Vindicated p. 43 44 Justin Martyr vindicated p. 45 St Gregory Photius Cyprian Prudentius Athanasius and St Hierom considered p. 45 46 47 Justinians letter to Archbishop Menna and the decree of the sixt councell of Constantinople refer'd to p. 47 48 Whether Hell Torments formally such as described if not such greater St Greg. Nyssenes Opinion p. 49 Hell Torments not now understood p. 49 50 God himself is in Hell a consuming fire p. 50 51 Fear of God and his judgement commended p. 51 52 This fear a principall Bar against Vice p. 52 53 Vicious men not to be Envied p. 54 There is a Reward in the End for the Religious SECT II. SERM I. Of the Rewards of Religion Man Naturally desireth Happinesse p. 5 The Greater Happinesse is more desireable then the lesse p. 58 Heathens were sensible of a Reward for Vertue and a punishment impendent upon Vice p. 59 The fears and suspicions of an ill Conscience immoveable p. 60 The joy and content of the Heathens in the practice of Vertue and how this joy was reasonable p. 60 61 The Laws of Nature and sense of God a Rewarder in all Men. p. 61 62 Christians have greater Reasons of their satisfaction and content in the excercise of Christian Vertue p. 62 63 The contemplation of the joyes of Heaven necessary for our encouragement to Vertue p. 63 Psal 16. v. ult commended p. 64 Happinesse in Heaven the greatest possible ib. The parts of the greatest Happinesse explained p. 65 Security from Greif a necessary prerequisite to Happinesse p. 66 Heavenly Happinesse free from pain and Greif p. 67 Mans condition considered in respect of pain p. 68 The use of Cares and Pains in this World p. 69 No Vse of Pains or Cares in Heaven p. 70 The particular Occasions and Causes of our Bodily pains and cares inconsistent with the state of Glory p. 71 72 Of Pains purely Mentall p. 73 The state of Glory free from mentall Pains p. 74 Of Hell Torment p. 75 The state of Glory free from these Torments p. 75 76 The vision of Heavenly joy shall encrease the Torment of the damned p. 76 The vision of Hell Torments shall encrease the blessednesse of the blessed p. 77 Recapitulation and Conclusion p. 78 SERM II. Of the Rewards of Religion His Apology may be pardon'd who is put to describe Heaven p. 79 It is Gods mercy that Heaven is described by Metaphors p. 80 Voluptas in Motu active joyes in Heaven p. 81 And in the highest degrees and greatest quantities ib. Scenes of Spirituall joyes in corporall shapes and figures given us in compassion to our Infirmities p. 82 Heavenly joyes compared to the pleasures of feasting ib. To the joyes of marriage p. 83 To the joyes of Honor. p. 84 To the Glories of a Victor in games of Honor. ib. To the Gl ries of a King p. 85 The statelinesse of the Court of Heaven descibed p. 85 86 The Eternall duration of these joyes and Glories in Heaven p. 86 87 88 Metaphors expresse the Grandeur not the Nature of that Joy p. 88 Glorified Bodies Spirituall like Christs Body p. 89 Ben Maimons discourse of the Reasonablenesse of Gods proposing Heaaven to us under such Metaphors p. 89 90 The Doctrine of Socrates and Plato de Finibus compared with that of Christianity p. 91 92 Materiall senses continued in Heaven for Ornament rather then for Vse p. 93 The Conclusion p. 94 SERM III. Of the Rewards of Religion Why men prefer Worldly Enjoyments before those of Heaven p. 96 The same Attributes given to God and Heaven ib. The happinesse of Both described by Negatives p. 96 97 The Enjoyment in Nature great the Enjoyments in conceit and phancy greater then those in Nature p. 98 99 The Enjoyments in Heaven greater then both p. 99 1 Cor. 2.9 and Isaiah 64. vv 1 2 3 4. compared and explained p. 100 101 The Conflagration of this world in order to the purgation of its Matter for the New Heavens and New Earth and New Jerusalem incomprehensibly glorious ib. Rabbins affirme that from the state of the Messiah we must take the image of our future Glory p. 101 102 The Resurrection of Christ the Image of ours p. 102 How the Glories of Heaven are revealed to Christians by the Spirit p. 103 Advice Stand no more gazing in Heaven p. 104 Christian Faith and Hope commended Christian Practice commended SERM IV. Of the Rewards of Religion The Hope of the Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting the greatest Encouragements to Vertue p. 109 The Existence of the Law of Nature argues Rewards and punishments in another life because they are not equally Distributed in this p. 110 The immortality of the Soul anciently beleived p. 111 Mr Hobbes's his Opinion considered ib. The Doctrine of the Souls Immortality sprang not from the Daemonology of the Greeks p. 112 The ancient arguments for the Immortality of the Soul from Cicero and other Philosophers p. 113 115 116 The Explication of those who make Souls corporeall imperfect p. 114 Mr Hobbes misinterprets Scripture which determines the Soul to be independent from the Body p. 117 118 Reasons why Christians first beleived the Gospell of Christ concerning the Resurrection of the Body p. 118 119 Christs other pred ctions allready miraculously fullfill'd were received as Arguments that his Doctrine concerning the Resurrection shall be fullfilled also p. 119 120 Miraculous instances of his power in raising the Dead p. 120 121 Jairus his daughter and the Widdows son raised p. 121 122 Lazarus raised and the Resurrection preacht p. 122 123 Christs own Resurrection a powerfull argument of ours p. p. 123 124 Objections Obviated p. 125 126 How the Doctrine of the Resurrection was received among the Jews p. 127 Our Saviors Argument against the Sadduces explain'd p. 127 128 How farve the Doctrine of the Philosophers was consistent with the Christian Doctrine of the Resurrection p. 129 130 Application Hope of this Resurection to be cherisht p. 131 This Vertue Hope commended from its Vsefullnesse p. 132 The Antinomians Error who rejects this Vertue deduced from its Originals described and confuted p. 〈…〉 134 The Exercise of Hope commended from the 〈…〉 to it p. 134 The Exercise of Thanksgiving and Worship commended p. 135 SECT III. SERM I. Of the cheifest good Christian Doctrine opposed by Epicureans and Stoicks p. 146 141 142 St Pauls Triumph over his learned opponents p. 143 Philosophers very good and very bad p. 144 145 146 Errours about summum Bonum p. 147 148 No sect could obtain Happinesse in this life p. 149 150 151 Their happinesse designd in this life inconsiderable p. 152 153 Some philosophers prizd vertuous actions to be summum bonum p. 154 Others esteem'd pleasure to be it p. 155 And aimd at that only in this life p. 156 Christians aime at everlasting pleasures p. 157 SERM II. Of the cheifest Good St Augustine under temptation of pleasure p. 160 Difference of lusts p. 161 Religion opposeth
things of the pains of Hell that they shall be great and that they shall be eternall a good argument I thought to move us to fear Him who hath power to cast us thither and an immutable wil or decree to give every man reward or punishment according to the merit of his life I then also gave an answer to the Objections of our moderne Platonists to Mr Hobbes also and the Socinians who deny the pains of Hell to be eternall Wicked Ahab confess 't 1 Kings c. ult â— v. 8. that he hated Micaiah because He did not prophesy good concerning Him John 8.40 but evill and our Savior found that he procured himself a mortall hatred among the Jewes because he told them the truth Some truths are so ingratefull to the Ear that they cannot be insinuated without great danger of procuring an aversation to the relator Felix did not love to hear of Judgement to come Acts. 24 25. more unhappy He more unlike to justify his name And I fear that some do so ill like the severe and necessary Truths concerning that last judgement and the consequences of it that I as your spirituall Scholemaster have proposed from this text that they will be censured by them as the dictates of a tetricall Orbilius of a sharpe and cruell Master Memini quae plagosus mihi parvo Orbilius dictaret Horat. I affirme therefore to countenance them yet further and to plant them upon their right foundation that they are not mine but the resolutions of the ancient Catholick Church It is true this Doctrine hath its considerable opposers and so have all other doctrines of the Christian Faith But since this text looks upon you my Auditors and all true professors of Religion as children the phrase is come Ye children and hearken unto me Be so humble as to own the Discipline you are under Submit your selves to the paedagogick Rules of your Schole For he cannot be Christs Scholar that is too proud to admit them One good Rule for the resolving all such difficulties and sopiting all such differences is this That if there be a controversy concerning the sense of a Scripture and the Fathers of the primitive Church that lived next after Christ and his Apostles have unanimously determined the sense of that Scripture and have made that determination professedly and not by the by Every one of Christs Scholars must have humility enough to submit unto it For they being neerer the fountain were more like to have the truth brought incorruptly to them than we that are so far remov'd to us And having told you this for a Rule so equitable that I think it will merit not to be contradicted I shall tell you further that the primitive Fathers did maturely debate and consider this controversy and the Texts alledged on both sides concerning it both in their publick councills and in their private studies and have declared for the greatnesse and Eternity of Hell torments against that which was anciently Origens Opinion and is now renewed by some moderne Socinians and Atheists Seeing therefore the Eternity of these Torments hath been anciently matters of contradiction and continues so to be unto this day I think it reasonable for me to give you a further confirmation of their Eternity from the Testimonies arguments and reasons of these Reverent ancients and Primitive Fathers in our Religion As St Augustine whom for the reputation of his authority I first produce in his exposition on those words of our Savior August ad Oros contra Priscill Origen cap. 6. Math. 25.46 The wicked shal go into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life everlasting observes that the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is there put to expresse the duration of the punishment of the wicked in Hell and the eternall life of the glorified in Heaven And having laid that for a ground he argueth thus if the consideration of the mercy of God provoketh us to believe that the punishment of the wicked in Hell shall have an end what must we consequently believe concerning the reward of the righteous when on both sides in the same text and with the same word they are alike pronounced to be eternall This argument is frequently used by other Fathers August De Civit Dei c. 23. and by St Augustine himself in other places So in his book de Civitate Dei he telleth those who oppose the Eternity of Hell Torments that if they will have a temporary punishment in Hell they must likewise have a temporary reward in Heaven our Saviors epithete being the same to both The Translators of the Bible were surely guilty of a little oversight when they varied the Epithete in that Text which is the same without variation in the Originall There are texts wherein the variation of a word or phrase may be usefull by Way of Paraphrase to let in light to the sense but here in respect to this Controversy Verbum verbo curâsset reddere fiâ—â—us Interpres The Interpreter should have been strict and have rendred the Text word for word For it is the Identity of the Epithete applied equally to both that maketh St Augustines argument unanswerable And St Augustine building upon that Identity of Duration mention'd there urgeth the absurdity Can you saith he think such exposition true in the later part Can you think it credible that the Righteous may relapse from that excellent and glorious purity they enjoy in Heaven and fall thence into the filth of sin again and into its wages Death and then he asserts that if it be absurd and false to affirme an End of glory and purity in Heaven it must be equally absurd and false to affirme an End of pains in Hell because the same Adjective in the same verse is applied to both Another argument He draweth out of the prophesy of Esay What saith he August ad Oros contra Priscill Origen c. 6. shall we answer to the words of that Prophet Their Worme shall not dye and their fire shall not be quenched Whatsoever kind of punishment is understood by their worme and their fire if it shall neither dye nor be extinguished it is declared to be eternall and I told you in my last discourse that he opposeth also that subtile and slender defence August de Fide Operib that some did then and do now make who allow the Fire to be eternall but not the burning of the Individuall persons cast into it This my Brethren is St Augustines doctrine and I am sure his advice is as safe as his doctrine is true namely Augustin de Civit Dei lib. 21. c. 23. that those who would be free from this eternall punishment should rather spend their time in doeing Gods will than in framing arguments and distinctions against his word Next I produce St Basil as a principall Authority among the Greek Fathers Basil ad Virgin lapsam tom 3. pag. 18. He telleth us that the
same kind the sacrilegious separatist is lesse prophane then He The separatist doth very ill when he profanes the materiall Temple but the intemperate Christian doth worse when he profaneh the spirituall The separatist defaceth the pictures of the Saints but the Intemperate Christian defaceth the very Image of God according to which he was created I think I may yet further follow my Apostle and step a little higher in expressing the honour that is done unto our bodies against which we sin by these Intemperances For our Bodies are not only said to be the vessels Temples and Sanctuaries unto Christ but even Members of him also because of the same Spirit that cohabiteth both in our Lord and us St Paul presseth this Argument home against the 3d and worst sort of Intemperance 1 Cor. 6.15 Know you not that your Bodies are the Members of Christ shall I then take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot Surely he that desires to bee called by the name of a Christian and would deserve that name can never intend so vile an Act or willingly consent so to dishonor the Members of his Lord. The truth is our Religion goes beyond Philosophy and affords not only the best Rules of Sobriety but the best encouragements to it and the best Dissuasives from the contrary V Tacit. l. 3. Ann Alexandiū ab Alexan. l. 3. c. 11. Yet as Tiberius spake in Tacitus concerning the Laws anciently made in Rome against Luxury Leges contemptu abolitas securiorem Luxum fecisse that those Laws being once suffered to be despised made Luxury ride on more triumphantly and secure This is our very Case The Gospell of our Lord hath prescribed us good Medicines but our Disease is grown so great as to have the Mastery and to triumph over all our Medicines vice is grown so powerfull and impudent as to run down Religion it self from off the stage of this sinfull World when St John pronounced that dismall sentence in the Conclusion of his Epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The whole world lyeth down and sinks under the power of its own wickednesse He excepted then the Christians out of that World 1 Joh 5.19 But where is now the power of Christianity it self where is there now even among Christians the Man that in St Johns sense sinneth not where is the Man that guardeth and keepeth himself so that the Wicked one toucheth him not Is it not an ill and a desperate case my Brethren that we can be contented with the empty name of Christianity and can suffer the Laws and power of Religion to be contemned Is not the Word of God as sufficiently able now as formerly to hamper and toyl the Consciences of profane and evil men Methinks I have a mind to imitate St James to make an Apostrophe to them and to call these wicked Men a little by their own names Yee Adulterers and Adulteresses those are the Apostles words Yee Drunkards and ryottous persons ye that are a shame and scandall to your profession yee that abuse the Members of Christ and continually dishonour and profane your Bodies your Bodies said I Nay they are not yours those vessels I mean that your Lord hath made and bought and which first in your Baptisme and since in every Sacrament received by you ye have dedicated to God and he hath appointed to Sanctification and holinesse What will ye not stand to the Covenants ye have made with your God Is it nothing in a Matter so sacred to give and to take to offer and resume to promise and prevaricate Is it not a great prophanesse and sacriledge to defile and pollute the vessels ye have dedicated And do yee not fear to be overtaken in your profanesse as Belshazzar was in his Or if you are not afraid of the Wickednesse that is in it for some indeed there are that are not afraid of any Wickednesse yet why are yee not ashamed of your folly Thus Vetulam praeferre Immortalitali to preferre the filthy Harlottry of the world and flesh before the eternall glory of your Bodies and souls Why do yee pretend to Christianity if ye will not practice it This we know that if you believe the Gospell you cannot think your selves secure in the pursuance of these practices O yee young Men why do ye not consider what Salomon hath foretold you that when you have rejoyced your fill and walk't till you are weary in the wayes of your heart and in the sight of your eyes you must in the end be brought to a Reckoning and a Judgement for all the particulars of your lives Eccles 11.9 O yee that are Men of Age ye that have been now for a long time professors of Christian Religion why do you not consider what our saviour hath prophesied Mat. 4.36 That as when in the daies of Noah Men were eating and drinking untill the flood came and took them all away so shall the coming of the son of Man bee It was nothing but his great kindnesse that made our Saviour give his Scholars that Caution Luc. 21.34 Take heed to your selves least at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the Cares of this World and so that day come upon you unawares As he is a faithfull and wise servant that maketh it his businesse to do his Masters will so he hath the character of an unfaithfull evill and foolish servant who puts off the evill day and saith in his heart My Lord delayeth his coming and sinneth and wrongeth his fellow servants and eateth and drinketh with the drunken For the Daies of his particular Judgment shall come sooner than he thinks for The Lord of that servant as himself hath foretold shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall appoint his portion with Hypocrites And let me tell you the portion of Hypocrites is one of the worst Portions that is paid in Hell That we may have a better Portion in a better place I shall conclude by pressing seriously upon you the very exhortation in my Text That Exhortation that wrought so happily upon St Augustine And if it wrought upon St Augustine why may it not by the gracious operation of the same Spirit work a like effect upon some of us Let us my Brethren cast of the workes of darknesse and let us put on the Armour of light let us walk honestly as in the day Not in ryotting and drunkennesse not in Chambering and Wantonnesse not in strife and Envying but let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh to fullfill the Lusts thereof Let us know that our Religion ought to extend to every action of our Lives even to our eating and drinking and every part of our Conversation Let us remember whose we are who hath made us and who hath bought us with a price And since he hath made both and
DE FINIBUS Virtutis Christianae The Ends of Christian Religion WHICH ARE To Avoid Enjoy eternall Wrath Happinesse from God Justified in severall Discourses By R. S. LL. D. VVisdome is justified of her children OXFORD Printed by HEN HALL Printer to the University for RIC DAVIS Anno Domini 1673. Imprimatur PETER MEWS Vice-Can March 18. 1672. FAcit Lucius noster prudentèr qui audire de Summo Bono potissimùm velit Hoc enim constituto in Philosophiâ constituta sunt omnia caeteris in rebus sive praetermissum five ignoratum est quippiam non plus incommodi est quam quanti quaeque earum rerum est in quibus neglectum est aliquid summum autem Bonum si ignoretur Vivendi quoque Rationem ignorari necesse est Ex quo tantus Error consequitur ut quem in portum se recipiant scire non possint Cognitis autem rerum Finibus cum intelligitur quid sit Bonorum extremum Malorum inventa vitae via est conformatioque omnium Officiorum Ita Piso apud Ciceronem lib. 5. De Finibus TO THE RIGHT Reverend Father in God GEORGE By divine Providence Lord Bishop of Winchester c. My ever Honoured Lord IT is one of the Happinesses of us pretenders to learning that we are commonly the subjects of great Mens favors But in this we are not so singular as we are in ther that sometimes we are thought to pay our Debts to them by growing in New ones Of which this my present Dedication may be some instance to your Lordship For I must ever own with all humble and thankfull Resentments that what Dignity and Place I have in the Church of England I received from your Noble Bounty and hold under your sole Patronage And now I further take confidence considering your Lordships great ability in Learning and Judgement for that purpose to invoke your Lordship as a most proper Arbiter Judge and Patrone of the Discourses that I have now committed to the Presse And in truth I could do no otherwise For seeing the Receiving this Countenance and Favor is by the kind interpretation of the World a fashionable Way of Thankfullnesse I who have so much Reason to make use of all meanes of Gratitude should be highly Culpable if I should not gratify my self by laying hold of this which is most expedient also for me in my present Occasion and much for the Reputation and Ornament of what I publish And my Lord as your Protection is very necessary for me so I conceive it now very honorable for your Lordship in that great and eminent Office which you bear in Gods Church For what can bee more suitable for a Bishop than to countenance the defence of those Truths which are the fundamentall Basis of all Relion and Vertue What I present now extends but to the Title de Finibus Which if we handle Divinity in the Analytique Way the VVay that expedites our learning and accommodates it to practice is first in Order But your Lordship hath seen my whole Method and if they shall bee judged usefull may command my Endeavors upon the other Titles also And though here as in the holy Waters described Ezech. XLVII the further we go the deeper we shall wade into the Body of Divinity yet I think we may avoid all those depths that are unfathomable or Dangerous if we contain our selves within the Compasse of what is Practicall In the mean time I could not forbear to contribute my Mite towards the fixing in the first Place of these Initiall Rudiments that are naturally first in Order now first openly call'd in Question and allwaies as I before intimated of prime influence to ground us in Morality and Religion It is the Observation of Plato in his tenth Book de Legibus that whosoever beleiveth that there is a God and a Providence and that God will not be corrupted to Partiality or Injustice by any Complement in VVorship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will neither willingly do an Ungodly Act nor speak an unruly Word I need not to your Lordship expatiate in commending the judgement of that Philosopher who determineth it necessary for the well Government of a Common weal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Poit x. de leg ad Finē that it be thus ruled in the fundamental Laws of it That in case Atheisme of any kind should appear in any Man every one should bee obliged to oppose it as a publick Pest and to defend Religion and to delate to the Magistrate such who by dissettling the common Principles which affirme a Providence would corrupt the manners of the Vnlearned and that then the Magistrates should punish all Atheists so delated most severely as being persons of very pernicious influence to the state For it is not only to the contempy of the Soveraigne Deity but to the Ruin of any Temporall Kingdome that Atheists or at least that Professors of Atheisme and teachers of profanesse should be sufferd to go Vnpunished These Heclorings against Heaven being justly reckon'd among those things that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very Banes of Empire and Government as taking away that which is the great and common Awe of Men of all degrees the Reverence I mean of that supreme and Dernier Resort in the highest and unavoidable judgement of the great Creator It is much to be wish't and pray'd for that we as we all worship the same same God so we might once be so Happy as to agree in the same worship of Him Such an Vnion would certainly render us more dear to Him and more considerable to Men. But if some Difference in Worship for the darknesse of Mens Vnderstandings and the hardnesse and untowardnesse of their Hearts must be tolerated yet methinks we should have so much Zeal for Religion and Loyalty to the supreme Creator and Governor of the World as to discommon those from all our Societies who lay foundations to eradicate all manner of worship who laugh at all the Reverentiall Hopes and Fears in Religion and behave themselves as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men who desire to live in the VVorld that God hath made and yet despise to worship Him that made it That God would pardon our past provocations and continue to bresse us and his immediate Vicegerent our King and make Him glorious in the Extirpation of Atheisme and Profanesse and in the punishment of those who have been or shall be hereafter Ministers of Evill in scattering the poisonous seeds of Irreligion and Wickednesse among us And that He would give your Lordships the Bishops and all other inferior Magistrates Honor in your contributing severally to this great and necessary Effect is and by his Grace ever shall be the Prayer of My most honoured Lord Your Lordships most obliged and ever observant Chaplain ROBERT SHARROCK THE PREFACE TO THE READER Freindly Reader IN the ensuing Discourse that I might commend unto you the Gift of Fear and the Christian Vertue Hope I
have given you a just Character of the objects that we have Reason to fear and hope Which if we apprehend as they are we cannot naturally but fear and avoid the One and hope and desire the other It is like to be an ill world when the Existence of God and his Providence the eternall punishment of the wicked in Hell the Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the Body are called in Question I remember that Dr Arrowsmith speaking of the Existence of the three divine persons compared them to the three VVells mention'd Gen. 26. The Divinity of God the Son to the Well Ezech signifying contention because the Orthodox have been long forced to contend for it against the Arians of severall Ages the Deity of the Spirit to the Well Sitnah that signifieth Hatred because the holy Ghosts Divinity hath been the Object of the Socinians Contradiction and Hatred But he compared the Existence and Divinity of God the Father to the well Rehoboth about which there was no strife However his Comparison agreed then with the Times yet as lately as he dyed had he lived untill now I am sure it had been out of doors For such is our Vnhappinesse that it concernes us to contend even for the Existence of God the Creator and for his Providence and Government of the World such is our Calamity that we have some now as ready to deny the God that made them as there were any in the last Age to deny the Lord that bought them This is their Absurdity they are more willing to suppose those infinite or at least innumerable lesser Beings of which the World is made to be infinite in Duration than to comply with the common Faith in beleiving One infinite Creator of them all And in every other particular that Opinion is proposed as probable by the new Modes in Philosophy that complieth most with the loose way of living now designed Sometimes it is a part of their War with Heaven to endeavor to extinguish Hell sometimes to dispute against the Immateriality and Immortality of the Soul sometimes against the Resurrection of the Body by these stratagems they cut off those hopes that are the Encouragements to Vertue and those feares that are or in Reason should be the Barres of all Profanesse Aetas posterior pejor Avis tulit Nos nequiores I will not adde Mox daturos Progeniem vitiosiorem For I wish there were not Opinions and Practices so bad that we are out of danger of having worse or of being worse otherwise than by the further spreading of that Poison that is already cast among us My design now is upon the Title de Finibus which is now no unseasonable Argument to lay down and explain even where I find no Opposition the doctrine of Christianity in that Method which I think most easy and naturall and to confirm it as it ought to be confirm'd especially from the Word of God though generally where the matter is agreeable I have taken in the Reason of the best of the old Philosophers also In controverted points besides my Explication of the common doctrine I present you with such of the old Arguments from Divines or Philosophers as after my survey of our modern Hypotheses I think stand yet unanswer'd and which will si secuta fuerit as old Brutus spake in another case quae debet fortuna eternally triumph in the power of their own Truth Great part of these Discourses were as you see Sermons and what was not preach't as being not accommodable to my present Auditories yet I have put in the same Method and joyn'd them in their Stations that my discourses might be compleat and adequate to their Title And though these extend but to the first Title in Christian Morality yet I hope through Gods assistance to adde the rest in due time or to suppresse what remains as I shall be commanded or advised by those who are to judge of their Expediency and Usefulnesse In the mean time let us pray together that God would give us Sobriety of Mind in this distemper'd Age and establish us all in such a Fear and love of Him whose fruit may be to holinesse and Peace and Charity in this vvorld and vvhose End may be everlasting life in the vvorld to come THE CONTENTS SECT 1. SERM I. Of the Fear of God Atheisme increas'd in England pag 1 2 Vnbeleif of the principles of Religion is the cause of exorbitant Lives p. 2 3 The contrary designes of Happinesse in Religious and Atheisticall persons p. 3 4 Modern Atheists either Epicureans or Aristoteleans p. 4 5 The Vanity of the Epicurean Atheist p. 6 7 8 9 10 The Vanity of the Aristotelean Atheist p. 11 12 13 The Vanity of Atheists in generall p. 13 14 Psalm 14 Paraphras'd p. 14 The Fears and self-contradictions of Atheists p. 14 15 No argument against the Existence of a Deity p. 16 The common faith of Mankind asserts a Deity ib. The Christian Faith assureth us of a Deity and the Creation p. 16 17 Pride of Curious learning the Cause of Error in Aristotle and Epicurus and other Grecians Wits p. 17 18 Acts 17 21. explained p. 17 Cautions against practicall Atheisme p. 18 19 Morall Obedience the best part of Gods Service p. 20 SERM II. Of the fear of God By this Phrase the Fear of the Lord various habits of the mind are signified p. 21 22 St Basil explains the Text Psal 34.11 of servile fear p. 22 23 Servile Fear commended p. 23 The judgement of God and Hell Torments were received by ancient Tradition as the great Objects of human Fear p. 24 That Tradition corrupted by Poets ib. Hell Torments Confirmed by Scripture p. 25 Hell Torments perpetuall and continued p. 26 The Infidelity of the present Age. p. 27 Modern followers of Plato and Origen extenuate Hell Torments p. 27 28 Hobbists and Socinians do the same p. 28 29 Torments of Individuals in Hell prov'd to bee eternall p. 29 Objections answer'd How eternall Torments curative p. 30 Equality of Pleasure in sin and Torment in punishment not necessary p. 31. No Argument can be drawn against the Eternity of Hell-torments from the Mercy of God p. 32 Epicurus false in his Rule si gravis brevis ib. The manner how the Damned shall be enabled to endure Hell-torments unconceivable p. 32 33 Eternall Torments call'd a Second Death p. 34. The firing of Sodom how a Type of Hell fire ib. The use of these terrible truths p. 35. SERM III. Of the Fear of God Severe Truths generally displease p. 36 The Primitive fathers in this case the best Interpreters of dubious Scriptures p. 37 St Augustines arguments for the Eternity of Hell Torments p. 38 39 St Basils arguments and Advice p. 40 St Ambrose concerning their Extention and Perpetuity p. 41 42 Rabbinicall conceits of the pains of the damned p. 41 42 Lactantius how the greatnesse of those Torments hinder not their eternity p. 42 43 Tertullian
the councell and designe of his life because he taketh God to be his Refuge And truly my Brethren I think this day is this Scripture fullfilled in your Eares It is to be lamented that there are men among us that professe Atheisme and for want of Wit as I said before to invent new ones are willing to broach again those old Hypotheses against Religion and in their Caballs do slight the commun faith concerning the Being of a God and his being a Rewarder in the world to Come and do gallant it over the Religious man and accuse his life of folly and superstition Yet see the power of Conscience and the just hand of God upon them They fear a fear None are so incredibly fearfull of death and the consequences of Death as they Mr Hobbes is the modern Reviver of that Hypothesis of Aristotle that I but now opposed Sic ab eo dicta sic acta passim testantur v. praefationem ad Dialogum Physicum de Nat. Aeris in Epist ad Sam. Sorberium quod idem de Epicuro notat Cicero cum scil quas res gloriabatur se contemnere Numen Mortem eat animum mortalium maxime formidatum proud and insolent in his assertions And yet he feareth nay he professeth Fear as much as he professeth Atheisme even the fear of Death Which fear can be reasonable on no other account than that of a God and a judgement to come For if there be no punishment of their evil deeds afterwards Death can be no worse estate than that of a perpetuall sleep And so to sleep without fear of Vengeance or judgement to come is certainly a more desireable estate than life when accompanied with pain or grief or with the terrors of Death only This is the condition of these Men while in their idle and foolish speeches they vainly deny God in their spontaneous actions they shew such tokens of Suspicions and fears as do more strongly assert that they are yet afflicted with the Notion of his Existence While in the mean time God is in the generation of the righteous they are professed worshippers of God and fearing him all waies they fear not death at all nor the consequences of it at all but can sing out Triumphantly over that dreadfull Nothing O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory I have one Observation more concerning the Atheists of our Time who broach again those old Hypotheses against Religion That they are ready enough to call to us for demonstrations yet they themselves could never though they have been challenged to shew their skill in that particular I say 't and I say 't again they could never yet forme one tolerable argument to assert the certainty of their own Hypotheses or to destroy our Faith concerning the Being of a God And therefore if they will yet Continue to blaspheme let them after all our demands either give us one argument to prove There is no God or that the world is eternall or that it was made by Chance without the work of God or let them confesse that they have taken up their strange suppositions without Reason and maintain them against Reason and all that with Reluctancy of Mind and with fears and suspicions that the commun judgement is the more true I conclude therefore with Job and Salomon That the fear of the Lord is Wisdome and that to depart from evill is understanding and with my Psalmist That the Wisdome of these Atheists is folly and their strengh weaknesse not able to dissettle the Universall anticipation and catholick Faith of the whole world Which Catholick Faith of the whole world is this as it is mention'd by the author to the Hebrews c. 11. v. 6. That there is a God and that he is the Rewarder of all those that diligently seek Him But besides this catholick commun Notion we have a speciall Faith setled by Miraculous testimonies from Heaven We have the books of Moses and the Prophets Yea and of the Apostles also and so as the author to the Hebrews observes By Faith we know that the world was framed of old by the word of God Heb. 11.12 and therefore We at least that know it by Faith are sure that we have reason to fear and worship God And as for others it is a saying of St Paul that in this time of Unbelief cannot be unseasonable If the Gospell be hid it is hid to those that are lost And so I say if the Notion of a Deity which is the first Article of the Christian as well as of the commun Faith be hid It is hid to those that are lost But I hope safer and better things of you my Christian Auditors and have only used this Discourse to arme you against the Spirit of Atheisme that is now gon abroad in the world And now My Brethren give me leave to draw some advices for You from the consideration of the premisses And the first is to those that are learned and best educated among Us Dicit Cicero Epicurum non Graeciam modo sed Asiam inâ—ò totum terrarum orbem novitate doctrinae concussisse De Fin. That we avoid pride and the ambition of broaching New and Curious learning It was this pride surely that betrayed both Aristotle and Epicurus to their Errors Et Lucretius hinc Epicurum celebrat quod primus exticit Religioms Oppugnator lib. 1. Humana ante oculos faede cum vita jaceret In terris oppressa gravi sub Relligione Quae caput à cocli regionibus ostendebat Horribili super aspectu mortalibus instans Primum Grajus homo mortales tollere contra Est ausus c. ib. For it was in their time lookt upon as an excellence of wit and a great piece of Mastery to be able to maintein a contradiction in any science against the commun and vulgarly received Opinions It is recorded by St Luke Omnis enim Numinis Religio colentibus vitio vertebatur presertim ab Epicureis ceu inutilis superstitiosa nimis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that the Athenians and strangers that liv'd at Athens spent their time in Nothing else but either to tell or to hear some New thing Act. 17. v. 21. By which New thing he meaneth not that which we call News not the Relation of any New Occurrences in affaires of State but some New curiosity in point of learning some New Invention or New argument or method of Reasoning in matters Philosophicall And the desire of some such applause was surely the cause of their broaching these dangerous Hypotheses against God It was then as it is now He who holds the newest and strangest Opinions in Philosophy or Divinity hath allwaies most disciples and is most look't after Non-conforming Scholemasters and Tutors are generally preferred by the Unwise who are many times the major part before those that are lawfull and orthodox For it is true as Seneca observes Nemo admiratur lunam nisi
laborantem The Moon is more admired when she is in an Eclipse than when she shines out fully and perfectly But my Brethren We must endeavor to correct this Vicious disposition of our Minds For truth is not the worse either for being commun or for having Age on its head And seeing these Truths concerning the Creation and Providence of God and the Reason we have to fear and worship Him are strongly confirmed to Us let it not be any prejudice against them which ought to be their commendation that they are ancient all and all intimate to our Natures Lastly let me advise you if you think your selves not in danger of speculative to beware of practicall Atheisme For we may be guilty of this Sin not only by Wishing or saying There is no God but also by living without his fear For that is to live as if there was no God For he denies God that doth not alwaies fear the effects of his power his Justice and his Truth He denieth God that denies to honor him in all his Attributes And surely he hath no conceit of the Truth and justice of God or no conceit of his Power who doth not fear to dissobey Him For what saith God by the Prophet Jeremy Will you Steal and Kill and commit Adultery and Swear falsly and burne incense unto Baal and yet professe to fear and Worship me Jer. 7.9 You had as good professe to deny Mee as to Worship me and not to Obey mee So in the fiftieth Psalme God telleth the wicked Man that it is a part of great prophanesse to pretend to Gods covenant and yet to hate to be reformed v. 16 17. to venture to dissobey God and break his commandments and yet to professe to worship Him to be guilty of Theivery and Adultery and Calumny and to hope that God will connive at all this It were as honorable to God for us to think there was no such Being as to think him such a God as would take upon him to judge the world and yet suffer himself to be flatter'd so with hypocriticall Worship as to be wrought upon to passe by the breach of his own Laws and to be made inconstant to the observance of those Morall Rules by which he governs the world as good deny Him as to suppose him a blind-Guide or an unjust and partiall Judge Take therefore the advice of the Psalmist in the 22d verse of that 50th Psalme and Consider this Ye that forget God that is ye that have own'd Him and yet now fear Him not least he tear you in pieces Those who have profess't Religion if they forget their Duty to God which they have profess't and live prophanely They shall most certainly undergo the punishment of their prophanesse The sentence is God shall tear them that is God shall distract and crosse such persons in this life and punish them eternally in the life to come One will make hast to be Rich and it may be not having the fear of God before his Eyes will designe to attain his End by manifest theivery So the Psalmist when thou sawest a theif thou consentedst with Him another man or the same Man another Time for want of the same fear will be companion to an Adulterer v. 18. Some give their Mouth to Evill v. 19. and their Tongue frameth deceit it may be to circumvent their Neighbors in buying or selling or matters of Trade Some abuse their tongue another way they sit and speak evill against their Brother and slander their Mothers Son v. 20. Now because God refers the punishment of these Offences to future judgement and doth not take them off immediately in the very Act they harden themselves yet more against God and fear him lesse and lesse So vers 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence and thou thoughtest that I was alltogether such a one as thy self that is apt to be flatter'd and corrupted as thou art and therefore thou addest worship to thy Wickednesse But I will reprove thee and set them in Order before thine Eyes I will make thee know the Order and difference of Duties and so I shall set before thine Eyes the many disorders of thy practice For in Vain in words you professe to defy Atheisme and in Vain you own and worship God with your lips When in the mean time you rob Him of his better and nobler Services When you do not give him reall Fear and Honor in your hearts and when you deny him Obedience in your lives And he fears not God that dares to dissobey Him For Worshipping and offering of Praise is good but living Obediently is better and more accepted with Him So the Psalmist Concludes and so do I He that Offereth praise Honoreth God but to him that ordereth his conversation aright shall be shewed the Salvation of our God Gloria Trinuni Deo SERM. II. PSAL. 34.11 Come ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach You the fear of the Lord. IT is observ'd that this phrase The fear of the Lord denotes in Scripture severall distinct habits or dispositions of the Mind Sometimes it signifies Religion or the worship of God in generall So Job 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 1.9 Where Satan asketh Doth Job fear God for nought the LXX render it doth Job worship God for nought and so that which in the phrase of Moses is V. apud LXX Prov. 1.7 Esaiae 33.6 Gen. 20.11 Job 28.28 in voce complexâ Job 1.15 8. 2.3 Vid. Deut. 10.12 Jonae 1.9 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God Deut. 10.20 is rendred by the interpretation of our Savior Math. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God And it is ordinary to render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth to fear by the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies to worship And in all languages Religion and the fear of the Lord sometimes passe under the same significations And in this sense I understood this phrase the last time when in Opposition to our Aristotelean and Epicurean Atheists I affirmed the existence of the Eternall God and advised you to fear and worship Him Sometimes the fear of the Lord is taken in a stricter sense for the Dread of God as the author of all punishments and especially of eternall punishment in Hell And there are other sorts of affections that have this Name also There is the fear of a Slave and the fear of a Son There is the fear of an Atheist and the fear of an Hypocrite the fear of a doubting Christian and the fear of a Christian that douts not but is carried on with a full assurance of Faith For he dreads God as a child reverenceth his Father that is He fears to offend Him There is great variety in these fears They take severall Men severall Waies The lowest kind is communly the beginning of Wisdome That frights from Sin for fear of punishment But the highest kind namely
Gen. 20.11 The fear of God is not in this place therefore will they slay me for my wives sake Abraham knew this that where Naturall lust hath extinguished the fear of God there is no bar against Adultery Murder or any sort of Wickednesse For want of this fear proud and lustfull Men will be ready to poyson or make away the husband that they may enjoy I mean abuse the Wife Oh may it not be said of us for these or the like Reasons That the fear of the Lord is not in this place Abimelech in the day of doom shall appear to be the son of Abraham and our profession of Religion shall encrease our shame and torment if we dare those wickednesses that Abimelech durst not Beauty was Beauty then The Beauty of Sarah had took him and he had took possession of the Beauty and surely she was as neer being made a Sacrifice of another kind as her Son Isaak afterwards was when he lay bound upon the Altar But Abimelech though a Gentile when he knew she was Abrahams wife he would not rob Abraham much lesse would he slay Abraham for his wives sake If it be otherwise with us shall not his Nature judge our Religion and his Gentilisme condemn our pretences of Christianity Hominum pessimus malus Christianus He that is vicious being a Christian is even the worse for his profession Eternally true is that observation of David Psalm 19. The fear of the Lord is clean surely the want of this fear as it is a Nationall defect and cause of much Nationall sin doth call for penitentiall prayers and teares from every Soul that is a lover of his Nation Now is the time that every devout man should be as the Prophet Jeremy should wish his head Water and his Eyes fountains that he might weep day and night for the sins of the daughter of his people Surely it is time the Trumpet were now blown to some solemne pennance Let us at least that are Priests and Ministers of the Lord weep in our severall places Let us stand between the porch and the altar and say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thy Heritage to reproach Joel 2.17 Let us all Men of high degree and men of low degree joyn with that Royall penitent Psal 51. and pray that God would wash us even this whole Nation throughly from our wickednesse and cleanse us from our sin Make us clean hearts O God and renew right Spirits within us Cast us not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from us And then let us adde endeavors to our prayers Let us gird up the loins of our Minds and encourage our selves against all Vice What though ill men sometimes come to be favored and preferred What though the fear of God and his judgement with some sorts of Men is now grown out of fashion The councell of King Salomon will eventually prove as good as it is now seasonable Prov. 23.17 Let not thy heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long for surely there is an End and thine Expectation shall not be cut off The Contempt of Religion hath been an old distemper in the world and the prosperity of profane Men an old scandall There is nothing yet extraordinary hath hapned to us There were stout Hectors in Malachi's time that said It was in vain to serve God and that there was no profit to have kept his Ordinance That the proud were happy and that the workers of wickednesse were set up and those that even tempted God were delivered Let us consider therefore what wise and good Men anciently did in that Case the Prophet tels you Mal. 3.16 That then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it And a book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day that I make up my Jewels I will spare them as a Man spareth his Son that serveth Him Oh that the great God whose last appearance shall melt down the Flinty mountains would now melt down our flinty hearts and make them new and cleanse and polish them so that in that day he may own his own workmanship and place us even us his new Creation in some darke place at least among those Jewels To that great God who is maker of all things and Judge and Rewarder of all men and to the Lord our Righteousnesse whose merits must be our only plea in that dreadfull day of Judgement and to the Spirit of Holinesse who by appearing in us and for us can only make us accepted by giving us a Title to plead those Merits to the whole Holy and ever blessed Trinity in Unity be Glory Honor and Adoration for Evermore FINIS SECTION II. CELESTIALL HAPPINESSE OR The Rewards of Religion in the future life Explained confirmed and commended as the cheifest Good In four Sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church at Winchester By R. S. LL. D. c. He that cometh unto God must beleive that he is and that he is a Rewarder of all those who diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 IN felicitate aeternâ Civitatis Dei Sabbatoque perpetuo vacabimus videbimus videbimus amabimus Amabimus laudabimus Ecce quid erit in Fine sine fine Nam quis alius noster finis est quam pervenire ad Regnum cujus nullus est Finis Augustin in conclusione lib ult de Civitate Dei We beleive O Lord that thou shalt come to be our Judge Make us to be numbred with thy Saints in Glory everlasting SERM. I. Of Happinesse in Heaven PSAL. 16.11 In thy presence is fullnesse of Joy at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore IT is the commun and uniforme judgement of all mankind a truth universally received without any contradiction that to live without greif in an estate of Joy and Happinesse is the confessed Interest and to it is the innate desire of every man as Man Now which will ease us of a laborious defence of this conclusion as the mind of man can never be so much debauch't as not to propose its own Happinesse and delight for the end of all its deliberate Actions so neither can it be without the sense of this its Aim but upon examination will ever rest more undoubtedly satisfied of its own passionate affection to happinesse than of any other thing that it comes to understand by the sight of the Eye the Tast of the Palate or the perception of any other the most infallible externall sense And therefore Philosophers who have made it their buisnesse to understand human Nature have thought it enough to intimate and forbid the proof of this point because it is allready by every one confess 't No Notion more commun or more generally anticipated So that it is agreed by all Omne animal simulatque natum
God hath prepared for those that wait upon Him St John telleth us 1 John 3.2 that it does not yet appear what we shall bee but this we know that when our Lord Christ shall appear wee shall be like unto Him He shall change our vile body and make it like unto his own glorious body according to that mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself There is another doubt also objected from that Parathesis or addition of St Paul But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit For how can it be said that the things that God hath prepared for his servants have not entred into the heart of Man when Christians are men and it is added that God hath revealed them to us Christians by his Spirit This parathesis therefore must be justly not strictly interpreted For it is true that God hath revealed them now much more than formerly He hath revealed them by his Spirit but he hath not revealed them fully not so that St Paul himself could while he lived here adequately conceive the Nature of those heavenly Glories It is most true that since our Saviour preacht the doctrine of the new Testament and since the gift of the Spirit which hath raised Man above his Nature and since the Transfiguration resurrection and Ascention of Christ which are patternes of what shall happen to all Gods servants Now the existence of the future state of Glory is more fully confirmed and its nature much better understood than it was by those who lived in the former Ages when they had no light but from the letter of Moses whose writings were darke in this point or from the Prophets or from the more uncertain Faith and Tradition of the Gentiles And yet notwithstanding the great advancement of our knowledge in this particular It is not so advanc't as to render this text untrue it is not so advanc't as that we may persectly know them For his Rapture into the third Heaven taught St Paul himself that those Joyes are yet unspeakeable and that Humane Nature is yet uncapable adequately to conceive them They are so great that Eye hath not seen them Ear hath not heard them nor have they ever so enter'd into the heart of Man as to be perfectly and fully conceived by Him When our Savior was taken up into Heaven from amidst his disciples in Mount Olivet Act. 1. and a Cloud had received him out of their sight they continued still stedfastly looking towards Heaven but were reproved by the Angels in these Words Ye men of Galilee why stand you gazing up into Heaven Words my Brethren that we may nost properly apply to the present figure of our own thoughts we have been looking not towards Heaven only but upon Heaven it self untill in the midst of our gazing we have lost it Only we cannot so properly say that a Cloud as that a sun-beame or at least a very bright Cloud hath received it out of our sight For we find that Heaven is so wrapt up in its own glory that there is no perfect entrance left to the Eye of our understanding Let us therefore apply to our selves that Angelicall advice and stand no more gazing into Heaven It is proper for us in this case to do as the disciples did to hast away to our upper Roomes First to our prayers then to our work But for our Encouragement we may cast an Eye upon the great Reward that God hath provided for us We may consider so much of Heaven as is revealeable to us and beleive further and expect beyond all that those incomprehensible Glories that are to be enjoy'd with Christ above Nay let us beleive and give thanks for it that there are joyes prepared for us that are not now revealeable and though we can forme no Idea or conceit of them yet let us rejoice and give thanks unto God that there are joyes prepared for us and for all Religious and good Men with us of which we can forme no Idea Christ hath merited this beleif of the world that we should think him able to performe his promises to raise us from the dead and to glorify us with that glory which I have endeavor'd to describe but have been oppress 't in my endeavor by the weight of my undertaking finding the excellent glory and happinesse of that Estate to be incomprehensible and ineffable He that raised Jairus his daughter and the Widdowes son and Lazarus and which is most of all himself from the dead whatsoever Atheists may speak of the Incredibility of that Resurrection shall certainly raise us also I hope by Gods help to give you an account of the Reasonablenesse of the Christian faith in that article at some other time But we that professe Religion professe to believe our Resurrection as certainly as we believe our death I know that my redeemer liveth saith Job Job 19.25 26. and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin wormes destroy this Body yet in my flesh shall I sce God c. And I know saith Martha that my Brother shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day John 11.24 I shall now adde but one advice more which is this that as we have Evangelicall expectations so we should take the Evangelicall directions that we would endeavour to rise to newnesse of life here that we may rise to eternall Glory hereafter Let the Doctrine of our Resurrection to eternall life have its perfect work so the full belief and actuall consideration of this one Article of eternall life or eternall misery to come may by the grace of God minister to us Christians in giving obedience to our Lord that which we sometimes complain so much for the want of even a power to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth There is no Duty saith Dr Jackson whereunto the belief of this eternall Reward doth not enable and bind us If we do not live in some measure agreeable to our profession and the hopes of our profession we shall be in the End condemned by it and in the mean time we betray it openly that there is now a defect in that principle that should be within us or in the excercise of that Principle that is we believe not or we consider not For what saith St John every one that hath this hope purifieth Himself even as God is pure 1 John 3.3 And therefore he that doth not purify Himself He is but a pretender to this Hope He hath it not at all well grounded in Him or at least he hath it not in actuall excercise and Employment For if there be such a Hope unlesse it be very sleepy if it be a lively and a quick Hope it must be the spring of a Christians joy and glory in comparison of which He will contemn all the Riches all the Honors all the Pleasures of this world as drosse and dung And there is reason for this
Christians were without this Hope and all their Expectations were confined to this life only St Paul affirmeth that they were of all Men the most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 We have indeed a joy that exceeds the joy of the worldly man in his Corne and Wine and Oyl but our Hope is the foundation of this our joy We rejoice saith St Paul in the Hope of the Glory of God Rom. 5.2 We have love that is a great and a cordiall Christian Vertue a Vertue amiable to God and usefull to Men. But Hope is the Principle and ground of Love Quantum quis sperat Bernard de pass Dom. c. 43. saith St Bernard tantum amat we love our Neighbor because we love God but we love God because we expect and hope for all our Happinesse from Him Every good Christian hath a tree of life that springeth up within him the Root of which is Faith the Stemme Hope the Branches Love and the Fruit good Works He therefore that goes about to take away Hope goes about to ruin the inner Man by cutting off the Tree at the very Stemme Hoc ipsum quod Christiani sumus Fidei ac spei res est saith St Cyprian V. Cyprianum de bono Patientiae The very being of our Christianity depends upon our Faith and Hope There is an Error crept in Christendome in Opposition to the Excercise of this great Vertue which I think sprang originally from the unnaturall and forced Rhodomontades of the proud Stoick who as I shall shew when I compare their Ends in Philosophy with ours in Religion vapor'd in a Wisedome that was errant folly and boasted of a Vertue he neither had nor meant to have From the Stoicks it pass't into the Contemplatives or perfectionists in the Church of Rome and from these down to our Antinomians or Brethren of the Family of Love This is the genealogy of their Error and their Error this They would have no Christian act from any Principles either of Hope or Fear They think it below them to cast so much as an Eye to Heaven they would have us to go to Sea without a Wind and to war without a Helmet They would have the poor professor of Religion go on his way weeping and bearing good seed without hoping for a harvest when he shall return with joy and bring his sheaves with Him They would have Moses Chuse to suffer affliction with his Brethren Heb. 11.26 rather than be accounted the son of Pharaoh's daughter and that without any respect to the Recompense of Reward These Men are certainly more nice in their speculations than the simplicity of Christian wisdome requireth them to bee Must wee needs exceed the example of our Master It is well surely if we come up in any good proportion neer unto it And yet we read that he for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse Was this joy set before Him Heb. 12.2 and may it not be set before us also It hath been the care and wisdome of God to draw us to himself by the proposall of great Rewards These are the Magnetismes of Gods appointment and yet they are called by the Prophet Hosea the cords of a Man I drew them saith God with the cords of a Man and with the Bonds of Love Hos 11. These are the waies of Attraction fitted by God to work on Human Nature These are the Bonds of Gods love and Bounty whereby he endeavors to draw his people to Himself shall we then be so hardy and venturous as in favor to our own conceits to break his Bonds in sunder and cast his cords from us We have his warrant and order not to cast away our Confidence we have his commad to gird up the loins of our Minds to be sober and hope to the End 1 Pet. 1.13 And where we have our commands and directions from the Oracles of God with what pretence can we scruple whether it be lawfull to Obey Is not his word a sufficient Warrant for our practice He is so loving a Father that he will not offer his children a stone for Bread nor a Scorpion for an Egge Why then should we be so presumptuous as to sever those things by Niceties and speculative distinctions which God hath conjoyned and which the son of God whilest he lived upon Earth hath by his practice and Example commended to us Some Antinomians to disparage this vertue have told us that there shall bee no use of Hope in Heaven What then shall we not therefore use that Vertue which is so necessary for us while we are upon Earth And how do they know that there shall be no use of Hope in Heaven Learned and studied Men are of another Opinion namely that the perfected Saints and Angels ever love God because they have an assured Hope that they shall ever be continued in that Station of serving and praising God in Glory They cannot infinitely at once enjoy their eternall Happinesse and what they cannot infinitely at once enjoy why may they not hope for in continuance Surely could they want of this Hope or this assurance their love in the same measure would want of its perfection Thus you see though the use of Hope in this life is enough for our purpose yet they can never prove that it is alltogether unusefull or unnecessary in the next But besides this The reward of Hope from the usefullnesse of it I have another argument which may move you to continue and cherish your hope and that is from the Reward that God hath annexed unto it in the world to come This is the very Motive of the Apostle Heb. 10.35 Cast not away your confidence which hath great Recompense of Reward God hath appointed this lively Hope as an excellent Instrument to assist us and to conduct us safe to Heaven and then he rewards us for making use of this help and assistance that he hath ordained for us and given to us For we have it not of our selves It is as all other Christian vertues are the gift of God And this is ever the way of Gods infinite goodnesse He appointeth those things that are most excellent and usefull to our Advantage and then for serving our own Interests in that Way that he hath appointed he heapeth yet more and extraordinary rewards upon us Another use that we must not forget to make is this That we in the whole course of our lives give thanks giveing worship and Adoration to God who hath bestowed upon us immortall Souls and so put a difference between us and the beasts that perish and so also in respect of the glorious Resurrection which he hath promised to our Bodies we ought according to the style of St Peter blesse God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath begotten us to a lively Hope of our own Resurrection as by other means so especially by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead I shall exhort you
spends much speech to little purpose Hee preach't Jesus This was thought Innovation dangerous to the state It was condemn'd as the preaching of a strange God And whether they took 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be a Goddesse or no yet this we are sure of that when he preach't the resurrection of the Dead he was but mockt and laught at for his pains The Philosophers declared for a Happinesse and summum bonum in this life They had a Wisdome profess't among them that undertook to give a vertue which should need no Grace and should perfect such a life as should need no pardon And therefore as they would not stay for their summum bonum or chiefest Happinesse untill the resurrection so they cared not for a Jesus they would need no Savior They boasted that they had a way whereby they could live cum Diis ex pari they could live in the perfection of Vertue and felicity as the Gods themselves did and they would not own him to deserve the Name of a Philosopher that could not beatify Himself Their Sapiens must sibi sufficere ad beatam vitam Their Wiseman must have a Happinesse within Himself which he may be proud of as his own and for which he stands beholden to no other being These were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principall Opinions of the Philosophers and if we distinguish them from the rest particularly of the Epicureans and the Stoicks These principall Notions of Philosophy being so contrary to those of Christian Religion which St Paul was to preach It is no wonder if he left Athens and went to Corinth where on the contrary he found strange successe Of the Rulers of the Jewish synagogue one was coverted another publiquely buffeted before the judgment seat for raising a faction against St Paul And more of his successe we read in that 18th chapter of the Acts. Now in this Epistle written to his Converts of which some few were at Athens but the greater part at Corinth he seems to reflect upon the Opposition that he met with among the professors of Wisdome in Achaia and particularly those Epicureans and Stoicks who encountred him at Athens And contemplating the successe that God had given to the preaching of the Gospell He is pleased with the Review and in opposition to all that pretended wisdome wherewith Himself had been opposed He makes this triumphant Speech Where is the wise VVhere is the Scribe VVhere is the disputer of this world c. Where is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your Philosopher where is your scribe your literator your professor of learning as Tertullian translates it your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your writers of curious Dissertations as Oecumenius Where is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your Curious Disquisitor Disputer of this world which words of this world possibly may be Emphaticall to denote one commun Error of all the Philosophers that they directed men to look after happinesse in this life and not in the life to come whereas the Gospell directs to happinesse in the next life and not in this So saith St Paul in the pursuance of his discourse in the sixt verse of the next chapter We speak wisdome among the perfect yet not the Wisdome of this world nor of the princes of this world which perish and soon come to nought The Wisdome of the world as Oecumenius observeth aimes at Temporall things which continue only with this life and reach not to the life that is to come The Christians aim is chiefly at things of the other life And by the Princes of this world he tels you that St Paul meanes the Philosophers and Literati 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecumenius in locum who were generally Demagogues and imposed on the People the same that are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the chapter before Men that gloried in their own inventions and Reasonings even these by the Gospell are also convinc'd of folly no lesse nay it may be more than other Men For the Vulgar and those that pretended not to so much Wisdome as these learned Philosophers could see God by the Creature and could think it wisdome to endeavor to comply with the pleasure of their Creator But these Princes of the world as St Paul cals them had got a New wisdome and a Philosophy that led from God In Opposition to all these and to resettle his own worship God raised up Preaching a weak means in all appearance and therefore the Greeks did not more admire the Wisdome of their own Philosophy than they derided the foolishnesse of Preaching But what saith our Apostle in the Context 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That of God which hath least of wisdome in it will eventually prove wiser than the greatest wisdome of Men. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that of God which hath least of strength in it will eventually prove too strong for the strongest Opposition of Men. Let those therefore boast that Winne Let the Philosophy of Christianity be foolishnesse to the Greek we know that there is notrue Philosophy besides it We have learn't from our Savior that VVisdome is justified of her children and the Apostle here telleth us that the Philosophy of the Gospell is wisdome to the perfect and on the contrary that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath stultified and infatuated the Learning Wisdome and Philosophy of this world Yet some care must be taken that we do not condemne nor misconstre St Paul so as to think that he condemnes all Philosophy or all Philosophers There is a Naturall Wisdome that St Paul calleth the wisdome of God and the Gentiles who as St Paul saith do by Nature the things contained in the Law do it by their Naturall wisdome and therefore in the case of Philosophers it is a hard taske to speak any thing universally and justly For Philosophy is not one uniforme Learning and Discipline There is a great difference between Socrates and Plato on the one side and Aristippus and Epicurus on the other Take Philosophy all together it will appear to be a very Protens It is like the Clouds in Aristophanes his Comedy that have every day new fashions Or the Philosophers may be compared to Jeremiahs figs Jer. 24. Some very good figs like those that were first ripe and some very naughty figs which could not be eaten they were so bad Though there hath been for a long time a profession of Philosophy and this Philosophy hath still been the Mistresse of the Vertuosi because it had the honor to be thought to teach Wisdome and Vertue and every Noble endowment yet he that will speak distinctly of its merit must distinguish times and persons At first it was the Wisdome of God as St Paul cais it 1 Cor. 1.21 that is true Naturall Wisdome and it taught true Religion and the fear of God Afterward in some of its sects it grew not only to be a new but a quite contrary learning and Discipline