words read and see what instruction they will afford us to discourse upon By the term Fool it is well known that in the Scripture generally is not meant only an ignorant or erroneous Person but also one who is wicked and of ill-manners because he knows not or mistakes his own interest as well as departs from his Duty The Hebrew word is here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies him that doth foul as well as foolish Actions So Nabal is said to have done according to his Name when he was so ungratefull and churlish to David as well as so foolish and imprudent that had it not been for Abigail by sparing a little he had lost all 1 Sam. 25. 25. And the Syriack Version here renders the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. an unjust wicked and perverse Man 2. It follows hath said in his heart i. e. he hath thought so though perhaps he never dared to say so for that was Blasphemy and therefore death by the Jewish Law 3. There is no God i. e. there is no such thing really existent 't is but a name or an imagination Or if he be any where yet he is not present upon this Earth he meddles not with humane Affairs Some foolish wicked Men in their thoughts deny either the Being or the Providence of God extending it self to this lower World Like the Ancient Sect of the Epicureans among the Greeks long after these Fools of the Psalmist and consequently the true and necessary Perfections and Attributes of his Nature his Omnipresence Omniscience Omnipotence his Universal Goodness whereby he governs and directs the whole Universe at once to the best Ends his Sanctity Justice and the like And further consequent to this they deny all distinction between Moral good and evil right and wrong vertue and vice other than the present gratification and fulfilling their own lusts of haughtiness pride violence covetousness voluptuousness c. which sort of Men the Psalmist here more particularly means by the Fool. Nay finally hence it must necessarily follow that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Jews speak i. e. they denied their Religion despised even the Authority and Laws of Moses and were Judaical Infidels as ours now-a-days are Christian ones which is the more usual signification of the word and restrained to revealed Truths This last sense wants not Equal probability with the former For it is likely that from the beginning of Mankind there have been many more who have question'd the Providence and true Attributes than the Existence of a God for want of the true notion of his Nature and therefore the Chaldee Paraphrase seems not to have done amiss when it paraphraseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fool hath said in his heart that God hath no Dominion or Government in the Earth 4. The words they are corrupt they have done abominable works c. may be looked upon with the coherence either of a cause or an effect of the preceding Proposition The fool hath said in his heart c. As if they should be thus uttered Because they are corrupt c. therefore they have proceeded to that extremity of folly and impudence as to think there is no God at all and that he doth not see and know what they do or if he doth yet he cannot or will not concern himself to punish them Or we may read then to this sense Foolish and lewd Men have first perswaded themselves that there is no God or no Providence which reacheth humane Affairs and then have let loose the Reigns to their lusts which have carried them to the most wicked Works and abominable Practices From whence we may learn these Two things 1. That they who deny the Being or Providence of God over Mankind and the consequent Truths mentioned are both ignorant and wicked or infidelity is the quality of vicious Fools The fool c. 2. That the denying of those great Truths and such like is the cause of corrupt manners or infidelity is followed with still greater corruption of manners and wickedness of practice To take the first of these Among many heads of Discourse which have and may be handled in this great and most important Argument I shall choose but these Two 1st To observe some of the most frequent causes of this Disease And 2ly To propose some remedies to prevent or suppress their Efficacy And because those of both parts are many to be named I shall be as brief as I can in each of them and do little more than enumerate them 1st The first cause then of this infidelity is ignorance A charge which perhaps they may wonder or smile at who have so often been by themselves and others taken for more than ordinary Wits and so indeed they are but 't is in levity shallowness temerity self-conceit and boldness and some other as worthy qualities to be mentioned And we affirm still that one of the leading and first Causes of infidelity is great ignorance of the Nature of all Beings short of infinite Perfection and particularly of the material or corporeal World to believe it possible for any thing to exist without a God or a Being whose Essence is to be infinitely perfect and consequently necessarily to exist himself and to be the productive and conservative Cause of all other things whatsoever existent And then when there is such a Being it is to have lost the faculty of reasoning seriously to deny those Attributes of his Nature before mentioned and his Universal Providence For it would be to ungod him again It must be from a gross ignorance more particularly for any man to doubt his Universal Goodness whereby he disposeth and ordereth all things for the best State of the Universe of Beings in all its duration taken together and consequently his Justice so that it shall be better with the Good and Righteous than with the Evil and Wicked all Conditions or their whole Duration considered and comprehended It is from no better Cause that any man questions the Immortality of humane Souls in their own Nature and the unsuitableness of the Divine Attributes to annihilate them And it is far more incredible and further from all belief that God should make our Souls only for this point of time we live upon this Earth than that he should make all humane Race to come into this World only to cry and die 'T is I say it again from a contemptible ignorance of the Nature of Body and Spirit the Nature of God the true Ends of all Being Life and Action that these grand and fundamental Verities are seriously and ex animo disputed or denied by any It would be at present too tedious and impertinent to deduce at large the particular proofs of these most important Truths It hath been especially in this last Age excellently well performed to which in some things a further Addition may be made Let Infidels or Scepticks sufficiently
without reflection may conceit that the Honour they do to God by confessing all and more than all the sins they are guilty of may procure a Connivance for some sins though they never forsake them It is enough or very well to load themselves with the heaviest Accusation though they do not or perhaps think they cannot grow better Much like a great Debtor who will readily own greater Summs than he really owes if for that his Creditor will permit him to run further into his Debt and not be angry But the most frequent Cause of this Miscarriage is Superstition i. e. a groundless Timidity by reason of mistake in the Nature and Degrees of Sin which is a thing of bad consequence when our Judgments are deceived and our Affections abused we may swallow that which is truly wicked and greatly mischievous and be frighted at that which is really so far from being evil that it may be good and commendable Let our confession therefore of sin be truly informed and well advised Which is the first Direction 2dly The second is to confess our sins most impartially As we must not on the one side make or magnifie our Sins through Self-revenge Flattery of Almighty God Superstition or Timidity So we must on the other hand take great care that we do not excuse connive at or extenuate any Such are our most profitable and delightfull Sins Those which by corrupt Nature or evil Custom and Practice are deepest in our Hearts and therefore most difficult and painfull to forsake We must be in all sincerity most willing to see acknowledge and amend what is truly faulty in our selves and what is most so The Design of a true hearted Christian is to be better and his hearty desire is to reform universally and in order to that he must know what is really amiss and out of order Like the wounded or sick Man who longs for his Cure and Health He is not willing to conceal or forget any of his Ailments from himself or his Physician So far from that that he beseecheth his Physician 's care as well as useth his own observation to discover all least through ignorance or neglect something may prove fatal to him And what a foolish thing is it to say nothing of or slubber over some sweet some darling Sins we are loth to leave when we are upon our knees before God He needs not our confession for his information He seeth the most secret and dark Corners of our Hearts and knows full well whether we hide any thing there or no. He observes whether we deal truly or hypocritically with him and if he find the last will reject us and our confession too Follow we that great Example David Cleanse me from my secret sins Psalm 19. 33. prays that holy Man and see if there be any way of wickedness in me and lead me in the way everlasting He that thus prayed for the discovery of all his sins without reserve no doubt in his Confession spared none 3dly A third Rule of our Confession is that it be performed seriously and affectionately The confession here meant is not uttering a few words with our Mouths though never so good but it is in the mind and spirit though we should not speak a syllable Nor is it to be slight and careless as if it were a thing of no great moment whether it were true or no and we indifferent whether it were done at all No! It is at the same time to be expresly assented to by our Judgment owned by our Consciences and thence pass further into our affections We are to be really troubled ashamed disordered and tremble at the mention and remembrance of our sins according to the various Degrees and Aggravations We are to be affected with them in our Devotion when our own Conscience only can accuse us as if men of Gravity and Authority should openly and publickly charge us Nay setting aside the difference which the hopes of pardon here may make as if God himself instead of our Consciences was judging of us And do we think at that terrible Day when Jesus Christ shall appear with all the Ensigns of Justice and Majesty with Rewards and Punishments in his hands we shall be looking another way Shall we then stand unconcern'd and confess our sins in such a manner as if neither God nor our selves need take any notice of it No then with sinking Hearts and trembling Knees we shall see believe and confess that we are miserable Sinners indeed And yet all in vain because it proceeds only from the Terrour of the Sentence and Punishment just ready to be executed not from the hatred of sin from the dread of the Judge not from the love of him or hatred of our Crimes But now in this Day of Grace our passionate Confession and Cries from a truly penitent that is changed Heart to the Judge of all the World that indeed we have presumptuously and ungratefully offended against his holy Laws and that he would have mercy upon us miserable offenders shall through Heav'ns Goodness find a gracious Audience and Acceptance Of such temper and in such manner should be our confession in the third place 4ly Our confession ought to be suitable and proportionable I mean our confessions is to be proportionable to our sins Thus we ought between God and our own selves most frequently and passionately to confess those sins which are in themselves really the greatest and which we most frequently and deliberately commit To be always with great vehemency filling our Prayers with smaller Faults though none are to be slighted and indulged for small sins known weaken conscience and make way for greater but more rarely or faintly to mention those sins which are truly more provoking is to offend against this Rule Thus to confess impertinent and wandering Thoughts in Religious Duties vain use of God's Name though these things are by no means to be allowed or neglected but never to say any thing of Pride Covetousness Injustice Fraud Hypocrisie Malice or the like or so coldly as if we scarce thought them any sins I say this is to perform this Duty with great indiscretion if not Hypocrisie For it is a shrewd sign we can be very favourable to sin when it is agreeable or profitable and therefore painfull to subdue and mortifie it When we are clamorous against the sins we get little by or which cost us little of expence or pains to forsake but otherwise silent or soft it is very suspicious that there is not in us that hearty Zeal against sin which we would seem to be possessed withall 5ly And lastly Our confession will be the more commendable if it be voluntary and from pious Motions in our heart allowed by our judgments when we freely open and disclose our Souls to God and earnestly desire witness and judge God and our Consciences to inform and remember us of our Faults As may be more especially done at those times which
the spirit mortifie the deeds of the flesh Most plainly Phil. 2. 12. Work out your own salvation for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Nay the same Doctrine may seem fairly intimated in several places of the Old Testament as Deut. 30. 16. God promiseth to circumcise the hearts of the Israelites and their Posterity c. where we may observe a spiritual promise in the body of the Law And Jerem. 13. 23. Can an Aethiopian change his skin c. and David prays in his penitential Psalm that God would not take his holy Spirit from him as supposed necessary to his perseverance much more than to Repentance Although it is to be acknowledged that this Doctrine of the Necessity of Divine Grace Influence and Operation and especial Providence to make and keep Men inwardly holy and good was only reached by some of the Prophets or most eminent Saints or of a sublimer genius among the Jews the generality never thinking of any such thing and when by Christianity taught denied by them Nor was it scarce ever dreamt of among the Gentiles except here and there a Philosopher or Poet may have dropt something that looks that way But hardly any Doctrine more common and known in the Christian Church where every Child learns it before its Letters And certainly the Belief and frequent Attention to so near especially and constant Presence of the Deity to the Souls of Men as it is true so is it many ways a great Cherisher of Piety and Religion It were to be wished that the Fathers supposed by some to know best the mind of the Apostles as being nearest to them had enlightned us here in this obscurely to us delivered Doctrine But these next of all to the Apostles were content to speak simply and little varying from the Apostolical words Clem. Epist to the Cor. p. 41. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And we therefore being called by the Will of God in Jesus Christ are not justified by our own Wisdom or Understanding or Piety or Works which we have done in Sanctity of Heart but by Faith by which the Almighty hath ever justified all Men from the beginning which differs little in words nothing in sense from the Apostle Rom. 4. in the case of Abraham And the Author to the Hebrews Chap. 11. explain'd in the Discourse above But if we go further downward among the Fathers I do not know whether we shall learn much concerning this point Those who please may try themselves Just Martyr the Philosopher seems to me to have taken the Notion of it best and St. Augustine and St. Jerome in some places at least though worst with a prejudice and narrowness common to Persons of Wit Eloquence and Zeal in their own Religion especially when flourishing in Power and Reputation Such a zeal in so truly excellent Religion as the Christian even when mistaken is pardonable But more acceptable to the wiser sort of Men when attended with Judgment and a just regard to Truth St. Jerome seems to have been a greater Master in the Language of the Jews so far as Biblical Hebrew and Chaldee went than in their Opinions and their Books in which they are contained And though he may sometimes mention some-what he had learned in conversation with his Masters as in his Epistle to Algasia the Collection called Misna as I think against Morinus and a Custom or two of the Jews and their opinion concerning Melchisedeck in his Epistle to the Evangelists Yet I do not know perhaps others may know better whether he hath quoted any one Sentence out of any Jewish Book in its own Language But without doubt there were enough of them in his time to have quoted and which contained the same Opinions concerning Justification which we have cited in these Annotations and the Jews teach to this day Or if St. Jerome had read such Books it seems it was not in his thoughts to compare St. Paul's Doctrine in this matter with that of the Jews Let any one read St. Jerome on Gal. 3. St. Aug. quaest 80. quaest 73. and de spir litera ad Marcell and his Expos of the Epistle to the Gal. and his Book de fide operibus and others There may be some things very good now and then dropt But generally what they say is of such confused and uncertain Sense and sometimes not true that a man is little the better but only to know that such men have said so I would not be here thought by this to desire the Abatement of the just Esteem of so great a Name as the Fathers For I believe them to have been generally of exceeding Piety and the greatest men of their Ages for knowledge some in one thing some in another some in all but it cannot be allowed that they were equal either in Philosophy the true knowledge and distance of the Natures of things or in the skill of expounding and interpreting the Holy Scriptures which this present Age by the good Providence of Almighty God doth enjoy We shall I think be very unjust to it if we do not acknowledge so much May the effect of this our advantage in knowledge be also our improvement in a substantially religious and vertuous Temper and Practice without which it is but diversion not business that which may please the Speculators but profit no body and nothing mend the State of the World ADVERTISEMENT BY reason of the Affinity of the Subjects of Justification and Satisfaction I had thoughts of adding a Discourse of this last and that under these general Heads I. What was the Doctrine of the Scriptures concerning that which is so called viz. Satisfaction by the death and merits of Jesus Christ II. What was the distinct Nature Ends and Uses of a Sacrifice and particularly of an Hylastick or Expiatory one III. How they operated or what they contributed toward the procuring securing or recovering the Favour of God in general and particularly that instance of his Favour Remission of Sins upon Repentance and how IV. Whether Jesus Christ dying was not a proper Expiatory Sacrifice V. Whether he was not in many respects a more excellent Expiatory Sacrifice than the Patriarchal or Mosaical VI. What is the true and distinct Notion of a Merit and how the Merits of Jesus Christ might obtain in general the Favour of God to sinfull Mankind and particularly Remission of Sins to Penitents and the reasonableness thereof VII Whether the Act of God's forgiving Sins to penitent Sinners in Consideration of the Sacrifice and Merits of Christ Jesus instead of the Act of punishing them might not be called properly and according to the Original and received use of the word Satisfaction i. e. of as much value of equal or more good Effects to the Community or rather in the World which God governs In all which I think much would be said which hath not been said before or not so clearly and distinctly But
this and something else if God give life and health may find another opportunity SERMON VI. 2 COR. V. 19. To wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their Trespasses unto them IN these few words we read the most important part of the Design of Christian Religion The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indeed the glad Tidings which the Gospel hath brought to the World Now do we hear the joyfull News and the best that ever sounded in the Ears of Mankind The Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth who is only able to save or destroy us Eternally looks towards us with a Countenance full of Compassion and good Will Here we have the Completion of that Prophetical Hymn sung at the Birth of the Great Jesus by a Choire of Angels Glory be to God on high on Earth peace good Will towards men and very fitly repeated by all hearty Christians whose Minds are enlightned and Hearts sensibly touched after the Communion in that Service i. e. the sending of such a Person as the Ever-blessed Jesus and with such a Design would one Day redound to the Glory of the Divine Wisdom and Goodness both Heaven and Earth sounding aloud his Praises It would also be peace on Earth just Cause of unspeakable Comfort and Joy in all Men who should hear the News that the Eternal God an infinite offended Majesty did lay aside his frowns and regard them with a serene and mercifull Countenance or Peace on Earth i. e. between all Mankind Jew and Gentile Greek Barbarian and Scythian there was now to be no Hatred Contention or Strangeness in respect of Religion All were to be united in the Service of the same God and Lord. Christ was to be the Peace or Peace-maker breaking down the Partition-wall Eph. 2. Finally good Will towards Men in Consequence to God's gracious regard what Acts of Grace and Favour might not Men then expect Great were the Blessings and Benefits now more especially which God was preparing for the Sons of mortal and sinfull Men. Who ought to echo back the Celestial Hymn in such words as that of the Psalmist O sing unto the Lord a new Song sing unto the Lord all the Earth sing unto the Lord bless his Name shew forth his Salvation from day to day Ps 96. 1. Most of the words in the Text may afford us matter of excellent Observation These five I. The Act Reconciling II. The Author God III. The Parties God and the World IV. The Instrument Christ V. The principal Instance or Effect of this Reconciliation not the onely one Not imputing their Trespasses unto them I. The Act the Design the Business to be done Reconciliation This supposeth some Aversion and Enmity in the Parties to be reconciled God and the World The Parties were Enemies This we ought a little to explain and shew in Propriety of Speech 1 How man was God's Enemy and 2 how God may be Man's It needs not much explication or proof that Mankind hath been and in greatest part still is the Enemy of God Enmity imports 2 things 1 A Contrariety of Nature and Will 2 and more strictly mischievous Designs Intentions and Actions according to ones Power In both these respects Man was and is generally still the Enemy of God In the 7 th Chapter to the Romans is an excellent Comment Rom. 7. 12. upon this Enmity between the Divine Nature and Laws and the unregenerate Man for in such Sense St. Paul speaks of himself And the same Apostle tells us That the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal. 5. 17. The degenerate and regenerate Nature are contrary one to the other Ephes 4. 22. The old Man is corrupt the new Man is created after God in Righteousness and true Holiness Most expresly and plainly Rom. 8. 7. The carnal mind is Enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be And the Gentiles which were almost all the World nor were the generality of the Jews inwardly much better amongst other their abominable Qualities are termed Haters of God Thus we see how man is the Enemy of God But how is God man's Enemy i. e. sinfull and degenerate Man 1 It must be acknowledged that God's Nature Will and Laws are as contrary to Man's as his is to God's 2 That God hates a sinfull Nature as such to speak after the manner of men infinitely more than the wicked Man doth the holy and pure Nature of God A wicked man is not so perfectly and in so high a Degree wicked and sinfull as God is righteous and holy and so it is every where express'd in the Scripture God's Soul hates the wicked Prov. 15. 9. It must be acknowledged 3 that God often treats wicked Men in some respects as a Man useth to treat his Enemy He punisheth and destroys them too when irreclaimable But then more generally he useth them like one who beareth their Persons good Will for he pities their blindness and perverseness he bears them with the utmost Patience In the midst of their highest Injuries and Provocations he continues his Blessings corporal and spiritual the good things of this Life oft-times in plenty and the means of Repentance and Salvation his word and spirit He in kindness chastiseth them to the same purpose All these are the Effects of his Benevolence and love of good Will to them even while Enemies Indeed after all this if they grow senseless obdurate and contemptuous He oft-times makes them Examples in this World however in the next He utterly destroys them Body and Soul not their Being but all for which it is desirable But this Treatment proceeds not from any Malice in God against their Persons but from Love and Care of the rest of his Creatures It is only when it becomes necessary to the Government of the World when wicked Men ought not to be any longer born when their mischievous Impiety and Example becomes intolerable Thus we see the difference between wicked Men's Enmity to God and God's to Men. On God's part what there is is most just and necessary but on Man's horribly unjust However an Enmity there is but not irreconcilable For God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself And that 's the II. Thing The Author God He began the Design immediately after the Apostacy and degeneracy of Man and hath been ever since prosecuting of it and that in or by Christ too as we shall presently mention and here we are to observe that it is but one of the parties at Enmity that design'd and endeavour d a Reconciliation and that is God Stupendious Goodness God an infinite Majesty Sovereign of Heaven and Earth desires a Reconciliation with man the meanest of his own reasonable Creatures God infinitely holy wise and good Man unholy foolish and wicked God neglected and forgotten and most part wilfully injuriously offended and even insolently despis'd Man his unnatural and ungratefull