Piety of our first Reformers in retaining those ancient Forms in our Publick Service The late growth of Heresy amongst us makes us too sensible of what Consequence it is to keep up the fences against it In an Age so fruitful of Monstrous Opinions if the People know nothing before-hand of the Prayers and Praises they are to joyn in they cannot be certain whether they shall offer up a Service leven'd with Arrianism or Socinianism or some other Abomination destructive of the Common Principles of Christianity But as they appear in God's presence to speak unto him in the voice of his Church as they are sure to keep to the same Forms of sound Words which have been made use of to express the true Faith by the most Glorious Defenders of it in ancient time they are secure from the fear of offering an unholy thing before the Lord or blaspheming that Name which they pretend to glorify Another Difference between the Church and the Meeting-house is that one requires External Worship and the other hath but little regard for it And this I take to be as great a difference as that between Obedience to a Divine Precept and the neglect of it O come let us Psal 95. 6. worship and â—ow down let us kneel before the Lord our Maker Thus in the Jewish Church they encouraged one another to their Duty in that divine Song compos'd as a learned Father Theodorer thinks on purpose for the Reformation of Josiah And that this outward Reverence is a Branch of natural Religion to which we are equally obliged under the Gospel appears from St. Paul's Exhortation not only to glorify God in 1 Cor. 6. â—0 our Spirit but our Body too In Conformity to these and several other places of Scripture our Church having provided excellent Forms of Devotion directs and requires in the Use of them such external Acts as do properly express our inward Adoration But that the Dissenters have very little respect for these agreeable yea these necessary things is not to be denied I think by such as frequent their Assemblies Certainly when they are occasionally present with us as we serve the Lord they for the most part seem not at all concern'd to fall down on their Knees to Pray to him or to stand up to Praise him The Excuse perhaps is that if we Worship God in Spirit and in Truth there is no need of such inconsiderable things as the Gestures of the Body But so to assert is to seem wiser than the Church of God in all Ages yea then Christ himself the Head of it When the Devil offer'd him all the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them for a single act of external Adoration as that cunning Spirit did not certainly set so great a price upon a trifle so our blessed Saviour puts him in mind of the Value telling him it was a Holy thing somewhat which the Great King of Kings had claim'd as his Right and therefore was incommunicable to any Creature It is written Mat. 4. 10. thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Were not bodily Adoration as well as spiritual intended by God where he commands us to worship him then this answer of our Saviour would have been nothing at all to the purpose The Devil we find was willing at any rate to purchase that external Veneration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is paid by falling down to the Ground and would the words of our blessed Lord have stopp'd his Mouth and made him fly if he had said no more than this It is written the heart is the Lord's and with that we are to worship him Indeed Sir I have often thought that the Notion which some People have entertain'd about such external Acts of religious Worship would go a great way towards the justifying most of the Idolaters that have been in the World those I mean who have still preserv'd an awful sense of the supreme Being whilst they have bow'd down to Images If Bowing and Kneeling or the like external Expressions of our inward Devotion be not due to the Almighty How do People rob him of his Honour in bestowing them upon other things Such an Opinion as this could it have been depended on might have been of admirable Use to the Primitive Christians under the Rage of the Heathen For then according to the Temptations of some of their Persecutors when they appear'd in a good humour the Champions of the Faith might have escaped the Axes and the Gibbets the Gridirons and the Saws by doing a very small matter even the giving but a little of that sort of Honour to an Idol which God neither claims nor has any regard for I might give some other Instances of a greater disagreement than that of a few indifferent Ceremonies between Us and the Dissenters But as you Sir may justly think that a very few words would have been enough in so plain a Caâ—e so some others will conclude that if the thing I have been attempting were even some new discovery I should deserve but little thanks for making it The distance it will be said is indeed too great and they are engaged in an ill Employment who instead of closing the wounds are for keeping them still open And now to this Objection I think it would be a sufficient answer to say that searching Wounds can certainly be no hinderance to their cure and that a different Method is so far from promising Success that it is likely in the Issue to expose them that shall be employed about it to such Correction as that in the Prophet They have healed the hurt Jer. 6. 14. of the Daughter of my People Slightly Saying peace peace when there is no peace Certainly a Solid and lasting Union can never be hoped for till People will be willing seriously and impartially to consider wherein the difference lies and who made it Notwithstanding the hard Censures which some have so liberally passed on the Stiffness of our Church It has not been backward to encourage any real advances 〈◊〉 towards a good agreement But it is doubtless able to distinguish between true Moderation or Peaceableness and such artifices as are made use of on purpose to betray it For my part as you know Sir that I was always very far from envying any favour which Our Governours think fit to shew to those Dissenters who approve themselves to be truly Conscientious so if ever they shall begin to shake off their Scruples and make approaches towards us I could heartily wish they might be received with all possible Expressions of Kindness and Condescention But then I must own that the Men of design and intrigue they that sometimes blow cold and sometimes hot that sometimes consider us as if we were Anti-Christ and Babylon and at other times are ready to say to us Be not affraid of us we are your near Friends yea Churchmen as well as you
I say I must acknowledge that such as these have always been consider'd by me as a very unaccountable kind of People If they are for the Establish'd Church how can they go as they often do to those Assemblies which are founded in this very Opinion that the Worship of our Church is unlawful If they are Dissenters what are become of the Grounds of their Dissent when they Joyn with us as they sometimes will even in such things as that Party condemns for most offensive The Character which a Dissenter himself is pleas'd to give of such as these would dispose one to be more affraid of their Smiles than their Frowns For he tells us as you have observ'd that they give too much cause for us to look upon them as such as break all bounds and leap over all Vox Clamantâ—s Sec. 6. hedges Such as would indeed support their Reputation with Jesuitical Artifices but yet do the things which are most likely to render them in the eyes of all as men of flexible and profligate Consciences The shewing the mistakes of a Pretence which hath been made use of to no good Purposes hath drawn this Letter you See to a very unusual length I shall therefore do little more than only mention another fault this Sermon is accus'd of and that is Personal Reflections I do not deny that there are Several things in it which bear hard upon some Peoples Practices But if I have represented nothing as amiss which the Word of God doth not also condemn nor let fall any Expression which can be justly accounted spiteful or even unbecomeing I cannot I think be said to have exceeded the Bouâ—ds of my Duty Whether in this matter as well as the former I am guilty or not they that shall read my Papers are to determine Your Judgement upon the whole I particularly desire and that it may be free from all kind of partiality I will be contented while you peruse them that you do that which upon other occasions I cannot possibly consent to namely consider me as a perfect stranger to you and not as Your Most affectionate Friend and Servant H. S. August 30th 1698. A SERMON Preached in St. Saviour's Church in Dartmouth JVLY 24th 1698. Being the Fifth Sunday after TRINITY 1 Pet. 3. 13. Part of the Epistle for the Day And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good PART I. THE greatest Discouragement to any undertaking is the danger that attends it Many things there are which People would soon conclude fittest and best were it not for the Lion in the way a doubt of their own Safety in them Fears and Terrours which draw them from the attempt Tho' the Israelites had so much Experience of the Power of that God who delivered them from their bondage and conducted their Armies Yet upon the very Entrance into the Land of Promise they are amaz'd with a Panick Fear and even resolve again for the Slavery they had been so wonderfully rescued from When they heard an evil report of the Men of great Stature Num. 14. 1. the Giants the Sons of Anak they lifted up their vâ—ice and cried and wept all night They Verse 4. said one to another let us make a Captain and let us return into Egypt And as it is thus in other matters So alas it is too frequently in the things of Religion Many would more readily espouse it and the Interest of it in a Season of difficulty were not such a regard for it thought a dangerous thing a thing that would expose them to trouble loss or even utter ruine Nicodemus was a man who seemed to have been very well disposed towards Jesus but he was a Ruler of the Jews and there was no small hazard in a way which was cryed down by all the great men of the times and therefore tho he came to Jesus it was by night Jo. 3. 2 The Disciples as their worldly Interests were less so they expressed more courage and resolution Defying the Danger they followed their Master through the whole course of his Ministry yea Solemnly engaged their word that death it's self should never part them Tho' we die with Mat. 26. 35. thee said they yet will we not deny thee And yet when a mighty difficulty actually came when the Multitude appeared with Swords and Staves bound their Lord and led him away These men of Resolution were subdued by their own fears shrunk from the Engagements so lately made they forsook him and fled Verse 56. The most daring amongst them all was Peter He had been the most zealous in the Profession of his own stedfastness he gave some proof of his Courage tho' by a Violence that was unwarrantable and after the flight of the rest followed his Master Still at some distance But yet at length he failed and denyed him Easily gave up the Faith and the constancy he had resolved on to terrour and amazement These and many more are the sad instances on record of humane weakness And yet all the while as to matter of Religion the affright and despondency are for the most part groundless People are scar'd from their Duty by the Creatures of their fancy the Mormos of their own invention A stedfast adherence to the things of God is not attended with the Difficulties which are ordinarily imagined St Peter here being now better acquainted with the tendencies of our holy Religion and the Wisdom and the Care of Providence thus bespeaks the Christians he wrote to even in days of trouble and sorrow And who is he â—â—at will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good In which words we may observe these two things 1. The Christians duty which is here Supposed If ye be followers of that which is good 2. The Christians security in the practice of this Duty proposed by way of affirmative question who is he that will harm you that is There will be no body Both these I intend to speake to beginning with the first the Christians duty here supposed If ye be followers of that which is good Tho' the general design and aim of this Expression seems clear enough yet the particular Notion we are to pitch upon as the genuine Sense of it is not so manifest The Opinions of Expositors being somewhat different 1. concerning the thing to be followed the Good here intended and 2. concerning the act what it is to be followers of it It will not be unprofitaâ—ble in this case to enquire a little what they say of each As for the first the Good that is to be followed some there are that understand by it the Supreme Good God Almighty himself And so the Duty is the very same which the Apostle St. Paul recommends Eph. 5. 1. Be ye followers of God as dear Children And endeavouring to transcribe as far as we are able the divine Perfections being Holy as he is Holy Merciful as
he is Merciful A thing which our blessed Saviour particularly requires from us in his Sermon on the Mount Love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them Mat. 5. 44 4â— which dispitefully use you and persecute you That ye may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust And then a little after Be Veâ—se 48. ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect Some are of the Opinion too that Good here is to be taken for that perfect Exemplar or pattern of goodness Our Lord Christ Who came to propose to the imitation of mankind in his own person and actions the highest perfection of Vertue And to be followers of him is to walk by that pattern expressed in the Gospel as near as possibly we can to put on his patience his love his humility and all the rest of those Divine Graces which adorned his incomparable life as he exhorts us himself to learn of him who was meek and lowly in heart Mat. 11. 29. Again Good may be here taken for the Idea or Rule of goodness which the Law of God presents us with that Divine Rule which we are to settle in our minds and to have our eyes still at in all the circumstances of our Life The Revelations which God hath been pleas'd to make from Heaven have this great end namely to give us a true and full account of that Goodness which our great Creator Design'd us for This we are by a diligent Enquiry and Meditation to be familiarly acquainted with and to have a due regard unto in all our Actions In all those mazes and perplexities of affairs where profit seems to call us one way and safety or pleasure another In all those various Accidents and Changes to which we are liable Our Rule we must have â—ixt before our Eyes and by that resolve to be guided We are not to enquire what is advantagious or what is agreeable to us but what is just and what is good and that come what will come resolve to keep to And this last notion of Good seems best to correspond with the Apostles design in this place As for the regard we ought to have for this Good that of following it there is but little more necessary to be said than what hath been already intimated Only it may not be improper to note the different Reading of some very Ancient Copies For instead of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Imitators Cod. Alex. or Followers they have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zealots which makes a very agreeable Sense It is the Christians duty to be zealous for Good to pursue it at all times with warmth and affection and resolution of mind notwithstanding all the difficulties and discouragements that lie in the way He is to set up that Good which Gods Law requires of him above his hopes and above his fears above every carnal Interest or temporary Design and resolve that no consideration in the World shall either force or draw him to make shipwrack of a good Conscience In short then to be followers of Good is seriously and in good earnest to endeavour on all occasions to govern our selves according to the great Rule or Standard of Goodness the divine Law The meaning of the words being thus Explain'd I shall for the farther clearing of this duty endeavour briefly to do these three things 1. Point out some of the chief Branches of that Good we are to be followers of those especially which the Apostle recommendes in this Chapter 2. Consider some of the many Obligations which strongly engage us to it 3. Offer a motive or two to encourage your Zeal in it I begin with the First to point out some of I. the chief Branches of that Good we are to be followers of And now in this matter the Prophet Micah excellently directs us Mic. 6. 8. Saying He hath shewed thee O man what is good he hath given thee an Idea of Good a rule 〈◊〉 what is just and upright placing it in thine own mind or conscience And moreover a more exact and perfect standard of it in his own word which is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for Correction and Instruction in Righteousness And behold this is the sum of the good which he hath thus set before thee What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justice love mercy and walk humbly with thy God Aâ—ptime branch therefore of the Good we are to be followers of is Justice A strict Justice towards all Mankind Superiours Equals inferiours Our selves A rendring to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due Custom to Rom. 13. 7 8. whom Custom fear to whom fear honour to whom honour An owing to no man any thing A being harmless inoffensive upright and sober in our whole Conversion The thing which St. Peter adviseth as the means of Securing to our Selves the Divine Protection at the 10th and 11th Verses of this Chapter He that will love life and see good Days let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile Let him eschew evil and do good let him seek peace and ensue it Another great branch of the Good we are to follow is Mercy love kindness and good-will a being as Serviceable to our Brethren as we can and never violent against them upon any injury received willing to give and ready to forgive closing and Uniting with them in every lawful thing The subject of St. Peter's Exhortation at the 8th and 9th Verses of this Chapter Be ye all of one mind having compassion one of another love as Brethren be pitiful be courteous not rendring evil for evil or railing for railing but contrariwise Blessing And then the other great branch of Good mentioned by the Prophet and which we are to be zealous in is The walking humbly with God A being duly sensible of the infinite perfection of the Divine Nature of our dependence upon him as also of our Frailty and Unworthiness and so offering up unto him all the honour worship and adoration that we are able A being first well-grounded and then stedfastly persevering in those religious performances which he hath taught us are agreeable to his will notwithstanding all the opposition we shall meet with The thing which Our Apostle recommends at the 14th and 15th verses of this Chapter Be not afraid saith he of their terrour neither be troubled but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts And be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with weekness and fear In this evil World which is filled with Disorder and Corruption the Church of God is still militant and the business of all the true Members of it is
Usage which the malâ—ce of men and Devils can Invent the mind of the Stedfast Good Man will be still erect When other enjoyments are snaâ—â—h'd from him he will enjoy his very duty and his own constancy will be his refreshment His Soul will be full of ineffable Comfort as he take's up that generous Resolution of Joh and says Till I die I will not remove my Job 27. 5 6. integrity from me My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live 2. As a Zealous persuit of Good is thus a pleasant thing so notwithstanding all the attempts of those who seem willing to bring it out of credit in the World it is and will be still of good fame and reputation at leâ—t amongst the Prov. 4. 8. most 〈◊〉 part of Mankind Exalt her and she shall promote thee she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her saiâ—h Solomon concerning that Divine Wisdom before-mentioned 〈◊〉 up the Law of God as the Rulâ— of your lives and it will be your praise and your glory Agreeable to this are the words which the Prophet said to Eli in the name of the Lord Them that honour me I will honour and those that 1 Sam. 2. 30. despise me shall be lightly regarded There are such powerful Attractives in vertue and uprightness as draw the Eyes and command the regard even of the worâ—â— of men They that will not be at the pains to practice holiness themselves cannot but look upon it as comly and are even forced to pay it a kind of veneâ—ation He that was doubdest very capable of making a good judgment tells us That the righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour He Pro. 12 26. is wiser and greater his aims are more generous and noble and notwitstanding all the difference which may appear in the outward circumstances the world cannot but be sensible of it But then as Solomon there adds The way of the wicked seduceth him or puts a cheat upon him instead of securing the purchase he desired it leads him to shame and infamy The usual arts which too many apply themselves to whereby to get a â—ame or mount up to greatness for this reason that they are defective in point of goodness do commonly overthrow the very end for which they were chosen For to walk in crooked paths and to carry on crooked designs to manage tricks and live in disguise to halt between two Opinions and hypocritically to trifle in the great business of Religion makes the Character of a very mean Spirit Whilst a visible Sincerity a Sincerity which will be constant to its self and cannot change with the times is a most desirable Ornament and even he that fallâ— with it falls with honour and commendation PART II. THE other thing observed in the Text is the Christians security in the practice of his duty whâ— is he that will harm you Who is he that is about to bring evil upon you That shall or will do you any hurt or mischief The import of such Questions as these so common in Holy Scripture and indeed in all other discourse is manifest enough The seeming affirmation is a vehement denial So that the meaning of the words is plainly this Uprightness is the way of safety To follow that which is good is the surest means to preserve our selves from hurt or evil Amongst all the temptations and dangers we are liable to in a troublesome sinful world the best expedient for our preservation is to be constant to our duty and upright in all the parts of our Conversation The likeliest way to escape is to resolve against every unlawful means every sinful compliance A steadfast and unalterable purpose of Good tho' sometimes perhaps it may not look so promising will be found at last the best security For unless we hurt our selves nothing can do us mischief This holds with relation both to spiritual and temporal Evils I. will shew the truth of it a little briefly as to the first aâ—d then come somewhat more fully to consider it with respect to the second First if we be followers of that which is good zealous and resolved for our duty None shall do us any spiritual mischief No temptation shall be too strong for us and cause us to fall Our spiritual Enemies against whom so often and with so much reason we are exhorted to watch never do nor can prevail upon us by open force but only through our easiness neglect or inadvertency Captivate us they often do by stratagem or surprize but they cannot by plain Violence Like â—ly Thieves wait for an Opportunity to creep into the house at some neglected Window but are not able to break the Door St. James tells us that Every man is tempted Jam. 1. 14. when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed that is when his essenâ—â—al desires obtain a consent to a Temptation which could not prevail without it Answerable to which is that advice of Solomon about keeping the heart Keep it with diligence Pro. 4 23. saith he and the reason he adds is this for out of it are the issues of life If thou securest thy self against thine own inclinations and takest such care that they may not draw thee to an unlawful compliance thou art safe enough For every evil action has its Original from the heart and cannot proceed but from a disorder there Of all the Enemies we have to deal with the Devil may justly be reckoned the most powerful and prevailing He is a roaring lion and he seeketh whom he may devour He is a spirit of much subtlety and cunning as well as strength He is too of a restless and implacable malice And yet notwithstanding all his force and all his industry cannot destroy the soul unless it concuts to its own ruin Resist the Devil and he will flee Jam. 4. 7. from you saith St. James and S. Paul exhorts us not to give place to the Devil How may it Eph. 4. 27. be said can we oppose and stand but against Principalities and Powers can we that are flesh and blood prevail against a mighty spirâ—t a spirit that commands in this inferiour world a spirit whose motions are quick as the light and is not hindred by any obstacles of matter How can we do other than give place to such a Being as this I answer that thâ— in natural things his Power 〈◊〉 much beyond ours bringing wonderful things to pass as often as the Almighty is pleased to extend the Chain in which he keeps him yet in moral things it is inferiour and his most vigorous assaults are conquerable by a stedfast resolution He can dress up the bâ— it make it look sweet and pleasant chooâ—e the most likely Season and then propose it to our view But being armed with that assistance which God ordinarily bestows on his servants we have still power to refuse