to be good our selves He that is proud of what he hath let me put the Apostles question to him 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it He that gave thee any good thing which thou injoyest could have with-held it from thee given it to him from whom it is with-held Prov. 22.2 The rich and poor meet together the Lord is the maker of them all If thou art a rich man he that made thee a man made thee rich and he that made thee rich and thy neighbour poor could and yet can have made thee poor and him rich I suppose thou hast received evil things from the hands of God as well as good the evil thou hast received was deserved so was not the good why then should undeserved good make thee proud and not deserved evil rather keep thee humble Art thou proud of the good and worthy things which thou hast done in one kind and in another no reason for that because it was not thou that didst them as it is not the young scribler that writes a fair copy but his master that guideth his hand but God who performeth all things for thee heare S. Paul 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly than they all saith he yet not I but the grace of God that was with me And Phil. 2.13 It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure If we instance but in temporal things see Deut. 8.18 The Lord thy God it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth If thy good deeds which yet are not properly thine be apt to lift thee up think of thy evil doings and of thy wayes which have not been good Thy good deeds may be like the basons and ewers which are sometimes drawn in lotteries but very sew of them but they evil ones like the small plate or rather like the meer blanks there drawn which are far the greater number Some hours thou hast spent well but how many more hast thou mispent some warm and affectionate prayers thou hast poured out to God but how many more that were cold and heartless set one against the other and see how little cause thou hast to be proud any more than a miser of his liberality who makes a great feast but once or twice a year and pincheth his family all the time besides Think but of the good thou hast left undone that is which thou mightest have done and hast not and then if thou canst be proud of the good which thou hast done or shew cause why thou shouldst be so Some good thou hast done with thy time parts estate power c. But possibly thou couldst have done ten times more if thy heart had serv'd thee Is not then boasting excluded if thou hast done but the tithe of that good which thou hadst power to do whose evil deeds besides are like the stars of Heaven which cannot be numbred Neither hast thou just cause to boast of thy sufferings if thou hast been a great sufferer even for righteousness sake considering first what the Apostle speaketh Phil. 1.29 To you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake We should not take the honour of our sufferings to our selves or be proud thereof fith God hath given us the grace whereby we suffer It is he that hath made us sufferers for his name sake I mean willing to be such and not we our selves We should never have been called to honor God by suffering any more than glorious Saints and Angels had we not dishonoured him by sinning What any of us suffer for Christ is no ways comparable to what he hath suffered for us nay it is far short of what we have suffered for sin or upon the account of sin for upon that accompt are all or the most of our other sufferings and afflictions which are generally more than those that go by the name of persecutions what we suffer for the truth is usually much less than what the truth hath suffered by us viz. by our uneven and uncircumspect walking so that our sufferings may be lookt upon as meer restitution made to the truth and that but in part All which things considered I see no cause any man hath to be proud of his sufferings and if not of what he hath suffered nor of what he hath done nor of what he hath nor of what he is as I have proved particularly then no man hath cause to be proud of any thing whatsoever Admit then a man should take himself to be much better than he is every way better yet from thence no just cause would be ministred to him to sacrifice to his own net which all proud men do Sith the best man in the world is indebted to God for all that good which he either is or hath or hath done or hath suffered and it is thought an unreasonable thing for a man to be proud of his debts especially when he hath not wherewithall to make satisfaction Having then proved that every man hath great cause to be humble and no man hath any cause to be proud from those premises I draw this conclusion viz. That he who thinks soberly of himself and not more highly than he ought to think must needs be an humble person and that the formalis ratio or essence of humility doth consist in knowing and owning our selves to be as mean vile and unworthy as indeed we are and that from that fountain do issue all those streams which are commonly and properly counted the expressions of Humility I may but assign the reasons why God may build a City for those that are humble rather than for those that are proud and so pass on to another Chapter It may well be expected that God should do more for those whom he loves than for those whom he hates Now the text saith Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 16.5 and Prov. 8.15 Pride and arrogancy do I hate Six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him and the first of them is a proud look God hath put a strang enmity into men against the sin of pride so far as it discovers it self in others in so much that the real worth of a proud person is seldom owned and others do what they can to eclipse him just as neighbouring Princes do to weaken any Kingdom or State that grows too great and threatens to overtop them Some bigger stars to us appear less because of their great height and distance from us and those that are less than they as the Moon for one to us appear bigger because they are lower seated and come nearer to us The proud person is as the former who keeping too great a distance from
fire â—ame down upon the Zodomites where in 1 Pet. 2.9 â—â—e Apostle inferreth The Lord knows how to deliver 〈◊〉 godly viz. from those flames and calamities â—â—ich destroy others Though the houses of wicked â—en like these in Sodom should suffer the vengeance â—eternal fire that is be condemned by God alâ—ays to lye in the dust which yet is more distinction â—an God doth ordinarily make in this world yet doubt not but such as mourn in Zion shall have â—ave to build the wast places and shall have beauty 〈◊〉 their ashes Now is Londons seed time the City it self is to â—esown Sow in tears and you shall reap in joy He 〈◊〉 goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall â—â—â—btless come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves 〈◊〉 him Ps 126.5 6. DISCOURSE XXXV â—â—â—t to reform throughout England whatsoever is manifestly amiss and can be reformed would admirably promote the City Have discoursed of Humiliation upon several 〈◊〉 accounts but what signifieth Humiliation withâ—â— Reformation for who was ever truly humbled â—â—t did not truly reform A thorough Reformaâ—â—on hath been a work so long spoken off and so â—â—ttle perfected that some may be apt to think of â—at as of the Philosopher stone which for so â—â—ny ages hath baffled the most ingenious chymists that there is no such thing attainable I say of Reformation as Divines do of sanctification Therâ— is a perfection of degrees which cannot be attained in this life but then there is a perfection of parts which may some reformation there may be oâ— all things or kinds of things that are amiss all oâ— a compleat reformation can hardly be expected in this life of any one thing or kind of things which is not as it should be Solomon placeth it amongst the vanities which hâ— had seen under the Sun that that which is crookeâ— cannot be made streight and that which is wanting can not be numbred Eccles 1.15 Seeming thereby tâ— mean that there are some evils in the world anâ— those not a few that will never be mended thaâ— are like incurable diseases or like those defects iâ— nature which can none be supplied Ex. gr if a man be born blind or deaf c. But he would noâ— have us to think that none of all those things thaâ— are amiss in the world can be rectified or reformed There are a great many moral and political diseases as well as natural that may be cured though some are incurable Some bones that are out of joynt may be set and some that are broken may be made whole again though all cannot I mention that all and every thing that is amisâ— in the world cannot be mended to the end people may not be discontented and say with Jonaâ— they have reason to be angry to the death so long as they see any thing in Church or state that is not as it should be or that would be better otherwise For they that live by that principle shall be always and in all times restless and male-content Men must be more than mortal men before they cease to be guilty of any failings and oversights or of turning aside more or less either to the right hand or to the left But on the other hand it is as certain that there are many wilful miscarriages and presumptuous iniquities in the world which men might avoid as well as unavoidable infirmities So much David intimates when he saith keep back thy servant from â—esumptuous sins Many things are left unreformed not because men cannot reform them or do think they ought not or need not so to do but because they will not and because they love darkness better than light and evil more than that which is good Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only 〈◊〉 the same but have pleasure in those that do them I meddle not with the reforming of those things which men may rationally doubt whether they be amiss or no or with those peccadillos which are like smaller faults in pointing or printing which no ways disturb the sense or make it unintelligible but with the greater Errata's that are committed even so great that it is hard to be understood whether they that do such things have any thing of Christianity besides the name and profession Let men pluck the beams out of their eyes first and then they will see to pull out the motes afterwards I exhort not to the reforming and altering of every thing that any body shall find fault with for then we shall never have done then we shâ—ll make as â—ald a business of our reformation as befel the man in the fable whose young wife pulled out all his grey hairs and then come an old one afterwards and pluck of all that were not grey viz. all that were lest or as a Limner who having hundreds looking on as he is drawing a picture should put in and put out according to every ones fancy and suggestion But if there be things which every body finds fault with and which the consciences if not the tongues of all people do condemn and cry out upon which they that run may and do read the evil of and the iniquity that is in them doubtless such things ought to be reformed As the boy said to his Father Father is that true that every body saith is true so say I is not that evil which every body confesseth to be so or cannot deny so to be and ought not that which is manifestly evil to be reformed if it can be so will not otherwise our sins separate between God and us and hinder good things from us will not those Achans our wilful unreformed sins trouble us continually and cause God to say as to Joshua of old There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee therefore ye cannot stand Josh 7.13 Neither will I be with you any more unless you destroy the accursed As for the persons concerned in reforming they are as many as are concerned in the rebuilding of London for therein is its rebuilding concerned or as many of them as have any thing that stands in need of being reformed and who hath not more or less of that For in many things we all offend Here I could mention divers sorts of reformation necessary to be pressed and practised viz personal and that both internal and external domestical national It were endless to point at all things which it were needful for us to reform But first of all if men declare their sins like Sodom if they publish them in the face of the Sun as did Absalom if they swear and curse in all companies and in the open street not caring who hears them if men women and children do grosely and notoriously profane the Sabbath by working or playing if they that be drunk will be drunk in the day time and reel along the streets as if they had eaten shame and drank after it as our
thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel and when he had committed that folly and came to reflect upon it how out of countenance was he how mad with her and surely more with himself for the fault was not hers but his If sinners have not done foolishly why do they repent when their eyes are opened Or why is repentance called by the latines Resipiscentia that is a return to wisdom and by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as who should say an after wisdom Awakened sinners have plaied the fools themselves being judges and having so done have great cause to be humbled and as it were to lay their mouths in the dust or cover their faces He that can view his sins and not be humbled at the sight thereof can see his Saviour pierced and not mourn To bring down the pride of man besides natural defects and moral defilements which he that knoweth himself cannot be ignorant of there are Divine Rebukes which most men have fallen under one time or other Now the chastisements of God are intended for the hiding of pride from man Job 33.17 19. As God said to Moses concerning Miriam If her father had but spit in her face should she not be ashamed seven dayes Numb 12.14 So it is intended that when God by his Judgments doth as it were spit in the faces of men it should put them to shame and shame is an humbling passion So good a Father had never beaten us with so many stripes had never fetcht the bloud on us as he hath sometimes done if we had been good children yea if we had not bin very bad Our sufferings may therefore humble us because in them we may read our sins as comming from his hand who doth not willingly or without cause afflict the children of men but if the living man complain it is for the punishment of his sin Hath God smitten us yea is he smiting and shall we mean time be supercilious shall we knit our brows in pride whilst he bends his brows in anger shall we nourish haughtiness under Gods frowns Say unto God how terrible art thou in thy works Psal 66.3 God is terrible in his doing toward the children of men v. 5. it followeth v. 7. Let not the Rebellious exalt themselves Fear is an humbling affection Put them in fear saith the Psalmist that they may know themselves to be but men Now when the Lion roarâ—th who will not fear Amos 3.8 That is when God displaieth his anger ought not every one to tremble at it Notable is that passage Job 9.13 If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers do stoop under him So far are men from swelling with pride when they take notice of Gods rebukes that David saith When thou that is God dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth Psal 39.11 He that shall often look his face in that glass which shall represent to him those three things which I last mentioned viz. his natural and spiritual defects which are many and great in themselves though not in comparison of other men his moral defilements and pollutions that is his innumerable sins and lastly those many rebukes wherewith God hath corrected him for sin I say he who in the mirror of serious â—ontemplation shall frequently behold these three things and whilst he layeth all his endowments and enjoyments in one scale shall lay these in the other cannot easily be lifted up or think of himself more highly than he ought I have evinced that every man hath much to be humbled for and under If I can also prove that no man hath any thing to be proud of or cause to be proud of any thing when that is made good I shall then have demonstrated that he must needs be humble that doth but throughly know himself and that doth judg himself no better though no worse neither than indeed he is There are but four sorts of things that any man in the world can take a pride in viz. What he is what he hath what he hath done And lastly What he hath suffered upon a good account As for the first of these a man may know what he is as that he is a child of God c. and yet not be proud of it John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death to life c. 1 Joh. 5.19 We know that we are of God c. For why should a man be proud of what he is by the meer grace and favor of God It was no pride in St. Paul to say By the grace of God I am what I am viz. a Saint an Apostle who was before a Persecutor 1 Cor. 15.10 He that seeth that there is some good thing in him towards the Lord but yet more evil than good more flesh than spirit more dross than silver more sin than grace hath no more cause to be proud of that little Grace and holiness which he hath than a man cause to be proud of beauty who hath only a white hand or a handsom leg all the rest of his body being ill favoured and deformed If our sins preponderate our graces I mean if they be more and greater than they as in this life they alwaies are if there be in us a more general indisposedness than there is promptness and readiness to what is good more earthly than heavenly mindedness more self-seeking than self-denyal more bad thoughts than good more unruly than well governed desires and affections as who can say there is not then have we more cause to be humble than to be proud yea to be humble and not proud If that grace wherein we most excel be it patience or whatsoever else be more deficient than it is perfect more remote from perfection than it is near to it then we who have but as it were put on our harness have no cause to boast which is for them only who have put it off How imperfect are those graces in which we are most defective if that grace be so defective in which we are most perfect Neither have we cause to be proud of what we have or possess any more than of what we are for if we might be proud of either we might with more reason be proud of what we are than of what we have I mean of those good things which are within us and are as it were part of our selves than of those which are without us A good descent a good estate a good report a great and good office doth constitute no man good that is possessed of any or all of them for a bad man may happen to have them all and seeing such things do not make or denominate men good they cannot redound so much to any mans praise as inward goodness doth and therefore no man can pretend so much reason to be proud of those things for it is less honourable to injoy what is good which the worst of men may do than
Londoners cannot be compelled to plant within the walls again neither may they be so threatned as were the Merchants and sellers of ware who lodged without Jerusalem to whom Nehemiah said Why lodg ye about the wall if ye do so again I will lay hands on you Nehem. 13.21 I say it were harsh to compel them against their interest to replant themselves within the walls sith many of them have taken long leases of their houses in the suburbs and indeed could get no shorter and have given great fines and know not how to put off the houses they have taken and to reimburse themselves without unsufferable loss and diminution And possibly here and there one is well scituated for his business hath found the bees to come swarming over to his new hive I mean hath as many customers and as good a trade as ever Let such dwell in the tabernacles they have purchased who find it is good being there The mean time let all prudent wayes be thought of whereby to invite and intice burnt-out Citizens to come back to their old stations as bees that have taken their flight are by such noises as to them are pleasant musick allured to come back to their hives Here I cannot but observe that in some cases men ought not to be punished for not doing so and so when on the other hand for so doing they may and ought to be rewarded or some wayes considered or that several things may be incouraged and and invited to by hopes of reward which yet may not be imposed with punishments or threatnings For Saul to promise unto David his daughter to be his wife in case he did bring him so many foreskins of the Philistines was but reasonable but had he commanded him upon pain of death or otherwise to have gone upon that dangerous service he had been a cruel taskmaster As to the case in hand to set a fine upon the head of every Citizen that would not come back to live in London would be very severe and unjust though to propose some considerable immunities and priviledges to them that shall return might be a point of interest and true pollicy It is one of the false measures the world hath been deceived by and hath done a great deal of mischief viz. that some men have thoughts there was no medium to be used between rewarding and punishing and that all that were not worthy to be rewarded for what they do ought to be punished and that if they who did so and so were worthy of reward they who did otherwise or did not as they ought to suffer which principle is clearly overthrown by the instances which I have given If the Romans did confer a reward upon every man that was the Father of so many Children it did not follow that he whose loins had not been so fruitful ought therefore to have been punished and to feel the weight of their loins or so much as of their little fingers in point of mulct and infliction Rewards to them that do such things will be sufficient in many cases to cause the generality of men to do them though not every individual person though no punishment farther than the necessity of such a reward be assigned for them that do them not A double guard viz. one in the van by incouragements to them that shall do such things another in the rear by inflictions upon them that shall not do them is more than the nature of some things will bear yea more than is either necessary or just as in the case before us in the exciting of Londoners to replant themselves within the walls Such as have no mind to it let them alone but such as shall do so let them want for no incouragement make it as advantagious to them as it can well be made let their dignities and priviledges be multiplied being lookt upon as publick benefactors and by that means the most will be brought in I had not insisted so long upon this notion but that I think if it were applied and made use of where and in whatsoever cases it ought to be it might be of great use I shall not take upon me to tell those that are in authority what particular rewards immunities or priviledges should or might be confer'd upon those who have or shall cast their bread upon the waters of London as hoping to find it again though not till after many daies I mean who have or shall build upon the ruins of London with intention to return thither again I say I shall not presume to specifie or particularize what might be done for such for that were to anticipate the wisdom and kindness of our Rulers and Governours which can better both direct and prompt them as to that than I am able to do sure I am that persons invested with supream authority do seldom want rewards and priviledges to bestow upon them whose designs they have a mind to incourage and are usually conscious to themselves wherewithall they can do it When the Jews went back to their own land many of them were unwilling to dwell in Jerusalem fearing as is supposed least the City should be besieged again and brought to great streights Nehem. 7.4 Now the City was larg and great but the people were few therein and the houses were not builded what course was taken to rectifie that for it might not be suffered that Jerusalem should be but slenderly inhabited we read Nehem. 11.1 The Rulers of the people dwell at Jerusalem the rest of the people also cast lots to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem and nine parts viz. of the whole nation to dwell in other Cities What was done amongst them by lot may amongst us by incouragement viz. the City be planted and peopled sufficiently As where the carcass is there the Eagles will be gathered together so where priviledges and incouragements do abound there will be store of buildings and inhabitants DISCOURSE XXXVII That to propound to our selves the best of ends in building or attempting to build the City may much promote the work WE seek another City a new London we ask it of God who must build the City if ever it be built but as we hope to speed we must look to our ends in asking it James 4.3 Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts Though a good end cannot justifie a bad action or any more than excuse it a tanto or in part yet where the end is bad the action cannot be good It is a rule in Morality that actiones specificantur a fine then do bad ends always denominate the action bad how good soever the matter of that action be as what is better than prayer and fasting yet done for such an end as Ahab did it viz. to take away the life of Naboth what could be more abominable If the plowing of the wicked be sin as it is said Prov. 21.4 then the building of
London may be so too such and so bad as the ends of some men may be in the doing of it for bad ends mingled with good actions are like dead flies which cause the oyntment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour Yet mistake not as if I suspected Londoners to have any such ill design as Sanballat and Tobich did insinuate the Jews to have when they attempted to rebuild Jerusalem saying Nehem. 2.19 What is this ye do will ye rebel against the King I dare say they mean nothing less yet from other sinful and unworthy ends in that great undertaking I cannot excuse all of them I wish I could the most or major part Some may design nothing but their own honour in the stately houses which they intend to build as he that said Dan. 4.30 Is not this great Babylon that I have built by the might of my power and for the honor of my Majesty That is no good end ultimate end I mean as appeareth by what befell Nebuchadnezzar v. 3. Whilst the word was in the Kings mouth there fell a voice from heaven saying O King Nebuchadnezzar the Kingdom is departed from thee Others may aim at nothing but gain and profit as those St. James speaketh of Jam. 4.13 Go to now ye that say we will go into such a City and buy and sell and get gain I cannot say that either of these two ends are unlawful if but subordinate but if sole or supreme they are both so for a higher end than either of them ought to be aimed at in our most inferiour actions much more in so great an undertaking witness 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God Should the glory of God be aimed at and made our highest end even in our common eating and drinking and should it not be so likewise in our building a famous City shall God have no interest in that more solemn work or tribute of glory from it Some it may be would be resolved how the rebuilding of London can make for the glory of God and may think it is but canting to speak of such a thing But they are much mistaken for doubtless God may have a great deal of glory from such a City as that if the Inhabitants thereof and others concerned in it for they it is that must glorifie God be but careful to do their duty and to improve so great and excellent a talent as a City of London is for the honor and service of him from whom they shall receive it As the Justice of God was glorified in the destruction of London so may his great mercy be in the restauration thereof It is the burthen of Davids Song Psa 107.8.15.21.31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men Now the rebuilding of such a City as London was will give men great occasion and provocation so to do and for that as one great end and reason it should be desired Doubtless it would be a great mercy to thousands of families which are now incommoded in their dwellings and for the purposes of their Trade if London were up again and were they fixed again in their former scituations and setled in their respective Trades they could serve God much more without distraction and with much more chearfulness than nâ—w they can whilst they lie under great inconveniences and discouragements Now for those ends also which are pure and pious ends shall we desire and endeavour that London may be restored Now the thorns of care spring up and choak the good seed which is sown amongst Londoners which care would be over in a great measure if their houses were all rebuilt and themselves replanted and resetled in every of them London hath been as great a bull-work to Religion and as much a Nursing Mother to it as almost any it hath had at leastwise it was in a capacity to have been so and would be so again if it were again what it was Now that is another Christian end which we should propose to our selves in pursuing the restauration of London viz. that it may be a Fortress and Fautrix to Religion and strengthen the hands thereof throughout England Scotland and Ireland if not in other places also London hath been that to Religion that Locks and Sluces are to those parts of the Thames where the water is but low and shallow which by lending a flush of waters to the almost exhausted channels make way for Boats and Barges to pass that otherwise could not Ask Papists if the Protestant Religion would not be much more easily conquerable by them if no City of London either were or might be suffered to be again and whether that hath not been always held for a Maxim amongst the Sages of their Religion one reason of it is this The greatest strength of a Nation doth lye in that part of it in which is far the greatest number and gathering together of people where it may be there are five to one of them that dwell together in any other City I say caeteris paribus if in other things they be equally strong that place must needs be strongest and consequently most able to assist others or secure it self its Religion and other priviledges in which are most people and those of good rank and quality cohabiting and imbodied together in one and the same Corporation for vis unita fortior the main Ocean having much more water in it than any particular River which do all run into it must needs have a stronger tide and more forcible stream than any of them hath So in this case I would have no lower or meaner ends than those which I have now named to be highest or uppermost with me or with any others as in reference to the rebuilding of London I say no lower to be our ultimate and highest ends in desiring another London than that men might be ravished with the mercy of God in restoring a City to them and them to it and give him the glory of it and that Citizens being delivered from those cares and perplexities which are now upon them might serve God without distraction and run the ways of his Commands with chearfulness that undone families might be restored to some good way of livelihood whereby they and those that shall succeed them might be not only maintained but encouraged to maintain good works as the phrase is Tit. 3.8 and be more intent upon their general as they have less trouble from their particular callings and worldly circumstances And lastly that the true Protestant Religion having the Laws of England on its side might have also an able Champion to stand up for it when and so often as Goliah-like Philistims shall bid defiance to it I mean a City able with the blessing of God to secure it self and the Nation from the violence of those that are the sworn enemies