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A49543 A sermon preach'd before the Honourable House of Commons on the anniversary fast for the martyrdom of King Charles I by E. Langford ... Langford, E. (Emanuel), b. 1657 or 8. 1698 (1698) Wing L386; ESTC R7375 16,818 30

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themselves Nay Love that themselves should be thought much better than they are For even the wickedest Men give that Praise and Attestation to Virtue that tho amongst their lewd Companions Perhaps they may Glory in their Villanies and make themselves seem far more wicked than they are yet amongst sober Men they all desire to pass under a more favourable Character They love to appear under something of the outward form and shew of Godliness tho they are perfect strangers to the Power thereof This gives them a false Sense and Reputation they are highly ashamed their Faults should be in the least exposed to the Eye of the world but are nothing concerned how much dishonour they cast upon Almighty God in committing them To trespass against his Eternal Truth or out-dare his all-searching Spirit by telling and perhaps swearing to a Lye is too too common a practice amongst them but for one to tell them they Lye is so unpardonable an Affront in their Esteem so high a Provocation that nothing but the Life or Blood of the Party that said it can make satisfaction for it O Blessed Jesus How far are these Men estranged from thy Divine Love How far do they make thy Holy and Glorious Name to stink and become a Reproach amongst the Heathen and unbelieving parts of the world Never then let us count these most foul Spots of our Sacred Profession Points of Honour more Never let him that calls Himself a Christian any longer glory in this his Eternal Shame I confess indeed I find it in some Great Masters of Morals allow'd in Youth to be a little fond of External Honour Simplic in Epict. c. 48. and Popular Applause Because it may raise their Virgin Thoughts and Innocent Affections to the Enterprize of truly Noble Things and give a Spur to their Industry and put them with delight upon Labours and Tasks which otherwise might be rather a punishment and torment to them to undergo But withal they tell us That afterwards to make this a Principle of their Actions will inevitably prove their Ruin and Destruction For besides all those dreadful Consequences which I just now mentioned it makes all Virtue meerly accidental and conditional they will neither value nor practice it as it is Good but only as it is Popular It begets such an absolute Dotage and Frenzy in their minds as tho they despise and slight nothing more than the Persons and Conversations of the Vulgar yet they are so ridiculously besotted as to Court and wholly depend upon their senseless Esteem and rest more satisfy'd in the vain Opinion of the World than in the comfort of a Good Conscience and the Joynt Testimony of that All knowing God who will certainly one day Judge the Secret Thoughts of all Mankind This Swelling indeed and Tumour of the Soul sticks very close unto us 't is for the most part the last Rag of our corrupt Nature that we put off and the last peice of all this Earthly Lumber we bear about us that we part withal Since then it is the bitter Root of so many and so great Evils and takes such deep hold in those infirm and easy Minds which cherish it how chearfully ought we to entertain how highly ought we to prize that Evangelical Humility and Meekness which we have prescrib'd as a Sovereign Remedy against this pernicious Distemper of the Mind and so gloriously recommended Which is the II. Second Observable in my Text to our practice by the Example as well as Precept of our Blessed Lord and Saviour who when He was reviled reviled not again when He suffered He threatned not but was led as a Lamb to the slaughter 1 Pet. 2. c. 23. and as a Sheep before her shearers is dumb so opened he not his mouth Our merciful Father by sending Christ the Grand Exemplar to us most wisely considered and most graciously condescended to our present condition For whether it be from our Original Nature or from our Hereditary Corruption of it I shall not now determine We see the Generality of the world led by Example as much if not more than by Precept To do as another doth was ever counted a great Encouragement as well as no small Justification For Precept is but as a fair Picture whereas Example is the very Life Without this the other would pass for an Airy Speculation or meer Romance Then Men are believed to be serious and in good earnest when what they teach others they first practice themselves By their own well-doing Ep. 1.2 15. as St. Peter saith they utterly put to silence the Ignorance of Foolish Men. Or being like St. Paul's Bishop Tit. 1.7 9. themselves perfectly blameless they may be able to convince their most Insolent Gainsayers Segniusirritant animes demissa per Aures What we only hear we usually little mind and as easily forget but what we see does commonly make a greater impression upon us Now this is the very difference betwixt Precept and Example Quam quae sunt oculis comissa sidelibus Hor. and as the Evidence of both these Senses commit as it were a Violence upon our Imagination so the Influence of both these together lays as great a Force upon our Will and Understanding The Scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses Seat and without doubt taught many Excellent Notions and wholsom Lessons for our Saviour commanded his own Disciples as well as the Multitude Mat. 33.1 2 3. to observe whatever they commanded But this was it that quite shak'd off all their Authority They said but did not They might perhaps press the very Weighty Matters of the Law but they themselves would not touch them with one of their Fingers How infinitely beyond them was our Grand Exemplar 'T is truly said of Him John 7.46 He spake as never Man spake and 't is as certain also He Liv'd as never Man Liv'd And this was most absolutely necessary for Him to do He came into the World to reform both Jew and Gentile to destroy all Hypocrisie and meer Shews of Religion to purge out all unclean and corrupt Affections to teach us the pure Worship of God in Spirit and in Truth to instruct us how to mortify all our Passions and Lusts how to deny our selves in all unlawful things and become perfectly dead unto all the Suggestions of the Flesh the World and the Devil to sanctify us throughout and keep us not only from all appearance but also from all secret thoughts of Evil to beget in our Hearts the true Fears of that dreadful Judge of Heaven and Earth before whom we shall one day stand to answer for whatever we have thought or spake or done amiss and next to that to kindle in our Minds a Spirit of Humility and Meekness Peace and Love and to direct and keep us in all Holy and Heavenly Conversation towards one another Certainly a Lawgiver so Divine and Extraordinary as this was oblig'd to make His own Life