seriously ponder'd the Promises of the Gospel and who pretend they can believe nothing but what is agreeable to their reason to such I say this Argument must needs be of very great Weight provided that they seriously think of it for let a thing be never so rational if it be not minded or ponder'd it will do no good and neither Moses nor the Prophets nor a Man's rising from the Dead will make any impression upon them Whether a Man can comprehend the Immortality of his Soul or the Nature of its subsistence and operations after Death or not still if he believes a God this is a very natural and rational inference that this God will not let Men who give themselves up to his Conduct and make his Will the rule of their life and death go unrewarded and having no reward considerable here there must be one hereafter and then there is a Heaven and an everlasting Kingdom and an immense Felicity which deserves striving and wrestling and working and watchfulness and circumspection and self-denial and industry and a diligent care not to be barren or unfruitfull in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as dismal and rugged as the Way seems to be that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven Let me add VI. That it is a glorious thing to be persecuted for righteousness sake glorious with respect to the Company glorious with respect to the Honour which attends it glorious with respect to God's Account and Esteem of it glorious with respect to the present advantages which arise from it and glorious with respect to the reward to come The Company such a persecuted Christian suffers in is no less than the Company of the Son of God who was made perfect by suffering the Company of the Holy Apostles the Pillars and Foundations of our Religion the Company of so many admirable Men Saints and Martyrs who have wash'd their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb and whose Names and Memories are dear to us at this Day To suffer in such Company must needs be a very great Honour It 's true the generality of us can be very well content without this Honour and we count our selves very prudent for being so but surely there were wise Men before us who understood themselves and Religion better and were not so corrupted with ease and luxury and love of the World as we are now and they thought it a very great Honour to be Martyrs and sufferers for Righteousness sake We are grown more effeminate more luxurious more soft in our way of living and that makes us have so low an Esteem for those noble Sufferings It 's glorious with respect to the Account and Esteem God hath for such Sufferers These are the Champions of the Almighty the Hero's in his Army the Worthies of God and the Men that have lost an Eye a Hand an Arm a Leg or Life it self for his Name of these the Sanhedrin of Heaven is made up and they are the Elders of that City which hath Foundations for in Heaven rewards and preferments go not according to seniority or rank or quality or breeding but according to the degrees of suffering and self-denial It is glorious with respect to the present advantages arising from it This cancels and blots out all sin wipes away all offences and makes the Blood of Jesus most effectual and beneficial to the Soul This persecution for righteousness sake is the great deletory of guilt the great purgative of all uncleanness this opinion the primitive Church had of these sufferings especially when they were accompanied with the loss of life in God's Cause and this was it that made so many thousands desirous to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus It 's glorious with respect to the reward to come a reward which we are forced to express by little emblems and similitudes taken from things here on Earth but it surpasses all Rhetorick and Eloquence to express it Happy sufferers Their Wounds will be turned into Trophies their Scars into Sun-beams their wallowing in Blood into being rapt up into the third Heaven their Prison into a Banquetting-House the Banner whereof is Love their Dungeon into a Palace made without Hands their Stripes into Marks of Honour their Buffetings into Ensigns of Victory their Tears into Laughter their Mourning into Dancing their Poverty into Riches which perish not their Sack-cloath and Ashes and all their Mourning-dresses into triumphal Chariots and Acclamations and Joys and Hosannahs and Hallelujahs Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven SERMON XI St. Matth. Ch. V. Ver. 11. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil-against you falsly for my sake THE preceding Verse which I have already considered treated of Persecution in general this I have read to you of a particular or peculiar Persecution in which the Tongue is chiefly instrumental and Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you is as much as Blessed are you when men shall so persecute you as to revile you and speak all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Persecution is not only a Sin of the Hand or Actions there is a smiting with the Tongue as well as with the Hand Jer. XVIII 18. and Ishmael who was a Scoffer is said to persecute him that was born of the Spirit i. e. Isaac Gal. IV. 29. I need not tell you what it is to Revile for there are few of you but are very sensible of it without a Monitor or Interpreter when it falls to your share to be reviled however it is either to load a Person with reproachful Names or to object Crimes to him great and base odious and abominable and if this be done without a just Cause falsly and for the Name of Christ because Men will not sin against Christ it seems by the Rule of the Text that it turns to very good Account to those who lie under the Pressure or sharp Arrows of such evil and slanderous Tongues for Blessed are you when men shall revile you c. To entertain you with something useful and edifying I shall enquire I. What Instances there are of Men who have reviled and do revile and speak all manner of Evil of Persons who sincerely and conscientiously believe in Christ. II. What it is that moves them to be so base as to revile and to speak evil of such Conscientious Persons III. How that which is a Sin to one can be a Blessing to another Reviling innocent Persons being a great Sin how that can make those blessed who are reviled 1. What Instances there are of Persons who are guilty of the Crime in the Text. When a Sin looks black a charitable Man hopes that few or none are guilty of it So here reviling Men and speaking all manner of evil of Persons who conscientiously believe and obey their God and Saviour seems
make you truly humble to God and Man That will make you thankfull for the least Mercy that will make you admire God in the meanest Blessing you enjoy that will make you pray often and fall low before God's Foot-stool that will make you resist such Temptations as would put you upon despising and undervaluing of your Neighbours and taking little inconsiderable things ill at their hands that will make you courteous and affable even to the poorest and mercifull and peaceable among those you converse with that will pull down all self-conceitedness and self-admiration and prevent your being tickled with the Commendations and Applauses of Men and allay your Ambition and Hunger and Thirst after the great things of the World that will have an influence even upon your outward Dress and Habit and make you go plain and decently and modestly and keep you from imitating the Fashions of the World that will make you modest and moderate and discreet in your Speeches Answers and Discourses In a word That will make you speak and act like Disciples of the humble and self-denying Jesus so that upon a review of these effects Humility produces I may justly call upon you as Solomon Prov. IV. 23. Keep your hearts with all diligence for out of them are the Issues of Life II. We see here that neither outward Riches nor Poverty makes Men blessed nothing but a just Title to the Kingdom of Heaven This is evident from the reason here given why the poor in Spirit or the humble are blessed even because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven as if our Saviour had said These poor in Spirit may be outwardly rich or outwardly poor but neither the one nor the other makes them blessed but their Title to the Kingdom of Heaven Indeed without this the Richest of you are miserable Men and the poor among you are doubly miserable here and hereafter If this Kingdom be yours if this belongs to you fear not though the Earth be moved and the Hills be carried into the midst of the Sea I know the Judgment of the World is this if a Man get a loss in his Estate or if he breaks or if such a great Man or his Relations abandon him presently he is miserable but if he gets a good Windfall or lights upon a good Bargain or thrives in the World presently we count him happy but these are the wild Mistakes which Flesh and Blood leads us into gain but a Title to this Kingdom of Heaven and you 'll be happy though you are never so great losers in the World This Kingdom O that I had the Tongue of an Angel to represent it to you in lively Characters This Kingdom is large ample great and spatious it holds not only all the blessed Angels but all the Saints that have lived since the Foundations of the World and are like to be to the End of it It is infinitely rich there is such plenty there that the Banks are overflow'd and the Cup of Joy runs over It is infinitely safe safe beyond all the Castles and Cittadels in the World for all the Inhabitants are Brethren love one another with a pure heart servently and are everlastingly faithfull one to another so fearless they are that the Gates of this Kingdom stand open Day and Night It is durable beyond Rocks and Marble for it is incorruptible and fades not away The Queen of Sheba counted Solomon's Servants happy because they lived in his House what then must the Inhabitants of such a Kingdom be where the King is the Fountain not only of all Honour but of all Bliss and Felicity and the Subjects drink of that Fountain drink and never thirst again where the Company is glorious and splendid to admiration and the lowest Person there is an Angel where everlasting Content reigns and all are free from sin from the assaults of the World the Flesh and the Devil where all are fill'd with Grace and Glory and all are satisfied with the Rivers of God's Pleasures Sirs This Kingdom of Heaven we have Commission to offer to you not a Kingdom of this World and if we could offer to you an Earthly Kingdom that would not make you so happy as this Kingdom of Heaven will for Kings on Earth we see are not always the happiest Men They have their fears and losses their discontents and vexations as well as other Folks This Kingdom of Heaven the richest Prize that ever was heard of we offer to you But we must tell you withall that there is no coming to this rich and wealthy Empire except you become poor The Palace is stately and magnificent but the Gate is low The richest the greatest the wealthiest of you all must become poor poor in Spirit and humble as a Worm if you mean to enjoy the Bliss of yonder Kingdom If we should bid you as Christ did the young Man in the Gospel Go and sell all you have and give it to the Poor and follow a poor Saviour and you shall have Treasure in Heaven there is none of you but must confess that it were worth parting withall to get this Treasure But such a Poverty we do not press upon you nor think it absolutely necessary except in case of Persecution when Men must hate Father and Mother Brethren and Sisters Lands and Houses and Life it self for the Gospel's sake but God hath shewed thee O man and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee even to walk humbly with thy God Humility is the readiest way to a glorious Exaltation and how often doth our Blessed Saviour repeat that Golden saying He that humbles himself shall be exalted This not only Saints but Philosophers agree in this the wisest Men of most Nations Countries and Religions confess The truth of it is so evident that it shines through the very chinks and crevises of Nature Need I ask any of you whether you have a mind to be happy and blessed I know you all would be so and if this be your resolution behold here lies the way Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven SERMON IV. St. Matth. Ch. V. Ver. 4. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted IN the Account our Saviour gives of blessed Men the mourners you see succeed the humble or the poor in Spirit It was very convenient it should be so for Humility is the cause of mourning mourning the effect of Humility or spiritual Poverty and therefore we find the one immediately subjoin'd to the other The poor Man mourns it 's natural to do so and so doth the poor in Spirit As the poor Man mourns for the presence of Temporal Evils and the absence of Temporal Blessings so the poor in Spirit mourns for the presence of Spiritual Evils and the absence of Spiritual Blessings and this mourning as will appear in the Sequel is sometimes great and loud and vehement like the mourning of a Funeral but as great as it may be
therewith than an house full of sacrifices with strife Besides by this you avoid innumerable sins such as ill language odious names envy hatred malice and revengefull sins and desires and engaging other Men in sin with you and doing mischief to men c. But is not the Title in the Text given to the peaceable and peace-making Christian enough to make you endeavour to attain to this Character What Children of God And do you feel no desire to be so Did you ever seriously examine the privileges which attend the Children of God and are these no motives to you to come into the number Suppose the Children of God are not much regarded here but is there not a time coming when they shall be honoured before the whole World Is there not a life to come which shall manifest their Dignity and their Glory The Peace of Heaven shall fall to their share Do not you reflect sometimes on that Peace which the Children of the everlasting Kingdom shall enjoy Or is that Peace so inconsiderable that it deserves no consideration What is the future felicity but perfect Peace everlasting Peace uninterrupted Peace The peaceable Christian shall feel it feed upon it possess it live upon it peace with God peace with the Prince of Peace Christ Jesus peace with all the Angels of God peace with all the Spirits of Men made perfect No war shall disturb it no tumult discompose it no sedition annoy it no rebellion disfigure it The God of Peace shall live in him and he in the God of Peace God will tell him that he is his friend and one with him and that no Men no Devils shall pluck him out of his hands There Rivers of Peace shall flow upon him Rivers where no Wind doth blow no Storms do come no Tempests rise no Hurricanes molest I conclude with St. Paul's Obtestation Colos. III. 15. And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body and be ye thankfull Amen SERMON X. St. Matth. Ch. V. Ver. 10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven I Did once think to have joined this Verse and the next in the Explication but upon a more accurate Examination I find that this Verse I have read to you treats of Persecution in general but the next of a particular Persecution with the Tongue i. e. Calumniating and Reviling and therefore shall allow them a distinct Discussion or Consideration To be persecuted is to be robb'd plunder'd beaten buffeted bruised imprison'd tormented hanged burnt drowned c. And are these marks of Blessedness saith the Carnal Man What! to be beaten and think it a Kindness to be buffeted and look upon it as a Favour To be put in a Dungeon and delight in sinking into the mire To be led to the Stake and sing To be tormented and give God thanks To be robb'd of all and make a low bow for being so What! be happy in Misery and blessed in Chains and glorious in Torments and honourable in a fiery Furnace Yes all this is very good Divinity and very agreeable to the Doctrine of the Gospel of Christ and if the Cause be good Gibbets and Gallows and Chains and Shackles and Fetters and Fire and Sword are a Christians Jewels and Pearls and Pendants and Necklaces and Ornaments For blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Three things will here deserve Consideration I. What it is to be persecuted for Righteousness sake and who they be that fall under that denomination II. Whether these words as well as the preceding imply a Negative That those who are not persecuted for Righteousness sake are not blessed III. I shall enquire into the Nature of the Blessedness here mentioned and shew how the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs that are persecuted for Righteousness sake I. What it is to be persecuted for Righteousness sake and who they be that fall under that denomination In answer to this 1. To persecute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Original is properly to follow hard after a thing and with great earnestness to endeavour to seize upon a thing we desire or to pursue it as Hunters do their Prey which they quit not till they take it The word in Scripture is used sometimes in a good sometimes in a bad sense In a good sense when it is applied to Vertue as 1 Thess. v. 15. Follow that which is good Heb. xii 14. Follow Peace with all men 1 Cor. xiv 1. Follow after Charity 1 Tim. VI. 11. Follow after Righteousness In all which places for follow in the Original the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used which in other places we render persecute to shew that till it be joined with something else that alters the Sense it is no more than following hard after a thing When it is applied to Persons it is commonly taken in a bad Sense and implies pursuing with a desire or intent to hurt the Person pursued and that 's the usual Notion and Acceptation of the word even to prosecute or pursue a Person with an intent to afflict or hurt or punish him and that 's the meaning of the word in the Text where the persecuted must be persons hunted or haunted teazed tormented imprisoned abused or in a word evil entreated as is evident from Christ's scope in these Beatitudes which is to comfort those whom the World counts miserable 2. By Righteousness here is meant the whole Circle of Religious Duties and Offices or Obedience to the Laws of God or of the Gospel and it takes in both believing and practising i. e. believing what God hath commanded us to believe and practising what God in his Word hath commanded us to practise and consequently forbearing to believe or practise either what God hath not revealed or hath forbid to believe or practise I know the word Righteousness is used sometime for just dealing sometime for Mercy and Alms-giving but then there is some word in the Context that shews it must be restrained or confined to that Sense but here is nothing to give it that determinate Sense and therefore it must be the same with Goodness as it is opposed to Wickedness and in this Sense it 's ordinarily used both in this and the next Chapter in this v. 6. and 20. in the next v. 33. and is sometimes called The Righteousness of Faith as Rom. iv 13. i. e. a chearfull performance of the duties God hath commanded in the Gospel as the Righteousness of the Law is complying with God's Will and Commands under the Law or the Old Testament This being premised it follows 1. That to be persecuted for Righteousness sake is not barely to suffer or to endure Punishment for at this rate all Malefactors and such as our Law punishes either with the Sword or with Fire or the Gallows for Crimes which are destructive to Humane
righteousness sake when God calls him to it and flinches and shrinks and like the Children of Ephraim turns back in the day of battle is so far from conquering that he falls basely loses ground cowardly kisses the Temptation and is enthralled by the worst of Enemies and therefore must necessarily fall a Prey to that Enemy by whom he suffers himself to be conquered and judge you whether such a Man can be blessed And now that I am talking of the Kingdom of Heaven I speak of the very blessedness which attends those that are persecuted for righteousness sake and consequentâ—y this calls me to explain the third and last Point III. How the Kingdom of Heaven shall be theirs This reward you see is the same with what was promised to poverty of Spirit or deep Humility v. 3. Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven And the reason why Christ promises the same recompence to the persecuted for righteousness sake he doth to the humble is because there is a very great affinity betwixt humility and suffering for righteousness sake Suffering for righteousness sake is the deepest Act of Humiliation especially if that suffering be accompanied with death Humility can go no lower a Man in suffering and dying for righteousness sake pulls down all his lofty thoughts makes all stoop to the Cross of Christ submits his Faith to the Gospel and for things invisible denies himself in all the visible comforts of this life and that 's Humility in its Glory Therefore the reward is express'd in the same language but then as suffering for righteousness sake is the deepest Act of Humiliation so we must suppose that the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs in a peculiar manner and how that is the following particulars will declare And here to keep to the rule I have so often mention'd in the preceding Beatitudes that these rewards respect both this present and the next life 1. The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs on this side Heaven because even here they feel Heaven in their Souls and the Kingdom of Heaven is within them There is hardly any History of Martyrs and Confessours hardly any Martyrology but gives an account of the wonderfull joy that poor persecuted Christians have felt in the heighth of their Persecutions and what is this but a Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth what is it but a Heaven in their Souls The three young Men Dan. III. sang in a fiery Furnace St. Paul and Silas in a Dungeon lifted up their Voices in Hallelujah's The Apostles when beaten and whipt and scourged departed from the Council rejoycing because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name of Christ and St. Paul 2 Cor. VII 4. I am filled with comfort yea I exceedingly rejoice in all our Tribulation But not to mention any more passages of this nature out of ancient Histories our own Book of Martyrs shall serve to furnish us with instances I mean of the Protestant Martyrs that suffer'd in Queen Marys Days One Rogers coming to the Stake where he was to be burned fetcht a great leap for joy One Dr. Taylour approaching the Fire in which he was to be sacrificed danced and skipt to the Wonder and Admiration of the Sheriff I thank God for this Prison said one Bradford more than for the richest Parlour more than for any pleasure I ever found for here I find God my sweet God always After I came into this Prison said one Glover in a Letter to his Wife and had repos'd my self there awhile I wept for joy and gladness my belly full and said to my self Lord what am I that I should be counted worthy to be numbred among those that suffer for the Gospel's sake I am now in the Coal-house said one Philpott as dark and ugly a Prison as any is about London but I have six other faithfull Companions who merrily rouz upon the Straw and in our darkness do cheerfully sing Hymns and Praises to God I was never merrier in Cbrist than I am now in Prison said one Tims One Pierson with a cheerfull Countenance embraced the Stake at which he was to be burnt and kissing it said Now welcome my sweet Wife for this day thou and I shall be married together O how my heart leaps and skips for joy said another One Bainham when his Arms and Legs were half consumed by the Fire cry'd out in the Midst of the Flames Behold ye Papists ye are much for Miracles Here you may see a Miracle for in this Fire I feel no more pain than if I lay on a Bed of Down it is to me as a Bed of Roses Abundance more I could name to this purpose and what was all this but a Kingdom of Heaven in their Souls 2. In the next World the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs in a peculiar manner too because of the high degree of Glory they arrive to in the next life This hath been the belief of the Church in all Ages that for the Martyrs the higher and loftier Mansions of Heaven are reserv'd the ruines of this truth are preserv'd among Mahometans and Heathens The Mahometans fancy that those who die in the War against Christians are Martyrs and they assign them a higher place in Paradise and Geographers tell us of a People in the West Indies who believing the Immortality of the Soul fancy that those who die in defence of their Country are advanced after death to a very high degree of felicity These are nothing but reliques and remains of the Chriâ—â—ian Doctrine which Tradition hath left among them that those who are persecuted for righteousness sake are and shall be made partakers of higher degrees of Glory It 's certain their Bodies shall rise before the Bodies of other Men for so we read Revel XX. 4 5. And I saw the Souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the beast neither his image neither had received his mark in their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand Years But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand Years were ended This is the first Resurrection And in the Kingdom of Heaven they will out-shine other Saints in brightness and splendour All those that by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory Honour and Immortality shall inherit Eternal life but those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake their sufferings work for them a far more exceeding Eternal weight of Glory 2 Cor. IV. 17. a reward enough to make a Man fond of dying in love with suffering enamour'd with a Prison and desirous of Chains and Fetters for righteousness sake Wonder at this Blessing O my Soul For Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Inferences I. As one place of Scripture gives light to another so by this we are upon we may judge of
burning Lake that will be his Portion As Christ taught his Hearers nothing but what was grave and solid and weighty so the Ministers of the Word must feed their Auditours with solid Food not with Trifles or Legends or dry insipid Stuff but with things that may make them wise unto Salvation This Phrase opening the mouth is sometimes used in Scripture for speaking with boldness and courage in the Name of the Lord as Ephes. VI. 19. Pray for me that I may open my mouth boldly So the Ministers of the Word must not be meally-mouth'd but Cry aloud and spare not lift up their Voices like Trumpets and shew the People of God their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their Sins Isa. LVIII 1. There is no dallying with the sins of Men no complementing their Souls with flattering and enticing Words Their Sores must be rubb'd and Salt and Vinegar thrown into their Wounds where it is so that gentler means will do no good Nor must we fear the anger or displeasure of Men for we have a greater Master to please who will bring forth our Righteousness as the light and our Judgment as the Noon-day nay and make our very Enemies to be at peace with us however if he doth not there is huge comfort in the discharge of a good Conscience to which purpose Christ bids his Messengers or Ministers rejoyce when they are reviled and despightfully used and accordingly of the Apostles we read That they departed from the Council rejoycing because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts V. 41. 3. As it is our Office to teach you so it is your Duty to be taught I say to be taught not to quarrel with our Admonitions to shew your selves tractable to suffer the Word of exhortation and to admit the good Seed we sow into a good and honest Heart It 's true you are not to be believe every Spirit but to try the Spirits whether they be of God 1 John V. 1. But then when you have try'd our Doctrines and find them agreeable to the Word of the living God there is no Tergiversation to be used but our words must be receiv'd as if God himself spoke to you for we press no other things upon you than God hath commanded you in the Scriptures These Scriptures you have in your Hands and with the Beraeans you are exhorted to search whether things are so as we represent them What a sad thing is it in Popery not one of the common People not a Lay-man dares bring a Bible to Church with him if he doth he is no good Catholick nay in some Countries in danger of being burnt for a Heretick A good Catholick must have no Bible must not read it must not meddle with it it 's a dangerous Book he must not look into it for fear he should learn Heresie there or rather for fear he should discover how he hath been deluded by the Priests and taught for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. See here the mighty advantages the Reformation hath brought to you You can come to Church with your Bibles under your Arms and have not only leave but are entreated to compare what we say with the Oracles of God to satisfie your selves of the Truth of what we deliver and to believe your own Eyes But then as I said having found that our Exhortations and Doctrines are according to the Law and to the Testimony let it not be said of you as it was of Ezekiel's Hearers Ezek. XXXIII 31. They came and sat before the Prophet they heard his words but they would not do them with their Mouths they shew'd much love but their hearts went after Covetousness What a happiness doth that Minister enjoy that can say of his Disciples as St. Paul of the Thessalonians 2 Thess. 1. 3. We are bound to give thanks to God always for you as it is meet because your Faith grows exceedingly and the Charity of you all toward each other abounds I conclude with St. Paul's Admonition Heb. XIII 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with Joy and not with Grief for that is unprofitable for you SERMON III. St. Matth. Ch. V. Ver. 3. Blessed are the Poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven HAving done with the Historical and Circumstantial Part of this Sermon contain'd in the First and Second Verses we go on to the Doctrinal And here a very glorious Scene opens a Scene of admirable Truths of Truths which are Paradoxes to persons who rise no higher than the Animal life perfect Mysteries which the Princes of this World know not which the Great understand not and which the sensual part of Mankind are ready to laugh at and which none but a thinking or thoughtfull Person can admire As the inspired David or whoever was the Collectour of the Psalms begins that Volume with the way to Bliss so our Saviour begins his Sermon with the same Subject Indeed this was his peculiar Province and of the weighty and momentous Errands he was sent upon this was one to teach Men the true way to Bliss endless and eternal Moses had done it before the Prophets had attempted the like Philosophers had made some Essays of that kind but their Notions were imperfect and they had no distinct notices of all the materials necessary and convenient for that excellent Structure and there was a Providence in it because the fuller Revelation of God's Will was reserv'd to the coming of the Messiah or the Son of God And it is remarkable that Christ in his Directions how to attain to solid Bliss runs counter to the World and such as are commonly counted the most wretched and miserable are here pronounc'd blessed It 's like some that were by when Christ deliver'd this Sermon expected he should have begun in another strain such as Blessed are the Rich and the Men whose Barns are large and who have much Goods laid up for many Years who have Money at command can eat what they list and drink what they please whose Lands bring forth plentifully and whose Presses run over who are courted and respected by all that know them whether great or low and are in a capacity of denying themselves in nothing that their fond Appetite craves But my thoughts are not as your thoughts saith God He takes other Measures and therefore Blessedness is here ascribed to Persons where a Man would least imagine or expect to find it even to the poor in Spirit Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Three things do here very naturally offer themselves to our Consideration I. Who the poor in Spirit are or what poverty in Spirit is II. In what sense the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs and belongs to them And III. How their Title to this Kingdom makes them blessed I.
What poverty in Spirit is And here negatively it is not 1. A bare outward Poverty or being destitute of the Necessaries and Conveniencies of this Life not a Poverty in Purse not a worldly Poverty not a State of Beggery We do not deny but Poverty hath great advantages with respect to being good and the poor Man is more expedite in his Journey to Heaven for he hath none of those Clogs none of those Briars and Thorns which too often hinder the Richer sort of Men from discerning or prosecuting their everlasting Happiness This divers of the Heathen Philosophers saw who therefore spoke a Thousand pretty things concerning Poverty what a help it was to Virtue what a means to become truly wise what an Advantage to arrive to solid goodness Nay some went so far as to abandon their Riches and throw their Gold and Silver into the Sea that they might be more at leisure to improve their Minds and to enrich their better Part. And indeed Our Saviour seems very much to favour this Condition and there are so many things spoken against Riches and rich Men in the Gospel as are enough to make Men that enjoy any Plenty or Prosperity afraid for fear their Reward should be with Men who have their Portion in this Life and it is to be noted that Christ says a very great thing concerning this state of Poverty To the Poor the Gospel is preach'd and this he reckons among the Miracles he wrought to prove himself the promis'd Messiah or Redeemet of the World It is Matth. XI 5. The blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are rais'd up and the poor have the Gospel preach'd unto them The poor It must be confess'd our Saviour did not go to Court nor did he associate himself much with Rich men except they were of a better Temper than ordinary and he seem'd to be the poor Men's Preacher as if he thought the Rich were not capable of receiving his stricter Discipline and as if the Poor were the most likely Persons to espouse his severer Doctrines Carnal reason would have thought that when Christ appear'd first on the Stage of the World he should have made his first Addresses to the Grandees of Judaea and Men of Estate and Fortune But no his Converse was chiefly with poor Fisher-men and the needy Multitude and here lay the Miracle and the Reason of it we may guess at viz. to shew that the Poor are in a greater Capacity of listening to his Oracles than the Rich who have so many things to divert them from the way to Eternal Bliss so much Business and Pleasure to mind here on Earth that they are not at leisure to think of Heaven And yet notwithstanding all this a bare outward Poverty doth not entitle a Man to the Kingdom of Heaven It 's a great help to Seriousness if sanctified and improved and the want of Comforts here on Earth be made a motive to seek them in Heaven but the bare outward want doth not make Men happy for we see too often that the poorer Men are the wickeder they are and their outward want makes them more daring in Impiety and surely this can be no qualification for Eternal Bliss The Punctilio's of State which the Richer sort of Men think themselves obliged to observe the Luxury they are apt to run into the pampering of their Bodies their pride in Cloaths and external Habits their sinfull compliances with Persons of their Rank and Quality their Care to encrease their Riches to get an Estate suitable to the figure they make in the World their ambition oppressions and domineering over the meaner sort and their study to keep up their Credit with the Great and Potent all which too often are very powerfull imediments in the Richer sort to be truly wise to Salvation These the poor Man is freed from nor hath he so great an Account to give there being but little given him and consequently is in a greater Capacity and possibility of being wise and good and happy but his bare outward Poverty will not do the Work and therefore is not intended here Nor 2. A vowed voluntary Poverty This some Champions of the Church of Rome contend for as if their Monastick vows were commended here Even a Poverty whereby Men and Women do voluntarily renounce their Estates and Riches and bestow them either upon their Relations or the Poor or the Church and thereupon entring into a Monastery or Nunnery Vow perpetual Poverty Chastity and blind Obedience and this they make a piece of Evangelical perfection which all Men are not obliged to but such as some Persons do voluntarily undertake to encrease their own Merits and sometime to merit for others too But certainly this cannot be the sense here for the Poverty here mention'd is represented as a Duty incumbent upon all Men and without which a Christian will certainly miss of a future Bliss for thus saith Christ in the Conclusion of this Sermon Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not him will I liken to a foolish Man that built his House upon the Sand and when the Rain descended c. We make do doubt of it but that God is pleased with Self-denials in our Estates and Fortunes if well-grounded and proceeding upon very good Principles and we believe that such free Will-offerings are very acceptable to him and by his special Grace and Favour may encrease a Man's glory and felicity in another World A Man that hath a thousand Pound a Year and resolves to live upon two or three Hundred and to consecrate the rest to pious Uses or whatever a man's Income is greater or lesser if he religiously confines himself to a small Pittance that he may be in a greater capacity of doing good We are so far from discouraging such a Person that we commend and applaud him and believe the Love of God is strong and vigorous in his Soul and do no doubt but he will be recompens'd accordingly in the Resurrection of the dead provided this self-denial be not intended as a way to satisfie God or to make him compensation and amends for some sins men are loath to part with But we cannot be so foolish as to think that by such self-denials a Man merits any thing of God or may challenge a higher degree of Glory as his due for that savours of monstrous Pride and instead of exalting to will certainly exclude the Soul from the Kingdom of Heaven And what need Men talk of Merit when they have a most bountifull Master to deal with who rewards those that diligently seek him beyond what they are able to think or to express Nor can we be so sottish as to think that a Man who thus denies himself can spare some of his good Works or that the Vertue of them may be applied to others who are either defective in goodness or suffer in Purgatory and consequently such a Poverty
effect of God's spirit the Holy Ghost breathes upon the Soul and plants it there The Spirit of God disposes and inclines the Soul to these humble Sentiments scatters the strong holds of iniquity and the vain imaginations that exalt themselves against the Obedience of Christ Jesus throws down the high Conceits the man did formerly harbour in his mind and suggests to the Soul arguments to baffle and resist the Reasons of Flesh and Blood and of the World for where a Person endeavours to bring his Heart to an humble Temper the Devil is present with his Baits What will you be a Fool will you be laught at by your Neighbours what put up such affronts which no Flesh is able to endure what shew your self tame under such an Aspersion what will Men say of you But the Spirit of God teaches the Soul how to answer all such Objections with the Example and Command of Christ and the hope of the Grace and Glory of God And therefore this Humility is justly call'd Poverty in Spirit II. How the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs and upon what Account it belongs to them By the Kingdom of Heaven in Scripture particularly in the New Testament is meant sometime the Kingdom of Grace sometime the Kingdom of Glory The Kingdom of Grace is that sweet and gentle Government which Christ Jesus the Son of God the Head of his Church and the King of Saints doth by his Spirit exercise over his Disciples Followers and such as have given themselves up to his Conduct by which Spirit he teaches enlightens guides assists strengthens and comfort and preserves them makes them willing and obedient and communicate strength and life and power to them more or less according to the improvement of the Stock committed to their Trust. This is the Kingdom of Grace and in this Sense the Expression is used Matth. III. 2. Matth. XIII 44. and in other places The Kingdom of Glory is the future reward and recompence God intends and designs for those who have resolutely taken Christ's Yoak upon them even that Glory Honour and Immortality St. Paul speaks of Rom. II. 7. consisting in seeing God face to face and triumphing over Hell and Devils and enjoying him in whose Presence there is fulness of joy for ever This is the Kingdom of Glory and in this Sense we find the Phrases used Matth. VII 21. Matth. XIII 43. Matth. XIX 23. In both Senses the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the Poor in Spirit or to the Humble I. The Kingdom of Grace and this you cannot doubt of if you reflect upon the signal Favours God on this side Heaven confers on the Soul that 's truly humble To the humble he gives Grace saith St. Peter 1 Pet. V. 5. Nay more Grace as St. James notes Ch. IV. 6. according as this Humility takes deeper root or runs out into larger Branches The humble Man is dispos'd to receive the warmer and stronger influences of God's goodness and mercy The Soul that purifies and cleanses her self from all high and losty thoughts or rejoyces in her meanness and low Estate and being nothing renders her self apt and fit for the Almighty's abode in her and invites him to take possession of her and from God's dwelling there a Man may date a thousand Blessings To such a Person the Father of Lights communicates wonderfull Treasures to such there arises a light in darkness and into such low and humble Valleys the richest Showers and the clearest Rivers flow O that you were all sensible of this Truth O that you did but feel this Christian Humility working in your Souls You would find what Wisdom what spiritual Wisdom God would infuse into your Souls even that Wisdom which is from above first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated without partiality without hypocrisie full of good works James III. 17. I thank thee O Father that thou hast reveal'd these things unto Babes saith our Saviour Matth. XI 25. These Babes are the humble the poor in Spirit To these God reveals the heighth and breadth and depth and length of the love of God such may promise themselves the larger Portions of God's Spirit such Persons are most likely to grow in Grace to advance in Goodness to a rise to perfection and to be satisfied with the Corn of Heaven with Angel's Food Such a Soul is fitted for Universal Obedience the severest Laws of the Gospel go down with her and she embraces the Yoak with Joy Who can express the Comforts the Peace the Satisfaction that the humble feel It must needs be so for it 's the lowly in heart that are promised Rest for their Souls Matth. XI 29. Such get strength against their Corruptions Temptations Lusts and sinfull Inclinations such make a mighty progress in Goodness and get Courage in the greatest fiery Trials For this I might appeal to the Examples of the Saints of Old but I need not go so high I will appeal to the Experience of some pious Christians among us who feel what David said of himself O God mine heart is not haughty nor mine eyes losty surely I have behaved and quieted my self as a Child that 's wean'd of his mother Ps. CXXXI 1 2. Let such among you tell me when they have been in a very humble frame when they have had a lively sense of God's greatness and goodness and holiness and a very deep Sense of their own vileness have not you seen more of God than ever have not your Souls been satisfied as with marrow and fatness have not you been ready to go through Fire and Water for God have not you baffled and scorn'd the strongest assaults of the Devil and torn the snares and grins that were laid for you with as great ease as Sampson did his Bonds Have not your hearts been ready to leap within you and your joys like mighty Rivers been ready to overflow your Souls This is the Kingdom of Grace and this belongs to the humble But II. The Kingdom of Glory is theirs too their 's by purchase theirs by possession taken already in their Names theirs by promise theirs by way of earnest 1. Theirs by purchase and therefore call'd the purchased Possession Eph. I. 19. Purchas'd by whom Even by Christ Jesus the great Shepherd of the Sheep who laid down his life for them and thereby obtain'd an everlasting inheritance for them None could purchase it but he for whoever undertook the Work must be not only a Man innocent spotless and without sin and die but of that Divine excellency too as to be able to give his Death an infinite value the vertue whereof might extend it self to all Ages and to all sorts of Persons too This none could do but he that was the Son of God and the Son of David too He did it and wonderfull was the Enterprise nothing was ever attempted like it He died and purchas'd this Kingdom of Glory for the humble his purchase makes it theirs He was both able to
purchase it and when he had done to apply it to those for whom it was purchas'd If a rich Man buys an Estate for a Beggar the Beggar may justly call it his for he that had right and means and power and ability to buy it bought it for his Use. 2. Theirs by possession taken already in their Name The same Jesus that purchas'd this Kingdom for them he it is that hath taken possession of this Kingdom for them and in their Name For in my Father's house are many mansions If it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you saith Christ John XIV 2. All the Christian World knows that Christ ascended into Heaven There he actually enjoys the Kingdom of Glory which he keeps for the humble He is the great Trustee that secures and manages that vast Estate for their Use So that it may juâ—â—ly be call'd theirs because of the forerunner Jesus who is enter'd into Heaven being made a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck as it is said Heb. VI. 20. There he appears for them as their Advocate and keeps their places for them against they come thither As a Guardian takes care and possession of the Orphan's Estate till the Pupil comes to Age so Christ takes possession of this Kingdom with an intent to deliver it up to the humble when they come in the Unity of the Faith unto a perfect Man in Christ Jesus to the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. IV. 13. 3. Theirs by promise for so we read Matth. XVIII 3 4. Except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Whosoever shall humble himself as this little Child the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven He hath promis'd it who is able to give it even God who cannot be worse than his word The humble Man may depend upon this Promise more than he can upon Bonds and Bills and Securities that Men can give him of an Estate in the World God cannot fail him he cannot disappoint him He not only will not but cannot as the Apostle saith He cannot lye Tit. I. 2. because that would imply an imperfection If a Man of Honour doth faithfully promise his Neighbour a living a place or an office in his gift the Man makes bold to call it his for he hath confidence in his honesty and word knowing him to be a Person that stands upon his credit and reputation and scorns to do any thing that 's base and mean How much more then may the humble Soul call the Kingdom of Glory hers since the God the Fountain of Truth and Truth it self hath peremptorily said it shall fall to her share and though such Persons do not actually as yet enjoy it yet they shall enjoy it as surely as if they did already walk through that Jerusalem and view the Towers and Bullworks and all because they have to deal with a God who changes not Mal. III. 6. 4. Theirs by way of earnest In humane Contracts men give earnest and that makes the Bargain sure and tho' the Covenant God makes with Men is not such a formal Contract as is betwixt Man and Man in buying and selling yet some resemblance there is in that God a most bountifull Master is willing to give earnest to the humble Soul to assure her that this Kingdom of Glory shall be hers This earnest is his Spirit which is therefore call'd The earnest of our future inheritance Eph I. 14. This Spirit is no fancy but a real thing which the humble Soul feels as much as other Men do the moving of the Wind by the effects This Spirit of God is discover'd by its operations which are kindly and great and powerfull and make a very wonderfull alteration in the Soul for the better This Spirit works Grace and that Grace is the earnest of Glory III. How and in what manner a Title to this Kingdom makes the poor in Spirit or the Humble blessed In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men that may rejoyce much or who have very great reason to rejoyce or as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men not subject to Death or Corruption the word answers to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports a perfection or confluence of all good things The Isle of Cyprus was anciently call'd Macaria because of the mighty affluence and abundance of all good things that wer to be had there which was the cause why the Romans seiz'd it for their use But what is all this to the Kingdom of Heaven to the Kingdom of Grace and Glory Where all things that can make a Man truly and eternally happy do concur where there is no want of any thing that Reason can desire and all things that fill and satisfie the Soul are present where God gives himself the perfection of Beauty and Wisdom and Greatness and Love and Delight which gift as it is begun in the Kingdom of Grace so it shall be perfected in the Kingdom of Glory The humble Man is blessed 1. Blessed in himself 2. Blessed in the sight of God 3. Blessed in the Eyes of all good Men 4. blessed in the midst of all his outward Miseries 5. Blessed in the opinion of all Reprobates 6. Blessed because he hath a Title to the Kingdom of Heaven 1. Blessed in himself He hath reason to rejoice His humility gives him that content and secret Satisfaction that it may justly be call'd the Philosopher's-stone Content which surpasses all the Satisfaction that the luxurious the proud the voluptuous the sensual the carnal part of Mankind boasts of He hath Riches within and Pleasures within and a new Name within him even the white Stone which no Man knows save he who receives it Nor is he subject to corruption for when he dies he dies into an immortal life There is nothing of him dies but the garment of flesh nothing of him corrupts but the Clay and Dust he wears about him the earthly Tabernacle in which his Soul that noble Inhabitant lived decays and moulders and falls but his Soul at his Death is born again gets new life new light new irradiations nay and his Body must at last follow his Soul to Glory and therefore blessed blessed in himself for he feels that Bliss within which all the Gold of Ophir cannot purchase So true is that saying of our Saviour He that believes in me shall never die Joh. XI 26. 2. He is blessed in the sight of God God counts him so God looks upon him as happy and he must needs be so whom God judges to be so God cannot be mistaken He cannot be out in his Verdict He sees his heart sees the lovely the amiable the charming Vertue he is most enamour'd withal a Vertue very agreeable to his Divine Nature a Vertue which very much resembles the
for not yielding to a Worship or Practice which he hath plainly forbid Thus the three young men in Daniel were persecuted for righeteousness sake because thrown into a fiery Furnace for not worshipping the golden Image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up and thus Daniel himself was persecuted for righteousness sake when cast into the Lion's Den for worshipping the true God three times a Day Thus the Primitive believers were persecuted for righteousness sake when imprison'd condemn'd to the mines butcher'd tormented thrown to the Lions forced to fight with Beasts c. because they would not sacrifice to Idols nor offer Incense to Jupiter nor swear by the Emperours and their genius c. And thus the poor Waldenses and Albigenses were persecuted for righteousness sake when pursued with Fire and Sword for not worshipping Saints and Angels and for not believing the Infallibility and Truth of the Roman Church And the same may be said of any Christian that loses his place or the favour of his Master Prince or Relatives for not telling a lye for not profaning the Lord's Day for being loath to cheat or defraud or to comply with others in their sins In a word to suffer for obeying any affirmative or negative standing Precept or Command of God is to be persecuted for righteousness sake and such Persons are pronounced blessed in my Text which leads me to the II. Point whether these words as well as the preceeding imply a negative Truth viz. that they who are not persecuted for righteousness sake are not blessed You may remember that in the explication of the preceeding Beatitudes I have still proved the Negative implied as that those who are not poor in spirit or are not meek or not pure in heart c. are not blessed Here one would think the Negative should not hold for it seems impertinent and absurd to say that those good Christians who have lived and died in times of Peace and Plenty and Tranquility are not blessed nor made partakers of the Kingdom of Heaven But notwithstanding all this the negative is as true as the affirmative provided we take Christ's meaning by the right handle as thus 1. Those who are persecuted and are not persecuted for righteousness sake their bare Persecution will not cannot make them blessed and this is very true For 1. A Man as I said before may be persecuted for his Crimes for robbing or stealing upon the High-way for clipping the King's Coin for breaking open a House and may suffer for it This may be call'd Persecution because the same severities are used upon him that are upon Men who suffer for righteousness sake but still this suffering cannot make him blessed or happy because he is not persecuted for righteousness sake 't is true such a Man being apprehended and imprison'd may repent and become a new Creature and upon that account he may be blessed but his bare Persecution doth not make him so because he is not persecuted for righteousness sake 2. A Man may be persecuted for a false erroneous Doctrine yet that cannot make him blessed i. e. if the Law or the Officers of Justice should persecute a Man that teaches that the Pope is Christ's Vicar and hath Power to depose Kings and to excommunicate them when they prove Hereticks and to give their Kingdoms away to others or that there is no Salvation out of the Church of Rome c. Considering the Penalties and Punishments the Law inflicts in such Cases on such pragmatical Men this may be called a Persecution but this Persecution cannot make the Teacher of these Doctrines blessed much less intitle him to the Kingdom of Heaven because all this while he is not persecuted for righteousness sake and he cannot be supposed to suffer as a Confessour or Martyr but rather as a Criminal It 's true the Teacher of such Doctrines may apprehend them to be part of the righteousness taught in the Gospel but it 's evident to all unbyass'd impartial and unprejudic'd Men that they are not but rather that they are as false as God is true and contrary to the Word of God and therefore his suffering cannot make him blessed no not if he should be canoniz'd by his own party because here is nothing of righteousness in the case no Doctrine no Precept plainly revealed by the Word of God a pretended righteousness may be but no real one 2. The Negative also holds if we say that those who are loath to suffer for righteousness sake when call'd to it are not blessed and cannot be and this is the Negative chiefly intended here even that those who in times of persecution for righteousness sake preferr their ease and quiet and Temporal prosperity before suffering for Christ are very unhappy Men and the reasons are plain 1. The Threatnings of Christ pronounced against all such Persons are very dreadfull Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven He that loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me He that loves Son or Daughter more than me is not worthy of me He that doth not deny himself and follow after me is not worthy of me He that shall seek to save his life shall lose it Matth. X. 33 37 38 39. And again Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinfull Generation of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the Glory of his Father Mark VIII 38. And surely this can be no blessed Estate It 's true we are not to run into the Fire of persecution without need or without a call and the ancient Church justly blamed those forward Men who offer'd and accus'd themselves to the Heathen Judges and Executioners and even provok'd them to dispatch them because they were Christians but when we are call'd to suffering for righteousness sake and God thinks fit to try us by that Fire there to refuse it and for worldly profit greatness power and honour and an easie life to deny the truth or to subscribe to errours which we are perswaded in our Consciences are so this is such a blot upon Religion such a dishonour to Christ such an affront to truth that such a Person must needs appear very odious in the sight of God and an object of his wrath and anger cannot be blessed 2. Such Persons forfeit all their Title to the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore cannot be blessed this is implied in the Text and if a Man had all the Kingdoms of the World in Possession and were excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven he would be a very miserable Man miserable in all his greatness power and authority and so much the more miserable because after the height of all this splendour he is to sink into the nethermost Hell from one extream to another from the greatest felicity to the greatest misery The Kingdom of Heaven is intended for Conquerours He that is loath to suffer for
Proportionable The Solitary good Man saves himself but he that is Religious in Society is in a way of saving both himself and those that see him In so wicked an Age as this is good Men had need shew themselves to the World to do something toward the Amendment and Reformation of it And without doubt some good they do and though it is to be wisht that the World were better yet that it is not worse they are beholding to such Examples which shews that some good is done by their Living and Conversing in Babylon III. Were I to speak to Princes to the Nobles to the Gentry of the Nation to Magistrates Ministers and to men in Authority this should be my Text. All such Persons who make some Figure in the World are like a City set upon a Hill to such the nether World the Plebeians the Commonalty and the Ordinary sort of People look up Their Example they take Notice of and these Examples they Ordinarily follow I would tell them that as God hath raised them above the Common level so God expects they should be eminent in Goodness and be as much above all Vice as they are above the common Rank I would tell them that their Sins are spreading and like the Plague destroy whole Cities and Towns I would tell them that in this Case they are more Barbarous than the Tyrants Mankind cries out upon for they lay several mens Consciences waste by their ill Practices which is more than sacking Towns and burning Cities All ye that are advanced to some Government and surely Parents and Masters of Families are so Behold your selves in this Glass according as your Examples are so will your Inferiours be I do not say it is so always but this is ordinarily the Effect of your Behaviour As you are so will your Children and Servants be at least there is Reason to think that so they will be for your Example strangely influences those that are under your Charge and Protection If you sanctify the Lords day both in Publick and Private by letting the Word of God dwell richly among you in all Wisdom Teaching and Admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing with grace in your Hearts unto the Lord your Inferiours in time its possible would do so too If you are enemies to Pride to Intemperance to Drunkenness to Swearing there is hopes that your Inferiours will learn of you If you are Grave and Modest and curb your Passions and deny your selves for Heaven and Gods Service it is not improbable that your Inferiours will be wrought upon to make you their Patterns We see they do so in evil Things why should we despair of their following you in that which is good At least you have this Satisfaction that by your Example you shew'd them the Way to the Land which flows with Milk and Honey You will have this Comfort that your Example did not lead them into the Chambers of Death nor make them fling their immortal Souls away All ye that are Professours of Religion that pretend to be holier than ordinary the Eyes of the World will be upon you The least false step you make will be taken notice of See then that you walk Circumspectly as wise Men redeeming the Time because the days are Evil. IV. Such of you whom the Spirit of God hath made free from the Law of Sin you are not only a City set upon a Hill but behold you are come into mount Sion to the heavenly Jerusalem unto the City of the living God and to the innumerable company of Angels as the Apostle saith Heb. XII 18. Behold God hath called you to be Citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem called you to be Companions of Angels called you to dwell on the Hill of God on the everlasting Hill How high is your Calling How excellent your Vocation How great the dignity God intends you Your conversation is to be in Heaven and will you mind the Trifles of the Flesh and so mind them as to set your Affections upon them Will you who are Born new Born I mean to an everlasting Kingdom will you be fond of this pitiful transitory World you that are intended for the highest Imployment will you do as the Children of the World do They are from Beneath you are from Above Do Eagles catch Flies and you that are intended to soar above the Clouds will you disgrace your Pedigree and and set your Affections on things Below God intends you as Conquerours and will you suffer your selves to fall a Prey to filthy Temptation and expose your selves to the Contempt and Scorn of the Fowler who Flatters you till he draws you into the Net and then Punishes you for being taken Behold the glorious City the City of our God the City set upon a Hill indeed the City which hath Foundations whose builder and maker is God! Do you hope to be Members of that Community and will you disparage your selves by Actions that will certainly exclude you from that Republick At the Gates of it no unclean Thing shall enter A clean Heart and a clean Life must give you jus Givitatis make you free Denisons of that City and will not you prepare your selves for the Honour of that Naturalization Except you imitate the Manners of the Citizens above you can never hope to be Partners with them in their Glory and what are their Manners Why They love Love is their Trade their Employment their Business their Pleasure their Delight their Satisfaction They love nothing but God or if they love any Thing besides him they love it for his Sake and love God in it Love is their Principle their End their Mark and their Entertainment Love is their Meat and Drink and their Recreation They love Dearly they love Constantly they love Eternally God is love and he dwells in them and they in God To be like them see that ye love him that hath begotten you again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead See that ye love one another with a pure Heart fervently See that your love be without dissimulation See that ye love not in Word nor in Tongue but indeed and in truth and when the Thred of your Life shall break that Love which dwelt in you will exalt you to the Regions of perfect Love where the Inhabitants speak of Love and think of Love and sing of Love and tell one another how Christ hath loved them and wash'd them from their Sins with his own Blood To him be Glory forever Amen FINIS * Anno 1641. †So call'ed as some think from Bacchi ara Vid. Misson's Trav. Tom. 1. Lett. 6 * An. 1665. †The Rectory of Doulton in Devonshire ‖ An 1669. * Charles Lodowick Elector Palatine †An 1671. * Plin. l. 1. ep 12. * Varen descript Japon †The learned W. Sclater us'd to call this Distemper to which he himself was much subject Studiosorum flagellum * Before this last Illness of which he died he fell in the year 1678 into along and languishing Sickness occasioned through his indefatigable Application to the Duties and Functions of his Ministry It brought him well nigh to his Grave The good Man ascribed his Recovery under God to the tender Care of his vertuous Wife with whom he always liv'd in great Concord and Union and to the Prayers of pious People put up to Heaven on his behalf as appears from some devout Meditations which he compos'd on that Subject and which have been found since his Decease among his Papers In Thanksgiving to God for his Preservation at that time which he himself look'd on as next to miraculous he kept a Day Monthly in his Family ever after and preach'd yearly a Commemoration Sermon to his beloved Congregation at the Savoy wherein he rehearsed God's Mereies to him and excited others to hope and trust in him in the like Extremities He also distributed largely to the Poor upon that Day This was his constant Method to treasure up God's Providences to him and to sanctifie and improve them not only to his own Use but to the Use and Benefit of others * Hieron vit Hilarion * Platon Axiochus * Vulg. lat in locum †Theophylact on Matth. 24. Crucific Jesus p. 557. †Socrat. Apolog. * Jul. Celsus de vit J. Caesaris * He commenc'd Doctor at Cambridge in the Year 1681. This is mention'd here it having thro'inadvertency been omitted in its proper place Vid. Grot in Loc. Vid. Cornel à Lap. in Luc. G. Leti Vid. Cornel. à Lap. in Jacobi 1. v. ult Pliny