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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70248	A sermon preached at the triennial visitation of the right reverend father in God, Richard, L. Bishop of Bath and Wells held at Bridgewater, on the 19th day of August, 1695 / by Matthew Hole ...	Hole, Matthew, 1639 or 40-1730.; Kidder, Richard, 1633-1703.	1696 (1696)	Wing H2413; ESTC R212962	17,819	31

doctrine whether it be of God Divinity as one hath well observed on those words is a Science that we are not so much to Study as to Live our selves into It passes into the Head through the Heart and our Knowledge will daily increase by the Love and Practice of what we know for God Almighty delights to communicate his Mind to such as are willing to do it Psal 25.9 14. The secret of the Lord saith the Psalmist is with them that fear him and he will teach them his covenant And elsewhere The meek he will guide in judgment and the humble he will teach his way He is ever ready to reward the least degree of Obedience to his Will with farther discoveries of it And therefore the same ingenious Author hath observed That in old time the Men of extraordinary Revelations were Men of extraordinary Piety too and such had most of the secret Will of God imparted to them that best performed his revealed Will They were the Enochs the Abrahams and the Elijahs and such of whom the Scripture more remarkably testifies that they walked with God And surely he that walketh with another is likely to know more of his Mind than a stranger or one that keeps at a distance from him In short Vertue is the most fruitful Principle of Knowledge and he that doeth what he knows of the Will of God shall be sure to know more of it for to him that hath shall be given saith our Saviour and he shall have abundantly And thus I have done with the first part of our Text having shew'd you what are the best gifts and how we are to covet and seek after them But I must crave a little more of your Patience whilst I shew unto you a more excellent way And this will bring me to the second part of our Text contained in this Proposition II. That the Graces of the Spirit excel the highest and the best Gifts of it And here I could almost wish for the Tongue of an Angel to describe to you this more excellent way and to perswade you to walk in it But St. Paul who was rap't up into the third Heaven hath prevented our wish and extoll'd the single Grace of Charity as high as words can reach above all other Gifts and Endowments whatever for in the next words to our Text he thus delivers himself Could I speak with the tongue of Men and of Angels and had all the Charms of Divine and Humane Eloquence could I dart the brightest Beams of Light into Mens Understanding and by the most powerful Rhetorick command and insinuate into their Affections yet without Charity 1 Cor. 13.1 I am no better than a sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal Had I the Gift of Prophecy and understood the deepest Mysteries had I the knowledge of all that is past since the beginning of Time and could foretel things to come to the end of the World yea had I faith strong enough to remove Mountains and to make the Poles of the World to change their place yet in all these accomplishments without Charity I am nothing less than nothing and vanity What could the Tongue of Men or of Angels speak higher in the praise of this Vertue and to extol the Graces above the Gifts of the Spirit But there are three things that will plainly demonstrate the preheminence First The subjects on whom they are bestow'd Secondly The end or use unto which they serve And Thirdly The term of their duration or continuance First The subjects on whom they are bestowed will give Grace vastly the preheminence for Gifts like the Rain and other Common Blessings are showred down promiscuously on the Good and Bad and the Light of the Spirit like that of the Sun shines indifferently both on the Just and Unjust Judas had the Gifts of Prophesie and Miracles as well as the other Apostles and our Saviour hath told us that many will say unto him at the last day Matth. 7.22 Lord Lord have we not prophecyed in thy name And in thy name done many wonderful works Who yet shall be bid to depart from him as workers of Iniquity So that the highest and best Gifts neither find nor give any intrinsick worth to the persons that have them but leave them many times as bad or worse than they found them for many who in Christs Name had cast out Devils will be sentenced by Christ himself to take up their abode for ever with them But Grace on the other hand stamps an excellence on those that receive it for it makes them like unto God and renders them most acceptable to him and therefore is conferred on none but the particular Favourites and Darlings of Heaven 'T is only the excellent ones of the Earth Psal 16.3 as the Psalmist stiles them that walk in this more excellent way when many gifted Brethren will be found in the broad way that leadeth to destruction Grace is that Seal of the Spirit of which the Apostle speaks whereby the Children of God are marked and sealed unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. ●0 'T is by this Seal as the same Apostle tells us ● Tim. 2.9 That the Lord knoweth who are his and by this Sacred Stamp or Signature we too may know whether we belong to him for the Graces of the Spirit are the particular marks and tokens of the Divine Favour which are not communicated to any but the Elect People of God ●at 7.6 The Holy Ghost is not wont to cast these Pearls before Swine nor is this Childrens Bread given unto Dogs No this is reserved as the peculiar Lot and Portion of the Saints and therefore must far surpass those Common Gifts that are shared promiscuously by wicked Men. Secondly The end or use to which they serve will farther give Grace the preheminence above the best gifts Cor. 8. For knowledge saith the Apostle puffeth up and tempts many a Man to Pride and Vanity whereas 't is Charity that edifieth 't is Grace that corrects the swelling quality of Gifts that layes the foundation in Humility and thereby builds us up in our most Holy Faith The greatest Gifts and Abilities if not accompanied with Grace to direct the use of them are so far from edifying that they have in all Ages done the Church the greatest Mischief How many pestilent Errours and Schisms are owing to the greater parts and abilities of Hereticks What ground hath Atheism and Debauchery got in the World by the Influence and Discourses of the finest Wits And as the sharpest Razour cuts deepest so have the quickest Parts made the deepest Wounds in Religion and Mens Souls so pernicious are the effects of their ill management both to the Publick and themselves But Grace is so far from being lyable to these or the like Abuses that it prevents the Evil and corrects the abuses of our Gifts 'T is this puts all their usefulness into them and makes them instead of doing

A SERMON Preached at the Triennial Visitation OF THE Right Reverend Father in GOD RICHARD L. Bishop of Bath and Wells HELD AT BRIDGEWATER on the 19th Day of August 1695. By MATTHEW HOLE B. D. Vicar of Stokegursey in Somersetshire LONDON Printed for Mat. Wotton at the Three Daggers in Fleetstreet near the Inner-Temple-Gate 1696. TO THE Right Reverend Father in GOD RICHARD Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells My Lord THis Sermon which was Preached at Your Lordships Command and Printed at the Request of Your Clergy naturally flyes to the Altar for Protection and if it may be allowed to take Sanctuary there it will not fear the Censure or Assaults of any Adversaries The subject matter of it being concerning Spiritual Gifts 't is in a manner intituled to the Care and Patronage of Spiritual Persons and especially of Your Lordship who is deservedly placed in the highest Rank and Order of them If any Evil Spirits shall arise and oppose these Gifts of the Holy Ghost as Jannes and Jambres of old withstood Moses and Simon Magus and others resisted the Apostles we need not doubt but the Author of them will help us to defend the Argument and the Finger of God will elude the Magical Enchantments both of Atheism and Enthusiasme If this Discourse may any ways help forward the right use of these Spiritual Gifts if it may serve to correct the Abuse of them in some or to discountenance the vain Pretences to them in others it may perhaps prove one of the Best Gifts that could be Presented to the Church by one of the meanest Well-wishers to it My Lord I have Obeyed Your Lordships Command which the Obligations of Duty and Gratitude must ever make me willing and ready to do That all Your Clergy may Reverence and Obey Your Lordship as their Spiritual Father and that Your Lordship may long continue to be a Blessing and Support to Your Clergy is the Hearty Prayer of My Lord Your Lordships most Obedient and Devoted Servant MATTHEW HOLE A SERMON Preached at the Triennial Visitation c. 1 COR. xii Last Verse But covet earnestly the best gifts And yet I shew unto you a more excellent way THE great Subject of this Chapter is concerning Spiritual Gifts which the Apostle in his entrance upon it declares to be so useful and necessary a piece of Knowledge Ver. 1. that he would by no means have us ignorant of it And to the end that the Christian Church might be rightly instructed in so Divine and Excellent a Subject he here treats at large concerning the Author the number the use and the distribution of these Spiritual Gifts For the Author he declares it to be no other than the Holy Spirit of God the Third Person in the ever Blessed and Adorable Trinity whose peculiar Office in the Oeconomy of Mans Salvation is to edifie and instruct the Church of Christ for which we are so entirely beholding to this Holy Spirit Ver. 3. that no Man can say that Jesus Christ is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost And they are called therefore Spiritual Gifts not because they are seated in the Spiritual part or Soul of Man but because they proceed from the Spirit of God From the Author he goes on to the number and variety of these Spiritual Gifts reckoning up in the 4th and following Verses The Word of Wisdom the Word of Knowledge the Gift of Prophecy the Gift of Healing the gift of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues and the like All which diversity of Gifts he tells us flow from the same Spirit and their different operations from the same Lord who worketh all in all that is who worketh all these Gifts in all that have them And least we should mistake the design of the Holy Ghost in bestowing these Gifts he proceeds to direct us in the right end and use of them telling us That the manifestation of the Spirit was given to every one to profit withal Ver. 7. that is not barely to procure some private profit to themselves but for the publick good and benefit of others They were not given for vanity and ostentation to set forth our selves by our Eloquence or any Elaborate Arts of Speech much less to raise Schisms and Factions but to advance the Peace Unity and Edification of the Church Then lastly for the distribution of these Gifts he tells us that they are not all given to one nor are the same given to all but they are scattered with an admirable variety and in different measures on the sons of Men that like the various Members of the Natural Body they might be all helpful and serviceable to one another Ver. 28 29 30. Are all apostles saith he are all prophets are all teachers do all speak with tongues do all interpret Eph. 4.11 12. No He hath given some to be apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and some teachers and all this for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ And having thus discoursed at large of the nature end and use of these Spiritual Gifts he closes the Chapter with this excellent advice of our Text Covet earnestly the best gifts And for an introduction to the following Chapter adds And yet I shew unto you a more excellent way The words will require a little Explication before I can sum up the sense or speak clearly to them First Then by gifts here there can be no doubt but the Apostle chiefly intended those supernatural and extraordinary gifts of Tongues Miracles Prophecy and the like which were rife and common in those days and were indeed necessary in the Infancy of the Church for the confirmation of the Gospel and to gain Proselites to the belief of it But those extraordinary and miraculous Gifts having long since ceased together with the reason of them may not now be the object of our Ambition and therefore the Apostles advice here may be and usually is extended likewise to the natural and acquired gifts of the Spirit which are necessary still to propagate the Doctrine of the Gospel as it now stands confirmed and derived down to us Of this kind are those intellectual habits and endowments of the Mind by the improvement whereof some attain to a greater skill in the Tongues others excel in the knowledge of Arts and Sciences by which means Men come to have different Talents and are diversly qualified for publick service All which gifts together with the improvement of them proceed still from the same Spirit and are given for the same use even the good and benefit of Mankind and these will be continued to the end of the World only with this difference that whereas the former were conferred on the Apostles and others by Inspiration and sudden Infusion and so they needed only to be directed to the right use of them these latter are now conveyed to us by the ordinary Methods of Study

11 14. Lord be merciful to me a Sinner prevail'd more for his Justification than the tedious Harangues of the Pharisee which Sect though in outward pretence and appearance the strictest in those times our Saviour blames for their Babling and vain Repetitions in Prayer as if they thought to be heard for their much speaking And 't is well known what crude and indigested not to say blasphemous Speeches have drop'd from the Mouths of such bold pretenders to inspir'd Prayers The truth is this Extemporary way of Praying was a thing unknown in the Primitive and purer Ages of the Church and hath plainly appeared to be a late Invention brought into these Kingdoms by the subtlety of Popish Emissaries meerly to distract and divide the People and we know how they triumph in the Schisms and Confusions that have been raised by it which is enough to put us out of conceit with this Gift and the pretenders to it 2. The Affectation of Tone or the vehemence of Voice or Gesture in Prayer or Preaching serve not the true ends of Edification and therefore may be reckoned rather among the Artifices of Seducers than in the number of the best gifts for Religion is a grave and serious thing and makes its way into the Heart rather by powerful Arguments than by a powerful Noise Kin. 19.1 12. We read in Scripture that God was not in the Earthquake nor in the Tempest but in the small and still voice And the efficacy of Gods Word is better convey'd by calm and sound Reasonings than by the loudest blusters of Action or Utterance Such Bodily exercise profiteth little and is better suited to the Levity of the Stage than to the Gravity of the Pulpit Affected Tones and Gestures may indeed raise the Fancy and over-heat the Imagination but seldom or never leave any true or lasting warmth upon the Heart or the Affections they may serve to astonish and startle weak People for the present but the impression quickly wears off and passeth away with the motion or sound that raised it And therefore 't is observed of those that use or follow those Arts that though they may seem affected for a while yet they never prove either the wiser or the better Men. Length and Lowdness were the main ingredients of the Pharisees Prayers for which we find our Saviour often condemning their Hypocrisie but never commending their Devotion All that have had any game to play upon the People have betook themselves to such Wiles and by this Craft have got their Wealth and made Merchandize of them But as it hath been the Honour of the Regular Clergy not to affect such Mean Arts so 't will be the Wisdom of the Laity to beware of being deluded by those that use them 3. The gift of divers Tongues or the ostentation of several Languages in Popular Sermons is of little or no use and therefore not to be affected by us For the Vulgar are little edified by Latin and 't is Proverbial among them to say of what they understand not That 't is Greek to them So that the use of these Tongues in our Discourses to them can be of no advantage they may serve to amuse and confound them but cannot any ways inform or help their understandings 'T is true indeed the study and knowledge of the Tongues are necessary to qualifie and accomplish a Divine seeing the Holy Scriptures and many great and useful parts of Learning are written in those Languages But of what use the embellishing or interlarding our Discourses with them to the Common People should be is not easie to understand 1 Cor. 14. The Apostle blames Praying and Prophecying in a Tongue not known to the People And so far as we intermix these things we speak unto them in an unknown Tongue To this may be added the using of Hard Words and Terms of Art that are above the reach of Vulgar Understandings speaking as the Apostle expresses it 2 Pet. 2.18 1 Tim. 1.20 great swelling words of vanity and affecting Science falsly so called As also the Clouding our Discourses with Mystical Phrases and Uncouth Expressions such as the Incomings and Out-lettings the Beamings and Streamings of the Spirit with such like unintelligible Jargon whereby some Men instead of making difficult things plain have made plain things difficult which is a very fruitless and unprofitable Talent 4. The Ostentation of Wit or Curiosity of Language in our Publick Discourses tend little or nothing to Edification and therefore may not be reckoned among the best gifts Witty Sayings and fine Sentences may indeed tickle the Ears but never sink into the Heart they may please a while and afford matter of Talk but they seldom or never profit the Hearers St. Paul that great converter of Souls declares that his Preaching consisted not in the wisdom of words but in the demonstration of the spirit 1 Cor. 2.4 He studied not fineness of Expression but soundness of Doctrine And we read that the simplicity of the Gospel prevailed more than a vain ostentation of Wit could ever do and the foolishness of preaching triumph'd over all the wisdom of the wise 1 Cor. 1.21 Our Business my Brethren is not to gratifie itching Ears but to save Mens Souls and that is better done by grave solid and practical Discourses than by the most florid and polite Preachments which may delight for the present but bring no lasting Benefit or Instruction with them For as the plainest Food nourishes more than the most delicious Kickshaws so plain Truths without Art or Varnish oft-times leave deeper Impressions on the Mind than all the Charms of Humane Eloquence Lastly The Art of straining the words of Scripture and forcing them from their plain and genuine Sense is none of the best gifts This is done sometimes by Criticks who to advance a new Notion will stretch and pervert the Holy Scripture and by the help of Invention and the ambiguity of Words and Particles offer violence to a Text and even take it by force lat 5. Our Blessed Saviour rebuk'd the Pharisees for their false Glosses by which they made void the Law of God And these Men justly incur the same Censure who by their wild and strain'd Interpretations make the Gospel of Christ of none effect There are others who to serve the Interest of a Party will rack and torture the Scriptures to make them speak what they please Hence some have used the Bible as the most successful Engine to overturn Church and State and have made the Gospel of Peace the Trumpet of War and Sedition This is a most pernicious Talent and hath done unspeakable mischief St. Peter tells us of some who wrest the Scripture to their own Damnation Pet. 3. And we have heard of others who have wrested them to the ruine and subversion of Kingdoms and have so far rack'd some Passages of Sacred Writ as even to force them to speak Blood and Confusion But our