and Perfections Women therefore must with Detestation renounce those Blasphemous Complements wherein Divine Perfections are usually ascrib'd to them Secondly Every Man must renounce and refuse those Titles and Respects and Precedencies which are not his due but belong to Persons above him pag. 170 Lastly And must in Modesty Humility and good Manners decline his due in this kind and must renounce the Entitleing of himself and permit that to others Objections against receiving Titles of Honour Respect and Precedency Answered pag. 171 LECT XVI What is meant by the Pleasures of this World in what Sence and how far they are to be Renounced First Rational Pleasure is very Excellent and Allowable pag. 173 But first no Man must make meer Pleasure the End of his Knowledge Nor secondly must that Satisfaction and Delight which arises from the Sence and Conscience of good and worthy Deeds be so much because we are Admir'd and Applauded for it as because they are really in themselves Vertuous Secondly Sensitive Pleasure which results from the suitableness between the perceptive Faculties and the Objects that effect them is lawful pag. 174 These Pleasures unlawful only when they become Thirdly Sensual As first when we prefer them in our Judgments or Desires either before our spiritual Joys in God or the eternal Joys of his Kingdom pag. 175 Secondly When a Man relishes no Enjoyments like those of Sence Thirdly When he gluts himself so as to surfeit on these Sweets And lastly when the Deliciousness of these Pleasures causes him to load and burthen his Nature therewith so as to render him unfit for the Duties of his Calling and Religion Recreative Pleasures of a middle and indifferent Nature pag. 176 The most Innocent thereof are to be sparingly used pag. 177 The Evils of the World are Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions Poverty and Afflictions instead of Temptations to Sin and Hindrances to Vertue do very often prove Mortifiers to Vice and the great occasions of a holy Life pag. 178 Nevertheless they are often great Temptations to many Sins and Impieties First It behoves those who labour under Poverty or any kind of Affliction to beware of Impatience and Discontent Secondly Those in the worst of Circumstances must not envy the outward Felicity of the Wicked Thirdly A Person that is Poor must be infinitely careful least to Rescue himself out of it he be tempted to Fraud especially to Stealing and Purloyning pag. 179 Nor Lastly must any think that because they are Poor they are e're the more dis-engaged from the Service of God and their Attendance upon him in all the Parts of Divine Worship In what sence and how far we must Renounce Disgrace and the Temptations it gives us pag. 180 First The Callings of the World and how the Temptations they give are to be Renounced Every Man is to betake himself to some Business It must be such as Providence hath fitted him with Abilities for And such he is preparatively Called and Appointed to by God with due Abilities pag. 181 To whatsoever Calling he is appointed he must employ himself therein to God's Glory and his own and the publick Good First All Persons must renounce such Callings and Professions as are directly sinful and â—icked Secondly Such as tend to the Hurt not the Good of the Publick pag. 182 Thirdly All sinful Arts in the most useful Callings pag. 183 Fourthly All Levity and Desultery Skipping from one Calling to another pag. 185 Fifthly Any Calling whatsoever is to be declin'd for which a Person is not Qualified both by Education Abilities and Inclinations Especially Callings of great Importance such as the Ministry pag. 186 Sixthly Idleness in any Calling is to be renounced Idleness not allowable no not in Gentlemen pag. 187 It is one of the greatest Temptations in the World to Sin And is it self a very great Sin Lastly No Man must Live above his Calling pag. 188 Secondly Amongst those Things of the World of a middle Nature the different Conditions and States of Men therein are to be considered First A Master hath great Advantages of doing Good But all that Dominion is to be utterly Renounced amongst Christians which treats Servants no better than Slaves and Brutes The State of Servants not in it self Unhappy First It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service to avoid such where there is neither the Means of Religion nor Restraints upon Sin pag. 189 Secondly In the most Irreligious Families a Servant shall happen into he must put on a stedfast Resolution to preserve his Innocence Thirdly The State of Celibacy advantagious to Devotion and in Times of Distress This must be renounced when Persons cannot Contain Lastly The Married State hath its Advantages First All Solicitations from either of the Married Couple must be renounced which would perswade to sinful Compliances in times of Distress pag. 190 Secondly And Engage too much in Worldly Cares Lastly The Cares of this World the last of those things pertaining to it in some measure necessary First It becomes Christians to renounce a Multiplicity of Cares Secondly Every Worldly Care so far as it does alienate our Affections from God and Heavenly Things pag. 191 Lastly All manner of Worldly Care when advanced in Years pag. 192 LECT XVII Secondly What 's meant by the wicked World and how far and in what sence we are to renounce it Thereby is meant such as make it their Business like that wicked One the Devil to tempt others to Sin pag. 193 First We must renounce that Diabolical Wickedness of becoming Tempters our selves of other Persons It is a terrible thing to have been an Instrument of another's Damnation pag. 194 It is an Injury to Men's Souls in some Cases hardly ever in others impossible to be repair'd Secondly We must renounce to Conform our selves to wicked Men when they shall Tempt us viz. First By their evil Examples Examples have the greatest Influence upon us especially pag. 195 First If Examples of Sin Secondly If common and many Thirdly If of such for whom we have a great Esteem Fourthly If of those of whom we stand in awe pag. 196 We must by all Means renounce and refuse Conformity to such bad Examples For First A Christian is called out to Combat against the wicked Examples of the World as much as against any one sort of Enemy in his Christian Warfare pag. 197 Nay secondly to Confront their bad Examples with an excellent One of his own II. When they shall Tempt and Entice us by their evil Company The Company of the Wicked extremely infectious pag. 198 Most of the Miscarriages of Men owing thereunto This makes Men Atheists Libertines Thieves and Robbers Drunkards Withdraws from the Worship of God Evil Company therefore of all things to be abhorr'd I. Young Women must shun the corrupt Conversation of young Men. pag. 199 200 II. All Persons of either Sex both Young and Old as they will prevent the Infection of evil Company must take all
III. The State of Celibacy advantagious to Devotion in Times of Distress or the single Life and St. Paul speaking to those which are Unmarried tells 'em It is Good for them if they Abide so 1 Cor. 7.8 and that upon Two Accounts First at all Times because of the greater Freedom and Vacancy for Meditation and Divine Employments therein He that is Vnmarried careth for the Things of the Lord how he may please the Lord Secondly and more especially in Times of Persecution or the Approach of Sufferings coming upon the Church of God and because of the present or impendent Distress ver 26. But yet this State is the most subject to Unchast Desires and Lewd Practices if not powerfully restrain'd by rooted Principles of Vertue And therefore Even the State of Celibacy it self must be Renounc'd and Forsaken by those who cannot contain This must be renounced when Persons cannot Contain according to the Advice of the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.9 They who cannot contain let them Marry for it is better to Marry than to Burn For alas when Persons Morals are once Corrupted in this Kind it is very rare that either Man or Woman returns to that just Abomination and Abhorrence which all Christians ought to have of the very Thoughts and Expressions of Uncleanness according to that of St. Paul But Fornication and all Vncleanness let it not be once Named amongst you as becometh Saints Neither Filthiness nor Foolish Talking nor Jestings which are not convenient Eph. 5.3 4. Lastly the Marry'd state has its Advantages The last State of Persons I shall here mention is that of the Married a State Ordain'd by God Matth. 19.4 and the more to be lik'd that besides the mutual Supports and Comforts afforded to each other therein many both Husbands and Wives do owe their Conversion to Christianity and from a wicked to a good Life to the prudent and discreet Instruction of one or other of the Married Couple 1 Cor. 7.16 Nevertheless there is Danger in this as well as in other States In Times of Distress they are apt to be Tempters to one another to sinful Compliances and at all times are Plung'd into worldly Cares and He that is Married careth for the Things that are of the World 1 Cor. 7.33 and that too often to the great Hindrance of Religion And therefore First All Solicitations from either Husband or Wife must be utterly Renounc'd I. All Solicitations from either of the married Couple must be renounced which would Perswadâ— to sinful Compliances in times of Distress when out of worldly Regards either He or She would disswade from a Conscientious Discharge of Duty and a Faithful Confession of any part of Christianity in which case we must even Hate Wife and Children c. Luk. 14.26 as has been already spoke Secondly And even in the Married State all those worldly Cares which choak up or disturb Religion must be utterly laid aside as will be fully shew'd you under the Next and Last of those Things pertaining to this World which afford great matter of Temptation to us viz. The Cares thereof Now as to the Cares of this World true it is we have many worldly Interests and Engagements to mind we have the Necessities both of our own Persons and of those who belong to us to serve II. And Engage too much in worldly Cares Nor is any thing prepar'd for us without Industry and Endeavour so that by the Necessity of our Condition we are every One of us more or less some in one way some in another engag'd in worldly Affairs Hence it is Lastly the Cares of this World the last of those Things pertaining to it in some measure necessary that some Care about the Things of this World is allow'd us nay and indeed we are commanded to continue in the Calling wherein God hath set us 1 Cor. 7.20 and we are warn'd that we be not slothful in Business Rom. 12.11 But the great Unhappiness and Sin of many in this difficult case is this That a moderate Concern for the Things of this World being Allowable they are apt to Overwhelm themselves in a multiplicity of Cares As also to let the Cares of this world to Alienate their Affections from God and Heavenly Things and to withdraw their Attention from him in those Divine Services they are bound to Pay him And few who are far engag'd in Temporal Designs and Cares know when to Retire from the world and to throw them off so as to give themselves a sufficient Time to prepare for a better Life But as necessary as worldly Cares are in most men's Circumstances yet First It becomes Christians to Renounce that Multiplicity of Cares I. It becomes Christians to renounce a multiplicity of Cares which distracts their Thoughts and shews 'em to have no other Aims but at this World And yet so it is that some Men fill their Heads with innumerable Projects and do so Overwhelm themselves with Variety of Business that they do scarcely allow themselves time to Eat and Sleep But to be in a perpetual Hurry after this World's Goods and to be so over-solicitous for our future Provision in it is an Argument of Men's Discontent with that Condition wherein Providence has plac'd 'em and of an anxious Fear they shall not be sufficiently Provided for by God's Blessing concurring with an honest Industry in their Affairs And is such a Care as however it might become Pagans who knew little of the Doctrine of God's Providence in this Life and of his Treasures of Bliss provided for us in another Yet is infinitely unbecoming Christians who are throughly Instructed in the Divine Providence and Care over us and his future Provisions for us and is therefore so strictly forbid us Matth. 6. from the 24th Verse to the End Secondly It behoves us Christians so far to Renounce any Worldly Care as it does Alienate our Affections from God and Heavenly Things II. Every worldly Care so far as it does alienate our Affections from God and Heavenly Things and withdraw our Attention from him in the Services we are bound to Pay him as is too often I say as is too often For hence it is that so many do neglect Holy Duties both Publick and Private and that they Perform either with so little Devotion Hence it is that many come so seldom to Church or when they do that they carry themselves in the Performance of Prayer Praises and at the Hearing of the Word with so much Coldness Laziness and want of Attention And hence also it is that at Home there is so seldom any Family-Prayers and Reading of the Scriptures and good Books And I wish That rising up early and sitting up late and eating the Bread of Carefulness may not hinder some from Paying any Devotion to God as much as Privately by themselves every Morning and Evening And yâ—t this is the least that can be imply'd in those Precepts of Luk.
and 15.10 He that hateth Reproof shall dye and 29.1 A man of Reproof that hardneth his Neck shall be destroyed This indeed as any other Discipline is distastful to Flesh and Blood but it is in it self the most profitable sort of Correction for A Reproof entereth more into a Wise man than Stripes Prov. 17.10 And as you must bring your self to that humble and low Opinion of your own Perfections and to that sense of your Faults Especially the Reproofs of Gods Ministers are to be kindly received and regarded as to take kindly the Reproof of a Friend and to amend upon it so especially you are to receive with all Reverence and Respect and Kindness the Reproofs of God's Ministers tending either to better or reform you Of all Men living it must not be expected from us to favour you in any thing amiss to smile upon your Extravagancies to speak only Comforts and Consolations to you when we come to deal with your Consciences which ought to be searcht to the Bottom by us and the Corruption let out This was that Flattery which Jeremiah reprehends and severely threatens in the Prophets and Priests of his Time 6.13 14 15. But our Business is by Preaching Catechizing and all the Methods of Instruction to give you a through Understanding of all the Terms and Conditions of that Covenant wherein you stand Engag'd to God to be Watchmen over your Souls in order to discover your Errors and Failures therein to direct you for your better Improvement in those Graces whereunto you have already attain'd and you must expect it from us to frown upon your Follies and boldly to Reprove you when we perceive you to Transgress our Great Master's Laws And you must receive all this at our Hands not only as a necessary Discharge of our Duty but what you must apply to your own Improvement and Reformation And this if you should not do your Ruine will be imputed to it Hence Solomon warns the Young-man to beware of sinful Extravagancies Lest he be brought to Mourn at the last when his Flesh and his Bones are consumed and to own as the cause of all this That he hated Instruction and that his Heart despised Reproof that he obey'd not the Voice of his Teachers nor inclined his Ear to them that Instructed him Prov. 5.11 12 13. So far therefore is the Flattery of wicked Men to be Renounced that Reproof on the contrary is to be Kindly receiv'd But Fourthly Wicked Men will proceed farther to Tempt others to Sin even By their false and fallacious Argueings against the Necessity of a Holy Life IV. Wicked Men Tempt others to Sin by their false and fallacious Argueings against the Necessity of a Holy Life One would think there should be none professing Christianity that should openly Plead for Sin but yet such Factors and Agents Satan has amongst us as will openly Avow his Cause and will endeavour to Perswade you that you are not Obliged to that Strictness of Living which we Preachers are continually sounding in Men's Ears And to this Purpose you shall hear them Argue so hotly that God no doubt is a Merciful Being and will not surely for the Sins of a short Life Condemn the Guilty to an Eternity of Woe and Misery And as to the Duties of Religion you shall hear 'em argue that they are hard Sayings and who can bear ' em And as to themselves you shall hear these Men often Pleading that they are made of Flesh and Blood and therefore sure God will not require Men upon the Hazard of Salvation to mortify the Flesh and that they are set in a World full of Temptations and abounding in Delights and Pleasures and that therefore God who has Plac'd 'em in it will not command 'em upon Pain of Damnation to Overcome these strong Temptations and to deny these Pleasures of the World These are the common and pernicious and licentious Argueings of Men to perswade both themselves and others into such easy Notions of God and Religion that they may Sin with more Security and less Fear And this has been a powerful Art in all times and such Arguments as these Men are most ready to Believe because they love the Thing they Plead for because they favour their Lusts and grant 'em so much Liberty in what they long for the satisfying the Flesh and enjoying the World All which wicked Reasonings we must fortify our selves against as when they Plead But do you beware and fortify your selves well against those false Argueings of Sinful men in Behalf of their Lusts and against the Strictness of Religion whereby they would Perswade you as well as themselves into a sinful Security and with-draw you from or slacken you in your Duty They are false and fallacious Arguments that would perswade us to Comply in the least with Sin for there is nothing more plain in Scripture than that Sin must with all possible Care be avoided It tells us positively That we must deny all Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Tim. 2.12 And that all that name the Name of Christ must depart from Iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19 And that all true Christians must be Cleansed from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit and perfect Holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 And in order to Perfection that they must Cut off right Hands and put out right Eyes when they offend 'em that is any Lusts that are so dear and useful to you as these Members are Matth. 29.30 What shall I say It tells us that the Friendship of the world is Enmity against God and that whosoever will be a Friend of the world is an Enemy of God Jam. 4.4 And then as for the Punishment of Sin there is not One but has the Penalty of Eternal Death and Misery if Unrepented of affixt to it Particularly Rev. 21.8 it is said that the Fearful or those who Apostatize from the Faith out of fear And unbelieving and the abominable and Murderers and Whore-mongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Liars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death This the Word of God does assure us and then for Men to raise to themselves Hopes of Impunity so contrary to the express Declarations of Scripture when if they shall be mistaken and find after all God's Threatnings to prove real as there is infinite Reason to believe they shall this is certainly the most desperate Presumption in the World But if you consider these Arguments asunder there is no strength in 'em wherefore any should venture to rely upon ' em For in the first place it is in no wise Inconsistent with God's Mercy for the Sins of a short Life to Condemn the Guilty to an Eternity of Woe and Misery I. That it is inconsistent w th God's Mercy for the Sins of a short life to Condemn the Guilty to
therefore to take down this proud and arrogant Presumption in us so natural to Man and so dishonourable to God together with his Design of making us Holy it was withal God's Intent by such a Dispensation of his Mercies as is given us in the Gospel to create in us such a Reliance and Dependance upon Christ for Salvation as to expect it not on the account of our own holy Performance but in the Vertue of his Mediation with the Father for us for so it is written 1 Cor. 1.29 30 31. That to the end that no flesh may glory in God's presence Jesus Christ is by him made to us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption that so he that glorieth might glory in the Lord. And indeed it does exceedingly tend to the praise and glory of his Grace that he hath made us accepted in the Beloved as it is said in Eph. 1.6 This does eminently set forth the exceeding Lustre of his Mercy towards us in the Gospel that our Imperfect if sincere Obedience shall be accepted through the Mediation of Christ It does utterly exclude Boasting and all occasions of proud Reflections on our Parts as if so mean an Obedience as ours could deserve such infinite Rewards as are made over to us in the Gospel a Temper of Mind which as it is very apt to get Entertainment in our Souls so ought of all things to be supprest within us And thus I have given you a larger account of the Nature of the Christian Religion than otherwise I should have done that I might clear the way towards coming to the Knowledge of those Fundamental Principles thereof which I told you are the proper Matter of a Christian Catechism And now answerably hereunto The Nature of Fundamental Principles the fundamental Principles of our Religion must be such Doctrines as being well understood and throughly believ'd do most powerfully and forcibly perswade and move Men to be thus Religious as to tend to destroy the Power of Sin to mortify our Lusts and all wicked Inclinations within us to render us pious and devout towards God just and charitable and peaceable Neighbours and sober chast and orderly Livers in this World And which shall withal create in us such an humble Opinion of our own Unworthiness that when we have done all that we can to deny our selves and have proceeded never so far in our Zeal to good Works we shall nevertheless confessing that we are but unprofitable Servants depend wholly on Christ's Merits and Mediation and in the Virtue of his Satisfaction and Intercession alone expect Salvation And now such is the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace An Enumeration of Fundamental Principles particularly that part of it the Vow in Baptism wherein all do solemnly promise and vow Repentance Faith and Obedience engaging to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil Whosoever considers this sees what Obligations ly upon him to deny himself the sinful Pleasures of the World I. The general Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace and to govern his whole Life and Conversation according to God's Commandments And whoever again understands the Constitution of this Covenant knows that it was obtain'd for him by the Mediation of Christ who is therefore Stiled The Mediatour of the New Covenant Heb. 12.24 and therefore that on his Mediation he must depend for the having those infinite Blessings made good to him which are promised therein to his Obedience And such fundamental Principles also in a prime Sense are the Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith as the Belief of God II. The Articles of our Christian Faith and of his Providence that he is our Creatour Governour and will Reward every Man according to his Works The Belief that Jesus Christ came into the World Died and Suffered to Attone for its Sins and Preach'd the Gospel to Reform it The Belief that he gives his Spirit to sanctify us and that he will hereafter come in Person to Judge us In a word The Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith These are indeed the true Principles of our Religion for these are all of them as I shall hereafter shew so many very powerful Motives to reform our Lives to forsake our Sins and to follow Holiness as that without which we shall never see God And these do most of them influence us as to a good Life so humbly to rely upon God's Mercies through Christ for the acceptance of it III. â—e Laws of Ten Comâ—â—dments And such also are the Laws of the Ten Commandments which contain the great Instances of our Duty to God our Neighbour and our Selves and to which all others may probably be reduced These Ten Commandments may properly enough be stiled the Principles of Religion for as the Root is the Principle as it were out of which all the Branches Stem forth so out of these Commandments do all the Duties of a Christian grow forth like so many Branches so that whosoever shall well study and digest these Ten Summary Commands shall scarcely fail of growing up to be a Good Christian IV. 〈◊〉 Doctrine Prayer 〈◊〉 of the â—raments And if to these we add the Doctrine of Prayer and of the Sacraments which are the necessary Means and appointed us by God of our procuring and conveying unto us his Assistance to enable us to mortify and forsake our Sins and to become Holy I do not know any other Principles that are Fundamentally necessary either to the promoting of a Good Life here or an Happy One hereafter at leastwise so far as to be the Matter of Catechetical Instruction and the Buisiness of a Catechist to inform you of them And indeed as these Doctrines are every One of them necessary to be Known Believ'd and Practic'd by every Christian that may have the Means of Knowing them and may be taught them being no other than the Covenant of Grace it self or those particular Articles contained in it and which are expresly Enjoined upon us by the Word of God to be Believ'd and Practic'd by us so our Church does account them the only Fundamental and Necessary Principles that are to be the Matter of a Christian Catechism There are it must be confest many other useful Truths contain'd in the Scriptures and those who having first laid the Foundation in these already mention'd would go on to Perfection should endeavour by Reading the Bible and other good Books and by Attending to the Preaching of the Word to gain the Knowledge of them But a Catechism ought not to be crouded with any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a Good Life here Catechism â—ht not to crouded any thing â—e than â—at is pureâ—â—undamenâ— to a Good 〈◊〉 here and â—ppiness â—eafter and Happiness hereafter And if other Churches have fill'd their Catechisms either with many Unscriptural Tenets as the Church of Rome has hers or with any doubtful and nice Doctrines concerning
Parents your Minister and your Godfathers who as your Proxies did at the same time they gave you a Christian Name undertake for you that you should live a Christian Life Holy and Unblamable as becomes those who bear so Glorious a Title You must therefore consider what your Name is and the Importance of it that it is Christian and you must take care that you Live not so as to bring a Scandal upon that Name in any Sin and Wickedness but so as becomes those who profess Christianity and wear the Name of Christians In Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of your Lives And as he who hath called you is Holy so be ye Holy in all manner of Conversation The Force there is in a Christian name to make a Man lead a Christian life as under that Name having Listed himself And there is indeed the greatest Force in our very Christian Names to render us Conformable to the Christian Doctrine and whereby we may be perswaded to live Christian-like otherwise the Apostle would not have laid so much stress upon our very Name and Profession of Christians as he does to perswade us from that very Reason to live Holy and Christian Lives Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ or upon whom the Name of Christ is called depart from Iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19 For why It is ever expected that those that profess to be guided by the perfectest Doctrines should answerably live the most perfect Lives The Heathens did therefore expect I. A Disciple of a most Holy and excellent Religion that their Philosophers who gave the highest Principles and Rules of Morality should themselves exceed all others in a vertuous and orderly Course of Life and when they found any of their Philosophers a Tripping and living at the rate of other Men of looser Principles how severely therefore would they Reflect upon them for it Now we Christians profess our selves the Disciples of a Philosophy that does infinitely exceed all others in the Powerfulness of its Principles and Doctrines and in the Holiness and Strictness of its Commands We have given up our Names II. A Servant of a most Holy and Just God and Listed our selves to be the Souldiers and Servants not of a Lewd Jupiter a Wanton Venus a Fiery Mars a Revengeful Juno a Drunken Bacchus and a Thievish Mercury Such were the Heathen Gods and no wonder then that they who did Worship them should also Imitate them But we have given up our Names and Listed our selves the Servants of A God that hath no pleasure in Wickedness neither shall any Evil dwell with him in whose sight the Foolish shall not stand and who hateth all the workers of Iniquity who will destroy all men that speak leasing that are crafty to Cheat and Deceive and will abhor the blood-thirsty and deceitful man Psal 5.4 5 6. Nay Who will rain upon the Wicked Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup for the Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness his Countenance doth behold the Vpright Psal 11.6 7. III. To fight against the World the Flesh and the Devil Such is the God to whom we have given up our Names to serve And we have Listed our selves in our Baptism under our several Christian Names to fight under his Banner against the World the Flesh and the Devil so as not to be tempted or drawn off to commit any Injustice or Unmercifulness any Intemperance or Filthiness any Act of Ungodliness or Profaneness In a word any Sin against him IV. As under that Name he professes to Believe such Articles as are the most powerful Motives to deny all Vngodlyness We have Engaged our selves under our several Names in the strongest Covenants in hopes of the most glorious Rewards and out of fear of the sorest Punishments to be Faithful in our Obedience to him We have openly Profest under our respective Christian Names firmly to Believe such a Set of Articles those of our Christian Faith as are every one of them as shall hereafter be made appear the most powerful Motives in the World to make us Deny all Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and Godly in this present evil World And under the same Christian Names we have all of us profest V. To Obey the most Righteous Laws To be Governed by such Laws and Commands of Vertue and Goodness of Piety towards God of Righteousness to our Neighbours and which lay down such incomparable Rules concerning the Government of our selves as the like are not to be found in any other Philosophy And Lastly Lastly As having under that Name received Promises of most powerful Asistances to do all this We profess to have such Assistances derived to us from God by Prayer and Sacraments those Means of his own Appointment to convey down his Aid and Assistance to us to Enable us to do these Things as will make it not extreamly difficult to us to live very excellent and good Lives Thus have we Christians under our several Christian Names as under Hand and Seal profest our selves the Disciples of a Religion that does infinitely exceed all others in the Powerfulness of its Principles and Doctrines and the Holiness and Strictness of its Precepts and Rules Of a Religion that can work if its Dictates be follow'd the greatest Miracles in the changing Men's Natures and Tempers from worse to better that can turn a ravenous Wolf into a harmless Lamb a furious Lion into a tender Kid that is the most savage and violent Dispositions of Cruelty and Pride into perfect Charity and Meekness And now if we Christians should be found as Debauch'd and Evil Livers as Unconverted Heathens as Lewd as Turks as Griping as Jews as Impious and Profane as Atheists how severely and that deservedly will the rest of the Infidel World Upbraid us What Dishonour shall we thereby do to the true God and our most Holy Religion Which brings me to the Second Thing propos'd which was to Remind you that the Bad Lives of those who bear the Name of Christians do an infinite Prejudice and Dis-honour to Christianity The bad lives of Nominal Christians do an infinite Prejudice Dishonour to to Christianity And alas What bitter Reproaches have the Unchristian Lives of Christian Professors put into the Mouths of our Enemies making them to say that if we Christians did but Believe our selves those Promises in Scripture of such mighty Rewards to Holy Honest and Good Living we should sure our selves live better Lives And when any of our Christians would perswade them to forsake their own Superstition and Idolatry and to Embrace our most Holy Religion our Unanswerable Lives have provok'd them to return smartly enough upon us Would you have us to Believe the Truth of your Religion which you do not seem to Believe your selves It hinders the Conversion of Infidels And alas This is the main Thing the
very Unsuitable Lives of us Christians that so Prejudices the Infidel Part of the World Pagans Turks and Jews against our most Holy Religion and hinders their Conversion It is the Cruelty and Covetousness of our Christian Merchants in the Indies that makes the poor Indians even Abhor our Religion and Scornfully to say That Gold not Jehovah is our God Thus Is the Name of God Blasphemed amongst the Gentiles through us Rom. 2.24 It is the Idolatry of the Church of Rome which makes Turks and Jews both of them mortal Haters of Idols to loath and despise the Christian Worship It puts bitter Reproaches in the Mouth of Atheists especially when Wickedness is commited under the disguise of Religion But not to Travel so far as the Indies or Turkey to find out how much our Living so unbecoming our most Holy Profession has scandaliz'd Persons so as to Abhor it Observe the Men of No Religion amongst our selves our Atheists and Libertines and what bitter Scoffs and Jeers may we daily hear them cast forth upon Religion it self when they see some that make great outward Professions there guilty of so much Hypocrisy Cheating Cruelty and Rebellion making their very Religion a Cloak for the carrying on the most wicked Things as if the least Religious the most honest Man And now if there were but the least spark of Love and Honour in our Hearts for God and our most Holy Religion this were enough to make us careful to lead innocent and inoffensive Lives if it were only that we might not dishonour God and Religion thereby and might not bring a Reproach upon our Christian Name Every Man that desires the Honour and Reputation of his Calling and Profession whatever it is will live answerable to his Character and not so as to be a Scandal to his Place Few Men will endure their worldly Calling to be put at naught and Reproacht And therefore as we seldom see a Person of so abject and mean a Spirit as to endure with Patience whatever Art or Profession he is of to be set at naught and spoke against so Men are generally with respect to the Credit of their worldly Professions careful to act with that Decency and Becomingness as shall advance the Reputation thereof Hence the Lawyer as he cannot ordinarily endure except he be a profligate Person his Profession of the Law nor the Physician his nor the Tradesman his to be run down Exposed and made Ridiculous so each of these will be as much as possible for maintaining in their several Dealings a Reputation of Fairness and Honesty as that alone which will raise and preserve an Esteem for them And how then comes it about that a Christian can endure to hear his Christian Profession reproach'd and scorn'd by reason of his scandalous Living Whence is it but from the greater Zeal Men generally have for the Honour of their worldly Callings and Professions than for the Honour of their Christian Religion Profession and Calling And now therefore Thirdly Let me Exhort you An Exhortation therefore to Christians to stand upon the Dignity of their Christian Name and Profession to stand upon the Dignity of your Christian Name and Profession by living such good Lives as may be an Honour not a Disgrace unto it Let me therefore Admonish you from this very Name wherewith you are Honoured to render your selves wholly conformable to those Christian Principles and Doctrines to which you have given up your Names to be governed by and which being taught you in your Catechism I shall by God's leave with all the Plainness and in the most Useful manner I can explain unto you And pray let me Entreat you my Dear Youth seriously and diligently to hearken to me your Spiritual Father that studies no less the Eternal Interest of your Souls and to make you Heirs of Heaven than your Natural Parents do your Temporal Interest to gather you Riches and to leave you Estates in this World You have been Ask'd and you have Answer'd to your Christian Name and you see with what Title you are dignify'd viz. with the Name of Christians And first Wonder not at what I say those Titles of Honour which we daily hear sounding in our Ears I. As that which is more considerable than Titles of Honour and which are so much admired and doted upon I mean the Titles of Emperours Kings Dukes Earls Lords ought to be accounted as very inconsiderable in respect of our Christian Title They are but Earthly Glories and will soon decay and vanish away but this is of a Divine Original which will never fade but will Ennoble you to all Eternity I beseech you therefore seriously consider this and let a due Honour and Regard to so worthy a Name continually Admonish every one of you that you never commit in your whole Lives any thing that does unbecome it I do also Secondly II. Because of that near Alliance there is between the Christian Name and Profession Entreat every One of you to consider the near Alliance there is betwixt your Christian Names and your Christian Profession insomuch that they both began and will both end together In your Baptism you put on both your Name and your Profession of Christianity together and if ever you should abjure your Religion which God forbid you must also therewith abjure your Christian Names so near are they linkt one with another And therefore let this ever admonish you to Adorn your selves with Christian Graces Temperance Chastity Charity Justice Piety and not to defile your selves with Heathenish Brutish Vices Drunkenness Uncleanness Cruelty Infidelity Thirdly III. Because the primitive Christians did in vertue of the Christian Name resist the fiercest Temptations And is it Examples of this good Use of your Christian Name that you want Why the Christians of Old took Courage from this very Name whereby they overcame all their Enemies both Bodily and Ghostly the World the Flesh and the Devil and encourag'd themselves thereby to the Discharge of their Christian Duties In the Vertue of this Name they extinguisht their Lusts they overcame Tyrants they put to flight the Devil Their Persecutors with Fire and Fagot and all manner of cruel Torments would have them forc'd them to Blaspheme Christ to sacrifice and burn Incense to Devils to worship Idols But they in the midst of Flames and Torments would answer with Smiles on their Faces We are Christians we cannot do these Things Forbear your Assemblies and Church-meetings would the Heathen Persecutors say We are Christians and must not therefore Forsake the Assembling our selves together would they answer Such great things did the Primitive Christians perform under the Power of the Christian Name And let your very Christian Names likewise my Christian Youth encourage you to all manner of Vertuous and Religious Practices in imitation of those Blessed Primitive Christians and to the Examples of those that shall come after you IV. Because of
the Indecency of Living unsuitable to the Christian Name and Profession Nay Fourthly Look upon it ever as a most monstrous piece of Wickedness for Christian Men to live Antichristian Heathenish Lives but on the contrary ever look upon your selves as you are Christians bound even in Decency to Abstain from all Appearances of Evil 1 Thess 5.22 What shall you that have given up your Names to Christ and are in Covenant with God fight the Devil's Battels Know you not that your Bodies are the Members of Christ and shall you take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot God forbid 1 Cor. 6.15 Shall you that are Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven walk in Darkness Have you Renounced the Devil the World and the Flesh and you for all that yield your selves Slaves to the Devil the World and the Flesh You Believe the Gospel and all the Articles of your Christian Faith and shall any of you live as those that neither know nor fear God nor dread the Devil You have vowed Obedience to God and shall you trample under Foot all Laws Divine and Humane You have been dedicated to God and have given up your Names to him in your Baptism and shall you live as if you had been Listed in Satan's Service Nothing so contrary so contradictory as these things V. That to quite other Purposes we gave up our Names â—o be Chriâ—tians Alas Consider Fifthly That you have given up your Names unto Christ for other Reasons than that you should fight under the Devil's Banner and do the Works of the Flesh Namely That you might ever live to the Honour of God You have been call'd forth out of the World not that you should add by your own to the Iniquities of the Times but to nobler Purposes that you might re-establish the World now tottering and ready to sink under the weight of Wickedness that you might re-establish it I say by the Practice of all Christian Graces and Vertues And for that Reason it is you must consider that you Christians are called the Salt of the Earth Matth. 5.13 the Light of the World ver 14. A Candle put upon a Candlestick that it might give Light to all that are in the House ver 15. And therefore Let your Light so shine before Men that others may see your good Works and Glorify your Father which is in Heaven is the Inference the Command of Christ the great Captain of our Salvation ver 16. And moreover Sixthly Every Christian has commonly that in his particular Name VI. Most Chriâ—tian Names â—fford some â—xamples of Vertue which â—hould prompt Christians to an Imitation of those who were Eminent under those Names whereby he may be excited to some noble strain of Vertue It seldom happens that any one has a Name given him of which there has not been some One before him renown'd in History either in the Scripture or elsewhere for some noble Exploit of Vertue or other And now my young Disciple search the Scripture and other Histories who or what He or She was and wherein thy Name-sake did Excel in any Goodness and propose such a One for thy particular Example to whose Eminency in the like Vertue do thou all thou canst to arrive Do thou John bethink thy self often of that great Contempt of the World that One of thy Name viz. John the Baptist did shew and of that burning Love to God and Men which the other viz. the Apostle of that Name did express and let the One excite thee likewise to the like Contempt of the World and the other to the like Love of God and Men. A Peter should do well to call to Mind the ready Confession of Christ that the Apostle of that Name did make and the speediness and sorrowfulness of his Repentance after he had Sinn'd and let the Thoughts of him make thee ready to give Testimony to the Truth and Faith of Christ and put thee upon a speedy Repentance after every fall and backsliding into Sin Let every Anne call to Mind that Widow of her Name mentioned Luk 2.37 Who though a Widow of fourscore Years and four departed not from the Temple but served God with Fasting and Prayers night and day And let the Example of this devout and happy Woman of thy Name call thee Anne to the first beginning of Prayers Sacraments and Sermons Let every Mary bethink her-self of those Mary's Famous in the Gospel the One for her chast Virginity the Other for sitting so Attentive at JESUS's Feet to whom the Lord gave this honourable Testimony that she had Chose the better part and prefer'd her before her Sister Martha who disturb'd her-self too much with worldly Business Luk. 10.40 41. and from her Example learn not to entangle thy self too much with the Cares of this Life but chiefly to take care of Heavenly things and to apply thy self to Hearing and Devotion Lastly Let me give it in Charge to you that are Parents And therefore Parents are Advis'd to choose for their Children the Names of Persons Eminent for Vertue not Infamous for Vice not to give to your Children any other Names but what are of Note for their eminent and good Examples that they may have always before their Eyes whom they may Imitate in their Vertue Give them such Names as if not Signalized in Scripture are at least in other Histories for some Good they have done Or if you give them the Names of any of your Ancestors let it be of those whose Vertues have adorn'd not whose Vices have disgrace'd the Age they liv'd in Or of such who have left behind them a good Name to be Imitated nothing Ill to be Abominated by their Posterity for those only are worthy to have their Memory continued in the Names of their Posterity but these are fit to be Eternally forgot And thus my Christian Disciples having shew'd you the great the very great Obligation lying upon you even from your Christian Names to square your Lives according to the Christian Rules those Rules that you have taught you and shall hereafter with God's Assistance be explain'd to you in the Exposition I shall give you of your Catechism And from several Considerations having therefore urg'd you to live with all the Care you can according to that most holy Religion to which in your Baptism you have given up your Names and under your several Names have Listed your selves to maintain and cleave unto What then remains my Christian Disciples but that you apply your selves with the greatest Diligence in order to your living good Lives to understand throughly that Religion to which you have given up your Names There shall be nothing wanting I do assure you on my part for I design by God's assistance to Instruct you in all the Articles of the Covenant of Grace and which are each of them contain'd in your Church Catechism It lies on your parts to be teachable Disciples constantly to
that Mountain near to Samaria whereon they both stood or in Jerusalem were the place where men ought to Worship he assures her The hour cometh when neither in that Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem they should worship the Father that is not there only nor any where in so carnal a manner Joh. 4.20 21 22 23. But as St. Peter tells us now under the Gospel In every Nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him Act. 10.35 And therefore our Saviour when he sent forth his Disciples into the World to Preach the Gospel and to gather a Church he commanded them Mar. 16.15 saying Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature From whence we find them in Revelations 5.9 Crying unto the Lamb Thou wast slain and hast Redeemed us unto God by thy Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation So that whereas concerning the Jewish Church it was that God declar'd formerly Exod. 19.5 6. That in keeping his Covenant they should be a peculiar Treasure unto him above all People a Kingdom of Priests and a holy Nation Now under the Gospel it is declared 1 Pet. 2.9 with respect to Persons of all Nations who shall come within the Christian Church that they are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a peculiar People that they should shew forth the Praises of him who hath call'd them out of Darkness into his marvellous Light But then I say the Church of Christ tho' it takes in Persons of all Nations yet it is still to be a Holy Nation a peculiar People For tho' it be spread over all the World yet 〈◊〉 consists of â—h who are â—l'd out of 〈◊〉 World by 〈◊〉 Preachâ—â— of the â—spel to a â—y Professiâ—â— and Calâ—g Thirdly It consists only of such who are Call'd forth out of the wicked World by the Preaching of the Gospel to a Holy Profession and Calling It is not either Jews or Gentiles whilst they continue such that are of the Church of Christ but it consists of those who are Call'd out from amongst both The Church is a selected People separated from the Prophane part of the World to be a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood a Holy Nation a Peculiar People To understand which you must know that the World at the Time of our Saviour's coming into it was grown to a sad pass and was miserably Estrang'd from God The World indeed soon after the Creation began to fall off from God and to take part with the Devil But by the time that our Saviour came into the Flesh the Apostle declares Rom. 3.11 12. concerning as well Jews as Gentiles that there was none that understood there was none that sought after God that they were all gone out of the way they were all become unprofitable that there was none that did good no not one Particularly as to the Gentiles they were charg'd Rom. 11.23 24.28 29. to have Changed the Glory of the incorruptible God into an Image made like to corruptible Man and to Birds and four-footed Beasts and creeping things and were thereupon given up to Vncleanness and vile Affections and as they did not like to retain God in their Knowledge they were given up to a reprobate Mind being fill'd with all Vnrighteousness Fornication Wickedness c. And as to the Jews they had in a manner wholly voided the Force of God's Laws by their false Interpretations as you will see in our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount which cost him so much Pains to clear the Text from their false Glosses and to shew them the full Extent of their Duty contain'd in the Law This was the State of both Jews and Gentiles at that time And therefore did Christ come to Call out such as would Obey his Calls to Call 'em out I say out of the wicked World to a Holy Profession and Calling for which reason he is said to have Saved us and Called us with an Holy Calling 2 Tim. 1.9 and in a great many Places of Scripture Christians are therefore styl'd the Called and Joh. 17.6 they are said to be such whom the Father had given our Saviour out of the world and tho' they are in the world ver 11. that is Live in the World yet they are not of the world ver 16. True it is It is not every Member of the Visible Church that does effectually Obey this Holy Calling and in his Life and Conversation shews himself not to be of the World and therefore it is that the Kingdom of Heaven that is the Church is liken'd Matth. 13.24 to a Field in which Wheat and Tares grow up together until the Harvest and to a Net that was cast into the Sea and gather'd of every Kind But however tho' too many of those of whom the Church is compos'd are in their own Persons Ungodly yet I say Fourthly They are Called by the Preaching of the Gospel to a Holy Profession and Calling as Namely to Repentance from Dead Works I. Repentance from Dead Works for so our Saviour says He came to Call the Sinners to Repentance Matth. 9.13 And thus also his Apostles Preacht unto Men that they should turn from the Vanities of Idol-worship unto the Living God which made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all Things therein Acts 14.15 which is an Instance of Repentance that the Gentile World were particularly Call'd to And then as to the Knowledge and Belief of the only True God II. To the Knowledge Belief and Service of the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ the distinguishing Character given of the Church of Christ Joh. 17.2 is that they are such whom the Father hath given him or given him out of the world as it is ver 6. that they might have Eternal Life and this he tells us ver 3. is Eternal Life or the way by which we can only come by Eternal Life That we Know the only True God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent The Gentiles they Knew not the only True God but Own'd and Worship'd many Gods and did Sacrifice to Devils 1 Cor. 10.20 And as for the Jews tho' they Believ'd indeed in the only True God yet they Acknowledg'd not his Son Jesus Christ whom he had sent to be also the True God as he is call'd 1 Joh. 5.20 And now both these Enemies to Truth our Saviour Calls the world Joh. 17. and in Opposition to both tells us ver 3. that this is Life Eternal to Know the only True God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent So that the Church of Christ are such who are peculiarly Separated from the World to the Knowledge and Belief of the Only True God And they are such also who have been Baptiz'd into the Knowledge Belief and Service of Three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost in that One Godhead Matth. 28.19 And particularly they are such as are Baptized into the Name of
Jesus Acts 19.5 that is into the Belief that Jesus is the Christ or Mediatour between God and Man for this is the great Fundamental Doctrine of Christianity as the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 3.11 assuring us that Other Foundation can no Man lay than that Jesus is the Christ And he that denyeth that Jesus is the Christ is the great Liar and an Anti-Christ 1 Joh. 2.22 But whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is Born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 that is is Adopted into the Christian Church and Family â—II â—njoy the â—ledges 〈◊〉 Gospel Fifthly And as Christians are a Society of Persons call'd out of the World to Repentance Faith and Gospel-Obedience so to the Enjoyment of those Inestimable Priviledges of the Gospel viz. 1. Most Reasonable and Excellent Laws given by a most Great and Gracious Governour to Conduct 'em to Heaven Laws writ in their Minds and in their Hearts Heb. 8.10 that is Laws which are for the most part the very Dictates of natural Reason 2. They are such as are Priviledg'd with having great Measures of Divine Grace and Assistance to enable 'em to Obey those Laws for whereas the Law was given by Moses Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 and is the Priviledge of the Church of Christ under the Gospel 3. They are such who have Assurance of Pardon of Sins upon their Repentance for the Transgression of those Laws for with Respect to those of the Christian Church God is pleas'd to say Heb. 8.12 I will be Merciful to their Vnrighteousness and their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more And lastly As to the Eternal Life and Happiness Christ does assure us Joh. 17.2 that The Father has given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as are given him or are given him out of the world ver 6. that is that he has a Power of conferring the Rewards in Heaven to as many as come within the Pale of the Church if they do withal live in Obedience to its Laws and Constitutions Thus is the Church of Christ a Society of Men call'd forth of the World as to a most Holy Profession and Calling so to the Enjoyment of most singular Priviledges Church â—h who 〈◊〉 End of â—ncorpoâ—â—nto one 〈◊〉 and of â—g God 〈◊〉 their Sixthly And they are such Who to the End of being Incorporated into One Society and of having God to be their God and they themselves his People have Enter'd into Covenant with him It is the Royal Charter granted by the King to the Members of a Corporation or City whereby they have certain Priviledges granted them from the King and wherein they are Tied to discharge certain Duties to him and to One another that makes 'em of a confus'd Multitude to become a Corporation or regulated Society And those who stand out and will not accept of those Priviledges nor oblige themselves to their several Duties shall not be reputed of that Corporation nor receive any Advantages from it And so it is here with that Society which is call'd the Church of Christ It is the Covenant of Grace granted us by the King of Heaven wherein we have the most inestimable Priviledges those contain'd in the Gospel graciously Ensur'd unto us and most reasonable Duties both to God and Man required of us that do embody and join us into one Spiritual Society the Church and those who will not Enter into such a Covenant with God are Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and Strangers from the Covenantts of Promise having no hope and without God in the world Eph. 2.12 But those who have join'd themselves in Covenant with Him are No more Strangers and Forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God ver 19. And as by being United in one Covenant Christians are Incorporated into one Society so by the same Means it comes to pass also that they have God to be their God peculiarly and they become his People Thus Heb. 8.10 This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days that is in the time of the Gospel I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People It is the Nature of all Covenants to Unite the Parties Covenanting together and to give to each Party an Interest in the other I entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16.8 So that by having Enter'd into Covenant with God we are Entitled to his particular Protection and Care over us and we give to him thereby a new and stronger Claim to our Obedience Seventhly I. In Baptism And Christians are thus Enter'd into Covenant with God and thereby made Members of Christ's Church in their Baptism For as all the Members of a Corporation are not usually made Members of that Society without some certain Solemnities so it pleased God that no One should be Enter'd into Christ's Church and be made a Partaker of the Priviledges of it without that outward Rite of Baptism for so we find that when our Saviour sent his Apostles to Found and Build the Church they receiv'd as a Commission to call forth out of the World a Church by the Preaching of the Gospel So an Appointment to Incorporate all Men therein by Baptism Go and Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Matth. 28.19 And hence 1 Cor. 12.13 it is said That we are all Baptiz'd into one Body or admitted by Baptism into one Church Eighthly And they are Appointed to Renew the same II. To Renew it at the Lord's Supper by Feasting often together at the Lord's Supper This was anciently and is still the usual Method of Uniting more closely together the Members of any Society or Corporation their Feasting often together at one common Table and for this Reason amongst others it is that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is Appointed in the Church of Christ So the 1 Cor. 10.17 it is said That we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all Partakers of that one Bread Ninthly And now upon all these foremention'd Accounts The Church one Body the Church of Christ is One Body Thus Eph. 4.4 5 6. There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are all called in one Hope of your Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all where you see that because all Christians are call'd out of the World into one Hope of their Calling or to the Enjoyment of the same Priviledges to one Faith or to Believe one God Father Son and Holy Ghost exprest here by one Spirit one Lord one God and Father of all and because Incorporated by one Baptism or by the Use of the same Sacraments that therefore they are one Body The Covenant of Grace that great
power or the Right and Priviledge as it is in the Original to become the Sons of God Joh. 1.12 This is a remarkable Text to our Purpose In the Two Verses immediately before viz. The 10 and 11 it is said He was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not he came unto his own and his own received him not but as many as received him to them gave he Power or the Right and Priviledge to be the Sons of God even to them who Believe in his Name So that by this time I hope it does fully appear to you what is meant by a Child of God especially in that sence wherein it is to be understood here in your Catechism And you see as he is not every Child by Creation which is a sence too wide so neither on the other side is he only One who is so by Regeneration which is a sence as much too narrow but every one is such who has Enter'd into Covenant with God and whom the Heavenly Father has thereupon Adopted into his Family to partake of the Priviledges which belong to his Adopted Sons which Secondly What are the Priviledges which do belong to the Children of God as such Brings me next to Enquire what a Vast Priviledge it is accordingly to be made the Children of God And truly upon Enquiry it will be found to be in general the very same Priviledge in Kind but infinitely greater in Degree as Heavenly Things are always greater than Earthly which the most Tender and Indulgent Father that is withal Wise as well as Good can be suppos'd to allow his own Children In general such as an indulgent but wise Father may be suppos'd to allow his Children beyond Aliens and Strangers beyond what he will do to Strangers and Aliens For is it natural to such a One more easily to Pardon the Offences of his Child than of his Slave more favourably to over-look his Infirmities more readily to hear his Requests and to instate him in a surer Title to his Possessions than he will do others that have no such Relation to him Why such are the Priviledges our Heavenly Father will allow to us who are his Children by Adoption above others who stand in no such Relation to him He will be Just to all but these are properly Fatherly Kindnesses and he will Indulge 'em to none therefore but those who are his Children But more particularly Particularly First It is worthy our Consideration I. Pardon of all Sins upon hearty Repentance that we shall have this inestimable Priviledge by being his Children above the rest of Mankind namely We shall have all our Sins Pardon'd upon our hearty Repentance of 'em upon Condition we forsake 'em and return to God The unbelieving Jews and Gentiles and all Persons remaining in a State of Nature who have not Embrac'd the Gospel who have not been Baptized nor have Enter'd into Covenant with God have no Assurance from him that their Sins should be ever Pardon'd tho' they should forsake 'em because God never gave any Promise of Pardon to any other but his Children who are in Covenant with him And for want of their having any express Engagements and Promises from God of Mercies from him does the Apostle therefore speak of the State of the Gentiles as exceedingly Uncomfortable Eph. 2.11 12. in these very remarkable Words Remember that ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh that at that time ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Strangers from the Covenants and Promises having no hopes of Pardon and without a God in the world But we Christians who have Enter'd into Covenant with God and so are his Children have the utmost Assurance possible grounded upon the most gracious and express Promises that upon laying down our Rebellious Arms upon our Renouncing of his and our own most mortal Enemies our Sins and Coming over to him we shall have all our Sins Pardon'd Or rather as the Apostle himself does Express it in the following viz. The 13 14 ver But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the Blood of Christ for he is our Peace And indeed that this Pardon and Peace with the Father does more peculiarly belong to us under the Character of his Children who had formerly stray'd afar off from him by our Sins but are now return'd Home to him by Repentance we have Exemplify'd to us in that famous Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke 15. That Person we there read after a most Lewd and Riotous Life after he had spent and squander'd away all his Substance that his Father gave him yet upon his deep Humiliation for his Vile and Undutiful Behaviour towards his Father and his hearty Desires to return Home and to his Duty and Obedience to him was thereupon admitted to his former Interest in his Father's Affections Yea and receiv'd with more than usual Joy Why the whole Design of that Parable is to shew us how our Heavenly Father will graciously deal with us his Undutiful and Rebellious Children and that after even a very Ill Life upon our laying down of our Sins the forsaking the service of our Lusts and Return to him he will graciously Pardon and Forgive us his Children And Secondly II. being his â—ldren he 〈◊〉 not be so â—re as to â—k what is â—e amiss as Sins of Inâ—ity being his Children he will not be severe to mark what is done amiss tho' after our Return to him through the Infirmity of our Flesh we do not altogether Live up to the Rule by an Unsinning Obedience provided we watch carefully against the common Infirmities of Humane Nature and do not wilfully Indulge our selves in any of ' em The Rigour of the First Covenant would admit of no less than a Perfect Exact Vnsinning Obedience the never Offending in any One Point In the day thou dost Eat thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2.17 But here under the Second our Father deals with us with the Indulgence of a tender Parent who does not throw off his Child and withdraw his Kindness upon the smallest Offences and such as through Ignorance Surprize or the like cannot in this our fall'n and corrupt State be avoided But as a Father pitieth his own Children even so the Lord pitieth them that fear him that is Who do not willingly displease him Psal 103.13 In a word As the Pardon of Sins whether great or small is a Mercy held out to us only in the Covenant of Grace so it is granted us under this very Notion of being Children of God as appears from Mal. 3.17 where the Prophet foretels the Happy State of Christians upon this very Score in these words And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him And more particularly
And especially you must beware of that sort of Lying whereby you will most nearly Resemble him and that is in Slandering and falsly Accusing of any One to the Ruine of his good Name Satan is particularly Stigmatized in Scripture for this sort of Lying and is therefore call'd The Accuser or Slanderer of the Brethren which accuseth them before God Day and Night Rev. 12.10 and it is observable that 1 Tim. 3.11 where Women are charged not to be Slanderers nor false Accusers the Word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to be Devils which should be a Warning to them as they would dread so Black a Character to avoid Entertaining one another with Backbiting and speaking Evil of their Neighbours which yet I am afraid is the most usual Conversation when that Sex do meet together Indeed as the pernicious Lye utter'd for the Hurt or Disadvantage of our Neighbour is the most truly Diabolical So all sorts of Lying whatsoever renders such as are Notorious for it Contemptible and Vile amongst Men and Odious to God as does sufficiently appear by the Place and Company they are Rank'd with Rev. 22.15 Without that is Hell are Dogs and Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a Lye which should make you of all things in the World my Dear Youth to Beware of this Odious Hellish Sin of Lying and I do the more earnestly press you to Hate and Abhor it because Youth are most apt to be Addicted to it And so much for Sin consider'd as a Work of the Devil And now Secondly We should proceed to consider that other great Work of Satan his Tempting of us to Sin But this as it has been his great Employment ever since the Creation of Mankind and will be so as long as there are Men on Earth to be Tempted by him And as his Methods of Temptation are very many and very subtle and it does infinitely concern us Lest Satan should get an Advantage of us that we should not be Ignorant of his Devices For these Reasons I do think it may be profitable to you if I make that great Work of his his Tempting us to Sin the Subject of some particular Discourses by themselves in order to a more full and distinct State of that matter as indeed it is very requisite you should be throughly Inform'd if possible of the Temptations of Satan what they are And therefore leaving that Part for the present I shall proceed to finish this Lecture with shewing you Thirdly what it is to Renounce the Devil and all his Works of Sin To Renoâ—nce a Woâ—d of â—arious Importance according to the Renounced already spoken of and how necessary it is we should absolutely and entirely do so To Renounce is a Word that is apply'd in our Baptismal Vow to several things even all our Spiritual Enemies that would draw us into Sin The Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sâ—â—â—â—l Lusts of the Flesh they must all of them be Renounced by us And as the Word Renounce does carry in it a great deal of Meaning and is of various Significations according to the Nature of the things to be Renounced So what it does particularly signify with Reference to each of them will best be understood by considering its Importance as apply'd to every One of those things â—enounce â—evil in â—ence of Ancient â—ch was â—sclaime Vsurped â—nion â—ority oâ— Mankind And agreeably therefore to the Explication now given of the Devil To Renounce the Devil is no doubt to Disclaim his Usurpt Dominion and Authority or to leave off having any Communication or Agreement with him or having any Hand in his base and ungrateful Rebellion against God This was no doubt what the Primitive Church understood by Renouncing the Devil for they are Words of a very ancient Use in the Church of God The Devil at the first Rise of Christianity especially had obtain'd a Visible Kingdom and that a Universal Monarchy in a manner over the World Hence he is call'd The Prince of this World Joh. 14.30 He had also his Temples and his Altars and his Sacrifices The things which the Gentiles Sacrifice they Sacrifice unto Devils and not unto God 1 Cor. 10.20 As also many lewd and bloody Plays and pompous Processions were made in Honour of him and he was therefore in Effect The God of this world 2 Cor. 4.4 And now when any were Converted from Paganism to Christianity the Primitive Christians did expresly require from all that were Admitted into that Kingdom of God the Church of Christ a publick and open Renunciation or Abjuration of him or an utter Disowning and Abandoning the Devil's Authority and the Paying any Homage Service or Obedience to him by Worshiping of him or his wicked Angels or by going to those Plays and Processions Instituted in Honour of him Thus does Tertullian an ancient Father inform us in his Book De Corona wherein reciting the ancient Customs of the Church he tells us That just before any were Baptized into the Christian Religion they made a solemn Profession Aquam adituri ibidem sed aliquanto prius in Ecclesia sub Antistitis manu contestamur nos Renuntiare Diabolo Pompae Angelis ejus Tertul. de Corona both at their Entrance into the Water as also a little before they had done when under the Bishop's Hands that they did Renounce the Devil his wicked Angels and Pomps that is those solemn Processions of the Heathen Gods and those Lewd and Cruel Plays us'd amongst the Pagans which were the Ceremonies of State as it were in Satan's Kingdom All subjection to the Devil and all usage of those Rights of his Kingdom they did utterly abandon and forsake And this was what was meant in the Primitive Times by Renouncing of the Devil Renounce 〈◊〉 Works of 〈◊〉 was in â—r Sence 〈◊〉 Abandon 〈◊〉 Forsake â—ry Sin as â—ng the proâ— Service â—he Devil And to Renounce his works of Sin must accordingly signify in their Sence to disclaim abandon or forsake every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil and in the real Meaning of it no less than a throwing off God's Authority and a disowning his Power For if you will read over Rom. 1. you will find that People upon their forsaking of the True God to serve other Gods which were many of 'em at least no other than Devils did thereupon fall into all manner of Sin and Wickedness as you will see largely describ'd in that Chapter And if you will also look into the Sixth Chapter to the Romans ver 11. you will see that Christians by being Baptized Were to reckon themselves to be dead unto Sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So that in the Original and first meaning of the Words as to Renounce the Devil was to abjure and disclaim the Power and Dominion of Satan and
to leave off having any Communication or Agreement with him and any Hand in his base and ungrateful Rebellion against God so to Renounce his Works of Sin was to Disclaim Abandon or Forsake all and every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil and in the real Meaning of it no less than a throwing off God's Authority and a dis-owning of his Power This I say was the first Meaning of the Words in the first Ages of the Church Nor are they to be Interpreted in a much different Sence at this Day For Satan has his Kingdom still in the World The Words are to be understood in much the same Sence at this day Satan having his Kingdom still in the World and even amongst Christians and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of his Kingdom being still Obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of that his Kingdom are Obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind The Barbarous Nations amongst the Pagans do directly serve him at this Day and it is many a Christian's Lot who is cast amongst 'em to be forced either to Join with 'em in such Impious Service or to suffer Death with Torments for refusing And even in the Christian Pale tho' his Power is much weaken'd here since the Coming of our Saviour to what it was before yet still as Christ has his Church so Satan has his Synagogue amongst us and too many there are within the Limits of Christendom who do openly and avowedly Obey no other than the Laws of his Kingdom All your Atheists and Deists who Blaspheme God and the Christian Religion and all your Profane Swearers and Cursers whom you shall hear every Hour in the Day to Dare God as it were by their horrid Oaths and Imprecations to Damn 'em that is to send 'em to the Devil and all those who Resort to Charmers and Conjurers and Fortune-tellers as many Thousands do in this Nation All these I say are the open and profest Subjects of Satan's Kingdom And how many Lewd and Riotous Livers are there amongst us who do little else but the Works of the Devil and Obey no other Laws but those of Sin So that as you will Renounce the Devil and all his Works in that Sence wherein the Church does at present understand the Words you are with all possible care to avoid being of the Number of such Men. And I know no more that need be said at present This Renunciation for the most Part the same with Repentance to explain the Importance of the words Renounce the Devil and all his Works except it be this That if we consider such a Renunciation as the Act of One who has been heretofore a Slave to Satan and a Servant to Sin then it signifies to Forsake and Abandon the Service of Sin and the Devil formerly Liv'd in and so being a Ceasing to do Evil and a Learning to do well is the same with Repentance But if it be the Act of One of those who may be said to need no Repentance of which sort are Infants who have never committed Actual Sin then to Renounce the Devil and all his Works does mean a firm Resolution never to side with him in his Rebellion against God and as carefully as he can to avoid the committing of any Sin as being that whereby God's Rightful Authority is cast off and the Devil 's Vsurpt Dominion submitted to And so much for the Meaning of Renouncing the Devil and all his Works The Devil â—nd all his â—orks of Sin â—ust be absoâ—utely and enâ—rely Renounâ—ed because And now Lastly it remains that I should shew you how that it is necessary we should Absolutely and Entirely Renounce the Devil and all his Works As to those other Enemies to our Souls the World and our own Flesh there is some Temper to be us'd being neither of 'em are Absolutely and in themselves Evil but only by accident when the World is too intensely Belov'd and our Flesh too much Indulg'd to the Prejudice and Hurt of the Soul and therefore there are some Degrees of Affection and Regard allow'd to both them But the Devil is the Evil One and he is by way of Eminence and Singularity styl'd the Wicked One in the Holy Scripture as Matth. 13.19 There is noâ—hing but Eâ—il proceeds â—rom Satan and 1 Joh. 2.13.19 So that there 's not the least Good and nothing but Evil proceeds from him and therefore no manner of Agreement is to be made with him What Concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6.15 Nor are we to imagine we can divide our Service betwixt God and him We cannot serve God and Mammon Matth. 6.24 So that the Devil is Absolutely and Entirely to be Renounc'd by us And Sin â—hether we â—â—nsider it in 〈◊〉 original â—ause and â—ature 〈◊〉 in its sad â—ffects and â—onsequents 〈◊〉 the utmost â—vil And so likewise must his Works of Sin Sin as Sin is entirely Evil Consider it in its Original Cause and Nature and consider it in its Effects and Consequents and there is not a worse Evil in the World than Sin View it in its Original and first Cause and it is a Brat of the Devil 's the First-born of Hell And view it again in its Nature and it is a Choosing of quite other Ends than what the Wise and Good God has Appointed us and ordain'd us for and is a Going quite cross to those Laws and Rules which he has given us And then consider it next in its sad Effects and Consequents and there is no Evil in the World to be Compar'd to it It is a Sin says One which turn'd glorious Angels into hideous Devils and tumbl'd them down from Heaven to Hell It is Sin that fill'd the the World with Woes and Plagues brought Death and Diseases and a vast and endless Summ of Miseries into it It is Sin that torments and terrifies the Conscience that kindles Hell Flames Exposes the Soul to the eternal and direful Revenges of the great God And in a word Sin is so perfectly and only Evil that the worst of Things here were they free from the Contagion and Evil of Sin would be Excellent and Amiable So that Sin also is Absolutely and Entirely to be Renounc'd by us and there is no one Sin nothing in the least of Sin that may willingly be comply'd with â—herefore no â—ne Sin nor â—ny thing the â—ast of Sin â—ust willingâ—â— be comply'd â—ith I say No One Sin nor any the least of Sin for so Poisonous a thing it is in spoiling of every thing that is Good in Man that if we shall allow our selves but in One single Sin it will utterly spoil all our other Righteousness If a man keep the whole Law and yet offend in one Point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 And One such single Allowance will stop God's Ears against all our Prayers If I regard Iniquity in my
following words or they put some forc'd and violent Interpretation upon 'em not at all agreeable to the meaning thereof in that Place Thus they are deceitful Workers And They will Transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ putting on the Garb and outward Appearance of Apostolick Vertues and Graces when they go forth into the World to disperse these their Errors Indeed Satan is careful to furnish those whom he sends out with suitable and agreeable Qualities according to the Nature of those Errors they are to sow in the World If their Business is to undermine the Faith of Christians to disparage the more mysterious Doctrines of Christianity of a Trinity of Persons in one Divine Nature â—â—ch as place Religion Morality â—ll be adorâ— with â—uâ—nity and of the Divinity and Satisfaction of Christ and to place the whole of the Christian Religion in Morality and a Good Life why then he will adorn his Agents with the fair and plausible Vertues of Humanity and Courtesy and Civility of Manners which are most taking amongst Persons of better Quality the likeliest Soil to sow Heterodox Opinions of that Nature in But on the other side Is it his Design to starve that Part of Christianity which consists in the Practice of moral Vertues and to Represent it all as Mystery â—â—ch as turn â—ll into Myâ—â—ry shall be â—â—ied with â—â—ting Why then his Agents shall have the Gift of Uttering themselves in Canting Phrases and obscure and dark Forms of Expressions that seem to have something of Mysteriousness in them And all they Teach it shall look as if it were Inspir'd being pour'd forth with mighty Noise and Vehemence accompany'd sometimes with Tremblings and Shakings as if under some strong Impulse from a Spirit within And yet to see the Crooked Windings of this Subtle Serpent And yet sometimes the Crooked Serpent by Men seeming Godly will propagate Principles extreamly Immoral you shall observe which is a wonderful Artifice of Satan even those very Persons whose Doctrines do directly tend to render an Honest and Upright Conversation very insignificant in Religion to be notwithstanding themselves very Demure and in outward Appearance sanctify'd Persons no Swearers nor Riotous Livers and free from those gross and scandalous Immoralities which some of the Professors of a much better Religion are perhaps notoriously Guilty of insomuch that the undiscerning Part of Men do often Embrace those very Heresies which naturally and directly tend to Encourage Sin and Dishonesty and Unmercifulness And in a word To render Men secure in the Practice of any Wickedness meerly for the sake of the appearing Holiness of those Men's Lives who teach those Principles tending to Immorality And this is an extraordinary Reach in Satan That Impure Spirit is sometimes content that some of his principal Agents should not be immorally Wicked for by a few such Men's seeming Godliness he Propagates those dangerous and destructive Principles which will make Multitudes become securely and without Remorse of Conscience Villainously Wicked And now there is not a greater Difficulty perhaps in the whole Christian Warfare The most difficult Part of a Christian's Warfare is to preserve One self untainted with Heretical Pravity colour'd over with the Varnish of Gospel Truth But yet by Trying it by proper Rules it may be done viz. than to preserve One-self untainted with Heresies and the most poysonous Errors colour'd over with a meer Resemblance of Gospel-Truth But however as difficult as it is no honest Mind that will be careful to weigh those Poisonous Doctrines and the Persons who Propagate them in the Ballance of the Sanctuary that is by those Rules which the Scripture has given us But may be able to discover the Lightness and Vanity of both and so to Renounce both one and the other And that which every one is to do that he may Renounce them is not to be too easy in Entertaining 'em because Plausible at first appearance but Impartially to Try and Examine by a true and infallible Touch-stone both their Doctrines and those who Propagate them whether they Be of God Thus we are directed 1 Joh. 4.5 Beloved Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the World And how shall you do this Why the Scripture does give you Two most infallible and plain Rules whereby to do it The one Matth. 7.16 The other the Verse immediately following the now cited Place of St. John That in Matthew is this I. By its Tendency to an Ill Life II. By its Taking off from our Dependance upon the Mediation of Christ for the Acceptance of a good One You shall know them by their Fruits If their Doctrines are apt to Infuse into your Minds any unworthy and undue Thoughts of God or any Seeds of Impiety Injustice Uncleanness Uncharitableness Sedition Rebellion in a word if they do Countenance any Immorality c. Let their Pretences and Carriage be never so fair and free from Scandal to be sure they are False Prophets and the Devil's Agents The Rule given us 1 Joh. 4.2 3. whereby to discover the Doctrines of Satan's Infusing is this Hereby know ye the Spirit of God every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come into the Flesh is not of God By Jesus Christ being come in the Flesh is meant that Jesus Christ took our Nature upon him that he might be a Mediatour betwixt God and Us to Reconcile the Father to us by his Satisfaction and Intercession for us And whosoever shall teach contrary to this so as to take off our Dependance upon Christ let him seem never so Zealous for a Good Life his Doctrine is of Satan's devising The whole Design of Christianity is no doubt as appears from these Two former Rules to make us Holy in this World and yet withal to create in us such a Dependance and Reliance on Christ for Salvation as to expect it not on the account of our own Holy Performances which are so Imperfect but in the Vertue of Christ's Mediation with the Father for us And whosoever will but carefully Examine the several false Doctrines so much Preacht up at this Day by our Enemies on either side by these Two Rules shewing the Design of Christianity I am verily perswaded will find most of them to thwart one Part or other of this Design and that either they discourage Holiness or if they seem to stand upon the Necessity thereof they decry the Necessity of our Dependance upon Christ's Mediation for God's Acceptance of it to our Justification and so by one or other of these Rules we may discover them to be Doctrines of Satan's infusing Most of the Doctrines of the Church of Rome do plainly tend to make Men secure in a Course of Sin and those Antinomian Tenets wherewith some of our Dissenting Brethren are too much in Love do also tend to the same causing us to depend so entirely on
Christ's satisfaction as to make us neglect the Working out our own Salvation On the contrary the Socinian at the same time he pretends much for Morality and a Good Life denies the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ and that God the Father gave him to be an Attonement for the Sins of Mankind and in the Vertue of his precious Blood to Intercede in Heaven for our Reconciliation so that he wholly takes off our Faith or Dependance on Christ for Justification Thus may the most dangerous Errors now in the Church of Christ with a little Watchfulness and Care to examine the Tendency of them be discovered by you from whose Suggestions they proceed and that they are Tares of the Enemies that is the Devils sowing whilst the Husbandman was asleep But do you I beseech you carefully beware of such false Doctrines and deceitful Teachers both which are Satan's Temptations to draw you unwittingly to sin against and dishononr God And tho' his Agents seem never so Demure and appear never so Sanctify'd who do teach Men such Doctrines Beware of those Wolves who come to you in Sheeps cloathing you shall know them by their Fruits If they shall endeavour to instill into your Minds any undue Apprehensions of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost contrary to what you are taught out of the Scripture in the Doctrine of our Church or any pernicious Opinions that in their Nature and Tendency shall render an Holy Good Life unnecessary to our Justification assure your selves they are no Ministers of Christ but of Satan And are set on work by him to destroy God's Authority amongst Men and to set up his own Laws in their Hearts the Thing he aims at And so much for this Time THE Tvvelfth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh THE Point that we are now upon is to make as full a Discovery to you as here we can of that Great Work of the Devil his Tempting us to Sin A Work so eminently the Business and Employment of Satan and so Dangerous and Destructive to Mankind and also manag'd in such manifold and cunning Methods that it ought particularly to be consider'd by us The Devil says a Father has nothing else that he does but Tempt us to Sin He neither Eats nor Drinks nor Sleeps nor does he any thing else but Tempt Deceive and Subvert us This is his Meat this is his Honour this is his Joy In this he is Indefatigable and if he could have his Will he would never cease Tempting us but that he is restrain'd by the Power of God And now in order to the Countermining and Defeating this mischievous Work of his First Having shew'd you by what Temptations and Means he Overthrew the whole Race of Mankind and drew it off from Obedience to God to do Service to him And Secondly Having also laid before you such Temptations as he Levels against the Church of Christ the true Servants of God either utterly to destroy 'em or to Corrupt their Religion that by that they might Dishonour their Maker Thirdly I am now to shew you III. Satan's great Industry is to gain over to to his Party or to Tempt to some scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent for their Rank their Order or their Piety in the Church That next to his Destroying and Perverting of whole Churches his great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to some grievous and scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent for their Rank or Quality their Order or their Piety in the Church of God And * First Such as are most Eminent for their Station or Quality First Such as are most Eminent for their Station or Quality Hence Elymas the Sorcerer that Child of the Devil apply'd himself so diligently to Sergius Paulus a Deputy and Great Man in his Country to turn him from the Faith Acts 13.7 8. And hence as in that long Catalogue of the Kings of Judah and Israel how few were there who were not Idolaters and highly Infamous for some high Abomination or other So since the World became Christian how many Kings of the Earth are there who have Committed Fornication that is Idolatry with the Whore of Babylon and liv'd Deliciously with her and how will both they and the Merchants of the Earth Weep and Mourn over her when her Calamities come upon her Rev. 18.9.11 It is Astonishing to consider how that so many of the Honourable and the Rich who of all Men living are Oblig'd to be Grateful to God for so many extraordinary Favours and Blessings which they Enjoy above other Men should yet carry it so insolently against their Great Benefactor lifting up their Heads above the Heavens as it were Trampling under Foot all Laws both Divine and Humane Such Men's â—ickedness â—ot altogether â—â—om the â—emptingness 〈◊〉 Riches but â—e Industry 〈◊〉 Satan to â—et over such â—â—ading Men â—o his Party Such Men's â—xamples if â—ad of maligâ—ant Influâ—nce because â—â—onspicuous and both in Word and Deed denying and disowning any Powers above ' em Why this is not altogether from the Temptingness of Greatness and Riches which it must be confest are alone a very considerable Temptation but also from Satan's more than ordinary Industry to gain over to his Party and Interest such Men above all others For why These are Generals and Great Officers as it were in the Church Militant and these therefore if they can be but Prevail'd upon to Revolt from God all the Herd of Mankind besides will in a manner follow of course There is indeed Satan does very well know it nothing that has a more malignant Influence upon the Lives and Manners of Men than the lewd and profligate Courses of those who are Eminent in Quality or Power Their Examples are doubtless of vast Importance As in this World they live in a Croud all their Life So they pass not into the Other without a Train of Followers at their Heels If their Examples are extraordinarily Good they bring many to Heaven along with 'em if they have been Vicious and Naughty whole Troops follow to Hell after them for Subjects Children Servants Dependants all take after their Lord and Master except it be very rarely So that those who abound either in Wealth or Honour And will â—ring upon 'em â—he Guilt not â—â—ly of their â—wn but of â—â—her Men's â—ins because 〈◊〉 and do therefore think they have a greater Priviledge to Sin than others because they have greater Temptations to it than other Men are miserably mistaken for as their Lives being publick and conspicuous lye more open to the Observation and Imitation of the World and therefore do cause more to Sin So they shall not have their own only but the Sins of others so far as they have Influenc'd 'em to Sin
wherein for the most part the Vertue does lye into such Excesses as are Sinful Enormities Thus is any One Zealous in the Cause of God against Sin and Wickedness the wicked One will over-heat this Zeal into Censoriousness and Bitterness into Fierceness and Cruelty and very often into Faction and Schism Again does he find a Person more than ordinarily Mortify'd and Devout and Heavenly minded much given to Fasting and Prayer Then will he be buisy to let down into the Fancy of such a One As by turnâ—g his Zeal â—to Faction deluding Imaginations and will tempt him by the sweetness of those Incombs and Indwellings of the Spirit as he thinks 'em to lay aside the plain and easy Rule of God's Holy Word â—is Spirituâ— Mindedâ—s into Enâ—usiasm as a dead Letter and not Spiritual enough and to give himself up to the Guidance of the Impulses of a Spirit within him as if they were immediate Inspirations from God By which fond Pretensions of Men deluded by Satan infinite Prejudice is done to Christianity and occasion given to Profane Wits to deride real Prophecy as Cheat and Imposture of which we have lately seen a most sad Instance 〈◊〉 he cannot â—vail over â—n by real â—is-carriaâ— he will â—der him â—less by forâ—d Calumâ—s But if this subtle Adversary with all his Wiles and Artifices cannot prevail over the Man of God but that still he is Baffled in all his Attempts upon him then he sets his Agents Slanderers and Whisperers on work for that their Tongues are set on Fire of Hell the Scripture tells us Jam. 3.6 to Invent and Propagate Scandals concerning him And he does Inspire the Calumniator to raise those false and injurious Reports either purely by Inventing 'em without Ground and thus even our Blessed Saviour was accus'd as an Enemy to Caesar and a Sabbath-breaker or by mis-interpreting of an innocent Behaviour and Action as a scandalous Crime And thus again was the Son of God himself and John the Baptist Traduc'd and thus very frequently are the succeeding Ministers of Religion Injur'd to this Day The Son of Man came Eating and Drinking that is He Affected nothing singular nor differing from other Men in indifferent things and they say Behold a Man Gluttonous and a Wine-bibber a Friend of Publicans and Sinners Matth. 11.19 On the other side John came neither Eating nor Drinking used extraordinary Fastings above other Men and they say he hath a Devil ver 18. And so it also fares with the succeeding Ministers of Religion Is any One of a free cheerful and sociable Disposition and does not wholly abstain from appearing in Company Then he is a Drunkard Is he Frugal and not given to Profuse Living Then he is Covetous Is he Conscientious in maintaining the Dues of his Church and will not suffer 'em to be Lost or Invaded by the Sacriledge of Covetous Worldlings Then he is Litigious and given to Law he is Covetous and what not So exceeding Industrious are Satan and his Agents to Blacken the Reputation of the Ministers of True Religion I say of True Religion for you may always observe with what Industry the real Vices of those who are Ministers in Heresy and Schism are kept secret And the only Reason thereof is this to lessen the Authority of their Precepts and Example in the World that they should not do that Good that otherwise they might It does in Truth so exceedingly concern the Interest of Christianity It wonderfully concerns the Interest of Religion that the Reputation of its Ministers be kept unsully'd that the Reputation of its Ministers should be preserv'd unsully'd and so injurious to Religion it self are the Defamations of such Persons that St. Paul was careful to warn Timothy that against an Elder that is against a Minister He should not receive an Accusation under Two or Three Witnesses 1 Tim. 5.19 Tho' a single Evidence that was Credible was sufficient against any other Person But so much on the contrary it is to the Advancement of Satan's Kingdom Hence Satan and Satanical Men so Industrious to blast it and so Satanically are the greatest Part of the World dispos'd that a vilifying Story or a scandalous Report against them is more readily Invented more easily Heard and sooner Believ'd nay without any Ground at all surmis'd than against any other Person whatsoever But let me tell you that no good Christian that desires the Destruction of Satan's and the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom in the World will be forward to hear much less to Believe and Propagate Defamations of the Clergy as knowing it is the Policy of Satan to put it into the Hearts of uncharitable Spirits to surmise and raise and aggravate little vilifying Stories of those in Holy Orders as of some Indiscretion committed This to make 'em cheap and more scandalous and false Reports of Debauchery and Immorality to render 'em Odious in the world and both on purpose to render their Labours and Endeavours useless and ineffectual to the Reformation and Amendment thereof And slanderous Reports lessen the Authority and Influence of the Clergy almost as much as real Sin In short Satan matters it not so much whether by real Sin or by slanderous Reports he lessens the Authority and Influence of the Clergy his Avow'd Enemies whose peculiar Business it is to destroy his Usurpt Dominion and to Propagate the Kingdom of God in the World By real Sins indeed he would rather choose if he could and does therefore mainly Endeavour to have the Clergy Blemisht but meerly by raising the Scandal be it as well False as True he gains his End according Machiavel his great Secretary's Maxim Fortiter accusare aliquid adherebit Throw Dirt upon a Man and the Stain will in some measure stick Such is the Censorious Humour of the World as to think there must be something in it when a Slander is broacht and so maliciously are wicked Men bent against the Ministers of Religion especially as greedily to swallow every thing that tends to lessen their Reputation In a word By both he gains his End which is to have Religion it self wounded through the sides of its Ministers And whether any of 'em shall really miscarry or be falsly Defam'd for so doing he knows the world upon either account will Abhor the Offerings of the Lord and even a meer Slander will be such a stumbling Block to many As to make the Lord's People to transgress â—t behoves the Clergy thereâ—ore so far to Renounce Resist the Devil's Tempâ—ations as to â—ake care not â—nly to be â—eally Blameâ—ess but also â—o Abstain from all Apâ—earance of Evil. And this being so since it is so much the Interest of the Devil's Kingdom to have us Ensnar'd by his Temptations for which reason he does therefore Ply us especially And since the Generality of the World are so Satanically dispos'd as easily to receive the worst Impressions of us it concerns us
not only to conceal the Defects but by plain downright Lying and Avouching that their Beast is upright and sound put it off for more than it is Worth Thus some Men of all Professions will think they must do or else they cannot Live And indeed if Men could not get a Livelihood but in a way and trade of Sinning Persons of Callings and Professions and Dealers in the World wouldly under a shrewd Temptation But tell me must Men sell their Souls to the Devil for ever for the Gains here we know not how soon we must leave We count Esau a foolish as well as profane Person who in Extremity of Hunger sold his Birthright for a Mess of Pottage Gen. 25.33 34. And what is that Christian who shall sell his Eternal Inheritance for a Thing in comparison of no Value But I can see no necessity of foregoing a Livelihood or of yielding to the Temptations of a Calling Indeed if by a Livelihood Men did not mean living in Superfluity Vanity Luxury which neither God nor Nature has made necessary to any Man 's Being nor indeed Wel-being in the World If they meant no more than getting an honest and moderate Provision suitable to the Station and Condition Providence has plac'd 'em in I do not know but generally Men do better provide for themselves by plain and honest Dealing than by serving their Interests by any sinful Art or Cunning whatsoever I do believe it is a true Proverb generally speaking that Honesty is the best Policy and Men Thrive tho' but slowly by it yet better and surer than by Cheating and Over-reaching And it is almost every One's Observation That a little Substance honestly got is a Comfort to the Owners whilst the Estate that is ill got wasts like Butter in the Sun and derives down a Curse upon those on whom it descends But however tho' it be not so that Honesty is the best way to Thrive and tho' your Temptations should be never so great and your Wants never so pressing you must suffer that Want or suffer worse And you would do well to consider that those who will rather suffer Want here than by sinful Ways provide a Relief shall be sure not to want the Love and Mercies of God hereafter and that will abundantly Recompence for all defect of Advantages in this World Fourthly You must Renounce all Levity and Desultory Skipping from one Calling to another IV. All Levity and Desultory Skipping from one Calling to another This may seem rather a Politick than Religious Precept because in common Observation it is seldom seen that the Man of several Trades and Callings does Thrive and that the Rolling Stone never gathers Moss But it is an Instruction which is also of a Religious Importance for 1 Cor. 7.20 Every Man is commanded to Abide in the same Calling wherein he was called And tho' it may be Lawful to lay down One and to take up another Profession or Trade when either absolute Necessity enforceth it or lawful Authority enjoineth it or a Concurrence of weighty Circumstances faithfully and discreetly and soberly laid together seemeth to require it as the Judicious Bishop Sanderson Stateth this Case Yet this must be done as he says with all due Caution as First not out of Lightness and Unsettledness nor Secondly out of the Greediness of a Covetous or Ambitious Lust nor Thirdly out of Sullenness or Discontentedness at our present Condition nor Lastly out of Envy against our Neighbour that liveth by us But above all that Change of Callings is to be Renounced as the highest Profaneness when Laymen and Tradesmen nay Women as amongst the Quakers so expresly contrary to the Commands of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.34 do Sacrilegiously usurp the sacred Office of the Ministry and set up for Teachers without a lawful Call or Ordination thereunto Nor is there any Force in what they 'll pretend from Rev. 1.6 where it is said of all Christians in general That Christ hath made them Kings and Priests unto God and his Father for the same is spoke Exod. 10.6 of the whole Jewish Nation that They should be a Kingdom of Priests and an holy Nation And yet we find that the Priesthood was so much a separated Office amongst them and so dangerous to be Usurpt that Korah and his Company paid dearly for Attempting it Numb 16. as also Vzziah as you will see 2 Chron. 26.16 c. The reason of that high Expression Rev. 1.6 wherein Christians in general are call'd Priests is the same as in Exod. For as the whole Jewish Nation were there styl'd a Kingdom of Priests and a holy Nation with respect to the Pagan World from whom they were to be as much separated by a peculiar Holiness as the Priesthood amongst 'em was from the People So we Christians such is our Holy Calling are to be as much separated and distinguisht from Jews and Gentiles both by our Holy Living as the Gospel Ministry are by a sacred Character from the rest of Christian People No certainly all those of the Laity who usurp the Office of the Ministry should learn Sobriety and to keep themselves within the proper Bounds and Limits of their Callings considering that equally now as in the Jewish Church The Priest's lips should keep Knowledge and that they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts Mal. 27. V. Any Calling whatsoever is to be declin'd for which a Person is not Qualified both by Education Abilities and Inclinations Fifthly And that you may not lightly and with a worse Imputation than that of Inconstancy change your Calling Decline that Calling whatever how Creditable or how Profitable soever it be for which you are not Qualify'd both by Education Abilities and Inclination The great Fault in this respect is commonly the Parents who Predestinate as it were their Children to such Callings as they please themselves without consulting those other Requisites now named to make them Excellent and Useful to themselves or others therein and this is the reason that so many mis-carry in their Callings to their own Ruine and Disgrace and the Disappointment and Damage of others in the Business they undertake Especially Callings of great Importance such as the Ministry And according as is the Importance of any Calling accordingly does it the more concern Persons both for their own sakes and the World's that they decline such as they are not fitted for by a suitable Education by competent Abilities and Gifts and by a strong Inclination thereunto Now the Ministry is a Calling of the vastest Consequence in the World even the Salvation of many Souls depending upon a Man's being duly Qualify'd thereto There ought in the first place to be a suitable Education in those Schools of the Prophets our Vniversities given to such as are Candidates for it that they may be prepar'd thereto by the Knowledge of those learn'd Languages wherein the Inspir'd Writers did
that no Man's Condition be it never so Plentiful will excuse him in Idleness The last Thing to be Renounced with reference to a Calling is the Living above it Lastly no Man must live above his Calling This is what the Vanity and Pride of many both Gentlemen Tradesmen and others do Tempt 'em to but the Issue thereof is in a short time to be Needy and Borrowing and consequently Contemptible and to meet with Scorn instead of that Respect they seek by making an outward Appearance and Flourish But the worst of it is when Men are of this Humour to live above their Calling in order to maintain their Port and Pride they are forc'd if Gentlemen to oppress their Tenants if Tradesmen to cheat and over-reach their Customers and to use all the evil Arts of Getting And as to the latter when they so far scorn the Meanness of their Profession as to throw it aside it is not seldom that in the End they take to the High-way as the only Means of maintaining themselves In short therefore to prevent the fatal Effects of both these last Evils Idleness and living beyond a Man's Calling my Advice to young Persons is to be Industrious till such time at least as they have laid up a Stock whereby they may afford to live more at Ease and not to throw off the meanest Calling till they are able to live Creditably without it And so much for the Callings of the World and what is to be Renounced with Relation to them Secondly Let us consider amongst those Things of the World of a middle Nature the different Conditions and States of Men therein II. Amongst those things of the World of a middle Nature the the different Conditions and States of Men therein are to be considered And the greatest Part are in the State either of Masters or of Servants And the whole World are either Single or Married Persons And First as to the State and Condition of a Master there are very great Advantages and Opportunities which the Head of a Family has of doing Good amongst those of his Houshold insomuch that if he keep up an orderly and religious Discipline in his Family it will be no hard matter for him so to form the Principles and Practices of his Servants and Dependants as to be able to undertake with Joshua 24.15 that he and his House shall serve the Lord. But yet this as all other Conditions of Men in this World I. A Master has great advantages of doing Good is liable to be Abused to great degrees of Dishonour to God and Injury to the Souls of Men as namely when those who are Masters do so far exceed in their Commands as to give no leisure to their Servants to provide for the Good of their own Souls But such a Dominion as this must be utterly Renounced and it should be a Thing never heard of amongst Christians that a Servant should be such a Slave as to be treated no better than a Brute But all that Dominion is to be utterly Renounced amongst Christians which treats Servants no better than Slaves and Brutes And as Pasture is the only thing provided for the latter so bodily Necessaries should be the only thing took care of for the former No every one that will expect Abraham's Blessing and Favour with God must have Abraham's pious Care of the religious Education and Government both of his Children and Servants concerning whom it is Recorded that God did Impart unto him a very great secret under the Notion of a singular Favour upon this very Account That He knew he would command his Children and his Houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgment Gen. 18.19 So that when any of you shall grow up or arrive to that Condition to be the Heads of a Family this must be also your Care and you must utterly Renounce the Treating your Servants at that Distance as if they were not Fellow-servants with you to the same God Secondly The next Condition or State of Life in this World to be consider'd of is that of Servants Now a Servant amongst Christians if he be not Barbarously and Un-christianly us'd is not the most unhappy State The State of Servants not in it self unhappy Tho' he has not his Master's Liberty yet if he has less of his Licentiousness he is the happier Man But yet if it falls out so that the Master and Family he happens into be Disorderly Debauched and Wicked he is in a State of mighty Temptation and in great danger of being Corrupted And therefore First It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service I. It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service to avoid such where there is neither the means of Religion nor restraints upon Sin to Renounce and Refuse those if extream Necessity and want of Better do not compel him to Accept of such where a great deal of Wickedness is practiced without Controul and little of the Fear of God is to be seen amongst Masters or Servants We do daily pray to God Not to lead us into Temptation and those who are sincere in their Prayers will not voluntarily throw themselves into such a dangerous place of Temptation as is a wicked Family where not only the ordinary Means of Grace the reading of the word of God and daily Prayers are wanting But the Examples of both Head and Members do influence to an Imitation in Lewdness Drunkenness Injustice Cursing Swearing and all Impiety and where Profaneness does so far prevail as to instigate 'em to break their Jests upon Religion and Vertue Alas it is a very difficult thing for Youth to be throughly season'd with Principles of Vertue even by all the Instruction and Care of Ministers Parents and Masters How then must it be next to a Miracle if they fly not out into all manner of Licentiousness when the Corruption within is heighten'd with the Examples and Encouragements of all about 'em and those too Persons upon whose Favour they depend Secondly But since Idleness and want of Employment does expose a Person to Temptation even more than such Services and if Necessity shall force you into those where little of spiritual Improvement but all manner of Temptations to Sin is to be expected why then with Joseph in the House of Potiphar Gen. 39.8 you must put on the most stedfast Resolutions to preserve your Innocence II. In the most Irreligious Families a Servant shall happen into he must put on a stedfast resolution to preserve his Innocence and must make a Covenant with your Eyes Ears and all your Senses that they do not Offend And when Divine Providence has dispos'd you there Divine Grace will not be wanting to your own honest Endeavours to preserve you from Evil. Thirdly The next State and that wherein the greatest part of Mankind in this World are found is the State of Celibacy
our Lusts are up it is a strange Encouragement to us to Sin in Company and fulfil ' em This heartens us against our Fears and abates the Dread of Punishment which would follow the Satisfaction of our Lusts Now if we are Punisht for 'em it will not be we alone and it is a Comfort to have Fellows in Miseries and a Man dares both do and suffer many things in Company which he would have been dis-hearten'd to have ventur'd on singly But Secondly We are still more hearten'd to Sin if the Examples thereof are Common and Many II. If common and many For why Besides that there is a great deal of Proneness and Propension in all our Natures to Vice and Wickedness the only Restraint upon our Inclinations that we break not out suddenly into all Exorbitancy of Ungodliness is as inwardly from the Innate Turpitude and Baseness of Sin So outwardly from the burning and shining Lights and glorious Examples of Vertue that are abroad in the World Now our inward sense of the Filthiness of Sin soon ceases when we see it Practic'd by the most and those as shrew'd and as wise Persons as our selves and from without there can be no Upbraiding and ill Report in giving swing to our naughty Desires if Vice has once got its Multitudes of Followers and the Generality of Men of its side Thirdly But farther yet Examples of Sin are very Contagious if they are the Examples of such for whom we have a great Esteem III. If of such for whom we have a great Esteem Persons of all Sects and Parties in Religion fix upon some in their own way as very excellent Persons and exact Patterns fit to be imitated in all they do as if Men were not Men still and the Best were not subject to Mistake and Failing whatever Duty of Christianity these Men whom they particularly Admire seem to have but a small regard to they do not think it at all necessary because such a Good Man would not if it were be wanting in it they think And so as to any sinful Practice on the other side Why should I scruple to do so and so thou wilt say when such a One and I am sure he understands what he does sticks not to do the like He is a wise Man a good Man nay and a Scholar and yet does so and so nor does he fear going to Heaven for all that Fourthly But above all the Examples of Sin are the most prevalent when they are backt with the Authority of those whom we stand in awe of IV. If of those of whom we stand in awe These are the Men who will expect not only to be Obey'd but Honour'd And if we Ape and Imitate 'em in all their ways we may hope thereby to obtain their Favour If we shew a dislike of their Courses we may have reason to fear their Displeasure And what is it that two such active Springs in our Nature as our Hopes and Fears are will not force us to or drive us from So powerful you see are the Examples of Sin when they are backt with all these Advantages And now the Examples of Sin have all these Advantages in 'em to influence you to Conform your selves unto ' em Ever since the unhappy Fall of Man there is in every Child of Adam a great deal of Proneness to Sin rather than to Vertue Alas We carry a Principle about us which is not only buisy and ready to close with the Temptations of others Examples but is forward to betray us to Sin tho' we had few Examples for it Nay evil Inclinations and corrupt Desires are so powerful within us that even the best Instructions and the most pious Examples and all other good Means and Helps are daily found too weak and unable to Overcome ' em And yet as if all this were little enough there are far more Examples abroad in the World of Wickedness than of Goodness insomuch that by the World in Scripture simply taken is often meant no other than wicked Men they make up so great a Part thereof And not only too many Great Men whom you have an Awe of do give most abominable Examples of Profaneness Lewdness Drunkenness c. to their Inferiors but to come nearer Home to you too few of your Parents and Masters I am afraid are Examples to you of Religion and of the Fear of God Nay and perhaps some that you have an Esteem for and you may take for Good Men may be Examples of Schism and Separation and of breaking the Unity of the Church and despisers of the Sacrament or in one Kind or other not so Good as they should be not entirely and uniformly Good And now what must you do in this Case Why by all means you must Renounce and Refuse Conformity to such bad Examples We must by all Means renounce and refuse Conformity to such bad Examples For You must by no means follow the Examples of Sin be they who or what they will Let them be never so many you must not follow a Multitude to do Evil Exod. 23.2 It will not afford the least Ease to the Torments of the Damned that they are the many and that the Saved are the few Nor must the Examples of the Greatest no nor of those you count Good Men be a Rule to you when they vary from the Laws of God There is no Man so Great Wise or Good that he can dispense with God's Laws and absolve you from your Allegiance to the Soveraign Lord of Heaven and Earth This Great Man or that Parent or Master to flatter and please whom you do follow their Examples in sinning against God and your own Soul cannot afford you Protection from God's Wrath nor Rescue you from under the Stroak of Divine Vengeance No but he shall be as liable to it himself as the poorest Slave No First a Christian a Souldier of Jesus Christ is call'd out to Combat against the wicked Examples of the World as much as against any one sort of Enemy in his Christian Warfare I. A Christian is call'd out to Combat against the wicked Examples of the World as much as against any one sort of Enemy in his Christian Warfare and be they never so many never so mighty he must not be over-born by 'em so as to Conform himself unto 'em and either Renounce his Faith or commit any Sin by the influence of such numerous and mighty Examples We read the 2d of Kings that in the Days of wicked Ahab the whole People of Israel were so Apostatiz'd from the true Religion that Elisha thought there was but himself left alone who had not through the influence of so many Idolatrous Examples and the Power of that wicked Prince together with the Corruption of their own Hearts so prone to Idolatry he thought there was Not one man left in Israel who had not bowed his knee to Baal But he was never the more stagger'd for
Ruine you will thereby bring upon your selves and Families why you must consider that in such Case our Saviour tells us that a Man must even Hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also or he cannot be his Disciple and that whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after him shall not be his Disciple Luk. 14.26 27. â—r Fourthâ— must â—reatnings 〈◊〉 Frowns â—ght us â—n it Nor Lastly must a Souldier of Jesus Christ be frighted out of the way of his Duty or Aw'd into any sinful or slavish Compliance by the Threats and Frowns of any Man living Shrink not from the Exercise of Religion and Uprightness because many about you and they perhaps Above or Richer than you are profane and lewd and utterly regardless of any thing that is Good and moreover do Discourage and Affront it For this if you should you will most certainly offend your Great Lord and Master the Lord of Heaven and Earth and who has call'd upon you not to fear a mortal Man no tho' he could Kill the Body but to be afraid of displeasing him rather who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell Yea I say unto you fear him Luk. 12.4 And now Lastly I cannot call to Mind any other Temptations Lastly The evil Customs which have prevailed in the World are a powerful Temptation to Sin usual amongst wicked Men to Tempt others to Sin besides Some Evil Customs so rise amongst many That the Heathen Idolatries and those filthy Practices committed in 'em were so universally Complied with by all sorts of Men in the Pagan World was because they were Commended and Established by Publick Custom Many of their wisest Men and Philosophers had other Conceptions of God than to think it was fit to Change the Glory of God into the Similitude of an Ox that eateth Grass and thought also he ought to be Worshipt not by Fooleries and Impurities but with a chast Mind and a clean Heart And yet even those Men submitted to Common Custom and whatever they thought or spoke Privately amongst themselves they acted and spoke in Publick as the rest did And it was to the Prevalency of Custom that the Apostle imputed those Enormities of the Ephesians before their Conversion telling 'em that In time past they walked according to the Course of this World Eph. 2.2 And indeed so great is the Power of Evil Custom that it does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Nature and Inclinations as well as Religion And when grown prevalent and common it does strangely take off the sence and fear of Hurt in the most Unchristian Practices Custom I say does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Nature and Inclinations as well as Religion Hence among the Men of Honour as they would be thought shall many become even Self-murderers meerly in Compliance with Custom insomuch that those Persons who of all men Living have most reason to preserve their Lives having all their good Things they can ever expect in this World yet desperately spill one another's Blood in your cursed Duels It is no Inclination in these men I dare say to be so Prodigal of their dear Lives that makes 'em so desperately throw 'em away but meerly out of a Cowardly Fear they should be Branded with Disgrace for not complying with so common a Custom amongst Persons of their own Character So again among Persons of all Ranks you shall have men of no manner of Inclinations to Intemperate Drinking yet when they come to any Great Man's House where it is the barbarous and brutish Custom of Drinking Men hard Yet at such times they will not scruple to Exceed very far It is the Custom of the Place they 'll say and they were forc'd to it they could not help it And Custom also Custom takes off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Vnchristian Practices when grown prevalent and common among Societies of Men will strangely take off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Unchristian Practices Hence amongst Sea-men and Souldiers the most outragious Whoredoms and Adulteries and the most execrable Oaths and Curses are hardly accounted amongst the number of Sins And all the Arts of Cheating and Over-reaching nay of downright Lying and Swearing to the Soundness and Goodness of bad Commodities is little scrupled amongst some sort of Dealers the thing is grown so common And Custom it is which is so commonly Pleaded for the Omission of most necessary Duties as well as the Commission of most horrid Sins Hence do Multitudes make not the least scruple of Absenting their whole Lives from the Blessed Sacrament because it is so common amongst many to do so Thus powerful you see are the Evil Customs of the World so as almost to force Men whether they will or no to do many ill things and what is worse to seare their Consciences in the Commission of the worst Sins and in the Omission of the chiefest Duties A Christian â—ust couraâ—ously and â—gorously reâ—unce and â—ithstand the â—orce of all â—ful Customs â—hatsoever And now what must a Christian do in this Case Custom we know is a Second Nature and when it has been of a long Date Time out of Mind as the Phrase is it pleads Prescription and obtains the Force of a Law amongst Men. So that be a Custom never so contrary to Honesty Sobriety to common Sense and Reason or any the Laws of Christianity an old Custom must not be broken it is the Custom of the Place and must be kept up Such are the Sentiments of the Vulgar in this matter But you must resolve with all Courage and Stedfastness like true Souldiers of Jesus Christ to Renounce and Withstand the Force of all sinful Customs whatsoever and not to suffer your selves to be over-born thereby into any sinful Compliances When Christianity was first Preach'd amongst Men such barbarous and brutish Customs had of a long time prevail'd over the greatest Part of the Heathen World that many Practices which the meer Light of Nature would teach Men to Abandon as Sins and Wounds of Conscience Were as the Learned Dr. Hammond observes Embrac'd by whole Nations at once and continued in without any Check as innocent sinless Qualities Nature and Reason being so early engag'd and silenc'd by popular Custom and vicious Education that many knew it not to be a Sin to Steal or Rob if they were so Cunning as not to be taken others to Kill and Eat their Aged Parents conceiving that by this means they gave 'em a more Honourable Burial others to throw themselves murderously into the Flames to accompany their Dead Princes out of the World Many the like irrational Sins through some local Customs got the Reputation not only of sinless and lawful but of laudable also But all who Embrac'd Christianity as they
were obliged by their Baptismal Vow to forsake those and the like Heathenish Customs for to such this Vow did particularly relate so they did presently beat them down wherever the Christian Religion prevail'd insomuch that in few Ages there were not the least Foot-steps thereof remaining And so must you likewise vigorously withstand all Customs that are Immoral wherever and by whomsoever and how long soever they have obtain'd Such only as are Immoral are to be Renounced I do say All Customs that are Immoral For I do not mean that a Christian must turn Cynick a dogged and sower Lump of Earth surly and uncivil and quarrelling with the innocent Modes of Humane Society That is as much a Fault on the other side to think that Christianity the calmest and the sweetest Religion in the World does oblige Men to ill Manners But those Customs the Force of whose Temptations I would have you all to Resist and utterly to Renounce are such as I before mention'd and which are apparently sinful and wicked either tending to lessen the Guilt of Sin or to make it none at all I am sensible there is something of Difficulty in this Part of our Warfare above any other Barely to refuse Compliance with but much more to oppose Evil Men in their sinful Customs and Practices will mightily provoke their Indignation He sails against the Wind that does so and swims against the Stream He shall have Multitudes will thwart him and will load him with hard Reproaches will call him singular and precise Fool for his Pains and what not He must have a great deal of Courage that opposes a Multitude in doing Evil or will not comply with 'em in it But such must the Souldier of Jesus Christ be One that dares Incur the greatest Displeasure rather than shrink from his Duty and One that will not be afraid to shew his Dislike of any vicious Customs when there is just Occasion for it And this indeed is true Courage The greatest Courage required to this Part of a Christian's Warfare to despise all Opposition in the way of Duty and he that can Unconcernedly pass through a Multitude Reproaching and Vilifying him for his Pains in Pursuit of Vertue is more Heroick and Brave than he that with his Sword in his Hand cuts open a way to the Taking of a Fort. He that Reproves a Sin or Renounces an Ungodly Custom may have more of true Fortitude than he that Pushes on through drawn Swords for it is a sign he fears not those Weapons which wound deepest an embitter'd and envenom'd Tongue It is plain beyond all Contradiction I do think Cowardice the Cause of Complying with the Custome of Duelling or any other Custom of Sinning that when Men in Opposition to their Inclination and Reason and Religion dictating the contrary do comply with others in Drinking of Healths to Excess in profane or loose Talk or the like It is plain I say that it is out of fear of Reproaches and for want of Courage that Men do thus Sin Nay I dare be bold to affirm however like a Paradox it may appear to some That it is out of Fear and for want of true Courage that Men fight Duels when they are Provokt or Affronted They are afraid that if in Compliance to our Saviour's Doctrines of Meekness Patience and Forbearance they should put up Affronts they would be Reproacht and Scorn'd by the Multitude and be term'd Cowards and therefore do desperately but enough against their secret Inclinations I dare say betake themselves to this Barbarous and Fool-hardy way of shewing themselves Men of Honour But true Courage and Bravery Philosophy and Religion and the sober Reason of all wise Men tell us will despise the vain Opinions of the Unthinking and Impious Croud which for the most part are in the wrong and will steddily pursue what is Vertuous and Fit and Reasonable and Religious notwithstanding the foolish Reproaches of the Many So that to retain One's Integrity and Vertue and an unpolluted Conscience in the midst of common and prevailing Customs of Sin and Vice I dare be bold to assert the Noblest and most Heroick piece of Courage And accordingly it will be Rewarded with a Noble Testimony by our Blessed Saviour when to have his Testimony will be beyond the Applauses of the whole World To Renounce and Oppose the Irreligious and Profane Customs of wicked Men is an Eminent piece of Christian Confession and He who Confesses him before Men the same will the Son of Man Confess Own as his Faithful Servant and Applaud as a Noble Confessor before the Angels of God Luk. 12.8 And let this suffice to have spoken concerning the wicked Men of the World that you must so far Renounce both them and their wicked ways as Never to become Tempters your selves of others to Sin nor to yield your selves a Prey to other Men's Temptations but must utterly refuse Conformity to them and all their ways whereby they would have you Offend God and Violate your Covenant with him and your Vows in Baptism and thereby Forfeit all your Title and Hopes of Happiness THE Nineteenth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh HAVING fully Survey'd the World and all therein contain'd that is fit to be Renounc'd by every Christian And having also Represented to you those Temptations which are given by the wicked World and how we must Resist them I come now to Explain unto you what is to be understood by the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and to shew you how much it behoves Christians to Renounce and to Despise them And First We will consider the Pomps And Secondly The Vanity of this wicked World And First As to Pomps these as they were part of the Pagan Idolatries So they were what the Primitive Christians were more particularly concern'd to Renounce But however since the same Renunciation of the Pomps of this World is still retain'd in our Church tho' the very same Things which were at first meant thereby are perhaps become Obsolete and out of Use in Christendom And yet it is not to be suppos'd but that our Church had respect to something still in Use in the Christian World as fit to be Renounc'd under that Title by every Disciple of JESUS I shall therefore together with a short Account of the Meaning of Pomps in the Sence they were Renounc'd by the Primitive Christians take care especially to shew you what amongst us is most Analogous to the ancient Heathenish Pomps and bears such a near Resemblance to 'em as to render these our modern Pomps fit also to be Renounc'd by every Christian And First I. Thereby were anciently meant those pompous Spectacles Plays and Scenical Representations exhibited in the Roman Theaters By Pomps were Anciently meant in the Opinion of our Learned and Excellent Dr. Hammond those
much upon this one Article of Renouncing the Devil c. And so I have at length done with this no less Important than Copious Subject the Renouncing of the Devil the World and the Flesh It may seem indeed as if I have been too long upon the Explication of one single Article of our Covenant viz. the Renouncing of the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and All the Sinful Lusts of the Flesh But if it be considered that half the Business of our Christian Religion is performed in Resisting the Enemies of our Salvation it will not be a Matter of blame that I have been so long upon this Point especially in Instructing of Youth about it who ought to be very well fore-arm'd in order to their coming off Conquerors The truth of it is this Renouncing of the World the Flesh and the Devil that is the Resisting and Overcoming of all their Numerous Host of Temptations is the Christian's Warfare and great Work For as the Holy Scriptures do in a multitude of Texts Represent our State as a State of Warfare Fight the good Fight of Faith lay hold on Eternal Life for hereunto ye have been called before many Witnesses 1 Tim. 6.12 That is we Listed our selves in this Warfare at our Baptism in the Presence of the Church of Christ As our State I say is a State of Warfare against all these Spiritual Enemies so it does infinitely concern all of us to know as far as is possible All their Arts and Stratagems to deceive us and this I hope will be a sufficient Apology that I have been so improportionably long to what I have and shall be upon other Heads in shewing you what it is and how far you must Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh THE XXII Lecture Secondly That I should Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith HAving largely Explain'd the first Condition of Life and Happiness and shew'd you what I conceive is meant by Renouncing the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh I come now to do the like as to the Second Condition upon which we are to expect to be Justify'd to have our Sins Pardon'd and eternal Life and Happiness conferr'd upon us and which we have also Covenanted with God to do and that is that we Believe all the Articles of our Christian Faith In order to the Explication of which Point 1. I will declare to you the General Nature of those ARTICLES or Christian Truths which are to be believed 2. I will shew you What it is to BELIEVE those Articles or Christian Truths so as to make us capable of Life and Happiness And 3. I will shew you how we must Believe ALL the Articles of the Christian Faith And that I am to declare to you something in general Articles of Christian Faith of what Nature concerning the Nature of those ARTICLES or Christian Truths which are to be Believed The whole Bible both Old and New Testament is the proper Object of a Christians Faith The whole Bible the Object of a Christian's Faith both and whatever we find therein Recorded or deliver'd down to us we are to believe as a Divine Certain and Infallible Truth because all things therein contain'd are the Word of him who will not who cannot Lie who neither can be deceiv'd himself nor will he deceive others As to the Old Testament and the the Old Testament and the Writings of the Prophets Jehosophat in a Solemn Assembly of the whole People upon a Solemn Fast-day 2 Chron. 20.20 Proclaimed unto them stood up and said Hear me O Judah and Inhabitants of Jerusalem believe in the Lord your God so shall you be Established believe his Prophets so shall ye Prosper And let the Declarations of God Recorded therein be of what Nature they will the Truth of them is by no means to be called in doubt If you will not Believe surely ye shall not be Establish'd Isa 7.9 And so likewise as to the New Testament New Our Saviour upon his entrance to preach the Gospel did in the first place require of all Men to Believe it Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and Believe the Gospel Mark 1.14 15. And when he was also leaving the World and Commission'd his Disciples to go into all the World and to preach the Gospel to every Creature He declar'd that he that Believeth shall he Saved but he that Believeth not shall be Damn'd Mark 16.15 16. So that both the Old and New Testament and every part and parcel of Scripture therein contain'd is firmly to be Believ'd as the Divine Certain and Infallible Truth of God And the reason thereof as to the Old Testament is because Prophecy came not in Old time by the Will of Man but Holy Men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.21 And we are also firmly to Believe all the parts both of Old and New indifferently because all Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works 2 Tim. 3.16 All the parts of it are the Dictates and Word of God himself and are more or less Useful to our Edification and Improvement in Divine Knowledge Faith and Practice And therefore all Ranks and Degrees of Men and of every Age Young as well as Old ought diligently to Study and firmly to Believe the Holy Scriptures The Bereans did so and they were accounted the more Honourable for so doing The Bereans were more Noble than those in Thessalonica in that they Received or Believed the Word with all readiness of Mind and searched the Scriptures daily Act. 17.11 And it is Recorded to the Immortal Honour of Timothy 2 Ep. 3.15 that from a Child he had known the Scriptures which were able to make him wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus Well but tho' all Scripture as being the Infallible Word of him who neither can be deceived himself nor will deceive others does Challenge the Belief of every Christian yet among the great multitude of Truths of various Kinds deliver'd in the Scriptures some are of far greater Importance and Concernment to us than others Some Truths Revealed in Scripture of greater Importance and Concernment to us than others because they do more immediately and directly tend to give us due and worthy Apprehensions of God and to Instruct us in the only sure Method of Salvation by Jesus Christ There are some Principal Doctrines of Christianity which are in their own Nature apt to have a greater Influence
the Apostles Creed does but in these Creeds many Articles of our Christian Faith are express'd in the full Sense and Importance of 'em in opposition to those Heresies which did and do still pervert or restrain the Meaning of those Articles And thus you also see how you are to Believe All the Articles of your Christian Faith that you are not only to Believe every one of 'em but all that Divine Truth which is contained in each And so as I have before laid before you how you are to Renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh so now what it is to Believe all the Articles of your Christian Faith And so it only remains and then I shall have fully Explain'd to you all the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace that I shew you next what it is to obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and to walk in the same all the days of our Life THE XXIII Lecture Thirdly That I should Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and Walk in the same all the Days of my Life I Hope I have sufficiently explained unto you the Two first Conditions bound upon you in your Baptismal Covenant as indispensibly necessary to your obtaining the Benefits of it which Conditions are First That you should Renounce the Devil c. Secondly That you should Believe c. And now I come to the Third which is That you should Obey c. And that I may fully and to the purpose explain this to you I will First Lay before you what it is to Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments or how far you must be obedient to the Holy Will and Commandments of God as ever you will hope to obtain Salvation or to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven Secondly I will shew you what it is to Walk in the same all the Days of your Life or how long you must persevere in such Obedience which must be to the end of your Lives And Thirdly I will clear the Doctrine of Evangelical Obedience as so stated from those Doubts that may be raised against it And First Because nothing can be more necessary for you to be Instructed in than the Measures of that Obedience now under the Gospel or Covenant of Grace upon the performance of less than which you cannot expect to be made Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven I will with what clearness I can shew you How far we must be Obedient to God's Holy Will and Commandments 1. What it is to obey God's Holy Will and Commandments as ever we 'll hope to obtain Salvation or to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven And that Evangelical or Gospel-Obedience which now under the Covenant of Grace is the indispensible Condition of Man's Salvation to give it you according as it is most exactly stated by the Learned Author of The Measures of Christian Obedience The Nature and Measures of Christian Obedience for it is impossible I do think for any one to do it more exactly therefore I shall give you an Abstract of that whole Work Is a sincere and entire Obedience to all the Laws of the Gospel Sincere it must be by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of obeying Him when in reality we only serve our own Selves or our own Lusts and Interests Entire it must be by being the Obedience of the whole Man to the whole Will of God and that at all times with this abatement of Rigour That all our unwilling and involuntary Failings which through Ignorance and Frailty we commit shall upon our Prayers to God and Charity to our Neighbour be forgiven us and even our wilful Transgressions when we repent and forsake 'em through the Mediation of Christ and the Grace of the Gospel shall not be imputed to our Condemnation Such is the Obedience which every one of you must carefully pay to the Holy Will and Commandments of God as ever you hope to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven But for your better understanding the Nature and Extent of your Christian Obedience I will a little farther unfold each Part of this Description of it And I. Our Obedience to all the Laws of the Gospel must be sincere by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of obeying Him when in reality we only serve our own selves 1st Our Obedience must be sincere by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of obeying Him when in truth we serve our own selves This is a certain Truth That our Gracious God for the most part hath made such Things the Matter of His Laws and of our Duty as really make for our own Interest Reputation or Profit to perform for so it really is to be Temperate and Chaste and Contented and Humble to be Vpright and Charitable and Peaceable c. But then our Obedience is sincere and done as unto God when we observe His Laws for His sake and because He commands it for otherwise we do not observe God's Will but our own His Commands had no share in what we did because it had been done although He had said nothing And thus sincere must our Obedience be unto God as ever we expect that God should Judge us at the last Day to have obeyed Him I say it must be done as unto God and sincerely from our Hearts to please Him and not only our selves And this is plainly expressed in the very Words of the Gospel for it accepts not an heartless Service nor accounts it self obeyed by what was never intended for it The Lord thy God requires of thee to serve him with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul Matth. 22.36 37. And therefore St. Paul does pray that the Philippians may be sincere in their Profession being filled with the Fruits of Righteousness or Good Works to the Praise and Glory of God not themselves Phil. 1.10 11. God indeed has not forbidden us all intending and designing of our own Advantage in the performance of his Commandments God does not forbid us all intending our Advantage in the performance of his Commandments When He requires us to obey Him He doth not forbid us all Love of our Selves and Regard to our own Self-interests For why He does propose to us in Scripture the greatest Rewards possible as Motives to us to persuade us to obey And the Blessed Saints in the Scripture so Eminent for their Service to God are said to have had an eye at the Recompense of Reward But then our Intention of our own Advantage in God's Service is forbidden and renders our obedient Performances corrupt and insincere when together with our Intention of serving God we either join first another Intention of serving Sin Or secondly when we design some temporal Ends as much or more than we design God's Service First I
in our state of Weakness might be capable of performing Who then was so proper to propose to and obtain of the Father such gracious Terms for us as one who was himself Man and so could be sensible of all the Weakness and Infirmities of Man Sin excepted and had experienced himself what was in the Power of Man to perform Why all this does of it self appear to have been considered in the Divine Wisdom and in the Contrivance of Man's Recovery to a state of Salvation through the Mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour but for our better assurance the Author to the Hebrews does expresly declare it to have been so Heb. 2.17 18. telling us That since he had undertaking to mediate a Peace for us with God that therefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in Things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the Sins of the People For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted By being God he was qualified to be a faithful High Priest in Things pertaining to God and to make Reconciliation for the Sins of the People That is as God alone he knew what Satisfaction was sufficient to be offered to God and was fit for him to accept ere he would be reconciled to Sinners and by being Man he was also qualified to be a merciful High Priest for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted That is as Man who is sensible what Temptations and Infirmities we lie under he was more proper to be entrusted with the Appointment of such Terms and Conditions as Man was capable to perform and therefore did prescribe us a Covenant of Grace consisting accordingly of such reasonable and performable Conditions And thus you see also by whose Mediation we obtained such a Covenant of Grace such a state of Salvation viz. that it was through Jesus Christ our Saviour And now Fourthly let us consider The infinite Care of God the Father to call us into it as you are also taught in your Catechism by whom and how you are called to this state of Salvation And truly the same Heavenly Father who granted us and the same Jesus Christ our Saviour who purchased this state of Salvation for us have also most mercifully called us to it And behold and consider first I beseech you what infinite Care our Heavenly Father hath taken in this great Affair to call us to this state of Salvation And we have seen and do testifie says St. John that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the World 1 Epist 4.14 And how hath he sent him to save it Why as was long before prophesied Isai 61.1 He put the Spirit of the Lord upon him to preach the Gospel to the Poor he sent him to heal the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of Sight to the Blind to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable Tear of the Lord Luke 4.18 19. Such was the very earnest Care of the Father that he Commissioned and sent his own Son to envite us his rebellious Creatures and Subjects to lay down our rebellious Arms against him and to embrace those Overtures and Conditions of Mercy and Salvation that he offered to us by the Preaching of the Gospel Nor was the Ever-blessed Son of God less intent upon this Blessed Work 〈◊〉 Ever-blessed Son of God no less intent upon this blessed Work than the Father No sure it was his Meat to do the Will of Him that sent him and to finish his Work John 4.34 It was his Meat and Drink to save Men's Souls and therefore He went about doing good Acts 10.38 Doing good that is executing that Office to which the Father had authorized him in order to the Salvation of Men that Office of Mercy instructing and calling of the World to Repentance and in order to that winning 'em to it by other Works of bodily Charity with which carnal Men are most taken as Curing their Diseases Casting out Devils by the Power of him who was present with him He went about doing good of all kinds but all in order to the good of Men's Souls and he was zealous also to the highest degree in this blessed Work How mightily he importuned us to come into this state of Salvation For good God! with what mighty Importunity and winning Rhetorick did he the Son of GOD address himself to his own foolish Rebellious Subjects to come into this state and to receive freely the Means of Salvation Ho every one that thirsteth cries he as the Evangelical Prophet represents him bespeaking the World Isai 55.1 2 3. come ye to the Waters and he that hath no Money come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without Money and without Price Wherefore do ye spend Money for that which is not Bread and your Labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in fatness Encline your Ear and come unto me hear and your Soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure Mercies of David It is not to be expressed nor imagined with what mighty Zeal and Persuasion he did himself whilst on Earth pursue this blessed Work of our Salvation Nor was he contented himself whilst on Earth thus to call us into this state of Salvation but moreover when he was to leave the World he provided a Succession of Ministers which he has left behind him He has left a succession of Ministers behind him to do the like to continue to the end of the World to do the same good Office under him for the Salvation of Mankind empowering them with the Gifts of the Holy Ghost to enable 'em to do it effectually As my Father hath sent me so send I you John 20.21 And accordingly has he committed it to our care as he made it his own to Preach the Gospel to Mankind to make known the Love of God as manifested in Christ to the World to receive those that believe into the Covenant of Grace and Society of Christians by Baptism and by this means to call you into a state of Salvation And as he hath committed to us the Word of Reconciliation we therefore as the Ambassadors for Christ and as though God did beseech you by us we do pray you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.19 20. We are perpetually preaching and declaring this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this good Tidings to you we instruct you in the Nature of that Salvation which is wrought for you we direct you to the means of attaining it and with all the powerful Motives drawn from the Word of GOD we do all we can to move you to seek
which arise from each of these Considerations I will with as much clearness and force of Reason as I can declare unto you And to begin with the Mercies of the Covenant there is not one Article of Grace or Favour on God's part contained therein but if the Nature and Importance of 'em be truly considered they do each of 'em lay inviolable Obligations upon us faithfully and conscientiously to discharge that our Covenant As first if we consider our selves as Members of Christ or Members of the Christian Church The Obligations thereunto first as Members of Christ's Church why there cannot be a greater Argument to keep us right in a regular orderly Conversation than that one Consideration should be For to be a Member of Christ's Church what else I pray you is it but to be one of those Disciples of our Saviour who by the Preaching of the Word and under the Solemnity and Bond of Sacraments are Called and Chosen out of the rest of the World to live another sort of Life than the World is accustomed to To this purpose it would be exceedingly well worth your while to consult and throughly consider 1 Pet. 2.9 10 11 12. where you have such Characters given of the Church of Christ and the Members of it as speak it to be a selected separated Body of Men who are Consecrated as it were to God's Service And such Inferences are drawn from thence concerning living at an excellent rate upon that very score as speak the strongest Obligations upon all the Members of Christ's Church to approve themselves therefore upon that very account excellent Men. In the 8th Verse immediately foregoing the Apostle speaking of those who would not come into the Bosom and Pale of the Church he terms them a Disobedient People but coming in the 9 10 11 12. Verses to speak of the Members of the Church But ye says he are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People that ye should shew forth the Praises of Him who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvellous Light Which in time past were not a People but are now the People of God which had not obtained Mercy but now have obtained Mercy 11 12. Verses Therefore dearly Beloved I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims abstain from Fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul having your Conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as Evil-doers they may by your good Works which they shall behold glorifie God in the Day of Visitation But ye are a Chosen People a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People These are every one of 'em most distinguishing Characters and do bespeak the Church of Christ and all its Members to be a Dedicated a Consecrated sort of People between whom and the rest of the World there is such a distinction made on the account of such their Dedication to God's Service as there is in the Church it self betwixt the Priesthood who are separated to the more immediate Service of God and the People in it The Expressions are all of 'em borrowed from the Old Testament and were the Characters then given to the Jewish Church And if we will be at the pains to look back into the Mosaick Law and see what separation and distinction they did import there we shall the better discern to what elevated degrees of Holiness they do signifie us of the Christian Church to have been likewise separated and consequently to what a singular Life and Conversation we are upon that score obliged Ye are are a Chosen Generation an Holy Nation a Peculiar People The Jews chose from amongst the Nations of the Earth to serve God In all these three Expressions he alludes to Deut. 7.6 where of the Church of the Jews it is said Thou art an Holy People unto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath Chosen thee to be a special People unto himself above all the People that are upon the face of the Earth All the People of the Earth besides were utterly estranged from God by their wicked Deeds and to all other Impieties had added this grand one That they had fallen into the basest Idolatry the Worship of the very Devils whereby they did own them to be their Soveraign Mâ—sters instead of God But God did select those People of the Jews from amongst all the Families of the Earth and gave 'em such excellent Laws and required such an exact Obedience to 'em and such a regular Conversation from 'em that it should raise even the Admiration of all the Nations of the Earth who should see or hear it Deut. 4.5 6 7. You see here what Peculiarity and Distinction these Words A Chosen Generation an Holy Nation a Peculiar People did import in the Jewish Church and the other of a Royal Priesthood did no less A Royal Preisthood This is an allusion to Exod. 19.5 6. Now therefore if ye will obey my Voice indeed and keep my Covenant then ye shall be a Peculiar Treasure unto me above all People and ye shall be a Kingdom of Priests and an Holy Nation As the whole Nation of the Jews were separated from the rest of the World peculiarly to serve the True God so were the Order of Priesthood separated from amongst the rest of the Jews to a greater degree of Holiness and nearer Service to him than the rest of the Jews and for that reason viz. to signifie a greater Purity in them than the common Jews Those very Outward Blemishes which were no Impediment to the other Jews but that they might approach God as far as to Lay-men was permitted wer a barr to the Priests that they could not thereupon Execute the Priestly Office Speak unto Aaron saying Whosoever he be of thy Seed in his Generations that hath any Blemish let him not appear to offer the Bread of his God for whatsoever he be that hath a Blemish he shall not approach a blind Man or a lame or he that hath a flat Nose or any thing superfluous Levit. 21.17 18. And the reason is given before vers 6. They shall be Holy unto their God and not profane the Name of their God for the Offerings of the Lord made by Fire and the Bread of their God they do offer therefore they shall be Holy So that as much as the whole Body of the Jews were to be separated and distinguished from the rest of the World yet the Priesthood were to be farther distinguished by a Peculiar Holiness Christians chose both from amongst Jews and Gentiles to a more peculiar Holiness And now to bring this to our present case Does St. Peter here in his Character of the Church of Christ call it a Chosen Generation an Holy Nation a Peculiar People Why what does it import but that the Members of Christ's Church must study to distinguish themselves as much now from the Infidel part of the World whether Jews or Gentiles by Piety and
Angels and is now that Arch-Rebel against God He with many Legions of Inferior Angels whom he drew into the same Conspiracy is Banisht Heaven pag. 86 Being acted with a Spirit of Revenge against God he afterwards withdrew Mankind to join with him in his Rebellion And prevailed so far till God's Authority was almost utterly Banished from amongst Men. Which occasion'd the Son of God's coming into the World to recover Mankind The Works of the Devil in general are First Sin By Sin God's Authority is thrown off which is the Devil 's constant work pag. 87 Whoever therefore does wilfully sin does strike at God's Authority For which Reason no Sin ought to be the subject of any Man's Mirth Some Sins more particularly the works of the Devil First Such as are directly level'd against God's Authority viz. Idolatry Sorcery Charming Witch-craft and Conjuring as also Resorting to such as use those unlawful Arts. pag. 88 Secondly Such as express more of the Devil's Temper than others viz. Pride Envy pag. 89 Malice Thirdly Such as are more the Practice of Satan himself than other Sins viz. Murder Apostacy Lying and especially Calumniating and Evil-speaking pag. 90 To Renounce a Word of various Importance according to the Renounced pag. 91 To Renounce the Devil in the sence of the Ancient Church was to disclaim his Usurp'd Dominion and Authority over Mankind To Renounce his Works of Sin was in their sence to abandon and forsake every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil pag. 92 The Words are to be understood in much the same Sence at this day Satan having his Kingdom still in the World and even amongst Christians and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of his Kingdom being still obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind This Renunciation for the most part the same with Repentance pag. 93 The Devil and all his Works of Sin must be absolutely and entirely Renounced because There is nothing but Evil proceeds from Satan And Sin whether we consider it in its original Cause and Nature or in its sad Effects and Consequents is the utmost Evil. Therefore no one Sin nor any thing the least of Sin must willingly be comply'd with pag. 94 And indeed if the Nature of Satan and of Sin and the horrid Consequence of yielding to either be well consider'd it is hardly possible not absolutely and entirely to Renounce both However this if we do not do we shall forfeit all Right and Title to those infinite Blessings held forth in the Covenant of Grace pag. 95 LECT X. To Tempt is to make a tryal of a Person To Tempt a thing morally Good or Evil according to the End thereof To Tempt a Person in order to prove his Vertue or discover his Corruption consistent with the Justice Wisdom and Goodness of a Governour and thus God does Tempt Men. pag. 97 First Thus he tempted Abraham to try his Faith and to reward him for it Secondly Hezekiah to discover his Hypocrisy and to humble him in the sight thereof These Temptations of God are therefore in no sence to be Renounced but to be Rejoyced in because for our Good pag. 98 A Temptation to ensnare a Person into some Sin that so God's Anger may be kindled against him And the Person punished for this Transgression is wicked and malicious and so the Devil together with the World and the Flesh do tempt us The vast Concernment it is to us to know his Temptations The several Heads of Satan's Temptations pag. 99 By what Methods he first tempted our first Parents and still does continue to tempt us First By insinuating into the Minds of Adam and Eve false Notions of God and an ill Opinion of their Maker and Governour particularly with respect to his Justice and Mercy pag. 100 And by Entertaining false Notions of God's Justice and Mercy do Men generally Encourage themselves in Sin at this Day But all such Conceits of God are to be utterly renounced and cast out of our Thoughts as Diabolical Suggestions most destructive to our Souls Secondly By Corrupting the Understanding and Reason of Man by putting him upon curious Enquiries after useless Matters and upon making a sinful Experiment of the differences between Good and Evil. pag. 101 The Mind of Man naturally desirous of encreasing Knowledge Experimental Knowledge of Sin clouds the Reason and stupifies the Sence of Spiritual things And even meer Curiosity after less Profitable things takes off from the Knowledge of God and our Selves and the Means of Happiness pag. 102 By these Means he brings that Ignorance in Divine Matters which reigns in most Men's Minds And being spiritually Ignorant Men are easily led into whatever Sin and Misery This therefore another Wile of Satan's which must be carefully avoided pag. 103 Thirdly By Bribing the Affections with something nearest our Hearts and rather than disoblige and lose which we will commit any thing that is Evil. And by whatever we most place our Affections upon does he still Inveigle us to do what is Forbidden And therefore our Saviour would have us bear that Indifferency of Affection towards our nearest Relations as to be able to Forsake them and their Interests rather than God Lastly By exciting their Lusts and Appetites after the forbidden Fruit by proposing the fairest Objects and most delicious Dainties to their Senses pag. 104 And by the same Methods does he prevail to this day upon the far greatest part of Mankind to Rebel against God For Man being made up very much of Sense so that nothing enters into the Soul but through the Doors of our Senses we are easily prevail'd upon by what gratifies our Senses Especially the Senses of Seeing and Tasting pag. 105 But our being taken only with Outward things is such an high Ingratitude to God who hath provided so much better for us and such an Abuse to our Souls which are capable of relishing higher Enjoyments as is not to be Endur'd pag. 106 LECT XI What Temptations Satan levels against the Church of Christ God recovers out of the fallen Race of Mankind a Body of Men the Church to his Service Listed 'em under Jesus Christ to Fight against Satan The Devil enrag'd to have his Prey snatcht out of his Teeth continually Attacks it His first and chief Endeavours are utterly to destroy it from off the Face of the Earth pag. 107 This he Endeavour'd to do in the Person of Abel And when afterwards Recruited in the Family of Seth yet he Reduc'd it again by the Bloody Posterity of Cain to Eight Persons in the Days of Noah When after the Flood God chose Abraham and his Posterity to be a special People unto himself Satan endeavour'd utterly to have Extinguisht that People by his Servant Pharaoh And in all Periods till our Saviour's coming he stir'd up the Idolatrous Nations their Neighbours especially the Four Monarchies to Harrass them But soon after that Christ appeared in the World did he most vigourously Exert his
possible Care to avoid it pag. 201 But Thirdly when Employment and necessary Occasions draw Men forth into the World they must refuse to Conform themselves to the Manners of ill Company First By discountenancing their Profaneness and Riot Secondly By diverting 'em by useful Discourse from both Thirdly If all Methods fail by openly Reproving them To do this Service to God we are particularly Listed in our Baptism We shall be much discouraged from this by Men. But have infinite Encouragements to such Fidelity from God pag. 202 LECT XVIII Thirdly Flattery a great Temptation to Sin The Ground thereof our own immoderate Self-love pag. 204 This Flattery keeping Men ignorant of the good or ill Qualities in 'em thereupon the Good never come to Perfection And the Ill that is in Men does thereby grow Incorrigible pag. 205 First In order to Renounce Flattery we must Cashier every vain Opinion of our own selves Secondly We must so far Renounce the Flatteries of Men as to take it kindly to be Reproved pag. 206 Especially the Reproofs of God's Ministers are to be kindly received and regarded Fourthly Wicked Men Tempt others to Sin by their false and fallacious Arguings against the Necessity of a Holy Life pag. 207 All which wicked Reasonings we must fortifie our selves against as when they Plead First That it is inconsistent with God's Mercy for the Sins of a short Life to Condemn the Guilty to an Eternity of Woe and Misery pag. 208 Secondly That the Duties of Religion are hard Sayings which no Man can bear Thirdly That they are made of Flesh and Blood and that therefore sure God will not require Men upon the Forfeiture of Salvation if they do not to mortifie the Flesh Lastly That God has set us in a World full of Temptations and abounding with sensual Delights and Pleasures and that he therefore who has placed us in it will not command us upon Pain of Damnation to over-come those strong Temptations and to deny these Pleasures of the World Fifthly Wicked Men will add Kindnesses and Promises to Oblige us to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage us nay sometimes Threaten us to forbear our Duty pag. 210 211 First Kindnesses must not corrupt us to Sin Secondly Promises must not bribe us Thirdly Discouragements must not hinder us from discharging our Duty Nor Fourthly must Threatnings or Frowns fright us from it pag. 212 Lastly The evil Customs which have prevailed in the World are a powerful Temptation to Sin Custom takes off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Vnchristian Practices pag. 213 A Christian must courageously and vigorously renounce and withstand the Force of all sinful Customs whatsoever Such only as are Immoral are to be Renounced pag. 214 The greatest Courage required to this Part of a Christian's Warfare Cowardice the Cause of Complying with the Custom of Duelling or any other Custom of Sinning pag. 215 LECT XIX First Thereby were anciently meant those pompous Spectacles Plays and Scenical Representations exhibited in the Roman Theaters pag. 217 Our Modern Plays no less Inferior to 'em in Impiety than in Pompousness And having such a malignant Influence upon Faith and Manners ought never to be frequented by Christians pag. 218 Secondly By Pomps in the sence of the Ancients were meant the solemn Processions of the Heathens in Honour of their Gods The Idolatrous Processions of the Papists in the honour of the Saints answerable to these And must not therefore be joined in Thirdly By Pomps Reduâ—ely may be meant the Revels and Drunken Riots of our Youth at Wakes and Festivals pag. 219 â—o be Abstain'd from Vanity of the World What First When Perrous outgo their Ability 〈◊〉 Building and Furniture pag. 220 â—dly It appears in striving for Precedence Thirdly In affecting Titles above ones Quaâ— and to be esteem'd Vertuous above ones Desert IV. In the vain Affectation of costly Apâ—el and Ornaments As First When Persons exceed what becomes their Rank and Degree 〈◊〉 â—hat they wear Secondly When they are proud of their Ornaments Thirdly When they â—orn themselves to undue Ends and Purposes pag. 221 222 〈◊〉 When they spend too much Time and at unfitting Seasons therein Decency according to â—t is suitable to Age Sex or Quality the Rule in this Case pag. 223 LECT XX. â—ow our selves especially our natural Imperfection a most useful part of Knowledge pag. 225 â—lesh variously exprest What is meant by the Flesh 1. The whole Vnregenerate Nature of Man 〈◊〉 and Body 2. The whole Man not as created by God but as he is now in the State of Corâ—ted Nature 3. As spoiled in his Original Frame and Constitution as despoiled of the Image 〈◊〉 God and as inordinately tending towards the Creature pag. 226 â—riginal Frame and Constitution of Humane Nature what The Image of God wherein Man 〈◊〉 at first created what pag. 227 â—ent and Inclination of the Soul towards God what 1. In the Vnregenerate Nature the Oriâ—al Frame and Constitution of Man wherein he was created is broken pag. 228 â—e Image of God wherein he was first created defaced Lastly the Tendency of all the Faculâ— both of Soul and Body are towards the Creature pag. 229 〈◊〉 renounce the Flesh is to be renewed in the whole Frame and Constitution of our Nature after 〈◊〉 Image of God The Image of God must be restored as far as it can in this Corrupt State 〈◊〉 must be renewed to a perfection of Parts tho not of Degrees pag. 230 〈◊〉 renounce the Flesh is to be converted in the whole Bent and Inclination of the Soul towards God pag. 231 LECT XXI â—inful Lusts of the Flesh what pag. 232 â—inful Lusts of the Fleshly Mind what 1. When we are curious to know Things which are either â—rtful to be known Or not proper for Man to know pag. 253 â—hen we do immoderately study to be exquisitely skilled in whatever Humane Arts and Sciences the neglect or contempt of Divine Knowledge The Knowledge of our Christian Religion as it â—ves to nobler purposes so ought it to be preferred to any other pag. 234 Necessary Points of Christian Knowledge 3. When out of Pride Prejudice and Contradiction 〈◊〉 all sacred Truths we set up our own carnal Imaginations and fleshly Reasonings against those â—iritual Notions and those Mysterious Articles of our Faith which are delivered to us in Scripture pag. 235 〈◊〉 Humour of opposing Reason to Revelation proceeds from mere Pride This corrupt Will what â—d how to be renounced pag. 236 â—he Affections what and how to be renounced pag. 437 As they are misplaced upon wrong Objects 2. As they are disproportionate to the Love Worth â—nd Evil that is in those Objects towards which it is lawful to be well or evilly affected in moderate â—egrees 3. The Lusts and Appetites are such sinful Lusts of the Flesh as are to be renounced pag. 238 As they do desire undue Objects 2. As they desire them in immoderate Measures Lastly the
Devotion towards God Justice and Charity towards their Neighbour and a subjecting of their Lusts and Appetites to right Reason which is the great Duty to themselves I say Christians must as much distinguish themselves from the profane Crew of Idolatrous and Wicked Heathens and Unbelieving Jews by an exact and regular and a better Life as the Jews were to distinguish themselves from the Idolatrous and Wicked Heathens in those days by a Ritual Holiness Nay And does he call us a Royal Priesthood Why this he does here and also Rev. 1.6 where we are told That Christ hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father And what doth this import but that we are as much to exceed both Jews and Gentiles in holy Living as the Priests among the Jews were to excel the rest of the People in a Legal Purity and Cleanness Christians are to shew themselves to be Kings by their Victories over the World the Flesh and the Devil over Sin and Satan and they are to be as it were Priests because they are to present their Bodies a living Sacrifice Holy acceptable unto God which is our reasonable Service and are not to be conformed to this World but to be transformed by the renewing of their Minds Rom. 12.1 2. And are to offer up the Sacrifice of Praise continually the Praises of God Heb. 13.15 They are to offer charitable Alms which are called an Odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing unto God Phil 4.18 This is the Importance of those high Expressions of St. Peter and this indeed do the following Words declare But ye are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People that ye should shew forth the Praises of Him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light And indeed so much it concerns us who are Members of Christ's Church to distinguish our selves from the rest of the World by our excellent Lives far above other People that our Blessed Saviour came into the World died and suffered all those stupendious Things recorded in the Gospel all on this very Design To purchase such a Body of Men that should more peculiarly and zealously serve God and to work and persuade us to it Thus Tit. 2.14 it is said That he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works And hence were all his Discourses and Preachings to us especially that most divine Sermon upon the Mount to raise all his Disciples and Followers to the highest pitch and perfection of moral Vertue and Goodness He came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them Matth. 5.27 That is to enlarge and encrease our Duties to God and Man and to our selves to make the Obedience of the Heart as necessary as that of the outward Man to make the very Thoughts of Uncleanness criminal as well as Adultery it self And in a word hence does he require of us his Members that our Light should so shine before Men that they might see our good Works and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven vers 16. That is he requires that by the Eminence of all divine Graces and Vertues shining in our Lives we should be as a Candle set on an Hill to enlighten the benighted and bewildred World straying in the darkness of Ignorance and Errour that they might find their way by the Brightness of our Examples to Heaven and Happiness And by the savourliness lastly of our good Conversation he requires that we should be as Salt in the World to season the corrupted Manners of Men. Such strong Obligations lie upon us as Members of Christ's Church to be faithful in our Covenant that is to perform all due Obedience unto God Secondly Nor is the consideration of our being Children of God 2. As Children of God less fruitful of good Arguments shewing us those vast Obligations lying upon us faithfully and conscienciously to discharge our Covenant with him There is no relation that is which does speak more of Duty and Duty sounded upon better Reasons than that of a Child to his Father A Wifâ— owes some Duty and Observance to her Husband because the Husband is the Head of the Wife a Servant to his Master because from him he has Provision a Subject to his Prince Children are bound to the strictest Obedience to their Parents as owing to 'em their Being because of Protection But a Child owes his very Life and Being and all that he has is originally derived from his Parent Especially this is so with the Children of God upon a double account both that of Creation and that of Adoption Consider us as the Children of God with respect to Creation and not only our Life and Being but all Things necessary to the support and maintenance of this Being of ours that it falls not back into Annihilation and Nothing is wholly owing to that God whose Offspring we are according to that of the Apostle Acts 17.28 In him we live and move and have our Being for we are his Offspring But consider us who are Baptized Christians farther as the Children of God by Adoption and then over and above our Being and all that belongs to it our Well-being also both in this and a better Life is wholly of his Gift For if Children of God as St. Paul does argue Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs with God and joint Heirs with Christ so that if we suffer with him we shall be also glorified together And now if for Life and Being and also for all that Well-being Children of God as owing both Being and Well being too which we have or hope to enjoy in this or the Life to come we wholly and entirely depend upon God our Father Do we not then owe to him as his Children all the Duty all the Observance and all the Diligence possible in the discharge of such Duty and Observance This the very Light of Nature teaches us but the Scripture does most expresly upon that very score of being his Children require of us A Son honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master says God by his Prophet Mal. 1.6 If I then be a Father where is mine Honour And if I be a Master where is my Fear And upon the same score of our being Children of God does St. Peter most earnestly exhort us to a Renunciation of the World and our filthy Lusts and to a faithful and careful discharge of our Duty to God our Father As Obedient Children says he 1 Epist 1.14 15. not fashioning your selves according to the former Lusts in your Ignorance but as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation And vers 17. If ye call on the Father that is profess your selves the Sons of your Heavenly Father who without respect of Persons judgeth every Man according to his Works can see Blemishes and