is vain and fruitless for there is no Medium to unite in The only way to Peace is to silence all these Disputes as matters which Mankind will never agree about and wherein Religion is no more concerned than the Government of Kingdoms or States and on which the Salvation of our Souls no more depends than the conduct of our Secular Affairs or the preservation of this Mortal Life For the dispute about Decrees Predestination God's Power over our Wills how God and Creatures produce the same Effect what belongs to God and what belongs to the Creature in every Action since in him we live and move concerns every thing else as well as Religion and yet in all other cases men let Philosophers dispute these Points and quietly go about their Business and do what is fit to be done as if there were no Controversy about these matters and I cannot imagine why they should not do so in Religion too Believe what is plainly taught and do what is commanded use the greatest Wisdom and our utmost diligence in doing good and depend upon the succours of the Divine Grace and leave these Disputes to be decided at the day of Judgment and that will decide them all By this means I am sure most of the Disputes among Protestants which have given the greatest Disturbance to the Church would be for ever silenced and Christian Religion would not be clogged nor reproached with such Philosophical Controversies 2ly The Unity of Communion and that consists in our worshipping God together when we resort to the same Church to offer up our united Prayers and Thanksgivings to God and to partake of that holy Supper which is the Sacrament and Symbol of our Union to Christ and to each other and this indeed is true Church-Unity and it is greatly to be lamented that men who profess the same Faith and agree in all the Essentials of Worship should divide Communion and refuse to Pray together and to Feast at the same holy Table of our Lord. We cannot indeed Communicate with the Church of Rome because they have corrupted the very Essentials of Christian Worship Most men do not understand their Prayers and therefore cannot joyn in Prayer with them they worship Images and Pictures which is expresly forbidden by the second Commandment Instead of praying to God in the Name of our only Mediator and Advocate Jesus Christ they have joyned other Intercessors with him pray to Saints and Angels and the Virgin Mary to pray for them and help them They worship the Host which we believe to be nothing but Bread and Wine as to the substance and therefore no Object of Worship and turn the Sacramental Feast of Christ's Body and Blood into a propitiatory Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead Such a Worship as this we dare not joyn in because it is Sinful and Idolatrous But the case is quite different among Protestants they pray to the same God in the only Name of the same Lord Jesus Christ put up the same Petitions offer the same Thanksgivings and Praises observe the same Divine Institutions without any essential change and alteration and yet cannot worship God together as if it were an impious thing to put up the same Prayers and to offer the same Praises to God in a pious and grave and well-composed Form of Words which others do it may be not so well and decently in their conceived Prayers as if the Devotion of the Communicant in receiving so inestimable a Blessing as the Sacramental Body and Blood of Christ upon his knees were a prophanation of that Holy Feast as if a white Linnen-Garment which never underwent any Religious Conjurations and is used only as a decent Habit without any opinion of its Virtue or Sanctity were a just reason to drive men out of the Church from the Christian Communion of Prayers and Sacraments These would be surprizing stories to any Christians in the World who had never heard before of such Disputes among us Pray give me leave to speak my mind freely upon this occasion Upon the best and most impartial Inquiries and Observations I can make I do in my Conscience believe the Church of England to be the most Apostolical and best Reformed Church in the World I see no reason from the nature of things to make any material Alterations in her Doctrine or Worship and therefore I confess it has given me very just Resentments to hear our Church charged with such unjust Imputations of Popery Superstition Idolatry Will-worship and what not and to see a blind and furious Zeal ready to raze up the very Foundations of it It has often grieved me to see such a Church as this rent and torn by Schisms which a man of ordinary prudence might easily foresee would give great advantage to the common Enemy of the Protestant Faith This and the care of mens Souls and of their temporal Fortunes too moved several Divines of this Church when the Government thought fit to re-enforce the Laws of Uniformity to examine and answer all the Arguments of our Dissenting Brethren which they performed with that good Temper with that perswasiveness and strength of Argument as will be a Vindication of our Church to future Ages and I wish it may upon second thoughts have yet a better effect upon those who were not then perswaded and this I suppose will not be called Persecution much less can the many kind Offices they did in keeping off Ecclesiastical Censures be called a Persecution And yet after all when it is so apparent that Prejudices are grown as obstinate as they are unreasonable when not the reason of the thing but the weakness of some and the ill designs of others require some compliance and condescension we have reason to hope that the CHURCH of ENGLAND which at the beginning of the Reformation took such prudent are not to offend the Papist by going farther from them than was necessary will whenever it is likely to do good condescend a great deal farther than it is necessary to Reform to meet the Dissenter for while the external Decency Gravity and Solemnity of Worship is secured no wise and good Man will think much to change a changeable Ceremony when it will heal the Breaches and Divisions of the Church and let us all heartily Pray to GOD that there may be this good and peaceable Disposition of Mind in all Conformists and Non-conformists towards a happy Re-union and all considering Men will think it time to lay aside such little Disputes when it is not merely the Church of England nor any particular Sect of Protestants whose Ruin is aimed at but the whole Protestant FAITH 3ly Another kind of Unity is Love and Charity and a mutual forbearance This I confess is a very difficult thing when the Dispute runs so high as to divide Christian Communion for it seems in effect to declare Men to be Heathens and Publicans when we refuse to Worship GOD with them and few Men can
great Reproach to a Christian Nation where such Doctrines are publickly owned and profess'd and such Persons courted and flattered as â—…he most refined Philosophical Wits I pray God this Nation do not find the â—…ischievous Effects of it both in Church â—…nd State Government can never be long secure without the Sacred Authority of Religion and destroy Revealed Religion and we shall quickly have none as is too visible in the Lives of Deists I 'm sure it is a vain thing to talk of a Reformation of Manners while such Men are suffered to poison the very Fountains to undermine all Religion and to root up the very Foundations of Piety and Vertue I do not love to prophesie ill Things but that Nation cannot reasonably expect to receive Good from God which is so unconcerned for his Glory and Worship it being the standing Rule of his Government He that honoureth me I will honour but those which despise me shall be lightly esteemed To God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost be Honour Glory and Power now and for evermore Amen SERMON XII Preach'd on September 2. 1699. Being the Fast for the Fire of London at the Cathedeal Church of St. Paul's before the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor Aldermen and Citizens of London Micah vi 9. The Lord's Voice crieth unto the City and the Man of Wisdom shall see thy Name Hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it WHen the State of this World is Happy and Prosperous it is no wonder to see Men indulge themselves in Ease and Luxury forget God or grow careless and formal in Religion For though it might reasonably be expected that happy Creatures who rejoice in the Blessings of Heaven should be very devout Worshippers of that God from whose Bounty and Goodness they receive all yet Humane Nature in this degenerate State is very fond of sensual Pleasures And when an easie and plentiful Fortune puts it into Mens Power to enjoy as much of this World as they will there are but very few who can set Bounds to their Enjoyments and taste the Pleasures of this Life without taking large and intoxicating Draughts of it and this sensualizes Mens Minds and a carnal Mind is Enmity against God saith unto God Depart from us for we desire not the Knowledge of thy Ways Never any People had more sensible Demonstrations of the Power and Presence of God amongst them and his particular Care of them than the Israelites had and yet Moses tells us in his Prophetick Hymn Iesurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxen fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with Fatness then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation Deut. 32. 15. And thus God complains Isa. 1. 2 3. Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me The Ox knoweth his Owner and the Ass his Master's Crib but Israel doth not know my People doth not consider And as much as we may despise and abhor the Ingratitude of the Iews this is the general State of Mankind and we may find too many Examples of it in all Times and Nations But it seems much more unaccountable when the Iudgments of God are abroad in the World that the Inhabitants thereof should not learn Righteousness Because Judgments are apt to awaken Men and make them consider When God speaks in Thunder and Lightning those must be deaf indeed who will not hear This is the merciful Design of Providence in sending such terrible Judgments on the World to make Men consider their Ways and their Doings and to convince them that there is a God that judgeth in the Earth For Judgments have a Voice had we but Ears to hear They proclaim the Power and the Majesty of God a terrible Majesty and irresistible Power theâ—… scourge and they threaten Sinners anâ—… call for Weeping and Mourning anâ—… Fasting And how unthankful soever thâ—… Iews were to God for his great Mercieâ—… and Deliverances yet they were not so insensible of his Judgments When he sleâ—… them then they sought him and returned and enquired early after God and remembred that God was their Rock and thâ—… High God their Redeemer Psalm 78â—… 34 35. This we are exhorted to in my Text To hear the Rod and who hath appointed it To consider for what reasons those Evils which we at any time suffer are come upon us and what God intends by the Rod which is the only way to grow better by our Afflictions and to prevail with God in great Pity and Compassion to remove them But this is the great difficulty Who shall reveal this Secret to us How shall we distinguish between the Corrections of God and the Wickedness of Men How shall we understand the Language of the Rod and to whom it speaks for what Sins it strikes and who are those Achans that are the Troublers of our Israel and what God expects from us in such Cases I shall briefly explain these things to you and apply it to the present Occasion But I must premise That I only address my self now to those who believe a God and a Providence and that God hath revealed his Will and the Rule of his Providence in the Holy Scriptures As for Atheists and Infidels who have neither Eyes nor Ears they can only feel the Rod like Bruits not hear its Voice like Men Though the Lord's Voice crieth unto the City it is only the Men of Wisdom that see his Name Now as for those who believe a God and the Holy Scriptures there are two very plain Interpreters of God's Judgments Natural Conscience and the Word of God For the Judgments of God have not an Articulate Voice to acquaint us in plain and express Words upon what Errand they come but they are Signs which speak by an Interpreter and if we carefully attend to the Dictates of Natural Conscience and to the Word of God we cannot mistake their meaning 1. As first No Man who attends either to the Dictates of Natural Conscience or to the Word of God can doubt who it is that hath appointed the Rod This is the first and most naturaâ—… question of all and yet a great many who profess to believe a God and a Providence seem not well satisfied in this Point They allow that some Judgments are the Hand of God but are not willing to grant this of all especially when they see what the immediate and visible Causes of such Sufferings are Some of the greatest Evils which either private Men or Publick Societies suffer are manifestly owing to the Injustice and Wickedness of Men and they can no more believe that it is the Will and Appointment of God that they should suffer such Evils than that it is the Will of God that others should do them And all such Rods as are not appointed by God can teach us nothing but the Wickedness of those by whom
coâ—… cerns the Christian Church we maâ—… learn from the Epistles to the Sevâ—… Churches of Asia what it is provokâ—… our Lord either severely to punish us to remove the Gospel from us Tâ—… Church of Ephesus though she had aâ—… quitted her self well in many thing yet had left her first Love had abated very much of her Zeal and Fervour for the Name and Religion of Christ. The Church of Pergamâ—…s is threatned for suffering those among her who taught Idolatrous Worship and fleshly Lusts And the Church of Thyatira likewise for suffering the Woman Iezaâ—…el to commit Fornicatâ—…on and to eat things sacrificed to Idols The Church of Sardis made a glorious and pompous Profession of Religion but without the true Life and Spirit of it â—…e had a name to live but was dead And the Church of Laodicea grew very cold and indifferent even in the Profession of Religion as well as in the Practice of it she was neither hot nor cold 〈◊〉 lukewarm All these our Saviour summons to Repentance and threatens to punish or destroy them if they did not Chap. 2 and 3. of the Revelations The Application of all this to our selves is so obvious that I need not multiply Words about it We are that very Nation wherein all these Evils meet it is hard to name any Vice which is not openly committed amongst us without Fear or Shame Nay things are come to that pass that to be a modest Sinner to boggle at any Wickedness oâ—… to blush at it is as great a Reproach as to be Virtuous And though somâ—… Men are ashamed to own themselveâ—… Atheists yet to believe in Christ and to own any Reveal'd Religion or tâ—… talk seriously of Providence of God governing the World and punishinâ—… Cities and Nations for their Wickeâ—… ness is thought a Jest and I wiâ—… it were a Jest only among vile anâ—… mean People of no Fortune or Education whereas we often see that theâ—… Condition makes them modest and uâ—… taught Nature teaches them better tâ—… they are corrupted by the Examples 〈◊〉 Men of Wit and Figure in the Worlâ—… And as for those who pretend to Relâ—… gion it is a very melancholy Prospecâ—… to observe how little of the true Liâ—… and Spirit of Christianity there is 〈◊〉 mong them There is indeed Noiâ—… and Zeal and Faction enough amonâ—… some People and that makes others 〈◊〉 cold and indifferent The Tempers of thâ—… Church of Sardis and Laodicea thâ—… one that had a Name to live but waâ—… dead the other that was lukewarmâ—… make much the greatest Parties amonâ—… us and the very best Men I fear are too much inclined to the State of Ephesus which had left her first Love those great Passions and Ardours of Devotion which ought to inspire the Minds of Christians Let us then hear the Rod and tremble See how God dealt with the Iewish Church for these Sins see what our Lord hath done to the Churches of Asia and though we cannot say what God will do to us because we know not what wonderful Designs are in the Womb of Providence yet we know what we do and how God hath dealt with those who have done as we do which is too just reason to fear that he will deal so by us too unless we repent and reform which they did not For 2dly When the Judgments of God are upon us the Reformation must be universal too It concerns every Man to reform himself for a Nation can never be reformed but by the Reformation of particular Men who make up the Nation and therefore when we are summon'd to Repentance as the Judgments of God summon us all every Man must examine himself what he has to repent of and reform himself But yet there is great difference between a National and Personal Repentance and Reformation and they serve very different Ends. A Nation may be said to be reformed and God may in great Mercy remove his Judgments though what is never to be expected every particular Man do not repent and reform himself But then such a National Reformation requires the Execution of publick Justice against publick Wickedness to make Sin publickly infamous and to teach the greatest and most powerfuâ—… Sinners Modesty To banish if noâ—… Sinners yet Sin out of our Courts and out of our Streets and to make it once more seek for Night and Darkness foâ—… a Covering that Virtue may no longer blush in Company or need Apologies Nor Vice dare to brave it at Noon-day There has indeed of late been some Care taken by publick Laws and Royal Proclamations to punish the Prophanation of God's Name by accursed Oaths but yet in most Cases Men may be as vile as they please and as publickly so as they please and little or no notice taken of them nay they may talk and write what they please against God and Religion ridicule the History of Moses and the Gospel of our Saviour and the Mysteries of the Christian Faith and gain Credit and Reputation by it I hope there are not many Christian Nations in the World which in so publick a manner permit these things We have talk'd of Liberty of Conscience and Reformation to good purpose if the only Effect of it be a Liberty of ridiculing the Christian Faith which might make one suspect that all the Zeal some Men have express'd against Popery was at the bottom of it a Zeal for Atheism and Irreligion which the Discipline of Popery as bad a Religion as it is would not endure it is indeed well fitted to make Atheists and Infidels but will make Men have a care how they profess it And it is to be feared that this Scepticism and Infidelity and Contempt of Religion will prove a Back-door to let in Popery again upon us But to leave these Thoughts with those whose proper Care and Business it is whether a Nation will be reformed or not it concerns every particular Man to hear the Rod The Judgments of God warn us of his Anger and Displeasure against Sin that we may fly from the Wrath to come and we do not hear the Voice of the Rod nor improve Judgments to their true end if we do not so repent and reform as to save our Souls and this to be sure must be a Personal and an Universal Reformation And yet even with respect to present Judgments a Personal Repentance and Reformation is of great use for when the Judgment is Publick and National God many times makes a remarkable distinction between Persons Say ye to the Righteous it shall be well with them for they shall reap the fruit of their Doings Wo unto the Wicked it shall be ill with him for the Reward of his Hands shall be given to him Which is spoke with respect to Publick Judgments Isa. 3. 10 11. Which is a sufficient Encouragement for particular Men to repent and reform their Lives whatever others do But it is time to apply what I have now discoursed to the
Calamities upon Nations but for the Punishment of some Publlick and National Sins And therefore a Christian Nation which professes the True Faith and Worship of Christ preserves the Reverence of Religion corrects and suppresses Vice may expect to be blessed with all external Prosperity for righteousness exâ—…alteth a nation it does so in its natural tendency and effects and it does so by the Blessing of God and therefore when God brings any Publick Judgments upon a Nation professing the true faith of Christ we have reason to take notice of God's Anger and Displeasure to enquire what is amiss among us what that accursed thing is which hath provoked God to Jealousy and made him take the Rod into his hand We have then reason to humble our selves before God to deprecate his Anger and Displeasure to turn from all the evil of our ways that hem ay return and be merciful to us But there is one thing worth observing which may be matter of Hope and Comfort to us at this time That God never delivered the Iewish Church into the hands of their Enemies to oppress them never carried them away into captivity excepting the last Destruction of Ierusalem in Punishment of their Sin in Crucifying their Messias but only when they were guilty of Idolatry A Corruption of Manners might bring other Judgments upon them but it was generally and I think always for their Idolatry that God made their Enemies rule over them and carried them captive into a Strange land This we have a summary account of Iudges 2. how that after the Death of Ioshua and those Elders who had seen all that God did for them they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth and the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and God deliver'd them into the hand of spoilers who spoiled them v. 11 12 c. For this Sin of Idolatry the Ten Tribes were carried away into a Perpetual Captivity and Iudah carried captive to Babylon which they were threatned with by the Prophets for their Whoredoms that is their Idolatries 2 4 5. ch of Hosea and this is the account the Prophet Ieremy gives of it Like as ye have forsaken me and served strange gods in your land so shall ye serve strangers in a land which is not yours 5. Jer. 19. Now in proportion to God's dealâ—…g with the Iewish Church we have â—…ason to hope That though a Church â—…nd Nation which professes the true â—…aith and Worship of Christ may be â—…everely punished for their other Sins â—…et while they preserve themselves â—…lean from Spiritual Fornication from all Antichristian Idolatries God will not Un-Church them nor deliver them finally up into the Power of Idolatrous Oppressors I am sure we of this Nation ever since the Reformation of Religion among us though God has made us smart severely for our other Sins have yet always found a watchful Providence defending us from all Attempts though contrived with Art and Skill and backed with Power to reduce us again under the Roman Yoke May the same Good Providence still watch over us and defend us and neither suffer our Popish Enemies to rejoice over us nor deluded Protestants to make dangerous and fatal Experiments 3dly When God did think fit to correct his People he always kept the Rod in his own hand and prescribed the Measures and Continuance of their Sufferings This is so plain from all the Promises and Threatnings of the Law and from the Examples of God's Providence towards Israel that there is no need to multiply particular Instances There was no Good not Evil befel Israel but by a particular Providence God inflicted Judgments on them when he saw fit and he removed them again He gave the Commission to Plague and Sword and Famine which they could not exceed In the 26. Levit. we may observe That God proportion'd his Judgments to their Sins When their Sins were grown so Publick and National as to deserve some Publick Judgments yet at first God threatens them with some more light and gentle Punishments but if they continued incorrigible he tells them he had more terrible Judgments in reserve for them which proves That God determines the Kinds Degrees and Continuance of his Judgments When David for his sin in Numbring the People had that hard Choice given him of seven years famine or to flee three months before his enemies or three days pestilence he answers Let me fall now into the hands of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of man 〈◊〉 Sam. 24. 14. That is he chose Peâ—…ilence before the Sword for Pestiâ—…ence is God's immediate hand and â—…ho the Sword be God's Judgment too â—…et it is put into the hands of men who gratify their own Lust and Rage and Revenge with it And yet tho God leaves more to man in this than â—…n any other Judgments he does not â—…ut the Sword wholly out of his own hands when he puts it into the hands of men but gives Laws to it as appears from the example of the King of Assyria whom God sent against Ierusalem To take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the street Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion what he himself not what the King of Assyria intended to do I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks 10. Isa. 5 6 7 12. Now God has the same tender care of a Christian Nation that he had of Israel He mingles our Cup for us he prescribes what we shall suffer and how long and he corrects as a Father not to destroy but to reform and this is a mighty comfort that whatever men threaten we are in the hands of God who has the Winds and Seas aâ—… his command who giveth Salvation 〈◊〉 Kings who delivereth David his Servaâ—… from the hurtful Sword Psal. 144. 10. The most powerful Oppressors are but the Rod of God's Anger the more fierce and savage Instruments God employs to correct us we may conclude the more angry God is but whatever the Rod is it is God that strikes whâ—… knows when to strike and when to spare We never have any reason to be afraid of men whatever their Power how great soever their Rage and Vengeance be but ought to pray to God as the Prophet does O Lord correct me but with judgment not in thine anger lest thou bring me to nothing Jer. 10. 24. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed Psal. 6. 1 2. or as it is in Psal. 56. 1 2 3. Be merciful to me O
and what an advantageous exchange then is it for a faithful Minister of Jesus to be removed from Earth to Heaven For let us consider what the State of Christ's Ministers is in this World what it was in St. Paul's days he tells us 2 Cor. 6. 4 10. In all things approving our selves as the Ministers of God in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labours in watchings in fasting by pureness by knowledge by long-suffering by kindnesses by the Holy Ghost by love unfeigned by the word of truth by the power of God by the Armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left by honour and dishonour by evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true as unknown and yet well known as dying and behold we live as chastened and not killed as sorrowful yet always rejoycing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things Which describes a most laborious Life a Scene of Wants of Difficulties of Sufferings a perpetual exercise of passive Virtues to reconcile the most appearing Contradictions to live and struggle and contend in this World and to fetch their Comforts and Supports from Heaven This indeed is not always the State of the Christian Church nor of the Ministers of it but yet in the greatest external Prosperity of the Church the Ministers of Religion who discharged their Trust with Diligence and Faithfulness find many difficulties to encounter The care of Mens Souls is it self a mighty Trust and Who is sufficient for these things consider but the Charge St. Paul gives to Timothy 1 Epistle 4. 11 c. Let no man despise thy youth but be thou an example of the believers in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by Prophesy by laying on of the hands of the Presbytery Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appear to all take heed to thy self and to thy doctrine continue in them for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee Here is work enough to employ the whole Man and our utmost care and diligence and prudence work for the Study for the Closet for the Pulpit as the same Apostle exhorts and charges Timothy to preach the word to be instant in season out of season to reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and Doctrine 2 Tim. 4. 2. But yet though there be Labour and Diligence in this it would be a delightful work were our Labours always blessed with success could we rescue the Souls of Men from the Dominion of their Lusts and from the power of the Devil could we turn them from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan unto God but we must often expect to labour all night and catch nothing we must contend with the Lusts and Vices of Men must bear their Folly their Frowardness their Reproaches and Censures and Injuries be thought Troublesome Pragmatical and Busy-bodies for our charitable Exhortations and Reproofs and watchfulness over their Souls And when the Church is at ease and rest from without how often is it rent and torn in Pieces with Schisms and Heresies as St. Paul forewarned Timothy The time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and be turned unto fables 3 4. ver and what infinite Labours and Difficulties does this create to the Ministers of the Gospel to heal the Breaches of the Church to confute Heresies Atheism Infidelity and to be scorned and persecuted for it with a bitter Rage and Zeal That St. Paul might well add But watch thou in all things endure afflictions do the work of an Evangelist make full proof of thy ministry 5 verse We ought not indeed to be discouraged by such difficulties as these because our Reward will be great in Heaven but it will be a happy Day when Our warfare shall be accomplished when we shall cease from our labours and our works shall follow us when we can say with St. Paul I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness 2. Thus to die is their gain Nevertheless it is more needful for the Church that they should abide in the flesh And a great loss it is to the Church when they die I need not use many words about this for the case is plain The Death of every good Man who is very useful to the World in what way soever he be useful is a very great loss for Death puts an end to his doing any more good in this World but as to take care of the Souls of Men is to do the greatest good to Mankind because the Happiness of our Souls is of the greatest concernment to us so to lose a faithful and a prudent Guide must be the greatest loss We indeed of this Church have great reason to bless God that he has sent forth so many able and painful Labourers into his Harvest that it is not the loss of every good Man that can much affect us at ordinary times for there are great numbers of wise and good Men to perpetuate a Succession of able and faithful Guides but a St. Paul is at any time and in any Age of the Church a great loss Nay Men who are much Inferiour to St. Paul but yet fitted with peculiar Abilities to serve the Church at some certain Seasons and in some difficult Circumstances are a very sensible loss at such a time when their service is most needful A Man of Counsel and Conduct who is fit to sit at the Helm and knows how to steer in a Storm is a great loss in times of Difficulty and Trouble when the Church is assaulted on all hands and it is hard to avoid one Mischief or Inconvenience without runinto another A Man of Goodness and Temper who knows how to govern his own Passions and how to soften and manage the Passions of other Men is a very sensible loss when the Passions of Men are broke loose and disturb the Peace of the Church and even threaten the ruine of it A Man of Learning and sound Judgment who can distinguish betwen Truth and Error in all its most artificial and flattering Disguises is a great loss when old Errors are revived and new ones broached when we must dispute over again the very Being of a God the truth of the Scriptures and Articles of the Christian Faith A Man of great Diligence and Industry Courage and Resolution to defend the Truth to oppose Heresies and Schisms to preserve the Unity of the Church and the Integrity of the Christian Faith is a very
6. Matth. 26 30. Where from God's care of mean Inferior Creatures the Fowls of the Air and the Grass of the Field he more strongly concludes his care of Men and by the same reason from his care of particular men we may more strongly conclude his care of Kingdoms and Nations and therefore of the Lives of Princes who are the great Ministers of his Government and Providence and whose Lives or Deaths make such a mighty Change in the Affairs of the World So that when or by what means soever Princes dye this is God's doings and how severe soever we may feel it We must be dumb and not open our mouths because he has done it which is the 2. Thing to be explained What is meant by being dumb and not opening our mouths For this seems a very hard saying in the strict literal sense that we must not complain of our Sufferings when we feel 'em smart Humane Nature can't bear this we must feel our Sufferings and when we feel them we must complain To have no sense of what we suffer is Stupidity not Submission it is irreverence for the Judgments of God and in some cases the most unpardonable baseness and ingratitude to Men. To be unconcerned for the Death of our dearest Friends or greatest Patrons and Benefactors not to pay Nature's Tribute to their Memories in a Sigh and a Tear not to long after them and send some vain Wishes to call them back not to preserve their Idea fresh in our minds and to think with some uneasiness of those happy hours which their Conversation sweetn d to part with our Friends as if we suffered nothing by their loss and were as well without them is so far from being a Virtue that such a man is uncapable of ever being a Friend and never deserves to have any much more then when we lose a publick Friend and Benefactor the greatest of Friends and Benefactors which is a good Prince Let us briefly consider what we have lost in the loss of our Gracious Queen and try if we can bear the thoughts of it without complaining She was the Glory of her Sex and an Ornament to the Crown she wore made truly Great by Nature Birth and Education She had a large and capacious Mind a quick and lively Apprehension and a piercing and solid Judgment She had a strength and firmness of Mind beyond her Sex and such a dexterity in managing the greatest Affairs as would have become the greatest and most experienced Ministers Never was there greater skill in Government with less fondness for it which she could take up and lay down with the same equality and indifferency of Mind Though I doubt I must unsay that for she was always grieved at the occasion of taking the Government and as glad to resign it Never was Majesty better tempered with easiness and sweetness She knew how to be familiar without making her self cheap and to condescend without meanness She had all the Greatness of Majesty with all the Virtues of Conversation and knew very well what became her Table and what became the Council-Board She understood her Religion and loved it and practised it and was the greatest Example of the Age of a constant regular unaffected Devotion and of all the eminent Vertues of a Christian Life In the midst of all the great Affairs of State she would rather spare time from her sleep than from her Prayers where she always appeared with that great composure and seriousness of Mind as if her Court had been a Nunnery and she had had nothing else to do in the World In all the Ease and Prosperity of Fortune she had that tenderness and compassion for those who suffered which sufferings themselves cannot teach meaner Persons She was Charitable to the utmost of her Power amidst all the Expences of War and Government and when a proper Object was presented to her was always pleased when she could grant their requests and very uneasy to deny In short her greatest and most â—…placable Enemies for Virtue self will meet with Enemies in this â—…orld had no other Fault to â—…arge her with but her Throne â—…hich is the only thing for which â—…ost other Princes are valuable â—…he ascended the Throne indeed â—…efore she desired it but was â—…rust into it not by an hasty â—…mbition but to save a sinking Church and Kingdom and I hope England will always have reason to â—…ay That an empty Throne could â—…ever have been filled with a nobler Pair But though the necessary absence of the King to give check to the Progress of a Powerful and Insulting Monarch engaged her more than she desired in State Affairs yet the promoting of true Religion and the service of the Church of England the greatest and best Nursery of it since the Apostolick Age was her constant and natural Care This her Thoughts were full of and she had formed great and noble Designs had she out-lived the Difficulties and Expences of War and been at leisure to attend the peaceful Arts of Government I have reason to say this from those frequent Intimations I have had from our late admirable Primate who had great Designs Himself to serve the Christian Religion and the Church of England in its truest Interests and had inspired Their Majesties and particularly the Queen who had more leisure for such Thoughts with the same great and pious Designs It may be no Church-man ever had I am sure not more deservedly a greater Interest in his Prince's Favour and the great Use he made of it was to do publick service to Religion and what ever some Men might suspect to the Church of England though it may be not perfectly in their Way And the greatest Fault I know he had was That some envious and ambitious Men could not bear his Greatness which he himself never courted nay which he industriously avoided Before this all England knew and owned his Worth and had it been put to the Poll there had â—…en vast Odds on his side that 〈◊〉 would have been voted into the â—…e of Canterbury for no Man had â—…er a clearer and brighter Reasoâ—… truer Judgment a more easy and â—…ppy Expression nor a more 〈◊〉 fearless Honesty he was a â—…e and hearty Friend and was a â—…e Friend whereever he profâ—…â—…d to be so Though he had maâ—… Enemies at last he took care 〈◊〉 make none He was obliging 〈◊〉 all Men and though he could â—…t easily part with a Friend he â—…uld easily forgive an Enemy 〈◊〉 that Bundle of Libels witnesses â—…hich was found among his other â—…pers with this Inscription These â—…e Libels I pray God forgive them do But I cannot give you the just Character of this Great Man now â—…hat I have already said I conâ—…ss is an Excursion which I hope â—…ou will pardon to the Passion of 〈◊〉 old Friend and learn from Two great Examples That neither â—…e greatest Innocence Virtue or Merit can defend either Crowned or Mitred Heads from the
of Earthly Rivals yet it fires at great Examples and is ashamed to be out-done by Equals in love to God or Men especially when the Honour of the Church whereof they are Members and the Religion which they profess is concerned It is well known how many pious and charitable Foundations are owing to Popish Superstition they hoped to expiate their Sins and to merit Heaven by their good Works and in this hope and this perswasion they did a very great many We understand better than to think of meriting any thing of God much less of purchasing a liberty of sinning by Acts of Charity but if those great Rewards which are promised to Charity and which we profess to believe will not make us charitable without the Opinion of Merit and Satisfaction Charity is so great and excellent a Vertue and so very useful to Mankind that at least thus far Popery will be thought the better Religion and therefore as the Apostle argues As ye abound in every thing in faith and utterance and knowledge and all diligence and in your love to us see that ye abound in this grace also As we have a more Orthodox Faith a clearer and a distincter Knowledge and a purer Worship than the Church of Rome let us excel in Charity too and convince the World that to renounce Popery is not to renounce good Works SERMON X. Preach'd before the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor and Court of Aldermen at Guild-hall Chappel on Sunday April 25. 1697. Coloss. II. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men after the Rudiments of the world and not after Christ. HAD St. Paul lived in our Age it would have required little less than the Courage and Bravery of the Spirit of Martyrdom to have said this And nothing but the Authority of so great an Apostle which though some Men do not much value yet they dare not openly despise can skreen those who venture to say iâ—… after him What some Men call Philosophy and Reason and there is nothing so foolish and absurd which some Men will not call so is the only thing which those Men adore who would either have no God or a God and a Religion of their own making And what Attempts some have made to undermine all Religion and others to corrupt and transform the whole Frame of the Christian Religion upon a Pretence of its contradicting Natural Reason and Philosophy is too well known to need a Proof That thus it was in his days and that thus it was likely to be in future Ages St. Paul was very sensible when he gave this Caution to his Colossians and I 'm sure it is as proper a Caution for us as ever it was for any Age since the writing of this Epistle for this vain Pretence to Reason and Philosophy never more prevailed and never did more mischief to the World It is an endless and fruitless Task to go about to confute all the absurd Hypotheses and wild inconsistent Reasonings wherewith Men abuse themselves and others The Experience of so â—…ny Ages wherein Philosophy was in all 〈◊〉 Glory and the several Sects disputed â—…d wrangled eternally without ending â—…y one Controversie gives no great Enâ—…uragement to hope for much this way 〈◊〉 least it can never be expected that â—…dinary Christians should be better â—…structed and confirm'd in the Faith by â—…hilosophical Disputes The Christian Religion has from â—…e very Beginning been corrupted by 〈◊〉 mixture of Philosophy Thus it was 〈◊〉 the Apostles days and thus it has â—…een more or less in all Ages of the Church to this day and the direction the Apostle gives for the security of the Christian Faith is Not to dispute such Matters but to distinguish between Philosophical Disputes and Matters of Revelation and to reject all the Pretences of Philosophy when it does or seems to contradict the Faith of Christ or would make any corrupt Additions to it Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to make a Prey or to carry away as a Prey that is to seduce them from the Christian Faith or from the Pâ—…rity and Simplicity of it Through Philosophy and vain deceit that is through the vain deceit of Philosophy which cheats Men with a flattering but empty appearance may unsettle weak Minds but cannot lay a sure and solid foundation of Faith may cheat Men out of their Faith but when that is done can give them nothing certain in the room of it For it is but after the traditions of men and after the rudiments of this world Some of these Doctrines may possibly plead Prescription as having been so long received that no Man knows their Original or if they have the Authority of some Great Name yet it is but a Human Authority and they are but the traditions of men and of Men who at best had no better Information than from the visible appearances of Nature and their own imperfect Observations and corrupt or defective Reasonings after the rudiments of this world And is this an Authority to oppose against the Faith of Christ which both wants that Divine Confirmation which he gave to his Doctrines and contradicts them For they are not after Christ neither taught by Christ nor consonant to what he taught These Words might afford great Variety of Discourse but I shall confine my self to what is most Usefull and reduce that into as narrow a compass as I can by shewing I. What great need there is of this Caution To beware lest any man spoil us through Philosophy and vain deceit II. What great reason we have to rejectall these vain Pretences to Philosophy when they are opposed to the Authority of a Divine Revelation I. As for the first of these Whoever considers what an Enemy these vain Pretences to Philosophy have always been to Religion will see need enough for this Caution True Reason and the true Knowledge of Nature which is true Philosophy would certainly direct us to the Acknowledgment and Worship of that Supreme Being who made the World And yet we know that there never was an Athiest without some Pretence to Philosophy and generally such loud noisy Pretences too as make ignorant people think them very notable Philosophers and that tempts some vain empty Persons to affect Atheism that they may be thought Philosophers That this is vain deceit all Men must own who believe there is a God And if it be possible to pretend Philosophy for Atheism it self it is no great wonder if it be made to patronize Infidelity and Heresy But this plainly shews of what dangerous Consequence it is to admit Philosophical Disputes into Religion which if at any time they may do any service to Religion much oftner greatly corrupt it and shake the very Foundations of it of which more anon At present I shall only shew you how the Matter of Fact stands That most of the Disputes in Religion
aside the afflicted State of the Christian Church the Profess'd Enemies of Cathedral-Worship allow us as Great and Early Authorities as we desire St. Basil St. Ambrose and St. Chrysostom always will be Venerable Names The Church was restored to Peace but in the Fourth Century and then this Worship revived and that by the Authority and Example of as Great and Good Men as any the Church had That Erasmus himself and many Reformers were great Enemies to this way of Worship as it was then practised in the Church of Rome is no great Wonder when their Hymns as well as their Prayers being performed in an unknown Tongue all their Singing was meer Noise which could contribute nothing to Devotion But this is no greater Argument against our English Hymns and Anthems than against our English Prayers If they meant any thing more we must demand their Reasons For as for Authority our own Reformers and Reformation have anâ—… that deservedly a much greater Authority in the World But I must hasten to a Conclusion Which brings me to the Third Thing I proposed How Musick may and ought to be improved to the Purposes of Devotion And here I must beg leave to speak something briefly to Three Sorts of Men Composers Singers and Hearers which will serve for the Application of the Whole First As for Composers Those who set our Hymns and Anthems to Musical Notes I do not pretend to Skill in Musick much less to be able to Teach such great Masters as this Age hath bred but I hope in some Measure I do and may be allowed to Understand and Teach Devotion which is all I intend in this for that which according to all the Rules of Art must be allowed for excellent Musick may not always be proper for Devotion It is a great Mistake in Composing Hymns and Anthems to consider only what Notes are Musical and will Delight and Entertain the Hearers The true Rule is What Notes are most proper to Excite or Quicken such Passions of Devotion as the Words of the Hymn or Anthem Express This indeed can't be done without Skill in Musick but true Devotion is the best Director of that Skill for a Devout Mind will judge of the Devotion as a Skilful Ear does of the Musick of Sounds That the most certain way for the greatest Masters to Compose such Hymns and Anthems as are fit for the Worship of God and may best serve the Devotions of Christians is to work their own Minds first into all those Heights and Flames of Devotion which they are to Express in Sounds which they will find a double Advantage in it will make them Good Christians and Admirable Composers of Church-Musick A Devout Ear without any great Skill in Musick soon finds the want of this A Grave Serious Mind which is the true Temper of Devotion is disturbed by Light and Airy Compositions which disperse the Thoughts and give a Gay and Frisking Motion to the Spirits and call the Mind off from the Praises of God to attend meerly to the agreeable Variety of Sounds which is all that can be expected from such Sounds as have nothing of Devotion in them Which is so much the worse still when as is now grown very common in such Compositions they are elogged with Needless and Endless Repetitions A Repetition serves only to give an Emphasis and it requires a great Judgment to place it Right and is very absurd when it is placed Wrong but we often see that there is too little Regard had to this The Skill of Altering Notes is the whole Design which when there is not very great occasion for it is like School-Boys Varying Phrases or like Ringing the Changes which how entertaining soever it be when we have nothing to do but to attend to Sounds is yet very Nauseous and Offensive to Devout Minds in Religious Worship I thank God the Ordinary Service of our Church is very Grave and Solemn and well fitted to Devotion And as for more Modern Compositions the Governours of Churches ought to take care to receive nothing into the Worship of God but what is fitted to serve Devotion and this would effectually answer the greatest Objections against Church-Musick Secondly As for those who are Employed in Singing the Church-Service and Anthems to assist the Devotions of the Congregation it certainly becomes them to behave themselves very Devoutly in it Musical Instruments which have no Life and Sense may Minister to our Devotions though they are capable of none themselves but it gives great Offence and Scandal to see those who are daily employed in Singing Praises to God to shew no Signs of Devotion in themselves much more by an Irreverent Behaviour to betray great Symptoms of want of Devotion I thank God we have no great reason to make this Complaint in this Church and I hope shall every day have less but this is a good occasion to mind all such Persons how Devout they ought to be if Musick be a Help to Devotion who have this Advantage from Art and Nature first to Excite their own Devotions and then to Assist the Devotions of others which last must be a very tasteless uneasie Employment if they have no Devotion of their own And a great Reproach also to their Art when they themselves are Witnesses how little Devotion it Teaches But there is one thing which I believe is not so well considered which yet is just Matter of Scandal for those who Sing Divine Hymns and Anthems at Church and whose Prosession it is to do so to Sing Wanton and Amorous Lewd Atheistical Songs out of it Men who have enter'd themselves into the Service of the Church have Consecrated their Voices to God not so as never to Sing any thing else but Hymns and Anthems but yet so as never to Sing any thing to the Reproach of God Religion or Vertue This unbecomes any Man who calls himself a Christian much more those whose peculiar Employment it is to Sing the Praises of God Thirdly As for Hearers they ought also to consider That their Business at Church is not meerly to be Entertained with Musick but to Exercise their Devotions which is the true End of Church-Musick to Praise God with the more servent Passions It is a Contempt of Religion and of the House of God to come only to please our Ears to hear Better Voices and more Curious Compositions and more Artful Singing than we can meet with in other Places This I have reason to fear is the Case of very many who resort hither who especially on the Lord's-Day Crowd into the Church to hear the Anthem and when that is over to the great Disturbance of the Worship of God and the Scandal of all good Christians Crowd as fast out again Though there is this good in it that they make Room for Devouter People who immediately fill up their Places to attend the Instructions of God's Word But I hope this will not be charged upon the Service
profligate Sinners can shelter themselves in a Schism and palliate or expiate their other Crimes by a factious Zeal and therefore if ever we desire to see Christianity flourish we must Pray heartily for Peace and Unity among Christians But that we may the better understand what we are to Pray for let us briefly enquire wherein the Unity of the Church consists and that is in the Unity of Faith the Unity of Communion and the Unity of Love and Charity 1st Unity of Faith Whereby I do not understand that all Christians must agree in all the Opinions and Speculations of Religion it would be well if it could be so but this can never be while men have such different Understandings and Abilities such different Skill and Opportunities of enquiry but the Unity of Faith is secured by an Agreement in all the Fundamental Articles of Religion though a little varied in some nicer Speculations which are like the different Features in mens Faces which distinguish them from one another but do not alter the Human Shape And this is the difference between the Disputes which divide Papists and Protestants and the Disputes of Protestants among themselves The first subvert the Foundations of Christian Faith and Worship and therefore these Differences can never be Accommodated and Reconciled they will not part with their Errors and we must not embrace them if we love our Souls for as dear a thing as Peace is we must not part with Truth for Peace But now the Disputes among all that are allowed to be Protestants whatever mistakes there may be on any side do not overthrow any necessary Article of the Christian Faith and therefore the Unity of the Faith may be secured amidst all these Disputes Some of these Disputes are only inconvenient Modes of speaking and the difference is only in Words when both Parties really mean the same thing which I believe if all Heat and Passion were laid aside would in a great measure appear to be the true State of that Protestant Controversy about Justification by Faith alone Others are mere Philosophical Disputes in which the Christian Faith is not peculiarly concerned for they have been and are disputed in all Religions such as the Controversy about God's Eternal Decrees and the Power and Efficacy of Nature and Grace which is only a reviving of that old Philosophical Dispute about Necessity and Fate and God's concourse with second Causes to produce their Effects And thus it is in some other Cases Now methinks such Disputes as these which do not properly belong to the Christian Faith should not divide the Christian Church Let men dispute about them as Philosophers but as Christians let it suffice them to believe what Christ and his Apostles have plainly taught us t at is enough to carry us to Heaven and methinks it should be enough to make us agree in the Way thither As to Explain this more particularly but very briefly There is no good Protestant but will confess That we are Justified only by the Merits of CHRIST's Death and Sacrifice as the only Expiation and Atonement for our Sins That no works of Righteousness which we can do can make Satisfaction to God for our Sins nor merit Eternal Life which is the Gift of God That Christ is our only Saviour and that he is the Saviour only of his Body or Church That we are incorporated into the Body of Christ and put into a state of Justification by Faith and the Christian Sacraments That no impenitent unreformed Sinner though he do profess to believe in Christ and be baptized shall be saved by Him and therefore though Repentance and a Holy Life do not merit the Pardon of Sin nor Eternal Rewards yet they are necessarily required in all those who shall be forgiven and saved by Christ. This I say all good Protestants agree in and all this is plainly taught in Scripture and whoever believes this and practises accordingly shall certainly be saved And what need is there then of reducing all this into Artificial Schemes wherein Mens Fancies and Conceits differ What necessity is there of disputing what the Office of Faith or what the Efficacy of Works is in our Justification when we all agree that we are saved only by the Mercy of God and the Merits of Christ through Faith in his Blood and the Exercise of Repentance and a holy Life To understand the reason and order of things conduces much to the beauty and perfection of Christian Knowledge but Men may be saved and the Peace of the Church better secured without such particular Determinations Thus all good Protestants agree that all God's Works are known to him from the foundation of the World That Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world That God knows who are his and always did so That we are predestinated to the adoption of children by Iesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved That we are predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will 1. Ephes. 5 6 11. That when God comes to judge the World he will appear infinitely just and good and merciful That bad men shall have no reason to complain of God and that good men shall have nothing to arrogate to themselves This secures the Glory of God of his Wisdom Goodness Justice Power and Soveraignty and what need is there to enquire any farther into the Divine Decrees than the Scripture has revealed in the particular explication of which when men follow their own Fancies they vastly differ from each other to the great disturbance of the Peace of the Church We are assured by plain Testimonies of Scripture That God desires not the death of a Sinner but rather that he should return and live That our destruction is of our selves That all the good we do is wholly owing to the Grace of God who worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure That all the evil we do is owing to our selves That every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death This we all agree in and this attributts the glory of all the good we do to God and the shame of all the evil we do to our selves this encourages us to do good in a confident assurance of the Divine Grace and teaches bad men that they must not think to excuse their wickedness by charging it on God And this is all that is necessary for us to know because it is all that is needful to the purposes of Religion and a holy Life But when men frame this into Philosophical Hypotheses they then divide as far from each other as East and West and all the attempts of reconciling them
I shall observe this following method I. Consider the Duty of Gospel-Bishops and Pastors which is to Feed and to Govern the Houshold of Christ. II. The Qualifications of Gospel-Ministers which are Faithfulness and Prudence a Faithful and Wise servant III. The great rewards of such men Blessed is that servant I. The Duty of Gospel Ministers whether Bishops or others and that consists of two parts 1. To Feed 2. To Govern the Houshold or Church of Christ. They are appointed Rulers of his Houshold to give them meat in due season 1. To Feed the Flock of Christ. This command Christ gave to Peter 20. Acâ—…s 28. and repeated it three times Simon son of Ionas lovest thou me more than 21. John 15 16 17. these then feed my lambs feed my sheep Now to Feed signifies to instruct men in the Knowledge of Christ for Knowledge is the proper food and nourishment of the Soul by which it grows in Spiritual Wisdom and all Vertue and Goodness and is as necessary to 1 Pet 2. 2. our Spiritual Life as natural food is to the Life of our Bodies This is life 17. John 3. eternal saith our Saviour to know Thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent For this reason our Saviour appointed Stewards and Dispensers of the Mysteries of his Kingdom whose whole business it should be to study the Divine Will themselves and to instruct others For this is a knowledge which must be taught Nature may instruct us in the Being of a God and the differences between good and evil and the plain Rules of Morality but the Mysteries of the Kingdom the whole oeconomy of mans Salvation by Jesus Christ is to be known only by Revelation Christ came down from Heaven to reveal this to us and he instructed his Apostles and his Apostles by their Preaching and Writings instructed the Church and have left us a standing Rule of Faith and Manners but yet it is necessary that there should be some Men peculiarly devoted to the Service of Religion the study of the Scriptures and the Work of the Ministry to instruct and teach those who have neither leisure not opportunities for enquiry nor capacity to learn without a Guide which is the case of the generality of Christians especially since Religion has been clogged with such infinite Disputes and there has been so much art used to make the plainest truths difficult obscure and uncertain to corrupt the Christian Faith and to make it comply with mens sensual Lusts or secular Interests A Guide and Instructor is absolutely necessary when there are so many Turnings and Labyrinths wherein men may lose themselves and their way to Heaven But though there were no Disputes in Religion no difficulty in understanding it though all men were agreed about the way to Heaven though the meanest Christian understood the Mysteries of Christianity as well as the greatest Divine yet there would be constant need of a Spiritual Guide while men are apt to be unmindful of their Duty and careless in the Practice of it The work of an Evangelical Pastor is not meerly to instruct the Ignorant but to exhort to reprove to admonish to watch over the Lives and Manners of Christians to make seasonable Applications to their Consciences to administer Comfort to afflicted Spirits to excite and quicken the slothful and to encourage the fearful and timerous and to assist and direct men in their Spiritual Warfare how to obtain a glorious victory over the World and the Flesh. This is to feed the Flock of Christ and to give them Meat in due season to instruct them in those things of which they are ignorant and to put them in mind of those things which they already know that their Faith may be turned into a principle of life and action and this heavenly Food may be digested into Blood and Spirits to the edifying of the Body of Christ in all Christian Graces and Vertues 2. Another part of the Ministerial Office consists in Acts of Discipline and Government Christ has made these Ministers and Servants Rulers over his houshold No Society can be preserved 5. Eph. 23. 10. John 14. without Order and Government which is as absolutely necessary in the Church as in the State Christ is the Head of the Church the Husband the Shepherd the Lord which are all names of Authority and Power and the Church is his Body his Spouse his Flock his Houshold and Family which are names of Subjection and denote a regular and orderly Society but Christ has now left this World and does not visibly appear among us to direct and govern the Affairs of his Church he is ascended into Heaven where he sits at the right hand of God and exerciseth an invisible Power and Providence for the defence and preservation of his Church on Earth He governs us by his Laws and by his Spirit and by his Ministers for when he 4. Eph. 8 11 12 13. ascended on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers For the Perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. When our Saviour was risen from the dead he tells his Disciples All power is given unto me both in Heaven and in 28. Mat. 18 19 20. Earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World This is their Commission to pâ—…ach the Gospel and to govern his Church which was not meerly a personal Commission to the Apostles but extends to all their Successors as appears from Christ's promise to be with them in the discharge of this Ministerial Authority to the end of the World Thus St. Iohn acquaints us that Christ after his Resurrection appeared to his Apostles when they were met together and said unto them Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent 20. John 21 22 23. me so send I you And as he had said this he breathed on them and said unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whose soever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained This invested them with Authority but then the actual communication of Power which especially at that time was necessary to the discharge of their Office was reserved for the descent of the Holy Ghost and therefore our Saviour commanded them Not to depart from Ierusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father that is the gift of the Holy Ghost For says
instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven who are like 13. Mat. 52. unto a man that is an housholder which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old The Priests lips must preserve Knowledge but we must first have it before we can teach it others and since none of us now pretend to immediate Inspirations this is a work 〈◊〉 difficulty and labour and requires as much faithfulness in our Studies as in the Pulpit It is no argument of Faithfulness whatever it may be of Diligence to run like Ahimaaz without 2 Sam. 18. 22. Tidings to vent some crude and indigested thoughts for the Oracles of God 2. Faithfulness requires us to preach nothing for the Will of God but what we are sure to be so to deliver no Message but what we have received in Commission not to indulge our own private conjectures and fancies nor think to mend and sublimate Religion by Philosophical Speculations but to content our selves with the simplicity of the Gospel to Preach Christ Jesus and him crucified Nothing has done greater mischief to Religion than when the very Teachers of it have been ambitious to be Wise above what is written All the Articles of the Christian Faith as distinguisht from the Principles of Natural Religion can be known only by Revelation and therefore there is no reasoning about them any farther than to know what is revealed and what is not revealed for whatever is more than this is so uncertain and so useless that it is not worth the knowing Since we preach in the Name and by the Authority of Christ we ought not to instruct our People in any thing but what we have his Authority for for this is to exceed our Commission Other nice Speculations may entertain us in private Conversation but when we preach in the Name of Christ let us onely preach his Gospel and teach them to observe and do whatsoever he hath commanded us 3. Faithfulness requires that we preach the whole Will of God that we instruct men in all the Articles of the Christian Faith especially where there is any apparent and present danger of a mistake and that we teach them every part of their Duty to God and men especially such Duties as they are most unwilling to learn and most averse to practice This is an essential part of Faithfulness and requires no small courage too There are no times so bad no hearers so captious but they will very well bear some general commendations of Religion or some common Topicks about Virtue or Vice which are of great use too especially in such a scepâ—…cal and unbelieving Age as this But a faithful discharge of our Ministry requires somewhat more a particular application to the Consciences of men according to their wants and necessities not so much to consult what will please them as what will do them good It mightily concerns a Gospel-Minister as far as he can to maintain a fair reputation in the world but a good name is nothing worth when we can do no good by it when we cannot get or maintain a good name without neglecting our Duty or betraying the Souls of men I had a thousand times rather that men should reproach and revile me for instructing them in such Duties as they cannot with patience hear of than that they should commend me for my silence It is hard to live in any Age wherein there are not some popular Errors or some popular Vices to be corrected and it is a very dangerous thing to meddle with any thing that is popular But what is danger to that man who is in a greater danger by the neglect of his Duty Shall any man call himself a Minister of the Gospel and a Servant of Jesus Christ and in such an Age as we now live in be ashamed or afraid to censure or confute the Errors of Popery or Fanaticism or to reprove Schism and Faction because they are very popular Vices Let a man so account 1 Cor. 4. 1 2 3. of us as the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment as St. Paul speaks When we leave out several Flocks it will be infinite satisfaction to us to be able to say as St. Paul did to the Asian Bishops I 20. Acts 26 27. take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men For I have not shunned to declare to you all the counsel of God Secondly Prudence is as necessary in a Gospel-Minister as Faithfulness is By Prudence I do not mean Cunning and Subtilty artificial Insinuations and Addresses which are more like the Arts of Seducers than of Gospel-Ministers Who by good words and faiâ—… 16. Rom. 18. speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Prudence will not allow us in the neglect of any part of our Duty whateâ—…er the event be but we must renounce 2 Cor. 4. 2. â—…he hidden things of dishonesty not walkâ—…ng in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of â—…he truth commending our selves to eveâ—…y mans conscience in the sight of God Wisdom and Prudence as it is conâ—…istent with Faithfulness and Honesty â—…n the discharge of our Trust can signify no more but this To instruct Exhort Perswade and perform all the parts and offices of a Gospel-Minister in such a manner as may render our â—…nstructions and perswasions most effectual to take the most convenient seasons when men are most apt to be wrought on to teach them such things as are of most present use to them to use such Arguments as are most likely to prevail to avoid all unnecessary provocations when the Duty it self which we are to teach them is not the matter of the provocation for if men will be provoked with hearing of their Duty there is no help for that Prudence never dispences with any part of our Duty but directs to the best way of doing it a Faithful Servant does what he is commanded and a Wise Servant does it in the most effectual manner III. The last part of my Text concerns the great Rewards of such Faithful and Wise Servants Blessed is that servant What this Reward is we are not here particularly told All good men we know shall be very blessed and happy in the other World and we may reasonably presume that Christ who is the great Judge of the World has reserved some peculiar marks of honour for his immediate Servants This he plainly intimates to us in that distinction he makes between the reward of a Prophet and of a righteous man He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a 10. Mat. 41. prophets reward and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward Our reward in
God for man would swallow me up he â—…ting daily oppresseth me mine eneâ—…es would daily swallow me up for they 〈◊〉 many that rise up against me O thou most â—…igh What time I am afraid I will â—…ust in Thee in God I will praise his â—…rd in God I have put my trust I will â—…t fear what flesh can do unto me 4thly When God does think fit to â—…rrect his People yet he always reâ—…oves his Judgments upon their sincere â—…epentance This was God's express â—…ovenant with Israel 26. Levit. 40 â—…1 42. If they shall confess their iniquiâ—… and the iniquity of their Fathers with the trespass which they trespassed against me and also that they have walkâ—…d contrary to me and that I also have â—…alked contrary to them and have brought â—…hem into the Land of their Enemies 〈◊〉 then their uncircumcised hearts be humâ—…led and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquities then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob and also my Covenant with Isaac and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember and I will remember the land Thus in the time of the Judges when God for their sins delivered them into the hands of their Enemies when they cried to God he raised up Saviours for them Nay many times when their Repentance was not very sincere nor lasting yet in great goodness and compassion he spared them When he slew them then they sought him and returned and enquired early after God and they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer nevèrtheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongue for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant but he being full of compassion forgave their iniquities and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath for he remembred that they were but flesh a wind that passeth away and cometh not again 78. Psalm 34 c. So that how angry soever God be we have a certain way of appeasing his anger Nothing but sin can provoke a merciful God and a compassionate Father to punish He has a great tenderness for all his Creatures He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men and therefore he is more easily appeased than he is provoked judgment is his strange Work but he â—…ights in Acts of Mercy and seems â—…ased with an honourable occasion 〈◊〉 shew mercy without exposing his â—…ws and Government to contempt â—…d therefore Repentance and Reforâ—…tion will always appease him nay â—…metimes we see that the very shews â—…d appearance of a publick and solemn â—…pentance though it be not so sinâ—…re and hearty as it ought to be â—…akes him stay his hand and expect â—…r return And this is a great encouâ—…gement and a Powerful obligation on 〈◊〉 to return to God when he strikes 〈◊〉 humble our selves under his mighty â—…nd for there is no other way to reâ—…ove his Judgments and this will do 〈◊〉 It is a vain thing to trust in Armies â—…d Navies in the Courage and Conâ—…ct of Princes and Generals when â—…ur Sins fight against us when God â—…efuses to go forth with our Armies â—…r no King is saved by the multitude of â—…n host a horse is a vain thing for safeâ—…y neither shall he deliver any by his â—…reat strength but the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him upon them that â—…ope in his mercies 33. Psal. 16 17 18. Nay the justice and righteousness of our Cause will not always secure 〈◊〉 of Success for those who have a very just Cause may deserve to be punished and then God may justly punish them and deliver them into the hands 〈◊〉 their Enemies God does not always determine what is Right and Wrong by the events of War for he is the Sovereign Judge of the World and may punish a wicked Nation by unjust Oppressors as he often did the Israelites The Profession of the true Religion will not always secure us when ouâ—… Sins cry for Vengeance When the Iews cried The Temple of the Lord 〈◊〉 temple of the Lord the Prophet told them They trusted in lying words for will ye steal and murder and commit adultery and swear falsly and burn incense to Baal and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name and say We are delivered to do all these abominations 7 Jer. 4 10. To glory in the profession of the true Faith or in a vigorous opposition to the Errors and Corruptions of Religion when we are Atheists or Infidels in our Lives may make God punish us but is no reason on our part why he should save us but true and sincere Repenâ—…ance will save us We profess the sinâ—…ere Faith of Christ we fight in a just Cause if it be lawful to defend our â—…elves against the powerful Oppressor â—…f the Protestant that is the true Christian Faith and the Liberties of Europe and we have no reason to fear â—…ny thing but our sins Let us but reâ—…orm our Lives and put away the evil â—…f our doings and our Arms will be as Prosperous as our Cause is Just God will then gird our Princes and soldiers â—…ith strength to the battle will teach â—…heir hands to war and their fingers to â—…ght 5thly Faith and Prayer are more â—…owerful than Arms as it must necesâ—…arily be if God only gives Victory â—…nd Success This we learn from the â—…hole History of the Iews the Apoâ—…le to the Hebrews gives us a particular â—…ccount of the Power of Faith II. Heb. â—…2 33 34. Of Gideon and Barach and Sampson and Ieptha and David who â—…hrough faith subdued kingdoms wrought â—…ighteousness obtained promises stopped â—…he mouths of lions quenched the violence â—…f fire escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valivaliant in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens Moses his Prayer was more powerful than Ioshua's Arms for when Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed when he let down his hands Amalek prevailed 17. Exo. II. Hezekiah's Prayer overthrew the Assyrian Army when Rabshekah came against Ierusalem and reproached them with their Trust in God We must not indeed expect such miraculous Victories as God gave to Israel but this makes no difference for the Power of Faith and Prayer is the same still and all Victory is God's still who gives Success as well by invisible Means and seeming Accidents as by the most visible interposal of a miraculous Power For God gave Israel miraculous Deliverances not because he could not save them without a miracle but because he would make it visible to all the world That he was their Saviour But still God hears our Prayers and answers them he is still the Saviour and Deliverer of all those who trust in him and hope in his Mercy and therefore the only sure way to conquer our Enemies is to prevail with God by
great loss when the Church is encompassed and assaulted with busie and restless Enemies A Man of an exemplary Life and untainted Virtue who shines like a Light in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation who maintains the declining Honour and Reputation of Religion and true Virtue is a mighty loss in a profligate Age when men are grown such Strangers to the sincere practice of Virtue and Religion that they begin to think there is no such thing But I can go on no farther the very mentioning of these things brings the fresh Idea of our deceased Brother to mind and the afflicting Sense of that great loss which we suffer by his Death It becomes us to Reverence and Adore the Wisdom of the divine Providence even when we cannot understand the Reasons of it We are certain God is never wanting in his Care of his Church and yet had we been made Judges of this Case we should have thought it a very ill time to have spared him He was abundantly furnished with all good Learning both for Use and Ornament he was an accomplished Scholar and a well-studied Divine he knew Books and read them and judged of them He was a Scribe instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven â—…ho like a Housholder could bring forth â—…ut of his treasure things New and â—…ld 13. Matth. 52. He had carefulâ—…y perus'd the ancient Philosophers â—…rators and Poets to discover what Nature taught which gave him a truer Knowledge and greater Value for the Excellency and Perfection of the Gospel-Revelation He had true and clear Notions of Religion and he was Master of them he knew why he believed any thing and was neither prejudiced nor imposed on by popular Opinions he was a hearty and zealous assertor of the Doctrine Worship Government and Discipline of the Church of England he saw nothing material which could be changed for the better which made him jealous of Innovations as not knowing where they would end He was a Friend to all sincere Christians pitied their Mistakes and bore with their Frowardness but did not think that Christian Charity required him to sacrifice Truth or good Order and Government to the pretences of Peace and Unity He was for several Years a very diligent and constant Preacher to a numerous Auditory till his own Diocesan who knew his Worth and the weakness of his Constitution and was desirous to preserve him for the Service of the Church provided this Place where we now are for his Ease and Health and Retirement where he lived many Years a constant Preacher though his Labours were then diviued between his two Cures which did not lessen his Preaching but made the Benefit of it the more diffusive For indeed he was an admirable Preacher not for Noise and Lungs but for well-digested useful pious Discourses delivered with all that becoming Gravity Seriousness and a commanding Elocution as made them sink deep into the Minds of his Hearers and made them hear This I speak with Assurance and Confidence in this place which was so long blessed with his Labours With what fineness of Thought peâ—…spicuity and easiness of Expression instructing and entertaining Images of Things he expounded the Doctrines and inculcated the Laws of our Saviour how plainly he Taught with what Vehemence and Passion he Exhortâ—…d with what tender Sharpness he Reâ—…roved remember how he used both to Please and Instruct to Chide and Shame you without making you angry â—…ow he has warmed and chafed your Minds into the most pious and serious Resolutions and sent you home from this place wiser and better than you came and if you grew cold and suffered your good Resolutions to die again consider I beseech you what Account you have to give As he grew in Years it was necessary by degrees to ease his Labours he could not Preach so often but yet continued to Preach And yet had he not Preached at all or much less than he did he had not ceased to be a very useful Pastor to the Church for he was a Man of great Experience and great Prudence and Foresight fit for Government and Counsel who knew Men and Things was dexterous in his Applications zealous without Passion or Peevishness steady and resolved without violent Oppositions and needless Provocations who served the Church and the Truth with little Noise and without making many Enemies And I am sure at such a time as this there is more need of such Men and a much greater scarcity of them than of good Preachers But he was not only a good Preacher and a prudent Guide but a very good Man he Preached continually by his Life and Example his Conversation was Innocent Entertaining and Useful he was a true sincere Friend very Courteous Affable Civil to all Men but never pretended Friendship where he had none he was ready to do all good Offices was Liberal Generous and Charitable a Man of a true publick Spirit who scorned to serve himself to the Injury of others who hated little Arts and Tricks mean and servile Compliances he was an open and generous Enemy if we may ever call him an Enemy who never wished never intended any hurt to any Man but my meaning is that when any Dispute and Quarrel happened as such things will sometimes happen he was open and undisguised any Man might know what he disliked and had no reason to fear any thing worse from him than what he would â—…ell them In a Word He was a very â—…ood Christian and that made him â—…ood in all Relations and that Crowned all his other Labours he took care â—…s St. Paul did Lest while he preached to â—…thers he himself should become a cast-away And now he is gone to rest and we â—…ust all shortly follow him God grant â—…hat we may all so run our Race and â—…inish our Course that when we depart â—…his Life we may rest in Him as our â—…ope is this our Brother doth and may â—…eceive that Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Judge will â—…t that Day bestow on all his faithful Servants and on all those who love his Appearing SERMON VIII â—…each'd at the Temple-Church December 30. 1694. Upon the Sad Occasion of the Death of our Gracious Queen And Published at the Earnest Request of Several Masters of the Bench of Both Societies XXXIX Psalm 9. â—…as dumb and opened not my mouth because thou didst it THIS may be thought a very improper Text for the Feast of our Saviour's Birth when our â—…ouths ought to be filled with the Praiâ—… of God and sing with the whole â—…ire of Angels Glory be to God in the â—…hest on earth peace good will towards â—…n This indeed is that Peace which â—…e World cannot give and which the World cannot take away whateveâ—… the External Appearances of Providence are here we find a safe retreâ—… and a never-failing Spring of Joy Fâ—… he that spared not his own Son but 〈◊〉 livered him up for us all how shall 〈◊〉 not with
visible to all the World That a Will to do Good is the only thing we want But such a Readiness and Wilâ—…ingness of Mind as is Active and Vigorous as contrives and lays Designs of Charity or embraces such as are offered and takes all wise Opportunities of doing Good this is very acceptaâ—…le to God as being the most Divine and God-like Temper the Image of â—…is own Goodness and the noblest Exercise of our Love to Men inspired with the Love of God Now in Moâ—…al Actions it is the Principle that gives the Value not so much the Gift as the Mind of the Giver and therefore St. Paul tells us That though we give all our goods to feed the poor and have not charity we are nothing 1 Cor. 13. 3. God can feed the poor without us if he so pleases but as for several other wise ends of Providence so he has ordered That the poor shall be always with us for the trial and exercise of our Virtue but the Virtue is not the Gift but the Charity And could we perform all the Acts of Charity without a charitable Mind the World might be better for it but not we our selves 2dly This readiness and forwardness of Mind to do good will observe the just proportions of Charity will give according to what a man hath I observed before That our Saviour in his Gospel hath prescribed no fixt Measures nor Proportions of Charity Nor could he reasonably do this considering the nature of Charity which though it be not so absolutely free that we may chuse whether we will be charitable or no for charitable we must be at the peril of our Souls yet the proportions must be free or it is not Charity but a Poor's rate as all the positive Laws which God gave the Iews for the relief of the Poor were no better and therefore by the wiser Iews were never placed to the account of Charity but of Justice and a Legal Righteousness Which is the very distinction St. Paul makes between a righteous and a good man Rom. 5. 7. But scarcely for a righteous man wiâ—… one die yet peradventure for a good man one would even dare to die A Righteous man is one who is legally Righteous and observes what the Law requires but a Good man is one who is acted by a free unconfined and generous Goodness Now upon this pretence That there 〈◊〉 no proportion assigned to Charity â—…ere are too many who content themâ—…lves with very little indeed with noâ—…ing which can properly be called Chaâ—…ty But I wonder in the mean time â—…hat these men make of all those Comâ—…ands and Exhortations which we find 〈◊〉 the Gospel to Charity which are so â—…any so pressing and importunate and â—…und on us by so many promises of â—…esent and future Rewards and with 〈◊〉 many terrible Threatnings denounâ—…d against the uncharitable that sureâ—… they must mean something and as â—…illing as men are in these Cases to â—…etend Ignorance I believe there are â—…w men living but know in some meaâ—…re what Charity means And though â—…ey may dispute how much they ought â—…o give yet certainly know that they â—…ught to give and that to give noâ—…hing or what is next to nothing all Circumstances considered is not Chaâ—…ity A Charitable Temper and Disposition of Mind is an indispensible Duty and the most Essential Part of the Christian Religion This our Saviour commands and he need command no more for Charity is and will be a Rule and Measure to it self Where this Divine Principle is it will teach us when and how and in what Proportion to give The Sun needs no Rules and Directions how to communicate its Light and Heat Nature is the surest and most infallible Rule and Law to it self and thus it is proportionably in Moral as well as in Natural Agents For what is the immediate effect of Nature and Life can never be taught without its Principle cannot exceed its Principle and cannot fall below it All the Rules in the World can never teach that man Charity who wants the Principle a Charitable Mind needs no Rules but turns naturally on its own Byas which will direct its Motions right There is a great difference indeed between Natural and Moral Agents Natural Agents are necessarily determined to some one End and therefore have but one Principle which uniformly and steddily pursues the Ends of Nature but Moral Agents as they act freely so they have many different Principles Inclinations and Passions which stint and limit each other that none of them can act to their utmost Vigour but as they are mutually poiâ—…ed and ballanced And this is the â—…ork of Reason and Religion to put â—…em into their Natural Order and to â—…t just Bounds to them and that proâ—…ortions the degrees of their Activity â—…d Strength but yet every Principle â—…nless violently oppressed will act acâ—…ording to its Nature as it more or â—…ess prevails And this gives Meaâ—…res and Proportions to all our Actiâ—…ns as to shew you this in our preâ—…ent Case Charity is that Love to Mankind â—…hich makes us pity all their Wants â—…nd Sufferings and inspires us with a â—…reat Zeal and Concernment to Help â—…nd Relieve them If you enquire What the Natural Measure of this Charity is I know no other Natural Measure but its Natural End that is To relieve all that suffer and are in want for that is what Charity would do and what all Charitable Men heartily wish that they could do Well! but this is impossible for there are too many miserable People for any man to Relieve them all This is true and Want of Power must of Necessity set Bounds to our Charity but since we cannot Relieve all we must relieve such as we can and wisely consider where the greatest Necessities and greatest Obligations are Which will give the Preference to Christians before Infidels to Good Men before the Wicked to God's Poor whom the Divine Providence has made Poor to the Poor of their own Making whom Idleness Luxury and Vice have made Poor and Miserable Well! But how far must we Relieve these Poor Must we give as long as we have any thing to give and make our selves the Objects of Charity By no means There are other as Natural Principles as Charity which must set Bounds to it Self-Love is a Natural and Necessary Principle no man is bound to love any man better than himself To love our Neighbour as our selves is all that the Gospel it self makes our necessary Duty though some Great and Generous Friendships and Divine Charities may go further as far as concerns this Life Next to Self-love our Natural Affection for our Wives and Children must take place as ingrafted in it and thought the Best and the Dearest Part of it as being nearest to our selves and what the best â—…en are the most tenderly concerned â—…or And this is the chief thing which â—…mong men of any Principles disputes â—…he Bounds of Charity For as for â—…hose stupid
the thing and the only Dispute is about Matter of Fact whether God have revealed his Will to Mankind whether there ever were such inspired Men sent by God to instruct the World whether there ever were any true Miracles wrought or any certain Predictions of things to come and when Men are satisfied that such things may be as they certainly may be if there be a God it will dispose them to a more modest and impartial Examination of such Matters and not suffer them to despise Revealed Religion at all adventures For in Matters especially of such vast moment no wise Man will reject and scorn what may be true till he can prove it to be false 2. Since then we must confess that it is possible that God should reveal his Will to Mankind let us consider which is most probable which is most agreeable to those Notions we have of God that he should or should not make such a Revelation of his Will Now if we may judge of this by the general Sense of Mankind there was not a Man in the World in former Ages who believed a God but did believe also some kind of Commerce and Communication between God and Men. This was the Foundation of all their Religious Rites and Ceremonies which every Nation pretended to receive from their Gods This gave Birth to all their Superstious Arts of Divination that they believed their Gods had a perpetual Intercourse with Men and by various Means gave them notice of things to come â—…nd the Stoick in Tully thought That â—…e Acknowledgment of a God did as â—…ecessarily infer Divination as Divinaâ—…on did prove the Being of a God Ego â—…im sic existimo si sint ea genera diviâ—…andi vera de quibus accepimus quoeque coâ—…imus esse Deos vicissimque si Dii sint esse â—…ui divinent Is it possible as I observed before to â—…magine that God should make reasoâ—…able Creatures who are made to know â—…im and to be happy in the Knowledge and Love and Admiration of him and withdraw himself from them without giving them any visible Tokens of his Presence or any other View of his Glory then in the weak and glimmering Reflections of his Works Had Man preserved the Innocence and Purity of his Nature for whether we believe the History of Moses or not if we believe that God made Man we must believe that he made him Holy he had been fit for the Presence and Conversation of God as Angels and Holy and Pure Spirits are and in this State there can be no doubt but God would have shewn himself and his Glory to Man in some Measure and Proportion as he does to the Angels in Heaven as the History of Moses assures us that God did to Adam in Paradise So that Man was made if I may so speak with Reverence for the Conversation of God which pious and devout Souls recover in some measure on Earth and which we all hope perfectly to enjoy in Heaven Sin indeed as necessarily it must has made a greater distance between God and Man but if we must live in the other World and be happy or miserable there as the Deist professes to believe if God still exercises any Care and Providence over Mankind it seems absolutely necessary that he should give some sensible Tokens of his own Being and Presence and instruct them more perfectly in his own Nature and Will then the Light of Nature teaches For how much soever Men may magnifie the Light of Nature it is certain the State of the World was very ignorant and corrupt and Mankind knew little of God beyond a general Perswasion that there was such a Being and therefore worshipped a Multiplicity of Gods and any thing for God and that with such ridiculous and barbarous Rites as were a Reproach to the Naâ—…e both of God and Man And can â—…y Man who believes a Divine Proviâ—…nce think that God takes no care of â—…s own Glory and Worship nor of the â—…uls of Men And it is certain he has â—…ken none if he have not revealed â—…mself and his Will to the World Especially when we consider that in â—…ose dark Times of Paganism the Deâ—…l and Evil Spirits had every where â—…eir Temples and Altars and Priests â—…d Sacrifices frequently appeared to â—…eir Votaries in visible Shapes and inâ—…ituted their own Rites of Worship and â—…ave forth their Oracles and Responses â—…nd by their various Arts of Divinatiâ—…n gave them notice of many Events â—…or though these were Cheats and Imâ—…ostures they were not all the Cheats â—…f Priests but of Evil Spirits who imâ—…osed both upon Priests and People and â—…y these Arts begot in them a great Oâ—…inion of their own Divinity as we must confess unless we will deny the Credit of all Histories And when this by the secret and hidden Counsels of God was the miserable and degenerate State of Mankind can we think that God should leave himself without any other Witness than the Light of Nature should give no Demonstrations of a Power superior to all these vulgar Deities nor give Men any certain Notices of his Will no Rules of Conversation or Worship It is certain in Matter of Fact that all the Reformation which has been made in Mens Faith and Worship and Manners is owing to the Jewish and Christian Religion This put a stop to their absurd Idolatries and restored the Worship of the One Supreme God in the World which is so wonderful a Change as could not have been wrought without some visible and irresistible Proofs of Divinity This is sufficient to shew how unreasonable it is in those Men who believe a God to deny all Revelation For it is certain that God can reveal Himself and his Will to Mankind if he pleases and that the Nature and Providence of God and the State of the World makes it highly reasonable to think he has done it The Design of all which is no more but this to remove Mens Prejudices against the very Notion of a Revealed Religion For were this effectually done they would soon discover the most unquestionable Characters of Divinity in the Gospel of our Saviour I am sure if we do believe a God and another World nothing can be so desirable as a more explicite and perfect Account of â—…he Will of God and the Way to Heaven than meer Nature can give us What Impression this may make upon profess'd Deists I cannot tell they â—…ave so used themselves to laugh at eveâ—…y thing that is serious and to confute â—…he wisest Arguments with bold and profane Jests that little Good can be expected from them But I hope this may caution those who are not yet â—…nfected and make the Name of a Deist â—…n a Christian Nation as contemptible â—…s the Name of an Atheist they are both â—…wing to the same Cause they live much alike they are equal Enemies to Christianity and equally dangerous to any Government where they themselves are not â—…ppermost It is a
prevail and like an irresistible Torrent bear all before him as some kind Friends to the Liberties of Europe and the Protestant Name and Interest wish and pray he may it requires not a Spirit of Prophecy to foretel what will become of Protestants But our Hope and Trust is in God that the true Christian Faith shall never be rooted out and I am as certainly perswaded that the Protestant Faith and Worship as to the Essentials of it and â—…s opposed to Popery is the true Christian Faith and Worship as I am â—…f the truth and certainty of Christiaâ—…ity it self and when I remember â—…y what little beginnings and weak â—…nd contemptible means GOD spread â—…he true light of the Gospel over great part of the European World when it was covered with the Aegyptian Darkness and oppressed by the Unsupportable Tyranny of Popery notwithstanding all the Follies Divisions and Miscarriages of Protestants I cannot fear that God will cause our Sun to set again and that he will finally remove his Gospel from us and that gives great reason to hope that he will â—…heck the Pride and Ambition and â—…t a stop to the Successes of a Prince who glories in the Extirpation of his â—…rotestant Subjects and at once enâ—…aves both the Bodies and the Souls of Men who challenges as absolute a Dominion over the Faith as over the Estates of his Vassals to fill his Exchequer and Purgatory together This I am sure we ought heartily to â—…eg of God in our most solemn Prayers and Fasts and those who scruple this if they understand themselves must never say the Lord's Prayer more wherein our Saviour has taught us to pray Thy Kingdom come which those who wish success to Persecuting and Antichristian Powers do not and cannot pray II. I observe farther That as God's Covenant with Abraham and his Posterity was sure and stedfast that no provocations could ever tempt him utterly to destroy them so he never inflictted any publick Judgments and Calamities on them but when he was greatly provoked by their Sins This was God's express Covenant with them 26. Levit. That if they walked in his statutes and kept his commandments then he would bestow all Temporal Blessings on them Rain in its season and the encrease of their Land in Corn and Wine and Oyl Peace at home and Victory abroad and his special Presence and Favour I will set my tabernacle amongst you and my soul shall not abhor you and I will walk among you and will be your God and you shall be my people But if they would not hearken unto him and would not do all his Commandments â—…hen he threatens all sorts of Evils â—…hould befal them sickness of Body â—…o fly before their Enemies the unâ—…ruitfulness and barrenness of their Land that they shall be a prey to wild Beasts that the Sword shall devour them and they shall be enslaved to their Enemies and buy their own Bread of them that they should suffer Famine to such extremity as to eat their own Sons and Daughters that he would lay waste their Cities and make their Country desolate and carry them away captive into foreign Countries as you may see at large in that Chapâ—…er This was his Covenant with them and this he punctually observed whenever they did obey him they were a happy and prosperous People their Enemies crouched before them they enjoyed Plenty and Peace â—…nlarged their Borders and made their Neighbours Subjects and Tributariâ—…s â—…o them and though God did not always punish them according to their â—…leserts yet he never did inflict any publick or National Judgments on them but when they were grown very corrupt and wicked in their manners as it were easie to shew from the History of those Times and all the remarkable Judgments God inflicted on them Now I must confess when we apply th is to the Christian Church the case is very different for God has not so expresly covenanted with the Christian Church for external Peace and Prosperity as he did with the Iews they were the carnal Seed and Posterity of Abraham Heirs of an earthly Canaan and external Prosperity but the spiritual Seed of Abraham are Heirs of spiritual and eternal Blessings which were typified by the carnal Promises made to the Iewish Church the Christian Church was founded in the Sufferings of our Lord the Christian Faith was at first propagated by the courage patience and sufferings of the Apostles and the Primitive Martyrs and Confessors The Terms ouâ—… Saviour proposes to us are If any mâ—… will come after me let him deny himsel and take up his Cross and follow me Hâ—… that loveth his life shall lose it but 〈◊〉 that loseth his life for my sake shall find it And therefore the most sincere Believers and most exemplary Christians may suffer very severely in this Worlâ—… and their support and comfort is that â—…hey shall be proportionably rewarded â—…n the next this was the great Objeâ—…ction the Iews made against Christians being the Sons and peculiar People of God that they were hated and persecuted for the Faith of Christ and God suffered them to be so whereas he had promised all Temporal Prosperity to the observance of his Laws and Staâ—…utes and if believing in Christ had been the Will and Commandment of God he would certainly have made good all the Promises of their Law to the Disciples of Jesus An Objection which very much troubled many believing Iews themselves who did not thoroughly understand the difference between the Iewish and Christian Dispensation between the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Christ and therefore is particularly answered by St. Paul 8. Rom. and in the 7. Heb. But this shews that the Faith and Worship of Christ is not always rewarded with external Prosperity and we must not expect it should be and consequently that very severe Sufferings and Persecutions may befal Christians not always for the correction and punishment of their Sins but for the trial of their Faith and Patience to make them conformed to their Suffering Head to prepare them for richer and brighter Crowns to convince and convert their Persecutors and to propagate the Christian Faith in the World Though it is observed by some of the Ancient Fathers and particularly by St. Cyprian That God never sent a general Persecution upon the Christian Church but when their Sins the general declension of Piety and Discipline their Worldly-Mindedness the formality and coldness of their Devotions called for a Scourge Thus it was with the Church while it sojourned as I may so speak in the world as in a strange land had no place of its own no earthly Power and Authority to support it but lived under Pagan Powers was intermixt with them and oppressed by them when they pleased but the case of a Christian Nation where the Power and Authority is Christian seems very different and to come nearer the state of the Iewish Church for God does not use to inflict Publick Judgments and
Vocal and Instrumental Musick was not only used in the Worship of God but this was the Chief if not the only Use of it This is acknowledged by all but some will not allow it to be a Pattern for Christian Worship They reckon Musick among the Ceremonies of the Iewish Law fitted to the carnal State of that People and abrogated with the other Legal Ceremonies by the more perfect Dispensation of the Gospel which requires a more Spiritual Worship But a few words will shew how unreasonable this Pretence is The Song of Moses and Miriam was before the giving of the Law and therefore no part of it and though this is the first time we read of Singing there is no Reason to think that this was the first beginning of it We read of no Institution of Singing though we do of Singers that Singing seems as Ancient and Natural as publick Worship But suppose Singing had been part of the Mosaical Law the Gospel of oâ—…r Saviour abrogates nothing of that Law but such Types as receive their accomplishment in Christ or such Appendant Ceremonies as were meer Signs and Figures of an Evangelical Righteousness But what is Singing a Type of any more than speaking For it is only a more Harmonious and Emphatical way of speaking and I see no Reason why Men may not reject Vocal Prayer as well as Vocal Musick because they were both used by the Iews Whatever Objections are now made against Church-Musick which I have not now time particularly to examine were as good Objections in David's time as they are now and yet then Prophets composed Hymns and Prophets set the Tunes for so the chief Musitians to whom David directs his Psalms as the Titles of some of them express were Prophets as well as Musitians and methinks Men should speak more favourably of such Practices as were under the Direction and Government of Inspired Men. In the Vision of the Prophet Isaiah 6 Ch. 1 2 3. v. The Seraphims are represented crying one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of his Glory This is acknowledged to be a great Example oâ—… Antiphonal singing in which one answers another But then they say this plainly refers to the Ancient Temple-Worship and must not be admitted a Precedent for Christian Practice But if the Temple-Worship be a fit Precedent for the Worship of Angels Why may it not be a Precedent for the Worship of Christians whose Worship as pure and Spiritual as it is falls vastly short of Angelical Worship But do not the Angels then thus Worship God in Heaven this would be a new Objection against our Liturgy never thought of before which in the Te Deum teaches us to Sing To Thee all Angels cry aloud the Heavens and all the Powers therein To Thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabboath Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory And if the Angels thus sing in Heaven surely the Precedent is not unworthy of the Christian Church on Earth The like Representation we meet with of the four Beasts and twenty four Elders Rev. 4. And the same Answer is given to it That the Images in the Apoâ—…lyptick Visions are fetched from the Law â—…d not from the Gospel But whensoever these Images were originally taken this Book was directed to the Christian Churches and therefore was a Rule and Precedent for them It all along describes the State of the Christian not of the Iewish Church and therefore their Worship too And if we look into the fifth Chapter we shall find these four Beasts and twenty four Elders were Christians who were redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb and sung the Song of the Lamb Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the Seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast Redeemed us to God out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us into our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign upon the Earth Ver. 9 10. This I take to be a Christian Hymn and therefore a Pattern for Christian Worship And as much as some smile at the Conceit I can't but think that the general Exhortations in the new Testament to sing to God To admonish one another in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs Singing and making Melody in our Hearts to the Lord though theâ—… are not an Apostolical Institution of Quire nor do prescribe the particulaâ—… Forms of Cathedral Worship yet theâ—… justifie it all as far as it is fitted to thâ—… true Ends of Devotion for the Apostleâ—… knew after what manner they sung iâ—… the Iewish Church and had this beeâ—… so unfit as is pretended for Christian Worship they would not have exhorted Christians to sing without giving them a Caution against Iewish Singing And now it does not seem to me much to the purpose to enquire whether this Practice was for any time intermitted in the Christian Church and When and upon what Occasion iâ—… was Restored For if what I have now discoursed hold good it justifies the Use of Musick in Religious Worship whenever it can be had though there may be some Times and Circumstances which will not allow it Though it could be certainly proved that this was disused for the first three Centuries in the Christian Church while they were under a state of Persecution This would be no greater Argument to me against Cathedral-Worship than it is against Cathedral Churches The Poverty and afflicted State of the Church at that time would allow neither but Prosperity by degrees restored them to both We may as well argue against the Use of Musick in the Iewish Church because under the Babylonish Captivity they hung their Harps upon the Willows and refused to sing the Songs of Sion in a strange Land to those who carried them away Captives The Primitive Christians in those days never declared their dislike of this way of Worship but their Condition would not bear it No Christian will deny that singing the Praises of God and their Saviour was always a principal part of Christian Worship and therefore was the worship of the Primitive Christians unless they were defective in a Principal part of Worship so that the only Dispute can be about the manner of Singing and the chief thing objected is the Antiphonal way of singing which is acknowledged to have been used in the Iewish Church and therefore has the same Authority that Singing has But yet I will yield the Cause if any Man can give me a good Reason why it should be very Lawful and an excellent part of Religion for a hundred Men suppose to sing a whole Psalm together but very Unlawful and a Corruption of Religion to sing it Alternately Fifty to sing One Verse and Fifty the Next when by their Answering each other they mutually excite each other's Devotion and signifie the Consent and Union of their Prayers and Praises in the Whole But setting