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A34429
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An exhortation to firmness and constancy in true religion in a sermon preached at St. Mary Islington, Feb. 2, 1689/90 / by Shadrach Cooke ...
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Cooke, Shadrach, 1655?-1724?
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1689
(1689)
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Wing C6037; ESTC R20683
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19,785
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32
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Whereas now a Sound and True Faith disputes no Commands sticks at no Opposition for the greater the Hardship and Difficulty the more our Duty and Obedience So that in short we may go a great way in a fair Profession of Religion but if we refuse or decline the difficult Parts Duties or Instances of it wherewith God may try and exercise our Faith This is a Rebellion against or a Dissertion of Christ and his Doctrin A being ashamed of him and his Words for every Christian should be ready to say with the Apostle Rom. 8.38 39. I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor Things present nor Things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Fourthly Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my Words may signify such as act contrary to the true Interest and real Advantage of that Faith and Religion which they profess And this part or instance carries in it the guilt of all the foregoing Evils and goes a considerable step further to make a fair Pretence and glorious Profession of Religion only to disgrace abuse or betray it is the most aggravating Circumstance of Guilt and Condemnation and seems to be the very case of Judas himself who was one of our Saviours professed Disciples attended him constantly heard his gracious Words saw his Miracles and was a constant Partaker of his Goodness yet who but this was the Villain that betrayed him And therefore our Lord upon that Occasion seems to bespeak this Wretch in such a manner as methinks goes home and cuts to the very quick when he said as 't is St. Matth. 26.50 and St. Luke 22.48 Friend wherefore art thou come Judas betrayest thou the Son of Man with a Kiss Betrayest thou who was so near to me and so much obliged by me If any wise to injure or desert our Religion or upon any account to be ashamed of Christ is infinitely dangerous to promote or forward a contrary Interest and to be our selves helpful and instrumental to the ruin or prejudice of that our own very Faith and Profession is the highest Dishonour we can offer to God and our Religion and the utmost violation of all Honesty and Conscience And having thus given you an Account of this great and dangerous Evil of being ashamed of Christ and his Words and shewed to you what it is or wherein it doth Consist Being 1. An utter Renouncing our Religion 2. An external Disowning of it 3. An Aversion to some of its more difficult Duties Or 4. Such Actions and Proceedings as are contrary to the Interest of Christ and his Doctrine I proceed according to the Method propounded to Consider in the 2. Place What are the Temptations to this so great and dangerous Evil. And they are generally such as these 1. Base and Unworthy Complyance 2. Secular Gain or Interest 3. The Fear or Danger of Suffering 1. This great Evil is too often occasioned through Base and Unworthy Complyance Though Religion or the Concern of our Souls is the most serious and weighty matter in the whole World yet nothing is so much trifled with and disregarded and rendered plyant to every turn and occasion as if the mode of the Times eminent Examples and prophane Scoffs and Derisions were to be the Rule and Standard of what we were to believe or do in these great and momentous Affairs Men being too often become really ashamed of Christ and his Words in a Sinfull and Adulterous Generation Wherein our Saviour refers to the very Cause or Occasion here laid down for their so doing as if it were unseemly to own and profess Christ and his True Religion amidst a Generation of Wicked and Sinful Men. Wherein they think it strange if you run not with them into the same excess of Riot speaking Evil of you 1. Pet. 4.4 Great Examples and Importunate Solicitations are very powerful with most men who are too easily carried away with the Stream and follow a multitude to do Evil But the Temptations is as Unwarrantable as what it ends in And such the Emperour Constantius thought it to be in that memorable Case which is thus related by Eusebius Constantius the Father of Constantine had this Device came into his Head that may be a paradox to hear as it was strange to practice He put it to the choice of all his Courtiers about him even to the very Judges themselves or such as were placed in the chief Stations of Authority Whether they would Sacrifice to Devils and remain in his Palace in their wonted Honour or upon refusal be removed from his Favour and Presence Whereupon when the Court became divided and some went one and some another way the Excellent Prince discovering himself Those that yielded he Reproached for their Cowardice and Hypocrisie but greatly Approved and Commended those that kept their Integrity to God looking on those as Traytors to their God and so not worthy the Favour of their Prince For how said He shall they be imagined to be Faithful to their King who are found False to God himself And therefore utterly Banished them from his Presence But they that were Firm and True to God and their Religion such he did believe would be just and faithful to Himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. He made them the Protectors and principle Officers of his Kingdom saying They were worthy to be ranked in the number of his Bosom Friends and Dearest Relations and to be valued and esteemed above his highest Treasures Herein acting agreeable to that Prudent and Pious Resolution of David Mine Eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me He that walks in a perfect way or is perfect in the way He shall serve me He that worketh deceit shall not dwell in my house he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight or shall not be established Ps 101.6 7. This is the First Thing Base and Unworthy Complyance is very frequently the Occasion of Mens being ashamed of Christ and his Words Whereupon follows in the Second Place as another great Inducement or Temptation hereunto Secular Gain or Interest Which our Saviour hath respect to in the Case before us as one Occasion of this great Evil saying as he doth Ver. 36. What shall it profit a Man if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul c. Intimating the great Prejudices and Discouragements against him and his Doctrin were the Solicitations or Temptations of Things here below Which yet in the greatest Enjoyments were no wise able to compensate the great Evil they were thereby seduced to of being ashamed of Christ and his Words Now secular Wealth or Greatness is such a powerful Ingagement against all kind of Goodness That the Devil reserved this Temptation for the last and therefore it 's like looked on it as the
I may say with the Apostle Beloved if in these things our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God And this will be such a Qualification as will keep us steady and immovable against all Opposition We shall have that Conviction from within and those regular Motions in our Hearts as will dispose us to a sutable Behaviour in all our Actions For as a good Tree cannot bring forth corrupt Fruit so a Mind well Principled and Indued will be evermore happily disposed to Subdue and Conquer whatever may tempt us to this Sin And believe me it requires a firm and well settled Faith to bear us up against all those Hardships and Difficulties that oppose us in our Christian State Whence you see how necessary and requisite it is seriously and often to consider the Case between God and our Souls to become every day more and more confirmed and settled in the great and weighty Concerns of our Faith and our Religion And hereupon we may do well in our present Circumstances to consider the Nature and Excellency of that Faith which is professed among us that we grow in it more and more and be firm and constant to it For we enjoy God be blessed a Faith truly Orthodox and Catholick in the best and purest Church upon Earth That doth not prohibit or lock up the holy Scriptures from any but doth enjoyn and practice the constant and daily Use and Reading of them Where Sacraments are administer'd as Christ enjoyn'd them in a most grave solemn and decent Manner Whose Prayers are most pious and heavenly every way suted to our several Wants and Necessities and able to warm our Souls with a most fervent Zeal and Devotion Let us study to improve in the knowledge and practice of this Faith which will happily secure us from all dangerous Errors and Superstition Here we are taught and enjoyn'd due Obedience to God strict Loyalty to our Prince Love and Charity to all Men. Its Doctrins are Sound and Orthodox It s Discipline Pure and Primitive And as many as walk by this Rule peace be on them and on the Israel of God And now having so Good so True and Sound a Faith and Religion if we desire and expect that God should preserve and continue it to us Let us hold fast this Profession of our Faith without wavering That nothing prevail upon us to injure desert or betray this truly Catholick and Apostolick Faith as professed in the Church of England The more we consider of or know it the better shall we like it and become the firmer in it upon a due and serious Examination and right Understanding of it We shall find it will both deserve and instruct us in a firm Constancy and Resolution against all Opposition and Difficulty whatever Finally my Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his Might Put on the whole Armor of God that ye may able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil For we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers against spiritual Wickedness if the darkness of this World on High places wherefore take unto you the whole Armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil Day and having done all to Stand Eph. 6.10 4. It may be again requisit herein to set before us the Pattern and Example of Christ who was eminent in all Perfections but especially Remarkable for this insomuch that he himself tells us For this end was I born and for this cause came I into the World that I should bear Witness unto the Truth Which he never dissembled but constantly asserted with the greatest Courage and Resolution I speak openly in the Synagogue So far was he from Fear or Cowardice and so compleat this Pattern that he underwent the extreamest Sufferings even unto Death for Truth and a good Cause This Captain of our Salvation being so Brave and Generous we are obliged both in Favour and Duty to imitate and resemble his Courage and Constancy and like him firmly maintain Truth and Integrity whatever it costs us This will resemble us to Christ at present and bring us to the Enjoyment of him hereafter Whereupon I shall conclude with the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.13 I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickneth all things and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good Confession that thou keep this Commandment without spot unrebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ 5. For another prevention or direction against this great Evil let us often think and consider of that great and terrible Threatning here mentioned And that if we be ashamed of him and his Words in this Adulterous and Sinful Generation of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the Glory of his Father with the holy Angels And certainly frequent and serious reflexions on that great and glorious Appearance and that his coming in such a Solemn and Terrible manner to recompence Punishment on us should preserve us firm and steadfast in all holy Duties For should it not make us even now shrink and tremble to think with our selves that he will call us to a strict Account and punish us most severely for these things another Day How shall we look or what shall we be able to say when we come to appear before him in such Majesty and Honour Wherefore if we keep the Thoughts of this so great and terrible Appearance always fresh and settled in our Minds it will make us not dare to be guilty of so great a Sin as we will answer hereafter at our utmost peril For if we deny him he also will deny us 2 Tim. 2.12 6. Let us be strict and sincere in all holy Duties That we adorn the Doctrin of Christ in all things and walk worthy of our Profession A good Faith is the most of all indanger'd by an undue and irregular Practice If by our ungodly and wicked Lives we Dishonour our Religion we make a very forward step towards a denial of it and it may be just in God quite to remove it from us If therefore we would consult the Interest of true Religion and do design or would desire the security and continuance of it Let us walk conscienciously by the Rule we profess and not dare any longer to continue practices so repugnant to all Piety and Religion remembring what the Apostle threatens some Who because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie 2 Thess 2.10 But to compleat and perfect all we must be sure to superadd in the Seventh and Last Place our most humble and hearty Prayers to Almighty God That he by his Grace or Holy Spirit would assist us against this great and fatal Evil. That he would support us under all Dangers and carry us through all Temptations That he would stablish strengthen settle us That he would graft in our Hearts the Love of his Name increase in us true Religion nourish us with all Goodness and of his great Mercy keep us in the same That he being our Ruler and Guid we may so pass through things Temporal that we finally lose not the things Eternal That so Christ our Lord may not be ashamed of us when he cometh in the Glory of his Father with the holy Angels Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through Grace comfort your Hearts and stablish you in every good Word and Work 2 Thess 2.16 17. FINIS