and very frequently in the Old Testament it is used for Charity to the Poor or Alms-giving Psal 37. 25 26. I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the Righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread he is ever merciful and lendeth and Psal 112. 9. he hath dispersed he hath given to the Poor his Righteousness endureth for ever But Righteousness in its largest and most extended sense comprehends all the Virtues of a good Man and so it signifies here in the Text and in many other places of Scripture So that the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness comprehends the whole business of Religion our last End which is Eternal Life and Happiness in another World and the way and means to this End which is Righteousness or that Universal Goodness which God requires of us and whereof he himself is a Pattern and Example to us for which Reason 't is call'd his Righteousness And in this sense of our last End and the way and means to it the Kingdom of Heaven and Righteousness are used in another place even of this Sermon of our Saviour's upon the Mount Matth. 5. 20. Except your Righteousness shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven where Righteousness is made the necessary Means and Condition of Eternal Life I proceed in the Second Place to explain what is meant by seeking first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness And this signifies the greatest intention of mind and earnestness of endeavour about the business of Religion in order to our attaining of Eternal Happiness such a seriousness and earnestness of endeavour as Earthly-Minded Men use about the Things of this World For after all these things says our Saviour immediately after the Text do the Gentiles seek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words signifie an intense Care and vigorous Endeavour but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Rightousness that is be ye who profess your selves Christians as intent upon the business of Religion and the Salvation of your Souls as the Heathen who are in a great measure ignorant of God and another Life are about the things of this Life And here are two Things to be explained 1. What is here meant by seeking the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness And 2. What by seeking them in the first place For the First A sincere and earnest seeking of the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness does imply in it these Four Things First A fix'd Design and Resolution as to the End that we do not only propound to our selves the Eternal Happiness and Salvation of our Souls as our chief End but that we be immoveably fixt upon it and always have it in our aim and design that here we set up our Resolution if it be possible to be happy for ever that we have this End always in our eye and be firmly resolved to do all that we can towards the attaining of it Not that we are obliged always actually to think upon it but to have it frequently in our Minds and habitually to intend and design it so as to make it the scope of all our Endeavours and Actions and that every thing we do be either directly and immediately in order to it or some way or other subservient to this Design or however not inconsistent with it like the term and end of a Man's Journey towards which the Traveller is continually tending and hath it always habitually in his intention tho' he doth not always think of it every step that he takes and tho' he be not always directly advancing and moving towards it yet he never knowingly goes out of the way And tho' he bate and lodge by the way and does many other things which do not directly set him forward yet they are all subservient to his Journey or in prosecution of it or at least no wilful deviations from it Thus it should be with us while we are Sojourning in this World our fix'd aim and design should be to get to Heaven and thither we should be continually tending in our Desires and Endeavours And if this Resolution be deeply rootâ—d and fix'd in our Minds it will govern all our Actions and keep them steady to their main End Whereas if we be uncertain and unresolv'd upon our great End and be divided between the Happiness of the next Life and the present Enjoyments of this we shall be fickle and unsteady in all our Motions He that hath two Ends can pursue neither vigorously but while he is moving towards the one he leans and inclines to the other and like a Needle between two Loadstones is always in a doubtful and trembling Condition inclines to both but is constant to neither And this is the meaning of that Aphorism of St. James The double-minded Man is unstable in all his ways He that is unresolved as to his main End hath two Minds and can prosecute nothing vigorously But if our Mind be once fix'd and resolv'd that will determine and govern all our motions and inspire us with Diligence and Zeal and Perseverance in the prosecution of our End Secondly Seeking the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness implies incessant Care and Diligence as to the means that we make Religion our business and exercise our selves in the Duties of it both in publick and private at proper times and seasons with the same seriousness and application of Mind as Men do in their Callings and Professions for the gaining of Wealth and Preferment especially on the Lord's-Day which God hath taken to himself and set apart for the Duties of his Worship and Service Not that we are excused from minding Religion at other times but that those who are prest and straitned by the necessary Cares of this Life may be sure to mind it then and may have no colour of excuse for the neglect of it at that time which God hath allotted for that very purpose and which it is unlawful to employ about our Worldly Affairs God expects that we should serve him at other times that we should live in an habitual sense of him and as Solomon expresseth it Prov. 23. 17. Be in the fear of the Lord all the day long so as to be careful not to offend or transgress in any thing and so as to redeem all Opportunities for the exercise of Piety and Devotion but this Day he peremptorily challengeth to himself and expects we should imploy it in his Service and Dedicate it to Religion to the Contemplation of God and Heavenly things and the Care of our Immortal Souls with the same seriousness and diligence as we do upon other days labour for the bread which perisheth and the less leisure we have upon other days for this purpose the more entirely should we Devote and Consecrate this Day to the Purposes and Duties of Religion Not but that our whole Life and all the Actions of it should be under the
Revelation and Rule of their Written Law and that they were not Infallibly Assisted is evident from the great Errors they fell into in making void the Commandments of God by their Traditions and in their Rejecting and Crucifying the true Messias and the Son of God In like manner the Apostles and first Teachers of the Christian Religion were immediately Inspired and Miraculously Assisted in the Publishing of the Christian Doctrine and for the speedy and more effectual Propagating and Planting of it in the World in despite of the violent Prejudices that were against it and the fierce opposition that was made to it But when this was done this Miraculous and Extraordinary Assistance ceased and God left the Christian Religion to be preserved and continued by more Humane and Ordinary ways the Doctrines of it being committed to Writing for a standing Rule of Faith and Practice in all Ages and an Order of Men appointed to Instruct People in those Doctrines with a Promise to secure both Teachers and People that sincerely desiâ—e to know and do the Will of God from all Fatal Errors and Mistakes about Things necessary to their Eternal Salvation and this is a Provision more likely to be made by God and better suited to the Nature of Man than the perpetual and needless Miracle of an Inspired or any otherwise Infallible Church Thirdly This way is likewise more agreeable to the Nature of Religion and the Virtue of Faith The Design of an Infallible Church is to secure all that continue in the Communion of it against all possibility of Error in Matters of Faith The Question now is not whether an Infallible Church would do this but whether that Church which arrogates Infallibility to it self does not pretend to do this And if they could do it it would not be agreeable to the Nature of Religion and the Virtue of Faith For Faith which is the Principle of all Religious Actions would be no Virtue if it were necessary A true and right Belief can be no Virtue where a Man is Infallibly secured against Error There is the same Reason of Virtuous and Criminal Actions and as there can be no Crime or Fault in doing what a Man cannot help so neither can there be any Virtue All Virtuous Actions are Matter of Praise and Commendation and therefore it can be no Virtue in any Man because it deserves no Commendation to believe and own that the Sun shines at Noon-day when he sees it does so No more would it be a Virtue in any Man and deserve Praise to Believe aright who is in a Church wherein he is Infallibly secured against all Error in Matters of Faith Make any thing necessary and impossible to be otherwise and the doing of it ceases to be a Virtue God hath so framed Religion and the Evidence of Truth and the Means of coming to the Knowledge of it as to be a sufficient Security to Men of honest Minds and teachable Tempers against all Fatal and Final Mistakes concerning Things necessary to Salvation but not so that every Man that is of such a Church should be Infallibly secured against all Errors in Matters of Faith and this on purpose to try the Virtue and Disposition of Men whether they will be at the pains to search for Truth and when it is proposed to them with sufficient Evidence tho' not by an Infallible Hand they will receive it in the love of it that they may be Saved Fourthly This is as much security against Error in Matters of Faith as God hath provided against Sin and Vice in Matters of Practice and since a right Belief is only in order to a good Life a Man would be hard put to it to give a Wise Reason why God should take greater Care for the Infallible Security of Mens Faith than of their Obedience The Reason pretended why God should make such Infallible Provision for a right Faith is for the better security of Mens Eternal Salvation and Happiness Now the Virtues of a good Life have a more Direct and Immediate influence upon that than the most Orthodox Belief The end of the Commandments i. e of the Declaration of the Gospel is Charity In the Christian Religion that which mainly avails to our Justification and Salvation is a Faith that worketh by Charity and the keeping of the Commandments of God He that heareth these Sayings of mine and doth them saith our Blessed Lord I will liken him to a Wise Man that Built his House upon a Rock and again not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord i. e. makes Profession of Faith in me shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven and again if ye know these Things happy are ye if ye do them And the Apostle St. Peter Exhorts Christians to add to their Faith and Knowledge Virtue and Godliness and Brotherly Kindness and Charity that so an abundant entrance may be ministred to them into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ So that the Virtues of a good Life have the greatest Influence upon our Salvation and the main stress of Christianity is to be laid there And therefore whatever Reason can be assigned why God should provide for the Infallible security of our Faith is much stronger why an equal Provision should be made to secure Holiness and Obedience of Life because without this Faith cannot Infallibly attain its End which is the Salvation of our Souls But this it is granted God hath not done and Experience shews it and therefore it is unreasonable to suppose that he hath done the other It is sufficient that in both kinds he hath done that which is sufficient to make us capable of Happiness if we be not wanting to our selves the rest he hath left to the sincerity of our Endeavours expecting that We on our part should work out our Salvation with fear and trembling and give all Diligence to make our Calling and Election sure And if God hath made such Provision by the Gospel for all that enjoy the Light and Advantage of it that none can miscarry without their own fault then both his Goodness and Wisdom are sufficiently acquitted without an Infallible Guide and Judge in Matters of Faith and that Irreverent way of Arguing in the Canon Law might well have been spared that of necessity there must be an Infallible Judge of Controversies in Religion aliter Dominus non videretur fuisse discretus otherwise God would not seem to have Ordered Matters discreetly But what Infallible Security soever they have in the Church of Rome as to Matters of Faith they are certainly the worst provided of wholsom and safe Directions for the Consciences and Lives of Men of any Church in the World No Religion that I know of in the World ever had such Lewd and Scandalous Casuists Witness the Moral Divinity of the Jesuits which hath been so exposed to the World not only by those
Omnis Aristippum decuit color status res Tentantem majora ferè praesentibus aequum Every State and Condition became him for tho' he endeavoured after more yet his Mind was always in a manner equal to his present Condition But if a Man be discontented with the present and restless because he hath no more the whole World will not satisfie him and if God should raise him from one step to another he would never think his Fortune high enough and in every degree of it would be as little contented as he was at first Our Saviour represents this sort of Men by the Rich Man here in the Parable who when his Barns were full and ready to crack his Mind was not fill'd therefore he pulls them down and builds greater and if he had lived 'till these had been full they must have gone down too and he would still have built greater So that tho' he designed when he had raised his Estate to such a pitch to have sat down and taken his ease yet his Covetous humour would have been stirring again and still have stept in between him and Contentment and for ever have hindred him from arriving at it Thirdly By way of Direction I would perswade those who are Rich to be Charitable with what they have If God have blest us with abundance and we would not be like this Rich Man here in the Parable we must lay out of our Estates in ways of Piety and Charity for the Publick Good and for the private Relief of those who are in want for that is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Moral of the Parable so is he that layeth up Treasures for himself and is not Rich toward God So shall he be such an issue of his Folly may every one expect to be taken away from his Estate before he comes to enjoy it who layeth up Treasures for himself but is not Rich toward God but does not lay up Riches with God How is that By Works of Mercy and Charity This our Saviour calls laying up for our selves Treasure in Heaven Mat. 16. 20. And at the 33 d Verse of this Chapter he calls giving of Alms providing for our selves baggs which wax not old a Treasure in the Heavens which faileth not they who do thus who are Rich in good Works ready to Distribute willing to Communicate are said to lay up for themselves a good Treasure against the time which is to come that they may lay hold on Eternal Life 1 Tim. 6. 18 19. Extra fortunam est quicquid donatur whatsoever we give to the Poor is safely disposed and put out of the reach of Fortune because it is laid up in Heaven where we may expect the return and recompence of it Charity to our poor Brethren is a certain way of transmitting our Riches into the other World to make way foâ— our reception there So our Lord tells us Luke 16. 9. I say unto you make to your selves Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness that when ye shall fail that is when ye shall leave this World and the enjoyments of it they may receive you into Everlasting Habitations At the Great Day of Judgment when we shall all appear before God and according to our Saviour's Representation of the Proceedings of that Day shall hear him thus Expostulating with Men I was hungry and ye gave me no meat thirsty and ye gave me no drink naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not what would we then give how much of our Estates if we had them then at our Command would we not be willing to part withal to have that Comfortable Sentence past upon us Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the World But if we be found among those who would spare nothing out of their abundance to any Charitable Use and Purpose I have not the heart to tell you how miserable the Condition of such Persons will be and how dreadful a Doom will be passed upon them It is a sad Consideration that there are some Persons in the World who seem to be only defective in this Duty like the young Man in the Gospel who lacked but this one thing to make him perfect he had kept the Commandments from his youth and preserved himself from those gross Sins which the Law did plainly forbid and yet for want of this one thing he parted from his Saviour and for any thing we know fell short of Eternal Life There are many who are very Devout and Religious much in Prayer and Fasting and all the other frugal exercises of Piety which cost them no Mony but yet are very defective in Alms and Charity which in Scripture are so frequently joyn'd with the Fastings and Prayers of good Men and by this means all their Devotion and Diligence in the other parts of Religion is lost and will not bring them to Heaven And is it not great pity that they who are not far from the Kingdom of God should fall short of it that they who in most other things bid so fair for Heaven should break witâ— God upon this single Point I know Men have several ways to deceive their own Hearts and to defend themselves against all these Assaults First They say they are injurious to no Man in not being Charitable And 't is true that in Humane Courts the Poor can have no Action against the Rich for want of Charity to them but yet for all that they do injuriously detain that which doth not of right belong to them They are Cruel and Hard-Hearted and they are guilty of high breach of Trust in respect of God whose Stewards they are and who hath dealt so liberally with them in the Things of this Life on purpose to oblige them to be so to others That which thou storest up without regard to the necessities of others is unlawfully detained by thee since God intended it should have been for Bread to the hungry and Cloaths to the naked and for help and relief of those who are ready to perish For why art thou Rich and another Poor But that thou mightest exercise thy Charity upon those fitting Objects which the Providence of God presents to thee It had been easie for God since the Earth is his and the fuâ—ness thereof so to have contrived Things that every Man should have had a sufficiency and have been in a moderate Condition but then a great many Virtues would have been shut out of the World and lost for want of opportunity to exercise them Where then had been the Poor Man's Patience and the Rich Man's Pity and the contentedness of Men of moderate Fortune Secondly Men say that they have Children to provide for And do so in God's Name for he allows us to do it liberally but unless their Condition and Wealth set them above an ordinary Calling do not chuse so to provide for them as to take them
off from all Employment lest you put them in the ready way to be undone have a Care of leaving them no other business but to spend what you have left them if you do so they will in all probability do that work very effectually and make as much haste to be Poor as you did to make them Rich. If Men could but be contented to do that which is best for their Children they might do a great deal better for themselves by disposing what they have to spare in Charity Thirdly Others would fain excuse themselves from this Duty at present by telling what they intend to do when they come to Die that is when they can keep what they have no longer It seems then thou wilt leave it to thy Executor to do good in thy stead This shews thou hast no great heart to the business when thou deferrest it as long as ever thou canst But why wilt thou trust another with the disposal of thy Charity rather than thy self This is hardly to offer either a Reasonable or a Living Sacrifice to God to do good only when we are dead It is well that God hath made all Men Mortal and that it is appointed for all Men once to die otherwise some Men would never do good at all Wherefore setting aside these and all other excuses which will not be admitted nor will any of us have the face to plead them at the Day of Judgment I say setting aside all Excuses whatsoever let us resolve to do good with what we have whilst we can and to that end let us lay aside some Portion of what God has blest us withal for the uses of Piety and Charity and let it bear some decent Proportion to what God hath given us There is never want of proper Objects for our largest Charity and now less than ever Besides those at home which present themselves to us in great numbers every day God hath sent us many from abroad who call loud upon us for our pity and help both as they are reduced to the greatest extremiâ—y and are Sufferers in the best Cause that of our common Religion which ought now to be dearer to us than ever Let us shew Mercy now as we expect Mercy from others in any day of our distress in this World and as ever we hope when ever we come to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to find Mercy with the Lord in that Day Consider what I have said upon this Argument and let this extraordinary kind of Caution which our Saviour here gives make a deep impression upon your Minds Take heed and beware of Covetousness for a Man's Life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth A SERMON ON MATTH VI. 33. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righâ—â—ousness and all these things shall be added unto you IN the latter part of this Chapter our Saviour doth in a long Discourse caution his Disciples against an Inordinate Care about the Things of this Life which he concludes with a strict Charge to make Religion their first and great Concernment and above all Things to take Care to secure to themselves the happiness of another Life But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness c. In the handling of which words I shall do these Four Things First I shall explain what is here meant by the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Secondly What by seeking of these Thirdly I shall lay down some necessary and plain Directions which if we observe we cannot miscarry in this matter Fourthly I shall set before you some of the most proper and powerful Motives and Encouragements to the minding of this great Interest and Concernment among which I shall particularly consider the Argument or Encouragement here used in the Text and all these things shall be added unto you 1. I shall explain to you what is here meant by the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness First What is meant by the Kingdom of God And there are two Famous acceptations of this Phrase and both of them very frequent in the New Testament Sometimes it is used to signifie the State of the Gospel or the Christian Religion which by the Jews was called the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of the Messias Mark 1. 15. The Kingdom of God is at hand that is the State or Dispensation of the Gospel is now approaching and ready to take place Luke 17. 20. The Pharisees demanding of our Saviour when the Kingdom of God should come that is when the Reign of the Messias should commence he answers them the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation that is not with any Temporal Pomp and Splendor so as to draw the eyes of People after it as the Jews did vainly imagine but the Kingdom of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is among you not within you as our Translation hath improperly rendred it the Kingdom of God he tells them is already come unto you the Messias is among you and ye are not aware of him In the like sense this Phrase is used Mat. 21. 43. the Kingdom of God that is the Gospel shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof And so likewise the Phrase of the Kingdom of Heaven is used Mat. 11. 11. where speaking of John the Baptist our Saviour saith that among them that were born of Women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist that is there was no greater Person than he under the Jewish Dispensation and yet he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven that is under the Dispensation of the Gospel is greater than he Now tho' this sense of the Kingdom of God be not wholly excluded in the Text yet there is another sense of this Phrase very usual likewise in the Scripture and which is more agreeable to the scope of our Saviour's Argument and Discourseâ— and so it signifies that future state of Happiness and Glory which good Men shall be advanced to in another World in opposition to this Life and the Enjoyments of it which our Saviour had before forbidden his Disciples to be so solicitous about Take ye no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be cloathed And then it follows in direct opposition to this inordinate and solicitous Care about Worldly Things but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness That is be not so solicitous about the Conveniencies and Necessaries of this Life as about the Happiness of the other and the Means to it And this sense of this Phrase of the Kingdom of God is so very frequent in the New Testament that I shall not need to give particular Instances of it Secondly what is meant by Righteousness seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Righteousness in the strictest and most proper sense of the word signifies the particular Virtue of Justice
abomination to him and his Soul hates them And so likewise the Circumstances of Religion are less considerable than the substantial Means and Instruments of it And therefore all Rites and Ceremonies are in Religion of less consideration than the Substance of God's Worship and ought always to be subordinate to it In like manner the Moral Duties of Religion comprehended under the two great Commandments of the love of God and our Neighbour because they are of Eternal and indispensable obligation are to be preferr'd to matters of meer positive Institution and where they cannot stand togother that which is positive ought to be set aside and to give way for the present to that which is moral and good in its own Nature and not only because it is Commanded and Enjoyned for in this Case God hath expresly declared that he will have Mercy and not Sacrifice Upon which ground our Saviour declares that the Law of the Sabbath ought to give place to works of Mercy Upon the same account Peace and Charity are to be valued above Matters of Nicety and Scruple of doubtful Dispute and Controversie because the former are unquestionably good the latter doubtfully and uncertainly so All these things ought to be considered and are of great moment to make a Man sincerely and wisely Religious For Men may keep a great stir about some parts of Religion and be very Careful and Diligent Zealous and Earnest about the Means and Instruments of Religion and in the Exercises of Piety and Devotion and yet be destitute of the Power and Life of it and fall short of that inward and real and substantial Righteousness which alone can qualifie us for the Kingdom of God The Fifth and last Direction I would give is this That we have a particular regard to the great Duty of Charity or Alms-giving this being very frequently in Scripture called Righteousness as being an eminent part of Religion and a great Evidence of the truth and sincerty of our Piety And this our Saviour particularly directs to as the way to the Kingdom of God Luke 12. 33. After this general Exhortation to seek the Kingdom of God he instanceth in Charity as the direct way to it give Alms provide for your selves Bags that wax not old a Treasure in the Heavens that faileth not And elsewhere our Saviour speaks of this Grace and Virtue as that which above all others will make way for our admission into Heaven Luke 16. 9. I say unto you make to your selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that when ye fail they may receive you or ye may be received into Everlasting Habitations And St. Paul calls it laying in store for our selves a good foundation or as the word may better be rendred in this place a good treasure against the time to come that we may lay hold on Eternal Life 1 Tim. 6. 19. St. James speaks of it as a main and most essential part of Religion and the great Evidence of a true and sincere Piety Jam. 1. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction Finally our Lord instanceth in this as the very thing which will admit us into or shut us out of Heaven by the performance whereof we shall be Absolved and for the neglect whereof we shall be Condemned in the Judgment of the Great Day Mat. 25. So that this part of Righteousness or Religion ought in a more especial manner to be regarded by us because upon the performance or neglect of this Duty our Eternal Happiness doth so much depend The Fourth and last thing only remains to be spoken to which is to set before you the most proper and powerful Motives and Incouragements to the minding of this great Interest and Concernment But this will be the Subject of another Discourse The Second SERMON ON MATTH VI. 33. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you THESE Words which I began to Discourse upon the last Day are a strict Charge and Command to all Christians to mind the business of Religion in the first place and to take all imaginable Care to secure the Happiness of another Life but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you In the handling of which Argument First I Explained what is meant by the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Secondly I shew'd what is meant by seeking these and what by seeking them first Thirdly I laid down some Rules for our Direction and Furtherance in this great Business I shall now proceed to represent to you in the Fourth and last place some of the most proper and powerful Arguments and Encouragements to engage us to the minding of this great Inteâ—est and Concernment amongst which I shall in the last place particularly consider the Encouragement here given in the Text seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you 1. My First Argument shall be from the Worth and Excellency of the things we seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness which are certainly the greatest and best things we can seek The Kingdom of God is the Eternal Salvation of our Souls Everlasting Life and Happiness in another World which to animate our Endeavours and to tempt our Ambition the more are set forth to us under the notion of a Kingdom And what will not Men do to obtain that what pains will they not take what hazards will they not run what difficulties will they not grapple with and break through if they can to come at a Kingdom which when they have obtained they are exposed to as many and commonly to more Cares and Fears to greater Difficulties and Dangers in the keeping than they were for the getting of it And yet all this Men will do for a corruptible Crown for one of the petty Kingdoms and Principalities of this World which are continually tottering and ready to be overturned by open violence or to be undermined by secret Treachery But the Kingdom which I am speaking of and perswading you and my self to seek after is not like the Kingdoms of Men and of this World it is called the Kingdom of God to signifie to us the Excellency and stability of it as much beyond any of the Kingdoms of this World as the Heavens are high above the Earth and as God is greater than Man a Kingdom which cannot be shaken a Crown which fadeth not away a Scepter which cannot be wrested from us But to quit the Metaphor and speak to the Thing the Kingdom of God imports the Eternal Salvation of our Souls I say of our Souls which both in respect of the Dignity of their Nature and their Immortal duration are infinitely more valuable than any of the perishing things of this World and ought to be much dearer to us Other
things are without us they neither constitute our Being nor are â—ssential to our Happiness but our Souls are our selves and the loss of them is our utter ruine and destruction So that nothing is to be regarded by us with equal Care and Concernment as the Salvation of our Immortal Souls that is that we may be rescued from Eternal Misery and Everlastingly Happy in another World And can we be at too much cost and pains upon such a design to escape so dismal a Condition so dreadful a ruine as that of Body and Soul to all Eternity Can any Man be concerned enough to bring about so great a good to himself or can he purchase it too dear whatever he give or part with for it a good so desirable and so durable as our being Happy for ever When we purchase the things of this World the Riches and Honours of it at the expence of so much Time and Care and Trouble we pay dear for Trifles and Fancies but Eternal Happiness is a Jewel of so inestimable a Price that a Wise Merchant will have it at any rate and sell all that he hath to purchase it Of such value is the Kingdom of God and next to it is Righteousness which is the only Way and Means whereby this Kingdom is to be attained and therefore to be sought by us with the greatest diligence and earnestness For that which is the only Means to a great and desirable End and which alone can make us capable of that End and which in truth is a degree of it is valuable next to the End and almost equally with it and such is Righteousness in respect of the Kingdom of God it is the only means to it it is that alone which qualifies us and makes us capable of Happiness nay it is an essential ingredient into it and that which does in a great measure constitute the Happiness of Heaven For that temper of Mind that Conformity and likeness to God which Holiness and Righteousness brings us to is the true Foundation of our Happiness and according to the best apprehensions we have now of it is the very formal Cause and Essence of our Blessedness So St. John tells us 1 Joh. 3. 2. It doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him that is we do not now distinctly understand wherein the Happiness of the next Life consists we are not able to frame a clear and perfect Idea of it but this we know in general that it consists in our likeness to God in a conformity to the Moral Perfections of the Divine Nature which are exprest by the name of Purity and Holiness and therefore every one that hopes for the Happiness of Heaven must endeavour after Holiness every Man that hath this hope in him must purifie himself even as he is pure So that the things which I am pressing you to seek after are most effectually recommended by telling you what they are the Kingdom of God is Eternal Life and Happiness and his Righteousness is Universal Holiness and Goodness without which no Man is qualified for this Blessed State Now if there be any thing better than Goodness any thing more desirable than a Happiness which haâ—h no bounds nor no End do not mind them nor look after them but if there be not then certainly these aâ—e worthy of the Care and Endeavour of our whole Life Secondly Another Consideration that should very much excite and quicken our Endeavour and Diligence in seeking these things is the difficulty of obtaining them This I confess is no Encouragement but it is a very good Motive and Argument to whet our industry in seeking these things when we plainly see that they are not to be had upon other terms And this Consideration our Saviour useth to quicken us to strive and to contend earnestly for Eternal Life Mat. 7. 14. because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth to Life and few there be that find it And Luke 13. 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Seeking here in opposition to striving is a faint and weak Endeavour which will not carry us through this narrow and difficult passage and this is the reason why many miscarry who make some attempts towards Heaven but they do not strive they do not put forth any vigorous Endeavours to get thither Now the difficulty of attaining Eternal Happiness ariseth from the difficulty of the Way and Means to it and it is therefore hard to attain the Kingdom of God because it is hard to attain his Righteousness As desirable as it is it must be acknowledged very difficult for a Man to raise himself to that temper and disposition of Mind so to subdue his Lusts and govern his Passions to bridle his Tongue and order all the Actions of his Life as is necessary to qualifie him for Happiness and to make him fit to be admitted into the Kingdom of God And this difficulty is chiefly in our selves but greatly increased by temptation and opposition from without Chiefly I say in our selves from the strong biass of our Evil and Corrupt Inclinations and the strong power of vicious Habits and Customs which when they are grown inveterate do Tyrannize over us and make us perfect Slaves and lead us Captive at their pleasure so that our Nature must be quite changed and as the Apostle expresseth it we must be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds our Souls must be new moulded and fashioned we must be as it were Created and Born again before we can enter into the Kingdom of God In this our Saviour is positive and peremptoâ—y Joh. 3. 3. verily verily I say unto you except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God This difficulty indeed is greatest at first but it is considerable afterwards 'till a through Change be made and new Inclinations planted in us and the contrary habits of Grace and Virtue be super-induced And that which increaseth the difficulty is outward Temptation and Opposition from the World and the Devil which to withstand and resist requires great Courage and Resolution great Watchfulness and Guard over our selves But yet for our Comfort these Difficulties are not insuperable to that Grace and Assistance which God is always ready to afford to us upon so good an Occasion and to so good a purposeâ— greater is he that is in you than he that is in the World And this I am sure is Matter of great incouragement to us that tho' the difficulty â—f working out our Salvation be great yet if we do in good earnest set about it God is ready to assist and second our sincere Endeavours to work in us both to will and to do of his own goodness and so to prevent us with his gracious Favour and to further us with his continual Aid that
finally by his Mercy we may obtain Eternal Life Thirdly Another powerful Argument to Care and Diligence is the fatal Danger of Miscarriage in a Matter of so great Concernment We may do many things in Religion and take some pains to get to Heaven and yet fall short of it The Rich young Man in the Gospel our Saviour tells us was not far from the Kingdom of God and he broke with our Saviour only upon one Point he was too much addicted to the World and loth to part with his great Possessions and distribute them in Charity to the Poor and thereupon he left our Saviour and for any thing that we find never returned to him again If the World govern and bear sway in our Hearts if we mind Earthly things first and make these our chief Care and Design the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness shall not be added unto us iâ— we will not mind them in the first place they are too good to be Accessories And if upon any one point we miscarry either out of love to the World or affection to any other Lust or Vice that we are loth to part withal our miscarriage is fatal and the ruine which we bring upon our selves irreparable for the Soul once lost is lost for ever If we have neglected the opportunity of working out our own Salvation while we are in this World it will never return into our power again Death will shut the door against us and we shall never see the Kingdom of God Fourthly It is a mighty encouragement to us to consider that if we sincerely seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness there is not only a fair probability of obtaining them but all the security we can desire Men may be in good earnest for the things of this World may love them with all their Hearts and Souls as we see too many do and seek them with all their might and strength and yet after all their Endeavours may be shamefully frustrated and disappointed of their End There are many Examples of this kind daily before our eyes and yet Men are not discouraged from seeking these things A fair probability nay almost a possibility of attaining them is enough to a Worldly-Minded Man to drudge and toil for them Why the same Affectionâ— the â—ame Zeal the same unwearied Endeavour to serve God and to save our Souls would Infallibly bring us to Heaven It was a sad but true Saying of Cardinal Wolsey when he was leaving the World Had I been but as careful to please God as I have been to serve my Prince he would not have forsaken me now in the time of my gray hairs Nay it is to be hoped that less Diligence and Care about the Concernments of our Souls and another Life than many Men use about the things of this Life will secure our Eternal Happiness or else it is to be feared that but very few would be saved And who would not place his Industry and Endeavour upon a Design in which he is sure not to miscarry if he do but heartily and in good earnest pursue it Especially when it will be of infinite greater advantage to him than any Design he can propound to himself for this World If a Man may be certainly Happy for Ever upon the same or easier terms than he can ordinarily compass any of those little Designs which Men propose to themselves in this World who would not seek that which is most worthy the having and which he is surest to obtain Fifthly and Lastly the Encouragement here in the Text is not inconsiderable that if we seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness all these things shall be added unto us This certainly is a very tempting Consideration for who would not be glad to reconcile the enjoyment of this World with the hopes of Heaven and Eternal Happiness But Men do not generally like our Saviour's Method they would seek the things of this World in the first place and get to Heaven at last they would be content to seek the one and have the other cast in and conferred upon them without their seeking But this will not be granted this way will not do And yet our Saviour hath gone as far as one would think could in Reason be desired he hath promised that if we will make Religion and the Salvation of our Souls our first and chief Care that all these things shall be added unto us So that the Design of going to Heaven and being Happy for ever is no ways inconsistent with a competent portion of the things of this Life Godliness the Apostle tells us hath the promise of this Life and of that which is to come The business of Religion the practice of a Holy and Virtuous Life is no hindrance to a Man's thriving in his Temporal Estate nay in many Respects it is apt to promote and advance it by engaging us to diligence in our Calling and by deriving the blessing of God upon our honest and lawful Endeavours by obliging us to the strict and constant practice of Truth and Justice and Fidelity in all our Dealings and Commerce which are the best way to establish a clear and solid Reputation and good Esteem among Men which is an unspeakable advantage in Business and at the long run one of the best and most lasting Instruments of Prosperity and Success Besides that Religion frees a Man from those Passions and Vices which do naturally tend to dissipate and ruine Mens Estates as Intemperance and Lewdness which are every way chargable Vices and do not only take Men off from Business and render them unfit for it but waste their Estates and bring many other inconveniencies upon their Persons and Families Religion makes Men meek and peaceable and inoffensive in word and deed which is a great security against chargeable Suits and Contentions and all sorts of Injuries and Affronts from others Among all the Beatitudes of our Saviour he only promiseth Temporal Happiness to Meekness Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth They who provoke and offend no body are likely to be least disturbed and disquieted by others in their Possession and Enjoments who will harm you saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 3. 13. if ye be followers of that which is good Some may be so perverse as to persecute a Man for his goodness but it rarely happens most Men have not only a kindness but a veneration for true goodness By all these ways Religion naturally tends to the Temporal Prosperity of Men and the promoting of their wellfare and happiness even in this World besides that the Providence of God is very peculiarly concerned for good Men and a special Blessing attends them in all their Undertakings So that excepting the Case of Persecution which God will particularly Consider and Reward in another World the Religious and good Man who sincerely seeks the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness stands as fair and is upon as good terms for all
Heaven Every Man hath time to pray to God every day for his Mercy and Forgiveness for his Grace and Assistance for his Preservation and Support and to thank him heartily for all his Blessings and Benefits And a little time seriously employed in this kind would have the same acceptance with God as the more solemn and longer Devotions of those who have more leisure and opportunities for them To be sure we have all of us time to serve God upon his own Day and to employ it wholly in the Exercises of Piety and in the Care and Consideration of our Souls But this when all is said is the Case but of very few most of us have no colour for this Complaint non inopes temporis sed prodigi sumus as Seneca says we are not Poor but Prodigal of our time and lavish it away profusely upon Folly and Vanity Our Vices and Lusts our Pleasures and Diversions consume and divert those precious hours which should be employed to these better purposes nay many times Time oppresseth us and is a burthen to us and lies upon our hands and we know not how to get rid of it and yet we chuse rather to let it run waste than to bestow it upon Religion and the Care of our Souls insomuch that I fear this will be the Condition of many that when they were at a loss what to do with their Time and knew not how to spend it they would not lay it out upon that which was best and most necessary for this surely is the very best use that can be made of Time to prepare and provide for Eternity Thirdly Others pretend it will be time enough to mind these things hereafter But this as bad Excuses seldom hang together and agree with one another directly contradicts the former pretence which supposeth so much time necessary and more than many have to spare and yet now they would make us believe that a very little time will suffice for this Work and that it may be done at any time even just when we are going out of this World But this of all other is the strangest Interpretation of seeking the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness first to put it off to the very last This surely is a greater error on the other hand to think that the business of Religion is so quickly to be dispatched and that the great work of our Lives can be crowded into so narrow a corner of it that the time of Sickness and Old Age nay the hour of Death well employed to this purpose will be sufficient Alas what can we then do that is good for any thing that can in Reason be thought either acceptable to God or available for our selves When we have not Sense and Understanding enough to dispose of our Temporal Concernments and to make our Wills do we think we shall be fit to repent of the Sins and Miscarriages of our whole Lives and to make our Peace with God Every Man must not expect to have Saul's Fortune who when he was wearied with seeking his Father's Asses met with a Kingdom We must not think when we are tired with pursuing the Follies and Vanities of this World to retire into Heaven and to sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God Our Saviour hath taken care to caution us against this desperate Folly by a Parable to this very purpose of the Foolish Virgins who having trifled away their time 'till the Bridegroom was coming and neglected to get Oyl into their Lamps by which we are to understand all those good Preparations and Dispositions which are necessary to qualifie us for the Kingdom of God I say having neglected their opportutunity of getting this Oyl while they were looking after it too late the Door was shut against them They thought to have repaired all at last by borrowing of others and supplying themselves that way And thus many deceive themselves hoping to be supplied out of another store when they have no grace and goodness of their own out of the Treasure of the Church from the redundant Merit of the Saints and their Works of Supererrogation of which some believe I know not for what Reason that there is a great stock which the Pope may dispose of to supply those who have taken no care to get Oyl into their Lamps But I know not for what Reason Works of Supererrogation are supposed the Wise Virgins knew not of any Merit they had to spare it was the Foolish Virgins only that entertained this senseless Conceit I am sure the Parable insinuates the quite contrary that the Best and Holiest Persons which are represented by the Wise Virgins have nothing to spare for the supply of others who have been careless of their Souls the Foolish said unto the Wise give us of your Oyl for our Lamps are gone out but the Wise answered saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for your selves It seems they had no works of Supererrogation that they knew of but they do Ironically send them to a Market that was set up somewhere and where these things were pretended to be Sold but how they sped the Conclusion of the Parable tells us that whilst they were running about in great haste to make this purchase of the Merits and good Works of others the Bridegroom came and the Wise Virgins that were ready went in with him to the Marriage and the rest were shut out And there are those likewise among our selves who having been careless to qualifie themselves for the Kingdom of God hope to be supplied out of the infinite Treasure of Christ's Merits but this also is a vain hope For tho' there be Merit enough in the Death and Sufferings of Christ to save all Mankind yet no Man can lay claim thereto who does not perform the Condition of the Gospel Others think by sending for the Minister when the Physician hath given them over to receive in a few hours such Advice and Direction as will do their business as effectually as if they had minded Religion all their Lives long and that a few Devout Prayers said over them when they are just imbarking for another World will like a Magical Wind immediately waft them over into the Regions of Bliss and Immortality But let us not deceive our selves we may defer the Business so long 'till we shall get nothing by our late application to God and crying to him Lord Lord open unto us but that severe Answer Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know ye not whence ye are If we would not have this our Doom let us first seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness that so having our Fruit unto Holiness our End may be Everlasting Life A SERMON ON PSAL. CXIX 96. I have seen an end of all Perfection but thy Commandment is exceeding broad THis Psalm seems to have a great deal more of