Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A16317
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A discourse about the state of true happinesse deliuered in certaine sermons in Oxford, and at Pauls Crosse: by Robert Bolton.
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Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 3228; ESTC S116180
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126,426
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181
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malice most sauage and vile that is discharged vpon the body or good name of the dead so I would haue also a charitable conceit follow the soule of the departed so farre as spirituall wisdome a good conscience diuine truth the glory of God the safetie of the soules of the liuing will giue leaue But no further Thirdly neither doe I mislike or condemne Funerall Sermons I could rather wish that as the death of his Saints is precious in the sight of God so that it might be glorious in the eyes of men I could rather desire that the iust prayses and true sincerity of the child of God were published euen by some Seraphicall tongue that both the glory of his graces might passe along and shine bright to all posterity and that such a fire of zeale for imitation might be enkindled in the hearts of all the hearers especially the present occasion making their minds more capable of persuasion that they passing thorow the same course of holinesse might at length be made partakers of the same happinesse with the Saints of God Only in these cases I would haue that spirituall discretion truth and conscience vsed that neither the godly be iustly grieued and offended the wicked heartned and hardened in their courses false conceit of happines nor the faithfulnes and sincerity of the ministery disgraced and scandalized Thus farre I haue laid open vnto you the state of formall hypocrisie in which may concurre immunity from notorious sinnes all naturall and morall perfections admirable variety of learning policy and all other acquired ornaments of the mind an outward performance of all duties of religion some measure of inward illumination a resemblance and shadow of the whole body of true regeneration and a persuasion as you haue now last heard of being in state of grace Euen thus farre a man may goe in the profession of Christian religion and yet be a stranger from the power of faith and from the life of godlinesse I now come by reasons and arguments to disable it in those points which haue not beene touched for challenging any interest in the true happinesse of a man And first to proue that a performance of outward duties of religion without the power of grace vpon the soule and an vniuersall sanctification in all the faculties thereof cannot produce any sound comfort in the heart or acceptation with God My first reason is that Principle generally receiued with all schoole Diuines and very sound and Orthodox in true Diuinity The iniquitie defect or exorbitancie of any particular of one circumstance maketh an action euill but an absolute integritie of all concurrents is required to make a good worke acceptable to God comfortable and profitable to a Christian The end must be good the glory of God the action it selfe in it owne nature must be iust warrantable the circumstances honest and seasonable the meanes direct and lawfull the fountaine the hart sincere and sanctified If this last be wanting especially though otherwise it be neuer so gloriously conucied neuer so wisely managed of neuer so goodly a shew to the eyes of the world yet it is not only mard and defaced and no action of grace but odious and abominable in the sight of God The Moralists by the light of nature saw a truth proportionable to this euen in the actions of vertue The truth and worth wherof they did censure and esteeme not by the bare outward action but by the inward free and independent vprightnesse of the mind And therefore to an action truely vertuous they required a resolued knowledge an irrespectiue and aduised freedome of spirit a constant and easie habit of the mind an entire loue to the fairenesse of vertue So that whatsoeuer honest actions sprung from passion humour scare respect ambition or the like they accounted vertuous and good onely by accident and occasion not inwardly and essentially whereupon they hold that many great and honourable atchieuements of ancient Worthies amongst the Heathens howsoeuer they were admirable in the eyes of men and beneficiall to the publicke State for sometimes out of some sudden eleuation of spirit or pang of vaine-glorie they were euen prodigall of their liues and blood for the good and deliuerance of their countrie yet to the authours and actors themselues they were not the true workes of vertue but of ambition and a desire of immortall fame It is euen so in the higher actions of grace and religion Besides the outward performance God requires sinceritie of heart and truth in the inward parts to make them gratious and acceptable And howsoeuer otherwise they may purchase them a name amongst men prosperity in the world some lesse torment in hell and procure good vnto others yet except they proceed from a faith vnfained and a pure conscience to the Christians themselues in respect of all heauenly happinesse they are fruitles and vnprofitable My second proofe is out of the 5. of Matth. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen The outward righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies was famous in those times and much admired So that if God did not principally respect the heart if that were not true in the 16. of Luke That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God they might not onely haue carried away the garland for piety on earth but haue iustly seemed to haue beene the onely heires to a crowne of immortality in the heauens For besides their forbearance and protestation against grosser sinnes Murther Theft Adulterie Idolatrie and the like they were frequent and solemne in prayers fastings almes-deeds and that with farre greater strictnesse and deuotion then the religious actions of formall hypocrisie are performed in these times of the Gospell Besides I doubt not but many of them were persuaded that their way was the way of life and that they were in the state of true happinesse And yet for all this except wee exceede their righteousnesse the speech is peremptorie we shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen For we see in the 23. of Mat. what a chaine of curses out of the mouth of our blessed Sauiour did iustly draw them into the bottome of hell Thirdly this truth is manifest out of the Doctrine of the Prophets Esai 1 Mich. 6. Hag. 2. Psal. 50. and many other places Whence ariseth this conclusion That the principall and holiest exercises the most solemne and sacred actions of religion without sinceritie and sanctification of heart are but as the cutting off a Dogs necke and the offering of swines blood Their sacrifices oblations and incense Their nâ—w Moonâ—s their Sabbaths and solemne feasts were things commanded by Gods ownâ— mouth yeâ— where they were performed with impure and propâ—ane hearts he telâ— them that his soule hated them that they were a burthen vnto him and that he was wearie of them For if the Lords contentment had finally rested in
their soules before the gaining of the whole world Innocencie makes them as bold as Lions The wicked flee when none pursueth but the righteous are bold as a Lion And their warrant is out of Isai. 51. vers 7.8 Hearken vnto me ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is my Law Feare ye not the reproch of men neither be ye afraid of their rebukes For the moath shall eate them vp like a garment and the worme shall eate them like wooll but my righteousnesse shall be for euer and my saluation from generation to generation Independancie holds their hearts vpright in all their actions that they are neither swaid awrie by partialities or secret relations to wrong ends I meane not independancie in respect of lawes gouernment authoritie charitie vnitie with the Church or the like I meane no such independancie but in respect of basenesse flatterie corruption temporizing indirect prosecution of their honours and preferments c. which are setters of Satan by which he confines many to a wretched slauery euen in this life and without repentance to endlesse miserie hereafter Secondly hypocrisie is many times by the world vniustlie laid vnto the charge of the children of God Dauid had his ful portion in this imputation as appeareth in many Psalmes The causes for this time I conceiue to be two The first may bee suspiciousnesse an argument euer of worthlesnesse and impotencie For insufficiencie is most apprehensiue and suspicious I know there is a godly iealousie and a iealousie of state but I meane that suspition which is opposed as an extreame to that imperfect vertue the Moralists cal immunitiâ— from suspicion by which a man doth cast the worth actions and affections of another in his owne mould and thinks euery man obnoxious to al the infirmities he finds in himselfe Hence it is that he which indeed is truly an hypocrite and neuer passed the perfection of the Pharisee doth most confidently brand the child of God with that name hoping therby to giue some poore satisfaction to his own thoughts that would gladly rest in a formality and notice to the world that howsoeuer there may be pretences yet indeed there is none better then himselfe The second cause is a disabilitie and blindnesse in the naturall man of discerning and acknowledging the operations of grace For let a man be otherwise neuer so eminently or vniuersally qualified yet without the experience of the power of godlinesse vpon his owne soule he cannot see hee will not bee perswaded of the actions of grace in another man and therefore interprets them to be nothing but hypocrisie and onely pretended vainegloriouslie to gainean opinion of more then ordinarie pietie What the conceit of an vnregenerate man is of the state of grace is plaine out of the conference of our blessed Sauiour and Nicodemus Nicodemus was a great Rabbi in Israel a famous Doctor in the Law and the Prophets in which no doubt hee had many times read the doctrine of regeneration yet when he comes to be examined of the power and practise of it he holds the new birth without which no man can euer see God to be as impossible as for an old man to returne into his mothers wombe and be borne againe Euen such is the iudgement of others in his state of the fruits effects and course of sanctification And therefore I maruel that any child of God wil afflict his soule hang downe the head or remit one iot of his zeale in goodnesse for vniust censures in this kind sith hee knowes that naturall men though neuer so wise so learned or glorious in the world want spirituall taste and therefore cannot rellish the fruits of the spirit are blind and cannot see or iudge of the light of grace are in darkenesse and cannot comprehend it Thirdly the formall hypocrite doth settle himselfe with more resoluednesse in his opinion of being in state of grace when he sees the world account the children of God but a company of fellowes who out of a proud singularitie diuide themselues from the common fashions and customes of the world not considering that if euer he meane to saue his soule he must be singular too in holinesse and sanctification for I meane not in vnwarrantable opinion or separation from the Church Except his righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees what singugular thing doth he that is except to his ciuill honesty and outward performance of religious duties there bee added a singularitie of sauing grace and except besides all other ornaments of mind if it were possible possest in full perfection there be yet moreouer inspired that blessed and pretious vigor that quickens him to eternall life he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen This note of singularitie hath in all ages bin imputed to those that with a good conscience haue laboured to keepe themselues blamelesse and pure in the midst of a naughtie and crooked generation Behold saith Isaiah chap. 8. vers 18. I and the children whom the Lord hath giuen me are as signes and wonders in Israel by the Lord of Hosts which dwelleth in mount Sion It had bin no wonder had they bin onely as signes and wonders amongst the enemies of God and nations of vncircumcision but that they should be signes and wonders in Israel God had chosen him but one little vineyard amongst all the spatious forests of the earth out of the glory of all the Kingdomes of the world he had chosen him but one handfull of people and yet in that vineyard his faithfull Ones are but as the berries after the shaking of an Oliue tree two or three in the top of the vâ—most boughs and foure or fiue in the high branches In that little people his children are but as the first fruits so that euen in Israel they are become as monsters and spectacles of amazement Then so it is indeed that a man drawne out of the darknesse of this world and illightned with grace is like a starre new created in the skie that drawes all the world to gaze vpon it Nay and he drawes not onely the eies of men vpon him but is an eie-sore vnto theÌ„ For thus speaketh the wicked of the righteous man Wisd. 2.15.16 It grieueth vs also to looke vpon him for his life is not like other moâ—s his waies are of another fashion He counteth vs as bastards and he withdraweth himselfe from our wâ—ies as from filthinesse he commendeth greatlie the latter end of the iust and boasteth that God is his father Fourthly the formall hypocrite is well pleased with his present state and very vnwilling to embrace more forwardnesse because it is commonly thought that the state of a true Christian indeed is a life full of vncomfortablenesse melancholy austeritie and sadnesse The heart of man is naturally greedie of ioy and contentment and is either weakely or strongly refreshed according to the vanity or soundnes of the comfort in which it reposeth but it