by Nature as the most wicked you would Reform and worthy to be as poor as the most Indigent you 〈◊〉 and not too good to be employed 〈…〉 in the meanest Services 〈◊〉 really honoured to be used in such as this 〈…〉 irs and this seems har 〈…〉 s too debasing ask may not that 〈◊〉 better fit me which was in Christ Iesus my Lord who made himself of no reputation Phil. 2.5 2. Be weaned from the World mortified to all in it and well content with what God hath reserved in Heaven for you what you make your Portion that will prescribe your Work If your Happiness is confined to Flesh and Time you 'll soon quit what seldom contributes to it and is daily exposing it to hazard yea oft to ruine Even Publick Spirited Men for their Country venture all in common Danger yet after Success they get the least it 's oft more than so with Men who are engaged for the Testimony of Christ and good of Souls Worldly Affections can never drive this Trade Covetousness Effeminateness fondness of Relations excessive love of Life Ease and Pleasure will obstruct you when the Expences Losses Pains and Dangers of Eminent Undertakings present themselves Therefore be Crucified to the World if ever you would be Useful in it and let it be a dead Carkass in your Account if you would not be hindred by it in your best Designs Cherish Heavenly Affections and with pleasure oft view your chosen Portion otherwise an irregular Appetite will press too hard to let you be much of long engaged in a Work that 's so far from gratifying it This way Moses became so profitable to his People Heb. 11.25 26. and Paul to Iews and Gentiles 2 Cor. 5.12 15 18. 3. Get true Christian Fortitude And this will unite fix and steel the Heart against all Onsets which try your Patience Courage and Resolutions Rev. 2. 3. A pusillanimous Man will refuse what 's difficult and forsake what 's dangerous or so demean himself under it as to frustrate a good Effect The truest Courage will be put to a stand for Satan singleth out the eminently Useful to level all his Darts against his own Votaries he 'll employ to persecute them whatever in civil Men is to be made use of shall conspire to make your Work difficult and you unhappy and uneasie nothing shall be wanting to terrifie or bribe you to tire or distress you Rev. 2.102.3 2. Envy also still accompanieth signal usefulness which oft renders your Friends more grievous to you than your professed Enemies In every Age it 's found the spirit within us lusteth to envy Jam. 4.5 I wish all good Men yea we Ministers could also find with the Apostle but God giveth more grace Yet as unreasonable and devilish as Envy is you must expect it and be prepared to endure the Effects thereof but still with a Mind no more averse from your Work or indifferent to it other than avoid all Oftentation to conceal what of your Work you can and to but omit none unless you can get it done by another hand 3. If you are called to serve your Generation by opposing the Errors or Church-dividing Practices of any considerable Sects pretending to Zeal for Truth tho' never so falsly and to a purer Form of Administration tho' in all that highly Superstitious you 'll find those violent and base Methods to asperse and sink you which very Pagans would abhor to use yet this must not abate your Testimony nor incline you in the least to betray the Truth or to seem to approve of their Unchristian Attempts against the Common Good neither suffer your Spirit to be infected and debased to a resemblance of theirs in Malice Rancour Wrath Rage or Revengefulness which is so contrary to the Spirit of Christ as to make you justly suspect you were no appointed Advocate for his Truth and Interest And alike careful must you be that the highest provocations prevail not with you to vindicate your self by ways that all things duly considered appear a greater damage to the Publick Good than the single Interest of your Person can countervail I have given you some hints of the Exercise which you ought to provide against lest a surprize cause you to quit or disserve the Blessed Work you are called to 4. Yet it 's true it may prove more creditable safe and easie if it be only beneficial to Men's Bodies or Estates for against that sort Satan and the World make less resistance unless it affect the Publick in somewhat wherein Factions are concerned Yea it may be less hazardous and grievous if it profit Mens Souls if it be only in points which Christ hath gained a reputation to and that you have many to assist you in the Defence of especially if your motion be but equal with those many because such things are familiarized or have obtained a greater interest in the Consciences of Men and the remaining Stream of Opposition is divided 5. But the most eminent Usefulness is much determined to those points which are difficult as still deciding and wherein the Interest of Christ in your Day and Place is the subject of a present Contest between Christ with his Instruments on the one side and Satan with his on the other In such cases there will be great opposition as far as Satan can influence any either by their Ignorance Malignity worldly Considerations Pride or Custom c. And generally the Contenders on Christ's part are at first but few especially the more eminent ones and therefore it necessarily follows that such must be exposed It were easie to instance all this in the case of introducing the Gospel where it was not before in the reformation of Worship or Discipline where they have been corrupted in opposing and detecting false Doctrines which many have imbibed and long entertained in reclaiming a degenerate People from evil practises much indulged in resisting incroaching Errors and Disorders abetted by a considerable Number of great Zealots especially if they have some plausible Pretensions suited to the disposition of sober ignorant People and that some more than common Spirit and Fervour do attend the Seducers which is very usual But this is less needful having cautioned you as to the Snares and fore-warned you of the Danger 6. Therefore may not I with reason ask you Can a feble Mind or unfortified Heart persist in great Endeavours and in the face of such Dufficulties steadily pursue his glorious End No he must succumb and will quit the plainest and most important Truth or Duty The Interest of Christ will say of these as in Paul's case No Man stood with me all these Men forsook me 2 Tim. 4.16 Therefore watch against all declinings in holy Christian Courage meerly natural will not serve tho' it 's a good preparative pray with hope for renewed Vigour that you may find as Psalm 69.32 your Heart shall live that seek God and that he is the strength of your Heart when
THE EXCELLENCY OF A Publick Spirit Set forth in a SERMON Preach'd since much enlarged at the FUNERAL Of that late Reverend Divine Dr. SAMVEL ANNESLEY Who departed this Life Dec 31. 1696. In the 77th Year of his Age. With a Brief Account of His LIFE and DEATH By Daniel Williams Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed for Iohn Dunton at the Raven in Iewen street 1697. To that Flock of Christ over which the Reverend Dr. Annesley was lately Pastor Much honoured and esteemed THis presents you with a Discourse for substance preached and printed at your desire I faintly hope its acceptance with many when Iustice is become a stranger and a meer honest Man a glorius Title Publick Usefulness must scarce escape with the Brand of Folly with those whole Trade is turned into tricking or account publick Employs no more than a decent opportunity to cheat the People But Truth may profit them unless a Zeal for their Disease will not allow their reading what is directed for their recovery To you and some others this Subject must appear too plainly instamp'd with God's Image and Authority and a tendency to Common Weal to admit the Censure of a Narrow Spirit however disguised to be it's Standard Especially when this is what commended your late Pastor to such unusual Affection as you expressed to him living dying yea when dead Yet this might be expected seeing his very Spirit is transfused into his People by whose Bounty in good part he performed such great Things for a common Good Few Ministers had such cause of glorying in so many Publick Spirited Hearers as yours Mr. Denham Mr. Hartley Mr. Cockerill with many now at rest might be named the living I scarce forbear The Sermon is much enlarged and the Method somewhat changed that it may more contribute to common Serviceableness What 's more desirable than to Vseful in making others so Hence the eminent Services of Mr. Brand so revived the Dr. And hereby we most extend and pertuate publick Benefits yea oft above our own Ability and beyond our Life Promote you that Design in this barren Age by putting this Tract into Hands who need it and by your own vigorous Example and Prayer's that it may be seen the Spring of your Charity and Christian Activeness is more lasting than the Exemplary Life or Labours of your deceased Guide May you find in Spirituals and Externals there is that scattereth and yet increaseth The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself And all of us be excited to more holy Fervour by the Death of two such as Dr. Annesley and fervent Mr. Oldfield in one Day and worthy Mr. James soon after I am Your Servant in the Gospel Daniel Williams THE EXCELLENCY OF A Publick Spirit ACTS XIII Ver. 36. For David after he had served his own Generation by the Will of God fell on sleep YOUR Request bringing me hither upon this sad Occasion your Venerable Pastor's Death I have made choice of this Text as proper to inforce an Important Duty which tho' so little regarded by most in our Age yet the deceased was faithful in the practice of yea so Eminent that I hope he will be a moving Example to others in this wherein the signal Excellency of his own Life consisted The words read are part of St. Paul's Sermon to the Iews at Antioch in which after a fit Introduction 1. He proves Jesus to be the Christ from ver 23. to 38. an Article which supposing the knowledge of God hath the greatest influence into all our Religious Hopes and Duties and therefore a firm assent thereto ought to be more endeavoured than I fear is usual with many who boast of a Christian Name This point he argues from these Topicks Jesus was of David's Seed which the Christ was to be 23 24. Jesus was he whom Iohn in such esteem with them did bear Testimony to that he was the Christ 24 25. In the unjust condemnation and barbarous killing of this Jesus the Iews had unwittingly fulfilled in every circumstance all the Prophecies which foretold the unjust and cruel usuages the Christ should meet with 27 28 29. This Jesus God had certainly raised from the Dead according as it was in several places Prophesied of the Christ and promised to him which Resurrection was God's Testimony concerning him that he was his Eternal Son Incarnate But lest any might object that that Text Ps. 16. 10. was fulfilled in David the Apostle obviates this by shewing that David lay in his Grave so long as to putrifie which the Christ was not to do neither did our Jesus and by this occasion the words of my Text are introduced as David's Praise which the Apostle would not omit tho' his Argument lies in that part of the Verse which I have not read viz. He saw Corruption And the following v. 38 39. are both Arguments for Jesus being the Christ in that forgiveness of sin to which the Mosaick Ceremonies and Sacrifices were altogether unavailable but as Types and Shadows respecting what Jesus did and suffered was preached through this Iesus 2. And also a serious offer of forgiveness to all of them made in the Name and Authority of our Saviour Christ. 3. He inforceth this with an awakening caution viz. That they prevent not their own Salvation yea aggravate not their Misery by rejecting this Jesus the Christ the Lord q. d. the Lord Jesus fulfilling all that 's foretold of his Death and Resurrection his being the Crucified and Risen Saviour yea the offer of that blessed forgiveness he purchased will not suffice to your Salvation unless you also trust and receive him Nay if you receive him not and accept not Salvation in the way he proposeth your punishment will be sorer than if forgiveness had been never offered yea than if there were no Saviour v. 40 41. for the profitable matter not the meer connexion having thus far diverted I assume the Text which gives us account 1. Of David's Publick Usefulness while living he served his own Generation by the Will of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being alike governed by the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causeth another reading to be as Grammatical viz. After he had served the Will of God in his own Generation that of Erasmus being too remote to deserve much regard viz. That he fell asleep by the Will of God yet the sence of both readings alike secures the great Duty of Publick Usefulness to be David's Praise for if you prefer the latter his Service is determined to the Publick Weal in his own Generation tho' it may more expresly include also his care for his own Soul by his obedience to God's Will as prescribing the Rule by which we must be saved which was the Gospel Law then as truly as it 's now of which a faithful improvement of our Talents is no small part But the order of the words most favours
what was safest to himself and most pleasing to others he accommodated not his labours to the real benefit of all but to the humours of some disdaining plain Speech affecting levity frothy or amusing discourses He was more solicitous to know how he was praised than how others did profit He let Truth sink and Errours gain ground when he found his Name or Incomes should suffer by opposing the last or abetting the first such a time he dealt treacherously with such such Souls he obstructed a publick good for his private advantage he excused himself from preaching pleading or speaking tho' he saw my Insterest and the real benefit of others required it How formal and cold in his performances prayerless and slothful in his preparations Partial and careless in Discipline and unexemplary in walking Notions he took up for Truths without search or other enquiry then is this the Opinion of a Man eminent with the Party I hope to live by and will it suit with the Fancies of these Men I might proceed herein and annex the particular Cases of others But this may suffice to mind you what a blush should it raise what an anguish should it cause to see your Names thus underwritten in the Records of Heaven and know the Devil keeps also an account as full as he can that he may become your Accuser 2. You can make no Apology for your unusefulness but what 's fit to aggravate your shame and sorrow A vain Mind and a feared Conscience will suggest Excuses and take up with them however false and frivolous they be But Enquiries there will be which will pierce into the Nature and Truth of things and minister such an awakening Light as shall render the most careless and confident person speechless Matth. 22.12 It were our mercy that we allowed nothing as a sufficient Plea now but what will be approved of at the Judgment Bar. Examine therefore the true Reasons why you have not served your Generation as well as others Obj. You 'll pretend your utter incapacity for service Ans. 1. That is a good Apology if true for God expects not to reap where he hath not sown he is no such hard Master Matth. 25.26 None shall have ground to affix that Character to him But is this Excuse true can your Consciences as drowsie as they are offer this Plea and abide by it viz. The only Reason why we were not Publick Blessings was because we had no gift no opportunity estate or power to be so If Conscience upon a serious pause dare not stick to this Excuse but condemns thee how much more will God condemn thee who is greater and knoweth all things 2 Iohn 3.30 But if still you verily believe that the Objection states your Case Ans. 2. Let me ask you Have you really pitied the Distressed whom you could not relieve Have you avoided being hurtful to others tho' you could not profit them Have you earnestly prayed for the Church of God and the good of the Miserable World bewailing the sorrows of the first and the misery of the last Do you rejoyce in and bless God for those who are useful without envying the most eminent When you desire an Estate or Gift and bewail the want of them is the later mostly because you cannot be useful and the former that you may be so Do you take all due pains and use all good thrift that you may have somewhat to enable you to be profitable And if you are poor and have the help of others do you make conscience not to ask it till you need nor ask or take more than you need that the Relief of the more necessitous may not be hindred If your hearts cannot honestly say these things answer my case it 's thus with me then you have not a temper of mind to be useful if you had Abilities and it 's most probable you are more able to do good than you have been faithful to do it But if indeed your Consciences do justly witness that you can so answer to the above Questions as that incapacity is the very Reason your Generation is not more served by you than by your prayers and good example then you are not the persons to whom my Reproof is directed so that you do that little you can Ans. 3. But such of you as are able to serve their Generation and neglect it should be more ashamed and grieved when you consider the true Causes of your unprofitableness Your Hinderances to service are from your selves your Lusts have the great hand in assigning the governing Reason Look at the baulks you have made and the opportunities you have past unusefully over and ask thy Conscience whence was it that I neglected this can you be unaffected when you receive this Answer my Covetousness my Pride my Sloth my Fear my Unbelief or my Unconcernedness for God's Honour and the Publick Good did hinder me these made me unwilling and averse these diverted my Abilities to another Chanel and would not suffer me to be useful and faithful in my Trust were not you governed by one or other of these whenever you shut you Ears to the Cry of an afflicted Church of starved Ministers of a sinking Nation of diseased Souls and the distressed Poor If it be so as indeed it will be found you have cause to be ashamed and mourn Doth it become Men to be under the Conduct of such base Guides In this respect God hath called you to shew your selves Men Isa. 46.8 But much more unbecoming is this to you that wear the Name of Christians you are called and Redeemed to be zealous of good works Titus 2.14 Is this to be so Is this to imitate or obey Christ whom you own for your Lord and whose Livery you have put on Follow the Chanel to the Fountain head be led by your actings to the posture and frame of your hearts and judge what vile spirits act you what a dominion have these Lusts in your Soul that thus command your Talents and determine the scope of your Lives in opposition to the loudest Calls Oh blush and weep that with all thy Light and Helps under all thy Christian Profession and Hopes thy heart is so earthly and carnal so sensual and devilish so full of hatred to God and Man as the Authority of these Lusts import and thy unusefulness doth testifie in the clearest Light the Holy Spirit hath made no saving change if you are altogether useless the change at most is very imperfect whiles your usefulness is so much hindred by these unsubdued Lusts The very unprofitable must be made other Men Matt. 12.33 and the less profitable are not very good Men. You have those dry leaves and those dead branches which may well put you to the blush and fill you with fear Iohn 15.2 the unfruitful branch will be cast out 3. Your unusefulness expresseth that treachery ingratitude and injustice towards God which must cause shame and sorrow in every thinking
my hands and the time of my Vengeance is come I pronounce thee guilty of persidiousness to my Name and Interests and unprofitable to others and thy self in not rightly employing my Talents for common benefit as well as thine own for this I now effectually and irrevocably adjudge thee to the Loss of all Felicity Glory Grace and Joy which my presence doth afford and this without any future Hopes from any further strivings with thee or offers to thee and be thou now sealed and separated to the height of Misery that is Depart from me you cursed a Misery in its nature and degree so great as what 's fitted to torment those capital Enemies of mine the Devil and his Angels who shall be thy Companions because they were thy Rulers so painful to thy Body as the hottest fire and not less to thy Soul else it were not fitted to torment the Devils who are Spirits so full of horrour as Darkness is yea a Darkness as remote and free from Light as can be that is outer Darkness and all so resented felt and afflictive as to cause the extremest sorrow anguish and fretting against God thy Companions and thy self there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And as for Duration it 's everlasting fire it 's for ever that this Sentence shall take hold of and be executed upon thee which is confirmed by another place that declareth the continuance of the Misery of unuseful Men under the Emblem of Chaff as opposed to useful Wheat the Chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire Luke 3. 17. which is the same with those words their Worm dieth not and their Fire is not quenched Mark 9. v. 46. There 's no hopes of an alteration of their Estate unless words cannot express the Eternity of Hell Torments yea unless Sinners may be reclaimed when expelled from all the gracious Influences of the Divine Presence implied in depart from me Yea unless there be a more Valuable Sacrifice for Sinners than the Son of God was for this will not relieve them Heb. 9. 26. Yea if there be not an Administration for reducing Sinners after and fitter than the Kingdom of Christ for this will be delivered up upon that time that this Sentence passeth the first time on Sinners found then alive solemnly upon the departed and living and executed upon Devils who till then are Prisoners 1 Cor. 15. 23 24 26 28. 2 Pet. 2. 4. compared with Matth. 8. 29. Ought not you to tremble at this prospect of Eternal Misery Yet if you are these unfaithful and unprofitable Sinners during Life you will be thus found guilty and sentenced when you Die Consider again and again what thou must hear feel and endure for thy unprofitableness add this to the great things thou losest by it and also that what now thou seemest to get or save through unusefulness cannot at present be kept with a Blessing when thou hast done thus in a serious manner I will appeal to thy self whether thy folly is not gross enough to make thee ashamed and thy Misery great enough to fill thee with terrour that unusefulness in thy Age hath been allowed by thee Yea I dare give you leave to put all the loss charge labour and danger of Publick Service with all the ease safety and benefit of unserviceableness and set them all against the fore-mentioned Mischiefs which attend the unprofitable and if thou believest the certainty of these be then affected at thy barrenness as the cause appears to thy self nay were there but a probability nay but a possibility that these fruits of unprofitableness were true it were sufficient to make thee ashamed and grieved for it Obj. Tho' I must agree that it's folly to become liable to these Mischiefs yet are all who are unuseful subject to endure them for if so who shall escape Supposing a capacity to service I shall briefly answer Ans. There is 1. A degree of unusefulness which through weakness and temptation may oft befal a godly Man which indeed shall not bring Eternal Misery upon him tho' God usually testifies his displeasure against it in this Life 2. There is an unusefulness which will infallibly bring Eternal Misery upon whoever is guilty of it If it be not so you must question the plainest discoveries of the Gospel of Truth Obj. 2. How shall I know the kind and degree of that unusefulness that will certainly bring Eternal Misery from that which a godly Man may be guilty of thro' weakness and temptation Ans. A full Answer to this and the other Objections may be gathered from what is largely insisted on in the former heads But because some may not so easily apply that to such particular cases I shall therefore give you these short hints 1. The Unusefulness of any good Man is such as doth consist with an unfeigned dedication and habitual devotedness of himself and all he hath to God in Christ and this is persevered in He is no Believer or good Christian that is not thus devoted to God and such unusefulness as is consistent with this is not a Mark of Hell But that unusefulness which is not consistent with unfeigned dedication and habitual devotedness to God in Christ is an infallible Mark of Eternal Misery if persisted in 2. He that shall escape Eternal Misery is not unuseful in the prevailing scope of his life but every Son of Perdition is so the course of his life is unprofitable and thence he is denominated unfruitful in his best State the stated bent of his Soul is to do more hurt than good 3. What good he doth who shall escape Hell he usually doth it in uprightness from love and obedience to God with a believing respect to God in Christ but the Child of Wrath in whatever seeming good he doth hath a greater regard to carnal considerations and acteth not from Faith Love and obediential regard to God 4. The good Man repents of and bewails his unusefulness when convinced of it and heartily desires to know wherein he is culpably unuseful that he may reform as well as by Faith in Christ sue out his Pardon upon repenting of it But the ungodly is hardened in his unusefulness unwilling to know it set against reforming if not insensible of his need of Pardon yea oft justifies himself in his selfish unprofitable course 5. The true Christian is truly glad and thankful when God doth most encline and enlarge his heart to overcome his selfishness and to act in the most useful serviceable manner tho' no carnal respects of his own be served thereby yea tho' loss reproach and suffering attend it so God be but honoured and a common good subserved But the carnal Man if he hath been over-ruled to any thing which proves useful yet if his own Credit or wordly Benefit be not advantaged and much more if he comes to suffer by it he is grieved and repenteth of what he hath done whatever honour God receives or benefit others get thereby By