For as the same Psalmist tells us Psal 33.5 He loveth righteousness and judgment the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. He is holy in all his ways Psal 145.17 9. and righteous in all his doings and his tender mercies are over all his works To say That God deals arbitrarily with any of his Creatures or that He dispenseth Good or Evil to them meerly because He will without any other Reason is in truth to disparage His Nature and gives us such a notion of Him as we have perhaps of some of the Great Monarchs of the World but whom we are far from esteeming the Best Men. No certainly if we Mankind find in our selves that the wiser and better we grow the less are we led by Humour and Will and the more do we shake off our Indifferency to Good and Evil and the more steadily do we cleave to the eternal Laws of Reason and Righteousness in all our Actions We may be sure that God who is Wisdom and Justice and Goodness it self can never in any of his Actions or Dealings with his Creatures depart from these Principles The true Scheme of God Almighty's Government is plainly this His Infinite Mind clearly understood all the Possibilities of things long before they were in actual being He knew what things were possible to be and how they would act if they were put into being and what the Events of all their Actings would be His Infinite Goodness moved him to put into actual being every thing that he saw was Good to Be and to give them all those powers of Action that they have and withal to look after them so as that both they and all their Motions and Actions should at last be to the Praise and Glory of the same Goodness that first enclined him to create them His Infinite Wisdom contrived the Methods in which all this should be brought to pass and so laid the Scheme and Platform of things that nothing could happen in the whole Creation from the beginning of the World to the end thereof tho' it was in it self never so bad never so mischievous but what both might and should be so ordered as to be subservient to that end And lastly The Scheme of Things being thus laid His Infinite Power first produced All things and still upholds All things and from time to time in their several seasons actually brings to pass every thing according to the Determinations of his eternal Wisdom And tho' it doth it in ways secret to us yet it doth it certainly and surely and withal most easily and gently with the least violence to the establish'd Laws of Nature and without any force at all upon the Free Wills of Intelligent Beings This I say is the Account that both Reason and Scripture give us of God's Making and Governing the World Infinite Knowledge is the Foundation of All. Infinite Goodness is the Author and Mover of All. Infinite Wisdom is the Contriver and Director of All. And Infinite Power executes All. Admit now these Principles and see what will follow from them It will follow from hence in the first place that every Event that happens in the World is beautiful in its season as Solomon expresses it That is to say How unaccountable soever it may appear to us yet there is a good Reason to be given both why it happens at all and likewise why it happens at that time and with those circumstances that it doth It helps to adorn the Great Drama and Contrivance of God's Providence and ministers to excellent Ends tho' we poor Creatures do little apprehend how it makes for them As indeed it is impossible we should unless we had the whole Comprehension of Things in our Minds and saw the entire Scheme of God's Government from the beginning to the end This must needs be so if we be Govern'd by Infinite Wisdom Secondly It follows from hence that both Good and Evil are measured to Mankind according to their respective Capacities If we be fit for Good Good will come If we deserve Punishment we must expect that likewise For All God's ways are equal tho' Ours be unequal And therefore it is the most unreasonable thing in the World to impute our Successes whether they be Good or Bad so wholly to the immediate Hands that managed our Affairs as not in the first place to take notice of the Hand of God in them There is a Divine Power that governs all these matters And tho' it be true that no Misfortune no ill Success ever happens but there is a Human Reason to be given for it and it may be found out upon what occasion or by what neglect or thro' what ill management that Misfortune happened Yet it is as true that if those that managed for us had the Wisdom and the Conduct and the Strength of the very Angels of God yet their Endeavours would not be effectual for the making us happy unless we our selves were in a Capacity of being so by being proper Objects of God's Mercy and Favour This must likewise be true if perfect Justice govern the World Thirdly It follows from hence that even the severer Dispensations of God's Providence toward us the things we complain of and are uneasie under our very Calamities and Misfortunes and Disappointments even these are the effects of God's Kindness tho' at the same time they may be likewise Instances of His Justice That is to say they are meant really for our Good and will prove so if we make that use of them we should do The very Nature of God is to do all Good at all Times to all his Creatures For He had no other End in making them nor has he any other End in looking after them But God cannot do good to All in the same way Correction and Chastisement and Punishment is in some cases more expedient for the bringing People to Rights and promoting their true Interests than the giving them all that their own Hearts can wish In such cases therefore God must deal with his Creatures as every wise Parent deals with his Children And tho' these Chastisements as the Apostle tells us are not joyous but grievous yet are they design'd for the bringing forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness in all them that are exercised thereby The truth is we do not know what is good for our selves We often wish for things that perhaps if our wishes were granted would undo us But our Happiness is that God knows all and so tempers all that all Events even those that we are apt to look upon as the greatest Judgments shall at last appear more visibly to have been the wisest methods that could possibly have been contrived for the doing the Greatest Good to us And if they do not succeed accordingly it will be our own fault This must likewise needs be true if perfect Goodness govern All For even Justice it self is but a different way of expressing Goodness And all that which
present Circumstances fill our Minds and Those are difficult enough Let our past Deliverances have been what they will yet we are sure we are now in a Hazardous Condition notwithstanding all the Prayers we have put up for better Successes That is too true And I pray God make us all sensible of it and especially make us sensible of the things that have caused it namely our Ingratitude for God's former Mercies our Lewdness and Debauchery the Spirit of Atheism and Profaneness and Irreligion that still reigns among us as much as ever and above all our unaccountable dividing our selves into Parties and pursuing particular Piques and Quarrels not only to the neglect but to the plain ruin of our common Interests These are the things that have hinder'd our Successes and provoked God's Displeasure against us and till these things be amended I am afraid we shall never be a happy Nation But yet notwithstanding our high Provocations yet so gently hath God corrected us and even in his Judgments so much hath He remembred Mercy that we have all reason to rejoyce at the Benignity and Kindness of His Dispensations towards us nay and to render Him our most hearty and solemn Thanks for the Mercies that He hath bestowed upon us even with respect to the Matters we complain of For God hath really so far heard our Prayers this Year that He hath given us the most important Successes tho' not the Successes we desir'd He hath kept the War at a distance from us and we have under the Happy Government of Her Majesty lived free from all Disturbance at home every man sitting under his own Vine and his own Fig-tree as the Prophet speaks enjoying his Religion and Rights in perfect Peace and with a bountiful Provision likewise from God's Hand of all the Things that were either needful or convenient And as for our Successes abroad tho' it is not proper for me to talk of those matters yet I believe thus much I may decently and truly say That tho' the King had not the Victory being over-power'd by Numbers yet he gained more Honour and sustain'd less Loss than those that boasted of the Victory And which is yet more God hath not only Preserved his Person amidst the infinite Hazards he was continually exposed to and Returned him safe to us but returned him likewise with such Reputation for his Courage and Vigilance and Conduct in the Difficulties he had to struggle with as hath gained him the highest Esteem among his Enemies and therefore ought much more to endear him to his own Subjects And now let all this be considered and then let any man say that really loves the Interest of his Country whether we have not reason to look upon these things as Great Blessings and as such to return our Solemn Thanks to God for them And then in the Second place as to our Future Successes let us all chearfully depend upon God's Providence and trust in his Mercy for them This is all the Rejoycing we can express as to Future things and this is that which the Apostle calls Rejoycing in Hope And surely great Reason have we thus to do when we consider who it is that orders our Affairs One whose Kindness we have no reason to doubt of having had so many Experiences of it even beyond our hopes and Expectations And one likewise upon whose Power we may securely depend since His Arm is not shortned nor ever can be how much soever our Arm of Flesh may God Almighty is our King and He both certainly knows and will certainly do that which is best for us provided we take care to do that which becomes us Away therefore with all Fear and Distrust and Despondency it is an Argument of Infidelity and Irreligion as well as Cowardise to despair of the Commonwealth We are in as good Hands as it is possible for us to be Nay we our selves cannot wish to be in any other Let but us do our Parts by qualifying our selves for God's Mercies and that is to be done by contributing our best Endeavours every man in his Place and Station to the Service of the Publick and then we may safely cast all our care upon him who careth for us and we may be sure we shall not be disappointed This Method as it is much more easie so we shall find it much more conducing towards the obtaining the Successes we desire than Complaining and Fretfulness and a tormenting Anxiety about our Affairs We may indeed by our Peevish and Querulous Humour disquiet our selves and put others into a Ferment nay and at last perhaps may contribute a great deal to the Glory of hindring and defeating the most wise Counsels that are proposed for our Safety but that is the greatest Point we gain God Almighty will not alter his Methods for any of our foolish Passions but there is a way to prevail upon God himself to do for us all that our own Hearts can desire provided that which we desire be good for us and that way is to own Him and his Government to love him and to serve him to be thankful for his Mercies to be easie and chearful under all his Dispensations to us and lastly to referr our selves entirely to his Wise Counsels and to trust in his Mercy for all that is to come Great indeed and wonderful are the Promises that are made to those that put their Trust in God Jer. 17.5 Cursed saith the Prophet be the Man that trusteth in Man and maketh Flesh his Arm But Blessed is he that trusteth in the Lord Psal 32.10 and whose hope the Lord is Many sorrows saith the Psalmist shall be to the wicked But whoso trusteth in the Lord mercy shall embrace him on every side Psal 34.3 And again O taste and see how gracious the Lord is blessed is the Man that trusteth in him If now we believe these things and if we be Christians we do and must believe them consider I beseech you the Vse we are to make of them What have we all to do Let our late Disappointments have put us into never so bad a Humour let our present Circumstances be entangled with never so many Difficulties yet what have we all to do but to Rejoyce in GOD and to Trust in his Mercy All is well and All will be well for ever to them that Love God and put their Trust in Him Sing we therefore unto the Lord a New Song Let the Congregation of Saints praise him Let Israel rejoice in him that made him And let the Children of Sion be joyful in their King God is the King of all the Earth let us sing praises with understanding The Lord hath pleasure in his People He will for ever help the meek hearted For his delight is in them that fear him and that put their trust in his mercy He is our help and Strength a very present help in Trouble therefore will we not fear though the Earth be moved
just to the same effect and with them I shall conclude The first is that of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews where having spoken most severe things and denounced no less than Hell fire against the false Brethren among them yet thus he comforts the Church to whom he writes Heb. 6.9 But beloved saith he we are persuaded better things of you and things that do accompany Salvation though we thus speak And what I pray is the reason he is thus persuaded Verily this ver 11. for God saith he is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which you have shewed to his name in that ye have ministred to the Saints and yet do minister It was purely their Charity to the Brethren that made him have these good hopes of them that they were in a state of Salvation Though that Church as to other things was in a very degenerate condition yet considering they had been laborious and diligent in the exercise of Charity and still continued so to be God would not forget them nay he was not so unrighteous as to forget them And then that which follows in the next verse is very observable verse 11. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to wit in the practice of Charity to the full assurance of hope unto the end If they would have their hopes of a future life assured to them the way to do it was to persevere in their diligent attendence to works of Mercy and Kindness and Charity The second passage is that of St. John Hereby saith he perceive we the love of God towards us 1 John 3. 16. c. because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren But whoso hath this World's good and seeth his Brother hath need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him My little Children let us not love in word neither in tongue but indeed and in truth and hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him I pray mind that by our charitable disposition and doing good to our Brethren by this we know we are true Disciples of Jesus Christ and this is that that will assure our hearts will give us confidence to appear before God at the last day when he comes to judge the World And this is a point that the Apostle thinks so considerable that he goes over with it again in the next verse Beloved if our hearts condemn us not i. e. condemn us not as to this point of Love and Charity then have we confidence towards God and whatsoever we ask we shall receive of him because we do those things that are pleasing in his sight The last Text to this purpose that I defire may be taken notice of is that of St. Peter Above all things my Brethren 1 Pet. 4.8 have fervent Charity among your selves for Charity shall cover the multitude of sins O how comfortable are these words there is none of us even the best but hath a multitude of sins to answer for by what means now must we obtain that these sins shall be covered that is shall be forgiven Psal 33.1 for covering of sins is the forgiveness of them in the Scripture-language Why the Apostle hath directed us to the method above all things put on Charity for it is Charity that shall cover the multitude of sins Charity is of that power with God that it alone is able to overcome the malignity of many of our sins and frailties that would otherwise do us mischief If any thing can make atonement for the carelesness and the many failings of our lives and prevent the punishment that is due to them it is to be very charitable and to do much good Charity covers a multitude of sins in this life A great many temporal judgments that would otherwise have fallen upon us for our sins are hereby prevented and that not only private ones but publick too And I think it no Popery to affirm that Charity will cover a multitude of sins in the other life also That is whoever is of a truly charitable disposition and doth a great deal of good in his generation though he may have a great many infirmities and miscarriages to answer for yet if he be sincerely vertuous in the main and so capable of the rewards of the other world his other failings will be overlooked they will be buried in his good deeds and the Man shall be rewarded notwithstanding Or if he be a vitious person and so must of necessity fall short of the glory that shall be revealed yet still in proportion the good he hath done in his life will cover the multitude of sins Though it will not be available for the making him happy because he is not capable of being so yet it will be for the lessening his punishment He shall be in a much more supportable condition among the miserable than those that have been unmerciful or cruel or uncharitable in their lives O therefore what remains but that considering all these things we should be stedfast 1 Cor. 25.18 unmoveable always abounding in these works of the Lord for as much as we know that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 2 Pet. 1.5 c. Giving all diligence to add to Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity verse 1â— By our good works making our calling and election sure so some Copies have the 10th verse of 1 Pet. 1. that doing these things we may never fall but an entrance may be ministred to us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ SERMON V. PREACHED AT BOW-CHURCH On the 29th of September 1680. Psalm cxij. 4. To the Vpright there ariseth Light in the Darkness GOdliness saith S. Paul 1 Tim. 4.8 hath the promise of this life as well as of that which is to come Of this Proposition of his the Psalm we have now before us may seem to be an Explication or Paraphrase For in this Psalm Two things are designed a description of the Pious Man and a description of his Blessedness in this Life each of which is done in five instances or particulars The terms wherein the Pious Man is here discrib'd are these following First He is one that Feareth God and greatly delighteth in his Commandments v. 1. Secondly He is one that is Righteous and Vpright in his Conversation ver 4. and 6. Thirdly He is one that is Prudent and Discreet in the managing of his Affairs verse 5. He guideth his affairs with discretion Fourthly He it one whose Heart is fixed trusting in the Lord v. 7. Lastly He is one that is extreamly Charitable He is gracious and full of Compassion