be What shall be done in this Case Why Thirdly Truly when it thus happens to you that your Employment and necessary Occasions draw you forth into the World that which you have then to do is to refuse to Conform your selves to the Manners of such Company But Thirdly when Employment and necessary Occasions draw Men forth in to the World they must refuse to Conform themselves to the Manners of ill Company First By discountenancing their Profaneness and Riot But First you must with all wariness and circumspection watch lest framing your selves to the Humours of profane Persons you countenance and encourage 'em in what is sinful and wicked and so partake with 'em in their Sins and make their Guilt your own Nay but on the contrary you must at least-wise by a pious and discreet Behaviour and by shewing a dislike and uneasiness at their Hellish Talk discountenance the Folly of those that do thus Offend II. By diverting 'em by useful Discourse from both Secondly You must not fail to do what you can to divert the Company you happen amongst from Riot and Excess and from vicious and filthy Talk by drawing 'em with what Dexterity possible into more manly Discourse and into a more Christian sober rational Conversation III. If all Methods fail by openly Reproving them But Thirdly if after all if all these wise and modest Methods will not do but on they will go and good Sense must give way to such unsavoury Entertainment Why then then there is no help but you must boldly and bravely Rebuke their impudent Folly and openly Reprove it For why You must consider that you have Listed your selves in your Baptism To do this Service to God we are particularly Listed in our Baptism the Souldiers of Jesus Christ and no faithful Souldier will patiently hear his General abus'd his Honour trampled upon his Commands slighted and scorn'd but will stoutly stand up in Vindication of him and his Orders As you will not therefore be accounted in the Day of Judgment such as have Deserted the Great Captain of our Salvation Jesus Christ you must not stand by and tamely suffer profane Wretches to dishonour God's Holy Name and Word by their unsavoury Oaths and Speeches and you must not cowardly permit 'em to Brag of their Contemptuous breaking of his sacred Laws without Rebuking their Wickedness and stoutly standing up in Defence of him and them We shall be much discouraged from this by Men. You must expect I will own it to meet with but rude Entertainment for such your Fidelity to your great Master You shall be sure to be accounted Fools Mad and Rude for your Pains And it is odds but you shall be reproacht as Hypocrites that would fain seem Better than others but can privately be as Bad as they But have infinite Encouragements to such Fidelity from God But consider the more you suffer for the Honour of your Lord the more like good Souldiers you behave your selves and the better he will reward you Consider what a glorious Thing it is to be Evil spoken of for Well-doing Blessed are ye when Men shall Revile you and say all manner of Evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your Reward in Heaven Matth. 5.11 12. Consider your Saviour and Leader who suffer'd worse Reproaches and The Disciple is not above his Master nor the Servant his Lord if they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his Houshold Matth. 10.24 25. Consider that a Christian must not fear the Face of any Man but must suffer Martyrdom it self in the Cause of Christ if call'd out to it Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but fear him who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell ver 28. Nay consider lastly that this Standing up resolutely for the Honour of God and Religion is the next Degree to Martyrdom and will be rewarded like it It is call'd a Confessing of God before Men and on the other side a fearing and forbearing to appear in His behalf a Denying of him and consider what our Saviour declares concerning such who do so Confess or Deny him Whosoever shall Confess me before Men him will I Confess before my Father which is in Heaven but whosoever shall Deny me before Men him will I also Deny before my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 10.32 33. So much it concerns you to refuse Conformity to the Evil Company of the World And so much for this time THE Eighteenth 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 which I am now upon is to Forewarn you against the Temptations of the wicked World by shewing you the dangerous Ones you shall meet withal from the Wicked Men of the World and in what Sence and how far you must Renounce both them and their wicked ways of Tempting others to Sin This I have already done as to their Evil Examples and Evil Company and have deliver'd these Instructions to you that by God's Help may I hope be sufficient to prevent your being infected by the Poison of either But the wicked Men of the World have other ways of Tempting Men to Sin and what they are and how bravely you must Resist them I am next to declare unto you III. Flattery a great Temptation to Sin Thirdly Then amongst the greatest Temptations proceeding from Evil Men we may deservedly reckon their Flatteries Now the Flatterer is One who observing the general Self-love and Pride of Mankind who cannot endure Reproof or any thing that shews a Dislike of what they say or do does compose himself to Admire and Extol or at least-wise to Approve as Well-done very bad Actions or at best such as if Good in themselves are but indifferently Perform'd The Ground of his Flattery I say is That immoderate Self-love The Ground thereof our own immoderate Self-love he observes Natural to most Men whereby they do extravagantly esteem and admire their own Performances and can see no Defects therein And therefore whoever shall endeavour to discover their Faults tho' in never so Prudent a manner to any of these Self-admirers he is presently lookt upon as One that either envies his Abilities and good Qualities or as St. Paul was to the foolish Galatians He is therefore become his Enemy because he tells him the Truth Gal. 4.16 And now the Flatterer observing this predominant Humour in him puts on the Vizard of a Friend And composes himself to Admire and Extol or at least-wise to Approve as Well-done his very bad Actions or at best such as if Good in themselves are very indifferently Perform'd The Flatterer's care is to Please not to Profit him to whom he pretends to be a Friend to make a Prey of
Ruine you will thereby bring upon your selves and Families why you must consider that in such Case our Saviour tells us that a Man must even Hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also or he cannot be his Disciple and that whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after him shall not be his Disciple Luk. 14.26 27. â—r Fourthâ— must â—reatnings 〈◊〉 Frowns â—ght us â—n it Nor Lastly must a Souldier of Jesus Christ be frighted out of the way of his Duty or Aw'd into any sinful or slavish Compliance by the Threats and Frowns of any Man living Shrink not from the Exercise of Religion and Uprightness because many about you and they perhaps Above or Richer than you are profane and lewd and utterly regardless of any thing that is Good and moreover do Discourage and Affront it For this if you should you will most certainly offend your Great Lord and Master the Lord of Heaven and Earth and who has call'd upon you not to fear a mortal Man no tho' he could Kill the Body but to be afraid of displeasing him rather who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell Yea I say unto you fear him Luk. 12.4 And now Lastly I cannot call to Mind any other Temptations Lastly The evil Customs which have prevailed in the World are a powerful Temptation to Sin usual amongst wicked Men to Tempt others to Sin besides Some Evil Customs so rise amongst many That the Heathen Idolatries and those filthy Practices committed in 'em were so universally Complied with by all sorts of Men in the Pagan World was because they were Commended and Established by Publick Custom Many of their wisest Men and Philosophers had other Conceptions of God than to think it was fit to Change the Glory of God into the Similitude of an Ox that eateth Grass and thought also he ought to be Worshipt not by Fooleries and Impurities but with a chast Mind and a clean Heart And yet even those Men submitted to Common Custom and whatever they thought or spoke Privately amongst themselves they acted and spoke in Publick as the rest did And it was to the Prevalency of Custom that the Apostle imputed those Enormities of the Ephesians before their Conversion telling 'em that In time past they walked according to the Course of this World Eph. 2.2 And indeed so great is the Power of Evil Custom that it does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Nature and Inclinations as well as Religion And when grown prevalent and common it does strangely take off the sence and fear of Hurt in the most Unchristian Practices Custom I say does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Nature and Inclinations as well as Religion Hence among the Men of Honour as they would be thought shall many become even Self-murderers meerly in Compliance with Custom insomuch that those Persons who of all men Living have most reason to preserve their Lives having all their good Things they can ever expect in this World yet desperately spill one another's Blood in your cursed Duels It is no Inclination in these men I dare say to be so Prodigal of their dear Lives that makes 'em so desperately throw 'em away but meerly out of a Cowardly Fear they should be Branded with Disgrace for not complying with so common a Custom amongst Persons of their own Character So again among Persons of all Ranks you shall have men of no manner of Inclinations to Intemperate Drinking yet when they come to any Great Man's House where it is the barbarous and brutish Custom of Drinking Men hard Yet at such times they will not scruple to Exceed very far It is the Custom of the Place they 'll say and they were forc'd to it they could not help it And Custom also Custom takes off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Vnchristian Practices when grown prevalent and common among Societies of Men will strangely take off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Unchristian Practices Hence amongst Sea-men and Souldiers the most outragious Whoredoms and Adulteries and the most execrable Oaths and Curses are hardly accounted amongst the number of Sins And all the Arts of Cheating and Over-reaching nay of downright Lying and Swearing to the Soundness and Goodness of bad Commodities is little scrupled amongst some sort of Dealers the thing is grown so common And Custom it is which is so commonly Pleaded for the Omission of most necessary Duties as well as the Commission of most horrid Sins Hence do Multitudes make not the least scruple of Absenting their whole Lives from the Blessed Sacrament because it is so common amongst many to do so Thus powerful you see are the Evil Customs of the World so as almost to force Men whether they will or no to do many ill things and what is worse to seare their Consciences in the Commission of the worst Sins and in the Omission of the chiefest Duties A Christian â—ust couraâ—ously and â—gorously reâ—unce and â—ithstand the â—orce of all â—ful Customs â—hatsoever And now what must a Christian do in this Case Custom we know is a Second Nature and when it has been of a long Date Time out of Mind as the Phrase is it pleads Prescription and obtains the Force of a Law amongst Men. So that be a Custom never so contrary to Honesty Sobriety to common Sense and Reason or any the Laws of Christianity an old Custom must not be broken it is the Custom of the Place and must be kept up Such are the Sentiments of the Vulgar in this matter But you must resolve with all Courage and Stedfastness like true Souldiers of Jesus Christ to Renounce and Withstand the Force of all sinful Customs whatsoever and not to suffer your selves to be over-born thereby into any sinful Compliances When Christianity was first Preach'd amongst Men such barbarous and brutish Customs had of a long time prevail'd over the greatest Part of the Heathen World that many Practices which the meer Light of Nature would teach Men to Abandon as Sins and Wounds of Conscience Were as the Learned Dr. Hammond observes Embrac'd by whole Nations at once and continued in without any Check as innocent sinless Qualities Nature and Reason being so early engag'd and silenc'd by popular Custom and vicious Education that many knew it not to be a Sin to Steal or Rob if they were so Cunning as not to be taken others to Kill and Eat their Aged Parents conceiving that by this means they gave 'em a more Honourable Burial others to throw themselves murderously into the Flames to accompany their Dead Princes out of the World Many the like irrational Sins through some local Customs got the Reputation not only of sinless and lawful but of laudable also But all who Embrac'd Christianity as they
will not fail of Bestowing the former so there is no reason in the World to fancy he will forbear to Inflict the latter It was not without the highest Reason and perhaps because nothing less than Eternal Punishments are sufficient to restrain Sinners from those Pleasures of Sin which are present that he did Threaten to Inflict such at first And when Laws so Reasonable in themselves and whose Obedience neither the Goodness of the Lawgiver in so bountifully Rewarding nor the fear of his Power in so terribly Punishing can secure are basely Transgrest and Trampled upon by base and ungrateful Rebels against the Majesty of Heaven what reason is there any Sinner should promise himself That God will not Punish the Trangression of 'em to as high a Degree as in his Word he has Threaten'd And for any Man therefore without any Ground at all but his own sond Wishes and Desires he might not be so Punisht to to Promise himself That God will after all forbear him is such a desperate Peice of Madness as can never enter into the Hearts of any but those whom Satan has Insatuated and Befool'd to their Ruine and Destruction Wherefore you must take care that you Abandon and utterly cast out of your Souls the very first Motions of such Thoughts looking upon 'em as no other than Suggestions from Satan whenever they enter into your Minds And in so doing you will Renounce as it highly Concerns you that First and most dangerous Temptation of Satan Secondly The next of these more general Policies of Satan II. By Corrupting the Vnderstanding and Reason of Man by putting him upon curious Enquiries after â—â—ess Matâ— and upon â—â—king a â—â—ul Expeâ—â—ent of the â—â—erences beâ—en Good 〈◊〉 Evil. whereby he did at first and does still endeavour to draw all Mankind to venture upon a Revolt from God was his corrupting the Reason and Vnderstanding of Man by putting him upon curious Enquiries into vain and unprofitable Things and by inciting him to make an Experiment what was in Sin in order as he pretended to enlarge his Knowledge But in reallity with a design to draw over his Soul a thick Cloud of Ignorance that so he might lead him blindfold into any Sin and Misery In the day ye shall eat thereof says the Serpent then your Eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing Good and Evil Gen. 3.5 that is to confine your Knowledge to the narrow subject of God's Laws and to study only to know how you may please your Maker is an Injury to that Noble Faculty your Understanding whereby you may be Equal with God himself if you please and therefore that nothing may escape your Knowledge that you may understand all that which is Good for Man try the Experiment of knowing Things forbidden as well as allow'd 〈◊〉 Mind of â—n natuâ—â— desirous â—ncreasing â—â—wledge And this indeed was a most exquisite and refin'd piece of Policy such as Hell it self could not invent a more effectual One to ruine Man withal and yet One whose Mischief was less discernible A hungry Stomach does not more eagerly crave Meat than the Mind of Man does naturally desire Knowledge which is Food to the Intellectual Part as Meat is to the Bodily And if it be Useful and Good it adds Nourishment and Strength and Vigour to the Inward Man as wholesome Diet does to the Outward â—xperimenâ— Knowâ—ge of Sin â—â—ds the â—â—son and â—â—fies the â—â—ce of spiâ—â—al things And now behold here the deep Policy of Satan that when the Reasonable Soul of Adam did hunger and thirst so eagerly after Knowledge and when possibly he thought it might make him able to steer his Way towards Happiness with greater certainty and safety if he should once Experimentally know Evil as well as Good as we commonly know a Way the better ever afterwards which we have once mist Satan by Tempting him to commit Evil instead of Enlightning his Mind did thereby quite extinguish the Candle of the Lord in the Soul of Man Divine Knowledge so that instead of discerning his Way to Heaven thenceforward he was not able so much as to guess at it For why Sin like Mud does strangely foul and defile the Soul It stirs up the Lusts and Appetites within a Man and these rising upwards do wonderfully cloud and muddy a Man's Reason Sin does even turn a Man Topsy-turvy It puts the Affections Lusts and Appetites uppermost and tumbles Reason and Judgment down and therefore Just as in a Vessel which has a Sediment in the Bottom but clear Liquor in the Top if you turn it up the Dregs mixing with the purer Part makes that which was clear as Chrystal before become very foul and muddy So in a Soul defil'd with Sin Reason can no longer see where the Way of its Happiness does lye The Truth of it is To spend too much of our Time and of our Thoughts in gaining the Knowledge of Things And even â—re Curiosiâ— after less â—ofitable â—ings takes 〈◊〉 from the â—â—owledge of â—â—d and our â—â—ves and 〈◊〉 Means of â—â—ppiness in themselves Lawful as in the Laws of our Country or in the Mysteries of Trade will too much take a Man off from Enquiring into and will hinder the Knowledge of God and of our selves and of the Means of being happy in Heaven which does infinitely more concern us Hence Not many wise Men after the Flesh not many Mighty not many Noble were called 1 Cor. 1.26 But if Men seek to Enlarge their Knowledge by Experimentally knowing of Sin and with Solomon Give their Heart as to know Wisdom so to know Madness and Folly they will not only soon perceive with him That it is but Vexation of Spirit but they will find it will extreamly stupify their Sense and Apprehension of spiritual Things And being frequently and habitually committed will cause in them such a Reprobate Mind as will disable 'em at length to know any difference between Good and Evil. And by this very Wile does he to this Day bring such an Ignorance in Religious Matters By these Means he brings that Ignorance in Divine Matters which reigns in most Mens Minds as does apparently reign in the Minds of some Men. Some he engages in nice Enquiries after a Thousand other things to draw 'em off from ever looking into their Bibles And as to Others by decoying 'em into one Sin after another he does at length improve their Knowledge of Evil to that degree that at last they come to know nothing of Good nay to have so little a sence of it such stupify'd Apprehensions concerning it as to Call Evil Good and Good Evil. And then having once blindfolded the Reason of Man with the Ignorance of Divine Things what Sin and Misery is there And being spiritually ignorant Men are easily led into whatever Sin and Misery That Satan does not most easily lead Men into For why Good and Useful Knowledge such as the
to be from Satan Matth. 13.19 When any One heareth the Word and understandeth it not that is lays it not to Heart thinks not of it nor considers it for so the Word Translate Vnderstandeth it not does import then cometh the wicked One and catcheth away that which was sown in his Heart Sixthly The Devil observes the outward Wants and Necessities of Persons and accordingly Tempts 'em to the use of unlawful and undue Means to remove those Evils VI. The Devil â—bserving the outward Wants and Necessities of Persons he accordingly Tempts them by the use of â—nlawful Means to remove those Evils Thus he dealt with our Blessed Saviour Matth. 4.2 3. And when he had Fasted Forty Days and Forty Nights and afterwards was an hungred then the Tempter came to him and said If Thou be the Son of God command that these Stones be made Bread that is he would have him out of an Impatience of waiting the ordinary Means of satisfying his Hunger to Tempt God to Feed him Supernaturally and by way of Miracle And if a Man be Sick and want present Help in lawful Means then will the Devil Tempt such a One to seek his Remedy by Charms and Spells as a more short certain and easy way of Curing than by Physical Medicines and no doubt the Devil may sometimes work extraordinary Feats by these Methods the better to keep Mankind in Dependance upon himself But it is a certain sign of want of Grace and of none no not the least Fear of God in them who shall resort in such Cases to Persons suspected to hold Correspondence with the Devil and shall make use of those means of Cure prescrib'd by 'em concerning whose Operation of any such Cure no Reason in Nature can be given nor the Appointment of God pretended that such Words tho' they may be Words of Scripture should work such Effects VII Knowing every particuâ—ar Person 's inward Disâ—ositions he accordingly presents such Objects to the Fancy as shall be likeliest to prevail over such a Man to commit some grievous Sin Seventhly The Devil knowing every particular Persons inward Temper and Disposition both of Body and Mind better many times than he himself does he accordingly presents such Objects to the Fancy as shall be likeliest to prevail over such a Man to commit some grievous Sin Thus is a Person of a melancholly Disposition to such a One he either aggravates the Matter of his Discontent or he will present to the Fancy so many frightful Objects and will load his Mind with such a multitude of black and dismal Apprehensions that the melancholly Wretch shall be weary of himself and will fly from that worst of Tormentors he thinks his own Mind even to the Grave and into Destruction it self for Refuge And hence it is that so many miserable Wretches hang stab drown or shoot themselves being thus Tempted thereto by Satan And hence it is that Persons of a melancholly Temper of Mind are so apt above others to be troubled with Blasphemous Thoughts tho' Persons of great Piety and such as have all along Feared God and kept his Commandments Both these and the former Apprehensions are some of those Fiery Darts of the Devil mention'd Eph. 6.16 cast into the Soul at such time when they are least able to Repel 'em and that on purpose to disturb the poor melancholly Wretch to the highest degree so as to do Violence to his own Nature and to Destroy himself or to force from him Expressions most highly Dishonourable to God and Terrible to Christian Ears to hear But Eighthly The great Battery of the Devil VIII 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 whereby he does storm the Innocency and shake the Constancy of the greatest part of Mankind Is his Representing to the Fancy of Men the Conveniency of Riches the Glory of Honours and the Sweetness of Pleasures thereby to Bribe 'em to Rebel against God and to Sin against their own Souls This I call his great Battery and usually therefore he does Assault us therewith not till all others have fail'd him In this manner he dealt with our Saviour When all his other Temptations prov'd ineffectual The Devil taketh him up into an exceeding high Mountain and sheweth him all the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of ' em And saith unto him All these things will I give thee if Thou wilt fall down and Worship me Matth. 4.8 9. But altho' the Son of God was no more to be won upon by this than by any of the former to comply in the least with the Designs of the wicked Tempter Yet the Weakness of the Generality of Men is such that they are Brib'd hereby when nothing else can prevail to Apostatize from God to do Injuries to Men and to do the greatest Abuses to their own Reason and Nature and in short to commit every Kind of Sin whereby God is Dishonour'd and they themselves shall be finally Ruin'd And the Manner and Cunning wherewith the Devil manages these Temptations is extreamly well worth your Notice 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 When he makes any Representation to our Souls of this World's Glory he only shews us the fairest Out-side of those Things to allure us thereby into Sin industriously concealing all that is vain and vexatious and stinging therein which would deter us from it Thus he manag'd the matter with our Saviour and thus he does still with us In that World and the Glory thereof which he shew'd to our Blessed Lord there was a great mixture of Confusion and Disorder and Crosses and Vexations and Troubles but nothing of this did he represent to his View when he offer'd it to him as a Bribe but only gave him to see the Plenty the Grandeur the Beauty thereof separated from the other ungrateful and displeasing Part And so he deals with us He does very lively present to Men the Advantage of Riches how that Money commands all Things and then stirs up their Covetous Desires after it so as to get it they care not how by Thieving and Robbery by Cozennage and Extortion and Sacriledge or by any unlawful Arts and Methods He does dazle their Eyes with the Splendor and Glory of High Places le ts 'em see the Cap and the Knee and low Obeisances and the servile Flatteries made to the Grandees of this World to stir up their Ambition to wade through Seas of Blood and to tread upon the Necks of oppressed Provinces in order to mount those Seats of Honour And lastly he does very lively lay before their Eyes the Luxury and Wantonness and seeming Ease found in sensual Pleasures and so
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 II. As also that which exalts Persons above their Brethren to that degree as to despise and oppress the rest of Manâ—â—nd as if â—â—y were but â—lower Rank 〈◊〉 Creatures â—â—d had not â—â—e same God 〈◊〉 their Faâ—â—er Bodies â—ormed out 〈◊〉 the same â—lay Souls 〈◊〉 Excellent 〈◊〉 their Naâ—â—res and as â—â—pable of Imâ—â—ovements 〈◊〉 precious 〈◊〉 Gods sight â—â—d as much â—â—e Heirs of â—eaven as â—â—eir 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 have it is capable of receiving as clear Notions of God and of Religion and of Vertue as any of us all And no doubt were it adorn'd therewith and so had the Image of God consisting in these Graces restor'd within it it would be as Precious and Dear to him and be receiv'd into those Mansions of Bliss from which those proud Tyrants over their Fellow-Creatures Liberty will certainly be Excluded if they continue to treat 'em with such Distance and Slavery Sure I am the Poor Lazarus is now in Abraham's Bosom when the Rich and Noble Dives who treated him not with that Respect and Kindness as he did his Dogs is scorching in the Flames of Hell All which consider'd it does become the highest in Birth and Quality to carry it with all due Humility and Courtesy to the lowest and to Renounce and Abandon those Thoughts of Honour and Quality which thrust away their Fellow-Servants to the same God so far off 'em tho' they may not have the Pretence of the Pharisee for so doing nor can say to 'em Come not near me I am Holier than thou III. Such ought â—ven to Reâ—ounce all â—retensions to Honour who â—ave degeneâ—ated from â—hose worthy Qualities â—hich Ennoâ—led their Ancestors But Thirdly Those Persons ought indeed even to renounce all Pretensions to Honour who have degenerated from those worthy Qualities which Ennobled their Ancestors The true Nobility of those who are really of Birth or Quality was founded as I have told you in the Heroick and extraordinary Vertues of their Ancestors and therefore their Quality cannot be suppos'd to remain with 'em when those Vertues which gave Being to it are departed from ' em But so it is that none are half so apt to Pride themselves in their Families and to talk so much of their Pedigree as those who have the least of any true Worth remaining in 'em And sure it is a sign they have but little of their own who do so much value themselves upon others Deservings and seem to have nothing to Brag of but borrowed Titles We have Abraham to our Father was the constant Cry of the Jews when they had least of the Faith and Vertues of Abraham However as apt as such are to assume this Honour to themselves there is no reason in the World but what was purchas'd by the Merits of others should be forfeited by their ill Deserts and that Vice should lose what Vertue did gain And this our Saviour and his Apostles did determine in the Case This the Determination of our Saviour and his Apostles in their Case of those Jews Think not to say within your Hearts we have Abraham to our Father for I say unto you that God is able of these Stones to raise up Children to Abraham Matth. 3.9 that is by having degenerated from Abraham you have forfeited your Title to the Name and Honour of being Abraham's Children and the vile Gentiles as you account 'em shall be taken into that Dignity and Relation For he is the Father of all them that Believe tho' they be not of the Circumcision And accordingly in a true Estimation of Things all those and those only are Honourable who are Vertuous tho' they cannot derive their Pedigree from noble Ancestors The Honour of my House beginneth with me and the Honour of thine endeth with thee said a worthy Commander in Plutarch to a Banisht Wretch who upbraided him with the meanness of his Parentage Lastly And such ought also even to Renounce all Pretensions to Honour amongst Christians at leastwise who despise Religion and its chiefest Vertues as Qualities beneath them Lastly and such ought to Renounce all Pretensions to Honour amongst Christians at least-wise who despise Religion and its chiefest Vertues as Qualities beneath ' em And yet those are the Persons who take themselves to be the only Men of Honour who can talk most Atheistically and Profanely whose Life and Conversation is made up of Lewdness and Debauchery and as to those grand distinguishing Graces of Christianity Humility Meekness and a patient Enduring of Injuries and Affronts who count them a meer Jest which Men of Quality and Honour it is impossible should submit to But be it so only let 'em withal consider that Not many Mighty not many Noble were called but the base things of the World and things which are despised hath God
abounding with sensual Delights and Pleasures and that he therefore who has placed us in it will not command us upon Pain of Damnation to over-come those strong Temptations and to deny these Pleasures of the World And we 'll grant it that he has Plac'd us in a State of Probation and Tryal where we have sensual Pleasures and Delights and many other Temptations besetting us on the one side as well as the Rewards of Heaven awaiting us on the other and where were the Vertue and what Place would there be for Reward if there were not those Difficulties to Overcome But in short there is not any thing Unreasonable nor a Hardship unsupportable in any thing that God has Enjoin'd us for the same Almighty Goodness which gives us the Command to do these things gives us also the Will and Power to Obey and besides proposes to us Enjoyments infinitely surpassing those Worldly Pleasures as the Rewards of such Obedience And so I have given you sufficient Answers to those false and fallacious Argueings of sinful Men against the Necessity of a Holy Life I know 'em to be too common in the Discourses of such Persons who love their Lusts and therefore I thought it requisite to Fortify you against them But to proceed Fifthly Wicked Men will not be content by the secret Influence of their Examples and Company only nor by their false and fallacious Arguments to Tempt you to Sin but Will moreover sometimes add Kindnesses and Promises to oblige you to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage you nay sometimes Threaten you to forbear your Duty V. Wicked Men will add Kindnesses Promises to Oblige us to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage us nay sometimes Threaten us to forbear our Duty The Kindnesses of Friendship are of all things the most Engageing and if your Choice of a Friend has not been so discreetly and happily made but he happens to be a wicked Man who upon the Score of former Obligations laid upon you will require in Return that some ill Thing should be done by you to serve his Interest you will be drawn thereby into a very great Snare for besides that there is in very many whom we call Good-natur'd Men such an Easiness of Mind that they can hardly deny any thing to those who have once Oblig'd 'em but are ready to Pleasure and Comply with 'em tho' in things most directly contrary to their own Minds and Inclination Besides this if you should refuse to Gratify in any thing One that has done you former Kindnesses the World will be ready to call you Vngrateful the most odious Reproach that can be cast on any One Nay and wicked Men will not sometimes stick to Bribe you also with Promises and Proposals of Profit and Advantages if you will serve 'em in their ill Designs This One would think not so dangerous a Temptation to Sin because more open and not so Insinuating a way as the former but God knows too many do knowingly and wilfully barter away their poor Souls and plainly sell 'em to the Devil contracting to commit this or that Sin as for Instance to take a false Oath to forge Writings to make a Lie in another's behalf upon the Promise or Intimation of some Reward for so doing Thus will wicked Men some by Kindnesses some by Promises Oblige you if they can to serve 'em by your Sins And some on the other hand will be no less Industrious by Discouragements nay Threatnings to hinder you in the discharging your Duty and a good Conscience Religion will sometimes put you upon doing those things that will prejudice your worldly Interests and stir up the Wrath of those that are Superior to you And indeed in this Case a Man's worst Enemies shall be those of his own House and when either you must Sin or Suffer none will be so forward to Tempt you to Sin rather than to Suffer as your nearest Relations and Acquaintance And what must Wife and Children and Family do if you should talk of Forsaking all and of following Christ in the Preservation of a good Conscience will be Argument that the Friend of your own Bosom will strongly urge you withal But the more common Temptation discouraging Men in the Discharge of their Duty especially such as are of a low Rank and Condition in the World are the Frowns and Threats of those that are above ' em Hence a Minister in low Circumstances shall venture hard if he offers to Reprove a Great Man tho' a Great Sinner And you shall scarcely ever know an Officer tho' never so strictly oblig'd thereunto by his Oath present in order to Punishment the Man of Power and Interest in his Parish for his Oaths his Riots and the most outragious Immoralities which he so scandalously commits I. â—indnesses 〈◊〉 not corâ— us to Sin And now what shall be done with reference to these manifold Encouragements to Sin and Discouragements to Vertue which you shall meet withal from wicked Men Why in the first Place have a special Care you be not Inveigled by the pretended Kindness of any Person be he who or what he will Let not the Obligations of your Friend or Acquaintance cause you to strain Truth when you are call'd to give Testimony in his Cause Take care you be not then wrought upon by any Sence of Kindness to Perjure your selves for him by declaring either more than Truth or by speaking not the whole Truth when it would make against him Consider what Kindness has been done you if you must sin against God and your own Soul to Pleasure your Friend in Return for it It was but a Bait to take you a Snare to Entrap and a pleasant Poison given to destroy you You ought indeed as an honest Pagan says excellently well to be assistant to him in his honest Endeavours but not in his Knaveries in his Counsels not in his Tricks in appearing as Evidence for him but not in a Cheat and you must bear a share in the Misfortunes of your Friend but not in his Acts of Injustice II. Promises â—t not bribe Secondly As to any Promises wherewith wicked Men may so Tempt you as to Hire you to Sin God forbid there should be a Necessity to bid you Reject and Detest them But if there be any need to Fortify any here against such a Temptation the meer Foolishness of the Bargain you will make will sufficiently move you to Spurn at them for if it be an unprofitable a very unprofitable Bargain tho' a Man should Gain the whole World and lose his own Soul as it is said Mark 8.36 Oh! What ill Husbandry what Stupidity is it for a Trifle of worldly Wealth or Advantage to barter it away III. â—courageâ—ts must 〈◊〉 hinder us â—n discharâ—g our â—y And Thirdly As for those who shall hereafter discourage you from suffering for Righteousness sake when call'd thereunto by laying before you the
with an Inferiour Degree of Affection and Worldly Things with a Superior but as God is the Supreme Good in himself and the Author of all the Good we Enjoy we must therefore Love him accordingly with the Intensest Degree of Affection that we shall be able so Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind We must so Love him as chearfully to Renounce and Sacrifice all our Profits and Pleasures when call'd thereto that is We must deny our selves take up our Cross and follow him in Afflictions Distresses and Persecutions whenever the Cross shall be laid upon us Matth. 18.24 Nay and we must so Love him as even to Hate all others the Nearest and Dearest Relations in comparison of him Luk. 14.26 So far must we Renounce our Affections of Love as it is any wise disproportionate to the thing Beloved as it is too violently set upon perishing and worldly Goods and too cold towards God and Heavenly Things 2. And on the contrary we must also Renounce that other Affection of Hatred as it is Disproportionate to the Evil which is to be Hated There may be just occasion of Anger towards a Person and of Hatred of his ways but we must not let those Passions so far exceed their due Bounds as to Degenerate into Wrath and Malice Let all Bitterness and Wrath and Anger and Clamour be put away from you with all Malice And be ye Kind one to another Tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4.31 32. 3. The Lusts and Appetites are such Sinful Lusts of the Flesh as are to be Renounc'd 3 The Last of those Powers of our Corrupted Nature which are here to be Renounced are our Lusts and Appetites which in a State of Unregeneracy are indeed most directly and immediately no other than so many Sinful Lusts of the Flesh These were designed by the God of Nature for our Preservation Our Appetites after Meat and Drink were Implanted in our Nature in order to preserve our own selves in Being and Cupidity or Lust for the Propagation and Preservation of a Posterity to succeed us But when either our Appetites or Lusts do desire 1. Vndue Objects Or 2. That which in it self is Lawful and Allowable in Vndue Measures they do then degenerate into Sinful Lusts of the Flesh and must be Renounced by us And 1st 1. As they do desire Vndue Objects As to the Indulgence of a Fleshly Appetite with such Meats and Drinks as are Unlawful in respect of their Quality It does infinitely become Christians utterly to Renounce that Sinful Epicurism which seems to study nothing so much as by new invented Dishes to fair deliciously every Day Christians should relish better things than these and are not therefore thus to make Provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof Rom. 13.14 Nor Secondly 2. As they desire 'em in Immoderate Measures Must we Christians gratifie the Cravings of our Appetites in Eating and Drinking but we must indeed take heed to our selves least at any time our Hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and Drunkenness and so the Day come upon us unawares Luke 21.34 But above all Lastly It behoves Christians to Renounce those which are peculiarly call'd the Lusts of the Flesh whether it be 1. The Lusting after strange Women the Neighing after the Neighbour's Wife as the Prophet expresses it Or 2. Even that Immoderation practis'd by many in the Married State there being a Chastity and Modesty which ought to be preserv'd even in Wedlock it self which the Carnal part of Mankind may perhaps but little think of And indeed this Renouncing of these Fleshly Lusts of Concupiscence is perhaps what the Composers of our Catechism as taking the Form of Renuntiation from the Ancient Baptismal Vow did particularly intend for as the Gentiles did scarcely make any account of Fornication nor think it an Irregularity and Vice so the Scripture and the first Christians did particularly lay it upon all that should take upon 'em the Christian Name and Profession to Renounce those kind of Sinful Lusts But Fornication and all Vncleanness let it not be once named amongst you as becometh Saints for this know you that no Whoremonger nor Vnclean Person hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Eph. 5.4 5. And thus I have fully considered these several Faculties and Powers both of Soul and Body as they are so many Sinful Lusts of the Flesh moving downwards from God and Heavenly Things Immoderately towards the Creature II. And now I come to consider some of 'em viz. The Affections Lastly the Inferiour and Bodily Powers viz. The Affections Lusts and Appetites to be Renounc'd as they Rebel against Right Reason Lusts and Appetites as so many Sinful Lusts of the Flesh under another Notion and that is as they do disorderly Rebel against the Superior Faculty of the Vnderstanding and Reason and do carry the Will into Slavery to 'em and to shew how they must be Renounc'd upon that account also What the Frame and Constitution of Humane Nature originally was and how it is now broken I have already shew'd you as also how that instead of the Harmonious Subordination of the Inferiour Faculties to the Superiour that the Affections Lust and Appetites do absolutely Reign and that Reason and Conscience are in the Unregenerate drag'd into miserable Slavery Business â—eligion is â—educe â—s as near â—ossible to 〈◊〉 primitive â—e of Innoâ—e and Inâ—ity And now I am only to shew you that it is the proper Business and Employment of Religion to Reduce Man as far as is possible in this State of Weakness and Infirmity to his Primitive State of Innocence and Integrity to rescue him out of Slavery to restore him to himself to put Right Reason and Religion again into the Throne and to subject his Affections and Passions his Lusts and Appetites and every Inordinate Inclination within him to the Dictates and Laws thereof refusing to Gratifie any of those in any thing that is Sinful and Unlawful This is to wrestle against Flesh and Blood And thus we must wrestle till we overcome and bring it under into an Entire Subjection to Right Reason as ever we expect to be Friends of God or ever hope to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven There is nothing more plain in Scripture than the utter Inconsistency of a Carnal Temper and Disposition to a State of Grace and Reconciliation with God The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be so that to be carnally minded is Death but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace Rom. 8.6 7. and therefore let me add with the same Apostle Ver. 12 13 14. Brethren we are Debtors not to the Flesh to live after the Flesh for if ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but