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A64370
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A sermon concerning holy resolution preached before the King at Kensington, December 30th, 1694 / by ... Thomas Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Elect.
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Tenison, Thomas, 1636-1715.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing T712; ESTC R20714
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9,084
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34
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suggested by the Sophistry of a deceitful Heart not being able to endure the sting of a downright Reflection Where the Conscience remains pure and undefiled Holy Men are still with more true strength assisted in their Duty by their Religious Purposes For first Such have a mighty veneration for the Great God and fear to trifle with so Sacred a Majesty by taking up his Name in vain by a frequent change of yea into nay by vowing and resolving and then disanulling Insomuch that the weaker sort of sincere Christians do dread to break a Vow even because it is a Vow though hastily made and with inadvertence chusing rather to be Martyrs to their own Indiscretion than to depart from that Promise which they made in the heat of their Zeal in the name of him before whom they tremble the Everlasting God Faithful and Just the same to day yesterday and for ever Secondly Religion is the highest Principle by which men can act there is therefore in holy Resolution the greatest strength The Religious have for their scope the best and highest Ends and Interests the Glory of God who is the Chief Good the benefit of all Reasonable Creatures the present and Everlasting Happiness of their Persons and True Religion is a certain way to these blessed Ends. Now if they that will be rich in this World decline no Labours run all manner of Hazards are not discourag'd by Rocks and Shelves by Waves and Tempests or Pirates in effect as dangerous as they whilst they aim only at things Temporal which perish in the using shall not those have greater Courage and firmer Resolution who propose to themselves the obtaining Treasures which fade not away and may fully depend upon the Promises of God in well-doing and on the Grace of his blessed Spirit for the enabling them to do well if they are not wanting to the Power already given them Obj. But I expect that it should be objected That all this sort of Reasoning if it be admitted to be specious is notwithstanding false For as they may continue to speak the Purposes of Mankind are vain and uncertain They vanish as the morning dew upon the glittering of a new Temptation Is it not daily observed that divers who are in danger of death and dread to go forth into a vast Eternity after having lead immoral Lives do weep and pray and make many Protestations of becoming new men if God shall be pleased to spare and restore them And when God has restor'd them the World has been convinc'd that all their Tears and Prayers and Promises were the effects of Fear and they have return'd at once to their Health and to their Vices To this it may be answer'd First That if Men will not be altogether Christians by the help of Holy Purposes they will be much less such without them If there is not force enough in them perfectly to amend the Lives of Men yet however they are some check and restraint to them And he who says a Cord is strong does not pretend to say that it is impossible to be broken Secondly Those Men who are so false to their Vows and so unstable in their Ways are to be thought not to have built their Purposes upon a right Foundation Perhaps the Foundation wanted Breadth It may be they resolved against many Sins but not against that which did most easily beset them and was most agreeable to Flesh and Blood And this One evil Spirit left in possession may have brought back all the rest Perhaps the Foundation wanted Firmness They might take up their Resolutions in the heat of their Affection which is suddenly kindled and suddenly dies away But for such as have hated every Evil way and upon the most mature Deliberation dedicated themselves Souls and Bodies to Christ without any reserve it is not likely that they should be so unsteddy and so much given to change for the worse Among the Primitive Christians there were Armies of Martyrs who were faithful to the Death Pliny reproach'd them as Obstinate but their Perseverance arose from the Strength of their Faith the Heartiness of their Love their Sincere Resolution to keep their Baptismal Vow in despight of the World the Flesh and the Devil and that which made all these effectual the extraordinary Grace of God Now if there be any Strength in natural Resolution and more in that which is Moral and Religious and more still there must be when one is added to the other certainly it is our Wisdom to bind our selves with this double Cord for we have need of all the Assistance we can possibly get and that is a Second Consideration We come into the World with sensual Inclinations Our natural Passions are apt to move with intemperate Violence Our Lusts and Appetites till Reason and Grace subdue them are strong and impetuous Our Mind is generally speaking overgrown very early with the Prejudices and Indiscretions of Youth we are first accustomed to Folly and Vanity before we are acquainted with Christian Piety and solid Vertue and to many ill Customs we are united as the Soul is to the Body with a very intimate Union though we know not how Our Senses and Fancy treasure up many idle extravagant and deceitful Images This World being present hath great Influence upon our Sense and Imagination whilst Faith is the Evidence of Things not seen All places abound with evil Men who live without God in the World and who by hurtful Persuasions and bad Examples entice the Unwary into a wicked Confederacy with themselves and there are Legions of spiritual Enemies who envy God the Glory and Man the Happiness of a sober righteous and godly Life Wherefore in so many and so great Perils amidst which the Frailty of our Nature is apt to supplant our Faith it behoves us to use all manner of good means and therefore amongst others that of holy Resolution that by God's Blessing upon such Instruments we may be supported in all Dangers and carried safe through all Temptations To the speedy Use therefore of a holy Purpose I proceed in the Third Place to exhort you beseeching you as Barnabas did those of Antioch that with full purpose of heart you would cleave unto the Lord the Lord Jesus Christ. It is true as to the general End of Man which is his Personal Happiness there is no need of any vehement Persuasive to it no great need of Deliberation and Resolution of Mind Nature it self hath fix'd and determined this Point that it is as necessary to be happy as it is to be at all But Mankind is not so stedfastly resolved upon the Means as the End Divers would be happy hereafter as Angels and Saints and yet live here as Beasts But without a holy Purpose and a sutable Performance no Man shall see the Lord. Take therefore to you Words and say with Joshua as for Me and my House we WILL serve the Lord. Use the Language
of Balaam but let it proceed out of a more righteous Heart If any one would give me his House full of Silver and Gold I cannot go beyond the Word of the Lord my God to do less or more With Caleb and Joshua follow the Lord wholly and you will enter into a better Land of Promise than they at first did Engage your Hearts to approach unto the Lord and he will draw nigh unto you and make what you do to prosper In purposing on this manner be pleased to observe these few Directions First When Difficulties in Religion discourage you oppose Necessity to them saying Let come on it what will we must serve God we must save our Souls It must be confessed that when those who have been enchanted with sinful Pleasures begin to think of reforming themselves there is a great strife betwixt the Flesh and the Spirit and they are ready to think they cannot by any means get the Victory and they cry out with Anxiety and say Men and Brethren what shall we do What should they do Doubtless they should encourage themselves in God who is greater than those who are against them and will come in to their Aid if they pray to him and repeat their Holy Vows in sincerity of Heart It cannot be denied but that the first Steps in our Ascent towards Christian Perfection are very laborious but in due time we shall make good Progress if we faint not S. Paul when at first he found his Mind strugling betwixt Grace and Nature cried out as a Man in great distress who shall deliver me from the body of this Death Yet at length the Grace of God did carry his Resolution to such a Degree of Power that he chang'd his Complaint into the Triumph of these Words I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Secondly In all Temptations maintain such a Presence of Mind as may enable you to reflect upon the Resolutions which you have formerly taken up against them Commune with your own Hearts after this manner Is not this the very Evil which upon due Consideration we have so often vow'd to forsake How can we thus contradict our selves How shall we do this great Wickedness and sin against our Conscience our Baptismal Engagement our Righteous Purposes and our Holy Just God who keepeth his Promise for ever Thirdly When you have taken a Resolution to lead a more Christian Life abstain at least for a time from the familiar Conversation of such who account it a Crime not to be dissolute and endeavour by mockery to discourage all Seriousness in Religion The prophane and scurrilous Breath of such Men who are of a Party for Vice may drive back again that Disease which was coming forth by Confession and Repentance Fourthly Think frequently of the solemn Vow Promise and Profession which you made in Baptism and renew it often in the Holy Communion By it all worthy Partakers are strengthned and refresh'd Lastly Say not All this we will do though not now yet in a convenient Season It may be that convenient Season will never come for who knows what a Day may bring forth How foolish are such and ignorant who say in effect We resolve to be good but not till it be more difficult to be so not till Custom in Sin hath hardned our Hearts and stiffned our Necks into Inflexibility O ye Sons of Men how long will ye love Vanity and seek after Leasing Imitate rather Holy David and attend to his Words in the 119th Psalm I thought on my Ways and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commandments I have said or fully determined that I would keep thy Words Finally Let us pray unto Almighty God in some such Words as these Lord we believe Lord help our weak Belief Lord we resolve Lord strengthen our Holy Resolutions And as by thy Grace preventing us thou dost put into our Hearts good Desires and Purposes so by thy continual Help make us able to bring the same to good Effect through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen THE END Deut. 17. 18 19. Psal. 132. 1. c. 1 S. Pet. 4. Act. 18. 15. 1 Kings 18. 21. Jerem. 2. 11. Prov. 7. 7 21 22. Acts. 26. 28 29. Jer. 18. 12. c. 44. v. 17. Nehem. 4. 6. Rom. 7. 19. 1 Tim. 6. 9. Answer * Plin. lib. 10. Ep. 97. Pervieam certè inflexibilem obstinationem debere puniri non dubitari Acts 11. 25. a Andron Rhod. 1. 6. c. 2. p. 151. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josh. 24. 15. Numb 2. 18. Jer. 30. 31. Rom. 7. 24. Phiiip 4. 13. Psal. 119. 59 60 57.