meaning of them they are v. 22. and 23. The light of the body is the eye if therefore the eye be single the whole body shall be full of light But if thy eye be evill the whole body shall be full of darknesse If therefore the light that is in thee bedarkenesse how great is that darkenesse C. These words as they are mostly interpreted concerning the goodnesse or illnesse of iutentions are not indeed very pertinent to the businesse in hand of liberality and of love of money you may therefore give me your patience while I give you the naturall genuine interpretation of them and then you will discerne how pertinent they are to the present matter To which purpose I shall first tell you what is meant by a single and an evill eye 2. By light and darkenesse 3. By the similitude here used And then 4. how all belongs to the point in hand S. What is meant by the single and evill eye C. The word single signifieth in the New Testament Liberall the single eye liberality bounty distribution of our wealth to the poore So Rom. 12. 8. He that giveth in singlenesse or as our margent readeth liberally 2 Cor. 8. 2. the riches of your singlenesse we read liberality c. 9. 11. To all singlenesse we read to all bountifullnesse and v. 13. Singlenesse of distribution we read liberality of distribution or liberall distribution Ja 1. 5. that giveth to all men singly we read liberally Contrary to this the evill eye signifies envie covetousnesse unsatisfiednesse niggardlinesse and all the contraries of liberality So Mat. 20. 15. is thy eye evill because I am good i. e. Art thou unsatisfied therefore because I have beene more liberall to another thou hast thy due why art thou discontent or unsatisfied So Mat. 7. 22. Out of the heart cometh the evill eye i. e. envie covetousnesse unsatisfiednesse For this is observable that envy is generally set as the opposite to all liberality and God by the fathers called without envy meaning most liberall and bountifull The word which is here rendred evill being aequivalent to an Hebrew word which signifies the greatest degree of illiberality or uncharitablenesse and the word eye being added proverbially perhaps because that part hath most to do in covetousnesse which is called the lust of the eye 1 Ja. 2. 16. S. What is meant by light and darkenesse C. By light Christianity or the state of the Gospell We are of the light and walke like children of light and darkenesse contrary to that unchristian heat henish affections or actions S. What is meant by the similitude here used C. That as in the body of a man the eye is the directer shewes it what it should do and if it be as it ought directeth it the right way but if not leadeth into most dangerous errours so in the body the heart mentioned immediately before if it be liberally affected having laid up its treasure in heaven and fastened it selfe on it it will direct the man to all manner of good Christian actions but if it be covetous unsatisfied worldly hard it brings forth all manner of unchristian heathenish actions And then if the light that be in thee be darkenesse if the heart in thee be unchristian heathenish how great is that darkenesse what an unchristian condition is this S. I shall not now asks you how all this belongs to the point in hand C. It is indeed plaine enough allready that it belongs perfectly to the businesse And this is the summe of all 1. That liberality and charity in the heart is a speciall part of Christianity hath a notable influence toward the production of all Christian virtues and a main argument and evidence it is of a Christian to have this grace in him 2. That uncharitablenesse worldly-mindednesse unsatisfiednesse uncontentednesse envie covetousnesse is a sinne of a very evill effect and consequence betrayes a man to all most unchristian sinnes fills him full of iniquity according to that of Saint Paul 1 Tim. 6. 10. for the love of money is the root of all evill c. and a sad symptome wherever we finde it of a great deale of ill besides All which comes in very pertinently on occasion of those words where the treasure is there will the heart be also are a foundation for that appendant affirmation You cannot serve God and Mammon S. You have fully cleared this difficulty and past thorow the first of the two things contained in the remainder of this chapter that which pertaines to the mortifying all desire and love of wealth God make it successefull in my heart to worke all covetous warthy affections out of it and plant all contrary graces of liberality and mercifullnesse in their steed § 5 You will please now to proceed to the other thing the moderating of our worldly care and providence in the following words Take no thought for your life c. and that taking its rise from the former therefore say unto you take no thought c. C. I shall now proceed to this point which takes up all the verses to the end of this chapter and in it onely detaine you with two things 1. The precept or doctrine of worldly thoughtlessenesse 2. The enforcements of it shewing how reasonable it is to be observed though it seeme a strange doctrine S. To begin with the first what care and sollicitude is it that is here forbidden C. It is set downe in these three severall phrases 1. Take no thought for your life what you shall eate or what ye shall drinke nor yet for your body what you shall put on v. 25. 2. Take no thought saying what shall we eate c. v. 31. and 3. Take no thought for the morrow v. 34. From all which it appeares that the thing here forbidden is that whatever it is which is the full importance of the Greeke word rendered taking thought which being derived by Grammarians from a phrase which signifies in English to divide the minde doth then signifie a dabiousnesse of minde or anxiety and that a want or littlenesse a defect of faith v. 30. a not beleeving as we ought that God that gives us life and bodies will allow us meanes to susteine one and aray to ther Saint Luke calls it by a word which we render doubtfull minde or carefull suspence but signifies hanging betwixt two a not knowing how to resolve whether God will do this for us or no. Now that I may give you the cleare evidence of the Christian doctrine in this matter I will deliver it distinctly in these few propositions 1. That this is a truth infallible truth of Gods that God will for the future provide for every servant of his food and rayment a competence of the necessaries of life this truth may appeare by the promises to this purpose in the scripture two there are of this nature that the margents of our Bibles in this place referre to Psal 55.
the young ones as soone as they are hatcht leaves them meatelesse and featherlesse to struggle with hunger as soone as they are gotten into the world and whether by dew from heaven a kind of manna rained into their mouthes when they gape and as the Psalmist saith call upon God or whether by flies flying into their mouthes or whether by wormes bred in their nests as some thinke or by what other meanes God knowes God feedeth them And therefore perhaps it was that that creature to make its returne of gratitude to God flies presently on its errand to feed the prophet elias in the wildernesse in which this was surely very observable that that creature which is so unnaturall as not to feed its owne young ones did yet at God's command feed the prophet As sometimes those baggs of the miser are opened liberally to Gods children at their death in building hospitalls c. which had beene shut to their owne all their life This example our Saviour shuts up with an expostulation are not you much better then they Man a much more considerable creature then those birds man the Monarch of all them and the life of my Lord the King worth ten thousand of theirs and therefore surely a farre greater part of God's providence then they though no thoughtfulnesse of his contribute to it But then this must be taken with some caution along with it not that we should neither sow nor reape because the foules do neither but that we should take no anxious thought as they neither sow nor reape that it is as unreasonable for a Christian to distrust Gods providence to bury his soule in an anxious care for earthly things though the very necessaries of life as for the raven to be set to husbandry Had men acquired but as much religion dependance trust reliance on God by all the preaching of the Gospell by all the cultivation of so many hundred yeares as nature teacheth the young ravens as soone as they are hatcht to gape toward heaven and so in a plaine downeright naturall inarticulate way to call on God the Mammonists idoll would soone be driven out of the world and instead of it a cheerefull comfortable dependance on heaven in despight of all our jealous traiterous feares that worldly hearts betray us to an obedient submission to Gods direction in using those meanes that he directeth us and then resigning all up into his hands to dispose of with an If I perish I perish and I will waite upon the Lord which hideth his face and I will looke for him and though he kill me yet will I trust in him The other example concerning rayment from the lillies of the field lies thus God in his forming of the world hath bestowed a strange proportion of naturall be auty and ornament upon the lillies that grow in every field or garden though those are of a very short duration and being inanimate do contribute nothing to their owne beauty but most evidently the whole worke wrought by God only and all the care and sollicitude and temporall advantages of gold and the like artificiall bravery cannot equall or compare with that naturall beauty which God hath endued them with Which consideration as it may well lessen our desire of the gallantry of clothes and mortifie our pride which they feed in us the utmost that we can attaine to in this kinde being not comparable with that which is in the meanest creatures so may it give us a fiduciall relyance on God for all things of this nature who sure can cloth us as well as those and will certainely provide for us such rayment as is convenient for us by our use of ordinary meanes without our anxious care and sollicitude for the future S. What is the next inforcement of this duty C. An argument taken from our owne experience in things of some what a like nature v. 27. For the stature of ones body or the age of ones life for the same word signifies both but seemes in this place rather to denote the former only every of us know and confesse that our care and sollicitude can do nothing to make any considerable addition to it Now certainely the lengthening of the life for a few dayes or houres is not so great a matter as life it selfe nor the tallnesse or stature of the body as the body it selfe for what matters it how tall a man is and therefore it being so confestly the worke of God only to dispose of these lesse things our stature c. how much more reasonable is it to beleive that the same God without any anxious sollicitude of ours can and will conserve our life and body by giving us those things which are necessary to their conservation S. What is the next inforcement C. The contrary practice of the Gentiles v. 32. The heathen indeed who either acknowledge no God at all or deny his providence over particular things do use this kinde of sollicitude seeking vehemently and importunately for all these things i. e. for food and drinke and cloathing for the remainder of their lives or for such a proportion of wealth as will be able thus to furnish them for their lives end and this may be allowed or pardoned them that have no better principles to build on but would be a shame for Christians to have gotten no higher by the acknowledgement of the true God and his particular providence and care over all creatures but especially over us men for whose use all other creatures were created and by the doctrine of Christianity which teacheth us faith or dependance on Christ for all and desires to mortifie all love of the gaines and pleasures of this world in us by promising us a richer inheritance then this earthy Canaan and to worke in us an indifference and untroublednesse of minde for all outward things and many other graces in order to this which no heathen could ever arrive to S What is that fifth inforcement C. It is set downe in these words v. 32. For your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all these things i. e. these things that are necessary for you and others you need not seeke after God knowes you have need of as well as you and that God is your father and cannot be so unkinde to you as not to be willing to bestow them on you and that father an heavenly father and consequently is perfectly able to bestow them S. What is the sixth inforcement C. This that there is a farre more easie Christian and compendious way to all these necessaries of life then your sollicitude or anxious care To wit the setting our minds upon our higher interests minding and intending of those joyes in another life and that way of Christian obedience which will lead us to them which if we do thus intend God hath promised to give us these necessaries of life as an appendage or addition over and above Piety having the
act of faith may be more excellent and acceptable in the sight of God then others as that humble act of the faithfull servant that when he hath done all acknowledges himselfe unprofitable and so excludes all glorying which the Apostle makes very necessary to justification Rom. 4. expects all good from Gods free mercy in Christ with-without any reflection on any of his owne performances or againe that of full trust affiance reliance rolling ones selfe on God depending on his all-sufficiency in the midst of all difficulties on the fidelity of him that hath promised when all worldly probabilities are to the contrary but then this must be accompanied with other acts of faith when occasion is offered for them and with use of the meanes prescribed by Christ or else reliance may prove presumption after all And however it is we must adde to our faith virtue c. or else our faith may still be dead livelesse being alone that is unable to stand us in any stead to the desired end S. I could heare you and propose scruples to you for ever on this argument but I desire to carry away onely so much of this subject of faith as may tend to the encrease of all virtue in me and I am sensible how long I have detained you on this theme and therefore I shall importune you no farther about it but yet onely vary not end your trouble and advance to the next Theologicall Grace that of Hope and desire your directions in that particular C. This Grace is subject to some mistaking and therefore I shall desire you to marke carefully what I conceive of it S. What is Hope C. It is a patient comfortable expectation of the performance of Gods promises belonging to this life or a better S. What is the ground of Hope C. Some sure word of promise assented unto by faith S. What is the object of Hope C. It is made up of two things 1. The thing promised 2. The Cause or Author of it 1. The thing promised or the performance of that promise Such is the Resurrection of the dead which nature cannot helpe us to see any thing into but being beleived by faith becomes the object of Hope And 't is observable that seven times in the Acts of the Apostles the word Hope referres to this one object the Resurrection or future state or life in another world which indeed is the supreme object of the Christians Hope and all other things but in an inferiour degree and as they referre to that and in order to that great treasure of our rejoycing Though the truth is as there be promises of this life as well as of another as that God will give us all things necessary for us and the like So is there a Secular Hope or an Hope of this life and an object of that Hope S. What is that Secular Hope C. A reliance on God that he will send me whatsoever is good for me S. What is the object of that Hope C. Good successes good things S. Am I bound to hope that all things that are good for me shall befall me C. I must answer you with some caution First Those promises are conditionall All things shall tend to good to them that love God If we be lovers of God then that promise belongs to us not else And consequently then we are to hope it not else Ye that feare the Lord hope in the Lord saith the Psalmist S. But is every true servant of God bound to hope that God will give him all secular good things as wealth peace honour and the like C. There is another condition required in him first before that promise belongs to him and consequently before he is bound to that hope S. What is that C. To pray for them for the having and finding is promised to none but to them which aske and seeke yea and to use the meanes ordinary and lawfull which are in order to that end as labour and the like among which mercifulnesse and liberality is one to which the promise of secular wealth is most frequently made and the contrary threatned with want S. Well then must the servant of God having prayed and used those meanes hope and be assured that that which he thus prayes for shall be granted him C. Yes either formally or by way of aequivalence either that or something that is better or againe either now or when God fees fitter for him for this must be allowed God to be able to choose for us better then we can for our selves both for the thing it selfe and the time of conferring it For many times that which we aske would if it should be granted be worst for us and perhaps tend to our destruction and then God by denying the particular matter of our prayers doth grant the generall matter of them which alwaies is that which is best for us Sometimes againe he deferres to grant that we may reinforce our impression pray more ardently and for us to be so exercised in prayer and hope is best for us also S. Are we bound then thus to expect and hope in every thing that we pray for C. Yes we are and the want of that is the sinne of wavering or doubting noted by Christ and his Apostles S. Well but you toldme there was another part of the object of Hope besides the thing promised which you called the cause or author of it What is that C. The person that is to make good this promise to me which is God himselfe And therefore we are so often exhorted to hope in the Lord c. For as in the other affections we are not onely angry at the injury or the provoking thing done to us but at him that did it and we doe not onely feare paine and punishment but him also that can inflict it on us so we doe not onely hope for Heaven or for any other good thing but for God as the fountaine of our blisse and through whose mercy it is that it befals us This is called hope in him or as it should rather be rendred Hope on him 1 Joh. 3. 3. And this is a speciall act of Christian hope to be thus unbottom'd of our selves and fastned upon God with a full relyance and trust and dependance on his mercy S. I thanke you for this direction Give mee leave to proceed What be the seasons and opportanities of this Hope C. 1. Time of tribulation Rom. 5. 4. Tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience Hope and Hope maketh not ashamed Where the word which we render experience signifies being approved upon a triall and the sence runnes thus Tribulation is a season and a meanes to worke patience and that patience to produce approbation as of one that is tried in the fire and hath past the test And this a meanes to worke an Hope or expectation of reward and that Hope will keepe from being ashamed of those sufferings and make us rather
other contrary-minded S. But what if there be on both sides great probabilities but no demonstration from Christian principles or interposing of the Church which way will my meekenesse then direct me to propend C. That which must then direct me is my owne conscience to take to that which seemes to me most probable and in that my meekenesse hath nothing to doe nor can it oblige me to beleive that which I am convinced is not true nor to disbeleive that which I am convinced is true but yet before I am thus convinced my meekenesse will give me it's directions not to rely too overweeningly on my owne judgment but to compare my selfe with other men my equalls but especially my superiours and to have great jealousies of any my owne singular opinions which being represented to others as judicious as my selfe together with the reasons that have perswaded me to them doe not to them prove perswasive nay after I am convinced my meekenesse may againe move me to hearken to other reasons that other men judge more prevailing and if occasion be to reverse my former judgment thus past upon that matter It being very reasonable for me though not to beleive what I am not convinced of yet to conceive it possible for me not to see those grounds of conviction which another sees and so to be really mistaken though I thinke I am not and then what is thus reasonable to be concluded possible my meekenesse will bid me conclude possible and having done that advise me to choose the safer part and resolve rather to offend and erre by too much flexibility then too much perversenesse by meekenesse then by selfe-love S. What is the present felicity of the meeke man C. 1. The very possession of that Grace being of all others most delightfull and comfortable both as that that adornes us and sets us out beautifull and lovely in the eyes of others and is therefore called the Ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit 1 Pet. 3. 4. and as that that affords us most matter of inward comfort as for example that part of meekenesse which is opposed to revenge and consists in bearing and not retributing of injuries this to a spirituall-minded man is matter of infinite delight 1. In conquering that mad wild devillish passion of revenge getting victory over one's selfe which is the greatest act of valour the thought of which is consequently most delightfull 2. In conquering the enemy of which there is no such way as the soft answer which saith the wise man turneth away wrath and feeding the hungry enemy which saith Saint Paul is the heaping live coales upon his head and that the way that Metallists use to melt those things that will not be wrought on by putting of fire under them which he expresses by overcoming evill with good 3. In conquering or out-stripping all the foolish and heathen world which had never attained to this skill of loving of enemies which is onely taught Christians by Christ The honour of this must needs be a most pleasant thing 2. It is matter of present felicity to us in respect of the tranquillity and quiet it gaines us here within our owne breasts a calme from those stormes that pride and anger and revenge are wont to raise in us And 3. In respect of the quiet peaceable living with others without strife and debate without punishments and executions that are the portion of the seditious turbulent disobedient spirits Which is the meaning undoubtedly of the promise in the Psalmist the meeke shall inherit the earth i. e. shall generally have the richest portion of the good things of this life from whence this place in the Gospell being taken though it may be accommodated to a spirituall sence by interpreting the earth for the land of the living yet undoubtedly it literally notes the land of Canaan or Judea which is oft in the Old and New Testament called the earth and so then the promise of inheriting the earth will be all one with that annext to the fifth commandement that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee i. e. a prosperous long life here is ordinarily the meek man's portion which he that shall compare and observe the ordinary dispensations of God's providence shall find to be most remarkeably true especially if compared with the contrary fate of turbulent seditious persons S. But if this reward belong to the meeke in this life what assurance of future felicity can he have there being no other promise to him here but that he shall inherit the earth C. The temporall reward can no wayes deprive him of the eternall but as the temporall Canaan was to the Jew a type and to them that obeyed a pledge of the eternall so the earth here a reall inheritance below and a pawne of another above and this is the meeke mans advantage above many other duties a double Canaan is thought little enough for him the same felicity in a manner attending him which we beleive of Adam if he had not fallen a life in paradise and from thence a transplantation to heaven The like we read of them that part with any thing deere to them for Christs sake or in obedience to Christs command which I conceive belongs especially to the liberall minded man he shall have a hundred fold more in this life and in the world to come everlasting life and unlesse it be here to the meek or to godlynesse in generall 1 Tim. 4. 8. we meet not with any other temporall promise in the new Testament which may therefore be resolved very well to be parrallel to that other not only in the hundred fold or inheritance in this life but in that other also of another life Besides other places of Scripture there are that intimate the future reward of the meek as where it is sayd to be in the sight of God of great price and that if we learne of Christ to be meeke we shall finde rest to our souls and even here the blessednesse in the front noting present blessednesse cannot rightly do so if there were no future reward also belonging to it it being a curse no blessing to have our good things with Dives or with the Hypocrite our reward in this life and none to expect hehinde in another S. What then is the fourth grace C. Hungring and thirsting after righteousnesse S. What is that And 1. what is meant by righteousnesse C. It is of two sorts 1. Inherent then Imputed the inherent imperfect proportioned to our state consisting in the mortifying of sinnes and lusts and some degrees of holy new life the Imputed is Christ's righteousnesse accepted as ours which is in plain words the pardon of our sins and acceptation of our persons in Christ S. What is Hungring and Thirsting C. You may joyn them both together and make them one common appetite of both those kinds of righteousnesse Or if you please you may more distinctly
be other peices of carnality besides as strife faction sedition c. yea and pride and the consequents of that all these must be wrought out of the heart or else we have not attained to this purity but are in the Apostles phrase 1 Cor. 3. 3. still carnall And so for worldlinesse for earth you know will pollute also when I not onely keepe my selfe from acts of injustice and violence but from designes of oppression nay from coveting that which is anothers and so likewise for Satanicall injections when I give them no manner of entertainment but reject them suffer them not to stay upon the soule and so defile it S. When may I be said pure in heart in the second sence C. When I attaine to sincerity when I favour not my selfe in any knowne sinne double not with God divide not betweene him and my owne lust owne ends owne interests betweene God and Mammon God and the praise of men c. For this is sure a maine part of the damning sinne of hypocrisy against which there are so many woes denounced not the appearing to others lesse sinfull then we are for that is not more unpardonable but lesse damning then open profest avowed scandalous sinning but the halting betweene God and Baall the not loving and serving God with all our heart the admitting other rivals with him into our hearts S. But is no man to be thought a good Christian that hath either carnality or hypocrisy in him C. None that is either carnall or hypocrite But the truth is as long as we live here and carry this flesh about us somewhat of carnality there will remaine to be daily purged out and so also some doublings some relickes of hypocrisy somewhat of my selfe my owne credit my owne interests still secretly interposing in my godliest actions But these so they be not suffered to raigne to be the cheife masters in me to carry the maine of my actions after them may be reconcileable with a good estate as humane frailties not wasting sinnes S. What is the present felicity that belongs to such C. To the first sort of purity belongs 1. That contentment that results from having overcome and kept under that unruly beast the carnall part and brought it into some termes of obedience to the spirit 2. The quiet and rest that proceedes from purity of heart contrary to the disquiets and burnings that arise from unmastered lusts 3. The ease of not serving and tending the flesh to obey it in the lusts thereof 4. The quiet of conscience absence from those pangs and gripings that constantly attend the commission of carnall sinnes The same may in some measure be affirmed of all the other branches of the first kind of purity And for the second as it is opposite to mixture or hypocrisy the conscience of that is matter of great serenity of minde of Christian confidence and boldnesse towards God and man when I have no intricacies Maeanders windings and doublings within me need not disguises or artifices of deceit but can venture my selfe naked and bare to Gods eye with a Prove me O Lord and try me search my reines and my heart And so to men feare not the most censorious strict survey have a treasure of confidence that I dread not the face of any man have no paines no agonies for feare of being deprehended which the hypocrite is still subject unto S. What is the reward apportioned to purity hereafter C. The Vision of God which 1. Onely the pure are capable of And 2. which hath no matter of felicity in it but to such S. Why are onely the pure capable of the sight of God C. Because God is a Spirit and cannot be seene by carnall eyes till they be cleansed and purged and in a manner spiritualized which though it be not done throughly till another life yet purity here such as this life is capable of is a most proper preparative to it and therefore is said to be that without which no man shall see the Lord which you know is affirmed of holinesse Heb. 12. 14. which word in that place signifies the very purity here spoken of S. Why hath the Vision of God no felicity in it but to the pure C. Because a carnall faculty is not pleased with a spirituall object there must be some agreeablenesse before pleasure is to be had and that pleasure necessary to felicity S. What is meant by Peace-making C. The word Peace-makers signifies no more then peaceable minded men The notion of making in Scripture-phrase belonging to the bent of the soule as to make alye is to be given to lying to practice that sinne to be set upon it So to doe which is in Greek to make righteousnesse and sinne 1 Job 2. 29. and 3. 4. notes the full bent and inclination of the soule to either of them So to make peace both here and Ia. 3. 18. is to have strong hearty affections to peace S. Wherein doth this peaceable affection expresse it selfe C. In many degrees some in order to private some to publicke peace some to preserve it where it is some to reduce it where it is lost S. What degrees of it in order to private peace C. 1. A command and victory over ones passions especially anger and covetousnesse the former being most apt to disquiet families the latter neighbourhoods The angry man will have no peace with his servants children nay wife and parents any that are within the reach of his ordinary conversation and the covetons man will contend with any neare him that have any thing that he covets 2. Charitable or favourable opinion of all men and actions that are capable of candid interpretations Jealousies in the least societies being the most fatall enemies to peace fomentors of the least discontents into the mortallest feuds hatreds 3. An apertnesse clearenesse of mind in a friendly debate with friends or neighbours of any actions which have past subject to misconstruction without all concealing of grounds of quarrell not suffering them to broyle within but discreetly requiring an accompt of all such dubious accidents of those who are concerned in them 4. The resolving against contentions and litigations in law as much as is possible being rather content to suffer any ordinary losse then to be engaged in it and in greater matters referring it to arbitrement of honest neighbours then to bring it to suit 5. Expressing a dislike to flatterers whisperers and backbiters and never suffering our affections to be altered by any such By these you will guesse of other degrees also S. What in order to publicke peace C. 1. Contentment in our present station and never fastening our ambition and covetise on any thing which will not easily be attained without some publicke change or innovation 2. Willing obedience to the present government of Church and State 3. Patience of the crosse or preparation for that patience and resolving never to move a State to get my selfe from under
A PRACTICALL CATECHISME Theologia est Scientia affectiva non speculativa Gerson 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clemens in Poedagog OXFORD Printed in the yeare M. DC XLV The Table OF Divinity p. 1. Of Practicall points p. 2. Of the First Covenant p. 3. Of the Second Covenant p. 6. Of the names of Christ p. 15. 1. Of Jesus p. 16. Of the name Christ and his three offices p. 21. Of Christs Kingly office p. 22. Of Christs Preistly office p. 27. Of Christs Propheticke office p. 38. Of Faith p. 40. Of Hope p. 61. Of Charity p. 74. Of Repentance p. 84. Of Selfe-deniall p. 104. Of taking up the Crosse p. 109. Of Justification p. 112. Of Sanctification p. 113. Gods method in saving a sinner p. 119. Of Christs Sermon in the Mount p. 120. Of the Beatitudes p. 122. Of Poverty of Spirit p. 122. Of Mourning p. 124. Of Meekenesse p. 126. Of Hungring thirsting after righteousnesse 135. Of Mercifulnesse p. 138. Of Purity of heart p. 140. Of Peace-making p. 144. Of Persecution for righteousnesse sake p. 148. Of the order of the Beatitudes p. 152. Of the exemplary lives of Christians p. 154. Christianity is not destructive of the lawes to which mankind had beene formerly obliged p. 156. Christ perfected the law p. 157. Of Killing p. 164. Of the power of the sword p. 165. Of Selfe-murther p. 166. Of Duells p. 168. Of Warre p. 172. Of Anger causelesse or immoderate in the breast p. 173. in the tongue p. 177. Of contumelious speaking p. 180. Of Reconciliation p. 183. Of the time of calling our selves to account for trespasses p. 184. Of Adultery p. 186. Of looking on a woman to lust p. 188. Of the eye and hand offending p. 191. Of Divorce p. 192. Of Swearing p. 203. Of Revenge or retaliating evill p. 208. Of Warres p. 213. Of loving enemies p. 225. Of Almes-giving p. 236. Of Vaine-glory p. 252. Of Prayer p. 259. Of Vaine repetitions p. 271. Of the Lords Prayer p. 273. Of Fasting p. 288. 296. Of Sobriety p. 290. Of Feasting p. 295. Of the desire and love of wealth p. 306. Of Worldly Care p. 315. Of judging others p. 338. Of the power of Prayer p. 346. Of doing as we would be done to p. 346. Of Warinesse and prudence p. 348. Markes of False-teachers p. 349. Of Profession of Christianity without action p. 352. ERRATA PAg. 4. lin 8. After Covenant adde a Comma p. 14. lin 13. after Covenant adde in the notion wherein now we take it l. 16. after Covenant adde and that especially and therefore is so called Heb. 8. p. 15 l. 3. for falsible r. feasible p. 16. l. 19. for words word l. 20. for things thing p. 32. l. 16 for follow Wherein r. follow wherein p. 36. l. 23. dele it cleare l. 24 after person adde so as he shall be thought perfectly to have obeyed l. 25. after were adde thus p. 40. l. 12. r. proposed p. 54. l. 17. r particular is p. 77. l. 24. t. that is in p. 107. l. 5. r. those must be equally renounced p. 121. l. 9. for lights r. hights p. 133. l. 14. for foolish Iewish p. 137. l. 3. for your r. that p. 151 l. 15. r. when it is 〈◊〉 p. 163. l. 14. r. first he reh◠p. 169. l. 11. for this r. these p. 183. l. 18. r. unretracted p. 189. l. 23. r. creature p. 198. l. 22. r. that this is l. 23. r. adultery you p. 199. in marg r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 205. l. 18. r. those p. 206. l. 8. r. on the. l. 23. r. may p. 233. l. ult for with r. which is p. 255. l. 9. after or adde at least as from p. 256. l. 1. for come to r. cannot p. 257. l. 20 r. blowing p. 266. l. 22. for non r. no. p. 271. l. ◠after duty adde and. p. 280 in marg r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 284. l. 13. r. is it p. 307. l. 25. r. bent on p. 341. l. 28. for theirs r. yours A PRACTICALL CATECHISME Scholler I Have by the grace of God and your help and care attained in some measure to the understanding of the principles of Religion proposed to those of my age by our Church-Catechisme and should in modesty content my selfe with those rudiments but that I finde my selfe as a Christian not only invited but obliged to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Shall I therefore beseech you to continue my guide and to direct me first what kind of questions it will be most usefull for me to aske and you to instruct me in that I may not please my selfe or trouble you with lesse profitable speculations Catechist I will most readily serve you in this demand and make no scruple to tell you that that kind of knowledge is most usefull and proper to be superadded to your former grounds which tendeth most immediately to the directing of your practice for you will easily remember that it was the forme of the young mans question Mark 10. 17. Good Master what shall I doe that I may inherit eternall life and our bookes tell us that the oracle that is the Devill himselfe was informed to proclaime Socrates to be the wisest man in the world because he applied his studies and knowledge to the morall part the squaring and ordering of mens lives and Gerson a very learned and pious man hath defined Divinity of all others to be an affective not onely speculative knowledge which you will best understand the meaning of by a very ancient writers words which are in English these that the end of Christian philosophy is to make men better not more learned to edify not to instruct S. I shall most willingly intrust my selfe to your directions and though the vanity of my heart and the unrulinesse of my youthfull affections may perhaps make me an improper auditour of such doctrines yet I hope the doctrines themselves and the assistance of Gods grace obtaineable by our prayers may be a meanes to fit me to receive profit by them I beseech you therefore to tell me your opinion what kind of doctrines and what parts of Scripture will be likely to have the most present influence on my heart or contribute most to a Christian practice C. I conceive especially these five first the Doctrine of the first and second Covenant together with the difference of them secondly the Names and in one of them intimated the Offices of Christ thirdly the Nature of the Three Theologicall Graces Faith Hope and Charity together with Selfe deniall and Repentance or Regeneration fourthly the Difference and dependance betwixt Justification and Sanctification and lastly the thorow understanding of our Saviours Sermon on the Mount set downe in the fifth sixth and seaventh Chapters of Saint Matthews Gospell But you will be frighted with the length of this taske and discourag'd from setting out on so tedious a journey S. I shall thinke
word that is the condition of the second Covenant is nigh thee the meaning of which will not be understood but by comparing it with the place from whence it is cited Deut. 30. 11 14. The commandement which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee the Hebrew word there is by the Greeke translators best exprest it is not too heavy for thee and in other places it is not impossible for thee but v. 14. it is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart the Greek adde and in thy hand that thou maiest doe it and therefore Saint John saith His commandements are not greivous the word signifies heavy and unsupportable and Christ himselfe that His yoke is easie and his burthen light and Saint Paul againe that He can doe all things thorow Christ that strengthens him able to do nothing of himselfe in order to the attaining of blisse we are not sufficient of our selves saieth he in another place to doe any thing but yet thorow Christ that strengthens mee I can doe all things that are now required of mee our sufficiency is of God S. I beseech you where is this part of the promises of the second Covenant set downe in Scripture C. 'T is intimated in these and many other places but is distinctly set downe in the song of Zachary Luk. 1. 74. he there speakes of the oath which God sware to our father Abraham v. 72. which he stiles Gods holy Covenant v. 71. and he specifies two parts of it 1 Deliverance or safety from the power of our enemies Sinne and Satan in the words That we being delivered without feare or danger for so the pointing of the Greeke words in the most ancient copies teach us to read that is safe and secure out of the hand of our enemies 2 Giving of power or strength to us to enable us to serve him so as he will accept of and to persevere in that service in the rest of the words that he would grant unto us or as the word is rendred Rev. 11. 3. give power that we might serve him or to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the daies of our life S. This place is I acknowledge a cleare one to the purpose and I have nothing to object against it only pardon my curiosity if having beene told by you that this second Covenant was repeated to Abraham Gen. 22. 16. and finding it here called the oath sworne to Abraham and yet by reading of that oath in Gen. not finding any such forme of words there exprest I beseech you to satisfy this scruple of mine and reconcile those two places which both you and the margents of our Bibles acknowledge to be parallell the one to the other but the sound of the words doth not so readily consent to The granting me this favour may I hope make the whole matter more perspicuous C. I am of your opinion and therefore shall readily do it and it will cost me no more paines then this 1. to tell you that there is one part of the oath mentioned in Gen. which belonged peculiarly to the temporall prosperity of the people of the Jewes which were to spring from that Abraham I will multiply thy seed c and indeed that whole verse 17. may literally and primarily be referr'd to that but then besides that which Zachary respecteth not there are three things more promised spirituall blessing spirituall victory and the incarnation of Christ the last of these Zachary mentions not in the words of the oath because it is supposed in his whole song occasioned only by it and uttered on purpose to celebrate the incarnation of Christ but the other two parts are specified and interpreted by him the victory over or possessing the gates of the enemies there is here called deliverance without feare from the hands of our enemies and the blessing there is explained here to be giving us power to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all our dayes the grace of God for the amending of our lives according to that of the Apostle Gal. 3. 14. where the receiving the promise of the spirit is called the blessing of Abraham the power of Christ assisting and enabling us to persevere being really the most inestimable blessing that this life is capable of to which purpose Saint Peter Act. 3. 26. speaking of Christ sent by God to blesse us expresseth the thing wherein that blessing consists to wit in turning away every one from his iniquities S. I have troubled you too farre by this extravagance I shall make no delay to recall my selfe into the rode againe and having beene taught by you these severall particulars of Gods promise in the second Covenant I shall desire you to proceed to tell me what is the condition required of us in this Covenant unlesse perhaps there be some farther particulars promised on Gods part which you have not yet mentioned C. The truth is there be two more promises of God the first of giving more grace the second of crowning with glory but both those conditionall promises the first upon condition that we make use of those former talents those weaker degrees of grace given us which is the intimation of the parable of the noble man Luk. 19. 13. the summe of which is that unto every one that hath that is hath made good use of the talent of grace intrusted to him as Heb. 12. 28. to have grace signifies to make use of it to the end to which it is designed shall be given and from him that hath not made that use he ought even that he hath shall be taken from him The second upon condition that he be at the day of death or judgement such a man as Christ now under this second Covenant requires him to be S. What then is the condition of this second Covenant without which there is yet no salvation to be had C. I shall answer you first negatively then positively negatively it is not 1. perfect exact unsinning obedience never to offend at all in any kinde of sinne this is the condition of the first Covenant nor 2 is it never to have committed any deliberate sinne in the former life nor 3 never to have gone on or continued in any habituall or customary sinne for the time past but it is positively the new creature or renewed sincere honest faithfull obedience to the whole Gospell giving up the whole heart unto Christ the performing of that which God enables us to performe and bewailing our infirmities and frailties and sinnes both of the past present life and beseeching Gods pardon in Christ for all such and sincerely labouring to mortify every sin and performe uniforme obedience to God and from every fall rising again by repentance and reformation In a word the condition required of us is a constellation or conjuncture of all those Gospell-graces faith hope charity selfe-deniall repentance and the rest every one of
is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us which last words referre peculiarly to that act of this his Preist-hood in blessing or interceding for us and Rom. 4. 25. who was delivered to death for our offences and was raised againe for our justification The Death of Christ not justifying any who hath not his part in his Resurrection S. I perceive this theme of Christs Priesthood to be a rich mine of Christian knowledge every scruple of mine opening so large a field of matter before you I shall satisfy my selfe with this competency which you have afforded me I beseech God I may be able to digest it into kindly juice that I may grow thereby Please you now to proceed to the third and last Office of Christ that of a Prophet C. I shall and promise you not to exercise your patience so largely in that as in the former S. Wherein doth his Propheticke Office consist In foretelling what things should happen to his Church C. No that is not the notion we have now of a Prophet although that he hath also done in some measure as farre as is usefull for us S. What other notion have you of a Prophet C. The same that the Apostle hath of prophecying 1 Cor. 11. 4. 14. 6. S. What is that C. Interpreting or making knowne the will of God to us S. Wherein did Christ doe that C. In his Sermons but especially that on the Mount telling us on what termes blessednesse is now to be had under the Gospell and revealing some commands of God which before were either not at all or so obscurely revealed in the Old Testament that men thought not themselves obliged to such obedience Besides this the Propheticke Office was exercised in ordeining ceremonies and discipline for his Church the use of the Sacraments and the power of the keyes that is the Censures of the Church S. What else belongs to his Propheticke Office C. Whatsoever else he revealed concerning the Essence and Attributes of God concerning the mystery of the calling of the Gentiles and whatsoever other divine truth he revealed to his auditours either in parables or plaine enuntiations S. What are we to returne to this Office of his C. Our willing full assent never doubting of the truth of any affirmation of his a ready obedience to his institutions and commands neither despising nor neglecting the use of what he hath thought fit to prescribe us and subduing carnall proud reason to the obedience of faith S. You have gone before mee through the names and offices of Christ severally Is there any influence on practice that all of them jointly may be thought to have over and above what from the severals you have shewed me C. I shall commend onely one consideration to you for this purpose that Christ being an union of these three Offices is a Iesus or Saviour finally to none but those who receive him under all his three Offices uniformly into their hearts S. § 3 The Lord grant that I may doe so that I may be not a little way or a partiall unsincere but a true Christian What hinders but that you now proceed according to your method prpoosed to the particulars of the third ranke the Theologicall graces and Christian virtues C. I shall if your patience and appetite continue to you S. To begin then with the first what is Faith C. There is not any one word in nature which hath more significations then this hath in the Word of God especially in the New Testament It sometimes signifies the acknowledgment of the true God in opposition to Heathenisme sometimes the Christian Religion in opposition to Indaisme sometimes the beleeving the power of Christ to heale diseases sometimes the beleeving that he is the promised Messias sometimes fidelity or faithfulnesse sometimes a resolution of conscience concerning the lawfulnesse of any thing sometimes a reliance affiance or dependance on Christ either for temporall or spirituall matters sometimes beleeving the truth of all divine revelations sometimes obedience to Gods commands in the Evangelicall not legall sence sometime the doctrine of the Gospell in opposition to the law of Moses sometimes 't is an aggregate of all other graces sometimes the condition of the second Covenant in opposition to the first and other sences of it also there are distinguishable by the contexture and the matter treated of where the word is used S. I shall not be so importunate as to expect you should travaile with mee through every of these severals but shall confine your trouble to that which seemes most necessary for me to know more particularly As first which of all these is the notion of that Faith which is the Theologicall Grace distinct from Hope and Charity 1 Cor. 13. 13 C. It is there the assenting to or beleeving the whole word of God particularly the Gospell and in that the commands and threates and promises of that word especially the promises This you will acknowledge if you looke on v. 12. of that Chapter and there observe and consider that Vision in the next life is the perfecting of that Faith in this life or that Faith here is turned into Vision there as hope into enjoying for this argues Faith here to be this assent to those things which here come to us by hearing and are so beleeved by adherence or darke enigmaticall knowledge but hereafter are seene or known demonstratively or face to face Hence is it that Faith is defined by the Apostle Heb. 11. 1. the ground or foundation of things hoped for the conviction or being convinced or assured of things which we doe not see The foundation on which all hope is built for I must first beleeve the promise before I can hope the performance of it on right grounds and the being convinced of the truth of those things for which there is no other demonstration but onely the word and promise of God and yet upon that an inclination to beleeve them as assuredly as if I had the greatest evidence in the world S. I cannot but desire one trouble more from you in this matter what kind of Faith was the Faith of Abraham which is so much spoken of in the New Testament Ro. 4. Gal. 3. Heb. 11. Ja. 2. and seemes to be meant as the patterne by which our Faith should be cut out and upon which both he was and we may expect to be justified C. I cannot but commend the seasonablenesse of the question before I answer it for certainly you have pitch't upon that which is the onely sure foundation ground-worke of all true knowledge and resolution in this matter Abraham being the Father of the Faithfull in whom that grace was most eminent very highly commended and rewarded in the Scripture and like whom we must be if ever we expect to approve
shall give you that without detaining you long or adding much to what hath beene already said onely by giving you the object of true faith which is of two sorts Either God himselfe Or the Word of God God who is beleived in and the Word of God as the rule of that Faith or matter to be beleived and that Word entirely considered signifying whatsoever I am or may ever be convinced to come from him and in it as it is now shut up and compriz'd in the Bookes of Canonicall Scripture these speciall parts which do divide the whole Scripture betweene them 1. The Affirmations of Scripture whether by way of Historicall Narration or by way of Doctrine 2. The Promises of God both in the Old and New Testament but especially the promises of the Gospell both such as belong to this life and specially those that belong to another 3. The Commands of God whether the Naturall Law of all mankinde written in our hearts by the finger of God made up in the frame of the humane soule and more clearely revealed both in the Decalogue and other parts of sacred writ or whether the Commands of Christ raising nature to a higher pitch in the Sermon on the Mount and superadding some positive institutions as those of the Sacraments and Censures of the Church in other parts of the New Testament 4. The Threats of the Gospell those terrors of the Lord set on purpose to drive and hazen us to amendment of our sinfull lives All these put together are the adequate object of our Faith which is then cordiall and such as God will accept of when it affords to every one of these that reception which is apportioned to it assent to the truth of the Affirmations fiduciall reliance on the promises obedientiall submission to the Commands and humble feare and aw to the Threats S. I have heard much of a Generall and a Particular Faith and that the Generall is little worth without the Particular Tell me whether that be appliable to the Faith you now speake of C. Being rightly understood it is S. What then is the Generall and Particular Faith as it referres to the Affirmations of Scripture C. The Generall is a beleife of Gods veracity that whatsoever is affirmed by him is infallibly true the Particularis the full giving up my assent to every particular which I am convinced to be affirmed by God assoone as ever I am so convinced or have meanes sufficient offered me so to convince me and yet more particularly the acknowledging of those truths which have speciall markes set upon them in Scripture to signifie them to be of more weight then others as that God is Heb. 11. 6. That Christ is the Messias of the world the acknowledging of which is said to be life eternall Jo. 17. 3. The Doctrine of the Trinity into which all are commanded to be baptized and those other fundamentals of faith which all men were instructed in antiently before they were permitted to be baptized contrived breifly into the compasle of the Apostles Creed a summary of Christian faith or doctrine necessary to be believed S. What is the Generall and Particular Faith as it referres to the Commands of the Gospell C. The Generall is an assent to the truth and goodnesse of those Commands in generall as they concerne all men that is beleiving that Christ hath given such a law to all his Disciples to all Christians and that that law is most fit to be given by him The Particular is the applying these Commands to my selfe as the necessary and proper rule of my life the resolving faithfull obedience to them S. What is it as it reforres to the Threats C. The Generall is to beleive that those Threates will be and that it is most just they should be executed upon all against whom they are denounced The Threates under oath absolutely non-admission into Gods rest to all disobedient provokers Heb. 3. 11. the conditionall Threates conditionally i. e. unlesse we repent and use the meanes to avert them The Particular is to resolve that except I get out of that number I shall certainly find my part in them S. What as it referres to the Promises C. The Generall is the beleeving the truth infallible truth of the Promises which Promises the object of that Faith being generally conditionall not absolute Promises great care must be taken that the Faith be proportioned to the nature of the Promises As when the Promise of rest is made peculiarly to the weary and heavy laden thus coming to Christ the Generall faith is to beleive undoubtedly that this rest shall be given to all that performe this condition to all humble faithfull penitentiaries and to beleive that it belongs either absolutely to all or to any but those who are so qualified is to beleive a lye No peice of Faith but phansy or vaine conceite which sure will never advantage but betray any that depends upon it S. What then is the Particular Faith terminated in this conditionall Promise C. Not the beleiving that the Promise belongs absolutely to me for it doth not any longer then I am so qualified nor the beleeving that I am so qualified for 1. perhaps I am not and 2. that is no object of faith no part of the promise or of any other peice of Gods word but it is made up of these three things 1. the confident perswasion that if I faile not in my part Christ will never faile in his if I doe repent no power of heaven or earth or hell no malice of Satan no secret unrevealed decree shall ever be able to deprive me of my part in the promise 2. A setting my selfe to performe the condition on which the promise is made as when rest being promised upon condition of coming I come upon that invitation then this coming of mine may be called particular application as when a picture is so designed and set as to looke on every one that comes in at the doore on none else the way to be particularly lookt on i. e. to apply the eye of the picture particularly to me is to come in at that doore And 3. the comparing the conditionall Promise to my particular present estate by way of selfe-examination and thence concluding upon sight of the condition in my selfe that I am such a one to whom the Promise belongs and shall have my part in it if I continue and persevere The second of these if it be reall and sincere gives me a certainty of the object seales the Promise to me in heaven which will remaine firme though I never know of it The third if it be on right judgement of my selfe may give me the other certainty i. e. ascertaine me that I am in the number of Gods children but there being so much uncertainty whether I judge aright of my selfe or no and there being no particular affirmation in Gods word concerning the sincerity of my present or perseverance
by God for repentance C. If you take that vow and that wish to be all one you are mistaken a wish is a farre lower degree then a vow and therefore I must dissolve your demand into two parts and to the first answer that the vow or resolution to amend if it be sincere and such as is apt to bring forth fruits is sure to be accepted by God and that it is not sincere we shall not be able to discerne but by seeing it prove otherwise in time of temptation onely God that sees the heart can judge of it before such triall and if he finde it sincere he will accept of it But for the wish that I were penitent there is no promise in holy writ that that shall be accepted nor appearance of reason why he that wishes he were penitent but is not should be accounted the better for that wish 1. Because when the reward of penitents and punishment of impenitents is once assented to as true 't is impossible but the minde of man should wish for the one and have dislikes to the other and so no virtue in that necessity 2. Because that wishing is onely a bare aiery speculative act of the minde and not a practicall of the will which alone is punishable or rewardable 3. Because the actions being contrary to such wishings are more accusable of deliberate sinne and sinne against conscience then if those motives which produced those wishes had never beene represented to the faculty S. But are not prayers for the grace of repentance which are but a kinde of articulate wishes put in forme of the court and addressed to God accepted by God C. Not so farre as to save them that goe no farther Accepted they shall be if rightly qualified with humility and ardency and perseverance or not fainting so farre as concernes the end immediate to them i. e. God hath promised to heare them in granting the grace prayed for strength to convert from sin to God which is the cleare Gospell-promise How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy spirit to them that aske and then when this grace or strength given is thus made use of to actuall reformation then the promise of that other acceptance belongs to him also and so prayer is a good meanes and wishing a good thing too as previous or preparative to that and both without doubt proceeding from the good spirit of God But yet if the whole worke be no more but this if he be advanced no farther toward repentance but onely to wish and to pray that he were penitent this person remaines still impenitent and so long the impenitents portion belongs to him and none other for still he that is borne of God overcometh the world and he that is advanced no farther toward a victory then to wish or pray for it is for that present farre enough from a conquerour and if for the future he adde not the sincerity of endeavour to the importunity of prayer the Joshua's hand 's held up to fight as well as the Moseses to pray the sword of Gideon as the sword of the Lord little hope that such victories will be atcheived S. God grant me this grace and an heart to make use of it But we have skipt over one particular forementioned The grace of selfe-deniall And I doe not remember that you mentioned taking up of the Crosse which in Christ's prescriptions is wont to be annexed to it Give me leave to recall them to your memory And first what is meant by Selfe-deniall C. The abnegarion or renouncing of all his owne holds and interests and trusts of all that man is most apt to depend upon that he may the more expeditely follow Christ S. What are these severalls that we are thus to renounce C. In generall whatsoever comes at any time in competition with Christ In particular the particulars whereof every man is made up his soule his body his estate his good name S. What under the first head that of his Soule C. 1. His reason when the word of Christ is contradicted or check't by it as in the businesse of the resurrection and the like I must deny my reason and beleive Christ bow downe the head and worship captivate my understanding to the obedience of faith S. But I have heard that God cannot doe contradictions or make two contradictions true at once and in one respect How then can I be bound to beleive God when that which he saith contradicts reason C. I am not glad that you have met with that subtlety yet seeing 't is proper to the particular we are upon and that a branch of a practicall point I will endeavour to satisfy you in it 1. By granting the truth of your rule that to make both parts of a contradiction true is absolutely impossible a thing which Gods infinite power and veracity makes as unfit for God to be able to doe as to lye or sinne because it were not an excesse but defect of power to be able to doe these But then secondly you must know what is meant by contradictions nothing but affirmation and negation of the same thing in all the same respects as to be and not to be to be a man and not a man to be two yards long and not two yards long which therefore are thus absolutely impossible to be done even by divine power But then thirdly That which you called reason's contradicting of Christ is a very distant thing from this For when reason saith one thing and Christ the contradictory to that reason doth not oblige me to beleive reason or if it doth it bids me disbeleive Christ and so still I beleive not contradictories which soever of the contradictories I beleive all that reason hath to doe in this case is to judge which is likeliest to judge of or affirme the truth it 's selfe or God wherein if it judge of it's owne side against God it is very partiall and very Atheisticall it being very reasonable that God which cannot lye should be beleived rather then my owne reason which is often deceived in judging of naturall things it 's onely proper object but is quite blind in supernaturall till God be pleased to reveale those unto it The short is reason tells me and in that it is impossible it should erre especially God having revealed nothing to the contrary it is doubtlesse that it doth not erre that these two propositions cannot be both true there is another life and there is not another life and therefore I am not bound by Christ to beleive both but it doth not tell me that to affirme another life implies a contradiction but onely that it is above reason to discerne how there can be a returne from a totall privation to a habit againe and some other things supposed in the Resurrection which though nature cannot doe and consequently naturall reason cannot tell how they are done yet reason may acknowledge the God of nature can doe and will
that they must be sanctified before he perfect them he addeth a proofe by which these two things are cleared First that to perfect there signifies to forgive sinnes or to justifie Secondly that this doctrine of the priority of sanctification is agreeable to the description of the second covenant Jer. 31. 33. That by perfecting he meanes justifying or pardoning of sinnes 't is apparent by v. 17. their sins and iniquities will I remember no more which must needes be acknowledged to be that part of the testimony that belongs to that part of the proposition to be proved by it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath perfected for ever the former part of the testimony belongs to the latter part of the proposition as being an expression of sanctification which may farther thus appeare to perfect in this Author signifies to consecrate to preisthood c. 2. 10. 5. 9. 7. 28. that being applyed to us is a phrase to note boldnes or liberty to enter into the Holies v. 19. that againe to pray confidently to God which v. 18. is set to denote pardon of sinne and washing our hearts from an evill conscience i. e. from guilt of sinne v. 22. Which being premised the second thing most necessaryly followes that in Jeremy 31. 33. the tenure of the covenant sets Sanctification before Justification for saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he first said I will put my law into their hearts and put or write them in their thoughts or minds and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the saying of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Also I will no more remember their sinnes nor their offences Many other Scripture-evidences might be added to this matter if it were needfull As for those that make Justification to be before Sanctification I hope and conceive they meane by sanctification that sanctified state the actuall performance and practice of our vowes of new life and our growth in grace and by our Justification that first act of pardon and then they say true but if they meane that our sinnes are pardoned before we convert to God and resolve new life and that the first grace enabling to do these is a consequent of God's having pardoned our sinnes this is a mistake which in effect excludes justification by faith which is that first Grace of receiving of Christ and resigning our hearts up to him and must be in order of nature precedent to our Justification or else can neither be condition nor instrument of it and besides this is apt to have an ill influence on practice and therefore I thought fit to prevent it The issue of all is that God will not pardon till we in heart reforme and amend he that forsaketh i. e. in hearty sincere resolution abandons the sinnes of the old man shall have mercy and none but he And then God will not continue this gracious favour of his but to those who make use of his assisting grace to persevere in these resolutions of forsaking so that the justification is still commensurate to the sanctification an act of justification upon an act of sanctification or a resolution of new life and a continuance of justification upon continuance of the sanctifyed estate S. But is not God first reconciled unto us before he gives us any grace to sanctifie us C. So farre reconciled he is as to give us grace and so farre as to make conditionall promises of salvation but not so as to give pardon or justifie actually for you know whom God justifies those he glorifies i. e. if they passe out of this life in a justified estate they are certainely glorified but you cannot imagine that God will glorify any who is not yet sanctified for without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. And therefore you will easily conclude that God justifies none who are unsanctified for if he did then supposing the person to dye in that instant it must follow either that the unsanctified man is glorified or the justified man not glorified Any thing else God may doe to the unsanctified man but either save him or doe somewhat on which saving infallibly followes and therefore give him Grace he may but till that Grace be received and treasured up in an honest heart he will never be throughly reconciled to him i. e. justify or save S. I pray then from these premises set me downe the order or method used by God in the saving of a sinner C. I will It is this 1. God gives his sonne to dye for him and satisfy for his sinnes so that though he be a sinner yet on condition of a new life he may be saved Then 2. In that death of Christ he strikes with him a New Covenant a Covenant of mercy and grace Then 3. According to that Covenant he sends his spirit and by the word and that annexed to it he calls the sinner powerfully to repentance If he answer to that call and awake and arise make his sincere faithfull resolutions of new life God then 4. Justifies accepts his person and pardon 's his sinnes past Then 5. gives him more grace assists him to doe as before he enabled to will to performe his good resolutions Then 6. upon continuance in that state in those performances till the houre of death he gives to him as to a faithfull servant a crowne of life S. The Good Lord he thus mercifull to me a sinner I blesse God and give you many thankes for these directions and shall be well pleased to continue you my debtor for the other particular you promised me till some farther time of leisure and so intermit your trouble a while LIB II. S. § 1 THe benefit I reaped by your last discourse hath not satisfied but raised my appetite to the more earnest importunate desire of what is yet behind the consideration of Christ's Sermon in the Mount Which I have heard commended for an abstract of Christian Philosophy an elevating of his Disciples beyond all other men in the world for the practice of virtue But I pray why did Christ when he preach't it leave the multitude below and goe up to a Mount accompanied with none but Disciples C. That he went up to the Mount was to intimate the matter of this Sermon to be the Christian law as you know the Jewish law was delivered in a Mount that of Sinai And that he would have no auditours but Disciples It was 1. Because the multitude followed him not for doctrines but for cures c. 4. 24 25. And therefore were not fit auditours of precepts 2. Because these precepts were of an elevated nature above all that ever any Law-giver gave before and therefore were to be dispensed onely to choise auditours 3. Because the lights and mysteries of Christianity are not wont to be abruptly dispensed but by degrees to them that have formerly made some progresse at least have delivered themselves up to Christ's Lectures entred into his Schoole i. e. to his Disciples S. What then
formerly laid on the Jewes lighter againe in respect of the damning power of every least sinne or breach under the first Covenant which to the penitent beleiver is taken away in the second Which two things being supposed the adding of these perfections to the law which are all of things gainefull and profitable and before even by those that were not or thought themselves not obliged by them acknowledged to be more excellent and more honourable then the other will not in any reason be counted the increase of a burthen for no man will be thought oppressed by that he gaines by but the gainefull yoke will be a light one though it be a yoke Matth. 11. 30. And 2. 28 long as he gives strength his Commandements what ever they are cannot be greivous S. But sure it were not difficult to find in the old Testament the same or equivalent commands to every of those that follow here how then can Christ be said to have improved them C. Some glimmerings perhaps of this light there were before as Gospel under the Law But these either 1. not universally commanded to all under threat of eternall punishment but only recommended to them that will do that which is best and so see good daies c. Or 2. not so expressely revealed to them so that they might know themselves thus obliged And yet if any will contend and shew as universall plaine obligeing precepts there as here I shall be glad to see them and not contend with him So he will bring the Jewes up to us and not us downe to the Jewes the onely danger which I have all this while used all this diligence to prevent S. One question more I shall trouble you with in this matter whether these superadditions of Christ in the rest of the chapter may not be resolved to be only Counsels of perfection which to do is to do better and not Commands which not do to is asin C. The following superadditions are all commands and not counsels only Christ saying this now in thesame manner as Moses did that other before Christ in a mount as he in a mount his saying I say unto you a forme of command as that phrase God spake these words and said a form of it Ex. 20. and the breach of these new sayings threatened with judgement and hell fire and imprisonment irreversible and casting into hell c. in the ensuing words All which signifie them sinnes which must be accounted for sadly by a Christian and not only faylings of perfection S. How many sorts of these new commandements are there in this ensuing chapter C. Six 1. Concerning Killing 2. Adultery 3. Divorce 4. Perjury 5. Retaliation 6. Loving of Neighbours In each of which Christ to shew that he came not to destroy but to fill up or perfect the law first rehearses the old law and thereby confirmes it and then annexeth his new law to it S. That we may proceed to this matter I must § 4 first desire you to tell me what is meant by this phrase in the front of the first of these Ye have heard that it was sayd by them of old time C. Ye have heard signifies you have beene taught and that out of the word of God or bookes of Moses sayd by them of old time seemes to be ill translated and therefore is mended in the margents of our Bibles To them i. e. to the Jewes your ancestors And that this is a denotation of the law of the Decalogue given to them Exod. 20. you will have little reason to doubt if you observe that the three severalls to which these words are prefixt being omitted in the rest in some part are three distinct commandements of the Decalogue thou shalt not kill thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe or take God's name in vaine as anon you shall see As for the other three of divorce of retaliation of loving neighbours and hating enemies which have not that entire forme or phrase prefixt but some other different from it they are not commands of the law but permissions or indulgences allowed the Jewes but now retrencht and denyed Christians S. § 5 The first of these being the sixth of the law I must first desire you to explaine unto me and tell me what was forbidden by it under the law C. The first and principall thing is the shedding of man's bloud by way of killing taking away his life God only who gave us life having power to take it away againe S. What then is the Magistrate's taking away the life of a capitall offender Is not that forbidden by that law C. God having sole power over the life of man may without doubt take it away by what way he pleaseth either immediately by himselfe or by any man whom he appoints to execute his will Thus you know might Abraham kill his sonne when God bid him because though Abraham had not power over his son's life yet God had and his bidding Abraham kill him is not any thing contrary to this law which only forbids man to do it but doth not forbid God In the like manner God having Gen. 9. 6. commanded the murtherers bloud to be shed by man and thereby enstated the power of the sword on the Supreme Magistrate who by whomsoever he is chosen to be Magistrate by God or the people hath that power of the sword given him immediately from God the people having not singly this power over their owne lives and therefore not able to give it any other not only permits him and makes it lawfull for him thus to punish malefactors but commands and requires him so to do as his minister to execute wrath Rom. 13. and so the word Thou in the Commandement is the man of himselfe without power or commission from God Which yet he that hath it must exercise justly according to the lawes of God and man or else he breakes the commandement also this commission being not given to him absolutely and arbitrarily to use as he list but according to defined rules in the Scripture he that sheddes mans bloud c. which was given not to the Jewes but to all the sonnes of Noah and according to the lawes of every nation which being made by the whole body of the nation or all the States in it joyntly are referr'd to some supreme power either one or more to execute who consequently is invested from heaven with authority to doe it S. May not a man in any case kill himselfe C. He may not having no more power over his owne life then any other mans and how gainfull soever death may seeme to any yet is he to submit to Gods providence and to waite though it be in the most miserable painfull wearisome life till God please to give him manumission S. What is to be said of Sampson who killed so many by pulling away the pillars and involved himselfe in the same destruction C. He was a Judge in
it be aboundantly sufficient As for the having attempted the life of the husband which leades me to answer the last part of the objection I shall make no doubt to say this is not equall to the having committed adultery For first It appeares that though it was attemped yet it was not acted fot if it had that would have made a reall divorce indeed and the attempt 1. Is not so punishable as the act And 2. It may by repentance be repaired againe and the rest of the life be the more happy and comfortable with such a penitent wise and this very possibility is considerable and that that was the reason why the beleiving husband is advised not to put away the unbeleeving wife for he knowes not whether he may not convert and save the heathen wife by living with her hath place here also To this purpose I will tell you a story of a Master and Servant which you may accommodate to an husband and wife Les Digueirs after Constable of France had learn't that his man that served him in his chamber was corrupted to kill him being in his chamber with him and none else he gives him a sword and dagger in his hand and takes another himselfe then speakes thus to him You have beene my servant long and a gallant fellow why would you be so base as to undertake to kill me cowardly here be weapons let it be done like a man and so offered to fight with him The servant fell at his feete confessed his vile intention begged pardon promised unfeined reformation His Master pardoneth him continues him in place of daily trust in his chamber he never hath treacherous thought against him after So you see this crime may be repaired againe and no danger in not divorcing But then 2. If there were danger of being killed still yet may the inconvenience of living with one who hath beene false to the bed be beyond that Love is strong as death jealousy cruell as the grave the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame saith Solomon And if that be thus caused what a hell is that mans life and that is farre worse then death especially then the meere danger of it and beside if she also have repented of her fornication and the husband be satisfied that she hath so yet the disgrace of having beene so used and perhaps the continuall presence of a base brat in the family will be yet more unsupportable then that possible danger of loosing a life For you see how ordinary it is for men to contemne their lives to endanger nay oft actually to loose them rather then part with reputation or any such trifling comfort of life on this maxime of the naturall mans that 't is better to dye then live miserably or infamously And though Christianity curbe that gallantry of the world yet still it commands us to contemne life when it cometh in competition with obedience to him which here it doth or may doe if Christ command as his words affirme he doth this not-divorcing for any kinde of cause but fornication The same might be said in divers other things where we are apt to interpose the excuse of extreme necessity i. e. danger of loosing our lives when we are not inclined to doe what God bids us doe Where 1. If we did thus dye it were martyrdome and that the greatest preferment of a Christian 2. Seeing 't is but danger and not certaine death we may well entrust our lives in Gods hands by doing what he bids us and thinke our lives safest when so ventur'd And so I have satisfied your scruples S. Other scruples in this matter of divorce I thinke I could make to you but I hope neither you nor I by the blessing of God shall ever have occasion to make use of the knowledge of such niceties § 8 I shall hasten you to that next period which conteines a prohibition so necessary to be instilled into young men least the sinne get in fashion and that roote so deepe in them that 't will not suddenly be weeded out and that is of Swearing Be pleased therefore after Christs method in delivering and yours formerly in expounding to tell me the meaning of the old Commandement which by the stile of the preface Ye have heard that it hath beene said to them of old time I collect to be the third of the ten Commandements C. The first part of it Thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe is clearely the third Commandement but the latter part But shalt performe to the Lord thine oathes is taken out of other places of the law to explaine the meaning of the former and to expresse it to be as literally it sounds against perjury or non-performance of promissiory oathes S. But the third Commandement is in Exodus Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine is that no more then Thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe C. No more undoubtedly if either Christ may judge who here saith so or the importance of the words in the originall be observed For to take or lift up the name of God is an Hebrew stile to sweare and the word vaine and false is all one as 1 the Hebrew writers generally acknowledge 2. that of idle word enforceth Matt. 12. 36. being there applyed to that not only vaine but false speech v. 24. He casts out Divells by the Prince of Divels 3. Because the very word that Exod. 20. 7. is rendred vaine in the third commandement is used Deut. 5. 18. in the ninth commandement for and is so rendred by us false witnesse and so Ps 24. 4. lifting up the soule unto vanity that phrase of lifting up the soule referring to that forme of swearing by the life is exprest in the next words sworne deceitfully By all which 't is cleare that to take Gods name in vaine is to forsweare ones selfe S. But is nothing else reducible to this old Commandement C. Swearing simply taken is not reducible for besides that the expresse words of Moses plainely permit it thou shalt sweare by his name Deut. 6. 13. 10. 20. The fathers say plainely that to sweare under Moses was lawfull Yet perhaps foolish wanton sure prophane blasphemous using of God's name may be resolved to be there forbidden by reduction S. What then hath Christ superadded to the old Commandement C. A totall universall prohibition of swearing itselfe making that as unlawfull now as perjury was before S. Are no kind of oaths lawfull now to a Christian C. That you may discerne this matter clearely and distinctly you must marke two circumstances in our Saviour's Speech 1. That phrase v. 37. but but let your communication c. from whence one universall rule you may take that to sweare in ordinary communication or discourse or conversation is utterly unlawfull 2. You may apply our Saviour's prohibition to the particular matter of Moses his law forementioned and that was of
be exemplary to us I shall only for your better direction give you the best light I can which will be by these gradations 1. That the Jewes the People of God were bound by law to set apart a tenth of all their encrease every third yeare for the use of the poore Every yeare you know the tith was paid to the Preist but that being done every third yeare they were to tith againe for the poore which was in effect a thirtieth part yearely of their encrease for that you know a tenth part every third yeare being distributed into three parts and each of those three assigned to each yeare will amount to But then 2. other commands there were given to those Jewes concerning the poore as of permitting them to lease in the field lending them without use restoring the pledge before night and other the like and all this a Jew was bound to he sinned against the law if he did it not This was his Righteousnesse Deut 24. 13. i. e. that degree of mercy which the law required of him instead of which the Greeke translatours use a word signifying Almes or Pity the same which is in this place of Christ's Sermon and it is farther observable that in this place some very ancient Copies instead of this word which signifies Almes have another word signifying Righteousnesse all which signifies some degrees of almes-giving to be required by the law without performance of which a Jew cannot be accounted righteous and such were those three yeares tithings and the rest forementioned But then thirdly beside this Righteousnesse of the Jew or that proportion required to his being arighteous Jew there was another higher degree among them called Mercy or goodnesse or bounty or charity which say their Interpreters is more then righteousnesse excesse or abundance of righteousnesse Thus shall you see those two words many times put together not as equivalent but one a higher degree then the other Dan. 4. 27. Breake off thy sinnes by Righteousnesse and thine iniquities by shewing Mercy to the poore the mercy set last as being highest so Mic. 6. 8. What doth the Lord require of thee but to do Justice and love Mercy So when the comparison is made by the Apostle betweene a Righteous man and a Good man Rom. 5. 7. the Good man is this mercifull minded man which farre exceedeth the other By which you see that he that will be a Good a pious a mercifull Jew he must exceed those termes which by the law the lew was bound to i. e. must allow to pious uses much more then the thirtieth part of his encrease every yeare and this law and direction being by God himselfe given to his owne people the Jewes may deserve so farre to be considered by us as it is an evidence of Gods judgement then to that people But then 4thly though this be not a law now binding us as not given to us yet being a law of charity and mercy to my poore neighbour which for the substance of it is an eternall law of Nature there will be small reason for a Christian to thinke himselfe disengaged from that quotum or proportion which even the Iewes who were considered as in a state of imperfection were obliged to save only that this is now left to their owne freedome which was before commanded and 't were shame that a Christian thus left to his owne freedome should come short of what a Iew was brought to by constraint But 5ly on the contrary side the more perfect law of Christ and the more grace and the more light brought into the world by him requiring higher perfection now then before by law was required so that except our righteousnesse exceed theirs we shall not enter the Kingdome of Heaven may very justly be deemed to require a greater proportion of us now in workes of mercy then of them was then expected From whence it will be consequent 6ly That as our Righteousnesse must exceed their righteousnesse so our Mercy their mercy i. e. that to be a righteous Christian i. e. such an one as performes what the law of Christ requires of him for almes-giving 't is necessary to set a part much more then a yearely thirtieth of his revenue or encrease and to be a mercifull or benigne or pious Christian much more againe then that is necessary But then seventhly the Christian as also the Iewish law in this matter doth not so consist in an indivisible point as that any set proportion can be defined lower then which would be the sinne of parsimony and higher then which the sinne of prodigality but is allowed its latitude within which it may move higher or lower without sinne yet so that it may on one side be so low that it will be unchristian love of money and on the otherside so high if it be to the neglecting and exposing his owne children and family that it may be wretchlesse prodigality which two extremes being by the helpe of the former directions avoyded the rule will be That the more liberall we are to them that want or the more liberall in setting a part for them to provide them a plentifull patrimony the more acceptable it will be in the sight of God and the more liberally rewarded according to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 9. 6. He that soweth bountifully shall reape bountifully by which I conceive is meant not only Gods aboundant retributions of Glory in another world but even his payments of temporall plenty here to those who have beene willing to make that Christian use of that earthly talent commited to their Stewarding S. Doe you beleive that liberality to the poore is likely to receive any such reward in this life The reason of my question is because if there were any ground for the affirmative I should conceive it a most convincing motive to all even the worldly-minded men to cast their bread thus upon the waters if it should returne to them againe in this life with encrease Liberality being a thing pleasant and delightfull even to flesh and bloud to the most covetous minded man and nothing imaginable to deterre any from the practice of so lovely a duty were it not the feare of diminishing our store or bringing our selves to want by that meanes I shall therefore in great earnest desire to heare your opinion in that point C. I make no doubt of this truth that mercifulnesse and Christian liberality is the surest way to plenty and contentment in this life so farre from ever being a meanes of impoverishing any that it is most constantly when exercised as it ought a meanes of enriching And that you may not thinke this a phansy or speculation or groundlesse confidence in me I shall tell you that I conceive there is not any one thing temporall for which there are so many cleare evident promises in the Scripture as this For the giving you ground of faith in this I will
hearts of all his servants and Subjects or Disciples that give up their names unto him 1. Here in this imperfect Kingdome of grace where the mortifying of every unruly affection is erecting of a Throne for Christ 2. At the famous much expected calling of the Jewes those greatest enemies of Christ so often prophecyed of when Christs Kingdome in the hearts of men shall be much more illustrious then now it is more holinesse more obedience more sincere perfect subjection and lesse resistance of enemies whether Satan or wicked men in what manner we doe not yet know 3. In the great finall doome of all enemies and crownning of all Saints which shall be attended with a Kingdome which shall have none end Christ giving up the Kingdome to his Father and all his Saints taken in to reigne with him for ever S. What doe you meane by praying that this Kingdome of God may come C. I pray that God by his grace inspired into my heart and the hearts of all men and by his other blessed disposall of all things below will so begin to set up his Kingdome in our hearts immediately so weaken the power of the adversary and the malice of opposers that it may by degrees of flourishing daily encrease his ancient people the Jewes be effectually called and all other things which are in his purpose orderly completed till at last this mortall compounded Kingdome which hath so much mixture of infirmity and sinne and rebellion in it be turned into a Kingdome of perfect holinesse and immortality S. O come Lord Jesus quickely into thy Kingdome of Grace here for the illuminating and preventing for the purging and cleansing for the regenerating and sanctifying of our soules for the bestowing on us that precious blessed grace of perseverance and in the Kingdom of thy glory for the perfecting and accomplishing of us hereafter Proceed we to the third petition Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven What is meant by Gods will C. His commands whatsoever they are but especially those which are delivered to us in the Gospell by Christ S. How is his will done in Heaven C. It is performed by the Angels who are his Ministring spirits doing those things in the governing of the world below and of every of us which he appointeth them to do And this which they are thus appointed they do willingly chearefully speedily and without neglecting any part of it S. What doe you meane by the doing it on earth C. The obedience of all men here below S. What then is the full importance of the whole petition C. We pray to God that he will so inspire his grace into all our hearts and so direct by his providence and assist to performance that we may obey him in all his commands here on earth willingly readily cheerfully speedily impartially or sincerely without indulgeing our selves to any kind of sinne in the omission of any part of our duty to him as his Angels dayly obey his commands in Heaven S. Blessed Lord give us this grace to will and assist us to performe From the petitions that respect God we may non proceed to those that respect our selves more particularly though by your explication I perceive that in those which respect God weare neerely concerned also C. It is true in some kind but not immediately and particularly as in the latter three of which one thing you may observe in generall which yet I cannot conveniently declare to you till I have explained to you the particulars S. Be pleased then to do that first in the former of then Give us this day our dayly bread to tell me what is meant by Dayly Bread C. By bread is meant all the necessaries of life By dayly somewhat which the word in English doth not distinctly signifie yet well enough expresseth the sence of For thus it is The word in Greeke comes from a word which signifies the day approaching or the morrow or in the scripture sence of the Hebrew answerable to it the remainder of our lives how long or short soever it is which because it is uncertaine men ordinarily make this an excuse for their covetousnesse that they may lay up for their age and so the older they are grow the more covet ous From hence the word rendred dayly denotes so much as shall be sufficient or proportionable for the remainder of our lives which in our prayers we beseech God to take into his care and to distribute unto us this day i. e. as Saint Luke interprets it or dayly day by day So that the prime importance of this petition is Lord give us day by day that which shall be sufficient for the remainder of our lives S. You said this was the prime importance of it which seemed to imply that there was another What is that C. The most obvious sence I call the prime sense because the words do first yeild it that is as I told you to the bodily necessaries of this life food and rayment but a secondary sence there is which though the word yeild but in the second place yet is a more weighty considerable sence to wit as bread imports in a spirituall acception the food of the soule the grace of God without which that can as little susteine it selfe as the body without food and then the dayly bread is that measure of continuall grace which will suffice for the remainder of our warfare here which we beseech God day by day to bestow upon us to assist and uphold us in all our wants and referre the care thereof unto God who we are confident careth for us S. I beseech God thus to care for us all and give us day by day for the remainder of our lives all things necessary for our soules and bodies You may now please to proceed to the next i. e. the fifth petition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us C. There will be little difficulty found in that to forgive is to absolve pardon free from punishment and the word trespasses signifies all manner of offences against God the word in Greeke is debts which is a Syriack expression to signifie sinnes Thus occasioned every man is bound to perfect exact obedience to God by the condition of the first covenant and that under an heavy penalty if he faile he then which hath so failed is thus God's debter to punishment which if it be not forgiven him will fetch out a writ against him cast him into prison and there leave him till he hath payed the utter most i. e. eternally We therefore pray to God to remit these debts of ours the payment of which would go so deepe with us and whereas we adde as we forgive them c that is only a mention of a qualification in us made necessary by Christ to make us capable of that remission of God's and as an argument to enforce that grant by professing our selves freely
he thus fall into the fooles snare censure others of censoriousnesse yet ought he in this matter to be very watchfull over himselfe that he offend not with his tongue S. This precept of not judging I cannot without teares and hearty confession of mine owne great guilt in this kinde teare home with mee and I feare there are few in this last and most uncharitable age of ours who have not had their part in it I beseech God to reforme it in all our hearts and joyne this last act of prudence which this sixth verse hath mentioned with that simplicity which in the former five was required of us § 2 You told me that after one particular precept which you have now explained there followed some Generall precepts What is the subject of the first of them C. It is concerning that great businesse of prayer in the five next verses 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. considered now not as a duty of ours toward God or an act of worship as it was considered c. 6. but as an engine or artifice to fetch downefrom heaven the greatest treasures that are there even that of grace it selfe or the holy spirit as appeareth by the comparing this place with Luk. 11. 13. and the summe of it is this that prayer is the key of entrance into the fathers house that no man shall ever faile of finding receiving good things particularly Grace the greatest good that askes and seekes and knockes i. e. useth importunity in prayer as a child to a father depending wholly on him and if he be once or twice repell'd returning unto him with humility and submission and dependance and confidence againe and never giving over petitioning till he obtaines S. What is the next generall Precept C. It is that famous one that the heathen Emperour is said to have reverenc't Christ and Christianity for and that all the wisest men of the Nations have admired for the best and highest rule of charity to our neighbours in these words v. 12. All things whatsoever you would that men should doe to you do ye even so to them Which saith he is the law and the prophets i. e. on which all the duty of charity depends or wherein the whole law concerning that is fullfilled S. What is the meaning of this Precept C. To love my neighbour as my selfe or not to suffer my selfe-love to interpose or make me partiall in judging of my duty to others but thus to cast whensoever I do any thing to my brother would I be well pleased to be so dealt with by any other Or if I might have mine owne choice would not I desire to be other wise used by other men Or yet farther that whatsoever usage I desire to meet with at Gods hands which is certainely undeserved mercy pardon of trespasses and doing good to enemies or trespassers the same I must performe to others for so this phrase whatsoever you would that men should do to you doth by an Hebraisme import whatsoever you would have done unto you which is the stile that this precept is ordinarily read in and then extends to whatever I desire that God or Christ Jesus should do to me i. e. not only all the Justice but all the mercy and goodnesse and bounty in the world In which sence it will best agree with the precept of liberality to enemies with which 't is joyned Luk. 6. 31. and the promise of God here to give to every asker of which bounty of God's we that are partakers ought to do the like for our brethren and be a fit introduction to the exhortation that followes of Christian strictnesse which seemes to be built on this and to be but a branch of this great precept and not a severall from it S. What is that Exhortation you meane C. That of a great superlative strictnesse in the wayes of godlinesse not being content to walke in the broad rode that Jewes and heathens have contented them selves with not willing to undertake any thing of difficulty for Christs sake and so by that meanes falling into destruction but entering in at the strict gate and narrow way that leadeth unto life that way which these elevated precepts have chalk't out to us and which here it seemes are not proposed as counsells of perfection but as commands of duty without which there is no entring into life no avoyding destruction S. What now is the third Generall Precept C. It is a precept of warinesse and prudence to beware of errors and those whose trade it is to seduce us to them and this in the six next verses 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. and it belongs not to all deceivers of any kinde but particularly to such as professe to follow Christ and yet teach false and damnable doctrine which that they may put off to thes auditors the better they pretend a great deale of holinesse in some other particulars And the summe of that which he here saith to this purpose may be reduced to this Whensoever any false Teacher comes to disseminate his doctrine the surest way to discerne him will be to observe the effects and actions discernible in him or which are the fruits of his doctrine If all his Actions and all the designes and consequents of his Doctrine be the advanceing of piety and charity of all kinds then you may resolve that he is no such false at least dangerous false Teacher For 1. the Divell will never assist him or put him upon false Doctrines to such an end to bring more holynesse and Christian practice into the world 2. Such holy Châ—â—stian practice is not easily built upon any false â—octrine 3. If the Doctrine should chance to be false that bringeth forth such wholesome effects then to him that receiveth it for those effects sake and otherwise discerneth not the Doctrine to be false it may be hoped through God's mercy in Christ to our infirmities it shall not prove dangerous or destructive But if the consequents or effects that flow naturally from the Doctrines which he brings be either against rules of piety or Christian virtue As 1. If they tend to the lessening of our love of God to the aliening our hearts from him by giving us meane or unworthy notions of him contrary to those Attributes of infinite Power Justice and Goodnesse which we ought to beleive of him If they tend to the begetting of presumption and security in our hearts by giving us any ground of hope without purifying and amending our wicked lives by leaving no place for feare whatsoever we do by making us conceit highly of our selves rely and trust on and boast of our owne merits If they lead us to Idolatry to the worship of some what else beside the only true God or to a bare formall outside worship of him If they open the doore to false or needlesse swearing or to profanenesse and neglect of God's service Or 2. If they tend to disobedience sedition rebellion faction speaking evill