us that our Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. In respect of the present Success as well as future Reward that we shall be assisted in Duty as well as Rewarded for it St. John observes it as a great preference of the Gospel above the Law John 1 17 that the Law was given by Moses but Grace came by Jesus Christ All that Moses did was to deliver a Systeme of Laws to the World and teach Men their Duty but Christ besides this purchased Grace to inable us to do our Duty to be Sufficient for us and to enable us to do all things as the Apostle speaks Therefore good Men are said to be under Grace and for that reason sure to be Victorious in Duty Rom. 6.14 To which I need but add one thing that the Spirit of God is made the great Almoner and Bestower of this Grace and I beseech you do but see by what an affecting Argument our Lord hath assured us that God will give this Spirit to those that ask him Mat. 7.9 10 11. But Thirdly I go on to shew that our Lord hath not only thus Established the necessity of Duty and done it upon better Principles but he hath set the instances of it at a higher pitch than they were formerly And for the Truth of this I appeal only to the following Sermon and subsequent particulars of Duty that he Instances in You may see it clear in the case of Murther of Oaths and Charity c. Something is added to the Law in all these cases and something taught by our Saviour over and above what was said by them of old time some things that were indulged the Jew and supposed Lawful are made for ever unlawful to a Christian upon which reason as well as others it is said v. 20 That unless our Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And sure no Christian hath any reason to take this ill or to think himself hardly dealt with for if our Encouragements and Helps be so much greater it is but reasonable that our returns should be in some measure proportionable This is enough to clear what I undertook as to this first branch of Laws i. e. the Laws of God and Obedience to them 2. I proceed to consider the Second i. e. Humane Laws respecting Civil matters and to consider whether Christ came to Destroy these and not rather to Fulfill them It hath been an old Imputation upon Christian Religion and an Artifice to Prejudice Kings against it to represent it an Enemy to Government Thus our Blessed Lord must be accused as an Enemy to Caesar and his Apostles Persecuted as Factious Seditious Persons and those that turned the World upside down And upon this the Primitive Christians were mostly Prosecuted as we Learn from the Ancient brave Apologists for them But how invidiously unjust this Accusation was against our Lord and is yet against his Religion a little pains will suffice to shew clearly 1. For First I observe that out Lord was so very tender of Laws and so mighty careful not to give the least Suspicion of the contrary that in all things he shewed himself most ready to comply with them he waved his own Priviledg when it might Legally have been pleaded in Bar of it and pay'd Tribute as a Stranger although he was at the Expence of a Miracle to do it And when he was convened before Pilate and Interrogated about his Kingdom he so fully satisfied him that it was not of this World nor in the least an Enemy to Government in it that Pilate himself declares him Innocent and acquits him from the guilt of that Spightful Accusation Joh. 18.36 2. From which in the Second place you may Collect that his Doctrine in this was accordant to his Practice for by declaring his Kingdom not to be of this World He hath sufficiently secured all Kings that they should never be rivall'd in their Thrones by him that neither he nor his Religion would ever intrench upon their Rights or invade their Prerogatives And yet besides this there are many express Doctrines of his to this purpose I mention two only one is his Speech to Peter Mat. 26.52 with his Reason anexed to it Put up thy Sword for all they that take the Sword shall Perish by the Sword Which words are plain without any Art to improve them and make it for ever Unlawful for any private Person to use the Sword against his Lawful Governours in any Case no not in the so much pleaded Case of Religion For if it be not Lawful to use it in defence of Christs own Person it certainly can be Lawful in none no not in defence of his Religion Another is that known Answer that he gave to the most insidious question that was ever proposed to him Mat. 22.22 Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods By which he hath happily adjusted the Rights of God and the King and Commanded Men to be as careful to pay one his due as the other and if Allegiance be tyed upon Men by the same Bands that Duty is to God the Obligation is strong enough and cannot be stronger But this is too little to say in this Case Truth and Justice to our Holy Religion will warrant me to say more viz. that Christ hath not only thus Established the Laws of Government and the Duty of Subjection to it but he hath indeed fulfilled it fixed it upon firmer Principles and stronger Reasons than it was before For that Religion that makes Subjection to Caesar as necessary as Duty to God That Religion that tyes Subjection immediately upon the Conscience That Religion that declares Government to be Gods own Institution and that Kings are immediately appointed by him That Religion that Interests God in Resistance as much as the King That Religion that presseth Men to Subjection upon Reasons of their Love to God and for the Lords Sake That Religion that Threatens Damnation as expresly to resistance as to any other Sin whatsoever That Religion which so strictly forbids and so severely Threatens all those Evils from whence Rebellion and Resistance proceed such as Pride and Ambition Covetousness and Discontent Faction and a busie-medling in other Mens Matters and whatever other causes there are of these things That Religion which by Arguments of no less then Eternal Felicity injoyns the Practice of such Vertues as make Rebellion impossible such as Meekness and Humility Patience and Contentedness in every Condition Peaceableness and keeping within our own calling Love and an Universal Charity unto all Men I say a Religion that doth all this as it is Notorious the Christian Religion doth doth indeed Fulfill and fix Subjection upon the most steddy Principles that can be Doth Incomparably more to this purpose then the utmost Policy or Power of Man shall ever be able to do for these can but compel or
Honesty and whatever is Intrinsically and Essentially good I must speak to these in the gross because I cannot descend to any particulars of them and three things I shall endeavour to make good with respect to them 1. That our Saviour hath asserted an absolute indispensable necessity of Obedience to them 2. That he hath strengthened the Arguments that oblige to this Obedience 3. That he hath set the Instances of Obedience higher and required a greater measure of it 1 Of the first of these we have first a very good Argument from his own Life which was one uniform constant course of perfect Obedience to the will of God never sullied with the least Just Suspicion of any guilt the Life of one whom neither Men nor Devils could convince of the least Crime or Prevarication one who not only purposed but actually Fulfilled all Righteousness as he told his Forerunner St. John Mat. 3.15 This certainly is one good Argument for the truth of what is here affirmed for it cannot reasonably be thought that he who was so perfectly Innocent himself so exact in all the Instances of Obedience and Vertue should ever design or tolerate the contrary in his followers especially when he makes his own Life Presidential and injoyns their careful imitation of it as he doth Mat. 11.29 We may rather conclude that he did this that he might the more successfully teach Holiness to all upon whom his name should be called for there is no such Teaching as by example and that he might the more effectually ingage all to a cheerful Imitation of him who injoyned them nothing which he did not do himself before them shewing them the Practicableness and Possibility of his own Precepts 2 Which if in the Second place you please to take account of you will find them another Argument of this Truth It will not be expected I should singly survey these and therefore I shall content my self to appeal only to this great Sermon of his in the Mount and particularly to three passages of it instead of many others If you please to Read the two Verses immediately following this Text you will find these two things asserted plainly in them First the Doctrine of the Perpetuity of the Law and that its Obligation should remain till the last Expiration of all things Secondly the necessity of every Christians care to conform his Life to it and this necessity so great that he that should either purposely in his Life or designedly in his Doctrine teach Men to think otherwise should be called least i. e. none at all in in the Kingdom of Heaven If after this you please to Read Cap. 7 21 22. You will think he is purposely designing the Anticipation of all conceits and possible pleas against the necessity of real Holiness telling Men plainly that neither the most glittering Profession of his Name nor the most pompous Faith in his Power nor the most surprising effects of that Power should procure Men a Dispensation from Holiness here or a Title to Heaven hereafter And if after both these you will please to Read the Conclusion of the Sermon from Vers 24. to 28. you will find him assuring all the World that he that built his hopes of Heaven upon any thing without an honest hearty endeavour to do his Duty as his Lord had directed him in these sayings should Dye like a Fool and Perish in the Disappointment of his hopes for ever 2. But Secondly I add that our Lord hath not only thus Established the necessity of Duty but added to it and fixed it upon firmer Principles then it was before I mention two of these Stronger Motives to engage our endeavours and better incouragements that those endeavours shall be Successful 1. Stronger Motives and more prevailing Arguments and that of both sorts Both as to promises of Blessing to be endearments of Duty and threatnings of Punishments to be affrightments from Sin If I may not be allowed to say that all the promises and threatnings under the Law and the Prophets did relate to Temporal Rewards and Punishments only Yet I am sure I may safely say they were worded in such a Phrase as if they did The Collecting any thing beyond them required Art a very close adverting to things and great Skill to make Deductions from them Future Rewards and Punishments were wrap'd up in Clouds and Shades and expressed in Dark Symbols So that a Learned Sect among the Jews not only doubted but flatly denied any such things as the Sadduces we know did And it is worth observing that the Argument which our Saviour produceth out of the Law to convince them of their Errour lyes something above the Level of a common apprehension Every Vulgar Understanding is not able to improve it to its due force and unanswerable strength But the Blessed Jesus hath fully cleared all these things brought Life and Immortality to light by his Orient Gospel and assured the World of the truth and certainty of them For which Reason perhaps he is called by the Prophet the desire of all Nations because he was to clear the truth and certainty of those most concerning Matters which the Vertuous and the Wise in all Nations had but some Languishing hopes and Tremulous expectations of rather desiring and wishing then steddily believing that there was a future State and such great things to be injoyed by good Men in it Our Blessed Lord therefore clears all these Doubts relieves all these Fears cheers these Languishments assuring the hopes and longings of all good Men and this Sun of Righteousness appears with healing under his Wings for the Comfort of all those that fear God I only add that he hath not only cleared the Truth and certainty of these Rewards and Punishments but given such amasing and startling Accounts of them as want only due Consideration to make them effectual upon all Men. Men must now break through the Horrours of Everlasting Burnings and resist the most endearing Charms of Eternal Bliss before they can dare to Transgress these Laws They must think the loss of Heaven a trifle and suffering Eternal Tortures in Hell inconsiderable things before they can be Disobedient for they are assured they can be so upon no cheaper Terms 2. More Cheering and Inspiriting incouragements First of acceptance upon the account of Christs Merits Secondly of Success by the Assistances of his Holy Spirit It is little less than a Miracle of Mercy and the thinking upon it is a mighty surprise to a good Mans Thoughts that God should not only accept but promise so amply to reward so worthless a thing as the Service of the best Man Living is But of this our Lord hath cleared the Reason in his Gospel And we cannot well desire any thing but this one beyond it viz. that we may be able to do this Duty that is so highly incouraged For otherwise the mightiest Arguments will signifie nothing Our Lord therefore hath complied with us in this also assuring
not mean it only in a Moral Sense and because it is the Insurer of Divine Providence and Blessing though methinks that ought to be a Material consideration with all Christians but I speak it in a Physical Sense and upon the direct Reason of the thing Yea I dare comply with the Epicurean Principles in it Supposing that God did not interest himself in the Government of the World but had thought it enough to have put all things into right Order and Motion at first and afterwards to abandon them to their own Conduct and Care yet Religion would in some good measure supply the want of Providence It would be an Anima mundi and a tutelar Spirit that would superintend and secure the Felicity of all things If Religion were truly Obeyed Kings would be as safe as they are too often secure and their Crowns as truly pleasant to themselves as they seem Glorious to others Subjects would be as happy and contented under their Government as Children under the Care of the most Provident and Indulgent Parents there would be no invading of Prerogative nor fear of Priviledges there would neither Holy Leagues Solemn Covenants nor Treasonable Associations in Defence of Religion be entred into Tyranny and Treason would be words whose Signification was known no where but among Devils Magistrates might securely and unenvied injoy their Power and all rejoyce and Bless God under their shadow Courts of Judicature would be clean as the Assemblies of Angels and all Determinations of Causes just as if they had been Established by the decree of the Watchers The Courts of Princes would not be pester'd with the Evil Effects of Ambition Envy ill Arts to supplant one another But be as much axalted above all other Places for Vertue and Purity as they are above them for Address and Deportment Those to whom God had given Riches would know how to make them Minister to their true happiness and might injoy them without any anxiety from Thieves or violence And those whom his Providence had confined to poverty and meanness might rest contented considering how many God had charged with the care of them Yea might sing as chearfully as that poor Bird is heard to do that knows not in what Bush to lodg at night nor where to pick up its next meal and yet is provided for by an Almighty care in both In a word there would be no leading into captivity no complaining or violence in our streets No cries of Mothers made Childless by War No tears of Widdows or Orphans oppressed by potent wrong Religion would secure every mans Property and there would be none to suffer wrong because none could do it And to conclude this Period you may challenge all the Machiavels in the Earth and all the Leviathans in the Sea too to contrive so effectually for our happiness and peace as Christian Religion doth by two single Precepts of it First that every one mind his own Business and wherein he is called therein abide with God Secondly that no Man offer that to another which he would not willingly have done to himself in the like Circumstances This latter is the Sum of the Law and the Prophets and were it complyed with what a happy Scene of things would soon appear Our Kingdom would become the Transcript of Heaven and our Age would antedate the great Millennium 3. And therefore in the last place I hope it will not be censured as an Impertinent address to beg that those above us will think Religion worthy of their Care to whom it would be may be so greatly serviceable that all of us would think complying with the Rules of it our Duty our Interest too I press not the First of these and I thank God I need not Blessed be God we have a Defender of the Faith and one to whom the guarding of Religion is dear as his own Crown But I would gladly prevail with you all for the Second Give me leave without offence to remember you of one thing you cannot but know what a Character your Enemies endeavour to fix upon you and all Faithful Subjects and at what a disadvantage they represent Loyalty while themselves must be accounted the only Sober and Godly Party of the Nation I thank God the charge is not so just nor the guilt so general as they invidiously insinuate but for Gods sake consider were it not better that there were not so much as the shadow of a reason for the one Nor one single Instance of the other How much better were it that by Temperance and Sobriety Chastity and Purity and all other Instances of Christian well doing we put to silence the Ignorance and Calumnies of Foolish Men. That you Live up to the Consequences of this Text and be always fearful of Destroying the Law or the Prophets which your Lord tells you here he came to Fulfill That as you prescribe Rules of Civility and Deportment to us all so you will give us our true measures of Religion too And to conclude that all of you strive to be as exemplary for Piety to a good God as you are signal for Loyalty to the best of Kings That so Peace may be upon our Israel and Glory may dwell in our Land that the King may still rejoyce in the Salvation of God and in the Mercy of the most high he may never miscarry And that we and all his good Subjects may Sing under his shadow rejoycing in that abundance of Peace which we injoy under him now and in hopes of that Eternal Peace which we look for hereafter for the sake of our great Peace-maker the Lord Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and Eternal Spirit be Praise Honour and Glory now and for evermore Amen FINIS