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
Anchors we lie at the mercy of every wind and tide and are in danger of being foundred upon every shallow and split upon every Rock therefore we must first beware of a blind misguided zeal But 2. We must be cautious also that our zeal be according to discretion we must make allowances for the infirmities of our nature and not extend our passions to the utmost pitch like him that spreads all his sayls for the speedier expediting of his course till at length for want of a due proportion of ballast he is over-power'd by the impetuousness of the wind and his Vessel overset Therefore we must beware also of a fiery ungovernable zeal and make reason our judge not only of the ends we propose but also of the means we use The honour of God and the defence of his worship are glorious undertakings and yet even here the excess of zeal is a crime and the great importance of the end cannot justifie any unlawfulness in the means the will of God as it is express'd in his word is the Standard of good and evil and he will not suffer his eternal Laws to be violated though in his own defence If it should please him to give his and our Enemies such advantage over us as may endanger the exercise of our Religion we have our prayers and other lawful endeavours for our redress but we must not defend our Church by an unlawful return of evil for evil nor like our Adversaries commit any act of impiety or injustice though under the most specious pretence of fighting the battel of the Lord. The goodness of the cause here is so far from justifying the act that it only aggravates the offence for the sins of a private circumstance may much easier be forgiven where the frailties of our nature or the violence of a temptation may lessen the crime and the obscurity of the Author may remove the scandal But when a Law is violated or any injustice done for the sake of our Religion both the scandal and the crime become conspicuous they are then laid at the doors of our Church and bring a publick and perpetual blot upon our cause If God stands not in need of our vertues much less does he stand in need of our sins If it please him to continue the light and truth of his Gospel amongst us he can do it without any offence or fault of ours Si Pergama dextra defendi possent etiam hac defensa fuissent with his own right Hand and with his holy Arm he will get himself the victory But what can our Religion profit us or what honour can it bring to the Almighty when 't is defended by such means as dishonour both God and Man when our sacrifice comes polluted with blood and violence of its own how can it attone for our transgressions Therefore it is necessary that we obey not only for wrath but also for conscience sake St. Peter who was the first that drew his Sword in his Masters quarrel was the first that deny'd his Name and forsook his cause and doubtless whosoever fights for his Religion against his Prince can never pass the muster without a Romish dispensation It is not Piety but Faction that animates his zeal and like the unjust Steward he says What shall I do I cannot die for my Religion and to comply I am asham'd therefore as Cowards do he shuts his eyes against the danger and the fear of Death makes him valiant and if he dies in the cause who would not sooner set the brand of Heresie upon his face than the Crown of Martyrdom upon his head I wish this Discourse were altogether as impertinent in these our days as I hope it is in this place which seems to be stil'd the Metropolis of Piety and the center of Obedience where Righteousness and Peace do flourish and Religion and Loyalty go hand in hand And indeed it is only the practice of some misguided Zealots that can separate them without an absurdity for no Man ever did or can follow the Lord to the tents of Rebellion he always leads his people by the hands of Moses and Aaron and has given us Kings to go in and out before us and whosoever forsakes them forsakes also the Commandments of his God Religion may be his pretence and Godliness the Colours which he displays in his Banner but 't is Pride that whets his Sword and Interest that makes it ready to the Battel And to break Gods Law for the support of his worship is no less a contradiction than to fight against a Prince in his own defence Since therefore the heart of Man is deceitful altogether and we are subject to interpret those actions for the effects of Zeal which are in truth the insinuations of the Devil I shall shew 3. how we may know whether we follow the Lord or not And I. If we truly zealous toward God we shall be zealous also for his Commandments we must live in a constant intire obedience to his will without which our worship is in vain and we may cry unto him Lord Lord but he he will not hear for what mercy can excuse him who continually affront the God of mercy or what power can save him who lives in defiance of that power which he acknowledges to be Almighty Not that every sinful act proclaims us Traitors to the most High and puts us out of the protection of his Law as long as the Gospel of repentance is in force the unalterable decree of judgment does not pass upon us but while we continue in an habitual state of sin and allow our selves the constant enjoyment of any one forbidden Lust so long we resist the will of God and either question his Truth who reveal'd the Law unto us or deny his power of punishing the breach thereof and therefore Saint James tells us If we keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point we are guilty of all And when the guilt of a universal disobedience lies upon us we are surely very unfit to fight under the Banner of Christ But to avoid this fatal necessity that they may still indulge themselves in their sins without forfeiting their Title to the Church the men of this World have found out these two evasions 1. They advance the merits and necessity of Vertue in their Doctrine above measure not for the sake of God but Mammon They resolve the whole practice of Religion into Morality and make good works the only means of Salvation that when they have laid such heavy burthens upon the people as neither they nor their forefathers were able to bear they may absolve them at their pleasure and dispense with them at their own rates Thus they prostitute their Temples again to the Money-changers and make Merchandize of their Divinity and then how easie is it for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But 2. This abuse has produc'd the quite contrary extream in another sort of men
judgment in the search and only requires them to make a return according as they find the proof Not like the practices of the Church of Rome which requires an implicit faith to their unconceivable devices and ties us up to all the dictates of their infallible Judge that confines all knowledge to the mouth of the Priest and allows not so much as the evidence of opinion to the people Surely the light was made to shine and the Gospel was given us to profit withal but their concealments are an argument of their guilt and if Rome must still be under-ground it is not now to avoid the persecutions of tyranny but the convictions of truth it self This is the first argument of the truth of a Religion from the Reasonableness of it the second shall be taken from its Success It was this issue upon which Elijah put the grand debate between him and the Priests of Baal he pray'd and God heard his voice he believ'd and therefore it happened unto him according to his faith and the fire came down from Heaven to consume his Sacrifice God has in all ages shew'd an especial regard to his Church and with the watchful eye of providence has directed all its motions How miraculous were the advances of Christianity in the Primitive times when all the powers of the world set themselves with fire and sword to oppose its progress How wonderfully have those uncorrupted streams of truth been deriv'd to us through all the seas of violence and falshood with which it has continually encountred and 't is no less a miracle that we still continue in the true worship of God though compass'd about with our Adversaries on every side that our Church still retains the purity of its doctrine notwithstanding the perpetual assaults of Superstition and Idolatry and the secret underminings of Heresie and Schism which is a great proof that God has espous'd the cause of our Church since no weapon has prosper'd that was lifted up against it 'T is true that an evil cause also may be supported for a season by the force of evil arms and therefore I should not insist upon this argument in our defence but that there are still amongst us those who formerly design'd it to our destruction men of so politick a faith that they could measure the goodness of their cause by the number of their adherents and thought a Victory did sufficiently justifie a Rebellion they had no plea for breaking down all the fences of human society and violating the Ordinances of both God and man but the dictates of their private spirit and secret correspondence with God and they had no proof of this their Almighty commission and correspondence but from the success of their arms then they boasted themselves of their Victory and were exalted in their strength and as they made God the Author of their sins so in frequent thanksgivings they gave him the praise of its success But blessed be God our Religion as it was founded upon no blood but that of our Saviour so it was restor'd to us from the usurpation of these men in peace has hitherto flourish'd in the truth and I hope will be supported by Godliness But thirdly Supposing the Lord to be God yet we may make some use of the Prophets words that if Baal be God we must follow him From these worshippers of Baal we may in some sort learn how to follow the living God 'T is a shame to our Religion that we should go to the Heathens for examples of vertue and learn piety of an Idolater and yet if we observe the devotion of these Priests of Baal and other Enemies of our profession we shall find such strains of zeal amongst them as may serve though not for our imitation yet for our reproach How did they cry aloud from morning even until noon and cut themselves after their manner with Knives and Lancets till the blood gushed out upon them How do others also make it a piece of their Religion to rise up at mid-night to their Prayers and awaken their devotion with cords and thongs How did those Idolaters make their Children pass through the fire to Moloch How do these also sacrifice not only their Children but their Parents also their Kings and Princes to their devotion If their zeal could force them voluntarily to do violence to their natures cannot we at the command of God himself use such necessary self-denyal such moderate abstinence and fasting as may fit and prepare us for his reasonable service if they to serve their Idols could force their way through all the bounds of humanity and follow their God as the Jews follow'd our Saviour with Swords and Staves Cannot we submit to the just and easie commands of the Almighty for what does he require of thee O Man but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God The sum of all is this Let us no longer halt between two opinions but if God has set up his Standard in Rome for an Ensign of the People to which all the Gentiles should seek let us no longer conceal our duty nor delay our holy Pilgrimage but make our way with Fire and Sword let us give the reins to our lusts and commit all iniquity with greediness that the vehemence of our passions and the greatness of our sins may add strength to our faith and sincerity to our repentance as if they loved most who had most need to be forgiven Or if God had withdrawn his presence from our solemn Congregations and shrouded his glory in the private retir'd Assemblies if the beauty of holiness consists in an unseemly disrespectful service and the liberty of the Gospel leaves us to our own devices If dissimulation and familiarity with our God be a virtue and Rebellion against our Prince be the great commandment then let us be zealous in this work of the Lord and drive on furiously towards confusion let us once more bind our Kings in chains and our Nobles in fetters of iron But if these things are an abomination and there can be no communion betwixt God and Baal then my beloved Brethren be ye steadfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know tha your labour is not in vain If the Lord be God follow him in the worship of his Name with boldness and resolution follow him in your lives with zeal and affection and be ye constant unto death Let neither Tribulation nor Anguish Principalities nor Powers things present nor things to come separate us from the love of God or shake our resolutions Let neither the temptations of the flesh nor the evil customs of the wicked world induce us to take part with the destroyer but let our good works shine like lights before men to the glory of God and the confirmation of his Church Let our ways be upright as amongst the Gentiles and our conversation unblamable to stop the mouths of of gain-sayers and let our faith overcome the world and tread down Satan under our feet for this is a Christians triumph these are the badges of our profession and must be our Crowns and Diadems when dignities and distinctions shall be no more Without these it is but vanity to expect and injustice to demand the honour due to the Servants of the Lord when our Vices shal level us with the worshippers of Baal FINIS