that our natures are much vitiated and depraved and this makes our business in the way of Religion diâ—ficult For our work is to cleanse our Natures and to destroy those evil Inclinations to crucifie the old man Rom. vi 6 and to purge out the old leven 1 Cor. v. 7 This is Religion and the way of happiness which must needs be very difficult and uneasie For the vices of Inclination are very dear and grateful to us They are our right hands and our right eyes and esteemed as our selves So that to cut off and pluck out these and to bid defiance to and wage war against our selves to destroy the first-born of our natures and to lop off our own limbs This cannot but be very irksom and displeasant imployment this is one chief business and a considerable thing that makes Religion difficult SECT III. II. ANother difficulty ariseth from the Influence of the Senses We are creatures of sense and sensible things do most powerfully move us we are born Children and live at first the life of â—easts That Age receives deep impressions and those are made by the senses whose interest grows strong and establisht in us before we come to the use of reason and after we have arrived to the exercise of that sensible objects still possess our affections and sway our wills and fill our Imaginations and influence our Understandings so that we love and hate we desire and choose we phancy and we discourse according to those impressions And hence it is that we are enamour'd of trifles and fly from our happiness and pursue Vexation and embrace misery and imagine perversely and reason childishly For the influence of the body and its senses are the chief Fountains of of sin and Folly and Temptation Upon which accounts it was that the Platonical Philosophers declaim'd so earnestly against the body and asâ—crib'd all evils and mischief to iâ— calling vice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corporeae pesteâ— material evils and bodily plaguâ— â— And the Apostle that understooâ— it better calls sin by the name 〈◊〉 Flesh. Gal. v. 17 Works of the flesâ— Gal. v. 19 Law of the Memberâ— Rom. vii 23 and cries out upâ—on the body of this death Rom. viâ—24 And now this is our natural conâ—dition a state subject to the prevaâ—lent influences of sense and so sinâ— and temptation by them And ' tâ—â— our work in Religion to mortiâ— the body Rom. viii 13 and 〈◊〉 cease from making provision for tâ—â— Flesh Rom. xiii 14 and from fulfilling the lusts thereof Gal. v. 14â— To render our selves dead to thâ— prevalent life of sense and sinâ— Rom. vi 8 and 11. v. and to arise to a new Life Rom. vi 4. The Life of righteousness and Faith Hab. ii 4 A Life that hath other Principles and other pleasures other objects and other ends and such as neither eye hath seen nor ear heard nor any of the senses perceived Yea this is a Life that is exercised in contradiction to the judgments of sense It s joy is Tribulation Iam. i. 2 It 's Glory reproaches 2 Pet. iv 14 It 's height is lowness Luke xiv 11 It 's greatness in being meanest Mat. xx 27 And it's riches in having nothing 2 Cor. vi 10 To such a Life as this Religion is to raise us and it must needs be difficult to make us who are so much Brutes to be so much Angels us who seem to live by nothing else but sense to live by nothing less This with a witness is an hard and uneasie work and another difficulty in Religion SECT IV. III. A Third proceeds from the natural disorder and ragâ— of our passions Our Corrupt natures are like the troubled Sea Isa. lvii 20 And our passions are the waves of that Ocean that tumble and swell and keep a mighty noise They dash against the rocks and break one against another and our peace and happiness is shipwrackt by them Our passions make us miserable We are sometimes stifled by their numbers and confounded by their disorders and torn to pieces by their violence mounted to the clouds by ambition and thrown down to the deep by despair scorcht by the flames of Lust and overwhelm'd by the waters of unstable desire Passions fight one against another and all against reason they prevail over the mind and have usurpt the Government of our Actions and involve us in continual guilt and misery This is the natural state of man and our work in the way of Religion is to restrain this violence and to rectifie these disorders and to reduce those rebellious powers under the Empire and Government of the mind their Soveraign And so to regain the divine image which consists much in the order of our faculties and the subjection of the Brutish to the reasonable powers This I say Religion aims at to raise us to the perfection of our natures by mortifying those members Coâ— iii. 5 our unruly passions and dâ—â—sires and crucifying the flesh witâ— its affections and lusts Gal. v. 24 Anâ— thereby to make us humble iâ— Prosperity quiet in Adversity mâ—eâ— under provocations steady amid temptations modest in our desirâ—s temperate in our injoyments constâ—â—â— to our resolutions and contented iâ— all conditions Here is our greaâ— business and our work is this Anâ— certainly 't is no easie thing to brinâ— order out of a Chaos and to speaâ— a tempest into a calm to resist torrent and to stop and turn thâ— tyde to subdue a rebellious rabble and to change them from tyranniâ—cal Masters to modest and obedienâ— servants These no doubt arâ— works of difficulty enough and thesâ— must be our imployment in the waâ— of Religion and on this score also the Gate is straight SECT V. IV. OUR work in Religion is yet more difficult upon the account of Custom to which we are subject and by which we are swayed much This is vulgarly said to be another nature and the Apostle calls it by that name 1 Cor. xi 14 Doth not nature it self teach you that if a man have long hair it is a shame unto him By the word Nature the best Interpreters say onely Custom is meant since long hair is not declared shameful by the Law and Light of Nature taken in it's chief and properest sense For then it had never been permitted to the Nazarites But the contrary custom in the Nations that used it not made it seem shameful and indecent â— There are other places in Scripture and antient Authors wherein Naâ—ture is put for Custom But I muâ—â— not insist on this the thing I aâ— about is That custom is very powerâ—ful and as it makes a kind of Naâ—ture so many times it masters anâ— subdues it Wild creatures are hereby made gentle and familiar and those that naturally are tame enougâ— are made to degenerate into wildness by it And now besides the original deâ—pravities of our natures we havâ— contracted many vitious habits by corrupt and evil usages which we were drawn into at
There is no doubt but that an evil man may be convinced of his sin and vileness and that even to anguish and torment The Gâ—ntiles saith the Apostle Rom. ii 14 which have not the Law shew the works of the Law written in their hearts their thoughts in the mean time accusing or excusing one another Conscience often stings and disquiets the vilest sinners and sometimes extorts from them lamentable confessions of their sins and earnest declamations against them They may weep bitterly at their remembrance and be under great heaviness and dejection upon their occasion They may speak vehemently against sin themselves and love to have others to handle it severely All this bad men may do upon the score of natural fear and self love and the apprehension of a future Iudgment And now such convictions will naturally beget some endeavours A convinced understanding will have some influence upon the will and affections The mind in the unregenerate may lust against the flesh as that doth against it So that 2. such a meer animal man may promise and purpose and endeavour in some pretty considerable measure but then he goes not on with full resolution but wavers and stops and turns about again and lets the law of the members that of death and sin to prevail over him His endeavour is remiss and consequently ineffectual it makes no conquests and will not signifie He sins on though with some regret and his very unwillingness to sin while he commits it is so far from lessening that it aggravates his fault It argues that he sins against conscience and conviction and that sin is strong and reigns 'T is true indeed St. Paul Rom. 7. makes such a description seemingly of himself as one might think concluded him under this state He saith vers 8. That sin wrought in him all manner of concupiscence vers 9. That sin revived and he died vers 14. That he was carnal and again sold under sin vers 20. That sin dwelt in him and wrought that which he would not vers 23. That the law of his Members led him into captivity to the law of sin and vers 25. That he obeyed the law of sin If this be so and St. Paul a regenerate man was in this state it will follow that seeking and feeble endeavour that overcometh no difficulty may yet procure an entrance and he that is come hitherto viz. to endeavour is safe enough though he do not conquer This Objection presseth not only against this head but against my whole Discourse and the Text it self Therefore to answer it I say That the Apostle here is not to be understood of himself but he describes the state of an unregenerate man though he speaks in the first person a Figure that was ordinary with this Apostle and frequent enough in common speech Thus we say I am thus and thus and did so and so when we are describing a state or actions in which perhaps we in person are not concerned In this sense the best Expositors understand these expressions and those excellent Divines of our own Bishop Taylor and Dr. Hammond and others have noted to us That this description is directly contrary to all the Characters of a regenerate man given elsewhere by this and the other Apostles As he is said to be dead to sin Rom. vi 11 Free from sin and the servant of Righteousness Rom vi 18 That he walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. viii 1 â—hat the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made him free from the law of sin and death Rom. viii 2 That he overcometh the world Joh. 5.4 He sinneth not 1 Joh iii. 6 He hath crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts Gal. v. 24 Which Characters of a truly regenerate person if they be compared with those above-cited out of Rom. vii it will appear that they are as contrary as 't is possible to speak and by this 't is evident that they describe the two contrary states For can the regenerate be full of all manner of concupiscence and at the same time be crucified to the flesh and ill affections and lusts one in whom sin revives while he dies and yet one that is dead to sin carnal and yet not walking after the flesh but after the Spirit sold under sin and yet free from sin Having sin dwelling in him and a captive to sin and obeying the law of sin and yet free from the law of sin and death How can these things consist To tell us 'T is so and 't is not so and to twist such contradictions into Orthodox Paradoxes are pretty things to please Fools and Children but the wiser sort care not for such riddles as are not sense I think 't is evident enough then that the Apostle in that mistaken Chapter relates the feeble impotent condition of one that was convinced and strove a little but not to purpose And if we find our selves comprised by that description though we may be never so sensible of the evil and danger of a sinful course and may endeavour some small matter but without success we are yet under that evil and obnoxious to that danger For he that strives in earnest conquers at last and advanceth still though all the work be not dâ—ne at once So that if we endeavour and gain nothing our endeavour is peccant and wants Faith or Prayer for Divine aids or constancy or vigor and so Though we may seek we shall not be able to enter But 3 An Imperfect striver may overcome sin in some Instances and yet in that do not great matter neither if he lies down and goes no further There are some sins we out-grow by age or are indisposed to them by bodily infirmity or diverted by occasions and it may be by other sins and some are contrary to worldly Interests to our credit or health or profit and when we have been in any great degree prejudiced by them in these we fall out with those sins and cease from them and so by resolution and disuse we master them at last fully which if we went on and attempted upon all the rest were something But when we stop short in these petty victories our general state is not altered He that conquers some evil appetites is yet a slave to others and though he hath prevailed over some difficulties yet the main ones are yet behind Thus the imperfâ—ct striver masters it may be his beastly appetite to intemperate drinking but is yet under the power of love of Riches and vain pleasure He ceaseth from open debauchery but entertains spiritual wickedness in his heart He will not Swear but will backbite and rail He will not be Drunk but will damn a man for not being of his opinion He will not prophane the Sabbath but will defraud his Neighbour Now these half conquests when we rest in them are as good as none at all Then shall I not be ashamed when I have regard
Pharisee â— not in shew and pomp but in real worth and divine esteem So that upon the whole we have no reason to be discouraged because They that do so much are cast out since though we find not those heats and specious things in our selves which we observe in them yet if we are more meek and modest and patient and charitable and humble and just our case is better and we have the Power of Godliness when theirs is but the Form And we whom They accounted aliens and enemies shall enter while they the presumed friends and domesticks shall be shut out But 2. I expect it should be again Objected against this severity of Discourse That our Saviour saith Mat. xi 20 That his yoke is easie and his burden is light which place seems to cross all that hath been said about the Difficulties of Religion And 't is true it hath such an appearance but 't is no more For the words look as cross to the expressions of the same Divine Author concerning the straightness of the Gate and narrowness of the Way as to any thing I have delivered from those infallible sayings Therefore to remove the semblance of contrariety which the objected Text seems to have to those others and to my Discourse we may observe That when our Saviour saith that his yoke is easie the word we read easie is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth very good excellent gracious and the meaning I suppose is That his Precepts had a native beauty and goodness in them That they are congruous and sutable to our reasonable Natures and apt instruments to make us happy In which sense this expression hath no antipathy to the Text or to any thing I have said And whereas 't is added My Burden is light I think by this we are to understand That his Commands are not of that burdensome nature that the Ceremonies of the Iewish Laws were Those were very cumbersome and had nothing in their nature to make them pleasant and agreeable whereas his Religion had no expensive troublesome Rites appendant to it nor did it require any thing but our observation of those Laws which eternal Reason obligeth us to and which of our selves we should choose to live under were we freed from the intanglements of the World and interests of Flesh. So that neither doth this Objection signifie any thing against the scope of my Discourse CHAP. IV. INFERENCES from the whole concerning 1 The true notion of a state of Grace and Nature 2 The great design of Religion to perfect humane nature 3 The agreement and oneness of Christianity and Morality 4 The method of of Grace on the souls of men 5 The nature of the Animal Religion 6 The certain mark whereby to know our state 7 The power of Godliness and the Forms of it SECT I. AND now I am at liberty to descend to the Improvement of what I have said and the things I have to add will be comprehended under these two Generals 1 Inferences and a plain 2 Advice in order to practice I begin with the Inferences and Corollaries that arise from the whole discourse And 1 We may collect What is the state of Nature and what the state of Grace We have seen that 't is the great business of Religion to overcome evil Inclinations and the prevailing influence of sense and passion and evil customs and example and worldly affections And therefore the state of Nature consists in the power and prevalency of These This is that the Scripture calls the Old man Eph. iv 22 The Image of the earthy 1 Cor. xv Flesh Gal v. 17 Death Rom. vii 24 Darkness John iii. 19 and old leaven 1 Cor. v. 7 On the contrary The state of Grace is a state of sincere striving against them which if it keeps on ends in Victory And this is call'd Conversion Acts iii. 19 and Renovation while 't is in its first motions And the Divine Nature 2 Pet. i. 4 the image of the heavenly 1 Cor. xv 20 The Spirit Gal. v. 16 Light Ephes. v. 8 and Life 1 Joh. iii. 14 when 't is arriv'd to more compleatness and perfection For our fuller understanding this we may consider That grace is taken 1 for Divine favour 2 for Christian Vertue As it signifies Divine favour so it is used 1 For those helps and aids God affords us viz. the Gospel Joh. i. 17 and the influences of his Spirit 1 Cor. xii 9 In this sense we are deliver'd from the state of nature by Baptism viz. We are intitled to divine helps which is a kind of regeneration for we are born in a condition of impotence and weakness and destitution of spiritual assistances This is the world of meer nature But then in Baptism we are brought into the world of the spirit that is are put under its influences and are assured of its aids and so are morally born again Not that this Regeneration alone will save us without our endeavours it imports only an external relation and right to priviledges and by these we may be powerfully assisted in our striving if we use them But then 2 Grace too as it signifies divine favour implies his special love and kindness such as he vouchsafes to holy and vertuous men so that we may observe that there may be a distinction between a state of grace and a state of salvation A state of Grace in the former sense is a condition assisted by the influences of Gods Spirit and all baptized persons are in that But if they use not those hâ—lps they are not in Gods special favour and so not in a state of Salvation But when those assistances are duly imployed and join'd with our sincere endeavour then the person so using them is in a state of Salvation also and in Gods special love and favour Thus of the state of Grace in the first sense as taken for divine favour 2 The word is also used for Christian Vertue 2 Peter iii. 18 and vertue is call'd grace because 't is wrought in us by the assistance of Gods Spirit and the light of the Gospel which are divine favours and to be in a state of grace in this sense is to be a virtuous man which supposeth divine aids and intitles to divine love These things I have taken an occasion thus briefly to state and I have done it because there is oft-times much confusion in mens discourses about Grace and Nature from which much trouble and many controversies have arisen And by what I have said also in these brief hints the Doctrine of our Church in the office of Baptism may be understood cleerly and will appear to be very sound and true notwithstanding the petty exceptions of those that understand not what they say nor whereof they affirm SECT II. II I may infer That the great design of Religion and the Gospel is to perfect Humane nature The perfection of our natures consists as I have intimated in the subjection and