it is made to serve Mens Passions against each other 3. When they seek for no Accommodation of their Differences in a fair and amicable manner The Necessities of some Cases are such That they are fit to be referr'd to such Wise Arbitration as the Law provides but if Men are restless and litigious who love Differences and delight in vexing their Neighbours with Law Suits it is certain they have not the Spirit and Temper of Christians who are to live peaceably with all Men. 2. How this proves so mischievous to Men. 1. It makes such Mens lives very unquiet and troublesome to themselves and others For it is impossible for some to disturb others but they must expect a Retaliation Many Men would have their Passions lie more quiet if they were not rouzed up and awakened by others but when they are they know not how to lay them asleep again And so they exasperate and provoke each other and take away all the Peace and Contentment of one anothers Lives And what Care and Solitude what Vexation and Trouble doth attend those who are thus Righteous overmuch that they will always be endeavouring to right themselves till they bring the greatest mischief upon themselves 2. It provokes God to shorten their days out of pity to the rest of the World For the greatest Blessings of this World are promised to the meek and patient and charitable and merciful Persons and therefore others have no reason to expect any other but a Curse upon them To conclude all by way of Advice as to the general Sense of these words 1. Not to think every thing too much in Religion and Vertue because some are here said to be Righteous overmuch The far greatest Part of Mankind err the other way They care not how little of Religion they have and they desire no more than just to carry them to Heaven Which shews they neither know what Heaven or Religion means for then they would be convinced their Minds could never be too much prepared for it 2. To understand the difference between true Wisdom and Righteousness and that which is not For upon that depends the just Measure of them both We cannot be too Wise in that which is real Wisdom but we may be too easily conceited of our Wisdom and cry up that for Righteousness which is not but a sort of busie Impertinency about little Matters in Religion and making a great noise about them which signifie very little as to true Wisdom 3. Be not too curious in searching nor too hard in censuring the Fâ—ults of others It is a very unpleasant Curiosity to find out the Faults of others like that of some Creatures which delight in Dunghils and those who consider the Frailties of human Nature will not be too severe upon the Miscarriages of others 4. Live as easily with others as you can for that tends much to the sweetning and prolonging Life It is not possible to live without Injuries take as little notice of them as may be and that may be the smartest Revenge If you are forced to right your selves do it with that Gentleness and Fairness that they may see you delight not in it 5. Avoid a needless Scrupulosity of Conscience as a thing which keeps our Minds always uneasie A Scrupulous Man is always in the dark and therefore full of Fears and Melancholy apprehensions he that gives way to Scruples is the greatest Enemy to his own Peace But then let not the fear of Scrupulosity make you afraid of keeping a good Conscience for that is the wisest and best and safest Companion in the World FINIS Books written by the Right Reverend Father in God Edw. L. Bishop of Worcester and sold by H. Mortlock at the Phoenix in St. Paul 's Church-Yard A Rational account of the Grounds of the Protestant Religion being a Vindication of the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury's Relation of a Conference c. from the pretended Answer of T. C. 2d Edit Fol. Origines Britannicae or the Antiquities of the British Churches with a Preface concerning some pretended Antiquities relating to Britain in Vindication of the Bishop of St. Asaph Folio Irenicum A Weapon-Salve for the Churches Wounds Quarto Origines Sacrae Or a Rational account of the Grounds of Christian Faith as to the Truth and Divine Authority of the Script and the matters therein contained 4 to A Discourse concerning the Idolatry practised in the Church of Rome and the hazard of Salvation in the Communion of it Octavo An Answer to several late Treatises occasioned by a Book entituled A Discourse concerning the Idolatry practised in the Church of Rome and the hazard of Salvation in the Communion of it Part I. Octavo A Second Discourse in Vindication of the Protestant Grounds of Faith against the pretence of Infallibility in the Roman Church in Answer to the Guide in Controversie by R. H. Protestancy without Principles and Reason and Religion or the certain Rule of Faith by E. W. with a particular enquiry into the Miracles of the Roman Church Octavo An Answer to Mr. Cressy's Epistle apologetical to a Person of Honour touching his Vindication of Dr Stillingfleet Octavo A Defence of the Discourse concerning the Idolatry practised in the Church of Rome in answer to a Book entituled Catholicks no Idolaters Octavo Several Conferences between a Roman Priest a Fanatick Chaplain and a Divine of the Church of England being a full Answer to the late Dialogues of T. G Octavo The Unreasonableness of Separation or and Impartialaccount of the History Nature and Pleas of the present Separation from the Communion of the Church of England Quarto A â—ourse concerning the Doctrine of Christ's Satisfaction or the true Reasons of his Sufferings with an Answer to the Socinian Objections To which is added a Sermon concerning the Mysteries of the Christian Faith Preached April 7. 1691. With a Preface concerning the true state of the Controversie about Christ's Satisfaction The 2d Edit Octavo Sermons preached upon several Occasions in 3 Volumes Octavo A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity with an Answer to the late Socinian Objections against it from Scripture Antiquity and Reason And a Preface concerning the different Explications of the Trinity and the Tendency of the present Socinian Controversie The 2d Edit Octavo An Answer to Mr. Lock 's Letter concerning some Passages relating to his Essay of Humane Understanding mentioned in the late Discourse in Vindication of the Trininity With a Postscript in Answer to some Reflections made on that Treatise in a late Socinian Pamphlet An Answer to Mr. Lock 's Second Letter wherein his Notion of Ideas is proved to be inconsistent with it self and with the Articles of the Christian Faith 8 to Ecclesiastical Cases Relating to the Duties and Rights of the Parochial Clergy stated and resolved according to the Principles of Conscience and Law The Rule of Faith Or an Answer to the Treatise of Mr. J. S. entituled Sure-footing
Assistance to sincere and humble Minds And that Assistance carries a Lumen Fidei into the Mind as Aquinas calls it 2. 2. a 3 ad 2. and by that he saith the Mind is united to Truth that its Assent is only fixed upon it and therefore there is no danger of Damnation to those who are in Christ Jesus and are thus illuminated by Faith in him Not that this is an Argument to convince others who have not that inward Sense which they have but the same Holy Spirit which did at first indite them may give such an inward and effectual Testimony as to the Truth of the Matter contained in them that from thence they may firmly conclude these Books to contain the Word of God And that Assurance which the Minds of good Men have from the Influence of Divine Grace may be more effectual and powerfull in them than all the pretended Infallibility or Demonstration in the World It is certain those cannot be deceived whom the Holy Spirit teacheth and the best and wisest of the Antient Schoolmen did make the great firmness and certainty of Faith not to depend on outward Motives but on inward Grace which so inlightned the Mind and fixed the Inclinations of the Soul that nothing is able to remove it This sort of Faith is no blind Assent but after all the Evidence which it hath to make its Assent reasonable it takes so fast a hold of Divine Truths by discerning the excellency and value of them that he that hath it is willing to let go any thing rather than that and although the Apprehension of Faith be not so clear as that of Science yet the Hypostasis as the Apostle calls it may be so firm that no Temptations may be able to shake it And he that can die for his Religion hath a stronger and better Fâ—ith than he that thinks himself never so infallible in the Grounds of it That is a true Divine Faith which purifies the Heart and thereby enlightens the Mind which works by Love and not by cavilling and wrangling about the Grounds of it which overcomes the World and not that which is overcome by the Temptations of it And such a Faith and only such a one will carry us to Heaven when if it were possible for us to have the utmost Infallibility in the Act of believing yet if it did not work effectually on our Hearts and Lives we might go infallibly to Hell And so I shall conclude this Discourse with the second Sense of the Obligation which lies on those who have received Christ Jesus the Lord so to walk in him i. e. to improve their sound Faith into the Practice of a good Life For alas What advantage will it be to us to have the most Primitive and Apostolical Faith if our Works be not answerable to it Why call ye me Lord Lord saith Christ and do not the things which I say Why do we pretend to receive Christ Jesus the Lord if we do not observe his Commands It is good saith St. Paul to be zealously affected always in a good thing And no doubt our Faith is such but then let us be zealous of good Works too that we may shew our selves to be that peculiar People who are redeemed by Jesus Christ. So that our Obligation arises every way from Christ Jesus the Lord to walk in him if we consider him as our Lord so we are to obey him if as Christ Jesus so he died for us to redeem us from all iniquity We can have no pretence to live in our sins if we have received him who commands us to forsake them for then we receive and reject him at the same time Let every one that names the Name of Christ depart from iniquity saith St. Paul what should those then do that profess to receive him as their Lord who are thereby bound to yield obedience to his Laws one of the great causes of the Degeneracy of the Heathen World was the separating Religion and Morality when this was left to the Schools of Philosophers to instruct men in whereas their Religion consisted only of some Solemn Rites and Sacrifices Let us have a care of as dangerous a Separation between Faith and Works or which is all one between receiving Christ and doing his Will For those are the proper Works of the Gospel wherein we own Christ as our Lord and do them because he commands us And the Apostle hath summ'd up the whole Duty of Christians in those comprehensive words Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. To whom c. SERMON III. Preached before the QUEEN AT WHITE-HALL February the 22 d 1688 9. 1 Pet. IV. 18. And if the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Ungodly and the Sinner appear THis Epistle was written by S. Peter for the Incouragement of Christians under all their Sufferings but these Words seem to carry so much Terrour and Severity in them as though none but Martyrs and Confessors could have any Reason to hope for Salvation and all others were to be left in Despair Although Mankind be not easily satisfied concerning the Punishment denounced against the Ungodly and Sinner yet the Justice of God the Equity of his Commands the Freedom of their Choice the Contempt of Grace and their wilfull and obstinate Impenitency take away all just Cause of Complaint But that the Righteous should scarcely be saved seems hardly reconcilable with the Grace and Design and Promises of the Gospel For the Righteous here are not vain proud self-conceited Hypocrites such who think they need no Repentance but such who by the Grace of God were brought off from their former Sins and were redeemed from their vain Conversation with the precious Blood of Christ who had purified their Souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit Who were a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People yet of such as these it is said if the Righteous scarcely be saved But how can this agree with the infinite Goodness and Mercy of God declared in the Gospel whereby Sinners are courted and encouraged to repent with the Hopes and Promise of Salvation Did not Christ come to save Sinners and St. Paul call this a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation and yet after all shall the Righteous scarcely be saved What Joy in Heaven can there be over one Sinner that repents if after his Repentance it be so hard to come to Heaven Doth not Christ himself invite those who are weary and heavy laden to come to him with a Promise that he will give rest to their Souls But what Rest can they have who notwithstanding their coming to him do with so much difficulty attain to Eternal Rest How can that
it were upon Precipices and therefore had need to look to our standing when we see Persons falling on every side There is no force indeed in our Case because we are in a State of Trial but we live in the midst of Snares and Temptations and Sins which do so easily beset us that we cannot walk one step in our way without Danger and therefore there is continual Reason for Watchfulness But that is not enough For 2. We must add Prayer to our Watchfulness Otherwise our Presumption of our own strength may make us fall God will have us owe our standing to his Assistance which he hath promised to give upon our earnest Prayer to him for it No Duty more proper for us in this State of Temptation no Duty more effectual for obtaining suitable Supplies for our present Necessities where a Man falls by Temptation St. Chrysostom saith it is because he knew not how to Pray For Prayer when duely performed not only diverts and raises and composes the Mind and so breaks the force of a present Temptation but when a close Siege is laid it keeps the Passage open for Supplies from Heaven and brings down those Supports which may enable us so to endure Temptation that when we are tried we may receive the Crown of Life which God hath promised to them that love him SERMON XII Preached at HAMPTON-COURT Before the King and Queen August the 7th 1689. Acts XXVI 8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the Dead THESE words are part of the Excellent Defence which S. Paul made for himself before King Agrippa and the Roman Governour for embracing the Christian Religion And if it were so desirable a thing to have heard S. Paul Preach as one of the Fathers of the Church thought it when he parallel'd it with seeing Christ in the Flesh it was especially at that time when before so great an Audience and upon so Solemn an occasion he was to give an account of himself touching all the things whereof he was accused of the Jews Ver. 2. There had been a long and implacable Hatred both in the Rulers and People of the Jews against him above any other Apostle having had greater advantages of Education among them and being more remarkably zealous for preaching up that Doctrine which himself had furiously opposed and that upon a Principle of Conscience as he saith Ver. 9. I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth And such a Conscientious Persecutor would not do that which he accounted the work of the Lord negligently as he shews Ver. 10 11. But that the same Person should on a sudden quit all his Hopes and Expectations among the Jews and not only betake himself to a Sect so much hated and despised as that of Christianity was but to be so active in all places for the promoting it was a thing which did both surprize and enrage them Insomuch that when he came up to Jerusalem a popular Tumult was soon raised against him which had like to have cost him his Life if the Roman Officers had not rescued him from their Fury But after he had made several Defences of himself to the People to the Council to the Roman Governour and found their Rage and Malice against him to continue still when Festus would have sent him to Jerusalem to be tried He appeals to Coesar and during this Appeal when Agrippa came to visit Festus hearing of this remarkable Cause and the vehement Prosecution of it he had a Desire to hear what S. Paul had to plead for himself But before I come to the particular Matter of his Plea in these words there are 2 things observable concerning him 1. That although he knew he could not suffer in a better Cause and had a Prospect of his Sufferings before he went to Jerusalem and went thither with a Resolution to undergo any thing for the sake of Christ yet he quitted no advantages which the Law gave him For when the Officer would have scourged him he pleaded his Freedom as a Roman Citizen and all such were exempted from Scourging by the Porcian and Sempronian Laws And when he found the Design was laid to carry him back to Jerusalem and there to make him a Sacrifice to the Rage of the Jews he makes use of the Privilege of the Roman Laws and before Sentence made his Appeal to Coesar So little did he think it inconsistent with the Christian Doctrine of Suffering to make use of Legal Privileges for his own Defence against unjust Violence 2. That in all his Defences he insisted on the Resurrection as the main Point For although the true Ground of the violent Hatred and Malice of the Jews against him was his constant and zealous Preaching Jesus and the Resurrection as he did at Athens and other places yet those who persecute Men for the sake of Truth always pretend some other Reason for it and nothing is more common and plausible than that of breaking the Laws And the Jews now thought they had this Advantage against S. Paul for they charged him with profaning the Temple by carrying a Gentile into it but the Matter of Fact was mistaken however this served for a popular Pretence against him and that was all they sought for Malice working most mischief under a Disguise And this took presently and spread so suddenly That it is said All the City was moved and the People ran together and they took Paul and drew him out of the Temple When Tertullus pleaded against him he faintly urged his going about to profane the Temple but the main of his Accusation was That he was a Ringleader of the Sect of the Nazarens therefore S. Paul in his Answer in short saith to the other things objected That they could not prove them but as to the Way which they câ—lled Heresie i. e. owning the Doctrine of Christ he was so far from denying it that he professed it before them all And as he declared his Faith freely so he did his Hope too And have hope towards God which they themselves also allow that there shall be a Resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust This was the Point S. Paul reduced all to Touching the Resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day And so here to Agrippa And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the Promise made of God unto our Fathers unto which Promise our twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come for which Hopes sake King Agrippa I am accused of the Jews And then immediately follow the words of the Text Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead Wherein we have the Strength of the Apostles Argument to prove the Truth of this