under inward and more mortal Distempers shew'd no forwardness to be cured by an Almighty hand When the Wise-man describes the Sluggard's Vineyard and shows us the Fences thereof broken down the Surface of it covered with Thorns and nettles and the Sluggard himself so far from regarding it that he stretches himself upon his Bed and crys Yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep he characterizes the general disposition of Men under the Influences of Hell over-grown with all manner of Impieties unguarded against all manner of Temptations and yet dull and stupified under all their Miseries When we reflect upon this general Captivity of rational Creatures to Vice and Folly when we reflect upon that spiritless Weakness they groan'd under when we see them lazy in their own nearest concerns prejudiced against all the ways of their own Deliverance pursuing Bubbles with a ridiculous Earnestness and imagining it their greatest Interest to undo themselves we cannot well persuade our selves that any ordinary means could help the miserable or relieve the oppressed or let the Prisoners go free The chains and violences of Hell are not easily broken and the attempts of Weaklings in the Case would but encrease the sorrow of the Sufferers but when the blessed Jesus reveal'd himself in the fulness of time when he began by mighty works to exert his power when he commissioned his Disciples to go through the Cities of Israel and to preach Repentance and to work Miracles of all sorts when those Disciples returning again to give an account of their Ministry told their Master that even Evil Spirits themselves were subject unto them through his name our Saviour observes Luke 10.18 that he saw Satan like lightning fall from Heaven he had put an end to that height of power the Devil had pleas'd himself in before He had seem'd to himself to be like the most High invested in an absolute Dominion o'er the World but he was now fallen from his Height and should no more be able to deceive the Nations with that success he had formerly had for the Gospel then preach'd set before Men in plain terms the true and only good they were to aim at it laid out the means tending directly to that good it shew'd Men their frequent Failures indeed but an infallible Atonement for them in the Death of their Saviour and shew'd the Holy Spirit ready to assist all their pious Endeavours after Happiness by which the Works of the Devil were effectually destroyed Another Reason of our Saviour's coming into the World was That the World might be convinced that the Law given by Moses to the Jewish Nation was really the Law of God and that it could not therefore be repeal'd by any Power or Authority whatsoever but his who was God The last part of this Reason is a necessary consequence upon the first for in all Countries the sanction and repealing of Laws require one and the same Authority at least nay where it 's possible the annulling of a Law requires much the greater Power thus among the Romans the Edictum Praetoris or the Praetor's Edict had the force of a Law and Obedience was absolutely required to it only it might be rescinded by a Rescript of the Emperour whose Power was indisputable both over the Praetor and his Law but the Praetor could not repeal an Imperial Rescript nor his own Edict after an Imperial Confirmation thus God can vacate all Humane Laws when and where he pleases because he 's superiour to all Laws but those flowing from his own Nature but it 's a damning Sin for Man to go about to vacate God's Laws because Man in his highest state has no other Authority but what he derives from God who cannot be supposed to give any Man an Authority contradictory to his own or that should interfere with it but among Men as in the Roman Empire it required an Imperial Power to repeal an Imperial Sanction so among our selves an Act of Parliament can be repealed only by an Act of Parliament the King in Parliament being in all respects whatsoever the supreme Power of the Nation Thus we see the Parallelism between both the making and disannulling both Divine and Humane Laws so that it appears altogether rational that the Mosaic Law if originated from God should be repealed by God As for the Law of Moses that it was given by God and only by him he that reads the Scripture and owns that to be the Word of God must of necessity believe and the Jews to this day are so strongly possess'd with that Assurance that all the World knows the vacating that by One who appear'd but a mean Man is one great prejudice the Jews make use of at this day against Christianity they are certain God gave their Law and every part of it they are as certain that the same God only could change or take it away they conclude as our Socinians do That Jesus was a meer Man and no God therefore they look upon him as very wicked for pretending to put an end to that Law Now if we wanted the Scripture to confirm us in that Knowledge a bare Reflection upon the behaviour of the Jewish Nation at all times is enough to satisfie us that God was the Author of their Law For if we look upon them as esteem'd by their Neighbours they were never lookt upon as the veriest Fools and Ignorants in the Universe that Ptolomey who procur'd the Translation of the Old Testament into Greek thought the Books of their Law worth procuring at a vast expence so he and several adjacent Nations at all times were ready to enter into terms of Confederacy with them c. But were they never so wise or knowing in any thing they never found any reason to shake off the Yoke of the Law of Moses they own'd it upon all occasions and as at first when they fell under any extream Affliction they had immediately recourse to the Law and to the Testimony from whence they re-confirm'd their Apprehensions of the true God the God of their fathers and apply'd themselves to Him so afterwards they employ'd themselves earnestly in vindicating that Law from any Aspersions which their Enemies might lay upon it and in endeavouring to procure Proselytes to that Law from among the neighbouring Nations But now we must have a very mean opinion of the Jews if we can imagine a whole Nation should submit themselves to a body of Laws for a course of several ages that they should believe it their indispensible duty to obey all the particular Injunctions of a Law that was extreamly nice and difficult to be observ'd such a Law as in its Ceremonial part was very troublesome and heavy yet necessary enough considering the Temper of the People it was given to and the great end and aim of it that they should own the obliging force of this Law notwithstanding those many Rebellions against it which they were
own Disciples and Followers how much more was required at their hands than what the strictest Zealots among the Jews thought themselves obliged to to convince them that it not onely reach'd the outward Man and so might be slighted by evasive subtilties but it was to engage all the inward affections of the Soul and so must necessarily exclude all collusion and Hypocrisy this method our Lord follow'd in that admirable Sermon upon the Mount wherein He cancell'd no part of that Law given to the Jews of old but commented upon it And so the Apostle St. Paul acted with relation to the Gentiles and therefore when he was at Athens though his Spirit was stirr'd up in him mov'd equally with grief and anger to see that populous City so wholly given to Idolatry yet He fell not immediately to the reproaching of their Religion nor to the taking it away both root and branch but he took an happy occasion from that Inscription upon one of their Altars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the unknown God to assure them that he preach'd no other God to them but him whom they ignorantly worship'd He being that God who made the World and all things therein Acts 17.23 24. and therefore could not be confin'd to Temples made with hands Thus from the beginning of the World Religion as to its Essence has been immutable what was fixt in Man by nature so long as Nature is must be the same too God planted in man his own fear and whatsoever tended to the promotion of that and an earnest desire of self-preservation with respect to this and to a future life whatsoever byasses men now to a wretched slavish fear onely of Divine displeasure and makes them therefore rather avoid evil than do good And whatsoever engages men in unlawful ways of securing themselves from any apparent danger all that arises from those corruptions nature at present is embarrassed with these things are to be mended but God is still to be fear'd and Men shall still get a good name by doing real good unto themselves Obedience was the great first end of every Law and a Law was given our first Parent to put him upon a tryal of original prudence which could never put him upon any thing but what was excellent when prudence seem'd drowsie sin crept upon him and ruin'd him and his prosperity but because Man sinned God did not therefore change the nature of his commands but he explain'd and improv'd them by adding particulars coincident with them he supply'd the defects of reason impair'd and reveal'd those things at which it might have stumbled beyond recovery Noah and his Sons had not a new Law but the same again illustrated farther and more clear'd up by additional revelation to supply the greater decays of humane abilities Nor did God change his mind when he chose the Seed of Abraham from the rest of Mankind or give Israel any new Laws essential to Religion for Circumcision and the Paschal Feast were not of the essence of it at all since Man might have kept all the moral Law without ever participating in either The rest of the ceremonial and political injunctions were necessary to the Jews necessitate praecepti as they were commanded by a God infinitely powerful and wise and who could enjoyn them nothing that was unfit or unjust but the moral Law which was the Law of nature and obliged all Mankind as well as the Nation of the Jews was necessary necessitate Medii as an absolute and indispensible means of salvation or as containing such duties and forbidding such sins as without an exact care in each of which it was impossible for any man living to be saved and whereas the circumstantial Laws of the Jews were such as had no intimate connexion with or dependance upon one another all the parts of the Moral and perpetually obliging Law are of so close an alliance and in their execution so inseparable one from another that as S. James says James 2.10 Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all for the whole sum of the Law being comprehended in those few words Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy self If therefore any man bow to an Idol or worship more Gods than one or profane the name of the true God or be guilty of perjury or refuse to devote one day in seven to the worship and service of God by any of these sins he proves he does not love the true God so entirely as he ought And again He that dishonours or rebels against his parents natural spiritual or civil or that commits murder with his hand or in his heart or that submits to the enticements of lust or that defrauds and purloins from another or that by falshood endeavours to prejudice the life or estate or reputation of others or who indulges himself in covetousness or gives way to the first motions of the heart that encline to envy Whosoever sins in any one of these particulars tho' at the sametime he be a rigid observer of all the rest cannot be said to love his neighbour as himself since he would not be willing either that by himself or by any other any injury of what kind soever should be done to him and how much more essential to the body of Religion the Jews thought these perpetual Laws than their own Ceremonial Institutions is plain from their practice since they as much as possible hinder'd all meer Heathens from co-habiting with them and yet admitted those whom they called Proselytes of the gate upon their renouncing a plurality of Gods and submitting to the seven precepts of the sons of Noah to the priviledge of performing their Devotions in the exterior Court of the Temple and kindly suppos'd them too capable of a portion in the world to come As God made no alteration in the natural Law by what he gave Israel by the hand of Moses so neither did he innovate any thing when he sent his only begotten Son into the world for it's Salvation the Law of Christ was the Law of Moses which was the Law of Noah which was the Law of Adam which was the Law of pure original Nature which was the Law of God as Moses was the Law-giver of the Jews so was the blessed Jesus the Law-giver of the Christians but if we look on them both as meer Men their legislative power was not original but as Stephen tells the Jews Acts 7.53 Numb 21.18 the Law was given them by the disposition of Angels Moses yet is called a Law-giver in the Song of the Israelites but it 's in the same sence as a Judge on the Bench who has no power to make any thing a Law of his own contrivance or by his own Authority God himself on whose services myriads of glorious Angels always attend
is a Law-giver as a King on his Throne who has no superiour and therefore what he there decrees has the force and sanction of a Law the Lord is our Judge Isa 33.22 says the Prophet the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us As our Saviour was Man he too tho' superiour to Moses and peculiarly faithful in all the house of God had no authority to make alterations in that original Moral Law and as he was one with his Father and so conscious of every determination of his it was impossible he should vary from himself i. e. from his blessed Father or should openly in the world act as if it were possible any thing imperfect should come out of the hand of God Hence we rationally believe that if salvation be a thing really attainable it must be attained by the same means by all persons whether Jews or Gentiles Of the Patriarchs several have that testimony given of them in Scripture that they pleas'd God now there being no variableness nor shadow of turning with God but he the same yesterday to day and for ever whatsoever pleas'd God in those the same and nothing else can please him now And whereas our blessed Saviour in the days of his flesh made it his business to please his Almighty Father and did so by performing every punctilio of the Mosaic Law so we who are to follow his example must perform the same but whereas the very circumstantial appendages of a Law tho' nothing essential to it but the meer evidences of the Sovereignty of the Lawgiver are not yet to be cancell'd but by a power equal to that which gave them their first obliging authority therefore it was necessary that Jesus Christ in and by whom the ceremonial sanctions of Moses's Law were vacated should be God and so have the same original Divine Authority in himself and his fulfilling and re-confirming all the substantial parts of that Law made it yet the more publickly authentick and taught his followers to have their due respect to him which was due to both an Almighty Lawgiver and an infallible Interpreter And whereas that insupportable burden of Ceremonies is taken off from the necks of Christians it being laid upon the Jews partly for the hardness of their hearts and partly for to shadow out to them their expectations of a Messiah who being himself come in the flesh has now no need of types and shadows to prefigure him so the old Natural Law is urged upon them with the greatest strength and reason in the world and the force and intent of it is more clearly shew'd them from whence the Apostle S. John who tells those he writes to that he gave them no new commandment but the old which they had heard from the beginning yet in the very next verse subjoins 1 John 2.7 8. Again a new commandment I write unto you the substance of which is that you love one another this was an old commandment in that Nature injoyn'd it and it was co-incident with that Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self it was a new Commandment in that it was re-inforced and inculcated so very often by our Saviour in that He gave so many powerful reasons why his followers should practise it and yet the result of all amounts only to this that the design of Religion being to restore Nature to its first happiness and that being rationally concluded to be the best and purest Religion which has the greatest effects in that design if those who were his Disciples would but take care to evidence their Discipleship by that mutual love and endearing charity they would at the same time convince the world that the Lord whom they follow'd was truly authoriz'd by Heaven that the Doctrine which He preach'd was really agreeable to the Will of God and that Love being the first intention of pure and uncorrupted Nature That which raised and encouraged men most powerfully to it must needs be the most suitable to that original purity of Nature And hence it is that we observe many are prejudiced against Christianity by those cursed feuds and animosities to be found among Christians they having an eye generally to the restauration of Nature but quarrels and contentions being wholly barbarous brutish and unnatural hence it appears farther too that whereas the Apostle seems to distinguish between the Gospel and the Mosaic dispensation as if the first were the Law of Faith the last the Law of Works and that such a Law as by which Salvation could never be obtain'd The works the Apostle reflects on are not the duties of the moral Law but the Ceremonial punctilio's of the Levitical Law which as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews agreeably to what I asserted before assures us were not able to make any man perfect but for the Moral Law he 's so far from invalidating it that where ever he dehorts from any vices such as he calls the works of the flesh Gal. 5.19 24. which are these adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations strife wrath seditions heresie envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like of which he tells us that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God Again wheresoever he exhorts to any virtue such as Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against which there is no Law Wheresoever he does thus He enforces the Moral Law with expressions as strong and reasons as weighty as the Holy Ghost could inspire him with and where the same Apostle assures us that in Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision Gal. 5.6 he shews what works are excluded from any efficacy in our Salvation for Circumcision is put for the whole Ceremonial Law and where he adds that Faith working by Love is available he shews the inefficacy of all pretences to Faith without good works agreeing with S. James that Faith without works is dead James 2.26 and with his own severe reflection elsewhere upon those who profess they knew God while in their works they deny him Tit. 1.16 being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate Since then it was the great end and design of the Gospel to confirm the Moral and eternal Law of God and so by just degrees to reduce fallen Man again to the rules of perfect reason to make him sensible of the noble nature and spiritual inclinations of the Heaven-born Soul that so he might the more fully apprehend how much below himself he falls in yielding himself a slave to Sin and how much he retrenches his own true liberty by that unbridled exorbitancy he aims at the Gospel being intended to set Man's natural misery in a true light and withal to shew the sole remedy for that misery in the undertakings of a Saviour It remains an inquiry still whether Man could in the state he is in at present arrive
shall not depart from Judah Page 241 Exod. 4.16 Moses a God to Pharaoh and Aaron his Prophet Page 343 7.1 Moses a God to Pharaoh and Aaron his Prophet Page 343 14.21 They believed in the Lord and in his Servant Moses Page 329 25.22 The Propitiatory or Mercy-seat Page 721 34.7 Forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin Page 699 Levit. 16.12 13. Censer of Burning Coals in the Holiest Place Page 726 v. 16. To make an Atonement for the most Holy Place Page 725 2 Kings 3.26 27. King of Moab offering his Son Page 105 2 Chron. 30.18 19 20. Hezekiah's Prayer for the Vnprepared Page 603 Psalm 40.6 7 8. Sacrifice and Burnt-Offerings not desired Page 225 45.2 Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever Page 314 82.6 7. I have said Ye are Gods Page 342 Isaiah 9.6 Vnto us a Child is born a Son is given Page 320 Jeremiah 23.5 6. I will raise unto David a Righteous Branch Page 321 Micah 5.2 Thou Bethlehem Ephrata c. Page 323 Haggai 2.8 The Glory of the Second House greater c. Page 753 Matth. 1.23 Thou shalt call his Name Emanuel Page 325 18.23 The Parable of the Debtors to their Lord. Page 651 28.18 All Power is given to me in Heaven and Earth Page 407 v. 19. In the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Page 328 Luke 4.29 30. They led him to the Brow of the Hill Page 382 24.45 He open'd their Vnderstandings Page 395 John 1.1 In the beginning was the Word Page 332 3.13 No man hath ascended up into Heaven c. Page 337 5.23 The Father hath committed all Judgment c. Page 202 10.30 I and my Father are One. Page 354 10.34 35 36. Is it not written in your Law Page 558 17 21. That they all may be One as Thou c. Page 358 20.28 My Lord and my God Page 360 Acts 7.59 Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Page 524 Rom. 2.6 God will render to every Man c. Page 124 3.24 25 26. Justified freely by his Grace c. Page 649 703 8.19 20 21 22. The earnest Expectation of the Creature Page 490 9.5 Of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came Page 370 10.13 Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord c. Page 203 1 Cor. 1.14 15. Lest any should say I had baptized in my own c. Page 402 10.2 All were baptized into Moses c. Page 329 15.3 Christ died for our Sins Page 693 2 Cor. 5.19 20. Reconciling the World c. Page 648 719 12.7 8 9. For this cause I besought the Lord thrice Page 527 Gal. 3.19 In the hand of a Mediator Page 711 Philip. 2.5 11. Being in the Form of God c. Page 374 Col. 1.24 What was behind of the Afflictions of Christ Page 694 1 Thess 5.17 Pray without ceasing Page 505 Heb. 1.8 9 10. c. When he bringeth his First-Begotten c. Page 314 5.5 Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Page 549 6.1 2. Leaving the Principles c. Page 184 8.4 If on Earth he should not be a Priest c. Page 733 c. 9. c. 10. Page 689 727 728. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for c. Page 87 1 Pet. 2.24 Bore our Sins in his own Body on the Cross Page 698. 3.18 He suffered for our Sins the just for the unjust Page 697 1 John 2.1 2. He is the Propitiation for our Sins Page 719 5.7 There are Three that bear Record in Heaven Page 458 v. 20. This is the True God and Eternal Life Page 205 ERRATA PAge 3. l. 5. after Salvation dele p. 5. l. 20. put a Period after Text. l. 30. after Attentatam d. ◠p. 6. l. 3. r. Wissowatius p. 130. in the Margent r. Serrarii p. 142. l. 19. r. seem'd p. 148. l. 31. r. Posterity p. 200. l. 14 r. One p. 209. l. 26. r. really and indeed p. 221. l. 7. r. Paradisiacum p. 239. r. this p. 139. l. 21. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 149. l. 21. d. And. p. 289. l. 29. r. those p. 312. l. 3. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Margent r. Sandii Hist Eccles Enucl p. 318. l. 6. r. for p. 332. l. 16. r. those p. 336. l. 25. r. Stranger p. 364. l. 29. r. at p. 413. l. 21. r. far p. 448. l. 20. r. Libraries p. 467. l. 22. r. Separation p. 492. l. 26. d. One p. 511. l. 10. r. deliver p. 539. l. 3. r. Lazarus p. 552. l. 31. in Marg. r. Epistolarum p. 602. l. 12. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 609. l. 13. r. Sacrifices p. 666. l. 1. he be p. 690. l. 29. r. Levitical p. 700. in Marg. r. Brixian l. 3. r. curing p. 704. l. 31. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 720. l. 11. r. Catiline p. 752. l. 10. r. Administrator Several smaller Mistakes especially in the Pointing the Reader will easily observe and pass by or correct as fitting Books Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's-Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard TEN Sermons with Two Discourses of Conscience By the Lord Archbishop of York 4 to 's Sermon before the House of Lords Nov. 5. 1691. 's Sermon before the King and Queen on Christmass-Day 1691. 's Sermon before the Queen on Easter-Day 1692. Henrici Mori D. D. Opera omnia Bishop Overal's Convocation-Book 1606. concerning the Government of God's Catholick Church and the Kingdoms of the whole World 4 to Dr Falkner's Libertas Ecclesiastica 8 vo 's Vindication of Liturgies Ibid. 's Christian Loyalty Ibid. Mr. Lamb's Fresh Suit against Independency Ibid. Mr. W. Allen's Tracts Ibid. Bishop Fowler 's Libertas Evangelica Ib. Jovian or an Answer to Julian the Apostate Ibid. Animadversions on Mr. Johnson's Answer to Jovian In Three Letters to a Country Friend Ibid. Turner de Angelorum Hominum Lapsu 4 to Mr. Raymond's Pattern of Pure and Undefiled Religion 8 vo 's Exposition on the Church-Catechism Ibid. Mr. Lamb's Dialogues between a Minister and his Parishioner about the Lord's Supper Ibid. 's Sermon before the King at Windsor 's Sermon before the Lord Mayor 's Liberty of Humane Nature stated discussed and limited 's Sermon before the King and Queen Jan. 19. 1689. 's Sermon before the Queen Jan. 24. 1690. Dr Hickman's Thanksgiving-Sermon before the Honourable House of Commons Oct. 19. 1690. 's Sermon before the Queen at Whitehall Oct. 26. 1690. Dr Burnet's Theory of the Earth 2 Vol. Folio 's Answer to Mr. Warren's Exceptions against the Theory of the Earth 's Consideration of Mr. Warren's Defence 's Telluris Theoria Sacra 2 Vol. 4 to Bishop of Bath and Wells Reflections on a French Testament Printed at Bourdeaux 's Christian Sufferer supported 8 vo Dr Grove now Lord Bishop of Chichester his Sermon before the King and Queen June 1. 1690. Dr Hooper's Sermon before the Queen Jan. 24. 1690 1. Dr Pelling's Sermon before the King and Queen Dec. 8. 1689. 's Vindication of those that have taken the Oaths 4 to Dr Worthington of Resignation 8 vo 's Christian Love Ibid. Religion the Perfection of Man By Mr. Jeffery Ibid. Faith and Practice of a Church of England Man 12º The Fourth Edition Kelsey Concio de Aeterno Christi Sacerdot 's Sermon of Christ Crucified Aug. 23. 1691. Mr. Milbourn's Sermon Jan. 30. 1682. 's Sermon Sept. 9. 1683. An Answer to an Heretical Book called the Naked Gospel which was condemned and order'd to be publickly Burnt by the Convocation of the University of Oxford Aug. 19. 1690. With some Reflections on Dr Bury's new Edition of that Book to which is added a Short History of Socinianism by W. Nichols M. A. c. Two Letters of Advice I. For the Susception of Holy Orders II. For Studies Theological especially such as are Rational At the end of the former is inserted a Catalogue of the Christian Writers and Genuine Works that are Extant of the First Three Centuries By Henry Dodwell M. A. c.