give over all thoughts of becoming better nay and to let the reins loose unto all ungodliness But yet nothing short of Sincerity and diligent serious endeavors to abstain from all Sin will be admitted by him in order to our being made the objects of his Grace and Favour And as for Wilful and Presumptuous Sins of what kind soever he makes no allowances for them but hath by himself and his Ministers declared very frequently that they shall not be pardoned without our unfeigned Reformation from them And Lastly notwithstanding the allowances and abatements that in tender Compassion to us he is pleased to make us no less than our absolutely Perfect Holiness is designed by him though not to be effected in this yet in the other World CHAP. IV. That Holiness is the onely Design of the Promises of the Gospel shewed in Two Particulars And of the Threatnings therein Contained SEcondly The Promises and Threatnings of the Gospel have most apparently the promoting of Holiness for their onely Design First The Promises it is plain have This S. Peter assureth us 2 Epistle ch 1. v. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and pretious promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine Nature having escaped the Corruption that is in the world through lust And S. Paul doth more than intimate the same in 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having saith he these Promises dearly beloved viz. those which the foregoing Chapter Concludes with let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of the Lord. Again Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you by the Mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your Reasonable Service And be ye not conformed to this present world but be ye transformed by the Renewing of your Minds c. 1. We always find these promises either limited to Holy persons or made use of as encouragements and exciting motives to Holiness The Apostle tells us that it is Godliness which hath the promises of the life that now is and of that which is to come The promise of the Beatifical vision is made to the Pure in Heart Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they shall see God That of the Kingdom of Heaven to the Poor in Spirit or those that are of humble and lowly tempers The promise of obtaining Mercy to the Merciful That of inheriting the Earth of temporal felicity to the Meek or such as live in obedience to Government c. That of Eternal life to those that patiently Continue in Well-doing That of sitting with Christ on his Throne to those that overcome that is that mortifie their Lusts and corrupt affections The promise of a Crown of life is used as a motive to perswade to faithfulness to the Death But to what purpose do I multiply instances when as there is not a particular promise throughout the whole Gospel but it is expressed or plainly enough intimated that its performance depends upon some duty of Holiness to be on our parts first performed or at least heartily endeavoured And whereas the Promises of Pardon and of Eternal Life are very frequently made to Believing there is nothing more evidently declared than that this Faith is such as purisieth the Heart and is productive of Good Works 2. Nay the Nature of these Promises is such as is of it self sufficient to satisfie us That Holiness is the Design of them 1. This is manifestly true concerning the Principal Promises or those which relate to the other life They may be reduced to these three Heads That of the holy Spirit of Remission of Sin and of Eternal happiness in the Enjoyment of God Now for the first of these viz. The Promise of the Spirit that is it to which we are beholden for grace and assistance in the great work of subduing Sin and acquiring the habit of Holiness and this is the very business for the sake of which that Promise is made to us And for the second third they are such as none but holy Souls are capable of That none but such are capable of having the Guilt of their Sins removed and of being freed from the displeasure and wrath of God is self-evident for the Guilt of Sin must needs remain while its power continues these two are inseparable from each other Sin is so loathsome and filthy a thing as shall hereafter be shewn that it is perfectly impossible that the blood of Christ it self should render a sinner lovely or not odious in the sight of God any otherwise than by washing away the pollution of it And nothing is more apparent than that holy Souls alone are in a Capacity of the Happiness that consists in the Enjoyment of God in the other World than that as without Holiness no man shall see the Lord as saith the Author to the Hebrews So without it none can see him For the full and Complete participation of God which our Saviour promiseth his Disciples and faithful followers ariseth out of the likeness and Conformity of mens Souls to him But there is such a perfect unlikeness and contrariety in impure and polluted souls to the infinitely Holy God that it is impossible there should be any Communications from him to them any friendly agreement and complacency between Him and them He is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness neither can evil dwell with him Psal. 5. 4. What Communion hath Light with Darkness saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 6. 14. But vicious and unholy souls are full of Darkness whereas God is pure splendid Light and in Him is no Darkness at all The Platonists would not admit that any man is Capable of being acquainted with Divine things that is not purged from that which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remissness of Mind and Brutish Passions How utterly impossible then is it that such as are not so should be acquainted with the Divinity it self Hierocles saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. As a Bleer eye cannot look upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things very bright and shining so a Soul unpossessed of vertue is unable to behold the Beauty of Truth How unable then is such a soul to behold the Beauty of God himself to see him as he is and be happy in the sight of him Those eyes which have continually beheld Vanity as saith an Excellent late writer of our own would be dazled not delighted with the Beatifick Vision Thanks be to God saith the Apostle who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in Light Those can by no means partake of it that are not by Holiness made meet and disposed for it What happiness can we find in the enjoyment of God when he is of a perfectly contrary nature to our own and moreover how can we then enjoy him There must be in us a likeness
special Love And that those things which Sensual Persons are most desirous of are eminently to be found in that blessing SEcondly This is the Greatest Blessing because it is accompanied with all other that are most desireable and which do best deserve to be so called Where sin is sincerely forsaken it will certainly be Pardoned The nature of God is such as that he is ready to be reconciled to a true Convert They are our iniquities alone that make or can make a separation betwixt us and our God and our sins onely that hide his face from us But the cause being removed the effect ceaseth When the Divine grace that is offered to sinners becometh effectual to the turning any one from his evil ways God's favour doth naturally return to him even as naturally as doth the Sun's light into those places where that which before intercepted between it and them is taken away He is of so infinitely benign and Gracious a Nature that no man can continue an object of his displeasure one moment longer than while he is uncapable of his favour and nothing I say but sin and wickedness as he hath often enough assured us can make men so Nay a Holy Soul is ever the Object also of his Dearest and most special love He is not onely friends with but also takes pleasure in those that fear him Psalm 147. 11. He is said to make his residence within such persons so great is the delight that he taketh in them Isaiah 66. 1 2. Thus saith the Lord the Heaven is my Throne and the Earth my Footstool where is the house that ye build unto me and where is the place of my Rest For all those things have mine hand made and all those things have been saith the Lord But to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and trembleth at my word John 14. 23. Iesus said unto him If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And it is said particularly of him that dwelleth in love which is the fulfilling of the Law that he dwelleth in God and God in him And I might shew that the Heathens themselves had this very notion It was a saying used by the Pythagoraeans that God hath not in the whole earth a more familiar place of Residence than a pure Soul And Apollo is brought in thus speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To dwell in Heaven doth not more please me then Within the Souls of Pious Mortal men And Hierocles which reciteth that verse doth himself assert that God hateth no man but as for the good man he Embraceth him with an extraordinary and surpassing affection The Righteous Lord loving righteousness his countenance cannot but behold the upright Wheresoever he finds any impressions of True Goodness as he cannot but highly approve of them so is it not possible but that they should attract his singular love to those which are the subjects of them According to that measure and proportion that any one participates of his Goodness he must needs have a share in his Grace and kindness A holy person is a man after God's own heart as his Servant David was said to be He is a man that carrieth his image and bears a Resemblance to him and upon that account he cannot fail to be very dearly beloved by him Now I need not go about to prove that there is no blessing whatsoever but is implyed in an interest in the Divine Love and especially in such a love as that which we have shewed Good men are made the objects of It might be here shewn also that those things which sensual and carnal persons are most desirous of viz. Riches Honours and Pleasures are eminently to be found in the Blessing we are now discoursing of and indeed those which best deserve to be so called and are in the properest sense so no where else Nothing inricheth a Man like the Graces of God's Holy Spirit What S. Peter said of meekness is true of all the vertues they are in the sight of God and he judgeth of things as they are of great price They are called Gold tryed in the fire Rev. 3. 18. The true and our own Riches Luk. 16. 12. Which is as much as to say that these only are ours and all but these are false and Counterfeit These inrich our Souls which alone as was said deserve to be called our-selves and will abide by us when all other have bid adieu to us These do as much excel in true value and worth all those things which the world calls Riches as do our Immortal Spirits transcend our frail and corruptible Carkasses It was one of the Maximes of the Stoicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the wise whereby they meant the truly virtuous man is the onely Rich man And Tully hath this saying upon it A mans Chest cannot properly be called Rich but his Mind onely And though thy Coffer be full so long as I see thee Empty I shall not think thee a Rich man And saith Hierocles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All things that are without a mans soul are but little and insignificant trifles And the Righteous saith Solomon is more excellent than his Neighbour or he is of greater worth than any other person that is not righteous Prov. 12. 26. Nothing again makes men so honourable as doth Vertue and True Goodness or at all truly so Seeing He and He alone that is indued with it lives up to his highest Principle like a Creature possessed of a Mind and Reason nay this man is moreover as was said like to God himself and imitates his Glorious perfections And therefore well might Wisdom say as she doth Prov. 8. 18. Riches and Honour are with me To overcome our unruly lusts and keep in subjection all impetuous desires and inordinate Appetites makes us more deservedly Glorious than was Alexander or Iulius Caesar For he that thus doth hath subdued those that mastered those mighty Conquerours And such a one hath praise of God of the holy Angels and of all men that are not fools and whose judgments he hath cause to value He that is slow to anger is better than the Mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City Proverbs 16. 32. And no Pleasures are comparable to those that immediately result from vertue holiness for that man's Conscience is a very Heaven to him that busieth himself in the exercise thereof While we do thus we act most agreably to the right frame and constitution of our Souls and consequently most naturally and all the actions of Nature are confessedly very sweet and pleasant This also very many of the Heathens had a great sense of even those of them which much doubted of another life wherein Vertue is rewarded commended very highly the Practice of it for this reason that
but by some Divine afflation And Pythagoras in his golden verses exhorts men to pray unto God for assistance in doing what becomes them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Hierocles with whom I confess my self so enamoured that I can scarcely ever forbear to present my Reader with his excellent sayings when there is occasion He I say upon this clause of Pythagoras hath a discourse concerning the necessity of our endeavours after Vertue on the one hand and of the divine blessing to make them successful on the other which I have often admired And even Seneca himself very unlike a Stoick saith Bonus vir sine Deo nemo est c. No man can be made good without God for can any one raise up himself without his help But none of these could have the least assurance that God would not deny his special assistance to any that seriously seek after it especially since men have brought themselves into a state of imbecillity and great impotence through their own default But this I say the Gospel gives all men very serious offers of and assures them if they be not wanting to themselves they shall obtain Hence our Saviour saith Ask and it shall be given unto you seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened If a son shall ask bread of any that is a father will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish will he for a fish give him a Serpent or if he ask an egge will he offer him a Scorpion If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit unto them that ask him Luke 11. 9 c. And the same thing is told us by S. Iames in these words chap. 1. 5. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask it of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Antoninus the Philosopher puts men upon praying for a good mind above all things but all the encouragement he could give was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and see what will come of it Thirdly We have other Doctrines made known to us by the Gospel which no man could ever without Divine Revelation in the least have dream'd of As First That God hath made miserable sinners the objects of such transcendent kindness as to give them his onely-begotten Son And there are these five Doctrines implied in this which are each of them very strong motives and incentives to Holiness viz. 1. That God Almighty hath made such account of us and so concerned himself for our recovery out of that most wretched condition we had by sinning against him plunged our selves into as to send his own Son from Heaven to us to shew us on what terms we may be recovered and also in his name even to pray and beseech us to comply with them That he should send no meaner a person than one who was the Brightness of his Glory and the express image of his Person by whom also he made the world upon this errand is such a motive to holiness as one would think no sinner could be able to stand out against That God should send an Embassadour from Heaven to us to assure us that he is Reconcileable and bears us good-will notwithstanding our high provocations of him and to lay before us all the parts of that holiness which is necessary to restore our Natures to his own likeness and so to make us capable of enjoying Blessedness and most pathetically moreover to entreat us to do what lieth in us to put them in practice that so it may be to eternity well with us and that this Embassadour should be such a one also as we now said never was there so marvelous an expression of the Divine Love and therefore one would even conclude it perfectly irresistible by all persons that have not extirpated out of their natures all ingenuity 2. That this Son of God conversed upon equal terms with men and was incarnate for their sakes Great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifested in the Flesh. That he should become the Son of Man submit to be born of a Woman is a Demonstration that God is so far from having cast off Humane Nature that as much as it is depraved he beareth a very wonderful good-will still to it and hath a real desire to readvance and dignifie it even this simply considered and without joyning with it the consideration of the Design of it might make us conclude this seeing that Christ's taking our nature is the bringing of it so near to the Divine as to lodge it therewith in one and the self-same Person And therefore besides the motive to holiness drawn from God's infinite love therein expressed this Doctrine containeth another very powerful one viz. That it must needs be a most notoriously vile thing to dishonour our nature by sin and wickedness and far more so than it was before the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in that it may now by the means thereof be properly said that it is in his person advanced above even the Nature of Angels for him who is invested with it do they themselves worship And how can any Christian while he considereth this be able to forbear thus to reason with himself Shall I by harbouring filthy lusts debase that nature in my own person which God hath to such an infinite height exalted in his Son's God forbid What an additional motive is this to do as Pythagoras advised his Scholars in these words Above all things revere and stand in awe of thy self Do nothing that is disbecoming and unworthy of so excellent a nature as thine is 3. That this Son of God taught men their duty by his own example and did himself perform among them what he required of them Now that he should tread before us every step of that way which he he hath told us leadeth to eternal happiness and commend those duties which are most ungrateful to our corrupt inclinations by his own practice our having so brave an example is no small encouragement to a chearful performance of all that is commanded For how honourable a thing must it needs be to imitate the onely begotten Son of God nay and one who is likewise God himself How glorious to follow such a pattern Those which have any thing in their souls of true generosity cannot but find themselves by the consideration hereof not a little provoked to abandon all sin and to set themselves very heartily to the performance of whatsoever duties are imposed upon them And as for those which we are so apt to look upon as unworthy of us and too low for us such as meek putting up of affronts and condescending to the meanest offices for the serving of our brethren how can his spirit be
too lofty for them that considers Christ's was not Now these are all such motives and helps to holiness the like to which none but those who have the Gospel ever had 4. That this Son of God was an expiaatory Sacrifice for us We have already shewn what cogent Arguments to all holy obedience are herein contained 5. That this Son of God being raised from the Dead and ascended into Heaven is our High Priest there and ever lives as the Author to the * Hebrews saith to make intercession with his Father for us The Heathens it is confessed had a notion of Daemons negotiating the affairs of men with the Supreme God but they could never have imagined in the least that they should be so highly privileged as to have one who is the Begotten Son of this God and infinitely above all persons dear to him for their perpetual Mediator and Intercessor I need not say what an encouragement this is to an Holy Life And as the Doctrine of God's giving his Son which containeth the five forementioned particulars is such as the highest improvement of reason could never have caused any thing like it to have entered our thoughts or that is comparable thereunto for the effectual provoking of men to the pursuance of all Holiness of Heart and Life so Secondly The Doctrine of his sending the Holy Ghost to move and excite us to our Duty and to assist chear and comfort us in the performance of it may go along with it How could it have once been thought without Divine Revelation that a person indued with the Divine Nature and Infinite Power and Goodness should take it upon him as his Office and peculiar Province to assist mens weakness in the prosecution of vertue But this doth the Gospel assure us of as also that those which do not resist and repel his good motions shall be sure to have alwaies the superintendency of this Blessed Spirit and that he will never forsake them but abide with them for ever and carry them from one degree of Grace to another till at length it is consummate and made perfect in Glory And to this I adde Thirdly The Doctrine of our Union with Christ through this Spirit which Union to speak in the words of the Learned Dr. Patrick in his Mensa Mystica Is not only such a Moral one as is between Husband and Wife which is made by Love or between King and Subjects which is made by Laws but such a Natural Union as is between Head and Members the Vine and Branches which is made by one Spirit or Life dwelling in the whole The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. As the body is one and hath many members and also the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body Now see what use the Apostle makes of both these 1 Cor. 6. 15 19 20. Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an Harlot God forbid And then he thus proceeds in the 19 and 20 Verses What know you not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own but ye are bought with a price Therefore glorifie God in your body and in your Spirit which are God's What helps and incitements we have to the perfecting of Holiness in the fear of God from these two Doctrines is inexpressible Lastly The Doctrine of the unconceivably great Reward that shall be conserred upon all good and holy persons which the Gospel hath revealed is such as could not possibly by the mere help of Natural Light enter into the thoughts of those that were strangers to it We are therein assured not only of another life and that good men shall therein be rewarded but likewise that the reward that shall be conferred upon them shall be no less than an Hyperbolically Hyperbolical Weight of Glory as are the words of S. Paul 2 Cor. 4. 1â—… Those that overcome are promised that they shall sit with Christ on his Throne even as he overcame and is set down with his Father on his Throne Rev. 3. 21. In short the happiness that our Saviour will reward all his faithful Disciples with is so expressed as that we are assured it is inexpressible and likewise far exceeding the short reach of our present conceptions of which their souls are not only to partake but their bodies also they being to be made as vile as they are in this state like the Glorious Body of Jesus Christ and though sown in Corruption and dishonour to be raised in â—…lory 1 Cor. 15. Now though as we said the learned Heathens did many of them by the exercise of their reason make it probable to themselves that their souls were immortal and that in another world vertuous persons shall be richly rewarded yet no reasoning of theirs could ever enable them so much as to conjecture that this reward shall be such an immensely great one as that the Gospel assures us of there being an infinite disproportion betwixt the best services that the most vertuous persons are in a possibility of performing and such a reward as this is and it being also impossible that so great a felicity as that of the Soul only should be a necessary and natural result from the highest degrees of holiness that are attainable in this low and imperfect state But yet it is too well known to be concealed that the Pythagoraeans and Platonists do speak very great things of the happiness of Heaven and those of them that discourse intelligibly concerning it do give in the general the Gospel-notion of it I have found Simplicius somewhere in his Comment on Epictetus calling it an eternal rest with God And the Pythagoraean verses conclude with these two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When from this body thou' rt set free Thou shalt mount up toth ' Sky And an immortal God shalt be Nor any more shalt die Where by Thou shalt be an immortal God the Commentator Hierocles understands thou shalt be like to the immortal Gods and by them he meaneth as appears by his Comment upon the first verse those excellent spirits that are immediately subordinate to their Maker the supreme God and the God of Gods as he calls him by which he seemeth to understand the same with those called in the Scripture Arch-Angels for I find that he gives the name Angels to an order next below them So that according to him it was the Pythagoraean doctrine That good men shall when they go to Heaven be made in state and condition like to those that are likest to God Almighty But how they should learn this by mere natural Light is unimaginable That which is most probably conjectured is that they received these with several other notions from the
full of danger Again how wisely did our Saviour from time to time defeat and render unsuccessful the Plots and Machinations of the Pharisees and his other enemies against him We find in Matth. 22. 15. the Herodians or those of the Jews that adhered to the Caesarean and Roman Authority and the Pharisees who esteemed it as an usurpation combining together to intangle him in his talk And they so ordered their plot as that they might get an advantage from whatsoever he should say either to render him Obnoxious to Herod and the Roman Party or to Inrage the most popular and highly esteemed Sect of the Jews the Pharisees In order hereunto they cunningly put to him this Question viz. Whether it were lawful to pay tribute to Caesar If he should answer that it was he would make himself lyable to the latter mischief if that it was not to the former and the far greater Now as is to be seen in the 19 20 21. verses our Saviour with such admirable prudence contrived his answer that vers 22. both factions are said to wonder at it and to be basfled by it When they had heard these words they marvelled and left him and went their way Diverse other Instances there are of a like nature as in Iohn 8. 3. to 9. Matth. 21. 23. to 27. Matt. 22. 41. to 46 c. And thus we have sufficiently and fully enough proved that it was the whole business of our Saviour's life to make men in all respects Pertuous and Holy and that thereunto were subservient as his Discourses with them so his Actions likewise and whole Behaviour Plus docent exempla quà m praecepta Examples are the most natural and easie way of teaching and they are so by reason of Mankinds being so greatly addicted to imitation and I say it doth from our past discourse sufficiently appear That our Saviour's whole Conversation was a rare exemplification of all kinds of Vertue and true Goodness CHAP. VI. That to make men truly Virtuous and Holy was the Design of Christ's unimitable Actions or Mighty works and Miracles And that these did not onely tend to promote it as they were convincing Arguments that He came forth from God but were also very proper to effect it in a more immediate manner BUt it cannot be amiss if we moreover adde That it was not onely the Design of our Saviour's imitable Actions to teach the world Vertue but also of those which are not imitable viz. Of his Miracles and Mighty works And that these did not onely tend to the promoting of that Design as they were convincing and infallible Arguments that he came forth from God but were likewise very proper to effect it in a more immediate manner For they were not onely Argumentative or a proof of the Truth of his Doctrine but also Instructive and minded men of their Duty Those Miracles which he chose to work were of such a nature as to be hugely fit to accomplish at one and the same time both these businesses They were not such as the foolish and carnal Jews expected that is signs from Heaven that were apt to produce directly no other effect than that of pleasing their Childish Phansies or striking their senses with admiration and astonishment by making prodigious and amazing shews and Representations before their eyes but most of them were expressions of the greatest kindness and Charity to Mankind For instance his Healing the sick of all manner of Diseases his making the lame to walk and the blind to see and the deaf to hear his cleansing the Lepers Feeding the Hungry Raising the Dead and ejecting of Evil Spirits out of those that were miserably possessed with them and tormented by them c. In Acts 10. 38. The Apostle expresseth our Saviour's working of Miracles by this Phrase Doing good who saith he went up and down doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil And in his Miracles did he give Instances of great kindness and good-will even unto those which did least deserve it For he made use of his Divine Power for the Healing relief of the Disingenuous and Unthankful Ill-natured and Wicked as well as of the better-disposed and more worthy persons Therein imitating his heavenly Father as he required us to do who maketh his Sun to rise on the Evil and on the Good and sendeth Rain on the Iust and on the Unjust Matth. 5. 45. And as I take it the last Miracle that before he ascended the Cross was wrought by him was the Cure of one of those his Enemies that came with Clubs and Staves to apprehend him And the few Miracles besides those that consisted in doing kindnesses to Men for those we have on record are almost all such were such as by which he gave us an Example of other Vertues As particularly of Piety Trust in God and zeal for him Of his Piety and Trust in God his Fasting fourty days and fourty nights was a great evidence It was so of his Trust in him and constant adhering to him as by thus doing he put himself by his Father's appointment upon most violent and strong temptations in Conflicting wherewith as hath been shewn he came off a most Noble Conquerour Of his Zeal for God was his whipping the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple no small expression and I adde it was so also of his most gracious and loving respect to the contemned Gentiles whose Court as Master Mede and others have most evidently demonstrated they were whip'd out of they making their house of Prayer a Den of Thieves as our Saviour told them And this may deservedly be numbered among his Miracles because it is unconceivable how a Man unarmed in no Authority and of mean esteem in regard of his Parentage poverty and low Circumstances should strike such a fear into those people as to force them without the least offer of Resistance to flee before him if the cause thereof were not extraordinary and more than natural And even that Miracle which might seem the most inconsiderable namely his causing his Disciple Peter to catch a Fish with a small piece of money in its mouth was also Instructive of a Duty It being an Instance of his Loyalty to the Supreme Magistrate for the money was expended in paying Tribute and taken out of the Sea in that strange manner for no other purpose In short I know no one Miracle that our Saviour wrought but over and above its being a Seal for the Confirmation of his Divine Mission it teacheth some one or other good Lesson and is proper for the bettering of the Souls of those that seriously consider it And that great Miracle which after his Ascension according to his promise he shewed in sending the Holy Ghost did promote the business of making men holy in a far higher way than that of Example For the grand standing office of the Spirit in the world is the exciting in us Holy Desires and the assisting of
be most truly and properly called sins There is no one duty more affectionately recommended in the Gospel to us than is Alms-giving but to give alms to be seen and praised by men is no better than base Hypocrisie as Christ hath told us so far is it from an expression of Christian Charity And whatsoever materially vertuous actions proceed not from the principle of love to vertue though I cannot say that all such are hateful to God yet they want that degree of perfection that is requisite to make them truly Christian. And it is a plain case that he is not the Christian that is much employed in the Duties of Prayer Hearing God's Word Reading the Bible and other good Books c. but he that discovereth a good mind in them in whom the end of them is effected and who is the better for them This is the business for the sake of which Prayer is enjoyned We are therein to acknowledge God's Infinite Perfections and our obligations to him that we may express our hearty sense of them and in order to our being the more affected with those and our having the more grateful resentments of these We are in that duty to address our selves to the Divine Majesty in the name of Christ for what we want that we may by this means both express and encrease our dependance on him and trust in him for the obtaining thereof And to confess and bewail our sins to exercise Godly sorrow and contrition of Soul and that by so doing we may be so much the more deeply humbled for them and have the greater averseness in our wills against them The communion which we are to enjoy with God in Prayer is such as consisteth in being enamoured with the Excellencies that are in him and in receiving communications of his Nature and Spirit from him Therefore also are we commanded to Hear and Read God's Word that we may come thereby to understand and be put in mind of the several Duties he requires of us and be powerfully moved to the doing of them And the like may be said concerning all the other Exercises of Piety and Devotion the end of them is more and more to dispose our Hearts to the Love and our wills to the obedience of our Blessed Creatour and Redeemer And busying our selves in any of them without this Design may well be counted in the number of the fruitless and unaccountable actions of our lives Thus to do is prodigally to wast and mispend our time as the Jews were upbraided by one of their adversaries with doing upon the account of their Sabbath saying That they lost one day in seven And those that are most constant in their Addresses to the Majesty of Heaven both in the Publique and Private worship of him if they go into his presence with the entertainment and allowance of any sinful Affection they have never the more of the Divine Approbation upon that account If I regard saith David iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me God esteemeth no better of such as do so than as Hypocritical Fawners upon him and false-hearted Complementers of him and hath declared that their Sacrifices are an Abomination to him The Generality of the Jews were such a people God by his Prophet Isaiah speaks thus concerning them They seek me dayly and delight to know my ways as a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinance of their God They ask of me the Ordinances of Iustice they take delight in approaching to God They were a people that loved to fast and pray and afflict their Souls and to make their voice to be heard on high But giving liberty to themselves in plain immoralities God declared that all this was even hateful to him As may be seen in the Fifty eighth of Isaiah And he there likewise telleth them that the Fast which he took pleasure in consisteth in loosing the bands of wickedness in undoing the heavy burthens and letting the oppressed go free in breaking every yoke in dealing their bread to the Hungry and bringing the poor that are cast out to their houses in covering the Naked and the exercise of strict justice mercy and kindness And in the first Chapter he asks them To what purpose the multitude of their Sacrifices were though they were no other than he himself by the Law of Moses required and charged them to bring no more vain oblations to him told them that their Incense was an Abomination to him their New-moons and Sabbaths and calling of Assemblyes he could not away with that their Solemn Assembly was iniquity that their New-Moons and appointed Feasts his Soul hated and that he was weary to bear them And all this because these were the onely or main things they recommended themselves to him by their Religion chiefly consisted in them and they gave themselves leave to be unrighteous cruel and unmerciful as may there be seen God abhorrs to see men come cringing and crowching before him bestowing a great heap of the best words upon him and the worst upon themselves and with dejected countenances bemoaning themselves and making lamentable complaints of their wickedness to him imploring mercy and favour from him c. when they resolvedly persist in disobedience So far are such things as these from being able to make amends for any of their sins that God accounts them no better than Additions to their most heinous impieties as by the Sixty sixth of Iâ—…aiah it further appeareth It is said there He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dog's neck he that offereth an 〈◊〉 as if he offered Swines blood â—…e that burneth Incense as if he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And how came this to pass it follows They have chosen their own ways and their Soul delighteth in their Abominationâ—… So that if he had such an opinion of the goodliest and most acceptable Sacrifices when offered by Disobedient and Immorall Persons under the Law it is impossible that he should have one jot a better of the most affectionate Devotions of those that take no care to be really and inwardly righteous and holy under the Gospel And in being so consists as was said the Soul and Life of Christianity Not that a true Christian can have undervaluing and slight thoughts of the External worship and service of God nor that he can contemn or neglect praying to him singing his Praises Hearing or Reading his Word c. Nothing less For by the serious and diligent performance of these and the like Duties he comes to acquire and encrease that good temper of Soul that gives him the denomination of such a one through the assistance of the Divine Grace He is one to speak in the words of Hierocles as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joyns Endeavours to 〈◊〉 and Prayers also with the other parts of Divine Worship to his other Endeavours And besides the solemn acknowledgements of God
both in publique and private are expressions of Natural Justice Quid aliud est 〈◊〉 saith Tully quà m Iustitia adversùs Deos What is Piety or Devotion but Iustice towards God And each of the significations of it whether Natural or Positive they are Payments of a due to him so that men cannot be so much as honest and omit the honouring of the Divine Majesty by them But it is certain that these Performances do him no honour at all any otherwise than as they proceed from a good and sincere Soul And to this purpose our often cited Philosopher hath this other excellent saying viz. The greatest abundance and profusest costliness of Oblations bring no Honour to God except they are offered with a Divine mind For the Gifts and Sacrifices of fools are but food for the fire Sacrifices in Ancient times were called the Food of Almighty God as being provision made for his house but saith this Philosopher when they proceed from fools or wicked men they are at best but the Fire's meat They signifie nothing to God and are merely thrown away And indeed the best intelligible and most significant honour that our devoutest services bring to God is by their being a means of making us more like unto him And as I shewed out of the Learned Master Smith's Treatise how God most glorifieth himself so I think it not amiss to transcribe more lines of that worthy person wherein he excellently sheweth how we most glorifie God and they immediately follow the former Saith he pag. 409. As God's seeking his own glory in respect of us is most properly the flowing forth of his Goodness upon us so our seeking the Glory of God is most properly our endeavouring a participation of his goodness and an earnest uncessant pursuing after Divine perfection When God becomes so Great in our eyes and all created things so lâ—…ttle that we reckon upon nothing as worthy of our aims or ambâ—…tions but a serious participation of the Divine Nature and the exercise of Divine Vertâ—â—s Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Kindness Goodness and the like When the Soul beholding the Infinite Beauty and Loveliness of the Divinity and then looking down and beholding all created perfection mantled over with darkness is ravished into love and admiration of that never-setting Brightness and endeavours after the greatest resâ—â—blance of God in Justice Love and 〈◊〉 when conversing with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a secret feeling of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and power of his Goodness we endeavour to assimilate our selves to him Then we may be said to Glorifie him indeed God seeks â—…o glory but his own and we have none of our own to give him God in all things seeks himself and his own Glory as finding nothing Better than himself and when we love him above all things and endeavour to be most like him we declare plainly that we count nothing Better than he is See more to the same purpose Pag. 141 142 143. And this same Excellent Notion the Pythagoraeans however they came by it did also teach It was one of their sayings Thou wilâ—… best glorifie God by assimilating and making thy mind like to God And I will trouble the Reader with one more of our Philosopher's sayings which is no less worthy of his observation than any of the past recited ones viz. Thou canst not honour God in giving ought to him but by becoming a meet and worthy Person to receive from him And the great and Infallible Oracle of Truth our Blessed Saviour hath assured us that Herein is his Father Glorified that we bear much Fruit that we are fruitful in all Holiness And we learn from S. Paul Phil. 1. 11. That they are the Fruits of Righteousness which are by Iesus Christ or the effects of his Grace and Holy Spirit which redound to the praise and glory of God And then do we praise him most significantly and effectually when we are 〈◊〉 as there he prays that the Philippians may be with these Fruits when Righteousness takes possession of our Souls grows and encreases in them and exerts it self in our Lives as it must needs do wheresoever it is and our whole conversations shine with it In short Circumcision is nothing and Uncircumcision is nothing neither any Opinions nor Performances nor Forbearances that have no influence upon the Soul and Spirit are any thing but the keeping the Commandments of God This is all in all In Christ Iesus nothing at all availeth but such a Faith as works by love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or is perfected by Charity and a New-creature And if any man be in Christ he is a New creature and whosoever is a New creature is in Christ or a true Christian All which S. Paul hath plainly taught us in 1 Cor. 7. 19. Gal. 5. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Those in whom the Design of the Gospel hath taken good effect are indeed Christians and none but such in the success of that must needs lie the power of Christianity and in nothing else And therefore whosoever they are in whom the Genuine effects of Righteousness and true Holiness are conspicuous we ought to look upon them as Living Members of that Body whereof Christ is the Head Whoever are ready to profess their Faith in God and Christ and the Holy Spirit in all Scripture Phrases without perverting their manifest and apparent sense and lead a life answerable for ought that we can discern to the clear intimations of our Saviour's will and all the Rules plainly laid down in his Holy Gospel though it should not be their fortune to concur with us in all our sentiments it is our duty to judge them to be indued with all the Essentials and Integral parts of Christianity and accordingly to carry our selves towards them Or we shall offer them too great a temptation to suspect that we our selves are ignorant wherein they consist and for all our great Profession are void of them There is one thing more which I cannot forbear to add concerning the weighty and most important Point we are now discoursing and which contains the summ of all that need to be said about it viz. That it is impossible we should not have the Design of Christianity accomplished in us and therefore that we should be destitute of the Power of it if we make our Saviour's most Excellent Life a short account of which we have been in this Tractate presented with the Pattern of our â—…ves if we write after that Fair Copy he hath therein set us if we tread in his Blessed Sâ—…eps and be such according to 〈◊〉 Measure and Capacity as we have understood he was in this World Those that sincerely and industriously endeavour to imitate the Holy Jesus in his Spirit and 〈◊〉 can never be ignorant what it is to be truly Christians nor can they fail 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And if the History of his Life were more perused and minded and that he designed to be therein our
chearfully through this sad world and in the middest of our thoughts within us will solid comforts delight our Souls Little do those think what Happiness they deprive themselves of even in this life that place their Religion in any thing more than an Universal respect to their Saviour's Precepts There is no true Christian that 〈◊〉 to be told That the more careful 〈◊〉 is to obey God the more sweetly hâ—… enjoys himself Nor That a Vertuous and Holy Life doth several ways bring in a constant Revenue of Peace and Pleasure even such as no Earthly thing can afford any that deserves to be nam'd on the same day with it Every good man feels that Christ's yoke is not less Pleasant than it is Easie nor his Burthen more Light than it is Delightful And that all his ways are upon many accounts ways of Pleasantness and all his Paths Peace So that were there no other Reward to be hoped for but what dayly attends them it would be most unquestionably our Interest to walk in them and to forsake all other for them And there is no one of Christ's Disciples that by Experience understands what his Blessed Master's injunctions are that would be content to be eased though he might of them Or that would accept of a Quiâ—…tus est from performing the Duties required by him though he should have it offered him even with the Broad Seal of Heaven which is impossible to be supposed affixed to it But lastly by this means shall we obtain when we depart hence the End of our Faith even the Salvation of our Souls and arrive at a most Happy and Glorious Immortality By the pursuance of real and Universal Righteousness shall we certainly obtain the Crown of Righteousness which our righteous Redeemer hath purchased for us and God the Righteous Iudge will give unto us An exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory we shall assuredly reap if we faint not and be not weary of Well-doing Glory Honour and Peace is the undoubted portion of every Soul that worketh good And Blessed are they that do his Commandments for they have right to the Tree of Life and shall enter through the Gates into the City But if on the Contrary we foolishly satisfie our selves with an ineffectual Faith in Christ a notional knowledge and empty Profession of his Religion or a meerly external and Partial Righteousness these will be so far from intitling us to the exceeding great and precious Promises of the Gospel that they at least the three former will much heighten our misery in the world to come and excessively aggravate our Condemnation Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandments from a Principle of Love to him and them for this is the whole of the Christian Man The End Errata PAge 17. line 8. for practical read partial p. 51. l. 3. r. world p. 82. l. 7. r. poverty p. 87. l. 1. r. for sin and l. 9. r. Jealousie p. 95. l. 12. r. of sin p. 115. l. 18. r. farther add p. 155. l. 27. r look p. 1â—…4 l. 7. blot out too p. 190. l. 23. r. Christians p. 211. last line for the r. their p. 224. l. 17. for in r. on p. 280. l. 17. r. need not p. 294. l. 13. r. filled p. â—…00 l. 8. r. it is In 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 106. and in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 112. and in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 187. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some Books Printed for R. Royston at the Angel in S t Paul's Church-yard since the Fire A Paraphrase and Annotations upon all the Books of the New Testament The third Edition by H. Hammond D. D. Ductor Dubitantium Or the Rule of Conscience in Four Books Folio The second Edition by Jer. Taylor Chaplain in Ordinary to King Charles the First and late Lord Bishop of Down and Conner The Sinner Impleaded in his own Court The third Edition Whereunto is now added The love of Christ planted upon the very same Turf on which it once had been Supplanted by the extreme Love of Sin in 4 o. A Collection of Sermons upon several occasions by Tho. Pierce D. D. and President of S. Mary Magdalen-College in Oxon. A correct Coppy of some Notes concerning God's Decrees enlarged by the same Authour in 4 o. A Discourse concerning the true Notion of the Lord's Supper to which are added two Serm. by R. Cudworth D. D. in 8 o. The Unreasonableness of the Romanists requiring our Communion with the present Romish-Church in 8 o. Christian Consolation Derived from five heads in Religion I. Faith II. Hope III. The Holy Spirit IV. Prayer V. The Sacraments Written by the Right Reverend Father in God John Hacket late Lord Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield Chaplain to King Charles the I. and II. in 8 o. The Profitableness of Piety an Assize Sermon Preach'd by Richard West D. D. in 4 o. West Barbary or a Narrative of the Revolutions of the Kingdoms of Fez and Morocco with an account of the present Customes Sacred Civil and Domestick in 8 o. Printed at Oxon for John Willmot and are to be sold by Richard Royston The Christian Sacrifice A Treatise shewing the Necessity End and Manner of Receiving the Holy Communion Together with suitable Prayers and Meditations for every Month in the Year and the Principal Festivals in Memory of our Blessed SAVIOUR The End * Act 26. * Gal. 4. 9 Mat. 5. 17. Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie Fully to Preach as Rom. 15 19. Col. 1. 25. 1 Tim. 6. 3. * Rom. 7. Eph. â—… Mat. 50 Col. 3. 23. Rom. 12. 11. 1 Cor. 10. 31. 1 Pet. 1. 15 Mat. 5. 48. Mat. 19. 19. â—…it 3. 2. 1 Cor. 13. 5 1 John 3. 16. 2 Pet. 1. Phil. 4. 1 Tim. 4. Mat. 5. 8. vers 3. vers 7. vers 5. Rom. 2. 7. Rev. 3. 21. chap. 2. 10 Col. 1. 12. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1. 18 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Mat. 5. 22. Mat. 11. 26. â—…ha 18. 28 â—…ha 25. 42 1 John 3. 15. 〈◊〉 7. 1. Revel 21. 27. Jam. 4. 6. Matth. 23. 13 Rom 13 1 2. 1 Pet. 2. 23. Isa. 50. 6. Isa. 53. vers 7. * Iustin Martyr 2 Cor. 8. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 4. See Mat. 9. 14. to 17 Mat. 7. Mar. 5. 13 Luk. 8. 32 Matth. 8. 31 32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nè malum quidem â—…lum cum turpitudiniâ—… malo comparandum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Car. Pythag. pag. 10â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 162. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 153. 〈◊〉 lib. â—… de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ieroc pag. 78. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Comment in Epict. pag. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 70. 1 Pet. 3. Nihil Neque meum est neque cujusquam quod auferri quod eripi quod amitti potest Cicero in Paradoxis Animus hominis dives non arca appellari potest Quamvis illa sit plena dum te inanem videbo divitem non putabo In paradox Tuae libidines te torquent te arumnae premunt omnes tu dies noctesque Cruciaris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui Appetitus longius evagantur c. et non satis ratione â—…etinentur â—…c ab iis non modò animi perturbantur sed etiam Corpora licet era ipsa cernere iratorum aut corum qui aus libidine aliquâ aut metu commoti sunt aut voluptate nimiâ gestiunt quorum omnium â—…ultus voces motus statusque mutantur Cicero lib de Officiis primo See his select discourses pag. 409. Chap. 1. 5. Quòd si in hoc erro quod animos hominum immortales esse credam libenter erro nec mihi errorem quo delector dum vâ—…o extorqueri volo Sin mortuus c. Lib. 9. Sect. 4â—… 2 Cor. 5. 20. Heb. 1. 2 3 1 Tim. 3. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 7. 〈◊〉 â—… 〈◊〉 This notion of a fine body did Tertullian retain his belief of after he was converted to Christianity and took it for the inner man spoken of in Scripture Exod. 3. 6 Matth. 22. 3â—… Rom. 1. 16 2 Cor. 10. 5. Pâ—…dag pag. 120. Oratio ad Graecoâ—… pag. 40. Dialog cum Tryph. p. 225. Pag. 2 2 Cor. 2. 16. Joh. 9. 39. Praeter obstinationem â—…on sacrificandi nihil aliud se dâ—… sacramentis eorum compeâ—…isse quà m caetus anteluâ—…anos ad canendum Christo Deo ad confoedâ—…randam Disciplinam homicidiâ—…m adulterium fraudem per fidâ—…am câ—…etera scelera prohibenâ—…es Lib. 10. Epist. 9â—… 〈◊〉 Affirmabant autem haue fuisse summam vel culpae suae vel erroris quòd essent soliti stato die ante lucem convenire carmenque Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem seque Sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere sed me furta ne latroâ—…inia ne adulteria committerent ne fidem fallerent ne depositum appellati abnegarent c. Sed nihil aliud inveni quà m Superstitionem pravam immodicam Iustin. Martyr Apolog. ad Antoninum Pium Pag. 115. â—…ss 9. Pag. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Joh. 3. 8. Rom. 6. Mat. â—… â—…al 2. â—… Tim. 4. 16. Joh. 8. 〈◊〉 Mâ—…tt 5. 29 30. 1 Tim. 4. 8 Matt. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pag. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Comment in Aur. Carm. Pag. 22. Joh. 5. 18. 1 Joh. 2. 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alexandrin Stromat Lib. â—… Pag. 288. Mat. 7. 24. Vers. 26. 1 Pet. â—… 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 4. Rom. 2. 10 Rev. 22. 14