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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96973	Five sermons, in five several styles; or Waies of preaching. The [brace] first in Bp Andrews his way; before the late King upon the first day of Lent. Second in Bp Hall's way; before the clergie at the author's own ordination in Christ-Church, Oxford. Third in Dr Maine's and Mr Cartwright's way; before the Universitie at St Maries, Oxford. Fourth in the Presbyterian way; before the citie at Saint Paul's London. Fifth in the Independent way; never preached. With an epistle rendring an account of the author's designe in printing these his sermons, as also of the sermons themselves. / By Ab. Wright, sometimes Fellow of St John Baptist Coll. in Oxford.	Wright, Abraham, 1611-1690.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3685; Thomason E1670_1; ESTC R208406	99,151	247

Secondly we must deny our selves as in our great places and honours and dignities so likewise in our profits pleasures in all our carnal worldly enjoiments Oh how hard is it for a poor crcature to deny himself in this How hard is it for a rich man saith our blessed Saviour to enter into the kingdom of heaven Luk. 18. 24. The world is a common bait wherewith the Divel enticeth men to fin as Judas Anan●as nay Christ himself is set upon with this temptation Mat. 4. But when Christ comes into a soul he teacheth that soul to deny it self to look upon the world as Christ did as a very emptie thing he gives power to overcome the world 1 Joh. 5. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world All our worldly desires therefore and pleasures and enjoiments must be denied by us we must use the things of the world as though wee us'd them not We must be so dead to the world as to see all things that are now in our possession to be none of ours so that the very worst things in the world that can befall us will be good to us all that before were crosses and afflictions now will be joy and comfort ' cause wee shall see it to be the will of the Father and we shall have peace in every condition We shall have as much comfort in a dungeon as in the possession of the greatest state in the world We shall cast our care upon God and trust him as well with our bodies as with our souls We shall not so much care for to morrow we shall see enough in God to satisfie us both for to morrow and for ever For the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof saith the Psal 24. 1. All the labour of men under the Sun is but for two things food and raiment now when we are ascended to God by denying our selves we shall know that God is able to feed us and cloath us as miraculously as he did the children of Israel in the wildernesse And thus much shall suffice for our first step or stair of self-denial the denial of our honors preferments riches pleasures lusts all our carnal sinful enjoiments The second now followes which is the denyall of our will and affections First then for our will we must deny our selves in that as well as our Saviour did If we will come after Christ be followers of Christ we must tread in this step and follow him in this track and path as wel as the former And indeed our blessed Saviour began betimes in the denyall of his own will For when he was but twelve yeares old we find him at this work doing the will of his Father Luke 2. 49. And he said unto them how is it that ye sought me wist yee not that I must be about my Fathers businesse not fulfilling his own will or doing his own businesse but both were his Fathers And as he began this course betimes when he was but twelve yeares old so he continued it likewise through the whole course of his life In his preaching as you heard before he did not his own worke nor fulfilled his own will but his Fathers and as in his preaching so in his praying like-wise one of his first petitions was Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and this petition was made good even through his whole life and death Through his life John 4. 34. Jesus saith unto them My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his wo●k And Secondly in his very death Passion which was full of this self-denying Spirit For even there also his saying was Not my will but thine be done Luke 22. 42. Thus you see that our Saviour both praying preaching living and dying denied himselfe and his ●own will now let us go and do so likewise let us learn ●ather to deny our selves and our own wils then Gods Christ who is the Saints patterne did alwaies so walke as to please God John 8. 29. And hee that sent mee is with me the Father hath not left me alone for I do always those things that please him And as he was our pattern so he teacheth us by his Apostle the same lesson 1 Thess 4. 1. Furthermore then wee beseech you brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God so ye Would abound more and more As if the Apostle had said that which you receive of us is that you ought to walk according to the example of Christ to please God though you thereby should displease your selves And this is a soul taught by Gods Spirit when he prefers the pleasing of the Lord before himselfe the fulfilling of his will before his own This being once learned is that which would carry you along through all oppsition in a way of truth Perhaps the poor creature resolving with flesh blood may be reedy to conclude somtimes if I submit to this way to this truth I must expect reproach persecution Now it would wonderfully please carnall will and reason to conceal such a truth in unrighteousoesse but when a Soul comes to this it is my duty to fulfil Gods will and not my own O then I dare not but do it come what will come I cannot but do it Truely you who indeed love the Lord Jesus that love will constrain you to please him though you displease your selves to fulfill his will by denying your own This Christ himselfe teacheth and by his own example hath given us an example so to do John 4. 34. Jesus saith unto them My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Oh blessed example to be imitated by all the Saints what shal Jesus Christ when he was but twelve yeares old dony himselfe his own will and shall not the Saints do it his disciples his followers at fiftie and sixtie and eighty do as much But Christ hath not onely given us his example and paterne but hath enjoyned us thereunto also under penalty of damnation Matt 7 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven And the Apostle Ephe. 6. 6. exhorting servants to be obedient to their Masters saies Not with eye-eye-service as men pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart This selfe-will is the cause of much stir and division in the world What is the cause of this war among us but selfe-will One will establish one religion another another religion or else the Nation must rue it This selfe-will is it that causes discontents and troubles in Families The husband will have his will and the wife her will This causes contention in Churches among the Saints when every one will have his own mind his own way his own

cannot nay were it possible wee could I beleeve wee would not for were wee left to our selves our then would be then when wee list and if wee list and not else I say therefore cause wee neither can fast alwaies neither will fast of our selves scarce at any time the primitive Church thought it fit to enioyne the people their set there their solemn daies of fasting which are these fortie daies now at hand the wednesdays fridaies of every weeke tunc jejunabant and then saies the Church they shall fast And this is the Churches then the Churches yes and the Scriptures then too some of these dayes if not all comming under the jurisdiction of this then in the text for as for the wednesday and friday in that magnâ sanctâ hebdomadâ that great and holy week as the Fathers call it the Passion-week the weeke next before Easter 't is confess'd on every side the bridegroome was taken from them for on wednesday counsel was taken against him money was taken for him and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies the Evangelist he was taken as good as taken away then but upon the friday following as we all know he was taken and taken away quite and therefore then in a more especial manner they did fast and not onely then in the Passion-week but then on those daies at least one of those daies the friday ever after For this then must be interpreted of the whole time after the taking away of the bridegrooms bodily presence tum tamdiu then all that time and course of years till his second coming Now for this time of Lent something may be said to bring it near the text as that then when we fast for the Bridegroom we should fast w th the Bridegroom as he did fourtie daies thus applying that precept of our Saviour that we shall fast to his own example how we should fast And this example both the Apostles after Christ and the Church after the Apostles have strictly followed whose intent it ever was in the celebration of these her holy Solemnities not onely to inform us in the mysteries commemorated but also and that chiefly to conforme us thereby unto him who is our head and the substance of all our rites and customs Let us therefore who professe our selvs members of the Church be like affected with the same Church in this holy exercise of Fasting and Pennance the onely way to render us conformable to our great example in his sufferings For repentance is the agonie the bloodie sweat the crosse of every Christian whereby he dies unto sin and is crucified with his Saviour Each circumstance then of Christ's Passion each bloodie Scene in this Tragedie must be re-acted on our own bodies which are to be spread upon the crosse as the Prophet was on the dead child in answerable extention to ●ll parts First then the remembran●e o● o●r sins and holy cares for a better life must be the thorns and when our ill thoughts are mortified then is our head crowned with them Severe Christian rigour is the gall and vineger and when by an holy abstinence we came our wanton and rebellious flesh then drink we the bitter cup. Restraint from wonted courses of sin is the hammer and nails and the curbing of licentious actions is the striking through our hands and our feet In a word deep remorse is the fatal spear and when the life-blood of our reigning corruptions is let out then are our hearts pearc'd and we crucified with our Saviour Which if we indeavour to be the same blessing shal be pronounc'd from Christ to us which was from Christ to his Disciples Blessed are yee that weep now for yee shall laugh blessed are yee that hunger now for you shall be satisfied and that with an everlasting Passeover the Lamb of God at the great Easter day the day of the general ●●esurrection tunc non jejuntibunt and then there shall be no mourning nor fasting any more but perpetual Halelujahs and fulnesse of joy for ever of which fulnesse God of his infinite mercie make us all partakers To which God c. FINIS THE Second Sermon Which is that in B p HALL'S Style or Way of Preaching Delivered before the Clergie at the AUTHORS own Ordination in Christ-Church Oxford 1 TIM 4. 16. Take heed unto thy self and unto the doctrine continue in them for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee LONDON Printed for Edward Archer at the Adam and Eve in Little Britain Anno Dom. 1656. DEUT. 33. VER 8. the former part And of Levi he said Let thy Thummim and thine Vrim be with thy holy One AFter the sufferance of a fourtie years wildernesse-journey and the more rugged waies of a perverse people now was Moses drawing to his long home He had brought the Israelites within sight of their long-look'd for inheritance but himself must enjoy the beatifical vision and that Jerusalem whereof the promised was but a type The governors of God's Church would be thought but poorly rewarded were their wages onely the milk and honie of a temporal Canaan He that sends them to dresse his Vineyard is pleased to stand indebted for a better peny then this earth is master of To receive this our Prophet must ascend Mount Nebo and die And here since God had so well provided for Moses Moses will do his best for God's people being not satisfied with his own happinesse unlesse his charge may prosper nor content to have been their convoy all his life except he might direct the way at his death also 'T is a clear Sun-set that commends the day and the chief grace of the Theater is a good com off wherefore our Prophet reservs his best Scene for the last Act and in in the evening of his life shines most gloriously breaking forth upon the Tribes with a double ray of counsel and blessing Counsel in the former Chap. Set your hearts to do all the words of the Law c. How divine a care it is while we are on earth to improve others for heaven and after the assurance of our own eternitie to help our brother to the same happinesse But counsel is little worth unlesse a blessing follow it as that Sermon is unedifying ●hat is not seconded with a benediction Now this is given in the Chap● of my text so fit withall and pertinent to the Tribes that each had a blessing proper to its self For of Reuben it is said Let not his men be few of Benjamin that he was the beloved of the Lord. Thus still the retinue the servants are entail'd upon the first-born but the last is heir to his parent's love that is the young master this the darling All but Levi were for temporal ends their legacies are answerable Moses gives them as much as they cared for Zebulun Issachar shal be fill'd with the treasures of sea land that 's enough to

stop their mouths Benjamin shal be bless'd with repose securitie and hee 'l gladly sit down with that Lastly surround Judah with a spatious crown and large territories you set him upon the highest pinacle of his ambition But now it is not wealth nor ease no nor honor that best suits with the Ephod all worldy blessings are jewels of too low a price too faint a blaze and lustre to be set there And therefore of Levi he said c. The text conteins the Levites portion and may be divided into three parts the Donor the Donative and as our Law terms it the Donee or partie endowed The Donor you have implied in the Pronoun Thy and that 's God who relates to each part for 't is Thy Thummim and Thy Urim and Thy holy One all are Gods And so 't is not our own perfection nor innate holinesse nor our own illumination or private spirit neither is this holy One one of our own making any invention of man but an order founded by God himself Secondly the Donative is double Thummim and Urim w ch are perfection and illumination as the Rabbins holinesse and learning as our own men interpret the two main things enquired after not onely by the Universitie in degrees but the Church in all her Ordinations And lastly the partie endowed with these gifts the holy One includes the whole Tribe of Levi by concomitance that of the Old by correspondence this of the New Testament For Thummim and Urim respects the Clergie in general and is as large as bot● Covenants Of these particulars very briefly and first of the Donor as he severally relates to Thummim Urim holy One Non per nos-ipsos necviribus natura sed perspiritum sanctum was the doctrine of Saint Austine and the Catholick Church our will here being like a lower sphere quae non nisi mota movet if no inspiration no co-operation and our graces are as the money in Benjamin's sack of anothers putting in all springing from Christ as the branches from the Vine and cease to be graces when they forget their Author Our strength then is but borrowed our going but leading in God's hand who is to us what his Cloud was to Israel if he please to make a stand we know not which way to turn our selves meer nature cannot direct to heaven and therefore wee say well in our praier for thine is the Power and the Glori● it being by that Power wee come to this Glorie Secondly as our Thummim so our Urim too is from God for there is no illumination but proceeds à Patre luminum saies Saint James from Him that enlightens every one that coms into the world à Patre per modum naturae as the child from the father à Patre luminum per modum emanationis as the shine from the Sun As well then the Fierie-tongues as the Dove come from on high Learning no lesse then Innocencie Thus if Saint Paul have a door of Utterance God himself keeps the Key if Isaiah's lips want purifying no lesse then a Seraphin must expiate them and hee too with no fire but the Altars neither Prophets nor Apostles can speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is in Acts 2. the wonderful works of the Lord unlesse the Holy Ghost first bring the Tongues But now quis vituperavit not the most factions but will agree that Thummim Urim all perfections and illuminations even those dim ones of their own private spirits are of God but this holy One not so far fetched therefore you take too much upon you yee sonnes of Levi seeing all the Congregation is holy even as your selves And it must needs be granted they are so all the Congregation of the Lord sanctified as well as his Priests yet not to the same degree of holinesse but they sicut populus as Gods people these sicut Aaron as his peculiar servants they are holy 't is true but these holiest of holies Hence it was that when the Law kept Ordinations certain pieces of the Sacrifice were put into the Priests hands and now instead of that a Bible into ours Not onely as a rule to direct but a sacred witness of that profession into which wee are by a Divine hand invested Hence also it is that we so often meet with a mittet operarios and a dabit Angelos all of Gods mission And indeed who more fit to appoint Laborers for the Vineyard then the Lord of the Farme who Steward for the house if not the Master None then may usurpe this holy charge assume this honour We are Embassadours and 't is treason to enter upon an Embassy before commanded by our Prince And therefore to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man 's own ordainer as Basil's word is to clap down into Moses chair upon a vain Enthusiasme is prophane presumption and not to undertake our Office but to invade it being so esteemed of God as may appear by that feareful Ironie to the false Prophets I sent them not yet they run run knowing nor why nor whither like Ahimaaz in Samuell and at length like him too they can tell no tidings Thus neither unbidden nor yet unprepared guests may come to this Supper of the Lord For a wedding garment is required Whom God imploies in his service hee calles and whom he calles he cloathes gives them as well abilities of doing as autority to do which leads me to my second part the double Donative Thummim and Vrim life and learning the two maine things enquired after by the Bishop in all Ordinations And of Levi hee said Let thy c. Thummim and Urim Religion takes place of Learning and he must first be good to himself that will be so to others For which end the antient Fathers led by example of the Prophets and Apostles saies our Canon appointed Ember-weeks before Ordination a strict severe government of our owne affections ere we have antority to guide the peoples example being the life of doctrine and therefore the Praedicants of old were called operarii quia opere magis quam ore praedicarent as Stella glosser and that both in respect of our calling and charge For our calling as 't is most eminent so most eyed and worst censured If an Apostle rub but an eare of corn on the sabbath 't is breaking of the day the peoples moates are the Priests beames and anothers indifferency is my evill somthings being expedient in respect of the man which are scandalous meerely for his coate None therefore to keepe within so strict lines as the Aaronite being one ever under monitors For behold saies the Apostle we are made a gazing-stock to the World to Angels to Men to men which are our charge Governors live not their owne lives alone but the peoples their actions being not personal but epidemical and whether good or bad are held authentick it being enough for the rout that their betters did so Do any of the rulers believe on him was thought

to stretch the jawes to shew thy Faith by strong Protistations But this must not be a work of the mouth but hand If a man question thee of thy faith spare thy lips and let thy mouth make answer If words might be credited if a bare profession of the Gospel might be believed no man would want faith every one would crie with the blind man to Christ Lord I believ what mouth would not make one lie for its master Nise videro unless I see saith Thomas of Christ's rising so unless I see and feel thy saith I will not believe If therefore thou criest the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord with the Jewes and with them dost not obey the Lord of that Temple if thou art onely Sermon-sick whilst thou art rock'd in a Church-tempest abroad and presently do'st recover again as soon as thoudo'st lie at hull at home if thy voice be Jacobs but thy hands Esau's if thou do'st acknowledge God with thy tongue but denie him in thy life professe a Christian and live a Pagan join together Christ and Beliat the Temple of God and the Temple of Divels the holy and the unholy Ghost if thou do'st run to heaven one day to hell six and do'st contradict the truth of those Sermons thou do'st hear by the errors of thy life I must tell thee by way of reproof that this is the part of a grand hypocrite and not of a good Christian and at the last day shall receiv the portion of hypocrites in the lake of fire and brimstone In the third place you may here take unto your selves a word of Admonition to beware of these hypocrites and this is our Saviour's own use Mat. 7. 15. Beware saith Christ of those that come to you in sheeps cloathing in sheeps cloathing with such a cast of mortification and integritie as if their conversation spake nothing but innocencie and immaculatenesse when within they are ravening wolves A handsom garment is no argument of a straight bodie nor are those alwaies the best men that make the most shew of Religion All are not Nathanaels Israelites indeed that are of Israel many have Abraham to their father but a few his children many that came out of his loins but few that shall sit in his bosome Therefore I say again take our Saviour's advice Beware of those that come to you in sheeps cloathing you shall know them by their fruits saies Christ fruits indeed to the eie beautiful and glorious but to the finger dust and smoke like those hypocritical apples that well-complexion'd dust of Sodom and so much shall suffice for our first doctrinal position rais'd from this first general part of the Text. The second Observation that I shall draw from this general point of Charitie and Almsdeeds is that this work is not a free-will offering left to our selves to bee done or left undone as we think fit but it is our dutie and we are bound to do it if we are able and this is proved from 1 Tim 6. 17 18. It is the rich man's charge precept and dutie and therefore what is here with our Saviour a counsel was with his Apostle a precept Charge the rich saith the aforementioned Epistle to Tim. that they do good It is not left to their free choice to do good if they please but it is laid upon them as their charge and dutie they must do good Work● and wo to them if they do not And the reason of the point is because God haih not made them owners but servants and servants not of their goods but the giver not treasures but stewards and Almoners And this dispensation and ordering of God's that rich men should be his Stewards may very well serve for a word of encouragement and exhortation to those rich men to go on and glorie in this office of Stewardship especially when they shall consider that the praise of a Steward is more to lay out well then to have received much knowing that Well done faithful servant Mat. 25. 21. is a thousand times a sweeter note then soul take thine ease Luk 12. 10. for that first is the voice of the Master recompencing this last of the Carnal Heart presuming and what followed to the one in the Gospel but his Masters joy what to the other but the losse of his soul But what need here either our Saviours counsel or his Apostles precept you 'l say for we shall have friends enough no doubt so long as this Mammon in our Text is our friend wee shall indeed and therefore Our third Observation on the point shall bee that in making of friends by works of Charitie we must use discretion and prudence and this will teach us First Negatively who in this particular are not to bee our friends Secondly Positively who are to be these friends in the Text. First then Negatively those are not to be our friends who when we fail will not receive us into habitations who will bee ready to embrace all the favours and good turns you shal confer upon them but will return none back again These are such friends of whom holy Job in his 6 Chap. complain'd of like the brooks by the which the merchants do travel into Teman frozen in winter and dried up in Summer friends no longer then you can befriend them like leavs that fall from the trees when they begin to wither and with Saint Peter know not the man such as will bee your servant in a complement and not look upon you in a busines●e These are the first sort of friends that are not to bee made of the unrighteous Mammon common sence and reason forbids it Secondly you must not make those your friends who though they may perchance receive you into habitations yet they cannot receive you into everlasting habitations though they are able to give you houses they are not able to give you heaven and these are the rich in this world of whom our Saviour forewarns you Luke 6. 82 to 35. We therefore are to engage none of these to our friendship but such as when we fail shall receive us into everlasting habitations and these are the poor and needie which seemed such a paradox to the Pharisees as they derided Christ ver 14 of this Chap. whose laughter occasioned the following Parable of Dives and Lazarous had the Rich man there made this Beggar his friend with b●ead and a few crums would have done it himself had not afterwards wanted water but now it is but justice that he which denied a crum should be denied a drop Now in the fou●th place for a fourth observation upon the point you are to take notice that if you will be Gods Almoners and Stewards to disburse to the poor God will be your pay-matter and undertake for the poor if you will be their friend here he will be your friend both here and hereafter To prove this you must know that these words of