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A89018 Spiritual vvisdom improved against temptation. In a sermon preached at Stepney Septemb. 16. 1660. And now made publick to obviate misrepresentation. By Matthew Meade. Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699. 1660 (1660) Wing M1559; Thomason E1045_12; ESTC R202905 17,363 37

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Spiritual Wisdom Improved against TEMPTATION IN A SERMON PREACHED At Stepney Septemb. 16. 1660. And now made publick to obviate misrepresentation By MATTHEW MEADE Joh. 18.23 If I have spoken evil bear witness of the evil but if I have spoken well why smitest thou me Psal 120.2 Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue Conscia mens recti famae mendacia ridet LONDON Printed for Thomas Parkhurst at the Three Crowns in the lower end of Cheapside over against the Great Conduit 1660. To the Congregation at Stepney that were the Auditors of this Sermon All Covenant-mercies be multiplied through our Lord Jesus Christ I Shall not put my self to the charge of importuning your acceptance of this Sermon being perswaded that you whose ears were tied so fast to the Preachers lips when it was delivered will not disdain to cast your eyes upon it when it is translated from the Pulpit to the Press Had not an unsavoury breath that common tell-tale of a foul stomack blowed upon it to infection it had layen still with its elder brethren in the dark sepulchre of oblivion Nor yet could that have raised it again had not your affectionate desire rowled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre You it seems first discovered other men digging pits in the field of my reputation to find the unknown treasure of their own and therefore thought the publishing this Sermon the best way to fill them up again which I readily assented to that the world may see how easily innocence and plain dealing may be baptized into the name of Faction and Sedition nay that I preached Rebellion and Treason is charged upon this Sermon meerly because I spoke of sinful compliance with the ceremonies against conscience That I mentioned not either the King or his Government neither at that time nor any other save only to pray for him as by the command of God I am bound to do I have thousands of witnesses among you How little my Sermons have been stuft with State matters you can all testifie I did determine to know nothing among you 1 Cor. 2. ● save Jesus Christ and him crucified That I have not in this Sermon spoken any thing of the nature of temptations c. is not only because the subject leads not directly to it but because I have heretofore in twenty Sermons from Rev. 3.10 handled that subject among you I had thought I might have continued with you long enough to have out-lived my design upon this Text Psal 31.15 but the wise God in whose hand my times are hath given me a quietus est not only in reference to my place but to my conscience also The greatest evil I shall wish to those that succeed me shall be that they may be as true to the interest of your precious souls as I did always desire 2 Cor. 12.14 and to my power endeavour to be God is my record that I sought not yours but you My care and prayer hath always been that you might receive heavenly treasure out of a poor earthen vessel I may say that no part of Gods Vineyard in the whole Nation hath had more choyce and eminent labourers my self excepted then this of Stepney for several years together Mr. Burroughs M. Whittaber M. Bridge and till now Mr. Greenbil and in this regard I had a hard province to write after such coples but who looks for a mans head upon a childs shoulders nor will God require the improvement of ten talents where he gives but one What good the Lord hath done by me bless him for set my name to no more then the weaknesses and infirmities that were discovered in my performances I have ground to hope that through the dew of Gods grace watering the seed of the word some were converted some convinced some confirmed Rom. 10.1 and my hearts desire and prayer to God for all shall be that they may be saved Heb. 13.10 ●1 Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every goodwork to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen MATTH MEADE TO THE Ingenuous Reader THis Sermon had never borrowed one hour of thy light could prejudice and ill-will which never speaks well have suffered it to have layn in darkness it was honestly born but unknown to the parent it was brought under a Canonical Baptisme where it received the sign of the Cross and so is made Crucianus though not Christianus had it but pleaded the holiness of vestures the decency of a ceremony no doubt though its subiect had not been so good yet its censure had not been so bad The Author intended no more in the delivering of it to his hearers then a help to the delivering of them from the power of the Tempter When should the Watchmen give warning but when the enemy is approaching and when should they call loudest to spiritual watchfulness but when they are nearest to the snares of spiritual wickedness This was the practice of our Lord Christ Mar. 6.41 Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation What it was in the Sermon that could possibly offend I cannot guess unless the eighth head and I wonder not much at their offence at that since it appears they are weak brethren It is sad that men should walk not as wise but as fools when the drift of the discourse was to teach them to walk not as fools but as wise and that a Sermon of temptation should become a temptation thus is Christ himself a stone of stumbling 1 Pet. 2.3 whilst they that so mannerly how their bodies at the name of Jesus cannot bend their consciences to the truth of Jesus but herein is that Scripture fulfilled ●oh 5.9 For judgment I am come into this world that they which see not might see and that they which see might be made blind There is somewhat spoken about sinful compliance with ceremonies and not much if it had been more it had not been much coming from one that was born too late to remember them practised and thinks he should live too long to see them imposed If to speak against Will-worship and superstition be a fault for that is my crime who can love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and at this time be innocent I had rather be charged with frowardness before men then to be charged with unfaithfulness before God Expect not Iliads in a nutshel much in this little it being but conceived but the day before it was born I resolved as not to diminish one sentence from it to make it more excusable so not to add one sentence to it to make it more commendable only a little in the Introduction which I then omitted and now