their Hearts were swelled up with Grief their Souls were inwardly pierced with excessive Sorrow which abundantly appeared by all the ways by which People use to express their sorrowful Thoughts and sad Apprehensions smiting their Breasts and rending their Garments which the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth howling and mourning with the Voice which is the signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now it will be worth the while and very proper for the Day to consider what it was that moved them to all this Indeed the Hearts of Women by Nature are soft and tender and their Passions are sooner and more easily moved than those of Men but if we view the Object of their Grief we will not think it strange that these Women did thus bewail and lament it will be much more strange if we can restrain our Passions and refrain from weeping at the account of it and yet all know that the sight of a thing toucheth more sensibly than the hearing of it doth These Women had seen all which our Lord had hitherto suffered at the hands of wicked and sinful Men and had lively Apprehensions of what he was yet to suffer for the Death he was going to was known and ordinary but known only to be a vile shameful and most painful Death as upon other accounts so upon this that it was not a speedy but a lingering Death If they themselves were not Witnesses yet they well enough understood how he was seiz'd in the Garden as a Thief when he was most serious in Devotion and Prayer and dragged from thence to the High-Priest's Palace which ought to have been a Refuge to Innocence and a Safeguard against Indiscretions and an Unmerciful Threatment But alas even there they saw him unjustly used and most indiscreetly Handled falsely Accused illegally convicted of Blasphemy and other Crimes and all the rules of Discretion Civility and Good Manners broken in treating him He was Spit upon and Buffetted Blindfolded and smitten on the Cheek with a Prophesie who it was that smote thee By the break of Day he was hurried away to Pilate from him to Herod and back again to Pilate every one making their Sport of him After some Mock-Formalities of Law and Justice these Women saw him delivered to the Roman Soldiers a sort of Men who took Pleasure in Blood and Cruelty and then they beheld him dressed like a Fool with a Crown of Thorns a Purple Robe and a Reed instead of a Scepter because he was said to be the King of the Iews They saw him strip'd of these Ornaments of mocked Majesty and unmercifully Whipt and Scourged by the same Soldiers with Cords till Furrows were made in his Back and the Blood ran down his innocent Body And when all this would not satisfie the Malice of his Enemies they saw him given in exchange for a Villain and Notorious Robber and against all Law and Reason meerly upon the importunity of an unreasonable Multitude condemned to a Violent and Cruel Death and contrary to all Equity denied any respite or breathing time but instantly forced away to the place of Execution and made to bear that Cross on which he was to hang and pine away his Life in Pain and Torment Represent all this to your selves and consider if it be not sad and doleful who would not shed Tears at such a Sight May not this force Tears either from Man or Woman Suppose Jesus had been as bad and criminal as his Enemies would have made him yet such cruel and unmerciful Usage called for Compassion Quod non homini detur humanitati Even when it is necessary to satisfie the Law and to execute Justice Pity should be shewn to the Offender But if Pity and Compassion be due to Calamity and Misery even when there is guilt to deserve it what should be shewn when there is no Guilt at all If it should touch our hearts to see any of our Fellow-Creatures suffer though it be no more than the just Punishment of their Sins how should we be affected How should our Passions be stirred when unspotted Innocence and Vertue suffer These good Women knew that Jesus had no Crime they saw his very Enemies could not fix any upon him and that they were baffled when they undertook to prove any against him Nay he was not only innocent but also perfectly righteous he not only was guilty of no Ill but also he was one who went up and down doing good and had done many great and good and wonderful Works The Malice of his Enemies was not occasioned by any Fault of his but only by the Truth and Purity and Powerfulness of his Doctrine and by the Holiness and Integrity of his Life both which reproved their Errors their false Teaching their Hypocrisie and their Covetousness Add to all this his Quality which was the greatest in the World For tho' these Women were not yet instructed fully about his eternal Generation nor yet perhaps believed him to be the true Son of God equal with the Father as the Catholick Church doth teach and hath always taught and which must be believed if the Scriptures be true and genuine yet they believed him a Prophet and knew him to be a good Man mighty in Word and Deed they were perswaded that he was the Messiah and trusted that it was he who should have redeemed Israel Judge I pray you then what cause of Grief was here The greatest Dignity trampled upon and affronted The greatest Innocence condemned The greatest Righteousness punished The greatest Meekness reviled The greatest Charity and Beneficence persecuted The Man who preached the Word of God with Authority who shewed them the true way to Life who comforted them in their Affliction who cured their Diseases who restored their Children and Friends to Life who fed them with Miracles and from whom they expected the Salvation promised by all the Prophets to see this Man mocked scourged and put to Death before their Eyes Lord what matter of Grief was this What Occasion for Weeping Mourning and great Lamentation But though all this was more than sufficient to afflict and grieve the minds of these Women yet there was something more than all this which Jesus suffered which they knew not he suffered in his Soul and Spirit by the immediate Hand of God which none was sensible of save himself Inward Trouble and Disturbance of the Soul is much more sad and weighty than Pains and Torments in the Body The spirit of a man may sustain his Infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear Jesus was at this time drinking the Cup of his Father's Wrath and Displeasure against Sin and the Sin not of one or two but of all Mankind What it was that he suffered in his Soul on this Account we do not know but that he did suffer in that part is certain and that he suffered heavily appears from his sweating Blood in the Garden in a cold Night from his praying three
making Man's Life so much shorter now than what it was at first in the Patriarchs timse is so far from being a Matter of Complaint that it is indeed a great Blessing He who must run will not complain of the shortness of the Race especially if the way be not good but rough and uneven The shortest Life is long enough if it be well employed If we can be so wise as to live well it is our Happiness to die soon for then Death is but the ending of our Misery and a wafting us over to eternal Bliss And this is it which St. Iohn here calls Life it is that glorious and happy State in the other World which God hath prepared for all true Believers That it is this which is here meant we need no further Proof than to look to the Verse before and after our Text for there he names it expressly Eternal Life This is indeed the End of our Faith the Completion of the Promises the great and last Design of Christianity All other are subordinate to this Whatever else is given is either to further the Attainment of this or to cherish the Hopes of it For this end Christ was born for this end he died and rose again for this end the Gospel was preached and thither tend all the Dispensations of the Divine Providence even to bring Men to Eternal Life which also is called by other glorious Names in Scripture as Heaven the Kingdom of God the Kingdom of Glory If you ask why the Apostle should call this State Life simply when Men do live who are not in this State The Answer is he calls it Life by way of Eminence and Excellency no State being comparable to it It is deservedly called Life if we either consider the Felicity or Duration of it First it deserveth the Name of Life upon the Account of the Felicity and Happiness it affords for Life and Happiness are often used as Reciprocal Terms as Words of one Importance according to that Saying non est vivere sed valere vita to live merely to have a being and no more is not worth the Name of Life A Man would chuse to be dead rather than miserable Wherefore it is also that St. Paul calleth this Life a dying daily He only is said to live truly who liveth happily And there is no true Happiness but in this Life which the Apostle here speaks of What and how great this Happiness is is not yet known Some late Enthusiasts and Visionaries have taken upon them to describe this future State as particularly as if they had already lived some time in it But St. Iohn saith It doth not yet appear what we shall be and we have Reason to believe that there was as much revealed to him as to them What he says is certain what they add ought to be rejected as presumptuous Dreams and Delusions God has revealed clearly that there is another Life and has assured us that it is more than a sufficient Recompence for all our Labours and Services and that it will afford perfect Contentment and Satisfaction But the particular Circumstances of that Life are yet kept secret partly because we could not conceive or comprehend them We are not capable of a full Discovery of that Life for it exceeds our highest Thoughts and best Apprehensions Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him The Scripture speaks to us of Rivers of Pleasure Kingdoms Scepters and uncorruptible Crowns But we are to understand this no otherwise than as Similitudes representing something of exceeding great Worth and Value As our greatest Thoughts of God fall short of what he is so also all our Apprehensions of Heaven for the Happiness of Heaven is infinite like the Nature of God Kings and Princes study to have their Courts answerable to their Magnificence and Dignity How Glorious and Magnificent then must Heaven be the Court of the great King Whose Power is Almighty whose Wisdom is Infinite and all whose Perfections are past finding out either by Men or Angels Surely God shall there display himself and his Attributes most clearly and most fully to all Beholders St. Iohn who had a clearer Prospect of Heaven than ever any mortal Man tells us That there is no manner of Imperfection there The city saith he had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof And there is no night there and they need no candle neither light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them light There is also he tells us a Freedom and absolute Exemption from all Misery Pain and Trouble they who are there shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them neither any heat for the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and lead them to living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their Eyes There we shall not be clogged and fettered to a weak infirm sickly Body as now for then this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal immortality and Christ Iesus shall change this vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself And if our Bodies shall suffer such glorious Changes what think you shall be done to our Souls those precious and better parts of us It is not to be doubted but they also shall be highly exalted and perfected we shall not be liable to Ignorance and Error but shall be enlightned with the Knowledge of all Truth for as St. Paul saith Now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face now we know in part but then shall we know even as we are known There shall be excellent choice and most desirable Company not only all Saints and the Spirits of just Men made perfect but Angels and Arch-Angels Cherubims and Seraphims And we shall not only have the Pleasure of their Company but shall be equal unto them as our Saviour tells us Nay which is yet more there we shall enjoy Christ and God and not only enjoy them but be transformed into their Likeness Beloved saith St. Iohn now we are the Sons of God and it doth not appear what we shall be but this we know that when he doth appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Seeing this doth appear what needs more there is no climbing higher God is the Height of Perfection and the Fountain of all Happiness And it is impossible to conceive greater Felicity than what this Enjoyment of God and Likeness to him amount to The highest Creatures are not capable of more The aspiring to be as Gods was the Sin of our first Parents and did tempt them
being heavy laden our Lord pointeth at the present miserable condition of Mankind and designeth to represent not only his own mercifulness in offering them rest so freely but also the great need they stand in of it that they may be the more easily perswaded to accept his offer Rest is very acceptable to them that are weary to them who are lying under any great weight of pressure ease is very comfortable O how desirous then should Men be of ease to their Minds How glad ought they to be of rest to their Souls Seeing they are now by their very Birth put into a state and condition which obligeth them to Labour and be heavy laden that is they are all of them miserable and do either actually groan under their misery or they have abundant reason to do it If any do it not it is not because their state is singular and so much better than others but because their misery has stupified them their Senses are benummed which makes their condition worse and more dangerous because not so easily cured Now because Men use to value things only according to the sence of their own need of them therefore that we may not slight Christ's offer here that we may not contemn his rest but be very desirous of it and be thankful for his Kindness I shall in the next place shew the Misery which as Men we labour under and are laden with and which should make the very News of Rest and Ease most welcom and acceptable First The blessed Jesus addresseth himself to Men and calleth them to him under the title of them that labour because of the Afflictions and Calamities with which they are visited Afflictions and Calamities are call'd Burdens in Scripture and are esteemed such in the Common Judgment of the World The Judgments with which God threatned the Nations are by the Prophets called the burden of those Nations Crosses and Afflictions go under the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 labour 1 Tim. iv 10. and Rev. xiv 13. It is said Blessed are the Dead who die in the Lord for they rest from their labours thereby meaning the Troubles and Difficulties of Life Now as they may be said to labour and be heavy laden who are in a state of Trouble and Affliction so all Men as Men are in such a state none are exempted from it Man saith Eliphaz is born to trouble as the sparks flee upwards And Iob tells us That man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble Job v. 7. xiv 1. The truth of this will be attested by every Man's Experience For as an Ancient hath it dicant omnes loquantur cuncti c. Let all appear and speak let every one come and give in his Verdict let old Father Adam rise up with all his Children ask them all and they will declare that in this Life they have not found Joy without Sorrow Peace without Strife Quietness without Fear Health without Infirmity Light without Darkness Laughter without Mourning Some have more than others but none are without some kind and degrees of Troubles neither the highest nor lowest condition of Life can secure one altogether An uninterrupted Comfort and a perfect Satisfaction of all things relating to this Life never any had nor is it to be expected And therefore because all have some burden of external Trouble and Affliction upon them therefore all do labour and may be said to be heavy laden But Secondly Even abstracting from supervenient Troubles and those accidental Crosses Man is truly miserable in this World because he constantly labours under a burden of Emptiness and Vanity Not only the infliction of positive Evils but the abstraction of any real and positive or necessary Good will render one miserable and make his Life wearisome As Diseases and an external weight and pressure upon the Body will cause pain and force groaning so also will the want of Food and necessary Sustenance They who have felt it say that Hunger Thirst and Famine are of all Troubles the most grievous they render the Spirit very impatient and are ill to be endured How restless then must the Soul of Man be in this World how impatient how discontented when it finds it self deprived of the Good it craveth Its desires are never answered its longing is never satisfied nor is its Appetite ever full but is always tormented with Emptiness and Vanity There is no State or Enjoyment or Work which can give true Contentment or solid Satisfaction but after much Travel and frequent Experiments the Soul still returns unsatisfied she only wearies herself with Lyes as the Prophet speaks Something we meet with which amuses and deludes us a while but nothing to satisfie us to the full In our best state and circumstances it is only as when a hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his Soul is empty Or as when a thirsty man dreameth and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint and his soul hath appetite What Profit hath a Man of all his Labour which he taketh under the Sun All things are full of labour man cannot utter it The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing Therefore saith the Wise Man I hated life because the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous unto me for all is vanity and vexation of spirit I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive Yea better is he than both they which hath not yet been who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the Sun He tried all States considered every Condition and tasted every Enjoyment but was never satisfied with any for he found Vanity and Vexation intermingled with all The Book of Ecclesiastes contains his Observation drawn from his manifold Experiences which if we read seriously and take pains to compare what is said there with our own Experience we will soon be perswaded of the truth of all which that Wise Man saith viz. That Man all the days of his Life laboureth under Vanity and vexation of Spirit That our Souls live in a Famine of true Satisfaction and where-ever we turn our selves we find a want of that Good and Solid Contentment which we would be at and which is necessary to keep the Mind and Soul from Languishing The wiser Persons are the more they allow themselves to think the more they are perswaded of this Therefore Wife and thinking Persons usually contemn and undervalue all worldly Pleasures and Enjoyments nor do any set a price upon them or are fully satisfied with them but such as are degenerated into a brutish Nature who do not exercise their Reason nor give themselves to thinking but like the Beasts are at rest when their Bellies are full But to go on A Third Misery and Burden which Men laboured and groaned under was the Fear of
at present we are in the State of Children or Heirs while they are Minors and therefore now only we have Hope but it is a lively hope as the Text expresseth it It is Hope which enliveneth the Soul it quickeneth the Spirit and rejoiceth the Heart but without Hope the Spirit flags and the Heart faints and languisheth It is Hope which stirreth up to all Endeavours Hope is the Wheel which moveth all Designs it sets them on and keeps them a going The Labourer plougheth and soweth because he hath Hope the Merchant ventureth to the Sea and the Souldier to the War out of Hope and it is this which makes others follow the Court But these Worldly Hopes are much inferiour to this Christian Hope to which God hath now begotten us This is far more than any or all of them together And there is more Reason to rejoice and be glad of this Hope than of these other For neither the Object of them is so great nor the Ground of them so certain What worldly Men hope or what any Man hopeth of these things which relate to this World when narrowly examined amounts to no great matter oft times we are as well without these things as with them and sometimes better And however how uncertain a thing is worldly Hope and how soon and how easily is it blasted What Men trust to for effectuating their Hope is vain and deceitful and withal weak and unable to resist and overcome those Difficulties which fall in in the Prosecution of our Designs So that we see daily many ashamed and disappointed of their Hopes and not only come short of them but also to meet with the quite contrary Thus Shame and Wounds fall to the Souldiers share instead of his fansied Booty and Preferment the Labourer expected a rich crop and is reduced to Cleanness of Teeth the Merchant turns Bankrupt who was blown up with the Hopes of great Wealth the Courtier is forced away with Disgrace instead of the Honour and Command he promised himself and that Alliance which was enterprized with such Earnestness and was begun with so fair and big Promises produceth nothing but continued Vexations and Grief This is oft the end of worldly Hope and therefore it may be called a dead Hope but the Hope of a Christian is a lively Hope for it never dieth till it end in Fruition And in the mean time it hath more Life and Vigour in it to quicken and animate the Spirit of Man The hope which we have saith St. Paul is an anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast Heb. vi 19. for it is founded upon two immutable things viz. God and his Promises his Power can never fail and his Word as little but as he is still able so he is ever willing to accomplish what hath gone out of his Mouth But let us see what is our hope it is saith the Text to an inheritance This is more than the World giveth to her Children All in this World are not born to Inheritances even those Fathers who have Lands and Possessions bestow not the Heritage of them on all their Children one only of the Sons gets it but our heavenly Father giveth to every one of his Children an Inheritance Fear not little flock saith Christ it is your Father's will to give you a Kingdom And as we have an Inheritance so an Excellent one for its Kind and Quality Some Kingdoms and Inheritances are petty and inconsiderable and afford small matter to brag off but this Inheritance is so great that there is none greater nor any comparable to it For First It is said to be Incorruptible this respects the duration of it and the like cannot be said of any other Inheritance The Psalmist tells us Mens inward thoughts is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations and that therefore they call their Lands after their own names Psal. xlix 2. but who sees not the Vanity of this thought What Chapping and Changing of Inheritances is daily made How do they run away that no Foresight nor Law nor Wit can secure them How many famous Kingdoms and Monarchies and Noble Families are extinct that there is no memory of them except in some old dark Records It must therefore add much to the worth of this Inheritance that it is Immortal and Unchangeable But yet the next quality is better for if a Possession is little worth it is no great matter though it pass away but if it be good and excellent the perpetuity of it is much to be desired wherefore that this Inheritance is incorruptible is matter of great Joy seeing it is also undefiled by which is meant that it is so pure as to yield nothing to give the least disgust to the Inheriter O rare and singular quality No perfectly pure Enjoyment is here to be found all are full of unpleasant mixtures or attended with troublesome inconveniencies which damp and spoil the Pleasure and Satisfaction of them No Rose is to be found but upon a Thorn nor any Delight without some Molestation what takes one Sense grates another neither in Company or Retirement Solitude or Publick Employment Celibacy or Marriage high Stations or low Places City or Country nor in any condition of Humane Life is matter of full and perfect Contentment to be found but whatever pleaseth one way displeaseth another It is the Property only of this Inheritance here spoken of to afford perfect Satisfaction to the Soul because neither its Pleasures are gross to cloy the Mind nor are they mixed with improper and disagreeable Ingredients to give any disgust It is altogether pure and Undefiled and so the joy it yields must be both full and pure In thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand are rivers of pleasures for evermore Psal. xvi But to proceed it is further added that this Inheritance fadeth not away In the Original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the Name of a Flower that never withereth but keeps always fresh and green and by naming this Inheritance so the Apostle designed to hold forth the continued Vigour and Flagrancy thereof As it lasteth long so it never waxeth old the Infirmities and usual Appendages of Age never overtake it it never suffereth any decay in its Strength Beauty Glory or Vertue There be many things which at first and while they are New are taking and splendid but within a while they fail and answer not Mens expectations as at first But it is not so with this Inheritance it fades not when Thousand thousand Ages are past it is still gay and flourishing never diminished in its quality As it is Eternal in its Duration so its Pleasures Riches and all other Advantages are Eternal You will ask where lieth this Inheritance If you look for it in any of these lower Regions you will meet with a disappointment neither this nor any other Country
he tempted our Saviour quoted Scripture but we ought to look to the nature and tendency of the Doctrine and consider whether it agree to the Scope of the Scipture in its particular Precepts for that is the true Standard and Measure Ye shall know saith our Saviour the tree by its fruit Now the sum of what the Spirit saith to the Churches and to us by the Churches in the Scripture is what we have in the Text viz. To him that overcometh c. In handling of which words we shall first explain what is meant by overcoming Then Secondly what is the Reward here promised to him that overcometh As to the First seeing there is mention here of overcoming that necessarily supposeth Fighting for there can be no Victory without Fighting and if there must be a Fight there must also be Enemies for we cannot fight but against Enemies And by this it appears that the Life of a Christian is a Warfare and that by coming to Christ we become Soldiers who are engaged to fight Idleness and Ease is not the End of our Calling nor are we listed merely for shew and ostentation for we are called to Wrestle and Fight and that so stoutly and valiantly so constantly and stedfastly until we overcome It is not enough to begin to make ready and present our selves to the Battel nor yet to Fight a while to hold out against two or three Onsets but we must never turn back never yield or give over but must hold out to the end and so too as to carry away the Victory for the Promise is here only to him that overcometh As in the Olympick Games none got the Prize until he had first got the Mastery over his Antagonists and as among the Romans a Triumph was granted not to him that had essayed the War but to him who had come off Victorious So Christians are not to expect these glorious things here proposed unless they have not only enterprized the good Fight but gained a Victory therein If any man turn back saith God my soul shall have no pleasure in him But blessed is he who endureth to the end for the same shall be saved Heb. x. 22. But then you 'll ask whom we are to fight with and after what manner In the first place our Text speaks not of Carnal Fighting we are not to understand it of Mustering Human Forces of Encamping Armies setting of Battels laying of Sieges making Assaults upon Cities to take them nor of using these or any other Stratagems of War where there is occasion of shewing Military Art and Valour and where only Carnal and Material Weapons are used The Rewards of these Earthly Victories are Conquests of new Dominions the Submissions of the Conquered acquirements of great Power and Riches the erection of Trophies in the places of Victory Publick Triumphs and the result of all Vain-glory and false Renown which reach not further than this lower World But the Manna the white Stone and new Name and the Glories signified by them are true substantial and eternal and regard the life to come which is Everlasting And tho' doubtless some great Warriors are in Heaven some great Conquerours will triumph with the Lord Jesus at the last Day yet most of those who acquired Kingdoms in any Ages here below will lose that above and be condemned at the last Judgment as Thieves Robbers and Murtherers for Plunder and Rapine and shedding of Blood But as for those few warlike Princes who have gone to Heaven they have not got thither by their mighty feats of Arms but by the Justice and Equity of their respective Causes for which they took up Arms and by using of them with Mercy and Tenderness and with a sincere intention for Peace or else if their Wars were Unjust by true and serious Repentance for all the Violence committed in them and by making Restitution and Satisfaction for all Injuries to their utmost power But the Spiritual Conquerours cannot fail of Heaven their very Conquest entitles them to it and all the Glories of it because it is a Spiritual Conquest and the Weapons of their Warfare are not Carnal but Spiritual and the World the Flesh and the Devil the Enemies which they conquer are Spiritual Enemies against which they Arm themselves with the whole Armour of God with the Girdle of Truth the Brest-plate of Righteousness the Shield of Faith the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God because as the Apostle saith we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this World against spiritual wickedness in High places Eph. vi 12. More particularly if we do well consider these Letters to the Seven Churches which our Lord shuts up with these words to him that overcometh we shall find the Enemies he proposeth to be encountered are such as go about to destroy our Faith to defile our Worship to extinguish our Charity and to stain the Purity of our Christian Life and Conversation Persecutions and Trouble for the sake of the Gospel or any part of it Idolatry and Superstition Heresie and false Doctrine the Corruption and inordinate Lusts within us and the Pollution and wicked Practises of the World without us are the things we have to struggle and wrestle with And the word overcome in our Text hath a reference to a perpetual War which ought to be maintained against all and every one of them For it is not enough to attack or resist stoutly any one of them if we do not withstand all He doth not overcome according to the Text nor can he claim the Reward promised therein who strikes in with any one of these or meanly yields to it though he stand never so stiffly out against the rest As for Example He cannot be said to overcome who resists Errour and false Doctrine and yet suffers himself to be captivated by Vice or Sin nor is he to be accounted Victorious who meets Trouble and Persecution with Courage and Undauntedness and in the mean time is not careful to keep a sound Faith and a good Conscience it is Treachery and Cowardice to yield to or make an Agreement with any Enemy whatsoever But wherein will you say doth this Victory properly consist Doth Christ require us to destroy the Superstitions and Idolatries of the World to amend the Corruption of the Age we live in and to stop Persecution and Trouble which come upon the Church For according to the usual way of speaking he overcometh that gets the upper hand of his Enemies and ruins them Truly the Church of God should not suffer Idolatry and Superstition to creep into its Worship and should guard its Discipline and Constitutions from being vitiated and if it were in her power to deliver her self from Persecution by ways just and lawful the Motions of Nature would induce thereto and Nature in this is not contrary to the
In the following Chapter verse 12. There is express mention of Christ's New Name By which we are to understand the new clear full and perfect Manifestation of the Truth and Importance of his Name Jesus Christ for as when God appeared to Moses Exod. vi 3. He called Iehovah a New Name not known to the Patriarchs because he executed the Promise made to them and so manifested his Faithfulness and Unchangeableness signified by that Name For otherwise it cannot be said but that this particular Name was known before as well as that of Almighty So because hereafter there shall be a clear Discovery of the Signification of Jesus Christ and of the Truth of that Signification because the Salvation and Redemption implied in this Name shall be fully revealed therefore it is called his New Name At present we call him Jesus Christ our Lord but hereafter we shall see and feel him effectually to be so now the Salvation he hath purchased is the Object of our Hope but then we shall behold it with our Eyes and be made to contemplate the Glory of his Kingdom to our unspeakable Comfort and Satisfaction But seeing it is said a New Name and not my New Name therefore it would seem that we are to understand it of the Name of him who receives it and seeing Names are the Marks of things and are often taken so in Scripture therefore by New Name we ought to understand the New State and Condition which the Saints and those whom God honoureth shall be put into The Name given to the first Man was Adam and it is common to us all for it sheweth our Original and Condition to be earthly we came from the Dust and to the Dust we must return Our present State is corruptible and makes us liable to Death The Immortality Man would have had in Paradise if he had continued his Integrity would not have been the Effect of his natural Force but of a supernatural Vertue for the natural Composition of our Body tends to Corruption But when this corruptible State is done away there shall succeed another better State even an Heavenly and Incorruptible one which is implied by this New Name As is the earthy such are they also that are earthy and as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly and as we have born the image of the earthy we shall also bear the image of the heavenly for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality 1 Cor. xviii 48 58. There remains no more to be explained but the very last words of the Text the sense of which seems not to be very obvious for if the white stone and new name be to be understood of our Iustification and Glorification as I have said how then can it be said that no man knoweth it but he who receiveth it For will not our Absolution be pronounced before all the World is not God to justifie us in the General Assembly of Angels and Men Will not the Devil and Damned behold the Saints entrance into Glory which will not a little aggravate their Misery The Triumph of Iesus Christ is too glorious to be concealed and the Glory which he will bestow on his faithful Servants is too Splendid to be hid But to this it may be replied First That indeed the matter of this Joy and Glory may and will be known unto others but none except those who possess it can have a true sense of it or understand it The Sentence of our Absolution shall indeed be pronounced before all the World The wicked yea the Devils themselves shall hear these blessed Words which proceed from our Saviour's Mouth Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you but none except those to whom they are spoken shall understand or comprehend the fulness of the Consolation which they give The outside of Mens Condition may be seen and the external matter of their Happiness may be known but no view of things can make any taste the sweetness of them or be sensible of the Delectation which they afford any who hath the use of Reason may perswade himself that the state of the Saints in Heaven will be magnificent and glorious even to Admiration But without the actual possession of that State it is simply impossible to conceive or to have any true sensation of the Joy and Delectableness thereof as none can have a true Idea of the Beauty of Colours or the Harmony of Musick or the Sweetness of Honey but by Seeing Hearing and Tasting of them Notwithstanding of what has been revealed of Heaven St. Iohn saith It doth not yet appear what we shall be But Secondly Some put another gloss upon the words and considering that they run in the Present Tense and not in the Future for it is None knoweth it but he that receiveth and not none shall know but he that shall receive Therefore they conclude that the Receiving and Knowledge meant of relate to something in this present Life and not to that which is to come and that so the meaning must be that none at present knoweth these things or has any sense or apprehension of them but they who have received by the Grace and Spirit of God an earnest of them that they are unintelligible Mysteries to all except to them who believe None other do regard them or are sensible of the worth of them As the Cross of Christ is a stumbling-block to the Iews and foolishness to the Greeks so the Glory and the Happiness of the other Life are reckoned Dreams and Ravings by the Men of the World who are void of Faith whereas Faith both discovers the certainty and also gives some fore-taste of the unspeakable excellency thereof For faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence or Conviction of things not seen As God gave Moses a sight of the Land of Canaan on the top of Pisgah so Christians by Faith have a sweet and desireable Prospect of Heaven and the Happiness of the other World It not only assures them that there is such a thing but also makes them sensible that it excelleth all the Delights and Enjoyments under the Sun that nothing in this World is worthy to be compared unto that which is to be revealed As Faith is the chief Weapon and Instrument to be used in gaining this Spiritual Victory so it ascertains us of our Reward and convinceth us of the greatness thereof If we have Faith we shall easily overcome and also be fully perswaded that our labour shall not be in vain Do you Believe I hope you do why then sit you still Why go you not out to fight the Battles of the Lord Arise I pray you and prove your Strength and Valour against his Enemies and your own they are now busy and there is no Truce to be granted unto them Bestirr your selves therefore suffer them not to catch any advantage over you
into shame how long will ye love vanity and seek after leesing Do ye slight God set at nought your Maker and court the World Are ye taken up with Toys and Trifles and will ye despise Life and cast behind you eternal Bliss Be astonished O ye Heavens at this And be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord for my People have committed two great evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hew'd them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water O! that Men were wise O! that they did understand O! that they would but seriously consider this Come I pray you let us reason together call in your Thoughts consult your Knowledge advise with your Experience and then tell me what you have ever found preferable to God Is there any thing more worthy your Thoughts or Care What is it that doth equal his Favour and Love Or what can compensate the Loss thereof Will Riches will Honours will Pleasures or will any thing else be profitable as God Can we expect to draw from them either separately or jointly as much Comfort and Satisfaction as from him Behold every Day lets us see that all these things are frail brittle and uncertain and that there can be no fast hold of them But though they were more certain and stable yet being unsuitable to the Nature of our Souls 't is impossible to draw from them alone that good which our Souls crave It is indeed somewhat hard to convince Men but though they should act over all the Experiments of Solomon and prove what good is under the Sun they could not draw another Conclusion than what he has left us viz. That all things are vanity and vexation of Spirit and that Mans chief and only good is to seek God and to delight themselves in him The Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore will I hope in him O consider what an Honour it is to be admitted into Favour and Fellowship with God The Psalmist falls into Admiration when he beheld Man but a little lower than the Angels and invested with Dominion over the Fowls of the Air the Beasts of the Field and the Fish of the Sea And whatever Reason there be for Praise and Admiration in that Case yet Angels being but Fellow-Creatures and the other destitute of Reason and Understanding and so far below us this is nothing so considerable as to be advanc'd into Communion with God himself this is indeed a Heighth and Dignity which may both amaze the Beholders and those on whom it is conferred To be made the Friends of God is truly an Honour to our Nature nothing else can give any Lustre or Glory to us but this is the highest can be aspir'd to either by Angels or Men and therefore we have great Reason to cry out Lord what is Man that thou shouldest be so kind to him And so kind too after he had turn'd Rebel and Traytor is indeed beyond Expression Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the sons of God Constantine had good Reason to say that he gloried more in being a Member of the Church than in being Head of the Empire for to be a true lively Member of the Church doth unite us to God and so is more to be desired than the greatest Dominion or an universal Monarchy For hereby we are not only highly honoured but greatly enriched we have not only an honourable Title and Relation conferred on us but also the largest Emolument Eliphaz advised Iob to seek unto God that he might be relieved out of all his Trouble and if he got him his Friend he told him he should be in League with the stones of the Field and the beasts of the Field should be at peace with him for God will certainly oblige all his Creatures to keep Peace with those with whom he is at Peace as a King maketh Peace not only for himself but for all his People or if he let any of them break Peace it is that he may make those his beloved and peculiar Friends to be the more glorious by gaining a Victory over them He that draws near to God is sure of his Hearts wish Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart What can any wish for more than what an infinite Wisdom can contrive an infinite Power act and an infinite Bounty bestow Now he who hath God his Friend is allied to infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness which will ever interess themselves in all his Concerns Happy are the People whose God is the Lord blessed is the Man who chuses God for his Inheritance for he will give grace and glory and will with-hold no good thing from him All things shall work together to the good of them that love God Trouble as well as Prosperity and the saddest Affliction as well as the greatest outward Plenty Many say who will shew us any good But saith David Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their Corn and Wine increased They who draw near to God have Joy which the World cannot rob them of the Ground of their Happiness and Comfort is not liable to Rapine or Violence nor doth it ever decay Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you saith Christ but not as the World giveth give I unto you that is he gives neither so inconsiderable nor yet so brittle and uncertain a Peace as what the World gives but what is more solid and substantial wherefore he adds let not your hearts be troubled neither be afraid If we have Peace with God through Christ we need not startle at any thing neither at private Personal Disasters nor at publick Calamities Because God is our refuge and present help The Children of God cannot be without Crosses and Afflictions but God will not suffer these to marr either their present inward Comfort or after Happiness their Joy cannot be taken from them He will let them be tossed up and down with the Waves of Trouble but they shall not be swallowed up they shall have a joyful exit Mark the perfect and behold the upright for the latter end of that Man is Peace Psal. xxxvii When Men draw near the end of their Life when their Days are near a Period whether through Age or by any Accident they have need of some comforting Cordial to keep them from fainting and nothing is possible to administer this but the Hopes of Peace with God The Sense of God's Favour and Love will make Death appear without a frightful Visage though generally it is esteemed the King of Terrours this will make one to be so far from abhorring Death as in many Cases to be even glad of it because it opens a Door to eternal Rest unspeakable Joy and Fullness of Glory Is it not then good for
at any time prevail God will not condemn us They are innocent and clean according to the Gospel who inwardly hate and loath Sin and keep a continual War with it and who love Holiness and constantly aim and endeavour after it and he who is so clean inwardly will give an outward Manifestation and therefore it is added that we have In the last place our Bodies washed with pure water The former Clause as we have seen referred to the inner-Man and this relates to the outward Man for both must be made clean in the Sight of God We must cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of the flesh and spirit neither of them singly will do well God has united Spirit and Flesh together to make up one Person and therefore what God hath thus joined together ought not to be put asunder Our Minds and Spirits must ascend to God but the Body must not be left behind wallowing in the mire and filth of Sin and Uncleanness else the other will not speed they will not get Access unto God We ought to glorifie God both in Soul and Body for both are his therefore as under the Law Men were tied to frequent washing of their Body that they might be legally clean and fit to enter the Temple or approach the Altar from which they were debarred if they had any corporal Filthiness upon them or had touched any unclean thing so in Allusion to this the Apostle here exhorts us to purifie our Life and Actions to sanctifie our outward Conversation in the World by breaking off the Course of Sin and conforming our Words and Actions to the Word of God for that is like pure Water to cleanse us from all Spiritual Filthiness By what means saith David shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word Psal. cxix 9. Now until we be thus cleansed both inwardly and outwardly we are not fit to draw near to God nor throughly disposed for Reconciliation with him without holiness saith our Apostle no Man can see God There must be both outward and inward Holiness to render us worthy of Peace with God we must be endued with holy Minds and the Beauty of Holiness must appear in our Lives and Conversations and if the outward Man have not a holy Face and Countenance the inward Man is much to be suspected Scabs and Ulcers in the Skin betoken corrupt and impure blood in the Veins 'T is great Hypocrisie to pretend change of Heart when there is no Change of Life for Persons to say they are regenerate within when no Reformation appears without When Saul pretended a Performance of the Command which the Lord gave against Amalek Samuel said to him what meaneth then this bleating of the Sheep and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear For that was an Evidence against him So I would ask those who say their Heart is right they have a good Conscience towards God and yet walk in Sin what means their evil Speeches their Cursing and Swearing their Reviling and Backbiting their obscene Talk and immodest Behaviour Revellings and Drunkenness Injustice and dishonest Dealing Cruelty and doing Injury to others and the like Crimes For doth not our Saviour tell us that these proceed from the Heart He whose Heart is perfect and upright with God is always careful to do that which is good in his Sight 'T is true the beginnings of Conversion to God do not always visibly appear as the Recovery of the Body from Sickness is not at the first discernable to others But in Process of time a sincere Conversion will certainly manifest it self in the Life and Actions The path of the just is as the shining light which shines more and more unto the perfect day Men and Brethren Sin was the Cause why we were cast out of God's Favour and there is a Necessity of laying aside Sin before we can recover it Indeed Christ died to take away the Guilt of Sin but he has not taken away the intrinsick Evil of it that remains still he by his Death has made Sin pardonable but not allowable and therefore we must not continue the Servants of Sin We must quit a vain and wicked Conversation turn every one from his Iniquity die to Sin and live to God and yield our selves to be Instruments of Righteousness according to his Will and Pleasure and then we shall please him and he will greatly love us Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the Widow and then come saith the Lord though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though red like Crimson they shall be as Wool Isa. i. 16 c. Thus we have explained the Conditions of obtaining Reconciliation with God and if you please to make Reflections on them you will find them most just and reasonable and as easie as can be required God could not pass these without renversing the Order of Nature and laying aside his Holiness and Honour which was impossible nor could any Terms be more proper for Man nor better accommodated to the State and Condition of all If many expensive Sacrifices rich Gifts or Summs of Money had been required what would become of the poor who make the greatest part of the World But now neither the Rich are received upon the Account of their Riches nor the poor rejected for their Poverty But both the one and the other are accepted according to their Faith Repentance and Obedience Some there are who will not allow us this Privilege whatever we believe or practise because we are not of their Church But as the Italian Proverb is Better be condemned by ten Physicians than one Iudge So certainly it is better to be condemned by any Number or Quality of Men than to be condemn'd by the Word of God the Word of God you see condemns none who has the Qualifications in the Text but encourages them to draw near to God and gives them Assurance of Acceptance If then through the Grace of God we come to be so qualified in the Union and Communion of the Catholick Church we need not fear what they say who themselves are Schismaticks from the Catholick Church We have all the reasonable Assurance we can have of our Salvation we may be more sure of it than if we had the Pope's Bull for it a thousand Indulgences ten thousand Masses daily sung for us and all the Church treasure of Merits bestowed on us And if we lack this that will not cannot be compensated with Pilgrimages Processions Pennances Bowings Prostrations before Altars Crossings and Sprinklings with Holy Water nor yet the Absolution of Priests for as our Apostle saith bodily exercises profit little as to Salvation and by what hath been said you may understand that the Religion which recommends us to God must be
and do justice on those who had been the Instruments of their Misery he would set them at Liberty and restore them to their Prosperity and Glory which is meant by bringing them to the Light And then to their great comfort and joy they should behold and understand his righteousness that is That he is just and righteous in all his ways true and faithful in his promises and wonderful in all he doth as David said I know O Lord that all thy judgments are right and that out of faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal. cxix 75. Thus I have explained and cleared the Text and shewn you the Occasion Sense and Scope thereof I proceed next to draw such Observations and Instructions as the words afford and as are useful and proper for our consideration And First To rejoice at the Calamities and Afflictions of others and to insult over them who are in Misery is a sign of a Prophane and Ungodly Spirit They who rejoiced at the Calamities of the Israelites were the Idumeans Chaldeans and Babylonians who were no greater Enemies to them than they were to God and the true Religion And Psal. lxix 26. among other Characters of the Wicked this is one That they persecute him whom thou hast smitten and talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded When Iob declareth his Integrity he giveth this as one proof thereof That he rejoiced not at the destruction of him that hated him nor lift up his soul when evil found him Neither saith he have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul. To make God's Judgments on others tho' Enemies a matter of Laughter doth very much bewray a want of the Spirit of God and is inconsistent both with the true Fear of God and that Love and Concernedness for others which Religion requires and inspireth They who truly fear God will tremble to see him Angry tho' it be not against themselves but others When the Destruction of the Wicked is foretold it is said That the righteous shall see and fear And accordingly the Prophet Habakkuk foreseeing the Evils and Calamities that were to light upon the Tents of Cusham and the Land of Midian was so far from rejoicing and insulting thereat that he tells us when I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my flesh Indeed it is added in the forecited place That the righteous shall also laugh And Psal. lviii 10. it is said the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance But hereby is meant that as the righteous is careful to remark all the Acts of the Divine Providence and in particular his exemplary Punishments on notoriously wicked Persons so he will Applaud the Justice and Equity of them and he will be glad to see such evident and convincing proofs of a Deity and Providence for silencing the Atheist and restraining the wickedness of men though still his joy is mixed with a secret regret at the occasion and such an aweful apprehension of the Power and Justice of God as forbids him to mock at the Effects and Expressions of his Displeasure Even as a wise and good Citizen rejoiceth at the good Government of his City and finds a satisfaction in the procedure and execution of Justice which are too grave and important to be mocked at Again the rejoicing at the Calamities of others is inconsistent with the Spirit of Religion which is a Spirit of Love and Humility and which requireth the greatest Love and Sympathy that can be among Men its Precepts are love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that persecute you and despitefully use you Rejoice with them that rejoice and weep with them that weep If thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink Now how little do they observe these Precepts and how little have they of that Spirit which enjoins them who can contrive and work Mischief to their Brethren and when it falls on them behold it with Pleasure We may say to such what our Saviour said to his Disciples who would have been calling for Fire from Heaven on those who would not receive them you know not what manner of Spirit you are of The Miseries and Distresses of others call for Pity and Compassion and one must have put off very much of the Man who draweth Pleasure from the Miseries and Afflictions of other Men tho' they be Enemies Our Saviour knew the Wickedness of Ierusalem and that he was to be crucified therein yet as he drew nigh to it he wept over it by Reason of those sad Calamities which were coming upon it It was David's Interest that Saul was dead yet he did not rejoice at his Death but because the manner thereof was deplorable he mourned for him As it makes Herodias infamous that she rejoiced to see the Head of Iohn Baptist in a Charger so it is recorded to the Commendation of Alexander and Iulius Coesar that neither of them insulted over the Defeat and Distress of their Enemies the first was touched with Compassion when Darius his Mother Wife and Children were taken Prisoners and brought to him and afterwards when Darius himself was killed And the other wept when Pompey's Head was brought to him I know some charge these Tears of Coesar with Hypocrisie seeing he was the Man who pursued Pompey to Death but who knows but the Bowels of Nature at that time overcame his Ambition and other Passions Thirdly They who insult and rejoice in this wise are ignorant of themselves and also of the End of these Divine Judgments they cannot know they are Sinners and that others are so and so punished in their sight to fill them with Fear and to lead them to Repentance otherwise they would make other Uses thereof and would behave themselves otherwise When a Father chastises a Child is it to give Mirth to the rest Or is it not that they may stand in Awe of him and forbear those things which may bring the Rod on their own Back When any Criminal is laid hold on and brought to publick Punishment should they who are equally guilty stand by and laugh either at the Misfortune of their Fellow or the Execution of Justice What Stupidity were this Should they not take Warning and Fear and forsake those Ways which are attended with such Shame and Pain When some told our Saviour of those Galileans whose Blood Pilate mingled with there Sacrifices he answered them Suppose ye these Galileans were Sinners above all others because they suffered such things I tell you nay but except ye Repent ye shall all likewise perish And in Truth they who set light of the Afflictions of others and entertain the Rods on other Mens Backs with Scorn and Derision shall hardly escape themselves Laugh no Man to scorn in the bitterness of his Soul for there is one
are design'd and made means of subduing the Flesh and its Lusts of quickening the Spirit of Devotion and of fitting our selves to watch pray and to perform aright the other Acts of Religion And hence it appears how little Reason the Church of Rome has to boast of the Fastings Penances and other Severities practis'd by those of her Communion and that the Treasure of Merits pretended to be amassed from these has no real Foundation but is Imaginary as I have said there is no intrinsick goodness in these things and if the meer external Performance did Merit any thing some of the Ancient Hereticks might have stood as high upon this point as They Nay There are at this very day Pagans which come nothing short of the most Religious in the Church of Rome in Abstinence and corporal Austerities yea they often out-doe them They who make Religion to consist in these Bodily Exercises do neither understand the Nature of God nor the true Way of worshipping him and they are yet farther mistaken they mock God and deceive themselves who think that these can be a Compensation for their Sins and the omission of Moral Duties If saith St. Austin thou macerate thy Body by long-fasting and yet perseverest in ill Magis horres quam placeas Deo Then shall thy Fasts be acceptable when thy Conscience is purged from Sin and thy Life adorned with good Works Cur enim Corpus fame discrucias cui turpiter peccando blandiris But besides that the Church of Rome does over value Penances and Corporal Austerities and that the Generality of her Communion rest in the bare Performance of them It is further to be observed that the Fasts of the Papists for the most part are not real Fasts for tho' all be enjoin'd to fast Fridays and Saturdays yet on these Days they neither abstain totally from Food nor so much as from Delicacies They only forbear Flesh but are allowed to eat Fish and other things which pamper the Body and provoke Lust as much as Flesh doth if not much more Is a simple change of Meats to be esteemed a Fast Does he mortifie himself who feeds upon palatable and luxurious Food Are not Flesh and Fish alike before God Why should there be a Religious Distinction made betwixt them Full meals of Fish are as inconsistent with Fasting as eating of Flesh and he who feeds constantly upon Fish is no more temperate and abstemious than he who eats Flesh provided he do it moderately and not to Excess Wherefore the New Regulation of the Religious Orders which restrain them wholly to Flesh doth not serve the Ends of Religion more nor yet doth it mortifie the Flesh better than if they had been still allowed the use of Flesh Nay it is not agreeable to the Precepts and Nature of Christianity to make such distinction of Meats and place more Virtue and Religion in one than another And as for the Severities of La Trap and one or two more which both encrease the Distempers of those who enter into them and also do bring new ones upon them This very Text without straining it doth shew that they are not at all to be approved and that the Imposition of them is a cruel Superstition For tho' Sickness when it is inflicted by God ought to be received with an humble Submission yet every one ought to take care of his own and Neighbour's Health as well as Life and they who do Violence to either commit a great Sin Sickness Pain bodily Infirmities and Indispositions do hinder one from being useful and serviceable and very often also they render the Mind dull and indisposed for Devotion But to go forward with the Text as the Apostle adviseth Timothy to forbear the continued use of Water so he enjoineth the use of Wine whereby he establisheth the lawfulness of the use of that Liquor against the Manichees Encratitoe and other ancient Hereticks and Mahomet who maketh Abstinence from Wine one of the principle Articles and Characters of his Religion Our Saviour long before warranted the use of it by his own practice and if it had not been lawful to drink Wine he would not have made a Miracle for furnishing it to the Wedding of Cana. This and all other the like Superstitions concerning Meats and Drinks are clearly and fully refuted by that Assertion of the Apostle in the former Chapter Every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving But I suppose there is none here inclined to any such Heresie and therefore I will insist no more upon it But as there is no question to be made of the Lawfulness of the use of Wine so there is as little to be made of the Unlawfulness of the abuse of it which is alas but too too common and which St. Paul cautions against in the words of our Text when he enjoins but a little Wine He mentions a little not for Timothy's cause for there was no fear of his running into excess but for the sake of others into whose hands this Epistle might come that none might pretend the Apostles warrant for going beyond a due measure A little Wine is good it maketh glad the heart of Man and therefore Solomon bids give it to those that are of heavy heart But too much is dangerous for then it enflameth the Spirits disordereth the Blood distorteth the Countenance and doth violence to the whole frame of the Body and maketh it an unweildy instrument for the Soul and by frequent Excesses of this kind the Mind is at last besotted and the inward Faculties worsted Wherefore the Apostle had good reason to say Be not drunk with wine wherein there is excess And lest it should be thought that only weak Heads who cannot bear Drink but are soon intoxicated fall under these Prohibitions the Scripture denounceth a woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink that continue until night till wine enflame them The Creatures of God are good indeed but the abuse of them is evil they are created for our use but they are not to be lavished away without all Reason Necessity or Conveniency The quaffing off as much as another is in the stile of Drunkards and Bon Companions called a doing one reason but certainly it 's against all reason to abuse the good Creatures of God or our selves by an immoderate use of them contrary to his express and peremptory Command I cannot adduce all that can be said against this Vice of Drunkenness for that would carry us far beyond the measures of a Discourse I shall pass over what Heathens have said and what the very common light of Nature may furnish us with and shall only give one or two Instances peculiar to Christianity It is first then contrary to that Duty of Watching against our Spiritual Enemies which our Holy and Christian Calling obligeth us to They are
base and treacherous Soldiers who fall to Eating and Drinking when they know the Enemy is close at hand and ready to give Battle we are begirt about with many and subtile Enemies and therefore should be ashamed of Excess and Intemperance in Eating and Drinking which incapacitate us from defending our selves or resisting them Be sober be vigilant saith St. Peter because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Secondly It is disagreeable with a patient waiting for Christ That Servant has little regard either to his Master or his own Credit and Interest who by debauching away his Sense and Reason putteth himself out of a Condition of coming to his Lord when he is called and of giving that account which is asked of him O the horrour and confusion of being hurried out of this World and carried before the Tribunal of God in a Fit of Drink and Excess And yet this hath often happened unto Drunkards Take heed therefore to your selves saith Christ lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life and so that day come unawares If the servant say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the Men-servants and Maidens and to eat and drink and to be drunken the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers Luk. xxi 34. xii 45. Thirdly It is inconsistent with those Spiritual Exercises our holy Religion calleth for and indisposeth one for receiving that holy Spirit whereby he is to be sealed unto the day of Redemption Be not drunk with Wine saith St. Paul wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit In which words he establisheth a direct opposition betwixt these two so that the one necessarily thrusteth out the other The Heart which is moved by Wine cannot be sensible of the Motions of the Spirit Nor can the Head be filled with the Spirit which is darkned and overcast with the fumes of Drink The Holy Spirit can only reside in pure and holy Souls upon these accounts and many more that might be alledged there is hardly any thing more unbeseeming Christians than Drunkenness tho' alas it be too too ordinary And that a Clergy-Man should be guilty hereof is not only most unbeseeming but abominable The very Supposition is horrid That he should be given to this who hath not only himself to watch over but many others who ought to wait his Lord 's coming not only to give account of himself but of all under his Charge The burthen of our Holy Calling is too great to be sustained by our own Strength Who saith St. Paul is sufficient for these things None therefore have more need of the Aids of the Holy Spirit than we and therefore also none ought to be more careful to avoid what may grieve this Holy Spirit and provoke it to desert us And consequently Ministers should not be given to too much Wine that they may be in a capacity of receiving the Spirit of God And that when it comes it may reside with them to direct strengthen and comfort them I come now to the Reasons St. Paul gives for prescribing Timothy a little Wine to wit his Stomachs sake and his frequent Infirmities It was not upon the account of Conscience for upon this account Wine and Water are things indifferent Neither the one nor the other is contrary to Piety providing Water be not drank to Superstition nor Wine unto Excess But the Apostle considering Timothy's weak Stomach and the Diseases to which he was subject for correcting the one and preventing the other he prescribed him the use of a little Wine which is certainly a Cordial to be either drank alone or mingled with Water From which we may observe That the Rules of Eating and Drinking either as to the Quantity or Quality should be taken from the Health and Vigour of our Bodies that we may be enabled to discharge either the General Functions of Life or the Particular Duties of our Calling We should not take Pleasure in Eating and Drinking for themselves but out of a regard to the ends for which they were ordained and to which they are subservient nor should the most delicious Meats and Drinks be lusted after but what conduceth best to Health And if God afford wholsome Meat and Drink we ought to be content though our Table be not furnished with Dainties Secondly we may learn hence the Lawfulness of using natural Means for the removing of bodily Distempers and other outward Afflictions Diseases as all other Afflictions are of God it is his Hand which inflicts them and therefore we ought to bear them patiently But yet we may seek the Removal of them and use what is fit and proper in order thereunto without walking contrary to that Submission we owe to God Thirdly it doth hence appear that the Gift of Healing bestowed on the Apostles and others at first was not always used at the Arbitriment of him who had it but upon some special Direction of the Spirit and at some particular Occasions when it tended to the Confirmation of the Gospel or the making way for Mens Faith in it For if St. Paul might have healed every Person and at all times he neither would have suffered his beloved Timothy to be so much troubled with the bodily Distempers here spoken of nor yet Epaphroditus his fellow labourer to be sick nigh unto death as we read Phil. ii 27. Which shews the Vanity of some Popish Doctors who that the healing promised by St. Iames as the Effect of Prayers and anointing with Oil may not be referred to bodily Health as is generally alledged by Protestants say that then it would follow that none died in those Days which is ridiculous Whereas we see clearly here by the Example of St. Paul That those who were endued with the Power of working Miracles did not heal all the Diseases they met with but did only exercise that Power on such Persons and at such times as the Spirit of God directed them to for the Advancement of the Glory of God and Honour of the Gospel which also affords us a Reason why Miracles are ceased for they being given at first only for demonstrating the Truth of the Gospel and evidencing that they who preached it were of God now that this has fully appeared there is no more need of Miracles Lastly The Apostles making mention of Timothy's Sickness and being liable to frequent Infirmities of Body gives us occasion to treat of a very important Question viz. how it can be consistent with the Wisdom and Goodness of God to inflict sore and heavy Diseases and the like Disasters on eminent and useful Persons such as Timothy was whereby they are disabled from the Exercise