upon him for it as Aaron here did but as for Miriam she neither Confest her Sin nor shew'd any Sorrow for it but stubb rnly persisted in it For notwithstanding God Arraigned her himself and sate himself as â—udge in Moses's Cause and ask'd her why she was not affraid to speak against his Servant Moses she made no Reply by an humble Plea for Mercy but stood as a sullen Mute and so God recorded her and left her to Judgment and departs from her in great Fury Num. 12. 9. 2. The second Infectious Disease is the Pestilence which prevails mightily by Infection killing Thousands in a short time So doth the Plague of Spiritual Delusions Infect and Destroy many Thousands of Souls in a very few Days And that these Mens Principles in my Text had the same Effect it was too apparent in their Punishment and one may read their Sin in their Punishment And that there was a Spiritual Plague fore broken and running upon these Mens Spirits It is evident by the Injunction which God laid upon the rest of the People to depart from them and not to come near them nor touch any thing of theirs least their Sin should Infect them and they perish with them in their Sins And so Infectioâ—s was it to many Thousands in Israel that it brake forth upon them on the Morrow and in a Congregated Assembly Murmured against Moses and told him he had Killed the People of the Lord. How nearly doth Heresie in the Soul resemble the Pestilence in the Body for as fast as that lothsom Disease cleaves to the Body so fast doth Heresie stick in the Soul and Heart of a Man For as it is a very difficult thing and almost Impossible for a Phisttian to heal the Plague of Pestilence in the Body So it is a very hard and difficult thing for the best Majestrate or the best Minister in the World to reclaim any Man or Woman from the Error of their way that have forsaken the Publick Service of God the High-way of Salvation and betook themselves to the By-paths of a Pestilential Conventicle one Year Hence it is that the Apostle St. Paul Exhorts Titus to Reject A Man that is an Heretick after the first and second Admonition And subjoyns this Reason Knowing that he that is such is subverted and Sinneth being Condemned of himself Titus 3. 10 11. Now you may happily ask what an Heretick is I Answer A Heretick is one that obstinately Defends and Maintains an Opinion contrary to the Faith Practice and Profession of the truely Antient Catholick and Apostolick Church But ye may happily say why doth the Apostle Exhort Titus to be so quick and brief in Admonishing such an one and upon a second Contempt imediately to reject him I Answer Answer Because they have refused the way of Truth and chosen and prâ—fer'd an Erronious Opinion be ore it and obstinately reâ—use to return again This assâ—ion iâ— verified by the Testimony of the Prophet Jeremâ— Chap. 6. ver 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls This was the first Admonition the Prophet gave them aâ—ter their Revolt unto which they obstinately answered We will not walk therein The second word of Admonition is in ver 17 Also I set Watchmen over you saying Hearken to the sound of the Trumpet Unto which they made this stubbora Answer We will not Hearken Upon this their refusal after their second Admonition to return to the antient ways of God the Prophet proceeds in the name of the Lord to give Judgment upon them in ver 18. 19. Therefore hear ye Nations and know O Congrâ—gation what is among them Hear O Earth behold I wâ—ll bring Evil upon this People even the Fruit of their Thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my Words nor to my Law but rejected it Twice did those Men in my Text return a stubborn Anâ—wer to Moses that they would not return to their former Conformity but deâ—perately resolved to stick close to their former Remonstrance for when Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Eliab to come to him doubtless to perswade and advise with them to forbear the further Prosecution of their wicked Designs and to consider the manifold mischiefs that would unavoidably follow such wicked enterprizes as they were now begining to prosecute then they returned this resolute Answer We will not come up and aggravated it with this Expostulation Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land thâ—t floweth with Milk and Honey to kill us in the Wilderness except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us ver 13. and then in ver 14. They follow their blow with a Moreover thou hast not brought us into a Land that floweth with Milk and Honey or given us Inheritance of Fields and Vineyards Wilt thou put out the Eyes of these Men We will not come up Upon this second Repulse of theirs to Moses's Admonition he utterly Rejects them and now will have no more to do with them but turns his Prayer directly against them And in the Indignation of his Spirit said unto the Lord Respect not thou their Offering And what the Effect of such a Prayer was like to be may be easily read in the Judgment that followed for the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up with all that appertain'd to them and I wish with all my Heart that these Mens Principles had sunck into the Ground with them and never appear'd again upon the face of Earth but vae mihi 3. A third Infectious Disease in the Body of Man is the Cancer a sore fretting Disease very small in the beginning dangerous in growth and pernitious in the end Such is all Scismatical and false Doctrine in the beginning scarcely discern'd but by degrees it eats so far into the Soul that it destroys both Faith and Practice We have this confirm'd by the Apostle St. Paul in an Epistle of his to the chief Pastor of the Church of Ephesâ—s 2. Tim. 2. Cap. 16. 17. 18. ver But shun prophane Bablings for they will increase unto more Ungodliness And their Word will eat as doth a Canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus Who concerning the truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some O Lord for thy Mercy sake save and deliver thy Church and People in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and the Religion Established by Law therein from the fly insinuating creeping Soul-infectious Diseases of Sediton Privy Conspiracy and Rebellion false Doctrine Heresie and Scisme and work in us such a Reformation in all our Lives that our Conversations before God and Man may be such as may beautifie and adorn our most Holy Faith and demonstrate to the World that we are living Members of Christ's Body I have now finished my third
Heresie and Scisme and so undiscernibly maâ—age their Crafty Devices that the very elect choise and eminent Christians will hardly escape from being entangled with such Deceits Now then seeing that these things are certainly true it cannot but be dangerous and unsafe for the best of Christians to venture themselves into any such Congregations as have made a causeless Separation from such a Church where the the Word of God is truely taught Publick Prayer in a Form of sound Word suitable to every State and Condition of Men answerable to all their wants both for Soul and Body and all put up to God in the Name of his only Son Jesus Christ And all this Confirm'd and Establish'd by the Successive Royal Laws and Sacred Statutes Acts and Ordinances of the most Christian Kings Princes and Parliaments that ever were since the Reformation as the Church of England is in Statu quo Our Blessed Saviour hath assnred us by the words of his Sacred Lips That many will come in his Name and deceive not a few but many And the Apostle St. John saith That there are many Antichrists and exhorts them not to believe every Spirit because many false Prophets were gone forth into the World Seeing then that the number of Deceivers are many and the Deceived a Thousand times more I hold it the greatest Wisdom that can be in a Christian to take heed how he adventures into every Congregation of People least he become one of those many that Christ fiath foretold will certainly be deceived for want of this special Gift of the Holy-Ghost to discern Spirits Reason 2. A second Reason is because such Mens Principles will leave a black Brand of detestable hatred upon their very Names amongst the Generations of the People of God that shall Survive them For tho' they may prosper for a time and take their swinge for a time and run their Wildgoose chase for a time and tho' they take liberty to kindle these Fires and compas themselves about with such Sparks and tho' they walk in the Light of these Fires and Sparks of their own kindling yet this shall they have at the hand of the Lord they shall lie down in Sorrow and leave a Curse upon their Names amongst the Surviving Genâ—rations And this was verified on these very Men in my Text for when the Geneologies of the Surviving Tribes were Numbred and Recorded there lieth a Bloâ— of Disgrace upon their Names so that in plain Terms their Names stunck after they were dead The Record is to be seen in Chap. 26. of the Book of Numbers ver 7 8 9. the Words of the Record are these These are the Families of the Reubenites and they that were Numbred of them were Forty and three Thousand and seven Hundred and Thirty And the Sons of Pallu Eliab And the Sons of Eliab Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram This is that Dathan and Abiram which were Famous in the Congregaâ—tion who strove against Moses and against Aaron in that Company of Corah when they strove against the Lord. And the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up together with Corah when that Company Died what time the Fire Devoured two Hundred and Fifty Men and they became a Sign Nor did their Names stink only upon Record but in the Memories and Thoughts of the Surviveing honest Hearted Israelites as appeareth by the Words of the Plea of the Daughters of Zelophehad made in open Court for Inheritance of their Fathers which Plea was also Recorded aud continueth to this Day Num. 27. ver 1 2. Ver. 1. Then came the Daughters of Zelophehad the Son of Hepher the Son of Gilead the Son of Machir the Son of Manasses the Son of Joseph And these are the Names of his Danghters Mahlah Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah And they stood before Moses and Eliazar the Priest for Aaron was then Dead and before the Princes and all the Congregation by the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation saying Our Father Died in the Wilderness and he was not in the Company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the Company of Corah but died in his own Sin and had no Sons 4 Why then should the Name of our Father be done away from amongst his Family because he hath no Son give unto us therefore a Possession amongst the Brethren of our Fathers 5. And Moses brought their Cause before the Lord and the Lord spake unto Moses saying 6. The Daughters of Zelophehad speak right thou shalt surely give them a Possession of an Inheritance amongst their Fathers Brethreu and thou shalt cause the Inheritance of their Father to pass unto them By the Contents of which Record it is evident that the Remembrance of these Mens Doings was Odious to Posterity more Instances we have as in Simeon and Levi Simon Magus Thudas Judas of Gallilee Nicolitans c. Reason 3. Is because the Breath of such Mens Doctrine is infectious to a sound Judgment the Sons of Men are as really snbject to Spiritual Infection as the Body is to that which is Carnal the Body is not more liable to the Infection of the Plague of Pestilence than the Judgments of the Sons and Daughters of Men are to the Plague of Spiritual Delusions And this my Assertion I ground upon Reason drawn from the Testimonies of Sacred Writ besides Woful and Daily Experience There are three Diseases amongst Men notably Infectious above others viz the Leprosie the Pestilence and the Cancer all whieh three Diseases of the Body do paralell the three grand Infectious Diseases of the Soul viz. Disobedience Heresie and Scisme The first whereof is Epidemical and hath Infected all Mankind with the Leprosie of Original Sin The second is more Secret and indiscernable falling upon sound Constitutions when they think least on 't even whilest they are Talking and Drinking with their Friend and concerning this Disease it is observable that the Party Infected hath a desire to Infect others tho' never so near and dear to them the like desire have all Scismaticks The third Infectious Disease viz. the Cancer hath its Residence for the most part in the Mouth or Tongue that they who drink of the same Cup with them are in danger of Infection For Confirmation of this Assertion I shall give you a Precedent and Precept from the Sacred Scriptures The Precedent is double and of Lamentable Memory because the Sin appeared in the Punishment of those that Committed it The Precept is alone yet worthy of a serious notice because it was Transmitted by an Epistle from an Universal Apostle to a Bishop of a particular Charge 2 Tim. 16. 17. 18. The first Precedent or Example is Recorded in Numb 12. where two prime Servants of God are found Tardy in their Obedience to him which shewed it felf in the Malignant Humour of Miriam and Aarons Murmuring against Moses who tho' their own Brother yet under God their Supream Governour nevertheless they could say
Hath the Lord indeed only spoken by Moses hath he not spoken also by us Here was Envy and Emulation at the Government intrusted by God in the Hands of Moses Disobedience would undoubtedly have followed the Leprosi of Original Sin dâ—d cleave so fast to their Loyns that altho' they were Saints upon Earth yet they were nâ—t quite free from stumbling upon the Threshould oâ— Original Corruption true Children oâ— Disobediâ—nt Parents Adam and Eve our first Parents would set up for themselves and be as Gods Miriam and Aaron will Rule and Govern as well as Moses Hath the Lord indeed say they spoken onely by Moses Hath he not spoken also by us No wonder Moses was not angry with his Brother and Sister for aspiring to share with him in a piece of Earthly Government when he knew that his own first Parents aspired to an Heavenly Throne by endeavouring to be as Gods Nay Aaron in another sinful Act of his outdid his Progenitors for they presumed to be but as Gods to know Good and Evil but Aaron presumed to make a God nay to make many Gods Make us Gods saith sinful Israel that may go before us Bring your Ear rings saith Aaron and I 'le make you some Original Sin like a Snow ball gathers by rolling from place to place The same Serpent that perswaded our first Parents to conceit themselves Gods hath prevailed with Aaron not to conceit himself to be one but take upon him the Employment of making a God and so to be greater than God For as he that makes a King is said to be greater then a King so he that makes a God may conceit himself greater than the God he hath made Oâ— the horrible Contagion and Infection of Original Sin which like a foul Leprosie hath spread it self into the whole Masse of Mankind And as thus the Leprosie of Original Sin had spread it self into the several Faculties of Miriams and Aarons Soul so the Lord Plagâ—ed Miriam with a soul Leprosie in several parts of her Body a Punishment suitable to her Sin If it should here be askt why Aaron guilty of the same Sin with his Sister Miriam was not Plagued with the same Punishment of Leprosie as she was according to the rule of Justice the same Sin the same Punishment I answer it is true the Lord might in Justice have smitten Aaron with the Plague of Leprosie as he did Miriam but he did not he spared Aaron and Punished Miriam and that for several good and weighty Reasons as I humbly conceive 1. That the Church and all the World may know that he hath two Hands as well as two Eyes the one to lay on the stroak of Justice and the other to extend Grace and Mercy that he is Mercy as well as Justice and Judgment as well as Mercy 2. That the Sons of Men may know that God is a free Agent and may do with his own what he pleaseth that he can have Mercy upon whom he will have Mercy and Punish others for the Iniquity of their Transgressions and leave them to the hardness of their own Hearts 3. The Sin was greater in Miriam then in Aaron Aaron might have a seeming colour for what he said having formerly been Moses's Speaker for God to Pharaoh but for Miriam to assume the Privilege of a Speaker was neither proper to her Sex nor ever an Office in the Church for a Woman to Execute I permit not a Woman saith St. Paul to Speak in the Church 4. Aarons Office might excuse him and speak something for him being by a special Decree and Ordinance of God Anointed with Holy Oyl High Priest to offer Sacrifice for the Sins of all Israel and no Leper was to Officiate in that calling nor stand at Gods Altar so that the Purity of his Office freed him from that foul and lothsom Punishment of the Plague of Leprosie God's Altar was nor a fit place for a Deformed Person to stand at to offer Sacrifices therefore for the Glory of his Name and the Holiness of his Altar he exempted the Sacrificer from the Punishment of so loathsom a Disease altho ' he went not Scot-free for for this and other failings he was debarr'd both of the sight and enterance into the Land of Canaan the Land of Promise 5. It might probable be that Aaron was not Principal but Accessary to this Sin for Miriam is first named in the Text Numb 12. And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Aethiopian Woman whom he had Married If she had not been Principal in the Sin it s very likely she had not been named first in the Inditement And it is very likely that the Quarrel began betwixt the two Sisters In-law Ziporah and Miriam about what I know not but be it what it will Miriam hath engaged her Brother Aaron in the Quarrel and both of them knew that Moses was so Just and so good a Man that if the matter on Ziporah's part were not a Breach of God's Sacred Law he was bound by the Sacred Tye of Marriage to Vindicate her against them both they resolve therefore to bring him in for a Party and make him Faulty for fuch a Choice and so begin a Quarrel with him who it may be knew nothing of their Discontents Dr. Hall late Bishop of Norwich that English Seneca that Painful Pious Prelate in his Contemplations on the Holy Story hath an excellent Passage upon this Place Lib. 6 Pag. 196. in Oct. Miriam and Aaron are in Mutiny against Moses Who is so Holy that Sins not What Sin is so unnatural that the best can avoid without God's preventing Grace Who can but grieve to see Aaron at the end of so many Sins Of late I saw him Carving the Molten Image and Consecrating an Altar to a False God now I see him seconding an uukind Mutiny against his Brother both find him Accessary neither Principal in the first Sin of Mankind the Servent who was Principal in it found no Mercy nor Grace Whereas Adam and his Wife who were but Accessarieâ— had upon their Repentance the offer of both and therefore 6. A fixth Râ—son â—hy Aaron escaped the Punishment inflicte upon Miriam was because oâ— his speedy Repentance for no sooner did he perceive the Leprosie upon Miriams Face he knew there was but one way to escape that or a greater punishment viz. a Conâ—ssion 〈◊〉 in and a speedy Repentance And therefore having offended his Brother Moses he first asketh him Forgiveness saying Alas my Lord lay not this Sin upon us wherein we have done Foolishly and wherein we have Sinned The universal Ant dote against all Gods Judgments is Unfeignâ—d and speedy Repentance Had Miriam Repented at the Word of the Lord to her as Aaron did at the Hand of the Lord upon hâ—r 't is very likly that she had eâ—caped the Leprosie as well as he for that God who is rich in Mercy to one is rich in Mercy to all that Unfeignedly call