A SERMON PREACHED before the KING AT St. JAMES's-Chapel Jan. 19th 1695 6. By J. LAMBE D. D. Dean of Ely and Chaplain in Ordinary to His MAJESTY Published by His Majesty's Special Command LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1696. PROV iij. 6. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths THough God has given the Dominion of this lower World to Man tho' He has endued him with a competent Understanding for the wise and proper Managery of this Power and Trust that every individual Person may be happy yet this Dominion is not Absolute but in Conjunction with and Subordination to the Donor He as not made us Independent but our Grant is limited and the Government of our Reason and our Intire Submission to His most perfect Counsels are reserv'd to Himself Indeed our Nature is so framed that we cannot stand alone that we cannot be Happy any other way but under the Guidance and Direction of our Maker For tho' we know a great many things and might know many more if we attended to them yet our Reason is imperfect at the best not accurate enough to compare exactly one thing with another that we may be sure to chuse what is really our Good nor piercing deep enough into the Effects of Causes that we may prevent those evil Accidents which would destroy our Happiness And therefore if we Separate our selves from our Principle and lean to our own Understanding we deflect out of the way of our Nature and soon shall find our selves in dangerous and untrodden Ways our Ends will be absurd our Measures incompetent and the Event of things will be fatal to us But if we adhere to God if we depend upon His Wisdom and trust in His Power He will not fail to prosper our Designs For so says the wisest of Men in my Text In all thy Ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy Paths This Book of Proverbs is a perfect System of Moral and Divine Philosophy and proposes so compleat so exact a Rule of Practice to us which can never fail if we carefully observe it to make us Wise and Happy This Third Chapter of which my Text is a part insists in special manner upon that principal part of Wisdom and Policy the Resignation of our selves to God or an intire Submission of our Opinions Desires and Actions to His most Wise Direction That we Judge of Good and Evil by those Accounts which He has given of it That we Believe what He Reveals That we confide intirely in His Word and Promises and Do and Suffer cheerfully whatsoever He requires My Son forget not thou my Law but let thine Heart keep My Commandments v. 1. Lean not to thine own Vnderstanding and be not wise in thine own Conceit but Fear the Lord and Trust in Him with all thine Heart at the 7th Verse Despise not His Chastnings for whom He Loves He corrects And Happy is he who finds this Wisdom at the 13th Verse Now my Text resolves these several Particulars and all other Duties of the Kind into this one standing Rule or Precept In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy Paths Which Words consist of these two General Parts I. The First is an Exhortation or a Duty enjoyn'd In all thy Ways acknowledge Him II. The Second is the Motive or Encouragement to the Practice of it And He shall direct thy Paths 1. I begin with the First of these the Duty enjoyn'd In all thy Ways acknowledge Him And 1. First I shall explain the Nature of the Duty or what it is and when a Man may be said in his Ways to Acknowledge God And 2. Secondly I shall consider the Extent and Latitude of the Duty or the manner how it is to be performed not partially not only in some Particulars but in All our Ways In all thy Ways acknowledge Him 1. I begin with the First of these and shall endeavour to explain the Nature of the Duty or what it is and when a Man may be said in His Ways to Acknowledge God It is very usual in the Holy Scriptures by the Metaphor of our Ways and our Paths to express the Designs the Aims and Intentions of our Mind together with our Actions consequent upon them or our Prosecution of them in the Course of our Lives and thus I shall understand it in my Text as well with Respect to the Inward Previous Motions of our Souls and to our Visible and External Actions For the outward Act has such an Inseparable Connection with the Principle or Cause thereof that it is impossible to give a Rule for the Regulation of the one which shall not oblige us also in Respect of the other And the Metaphor it self is as natural and easie when applied to the Motions of our Mind as when it is limited to the Scope and Tendency of our outward Actions And in Fact it is used indifferently in the Holy Scriptures with Respect to both or either of them Thy Way is in the Sea says the Psalmist speaking of God Himself Thy Paths are in the great Waters and Thy Footsteps are not known That is Thy Secret Counsels Ps 77.19 and Thine External Dispensations are both of them Inscrutable And St. Paul cries out in an Holy Rapture Thy Judgments and Thy Ways which are join'd together are past our finding out Rom. 11.33 And who has known the Mind of the Lord Thus also in Respect of the Actions and Designs of Men Thou understandest my thoughts afar off says the Psalmist Thou compassest my Path and my lying down Psal 139.2 3. and art acquainted with all my Ways that is with all the Motions both of my Soul and Body If my Steps says Holy Job have turned out of the Way or if mine Heart has walked after mine Eyes c. where the Motions of his Mind Job 31.7 as well as those of his Body are express'd by his Steps and his Walk And this is enough to show that by our Paths and our Ways in my Text we may fairly understand our whole Capacity of Judging Designing Resolving and Acting In all thy Ways that is in all the Deliberations of thy Mind in all thy Consultations Ends and Actions Acknowledge God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Recognize and Own Him Remember and reflect upon thy Relation to Him that He is thy God and thy Creator that thou art of Right and of Necessity His Subject that thou actest merely by His Commission and by that Power which He has given thee Acknowledge Him to be thy Lord thy Governour and Judge that He is always present with thee and that thou can'st hide nothing from Him Set Him thus in all thy ways before thy face as the Psalmist phrases it Ps 16.8 This is the literal Construction of the word Acknowledge Him But the Duty in the Practice of it extends a great deal farther For it is not only an
Acknowledgment of the Mind that is here required but also all such proper Acts as such an Acknowledgment if it be sincere will direct and prompt us to The Fifth and the Seventh Verses which with my Text make one intire and perfect Period give us a sufficient Light both into the Sense of the Terms and the Nature of the Duty Lean not to thine own Vnderstanding V. 5. and Be not Wise in thine own conceit at the 7th Verse But in all thy Ways acknowledge Him as in my Text which is the same as if He had said Follow not the Bent and Inclination of thine own corrupt and sensual Will Be not so foolish as to believe that thou canst stand alone That by the Strength of thy natural Understanding thou canst make thy self happy That thou canst form such Ends to thy self as are every way most proper for thee and chalk out the Best and aptest Means whereby thou may'st accomplish them Lean not to thine own Vnderstanding What then should I do Why in all thy Ways acknowledge God take His Advice and Direction with thee be Over-rul'd and Govern'd by Him It is not then a distinct and simple Duty by it self or that at certain times in a solemn manner we recognize the Being and the Attributes of God But in all our Thoughts Designs and Actions we are commanded to acknowledge Him It is a Duty that is to mingle it self with all the several Motions of our Soul and Body It does not terminate in our Mind or Tongue but obliges us to all such proper Acts as naturally flow from such a Recognition of Him Is God our Sovereign Lord and King Are we of right His Subjects Do we act by His Permission Is He conscious of every Motion that we make And do we acknowledge this Why then we are obliged by our own Confession as well as by the Reason of the thing to submit our selves intirely to Him to suspend our Judgment restrain our Affections and forbear the Prosecution of our Design till we are first acquainted with the Sense and Pleasure of God in the Case before us till we have prayed to Him for His Assistance and submitted the Event of all to His Wisdom and Providence This is in our Ways to acknowledge God For as all these several Acts are fairly implied in the Word it self as it has been now explain'd so there is nothing more usual in Scripture than to mention only One and that perhaps the lowest Act of a general Duty when all the rest that rationally flow from that that is express'd are implied and understood God so loved the World says our Saviour That He gave His only begotten Son into the World that whosoever Believeth in Him St. Joh. 3.16 should not perish but have Everlasting Life but it must be in Conjunction with such a suitable Conversation as such a Belief will prompt us to James 2.19 because the Devils Believe but yet they shall never be saved And can Faith save ye says St. James That is it cannot save ye if it be alone And again with the Mouth Confession is made unto Salvation Rom. 10.80 says St. Paul but it implies such a suitable Life as will follow such a Confession if it be sincere For not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord says our Saviour not every one that owns me or is called by my Name shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that does the Will of my Father c. Thus here in my Text in all thy Ways acknowledge Him the Act of Confession only is mentioned when all such other Acts as such a Recognition prompt us to are implied and understood He judged the Cause of the poor and needy and then it was well with Him Jer. 22.16 was not this and nothing else without this to know me saith the Lord Wherefore then to Acknowledge God in the Sense of my Text is to Confess and Own Him according to all those several Accounts and Manifestations of Himself that he has given us that He is our Sovereign Lord and King that we are intirely subject to Him that He has given us a Law and that we ought to obey it that He knows our Thoughts that He sees our Designs and will reward and punish us according to our Works And that therefore we revere Him awefully and submit our selves and our Designs intirely to His Will that we make Him always present to us and never venture to embrace a Proposition resolve upon an End or do any considerable Action till we have first compared it with the Rule that He has given us and if we find it is against us that we then reject it with all the Chearfulness in the World though never so dear or never so advantageous to us in Appearance if we find it is with us and that we may safely prosecute our Purpose that we then proceed with Confidence imploring first His Blessing and submitting the Event of all to His good Will and Pleasure This is the Sense of the Words and the Nature of the Duty In thy Ways Acknowledge God 2. I proceed in the Second Place to consider the Extent the Scope and latitude of the Duty not only in some Particulars but in All thy Ways Acknowledge Him It is a Duty indeed that is not capable of Limitation for unless our Resignation shall be Universal it cannot be sincere An industrious Reservation of our own Self-will in any Instance destroys our Principle intirely For if we were in Earnest if we Acknowledg'd God in Truth if we believed our Relation to Him and had made His Will the Supreme and leading Principle of our Actions as the Duty requires we could not presume in any instance to proceed without Him Because the Principle where-ever it is True must needs have the same effect and force upon us in one thing as it has in another No Accidents or Occurrences no Circumstances whatsoever can either alter the case or Release us from our Obligation And therefore to pretend to Acknowledge God unless we are intirely Resign'd to His Will or so long as we have any Reserves is either Self-deceit or gross Hypocrisie The Universality of our Submission is the only Test of our Sincerity For if we pick and chuse our Duties and reject what we please we do not take our Rule from God but have framed it our selves by our own Corrupt and Private Inclinations But let us not deceive our selves there is no halting between both Ye cannot serve God and Mammon says our Saviour and St. Mat. 6.24 He that offends in one Point says St. James in the Sense before us is Guilty of all No! we cannot be said to acknowledge Him at all unless we submit to His Direction as well in those particulars wherein our Temper and our present Inclinations are more averse and contrary to His Will as in those where they are more consenting and agreeing with it The very Life and Spirit of
that we may be sure there shall be nothing wanting on His part to complete our Happiness Such an intire Submission of our Will to His admits us into the Endearments of a near Relation and gives us a sort of Vnity with Himself in whom all Fulness dwells and from whom it will flow in an Abundant manner upon us But there is no need of arguing from the Reason of the thing since the Holy Scriptures every where abound with Promises of the Divine Assistance in this particular and immediate manner that we now Assert and Insist upon For Would you be Resolv'd from an honest Principle what Course you are to Steer that ye may be happy Why Ps 25.12 He will teach you the way you shall Chuse Or being entred Are ye afraid lest ye should wander and turn aside out of the Path again Why Ps 37. The Good man's Steps are Ordered by the Lord and He Delighteth in his Way Or Are ye afraid of Assaults upon the Road and do you distrust your own Ability to Resist them Why He will lay no more upon thee than thou art able to bear Cor. 10.3 but will with the Temptation also find a way for thee to Escape Or Do you meet with Crosses and Afflictions as ye go Why God will Hide thee under the shadow of his wings Ps 27.8.46.1 And He is a very present Help in trouble Or Do ye find any Difficulties any rugged Way in the Road it self and are ye afraid of Falling Why When thou goest thy Steps shall not be straitned and when thou runnest thou shalt not stumble And again He will hold up thy Goings in thy Paths Prov. 4.12.17.5 that thy Foot-steps shall not slip Or Do ye chance to fall indeed it is incident to the humane Nature and God permits it that we may know our selves to be but Men yet in sha'n't be fatal For tho' he fall he shall not be utterly cast down Ps 37.24 for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand Finally Are ye faint and weary Do ye think it long till you gain your point and see an Issue of your Labours Be not sollicitous All things shall work together for your Good Rom. 8.28 Commit thy way unto the Lord Ps 37.5 Trust also in Him and He will certainly bring it to pass This is the Promise of my Text This is the Covenant that God has made with those who Resign themselves intirely to Him that He will thus Direct their Ways These Promises it cannot be denied are exceeding great indeed but can we hope that they shall be fulfill'd Is not Man a voluntary Agent Is it not his Essential Property that He is the Master of Himself and that all his Designs and Actions are the pure result of his own Choice How then can he be acted by another and yet retain the Liberty of his Will To Reconcile this seeming Contradiction may appear a Difficulty at the first View of it but if we carefully consider it we shall find that both these Propositions are equally True and very consistent with each other For it is no where said that God will act us Irresistibly or that the Influences of His Grace shall be a Force upon us He does not drive us against our Will but takes us by the hand we give Him and only leads the Ductil Temper and the Willing Mind We must Acknowledge Him before He will direct our Ways for He assists the Work of none but those who work themselves or are willing to be wrought upon It must be allowed that the Communication of Spirits or the Manner how all this is done how God awakens our Understanding how He changes our Mind how He forms new Opinions in us new Resolutions Vigour and Affections and how He assists our Endeavours all along till our Course is finished is to us unknown And indeed we have no Reason to be concern'd about it it is enough that we Believe and Adore but the manner how it is perform'd is above our Understanding and therefore we ought not to Expect it or inquire into it But the thing it self or that they why in all their Ways Acknowledge God shall be thus Directed by Him is evident to the Sense of all Good Men asserted positively in the Holy Scriptures and is no way Repugnant to our Reason and that 's sufficient For since God is Infinite in all Perfections since He is ignorant of nothing Natural or Voluntary that either is or shall or can be since the Secrets of all Mens Hearts and the Operations of all Causes are before His Eyes it is easy to conceive that He may as affectually influence a Rational Agent as direct a Subject natural or merely passive Since He knows the present Disposition of our Souls and the Order of all our Designs and Thoughts may He not inject His Motives clear our Reasonings prevent Temptations encourage or disswade our Purposes and order all things opportunely by His Providence The Will of Man is wrought upon no other Way than by the Appearances of things in his Understanding and therefore if God has a perfect Knowledge of all the Motions of our Minds of all our Doubts Debates Intentions and Designs He may without Dispute according to our own Conceptions afford us vast Advantages in Apprehending rightly in Judging Chusing Resolving and Acting as we ought to do and this without any Prejudice at all to the Property of our Nature the Freedom of our Choice Let it be so then yet is it such a mighty Blessing to be led by another Is there any Inconvenience so great that a Man would not rather endure than part with his Liberty Can there be a more perfect State of Happiness than to be Masters of our selves to pursue our Inclinations and do whatsoever pleases us What then though God will be pleased to Direct my Paths is that enough to perswade me to give up my self intirely to Him and in all my Designs and Actions to be govern'd by Him Yea most certainly it is an abundant Recompence 2. And this was the last Particular I proposed to Consider namely wherein the Incouragement consists and where lies the Force of the Argument or because He will vouchsafe to Direct our Paths that therefore we should run unto Him joyfully and Resign our selves without Reserve to His Disposal Indeed if we consider all its Weight and Strength we shall find that it is more than an Encouragement and must of Necessity Determine us For as soon as we understand who it is that promises and to whom the Promise is made there can be no Hesitation or Doubt upon our Mind the Case is clear and we can do no other than yield to the force of the Motive For is it not our greatest Good our truest Liberty to be directed by the most Perfect Being Are we not ignorant of a thousand times more than we know Impatient of Happiness but doubtful what to chuse Busie and ambitious