the Apocalyptick Visions is expounded by the Angel 432 582. why she is said to have a golden cup in her hand and her Name written in her forehead 525 Wilderness Israel's being in the Wilderness and the Churche's abode in the Wilderness compared 906 907 Wing signifies in Dan. 9. an Army the fitness of the word to signifie thus 707. Wing of abominations is an Army of Idolarrous Gentiles ibid. How the Roman Army was the Army of Messiah 708 Witnesses why Two and in sackcloth 480 481. the two Wars of the Beast against them 765. their Slaughter how far it extends 760 761. their Death and Resurrection how to be understood 484 Women Why the Corinthian women are reproved for being unveiled or uncovered in the Church 61. how they are said to prophesie 58 59 Works Good Works 3 qualifications of them 217 c. 3 Reasons for the necessity of them 215 c. God rewards our Works out of his mercy not for any merit in them 175 World Heaven and Earth put according to the Hebrew idiom for World 613. That the World should last 7000 years and the Seventh Thousand be the Beatum Milleunium was an ancient Tradition of the Iews 892. World sometimes in Scripture put for the Roman Empire 705 Worship External worship required in the Gospel 47. Four Reasons for it 349 350. The Iews worshipped versus Locum praesentiae 394. That such Worshipping is not the same with worshipping God by an Image 395 To worship God in spirit and truth what 47. 48. The Worship directed to God is Incommunicable and why 638 639 Y. YEars That the Antichristian Times are more than 3 single Years and an half proved by 5 Reasons 598. The 70 years Captivity of the Iews in Babylon whence to be reckoned 658 Z. ZAchary The 9 10 and 11 Chapters in his Book seem to befit Ieremy's time better 786 833 c. Zebach or The bloudy Sacrifice defined 287 Zipporah deferred not the circumcision of her child out of any aversation of that Rite 52. her words in Exod. 4. 25. vindicated from the common misconstruction 53 c. ERRATA Page 481. line 3. read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 790. l. 14. for Page r. Figure pag. 495. l. 10. r. Angelo pag. 496. l. antepenult r. legibus pag. 498. l. 1. r. crudelitate l. 41. r. Caesarum imperium A Catalogue of some Books Reprinted and of other New Books Printed since the Fire and sold by Richard Royston viz. A Paraphrase and Annotations upon all the Books of the New Testament by H. Hammond D. D. in Fol. Third Edition Ductor Dubitantium or the Rule of Conscience in Five Books in Fol. by Ier. Taylor D. D. and late Lord Bishop of Down and Gonnor The Practical Catechism together with all other Tracts formerly Printed in 4 o in 8 o and 12 o his Controversies excepted now in the Press in a large Fol. By the late Reverend H. Hammond D. D. The Great Exemplar or the Life and Death of the Holy Iesus in Fol. with Figures suitable to every Story Ingrav'd in Copper By the late Reverend Ier. Taylor D. D. Phraseologia Anglo Latina or Phrases of the English and Latine Tongue By Iohn Willis sometimes School-master at Thistleworth together with a Collection of English Latine Proverbs for the use of Schools by William Walker Master of the Free-School of Grantham in 8 o new The Whole Duty of Man now Translated into the Welch Tongue at the command of the four Lord Bishops of Wales for the benefit of that Nation By Io. Langford A. M. in 8o. The Christian Sacrifice a Treatise shewing the necessity end and manner of Receiving the Holy Communion together with suitable Prayers and Meditations for every Month in the Year and the Principal Festivals in memory of our Blessed Saviour in 8 o By the Reverend S. Patrick D. D. Chaplain in Ordidinary to his Sacred Majesty A Friendly Debate between a Conformist and a Non-conformist in 8o. Peace and Holiness in three Sermons upon several occasions the First to the Clergy Preached at Stony-Stratford in the County of Buoks being a Visitation-Sermon published in Vindication of the Author The Second preached to a great Presence in London The Third at the Funeral of M rs Anne Norton by Ignatius Fuller Rector of Sherrington in 8 o new A Discourse concerning the true Notion of the Lords Supper to which are added two Sermons by R. Cudworth D. D. Master of Christs-Colledge in Cambridge in 8o. The Works of the Reverend and Learned Mr. Iohn Gregory sometimes Master of Arts of Christ-Church in Oxon. 4o. The Sinner Impleaded in his own Court to which is now added the Signal Diagnostick by Tho. Pierce D. D. and President of St. Mary Magdalen-Colledge in Oxon. in 4o. Also a Collection of Sermons upon several occasions together with a Correct Copy of some Notes concerning Gods Decrees in 4o. Enlarged by the same Author Christian Consolations drawn from Five Heads in Religion I. Faith II. Hope III. The Holy Spirit IV. Prayer V. The Sacrament Written by the Right Reverend Father in God Iohn Hacket late Lord Bishop of Leichfield and Coventry and Chaplain to King Charles the First and Second in 12 o new A Disswasive from Popery the First and Second Part in 4 o by Ier. Taylor late Lord Bishop of Down and Connor The Principles and Practises of certain several Moderate Divines of the Church of England also The Design of Christianity both which are written by Edward Fowler Minister of Gods Word at Northill in Bedfordshire in 8o. A Free Conference touching the Present State of England both at home and abroad in order to the Designs of France in 8 o new to which is added the Buckler of State and Iustice against the design manifestly discover'd of the Universal Monarchy under the vain Pretext of the Queen of France her pretensions in 8o. Iudicium Vniversitatis Oxoniensis à Roberto Sandersono S. Theologiae ibidem Professore Regio postea Episcopo Lincolniensi in 8o. The Profitableness of Piety open'd in an Assize Sermon preach'd at Dorchester by Richard West D. D. in 4 o new A Sermon preached at the Funeral of the Honourable the Lady Farmor by Iohn Dobson B. D. Fellow of St. Mary Magdalen-Colledge in Oxon. in 4 o new THE END * All of them except some few mentioned at the end of this Preface * None of which were number'd among the Errata * Pag. 109. lin 21. ‖ These the Author a little before calls the Two parts of Repentance Aversion from sin the first Conversion to God the second part ‖ See p. 280. lin ult ‖ See p. 276 279 281. * Luk. 6. * Chap. 4. 15. * Chap. 2. ‖ Rev. 10. 9. * See a particular account both of the Enlargements and of the Additiâ—nals at the end of this Preface * See a particular account both of the Enlargements and of the Additiâ—nals at the end of this Preface * See Epistle 97. p. 881. * p.
this we are not in the right nor was it so from the begining Whatsoever is dedicated unto God in general or to speak in the phrase of Scripture whatsoever is called by his Name that is is His by peculiar relation ought to be used with a different respect from things common and God's House as you have heard hath something singular from the rest Should we then come into it as into a Barn or Stable It was not once good manners so to come into a mans house For our Blessed Saviour when he sent forth his Disciples to preach the Gospel Matt. 10. 12. said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when ye enter into an house salute it Why should we not think it a part of religious manners to do something answerable when we come into the House of God that is to bless the Master thereof you know how far that word extendeth and if not to say God be here which hath been the form and is somewhere still when we enter into a mans House yet to say with Iacob at Bethel God is here and to testifie in some manner or other as the Saints of God were wont to do that we acknowledge it and that both at our first coming thither and while we continue there for the one follows from the other And because I paralleled before that Oriental rite of Discalceation whereunto I supposed the words of my Text to have reference with ours of Vncovering the Head by the name of a leading ceremonie if any shall therefore ask me what other Gesture I implied thereby as fitting to accompany this in the case we speak of I answer That belongs to the discretion of our Superiours and the authority of the Church to appoint not to me to determine For here as in other Ceremonies the Church is not tied but hath liberty to ordain having respect to the Analogy of the Old Testament what she shall judge most sutable and agreeable to the time place and manners of the people where she lives But if I may without offence or presumption speak what I think then I say That Adoration or Bowing of the body with some short ejaculation which the Church of Israel used in their Temple together with Discalceation and which the Christians of the Orient use at this day and time out of mind have done at their ingress into their Churches is of all other the most seemly ready and fitting to our manners which yet I submit namely according to that of the 132. Psal. v. 7. Introibimus in Tabernacula ejus incurvabimus nos scabello pedum ejus We will go into his Tabernacles and worship before or toward his Footstool that is the Ark of the Covenant or Mercy-seat which you shall find thus styled 1 Chron. 28. 2. and according to that Psal. 5. 7. I will enter into thine House in the multitude of thy mercies in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple i. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for they stood in the Courts when they worshipped which is the Form the Iews use at this day when they come first into their Places of worship and so might we too for any thing I know The ordinary form among the Greeks is that of the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner yet sometimes they premise this of the Psalm before it SECTION IV. AND thus have I done with the First part of my Text which for distinction sake I called The Admonition I come now to the Second which I termed A Caution Be more ready to obey than to offer the Sacrifice of fools as much as to say Prefer not the Secondary service of God before the First and Principal Our Translation hath Be more ready to hear than c. whereby some have taken occasion childishly to apply this Scripture against that custom of a short and private Prayer at our first coming into the Church before we joyn with the Congregation For we should say they rather hear and listen to what the Minister is reading or speaking as Solomon here bids us than at such a time to betake our selves to any private devotion which say they is but the Sacrifice of fools But I would themselves who thus argue were as wise as they should be For if they were they would consider both that Solomon according to the time wherein he spake must needs mean of another kind of Sacrifice than what so loose a notion importeth namely of such as were then used in the Temple he had built and besides that this sense of theirs directly thwarts the purport and meaning of the words going before which is that we ought to use some sign of reverence when we come into the house of God such as according to the custom of the West is this But though none of these things were yet would this Text be nothing to their purpose Forasmuch as by Hearing in this place is not meant auricular hearing but practical that is Obedience to God's commandments according as the Vulgar hath Melior est obedientia quà m victimae stultorum For it is the same with that Proverbial sentence of Scripture Obedience is better than Sacrifice which Samuel used in that bitter reproof of King Saul for sparing Agag and the best of the spoil of the Amalekites upon a pretence of sacrificing to the Lord in Gilgal Hath the Lord saith he as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams The word here twice rendered obey is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same which is in my Text and it is an ordinary signification thereof in Scripture The case is clear But was not the offering of Sacrifice will some man say part of the obedience due unto the divine Law How come they then to be thus opposed one to the other Give me leave therefore before I give my full explication of this passage to enquire and consider of some others of much more difficulty in this respect yet their meaning conducing to the understanding of this There are divers places in Scripture disparaging and villifying Sacrifices yea so far as if Sacrifice were a service which God neither appointed nor approved As Psal. 51. 16 17. Thou desirest not Sacrifice saith David else would I have given it thee but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit a broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Hosea 6. 6. I will have mercy and not sacrifice Micah 6. 6. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the most High shall I come before him with burnt-offerings with calves of a year old 7. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams and with ten thousands of rivers of oyl Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is good and
the first we be guilty of Imprudence in the other of Uncharitableness in miscensuring others And in this particular Information is so much the more needful because many scruple at this kind of posture in God's Worship esteeming it little better than Idolatry as being of like nature with worshipping God by an Image wherein how much they are deceived I shall make now to appear Know therefore That to worship God by an Image and to worship him towards some place or monument of his Presence are things of a differing nature For the first is absolutely forbidden by the Divine Law the latter we find continually practised by the people of God in the Old Testament and that with his allowance and approbation Thus in the Wilderness they worshipped him towards the Cloud as the sign or monument of his Presence going with them Exod. 34. 5 8. In the Tabernacle and Temple they directed their posture toward the Ark of the Covenant or most Holy place as my Text and that parallel place now alledged out of Psalm 28. for confirmation witnesseth namely as to the place of his Throne and Footstool Unto which I add for a third Testimony that of Psalm 99. 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship towards his Footstool There goes before it in the beginning of the Psalm The Lord reigneth let the people tremble he sitteth between or upon the Cherubims The same thing is meant or implied by that expression of worshipping the Lord toward his holy Temple in the 5. and 138. Psalms in the first whereof v. 7. I will come into thine House saith David in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I worship toward thy Holy Temple Mark I will come into thine House and then worship c. This form the Iews at this day are wont to pronounce in the Adoration which they make at their entrance into their Synagogues turning themselves at the same time toward an Ark or Cabinet wherein they lay the Book of the Law made and placed in imitation of the Ark of the Covenant with the Two Tables In the other Psalm likewise v. 1 2. the Psalmist saith Before the Gods that is the Angels will I sing praise unto thee I will worship towards thy holy Temple that is toward the place of the Ark or Mercy-seat For we are to take notice that the people or Layety came no nearer than into the Courts of the Temple only and the Priests themselves entred no farther but when they were to order the Lamps and burn Incense evening and morning or renew the Shew-bread otherwise they also stood and officiated without in the Court appointed for them called the Priests Court so that both the people especially standing in the Courtâ— when they worshipped they directed their faces toward the Temple or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strictly so called where the Ark and Mercy-seat were Hence comes this expression of worshipping the Lord toward his holy Temple as much as to say We will come into thy Courts and worship thee toward the place where thy memorâ— or monument of thy Presence is With these places may be compared that of the 134. Psalm where the Levites standing namely in the Priests Court are exhoâ—â—â—d to lift up their hands toward the Sanctuary LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Targ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 toward his holy seat and to bless the Lord. Besides this when they were absent from the Temple yea though in a strange and forein Country and that far remote yet when they prayed or worshipped they turned their faces thitherward as appears by 1 Kings 8. 44 c. in the prayer of Solomon at the dedication thereof and the example of Daniel Dan. 6. 10. who opened his windows towards Ierusalem and kneeling upon his knees three times a day prayed and gave thanks before his God as he was wont yea even then when the Temple and holy City were burnt and destroyed and the Ark of the Testimony not then there but only the place where it was wont to be Zorobabel also 3 Esd. 4. 58. lifted up his face to heaven toward Ierusalem and praised the King of Heaven And this custom the Iews in their devotions still observe unto this day Yea all this may seem for ought that can be shewed to the contrary to have been done out of the use of mankind without any special Precept to that purpose which is no where to be shewn For as for the prayer of Solomon besides that Precepts are not wont to be given in prayers it is there presupposed only as a rite of custom Nature it seems having taught mankind as in their addresses unto men to look unto their Face so in their addresses unto the Divine Majesty to look that way or toward that place where his Presence is more demonstrated than elsewhere whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if I may so speak as in the Heavens or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in Temples and like sacred places where his Name and Presence either is or is wont to be recorded Hence it appears that to worship God versùs locum praesentiae towards the place where any sign or specification of his Presence is is no Idolatry nor forbidden by the Second Commandment For surely that which was no Idolatry in the Old Testament is no Idolatry in the New whatsoever fault otherwise it might have The reason of this difference between worshipping God by an Image and worshipping him towards some place where his Presence is specified is this Because in the first the Creature is used objectively to the act of Divine worship that is as the thing worshipped but in the other as a local circumstance of worship only For we are to know that a Creature may be used in the act of Divine worship by way of Object by way of Local circumstance or by way of Instrument The first by way of Object that is as that to which the Act of worship is directed and terminated upon without question is Idolatry For the Lord our God is a jealous God and cannot endure that any created thing should partake with him by way of Object in the Act of his worship But he that useth an Image in the act of Divine worship as an Image that is interposing it in the same as the representation of that he worshippeth makes it not the term of his posture only as any other Creature might be and some always will be but the Butt as I may so speak or Object of his Act. For in the act of worship to look or attend unto any thing as that which representeth unto him the Object unto which he is tendering his act is to make it an Object representative and consequently such as in part and as by way of intervention receiveth the Act which by it is tendred to the Prototype Which although it be no more but to be only relatively worshipped and for the examples sake and not absolutely and for it self yet is
of Sabbaoth Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory And because the pattern of God's holy worship is not to be taken from Earth but from Heaven the same Spirit therefore in the Apocalyps expresseth the Worship of God in the New Testament with the same form of hallowing or holying his Name which the heavenly Host useth For so the four Animalia representing the Catholick Church of Christ in the four quarters of the world are said when they give glory honour and thanks to him that sitteth upon the throne and liveth for ever and ever to do it by singing day and night this Trisagium Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come that is the sum of all that they did was but to agnize his Sanctity or Holiness or which is all one to Sanctifie his holy Name When therefore the same four Animalia are afterwards brought in chanting Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing and again Blessing and honour and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever all is to be understood as comprehended within this general Doxologie as being but an exemplification thereof and therefore the Elogies or blazons mentioned therein to be taken according to the style of Holiness in an exclusive sense of such prerogatives as are peculiar to God alone And according to this notion of sanctifying God's Name which I contend for would the Lord have his Name sanctified Esa. 8. 12 13. when he saith Fear ye not their Fear that is the Idolaters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Gods for so Fear here signifies to wit the thing feared neither dread ye it but sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your Fear and let him be your Dread that is your God Again chap. 29. 23. They shall sanctifie my Name saith he even sanctifie the Holy One of Iacob and shall fear the God of Israel The latter words shew the meaning of the former The like we have in the first Epistle of S. Peter chap. 3. vers 14 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Gentilium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Fear ye not their Fear nor be in dread thereof that is Fear not nor dread ye the Gods of the Gentiles which persecute you But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts that is Fear and worship him with your whole hearts For that this passage howsoever we are wont to expound it ought to be construed in the same sense with that of Esay 8. before alledged and the words to be rendred sutably I take it to be apparent for this reason because they are verbatim taken from thence as he that shall compare the Greek words of S. Peter with the Lxx. in that place of Esay will be forced to confess Besides this evident and express use of the word Sanctifie in the notion of religious and holy worship and fear of the Divine Majesty there is yet another expression sometimes used in Holy Scripture which implieth the self-same thing that namely to worship God with that which we call holy and divine worship is all one with to agnize his holiness or to sanctifie his Name Those speeches I mean wherein we are exhorted to worship the Lord because he is Holy As Psal. 99. 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship at his foot-stool for he is Holy Again in the end of the Psalm Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill for the Lord our God is Holy The same meaning is yet more emphatically expressed by those that sing the Song of victory over the Beast Apoc. 15. 3 4. Great say they and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Nations Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that I believe is the true reading not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou only art Holy therefore all the Nations shall come and worship before thee that is they shall relinquish their Idols and plurality of Gods and worship thee as God only For this was the Doctrine both of Moses in the Old Testament and of Christ Iesus the Lamb of God in the New That one God only that made the heaven and the earth was to be acknowledged and worshipped and with an incommunicable worship In respect whereof as I take it these Victors are there said to sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb that is a gratulatory Song of the worship of one God after that his Ordinances were made manifest For otherwise the Ditty is borrowed from the 86. Psalm the 8 9 and 10. verses where we read Among the gods there is none like unto thee O Lord neither are there any works like unto thy works All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy Name For thou art great and dost wondrous works Thou art God alone that is Thou only art Holy Compare Ier. 10. ver 6 7. I have one thing more to adde before I finish this part of my Discourse lest I might leave unsatisfied that which may perhaps seem to some to weaken this my explication of the sanctification of God's Name For the word to sanctifie or be sanctified is sometimes used of God in a more general sense than that I have hitherto specified namely as signifying any way to be glorified or to glorifie as when he saith He will be sanctified in the destruction of his enemies or in the deliverance of his people and that before the Heathen and the like that is he would purchase him glory or be glorified thereby I answer It is true that to be sanctified is in these passages to be glorified but yet alwayes to be glorified as God and not otherwise Namely when God by the works of his Power of his Mercy or Iustice extorts from men the confession of his great and holy Godhead he is then said to sanctifie or make himself to be sanctified amongst them that is to be glorified and honoured by their conviction and acknowledgment of his Power and Godhead For although men may be also said to glorifie or purchase honour unto themselves when by their noble acts they make their abilities and worth known unto the world yet for such respect to be said to be sanctified is peculiar unto him alone whose Glory is his Holiness that is unto God THUS we have learned How the Name or Majesty of God is to be sanctified personally or in it self which is the chiefest thing we pray for and ought so to be in our endeavour namely To worship and glorifie him incommunicably according to his most eminent and unparallel'd Holiness and so ô Lord Hallowed be thy Name But there is another Sanctification or
altogether for our sakes ours namely who preach the Gospel For our sakes no doubt this is written that he which plougheth should plough in hope and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope The case is plain 'T is an Hebrew notion To bring honour that is To pay tribute or bring a present as Apocal. 21. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it to wit the new Ierusalem And thus much of the word Honour But what is meant by double Honour Some as among the Fathers S. Ambrose will have this double Honour to be Honour of Maintenance and Honour of Reverence But because the Apostle's proofs here infer only Maintenance I take it to be meant in this place only of it And as for double there seems to be an allusion to the right of the First-born to whom at first the office of Priesthood belonged in their Families and into whose room the Levites were taken and whom the Presbyters of the Gospel now succeed As therefore they had a double portion among their Brethren in like manner should the Presbyters of the Gospel be counted worthy of double Honour And if you will admit of that construction of these words which I gave in the Fifth place namely to comprehend as well the Elders of the Commonwealth as the Elders of the Church That both were to be accounted worthy of double Honour but especially those of the Church who labour in the Word and Doctrine it will agree yet far better because both the one and the other succeed in the place of the First-born to whom belonged both to be Priests and Civil Governours in their Tribes and Families Yet howsoever the ancient Christians were wont in their Agapes or Love-Feasts to give their Presbyters a double portion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with some reference to this Text as appears by Tertullian nevertheless I think double Honour is not here to be so precisely taken but only to note a liberal and ingenuous maintenance such as might set them above the vulgar as the First-born by their double portion were preferred above the rest of their Brethren But I have not yet done with the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For from this that the Apostle here styleth the Priest's maintenance Honour it followeth That the Priest's maintenance is not to be esteemed of the nature of Alms as some would have it but is a Tribute of Honour such as is given by an inferior to his Superior For Alms and Honour Nec bene conveniunt nec in nna sede morantur the one respecting those to whom it is given as miserable the other as honourable I mean if Alms be taken as we use the word for a work of mercy From the same ground also it follows that the Priest's maintenance is no ordinary mercenary wages but such as is given by way of Honour as well as of Reward For such as is given to ordinary work-men is Reward and Wages only and not a Testimony or Tribute of Honour But that which is due to the Priest as you see is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ◠Honour namely of the same nature with that which is given to Princes and Magistrates by those which are under them For as the Ministers of the Gospel are in the nature of Presbyters or Elders unto the people over whom they are set so is their maintenance from them such as is sutable to the condition and Dignity of an Elder that is to say not a common Wages which the Superior often gives to his inferior or servant but Honorarium or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honour AND thus I have done with the Explication of my Text The Application whereof shall be according to the present Occasion which this Day requires at our hands You see by the Discourse we have made and the Text expounded unto you That to give maintenance to the Ministers of the Gospel is a duty commanded by God and therefore a work acceptable unto him And so consequently and à pari to endow Seminaries and make provision for the training up of such as are destined to that Office For so in the Old Testament not only the Levites who ministred were partakers of the Tithes but their Children also who were brought up thereto Now if any people in the world have cause to bless God for Examples of such Piety we have whose two Universities for the goodly structures of Colledges liberal and rich endowments have no parallel in the Christian world It is the confession of a Foreiner a man of fame and note in his time Unum ipsorum Collegium superat vel decem nostra nec credo simile aliquid in toto terrarum orbe aut esse aut fuisse As therefore they have honoured us for so you see the Apostle calleth such Bounty so are we bound next after our thankfulness to Almighty God to honour them The first and chiefest part whereof is to use their Bounty according to their pious intendments and to approve our selves worthy to partake thereof than which no greater honour can be done them But this concerneth us at all times The next is to remember them all with their due praise and honour which is our duty at this time DISCOURSE XX. ACTS 2. 5. And there were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sojourning at Ierusalem Iews devout men out of every Nation under Heaven AT the Feast of Pentecost when that wonder hapned of the Holy Ghost's descent upon the Apostles in the likeness of Fiery tongues there were present at Ierusalem as the story a little after my Text informs us men of several Nations as Parthians and Medes and Elamites and dwellers in Mesopotamia Iudaea and Cappadocia Pontus and Asia Phrygia and Pamphylia Egypt and the parts of Lybia about Cyrene and strangers of Rome or stranger-Romans both Iews and Proselytes Cretes and Arabians All these upon the noise of this strange accident came together unto the place and were confounded hearing them every man speaking in his own language wherein he was born Many when they read this story suppose the people here mentioned the most of them to have been Gentiles and some Expositors cannot be excused from this mistake For the more clear discerning whereof and their better information who may perhaps be overtaken with the same error I have made choice of the words before read for the argument of my present Discourse which tells us in express terms That these Parthians Medes and Elamites these Mesopotamians Cappadocians and the rest after mentioned under those National names were Israelites or Iews of the dispersion Iews born in Parthia and Media Iews of Elam or Persia Mesopotamian Iews and so the rest of the Countries there named all of them of the Circumcision For so saith my Text beginning to speak of them There were sojourning or if you will dwelling at Ierusalem Iews of every Nation under Heaven that is of every Nation where the
These are the several Heads I shall speak of and first of the First the Subject The Righteous or the Bountiful man For Righteousness in a special sense in the Hebrew and the rest of the Oriental Tongues of kin to it signifies Beneficence or Bounty both the Vertue and the Work and therefore by the Hellenists or Septuagint is it translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word so frequent in the New Testament for that we call Alms. 'T is a known place Dan. 4. according both to the Septuagint and Vulgar Latin Peccata tua Eleemosynis redime iniquitates tuas misericordiis pauperum Where in the Original for Eleemosyna Alms is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousness as we in our English render it Break off thy sins by Righteousness and thine iniquity by shewing mercy to the poor This notion of Righteousness is to be found thrice together in the 12. of Tobit Ver. 8. Prayer saith old Tobit there to his Son is goodwith Fasting and with Alms and Righteousness A little with Righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness It is better to give Alms than to lay up gold 9. For Alms doth deliver from death and shall purge away all sin Those that exercise Alms and Righteousness shall be filled with life Here in the Greek copy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alms and Righteousness are exegetically put the one to expound the other but in the Hebrew there is but one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for them both that being the word in that language for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence in the Syriack Translation of the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia And so in the Arabick Hence Mat. 6. 1. for Take heed that you do not your alms before men as we read it the vulgar Latin and some Greek Copies have Attenditè ne justitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Namely as the word Charity with us though in the larger sense it signifies our whole duty both to God and man is restrained to signifie our Liberality to the poor so is the word Righteousness in the Oriental Languages If Righteousness therefore signifie Beneficence and Bounty then is the Righteous according to this notion the Bountiful man or as we speak the Charitable And that it is so taken in my Text both the general scope of the Psalm and the connexion with the words before and after is proof sufficient For before goes this A good man sheweth favour and lendeth he will guide his affairs with judgment Surely he shall not be moved for ever Then come the words of my Text The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance After it follows this He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor his righteousness remaineth for ever which S. Paul alledgeth 2 Cor. 9. 9. to promote their collection for the poor Saints at Ierusalem For illustration of this and our further information it will not be amiss I hope to commend to your observation some other places of Scripture where the word Righteous is thus taken as namely Psal. 37. 21. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again but the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth Again Vers. 25 26. I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread He is ever merciful and lendeth and his seed is blessed Here the Righteous is the merciful and bountiful to whom namely this blessing That his seed shall not want is proper and peculiar The same use is Prov. 10. 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing but Righteousness delivereth from death The same is repeated again Chap. 11. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath but Righteousness delivereth from death Where Righteousness to be taken for Alms is apparent out of Tobit 12. 9. where it is so applied and rendred namely Alms doth deliver from death I could add also another place Prov. 21. 26. but these shall be sufficient Hence appears their errour who conceive of the nature of Alms as of an arbitrary thing which they may do if they will or not do without sin as that which carries no obligation with it but is left freely to every mans discretion And this makes some contend so much to have the Priest's maintenance granted to be Eleemosynary that so they might be at liberty to give something or nothing as they listed But if that were so yet if Alms be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousness in the Hebrew tongue and the language which our Saviour spake if our Saviour call'd them Righteousness when he mentioned them who dare affirm then that Righteousness implies no obligation or that a man may leave it undone without sin THUS much of the Subject The Righteous Now I come to the Predicate shall be in everlasting remembrance In remembrance I said with God and men With God in the life to come and this life Let us see for the first The world to come It is certain that at the day of Iudgment we shall receive our doom according to our works of Charity and Mercy and that of all the works that a Christian man hath done these alone have that peculiar priviledge to be then brought in express remembrance before God Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me c. Forasmuch as ye have done thus unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me Matt. 25. 34 c. What doth my Text say The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance God remembers our good deeds when he rewards them as he doth our prayers when he hears them If to remember then be to reward an everlasting reward is an everlasting remembrance 'T is remarkable that this priviledge which the works of Bounty and Mercy shall have at the day of Iudgment was not unknown to the Iews themselves for so we read in the Chaldee Paraphrast upon Ecclesiastes 9. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It shall come to pass at the day of Iudgment that the Lord of the world shall say thus openly to every righteous man then before him Go and eat with gladness thy bread which is laid up for thee as a reward for the bread which thou gavest to the poor and needy when they were an hungred and drink with gladness of heart the wine which is kept for thee in the garden of Eden or Paradise as a reward for the wine thou gavest the poor and needy when they were athirst for behold thy good works have found acceptance
before the Lord. The reason of this Prelation of the works of Mercy at that great day is because all we can expect at the hands of our Heavenly Father is merely of his Mercy and Bounty we can hope for nothing but mercy without mercy we are undone according to that of Nehemiah in his last Chap. Remember me O Lord concerning this and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy Now in those that are to be partakers of Mercy the Divine wisdom requires this congruity that they be such as have been ready to shew mercy unto others judging them altogether unworthy of mercy at his hands who have afforded no mercy to their brethren For so the Scripture tells us that they shall have judgment without mercy that have shewn no mercy The tenour of our Petition for forgiveness of sins in the Lord's Prayer runs with this condition As we forgive them that trespass against us And who can read without trembling the Parable of the unmerciful servant in the Gospel to whom his Lord revoked the Debt he meant to have forgiven him because he shewed no mercy to his fellow-servant who owed him a far lesser Debt Shouldst thou not saith he Vers. 23. have shewed compassion to thy fellow-servant as I shewed compassion unto thee This rule of congruity I say is the reason why at the day of our great account we shall be judged according to our works of mercy and bounty To do as we would be done to hath place not only between man and man but between God and men Nor is this I speak of manifest by the Form of our last Sentence only but by other Scriptures beside what else means that of our Saviour Luke 16. 9. Make unto your selves friends of the unrighteous Mammon that is of these slippery and deceitful riches for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scripture's Dialect is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles Or what means that of S. Paul 1 Tim. 6. 17 18. Charge them that be rich in this world that they trust not in uncertain riches but in the living God That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Laying up a good foundation c. in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here it is observable that works of Beneficence are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Foundation of the reward we shall receive in the life to come If any but S. Paul had said so we should have gone near to have excepted against it for an error Works the Foundation of eternal life No that shall not need but the Foundation of that blessed Sentence we shall receive at the last day for them and that is evident by the form thereof which we have alledged Whatsoever is meant a great priviledge sure is hereby implied that these works have above others Where give me leave to tell you what a late sacred Critick hath observed concerning the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place of Timothy namely That the signification thereof there is not Vulgar but Hellenistical agreeable to the use of the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereto it answers for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as it doth Radix vel fundamentum the root or foundation But besides this in the Rabbinical Dialect it is used for Tabulae contractûs a Bill of contract a Bond or Obligation whereby such as lend are secured to receive their loan again That therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first sense doth answer the same likewise in the second and accordingly the Apostle's meaning to be That those who exercise these works of Beneficence do provide themselves as it were of a Bill or Bond upon which they may at that day sue and plead for the award of eternal life Vi pacti but not Vi meriti In the same sense he takes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And Let every one that nameth or calleth upon the name of Christ depart from iniquity The mentioning of a Seal here implies a Bill of contract for Bills of contract had their Seals appendant to them each side whereof had his Motto the one suiting with the one party contrahent the other with the other That to this S. Paul alludes God 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he standeth sure that is God's Bill of contract or his Chirographum having a Seal according to the manner the one side whereof carrieth this Motto The Lord 〈◊〉 oweth them that are his the other this Let every one that calleth upon the name of Christ depart from iniquity YOU have heard how God remembreth the Righteous or Charitable man in the world to come He remembreth him also in this For that which the Apostle saith of Godliness that it hath the promise of this life as well as of that to come is most properly and â—eculiarly true of this Righteousness of Bounty and Mercy other Righteousâ—â—â—â—â— â—eed must not look for its reward till hereafter but this is wont to be rewaâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Spiritual blessings we have the example of Cornelius who for his Alms-deeds found 〈◊〉 our with God to have S. Peter sent unto him to instruct him in the saving knowleâ— of Câ—â—â—st Thy Prayers and thine Alms-deeds said the Angel are come up in rememâ—râ—nce before God Now therefore send to Ioppa and inquire for one Simon Peter c. For Temporal blessings hear what David sayes Psal. 37 25 26. quoted before I was young saith he and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread He is ever merciful and lendeth therefore his seed is blessed This blessing is the merciful and charitable man's peculiar that his children shall not want who was liberal and open-handed to supply the want of others But think not that God remembers the charitable man with a Temporal blessing in his posterity only for he remembers him also in his own person Thus the same David Psal. 41. 1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble 2. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the earth and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing c. And doth not his Son King Solomon say the same Prov. 19. 17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given he will pay him again But this perhaps some will think may be applied to the reward in the life to come If it be it would much
for at the hands of God without it An invincible argument whereof is That our Saviour himself in the Prayer he hath taught his Church hath put in a bar against asking it but upon this condition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us If we ask not with this disposition there is no promise that any such prayer shall be heard nay our Saviour tells us in plain terms it shall not If saith he you forgive not men their trespasses no more will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses How then can any man whose heart is fraught with malice and meditates revenge against his brother hear this and not tremble Is it not a fearful thing for a man to carry in his own bosom not only an evidence that his sins are unpardoned but a bat too that he cannot ask the forgiveness of them Let no man deceive himself Though our consciences should bear us witness of many good works we have done reconciliatione tamen contemptâ nullum possumus promereri solatium yet if we neglect to be reconciled to our brethren we are not in a capacity to receive any comfort and mercy from God So Chrysost. As the fifth Commandment is called by the Apostle the first Commandment with promise so is this Petition for forgiveness of sins the only Petition with condition and such a condition too as our Saviour dwells upon and enforces when he had delivered this Form of Prayer to his Disciples For he passes by all the rest of the Petitions and singles out this alone to comment upon as that wherein the chiefest moment lay and without which all our prayer would be uneffectual and to no purpose A further confirmation of which we have in that parable of Servus nequam the wicked Servant Matth. 18. whom his Lord being moved with compassion when he besought him forgave a debt of ten thousand Talents But he finding one of his fellow-servants which ought him an hundred pence though he fell at his feet and besought him yet would not hear him but cast him into prison Then his Lord was wroth and said O thou wicked servant shouldst thou not have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity upon thee And he delivered him unto the tormentors till he should pay all that was due to him The Application is terrible So likewise saith our Saviour shall my heavenly Father do unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses We are this Servus nequam if when our heavenly Father forgives us thousands of Talents we stand with our brethren for an hundred pence For there is no proportion between the offences wherewith we offend God and the offences wherewith our brother offends us And therefore we have no excuse hath our brother wronged us never so often never so much never so hainously For whatsoever it be or how unworthy or undeserved soever our sin our ingratitude to Almighty God is and hath been infinitely greater even as ten thousand Talents to an hundred pence To these two Testimonies add a third and that also as the former out of our Blessed Saviour's own mouth Matth. 5. 23 24. If thou bring saith he thy Gift to the Altar and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word whereby the Septuagint constantly render that which the Law calls Corban and the Gospel concurs with them Mark 7. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now Corban in the Law is in special used for those Offerings which were made for atonement of Sin as the Burnt-offering Sin-offering Trespass-offering and Peace-offering call'd Offerings by Fire or Sacrifices So that this Precept of our Saviour's here is the same in effect with the former When thou comest to offer an offering unto God for an atonement of thy sin go thy way first and be reconciled unto thy brother for without this thy sin shall not be forgiven thee I shall not need tell you that now in the Gospel Christ is the Sacrifice is the Gift which a Christian by faith offers unto God for the propitiation of his sin and that this Sacrifice is commemorated sealed and communicated unto us in the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper whereby it will easily appear how this Precept of our Saviour's uttered after the style of the Legal worship is appliable to the Evangelical Hence in the ancient Church when they assembled to celebrate this Sacrament the Deacon was wont to proclaim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne quis contra aliquem Let no man have ought against his brother And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Salute one another with an holy kiss which accordingly they did first the Bishop and Clergy then the Laiety the men apart by themselves and the women by themselves and this was a profession of friendship and reconciliation and therefore called Osculum pacis the kiss of peace In after-times the Priest gave this Kiss of peace unto the Deacon and he to the chief of the Congregation and so it was given from one to another In stead of which at length was brought in that foolish ceremony still used among the Romanists for the Priest to send a little gilded or painted Table with a Crucifix or some Saint's picture thereon to be kissed of every one in the Church before they receive the Holy Bread which they call the kissing of the Pax. So oftentimes profitable and useful Ceremonies degenerate into toys and superstitions Our Church though she useth no ceremony retains the substance when the Priest in his Exhortation to the Communicants saith If any of you be in malice or envy or any other grievous crime bewail your sins and come not to this holy Table and by the Rubrick the Priest if he knows any such is to turn them back unless they will be reconciled Lastly The necessity of this duty is testified by that pious and generally-received Custom amongst Christians to exhort those that are dying to forgive all the world that so themselves may find mercy and forgiveness at the hands of God Is it needful at the hour of death and not as needful in the time of our health Is there no forgiveness to be expected at the hands of God without it when we are dying and is there while we are living No certainly All times are alike here and there is no time wherein God will forgive us unless we forgive our brother What then remains but that we do every day as we would do if we were to die the next It is a blessed disposition to have a becalmed heart to those who have wronged us and not to let the Sun go down upon our wrath to be able to come before God with confidence and say Lord forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
shall have many a curse Also Prov. 11. 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself Likewise Eccles. 11. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days These are for corporal blessings and of this life But hear also for spiritual blessings and those of the life to come David Psal. 112. 9. quoted by S. Paul 2 Cor. 9. 9. He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor his righteousness remaineth for ever c. that is he shall be remembred not only in this life but in the life to come Luke 16. 9. Make to your selves saith our Saviour friends of the unrighteous Mammon that is of these deceitful and uncertain riches that when you fail they that is the friends you have made may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles that is that God looking upon the Alms-deeds you have done and hearing the Prayers and blessings of the poor may reward you with eternal life So S. Paul 1 Tim. 6. 17 c. Charge them that be rich in this world that they trust not in uncertain riches but in the living God That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Non memini saith S. Hiâ—rome me legere mald morte mortuum qui libenter opera charitatis exercuit habet enim multos intercessores impossibile est multorum preces non exaudiri I do not remember in all my reading that ever any one died an ill death who was in his life-time ready to good works and acts of Charity for indeed such a one hath many to intercede and pray for him and it is impossible but that the prayers of so many in his behalf should be heard and accepted by God What should I say more Shall we not receive our sentence at the Last day according to our works of mercy Come ye blessed of my Father and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For when I was hungry ye gave me meat when I was thirsty ye gave me drink c. ye know the rest O the wonderful efficacy of Alms in prevailing with God! What favour do they find in his sight how are they remembred but not for any merit in them which is none but of his mere mercy and merciful promise who accepts them in Christ our Saviour Whence is that Prayer of Nehemiah c. 13. 22. concerning this case of good works Remember me O my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy Thus much of the efficacy and prevalency which Prayer and Alms have with Almighty God to procure a blessing from him Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a memorial before God NOW I come to the third thing propounded The Reasons why God requires them and why they are so pleasing unto him which Bensons when they are known will be also strong Motives to us why we should frequent them For though indeed their Efficacy alone were a Motive sufficient to invite any reasonable man to do them yet will these Reasons add a further enforcement thereunto To begin then with Prayer The Reasons why God requires this duty at our hands I will name but the chief are these 1. That we might acknowledge the property he hath in the Gifts he bestows upon us otherwise we would forget in what tenure we hold those Blessings we receive from his hands Though therefore he be willing to bestow his Benefits upon us yet he will have us ask them before he doth it Even as Fathers do with their children though they intend to bestow such things upon them as are needful yet they will have their children to ask them Unless therefore we ask of God the things which are his to give as we shall not receive what we have not so we cannot lawfully use any thing we have 2. Another Reason is That we might be acquainted with God Acquaint now thy self with God saith Eliphaz Iob 22. 21. and be at peace thereby good shall come unto thee Now acquaintance we know grows amongst men by conversing together by intercourse and speaking to one another So is it here by accustoming to speak to God in Prayer we grow acquainted with him otherwise if we grow strangers to him and he to us we shall not dare to behold him 3. Prayer is the way to keep our Hearts in order For to come often into the presence of God breeds an holy awe in our Hearts it makes us to call our Sins to remembrance with sorrow and shame and to be afraid to commit them We may know it by experience men are afraid to offend those into whose presence they must often come to ask and sue for favours and if they have offended they are presently ashamed and the first thing they do will be to sue for pardon These are the Reasons for Prayer Now let us see the Reasons also why Alms are required which are near of kin to those for Prayer For 1. We are to offer Alms to testifie our acknowledgment of whom we received and of whom we hold what we have For as by Prayer we ask God's creatures before we can enjoy them so when we have them there is another Homage due for them namely of Thanksgiving without which the use of the creature which God gives us is unclean and unlawful to us Every creature of God saith S. Paul 1 Tim. 4. 4. is good if it be received with thanksgiving not else And the same Apostle 1 Cor. 10. tells us that even those things which according to the manner of the Gentiles were offered unto Idols that is to Devils a Christian might lawfully eat so it were done with thanksgiving to the true and only God For so he should profess he eat not meat of the Devil's gift or Devil's Table but of the Lord's whose of right was the Earth and the fulness thereof Whether therefore saith he v. 31. ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do else do all to the glory of God that is give him the glory of the Lordship of his creature by your thanksgiving For to do a thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the glory of God in the Apostle's meaning is that which the Iews say To do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so as the Majesty and Dominion of God may be acknowledged thereby which the Scripture calls His Glory Now our Thanksgiving to God for his creature must not express it self in words only but it must be also in work and deed that is we must yield him a Rent and Tribute of what we enjoy by his favour and blessing which if we do not we lose our Tenure This Rent is twofold either that which is offered unto God for the maintenance of his Worship and Ministers or that
sed ut ipsinec infructuosi nec ingrati sint eum qui ex creaturâ— panis est accepit gratias egit c. Et Novi Testamenti novam docuit oblationem quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in universo mundo offert Deo ei qui alimenta nobis praestat primitias suorum munerum in novo Testamento But this is no proper occasion to follow this Argument any further I will therefore leave it and proceed to a second Reason why God requires Alms and such like Offerings at our hands 2. Namely That we might not forget God our Blessed Saviour Matth. 6. 19 20. and Luke 12. 33 c. speaking of this very matter of Alms Lay not up saith he for your selves treasures upon earth but lay up for your selves treasures in heaven For where your treasure is there will your heart be also The proper evil of Abundance is to forget God and our dependence upon him the remedy whereof most genuine and natural is to pay him a Rent of what we have So shall we always think of our Landlord and lift up our Hearts to Heaven in whatsoever we receive and enjoy Yea when this service is so acceptable to God that he promiseth a great Reward to those who thus honour and acknowledge him how can it chuse but detain our hearts in Heaven in that respect also when we shall so often think of God not only as the Lord and Giver of what we have but as the Rewarder also of the acknowledgment we perform 3. The last Reason why we should give Alms is that we may be fit subjects of Mercy at the day we look for Mercy For all that we can look for at the hands of God is nothing but Mercy Nehem. 13. 22. Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatness of thy Mercy Now it is the will of God revealed That unless we shew mercy unto our brethren he will shew none to us Ye know the condition of the fifth Petition in the Lord's Prayer and the Parable of the unmerciful servant in the Gospel This is the reason why among all other works we shall receive our doom at the last Day according to our works of Mercy Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat c. How then can they look to be saved at that Day who do not these works of Mercy Can our Saviour pass this blessed sentence upon them Or will he change the form of his sentence for their sake No certainly if the sentence of bliss will not fit the other will and must Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat c. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me DISCOURSE XXXIV NEHEMIAH 13. 14. Remember me O my God concerning this and wipe not out my good deeds Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I have done for the House of my God and for the Offices thereof with Verse 22. Remember me O my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy THE present occasion is Remembrance and my Text you see is of Remembrance and that too for good deeds done to the House of God The difference is that in my Text is God's Remembrance the occasion of this meeting is Ours But seeing the one will follow from the other the Text is every way fit enough for the Occasion The words I have read are the words of Nehemiah himself by way of a short Ejaculatory prayer and Apostrophe unto Almighty God But what were those good deeds will you ask which he speaks of done for the House of his God and the Offices thereof Of this the words going before will inform us I perceived saith he that the portions of the Levites had not been given them whereby the Levâ—tes and the Singers that did the work were fled every one to his field Then contended I with the Rulers and said Why is the House of God forsaken And I gathered them together and set them in their place or Station Then brought all Iudah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oyle unto the treasuries or store-houses And I made treasurers over the treasuries such of the Priests and Levites as were accounted faithful and their office was to distribute unto their Brethren Verse 14. Remember me O my God concerning this c. There needs no more for understanding the meaning of the Words Now therefore let us see what Lessons we may learn there-from And in the first place that which is most pregnantly to be gathered thence and best â—its our turn namely That to make provision for the maintenance of God's Worship and the Ministers thereof is a worthy work and of high esteem and favour with God Foraâ—much as Nehemiah here commendeth himself unto the Divine favour and remembrance under that name of having done good deeds or kindnesses unto the House of God and the Offices thereof a manifest argument he took them to be most pleasing and acceptable unto him The truth of this Observation appears not only by this but by other places of Scripture both of the Old and New Testament Let us take some survey of them And first for the furnishing a place for God's worship take notice of that famous benediction and Prayer of King David when his people offered so willingly and liberally towards the building of the Temple In the uprightness of my heart saith he I have willingly offered all these things and now I have seen with joy thy people which are present here to offer willingly unto thee O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their hearts unto thee 1 Chron. 29. 17 18. Surely therefore it was a most excellent disposition and such as he knew God prized and esteemed For entertainment and provision for his Prophets and Ministers in what account God hath it appears by his great solicitude in his Law that they should not be neglected Take heed to thy self saith he Deut. 12. 19. that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth What expression can go beyond this Again by that story of the Shunamite woman 2 Kings 4. who entertained the Prophet Elisha and made provision for him when he should have occasion to pass that way Verse 9. Behold said she to her husband this is an holy man of God which passeth by us contâ—nually V. 10. Let us make I pray thee a little chamber on the wall and let us set for him there a bed and a table and a stool and a candlestick and it shall be when he cometh unto us then he shall turn in thither How acceptable to Almighty
God was this good office done to his Prophet appears by the double miracle he wrought for her both in giving her a child when her husband was now so old she despaired and in raising him again to life when he was dead Both in the same Chapter But let us come now to the New Testament and see whether the like be not to be found there lest otherwise any might think as some are prone enough to do the case were now altered And first also to begin here with the provision of a place for Gods worship the story of that Centurion of Capernaum in S. Luke's Gospel is worthy our consideration Who when he heard of Iesus saith the Text sent unto him the Elders of the Iews besecching him that he would come and heal his servant The Elders came to Iesus and besought him instantly saying He was worthy for whom he should do this Why so For say they he loveth our Nation and hath built us a Synagogue Luke 7. 3 4 5. Then Iesus saith the Text v. 6. without any more ado went with them namely as well approving of their Motive that he who had done such a work deserved that favour should be deign'd him Also concerning provision and entertainment for his Apostles and Ministers Are they not our Saviour's own words and promise when he sent them forth He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophet's reward Nay He that should give them but a cup of cold water should not lose his reward According to which S. Paul speaking of the Philippians bounty and communication towards him I have received saith he of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you an odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing unto God And 2 Tim. 1. 16 18. concerning the like good office done him by Onesiphorus he speaks in this manner The Lord saith he give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day Which is not much unlike this of Nehemiah in my Text if it had been spoken in the first person by Onesiphorus himself as it is in the third by S. Paul Howsoever who will deny but it implies the samething Now then if this be so as I think we have proved what shall we think of the times we live in when men account them the most religious to God-ward who do or would unfurnish the House of God most who rob his Priests most But they have an excuse sufficient to bear them out and what is that The Priests they say have too much If this excuse would serve turn some of themselves perhaps might soon have less than they have for sure some body else as well as the Priest have more than they need and might spare some of it But whether the Priests have too much or not will not be the question Suppose they had hath God too much too For these men consider not that the Propriety of such things as these is God's and noâ— the Priests and that to change the Propriety of what is Sacred by alienating thereof to a proâ—ane and private use I say not by diverting it from the Priest's livelihood to any other holy use in case the Priest have more than needs is to rob God himself yea God tells us so much Malach. 3. 8 9. Will a man saith he rob God as if it were a thing intolerable and scarce ever heard of yet ye saith he have robbed me But ye say Wherein have we robbed thee In Tithes and Offerings Ye are cursed with a curse because ye have robbed me For that 's the burden that goes with things consecrated Cursed be he that alienates them This Malachi lived at the same time with Nehemiah and the Iews say 't was Ezra whence this exprobration of his and this fact of Nehemiah in my Text may justly seem to have relation one to the other And thus much of my first Observation My Second is That God rewardeth these and so all other our Good deeds and works not for any Merit or Worthiness that is in them but of his free Mercy and Goodness Remember me O my God saith Nehemiah and wipe not out my good deeds Why is there any Reward due to them of Iustice No But remember me O my God and spare me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the greatness or multitude of thy mercy Thus he expounds himself And S. Paul taught us even now the self-same thing in his Votum or Prayer for the House of Onesiphorus for the like good service done to the Offices of God's House The Lord saith he grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day that is the day of Iudgment which is Tempus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The time of rewarding when every one shall receive according to his work The controversie therefore between the Romanists and us is not Whether there be a Reward promised unto our Works We know the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament is full of Testimonies that way and encourageth us to work in hope of the Reward laid up for us We know that in keeping of God's Commandments there is great reward Psal. 19. 11. And that unto him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward Prov. 11. 18. We know our Saviour saith Matt. 5. 11 12. Blessed are ye when men revile and persecute you for great is your reward in heaven Also that He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophet's reward and whosoever shall give a cup of cold water only to one of his little ones in the name of a Disciple shall not lose his reward Matt. 10. 41 42. Again we read Luk. 6. 35. Love your enemies do good and lend and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the Highest We know also what S. Iohn saith 2 Ep. v. 8. Look to your selves that ye lose not those things which ye have wrought but that ye may receive a full reward But the Question is Whence this Reward cometh Whether from the Worth or Worthiness of the Work as a debt of Iustice due thereto or from God's Mercy as a recompence freely bestowed out of God's gracious Bounty and not in Iustice due to the Worth of the Work it self Which Question methinks Nehemiah here in my Text may determine when he saith Remember me O Lordâ— for my good deeds according to thy great Mercy and the Prophet Hosea ch 10. 12. when he biddeth us Sow to your selves in righteousness and reap in mercy and S. Paul Rom. 6. 23. where though he saith that the wages of sin is death yet when he comes to eternal life he changeth his style But saith he eternal life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gracious gift of God through Iesus Christ. For as for our Works
they are imperfect and whatsoever they were we owed them to him in whom we live and have our Being whether there were any Reward or not promised for them Neither do we hereby any whit detract from the truth of that Axiome That God rewardeth every man according to his work For still the Question remaineth the very same Whether there may not be as well merces gratiae as merces justitiae that is Whether God may not judge a man according to his works when he sits upon the Throne of Grace as well as when he sits upon his Throne of Iustice. And we think here that the Prophet David hath fully cleared the case in that one sentence Psal. 62. 12. With thee O Lord is Mercy for thou rewardest every one according to his work Nay more than this We deny not but in some sense this Reward may be said to proceed of Iustice. For howsoever originally and in it self we hold it cometh from God's free Bounty and Mercy who might have required the Work of us without all promise of Reward For as I said we are his Creatures and owe our Being unto him yet in regard he hath covenanted with us and tied himself by his Word and Promâ—â—e to confer such a Reward the Reward now in a sort proveth to be an Act of Iustice namely of Iustiâ—ia promissi on God's part not of Merit on ours even as in forgiving our sins which in it self all men know to be an Act of Mercy he is said to be Faithful and Iust 1 Iohn 1. 9. namely in the faithful performance of his Promise For Promise we know once made amongst honest men is accounted a due debt But this argues no more any worthiness of equality in the Work towards the obtaining of the Reward than if a Promise of a Kingdom were made to one if he should take up a straw it would follow thence that the lifting up of a straw were a labour or a work worth a Kingdom howsoever he that should so promise were bound to give it Thus was Moses careful to put the children of Israel in mind touching the Land of Canaan which was a Type of our Eternal habitation in Heaven that it was a Land of promise and not of merit which God gave them to possess not for their righteousness or for their upright heart but that he might perform the word which he sware unto their Fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob Whereupon the Levites in this Book of Nehemiah say in their Prayer to God Thou madest a Covenant with Abraham to give to his seed the Land of the Canaanites and hast performed thy words because thou art just that is true and faithful in keeping thy promise Now because the Lord hath made a like promise of the Crown of life to them that love him S. Paul sticks not in like manner to attribute this also to God's Iustice Henceforth saith he 2 Tim. 4. 8. is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me only but to all them that love his appearing Upon which S. Bernard most sweetly as he is wont Est ergo quam Paulus expect at corona Iustitiae sed justitiae Dei non suae Iustum quippe est ut reddat quod debet debet autem quod pollicitus est There is therefore a crown of righteousness which Paul looks for but it is of God's righteousness not his own it being a righteous thing with God to give what he owes now he owes what he hath engaged himself to by promise Lastly for the word Merit â—t is not the name we so much scruple at as the thing wont now-a-daies to be understood thereby otherwise we confess the name might be admitted if taken in the large and more general seâ—se for Any work having relation to a reward to follow it or whereby a reward is quocunque modo obtained in a word as the Correlate indifferent either to merces gratiae or justitiae the reward of Grace or of Iustice. For thus the Fathers used it and so might we have done still if some of us had not grown too proud and mistook it Since we think it better and safer to diâ—use it even as Physicians are wont to prescribe their Patients recovered of some desperate disease not to use any more that meat or diet which they find to have caused it And here give me leave to acquaint you with an Observation of a like alteration of speech and I suppose for the self-same cause happening under the Old Testament namely of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 changed into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousness into That which findeth mercy For the Septuagint and the New Testament with them render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousness not only when it is taken for Beneficence or Alms as in that Tongue it is the ordinary word in which use we are wont to expound it Works of mercy but where there is no relation to Alms or Beneficence at all Whence I gather that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Septuagint meant not as we commonly take it Works of mercy but rather Works whereby we find mercy at the hands of God I will give you a place which methinks is very pregnant Deut. 6. 24 25. where we read thus And the Lord commanded us to do all these Statutes you may see there what they are to fear the Lord our God for our good alwayes that he might preserve us alive as at this day And it shall be our Righteousness if we observe to do all these Commandments before the Lord as he hath commanded us Here the Septuagint for And it shall be our Righteousness have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it shall be our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that whereby we shall find mercy at the hands of God if we observe to do all these Commandments c. This place will admit no evasion for there is no reference to Alms here And indeed all our Righteousness is nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that whereby we find mercy at the hands of God and no marvail if Works of mercy as to relieve the poor and needy be especially so called for they above all other are the works whereby we shall find mercy and receive the reward of Bliss at the last day And thus much of my second Observation I come now to my third That it is lawful to do good works Intuitu mercedis with an eye or respect to the recompence of Reward It is plain that Nehemiah here did so Remember me O my God concerning this c. So did Moses of whom it is said Heb. 11. 25 26. that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for saith the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aspiciebat vel intuebatur 〈◊〉
should a man take in that gain which he knows he must one day forgo as willingly as now he desireth covetously when he might thus say with himself The time must come that I must wish from the bottom of my heart that this I now do had never been done if ever I mean to find mercy at the hands of God The time must one day come that I must restore all this I have thus unlawfully gotten yea make recompence besides for the injury I have done or else woe worth the time that ever I was born and cursed be the night wherein I was conceived If men would consider this Alas I shall never say unto God on my death-bed I repent from the bottom of my heart if I bequeath one joâ— of this I have thus gotten I shall never say unto God I wish from my soul this sin I have done were undone or if it were now to do again no motive in this world should make me do it Alas how can I say this whiles it is in some sort in my power to undo sin by restoring if I will not Surely he that had this in his mind would think it would not quit the cost to attain any of this world's goods unlawfully But let them think as they will as sure as God is true Without Restitution Repentance can never be true and without true Repentance it is impossible to be saved And thus much of this Third degree of Repentance and of the First part of my Text. I COME now to the Second which is The Condition and State he comes unto who hath done all this and that as ye hear is a State of Mercy The repentant sinner is capable of the Mercy of God to pardon and forgive his sin If the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous his thoughts The Lord will have mercy on him our God will abundantly pardon The Mercy of God is here as you see his loving-kindness unto a sinner to set him free from that evil he is liable to through sin and to restore unto him the good he hath lost thereby that is with commiseration of his misery to forgive him and restore him to that blessedness which is in the favour of God This mercy or mercifulness of God is here exprest first simply in the words The Lord will have mercy on him and secondly with a degree he will pardon abundantly Of these I will speak briefly and so make an end And first of the first If the forgiveness of our sins and the accepting of us into the everlasting favour of God be a work of Mercy then not of any Merit or deserving on our part for these two cannot stand together So saith S. Paul Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he hath saved us For if when we have done all we can we are still the subjects of pity it needs must be we are still in misery for no man shews pity or commiseration but to those that are in a pitiful case wheresoever Mercy is shewn the party aileth something But to be in case of Merit is no pitiful case what can he aile for his sin to whom Heaven is due for his merit who need not be beholden to God for his kindness but may challenge him for justice If this then be the manner of God to shew mercy unto those who deserve nothing at his hands it is our part to be like unto him We are not in actions of charity to look upon the merit but the misery the bestowing of Alms is no paying of wages or giving of rewards but an act of holy pity The like I might say of forgiving the offences of our brethren If he repent him of the injury thou are not to exact a merit of forgiveness but let thy love be as ingenuous unto thy brother as God's was free unto thee The last thing to be considered is The degree of God's mercy in delivering us from our sins It is no small favour for he pardoneth abundantly Amongst all the works of God his works of Mercy toward mankind are in surpassing measure Hence it is that he proclaims himself by this as by his principal style Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful gracious long-suffering which David expounds Psal. 103. 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and plenteous in mercy S. Paul describes him Ephes. 2. 4. a God who is rich in mercy This may appear by the admirable way of our Redemption in sending his own Son from Heaven to suffer the ignominious death of the Cross for our sake Even so God loved the world saith S. Iohn that he gave his only-begotten Son for the same This may appear by his patience and long-suffering in enduring sin In the 65. chap. of this Book v. 2 3. He spreadeth out his hands all the day unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way that was not good yea which provokes him to anger continually to his face Lastly It may appear by that huge proportion wherein his Mercy exceeds his Vengeance He visits the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate him but sheweth mercy unto the thousandth generation of those who love him and keep his Commandments This may serve for our consolation in the most grievous temptation about the greatness of our sin The Lord is rich in mercy and therefore he will forgive the most grievous sin for the mercy of the Lord is greater than the sins of the whole world This Argument of comfort Moses bringeth in Deut. 4. 31. Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God he will not forsake thee nor destroy thee nor forget the Covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them DISCOURSE XXXIX S. MATTHEW 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 THERE are three sorts of men in the World Some which call not Christ their Lord as Turks Iews and Infidels Some which call him Lord as all Christians but not all in like manner for there are two sorts of them some which call him Lord and that is all others which both call him Lord and do the will of his Father the administration whereof is committed to him The first of these three sorts Those who do not so much as call Christ their Lord it is plain they cannot be saved for there is no other name under heaven to be saved byâ— but by the name of Christ only For the second sort Those who call Christ their Lord that is are Christians and profess to believe in Christ and hope to be saved by him and yet do no works of obedience unto God though such as these may think themselves in a good estate yet our Saviour here expresly excludes them from entring into the Kingdom of Heaven
Angel's message from heaven to devout Cornelius was Thy prayers and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God whereupon S. Peter inferred That in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Acts 10. 4 35. In 1 Tim. 6. 17 18 19. saith S. Paul Charge them that are rich in this world That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying in store a good foundation against the time to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut accipiant nanciscantur that they may receive or obtain eternal life Hence it is that we shall be judged and receive sentence at the last day according to our works Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me For inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me Lord how do those look to be saved at that day who think good works not required to Salvation and accordingly do them not Can our Saviour pass this blessed Sentence on them think they he can If he should they might truly say indeed Lord we have done no such matter nor did we think our selves bound unto it we relied wholly upon our Faith in thy merits and thought we had been freed from such services What do they think Christ will change the form of his Sentence at that great day No certainly If the Sentence for Bliss will not fit them and be truly said of them the other will and must for there is no more Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For when I was hungry ye gave me no meat c. This must be their doom unless they suppose the righteous Iudge will lie for them And it is here further to be observed That the Works named in this sentence of Iudgment are works of the second Table and Works of Mercy and Charity feeding the hungry clothing the naked visiting the sick all Almsdeeds which men are now-a-days so much afraid of as if they looked toward Popery and had a tang of meriting for now-a-days these costly works of all others are most suspicious But will it be so at the day of Iudgment True it is they merit not the Reward which shall be given them but what then are we so proud we will do no works unless we may merit Is it not sufficient that God will reward them for Christ's sake though they have no worth in themselves And thus much of the second Motive why we should do good works Because howsoever they merit nothing yet are they the means and way ordained by God to attain the Reward of eternal life The third and last Motive to works of righteousness is Because they are the only Sign and Note whereby we know our Faith is true and saving and not counterfeit For 1 Iohn 1. 6. If we say we have fellowship with Christ and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth Chap. 2. ver 3. Hereby we know that we know him viz. to be our Advocate with his Father and the Propitiation for our sins if we keep his Commandments And Chap. 3. 7. Little children let no man deceive you He that doth righteousness is righteous even as Christ is righteous The same almost you may find again Chap. 2. 29. For if every one that believeth in Christ truly and savingly believes that Salvation is to be attained by obedience to God in him and not otherwise and therefore embraceth and layeth hold upon him for that end how can such an ones Faith be fruitless How can he be without works who therefore lays hold on Christ that his works and obedience may be accepted as righteous before God for his sake and so be rewardable It is as possible for the Sun to be without his light or the Fire to want heat as such a Faith to be without works Our Saviour therefore himself makes this a most sure and never-failing Note to build our assurance of Salvation upon Luke 6. 46. where the mention of the words of my Text gives the occasion Why call ye me Lord Lord saith he and do not the things which I say 47. Whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doth them I will shew you to whom he is like 48. He is like a man which built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock And when the floud arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a rock 49. But he that heareth and doth not is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell and the ruine of that house was great Whom these three Motives or Reasons will not perswade to good works let not my Soul O Lord be joyned with theirs nor my doom be as theirs must be A SECOND Observation out of these words and near a-kin to the former is That it is not enough for a Christian to live harmlesly and abstain from ill but he must do that which is good For our Saviour excludes not here those only who do against the will of his Father but those who do not his Father's will It is doing good which he requireth and not the not doing evil only This is an error which taketh hold of a great part of men even of those who would seem to be religious He is a reformed man and acquits himself well who abstains from fornication adultery who is no thief no couzener or defrauder of other men who will not lie or swear or such like But as for doing any works of Piety or Charity they think they are not required of them But they are much deceived For God requires some duties at our hands which he may reward not out of any merit but out of his merciful promise in Christ. But not doing ill is no service rewardable A servant who expects wages must not only do his Master no harm but some work that is good and profitable otherwise the best Christian would be he that should live altogether idlely for none doth less harm than he that doth nothing at all But Matth. 25. 30. He that encreased not his Master's Talent though he had not mis-spent it is adjudged an unprofitable servant and cast into outer darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth So also Matth. 3. 10. The tree that beareth no good fruit is hewn down though it bore none that was evil The axe is laid to the root of the tree Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down
purpose are your sacrifices and burnt-offerings saith the Lord your oblations and incense are abomination Your New Moons Sabbaths calling of Assemblies even the solemn meeting I cannot away with it is iniquity Would you know what was the matter see the words following Learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow Lo here a want of the duties of the second Table Such is that also of Hosea 6. 6. I desired mercy and not sacrifice which is twice alledged by our Saviour in the Gospel against the Pharisee's hypocritical scrupulosity in the same duties of the first Table with a neglect of the second But here perhaps some may find a scruple because that if Sacrifice in this or the like places be opposed to the duties of obedience required in the second Table it should hereby seem that the duties of the second Table which concern our neighbour should be preferred before the duties of the first which concern the Lord himself forasmuch as it is said I desired mercy and not sacrifice that is rather Mercy which is a duty of the second Table than Sacrifice which is of the first I answer The holy Ghost's meaning is not to prefer the second Table before the first taking them singly but to prefer the duties of both together before the service of the first alone Be more ready to joyn mercy or works of mercy with your sacrificing than to offer sacrifice alone To go on The duties of the first Table are by a special name called duties of Religion those of the second Table come under the name of Honesty and Probity Now as a man can never be truly Honest unless he be Religious So cannot that man what shew soever he makes be truly religious in God's esteem who is not honest in his conversation towards his neighbour Religion and Honesty must be married together or else neither of them will be in truth what it seems to be We know that all our duty both to God and our neighbour is comprehended under the name of Love as in that Summe of the Law Love God above all things and thy neighbour as thy self This is the Summe of the whole Law contained in both Tables But S. Iohn tells us 1 Ep. 4. 20. If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a liar which is as much as if he should say He that seems religious towards God and is without honesty towards his neighbour he is a liar there is no true religion in him If you would then know whether a man professing Religion by diligent frequenting Gods service and exercises of devotion keeping sacred times and hearing Sermons be a sound Christian or not or a seeming one only this is a sure and infallible note to discover him and for him to discover himself by For if notwithstanding his care of the duties of the first Table he makes no conscience to walk honestly towards his neighbour if he be disobedient to Parents and lawful Authority if he be cruel and uncharitable if he be unjust in his dealings fraudulent an oppressor a falsifier of Covenants and Promises a backâ—â—ster a slanderer or the like his Religion is no better than an Hypocrite's For such was the Religion of many of the Pharisees whom therefore our Saviour termeth Hypocrites Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites They were scrupulous in the duties of the first Table they paid tithe even of mint and anise they fasted twice a-week they were exact observers of the Sabbath and other ceremonies of Religion but judgment mercy and saith in their conversation towards men our Saviour tells them they regarded not Besides our Saviour's woe denounced against such there are Two dangerous Effects which accompany this evil disease which should make us beware thereof 1. Those who are addicted to Religion without any conscience of Honesty are easily drawn by the Devil to many intolerable acts under colour and in behalf thereof as they imagine We see it in the Papists and Iesuits whose preposterous zeal to their Religion makes them think Treasons Murthers Rebellions or any other such wicked acts are lawful and excusable so they be done for the good of the Catholick cause as they call it And if we search narrowly amongst our selves we shall light upon some examples of indirect and unlawful courses undertaken otherwhile on the behalf of Religion and all through want of this conscionable care of maintaining Honesty towards our neighbour together with our zeal for Religion towards God Even as we see an Horse in some narrow and dangerous passage whilest he is wholly taken up with some bugbear on the one side of the way which he would eschew and in the mean time mindeth not the other side where there is the like danger he suddenly slips into a pit or ditch with no small danger to himself and rider So is it here with such as look only to the first Table and mind not the second whilest they go about as they think to advance the duties of the one they fall most foully in the other 2. The second evil is a most dangerous Scandal which follows profession of Religion without honest conversation towards men It is a grievous stumbling-block and stone of offence making men out of love with Religion when they see such evil Effects from it and those who seem to profess it Those who are not yet come on are scared from coming resolving they will never be of their Religion which they see no better fruits of Those who are entred are ashamed and discouraged forsaking the duties of Religion that they might shun the suspicion of hypocrisie and dishonesty But woe be unto them by whom scandal cometh Let us all therefore take heed to adorn and approve our profession by bringing forth fruits not only of Piety and Devotion towards God but of works of Righteousness and Charity to our neighbour DISCOURSE XL. GENESIS 3. 13. And the Lord God said unto the woman What is this that thou hast done And the woman said The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat THE Story whereof the words I have read are part is so well known to all that it would be needless to spend time in any long Preface thereof Who knows not the Story of Adam's Fall who hath not heard of the Sin of Eve our Mother If there were no Scripture yet the unsampled irregularity of our whole nature which all the time of our life runs counter to all order and right reason the woâ—ul misery of our condition being a Scene of sorrow without any rest or contentment this might breed some general suspicion that ab initio non suit ita from the beginning it was not so but that he who made us Lords of his creatures made us not so worthless and vile as now we are but that some common Father to us all had drunken some strange and devilish poison wherewith the whole race
Hail thou highly favoured the Lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst Women where God chuses the womb of Mary wherein to erect that pure Altar and Temple whereof the Legal were but shadows Thus these two circumstances seem no ways to bind us But the first That there should be select places for holy Assemblies and the publick worship of God this is that which was before the Law was given and yet remains in force now the Law is ended As long as it is required of the Church to appear before the Lord in publick Assemblies so long is it also required to have chosen and select places for that purpose Adam and his Sons had places whither to bring their Sacrifices the Patriarchs used Altars Mountains and Groves to the self-same purpose from the very beginning of Christianity Christians have had their select Oratories 1 Cor. 11. 22. S. Paul speaking of the Assemblies of the Church and some abuses therein as eating and drinking Have ye not saith he Houses to eat and drink in or despise ye the Church of God Here it appears that the place of holy Assemblies was not an ordinary place where men eat and drink but a place select and set apart for holier purposes which he yet more confirms when he addeth v. 34. If any man hunger let him eat at home It follows hence That the place of Holy Assemblies was no man's home but a place hallowed unto God for the common use of the Church howsoever these in the times of persecution so secret as not to be discovered by the Gentiles What hath been the practice since in all Ages he hath no eyes that sees not and if there be any who cannot behold them without a desire to have them levelled it were better their eyes were plucked out than so many monuments of our Forefathers piety should be thrown down and ruined and God so unseemly and disorderly served as he should be if as Beggers do for lodging so his Assemblies were every week or month to seek a place of entertainment We are therefore as well as the Israelites to appear before the Lord in a chosen place But here is the difference that they were to have but one we have liberty to have many there God chose a place for himself but we in the Gospel have liberty to chuse a place for God where we will Nevertheless it is to be observed that the Leaders of the Primitive Church howsoever they acknowledged this liberty yet they used to select for their Assemblies such Places as God had any way dignified or honoured either by some work of mercy or the glorious sufferings of his Martyrs whereupon the most ancient Monuments of the Christian Churches do mention the Assemblies of Christians In Coemeteriis Martyrum at the Coemeteries and Monuments of their Martyrs For howsoever God did not immediately select the place of his worship then as he did in the time of the Law yet they thought he had made these places of a choicer fitness than other though none of necessary obligation which I for my part would be loth to condemn as an error seeing to follow the order of the Church of Israel byâ— way of direction and not obligation is no abridgment to Christian liberty so it be only so far and in those things only whereof Christianity is capable as I think this we speak of was though I know it was afterward an occasion of damnable Idolatry use of erecting Temples unto Saints and Angels But what is there which the corrupt nature of man will not make an occasion of sin Even as an unclean body of the best nourishment will breed evil humors So out of the most wholsome ordinances our wicked hearts will contrive superstition DISCOURSE XLVIII DEUTERONOMY 16. 16 17. In the Feast of Vnleavened bread and in the Feast of Weeks and in the Feast of Tabernacles and they shall not appear before the Lord empty Every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee IN these words being a commandment for the observation of the three solemn and principal Feasts of the Law were Four things considerable 1. The Work or action To appear before the Lord 2. The Persons who All Males 3. The Place where In the place the Lord shall chuse 4. The Time when Thrice in the Year In the Feast of unleavened bread In the Feast of Weeks and in the Feast of Tabernacles Of the three first the Action the Persons and Place I have spoken Now therefore I come to speak of the Time The Feast of unleavened bread c. The Feast of unleavened Bread is that which is otherwise called The Feast of the Passeover consisting of seven days from the fifteenth of March until the twenty first On the Even before this solemn Feast the fourteenth day of the first month was killed and eaten the Paschal Lamb on the seven days following were offered the Paschal Sacrifices and no other Bread but unleavened eaten the first and last days being days of holy Assemblies or Convocations The Feast of Weeks was a Feast kept at the end of seven Weeks or a Week of Weeks after the second day of the Passeover or fifty days after the first day of the Feast of unleavened bread and therefore called The Feast of Weeks that is a Feast to be kept a Week of Weeks after the Passeover and Pentecost because the first day thereof was the fiftieth day after the first of the Passeover as now our Whitsunâ—ide is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fiftieth day after Easter This Feast was likewise of seven days continuance all spent in multitude of Sacrifices but the first and last specially in keeping of holy Assemblies The Feast of Tabernacles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a Feast of eight days continuance in the seventh month or September from the fifteenth day thereof to the two and twentieth all whereof had their proper Sacrifices and the first seven days they dwelt in Booths or Tabernacles made of Willow Palm Myrtle and Citron boughs whence it hath the name of the Feast of Tabernacles The first and the last or eighth day were here also days of an holy Convocation wherein no servile work might be done Thus having in brief described the Time Continuance and Service of these Three solemn Feasts now let us also see what was the End of their institution The End of these Feasts was partly for Remembrance of things past and partly for Types and Figures of things to come which I will shew in them severally The Feast of the Passeover was for a thankful Remembrance of their great deliverance out of Egypt when for hast they were forced to carry their dough unleavened upon their shoulders and the evening before the Lord having slain all the first-born of Egypt yet passed by them because of the bloud of the Paschal Lamb which he saw upon the door-posts of their houses For this
Christ's Nativity was fixed upon the five and twentieth of December To which they answer who think otherwise First That neither the Angel appeared to Zachary in the most Holy place for the Altar of incense was without the Veil at which the Text saith the Angel appeared neither could Zachary be the High Priest for the Text says he was of the course of Abia and that it came to his lot to offer incense but the High Priest was of no course neither did the incensing of the most Holy fall to him by lot but it was his only and proper office the ground therefore was altogether mistaken Secondly At the Birth of Christ every man woman and child was to go to be taxed at the City whereto they belonged whither some had long journeys But the middle of Winter was not fitting for such a business especially for women with child and children to travel in Therefore Christ could not be born in the depth of Winter Again At the time of Christ's Birth the Shepherds lay abroad watching with their flocks in the night-time but this was not likely to be in the middle of Winter And if any shall think the Winter-wind was not so extreme in those parts let him remember the words of Christ in the Gospel Pray that your flight be not in the Winter If the Winter was so bad a time to flee in it seems no fit time for Shepherds to lye in the Fields in and Women and Children to travel in They conclude therefore That the Birth of Christ was in September First Because otherwise this third Feast of Tabernacles should have nothing answering as the other had which they think the more unlikely because there was no month in the year had more legal Feasts than this as the Feast of Trumpets the first day the Feast of Expiation on the tenth and that of Tabernacles on the fifteenth unto the two and twentieth Secondly Ioseph Scaliger proveth it by the four and twenty courses of the Priests and shews that Abia's course or week wherein Zachary served began the one and twentieth of Iuly and ended the eight and twentieth that year Our Saviour's conception therefore being six months after must fall at the end of December and so his Birth nine months after about the end of September the four and twentieth day whereof that year began the Feast of Tabernacles and so his Birth falls in the Feast-time Lastly The Primitive Church of Alexandria where were the best Calculators of times kept the Feast of Iohn Baptist's Nativity the eight and twentieth of the month Pharmuth which is the three and twentieth of our April as Cyril witnesseth in an Homily upon that occasion Now if Iohn Baptist were born the three and twentieth of April the Birth of Christ which was six months after must fall in the latter end of September as aforesaid All which if true the day we observe is not the day of his Birth but only the day wherein we solemnly remember it and though the time it self if known were the most fit for such a solemnity yet no time can be unlawfully chosen for such a day And thus I have shewed you the Time the Manner and the Signification of these three Feasts Now let us see what profitable Observations this Discourse thereof will afford us First therefore By these Feasts it appears that the hallowing unto God of more days in the Week than one is not against the meaning of the Fourth Commandment Some there are who will have the words Six days shalt thou labour to be as much a Commandment as Keep holy the Seventh and hence argue that it is no more lawful for humane Authority to forbid working any of the Six days than to forbid the holy observation of the Seventh and then all our Holy-days besides Sunday are unlawful But by these Three solemn Feasts which were each of them of a Week's durance at the least it is manifest that Six days shalt thou labour are no Commandment but express only an ordinary permission of working For it could not be but some days of these holy Feasts must be of the Six and to think that God would gain-say his own Commandment by a contrary Ordinance is unimaginable As therefore when he commanded that men should give him the Tenth of their increase he forbade not Free-will-offerings nor that men might not give half their goods to sacred uses So when he commanded one day of Seven to be universally and necessarily kept holy this hindreth not but the Church may hallow other days to God even of the Six But they will say God indeed appointed some other days to be observed besides one of Seven but the Church had no leave so to do I answer The contrary appears by the Feast of Purim which Mordecai caused to be ordained and is no where reproved therefore nor the Iews who observed it as long as their Church stood The contrary also appears by the Feast of Dedication which Iudas Maccabaeus when he had cleansed the Temple from the prophanation of Antiochus ordained yearly to be kept in the month Casleu 1 Maccab. 4. 59. which was so far from reproof that our Saviour himself while he was upon earth honoured it with his presence as we read Iohn 10. 22. And it was at Ierusalem the Feast of Dedication and it was Winter where the word Winter is of purpose put to specifie this Feast of Iudas Maccabaeus in the Month of Casleu on the 25. day thereof Secondly we may observe from these Feasts That the fittest time to hallow unto God is that which he hath as it were honoured and made remarkable by some special work and mercy of his For you heard that the Feast of Vnleavened bread and the Feast of Weeks were ordained to be kept at those days and times of the year wherein those works of God remembred in them were performed So God himself appointed of all the days of the Week the Seventh to be kept holy because he finished then the great work of the Creation of the World So in the Gospel of all the days in the Week the First was chosen because on it Christ rose from the dead In like manner when the Church would hallow unto God more days than one of seven it being the Times of his Passion Ascension and sending of the Holy Ghost as also the days of their Births or Deaths whom God had made as Pillars to support his Church and in whose sufferings it was confirmed and himself glorified The third and last Observation is this The practice and fact of man is no sound argument to prove what is and what is not jure Divino For we see in this and three other places how expresly this Feast of Tabernacles was commanded yearly to be observed Nevertheless which is past all belief it was never kept at least in this main circumstance of dwelling in booths from the time of Ioshua until after their return from Captivity
Blind zeal which wants knowledge 3. Turbulent zeal which wants love and moderation 1. The First of these Hypocritical zeal is a meer blaze and shew of fervency without any true and solid heat It is nothing but the Vizor of zeal looking a squint one way but tending another pretending God and his Glory but aiming at some private and sinister end Such was the zeal of Iehu who marched furiously and his word was The Lord of hosts Come said he to Ionadab and see my zeal for the Lord but his project was the Kingdom Iezabel proclaimed a Fast as out of an Extasie of zeal that God should be blasphemed but her aim was Naboth's vineyard So in Acts 19. Demetrius the Silver-Smith and his fellows cry Great is Diana of the Ephesians but meant the gain they got by making of her Silver Shrines vers 24. This Zeal is soon descried by the proper Character it hath namely an affectation of having their works seen of men which is said of the vain-glorious Pharisees in Matt. 6. be it by ostentation of their zealous deeds like Iehu or by the excess of affected gestures sighs and other like actions falling within the view of men Not but that a true zeal doth shew it self vehement even in external actions but it is the straining of them beyond measure which argues the Heart to be guilty of emptiness within 2. The Second kind of False zeal is Blind zeal Ignis fatuus or Fools fire leading a man out of the right way when men zealously affect evil things supposing them to be good or are eagerly bent against good things supposing them to be evil Such was the Zeal of the Iews of whom S. Paul witnesseth that they had a zeal of God that is in the matters of God but not according to knowledg And with this Zeal was he himself once carried when he persecuted the Christians with an opinion of doing God good service as the phrase is Iohn 16. 2. I verily thought saith he with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Iesus of Nazareth And such is the zeal of simple and devout Sectaries who blindly run after some person they esteem without knowing themselves either why or whither This kind of zeal is like to metal in a Blind horse that will speed to fall into a pit or to break his neck The counsel I would give for avoiding this kind is to look before we leap and see our way clearly before we run 3. The Third kind of False zeal is Turbulent zeal which S. Iames calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bitter zeal a kind of Wildfire transporting a man beyond all compass of Moderation namely when in the excess of our heat we either outgo the bounds of our place and calling or use undue Means or wayes or overshoot the limits of Love and Charity whether to God or our Neighbour For howsoever Zeal be an excess of our affections in the things of God yet must this excess never break over the banks either of our vocation or in choice of Means out-bound the Rule of God's Law as theirs most certainly doth who endeavour to colour their Religion by the Massacres of Princes overturning of Kingdoms breach of Oaths and almost all bands of humane Society Such was the Zeal of Saul when he slew the Gibeonites forgetting the Oath which the Princes of the Congregation had made unto them Iosh. 9. 15 18 19. And such was the zeal of Iames and Iohn in the Gospel when to vindicate the honour of Christ they would have Fire to come down from heaven to consume a whole Village of Samaria Such also was Peter's zeal when he cut off Malchus his ear The former outwent the limits of Love and Charity the last the limits of his Vocation As Clocks whose Springs are broken overstrike the hour of the day So this mad and untempered Zeal the measure of Moderation Thus I have briefly described these False fires that by the Law of contraries we may know who is the true Zealot whom God approveth namely He whose Spirit is in Fervency and not in Shew for God and not for himself guided by the Word and not with humours and opinions tempered with Charity and free from head-strong violence This is that Zeal which our Saviour calls for in my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be zealous therefore This is that Zeal which whoso wants in him God hath no pleasure but will spue him out of his Mouth as it is said in vers 15. a little before my Text. But why will you say should this zeal be so needful or why may we not worship God without it Let us therefore now see the Reasons and Motives which do evince and prove it needful and should urge us to it 1. First therefore I will seek no further than my Text where the want of Zeal is reckoned for a Sin a Sin to be repented of Be zealous and Repent Is not that needful without which all our works are sinful But Vertue you will say consists in a Mean and not in Excess and why should not Piety also I answer The Mean wherein Vertue is placed is the Middle of different kinds and not the Middle or Mean of degrees in one and the same kind Vertue so it be Vertue is at the best in the highest degree and so is Religion in the highest pitch of Zeal 2. It is the Ground-rule of the whole Law of God and of all the Precepts concerning his Worship That we must love the Lord our God with all our heart with all our Soul with all our Mind and with all our Strength What is this else but to love him zealously to worship him with the highest pitch of our affections and the uttermost strain both of Body and Soul For he is the Soveraign and chiefest Good what Love then can suite to him but the very top and Soveraignty of Love All things in God are Supreme his Power his Knowledg his Mercy and therefore he cannot truly be worshipped unless we yield him whatsoever is Supreme in ourselves a supremacy of Fear a supremacy of Hope a supremacy of Thankfulness For whom then should we reserve the top and chief of our affections for our gold for our Herodias c How can we offer God a baser indignity will he endure that any thing in the world should be respected before him or equalled to him The Lord our God is a jealous God and will not suffer it Let therefore all the Springs and Brooks of our affections run into this Main and let no Rivulet be drawn another way If Zeal be good in any thing it is most required in the best things and if in any thing it be comely to work with all our might Eccles. 9. 10. certainly in the service of God it is most comely Be not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord
discern in S. Malthew the Hebrew Evangelist Chap. 24. v. 30. two such Appearances intimated The one in the words Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and all the Tribes of the earth shall mourn out of Zach. 12. v. 10 11 12. The other in the words following And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory out of Dan. 7. But here I find a rub which I cannot yet get over For this appearing of the sign of the Son of man in heaven as well as his coming in the clouds with great glory is said to be immediately after the tribulation of those days that is as I am wont to expound it soon after the long tribulation of the Iewish Nation shall be ended But their tribulation shall not end till they be converted Ergo their Conversion must needs precede the sign of the Son of man in heaven there mentioned Here I stick But your Objections I think I could answer thus As first to that of the Iews Conversion to be wrought by the taking away the veil from their hearts 2 Cor. 3. I could answer That that is the Internal cause of their Conversion or if you will the act of the Spirit of God illuminating and converting them as he that takes away the film from the eyes of him that sees not or the hood from him that is hood-winkt does by that act make him see But I speak of the External cause or means of the Iews Conversion such as in the ordinary administration of God is the preaching of the Word but extraordinarily may be by Miracle as was in the Conversion of Paul who nevertheless had the Mosaical veil taken from his heart as well as the rest of his Nation when they are converted shall have But by the way because you mention that place Luk. 7. 47. give me leave to add That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies in Scripture not only Quia or quoniam but also the redditive thereto which is Ideo propterea because namely the Hebrew particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answers signifies both as appears Psal. 116. v. 10. compared with 2 Cor. 4. 13. ubi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebraeo à Paulo exponitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Gen. 22. 17. item Eccles. 8. 6. See our English In both which places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is both the causal Quoniam and the redditive thereto Ideo Now the Scripture is wont to extend the Greek words it useth unto the full notion of the Hebrew or Chaldee to which they answer as may be proved by many Examples though in the Greeks use they signified not so This Dialect is called Lingua Hellenistica spoken by the Hellenists or Greekish Iews which lived dispersed under the Greek Empire whose property is to accommodate verba Graeca notioni Orientis But no such ground can be shewn I think for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quando to signifie the redditive tunc To your other Objection How such a Vision could be manifested to the Iews dispersed in several parts of the world I could answer That a Vision or Apparition in Heaven may be seen to the greatest part of the world at the same time as Stars and Comets are how else shall the Appearing of our Saviour in the clouds of Heaven at his coming to Iudgment be seen at once to so many Nations of the world But here is one thing more considerable from the miraculous Conversion of S. Paul upon supposal that that of the Iews may be like it viz. That though many were present with S. Paul at that time yet none saw the apparition of Christ nor heard him speak but Paul alone for whose sake he appeared The rest saw indeed a strange light and heard the voice of Paul replying and answering but they heard not the voice nor saw any that spake unto him which therefore made them astonished Compare Acts 9. 7. where it is said They heard Paul's voice with Acts 22. 9. where it is said They heard not the voice of him that spake unto him And take heed here of some of our English Bibles which have put in a not where it should not be as they have done the like in other places Fie upon such careless Printers But to the matter What if the like be at the Iews Conversion to wit that they alone shall see and hear the voice of Christ but none of the Gentiles amongst whom they dwell though perhaps some strange light for a testimony may at that instant surprise the whole world to the astonishment of the Nations therein Consider that of Matt. 24. 27. and the places of the other Evangelists answering thereto And what if the Iews upon such an apparition may have as S. Paul had an Ananias too or as they expect an Elias to instruct them So you know the ancient Christian Church believed from Mal. 4. 5. Mat. 17. 11. Ecclus. 48. 10. For though the Fathers as well as the Iews might erre concerning the person and circumstances of this Elias yet it follows not presently but the substance of the opinion might be true But I will not discover all my roving Speculations unless I had better ground for them lest perhaps I should make you more than wonder at me Howsoever it be I suppose it is no sin to conceive magnificè and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of so great a work of God towards a people for whom he hath formerly shewed so many wonders especially this being to be the greatest work of mercy and wonder that ever he did for them far beyond the bringing them forth of AEgypt and leading them in the wilderness c. Consider it Besides it may be there is a precedent already extant Sure I am when I had entertained this conceit into my meditation I was led by I know not what providence as I was searching some other matter to find an History of the greatest multitude of Iews that ever I think were converted since the Apostles times to have been convinced by such a miraculous apparition in every respect as I had apprehended The Story if it be true happened about some 570 years after Christ in the daies of Iustinus the Greek Emperor though Bigneus puts it a hundred years before in the kingdom of the Omerites some write Homerites in Arabia Felix where the Iews in those parts being a strong party had challenged to a publick Disputation a Christian City and Kingdom in that Tract upon condition that if they could not convince the Christians by strength of Reason and Scripture they would become Christians if they could they required the Christians should turn Iews The Disputation was performed for three days together sub dio in a full assembly of the King his Peers and people between Gregentius Bishop of Tephra and Herbanus champion for the Iews who were there assembled with him
determination Besides that which was spoken was done as it were obiter and in few words without insisting thereupon and that too with premised caution and nothing so much by a great deal nor so punctual as I had discoursed in the same place Sixteen years ago in a Concio ad Clerum for my Degree upon another Text. The Text now was that of Solomon Eccles. 5. Look to thy feet when thou comest to the House of God and be more ready to obey for so I rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than to offer the Sacrifice of Fools c. The Parts 1. A Precept of reverent and awful demeanour and accommodation when we come to God's House in the first words 2. A Caution not to prefer the secondary Service of God before the first and principal in the latter words Be more ready to obey c. I discoursed of the Condition of Places dedicated to Divine worship or God's House 2. What the Ratio was or wherein consisted the specification of the Divine Presence when he is said to be in one place more than another The Precept Look to thy feet I understood and interpreted as an Allusion to that Rite of Discalceation used by the Iews and other Nations of the Orient when they came into Sacred Places and still to this day continued amongst them Concerning which I produced divers Testimonies the ancientest that of God to Moses in the bush and to Ioshua together with that Symbole of Pythagoras 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Discalceato pede sacrificato adoratóque c. Hence I made the sense of these words of Solomon to be as if we inflecting them to our manners should say Look unto or Be observant of thy Head when thou comest into the House of God meaning that he should put off his Hat and use any other Reverence wont to accompany it as a leading Gesture For so was this Rite of Discalceation among the Iews a leading Ceremony to other Reverential guises then used as the putting off of the Hat in civil use is wont to be with us Hence I inferred It was not only lawful but fit and a Duty commended to us in Scripture to use some kind of Reverence yea some Reverential guise and gesture when we come into God's House Where after a very few words of the thing in general in the close I had these words For should we come into God's House as we do into a Barn or Stable It was not good manners once so to come into a man's house Therefore our Blessed Saviour when he sent forth his Disciples to preach the Gospel Matth. 10. would not have them to enter into a man's house without salutation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When ye enter into a house salute it Why should we not think it to be a part of Religious manners to do as much when we come into the house of God But if any shall ask me here what other Gesture besides the Uncovering of the Head I would require in this case because I intimated that even now to be a leading Gesture I answer This belongs to the discretion of our Superiors and the authority of the Church to appoint not to me to determine For here as in all other Ceremonies the Church is not tied but hath liberty to ordain that which she shall think most suitable and agreeable to the time place and manners of the people where she lives Yet if I may without offence or presumption utter what I think then I say That Adoration or the Bowing of the Body together with some short Ejaculation which the Church of Israel used in her Temple together with Discalceation and which the Christians of the Orient at this day use in their Churches and time out of mind have done so is of all others the most seemly ready and fitting to our manners were it once by uniform order and practice established namely according to that of Psal. 132. 7. Introibimus in Tabernacula ejus incurvabimus nos Scabello pedum ejus or to that of Psal. 5. 7. I will enter into thine House in the multitude of thy mercies in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple Which is the Form the Iews use at this day at their ingress into their Synagogues and so for ought I know might we too This was the whole passage verbatim as I spake it Whence I passed immediately to the Second part of my Text Be more ready to obey c. where my chief Observation wherewith I concluded was The Condition of all External Service of God in general in the eyes of God which was such as he accepted no otherwise than secundariò namely as issuing from a Heart respectively affected with that Devotion it importeth That as the Body without the Soul is but a Carcass so is all Bodily worship wherein the pulse of the Heart's devotion beats not Now Mr. Doctor what was there in all this that an honest discreet and moderate man being so perswaded as I am might not speak But you will say What need had I to say any thing at all I 'le tell you My opinion in these things was well known to many in the University Our Pulpit had a long time been inflamed with such Discourses My obstinate silence having had more than once opportunity to declare my self and being studied in these matters was imputed to me by some to proceed either ex malitioso affectu toward such as furthered these things or out of too much addition and tenderness to the Puritan faction which is a crime here if it be once fastened upon a man nullo Oceano eluendum I thought good therefore to declare my self which yet I did with that caution and tenderness which might not give any just cause of offence to those who were contrary-minded who yet now I perceive deserved it not by their over-lavish report of what was spoken Besides I observed both out of Books daily printed and out of such Discourses as I had heard upon what dangerous Grounds some defended these things namely such as would in time infer the lawfulness of Image-worship I thought good therefore in more private Discourses to set them upon safer Principles and such as might if it were possible prevent such an Evil. And in all this why may I not say What have I done was there not a cause Yea but I am a great Practiser and Prosecuter of such ways Yet for all this I bowed not to the Altar when I came out of S. Marie's Pulpit as others commonly use to do I have urged no man at any time to use any of these Ceremonies nor conformed my self to any of them till I saw them prevail so generally as I should have been accounted singular Our own Chappel is very regular yet was not any thing introduced by me but others I confess I had no scruple to follow them besides I took occasion by my Chappel-exercises to inform them of
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bonum nuncium boni nuncii praemium p. 78 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pl. p. 79 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 93 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 83 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 293 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 287 360 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apocal. 4. page 757 594 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 551 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 912 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro Peste Page 446 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 913 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 82 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 517 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 287 289 360 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 361 364 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 290 358 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 390 391 397 479 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 376 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 77 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 180 479 824 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 342 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causalis c. Pag. 91 506. ordinativa p. 753 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 364 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 366 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 495 496 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 74 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 678 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 181 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 11 910 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 14 182 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 70 71 151 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 96 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 911 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 360 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 328 336 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 510 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 183 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 615 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 283 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 170 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 331 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 377 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 107 618 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 354 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 584 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 344 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 337 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 527 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 272 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 117 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causaliter Page 70 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 75 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 322 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 324 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 705 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 196 197 577 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 517 518 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 490 908 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 537 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 372 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 399 823 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 483 596 760 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 577 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideo 766 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 118 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 118 119 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 40 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 424 478 560 906 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 500 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 664 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 49 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 240 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 615 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 45 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 118 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 125 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 485 915 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 575 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 713 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 626 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 48 49 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 908 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 durare 502 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 801 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 912 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 27 70 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 72 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 331 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro Loco oratioâ—is 66 67 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 501 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 361 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 615 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 63 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 465 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 909 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 269 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 448 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 323 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 613 c. 617 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 331 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 287 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 914 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 897 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 255 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 916 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro mercede 910 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 446 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 72 73 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 648 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 68 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 332 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro Epulo 387 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 474 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 321 322 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 331 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 652 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 91 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 912 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 458 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 PaSge 398 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 269 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 387 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 443 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 518 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 468 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 117 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cadaver 909 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 492 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 473 The Fourth Table of Things or the chief Matters contained in this Edition A Pag. THE A. B. C. of Prophecy 743 Abomination of desolation 708 Abraham's offering of Isaac the Key for understanding the Sacrifices of the Law 111 112 Achmetes his Onirocritica of what use towards the clearing of the Prophetick style 451 c. Adam's Sin was a kind of Sacriledge 123. Four â—ggravations of his Sin 222 Affections See Passions Affliction the fitrestrime to glorifie God in 189 Ahab The way of Ahab what 243 Aire the mansion of Evil spirits 23 24 Albigenses their Piety and Sufferings 503 c. 517 722 c. Alms no arbitrary thing 81. why God requires them 170. they are to be joyned with Prayer 167. how prevalent they are with God 169. they are a fit acknowledgement of God's being the Lord and Giver of all 171 c. according to our works of Charity and Mercy shall be our last doom 81 Alstedius his four Epocha's of the 1260 days Apocal. 11. examined 600 c. Altar the name given to the H. Table by