DISCOURSES OR SERMONS ON SEVERAL SCRIPTURES BY THE Right Reverend Father in God EZEKIEL Late Lord Bishop of LONDON-DERRY LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader ALthough the following Sermons need no Epistle to commend them to any intelligent Reader yet Custom having made it necessary to say something for the Satisfaction of the World concerning the Posthumous Works of deceased Persons I shall therefore speak a few Words briefly The Reverend Prelate the Author of them was a Person of great Natural Parts and Excellent Learning as well as of great Piety and Charity One that adorned the Church of England whereof he was an Eminent Pillar ruling well in the Church of God and therefore deserved double Honour as the Apostle speaks And doubtless his Reward is now great in Heaven with his Lord and Master whose Service here on Earth was accounted by him as his highest Honour and that which he professed himself most ambitious of He was a Person of great Modesty and Humility having very mean and low Thoughts of himself and his own Abilities which was the Reason why the World had so little Knowledge of him from the Press having published nothing See his Vanity of the World and A Funeral Sermon c. Octavo but what he was constrained to either by the restless Importunity of Friends or the Commands of those that some Time were his Superiors But the Intendment of this Epistle being not to give the World an Account of the Life of this Excellent Person whose Praise is deservedly in the Church of God I forbear to add any thing farther concerning him hoping it will shortly be done by a more worthy Pen. And as for the following Sermons the excellent Style in which they are written and the exact Accuracy with which they are penn'd may give abundant Satisfaction unto All in the Reading of them that they are His Lordship 's own and were fairly written with his own Hand and copied out from thence since his Death by one of his nearest Relations and so transmitted unto the Press The Subject Matter of them being agreeable to the Divine Inspirations of the Holy Scriptures will speak better for themselves than the Words of any other can And that they may be very useful and profitable unto those that heard them and unto all that shall read them is the hearty and sincere Prayer of the Publisher Farewell THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK CONTAINING The Titles of the several Subjects treated of therein with the Texts of Scripture from which they are handled I. The Folly of Sinners in making a Mock at Sin from Prov. 14.19 Fools make a Mock at Sin II. True Happiness A Sermon preached at St. Lawrence Jewry from Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have Right to the Tree of Life and may enter through the Gates into the City III. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ A Sermon preached on Easter-Day from Act. 2.24 Whom God hath raised up having loosed the Pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it IV. Brotherly Admonition In several Sermons from Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him V. The Dreadfulness of God's Wrath against Sinners Explained in several Sermons from Heb. 10.30 31. For we know him that hath said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord. And again The Lord shall judge his People It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God â—primatur Z. Isham R.R.D. Henrico Episc Lond. a Sacris THE FOLLY OF SINNERS In Making a Mock at Sin A SERMON ON PROV XIV IX BY EZEKIEL HOPKINS Late Lord Bishop of London-Derry LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. THE FOLLY OF Sinners c. PROV 14.9 Fools make a Mock at Sin WE are not generally to expect any connexion either of Sense or Sentences in this Book of the Proverbs Other parts of Scripture are like a rich Mine where the precious Ore runs along in one continued Vein But this is like a Heap of Pearls which though they are loose and unstrung are not therefore the less excellent or valuable The Text I have now read is one of them an entire Proposition in it self without relation to or dependance upon any Context In it The Division of the Words we have these things considerable First The Character or Periphrasis of wicked and ungodly Men and they are said to be such as make a Mock at Sin Secondly Here is the Censure past upon them by the All-wise God and the wisest of Men they are Fools for so doing Fools make a Mock at Sin The Words are plain and obvious only the Phrase of making a Mock may seem subject to some ambiguity and various acceptations and indeed the Scripture useth it in divers Senses Sometimes it signifies an abusing of others by violent and leud Actions So we read that the Hebrew Servant Gen. 39.17 says Potipher's Wife came in unto me to mock me Sometimes it signifies an exposing of Men to Shame and Dishonour So the wise Man tells us Wine is a mocker Prov. 20.1 Sometimes it signifies an imposing upon the Credulity of others things that seem incredible and impossible So we read in Genesis when Lot had declared to his Sons in Law the Destruction of Sodom it is said Gen. 19.14 He seemed unto them as one that mocked Sometimes it is taken for a failing in our Promises and thereby defeating and frustrating the Expectations of others And thus Herod is said to be mocked by the wise Men Matth. 2.16 in Matth. 2.16 But none of these are at all congruous to our present purpose nor applicable to the Words of the Text. There are therefore two other acceptations of this Expression What 's meant by Mocking frequently occurring in the Holy Scriptures First This Word Mock is commonly taken for scoffing or bitter taunting at others Thus our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ suffered the Flouts and Derisions of an insolent Rabble who set him at nought and mocked him Luk. 23.11 as St. Luke speaks Thus those blessed Martyrs and Confessors that followed his steps are said to have indured the trial of cruel Mockings Heb. 11.36 as the Apostle tells us And indeed this is the difference between a wise Reprover and a bitter Mocker that the Words of the one are like Balm both soft and sanative but the Words of the other are like sharp Swords which cut deep into the Minds of Men and commonly make them rankle into Hatred and Malice And doubtless there are very many Spirits can sooner put up an injury done them than a cutting bitter scoff because nothing expresseth so much Contempt nor shews how despicable we account them as a fleering Gibe
to be brought to repent of it or if they do yet is it so slightly and superficially as if they feared the Amends would be greater than the Injury I come now to the Second Thing and that is Causes of Sinners making light of Sin to shew what it is that induceth and persuadeth wicked Men to make so light of their Sins Now there are these two things that make Sinners to account their Sins slight and trivial Matters I. Sinners not being exemplarily punished causes them to make light of Sin Because they see so few Instances of God's dread Wrath and Vengeance executed on Sinners in this Life and those rare ones that are extant and visible they impute rather to Chance than to the Retribution of Divine Justice And therefore upon their own Impunity and the Impunity of others they conclude that certainly Sin is no such heinous thing as some sowre tetrical People would fain persuade the World to believe And so they cry Peace Peace to themselves Deut. 19 19. though they go on in the Frowardness of their Hearts adding Iniquity to Sin Because God so long winks at them they conclude him blind or at least that he doth not much disallow those Sins which he doth not presently punish Indeed it would be somewhat difficult to answer this Argument were this present Life the appointed Time of Recompence No but God reserveth his Wrath and Vengeance to a more publick and more dreadful Execution of it than any can be in this Life Though now thou feelest no Effects of God's Wrath yet believe it the Storm is but all this while gathering But when thou lanchest forth into the boundless Ocean of Eternity then and perhaps never before then will it break upon thee in a Tempest of Fury and drown thy Soul in Perdition and Destruction II. Sinners make light of Sin because it is no real Injury to God Another thing that makes wicked Men think so slight of Sin is that it cannot affect God with any real Injury for as he is not benefited by our Services so he is not wronged by our Iniquities 'T is true could our Sins reach God could they dethrone him or rend off any of his glorious Attributes from his immutable Essence there might then be great Reason why God should so severely revenge them and we for ever detest and abhor them But since his Glory is free from any Stain and his Being from any Wrong and Prejudice our Sins are nothing to him nor is there any Reason we should judge them heinous and provoking 'T is true O Sinner thy Sins can never invade God's Essence that is infinitely above the Attempts of Men or Devils but yet every wicked Wretch would if he could dethrone God Sinners would not have him be so holy nor so just as he is not so holy in hating of their Sins nor so just in punishing of them that is they would not have him to be God for it is necessary that God should be as he is Sinners do really contradict God's Purity rebel against his Sovereignty violate his Commands defie his Justice provoke his Mercy despise his Threatnings and hinder the Manifestations of his Glory to the World And is all this nothing Every Sinner hath so much Poyson and Venom in him that he would even spit it in the Face of God himself if he could reach him But because God is in himself secure from their impotent Assaults Sin shews its Spight against him in what it can defaceth his Image where-ever it comes abolisheth all Structures and Lineaments of God in the Soul and would banish his Name his Fear his Worship from off the Face of the whole Earth And therefore thou who art guilty of this Rebellion against the great Majesty of Heaven canst thou yet think thy Sins to be slight and inconsiderable and not worth either the Cognizance or the Vengeance of the Almighty Believe it the Day is coming and will not tarry when that Guilt which thou now carriest so peaceably in thy Bosom and which like a frozen and benumb'd Serpent stirrs not nor stings not shall when heated with the Flames of Hell fly in thy Face and appear in all its native and genuine Deformities and Horrour and overwhelm thy Soul with Everlasting Anguish and Torment and then but too late then wilt thou exclaim against thy self as being worse than a Fool or Mad-man for thinking so slightly of and making a Mock at that which hath eternally ruin'd and destroyed thee And having thus shew'd you briefly that wicked Men do make light of Sin and the Inducements that tempt them to it I shall now in the Third place The Folly of Sinners in making light of Sin appears in that they shew you their great and inexcusable Folly in so doing And certainly never was any insensate Man never any that was wholly abandon'd by his Reason and Understanding guilty of a greater Folly than this is For I. Hope to repent of it Is it not most egregious Folly and Madness for any to do that which yet they hope they shall live to repent that ever they did it This is such a Folly as all the Extravagances of Fools could never match and yet this most wicked Men are guilty of They boldly rush into Sin only upon this presumptuous Confidence that they may hereafter be sorry that now they did it In which their Folly is doubly notorious in that 1. They venture upon a certain Guilt in hope of an uncertain Repentance And 2. In that they take up their unprofitable Sins upon so great and burthensome an Interest 1. Sinners Folly great in venturing upon a certain Guilt in hopes of an uncertain Repentance In that they venture upon a certain Guilt in hopes of an uncertain Repentance For either God may cut thee off O Sinner in the very Act of that Sin which thou intendest to repent of hereafter Or if he afford thee Time for Repentance he may withold his Grace and in his just and righteous but yet fearful Judgment seal thee up under Hardness and Impenitency that thou shalt go on Rom. 2 5. treasuring up to thy self Wrath against the Day of Wrath. And if either of these through the righteous Judgment of God should happen unto thee what a deplorable Fool wilt thou prove thy self to be that sinnest out of Hopes of Repentance and of a Repentance which perhaps will never be granted Alas How many hath God in his signal Vengeance cut off by some remarkable stroke with an Oath or Curse or Blasphemy in their Mouths scarce fully pronounced How many with their drunken Vomits gogling in their very Throats How many while their Souls have been burning with their lustful Embraces have even then been cast into Hell and burnt up with Everlasting Fire Or if Vengeance should spare thee for a while O Sinner yet thou knowest not how soon it will strike thee It is great Folly to expect the Warning
in Right and Title And upon this very Account especially my Text pronounceth those blessed that do God's Commandments because they have a Right to the Tree of Life and to enter in through the Gates into the City Now these Expressions according to the Genius and Style of this whole Book are mystical and allusive and for the explaining of them I must shew First What the Tree of Life is Secondly What is this City into which they have a Right to enter Thirdly What it is to enter through the Gates into the City Fourthly What Right it is which Obedience to God's Commandments gives us to the Tree of Life and to enter into the City For the First of these What the tree of Life is What this Tree of Life is I answer We find Mention made of this Tree of Life in two other places of this dark Prophesie the one is in Ver. 2. of this Chapter Rev. 22.2 On either Side of the River was there the Tree of Life which bare twelve manner of Fruits and yielded her Fruit every Month and the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations But this very probably may be only an Enigmatical Representation of the Doctrine of the Gospel let us then consult the other place where Mention is made of this Tree of Life and that is in Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life Rev. 2.7 that is in the midst of the Paradise of God Now this carries a plain Allusion to that Description of the Earthly Paradise of which we read Gen. 2.9 where it is said Gen. 2.9 God planted the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden Now this Tree of Life was so called not that it had any natural Vertue to perpetuate Man's Life to Immortality but only from its typical and sacramental Use God having appointed the Eating thereof as a Sign and Pledge of our Immortality had we continued in our Innocency and Obedience And therefore we find that upon the Fall God set a Guard upon this Tree and as it were excommunicates sinful Adam from partaking of this Sacrament of the Covenant of Works which was both a Sign and Seal of Immortality signifying thereby that Sinners have no Right to Eternal Life according to the Terms of the first Covenant But this Right being again restored to us by Jesus Christ therefore they are pronounced blessed that do God's Commandments because they have a Right to the Tree of Life that is to that Eternal Life and Immortality which is brought to light by the Gospel and to which the Tree of Life in Paradise was a Sacrament and Emblem Secondly What is meant by City Let us enquire what is this City into which those that do God's Commandments shall enter and we have a most large and glorious Description made of it in Chap. 21. of this Book from Ver. 10. to the end of the Chapter and in brief it is nothing else but Heaven Rev. 21.10 14. the New Jerusalem that holy City the City of the Living God into which no unclean thing shall enter For without are Dogs Rev. 22.15 and Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a Lye Chap. 22.15 Thirdly What it is to enter through the Gates into the City What is it to enter through the Gates into this City I answer Though in the foregoing Chapter this City is described to have twelve Gates and in them the Names of the twelve Tribes of Israel to signifie to us that through the Grace of the Gospel there is a Passage and an Inlet into Heaven for all those that are true Israelites yet in true propriety of Speech there is but one Way and but one Gate to Heaven Yea and our Saviour tells us that Way is narrow and that Gate is strait for so we find his Words Matth. 7.14 Strait is the Gate and narrow is the Way that leadeth unto Life and few there be that find it The Commandments of God are this Gate to the Heavenly City and the two Tables of the Law are the two Leaves of this Gate through which every one must pass that hopes to be admitted into the New Jerusalem And although David seems to make this Gate very large when he tells us Thy Commandments are exceeding broad Psal 119 96. yet that is only to be understood concerning the Authority of its Injunctions not of the Liberty of its Indulgence It is exceeding broad in the Extent of its preceptive Power for it prescribes Rules to all our Thoughts Words and Actions and to every Circumstance of each but it is exceeding narrow and strait in the Scope and Allowance that it gives us that as soon may a Camel go through the Eye of a Needle as we pass through this Gate with the Burthen of one unmortified Lust or one unrepented Sin Quest But why is it said that those that do God's Commandments may enter through the Gates into the City Can any enter in as a Thief or a Robber over the Wall Or can any as an Enemy scale those Eternal Ramparts and take it by Invasion Answ I answer This is so expressed to denote the free Access and Admission of those into Heaven who are careful to obey the Commandments of God upon Earth Such as these are free born Citizens of Heaven their whole Estate their whole Traffick all their Treasure and Livelihood is laid up there they are free Denizens by the Charter of the New Covenant they may challenge Ingress as their Right and Due and he who hath the Keys of David Rev. 3 7. who openeth and no Man shutteth and shutteth and no Man openeth opens the Door to these and lets them into those Eternal Mansions which he hath purchased and prepared for them The Fourth and last Query to be enquired into What Right Obedience giveth to the Tree of Life and to the Heavenly City is concerning that Right which Obedience to God's Commands gives us unto this Tree of Life and to this Heavenly City that is to Eternal Life and Glory Now here I shall branch out this Query into Two and so I shall shew you I. What that Obedience is which gives us a Right to Heaven II. What that Obedience is that is mentioned in the Text. What that Right is that this Obedience doth confirm I. What that Obedience is that gives us a â—ight to Heaven I answer Not Legal Obedience It is not a Legal Obedience or a perfect personal Righteousness that now gives us this Right to Heaven this is very plain because to constitute this it is necessary that there be both Original Purity in our Natures which since the Fall is miserably vitiated and corrupted and also a Sinless Perfection in our Lives in the constant Observation of every Iota of the Law both as to its Extention and Intention that we obey it in every part and tittle