never so great enemies of God until it appear as demonstrably to us as it did to those Israelites that it was the will of God they should be so dealt with and he that thinks it necessary to shed the blood of every enemy of God whom his censorious faculty hath found guilty of that charge that is all for the fire from Heaven though it be upon the Samaritans the not receivers of Christ is but as the Rabbies call him sometimes one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sons of blouds in the plural number and sons of fire yea and like the Disciples in my Text Boanerges sons of thunder far enough from the soft temper that Christ left them Ye know not what kind of spirit ye are of In the next place Elias Spirit was a Prophetick Spirit whose dictates were not the issue of discourse and reason but impulsions from Heaven The Prophetick writings were not saith S. Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I conceive in an agonistick sense of their own starting or incitation as they were moved or prompted by themselves but as it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they were carried by the Holy Ghost not as they were led but carried when the Lord speaks who can but Prophecy And so likewise are the actions Prophetick many things that are recorded to be done by Prophets in Scripture they proceed from some peculiar incitations of God I mean not from the ordinary or extraordinary general or special direction or influence of his grace cooperating with the Word as in the breast of every regenerate man for the Spirit of Sanctification and the Spirit of Prophecy are very distant things but from the extraordinary revelation of God's Will many times against the setled rule of duty acted and animated not as a living creature by a Soul but mov'd as an outward impellent a sphear by an intelligence and that frequently into eccentrical and planetary motions so that they were no further justifiable than that prophetick calling to that particular enterprize will avow Consequent to which is that because the prophetick office was not beyond the Apostles time to continue constantly in the Church any further than to interpret and superstruct upon what the Canon of the Scripture hath setled among Christians Christ and his Word in the New Testament being that Bath-Col which the Jews tell us was alone to survive all the other ways of Prophecy he that shall now pretend to that Prophetick Spirit to some Vision to teach what the Word of God will not own to some incitation to do what the New Testament Law will not allow of he that with the late Fryar in France pretends to ecstatical revelations with the Enthusiasts of the last age and Phanaticks now with us to ecstatical motions that with Mahomet pretends a dialogue with God when he is in an Epileptick fit sets off the most ghastly diseases I shall add most horrid sins by undertaking more particular acquaintance and commerce with the Spirit of God a call from God's Providence and extraordinary Commission from Heaven for those things which if the New Testament be Canonical are evaporate from Hell and so first leads captive silly women as Mahomet did his Wife and then a whole Army of Janizaries into a War to justifie and propagate such delusions and put all to death that will not be their Proselytes is far enough from the Gospel Spirit that lies visible in the New Testament verbum vehiculum spiritûs and the preaching of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is not infused by dream or whisper nor authorized by a melancholy or phanatick phansie and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knows not what kind c. In the third place Elias was the great precedent and example of sharp unjudiciary procedure with Malefactors which from the common ordinary awards on Criminals in that execution proceeded Trial and the Malefactor suffered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without attending the formalities of Law Of this kind two Examples are by Mattathias cited 1 Macab ii one of Phinees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that zeal'd a zeal and in that run through Zimri and Cozbi and so as the Captain once answered for the killing the drowsie Sentinel reliquit quos invenit found them in unclean embraces and so left them And the variety of our interpretations in rendring of that passage in the Psalm Then stood up Phinehas and prayed in the Old and then stood up Phinehas and executed judgment in the New Translations may perhaps give some account of that action of his that upon Phinehas Prayer for Gods direction what should be done in that matter God raised him up in an extraordinary manner to execute judgment on those offenders And the other of Elias in the Text and he with some addition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In zealing the zeal of the Law called fire from Heaven upon those that were sent out from Ahazai to bring him to him And this fact of his by God's answering his call and the coming down of the fire upon them was demonstrated to come from God also as much as the prediction of the Kings death which was confirm'd by this means It may very probably be guest by Matathias his words in that place that there were no precedents of the zelotick spirit in the Old Testament but those two for among all the Catalogue of examples mentioned to his sons to enflame their zeal to the Law he produceth no other and 't is observable that though there be practises of this nature mentioned in the story of the New Testament the stoning of S. Stephen of St. Paul at Iconium c. yet all of them practised by the Jews and not one that can seem to be blameless but that of Christ who sure had extraordinary power upon the buyers and sellers in the Temple upon which the Apostles remembred the Psalmists Prophecy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the zeal of Gods house carried him to that act of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of indignation and punishment upon the transgressors And what mischief was done among the Jews by those of that sect in Josephus that call'd themselves by that name of Zealots and withal took upon them to be the saviours and preservers of the City but as it prov'd the hastners precipitators of the destruction of that Kingdom by casting out killing the High-Priests first and then the Nobles and chief men of the Nation and so embasing and intimidating and dejecting the hearts of the people that all was at length given up to their fury Josephus and any of the learned that have conversed with the Jewish Writers will instruct the enquirer And ever since no very honourable notion had of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the New Testament one of the fruits of the flesh Gal. v. of the Wisdom that comes not from Heaven Jam. iii. and in the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bitter zeal a gall that
to Countenance them And 't is much to be feared they are otherwise possessed and rather than this shall not be followed Christ shall be left alone rather than they shall speak in vain the Word it self shall be put to silence and if they which were appointed to take and bring him to judgment shall be caught by him they came to apprehend and turn their accusations into reverence the Pharisees will not be without their reply they are doctors in the Law and therefore for a need can be their own Advocates Then answered the Pharisees are ye also deceived have any of the rulers and Pharisees believed on him Concerning the infidelity of the rulers in my Text as being not so directly appliable to my audience I shall forbear to speak My discourse shall retire it self to the Pharisee as being a professor of learning brought up at the University in Jerusalem and God grant his vices and infidelity be not also Academical The words we shall divide not into several parts but considerations and read them either as spoken by the Pharisee or recorded by the Evangelist In the first we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rational force of them as they are part of an argument that they which believed in Christ were deceived sub hâc formâ he that would judge of the truth of his life is to look which way the greatest scholars are affected and then though in that case it concluded fallaciously yet the argument was probable and the point worth our discussion that the judgment of learning and learned men is much to be heeded in matters of Religion In the second we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rational sense of the words being resolved as affirmative interrogations are wont into a negative Proposition Have any c. The Pharisees did not believe on him i. e. the greatest Scholars are not always the best Christians And first of the first the authority of learning and learned men in matters of Religion noted from the logical force of the words Have any c. Amongst other acts of Gods Providence and wise Oeconomy of all things there is not one more observable than the succession of his Church and dispensation of his most precious gifts attending it you shall not in any age find the flourishing of learning sever'd from the profession of Religion and the proposition shall be granted without exception Gods people were always the learnedst part of the world Before the flood we are not so confident as to define and set down the studies and proficiency in all kinds of knowledge amongst those long-liv'd ancients how far soever they went belongs little to us The Deluge made a great chasm betwixt us and 't would be hard for the liveliest eyes to pierce at such distance through so much water let those who fancy the two Pillars in which all learning was engraven the one of brick the other of marble to prevent the malice either of fire or water please themselves with the fable and seem to have deduc'd all arts from Adam Thus far 't is agreed on that in those times every Father being both a Priest and a King in his own Family bestowed on his son all knowledge both secular and sacred which himself had attained to Adam by tradition instructing Seth and Seth Enoch in all knowledge as well as righteousness For 't is Josephus his observation that whilest Cain and his progeny employed themselves about wicked and illiberal inventions groveling upon the earth Seth and his bore up their thoughts as well as eyes towards heaven and observed the course and discipline of the stars wherein it was easy to be exquisite every mans age shewing him the several conjunctions and oppositions and other appearances of the luminaries and so needing no successors to perfect his observations Hence Philo calls Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and says his knowledge in Astronomy led him to the notice of a Deity and that his sublime speculation gave him the name of Abram a high exalted Father before his Faith had given the better Compellation of Abraham Father of many Nations hence from him 1 Chaldaea 2 Aegypt 3 Greece came all to the skill they brag of so that Proclus made a good conjecture that the Wisdom of the Chaldaeans was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gift of some of the gods it coming from Abraham who was both a friend and in a manner an acquaintance of the true God and far ancienter and wiser than any of their false In sum all learning as well as religion was pure and classical only among the Hebrews as may appear by Moses in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only true natural Philosophy that ever came into the World so that even Longinus which took the story of the Creation to be a fable yet commends Moses his expression of it Let there be light and there was light for a speech admirably suited to a God for the greatest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sublimity that any Rhetorician could strain for And Demetrius Phalareus commends the Pentateuch to Ptolomy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as the most Philosophical accurate discourse he had ever heard of And if by chance any scraps or shreds of knowledge were ever scattered among the Gentiles they certainly fell from the Chaldaeans table from whence in time the poor beggarly world gathered such baskets-ful that they began to feed full and be in good likeing and take upon them to be richer than their Benefactors and Athens at last begins to set up as the only University in the World But 't is Austins observation that 't was in respect of Christ and for the propagation of the Church that learning was ever suffered to travel out of Jewry Christ was to be preached and received among the Gentiles and therefore they must be civiliz'd before-hand lest such holy things being cast abruptly before swine should only have been trampled on or as Moses his books falling among the â—oets have been only distorted into fables turned also into prodigies Metamorphoses and Mythical divinity Cum enim prophetae c. Under Abraham and Moses whilest the learning and the sermons of the Prophets were for Israels use the Heathen world was as ignorant as irreligious but about Romulus his time when the Prophecies of Christ which belonged also to the Gentiles were no longer whispered but proclaimed by the mouth of Hosea Amos Isaiah Micah and Jonas from the reign of Uzziah to Hezekiah Kings of Judah then also began learning to flourish abroad among the Nations to dilate it self over the World Greece began to hearken after wisdom and brag of its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thales and the like ut fontes divinae humanae sapientiae pariter erupisse videantur That then secular knowledge might dare to shed it self among the nations when Christ began to be revealed the expectation of the Gentiles 'T were
offer of himself in the not taking home and applying Christ to our souls And this is done either by denying to take him at all or by taking him under a false person or by not performing the conditions required or presumed in the making of the match They that deny to take him at all are the prophane negligent presumptuous Christians who either never hearken after him or else are so familiar with the news as to underprize him have either never cheapned Heaven or else will not come to Gods price like Ananias and Sapphira perhaps offer pretty fair bring two parts of their estate and lay them at the Apostles feet but will give no more fall off at last for a trifle and peremptorily deny Christ if they may not have him on their own Conditions Some superfluities some vanities some chargeable or troublesom sins perhaps they can spare and those they will be inclinable to part withal but if this will not serve Christ must seek for a better Chapman they stand not much upon it they can return as contentedly without it as they came And this arises from a neglect and security a not heeding or weighing of Gods justice and consequently undervaluing of his mercies They have never felt God as an angry Judge and therefore they now scorn him as a Saviour they have liv'd at such ease of heart that no legal terrour no affrightments or ghastly representations of sin can work upon them and if the reading of the law that killing letter have been sent by God to instruct them in the desperateness of their estate to humble these libertine souls to the spirit of bondage and so school them to Christ they have eyes but see not ears but hear it not they are come to this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. i. 28. a reprobate sense or as it may be rendred an undiscerning mind not able to judge of that which is thus read and proposed to it or again a sense without sense not apprehensive of that which no man that hath eyes can be ignorant of nay in Theod. phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an heart that will reverberate any judgement or terrour receiving no more impression from it then the Anvil from the hammer violently returns it again smooth'd somewhat over perhaps by often-beating but nothing softned Nay if the law cry too loud and by an inward voice preach damnation in their bowels and resolve to be heard before it cease then do they seek out some worldly employment to busie themselves withal that they may not be at home at so much unquietness they will charm it with pleasures or overwhelm it with business as Gain when his Conscience was too rough and rigid for him Gen. iv went out from the presence of the Lord ver 16. and as 't is observed built Cities v 17. got some of his progeny to invent Musick v. 21. perhaps to still his tumultuous raving Conscience that the noise of the hammers and melody of the Instruments might outsound the din within him as in the sacrifices of Molock where their children which they offered in an hollow brazen vessel could not choose but howl hideously they had timbrels and tabrets perpetually beating whereupon Tophet where these sacrifices were kept is by Grammarians deduced from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tympanum to drown the noise of the childrens cry these I say which will not be instructed in their misery or better'd by the preaching of the law which labour only to make their inward terrors insensible to skin not cure the wound are Infidels in the first or highest rank which deny to take him at all will not suffer themselves to be perswaded that they have any need of him and therefore let him be offered for ever let him be proclaimed in their ears every minute of their lives they see nothing in him worth hearkning after and the reason is they are still at home they have not gone a foot abroad out of themselves and therefore cannot lay hold on Christ He that never went to school to the law he that was never sensible of his own damned estate he that never hated himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will never receive never accept of Christ Secondly some are come thus far to a sense of their estate and are twing'd extremely and therefore fly presently to the Gospel hearing of Christ they fasten are not patient of so much deliberation as to observe whether their hands be empty they are in distress and Christ must needs save them suddenly they lay hold as soon as ever they hear a promise and are resolved to be saved by Christ because they see otherwise they are damned And these take Christ indeed but under a false person either they take the promises only and let Christ alone or take Christ the Saviour but not Christ the Lord. Are willing to be saved by him but never think of serving him are praying for ever for Heaven and glory but never care how little they hear of grace the end they fasten on the Covenant they hug and gripe with their embraces but never take the condition of repentance and obedience this is not for their turn they abstract the cheap and profitable attributes of Christ his Priestly office of satisfaction and propitiation but never consider him as a King and so in a word lay hold of the estate before they have married the husband which they have yet no more right to then a meer stranger for the communicating the riches of a husband being but a consequence of marriage is therefore not yet made over till the marriage which is the taking of the husbands person be consummate And this I say is a second degree of infidelity somewhat more secret and less discernable when by an Errour of the person by taking Christ the Saviour for Christ the Lord or his promises abstracted from his person we believe we shall be saved by him but deny to be ruled desire to enjoy all the priviledges but substract all the obedience of a Subject In the third place they which have accepted and received the true person of Christ as a Master as well as a Jesus they which have taken him on a resolved vow of performing this condition of homage and obedience are not in event as good as their engagements when they think the match is fast and past danger of recalling when they seem to have gotten a firm title to the promises and are in a manner entred upon the goods and estate of their husband they do begin to break Covenant and either wholly substract or else divide their love they married him for his wealth and now they have that they are soon weary of his person they came with the soul of an harlot looking only what they should get by him and now they have many other old acquaintances they must needs keep league with their self-denial their humility their vows of obedience were but arts and stratagems that
was utterly departed and therefore this thin measure of knowledge or judgment betwixt good and evil that was left them which my awe to Gods sincere love of his creature makes me hope and trust he bestowed on them for some other end then only to increase their condemnation to stand them in some stead in their lives to restrain and keep them in from being extreamly sinful This I say they horribly rejected and stopt their ears against that charmer in their own bosoms and would not hear that soft voice which God had still placed within them to upbraid their wayes and reprove their thoughts What a provocation this was of Gods justice what an incentive of his wrath may appear by that terrible promulgation of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai They despised the law in their hearts where God and nature whisper'd it in calmly insensibly and softly and therefore now it shall be thunder'd in their ears in words and those boisterous ones at which the whole mount quaked greatly Exod. xix 18. And in the 16. verse it must be usher'd with variety of dismal meteors upon the Mount and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the Camp trembled Thus upon their contempt and peevishness was this manuscript put in print this Privy Seal turned into a Proclamation and that a dreadful one bound and subscribed with a Cursed is he that continues not in every title of it to perform it Mean while the matter is not altered but only the dispensation of it That which till then had taught men in their hearts and had been explain'd from tradition from Father to Son Adam instructing Seth and Seth Enoch in all righteousness is now put into Tables that they may have eyes to see that would not have hearts to understand that the perverse may be convinced and that he that would not before see himself bound may find and read himself accursed And after all this yet is not the old law within them either cast away or cancel'd by the promulgation of the other for all the book is printed the old copy is kept in archivis though perhaps as it alwayes was neglected soil'd and moth-eaten and he shall be censured either for ambition or curiosity that shall ever be seen to enquire or look after it Still I say throughout all their wayes and arts and methods of rebellions it twing'd and prick't within as Gods judgments attended them without and as often as sword or plague wounded them made them acknowledge the justice of God that thus rewarded their perversness Nay you shall see it sometimes break out against them when perhaps the written law spake too softly for them to be understood Thus did Davids heart smite him when he had numbred the people though there was no direct commandment against mustering or enâ—olment yet his own conscience told him that he had done it either for distrust or for ostentation and that he had sinned against God in trusting and glorying in that arm of flesh or paid not the tribute appointed by God on that occasion To conclude this discourse of the Jews every rebellion and idolatry of theirs was a double breach of a double law the one in tables the other in their heart and could they have been freed from the killing letter of the one the wounding sense of the other would still have kept them bound as may appear in that business of crucifying Christ where no humane law-giver or magistrate went about to deter them from shedding his blood or denying his miracles yet many of their own hearts apprehended and violently buffetted and scourged and tormented them At one time when they are most resolved against him the whole Senate is suddenly pricked and convinced within and express it with a Surely this man doth many miracles John xi 48. At another time at the top and complement of the business Pilate is deterr'd from condemning and though the fear of the people made him valiant yet as if he contemn'd this voice of his conscience against his will with some reluctance he washes his hands when he would have been gladder to quench the fire in his heart which still burnt and vext him Lastly when Judas had betray'd and sold him and no man made huy and cry after him his conscience was his pursuer judge and executioner persecuted him out of the world haunted him would not suffer him to live whom otherwise the law of the Country would have reprived till a natural death had called for him Lastly even we Christians are not likely to clear our selves of this bill 't is much to be feared that if our own hearts are called to witness our Judge will need no farther Indictments 'T was an Heathen speech concerning this rule of our lives and actions that to study it hard to reform and repair all obliquities and defects in it and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to set it up strong and firm as a pillar in our hearts was the part and office of a Philosopher and then afterwards to make use of it in our whole conversation this was the part of a vertuous man complete and absolute And how then will our contempt be aggravated if Christianity which Clemens calls spiritual Philosophy and is to be reckoned above all moral perfections hath yet wrought neither of these effects in us if we have continued so far from straightning or setting up or making use of this rule that we have not so much as ever enquired or mark't whether there be any such thing left within us or no Theodoret in his second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is very passionate in the expression of this contempt of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the light of truth shining in our understandings There be a sort of birds saith he that flie or move only in the night called from thence Night-birds and Night-ravens which are afraid of light as either an enemy to spy to assault or betray them but salute and court and make love to darkness as their only Queen and Mistress of their actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a creature sent on purpose to preserve them and these saith he deserve not to be child but pitied for nature at first appointed them this condition of life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is their birth-right and inheritance and therefore no body will be angry with them for living on it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But for them who were made creatures of light and had it not been for their wilfulness had still continued light in the Lord who are altogether encompast and environed with light light of nature light of reason light of religion nay the most glorious asterism or conjunction of lights in the world the light of the Gospel to walk in for these men meerly out of perversness of wilful hearts to hate and abjure and defie this light to run out of the world almost for fear
of it to be for ever a solliciting and worshipping of darkness as Socrates was said to adore the clouds this is such a sottishness that the stupidst element under Heaven would naturally scorn to be guilty of for never was the Earth so peevish as to forbid the Sun when it should shine on it or to slink away or subduce it self from its rayes And yet this is our case beloved who do more amorously and flatteringly court and woo and sollicite darkness then ever the Heathens adored the Sun Not to wander out of the sphere my Text hath placed me in to shew how the light of the Gospel and Christianity is neglected by us our guilt will lie heavy enough on us if we keep us to the light only of natural reason within us How many sins do we daily commit which both nature and reason abhor and loath How many times do we not only unman but even uncreature our selves Aristotle observes that that by which any thing is known first that which doth distinguish one thing from another à priore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be called the beginning or cause of that thing and that the light of reason distinguishing one action from another being the first thing that teaches me that this is good that otherwise may from thence be termed the beginning of every reasonable action in us and then where ever this cause or beginning is left out and wanting there the thing produced is not so called a positive act or proper effect but a defect an abortion or still-born frustrate issue and of this condition indeed is every sin in us Every action where this law within us is neglected is not truly an action but a passion a suffering or a torment of the creature Thus do we not so much live and walk which note some action as lie entranced asleep nay dead in sin by this perversness 't is perpetual night with us nay we even die daily our whole life is but a multiplyed swoon or lethargie in which we remain stupid breathless sensless till the day of death or judgment with a hideous voice affrights and rouses us and we find our selves awake in Hell and so our dark souls having a long while groped wilfully in the Sun are at last lead to an everlasting inevitable darkness whither the mercy or rayes of the Sun can never pierce where it will be no small accession to our torment to remember and tremble at that light which before we scorn'd Thus I say do we in a manner uncreate our selves and by the contempt of this law of our creation even frustrate and bring to nothing our creation it self and this is chiefly by sins of sloth and stupid sluggish unactive vices which as I said make our whole life a continued passion never daring or venturing or attempting to act or do any thing in Church or Commonwealth either toward God or our Neighbour and of such a condition'd man no body will be so charitable as to guess he hath any soul or light of reason in him because he is so far from making use of it unless it be such a soul as Tully saith a Swine hath which serves it only instead of salt to keep it from stinking For 't is Aristotles observation that every one of the elements besides the earth was by some Philosopher or other defin'd to be the soul Some said the soul was fire some that 't was air some water but never any man was so mad as to maintain the earth to be it because 't was so heavy and unweildy So then this heavy motionless unactive Christian this clod of earth hath as I said uncreatured himself and by contemning this active reason within him even deprived himself of his soul Again how ordinary a thing is it to unman our selves by this contempt of the directions of reason by doing things that no man in his right mind would ever have patience to think of Beloved to pass by those which we call unnatural sins 1. so in the highest degree as too horrid for our nature set down in the latter end of this Chapter for all Christian ears to glow and tingle at and I had hoped for all English spirits to abhor and loath To pass these I say our whole life almost affords minutely sins which would not argue us men but some other creatures There be few things we do in our Age which are proper peculiar acts of men one man gives himself to eating and drinking and bestows his whole care on that one faculty which they call the vegetative growing faculty and then what difference is there betwixt him and a tree whose whole nature it is to feed and grow Certainly unless he hath some better imployment he is at best but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a plant-animal whose shape would perhaps persuade you that it hath some sense or soul in it but its actions betray it to be a meer plant little better then an Artichoak or Cabbage another goes a little higher yet not far doth all that his sense presents to him suffers all that his sensitive faculties lust and rage to exercise at freedom is as fierce as the Tyger as lustful as the Goat as ravenous as the Wolf and the like and all the beasts of the field and fowls of the air be but several Emblemes and Hieroglyphicks concurring to make up his character carries a wilderness about him as many sins as the nature of a sensitive creature is capable of and then who will stick to compare this man to the beasts that perish For 't is Theophilus his note that the cattle and beasts of the field were created the same day with man Gen. i. 25. to note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brutish condition of some men and that therefore the blessing was not bestowed on them but reserved for the man which should have the dominion over them verse 26 28. In sum every action which Reason or Scripture or Gods spirit guides not in us is to be called the work of some other creature of one of these three sorts either earthly the work of a plant or sensual the work of a brute or thirdly above the condition of both these devillish Thus do you see the sin of the contempt of the light of nature which although it be dimm'd in us by our corruption yet shined so bright in the Heathen that they were left without excuse in the Jews that even their own hearts accused them for their rebellions and in us Christians that unless we move according to its directions we are fallen below the condition of men almost of creatures 'T were now superfluous farther to demonstrate it our time will be better spent if we close with some use of it and that will prove manifold 1. by way of caution not to deifie or exalt too high or trust in this light of nature It was once a perfect glorius rule but is now
yea sum of our belief we deny and bandy against all our lives long If the story of Christ coming to judgment set down in the xxv of Matthew after the 30. verse had ever entred through the doors of our ears to the inward closets of our hearts 't is impossible but we should observe and practise that one single duty there required of us Christ there as a Judge exacts and calls us to account for nothing in the world but only works of mercy and according to the satisfaction which we are able to give him in that one point he either entertains or repels us and therefore our care and negligence in this one business will prove us either Christians or Infidels But alas 't is too plain that in our actions we never dream either of the judgment or the arraignment our stupid neglect of this one duty argues us not only unchristian but unnatural Besides our Alms-deeds which concern only the outside of our neighbour and are but a kind of worldly mercy there are many more important but cheaper works of mercy as good counsel spiritual instructions holy education of them that are come out of our loyns or are committed to our care seasonable reproof according to that excellent place Lev xix 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart but in any wise reprove him a care of carrying our selves that we may not scandal or injure or offer violence to the soul and tender conscience of him that is flexible to follow us into any riot These and many other works of mercy in the highest degree as concerning the welfare of other mens souls and the chief thing required of us at the day of judgment are yet so out-dated in our thoughts so utterly defaced and blotted out in the whole course of our lives that it seems we never expect that Christ in his Majesty as a Judge whom we apprehend and embrace and hug in his humility as a Saviour Beloved till by some severe hand held over our lives and particularly by the daily study and exercise of some work of mercy or other we demonstrate the sincerity of our belief the Saints on Earth and Angels in Heaven will shrewdly suspect that we do only say over that part of our Creed that we believe only that which is for our turn the sufferings and satisfactions of Christ which cost us nothing but do not proceed to his office of a Judge do not either fear his judgments or desire to make our selves capable of his mercies Briefly whosoever neglects or takes no notice of this duty of exercising works of mercy whatsoever he brags of in his theory or speculation in his heart either denies or contemns Christ as Judge and so destroys the sum of his Faith and this is another kind of secret Atheism Fourthly Our Creed leads us on to a belief and acknowledgement of the Holy Ghost and 't is well we have all conn'd his name there for otherwise I should much fear that it would be said of many nominal Christians what is reported of the Ephesian Disciples Acts xix 2. They have not so much as heard whether there be an Holy Ghost or no. But not to suspect so much ignorance in any Christian we will suppose indeed men to know whatsoever they profess and enquire only whether our lives second our professions or whether indeed they are meer Infidels and Atheistical in this business concerning the Holy Ghost How many of the ignorant sort which have learnt this name in their Catechism or Creed have not yet any further use to put it to but only to make up the number of the Trinity have no special office to appoint for him no special mercy or gift or ability to beg of him in the business of their salvation but mention him only for fashion sake not that they ever think of preparing their bodies or souls to be Temples worthy to entertain him not that they ever look after the earnest of the Spirit in their hearts 2 Cor. i. 22. Further yet how many better learned amongst us do not yet in our lives acknowledge him in that Epithet annext to his title the Holy Ghost i. e. not only eminently in himself holy but causally producing the same quality in us from thence called the sanctifying and renewing Spirit How do we for the most part fly from and abandon and resist and so violently deny him when he once appears to us in this Attribute When he comes to sanctifie us we are not patient of so much sowreness so much humility so much non-conformity with the world as he begins to exact of us we shake off many blessed motions of the Spirit and keep our selves within garrison as far as we can out of his reach lest at any turn he should meet with and we should be converted Lastly the most ordinary morally qualified tame Christians amongst us who are not so violent as to profess open arms against this Spirit how do they yet reject him out of all their thoughts How seldom do many peaceable orderly men amongst us ever observe their wants or importune the assistance of this Spirit In sum 't was a shrewd speech of the Fathers which will cast many fair out-sides at the bar for Atheists That the life of an unregenerate man is but the life of an Heathen and that 't is our regeneration only that raises us up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from being still meer Gentiles He that believes in his Creed the person nay understands in the Schools the Attributes and gifts of the Holy Ghost and yet sees them only in the fountain neither finds nor seeks for any effects of them in his own soul he that is still unregenerate and continues still gaping and yawning stupid and senseless in this his condition is still for all his Creed and learning in effect an Atheist And the Lord of Heaven give him to see and endeavours to work and an heart to pray and his Spirit to draw and force him out of this condition Fifthly Not to cramp in every Article of our Creed into this Discourse we will only insist on two more We say therefore that we believe the forgiveness of sins and 't is a blessed confidence that all the treasures in the world cannot equal But do our selves keep equipage and hand in hand accompany this profession Let me catechize you a while You believe the forgiveness of sins but I hope not absolutely that the sufferings of Christ shall effectually clear every mans score at the day of judgment well then it must be meant only of those that by repentance and faith are grafted into Christ and shall appear at that great marriage in a wedding garment which shall be acknowledged the livery and colours of the Lamb. But do our lives ever stand to this explication and restriction of the Article Do they ever expect this beloved remission by performing the condition of repentance Do we ever