redeemed both and we have offered and given both Let us glorify him with both Both with our bodies and with our Spirits for they are his Let us hold to that Rule of the Apostle which is or ought to bee the great Rule of every Christians life whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we doe let us do all to the Glory of God so shall we never do amisse but the peace of God shall be with us and preserve us for ever Gloria Trinuni Deo ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗΣΙΣ AN Exhortation to the pursuance of the CHEIFEST GOOD WITH A breif Review of the Opinions concerning it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. MATH VI. 19 20 33. Lay not up for your selves treasures upon Earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where theives break through and steal but lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven to which adde v. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdome of God and his Righteousnesse IT is a certain truth that in every Man there is an innate desire of good and it is as true that very few attain to the Good that they desire For as Maximus Tyrius in his 19th Discourse hath ingeniously express't it It happeneth to us in this dark and muddy Region of the lower world as it doth to those who scramble for gold or silver in a dark night who while they want a light to distinguish what they feek after and only guesse at it by deceitfull circumstances fall together by the Ears for they know not what For he that hath gotten any thing will not part with it for fear he should have already gotten the desireable thing neither will he abstain from further scrambling for fear it should be yet to seek Here is all the Tumult and the strife the Clamors and the noise the sighs and the groanes the rapine and the suits and all the hurry of the overbusy world This is the same thing that is intimated by K. David in his fourth Psalm There be many that say who will shew us any good Not Many only but All even the whole world pretend to be and really are in the pursuance of this good But as St Paul observed concerning the Jews that they obtained not to Righteousnesse because they sought it where it was not to bee found So the Masse of Mankind attain not to the Possessron of Happinesse because they seek it where it is not They search for the living among the Dead The Psalmist had observ'd concerning the Joy of the vulgar that it was such a delight as did alwayes ebbe and flow according to the increase or decrease of their Corne and Wine and Oyl For in these lay their Treasures and upon their Treasures they laid their Hearts but he had setled his Eye upon the true Joy His hope was the hope of Heaven His expectation was the Expectation of the beatifick Vision His desire was to have the face of God eternally reconciled to Him The light of Gods countenance was more to Him then was the Joy of the Worldly man When his Corne and his Wine and his Oyl increased Psalm 4.6 7 8. This was the Happinesse of David the Man after Gods own heart who had an understanding whereby He was enabled to call Good Good and Evill Evill and was guided by the Spirit of God to have his Will and affections rightly placed which the greater part of the world neither had then nor have to this Day Philosophers Historians Poets and all observers of human Manners and Nature have taken notice of a vast variety in human inclinations All pretend and all seek yet in all this variety of Pretenders and seekers few have designed few have sought the greatest good Some place their happinesse in Luxury and Ryot others in Parsimony and thrift The Merchant in his gold the Drunkard in his Wine the effeminate in his Loves The witty Man in pleasant Conversation the Orator in fine and well adorned speech the Martiall man in fights and triumphs some sportive men have been so vain as to think there could be no greater Happinesse upon Earth then to bee a renowned Victor in the Olympique Games and to get a branch of Olive as a Trophee of Mastery in those feats of Activity Sardanapalus I 'le watrant you thought himself a pretty Man and a Prince indeed when he was curl'd and dress't and richly cloath'd and shut up in his Palace among his concubines but few others have thought that a design of life well chosen for so great an Emperor Xerxes thought himself little lesse then the God he worship't if indeed his pride then allow'd him to worship any when he 〈…〉 his fetters upon the Sea and joynd Europe and Asia with a bridge not considering how short should be the Glory of that Action and that it should suddenly end in being utterly overthrown There are no things done from the great Atcheivments of Alexander and Caesar to those little Arts that are not worthy to be named in a pulpit that are not practiced with some design of good But this is the misery of our Condition that in all this variety the Ends we design are generally if not Base and Wicked yet poor and mean and yet though poor and mean and eagerly pursued are seldome notwithstanding sufficiently attained But it is more worth our Notice and Admiration that Philosophy it self the great Mistresse of Curiosity should professe to correct the Aims of the Vulgar and to design so Wisely and yet should fail as notoriously as any other profession of doing any thing worthy of all her anxious Disquisitions That it should challenge so great a Name and procure so little Good that they should erre so widely in their searches after the Summum Bonum or cheifest Happinesse For I do not find that they had the good luck to attain to any thing that might give them just Occasion to cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found it I have found it And those who seem to bee the adepti and to have gotten most considerable attainments contented themselves generally with a very mean Quarry a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maximus Tyrius Dissett 19 ad Finem Ad vos nunc refero quem sequar◠c. Cicero Academ Q. l. 4. It hath been anciently observed that Pythagoras his Learning ended in a few Musicall Iingles Thales's Wisedome in some uncertain Astronomicall Phansies Heraclitus's Contemplations concluded in solitude and weeping Socrates his renowned Philosophy led Him to the practice of unnaturall lust Diogenes his sharpenesse of wit to use his Body to endure all manner of nastinesse and course labor E. picurus's Inventions and Discourses of which he boasts so proudly set Him down contented with any kind of Pleasure We shall do Aristippus no wrong at all if we joyn Him with the more renowned Epicurus And why may not the Stoicks and Peripateticks Clubb also who are both represented to make the bare Action or vertue its own Reward Such are the Ends and so great is the
laborantem The Moon is more admired when she is in an Eclipse than when she shines out fully and perfectly But my Brethren We must endeavor to correct this Vicious disposition of our Minds For truth is not the worse either for being commun or for having Age on its head And seeing these Truths concerning the Creation and Providence of God and the Reason we have to fear and worship Him are strongly confirmed to Us let it not be any prejudice against them which ought to be their commendation that they are ancient all and all intimate to our Natures Lastly let me advise you if you think your selves not in danger of speculative to beware of practicall Atheisme For we may be guilty of this Sin not only by Wishing or saying There is no God but also by living without his fear For that is to live as if there was no God For he denies God that doth not alwaies fear the effects of his power his Justice and his Truth He denieth God that denies to honor him in all his Attributes And surely he hath no conceit of the Truth and justice of God or no conceit of his Power who doth not fear to dissobey Him For what saith God by the Prophet Jeremy Will you Steal and Kill and commit Adultery and Swear falsly and burne incense unto Baal and yet professe to fear and Worship me Jer. 7.9 You had as good professe to deny Mee as to Worship me and not to Obey mee So in the fiftieth Psalme God telleth the wicked Man that it is a part of great prophanesse to pretend to Gods covenant and yet to hate to be reformed v. 16 17. to venture to dissobey God and break his commandments and yet to professe to worship Him to be guilty of Theivery and Adultery and Calumny and to hope that God will connive at all this It were as honorable to God for us to think there was no such Being as to think him such a God as would take upon him to judge the world and yet suffer himself to be flatter'd so with hypocriticall Worship as to be wrought upon to passe by the breach of his own Laws and to be made inconstant to the observance of those Morall Rules by which he governs the world as good deny Him as to suppose him a blind-Guide or an unjust and partiall Judge Take therefore the advice of the Psalmist in the 22d verse of that 50th Psalme and Consider this Ye that forget God that is ye that have own'd Him and yet now fear Him not least he tear you in pieces Those who have profess't Religion if they forget their Duty to God which they have profess't and live prophanely They shall most certainly undergo the punishment of their prophanesse The sentence is God shall tear them that is God shall distract and crosse such persons in this life and punish them eternally in the life to come One will make hast to be Rich and it may be not having the fear of God before his Eyes will designe to attain his End by manifest theivery So the Psalmist when thou sawest a theif thou consentedst with Him another man or the same Man another Time for want of the same fear will be companion to an Adulterer v. 18. Some give their Mouth to Evill v. 19. and their Tongue frameth deceit it may be to circumvent their Neighbors in buying or selling or matters of Trade Some abuse their tongue another way they sit and speak evill against their Brother and slander their Mothers Son v. 20. Now because God refers the punishment of these Offences to future judgement and doth not take them off immediately in the very Act they harden themselves yet more against God and fear him lesse and lesse So vers 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence and thou thoughtest that I was alltogether such a one as thy self that is apt to be flatter'd and corrupted as thou art and therefore thou addest worship to thy Wickednesse But I will reprove thee and set them in Order before thine Eyes I will make thee know the Order and difference of Duties and so I shall set before thine Eyes the many disorders of thy practice For in Vain in words you professe to defy Atheisme and in Vain you own and worship God with your lips When in the mean time you rob Him of his better and nobler Services When you do not give him reall Fear and Honor in your hearts and when you deny him Obedience in your lives And he fears not God that dares to dissobey Him For Worshipping and offering of Praise is good but living Obediently is better and more accepted with Him So the Psalmist Concludes and so do I He that Offereth praise Honoreth God but to him that ordereth his conversation aright shall be shewed the Salvation of our God Gloria Trinuni Deo SERM. II. PSAL. 34.11 Come ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach You the fear of the Lord. IT is observ'd that this phrase The fear of the Lord denotes in Scripture severall distinct habits or dispositions of the Mind Sometimes it signifies Religion or the worship of God in generall So Job 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 1.9 Where Satan asketh Doth Job fear God for nought the LXX render it doth Job worship God for nought and so that which in the phrase of Moses is V. apud LXX Prov. 1.7 Esaiae 33.6 Gen. 20.11 Job 28.28 in voce complexâ Job 1.15 8. 2.3 Vid. Deut. 10.12 Jonae 1.9 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God Deut. 10.20 is rendred by the interpretation of our Savior Math. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God And it is ordinary to render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth to fear by the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies to worship And in all languages Religion and the fear of the Lord sometimes passe under the same significations And in this sense I understood this phrase the last time when in Opposition to our Aristotelean and Epicurean Atheists I affirmed the existence of the Eternall God and advised you to fear and worship Him Sometimes the fear of the Lord is taken in a stricter sense for the Dread of God as the author of all punishments and especially of eternall punishment in Hell And there are other sorts of affections that have this Name also There is the fear of a Slave and the fear of a Son There is the fear of an Atheist and the fear of an Hypocrite the fear of a doubting Christian and the fear of a Christian that douts not but is carried on with a full assurance of Faith For he dreads God as a child reverenceth his Father that is He fears to offend Him There is great variety in these fears They take severall Men severall Waies The lowest kind is communly the beginning of Wisdome That frights from Sin for fear of punishment But the highest kind namely
design themselves an happinesse by the satisfying these Lusts and to that intent they make great and ample provisions for them St Paul telleth us that the intention of the Gospel is directly contrary namely to direct us to Glory by the way of sobriety and vertue to diswade men from the pleasures of Intemperance and to suppresse the government of Lust I think it very seasonable now in this loose Age to shew you the Reasonablenesse of St Pauls doctrine which is the doctrine of Christianity and to that end shall propose unto you three conclusions which being well proved will be sufficient to diswade any reasonable man much more any true Christian from the pursuance of Happinesse by the way of sensuall pleasure The Conclusions are these 1. That there is no satisfactory happinesse to be found in the pursuance of our Natural Lusts and desires 2ly The making provision for the Lusts of Intemperance is certainly Mischievous and Dishonorable to Man as Man 3ly The pursuance of such sensual pleasures or Lusts is most of all Mischievous and Dishonorable to man as Christian First I tell you that God hath written vanity and vexation on all the provision that can be made for Lust It was the sin of Man that first filled humane Nature with this concupiscence And God suffereth vain Men to be toyled with their own passions and to be vext with making provision for those Lusts which he knoweth and we may know never will be satisfyed For we find by Experience that those Men who have let themselves utterly loose to the Biasse of their Natural Inclinations and have plung'd themselves in all those material Enjoyments which they thought would end in the greatest pleasure have found in the Top of their Enjoyment nothing but Satiety Disrelish and Repentance Salomon hath committed his own Experience to History in this point He was a wise and a rich King he lived in great Magnificence and glory There was in Him a Confluence of whatsoever this world can pretend to of Riches Honors and pleasures and he giveth us the story in the second chapter of his Ecclesiastes how once like a Vertuose for experiment sake he ran the Risque of trying what good might be found in all sorts of them He was a voluptuary or Epicurean as we call them before ever Epicurus was born To enable him to acquire the Enjoyments he proposed he wanted no worldly meanes For first He had a great Empire and vast Treasures left him by his Father and he had large Tributes both from his own People and from the Provinces adjoyzing and not only from the remaining Amorites Hittites Perizzites Hivites 1 Kings 9.21 22. and Jebusites 1 Kings 10. ult but he had yearly acknowledgments from those great kingdomes of Egypt and Syria also And therefore to satisfy the lust of the Eye as it became his Imperial magnificence he built and he planted sumptuously Other great princes were not more famous for their Mausolaea their Pyramides Amphitheaters and Arches than he was for that Temple which he built for God and the Palaces that he built for his own Court and the courts of his Wives one of which was no lesse a person than the Daughter of Pharaoh King of Aegypt And his plantations were answerable He tells you that he planted vineyards and Orchards and made Pooles of Water that is he had large Gardens where 1 Kings 4.33.34 Targum in Eccles c. 2. if we believe some Authorities there grew all Plants from the Cedar of Libanus unto the Hyssope on the Wall These Gardens were graced with Groves and Arborets and those with Grottoes Pools Basons and Water-works which were partly for state and partly for use as the Text there intimates to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth Trees To satisfy the Lust of the Ear he had Musick both Instrumentall and vocall He had Men singers and Women-singers and Musicall Instruments of all sorts and in a word all the delights of the sons of Men as we read in that 2d of Ecclesiastes and in the first book of Kings He had Honor in abundance from his neighbouring Princes and from those that were afar off The Queen of Sheba and many besides her 1 Kings 4. ult came from the uttermost parts of the Earth to hear his Wisdome and to see his Glory 1 Kings 4.29 Moreover to the more full Enjoyment of his other Acquirements God gave him also wisdome and Understanding and largenesse of heart even as the sand on the Seashore He had a large Heart by the particular gift of God Eccles 2.1 3. And Salomon indulged his heart a liberty large as it self Eccles 2. I said to my heart saith he go to now I will try thee with Mirth therefore enjoy pleasure and he confesseth he gave himself to Wine and to Folly to the folly of Women as most interpret his confession Ecclus 47.19.30 yet acquainting his heart with wisdome so the Text proceeds This was his designe he would make a mixture of Wisdome and folly He had no mind to part with his reason but however he would not omit to try also the pleasures of foolish vain men He would be mad for an Experiment and therefore he projected how he might cum ratione insanire He would have the pleasure of Madnesse and the security of Reason Eccles 2.10 Whatsoever good things his Eyes desired he kept it not from them he withheld not his heart from any Joy and yet he would keep so much Wit in his frolick as to be able to weigh his Enjoyments and to see once for himself and for us all what good there might be in such a life for the sons of Men. When he therefore freely and without disturbance had pursued the satisfaction of his Naturall Lusts by an Indulgence to all sorts of Pleasures how much true content did he find in them Why he telleth us and wee have good reason to make use of the Experiment that he found Laughter to be Madnesse he found Mirth to be unprofitable Eccles 2.2 He hated his Eiches and all his great Acquirements because he found it most probable that one time or other they would come into the hands of a Fool. Eccles 2.18 19 And this he had reason to think a great absurdity and vanity that a wise man should toyle and make himself a slave all the dayes of his life and that in the end a fool should be Master of his Acquirements who will slight the prudence of his Ancestor and profusely and idly wast all that Meanes of Noble living provided by him This consideration among others made Salomon Eccles 2.20 as himself confesseth despair of all his labor He saw the uncertainty of all things here below and when he had made himself great he despaired of the continuance of his greatnesse His Kingdome was advanced to the height V. Matt. 6.19 20. but he discovered Principles of decay in it He saw that no