Perfections chiefly by the Powers of our Souls yet not excluding those of our Bodies with which we must glorify him as well as with our Spirits and that by such humble gestures of Body as testify and extoll the adorable Perfections of God to others we must entertain right apprehensions of the divine Nature and Excellencies in our Minds frequently call them to mind firmly believe them really delight in Psal 73. 25 28. them and as far as 't is possible imitate those which are imitable by us We must further out of our great Esteem for and deep sense of these his Excellencies admire and adore him 18. 3. 96. 4. Heb 13. 15 Acts 17. 28. â—ow down our Souls before him in Prayer and Praises to him as to our great Creator and â—enefactor in whom we continually live move and â—ave our Beings All this is no more than a just acknowledgment of what God is in himself and here described to us for thus our Faith and Hope that is to say our Assent to the John 6. 40. Truths which he hath revealed and our expectation of what he has promised are debts Rom. 10. 11. we owe to his Veracity or Truth as founded on his Omniscience Holiness and his Omnipotence Our love of and trust in him are 1 Cor. 8. 3. 1. Tim. 4. 10. Isa 26. 4. the necessary effects of our firm Belief of his Almighty Power joyned with his infinite Goodness which renders him both able and willing to do us good Our fear of him or care not to offend him is but the natural consequence Luk. 12. 5. of our Belief of his Omnipresence and Justice armed with his Omnipotence Our patience and submission to his Will are but Heb. 12. 9. in us the reasonable products of his infinite Wisdom and Greatness exerted in his act of Creation Our Honour or our profound Reverence 1 Sam. 2. 30 and Respect to his super-excellent Majesty and to all things relating to him as his Name his Word his Sacraments his Ministers his House and his Day our profound Regard to these naturally flow from our consideration of all his boundless Perfections Lastly his Existing in three Persons Father 1 John 5. 7. Son and Holy Ghost binds upon us fresh Obligations of Obedience to them all particularly of owning and renewing our Obligations and Resolutions of Obedience to them in the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Because herein we make a particular acknowledgment of what each of these blessed Persons have done for us as that God the Father who once gave his Son to die for the Sins of the whole World is disposed to present him here Rom. 5. 8. 1 John 2. 2. for our spiritual Food and Sustenance The Son as he once freely offered up himself for us upon the Cross So again freely offers to us his Body Heb. 9. 14-12 2. Matth. 26. 27 28. and Blood in this heavenly Feast And Lastly the Holy Ghost conveys that strength and refreshment to our Souls which is here received from the Body and Blood of Christ All which enhanseth our Obligations to renew our Obedience Acts 2. 46. 1 Cor. 11. 26. to them all and in order thereto to come often to this Blessed Sacrament for the worthy receiving whereof the best Preparation is to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World And what it is to live Righteously is the second thing to be consider'd by me Now Righteousness is in short nothing else but the giving to every man his due in all those various capacities and relations wherein he stands Thus there being the relation of Magistrate and Subject of Pastor and Flock of Father and Son of Husband and Wife Master and Servant Brethren and Friends there being also a common Relation to all Mankind as our Neighbour Righteousness consists in an exact observance as well of those special Duties which each of these relations may bring us under in particular as of all other Duties which the common relation of Neighbour lays upon us in general that is in the giving to every Man his due not only as he is my Neighbour but moreover and above as he may be concerned with me in any one or more of the forementioned Relations Thus Rom. 13. 1 4. Eccles 10. 20. Pro. 20. 20. besides the common Obligation of Neighbour our Superiors the Magistrates being Gods Vicegerents and of his Appointment and acting by his Authority justly claim of us an â—wful Apprehension of them in our Thoughts â—e making an honourable mention of them â—ith our Lips submiting to them for Conscience â—â—e paying them their Tribute and praying for Acts 23. 5. Jud. 8. 1 Pet. 2. 13. Rom. 13. 5. 7. 1 Tim. 2. 2. â—â—eir happy Government of us that which in â—â—urn they owe unto their Subjects is their Proâ—â—ction against the Assaults of their Enemies a â—nstant maintenance of their Rights Properâ—â—s their Liberty and Religion that under â—â— we may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all â—â—dliness and Honesty And as to our spiritual 1 Thess 5. 13. 1 Tim. 5. 17. Heb. 13. 17 â—â—ents who have begotten us through the Gospel â—â—se also we must esteem very highly in love for â—â—eir Works Sake and if they rule well count them â—â—thy of double Honour which we cannot betâ—â— express than by attending to their Word and â—â—ctrine with the utmost Application of our â—inds and by falling to the practice of it John 20. 23. 1 Cor. 16. 16. Gal. 6. 6. â—ith all our Hearts which would not only â—event the ungrateful use of the Censures of the â—â—urch which we must submit unto when we â—â—end but would better dispose us to afford â—â—r Pastors an honourable maintenance as it is our â—â—ties to do it being as St. Paul says a matter 1 Cor. 9. 14 â—â— God 's own Ordaining and Appointment that â—â—y which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel â— Lastly we must joyn with them in their ofâ—â—ing Heb. 10. 25 Luk. 2. 37. Acts 2. 46. 1 Thess 5. 17. up the publick Prayers of the Church and â—â—ily present our private Prayers to God for them â—or good Success on their Labours that whilst they â—â—ch to others they themselves may not be cast away but â—â—her may both save themselves them that hear them Again Our natural Parents being under â—â—d the Authors and Maintainers of our Beâ—â—gs acquire hereby a right to our Honour â—â—l Esteem our Fear and Reverence our Mat. 19. 19 â—â—ve and Affection our Obedience to their Col. 3. 20. â—â—ful Commands our submission to their â—astisements and lastly our Gratitude in Adâ—â—nistring Heb. 12. 9. 1 Tim. 5. 4. to their Wants and bearing with â—â—eir Infirmities And they as being our Parents are by the Laws both of Nature and Religion obliged to provide their Children â— as far as they are able with a competent maintenance in respect both of their Souls
Ungodliness which we must deny 2dly Another Condition of the fore-mentioned Priviledges is our forsaking wordly Lusts By wordly Lusts I understand all the disorderly Motions whether of our Understandings Wills Affections or Appetites as they are all depraved or corrupted by the Abuse of our selves 1. As to the Disorders of our Understandings when these in Persuance of their natural Inclination to Knowledge either thirst after that which is neither proper nor safe to be known Deut. 29. 29 as the secret Things of God and the pleasures of Sin or after that which is both safe and proper to be known in an undue manner as when we immoderately study humane Learning to Rom. 1. â—1 3. 11. the utter Neglect of divine Knowledge and the Care of our Souls our Understandings are in both these cases productive of sinful Lusts 2dly There is a Corruption residing also in our Wills which diverts them from their Embraces Rom. 8. 7 of chiefest good as the Spiritual things of God to their over-earnest Persuit of sensual Pleasures by which they being enslaved and brought into Captivity to the Law of Sin are likewise productive Rom. 7. 23. of many sinful Lusts But 3dly And above all our Affections have suffer'd very much by the Abuse of our selves are very extravagant in their Motions and Col. 1. 21. withal but too easie to be misled thus nothing is more common than to see the two great governing Passions in us I mean our Love and Hatred misplaced by loving what we ought to hate such are sinful Pleasures and hating that which we ought to love such Psal 97. 10 are God and Goodness or if we love and hate what we ought yet it is often done in a Matth. 22. 37. disproportionate manner either by persuing the best things with an indifferent Affection and indifferent things such as wordly Goods with our best Affection or avoiding the least Evils such as temporal Calamities with our greatest Hatred and the greatest Evils viz. Sin and eternal Death with a less Hate or Aversion in any of these Miscarriages which God knows are but too frequent we blindly run into sinful Lusts 4thly And Lastly The disorderly Appetites of the Body together with that of carnal Concupiscence may in a more peculiar manner be called fleshly Lusts thus when we eat and drink more than is consistent with our Health Rom. 13. 13. 14. Jer. 5. 8. and the sprightly Operations of the Soul or when our carnal Concupiscence is directed to a wrong Object or immoderately used on a lawful one they are in the very matter of them sinful Lusts And thus having enquired into the Corruptions of our Nature 't is not difficult to forebode what without the Application of Religion must be the unhappy Effects of them It were easie to shew how every one of those fleshly Lusts in particular reckoned up by the Apostle flow from one or other of our disordered and corrupted Faculties But this were a task as â—ot very agreeable to my intended Brevity so I could hope not very necessary in as much as the Lusts of the Flesh are manifest which are Gal. 5. 19. 20. 21. â—â—ese Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousâ—ess Idolatry Witchchraft Hatred Variance Emuâ—ations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like These and such like are the Lusts which we must deny that is which we must avoid â—nd that not only in their grosser Acts but we must resist and stifle as much as possible the â—ery first Motions in us and in order thereto â—e must form before-hand firm and well-grounded Resolutions never to yield them our Assent and lest our Resolutions when tryed should not be found faithful we should prudently cut off all Occasion of Dispute and industriously shun even the very Shadow of a Temptation All this Care and Caution is implyed 1 Thess 5. 22. in this one word Deny And thus we see what it is to deny Ungodliness and wordly Lusts and that in effect it is the same as to Renounce the Rom. 6. 11. Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the â—lesh as our Church Catechism expresseth it and this is one great Part of our Baptismal Vow That which is further required of us to procure us a Right to the fore-mentioned Priviledges is That we live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World soberly in Relation to our selves Righteously in reference to our Neighbour and Godly in respect to God which latter being the Foundation of the other two I shall beg leave to invert their Order and begin with that first which is here set last and that is the Living Godly Godliness or as it here signifies * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Piety hath as I before hinted a special Regard to those Commands of God which have a more immediate aspect upon God himself and so chiefly imports our duty towards God the whole whereof is sum'd up by the Author to the Hebrews in few words namely the believing that Heb. 11. 6. he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him As to his Existence this I might evince from not only his Works of Creation and Providence but from the Nature and Dictates of every Mans Conscience suggesting to him that God is not far from every Acts 17. 27. one of us Which gives me reasonable grounds of hope that my time and pains would be better spent in explaining his Essence than in proving his Existence that is in shewing you what he is rather than that he is Now God as far as an infinite Being can be conceived or described by a finite Understanding is a Spirit the Creator of all things Invisible whom no Man hath seen or can see Omniscient John 4. 24. Acts 17. 24. 1 Tim. 1. 17. 6. 16. Joh. 21. 17. 1 Sam. 2. 2. John 3. 33. Psal 90. 2. Jam. 1. 17. Gen. 17. 1. Psal 119. 68. Psal 139. 7. 145. 17. Deut. 7. 9. Exod. 34. 6. 1 Tim. 2. 5. 1 John 5. 7. John 4. 23 24. Eph. 3. 14. 1 Col. 6. 20. Acts 20. 36. Rev. 4. 10 11. or knowing all things Most Holy True Eternal Vnchangeable Omnipotent Perfectly Good both in himself and to us Omnipresent or every where present Most Just Merciful and Loving who though one in Essence exists in three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost from which though imperfect Account of the Divine Being it is easie to deduce or draw our various Obligations to him as thus Since from this Description of God 't is plain that we owe our selves unto him we owe withal all possible Service to him which to procure his divine Acceptance must be suited to his Nature and that being Spiritual it follows that we must worship him in Spirit or with a spiritual Worship that is we must make all possible and just acknowledgments of the divine
they serve to refresh our wearied Bodies and restore the languid Faculties of our Souls to their sprightly Operations In a due Observance of all these things consists the great Duty of Sobriety And these I take to be the best Proofs of a * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sound Mind which is what the Greek and original Word signifieth And thus having shewn you what it is to deny Vngodliness and wordly Lusts and what to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World I am to tell you next that This do and Luke 10. 28 thou shalt live the Practice of these Duties will most certainly give you abundant Reason to expect with Comfort or look for the blessed Hope Tit. 2. 13. and glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ And therefore this amongst other Arguments is what I would insist upon to press you to the faithful Observance of the forementioned Duties But besides this great and general Motive there are some other Topicks of Argument or Heads of Discourse by which I intend more largely in my Sermons to dissuade you from the foremention'd Sins and persuade you to the Practice of these Religious Duties And my Dissuasions from these Sins shall be drawn First From the great Slavery and Drudgery of our Lusts and Vices Secondly From the Consideration of their being the most disingenous and ungrateful Returns of the most inestimable Mercies Thirdly From the Consideration of their being very prejudicial to all Societies Fourthly From the ill Effects they have upon our Souls Bodies and Estates Fithly And Lastly from the Certainty of their betraying Men into eternal Ruin and Destruction in the other World And my Persuasions to the Duties of Religion shall be taken First From their Agreableness to the present Circumstances of humane Nature Secondly From this Consideration viz. that these Duties of Religion directly consult the Good of our Souls Bodies and Estates Thirdly From the Consideration that there are great Assistances given us to render these Duties not only easie but pleasant to us Fourthly And Lastly that the Practice of our Duty is the indispensable Condition of our future Happiness the only ground upon which we can reasonably look for that blessed Hope and the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ First I would dissuade you from the forementioned Sins upon Consideration of the great Slavery and Drudgery of them Thus the impious disowning God in our Thoughts and the more monstrous Denial of him in our Actions fills the Mind with such uneasie Scruples and Horrors as are never to be stifled Mens vain and unnecessary Curiosity serves only to puff them up with Pride which is directly 1 Cor. 8. 2 opposite to the Charity that edifieth and therefore when Men are not content to rest in the plain wholesom Words of our Lord Jesus Christ they are scarce fit for humane Society because by being Proud and doting about questions and strifes of Words they unhappily occasion envy strife railings evil surmisings perverse disputings of Men of corrupt Minds and therefore St. Paul adviseth his Son Timothy 1 Tim. 6. 3 4 5. from such to withdraw himself Again the Disorders of our Wills in persuing Misery under the false Appearance of Good rob us of our true Satisfaction and in exchange thereof give us nothing but real disappointments And so Men's inordinate desires hurry them upon strange and unaccountable Attempts betray them into Injustice Passion and Revenge besides the many distracting Cares and Fears to which at the same time they expose their unhappy Souls Lastly their rebellious Lusts and Appetites put them oftentimes upon hard Service make them toil and sweat for the gratification of them and so in a literal sense they become mere Slaves and Drudges to them and accordingly the holy Scriptures represent such Men as wearying themselves Hab. 2. 13. to commit Iniquity and to labour in the very Fire to spend their Strength for nought to sell themselves 1 Kings 21. 25. John 8. 34. as 't is said of Ahab to work Wickedness So true is our Saviour's Assertion whosoever committeth Sin is the Servant of Sin a Servant too that gets nothing for his Pains but spends his Labour for Isa 55. 2. that which satisfieth not For what Fruit had ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed says Rom. 6. 21. the Apostle to those who had once been the Servants of Sin for End of those things is Death Nothing you see but Shame and Death is to be gotten by such unprofitable Service and these will prove but a sorry Recompence for all that Labour and Vexation which you see the Sinner must be condemned unto in the Gratification of his Lusts Secondly Consider again that they are the Deut. 32. 6. most disingenuous and ungrateful Returns of the most numerous and inestimable Mercies God's Redemption of the World by the Incarnation and Death of his Son is an admirable Instance of the Love of both to Mankind and John 3. 16. received no little Addition by being free on their Part and undeserved on ours they had Rom. 3. 24. 5. 6 7 8. Job 22. 2 3. no Interest to promote no by ends to serve nothing inviting in us no Argument of any sort to move them to it but only infinite Kindness and Compassion beholding the Miseries of wretched Humanity disposed the Father 1 John 4. 9. 10. Ez. 16. 6. Isa 53. 4 5 6. to send his only begotten Son and the Son to take upon him our Miseries make them his own and that too by dying for us that were his Enemies and yet dying for us to procure us the greatest Blessings such as a Freedom from the Power and Punishment of our Mat. 1. 21. Heb. 2. 14 15. 1 Thess 1. 10. Tit. 2. 4. Heb. 5. 9. Sins from the Malice of Satan from the Sting of Death and to settle us in a state of Holiness here and Happiness hereafter Now there is nothing can thwart this generous Love or baffle all it's gracious Designs but our Sins which are so contrary to the Purity of his Divine Nature as well as to his gracious Designs upon us that he cannot but hate and abhor Psal 5. 4. Heb. 6. 6. Eph. 4. 30. them They wound and crucifie his Son afresh they vex and grieve his holy Spirit and therefore to entertain them against all these endearing Obligations to the contrary would be monstrous Ingratitude such as wants a Parallel and was never named among the Gentiles for what greater Argument can we have of our Insensibility of the Divine Favours towards us if these inexpressible ones cannot work upon our Ingenuity so far as to banish our Lusts those implacable Enemies both to God and * Heb. 1◠28 29. our own Souls we are certainly lost to all that is tender and apprehensive in humane Nature if such mighty Benefits cannot move us to express our
our Souls we therefore thine unworthy Cereatures sinful Dust and Ashes present our Selves before Thee to praise thee for the infinite Perfections of thy Nature and to beg of Thee the necessary Supplies of thy Grace and Holy Spirit that we may give thee the Honour due unto thy Name and Worship thee suitably to thy Nature with an holy and a spiritual Worship Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold the least Iniquity and therefore how shall such polluted Wretches as we are dare to approach thy dreadful Majesty who by our Sins and Follies have made our selves so unlike to thee who art righteous in all thy Ways and holy in all thy Works How then shall we presume to come into thy holy Presence who are defiled in our very Natures having nothing but Vanity and Blindness in our Minds Perversness in our Wills both spiritual and carnal Iniquity in our Affections and Appetites and what is worse have defiled our Selves yet much more by our many actual and habitual Sins against thee so that we are altogether unworthy to approach thy Presence or expect thy Favour and yet have so great need of both that without them we are lost for ever O therefore cast us not away from thy Presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from us but out of Pity to thy defective and diseased Creatures receive us graciously and heal our Souls though we have sinned against Thee Rescue us from the Power and Bondage of our Lusts by the greater Power of thy Grace Renew and purifie our corrupted Natures Create in us a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within us Teach us a perfect Denial of all our Sins and establish us in a stedfast Obedience to all thy Laws To which End enlighten our Minds to form clear and true Notions of Thee and open our Hearts to attend upon all the Means that may help us to discharge our various Obligations to Thee Inspire our Souls with thy heavenly Graces Strengthen our Faith confirm our Hope encrease our Love quicken our Fear establish our Trust inspire us with Patience Constancy and Sincerity Enflame our Devotions and envigorate our Endeavours in a faithful Discharge of our Duty to Thee Give us thy Grace also to assist us in the Peformance of our Duty to our Neighbour that we may ever remember and constantly observe thy great and righteous Law to love him as our selves and to this End grant That we may never defraud Him of his Right but give him his due in all the Relations towards us wherein he stands Dispose us therefore good Lord chearfully to obey Them that have the Rule over us whether in Church or State and bless them in an happy Government of us that under them we may lead qulet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty Bless all Sorts of Parents and Masters grant that they may faithfully discharge the various Duties of their Stations and their respective Inferiours may in a grateful Return thereof ever Love Honour and Obey them Grant to all Men we beseech thee the Spirit to think and do all such Things as be rightful ever adhering to that equitable Rule the dâ—ing as they would be dealt by And grant us O thou Fountain of Mercy and Love a universal Charity towards all Men even to our Enemies that we may be ever ready both to forgive and also to provide that they which are in need and necessity have Righte in a suitable Relief of their various Wants and because our Prayers to Thee from whom every good and perfect Gift cometh are oft the best and only Helps we can afford them therefore do thou O Lord abundantly for them more than we can ask or think Suit thy Mercies according to their various Necessities sanctifie their Afflictions to them and when thou seest it best for them give them a happy Deliverance out of all their Troubles And Lastly O Lord we come unto thee for a Blessing upon our Selves who as we are here Living Instances of thine Almighty Power and Goodness so be pleased to make us the happy Instruments of thy Praise and Glory to which Purpose enable us to subject all the Faculties of our Souls and the Powers of our Bodies to thy blessed Will which is the Law and Perfection of our reasonable Nature Direct our Understandings to the Knowledge of those glorious Manifestations which thou hast been pleased to give us of thy self Clear up our Apprehensions both of the Perfections of thy Nature and the Excellency of those Perfections Direct our Wills to the Choice and Imitation of such thy Perfections as are imitable by us Teach us the Wisdom to proportion our Affections of Things according to the Nature and Value of them that having a less Concern for this World we may fear thee more and love thee better Give us a râ—ght Understanding of our Selves of our own Insufficiency and of our entire Dependance upon thee that so we may not think more highly of our selves than we ought to think Teach us a chearful Submission to thine all-wise Dispensations and in whatever State we are therewith to be content Endue us with a calm and gentle Temper of Soul such as may invite thy Blessed Spirit to come and take up his Abode with us that through his Blessed Operations we may bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit in Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness and Temperance Subdue our bodily Appetites to the Laws of our Reason and the End of their Creation ever remembring that our Bodies are the Temples of the Holy Spirit and that he who defileth the Temple of God him thou hast threatned to destroy Out of an holy Fear and Dread of this and all other thy reasonable Threats grant that we may be ever careful to keep under our Bodies and cleanse our Selves from all Filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit that so we may as we are in Duty bound glorifie thee in our Body and in our Spirit which are Thine and we not only beg thy Grace to assist us in but thy heavenly Wisdom to shew us the reasonableness and necessity of our Performance of these Duties that we may make haste and delay not to keep thy Commandments AND as we desire this Morning to enter into For the Morning the World upon our lawful Occasions with this holy Frame and Disposition of Soul so grant that we may never lose it either through Surprize or wilful Neglect but guide us safely by thy Grace through all the Dangers and Temptations of this and all other Days of our Life that escaping the Corruption that is in the World through Lust we may live and die thy faithful and obedient Servants AND now O Lord that we are going to repose For the Evening our selves keep us from all Dangers and Adversities that may happen to our Bodies and from all evil Thoughts and Dreams which may assault and hurt our Souls that we may rise in the Morning with a fresh sense upon our Minds of thy Mercies to us and a full Conviction of the absolute necessity of expressing our Thankfulness not only with our Lips but in the constant Obedience of our Lives spending that Strength which thou hast given us to thy Honour and Service to whom we owe our utmost Praises for all thy free and undeserved Mercies Therefore We not only pray unto thee but desire to bless thee for all thy Benefits from time to time conferred upon us for thy Creation of us out of Nothing for thy Preservation of us ever since we had a Being for all the Accommodations of this Life and the plentiful Provision thou hast made for our Happiness in the other for all that thy Son our dear Redeemer has done and suffer'd for us for his wonderful Incarnation and Birth for his exemplary Life his meritorious Death and Passion for his glorious Resurrection and Ascension and for his sending the Holy Ghost to comfort us for all thy Saints and Servants departed this Life in thy true Faith and Fear beseeching thee to give us Grace so to follow their good Examples that with them we may be Partakers of thy heavenly Kingdom These Prayers and Praises with whatever else thou in thine infinite Wisdom seest most necessary and expedient for us we humbly offer up in the Name and for the Sake of thy Son our blessed Saviour and Redeemer who has commanded us when we pray to say Our Father which art in c. This Prayer may be used by one Person only changing the Words We Vs and Our into I Me and My and saying instead of Creatures Creature c. FINIS