A SERMON Preached before His MAIESTY at READING By WILLIAM CHILLINGWORTH OXFORD Printed by H. HALL for N. DAVIS 1644. 2. TIM. Chap. 3. v. 1 2 3 4 5. This know also that in the last dayes perilous times shall come For men shall be lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankfull unholy Without naturall affection truce breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good Traitors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God Having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof TO a discourse upon these words I cannot thinke of any fitter introduction then that wherewith our Saviour sometime began a Sermon of his This day is this Scripture fulfilled And I would to God there were not great occasion to feare that a great part of it may be fullfilled in this place Two things are contained in it First the reall wickednesse of the generality of the men of the latter times in the foure first verses For by men shall be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud c. I conceive is meant men generally shall be so otherwise this were nothing peculiar to the last but common to all times for in all times some nay many have been lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud c. Secondly we have here the formall and hypocriticall godlinesse of the same times in the last verse having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof which latter ordinarily and naturally accompanies the former For as the shadowes are longest when the Sunne is lowest and as vines and other fruit trees beare the lesse fruit when they are suffered to luxuriate and spend their sap upon superfluous suckers and aboundance of leaves So commonly we may observe both in Civill conversation where there is great store of formality there is little sincerity and in Religion where there is a decay of true and cordiall piety there men entertaine and please themselves and vainely hope to please God with externall formalities and performances and great store of that righteousnesse for which Christ shall judge the world It were no difficult matter to shew that the truth of Saint Pauls prediction is by experience justified in both parts of it but my purpose is to restraine my selfe to the latter and to endeavour to cleare unto you that that in our times is generally accomplished That almost in all places the power of Godlinesse is decayed and vanished the forme and profession of it onely remaining That the spirit and soule and life of Religion is for the most part gone onely the outward body or carcasse or rather the picture or shadow of it being left behind This is the Doctrine which at this time I shall deliver to you and the use which I desire most heartily you should make of it is this To take care that you confute so farre as it concernes your particulars what I feare I shall prove too true in the generall To come then to our businesse without further complement let us examine our wayes and consider impartially what the Religion of most men is We are baptized in our infancy that is as I conceive dedicated and devoted to Gods service by our Parents and the Church as young Samuel was by his Mother Anna and there we take a Solemne vow To forsake the Devill and all his workes the vaine pompe and glory of the world with all the couetous desires of it to forsake also all the carnall desires of the flesh and not to follow nor be led by them This vow we take when we be children and understand it not and how many are there who know and consider and regard what they have vowed when they are become men almost as little as they did being children consider the lives and publique Actions of most men of all conditions in Court City and Country then deny it if you can that those three things which we have renounced in our baptisme the profits honours and pleasures of the world are not the very Gods which divide the world amongst them are not served more devoutly confided in more heartily loved more affectionately then the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost in whose name we are baptized deny if you can the daily and constant imployment of all men to be either a violent prosecution of the vaine pompe and glory of the world or of the power riches and contemptible profits of it or of the momentany or unsatisfying pleasures of the flesh or else of the more diabolicall humours of pride malice revenge and such like and yet with this empty forme we please and satisfy our selves as well as if we were lively borne againe by the Spirit of God not knowing or not regarding what Saint Peter hath taught us That the Baptisme which must save us is Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answere of a good consciene unto God When we are come to yeares capable of instruction many which is lamentable to consider are so little regarded by themselves or others that they continue little better then Pagans in a Common wealth of Christians and know little more of God or of Christ then if they had beene bred in the Indies A lamentable case and which will one day lye heavie upon their account which might have amended it and did not But many I confesse are taught to act over this play of Religion and learned to say Our Father which art in Heaven and I beleeve in God the Father Almighty but where are the men that live so as if they did beleeve in earnest that God is their Almighty Father where are they that feare him and trust him and depend upon him onely for their whole happinesse and love him and obey him as in reason we ought to do to an Almighty Father who if he be our Father and we be indeed his children will do for us all the good he can and if he be Almighty can do for us all the good he will and yet how few are there who love him with halfe that affection as Children usually do their naturall Parents or beleive him with halfe that simplicity or serve him with halfe that dilligence And then for the Lords prayer the plaine truth is we lye unto God for the most part cleane through it and for want of desiring indeed what in word we pray for tell him to his face as many false tales as we make Petitions For who shewes by his endeavours that he desires heartily that Gods name should be hallowed that is holily and religiously worshiped and adored by all men That his Kingdome should be advanced and inlarged That his blessed will should be universally obayed Who shews by his forsaking sinne that he desires so much as he should do the forgivenes of it Nay who doth not revenge upon all occasions the affronts contempts and injuries put upon him and so upon the matter curse himselfe as oft as he
sayes forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us How few depend upon God only for their dayly Bread viz. the good things of this life as upon the onely giver of them so as neither to get nor keepe any of them by any meanes which they know or feare to be offensive unto God How few desire in earnest to avâ—yed temptation Nay who almost is there that takes not the Divells Office out of his hand and is not himselfe a tempter both to himselfe and others Lastly who almost is there that desires heartily and above all things so much as the thing deserves to be delivered from the greatest evill sinne I meane and the anger of God Now beloved this is certaine he that imployes not requisit industry to obtaine what he pretends to desire does not desire indeed but only pretends to do so He that desires not what he prayes for prayes with tongue only and not with his heart indeed does not pray to God but play and dally with him And yet this is all which men generally do and therefore herein also accomplish this prophecy having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof And this were ill enough were it in private but we abuse God Almighty also with our publike and solemne formalities we make the Church a Stage whereon to act our parts and play our pageants there we make a profession every day of confessing our sinnes with humble lowly and obedient hearts and yet when we have talked after this manner 20 30 40 yeares together our hearts for the most part continue as proud as impenitent as disobedient as they were in the begining We make great Protestations when we assemble and meet together to render thanks to God Almighty for the benefits received at his hands and if this were to be performed with words with Hosann'as and Hallelujahs and gloria patri's and Psalmes and Hymnes and such like outward matters peradventure we should do it very sufficiently but in the meane time with our lives and actions we provoke the Almighty and that to his face with all variety of greivous and bitter provocations we do dayly and hourely such things as we know and he hath assured us to be odious unto him and contrary to his nature as any thing in the world is to the nature of any man in the world and all this upon poore trifling triviall no temptations If a man whom you had dealt well with should deale so with you one whom ye had redeemed from the Turkish slavery and instated in some indifferent good inheritance should make you fine speeches entertaine you with Panegyrickes and have your prayses alwayes in his mouth but all this while do nothing that pleases you but upon all occasions put all affronts and indignities upon you would you say this were a thankfull man Nay would you not make heaven and earth ring of his unthankfullnesse and detest him almost as much for his faire speeches as his foule actions Beloved such is our unthankfullnesse to our God and Creatour to our Lord and Saviour our tongues ingeminate and crie aloud Hosanna Hosanna but the lowder voice of our lives and actions is crucifie him crucifie him We Court God Almighty and complement with him and professe to esteeme his service perfect freedome but if any thing be to be done much more if any thing be to be suffered for him here we leave him we bow the knee before him and put a reed in his hand and a Crowne upon his head and crie Haile King of the Iewes But then with our Customary sinnes we give him gall to eat and vineger to drinke we thrust a speare in his side naile him to the Crosse and Crucifie to our selves the Lord of Glory This is not the Office of a friend to bewaile a dead freind with vaine lamentation Sed quae voluerit meminisse quae mandaverit exequt to remember what he desires and execute what he commandes so sayd a dying Roman to his freind and so say I to you To be thankfull to God is not to say God be praysed or God be thanked but to remember what he desires and execute what he commands to be thankfull to God is certainely to love him and to love him is to keepe his Commandements so saith our Saviour Ioh. 19. If ye love me keepe my Commandements if we doe so we may justly pretend to thankfullnesse which beleive mee is not a word nor to be performed with words But if we doe not so as generally we doe not our talke of thankfullnesse is nothing else but meere talke and we accomplish Saint Paules prophecy herein also Having a forme of thankfullnesse but not the reality not the power of it If I should reckon up unto you how many direct lies every wicked man tells to God Allmighty as often as he sayes Amen to this forme of godlinesse which our Church hath prescribed If I should present unto you all our acting of piety and playing of humiliation and personating of devotion in the Psalmes the Letanies the Collects and generally in the whole service I should be infinite And therefore I have thought good to draw a vaile over a great part of our Hypocrisy and to restraine the remainder of our discourse to the Contrariety betweene our profession and performance onely in two things I meane Faith and Repentance And first for Faith We professe and indeed generally because it is not safe to doe otherwise that we beleive the Scripture to be true and that it containes the plaine and onely way to infinite and eternall happinesse But if we did generally beleeve what we do professe if this were the language of our hearts as well as our tongues how comes it to passe that the Study of it is so generally neglected Let a booke that treates of the Philosophers stone promise never so many mountaines of gold even the restoring of the golden age againe yet were it no mervaile if few should study it and the reason is because few would beleeve it But if there were a booke extant and ordinary to be had as the Bible is which men did generally beleive to containe a plaine and easy way for all men to become rich and to live in health and pleasure and this worlds happinesse can any man imagine that this booke would be unstudied by any man and why then should I not beleive That if the Scripture were firmely and heartily beleived the certaine and onely way to happinesse which is perfect and eternall it would be studied by all men with all diligence Seeing therefore most Christians are so cold and negligent in the study of it preferre all other businesse all other pleasures before it is there not great reason to feare that many who pretend to beleive it firmely beleive it not at all or very weakely and faintly If the Generall of an Army or an Embassadour to some Prince or State were assured by the King his Master
God He dothnot saythey which have done such things shall not be saved but manifestly to the contrary Such were some of you but ye are washed but you are sanctified but he sayes they which do such things and without amendment of life shall continue doeing them shall not be excused by any pretence of sorrow and good purposes They shall not inherite the Kingdome of Heaven And againe in another Epistle know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God be not deceived neither fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor abusers of themselves with mankinde nor Theeves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor revilers shall inherit the Kingdome of God In Christ Iesus saith the same Saint Paul in other places nothing availeth but faith nothing but a new creature nothing but keeping the Commandements of God it is not then a wishing but a working faith not wishing you were a new Creature nor sorrowing you are not but being a new creature not wishing you had kept nor sorrowing you have not kept nor purposeing vainly to keepe but keeping his Commandements must prevaile with him Follow peace with all men and holinesse saith the Divine Authour of the Epistle to the Heb. without which no man shall see the Lord Saint Peter in his 2d Epistle commends unto us a golden chaine of Christian perfections consisting of these linkes Faith vertue knowledge Temperance patience godlinesse brotherly kindnesse charity and then addes He that lacketh these things is blind and knoweth not that he was purged from his old sinnes Let his sorrow be never so great and his desires never so good yet if he lacke these things he is blind and was purged from his old sinnes but is not Lastly Saint Iohn he that hath this hope purifieth himselfe even as he is pure the meaning is not with the same degree of purity for that is impossible but with the same kind the same truth of purity he that doth not purify himselfe may nay doth flatter himselfe and without warrant presume upon Gods favour but this hope he hath not and againe Little Children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousnesse is righteous even as he is righteous And thus you see all the divine Writers of the New Testament with one consent and one mouth proclaime the necessity of reall holinesse and labour together to disinchant us from this vaine phansy that men may be saved by sorrowing for their sinne and intending to leave it without effectuall conversion and reformation of life which it may well be feared hath sent thousands of soules to hell in a golden dreame of heaven But is not this to preach workes as the Papists doe no certainely it is not but to preach workes as Christ and his Apostles doe it is to preach the necessity of them which no good Protestant no good Christian ever denied but it is not to preach the merit of them which is the error of the Papists But is it not to preach the Lawe in time of the Gospell no certainely it is not for the Law forgives no sinnes but requireth exact obedience curseth every one which from the beginning to the end of his life continueth not in all things which are written in the Law to doe them but the Gospell sayes and accordingly I have said unto you that there is mercy alwayes in store for those who know the day of their visitation and forsake their sinnes in time of mercy and that God will pardon their imperfections in the progresse of holinesse who miscall not presumptuous and deliberate Sinnes by the name of imperfections but seriously and truly endeavour to be perfect onely I forewarne you that you must never looke to be admitted to the wedding feast of the Kings Son either in the impure raggs of any customary sinne or without the wedding garment of Christian holinesse onely I forewarne you that whosoever lookes to be made partaker of the joyes of heaven must make it the cheife if not the onely businesse of his life to know the Will of God and to doe it that great violence is required by our Saviour for the taking of this Kingdome that the race we are to run is a long race the building we are to erect is a great building will hardly very hardly be finished in a day that the worke we have to doe of mortifying all vices and acquiring all Christian vertues is a long worke we may easily deferre it too long we cannot possibly begin it too soone Onely I would perswade you and I hope I have done that that repentance which is not effectuall to true and timely conversion will never be available unto eternall salvation And if I have proved unto you that this is indeed the nature of true repentance then certainely I have proved withall that that repentance wherewith the generality of Christians content themselves notwithstanding their great professions what they are and their glorious protestations of what they intend to be is not the power but the forme not the truth but the shadow of true repentance and that herein also we accomplish Saint Pauls prediction having a forme of godlinesse c. And now what remaines but that as I said in the beginning I should humbly intreat and earnestly exhort every man that hath heard mee this day to confute in his particular what I have proved true in the generall To take care that the sinne of formality though it be the sinne of our times may yet not be the sinne of our persons that we satisfy not our selves with the shadowes of Religion without the substance of it nor with the forme of godlinesse without the power of it To this purpose I shall beseech you to consider that though sacrificing burning incense celebrating of set festivalls praying fasting and such like were under the Law the service of God commanded by himselfe yet whensoever they proceeded not from nor were joyned with the sincerity of an honest heart he professeth frequently almost in all the Prophets not onely his scorne and contempt of them all as fond empty and ridiculous but also his hating loathing and detesting of them as abominable and impious The Sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to God Prov. 15. 8. What have I to doe with the multitude of your Sacrifices saith the Lord Esay the first I am full of the burnt offerings of Rammes and of the fat of fed heasts when ye come to appeare before mee who required this at your hands Bring no more vaine oblations Incense is an abomination to mee I cannot suffer your new moones nor sabbaths nor solemne dayes it is iniquity even your solemne assemblies My soule hateth your new moones and your appointed feasts they are a burthen to me I am weary to beare them and when you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many prayers I will not beare for your hands are full of bloud And againe Isa. 66. 3.