Parents were It is true though that they through want of awful respect or reverence unto the divine Majestie were the Authors of sin and propagators of shame to their posteritie All of us are prone to think that they deserved ill not of God only but of us and yet the truth is that we lay a great deal more blame upon them then they deserved They indeed were the first yet not the greatest sinners Many of their posteritie in this qualitie go beyond them all of us imitate them too well in their sin but not in being ashamed when we sin 8. They had but one Commandement given by God and having transgressed that their Consciences did accuse them their very looks and gestures gave evidences against them We transgress all Gods Commandements and one and the same Commandement over and over God onely knows how often yet are not dejected are not confounded but bear out sail as if there were no danger Though every thing which God in his written Law hath prohibited is a branch of the forbidden tree He hath as peremptorily forbidden all To have any Gods but Him to worship any graven Image to take his Name in vain as he did our first Parents to taste of the Tree of good and evil Yet even such as would be held the only true Catholiques Worship Images and such again as would be accounted the pure Worshippers of God in truth and spirit worship their own Imaginations and transform the unchangeable nature of the Deitie into unfit similitudes Little Children amongst us are mightie Swearers and nothing more common in publique or private then to take Gods holy Name in vain to abuse it more grosly then the Jew or Heathen could who knew not God incarnate And all this they do without any sign of shame Women rail upon revile and curse one another in the open streets until their faces grow red indeed but with a redness which betokens no shame which bears no tincture of blush but rather of revenge and malice boyling in the heart or of heat in their tongue set on fire by Hell But these for the most part are of the meaner and baser sort Others there be as far transported with mis-guided Zeal from that modestie which becomes their Sex and this Zeal they offer up as strange fire unto God without blushing taking the Priests office upon them to be more then Teachers censurers of their Teachers swift to hear any doctrine that shall contradict the publique voice of the Church alwayes listening after the whisperings of such private Spirits as invert the Tenor of the Gospel no less then the old Serpent did the first Commandement which God gave unto mankind God had said unto them Gen. 3. ver 3. Ye shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil neither shall ye touch it lest ye die But the Serpent whispers ver 4. 5. Ye shall not surely die For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil A plausible Comment to her which was now giving the raines to her longing appetite As plausible a doctrine it is to many of her Daughters to meddle with the marks of Election and Reprobation secrets which God hath reserved unto himself Points full of great difficultie and greater danger and wherein such as have waded farthest have as I said before inverted the Tenor of the Gospel For it is the perpetual voice of the Gospel If thou believe thou shalt be saved if thou believest not thou canst not be saved The very sum and final resolution of the doctrine of Election as it is vulgarly taught is this If thou must be saved that is if thou be of the number of the Elect or predestinated thou shalt believe If thou be not of the number of the Elect thou canst not believe To listen after such whisperings as these the weaker Sex take from their Mother Eve but to be confident or presumptuous upon such misinterpretations or to be censurers of their Superiors this they learn not from their Mother Eve but from her false Teacher This is a prodigious disposition in Women whom the Apostle commands to learn in silence with all subjection but will not suffer them to teach or to usurp authoritie over the man 1 Tim. cap. 2. ver 12. This silence and modestie is injoyned them as a Pennance for their Mother Eves transgression Ver. 13 14. For Adam saith the Apostle was first formed then Eve And Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression Notwithstanding she shall be saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the promised Seed If they continue in faith and charitie and holinesse with Sobrietie These are the meanes to make their Election sure 9. All of us both men and women are too prone to imitate our first Parents in doing that which is evil and forbidden by the Law of God And seeing better cannot be expected it were well if we could as truly imitate them in being ashamed of the evil which we have done They no sooner knew that they were naked but they sought a covering for their nakedness of fig-leaves but this would not serve For when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden they hid themselves from his presence amongst the trees All of us have an experimental pledge of this which Moses relates concerning them in our selves unless we choke or stifle the instinct of corrupted nature by long custom or continuance in sin That our consciences do accuse us that the sight of men whom we know or suspect to be conscious of our mis-doings deject us both these argue that we must appear before a Judge even before that Judge from whose presence our first Parents hid themselves at whose appearance we shall be confounded if we come before him polluted with such blots and stains as our souls are ashamed sinful men such as our selves are should look upon For even that redness or blushing which appears in mens faces upon consciousness of their infirmities or misdeeds is but a mask which our souls do naturally put before them as being afraid lest others should see the stain or blemish of sin As our first Parents sought to hide themselves from God after they had transgressed his Commandements So Offenders hide themselves from his Deputies or Vicegerents on earth not only for fear of punishment but for shame And if we should give you the real or physical Definition of shame It is no other then the striving of Nature to hide the stain of our souls by sending out blood into the face or visage And men do but second this dictate of Nature when they put their hands or other covering before their faces So Disarius one of the Discoursers in Macrobius Saturn lib. 7. cap. 11. saith Natura pudore tacta sanguinem ante se pro velamento tendit Thus both corrupted nature and we our selves
experience of did acknowledge as much as hath been formerly delivered out of Gods word to wit That men are usually misdrawn to do those things in particular which in general they desired not to do and to leave those things undone which in the calm of composed affections they desired to do either by the hope of some bodily pleasures or by fear of some bodily pain And unto this two-fold inconvenience he prescribed this brief Receipt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That men in youth especially should accustome themselves to abstinence and sufferance to abstinence from evil and to sufferance of evil that is unto abstinence from unlawful pleasures which we call Malum culpae or Evil of Sin and to endure with patience malum poenae the evil of pain or of some loss rather then hazard The quiet of Conscience by doing that which is evil or unlawful or by not doing that which is good specially when we are thereto required But this brief receipt or diet of the Soul without some other addition will rather serve to condemn us Christians then enable us to live a true and Christian life The Receipt though is good in the General but defective in these Particulars First Unless he knew more of Gods Will or of the mysteries of Christian Religion then we know any means by which he could possibly know either being an Heathen he was ignorant of many evils from which he was bound to abstain and altogether as ignorant what those good things were for whose love he was to suffer malum poenae the evil of pain loss or grievance rather then disclaim them Secondly Albeit he had known what was to be done what to be left undone yet being ignorant of this main Article of Christianity to wit of A Life everlasting which is the reward of well-doing the Crown of Holiness and of an everlasting Death which is the wages of sin and issue of unlawful pleasures His Receipt of Sustine Abstine was altogether as fruitless and vain as if a Physician should prescribe a Dosis or Recipe to his Patient of such Simples or compounded Medicines as cannot be had in this part of the world but must be sought for at the East or West-Indies or at the Antipodes whence there is no hope they can be brought before the Patient be laid in his Grave The Medicine which he prescribes is no where to be found but in the Word of God The Simples whereof it is compounded can grow from no other root or branch then from The Articles of everlasting Life and everlasting death The Belief of the One is the root of Abstinence from sinful or unlawful Pleasures The Belief of the other is the root of Patience or sufferance of malum Poenae or of sufferance for well-doing Howbeit to speak exactly both parts of his Receipt may be had from the Belief either of Everlasting Life or Everlasting Death but most compleatly from the belief of both The manner how thence they may be gathered is expressed by our Apostle St. Paul Rom. 8. 16. c. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God And if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ if we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together for I reckon that the suffrings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us c. 2. If all the sufferings of this life be not worthy of the glory which shall be revealed in us as the Rule of Faith teacheth us then conscience and reason it self bindes us to suffer all the Persecutions or Grievances which can be laid upon us rather then hazard our hopes or forfeit our Interests in the Glory that shall be revealed in all such as with patience suffer persecution or other temporal loss or detriment for the truths sake And this hope of Glory is as the Root whence Christian patience or sufferance must grow So is the fear of everlasting Death the root of our abstinence from evil or of repentance for former want of this abstinence This is the same Apostles Doctrine 2 Cor. 5. 10. For we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men To what doth he perswade men To do those things which are good and which being done shall be rewarded not in Judgement but in mercy and loving kindness Those things by which we shall be reconciled unto God But were not these Corinthians reconciled to God before our Apostle thus perswaded them Yes so saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 18. God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ And when our Apostle and those to whom he wrote were reconciled unto God through Jesus Christ we that are now living were by the same means reconciled unto God For God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Now if the world that is not this or that man not this or that generation of men but all generations the world of mankind were reconciled unto God when our Apostle wrote this Epistle yea when Christ offered himself upon the Crosse what need is there of any further reconciliation For that which God doth he doth most perfectly most compleatly 3. It is true Our reconciliation was most perfectly most compleatly wrought on Gods part by Christs death upon the Crosse he payed the full price of our Redemption of our reconciliation nothing may or can be added thereto Yet A Reconciliation there is to be wrought on our parts though wrought it cannot be but by the spirit of God and wrought it is not ordinarily but by the ministry of men as Gods Deputies or Embassadors So the Apostle adds ver 19. God hath committed to us to wit his Ministers the word of reconciliation Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though Christ did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God So then God hath reconciled us all unto himself from the hour of Christs death and yet every one of us for his own particular must be reconciled to God by the Ministry of his Embassadors And the efficacy of their Ministry is demonstrated by working true repentance in us The means again by which they work this true repentance must be by representing the Terrour of the Lord or as our Apostle saith Act. 17. 30. by putting them in mind of the last and dreadful day The times of this ignorance to wit of the old world before Christs death God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Thus
is shameful 3. It is mortiferous Two Motives to engage us in Gods service 1. Present and sweet fruit unto holiness 2. Future happiness p 3469 18. Of the fruitlesnesse of sin Of the shame that followes and dogs sin as the shadow doth the body what shame is whence it ariseth and what use may be made thereof Of fame praise and honor Satans stales false shame and false honor The character of both in Greek and Latin Of Pudor which is alwayes Male Facti of Verecundia which may sometimes be de modo recte Facti Periit vir cui pudor periit Erubuit salva res est p. 3477 19. We are many wayes engaged to serve God rather then to serve sin though sin could afford us as much fruit reward as God doth But there is no proportion no ground of comparison between the fruits of sin the Gift of God The case stated betwixt the voluptuous sensual life and the life truly christian Satans Method and Gods Method A complaint of the neglect of grace p. 3484 20. The first and second Death both literally meant The wages of sin Both described both compared and shewed how and wherein the second Death exceeds the first The greater deprivation of good the worse and more unwelcom death is Every member of the bodie every faculty of the soul the seat and subject of the second death A Map and scale the surface and solidity of the second Death Pain improved by enlarging the capacity of the patient and by intending or advancing the Activitie of the Agent Three dimensions of the second death 1. Intensiveness 2. Duration 3. Unintermitting continuation of Torment Poena damni sensus terms co-incident Pains of the Damned Essential and Accidental Just to punish momentany sin with pain eternal The reflection and Revolution of thoughts upon the sinners folly the Worm of conscience p. 3490 21. Eternal life compared with this present life the several tenures of both The method proposed The instability of this present life The contentments of it short and the capacities of men to enjoy such contentments as this life affords narrower In the life to come the capacitie of every faculty shall be enlarged Some senses shal receive their former contentments only eminentèr as if one should receive the weight in Gold for dross Some formalitèr Of Joy Essential and Joy Accidental p. 3500 22. Of the Accidental Joys of the life to come A particular Terrar or Map of the Kingdom prepared for the blessed Ones in a Paraphrase upon the 8 Beatitudes or the Blessedness promised to the 8 qualifications set down in the 5. Matth. Eternal life the strongest obligation to all duties Satans two usual wayes of tempting us either per Blanda or per Aspera p. 3510 23. The Philosophers Precept Sustine Abstine though good in its kind and in some degree useful yet insufficient True belief of the Article of everlasting life and death is able to effect both Abstinence from doing evil and sufferance of evil for well-doing The sad Effects of the misbelief or unbelief of this Article of Life and Death Eternal The true belief of it includes a taste of both Direction how to take a taste of death eternal without danger Turkish Principles produce Effects to the shame of Christians Though hell fire be material it may pain the soul The Story of Biblis The Bodie of the second death fully adequate to the Body of sin Parisiensis his Story A General and useful Rule p. 3519. 24. The Bodie of Death being proportioned to the bodie of sin Christian Meditation must apply part to part but by Rule and in Season The dregs and relicks of sin be the sting of Conscience and this is a prognostick of the worm of Conscience which is a chief part of the second death Directions how to make right use of the fear of the second death without falling into despere and of the hope of life eternal without mounting into presumption viz. 1. Beware of immature perswasions of certainty of salvation 2. Of this Opinion That all men be at all times either in the estate of the Elect or Reprobates 3. Of the irrespective Decree of Absolute Reprobation The use of the taste of death and pleasures The Turkish use of both How Christians may get a relish of Joy eternal by peace of Conscience joy in the Holy Ghost and works of Righteousnesse Affliction useful to that purpose p. 3529 25. The coldness of our hope of Eternal Life causeth Deviation from the wayes of righteousness and is caused by our no-taste or spiritual disrelish of that life The work of the Ministry is to plant this taste and to preserve it in Gods people Two objects of this Taste 1. Peace of Conscience 2. Joy in the Holy Ghost That Peace may best be shadowed out unto us in the known sweetness of temporal peace The passions of the natural man are in a continual mutiny To men that as yet have no experience of it the nature of joy in the Holy Ghost may best be exemplified by that chearful gladness of heart which is the fruit of Civil Peace It is the prerogative of man to enjoy himself and to possess his own soul In the knowledg of any truth there is joy but true joy is only in the knowledg of Jesus Christ and of saving truths The difference between Joy and Gladnesse in English Greek and Latin p. 3538. 26. Whether the taste of Eternal Life once had may be lost Concerning sin against the Holy Ghost How temporal contentments and the pleasures of sin coming in competition prevail so as to extinguish and utterly dead the heavenly taste either by way of Efficiencie or Demerit The Advantages discovered by which a lesser good gets the better of a greater p. 3547. 27. About the merit of good Works The Romanists Allegations from the force of the word Mereri among the Antients and for the thing it self out of the holy Scriptures the Answers to them all respectively Some prove Aut nihil aut nimium The different value and importance of Causal Particles For Because c. A Difference between Not worthy and unworthy Christs sufferings though in time finite yet of value infinite Pleasure of sin short yet deserves infinite punishment Bad Works have the title of Wages and Desert to Death but so have not Good Works to Life Eternal p. 3558. 28. Whether Charismata Divina that is The Impressions of Gods Eternal Favour may be merited by us Or whether the second third and fourth Grace and Life Eternal it self may be so About Revival of Merits The Text Hebr. 6. 10. God is not unjust c. expounded The Questions about Merits and Justification have the same Issue The Romish Doctrin of Merits derogates from Christs merits The Question in order to Practise or Application stated betwixt God and our own souls Confidence in Merits and too hasty perswasions that we be the Favourites of God two Rocks God in punishing
become a better man by this practise by which he doth utterly cease to be a man if his hopes had been terminated with this mortal life or if he had not remained capable of reward or punishment after death That very thing was even by the verdict of the Heathen highly magnified in Regulus a wise States-man and good Patriot which in a bruit Beast of what kinde soever would have been accounted and that justly more then unreasonableness a very madness For no beast unless it be altogether mad will evidently expose it self to death That which exempts Regulus his witting exposing of himself to a more cruel death then any sober man could finde in his heart to put a dumb beast unto from censure of Folly was The managing of his undertakings by Resolution and Reason And all the reason that he had thus to resolve was That he hoped not utterly to perish as beasts do although certain he was to die Beasts which run upon their own deaths are therefore accounted mad because by death they utterly cease from being what they were For them to desire death is to desire their utter destruction which they could not desire but seek by all means possible to avoid unless they had first put of all common sense wherein the height of their madness consists Regulus was therefore accounted manly resolute and resolutely wise for that in choosing rather to die then to live with stain of perjury or taint his soul with breach of oath he did not desire his own destruction but the continuation of his well-being or bettering his own or his Countries estate And this his desire or resolution which supposeth another sentence after this life ended the Heathens which so highly magnified his resolution did subscribe unto as good and fit to be imitated by all honest men and true Patriots albeit perhaps most of them were unwilling to be his seconds in like attempts when the matter came to the tryal 6. Nor did the Romans onely commend this Resolution in Regulus whose Memory for well deserving of that Commonweal they had in perpetual Reverence But other Heathens which did detest the very name of Christians and eagerly sought the extirpation of Christs Church on earth did as much admire and commend the like in Christian Bishops Two memorable stories very apposite to this purpose come to my minde the one related by St. Gregory Nazianzen the other by St. Austin Nazianzens story is of Bishop Marcus Arethusus who was sentenced to a cruel death and torture by Julian the Emperor unless he would at his own cost and charges build up an Idol Temple which he had caused to be pulled down After that his persecutors had brought the damages required at his hands so low that if he would be content to give but an Angel or some small piece of Gold currant in those times to the re-edifying of the Temple which he had destroyed he should live yet he persevered so constantly in his former Resolution which was not to give so much as a peny by way of Contribution for building up any house of Iniquity that his Persecutors were ashamed to take life from him Saint Augustine in his Tract against Lying tells us of Bishop Firmus who being pressed to bewray another Christian Brother whose death or Turning the Heathens earnestly sought having strong presumptions that This good Bishop knew where he was after many torments and threats of more with great constancy refused All the words that they could wrest from him were these Mentiri non possum I cannot lie and yet he must haue lyed if he had denyed that he knew where the Party was whose life they sought But as I cannot lie so I cannot become a Traytor or Bewrayer of my Brother do what you will or can unto me This constant Resolution as Saint Austine testifies did so turn the edge of his Persecutors malice into admiration and reverence of his integrity that they dismist him with honor Howbeit there had been no wit or praise-worthiness in the practise unless the Practiser had expected some beter Sentence after Death to which he did thus constantly expose himself then the applause of these Heathens which he could not hope for which he did not expect And the heathens in commending and admiring his constancy and integrity did though faintly or unwittingly yet necessarily subscribe unto the truth of his hopes or belief of a Iudgment after death as also unto that Oracle of God delivered by his Apostle that seeing Christ hath laid down his life for us we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren 1 Iohn 3. 16. At least we ought to expose our selves to bodily death rather then suffer them to be put upon the hazard of death eternal As it is likely this Good Bishop feared lest he should hazard this poor Christian soul whose death or Turning the Heathens sought being not so certain of his Resolution as of his own but doubtful whether he would not deny Christ or renounce the Christian Faith rather then suffer such tortures as he now felt or expose himself to such a violent and cruel death as they threatned him with 7. Again The most wise and learned among the heathen Philosophers did place Felicity or true happiness in the constant practise of Virtue as in Temperance Justice Wisdom c. The Stoicks were so wedded to this Opinion that they held virtue to be a sufficient recompence to it self at what rate soever it was purchased or maintained though with the loss of life and limbs with the most exquisite and lingring tortures that our senses are capable of They esteemed Regulus more happy even in the middest of his torments then his persecutors were or could be in the height of their mirth and prosperity or in the perfect fruition of their health or best contentments of their senses or understandings Yea so far they went that they judged Regulus to perpetual happiness albeit he had been perpetually or everlastingly so tormented as for a time he was But This 〈…〉 as was formerly intimated then any good Christian is bound to believe 〈…〉 we are bound to believe the contrary For so St. Paul who was more virtuously constant then Regulus was in his profession more then virtuously Religiously constant in all the wayes of Godliness tels us 1 Cor. 15. 19. That if in this life only we had hope that is were quite without hopes of a better life then this present is we Christians such good Christians as he himself was were of all men the most miserable The Heathen then the Stoicks especially did well and wisely in acknowledging Felicity to consist in Virtue in acknowleding Virtue to be a full recompence to it self in respect of any temporary evil or punishment that could be opposed unto it They wisely resolved in holding them more happy which did suffer torments for a good Cause then they which made it a part of their pleasure or happiness
to torment them Yet it is not possible that the entire and uninterrupted possession or the undisinheritable tenor of virtue compleat should alwayes in this life be a sufficient recompence to it self or able to countervail all the costs or grievances wherewith the most virtuous or most Godly men that live may in this life be charged Virtue then or Godliness is in this life a sufficient recompence to it self spe only not re so far as it is the only Way to our union with God or with Christ who is to all the sons of Abraham as he professed himself to Abraham Gen. 15. 1. their exceeding great reward Nor could true Happiness consist in Virtue if our hopes or fruition of it might be terminated with this life In what sense then is Felicity said to consist in Virtue Only so far as our assured hope of a better life after death is unseparably annexed and indissolubly wedded unto the constant practice of Virtue and Godliness in this life Without Assurance of this hope that Magnificent Confidence which the Stoicks put in Virtue was but a vain imagination in respect of themselves And for this reason albeit all of them were more then Christians Hyperbolical Christians in their speculative commendations of Virtue yet many of them were in practice as cowardly as other heathen And no marvel seeing it is This Hope which must strengthen other Graces of God in us enable our spirits to countersway the contrary inclinations of natural fear of death or torments in the day of tryal Cast not away your confidence saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 35 36 Which hath great recompence of reward For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the Will of God ye might receive the promise And again Hebr. 12. ver 1 2. Let us lay aside every weight and the Sin which doth so easily be et us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith who for the Ioy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God As to encourage our selves to do well with hope or conceit of meriting any thing at Gods hand is pride and presumption a natural branch of Popish Superstition So not to strengthen our selves or quicken our patience in the suffering of any bodily evils that for Christ's Cause can befal us with Hope of Reward or certain expectance of a better Sentence to be pronounced by a supreme Judge is but a branch of the blind Stoicks Affection or of his forced and affected Zeal to Virtue And it is no better then a Stoical Doctrine or error which some have taught that we are to do good meerly for goodness sake sine intuitu mercedis without any eye or respect to our reward or recompence It is an error if it be persisted in so much more dangerously heretical in Divinity then theirs was in Philosophy by how much we are more deeply bound then they were not to sever those things by Nicities or speculative Distinctions which God hath indissolubly conjoyned and whose conjunction the Son of God himself whilest he lived on earth hath by his practice and example ratified unto us And St. Paul delivers it as a point of useful doctrine to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 4. 13. to comfort themselves against the terrors and assaults of death whether made upon themselves or upon their friends with hope of a resurrection to a better life Now it were impossible for any man to comfort himself with this hope without intuition or respect unto this great reward that God hath to bestow on men For greater reward he hath none to bestow then Life eternal nor is man capable of any like unto it But of this Point more fully when we come to the last point proposed to wit The Sentence or Award of this Final Judgement 8. But now to shut up the First Point concerning the natural Notions which the heathens had and The internal Experiments which every true Christian may have answering to these Notions of a Final Judgment The sum of all is compriz'd by our Apostle Rom. 2. 14 15 16. whose words are a full confirmation of what hath been before observed concerning the Heathens When the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another In the day when God shall Judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel It was no part of our Apostles meaning that the Consciences of these heathens should not give in their Evidence or accusations until the day of Final Iudgment No their Evidence shall in that day appear more full and publick when God shall Iudge the secrets of the heart but even in this secrecie of the heart there was an Evidence though private yet full enough to themselves of a Judgment to come The Apostles speech is distributively universal every mans thoughts do accuse or excuse him for all his own deeds respectively And no marvel seeing the Notions of good and evil are as naturally implanted in our souls as the Notions of truth and falshood And children so such as have the Tuition of them would be careful so their parents were not more delighted to ripen their wits then to ripen the seeds of morality might as soon be taught to put a difference betwixt things sacred and prophane as between the right hand and the left But this is our miserie that these Notions of good or evil are sooner corrupted and choked then our Notions of truth and falshood Yet however The working of Conscience cannot utterly be choked or deaded in any although the voice of it be oft times unheard although most men seek to stifle it 9. The Internal Experiments which certifie the Christian of a Judgment to come be so frequent and forcible that pains will be better spent in perswading men to take notice of them then in a long discourse of them It is the chief wisdom of a Christian the very life of Christian Sobriety not to exceed so much in mirth though honest harmless and in season nor in the frequency of any business though indifferent and lawful as not to allot the secrets of our hearts and consciences some set hours and times for Audience Multiplicitie of business without interposition of vacancies to this purpose is but like perpetual noise and clamor in a Court of Justice and not to use some retired Interims for examination of our souls is but as if men should continually laugh or brawl whilest the Officers of the Court injoyn peace or silence So often then as we shall perceive our Conscience either expresly to check us or inwardly to
of infamy and hope of Honour were of themselves sufficient to keep most men within the compass of civilitie or moral goodness were it not generally true in all Common-wealths which Solomon had observed in his times Prov. 28. 4. That they which forsake the Law do praise the wicked and so St. Peter tells us 1 Pet. cap. 4. v. 4. That such as walked in the wayes of the Gentiles in lasciviousnesse lust excesse of wine ryotings banquettings and abominable idolatry did think it a strange thing that these late Converts to whom he wrote this Epistle did not run with them to the like excesse And for this cause as he adds they speak evil of them that is they put all the shame they could upon them As then so now Every societie of lewd or naughtie men have their usurped customs which are equivalent with them to Laws have their Parliaments whereby wo unto them Esay 5. 20. they attempt to alter or invert the Law of God and the Law of nature to establsh evil for good and to disgrace goodness as if it were evil What course of life what branch of lewdness more infamous by the Law of God then ryot or drunkenness a vice so shameful that the Fathers eye must not pity it in his Children that are tainted with it but even their natural Parents as well the Mother as the Father are bound by the Law of God Deut. 21. 20 21. to inform against them to accuse them before the Magistrate lest the shame and sin should reflect upon themselves by connivance And by the same Law the publick Magistrate is bound upon the accusation of their Parents to put them to an ignominious death And yet there is a generation of men outwardly professing the knowledge of God and of Christ which seek to put shame ignominie upon all such as will not run with them to the like excess which have their Laws and Rules for authorizing and cherishing this lawless and unruly custom God again by his written Law and by his Sentence against Cain awards death and shame to murtherers And yet the seeds of this accursed sin are more then legitimated ranked amongst the essential parts of honour made as the very touch and tryal of Gentry by men which esteem it a greater shame to indure the breath of a verbal Lie from anothers rash mouth then to tell or devise an hundred real Lies or to outface a truth by false oaths And by this corrupt custom which goes currant for a soveraign Law amongst braver Spirits as they account themselves the observance of Laws divine and humane which forbid all private Revenge all resolutions to kill or be killed is branded with the infamy of Cowardise A terrible bug-bear but to such only as are Men in maliciousness but Children in Knowledge For it is a sign of the greatest Cowardise that can be to be affrighted at the noise of vain words or to forsake the Fortress upon a false Alarm or representation of counterfeit Colors As these so every other vice hath its Baud or Advocate to give it countenance and to disgrace the contrary vertue 6. The old Serpent which beguiled the first Man by the first woman works still upon the weaker vessel and makes it his instrument to foyl the stronger He is not ignorant that this masculus pudor as the Philosopher cals it this virile or manly fear of shame whereby youth is naturally restrained from shameful courses cannot easily be vanquished but by suborning this effeminate or womanish fear of worldly or popular disgrace to betray it as Dalilah did her Husband Samson And the expelling of this masculine by this womanish fear of disgrace or reproach is as the putting out of the eyes of discretion whereby we discern good from evil So that Satan leads them up and down at his pleasure as the Philistines did Samson after he had lost his bodily eyes by the cutting off his hair We have a Saying or Proverb rather Past Shame past Grace The Heathens had the like Observation save only that they knew not what Grace meant They had no use of the word Grace in that sense which is most common and yet most proper with us A Child or man past Grace is with us as much as Filius perditus A Son of perdition Such an one as Judas was who yet was not past Grace that is not irrecoverably lost until he became impudent and obdurate in sin Now it was the observation of one and he was none of the precisest amongst the Heathen Illum ego periisse dico cui quidem periit pudor I give that man saith Plautus for lost which hath lost modestie or is past shame Our Common Proverb and the Saying of this Poet have this sure Ground in true Divinitie That want of modestie or a face uncapable of shame supposeth a great measure of iniquity in the brest That which we call a Brazen face hath alwayes for its Supporter an Iron sinew or a brawny heart Jer. 3. 3. and 5. 3. and 6. 15. and 8. 12. 7. As nothing passeth into the understanding but by the gates of sense So the true belief of that which God threatened unto sin and that was death is ushered into the heart of man by shame and confusion of face The first impression of Gods threatenings unto our first Parents was made upon this part And all the Sons of Adam even unto this day either have or might have a pledge of that which Moses relates concerning their and their eldest Sons hiding themselves and going out from the presence of the Lord. To this day it is true Qui male agit odit Lucem an evil conscience flies the light or presence of men And the face commonly bewrayes the heart as he said Heu quam difficile est crimen non prodere vultu It is an hard matter not to confess a crime or the truth although the mouth be silent Yet as some men by long custom in sin degenerate into Atheists and see no reliques of Gods image wherein they were created in themselves although the notion of a Godhead or Divine Power be naturally ingrafted in all So though shame and blushing be most natural to man when he doth evil yet some by long continuance in sin shake off this vail or covering of their nakedness Such they are of whom Jeremie spake in the Old and in the New Testament St. Jude speaks ver 10. Men that are prone to speak evil of those things which they know not but what they know naturally as bruit beasts in those things they corrupt themselves and become as impenetrable by shame as bruit beasts whom God hath deprived of reason He that is not subject to this passion participates more of the nature or disposition of collapsed Angels than of collapsed man The Divels we read do tremble at their belief or apprehension of Gods Judgments We do not read that they are ashamed of the evil which deserves it as our first
life is but a walking prison or moveable Cage unto the immortal soul yet the soul being long accustomed to this prison doth naturally chuse to continue in it still rather then to be uncertain whither to repair after it go hence That some Heathens have taken upon them to let their souls out of their bodies before the time appointed by course of nature or doom given upon them by their supream Judge This was but such a delusion of Sathan as one man somtimes in malice puts upon another For so oftimes a secret enemie or false friend hath perswaded others to break the prison whereto they were upon presumption rather then on evidence of any notorious fact committed to make them by this means unquestionably lyable unto the punishment of death which without such an escape they might have escaped For any man wittingly and willingly to separate the soul and body which God hath joyned is A damnable presumption an usurpation of Gods own office or Authoritie To sollicit or sue for a divorce betwixt them is not safe for any save only for such as have Good Assurance or probable hopes that when they are dissolved they shall be with Christ Now the souls of such as die in him have no desire to return unto the former prison of the body But such as have not in this life been espoused unto him would chuse rather to remain in or to return unto their former prison then to be held in custody by their spiritual enemies Their estate for the present is worse then the sufferance of bodily death being charged both with perpetual sufferance and expectation to suffer the second death 3. And this death differs more from the First death then inter numerandum that is more then in order of accompt or rank of place What then is not the second death a privation of life Yes it is all this and somewhat more besides Every vice includes a privation of the contrary vertue and is a great deal worse then want of vertue So every sickness includes a privation of some branch of health and is much worse then a Neutralitie or middle temper if any such there be between health and sickness So doth the Second death include an extream contrarietie to life and all the contentments of it Blindness is a meer privation of sight and the eye which cannot see is dead in respect of this branch of life and this death or deprivation of this sense is only matter of losse The eye or subject of sight oft-times after the loss of sight suffers no pain no more doth the ear after it becomes deaf nor the sense of feeling after it be numm'd A man stricken with the palsie feels no smart in that part which it possesseth Whilest any part of our body is sensible of pain it is an argument that it is yet alive not quite dead And yet is all pain rather a branch of death then of life For much better it were to die the first death then to live continually in deadly pain No man but would be willing to loose a tooth rather then to have it perpetually tormented with the tooth-ach Now the second death is no other then a perpetual living unto deadly pain or torture Bodily death or not being is not so much worse then life natural with all its contentments as the second death is worse then the First or the bodily pains which can accompany it The parts or branches of the first death are altogether as many as the parts of life natural The seat or subject of the second death is larger There is no member of the body or facultie of the soul whether sensitive or rational which becomes not the seat or subject of the second death As this death is the wages of sin so it is for Extention commensurable unto the body of sin Now there is no part or facultie in man which in this life hath been free from sin And whatsoever part or facultie hath in this life been polluted with sin becomes the seat dwelling place of the second death Wheresoever sin did enter it did enter but as an Harbinger to take up so many several Roomes for that death Who is he that can say that lust hath not sometimes entred in at the eye that the seeds of lust of Envy of murther and of other sins have not taken possession of the ear that his tongue or tast hath not given entertainment to ryot gluttony and excesse in meat and drink That his sense of smell hath not been sometimes a pander to these and the like Exorbitances And the other fifth or grosse sense of Touch is as the common bed of sin for it spreads it self throughout all the rest and is the foundation of every other external sense 4. To give you then a true map of the second death and more then a Map of it or of their estate that are subject unto it we cannot exhibit The Map with the true scale for measuring the Region of death with the miserable estate of its inhabitants is thus Nature and common Experience afford us These general un-erring Rules That all pain and grief are improved by one of these two means or by both As First by enlarging the capacitie of every sense or facultie which is capable of pain or discontent Secondly by the vehemency or violence of the object or agent which makes the impression upon the passive sense or capacitie One and the same Agent aswell for qualitie as for intention of its active force doth not make the same impression upon different subjects though both capable of impression As one and the same flame and steam of fire hath not one and the same effect on iron steel and wax though all of them be in the same distance from it Quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis How powerful soever any Agent be the Patient can receive or retein no more of its power then it is capable of Again how capable soever the Patient be of any violent impression yet the capacitie of it is not filled unlesse the force of the Agent be proportionable unto it And though it be able to receive never so much yet it is true again Nihil dat quod non habet nec plus dat quam habet No creature no Agent whatsoever can bestow any greater measure whether of good or evil whether of pain or pleasure then is conteined within the sphere of its activitie From these unquestionable Principles this Universal Conclusion will undoubtedly follow That all excesse or full measure of pain of grief or woe of every branch of malum poenae must amount from the improved capacitie of the sense or facultie which receives impression and from the strength and potencie of the Object which makes the impression 5. There is no humane body which is not by nature capable of the Gout yet such as are accustomed to courser fare to moderate dyet and hard labour are lesse capable
first ayme and intentions desires to be disobedient seditious or factious to be an Adulterer or murtherer a fornicator a thief or perjur'd man or to look upon his neighbours conveniences with an envious or malicious eye The means by which Satan tempts us or by which our natural affections sway us to do these things in particular as to be disobedient seditious factious or servants to other lewdness are generally Two Per blanda aut per aspera by proposing some things unto us which respectively either promise some contentment to our senses or threaten some loss some pain or vexation This visible world and the things which we see or know by sensible experiment are as Satans Chess-board which way soever we look or turn our thoughts he hath somewhat or other still ready at hand to give our weak and untrained desires the Check and to hazard the losing of our souls and bodies But Faith as the Apostle speakes is the evidence of things not seen And the things that are not seen as the Apostle saith are eternal and these are for number so many and for worth so great that if we be as vigilant and careful to play our own game as he is to play his for every Check which he can give us we may give him the Check-mate And this advantage we have of him that whereas he usually tempts us but one way at one and the same time that is either by hopes of some sensual contentment or by fear of some temporal vexation loss or pain we may at the same time resist his temptations Two wayes both by proposal of some spiritual good or reward much greater then the particular sensible contentment and by representation of some spiritual loss or fear much more dangerous then any evil wherewith he can threaten or deter us from performance of our duty 19. If he tempt us to excesse in meat and drink which is commonly the root whence other branches of Luxury or sensuality spring we may counterpoize this temptation First with that hanger and thirst and other torments incident to this appetite of sense in the life to come And in the second place by our hopes of our celestial food or full satisfaction of our hunger and thirst so we will but hunger and thirst after righteousness And so again if he tempt us to other unclean pleasures of the flesh we may give our inclinations the check by proposing unto them our assured hope of enjoying the society of immaculate Angels and of our espousall to the immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus in this life and of enjoying his presence in the life to come And again we may controule our natural inclination to this branch of lewdness by serious meditation on that Divine Oracle Adulterers and Whoremongers God will Judge and judging condemn them to everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels 20. If Satan shall tempt us to an immoderate desire of riches the counterpoize to this temptation is likewise two-fold First There is a promise of treasure in Heaven to such as seek after it more then earthly treasure and this is a treasure not chargeable with the like carking care in getting it nor subject to the like inconveniences after it be gotten for there neither rust nor moth doth corrupt nor do theeves break through and steal Besides the heaps of riches even in this life are fruitless for as our Saviour saith in another place though a man have riches in great abundance yet his life doth not consist in them Ten thousand talents cannot adde one minute to the length of his dayes whereas the heavenly treasures are the crown of life Or if the hope of these heavenly treasures cannot oversway mens thirst or longing after earthly treasures you may joyn to this the weight of Saint James his Wo against this sin Chap. 5. 1 2 3. Go to now ye rich men weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you your riches are corrupted and your garments moth-eaten your gold and silver is cankred and the rust of them shall be a witness against you But if this were all a rich worldling would reply that he would keep his gold and silver from rust This he may do perhaps whilst he is alive but more then he can undertake after it once come unto Plutus his custody Therefore Saint James adds the rust of it shall eat your flesh as fire or if this be but a Metaphor he speakes no Parables but plainly in the words following ye have heaped treasure together for the last dayes Behold the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields which is of you kept back by fraud cryeth and the cries of them which have reaped are entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth 21. Again if Satan tempt us to do those things which we ought not to do for the favour Or to leave those things undone which we ought to do for the fear of great ones the sacred Armorie affords us weapons sufficient to repell Both temptations The First is that pithy sentence of Saint Paul ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men The Second is that of our Saviour Fear not them who after they have killed the body can do no more but I will tell you whom ye shall fear one that can destroy both body and soul in hell fire yea I say unto you fear him Briefly in all assaults Satan hath only Weapons Offensive as fiery darts he hath none Defensive But if the word of God as our Apostle speakes dwell plentifully in us we have both the shield and buckler to repell his darts and the sword of the spirit to chase him away but this word must plentifully dwell in us we must entertain it in our hearts and consciences not only in our lips and tongues nor let it run out of our mouthes faster then it comes into our ears CHAP. XXIII ROMANS 6. 23. For the wages of sin is death but the Gift of God is Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Philosophers Precept Sustine Abstine though good in its kinde and in some degree useful yet insufficient True belief of The Article of the everlasting life and death is able to effect both abstinence from evil-doing and sufferance of evil for well-doing The sad effects of the Misbelief or Unbelief of this Article of life and death eternal The true belief of it includes A Tast of both Direction how to take A Tast of death eternal without danger Turkish Principles produce effects to the shame of Christians Though Hell fire be material it may pain the soul The story of Biblis The Body of the second death fully adequate to the Body of sin Parisiensis his Story A general and useful Rule 1. THe heathen Philosopher which knew no temper besides himself no temptation but such as the dayly occurences of what he heard or saw or by some sense of the body had
you see how the terrour of the last day or fear of everlasting death must work in us an Abstinence from evil or repentance for evil past as the Hope of Everlasting Life doth work patience and constancie in persecution Yet both parts of that brief Receipt Sustine et Abstine may be effected by our serious meditation upon either branch of our belief concerning life and death everlasting For if all the sufferings of this life be not worthy of or equivalent unto the glory which shall be revealed in us we must needs be worthy of and obnoxious to everlasting death if we do not with patience suffer persecution in this life rather then hazard our hopes of Life Eternal Again if the sufferance of everlasting death be much worse then the suffering of all persecutions possible in this life our not repentance at the Terrour of it doth make us uncapable of everlasting life Our hopes of avoiding it by repentance if they be sound and firm will animate and in a manner impell us to follow the wayes of life to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance 4. Seeing then we are thus invironed on the right hand and on the left having the hopes of Eternal Life set before us to encourage us to constancy and resolution and are so strongly beset with inevitable fear of everlasting death if like faint hearted souldiers we should retreat or revoke our vow in Baptisme may not the Lord in Justice take up that complaint against us which sometimes he did against Jerusalem and Judah What could I have done more for my vineyard that I have not done unto it Other means to make men either good men or good Citizens the old world knew none nor could the wit of the wisest Law-givers devise any besides poena et praemium Reward and punishment Now what Kingdom or Common-wealth had either so bountiful Rewards or so dreadful punishments proposed unto them as we Christians have What then is the reason why we of all others are more defective in good duties most fruitful in evil lesse observant or more desperate transgressors of our Princes Lawes then the subjects or Citizens of any other well governed Kingdoms ever were how often do we pawn our hopes of everlasting life upon less occasions then Esau did his birth-right and set Christ our acknowledged Lord and Redeemer to sale at a lower price then Judas did The original of this our desperate neglect or contempt must either be misbelief or unbelief of the Reward promised to well doing or of the Punishment threatned to evil doers And it would be a point very hard to determine Whether of such as make any conscience of their wayes especially since the reformation of Religion more have miscarried through misbelief or through unbelief of this Great Article of our Creed Everlasting life and everlasting death Our Misbelief for the most part concerns the Article of everlasting life Of everlasting death we are rather unbelievers then misbelievers Misbelief alwayes includes a strong belief but the stronger our belief the more dangerous it is if it be wrested or misplaced and the worst way we can misplace our belief of heavenly joyes is when we make our selves certain of our salvation before our time or ranke our selves amongst the elect or heirs not disinheritable of the heavenly kingdom before we have made our Election sure 5. As the absolute infallibilitie of the present Romish Church doth make up the measure of heathenish Idolatry or iniquity So the immature belief of our own salvation or Election doth make up the measure of Jewish or Pharisaical Hypocrisie The manner how it doth so is this If no covetous if no sacrilegious person if no slanderer of his brethren or reviler of his betters can enter into the Kingdom of heaven as it is certain they cannot untill they repent then no man which is certain of his salvation can perswade himself or be perswaded that he is a covetous or sacrilegious person that he is a slanderer of his brethren or a reviler of his betters and hence the Conclusion arising from the Premisses is inevitable that albeit such men as presume of their Election or salvation before their time before they be throughly sanctified do all that covetous or sacrilegious men do be continual slanderers or malicious revilers of their brethren yet it is impossible that they should suspect much less condemn themselves of these crimes until they correct their former errours and rectifie their misbelief or presumption of their immutable estate in grace Yea their errour not being corrected makes them confident in these wicked practises and causes them to mistake hatred to mens persons or envy to others good parts for zeal to Religion and stubbornness in Schisme and faction for Christian charitie or good affection unto truth And if any man of better insight in the Stratagems of Satan shall go about to detect their error or convince them by strength of Reason grounded upon Scripture that their mis-perswasions do branch into Blasphemie and can bring forth no better fruit then Pharisaical hypocrisie yet they usually requite his pains as that young Spanish spark did the Physician which had well nigh cured him of a desperate Phrensie no sooner had he brought him to know what he was indeed no more then a Page though to a great Duke or Grandee of Spain but the Youth instead of a Fee or thankful acknowledgement began to revile and curse the Physician for bringing him out of a pleasant dream of golden mountains much richer then the King of Spain had any it seemed as a kind of hell unto him to see himself to be but a Page who in his raving fits had taken upon him to create Dukes and Earls and to exercise the Acts of Royal Authoritie Very much like him in Horace Epistol Libr. 2. Ep. 2. Fuit haud ignobilis Argis Qui se credebat miros audire Tragoedos In vacuo laetus sessor plausorque Theatro Hic ubi cognatorum opibus curisque refectus Expulit helleboro morbum bilemque meraco Et redit ad sese pol me occidistis amici Non servastis ait cui sic extorta voluptas Et demptus per vim mentis gratissimus Error But with the Originals of Mis-belief besides what is said in our Fifth Book of Comments upon the Creed in this particular we shall have fitter occasion to meet hereafter And the greater part of men amongst us I am perswaded offend more in Unbelief then in Mis-belief 6. And by Unbelief lest we should be mistaken we understand somewhat less then the lowest degree of Infidelity Now of Infidels there be two degrees or ranks Infideles Contradictionis and Infideles purae Negationis He is an Infidel in the former sense that contradicts or opposeth the truth of Scriptures especially concerning Everlasting Life and Everlasting Death and such Infidels I presume there are none amongst us He is an Infidel in the Later Sense that doth not believe the
truth of Scriptures or cannot give a Reason of his Faith or one that neither thinks of Heaven or Hell and such Infidels there be almost in every Congregation But an Unbeliever a man may be although in the General he believe whatsoever the Scripture saith concerning the Resurrection of the Body or Life and Death everlasting unless withall he lay this his Belief to heart unless he have a true estimate as well of the reward proposed to good deeds as of the punishment proposed to evil doers It was a wise Saying of one that was not the wisest Doctor in his time Tractare res humanas norunt plurimi aestimare pauci Many there be that have skill enough in humane affairs that want no wit to atchieve the ends which they propose to themselves and yet but a few which know how to esteem or prize the ends at which they aym aright And of all our Errors and Defects there be but Two General Roots The first An overprizing of secular ends or contentments The second An undervaluing of matters Heavenly specially of Life and Death everlasting The true Reason why many who can discourse well of Heavenly matters and can give a reason of their belief sufficient to convince the Gainsayers of the truth which they believe are not so able to take or give the true Estimate of the things believed is much what the same with that which Philosophers assign Why yong men are no fit Auditors of moral Philosophy or why they prove not so good Proficients in this study as in other Arts and Sciences To learn the Mathematicks as Arithmetick or Geometry yong men or children are as apt as men of mature age And in natural Philosophy they finde no difficulty save onely want of Experience which is never attained unto in just and full measure without length of time or competent number of years Howbeit in the former Studies though all their life time were youth men might attain to the same measure of experience in the same course of time or number of years that they could if all their life were mature age But so it is not in moral Philosophy What is the reason The Philosopher tells us It is because yong men or men whose affections are unsetled can have no taste of moral Goodness or of the sweetness of true vertue And as his Master before him had observed Omnis vita gustu quodam ducitur We must have a Taste or Relish of good or evil or else we shall neither follow the one nor eschew the other with that constancy with that life and courage which is required to Vertue or Morality We may do many good things which a good Christian ought to do and yet not live a Christian life As Herod did Mark 6. 20. who feared and observed Saint John Baptist as a holy Just Man and heard him gladly and when he heard him did many things yet cut off his head 7. To lead a Christian life is more then to be a meer Moral Man although it always includes Morality in it And whatsoever is required to a moral life That and more is necessarily required to a Christian and Godly life And seeing the framing of a true Christian Life depends very much upon the true belief of this Article of Everlasting Life and Everlasting Death the most effectual Method which Gods Ambassadors can use to this end must be to exhibit a true taste or relish of the Goodness contained in the one and of the Evil comprized in the other And this is the Method which by Gods assistance I mean to follow First To set down directions whence or by what means we may take a Tast or Rellish without danger to our souls of Everlasting Death And Secondly How the like Tast or Rellish may be had of Everlasting Life or at the least how we may frame unto our selves a true though a short measure by which we may by diligent meditation take a better Estimate of Both then most men do I will begin with The means how to estimate everlasting Death because it is much easier to have some Tast or Rellish of it then of everlasting Life There is no evil which a man in this life doth suffer no pain or grief but may in some sort serve a diligent meditator to take a view or estimate of the horrors of the second death But alwayes the greater the evil is which we have suffered or have experience of the more fit measure it is for calculating the endless miseries of the Second Death And The very cogitation or remembrance of such particular evils as we have actually suffered or have experience of will be more effectual to withdraw us from those means or practises which procure them then the representation or contemplation of evils in their nature far greater but of which we have had no Tast or experience 8. A Memorable Experiment in this kind we have recorded by Justine and other good Writers of those Scythians which had waged war so long in Asia that their Wives growing weary of their absence did marry with their slaves or bond-men And their slaves being willing to defend the possessions which they had usurpt took arms against their Masters at their return But were quickly routed without stroke of Sword or dint of Lance or other usual weapon of war In stead of these their Masters charged them on horseback with whips in their hands with success according to their own fore-cast or expectation Of hurts or wounds made by Sword or Lance as they wisely did forecast their slaves had formerly had no experience they never had felt the smart or grief of either But their backs had been accustomed to the scourge or lash and the very sight of these weapons reviving the memory of their former smart more affrighted them on a suddain then any terror of war besides could have done To have tried their courage or fortunes either by push of Pike or dint of Sword they would have been more forward then wiser men Dulce bellum inexpertis Want of experience in this kind would have made them for the first brunt at least more insolent and fool-hardy whereas the very sight and noise of the whip whereof they had so often tasted did presently dant them and make them seek their security from it by confused flight The Historical Truth of this Relation and good success of their Stratagem is sealed unto us in the Publick Coin of that Country whose stamp to this day is a man on Horse-back with a whip in his hand 9. It would be a great comfort to us that are Gods Embassadors if we could but perswade men to be as afraid to wrong or deface the monuments of men deceased as the modern Turks are to offer the least indignity unto ordinary papers scattered in the streets or to be as careful in preserving the Goods of the Church as these Infidels are to preserve the least scrap of paper that would otherwise
any unlawful desire or wish upon these or like resolutions is much worse then the desire it self how bad soever that be and may with speed make up a greater measure of sin in a moment then that which had been long in gathering before 7. It is agreed upon amongst the Moralists that every vicious or unlawful Act doth dispose the soul of man unto the vicious Habit or Custome whereunto such vicious Acts do tend and after the Habit or custome be by many Acts produced every following Act specially if it be undertaken deliberately and out of choice doth adde a kind of weight unto the habit once produced or A stiffness of bent or sway unto the faculty or propension wherein the custome is seated The more men addict themselves to any practise or the longer any custome in evil is continued the more apt they are to be swayed with lesser temptations then could have moved them amisse before such custome or practise Thus much the heathens had observed by light of nature and what they speak of morally Vicious Habits or customes is most true of wicked or ungodly practises or customes for besides this that every sinful Act specially if it be committed out of deliberation or choice doth increase the strength of the Habit or implanted desire whence it flowes it doth withall provoke God who is the giver of every good and perfect gift the only preserver of men from sin and wickedness both to revoke those good gifts which he hath given them and to withdraw the influence of his restraining Grace from them according to the Tenor of our Saviours words And from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath And those once being taken away Tunc vaga prosiliet froenis natura remotis Our natural corrupt desires run further ryot on a suddain then whilst we were in the course of nature they ordinarily did or could have done and become so far exorbitant that men either lose the Tast of the heavenly Gift altogether or cannot be reclaimed by it without the assistance of some new Grace or heavenly Gift A question there is amongst the School Divines whether any actual sin how grosse soever can expell or extinguish grace by natural efficacy as cold expelleth or moysture quencheth heat or only by way of Demerit That by way of Demerit vitious Acts may quench this Tast of eternal life all do grant that is They may and do provoke God who is the giver of all Grace either to withhold that Grace which otherwise he would bestow upon such men or to take away such Graces from them as he hath already bestowed upon them But that any vicious Acts or Habits should expell Grace after the same manner as one vicious moral habit doth expell the contrary vertue as drunkenness doth expell sobriety or as intemperance in any kind doth temperance this some great School-men deny or question But leaving these curious and inextricable disputes we will hold our selves only to such useful Queries as fall under our former Aym or Level 8. The most useful query in this case is Whether it be ordinarily possible that the Tast of the heavenly Gift or of the powers of the life to come where it hath been once planted can be prejudiced by the proposal of any temporal contentment whilst they stand in actual competition or whilst we deliberate whether the pursuit of the one be to be preferred for the present to the other That any man which hath any True Notion or rellish of Eternal Life should be swayed to follow the wayes of Death otherwise then through incogitancy or want of actual consideration may justly seem most improbable if not impossible For he that truly apprehends or rellisheth the sweet Fruits of holinesse the Peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost of if any other pledge there be of Eternal Life cannot but acknowledge that These are more worth then any temporal Contentment which can come in Competition with them Now it is a meer madness to make choice of a Lesser Good before a Greater so long as it is actually apprehended or acknowledged to be Greater there must be a defect or intermission in the precedent Deliberation before any man can be overtaken with this kind of madness Carnal contentments we apprehend or rellish by our natural faculties Peace of Conscience or spiritual joy are apprehended or rellished only by Grace and these two several apprehensive Faculties are as the two Scales in a Balance Whence it may seem as impossible for one that hath a true apprehension or rellish of spiritual Good to be over-swayed to the contrary evil with any temporal Contentment which for the present can be presented to his deliberation as for a greater weight being put in the one scale of the balance to be over-poized by a lesser weight put in the other The Comparison I confess if it be rightly weighed will hold most exactly If the Scales be even or equipendent and the Beam or Balance be equally divided it is impossible that a lesser weight put into the one Scale should counterpoize a greater But in Case the beam or balance be unequally divided that is if one part be longer then the other a lesser weight put in that Scale which hath the longer part of the balance will over-poize a farre greater weight put into the other Scale 9. This was an usual kind of Cousenage in ancient times practised by such as sold costly wares and was excellently discovered by Aristotle in his Mechanical Questions The truth of his discovery is most apparent in the Ancel Weight or Balance which most of you have seen wherein one pound weight put upon the one end of the Balance will counterpoize a stone weight put upon the other end And the inequality between the several portions of the same Beam or balance may be such that a stone weight being put upon the one end will fetch back a hundred stone weight being put upon the other From this Experimental Principle did the great Mathematician Archimedes ground that Assertion which seemed a Paradox Da ubi consistam devolvam terram If he might chuse his distance or standing place he would roule the whole earth about by his own strength As imagine the Line which goes from the Center of the earth unto that part of the heavens which is above our heads and through it were as firm and strong as a pillar of brass or steel the strength of one mans arm placed in the highest Heaven or in such a place as this Mathematician desired to have footing in might poize or turn about the whole earth and all the creatures in it The former discovery of falshood in visible and material balances is clear to sense and may be demonstrated to reason but the heart of man is more deceitful then any balance and the deceit of it was never discovered either by the Mathematician or by the Philosopher nor is it discernable without
the widdow These indeed are works of iniquity and deserve Exclusion from the Kingdom of Heaven But is it a Work of iniquity not to work at all As not to give meat unto the hungry Not to give drink unto the thirstie Not to cloath the naked or lodge the harbourless Yes even these Omissions deserve Exclusion from the Kingdom of Heaven Either by their connexion with sins of oppression because it is scarce possible that any which hear Christs promises should be barren of good Works unless they were too fruitful in the works of impietie and oppression or rather because as our Saviour elsewhere infers that Not to save mens lives when means and opportunitie is offered is to kill Not to feed the hungrie is a bloody sin Not to cloath the naked is as the sin of Oppression The Doing of some Good Works cannot excuse men for the Omission of others which be as necessary To prophesie in Christs name is a Gracious Work to cast out Divels is a Work of Greater Charity and comfort to the possessed then to visit the prisoners and yet such as have done these and many other wonderful Works shall not be admitted at the Last Day Besides the Goodness of the Works which we are bound to do there must be an Uniformitie in them Otherwise they are not done in Faith Now the same Faith and belief which inclines our hearts to works of one kind will incline them to the practise of every kind which we know or believe to be required at our hands by our Lord and Master That even the best Works of mercy or most beneficial unto others are not acceptable unto God unless they be done out of Faith obedience to our Masters Will is clear from our Apostles Verdict of Enoch Heb. 11. 5. Before his translation saith our Apostle he had this testimonie that he pleased God For so it is said Gen. 5. 24. that he walked with God the way by which he walked was his Good Works and Conversation but The Guide of this way and his works was his Faith So the Apostle infers without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him ver 6. As God is the Author of goodness yea goodness it self so we cannot come unto him by any other way then by doing good to others yet that which must make even our best Works pleasing to him must be our Belief in him and in his goodness and that he is A bountiful Rewarder of all that do good The good Works even of the Heathen and of such as knew neither him nor his Providence of such as in stead of him worshipped false gods were rewarded by him but with rewards and blessings only Temporal He was their Rewarder but not himself their Reward This was the Peculiar of Abraham his friend and of Abrahams children that is of all such as do the works of Abraham out of the Faith of Abraham that is out of a lively apprehension and true esteem of his goodness Unto all such he himself shall be merces magna nimis or valdè magna Their exceeding great Reward Unto men thus qualified and only unto them it shall be said Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world This Kingdom shall be a Kingdom of everlasting bliss and yet the greatest blessedness of this Kingdom shall consist in the fruition or enjoying of the presence of this Everlasting King who is goodness it self the participation of whose goodness is the very Life and Essence of that happiness which all desire but none shall attain besides such as do His Will by well doing To be separated for ever from his presence is the source of all the miserie which shall befall the damned or accursed But from this place of our Apostle Heb. 11. 6. The Romanist alwayes ready like the spider to suck poison from such flowers in this garden of God as naturally afford honey to such as seek God labours to infer as he doth out of the words of the text That the Everlasting Kingdom here promised is the just Reward of our good works and is as properly merited as everlasting death is by the Omission of the works here mentioned or by the Positive Works of inquitie So that I should here according to my proposed method proceed unto the third point That these good works how necessary soever they be are necessary only Tanquam via ad regnum non tanquam causa regnandi only as the Way and Means which lead unto this Kingdom not as the causes of its preparation for us or of our admission unto it But for the present I chuse rather to make some use or Application of what hath been said concerning the necessity of Good Works then to dispute of their Efficacie or Causality for attaining this Kingdom intending to touch that a little more in the next Chapter though with reference to what I have spoken in the 27. and 28. Chapters 6. You see that Good Works done in faith or which is all one a Working Faith are absolutely necessarie unto salvation But are they as necessary to Justification If they be how is it said by St. Austine and approved by the Articles of the Church of England Bona opera sequuntur hominem justificatum non praecedunt in homine justificando Good works follow Justification they do not go before it This Orthodoxal Truth only imports thus much That no man can do those works which are capable of the promises before he be inabled by God to do them and that this ability to do them is from the Gift of Justifying Faith Now every one that hath this Faith in his heart is said to be Justified that is absolved from the Guilt of sins past and freed from the Tyranny and Dominion of sin by receiving this pledge or earnest of Gods mercie and in this sense is Justification taken by St. James when he saith a man is justified by works that is He is not to be accounted the Son of faithful Abraham nor may he presume upon his own Actual Justification or estate in Grace until he be qualified and enabled to do the Works of Abraham In the same sense is Justification taken by St. John Rev. 22. 11 Qui justus est justificetur ad huc Let him that is righteous be righteous still or more justified And in this sort Children or Infants are said to be Justified by the Infusion of Faith The practise of Good Works is not required to their Justification before they come to the knowledge of good and evil But neither is the apprehension or actual Belief of Gods mercies in Christ required of them Though they be justified and saved for the Merits of Christ and through his blood as we are Yet is not the Rule for Application of these Merits the same in them and
it is then a continuance or Overplus of this abundant mercy to increase this Grace of Adoption in us yearly dayly and hourly Lastly to crown this continuance of his Grace and mercy towards us with an Everlasting Kingdom is but an abundant excess of the same mercy and loving kindness out of which he first promised the Grace of Adoption and dayly increased it Si merita nostra aliquid facerent ad damnationem nostram veniret Non venit ille ad inspectionem meritorum sed ad remissionem peccatorum Non fuisti et factus es Quid Deo dedisti malus fuisti et liberatus es Quid Deo dedisti Quid non ab eo gratis accepisti merito et Gratia nominatur quia gratis datur Briefly in that Gods Mercie and Goodnes is absolutely infinite it can admit of no External Motive or inducement either for bestowing the First Grace upon us or for increasing it or for the perpetuation of it we may deserve or merit the withdrawing of his mercies from us or the decrease of his blessings but deserve or merit their increase we cannot for merit supposeth more then a motive or inducement it necessarily includeth a Tie or Obligement whereas no obligement or inducement can be laid upon infinite goodness whose continuation and increase is likewise successively infinite without all period or restraint unto all such as do not merit or provoke the substraction or diminution of it 8. Difference in this point of merit between the doctrine of the modern Romish Church and the doctrine or rather the conceipt of the Pharisee I for my part could never conceive any save only secundum magis et minùs A difference of defect and Excess The nature and qualitie of their opinions and conceipts is the same The excess of pride or self conceipt of their own works and of their worth is on the Romanists part not on the Pharisees The Pharisees mere wen of more strict life then most either of the Romish or Reformed Churches now living be They abstained from many Enormities in which the Publicans with whom they lived did wallow They were zealous followers of many Good works which the Publicans did not so much as approve much less practise least of all practise with zeal and constancie But were they therefore nearer to the Kingdom of heaven here promised or were they more justified by their works then the Publicans were which did not work The Parable of the Pharisee and Publican Luke 18. doth witness the contrary I tell you saith our Saviour verse 14. this man went down unto his house rather justified then the other to wit the Pharisee What was it then that made the Pharisee more uncapable of justification then the Publican want of works No! As he alledgeth and no man could disprove his allegation He fasted twice in the week and gave Tithe of all that ever he possest What then Only The opinion of merits or over-weening conceipt of the worth of these his Positive works or of his abstinence from grosse and mortal sins But it may be he ascribed all this to His own Free-Will not to the favour and grace of God Not so For if we compare him with the modern Papists in this Point we are bound in conscience to pronounce the same sentence of them that our Saviour did of the Pharisee and the Publican The Pharisee that very Pharisee which our Saviour said was less justified then the Publican is more justifiable then any modern Romanist which beleeves the doctrine of merits as now it is taught or despiseth our Church as less holy then the Church of Rome for denying the merit of works For even this Pharisee albeit he thought himself a great deal better then the Publican yet did he not ascribe this to himself or to his Free-will for so he makes his confession ver 11. God I thank thee that I am not as other men are Extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican In saying thus he did acknowledge not only his Positive good works as fasting and paying tithes but his Abstinence from evil as from extortion c. to be from God For he thanks him that he was not an extortioner and his solemn Thanks include an acknowledgment that it was his gift whom he thanks that he was no extortioner no unjust or adulterous person That the Pharisee did conceive as the Romanist doth that the First Grace by which he began to be more observant of Gods Lawes then the Publicans or other men were was only from God and that the increase of this Grace or his proficiencie in good life and works was from himself or the effect of his Free-will this is more then can be laid unto his charge For he saith not God I thank thee that thou hast converted or reclaimed me from so sinful paths as this Publican walks in To have said thus much and no more might have left a suspition that he did acknowledge the First Grace of his conversion to be Gods meer Gift not so the Second or Third Grace or the increase of Grace or his proficiencie in good Life But now he saith God I thank thee that I am not as other men are nor as this Publican This includeth an acknowledgment that all the Perfection whereof until this very day he deemed himself possest was from God was his Free Gift So that it would be very hard to fasten any part of the doctrine of merits which is now stiffely maintained by the Romish Church upon this Pharisee Seeing then he boasts of nothing which he doth not acknowledge that he had received from God wherein doth his pharisaical pride or conceit or as the Evangelist stiles it his Trust in himself consist Only in that he Glories in Gods Graces as if he had not received them in that he was not humbled by that Grace which by his own acknowledgement he had received from God therefore is he lesse justified then the Publican So then the true End and use of all our works of all the Graces which God bestows upon us in this life is to teach us true humility and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as men that seek for the Kingdom of Heaven not by Works much lesse as due to our works but by acknowledgement of Gods Meer Mercie and our own unworthiness Many which in words disclaim the doctrine of Merits as for ought I know this Pharisee did may secretly trust in themselves or in their Merits but none which make the doctrine of Merits a point of Belief as the Romanists do but must of necessity trust in themselves and in their merits as this Pharisee did Hence saith St. Augustine Vis excidere a gratia jactes merita Wouldst thou fall from Grace Boast of thy merits 9. All that they have to Object against us from this place is from the Form of our Saviors Speech Inherit the Kingdom of God prepared for you FOR I was an
be we be but men whatsoever our estate be it is but Humane subject to chance and obnoxious to change Nature would tell us that whatsoever is evil whilest done unto us is evil also to be done to others And seeing there is no evil which we can do to others but the like may be done unto us we should be as unwilling to do any evil at all to others as we are to have any done to us For Nature it self doth as it were of course suggest a fear of being done to as men have done to others Hence springs that Negative precept Quod tibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris Again whatsoever is good whilst it is done to us the same is Good whilest done to others in like case nay as good to them as unto us And seeing All Good is to be desired we should be as desirous to do good to others as to have good done to our selves Yea seeing according to the mind of Christ Beatius est Dare quam accipere Acts 20. 36. to do good is better then to have good done to us as every action is better then Passion we should therefore be more desirous of that And hence riseth the Affirmative Precept Do as you would be done to Even the Heathen knew that it was better to give then to take Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes It was more to have a Conscience fraught with the memory of Good Turns done or benefits bestowed on others then to have store of possessions or goods and yet therewith to do little or no good 9. Yet are not these Two Rules so plain and evident unto natural Reason but natural passion and self-love will find exceptions against them There is no man will deny that these Rules were very Good in the old World or Golden Age or that they be Good now if all men would be content to observe them alike But he shall be sure to live by the losse that resolves to do better to any others then it is likely any will do to him Nay many in their heat of discontent at others bad usage of them will not stick quite to invert this Rule and think that it is just and right at least no wrong to use others as they have been used themselves Thus I have known some use more severity towards their inferiors then did well agree with their natural disposition only because they had been severely used by others whilest they were inferiors And this they think not amisse so they do it with no ill mind but only because they would not be the onely men that should be noted and marked as fit to suffer abuse and wrongs whilst their equals go Scot-free Thus sundry shut up from others by reason of infection have sought to infect others only because they would have companions in their miseries albeit it was not Man but God that brought that Bodily Evil upon them And thus many rude and barbarous Beggars being denied harbor or relief of such as might afford it them through a conceit of their own forlorn estate will seek to make others as poor or more miserable then themselves only that they may have some to be their equals or inferiors The like suggestions of evil and wrong in some degree or other will every mans Passions present unto his thoughts yet who so is but naturally wise either will not hear them or if this be too hard to put them off because passion is so familiar and intimate with the soul will not give sentence untill he have heard Reason speak which would oppose him Thus. 10. When thou wast hardly and despightfully used by others suppose abused in person disgraced in speech or indamaged in Goods c. did they well or ill that so did use thee If well why wast thou moved therewith Why dost thou complain Or rather why wouldst thou not be so well used again If evil they did why seekest thou then to imitate them in the evil which thou hatest for if it were evil in them whilst it was done to thee then will it be evil in thee whilst thou dost the like to others Yea perhaps much worse in thee because thou having suffered the like wrong before thou better knows what an heynous Fact it is to do the like For none knows none possibly can know so well what a greivous sin oppression is as he that hath been violently oppressed by others None can so distinctly perceive what an odious offence slander defamation or scurrilitie is as he that hath been scourged by scurrilous Tongues or wronged in his good Name by false accusers sly informers or envious whisperers Generally the nature and qualitie of all evil that happens to one man from another is much better known by suffering then by doing it For he that does it first perhaps scarce knows well what he doth he sees the nature of it but as it were afarre off But he that suffers it feels it at hand and knows it by experience Now the greater we know any evil to be and the more feeling touch we have of the nature and quality of it the more grievous is our sin if we practise the like Wherefore he that hath been most hardly dealt withall sins most if he deal so with others for he doth that to others which he is most unwilling should be done unto himself because he best knows the smart of the evil and according to his unwillingness of having the like done to himself will the smart of the sting of Conscience be for doing so to others Some perhaps or some mans Passions would here Reply These reasons hold true if we should so use them that never did us wrong as others have wrongfully used us but if the partie that used us ill come in our way we do him but right if we use him just so as he hath used us For Justice it self consists in Equalitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and if we pay him but in the same measure that he did mete to us he is justly dealt withal It s true indeed he is but justly dealt withall because he is but done to as he had done to others So a thief or murderer is but justly dealt withall if he be hanged yet if every man that hath his goods stoln should do this which is but right unto a Thief or if every man that hath his friend or brother slain should but do that which is due and should be done unto a murderer not expecting the Judges sentence both might do themselves great wrong in doing that which was but right and due to the offenders respectively And so shall every one wrong his own soul and conscience that will prevent him in his judgements to whom vengeance belongeth by taking Revenge into his own hands and not expect his good leasure by lawful and publick means The Law of nature is Do As thou wouldst be done to not As thou hast been done to against thy will
no dependence of man upon the Divine Power did often shew commendable effects of this Law written in their hearts in sundry duties of Good neighborhood as we speak and civil kindnesses As for any Affinity or Bonds of society between man and man at least between men of divers Countries more then is between beasts of the same kind most of them acknowledged none nor did they acknowledge as much affinity betwixt Creatures of any kind as we do that acknowledge all things to have one Creator Herein then is Our Equalitie and Affinity greater that we all acknowledge one God for our Father who is in a more peculiar sort the Creator of every man then of any other corruptible Creature Again All we Christians acknowledge One Christ for our Head of whose Body we are Members hence ariseth another Peculiar Equalitie from the equal price of our Redemption which was all one for the Rich and Poor for the Little and Mighty Ones of the Earth This God pre-figured in the Law Exod. 30. verse 11 12 15. Afterwards the Lord spake unto Moses When thou takest the sum of the Children of Israel after their number then they shall give every man a Redemption of his life unto the Lord when thou tellest them that there be no plague among them when thou countest them The Rich shall not passe and the poor shall not diminish from half a shekel when ye shall give an Offering unto the Lord for the Redemption of your Lives From this strict Dependencie of all men upon one and the same Creator and this Equality and Brother-hood which we have in one Father doth our Saviour Christ Luke 6 v. 36. draw that precept Of loving our Enemies which he makes as it were an Essential property of all such as truly acknowledge One God Not that all men were not bound thereto and might have known so much by nature but that it was a greater shame and more praeposterous sin in such as did acknowledge One God not to perform that Duty The Consciences of the Gentiles as St. Paul saith might secretly accuse them But the Others words and speeches did bear open Testimony against them if they neglected so to do so saith our Saviour Christ immediately upon the words of the Text For if you love them which love you what thank shall you have for even the sinners love those that love them And if you do good for them which do good for you what thank shall ye have for even the sinners do the same And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive what thank shall ye have for even the sinners lend to sinners to receive the like Wherefore love ye your enemies and do good and lend looking for nothing again and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the most High for he is kind to the unkind and to the evil 15. This further confirms what out of the principles of Nature was formerly gathered to wit that where it is said Whatsoever you would that men should do unto you do ye so unto them The meaning is not What ye would have this or that man do unto you do ye so unto the same man but rather thus Whatsoever ye would that any man should do unto you do ye the like in like case to every man in that he is man in that he is your fellow Creature in that he is the Son of your heavenly Father be he otherwise friend or foe Yet further we may nay we must inlarge this Precept if we will have the full meaning of it Thus. Whatsoever ye would should be done unto you whether by Man by Angel or any other of Gods ministring Spirits or procurer of mankinds good or by God himself That do to every man because every man that God to his Father who as He hath a care and providence over all so is it his will that every Creature under him all men especially that call him Father should be his Ministers in procuring and furthering any others good of whom this our heavenly Father vouchsafes to take care and charge A lively Emblem of this Duty we have in the Ravens feeding of Eliah being destitute of all ordinary means of Food If we consider the nature of this Bird none more Ravenous none more Greedy of the Prey then it yet because the Lord feeds the young Ravens when they call upon him being otherwise destitute of ordinary relief from their Dams or old Ones as both Aristotle and Plinie observe and the Psalmist alludes to it in that speech Therefore the Lord commanded them to afford the like help to Elias being forsaken or rather persecuted by the King and his Officers who should have yielded him house and harbour and from their example we should learn the practise to do for others as either the Lord hath done or we expect he should do for us Thus much I say is fully and directly included in our Saviours Deductions and Conclusions drawn from this Principal Rule albeit so much be not fully exprest in his words especially if we observe the Greek phrase only But the language whose manner of Dialect the Evangelists retain though writing in the Greek Tongue will very well bear and our Saviours words Luke 6. 36. verse enforce as much Be ye therefore merciful as your H. Father is merciful and in the 6. of Matth. v. 14. He tels us that if we look for mercie at Gods hand we must shew mercie unto men not to our friends or brethren by kindred or Nation but unto men The place is so much the more worth our observation because he adds no Exposition or Comment to any one Petition in all the Lords Prayer save only that He gives this Note upon that And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us his Note is this If ye forgive men their Trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you But if you do not forgive men their Trespasses no more will your Heavenly Father forgive you your Trespasses Wherefore as we desire God to forgive us our Trespasses though we have been his Enemies so must we be ready to forgive our Enemies and as we desire all good of him so must we be ready not only to forgive but even to do any good to our enemies If he be our enemie deservedly we should therefore do him good that we might make amends for the occasion offered if our Enemy he be without any just occasion given by us we should consider that this voluntary Enmity in him is the work of Satan but he Himself as man is our fellow Creature the workmanship of Gods own hand God made him man but the Divel made him an Enemy And we should seek by all meanes possible to dissolve the works of Satan and to repair the handy work of God that is we should love his person and seek to reform his vice we should overcome his evil with our good-will to him if
he be hungry we should give him meat if thirstie drink as the Apostle commands In sum we must feed Him but seek to starve his Humor by substracting all occasions of exasperating his mind and seeking occasions to do him good so the heat of his malice having nothing to work upon will by little and little die as fire goes out when the fewel fails 16. For a Friends sake that has indeared us to him for many of whom we yet expect more kindnesses we think it good manners to tolerate many things which otherwise we would not And shall not Christian Faith and true Religion teach us much more to remit all for Gods sake of whom we have received our selves our very bodies and souls and all that we have of whom we yet expect much more then we have received even everlasting life and immortal bodies to be crowned with Glory What if our Enemies have sought to take away this miserable and mortal life God freely gave it us who likewise at his pleasure may justly challenge it And if we cannot justly complain if he should take it from us is it an hard Precept that he wills us not to revenge yea not to complain by way of revenge of such as would but could not take it from us The Lord may as justly command us to forbear all desire of revenge all complaint of such as would take away our Life as he himself can take it That they would so have done was their own That they could not do so unto us is the Lords doing to whom we owe all thankfulness for preserving it and this may be the best occasion of shewing our thankfulness if we for his sake forgive such as sought to take away our Lives Nay if we would but examine this Precept by exact Reason passion set aside in as much as God hath freely given us life he might most Justly command us not to murmur against such as should take it from us For who can appoint him his Time or who can refuse any for his Executioner whom the Supream Judge of Heaven and Earth shall permit But in as much as God hath preserved our lives which our Enemies sought he may justly command and we must obey him so commanding to do any good unto them that sought our evil God is a a more Absolute Lord over the lives of Kings and Princes then they are over their Lands or goods he hath a more absolute interest in all mens actions and affections then any man hath in his own goods or fruits of his ground Now what Lord or Master is there that would indure such a servant as would not bestow his goods or benevolence on whomsoever it pleased him to appoint albeit he were his servants enemie If this we refuse and yet acknowledge our selves to be Gods servants may not God justly say unto us Ex tuo ipsius ore judicaberis If any refuse to set his affections on whomsoever God shall appoint him to employ his actions for whose good it pleaseth him albeit he be our open enemie How much more ought we to do it if we consider the Hope of reward in the life to come 17. Thus you see The First ground of this precept drawn from The equalitie of all men by nature improved and fortified by the Doctrine of Faith that is by The acknowledgement of One Father and Creator and yet may it be further confirmed if we consider what Affinitie nay what Consanguinitie we all have in Christ and what he hath done for us We are saith the Apostle if we be Christs flesh of his Flesh and bone of his Bone Our conjunction with him if we be or would be conjoyned with Him although it be spiritual and mystical yet is it a True a real and lively conjunction He is a True and lively Head we are true and lively members of him and one of another And must have as true a fellow feeling one of anothers harms or sorrows as one part of our own body hath of the pain of another No body Politick ever on earth not the most united in place in Lawes customes or any other Bond of Civil Societie whatsoever had or can have the like union or so near conjunction as all that are members of Christs mystical Bodie truly have as all that professe themselves members thereof should in practise testifie that they have otherwise as the Lawyers say Protestatio non valet contra factum It is in vain to professe thou art a Christian in vain to protest thou art a true professor or Protestant if thy deeds and resolution if thy practice do not seal the truth of thy profession or Protestation for not doing this as the Apostle saith thou shalt confesse Christ and Christianitie with thy lips but deny both Him and it in thy deeds and in thy practise and so thou shalt be judged not according to thy sayings but according to thy works and resolution or omissions of working Would you know then what some of the Heathen have thought of the duties of every member in a body Politick Plato in his fifth Book De Republica hath a comparison to this purpose If a man receive a wound in any part as in his foot or hand or have but some pain or grief in his finger we will not say That his hand or foot is wounded or that his finger feels pain But The man himself hath suffered a wound in his hand or foot That he himself hath a great pain c. For albeit the pain or grief spring first from this or that part yet it overflowes and affects the whole bodie The branches of it spread throughout all parts and every part is worse because one part is so ill Yea every part forbears its natural function or recreation in some measure for the ease of this The head wants its sleep other parts their rest by reason of the spirits recourse thither as so many comforters sent from them to visit their sick friend or fellow member In like manner Plato thought it meet that in every City or Common-weal as often as any good or harm did happen to any Citizen or Free denizon thereof it should not be counted that mans good or harm only but the good or harm of the whole City and every member thereof should be alike affected If this the Heathens by meer light of nature could discern to be the dutie of the meer natural man what tongue of man or Angel can expresse in Terms befitting so high A mysterie what Brotherhood what fellowship what Sympathie and what affection should be between the members of Christs Body for no society like this no fellowship like to that in Him This union exceeds all other much more then the union of one part of our heart with another doth the union of the heart with the foot Doubtless our Saviour spake according to the duty if not according to the custome of honest hartie neighbours in the good old world in the Parable
of the lost sheep and Groat His rejoycing for the recoverie of his strayed sheep was not his alone but his neighbours also Her sorrow for losse of her money was not only hers but her Gossips as after the finding it her joy was theirs too It is worth the consideration and I beseech you to consider what a madness it would seem to a wise man if because the finger did ake or pain him a mans head or heart and inward thoughts should presently resolve to cut it off or vex it more because it did vex them Yet such is our malice and madness if because our brother or fellow member in Christ so we must account all that Communicate with us in the same Sacraments doth vex or torment us we should therefore resolve to vex and torment him again This is A Symptome of such hellish Phrenzie as the Poet describes Ipse suos Artus lacero divellere morsu Certat As monstrous and pitifull a Spectacle to the eyes of Faith as it would be to the eyes of the Body to see as we have heard of some hanged quick in irons ready to starve for hunger and destitute of hopes of other food to eat the flesh of their armes to satisfie their gnawing entrals So monstrous is their sin so miserable their estate that to satiate their revengeful minds or to wreck their imbred spite do harm vex or torment their Fellow-members in Christ If you bite and devour one another saith the Apostle Gal. 5. 16. see that ye be not not consumed one of another His meaning is Whosoever doth vex or harm his brother shall feel the smart of it himself one time or other as certainly as the heart or soul that wounds or cuts an outward member shall feel the smart or want of it And again that whosoever yeelds any comfort to his distressed or comfortless brother shall as certainly be partaker of the good he does to him as the heart which directs or the hand which applies the medicine to any ill affected part shall find ease and rest by the mitigation of the sickly members pain 18. Would you then know the most certain compendious way to do your selves most good seek as far as in you lies to do good to all other men seek not your own good so much as the good of others or rather seek your own good especially by the means of doing good to others Consider that there is a great reward promised to such as do good to others but there is no promise made for doing good to our selves If we seek to inrich our selves or advance our estate we have our reward if we obtain riches or advancement but if we relieve those that be in necessitie if we assist or direct into good wayes those that for want of means may be tempted to ill courses To this double good work which both relieves the Body and rescues the soul There is appointed a great reward There is a reward promised to such as relieve the poor none to such as inrich themselves There is a reward promised to such as comfort the broken hearted none to such as solace themselves with mirth and passe their Time in pleasures There is a reward for those that raise Up them that fall none to them that being in competent estate seek to advance themselves If such as seek riches get riches if such as seek advancement get advancement verily they have their full reward But if they get or seek it to the prejudice of their poor brethren their sin is grievous And our Saviour Christ pronounceth A wo unto them Luke 6. 24. Wo unto you that are rich for you have received your consolation Is this the condition of all such as be rich no but of such rich ones as regard not understand not the poor Of such as seek to enrich themselves more then to relieve others Wo be to you that be full to wit when others are hungry and you give them not to eat Wo unto you that laugh to wit in time of Publick calamitie and wo when you should mourn with your brethren that do mourn for thus not doing unto them as you would be done unto in the like case God shall do that to you which you would not and give them their hearts desire God will turn their mourning into joy and your laughter into tears A False Balance saith Solomon is abomination to the Lord but a perfect weight pleaseth Him Pro. 11. 1. Now to be more desirous to do good to our selves then to others is as it were to buy with a greater measure and sell with a less For even this practise were no cousenage in Hucksters and marketters unless the Balance of their hearts and minds were unequally set before that is unless the measure of their desire of private gain were greater then their desire of doing good to others This is the point wherein their own Beam differs from or disagrees with Gods Balance hung up in their consciences Love thy neighbour as thy self Do as you would be done unto God that tryeth the very heart and reines doth weigh all our secret thoughts more exactly and curiously then we would weigh Gold and by how much we are more desirous to receive good from others then to do Them Good so much more shall we want of our hearts desire This is the second point wherein the Doctrine of Grace exceeds the Law of nature The Heathen had a surmise or fear that some like evil might befall them as they had done to others yet was not their expectation of punishment so certain but they thought it might be and often was prevented with policie or if they escaped unpunished in this life they thought themselves safe enough whereas we certainly know and believe that God will certainly bring all to equalitie and it shall go worst with them that go unpunished in this life for usually his punishments in this life bring men as it were to a composition with their adversaries both teaching them to do as they would be done unto and to repent for the wrongs they have committed but such as passe this life unpunished and impenitent are arrested at their first entry into the other they fall immediately into the Jaylors hands from whence there is no Redemption 19. Thus much of the First Point according to the method proposed § 5. that is Of the equitie of the Precept and of the Grounds or motives which might incite us to the performance of it either drawn from the Law of Nature or from the Law of Grace the Holy Gospel Of the Second Point that is In what sense The Observation of it is the fulfilling the Law and Prophets or How The Command it self contains the Summe of the Law and Prophets afterward Here only for A Ground to Application I take it as granted That natural Reason and the written Law teach every man what is good for himself and whereon to set his desires And this Rule of Nature and
Jonathans Death nor when the Angel of the Lord had smitten his people with the Plague of Pestilence Those against whom Amos speaks did sin in that they had their pleasant musick whilst their brethrens miseries did call them to the house of mourning These had their delightful Ditties whilst their brethren were ready to sing the Lords Song in a strange Land This was it that did so displease the Lord that they were so desirous to please themselves with these or any other delights whilst his heavy wrath was upon their neighbor Countries They drink VVine in Bowls and annoint themselves with the choice Ointments but no man is sorry for the afflictions of Joseph This was a grievous sin in Judah that they were not sorry for the affliction of Israel that is of the ten Tribes It was a grievous sin in the Princes and Nobles that they did not mourn and lament for the miseries of the mean and common People Therefore saith the Lord now shall they go Captive with the first that go captive and the sorrow of them that stretch themselves is at hand So certain it is That God will make their miserie greatest that will not equalize themselves in publick Calamities to their Brethren The Second Sermon upon this Text. CHAP. XXXIII MATTH 7. 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you do ye even so unto them For this is the Law and the Prophets The Second General according to the Method proposed Chapt. 32. Sect. 5. handled This Precept Do as ye would be done to more then Aequivalent to that Love thy neighbor as thy self For by Good Analogie it is Applicable to all the Duties of the first Table which we owe to God for our very Being and all his other Blessings in all kinds bestowed on us Our desires to receive Good things from God ought to be the measure of our Readiness to return obedience to his will and all other duties of dependents upon his Grace and Goodness God in giving Isaac did what Abraham desired And Abraham in offering Isaac did what God desired Two Objections made and answered 1. That This Rule may seem to establish the Old Pythagorean Error of Retaliation and the new One of Paritie in Estates 2. That the Magistrate in punishing offendors it seems in some Case must of necessitie either violate this Rule or some other THat this Precept Do as ye would be done to doth contain as much as that Other Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self is evident to every man at the first sight For that we desire either to have any good or no evil done unto us it is from the love we bear unto our selves And if we could be as desirous to do all good and as unwilling to do any evil unto others as we are to have the one done the other not done to our selves our love to Others and Our selves would be equal And if we love others or our neighbours as our selves then we have fulfilled the Law So St. Paul saith Rom. 13. 8. Owe nothing to any man but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law for this Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witnesse Thou shalt not covet And if there be any other Commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self But here ariseth a Question concerning the extent of these words If there be any other Commandment The Frame or Form of Speech is Universal and may seem to import thus much If there be any other Commandment whatsoever Notwithstanding the best Interpreters usually restrain it thus If there be any Commandment of the second Table it is comprehended in this short saying Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self Whereas St. Paul had here reckoned up all the Commandments of the Second Table save only one which indeed is rather the Medius Terminus or coupling of the First and Second Table as much belonging to the one as to the other that is Honour thy Father and thy Mother More fitly might the same words be restrained thus If there be any other commandment whether one of those Ten mentioned Exod. 20. or elswhere in the Law which concerns the duty of man to man be it one or be they more they be contained in This saying Love thy neighbour as thy self But as for our duty towards God or those four Commandments of the First Table they may seem no way comprehended in the former Saying and this restraint may it seems be gathered from our Saviours Doctrine Matth. 22. ver 37. For being asked which was the greatest Commandment in the Law He answered Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thine Heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind This is the first and great Commandment As if he had said This is that Commandment which contains in it most of the Rest or all that concern our duty towards God But there is A second like unto it Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self and on these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets Hence as some collect our Saviour in my Text saith not This is the whole Law and the Prophets But This is the Law and the Prophets because This precept to their seeming is but equivalent unto That Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self which is but One and the lesse of the Two on which hangeth the whole Law and the Prophets 2. Yet may it be further Questioned In what sense These Commandments are said to be Two as whether they be as we say Primò diversa as distinct as the Commandments of Murther and Theft neither of which is any way included in the other or dependent upon it Or whether they be only so distinguished as the Old Testament and the New that is as is said Novum Testamentum velatum est in veteri et vetus Revelatum in Novo The New Testament is in the Old but invailed and the Old revealed in the New so we may say That the first and great Commandment Of loving God withall our heart and all our soul is implicitly contained in the second of loving our neighbours as our selves and the second again expressly or impulsively contained in the former Thus much is certain that no man loves his neighbour aright unless he love him for Gods sake whom He loves above all and whose love commands all other love In this sence saith St. James whosoever shall keep the whole law besides and fail in one Commandment that is wittingly and willingly or if he would grant himself an Indulgence or dispensation of breaking that one He is guiltie of all Why of all St. James adds He that said thou shalt not commit Adulterie said also thou shalt not kill His meaning is He that gave one commandment gave all and therefore he that breakes one willingly
entertained with battel invade the borders of any Nation In such a Case t is held a point of politick husbandry to waste the Country round about them least it might maintain their Armies But heretofore I have had and elsewhere shall have occasion to decypher all the symptoms of a dying State either set down by the Word of God or observed by the expert Anatomists of former dead bodies politick 14. My message unto you my Brethren the Sons of Levi is briefly this Add not Gods anger to our Countries Curse which at this day whether just or no is bitter and rife against us as if we were all or most of us like the companions of Jesus the son of Josedech persons Prodigious but in a worse sense then they were Persons that had procured her much and did yet portend her greater sorrow partly by our Dastardly silence in good causes but especially by our prophesying for Rewards and humoring the great Dispensers of those dignities on which our unsatiable desires are now unseasonably set It was a saying amongst the Ancient Romans Qui Beneficium accipit libertatem vendit It is thus far improved in true modern English He that will purchase preferments Ecclesiastick especially must adventure to lay his soul to pawn What remedie Only this to make a virtue of necessitie For so must every one do that means to live as a Christian ought Let us not look so much upon the sinister intentions of corrupt minds as upon the purpose of our God even in mens most wicked projects And who knowes whether The Lord by acquainting us with mens bad dealings in dispensing Ecclesiastical honour do not lay the same restraint upon us his children which he did upon Baruch Without all question he absolutely forbids us to seek afer great matters in this age in that he hath cut off all hopes of attaining them by means lawfull and honest And all this he doth for our good that using Baruchs freedom or Jeremies Resolution in our ambassage we may be partakers of their Priviledge in the Great day of visitation wherein such as in the mean time crush and keep us under by their greatness will be ready to give their wealth for our poverty and change their honor for our disgrace upon condition they might but enjoy life with such libertie and contentments as we do Or in Case they shorten our dayes by vexation or oppression yet faithfully discharging our duties whether we live or die we are the Lords And though they out live us an hundred years yet shall they be willing to give a thousand yea ten thousand lives if so many they had so they might be but like us for one hour in the day of death We need not search forain Chronicles nor look far back into ancient Annales The registers of our own memories and our fathers relations may afford examples of some sons of Levi men if we rightly value their admirable worth of place and fortunes mean in respect of our selves which after their death hastned perhaps by hard usage have fild both this and forrain Lands with their good name as with a perfume sweet and precious in the nostrils of God and man whilst those great lights of state so they seemed whilst parasitical breath did blaze their fame which had condemned them to privacie and obscuritie were suddenly put out but with an everlasting Stinch God grant their successors better successe that a precious well deserved fame may long survive them For our selves Beloved as we all consort in earnest desires and hearty prayers that the Lord would renew his Covenant made with Levi his Covenant of life and peace so let us joyn hearts in this meditation The only way to derive this blessing from this our father unto us his sons must be by arraying our selves with Phineas our eldest brothers integritie by putting on his zeal and courage to walk with the Lord our God in peace and equitie and to turn many away from iniquitie And now remember them O my God that defile their Priesthood and break the Covenant of the Priesthood and of Levi Smite them through their loyns that make a prey of his possessions and grinde their heads as thou didst Abimelechs with broken milstones from the wals or with the reliques from the ruinated houses yea grinde all their heads O Lord to powder that grinde the faces of his poor and needy children But peace be upon all such as walk according to this Rule here set to Baruch and upon all those that Love God To this God The Father The Son and the holy Ghost be ascribed all honour and glory now and ever Amen Imprimatur Ric. Baylie Vicecan Oxon. The Publisher To the Readers of these two last Sermons WHo may see That this great Author was not affraid Most aculâ—atly to reprove the sins of his own Time nor is The Advertiser ashamed to set his seal to the justnesse of them by a full and true Publishing his Reproofes Let the Lord be glorified though with our shame and justified when he speaketh Judgement And to Gods glory be it spoken This word hath prospered in the thing where unto God sent it in some of the Gentrie and Clergie Yet can it not be denied but there is still too great store of matter of Reproof in the same kinde Many whose estates are sore diminished have minds still set upon Great Things what ever they have lost they find pleasure Had The Author lived to this day I am perswaded he would have gone on with The Holy Bishops complaints Perdidere tot calamitatum utilitates Pacem et divitias priorum Temporum non habent Omnia aut ablata aut imminuta sunt sola tantum vitia creverunt nihil de Prosperitate pristina reliquum nisi peccata quae prosperitatem non esse fecerunt c. These are wracks indeed To Misse the Good which may be got by suffering evil is the worst of evils To lose that gain which should be gotten by losses is of losses the greatest But to grow worse with suffering evil is perdition it self Now if any one of Prosperous condition when he reads this shall triumph and bless himself in his heart saying We have not sinned in devouring these men I beg his Pardon and beseech him to read on if he saw our faults in the last he may perhaps see his own in the next And humbly desire leave to say 1. A man may punish sin and yet inter puniendum Commit a sin greater then that be punisheth 2. In these times and among the persons promising Reformation there hath been Greater seeking after great things and that with greater Inordination too then was in former Times Our Author complained that the Baruchs of his Time sought great things by the Art of Philip of Macedon Would God my Clergy Brethren so I do esteem such and none but such as were begotten to our mother by the R. R. Fathers of the Church had not used
for conferring the Order of the Priesthood and for the efficacie of the Sacrament of Confirmation Secondly The Necessitie of the ordinarie Priests Intention in administring the Sacrament of Baptism of the Lords Supper and of Extreme Unction we need not be afraid or ashamed to Charge their Doctrine in making the Intention of the Priest or Minister of the Sacrament to be an Essential part of the Sacrament with nursing a perpetual distrust or doubt not only of salvation or perseverance in Grace but with distrust or Doubt whether men have the ordinary Meanes for attaining unto the First or Second Grace For of these Meanes they can be no more certain no better assured then they are of the Priests Intention 6. The Second Point which I undertook to shew you was How some in Reformed Churches by seeking the Cure of this maladie to wit Doubt or distrust of salvation by the Contrary did conceive a doctrine which either nurseth a Doubt or distrust not of salvation only but of meanes necessarie unto it as bad or worse then the former Doubt of the Romish Church or else occasioneth a Presumption in many which is worse then both The doctrine which they conceived to be the fittest medicine for curing the Romish Maladie to wit distrust or Doubt of salvation was The Certainty or Assurance of salvation That Fides was Fiducia That Faith did include a certainty of salvation which if every man could assume none should Doubt or distrust of salvation Mistake me not I pray as if I did absolutely deny or condemn this Doctrine which I acknowledge to be wholsome and true in its Time and Place I only mislike the mis-placing or mis-application of this Truth As he said Beneficia male collocata male facta arbitror Good offices evil bestowed part-take more of evil Turns then of good deeds So may I say That the mis-placing of Truth is oft-times more dangerous then a gross Error But how or wherein hath this Doctrinal Truth concerning The Certaintie or Full Assurance of Faith been mis-placed by some Writers of Reformed Churches In this especially That they have taught or maintained this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Full Assurance or Certitudo Fidei which is somewhat more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be as Essential to the Nature of Faith of that Faith which distinguisheth a Christian from an Infidel or a Faithful man from a Reprobate as the Intention of the Priest is by the Doctrine of the Romish Church to the Essence or efficacie of the Sacrament Such an Essential Propertie would they have This Certaintie of salvation to be of true Faith that whosoever doth truly believe must be Certain of his salvation and whosoever is not certain of his salvation is no true Believer And to this Point or purpose that Saying of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5. hath been alleged by many Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates The former Extent of this Certaintie of salvation to All true Believers did give the forest blow to Reformed Religion that ever it received a wound more grievous than all our Adversaries could have given it had not her friends and lovers given them this Advantage Now this Negative or Exclusive Interpretation of this place of St. Paul as if all were Reprobates or without hope which one time or other after meanes of salvation have been offered cannot assure themselves of their present estate in Grace or Salvation hath more deeply wounded the Consciences of private men then the consciousness of all their other mis-deeds or practises And the Doctrine is for this reason the more to be misliked for that it specially wounds such as are of an humble and dejected spirit and most afraid to offend God either by unbelief or by misdeeds 7 Both parts of my Conclusion to wit That This Doctrine admitteth either Doubt of salvation or Presumption will be made clear or cast upon you from the Confluence of these two Errors mentioned The One which makes The Certaintie of Salvation an Essential or reciprocal Property of Faith The Other which ranks all that have not this Assurance or Certaintie in the state or condition of Reprobates which is indeed but a Branch of another usual Error of which I must request and admonish you to beware in whomsoever you find it of them Who divide all mankind without Limitation into two ranks into sheep or goats Reprobates Though this be in due time and place most true yet it is a truth much mis-placed if we make this Division of all men before the hour of death or day of Judgment But you expect a clear Explication of the manner how these Two Opinions nurse either a Doubt of Salvation or Presumption which is worse then Doubt Take it then Thus. If it were a Truth to be taught or if it be taken as true That whosoever doth not attain unto the Certaintie of Salvation is none of the Elect or That of all mankind the one sort is irrevisibly ordained to life the other irreversibly ordained to death Then All such as have heard the Word preached and received the Sacraments and are not as yet assured that they are in the Estate of Grace or number of the Elect must of necessitie doubt whether there be any possibility left for them to attain unto such an Estate or whether they be not in the number of Reprobates I know the usual Reply to this Objection is That albeit some men be irreversibly appointed to death eternal before they be made part-takers of life temporal yet because it is unknown unto us who they be that be thus ordained or appointed therefore we must preach the Word and administer the Sacraments indifferently to all whom we see willing to hear the Word or receive the Sacraments But all this doth no way diminish the former Doubt or distrust in most hearers for if it still be true as the former Doctrine supposeth that some men the farre greater part of men which hear the Word preached are irreversibly ordained to death every man which as yet apprehends not his own estate in Grace or his Ordination to life eternal cannot be Certain must still doubt whether he be or ever shall be in the number of them which are or shall be irreversibly ordained to life The Romish Church did never deny but that the Priest may actually or virtually intend to do what the Church appoints him to do when he administreth the Sacraments And yet in as much as they teach withall That if he do not intend to do as the Church of Christ appoints him to do the Sacramental Act is void we hence justly charge their doctrine with breeding or nursing continual Distrust or Doubt of Salvation But if we withdraw or substract the Intention or purpose of God or of Christ from concurring with the Word and Sacrament which we exhibit unto all or from concurring with any part or the
them in the dayes of Hezekiah but of Manasseh his son who pulled it down upon his own and his peoples heads For as it is registred 2 Kin. 21. 3. He went back and built the high places which Hezekiah his Father had destroyed and erected Altars for Baal and made a grove as did Ahab King of Israel and worshipped all the Hoast of Heaven and served them And as if he meant to thrust the Lord out of his own House He built Altars in it of the which the Lord said In Jerusalem will I put my Name And he built Altars for all the Hoast of Heaven in the two Courts of the House of the Lord ver 45. And besides these and many other sins wherewith he caused Judah to sin and to do evil in the sight of the Lord after the abominations of the Heathen which the Lord had cast out before them he filled Jerusalem from corner to corner with innocent blood whose cry did fill the Courts of Heaven So both he and his people are plagued for their grievous sins He is the First King of Judah that is led into Captivity yet upon his returning to the Lord his God he is restored again But his good example doth not move his peoples hearts unto like repentance as his former bad example had caused them to sin Wherefore albeit the Lord repent him of the evil which had befallen his person yet Amon his son and successor imitating his fathers sins but not his repentance 2 Chron. 33. 21. doth he not turn away from his fierce wrath wherewith he was angry against Judah albeit Josiah his vertuous Nephew or Grand-child had turned to him with all his heart and with all his soul according to all the Law of Moses Manassch's sin therefore is said to be the Cause why the Lord did cast off Judah in such a sense as the Addition of the last weight may be said to cast the scale which was inclined that way before albeit restrained from motion by a counterpoize until the last weight over-powred the Restraint God's wrath remained stil upon the Land from Salomon's and Rehoboam's reign And the weight of his judgments was daily increased more and more howsoever the final execution of them was deferred at the instant prayers of religious Kings and righteous people But now Manassch hath made up the full measure of all his fore-fathers sins the weight of God's Judgments hath so farre over-grown his Mercies that there is no hope of recovery left unless Prince Priest and People would fill Jerusalem as full with their repentant tears as Manassch had with blood and devote the whole course of their life to doing good as their fore-fathers had sold themselves to work wickedness which good Josiah for his part performs and so deads the stroke of God's judgments whilst they are in motion But his peoples hearts are not so strongly set on their God Although they joyn with him in renewing the Covenant betwixt God and them the chief strength of their zeal and fervencie is spent in the first Act of Repentance or in the Motion of their Retire to God Their Permanent Disposition and Propension is not firm Their very turning unto God is rather forced then voluntary so as they hold off God's judgments only for a time As if a man by haling and pulling with might and main should keep some heavie and mighty body from falling or some great weight from swaying the full compasse whereas the solid weight of it still remains the same and will have full sway when his actual strength fails him Thus they quickly become weary of well-doing and God's heaviest judgments take their course For however it be said 2 Chron. 34. 33. That they did not turn back from the Lord God of their fathers all the dayes of Josiah Yet was this their cleaving to him but compelled It consisted more in the outward solemnity or publick fashion then in inward sincerity and integrity They did not profess or openly practise the solemn worship of strange gods but had still a longing after foreign fashions as appears out of the Prophet Zephanie who wrote of those times Chap 1. 8 9. And it shall be in the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I will visit the Princes and the Kings Children and all such as are clothed with strange apparel In the same day also will I visit all those that dance upon the threshold so proudly which fill their Masters houses by cruelty and deceit The corruption of both the Clergy and Magistracie had continued greivous from Hezekiah's dayes wherein it cried for vengeance And this peoples repentance of these sins in Josiah's dayes was either none or but feigned and hypocritical as the same Prophet testifieth Chap. 3. ver 1 2 3 4. Wo to her that is filthy and polluted to the robbing City She heard not the voice She received not correction She trusted not in the Lord She drew not near to her God Her Princes within her are as roaring Lyons Her Judges are as Wolves in the evening which leave not the bones till the morrow Her Prophets are light and wicked persons Her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have wrested the Law And even for this peoples pronenesse to fulfil the measure of their fore-fathers sins was good Iosiah removed from off the earth lest Gods judgments should come upon Jerusalem in his dayes And no marvel if the fulness of Judah's sin be accomplished in Iosiah's dayes though he were the most righteous Prince of David's line For sin and iniquity may so abound in a Land and people that albeit Noah Job and Daniel lived amongst them they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness And it is one of the best notes that I have somewhere found That men should not lay all the blame on Princes where States miscarry seeing it is said that Hosea in whose dayes Israel was led into captivity was either the best or least evil of all the Kings of Israel 2 King 17. He did evil indeed in the sight of the Lord but not as the Kings of Israel that were before him ver 2. Which equity of Gods judgments in like Cases Franciscus Sforza the last Duke of that race in Millain and the far best of all his kindred except the first did with humility acknowledge before the foolish Politicians School-mistress Experience taught him the truth by the evidence of the event For when his wise and gravest Counsellors did humbly intreat him in the behalf of State and Country to suffer at least some provisions to be brought up secretly as his own lest Millain might be delivered up to some Forrainer He requested them to set their hearts at rest The unhappy family had run their race and it was impossible but that the bloody practises of his Ancestors should blot out the very name in him A Prince though otherwise in Charles the fifths esteem the wisest of all the Italian Princes
breeds a Fallacie Ad plures Interrogationes For mans Salvation is not a work of meer Power it necessarily requires An Harmony of Goodness of Majestie of Mercie and Justice whereunto the infinite Power is in a manner subservient Nor are we to consider his Infinite Power alone but as matched with Infinite Majestie nor his Infinite Mercie and Goodnesse alone but as matched with infinite Justice and in this case it is as true of God as man Deus illud potest quod salva majestate potest quod salva bonitate justitia potest God can do that which is not prejudicial to his Majestie to his Goodness and Justice And he had done if we may believe his Oath as much for his Vineyard as the Concurrence of his Infinite Power and Wisdome could effect without disparagement to the Infinitie of his Majestie or that Internal Law or Rule of Infinite Goodness whereby he created man after his own Image and Similitude 8. God as he hath his Being so hath he his Goodness of himself And his Goodnesse is his Being As impossible therefore that he should not be Good as not Be. Man as he had his life and being so had he his goodness wholly from his Creator And as Actual Existence is no part no necessarie Consequent of his Essence so neither is his Goodness necessarie or essential to his Existence As his existence so his goodness is mutable the one necessarily including a possibilitie of declination or decay the other an inclination to relapse or falling into evil As he was made after the Similitude of God he was actually and inherently Good yet was not his Goodness essential necessary or immutable Nor did he resemble his Creator in these essential Attributes but rather in the Exercise of them ad extra Now that Exercise was not necessarie but free in the Creator for God might have continued for ever most Holy Righteous and Good in himself albeit he had neither created man nor other Creature Wherefore he made them good as he was freely Good and such is the Goodnesse communicated to them in their Creation not necessarie but free and if free as well including a possibilitie of falling into evil as an actual state of goodness If then you ask Could not God by his Almightie Power have prevented Adams eating of the forbidden Fruit None I think will be so incredulous as to doubt whether he that commanded the Sun to stand still in his sphere and did dead Ieroboams arme when he stretched it out against the Prophet could not as easily have stayed Adams hand from taking or turned his eies from looking upon or his heart from lusting after the forbidden fruit All these were Acts of Meer Power But had he by his Omnipotent Power laid this Necessitie upon Adams will or understanding or had he kept him from transgression by restraint he had made him uncapable of that happinesse whereto by his infinite Goodnesse he had ordained him For by this supposition he had not been Good in himself Nor could he be capable of true felicitie but he must be capable likewise of punishment and miserie The Ground of his Interest in the One was his actual and inherent Goodness communicated in his Creation Nor was he lyable to the other but by the mutabilitie of his Goodness or possibilitie of falling into evil In like manner he that gave that known Power and Vertue to the Load-stone could as easily draw the most stony hearted son of Adam unto Christ as it doth steel and iron But if he should draw them by such a necessary and natural motion he should defeat them of all their hope or interest in that excessive Glory which he hath prepared for those that love him If again it be demanded Why God doth not save the impenitent and stubborn sinner It is all one as if we should ask VVhy he did not crown brute Beasts with honour and immortalitie That thus he could do by his Infinite Power I will not deny and if thus he would do no Creature justly might controll him none possibly could resist or hinder him Yet I may without presumption affirm That Thus to do cannot stand with the internal Rule of his Justice Goodnesse and Majestie Nor can it stand better with the same Rule to save all men if we take them as they are not as they might be Albeit he have endued all with reason to distinguish between good and evil For many of them speak evil of those things they know not but what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves Jude v. 10. It stands lesse with Gods infinite Goodness or Power if we consider them as linkt with infinite Justice or Majestie to bring such unto true happiness then to advance brute beasts to Immortality It is a people saith the Prophet Isai 27. 11. of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favor God out of the abundance of his Goodnesse Mercie and Long-suffering tolerates such as the Apostle and Prophet speak of and out of his infinite Love seeks by the Preaching of his Word and other means not prejudicial to his Justice and Majestie to gather them as he would have done Jerusalem here in my Text. But finally there is a certain Measure of Iniquitie which when it is full or an height of stubborness and profaneness whereunto if once they come the stroke of his infinite Justice falls heavie upon them for wilful contempt of his infinite Mercie That is as he himself somewhere saith He cannot any longer endure them 9. The suspitions whereto these Resolutions will seeme liable be especially three First That they derogate from Gods extraordinarie favour towards his Elect. Our Answer is brief The Offence if any there be is taken not given seeing we only affirm That none so perish but that they had a possibilitie to be saved We deny not That many are so saved as it were not possible for them finally to perish Yet so saved they are not by Gods Infinite Power laying a necessitie upon their wills but by his Infinite Wisdom preparing their hearts to be fit Objects of his Infinite Mercie and forecasting their final Salvation as necessary by 〈…〉 not altogether necessarily unto the particular meanes whereby it is wrought that is in fewer Termes Unto their Salvation an infinite Power or infinite Mercie matched with infinite Justice without an infinite wisdom would not suffice To call some how many none may determine extraordinarily as he did S. Paul may well stand with the Eternal Rule of his Goodnesse Because he useth their mir aculous or unusual Conversion as a means to win others by his usual or ordinary Calling Special Privileges upon peculiar and extraordinary Occasions doe not prejudice ordinary Laws albeit to draw such Privileges into common Practice would overthrow the course of Justice It is not contradictory then to the