A SERMON Preach'd before the Lord Mayor And COURT of ALDERMEN June 27. 1680. BY CHARLES HICKMAN Student of Christ-Church in Oxford and Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Southampton LONDON Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun in S. Pauls Church-yard 1680. Clayton Mayor Curia special tent die Dominico quarto die Julij 1680. Regni Annoque Regis Caroli secundi Angliae c. xxxii THis Court doth desire Mr. Hickman to Print his Sermon Preached on this day seven-night at the Guild-hall Chappel before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of this City Wagstaff TO THE Right Honourable SRs. Robert Clayton LORD MAYOR SInce your Lordship has sentenc'd this discourse to the Press I shall no longer dispute your Commands but according to the true character of an English Subject having already asserted my liberty in the freedom of a defence I must leave the final determination to the Higher powers Thus manifesting my Obedience without betraying my Birthright I know the many censures which a discourse of this nature is liable unto and therefore in publishing of it I have given an instance of that sincerity and boldness to which I exhorted others but having justice on my side and your Lordship for my Advocate I shall need no other Apology to recommend me to the favour of good men or protect me from the detractions of the malicious My Lord Your Lordships most Obedient and most Humble Servant CHARLES HICKMAN A SERMON ON 1 KINGS xviii 21. And Elijah came unto all the people and said How halt ye between two opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him THE Jews in the days of the Prophet Elijah lay under the severest pressures of sin and judgment and seem'd to all men but themselves not only miserable but desperate too Judah and Israel were now become terms of defiance to each other and though they were alike hated by the Heathens and their neighbouring Nations sought occasion for their ruin yet neither their publick calamities nor the private tyes of consanguinity and friendship could refrain them from drawing their swords upon themselves Jerusalem which was not long since the admiration and envy of the World was now become a reproach unto it self a scandal to its Religion and a joy only to its Enemies whilst their home-bred divisions prepar'd them for a forein captivity and they reveng'd upon themselves the quarrels of the Nations which they had driven out their Kings for many successions were such as shew'd that God gave them in his anger and their Chronicles were only the enumeration of the follies impieties and idolatry both of King and people therefore was the wrath of God kindled against them and the several judgments which he punished them withal distinguish'd their years and made up all the signal periods in their late Chronology And as a falling weight gathers strength from it motion and the nearer it comes to the ground so much the swifter it moves even thus the Jews by the violence of their transgressions seem'd to approach their final ruin and that the iniquity of Israel was now full Time and succession had given strength and security to their sins the judgments of God did not bring them to repentance but harden them in their transgressions the Heavens over their heads were now become as brass and the Earth under them was iron the Land that flowed with milk and honey now withheld her increase God did not give his blessing nevertheless though their soul fainted within them yet had they courage enough to rebel against their Maker they forsook the Lord their strength and they who were wont to go to the house of God as friends now in their divided Tents set up the abominations of Baal and consented only in worshiping the foolishness of the Heathen Thus have we a miserable prospect of a ruinous Church and State for the iniquity of their forefathers their Kingdom was divided and their own transgressions had multiplied Gods judgments upon them in the hardness of their heart they flighted their danger and in their folly they rejected the Lord from whom alone they could expect redress Then stood up Elijah like fire and his Word burnt like a Lamp in the power of the Almighty he brought their Kings to destruction and the people to the worship of the living God he was ordained for reproofs in those times to pacifie the wrath of the Lords judgments before it brake forth into fury and to restore the Tribes of Israel Then came Elijah unto all the people and said If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him In which words me may observe 1. a Supposition that there is a God whither it be the Lord or Baal 2. An Exhortation grounded upon this Supposition and that is twofold 1. If the Lord he God follow him 2. But if Baal be God then follow him 1. The Text supposes that there is a God whether it be the Lord or Baal and this is a truth so manifest that the very Heathens who had no knowledg of his Name have confess'd there was no Nation so barbarous but has constantly believ'd his power the very Jews though the most blind and and stiff-necked generation yet never came to that degree of obstinacy but that they still acknowledg'd some power which they believ'd Divine for no sooner did they forsake the Temple of the living God but they set up Altars and Groves to Baal As for the suggestions of the Atheist that there is no God besides himself and no other life but this they are groundless and uncertain all their proofs are founded upon a bare possibility and the belief thereof can never reach higher than opinion such thoughts are the effects of deep ignorance and want of sense and are only the faint dying hopes of a languishing sinner for there is none would deny the power of God but he that through his Vices despairs of his mercy He that can affirm Divinity to be a fancy and Religion the contrivance of a Politician may with as much reason affirm that the whole World is but an apparition that we do but dream of Cities and Palaces and these Walls which we behold are but the phantastical delusions of a sickly brain He that can deny the being of a God may also deny the being of a Man Again the opinion of the Atheist is not only very unreasonable but also very dangerous for supposing it were true that this life determines his being which yet cannot be known till after death yet when Death has swallow'd him up in forgetfulness and brought him to nothing where then is the reward of his dangerous experiment or who shall inherit the praise and glory of his notable discovery But if his opinion should prove false as he has great reason to suspect from the uncertain grounds of his belief if Death the Minister of God should preach his Gospel of terrours unto him and the pains of Hell convince him
visits the offence to the third and fourth Generation therefore for the more exact performance of this so important duty we must observe these following rules 1. We must follow the Lord openly with boldness and resolution as being neither afraid nor asham'd to own that truth from whence we expect salvation We must not hide the Word of God in our hearts but make profession thereof with our mouths lest the Scornful and Profane should take our silence for a perfect submission to their cause and the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph lest the unreprov'd transgressors should die in their sins and their blood be required at our hands Why then should we add the guilt of other mens sins to the number of our own why should their iniquity be our ruin Therefore through God our righteousness let us be bold as a Lion and dare to be religious even in a sinful and adulterous generation and let the Prophet in my Text be our great example who alone did withstand the Congregation of the Priests of Baal and brought the whole Assembly of Israel into subjection He cast not in his Lot amongst the prevailing Idolaters nor went forth with the multitude to their fashionable devotions but withstood them to the face and maintain'd the honour of his Church when he was the only Prophet left therein Nothing can excuse the cowardice and falsehood of him who denies or dissembles that faith which he believes and if we are asham'd of Christ and his words before men of us also will the Son of man be asham'd when he cometh in the glory of his Father 2. We must follow the Lord stedfastly with constancy and perseverance not wavering in our belief nor waxing faint in the day of tryal but still pressing forwards in our course and with our faith overcoming all the difficulties in our way O Elijah how wast thou honour'd in thy wondrous works and who may glory like unto thee Such was the assurance of our great Prophet so strong and active was his faith that he made the very laws of nature give place unto it and brought down fire from Heaven to convince the people Through all the difficulties that attend our faith and the dangers that threaten the profession of it we must still look unto God who has promis'd that he will never leave us nor forsake us We must not at any time nor upon any pretence bow down the knee to Baal nor shew any compliance with the worship of a strange god lest our hearts at length should be inclin'd to their folly and God in his anger give us over to follow their abominations And as we must abhor the house of Baal so we must with equal care avoid all false ways of serving the living Lord for it matters very much whether we worship at the Mount in Samaria or the Temple of Jerusalem and a man may Apostatize from the faith with our renouncing his God But 't is much to be fear'd that he who never strains at Heresie and Schism would swallow down infidelity too should his interest command him and from paying God a false worship would soon be brought to worship a false God for how can we expect that God will accept the sacrifice of our hearts when we come unto him with a lye in our mouths How can we sing the Lords song in a strange Land or testifie our penitence to God in a service which is to be repented of if we deny the necessity of living in a constant and publick profession of the whole faith we must deny the honour of Martyrdom to those who have dyed for it we must reform our Kalendar and rase out the names of many who have hitherto enjoy'd that glorious title upon Earth and doubtless the Crown thereof in Heaven But 3. We must follow the Lord with zeal and affection if we are throughly persuaded of our own duty we must also be desirous to see Gods Name glorified by others and that not only with idle hopes and insignificant desires but with active endeavours and a real concern 'T is the glory of the Church of God to spread her arms abroad like our Saviour on the Cross and receive all mankind within its embraces his Blood was a sufficient Atonement for all the world and whosoever neglects the means and opportunity of advancing this faith betrays the honour of Christ his head and the salvation of his Fellow-members he basely suffers that soul for which our Saviour died to perish through unbelief and makes the merits of his death to be ineffectual If the late Martyrs and uninspired Confessors of our faith who planted a Church amongst us with their sweat and water'd it with their blood had given way to principles of compliance and self-preservation our Land had either continued barren to this day in its primitive Paganism or been soon over-run with Heresie and Superstition Had the Prophet in my Text contented himself with a dormant Religion and confin'd his faith to his own bosom he might have enjoy'd his ease and the Jews their Idolatry without the trouble of this fiery tryal Yet such was the zeal of Elijah for the Lord God of Hosts because the Children of Israel had forsaken his Covenants thrown down his Altars and slain his Prophets with the sword that he restor'd his Religion with a mighty hand and return'd that severity upon the Priests of Baal which they had exercis'd against the Servants of the living God And I can never be persuaded but that a complying Christian is a contradiction in the terms till the communion of Saints be blotted out of our Creed and the Catholick Church be demonstrated to consist in the private breast of each particular Saint Nevertheless though a zeal for the Lord be our duty and heroical vertue be most acceptable in the eye both of God and man yet it always happens that where the greatest honour is to be won there is the greatest danger therefore we must be cautious 1. That our zeal be according to knowledg before we engage in the zealous defence of any cause we must be well assur'd that the cause it self be good lest instead of thanks for our diligence we receive a check for our forwardness and it be justly said unto us Who has required these things at your hands for if we have not sufficient authority to warrant the action it is not vertue but rashness to proceed if we take a groundless opinion for our foundation and make not reason our judge in the consult what assistance can we receive from it in the heat of action we have then lost all command of our selves and shall be deaf to all advice our ignorance shall continue but our vehemence and consequently our danger shall increase we shall still follow the same blind guide that first misled our devotion not knowing either how to stop our career or direct our course like one that puts out to Sea without the assistance of either Sails or
of his mistake what profit has he then of all his travail the hardness of his heart cannot beat back the everlasting flames nor the obstinacy of his unbelief persuade him out of his senses though now it persuades him out of his reason Far be it from me therefore in a Christian Congregation from endeavouring to convince so gross and absurd a belief to confute the error here is to profane the truth 't is an opinion that proceeds not from thoughtfulness and study but intemperance and vice Men debauch themselves out of their Religion and Atheism is not the persuasion of the man no nor the belief of the Devil but the punishment of the Beast 'T is that hardness of heart that reprobate sense to which God delivers up an obstinate Sinner 't is the last of Judgments inflicted by God upon him that has refus'd all the methods of his mercy and therefore to argue a man out of his infidelity is to dispute a Lunatick into his senses or persuade a Leper to be clean they are proof against all reason and the Prophet in my Text would not throw away a miracle to reduce them Since therefore God has forsaken him and delivered him up to the worst of all evils that is to himself let us also leave him to pursue his own ruin since he has refus'd instruction and will have none to advise God at length will awaken him by his thunder and stretch forth the arm of his Vengeance upon him when there is none to help Supposing therefore that there is a God I come in the next place to consider what is our duty to him as it is express'd in the second part of my Text the exhortation of the Prophet If the Lord be God follow him From which words I shall endeavour to shew 1. What it is to follow the Lord. 2. In what manner we must follow him and 3. How we may know whether we follow the Lord or not And 1. To follow the Lord is the sum and substance of all Religion For if we consider him as our Father then to follow him is to pay him that honour and respect which is due unto a Father as he is our King we must follow him in a submissive obedience to his Commands and as he is our God we must follow him in that worship of his Name which he has revealed But because the latter of these is chiefly intended by the Prophet in my Text therefore it shall be the subject of my ensuing discourse The notion of a God as it is infus'd into us by nature does include in it such transcendent marks of excellency and power such glorious attributes of justice and mercy that it is not only the duty but also the inclination of man to fall down and worship Yet since through the infirmities of our nature we are incompass'd about with such a cloud of difficulties that our Devotion may either be too little or too much lest our ignorance should betray us either to disrespect on the one hand or superstition on the other God has made himself our Guide unto his Sanctuary by Apostles and Prophets he has continually instructed his Church in what manner he would be worship'd and sent his only Son to give light unto us that sat in darkness 'T is our duty therefore to turn unto the Lord our God and make his Will the rule of our actions since by many and mighty instances of his mercy power he has manifested himself to be the very God Let us in all humble obedience fall down worship Since by his infinite goodness he has made himself the guide to our devotions Let us not with the giddy multitude admire the novelties and devices of the Nations but follow his directions with chearfulness and submission for he is all goodness and cannot deceive us he also is all wisdom and cannot be himself deceived What folly is it therefore to seek after new inventions and in the blindness of our hearts beat in untrodden paths when God himself who is the light and the truth has made our way plain before us Why should we choose to perplex our thoughts and wander by our selves rather than follow the guidance of our God and the footsteps of our Fathers that went before us The difficulties and intricacies of our ways are sufficient of themselves to exercise both our patience and our faith Why then should we create unto our selves troubles more and more and add unto our sorrow since we must necessarily pass through a Wilderness before we come into the Land of Canaan let us commit our ways unto God who brought us hither and he will order our goings and bring us forth into his pleasant Land But if we cast behind us the Counsels and Commands of the most High and trust to our own inventions if through the perverseness of our hearts the boastings of our discretion or the presumption of our vertue we choose our own ways and our soul delighteth in our abominations God also will choose our delusions and bring our fears upon us For the presence of God is dreadful his glory is too great to be rudely invaded by mortal eyes and his Ark too holy to be touch'd by unskilful hands Therefore he has set bounds to our devotion as he did to the Children of Israel in the Mount lest they should press forward to gaze upon the Lord and he break forth upon them that they perish He has appointed our distances that we should observe in his worship and taught us what an awful reverence we should bear towards him when we approach unto his Majesty We must use such decent Ceremonies in our Devotion as may shew that we are not conversing with flesh and blood nor putting up our Petitions to an Earthly Prince but to an Almighty Soveraign and the invisible powers of Heaven and Earth A rude familiarity is an abomination to him and though he humbles himself to receive our Prayers yet we ought not therefore to debase him in our thoughts and look upon him for such a one as our selves When we approach unto the presence of an earthly Prince we are cautious that we offend him not through any undecent behaviour but observe all the ceremonies of address we study such postures as may express his greatness and our humility and such terms as may best set forth our desires and reconcile his favour How is it then that we can rush into the presence of the Almighty as a Horse rushes into the battel without either fear or consideration and relying only upon a groundless confidence and presumption that we should dare to proffer our unstudy'd Prayers and unsanctified persons unto the God of all Wisdom unto whom the most corrected of our thoughts are folly the best of our actions are impure in his sight So jealous is God of his honour for the punctual observance of his worship that the punishment of the offender cannot sufficiently expiate his crime but he