Minister of God saith he must be without House and Harbour and worldly Accommodations must be armed with such Patience for the greatest sufferings as if he were a Stone and devoid of Sense he must be a spectacle of Misery and Contempt to the World So that by the acknowledgment of these two wise Heathens there was nothing in the sufferings of Christ that was unbecoming the Wisdom of God and improper to the End and Design of Christ's coming into the World besides that they served a further end which they did not dream of the satisfying of Divine Justice Secondly His Exaltation The several parts of which his Resurrection and Ascension and sitting the right hand of God were eminently subservient to the perfecting and carrying on of this Design The Resurrection of Christ is the great confirmation of the truth of all that he deliver'd Rom. 1.4 Declared to be the son of God with power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Resurrection from the Dead This great Miracle of his Resurrection from the Dead did determine the Controversie and put it out of all Doubt and Question that he was the Son of God And then his Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God this gives us the assurance of a Blessed Immortality and is a demonstration of a life to come and a pledge of everlasting Glory and Happiness And can any thing tend more to the encouragement of Obedience and to make us Dead to the Pleasures and Enjoyments of this life than the assurance of Eternal Life and Happiness And then the Consequents of his Exaltation they do eminently conduce to our recovery The sending of the Holy Ghost to lead us into all truth to sanctifie us to assist us and to comfort us under the greatest Troubles and Afflictions and the powerful Intercession of Christ in our behalf and his return to Judgment the expectation whereof is the great Argument to Repentance and Holiness of Life Acts 17.30 31. And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all Men every where to repent Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the dead And thus I have endeavoured to prove that the Redemption of Man by Jesus Christ is a Design of admirable Wisdom The use I shall make of it is to convince us of the Uunreasonableness of unbelief and the Folly and Madness of Impenitency First The unreasonableness of Unbelief The Gospel reveals to us the wise Counsel and Dispensation of God for our Redemption and those who disbelieve the Gospel they reject the counsel of God against themselves as it is said of the unbelieving Pharisees and Lawyers Luke 7.30 The Gospel reveals to us a design so reasonable and full of Wisdom that they who can disbelieve it are desperate Persons devoted to ruin 1 Cor. 1.18 The cross of Christ is to them that perish foolishness 2 Cor. 4.3 4. But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this World hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them The Gospel carries so much light and evidence in it that it cannot be hid from any but such whose Eyes are blinded by the Devil and their Lusts He that will duly weigh and consider Things and look narrowly into this wise dispensation of God shall find nothing to object against it nay shall discover in it the greatest motives and inducements to believe We are apt to believe any thing that is reasonable especially if it be for our Advantage now this wise dispensation of God is not only reasonable in it self but beneficial to us it does at once highly gratifie our Understandings and satisfie our Interest why should we not then believe and entertain it I. The design of the Gospel is reasonable and gratifies our Understandings And in this respect the Gospel hath incomparable Advantages above any other Religion The end of all Religion is to advance Piety and Holiness and real Goodness among Men and the more any Religion advanceth these the more reasonable it is Now the great Incitements and Arguments to Piety are the Excellency and Perfection of the Divine Nature fear of Punishment and hopes of Pardon and Rewards Now the Gospel represents all these to the greatest advantage 1. It represents the Perfections of God to the greatest advantage especially those which tend most to the promotion of Piety and the love of God in us his Justice and Mercy 1. His Justice The Gospel represents it inflexible in its Rights and inexorable and that will not in any case let Sin go unpunish'd The impartiality of the Divine Justice appears in this Dispensation that when God pardons the Sinner yet he will punish Sin so severely in his own Son who was the Surety Now what could more tend to discountenance Sin and convince us of the great evil of it 2. His Mercy This Dispensation is a great demonstration of the Mercy and Goodness and Love of God in sending his Son to die for Sinners and in saving us by devoting and sacrificing him John 3.16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son Rom. 5.8 But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us 1 John 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Now this representation of God's Mercy and Love which the Gospel makes is of great force and efficacy to melt our Hearts into love to God 2. The Second Argument to Piety is fear of Punishment The Gospel hath revealed to us the misery of those who continue in their Sin it hath made clear and terrible discoveries of those Torments which attend sinners in another World and hath open'd to us the Treasures of God's Wrath so that now under the Gospel hell is naked before us and destruction hath no covering and this is one thing which makes the Gospel so powerful an Engine to destroy sin Rom. 1.16 18. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for therein is the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men 3. Hopes of Pardon and Reward And this added to the former renders the Gospel the most powerful Instrument to take men off from sin and engage them to Holiness that can be imagin'd The Means to draw Men from sin when they are once awaken'd with the fear of Vengeance is hopes of Pardon and Mercy and the way to encourage Obedience for the future is hope of
of this Design and the Means how it is accomplisht This is Wisdom to fit Means to Ends and the more difficult the End the greater Wisdom is required to find out suitable and sufficient Means for the accomplishment of the End Now the wisdom of redemption will appear if we consider the case of fallen Man and what fit and proper and suitable Means the Wisdom of God hath devised for our Recovery 1. Let us consider the Case of fallen Man which was very sad both in respect of the Misery and the Difficulty of it 1. In respect of the Misery of it Man who was made Holy and Upright by God having by his voluntary Transgression and wilful Disobedience fall'n from him did presently sink into a corrupt and degenerate into a miserable and cursed Condition of which Heaven and Earth and his own Conscience bore him Witness Man being become a Sinner is not only deprived of the Image of God but is liable to his Justice here was his Misery 2. The difficulty of the Case was this Man could not recover himself and raise himself out of his own ruin no Creature was able to do it so that our help is only in God and indeed he is a merciful God and doth not desire our Ruin nor delight in our Destruction But suppose his Mercy never so willing to save us will not his Holiness and Justice and Truth check those forward Inclinations of his Goodness and hinder all the Designs of his Mercy Is not sin contrary to the Holy Nature of God hath not he declared his Infinite hatred of it hath not he threatned it with heavy and dreadful Punishment and said that the sinner shall die that he will not acquit the guilty nor let sin go unpunish'd Should he now without any satisfaction to his offended Justice pardon the Sinner remit his Punishment and receive him to favour would this be agreeable to his Holiness and Justice and Truth would this become the Wise Governour of the World who loves Righteousness and Order who hates sin and is obliged by the essential rectitude of his Nature to discountenance sin So that here is a conflict of the Attributes and Perfections of God The Mercy of God pities our Misery and would recover us would open Paradise to us but there is a flaming Sword that keeps us out the incensed Justice of God that must be satisfied and if he take vengeance of us we are eternally ruin'd if he spare us how shall Mercy and Justice meet together how shall God at once express his Love to the Sinner and his hatred to sin here is the difficulty of our Case II. Let us now enquire what Means the Wisdom of God useth for our recovery The Wisdom of God hath devised this expedient to accommodate all these Difficulties to reconcile the Mercy and Justice of God The Son of God shall undertake this work and satisfie the offended Justice of God and repair the ruin'd Nature of Man He shall bring God and Man together make up this Gulph and renew the Commerce and Correspondence between God and us which was broken off by Sin The work that God designs is the redemption of Man that is his recovery from a state of Sin and Eternal Death to a state of Holiness and Eternal Life The Son of God is to engage in this Design of our Redemption to satisfie the offended Justice of God toward us so as to purchase our deliverance from the Wrath to come and so as to restore us to the Image and Favour of God that we may be sanctified and be made Heirs of Eternal Life For opening of this we will consider 1. The fitness of the Person designed for this Work 2. The fitness of the Means whereby he was to accomplish it 1. The fitness of the Person design'd for this Work and that was the eternal Son of God who in respect of his Infinite Wisdom and Power the Dignity and Credit of his Person his dearness to his Father and Interest in him was very fit to undertake this Work to mediate a Reconciliation between God and Man 2. The fitness of the Means whereby he was to accomplish it and these I shall refer to two Heads his Humiliation and Exaltation All the Parts of these are very subservient to the Design of our Redemption I. The Humiliation of Christ which consists of three principal Parts his Incarnation his Life and his Death 1. His Incarnation which is set forth in Scripture by several Expressions his being made flesh and dwelling among us John 1.14 His being made of the seed of David according to the flesh Rom. 1.3 His being made of a woman Gal. 4.4 The manifestation of God in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 His taking part of flesh and blood Heb. 2.14 His taking on him the seed of Abraham and being made like unto his brethren Heb. 2.16 17. His coming in the flesh 1 John 2.2 All which signifies his taking upon him Humane Nature and being really a Man as well as God The Eternal Son of God in the fulness of time took our Nature that is assumed a real Soul and Body into Union with the Divine Nature Now this Person who was really both God and man was admirably fitted for the Work of our Redemption In general this made him a fit Mediator an equal and middle Person to interpose in this Difference and take up this Quarrel between God and Man Being both God and man he was concerned for both Parties and interested both in the Honour of God and the Happiness of Man and engaged to be tender of both and to procure the one by such ways as might be consistent with the other More particularly his Incarnation did fit him for those two Offices which he was to perform in his Humiliation of Prophet and Priest 1. The Office of Prophet to teach us both by his Doctrine and his Life By his Doctrine His being in the likeness of Man this made him more familiar to us He was a Prophet raised up from among his Brethren as Moses speaks and he makes this an Argument why we should hear him Should God speak to us immediately by himself we could not hear him and live God condescends to us and complies with the weakness of our Nature and raiseth up a Prophet from among our brethren We should hear him And then his being God did add Credit and Authority to what he spake he could confirm the Doctrine which he taught by Miracles Of his teaching us by his Life I shall have occasion to speak presently 2. For the Office of Priest He was fit to be our Priest because he was taken from among Men as the Apostle speaks fit to suffer as being Man having a body prepared as it is Heb. 10.5 and fit to satisfie by his sufferings for the Sins of all Men as being God which put an infinite Dignity and Value upon them the sufferings of an infinite Person being equal to the offences done
evidently inconsistent with some other and greater Perfection Some things may seem to be Perfections which in truth are not because they are plainly impossible and involve a Contradiction as that what has once been should by any Power be made not to have been or that a thing which by its Nature is limited and confin'd to one place should at the same time be in another These things in Reason are impossible and therefore not to be supposed to fall under any Power how unlimited soever For if we once ascribe Contradictions to God we destroy his Being because then to be and not to be Power and no Power would be all one And then there are some Perfections which do argue and suppose Imperfections in them as Motion the quickness and swiftness thereof in Creatures is a Perfection but then it supposeth a finite and limited Nature For a boundless and immense Being that is every where present at once hath no need to move from one place to another and therefore though Motion be a Perfection in Creatures there is no Reason to ascribe it to God because it supposeth a greater Imperfection And there are also some imaginable degrees of Perfection which because they are inconsistent with other Perfections are not to be admitted in the Divine Nature For instance such degrees of Goodness and Mercy may be imagined as would quite exclude and shut out Justice and on the other hand such a strictness and a rigour of Justice as would leave no room at all for Patience and Mercy and therefore such degrees are not really to be esteemed Perfections For this is a certain truth that nothing is a Divine Perfection which evidently clasheth with any other necessary and essential Perfection of the Divine Nature We must so consider the Perfections of God that they may accord and consist together and therefore it cannot be a Perfection of God to be so good and gracious as to encourage Sin and to overthrow the Reverence of his own Laws and Government 'T is not Goodness but Easiness and Weakness to be contented to be perpetually injur'd and affronted 'T is not Patience to be willing to be everlastingly trampled upon So likewise on the other hand 't is not a Perfection to be so severe and rigorous as to smite a Sinner in the instant that he offends not to be able to refrain from Punishment and to give time for Repentance But whatever Perfection is conceivable or possible and argues no Imperfection nor is repugnant to any other necessary Perfection is to be ascribed to God for this is the most natural and easie conception that we can have of God that he is the most perfect Being This natural Light doth first suggest and offer to the Minds of Men and we cannot conceive of God as meer Power and Will without Wisdom and Goodness Hence it is that the Greeks call God very often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the best of Beings and the Latin Optimus Maximus the best and the Greatest beatissima perfectissima natura constans perfecta Ratio the happiest and most perfect Nature immutible and absolute Reason and many other such expressions which we meet with in the Writings of the Heathen Philosophers I readily grant that the first and most obvious thought which men have of God is that of his Greatness and Majesty but this necessarily involves or infers his Goodness as Seneca excellently reasons Primus Deorum cultus est Deos credere dein reddere illis majestatem suam reddere bonitatem sine quâ nulla Majestas The first Worship of the Gods is to believe their Being next to ascribe to them Greatness and Majesty to ascribe to them Goodness without which there can be no Majesty And we shall find all along in Plato Tully and the best and wisest Writers among the Heathen that they every where attribute the highest Excellencies and Perfections to the Divine Nature and do steer and govern all their Discourses of God by this Principle that Perfection is to be ascrbied to him And whenever any thing is said of God they examin whether it be a Perfection or not if it be they give it him as his due if it be not they lay it aside as a thing not fit to be spoken of him And in the Scripture we do every where find Perfection ascribed to the Nature and Works and Laws of God to every thing that belongs to him or proceeds from him Job 37.16 Dost thou know the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge And again Canst thou by searching find out God Can'st thou find out the Almighty to perfection Ps 18.30 As for God his way is perfect Ps 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect I shall not need to consider particularly the several Perfections of the Divine Nature I shall only give you a brief Scheme and Draught of them Whatever Perfection can be imagined either in the manner of Being or Acting is to be ascribed to God therefore as to his Nature we say that he is a Spirit that is that he is not meer Body or Matter because that would exclude several other Perfections for meer Matter is incapable both of Knowledge and Liberty being determined by necessary Laws of Motion and yet without Knowledge and Liberty there can be no Wisdom nor Goodness We say of God that he is of himself and without Cause and does not owe his Being to any other and consequently that he is necessarily and that he cannot but be and cannot be otherwise than he is for that which is of its self did not chuse whether it would be or not nor whether it would be thus or otherwise for to suppose any thing to deliberate or consult about it's own Being is to suppose it to be before it is We must say of God likewise that he is immense and every where present because to be limited is an Imperfection and that he is eternal that is ever was and shall be for to cease to be is a greater Imperfection than sometime not to have been And then we are to say of God that he is the Cause of all other Beings that they are made by him and depend upon him that he knows all things and can do all things in the most perfect manner by a glance of his Mind and by the meer beck and nod of his Will without long study or deliberation without laborious pains and endeavours and consequently that nothing is exempted from his Knowledge and Power and Providence and that he administers all things in a way of Goodness and Wisdom of Justice and Truth and therefore all things are to be referred to him as their last end All these Perfections and all other that are possible we are to look upon the Divine Nature as fully and immutably possest of and that in an higher and more excellent degree than our finite Understandings are able to conceive or comprehend 2. As we are to ascribe all imaginable
an holy Life because this is the main end of all Divine Revelation and we know God only in order to the service and imitation of him Let us then look upon all knowledge that contradicts practice as vain and false because it destroys its end There are many things that seem probable enough in Speculation which yet we most pertinaciously deny because they are not practicable and there are many things which seem doubtful in Speculation and would admit of great dispute which yet because they are found true in practice and experience are to be taken for certain and unquestionable The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the idle Reasoning of the Stoicks was a thing contemned by the wiser Philosophers as a vain and useless subtilty Zeno pretends to demonstrate there is no Motion and what is the consequence of this Speculation but that Men must stand still But so long as a man finds he can walk all the Sophistry in the world will not perswade him that Motion is impossible In like manner they that would perswade us that men can do nothing nor contribute any more to their own Sanctification than Stocks or Stones and upon Scripture Metaphors misunderstood as our being dead in trespasses and sins and created to good works graft Notions which are impossible and absurd in practice do not consider that the natural consequence of this is that men must do nothing at all in Religion never think of God nor pray to him nor read his Word nor go to Church but sit still and be wholly passive to the operations of God's grace but however this may seem plausible and men may think they add much to the glory of God's grace while they deny any power in the Creature yet every considerate Man will presently apprehend that this is by no means to be admitted because it contradicts Practice and makes all the Commands and Exhortations of God's Word vain and to no purpose because it destroys Religion and discourages the endeavours of Men makes them sloathful and careless of working out their own Salvation than which nothing can set a man farther from God's grace and assistance and more immediately dispose him for ruine and upon some such false Reasoning as this the sloathful Servant in the Parable hid his talent in a napkin and buried it in the earth but when he was called to account his excuse was not admitted but he was cast into utter darkness The two other Particulars namely how far we are to imitate the Divine Perfections and particularly what those Divine Qualities are which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation and likewise to clear the true meaning of this Precept and to shew that the Duty here injoyned Be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect is not impossible to us Both these I shall refer to another Opportunity SERMON II. Concerning our imitation of the Divine Perfections MATTH V. 48 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect IN these words we have First The absolute Perfection of the Divine Nature supposed not only in those before mentioned of Goodness and Mercy and Patience but in all other Excellencies whatsoever Secondly The Perfection of God is propounded as a Pattern for our Imitation In the handling of these two Particulars I propounded to proceed in this method I. To shew how we are to conceive of the Divine Perfection II. To lay down some Rules by which we may rectifie and govern our Opinions concerning the Attributes and Perfections of God III. To shew how far we are to imitate the Perfections of God and particularly what those Divine Qualities are which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation IV. To clear the true meaning of this Precept and to shew that the Duty here intended by our Saviour is not impossible to us and then to draw some useful Inferences from the whole The two first I have already spoken to I now proceed to the third particular which is to shew how far we are to imitate the Perfections of God and particularly what those Divine Qualities are which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation For though these words do suppose the absolute Perfection of the Divine Nature yet because there are several Perfections of God which are incommunicable and a Creature as such is utterly incapable of them these cannot be suppos'd to be intended for a Pattern to us As the necessity and independency of the Divine Nature and the Self-sufficiency of it to his own happiness to be the Original Cause of all things and consequently supream Lord and Governour the Immensity and Eternity of his Being these and perhaps several other Perfections are incommunicable to a Creature and it would be an unsufferable pride and a kind of High Treason against the Divine Majesty and a sottish Ignorance of the necessary bounds and limits of our own State as we are Creatures to think to resemble God in these Excellencies of which the condition of a Creature is utterly incapable This was the Sin of Lucifer an ambition to step into the Throne of God and to be like the most high So that in our imitation of the Divine Perfection we are to keep within the station of Creatures not affecting an Independency and Soveraignty like the most high and to be Omnipotent as he is to have an arm like God and to thunder with a voice like him as the expression is in Job But to endeavour to resemble him pro modulo creaturae according to the rate and capacity of a Creature in those Divine Qualities and in such measures and degrees as our finite and dependent Nature is capable of More especially and chiefly in the moral Perfections of the Divine Nature such as are his Goodness and Mercy and Patience his Justice and Truth and Faithfulness these and only these the Scripture seems to comprehend under the name of Holiness not all the Excellencies of the Divine Nature in general but those which we call moral Excellencies and Perfections such as those which I have named for with these and hardly with any other is the Holiness of God joyn'd in Scripture as holy and righteous holy and true c. And therefore when God says be ye holy for I am holy it signifies that we are to imitate God in his Goodness and Mercy and Patience and Righteousness and Faithfulness and Truth for these are the Holiness of the Divine Nature which set him at the greatest distance from that which we call Moral Impurity and Sin For that which our Saviour here in the Text more peculiarly recommends to our imitation is the Goodness of God of which his Mercy and Patience are two eminent Branches The Mercy of God is his Goodness to those that are in Misery or are liable to it The Patience of God is his Mercy in sparing those who have deserved Punishment and are liable to it And the
Goodness of God is then greatest when it is exercised towards the evil and unthankful those who are so far from deserving it that they have given great and just Provocations to the contrary And this affection and temper of Mind which is so remarkable in God towards the unworthy and unthankful Sons of Men our Saviour recommends to our imitation here in the Text. Be ye therefore Perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect Be ye therefore this Particle of inference therefore hath a plain relation to something spoken before and if we look back to v. 44. we shall find our Saviour there enjoyning his Disciples to love their Enemies to bless them that curse them to do good to them that hate them and to pray for those that despightfully use them and persecute them And by what other argument doth he inforce the Practice of this difficult Duty but by telling us that this is to be like God to be good to the evil and unthankful v. 45. That ye may be the Children of your Heavenly Father who maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and the good and his Rain to fall on the just and on the unjust God is good to all and exerciseth great Mercy and Patitience even towards the evil and unjust And then he concludes that if Perfection it self be fit to be a Pattern we should labour after these Qualities Be ye therefore Perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect So that though the universal Perfection of the Divine Nature be here supposed yet the Attributes of his Goodness and Mercy and Patience are here particularly pointed at and propounded to us for our Pattern and the Precept of imitating the Divine Perfection is more especially to be understood of those Perfections which our Saviour had been discoursâ—â—â— of before viz. the Goodness and Mercy of God And that this is undoubtedly so is evident from St. Luke's rendring this Precept Ch. 6.36 Be ye therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 benefici ready to do good full of kindness and benignity merciful as your Father which is in Heaven is merciful that is endeavour you to be such as I have described God to be And this St. Matthew calls Perfection because the Goodness of God is his great Perfection and the Glory of the Divine Nature that which reflects a lustre and beauty upon all his other Attributes and takes off the terrour of them From all which it is plain what those Perfections of the Divine Nature are which our Saviour doth here particularly recommend to our imitation I come now in the IV. and last place To clear the true meaning of this Precept and to shew that the Duty here required and intended by our Saviour when he says Be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect is not impossible to us And to this purpose be pleased to consider these three or four things 1. That our imitation of God is certainly restrained to the communicable Perfections of God and such as Creatures are capable of as I have shewn before For it is so far from being a Duty to affect or attempt to be like God in his peculiar Perfections that it was probably the Sin of the Apostate Angels 2. Our imitation of the Divine Perfections which are communicable to Creatures is likewise to be restrain'd to such degrees of these Perfections as Creatures are capable of For no Creature can ever be so perfectly Good as God is nor partake of any other Excellency in that transcendent degree in which the Divine Nature is possest of it 3. But there is no manner of inconvenience in having a Pattern propounded to us of so great Perfection as is above our reach to attain to and there may be great Advantages in it The way to excel in any kind is optima quaeque exempla ad imitandum proponere to propose the highest and most perfect Examples to our imitation No Man can write after too perfect and good a Copy and though he can never reach the Perfection of it yet he is like to learn more than by one less perfect He that aims at the Heavens which yet he is sure to come short of is like to shoot higher than he that aims at a mark within his reach Besides that the excellency of the Pattern as it leaves room for continual improvement so it kindles Ambition and makes Men strain and contend to the utmost to do better And though he can never hope to equal the Example before him yet he will endeavour to come as near it as he can So that a perfect Pattern is no hindrance but an advantage rather to our improvement in any kind 4. If any thing can be supposed to be our Duty which is absolutely beyond our Power a Precept of this nature may with as much reason be supposed to be so as any thing that can be instanc'd in Because in such a case if we do our best and be continnually pressing forward towards the Mark though we can never reach it yet we do very commendably and whatever the law may require to try and raise our Obedience yet in all equitable Interpretation such a Will and Endeavour will be acceptable with God for the Deed. For if the Perfection of the Law do really exceed our Ability and be beyond the possibility of our Performance the assurance we have of God's Goodness will sufficiently secure us from any danger and prejudice upon on that account And we may reasonably presume that to do all we can towards the fulfilling of this Precept will be as acceptable to God and as beneficial to our selves as if our Power had been greater and we had perfectly fulfill'd it If our Heavenly Father to try the readiness and chearfulness of our Obedience bid us do that which he knows we cannot do though we can do something towards it we may be sure that he will be very well pleased when he sees that in obedience to him we have done all that we could And we may in this case reason as our Saviour does If we that are evil would deal thus with our Children how much more shall our Heavenly Father The Goodness of God signifies very little if it does not signifie this that in any instance of real and unquestionable Goodness God is much better than any Father upon Earth However at the worst that wherein we fall short of the Perfection of the Law may be supplyed on our part by an humble acknowledgment of our own Weakness and Imperfection and on God's part by Mercy and Forgiveness for the sake of the perfect Obedience of our blessed Redeemer This is the least benefit we can expect in this case from the Grace and Mercy and Equity of the Gospel 5. And lastly which will fully clear this matter this Precept doth not oblige us to come up to a perfect equality with the Pattern propounded to us but only imports a vigorous imitation
our lazy complaints that our Duty is set so high that the endeavours of our whole life cannot reach it when yet we have hardly made one step towards it and are so remiss and unconcern'd about it as if we could do it at any time with the greatest ease and at an hours warning before we leave the world could fulfil this Precept of our Lord of being perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect And yet let me tell you so far as any of us are from resembling our heavenly Father in some good degree and measure so far are we distant from Heaven and the temper of the blessed so far are we utterly unqualified for the blissful sight and enjoyment of God for unless we be first like him we cannot see him as he is Only the pure in heart shall see God and therefore every man that has this hope in him should purifie himself even as he is pure And thus I have as briefly as I could dispatcht the four things I propounded for the Explication of this Text namely how we are to conceive of the Divine Perfections and to give some Rules to regulate and govern our Opinions concerning the Attributes and Perfections of God to explain the extent of this Duty and vindicate the possibility of it All that now remains is to draw some useful Inferences from this Discourse which I have made and they shall be these two I. That the strongest and surest Reasonings in Religion are grounded upon the Essential Perfections of God II. That the truest and most substantial Practice of Religion consists in the imitation of God I. That the strongest and surest Reasonings in Religion are grounded upon the Essential Perfections of God so that even Divine Revelation it self doth suppose these for its Foundation and can signifie nothing to us unless these be first known and believed Unless we be first perswaded of the Providence of God and his particular Care of Mankind why should we believe that he would make any Revelation of himself to Men Unless it be naturally known to us that God is true what foundation is there for the belief of his Word And what signifie the Laws and Promises of God unless natural Light do first assure us of his Soveraign Authority and Faithfulness So that the Principles of Natural Religion are the foundation of that which is Revealed and therefore in Reason nothing can be admitted to be a Revelation from God which plainly contradicts his Essential Perfection and consequently if any pretends Divine Revelation for this Doctrine That God hath from all Eternity absolutely decreed the eternal ruine of the greatest part of Mankind without any respect to the Sins and Demerits of Men I am as certain that this Doctrine cannot be of God as I am sure that God is Good and Just because this grates upon the Notion that Mankind have of Goodness and Justice This is that which no good man would do and therefore cannot be believed of infinite Goodness and therefore if an Apostle or Angel from Heaven teach any Doctrine which plainly overthrows the Goodness and Justice of God let him be accursed For every man hath greater assurance that God is Good and Just than he can have of any subtile Speculations about Predestination and the Decrees of God And for the same Reason I cannot believe upon the pretended Authority or Infallibility of any Man or Church in the world that God would not have Men understand their Publick Prayers and the Lessons of Scripture which are read to them A Lesson not to be understood is nonsense a Lesson is something to be learn'd which how it can be without being understood is hard to comprehend And as little can I believe upon the Authority of any Person or Church whatsoever that God should reveal his Will to Men in the holy Scriptures with a design to have it hid and lock't up from the generality of Mankind in an unknown Tongue And much less can I believe which yet is the express Doctrine of the Council of Trent that the saving Efficacy of the Sacrament depends upon the Intention of the Priest Which is to say that though people believe and live never so well they may be damned by Sholes and whole Parishes together at the pleasure of the Priest and for no other reason but because he is so wicked as not to intend to save them Can any man believe this that hath any tolerable notion of God's Goodness May we not in this case appeal as Abraham did to the Goodness and Justice of God and expostulate with greater Reason than he did much after the same manner wilt thou destroy the righteous for the wicked That be far from Thee to do after this manner to damn the righteous for the wicked and that righteous people should lye at the mercy of a wicked Priest to be damned or saved at his pleasure that be far from Thee Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right And can there be a greater affront to the Goodness and Justice of God than to imagin he should deal with men after this manner If this be to do right there is no possibility of doing wrong And to give but one instance more I can never believe upon the Authority of any Man or Church whatsoever that our Saviour in the Celebration of his last Supper did with his own hands give away his own Natural Body into the hands of his Disciples and give his Blood shed before it was shed That the whole Doctrine of Christianity should mainly rely upon the Evidence of Miracles the assurance of which depends upon the certainty of Sense and yet that an Essential part of that Doctrine should overthrow the certainty of Sense I can never while I live believe these two things that the last thing our Saviour did before his death should be to teach his Disciples not to believe their own Senses as he must do if he taught them Transubstantiation and that the very first thing he did after he was risen from the dead should be to teach them the quite contrary by appealing to the certainty of Sense for the proof of his Resurrection for when they doubted of his Resurrection Luke 24.38 He said unto them why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have If this be a good Argument that it was a real Body which they saw because they saw and felt Flesh and Bones is it not as good an Argument on the other side that what they saw in the Sacrament was not his real and natural Body because they could neither see nor handle Flesh and Bones So that I cannot believe Transubstantiation unless I can believe that Truth it self can contradict and destroy it self You see of what use it is to have right and steady Apprehensions of the
of Patience and forbearance to Sinners and of tryal and exercise to good Men but there is a Day a coming when all things shall be set straight and every Man shall receive the just reward of his Deeds when the Justice of God shall be evident to all the World and every Eye shall see it and shall acknowledge the Righteous Judgment of God and this the Scripture most clearly and expresly declares unto us and hence it is that the Day of Judgment is call'd the Day of the Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God The Righteousness of God doth not now so clearly appear but that there are many Clouds over it but there shall be a Day of Revelation when the Righteousness of God shall be made manifest to all the World The remunerative Justice of God shall then appear in the rewarding the Righteous and the punitive Justice of God in punishing the Wicked and Ungodly so that a Man shall say verily there is a reward for the Righteous verily there is a God that judgeth the World Now the Righteousness of this vengeance of God which God will take upon Sinners is further set forth to us in Scripture from the Equity and Impartiality of it I. From the Equity of it 1. In that the Sins of Men have justly deserved the Punishment that shall come upon them Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the judgment of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the righteous judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of Death 2. In that the Judgment of God shall be proportioned to the Degree and Heinousness of Mens Sins so as the lesser or greater Sins shall be punisht with more or less Severity So our Saviour threatens to those who continue impenitent under the Gospel and the advantages of it their case shall be more sad than that of Tyre and Sidon and it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the Day of Judgment than for them Mat. 11.20 21. and Luke 12. 47 48. There you have different Degrees of Punishment threatned proportionable to the Aggravations of the Sins which Men have committed The servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes but he that knew it not but did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes and so proportionably of all other Aggravations of Sins for to whom much is given of him shall much be required and unto whom Men have committed much of him they will ask the more So likewise God will vindicate the contempt of the Gospel more severely than of the Law because the confirmation of it is clearer and the Salvation offered by it greater Heb. 2.2 3 4. If the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward how shall we escape c. And so Heb. 10.28 29. He that despised Moses his law died without mercy under two or three Witnesses of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worth who haht troden under foot the Son of God c. II. The Righteousness of this Judgment is further set forth to us in Scripture by the impartiality of it Hither belong all those Texts which remove from God that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that respect of Persons which is so incident to humane Tribunals Now respect of Persons is in distribution of Justice and hath regard to some external qualities or circumstances of the Persons which do not appertain to the merit of the cause and upon Account of those circumstances to deal unequally with those whose Case is equal as when two Persons who are equally guilty of a Crime are brought to their Tryal and the one is Condemned and the other acquitted upon the Account of Friendship or Relation or some other Interest because one is Poor and the other Rich the one hath powerful Friends to intercede for him the other not the one brings a Gift or Bribe the other not or upon any other account besides the pure Merits of the Cause I say to deal thus in the distribution of of Justice is respect of Persons Otherwise in matters of meer grace and favour respect of Persons hath no Place accordin◠to that common rule of Divines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 locum non habet in gratuitis sed in debitis Now this the Scripture every where speaks of as a thing very far from God Deut. 10.17 The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords a great God a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not Persons nor taketh rewards 2 Chron. 19.7 There is no iniquity with the Lord our God nor respect of Persons nor taking of Gifts Job 34.18 19. Is it fit to say to a King thou art Wicked or to Princes ye are ungodly how much less to him that accepteth not the Persons of Princes nor regardeth the rich more than the poor for they are all the work of his hands Rom. 2.6 Who will render to every Man according to his deeds for there is no respect of Persons with God Acts 10.34 35. Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Eph. 6.8 9. The Apostle there presseth the duties of Servants to Masters from this Consideration that whatsoever good thing any Man doth the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free and at the 9 th v. Ye Masters do the same thing unto them forbearing threatning knowing that your Master also is in Heaven neither is there respect of Persons with him He maketh this likewise an Argument why Men should not oppress and deal deceitfully one with another Col. 3.25 But he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done and there is no respect of Persons And in General St. Peter urgeth this Consideration upon all Men to deter them from Sin in any kind 1 Pet. 1.17 And if ye call on the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth according to every Man's work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear And besides that the Scripture doth remove this at the greatest Distance from God it gives us also several instances of the impartiality of the Divine Justice that it is not to be perverted and turned aside by any of those extrinsecal Considerations which commonly sway with Men it is not to be prevailed with and overcome by Flattery and Entreaties Mat. 7.21 22. 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 c. The Divine Justice is not to be imposed upon by good Words and external shews and false Professions so neither by any external Relation to him For many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob
and to dispence Rewards and Punishments so soon as there are Objects for them This is not thought necessary among Men much more ought we to leave it to the Wisdom of God to determine the time and circumstances of the exercising of his Justice and we are not to conclude that the Providence of God is unjust if he do not bestow rewards and inflict Punishments just when we think he should 2. If God intended this Life for a State of Tryal wherein he would prove the obedience of Men and their free inclination to good or evil it is not reasonable to expect that he should follow Men with present Rewards and Punishments for that would lay too great a force upon Men so that there would hardly be any oportunity of trying them but on the contrary there is all the Reason in the World to presume that God should exercise the Graces and Virtues of good Men with afflictions and sufferings and suffer bad Men to take their Course for a while and walk in their own ways without continual Checks by frequent and remarkable Judgments upon them so often as they offend 3. If there be another Life after this wherein Men shall be Judged according to their works then this Objection vanisheth for that great Day will set all things straight which seem now to be so Crooked and Irregular The deferring of Rewards and Punishments to the most convenient Season is so far from being a reflection upon the justice of God that it is highly to the commendation of it What Claudian says of Ruffinus a very bad Man whose long impunity had tempted Men to call in question the justice of God is considerable in this Case Abstulit hunc tandem Ruffini poena tumultum Absolvitque Deos. The Punishment which overtook him at last did quiet those tumultuous thoughts and absolved the gods from all blame When Men look but a little way and consider only the present state of Things they are ready to quarrel at the Justice of them but if they would look at the end of Things and have Patience to stay till the last to see the Conclusion and Winding up of things they would then acquit God in their thoughts from all those imputations of injustice which from the inequality of present dispensations rash and inconsiderate Men are apt to charge him withal II. Objection from the translation of Punishments the punishing of one Man's Sin upon another as of the Fathers upon the Children which God threatens in the second Commandment and did in some sort fulfil in Ahab in bringing the evil he had threatned him withal in his Son's Days 1 Kings 21.19 The punishing the Sin of one Person upon a People as that of Achan upon the whole Congregation Josh 22.20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel and that man perished not alone in his iniquity And the Sin of David upon the People 2 Sam. 24. When seventy thousand Dyed of the Plague for David's Sin in numbring the People Now how is this agreable to justice is it not a known Rule Noxa caput sequitur Mischief pursues the Sinner What can be more reasonable Quam ut peccata suos teneant Authores Than that Men's faults should be charged upon the Authors and Punishment fall upon the guilty For answer to this 1. It is not unreasonable that one Man should bear the punishment of another's Fault if he be willing and content to bear it Volenti non fit injuria There is no wrong done to those that are willing to undergo it tho' they be innocent which was the case of our Blessed Saviour suffering for us the just for the unjust as the Scripture expresseth it 2. Where the Person upon whom the punishment is trasfer'd is likewise a sinner and obnoxious to God there can be no injustice because he hath deserved it upon his own account and God may take what occasion he pleaseth to punish them that deserve to be punisht 3. In punishing the iniquity of the Father upon the Children the guilty Person that is the Father is punisht in the Calamity of his Children for a Man's Children are himself Multiplyed and therefore it is very remarkable that in the second Commandment God promiseth to shew mercy to thousands of Generations of them that love him but he visits the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children but to the third and fourth Generation that is so far as a Man may live to see them punisht and suffer in their Punishment 4. As to the Punishment of the People for the sins of their Princes and Governors and one part of a community for another supposing all of them to be Sinners which is the true case God may lay the punishment where he pleaseth and there is no more injustice then when a Man is whipt on the Back for the theft which his hand committed a community being one Body besides the Prince is punisht in the loss of his People the glory of a King consisting in the Multitude of his Subjects The Objection with respect to the other World the punishment of temporal Evils with Eternal is else-where answer'd The use we should make of this whole Discourse is First If God be Just and Righteous let us acknowledge it in all his dispensations even in those the Reason whereof is most hidden and obscure Neh. 9.33 Speaking of the great afflictions that had befal'n God's own People yet this he lays down as a firm Principle howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us Secondly This is matter of terrour to wicked Men. God doth now exercise his milder Attributes towards Sinners his Mercy and Patience and Goodness but if we despise these that terrible Attribute of his Justice will desplay it self and this the Scripture describes in a severe manner the Lord revengeth and is jealous the Lord will take vengeance on his Adversaries and reserveth wrath for his Enemies Thirdly This is matter of comfort to good Men that the Righteous God Governs the World and will judge it The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoyce Psal 97.1 And he gives the Reason of it in the next v. Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his Throne Tho' he be omnipotent we need not fear for his Power is always under the conduct of Eternal Righteousness Fourthly Let us imitate this righteousness let us endeavour to be righteous as he is righteous let us give to God the Love Reverence and Obedience which are due to him and in all our dealings what is just and due to Men. This Duty hath an immutable Reason founded in the Nature of God SERMON XII The Truth of God DEUT. XXXII 4 A God of Truth IN speaking to this Attribute I shall I. Shew you what we are to understand by the Truth of God II. Endeavour to prove that this Perfection belongs to God that he is a God of Truth III. Answer
because it is no fault of theirs that we do not know them no their Wants may be real notwithstanding that especially when their Extremity seems great we ought not to stand upon too rigorous a Proof and Evidence of it but should accept of a fair probability Seventhly Those who suffer for the Cause of Religion and are stript of all for the sake of it ought to have a great Precedence in our Charity to most other cases And this of late hath been and still is the case of many among us who have fled hither for Refuge from the Tyranny and Cruelty of their Persecutors and have been by a most extraordinary Charity of the whole Nation more than once extended to them most seasonably reliev'd but especially by the Bounty of this great City whose Liberality upon these Occasions hath been beyond all Example and even all belief And I have often thought that this very thing next to the Mercy and Goodness of Almighty God hath had a particular Influence upon our Preservation and Deliverance from those terrible Calamities which were just ready to break in upon us and were we not so stupidly insensible of this great Deliverance which God hath wrought for us and so horribly unthankful to him and to the happy Instruments of it might still be a means to continue the Favour of God to us And what cause have we to thank God who hath allotted to us this more blessed and more merciful part to give and not to receive to be free from Persecution our selves that we might give Refuge and Relief to those that are persecuted III. We must consider the Measure of our Charity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our Translation renders as we have Opportunity others as we have Ability So that this Expression may refer either to the Occasions of our Charity or to the Season of it or to the Proportion and Degree of it 1. It may refer to the Occasions of our Charity as we have Opportunity let us do good that is according as the Occasions of doing good shall present themselves to us so often as an Opportunity is offer'd And this is an Argument of a very good and charitable Disposition gladly to lay hold of the occasions of doing good as it were to meet Opportunities when they are a coming towards us This forwardness of Mind in the work of Charity the Apostle commends in the Corinthians 2 Cor. 9.2 I know the forwardness of your minds for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia And this he requires of all Christians Tit. 3.10 That they should be ready to every good work And 1 Tim. 6.18 That we be ready to distribute willing to communicate Some are very ready to decline these Opportunities and to get out of the way of them and when they thrust themselves upon them and they cannot avoid them they do what they do grudgingly and not with a willing mind 2. It may refer to the Season of this Duty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 while we have time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilst this Life lasts so Grotius does understand and interpret this Phrase and then the Apostle does hereby intimate to them the uncertainty of their Lives especially in those times of Persecution And this Consideration holds in all times in some degree that our Lives are short and uncertain that it is but a little while that we can serve God in this kind namely while we are in this World in this Vale of Misery and Wants In the next World there will be no occasion no Opportunity for it we shall then have nothing to do but to reap the Reward of the good we have done in this Life and to receive that blessed Sentence from the Mouth of the great Judge of the World Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world For I was hungry and ye gave me to eat c. And Euge bone serve Well done good and faithfull Servant thou hast been faithfull in a little and I will make thee Ruler over much God wil then declare his Bounty and Goodness to us and open those inexhaustible Treasures of Glory and Happiness which all good Men shall partake of in proportion to the good which they have done in this World Or else 3. Which I take to be the most probable meaning of this Phrase It may refer to the Degree of this Duty in proportion to our Ability and Estate as we have Ability let us do good unto all Men. And this the Phrase will bear as Learned Men have observ'd and it is very reasonable to take in this Sense at least as part of the meaning of it either exprest or imply'd For without this we cannot exercise Charity tho' there were never so many Occasions for it and then this Precept will be of the same Importance with that of the Son of Sirach Ecclus. 35.10 Give unto the most high according as he hath enriched thee and with that Counsel Tob. 4.7 Give Alms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to thy Substance and 8. v. If thou hast abundance give Alms accordingly And this may be reasonably expected from us for where-ever his Providence gives a Man an Estate it is but in Trust for certain Uses and Purposes among which Charity and Alms is the chief And we must be accountable to him whether we have disposed it faithfully to the Ends for which it was committed to us It is an easie thing with him to level Mens Estates and to give every Man a Competency but he does on purpose suffer things to be distributed so unequally to try and exercise the Virtues of Men in several ways the Faith and Patience of the Poor the Contentedness of those in a middle Condition the Charity and Bounty of the Rich. And in truth Wealth and Riches that is an Estate above what sufficeth our real Occasions and Necessities is in no other sense a Blessing than as it is an Opportunity put into our Hands by the Providence of God of doing more good and if we do not faithfully employ it to this end it is but a Temptation and a Snare and the rust of our Silver and our Gold will be a witness against us and we do but heap up Treasures together against the last Day But what Proportion our Charity ought to bear to our Estates I shall not undertake to determine The Circumstances of Men have too much variety in them to admit of any certain Rule some may do well and others may do better every Man as God hath put into his Heart and according to his Belief of the recompence which shall be made at the resurrection of the just I shall only say in general that if there be first a free and willing Mind that will make a Man charitable to his Power For the liberal Man will devise liberal things And we cannot propose a better Pattern to our selves in
this kind than the King and Queen who are as they ought to be but as it very seldom happens the most bright and shining Examples of this greatest of all Graces and Virtues Charity and Compassion to the poor and persecuted I proceed to the IV. Thing considerable in the Text viz. Our unwearied Perseverance in this work of doing good let us not be weary in well-doing After we have done some few Acts of Charity yea tho' they should be very considerable we must not sit down and say we have done enough There will still be new Objects new Occasions new Opportunities for the exercise of our Charity springing up and presenting themselves to us Let us never think that we can do enough in the way of doing good The best and the happiest Beings are most constant and unweary'd in this work of doing good The holy Angels of God are continually employed in ministring for the good of those who shall be Heirs of Salvation And the Son of God when he appear'd in our Nature and dwelt among us that he might be a perfect and familiar Example to us of all Holiness and Virtue he went about doing good to the Bodies and to the Souls of Men. How diligent and unweary'd was he in this work It was his Employment and his Pleasure his Meat and Drink the Joy and the Life of his Life And God himself tho' he is infinitely and perfectly good in himself yet he still continues to do good and is never weary of this blessed work It is the Nature and the Perfection and the Felicity of God himself and how can we be weary of that work which is an Imitation of the highest Excellency and Perfection and the very Essence of Happiness V. And lastly Here is the Argument and Encouragement to the chearful discharge of this Duty because in due season we shall reap if we faint not therefore as we have opportunity let us do good unto all Men. In due season we shall reap that is sooner or later in this World or in the other we shall receive the full reward of our well-doing And now I have explain'd this Duty to you as plainly and briefly as I could the hardest part of my Task is yet behind to perswade Men to the practice of it and to this purpose I shall only insist upon the promise in the Text be not weary in well-doing for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not We shall reap the pleasure and satisfaction of it in our own Minds and all the other mighty Advantages of it in this World and the vast and unspeakable Reward of it in the other First We shall reap the Pleasure and Satisfaction of it in our own Minds and there is no sensual Pleasure that is comparable to the delight of Doing good This Cato makes his boast of as the great Comfort and Joy of his old Age Conscientia bene actae vitae multorumque benefactorum recordatio jucundissima The remembrance of a well spent Life and of many Benefits and Kindnesses done by us to others is one of the most pleasant things in the World Sensual Pleasures soon die and vanish but that is not the worst of them they leave a Sting behind them and when the Pleasure is gone nothing remains but Guilt and Trouble and Repentance whereas the Reflection upon any good we have done is a perpetual Spring of Peace and Pleasure to us and no Trouble and Bitterness ensues upon it the Thoughts of it lye even and easy in our Minds and so often as it comes to our Remembrance it ministers fresh Comfort to us Secondly We shall likewise reap other mighty Advantages by it in this World It is the way to derive a lasting Blessing upon our Estates What we give in Alms and Charity is consecrated to God and is one of the chiefest and most acceptable Sacrifices in the Christian Religion so the Apostle tells us Heb. 13.16 To do good and to communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased It is like the first-Fruits under the Law which being dedicated and offered up to God did derive a Blessing upon their whole Harvest And it procures for us also the Blessings and Prayers of those to whom we extend our Charity their Blessing I say upon us and ours and all that we have and is it a small thing in our eye to have as Job speaks the Blessing of them who are ready to perish to come upon us The fervent Prayer of the poor for us availeth much for God hath a special regard to the Prayers of the destitute and his Ear is open to their cry Few Men have Faith to believe it but certainly Charity is a great security to us in the times of Evil and that not only from the special Promise and Providence of God which is engaged to preserve those from want who are ready to relieve the Necessity of others Prov. 11.25 The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself and Prov. 28.27 He that giveth to the poor shall not lack he shall not be afraid in the evil time and in the days of Dearth he shall be satisfiyed says the Psalmist But besides the Promise and Providence of God our Charity and Alms are likewise a great security to us from the Nature and Reason of the thing it self Whosoever is charitable to others does wisely bespeak the Charity and Kindness of others for himself against the day of necessity for there is nothing that makes a Man more and surer Friends than our Bounty this will plead for us and stand our Friend in our greatest Troubles and Dangers For a good Man saith the Apostle that is for one that is ready to oblige others by great Kindnesses and Benefits one would even dare to die It has sometimes happened that the Obligation which a man hath laid upon others by a chearful and seasonable Charity hath in time of Danger and Extremity done him more kindness than all his Estate could do for him Alms saith the Wise Man hath delivered from Death And in times of publick Distress and when we are beset with cruel and powerful Enemies who if God were not on our side would swallow as up quick the publick Charity oâ— a Nation does many times prove its best Safeguard and Shield There is a most remarkable Passage to this purpose Ecclus. 29.11 12 13. Lay up thy Treasure according to the commandment of the most high and it shall bring thee more profit than Gold shut up thine alms in thy Store-house and it shall deliver thee from all affliction it shall fight for thee against thy enemies more than a mighty Shield and a strong Spear And of this I doubt not but we of this Nation by the great Mercy and Goodness of Almighty God have had happy experience in our late wonderful Deliverance under the Conduct and Valour of one of the best and bravest of Princes and
to whom by too many among us the most unworthy and unthankful Returns have been made for the unwearied pains he hath undergone and for the desperate hazards he hath expos'd himself to for our sakes that ever were made to so Great and Generous a Benefactour so great a Benefactour I say not only to these Nations but to all Europe in asserting and vindicating their Liberties against the insolent Tyranny and Pride of one of the greatest oppressours of Mankind of whom I may say as Job does of the Leviathan Job 41.33 34. Vpon the earth is not his like he beholdeth all high things and is the King of all the Children of Pride And beyond all this the Blessing of God does descend upon the posterity of those who are eminently Charitable and great Benefactours to Mankind This David observes in his time I have been young says he and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging Bread and what he means by the righteous Man he explains in the next Words he is ever merciful and lendeth I shall only add upon this Head that the practice of this Virtue will be one of our best comforts at the hour of Death and that we shall then look back upon all the good we have done in our life with the greatest contentment and joy imaginable Xenophon in his Cyrus which he design'd for the perfect Idea of a good Prince represents him in the last minutes of his life addressing himself to God to this purpose Thou knowest that I have been a lover of Mankind and now that I am leaving this World I hope to find that mercy from thee which I have shewed to others These Words that excellent heathen Historian thought fit to come from the mouth of so excellent a Prince as he had describ'd him just as he was leaving the World by which we may see what the Light of Nature thought to be the best comfort of a dying Man This brings me to the Third and last particular which I mentioned the vast and unspeakable Reward which this grace and virtue of Charity will meet with in the other World It will plead for us at the Day of Judgment and procure for us a most glorious recompence at the resurrection of the Just and that proportionable to the degrees of our Charity 2 Cor. 9.6 He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully and from this Consideration the Apostle encourageth our Perseverance in Well-doing let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not that is we shall certainly meet with the reward of it if not in this World yet in the other And now that I have declar'd this Duty to you together with the mighty pleasure and advantages and rewards of it I crave leave to present you with some of the best Occasions and Opportunities of the exercise and practice of it And for your encouragement hereto I shall read to you the present State of the chief Hospitals belonging to this great City and of the disposal of their Charity for the last Year And now I have laid before you these great Objects of your Charity and the best Arguments I could think of to incline and stir up your Minds to the exercise of this excellent Grace and Virtue as there is no time left for it I having I am afraid already tir'd your Patience so I hope there is no need to press this Duty any farther upon you since you are so willing and forward of your selves and so very ready to every good Work This great City hath a double Honour due to it of being both the greatest Benefactours in this kind and the most faithful Managers and Disposers of it and I am now in a place most proper for the mention of Christ's Hospital a Protestant Foundation of that most Pious and Excellent Prince Edward VI. Which I believe is one of the best instances of so large and so well manag'd Charity this Day in the World And now to Conclude all if any of you know any better employment than to do good any work that will give truer Pleasure to our Minds that hath greater and better promises made to it the Promises of the life that now is and that which is to come that we shall reflect upon with more comfort when we come to dye and that through the mercies and merits of our Blessed Saviour will stand us in more stead at the Day of Judgment let us mind that work but if we do not let us apply our selves to this business of Charity with all our might and let us not be weary in well-doing because in due season we shall reap if we faint not Now the God of Peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great Shepherd of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will through Jesus Christ to whom with thee O Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory thanksgiving and praise both now and for ever Amen FINIS BOOKS Printed for Ric. Chiswell WHarton's Anglia Saora in 2 Volumes Fol. D. Cave's Lives of the Primitives Fathers in 2 Vol. Fol. Dr. John Lightfoot's Works in 2 Vol. Fol. Dr. Pet. Allix's Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical History of the ancient Churches of Piedmont and Albigences in 2 Parts 4 to Bishop Burnet's Collection of Tracts relating both to Church and State from 1678. to 1694. in 3 Vol. 4 to Dr. Wake 's 11 Treatises against Popery in 2 Vol. 4 to Dr. Tennison now Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Account of the Conference with Pulton the Jesuit 4 to His 9 Sermons upon several Occasions 4 to A Discourse of the unreasonableness of Separation on account of the Oaths 4 to A Vindication of the said Discourse 4 to A Vindication of his Majesty's Authority to fill the Sees of the deprived Bishops 4 to Dr. William's Discouse of the lawfulness of worshipping God by the Common-Prayer 4 to His Representation of the absurd and mischievous Principles of the Muggletonians 4 to The secret Consults Negotiations and Intrigues of the Romish Party in Ireland from 1660 to 1689. 4 to An impartial History of the Wars in Ireland in two Parts with Copper Sculptures By Mr. Story present in the same The new Cambridge Dictionary in 5 Alphabets 4 to England's Wants Or some Proposals to the Parliament probably beneficial to England 4 to Dr. Allix's Reflections on the Holy Scripture 8 vo Coles English and Lattin Dictionary 8 vo Tullies Discourse of the Government of the Thoughts 8 vo The Jesuits Memorial for the intended Reformation of England found in K. James's Closet 8 vo Dr. Wakâ—'s Preparation for Death 8 vo The History of the Troubles and Tryal of Archbishop Laud wrote by himself Published by Hen. Wharton Fol. Remarks on Mr. Hill's Vindication of the Primitive Fathers against Bishop