Body are so far bound to take notice of such an Excommunication as to disown and discard such a Person and to have no Society with him so 1 Corinthians 5.11 If any Man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such a one after Excommunication they were not to Eat In such Cases as these indeed an Evil Member becomes no Member and is to be to the rest as a Heathen Man and a Publican that is One that is out of the Church Matth. 18.17 And so likewise is he who cuts himself off from that mystical Body the Church by a causless Schism and Separation from any of its sound Parts Or till he cuts himself off by a causless Schism and Separation from any of its sound Parts I say any of its sound Parts for where-ever there is a true Church if there be nothing in its Doctrine nor Worship that is sinful every Person is bound to Continue stedfastly in the Doctrine Prayers and Sacraments and Fellowship of that Church as in the Apostle's times they did Act. 2.42 and to reject the Communion of all other Parties and Sects of Christians or otherwise he will cut off himself from the Church and will cease to be a real Member of it as the Finger ceases to be of the Body when it is cut off from the Arm. Thus in either of these Cases indeed shall a Person discontinue to be a Member of Christ's Church when either he is Cut off by the just Sentence of those Governours in the Church who have the Power of the Keys to Receive in or Shut out or when he Cuts himself off by a causless Separation and Schism from any of its sound Parts But otherwise all Persons who have Enter'd into Covenant with God and have been Admitted into it by Baptism are Members of Christ's Church as has been already sufficiently prov'd and need not again be repeated And so shall Partake of those exceeding great Priviledges which belong to the Members of it which what and how great they are I come next to declare unto you THE Sixth Lecture Wherein I was made a Member of Christ BY the Church of Christ as has been shew'd is meant a Visible Society of Men call'd forth of the World to the Knowledge Belief and Service of the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and Professing the same in Opposition to the Service of Satan and all false Gods whatsoever and also to all those vicious and immoral Practices which did so notoriously accompany the Pagan Worship and indeed professing an utter Hatred to all Sin of any kind And it is a Society as has been shew'd you combin'd into one Covenant with God by outward Sacraments and holding Communion with each other under Jesus Christ its Head And a Member of Christ's Church you have also seen is every One who has been Enter'd into this visible Society of Holy Men and into this Covenant with God by Baptism and who holds a constant Communion without swerving aside into separate Assemblies with that Particular True and Orthodox Church whereof he is a Member and in whose Verge he lives Every such Person I have shew'd you is a Member of Christ's Church and will continue such except his Lawful Governours therein should cut him off by a just Excommunication or he should cut off himself by a sinful and unnecessary Separation And now having sufficiently made it appear in the former Discourse to this purpose First what kind of Body that is which is call'd the Church of Christ and also Secondly having shew'd you what it is to be a Member of it it will be now requisite that I should also Demonstrate to you in order to make you sufficiently sensible of which the Two former Points have been so largely treated of Thirdly what vast and invaluable Priviledges do accordingly belong to every Member of Christ's visible Church I say to Every Member of Christ's visible Church for it is not my Business here to Enlarge on the more peculiar Priviledges of those who are styl'd Members of the Invisible Church who are the sincere Part only of Christ's visible Church Those perhaps I may also declare in few words by the By. But the Priviledges which I am here concern'd to Treat upon and to Acquaint you with are such as belong to every Member of the Church I have been speaking of And these Priviledges The Priviledges of our being Members of Christs Church which do peculiarly belong to all the Members of Christ's Church as they are the Members of such a Body whereof he is the Head are these Two First a most reasonable and excellent Body of Religion and Laws together with most profitable and edifying Institutions and Ordinances appointed by Him our supreme Head and Governour to conduct us to Heaven Secondly a sufficient measure of Divine Grace and Assistance deriv'd down upon us from Him our mystical Head and convey'd by those his Ordinances to Enable us to conform to his Religion and Obey those Laws And the first great Priviledge I. A most excellent Body of Religion Laws and Ordinances which does peculiarly belong to all the Members of Christ's visible Church as they are the Members of such a Society Is a most reasonable and excellent Body of Religion and Laws together with most profitable and edifying Institutions and Ordinances given and appointed us by him our supreme Head and Governour to Conduct us to Heaven We do enjoy I say thereby The Christian Religion and Laws far exceed the Pagan Mahometan or Jewish The Priviledge of a most reasonable and excellent Body of Religion and Laws far exceeding what any other People have ever enjoy'd to Conduct us to Heaven This is clearly to be seen Heb. 8.8 9 10 11. where God himself finding Fault with the Jewish Covenant and Laws as what could not make the Comers thereunto perfect saith Behold the days come when I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt for this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their Minds and write them in their Hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest which remarkable Words spoke first by the Prophet Jeremy as a Prophecy of the most happy State of the Christian Church by reason of the most excellent Covenant and Laws that would be given it beyond what was the State of the Jewish do import that even the Jewish Covenant was not in it self
Manna But when Persecution at any time arises and the Church Doors are shut up and Divine Ordinances are forbid upon Pain of Death how then shall you see those very same Persons go many Miles and with the utmost hazard of their Lives Assemble themselves together and take the greatest Comfort imaginable in Enjoying ' em This the Experience of all Ages does Confirm and God grant our present Neglect of his Holy Institutions and Ordinances may not provoke him to teach us also how to Value and Esteem the Priviledges and Advantages of 'em by depriving us thereof And thus I have at length shewed you how that the First Great Priviledge which does peculiarly belong to all the Members of Christ's visible Church as they are the Members of such a Society is a most Reasonable and Excellent Body of Religion and Laws together with most Profitable and Edifying Institutions and Ordinances given and appointed us by him our supreme Head and Governour to Conduct us to Heaven And now it is time to proceed and to shew you how that Secondly The Second general Priviledge belonging to the Members of Christ's Church is a sufficient measure of divine Grace and Assistance derived from him the Head and Convey'd by his Ordinances to Enable us to Conform our selves to his Religion and to Obey his Laws We enjoy thereby a great Measure of Divine Grace and Assistance derived down from him our Head and Convey'd by those his Ordinances to Enable us to Conform to his Religion and to Obey his Laws The mystical Body of Christ is often compar'd in Scripture to the natural Body of Man and that as for many others so for this very good Reason that as in the natural Body every Part partakes of Life and Sense and Motion from the Head so do we by being Baptized Members of Christ derive Grace and Help from him our Head From whom all the Body by Joints and Bands have Nourishment ministred Increaseth with the Increase of God Col. 2.19 By the same Means that Christ is Vnited to his Members is Grace Conveyed down from him as Head to those Members Now it is easy to conceive how Christ as a Political Head should give Laws to his Spiritual Kingdom the Church and how as such he should Head and Protect it and every Member thereof against its Enemies But the difficulty with some is to conceive how as from a Mystical Head Divine Grace and Assistance should be Convey'd down from him to us his Members But it is but to consider what those Joints and Bands are which Unite us to Christ as our Head and we may then easily conceive how we shall have Nourishment ministred unto us till we Increase with the Increase of God For whatever are the means of Uniting us to him the same are the means also of Conveying the Influences of his Holy Spirit down upon us The first Medium of Vnion betwixt Christ and his Members must be each Member's Vnion to the Catholick Church And the First great means of Uniting each Member to Christ must be its Union to the Catholick Church the Body of Christ not Cutting himself off from it either by Renouncing his Covenant with God or by causlessly separating from the Communion of that Sound and Orthodox Part of the Church whereof he is an immediate Member and by not giving just occasion to the Officers of Christ's spiritual Kingdom the Church to Excommunicate or Cut him off for so doing For it is Just with the Mystical Body the Church as it is with the natural Body of Man If a Leg or an Arm should be Cut off from the Body by a Man 's own Hand or by the King's Officers it cannot receive Nourishment from the Head and for lack thereof must soon Dye And so in the Church of Christ a Heretick that for denying the Faith and Sacraments and a Schismatick who for breaking the Communion shall be Cut off from the Church cannot ordinarily expect to receive Supplies of Grace from Christ the mystical Head which by Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace he might But it is not sufficient in order to its deriving Life from the Head that a Member be United to the Body only and to any of its Parts but it is moreover particularly necessary that it should be United also to those principal Parts of the Body where the Blood and Spirits are form'd and from whence they are convey'd to every single Member And therefore II. Its Vnion to the Lawful Governours and Teachers of the Church A Second means of Uniting each Member to Christ the Head and so of Conveying spiritual Supplies of Grace down from him to such a Member is its Unity to those Lawful Governours and Teachers which Christ has appointed in the Church by Joining with 'em in the same Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity and by holding Communion with 'em in the same Holy Worship of God The Lawful Governours and Teachers in the Church of Christ are the principal Parts in the Mystical Body as the Heart the Liver and the Brain are in the Natural For as in the Natural from these principal Parts are sent forth that Portion of Blood and Spirits which give Life and Strength to every single Member so from Christ's Ministers is Communicated to all the Members of the Mystical Body that Nourishment which maintains the spiritual Life in them All this may be fairly gather'd from Eph. 4.11 12 13. 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 into the unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ In which Words the Ministers of Christ's Church whether Extraordinary as Apostles and Evangelists or Ordinary as Pastors and Teachers are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Holding and Knitting together the Church and that from them each Member does immediately receive that Nourishment of sound Doctrine whereby he grows up to be a Perfect Man in the Knowledge and Practice of true Religion And indeed the Graces of the Holy Spirit are Convey'd by those Ordinances which they only have power to Administer which brings me Lastly To shew how III. The use of Christ's Institutions and Ordinances that next to the being United to the Church and its principal Parts the Ministers of Christ therein the great Bonds of Union to the Head and means of Conveying his Grace to the Members are the Sacraments and other Holy Offices and Ordinances appointed for that Purpose and of which the Ministers of Religion are the only Dispensers For just again as in the Body Natural there are Nerves that Branch from the Head through the Body conveying the Animal Spirits to every Member thereof so in the Mystical
as there are Men on Earth to be Tempted by him And as his Methods of Temptation are very many and very subtle and it does infinitely concern us Lest Satan should get an Advantage of us that we should not be Ignorant of his Devices For these Reasons I do think it may be profitable to you if I make that great Work of his his Tempting us to Sin the Subject of some particular Discourses by themselves in order to a more full and distinct State of that matter as indeed it is very requisite you should be throughly Inform'd if possible of the Temptations of Satan what they are And therefore leaving that Part for the present I shall proceed to finish this Lecture with shewing you Thirdly What it is to Renounce the Devil and all his Works of Sin To Renounce a Word of various Importance according to the Renounced already spoken of and how necessary it is we should absolutely and entirely do so To Renounce is a Word that is apply'd in our Baptismal Vow to several things even all our Spiritual Enemies that would draw us into Sin The Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh they must all of them be Renounced by us And as the Word Renounce does carry in it a great deal of Meaning and is of various Significations according to the Nature of the things to be Renounced So what it does particularly signify with Reference to each of them will best be understood by considering its Importance as apply'd to every One of those things To Renounce the Devil in the sence of the Ancient Church was to disclaime his Vsurped Dominion Authority over Mankind And agreeably therefore to the Explication now given of the Devil To Renounce the Devil is no doubt to Disclaim his Usurpt Dominion and Authority or to leave off having any Communication or Agreement with him or having any Hand in his base and ungrateful Rebellion against God This was no doubt what the Primitive Church understood by Renouncing the Devil for they are Words of a very ancient Use in the Church of God The Devil at the first Rise of Christianity especially had obtain'd a Visible Kingdom and in a manner an Universal Monarchy over the World Hence he is call'd The Prince of this World Joh. 14.30 He had also his Temples and his Altars and his Sacrifices The things which the Gentiles Sacrifice they Sacrifice unto Devils and not unto God 1 Cor. 10.20 As also many lewd and bloody Plays and pompous Processions were made in Honour of him and he was therefore in Effect The God of this world 2 Cor. 4.4 And now when any were Converted from Paganism to Christianity the Primitive Christians did expresly require from all that were admitted into that Kingdom of God the Church of Christ a publick and open Renunciation or Abjuration of him or an utter Disowning and Abandoning the Devil's Authority and the Paying any Homage Service or Obedience to him by Worshiping of him or his wicked Angels or by going to those Plays and Processions Instituted in Honour of him Thus does Tertullian an ancient Father inform us in his Book De Corona wherein reciting the ancient Customs of the Church he tells us That just before any were Baptized into the Christian Religion Aquam adituri ibidem sed aliquanto prius in Ecclesia sub Antistitis manu contestamur nos Renuntiare Diabolo Pompae Angelis ejus Tertul. de Corona they made a solemn Profession at their Entrance into the Water as also they had done a little before when under the Bishop's Hands in the Church That they did Renounce the Devil his wicked Angels and Pomps that is those solemn Processions of the Heathen Gods and those Lewd and Cruel Plays us'd amongst the Pagans which were the Ceremonies of State as it were in Satan's Kingdom All subjection to the Devil and all usage of those Rights of his Kingdom they did utterly abandon and forsake And this was what was meant in the Primitive Times by Renouncing of the Devil To Renounce his Works of Sin was in their Sence to Abandon and Forsake every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil And to Renounce his works of Sin must accordingly signify in their Sence to disclaim abandon or forsake every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil and in the real Meaning of it no less than a throwing off God's Authority and a disowning his Power For if you will read over Rom. 1. you will find that People upon their forsaking of the True God to serve other Gods which were many of 'em at least no other than Devils did thereupon fall into all manner of Sin and Wickedness as you will see largely describ'd in that Chapter And if you will also look into the Sixth Chapter to the Romans ver 11. you will see that Christians by being Baptized Were to reckon themselves to be dead unto Sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So that in the Original and first meaning of the Words as to Renounce the Devil was to abjure and disclaim the Power and Dominion of Satan and to leave off having any Communication or Agreement with him and any Hand in his base and ungrateful Rebellion against God so to Renounce his Works of Sin was to Disclaim Abandon or Forsake all and every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil and in the real Meaning of it no less than a throwing off God's Authority and a dis-owning of his Power This I say was the first Meaning of the Words in the first Ages of the Church Nor are they to be Interpreted in a much different Sence at this Day For Satan has his Kingdom still in the World The Words are to be understood in much the same Sence at this day Satan having his Kingdom still in the World and even amongst Christians and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of his Kingdom being still Obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of that his Kingdom are Obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind The barbarous Nations amongst the Pagans do directly serve him at this Day and it is many a Christian's Lot who is cast amongst 'em to be forc'd either to Join with 'em in such Impious Service or to suffer Death with Torments for refusing And even in the Christian Pale tho' his Power is much weaken'd here since the Coming of our Saviour to what it was before yet still as Christ has his Church so Satan has his Synagogue amongst us and too many there are within the Limits of Christendom who do openly and avowedly Obey no other than the Laws of his Kingdom All your Atheists and Deists who Blaspheme God and the Christian Religion and all your Profane Swearers and Cursers whom you shall hear every Hour in the Day to Dare God as
their Ways and vigourously to Renounce and Resist the Temptations of Satan to Sin and Wickedness Secondly The Devil is also wonderfully Industrious to Tempt into some scandalous Sin or wicked Course of Life or at least-wise to Invent and Propagate some scandalous Story against such as are Eminent on the account of their Order viz. The Ministers of Religion II. Such as are most Eminent on the account of their Order viz. the Ministers of Religion We of the Sacred Function are design'd in a more Eminent manner it must be confest to be the Light of the World to be Candles set not under a Bushel but on a Candlestick that we may give Light to all that are in the House So that if he can draw a thick Cloud of Ignorance over our Understandings and bring Immorality into our Practice what he may do with the rest of Mankind who are to be Guided by us he does Rationally enough Conclude He is indeed doubly Enrag'd against us both because we are the Men who in the very Nature and Design of our Office are to Destroy his Kingdom and because the rest of the World do altogether Eye us for their Pattern He is doubly Enrag'd against such both because in the Nature and Design of their Office they are to destroy his Kingdom because the rest of the World do altogether Eye them for their Pattern Hence no Temptation left untried to withdraw such into some scandalous Enormity Insomuch that they are generally more influenc'd by our Lives than by our Doctrine and are exceedingly scandaliz'd so as to think they may Sin with Allowance and Excuse if we our selves shall happen in the least to miscarry For these Reasons there are no Wiles nor Artifices nor prevailing Temptations left untry'd whereby Satan does not Attempt to withdraw the Ministers of Religion into some scandalous and enormous Crimes so that when any of the Holy Order happen to be overtaken in a Fault it is not so much to be wonder'd at as having not only the same Natural Infirmities with other Men but far more furious Assaults made upon 'em to Overcome 'em That indeed there are so many shining Lights as this Church and Nation may justly Glory in having at this Day is because We are kept by the Power of God to Salvation 1 Pet. 1.15 But that a Minister of Religion should sometimes Fall as well others and that very foully too is not to be Admir'd at much less made a matter of Reproach to the whole Order as it commonly is since our Saviour himself told Peter Behold Satan hath a Desire to have you you above all Others that he may sift you as Wheat Luk. 22.31 And he did sift that great Apostle to the Purpose insomuch that he did wilfully Deny his Master Thrice And indeed the more Eminently Industrious any Minister of Religion is found in the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom the more Industrious is Satan to Overcome him And hence the more Industrious a Minister is the more Industrious is Satan to Overcome him Hence without doubt it was that he singled out as St. Peter you see before so St. Paul sending his Messenger One of his Black Angels to Buffet him as you will see 2 Cor. 12.7 True it is God in his wise and good Providence did order that Temptation of Satan's to a good End and to the Advantage and Security of that Apostle For he Gave him a Thorn in the Flesh and permitted Satan's Messenger to Buffet him lest he should be Exalted above measure or to keep him Humble But Satan no doubt did intend thereby however his Designs were Over-rul'd by the Divine Providence as is most usual to Overthrow St. Paul because he was in Labours more abundant in Stripes above measure in Prisons more frequent 2 Cor. 11.23 that is more Industrious in Propagating the Gospel than others and came not a Whit Behind the very chiefest of the Apostles ver 5. And in the very way that such are most Serviceable to the Church of God Satan does so order it And in the very way wherein he is most serviceable to the Church of God Satan does endeavour to make him most Mischievous that they shall be Transported beyond the Bounds of Moderation and Sobriety wherein for the most part the Vertue does lye into such Excesses as are Sinful Enormities Thus is any One Zealous in the Cause of God against Sin and Wickedness the wicked One will over-heat this Zeal into Censoriousness and Bitterness into Fierceness and Cruelty and very often into Faction and Schism Again does he find a Person more than ordinarily Mortify'd and Devout and Heavenly-minded much given to Fasting and Prayer Then will he be buisy to let down into the Fancy of such a One As by turning his Zeal into Faction deluding Imaginations and will tempt him by the sweetness of those Incombs and Indwellings of the Spirit as he thinks 'em to lay aside the plain and easy Rule of God's Holy Word as a dead Letter and not Spiritual enough and to give himself up to the Guidance of the Impulses of a Spirit within him His Spiritual Mindedness into Enthusiasm as if they were immediate Inspirations from God By which sond Pretensions of Men deluded by Satan infinite Prejudice is done to Christianity and occasion given to Profane Wits to deride real Prophecy as Cheat and Imposture of which we have lately seen a most sad Instance If he cannot prevail over him by real Mis-carriages he will render him useless by forged Calumnies But if this subtle Adversary with all his Wiles and Artifices cannot prevail over the Man of God but that still he is Baffled in all his Attempts upon him then he sets his Agents Slanderers and Whisperers on work for that their Tongues are set on Fire of Hell the Scripture tells us Jam. 3.6 to invent and propagate Scandals concerning him And he does inspire the Calumniator to raise those false and injurious Reports either purely by inventing 'em without Ground and thus even our Blessed Saviour was accus'd as an Enemy to Caesar and a Sabbath-breaker or by mis-interpreting of an innocent Behaviour and Action as a scandalous Crime And thus again was the Son of God himself and John the Baptist Traduc'd and thus very frequently are the succeeding Ministers of Religion injur'd to this Day The Son of Man came Eating and Drinking that is He affected nothing singular nor differing from other Men in indifferent things and they say Behold a man Gluttonous and a Wine-bibber a Friend of Publicans and Sinners Matth. 11.19 On the other side John came neither Eating nor Drinking used extraordinary Fastings above other Men and they say he hath a Devil ver 18. And so it also fares with the succeeding Ministers of Religion Is any One of a free cheerful and sociable Disposition and does not wholly abstain from appearing in Company Then he is a Drunkard Is he Frugal and not
given to Profuse Living Then he is Covetous Is he Conscientious in maintaining the Dues of his Church and will not suffer 'em to be Lost or Invaded by the Sacriledge of Covetous Worldlings Then he is Litigious and given to Law he is Covetous and what not So exceeding Industrious are Satan and his Agents to Blacken the Reputation of the Ministers of True Religion I say of True Religion for you may always observe with what Industry the real Vices of those who are Ministers in Heresy and Schism are kept secret And the only Reason thereof is this to lessen the Authority of their Precepts and Example in the World that they should not do that Good that otherwise they might It does in Truth so exceedingly concern the Interest of Christianity that the Reputation of its Ministers should be preserv'd unfully'd It wonderfully Concerns the Interest of Religion that the Reputation of its Ministers be kept unfully'd and so injurious to Religion it self are the Defamations of such Persons that St. Paul was careful to warn Timothy that against an Elder that is against a Minister He should not receive an Accusation under Two or Three Witnesses 1 Tim. 5.19 Tho' a single Evidence that was Credible was sufficient against any other Person But so much on the contrary it is to the Advancement of Satan's Kingdom Hence Satan and Satanical men so industrious to blast it and so Satanically are the greatest Part of the World dispos'd that a vilifying Story or a scandalous Report against them is more readily invented more easily heard and sooner believ'd nay without any Ground at all surmis'd than against any other Person whatsoever But let me tell you that no good Christian that desires the Destruction of Satan's and the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom in the World will be forward to hear much less to Believe and Propagate Defamations of the Clergy as knowing it is the Policy of Satan to put it into the Hearts of uncharitable Spirits to surmise and raise and aggravate little vilifying Stories of those in Holy Orders as of some Indiscretion committed This to make 'em cheap and more scandalous and false Reports of Debauchery and Immorality to render 'em Odious in the World and both on purpose to render their Labours and Endeavours useless and ineffectual to the Reformation and Amendment thereof In short Satan matters it not so much whether by real Sin or by slanderous Reports he lessens the Authority and Influence of the Clergy And slanderous Reports lessen the Authority and Influence of the Clergy almost as much as real Sin his Avow'd Enemies whose peculiar Business it is to destroy his Usurpt Dominion and to Propagate the Kingdom of God in the World By real Sins indeed he would rather choose if he could and does therefore mainly Endeavour to have the Clergy Blemisht but meerly by raising the Scandal be it as well False as True he gains his End according to Machiavel his great Secretary's Maxim Fortiter accusare aliquid adherebit Throw Dirt upon a Man and the Stain will in some measure stick Such is the Censorious Humour of the World as to think there must be something in it when a Slander is broacht and so maliciously are wicked Men bent against the Ministers of Religion especially as greedily to swallow every thing that tends to lessen their Reputation In a word By both he gains his End which is to have Religion it self wounded through the sides of its Ministers And whether any of 'em shall really mis-carry or be falsly Defam'd for so doing he knows the World upon either account will Abhor the Offerings of the Lord and even a meer Slander will be such a stumbling Block to many As to make the Lord's people to transgress It behoves the Clergy therefore so far to Renounce and Resist the Devil's Temptations as to take care not only to be really Blameless but also to Abstain from all Appearance of Evil. And this being so since it is so much the Interest of the Devil's Kingdom to have us Ensnar'd by his Temptations for which reason he does therefore Ply us especially And since the Generality of the World are so Satanically dispos'd as easily to receive the worst Impressions of us it concerns us therefore of every Order to follow these excellent Directions given by the Apostle more immediately to the Higher 1 Tim. 3.2 3 4.6 7. And we must take heed therefore that we be Blameless Vigilant Sober of good Behaviour apt to Teach not given to Wine no Strikers not greedy of filthy Lucre but Patient not Brawlers not Covetous but such as rule well our own Houses having our Children in subjection with all Gravity not Novices lest being lifted up with Pride we fall into the Condemnation of the Devil And moreover it concerns the Interest of Christ's Kingdom that we have A good Report of those who are without lest we fall into the Condemnation of the Devil And in a word of all Others we must therefore take care not only to be really Blameless but also to Abstain from all appearance of Evil 1 Thes 5.22 III Such as are of signal for their extraordinary Piety Vertue Good Men the Devil knows will be scandalized at such a one 's Fall Lastly The Devil is most incessantly buisied to Tempt to the Commission of some scandalous Enormity any Person indifferently who is more than ordinarily Holy Satan exactly knows the Temper of the World that if such a Person chance to fall at any time into some notorious Sin tho' he suddenly rise again by Repentance those who are Good will be mightily Scandaliz'd and Offended thereat and will be apt to despair of themselves when they see one so much beyond 'em in Piety fall before 'em that the less serious and looser sort of People will rejoyce to see a Good Man Trip because this they think will countenance them in their Impieties and vicious Course of Living And as for the Atheistical and Debauch'd People of the World And the Atheistical will Triumph therein And withal the laps'd Person will be rendered almost incapable ever after c. that they will Triumph in it and cry down all Religion for Hypocrisy when they see its greatest Examples commit any thing that is ill This the Devil knows very well and withal that after such a Fall the Laps'd Person shall be render'd almost incapable ever after of Converting others by his Example or Exhortations For as to his Example tho' he Repent never so heartily and recover his former State with Advantage yet it will be a continual Blot in his Scutcheon that he did so and so like that Excepting the matter of Vriah was in David's And as for his Exhortations let him be who he will whether Minister Magistrate Parent or Master that goes about to Reprove and Admonish others the Criminal instead of being Convinc'd and Better'd thereby will presently Return upon him in Thought at
Christ is a Member of Christ's Church 39 A Definition of Christ's Church The Church of Christ a well-order'd Society wherein some are Governours some Governed 40 An Episcopal Clergy undoubtedly such 41 The Church is the universal Society of Christians taking in Men of all Nations as well of the Gentiles as of the Jews It consists of such who are call'd out of the World by the Preaching of the Gospel to a holy Profession and Calling 42 First Repentance from Dead Works Secondly to the Knowledge Belief and Service of the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost 43 Thirdly to enjoy the Priviledges of the Gospel The Church are such who to the End of being Incorporated into one Society and of having God to be their God and they themselves his People have entred into Covenant with him 44 First in Baptism Secondly to renew it at the Lord's Supper The Church one Body 45 Sub divided into several particular Bodies and Churches First for the convenience of Government into Diocesan Churches Secondly for the convenience of Worship into particular Congregations 46 But however united by one Covenant into one Body As also by holding Communion with each other in hearing the Word in Common-Prayers Sacraments and in affording to each other mutual Assistances 47 The Church united into one Body under Jesus Christ its supreme Head Christ a Political Head of the Church Christ the Mystical Head of the Church 48 The Church of Christ a spiritual Kingdom But yet notwithstanding a visible Society 49 What it is to be a Member of Christ's Church 50 Every Baptized Person is a Member of the visible Church And shall continue such till cut off by the just Sentence of those who have the Power of the Keys to receive in or shut out 51 Or till he cuts himself off by a causless Schism and Separation from any of its sound Parts 52 LECT VI. The Priviledges of our being Members of Christ's Church First a most excellent Body of Religion Laws and Ordinances The Christian Religion and Laws far exceed the Pagan Mahometan or Jewish The Pagan Superstition tended to nothing but to defile humane Nature 55 The Gods the Pagans worshiped were at best the most Infamous Men and Women Many times they worshiped the very Devils themselves And that with lewd barbarous and cruel Rites The Mahometan Religion is a vile Imposture 56 Its Principles tend to Lust and Cruelty Judaism was an imperfect and unfinished Draught of Religion Christianity a most excellent Religion 57 It gives a most excellent Representation of God It gives an honourable account of his proceedings with Mankind with reference both to his Creation and Redemption of us 58 Its Laws are excellently contrived for the good Order and Happiness of Mankind And are enforced by most powerful Principles and Motives Another Branch of this first Part of a Christian's Priviledge are most edifying and comfortable Institutions and Ordinances 59 First Publick Ordinances the Priviledge of every Member of Christ's Church 60 Scandalous Members to be suspended from the Lord's Supper First Christian Ordinances are a singular Favour which Aliens and Unbelievers do not nor have any Right to enjoy Secondly they are excellent Advantages consider'd in themselves 61 First as conducing much towards our Edification As most comfortable to the Souls of those who enjoy them 62 They are seldom sufficiently valued till most wanted The second general Priviledge belonging to the Members of Christ's Church is a sufficient measure of Divine Grace and Assistance derived from him the Head and convey'd by his Ordinances to enable us to conform our selves to his Religion and to obey his Laws 63 By the same means that Christ is united to his Members is Grace conveyed down from him as Head to those Members The first Medium of Union betwixt Christ and his Members must be each Member's Union to the Catholick Church Secondly its union to the lawful Governours and Teachers of the Church 64 Thirdly the use of Christ's Institutions and Ordinances First Divine Grace a most singular Priviledge if compar'd with what others enjoy of this Nature 65 Secondly an exceeding advantage consider'd in it self All the Members of Christ have Supplies proportionable to their Station in the Church 66 And also in such measures as according to different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting 67 LECT VII What is meant in the Catechism by a Child of God First Not the Son of God by an Eternal Generation Secondly Not every Son by Temporal Creation which is a Sence too wide 68 Thirdly Nor such only who are Children of God by spiritual Regeneration which is a Sence too narrow 69 Such indeed are in a peculiar manner and in the highest sence the Children of God But every Child of God is not actually Regenerate either in the sence of Scripture Or of your Catechism But Fourthly a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every one who is so by vertue of a Covenant Relation This was the Notion of a Child of God before the Law Under the Law 70 Under the Gospel Also a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every one who is so by vertue of Adoption Adoption what The use of it amongst the Israelites and the Priviledges it gave them The use of it amongst the Gentiles and the Rights it confer'd upon them 71 How we Christians especially such who are descended from the Gentiles are according as has been spoke the Adopted Children of God To the Israelites did once pertain the Adoption But that Covenant by entering into which they were his Children was only Temporary To last only till the Publication of the Gospel After which they and all Christians were to be Children of God by faith in Christ 72 But the Jews adhering to their Law and refusing Christ and his Gospel in whom God had predestinated all to be his Sons the Apostles turned unto Gentiles preaching Christ and Salvation to them and to as many as received him to them gave he power to be the Sons of God What are the Priviledges which do belong to the Children of God as such In general such as an indulgent but wise Father may be supposed to allow his Children beyond Aliens and Strangers Particularly First Pardon of all Sins upon hearty Repentance 73 Secondly by being his Children he will not be so severe as to mark what is done amiss as to Sins of Infirmity 74 Thirdly to the Children of God is granted an easier access by Prayer to the Throne of Grace for Pardon of Sins and other Mercies Lastly a Child of God is more surely instated in the Inheritance of Heaven than others 75 The infinite reason we have to praise God for these Advantages 76 LECT VIII By the Kingdom of Heaven is meant in Scripture either first the Kingdom of Grace in this Life or secondly the Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come The Kingdom of Grace the Gospel State 77 The reason why the Gospel State
for their Rank their Order or their Piety in the Church First Such as are most Eminent for their Station or Quality 119 Such Men's Wickednesses not altogether from the Temptingness of Riches but the Industry of Satan to get over such leading Men to his Party Such Men's Examples if bad of malignant Influence because conspicuous And will bring upon 'em the Guilt not only of their own but of other Men's Sins because Their Actions have the force of a Precept as well as of a Pattern which Inferiors are afraid to shew their dislike of 120 Great Men therefore must of all others Renounce the Temptations of Satan Secondly Such as are most Eminent on the account of their Order viz. the Ministers of Religion He is doubly Enrag'd against such both because in the Nature and Design of their Office they are to destroy his Kingdom and because the rest of the World do altogether eye them for their Pattern Hence no Temptation left untried to withdraw such into some scandalous Enormity 121 And hence the more Industrious a Minister is the more Industrious is Satan to overcome him And in the very way wherein he is most serviceable to the Church of God Satan does endeavour to make him most Mischievous As by turning his Zeal into Faction His spiritual Mindedness in Enthusiasm If he cannot prevail over him by real Miscarriages he will render him useless by forged Calumnies 122 It wonderfully concerns the Interest of Religion that the Reputation of its Ministers be kept unsullied Hence Satan and Satanical Men so Industrious to blast it And slanderous Reports lessen the Authority and Influence of the Clergy almost as much as real Sin 123 It behoves the Clergy therefore so far to Renounce and Resist the Devil's Temptations as to take care not only to be really Blameless but also to abstain from all appearance of Evil. Thirdly Such as are signal for their extraordinary Piety and Vertue Good Men the Devil knows will be scandaliz'd at such a One's Fall And the Atheistical will triumph therein And withal the lapst Person will be rendered almost incapable ever after of Converting others by his Example or Exhortations 124 Against this Bulwark of Religion therefore the Devil draws up all his Artillery The Pride and Pains he takes in overcoming such a One represented in a Parable 125 The more Exemplarily Pious therefore any Man is the more it concerns him to beware of the Devil and all his Temptations 126 LECT XIII Lastly what Temptations Satan levels against all Persons indifferently consider'd The Devil's Temptations not easily known to be his nor always distinguishable from those of the World and the Flesh which are manag'd and directed by him 127 Some of the most considerable of his Methods of Tempting us discover'd First He permits if not furthers some in a partial Obedience to God in some Particulars the better to detain them perfect Slaves to himself in others This a most fatal Delusion when some Sins only of a scandalous Name are exchanged for contrary Vertues but with the Retention of Impieties of a higher Nature 128 Such the most Irreclaimable of all Sinners Secondly By putting plausible Names upon the worst of Sins under that disguise he does cheat Persons into a good Opinion of 'em and then to commit ' em Sin in that disguise gets Reputation amongst Men. 129 Thirdly By changing the Nature of several Divine Graces so that they degenerate into very great Sins Sins thus mistaken are seldom Repented of Fourthly By putting Novices upon undertaking Severities greater than they can go thro' with on design that when they grow weary thereof they may together with those their voluntary Severities throw all Religion aside as too Burdensom and not at all Practicable 130 The difference between God's Ordering and the Devil's Management of Men in these Matters Fifthly By injecting evil Thoughts into our Minds at our Devotion to unhallow those Services whereby we do really and most immediately glorify God and benefit our own Souls 131 And thus he hinders the Efficacy of the Word Sixthly The Devil observing the outward Wants and Necessities of Persons he accordingly Tempts them by the use of unlawful Means to remove those Evils Seventhly Knowing every particular Person 's inward Dispositions he accordingly presents such Objects to the Fancy as shall be likeliest to prevail over such a Man to commit some grievous Sin 132 Eighthly Above all by Representing to the Fancies of Men the Conveniency of Riches the Glory of Honours and the Sweetness of Pleasures he does thereby Bribe 'em to Rebel against God and to Sin against their own Souls In his Representation of this World's Goods he shews only the fair Out-side to allure into Sin industriously concealing all that is Hurtful therein and would deter Men from it 133 Ninthly Having prevail'd thereby upon Persons to commit some grievous Sin to obtain them he then lays the shame and disgrace of their Sins before 'em perswading 'em to commit another horrid Wickedness to hide from the Eyes of Men the shame of the former 134 Tenthly Having once Engag'd a Person into many Sins he either lulls him in Security or drives him into Despair Lastly There are those whom God does in a great measure give up to the Delusions of Satan others whom he does wholly Abandon to the Power of the Devil First Such ill-dispos'd Minds as out of love to their Lusts seek after such Principles and Teachers as will make Sin easy to their Consciences are justly left to the Delusions of Satan Secondly Such as by a long Course of many damning Sins have laid wast the Conscience and have baffled all the Methods of God's Grace to Reclaim 'em these are sometimes even in this Life abandon'd by God to be acted by the Devil 135 And lastly so are Witches Magicians and Conjurers who have Covenanted away both Body and Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be for some time at their Beck to execute their vile and malicious Purposes Upon the general View of the Works of the Devil both of Sin and Temptation it does appear his Drift is no less than to usurp God's Throne and to draw the whole Race of Mankind into the same Cursed Rebellion against the Majesty of Heaven with himself 136 What it is and how we must Renounce this great Work of the Devil his Tempting of us to Sin 137 The Temptations of the Devil are then only properly Renounced when they are Resisted by us That they may be successfully Resisted First We must keep our selves always Sober Sobriety First As opposite to Drunkenness a necessary Preservative against Satan's Temptations 138 Secondly As opposite to Passion Secondly Watchful over those our Weaknesses especially where Satan will be likeliest to Attempt us And Thirdly we must be constant and fervent in Prayer to God to Protect us from them 139 LECT XIV What is meant by the Pomps and Vanity of the wicked World and in what sence and
favourable in their Censures since they cannot but pay the greatest Deference to the Judgment of a Prelate whom all the Learned both at home and abroad do Unanimously rank amongst the Greatest Divines that this or former Ages can glory in But that I may not too much lessen that Esteem which the Judicious part of Mankind at least do justly bear to your Lordship as the nicest Judge in Things of this Nature by Proclaiming to the World that Encouragement you have given to a Work which no doubt will be found very defective I am apt to believe and am forward to own it that it might be more your Approbation of the Design than the Goodness of the Performance that has made your Lordship so exceedingly Kind to it and its Author And indeed if ever there were a Necessity of attempting any thing to promote Catechetical Instruction there is now too sad an Occasion for it Some Years since we thought it sufficiently hard upon us that we were put to the trouble of Defending a Church so excellently Constituted as ours is by susteining those slight Skirmishes made only upon its Outworks namely against its Rites and Ceremonies Solemnities I would rather call 'em so wisely order'd for the more grave and solemn Administration of Divine Worship and for the better Edification of the Souls of Men. But alas the Enemy has now enter'd through our Breaches into the very Heart of our City as St. Austin calls the Church of God And as if there were an Universal Conspiracy made at this time against it All the Grand and Fundamental Articles both of Natural and Revealed Religion are now either most furiously Storm'd by Atheists Deists and Socinians on the one hand or secretly and dangerously undermined by Enthusiasts and Antinomians on the other And if the next Generation should grow worse in its Principles and Morals than the present what Vengeance from Heaven even to the removing of our Candlestick may we not fear But especially what Indignation from God may not we of the Clergy dread should we suffer the Youth of our Nation to go abroad into the World without having first given 'em those Religious Impressions by good Principles as will guard 'em from the Danger thereof and especially without having first prepossess'd the Minds of such with a deep Tincture of Divine Knowledge as are likely tâ— be the Leading Men in their Countries and yet by a fatal Mistake in Education are generally brought up in those Undisciplin'd Societies amongst whom the Oracles of false and pretended Reason are more universally Read and more highly Applauded than the Lively Oracles of Divine Revelation I know how deeply sensible your Lordship is of the growing Infidelity and Heterodoxy of this Age and how much it is your Opinion that a constant Course of Catechizing our Youth in the Fundamental Principles of Christianity is the only Means that can effectually obviate and cure those Great and Prevailing Evils And if what I have here offered to the Publick may be at all Serviceable to any of my Brethren in affording some useful Materials for their own Composures of this kind and in assisting any of 'em in their Method I have my End and shall therein in some measure answer I presume your Lordship's Design who out of a pious Zeal to have this Work of Catechizing universally set forwards by every Individual Minister in your Diocess would have the way so plain'd that we might all proceed therein without Interruption And sure where the Authoritative Injunctions of so Great a Father and Governour of our Church are join'd with such an unparallel'd Industry in the discharge of all the most important and difficult Duties of the Episcopal Care it is impossible for us who are under the Influence of your Power and Example to be Remiss in that which is the very principal part of Ministerial Instruction incumbent upon us For if we no sooner saw your Lordship entring upon that Diocess to which you were Translated so Happily to us though so Disadvantageously to your own Fortunes but we saw you apply your self with the utmost Vigour to the Business of it in Visiting not only your Clergy but Cathedral Schools and Hospitals If in your Lordship's primary Visitation we heard such a Learned Scriptural Proof of the JUS DIVINUM of the THREE DISTINCT ORDERS and what Evidence of that Nature is not to be expected from One so Mighty in the Holy Scriptures as cannot but Silence all Adversaries and all the Learned of our Nation would be glad to see made publick If we also saw at the same time that Venerable Ordinance of Confirmation even amongst those vast Crouds that came to it and with so great a Fatigue to your self Administer'd with a particular Application of the Stipulatory part to every Individual Person that was duly attested to be sufficiently Qualified and with that Order Gravity and Solemnity which raised in all who were present that Value for it which is due to it If against every EMBER we see those wise Precautions used with Reference to the Candidates for Holy Orders as would effectually prevent the Admission of Persons unworthy upon the account of any Immorality or will wholly lay the Guilt at the Doors of those who are backward to Inform their Church-Governors of the Miscarriages they know in order to their Correction and Remedy and yet are most apt to raise their Outcries against the Scandals of the Clergy And if also in the Probation of those who are permitted to stand Candidates there is constantly such a Treasury of Sacred Learning open'd to 'em in your Explications of Holy Writ as renders those Examinations one of the most learned and useful Theological Exercises that this Age does know and is alone sufficient to render those in a good measure Qualified with Scriptural Knowledge who come not thereto altogether prepar'd before-hand And indeed if agreeably to your Lordship 's so useful Examinations those who have the Happiness to be Conversant with you in your Studies do always see you Searching the Scriptures and do scarcely ever find you without the Holy Bible before you though one would think the sacred Page need be no more turn'd over by one who seems to have it wholly by Heart already both in our own and all the Learned Languages If farther yet we have seen your Lordship by a Method equally worthy to be admired and imitated in so short time to have got such an exact Knowledge of a numerous Clergy that from the chiefest Rector to the meanest Curate our Abilities Lives and Ministerial Performances seem not to be better known to our nearest Neighbours than to your Self and our Miscarriages and Neglects of Duty in the remotest Part of your Diocess may almost as soon escape the Reproaches of our own Consciences as your Lordship's Notice and Animadversion If in a word such is your Lordship's Vigilance through all the Parts of a very large Diocess as is alone sufficient to Confute those
certius cognoscas Eras in Loc. That it seemed good to him having had perfect knowledge of all those things from the very first to write them in order to him that he might know the certainty or have a more full and particular Understanding of those things wherein he had been before Catechized for so it is in the very Letter of the Greek that is taught only in General to prepare him for Baptism Hesychius a Learned Grammarian does give the meaning of this word Catechize by another which signifies to Build and this does intimate to us the Matter of which a Catechism must consist viz. Of the main and fundamental Points of Religion such as are fittest to build up a firm and unshaken Christian withal Lastly It is deriv'd from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies an inculcating and sounding often in the Ear of the Learner the Principles to be imbibed and fixed in his Mind and Memory So the Heathens and so the Christians used the word And this may suffice for the Importance of the Word which I thought might not be improper to Note because it gives so much Light into the meaning of the Thing and the Nature of a Catechism which I shall therefore Define as follows taking the Title now read with some Explanatory Additions for the Text upon which I shall Comment A Catechism The Definition of a Catechism is a general Instruction in the Fundamental Principles of the Christian Religion necessary to be Learnt of every Person in order to his Confirmation or the solemn Renewing of his Baptismal Vow and Covenant with God and the Receiving Benefit by the Bishop's Blessing Prayers and Laying on of Hands In which Definition you are told First As to the Matter of which a Catechism is to consist It is a General Instruction in the Fundamental Principles of the Christian Religion Secondly As to the Persons to be so Instructed It is necessary to be Learnt of every Person Thirdly As to the End of a Catechism It is necessary to be Learnt of every Person In order to his Confirmation or the solemn Renewing of his Baptismal Covenant and Vow before the Bishop and the Receiving Benefit by the Bishop's Blessing Prayers and Laying on of Hands Of all which Particulars I shall Discourse to you in their Order And First As to the Matter of which a Catechism is to consist It is a general Instruction in the Fundamental Principles of the Christian Religion Christian Religion What Christian Religion is out of Christian Principles to live an Holy Good Life and together therewith to depend upon the Mediation of Christ with the Father for us that our imperfect Righteousness may be graciously accepted to our Justification I. A Moral good Life an essential Part of Christianity That Morality or a good Life is a necessary and essential Part of Christianity is expresly affirm'd by St. James 1.27 where he tells us That Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father or such as God the Father will accept is this To visit the Fatherless and Widows in their afflictions and to keep one self unspotted from the world Many seem to place it in little less than Morality but it is the Life and Soul of all Religion as in Respect of God to Love Honour and to Obey him to Trust in Him and to Resign one self to him to Worship him and to be Devoutly given So in Respect of our Neighbour to be Just and Charitable and particularly and especially to Relieve those that are in Distress And Lastly as to our selves to govern our Affections to subdue our Passions to mortify our Lusts and to moderate our Desires In a word To keep the Heart and Life clean from the Defilements of Sin In this I say consists One main Part of Religion in abstaining from all Sin and Wickedness and in a constant and steddy Performance of all the Parts of Vertue and Holiness This I am sure is a main Part of the Christian Religion the Religion that our Saviour came to Plant amongst Men for this St. Paul assures us Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works He appeared teaching us to deny all Ungodliness and he gave himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity Hitherto indeed tended all he said all he did and all he suffer'd This was the Design of his Excellent Sermons and Discourses of his most admirable Example and Life and of his Death and Sufferings to Root out of the Lives of Men whatsoever is sinful and wicked and to Implant in its stead all the Parts of Vertue and Goodness But Secondly It is not enough to make a Man a good Christian II. To Act Virtuously upon Christian Principles that he live a strict and unblamable Life but it is moreover necessary to render him such that he act Virtuously upon Christian Principles Both indeed are necessary to the constituting a Man a true Christian The most regular Life that can be except it be acted upon Christian Principles is but meer Morality at the best as the most Orthodox Belief that is if it be Barren in good Works is but a dead Faith Thus Temperance may be observ'd because of our Health and plain and punctual Dealing by the Men of Trade because of their Interest Men may Fast and Pray out of Hypocrisy and to appear Good to others and may distribute large Alms to gain the Applause of Men as you may see Mat. 6.2 5. And indeed considering that Godliness is profitable for all things having the promise of the Life that now is as well as of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 And since of the Christian Religion it may be said that Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Men may lead very blameless Lives in all respects because of the Advantage and Tranquillity of Mind that arises meerly from a regular and orderly Conversation But all this will be accounted by God to fall far short of the Christian Religion and will entitle the Man to no Reward in Heaven that acts upon no better Reasons nor Motives than these Verily I say unto you they have their Reward says our Saviour Mat. 6.2 Nay He that lives an orderly good moral Life upon the Belief only that there is a God that his Providence and Care is extended over us that our Souls shall never Dye but are capable of and shall receive Rewards or Punishments in another World can be only said to be so far Religious as the good Moral Heathens were who Believ'd and Acted upon the
Principles of Natural Religion only and who having no other Law did by Nature the things contain'd in the Law Rom. 2 14. But to constitute a Man truly Religious and to denominate his Religion the Christian Religion it is farther necessary that he moreover act upon Christian Principles such as not the Light of Nature only but the Gospel of our Saviour does reveal unto us for In the day when he shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ it will be St. Paul tells us according to his Gospel Rom. 2.16 And so main a part in his Gospel were the Principles of reveal'd Religion that he told the Corinthians he determined not to know any thing amongst them save Jesus Christ and him Crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 that is the Means and Methods of our Salvation by a Crucified Saviour which can be known only by Revelation he was resolv'd should be so much the Subject of his Preaching amongst them that they might almost conclude he himself knew nothing else and did not much care whether they did also Thus the Christian Religion you see is out of Christian Principles to lead an holy good Life Nor Thirdly Is it enough to render the Religion of us Christians compleat III. Dependance upon the Mediation of Christ that our imperfect Righteousness may be accepted also necessary that by the force of good Christian Principles we lead good Lives but together therewith we must depend upon the Mediation of Christ with the Father for us that our imperfect Righteousness may be graciously accepted to our Justification For alas the best of us all must consider this That when we have done all that is commanded us we are but Vnprofitable servants Luk. 17.10 But alas the best of us all do exceedingly fail in doing all that is commanded us for we have all sinned and come short of the glory or Approbation of God Rom. 3.23 And therefore as there is One Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 So we are strictly commanded Col. 3.17 that whatsoever we do in word or in deed we should do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus And particularly as to that so considerable part of Religion Prayer it is ordain'd we are told Joh. 15.16 That whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in his Name he will give it us And also as to that other great Duty of Christian Worship Thanksgiving we are solemnly enjoyn'd Eph. 5.17.20 As we will shew our selves not to be unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is to give thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and In him we have boldness and access with confidence by the Faith of him Eph. 3.12 The meaning of which and innumerable other places that might be produc'd to this purpose is this That considering our own Vileness and Unworthiness by reason of our Sins we should ground all our Hopes and Expectations of Favour and Acceptance and Reward solely upon Christ That we should offer all our Deeds to God as Sacrifices and Services unworthy of acceptance in themselves and as proceeding from us but pleasing and acceptable to God only for his sake Such Dependance the Distinguishing Character of a true Christian And now this I take to be the grand distinguishing Character of Christianity which ought therefore never to be omitted when we pretend to give a full Account thereof As to a good Moral Life some Pagans did arrive to great degrees in Vertue such as I wish may not rise in Judgment against us Christians now a-days and as for their acting this upon good Principles I can hardly imagine that those who had such noble and worthy Thoughts of God and of their own Souls and who plac'd their Happiness in Purity and Uprightness were so much wanting in that Ingredient also of Virtue viz. The acting it upon good Principles as some do think They seem to me only to have wanted the Knowledge and Belief of some more and better Principles which we do enjoy to render their Virtue compleat in that respect also But that the best of our Performances are so imperfect that it was thought requisite in the Divine Wisdom that the Son of God should become a Sacrifice to expiate their Guilt and a Mediator with his Father to obtain their Acceptance is what the proud Hearts of natural Men never thought of and no Religion but the Christian ever taught But on the contrary when they had done well they did proudly over-value it and did arrogantly challenge the Reward not as of Grace but of Debt Dependance upon Christ necessary to take down an arrogant Conceit of our own Righteousness a Temper of Mind most displeasing to God And therefore to take down this proud and arrogant Presumption in us so natural to Man and so dishonourable to God together with his Design of making us Holy it was withal God's Intent by such a Dispensation of his Mercies as is given us in the Gospel to create in us such a Reliance and Dependance upon Christ for Salvation as to expect it not on the account of our own holy Performance but in the Vertue of his Mediation with the Father for us for so it is written 1 Cor. 1.29 30 31. That to the end that no flesh may glory in God's presence Jesus Christ is by him made to us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption that so he that glorieth might glory in the Lord. And indeed it does exceedingly tend to the praise and glory of his Grace that he hath made us accepted in the Beloved as it is said in Eph. 1.6 This does eminently set forth the exceeding Lustre of his Mercy towards us in the Gospel that our imperfect if sincere Obedience shall be accepted through the Mediation of Christ It does utterly exclude Boasting and all occasions of proud Reflections on our Parts as if so mean an Obedience as ours could deserve such infinite Rewards as are made over to us in the Gospel a Temper of Mind which as it is very apt to get Entertainment in our Souls so ought of all things to be supprest within us And thus I have given you a larger account of the Nature of the Christian Religion than otherwise I should have done that I might clear the way towards coming to the Knowledge of those Fundamental Principles thereof which I told you are the proper Matter of a Christian Catechism And now answerably hereunto The Nature of fundamental Principles the fundamental Principles of our Religion must be such Doctrines as being well understood and throughly believ'd do most powerfully and forcibly perswade and move Men to be thus Religious as to tend to destroy the Power of Sin to mortify our Lusts and all wicked Inclinations within us to render us pious and devout towards God just and charitable and peaceable Neighbours and sober chast and orderly Livers in this World And which shall
just God and Listed our selves to be the Souldiers and Servants not of a Lewd Jupiter a Wanton Venus a Fiery Mars a Revengeful Juno a Drunken Bacchus and a Thievish Mercury Such were the Heathen Gods and no wonder then that they who did worship them should also imitate them But we have given up our Names and Listed our selves the Servants of A God that hath no pleasure in Wickedness neither shall any Evil dwell with him in whose sight the Foolish shall not stand and who hateth all the workers of Iniquity who will destroy all men that speak leasing that are crafty to cheat and deceive and will abhor the blood-thirsty and deceitful man Psal 5.4 5 6. Nay who will rain upon the Wicked Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup for the Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness his Countenance doth behold the Vpright Psal 11.6 7. III. To fight against the World the Flesh and the Devil Such is the God to whom we have given up our Names to serve And we have Listed our selves in our Baptism under our several Christian Names to fight under his Banner against the World the Flesh and the Devil so as not to be tempted or drawn off to commit any Injustice or Unmercifulness any Intemperance or Filthiness any Act of Ungodliness or Profaneness In a word IV. Asunder that Name he professes to Believe such Articles as are the most powerful Motives to deny all Vngodliness any Sin against him We have engaged our selves under our several Names in the strongest Covenants in hopes of the most glorious Rewards and out fear of the sorest Punishments to be Faithful in our Obedience to him We have openly Profest under our respective Christian Names firmly to believe such a Set of Articles those of our Christian Faith as are every one of them as shall hereafter be made appear the most powerful Motives in the World to make us Deny all Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil World And under the same Christian Names we have all of us profest V. To obey the most Righteous Laws To be governed by such Laws and Commands of Vertue and Goodness of Piety towards God of Righteousness to our Neighbours and which lay down such incomparable Rules concerning the Government of our selves as the like are not to be found in any other Philosophy And Lastly Lastly as having under that Name received Promises of most powerful Assistances to do all this We profess to have such Assistances derived to us from God by Prayer and Sacraments those Means of his own Appointment to convey down his Aid and Assistance to us to Enable us to do these Things as will make it not extreamly difficult to us to live very excellent and good Lives Thus have we Christians under our several Christian Names as under Hand and Seal profest our selves the Disciples of a Religion that does infinitely exceed all others in the Powerfulness of its Principles and Doctrines and the Holiness and Strictness of its Precepts and Rules Of a Religion that can work if its Dictates be follow'd the greatest Miracles in the changing Men's Natures and Tempers from worse to better that can turn a ravenous Wolf into a harmless Lamb a furious Lion into a tender Kid that is the most savage and violent Dispositions of Cruelty and Pride into perfect Charity and Meekness And now if we Christians should be found as Debauch'd and Evil Livers as Unconverted Heathens as Lewd as Turks as Griping as Jews as Impious and Profane as Atheists how severely and that deservedly will the rest of the Infidel World upbraid us What Dishonour shall we thereby do to the true God and our most Holy Religion Which brings me to the Second Thing propos'd which was to remind you that the bad Lives of those who bear the Name of Christians do an infinite Prejudice and Dishonour to Christianity The bad lives of Nominal Christians do an infinite Prejudice Dishonour to Christianity And alas What bitter Reproaches have the Unchristian Lives of Christian Professors put into the Mouths of our Enemies making them to say That if we Christians did but Believe our selves those Promises in Scripture of such mighty Rewards to Holy Honest and Good Living we should sure our selves live better Lives And when any of our Christians would perswade them to forsake their own Superstition and Idolatry and to Embrace our most Holy Religion our unanswerable Lives have provok'd them to return smartly enough upon us Would ye have us to believe the Truth of your Religion which you do not seem to believe your selves It hinders the Conversion of Infidels And alas This is the main Thing the very Unsuitable Lives of us Christians that so Prejudices the Infidel Part of the World Pagans Turks and Jews against our most Holy Religion and hinders their Conversion It is the Cruelty and Covetousness of our Christian Merchants in the Indies that makes the poor Indians even Abhor our Religion and scornfully to say That Gold not Jehovah is our God Thus Is the Name of God blasphemed amongst the Gentiles through us Rom. 2.24 It is the Idolatry of the Church of Rome which makes Turks and Jews both of them mortal Haters of Idols to loath and despise the Christian Worship It puts bitter Reproaches in the mouths of Atheists especially when Wickedness is commited under the disguise of Religion But not to Travel so far as the Indies or Turkey to find out how much our Living so unbecoming our most Holy Profession has scandaliz'd Persons so as to Abhor it Observe the Men of No Religion amongst our selves our Atheists and Libertines and what bitter Scoffs and Jeers may we daily hear them cast forth upon Religion it self when they see some that make great outward Professions there guilty of so much Hypocrisy Cheating Cruelty and Rebellion making their very Religion a Cloak for the carrying on the most wicked Things as if the least Religious the most honest Man And now if there were but the least spark of Love and Honour in our Hearts for God and our most Holy Religion this were enough to make us careful to lead innocent and inoffensive Lives if it were only that we might not dishonour God and Religion thereby and might not bring a Reproach upon our Christian Name Every Man that desires the Honour and Reputation of his Calling and Profession whatever it is will live answerable to his Character and not so as to be a Scandal to his Place Few men will endure their worldly Calling to be put at naught and Reproacht And therefore as we seldom see a Person of so abject and mean a Spirit as to endure with Patience whatever Art or Profession he is of to be set at naught and spoke against so Men are generally with respect to the Credit of their worldly Professions careful to
Perfect and such as could not be better'd and improv'd tho' it had God for its Author and sure then those Superstitions which derive themselves from no better Authors than the Devil and wicked Impostors must be very bad but that the Christian Covenant and Laws have such an inward essential Goodness in them that a Man 's own Reason would prompt him to approve 'em as Best and most Excellent there being none of its Doctrines but what are highly agreeable to the best Reason of Man and all its Precepts being no other than the Law written in every Man 's own Heart And indeed the Christian Religion whether we consider it as compar'd with the Pagan or Mahometan Superstition and Jewish Dispensation or in its own Nature it is a most singular Institution and Body of Laws and such as we ought to Esteem it our very great Happiness and Advantage above other Men that we are under the Government of ' em And First consider the whole Body of the Pagan Superstition The Pagan Superstition tended to nothing but to defile humane Nature and what else did it tend to but to debase Mankind infinitely below the Dignity of their Nature and to defile 'em much more than the very Brutes The Gods which the Pagans worship were at best the most Vile and Infamous of Humane Race viz. An Adulterous Jupiter a Revengeful Juno a Drunken Bacchus a Wanton Venus a Thievish Mercury and a Cruel Mars not to mention how they Bowed themselves before and gave Divine Worship to the most poor and contemptible The Gods the Pagans worshiped were at best the most infamous Men and Women senseless Creatures And when they Worship'd Adulterers and Whores and Thieves and Drunkards what can be expected but that the Rites whereby they served 'em should be accompany'd with the vilest Practices such as were answerable to the Nature and Temper of such Deities Which was the occasion of those Words of St. Peter 1 Epist 4.3 telling those who had been lately Converted from Paganism to Christianity that The time past of their lives was sufficient to have wrought the Will of the Gentiles when they walked in Lasciviousness Lusts Excess of Wine Revellings Banquetings and abominable Idolatries wherein is more than intimated that the Idolatries of the Heathens were usually accompany'd with such villanous Practices And indeed from the Pagan Authors themselves we know they were so Many times they worshiped the very Devils themselves But it was not only the vilest of Men and Women but the Devils themselves whom the Pagans worship'd and whom they were wont to serve not only with abominable Idolatries accompany'd with most lewd Practices which however hateful to right Reason might be grateful to some sensual Spirits but they were forc'd to commit many times the greatest Violences possible to Humane Nature in their Worship to those barbarous and cruel Devils they Ador'd And that with lewd barbarous and cruel Rites Thus it was the manner of the Worshipers of Baal to cut themselves with Knives and Lancers till the Blood gushed out upon them 1 King 18.28 Nay The sacrificed their Sons and their Daughters unto Devils and shed innocent Blood even the blood of their Sons and of their Daughters whom they sacrificed unto the Idols of Canaan Psal 106.37 38. Which was a Barbarity so horrid to Humane Nature that they were forc'd to make use of loud Instruments at the time of Sacrifice to drown the Noise of the shrieking Infants And at this day the Idol Vitsiputsi amongst the Indians is said to have many Thousands slain in one of his solemn Processions it being usual for his Worshipers to throw themselves under the Wheels of his Massy Chariot on purpose to be crush'd in Pieces by the Weight thereof going over ' em Such are the lewd and barbarous Rites of the Pagan Religion not to mention any thing of those intolerable slavish Fears which always possess Idolatrous and Superstitious Religionists who are always in dread lest they should Incense the angry and peevish Daemon by every little Accident and are ever upon the Rack studying to please him by innumerable little insignificant Observances The Mahometan Religion is a vile Imposture Nor Secondly As to the Mahometan Religion is there any thing in it worthy of God whereby we should judge him to be its Author First it is a plain Imposture and Cheat pretending to be reveal'd by God to his Prophet Mahomet after the Jewish and Christian Religion as a more perfect Institution than either whereas indeed look into the whole Matter and inward Frame thereof and we shall find nothing in it as One observes but A Mass of foolish Opinions odd Stories uncouth Ceremonies compounded chiefly of the Dregs of Christian Heresies together with some Ingredients of Judaism and Paganism confusedly jumbled or unskilfully mixt one with the other But as to that great Principle of it which promises in Paradise a Thousand Years satisfaction arising from sensual Pleasures and the Enjoyment of Women to those who shall slay the Unbelievers that is Christians for so they do call us especially because we believe not in their Mahomet This one Principle of their Religion I say is enough to debauch Humane Nature to the lowest Degree of Naughtiness by giving Encouragement to the Two worst of Sins Lust and Cruelty Its Principles tend to Lust and Cruelty and accordingly the Effects of it are That they give an unbounded Range to their Lusts amongst themselves and are Cruel and Blood-thirsty to all the World besides being Instigated by their very Religion to fill the whole Earth with War Desolations and Misery so that this is another Religion also which Tends instead of Improving to deprave Humane Nature and to make it much worse And Thirdly As to the Jewish Religion Judaism was an imperfect and unfinisht Draught of Religion tho' that indeed was of a Divine Original yet whether it were that the Infancy of the World was not ripe for a more deep and manly Instruction or whether that particular Nation however to whose Disposition and Capacity those Laws and Constitutions were suited was unfit for the highest and hardest Lessons so it was that St. Paul calls their Ordinances Poor and Beggarly Elements Gal. 4.9.3 And indeed as to the Ritual Part of their Law the Ceremonies and Sacrifices thereof were for the most part Types and Shadows of good things to come Heb. 10.1 And as to the Moral Part Moses for the hardness of their Hearts was forc'd to Indulge 'em what the Perfection and Purity of the Christian Religion will by no means allow of as may be seen in the Case of Putting away a Wife for every Cause Luke 19.8 But above all it is to be considered that universal Love and Charity to Enemies to all Mankind of what Nation and Religion soever they be which does so nearly resemble us to God himself Who maketh his Sun to rise on the Evil and on the
being Members of Christ's Church In a word so Honourable to God so Perfective of our own Natures and so Beneficial to Mankind are the Laws of Christ and so well is our Obedience secur'd to 'em by those Principles he has taught us that this very Thing does speak our exceeding Great Priviledge in being Members of Christ and under his Conduct and Government as our supreme Head and Law-giver But especially this Advantage will appear to be very Great Another Branch of this first part of a a Christian's Priviledge are most edifying and comfortable Institutions and Ordinances if we consider How that together with those most excellent Laws that he has given us he has also appointed us most Edifying and comfortable Ordinances to Conduct us to Heaven Now by Divine Institutions and Ordinances I do mean those positive Appointments and Observations which he has given his Church and all the Members thereof for their Improvement in the Knowledge and Practice of his Holy Religion and Laws And that which our Great Law-giver has done of this Nature is this He has Ordain'd solemn and set Days viz. The Christian Sabbaths for his own Service He has Order'd that Publick Assemblies of all Christians should be held upon those Days he has Authoriz'd and Commanded the Publication and Preaching of his Laws at those Publick Assemblies He has appointed that Common-Prayers Supplications and Thanksgivings for Divine Grace and Assistance to enable us to perform these Laws then Preacht and for other Mercies should be jointly put up to him by all Christians on those solemn Days and publick Assemblies and Lastly he has Enjoin'd therein the use of Sacraments as means of Conveying such Grace and Assistance and also as Oaths and Obligations upon us to be Obedient to those Laws All which are the Priviledges that do belong to the Members of Christ's Visible Church And if we compare 'em with what others want of this Nature they are indeed most singular Favours vouchsafed only to such as are Members thereof and which Aliens and Strangers have no Right nor Admittance to And consider'd in themselves they are most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws and in order to a Holy and Good Life I. Publick Ordinances the Priviledge of every Member of Christs Church First I say All these fore-mentioned Priviledges do belong to the Members of Christ's Church to such as have been Baptized and profess themselves to be Christians To understand which Rights and Priviledges the better you must know that as there are Two sorts of Members in the visible Church so there are Two kinds of Priviledges that belong to each sort as One rightly states this Matter each having those Priviledges which are proper and peculiar to 'em according to the relation they bear to the Head and their Fellow-Members First There are Members only by Foederal or Covenant Holiness such are only Born of Water when by Baptism they are United to Christ and the Church and take upon them the Profession and Practice of the Christian Religion Now the Priviledges that do belong to these are of the same make with their Church-Membership Outward and consist only in outward and publick Communion with the Church in Word and Ordinances Secondly There are Members by Real and Inherent Holiness such as are not only Born of Water but of the Spirit also when by the inward Operation of the Holy Ghost their Souls are Renew'd after the Image of God and made Partakers of a Divine Nature And the Priviledges that do belong to these are not only the foremention'd Ones but together with them others that are suitable to their more spiritual Relations Inward and such as consist in the special and particular Care and Protection of God and in the more plentiful Measures of his Grace and in the more sensible Comforts of his Holy Spirit according to that of our Saviour Mat. 25.29 Vnto every One that hath or Improveth those Talents of Grace he has received shall be given and he shall have abundance So that these latter and more peculiar Priviledges indeed do not belong to every Member of the visible Church but to those only who are sincere in their Profession of Christianity and who by their more than ordinary Piety are become Dear to God But then as to Outward Priviledges it is not only the Duty but it is the Priviledge which of Right belongs to Every Member of Christ's Church to Observe the Lord's Day to be Present in the Publick Assemblies to Join in the Common-Prayers and even to Partake when of Age of the Lord's Supper So we find Acts 2.41 42. That the whole Three Thousand Souls who received the Word and were Baptized continued stedfastly in the Apostle's Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers True it is such as that more than ordinary Regard Scandalous Members to be suspended from the Lord's Supper that the Church of Christ has for the Lord's Supper that most solemn Ordinance in the Christian Religion that when any Member becomes Scandalous for any Sin he is to be Suspended from Communion in that till he amends So it is order'd in the Rubrick before the Communion-Service that if any be an open and notorious Evil-Liver so that the Congregation be thereby offended The Curate having Knowledge thereof shall Call him and Advertise him that in any-wise he presume not to come to the Lord's Table until he hath openly declared himself to have truly Repented and Amended his former Naughty Life that the Congregation may thereby be satisfy'd which before were Offended And the same Order shall the Curate use with those betwixt whom he perceiveth Malice and Hatred to reign not suffering them to be Partakers at the Lord's Table till he Knows them to be Reconciled But otherwise till a Member become Notorious and Scandalous for his Evil Principles or Practices he may claim the Right to be admitted to the Lord's Supper for even Judas himself before he Betray'd our Saviour did Partake with him at the first Institution of the Supper as you will find Matth. 26.25 26. So that as to the Outward Institutions and Ordinances of Christ they are Priviledges you see that do belong to all the Members of Christ's Church to all such as have been Baptized and Profess themselves to be Christians And now Secondly I. Christian Ordinances are a singular favour which Aliens and Vnbelievers do not nor have any Right to enjoy If we compare but these outward Priviledges of God's Holy Ordinances with what others do want of this Nature they are indeed most singular Favours vouchsafed only to such as are Members of Christ's Church and which Aliens and Strangers have no Right nor Admittance to For alas The Infidel Part of the World whether Jews Turks or Pagans have none of these Divine Ordinances amongst ' em They neither Know the Lord's Day nor Hold any Assemblies thereon for the Instruction in his Laws
neither do they Profess Belief in nor Pray to the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and they are utter Strangers to our Holy Mysteries And hence it comes to pass that those miserable People continue still in Blindness Ignorance and Barbarity remain perfect Slaves to Satan and their own Brutish Lusts and for the most part of 'em are degenerated into such Inhumanity Cruelty and Brutality that Tygers Wolves and Vipers the most Devouring and Venemous Creatures in the World are not so mischievous to Mankind as that Part thereof who either know not or contemn God's Holy Ordinances are one to another So true it is what Solomon has observ'd Prov. 29.18 that Where there is no Vision or no Word and Ordinances of Divine Revelation the People perish Which brings me Lastly II. They are excellent Advantages considered in themselves To consider What excellent Priviledges they are in themselves And thas they are upon Two Accounts First As being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws Secondly As being exceedingly comfortable to those who Enjoy ' em I. As conducing much towards our Edification And First Divine Ordinances are most Excellent Priviledges as being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws and in order to a Holy and Good Life For why In these Holy Ordinances we have all the Means both Outward and Inward afforded for our Conversion As to the Outward you have the very Scriptures themselves the Body of those Holy Laws publickly Proclaim'd and Read out to you the Scripture it self I say Which was given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. In these Holy Ordinances again you are not left to the Deceits and Whispers of a private Spirit but you have the Doctrine of the Church collected into a Form of sound words and containing all that is necessary whether as to Faith or that Love which is in Christ Jesus or which is required in the Christian Religion 2 Tim. 1.13 You have this Collected I say partly by the Apostles themselves and partly by others the wisest and best Divines out of the Holy Scriptures and propos'd to you as a Rule to walk by And moreover you have the Ministers of Christ constantly applying both to your direction The Ministers of Christ I say who as his Ambassadors do Pray you in Christ's stead to be Reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Again In these Holy Ordinances you do not wrestle with God for his Mercies in the strength only of your own private Prayers but you have your Devotions mingled with the concurrent Prayers of all God's People and so by your joint Forces after an humble but powerful manner do Besiege Heaven for the joint and united Prayers of Christians have above all others the Promise of a Gracious Answer Matth. 18.20 Our Saviour assuring us there that Where Two or Three are gathered together in his Name there he will be in the midst of them And lastly You receive herein from the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ that Food which is necessary to the Nourishment of the Soul as Meat is to the Strength of the Body the same Blessed Saviour of the World assuring us as you will see Joh. 6.55 and the 63. compar'd together that His Flesh is Meat indeed and that his Blood is Drink indeed And then as to the Inward Means of performing God's Laws viz. The Grace and Assistance of his Holy Spirit this as it is absolutely necessary to enable our Weakness in this our fall'n State so it it is no otherwise to be expected than in the Use and Ministry of Divine Ordinances as shall be presently seen In a word The outward Ordinances and Institutions of the Gospel together with the Holy Spirit accompanying them are the only ordinary Means of Conversion Some may pretend to be above Ordinances but Experience tells us that accordingly as Men do slight and neglect 'em accordingly do they decay in Grace and Vertue and when once they begin wholly to lay them aside they become perfectly Graceless and are given up to a Reprobate Mind as is daily seen in such as make nothing of Profaning the Lord's Day and totally laying aside Prayers and Sacraments As most comfortable to the Souls of those who enjoy them Secondly And they are not more Profitable and Edifying than they are Comfortable to the Spirits of all Pious Souls who enjoy ' em Holy David was a most eminent Instance of this My Soul thirsteth for God for the Living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 42.2 See what earnest Longings he had for the publick Service And I was glad when they said unto me Let us go to the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 And Psal 65.4 he expresses his sence of this Matter thus Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts he shall be satisfied in the goodness of thy House even of thy holy Temple Alas They are seldom sufficiently valued till most wanted the inestimable Priviledges and Advantages of Divine Ordinances as the Benefit of the Heat and Light and all other common Mercies are never sufficiently valued till most wanted In the abundance of 'em we slight 'em but when depriv'd of 'em we see we cannot live the Spiritual Life without ' em This is most significantly exprest Amos 8.11 12. Behold the days come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it You see here that the Famine of Bread is nothing in comparison with the Famine of the Word and Ordinances I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the words of the Lord which is a much sorer Famine for it is a Famine which will starve the Soul And when they are deprived of the Word and Ordinances then shall they wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it And accordingly we may always observe this difference in Men's Esteem of those excellent Advantages In the outward Peace and Prosperity of the Church when the Church Doors are always open and Prayers and Sacraments constantly Administred then how many that live near the House of God shall seldom come at it and how will others Profanely pass by it even in time of Divine Service And how do People when it is Plentiful loath this Heavenly
Body the Church there are the Ordinances of Sacraments Preaching Publick and Common Prayers and such like Holy Offices Administred by Persons set apart for that Purpose to be the Conveyances of those ordinary Supplies of his Holy Spirit which he thinks necessary to preserve that Member in Health and Vigour So that thus at length you see how that in keeping in Union with the mystical Body of Christ his Church and with its Lawful Governours and Teachers and in the use of Sacraments and other Divine Ordinances those Conduits and Conveyances of his Holy Spirit to us we shall have spiritual Life and Strength and Vigour derived down to us from Christ our spiritual Head in like manner as in the natural Body of Man the Animal Life and Strength and Vigour is derived down to all the parts of the Body from the natural Head And this is a most singular Priviledge if compar'd with that little or nothing of this Nature which others who are not Members of Christ's Church do enjoy and also it will appear to be a most exceeding great Advantage if consider'd in it self And First If we compare our Happiness with Others I. Divine Grace a most singular Priviledge if compared with what others enjoy of this Nature we shall find it the peculiar Advantage of Christianity which no other Law nor Doctrine so much as pretends to that it not only clearly teacheth us and strongly perswadeth us to so excellent a Way of Life but provideth also Divine Help and Assistance to Enable us to Practice it If God would have Ordinarily and in the way of a Constant Dispensation imparted so excellent a Gift to any to be sure it would have been to the Jewish Church but we are told Joh. 1.17 That the Law was given by Moses but that Grace came by Jesus Christ that is the Graces and Gifts of His Holy Spirit as well as other Mercies and Favours so that tho' Moses deliver'd Legal Precepts it is by Jesus Christ we shall have the Assistance whereby we shall be Enabled to attain unto Holiness And as to that Measure of Grace afforded to Holy Men under the Law whatsoever it were it was through him the Promised Messiah and in Vertue of that Covenant of Grace Confirmed with Abraham before the Law but the more constant Influences of the Holy Spirit and the fuller Measures thereof are derived from him down upon us now under the Gospel And because of that more plentiful Measure of Grace and Spirit Communicated unto us from Christ under the Gospel does the Apostle call the Gospel the Ministration of the Spirit in Opposition to the Law which he styles the Ministration of Death 2 Cor. 3.8 9. And does therefore so assuredly promise himself Success in his Ministry ver 5 6. Such trust have we in Christ to Godward not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament or Covenant not of the Letter but of the Spirit where the Gospel is styl'd the Spirit as for other Reasons so for this in the Judgment of the Learned Dr. Hammond that Grace which is the Gift of the Spirit is now join'd to the Gospel which was not to the Law In a Word and to speak in the Words of a Learned Author Other Laws for want of this are in effect Ministeries of Condemnation Racks of Conscience Parents of Guilt and of Regret Reading hard Lessons but not assisting to do after them Imposing heavy Burthens but not Enabling to bear them But our Law of the Gospel is not such it is not a dead Letter but hath a quickning Spirit accompanying it it not only soundeth through the Ear but stampeth it self upon the Heart of him that sincerely doth Embrace it it always carryeth with it a sure Guide to all Good and a safe Guard from all Evil. II. An exceeding Advantage considered in it self And this Advantage as it is proper to our Religion So it is exceeding considerable in it self The Advantage is that every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be shall have sufficient Supplies of Grace derived down from Christ our Head proportionable to his Necessities by those means of Conveying it which Christ has appointed for that Purpose All the Members of Christ have Supplies proportionable to their Station in the Church I say every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be For As we have many Members in one Body and all Members have not the same Office so we being many are one Body in Christ and every one Members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. that is there are different Members in the Church of Christ some are to be Governours and Teachers of Others and accordingly must be Endow'd with a Spirit of Government and Gift of Teaching and others are of a more private Capacity in the Church of Christ whatever they may in other Respects and their Business is to keep a Conscience void of Offence both towards God and Man and faithfully to discharge their Duties to God their Neighbour and Themselves And whatever I say those several Duties are which arise from their several Stations in the Church they shall have a competent measure of Divine Grace Enabling them to discharge ' em They shall not have Gifts that are necessary to the Discharge of other's Offices but be destitute of these of their own that is a private Christian call'd to no Office in the Church is not to expect nor ought to pretend to have received Gifts of Government and Teaching in a publick Ministerial way For God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace in all the Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 But every Member of the mystical Body by keeping himself united to the Head in such ways as has been shew'd shall have such Graces and Assistances derived down to him from Christ who is that Head as are necessary and proper for him And that too in such Measures and Proportions as according to the different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting And also in such Measures as according to different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting Thus in the first Plantation of the Gospel when the Work was so Extraordinary that there was need of Miracles to convince the Jews of the Insufficiency of Moses's Law and the Gentiles of the Falshood of the Pagan Superstition then did Christ bestow upon his Apostles divers extraordinary Gifts viz. Of Miracles Prophecy discerning of Spirits divers kind of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues 1 Cor. 12.10 And as to all Christians in general as the malice of Satan did then most violently rage against the Church Persecuting to the Death those who would not Renounce Christ and his Religion so all the Christians in those Times were very extraordinarily Strengthen'd no doubt to resist such strong Temptations But now that the Church is
and strictest sence of the Word that it can be apply'd to a meer Man is a Child of God But then all who are the Children of God either in the sence of Scripture or of your Catechism are not actually thus Regenerate As to the sence of Scripture it is plain as will presently appear that every One who bears the Relation of a Child to God is not Dutiful to his Father But every Child of God is not actually Regenerate either in the sence of Scripture which is in Heaven no more than all Children are to their Natural Parents It is a monstrous Thing indeed that any Child should be Undutiful to so good and gracious a Father but it is too true that too many are so Hear O Heaven and give ear O Earth for I the Lord have spoken I have Nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me Isa 1.2 And as to the meaning of a Child of God here in your Catechism it is also plain Or of your Catechism that it is not only such as are renew'd in the Spirit of their minds and do imitate God that are there to be understood for every One who is Catechized is requir'd to answer that In his Baptism he was made a Child of God whereas many Catechumens are not actually as yet Renew'd and really Converted and by their own Fault many will never be so that a Child of God by spiritual Regeneration and a God-like Imitation expresses rather the Duty of every One what he ought to be than the Notion and Nature of a Priviledge which many may enjoy who in the mean time are not over Dutiful So that a Child of God by spiritual Regeneration or a God-like Imitation is a meaning of the Word as much too narrow to be the sence of it here in your Catechism as a Child by Creation was too wide To proceed then But Fourthly a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every one who is so by vertue of a Covenant Relation Fourthly There are the Children of God by Vertue of a Covenant Relation and also by Adoption who are neither all the Sons of God by Creation nor yet on the other side such onely as are Renew'd in the Spirit of their Minds and do imitate God But they are all those who have been Baptized into the Covenant of Grace and have been Incorporated into Christ's Church and who do profess the true Religion and themselves the Servants of the True God Thus before the Law Gen. 6.2 the whole House and Posterity of Seth are call'd the Sons of God as on the contrary the Posterity of Cain are call'd the Daughters of Men. This was the Notion of a Child of God before the Law They are there call'd the Sons of God because that in the Family of Seth the Worship of the True God was continued and establish'd from which the Posterity of Cain had Revolted And so likewise under the Law the whole Body of the Children of Israel are call'd the Children of God Deut. 14.1 and that for this reason Vnder the Law as it follows ver 2. because they were a Holy people unto the Lord and the Lord had chosen them to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the Nations that were upon the Earth They were a Holy people unto the Lord not all of 'em by an inward and real Change in their Natures but by a Foederal Holiness and by reason of their separation from the rest of the Idolatrous and wicked World by a Holy Covenant Alas as to their inward Holiness this very Body of Men who were call'd the Children of God are said Deut. 32.5 to have Corrupted themselves and to have not the spot of Children but to be a very froward Generation Children in whom is no Faith ver 20. But their outward Relation to God continued notwithstanding and that whole Body of People being in Covenant with God were styl'd thereupon his Children And under the Gospel likewise Vnder the Gospel all that are Members of the Church and in Covenant with God are styl'd his Children Thus 2 Cor. 6.16 17 18. you will find that with Relation to all those concerning whom God declar'd He would be their God and that they should be his People which are the express Terms of the Covenant betwixt God and all Christians as you will see Heb. 8.10 and with Relation to all those whom he commanded to Come out from among the Gentiles and to be separate and not to touch the unclean thing that is not to Partake in their Idolatry which is the very Description of the Members of Christ's Church I say with Relation to all these he declar'd he would be a Father unto them and that they should be his Sons and Daughters And such are call'd Sons by Adoption concerning whom it is said Also a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every One who is so by vertue of Adoption Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulness of time was come that God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Now this word Adoption is much used in the Epistles of St. Paul to declare that filial Relation towards God which the Members of Christ's Church are taken into and because the right understanding of the Nature and meaning of such Adoption will very much contribute to a right and through Explication of what is meant by a Child of God I will First Shew you the Nature and Meaning of Adoption both amongst the Jews and Gentiles amongst both which different People it was in use Secondly I will then shew you how we Christians especially such of us who are descended from the Gentiles are accordingly Adopted to be the Children of God And as to the First Adoption What Adoption a Thing so well known both amongst Jews and Gentiles was the taking in of a Stranger upon the want or loss of natural Issue into the Relation of a Child and into the Rights and Priviledges of a Son by Nature The use of it amongst the Israelites the Priviledges it gave them As to the use of it amongst the Israelites we find Gen. 30. that Rachel upon the want of Issue by her Husband Jacob did Adopt and take as her own Sons those of her Maid Bilhah ver 5.8 And so likewise did Leah when she saw that she had left Bearing she Adopted and took also as her own Children the Sons of Zilpah And several other the like Instances may be found in Scripture as in Jacob's Adopting Ephraim and Manasseh the Sons of Joseph to be his Sons Gen. 48.5 In all which cases it appears that upon their Adoption or being took into that Relation of Sons to Jacob Rachel and Leah they were instated into equal Priviledges with the true and genuine Issue of those Persons and were accounted amongst the Twelve
fought a good fight I have finished my Course I have kept the Faith henceforth says the Apostle and so may every good Christian say the same there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that Day and not to me only but to all them who love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Such is the Christian's Priviledge above a Pagan's in being made an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven in that being his Inheritance he may assure himself of it tho' his imperfect Vertues consider'd in themselves could never Entitle him to such an eternal and exceeding weight of Glory In short It is Jesus Christ alone who hath brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1.10 As Life and Immortality is brought to light through the Gospel so by embracing it and by coming into Covenant alone Salvation can be expected And as he only has brought it to light that is made a clear Revelation of that Life and immortal Happiness laid up for Righteous Men in Heaven which was not before so plainly Reveal'd so it is only through him and by Believing and Embracing and Coming into his Covenant the Gospel that Salvation must now be hop'd for by any for thus we are assur'd Acts 4.12 that There is no other Name under Heaven given among Men but Jesus only whereby we must be saved so that this Invaluable Priviledge this exceeding great Advantage of being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven is made over and certainly Ensur'd to such only who are in the Covenant of Grace and is the Third and Last of those excellent Priviledges and Advantages contain'd and held forth therein And to a sincere Christian who is faithful in the Covenant the Heavenly Inheritance is certain But then the Kingdom of Heaven is the certain Inheritance of the sincere Christian who in the Exercise of Mercy Meekness Piety and all other Christian Vertues which he has Covenanted with God to perform does faithfully discharge his Part of the Covenant as is most solemnly declar'd Matth. 25.31 32 33 34.46 with which I shall conclude this Point Says our Blessed Saviour there When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory and all the Holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the Throne of his Glory And before him shall be gathered all Nations and he shall separate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and he shall set the Sheep on his right hand but the Goats on the left Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand to his Charitable and Pious and Faithful Servants Come ye Blessed of my Father Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World And as the Wicked shall go into everlasting Punishment so the Righteous into Life Eternal And now to summ up those infinitely Gracious and Invaluable Priviledges made over to us on Uod's Part in the Covenant of Grace A summ of those invaluable Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace hereby we are made First Members of Christ that is are made Members of that Body of which Christ is the Head viz. The Church and so have together with a most excellent Body of Religion and Laws all necessary Grace and Assistance Convey'd and Communicated to us Members from Him the Head to Enliven Support and Enable us to go through all our Task of Religious Duties and Christian Performances requir'd at our Hands The Second Priviledge is That we are also hereby made Children of God that is having Embrac'd Christianity and being Incorporated into the Church of Christ we are thereby Adopted and Chosen out of the rest of the World by God to enjoy this grand Priviledge of Sons to have Pardon granted us when with the Prodigal Son we return Home to Him our Offended but Gracious Father by Repentance And we shall find him not over-severe in respect of our lesser Failings and the unavoidable Infirmities of our Nature but shall always have him ready to hear our Prayers for Mercy both in respect of our greater and lesser Transgressions And Lastly The Third Priviledge you have been now told is this that to compleat All We are made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven that is have secur'd to us a Right and Title to the unspeakable Joys and Glories of Heaven A Priviledge which consider'd in it self is exceeding Great and as all the rest if compar'd with what Others enjoy is a very singular One These now are the inestimable Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace Priviledges which as they are of infinite Advantage to us so we shall never fail of obtaining 'em if we will but take care to perform the Conditions requir'd on our Parts and so First Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh Secondly Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And Thirdly Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of our Lives Which Conditions and what they Import I come next to declare unto you THE Ninth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked world and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh I Have already Expounded those infinitely Gracious and Invaluable Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace having shewed you what it is to be a Member of Christ what it is to be a Child of God and lastly what to be an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven as also what are the vast Benefits contain'd in those several Articles I am now come to Explain to you likewise the Conditions of the Covenant those Conditions without the Performance of which those Mercies will not be Confer'd on us For this we must seriously consider that the Benefits now mention'd to be made over to us as they are in themselves exceeding great so as almost to equal us with the Blessed Angels and as they were purchas'd for us at no less a Rate than the precious Blood of the Son of God so we must not expect that Benefits so infinitely great and dearly purchas'd should be Confer'd upon us without any thing to be done on our Parts to express our Value of them much less if we continue in Rebellion against God and instead of him serve under his Enemies the World the Flesh and the Devil or will be Infidels and Unbelievers and will remain Disobedient to all his most Just and Righteous Commands No it is not to be imagin'd that God will be so Easy so fond of Sinners as would reflect upon the Wisdom and Discretion of a meer Man But as he does propose to us Invaluable Blessings so he does require from us a Reasonable Service and the Performance of most Equitable Conditions amongst which this is the First
it were by their horrid Oaths and Imprecations to Damn 'em that is to send 'em to the Devil and all those who resort to Charmers and Conjurers and Fortune-tellers as many Thousands do in this Nation All these I say are the open and profest Subjects of Satan's Kingdom And how many Lewd and Riotous Livers are there amongst us who do little else but the Works of the Devil and Obey no other Laws but those of Sin So that as you will Renounce the Devil and all his Works in that Sence wherein the Church does at present understand the Words you are with all possible care to avoid being of the Number of such Men. And I know no more that need be said at present This Renunciation for the most Part the same with Repentance to explain the Importance of the words Renounce the Devil and all his Works except it be this That if we consider such a Renunciation as the Act of One who has been heretofore a Slave to Satan and a Servant to Sin then it signifies to Forsake and Abandon the Service of Sin and the Devil formerly Liv'd in and so being a Ceasing to do Evil and a Learning to do well is the same with Repentance But if it be the Act of one of those who may be said to need no Repentance of which sort are Infants who have never committed Actual Sin then to Renounce the Devil and all his Works does mean a firm Resolution never to side with him in his Rebellion against God and as carefully as he can to avoid the committing of any Sin as being that whereby God's Rightful Authority is cast off and the Devil 's Vsurpt Dominion submitted to And so much for the Meaning of Renouncing the Devil and all his Works The Devil and all his works of Sin must be absolutely and entirely Renounced because And now Lastly it remains that I should shew you how that it is necessary we should Absolutely and Entirely Renounce the Devil and all his Works As to those other Enemies to our Souls the World and our own Flesh there is some Temper to be us'd being neither of 'em are Absolutely and in themselves Evil but only by accident when the World is too intensely Belov'd and our Flesh too much Indulg'd to the Prejudice and Hurt of the Soul and therefore there are some Degrees of Affection and Regard allow'd to both them But the Devil is the Evil One and he is by way of Eminence and Singularity styl'd the wicked One in the Holy Scripture as Matth. 13.19 and 1 Joh. 2.13.19 There is nothing but Evil proceeds from Satan So that there 's not the least Good and nothing but Evil proceeds from him and therefore no manner of Agreement is to be made with him What Concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6.15 Nor are we to imagine we can divide our Service betwixt God and him We cannot serve God and Mammon Matth. 6.24 So that the Devil is Absolutely and Entirely to be Renounced by us And Sin whether we consider it in its Original Cause Nature or in its sad Effects and Consequents is the utmost Evil. And so likewise must his Works of Sin Sin as Sin is entirely Evil Consider it in its Original Cause and Nature and consider it in its Effects and Consequents and there is not a worse Evil in the World than Sin View it in its Original and first Cause and it is a Brat of the Devil 's the First-born of Hell And view it again in its Nature and it is a Choosing of quite other Ends than what the Wise and Good God has appointed us and ordain'd us for and is a Going quite cross to those Laws and Rules which he has given us And then consider it next in its sad Effects and Consequents and there is no Evil in the World to be compar'd to it It is a Sin says One which turn'd glorious Angels into hideous Devils and tumbl'd them down from Heaven to Hell It is Sin that fill'd the World with Woes and Plagues brought Death and Diseases and a vast and endless Summ of Miseries into it It is Sin that torments and terrifies the Conscience that kindles Hell Flames Exposes the Soul to the eternal and direful Revenges of the Great God And in a word Sin is so perfectly and only Evil that the worst of things here were they free from the Contagion and Evil of Sin would be Excellent and Amiable So that Sin also is Absolutely and Entirely to be Renounced by us and there is no one Sin nothing in the least of Sin that may willingly be comply'd with Therefore no one Sin nor any thing the least of Sin must willingly be comply'd with I say No One Sin nor any the least of Sin for so Poisonous a thing it is in spoiling of every thing that is Good in Man that if we shall allow our selves but in One single Sin it will utterly spoil all our other Righteousness If a man keep the whole Law and yet offend in one Point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 And one such single Allowance will stop God's Ears against all our Prayers If I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me Psal 66.18 Nay so absolutely an Evil is Sin and so Absolutely and Entirely it is to be Renounced by us that the least sinful Action is not to be committed in order to attain the greatest Good So little a Sin as an Officious Lie must not be told no not to save a Man's Life Nor a Pious Fraud nor a Holy Cheat committed to promote the Good of the Church and to secure and propagate what we take to be the True Religion For if the Truth of God hath more Abounded through my Lie unto his Glory why yet am I judged as a Sinner Whereas he who telleth such a Kind and Serviceable Lie will certainly be Judg'd as such and as it follows Whosoever shall say Let us do Evil that Good may come of it his Damnation is just Rom. 3.7 8. So that every Christian must Absolutely and Entirely Renounce the Devil and all his Works of Sin And indeed it is but to consider And indeed if the Nature of Satan and of Sin the horrid Consequence of yielding to either be well consider'd it is hardly possible not absolutely and entirely to renounce both as well as know the Nature of Satan and of Sin and the horrid Consequence of yielding to either of them and it is impossible any should not absolutely and entirely Renounce that is utterly detest and avoid and beware of them As for the Devil why Even the Perversest of People the Israelites when it was solemnly put to their Reason and Consideration who to serve God or the Devil could not without the utmost Detestation think of the latter If it seems Evil unto you says Joshua to them Josh 24.15 16. to serve the Lord choose you this day whom you will
therefore by the Presentation of those things to their Senses with all the Advantage that Satan has Skill enough to put 'em off withal their Lusts and Appetites do wholly desire these things And as Satan does excite our Lusts and Appetites to covet Unlawful things by whatever pleases any of our Senses Especially the Senses of Seeing and Tasting so especially by those Objects that do gratify the Senses of Seeing and Tasting Hence as to the Lusts of the Eye How many look so long upon a Woman till they have committed Adultery with her already in their Hearts And as to our Appetites How many Belly-Gods with Esau Sell their Inheritance for a Mess of Pottage But our being taken only with outward things is such an high Ingratitude to God who hath provided so much better for us and such an Abuse to our own Souls which are capable of relishing higher Enjoyments as is not to be endured But our being taken only with sensible ond outward Things is such an high Ingratitude to God and such an Abuse to our own Souls as is not to be endur'd What can shew more Ingratitude to God than to despise those Noble Enjoyments which he has prepared for purify'd Souls in Heaven and to choose to feed upon the Husks of sensual Pleasures here below And as to our own Souls Why should such excellent Beings of such exquisite Faculties capable of relishing those Pure and Heavenly Joys above be clogg'd and surfeited with those cloying Vanities of this World Which after they are once Tasted are sure to sit very Heavy and are never well digested by the Mind and Conscience and the Soul can never be at Ease till by Confession and other Acts of Repentance it has thrown 'em up again But the Vileness of thus submitting the Mind to drudge to our Senses and to study only to please our Lusts and Appetites will be more properly Expos'd when we come to shew you how far and in what sence you are to Renounce the sinful Lusts of the Flesh To summ up then what has been hitherto said concerning those Temptations and Means whereby at first Satan overthrew the whole Race of Mankind and drew it off from their Obedience to God to do Service to him and does still so successfully Overcome so many Whether it be by infusing into your Thoughts ill Apprehensions of God particularly of his Justice and Mercy or by diverting of your Minds by needless Curiosities from improving of your Souls in Divine Knowledge and especially as is his wont by stupifying of your sence of Divine Things by trying what is in sinful Pleasures Or whether he shall at any time Tempt you to commit what is sinful by the Inveiglements and Enticements of what you do entirely love and affect Or Lastly By proposing to your Lusts and Appetites what is pleasing to your Senses In which of these ways soever it is that he attempts you you must stoutly resist him And being he was not successful in these ways of Temptation against our First Parents alone but has been also Vers'd in the same for many Thousand Years ever since and therefore must be suppos'd to have grown very skilful in the Management of 'em It does therefore concern you with more than ordinary Diligence to Guard your selves against ' em And in so doing you will go a great way towards Renouncing that great Work of his his Tempting us to Sin concerning which what is farther to be spoke must be defer'd till the next Opportunity THE Eleventh Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh THAT Great Work of the Devil his Tempting of us to Sin being the Subject of our present Consideration and in order to the full Discovery of what so much concerns you having already shew'd you First By what Temptations and Means he overthrew the whole Race of Mankind and drew it off from Obedience to God to do Service to him In pursuance of the same important Subject concerning the Temptations of the Devil what they are and in what Ways and Methods he attempts our Ruine I am Secondly To discover to you What Temptations Satan levels against the Church of Christ such as he Levels against the Church of Christ the True Servants of God either utterly to destroy them from off the face of the Earth or at least-wise so to corrupt the Notions of God and Religion that by their very Christianity they may dishonour him Soon after that Satan had seduc'd the whole Race of Mankind into a most unnatural and ungrateful Rebellion against their Maker God recovers out of the Fallen Race of Mankind a Body of Men the Church to his service Listing 'em under Jesus Christ to Fight against Satan did God of his infinite Compassion to the woful State of Man in slavery to so base a Tyrant as the Devil appoint his own Son to be the Great Captain of our Salvation and gave him Power and Commission to List a Church Militant out of the rest of the World who being directed by his Word and assisted by his Holy Spirit should continually fight under his Banner and Conduct against this wicked Spirit the Devil and discharging their Parts well in this Warfare should in another World be eternally Rewarded with Honour by him But the Devil Enrag'd as a Bear bereav'd of her Whelps to have his Prey thus snatch'd away out of his Teeth The Devil Enrag'd to have his Prey snatcht out of his Teeth continually Attacks it by One mightier than he sets himself with the greatest Vigour to ruine this Body of Men who are Arm'd by God on purpose to destroy his Kingdom and does therefore both with the Fury of a Roaring Lion and with the Cunning of a Subtle Serpent continually attack it endeavouring all he can either utterly to Destroy the Church of Christ from off the Face of the Earth Or at least-wise so to corrupt its Notions of God and Religion that by Religion it self it might dishonour him And his first and chief Endeavours were His first and chief endeavours are utterly to destroy it from off the Face of the Earth utterly to destroy the Church of Christ from off the Face of the Earth Towards the understanding of which we must know that God the Father gave Commission to his Son to raise this Church Militant immediately after the Fall of Man and the War between Satan and the Church was Proclaim'd in these Words This he endeavour'd to do in the Person of Abel I will put Enmity between thee and the Woman and between her Seed and thy Seed it shall bruise thy Head and thou shalt bruise his Heel Gen. 3.15 And no sooner was this War Proclaim'd but this cruel Murderer the Devil for a Murderer he is said to have been from the Beginning thought to have cut it off at one Blow in the Person of
very Bowels of Christendom that is a Succession of Hereticks who Having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power thereof 2 Tim. 3.5 under the Name and Profession of Christians do sadly weaken Christ's and most effectually Promote the Interests of Satan's Kingdom And who have spilt more Blood perhaps in Establishing their Heresies their Idolatries and Superstitions than was ever done by Heathen Rome and all the other Pagan Persecutions put together So much you see it is the Endeavour of Satan utterly to destroy the Church of Christ from off the Face of the Earth And now all Christians are so far to Renounce Satan with respect to those his persecuteing Temptations as to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can Inflict rather than deny Christ or his Truths And now the Question is What it is and how far we are to Renounce the Devil with respect to these his persecuting Temptations and fiery Tryals And if it should be the good Pleasure of God for Ends best known to himself to let loose the Fury of the Dragon upon us as there is hardly any Age from the very Foundations of Christianity down to our present Times in which he has not and does not in some Part or other of the Church exercise the Faith and Patience of the Saints Why then our Part must be after the Example of those who have gone before us in the Fiery Tryal to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can Inflict upon us rather than deny Christ or his Truths Millions I say of Martyrs and Confessors have gone before us in this way of Renouncing the Devil and his Persecuting Methods of Tempting And the time would fail me to tell what Tryals they had of cruel Mockings and Scourgings yea moreover of Bonds and Imprisonments how they were Stoned were Sawn asunder were Tempted were Slain with the Sword how they wander'd about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins being Destitute Afflicted Tormented Heb. 11.36 37. And all this they suffer'd rather than they would Deny the Faith or in the least Comply with Idolatry or Heresy or with any Sin and Wickedness to which Satan and his Instruments would have forc'd ' em And so must we likewise we must all of us in the same manner utterly Renounce the Devil and Resist unto Blood his Tempting us to Heresy or Sin if call'd thereunto our Blessed Saviour having made it the indispensible Condition of all his Followers so to do Matth. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me And indeed those are the Happy men who are Persecuted for their Adherence to Christ and true Religion against Satan and his wicked Inventions Blessed are they which are Persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.10 Their Persecution tends in the End both to their own greater Reward Great is their Reward in Heaven ver 12. And to the farther Increase and Propagation of Truth when the Devil has done his worst the True Church of Christ like the Palm-Tree being found to spread the wider for being Opprest And therefore II. When those bloody Methods fail Satan then does endeavour so to corrupt Men's Notions of God and Religion that by their very Christianity they may dishonour him Secondly When those bloody Methods fail him and instead of extinguishing Christianity the Blood of the Martyrs proves the Seed of the Church then with all the Art and close Contrivance possible does he endeavour to corrupt Men's Notions of God and Religion so that by their very Christianity they may Dishonour him The Dishonour of God and the Debasing his Authority amongst Men together with the Subjection of Man to himself and the Ruine of our Souls is the thing he aims at and provided he compasses this End he cares not by what means it is whether by Force or by Fraud And accordingly he has his Titles given him in the Scripture from both where he is call'd a Lion from his Fury a Serpent from his Subtilty And indeed if by the former he Has Slain his Thousands by these He has Destroy'd his Ten Thousands So that of all his methods to Ruine us it does infinitely concern us That we be not Ignorant of these his Devices Now these Politick Methods of his These Politick Methods of his discover'd to us under the Parable of a malicious Enemy coming privately in the Night sowing Tares where the Husbandman had before sown good Seed whereby he Endeavours To Corrupt Men's Notions of God and Religion so that by their very Religion they may dishonour him are discover'd to us in the Gospel under the Parable of some malicious Enemy who coming privately in the Night sows Tares where the Husbandmen had before sown good Seed The Parable runs thus Matth. 13.24 The Kingdom of Heaven is liken'd unto a Man which Sowed good Seed in his Field but while Men slept his Enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat and went his way But when the Blade was sprung up and brought forth Fruit then appeared the Tares also And in the 37 38 39 ver Our Saviour himself gives us this Explication of it He that soweth the good Seed is the Son of Man the Field is the World the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom that is the Ministers of Religion and their good Doctrine The Tares are the Children of the wicked One that is Hereticks and their Evil Principles The Enemy that sowed them is the Devil From which Parable and Explication of our Saviour's we may observe Like a skilful Husbandman he is choice about the Nature of the Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil the Fitness of the Season and the skilfulness of the Seeds-man That the most skilful Husbandman is not more curious about the Nature of his Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil and the Fitness of the Season and the Skilfulness of the Seeds-man than Satan is choice and considerate about the Nature of his Erroneous Doctrines the Preparation of Men's Minds to Receive 'em about the most proper and seasonable Times of dispersing 'em and the Capacity and Qualities of those his Agents whom he Imploys to sow them in the Souls of Men. And * First As to the Nature of the Seed he takes care his Heretical Opinions and Practices should bear some Resemblance of Divine Truth in order to conceal their Discovery First I do take it to be infinitely worth your while to consider That those Heretical Principles and Opinions which Satan does choose to Blend with Christianity Do generally bear some Resemblance of Divine Truths in order to conceal their Discovery So that as the Tares which the Enemy sowed were not Distinguishable till the Wheat grew up and bore Fruit So the Heretical and Impious Doctrines of Satan's infusing can scarcely be Known but by their Fruits to which way of Trying 'em
our Saviour does therefore direct us And thus he does usually Gild over his Errors Thus especially he Gilds his Errors where the Light of the Gospel does most clearly shine as here with the Resemblance of Divine Truth especially in those Churches and Countries where the Light of the Gospel does most clearly shine And I think I cannot do you better Service than to Instance in some of those pernicious Errors both in Faith and Practice of this Kind which do at present Infest this Church and Nation that so you may be Caution'd against the Entertainment of them And First It is usual with Satan here amongst us I. When under the plausible Appearance of Advanceing God's Honour in some of his Attributes he renders him Odious and Despis'd in Others Vnder the plausible Appearance and Colour of Advancing God's Honour in some of his Attributes to render him Odious and Despised in other Thus for Instance By infusing into Men's Hearts a Belief that God has Created the far greatest Part of the World on purpose to manifest his Dominion and Power and Justice in Damning them afterwards for their Sins he Robs him of the Honour of being a Gracious Merciful and Good God to the utter abolishing of all Veneration towards him and Love of him Insomuch that the very Atheist who denies there is a God does not so much Affront him as even a sober Heathen thought as those who think so Dishonourably of him II. When under the Colour of Advancing Gospel truths he propagates Heresies which do undermine Religion and the Necessity of a holy Life Secondly Vnder the Colour of Setting up as the most precious Gospel Truths some Opinions that seem to have a great Resemblance of Truth he brings in such Heresies into the Church as do utterly undermine Religion and the necessity of a good Life Thus by his Teaching that Christ has so Paid the whole Debt for our Sins that the vilest Wretch that Lives need no more but be perswaded that he is an Elected Person and that the Promises belong to him on the Assurance of his particular Election and that such a Faith as this will save him But by Vertue of such an Opinion of Satan's infusing no doubt you shall too often find an Envious Malicious Viper a Covetous Worldling a Rebel and an Adulterer even before his Sins are Repented of talk of Recumbing and Leaning upon Christ and Roling upon the Promises as they are pleas'd to express it with more Assurance than the best and holiest Livers and the faithfullest Servants of Christ III. When he teaches to prefer some eminent Christian Duty or some Part of a Duty or one Way of performing a Duty to the disparagement of another Thirdly A most fatal and mischievous Delusion of Satan rise amongst us in this Nation at this Day is his Teaching Men to prefer some Eminent Christian Duty or One Part of a Duty or One way and manner of performing a Duty to the Disparagement of another Thus you shall often see some careless whether they come to Prayers or not so they can be but at the Sermon and others on the contrary say they care not whether they shall hear a Sermon in their Lives so they can have but Prayers But the most notorious Cheat he puts upon Men is his infusing into their Hearts to Prefer One Part of a Duty to the utter Contempt of the other Thus because in the Worship of God in Prayers and Praises to perform this with an Hearty inward Devotion is principally required and we are commanded that since God is a Spirit Christians must Worship him in Spirit and in Truth As to prefer Prayer to the neglect of Preaching or Sermons to the Contempt of Prayer Hence vast Numbers of Men do conclude that Outward Reverence by Kneeling lifting up the Eyes and the like is a meer Outward Ceremony not at all necessary under the Gospel insomuch that God is now most highly Dishonour'd even in our Publick Assemblies where we come to do him Honour by the shameful want of Reverence appearing in most People by sitting at their very Prayers So true it is what One said That such a rude and slovenly Kind of Religion As also praying in Spirit to the regard of Bodily Worship hath made its way into the World by this Policy of Satan and such a shameful Carelessness in Divine Worship that should a Stranger to our Religion come into our Assemblies he could not by the Carriage of the Generality of People imagine what they were doing and that they were Worshiping of the glorious Majesty of Heaven would perhaps be one of the last Things he could Conjecture And Extemporary Prayer to the utter Contempt of Forms of Prayer But the most fatal Error of this Kind the most mischievous to the Church and Nation and to Men's Souls therein Is the Preferring a way of performing a Duty that is Vnpracticable by the Generality of Christians to the utter Disparagement of another more easy and no less acceptable way of discharging it This is eminently seen in Advancing Extemporary Prayer as the only Spiritual way of Worshiping and in raising Prejudices in the Minds of Christians against Forms of Prayer as not Spiritual enough if at all Lawful It is very certain that the far greatest Part of Christians are utterly unable to Conceive for themselves much less before others such Prayers or Praises as are proper for their Occasions and fit to be Offer'd in Decency and Honour to so Great and Wise a Majesty as God is And this consider'd if Prayers of other Godly Men's nay of a whole Church's composing must not be Us'd does it not necessarily follow that this Principal of all Christian of all Natural Duties must suffer if not a total Neglect at least-wise that it must be very indecently and rudely Perform'd and in too familiar a manner with God as is too usual Why woful Experience does plainly shew us that for this very Reason it does And therefore By this latter Means Satan has utterly Defeated those excellent Helps we have in our Church and brought in a great Neglect of Publick Family and private Devotion tho' no Church through the Care of its Pious Bishops and Pastors did ever Abound with more excellent Forms and Helps and those better fitted for Publick Family and Private Devotion than our Church does at this Day yet upon the account of Men's Prejudices which they have been taught to Entertain against Forms of Prayer as not Lawful or not Expedient or not Spiritual enough never did Persons so sadly Profane the Worship and Service of God so heartlesly join in the Common-Prayer so scandalously throw aside Family Religion and so universally I fear neglect Private Devotion as now they do I fear that those who so zealously decry Forms of Prayer and that on purpose to Advance in its stead a more Spiritual way of Worship as they think will take it ill that
And now in order to the Countermining and Defeating this mischievous Work of his First having shew'd you by what Temptations and Means he Overthrew the whole Race of Mankind and drew it off from Obedience to God to do Service to him And Secondly Having also laid before you such Temptations as he Levels against the Church of Christ the true Servants of God either utterly to destroy 'em or to Corrupt their Religion that by that they might Dishonour their Maker Thirdly I am now to shew you III. Satan's great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to some scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent for their Rank their Order or their Piety in the Church That next to his Destroying and Perverting of whole Churches his great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to some grievous and scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent for their Rank or Quality their Order or their Piety in the Church of God And * First Such as are most Eminent for their Station or Quality First Such as are most Eminent for their Station or Quality Hence Elymas the Sorcerer that Child of the Devil apply'd himself so diligently to Sergius Paulus a Deputy and Great Man in his Country to turn him from the Faith Acts 13.7 8. And hence as in that long Catalogue of the Kings of Judah and Israel how few were there who were not Idolaters and highly Infamous for some high Abomination or other So since the World became Christian how many Kings of the Earth are there who have Committed Fornication that is Idolatry with the Whore of Babylon and liv'd Deliciously with her and how will both they and the Merchants of the Earth weep and mourn over her when her Calamities come upon her Rev. 18.9.11 It is Astonishing to consider how that so many of the Honourable and the Rich who of all Men living are Oblig'd to be Grateful to God for so many extraordinary Favours and Blessings which they enjoy above other Men should yet carry it so insolently against their Great Benefactor lifting up their Heads above the Heavens Such Men's wickedness not altogether from the Temptingness of Riches but the Industry of Satan to get over such leading Men to his Party as it were Trampling under Foot all Laws both Divine and Humane and both in Word and Deed denying and disowning any Powers above ' em Why this is not altogether from the Temptingness of Greatness and Riches which it must be confest are alone a very considerable Temptation but also from Satan's more than ordinary Industry to gain over to his Party and Interest such Men above all others For why These are Generals and Great Officers as it were in the Church Militant and these therefore if they can be but Prevail'd upon to Revolt from God all the Herd of Mankind besides will in a manner follow of Course Such Men's Examples if bad of malignant Influence because Conspicuous There is indeed Satan does very well know it nothing that has a more malignant Influence upon the Lives and Manners of Men than the lewd and profligate Courses of those who are Eminent in Quality or Power Their Examples are doubtless of vast importance As in this World they live in a Croud all their Life So they pass not into the other without a Train of Followers at their Heels If their Examples are extraordinarily Good they bring many to Heaven along with 'em if they have been Vicious and Naughty whole Troops follow to Hell after them for Subjects Children Servants Dependants all take after their Lord and Master except it be very rarely And will bring upon 'em the Guilt not only of their own but of other Men's Sins because So that those who abound either in Wealth or Honour and do therefore think they have a greater Priviledge to Sin than others because they have greater Temptations to it than other Men are miserably mistaken for as their Lives being publick and conspicuous lie more open to the Observation and Imitation of the World and therefore do cause more to Sin So they shall not have their own only but the Sins of others so far as they have influenc'd 'em to to answer for And the Reason hereof is this The Actions of Great Men have some Force of a Precept with 'em as well as of a Pattern Their Actions have the force of a Precept as well as of a Pattern which Inferiors are afraid to shew their dislike of For as One well observes Those who are much Ey'd cannot sin singly both because Men of weaker Minds and less Consideration look upon them as the great Masters of Knowledge and Bravery and therefore strive to imitate and be like them And also because they have many Dependants that hope to receive something from them and to be some way Better'd by them and this they cannot hope to be except they Copy out their Examples and shew their Love and Honour or rather Flattery to them in endeavouring what they can to be like them And therefore we do commonly see the Generality upon any Change are ready to take up with the Religion or Transcribe the Pattern and Ape the Actions and Vices of their Prince or other Governour and their Faults as well as Habits shall become the Fashion of their Country So that an Unholy Prince shall seldom have a Religious People a Debaucht Nobility and Gentry a Devout and Orderly Neighbourhood and Family a Wicked Father Pious Children or an Evil Master Good Servants But their Actions have the Force not only of a Pattern but also of a Rule and Law which Inferiors and Dependants are affraid to go against So that it is not to be wonder'd that the Devil should be more than ordinarily industrious to gain over to his Party such as are most Eminent for their Station and Quality One such tall Cedar sweeps away with him in his Fall all the lower Shrubs within the reach of its Branches But then it does infinitely concern Persons of Quality Great Men therefore must of all others Renounce the Temptations of Satan of all Men Living utterly to Renounce the Ways of Sin because their ill Examples are of such Bad and malignant Influence upon others And they should Renounce all the ways of Scandalous and Notorious ill Living as they are Influential upon others not only for the sake of other Men but also for their own dear sakes For alas If a Man 's own single Sins unrepented of will Plunge him into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone how Deep into the bottomless Pit must they sink who have besides their own Personal Transgressions the Sins of many others pressing 'em Downwards and loading 'em with all the Curses of Hell for the ill Example and other Motives to Wickedness which they gave ' em So that it concerns the Great Ones of all others to look to
am now Lastly Lastly what Temptations Satan levels against all Persons indifferently consider'd in order to a more full Display of that great Work of the Devil his Tempting us to Sin to discover to you some of the more remarkable Temptations at least-wise whereby he applies himself to all Persons indifferently consider'd in the Church of Christ be they High or Low to draw them into Sin In the former Attempts upon all Mankind upon the Church of God and upon those considerable and leading Persons therein whose Fall sweeps Multitudes along with 'em into Sin and Ruine Satan shew'd more of his Ambition and Pride as in setting up for a Dominion in direct Opposition to God's So in waging a War with the greatest Bodies of Men and the most considerable Leaders in the Church Militant But in these his latter Attempts upon particular Persons whereby that Spirit appears not content to Foil greater Numbers but moreover pursues his Victory to the picking up here and there every particular Stragler he expresses more of his inveterate Malice in that he is so wholly bent upon Mischief and Destruction as to stick at no Pains and to leave no Methods untry'd whereby he may destroy every particular Soul amongst the the Sons of Men. And indeed the Devil's Temptations are the more dangerous The Devil's Temptations not easily known to be his nor always distinguishable from those of the World and the Flesh which are manag'd and directed by him in that they are not easily known when they are his and cannot always be distinguisht from such as the World and our own Flesh do give us for which Reason at the motion of these two latter we do those things without Fear which if we knew the Devil had a Hand in we should tremble at the Thoughts of Committing And indeed it is but seldom the Devil does immediately by himself actuate any One to do Evil but generally he makes use of the World and our own Flesh as his immediate Instruments to move us to it Whilst he himself stands behind the Curtain managing and directing those our other Enemies to take their Advantages against us However so far as the Scripture does discover to us any Methods of Temptations to be his Some of the most considerable of his Methods of Tempting us discover'd we may safely ascribe 'em unto him And some of the more considerable and dangerous of 'em I will lay before you As First The Devil does miserably delude People into his Power by letting 'em alone to be Obedient to God in some Particulars the better to detain 'em perfect Slaves to himself in others I. He permits if not furthers some in a partial Obedience to God in some Particulars the better to detain them perfect Slaves to himself in others This is call'd a Dividing between God and Mammon Matth. 6.24 And indeed amongst the manifold Delusions of Satan there is not a more fatal and mischievous One to the Souls of Men than the Hypocrisy of a partial and Un-uniform Obedience which the Devil does willingly enough allow us in I say The Devil does willingly enough allow Persons to be partially or in part Obedient for when this cunning Deceiver cannot prevail on some to be meer Libertines to throw off all the Bonds and Ties of Religion to be as Outragious in Profaneness Impieties Villanies Whoredoms and all sorts of Wickednesses as some of his Black Disciples are he is then willing to Compound the matter with such and so that they will be his a little he 'll contentedly allow 'em to be God's very much Knowing very well that if we hold out one disloyal Fort against God retain but one Rebel-Lust and give not up the whole Man unto Christ it will as certainly Condemn us tho' not to so great Degrees of Punishment as if we were wholly Devoted to Satan and gave our selves up to follow all our Brutish Lusts the Word of God assuring us that Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one Point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 And our Saviour declaring to us that he will not be serv'd by Halves nor endure the Devil to share with him in his Kingdom over us Ye cannot serve God and Mammon Luk. 16.13 Thus the Devil knows it is his Interest to allow Men to be partially Obedient to God And There is not a more fatal and mischievous Delusion of Satan than this is especially when the partially Obedient exchanges some Sins of a scandalous Name for their contrary Vertues but lives notwithstanding in other Impieties of a higher Nature This a most fatal Delusion when some Sins only of a scandalous Name are exchanged for contrary Vertues but with the Retention of Impieties of a higher Nature I say when he changes some particular Sins only of a scandalous Name as his former Debaucht and Lewd Course of Life for a quite contrary One of Temperance and Chastity He now assures himself it was by the motion of God's Holy Spirit he is become a New Man as he thinks and that he is now infallibly safe Thus have I often known those of the Sect of Quakers who have formerly been loose and riotous Livers Triumph very much in their present State as certainly from God because they no sooner became of this way but they ceas'd to be Drunkards and Swearers and lewd Companions and the like Whereas alas The deluded Wretch has but Exchang'd some gross Sins of a more scandalous Name for other Impieties of a higher Nature For now instead of the former more Carnal Sins he has receiv'd into his Heart the more Spiritual and Devilish Ones of Pride and Haughtiness and Contempt of others being so far from In Honour preferring other Men that he will not give the least Honour to whom Honour is due He now decries the inspir'd Writings of God as a dead Letter and Blasphemously entitles every foolish and deceitful Imagination of his own corrupt Heart to the motion of the Holy Spirit preferring the latter infinitely before the former Nay he now denies all the great Principles of Christianity the Divinity Sufferings and Satisfaction of Christ with the Resurrection of the Body as most of our present Quakers do and so is turn'd meer Deist at the best And now who that considers this can think otherwise but that the Vnclean Spirit went out of that Man only to return into the house from whence he went out and to take with himself seven other Spirits more wicked than himself that they entering in and dwelling there the last State of that man might be worse than the first Matth. 12.43 44 45. This is certain Such the most Irreclaimable of all Sinners the most Irreclaimable of all Sinners are those who have exchang'd some ill Practices for others equally Wicked and for impious Principles for such do fix themselves in a full Perswasion That their present Way is of God seeing it is contrary to the former which was
undoubtedly the way of Satan Whereas in Truth both their former ill Practices and their present evil Temper and Principles are the Children of the same Father tho' unlike to one another in outward Features So fatal a Delusion it is of the Devil 's to allow Sinners in performing a kind of Partial Obedience to God nay to further 'em perhaps in the throwing off some sensual and grosly scandalous Courses that he may more securely detain 'em Servants and Slaves to himself in the less discernible sins of spiritual Wickedness Secondly Another usual Policy of the Devil 's in corrupting of our Manners is to Put plausible Names upon the worst Sins and under that disguise to cheat Persons into a good Opinion of 'em and then to commit ' em II. By putting plausible Names upon the worst of Sins under that disguise he does cheat Persons into a good Opinion of 'em and then to commit ' em And he had the Impudence to Tempt even our Saviour himself in this manner He would have had him to throw himself headlong from the Pinnacle of the Temple alledging that God would give his Angels charge concerning him and in their hands they should bear him up Matth. 4.6 And this no doubt he would have him believe was a Trusting in God And in like manner by a Satanical Device the Presumption of some that they are the Elect is call'd their Faith by which they shall be Justified Rioting and Drunkenness is call'd good Fellowship and to be easily withdrawn into it the Effects of good Nature Covetousness Griping and Extortion is term'd a providing for One's own which he that does not do is worse than an Infidel And on the contrary to be Prodigal and Profuse is to be Hospitable and Charitable Spite Malice and Revenge is call'd a Hating of other Men's Sins And the most bitter and fierce Contentions nay the most cruel and bloody Persecutions a Zeal for God and true Religion and when that Temper is justly expos'd to Hatred and Abhorrence then a Lukewarmness and a meer Indifferency in matters of Religion whether Truth or Heresy prevails Gallio's caring for none of those things is styl'd the calm and sweet Temper and Spirit of the Gospel Thus does Sin pass in the World currantly under the mask of Vertue Vice appearing in its own Colours is so odious a thing that no one but must be ashamed to own it Sin in that disguise gets Reputation amongst Men. But being adorn'd by the Cunning of Satan with Titles of Respect and in the shews of Vertue it is lookt upon with no evil Eye but gets Approbation and Reputation amongst Men. But the Devil gets a Passport for several Sins into the World not only by giving 'em the Name of Vertues But Thirdly By changing the Nature of several Divine Graces and Vertues so that they degenerate into very great Sins III. By changing the Nature of several Divine Graces so that they degenerateinto very great Sins It being much the Devil's Policy to Transport Persons out of that Moderation wherein Vertue does for the most Part consist into that Excess which much resembles it but is really exceedingly sinful and hurtful to Men's Souls This we gather to be the Devil's Policy from 2 Cor. 2.11 where the Apostle advises the Corinthians to Forgive at the last that Incestuous Person amongst 'em whom they had deservedly Excommunicated and to receive him to the Communion of the Church being he had Humbled himself and Repented and that Mercy he would have 'em shew him lest Satan should get an Advantage over 'em For we are not ignorant of his Devices says he that is lest the too long continuance of the Punishments they inflicted upon the Penitent Offender might be made use of by Satan to the hurt and ruine of the Church by hightning their Zeal against Sin into an Irreconcilableness to the Sinner And indeed there are many Sins and Vertues so near in their Nature that the Passage from one to the other is hardly discernible insomuch that by the Art of Satan we easily slide from one to the other As Obstinacy in standing out against all Conviction concerning the Truth is easily mistaken for Constancy in the Faith and the Love of Our-selves for the Love of God But especially that Zeal for God's Glory now mention'd a most Excellent Grace in it self is often and that easily Transported into Cruelty as we see it was in St. Paul who out of a Zeal for the Law Beyond measure persecuted the Church of God and wasted it Gal. 1.13 Thus by changing the Nature of several Divine Graces and Vertues so that they become very great sins does Satan easily betray us into them And what is worse Sin thus mistaken for Vertue is hardly ever afterwards Repented of Sins thus mistaken are seldom Repented of for whereas Sin when it appears bare-fac'd and in its own Colours and is known to be so is an ugly Monster and is no sooner Committed but it scares the Conscience into Grief Anguish and Repentance when it is thus mistaken for real and true Vertue it is not only securely and without the least Reluctancy and Remorse committed but is confidently Glorify'd in and the Sinner grows Proud of those Villanous Practices for which he ought to Humble himself in Sackcloth and Ashes Fourthly It is a most destructive Policy of Satan To put New Beginners in the Spiritual Life upon greater Severities and Strictnesses in Religion than they are capable of on purpose that when they groâ— weary thereof and cannot go through with they may together with those their voluntary Severities throw all Religion aside as too burthensome and not at all practicable IV. By putting Novices upon undertaking Severities greater than they can go thro' with on design that when they grow weary thereof they may together with those their voluntary Severities throw all Religion aside as too Burdensom and not at all Practicable This we gather to be a Policy of Satan's from that Prudent Advice of St. Paul's 1 Cor. 7.5 which he gives to Marry'd People that Except it be with consent for a time that they might give themselves to Fasting and Prayer they should not prescribe to themselves too long Abstinences from one another lest Satan should Tempt them for their Incontinency so we Translate it but the Word in the Original signifies want of Ability to Contain or Abstain Which Inability or Weakness to go through any voluntary and undertaken Piece of Discipline is an occasion of Temptation and will be an Advantage to the Tempter by which when he does at any time Attempt such a Person he may probably enough Overcome Which Inability or Weakness I say to go through any voluntary and undertaken Piece of Discipline as of long Fastings and Watchings at such set Hours of the Night or the Performance of certain Vows which some do lay upon themselves these tho' they may be serviceable to promote a spiritual Life if
to fly out of it as it were into Desarts living separate from Mankind and without the Conveniencies of Life as the Hermits of Old and into Cloysters and Monasteries as the several Orders of Monks and Friars at this Day The World in this Sence is not in it self Evil but only accidentally by Man's abuse of himself or it in the Church of Rome But certainly the World does not deserve to be so spitefully us'd as the Words and Actions of Superstitious and mistaken Men do import For to use the words of a great Man The World is certainly in it self Good and is not Evil but accidentally by Man's Abuse of himself or it It doth contain a general supply of Objects answerable to the Desires of our sensible Nature and the Exigencies and Conveniencies of it It is a great Shop full of all sorts of Wares answerable to our Wants or Conditions There is Wealth and Places and Delights for the Senses and it becomes an Enemy to us by reason only of the Disorder and Irregularity of those Lusts and Passions that are within us and by reason of the Over-value that we are apt to put upon them They are indeed Temptations but they are only Passive as the Wedge of Gold did Passively Tempt Achan but it was his own Lust and Covetousness that did him the Harm The Rock doth not strike the Ship but the Ship strikes the Rock and breaks it self Nay this World as it is not Evil in it self Consider'd in it self it is very Good and convenient to us so most certainly it is full of Goodness and Benevolence to us It supplies our Wants it is accommodate to the Exigencies and Conveniencies of our Nature it furnishes us with various Objects and Instances of the Divine Goodness Liberality Bounty of his Power and Majesty and Glory of his Wisdom Providence and Government which are so many Instructions to teach us to Know and Admâ—â—e And as it is not absolutely in it self evil so neither is it entirely to be renounc'd but being good in it self it may in some measure be desired and enjoy'd by us and Magnify him to walk Thankfully Dutifully and Obediently unto him to teach us Resignation Contentedness Submission and Dependance upon him A good Heart will be made the better by it and if there be Evil in it it is such as our own corrupt Natures occasions or brings upon it or upon our selves by it and it is a great Part of our Christian Warfare and Discipline to teach us to use it as it ought to be used and to subdue those Lusts and Corruptions that abuse it and our selves by it So that the World you see is not absolutely and in it self Evil nor is it consequently entirely to be Renounced by us But it is in it self Good and as such it may in due measure be desir'd and enjoy'd by us Nevertheless through our own Corruption Nevertheless through our own Corruption whereby we abuse the good Things of the world it becomes accidentally the occasion of most of our Sins and of our Estrangement from God our sovereign Good whereby we abuse these good Things of the World which the Divine Bounty has bestowed upon us for our Support Comfort and Convenience the World becomes Accidentally the occasion of most of our Sins and of our Estrangement from God our sovereign Good And how the World does accidentally become the occasion of much Sin committed by us and as such how far it ought to be Renounced I take to be a Point that is very requisite you should be well instructed in And the Case you must know betwixt us and the World stands thus Man is a Compound Being made up of Two different and distinct Natures a Body and a Soul the one purely Material and Earthly the other Spiritual and Heavenly the one Inferior the other Superior in Worth and Dignity the one Mortal and Perishing the other Immortal and Everlasting Hence Man is by some called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Akin to Two Worlds the Knot as it were that ties 'em both together or the Button that fastens 'em one to another How the World becomes so Now Man consisting of these Two Principles according to One whereof and that the Principal he is nearly ally'd to God for according to his Soul he is the very Image of God it is very reasonably requir'd of him That he should chiefly mind Heaven and Heavenly Things his near and chief Relations if I may so say which he is Everlastingly to enjoy and that he should not much concern himself with the Things of this world which he must shortly leave behind him and then all Relation betwixt 'em will cease But all the time of his Pilgrimage here Living and Conversing for the most part with the Things below he becomes sooner acquainted with them and they with him they have an easier Access to him than Heavenly Things and have therefore greater Opportunities to court his Affections and to win upon 'em So that in the End it too often falls out that St. Paul's Rule is liv'd Counter to and Men generally Set their Affections on things below and not on things above In what manner it does Captivate us and draw us from God The manner how the world Captivates and Enslaves and Draws the whole Man in Triumph after it is this It presents to the Senses Riches Honours and Pleasures and dazles 'em with their Glory and Beauty Men's outward Senses being so extreamly taken with these do easily bribe the Affections to love 'em above all other and cause 'em to Covet and Lust after ' em The Affections becoming hereby most eagerly desirous of 'em do put a false Biass upon tâ—e Judgment so that our Understanding and Reason usually becomâ— thereby so far Corrupted as to dictate to the Will that these outward and sensible good Things are the Objects which are above all others worthy of its Choice And hereupon the Will does immediately choose the present Objects of Sense the Riches Honours and Pleasures of this World preferring 'em far before spiritual Things And thus the whole Man Body and Soul is made a Slave to the world and neglects Heaven and minds not to perform the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace the way thither So far therefore as it engages our Affections too closely to it so as to make us Inordinately and Irregularly to mind it and to neglect our great Concern the Business of Religion it is to to be Renounced and Rejected by us So that upon the whole Matter the World is so far only our Enemy and to be Renounced and Overcome by us as it Engages our Affections too closely to it so as to make us Inordinately and Irregularly that is with an Affection to it or any Thing in it beyond its due Desert to mind it and too much to neglect our great Concern the Business of Religion and the Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace
our way to Heaven and Happiness * So long as we wear these Earthly Bodies about us we are permitted the Vse and Enjoyment of worldly Things provided in Things lawful and in Degrees allowable So long as we live in this World and are Parts of it our selves and carry these Bodies of Earthly Materials about us there is no doubt but it is necessary for us and we are permitted to be concern'd in it and we may without scruple gratify our selves with the Enjoyments of it provided it be in Things lawful and in Degrees allowable and that we suffer not our Hearts and Affections to be too much fixt upon it But in regard our Souls the principal Part of us by far are the Natives of Heaven and are only as Pilgrims and Tenants here Below to stay but for a short Time For As the Dust shall return to the Earth as it was so the Spirit shall return to God But being our Souls our principal part are soon to remove to Heaven we must chiefly set our Affections on things above and mainly endeavour to attain them who gave it Eccl. 12.7 we must therefore Set our Affections chiefly on things above on God the Society Interests and Enjoyments of that Ever-Blessed State making it our main Business to Possess to Attain and Enjoy them and not on things below the foolish Interests and Satisfactions of this perishing and transitory State here on Earth Col. 3.2 And so far as the world or any thing it inveigles our Hearts and Affections to fix upon it and seduces us to commit any Thing sinful and hinders to mind the Business of Religion and the Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace our way to Happiness and everlasting Satisfaction it is to be Renounced Rejected and Overcome by us It is the Matter of a Christian's Warfare and the subject of his Victory And so far as this Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World 1 Joh. 5.4 and in this sence St. Paul Professes Gal. 6.14 that The world was Crucified unto him and he unto the world And thus you see in General in what sence and how far we are to Renounce the World But Secondly II. Concerning the World consider'd in its Particulars those Temptations result both from the Good and the Evils thereof For the more full and compleat Explication of this Point of Renouncing the world it being a Matter wherein it concerns you to receive the most distinct Directions I will farther consider the Particulars of which this World is made up and will also shew you in what sence and how far you are to Renounce each of ' em And here it is observable that when we come to take a nearer View of the world in its Particulars it does not then appear as it does in the General to have nothing in it but Good but to contain withal a great mixture of Evil and indeed to be in the present State thereof almost wholly made up of Vanity and Vexation of Spirit And both the Good and the Evil Things thereof do give us considerable Temptations to Sin Now the Good Things of this world are summ'd up under these Heads The Riches Honours and the Pleasures it affords The good things of this World Riches Honours Pleasures the Evils Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions And Things of a middle Nature are the different Callings Conditions and Cares of this World And its Evils on the contrary may be reduc'd to Poverty Disgrace and those Afflictions of all sorts which in innumerable ways do assail us And there are also some Things therein of a middle Nature as different Callings Conditions or States of Life and the Cares of this World which are the Appurtenances to it and afford great matter of Temptation and Tryal to us therein And in what Sence and how far you are to Renounce it with reference to each of these I will endeavour to shew you And First As to the Riches of this World These are not in themselves Hurtful I. As to Riches these are not in themselves Hurtful but Good and are bestow'd upon us to good Ends and Purposes but Good and are bestowed by the Divine Providence upon those that have 'em to very excellent Purposes and Uses that they may do Good therewith and that not only in providing for their own Houshold but also by Stewarding them out to the Support and Advancement of Religion and Vertue to the Relieving the Poor and Distressed to the Encouragement of Industry and in many other ways which the Laws of Piety and Charity do direct * And those who enjoy 'em have great Advantages of doing Good therewith to others Comfort and the Benefit of their own Souls And those therefore on whom God has bestowed Wealth have admirable Advantages put into their Hands to do Good therewith to the Comfort of others and to lay up to themselves Treasures of Reward in Heaven by their good Works Nevertheless it was no hard Censure our Saviour pass'd upon Riches in saying That a Rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 19.23 For both Scripture and daily Experience tells us Nevertheless Riches are a mighty Temptation whether we consider Men as Getting Possessing or as Parting with or Losing of them that Riches are a very great Temptation to manifold Sins and Offences against God and that whether we consider Men with respect to their Getting Possessing or their Parting with or Losing of them First Consider Men in the State of getting Riches and St. Paul tells us 1 Tim. 6.9 That they who would be Rich fall into a Temptation and a Snare and into many foolish and hurtful Lusts which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition And our own Experience also gives us to see how many horrid and black Crimes and into what miserable Snares so as never to be able to disentangle themselves out of 'em do Men run themselves into by an over-eager Pursuit of Riches I. In the over-eager Pursuit of Riches men do run themselves into many grievous Sins A dividing betwixt God and Mammon is the lowest Degree of Sin that is occasion'd hereby which yet God will not endure as you will find Matth. 6.24 The Neglect of Religion and Contempt of Heavenly Things is the next And it is not seldom we see that Men to raise themselves Estates in this world will not stick at Oppressing the Poor at Cheating of Orphans and Widows at Corrupting of Witnesses and Juries and Forging of Evidences and to add Impiety to Injustice to get but a small Pittance of worldly Wealth they will Rob God in his Tythes and Offerings by Sacrilegiously detaining those Dues which were allotted both by the Laws of God and Man for the Maintenance of the Worship of God and his Ministers a Sin compar'd by St. Paul with Idolatry it self Rom. 2.22 As also into many miserable Snares so as to be hardly ever able to disentangle
Reasonable and Useful it is in it self But as the best Things are liable to the worst Abuses The Abuses it is subject to and in what Instances to be Renounced so it fares with this sort of Honour And the Nobleman or Gentleman is apt to think himself Priviledg'd above others to trample under Foot all Laws both Divine and Humane and to reckon himself above Reproof or Punishment when he has done to despise and oppress the rest of Mankind as if they were but a lower Rank of Creatures and had not Souls as excellent in their Natures and as capable of Improvements as precious in God's sight and as much the Heirs of Heaven as his own Such are apt to fly at the greatest Distance from those worthy Vertues which Ennobled their Ancestors and indeed to despise Religion and its chiefest Vertues as Qualities beneath ' em But First A Nobleman or Gentleman be he of what Rank or Quality soever must utterly Renounce all that Honour which pretends to put him above the Laws of God or Man and beyond Reproof or Punishment when he has Violated either A Gentleman be he of what Rank or Quality soever must utterly renounce all that Honour which pretends to place him above the laws of God or Man and beyond Reproof or Punishment when he has Violated either For so far is One of an Eminent Quality from being at liberty to be an Atheist or Libertine a Licentious and a lewd Liver a breaker of the Laws of his Country and a despiser of the Discipline and Orders of the Church and so far is he from being above Punishment or Reproof for such like Violations that he is bound above all other Men to be a strict and orderly Liver and upon his Failure is more open to Reproof and more liable to be severely Punisht Such a one is plac'd upon a higher Form than other Men and consequently his Deformities and Vices are more open to publick View and more easily discern'd and the Multitude which are always apt to observe the Faults of their Superiors will be sure to pass their usual Censure How unbecoming is this Man's Life to his Birth and Quality and how does he disgrace himself and Family So Injurious is he to himself He is moreover by the Eminence of his Birth and Quality as A Light put not a under a Bushel but on a Candlestick and so the World who are always apt to imitate the Manners of their Superiors seeing his bad Example will many of them Copy it out to their own Destruction so mischievous is such a One amongst Men. And lastly he has receiv'd far greater Talents from God than other Men to employ to his Glory which if he has abus'd to his Dishonour he is ungrateful towards God He has had the Examples of more noble Progenitors before his Eyes to raise his Emulation he has had the Advantages of a better Education to improve his Knowledge he has more Time and Leisure to pursue it more Riches to procure the Means of attaining it he has more Authority to support Religion and the Church and he has a greater Stock of Reputation amongst Men to Countenance both And having thus a greater share of Talents to employ to his Master's Honour proportionably a greater measure of improvement thereof to the Advancement of God's Glory and Religion amongst Men will be requir'd at his Hands For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall much be required and to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more Luk. 12.48 Such a One is bound above others to be a strict and orderly Liver and upon his Failure is more open to Reproof and more liable to be severely Punisht And now does any Man think when he has so much abus'd himself and Family when his Example has been so mischievous and infectious to Mankind and when he has turn'd all the Artillery which God has given him to fight against Sin and the Devil when he has Treacherously turn'd it upon God himself will his Honour bear him out in this Or does he think himself above the Reproof of God's Ministers here or the Punishment of an Incens'd Deity hereafter No He is the Man to whom Reproof does particularly belong and accordingly Herod the Tetrarch was reproved by John the Baptist for Herodias his Brother Philip's Wife and for the Evils which Herod had done Luk. 3.19 And in the World to come such a One above all Men will be Beaten with many stripes Luk. 12.47 So much is that Honour to be Renounc'd which pretends to put a Man above the Laws of God or Man or beyond Reproof or Punishment for the Violation of ' em Secondly And so likewise is that to be Renounced and Detested which exalts Persons above their Brethren to that degree as to despise and oppress the rest of Mankind as if they were but a lower Rank of Creatures and had not the same God to their Father Bodies formed out of the same Clay and Souls as excellent in their Natures and as capable of Improvements as precious in God's sight and as much the Heirs of Heaven as their own As also that which exalts Persons above their Brethren to that degree as to despise and oppress the rest of Mankind as if they were but a lower Rank of Creatures and had not the same God to their Father Bodies Formed out of the same Clay Souls as Excellent in their Natures and as capable of Improvements as precious in God's Sight and as much the Heirs of Heaven as their own This is indeed observ'd to be for the most part the Property of those only of Vpstart Quality for whether it be that such are Transported above themselves by a sudden Rise of Fortune so as not to know their mean Beginning or whether it be that their Fathers being rais'd to their Greatness meerly by Vertue of their successful Fortunes in the World not for any noble and worthy Performances these have not that Vein of Magnanimity Largeness of Soul Generosity Courtesy and Liberality running in the Blood as it were of some Families whose Nobility was founded in some noble Exploits of Vertue Whatever may be the reason it is generally observ'd that your New Gentry are apt above others to carry it with an unreasonable Haughtiness and Disrespect towards their poorer Brethren But alas There is no Ground in the World for this Distance nor that Slavery they put 'em to Have we not one Father and hath not one God made us Mal. 2.10 And was it not out of the same Lump of Clay that he made one Vessel to Honour and another to Dishonour And when this Earthly Tabernacle of ours shall be dissolved who shall be able to distinguish betwixt the Dust of Princes and their meanest Vassals And is not the Soul of the poorest Indian Slave as Spiritual and Immortal as that of the Richest Merchant in Europe And had it but the Education which our Europians
from the Justice of Peace is seldom the better thought of in the Neighbourhood and still they will be apt to think it was a Work of Darkness and only wanted a sufficient Proof Besides this I say an open and plain Discovery before Neighbours of the falshood and malice of the Slanderer in the most mild and Christian way or if such a Discovery cannot be made a Circumspection and Care to live so Inoffensively and Innocently as no one will believe the Calumny this will in time work all evil Surmises and Suspicions out of the Minds of Men. Lastly And we must utterly renounce and forfeit the Esteem of Men rather than incur the Dis-favour of God Lastly we must utterly renounce and forfeit the Esteem of men rather than incur the dis-favour of God The best and wisest of Men are but Men still and do often judge of other Persons and their Proceedings not as they ought or as God Judgeth Thus we see When Jesus began to shew unto his Disciples how that he must go up unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and Chief Priests and Scribes and be killed then Peter took him up and began to rebuke him saying Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee Matth. 16.21 22. that is he endeavour'd earnestly to disswade him from so hazardous an Undertaking and would have him be more careful of himself And so it often happens to his faithful Disciples especially his Ministers If any more than ordinarily Zealous of their Master's Glory or faithful in his Service shall attempt to Reprove a Great Man or to oppose the Stream of Wickedness or some ungodly but prevailing Customs his Friends too much savouring of worldly Wisdom shall violently disswade him not to be thus Righteous over-much as they think But if it shall so happen that in the Discharge of our Duty we have not their Approbation be they never so Wise or esteem'd never so Vertuous having in the first place with all Sincerity consider'd what is necessary for us to do we must vigorously proceed in the Discharge of a good Conscience let who will condemn us of Rashness or Imprudence And this is what the Apostle commands us 2 Cor. 6.3 4.8 He bids us Give no offence in any thing that the Ministry be not blamed that is he would have us make it in the first place a special part of our Care to Abstain strictly from all things that may give any just Offence and Avert any from the Faith endeavouring to Approve our selves to all that all Men may look on our Behaviour in the Gospel with Reverence and not with Censure And so be attracted to a Christian Life not deter'd from it But then he charges us withal In all things to approve our selves as the Ministers of God in much Patience Affliction by Honour and Dishonour by evil Report and good Report as deceivers and yet true that is he would have us approve our Fidelity in the Discharge of our Office by all proper Means thro' the various Fates of being reproachfully Treated by some as well as respectfully by others by being Vilified as well as Commended So that thus at length you have seen how that that part of Honour which consists in the Good Esteem and Reputation of the wise and vertuous part of Mankind tho' it is much to be valued in it self and may be lawfully Desir'd comfortably Enjoy'd and ought carefully to be Preserv'd Yet there is great place for Renunciation with respect both to the Attainment and Enjoyment thereof and particularly as to the Loss of it that we must so far Renounce it as not to prefer the Esteem of Men before the Honour that cometh from God Fourthly And now I am to take into consideration the Honour which is conferr'd not by the wise and vertuous part of Mankind nor given always upon the account of good Qualities and worthy Performances but the Esteem of another sort of Men and for the most part for quite different Qualities and Performances viz. The Applauses of the Vulgar and of the Croud of Men upon the account of what they judge Praise-worthy and Glorious IV. How far that Honour is to be Renounc'd which consists in the Applauses of the Vulgar upon what they do account Praise-worthy and Honourable Now by the Vulgar and the Croud of Men I do not mean barely Mechanicks and the lower Rank of Mankind but also that mixt Multitude or Herd of Men as well High as Low Rich as well as Poor all of what Rank or Degree soever who have little or no Principles of Religion or Vertue all whose Apprehensions of Divine and Religious Matters are mean and low and not lifted above the common Pitch and to those Heights and Improvements given us by true Philosophy and the Christian Doctrine Truly all such are accounted the Vulgar and shall be Herded amongst the Croud for me whether they be clad in Silks or Furs and fare Deliciously every day or whether they work at the Anvil or follow the Plow or beg at our Doors And by their Applauses I do mean that Vogue and Suffrage that Approbation and whatever other Expressions of good liking which they do commonly give to bad Actions and sinful Practices as Swearing Drinking Whoring Fighting Duelling and the like And these Applauses of theirs are as common and great a Temptation to most of those Sins which are committed This sort of Honour must be utterly and absolutely renounced as any thing whatsoever and must therefore be utterly Renounc'd Detested and Abhor'd by us So that if ever it should so happen that you shall unhappily commit any of those scandalous Sins which God avert and any of those profane and unthinking Creatures who make a Mock a meer Jest of Sin shall applaud you for the same instead of being pleas'd thereat you must take Shame to your self and let 'em know you are too much griev'd and troubled at your having committed such Folly and Madness to be pleas'd at their Recital and Plaudits given it No sure A Repentance consisting in Sorrow and Shame is what ought to follow Sin but to Glory in it and to receive Applauses for it is infinitely to aggravate it And know this for certain that Except you Repent ye shall all likewise perish as many other Sinners triumphing like Mad-men in their Impieties have done before you Luke 13.3 And now Lastly it only remains that I lay before you In what sence and how far you are bound to Renounce those outward Expressions and Significations of Respect either by Word or Deed which are usually given upon the Account of any of the fore-mention'd Honours Lastly in what Sence and how far we must Renounce those outward Expressions of Respect either by Word or Deed which are usually given upon the account of any of the fore-mention'd honours Hitherto we have consider'd Honour in its internal Parts only as Birth and Quality Authority and Dignity Reputation
and that thou in Faithfulness hast afflicted me Psal 119.75 And ver 67. he professes That before he was afflicted he went astray but now says he I have kept thy word Secondly Those in the worst of Circumstances must not Envy the outward Felicity of the Wicked II. Those in the worst of Circumstances must not envy the outward Felicity of the Wicked The Psalmist declares Ps 73.2 3.5 That his Feet had almost gone and that his Steps had well nigh slipt upon this occasion For I was Envious says he at the Foolish when I saw the Prosperity of the Wicked that they were not in Trouble neither were they Plagued like other Men. But what was the Consequence of this their Prosperity and Freedom from Afflictions Why that Pride compassed them as a Chain and that Violence cover'd them as a Garment they set their Mouth against the Heavens and their Tongue walked through the Earth that is they became horridly Wicked and Profane upon it ver 6.9 And are these Men to be Envy'd then No Go into the Sanctuary as this Psalmist did that is consult Religion and you will understand their End that surely they are set in slippery Places and that God will cast them down into Destruction ver 17 18. Wherefore fret not thy self because of Evil-doers neither be thou Envious against the workers of Iniquity Psal 37.1 Thirdly In case of Poverty in particular You must be infinitely careful least to rescue your self out of it you be Tempted to Fraud and especially to Stealing and Purloyning III. A Person that is Poor must be infinitely careful least to Rescue himself out of it he be tempted to Fraud especially to stealing and Purloyning Poverty is indeed an Evil in it self and it may be Avoided by us provided it be by lawful Means And it is a Man's Duty indeed by all honest ways to rescue himself out of such an ill Condition as by Labour and Industry in an honest Calling to Relieve One from Want and Cold and Nakedness and to suffer any Hardships rather than to run into Debt and to prevent Imprisonment But however whatever Distresses you shall fall into you must Resolve with Job thus 27.2 3.6 7. As God liveth who hath taken away my Judgment and the Almighty who hath vexed my Soul All the while my Breath is in me and the Spirit of God is in my Nostrils I will not remove my Integrity from me My Righteousness I will hold fast and will not let it go my Heart shall not Reproach me so long as I live Lastly Nor must any think that because they are Poor they are e're the more disengag'd from the Service of God and their Attendance upon him in all the Parts of Divine Worship Nor Lastly must any think that because they are Poor they are e're the more dis-engaged from the Service of God and their Attendance upon him in all the Parts of Divine Worship Prayers Sacraments and the Hearing of the Word But rather because of their Poverty they may be expected in reason to be more Frequent and more Devout in Holy Exercises for the less they have of outward Comforts the more reason they have to provide themselves of Spiritual Consolations that they may not be Miserable in both Worlds And since this World Frowns upon 'em to secure to themselves those infinitely more Valuable Treasures in Heaven to which the meanest Cottager stands as fair a Candidate as the greatest Nobleman And indeed such is the Regard our Saviour has to 'em that he made it a peculiar Mark of his being the Messiah that The Poor had the Gospel Preached unto them Matth. 11.5 And so much for Poverty and Affliction those Evils which are Oppos'd to Riches and Pleasures In what sence and how far we must Renounce Disgrace and the Temptations it gives us The Last of the World's Evils is Disgrace and this is Opposite to the Honours of it Now Disgrace is a thing which Humane Nature is extreamly sensible of And if it be generally a matter of Disgrace to profess true and serious Religion it is wonderful how Men will shrink from it who in their own Minds have strong Convictions of it and good Affections towards it It was the Fear of this Disgrace which made Nicodemus come to our Saviour by Night Joh. 7.50 And tho' Many of the chief Rulers also Believed on him yet because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they loved the Praise of Men more than the Praise of God Joh. 12.42 43. that is They valued their Reputation with Men and their Places and Posts of Honour more than the Testimony of and Reputation with God himself But as the True Religion is here openly Profest amongst us and generally it receives no Disgrace heartily to Espouse it and to Live up to it but is indeed a matter of Disgrace to do the contrary except it be with some profligate Debauchees of our Age If it happen that you should Fall into their Company and Acquaintance which God preserve you from So the Temptations of this Nature which they will give you to cool you towards the serious Profession and Practice of Religion will be Consider'd hereafter when I come to speak of the wicked World and the Temptations which Arise from thence And thus I have consider'd and laid before you as the World in General and the Good Things thereof in Particular viz. Riches Honours and Pleasures So on the contrary the Opposite Evils of it Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions and have Discover'd to you the various Temptations each of 'em do give you and how you are to Renounce and Resist ' em And now it only remains Lastly That I do the like concerning some Things therein of a middle Nature viz. The Callings Conditions of Life and the Cares of this World which are the Appurtenances of it and afford great matter of Temptation and Tryal to us therein And in what Sence and how far you are also to Renounce each of these I will endeavour to shew you And First Let us consider the Callings of the World I. The Callings of the world and how the Temptations they give are to be Renounced and what Temptations they give us in what Sence and how far we must Renounce and Resist them Now a Calling is some settled Course of Life wherein a Person employs himself in some Business such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for and which he is Called and Appointed unto to employ himself therein to the Honour of God and to his own and the publick Good And there is no Man nor Woman if not utterly disabled in Body and Mind who ought not to be of some such Calling That is In the first place every Man ought in a settled Course of Life to betake himself to some Business Every Man is to betake himself to some Business Adam even in the State of
Regards either He or She would disswade from a Conscientious Discharge of Duty and a Faithful Confession of any part of Christianity in which case we must even Hate Wife and Children c. Luk. 14.26 as has been already spoke Secondly And even in the Married State all those worldly Cares which choak up or disturb Religion must be utterly laid aside as will be fully shew'd you under the Next and Last of those things pertaining to this World which afford great matter of Temptation to us viz. The Cares thereof Now as to the Cares of this World true it is we have many worldly Interests and Engagements to mind we have the Necessities II. And Engage too much in worldly Cares both of our own Persons and of those who belong to us to serve Nor is any thing prepar'd for us without Industry and Endeavour so that by the Necessity of our Condition we are every One of us more or less some in one way some in another engag'd in worldly Affairs Hence it is Lastly the Cares of this World the last of those Things pertaining to it in some measure necessary that some Care about the Things of this World is allow'd us nay and indeed we are commanded to continue in the Calling wherein God hath set us 1 Cor. 7.20 and we are warn'd that we be not slothful in Business Rom. 12.11 But the great Unhappiness and Sin of many in this difficult case is this That a moderate Concern for the Things of this World being Allowable they are apt to Overwhelm themselves in a multiplicity of Cares As also to let the Cares of this world to Alienate their Affections from God and Heavenly Things and to withdraw their Attention from him in those Divine Services they are bound to Pay him And few who are far engag'd in Temporal Designs and Cares know when to Retire from the world and to throw them off so as to give themselves a sufficient Time to prepare for a better Life But as necessary as worldly Cares are in most Men's Circumstances yet First It becomes Christians to Renounce that Multiplicity of Cares I. It becomes Christians to renounce a multiplicity of Cares which distracts their Thoughts and shews 'em to have no other Aims but at this World And yet so it is that some Men fill their Heads with innumerable Projects and do so Overwhelm themselves with Variety of Business that they do scarcely allow themselves time to Eat and Sleep But to be in a perpetual Hurry after this World's Goods and to be so over-solicitous for our future Provision in it is an Argument of Men's Discontent with that Condition wherein Providence has plac'd 'em and of an anxious Fear they shall not be sufficiently Provided for by God's Blessing concurring with an honest Industry in their Affairs And is such a Care as however it might become Pagans who knew little of the Doctrine of God's Providence in this Life and of his Treasures of Bliss provided for us in another Yet is infinitely unbecoming Christians who are throughly Instructed in the Divine Providence and Care over us and his future Provisions for us and is therefore so strictly forbid us Matth. 6. from the 24th Verse to the End Secondly It behoves us Christians so far to Renounce any Worldly Care as it does Alienate our Affections from God and Heavenly Things II. Every worldly Care so far as it does alienate our Affections from God and Heavenly Things and withdraw our Attention from him in the Services we are bound to Pay him as is too often I say as is too often For hence it is that so many do neglect Holy Duties both Publick and Private and that they Perform either with so little Devotion Hence it is that many come so seldom to Church or when they do that they carry themselves in the Performance of Prayer Praises and at the Hearing of the Word with so much Coldness Laziness and want of Attention And hence also it is that at Home there is so seldom any Family-Prayers and Reading of the Scriptures and good Books And I wish That rising up early and sitting up late and eating the Bread of Carefulness may not hinder some from Paying any Devotion to God as much as Privately by themselves every Morning and Evening And yet this is the least that can be imply'd in those Precepts of Luk. 18.1 Men ought always to Pray and 1 Thes 5.17 where we are enjoin'd to Pray without ceasing And to be Negligent or Inattentive through the Incumbrance of worldly Cares at the Hearing of the Word was the Thing for which our Saviour Reprov'd Martha who was Cumbring her self with much Serving when she ought to have Listen'd to our Saviour's Divine Instructions as Mary did for which He Commended her Luk. 10.40 41 42. And therefore it behoves every Christian when he enters into the House of God or into his own Closet wholly to lay aside all worldly Cares for that Time and to say to 'em as Christ to his Disciples Stay you here whilst I go and Pray yonder Lastly All manner of worldly Care when Advanc'd in Years Lastly All Persons whether more or less engag'd in worldly Cares when grown in Years should wholly in a manner throw them off and Retiring as much as may be from the World should employ the remainder of their Time in clearing their Accompts with God and Man and in preparing themselves for the Great Tryal And yet it is commonly observ'd that the farther Men advance in Years the more Covetous and Worldly they grow but this is the most unreasonable and absurd Thing that can be For what means the Cares of this World but to provide for our selves or Posterity Now as to our selves the nearer Life draws to an End the less of temporal Provisions are necessary And as to Posterity the best Provision that can be made for them is what may be enough to be a Foundation for their Industry and not so much as will dis-engage 'em from Business and Employment for to leave 'em great Estates is but to expose 'em to the Temptations of Idleness Luxury and the worst of Sins To which as all Men in great Possessions are liable so none more than such who have been suddenly rais'd by the Covetousness of a worldly Miser As therefore those Men of Business who would be counted the only Wise will not shew themselves in the End the greatest Fools when they have Advanc'd far in Years at least-wise they should look upon that Advice of the Prophet as particularly directed to them Set thy house in order for thou shalt surely dye and not live Such Men have receiv'd more Talents than others and therefore they ought to take more time to State their Accompts that they may come off at the Great Audit with the Approbation of having been good and faithful Servants In a Word and to Conclude this Head The Consideration of the World upon which we
a Conclusion we must not content our selves in this great Work of Renouncing ALL the sinful Lusts of the Flesh that we have our Minds enlighten'd so as to know what we ought to do whilst our Affections and Bodily Powers do remain Rebellious against the Dictates of our Minds and Consciences But we must have our whole Natures possest with an Aversion an Antipathy from the very Heart against all Sin and we must have both the Mind Will and Affections nay the very Lusts and Appetites fully bent against it And we must have on the contrary a hearty Love and Disposition to all Vertue wrought in all the same Faculties both of Soul and Body We must be Renewed in the Spirit of our Minds and put on the New Man which after God is Created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.23 24. And when a Person is thus inwardly Chang'd throughout in all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body it is then only that he can be truly said to be a New Creature a New Man And this indeed This the hard Part. to become thus Renew'd in the Spirit of our Minds so as to have the Heart and Affections set against Sin and sinful Pleasures as well as the Mind convinc'd of the Evil of 'em is the hard Work This is certain that it is not possible for any Man to work so great a Change in his Nature of himself but it is the Spirit of God that must assist wonderfully in the doing of it And indeed That we may be said sincerely and throughly to Renounce the Flesh and ALL its sinful Lusts that Renovation of our Corrupted Nature wherein this Renunciation does consist must be such as is wrought in us by the Spirit and Grace of God This I say because it is very possible for a Man to be Chang'd from some sensual Courses to an utter Hatred thereof and yet remain in God's Eyes a Carnal and Vnregenerate Man and the reason is because his Change proceeds not from any Inward Vital Principle of Vertue but from some prudential Methods in the management of his Pleasures as some the most sensual Epicures that live shall become at length temperate and sober because their Constitutions will not bear a Debauch but as the Spirit of God had nothing to do in the Change so in their Hearts and Minds they remain still to be sensual And others again you shall meet who have a full Conviction in their Minds and Consciences through the Preaching of the Word of the Evil of Sin and yet in their Affections they Love it and their Lusts and Appetites Rebelling against the Reason of their Mind will have it and their Wills do finally chuse it so that these Persons with the Mind do serve the Law of God but with the Flesh the Law of Sin as St. Paul in that much mistaken Chapter Rom. 7.25 does represent as was now shew'd you the Case of the Carnal Jew abiding only under the Conviction of the Law But where the Spirit of God works the Change that Person is Sanctify'd wholly and the whole Spirit and Soul and Body will be preserved Blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5.23 So that such a Person shall effectually Renounce the Flesh and all its sinful Lusts both of the Inward and of the Outward Man And accordingly as we will draw nigh to God and have him draw nigh to us we must cleanse our hands and purifie our hearts and not be double-minded Jam. 4.8 We must through the Help of his Grace Cleanse our selves from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 We must be always I say in the perfecting of one Degree after another our Holiness and that Image of God which we lost by our Fall for the subduing of All our Lusts must be the Work of Time and it is not of a sudden that we can get an entire Conquest over 'em ALL. But if in our Strivings against 'em we find our selves still more and more to get ground upon 'em we are in a hopeful Condition In a Word therefore Brethren we are Debtors not to the Flesh to live after the Flesh for if ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if through the Spirit ye do Mortify the Deeds of the Body ye shall live for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Rom. 12.13 14. The Reason of having enlargd so much upon this one Article of Renouncing the Devil c. And so I have at length done with this no less Important than Copious Subject the Renouncing of the Devil the World and the Flesh It may seem indeed as if I have been too long upon the Explication of one single Article of our Covenant viz. the Renouncing the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and All the Sinful Lusts of the Flesh But if it be considered that half the Business of our Christian Religion is performed in Resisting the Enemies of our Salvation it will not be a Matter of Blame that I have been so long upon this Point especially in Instructing of Youth about it who ought to be very well fore-arm'd in order to their coming off Conquerors The truth of it is this Renouncing of the World the Flesh and the Devil that is the Resisting and Overcoming of all their Numerous Host of Temptations is the Christian's Warfare and great Work For as the Holy Scriptures do in a multitude of Texts Represent our State as a State of Warfare Fight the good Fight of Faith lay hold on Eternal Life for hereunto ye have been called before many Witnesses 1 Tim. 6.12 That is we Listed our selves in this Warfare at our Baptism in the Presence of the Church of Christ As our State I say is a State of Warfare against all these Spiritual Enemies so it does infinitely concern all of us to know as far as is possible All their Arts and Stratagems to deceive us and this I hope will be a sufficient Apology that I have been so improportionably long to what I have and shall be upon other Heads in shewing you what it is and how far you must Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh THE XXII Lecture Secondly That I should Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith HAVING largely Explain'd the first Condition of Life and Happiness and shew'd you what I conceive is meant by Renouncing the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh I come now to do the like as to the Second Condition upon which we are to expect to be Justify'd to have our Sins Pardon'd and Eternal Life and Happiness conferr'd upon us and which we have also Covenanted with God to do and that is that We Believe all
World And so indispensible a Rite of our Initiation or Entrance into the Covenant of Grace And this he has enjoined as indispensably necessary to our initiation into the Covenant of Grace did our Saviour make it that he did not only Command his Apostles and all the succeeding Ministers of his Church to the End of the World to Baptize those whom they did proselyte over to his Religion Go says he Matth. 28.19 and teach or disciple by Baptizing 'em all Nations and lo I am with you always to the end of the World But he excludes all others from having any Interest in his Covenant of Grace which he vouchsafed unto us and from having any claim to the Promises of it who are not entred into it by the outward Rite and Solemnity or Ceremony of Baptism Thus he tells Nicodemus with a Verily verily that is with a solemn Asseveration which amounts almost to an Oath That Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God By the Kingdom of God is here meant the Church of Christ which is a Society of Men in Covenant with God enjoying certain inestimable Privileges under Christ their Supreme Head and is often in the New Testament called the Kingdom of God as Matth. 21.31 So that it is plain from hence that there is no admittance to the Privileges of the Gospel or New Covenant which are Grace Pardon and Happiness nor to the Enjoyment of those infinite Rewards in Heaven the chief of all the Mercies of the Covenant without being first entred into the Church by Baptism which is the Outward Seal and Confirmation of those Mercies to us Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And agreeably to this Doctrine of his Lord and Master did the Great St. Peter hold Baptism so indispensibly necessary that he ordered even those Persons upon whom at his Preaching of the Word the Holy Ghost had fallen which one would have thought might render Baptism unnecessary yet he ordered even those to be Baptized withal as you may see Acts 10.46 47 48. Then answered Peter Can any Man forbid Water that these should not be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we And he commanded them Commanded whom why those on whom the Holy Ghost had fallen vers 44. and who had received the Holy Ghost as well as he vers 47. he commanded even those to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord. Thus is Baptism you see an Outward Rite or Ceremony of our Saviour's own Appointment for the solemn admitting of Persons into the Covenant of Grace Secondly And thus our Saviour appointed us to be entered into the Covenant of Grace for the better Confirmation and Assurance of its Terms the Promises on God's part and the Conditions on ours it being thus mutually and interchangeably as it were Sealed to betwixt God and us Baptism appointed the Rite of Admission into the Covenant of Grace for the better Confirmation and assurance of its Terms the Promises on God's part and the Conditions on ours it being thus mutually and interchangeably Sealed to betwixt God and us As in this sacred Rite of Baptism there are two Parties concerned God who by his Minister or Ambassador and Agent as he is called 2 Cor. 5.20 does admit the Person Baptized to Covenant and does by him promise and engage to confer upon him particular Blessings and Favours and the Party Baptized who presents himself or is presented by others and does solemnly engage to Renounce GOD's Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil to Believe in God and to Obey him As there are Two Parties I say God and Man thus transacting a Covenant together so the Minister God's Agent his Receiving the Party and Baptizing them in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost is the Sealing to it on God's Part who has promised to confirm in Heaven what they in his Name and by his Commission shall bind on Earth Matth. 16.19 And the Party presenting himself or being presented to Baptism and therein expresly vowing to perform the fore-mentioned Conditions and in token of that his being washed or sprinkled with Water is the putting to as it were his Seal to the Counterpart of the Covenant And farther as this mutual Covenanting and Sealing does give unto God besides his Right of Creation a farther Right by our own express Engagements to our Obedience and Service so to us it gives even that which we could otherwise have no not the least Pretensions to even a Legal Right and Title to all the most inestimable Blessings and Favours of the Covenant It gives great Assurance of mutual Performances barely to be in Covenant together It has been already more than once hinted and shall here be more fully declared how that it gives us mighty Assurance that the Mercies of God shall certainly be confer'd on us that he has vouchsafed to engage Himself in Covenant to make 'em good unto us and that because this way of proceeding gives us even a Legal Right and Title to All the most inestimable Blessings and Favours of the Covenant For this we are to consider that till such time as God has condescended to engage so and so the utmost Services that we can pay him cannot give us sure and certain grounds to hope for or expect such invaluable Benefits to be conferr'd upon us Though we should never so heartily repent us of our Sins there is not that in Repentance alone that it should be sufficient of it self to satisfy the Justice of God and to salve that infinite Dishonour we have done Him by our former Violations of his sacred Laws And tho' we should never so sincerely and faithfully Obey him for the future is it possible that such unprofitable Service as ours should merit and deserve of it self the unspeakable and unconceivable Joys of Heaven as a due Reward for such Obedient Service Pardon of our manifold Sins and Offences and eternal Joy and Happiness I say can never be expected meerly upon any Merit there is in our Repentance and Obedience nor at all till such time as he has graciously vouchsafed and freely condescended by Covenant to secure such Benefits unto us upon our serious Repentance and sincere Obedience But then when he has once condescended to ensure unto us by Covenant these unspeakable Benefits and we on the other side have also engaged our selves to the Performance of such Conditions then what our Repentance Faith and Obedience could not give us reason to expect or hope for meerly upon the account of their own desert shall however be ascertain'd to us by virtue of God's Covenant-Obligations which he has laid upon himself And Pardon and eternal Happiness shall be so far then the matter of our Hopes and Expectations that we shall have a Legal Claim and Title made over to us upon our Repentance Faith and
Image of God in the Soul namely that Righteousness and Purity which we had lost by our Fall This I mean by the Divine Assistance The Measures of it proportionable to the necessity of the Church And as to the measures of this Assistance every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be shall have sufficient Supplies of Grace derived down from Him our Head proportionable to his Necessities by those means of conveying it which Christ has appointed for that purpose I say every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be For as we have many Members in one Body and all Members have not the same Office so we being many are one Body in Christ and every one Members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. that is there are different Members in the Church of Christ Some are to be Governours and Teachers of others and accordingly must be endow'd with a Spirit of Government and Gift of Teaching and others are of a more private Capacity in the Church of Christ whatever they be in other Respects and their Business is to keep a Conscience void of Offence both towards God and Man and faithfully to discharge their Duties to God their Neighbour and themselves And whatever I say those several Duties are which arise from their several Stations in the Church they shall have a competent measure of Divine Grace enabling 'em to discharge the same They have not a Promise of those Gifts that are necessary to the Discharge of other Persons Offices but are distitute of those necessary for their own that is a private Christian call'd to no Office in the Church is not to expect nor ought to pretend to have receiv'd Gifts of Government and Teaching in a publick Ministerial way for God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace in all the Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 But every Member of the Mystical Body by keeping himself united to the Head in such ways as has been shew'd shall have such Graces and Assistances derived down to him from Christ who is that Head as are necessary and proper for him Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit in the first Ages And that too in such Measures and Proportions as according to the different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting Thus in the first Plantation of the Gospel when the Work was so extraordinary that there was need of Miracles to convince the Jews of the Insufficiency of Moses's Law And the Gentiles of the Falshood of the Pagan Superstition then did Christ bestow upon his Apostles divers Extraordinary Gifts viz. of Miracles Prophecy discerning of Spirits divers kind of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues 1 Cor. 12.10 And as to all Christians in general as the Malice of Satan did then most violently rage against the Church Persecuting to the Death those who would not Renounce Christ and his Religion So all the Christians in those Times were very extraordinarily strengthned no doubt to resist such strong Temptations But now that the Church is establish'd Ordinary in succeeding Times and the Truth of Christianity already prov'd and Believ'd God does assist the Ministers of Religion only with the Ordinary Graces of his Spirit in the discharge of their Ministry And as to Lay Christians therefore except it be when the Orthodox are call'd out into any part of the World as sometimes they are to this day to suffer for the Truth they receive no other than ordinary Assistances But this both Ministers and People are sure to do in the use of those Means which Christ has appointed in his Church for that purpose And yet even these ordinary Assistances Even the ordinary Assistances extensively very large so as to repair all the Powers of Nature deprav'd by Sin Blessed be the Infinite Mercies of God towards us therein are extensively very large and diffusive so as to reach to all the Parts and Powers of our Nature which are Evilly Affected Corrupted and Deprav'd by Sin and Intensively very powerful in working a blessed-Change within us And First the Grace of God is extensively very diffusive and large in the Change and Reformation it works within us in that there is no Power and Difficulty in our Natures which by Sin is Corrupted but by his Grace and Assistance is Renew'd I do mean that the Assistances which God does afford us to enable our Weakness to perform the Conditions of the Covenant is so apply'd to us by the Goodness of God that every Power and Faculty within us which is render'd weak by the Corruption of our Nature is strengthned by his Grace to perform its proper part and Duty Are our Understandings dull to apprehend and conceive of Spiritual things as they ought His Grace does enlighten our Understandings Thus we read Luke the 24.45 that our Saviour opened the Vnderstandings of his Disciples that they might understand the Scriptures And to this purpose St. Paul Eph. 1.18 did earnestly Pray That God would give unto 'em the Spirit of Wisdom that the Eyes of their Vnderstandings being enlighten'd they might know what is the Hope of their Calling and what are the Riches of the Glory in the Inheritance of the Saints Are our Wills backward in performing the Conditions of the Promises why God by throwing good Suggestions into our Souls and by Imprinting important Considerations upon our Minds does perswade and bend our stubborn Wills and by degrees works us into a ready Compliance with the Divine Will Thus is God said to work in us both to will and to do of his good Pleasure Phil. 2.13 And upon this account also all our Christian Virtues are call'd the Fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Are our Affections listless and lukewarm to Spiritual things particularly Are they dull and heavy in our Devotions Why the Holy Spirit helps to raise in us Holy Desires Lise and Quickness in our Prayers Thus the Apostle the Spirit helps our Infirmities making Intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God by Inspiring 'em with such Desires and Groanings that cannot be utter'd Rom. 8.26 27. And Lastly Are our Lusts and Appetites violent to carry us out to gratifie them in unlawful things Why If by the Spirit of God we shall mortifie the Deeds of the Body we are Promis'd that we shall Live Rom. 8.13 which implies that by the Grace and Assistance of God's Holy Spirit we shall be able to subdue those unruly Lusts within us and so shall live Eternally And Intensively very powerful to renew our corrupt Natures And Secondly The Divine Grace and Assistance even in its ordinary Distributions is Intensively powerful and strong enough to Renew our Corrupt Natures This secret Power of the Holy Spirit does not indeed so forcibly and Irresistably work a Change in us as that it will be impossible to Resist this Divine Grace and Efficacy and to render it ineffectual to our Renovation The Grace of God may be resisted and his
our evil and corrupt Affections and daily proceeding in all Vertue and Godliness of Living So that hereby it does appear that the Engagement of the Godfathers and Godmothers is in the first place that they will take care to have those Infants whom they have presented to Baptism Catechised in the Nature of that Covenant they have in the way of Proxy for them enter'd into which is the Importance of these Words Remember that it is your Parts and Duties to see that this Infant be taught so soon as he shall learn what a solemn Vow Promise and Profession he hath here made by you which is the proper Work of Catechising to teach ' em They are also for their farther Edification in this grand Matter of their Covenant to call upon 'em to hear Sermons which are a Method of Instruction design'd to improve 'em in all that necessary Knowledge the beginnings of which was laid by Catechising But especially their Care must be to have 'em throughly Catechised which lays the Foundation of Divine Knowledge in the Principles of Religion without which there can be no bottom for their Edification any other way Chiefly says the Exhortation ye shall provide that they may learn the Creed the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments in the Vulgar Tongue and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his Soul's Health which I say is the proper work of Catechising to teach ' em Secondly Secondly It is the Office of these Sureties to admonish the Child to live according to his Baptismal Engagements Having thus took care to have 'em well instructed by Catechising and Preaching in the Articles and Conditions of their Covenant their next Care must be to admonish and advise 'em seriously to apply themselves to live according to those Obligations laid upon 'em in their Covenant with God Youth of all Persons want good Monitors as being of themselves giddy and inconsiderate and too regardless of what does mainly concern 'em and their Sureties ought to make it a part of their Care peculiarly to admonish such as they have a band in bringing into the Covenant that they live according to it so it follows in that most Excellent Exhortation Ye shall take care that this Child may be vertuoulsy brought up to lead a Godly and a Christian Life c. Thirdly And then as for the last thing Thirdly And to take care that at Years of Discretion the Child should take his Vow upon himself before the Bishop in Confirmation wherein I said consists the Office of Sureties in Baptism viz. that they take care their Youth after all due Instruction in the Nature of the Covenant should personally for their own parts take it upon themselves before the Chief Minister of Christ the Bishop This you have deliver'd plainly and fully in the Charge given about Confirmation running in these Words Ye are to take care that this Child be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him so soon as he can say the Creed the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments in the Vulgar Tongue So that if you will allow the Blessed Authors of our most Divine and Excellent Liturgy the Liberty to explain themselves The utmost Importance of these Words They did promise and vow three things in my Name is 1. an Engagement to Christ and his Church in the behalf of the Baptized Infant that so soon as he becomes capable he shall be instructed in his Covenant 2. that he shall be admonish'd to live according to it and 3. that he shall solemnly declare his sincere Intentions so to do III. The Reason the Church has to require Sureties III. And now let us see what reason the Church had to appoint Godfathers and Godmothers not only to represent but thus to engage for the Infant in Baptism It is for the better Order and Decency of the Administration that some should be the Mouth of the Child And truly as to the representing part there seems to me to be as great reason for that as that all things in Divine Administrations should be done decently and in order as the Apostle commands 1 Cor. 14.40 For why You are not again to be told that this whole Solemnity of Baptism is the transacting of a Covenant with God a Covenant wherein both Parties concerned are either personally themselves or by others as their Proxies to make mutual Engagements one to another to perform each his Part of the Covenant Now God who is the first and prime Party in this Covenant He true it is is sufficient for these things of himself and needs no other to engage for him yet in Compassion to our Infirmities who cannot bear the Majesty of God's Presence hence the Israelites after the Thunder and Lightning on Mount Sinai prayed he would speak to them by his Servant Moses lest they should dye Tho' God need not I say to treat with us by Proxy yet in conformity to our Weakness he hath substituted the Priest in his stead to assure us of the Promises his part of the Covenant And what then shall the Infant do who is so far uncapable of transacting personally the Covenant and engaging by himself to perform its Conditions that he does not nor cannot understand the Conditions of it what I say shall he do Why it is fit that he likewise by his Sureties as by Proxy should engage that he will do his part To this purpose saith a Father since for want of Age Children cannot believe with the Heart to Righteousness nor confess with the Mouth unto Salvation therefore others answer for 'em that the Sacrament may be admitted compleatly to ' em It would indeed seem to me a very odd and indecent and disorderly thing extremely unlike the usual way of transacting Covenants when one and He so great a Party concern'd as God should vouchsafe to make over by his Proxy the Minister of the Covenant express Assurances of Infinite Mercies the other Party a poor wretched Creature in whose Favour this is done should not have a Mouth either by himself or others to make an open and solemn Protestation of Acceptance of those Gracious Terms and of sincere Resolutions to perform his part A silence on his side wou'd look like a sullen ungrateful refusal of such Gracious Overtures and Terms of Mercy the most indecent and disorderly thing in the World The Administration would be extreamly indecent without a Proxy to Represent the Infant And indeed so much is the Honour of God and of the Church It is of concernment to the Church that Security be given that every one who is admitted a Member into it should live to the Reputation and Interest of it and of the Christian Religion concern'd that no Person be enter'd into the Profession of the Gospel who will not live answerably to it that it is highly fit it is extreamly requisite all possible Security shou'd be first given to God and his Church
Commission Decency and Order in all Ages of the Church not otherwise to be provided for And indeed it is hardly possible that Provision could be made for the Decency and Order of Divine Administrations any other way than by committing it to the Prudence and Discretion of the Governors in every National Church to appoint those things for the Modes and Expressions of Decency and Order are infinitely different in several Countries so that one thing shall be a signification of Reverence and Respect in the Eastern Part of the World and a quite contrary in the Western and the same Observances may not tend to Edification in one Age even in the same Country as in another for the Humours of Men are extremely subject to change in this Matter so that it was necessary the Appointment of meer Ceremonial and Circumstantial things should be lest to the Discretion of Church-Governors to order or to alter according to the Exigencies and Conditions of Time and Place So that it appears to me to be sufficiently plain that there has been a Power and Authority given by Christ to the Governors of the Church to appoint such reasonable Circumstances as they shall think fit for the better Order and Decency of Divine Administrations and the better Edification of the Souls of Men. And now II. The Appointment of Godfathers and Godmothers a most useful Institution to the foresaid Purposes of Decency Order and Edification Secondly I am to shew you that their appointing of Godfathers and Godmothers was a most excellent and useful Institution to this purpose that is that it is an appointment that contributes much to the decent Administration of Baptism and it is also very serviceable to the Edification of the Baptized Members of Christ's Church How decent and orderly and like to the transacting of a Covenant it renders the administration of Baptism I have already told you But that it is very serviceable to the Edification of Persons Baptized I will farther declare unto you And this surely must needs be own'd if we consider 1. The Nature of their Office And 2. The good Effects we often see of Persons having had Godfathers and Godmothers as Sureties for 'em in their Baptism First If we consider the Nature of their Office And First If we consider the Nature of their Office how can we but expect from 'em a great deal of good as to Persons Edification For by the Nature of their Office are they not Persons that are solemnly engag'd in the Presence of God and of the whole Congregation then Assembl'd and this to God himself that they will take a special and particular Care of that Person then enter'd by their Means into the Society of Christians that he shall be truly inform'd of the Nature of his Covenant and what Obligations lye upon him to discharge those Duties contain'd in it and which are to be perform'd on his Part as he will expect to share in those unspeakable good things promis'd on God's part And is not such a solemn Engagement to God made by the Sureties in such a Presence and in such a Place and before such a number of Witnesses likely to make Men careful to be as good as their Promise And this if they shall be and shall accordingly take care if there be any occasion for it by the Parents neglect to have the Child Catechis'd and Instructed in the Christian Religion and shall Reprove him for his Miscarriages and Exhort him to a circumspect walking with God and never leave off till they have brought him at Years of Understanding before the chief Minister of Christ's Church the Bishop there solemnly and seriously to profess in his own Person that he will do so and so as they have engag'd in his Name If this they shall do is not this the likeliest way in the World to train up a Child in the Knowledge and Love and Fear of God in which consists his Edification Why the thing I suppose would be readily granted that the Office being consider'd in it self the Institution of Godmothers and Godmothers might be very useful to Peoples Edification if Sureties would but take a due Care if there should be occasion of the Christian Edification and Conversation of such whom they have Engag'd for We only want to see the good Effects of such their Undertaking which God knows say some are but small for who is it say they do we see take any care of any such thing This is what is commonly urg'd against this Institution by those who are not well-affected to this nor any other Constitution of our Church and as weak as this Exception is many think it a sufficient Plea against having Godfathers and Godmothers in Baptism But I would desire such Persons to consider that if the Abuse of any Ordinance by Persons that are Profane and Careless were a sufficient Reason against it we must e'en abolish the Sacraments themselves for how many are there who come unprepared and unworthily partake of 'em not regarding what Obligations they have laid upon themselves in the use of 'em to be good Livers ever afterward and the very Gospel it self tho' a Savour of Life unto Life unto some few who live according to its Rules is a Savour of Death unto Death unto those and they are the greatest number unto whom it is Preach'd and yet lead Lewd and Profligate Lives But this is by Accident and through Mens own Fault that neither the Gospel can perswade nor the Sacraments engage some Men to Obedience and for that they must answer themselves and both the Gospel and its Sacraments must notwithstanding be continued in the Church for the good they are capable of Working and the good they actually do effect to some few And so ought the Institution of Godfathers and Godmothers In its own Nature it s an Office fitted to do good and tho' many do not that good they ought under that Character yet on the score of that good it may do and those good Effects we really see it sometimes does do it ought for that reason to be continued in the Church I say Secondly Secondly Those good Effects of it on the score of those good Effects we sometimes see it really does do for this I am well assur'd of and I have known my self many Instances of Persons who owe that Understanding they have of Religion and the fear of God purely next under God to the Care of their Godfathers and Godmothers who have brought 'em up to Reading bestow'd good Books upon 'em given good Advice unto 'em and caus'd 'em to be Confirm'd when nothing of this would have been took Care of by their Careless Loose and Ignorant Parents And I do not question but amongst the many Neglects there are Thousand of like Instances in the Nation of Persons who have been happily brought up to a good understanding and sense of Religion by the sole Care of their Godfathers and Godmothers And then
in their Baptismal Covenant And lastly that at the Day oâ— Judgment they will be justify'd or condemn'd according as they have perform'd or not perform'd their Covenant with God All this consider'd I think you would be sensible that there is nothing more fundamentally necessary for every Christian especially for Youth to be acquainted withal than the Nature Terms and Conditions of their Baptismal Covenant It is indeed the General Terms and Conditions only that you have been hitherto instructed in by this Exposition upon the Preliminary Questions and Answers and the more particular understanding of 'em is to be given you in my succeeding Discourses upon the Creed and Decalogue But the most useful Method of Instruction is to begin with Generals and then to proceed to the Knowledge of Particulars And that by both you may be render'd wise unto Salvation may God Almighty grant of his infinite Mercy through Jesus Christ his Son to whom and the Holy Spirit Three Persons and One God be all Honour and Glory Might Majesty and Dominion ascribed both now and for evermore Amen The End of the First Volume THE CONTENTS LECTURE the First THE Meaning of the Word Catechize The Definition of a Catechism page 1 Christian Religion What First a Moral good Life an essential part of Christianity 2 Secondly To act Vertuously upon Christian Principles Thirdly Dependance upon the Mediation of Christ that our imperfect Righteousness may be accepted also necessary 3 Such Dependance the distinguishing Character of a true Christian Dependance upon Christ necessary to take down an arrogant Conceit of our own Righteousness a Temper of Mind most displeasing to God 4 The Nature of Fundamental Principles An Enumeration of Fundamental Principles First The general Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace Secondly The Articles of our Christian Faith 5 Thirdly The Laws of the Ten Commandments Fourthly The Doctrine of Prayer and of the Sacraments A Catechism ought not to be crouded with any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a good Life here and Happiness hereafter 6 A Catechism is a general Instruction in the fundamental Principles of Christianity Such were the Ancient and Apostolical Catechisms And such is our Church Catechism The Persons that are to be Catechized are every Person 7 The necessity of every Person 's being well grounded in Religious Principles by Catechetical Instruction The Contempt hereof is the effect of Pride and the cause of Ignorance 8 The Seeds of Vertue and Principles of Religion can never be too soon sown in Childrens Hearts However a clear Understanding of Catechetical Doctrines is attainable only by Persons grown up to some Years of Discretion It is not below Persons of any Age or Quality to lay the Foundation of their Knowledge in Catechetical Instruction The End of Catechizing to prepare for Confirmation Confirmation What 9 Confirmation necessary First As a solemn Ratification of the Covenant with God Secondly As it consists in the Episcopal Benediction and laying on of Hands Confirmation Beneficial First As the solemn Profession therein made imprints serious Thoughts and religious Resolutions 10 Secondly As the Episcopal Benediction Prayers and laying on of Hands have spiritual Blessings attending them 11 Catechizing necessary First To the solemn Ratifying of our Covenant with God 12 Secondly To the Receiving Benefit by the Episcopal Benediction Prayers and laying on of Hands 13 LECT II. Catechizing requisite to prepare Persons to be worthy Communicants 15 The want thereof the occasion of People's Ignorance concerning the Sacrament and consequently First of Receiving unworthily Secondly of not Receiving at all 16 Thirdly Catechizing is requisite to Persons being Edify'd by Preaching 17 Fourthly Catechizing necessary to prevent being seduc'd into dangerous Errors 18 Lastly Catechizing is exceedingly necessary First to preserve Youth from ever falling into an Ungodly way of living 19 Secondly To recover out of it when fallen therein 20 LECT III. The reason wherefore the Catechism begins with asking the Catechumen his Christian Name is to put him in mind of his Christian Profession The Force there is in a Christian Name to make a Man lead a Christian Life as under that Name having Listed himself First a Disciple of a most holy and excellent Religion 24 Secondly a Servant of a most Holy and Just God Thirdly to Fight against the World the Flesh and the Devil Fourthly as under that Name he professes to believe such Articles as are the most powerful Motives to deny all Ungodliness Fifthly to obey the most righteous Laws Lastly as having under that Name received Promises of most powerful Assistances to do all this 25 The bad Lives of Nominal Christians do an infinite Prejudice and Dishonour to Christianity It hinders the Conversion of Infidels It puts bitter Reproaches in the mouths of Atheists especially when Wickedness is committed under the Guise of Religion Few Men will endure their worldly Calling to be put at naught and reproacht 26 An Exhortation therefore to Christians to stand upon the Dignity of their Christian Name and Profession First as that which is more considerable than Titles of Honour Secondly because of that near Alliance there is between the Christian Name and Profession Thirdly Because the primitive Christians did in vertue of the Christian Name resist the fiercest Temptations 27 Fourthly Because of the Indecency of living unsuitable to the Christian Name and Profession Fifthly That to quite other Purposes we gave up our Names to be Christians Sixthly most Christian Names afford some Examples of Vertue which should prompt Christians to an Imitation of those who were Eminent under those Names 28 And therefore Parents are advis'd to choose for their Children the Names of Persons Eminent for Vertue not Infamous for Vice 29 LECT IV. Our Catechism gives an entire Instruction in the Covenant of Grace both generally and particularly First Generally in the Three first Questions and Answers 32 The Notion of a Covenant It is a mutual Agreement 33 As there are Conditions therein on our side so express Promises on the other A View of the Covenant of Grace God having made Man upright and in a capacity never to have violated his Covenant did engage him to a perfect exact and unsinning Obedience Man did violate it 34 The Divine Justice Wisdom and Holiness required Satisfaction Man being himself uncapable to make it by less than suffering an everlasting Punishment The Son of God undertook First to satisfy for the Breach of the First Secondly to Cancel it and in its stead to make a Covenant of Grace consisting of Conditions performable in our fallen state Wherein Repentance Faith and a sincere Obedience is accepted instead of a perfect exact and unsinning Obedience 35 It resembles Articles of Accommodation made thro' the Intercession of a Prince's Eldest Son betwixt him and his Rebellious Subjects 36 Little more of universal Concernment to be known but the Articles of this Covenant The Catechetical Method most useful to that Purpose 37 LECT V. A Member of
the best Expositors do understand the Words which the Apostle means by that Form of Doctrine that he delivered to the Romans Ch. 6.17 and which was the Form of sound Words that Timothy had heard of him 2 Tim. 1.13 The Reason of their making such an Abridgment And the reason of their making such an Abridgment of our Faith was no doubt to guard all true Believers against the Heresies and Errors of seducing Teachers Even in the very Times of the Apostles themselves did Satan and his Instruments begin to sow the Tares of corrupt Doctrines in the Field or Church of Christ and there could be no readier way to discover and distinguish their Pestilent Errors than for every Christian to have a Rule of Faith collected out of the Holy Scriptures ready at hand whereby to try those other Doctrines To which Form or Pattern of Sound Words as it is called 2 Tim. 1.13 if what they taught did not agree it was easie for the most unletter'd Christian to discover their Falshood which without a considerable degree of Skill and Knowledge in the Holy Writings could not otherwise have been done And hence also it is that the Creed is called Symbolum in most Christian Churches viz. because it is the Sign and Badge whereby to know a true and sound Christian a Watch-word to distinguish him from false Hereticks that creep in clandestinely to beguile unwary Souls and a Pass-port in all Christian Churches For all these things does the Word Symbolum mean and to all these Purposes was the Creed made use of in the Primitive Church For did any Stranger come among 'em they did immediately demand of him a Confession of his Faith which if he did deliver agreeable to this Form of sound Words they took it as a Sign of his being Orthodox and not an Heretick and it was a Passport to him whereby he might either remain amongst them or have Letters Commendatory from 'em to go in the Peace of God to other Churches of the Christians And well may our Creed be accounted the surest Test and Touchstone of all Sound and Orthodox Doctrine there being hardly any Heresie and deadly Error that has heretofore or shall hereafter arise in the Church which it does not oppose or obviate Nor any material Truth of Christian Religion that concerns either God or Our selves that it does not hold out to us as necessary to be believ'd as will soon appear to you if from this more general Account of it we do but proceed more nearly to view the Excellent Frame and Method thereof and the particular Articles of which it does consist And this I say if we do we shall see it does contain all the most material and weighty Truths that are necessary to be Believ'd concerning either God or Man and more we are not much concern'd to know First Concerning God A Scheme of the whole Creed we are instructed in the Knowledge 1. Of his Being and Attributes which we are taught in these Words I Believe in God for in the Notion of God are imply'd all those High Perfections which we call the Divine Attributes 2. Of the Three Persons in the one Godhead which we are taught to know and believe under these Three Names Father Son and Holy Ghost 3. And we are instructed in those Personal Works and Operations properly attributed to each Person in the Sacred Trinity This in the following Expressions and Articles of the Creed As to proceed in this General View and Dissection of it I. To God the Father does originally belong the Creation of the World and the Exercise of a wise Providence over it which we are taught to know and believe in these Words Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth II. To God the Son does belong the Redemption of the World that is the reducing from the Power and Dominion of Sin and Satan to the Obedience of the Father that part of the World which had revolted from him and so the Delivery and Salvation of it from cruel Slavery and woful Misery To accomplish which Redemption we are taught 1. In general That he was a Saviour or one that both procur'd for us Salvation and instructed us by revealing the Gospel in the only Way and Method of attaining it This in the Word Iesus And farther yet in the Word Christ to the end he might save us both from Sin and Satan that as a Mediator betwixt God and Man he was invested with the threefold Office of Prophet Priest and King And to enable him effectually to discharge this threefold Office that he was himself both God and Man God which is the Import of these Words The only Begotten Son of God an innocent and sinless Man the Import of these He was Conceived by the Holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary 2. In particular we are instructed in each single Act pertaining to these his Mediatorial Offices And indeed it speaks the excellent Structure of our Catechism as I before observed that it lets Instruction gradually into the Souls of its Disciples by giving first a general view of things and by descending afterwards to inform the tender Minds of young Beginners in the School of Christ more particularly and distinctly in each of those Christian Truths contain'd in the General Article And this proportion is also observable in the Form of the Creed where as short as is the Form of sound Words besides the Doctrine of our Saviour's Mediation and the Offices he underwent more obscurely coucht in the Words Jesus Christ in order to our more distinct Apprehension of what he has done for our Redemption from Sin and Satan and for our Reconciliation with the Father we have the Nature and Acts of those several Offices particularly taught us in the following Articles of the Creed Only 1. As to the Nature and Acts of his Prophetick Office they are not indeed so expresly and distinctly taught us as those of the other two namely His Priestly and Kingly are in the following Articles for the whole of that Office being discharg'd in revealing to us the Gospel as the only Way and Method of attaining Salvation and all the Doctrine concerning that being already couch'd in the Words I Believe in Iesus or I Believe that Jesus has reveal'd unto us the true way to Salvation there 's nothing needful to be farther express'd upon that Head But 2. As to our Saviour's Priestly Office there is not one Act which belongs to it that is not particularly and distinctly taught you in the succeeding Articles of your Belief His Priestly Office was to consist in giving a Satisfaction by way of Sacrifice and Attonement for our Offences and in going into Heaven the Holy of Holies to interceed with the Father in the Merit of that Sacrifice for the Forgiveness of our Sins And now 1. What belongs to his Sufferings by way of Sacrifice we are taught in these Words He Suffered under Pontius Pilate Was Crucified Dead and Buried
therefore no Man that owns himself a Christian ought to be silent when the Creed is rehearsed in Divine Service but every particular Person ought to signifie his firm Belief and Assent to the same by openly and solemnly rehearsing it together with Christ's Ministers I say by openly and solemnly rehearsing it for because that this Body of Christian Truths ought in the most open and solemn manner to be confess'd our Church has appointed that the Creed should not only be rehears'd and pronounc'd by every particular Member of the Congregation so often as it occurs in Divine Service but also that it should be done standing In the Creed Libertas Ecclesiast p. 458 we do professedly says the Learned Faulkner acknowledge the Three Persons in the Glorious Trinity to be the only true God and our only Lord and a standing posture well becometh a Servant in his professed owning and attending upon his Master We openly declare every one for himself in the Words I believe the Ground of our Christian Hope and Comfort that in believing in the Father who made the World and in the Son who Died and Rose again Ascended and shall judge all Men and in the Holy Ghost that we have Expectation in the Church of God and the Communion of Saints of obtaining Forgiveness of Sins a Resurrection and Everlasting Life and do also acknowledge all these Articles of the Christian Faith And a standing Gesture is very suitable to any solemn Declaration of our Minds in Matters of moment and concernment And as the open Profession of Faith includeth a stedfast Resolution to continue firm in the Acknowledgment of the Christian Doctrine this in particular is so properly signified by the standing Gesture that standing to a thing Deut. 25.28 and in several other Scriptures signifies an asserting and professing a thing with Resolution so that you ought both openly with an audible Voice to Rehearse your Belief after the Minister in Divine Service And to signifie your stedfast Resolution to stick to your Faith and to remain unshaken in such your Belief you ought to stand up when you so Rehearse and Profess it 3. But yet farther 3. It may remotely imply God's Command to all Christians to confess him upon other occasions This Word Rehearse may be interpreted remotely to imply that other great Christian Duty which may lye upon you and that is frankly and openly to own the Belief and Perswasion of any or all these Christian Truths when at any time there shall be occasion given for such a Declaration tho' it may be to the hazard of your Lives and the loss of Goods Livelihood or all that is dear to you or tho' you shall suffer the utmost Scorn and the Reproaches of profane and wicked Men for such your Belief and Confession And the two great Occasions for such a Declaration are when the Superiour Powers shall demand it in order to persecute you for the same or when through a general Indifference to Religion impious and wicked Men do take courage to run it down and that the more for the Cowardice of the Orthodox Professors of it as if afraid or asham'd to own it But upon both these or on any other occasion you must be ready always to give an Answer to every Man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear 1 Pet. 3.15 First Now as to the first of these Occasions the Primitive Christians were often put upon this Duty of openly and publickly Confessing their Faith when such a Confession was certain to bring upon them the severest Torments that the Malice of Men or Devils could inflict For the then Princes of the World were Pagans and Worshippers of false Gods who would often force the Christians either to Renounce their Belief in the one True God the God of Israel and in Christ his only Begotten Son or they would tear their Flesh with burning Pincers would throw 'em to be devoured by wild Beasts rend their Limbs asunder on Racks and put 'em to infinite other Tortures But such was the Constancy of those Christians that they would not through Fear dissemble their Faith but would openly before the Heathen Tribunals declare their Belief of the True God and of Jesus Christ his only Begotten Son And this their Declaration of their Christian Faith in the Language of the Scripture and of the Ancient Church was call'd a Confessing of Christ and the Persons that did so were intituled with the Glorious Name of Confessors And thus to confess Christ by openly declaring your Belief in Him and in God the Father and God the Holy Ghost and likewise your Belief in any other the Articles of the Christian Faith whatever should be the danger in so doing is expresly made your Duty Rom. 10.9.10 and has Salvation promis'd as the Reward of it If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation Where you see that an open Confession and Profession of your Faith with the Mouth is made as necessary to Salvation as to Believe it in the heart Secondly A second Occasion for a frank and open owning of the Great Truths of Christianity is when through a general Indifference to Religion impious and wicked Men do take Courage to run it down and that the more for the Cowardice of the Orthodox Professors of it as if afraid or asham'd to own it God be praised it is not now made by the Powers that are above us in this Nation a Matter worthy of Death or of Sufferings for any to own himself an Orthodox Believer yet so many are the profane and ungodly Persons the Men of no Religion abroad in the World that they will scoff at those who seem to believe and dare to own the Principles of Christianity And so few are those who have the Courage to stand up in Vindication of the Truth the Generality of Lay-Christians Gallio like seeming to care for none of these things and thinking it only the Clergy's Business to contend earnestly for the Faith that the Adversaries to Religion are mightily embolden'd thereby to bear it down deriding all serious Christians and true Believers as a Company of credulous and easie People and applauding themselves as the only Men of Reason and Free because Licentious Thinkers But now whenever it shall be the Lot of any of you to fall amongst such who will scoff at you for believing and professing that you believe the Articles of the Faith you must boldly oppose 'em and let 'em know that you are not afraid nor asham'd of the Gospel of Christ nor to own your selves Christians Rom. 1.16 And you must not through Fear Bashfulness or Cowardice dissemble such your Faith lest God if you deny or dissemble your owning of him here should
withal create in us such an humble Opinion of our own Unworthiness that when we have done all that we can to deny our selves and have proceeded never so far in our Zeal to good Works we shall nevertheless confessing that we are but unprofitable Servants depend wholly on Christ's Merits and Mediation and in the Virtue of his Satisfaction and Intercession alone expect Salvation And now such is the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace An Enumeration of fundamental Principles particularly that part of it the Vow in Baptism wherein all do solemnly promise and vow Repentance Faith and Obedience engaging to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil Whosoever considers this sees what Obligations lye upon him to deny himself the sinful Pleasures of the World I. The general Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace and to govern his whole Life and Conversation according to God's Commandments And whoever again understands the Constitution of this Covenant knows that it was obtain'd for him by the Mediation of Christ who is therefore Stiled The Mediatour of the New Covenant Heb. 12.24 and therefore that on his Mediation he must depend for the having those infinite Blessings made good to him which are promis'd therein to his Obedience And such fundamental Principles also in a prime Sence are the Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith as the Belief of God II. The Articles of our Christian Faith and of his Providence that he is our Creatour Governour and will Reward every Man according to his Works The Belief that Jesus Christ came into the World Died and Suffered to Attone for its Sins and Preach'd the Gospel to Reform it The Belief that he gives his Spirit to sanctify us and that he will hereafter come in Person to Judge us In a word The Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith These are indeed the true Principles of our Religion for these are all of them as I shall hereafter shew so many very powerful Motives to reform our Lives to forsake our Sins and to follow Holiness as that without which we shall never see God And these do most of them influence us as to a Good Life so humbly to rely upon God's Mercies through Christ for the acceptance of it III. The Laws of the Ten Commandments And such also are the Laws of the Ten Commandments which contain the great Instances of our Duty to God our Neighbour and our Selves and to which all others may probably be reduc'd These Ten Commandments may properly enough be stiled the Principles of Religion for as the Root is the Principle as it were out of which all the Branches Stem forth so out of these Commandments do all the Duties of a Christian grow forth like so many Branches so that whosoever shall well study and digest these Ten Summary Commands shall scarcely fail of growing up to be a Good Christian IV. The Doctrine of Prayer and of the Sacraments And if to these we add the Doctrine of Prayer and of the Sacraments which are the necessary Means and appointed us by God of our procuring and conveying unto us his Assistance to enable us to mortify and forsake our Sins and to become Holy I do not know any other Principles that are Fundamentally necessary either to the promoting of a good Life here or an happy One hereafter at leastwise so far as to be the Matter of Catechetical Instruction and the Business of a Catechist to inform you of them And indeed as these Doctrines are every One of them necessary to be Known Believ'd and Practic'd by every Christian that may have the Means of Knowing them and may be taught them being no other than the Covenant of Grace it self or those particular Articles contain'd in it and which are expresly Enjoyn'd upon us by the Word of God to be Believ'd and Practic'd by us so our Church does account them the only Fundamental and Necessary Principles that are to be the Matter of a Christian Catechism There are it must be confest many other useful Truths contain'd in the Scriptures and those who having first laid the Foundation in these already mention'd would go on to Perfection should endeavour by Reading the Bible and other good Books and by Attending to the Preaching of the Word A Catechism ought not to be crouded w th any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a good life here and Happiness hereafter to gain the Knowledge of them But a Catechism ought not to be crouded with any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a Good Life here and Happiness hereafter And if other Churches have fill'd their Catechisms either with many Unscriptural Tenets as the Church of Rome has hers or with any doubtful and nice Doctrines concerning God's Election and Reprobation as many others have done theirs they have no reason to brag of their Abundance It is the Glory of our Church that she Imposes no other Doctrine as necessary to be Learnt by her Children than those already mention'd which are plainly declar'd in Scripture to be Fundamental and Necessary Principles whereon we may securely build a Good Life and the certain Hopes of eternal Happiness and which are so firm a Rock that the Religion and Hopes of Happiness founded upon it will not easily be destroy'd by the most violent and boistrous Temptations that the World the Flesh and the Devil shall Assault it withal thereby to Ruine it Thus have I Adventured in as few Words as the Difficulty of the Argument would give me leave to shew you the Nature of Fundamental Principles and to declare to you what Doctrines are to be accounted such so far at least as they are the Matter of Catechetical Instruction and the Business of a Catechist to inform you of them I have done this Point when I have told you A Catechism is a General Instruction in the Fundamental Principles of Christianity That a Catechism is A General Instruction only in the fundamental Principles of Christianity As a Catechism ought not to be crouded with any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a Good Life here and Happiness hereafter so even those Fundamental Truths it ought to deliver in as short and comprehensive a manner as possible for a Catechism is an Instruction that must be fitted to all even the weakest Capacities and therefore it ought to be such a Form of sound Words as all can retain And the more explicite and enlarged Knowledge of these things is to be sought for in the Expositions and Comments that are given of them in Catechetical Discourses of which Nature I design by God's Grace to Present you with some until I have gone through your Catechism In a word and to conclude this First Point Such were the Ancient and Apostolical Catechisms Such a General Instruction in the Fundamental and most Necessary Points of Religion as we have given you an Account of was the
Matter of which the ancient Catechisms did mostly consist even in the time of the Apostles and such is the Catechism you are now Learning As to the ancient Catechizing in the Apostles times as it is plain from the Example of Theophilus Luk. 1.4 that the New Converts receiv'd their first Notions of Religion by Catechizing as was before observ'd So Rom. 6.17 we read of a Form of Doctrine that was delivered to them which the best Interpreters suppose to have been a Summary of Christian Doctrine or Body of Catechetical Points And what those Points were which they first taught them we have expresly laid down Heb. 6.1 2. from whence it appears that those First Principles of the Doctrine of Christ were for the most part the very same I have now mention'd viz. The Doctrines of Repentance Faith and of the Sacraments They are also called there the Foundation which being laid the Apostle tells them he will go on to perfect them by other Teaching And such a General Instruction also is the Catechism you are now Learning and which I am at present about to Expound to you And such is our Church-Catechism You have therein indeed given you a Summary Doctrine of all the Fundamental and necessary Articles of Christianity And the Seed of these Catechetical Points if they be but receiv'd into well-dispos'd Hearts will in time by God's Grace produce a plentiful Crop of saving Knowledge So that I may very safely affirm it That whosoever of you shall learn to understand throughly his Church-Catechism shall be sufficiently instructed to Salvation and whosoever shall live according to those Principles therein taught need no more to render him a good Christian in this World and an happy Saint in the World to come And so much for the First Point in my Description of a Catechism viz. The Matter of which a Catechism is to consist that it is a General Instruction in the Fundamental and necessary Principles of the Christian Religion Secondly The next are the Persons that are to be Catechized The Persons that are to be Catechized are every Person and in the Definition I have given of a Catechism it is said to be An Instruction necessary to be Learnt of every Person It is very certain that whoever would be skilful in any Art or Science whatsoever he must endeavour first to understand the Principles of it This is every day's Experience He that would be a good Grammarian or Latin Scholar must first learn to understand his Grammar Rules you know it is impossible to read at all before you know your Letters or to read well till you can spell or distinguish between the Syllables In like manner He that would be a knowing and withal a stable Christian as it is every Body's infinite Concern to be both he must make it his Care and Business to be come well instructed in the Principles those which we call the fundamental Points of the Christian Doctrine That the way to Perfection in the Christian as well as other Doctrines is to begin with the Principles of it appears from that of the Apostle Heb. 6.1 Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on to perfection Hereby you see that his Method in Teaching was first to begin with grounding in the Principles of the Christian Religion and then to proceed to higher things and the same Method the Apostle took in teaching of Religion the same must the Disciples be supposed to do in learning of it If the Apostle began with teaching of Principles the Disciples must begin with the learning of them And the Wisdom of laying first a Foundation of good Principles and building our Religion upon them and the Folly on the other side of not laying a good Foundation of such is sufficiently represented in that Parable of our Saviour Mat. 7.24 The wise Man he there tells us Built his House upon a Rock or a Foundation of good Principles and when the rain descended and floods came and winds blew and beat upon that house it fell not for it was founded upon a Rock But the foolish man he built his house upon the Sand upon none at all or a very sorry Foundation and mark the Fate of that Man's Religion when the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that House it sell and great was the fall of it A Person well grounded in the Principles of Religion shall be able to bear the Shock of the fiercest Temptations but a Person of no Principles shall not be able to withstand the least This Parable does excellently well set forth the Necessity of being well grounded in Religious Principles The necessity of every Persons being well grounded in Religious Principles by Catechetical Instruction which can only be done I have shewed you by learning of the Catechism I do not say that Persons should be always in their Catechism but when they have laid the Foundation there so that they cannot only say but understand it by having had it explain'd to them my advice then with the Apostle to the Heb. 6.1 is That leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ they proceed to perfection and farther to improve their Knowledge in Divine Things But this I say that every Christian must lay the Foundation of his Religion here and if this has not been yet done it is better late than never The Contempt hereof is the effect of Pride and the cause of Ignorance Those who think themselves too Wise already or too Good to submit themselves to so mean an Instruction as they ignorantly esteem Catechizing to be I can never promise my self much Good from them Such indeed are generally Self-conceited enough of their own Skill and Knowledge but it is scarcely to be imagin'd thâ—â— they should not remain very ignorant in all sober and substantial Truth nor can they but be subject to fall into the grossest Heresies and Errors being untaught in those Principles which are the only Foundations of all saving Knowledge and true Religion and the Touchstone to try false Opinions by True it is The Seeds of Virtue and Principles of Religion can never be too soon sown in Children's Hearts Children are the Persons that we do now commonly Instruct this way and it is requisite that even Children should be so Instructed for the Seeds of Vertue and Principles of Religion can never be too soon sown in their Hearts that if possible Religion may have the first Possession of their Souls which is a great Advantage before that evil Examples and bad Customs have corrupted them But in regard Children tho' they learn the Words can understand but little of the Meaning and the Principles of our Religion being for the most part deep Mysteries hard to be understood the fittest Persons to receive an Exposition of these Things must be Youth grown up to some Years of Discretion However a clear Vnderstanding of Catechetical Doctrines is attainable only
Establish'd and the Truth of Christianity already Prov'd and Believ'd God does assist the Ministers of Religion only with the ordinary Graces of his Spirit in the discharge of their Ministry And as to Lay Christians therefore except it be when the Orthodox are call'd out in any Part of the World as sometimes they are to this Day to suffer for the Truth they receive no other than ordinary Assistances But this both Ministers and People are sure to do in the use of those means that Christ has appointed in his Church for that Purpose so very considerable on many accounts are the Priviledges that do belong to the Members of Christ's Church THE Seventh Lecture Wherein I was made a Child of God THE Preliminary Questions and Answers of your Church-Catechism as I have already told you do give you a general Account of the whole Covenant of Grace And these Words Wherein I was made a Member of Christ being the First of those invaluable Priviledges made over to us in this Covenant on God's Part I have already explain'd and open'd to you what they do Import The next of those Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace is exprest in these Words Wherein I was made a Child of God in order to make you sensible of the Vastness of which Priviledge also First I will shew you what is meant in Scripture and here in your Catechism by a Child of God Secondly What an inestimable Priviledge accordingly it is to be a Child of God What is meant in the Catechism by a Child of God And first let us Enquire What is meant both in Scripture and here in your Catechism by a Child of God To understand which we must Enquire into the several meanings of this Phrase in the Holy Scriptures and then in which of those Sences it is to be understood here in your Catechism when every Catechumen is taught to Answer that In his Baptism he was made a Child of God And as to the several Acceptations of this Phrase in the Holy Scriptures I. Not the Son of God by an Eternal Generation First In the highest most natural and most proper meaning of the Word there is He who is the Son or Child of God by an Eternal Generation viz. Our Saviour Jesus Christ who being Begotten of God the Father from all Eternity in a peculiar inconceivable and inexpressible manner so as to be Co-equal Co-eternal with the Father himself is call'd the Onely Begotten Son of God Joh. 3.16 But then being he is in so peculiar and high a manner the Son of God as infinitely to exceed that wherein any one else whether Angels or Men can be call'd his Sons he cannot in any measure be meant here by a Child of God which signifies a Priviledge common to many as will be presently shew'd Not every Son by Temporal Creation which is a Sence too wide Secondly There are those who are the Sons of God by a Temporal Creation and such are Reasonable Creatures both Angels and Men both being call'd the Sons of God as you will see Job 1.6 and Luk. 3.38 And that both upon the account of the manner of their Production which was by the immediate Power of God and because of their Spiritual and Immortal Natures in which both do so immediately resemble God But this is an Acceptation too wide That which is meant here by a Child of God is a Priviledge which all Men in the World do not enjoy but is the Favour which is granted to a selected Body of Men who are separated from the rest of the World Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God 1 Joh. 3.1 Thirdly There are those III. Nor sachonly who are Children of God by spiritual Regeneration which is a Sence too narrow who are the Children of God by Spiritual Regeneration by being Renew'd in the Spirit of their Minds and by being Created anew in Righteousness and true Holiness And these are such Who have put off concerning the former Conversation the Old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and who have put on the New Man which after God is created in Rightousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.22 23 24. They are such who are Born not only of Water but also of the Spirit that is who have not only been Baptized into the Christian Church but have been Sanctify'd by the Holy Spirit and have their whole Natures and Dispositions so altered for the Better that from Vicious and Ungodly they are chang'd to Vertuous and Holy Dispositions and Inclinations And such a vast Change wrought in our Natures by the Word and Spirit of God may very justly give those who Enjoy it the Title of the Children of God for if in the way of Natural Generation the Communicating of a Principle of Life and of suitable Operations does found the Relation and Title of a Father there is as good Reason why in Regeneration the deriving such Holy and Heavenly Dispositions and Powers from the Word and the Spirit of God to the Soul as give to a Man a Divine Nature whereby he is a Partaker of the Life and Likeness of God himself should Entitle God to be also a Father and such who are so Regenerated and Renew'd his Children And accordingly in the Holy Scripture we find that such a Derivation of Strength and Grace from the Word and Spirit of God does Entitle those who are Renew'd thereby to be Children of God St. Paul not only attributing to the Ministry of the Word a Power of Begetting in Christ 1 Cor. 4.15 But withal expresly assuring us that As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Rom. 8.14 So that he is undoubtedly a Child of God whoever giving himself up to the guidance of God's Word and Spirit is thereby Sanctify'd wholly in his own Spirit Soul and Body 1 Thess 5.23 so as to subdue and mortify every Lust and every naughty inordinate and worldly Desire And indeed every truly Regenerate Child of God does do so such a One does by the Power of the Word and in the use and strength of that Grace that God does afford him subdue and mortify every Lust and every naughty inordinate and worldly Desire So we are expresly told 1 Joh. 3.9 Whosoever is Born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God that is a sanctify'd Child of God does really hate Sin the very Temper and Bent of his Soul is against it and as to living in any gross and wilful Sin he cannot without much Reluctancy force himself to it his renew'd Nature is so much contrary thereto Such I say is every Regenerate Child of God and such indeed in a peculiar manner Such indeed are in a peculiar manner and in the highest sence the Children of God and in the highest