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A17927
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A sermon preached in Oxford-shire; by Nicholas Cantrel, Master in Arts. Published at the request of Sir Richard Blunt
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Cantrell, Nicholas.
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1624
(1624)
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STC 4588; ESTC S118531
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21,341
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42
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dutie of man the Epitome of all profitable learning Luk. 10.42 Col. 12.13 2. Tim. 3.15 which is only able to make us wise to salvation These are those bookes which thou shalt be put unto upon the greatest tryall that ever can befall thee even upon life and death not this temporall of the bodie but that eternall of soule and bodie before the Almightie Iudge of the world In the twentith of the Revelation and the 12th I saw the dead saith Iohn both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke vvas opened which is the booke of life and the dead vvere iudged of those things vvhich were written in the bookes according to their vvorkes Well the seeond rule that I will propose to be practised for the right performance of this duetie to God is this If thou thy house wouldst serve God so as you ought to serve him then know that God hath set apart one day of the weeke for his service He allowes thee sixe dayes to spend upon thy selfe but requires that thou shouldest dedicate the seventh day unto him and lest thou mightst forget it he bids thee Remember to keep it holy Oh denie him not so small a request as one day that hath given thee all Nor hath he for himselfe anie need of this from thee but for thy sake requires it of thee with manifold blessings to returne it to thee This day then thou must exempt from the vaine things of this world and spend it wholly in pious duties in religious exercises in the Word in the Sacraments in the workes of mercie and charitie Now thou must rouze up thy soule and all that is within thee to sing prayses unto the Name of the Lord in the congregation of his Saints Now thinke upon the glorious workes of the Lord the sweet hope of thy redemption the manifold benefites and consolation that thou enjoyest in Christ and then let thy ravisht soule burst forth into those glorious exultations of David It is a good thing to give thankes unto the Lord and to sing prayses unto thy Name O most High to tell of thy loving kindnesse in the morning and of thy truth in the night season Psal 92.1 A third Rule I adde and that is this As the Sabbath is appointed of God to be wholly consecrate unto his service so thou must let no day passe without a speciall remembrance of God The Heathens in their counterfeit Religion yet retained this principle A love principâ—um to begin the day and whatsoever they undertooke by first calling upon their gods and shame it were for Christians to be more negligent in performing this service unto the God of heaven the true God than Heathens were in performing it unto their Idols which by nature were no gods Therefore if thou wouldest be the true servant of God thou must everie day call upon him every day pray unto him privately by thy selfe publikely with thy family joyning together with one heart and with one spirit with reverence with diligence with fervencie This Rule wee may learne from the Apostle Pray alwayes saith he with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit but how and watching thereunto with all perseverance Ephes 6.18 The common sort of Christians doe shew by their carelesse behavior that they are fouly mistaken what prayer is they thinke it enough to repeat the words and so the tongue be busie in speaking no matter what the heart is thinking thus they turn the chiefest means of grace into the foulest sin that is tempting the great majestie of God by their rash presumption But if we would pray as we ought we must come unto this dutie with a reverent preparation behaving our selves as in the sight of God For this is an high heavenly duty which makes us as it were familiar with God whereby wee come into the presence of God and are vouchsafed being but dust and ashes to conferre with that glorious majestie of God and therefore unlesse we meane to pull downe a curse upon our selves we must take heed how wee perform so weightie and divine a dutie carelesly formally and coldly I speake this with griefe of heart and to our shame no garish toy no companie so vile and hatefull in the sight of God but is able to cause us to omit this duetie and to break it off What my beloved doe we thinke that God stands in such need of our devotions that when wee have served the flesh and the world he will be contented with the refuse of our time and affections Oh no! we may learne farre better things of the Heathens Ignavis precibus fortuna repugnat Fortune say they resisteth cold and sluggish prayers And shall that service bee thought meet by Christians for the true and everliving God which Heathens thought unmeet for their blind their false their imaginarie goddesse Farre be this from us wee have not so learned Christ A fourth rule to be observed that wee may bee the true servants of God is to withdraw our affections from worldly vanities wee must take heed that these get not the possession of our hearts if they doe all that service which wee should performe unto God will soone vanish and come to nothing Love not the world saith S. Iohn neither the things that are in the world If anie man love the world the love of the Father is not him 1 Iohn 2.15 For indeed where the heart is taken up with vanitie what roome can there be for pietie There cannot bee two such different masters as are the God of heaven and the god of this world And our Saviour plainely tells us that no man can serve two masters without hating the one of them Yee cannot saith hee serve God and Mammon Wee must therefore according to that rule of the Apostle so use the world as if wee used it not so use it that we fall not in love with the vanities of it that we be not ensnared with the deceitfulnes of it A fift and last rule to be observed of us if wee would shew our selves zealous in the service of God is first that wee should love and affect good men cherish them and encourage them keepe them with us and converse with them A true friend saith the proverbe is a friend also to him that loves his friend I may extend the nature of this proverbe to the true servants of God they that serve God sincerely themselves will make much of the servants of God And David puts it for one of the characters and markes of him that shall rest upon the holy hill of God to make much of them that feare the Lord Psal 15.4 On the contrarie those that be ungodly and prophane that deride all pietie and religion such as those are thy soule must hate and abhorre David could tell no better way whereby to make proofe of his zeale unto God than by such an affection Doe not I hate them saith he that hate
forth thy glory and to enlarge thy kingdome Let not my Lord bee angrie at the weaknesse of his unprofitable servant I have finished my course I have kept the faith Mee thinkes indeed I heare the Iudge of the world pronouncing that sweet Elogie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wel done good faithful servant thou hast bin faithfull in little I will make thee Ruler over much Enter in into thy masters joy Mat 25.21 And will hee not on the contrarie pronounce that dreadfull sentence upon those that have abused his goods Servi mali cunctatores Yee evill and slothfull servants where are my Talents why doe I not receive mine own with advantage how is it that yee have buried them in the earth in the earthly vanities and pleasures of this world get ye therefore out of my presence into utter darknes This is that severe sentence which our Savior hath forewarn'd us of being as yet conversant amongst us in humilitie Wherefore it will be our wisdome to thinke of it seriously that wee may bee out of the danger of it when he shall appeare in his glorie For alas otherwise what unspeakable shame what horrour and confusion will betide us in that day when as so manie zealous Saints and servants of the Lord who have waded thorow the storms of tyrannie and persecution and have adorned their constant profession of the Gospell of Iesus with the innocencie of their godly lives and have sealed it with their bloods when these so manie shall be our judges O blessed Saints whose soules are in heaven where you doe follow the lamb wheresoever he goes clothed in white robes as the livery of your innocencie palms in your hands as the ensignes of victorie how will your zeal and your forwardnesse to set forth the glory of God condemne the coldnes and backwardnes of your posteritie Now therefore consider how fearefull the estate of Reprobates is they must never look to see the face of God They that will not serve the Lord the Lord will cast them forth from his presence God will spue them forth whosoever they they be that are not zealous of his glorie In the third of the Revelation the fifteenth thus writes the Spirit of God to the luke-warm Angell of the Church of the Laodiceans I knowe thy workes saith God that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou werest cold or hot therefore because thou art luke-warm and neither cold nor hot it will come to passe that I shall spue thee out of my mouth O terrible voice of the just judgement of God! Wouldst thou escape this judgement wouldst thou not be spewed out of the mouth of God there is but one onely way set downe in the 19th verse of this chap. Be zealous therefore and amend It may be vaine men such is their wretchednes may cast off the feare of these judgements for a while by a continuall exchange in vanities whil'st evill companie doth spare them no time to thinke of their end But what will they doe when that sad day of their departure comes when their soules perforce must bee taken from them when they must leave all and bid this world farewell for ever what flatterer then can send them away with a quiet conscience and with solid comfort what is he that can doe them anie good or stand them in anie stead when in all their life-time they have not purchased Christ for their friend Remember therefore O man Remember whilst thou hast time for what end thou art placed in this world namely that thou art here placed to be a probationer in the house of God in a lower straine to resound his praises where if thou shalt be found a proficient in grace and godlinesse then will the Lord advance thee unto that immortall Quire unto the fellowship of Saints and Angels there to sing unto him more glorious HALELV-IAHS for ever and for ever Well then this being thus since the well fare and happinesse of man depends upon the conscionable discharge of that duetie which he owes to God both in himselfe and in those that belong unto him since it is of such consequence that either it procures mans eternall felicitie being carefully and rightly performed or being neglected his everlasting miserie what wise man will not make it his chiefest studie to approove his waies unto the Lord what wise man will not make it the verie joy of his heart to doe the commandements of such a God what wise man will not binde himselfe unto his duetie and resolve with Ioshuah I and my house will serve the Lord I am perswaded I need use no further inducements to kindle your zeale the verie mentioning of eternall life being enough to prevaile with the soule which is created immortall But perhapps you may put-in that question here which was made to Peter and the rest of the Apostles by those new Converts in the second of the Acts What shall we doe what rules canst thou prescribe us what way canst thou set us in this dutie Give mee leave therefore as farre as this scantling of time permits to propose a few speciall directions fit to be put in practice if you have a desire to performe this dutie as it ought to be performed First whosoever thou art that wouldest serve God soundly and sincerely thou and thy family that ye may be the blessed of the Lord thou and thy family then with Davids blessed man thy delight must be in the Law of the Lord and in his Law thou must exercise thy selfe day and night Here is true wisedome to be learned not such as this world teacheth men whereby to compasse their finister ends but such as will make thee wise in thy Calling wise to save thy selfe and them that heare thee such as will make thee perfect unto everie good worke Let others serve their lusts and follow the vaine imaginations of their owne hearts let them that lust to perish adore the god of this world and sacrifice unto their owne nets as for thee whosoever thou art that aspirest unto eternitie let not this booke of the Law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe and doe according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou have good successe Iosh 1.8 A Christians Library may soonest be furnished of all other Studies it requires no moe bookes than two the one the booke of Gods Law conteining the Theorie the other the booke of his owne Conscience which containes the Practice of his duety Oh what a happie student is he in the Schoole of grace that keeps for himselfe a true concordance out of these two Why doe men busie themselves in needlesse matters and with a greedie curiositie feed their fancies with impertinent trifles What good doe our soules reape by the monsters of Affrica or by the discoveries of America Lo here is that unum necessarium vvhich includes the whole