing whatever it signifies is that condition here we speak of and what it imports you will best see by comparing it with the same passage set down by another Amanuensis in the last verse of St. Matth. To observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you a belief not of brain or phansie but that of heart and practice i. e. Distinctly Evangelical or Christian obedience the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my Text and the whole duty of a Christian in the proposition which if a Christian by the help of Christ be not able to perform then consequently he is still uncapable of Salvation by the second Covenant no creature being now rescuable from Hell stante pacto but those that perform the condition of it that irreversible Oath of God which is always fulfilled in kind without relaxation or commutation or compensation of punishment being already gone out against them I have sworn in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest And therefore when the end of Christs mission is described Joh. iii. 17 That the world through him might be saved there is a shrewd But in the next verse But he that believeth not is condemned already this was upon agreement between God and Christ that the impenitent infidel should be never the better for it should die unrescued in his old Condemnation So that there is not only
if repentance will repair the faults of that and that exclude none but him that lives and dies indulgent in sin the common prostitute final impenitent infidel If whatsoever be wanting be made over in the demise of the Covenants and whatsoever we are enabled to do accepted in the condition of it then certainly no man that advises with these premisses and so understands what is the meaning of the duty can ever doubt any longer of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Omnipotence of the Christian his sufficiency from Christ to perform his whole duty Which is the summ of the conclusion of the second Arausican Council held against Pelagius c. ult Secundum fidem Catholicam credimus quòd acceptâ per Baptismum gratiâ omnes Baptizati Christo auxiliante cooperante quae ad salutem pertinent possint debeant si fideliter laborare voluerint adimplere The not observing of which is I conceive the fomenter of all that unkindly heat of those involved disputes whether a regenerate man in viâ can fulfil the Law of God of that collision concerning merits concerning venial and mortal sin justification by works or Faith or both all which upon the grounds premised will to any intelligent sober Christian a friend of truth and a friend of peace be most evidently composed To bring down this thesis to these several Hypotheses this time or place will not permit I shall be partial to this part of my Text if I pass not with full speed to that which remains the third Proposition That the strength and power being thus bestowed the work is the work of a Christian of the Suppositum the Man strengthned and assisted by Christ I can c. I not I alone abstracted from Christ nor I principally and Christ onely in Subsidiis to facilitate that to me which I was not quite able throughly to perform without help which deceitful consideration drew on Pelagius himself that was first only for nature at last to take in one after another five Subsidiaries more but only as so many horses to draw together in the Chariot with nature being so pursued by the Councils and Fathers from one hold to another till he was at last almost deprived of all acknowledging saith St. Austin Divinae gratiae adjutorium ad posse and then had not the Devil stuck close to him at the exigence and held out at the velle operari he might have been in great danger to have lost an Heretick But I absolutely impotent in my self to any supernatural duty being then rapt above my self strengthned by Christs perpetual influence having all my strength and ability from him am then by that strength able to do all things my self As in the old Oracle the God inspired and spake in the ear of the Prophet and then the Vates spoke under from thence called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 echoed out that voice aloud which he had received by whisper a kind of Scribe or Cryer or Herauld to deliver out as he was inspired The principal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a God or Oracle the Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inspired Enthusiast dispensing out to his credulous clients all that the Oracle did dictate or as the Earth which is cold and dry in its elementary constitution and therefore bound up to a necessity of perpetual barrenness having neither of those two procreative faculties heat or moisture in its composition but then by the beams of the Sun and neighbourhood of Water or to supply the want of that rain from Heaven to satisfie its thirst this cold dry Element begins to teem carries many Mines of treasure in the Womb many granaries of fruit in its surface and in event 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contributes all that we can crave either to our need or luxury Now though all this be done by those foreign aids as principal nay sole efficients of this fertility in the earth to conceive and of its strength to bring forth yet the work of bringing forth is attributed to the Earth Heb. vi 7 as to the immediate parent of all Thus it is God's work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Cyril to plant and water and that he doth mediately by Apollos and Paul yea and to give the encrease that belongs to him immediately neither to Man nor Angel but only ad Agricolam Trinitatem saith St. Austin but after all this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though God give the encrease thou must bring forth the fruit The Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary and she was found with child Mat. i. 18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she was found no more attributed to her the Holy Ghost the principal nay sole agent in the work and she a pure Virgin still and yet Luk. i. 31 't is the Angels Divinity That Mary shall conceive and bring forth a Son All the efficiency from the Holy Ghost and partus ventrem the work attributed and that truly to Mary the subject in whom it was wrought and therefore is she call'd by the Ancients not only officina miraculorum and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The shop of Miracles and The Work-house of the Holy Ghost as the Rhetorick of some have set it but by the Councils that were more careful in their phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only the Conduit through which he past but the Parent of whose substance he was made And thus in the production of all Spiritual Actions the principal sole-efficient of all is Christ and His Spirit all that is conceived in us is of the Holy Ghost The holy Principle holy Desire holy Action the posse velle operari all of him Phil. ii 12 But then being so overshadowed the Soul it self conceives being still assisted carries in the Womb and by the same strength at fulness of time as opportunities do midwife them out brings forth Christian Spiritual Actions and then as Mary was the Mother of God so the Christian Soul is the Parent of all its Divine Christian Performances Christ the Father that enables with his Spirit and the Soul the Mother that actually brings forth And now that we may begin to draw up towards a conclusion Two things we may raise from hence by way of inference to our Practice 1. Where all the Christians non-proficiency is to be charged either 1. Upon the Habitual Hardness or 2. The Sluggishness or 3. The Rankness of his own wretchless heart 1. Hardness That for all the seed that is sown the softning dew that distils and rain that is poured down the enlivening influences that are dispensed among us yet the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hardness and toughness of the Womb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that dry unnutrifying Earth in the Philosopher's or in Christs dialect stony ground resists all manner of Conception will not be hospitable yield any entertainment even to these Angelical guests though they come as to Lot's house in Sodom only to secure
but animal sensitive actions to be had from him And of this kind of imperfect Creatures it will be perhaps worth your marking that the principal faculty which is irrecoverably wanting in such and by all teaching irreparable and unimproveable is the power of numbring I mean not that of saying numbers by rote for that is but an act of sensitive memory but that of applying them to matter and from thence that of intellectual numbring i. e. of comparing and measuring judging of proportions pondering weighing discerning the differences of things by the power of the judicative faculty which two seem much more probably the propriety and difference of a man from a beast than that which the Philosophers have phansied the power of laughing or discoursing To reckon and compute is that which in men of an active clear reason is perpetually in exercising per modum actus eliciti that naturally of its own accord without any command or appointment of the Will pours it self out upon every object we shall oft deprehend our selves numbring the panes in the Window the sheep in the Field measuring every thing we come near with the eye with the hand singing Tunes forming every thing into some kind of metre which are branches still of that faculty of numbring when we have no kind of end or design in doing it And this is of all things in the world the most impossible for a meer Natural or Idiot And so you have here the third and that is the prime most remarkable degree of simplicity that the unchristian fool the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether you render it the animal or natural man is guilty of that piteous laesum principium that want of the faculty of weighing pondering or numbering that weakness or no kind of exercise of the judicative faculty from whence all his simplicity and impiety proceeds The Hebrews have a word to signifie a wise man which hath a near affinity with that of weighing and pondering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which hath no difference in sound from that which signifies ponderavit whence the Schecle the known Hebrew word is deduced to note as the Psalmist saith that he that is wise will ponder things All the folly and Unchristian Sin comes from want of pondering and all the Christian Wisdom Piety Discipleship consists in the exercise of this faculty Whatsoever is said most honourably of Faith in Scripture that sets it out in such a grandeur as the greatest designer and author of all the high acts of Piety Heb. xi and as the Conqueror over the World 1 John v. 4 is clearly upon this score as Faith is the Spiritual Wisdom or Prudence for so it is best defined and as by comparing and proportioning and weighing together the Promises or the Commands or the Terrours of the Gospel on one side with the Promises the Prescriptions and Terrours of the World on the other it pronounces that Hand-writing on the Wall against the latter of them the Mene tekel upharsin They are weighed in the balance and found most pitifully light in comparison of those which Christ hath to weigh against them and so the Kingdom the usurpt Supremacy that they have so long pretended to in the inconsiderate simple precipitous world is by a just judgment torn and departed from them Will you begin with the Promises and have but the patience a while to view the Scales and when you have set the Beam even removed the carnal or secular prejudices which have so possessed most of us that we can never come to a right balancing of any thing the beam naturally enclines still as our customary wonts and prepossessions will have it when I say you have set the beam impartially throw but into one scale the Promises of Christ those of his present of his future bliss of present Such as eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor entred into the heart of man to conceive 1 Cor. ii 9 prepared for them that love God and that at the very minute of loving him the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 referring to the manna of old the Hebrew deduced from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeparavit and therefore described by the Author of the Book of Wisdom according to that literal denotation of the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bread baked as it were and sent down ready from heaven to the true Israelite the gust of every Christian duty being so pleasurable and satisfactory to the palate as it were of our humane nature so consonant to every rational soul that it cannot practise or taste without being truly joyed and ravished with it and so that which was the Israelites feast the Quails and Manna being become the Christians every day ordinary diet you will allow that to be of some weight or consideration if there were nothing else but that present festival of a good conscience in the scale before you but when to that you have farther cast in the glory honour immortality which is on arrear for that Christian in another life that infinite inestimable weight of that glory laid before us as the reward of the Christian for his having been content that Christ should shew him the way to be happy here and blessed eternally and when that both present and future felicity is set off and heightned by the contrary by the indignation and anger and wrath that is the portion of the Atheistical fool and which nothing could have helped us to escape but this only Christian Sanctuary when the bliss of this Lazarus in Abrahams bosome is thus improved by the news of the scorching of the Dives in that place of torments and by all these together the scale thus laded on one side I shall then give the Devil leave to help you to what weight he can in the other scale be it his totum hoc all the riches and glory of the whole world and not only that thousandth part of the least point of the Map which is all thou canst aspire to in his service and what is it all but the bracteata felicitas in Seneca 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Naez a little fictitious felicity a little paultry trash that nothing but the opinion of men hath made to differ from the most refuse stone or dirt in the Kennel the richest gems totally beholding to the simplicity and folly of men for their reputation and value in the World Besides these I presume the phansies expect to have liberty to throw in all the pleasures and joys the ravishments and transportations of all the Senses and truly that is soon done all the true joy that a whole age of carnality affords any man if you but take along with it as you cannot chuse but do in all conscience the satieties and loathings and pangs that inseparably accompany it the Leaven as well as the Honey under which the pleasures of sin are thought to be prohibited Levit. ii 11 it will make but
Orpheus the inventer of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 professing and worshipping 365. Gods all his life time at his death left in his will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that however he had perswaded them all the while there was indeed but one God And lastly how these two affections in them admiration and gratitude admiration of men of extraordinary worth and gratitude for more than ordinary benefactions done either to particular men or Nations were the chief promoters of idolatry making the Heathens worship them as Gods whom they were acquainted with and knew to be but men as might be proved variously and at large If I could insist upon any or each of these it would be most evident what I hope now at last is proved enough that the ignorance of those times was not simple blind ignorance but malign perverse sacrilegious affected stubborn wilful I had almost said knowing ignorance in them which being the thing we first promised to demonstrate we must next make up the Proposition which is yet imperfect to wit that ignorance in these Heathen in Gods justice might have provoked him to have pretermitted the whole world of succeeding Gentiles which I must dispatch only in a word because I would fain descend to Application which I intended to be the main but the improvident expence of my time hath now left only to be the close of my discourse The ignorance of those times being of this composition both in respect of the superstition of their worship which was perverse as hath been proved and the prophaneness of their lives being abominable even to nature as might farther be shewed is now no longer to be called ignorance but prophaneness and a prophaneness so Epidemical over all the Gentiles so inbred and naturalized among them that it was even become their property radicated in their mythical times and by continual succession derived down to them by their generations So that if either a natural man with the eye of reason or a spiritual man by observation of Gods other acts of justice should look upon the Gentiles in that state which they were in at Christs coming all of them damnable superstitious or rather idolatrous in their worship all of them damnable prophane in their lives and which was worse all of them peremptorily resolved and by a law of homage to the customs of their fathers necessarily ingaged to continue in the road of damnation he would certainly give the whole succession of them over as desperate people infinitely beyond hopes or probability of salvation And this may appear by St. Peter in the 10. of the Acts where this very thing that the Gentiles should be called was so incredible a mystery that he was fain to be cast into a trance and to receive a vision to interpret it to his belief and a first or a second command could not perswade him to arise kill and eat verse 16. that is to preach to Gentiles he was still objecting the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prophaneness and uncleanness of them And at last when by the assurance of the spirit v. 15. and the Heathen Cornelius his discourse with him he was plainly convinced what otherwise he never dreamt possible that God had a design of mercy on the Gentiles he breaks out into a phrase both of acknowledgment and admiration Of a truth I perceive c. verse 34. and that you may not judge it was one single Doctors opinion 't is added verse 45. And they of the Circumcision which believed were astonished because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost Nay in the 3 to the Ephesians verse 10. it is plain that the calling of the Gentiles was so strange a thing that the Angels themselves knew not of it till it was effected For this was the mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God verse 9. which was now made known by the Church to principalities and powers verse 10. The brief plain meaning of which hard place is that by St. Pauls preaching to the Gentiles by this new work done in the Church to wit the calling of the Gentiles the Angels came to understand somewhat which was before too obscure for them till it was explained by the event and in it the manifold wisdom of God And this Proposition I might prove to you by many Topicks 1. By symptoms that their estate was desperate and their disease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very very mortal as that God when he would mend a people he punisheth them with afflictions when he intends to stop a current of impetuous sinners he lays the ax to the root in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or total subversion of them but when his punishments are spiritual as they were here when he strikes neither with the rod nor with the sword but makes one sin the punishment of another as unnatural lust of idolatry and the like when he leaves a nation to it self and the very judgement laid upon them makes them only less capable of mercy then is it much to be feared that God hath little mercy intended for that people their desertion being a forerunner of judgment without mercy 2. I might prove it ab exemplo and that exactly with a nec datur dissimile in Scripture that the nine Monarchies which the learned observe in Scripture were each of them destroyed for idolatry in which sin the Heathen now received to mercy surpass all the precedent world and for all their many destructions still uniformly continued in their provocation These and the like arguments I purposely omit as concerning St. Peters vision mentioned before out of the 10 of the Acts sufficiently to clear the point and therefore judging any farther enlargement of proofs superfluous I hasten with full speed to Application And first from the consideration of our estate who being the off-spring of those Gentiles might in the justice of God have been left to Heathenism and in all probability till St. Peters vision discovered the contrary were likely to have been pretermitted eternally to make this both the motive and business of our humiliation for there is such a Christian duty required of us for which we ought to set apart some tithe or other portion of time in which we are to call our selves to an account for all the general guilts for all those more Catholick engagements that either our stock our nation the sins of our progenitors back to the beginning of the world nay the common corruption of our nature hath plunged us in To pass by that ranker guilt of actual sins for which I trust every man here hath daily some solemn Assizes to arraign himself my text will afford us yet some farther indictments if 1700 years ago our father were then an Amorite and mother an Hittite if we being then in their loyns were inclosed in the compass of their idolatry and as all in Adam so besides
Herodotus You need not the mythology the Philosophers as well as soyl of Greece had not moisture enough to sustain them from nature if God had not sent them water from Heaven they and all we Gentiles had for ever suffered a spiritual thirst Aegypt and all the Nations had for ever gasped for drought if the Sun-shine of the Gospel had not by its beams call'd out of the Well which had no Bucket 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 living or enlivening water John 4.6 But by this attraction of the Sun these living Waters did so break out upon the Gentiles that all the Waters of Jury were left dry as once the dew was on Gideons Fleece and drought on all the earth besides Judg. vi 37 And is it reasonable for us to observe this miracle of mercy and not return even a miracle of thanksgiving Can we think upon it without some rapture of our Souls Can we insist on it and not feel a holy tempest within us a storm and disquiet till we have some way disburthened and eased our selves with a pouring out of thanksgiving That spirit is too calm that I say not stupid which can bear and be loaded with mercies of this kind and not take notice of its burthen for besides those peculiar favours bestowed on us in particular we are as saith Chrysostome Tom. 4. in our audit of thanksgiving to reckon up all the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all those common benefactions of which others partake with us for 't is saith he an ordinary negligence in us to recount Gods mercies as we confess our sins only in gross with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are great Sinners and God hath abounded in mercies to us never calling our selves to a strict retail either of our sins or his mercies and this neglect saith he doth deprive us of a great deal of spiritual strength For 1. the recounting of the multitude of Gods mercies to us formerly might give us confidence of the continuance of them according to S. Cyprian donando debet God's past blessings are engagements and pawns of future 2. 'T is saith he of excellent use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring us acquainted and familiar with God and infinitely increaseth our love to him and desire of performing some manner of recompence Which one thing made the Heathen of old so love and respect their Benefactors that they worship't them and would not suffer any common real benefaction to be done them without an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Author of it as might be proved through all ancient Writings for on these grounds was it that they would needs Sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas Acts xiv 13 In the second place if we consider how nearly it concerns us that if they had been pretermitted we to the end of the World might probably have lived in the same darkness that we now hold our right to Heaven by the Covenant made to them that those commands belong also to us and our Children then we must in some reason of proportion thank God liberally for that calling of the Gentiles as we cannot chuse but do for our present adoption and enlarge our thanksgiving not for our own only but for that first justification sanctification and salvation of the Gentiles And this effusion of our Souls in thanks will prove of good use to us both to confirm our confidence and keep us in a Christian temper of humility and cheerful obedience And therefore I thought good to present it to you in the first place as a duty of no ordinary moment 2. If God hath commanded and consequently expects our obedience if these commands concern us and contain in them all that belongs to our Salvation if they are as hath been proved Gods Covenant with the Gentiles then not to be wanting to our selves but earnestly to labour and provide that no one circumstance of them may be without its peculiar profit and advantage to our Souls Polybius from the War betwixt the Numidians and Vticenses observes that if a Victory gotten by the Captain be not by the Souldiers prosecuted to the utmost it likely proves more dangerous than if they had never had it if the King saith he take the City 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the multitude overjoy'd with the news begin to grow less earnest in the battle a hundred to one but the conquer'd will take notice and heart from this advantage and as the Vticenses did make their flight a stratagem to get the Victory Thus is it in those spiritual Combats where God is our Leader our Commander our Conquerer against the Devils Host if we of his command the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the many who expect our part in the profit of the Victory do not prosecute this conquest to the utmost to the utter discomfiting and disarming of our Fugitive Enemy if we should grow secure upon the news and neither fear nor prevent any farther difficulties we may be in more danger for that former Conquest and as 't was ordinary in story by that time we have set up our Trophy's our selves be overcome I might prescribe you many courses which it would concern you to undertake for the right managing of this Victory which this our Commander hath not by his fighting but by his very commanding purchased us But because my Text requires haste and I go on but slowly I must omit them and only insist on that which is specified in my Text Repentance which drives to the condition of the Covenant the matter of the command which comes next to be discuss'd The word Repent may in this place be taken in a double sense 1. generally for a sorrow for our sins and on that a disburdening of our selves of that load which did formerly press down the Soul for a sense of our former ill courses and a desire to fit our selves for Gods service for an humbling our selves before God and flying to him as our only succour and so it well may be called the condition of Gods Covenant with us that which God requires at our hands under the Gospel for it was the first word at the first preaching of the Gospel by John Baptist Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand Matth. iii. 2 which saith the Text was in effect Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths straight Verse 3. So that briefly this repent is a straightning and rectifying all crookedness every distortion of the Soul and thereby a preparing of it for the receiving of Christ and embracing his Gospel 2. In a nearer relation to the first words of the Verse repentance is taken more specially by way of opposition for a mending and forsaking of that which of old was the fault and guilt of the Gentiles a reforming of every thing which was either formally or virtually contain'd in their ignorance and what that is you shall briefly judge 'T is observed by Interpreters that doing or suffering action or
Heaven If there be not a spirit within thee to give light to the Eyes to adde sighs and groans to the Voice all this that thou hast done is nothing but as a blind mans pretensions to sight and a dumb mans claim to Speech and so in like manner in all our duties which the World and carnal men se◠a price on And the reason is because every spiritual seeming work done by a natural man is not truly so 't is nothing less than that which it is said to be his Prayers are not Prayers Lip-labour perhaps but not devotion his serving of God is formality not obedience his hope of Heaven not a hope but a phancy If God or Satan a Judge or a Tempter should come to reason with him about it he would soon be worsted never be able to maintain his title to it In brief the fairest part of a natural man that which is lest counterfeit his desire and good affections to spiritual things which we call favourably natural desires of spiritual obedience these I say are but false desires false affections 1. They have no solidity or permanency in the will only fluid and transitory some slight sudden wishes tempests and storms of a troubled mind soon blown over the least temptation will be sure to do it They are like those wavering Prayers without any stay of Faith Jam. i. 6 like a wave of the Sea driven by the wind and tost 2. That being which they have is counterfeit they are not that which they are taken for We are wont to say that acts are distinguished by their objects he sees truly which judges the thing to be that that it is 't is true indeed that another man sees he that takes blew for green but he does not see truly so also he only willeth a good thing that wills that in it which is truly good Now the natural man when he is said to chuse spiritual things as Heaven happiness and the like he desires not a spiritual but a carnal thing in desiring Heaven he desires somewhat that would free him from misery in happiness a natural or moral good that would be acceptable to any Creature under Heaven and so a Turk will desire Paradise and that very impatiently in hope that he shall have his fill of lust there Generally you may mark that in such desires of spiritual things 't is some carnality that moves unregenerate men somewhat it is that may please the flesh and then 't is not the spiritual but the carnal part of it that is their object which they woo and make love to which you may judge of by this that they are frequent and importunate in their wishes for glory seldom or never for grace though that also may be wished for carnally to make us more renowned and better esteemed in the World For the most part I say they desire glory for that will make them happy and out of danger of Worldly misfortunes remission of sins for these lie heavy on their Consciencies and give them many a twinge that they would fain be eased of but seldom petition for grace as if holiness without other conveniencies or gains were not worth the having And this arises from hence that our love of Christ grows by sending out and fastning our affections on him as an object fittest for our turns that will advantage us most but not by receiving in his Image and shape into our Souls this indeed would make us not only love but imitate him and having once tasted long after him this would sanctify our Souls whereas the other doth but only satisfy our greedy affections By what hath been said 't is plain enough though it might be much more amplified that grace is of absolute necessity to performance of any holy work acceptable to God that without it whatsoever is done in spiritual matters is carnal not indeed spiritual but equivocally and absurdly so called The natural mans desires of Heaven are not desires of Heaven his Faith no Faith his believing of the Scripture infidelity because he doth not apply them particularly to himself to obey them In summ when he prays hopes or gives alms he does somewhat indeed and 't is well done of him but he doth not truly either pray or hope or give alms there is some carnality in them that hath poisoned them and quite altered the complexion the constitution and inward qualities of the work And then indeed how impatient should every Christian be of this Coloquintida within him There 's mors in ollâ as the Prophet once spake that 's Death in the pot that so infects and kills every thing that comes out of it How should we abhor and loath and detest this old leaven that so besowres all our actions this Heathenism of unregenerate carnal nature which makes our best works so Unchristian To insist longer upon this were but to encrease your thirst not to satisfy it to make you sensible of that marasmus and desperate drought that hath gone over your Souls but not to help you to any waters for the cure that shall come next as the last work of this exercise to be performed in a word Having learnt what this new creature is and how absolutely necessary to a Christian O let us not defer one minute longer to examine our estates whether we are yet renewed or no and by the acts which we daily perform observe whether the sanctifying habit be as yet infused into our Souls If the grounds of our best duties that which moves us in our holiest actions be found upon search to be but carnal if a careful religious Education custom of the place which we live in fear of humane Laws nay perhaps a good soft tender disposition and the like be the things that make thee love God and perform holy duties and not any inward principle of sanctity within thee I counsel thee to think better of thine estate and consider whether the like motives had it so hapned that thou hadst been born and brought up in Turky might not have made thee worship Mahumet I would be sorry to be rigid I fear thou wilt find they might well then a new course must be taken all thy former heathen carnal or at best good moral life all thy formal performances the best of thy natural desires must be content to be rank't here with circumcision and uncircumcision availing nothing there is no trust or confidence to be placed on these Aegyptian staves of reed Es xxxvi 6 And then if thou wilt not live heartless for ever if ever thou meanst to move or walk or do any thing you must to that Creator of Spirits and Lover of Souls and never leave solliciting till he hath breathed another breath into your nostrils another Soul into your Soul you must lay your self at his feet and with all the violence and Rhetorick and humility that these wants will prompt thee too and woo and importune the Holy spirit to overshadow thee
to conceive all holy graces spiritually in thee and if thou canst not suddenly receive a gracious answer that the Holy Ghost will come in unto thee and lodge with thee this Night yet learn so much patience from thy Beggarly estate as not to challenge him at thy own times but comfortably to wait his leisure There is employment enough for thee in the while to prepare the room against his coming to make use of all his common graces to cleanse and reform thy foul corruptions that when the spirit comes it may find thee swept and garnish't All the outward means which God hath afforded thee he commands thee to make use of and will require it at thy hands in the best measure even before thou art regenerate though thou sin in all thy unregenerate performances for want of inward sanctity yet 't is better to have obeyed imperfectly than not at all the first is weakness the other desperate presumption the first material partial obedience the second total disobedience Yet whilst thou art preparing give not over praying they are acts very competible thou maist do them both together Whilst thou art a fortifying these little Kingdoms within thee send these Embassadors abroad for help that thou maist be capable of it when it comes But above all things be circumspect watch and observe the spirit and be perpetually ready to receive its blasts let it never have breathed on thee in vain let thine Ear be for ever open to its whisperings if it should pass by thee either not heard or not understood 't were a loss that all the treasures upon Earth could not repair and for the most part you know it comes not in the thunder Christ seldom speaks so loud now adays as he did to Saul Acts ix 't is in a soft still voice and I will not promise you that men that dwell in a mill that are perpetually engaged in Worldly loud employments or that men asleep shall ever come to hear of it The summ of all my Exhortation is after Examination to cleanse and pray and watch carefully to cleanse thy self incessantâ—y to pray and diligently to watch for the Sun of Righteousness when he shall begin to dawn and rise and shine in thy heart by grace And do thou O Holy Lord work this whole work in us prepare us by thy outward perfect us by thy inward graces awaken us out of the darkness of death and plant a new Seed of holy light and life in us infuse into our Heathen hearts a Christian habit of sanctity that we may perform all spiritual duties of holiness that we may glorify thee here by thy Spirit and be glorifyed with thee by thy Christ hereafter Now to him that hath elected us hath c. SERMON XVI 2 PET. III. 3 Scoffers walking after their own Lusts THAT we may take our rise luckily and set out with the best advantage that we may make our Preface to clear our passage to our future Discourse and so spend no part of our precious time unprofitably we will by way of introduction examine what is here meant 1. By Scoffers 2. By walking after their own lusts And first Scoffers here do not signifie those whom confidence join'd to a good natural wit hath taught to give and play upon every man they meet with which in a moderate use is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 facetiousness in an immoderate scurrility But Scoffers here are of a more special stamp those who deal out their scoffs only on God and Religion The word in the Original signifies to mock to abuse and that either in words and then 't is rendred scoffing or in our actions when we promise any man to perform a business and then deceive his expectation and then 't is rendred deluding So Matth. ii 16 when Herod saw he was mocked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he was deluded by the magicians So that in the first primitive sense Scoffers must signifie those who either laugh at God or else delude him in not performing what he expects and they by their profession promised In the secondary notion to scoff is by way of argument to oppose any truth contumeliously or bitterly as Solomon begins his Discourse of the Atheists scoffs Wisd ii 1 The ungodly said reasoning with themselves and these are said to set their mouth against Heaven managing disputes which have both sting and poyson in them the first to wound and overthrow the truth spoken of the other to infect the Auditors with a contrary opinion And these rational scoffs for which Socrates antiently was very famous are ordinarily in form of question as in the Psalmist often Where is now their God i. e. Certainly if they had a God he would be seen at time of need he would now shew himself in their distress In which they do not only laugh at the Israelites for being such Fools as to worship him that will not relieve them but implicitely argue that indeed there is no such God as they pretend to worship And just in this manner were the Scoffers in my Text who did not only laugh but argue saying Where is the promise of his coming Verse 4. perswading themselves and labouring to prove to others that what is spoken of Christs second coming to Judgment was but a mere Dream a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Bugbear or Fable to keep men in awe and therefore laugh at it as the Athenians did at the resurrection Acts xvii 32 and when they heard of the resurrection of the dead some mocked c. i. e. disputed sarcastically and contumeliously against it that certainly there was no such matter And thus also is the same word used of those which joined their reason and malice to disprove Christs Omnipotence Mat. xxvii 42 where they reviled and mocked him saying He saved others himself he cannot save In which speech the bitterest part of the scoff was the reason there used plausible enough amongst ignorant Jews that surely if he had any power he would make use of it for himself Thirdly To scoff is sometimes without words or actions to shew a contempt or neglect of any body So Herods mocking of Christ is set as an expression that he did not think him worthy talking with Luke xxiii 11 He set him at nought and mockt him and sent him back to Pilate he would not vouchsafe to take notice of him nor to be troubled with the Examination of so poor contemptible a fellow And so in Aristotle not to know a mans name not to have taken so much notice of him as to remember what to call him is reckoned the greatest neglect the unkindest scoff in the World and is ordinarily taken very tenderly by any one who hath deserved any thing at our hands So that in brief to gather up what we have hitherto scatter'd the Scoffers here meant are those who promising themselves to Gods service do delude him when he looks to find them amongst
accomplish't defer all our happiness to be performed to us at the Resurrection and though God kill us yet trust in him and be able to see through Death in a trust That our Redeemer lives and that with these eyes we shall behold him then may we chear up and perswade our selves on good grounds that our hearts and lives do assent to the Resurrection which our tongues brag of Take no heaviness to heart but drive it away and remember the end But if this consideration cannot digest the least oppression of this life cannot give us patience for the lightest encumbrance but for all our Creed we still fly out into all outrages of passion and ecstacies of impatience we plainly betray our selves men of this present World whose happiness or misery is only that which is temporary and before our Eyes are not able by the perspective of faith to behold that which easily we might all our wants relieved all our injuries revenged all our wounds bound up in the day of the Resurrection but all our life long we repine and grumble and are discontented as men without hope and whilst we do thus what do we but act the part of these Atheists here in my Text scoffing and saying Where is the promise â—f his coming in the next Verse to my Text. This very impatience and want of skill in bearing the brunts of this our warfare is but a piece of cowardly Atheism either a denying or mocking at the Resurrection Every sigh is a scoff every groan a gibe every fear a sly art of laughing at the stupidity of those who depend upon the fulfilling of the promise of his coming Lastly say we what we will we live as if there were no Resurrection as Sadduces if not as Atheists all our designs look no further than this life all our contrivances are defeated and frustrate in the Grave we mannage our selves with so little understanding that any Spectator would judge by our actions that 't is no injury to compare us to the beasts that perish and never return again Certainly if we had any design upon Heaven or another life we would here make some provision for it Make our selves friends of our unrighteous Mammon that when we fail they may receive us into everlasting habitations i. e. use those good things that God hath given us with some kind of providence that they may stand us in stead when we have need of them i. e. not only as instruments to sin for that is to get us more Enemies but as harbingers to be sent before us to Heaven 'T was a bitter sarcasm of the fool to the Abbot on his Death-Bed that the Abbot deserved his staff as being the verier Fool of the two that being straight to die to remove his Tent to another World he had sent none of his houshold-stuff before him The truth is we live generally as men that would be very angry much displeased if any should perswade us there were a Resurrection the very mentioning of it to us might seem to upbraid our ordinary practices which have nothing but the darkness of death and silence of the Grave to countenance them I may justly say that many ignorant Heathens which were confident there was nothing beyond this life expected certainly with death to be annihilated and turn again into a perpetual nothing yet either for the awe they bore to vertue or fear of disgrace after death kept themselves more regularly lived more carefully than many of us Christians And this is an horrid accusation that will lie very heavy upon us that against so many illuminated understandings the ignorance of the Gentiles should rise up in judgment and the learned Christian be found the most desperate Atheist I have been too large upon so rigid a Doctrine as this and I love and pray God I may always have occasion to come up to this place upon a more merciful subject but I told you even now out of Lev. xix 17 that 't was no small work of mercy 't was the most friendly office that could be performed any man to reprehend and as the Text saith Not to suffer sin upon thy neighbour especially so sly a covert lurking sin as this of Atheism which few can discern in themselves I shall now come to Application which because the whole Doctrine spoke morally to your affections and so in a manner prevented Vses shall be only a recapitulation and brief knitting up of what hitherto hath been scattered at large Seeing that the Devils policy of deluding and bewitching and distorting our Vnderstandings either with variety of false gods or Heresies raised upon the true is now almost clearly out-dated and his skill is all bent to the deforming of the Will and defacing the character of God and the expression of the sincerity of our Faith in our lives we must deal with this Enemy at his own Weapon learn to order our munition according to the assault and fortify that part most impregnably toward which the tempest binds and threatens There is not now so much danger to be feared from the inrode of Hereticks in opinion as in practice not so much Atheism to be dreaded from the infidelity of our brains as the Heathenism and Gentilism of our Lusts which even in the midst of a Christian profession deny God even to his Face And therefore our chiefest Frontiers and Fortifications must be set up before that part of the Soul our most careful Watch and Sentinel placed upon our affections lest the Devil enter there and depopulate the whole Christian and plant the Atheist in his room To this purpose we must examine what Seeds are already sown what treachery is a working within and no doubt most of us at the first cast of the Eye shall find great store unless we be partial to our selves and bring in a verdict of mercy and construe that weakness which indeed signifies Atheism When upon examination we find our lives undermining our belief our practices denying the authority of Scripture and no whit forwarder to any Christian duty upon its commands When we find God's Essence and Attributes reviled and scoffed at in our conversation his omnipresence contemned by our confidence in sinning and argued against by our banishing God out of all our thoughts his all-sufficiency doubted of by our distrusts and our scorn to depend upon it When we perceive that our carriages do fall off at this part of our belief in Christ that he shall come again to be our Judge and by our neglect of those works especially of mercy which he shall then require of us shew that indeed we expect him not or think of him as a Judge but only as a Saviour When we observe our Wills resisting the gifts and falsifying the Attribute whilst our Creed confesses the Person of the Holy Ghost and see how little how nothing of the sanctifying spirit of the earnest of our Regeneration is in our hearts and we still