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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96973	Five sermons, in five several styles; or Waies of preaching. The [brace] first in Bp Andrews his way; before the late King upon the first day of Lent. Second in Bp Hall's way; before the clergie at the author's own ordination in Christ-Church, Oxford. Third in Dr Maine's and Mr Cartwright's way; before the Universitie at St Maries, Oxford. Fourth in the Presbyterian way; before the citie at Saint Paul's London. Fifth in the Independent way; never preached. With an epistle rendring an account of the author's designe in printing these his sermons, as also of the sermons themselves. / By Ab. Wright, sometimes Fellow of St John Baptist Coll. in Oxford.	Wright, Abraham, 1611-1690.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3685; Thomason E1670_1; ESTC R208406	99,151	247

my Text were not spoken as if the poor were able of themselves to bee our friends but God undertakes for them hee hath given his word and entered bond for every act of Charitie whether i bee a work of pietie to his Church or mercie to the poor And first for pietie He that receives a Prophet in the name of a Prophet saith our Saviour Matth. 10. shall ●…eive a Prophets reward either in the b●●ssin●s of earth with the widow of Sarepta 1 King 17. 14. whose cruse and meale did not waste of which the Man of God had a cake or in the blessings of the wombe with the Shunamite who for her Candlestick and Stool received life from the deadnes●e of her womb a son when shee was barren 2 King 4. there 's for pietie Secondly for mercie give and it shall be given unto you saith the 6 of Saint Luke He that commands the one promiseth the other Alms never undid their owner nor is Charitie so ill a servant as to leave the master a beggar And again Hee that gives to the poor lends to the Lord Pro. 19 and if God freely gives us what wee may lend will he not much more pay us what wee have lent and give us because we have given that first is his bountie this last but his justice Now from this last Observation may be gathered by way of Use the happinesse both of Poor and Rich. And first of the Poor when he shall consider himself God's seed-plot his plow'd-land which God hath so bless'd and improved with the showers and dew of heaven that if you chance but to throw in a single grain even one poor mite of your charitie it shall return an hundred fold low earth and you shall reap heaven Secondly from hence appears the blessed condition of the Rich. Oh how happie is that man that may be a creditor to his Maker heaven and earth shall become empty before he shall want a roial paiment never any was a looser by God For God returns large consideration and interest for what he takes up and paics not the use for the principal but the principal for the use not six in the hundred but an hundred for six and who then would not be an usurer to the Almightie But you 'l reply I have talents committed to my charge knew I but the best way to improve them I would willingly give but I see my alms abused To direct you therefore in this great and necessary duty of Christianity I shall hold out unto you 4. generall rules of giving almes and out of each of these 4. generall rules draw out severall particular directions The 4. generall rules are these First the unjust stewards rule in my text Secondly Solomons rule Thirdly Christs rule Fourthly Gods rule For the first the unjust stewards rule that will teach you how to give almes from these particular directions First saith the 5. ver of this Chap. he called his masters debtors and stayed not till they call'd him Abraham and Lot are said to fit in the doore of the Tent to call in strangers they need not knock commonly they that crave least have the most need For there are many persons that have nothing left them but misery and modesty and towards such we must add two circumstances of Charity First to enquire them out Secondly to convey our reliefe so to them as we do not make them ashamed Secondly the second particular direction from this unjust steward was this that what he did was with dispatch he called his Masters debtors and bid them sit downe quickly verse 6. vt hilarem it a celerom datorem diligit Deus God delights in expedition as well as cheerfulnesse give almes with a cheerful heart and countenance not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver 2 Cor 2. 7 and therefore give quickly when the power is in thine hand and the need is in thy neighbour and thy neighbour at the door He gives twice that relieves speedily The more speed the more comfort Neither the times are in our own disposing nor our selves If God had see us a day and made our wealth inseparable there were no danger in delay But now our incertainty if it quickens not deceivs us How many have meant well done nothing loosing their crown with lingring to whom that they would have done good it is n●t ●o great praise as it is dishonour that they might have done it their deaths oft-times preventing their desires and making their good incentions the Wards of their Executors who many times prove the executioners of their wills and estates From hence then take a word of advice and caution let their wracksbe ourwarning who are equally mortall equally fickle It is a wofull and remediless complaint that the end of our dayes should out-run the beginning of our good workes which are commonly so don as the poor may thank our death-beds for them and not us our disease rather then our Charitie For he that gives not till he dies shewes that he would not give then if he could keep it and they that give thus give by their testaments it is true but I can scarce say they give by their wills the good mans praise Psal 112. was that himself dispersed his goods and not left them behind him and his distribution is seconded with this retribution of Gods his righteousnesse indureth for ever The Saints of God are like Dorcas in the Acts rich in good works which shee did herselfe and not entrusted others to do them being her own executrix Secondly let this be an use of exhortation and encouragement to do good in your life time Our Saviour tells us Mat. 5. that our good workes are our lights Let your light so shine as m●n may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven Now which of you will have his candle brought behind him and not rather carried before that he may see which way it goes and which way himself goes by it Do good therefore in your life early beneficence hath no danger many joyes Isa 58. 8. For first the conscience of good don Secondly the praiers and blessings of the relieved Thirdly the gratulations of the Saints are as so many perpetuall comforters which will make your life pleasant and your death happy when every one of you may say to his Soule with that rich man in the Gospel but upon better grounds Soul take thine case for thou hast treasure laid up not for many yeares but for ever Thirdly as this unjust steward dealt his almes speedily so also bountifully ver 6. For which divinity hath no particular and set rule because Charity is not ●●t by a thred as justice but only in generall and at large that it be proportionable to our ability parallel to our meanes according to what a man hath was Saint Pauls to them of Corinth 1 Cor. 8. Liberality is as well seene in a little

troubles in the outward form as the experience of Saints can witnesse But the life above is the day of his rest wherein hee studies all things and sees them to be very good yea and ceaseth from his works as God did from his But did not God himself ordain Form and where did he abrogate it you will say I answer As there was a time to plant so there is a time to pluck up what was planted For Form was never created as a standing rule but as a temporarie help to serve a turn which when it is once accomplished the means cease as having usher'd in the end Neither is the abrogation of Form onely in the letter but in the discovery of an higher glory which darkens the first as the Sun darkens the starrs So that the discovery of Gospel-forms is the abrogation of Legal and the Gospel administration in external rites gives way to an higher glory And yet there are some hints in the letter of this glorious state as Isa 25. and Rev. 21. 2 Pet. 3. 13. Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Though the glorie of the mysteries contained in it are to be experimented in us You 'l say Christ and his Apostles submitted to the outward Form 'T is true Christ in the flesh was made under the Law and submitted to Circumcision as well as Baptisme he under-went the state of death or sorrow and the state of flesh or form Heb. 5. 7. Who in the daies of his flesh when he had offered up praiers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared Wherein he praied and at the last was raised up to the state of mirth or immediate discovery wherein he did rejoice So that Christ in the flesh is the figure of several administrations and every Christian is an embleme in one stage or another of his life Some live in a crucified some in a glorified Jesus some live in his life some in his death some live in Christ after the flesh others in Christ after the spirit And amongst these the highest pitch of a Christian is Christ risen or rather sitting at God's right hand for here is immediatenesse of favour and enjoiment But in the mean time Ordinances and Administrations take place after one sort or other till this state come For as the appearances of God are stronger or weaker so administrations are of several sorts the most eminent are Paradifical Legal and Evangelical Paradifical administrations then took place when the angelical nature being clothed upon with a humane appearance did contemplate its Maker in things below himself the clear stream of the whole creation and the heavenly spirit being likewise clothed upon was a proportionated subject to entertain that discovery This administration did not contein the most compleat enjoiment For here the vail was first set up and man of necessitie must have ceased to his being or form though he had never sinn'd that so he might bee raised up to an higher enjoiment This administration was but for a season for when flesh and self had defiled the stream the glory crept inward and was withdrawn from our view and in came a multitude of helps to usher in but a review of the same glory this was the original of legal sacrifices and administrations But as the fountain was clear'd by degrees and the imagerendred more perspicuous so Gospel administrations succeeded in the place of the Legal as differing onely from them in degrees of light These administrations are not distinguish'd by fleshly Epoches or Periods of time but are interchangeably managed within the Saints according to their degrees of light as being partly bond and partly free partly in the flesh form and letter partly in the spirit and power Which state is a state of confusion and mixture not of puritie The death of Christ himself did not straitwaies determine the Legal administration for the Apostles and Believers did continue to observe them until such time as an higher discovery was made known within them and even then when an higher discovery was made known unto them when they were perfectly under a Gospel state yet had they but the first fruits of the spirit and were in the dark in many things Yea Saint Paul holds forth a state atteinable by the Saints which he himself came short of Phil. 4. which John saw by the spirit of prophesie Rev. 21. And if any shall deny this new state let us reason a little from concessions and grants and see what the enjoiment of a Christian may amount to It is granted by all and cannot be denied that the letter of the word holds forth more glory then is yet attain'd and that many prophesies are to be fulfilled relating to that glory of the Saints among which that in the Revelations is one as likewise that perfection is to be press'd after Heb. 6. which certainly is more then uprightnesse for the Apostle speaks to upright Saints Now what this glory these new heavens this state of perfection is the dispute and question of these daies which to me is resolved thus That there is a glorious state of the Saints to be discovered in the last daies consisting not in a fleshly paradise or material enjoiment but in the true vision of God in the spirit and high light of heavenly glory This state was the hope and joy of the Prophets Apostles and other Christians who foresaw the day thereof And well might it bee so considering the many mysteries contein'd therein which no other state can attein unto For here the Christian sees all things in the light of God Here is opened unchangeable glory and essential will perfect freedom restitution of all things heavenly rest There man ceaseth questions are resolved union clear'd and all expectations satisfied And thus have you seen the first particular wherein wee must deny our Religion it is in relation to Ordinances and Forms and administrations Secondly in the second place we must deny our religion in respect of the Scriptures so as to rest upon the letter and to prefer it above the teaching of the spirit in it Heare this all you that idolize Scripture so much as to prefer those writings before the God of the Apostles and Prophets it is very possible that a man may attain to the litteral knowledge of the Scriptures and may speak largely of the history thereof and draw conclusions and raise many uses for the present support of a troubled soul or for the restraining of lewd practises and direction of a civil conversation and yet they that speake and they that heare may be not only unacquainted with but enemies to that spirit of truth by which those Prophets and Apostles write For it is not the Apostles writings but the spirit that dwelleth in them that did inspire their hearts that gives life and peace to us all And

no destroying nor cutting off from eating now Thus was it before the Law and no otherwise under it for you shall finde Moses commanding the children of Israel and that twice in one book to keep a strict fast every year on the tenth day of the seventh month and a strict Fast it was even like unto that in Paradice In the day thereof that he eats the partie must die the death Levit. 16. Now more then this one day though wee read not that Moses ordained yet Prophet Zechary in his 8 Chap. has his Fast of the fourth his Fast of the fifth and his Fast of the tenth month and not onely Prophet Zechary but Prophet Elias and Prophet Daniel may be brought in for fasters this last for his three full weeks of abstinence Eliah for his 40 daies for which act alone he might very well be interpreted by Christ of John the Baptist they both being our Saviours fore-runners John in his Doctrine Eliah in his Fast Now for the quid sit what fasting is all that I have met with define it to be An abstinence from meat and drink joined with an inward grief and sorrow of heart which last part is made good from the very text Our Saviour was ask'd Why fast not thy disciples and he said Can the children of the Bride-chamber mourn The question was of Fasting his answer of Mourning as if fasting and mourning had been all one and that this outward fast of the bodie is an abstinence from all natural food clearly appears out of Esthers 3 daies fast a long Lent for a Queen Now least any should say we are the children of grace as little bound to your old Testament Fasts as your old Testament meats let such but turn over their Bibles and they shall meet one bringing both Ashwednesday and Lent home to them in the Gospel I mean the Baptist coming with his leathern girdle and garment of Camels hair a habit very well agreeing with the humiliation of this day as also neither eating nor drinking saies the text an abstinence ●it for the following fourtie Fasting then is a with-holding of meat and drink even under the Gospel But now non omnes capium sormo●●m h●nc all are not capable of this precept and therefore our indulgent mother the Church that none might compl●ine of wrong do●e to Christian liberty or the weake stomack of any weak brother remits all she can of this rigour and enjoins not for a fast either that of Esthers or this of Johns and yet qui porest capere cap●at he that can fast so let him fast a Gods name but if he must needs eate then let him sit down with Daniel and fall to his pulse our Church forbidbing onely that pan●m desider abile● the pleasant bread there mention'd your Lents of sweet-meats E●ber-weeks of preservs all high-feeding dishes and in parler flesh and yet even this also doth our Church allow to such as are in Timothies case that have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often infirmities and to them is permitted flesh and wine but it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is there in Timothie a little to suffice nature 't is not the ●illing of our selvs but our lusts no de●ay of nature but chastisement of sin that shee aims at and therefore forbids all die● nourishing blood with blood not through a ●uperstitious abstinence as it she did judaize in consecrating mea●s and placing more holinesse in one dish then another but onely that by the waterish and flaccid diet of fish and so unapt for nourishmen● we might keep our bodies low but our souls high the flesh in subjection to the spirit and the appe●i●● to the minde hungring and thirsting after righteousnesse and lusting no more after flesh-pots and onions but Mannah which brings me to my third Quaere the cur sit the reasons why we should fast tunc jejunabunt and then shall they fast Though according to our Church Homily the civil respects of the Common-wealth may require a fa●t the narrow ●eas and shambles exact their Ember-weeks Lents to increase the breed of cattel and maintein certain fish-trades yet according to the Scriptures intent and the Churches we must sanctifie a fast prescribe these fourtie daies to a religious end to bridle and keep in the lusts of the flesh so to prevent sins to come and punish our selvs for those already past And this last S. Paul calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an holy chastising and afflicting himself for that thorn in his flesh which forc'd him to his watchings often and his fastings often to his castigo corpus meum to correct the outward man and bring his bodie under the lash and certainly to be abridged of that which otherwise we might freely use has in it the nature of a punishment they are the very words of the Psalmist I wept and chastned my self with fasting chastned himself a chastisement then it it is And as it punishes for sin past so it prevents also for sins to com and this was Christs time of fasting before temptation who fasted to so good purpose that the Tempter like the Pharisees from that day forward never durst ask him any more questions but this onely What have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth there was no medling no doing with him after his fasting Now Christ abstein'd thus not for himself for the Divel could not have prevailed had he not fasted there were no faultie desires of the flesh to be tamed no possibilitie of a freer and more easie assent and compliance of his soul with God who was already perfectly united to the Deity But as for us hee would suffer death so for us he would suffer hunger that first as our Saviour this last as our example pointing us that had need for hee had none the best way to encounter the evil spirit of concupiscence which is not cast out no not kept out neither but by fasting Saturitas ventris semin●rium libidinis a ●ul● bellie and a foul heart scarce go uncoupled for indeed how should they per membr●rum ordinem saies S. August in his 65 de tempore ordo vitiorum intelligitur as in the Anatomie of our bodies the parts of gluttonie and lust are link'd together so are the sins themselvs And therefore the Apostle ioynes them rioting and drunkennesse chambering and wantonnesse first rioting and then wantonness that leads on this and not only this but a whole troope of rebellious actions security disobedience idolatry Thus when the fools barns in the gospell were filled with corn there was no thought of God the benefactor all the care was about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soul take thy case eat drink and bemerry And indeed this eating quite takes away our stomacke from all holy duties I need not tell you of Adams surfet the Isralites in their paradice of Canaan fell to eating 100 and by eating fell as hee did from their God and this

therefore when the Prophets Isa Jerem. and Ezekiel spake what they saw from God they spake Thus saith the Lord out of experience of what they saw and felt and they were call'd true Prophets But when others rose up that spake their words writings and then applied them to another age and generation of men saying Thus saith the Lord as the other did they were called false Prophets because they had seen nothing themselves of God but walked by the legs and saw by the eyes of the true Prophets For God doth not threaten death to every city of every age of the world as to Sodom and Gomrorha nei●her captivity to every people as he did to Israel under Nebuchadnezar in Babilon Neither doth he promise victory or deliverance to every army or people from enemies as he did to Irsael in Jehosophats time Now if any man speake and assures others of victory when God purposes distruction or speakes destruction when God purposes a victory these men speake at randome and though they speake the very words of the Scriptures yet they speake not the mind of him that gives life or destroyes and so having seen nothing from him they are to be reckoned among the false Pr●phets they run before they are sent A man may know the Scripture and yet be an arch enemie to the God of the Scripture as the Jewes were They knew the writings of Moses who writ of Jesus Christ and yet they persecuted and killed Jesus Christ because they knew him not For if they had known him to have been of the power of God they would not have kill'd him And so many nowadayes do know Scripture yet may do persecute the spirit of the Scripture through ignorance and unbeliefe Truely friends it is not the knowledge of the Scripture onely but the knowledge of the God of the Scripture as God is pleased to make known himselfe by his mighty working in you that gives life and peace to you If you know and speake Scripture and can see nothing of God you are like Parrats that speake the words of another as you have been taught by humane education But if the same annointing or power of God dwel in you as did appeare in the Prophets and Apostles that writ then you can see into that mistery of the Scripture and so can speake the mind of the Scriptures though you should never see heare nor read the Scripture from men If your peace and comfort in God should onely remain with you while you are either hearing or reading Scriptures or while you have any society of such as can speake and discourse thereof and then find again that your peace and comfort is gone when you are deprived by any occasion of that society of Saints truely let me tell you that though you prize and know the Scripture yet there is a great strangeness betweene you and the God of the Scripture Many enjoy outward reading and hearing and Saints Communion and they are in peace and they live in heaven as they conceive and it is a sweet life but it is not the life For if the wisedom of God hedge up all these enjoyments with thornes and leave these poor souls alone as it was Christs case all forsooke him and fled why then here is your triall For when God hath denyed you the opportunities of hearing reading praying and Saints fellowship doth not your heart now looke for those helps and mourn in their absence If it be so with you as I know it is with you then where is your knowledge experience and peace in and with God It shewes plainly that at such a time we suck'd refreshment from the creatures brests but not from God We are now come to the ●ast particular in respect of which we must deny our religion and that is in respect of the Author of it our blessed Saviour And herein we must first deny all false Christs secondly all false opinions of the true Christ thirdly we must deny but in a Christian qualified sence even the true Christ himselfe First then we must deny all false Christs you will find false Christs coming with signes and wonders Matt 24. 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect You shall have Christs to do what you desire Christs to shew you signes and wonders as you gape after but they shall be false Christs and this shall be your judgement God in judgement hath false Christs for false Seekers false Inquirers This is the plague of the flesh it shall have what it doth desire one that will open Scriptures do mighty miracles shew great gifts and yet all this is but a false Christ and the very elect so far as is possible shall be deceived therewith Therefore let it be our speciall care to deny these false Christs most especially in these antichristian times wherein we live in which you shall have Christs come upon you more then you would have If you go into the desert there is Christ if into the city there 's Christ some shall say lo here others lo there you shall have false Christs every where a false spirit a false resurrection a false glory a false god continually offering themselves unto you lo here lo there Such excellent glorious high ravishing wonderfull discoveries of spirituall things that they shall say plainly to you I am Christ Such things so far excelling all that ever you have known so heavenly so glorious as thereby you shall be able to say with open face here is Christ You shal have a light above men and Angels and ye● all this shall b● but a delusion I suppose you are not acquainted with this as yet but you shall have ●uch glorious discoveries in such illustrious brightnesse majesty and authority that shall absolutely say in you I am the Christ I am the Lord I am the Son of the living God In Fzekiel 28. 2. There 's a type of the false appearance of God in the world Because thine heart is listed up and thou haist said I am a God I sit in the seat of God in the midd'st of the seas yet thou art a man and not God though thou set thine heart as the heart of God You shall be so enlarged in understanding that you shall thinke your selves wiser then Daniel that you shall see through all the mysterie of Daniel through all the darke prophesies of Daniel as a clear thing yet there will be a false Christ an antichrist under all this go not after saith our Saviour Luke 17. 23. And they shall say to you see here or see there go not after them nor follow them Such appearances will present themselves unto you and invite you to the discovery and clear understanding of the darke places of Scripture but saith God follow them not They are such as if it were possible they should deceive the very elect