nor are ever like to be 4. Another rule I would give is this that we should live under the due awe of God's continual presence with us and bear this always in our minds that the pure and holy God the judge of the world before whose impartial tribunal we must all shortly stand is conscious to every secret thought and imagination that passes through our minds and that he knows them altogether that God is in us all Ephes 4.6 One God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all that he is present in the most inward corners and recesses of our hearts and knows every one of those things that come into our minds Now who of us is there but must confess that if his thoughts were all known and open to other men if his parents his friends his neighbours or enemies could have certain cognizance of them he should be infinitely more carefull about them than he is should not allow himself that liberty and freedom which he now takes should be as watchfull that his thoughts should appear to other men orderly rational and vertuous as he is now that his words and actions may be such and while we profess to believe that the transcendent Majesty of Heaven and earth is acquainted with all our private conceits is privy to all our wishes desires and purposes observes and takes notice of all the motions of our minds and that at the last day he will bring every secret thing into judgment are we not ashamed of shewing in his sight such folly of committing such wickedness in his presence should we blush and be confounded to have but a mortal man certainly know all the childish vain wanton lustfull thoughts that possess our minds and is it nothing to us that the great God of Heaven and earth beholds and sees them all Consider this then O vain man who pleasest thy self in thy own foolish conceits with thinking how finely thou dost cheat the world by a mask of Religion and godliness consider I say that there is not an evil thought that ever thou takest any pleasure and delight in not an evil device or imagination of thy heart but what is perfectly naked and open to that God with whom we have to doe That he is with thee in the silent and dark night when no other eye seeth thee when thou thinkest thy self safe from all discovery and that thou mayst then securely indulge thy own wicked appetites and corrupt inclinations for the light and darkness are both alike unto God he compasseth thy path and thy bed he is acquainted with all thy ways And the frequent consideration of these things would certainly produce a mighty awe in us and a suitable care not willingly to entertain or cherish any such thoughts as we should be ashamed to have known to all the world nor ever to suffer any other thoughts to take place or remain in our minds than such as we should not blush to have written in our foreheads 5. For the right government of your thoughts let me recommend to you above all things serious devotion especially humble and hearty prayer to God Almighty Man is compounded of two natures a rational and spiritual and a bodily by our bodies we are joined to the visible corporeal world by our souls we are allied to the immaterial invisible world now as by our outward senses the intercourse and correspondence is maintained between us and the corporeal world so by our devotions chiefly our acquaintance is begot and kept up with the spiritual world when we lay aside all thoughts of this lower world and the concerns of this life and apply our selves to the Father of spirits and make our humble addresses to him we then more especially converse with him as far as this state will admit of and the more frequently and constantly we doe this the more we shall abstract our minds from these inferiour objects which are so apt to entangle our hearts and take up all our thoughts and shall make the things of the other world become more familiar to us for when we betake our selves seriously to our prayers we do then bid adieu to all that is visible and sublunary and for that time endeavour to employ our minds wholly on what relates to another life and therefore consequently the oftner we doe this and the more hearty and serious we are in it the more our minds will be used and accustomed to divine thoughts and pious meditations and weaned from present sensible objects Every devout exercise conscientiously performed will season our spirits and leave a good tincture upon them and dispose us for worthy and excellent thoughts it is like keeping of good company a man is by degrees moulded and fashioned into some likeness unto them and on the other side the intermission neglect or formal and perfunctory performance of our devotion will soon breed in us a forgetfulness of God and heavenly things as omitting to speak of an absent or dead friend or neglecting to call him to our mind by degrees wears him quite out of our thoughts and memory so that you see a due sense of God upon our minds and of those things that belong to our greatest interests is by nothing so well maintained as by our constant devotion this is like seeing our friends often or conversing with them every day it preserves acquaintance with them it cherishes our love and kindness towards them I end all with that excellent Collect of our Church Almighty God unto whom all hearts be open all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy holy spirit that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnifie thy holy name through Christ our Lord. Amen A SERMON Preached at the Anniversary Meeting OF THE GENTLEMEN Educated at St. Paul's SCHOOL The Sixth Sermon 1 COR. XIII 4 5 6 7. Charity suffereth long and is kind charity envieth not charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up c. THE chief and most laudable design of this and other the like Anniversary Meetings being to promote love kindness and friendship amongst men from the consideration of some particular relations by which over and above what doth belong to us in common with all men and Christians we are more nearly united and linked one to the other I thought I could not entertain you with any thing more proper to this Solemnity than a discourse upon these words wherein I intend I. To describe unto you wherein this amicable friendly temper and mutual love which we are to further amongst our selves this day doth consist And II. To recommend it especially to your care and practice who have had the advantage of a liberal and ingenuous education I. To shew you wherein true and undissembled love doth consist which I shall do onely by paraphrasing or commenting as briefly as I can upon this most excellent description of Charity given us
thus when they have vented a most cursed malitious lye with the woman in the Proverbs they wipe their mouths and say they have done no wickedness and would have you impute it wholly to their zeal and not to their malice This I cannot better represent unto you than by translating the words of an ancient Father who thus describes some in his days There are saith he who shall endeavour to shadow and disguise the malice and ill-will they have conceived against any sort of persons or company of men with the false colour of zeal for the glory of God and sorrow for the wickedness of the times and then looking very sadly and premising a deep sigh with a dejected countenance and dolefull voice they vent their lies and slanders and therefore saith he they doe all this that they may the more easily persuade those who hear them of the truth of what they relate that the story may be the sooner believed and more readily swallowed as seeming to be uttered with an unwilling mind and rather with the affection of one that condoles than any fetch of malice I am grievously sorry for it saith one for I love the man well he is one of excellent parts and hath many things very laudable in him but and then he aggravates this particular sin whether truly or falsly imputed to him it matters not to the highest degree Another tells you I knew so much of him before but it should never have gone farther for me but now seeing the matter is out though perhaps he was the first broacher of it he shakes his head and lifts up his eyes and tells you it is indeed too true he speaks it with grief of heart and then tells it in every company he comes in but adds it is great pity he otherwise excells in many things but in this he cannot be excused Thus far my Authour There is saith Solomon Prov. 12.18 that speaketh like the piercings of a sword and Prov. 18.8 the words of a tale-bearer are as wounds and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly Curse the whisperer and double tongued for such have destroyed many that were at peace saith the son of Syrach This if any thing is point blank contrary to charity for love covereth all sins Prov. 10.12 Charity hideth all things 11. Yet farther Charity believeth all things hopeth all things It maketh us to believe all the good of others we have the least probable ground for and to hope that which we have no reason to believe We very easily believe those things to be which we before-hand wish were true and therefore charity being a wishing well to all men must needs incline us to believe well also of them this daily experience tells us that where we love there we are very unapt to discern faults though never so plain and obvious to the impartial and disinterested witness the strange blindness men generally have towards their own though never so gross and foolish The judgment of charity is very large and comprehensive it takes in all and believes well of every one who continues within the pale of the Christian Church doth never presume to judge mens hearts or pry into their secret intentions Nay where there is some reason to doubt of a man's truth and sincerity yet charity hopeth the best It despairs of no man's repentance and salvation but entertains some hopes that even the worst of men the most refractory and disobedient will at length amend and grow wiser Whoever sins charity hopes it is out of weakness or surprise or inadvertency and not out of wilfulness or habitual custome whoever mistakes charity hopes the errour proceeds from ignorance onely or unavoidable prejudice or unhappy education and not from a bad and wicked mind or from any worldly sensual interest And in this particular is the charity of our Church much to be commended who contents her self with propounding an undoubted safe way to Heaven without passing any reprobating sentences and anathema's on all other Churches and societies of professours and excluding them from all hope of mercy or possibility of salvation And indeed it concerneth us all to take great care rightly to discharge this office of charity since according as we judge others so shall we our selves be judged it is our interest as well as our duty to be very mild and mercifull in our censures of others and to judge of them with favour and allowance since with what measure we measure unto others it shall be measured unto us again 12. Lastly charity endureth all things never will be wearied or tired out is not fickle and wavering thinks nothing too much to doe nothing too great to undertake nothing too hard to undergo for the good of others Love sticks not at any thing nay makes any duty or labour easie and pleasant as Jacob after his disappointment grudged not to serve the other seven years for the sake of Rachel Love is strong as death many waters cannot quench it nor the flouds drown it nothing can allay the heat of its endeavours or stop its progress it easily surmounts all difficulties and triumphs over all opposition though we meet with great ingratitude contradiction and unworthy returns from those whom we have obliged yet love is not apt to repent of the good it hath done but still perseveres endeavouring to overcome evil with good unkindnesses with courtesies Love doth not invent excuses or seeek delays when a fair occasion of exercising it self is offered it makes us willing for some time to leave our own business though of near concernment to us to expose our selves to heat and cold to wearisome and painfull journies to deny our selves our own ease and pleasure and profit in some measure rather than to forfeit an opportunity of shewing a great kindness Charity endureth all things This now is that affection of love which we ought to bear one towards another this is that kind benign and gratious temper which manifests us to be the children of God and to partake of his nature and to be like unto him who is good and doth good which shews us to be the followers of our Saviour in deed and in truth who went about doing good and which alone can fit us for that Kingdom wherein true love undisturbed peace and universal charity dwells and reigns for evermore To convince you of the necessity of this frame and temper of spirit let me onely put you in mind of what St. Paul saith in the beginning of this Chap. that though a man should be able to speak with the tongues of men and angels had the gift of all languages and could discourse with the greatest eloquence and efficacy yet without this charity he would be but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal Though a man had the gift of prophecy and could foretell things to come were inspired from above and were able to convert others to the Faith and propagate the Christian Religion in
the world though he could understand all mysteries expound all Scripture and give an account of the most difficult and sublime truths and had all knowledge and all faith nay the highest degree of that faith by which miracles are wrought so that he could remove mountains yet without this affection of sincere love he would be nothing worth nay though a man should part with his whole estate and bestow all his goods to feed the poor though he should exercise the highest acts of bounty and liberality nay lastly though he should give his body to be burned for his religion and die a martyr for the faith of Jesus Christ yet if he hath not charity if he cannot patiently bear and pardon injuries and affronts if he delights not to doe good and rejoyceth not in the happiness of other men if he be envious and malitious and implacable of a narrow contracted spirit it profiteth him nothing II. I onely beg your patience whilst in a very few words I recommend this more excellent way as St. Paul calls it this spirit of love to you especially who have enjoyed the advantages of a liberal and ingenuous education And if ever I could hope to prevail and persuade I should certainly expect no little success in such an assembly as this consisting of persons well taught and bred whose natures have been refined and polished and minds improved and cultivated and new-moulded and fashioned by the care and skill of those excellent persons to whose charge we were committed I think it ought not over-slightly to be taken notice of that in such an age as this there are yet so many persons of fashion and quality who are not ashamed to own their education and therefore may be reasonably thought yet sensible of the benefits that may have accrued to them from it I say in such an age as this wherein the first thing almost that Gentlemen affect after they have once got free from under the discipline of others is presently to forget all they have learned and to erase out of their minds all the sober counsels and usefull rules they had before received huffing at all instruction as a piece of pedantry fit onely for children in coats or fools and freely revenging themselves on their Schoolmasters and Tutours for attempting to make them wise and good against their wills But notwithstanding this I must say that by our thus meeting together we do but little credit either to our selves or the School where we were brought up or the persons under whose feet we sate unless we also clearly discover to the world in our temper and conversation something excellent and singular that may distinguish us from the rude untutoured vulgar the ignorant and illiterate rout Were that onely good breeding which is now most fashionable and doth in ordinary account pass amongst us for such I should very freely acknowledge it a blessing not much to be valued or regarded To move ones leg and body gracefully and in time to bow and cringe in mood and figure to wear cloaths most exactly made according to the newest mode to be able to speak of the French Court and to repeat the witty part of a Play and to talk finely of love and honour and make smart reparties and to give every one good words without meaning any thing at all by them to know how to embroider a discourse with many oaths and a little Atheism to be able to drink high and hector loudly to abuse a Parson and to dare to kill a man these and such others not worth naming are too often now a-days reputed the onely gentile accomplishments of a well-bred person But these are not the things we learnt at St. Paul's School nor is this the education which we now assemble in God's House to bless his name for Those are truly well bred not onely whose understandings and discerning faculties are improved and inlarged but especially whose natural rudeness and stubbornness is broken and wild and unruly passions tamed whose affections and desires are made governable and orderly who are become manageable and flexible calm and tractable willing to endure restraints and to live according to the best rules By good education we are as it were made over again the roughness of our natural tempers is filed off and all their defects supplied and by prudent discipline good example and wise counsel our manners are so formed that by the benefit of an happy education we come almost as much to excell other men as they do the brute beasts that have no understanding How much therefore we are obliged to our School we can no better way shew than by our civil and comely demeanour by our compliant and inoffensive conversation by our courteous and affable sweet and benign disposition by our kind usefull and sociable behaviour in the world If we consult the sober judgments of all men we shall soon find that there is nothing renders a man more respected his company more pleasant and delightfull and desirable nothing procures greater credit and reputation and sooner obtains the good word of every one than a free ingenuous candid and condescending temper that studies to oblige and rejoices to doe good That there is nothing more noble and generous than an universal love and good-will to all men nothing more amiable than mildness peaceableness and gentleness of spirit nothing more gracefull and gentile than kindness and benignity nothing more honourable and manly than being usefull and beneficial to all round about us And these are indeed qualities and perfections hardly attainable as a wise man expresses it by those who hold the plough and glory in the goad who drive oxen and are occupied in their labours and whose talk is of their bullocks who give their mind to make furrows and are diligent to give the kine fodder These are above the reach of the smith who sitteth by the Anvil and considereth the iron-work the vapour of the fire wasteth his flesh and he fighteth with the heat of the furnace the noise of the hammer and the anvil is ever in his ears and his eyes look still upon the pattern of the thing be maketh Vulgar and undisciplined minds are not capable of such noble principles and worthy inclinations If we indulge our furious and intemperate appetites and blind and impotent passions if we are apt to pick quarrels and delight in feuds and broils if we allow our selves to rail and give ill language if we are rude and saucy in our behaviour towards others or practise any of the mean arts and methods of detraction we basely unman and degrade our selves and offer an affront to that liberal education which hath been bestowed upon us and equal our selves to the vulgar rout for where are such qualities as these to be found but amongst clowns and beggars amongst the savage and unbred Such accomplishments as these befit onely hostlers and porters they are most highly distastfull to all company and productive of
save to the utmost all that come unto God by him Thus this Jesus hath saved us from our sins in the first sense that is obtained and purchased the pardon of them and made God placable to us But this is not all 2. In order to the salvation of sinners it is farther necessary that men should be freed from the power of sin and from their evil natures and become really good and holy It is not enough that God should be made willing to forgive our sins unless we also are made willing to forsake them Christ came not to save us from the evil consequences of our sins whilst we loved them and delighted our selves in them He did not purchase for us an indulgence or licence to sin without punishment That indeed had been an employment unworthy of the Son of God nay an impossible task to have reconciled God to unhallow'd and impure minds The reformation of the world the reparation of our natures the purifying our minds the implanting the divine nature in men were as much the design of his incarnation as the vindication of the divine justice to which all the world was obnoxious and pardon me if I say it he is more our Saviour by freeing us from the dominion of sin than from the penalty Our blessed Lord had not been so kind and gratious to us had he obtained Heaven for us could such a thing possibly have been whilst we continued impenitent and utterly unlike to God Now there are these two things absolutely necessary for the recovery of mankind and making us really happy repentance for sins past and sincere obedience for the future and to effect both these no means so likely as this appearance of the Son of God in our nature 1. As for repentance for sins past what in the world can be imagined more effectual for the working in men an ingenuous shame and sorrow for what they have done amiss than these tender offers of God's pardon and acceptance upon our submission and returning to a better mind We have now all possible assurance given us that mercy is to be had for the most grievous offenders Nothing can exclude or exempt us from this act of grace but onely our own wilfull and obstinate refusal of life and happiness All men are in the condition of the prodigal Son in the Parable of our Saviour Luke 15. They have gone astray from their Father's house after their own inventions promising themselves indeed great pleasures and full satisfactions in a licentious riotous course of life but soon wearied with such painfull drudgeries and many woefull disappointments at last they begin to recollect themselves to remember that plenty they had enjoy'd of all good things in their Father's house how easily and happily they lived whilst they continued under his mild and gratious government and to think of returning thither again but the sense of their horrid guilt and unworthiness flying in their faces fills them with dismal fears and anxious despair so that they cannot hope for any kind reception or entertainment after such an ungratefull rebellion Now let us suppose this Parable thus continued that the Father who was so highly provoked had nevertheless sent his other Son who had never offended him into a far Countrey exposed to many difficulties and hazards to seek and find out his lost Brother to beseech him to be reconciled to promise him that he should be dealt with as if he had never displeased him Would not such condescension and unparallel'd goodness have melted and dissolved the poor Prodigal 's heart what joy would soon have o'erspread his face with what gladness would he have hearken'd to such an overture what haste would he have made home Could he after this have doubted of his Father's love and kindness to him This therefore is the greatest encouragement that can be given to our repentance that God hath now by his Son declared himself exorable and placable more willing to forgive than we can be to ask it of him and can we desire pardon and peace upon more equal and easie terms Can any thing be conceived more reasonable than that before our sins be forgiven we should humbly acknowledge our faults and with full purpose of heart resolve to doe so no more and if such love and kindness of Heaven towards us will not beget some relenting and remorse in us if such powerfull arguments will not prevail with us to grow wise and considerate it is impossible that any should 2. As for sincere obedience for the future without which we can never be accepted by God nor be made happy this also our Saviour hath most sufficiently engaged us to by his doctrine clearly revealing God's mind and will to us setting before us his own most excellent example promising us all needfull help and assistence and propounding eternal rewards and punishments as the motives of our obedience 1. He hath clearly revealed to us God's nature and his whole mind and will concerning our salvation He came into the world a Preacher of righteousness plainly to instruct mankind in all their duty towards God themselves and one another He freed men from the intolerable yoke of many burthensome and costly ceremonies and brought in a rational service an everlasting righteousness consisting in purity humility and charity all his commands being such as are most becoming God to require and most reasonable for us to perform They are most agreeable to our best understandings perfective of our natures fitted to our necessities and capacities the best provision that can be made for the peace of our minds quiet of our lives and mutual happiness even in this world they are easie and benign humane and mercifull institutions and all his laws such as we should chuse to govern our selves by were we but true to our selves and faithfull to our own interest He hath not denied us the use or enjoyment of any thing but what is really evil and hurtfull to us he hath considered our infirmities and manifold temptations maketh allowances for our wandrings and daily failings and accepteth of sincerity instead of absolute perfection so that the advantages and excellency of his laws are as great an argument to oblige us to the observance of them as the divine authority by which they were enacted 2. Our Saviour propounded himself an example of all that he required of us the better to direct us in our duty and to encourage us to the performance of it since nothing is expected from us but what the Son of God himself was pleased to submit unto He conversed therefore publickly in the world in most instances that occur in humane life giving us a pattern of an innocent and usefull conversation thereby to recommend his Religion to us and to oblige us to tread in his steps and to follow him as the leader and great Captain of our salvation 3. He hath promised and doth continually afford the mighty assistences of his holy Spirit to all
sins before ever he will save us from the penal consequences of them So that the efficacy of Christ's undertaking for us and the necessity of our own personal righteousness do very well consist together and each hath its proper work in obtaining the pardon of our sins and the favour of God Our Saviour's incarnation and perfect obedience even unto death is the sole meritorious cause of our acceptance with God and of our salvation He alone purchased those great benefits for us made atonement paid our ransome and procured this covenant of grace from God wherein eternal life is promised to penitent sinners But then these great advantages are not immediately and absolutely conferr'd upon us but under certain qualifications and conditions of repentance faith and sincere obedience for the performance of which the holy Spirit is never wanting to sincere endeavours We do therefore vilely affront and disgrace our blessed Lord when we boldly expect to be saved by him whilst we continue in our sins Nay we ought to think our selves as much beholden to him for his doctrine and the assistences of his grace and the glorious promises of the Gospel by which we are made truly holy and righteous as for his sufferings and death by which he satisfied God's justice and purchased the pardon of our sins 2. I shall hence make that inference of the Apostle Heb. 2.3 How then shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Hath God so abundantly provided for our happiness hath his onely begotten Son done and suffer'd so much for it and shall we be so sottish and stupid as foolishly to despise it when it hath been so signally the unwearied care of Heaven to procure it for us It is onely our own advantage that is design'd God projects no private profit nor doth any accrue to him from the salvation of all mankind Shall we our selves therefore madly defeat all these designs of grace and goodness towards us by our invincible resolution to ruine and undoe our selves Did the onely begotten Son of God as at this time descend from the regions of bliss and happiness was he born into this miserable world and did he humble himself to take our flesh that by that means he might exalt mankind and make us capable of dwelling in the highest Heavens and all this out of mere pity and compassion of our desperate condition and shall we think the denying our selves a lust or the satisfaction of a forbidden appetite or a short-liv'd pleasure too much for the obtaining the same glory Did he live here a poor mean and contemptible life and at last die a shamefull death to merit eternal life for us and for the obtaining the same shall we grudge to live a sober temperate and honest life Oh how will this consideration one day aggravate our torment What vexation and anxiety will it one day create in our minds with what horrour and despair will it fill our guilty souls Had God predestinated us from all eternity to everlasting misery so that it had been impossible for us to have avoided our sad fate had he never provided a Mediatour and Redeemer for us it would have been a great ease in another world to consider that we could no ways have escaped this doom But when we shall reflect upon the infinite love and kindness of God and how desirous he was that all men should be saved when we shall consider the wonderfull pity and compassion of our Saviour in being born and dying for us and procuring for us such easie terms of salvation and so often by his Spirit moving and exciting us to our duty and the care of our souls when we shall think of those many obligations he hath laid upon us and the wise methods he hath used for our recovery and amendment and how that nothing was wanting on God's part but that we might now have been praising blessing and adoring his goodness and wisedom amongst the glorified Spirits in the happy regions of undisturbed peace and joy and yet that we through our own most shamefull neglect though often warned to the contrary are now forced in vain to seek but for a drop of water to cool the tip of our tongues How will this heighten our future pains and prove the very essence of Hell Better shall it be in the last day for Tyre and Sidon for Sodom and Gomorrah places overrun with lust and barbarity for the Nations that sit in darkness and never heard of these glad tidings of a Saviour than for you to whom this salvation is come but you cast it behind your backs The fiercest vengeance the severest punishments are reserved for wicked Christians and what can we imagine shall be the just portion of those whom neither the condescension and kindness nor wounds and sufferings of the Son of God could persuade nor yet the excellency easiness and profitableness of his commands invite nor the promises of unexpressible rewards allure nor the threatnings of eternal punishment engage to live and be happy In vain therefore do such come hither to celebrate the memory of Christ's birth They of all men who despise this great salvation purchased by the Son of God have no great cause to rejoyce this day nay happy had it been for them who still persist in their sins notwithstanding all that Christ hath done to save them from them if this holy Jesus had never been born 3. Lastly Let us all improve this present opportunity to return our most humble praises and thanksgivings for so great and unvaluable a blessing and to join our voices as well as we are able with those bright Seraphims and that heavenly Host that attended and celebrated Christ's nativity when the Heavens proclaimed his birth with their loud shouts of joy saying Glory be to God in the highest on earth peace good-will towards men Blessed be God for ever blessed be his holy name who hath found out a way for our deliverance and hath raised up for us a mighty salvation that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life Praise therefore the Lord O our souls and all that is within us praise his holy name and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all our iniquities and healeth all our diseases who hath redeemed our life from destruction and hath crowned us with loving-kindness and tender mercies What shall we now return what do we not owe to him who came down from his imperial Throne and infinitely debasing himself and eclipsing the brightness of his glorious Majesty became a servant nay a curse for our sakes to advance our estate and to raise us to a participation of his divine nature and his eternal glory and bliss To him therefore let us now all offer up our selves our souls and bodies and spirits and that not onely to be saved by him but to be ruled and governed by him and
assistence and charity of others how irksome and uneasie will it be to us to remember how little our bowels were moved at the misfortunes of our poor neighbours and what little compassion we shewed to the miserable and necessitous and how loth we were in our flourishing condition to doe any one a good turn if it put us but to the least expence or trouble However great and prosperous your present condition may be yet often consider it may shortly be otherwise with you daily interpose the thoughts of a change should I lose this honour esteem authority and dignity I am now possessed of how many untoward scars and blemishes will stick upon me should I be reduced to a mean low estate shall I not then blush to be put in mind of that pride vain-glory haughtiness oppression and domineering I was guilty of when I was in place and power and will not the forced remembrance of such our base and unworthy behaviour be more grievous and afflictive to us than any outward loss or pain our consciences which now we stifle and smother will at such a time be even with us and our own wickedness shall reprove us and our iniquity shall correct us as the Prophet expresseth it Learn therefore so to demean your selves in prosperity as that your hearts may acquit you and have nothing to chide and rebuke you for when you come into adversity and so to husband and improve those present advantages and opportunities you have in your hands that when they are withdrawn from you you may be able with great comfort and satisfaction to reflect upon the good you have done with them the sense of which will mightily blunt the edge and mitigate the sharpness of those evils that do at any time befall you this was Job's great comfort and support under all his dismal sufferings when he was fallen from the highest pinacle of wealth and honour almost as low as hell that he had held fast his integrity and that his mind could not reproach him 2. We should never either to prevent or to redeem our selves from any outward evil or calamity doe any thing which our own minds and consciences do disapprove and condemn Though Job had lost all other things that men usually call good yet his righteousness he held fast and would not let it go and indeed the peace of our own minds is more to be valued than any temporal blessing whatever and there is no pain or loss so intolerable as that inward fear regret and shame which sin and guilt create so that whatever external advantage we acquire in the world by wounding our consciences we are certainly great losers by it no real good can ever be obtained by doing ill a guilty conscience being the sorest evil that a man can possibly be afflicted with Herein especially do inward troubles exceed all outward afflictions whatever that can happen to our bodies or estates namely that under all temporal calamities how desperate and remediless soever they be yet we have something to buoy up and support our spirits to keep us in heart and ennable us to bear them the joys of a good conscience the sense or hopes of God's love and favour the inward satisfaction of our own minds and thoughts these things will wonderfully carry us through all those difficulties and adversities which we shall meet with in the world and are able to uphold and chear our hearts under the greatest pressures and hardships but when a man's mind it self is disturbed and disquieted where shall he seek for where can he find any ease or remedy This seems to be the meaning of the Wise-man in the 18th of the Proverbs the 14th Verse the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear It is a saying much like that of our Saviours if the salt hath lost its favour wherewith shall it be salted if that by which we season all other things it self want it by what shall it be seasoned so here the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity i. e. a mind and spirit that is at peace within it self that is conscious of its own innocence and integrity will enable a man to bear with great patience and contentment those chastisements which God may see good to exercise him with in this life but a wounded spirit who can bear i. e. if that spirit or mind which should help us to bear all those evils that betide us be it self wounded and disquieted what is there then left in a man to sustain it when our onely remedy is become our disease when that which alone can support us in all our troubles and distresses is become it self our greatest torment how shall we be able to bear it What dangers soever therefore we are exposed unto let us be sure to preserve a good conscience nay let us rather suffer the greatest evils than doe the least If we always continue faithfull and constant to the dictates of reason and religion our minds will be in peace and the conscience of our having pleased God and done our duty and secured our greatest interest will hugely ease and alleviate our afflictions and sustain us under the most pressing evils we can suffer in this life whereas on the other side the greatest confluence of the good things of this world will not be able to free us from the disturbance and anxiety of an evil conscience or to quiet and settle our minds when harassed and tortured with the sense of guilt And this shall lead me to the second thing I propounded which was II. To consider these words more generally as they may be applied to men in all states and conditions and then they propound to us this rule which we should always live by namely that we should upon no consideration whatever doe any thing that our minds or consciences reprove us for And this is the just character of an honest man and of one fit to be trusted that he will never either out of fear or favour consent to doe any thing that his mind tells him is unfit unworthy or unbecoming or that he cannot answer or justify to himself but in all cases will doe what is right and honest however it may be thought of and relished by other men and resolutely adhere to his plain duty though perhaps it may hinder his preferment and advancement his trade and gain and expose him to many inconveniences in this world I wish you would all with Job in my Text take up this brave resolution My righteousness I will hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live For your encouragement I shall onely crave leave to represent unto you these two things 1. That this is the plainest easiest and most certain rule that we can propound to our selves 2. That it is the wisest and safest rule the best policy all things considered 1. That this is the plainest easiest and
dry up his marrow and prey upon his spirits make his eyes hollow his cheeks lean his face pale and his bones rotten Hence it hath been observed that envious men are the onely persons to whom without form of justice or breach of charity we may doe harm since to doe them hurt or mischief we need onely doe good to their neighbours Love envieth not 4. Charity vaunteth not it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shall not dispute the rigid meaning of the original word but follow our translation of it vaunteth not it self is not insolent and domineering and arrogantly imposing upon others as if we onely were wise and worthy to be regarded but it is modest and governable willing to yield and comply and submit to the judgment of others This vaunting foolish and giddy elation of the mind is the cause of manifold quarrels and disturbances in the world when men malapertly take upon themselves to prescribe to others and fondly expect that their singular humour onely should be observed that their private will and fancy should stand for a rule and law to all others and that all men should accommodate themselves to their idle conceits fond prejudices unreasonable customes or impertinent opinions Charity vaunteth not it self and as it follows is not puffed up which is of near signification and therefore may be joined with the former Haughtiness and imperiousness of mind proceeding from a too great love and opinion of our selves doth especially shew it self in despising all others Proud persons are so full of themselves so wrapt up in the vain contemplation of their own perfections that they slight and despise all the world they look upon it as a disparagement to learn from any they cannot bear the least contradiction or opposition they take upon themselves to judge and condemn all others and will allow none to pretend to wisedom or understanding besides themselves Any the least disrespect or oversight any failure of due observance and submission streight begets a quarrel for they think themselves wronged affronted and unjustly dealt with if every one does not value them just at the same rate they do themselves But now love makes us humble and lowly minded teacheth us to value those accomplishments to set a due price and estimate upon those abilities others are endued with and not to magnifie our selves or to think of our selves more highly than we ought to think and therefore in Scripture where the vertue of charity is commanded humility is very often joined with it Put on therefore bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind Be ye kindly affectioned one towards another in brotherly love in honour preferring one another esteeming others better than your selves What we have a real kindness for is apt to appear to us in all circumstances better than indeed it is and were our minds once throughly possessed with charity towards others we could not easily entertain any despicable and contemptible thoughts of them but upon all occasions should bear a due regard and deference to them and if this one effect of charity did but get ground in the world if men were humble and modest diffident and distrustfull of themselves willing to learn and receive instructions from others more learned and wiser than themselves we might hope soon to see an end of those unchristian feuds and schisms which our Church is so miserably infested with But so long as men lean so much to their own understandings and are swelled with such lofty conceits of their own abilities that they think they need no instruction so long as they are so fond of their own private and singular opinions as that they not onely resolve inflexibly to adhere to them themselves but seek to impose them upon others and fall out with all who are not of their mind and way nay take upon them to pronounce every one damned who is not as fond of their childish conceits as themselves are what can we expect but strife and envying contention confusion and every evil work Charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up 5. Charity doth not behave it self unseemly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth never use others rudely in words or gestares especially not reproachfully and thus it is fitly joined with what went before contumelious behaviour being the natural effect of pride and arrogance We care not how we demean our selves towards those whom we despise and set at nought we can hardly vouchsafe such a good look or a civil word but now love giveth no abusive language never casteth dirt in the face of any it never endeavoureth to dishonour or disparage any ones person but is respectfull to all however they differ from us it can confute the errours of those whom we oppose without any opprobrious or disgracefull reflexions and answer their arguments and shew that they are in the wrong without reviling their persons or calling them names And it were well if this were regarded more than it is in our religious debates and controversies if we would learn to differ from one another in our judgments and matters of opinion without virulent railing and taunting speeches and unhandsome bespattering and exposing our adversaries which one thing if it were conscientiously observed would go a great way towards the maintaining peace amongst us notwithstanding our different sentiments and apprehensions The ill language which we give one another oftentimes doth set us at a greater distance and more estrange our minds from one another than all our different conceptions and judgments Railing against those who dissent from us never yet made nor is it likely ever to gain any one convert or proselyte men are naturally inclined to suspect that to be a bad cause which needs such base and unmanly artifices to uphold it and it is a shrewd sign that we want substantial reasons and arguments against any thing when once we begin to scold and cry out with him in Lucian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou cursed damned villain it is not so or so but now love is not rude or clamorous but patiently and calmly hears both sides and soberly and cooly debates the matter and reasons meekly about things it considereth more what it is that is spoken than who it is that speaks it giveth no needless provocation it behaveth not it self unseently 6. Charity seeketh not her own A selfish stingy and narrow spirit when we care for none but our selves and regard not how it fares with other men so we do but live in ease and plenty our selves is of all other things most contrary to that charity which our Saviour both by his doctrine and example hath taught and so earnestly recommended to us love is not mercenary or self-seeking it inclineth us to doe good to others though we thereby receive not the least advantage to our selves besides the pleasure of doing it if our hearts be full of true charity it will never suffer us to be in quiet till we give it some vent and will make
us impatiently seek for opportunities of exercising it it will spend it self in laying out for others so far is love from projecting gain or profit to it self by that kindness it doeth to others that it is beneficent to the evil and unthankfull to the indigent and those who are unable to make any requital it teacheth us to lend not hoping to receive again nay to doe good to those who return evil for it so far is it from any base or selfish designs 1 Cor. 10.24 Let no man seek his own but every man another's wealth Christian charity obligeth us to pursue the benefit and edification of others though it be with some loss to our selves and teacheth us willingly to suffer some detriment rather than omit a fair occasion of doing a publick good We are not to please our selves but rather to please our neighbour for his good Rom. 15.1 2. for this is the mind which was in Christ Jesus who denied himself nay laid down his life for the good of mankind Christians are or ought to be so closely linked together by this bond of charity that every one should be as solicitous and concerned for the good of other men as he is for his own I am sure the love of the primitive Christians was so remarkable and raised such an admiration even amongst their very enemies and persecutours that it was a proverbial speech amongst the Gentiles see how the Christians love one another what care do they take one of another had they been all brethren according to the flesh they could not more heartily have contrived nor more industriously advanced one anothers interest and welfare than they did Was any one amongst them cast into prison all the Christians of that place presently flocked to him to visit and relieve him was any one visited with sickness all the best and greatest personages did streight condescend to minister unto him in his weak estate were any poor and in want their straits and necessities were no sooner known than they were relieved But what is now become of this brave and generous spirit when instead of doing good unto we devour and bite one another charity seeketh not her own 7. Charity is not easily provoked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which differs from what we had before it suffereth long in this that the former especially respects revenge but this the passion of anger and though we may sometimes upon just occasions be displeased and offended yet charity will teach us always to observe these two rules I. This excellent grace of charity will give us so much power and command over our selves as that we shall not be suddenly inflamed upon every slight inadvertency mistake or misfortune of our brother we shall not be easily angred upon every little and trivial occason A charitable man is not nice and delicate apt to pick quarrels to take fire and fall out into rage and passion upon every cross accident or miscarriage he is easie in his converse and deportment and it is no difficult matter for a man to live with him without ever offending him But alas how weak and impotent are most of us in this case how doth every little forgetfulness or negligence of a servant inferiour or neighbour the breaking of a glass the loss of a trifle discompose and ruffle our minds and raise such storms and tumults in our breasts as require a great deal of time and trouble to lay and appease we have but little kindness for those whom we cannot at all bear with not onely charity but even common humanity requires this at our hands that we should mutually pass by and overlook such little indiscretions oversights mistakes and inadvertencies which we are all more or less subject unto and cannot live without II. When we have great and just cause of anger and offence given us yet charity suffereth us not to fall into immoderate passion or to be transported by blind rage and fury beyond the bounds of reason and religion it will secure us from all paroxysms of anger for so the Greek word properly signifies it will restrain that unruly and ungovernable passion within its due bounds and measures and keep it in some temper and moderation and not suffer it to betray us into any unreasonable and rash actions which end in shame and a bitter repentance Our anger how just soever should never make us hurt or injure the person offending It should never break out into fury which is the short madness of a man we should never be so far exasperated as to suffer our passion to hurry us into any indecency or excess It is certainly as lawfull on some occasions to be angry as it is to rejoice grieve pity or exercise any other affection of our minds there is no passion implanted by God in man but what was designed by our wise Maker for some good end and whilst in the exercise thereof it is directed to that end and kept within its due bounds and limits subject unto and regulated by reason the principal and imperial faculty of our souls so far it is certainly harmless nay usefull In truth all the passions in themselves simply considered are neither good nor evil Love hate hope fear joy sorrow and the rest as they are parts of our nature are things indifferent but when they are fitly circumstantiated and ordered they then become morally good and are highly beneficial to us and serve many excellent purposes but when they are misplac'd or extravagant when they command us and are our masters they then become morally evil and the most troublesome things in the world both to our selves and others We must take great care therefore to curb and bridle this passion of anger to keep it under government and not suffer it to dethrone our reason or to hinder the free use of it or to make us act any thing precipitantly unadvisedly or foolishly And this I think may be given as a certain rule whereby we may judge when our anger becomes sinfull and vitious and doth transgress the limits of charity namely when it is raised to such an height as that we have no perfect command over our selves and cannot freely use or exercise our reasons and understandings when we drive on headlong and the beast rides the man when we doe we know not what and repent of it after it is done when our passion is got into the chair and carries all before it when our bloud boils and our spirits are in a great fermentation and we are so blinded with fury and rage that we know no difference between friend or foe right or wrong but are hurried on by the torrent of an impetuous passion to the commission of the greatest outrages to the most disorderly and unseemly actions this is surely contrary to charity which is not easily provoked 8. Charity thinketh no evil is apt and ready to put the best and sairest interpretations upon all the actions of other men Whatever vices other