such and the like cases and circumstances We are all ready enough to make Vows and Promises I know not if we be all as ready to perform and accomplish them It 's to be feared that too many are like bad Debitors who either altother refuse the payment of their debt or else shift it off from day to day and thereby do declare their folly and disingenuity and monstruous ingratitude If GOD hath been so gracious as to hear us should not we also be faithful in keeping the Promises we made to Him following Davids practice Psalm 66. 13. where he saith I will go into thy house with burnt offerings I will pay Thee my Vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble And again Psalm 116. 12. having asked himself What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits towards me His answer resolution was I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the LORD I will pay my Vows unto the LORD in the presence of all His People See and consider then I pray you what have been your particular Vows and Promises at any time and labour now to keep them faithfully Did you promise to be more Holy to have a greater Love and Zeal for GOD Did you Vow to be more studious to advance his Glory to be more Just and Honest in your Dealings more kind to your Neighbours and more Charitable to the Poor Did you at any time pass your word that you would Pray oftner and more fervently in privat by your selves and take a care that the Worship of GOD be observed in your Family That you would forbear Swearing and Drinking loose and prophane company did you promise greater Sobriety temperance Did you engage to bridle your passion To be watchfull against Anger and Wrath and to study Calmness and Peace Did you engage to be more contented with your Allowances and more thankfull for them Did you vow to keep the Church better To be a more Devout and attentive Hearer of GOD'S Word and of the Instructions of his Servants Have ye devoted any particular time for privat retirements and Converse with GOD or any particular Moity of your Estates for Pious uses Whether these or whatever else have been the matter of your Vows see that ye both Remember them and also give diligence to observe them neither mince thy Vows nor defer the paying of them Let it not be said that thou art liberall in thy promises but sparing in thy performances Like him who when he was in Hazard of perishing at Sea promised a rich offering but when he came to land put it off with a penny matter Keep thy Word to GOD and doe it chearfully without grudging Let not our present Ease and Prosperity blot out the Sense and Memory of his past Loving Kindness neither let us account any thing too good for God or too much to be given him We can give him nothing but what is his own for all that we have we received from him and we can do nothing to him but what is our bounden duty And withall let us Remember that we may have yet need of his Kindness We may yet fall into straits and trouble be seized with Sickness and in fear of Death and then how much will it concern us to have him our friend but how and with what confidence can we cry unto him if we now deal deceitfully with God and break the word which we have uttered That therefore we may avoid the Divine Vengeance and Displeasure and also have GOD to be our refuge and a present help in the time of trouble let us Vow and pay our Vows unto the LORD and keep every thing which hath gone out of our lips Thus we have spoken of Vows in Generall have shewed the Nature of them what Obligation there is on us to make them what Caution should be used in the making of them and what care to keep them when they are made CHAP. II. Of Jacob's Requests Mens Wisdom discernable by the matter of their Desires GOD deny's no Requests but what are unreasonable and improper all that is necessary to compleat ones Happiness is contained in the particulars which Jacob here askes of the first viz. the Divine Presence what it is and how excellent a Blessing with an Exhortation to seek after it HAving taken occasion in the former Chapter upon Iacobs Vowing to speak of Vows in general we come next to treat of this Vow in particular in which we have to consider these two things viz. What he promised unto GOD and what he craves of him as the condition of the Performance of that Promise This last stands first in the Text and therefore we shall handle it first Now Iacob craves here three things of GOD first that GOD would be with him that is his Presence Secondly that he would keep him in his way which is his Protection Thirdly that he would afford him his necessary maintenance of Food and Raiment these are his desires And in the fourth place you have the end for which he asks these things and it is that he may be brought back to his Fathers house in peace Iacob may seem at first to ask no great matter his requests look not very big and 't is true they are modest and reasonable But yet if they be duely considered and seriously canvass'd they will be found to comprehend all that is necessary to compleat ones Happiness There is nothing that discovers men more than their Requests and Petitions for they do certainly speak out the sentiments of their mind and what it is their Hearts set most value upon It was once wittily said to a young man speak that I may see thee thereby signifying that we know Men better by their Words than by their Faces But this especially holds true when their Words express their Desires A Fool may be known by his desires and a Wise man by his For by these we may perceive easily what Knowledge and Understanding one hath and what Inclinations and Dispositions whether they have taken up right Measures of things and do judge according to their true Nature or only according to their outward appearance Fools look only to the outward appearance and if a thing glister or make any big or splendid shew they covet it whatever it be in it self But Wise men peirce through into the inward nature of things seek only what is Solide and Substantial Good and Useful like as the Patriarch did here For in that he sought these and no other things from GOD it shews him to have been Wise and Understanding that he had e're this time weighed and pondered all things as they relate to Man and found out what was Good Proper and necessary for him And truely would we restrain our Desires to these things Iacob here mentions if we would make these all we aime at in reference to this Life we should both Act
Pleasure and more Satisfaction than Excess and Abundance What is superfluous and redundant commonly turns to our Hurt and Dammage breeds Surfeitings and Loathings Pains and Diseases and doth Violence even to our Natural Complexions and so tendeth to the shortning of our dayes But farther a State of Mediocrity or Competency proportioned unto our Necessities is far more desirable than Great or Superfluous Abundance because this condition is more safe and secure and less subject to changes and alterations A man in this State as is well expressed by the Excellent Lord Justice Hales will not be so readily disquieted through the malice and envy of others as he who is in an Estate of External Grandeur Wealth and Power For he who is in the former State hath nothing that others do covet or desire but the latter hath gotten the Golden Ball that the generality of mankind are fond to have and restless till they have gotten it which makes the Man's estate unquiet and unsafe because he hath many competitours for what he enjoys which are continually endeavouring to trip up his Heels Just as we see when a Bird hath gotten a booty or prey all other birds of prey are following and catching after it and ever molesting him that hath it He that enjoys much either of Honour or Wealth or Power is the object of the envy of other men which is a busie restless pernicious Humor and ever picking Quarrels and finding Faults and studying and endeavouring the ruine of its object Whereas a State of Mediocrity is a state of Quietness and free frâ—…m the Assaults and Shafts of this Pestilent Companion The great Difference of these two states may be well â—…een in Iacob the Person in the Text for whilst he had nothing but his Staff his Bread to eat and his Raiment to put on the necessary supplies of Nature he was in great Quiet and Safety but so soon as Wealth encreased upon him his Uncle and his Sons first envied him and then plâ—…tted against him so that he saw no other Security but to fly for it And how many such instances may we collect from the present Age and even too within this Isle Hâ—…w many lived Happily and Contentedly until they were raised unto places of Dignity and Advantageous Emolument How hath this engaged them into a life of Strife and Debate they have been so far from Augmenting even their temporal happiness that many have losed it altogether their Enemies not being content to take away what was so much envyed by their ambition and covetousness unless they also reduced them to circumstances worse than their former that they might not be in a capacity of revenging themselves Besides all this such a competent Condition as we are speaking of is of it self by far perferrable to any other because there is less care and trouble attending it and it affords a man time and leasure for acquiring knowledge vertue and for minding and waiting upon the Great Concerns of another World He that either wants what he stands in need of or hath much more both of them are often necessitat to be a drudge to this life all their thoughts cares are for the most part about the World and the things of the World which debaseth a man very much and is a stouping of him far below the designe of his Creation he was created for the enjoyment of GOD for converse with his Maker and the Exercise of Divine vertues which both a state of want and a state of superfluity and abundance doth very much hinder and divert him from This made Agur pray against both give me saith he neither poverty nor riches not Riches left I be full and deny thee and say who is the LORD Nor yet poverty left I put forth my hand and steal and take the Name of my GOD in vain There be a great many Temptations in both States but more in a state of plenty and fulness than in want They that will be rich saith S. Paul fall into a temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull Lusts which drown men in Destruction and Perdition 1 Tim 6. 9. This Crates that Pagan Philosopher had some sense of when he threw his money into the Sea declaring that he would drown it lest it should drown him he might indeed have found many better and more Vertues Wayes of disposing it for preventing the mischief thereof But however this shews that even Natural Wisdom teacheth that there be more inconveniency in Having then in Wanting riches Of all Conditions in the World saith that excellent Personage formerly mentioned a redundant and over plentifull condition is most subject to the most Dangerous and Pernicious Temptations in the World As namely forgetfulness of GOD Self-Dependence Pride Insolence Oppression Injustice Unquietness of Mind Excess Luxury Intemperance contempt of others I have very often saith he known these persons that have carried themselves steddily and commendably in a Condition of Mediocrity nay have been able to bear with Victory the shocks of these Temptations that arise from want and Poverty yet when in the late times being advanced to Wealth Power and Command they were lost and could not bear the Temptations that attended Grandeur Wealth and Power So that the sun of wealth and Prosperity quickly disrobed them of that mantle of Innocence Piety and vertue that they keept about them against the Stormes of Wants and necessities And perhaps there be few but from our experience we may learn and observe the like Though Men little regard it yet certainly it merits our consideration seeing it was spoken by our Saviour Verily verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and again I say unto you it is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of GOD Mat. 19. Thus you see what Reason and Wisdom there is in this Request of Iacob's and how much it doth really concern us to bound measure our Desires thereto Food and Raiment we may and ought to seek because without this we cannot live conveniently and comfortably but to ask more as it is Insolent and Immodest in regard of GOD so it is Vain and Unreasonable in it self unsafe in respect of others and very Dangerous for our selves Quod nimium est fugito parvo gaudere memento Tuta mage est puppis modico quae flumine fertur Despice divitias si vis animo esse beatus Quas qui suspiciunt mendicant semper avari Fly what 's too great be with small things content That Ship 's most safe to which small gales are sent Wouldst happy be For wealth do not much care Who it affect Beggars and greedy are Wherefore let every one in the first place sit down and wisely consider what is their competency their convenient Food as Agur terms it for it is certain that this varies according
I A good old innocent Plebeian dâ—…e Death is a meer surprise a very snare To him that makes it his lifes greatest care To be a publick Pageant known to all But unacquainted with himself doth fall HALES The Character of a Happy Life How happy is he born and taught That serveth not anothers will Whose Armour is his honest thought And simple truth his outmost skill Whose passions not his masters are Whose Soul is still prepar'd for death Unty d unto the World by care Of publick Fame or privat Breath Who envies none that Chance doth raise Nâ—…r Vice hath ever understood How deepest wounds are giv'n by praise Nor rules of State but rules of Good Who hath his life from rumours freed Whose conscience is his strong retreat Whose state can neither flatterers feed Nor ruine make oppressours great Who GOD doth late and early pray More of his grace then gifts to lend And entertains the harmless day With a religious book or friend This man is freed from servile bands Of hope to rise or fear to fall LORD of himself though not of lands And having nothing yet hath all The end of the first Part. JACOB'S VOW OR MAN'S FELICITY and DUTY Part Second Chapter First A short Review of the First Part. The Case proposed how far it is Lawful to eye the Reward in our Resolutions of Obedience The Resolution given in five Particulars with an Application of all to Jacob here THere are two things to be considered in every Vow viz. What is Promised and what is desired this last we have handled already as to this Particular Vow of Iacob's here we have in the former Discourse opened up the Nature of his Requests and shewed what he sought of GOD and made it appear that as he was Humble and Modest herein in respect of GOD so very Wise for himself things craved comprehending all that is Necessary and Requisite to compleat ones Happiness in this present World he who is accompanied with the Favourable Presence of GOD who is kept and protected by the Power of the Almighty and who hath Food and Raiment that is what is Competent and Sufficient for the serving his Necessities and the Maintenance of the Present State he hath all that is desirable in this World And therefore Iacob is a fit Patern to direct us how we should steer our course and what we should Aim at while in this World and wherein the Happiness of this Present Life doth consist Having thus cleared and treated of the Conditional part of this Vow It followes next that we consider and speak to the Promissory part thereof that we may see what the Patriarch binds and oblidges himself to do to GOD if so be he bestowed and granted these things to him But first We will Answer and Resolve a Question which any may readily start here and it is this whither it be lawfull to take in conditionall Clauses in our Resolutions to serve GOD or how far we may have a respect to our benefit in our Purposes of Obedience for it would seem that Iacob's service here was a little Mercenary that he made a formal Bargain with God and that he resolved only to serve him upon condition he did such and such things to him for he first asks and then he promises For answer to this we shall first consider the Case in general and then speak to what Iacob did here in particular And first you must know that we owe to GOD all possible Service and Obedience even abstracting from these External Rewards which he hath to bestow and which we have good ground to expect from him Indeed no Man doth or shall serve GOD for nought they be-lye GOD and speak falsly who say It is in vain to serve Him and what profit is there in keeping his Ordinances for he plentifully rewardeth such as seek him in sincerity and truth and is most Liberal to all those who come unto him but however there are other prior Obligations and strong tyes upon us to Obey and Please Him so that although we had no Advantage by serving the LORD yet we could neither Reasonably complain of nor decline His Service for he is the Author of our Life and Beeing we are his Creatures and the work of his hands And therefore he hath just Right and Power to command us and all the Service we are able to do is small enough requital for what he hath already done to us And he may justly call for it though he should add no farther Favours It is his own Bounty and Goodness which makes him load us with his Benefits there is no Obligation upon Him therefore our Services do not nor can they Merit any thing at GOD'S Hand though we should suppose them never so exceptable or Worthy yet GOD is alwayes aforehand with us and we can never draw him in Arrears to us for our very Life and Being is more then sufficient payment for all that we are able to do Secondly the chief Motive to the Service of GOD and the great Principal by which we should be acted in our Obedience is that of love God himself and his glory should be the chief end which we propose to our selves otherwise our Service is neither Reasonable nor Acceptable GOD is not like man that he may be profited by us our goodness as the Psalmist sayeth extendeth not to thee Psal. 16. 2. And how little will he value what is not done to him but to another Now though we be never so much taken up in the Acts of Religion and Vertue yet that cannot be counted Homage and Worship payed unto GOD unless we make him our last end But it is service only payed to that which we chiefly aim at be it our selves and Riches or Honour or Pleasure or whatever else we have the greatest regard to That for which any thing is beloved is of it self more beloved when David dealt kindly and lovingly with Mephibosheth for Ionathan his Fathers sake it is a certain Argument that he loved Ionathan more then Mephibosheth He that loves a Man for Money and for Meat loves Money and Meat more then the Man for these are the Causes and Ends wherefore he loves the Man so he that serves GOD for any other End then GOD he certainly loves that more then GOD. Now if we prefer any thing to GOD we do not love him truly nor will he regard us as upright before him He saith our Saviour who loveth Father or Mother Son or Daughter or his own life more then Me is not worthy of Me Matth. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26. CHRIST upbraided the Men of Capernaum for following him because it was for the loaves We do not reckon them our Friends nor do we think our selves oblidged unto them who wait upon us and do us service because they bring Gain and Advantage to themselves thereby these are Mercenary Persons but he is our Friend who abstracting from his own Interest or from any
doing this our House and Family shall be a little Sanctuary unto GOD who will gracionsly vouchsafe to dwell in them and to establish with us his Comfortable Presence which should afford us greater Peace and quiet and Satisfaction and should prevent those Unnatural Tarres and Disorders which fall out too commonly amongst those of the same Family If GOD were much among them these things would not be and he is not among them because his Name is not called upon nor his Worship observed by them Thirdly we may see by what hath been said how much it is our Duty to frequent the House of of GOD for as it is Religion to erect Churches and Temples so 't is with a Design to use them and to come up unto them to call upon GOD and to hear what he will say to us When Iacob resolved to build GOD an House he did not mean to shut the door thereof and to be a Stranger thereunto but to visit it often that he might have Opportunity of meeting and conversing with His GOD. If civility and kindnesse draw us to the House of our Neighbour and if such as are about Kings Courts be oblidg'd to come and attend the King's person at those hours when the Court opens up or that he presents himself sure we should think our selves much more oblidg'd to come up to the House of GOD and to wait upon him at these times and hours which he hath appointed for meeting with us What a Honour and happinesse is it to have the freedom to stand in his presence and the Liberty to speak unto Him The Psalmist it seems thought it a great happinesse when he cryed out Blessed is the Man whom thou choosest O LORD and causest to approach unto Thee that he may dwell in thy Courts we shall be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house even of thy holy Temple Ps. 65. 4. And again How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts My soul longeth yea fainteth for the Courts of the LORD Blessed are they that dwell in thy House they will be still praising thee Ps. 84. Hereby it appears that he looked upon the Priests and Levits as very happy whose Office oblidg'd them to a continuall attendance on GOD'S House their Lot he thought was worthy of his ambition for though he was a King and upon that account might have commanded the Chiefest Pleasures and Delights of the Sons of Men yet he undervalued them all in comparison of the Priviledge of being in GOD'S House A day in thy Courts saith he is better then a thousand I had rather be a door keeper in the house of my GOD then to dwell in tents of Wickedness This favour he sought above all things and preferred before all things as he plainly tells us Ps. 27. 4. where he saith One having have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the dayes of my life to behold the Beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his Temple And certainly whosoever comes up to the House of GOD with a sincere Love to and desire after Him shall receive much Comfort and Good thereby It is not an Honour only but an advantage also to be in GOD'S presence for he still leaves a Blessing behind him and hath expresly promised to meet with us in His House to blesse us as you have it Exod. 20. 24. In token hereof the Ministers of GOD are appointed to blesse in His Name as appeared from Deut. 10. 8. which in all Reason must be extended to Evangelical Ministers seing GOD'S Goodnesse is not narrower but larger then it was of old We are not then to look upon Pastoral Benedictions especially in the solemn assemblies only as intimations of their own good wishes but as Authoritative declarations of the Good will of GOD which are effectuall upon such as are worthy See Mat. 10. 13. Let none therefore withdraw from the House of GOD but let all accept of all Occasions of coming up thereto as David who tells us I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the House of the LORD Ps. 122. 1. For our coming shall not be in vain GOD will not suffer such as sincerely seek him to return without profite I said not to any of the seed of Iacob seek ye Me in vain Isa. 45. 19. They speak Ignorantly and unadvisedly who say they will not be the better by coming to the Church and that they may profite themselves as well at home For seing GOD hath promised to be there such as are truly dispos'd and seek Him in sincerity shall undoubtedly find Him they shall feel the influences of His Spirit moving on their Hearts and shall be made to taste and see his Goodness that by Experience as well as by Reason they may understand it is good for them to draw near to God It is true God is not tyed to the Church or Publick meetings but may will manifest himself to his Servants also in other places yet they are not likeliest to find him at home who stay there out of a contempt of the Church which is the place he himself hath appointed for a Solemn meeting with his People We ought not to despise or neglect those means of Comfort and Happinesse which GOD hath prescribed but to use them Piously and Thankfully waiting humbly upon Him that in and by them he may blesse us 'T is a tempting of GOD to expect or desire he should shew himself or conveigh his blessings by wayes extraordinary while the ordinary means may be had What is better then to find GOD What is more desireable then to receive Expressions of His favour And where shall we seek him Or where may we with greater assurance expect these then where he hath promised to be found to wit in His House and Ordinances Let us then resort thither and we shall find Him whom our Soul Loveth who shall resolve our Doubts and Advise us in the Way we should take he shall ease our Hearts of our Secret Grief comfort us against all our Troubles and shall Refresh us with new Strength and vigour to enable us to endure patiently to the End of our Race that so we may obtain the Crown of life I have known some and I believe 't will be found nothing extraordinary who upon their coming to Church have received a Resolution of their Particular Doubts Comfort for their Particular Troubles and who when they little expected it have had their present Case touched as if the Preacher had mainly aimed at them when yet he neither knew them norintended them Weak Preachers will drop now and then good and usefull Speeches and though their Discourse in the grosse be not Learned nor Eloquent yet sometimes they let fall short sentences which may be and often prove more beneficial then more fine and Elaborat Sermons I have known Digressions in Sermons what is usually termed a running from the
do not communicate when they come up to Church to hear so doe those Canons which carry the name of Apostolical Thus it appears that the participation of the Lord's Supper was look'd upon as a necessary part of Divine service which could not be well omitted and there can be no reason given why the use of this Sacrament at least every LORDS Day was left off but the decay of Piety The Zeal and Devotion of the Apostolick Ages wore out and so men became careless of giving this expression thereof Or out off a Superstitious regard to their chief Festivals they would only communicate on these days that they might seem to do them the greater honour But as for the present custome of communicating only once or twice a year it is so unaccountable and speaks out so little true love to GOD and the memory of our Saviour that Calvin had good reason to call it Diabolicum inventum a meer device of Satans to stiffle Piety and to keep back Peoples endeavours after Godliness This is a piece of Worship peculiar to the Christian Religion which our LORD hath expreslly enjoined It 's a great testimony of our Faith a solemn act of Adoration payed both to the Father and Son and a visible commemoration of the Mystery of the Cross which as S. Paul speaketh is both the Wisdom of GOD and the Power of GOD In a word the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the Chief Rite of our Religion which in a manner comprehends all others parts thereof and by the serious participation of this Sacrament we truely glorify GOD and bring good to our selves for CHRIST hath ordained it to be the instrument of our union with him and the conveyance of the benefits of his death And therefore this Sacrament should be often administrate and who would testifie their love to GOD should as frequently partake thereof It is alledged against frequent communicating first that 't would take away much of the esteem due to this Sacrament But if this Reason were good 't would follow also that we should seldome think on GOD Pray read the Scriptures and perform other Acts of Religion It is no true esteem which ariseth only from the consideration of the rarity of the thing and certainly acquaintance with Spiritual actions frequent exercising them begets the highest esteem of them and delight in them He Prays best and with most pleasure who Prays oftnest and so of other things Another pretence is that if men Communicate frequently they would not have leasure to prepare themselves But this runs upon a mistake of the nature of the Sacrament and of the preparation requisit thereto A Cessation from sin is alwayes necessary but not from our civil business especially if we had any occasion of Communicating He who firmly believes the Gospel heartily repents of his sins and is resolved to live according to the Gospel is truely disposed for the Sacrament any day and every day and who is not thus disposed for the Sacrament neither is he fit to pray or to go about any other Religious exercise and so is in a state of enmity with GOD. If a Person once understand the Nature and Design of the Sacrament and daylie exercise himself in Prayer as we have shewed in the former Section if his Life be a continual walking with GOD he is ever sutablely prepar'd for it And if we ought to be alwayes thus prepar'd therefore the want of preparation will not excuse the Ommission of this Duty the Omission whereof doth of it self imply though People are loath to acknowledge it a renunciation of the Christian Religion Thus we have gone through the several parts of publick Worship shewed the necessity of them and let see the right manner of going about them And by what account we have given which certainly will hold true it appears that the publick Worship in all Reformed Churches is Proper and Acceptable so that none have any just Reason to withdraw from it and who doe it are undoubtedly guilty of Schisme 't is true in some Places perhaps and particularly among our selves there would need some Rectification for the more Grave Decent and Orderly performance of Divine service but however neither we nor any other of our Protestant Brethren want any essential part of Worship nor have we or they any thing disagreeable to GOD or which destroyes the end of Worship so that they are without all excuse who refuse to have Communion with this or any other Reform'd Church But as this must be acknowledg'd for all Reformed Churches so the quite contrary is true of the Worship in the Church of Rome For it neither answers the end nor agrees to the right rules of GOD'S Worship it is not it cannot be acceptable to GOD for it is full of Abominations For First in generall the Popish Service is neither Spiritual nor Reasonable Though we do not consider it in Retail but in Gross it must be acknowledg'd an ignorant brutish service a service which is not conform to the Scriptures nor doth it tend to the Glory of GOD or the Edification of Men because it cannot be understood being performed in an unknown Tongue As the Learned D. Taylor sayeth we may as soon reconcile Adultery with the seventh Command as the service in a Language which cannot be understood with the 14. of first Ep. to the Corinthians and if publick Worship need not be understood neither needs it be pronounced at all for if the Priest speaks not to let Men understand him he needs not speak to inform God and so a Dumb Priest is even as good as one whom the People doth not understand This practice of the Church of Rome is both contrary to the practice of all the World is condemned by common Sense so that the Papists in defending themselves use a deal of impertinent nonsence and vent intolerable absurdities which render Religion ridiculous and destroy the very Nature and Design of it What an Absurdity is it to teach People to use Prayers only as Charms To think ignorant prating as acceptable to GOD as the sincere desires of the Soul and that judgement and discretion are useless in Religion though it be the great end of our Creation and though for it especially we were endued with Reasonable Faculties I shall conclude this point with what a late Popish Writer hath Moyens confessed It is necessary to have the pub surs par lick service in the common language of la converthe Country for it is certain that this is de Hereagreeable to the Holy Scripture The tiques Mysteries of GOD are not as those of 147. Pagans these behoved to be hid from People because they were shameful and ridiculous but GOD would have his Children instructed fully in his There cannot be greater reproach thrown upon Religion then to say as some do that Faith without Knowledge is best He must be an Impostour and Seducer who speaketh so for St. Paul commands nothing
of GOD'S favourable presence And so Iacob needed have asked no more to make him Happy but that GOD might be with him But because the holding to generals doth not sufficiently alley or dissipate our fears this is only done when particulars are condescended on therefore the Patriarch here as in general he begs GOD'S Presence so that in particular he might know it first by his being protected from these Dangers he was liable to and secondly by the receiving a competent supply of his Wants which two things fall next to be considered The second Request Iacob here made is in these words If he will keep me in the way that I goe Which words speak out that he was both apprehensive of Dangers and that he thought none but GOD could truly defend him from them or deliver him out of them And indeed first it was no wonder that he was apprehensive of Dangers the fear of his brother Esau's wrath was one Principal Reason why he left his Father's house and seeing Friends and so near Relations bore him such ill will and were ready to do him mischief what might he expect from Strangers who were no wayes tied or obliged unto him if Abraham and his Father Isaac were in such fear of their Lives when they sojourned that they denied their Wives calling them their Sisters notwithstanding of their Power and the numerous Family they had What fear might he be in who had none with him but himself and was destitute of all help And besides the Dangers which he might â—…ee himself exposed to through the malice and wickedness of men Iacob could not but perceive innumerable others which might befall him in the course of his Pilgrimage the Wild Beasts of the Field might devour him he might be entrapped unto Snares and Pitts out of which there was no recovery As he passed through the Waters they might overwhelme him the excessive heat of the Day or the cold frosts of the Night might bring on heavy Sicknesses and Diseases It 's impossible to reckon up all the evils which may befall a man or to point at all the Sources from whence they flow For we are lyabe to Dangers from all the Elements and from every part of the Creation A thousand Mischances and Accidents may happen to put an end to our life or to render it miserable But our greatest and sorest enemies are those of our own Kind Man is to Man the worst Foe The Plague and Pestilence have killed their thousands but Malice and Revenge ten thousands some Vineyards and Gardens have been taken away by the innundations of Rivers but more by Covetousness As some Merchants and Seamen have been brought to ruine by Storms and Tempests so others by Pirats and Theeves and the Barbarity of those to whom they run for Shelter And thus upon many accounts it is true That Man that is born of a Woman is of few dayes and full of trouble as Iob saith which Iacob might now understand by his Reason as afterwards he spoke it to Pharaoh from his experience Gen. 47. 9. And it is indeed a Truth which stands now valid and undoubted by some five thousand years experience For this life as a Heathen saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not truly a Life but a Calamity And the Wise Son of Sirach hath observed that great Travel is Created for every man and an heavy yoke is upon the Sons of Adam from the day that they go out of their Mothers womb till the day that they return to the Mother of all things Eccl. 40. 1. Now as every Prudent Man foreseeth the Evils and Dangers which he is lyable to as he hath an apprehension both of the common Calamities of Mankind and of the particular Troubles and Distresses which may befal him in his Circumstances so he is desirous to guard against them and shun them And unless we know some Remedies against the Troubles we may meet with unless we know how to prevent them or how to remove them or how to be eased under them and how to be safely delivered from them our Mindes can enjoy no true Rest nor Quiet And what Defence can one have unless he have it from GOD How can any think to be keeped in safety unless He do it whom Iacob here calls upon Except the LORD saith the Psalmist keep the City the Watch men waketh but in vain Psal. 127. 1. And the same may be said of private Persons for if the LORD be not on our side if he do not look to us and take a care of us When men rise up against us they should certainly swallow us up quick when their wrath is kindled against us certainly the Waters of trouble when they approach should overwhelm us And the stream should go over our Soul Psal. 124. 2 3. But he is secure who hath GOD for his help I will saith David both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou LORD only makest me to dwell in safety Psal. 4. 8. and in the former Psalm he tells us plainly I laid me down and slept I awaked for the LORD sustained me I will not be afraid of ten thousands of People that have set themselves against me round about The like confidence may every one have who is interessed in the Divine Favour for he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty Because thou hast made the LORD which is my refuge even the Most High thy Habitation There shall no evil befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling For he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes they shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a Stone Thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and Adder the young Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou trample under foot Because he hath set his Love upon me therefore will I deliver him I will set him on high because he hath known my Name Psal. 91. That is a great Comfort and Encouragement and a true Antidote against all Fear of Danger or Trouble which GOD giveth to his Servants and People by the Prophet Isaiah Thus saith the LORD that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O Israel fear not for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy Name thou art mine When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the Rivers they shall not overflow thee When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee for I am the LORD thy GOD the Holy One of Israel thy Saviour Isa. 43. 1 2. Thus it appears what safety and security one hath whom GOD takes into his Protection such an one as Eliphaz speaks Shal be in league with the stones of the Field and the Beasts of the Field shall be at peace with him Iob 5. 23. Which we are not yet to understand as if the
to discuss the doubts which may arise from the consideration of that unequal and as it would seem unjust disposal of Men besides other things which may be instanced And without the help of Revelation all that can be known of GOD by meer Nature will not be effectual to counterpoise the corruption of our Natures and to restrain us from following Sensual and Brutish appetites which being cherished drown all sense of GOD and cast out all Fear and Regard for Him As Faith in the Divine Revelations of the Scripture is requisite to qualifie us for being Worshippers of the True GOD So in the next place it is necessarie that we adore the God-head according to that Incomprehensible Mysterie of the Trinity Reason and Scripture both teach That there is but One True GOD For it is impossible there can be more then One supreme Infinite Beeing But though Reason do not yet Scripture doth declare as plainly and clearly as it doth any thing that in the Unity of the God-head there are a Trinity of the Persons viz. the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost each of which is proposed to us as the due Object of all Divine Adoration therefore who do not adore all three and all three as one God doth not adore the true God For the true God is this Trinitie of Persons as he hath plainly manifested Himself and manifested it for this end that he may be so worshipped and acknowledged by men That the Trinitie is not contained within that Idea of God which we have by Nature will not excuse the disbelief thereof when clearly revealed as I suppose every one will find who layeth aside their prejudice We are as much oblidged to believe the word of God as the dictats of our own Reason and when Men will not believe God's word because their Reason cannot fathom the depth of it nor easilie conceive the truth thereof as in the present case then they make an Idol of their Reason and may be said rather to adore it then GOD Seing they will not acknowledge him according to what he really is in himselâ—… which he hath also plainlie declared but according to the appearance of their own Imaginations If the nature and essence of God agree with their sentiments they are very ready to own and acknowledge him but if it differ in any thing from these then they are Stubborn and Refractory Which I may fitly compare to those who make a nice distinction betwixt the name and Authority of the King and his person the King's Authority they profess to regard as much as any but however they are still Plotting and Rebelling against His Person If one should take away Omnipotency from God all would acknowledg that it is not God reallie but a fantome of his own devising which he pays worship too For that is no God which is not Omnipotent Now he doth the same who removes Veracitie from God for Truth as properly belongs to him as Power And therefore as the consideration of God's Omnipotencie doth oblidge us to believe that he can work not only above what we our selves can doe but beyond our conception for all things must be possible to him so the consideration of his Veracity oblidgeth us no less to believe all to be true which he speaks and declares though our reason cannot comprehend it If God had pleased he might have made the mystery of the Trinity and the other Mysteries of the Gospel more intelligible But then he would have wanted the homage and acknowledgement which is due from our understandings which the Scripture calls the Obedience of Faith and which is no less reasonable then the obedience of the will and actions He who doth not submit his will to the laws of God cannot be said to own him or his Authority Neither he who refuseth to yeeld His judgement to God to be informed by him And the withdrawing the submiâ—…on of our understandings will not be excused by paying the obedience of our wills for one duty will not make up the breach of another which is as necessary of it self Hence it is that Faith is so much spoken of in Scripture and made so necessary a duty to the being accounted Righteous before God and therefore also it is that Abraham is proposed for our Patern who against hope believed in hope for being not weak in Faith he staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith giving glory to God being fully perswaded that what he had Promised he was able also to perform and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness Now saith the Scripture it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we likewise believe By this rule Socinians and Quakers will be cut off from the pretences of Worshipping the true God for as much Reason as the one sets up for and for as great Pietie as the other endeavours to make a shew of Thirdly that the True GOD may be our GOD it is absolutly necessarie that we pay all divine worship to Him alone and not share it among others besides him for seing there is but One GOD therefore to have more Objects of divine Worship is to be guilty of Idolatrie and Idolatrie and the worship of the true GOD cannot agree together It is certain that GOD will not accept of their worship who pay the same adoration to others besides him Therefore the First command which He gave to his People of old was this Thou shalt have no other Gods before ME. Intimating thereby that the very foundation of true Religion and the very first thing to be done in the Acknowledgment of the true God is to resolve to Worship him only according to what our Saviour saith thou shalt Worship the LORD thy GOD and him only shalt thou serve Matth 4 10. This Ioshua understood well and laid plainly before the Children of Israel in his last solemn speech to them wherein he endeavoured to reclaime them from Idolatrous practices that is the paying divine respect to any other besides the True GOD by shewing the absurdity thereof and its inconsistencie with the Worship and service of the true GOD for having bidden them choose whom they would serve lest they might have thought that they could well enough both serve Him who had done so much for them and others besides he roundly tells them ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God he is a Iealous God He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins if ye foresake the Lord and serve strange gods then he will turn and do you hurt and consume you after that he hath done you good And when the People expressed their resolution to serve the LORD that they might give a true Testimonie thereof he said to them Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you and incline your heart unto the LORD GOD of Israel
Ioshua 24. Some perhaps will say that these Passages of Scripture do only strike against plurality of gods or the Worshipping of false gods with a neglect or contempt of the True or the Substituting any in his Room but not at all against the Worshipping of Subordinate Beeings while one Supreme LORD and GOD the Creator of all things is owned and worshipped But to this it is answered that certainly all is to be included in the Prohibition which derogates from the Glory of the True GOD and is inconsistent with the Worship and Service due to Him and therefore among other things this of paying Divine Worship to any besides For who doth this does not Glorify GOD as GOD nor acknowledge that Infinit distance which is betwixt him and all other Beeings They are guilty of Lese Majesty and commit Treason against the Person of GOD who either level Him with others or exalt others to a parity with him and yet this is done when GOD is not Honoured above others and that Creatures are honoured with all the Acts of Worship and Testimonies of respect proper to the Creator In the Scripture a Covetous man is called an Idolater not that he sets up his Money as an Idol falls down before it makes Prayers and counts it his Creator but because it enhanceth his Affections is the Ground of his Confidence and that he cannot be more earnest to Please GOD then he is to get Money and keep it Now is he not much more an Idolater who designedly and of set purpose payes all that homage and Worship to others which he owes only to GOD is not this to return to the Idolatry of the Gentiles for their Crime was that they did service unto them which by nature are no Gods as St Paul tells us Gal. 4. 8. And in that he saith they did it when they knew not GOD it clearly implies that they who know him aright as the Gospel manifests him ought not to do it otherwise they walk contrary to the Gospel and dishonour GOD. To guard men against this crime God hath in Scripture declar'd himself a Iealous God like a Iealous Husband who cannot suffer with patience the least appearance of dishonesty in his wife or any the least inclination to strange embraces And indeed as a Woman would be guiltie of Adulterie though she did not quite abandon her husband if she did but prostitute her self to another and entertain him with the affection and kindness due to her own husband So they are guilty of Spiritual whorrdom and adulterie who honour with divine worship any besides the true God though they do not cast him off As the Husband is not content unless he have his wife's whole heart and intire affection so neither is God unless those who pretend to worship him do it without reserving any homage or service for another And as she comes at last to have her heart wholly enstranged from her husband who hath been too familiar with another So they who allow themselves to perform Divine Homage and service to creatures are at last altogether alienated from the Creator when men are drawn to worship any other then God they prove wholly forgetfull of him they let those whom they intended at first only to be Co-partners to turn absolut Proprietors of their hearts and service Wherefore who would take the Lord to be their God must resolve to devote themselves intirely to him and to have none other beside him Lastly who would worship the true GOD and have their service find acceptance with him as they must not dishonour God by giving him Co-partners so they must not make their adress to him by the means of Images or such sensible or external objects but must direct their worship immediatly to God himself without application to any other thing for the conveyance of their worship for this he hath expresly forbidden and that worship which he hath forbidden and declared his displeasure with can never be said to terminate in him That He hath forbidden it is evident from the second Commandement where all sort of similitude and resemblances are discharged And that there is forbidden not only Images and similitudes design'd for honour of false Gods but even also such as might be intended for the honour of the true GOD appears clearly from Deut 4. 15. where Moses saith take ye good heed unto your selves for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire least ye corrupt your selves and make you a graven image the similitude of any figure the likeness of Male or Female the likeness of any beast that is on the Earth the likeness of any winged foul that flieth in the Air the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the Ground the likeness of any Fish that is in the Waters beneath the earth and least thou lift thine eyes up to Heaven and when thou seest the Sun and the Moon and the Stars even all the Host of Heaven should be driven to worship and serve them In this passage not only particular Resemblances but all kinde of similitude whatsoever with a design to worship it is absolutely forbidden So that there is not the least shadow of pretence for the thinking any lawfull to be made use of And that God not only prohibits the use and worship of Images themselves and for themselves that is to say when the worship is made to terminat in the Image or materiall object it self but also when the same is used as a means of honouring and worshipping God is clear both from the due consideration of what hath been already said and likewise from the instances of the Golden Calf which Aaron made and the two Calves in Dan and Bethel which Ieroboam set up For they who worshipped these Calves were not so gross as to terminate their worship in the Calves themselves but used only the Calves to stir up their remembrance of the true God and their devotion for him as appears by their saying these be thy Gods O Israel which brought thee up out of land of Egypt Exod. 32. 4. 1 Kings 12 28. The reason why God discharg'd the worshipping of him by Images and external Resemblances or any kind of visible objects and which makes this still unlawfull is because it is a very improper and disagreable thing in it self and that which begets dishonourable thoughts of God and which seldom or never faileth to make men guilty of the grossest Idolatrie What an improper and unsutable thing is it to studie to make him visible who by nature cannot be seen and by materiall and corruptible things to represent him who is Spirituall and Incorruptible nothing which we can make or fancie bears any proportion to God neither hath any resemblance of him the glory of the best and chiefest creatures is far below the glory of God and therefore it would be but a dishonouring of him to Resemble him to them
well done as the seeking of Prayers of those upon Earth To which it may be replyed first that what is alledged is not true 2. That it will not excuse this worship nor free it from Idolatry First the thing alledg'd in the excuse of Saint and Angel worship is not true For besides the building of Temples the erecting of Altars offering up to them Christ in the sacrifice of the Mass which without the most violent stretching cannot be interpret a desiring them only to pray for them I say besides this there is nothing more evident then that their Prayers to Saints is put up in as express terms as they should be to GOD Almighty and it is impossible for any to address themselves to GOD more humbly and devoutly then they doe Particularlie to B Virgin or to speak more highly of God then they do of her or to attribute more to the One then to the Other or to Petition the greatest Graces in more plain and direct Terms as appears from many Instances in that office of B M Authorized by Pope Paul 5. There She is called the Queen of Heaven the most Glorious Lady which is exalted above the Heavens and in that Hymn which begins Ave Maris stella they bespeak her thus Hail â—…ou the Seas bright Star Who God's pure Mother are Offenders bonds unbind Give light unto the Blind Our evils clean disband All good for us demand Do like a Mother bear Our Prayers up to His ear O singularly chaste Whose meekness all surpast Our sins from us exil d Render us chaste and mild Grant that our life be pure c. This as it is the sense of that Hymn so it is their own Translation as may be seen in that English Manual of Prayers Printed at Edinburgh this year 1685. though it bear the name of Paris See pag 76. and least the citation of forreign or old Books may be discredited we shal produce some passages of this Book which is lately emitted by themselves and which the Curious may easily get a sight of pag 81. in a Prayer to the Virgin after very high titles they pray be thou with me in all my troubles and afflictions and in the hour of my death receive I beseech thee my Soul and offer it to thy sweet Son IESUS that for thy sake he may accept of it and place it among the Quire of Celestial Spirits And page 85. in the Hymn Memento Rerum Conditor Blest Mary pre ordain'd to be Mother of Grace and Clemency Defend us from our mortal foe Receive us when from hence we goe And every where throughout the book they speak to her and of her as if she were a Goddesse in the strictest sense But not only they pray thus directly to the blessed Virgin but to Angels and other Saints as may be seen there The Prayer to the Guardian Angel is O Angel of God to whose holy care I am committed by the Supernal Piety illumnat defend and govern me this day in all my thoughts words and actions pag 18. And as they sometimes bid the Saints only pray for them so at other times they desire GOD to interceed with the Saints Thus O Lord we beseech thee that all thy Saints may every where help us and while wee reverently celebrate their merits we may feel their Patronages pag. 52. and pag. 108. they amply recommend their souls into the hands of the Saints Angels and Patriarchs that not only by their intercession but by their assistance they may be delivered from the Prince of darknesse and from all dreadfull torments And if they intended no more in the Worship of the Virgin other Saints why was that book condemn'd which was printed at Cullein for the rectifying these abuses which had crept in into the worship of the Virgin Mary as if the Author had been guilty of Impiety against the Scriptures the Virgin the Saints c. And on the other hand why was the book of F. CRASSET allowed and Authorized by the Provincial and the Arch-Bishop of Paris to be published Anno 1679 wherein as an Antidote against the poyson of the former all is re-established which the most shameless Adâ—…rers of the Virgin ever asserted that an Almighty power in Heaven and Earth belongs to her that nothing is impossible to her that she can save those who are ready to perish that she comes to the Tribunal of God not as a Servant to intreat her Lord but as a Mother which may command Her Son pag. 28. Thus by what hath been said and an hundred moe instances which might have been given did we not fear to be tedious it appears that the Papists do more then pray to the Saints to pray for them And that this alledgance is meerly a blind whereby they may the more easily deceive such as are not yet fully disposed to receive the whole Saint-worship in gross But 2lâ—… though this were true it will not excuse nor free those who thus worship Saints and Angels from Idolatry 1. Because even this much cannot be done without ascribing to them the peculiar properties of God as Omnipresence Omniscience and the knowledge of mens hearts and secret thoughts If the Saints do not neither can hear us it s a vain thing to pray to them and they cannot be supposed to hear the prayers which are put up every where througout the World unless they be made every where present or so Omniscient as to know whatsoever is done or said upon the earth Which to say of them is reallie to make them Gods for the Scripture and Reason both appropriate these things to GOD only Thou even thou onely saith Solomon knowes the hearts of all the children of Men 1 Kings 8. 39 And it is One of the proofs we give of the Deitie of CHRIST that he saith of himself I am he which searchest the reins and hearts Rev 2 23. Which would not be sufficient if any other could know these save GOD only Therefore there is a great difference betwixt the praying to departed Saints in particular and the seeking the assistance of good mens prayers upon earth For there is a free entercourse between us and our fellow Christians here but there is no means of Communication with departed Saints and Angels who by their Nature are finiee and so confined to one particular place which makes it a very Improper and Absurd thing to call upon them every where â—…ly the seeking the Mediation and Intercession of the Saints and Angels so much and the laying stress upon it is Idolatrie in respect of CHRIST For it is a robbing him of his Prerogative and the cloathing others with it It belongs to CHRIST only to make Intercession at the right hand of GOD for as St paul saith there is but One GOD and One Mediatour between GOD and men the Man CHRIST JESUS 1. Tim. 2. 5. And it seems St Iohn knew not any other when he said if any Man sin we have an Advocat
next place we must Addresse our selves to GOD by Humble and Hearty Prayer that it may please him to Enlighten the eyes of our Minds to the discerning His Will and the way wherein we should walk For is we do not Pray we are not desirous hereof neither duely Value it and so GOD will not think us worthy of it who Despise or Lightly esteem the Counsel and Direction of the LORD shall be left to wander in the Ignorance and Darknesse of their own Minds But he will lead and guide them in the Paths of Righteousnesse who humbly seek Him But though Prayer be good yet it is not the only Means it must not be neglected but it must not be rested in We must not ask direction as Pilate what was Truth at Christ who when he put the question presently went out and stayed not for an Answer After we have Prayed we should listen attentively to what GOD sayeth we ought to hearken carefully to the voice of GOD. And therefore Thirdly we must search Diligently the Scriptures for they are the Word of God and in and by them he speaketh to us his Will and Pleasure God hath given the Seripture to be a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our Path And so who would walk uprightly so as to Please God must follow the Guidance thereof 'Ts true God speaketh also Inwardly by his Spirit to the Hearts and Minds of Men but Ordinarly it is by the outward Means of the Word ' Tts seldom and in some singular Cases only that he speaks to men without the Mediation of the Scriptures However he never speaketh but agreeably to the Scriptures whatever he sayeth any manner of way must be consistent with the Doctrine and Precepts of the Scriptures for GOD neither can nor will contradict Himself Wherefore all inward Suggestions and Inspirations must be examined by the Written word of GOD which as St. Peter speaks in a like case is the surer Word 2 Pet 1. 19. We have Reason to put greater Confidence in the outward Light of the Scriptures then what is inwardly suggested for we may readily deceive our selves here and take the delusions of Satan or our own strong Imaginations for the Inspirations of GOD'S Spirit every one cannot distinguish betwixt them and indeed it is often hard for any to do it but by comparing them to what is delivered in the Scripture which we are sure is from GOD. We must not then be too hasty in concluding our inclination to a thing or aversion from it after that we have prayed fervently to be from GOD unlesse it be warranted by the Word of GOD revealed in the Scripture or at lest no wise opposite to what is there enjoyn'd us The Scriptures are the holy Oracles which deliver the mind of GOD to them therefore we must resort at all times and on all Occasions to know what we should do and by them all Persons of each Sexe Age Condition Imployment may be instructed how to order their conversation aright before GOD. For they are so composed that the Man of GOD by them may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 17. 'T is true every one will not find their particular Case Stated and Resolved but either Directly or Indirectly either by expresse Precepts or Paralel and not much different Examples they shall see what may sufficiently inform and resolve them And whoso will give themselves entirely up to the conduct of GOD in his word shall without doubt as we shewed before either by secret Suggestions of the Spirit or by some speciall occurrences of his providence be Particularly directed in the disposall of themselves and their affairs which are of greatest concernment and to which it cannot be expected that the Scripture should speak particularly The meek will he guide in judgement and the meek will he teach his way All the paths of the LORD are Mercy and Truth unto such as keep his Covenant and Testimonies Psal. 25. 9. 10. Thus we have shewed how we should consult GOD and by what means wee may come to be directed by him Now certainly it concerns us very much thus to consult Him and to follow these Means for acquainting our selves with what is proper for us to do The Heathens of old gloried much in their Oracles and used to Consult them in all their affairs though they were so uncertain and Ambiguous that they proved more often Snares to entrap them then Lights to guide them But sure wee have much more Reason to Glory and Rejoyce in this Special Priviledge we have of Consulting the true GOD who neither will deceive others nor can be deceived himself and who hath been Graciously pleased to speak to us so plainly and clearly by his Word and who Promises farther Direction as we stand in need Hereby we are enabled to walk wisely and are shewed the True way of carrying on our Happiness and Peace the Testimony of the Lord saith David is sure making wise the simple the commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes Psal. 19. 7 8. It was a laudable custome amongst the Iews to ask Counsel of GOD before they began any Enterprise and so it becomes us to resort unto the Scriptures for Counsel and Direction where we shall receive it fully and clearly if we be desirous thereof and follow the Direction prescribed above David no doubt had many Counsellours and yet he preferred the Word and Law of GOD before them all thy testimonies saith he are my delight and Counsellours And again he tells us that he bad more understanding then all his Teachers for GODS Testimonies were his Meditation Ps 119. 24. 99. It is reported of the Heathen Socrates that he pretended to have a certain Spirit or genius which he used as his Counsellour and therefore when ever he was required to speak or to do any thing his usuall answer was si Daemon permiserit if my spirit or genius will suffer Now it is our Happiness that we have a better Counsellour to advise with and therefore also whenso e're any thing is propounded unto us either to our understandings or Wills to be believed or practised let our Answer be with the Psalmist I will hear what GOD the LORD will speak Ps. 85. 8. I will first consult GOD by the Holy Oracles of the Scriptures And if we never conclude or resolve any thing without advising thus with GOD we shall highly honour him and shew an entire regard unto him and also take a Wise and most Profitable Course for our selves But alas As Solomon complains wherefore is there a price in the hand of a Fool to get Wisdom seeing he hath no heart unto it So it may be said to what purpose is it And how little doth it avail us to have the Scriptures seing we make so little use of them and take so little notice of what GOD says to us in and by them How sad is it and what matter of regrate
Text more pertinent to some of the Hearers then if the Minister had kept more close to his Subject because they were thereby struck home and hit upon some Particulars of their Condition which concerned them to understand and to be rightly inform'd of If then Men would but lay aside their prejudices put themselves in a Sutable Disposition and listen attentively they might and without doubt should be Edified and Bettered by coming to Church The apprehended weakness of him who is to Officiat ought to be no discouragement for GOD often useth weak and mean things to effectuat great Matters by what we account the foolishnesse of preaching he doth save those that believe Though there were no Sermon 't would be our Duty nevertheless to come up to Church that thereby we may testify our homage to GOD and acknowledgment of him but however for our Encouragement if we be sincerely desirous to hear what GOD the LORD will speak he will speak good one way or other In the last place when we come up to the House of GOD we ought to be carefull to lay aside every thing which may offend and be unbecoming so Divine and holy a Presence while we are there we should behave our selves decently and reverently for if the presence of Kings over-awe us how much more should the presence of GOD and Angels If it be improper and most unseemly to appear any ways light frothy impertinent before Kings especially when they are sitting in Majesty and State it is sure much more unworthy to be guilty of Indiscretion in the House of GOD which is the Place where God is alwayes present and that in Majesty and State too by the attendance of Angels and Ministring Spirits It were far better not to approach the House of GOD then not to be reverent when we are in it he who stayes away is but guilty of neglect which though it be a great sin yet 't is not so great as insolency a downright affronting of GOD which he is guilty of who laugheth Sporteth talketh idlely or any ways playeth the Fool within the Church or sleepeth and snorteth away the time therein to the Scandal and disturbance of others or who abstracts his mind from the Service of GOD and imployes his thoughts in Worldly Matters Such behaviour and irreverent Carriage cannot but highly provock God and obstruct our own Good and Benefite If we do not meet with GOD when we come to Church if he do not blesse us if we find our selves no whit bettered the reason must be our Irreverent and unseemly Behaviour or some indisposition in our selves for GOD is alwayes ready and willing to manifest Himself Wherefore if we would see the Beauty of the Lord in his Temple or if we would taste the goodness of his house we must guard against those things which may provock him to withdraw himself from us And must labour so to please him by a Humble Devout and Reverent Behaviour as that he may condescend to come and manifest himself to our souls for our edification and comfort And to what purpose is it to come if you be not resolved to do Reverence to GOD by coming what a dishonour is done to the House of GOD When you only come up unto it because you know not otherwise how to spend the Time or when you make it only a place for meeting with your neighbours where you talke about Newes and other Worldly Affairs and where you may be informed what Garb and Dresse is most in Fashion or where you may Sleep and take your rest or where without Disturbance you may ruminate on your Business and projects as St. Paul said to the Corinthians have ye not houses to eat and drink in so I say have ye not other places to do these things in Or do ye indeed despise the Church of GOD Consider I pray you that the Church as St. Chrisostome saith is no Barbers or Drug-sellers Shop nor any other Crafts-mans or Merchants Work-house in the Market place but the place of Angels the place of Arch-Angels the Palace of GOD Heaven it self think near whom thou standest with whom thou invocatest GOD namely with Cherubims and Seraphims and all the powers of Heaven Consider but what companions thou hast let it be sufficient to perswade thee to Sobriety when thou remembrest that thou who art compounded of Flesh and Blood art admitted with the incorporeal Powers to celebrate the common Lord of all when thou goest into a King's Palace thou composest thy self to Comeliness in thy Habite in thy lookes in thy gate and in all thy whole guise but here is indeed the Palaâ—…e of a King and the like attendance to that in Heaven and dost thou laugh c. I know well enough thou seest it not but hear thou me and know that Angels are every where and that chiefly in the House of God they attend upon their King where all is filled with these incorporeal powers SECT II. Of Prayer HAving had occasion to treat of Churches or Sacred places I judge it necessary to subjoine some short discourse on Prayer seing that this is the very use end of these For upon this account the Church in Scripture is called the House of Prayer The very design of consecrate houses or Places is that Men may have in them conveniency for Prayer thither men were wont to come not only to joyne in the publick Worship but also for the performance of their private Devotions But because our Lord perceived that the resorting to such publick Places so often as we need to pray might Minister to pride and vanity which spoile the odour of our Prayers and hinder their acceptance with GOD therefore he hath advised us Mat. 6. to choose out the most secret and retired Places for our Private Prayers and addresses to GOD and though the place we pray in have not the Honour to be appropriate to GOD yet our Prayers shall find acceptance if they be sincere and rightly qualified Prayer doth in some sense sanctify the place but the place can add no weight or worth to our Prayers It may be more convenient for us to pray in one place more then another but our Prayers will not be more acceptable to GOD upon the account of the place they are said in GOD is every where and we may freely addresse our selves to him any where and where ever Men lift up holy hands in Prayer without wrath or doubting they shall be heard If Churches be imployed to any other use then prayer and religious services they are profaned See Mark 11. 15. but it is not necessary nor expedient to goe to Church each time we pray to GOD. The Church should be reserved for Publick Worship chiefly but as for what we do apart by our selves we ought to seek out Places of the greatest privacy to do it in and as I said in the former section if our State would suffer it 't would be
in the Church afterwards and certainly the want hereof is such a defect as doth more then spoile the Beauty of a Church it is a main cause of the decay of all true piety and therefore the ignorance and stubbornness of the Generality of this Nation is much to be lamented which discourage our Governours from Establishing this Dayly Worship of GOD in Towns Cities and other populous Places which I may confidently call a Necessary as well as a Reasonable Service But as we ought thus to hallow every Day by devoting some part thereof to the publick Service of GOD so we are oblidg'd to Sanctify for this end one whole Day in seven viz. the first day of the Week commonly called the Lord's Day partly because of its being peculiarly consecrate to the Service of GOD and partly because of that special Honour whiich the LORD IESUS CHRIST conferred on this Day by his Triumphant resurrection from the Dead which was the Reason for its consecration we should set a part one day of the seven not that this portion appears necessary by Natural Light but because 't was expresly exacted of the Iews and that we are unjust if our expressions of Piety and Devotion towards GOD be lesse then what was sought of them and what oblidgeth us to the observation of the first day particularly is the practice of the Holy Apostles who either had an expresse command for what they did themseves and enjoyned others in the Worship of GOD or were led thereto by the holy Ghost Now their practice in this particular is declared to us Act. 20. 7. 1. Cor. 16. 2. And is witnessed by a constant universal Tradition of the Church Besides the LORD'S Day no other is strictly necessary to be kept except in obedience to our Rulers Civil and Ecclesiastical who without all question may as well as the Iewish Church and State formerly appoint dayes for the publick Worship and service of GOD upon the account either of some particular emergency wherein Church or State is concerned or of some special Mercy granted them But they ought to be careful neither to burden People with too many such appointments nor yet to give them a disgust by ordering Solemn Dayes upon mean silly accounts if Men be not serious in these Solemn Addresses they are a meer Mockery and Dishonour to GOD and it is impossible to make them Serious when the cause and occasion of them is frivolous and unworthy to be made the matter of Divine Worship And so the Church of Rome has miserably transgressed for first she hath so multiplied her Fasts and Festivals that the number of them almost exceeds the dayes of the Year the year would need to be enlarg'd if all their Holy Dayes should be distinctly and exactly keept And though it be pretended that all are not required to observe each of them yet there be too many imposed upon every person and every place so that the French King was necessitate to deall with the Pope lately for the dispensing with a great many in his Kingdom Again the Church of Rome is not only to blame for enjoyning such an intollerable burden of dayes but also because the Reason of these injunctions for the most part are frivolous scarce worthy of a Man's serious attention much lesse of being the matter and occasion of solemn Devotions as for example the invention of some pitiful Relicts the dedication of Bells some ridiculous passage of their Legendary Saints c. and as most of their Holy-dayes are in honour of their Saints so the most of their Saints according to their own relation did nothing memorable their lives are more Foolish and impertinent then Old Wives Fables or the Tales of Children as we might shew by several instances did we not fear to be tedious But leaving this we come next to speak to the Nature of this Worship which should be payed unto GOD publickly and to shew the Particulars whereof it should consist which ought especially to be considered And First as to the General nature of this Worship it must first answer the end thereof which is the Glory of GOD the Celebration and Praise of his Greatness Wisdom Goodness and other Glorious perfections that the Souls of the Worshippers may be enflamed with the love of GOD and that they may be excited to Fear Trust and Obey Him 2ly It must be agreeable to the Will and Mind of GOD and altogether free of what he hath forbidden or signified his displeasure with otherwayes it will be so far from being acceptable that it will be very abominable 3ly It must not only contain all the parts of Natural Religion but besides carry Characters of the Gospel for it is not only Reasonable but Necessary that the Worship of GOD be Regulate by special dispensations of his Grace and made to expresse the particulars of such Dispensations the Iews were required to Worship God in a different Manner from what is discernable by Natural Light and so those who believe the Truth and Mysteries of the Christian Religion must have a Peculiar Worship that is distinct from such as own no Revelation or only that of the old Testament Fourthly from these considerations it follows that Christians must Worship GOD together in spirit and Truth For so our Saviour directed us Iohn 4. 23. Where he saith The hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth For the Father seeketh such to Worship him GOD is a Spirit and they that Worship must Worship him in Spirit and Truth Which words whither we consider them abstractly in a general notion as delivering a certain Natural Truth or with a reference to the way of Worshipping GOD then usual in the World I say which way so ever we consider them they teach us that GOD will now be Worshipped not by a Multitude of carnal and external Observances or a number of Mysterious and almost unintelligible rites and Ceremonies as the Gentiles used to doe and as he thought fit for a time to impose upon the Iews But by actions of a Spiritual Nature and whose signification and use is Reasonable and easily understood The Law considered Men as in a weak Infant State and so prescribed a Worship sutable to such a State but the Gospel endeavours to bring us to the full Stature of perfect Men and considers us as such and therefore our way of worshipping GOD now must speak out more perfect Reason and understanding The worship required of Christians is not a Pompous shew of Ceremonies which may affect Children or Childish Persons but Real and Substantial expressions of Faith Love Fear Ioy and Confidence in GOD There must not be more or other Ceremonies used in the Worship of GOD then what is requisite for Order and Decency or necessary to Excite and Fix the inward attention of our minds for that is not True or proper Worship which is wholly External and doth not come
more then that we should encrease in knowledge The reading of the Holy Scripture should be recommended to People according to the practice of all the Fathers It was not the People who wrested the Scripture and spread Heresies they were the Bishops and Doctors and Persons of the Clergy Arrius Macedonius Nestorius Eutyches Pelagius were all Church-men 2ly The Worship of the Roman Church has not a Resemblance to the Christian Religion because it wants the purity and simplicity thereof to make Worship look like Christian as we formerly shewed it should be Plain and Simple that is free of Ceremonies except what are requisite to Excite and Fix the attention should chiefly consist of Actions which are Grave and Serious and which do properly expresse the Divine Majesty and Glory But the Worship of the Papists is meerly Pomp Pageantry a vain external Shew of Ceremonies fitter for the Theatre then the Church Their Churches are dressed with Gaudy Scenes like Play-Houses and like them too they use not the light of the Sun but the dazling deceiving light of Lamps and Wax-Candles their Priests are sumptuously decked with various kinds of Garments and as for the Service it self it consists in sprinkling of holywater kindling Perfumes Kneeling and bowing and often crossing Turning to the Right or Left Hand according to the Sign given the Elevating and Lowing of the Voice at certain Times the vain repetition of unintelligible Words and in a multitude of impertinent and insignificant Ceremonies which chock the very Spirit of Religion and which would render what is read or spoken to no purpose though it could be understood For 't is impossible that the mind can be attentive or make any Serious application where there is such a multitude of external performances The Worship enjoyn'd and practised in the Church of Rome has more resemblance to Paganisme then the Christian Religion it contains indeed Acts and Instances of the true Worship of GOD but so buried in Heathnish Superstition that they lose their Efficacy both with GOD and Man Their Sprinklings Processions Scourgings Pilgrimages and in a word the most of their Ceremonies both in their Ordinary and Extradinary Devotions are derived from ancient Paganisme and are indeed more suited to Pagan tempers then Christian minds for such as understand the Gospel know that GOD taketh no pleasure in such Actions The hour cometh saith Christ and now is that the true Worshippers of GOD shall Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to Worship Him 3ly Popish worship is not only full of Superstition but Idolatry it not only is made up of many foolishly and uselesse Actions which can pretend to no Shadow of Reason or Divine Authority But it contains also many things expresly forbidden as the Invocation and Adoration of Angels and Saints c. What St. Paul said of Rome Pagan holds true of Rome Christian they have changed the truth of GOD into a lie and Worship the creature more then the Creator For the most of their Worship is not tendred to GOD and JESUS CHRIST but to Angels the blessed Virgin and other departed Saints to Images Reliques that is the Bones Ashes and other forged appurtenances of their supposed Saints I say supposed for their is no evidence for the most of them but the Popes Cannonization which is very unsufficient 'T is laid on the name of one Pope Gregory that he should have said multorum corpora venerantur in terris quorum animae cruciantur in infernis that is many are Worshipped as Saints who are damned in Hell The Papists in their publick Worship are required to adore Bread as GOD to Pray to the Dead and for the Dead and to do several other things which not only have no warrant in Scripture but are quite contrary thereto and therefore GOD can be pleased neither with such a worship nor those who offer it more then he was with the Nations whom the King of Assyria planted in Samaria of whom it is said that they feared the LORD and served other Gods besides 4ly The Mass which is the chiefest part of their Worship is the highest abomination For it is used in stead of the Holy Sacrament which our LORD instituted that night wherein he was betrayed but in Truth it is is quite another thing because they have added to it and pared from it and use it in another sense and to other purposes then what that Sacrament was design'd for First they withhold the Cup which is the one half of the Sacrament though it be clear that our Saviour commanded All to drink of it as both the Councill of Constance and Trent acknowledge in their Acts which prohibite the use of the Cup to the Laity And as for the other part of the Sacrament besides that their Wafers cannot be counted Bread they do not use the rite of breaking it which is so essential that this Sacrament is ordinarly denominat by it in Scripture Indeed what the Priest takes to himself he breaks in three pieces one whereof is cast into the Cup another is left upon the Altar until the end of the Service and the third he puts in his own Mouth but this doth not answer to that breaking which our LORD used and which is necessary to hold Forth the purport of the Sacrament That this Action may be agreeable to our LORD'S institution it is necessary that all the Communicants eat and have distribute to them one broken Bread 2ly Our LORD ordain'd the Bread in this Sacrament to be only a symbol of his Body but they give it out to be His very self and command Divine Adoration to be payed thereto which is the greatest absurdity and the grossest Idolatry imaginable as we have formerly made out 3ly Our LORD designed this Sacrament to be only a memorial of his Death and of that satisfaction was given thereby to the Iustice of GOD for the sins of men but they teach and command under pain of damnation to be believed that in the Masse there is a real propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead because according to them Iesus Christ is dayly Sacrificed and Offered therein Which Doctrine contains a heap of Absurdities and makes their Mass a Blasphemous action and most injurious to the Sacrifice of the Cross. For hereby it would follow that Christ was Sacrificed before he was Crucified viz. when he instituted this Sacrament that his Death was no sufficient Attonement there being such necessity for repeating it so frequently and that St. Paul erred grossely in thinking it absurd that he should offer himself often in saying he was but once offered to bear the sins of many and in preferring that one Oblation of IESUS CHRIST upon the Cross to all the legal Sacrifices because they behoved to be offered year by year continually to shew their insufficiency whereas he by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified see Heb. 9. 25. 28. 10. 1.
and his Wisdom did appoint and find out all those Favourable Circumstances which have been the occasion of they Prosperity and success and it is his Providence alone which hath prevented those many Casualities which might have devested thee of all so that if it had not been for Him thou mightest long agoe been stript naked and reduced to a piece of Bread How many have gone to Bed rich and wealthy and have awakned poor and Miserable have we not seen persons turned out of their possessions and rob'd of all their Wealth and who have not been so dealt with must ascribe it to the Goodness and Care of GOD toward them Certainly what ever Wealth or Riches Honour or Advantages any man enjoyeth is still to be considered as the Gift and Gratuity of Almightie GOD as Iacob doth here For he saith not all that I have or shall have but all that thou shalt give me Acknowledging thereby that whatsoever should accrew to him by whatsoever means would be nevertheless GOD'S doings But when I say by whatsoever means it is still to be understood of lawfull means for what cometh by unlawfull wayes as by fraud and violence c. Is not from GOD but from him who promised to our Saviour All the Kingdoms of the World if he would fall down and Worship him And though a man should give all this to the Poor and in Charitable uses it would not be accepted it would be but an abomination But to return if all be owing to the Divine bountie it is just and reasonable and our bound Duty to allot and consecrate a part to his Glory We are unworthy receivers of his Benefits if we do not thanfully acknowledge his Goodness in bestowing them and without such an acknowledgement we cannot pretend to a right or sanctified use of them For the Apostle tells us every Creature of GOD is good if it be received with thanksgiving and not otherwayes which thankfull acknowledgment must be made not only verbally by Speeches and Expressions but by real works deeds viz. by devoting a certain part of what we enjoy to such pious uses as he hath appointed As Tenements own their Land-Lords by paying their yearly rent and Subjects their Soveraigne by yeelding tribute so it is no leâ—…s our Duty to Honour GOD with our substance as Solomon enjoyneth Prov. 3. 9. It was thus to honour GOD by acknowledging him to be the LORD and Giver of all that David with the Princes and Captains of Israel made these great offerings for building the Temple of the LORD and the service of the Sanctuary which we find 1. Chron. 29. for verse 11. David saith thine O LORD is the greatness and the Power and the Glory and the Victory and the Majestie for all that is in the Heaven and Earth is thine thine is the Kingdom O LORD and thou art exalted as Head above all both Riches and Honour come of thee and thou Reignest over all and in thy hand is power and might and in thy Hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all now therefore our GOD we thank thee and praise thy Glorious Name and of thine own have we given thee Now as Reason teacheth it to be just thus to honour and acknowledge GOD by consecrating a part of our Substance to his Glory and for his use so there never was a time wherein GOD did not particularly require it In the State of Innocency there was not occasion for almes or other such pious uses as now but the tree of knowledge in the midst of the Garden was reserv'd to GOD as holy in token that he was Lord of the Garden and therefore was man cast out of Paradise and had the earth cursed for his sake because he had violated the sign of his Fealtie unto the LORD of Heaven and Earth After the fall untill the Law of Moses we do not indeed find any expresse particular precept for making such offering out of our substance to GOD but yet all holy men did it Iacob you see here vowed it and Abraham gave the tenth of his Spoil to Melchisedeck the high Priest of GOD. And though reason and the meer light of nature might teach them that something was due and proper to be given yet we cannot conjecture how they could come to condescend so generally upon such a Particular Portion without learning it by Divine revelation In the law of Moses the Tithes of all things are expresly Commanded to be payed as an acknowledgment of GOD'S being the Proprietar of the whole Earth and that men hold their possessions only by his bounty and good will therefore Deut 26. As there is a Command for paying Tithes and bringing the First Fruits as an offering unto the house of the LORD so there is set down the particular confession to be made at these Offerings in which is shewed the reason for requiring them viz That even GOD ' S Tittle to the whole land might be acknowledged and that he might thereby be moved to bless the possession thereof to them seing that they thus own him to be their LORD and GOD. Now as for the Gospel this Precept is not renewed in it and the Ceremonies of Bringing up to the house of GOD the first Fruits of our encrease and what is due out of our Substance doth not much concern us But though the Ceremonial part of this Precept be not now obligatorie yet the Moral thereof is for CHRIST hath not taken away our Obligation to these moral observances which the Honour of GOD calls for think not saith he that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfil Matth. 5. 17. There is not indeed in the New Testament such frequent and particular mention of making these offerings by way of Tribute unto GOD because there we are not considered as in a Servile State by the Gospel GOD hath exalted us to the Nobler State of Friends and Children and deals with us as such which yet doth not take away our obligation from paying necessary Duties whereof the thing we are now speaking about is one And though as we have said the Devoting some portion of our Goods be not now called so by way of Tribute as from Servants or Subjects yet the thing it self is very often injoyned and inculcated viz. of Almes giving Beneficencie and Works of Charity Mercie though the phrase of giveing Almes be generally used yet it is so spoken of as to let us understand that it is a debt due unto GOD which we are unjust if we do not pay for it is usually Styled Iustice or Righteousness as Mat. 25. We must not think that GOD hath now under the Gospel quit his Right and Tittle to our Goods and Possessions or that he doth not require any acknowledgment of them from us we are much mistaken if we think so He requires this now as much as ever and therefore to this end it
thâ—…â—…nd 〈◊〉 or if they come near all they can do is to weep and waile true and certain comfort cometh only from above which a Charitable Man is sure of For Blessed is he that considereth the Poor the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble The LORD will preserve him kâ—…ep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the Earth and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness Psal. 41. 1. 2. 3. If saith the Prophet Isaiah thou draw out thy Soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted Soul then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy Darkness be as noon day and the LORD shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy Soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a wattered Garden and like a spring of Watters whose watters fail not Isa. 58. 10 Fifthly the profite of Charity 〈◊〉 â—…rther then Earth it reacheth to Heaven and gets us an interest there 'T is true Heaven is not merited by any deed of ours we must not entertain any such thought but certainly such good Deeds are followed with Heaven happiness of the other Life How much respect GOD will have to Acts of Charity and Mercy in bestowing Heaven we may see from Mat. 25. and therefore St. Paul would 〈◊〉 â—…he Rich to do Good to be rich in good works ready to distribut willing to communicate thereby laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on Eternal Life 1 Tim 6 18. 19. Here is the greatest advantage of Charity and here we may see that the most profitable way of expending our Wealth is to lay it out upon Works of Charity For the profit of all other Works is limited to this life the good of them as to us expires with our Breath and 't is but seldom that it lasteth so long when a man dies he carries nothing away of all that he hath done otherwayes except perhaps a troubled Conscience for being imployed so much to so little purpose But the profit of good and Charitable Works accompanieth a man to the Grave nay followeth him to the othâ—… 〈◊〉 and purchaseth Friends there Friends 〈◊〉 never die and which receive and welcome him to their everlasting Habitations And seeing it is so what senselesness is it to neglect Charity How much do they sit in their own light who give not all diligence to abound in Good Works nill we will we we must remove hence here we cannot stay alwayes sometime or other we will be forced to pack to another World and should we not then before hand secure a Habitation and Endeavour that it may be well with us there if we were to be banished this Kingdom or saw any necessity of leaving it we Would take care to Transport our goods whither we intended to take up our residence or we would make money of them and carry bills thither that we may have wherewith to sustain and comfort our selves Now what madness is it not to be as provident for our Souls as for our Bodies why do we not distribute our Goods to the use of the Poor and needy that we may have Treasures in Heaven And that when this Earthly tabernacle is dissolved we may be lodged in glorious and Eternal mansions 'T is strange to see how fond Men are upon Possessions here below they will give all they are Worth nay contract for more though it Make their Life burdensome to get an Heritage upon Earth notwithstanding they are perswaded that they cannot abide with it Now a Purchase iu Heaven may be had easilier it needs not all nor half nor the Fourth part of our goods to this a Tenth part Devotely disposed will do the businesse And is it not Wisdom then to lay out money rather upon this which may be had so easily which is best in it self which is of Eternal Advantage A Charitable Person of all others is the Wisest and Happiest for he both enjoyeth the good things of this present life and also has the better things of the Life to Come reserved for him 6ly The profite of Charity is not confined to the Persons of the Charitable Man it descendeth to his children it entails a Blessing upon his Posterity and it goeth well with them for his sake His seed shall be mighty upon Earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed Wealth and Riches shall be in his house For such as be blessed of him shall inherite the Earth and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off All Parents that are noâ—… unnaturall wish their Children well and desire they may have wherewith to live honestly in the World after themselves are gone now the best course for this is to be Charitable for Charity secures to them the Favour of GOD and the Providence of the Almighty which is the Chiefest Treasure this makes GOD their Tutor and Curator who is best abâ—…e to manage their interest and without him others can do but little How many have left great Summes behind them and much riches whose Childrâ—…n have been Vagabounds running up and down Seeking Bread The Blessing of the LORD is the best Inheritance 'T is the best Portion Parents can leave their Children and Charitable Persons may bequeath it confidently The bountiful Man needs not be troubled that he hath Little to leave among his Children for GOD will Blesse that little and make it sufficient A little that a righteous man hath is better then the riches of many wicked Psal 37. 16. That is it goeth farther doth more good and is more profitable for the Owners And though he hath no means at all to bestow yet he has no Reason to vex himself upon that account For GOD will then surely â—…e their Provisor GOD will repay to his Children what he lent to the Poor I have been young saith the Psalmist and now aâ—… Old yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Nor his Seed begging Bread Psalm 37. 25. I shall not say no instance to the contrary can be shewed but truely I believe very few let Men look abroad the World observe themselves and ask at others and they shall find it generally true that the Children of the Good and Merciful have mett with singular Providences do not therefore excuse thy self from Charitable Deeds because thou hast a numerous Family and many Children this is but to mock GOD and deceive thy self Thou should rather take Pity on the Poor that mercy and compassion may be shewed to thine that when Father and Mother forsake thy Children the LORD may take them up What would People say or do if they were in the Widow of Zareptha's Circumstance who had not a cake but an handful of Meal in a Barrel and a little Oile in a cruse and that too in the dayes of great Famine
I suppose many would think they had Reason to deny even a Prophet himself but did she loss by giving a Morsel to Elijah Did she prejudge her self or her Son If she had refused the Prophet she and her Son would have eaten all at one meale and then died But because she fed the Prophet therefore the word of the LORD was that the barrel of Meal shall not wast neither shall the cruse of Oyl fail untill the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the Earth 1. King 17. 14. Learn by this Example to obey the LORD who hath commanded thee to give bread to the Hungry and Drink to the Thristy Grudge not because thy Substance is small trust in GOD believe and obey his Word and he will cause thy small Quantity of Meal and Oyle to last and to be sufficient for â—…hee and thy Children In the Last place it may engage us to be Charitable to consider the Wretched state and circumstances of Uncharitable and hard Hearted Persons Their Betters despise them their Neighbours and Equals value them not and the Poor envy and curse them people talk of their Misfortunes and Disasters with Complacency and murmure at any good which befall them They have not the Love and Goodwill of the Generation they live in and when they die their name die with them or it is unsavourie and remembred with disgust But this is the least part of their misery they are no lesse odious to God then to Man he hates abomi nates them because they violate his Laws despise his Authority abuse his Mercies and are unthankful for his Goodness they counteract the Methods of his Providence keep People from discerning the Beauty and Wisdom thereof yea occasion many to Blaspheme his Name therefore his Soul abhorreth them And as Blessings are upon the head of the Righteous and Mercifull so curses are heap'd upon such wicked and hard hearted Persons If GOD blast not their Fortune altogether it is keept to their hurt as they harden their Hearts against the Poor so the LORD shutteth their own Bowels upon themselves so that they can as little allow themselves as others the necessary Supplies of Nature he hath but useth it as little as they who have nothing which certainly is a great plague and curse Behold saith Solomon it is good and comely for one to Eat and to Drink and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the Sun all the dayes of his Life whicâ—… GOD giveth him for it is his Portion Every man also to whom GOD hath given Riches and Wealth and hath given him power to eat thereof and to take his Portion and to rejoice in his Labour this is the gift of GOD. But saith he There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun and it is common among Men and indeed among none so common as among Uncharitable Men. A man to whom GOD hath given Riches Wealth and Honour so that he wanteth nothing for his Soul of all that he dâ—…sireth yet GOD giveth him not power to eat thereof but a stranger eateth it this is vanity and it is an evil disease Eccl. 5. 18 19. 6. 12. Farther it may be observed that GOD often deprives such persons of the comfort of Children or if they have them for the most part they have little comfort in them The Children of such ordinarly are graceless and debauch'd they are averse from all Honest Callings and use to lavish away what their Parents sordidely hoorded up But as often they want Children and he who hath Means and wanteth Children hath but little satisfaction in his means and far less in his Relations and Acquaintances for he is filled with Jealousies and Suspicions against them that they look greedily after his â—…state and wish him dead that they may grasp it ' therefore he is ever altering and renewing his will partly through jealousie partly through his peevishness he puts off the mâ—…king a wise disposition of his goods he cannot think on it till his death which surprising him hence it is that what he so anxiously gathered and keept often falls into the hands of those he little thought on or cared for which foolish end is all the subject of discourse at his Funeral and every Bodies sport and laughter then and afterwards Finally let us follow the Uncharitable Man unto the other World and we shall see his case yet sader there he stands more despicably then ever the Poor here did at his own door and cryes for help to as little purpose GOD hath no Mâ—…rcy upon him Angels and Saints stand aloof he hath no Testificats from the Poor can produce no Letters of Advice from these Factors of their here below to recommend him and so those Heavenly inhabitants declarâ—… they know him not they will not receive hiâ—… to their Everlasting Habitations and thus he is forced to lodge with Devils and Damned Spirits where there is weeping and wailing and gâ—…shing of Teeth Thus we have proposed some Mâ—…tives to Charity more might have been laid before you but these are sufficient he who is not excited by these would not be moved by other Considerations and he must be strangely hardened who is not convinc'd and perswaded by them If what hath been said has any influence on the Reader if he thereby find his Bowels moved and his heart inclined to Charity I shall only say this farther to him that he delay not the expressing his Charity till his Death as too many do the time and manner of thy Death is very uncertain do good therefore whiles thou hast Health leave not this work to thy Heirs or Executors for thou knowst not how faithfull they will be exerce Acts of Charity in thine own Time give Alms with thine own Hand and thereby thy Sincerity shall the better appear and thou also shall have the greater Satisfaction thereof The end of the Second Part THE CONCLUSION I Have now gone through both Parts of Jacob's Vow and illustrated them by the Light of the Gospel thereby to demonstrate where our true Happiness lyeth and by what Means we may compasse it The Reason why Jacob's Vow was pitched on to afford Instructions in these Material Points was because I judged it very propper and that such Instructions as are drawn from Examples are the most convincing Now that I may summ-up all which hath been said As all will acknowledge that 't is of the greatest importance to be rightly informed about Felicity and the Means of accomplishing it so every one may learn this necessary knowledge here In the First Part is laid out the Folly of being fond on the things of this World of thinking Happiness depends on Wealth and Worldly greatness For as the pursuit hereof is certain Slavery Toile and Vexation and of very uncertain success so when one is arrived to a more then ordinary Measure of these things what is he the better He is as far from being Happy as he
away the curse upon them So it rendreth our enjoyment of them Lawful and Sweet We may freely use the Creatures may Eat our Meat with gladness and Singleness of heart when we have discharged the Debt lying thereon and payed the tribute of Gratitude we owe to GOD But without this our enjoyments can have no Delicious Relish nor afford true satisfaction They are attended with remorse and sting of Conscience as the feasting of Bankrupts or the riotous living of Tennents who have not payed their Masters rent 'T is not Lawfull to sit down to full Tables to be alwayes Eating the fat and drinking the Sweet whiles there is no regard of those who are at the point of starving 't is not Lawfull for any to ruffle it out in Silke to hang their rooms with Arras other costly hangings whiles they see any perish for want of Cloathing or any Poor without covering and will not offer to help them that their Loins may Blesse them as Iob speaks 'T is an heinous crime which will not pass unpunished to cast the Childrens Bread to Dogs and are not they guilty of it who spend much on Dogs Hawks and other idle sports but give nothing to the Supply of the Poor the Fatherless and Widow But as the Enjoyments and pleasures of uncharitable Persons are unlawful and accursed so who exerciseth Charity may lawfully indulge his desires and allow himself what Innocent Comforts and conveniences this World affords Secondly Charity is profitable for securing and preserving the Good things a Man hath Every days experience may teach us the uncertainty of Earthly things one may have much and soon come to Poverty Fire Violence Treachery and a thousand other Accidents to which all are exposed may very easily devest a man of his Wealth and Possessions and 't is impossible to prevent this by our Foresight Care and Industry our chief yea only security is in the Divine Providence which we may lean to if we testify our thankfulness by acts of Charity and Bounty to the Poor By giving to the Poor we clip the wings of Riches so that they can not flee so fast from us But if the Poor be not the better of our Wealth it wants the Divine protection and so is altogether defenceless it hath no sure hedge about it By denying the Tribute of Charity we break our Tacks forfeit our right by which we hold our Possessions And as Masters use to turn out those Tennents who pay not their Rent so GOD taketh away the good things of this World from them who do not use them to his Glory not make any acknowledgment to him for them or if he let them keep them 't is because he reserves them to a Heavier judgement Thirdly Charity is profitable because it tendeth to the encrease of our Wealth and Estate As 't is the best means to preserve our Fortune so 't is the likliest way to enlarge it The Blessing of the LORD it maketh Rich and he addeth no sorrow with it Prov 10. 22. Which Blessing is particularly entailed on the Charitable Man and therefore Moses having commanded to pay the Triennial Tithes to the Poor addeth for an encouragment That the LORD thy GOD may blesse thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest Deut 14 29 Some are ready with Iudas to count all lost which comes not into heir own bagge but what is given in Charity is so far from losse that 't is great Gain it returns with Usury He that hath pity on the Poor lendeth to the LORD and that which he hath given will he pay him again Prov 19. 17. And that more may be expected then what is laid out we learn from many Texts in Scripture The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that wattereth shall also be wattered himself Prov. 11 25. Alms and Charitable Deeds may seem to impoverish us but really they do it no otherwise then the Husband Mans throwing his Seed upon the Ground which after some Moneths he receives with encrease There is that Scattereth saith Solomon and yet encreaseth and there is that withholdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to Poverty And because Charity contributes as much to Wealth as the ordinary way and Arts of Thriving therefore he adviseth to use it In the morning saith he sow thy seed and in the evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whither shall prosper either this or that or whither they both shall be a like good Ecel 11 6. Men indeed ought not to use Charity with this Design to be Rich but neither need they be Discouraged from the Exercise thereof for fear of redacting themselves to Poverty for this is the ready way not only to prevent Poverty but to ensure Wealth if the Word of GOD may be rested on And who but Infidels will not rely on it GOD'S hand is both tâ—…e surest and most profitable Bank to put our Money in other Persons and States may and we see dayly do break and fail but he will never fail nor turn unable to repay us with Advantage he hath promised perhaps to try Mens sincerity GOD will keep up for some timeâ—… this gain of Charity but they shall receiâ—… 〈◊〉 one time or another Many instanâ—…s might be produced of these Advantagious returns of Charity but I choose rather to let every one recollect their reading and Experience in this point then to detain them farther What doest thou know they are the words of a dear Friend but those showres which did lately refresh thy corn that prosperous gale which brought home thy commodity unto the desired haven that advantagious bargain which thou hast made that plea of of Law which thou hast gain'd may have been designed as a recompence of which thou hast bestowed However I am sure that no Man shall have occasion to complain that he is a loser at GOD'S hands and that he hath been decieved by that promise that he who giveth to the Poor shall not lack Fourthly Charity is profitable in that it either prevents the days of evil or procures us solide Comfort in them Man is born to trouble as the sparks flee upward we are but of few dayes but we are lyable to many Troubles and therefore every wise Man should provide against them but the best Provision we can lay up against the evil day of affliction is to be liberal and Charitable in Prosperity When Daniel laid before Nebuchadnezar the disasters of his Dâ—…eam he advised him to take this coursâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…vent them O King said he let my counsâ—… acceptable unto thee and breake off thy sins by righteousness and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the Poor if it may be a lengthning if thy Tranquility Dan. 4. 27. But if Charity doth not altogether prevent Calamity and Affliction 't will be sure to lighten them and to give us Comfort in them even solide Comfort the Consolations of GOD. Riches proâ—… little in the dayes of evil friends may