our Lord and Master The manner of Temptation in each Case was not different being in each Case effected by inward Suggestion For we must not suppose that the Devil visibly appeared to our Lord and spake to him face to face to have proposed his alluring Temptations without any disguise would more have prejudiced the Efficacy of them than all the specious Arguments wherewith he recommended them could have enforced them He tempted Christ by insinuating secretly into his mind such Thoughts as these that since he was Conscious to himself of his Power of working Miracles he had better satisfie his Hunger by turning the Stones into Bread than endure it any longer in awaiting the ordinary Providence of God that to leap off the Pinacle of the Temple and to be seen to be carried safe in the Air would contribute very much to raise his Glory and Fame among Men and that if he would employ that Power of Miracles which he had received from God for the Conversion of the World to the Conquest of it it would be no hard Matter in a short time to gain all the Kingdoms of the Earth and the Glory of them Thus the Devil tempted our Lord and thus he continueth to tempt us with this only difference that our Lord by his excellent Wisdom knew that all those Suggestions proceeded from that wicked Spirit and we when we are tempted by him are wont to ascribe those evil Motions which we then find within our selves to any thing rather than the Suggestion of evil Spirits For since these Suggestions are usually specious Arguments of the extraordinary Pleasure or Profit to be found in sin Men are apt to ascribe all this to the Excellency of their Understanding which as they imagine raiseth them beyond the trifling superstition of religious Fools who are content to forfeit the chief Satisfactions of this Life for fear of offending they know not whom and suffering they know not what or to their own extraordinary Sagacity whereby they alone can discern what is the true Happiness of Man or perhaps reconcile all these sins wherein they delight to their Pretences of future Happiness When indeed pious Men know no less than they what are the specious Arguments recommending sinful Pleasures and by what Methods they may be best enhanced but they will not entertain themselves with such Considerations and if suggested to them presently do remove them not only because by Attention to them they are endangered to be allured or betrayed to Consent to them but also because voluntarily to continue such thoughts in the mind and dwell upon them is a sin since this includes a Connivence of the Will not restraining the Imagination from such impure Ideas and is commonly attended with a sort of Complacency which wanteth nothing but a fit occasion to put the pleasing sin in Practice So then the most secure method of eluding the Temptations of the Devil is to decline his suggestions immediately to remove even the first Thoughts of them and divert the Soul to some lawful Object But because the imagination of Man may be so strongly excited by some violent Object or Impression that it shall not be even in the Power of the Soul to suppress it for some considerable time as we see in violent Passions which can no more be allayed by one Act of Dissent in the Will than a tempestuous Sea be calmed in one minute therefore it will be necessary to provide Remedies against such Adventures And the most effectual is that prescribed by our Saviour Matth. V. 29. 30. If thy right Eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee c. That is if by the Enjoyment of any otherwise indifferent Object thou find thy self often betrayed to an unlawful use of it or to any other sin deprive thy self even of that lawful Pleasure rather than for the sake of that expose thy Soul to the Danger of total Destruction and thereby forfeit not only that apparent but even all real Satisfactions If by any pleasing Objects of sight thou art apt to be tempted to unlawful Desires by a prudent Caution debar thy self even of those otherwise lawful Pleasures which thou mightest receive from that noble Faculty If grateful Objects of touch do often excite such vehement Passions in thee as cannot be satisfied without the Commission of sin renounce even all lawful Pleasures which thou mightest receive from thence If thou canst not look upon a Woman without lusting after her suffer not thy Eyes to gaze upon her If thou canst not engage in Company without being tempted to Drunkenness deny thy self so dangerous a Satisfaction and so in all other Cases A most Divine Counsel and excellently fitted to defeat the Temptations of the Devil or the Propensity of our own Nature to sin Every Man may discover in himself a Proneness to some particular sin beyond others of which evil Spirits make their advantage and most frequently assault Men by inciting them to the Commission of it Here a Man should be chiefly careful and rather than suffer himself to be led into it dread even the Approaches of it suspect even his lawful Enjoyments of that Object to which the sin relates and if all this Circumspection prevents not the returns of his unlawful Passions as oft as the Object is renewed to renounce even all lawful use of it at least until those Passions can be so far allayed that the Soul can again entertain the Object without any Danger of sin But the most frequent Case remaineth yet to be provided for that is when the Idea produced by the Object or by the suggestion of the Devil is so violent that it cannot be removed by a single Dissent of the Will and notwithstanding all the forementioned rules of Caution is either by our own Negligence or by the subtilty of our Adversary or both actually produced Here it is that the Efficacy of Temptations chiefly appears the Devil is vigilant and unwearied in the prosecution of his Designs attacks us on all sides successively if he be repulsed at one Post he assaults us at another and never gives over till he gaineth entrance Here is the chief Conflict of a Christian when the Suggestion of evils Spirits exciteth his Imagination when his Passions are raised by this Conception when his sensual Appetite grows impetuous opposeth the Directions of Reason and requireth blindly to be satisfied The repugnancy of this to the rational Faculties of the Soul giveth the Devil opportunity to assault us and success in it This proceeds no farther than the bare satisfaction of Sense it lyeth grovelling on the Earth looks not up to Heaven nor discerns any future Hopes therein common with Beasts who pursue the Enjoyment of present Objects without any regard to Futurity This continually inciteth a Man to enjoy the Object which is set before him without enquiring whether it be allowed or forbidden
Stone Lastly by the Merits or Guilt of the Soul the Body will be hereafter either saved or condemned If then all the Blessings of Heaven be primarily bestowed upon the Soul if this be the only receptacle of moral Vertues and Divine Graces if the Son of God vouchsafed to do and suffer so much for the Salvation of it if all the future Happiness of the Body depends upon the well-doing of the Soul certainly this Soul deserveth our greatest Regard and Consideration as by which alone we obtain the Favour of God and are made like unto him by imitating his Perfections as far as our finite Nature will permit us in the Practice of Vertue and Holiness of Life In the next place 't is the Excellency of our Souls alone which distinguisheth one Man from another and maketh any Person more excellent than his Neighbour It is a childish mistake of Men to imagine that Riches or Honour or temporal Greatness gives a real Excellency to Mankind or confers a true Dignity upon the Possessors of them since all these outward Advantages are common to the worst and most profligate of Men who as they are most miserable in themselves so they deserve no other than the Slight and Contempt of all who know them Not to say that all these things are frail and momentany of which a Man may be bereaved in an hour either by the inconstancy of Fortune or the Malice of others But we cannot imagine that our Wise Creatour should assign that to be our chief Perfection of which we might either be deprived or defrauded and that our Happiness should be in the Power and at the Mercy of another Man In that Case we should have been more miserable than all the rest of the Creation if it were not in every Man's Power to become Happy So true is it that all the Excellency of Man consists in the great and eminent Endowments of his Soul which the poorest of Men may obtain and when obtained can by no Art or Fraud be taken from him Thus the Scripture giving an account of the eminent Perfections of Daniel the Honour and Reverence paid to him and Dignities conferr'd upon him gives this as the Reason of it Because an excellent Spirit was in him Dan. VI. 3. It was that alone which caused him to surpass the ordinary Rank of Men and made him the Favourite of Heaven Not that a more excellent and perfect Soul was infused at first into him than into the rest of Men for all Souls are created equal and are capable of the same Improvements but that he had adorned it with all the Perfections of Reason and Religion and thereby rendred it worthy the Favour of God and Esteem of Men. And herein clearly appears both the Goodness of God and the Happiness of Men that all these Improvements and Cultivations of the Soul are equally possible to the Poorest as well as the richest Men. Poverty and temporal Calamity cannot exclude us from the utmost Perfection and in that from the greatest Happiness It is in the Power of the meanest Person to be truly more Excellent than his rich Neighbours and to ensure to himself the Favours of Heaven although not the Riches of the Earth Thus God hath in Truth made an equal Distribution to all Men by assigning to all Souls an equal Capacity For as for the Goods of Fortune when put in the Scale with Piety and the interests of Religion they deserve not the least Consideration There are some Endowments of the mind indeed which are not common and cannot be obtained by all Men as Learning and an exquisite Knowledge These may put in a fair Plea for an intrinsick Worth and Excellency as being inseparable from the Soul when once acquired of infinite use in this Life and perhaps greater in the next But then there are disadvantages attending such acquired Knowledge which may justly take off the immoderate Desire of it and make it become no reasonable Object of Envy to a pious unlearned Christian. As that it renders the way to Heaven infinitely more difficult to the Possessors of it exposeth them to many and great Temptations not common to all other Persons but chiefly because more and greater Duties are required of them greater and more severe Punishments attend the neglect of them In the more unlearned sort God requireth no more than a hearty Sincerity Belief and sure Trust in the Merits of a Crucified Saviour and living up to the great Truths of Religion and Principles of common Honesty In them he willingly over-seeth small and trivial Faults and imputes not Errors to them unless they influence and corrupt their Practice But of the more learned sort of Christians he requireth right Notions of Religion and worthy Conceptions of the Divine Majesty employing their knowledge to the good of others the Edification of the Church and after all an exact Observation of the most minute Punctilios of the Divine Laws In them mistakes are dangerous and Pardon not so easie to be obtained If indeed at last they be thought worthy of the Joys of Heaven they will shine there in a more eminent Station and brighter Glory But then even the lowest Degree in Heaven is a greater Happiness than we can either imagine or conceive Thus all the truly desirable Perfections of the Soul are possible to all and debarr'd from none Those are no other than an ardent Love of God an active Zeal to his Service a strict Sobriety in our selves and a fervent Charity to all our Neighbours How far these will advance the Dignity of our Souls appears hence that these only make us capable of the Joys of Heaven that 't is the perfect and uninterrupted Possession of these which maketh Angels and the want of these which maketh Devils Lastly Our Body when considered alone hath nothing excellent beyond other material Creatures nor is capable of any Improvements It is taken out of the same Mass of Matter with other Bodies and after the Separation of the Soul by Death is resolved into the same Corruption becomes Filth and Rottenness and in Truth the most odious of all things Nay even in this Life it would be subject to the same miserable Condition with the Beasts of the Field if it were not actuated by a noble and generous Soul which rescues it from the common Calamity of dull and vile Matter and giveth it the Honour to be joyned to and be the Companion of a most excellent and immortal Spirit And so far is this Body from receiving new Perfections in this Life that it continually decays till it be laid in Ashes and become as the Dung of the Earth None yet with the greatest Care and Diligence could give Beauty to their Bodies or as our Saviour expresseth it add one cubit to their stature None with the greatest Art and Industry can make their Senses more quick and accurate But certainly not any can procure immortality to their Bodies a Priviledge which naturally belongs
his Kingdom Thus far Reason will direct us but then Revelation giveth us greater assurance of the constant and immediate Protection of God even in this Life We have the Promises of this Life and of that which is to come we are told That all things shall work together for good to us That whatsoever we shall ask of God with Faith excluding doubt he will do it and that he will never leave us nor forsake us All these and many more such Arguments include an extraordinary influence of God whereby he Administers the Government of the World satisfies his Justice and declares his Goodness Thus all the Attributes of God naturally lead us to the Worship of him thus we cannot conceive his Nature without adoring it cannot consider his Judgments and Justice without fearing his Displeasure and obeying his Commands thus are we on every side surrounded with Arguments of our Duty May God by his Grace improve the Efficacy of these Arguments to every one of us for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Fifth SERMON Preach'd on the 4th of August 1689. At LAMBETH CHAPEL Rom. XII 3. For I say unto you through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think AMONG all the miscarriages of Mankind none are more fatal and at the same time more ordinary than those which proceed from a mistaken Opinion of their own Nature or Merits It is a deplorable misfortune indeed that Man should be subject to Mistakes in a Matter so nearly concerning himself that he who pretends to Fathom Heaven and Earth to discover the Properties of invisible Beings and extend his Knowledge both to precedent and future Times should remain in the dark as to his own Condition and entertain erroneous Opinions of his own either natural or acquired Merits Not to comprehend perfectly the Nature of God is no wonder the infinity of his Essence surpasseth the Capacity of our finite Understandings Not to conceive accurately the Properties of immaterial Beings whether Angels or separate Souls may be excusable immateriality may easily confound an Apprehension inured only to sensible Objects but to be mistaken in the Nature the Dignity the Capacities of our selves might be justly admired if the frequency of such Mistakes did not take off the Admiration of them If they extended no farther than Speculation they might perhaps be pardoned and befit the Consideration of Philosophers only and thinking Men but when they reach to almost all the Actions of the Soul introduce false Principles of Practice which at last become fatal to the real Interest of Mankind it will concern all Men to take notice of them and to acquire more just Conceptions To this purpose Reason invites us the Scripture directs us to enter into the serious Consideration of our selves to contract our Thoughts and not carry them beyond our Merits to form a just Esteem of our Perfections and not in an over-weening Confidence of them enlarge our Pretensions beyond the Rules of Justice and Sobriety Which is the sum of the Exhortation delivered by the Apostle in the words of the Text being directed indeed more particularly to those Christians of his time who upon pretence of extraordinary Gifts whether of Knowledge Miracles or other Graces despised their Fellow Christians who were less gifted became proud and arrogant invaded the Offices of their Superiors and violated the publick Order of the Church but delivered in such general Terms as equally oppose all other Errors of Men concerning the Dignity of their Nature or the Greatness of their Merits recommended by a peculiar Preface of Divine Authority For I say unto you through the Grace given unto me directed to all Christians To every Man that is among you altho' all cannot be supposed to have been guilty of that particular Exorbitance and proposed in such a general Precept as will obviate all the aforementioned Mistakes and Inconveniencies Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think I shall consider it then as such a general Precept and shew I. The Reasonableness of it II. The Usefulness of it I. The Reasonableness of it will appear by comparing the fond and exorbitant Pretensions of Men with the Imperfections of their Nature Man is apt falâ—ly to perswade himself that he is a greater and more noble sort of Being than he really is He pleaseth himself with vast Conceptions of his own Dignity and upon Confidence of them raiseth his Pretensions to Matters beyond his Capacity at least beyond his Merit This was the Original of all the misfortunes of Mankind from hence was derived the Fall of our first Parents to this we are to ascribe our present and future Misery The wicked Angels had led the way who were no sooner created but reflecting on the Excellency of their Nature the Dignity of their Order and the Capacity of their Understandings became Proud and Insolent rebelled against God and attempted an Independency on the Crown of Heaven Man soon followed the Example of those wicked Spirits who reflecting on the Faculties of his own Soul which were then intire and vigorous exalted with the Happiness of his present Condition which was then free from Cares and Crosses entertained a foolish Ambition of improving his Nature to somewhat yet greater even of making himself like to God himself and so being falsely perswaded by the Serpent that the way to Compass his Designs was to eat of the forbidden Fruit he fell from his former Happiness and entailed Misery upon all his Posterity whose Happiness was from thence abated their Faculties enervated and their Perfections lessened Yet could not the dreadful Example of their first Parents nor the Conscience of their much greater Imperfections divert succeeding Mankind from engaging themselves in the same Mistakes They lost the Dignity but retained the Pride of their Forefathers keep up their Pretensions and flatter themselves with an over-great Opinion of their own Perfections For not to mention the Impiety of Atheists who pretend to be wholly independent from God and deny to have received their Existence from him to omit the Profaness of ancient Epicureans and many modern Deists who disown his Government of the World and imagine themselves to be freed absolutely from his Dominion even those who own the Existence of God his Government of the World and their own Dependance on him still continue extravagant Pretences to greater Perfections than were designed for them We commonly imagine our selves to be the top of the Creation and that all other Beings Heaven and Earth Angels and Animals were created merely for our Service Hence we form a lofty Conceit of our own Excellence and look down upon other Creatures with disdain we grow angry if Heaven and Earth do not continually conspire to advance our Interests we think our selves injured if the general Laws of Providence be not violated for the Promotion of our Concerns we project extraordinary Schemes
presumptuous Opinion of a peculiar unaccountable Love of God dispensing with the Necessities of these Conditions in any one or indulging to him more than to another Such are the Presumptions indeed and such is the ordinary Success of Favorites on Earth where Favour is often distributed not according to the Merits but the Fancies of Men. But with God it is otherwise the Reasons of whose Favour are certain fixed and universal Equally distributed to all who shall perform the Conditions of it bestowed on none who shall not qualifie himself by performance of these Conditions May we all therefore upon a full Conviction of the impartiality of God in the distribution of his Favours seriously apply our selves to the acquisition of 'em by the ordinary and certain Means Then shall we not doubt to obtain our Desires the assurance of which our Lord giveth to us in this blessed Sacrament that as surely as we here eat his Flesh and drink his Blood so surely will he compleat his Promises to us of Happiness hereafter The Sixth SERMON PART I. Preach'd on the 1st of Sept. 1689. At LAMBETH CHAPEL 1 Pet. V. 8 9. Your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Whom resist stedfast in the Faith IT is not the least Benefit of the Christian Religion that it makes known to Men the Causes and Occasions of that depravity of Nature and proneness to Sin that aversion to their Duty and readiness of complying with unlawful Suggestions which all discover in themselves All cannot but take notice that it is not without Labour and Difficulty without assiduous Care and Vigilancy that any habits of Piety or Vertue can be formed that it cannot be without strugling against the natural Desires and over-ruling the Propensity of the Soul when negligence alone or letting loose the Reins to the natural Appetite will produce an habit of Vice Whereas if we consider the nature and the end of Man we might rather hope the contrary since the performance of his Duty is no more than the end of his Creation and all things naturally tend to the acquisition of their end And Vice being a deviation from that end doth thereby become unnatural Yet the Experience of that Depravation of the Will of Man which we complain of is so undeniable that it hath put Men in all Ages upon enquiring into the Causes of it Some resolved it into Fate others into the contexture of the Body some into the malign Influences of the heavenly Bodies and not a few into the innate Principles of the Soul But as all these Conceptions were gross in themselves they could give no satisfaction to the Mind of Man and the matter would have still continued to have been Unaccountable without the assistance of Revelation Nor doth all Revelation clear this Doubt In the Jewish Religion little light was added to it it is Christianity alone which fully manifests the Causes and Occasions of this Unhappiness and as the discovery of Diseases facilitates the Cure of them thereby enables us to avoid or at least overcome the Contagion of it The Occasions manifested by Revelation only are two the Corruption of our Nature succeeding the fall of Adam or Original Sin and the temptation of evil Spirits or Devils The knowledge of both is of great concernment to us that so we may be able to apply fit Remedies to them yet the nature of both is little known by the ordinary Sort and frequently mistaken by the more knowing Sort of Christians I intend at this time to discourse of the latter taking occasion from the words of the Apostle who enforceth his Exhortation of Sobriety and Vigilance from the consideration of the constant Danger whereto Christians are exposed by the perpetual Snares and Temptations of the Devil who as their Adversary walketh about seeking their Destruction from the violence of Rage and Force wherewith he assaults the Faithful denoted by comparing him to the most terrible of Wild Beasts when enraged as a roaring Lion and from the miserable Consequence of being seduced by him which is to be devoured by him as utterly deprived of spiritual Life and Happiness as that Man is of natural Life who is devoured by a Wild Beast For Your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Whom resist stedfast in the Faith Which Words will oblige me to treat of I. The manner and method of the Temptations of the Devil II. Our Duty Ability and Means of resisting him First then Altho' the manner whereby the Devil tempteth us be very obscure as are all the Actions of immaterial Beings and altho' it becomes us not to determine rashly what we do not certainly know yet our enquiries herein will be Lawful while guided by Reason and useful because teaching us a Matter which doth so nearly concern us rectifying our Mistakes which may be fatal to us and convincing the opposition of unbelieving Men who mock at this Article of our Belief And here it is not my present purpose to prove the Existence of such evil Spirits For altho ' the common and constant Opinion of Mankind herein produced by their visible Effects doth render it highly probable altho' the nature of Things and the Existence of other immaterial Beings differing only in accidental Qualities prove it to be possible and altho' Divine Revelation added to all these hath put it beyond all Doubt yet it is not my design to improve and urge these Arguments since we enquire not after the Existence of Devils but the Manner of their Operation It will however be necessary to speak somewhat of their Nature and the Motives which induce them to busie themselves in tempting Men. Their Nature is the same with that of the blessed Angels from whom they differ no otherwise than as bad from good Men save that as the Purity of Angels exceedeth that of the best Men So the Wickedness of Devils exceedeth that of the worst Men They were once at their first Creation of the same Order with Angels endued with the same Faculties and enjoyed the same Happiness but when through Pride and Ambition they rebelled against God disobeyed his Commands forsook that Station wherein he had placed them and aimed at higher Dignities they were deprived of their former Happiness and thrown down from Heaven That whereas before they were infinitely happy in reflecting upon the Purity of their own Nature the Favour of God and that perpetual Communication of Light and Joy which the Angels may be supposed to receive from God in extraordinary Emanations they having now debased their Nature by violating the end of their Creation drew upon themselves the displeasure of God and being deprived of the Fruition of any Divine Illuminations were reduced into that State of Darkness which the Scripture describeth The thoughts of this Loss could not but infinitely disquiet them as soon as they perceived the Disappointment of their ambitious Designs and as they
are quick and knowing Spirits they could not but immediately perceive their Unhappiness and make a just Estimate of the Greatness of it The Sense of this indeed could not but make them lament their Folly and repent also if a violent Sorrow only for past miscarriages could be called Repentance For that the Devils have such sorrow cannot be denied since in this consists their Torment but an unsuccessful Sorrow a Sorrow without submission to the just hand of God a Sorrow which God will not accept and which therefore will continue for ever heightened by the greatest Aggravations as being the result of an unspeakable and which is more irrecoverable Loss not to be ended by Death nor diverted by a stupid inconsideration but placed in a knowing active always thinking and immortal Spirit Such a Spirit endued with such active Faculties and tormented with such dismal Thoughts of Unhappiness may well be supposed to conceive the utmost Degree of Rage and Malice The Disappointment of Pride naturally produceth those Effects in Men which Effects could not but be so much the stronger in the fallen Angels by how much their Faculties were more lively and capacious In Men indeed there are many sins which they are not capable of as all those which arise from the inordinate Appetite of the Body as Lust Intemperance and Covetousness but there are others which are purely immaterial and take place only in the Soul as Malice Hatred Envy and Revenge These those unhappy Spirits possess in their full Perfection which they continually exert either aganist God who inflicted that Unhappiness as a Punishment upon them and altho' he might have annihilated them in their first Attempt yet continues their Existence to them and therein their Misery or against Man who by the Favour of God is made capable of attaining that Happiness which they lost and placed in Dignity above them who had endeavoured to set themselves above their fellow Angels and even equal to God himself Inspired with these wicked Thoughts they employ themselves continually in opposition to the Will of God and because this Opposition can take place only in hindring the Happiness of Man designed and desired by God use their utmost Endeavours to effect it The Disposition of all inanimate Bodies and the Course of the material World God hath determined by fixed and certain Laws of Motion which it exceeds their Power to reverse or change but Man being left to the use of his own Free-will and not determined by the Power of God to any certain Actions admits the interposition of evil Spirits It is true they alleviate not their own Torments nor gain any real Advantage hereby yet ought not this to make us believe that they do not busie themselves in tempting of us since it cannot be denied that Man reaps no real Profit by his sins and yet it is too sad a Truth that Men do often sin and that false satisfaction which Men receive from gratifying their Lusts the Devils obtain by serving their Revenge and Envy So then that the Devils should desire to draw us into the same Unhappiness with themselves is no wonder It is only somewhat difficult to conceive how they should effect their Desires and have any influence upon our Wills To satisfie this Difficulty many have entertained false Notions of things which it will be adviseable to remove before I enter into the direct Consideration of the manner whereby evil Spirits tempt us And first It were needless to refute the Errour of the Manichees or Valentinians who gave to the Devil an independent Existence from God and uncontrolable by him nay all the Attributes of God save that of Goodness allowed him an infinite Power whereby he could force the Wills of Men and bind them to the Observation of his wicked Counsels It is not much to be feared that any Christian would at this time be guilty of such an absurd Heresie Yet many perhaps from the frequent Experience of their own yielding to the Temptations of the Devil may be so far corrupted in Judgment as to believe them irresistible or at least plead this in excuse of their Impenitence To such it may not be amiss to observe that it exceeds the Power of any finite Being to force the Will of Man for that were to overthrow the very Essence of Man and thereby change the ordinary Laws of Nature to which all Creatures and amongst them Devils also are subjected Add to this the many Exhortations in Scripture to resist their Temptations which would have been vain if these had been irresistible the Promise of God also that we shall not be tempted above what we are able to bear which would not have taken place if we could not overcome all Temptations and the Experience of good Christians who daily resist and surmount them Even the worst of Men might baffle them if they would use the natural Power of their Souls assisted with that common Grace which is denied to none So that what the Aposte saith of some Men 2 Tim. II. 26. That they are taken captive by him at his Will is not to be understood without their own Consent yielding up themselves to his Conduct and voluntarily following his Suggestions which also appears from the Apostles command to Timothy in the precedent words of instructing them That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil A second Errour in this Matter is that God giveth to the Devil an extraordinary Power of tempting Men a Mistake which may be observed in many of the ancient and even modern Writers who hence take occasion to magnifie the Grace of God and the Merits of Mans obedience the First in that God hath graciously contrived this impediment of obedience to Man that so his obedience might become the more meritorious and the latter in that Man performs his Duty notwithstanding so great Impediments This opinion altho' received would not in the least clear our doubt since it would still remain to be enquired in what manner the Devils exercise this delegated Power but that it should not be admitted it is enough to say That it is injurious to the Honour of God If it were is God might justly be said to tempt us contrary to what the Apostle teacheth Let no man when he is tempted say that he is tempted of God For God tempteth no man It is impossible that so excellent a Being should be guilty of such double Dealing as to command the Observation of his Laws and at the same time tempt us to the Violation of them to allure and enable us to obey him by Promises by Threats and by the assistance of his Holy Spirit and to divert us from it by the interposition of evil Spirits employed by him This were to ascribe no less Injustice to him than to the Devils themselves Nay to blacken Him and to clear them in the matter of Temptation For if the Devils herein act by the extraordinary Power of God they act
upon his constant Guard least he should at any time be surprized And surely a Surprize is hard to be avoided where so many passages must be guarded when the Enemy may enter in by the Senses or Imagination by the Operation of external Objects or the suggestion of internal Thoughts and all these as numerous and various as are the Objects from whence they proceed or about which they are imployed Scarce in the best of Men may we not discover some Passion predominant to the rest and which might he be allowed to indulge he would confidently undertake for the good Behaviour of all the rest But this Liberty Christianity denieth to him injoyneth him an universal Conquest of all his Passions a general performance of the whole Will of God forbids the Omission of any one Duty upon Pain of incurring the Guilt of all And this is truly so great a Difficulty that we need not seek any farther Reasons why the best Christians of all Ages are but hardly saved I proceed to the Difficulties peculiar to the latter Ages of Christianity and which more nearly concern us I will mention but two 1. The want of an universal Example and 2. The want of Miracles By these the ancient Christians converted the Heathen World and through want of these we are almost returned to Heathenism It could not but be a powerful Argument of Vertue to all ingenuous Men when they could not so much as retain the Character they had undertaken without a diligent Exercise of Piety when to be a vicious Christian was to be a Monster in the account of the World when Vice was a Singularity and Dissent from all others of the same Denomination Whereas in latter Ages the whole hath been inverted the Character universally retained without any regard to the Conditions of it A pious Christian must dissent in the Course of his Life from the greater part of the Christian World and Vertue is become a Singularity inasmuch as what cannot be sufficienty lamented many ingenuous Minds have been betrayed to sin to which otherwise they were not inclined least they should appear uncivil and morose And when unlawful Customs can acquire the Esteem of Civilities among Christians we cannot but confess an extreme Degeneracy of the true Spirit of Christianity It may truly be said of Examples in general that they have more influence upon the greater part of Mankind than Reasons or Arguments Men of ordinary Capacities such as make up the Body of Christendom take their measures of Christianity from the Practice of the Professors of it as Men do of the Laws of any Countrey from the Practice of the Courts of Justice and will hardly be perswaded that Christianity is so severe and serious a Matter when they perceive the far greater part of Christians trifle with it It is natural for Men to hope for impunity in a multitude to fall into impiety when no shame restrains them when a prevailing Example leads them As for Men of more raised Understandings it is impossible they should thus deceive themselves about the Obligation of their Religion yet even those escape not this universal Contagion they fear to be accounted singular are forced to dissemble and perhaps at last to stifle their Knowledge as not being able to withstand the force of such a mighty Torrent This Difficulty receives yet farther Aggravation if we reflect that it proceeds from our own Guilt that our selves are the Authors of it The Difficulties of the Apostolick Age were purely extraneous for which those Christians were not accountable They brought not their Persecutions upon themselves and their Sins committed before Conversion could not afterwards be justly imputed to them as Christians Whereas this disadvantage we now complain of is the Effect of our Sins committed in the Profession of Christianity to which every one of us have contributed somewhat and besides the internal Guilt of the Crime committed have upon that account increased our sin The Sense of which ought to be a Motive to us to endeavour by the Exemplariness of our future Conduct I will not say to remove this Difficulty and retrieve the glorious Example of former times for that can scarce be hoped but to compensate the Injury which we have done to the Christian Religion by our sinful Deportment The other disadvantage of the present Age which I mentioned the want of Miracles cannot indeed be ascribed to any Fault of ours nor yet be retrieved by us Yet a sensible disadvantage it must be acknowledged when we compare our selves with former times whose Faith and Zeal were constantly awakened kept up and enlivened by the frequent sight of Miracles which confirmed to them the Truth of what they had received the certainty of what they expected and the Power and the Favour of that God they worshipped But I wave the farther Consideration of this Difficulty because the removal of it is not in our Power Yet this use we may make of it to take occasion from it to reflect upon the infinite Goodness and most Wise Providence of God which hath so contrived the advantages and disadvantages of former and latter Ages that both of them have very near equal Assistances and Difficulties in the Prosecution of their Duty that so he might without derogation to his Justice perform what our Lord Promiseth in the Parable of the Housholder in the XX. of St. Matthew reward those whom he had called in the eleventh hour equally with those whom he had hired in the Morning who had born the heat and burden of the day which the Fathers generally expound of this very Case For now those whom he called first who underwent such grievous Afflictions and fierce Persecutions for the defence of the Faith cannot justly complain that we are equally rewarded with them who endured none of those Calamities The Church indeed in latter Ages hath enjoyed Peace and Quiet hath not maintained the Faith of Christ with the expence of her Blood so neither doth she enjoy those Miracles with the sight of which they were Blessed The remembrance of the eminent Example the Miracles and the Sufferings of our Lord were yet fresh in the minds of Men the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost were every where Conspicuous the Apostles yet alive who spoke and writ by the immediate impulse of God and even after their death the same Gifts and Miracles were continued till Peace was given to the Church All these advantages we want which they enjoyed Peace and Security we have which was denied to them If we proceed in the Comparison we want also that glorious Example of universal Piety which shone forth in their Days But then on the other side we enter not upon the Profession of Christianity with the same Prejudices and Habits of Vice with which they did They felt not the mischief of an ill Example prevailing among Christians So neither did they enjoy the benefit of a Christian Education Thus God hath most wisely in all Ages made
eternal Happiness and true Christian Obedience which no change of Fortune can dissolve no unforeseen Calamity can overthrow Therein the Undertaker is only to answer for his Diligence nor is any thing required to compleat his Success but what is intirely in his Power If he be not wanting to himself he may rest secure of the Reward the Nature the Extent the Duration and the Seat of which our Lord hath fully made known unto Man that so he might not any longer be distracted with anxious Thoughts about it and so hath upon that account also as he Promised in the precedent Verses given Rest unto his Soul wearied before with a Fruitless and uncertain Search of Happiness The last Argument which I proposed to speak of is taken from the external Assistance which Christ hath Promised and doth still continue to his Disciples in the Exercise of their Duty Our Lord in imposing his Yoke upon Mankind knew very well the Infirmities of their Nature the Opposition of his Precepts to their ordinary Passions the Tenderness and Clemency which became the Saviour Redeemer and Mediator of Mankind and therefore did not abandon them to the Conduct of their Free-will alone but assisted their Obedience with the Motions of his Holy Spirit with those supernatural Gifts and Graces which he bestows upon all his sincere Disciples which render the imposition of those Precepts which he laid upon them Easie and Pleasant to them To convey this Grace to all the worthy Receivers of it he hath founded a Church a Society of Men professing and publickly declaring Obedience to him in that manner and with those Rites which himself hath instituted He hath made himself the Head of this Body and as such Communicates the influences of his Blessed Spirit to all the Members of it to us who continue in Communion with it If any separate themselves from this Body whereof himself is the Head they cease to have any Relation to him receive none of those supernatural Assistances which are derived from the Head to all parts of the Body At least they cannot receive them by the ordinary method appointed to convey them And if any pretend new Lights and new Ways they are such as have no Promise annexed to them It is not to be admired therefore what may be truly observed That all Hereticks and Schismaticks dividing themselves from the Communion of the Church have in all Ages endeavoured to take away the Obligation of moral Duties and set up the Pretence of greater Lights of a more refined Knowledge to compensate the neglect of Temperance and Meekness of Justice and Charity They having divided themselves from the Body of the Church cut off the ordinary Communication between Christ and them and thereby depriving themselves of the benefit of those Divine Graces and Assistances which are conveyed by that Channel found themselves unable to Practise those Christian Vertues which our Lord requireth of his Disciples and therefore endeavoured to annul the necessity and Obligation of them But this is not to alleviate but to cast off the Yoke of Christ to Claim the Benefits and refuse the Conditions of the Covenant which he made with Mankind and in the mean while to cheat themselves and others with vain Perswasions and arrogant Pretences Our Lord hath Promised the Assistance of his Spirit and therein he will not fail he hath settled the means of conveying it and that he Will not change If we slight the Assistance we are unworthy of it if we forsake the means we are incapable Let us rightly esteem and implore this Assistance to our selves let us hold fast the means whereby we may receive it that is a constant Communion with his Body the Church in all her Holy Offices and Sacraments so shall we Experience that his Commands are not only Excellent in themselves agreeable to our Nature and rendred Pleasant by their Reward but are also made Easie by his Grace and the Influences of his Spirit In the whole we shall be convinced of the Truth of what he affirmed That his Yoke is easie and his Burden light and find assurance of what he Promised Rest to our wearied Souls The Thirteenth SERMON PREACH'D At LAMBETH CHAPEL Rom. XII 19. Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath For it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. THE Apostle having exhorted to the Duty of Charity throughout this whole Chapter and enforced his exhortation with many Arguments at last concludeth his Arguments with these words whereby he proveth that to act in a contrary manner were to encroach upon the Prerogative of God and invade what he claimeth peculiarly to himself And surely no less an Argument than the fear of violating the Majesty and the Power of God could deter Men from the Practice and Prosecution of revenge which at first Sight appears to be so natural a Passion in Man and can plead for it self with more plausible Arguments than any other sin whatsoever As that Nature directeth all Creatures to defend themselves and repel the Assaults of Enemies that for this Purpose all Animals are endued with proportionable Strength and Courage that to pass by one Enemy unrevenged exposeth a Man to the insults of Enemies to the scorn of Friends and to renewed Wrongs that it is no other than Baseness and Cowardize an Argument of a mean and timorous Soul to submit patiently to the Affronts and Wrongs of another Man and that to return evil for evil to punish the Malice of an Offender by procuring Loss or Grief to him is no other than a part of distributive Justice of which every Man may be allowed to be the Administrator that so as the smart of Revenge inflicted may punish the Malice of the Aggressor the Pleasure of inflicting Revenge may make some amends for the undeserved Sufferings of the injured Party Such Arguments Men are wont to plead in behalf of Revenge and such did once introduce an universal Opinion in the World that Revenge was not only a Matter allowed but even a Vertue the Duty of every Noble and Couragious mind Consonant to the intentions of Nature and the Office of every private Man Thus the great Masters of Morality among the Heathens among whom nothing is more frequent than such Expressions as these that Revenge is sweeter than Life it self that Moderation is to be observed in creating but none in revenging Injuries that not to revenge a Wrong is an Argument of Fear and Sloth of an unmanly and degenerous Mind On the contrary we are taught throughout this whole Chapter to bless them which persecute us to recompence to no Man evil for evil to live peaceably with all Men and in the last place which concerns my present Design not to avenge our selves but rather give place unto wrath not to take upon us to inflict the Punishment due to any sin of Injustice committed against us but to leave that to be inflicted by God either by
his Enemies as well as Friends at that time The Soldiers sent to break his Legs while hanging on the Cross that so they might hasten his Death whom they supposed not yet to have expired found him already dead Joseph of Arimathea and the devout Women which followed him taking him down from the Cross laid him in his Grave being well assured that he was then Dead His Disciples who if any shew of Reason might be offered would not easily believe him dead from whom they then expected a temporal Kingdom yet were so far perswaded of it that at his first appearing to them they were affrighted and supposed they had seen a Spirit To these Proofs nothing more could be added to Evince the reality of his Death an Evidence which is wanting to all the Relations of Men raised from the Dead opposed by the Heathens to the Resurrection of our Lord. They alledged from Plato the Story of Eris lying for many days among the dead Bodies and after that recovering Life again and pretended that Apollonius Tyaneus whom they set up in opposition to Christ had raised a certain Person to Life But the first was not related by any for more than a thousand years after the Fact was pretended to be done and in the second Case the Heathen Historian confesseth that he dare not affirm that the Person was truly Dead Nor after his Resurrection was it less evident that Christ was truly alive invested with Soul and Body All the Actions of Life and Arguments of a real Body met in his He was seen by a great number of his Disciples who judged it to be such He eat and drank with them which proved his Body not to have been a meer Phantasm or Aerial Apparition He talked and reasoned with them out of the Scriptures which demonstrated that Body to be indued with a rational Soul He appealed to their Sense of feeling commanded them to handle him said to unbelieving Thomas reach hither thy finger and behold my hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side which manifests that the Body which he then offered to that Tryal was that very Body which had suffered on the Cross and still retained the Print of the Nails and the Impression of the Spear That this same Body and Soul reunited was also joyned to the Divinity as before his Passion appeared from his many Miracles wrought after his Resurrection Thus we have a true proper and real Resurrection And that all these things were so we have the Testimony first of his own Disciples the Faith of whom although so nearly related to him cannot be called in question since they laid down their Lives in Confirmation of it Nor can it be imagined that any Men should die for the Testimony of what they knew to be false Of these the pious Women were first Blessed with the sight of him whether it were in Reward of their maintaining their Love and Fidelity to him when his Apostles had forsaken him or that they came into the Garden where the Sepulchre was immediately after the Resurrection and before he was yet departed out of it They saw him knew him and saluted him held him by the feet and worshipt him The Apostles being advertised of it by them hasted to see their Master and received not only a transient view of him but conversed with him for forty days together and by many infallible proofs were assured of the truth of it Afterwards he appeared to more than five hundred at once and at last ascended up to Heaven in the presence of them all To the witness of Friends we will add the Testimony of his Enemies which in all Cases is allowed to be of great weight The Soldiers who were employed by the Jews to watch his Sepulchre plainly saw the Effects of Divine Power which accompanied his Resurrection although being astonished and confounded at such unusual Prodigies they did not well perceive it or perhaps were not suffered by their Fears to stay till Christ should proceed out of the Sepulchre They felt the Earthquake which removed the stone rolled to the mouth of the Sepulchre they saw the countenance of an Angel like lightning and his raiment white as snow upon which they did shake and became as dead Men and coming into the City shewed to the chief Priests all the things that were done as we read Matth. XXVIII II. The Angels and heavenly Hosts had before joyned with Men in celebrating the Nativity of Christ and they here concurred in witnessing his Resurrection The Women coming to the Sepulchre betimes in the Morning presently after the Resurrection and looking for the Body of their beloved Lord in the Sepulchre found there two Angels in white sitting one at the head the other at the feet where the Body of Jesus had lain who said to them why seek ye the dead among the living he is not here he is risen come see the place where the Lord lay Lastly If we should imagine both his Friends and Enemies the report of Sense oft-times repeated to have been deceived in the Opinion of his Resurrection God hath been pleased to confirm the Truth of it and to set his Seal to it This he hath done not only by his Holy Spirit comforting enabling and encouraging the Apostles in Preaching the Mystery of Christ's Refurrection but also in confirming their Testimony with concurrent Miracles As it is Acts IV. 33. With great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus They openly affirmed it upon their own Knowledge and then in Proof of the truth of their Affirmation wrought Signs and Miracles which to the Spectators did as fully evince the Truth of the Relation as if they had seen it done with their own Eyes since it was impossible that God should exert his omnipotent Power in working Miracles for the Attestation of a Lye Thus much for the reality I proceed in the second place to the II. Manner of the Resurrection expressed in those words having loosed the pains of death which are variously interpreted some maintaining that they imply only a Deliverance from Death and rescue from the Grave others that they point out the dolorous Sufferings by which our Lord was brought to the Grave and raising him up to a state opposite to that Humiliation a third sort understanding by them a Destruction of the Power and Dominion of Death All these Opinions are supported with great Reasons nor will it here be proper to enter into a strict Examination which of them rather is to be embraced They are all rational Consonant to the Design of the Apostle and Significative of the manner of Christ's Resurrection I will therefore apply them all The first Opinion includeth only a Deliverance from Death that is a reunion of Soul and Body separated by Death In which Sense it chiefly referreth to the words of David and the Promises made to him here alledged by the Apostle David had been often brought
Salvation of Men which was to be procured thereby Those excellent Spirits are inclined by their own Goodness and Benignity to wish well to their Fellow-creatures to be concerned at their welfare and rejoyce in it Especially for those who are endued if not with equal yet with like Reason who possess Souls of the same spiritual Nature and alike immortal By these if by any means the number of the heavenly Host formerly diminished by the fall of Lucifer and his Associates was to be repaired All which would not permit them to be unconcerned in the Felicity of Mankind and that although the Divine Dispoposition had not obliged them to have a peculiar regard of it But when by the Order of God They are all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation as we read Hebr. I. 14. there was abundant Reason for this their Exultation since without the Incarnation of Christ their Labour had been wholly vain and the condition of Man not capable of relief But after they saw this at once made both possible and easie in a Rapture of Joy they broke forth into this Hymn of Praise For if there be joy among the Angels of Heaven over one Sinner that repenteth and is saved How much more when the whole Mass of Mankind was redeemed and made capable of Salvation Even the Angels themselves altho' not in the same Degree with Mankind received signal Benefits from the Manifestation of this Mystery And therefore had reason to rejoyce upon the Completion of it Their Happiness consists in contemplating and praising the Nature the Attributes and the Effects of God Their knowledge of all these things is Finite as is their Nature and therefore every addition of Knowledge is an encrease of Happiness and the Manifestation of this great Mystery of Heaven was the greatest Benefit which in their State they could receive Of the Mysteries of the Gospel St. Peter saith 1 Pet. I. 12. that the Angels desired to look into them and that before this they were ignorant of it appears from those words of Christ Matth. XXIV 36. But of that day and hour knoweth no Man no not the Angels of Heaven but my Father only When therefore the Son of God took Flesh upon him and thereby began to complete the wonderful Mystery of Man's Salvation Then clearly appeared to these Blessed Spirits what was before obscure to them the Reasons of the Divine Conduct in relation to Man in all preceding Ages the Mysterious Secrets of his Providence the Signification of Prophesies which went before the purport of the Divine Decrees concerning the future State of other rational Beings This new Knowledge administred to them fresh Reasons of admiring the Goodness and the Wisdom of God and thereby increased their Happiness Thus we find the Angels moved by great Reasons to joyn in the Solemnity of this Day But why they chose to do it audibly so as to be heard of the Shepherds as St. Luke relateth we are still to enquire That Angel which was peculiarly designed to this Office had newly finished his Message of the Birth of Christ and that Happiness which would thence ensue to all Mankind when immediately a multitude of the heavenly Host was present with him and sang this Hymn This without doubt was to convince those who heard it and others who should know by their Relation of the Greatness and importance of the Message of the Excellency of the Benefits to be derived to the World from the Incarnation of Christ of the Dignity of his Person whose Birth was celebrated by the whole Host of Heaven that he could be no other than the Son of God on whom the Angels so attended We find not that the entrance of any Prophet was ushered in by the Ministry of Angels On the other side we read not of the immediate Presence of God on Earth as on Mount Sina to Moses on Mount Horeb to Elias but it was still attended with some other visible Sign as in both those places by extraordinary Commotions in the Air which also represented the severity of the old Law And in this Mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord by which God descended upon Earth was made Flesh and dwelt among us we find it foretold by one Angel proclaimed by another and celebrated 〈◊〉 the whole Host of Heaven This declared his Majesty and was an evident Proof of the Divinity if not of his Person yet at least of his Mission Now least we should imagine our selves unconcerned in the Reasons of the Angels praising God upon this occasion and make no use of what hath been hitherto said I will shew that all those Reasons which might induce the Angels to break forth into this Hymn of Praise are common to Men and ought to be much more perswasive to them If the Angels were affected with the increase of Divine Glory wrought hereby And are not we obliged to magnifie the glorious Attributes of God and the several Emanations of them both as we are his Creatures and as we are endued with rational Souls If the Angels so far rejoyced in the Benefit and Salvation of others how much doth it become us to be thankful who reap the advantage upon whom the Benefit is bestowed If the Angels were glad to see the Salvation of Mankind accomplished much more surely should Men esteem themselves obliged who enjoy it So that upon all Accounts if the Angels had Reason Men have much more to celebrate the Incarnation of Christ with this Hymn Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth Peace Good-will towards Men. I will consider the several parts of this Hymn singly And first Glory to God in the Highest which is not so much a desire of what hath not as an Approbation of what hath happened towards the Exaltation of the Divine Glory The addition of in the Highest signifieth either in Heaven and so is opposed to what followeth Peace on Earth being a Completion of those Prophesies of Isaiah sing O Heaven and rejoyce O Earth for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob c. or more naturally it is 〈◊〉 rendred Glory to God in the higheâ—â—â—â—gree in which Sense this Phrase is â—ost frequently understood in Scripture as in Psal. XCIII 4. where the same Phrase is used in the Septuagint The Lord is mighty in the Highest that is mighty above all And surely with great Reason we are directed to give the highest Glory to God which can be conceived by reason of the Incarnation of his Son wherein the Perfection of his eternal Attributes is more conspicuous than in any other effect whatsoever and from whence he received the greatest Glory which was ever paid by Mankind to God To pursue this in particular Considerations The Love of God towards Mankind did never appear so eminently as in the completion of this Mystery Truly did St. John say 1 Joh. IV. 9. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent
all the Signs and Tokens which God had given to Mankind to discover his Power thereby in the Accomplishment of this Mystery are come to pass But not only is it just and reasonable that from the Consideration of the Incarnation of Christ Glory should be given to God but also this effect hath actually been produced and greater Glory hath thence ensued than from all other Causes whatsoever I will not insist upon the Praise which the ancient Patriarchs Prophets and good Men gave to God when they foresaw this Incarnation altho' it all ought to be resolved into this Cause I will only alledge the increase of Divine Glory subsequent to the Birth of Christ And do that by comparing the State of the World at that time with that which followed to it Before this Sun of Righteousness arose an universal darkness had overspread the face of the Earth The worship of Idols and Devils had in every place prevailed The true God so far from being honoured that he was not so much as known No Praises Honour or Glory given to him but his Laws violated without Remorse his Authority not acknowledged and his Benefits wholly forgot Indeed the small Country of Judea is to be excepted altho' that was now possessed by a Pagan Government and was shortly to be wholly destroyed by them And even of this small part of Mankind an inconsiderable Proportion maintained their Obedience to God entire Their Teachers had made void the Commandments of God by their Traditions the most Sacred Offices of their Religion were slighted and publickly set to Sale and what remained of true Piety just then expiring Consider now the State of the World in after times We find this Darkness dispelled this impiety removed Armies of Saints Martyrs and devout Persons who should for ever continue to sing that Hymn to God which the Host of Heaven began upon this day The knowledge of the true God was introduced in all parts of the World vast numbers of Persons professing the Worship of him converted in a few Years their number daily increased until after three hundred Years the whole civilized World did in a manner embrace the Christian Faith and joyn in offering up Praise to God in magnifying his glorious Attributes in confessing his Authority in adoring his Majesty in obeying his Laws if not in reality yet at least in Profession These blessed Times indeed were not for ever to continue it was foretold That in the latter times Men and that the greatest number should depart from the true Faith walking after their own Lusts. And the effect of this Prophesie the Church hath now for many Ages lamented Yet after all the publick Worship of the true God is still kept up if not in the greater yet in the more understanding part of the World vast numbers of devout Persons yet remain continual Praise is daily offered up to God and all this is owing to the happy Incarnation of our Lord as upon this day And to acknowledge this and give Glory to God for it we are this day met together and so are all other true Members of the Catholick Church in their several places The second Branch of the Angelick Hymn in the Text is Peace on Earth By Peace according to the usual Expression of the Jews we may well understand all manner of Happiness of which Mankind is capable to be inferred yet in considering it I shall confine my self to the strict Acception of it This day then were signally accomplished the ancient Prophesies concerning the peaceable Times of the Messias Now was God reconciled to Mankind and those Reasons founded upon which Men should for ever be reconciled one to another This was the greatest Benefit which Men could possibly receive to be restored to the favour of their Creator and the Love of one another God could receive no other from the Incarnation of his Son but the increase of Glory and Man no greater than the Gift of Peace justly therefore after Glory to God in the highest the Angels subjoyn Peace on Earth Peace in the first Sense as it is Reconciliation to God was foretold by Isaias of the times of the Messias LVII 19. And that to be granted to all Men who should accept the Condition of it Peace Peace to him that is far off and to him that is near saith the Lord and I will heal them This Reconciliation was actually begun in the Incarnation of our Lord and finally compleated by his Preaching and Suffering here on Earth upon which Account he is called the Prince of Peace And we are said Rom. V. 1. To have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Before Men had by their Sins proclaimed themselves Enemies to God and more eminently by putting themselves under the Dominion of the grand Enemy of God the Devil and the protection of evil Spirits which was notoriously done among the Heathens Christ by taking our Flesh upon him and doing and suffering what afterwards he did brought a great part of Mankind to the acknowledgment and subjection of the true God and having done so offering up his Life as a Ransom for their Sins obtained of his Father to be reconciled to them In the Second Sense Peace upon Earth signifieth the mutual Peace of Men. This also was foretold by the Prophets concerning the times of the Messias particularly by Isaiah in XI and LX. Chapters under the Representation of that peaceable Temper which should then be visible even in Beasts of Prey It cannot be denied that the Principles of Christianity do strangely incline Men to the Observation of this excellent temper of Mind that if the Precepts of our Lord were indeed universally regarded Hatred Malice and Revenge would necessarily vanish out of the World And if Experience doth not justifie this it is to be ascribed to the Perverseness of Men not to the defect of the Christian Laws Our Lord reconciled all Men to God yet so as that he left several Conditions to be performed by Man in order to it which if he neglects he will receive no benefit by the Incarnation of Christ and be punished as an Enemy of God In like manner Christ hath settled Peace on Earth yet not forced the Will of Men to observe it but hath given such Rules and Precepts as if observed cannot but produce an universal Peace And so the ancient Prophesies are to be understood not of the effect but of the Tendency of the Religion of the Messias altho' it cannot be denied that in a great measure they actually were accomplished and to have taken place wherever the true Spirit of Christianity was retained Our Lord was born in the most warlike Empire that ever the World saw which in more than seven hundred Years had enjoyed no more than two years Peace Yet at the time of his Birth the Wisdom of God directed that an universal Peace should then obtain as well to typifie the Peaceableness of his Doctrine and Gospel as to facilitate