to refrain from good Works because a Papist hopes to merit by them I 'll learn from a Turk to die for my Religion and to search the Scriptures from a Jew Our Saviour makes the unjust Steward's Wisdom a Pattern for his Disciples The Ox and the Ass are made use of to teach Men Gratitude and the Pismire Wisdom Nay we may learn Diligence and Care of our eternal Salvation from the Devil himself Who compasseth the whole Earth 1 Pet. 5.8 and walketh about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour 2. Let us bear with them in things indifferent following after those things which make for Peace and where we lawfully and with a good Conscience may becoming all things to all men Zech. 8.19 that we may save some In short we must love both Truth and Peace i. e. both of them in Conjunction one with the other We must so love Peace as not to lose Truth in matters substantial And so love Truth as not to break Peace in matters indifferent Lastly Let us turn away and avoid only that which is evil in them this is of the same Import with that Caveat which our Saviour gave to his Disciples against the Scribes and Pharisees To beware of their Leven i. e. all that is sour and infectious which will spread the Contagion and propagate the mischief Let us distinguish the good from the bad the light from the darkness Let the one be call'd day and the other night Let the one be imitated and the other avoided Eph. 5.11 Let only the unfruitful works of darkness be rejected But let us welcome the Light and embrace Love and imitate the good where-ever we meet with them And if we do so then Mercy and Truth shall meet together Righteousness and Peace shall kiss each other Truth shall flourish out of the Earth and Righteousness shall look down from Heaven Yea the Lord shall shew Loving-kindness for his Salvation is nigh unto them that fear him that Glory may be in our Land Amen SERMON IV. PROV XIX 25. Smite a Scorner and the Simple will beware and reprove one that hath Vnderstanding and he will understand knowledge THE Proverbs of Solomon are a Collection of wise Sentences and Apophthegms grounded upon the long Observation and ripe Experience of one of the most Potent Princes and wisest of Men And since Proverbs in general are observ'd to contain the Wisdom of all Nations therefore we may reasonably expect to find a rich Treasure of Divine Truths in those of which Solomon was the Author or else by Collection made his own All the Books of the Old Testament may well be compar'd to a fruitful Soil but this of the Proverbs abounds with a more rich Vein and is of the greater Use because it contains Precepts accommodated to all the Necessities of humane Life for the most part they have no coherence but are set down just as they came to the Mind of the inspired Author The Verse which I have read to you is of the nearest Importance and shews us the prudent use which a wise Man makes of a friendly Reproof and what great advantages he reaps by it Reprove one that hath understanding and he will understand knowledge i. e. 't is a Sign of a Wise a Good and an understanding Man to take Reproof patiently and thankfully to give an attentive Ear to it to be very quick-sighted in discovering his own Faults when they are laid open to him and very diligent and industrious in reforming himself Reprove one that hath understanding Psal 55.32 and he will understand Knowledge From which words I shall shew I. The Excellent use which a wise Man makes of a friendly Reproof II. The great Difficulty of performing this friendly Office III. I shall lay down some Motives to engages us to set about it And IV. Give some Rules and Directions for a right Management of our selves in the Execution of it And first of the excellent Use which a wise Man makes of a friendly Reproof Prov. 25.12 As an Ear-ring of Gold and an Ornament of fine Gold so is a wise Reprover upon an obedient Ear which is thus Paraphras'd by a Right Reverend Father of our Church A good Man will not think himself reproach'd but rather oblig'd by a prudent Reproof which meeting with an attentive considering and patient Mind makes a Man take it so kindly that he esteems him who bestows it as much as if he had hung a Jewel of Gold or put the richest Ornament about his Neck There is nothing harder to find than a true Friend and he is the truest and best Friend who will most impartially Reprove us for our Faults shew us the Errors of our Lives discover to us those Rocks on which we split and faithfully tell us when we do amiss and therefore this is one way of making a Friend of an inveterate Enemy by taking notice what fault or weakness he upbraids us most with and accuses us of and thus by coming to the knowledge of our Errors we take the first step towards the Amendment and Reformation of them And if Reproof is so useful from an Enemy how much more beneficial may it be made from a Friend Who will both inform us when we go astray and set us in the right Path who will conceal our Faults from other Men and yet impartially expose them to our own View who knows first how to Lance and lay open the Sore and then to apply a fit Remedy to it Certainly he who has got such a Friend is possess'd of an inestimable Treasure and there is requir'd only an understanding Mind and a sanctify'd Heart to make him capable to receive Benefit by his Advice But alas For the most part Self-conceit is so prevalent in us that we doat even upon our Blemishes and Imperfections because our own we fall in Love with our own Pictures tho' never so deform'd and ugly and there is no readier and surer way to disoblige us than by performing the most friendly Office in the World the giving us a faithful Glass to behold our selves in and setting our Actions in a true Light This seems to be such an Act of Superiority as few Men can admit of for tho' we must give the Pre-heminence to others in Riches and Power and the Gifts of Fortune yet few Men are willing to believe any one is more Wise Prudent and Discreet than themselves And therefore II. It must needs be a very difficult Task to perform this kind and friendly Office and that in Respect either 1. Of the Reprover or 2. Of the Person who is to be reproved And first I shall consider the Difficulty of it with Respect to the Reprover For 1. A Wise and good Man and such Persons are only fit to Reprove others is for the most part too modest to reprove other Men. Either he has too low and mean Opinion of himself and his performances or else he is desirous
And here it may be seasonable to take notice of a dangerous Mistake which many of the Professors of Christianity are guilty of They pretend to have a deep and serious Sense what a weighty and solemn Duty the receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is and 't is for this Reason that they forbear it because they think they are not sufficiently prepared for it and yet at the same time these very Men presume to come to the Church to address themselves unto God's Throne and hear his Holy Word without any Preparation at all as if the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was the only Duty of Religion which required Care in the performance of it Thus they are too nice and scrupulous on the one hand whilst they are too negligent and prophane on the other they wholly omit one Ordinance of God because they do not think themselves sufficiently prepared for it and lose the benefit of all the rest because they will not Prepare themselves at all For what other Reason can be given why Men who live so long under the most powerful Preaching of the Word of God Edifie so little by it why their Understandings are so little improv'd in Spiritual Matters and their Lives and Conversations so little better'd thereby but because they do not bring prepared Minds and good Dispositions along with them their Thoughts are taken up with worldly Affairs their Hearts are fill'd with corrupt Affections and many wicked and impure Spirits have taken Possession of their Souls and then no wonder that the Holy Spirit of God doth not take up his abode with them when they are not in a Capacity to give him any suitable Entertainment Some Preparation therefore is absolutely necessary to be made before we attend on the Publick Worship of God Which may be perform'd after this or such like manner Upon the Lord's Day or any other day Dedicated to the Publick Service of God and set apart from our private Employments to the more solemn Worship of our Creator as soon as ever we awake let our Souls be season'd with some holy and devout Meditation Let us consider that at the same time the Sun salutes our Eyes and refresheth our Bodies with his comfortable Beams Mal. 4.2 The sun of Righteousness doth arise with healing in his wings and makes us the Overtures of some peculiar Favours That this Day is set apart by the great God of Heaven and Earth to receive the Homage of his Vassals and to give them the Liberty of entring his Courts appearing before his Throne admiring his Excellencies adoring his Perfections celebrating his Praises and laying open their Wants before him and begging Supplies and that therefore 't is both our Duty and Interest to improve these Seasons of Grace to Prepare our selves to meet our God and not only to put our Bodies into a Decent and becoming Dress but to adorn our Souls with such Qualifications and Dispositions as are requisite for Poor sinful Men when they appear before the great Creator and Governour of the World And because the Preparations of the heart are from the Lord Prov. 16.1 it will be necessary to prostrate our selves before the Throne of his Grace and to beseech God Jam. 1.17 Who is the Author and Giver of every good and perfect Gift that he will inspire our Hearts with holy Dispositions and afford us the Assistance of his Holy Spirit to enable us to cast out of our Minds all vain and worldly Thoughts to subdue all Carnal and corrupt Affections and to offer up to him our Bodies and Souls a pure undefiled and acceptable Sacrifice That we may spend this day especially that part of it which iâ—â—edicated to God's immediate Service â—â—ter so Holy and Devout a manner as may promote our Spiritual Welfare and hereby Glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Matth. 5.16 Let us beseech Almighty God that his good Spirit may go along with us through all the Duties of the day and incite strengthen and confirm us in every good Work That he would teach us to Pray with Fervency and an holy Assurance that all our Requests which are conformable to the Will of God shall be granted us to hear his Word with Attention and firm Resolutions of performing whatsoever we are convinc'd is our Duty and to Praise him with gladness and cheerfulness of Soul with Hearts fill'd with the grateful Resentments of his Benefits and Loving kindness towards us In the next place let us read some Portion of the Holy Scripture and make this the Subject of our Meditation till the hour approaches when we are call'd upon to joyn with the Congregation in our Devotions and we hear the Summons to attend God's Publick Worship It will then be time to enter upon a more particular Consideration how we have pass'd the last Week how well we have perform'd those Resolutions which we have formerly taken up what Sins we have since been guilty of what good Duties we have omitted and that we should be sorry for these our Neglects and bewail our Mis-carriages and resolve that we will amend our Lives and never be guilty of the same Sins for the time to come but that we will walk more uprightly and more exactly in Obedience to all the Commands of God This is that Preparation of Soul which every one ought to make before he enters into the House of God For God will not be serv'd with unclean hands and an unsanctify'd heart he abhors even the most solemn Fasts of those Men who smite with the Fists of wickedness Isa 58.4 he expects that the sprinkling water should be sprinkled upon us 2 Cor. 7.1 and that we should cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit when we draw near unto him And wash our hands in innocency Psal 26.6 before we compass God's Altar Let us therefore never omit this Examination of our selves before we enter into God's House when we have time and opportunity so to do For tho' upon some sudden Emergencies all this Precaution is not to be us'd this Exactness of Preparation may be omitted and a general and habitual Preparation of Mind will suffice yet this will in no wise excuse the constant Neglect of this Duty nor take off the blame from those Men who live in the constant Omission of it for 't is highly reasonable to believe that Self-Examination is a Duty in some Degree as absolutely necessary to be perform'd before we attend God's Publick Worship as 't is before the receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Which Sacrament was anciently an Essential part of the Publick Worship of God tho' of late years it has been scandalously neglected And therefore as when Men come to the Table of the Lord without due Preparation 1 Cor. 11.29 they trample under feet Christ's holy Body and Blood and eat and drink Condemnation to themselves So when they frequent the House of God and attend upon
Undertakings depends much on our right timing of them and in nothing more than in Administring Reproof God came to Adam in the cool of the day and the best time to advise a Man is when he is Sedate and Calm and at leisure to consider of the Counsel we give him Every Man has his mollia tempora fandi Seasons when he is willing and dispos'd to receive an Impression and the way to make our Advice successful and profitable to him is to lay hold on these Opportunities for as Solomon well observes A word spoken in due season Prov. 15.23 how good is it it is like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver There must be also regard had to the place for the more private our Reproof is it is for the most part the better Matth. 18 15. If thy brother trespass against thee tell him his fault between thee and him alone Publick Correption is then only necessary when others are to be warn'd to leave the same Sin and avoid the same Snare Neither are all Persons to be treated after the same manner Inferiours must be very careful how they behave themselves towards their Superiours and Governours Is it fit to say to a King Job 34.18 thou art wicked and to Princes ye are ungodly Great Care must be had least what we think Zeal for God and the Good of our Neighbour should be justly interpreted Sawsiness and and Presumption And therefore when Nathan was sent by God himself to Reprove David he doth it after the most modest and submissive manner by representing his Case to him in a Parable and decently veiling his Reproof under the name of another Man With our Equals and Inferiours we may use greater Liberty and Freedom only taking Care that whilst we reprove the Vice we do not shew any distaste to the Person Many more Rules might be given but in this as in such like Cases much is to be left to Christian Prudence and he who carefully observes the first Rule I laid down with which I shall also conclude cannot do very much amiss Which is That we make the Glory of God and the good of our Neighbour the End and Aim of our Reproof as well as of our other Actions SERMON V. PREACH'D When the CHAPEL was newly Furnish'd and Beautify'd PSALM XCVI 9. O Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness 'T IS agreed on by the whole Current of Interpreters that the inspir'd Pen-man of this Psalm sets forth the Kingdom of the Messiah and the blessed Effects of it the Conversion of the Jews and the Salvation of all Nations and hereby shews us not only how God was worship'd under the Law but points out to us how he expects to be worship'd under the Gospel The beginning of this Psalm contains an Exhortation to all the People of the World as well Heathens as Jews to praise God for that wonderful Blessing of sending a Saviour to preach the Gospel unto them and revealing the Doctrine of Remission of Sins and therefore he commands his Worshippers To declare his Glory among the Heathen and his wonders among all the People that all the Earth should sing unto the Lord and that they should shew forth his Salvation from day to day so that their Praise might be as extensive as his Benefits and in some measure bear Proportion with his Blessings which were to be shed upon all the Nations of the world and to continue for ever Ver. 1 2 3. In the following Verses he inforces this Duty of praising God by some Arguments drawn from the Consideration of his glorious and wonderful Attributes his Majesty Glory Power and Wisdom which were after an extraordinary manner display'd and manifested in the Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour and from thence he concludes Ver. 7 8 9. That it was the Duty of all Men to frequent the place of God's Publick Worship to Prostrate themselves before him and to admire reverence and adore his Holy Name Honour and Majesty are before him Strength and Beauty are in his Sanctuary Give unto the Lord Glory and Strength give unto the Lord the Glory due unto his name bring an Offering and come into his Courts And having in these words describ'd the Worship of God after the manner of worshipping him under the Law by approaching his Temple and bringing a Sacrifice in the words of the Text he explains himself that he doth not mean that these Sacrifices should continue under the Gospel and that those who liv'd under the Reign and Kingdom of the Messiah should worship as the Jews did but that it would be their Duty to worship God in the Beauty of Holiness i. e. with such a pure and devout Frame of Mind such suitable Affections such becoming decent and orderly Behaviour as were typify'd and denoted to them by the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Law O Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness In which words we have these two plain Lessons taught us I. That all Christians are oblig'd frequently to meet together for the Publick Worship of God II. That the Publick Worship of God ought to be perform'd in the most decent and solemn manner imaginable 1. That all Christians are oblig'd frequently to meet together for the performance of God's Publick Worship By Worship I mean that immediate Worship which is offer'd up to God in his Sanctuary that Publick Acknowledgment of his Government and Soveraignty over us by the performance of those Duties which are enjoyn'd us in the first Table such as are praying to him magnifying his Holy Name hearing his Word and receiving his Sacraments which Duties are in a peculiar manner call'd the Worship of God because they have God for their immediate Object they are address'd to him and terminate in him The Will of God is the Reason why they are perform'd and his Honour and Glory ought to be the ultimate End of the performance of them So that the Worship here meant may be defin'd that religious Adoration which is offer'd up unto God in the Publick Assemblies of Christians The Command of worshipping God in the Text was Originally given to the Jews but hereby was denoted and typify'd to us that more pure and spiritual Worship which was to succeed that of the Jews and was to be offer'd up unto God under the Gospel For there is a rich Vein of Gospel Truths which runs through the Old Testament and particularly the Book of the Psalms of which one of the Principal is this Command of Worshipping God in Publick which is as obliging to us Christians as ever it was to the Jews As may be made appear from these following Considerations 1. Because God has instituted and commanded this sort of Worship 'T is not only a branch of the Law of Nature but also a Principal part of instituted and reveal'd Religion The Light of Nature will teach us that there is one first Cause of all things who contains in himself all those Perfections
his Ordinances carelesly and negligently they grieve God's Holy Spirit provoke him to leave and forsake them to give them up to hardness of Heart and a reprobate Mind Isa 29.13 14. Forasmuch as this People Says the Prophet draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have remov'd their heart far from me therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous work and a wonder for the Wisdom of their wise Men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent Men shall be hid God doth not now always punish Prophaneness and Coldness in our Devotions with temporal Evils and sickness in the Body as formerly in the Primitive Church But he has exchang'd them for such as are far more dreadful such as endanger the Soul and take away the spiritual Life of a Christian Every unsanctify'd approach which we make unto him renders us more cold and indifferent in our Devotions till at last iâ— leads us by degrees into open Prophaneness and Atheism Let therefore every one who desires to receive the blessed Influences of God's holy Spirit and that his Soul may be a Temple fitted and prepared for him to dwell in Let him I say first cleanse his Heart by a due and strict Examination of himself and a serious and hearty Repentance for the Errors of his ways Let him thus keep his feet before he goes into the House of God i. e. observe what Paths he has walked in how the Affections of his Soul are fitted and dispos'd to partake of these holy Ordinances Lastly Whilst we are going towards the House of God let us entertain our selves with such Meditations as these Let us consider the Glorious Majesty of that God before whom we are going to appear that he is the great Creator Preserver and Governour of the World who humbles himself to look down upon the Sons of Men being exalted above all Praise and exceedingly Happy and Glorious above all that we can conceive and think 'T is this God who grants us Audience and vouchsafes us the Favour of making our Addresses unto him Let us consider also our own Vileness and Sinfulness how unworthy we are of so great Favours and hereby raise up in our Souls that humble Awe and devout Reverence of the Supream Being Levit. 26.2 which is requir'd of every one who Worships God Thus the devout Cornelius tells Peter That he and all the rest were present before God Acts 10.23 to hear all things which were commanded them by God i. e. they had considered with themselves who it was that was to speak to them and that the words they were to hear were not the words of Peter a frail sinful Man like themselves but the words of God Thus before we present our Petitions unto God we are commanded to consider that God is in Heaven and we on Earth i. e. that there is an infinite Distance between the Creator and his poor Creature that he is the most Perfect the most Glorious and the most Holy Being but we only dust and ashes vile Earth and miserable Sinners vile we are in our own Nature but we have made our selves much more so by our manifold Sins and repeated Transgressions When therefore we approach the Holy Temple of the Lord Let us say thus within our selves Gen. 28.17 How dreadful is this place this is certainly the place where the Lord dwells I am now going to the House of God to appear before the Lord Almighty who has my Soul in his hand and the breath of my Nostrils at his disposal in whom I live and move and have my Being I am drawing near to the King of Heaven and Earth to present my self before his Face to pay him my Homage and to make him the Tenders of my bounden Duty and Service Let me therefore put my Mind into such a devout Frame as he will accept of and take Care that I behave my self with Reverence Decency and Devotion And now having brought you to the Temple I proceed to shew 2. How we ought to demean our selves when we enter into the House of God and whilst we are performing the Duties of Religion And here I am to consider 1. The Frame and Disposition of our Souls Joh. 41.24 2. The Gesture of our Bodies God is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth i. e. requires principally and in the first place the Worship of our Souls and then that of our Bodies Now to a due worshipping God with our Souls there are requir'd these three things I. Attention of our Minds to the Duty we are about II. The Intention and Ardency of the Affectons III. The Consent of our Wills and their Conformity to the Divine Will and Pleasure 1. If we would offer up unto God an acceptable Service our Minds must be attentive to the Duty we are about whilst we are praying to God for those Blessings we stand in need of or praising him for those we have received we must either be meditating on the God we Worship or the thing we desire or praise him for For since Worship is the Acknowledgment of those Excellencies and Perfections which are in the Divine Nature 't is impossible we should have any serious Sense or make any due Acknowledgment of these Perfections unless we keep our Minds intent upon them We may as well commend the beauty of an Object we never saw and be taken with that Musick we never heard as admire and acknowledge those Excellencies we never thought on or consider'd For to serve God with our Mouths when our Thoughts are wandring some where else and employ'd about some other Business is but Lip-Worship at the best a Sacrifice without an heart which God will utterly detest and abhor 'T is therefore one of the principal Devices of the Devil 2 Cor. 2.11 of which we ought not to be ignorant to excite and stir up vain Thoughts in our Minds during the time of Divine Worship to divert them upon worldly and sinful Objects and hereby to deprive us of that Benefit we might otherwise obtain by a due and conscientious performance of these Duties And therefore it ought to be the Care of all good Christians to stand continually upon their Guard to bear a strict Eye over their Hearts and as soon as ever they find any vain and sinful Thoughts spring up in their Minds to cast them out To restrain and bring back their wandering Thoughts and never to make them their own by consenting to them or dwelling upon them Some Men are more addicted to roving and volatile Thoughts than others are from their natural Temper and Constitution and therefore are not so blameable for that which they cannot help But 't is then only they are faulty when their Will closes with them when they do not make Use of the most proper means to prevent them i. e. A due and conscientious Preparation of their Hearts for Religious Duties then do