it will proue to be if it set vs vpon any sinfull or vnwarranted meanes indeed no good intention but a bad For granted it must be that the Intention of any end doth virtually include the meanes as in a Syllogisme the Premises doe the Conclusion No more then can the choice of ill meanes proceed from a good intention than can a false Conclusion be inferred from true Premises and that is impossible From which ground it is that the a Greg. lib. 28. Moral cap. 13. Euseb. Emiss hom 26. and others Fathers and other Diuines doe oftentimes argue from the intention to the action and from the goodnesse of the one to the goodnesse of both to that purpose applying those speeches of our Sauiour in the twelfth and in the sixth of Matthew b Math. 12.33 Either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt And c Math. 6.22.23 if thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light but if thine eye be euill thy whole body shall be full of darknesse The light of the body is the eye of the worke the intention No maruell when the eye is euill if the whole body bee darke and when the intention is euill if the whole worke be naught That which deceiueth most men in iudging of good or bad intentions is that they take the end and the intention for one and the same thing betwixt which two there is a spacious difference For the end is the thing propter quid for which we work that whereat we aime in working and so hath rationem causae finalis but the intention is the cause à qua from which we worke that which setteth vs on working and so hath rationem causae efficientis Now betweene these two kindes of causes the finall and the efficient there is not only a great difference but euen a repugnancie in such sort as that it is impossible they should at any time cöincidere which some other kindes of causes may doe It is therefore an error to thinke that if the end bee good the intention of that end must needs be good for there may as well be d Sed videte ne fortè non sit verè oculus simplex qui falletur Bernard de praecept dispensat a bad intention of a good end as a bad desire of a good obiect Whatsoeuer the end be we intend it is certaine that intention cannot be good which putteth vs vpon the choice of euill meanes §. 24. The first Inference against the Church of Rome Me thinkes the Church of Rome should blush if her forehead dyed red with the blood of Gods Saints were capable of any tincture of shame at the discouery of her manifold impostures in counterfeiting of Reliques in coyning of Miracles in compiling of Legends in gelding of good Authors by expurgatory Indexes in iuggling with Magistrates by lewd Equiuocations c. Practices warrantable by no pretence Yet in their account but a Sancta Hypocrisis was Dominicus his word piae fraudes for so they terme them no lesse ridiculously than falsly for the one word contradicteth the other But what doe I speake of these but petty things in comparison of those her lowder impieties breaking couenants of truce and peace dissoluing of lawfull and dispensing for vnlawfull marriages assoyling Subiects from their Oaths and Allegiance plotting Treasons and practising Rebellions excommunicating and dethroning Kings arbitrary disposing of Kingdomes stabbing and murthering of Princes warranting vniust inuasions and blowing vp Parliament houses For all which and diuers other foule attempts their Catholique defence is the aduancement forsooth of the Catholique Cause Like his in the Poet b Horat. lib. 1. Epist. 1. Quocunque modo rem is their Resolution by right or wrong c Gaudeo siue per veritatem siue per occasionem Romanae Ecclesiae dignitatem extolli Ioseph Stephanus de Osc. ped in Epist. ad lect the State of the Papacie must be vpheld That is their vnum necessarium and if heauen fauour not rather than faile helpe must be had from hell to keepe Antichrist in his throne But let them passe and touch neerer home §. 25. The second Inference against a vulgar error There are God knoweth many Ignorants abroad in the world some of them so vnreasonable as to thinke they haue sufficiently non-plus't any reprouer if being admonished of something ill done they haue but returned this poore reply Is it not better to do so than to do worse But alasse what necessitie of doing either so or worse when Gods law bindeth thee from both a Iam. 2.10.11 He that said Doe not commit adultery said also Do not kill and he that said Doe not steale said also Doe not lie If then thou lie or kill or doe any other sinne though thou thinkest thereby to auoide stealth or adultery or some other sinne yet thou art become a transgressour of the Law and by offending in one point of it guilty of all It is but a poore choyce when a man is desperately resolued to cast himselfe away whether hee should rather hang or drowne or stab or pine himselfe to death there may be more horror more paine more lingring in one than another but they all come to one period and determine in the same point death is the issue of them all And it can be but a slender comfort for a man that will needes thrust himselfe into the mouth of hell by sinning wilfully that he is damned rather for lying than for stealing or whoring or killing or some greater crime Damnation is the wages of them all Murther can but hang a man and without fauour Petty-Larceny will hang a man too The greatest sinnes can but damne a man and without Gods mercie the smallest will damne a man too But what wil some reply In case two sinnes be propounded may I not doe the lesser to auoide the greater Otherwise must I not of necessitie doe the greater The answer is short and easie If two sinnes bee propounded doe neither Emalis minimum holdeth as you heard and yet not alwayes neither in euils of Paine But that is no Rule for euils of sinne Here the safer Rule is è malis nollum And the reason is sound from the Principle wee haue in hand If wee may not doe any euill to procure a positiue good certainely b Eâdem doctrinâ quâ horremus facere mala vt eueniant bona horrere debemus facere mala vt euitemus peiora Euitare enim peiora multò minus bonum est quà m euenire bonum Cajetan hic much lesse may wee doe one euill to auoide or preuent another But what if both cannot bee auoyded §. 26. The obiection from the seeming case of perplexitie remoued but that one must needes be done In such a straite may I not chuse the lesser To thee I say againe as before Chuse neither To the Case I
inconformity in practice vnto the lawful Ceremonies of the Church that so if it had been possible all might haue beene quiet without despising or iudging one another for these things For thankes I hold not that worth the answering alas it is a poore ayme for Gods Minister to preach for thankes For the choyce of my Text and Argument both then and now how is it not vnequall that men who plead so as none more for liberty and plainnesse in reprouing sinne should not allow those that come amongst them that liberty and plainenesse against themselues and their owne sinnes I dare appeale to your selues Haue you neuer been taught that it is the Ministers dutie as to oppose against all errours and sinnes in the generall so to bend himselfe as neere as hee can especially against the apparant errours and sinnes of his present auditorie And doe you not beleeue it is so Why then might I not nay how ought I not bend my speech both then against a common errour of sundry in these parts in point of Ceremony and now against the late petulancy or at least ouersight of some mis-guided ones The noise of these things abroad and the scandall taken thereat by such as heare of them and the ill fruits of them at home in breeding iealousies and cherishing contentions among neighbours cannot but stirre vs vp if wee be sensible as euery good member should be of the damage and losse the Church acquireth by them to put you in minde and to admonish you as opportunities inuite vs both priuately and publiquely Is it not time trow yee to thrust in the sickle when the fields look white vnto the Haruest Is it not time our Pulpits should a little eccho of these things when all the Countrie farre and neere ringeth of them For my owne part how euer others censure me I am sure my owne heart telleth mee I could not haue discharged my Conscience if being called to this place I should haue balked what either then or now I haue deliuered My conscience prompting mee all circumstances considered that these things were pro hîc nunc necessary to be deliuered rather than any other if for any outward inferiour respect I should haue passed them ouer with silence I thinke I should haue much swarued from the Rule of my Text and haue done a great euill that some small good might come of it But many thousand times better were it for me that all the world should censure mee for speaking what they thinke I should not than that my owne heart should condemne mee for not speaking what it telleth me I should And thus much of things simply euill §. 35. The conclusion I should proceed to apply this Rule Wee must not doe euill that good may come vnto euils not simply but accidentally such and that both in the general and also in some few specials of greatest vse namely vnto euils which become such through Conscience Scandall or Comparison In my choyce of the Scripture I aymed at all this and had gathered much of my prouision for it But the Cases being many and weighty I foresaw I could not goe onward with my first proiect without much wronging one of both either the things themselues if I should contract my speech to the scantling of time or you if I should lengthen it to the weight of the matter And therefore I resolued here to make an end and to giue place as fit it is to the businesse whereabout we meet The Totall of what I haue said and should say is in effect but this No pretension of a good end of a good meaning of a good euent of any good whatsoeuer either can sufficiently warrant any sinfull action to be done or iustifie it being done or sufficiently excuse the Omission of any necessarie dutie when it is necessarie Consider what I say and the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all things Now to God the Father Son and holy Spirit c. At a Visitation at Boston Lincoln 13. March 1624. THE THIRD SERMON 1. COR. 12.7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is giuen to euery man to profit withall §. 1. The Occasion IN the first Verse of this Chapter S. Paul proposeth to himselfe an Argument which hee prosecuteth the whole Chapter through and after a profitable digression into the prayse of Charitie in the next Chapter resumeth againe at the fourteenth Chapter spending also that whole Chapter therein and it is concerning spirituall gifts a Vers. 1. Now concerning spirituall gifts brethren I would not haue you ignorant c. These gracious gifts of the holy Spirit of God bestowed on them for the edification of the Church the Corinthians by making them the b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in 1. Cor. hom 29. fuell either of their pride in despising those that were inferiour to themselues or of their enuy in malicing those that excelled them therein abused to the maintenance of schisme and faction and emulation in the Church For the remedying of which euills the Apostle entreth vpon the Argument discoursing fully of the varietie of these spirituall gifts and who is the Author of them and for what end they were giuen and in what manner they should be employed omitting nothing that was needfull to bee spoken anent this subiect In this part of the Chapter §. 2. Coherence entreating both before and after this verse of the wondrous great yet sweet and vsefull varietie of these spirituall gifts he sheweth that howsoeuer manifold they are either for kind or degree so as they may differ in the materiall and formall yet they doe all agree both in the same efficient and in the same finall cause In the same efficient cause which is God the Lord by his Spirit vers 4 6. Now there are diuersities of gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of administrations but the same Lord and there are diuersities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all And in the same finall cause which is the aduancement of Gods glory in the propagation of his Gospell and the edification of his Church in this verse But the manifestation of the Spirit is giuen to euery man to profit withall By occasion of which words §. 3. and diuision of the Text. we may enquire into the nature conueiance and vse of these gifts First their nature in themselues and in their originall what they are and whence they are the workes of Gods Spirit in vs The manifestation of the Spirit Secondly their conueyance vnto vs how we come to haue them and to haue propertie in them it is by gift is giuen to euery man Thirdly their vse and end why they were giuen vs and what we are to doe with them they must be employed to the good of our Brethren and of the Church is giuen to euery man to profit withall Of these briefely and in their order and with speciall reference euer to
next after it All which fiue Psalmes together as they agree in the same generall argument the magnifying of Gods holy name so they differ euery one from other in the choyce of those speciall and topicall arguments whereby the praises of God are set forth therein In the rest the Psalmist draweth his argument from other considerations in this from the consideration of Gods mercifull remouall of those iudgements hee had in his iust wrath brought vpon his owne people Israel for their sins vpon their repentance For this purpose there are sundry instances giuen in the Psalme §. 2. and matter of this Psalme taken out of the Histories of former times out of which there is framed as it were a Catalogue though not of all yet of sundry the most famous rebellions of that people against their God and of Gods both iustice and mercy abundantly manifested in his proceedings with them thereupon In all which wee may obserue the passages betwixt God and them in the ordinarie course of things euer to haue stood in this order First hee preuenteth them with vndeserued fauours they vnmindefull of his benefits prouoke him by their rebellions hee in his iust wrath chasticeth them with heauy plagues they humbled vnder the rod seeke to him for ease hee vpon their submission withdraweth his iudgements from them The Psalmist hath wrapped all these fiue together in Vers. 43.44 Many times did hee deliuer them but they prouoked him with their counsells and were brought low for their iniquitie the three first Neuerthelesse hee regarded their affliction when hee heard their cry the other two The particular rebellions of the people in this Psalme instanced in §. 3. The Coherence scepe are many some before and some after the verse of my Text. For breuitie sake those that are in the following verses I wholly omit and but name the rest Which are their wretched infidelity and cowardise vpon the first approach of danger at the Red sea verse 7. Their tempting of God in the desert when loathing Manna they lusted for flesh verse 13. Their seditious conspiracy vnder Corah and his confederates against Moses verse 16. Their grosse Idolatrie at Horeb in making and worshipping the golden calfe verse 19. Their distrustfull murmuring at their portion in thinking scorne of the promised pleasant land vers 24. Their fornicating both bodily with the daughters and spiritually with the Idols of Moab and of Midian ver 28. To the prosecution of which last mentioned story the words of my Text do appertaine The origine story it selfe whereto this part of the Psalme referreth is written at full by Moses in Numb 25. and here by Dauid but a Breuiter totum dixit quia non hic nescientes docet sed commemorat scientes Augustin hîc briefly touched as the present purpose and occasion led him Yet so as that the most obseruable passages of the History are here remembred in three verses three speciall things The Sinne the Plague the Deliuerance The Sinne with the Aggrauation thereof vers 28. They ioyned themselues also vnto Baal-Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead The Plague with the Efficient cause thereof both Impulsiue and Principall vers 29. Thus they prouoked him to anger with their Inuentions and the Plague brake in vpon them The Deliuerance with the speciall meanes and Instrument thereof in this 30. verse Then stood vp Phinehaz and executed iudgement and the plague was stayed In which words are three things especially considerable The Person the Action of that Person §. 4. and Diuision of the Text. and the Successe of that Action The Person Phinehaz His Action twofold the one preparatory hee stood vp the other completory hee executed iudgement The Successe and issue of both the plague was stayed The person holy the action zealous the successe happy Of each of these I shall endeauour to speake something appliably to the present condition of these heauy times and the present occasion of this frequent assembly But because the argument of the whole verse is a Deliuerance and that Deliuerance supposeth a Plague and euery Plague supposeth a Sinne I must take leaue before I enter vpon the Particulars now proposed from the Text first a little to vnfold the originall story that so we may haue some more distinct knowledge both what Israels sin was and how they were plagued and vpon what occasion and by what meanes Phinehaz wrought their deliuerance When Israel trauailing from the land of Bondage to the land of Promise through the Wildernes §. 5. Balacs plotte were now come as far as a Num. 22.1 the plaines of Moab and there encamped Balac the then King of Moab not b Ibid. 2.3 daring to encounter with that people before whom c Sihon K. of the Amorites and Og. K. of Basan Numb 21. two of his greatest neighbour Princes had lately fallen d Ascitos seniores Madiani qui proximi regno eius erant amici consuluit quid facto opus esset Hist Scholast iâ— Num. c. â—2 consulted with the Midianites his neighbours and allies and after some aduice resolued vpon this conclusion to hire e Num. 22.5 7. Balaam a famous Sorcerer in those times and quarters to lend them his assistance plotting with all their might and his art by all possible meanes to withdraw Gods protection from them wherein they thought and they thought right the strength and safety of that people lay But there is no Counsell against the Lord nor f Num. 23.23 inchantment against his people Where hee will blesse and hee will blesse where he is faithfully obeyed and depended vpon neither power nor pollicy can preuaile for a Curse Balaam the wicked wretch though hee g 2 Pet. 2.15 loued the wayes of vnrighteousnesse with his heart yet God not suffering him hee could not pronounce a Curse with his lips against Israel but instead of cursing them h Num. 2â— 11 24.10 blessed them altogether §. 6. and Balaams pollicy against Israel But angry at Israel whom when faine hee would hee could not curse yea and angry at God himselfe who by restraining his tongue had voyded his hopes and a Num. 24.11 with held him from pay and honour the wretched couetous Hypocrite as if he would at once be auenged both of him and them imagineth a mischieuous deuice against them full of cursed villany Hee giueth the Moabites and the Midianites b Num. 31.16 Reuel 2.14 See also Ioseph 4. Antiquit. Iud. 5. counsell to smother their hatred with pretensions of peace and by sending the fairest of their daughters among them to enuâ—igle them with their beauty and to entice them first to corporall and after by that to spirituall whoredome That so Israel shrinking from the Loue and Feare and Obedience of their God might forfeit the interest they had in his Protection and by sinne bring themselues vnder that wrath and curse of God which neither those great Princes
punishing one for another §. 23. Consid. 3. from the distinction of impulsiue Causes ariseth from a third consideration which is this That the children are punished for the fathers sins or indefinitely any one man for the sins of any other man it ought to be imputed to those sinnes of the fathers or others not as to the causes properly deseruing them but onely as occasioning those punishments It pleaseth God to take occasion from the sinnes of the fathers or of some others to bring vpon their children or those that otherwise belong vnto them in some kind of relation those euills which by their owne corruptions sinnes they haue iustly deserued This distinction of the Cause and Occasion if well heeded both fully acquiteth Gods Iustice and abundantly reconcileth the seeming Contradictions of Scripture in this Argument and therefore it will be worth the while a little to open it §. 24. The Impulsiue Cause what it is There is a kind of Cause de numero efficientium which the learned for distinctions sake call the Impulsiue Cause and it is such a cause as a quae principalem efficientem impellit ad efficiendum Keckerm 1. Syst. Log. 10. moueth and induceth the principall Agent to doe that which it doth For Example A Schoolemaster correcteth a boy with a rod for neglecting his booke Of this correction here are three distinct causes all in the ranke of efficients viz. the Master the Rod and the boyes neglect but each hath its proper causality in a different kind and maner from other The Master is the Cause as the principall Agent that doth it the Rod is the Cause as the Instrument wherewith he doth it and the boyes neglect the impulsiue cause for which he doth it Semblably in this iudgement which befell Iehoram the principall efficient cause and Agent was God as hee is in all other punishments and iudgements b Amos 3.6 shall there be euil in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3. here he taketh it to himselfe I will bring the euill vpon his house The Instrumental Cause vnder God was c 4. King 9. Iehu whom God raised vp and endued with zeale and power for the execution of that vengeance which he had determined against Ahab and against his house as appeareth in 4. Kings 9. and 10. But now what the true proper Impulsiue cause should be for which he was so punished and which moued God at that time and in that sort to punish him that is the point wherein consisteth the chiefest difficulty in this matter and into which therefore wee are now to enquire viz. whether that were rather his own sinne or his father Ahabs sinne Whether we answer for this or for that we say but the truth in both for both sayings are true §. 25. Two sorts of impulsiue Causes God punished him for his owne and God punished him for his Fathers sinne The difference only this His owne sinnes were the impulsiue cause that deserued the punishment his fathers sinne the impulsiue cause that occasioned it and so indeed vpon the point and respectiuely to the iustice of God rather his own sins were the cause of it than his fathers both because iustice doth especially looke at the desert also because that which deserueth a punishment is more effectually primarily and properly the impulsiue cause of punishing than that which onley occasioneth it The termes whereby Artists expresse these two different kindes of impulsiue causes borrowed from Galen and the Physitians of a See Keckerm 1. Syst. Log. 10. called by Brulif Causa Dispositiua Excitatiua apud Altenst in dict Causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be excellent and full of satisfaction if they were of easie vnderstanding But for that they are not so especially to such as are not acquainted with the termes and learning of the Schooles I forbeare to vse them and rather than to take the shortest cut ouer hedge and ditch chuse to leade you an easier and plainer way though it 's something about and that by a familiar example §. 26. explained by a familiar example A man hath liued for some good space in reasonable state of health yet by grosse feeding and through continuance of time his body the whilest hath contracted many vitious noisome and malignant humours It happeneth he hath occasion to ride abroad in bad weather taketh wet on his feete or necke getteth cold with it commeth home findeth himselfe not well falleth a shaking first and anon after into a dangerous and lasting feuer Here is a feuer and here are two different causes of it an antecedent cause within the abundance of noisome and crude humours that is a interìores dispositiones quae irritantur ab externis causis Melancthon causa dispositiua Brulifer causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the euident cause ab extra his riding in the wet and taking cold vpon it and that is Galens b Causa externa irritatrix Melancthon causa excitatiua Brulifer causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let vs goe on a little and compare these causes The Physitian is sent for the sicke mans friends they stand about him and in commeth the Physitian among them and enquireth of him and them how he got his feuer They presently giue him such information as they can and the information is both true and sufficient so farre as it reacheth they tell him the one cause the occasionall cause the outward euident cause Alas Sir he rode such a iourney such a time got wet on his feete and tooke cold vpon it and that hath brought him to all this That is all they are able to say to it for other cause they know none But by and by after some suruiew of the state of the Body hee is able to informe them in the other cause the inward and originall cause whereof they were as ignorant before as he was of that other outward one and hee telleth them the cause of the malady is superfluitie of crude and noisome humours rankenesse of bloud abundance of melancholy tough fleame or some other like thing within Now if it be demanded which of these two is rather the cause of his sicknesse The truth is that inward antecedent cause within is the very cause thereof although perhaps it had not bred a feuer at that time if that other outward occasion had not beene For by that inward hidden cause the body was prepared for an ague only there wanted some outward fit accident to stirre and prouoke the humours within and to set them on working And the parties body being so prepared might haue fallen into the same sicknesse by some other accident as well as that as ouer heating himselfe with exercise immoderate watching some distemper or surfeit in diet or the like But neither that nor any of these nor any other such accident could haue cast him into such a Fit if