that Tyrannick Prince that rules in the Sons of Disobedience he shall be excluded from the everlasting light of God and his Holy Truth And thus briefly under one we have seen how we are said to deceive our selves and the way to escape this self-deceit God that commanded the light to shine out of darkness shine in our hearts and give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ that we may walk before him in the truth of Life To Him with the Father and the Blessed Spirit c. DISCOURSE VII PROV xv 15. All the dayes of the afflicted are evil but a good conscience is a continual feast THE Text is a description of the estate of the wicked man and the righteous man Which will be more evident if we consult with the Septuagints Translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. The eyes of the wicked continually expect evil but the Godly or good men are alwayes at rest Here do the LXX Interpreters express plainly that opposition of those persons and of their conditions Vngodly and good or godly unquietness of mind and perpetual rest As I pronounced concerning this Text at first that it is a description of the opposite conditions of those ever opposite off-springs of God and the Devil the Sons of Christ and the Sons of Belial the Children of Light and the Children of Darkness This Sense have the LXX put upon this portion of Scripture though the words themselves answer not so fitly to the Hebrew Text. To devise the occasion of their variation would be more easie though curious than profitable I intend not to mispend time or abuse your attention with the husks of words or fruitless discourse of Translations I will follow Symmachus in the first part of the Verse exactly answering to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the dayes of the poor are evil in the second part the Hebrew it self But a good heart is a continual feast or as the words will bear He that hath a good heart feasts continually Now therefore that this Poverty is not to be understood of outward poverty is plain out of the Text. Continual feasting and constant poverty or affliction are contrary So that we must either exclude the poor man from having a good Heart and Conscience whereby all sorrow is dispell'd and continual joy and chearfulness obtained or else if he hath these joyes make him rich in outward wealth But sith the poor upright honest man through the continual comfort of his own good Conscience Dives like fares deliciously every day though poor in estate then surely none of his dayes are evil though he poor outwardly in them all So that this present Text is to be understood of an inward kind of poverty that makes a mans life full of evil and misery This evil poverty and miserable want is described in the Revelation of S. Iohn Ch. 3. Thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not how thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked I counsel thee to buy of me gold tryed in the fire that thou mayst be made rich and white rayment that thou mayst be clothed and that thy filthy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayst see Here 's good store of penury a wardrobe of want want of Money want of Clothes to cover their shame want of Eye-sight to be able to do that which is but a misery to go from door to door to beg But hear what 's said Verse 21. To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my Throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his Throne See what a change From a Begger to a King from a Dunghil to a Throne from a blind Wretch to a Judge upon a Throne that shall discern the right that shall judge the Twelve Tribes of Israel He that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man We have by this time plainly seen what this poor man is whose dayes are said all to be full of evil That he is one that wants those white Robes which is the Righteousness of the Saints wants that old precious coin whose image and superscription is Righteousness and true Holiness the figure of Christ the Son of God the express Portraiture of his Father He wants his Eye-sight the true Spiritual Wisdom holy Discretion the sense of Spirits and discovery of the mysterious working of that Prince of Darkness and Deceit He 's plainly destitute though not of the necessaries of this Life yet of that main one and only necessary thing as our Saviour calls it that better part that Mary chose and could not be taken from her Virtus nec eripi nec surripi◠potest Nor force nor fraud can deprive a man of that inward good And now I have described this poor man I think it is not hard to prove that all his dayes are evil By how much better the Soul is than the Body by so much worse are the Defects of the Soul than those of the Body 1. Is an Vlcer or Wound grievous in the Body Much more grievous is it then in the Soul or Spirit The Spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can bear Prov. 18. 14. 2. Is Blindness or Darkness an horrid thing to the Body then is Ignorance much more to the Soul As may appear from that excellent description of this AEgyptian darkness in the Book of Wisdom Chap. 17. When the unrighteous people thought to have thy holy people in subjection they were bound with the bands of darkness and long night and being shut up under the roof did lye there to escape the eternal providence But now that we think not only of outward darkness in the Air see what followes And while they thought to be hid in their dark sins they were scattered abroad in the dark covering of forgetfulness fearing horribly and troubled with visions For the den that hid them kept them not from fear But the sounds that were about them troubled them and terrible visions and horrible sights did appear No power of the fire might give light neither might the clear flames of the stars lighten the dreadful night And a few Verses after For it is a fearful thing when malice is condemned by her own testimony and a conscience that is touched doth ever forecast cruel things Thus having their eyes closed in misty sleep it doth not secure them from the trouble of fear For they that endure this intolerable night breath'd out of the dungeon of Hell as they sleep the same sleep so are they in like manner tortured with the same monstrous visions sounding for fear and perplexity of Spirit as is largely described in that Chapter But that this evil condition may appear more evil I will set the contrary by it God is light and in him
possessions He that overcomes shall be clothed in white shall feed of the hidden manna Not as the Children of Israel in the Wilderness who lived of Manna so many years and then perished I am the bread of life saith our Saviour your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead But this is the bread that cometh down from Heaven that he that eateth of it should not dye John 6. 48 49 50. and Ver. 32 33. Moses gave you not bread from Heaven but my Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven For the bread of God is he that cometh down from Heaven and giveth life unto the world Now what Life is this A vertuous honest Life a Life devoid of filthy lusts of base concupiscence of envy hatred and bitterness of idolatrous self-love for self-love is perfect idolatry Or is it an hypocritical false ungodly Life not escap'd the corruption of the Flesh that is by lust Surely it is the former or else our Heavenly Father instead of Bread giveth us a Stone which no Natural Father would do to his Son He therefore that lives not an honest godly and upright Life hath not been at this doal of Heavenly Bread and is but as one that dreameth he eateth and he eateth not as the Prophet Esay speaketh but when he waketh he is hungry and dreameth that he drinketh but when he waketh his soul is faint But he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst saith our Blessed Saviour So here 's Meat Drink and Clothes sufficient if we perform the condition of overcoming Now overcoming presupposeth a fight and fighting an Adversary And God knows we have enough and strong ones too The three Captains of them be these the Flesh the World and the Devil To whom we are sworn Enemies from our very Baptism I am sure they are to us from the very beginning of the World I will briefly tell you a way to foyl them and so conclude the First part of my Text. Sobriety and Temperance will overcome the Flesh. Humility and Lowliness of mind will defeat the World Self-denyal which is the blessed Cross of Christ will keep off all the pestilent plots and devices the Devil can frame against us The Apostle doth harness us very surely and strongly for this great conflict Ephes. 6. Take unto you the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having finished all things stand fast Stand therefore having your loins girt with verity and having on the breast-plate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace Above all taking the shield of Faith wherewith you may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked And take the helmet of Salvation and the sword of the Spirit that is the word of God Here 's compleat furniture for a Christian Souldier only he sets down no Back-piece because he intends not we should ever run away But he commends to us above all the shield of Faith which if we hold fast and become not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cowardly Souldiers such as cast away their Shield and take themselves to flight he warrants it of such proof as no shaft or brand of Hell can enter it What great deeds have been done and brave atchievments wrought by this Armature the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrews at the 11th Chapter doth largely discourse and at last more roundly and summarily conclude thus What shall I say more for the time would be too short for me to tell of Gideon of Barak and of Sampson and of Iephte also of David and Samuel and of the Prophets Which through Faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouth of lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword of weak were made strong waxed valiant in battle turned to flight the armies of the aliens All these exploits are done by keeping fast the shield of Faith which is a sure Trust and Perswasion that God is able and ready to fight on our side The want of this Faith is that which makes the Devils Camp so victorious against us We are loth to believe that God can or will enable us to resist unto Blood even unto the effusion of that wicked Life and mortification of all Fleshly-mindedness But this is required and if we will believe that God would as heartily have it done as he doth plainly command it it would be done in good time Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life Rev. 2. If we dye with him then shall we also live with him For if we be grafted with him into the similitude of his death even so shall we be into the similitude of his resurrection Rom. 6. 5. THUS we have seen the evil afflicted case of him that is destitute of the true riches of the mind Temperance Piety Wisdom and all other Vertues as also the way to attain unto those durable riches and affluency of all good I will now go on to the Second part of my Text viz. A good Heart or a good Conscience is a continual Feast The Heart is the seat of Conscience i. e. of Desire or bent of Will and Knowledge Knowledge of things Moral or Divine So in Scripture we have oft mention of a wise and understanding Heart And surely if a man observe in Moral and Pious matters a man communeth with his Heart and discovereth deceit and hypocrisie there as he doth incongruities and falsities in his Brain where imagination is placed in Natural and Mathematical Theories Conscience therefore is nothing but the Censure of the Soul upon the guize of the Heart accusing or excusing its drifts intentions and acts And is called quiet or troubled Not that that light is alwayes so but that it causeth such a perturbation in the Spirit of man conscious to it self of evil committed Or otherwise thus Conscience is the impression of the true light of things Moral or Divine upon the Heart where Will and Intention and Motion of Life is As Reason Natural is the impression of the clear light of Truth in Natural Theories These true lights never vary but the impressions are more or less perfect sometime plainly false as the image of the Sun in the water when it appeareth broken or of a long form or in a mist when it appears red Hence is falshood and correction of falshood both in Heart and Brain For the clearer and more exact impression confuteth the imperfect if displaced or confirmeth it if only dim before But that common and vulgar apprehension of Conscience such as every man conceives when the word is named shall be sufficient for my Discourse And this is nothing but a certain disposition or condition of mind from the knowledge or remembrance of its acts and intentions which if they be represented as good simple and sincere Ioy and Rest follows if otherwise Disturbance
DISCOURSES ON Several Texts OF SCRIPTURE BY The late Pious and Learned HENRY MORE D. D. LONDON Printed by I. R. and are to be Sold by Brabazon Aylmer at the Three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1692. THE PREFACE I Shall not bespeak the acceptance of these Papers by any large Encomium either of them or of the Author This would detain the Reader too long from the Benefit of them and indeed to little or no purpose For the Discourses will sufficiently speak for themselves without the artifice of any Commendatory Preface And as for the Author His Name is so well known and deservedly admired in the World upon the account of the many Elaborate Treatises which he Published in his Life-time that these his Posthumous Pieces may find a welcome Entertainment without any other Invitation The business therefore of this Preface is only to acquaint the Reader with some things which concern this Edition and this I shall do very briefly in the following Particulars 1. The First and chief thing which the Reader is to be acquainted with is the Authenticness of these Writings they being all of them Printed by the Authors own Copies except Discourse XII th and XIII th which were with some of the other transcribed from the Originals in the Authors Life-time by one whose Faithfulness and Exactness is evident in the rest and is not in the least to be doubted of in these 2. The next thing which I should tell the Reader is by whom these Papers were committed to my care and management in order to make them Publick But I am forbidden to name him and therefore I shall be silent as to this particular 3. But here it may not be unfit to tell the Reader in general That I have bestowed upon them all the care and pains which the shortness of time determined for the preparing of them for the Press would admit of And this is sufficient to satisfie any ingenuous Person Whereas to speak of all the toil and difficulties which I met with therein would be too tedious an exercise of the Readers Patience and piece of Vanity as burdensome to my self as to others 4. And Lastly As for any Defects therein or for the Errors which have escaped the Press they are such as neither the Authors Name will suffer by reason of them nor the Papers be less acceptable to a Candid and well-disposed Reader Thus much I thought fit to advertise the Reader of here concerning this Edition As for the Discourses themselves I shall leave it wholly to Him to observe the Stile and Matter of them Only this I would suggest That they are such as were prepared for no mean Auditory some of them being University-Sermons and the rest College-Exercises I will conclude this Preface with a short Prayer Which I wish the Reader may as seriously and devoutly put up as the Pious Author did before one of the following Discourses O Lord our God the Fountain of Light and the Well-spring of all holy Wisdom and Knowledge without whose aid our search after thee and thy ways is but tedious error and dangerous wandering from thee Assist us mercifully in our endeavours after thee Open our eyes that we may see the wonders of thy Law Sanctifie our hearts unto obedience that we may unfeignedly love thee and worthily magnifie the holy Name through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen London Nov. 1. 1692. John Worthington THE TEXTS OF THE Following Discourses DISCOURSE I. 1 PET. II. 11. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. p. 1. DISCOURSE II. PSAL. LXXXIV 7. They go from strength to strength every one of them appeareth before God in Sion p. 31 DISCOURSE III. MAT. VI. 22 23. The light of the Body is the Eye if therefore thine Eye be single thy whole Body shall be full of light But if thine Eye be evil thy whole Body shall be full of darkness If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness p. 60. DISCOURSE IV. PROV I. 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom p. 85. DISCOURSE V. JOHN IV. 31 32 33 34. In the mean time his disciples prayed him saying Master eat But he said unto them I have meat to eat that you know not of Therefore said the disciples one to another Hath any man brought him ought to eat Iesus saith unto them My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work p. 119. DISCOURSE VI. JAM I. 22. Be ye Doers of the Word and not Hearers only deceiving your own selves p. 151. DISCOURSE VII PROV XV. 15. All the dayes of the afflicted are evil but a good conscience is a continual feast p. 191. DISCOURSE VIII PSAL. XVII 15. As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness p. 221. DISCOURSE IX ROM VIII 17. And if children then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified with him p. 251. DISCOURSE X. JAM I. 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world p. 282. DISCOURSE XI HEB. XIII 16. To do good and communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased p. 314. DISCOURSE XII GAL. VI. 14 15 16. But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world For in Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature And as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God p. 369. DISCOURSE XIII 1 PET. I. 22 23. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever p. 394. DISCOURSE XIV PSAL. CVI. 28. They joined themselves also unto Baal-Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead p. 419. DISCOURSE XV. COL III. 1. If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God p. 435. Appendix to Discourse XIII p. 458. IMPRIMATUR Lambhith Nov. 2. 1692. Ra. Barker R mo in Christo Patri ac D no D no Johanni Archiepiscopo Cant. a Sacris Dom. DISCOURSES ON Several Texts OF SCRIPTURE DISCOURSE I. 1 PET. II. 11. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. THE Text is an Exhortation to abstinence from the Lusts of the Flesh Which Duty the Apostle endeavours to fix upon the Spirits of
enjoyments it is very unworthy and unbecoming so noble a Being as the Soul not to abstain from Fleshly Lusts not to be so much master of the Natural Desires of the Flesh as not to be enslaved to them or transported by them either to seek them or sue after them with over-much eagerness whether Riches Honours the Pleasures of the Flesh or whatever gratifications of the Animal Life or to embrace them with over much transportedness when they are offer'd unto us Epictetus expresses how we ought to be minded toward these things excellently well by a Similitude taken from a Feast or Banquet If a Dish come to thee that thou likest take part thereof with Modesty and Temperance Is it to be removed from thee detain it not Is it not yet come at thee stretch not thine Appetite out to it before its approach If thou shalt be thus affected toward all the things of this World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if when they are offered thee thou yet refuse them thou shalt not only be a worthy Guest but even a Fellow-Prince amongst the Gods And truly if we would but duly consider the Original of our Souls from what Fountain and Archetypon they are derived and of what an excellent nature they are and how little they are intended for this Terrestrial condition methinks it should be no hard task to fulfil this Precept of the Stoick or rather that of S. Iohn in his General Epistle Love not the world neither the things of the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world Wherefore our Original being so peculiarly Divine we are bound if we bear a due respect to that to gather up our Affections from sinking towards the vain and transitory things of this World and look upon our selves as very little concerned in them Christian Souls especially who by reason of their new birth are of a noble and divine extraction indeed and therefore upon a double account ought not so to undervalue themselves as to adhere to the fading pleasures and gratifications of this mortal Life If in vertue of this new birth ye be risen with Christ into the sense of the Divine Life and into a true and lively Faith seek those things which are above where Christ fitteth on the right hand of God Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth For what is there that this Earthly Life affords which we do not enjoy but as Tenants in common with the very Brutes Eating Drinking Sleeping hunting after a prey or pursuing a project for the satisfaction of our Carnal Desires begetting or bringing up our young applauses caresses the pleasure of dominion or revenge and the like These set up but on one level with the Beasts of the field and do not at all reach the excellency of our proper Nature But yet this is the guise of this Land of our Pilgrimage thus to be clad in the manners and habits of our fellow-Animals of the Earth as well as Strangers put on Turbants in the Turkish Empire But who would put on an odd habit in a strange Country but merely out of necessity Could he strut and please himself in it and be curious and sollicitous about a thing that he has no conceit or opinion of For us to make provision for the Flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof as the Apostle speaks is as fond as if some Slave should be very curious to provide himself of Chains and Fetters or other badges of his Slavery or a Fool should be very careful that his Coat have all the peculiar laces or tassels of a Fools-Coat And all this Worldly Pomp and Enjoyments are no better nor bear no more agreeable proportion to the Nobleness of the Soul than a Fools-Coat to the Body of a Grave and Wise Man Nay I think that Grave and Wise Philosopher Plotinus took his own Body to be such a Coat and therefore was loath to be painted in it and so leave a durable disgrace of himself behind him But suppose these Worldly things were not altogether so vile and contemptible yet our stay is here so short that to us they cannot be valuable For as both S. Peter and Plato have told us this Life is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind of Pilgrimage here upon Earth and we are but passing through it into our own Country How fond a thing therefore would it be to love any thing of the World or to addict our Affections to it when we must so suddenly leave it As fond as if one should be inveigled with the love of his Inn or any thing there when as he must leave it the next morning Wherefore being thus in a strange Land which we are to pass through not to make any abode in let not our minds be fixt or glued to any thing from which our Persons are so suddenly to remove And because we are Strangers in the Land let us take heed how we tamper with any bewitching Objects lest that which looks fair may prove no safe food but either a present or more lingring poyson and we may find the mischief of it at our return into the other State It is S. Iudes Character of some in the antient Christian Feasts of Charity that they fed themselves without Fear as if they had made that perverse sense of our Saviours Saying That which enters into the man cannot defile him by either quantity or quality But we are environed with so much ignorance and inexperience in this strange Land that we ought carefully to stand upon our guard and take heed how over-greedily or over-heartily we close with any tempting delight remembring that there may lye hid the most dangerous poyson in the greatest sweetness Let us therefore trust no strange Objects in this strange Land but keep close to what is nearest akin to us that is to our true Manhood which is the sense of true Honour and Vertue the Fear and Love of God and whatever Graces descend from that Fountain of Light and Giver of every good and perfect gift But the gifts of this World are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which few can receive without parting with that which is infinitely better a pure Mind and a peaceable Conscience and the assured hopes of Eternal Happiness hereafter And thus much for the Apostles first Argumentation to perswade us to abstain from Fleshly Lusts fetch'd from the Dignity of the Soul 2. We come to the Second which is The Enmity and Hostility of these Lusts against the Soul the law of the members warring against the law of the mind and endeavouring to lead us captive into the bondage of sin This Hostility is exercised 1. In treacherous Circumventions 2. In violent Assaults And 3. in the spoil and pillage of the Soul upon Victory 1.
See how they go about to vilifie the Meat rather than any way suspect the foulness and weakness of their own ill Stomachs But as all are not to stretch out their hand to every dish and intemperately and unseemlyly to seize upon that which is not meant for them Seek not out the things that are too hard for thee saith Siracides neither search the things rashly that are too mighty for thee But that which God hath commanded think upon that with reverence c. Ecclesiasticus 3. I say as we are modestly to decline that which we are not as yet fitted for receiving So no man hath excuse from receiving some or other of the variety of meats that He hath prepared who feedeth with his goodness every living thing Old men and babes young men and children they all are sustained by the Word according to every ones necessity and capability Or else how could the young ones increase Or they of full age subsist Both which is the Will of God That which Theophrastus hath in his First Book of his History of Plants belongs indifferently to all kind of Generation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nature is not content with the bestowing of a being upon things but works them up to the perfection of that being As an little Plants that in time grow to their just bulk blooming and bearing Fruit plentifully And it is said of our Saviour that he shall grow up like a plant And our Saviour saith of the Kingdom of Heaven that it is like the growth of the mustard-seed tree Now as this new Life is called a Plant for its vegetation so is it also termed a Child for its tender sense and simplicity of meaning That therefore that hath knowledge and sense having also an appetite to nourishment and that a nourishment proper to sustain its own Nature and the Word being the proper nourishment of those spiritual new-born babes then if there be no such desire in us to this Word it 's a sign there is no such Principle of life in us or if there be that it is sick or the Stomach past by over-much fasting But if this Life by not giving it its due nutriment either for measure or quality come to be extinguished we prove our selves it's an horrible thing to think of it no better than Murderers of the Innocent and Just one For Murder is not the cutting and slashing of the Visible Body but the extinguishing of Life And thus we have seen in brief That for the raising of our Souls from Death for the begetting of the Holy Life and for the conservation and increase of the same we ought to be Hearers of the Word II. WE pass on now to that other Doctrine proposed That we ought not only to be Hearers but Doers also of the Word That awing sense of God which is impressed if not upon all yet at least upon most mens Souls together with a Natural desire of security and tranquillity of mind and every pleasing good That experience and acknowledgment of our own imbecillity and insufficiency walking in the fear of darkness and knowing not as the Apostle speaks whither we go doth easily induce even our Natural and Fleshly minds out of love to our selves to lay hold upon somewhat which we conceive stronger than our selves And this we call God and that outward erected form of Religion in all Churches as Hearing and saying of Prayers and giving Attention to the Word we call Gods Worship And a Worship it is surely too too easie and so fit for the vafrous and subdolous Spirit of the Natural man to play its wily pranks in that it being well instructed by the sly and subtle counsels of that Old Serpent the Devil and Satan it turns those good constitutions which should have been introductions to further Holiness into a strong fort or castle of false satisfaction of Conscience and most pernicious diabolical delusion whiles we take our selves to be distinguished from the wicked reprobate brood by outward performances of Ear-labour and Lip-labour without the practice of that which is taught us out of Moses or Christ plainly according to the Pharisees in our Saviours time whom the Holy Baptist sharply rebukes for such kind of imaginations Bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life saith he And think not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father For I say unto you that God is able even of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham Surely it is out of the want of that feeling Knowledge of that which is so acceptable to God and a fond over-estimation of our own poor naked and contemptible Souls or a conceit that God would want persons if we Christians be excluded to make up the number of the Inheritors of Heaven that makes us think that such superficial performances will make us allowable before God But nothing is acceptable to him but a simple humble and unfeigned obedient Spirit Nothing glorious in his eyes but his own Life the Soul inacted and quickened by Christ. All flesh is grass and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field The grass withereth the flower fadeth but the word of our God endureth for ever This is the Word and Eternal Life on whom whosoever doth believe and by true Faith in his strength is Regenerate into shall obtain Everlasting Life otherwise he abideth in the Sentence of Death and the Wrath of God is upon him 'T is true there be notable Preheminences and Priviledges given even to the Natural Fleshly Adam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Hermes The whole World subsists for Mans sake But this Prerogative howsoever hath its condition which follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The World for Man but Man for God And how for God To wit that his Life may be in us that his Christ may be in us Not so many verbal points of Christianity not so many notions of Divinity not so many moon-shine imaginations from the Word heard or read in Books in our Hearts in the Visible World in Heaven in Earth in Men. Christ is not dead and unprofitable phansie but the vigorous ebullition of Life Which Life if it be not in us then are we not partakers of that we were destinate to for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Man was made for a Tabernacle for God he 's Materials for his Holy Temple But if we will not be living stones as the Apostle speaks we shall have the same doom that unprofitable trees or timber They are fit for nothing but to be hewn in pieces and cast into the fire This is the end of that frustraneous brood of the Sons of Belial the off-spring of unprofitableness that fall short of the end they were intended to by their own disobedient perversness The best of them fare no better Man being in honour hath no understanding but is like to the beasts that perish I but we learned Scholasticks have Vnderstanding enough or at least as much as any As much as we have
meat and do all drink of the same spiritual drink and are all incorporate into one Body all quickened by the same Spirit all conspire into one Will through unity of the same Life so that all 's in peace and good order And thus much for the Persons assembled Which if you doubt of or are perswaded that you shall not continually enjoy their company yet I will shew you an assembly that so long as you enjoy a pure Conscience you shall alway enjoy their company in a true Paradise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An Holy Paradise where are assembled Vertue Wisdom and all Decency and Discretion And these are excellent companions tho' they were known to no body but him that lives with them And He lives with them that hath a pure Heart for the Father of them abides in the sincere Spirit 2. But it were time now to speak of the Provision had I not spoke already somewhat of it almost before due time But no tongue can declare it I will rather use the Psalmists words O taste ye and see how gracious the Lord is For they that fear him shall lack nothing The lyons do lack and suffer hunger but they that do seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good So then here is apparatus non neglectus at least no want if not redundancy Ay but it 's a poor Feast you 'll say where there is no overplus If any man suspect he shall come to such a slender Dinner I will use the words of our Saviour Mat. 16. O ye of little faith why think you thus within your selves Do you not perceive neither remember the five loaves when there were five thousand men and how many baskets were taken up neither the seven loaves when there were four thousand men and how many baskets were taken up If Christ could satisfie such multitudes of men with so few loaves so that so many fragments were left Surely we need not fear but when he feeds us with himself who is that Heavenly Bread and the foecundity or fulness of God but that we shall be unspeakably satisfied and superabundantly refreshed So we have plainly seen how excellent our company how good our chear shall be I will interfeit one accomplishment which Varro omits in his Feast And that is Musick The concent of Musicians at a Banquet is as a Signet of Carbunoles set in Gold As the Signet of an Emerald well trimmed with Gold so is the melody of Musick in a pleasant banquet Ecclesiasticus 32. 5 6. Now that this Feast is not devoid of Musick will thus appear For Righteousness is nothing else but an harmony of the lower parts of a mans Soul with the upper of the Affections with Reason as the Pythagorists define it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Polus the Pythagorean When as the inclinations of a mans Will or Desire answer the dictates of true Reason these are Heavenly responses indeed fit for a Celestial Quire When Reason begins the point and all the Affections chearfully follow it as Philo comments upon that Song of Moses and Miriam I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider he hath over-thrown in the Sea The Lord is my strength and praise and he is become my salvation Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods Who is like unto thee so glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Then Miriam the rest of the women following her with Timbrels and with Dances takes up her Timbrel in her hand and answers Sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider hath he over-thrown in the Sea Such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as these such Triumphal Songs against our Spiritual Enemies will become this Feast well The same exultation of Spirit you shall find in the blessed Psalmist The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart hath trusted in him and I am helped Therefore my heart danceth with joy and in my song will I praise him Psalm 28. This is that which the Apostle exhorts to Eph. 5. Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit speaking unto your selves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts Hitherto then is this Feasting very compleat good Companions good Chear good Musick 3. But what is all this if not in a good convenient place Iobs Children you know as they were making merry at their elder Brothers a strong Whirlwind took a corner of the house and buried them with the ruins in the midst of their merriment But whosoever dwelleth under the defence of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty that is under the protection of him that is able to keep them safe Ps. 91. And at the 90th Psalm Lord thou hast been our habitation from generation to generation Before the mountains were made and before thou hadst formed the earth even from everlasting to everlasting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou art the strong God a more sure sustentation than the steddy Earth a more strong safeguard than the massy Hills So then this Holy Assembly feast under a safe roof far from the reach of any tumult or tempest God is our hope and strength a very present help in trouble Therefore will we not fear though the earth be moved and though the hills be carryed into the midst of the sea Though the waters thereof rage and swell and though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same Yet there is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God the holy place of the tabernacle of the most high In all this danger and stir you see here 's secure Feasting and Joy in the Tabernacle of the most High The voice of joy and gladness is in the dwelling of the righteous safe pleasure and never fading delight in the habitation of the upright in Heart and pure in Conscience But if any man be not contented with the Safeness of the place but would curiously inquire into the Beauty of it that Description is done to our hands in the 21th of S. Iohns Revelation Gold and pearl and precious stones is a slight glimpse of the Glory of that Habitation and the Beauty of God 4. I will pass now to the fourth thing considerable in a Feast The convenience of time And no time surely is inconvenient to these Feasters who have the preeminence exceedingly above them that enjoy any outward delight For these men be confined to Seasons and Opportunities which be but poor small parcels of time But all Time and Eternity too is but one entire Opportunity for those Spiritual Feasters to enjoy themselves in A good Heart or a pure Spirit is one continual everlasting Feast It was well said of Diogenes to one that was too much taken with the seldom solemnity of an outward Feast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What saith
he doth not a good man count every day a Festival Surely if it be so he must needs count it so And that it is so my Text can witness Solomon hath asserted it and the Devil himself cannot deny it nor good men conceal it nor wicked men confute it for they have not experience of it But do I not seem to Tantalize you all this while by describing so desirable a Banquet and not shew you the way to be partakers of it Verily neither God nor good men do envy us it But to say the truth the way to it is as undesirable as the Feast is to be wished for Abstinence and emptyness is the way to be filled with this precious Food The full soul saith Solomon loatheth the honey-comb And if we be taken up with and filled with the delights of this sensible World and the pleasures of the Flesh we shall never relish the sweetness of this Banquet never so much as taste of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If false transitory pleasures get possession of the Soul they will exclude that true light and safe delight in God What 's the way then to this continual Happiness A contemptible thing they call Self-denyal or abstinence from our own Wills and Desires Upon which if I should enter a Discourse you especially of the younger sort might account it or a dull Melancholick Dream or a pretty solemn Night-piece but when you have viewed it immerse your selves again into the false light of this bewitching World and closely embrace that life and pleasure that I should wish you to part with But be you assured that he that is so slightly affected with the most solemn and solid Duties of Christianity is so far off from the good Conscience or good Heart named in the Text that he is not so much as in a preparation to it which is Contrition and Brokenness of Spirit But he that even now begins and sets himself seriously upon the curbing of his Lusts and denyal of his own wayes and endeavours cordially from the very depth of his Heart to perform whatsoever he conceives is the Will of God and allowes himself in no fault this man shall in due time be wrought into the Life and Spirit of Christ And shall continually enjoy in a more eminent manner whatsoever or Sight or Hearing or Smelling or Tasting shall judge pleasant and delectable such Beauty such Harmony such Fragrancy such Deliciousness as no man can conceive but he that hath it nor he that hath it can know how to utter it To this Happiness God grant that we may all arrive through Iesus Christ our Lord to whom c. DISCOURSE VIII PSAL. xvii 15. As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness THE Excellency of this Holy resolution and High aspires of the Prophet David will be better set off and more-savourly relished if we bring into view that lively character of men of a quite contrary dispensation in the foregoing Verse which are stiled men of the world which have their portion in this life who are very Belly-gods and Cormorants greedy devourers of the Temporary good things which God has treasured up in these lower Regions of the Universe These they dig out and rake up together and lay on heaps that they may satisfie their own Worldly Appetite and gratifie themselves in the lusts of the Flesh in the lusts of the Eyes and in the pride of Life that they may eat and drink plentifully yea riotously fill their Bellies with the choicest delicates and feed their Eyes with the inexhaustible store and plenty of their riches and their treasure being inexhaustible when they have lived in all the jollity and gayity of this World in all the affluency and felicity this present Life will afford bequeath or entail upon their Posterity the like Happiness themselves enjoy'd by leaving the rest of their Substance to their Babes as is described in the foregoing Verse This is the state of that Blessedness which the meer Natural man breaths after neither his foresight nor desire piercing any further But this Holy man of God who was inspired from above has a thirsty presage of matters of far greater moment whose mind is not fixt upon these hid treasures of the Earth but upon that treasure which is reserved in Heaven whose neither hopes nor enjoyments are in the things of this Life but deems this Life as Death or Sleep in comparison of that which is to come who evangelizes before the Gospel and speaks the language of Christians before the coming of the Messias as if he would anticipate the words of S. Paul Col. 3. 3. Our life is hid with Christ in God But when Christ which is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Wherefore let others enjoy themselves as much as they will let these men of the World have all things succeed according to their desire and please themselves to the height in their Wealth Pleasure and Honours I do not at all envy their condition nor place my Happiness in these things While these mens Eyes and Minds while their Affection and Animadversion is wholly taken up with these Worldly Objects the pantings and breathings of my Soul are entirely directed towards God and to the blissful enjoyment of the Light of his Countenance As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness Or as the Psalms in our Liturgy have it When I awake up after thy likeness I shall be satisfied with it That Saying of Heraclitus in Clemens Alexandrinus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All that we see waking is Death and what we see dreaming Sleep which is the Brother of Death as another termed him as if in this Body whether sleeping or waking it were in the valley of the shadow of Death I say this Speech of Heraclitus may seem to savour much of a very deeply Melancholized Spirit yet if to speak conformably to inspired men were an Argument of Inspiration Heraclitus his Melancholly would approve it self Divine by the apparent conformity it bears with the most notable passages of those who certainly were inspired God forbid saith S. Paul that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified to me and I unto the world What was it not sufficient that S. Paul was crucified to the World but the World must be also crucified unto him That he was dead to the World but the World must be also dead to him Or who ever except S. Paul ventur'd on such a Phrase as the Worlds being crucified or dead to us though we be rightly said to be crucified or dead to it Why yes Heraclitus said so long before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All these things which we see with these Bodily Eyes it is but a Scene of Death That vivid and chearful colour of the Heavens which
the Spirit of Christ. For the First Eph. 6. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places Beloved The great work of Salvation is not then accomplished when we have through the power of God and the strength of Jesus Christ overcome the Lusts of the Body as Drunkenness Gluttony Whoredom and the like But we shall find a new task the taming of our proud Spirit For after our first conquest I mean the overcoming the Lusts of the Body then pride and haughtiness and contempt of our Neighbour the thinking of our selves some-body rigour and unmercifulness to our sinful Brother the magnifying of our selves in some conceited Opinions searching out and confidently concluding concerning the secrets of God censuring and contemning all men that are not of the same conceit in Divine Speculations with our selves These and many such like evil delusions the Devil will sow in our Hearts The Devil himself is neither Whoremaster nor Drunkard nor Glutton But he is Proud but he is Contemptuous but he is Hypocritical but he is a Blood-sucker a Murderer from the beginning full of self-love full of self-admiration full of cruelty under pretence of Religion full of deceit and injustice under pretence of Truth and maintenance of Godliness full of ambition and desire of rule even over the Souls and Consciences of men full of self-applause and arrogancy and strutting in his own supposed knowledge and power But true denyal of our selves and unfeigned deep humility a sensible apprehension of our nothingness as I may so say or real detestable vileness will cause such dreadful agonies in our Souls that no tongue can express nor heart conceive that hath not had experience of those bitter Sufferings With so great pain and torment are we torn and riven from our spiritual wickedness disjointed and dislimb'd as it were from our head that Prince of Pride and Father of Disobedience the Devil But I will now shew you the other kind of suffering which is the suffering in Spirit by reason of other mens wickedness When we are united to God and Christ in the union of Spirit then do those things that are contrary to the Spirit of God as all manner of sin trouble our Spirit Envious or cruel acts drunkenness deceit pride rigour fierceness folly and whatsoever else is sinful or vain our Spirit being enlivened by the Spirit of God is grieved and vext at these wickednesses or vanities Then we plainly see how Christ is cut and lash'd and hew'd and stab'd with our wicked deeds how he is crucified afresh as the Apostle speaketh Here may the true Church of God the Holy Ierusalem take up fitly that Lamentation in Ieremy Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow See how the Prophet David was affected with the wickedness of men Psal. 119. Mine eyes gush out with water because men keep not thy law I beheld the transgressours and was grieved because men keep not thy word So Lot was tormented at the wickedness of Sodom 2 Pet. 2. 7. And delivered just Lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked For that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds So God complains in the Spirit of his Prophet Amos. Behold I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves Amos 2. 13. And surely there is good Reason it should be so a sure Necessity For Fire is not more contrary to Water nor Light to Darkness nor any enmity in Nature or among men so strong as that betwixt the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Devil that is in evil wicked men according to which they live and act So then when that detestable ugliness flowes out in their words or actions it must needs offend the Children of God God being of pure eyes and not abiding to behold wickedness Hence are they driven into consuming zeal or deep inexpressible grief And this is the second kind of suffering in Spirit But Beloved take this in by the way That he that can be angry at other mens faults and not much more angry at his own is a dissembler an Hypocrite Herein let every man examine himself But he that is so stupid that he is not moved at all with the wickedness of others or of himself is perfectly dead in Sin and is in the full power of Satan and is covered with Eternal Death and Darkness THIS Second Doctrine is now sufficiently plain That they that would be Heirs of the Kingdom of Christ must suffer with Christ. I will again here stir you up to an examination and tryal of your Spiritual state whether you have any interest in the Heavenly Inheritance The Sign and infallible Seal is our suffering with Christ. But not any suffering For the fuffering in Estate if we escape it yet may we be inheritors of Heaven But to be evil spoken of for Christ is harder to efcape yet admit we escape that too we may for all that be secure of our Eternal Inheritance Nor have all that are now with God been whip'd and tortur'd and put to death or martyrdom But yet we ought to be so minded that we had rather endure all these things than depart from Christ. But all the other sufferings as abstinence from voluptuousness from the delights of the flesh from priding our selves in any thing that God hath bestowed upon us a suppressing our anger abstaining from the sweetness of revenge denying of the ever-craving appetite of covetousness keeping our tongues from the delight of defamation and evil reports our ears from hearing evil of our Neighbour These be necessary All which endeavours will surely afflict and vex the corrupt Natural Spirit of a man But he that will not undergo this suffering believe it Beloved he is none of Christs he hath neither part nor portion in the Kingdom of Christ and of God But he that doth though with great agony of Soul and affliction of Mind fight against all this corruption of Flesh and Spirit He may bless God for his good condition and with good reason lay hold of the hope of Heaven They that are troubled in Spirit for the wickedness of men the prophanation of Gods name and any manner of sin and iniquity these men may conclude that they have the Spirit of God and consequently that they are the Sons of God And if sons then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ If so be that we suffer with him Which our own Spirit together with Gods Spirit doth testifie to us that we do and that we shall be certainly glorified with him Let every man herein examine himself that he may find a true ground of his hope of Eternal Salvation For none shall be saved but they that are
Eternal Spiritual Riches he will endue us with hereafter 3. The Third Motive is taken from the persons to whom we are to communicate The rich and the poor meet together and the Lord enlightens both their eyes Prov. 29. No difference between the greatest Prince and the poorest Beggar but the goods of Fortune or rather of Providence For they come not to us by chance but by the good will of God who hath made out of his Wisdom some Poor and some Rich that we may have occasion to exercise the acts of Mercy and tender Compassion to our Brethren who live by the same Air vvalk in the light of the same Sun vvere created by the same God are to be saved by the same Christ. There is one Body and one Spirit even as you are called in one hope of your calling One Lord one Faith one Baptism One God and Father of all which is above all and through all and in you all Eph. 4. What One Body and one Member despise and disregard another One Spirit and not sympathize one vvith another One Hope and not help one another One Lord and not one fellovv-servant acknovvledge another One Father and Brethren not relieve one another One God above all over-seeing us all in all our actions vvho though he be so high yet beholdeth things here belovv upon earth and vve poor earthly vvorms overlook one another One God in us all and no goodness in us all God vvho is Love it self pierce through us all and yet not those lovely shafts of holy Charity vvound any of our hearts God forbid If vve abide not in Love God abideth not in us If our hearts be contracted and darkened by frozen rigidness the light of God shineth not through us If our poor contemptible Neighbour be so far under us that vve disdain to stretch forth our armes to help him vve forget God above us If vve love not as Brethren God is not our Father If vve be asham'd of our Fellovv-servants the Lord is not our Master If vve be cold in mutual affection our Faith is dead and Hypocrisie is our Religion If vve have no sympathy or fellovv-feeling the Spirit vve boast of is but vanity or empty air If vve favour not one another as Members of the same Body vve are not Members of the same Body but disunited Dust vvhich the Wind blovves to and fro upon the face of the Earth and the Angel of God scatters it Community is but a name vvhere there is no communication of good Vnity but a deceivable phansie vvhere there is no real Mercy He that will endanger the Soul of his Brother by with-holding the sustenance of his Body which out of Brotherly affection he is to administer to him surely that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Brotherly Love which the Apostle calls for dwelleth not in him The very shame of Poverty will force a man to do or suffer any thing How much more will pinching hunger scorching thirst benumming cold Necessity hath no Law or at least necessitous persons are easily drawn to think so Give me not poverty saith the Wise Man Prov. 30. 8 9. lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain A good man is merciful to his beast and shall not we be so good as to have compassion upon men The miserable and penurious condition of the Poor man would afford me great store or plenty of Arguments to plead his cause but I will only name them Hunger thirst nakedness rags filth deformity pensiveness sickness torture contempt sighs tears groans fear despair disconsolateness assaults of the Devil hard-heartedness of the World dejectedness of his spirit weak and vain looks loss of limbs blindness and deafness I cannot name them all Poverty is attended with such a numerous regiment of defects and infirmities that they may win the most strong and stony heart to compassionate their miseries But because we are fallen into these ill latter times in which the Apostle hath foretold that the love of many or rather of most if not almost of all shall wax cold Mercy and Pity are not passions easily to be stirred up out of the representation of our Neighbours misery and ill plight These are poor contemptible vertues befitting the weak womanish sect A strong vigorous faith I would to God it were so or if you will a deep conceited phansie that we are Gods Children though we be not merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful is altogether in request and fashion amongst us Christians So this conceit makes us abound with Love toward God as vve think But when all comes to all it will prove but false and adulterate Love It will not abide that touchstone If you love me keep my commandements Or that of S. Iohns Epistle Chap. 3. Whosoever hath this worlds good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him 4. But if we do love God so much and our Neighbour so little yet we may not evade or escape this duty of doing good for all that For say that all our time is to be spent in the duties of the First Table all our Piety to be shewed in performances toward God If I shew that these acts of Mercy and Bounty be acts of the First Table too I hope we will not shew our selves so ungrateful and impious as to decline this manner of Worship which he requires at our hands Now that acts of Mercy are duties of the First Table I need go no farther for proof than my Text which tells us that doing good and communicating is a sacrifice And Sacrificing you know is a duty of the First Table even the immediate service of God How fitly the Apostle hath framed his Argument for convincing of mens corrupt Consciences and discovering that mysterious hidden wickedness that lurks in our hypocritical hearts a strong perswasion that we are Gods though there be little of the inward power of Godliness in us This holy kind of irreligiousness that is so immerse and lost as it were in a false counterfeit love of God that it quite forgets all respect and duty to our Neighbour That foolish impudent Spirit that would so confidently father it self upon God and perswade him that he is his Child when it s nothing but the deceitful breath of the Devil A handsome slight to travel to Heaven at least charges The service of God that is a strong perswasion that we are one of them that God hath sign'd to be his though there be no other sure argument or sign saving that we do strongly perswade our selves so The hearing of the Word the saying of Prayers and such outward performances or outward deceivable phansies is a Religion so cheap and easie that it asks a man neither cost nor labour But to be crucified with Christ to suffer with him to undergo the deadly dolorous pangs of mortification to sweat drops of Blood and endure
this Resurrection of the Soul is I will also endeavour to satisfie you in that too but very briefly It is the inward Life of Righteousness it is the renewing of the Soul the shaping of it again into the image and similitude of God in a word it is the Life or Spirit of Christ whereby a mans Soul is alive to all Spiritual and Heavenly things I will explain it by a comparison When a mans Natural Life is gone all his imaginations and machinations perish He desires not any thing belonging to this Natural Life nor Food nor Clothing he feels not though his Body be rent or cut or rot away goes not about to preserve or recover the Health or Life of his dead Body thinks not of Wife nor Children nor any Natural thing else But when a man is alive according to Nature he desires Food Meat and Drink for the preservation of his Natural Life Cloths both for shelter and ornament is sensible of what hurts his living Body provides for his Health and Strength is active in the deeds of Nature and if he be a mere Natural man all his joy pleasure and content is in the same Just thus it is Beloved in the Death and Life of the Soul While the Soul is dead Spiritually it hath no true desire to the Word of God which is the Food of the Soul but doth come to the Church only for fashion sake gives no ear to the Voice of God rebuking her in her Conscience hath no unfeigned thirst after Righteousness nor is she sensible of the violent heat of Passion how wicked it is nor feels her self frozen and stark cold to all Charity and due Devotion she goes not about to obtain that saving Health even Jesus Christ that precious Balsam of the Soul nor is she a whit moved whatever mischief betides him But when the Soul hath risen from this Death and hath got the new Life of Christ being enquickened by his Spirit Then hath she a right healthful appeal to that Heavenly Bread and those Spiritual Waters those Refreshments from above the sweet Comforts of the Holy Ghost Then doth she heartily abhor all filth of Sin and keeps her Affections unspotted before her Lord and Husband Jesus Christ clothed in fine Linnen pure and white which is the Righteousness of the Saints Then is the living Law of God to her sweeter than the Honey and the Honey-comb so delightful and pleasant that she meditates thereon day and night She is very sensible of whatsoever is disgraceful to Christ or wounds or hurts his precious Body in any thing very tenderly loves the Communion of Saints and hath a very forward desire to propagate and enlarge the true and living Church of God She never falls by any infirmity or surprisal but is grieved and hurt as the Natural man is vexed when his Body chanceth to fall upon stones and is bruised Beloved where there is Life there is also Sense and where there in Sense there is also Grief and Joy Grief at such things as are contrary or destructive of the Life and Joy at such things as are agreeable and healthful for the same BY this time I hope you are sufficiently instructed concerning the Spiritual Resurrection both that it is and what it is Let us now make some Vses of this Doctrine That there is a Spiritual Resurrection belonging to every true Christian. 1. Then it is plain from hence That every Christian be he what he will that hath been made partaker of this Resurrection was once dead himself For as rising presupposeth a being down first so doth also a rising from death or being quickened presuppose a being dead Hence therefore it is plain That every Christian man or if you will even every man or was once or is at this present Spiritually dead Now the Nature of Death you know is such that nothing that is held therewith nothing that is Dead can recover it self to Life As it is also said in the Book of Psalms No man hath quickened his own Soul Wherefore Beloved this is the proper Vse we can make of this Consideration That if we find the fruits of the Resurrection of Christ Spiritually in our Souls we give God alone the Glory For it is he alone that killeth and maketh alive that leadeth down to Hell and bringeth up again He it is that is the death of deaths and a mighty destruction to the destroyer He it is that is the Resurrection and the Life as he himself witnesseth of himself He it is I mean the Spirit of Christ in us that fights against all the powers of Death and Darkness in our Souls and triumpheth gloriously over his and our enemies He is the strong arm of Salvation from God He hath wrought all our works in us Therefore not to us but unto God be the praise for his mercy and truths sake Nor only are we to praise God but also to live humbly and meekly before our Neighbour For thou whoever thou art that presumest thou hast attained to the Resurrection or enquickening or enlivening of the Spirit of Christ If hereby thou contemnest thy sinful Brother and settest him at nought and art not mercifully and kindly affected toward all men acknowledging very sensibly and inwardly that wherewith thou conceivest thy self to excel others or to be distinguished from them to be the Grace of God and his free work Thou art a lyar and a deceiver and jugglest with God and thine own Soul and art vainly puffed up in thy Carnal Mind For where Pride is there is not the saving Spirit of Christ where harshness of Mind is and contempt of our Neighbour there abides not the Love of God 2. If men be dead till they partake of the Resurrection of Christ then such neither can nor ought to take upon them any office of the living Who will make a Blind man judge of Colours or a Sick man of Tasts or a Deaf man of Musick But he that is Dead is worse than Sick or Blind or Deaf Wherefore no man that is devoid of the Resurrectiod of Christ in the Spirit is fit to judge in Spiritual things or in the secret Mysteries of God It is the Spiritual man that judgeth all the Heavenly man the Lord from Heaven and yet with man upon Earth the true Emanuel God with us and in us by his Spirit the true Judge of the Quick and the Dead As it is written The first man is of the earth earthly the second man is the Lord from heaven As is the earthly such are they that are earthly and as is the heavenly such are they that are heavenly Wherefore Beloved judge nothing before the time that is till the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus till his glorious appearing from Heaven when he shall make every work of man manifest and shall judge with right judgment 3. I will only add an Vse of Examination and so conclude Is there such a State of the Soul belonging to every
now it is not a thing so difficult to understand or so hard to explain you know it already only be mindful to do it To do good and communicate forget not And that we forget not God hath set over us Monitors enough it is not the voice of the Apostle alone but of the whole Creature The Clouds drop fatness upon the Earth The Earth sends up all manner of Herbs and Corn for service and Flowers for delight of men The Trees stretch out their spreading armes and offer their Fruit. The musical falls of the cooling crystal Brooks sweetly call to them the thirsty Traveller to refresh his fainting Spirit The Sun and Moon with all the Host of Heaven dance in their circuits about the Earth as being joyful to impart their Light and Influence for the procreation of things here below and their continual conservation The Sun cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a gyant to run his race He leaves us indeed in the West but in the Morning he carefully revisits us with his chearing Countenance and rescues the World from the close cloging Vapours of the loansome Night See how readily and willingly the Creature practiseth this Precept of the Apostle and therefore become fit Preachers unto us to do the same But if we scorn to have so poor a Pattern as the visible Creature look through the Creature unto God For it 's He rather that doth this than the outward visible Creature He laid the foundations of the earth that it never should move at any time He sends his springs into the rivers which run among the hills All beasts of the field drink thereof and the wild asses quench their thirst Beside them have the fowls of the air their habitation and sing among the branches He watereth the hills from above the earth is filled with the fruits of his works He bringeth forth grass for the castle and green herb for the service of men That he may bring food out of the earth and wine that maketh glad the heart of man He appointed the moon for certain seasons and the sun knoweth his going down Psal. 104. He loveth righteousness and judgment the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psal. 33. The continuation of the Creature and subsistance of this mighty Universe is nothing else but a continual testification of the Nature and Goodness of God and his munificent and communicating property Wherefore we being incompassed with such a world of witnesses witnesses that so clearly testifie unto us the mind of God and Christ let us be like-minded with him and delight in doing good according to our power to shew our thankfulness to him of whom all power is received There is the same Argument for giving that there is for forgiving Mat. 18. 32. O evil servant I forgave thee all that debt because thou prayedst me Oughtest not thou also to have pity on thy fellow even as I had pity on thee So surely God will reason with us in this matter too That which thou hast I gave it thee why therefore dost thou not imitate me and impart somewhat to thy Neighbour of that I gave thee Freely you have received saith our Saviour freely give NOW for the better understanding of this point I will spend a few words by way of explication of this act of communicating of Good wherein three things are supposed and therefore to be explain'd so far forth as is necessary There is the person to whom we must communicate the matter what and the manner how we must communicate 1. The Persons to whom we are to communicate are such as the Prophet David names Psal. 112. 9. He hath dispersed abroad he hath given to the poor and his righteousness remaineth for ever his horn shall be exalted with honour Quite contrary to the garb of the World and common practice of crafty and covetous men who exalt themselves by gifts of unrighteousness and trample upon the poor and needy how just soever and contemn the weak as of little worth Whose Charity is none and Courtesie but Policy Munificency a well contrived bargain Whose Gifts are but Worms and Flies but their Expectation no worse than the best Fish they can pull up Whose Hearts are alwayes cold and their Hands ever benumb'd till mutual friction Manus manum fricat This has alwayes been the way of them the usual beaten path of the World and their Children praise their sayings But the Children of God born of the Coelestial Seed be quite of another temper Witness that true noble and Heroical Spirit in our Eldest Brother Christ Iesus With whom if the generosity and gallantry of the World be compar'd it will appear mere pageantry Or to express the truth more homely and rudely they will be found partaking more of the Huxter than the Courtier But to leave them to their petty markets let us endeavour not to degenerate but to follow the counsel of the First-born of our Fraternity Luke 14. 12. When thou makest a dinner or supper saith our Saviour call not thy friends nor thy brethren neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours lest they also bid thee again and recompence be made But when thou makest a feast call the poor the maimed the lame and the blind and thou shalt be blessed because they cannot recompence thee for thou shalt be recompenced at the resurrection of the just But what needs so ample a testimony in a case so plain Even ordinary Reason will tell us to whom Good should be imparted Not to them that have enough already but those that want Physick is proper to him that is sick already or is inclining to sickness To whom should Drink be given but to the thirsty To whom Meat but to the hungry Clothes to the naked and warm harbour to him that is afflicted with cold So that whatsoever Good it is that a man is in want of that Good is to be administred unto him by him that is not in that want 2. Good is to be administred which is the matter that is to be communicated If any ask Bread we are not to offer him a Stone or if a Fish a Scorpion Which though we do not in that gross manner yet too oft we do lapides loqui we mall the poor indigent man in the head with some stonish or hard-hearted answer and deal such liberal lashes of sharp reproof that bites and stings him as the whips of a Scorpion But that we straiten not the sense of this Text more than needs This communicating of good is not confin'd to outward Bread and Meat and such necessary things for the natural sustentation of man but stretcheth also to that of the Soul So that this good which we are to impart may be divided into these two general kinds In rem consilium A supply of outward necessaries or seasonable and friendly advice Both these are good and so both to be communicated where we see there is
a want and find our selves able to make a supply He that informs the Ignorant doth as it were lead the Blind He that comforts the distressed Conscience gives a Cordial to the sick He that appeaseth Pride and Anger asswageth a dangerous swelling He that casts out the envious Devil out of a man cures a rotting Consumption He that out of friendly monition and information amendeth another mans outward Manners and Behaviour clotheth him as it were with a seemly garment and comely ornament He that begets in a man the love of Vertue and true Piety restores him to Life These things ought to be done but the other in no wise left undone For he that is liberal in good words and a nigard in his works he doth but verba dare deceive both himself and others Now to whom and what we are to give I have briefly intimated 3. It remains that I speak of the manner which consists especially in these three things 1. In the quantity of the gift 2. In the universality of the persons to whom we are to give 3. In the inward affection or qualification of the mind of the giver 1. For the quantity of the gift 2 Cor. 9. I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to come before unto you and to finish your benevolence appointed before that it might be ready as of benevolence and not of sparing Remembering this that he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he that soweth liberally shall reap also liberally Now that those that are of a lower fortune be not discouraged or disheartened from giving Alms because they may conceive that their estate is such that their act of communicating must needs be deficient in this first requisite They are to understand that this quantity of their Alms consists not in an absolute bigness or largeness but is in relation to their states and abilities See what a testimony our Saviour gives of the poor Widow who cast in but her two Mites into the treasury among those great largisses of the rich men He called to him his Disciples and said unto them Verily I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they that have cast into the treasury For they all did cast in of their superfluity but she of her poverty did cast in all that she had even all her living Two Mites was not more than all those rich men cast in but was more to her or in respect of her poor fortune than that which those rich ones gave was to them and the abundance of their Estates From whence that is plain which I said before that the quantity of our Alms doth not consist in an absolute bigness but in a respect to our abilities AElian in his First Book of his Various History tells us how the Persians when the King goes his Progress are all to offer Gifts to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one according to his ability And that one Sinetas when King Artaxerxes was not far off from his Cottage what with the fear of the Law and what with the shame that he should not be found as forward as any in expression of his Loyalty and good Will toward the King having notwithstanding nothing at all at that time to offer or present to his Majesty The poor man was ill troubled in his mind and in this perplexity the King approaching nearer he runs to the River Cyras hard by with all speed kneels him down gets up Water in the hollow of his Hands comes to the King and salutes him after this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O King Artaxerxes Reign for ever I now O King what I am able after what manner I am able offer this Present unto you that so far as lies in me you may not pass by me without the acknowledgment of my Duty and Allegiance The King was very well pleased with the Gift and commanded the Water to be received into a Golden Phial Surely the Charitable man serves as reasonable a Master and one as graciously disposed Our Saviour Christ hath promised his favourable acceptance even of but a cup of cold Water Whosoever shall give one of these little ones to drink a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple Verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward Matth. 10. And to make the application of the story more fit He that offers a cup of cold Water to these little ones offers it to no less than a King and no less a King than the King of Heaven and Earth Matth. 25. 34. c. where these doers of good and free communicators receive their doom of that great Judge and mighty Prince Christ Jesus Come ye blessed of my Father saith he inherit you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I thirsted and ye gave me drink I was naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me Then shall the righteous answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee or a thirst and gave thee drink or when saw we thee a stranger and lodged thee or naked and clothed thee or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee And the King shall answer and say unto them Verily I say unto you inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me He therefore that offers a cup of cold water to these offers it to this King who hath promised a gracious acceptance of it and a sure reward Wherefore we are not to be discouraged from these works of Charity though our means be small For if we give a little of a little that little is great in the eyes of God who knoweth how to prize the works of his Saints If there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that a man hath not saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8. So that we see none excluded from this First requisite in communicating of good For though one man cannot give so much as another yet one man may be as liberal as another which is if he give as much for his Estate as the other doth for his Which consideration as it may animate the Low-estated man in his Beneficency So it may make them of higher fortunes bring their Liberality to the right measure and consider that he hath not done a super-eminent act of Charity above others because his Alms was bigger than others of lower degree He that gives one shilling out of twenty is as truly liberal as he that gives one hundred pound out of two thousand This I speak that the Poor man depretiate not his slenderer bounty nor the Rich overprize his larger liberality but that all may walk in all Meekness Humility and Holy Charity before God and before men 2. But I pass on