Prichard Mayor Cur. Special tent die Dominico vii o die Januarii 1682. Annoque Regis Caroli secundi Angliae c. xxxiiiio. THis Court doth desire Mr. James to print his Sermon lately preached at the Guildhall-Chappel before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of this City Wagstaffe A SERMON Preached at Guildhall-Chappel Decemb. 24. 1682. BEFORE The Right Honourable THE Lord Mayor c. By JOHN JAMES M. A. Rector of Latimers in the County of Bucks LONDON Printed for Richard Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard 1683. To the Right Honourable Sir Will. Prichard Knight LORD MAYOR of the City of LONDON Right Honourable AMong the many that justly admire your Lordships Worth and seriously bless God for the Happiness of London in that the management of the Affairs of so great a Body next under our Soveraign Lord the King is committed into the hands of a Person of such known Integrity and eminent Loyalty the Author of this Discourse doth cheerfully and heartily profess himself to be one That this Discourse was acceptable to your Lordship when delivered in the Pulpit I must needs impute to that Candour and Goodness which seems innate and connatural to your Lordships disposition as is readily acknowledged by all that have but the least knowledge of your Lordships Wisdom and Prudence so conspicuous in the good conduct and auspicious government of that great City for though the Matter of it be incomparably great yet the Manner of handling it falls infinitely short of the worth and excellency of so divine a Subject which ought to be highly esteemed by all Christians and had in everlasting remembrance by the Sons of Men. For 't was a designe highly becoming the Son of God to oppose the Devil that grand Enemy of all Goodness and to confront the powers of Darkness to deliver Men from the dominion of Sin and to secure them from the Vengeance of Almighty God Indeed a designe of this nature required a Person of such excellent and extraordinary Worth such divine Wisdom and infinite Power such exact Holiness and Almighty Goodness to destroy the Works of the Devil and to bring everlasting Righteousness into the World And if the World had not been strangely infatuated when the Son of God became Man neither the Jews would have required a Signe nor the Greeks sought after Wisdom when he did so miraculously manifest his power to the ruine and destruction of the Devil the most malicious and implacable Enemy of Mankind whose insulting Tyranny was far more severe and arbitrary over the Jews than the cruellest opposition of the Roman Empire and his Policy infinitely above the Philosophical Wits and Reasonings of the Gentiles that if the one had not trusted too much to their humane Wisdom and the other longed too affectionately for a temporal deliverance and a secular happiness they must needs have celebrated the Nativity of the Son of God with the most solemn Hallelujahs and Hosanna's have admired him as the great Power of God and the Wisdom of God who was made Man that he might become unto men Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption But the Men of this Generation are most of all without excuse that believe him to be the Son of God and his coming into the World on purpose to destroy the Works of the Devil and to take away the Sins of the World and shall yet remain in slavery and subjection to the God of this World and so do despite to the Holy One of God and deny the Lord that bought them I hope therefore no eye will look with envy upon this Discourse wherein no Dispute is commenced no Controversie promoted but with the great Impostor and deceiver of Souls against whom every Christian ought to employ his utmost knowledge and skill and exert his greatest vigour and zeal being by the solemnity of an Oath the Sacrament of Baptism engaged thereto And since this was the grand designe of Christ's coming into the World I conceived an Argument of this nature very proper and seasonable at this time wherein we were to celebrate the Nativity of Christ the Incarnation of the Son of God And because your Lordship hath commanded that this Discourse whatever it be should become publick which else had remained as private as the Author as I have ever esteemed Obedience the best Sacrifice and a ready submission to the pleasure of our Governours in all things lawful a most excellent Duty and extreamly becoming all Christian Professors so in compliance with your Lordships Command it is now sent forth into the World and I hope under the Patronage of so honourable a Person may be received with the like kindness and good affection as it was by your Lordship And God grant that by the influence of his Grace it may be some way useful to those that read it to carry on that great end and designe for which it is intended I mean to encourage men against the Wiles and Temptations of the Devil and to perswade them to the works of Righteousness and Goodness of Piety and Devotion of Justice and Charity of Humility and Obedience of Sobriety and Temperance God Almighty direct and assist your Lordship in the management of those great Affairs committed to your charge and continue you long in that famous City to the Glory of his Name the Credit of true Religion the Honour of our Soveraign and the happiness of the People at present under your Government that you may reap in this World satisfaction of Mind in the discharge of a good Conscience and in the World to come everlasting Life Which is the hearty Prayer of him who is MY LORD Jan. 1. 1682 1. Your Lordship 's Very humble and most Obedient Servant John James A SERMON Preached before the Lord Mayor c. Decemb. 24. 1682. 1 JOH 3.8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil NO sooner were the Apostate Angels banished the Court of Heaven and by the just Judgment of God cast into the bottomless Pit to undergo the vengeance of eternal fire but the sense of their torments exasperated their malice and caused them to envy the felicity of Man which stayed not long within the breasts of those accursed Spirits but like a sudden and unexpected Floud that overflows its banks and breaks down all resistance they were restless in contriving the misery of their fellow-creatures and active as the flames of fire till they had accomplisht this their horrid designe in tempting Man to apostatize from his Maker that his Posterity might become obnoxious to the same everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels And such was the unwearied activity together with the subtilty of that cunning Serpent that his hellish Plot soon took effect in seducing our first Parents to hearken too attentively to his Enchantments and through his treacherous suggestions to question the truth of what God had spoken and soon after
recompence of reward which God hath prepared for those that love and serve him Heb. 11.39 40. Thirdly To this purpose that divine Oeconomy which according to the Sanctions of the Gospel is administred in the Christian Church was instituted by the Son of God That the Ministers of the Gospel as opportunity serves and necessity requires administer the sacred Rites of the Christian Religion in the Church of God Mat. 28.19 by baptizing such as are duly disposed for that solemn Ordinance that thereby they may be listed into the service of Christ and by that religious Sacrament be obliged to fight manfully under his Banner against the World Luke 22.19 20 the Flesh and the Devil And distribute the Holy Communion to those pious and humble Souls that are religiously disposed to celebrate the honour of God in that sacred Institution that they may be encouraged to quench the fiery darts of the devil and have grace to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear To them 't is commanded to solemnize the Worship of God in publick Mat. 10.12 13 1 Tim. 2.1 2. either as Priests to wait at the Altar of the Lord to intercede with his Majesty in the behalf of his people and to present in their stead Prayers and Supplications and Thanksgivings to him or as Embassadors to treat with the People in the business of Religion Mat. 28.20 2 Cor. 5.20 and reveal the Will of God unto them to explain and confirm to their Understandings the Principles of Christianity to represent to their Judgment and Reason the vileness of sin and the reasonableness of Gods service that men may be reclaimed from their sinful and wicked ways and become a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God But when sinners are obstinate and hard to be entreated the Censures of the Church are put into their hands to exercise the power of the Keys in punishing the pertinacious and casting them out of the Church that they may be brought to a just and lively apprehension of their sins and from the Judgment of God executed upon them by his Ministers in the Church be perswaded to reform and amend their lives that they may not fall into the hands of divine Justice in the World to come and so upon sufficient Evidence of their Repentance receive Absolution be dissolved from the Bonds of Satan and admitted into the bosome of the Church again For this power our Lord and Master committed to his Apostles and in them to the succeeding Governours of the Church Mat. 18.18 Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Which Commission was renewed again after his Resurrection when he breathed on them the Holy Ghost Joh. 20.22 23. These are the principal means delivered in the Gospel and instituted by the Son of God to deliver men from the dominion of sin and Satan and thereby to destroy the works of the Devil by taking men off from the love and practice of sin 4. From the mission and descent of the Holy Ghost into the World where divine Inspiration is in two respects very remarkable to take away and the sins of the World and to promote the service and honour of God First By enduing the Son of God and his holy Apostles with power from above whereby they were enabled to confirm and ratifie the truth of the Christian Doctrine by the working of Miracles If Christ had not done those works which no other person did he would not for in truth he could not have obliged mankind to believe and obey it which is the proper import and meaning of our Saviour's expression Joh. 15.24 'T was therefore extreamly necessary that he should manifest the Divinity of his person and confirm the truth of the Gospel by such signal Testimonies as were uncontrolable And such was his infinite Wisdom and Power that while he was conversant among men he gave the World all the satisfaction that was possible that he came from God when he wrought such miraculous works as were never heard of from the beginning of the World presented them boldly to all Spectators and committed the tryal of their reality to the test of their sences which was an infallible evidence that the spirit of the Lord was upon him and the power of God had overshadowed him Heb. 9.14 Rom. 8.11 But because he was mightily declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead as through the eternal spirit he offered himself to God so by the mighty assistance of the same holy Spirit he arose again from the dead and continues alive for ever And because he committed the promulgation of the Gospel to his Apostles whom he sent as Embassadours to preach Salvation to the World and exhort sinners to be reconciled to God the powers of the Holy Ghost was indispensably requisite to inform their Understandings with the Mind of God to reveal the sacred Mysteries of Religion clearly to their apprehensions that they be assured of their heavenly Call to the divine Employment therefore they had apparitions of Angels and received the Bath-col voices from Heaven So St. Paul by a most miraculous Light from Heaven is stricken down to the Earth and called to the Apostleship Acts 9. Hereupon he became so serious and earnest to assert both his Calling and Gospel to descend from Heaven Gal. 1.1 Paul an Apostle not of men neither by men but by Jesus Christ and God the Father They had extatical Visions Peter was in a Trance Paul wrapt up to the third Heavens They had monitory Dreams and Impulses from the Spirit by all which they had a full assurance of the Divinity of their Message and the truth of their Call to the Apostleship But 't was equally necessary for the Conviction of the Unbelieving World that they should confirm the divine Authority of these things by sufficient external Arguments therefore they were endued with the gift of Tongues and the power of working Miracles when according to the promise of our Lord the Holy Ghost descended from Heaven upon a full Assembly as they were met together to solemnize the Worship of God Acts 2. that they began to speak with other Tongues and to utter divers sorts of Languages insomuch that their Auditors admired the marvelous works of God when they heard the Servants of Christ speaking every one in their own Tongue Thus they were qualified by an extraordinary Inspiration to teach all Nations and to preach the Gospel throughout the whole World And as they had diversity of Gifts and different Administrations so they were enabled by the power of the Holy Ghost to work Miracles 2 Cor. 12 8 9 10 11. and in the Name of Christ to do even what they list To them was given the power of healing all manner of Diseases the raising the Dead to life But one great and signal Gift they received which to the
Orators Grammarians Rhetoricians Lawyers Physitians and Philosophers forsook their former Sentiments and adhered to the Doctrine of Christ Nay so mightily prevailed the Word of God in despight of the Devil and all the Powers of Darkness that within an Age or two after the Incarnation of the Son of God his dominion was as large as the World and extended over the Territories of the whole Earth Hesterni sumus Apol. C. 36. c. 1. vestra omnia implevimus c. saith Tertullian For the Temple of Jerusalem was utterly destroyed and the daily Sacrifice perfectly ceased and such the Reformation in the Gentile World that the Devils forsook their ancient Habitations and trembled Eus Ecc. Hist l. 2. c. 3. l. 3. c. 8. where-ever the noise of the Gospel sounded their clamorous Oracles soon became dumb and their principal Deities mute as a Child their great Gods forsook their beloved Temples and though some were chained yet they were constrained to run away Nay so bold and confident were the Primitive Christians in their Apologies before their Persecutors that they challenged the Governours and Rulers Tert. Apol. c. 23 22. before whom they appeared to bring any persons possessed with evil Spirits or grieved with any other Infirmities and if they did not in the Name of Christ restore the one sound to his health the other to an entire mind they would be content to die the most ignominious accursed death Nay Lact. de fals Sap. l. 2. c. 25 26 to discover the excellency and vertue of the Christian Religion they were bold to say that by the Administration of the Gospel they would undertake to convince the most obstinate to convert the most obdurate sinner and to transform the most diabolical and hellish nature into a divine and heavenly temper verifying hereby those lofty Expressions of the Apostle that the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword Heb. 4.12 Mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God 2 Cor. 10.4 5. And to this very day the Son of God hath rode in triumph over the Devil not onely by teaching men to deny all ungoaliness and worldly lusts to live soverly righteously and godly in this present world but by redeeming them actually from all iniquity and purifying to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Thus it was prophesied of the Messiah Isai 61.1 and fulfilled by him when he appeared in the World as he himself testifies The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath appointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bound and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord Luke 4.18 19. In a word the glorious company of the Apostles the goodly fellowship of the Prophets the noble Army of Martyrs and all the Saints of God that have departed this life in his Faith and Fear and now make up that part of the Church Triumphant in the Kingdom of Heaven waiting for the accomplishment of our Victory and the perfecting of the Body of Christ have been redeemed by the Bloud of the Son of God delivered by him from the snares of Death and the power of the Devil and are now sate down with the Lamb of God in the highest Heavens III. The Son of God will most certainly obtain a perfect Victory over the Devil before he resigne up his Commission to his Father as from all eternity he was fore-ordained and in the fulness of time solemnly inaugurated into this Office As to this very day he hath been faithful in the administration of it to the destruction of Satan's Kingdom so he will undoubtedly continue till he hath accomplished the number of his Elect 1 Cor. 15.28 compleated the body of the Church Triumphant and subdued the Power and Authority of his Enemies So that though the Devil disturb the Peace of the Church and make his rendezvouz in the World seeking whom he might devour and destroy yet the Son of God who in his Resurrection led captivity captive and to this day hath gone on conquering and to conquer will still proceed in this victorious manner till he hath perfectly routed the Devil and his Angels and his place be found no more on the Earth as it is prophesied by St. John Rev. 12. For at the last and dreadful day there shall be a general conflagration in the World to consume the Wickedness thereof when the Devil and his Angels shall be constrained to appear before this glorious Prince and receive their final doom which was denounced upon them when they were cast out of Heaven to be thrust into the bottomless Pit with all their accursed Crew to be tormented day and night and to dwell in everlasting burnings when the great Redeemer of the World the Captain of mans Salvation shall gloriously ascend to the Kingdom of his Father and in triumphant Chariots carry up with him an innumerable company of blessed Saints who shall sit down with him in his Fathers Kingdom and reign as Kings and Queens for evermore We have hitherto considered the truth of the Proposition delivered in the Text That it was the grand designe and purpose of the Son of God to destroy the works of the Devil that he was manifest in the World to deliver Man from his Power and Dominion to teach and enable them to walk in the ways of Vertue and Goodness From which Argument 't is just and obvious to infer three things 1. From hence men may learn whether they be indeed the Servants of God and Disciples of Christ or the Slaves and Vassals of the Devil 'T is the continual Employment of that accursed Spirit to lay Snares in our way to Heaven to tempt and entice Souls to the practice of sin and thereby to ascertain their eternal Ruine On the other side 't is the constant endeavour of our blessed Saviour to deliver men from their evil ways to encline their hearts to the Love and their lives to the Practice of all manner of Goodness thereby to reconcile them unto God and to save them in the day of the Lord. Flatter not your selves then in a business of so great concernment Our Apostle lays down a plain Rule from this Doctrine He that doth righteousness is righteous even as Christ is righteous v. 7. He that committeth sin is of the Devil v. 8. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin v. 9. And in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devil whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God v. 10. Let men pretend what they will a sinful and wicked life is a plain Mark and Character of one that belongs to the Devil as on the contrary a vertuous and godly Conversation