or colour sinful practices hereby they are profaned and the holier they be the wickeder Woe to you ye devour Widow's Houses and for a pretence make long Prayers 3. Our most common Speeches that might otherwise seem culpable are not only allowable but commendable as they may be referred unto some good purpose As first for the remission of a mind over-bent and burthened with serious matter that one may return with more vigor to it Secondly For the prevention of worse Discourse where better will not be entertained Thirdly For insinuation into bad men that we may gain an opportunity of doing good upon them and for introduction into better Discourse which abruptly cannot be brought in So much then depending upon the Scope of our Discourse let me give two Cautions hereon Caution First That none Pride themselves in the material goodness of their Discourse if the design be bad it is like a fair Apple rotten at the core 2. That we judg none rashly for the seeming commonness of their Discourse if it be not their common dialect and especially if they are among common spirited People there may be a pious guile in it a reason for it and it is Charity to suppose it but let every one judg himself who only hath a Capacity to know himself and let us all be cautious however that we lay not a stumbling block before a weak Brother How may Detraction be best prevented or Cured Serm. XXI Psal 15.3 He that backbiteth not with his Tongue nor doth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a Reproach against his Neighbour AMong the many Sins for which God is contending with England and especially with the Professors of Religion in it I doubt not but one and that none of the least is the gross misgovernment of their Tongues The abuses of the Tongue are many one whereof is the malignity of it And whereas in David's time a malignant and virulent Tongue was the badg and cognizance of an Atheist Psal 59.7 Behold they belch out with their mouths Swords are in their Lips for who say they doth hear Now alas this Spot is become the Spot of God's Children and high professors of Religion A man can scarce come into any Company but his Ears shall be filled with censures detractions reproaches Party against Party Person against Person Instead of that old Christian Love and Charity for which the Ancient Christians were noted and applauded even by their Adversaries Behold said they how the Christians love one another Mens hearts are generally full of rancour and their Tongues of sharp reflections contemptuous and reproachful expressions censures and slanders against their absent and oft-times innocent and more worthy Brethren This is the Disease which I would endeavour to administer some Physick to from these words The Coherence is plain David proposeth a Question verse 1. Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacle Who shall dwell in thy holy Hill By which you may understand either Sion where the Ark then was or Moriah where the Temple was to be Built and by either of them the Church of God here and especially the Heavenly Temple hereafter So that it is as if David had said and asked what is the qualification of the true Members of God's Church of the Citizens of the New Jerusalem By what properties are they known and distinguished from other men To this David doth not answer that they are so differenced by their high Talks by their crying out upon the sins of other men or the wickedness of the times by their frequent attendance at God's Tabernacle but by the uprightness of their Hearts by the good Government of their Tongues by the holiness of their Lives Verse 2. He that walketh uprightly and worketh Righteousness and speaketh the Truth in his heart And in this 3d. Verse that I have now read He that backbiteth not with his Tongue nor doth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a Reproach against his Neighbour It is the last clause which I intend to speak to because it will comprehend the former Nor taketh up a Reproach against his Neighbour The words I shall explain in the handling of the Doctrine which is this Doct. It is the Duty and must be the care of every true Christian not to take up a Reproach against his Neighbour I shall first explain the point then prove it and lastly apply it For Explanation three things are to be enquired into 1. Who is my Neighbour There are some men of Name in the world that will tell you that in the Language of the Old Testament by Neighbour is to be understood one of the same Countrey and Religion Popularis Israelita and it is the peculiarity of the Gospel that every man is made my Neighbour But if we examine Scripture we shall find this to be a gross mistake I need not go farther for the confutation of it than to the Decalogue it self Thou shalt not bear false Witness against thy Neighbour I suppose it will seem a very hard saying to affirm that it is Lawful to bear false Witness against a Stranger So when God commands Thou shalt not lye carnally with thy Neighbour's Wife Lev. 18.20 I presume these Gentlemen would not allow themselves that Liberty with the Wife of a Stranger If God may be his own Interpreter this Controversie will quickly be ended from Lev. 19. ch where if you compare two Verses Verse 18. Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self with Verse 34. But the Stranger that Dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you and thou shalt love him as thy self you will not need the help of an Artist to form this Conclusion that the Stranger is in God's Account and ought to be in mine Account my Neighbour To the same purpose you may please to compare two other places of Scripture together Deut. 22.4 Thou shalt not see thy Brother's Ass nor his Ox fall down by the way and hide thy self from them thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again with Exod. 23.4 5. If thou meet thine Enemie's Ox or his Ass going astray thou shalt surely bring him back again If thou seest the Ass of him that hateth thee lying under his Burthen thou shalt help him up He who is my Brother which is nearer than a Neighbour in the one place is mine Enemy and he that hateth me in another place And it is further observable to this end that the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Neighbour is usually rendred in Scripture by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another as Rom. 13.8.9 He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law for the Law saith thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Most true therefore is that of St. Augustine Proximus est omnis homo homini every man is a Neighbour to any other man Nay the more intelligent part of the Jews were of this Opinion and Kimchi upon these words saith He is
of the Church done they have been to them the very joy and life of their souls Psal 122.1 I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem I never was â—â—re affected with joy and gladness in all my life then when I was wont to hear the people encouraging one another to assemble themselves to the publique worship of God in the house of God on Gods day O it did my heart good to hear with what alacrity and rejoycing they did provoke one another come let us go to the house of the Lord notably prophesied of in words at length Isa 2.2 3. verses many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem In the loss of Ordinances and Sabbaths they have been dead in the nest like Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not And in the recovery and enjoyment of them they have rejoyced as men rejoyce that divide the spoil see Psal 3. Psal 42. 43. 84. per totum Christians we must write after this copy and count the Sabbath not our Duty only but our Delight and priviledge 2. Affirmative duty The Holy of the Lord. We must call it i. e. ut sup count it keep it as Lichdosh Jehovah sanctum Domini One of the titles of Jesus Christ The Holy one of God we must observe the Sabbath as Holy time Holy yet not by constitution not essentially holy as Christ is holy nor inherently as the Saints are holy but holy by institution by sanction relatively holy the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it i. e. he set it apart for holy uses Deut. 5.12 keep the Sabbath-day to sanctifie it Nothing but holy things must be done in this holy time praying reading hearing singing of Psalms c. as Psal 92. which is both a precept and plat-form for Sabbath-sanctification meditation rejoycing in God and Thanksgiving as you may read at large Thirdly We must call it i. e. count it honourable or the glorious day of God Glorious upon several accounts 1. For Gods glorious resting upon that day Gods rest that is a glorious rest rest of God As things of God in scripture are great and glorious things 2. Glorious or Honourable by a glorious sanction Coyn with the Kings stamp upon it is counted Royal not for the mettal so much though it be of Silver or Gold but for the Image superscription and impression it beareth Every day in the week is Honourable because it is Gods Creation but the Sabbath is glorious for the inscription Jehovah hath set his Image upon it He did sanctifie it It hath Gods sanction upon it and that is glorious 3. It is Honourable for those glorious ends for which it was set apart and they are three 1. That God might sanctifie his people Ezekiel 20.12 moreover I gave them my Sabbaths for a sign between me and them not a ceremonial sign as some would dwindle it that have no more Religion in them than an old rotten Ceremony cometh to but a moral sign i. e. a Testimony Pledge or Covenant whereby it might appear that they were Gods people sanctified to his service and honour So it follows that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifieth them The Sabbath is Gods Medium to raise up to himself an holy people 2. That Gods people might sanctifie him so ver 41. I will be sanctified in you so Levit. 10.3 I will be sanctified in them that draw nigh me God sanctifieth us when he makes us holy we sanctifie God when we acknowledge him to be holy God sanctifieth us when he makes us what we are not we sanctifie him when we acknowledge him to be what he is These be glorious ends but 3. Another glorious end for which God made the Sabbath was that the Sabbath on Earth might be a type and figure of the Sabbath in Heaven That in this initial and imperfect Sabbath on earth we might see though in a glass darkly what the Saints and Angels are doing in Heaven without ceasing that we might peep into Heaven before we come thither and long and wait for that eternal Sabbath A day wherein God bows the Heaven and comes down and offers himself in ways of sweet and friendly Communion with his people Exod. 20. v. 23. Fourth Duty is As we must call and count it glorious so we must actually honour it or him it may be rendred both and indeed when we honour this day we glorifie God and we glorifie God when we make him our end in honouring his day Without both these we do take Gods Name in vain and do but mock God rather in pretending to keep a Sabbath than glorifie him We must set up God in his own day and in his own Institution And thus I have done with the opening of this blessed Model in the Duties of it I should come now to the Priviledges annexed but sufficient to the day is the travel thereof For the Improvement of this doctrinal Exposition I shall do these two Things 1. I shall endeavour the stating of some Cases of Conscience concerning the Sabbath 2. I shall raise some observations instead of more distinct Uses and application Case 1 If it be inquired what Sabbath it is that is here spoken of we shall not need to stick long upon the solution Some indeed of the Antisabbatical Doctors who love neither the Name nor Thing will needs expound it of the yearly Sabbath the day of the strictest rest among the Jews in their solemn convention for Humiliation and Atonement of which we read Levit. 16.31 and 23.27.31 But surely it is an unreasonable straitning of the text to confine it to this especially since the Prophet had sufficiently insisted upon that subject both by way of reproof and Exhortation in the former part of the chapter Here therefore I conceive we are to understand the Weekly Sabbath not only the seventh day Sabbath which was yet in being but the First day Sabbath also which was to succeed the Prophet being an Evangelical Prophet as one calls him the Evangelist Isaiah speaks of the Evangelical Sabbath which was to continue to the end of the world Rules drawn from the Negative part of this model Rules 1. Note in the first place that from the Creation of the world to this day God never suffer'd his Church to be without a Sabbath As soon as ever there was a Church though it was but in its infancy and confin'd within the narrow limits of a single-family and few souls therein God did immediately institute a Sabbath for it Gen. 2.3 And on the seventh day God ended all his works which
the one and the other might see the right way of Salvation by Jesus Christ for though the Light of Nature by which we are convinc'd of the equity and righteousness of the Moral Law do bind us to Repentance when we act against it yet it cannot promise that we shall get any thing by our Repentance being altogether ignorant of the Mystery of the Gospel Thus we see the Mountains must be brought low and the Valleys filled up and both reduc'd to such an exact level evenness and plainness that Christ may sit close upon the soul without the least interposition of any thing between him and us or the least remaining vacuity or emptiness in our selves into which his Fulness doth not descend making up whatsoever is wanting in us and when it is so there is a through perfect closure with Christ in the greatest nearness in the strictest and most intimate union that can be But you will say How shall we come to this How shall we walk thus between the Mountain and the Valley in a streight direct line of Faith and Hope to Jesus Christ which brings me to the Case or Question now to be spoken to from the Text which is this viz. How may we steer an even course between Presumption and Despair The true state of this Question depends upon a clear discovery of the real difference that is between the Grace of Hope and both these extreams Presumption and Despair therefore 1. I shall distinguish between Presumption and Hope The difference between Hope and Despair is more apparent but we are too too apt to confound Presumption and Hope there being a greater Affinity between these than the other as in Morality some vertue come nearer to one extreme than to the other So here there is something of the general nature of Hope in Presumption Presumptio non excludit spem sed rectitudâ—nem spei Zanch. Therefore we must be the more acurate and strict in distinguishing between the Grace of Hope and the Sin of Presumprion which fallente quâdam Specie Aquinas resembles the grace of Hope and those who are guilty of this Sin do alwayes put the specious name of Hope upon it they are not sensible of any Presumption as others are of Despair and therefore their case is more dangerous Eo magis desperati quo minus desperantes Ames de Consc And where one despairs thousands do presume Before I come to particulars I must distinguish of a double Presumption 1. Of our Selves and our own merits 2. Of God and his mercy Both stand in a direct opposition to the true Grace of Hope and I shall shew you where the difference lies I begin with 1. The First sort of Presumption which is of our selves This is a proud arrogant presumption arising from a vain conceit of our own supposed worth and righteousness we think to stand upon our own legs insisting not upon what Christ is to us or hath done for us but upon what we are in and to our selves and have done for Christ We have Prophecied in thy Name c. Mat. 7.22 We are not as this Publican we have done thus and thus and ought to be considered for our good works and we doubt not but we shall 't is not the Promises of Free-grace but the Law and their strict observance of that which these men ground their hope upon But the true Grace of Hope is alwayes grounded upon Faith in the Promises and is all along fed nourish'd maintain'd and strengthened by those believing perswasions that it hath of the truth of those Promises which at first produced and begat this hope in the Soul and in the continual exercise of this Grace in its daily actings it eyes the Promises hath daily recourse to them for its further confirmation 't is bottomed upon them takes its rise from thence and bears up the Soul upon the credit of them Rom. 15.4 Psal 119.74 this is the hope of the Gospel Col. 1.23 that carries us out of our selves A Christian's Hope is hope in another and not in himself The right notion of Hope as it is an Evangelical Grace implies our sole dependance upon God as the only Author and Fountain of all that good which we desire and look for which doth sufficiently difference it from that false hope or self-presumption that I have been speaking of and which was principally aimed at by John in the Text being a Presumption more peculiar to those times and persons here spoken of who lived under the Law and were much in doing but understood not the End of their Moral or Ceremonial Works but trusted in them and made Saviours of them and at the first entrance of the Gospel they opposed the Doctrine of Free-grace would hear neither John nor Christ himself but rejected the Counsel of God against themselves Luke 7.30 33 34. See what a Character Paul gives of them and of all others throughout the world who should entertain the least thought of Salvation out of Christ Rom. 3.16 17. Destruction and misery are in their wayes and the way of peace have they not known This one Scripture if well weighed is enough to shake the confidence of the most Presumptuous Self-justitiary that is and to convince him and all the world of their need of Christ In Psal 14. which Paul quotes in this Chapter God is brought in taking a strict Survey of Mankind before he sent his Son into the World to see if there were any that stood in no need of him q. d. If there be any such let him come forth and shew himself David answers for himself ver 7. Not I Lord not I Lord I wait for Christ I long for Christ O that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Zion O that Christ were come that the Free grace and mercy of God were more clearly revealed then Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad this will be good news indeed So Jer. 17.5 6 7. The result of all is this true Hope eyes God in Christ and argues from him this Presumption now spoken of eyes self and argues from thence in all its actings 2. The second sort of Presumption to be distinguish'd from Hope is that by which we presume upon God and his mercy This is grown up since the preaching of the Gospel there is indeed too great a spice of the former Presumption among Professors and as that vvears off this succeeds nay they unhappily mingle together If Legal Presumption cannot altogether shut out conviction yet it minces the matter 't is a little one and my Soul shall live and so makes vvay for this credulous presumption that brings in a Salvo for all presently God is gracious mercy is promised Christ has died for Sinners and all vvill be vvell vve shall go to Heaven of course vvithout any more ado and so they sit down in security all their dayes till they are surprized vvith their everlasting doom unawares This is Infidelis fiducia Bern. a
repent of their sins and accept of God's Son to come into and to keep in God's vvays vvhen they see vvhither those vvays have brought them There they vvill meet vvith all the Holy Martyrs so famous in their generations for their courage and constancy vvith all the Holy Prophets and Apostles the Pen-men of the Scriptures so famous in their time for the large and plentiful effusion of the Spirit of God upon them vvith all the good Kings and Princes and all the righteous persons vvhatever that have lived in all ages and generations of all kinreds Nations and Languages they shall then be gathered all into one body under Christ their head and joyn together in blessing and praising and singing Hallelujah's unto the Lord for ever 2. In Heaven pardoned persons will have the company of all the glorious Angels here the Angels guard them and are ministring Spirits unto them Heb. 1.14 Hereafter they will be their companions and there will be mutual and most sweet converse between them Some delight in the company of Nobles and the great ones which belong to the Courts of great Princes they shall have the company and conversation of the glorious Angels who are the Nobles of Heaven and Courtiers of the King of Kings How the Angels and Saints will converse together and communicate their minds one to another is too high for us to conceive and too difficult for us to determine but surely the converse will be very sweet and full of love and delight 3. In Heaven pardoned persons will have the company and fellowship of the glorious Spirit the Holy Ghost here they have his presence and powerful operations they feel now especially at some times his sweet breathings and powerful operations which do wonderfully enlighten them greatly quicken and inflame their hearts with divine love yea and fill their hearts with spiritual and heavenly joy But in Heaven they shall have a fuller sweeter more powerful and constant presence of the glorious Spirit they shall there be filled with the Holy Ghost as full as they can hold yea beyond their present capacity they shall be under the sweet breathings of the Spirit whereby the flame of divine love will be kept alive in them perpetually in the greatest height and heat of it and this shall abide to Eternity 4. In Heaven pardoned persons shall have the company of the Lord Jesus Christ in his glory Here they have heard of him there they shall see him here they see him with the eye of Faith there they shall see him eye to eye and face to face Austin did wish to have seen three things above all other things that were to be seen in the World Rome in its Glory Paul in the Pulpit and Christ in the flesh The righteous in Heaven will see that which is far beyond Austin's wish they will see Zion in its Glory Paul in his Glory and Christ in his Glory They will see Zion in its glory which will far exceed Rome in its greatest splendour when it was most illustrious for wealth and riches through the spoyls of so many conquered Kingdoms which were brought into it when it was most illustrious for stately houses and sumptuous buildings for wise and learned Men famous and valiant Captains and Souldiers The new Jerusalem Mount Zion which is above will out-shine Rome in glory more than the Sun doth out-shine the smallest Star in Heaven or the faint light of a Candle here upon earth They shall see Paul in his glory they shall hear him praising God with triumphant acclamations of joy which will be far more than to hear him preach in a state of weakness and infirmity but chiefly they shall see Christ in his glory the sight of Christ in his humiliation was nothing in comparison of a sight of him in his state of exaltation They shall see him then as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 Behold now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Christ was never seen on earth as he is his glory was shadowed his Divinity was vailed and his humanity was most evident to the view which had its infirmities but hereafter his humanity will appear to be lifted up into such glory as doth exceed all created glory of Men or Angels and his Divinity will be most illustrious to the view of the Saints at the sight of which they will be astonished with admiration and love and O how will they gaze and wonder at his marvellous beauty and shining excellency when they see him come down from Heaven attended by all the holy Angels and when they shall not only see him but meet with him be owned and welcomed by him and be taken to live with him 1 Thes 4.16 17. The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. It was a great priviledg which the Apostles had to live with Christ when he was humbled and vilified here on earth what a priviledg then will it be which all the righteous shall have to live with Christ when he is glorified in Heaven and that not for a few years but for ever What a happiness will it be to see the glory which Christ had with the Father before the World was and not only to see it but to share in it 5. In Heaven pardoned persons shall have the company of the Father they have his gracious presence here on earth they shall have his glorious presence in Heaven there they shall have the immediate Beatifical vision of him and the full most blessed fruition of him The sight of God's back-parts the glimpses and glances of his eye at a distance the mediate enjoyment of him in and by Ordinances doth sometimes even transport them and strangely fill them with wonder and delight but O what Soul-ravishing admirations what transports and extasies of joy will they have when in Heaven they shall behold God's face be alwayes under the beams of the light of his countenance and have continual close intimate full enjoyment of him fellowship and communion with him and this to abide for ever and ever In Heaven they shall dwell with God and God will dwell with them Rev. 21.3 I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with Men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God This this will be happiness indeed to have God himself to dwell with them and manifest himself not only in his grace but in his glory unto them therefore it followeth v. 4. And