Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A59893
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Sermons preach'd upon several occasions some of which were never before printed / by W. Sherlock.
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Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.
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1700
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Wing S3364; ESTC R29357
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211,709
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562
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Providence but we may make our Complaints to God and be the more importunate in our Prayers for the Preservation of our King The Death of our excellent Queen both calls for and will justify and recommend such humble Importunities and the preservation of our King will in a great measure make up this Loss to us Which God of his infinite Mercy grant through our Lord Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be Honour Glory and Power now and for ever Amen SERMON IX Preach'd before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen at the Parish-Church of St. Bridget on Tuesday in Easter-Week April 6. 1697. 2 Cor. VIII 12. For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not THE Occasion of these Words was this The Christians of Iudaea were at this time in great Want by reason of a general Dearth which was foretold by Agabus at Antioch Acts II. 28. And there stood up one of them named Agabus and signified by the spirit That there should be great dearth throughout all the world which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Upon this Notice the Disciples every man according to his ability determined to send relief unto the Brethren which dwelt in Iudaea This is that Contribution for the Saints which St. Paul directs them about at the Conclusion of his first Epistle to them Ch. 16. and this is what he inculcates on them in this and the following Chapter but with so much Art and Insinuation that though he uses the most powerful Arguments yet he would not seem to persuade nor to think that they needed any Persuasion for it is not Honourable for Christians whose Religion is Charity to need such Persuasions and Importunities They may be directed in their Charity and put in Mind of such particular Charities as are of the greatest Necessity or the most present use or have the most general Influence or do the greatest Reputation and Service to Religion or their Charity may be heightened inflamed and enlarged by the proper Arguments and Motives of Liberality but their Religion teaches them to be Charitable and the Name and Profession of a Christian is a Reproach to them without it And this is all the Apostle aims at even in his soft and tender way of Persuasion not merely to persuade them to contribute to the Necessities of the Saints which he knew they were willing â—…o do but that they should contriâ—…ute liberally with a free and chearful Heart and open Hand which is the â—…um of all his Arguments as I shall â—…hew you in the Conclusion if Time permit But the great Difficulty concerns the proper Measures of a liberal and overflowing Charity Our Saviour has prescribed no set Bounds and Proportions to our Charity and it is thought as possible to be imprudent and excessive as too frugal and sparing We have many other Obligations upon us besides CHARITY to provide for our own comfortable Subsistence to take Care of our Wives and Children and to discharge all other Duties and Offices according to our Station and Character in the World All which ought to set Bounds to our Charity But what these Bounds are is thought the great Question which is not easily answered This is true nor can any certain Measures be prescribed nor does the Apostle pretend to it But though there is a great Latitude in true Christian Charity which does not consist in a Point but admits of different degrees and Proportions yet the Apostle in my Text directs us to such a Principle as is much better and safer than any stated Rules because it will be sure never to sink below the just Proportions of Charity and will render all we do be it more or less very acceptable to God For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not In which Words I shall observe Three Things which are expressed or necessarily implied in them First That a great readiness and Forwardness of Mind to do Good is the true Spirit of Charity which gives Value and Acceptation to all we do Secondly That this readiness of Mind to do Good to Relieve the Necessities of those who want will observe the just Proportions of Giving will give according to what a man hath as is necessarily implied in the Words for if a willing Mind be accepted according to what a man hath it is because it gives according to what a man hath Thirdly That where there is this Willing Mind with a fitting Proportion according to our Abilities whether it be more or less which we give it is equally acceptable to God Such a Man is accepted according to what â—…e hath not according to what he hath â—…ot I shall speak as briefly as I can to each of these that I may not be prevented in such an Application as is proper to this Solemnity First That a great Readiness and Forwardness of Mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to do Good to relieve the Necessities of those in Want is the true Spirit of Charity and gives Value and Acceptation to all we do Such a Willingness of Mind when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is the Principle and first Mover in all our Charitable Actions is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very acceptable to God This I think I may take for granted for what is the Grace and Vertue of Charity but a Charitable Inclination Disposition Temper Habit of Mind And what is this but a Readiness and Forwardness to do Good Our Inclinations and Passions are the Principles of Action and therefore have a natural Tendency towards their proper Acts and Objects and will act when they have the Power and Opportunity of Action Charity is Love the Love of Pity and Compassion to the Miseries and Sufferings and Wants of our Brethren and Love in all other Instances is a very restless active Principle and so will our Love to the Poor and Miserable be if it be Inclination and Habit. There is no man but will pretend to be very ready and willing to do Good though he never does any For to have no Inclination to do Good is so Infamous that those who do no good are ashamed to own it but to do no good is a plain Evidence against them when nothing can hinder them from doing Good but the want of Will and Inclination to do it when God has furnished them with the means of doing Good and there are thousands of Objects to exercise their Charity and to move their Pity if they had any The Will is accepted for the Deed both by God and Men when it is not in our Power to do that Good which we sincerely desire to do and which we would certainly do were it in our Power but it is to mock both God and Men to pretend a Willingness when â—…t is
I shall observe this following method I. Consider the Duty of Gospel-Bishops and Pastors which is to Feed and to Govern the Houshold of Christ. II. The Qualifications of Gospel-Ministers which are Faithfulness and Prudence a Faithful and Wise servant III. The great rewards of such men Blessed is that servant I. The Duty of Gospel Ministers whether Bishops or others and that consists of two parts 1. To Feed 2. To Govern the Houshold or Church of Christ. They are appointed Rulers of his Houshold to give them meat in due season 1. To Feed the Flock of Christ. This command Christ gave to Peter 20. Acâ—…s 28. and repeated it three times Simon son of Ionas lovest thou me more than 21. John 15 16 17. these then feed my lambs feed my sheep Now to Feed signifies to instruct men in the Knowledge of Christ for Knowledge is the proper food and nourishment of the Soul by which it grows in Spiritual Wisdom and all Vertue and Goodness and is as necessary to 1 Pet 2. 2. our Spiritual Life as natural food is to the Life of our Bodies This is life 17. John 3. eternal saith our Saviour to know Thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent For this reason our Saviour appointed Stewards and Dispensers of the Mysteries of his Kingdom whose whole business it should be to study the Divine Will themselves and to instruct others For this is a knowledge which must be taught Nature may instruct us in the Being of a God and the differences between good and evil and the plain Rules of Morality but the Mysteries of the Kingdom the whole oeconomy of mans Salvation by Jesus Christ is to be known only by Revelation Christ came down from Heaven to reveal this to us and he instructed his Apostles and his Apostles by their Preaching and Writings instructed the Church and have left us a standing Rule of Faith and Manners but yet it is necessary that there should be some Men peculiarly devoted to the Service of Religion the study of the Scriptures and the Work of the Ministry to instruct and teach those who have neither leisure not opportunities for enquiry nor capacity to learn without a Guide which is the case of the generality of Christians especially since Religion has been clogged with such infinite Disputes and there has been so much art used to make the plainest truths difficult obscure and uncertain to corrupt the Christian Faith and to make it comply with mens sensual Lusts or secular Interests A Guide and Instructor is absolutely necessary when there are so many Turnings and Labyrinths wherein men may lose themselves and their way to Heaven But though there were no Disputes in Religion no difficulty in understanding it though all men were agreed about the way to Heaven though the meanest Christian understood the Mysteries of Christianity as well as the greatest Divine yet there would be constant need of a Spiritual Guide while men are apt to be unmindful of their Duty and careless in the Practice of it The work of an Evangelical Pastor is not meerly to instruct the Ignorant but to exhort to reprove to admonish to watch over the Lives and Manners of Christians to make seasonable Applications to their Consciences to administer Comfort to afflicted Spirits to excite and quicken the slothful and to encourage the fearful and timerous and to assist and direct men in their Spiritual Warfare how to obtain a glorious victory over the World and the Flesh. This is to feed the Flock of Christ and to give them Meat in due season to instruct them in those things of which they are ignorant and to put them in mind of those things which they already know that their Faith may be turned into a principle of life and action and this heavenly Food may be digested into Blood and Spirits to the edifying of the Body of Christ in all Christian Graces and Vertues 2. Another part of the Ministerial Office consists in Acts of Discipline and Government Christ has made these Ministers and Servants Rulers over his houshold No Society can be preserved 5. Eph. 23. 10. John 14. without Order and Government which is as absolutely necessary in the Church as in the State Christ is the Head of the Church the Husband the Shepherd the Lord which are all names of Authority and Power and the Church is his Body his Spouse his Flock his Houshold and Family which are names of Subjection and denote a regular and orderly Society but Christ has now left this World and does not visibly appear among us to direct and govern the Affairs of his Church he is ascended into Heaven where he sits at the right hand of God and exerciseth an invisible Power and Providence for the defence and preservation of his Church on Earth He governs us by his Laws and by his Spirit and by his Ministers for when he 4. Eph. 8 11 12 13. ascended on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers For the Perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. When our Saviour was risen from the dead he tells his Disciples All power is given unto me both in Heaven and in 28. Mat. 18 19 20. Earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World This is their Commission to pâ—…ach the Gospel and to govern his Church which was not meerly a personal Commission to the Apostles but extends to all their Successors as appears from Christ's promise to be with them in the discharge of this Ministerial Authority to the end of the World Thus St. Iohn acquaints us that Christ after his Resurrection appeared to his Apostles when they were met together and said unto them Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent 20. John 21 22 23. me so send I you And as he had said this he breathed on them and said unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whose soever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained This invested them with Authority but then the actual communication of Power which especially at that time was necessary to the discharge of their Office was reserved for the descent of the Holy Ghost and therefore our Saviour commanded them Not to depart from Ierusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father that is the gift of the Holy Ghost For says