passionate and eager but not well knowing what we would have Confident in our Way very wise as we think in laying our Designs but almost always Baffled for the most part Disappointed We cannot see far enough into the Effects of Causes to Prevent Impediments nor are we strong enough to Remove them when they do Appear Where Innumerable Agents have an eye to the self-same thing where every one would make his Fortune and All are running upon the heels of one another for the Prize there must be interfering Tumult Clashing and perpetual Contentions And will God amidst these Difficulties direct the Paths of those who in all their Ways acknowledge Him Surely we shall embrace the offer lie down at His feet and give up our selves intirely to Him 1. For now we shall proceed by the Direction of Infinite Wisdom and the most Perfect Knowledge We shall be guided now by one who cannot mistake His Way Instead of those Thorns and Briars Rocks and Precipices Passions Follies Mistakes and Troubles that we have led our selves into we shall now be put into a Road that is straight and Easy that is Broad and safe Ps 119. We shall be directed now to the best and Wisest Ends and proceed Securely in the ready Way that will lead us to them For His Vnderstanding is Infinite says the Psalmist and By Him all Ways are trodden in Heaven Ps 147.5 in Earth and in the Deep He sees the Working of all mens Minds All things lie before Him naked as they are and therefore His Judgment cannot be imposed upon and His Directions must be certain and Infallible 2. And Now that His Wisdom has put us into the proper Way His Infinite Goodness Love and Pity will guide us softly to our Journeys end We shan't be hurried by the Insolence of a Tyrant but Gently led Ps 23.1 Is 49.15 with the watchfulness of a Shepherd and the tenderness of a Mother He will suit His Directions to our Abilities and give us such Commands as will improve our Nature and advance our Interest He will consider our frame and Pardon our Deflections put us again and again into the Way and Restore us to His Favour upon Repentance And thus His Arm shall support us Ps 23.2 and His Rod shall Comfort us And therefore His Saints and Servants Bless Him says the Psalmist they Rejoice under His Guidance and are satisfied with His Conduct of them Ps 144.10 But His Wisdom to direct us and His Goodness to take care of us tho they are indeed very great Advantages yet would hardly determine us to Resign our selves intirely to Him unless He has also Power enough to defend us under all Assaults and deliver us from all our Enemies unless He can remove Impediments assoil all Difficulties and bring our Ends and Designs to pass 3. But His Power as well as His Wisdom and Goodness is Infinite and without Controul And this complears the Qualification of a Guide and even forces our intire Submission to His Will For He does not only show us our Good but will also certainly invest us in it For His Dominion Ruleth over all There is no End of His Greatness And He does whatsoever pleases Him in Heaven and in Earth And indeed this Argument is oft'ner urged in the Holy Scriptures to our present purpose as being more plain and sensible than any other Trust in the Lord for ever says the Prophet Isaiah Isai 26.4 Why because in the Lord Jehovah is Everlasting Strength My Soul says the Psalmist wait thou still upon God Why so Ps 62.5 6. because He only is my Rock my Refuge my Defence and my Salvation These are the Qualifications of our Guide Infinite in VVisdom to Direct us Compassionate and tender to Assist us and of uncontroulable Power to accomplish our Designs These Eminent Qualities no where to be found but in Himself will both Justifie and Reward our most intire Resignation of our selves to be Govern'd by Him For here we have all the Recompence that we can either ask or think of for the Submission of our Private Will which would undo us to the most Perfect Will of God Who can do no other than Order all things for the best This then is the Blessing and this is the Encouragement to pursue it No other Method of proceeding can pretend to the like Security And therefore common sence nay the first and most obvious Principle of Self love and Preservation obliges us to embrace it 1. For now we shall be always Fixed Resolv'd and Steddy We shall be free from anxious doubts and cross Deliberations and all our Thoughts shall glide on smoothly in a calm and even Current We shall not Stagger like a Drunken man and be at our Wits end as the Prophet describes the Misery of the Wicked Ps 107.27 and Self-will'd We shall not wander in the dark being destitute of God and not know where to set our foot as the Philosopher expresses it Hier. But we shall proceed with Confidence and Certainty one steady Principle or the Will of God presides and Rules over all our Thoughts Designs and Actions and we shall seldom be to seek in any case what is fit for us to do Or if thrô our own unwariness we chance to doubt we shall never fail of the Divine Assistance for Thou meetest Him thou art always present to His help who considers Thee in Thine own Way Is 64.5 2. Now shall we be Sedate and Quiet without Anxiety or Fear The Wicked travel in Pain says Holy Job They are not Equal to the business they propose Job 15.20 They put to Sea without a Pilot and are liable to continual Storms and Wrecks The World is their All and Experience shows them that they can't Command it Their Affairs are Subject to innumerable Contingencies and therefore they are always in Apprehension of unexpected Accidents And which is worse they have no other Stay to depend upon no Refuge to betake them to If they lose their present Aims which is impossible for them to secure they are utterly undone And who can live under the Burden of such a slavish Fear But they who are Resign'd to the Will of God are free from gnawing Care and anxious Solicitude They have put their Affairs into the Hands of the Wisest and most Faithful Friend who knows what is best and can do what He will no Impediment can Stop Him no Accident can Cross Him and therefore we are sure that that which comes to pass is upon the Matter fittest for us and no Man can be afraid who is thus secured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Dare then to lift up your Eyes to God says the Philosopher and say Guide me by thy Counsels whithersoever thou wilt Arrian in Ep. I am of the same Opinion with thy self I will do and suffer whatsoever pleases Thee and this shall give Thee Steddiness and Immobility When thou liest
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
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