variety in the Aims of these singularly learned Men Whom then shall we follow or shall we follow none shall we joyn issue with Maximus Tyrius in the Discourse above commended and say what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That God hath blown the expectation and desire of Good as a living spark into the heart of Man but hath hidden from him the Way to find it out No by no means This were no better then blasphemously to cast mans fault upon his maker God indeed for Reasons hidden from us and wrapt up in the abysse of his own secret knowledge formerly as St Paul speaks winked at the Errors and vanity of mankind imparting true wisedome and the knowledge and desire of the cheifest Good to very few But since Christ the light of the world appeared among us he hath publikly preach't these Truths First that the Enjoyment of the kingdome of Heaven is the cheifest and indeed the only considerable good Secondly that there is no way to attain this Kingdome of God without first attaining his Righteousnesse and submitting our selves according to our Sacramentall Obligations to the Rules of the Gospell Now these being laid down first as principles of eternall and unalterable Truth Our saviour giveth us in the next place the only safe advice Namely that abandoning all other foolish and idle Counsels we should give our selves to be his Disciples we should addict our selves to Christianity as to a Discipline of true Wisdome we should design no lesse then Heavenly Glory which is no doubt the cheifest Good Omnis sapientia hominis in hoc uno est ut Deum cognoscat colat Hoc nostrum Dogma haec sententia est Quanta igitur voce possum testificor proclamo denuntio Hoc est illud quod Philosophi omnes in tota sua vita quaesierunt nec unquam tamen investigare ◠comprehendere tenere valuerunt quia Religionem aut pravam tenuerunt aut totam penitus sustulerunt Facessant igitur illi omnes qui humanam vitam non instruunt sed turbant Quid enim docent aut quem instruunt qui seipsos nondum instruxerunt Quem sanare aegroti quem regere caeci possunt huc ergo nos omnes quibus est curae sapientia conferamus an expectabimus donec Socrates aliquid sciat aut Anaxagoras in tenebris lumen inveniat aut Democritus veritatem de puteo extrahat aut Empedocles dilatet animi sui semitas aut Arcesilas Carneades videant sentiant percipiant Ecce vox de caelo veritatem docens nobis sole ipso clarius lumen ostendens Quid nobis iniqui sumus sapientiam suscipere cunctamur quam clari homines contritis in quaerendo aetatibus suis nunquam reperire potuerunt Qui vult sapiens ac beatus esse audiat dei vocem discat justitiam sacramentum Nativitatis suae norit humana contemnat divina suscipiat ut summum illud bonum ad quod natus est possit adipisci Lactantius lib. 3. de falsa Sap. cap. 30. We should sell all that we have rather then to mille the buying of this pearl And when we have fixed our Eye aright we should then pursue wisely that Happinesse that we have in our Design we should endeavor after it in that way by which it is only attainable which is declared to be the way of Righteousnesse Nor is it any Righteousnesse that will lead us to this Kingdome The Righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees will not do it Our Savior hath told us in the beginning of his Sermon in the Mount that Except our Righteousnesse exceed their Righteousnesse we shall never enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Originall Righteousnesse we have none at all Wee lost it God knowes assoon as we were entrusted with it Actuall Righteousnesse we have none of out own We must speak of all our Righteousnesse as the Man to the Prophet concerning his Axe when the head of it fell into the Water 2 Kings 6.5 Alas Master for it was borrowed Wee must have a Righteousnesse without us called by our Savior Matt. 6.33 Gods Righteousnesse that is a Righteousnesse given and imputed And we must have a Righteousnesse within us and that is Gods Righteousnesse also a Righteousnesse given though inherent A spirit of Righteousnesse a new Spirit and a new heart This inherent Righteousnesse giveth us an assurance that we have a title to the other The other the Righteousnesse without us that of our Savior is indeed only meritorious In the argument of merit O Christ we will make mention of thy Righteousnesse even of thy Righteousnesse only And yet we know that without holinesse without inherent holinesse no man shall see thy face No man shall have the benefit of thy Passion or any part of thy Righteousnesse that hath not thy Spirit For whatsoever hath not the Spirit of Christ they are none of his It is not the calling of our Savior Lord Lord that will give us any title to his merits without our sincere endeavor to do the will of our father which is in Heaven This I take to be a sufficiently orthodox and sense of those words seek yee first the Kingdome of God and his Righteousnesse Now if these are the principall of our Masters precepts surely we have no reason to think his Yoke uneasy or his Commandments greivous this is the summe of the burthen that he layeth on us He hath provided an Estate of unconceivable Glory and Happinesse for us And hath commanded us to seek it And further least we should erre and mistake the way that leadeth to this Estate He hath declared unto us that it must be sought in the Way of Righteousnesse for the Robe of Glory can no more become an unrighteous man then Honor can bee seemly for a fool He hath commanded us for our own sakes to seek this Kingdome of Glory but to seek it in that just proper and humble way and method that Himself hath prescribed And when you recollect and consider the Nature and Excellence of that Estate you will confesse it an Estate beyond all others infinitely worth your seeking Reflect then but with one glance of your Mind upon it as it is described in the certain Oracles of eternall Truth David first in the 16th Psalm and the last verse assureth us that in the Kingdome of Heaven or which is all one in the presence of God there is fullnesse of Joy and that at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore Now in these words there is a description of the greatest happinesse that can be or can be imagined There is nothing for its nature more desireable then Joy or delight there is no measure or proportion better then fullnesse There is no Duration better then Eternity And therefore he that hath Joy for the kind and fullnesse of that Joy for the Measure and joyes or pleasures which for the duration of them shall last not for a day or a year nor only for ten years or
can possibly be imagined or enjoyed And to prove this that I assume I shall onely beg you to grant what if you consider you cannot but grant namely that the greatest happinesse possible can have but those parts or properties which in this Text are either explicitely or implicitely affirmed of the Glory of Heaven The first of these is Indolence that is the absence of Greif and security from it This is required as a prerequisite or principle and foundation of the other parts and is implied because the other mention'd properties cannot be where this is not The second part or property is that it hath Joy in possession The very forme essence or substance of that happinesse consists in Joy Nothing can be more suitable to our Natures or appetites than delight Joy or pleasure And this we have an explicite assurance of from this Text. For the Psalmist telleth us expressely That in the presence of God there is joy and at his right hand there are Pleasures The third property of the greatest happinesse is that there be fullnesse of this Joy For Fullnesse implieth the highest degree and greatest measure Neither man nor Angell nor any other Being can be capable of more than fullnesse and this is also explicitely affirm'd of the estate of Glory viz. That in the presence of God there is fullnesse of Joy The Fourth and last property of the greatest happinesse that can be imagined is the Perpetuity or eternall duration of its pleasures and this the Text also giveth us an explicite assurance of For it concludeth That in the presence of God are pleasures for evermore not for a day or a year or ten years or ten thousand But in the presence of God are pleasures for evermore Thus the Royall engraver in this very little piece hath given us all the lineaments of the greatest happinesse and hath directed us where this Urania makes her abode where this Happinesse this perfect and compleat happinesse is to bee found not among Glories or riches or Pleasures of this World but in the presence of God in Heaven O Let the Power of thy Grace O Lord fit us for that presence The first property of that happy estate which the blessed enjoy in the presence of God is Indolence or security from Greifs This is not expressely mention'd in the description but certainly implied For there can be no Fullnesse of joy where pains or sorrows are mixt or fill any part of the Soul For that Soul cannot be perfectly full of joy that is partly fill'd with sorrow And I therefore place Indolence first because an Estate of Joy can stand upon no other Bottome There can be no foundation for it where the place is allready possess 't with greif For as the Scholemen use to dispute that the privation or absence of cold is a necessary requisite for the introducing of Heat so they affirme also that the absence of greif or sorrow is as necessary for the production of delight and Pleasure Secondly this estate of Indolence which is the ground or Basis of delight though it be onely implied in the Psalmists description here yet in other Texts of Scripture is expressely asserted to be part of the Portion of the Blessed in Heaven Wee are Christians we all professe to beleive the Scriptures In them we hope to have eternall life and so if the Son of God be to be beleived before Socinus did the Jewes before us we have the light of that Revelation which the Heathens wanted and would have rejoyced at This would have corrected their Traditions and rectified their confused Expectations We have as St Peter speaketh a more sure word of Prophesy to which we shall do well if we take heed as to a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawn and the day star arise in our hearts that is untill the day come that we shall be admited into the presence of God and shall see him not in a glasse darkely but face to face Till that time come we must borrow all our light from Scripture which came not by the will of Man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. ult St John we know in the time of the Gospell was the great Master of Revelations He was the person whom our Savior chose out of all his Disciples to reveal those things unto that were to come to passe in the End of the world And he hath given us a sufficient Testimony of our Security from greif at that time when we shall enjoy the presence of God in the new Jerusalem He saw the Heavens and the Earth fly away from before the face of God and there was no place found for them Rev. 20.11 He saw also a new Heaven and a new Earth and a new Jerusalem coming down from God richly adorn'd as a Bride in Expectation of her Bridegroome Rev. 21.1 2 3 4. And I heard saith he a great voice out of Heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and bee their God and God shall wipe away all teares from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more pain Here You see we have a particular Revelation to assure us that in the resurrection of the just they shall have the first part of Happinesse which is Indolence or the security from greif Now the manner or solemnity of giving this Revelation deserves to be considered also For least this vision should be without an authentick Notary He who sate upon the throne said unto John Write for the words are faithfull and true This came not like a delphick whisper For he heard a great Voice and that not uttering the mind of God enigmatically as it were in a riddle not in amphibolies or equivocall language and of various construction as the heathen Oracles did who sought out darke speech that the Event might not overtake them in an evident lye but in plain univocall and downright termes There shall be no more Death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain This was a Voice from Heaven This is the eternall decree and covenant of God of which he commanded St John to be the Scrivener This is the enfeofment of the redeemed or in the phrase of the Spirit the words that are faithfull and true and cannot passe away This Text you see is generall and full and can bee meant of nothing else But seeing what is here spoken in generall is in other Texts delivered more particularly It will not be amisse to follow wheresoever the Scripture leadeth and so to take a more speciall account what are the miseries that ill men are subject to and that holy and good men by the mercy of God are redeemed from It is most true that Esdras long since observ'd that Mans condition is not greatly to be boasted
fit us for them and bring us to them even to those joyes that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor have entred into the heart of Man to be conceived To the God of Joy and peace who is able to do for us more abundantly than we can ask or think be Glory Honor and Adoration for ever SERM. II. PSAL. 16.11 In thy presence is fullnesse of Joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore FOR Ministers to make Apologyes in the Pulpit when they are not absolutely necessary is generally judg'd to be uncomely and below the Gravity of their place But there are subjects sometimes to be treated of in which there is so just Occasion of some Preface that to omit it were token enough of a proud and presuming Nature And such I take to be the argument which I must consider from this Text which leadeth me to the consideration and Description of that Estate which I can neither fully understand nor speak And if God should give me the Tongue as he gave St Paul when he was rapt up into the third Heaven the Eyes of an Angell yet ye would not be able to understand neither the Nature of heavenly glory unlesse the same God should likewise give unto you Angelicall Intellectuals Such is the grossenesse of human sense that when we desire to give Heaven its due esteem yet all our thoughts are both besides it and below it We are not capable of any true Idea's of it We cannot bear the least ray of the starrinesse of its Nature It is therefore the great Mercy and Condescention of God that since we could not arise to the Contemplation of Heaven in its true and Native lustre he hath considered our Natures and by the use of familiar Metaphors and allusions made his heaven stoop to us and cloathed it for our present Comprehension with the Air and livery of this lower world And we are further to adore his Bounty that hath made heaven too great and too glorious an estate to be described Philosophically in affirmative univocall Termes It will be sufficient if I can any way expresse it though in phrases Metaphoricall and borrowed from subjects below it self and though they are as they must needs be full of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and undervaluations of its true and frequently alien from its essentiall and genuine dignity I shew'd in the foregoing discourse among other things that the greatest Happinesse possible can have but these four parts or properties 1. Indolence or security from greif which is required as a prerequisite and foundation of the other parts 2. That for the essence nothing can be desired more suitable to our Natures than Delight joy or Pleasure 3. That for the Degree man is capable of no more than Fullnesse 4. For the Extent that nothing can be longer or larger than Perpetuity or pleasures for evermore I went then only through the Negative part and without figure or Metaphor proved it from Scripture clearly distinctly that the state of Glory shall be free from pains and greifs bodily mentall temporall eternall Now I come to the positive part and to prove that there is not only in Heaven the state of Indolence or security from greif which answers that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Voluptas in statu so much valued by some of the ancient Philosophers but also that Voluptas in Motu preferred by others namely all those stirring and pleasant Airinesses and commotions of the mind which are concomitants of the greatest mirth For so though generally under figures and metaphors is that estate represented to us If you ask by what Authorities of Scripture we entertain this hope of an active joy in Heaven besides that of my Text which affirmes joy and fullnesse of joy to be had in the presence of God I shall refer you to what the Psalmist affirmeth in the 125 Psalm viz. That he who in this world goeth on his way weeping and beareth good seed shall doubtlesse come again with joy the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greek that is with an Ovation or great exultancy of active joy Nay there is so much of this in Heaven that the state of Glory is simply styled by the name of Joy For the forme of words to bee used by our Savior when he shall admit his Religious and faithfull servants into Heaven is no other but this Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. But I have yet a further Conclusion to be prov'd from divine Revelation namely that there is not only a security from greif and some active joy in Heaven But that there are the greatest degrees and quantities of that joy There shall be plenty of it even as much as our refined and exalted Natures shall then be able to contain Nothing is capable of more than fullnesse and we have a ready testimony from the Text that in the presence of God there is fullnesse of joy Now to comply with our Natures and to make us esteem the reward that is proposed to us and to entice our affections after it that are generally too carnall and to represent the fullnesse of this joy so as to give it a power over us that are yet earthy minded the holy Ghost hath chosen to represent the pure and in their own Nature incomprehensible joyes of Heaven by sensible representations of the most eminent earthy delights and pleasures He saw our Infirmity that we cannot well Judge of delights that are purely intellectuall and spirituall and therefore he hath so much condescended to our Distempers as to distemper Heaven it self for our sakes and to draw us some scenes of Heavenly joyes in the corporall shapes and figures of our fullest earthy pleasures Such are those of feastings Weddings the possession of Riches Honors and the like so Luke 22.30 This Heavenly joy is represented by that of a Royall feast with God by eating and drinking at the Table of the king of Heaven And our Psalmist hath given us the like figure of Celestiall Happinesse in the thirty sixt Psalm v. 8. which we read thus They that trust in thee shall be abundantly satisfied with the fulnesse of thy House and thou shalt give them to drink of the River of thy pleasures that is thou shalt give them to drink plentifully of thy pleasures as out of a River It followes For with thee is the Well the never ceasing spring of life And in thy light shall we see light Every particular is very considerable First Inebriabuntur ubertate domus tuae so the vulgar latine agreeably enough to the Originall and best Translations In Textum Inebrtabuntur ubertate domus tuae torrente voluptatis tuae potabis eos dicunt Interpretes quia suavior in poculentis voluptas quam in esculentis ideo per inebriationem summam laetitiam hie intelligi v. Euthymium Nicephorum â—uin Philosophi instantiam voluptatis iâ— motu eam potantis
preference because as St Paul doth more than once assert so great is the glory that shall be revealed that to it nothing in this present world is worthy to be compared It was the Hope of this Happinesse that made the primitive Christians leap into the Flames and suffer Martyrdome with joy Now though we through the Mercy of God have no flames of Martyrdome to seap into yet we may take this note from the Psalmist Psal 125. that those who are said to return with joy had a Time of going on their Way weeping and bearing good seed or this from St John That the Bride must have her wedding Garments prepared before hand She must not be like the foolish Virgins she must not be to provide her Ornaments when her wedding Hour is come She must be arrayed in Fine linnen and this Fine linnen is the Righteousnesse of the Saints Revel 19. We must know that Christians are to bee arrayed not only with the Righteousnesse of Saints inherent We may learn from St Paul 1 Cor. 9. That those who obtain this Crown of Glory in Heaven are temperate in all things and prepare themselves before hand and then also run and strive that they may obtain For it is so ordained that no man shall come to that great glory either with the assistance and Grace of God or without his own faithfull Endeavor Complement alone will never do it Our Savior hath protested Matth. 7.25 That not every One who professeth this Religion Not every one who saith unto Him Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of Heaven but he only who doth the will of his Father which is in Heaven Now to the king of Heaven and to the Lord our Righteousnesse by whose merits only we can have Entrance into that kingdome and to the Spirit of Holinesse who can only give us title to those merits c. SERM. IV. Of Happiness in Heaven shewing In Opposition to the Atheist The Reasons why we believe Rewards and punishments in another life The Immortality of the Soul The Resurrection of the Body I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaak and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living Math. 22.23 ACTS 26.8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible that GOD should raise the Dead AS the Fear of that Punishment The Hope of the Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting the greatest Encouragement to Vertue that God hath prepared for Wicked men is apt to deter them from the continuall practices of Vice So the Christians Hope of the Resurrection of the Body and everlasting life in Heaven is the greatest encouragement to the Excercise of Religion and vertue I have allready shewed you the excellence and Glory of that Estate which we Hope for and in the next place I think it may bee seasonable in Opposition to the Atheists of our Time to clear unto you the foundation of this Hope namely the Credibility of the Resurrection it self which I propose to do in this method First to shew you that from Naturall Reason much hath been granted towards our faith in this particular Secondly that the world had reason to receive and we have reason still to continue the belief of the doctrine of our Savior delivered us in this Article All this I mean to do as it were historically by giving you the ancient state of the doctrine delivered in it and some of the old arguments that continued this belief against the Atheisticall Reasonings of former Ages And these old arguments of proof that have withstood the Batteries of Atheisme hitherto I am not only contented with but indeed I prefer them before those fine but untried ones of New Invention The existence of the law of Nature argues rewards and punishments in another life because they are not equally distributed in this First this was part of the Naturall Mans creed that there shall be hereafter in another life time and place for Blisse and Punishment This all considering persons have argued from the Notions of the Law of Nature that men generally find implanted in them If a law say they then there must be a Reward and Punishment else that Law will be to no purpose But we find a Law written in our Hearts and yet vertue hath not its Reward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. apud Platodem in Phaed. nor vice its Punishment allwaies in this life and therefore it must bee lookt for in another How many vicious livers are there who have escaped correction from all Mortall Men and how many poor vertuous persons have there been who for their generall practice of vertue and patience in Honesty and upright dealing have received nothing but Envy Reprocah Despite and Oppression in this life V. Plutarchum de serâ numinis vindicta Platonem in Gratillo Gorgia and therefore we argue now as they did anciently that there is wanting that Order and providence in the Government of the Rationall world that is visible in all things of lesser moment unlesse as we believe there shall bee indeed another life wherein according to our merits we may receive Rewards and punishments And upon this Expectation Solid and Wise Men still held that the Practice of Honesty and the Observance of the Laws of Nature were to be defended and preferred even before the preservation of their present lives Which had been irrationall and foolish for them to have done had they been without a Reasonable Hope of a just Recompence in another life Secondly another thing that we have received from Arguments of naturall and Human Reason is the doctrine of the Immortality of our Souls And since the Soul according to the Platonique and Peripateticall and all other Philosophy Detrchere aliquid alteri hominis incommodo suum augere commodum magis est contra Naturam quam Mors quam paupertas quam dolor c. apud Ciceronem de Off. 3. Ad Carthaginem rediit Regulus cum neque ignorabat se ad crudelissimum hostem atque exquisita supplicia prosicisci quod Fidem servandam putabat Cicero eod Justum tenacem propositi virum Non civium ardor prova jubentium Non vultus instantis Tyranni Mente qualit solidâ Si fractus illabatur Orbis Impavidum ferient ruinae Hac arte Pollux vagus Hercules Innixus arces attigit igneas c. apud Horatium carm lib. 3. Ode 3. is the great constituent Principle of our Being and Individuation if that bee granted to bee immortall it must bee granted that the greatest and most considerable part of every Individuall Man is immortall And this will well conduce to expedite our other doctrine concerning the credibility of the Resurrection of the same Body It is most true Mr Hobbes's opinion considered that the Author of the Leviathan affirmeth that Men before the time of our Savior were generally possess 't of an Opinion Leviathan p. 4. p. 340.
the reigne of lusts p. 162 No true happinesse in the enjoyment of honour p. 163 No true happinesse in the enjoyment of pleasures p. 164 Proved by the example of King Solomon p. 165 No true happinesse in the enjoyment of riches p. 166 Pleasures of Intemperance mischeivous to the mind p. 167 Pleasures of Intemperance hurtfull to the Body p. 168 Ruinous to the estate p. 169 They are sins against society p. 170 171 Dishounourable to Man as Man p. 172 Inconsistant with religion p. 173 Most dishonourable to a Christian p. 174 The Christians Body consecrated to holinesse p. 175 The modern triumph of Vice over Christianity deplorable p. 176 The application p. 177 178 SERM III. Of the cheifest Good All men desire the chiefest good p. 182 Most seek It where t is not to be found p. 183 184 Gods rightousnesse the way p. 185 186 Christs yoke is easy p. 187 Reveiw of heaven p. 188 Infidelity of those that seek it not p. 189 Inconsideration of those that seek it not p. 190 191 Our future state more Considerable then our present p. 192 193 The beleife and life of the Atheist exposed p. 194 195 196 197 Their different Ends. p. 198 ERRATA PAg â— â—o 24 〈…〉 with God p. 13. l. 24. 〈◊〉 p. 14. l. 27. dares not trust p. 24. l 10. that great 〈…〉 the Lâ—ve p. 2 〈◊〉 13 shall after sâ—â—e periods of â—im ib. l. nâ—â— prepared for temporall â—uâ—ishment 〈…〉 and the 〈◊〉 â— 3 l. 2. â—t John saith p. 38. l. 6. Matter of l. 10 Ancients l 11. deleâ—â—â— p. 39. l. 3 〈…〉 p. 40. l. 31. shall suffer p. 47. l. 10. qui dixâ—â—unt in corde Non est Deuâ— p. 52. l. 19. of true and proper p. 62 l. â—lâ— as the Gentiles p. 63. l. 1. so their Vertue ib. l. 23. raiseth a Christians p. 70. l. 16. adâ—â—oâ—ish uâ— p. 74 l. 1. Câ—yes p. 82. l. 22 fatnesse of p. 83. l. 9. fountain of light p. 89. l. 16. Behemenisme p. 94 l. 9. pious reverence p. 98. l. 5. and with learned and good Natur'd p. 106. l. 20. not only with the Righteousnesse of Christ imputed but also with the Righteousnesse ib. l. 25. without the assistance p. 114. l. 4. conâ—ects notions l. 28 which we have not yet p. 125. l 19. or it may p. 132. l. 13. cardinall Christian p. 134. l. â— as to set a difference between Gods Glory and our Happinesse why should we not have an Eye to both or why should wee sever p. 135. l. 12. to blesse God p. 145. l. 5. and agrees ib. l. penust the vanity of p. 148. l. 25 dele and p 152. l. 4. consesse iâ— reasonable p. 171. l. 7. son of her Vomes p. 177. l. 23. smiteth and wrongeth l. 24. the day of p. 1â—2 l. 3. Hence is all p 186. l. 31. Whosoever have p. 188. l. 17. Councellors p. 196. l. 8 But yon IN MARGIN Pag 5 l. 26 lege â—â—â—â—itate l. 42. architectum p. 7. l. 4 cum tota p. â—0 l. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 18. Augustines p. 15. l. onâ—ium mortalium p. 22 l. 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 29. l. 6. Salutem l. 7. hoc est p. 40 l. 7. ad Meanam p. 49 l. penult inter prolegâ—menaâ— p. 55. l. 12. ordinata p. 87. l. 15 sola ergo lb. l. 25 fieri coâ—um p. 9â— l. 22 non est dubitandum p 1â—9 l. 17. hac carnâ— p. 152. l. 14. quae istorum ib. l. 16. ingerâ—nt mortem l. 17 18. gaudendum ubi Virtutes ipsâ—e quibus l. 19. pericâ—lorum laborum dolorum taâ—â—o fideliora lestimonâ—a miseriarum p. 153. l. 13. quid esset ib. Sâ—e l. 14. quaesiverunt p. 168. l. 7. coena delectavatur SECTION I. THE FEAR OF GOD in Opposition TO The Atheisme of this present Age commended AND The Pains of Hell represented as the Greatest Evill In three Sermons preach't in the Cathedrall Church at Winchester By R. S. Prebendary there Pietas timore inchoatur Caritate perficitur PSAL. 34.11 Come ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach You the fear of the Lord. I will make no apologie my Christian Auditors for calling You children No man is too good for this compellation but he that is too good to goe to Heaven For our Savior hath affirmed with an Oath that Whosoever doth not receive the Kingdome of God as a little child Mar. 10.15 he shall in no wise enter therein And therefore I shall not alter the Exhortation of the Psalmist either as to the matter or as to the phrase The Matter is profitable and the phrase pathetick Come Ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach You the fear of the Lord. A good confident Demagogue saith the Atheist What! must we be children and must we hearken so diligently and must we be taught and must we be taught by Him And lastly which is worst of all must we be taught to fear and to fear Spirits things that we never saw Must this fear be the fear of a God I observe that in sermons made to our Ancestors the Preachers seldome proposed any argument to prove the existence of God or the need we have to worship and fear him without some such apology as this that though no man was so unreasonable or Ungodly as to deny the Being of a God yet that such discourses were sometimes usefull to Countermine secret and privy suggestions to Atheisme and Irreligion which by our Naturall Corruption and the Devils malice we may receive some damnage by But now the scene is alter'd we need no such Apology The Devill hath improved his Empire Insteed of denying Ungodlinesse we are ready to professe Atheisme and insteed of subduing our lusts we are ready to pamper and cherish them The Enemy hath made his inrode and shall not the Watchman give Notice that every mans blood that prepares him not to his own defence may be upon his own head It is noted by a Judicious divine Prestoâ— in his Serm. of the sensible Demonsiration of a Deity that all that Unevenesse and all those exorbitances that are found in the lives of Men do generally proceed from the weaknesse of the spring because the principles of Religion are not throughly and firmely believed Men for the generallity I speak not now of profess't Atheists will not neglect Religion altogether nor will they make their hearts perfect which God in althings The Reason is because the principles of Religion are in part believed in part not believed They say in their hearts It may be there is a God a Creator a Rewarder a Judgement to come and yet they have so much of Davids fool in them that sometimes they are ready to say in their hearts It may be there is no God Now here is a defect in the root and principle A Watch may as well go without a spring as Man live well in any degree that doth not believe that there is
the councell and designe of his life because he taketh God to be his Refuge And truly my Brethren I think this day is this Scripture fullfilled in your Eares It is to be lamented that there are men among us that professe Atheisme and for want of Wit as I said before to invent new ones are willing to broach again those old Hypotheses against Religion and in their Caballs do slight the commun faith concerning the Being of a God and his being a Rewarder in the world to Come and do gallant it over the Religious man and accuse his life of folly and superstition Yet see the power of Conscience and the just hand of God upon them They fear a fear None are so incredibly fearfull of death and the consequences of Death as they Mr Hobbes is the modern Reviver of that Hypothesis of Aristotle that I but now opposed Sic ab eo dicta sic acta passim testantur v. praefationem ad Dialogum Physicum de Nat. Aeris in Epist ad Sam. Sorberium quod idem de Epicuro notat Cicero cum scil quas res gloriabatur se contemnere Numen Mortem eat animum mortalium maxime formidatum proud and insolent in his assertions And yet he feareth nay he professeth Fear as much as he professeth Atheisme even the fear of Death Which fear can be reasonable on no other account than that of a God and a judgement to come For if there be no punishment of their evil deeds afterwards Death can be no worse estate than that of a perpetuall sleep And so to sleep without fear of Vengeance or judgement to come is certainly a more desireable estate than life when accompanied with pain or grief or with the terrors of Death only This is the condition of these Men while in their idle and foolish speeches they vainly deny God in their spontaneous actions they shew such tokens of Suspicions and fears as do more strongly assert that they are yet afflicted with the Notion of his Existence While in the mean time God is in the generation of the righteous they are professed worshippers of God and fearing him all waies they fear not death at all nor the consequences of it at all but can sing out Triumphantly over that dreadfull Nothing O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory I have one Observation more concerning the Atheists of our Time who broach again those old Hypotheses against Religion That they are ready enough to call to us for demonstrations yet they themselves could never though they have been challenged to shew their skill in that particular I say 't and I say 't again they could never yet forme one tolerable argument to assert the certainty of their own Hypotheses or to destroy our Faith concerning the Being of a God And therefore if they will yet Continue to blaspheme let them after all our demands either give us one argument to prove There is no God or that the world is eternall or that it was made by Chance without the work of God or let them confesse that they have taken up their strange suppositions without Reason and maintain them against Reason and all that with Reluctancy of Mind and with fears and suspicions that the commun judgement is the more true I conclude therefore with Job and Salomon That the fear of the Lord is Wisdome and that to depart from evill is understanding and with my Psalmist That the Wisdome of these Atheists is folly and their strengh weaknesse not able to dissettle the Universall anticipation and catholick Faith of the whole world Which Catholick Faith of the whole world is this as it is mention'd by the author to the Hebrews c. 11. v. 6. That there is a God and that he is the Rewarder of all those that diligently seek Him But besides this catholick commun Notion we have a speciall Faith setled by Miraculous testimonies from Heaven We have the books of Moses and the Prophets Yea and of the Apostles also and so as the author to the Hebrews observes By Faith we know that the world was framed of old by the word of God Heb. 11.12 and therefore We at least that know it by Faith are sure that we have reason to fear and worship God And as for others it is a saying of St Paul that in this time of Unbelief cannot be unseasonable If the Gospell be hid it is hid to those that are lost And so I say if the Notion of a Deity which is the first Article of the Christian as well as of the commun Faith be hid It is hid to those that are lost But I hope safer and better things of you my Christian Auditors and have only used this Discourse to arme you against the Spirit of Atheisme that is now gon abroad in the world And now My Brethren give me leave to draw some advices for You from the consideration of the premisses And the first is to those that are learned and best educated among Us Dicit Cicero Epicurum non Graeciam modo sed Asiam inâ—ò totum terrarum orbem novitate doctrinae concussisse De Fin. That we avoid pride and the ambition of broaching New and Curious learning It was this pride surely that betrayed both Aristotle and Epicurus to their Errors Et Lucretius hinc Epicurum celebrat quod primus exticit Religioms Oppugnator lib. 1. Humana ante oculos faede cum vita jaceret In terris oppressa gravi sub Relligione Quae caput à cocli regionibus ostendebat Horribili super aspectu mortalibus instans Primum Grajus homo mortales tollere contra Est ausus c. ib. For it was in their time lookt upon as an excellence of wit and a great piece of Mastery to be able to maintein a contradiction in any science against the commun and vulgarly received Opinions It is recorded by St Luke Omnis enim Numinis Religio colentibus vitio vertebatur presertim ab Epicureis ceu inutilis superstitiosa nimis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that the Athenians and strangers that liv'd at Athens spent their time in Nothing else but either to tell or to hear some New thing Act. 17. v. 21. By which New thing he meaneth not that which we call News not the Relation of any New Occurrences in affaires of State but some New curiosity in point of learning some New Invention or New argument or method of Reasoning in matters Philosophicall And the desire of some such applause was surely the cause of their broaching these dangerous Hypotheses against God It was then as it is now He who holds the newest and strangest Opinions in Philosophy or Divinity hath allwaies most disciples and is most look't after Non-conforming Scholemasters and Tutors are generally preferred by the Unwise who are many times the major part before those that are lawfull and orthodox For it is true as Seneca observes Nemo admiratur lunam nisi
his Animadversions upon obstinate Offenders as his Mercy in shewing kindnesse to the humble penitent Another objection they flourish from that Axiom of Epicuâ—us Si gravis brevis If say they the punishment be very great it cannot be very durable Because it is inconceivable how the Soul should suffer great pains and not be disunited from the Body by reason of them But my Brethren we must be so modest as to allow many things to be true which yet are not conceivable by us I speak a bold word All the Philosophy in the world old and new can never declare the manner how our Souls that are immateriall can be pain'd by the diseases of our Materiall Bodies But yet we find they are so How then should it be thought that we should be able to explain the manner how the Souls of wicked men shall be enabled to endure the great and eternall pains of Hell when we cannot explain the manner how we become sensible of any thing we now feel We believe also that the Constitutions both of the damned and of the blessed shall be altered For as St Paul saith we know not what we shall bee and we dare affirme as little concerning the Nature of the damned as of the blessed Secondly neither do we know the Nature of the Infernall fire I am sure it was anciently believed to be so farr from destroying the Body of the tormented as to give a kind of Incorruptibility unto it and if you will be contented with the doctrine of the primitive Church I may God willing shew you hereafter that it was the Opinion of the Fathers in Generall that such shall be the fire of Hell and such the constitutions of the damned that they shall be capable of paines eternall and yet very great some difference in their greatnesse there may be some beaten with more and some with fewer stripes but none in their duration The Soul shall suffer pain it self by the immediate hand of God and shall be tortured also by the harsh and discordant Motions of the tormented Body whereunto it shall be most firmly and therefore in that time and place most unhappily united It shall feel its tenement uneasy noisome tempestuous but shall find no divorce no way of separation Nor shall those pains be slight that shall immediately be inflicted on it by an Allmighty power Zealous in the pursuance of his just Revenge It is true those pains would quickly extinguish the life of the tormented were their constitutions then not to differ from ours now But the ancient catholick Faith is otherwise Namely that the passive faculties of the Devils and Wicked Men shall be susteyned eternally or eternally repaired to make these patients eternally miserable Mr Hobbes indeed supplies them with an argument against this Doctrine from that text in the Revelation Leviathan part 4. Cap. 44. where the punishment of the Wicked in Hell is called a second Death Whence he argueth that the Wicked shall dy or be annihilated under that punishment But I hope Mr Hobbes will allow St John to be a fit interpreter of his own words Surely he calls the eternall torment of the wicked in Hell by the name of the second Death For if you compare Rev. 14.10 and Rev. 21.8 you wil find that there is a Lake of Fire and Brimstone prepared that the Unbelieving and abominable shall bee cast into it that the smoke of their torment shall ascend up for ever and ever and in conclusion that this is the second Death We affirme further to conclude the Objections that whereas the fireing of Sodom and Gomorrha is made by St Jude a Type of the fire of Hell that there is no necessity that the Type should agree in every particular with the thing typified but that St Jude is so to be understood that what the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha suffered for their lusts in one day that in Hell they and such as follow their lew'd Waies must undoubtedly suffer to all Eternity I must conclude and the conclusion of my present Discourse shall bee this That we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5.11 and there accordingly as our works have been in the flesh be sentenc'd either to everlasting blessednesse or to this everlasting Misery Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord as St Paul speaks we persuade Men that they would live as men and not as beasts that they would deny Ungodlinesse and worldly lusts Knowing the terror of the Lord we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs steed be ye reconciled unto God Knowing the terrors of the Lord we intreat Men that they would not live unto themselves but unto him that dyed for them and rose again What saith St Paul 1 Cor. 16.11 shall we provoke the Lord to Jealousy are we stronger than He The Judge of Heaven and Earth is a mighty and terrible Judge He spared not his own Son when he found him under the sins of others and will he spare those rebells of his whom he shall surprise Glorying in their sin and shame Are our Muscles Iron or our Membranes brasse Can we break the rod of God or conquer him by suffering all his wrath Can we fly from it or have we my Brethren any Fence against it Whether shall we go from his Spirit or whether shall we flee from his presence If we climb up to Heaven He is there and if we make our Bed in Hell he is there also He is even in Hell to be a consuming fire to the wicked If we say the darknesse shall cover us the darknesse hideth not from him Psalm 139.7 8. What then Can we as the three children did walk in the firie furnace and be untoucht Can we dwell with devouring fire or lye everlastingly in beds of flaming Sulphur and be contented with that condition If we Can neither endure the Wrath of God nor have any defence against it nor can fly from the effects of it there remains only that We use such Caution and live so in these few dayes of our try all here that we may escape that place of torment whereas our Savior hath declared the Worme shall Never dye and the fire Never shall be quenched Oh that there were such a heart in Us that we might fear God and keep his commandments allwaies for then it should be well with us for ever I should now have shewed you that what I have spoken concerning the greatnesse and Eternity of hell torments was the Constant sense of the ancient Catholick Church and comes not from my private interpretation of the holy Scripture But I must leave that argument and the conclusion of this whole discourse untill some other Opportunity Gloria Trinuni Deo SERM. III. PSAL. 34.11 Come ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach You the fear of the Lord. IN my last discourse from this Text I affirmed two
things of the pains of Hell that they shall be great and that they shall be eternall a good argument I thought to move us to fear Him who hath power to cast us thither and an immutable wil or decree to give every man reward or punishment according to the merit of his life I then also gave an answer to the Objections of our moderne Platonists to Mr Hobbes also and the Socinians who deny the pains of Hell to be eternall Wicked Ahab confess 't 1 Kings c. ult â— v. 8. that he hated Micaiah because He did not prophesy good concerning Him John 8.40 but evill and our Savior found that he procured himself a mortall hatred among the Jewes because he told them the truth Some truths are so ingratefull to the Ear that they cannot be insinuated without great danger of procuring an aversation to the relator Felix did not love to hear of Judgement to come Acts. 24 25. more unhappy He more unlike to justify his name And I fear that some do so ill like the severe and necessary Truths concerning that last judgement and the consequences of it that I as your spirituall Scholemaster have proposed from this text that they will be censured by them as the dictates of a tetricall Orbilius of a sharpe and cruell Master Memini quae plagosus mihi parvo Orbilius dictaret Horat. I affirme therefore to countenance them yet further and to plant them upon their right foundation that they are not mine but the resolutions of the ancient Catholick Church It is true this Doctrine hath its considerable opposers and so have all other doctrines of the Christian Faith But since this text looks upon you my Auditors and all true professors of Religion as children the phrase is come Ye children and hearken unto me Be so humble as to own the Discipline you are under Submit your selves to the paedagogick Rules of your Schole For he cannot be Christs Scholar that is too proud to admit them One good Rule for the resolving all such difficulties and sopiting all such differences is this That if there be a controversy concerning the sense of a Scripture and the Fathers of the primitive Church that lived next after Christ and his Apostles have unanimously determined the sense of that Scripture and have made that determination professedly and not by the by Every one of Christs Scholars must have humility enough to submit unto it For they being neerer the fountain were more like to have the truth brought incorruptly to them than we that are so far remov'd to us And having told you this for a Rule so equitable that I think it will merit not to be contradicted I shall tell you further that the primitive Fathers did maturely debate and consider this controversy and the Texts alledged on both sides concerning it both in their publick councills and in their private studies and have declared for the greatnesse and Eternity of Hell torments against that which was anciently Origens Opinion and is now renewed by some moderne Socinians and Atheists Seeing therefore the Eternity of these Torments hath been anciently matters of contradiction and continues so to be unto this day I think it reasonable for me to give you a further confirmation of their Eternity from the Testimonies arguments and reasons of these Reverent ancients and Primitive Fathers in our Religion As St Augustine whom for the reputation of his authority I first produce in his exposition on those words of our Savior August ad Oros contra Priscill Origen cap. 6. Math. 25.46 The wicked shal go into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life everlasting observes that the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is there put to expresse the duration of the punishment of the wicked in Hell and the eternall life of the glorified in Heaven And having laid that for a ground he argueth thus if the consideration of the mercy of God provoketh us to believe that the punishment of the wicked in Hell shall have an end what must we consequently believe concerning the reward of the righteous when on both sides in the same text and with the same word they are alike pronounced to be eternall This argument is frequently used by other Fathers August De Civit Dei c. 23. and by St Augustine himself in other places So in his book de Civitate Dei he telleth those who oppose the Eternity of Hell Torments that if they will have a temporary punishment in Hell they must likewise have a temporary reward in Heaven our Saviors epithete being the same to both The Translators of the Bible were surely guilty of a little oversight when they varied the Epithete in that Text which is the same without variation in the Originall There are texts wherein the variation of a word or phrase may be usefull by Way of Paraphrase to let in light to the sense but here in respect to this Controversy Verbum verbo curâsset reddere fiâ—â—us Interpres The Interpreter should have been strict and have rendred the Text word for word For it is the Identity of the Epithete applied equally to both that maketh St Augustines argument unanswerable And St Augustine building upon that Identity of Duration mention'd there urgeth the absurdity Can you saith he think such exposition true in the later part Can you think it credible that the Righteous may relapse from that excellent and glorious purity they enjoy in Heaven and fall thence into the filth of sin again and into its wages Death and then he asserts that if it be absurd and false to affirme an End of glory and purity in Heaven it must be equally absurd and false to affirme an End of pains in Hell because the same Adjective in the same verse is applied to both Another argument He draweth out of the prophesy of Esay What saith he August ad Oros contra Priscill Origen c. 6. shall we answer to the words of that Prophet Their Worme shall not dye and their fire shall not be quenched Whatsoever kind of punishment is understood by their worme and their fire if it shall neither dye nor be extinguished it is declared to be eternall and I told you in my last discourse that he opposeth also that subtile and slender defence August de Fide Operib that some did then and do now make who allow the Fire to be eternall but not the burning of the Individuall persons cast into it This my Brethren is St Augustines doctrine and I am sure his advice is as safe as his doctrine is true namely Augustin de Civit Dei lib. 21. c. 23. that those who would be free from this eternall punishment should rather spend their time in doeing Gods will than in framing arguments and distinctions against his word Next I produce St Basil as a principall Authority among the Greek Fathers Basil ad Virgin lapsam tom 3. pag. 18. He telleth us that the
Joies of Heaven are such as cannot be described in words seeing they are such as Eye hath not seen non Ear heard so neither shall the pains in the lise to come be like those that we now feel The fire shall not be like our fire for ours may be extinguish't that cannot Nor shall that worme be of the kind of our earthy Vermine For they dye but that dyeth not And truly I never heard that it was censured as Heresy I am sure it was not the Heresy of Origen to assert the Seripturall expressions concerning the pains of Hell Metaphoricall What it was is declared in this discourse and St German and Photius two great Patriarchs have anciently written his defence V. Elogia in Nyssenum in prolegomena ad ejusdem opera ex editione Claudii Morelli Parisiis 1638. So neither is it possible that our present flesh and blood should be able without a change of its Nature to inherit or endure the kingdome of Satan And if there must be a change of this corruptible Nature before it can be capacitated to suffer those everlasting Torments possibly there must also be a change in our earthy Natures before we shall be able perfectly to understand them We read that upon the delivery of the law of Moses Exod. 24.17 that the sight of the Glory of the Lord was like devouring Fire upon the Top of the mount And that then the People saw the thundrings and lightnings and the noise of the Trumpet and the mountain smoking And he professed Himself then to be a consuming Fire Deut. 4.23 Believe me my Brethren or if ye will not believe me believe the Author to the Hebrews who telleth us that even under the Gospell our God is also a consuming Fire And it is as I formerly noted the Observation of the Psalmist That if we make our Bed in Hell God is there also God is there and he will shew himself a consuming fire in the midst of those Flames Though Heaven be the Throne and place of Gods presence yet God is in Hell as certainly and as effectually as he is in Heaven And the wicked together with the good Company they hope for shall be sure to find Him there disposing of that good Company so that they shall not bee able to clude the Vindictive Wrath of God or any way to alleviate one anothers punishment God I say who is the luster of a shining Glory in the new Jerusalem with his presence doth also fill that Tophet that he hath prepared You remember that the same God that was light and Glory to the children of Israel was a cloud and pillar of darkenesse and trouble to the Egyptians Exod. 14. and so shall the same God be light to the Just and a cause of Horror to the wicked after the resurrection How much of the Torment shall be inflicted on the damned immediately by himself as he is God the consuming fire He only knoweth and God grant that by his grace we may so live that by our own wofull experience we may never know it I am sure it is a good inference that the Apostle makes from this Consideration Heb. 12. ult Let us saith he have the Grace to serve God with Reverence and godly fear as we read it or as the ancients read it with Reverence and fear of punishment For our God is a Consuming Fire And thus much have I spoken to commend unto you that Initiall fear that is the way to Vertue and the beginning of Wisdome I speak not of this as of the highest attainment in Religion I know there is an estate of so great perfection as to be above fear and that is the estate of perfect love For perfect love casts out fear 1 John 4.18 I wish we were but well setled within the Bordures of Religion Not is a Man to be denied his Sonship and Interest in God the Father if he be really religious though he be not arrived so high as that perfect love which casts out fear Solomon assureth us that there is a blessednesse that belongs to the man that feareth allwaies Prov. 28 14. and St Paul adviseth us to work out our salvation with Fear and Trembling Phil. 2.12 And therefore I cannot alltogether approve the Rule of the Schools that saith that Timor filialis non respicit Deum tanquam Principium inflictivum paenarum Filiall fear looks not upon God as the cause of Punishment For the best of us though Children must confesse that we have been dissobedient children Joseph feared especially the evill of sin when he resisted his lustfull Mistresse with that Expostulation Gen. 29.9 How shall I do this wickednesse and sin against God but it is not said that He did not fear the Punishment of that sin also To fear God is to honor and sanctify Him so the Prophet Esay adviseth Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself How is that to be done Why it follows let him be your fear let him be your dread Esay 8.13 When we fear him and punishment by Him we think honorably of his power and of his justice And thus as Solomon observeth Prov. 19.23 The fear of the Lordtendeth to life And though the perfection of Holinesse implieth more yet as St Paul noteth we do not come to that perfection we do not perfect that holinesse but by the fear of the Lord. 2 Cor. 7.11 He that feareth God dares do no Evill and whether he feareth sin as sin or whether he feareth the punishment of God upon his sin the least and lowest of these fears causeth a man to abstain from evill and is the way to life that we are commanded to walk in And let me give it this further commendation that it doth not only cause our Obedience in other things but we shew our Obedience even in this when we fear God And therefore we are doubly to blame if we do not cherish this Fear that is in the first place commanded by God himselfe and so our Duty secondly that containeth in it such an honor of God and such an estimation of his power and justice as will be a motive to lead us to holinesse here and consequently to eternall happinesse hereafter And now I have done I tell you that I am not at all delighted with this argument and I had rather if there were cause have been commending unto you that other fear of God that filial fear which indeed hath little of true and proper fear in it I mean that I had rather have been preaching unto you the joyfull Tokens of your assurance in order to the perfecting your love in God But alasse I find too much reason to be still upon these Initiall lessons And My Brethren you must not be angry with the watch for giving you these Alarmes untill they find you more apprehensive It is most certainly true that where there is no fear of God there is no true stable and well grounded Vertue What a Conclusion was that of Abraham
Gen. 20.11 The fear of God is not in this place therefore will they slay me for my wives sake Abraham knew this that where Naturall lust hath extinguished the fear of God there is no bar against Adultery Murder or any sort of Wickednesse For want of this fear proud and lustfull Men will be ready to poyson or make away the husband that they may enjoy I mean abuse the Wife Oh may it not be said of us for these or the like Reasons That the fear of the Lord is not in this place Abimelech in the day of doom shall appear to be the son of Abraham and our profession of Religion shall encrease our shame and torment if we dare those wickednesses that Abimelech durst not Beauty was Beauty then The Beauty of Sarah had took him and he had took possession of the Beauty and surely she was as neer being made a Sacrifice of another kind as her Son Isaak afterwards was when he lay bound upon the Altar But Abimelech though a Gentile when he knew she was Abrahams wife he would not rob Abraham much lesse would he slay Abraham for his wives sake If it be otherwise with us shall not his Nature judge our Religion and his Gentilisme condemn our pretences of Christianity Hominum pessimus malus Christianus He that is vicious being a Christian is even the worse for his profession Eternally true is that observation of David Psalm 19. The fear of the Lord is clean surely the want of this fear as it is a Nationall defect and cause of much Nationall sin doth call for penitentiall prayers and teares from every Soul that is a lover of his Nation Now is the time that every devout man should be as the Prophet Jeremy should wish his head Water and his Eyes fountains that he might weep day and night for the sins of the daughter of his people Surely it is time the Trumpet were now blown to some solemne pennance Let us at least that are Priests and Ministers of the Lord weep in our severall places Let us stand between the porch and the altar and say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thy Heritage to reproach Joel 2.17 Let us all Men of high degree and men of low degree joyn with that Royall penitent Psal 51. and pray that God would wash us even this whole Nation throughly from our wickednesse and cleanse us from our sin Make us clean hearts O God and renew right Spirits within us Cast us not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from us And then let us adde endeavors to our prayers Let us gird up the loins of our Minds and encourage our selves against all Vice What though ill men sometimes come to be favored and preferred What though the fear of God and his judgement with some sorts of Men is now grown out of fashion The councell of King Salomon will eventually prove as good as it is now seasonable Prov. 23.17 Let not thy heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long for surely there is an End and thine Expectation shall not be cut off The Contempt of Religion hath been an old distemper in the world and the prosperity of profane Men an old scandall There is nothing yet extraordinary hath hapned to us There were stout Hectors in Malachi's time that said It was in vain to serve God and that there was no profit to have kept his Ordinance That the proud were happy and that the workers of wickednesse were set up and those that even tempted God were delivered Let us consider therefore what wise and good Men anciently did in that Case the Prophet tels you Mal. 3.16 That then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it And a book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day that I make up my Jewels I will spare them as a Man spareth his Son that serveth Him Oh that the great God whose last appearance shall melt down the Flinty mountains would now melt down our flinty hearts and make them new and cleanse and polish them so that in that day he may own his own workmanship and place us even us his new Creation in some darke place at least among those Jewels To that great God who is maker of all things and Judge and Rewarder of all men and to the Lord our Righteousnesse whose merits must be our only plea in that dreadfull day of Judgement and to the Spirit of Holinesse who by appearing in us and for us can only make us accepted by giving us a Title to plead those Merits to the whole Holy and ever blessed Trinity in Unity be Glory Honor and Adoration for Evermore FINIS SECTION II. CELESTIALL HAPPINESSE OR The Rewards of Religion in the future life Explained confirmed and commended as the cheifest Good In four Sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church at Winchester By R. S. LL. D. c. He that cometh unto God must beleive that he is and that he is a Rewarder of all those who diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 IN felicitate aeternâ Civitatis Dei Sabbatoque perpetuo vacabimus videbimus videbimus amabimus Amabimus laudabimus Ecce quid erit in Fine sine fine Nam quis alius noster finis est quam pervenire ad Regnum cujus nullus est Finis Augustin in conclusione lib ult de Civitate Dei We beleive O Lord that thou shalt come to be our Judge Make us to be numbred with thy Saints in Glory everlasting SERM. I. Of Happinesse in Heaven PSAL. 16.11 In thy presence is fullnesse of Joy at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore IT is the commun and uniforme judgement of all mankind a truth universally received without any contradiction that to live without greif in an estate of Joy and Happinesse is the confessed Interest and to it is the innate desire of every man as Man Now which will ease us of a laborious defence of this conclusion as the mind of man can never be so much debauch't as not to propose its own Happinesse and delight for the end of all its deliberate Actions so neither can it be without the sense of this its Aim but upon examination will ever rest more undoubtedly satisfied of its own passionate affection to happinesse than of any other thing that it comes to understand by the sight of the Eye the Tast of the Palate or the perception of any other the most infallible externall sense And therefore Philosophers who have made it their buisnesse to understand human Nature have thought it enough to intimate and forbid the proof of this point because it is allready by every one confess 't No Notion more commun or more generally anticipated So that it is agreed by all Omne animal simulatque natum
us And it was by obeying these Notices that the Heathens are said by St Paul Rom. 2.14 to have done by nature the things that were written in the Law Plato telleth us that God hath diverse sorts of Laws and among the rest that one is Lex humana nostris insculpta mentibus ad veri rectique notitiam affectum It is the Law of human reason wrought and engraven in our minds to forme a knowledge and love of Truth and Right This being laid down as a ground they discoursed further that men ought not to think that these naturall notices were to no purpose imprinted on them by the author of their Natures But seeing they were most proper to direct Vertuous actions they argued that God had appointed them for that End even as he had appointed the Eye to see and the Ear to hear which were only proper for those services and consequently that wicked men crosse the purposes and designes of God and displease him when they make no use at all of those Dictates of Conscience or use them not to the right End and that they must expect to suffer the effects of that displeasure For it was not without reason presumed that to have these Notices obeyed was the pleasure of God who planted them in our Natures and that those pleased him most who obeyed him most in doeing as they directed and that either in this life or in the next they should find the benefit of their Obedience and the wicked the Reward of their Dissobedience tamblic de vitâ Pyth. c. 18. All beings shew their kindnesse where they love saith Pythagoras and God consequently And therefore he and his Schole allwayes concluded that wise Men will apply themselves to do the things that please God and that in hope of a Reward For even the Gentiles beleived that there was a God and that he was a Rewarder of all those that diligently seek Him According to the style of the Apostle Heb. 11.6 If it be askt what do we more than this what advantage then hath the Christian and what profit is there of the Gospell of Christ I answer as St Paul did Rom. 3.2 Much every way chiefly because that to us are committed the Oracles of God We grant that their Notices were pretty explicite that directed what actions were good and what evill Yet their thoughts concerning a Reward though they beleived it in the generall were very confused various doubtfull They saw that in this world good men were often oppress 't and that worse than they govern'd and bare Rule over them This made them resolve that the great and full reward of Vertuous actions was to bee expected in another World But their conceits concerning that other world were so uncertain and their Traditions upon which these conceits were built became at last so mixt with fables that they came to be esteemed but Poeticall Phansyes Heaven was metamorphos'd into the Elysian Fields and the Tales of Styx and Acharon confounded the True Notion of Hell insomuch that little remained of the old Faith and Tradition uniformly consented to more than this That there were Notions in us competently sufficient to direct our Practice That there was a God who made us and planted these Notions in us and that this God was a Rewarder Here then is our advantage The Gentiles they had their Altars erected to an Unknown God Act. 17.23 So then Vertue aimed at an unknown Reward What the best and most considering persons among them conceived confusedly and beleived uncertainly That the holy Gospell to us Christians proposeth distinctly and confirmeth surely And though the Glory and Happinesse which the blessed shall enjoy in Heaven be so great that as St Paul observeth Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor understanding comprehended it yet as the same St Paul observeth 1 Cor. 2.10 God hath reveled it to us by his Spirit He hath shewed us what is the condition of that estate at least so far forth as our earthy natures were capable to understand it And truly it is but necessary for us to be frequent in the contemplation of that happinesse that God hath provided for such as serve him For the Race that is set before us is to be run not without our labors and endeavor And it is the value of the prize that must encourage us to be temperate and strive in it King David though reported in holy Scripture to have been a Man after Gods own heart yet professeth of himselfe that he had utterly fainted but that he beleived verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. And St Paul observeth that it is onely and singly this Hope of Heaven that easeth a Christians life from being of all lives the most miserable to be of all lives the most happy 1. Cor. 15.19 Nor was his consideration of the Recompense of Reward thought either unlawfull or superfluous by Abraham or Moses or our blessed Savior Great were the Joyes that were set before them and great even the same great Delights are set before Us. The most searching wit cannot conceive greater For these are the greatest possible nay we cannot conceive these adequately because they are so great Now that I may not wander too much when I treat of so infinite a Theme I shall designedly confine my present discourse to some few Texts and chiefly to the last verse of the sixteenth Psalm Where the Prophet concludeth that in the Kingdome of Heaven or which is all one in the presence of God there is fullnesse of Joy and at his right hand there are Pleasures for evermore This Psalme is entitled by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A piece of Davids Sculpture or engraving As our best Poets chuse to have some greater acumen somewhat more excellent and strong for wit and sense in the Closure of their Poems So in the last line of this Psalme in the Bottome of this piece of Sculpture there is engraved in small a good lively Image of Heaven or of that which maketh Heaven to be such Celestiall Happinesse This Urania is a fit piece for every divine Lover and courtier to cast both his Eyes upon And therefore while I discourse to You on this subject to rectify my meditations I shall frequently cast mine Eye upon this very little but very fine piece of the Royall Engraver I layd down in the beginning these undeniable and confessed Grounds First that every man desireth to live without greif in an estate of joy and happinesse Secondly that every wise man desireth the greater Happinesse before the lesse I shewed by the by the Opinions of Heathen Men that Happinesse was no otherwise attainable but by Vertue and the endeavor of Pleasing God But now I assume which I intend for the Argument of this Discourse That in Heaven in his own presence God hath provided for Vertuous men an estate of happinesse that is in all respects the greatest that
God hath prepared for those that wait upon Him St John telleth us 1 John 3.2 that it does not yet appear what we shall bee but this we know that when our Lord Christ shall appear wee shall be like unto Him He shall change our vile body and make it like unto his own glorious body according to that mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself There is another doubt also objected from that Parathesis or addition of St Paul But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit For how can it be said that the things that God hath prepared for his servants have not entred into the heart of Man when Christians are men and it is added that God hath revealed them to us Christians by his Spirit This parathesis therefore must be justly not strictly interpreted For it is true that God hath revealed them now much more than formerly He hath revealed them by his Spirit but he hath not revealed them fully not so that St Paul himself could while he lived here adequately conceive the Nature of those heavenly Glories It is most true that since our Saviour preacht the doctrine of the new Testament and since the gift of the Spirit which hath raised Man above his Nature and since the Transfiguration resurrection and Ascention of Christ which are patternes of what shall happen to all Gods servants Now the existence of the future state of Glory is more fully confirmed and its nature much better understood than it was by those who lived in the former Ages when they had no light but from the letter of Moses whose writings were darke in this point or from the Prophets or from the more uncertain Faith and Tradition of the Gentiles And yet notwithstanding the great advancement of our knowledge in this particular It is not so advanc't as to render this text untrue it is not so advanc't as that we may persectly know them For his Rapture into the third Heaven taught St Paul himself that those Joyes are yet unspeakeable and that Humane Nature is yet uncapable adequately to conceive them They are so great that Eye hath not seen them Ear hath not heard them nor have they ever so enter'd into the heart of Man as to be perfectly and fully conceived by Him When our Savior was taken up into Heaven from amidst his disciples in Mount Olivet Act. 1. and a Cloud had received him out of their sight they continued still stedfastly looking towards Heaven but were reproved by the Angels in these Words Ye men of Galilee why stand you gazing up into Heaven Words my Brethren that we may nost properly apply to the present figure of our own thoughts we have been looking not towards Heaven only but upon Heaven it self untill in the midst of our gazing we have lost it Only we cannot so properly say that a Cloud as that a sun-beame or at least a very bright Cloud hath received it out of our sight For we find that Heaven is so wrapt up in its own glory that there is no perfect entrance left to the Eye of our understanding Let us therefore apply to our selves that Angelicall advice and stand no more gazing into Heaven It is proper for us in this case to do as the disciples did to hast away to our upper Roomes First to our prayers then to our work But for our Encouragement we may cast an Eye upon the great Reward that God hath provided for us We may consider so much of Heaven as is revealeable to us and beleive further and expect beyond all that those incomprehensible Glories that are to be enjoy'd with Christ above Nay let us beleive and give thanks for it that there are joyes prepared for us that are not now revealeable and though we can forme no Idea or conceit of them yet let us rejoice and give thanks unto God that there are joyes prepared for us and for all Religious and good Men with us of which we can forme no Idea Christ hath merited this beleif of the world that we should think him able to performe his promises to raise us from the dead and to glorify us with that glory which I have endeavor'd to describe but have been oppress 't in my endeavor by the weight of my undertaking finding the excellent glory and happinesse of that Estate to be incomprehensible and ineffable He that raised Jairus his daughter and the Widdowes son and Lazarus and which is most of all himself from the dead whatsoever Atheists may speak of the Incredibility of that Resurrection shall certainly raise us also I hope by Gods help to give you an account of the Reasonablenesse of the Christian faith in that article at some other time But we that professe Religion professe to believe our Resurrection as certainly as we believe our death I know that my redeemer liveth saith Job Job 19.25 26. and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin wormes destroy this Body yet in my flesh shall I sce God c. And I know saith Martha that my Brother shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day John 11.24 I shall now adde but one advice more which is this that as we have Evangelicall expectations so we should take the Evangelicall directions that we would endeavour to rise to newnesse of life here that we may rise to eternall Glory hereafter Let the Doctrine of our Resurrection to eternall life have its perfect work so the full belief and actuall consideration of this one Article of eternall life or eternall misery to come may by the grace of God minister to us Christians in giving obedience to our Lord that which we sometimes complain so much for the want of even a power to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth There is no Duty saith Dr Jackson whereunto the belief of this eternall Reward doth not enable and bind us If we do not live in some measure agreeable to our profession and the hopes of our profession we shall be in the End condemned by it and in the mean time we betray it openly that there is now a defect in that principle that should be within us or in the excercise of that Principle that is we believe not or we consider not For what saith St John every one that hath this hope purifieth Himself even as God is pure 1 John 3.3 And therefore he that doth not purify Himself He is but a pretender to this Hope He hath it not at all well grounded in Him or at least he hath it not in actuall excercise and Employment For if there be such a Hope unlesse it be very sleepy if it be a lively and a quick Hope it must be the spring of a Christians joy and glory in comparison of which He will contemn all the Riches all the Honors all the Pleasures of this world as drosse and dung And there is reason for this
longer she submitted to the misfortune of her condition and went with the whole company of her neighbors to see him interr'd with decency and kindnesse He stayed till his corps was brought to the very grave without the Gates of the Citty to the Golgotha or commun place of sepulture there When the case was thus desperate and every one was concern'd for the irreparable losse of the poor Widdow He thought it then a fit time to comply with the commun pitty and therefore he met the Widdow in her Tears he had compassion on her He said unto her Weep not he touched the Beer and he spake those powerfull Words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 young man arise and he that was dead sate up and he delivered him to his Mother This was confess 't to be the hand of God to be a great Miracle It was life from the dead to the Son and little lesse to the but now disconsolate now wonderfully rejoiceing Mother A greater miracle intended also to confirme the same Truth was that of Lazarus A work so great that the same Father taketh notice that our Lord led his Disciples to Galilee on purpose that they might see it and by it be instructed in the Mystery of the Resurrection It is recorded by St John that when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick He abode still two dayes in the place where he was But when he was departed our Lord spake thus to his Disciples Lazarus is dead and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there that you may believe and therefore he took the Disciples with Him and went to Bethany and when he came there he preach't the Resurrection I am saith he the Resurrection and the life whosoever believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live c. And in processe to prove his Doctrine Jesus when he was come to the grave bids them take away the stone John 11. Martha opposeth it alledging that certainly now the Corps lay in stench and putrefaction and by reason of that it was not to bee endured that Christ should come neer the Tombe Vide Nyssenum ubi supra He had been dead 4 dayes and therefore it was not to be doubted that the Cadaverous ferment had swell'd the Body and that there had been a considerable progresse made in the Putrefaction But she had but a rebuke for her care and our Savior after a prayer to God speaks those powerfull words Lazarus come forth And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with his grave cloathes c. This was a great Demonstration that the power of giving a Resurrection to our putrified Bodies lay in Him when he was able to crosse Nature in her Operation and to compell her to restore that to life that was not only dead as in the other instances of Jairus and the Widdows son but lying in the midst of its putrescency diffluency and stench There is but one thing that the most cautious and diffident persons could wish to be added to make the Demonstration beyond Exception and this our Savior was aware of you will saith he surely say unto me this Proverb Physitian heal thy self Luke 4.23 Thou that raisest others raise thy self also Wee will destroy this Temple of your Body and if as you say you can raise that in three daies we will desire no further Argument we will not any longer be diffident nor faithlesse but we will believe that you are as you say the Son of God and that you will raise the Bodies and glorify the Souls of all that believe and obey the Gospell that you Preach There were some unbelieving Scoffers that tenderd their faith upon a slighter condition though they thought even that Impossible For while he was yet alive they made him this offer Let him but now come down from the Crosse and we will believe But he had a Miracle to do much greater than that and He must dy upon the crosse that he might be able to performe it He dyed therefore and rose again and by his Resurrection he gave the last fullest proof of his victory over death and his power to performe his promise in raising the dead universally at the last day This last Miracle convinc'd the most incredulous even cautious and diffident St Thomas When he saw with his Eyes that his Lord was risen indeed John 20.25 the same Lord that he had before seen crucified dead and buried when he saw the print of the nails that had fixt him to the crosse and the hole or Gash in his side that was given him by the Souldiers spear there was nothing left to shelter his diffidence or unbelief Let no man therefore after all these Miracles especially this last and greatest of Christs raising up himself doubt of the power of our Lord or of his faithfullnesse in raising of us all He is both able and faithfull that promised So St Paul expostulates if Christ be raised from the dead how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead 1 Cor. 15.12 He spake to Jairus his daughter but a word or two Talitha Cumi and she arose from the dead and no more to the said widdows Son but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 young man arise and he arose and no more to Lazarus but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lazarus come forth Neither the bonds of death nor the diffluence and putrefaction of his corps nor those other bonds by which in the Grave he was tyed hand and foot could hinder his obedience to the over-ruling power of this Command Now at the last day the word shall not be to one Damosell or one young Man or to one Lazarus but to the whole Body of Mankind The word shall be RISE ALL and the manner is thus described When the number of the Elect shall be fullfilled and every man shall be born into the World that God hath appointed to Glorify and when that time shall be fully come the knowledge of which God hath reserved to himself then the Lord Christ shall descend from Heaven with a shout and with the voice of an Archangell and with the Trump of God That Trumpet shall sound to the Bottome of the Sea 1 Thess 4.16 and to the Center of the Earth and shall strike every atome of the whole universe and our dissolved Bodies in particular into those severall places and stations that God hath appointed them to fill in the state of the Resurrection And when the command and warning is thus general the Resurrection shall be so too even as when his command was particular to Lazarus and the rest the Resurrection was particular also What though our Bodies should be burnt to ashes and those ashes scatter'd into the Rivers or the Sea as by persecuting Princes in despight of the Christians God sometimes they have been What though they should be devoured by Canniballs or by the beasts of the field or the fouls of the Air or
therefore in the very words of our Office in the holy communion Let us lift up our hearts and give thanks to our Lord God For it is meet and right and our bounden duty that we should in all times and in all places give thanks unto thee O Lord holy father All mighty and everlasting God But cheifly are we bound to praise thee for the glorious Resurrection of thy son Jesus Christ our Lord who by his death hath destroied death and by his Rising again to life hath restored us to everlasting life Therefore with the Angels and Arch-angels and all the company of Heaven we laud and magnify thy glorious name evermore praising thee and saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high Amen FINES COMPARATI THE AIMES of Philosophicall Vulgar Wits Compared vvith the Ends of Religion and Vertue That which is Crooked cannot be made strait and that which is wanting cannot be numbred Eccles 1.15 1 Cor. 1.20 21 22 23. VVhere is the VVise VVhere is the scribe VVhere is the Disputer of this VVorld Hath not God made foolish the VVisdome of this VVorld For after that in the VVisdome of God the world by VVisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe For the Jewes require a sign and the Greeks seek after VVisdome But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jewes a stumbling-block and unto the Greeks foolishnesse But unto them that are called Jewes and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God To which adde the 6th and 7th verses of the following chapter We speak wisdome among them that are perfect yet not the Wisdome of this world or of the princes of this world that come to nought But we speak the wisdome of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdome which God ordained before the world to our Glory WHen I have been sometimes considering upon what slight grounds diverse learned Men have undervalued Religion and the Hopes of Immortality and Glory and that many vulgar Wits have done the same and that neither the learned Philosophers nor the carnally-minded and worldly men Both Philosophical and vulgar Wits vain in the choice of their ends have gotten any thing considerable in exchange or indeed have any thing in comparison to boast of I could not but apply to these two differences the high and Philosophicall and the low and vulgar Wits that saying of the Psalmist applyed by Him to the different states of Men. Psalm 62. Surely the Wits of high degree are Vanity and those of low degree are a lye to be laid in a Balance they are both together lighter than Vanity For I shall easily make it appear that the Wise man or Philosopher when he hath exalted himself against God He hath made himself a fool and that he hath no more Reason to glory of his Wisdome Jer. 9.23 than the Rich man hath of his Riches or the Voluptuous Man of his pleasure and that neither of them have any cause to Glory He that glories against Religion holds up his Weapons against God and he shall prosper accordingly Give me therefore your favor and patience and I shall consider them all the high and the low the Wise man and the fool as they have opposed the most perfect wisdome which however sometimes despised I shall plainly demonstrate to bee the VVisdome of Religion The Philosophers have ever been apt to soar too high and to towr aloft beyond their senses The vulgar have ever been as apt to sink too low so that their senses are communly drowned in the Enjoyments of this world We will not disparage Philosophy so much as not to consider it in the first Place And therefore I have chosen to present you a Landscape where you have our great Apostle represented as taking a Review of his Opponents at Athens who were the Philosophers in generall and among them if we distinguish particularly the Epicureans and the Stoicks And upon this full Review of the Opposition he had on the one side and of the power strength and successe of his Gospell on the other I conceive Him as it were venting both his Pitty and his Indignation in the words of this Text Where is the VVise Where is the the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this World hath not God made foolish the Wisdome of this World c. This Epistle was written to the Christians in Achaia Corinth as all know was the Metropolis in that Province insomuch that when the Apostle mentions the readinesse of of the Corinthians his phrase is that all Achaia was ready a year ago Athens was another lesser Citty in the same province but renownd for the Academy that was held there by the Philosophers And I am of Opinion that this Text reflects on somewhat that happen'd to St Paul at Athens Argumentum l. 5. Tuscul Quaestionum illud est Virtutem ad beatè vivenduÌ„ seipsâ esse contentam ubi sanctum illud augustúmque ut vocat Platonis fontem aperit Cui viro ex se apta sunt omnia quae ad beate vivenduÌ„ ferunt huic optime vivendi ratio comparata est Neque enim laetabitur unquam aut maerebit nimis Quod semper in seipso omnem spem reponet sui Et inter paradoxa defendit Cicero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nemo potest non esle beatissimus inquit qui est totus aptus ex se quique in se uno sua ponit omnia Contentus sis temet ipso ex te nascentibus bonis Sen. Epist. 20. Stoicus putat Deum ad sapienteum sic dicere Non egere felicitate felicitas vestra est Est quo Deum antecedatis Ille extra patâ—entiam malorum est vos supra patientiam Contemnite mortem quae vos aut finit aut transfert Ante omnia cautum est ne quis vos teneret invitos Nihil facilius quam mori c. Sen. de Providentia cap. 6. Solcbat Sextius dicere Jovem plus non posse quam Virum bonum Deus non vincis sapientiam felicitate etiamsi vincit aetate Non est Virtus major quae longior c. Epist 73. epist 5.3 Est aliquod inquit Seneca quo sapiens antecedat Deum Ille naturae beneficio non suo sapiens est Ecce res magna habere imbecillitatem hominis securitatem Dei. Et epist 31. Hoc est summum bonum quod si occupas incipis Deorum socius esse non supplex Vox Stoici non intercedam apud Deum ut sapiens plenus gaudio hilaris inconcussus sim ita Horatius Aequum animum mihi ipse parabo For as he disputed against the superstition of that place and preach't the Christian doctrine certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoicks encountred Him abused Him called him names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 babler that is one that makes a great noise and