Moore Major Cura Specialitent Die Dominico XXX Octob. 1681. Anno. R. R. Caroli Secundi Ang. c XXXIII This Court doth desire Dr. Hooper to print his Sermon preached this morning at the Guild-Hall Chappel before the Lord Major and Aldermen of this City Wagstaff A SERMON Preach'd before my Lord Major AT GUILD-HALL CHAPPEL ON The 30th of Octob. 1681. By GEORGE HOOPER D. D. LONDON Printed for Mark Pardoe at the Sign of the Black Raven over against Bedford House in the Strand 1682. To the Right HONOURABLE Sir JOHN MOORE Knight Lord Major OF THE City of London My Lord THis Discourse as it doth justifie its becoming now more Publick by so good an Authority as that which it hath Prefixed so is too to confess that it owes that Honour to the Subject of which it treats Those Graces of the Blessed spirit were likely to procure favour from your Lordship to One that did but mention their Names and might be understood well enough tho in an Imperfect Description by Such as were no Strangers to them That the Holy Ghost may proceed to exhibit them to your Lordship and your Brethren in their own Life and full Power that by the Influence of your Government Love and Joy and Peace may be once again Restor'd amongst us that by such Fruit your City may flourish Now and your selves be everlastingly happy hereafter is the Prayer of My Lord Your Lordships Most Obedient Servant George Hooper 5 GALAT. 22 23. But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance I Will not leave you comfortless 14 S. Joh. 18. said our Blessed Saviour upon his Departure to the disconsolate Disciples I will come unto you And this promise he afterwards graciously verified in the Mission of the Holy Ghost when the Divine Nature came yet nearer to them then it had before done in the Incarnation did not take flesh apart and constitute a distinct man but United it self in particular to each Believer came in unto them and dwelt within them not now to work its wonders in its own Person or only to declare Laws but to endue others with that Power of Miracles and to enable us all for the mighty works of Obedience to perform those his commands That is the Manifestation of the Spirit spoke in the same Chapter and given to every one to profit withal But because too there are Differences of Spirits and those as great as between the Holy and the Wicked the Blessed and the Accurs'd because it is necessary to know which to ask of God and cherish in our selves which we should command to avoid and get behind us And the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 This manifestation is not yet clear till we are taught to discern the Spirit and till the Holy Ghost in farther favour to us shall have inform'd us of the Manner and Signs of it's blessed Presence How it operates and where it is to be presum'd And if the Operation of our Souls the Apprehension of the Understanding and Inclination of the Will afford such Advantagious and delightful Speculation to Rational minds Our thoughts being no other way better entertain'd nor further improv'd then by such Reflections The motions of the holy Spirit within us the Actings of that new Divine Soul as they are infinitely more exalted and more Concerning so are they a far Nobler and much more necessary Subject for our most attentive Consideration Our Saviour entred upon this Subject in Answer to Nicodemus 5. Joh. 3.8 The wind saith he bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof c. Not to direct us to know the Holy Spirit by the sound for we may hear of it loudly where it is not Nor that we should expect it always in Storms and Tempests but to inform us that it 's Sustance is Invisible and that it is discernable only by the Effects And after those Effects we are now to inquire That therefore we may know how to stir up the gift of God that is in us and may duely thank him for those Graces of his we find in our selves or in our Brethren that we may not be deluded by our own Imaginations or others Pretences let me engage you a little while into so noble so useful a Contemplation while the Spirit in St. Paul tells you what Fruit of it ye are to expect in your selves and others The Fruit of the Spirit saith the Apostle is Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance And in these words you may consider 1. The Natures of these Graces and their orderly Production 2. Their Beauty and Advantage and 3. Our obligation to Produce them I. The Love here first mentioned is the same with that you find throughout the whole New Testament sometimes under it's own Name sometimes under that of Charity and is nothing else but the Love with which the Christian is affected to God first and then for God's sake to his Brethren This Fruit contains the Seeds of those that follow the Holy Spirit producing the rest from it in a most Natural manner And this how it is raised it self we are first to Consider And in order to this it will be necessary to Premise that one of those Graces which results from Love and is here rendred Faith ought not to be taken for that Faith by which we become Christians but for Faithfulness or Fidelity as will appear hereafter The initiating Faith whereby we assent to the Gospel being here presuppos'd and leading us to Love as Love will afterwards incline us to Fidelity For the Apostle begins here 1 Cor. 13.13 where he ended in his Epistle to the Corinthians There after he had discover'd the Temporary Instrumental use of those Miraculous gifts which Shin'd out in some Christians for the Benefit of others he directs them earnestly to covet the Better those which were to abide and were necessary to their own Salvation And now says he abideth Faith Hope Charity these three And as these three have the preserence before those other afore mentioned For they tended only to excite Faith the first of these so amidst these too the Preeminence is given to the Last But the greatest of these is Charity Faith and Hope themselves being but of a Transitory Nature in respect of Love they serving only to create that and not Continuing in the next World And this Love he there largely Commends by the Effects of which he here gives us a more Particular enumeration For this Reason the Apostle mentions here neither Faith nor Hope the Preparatory Graces But begins with Love their Perfect work and this agreeably to the ordinary Method of the blessed Spirit whose Gifts he now describes For so in the Acts of the Apostles after the New Convert had given Assent to the Doctrine of Christianity and in Hope of it's Promises had been Baptiz'd then it was that
the Apostles laid on their hands and the Holy Ghost descended The Spirit had indeed before secretly Co-operated to that Faith and Encourag'd that Hope It had privately Prepar'd for it self a fitting Mansion but did not make it 's publick Entry till the Temple was ready When those previous Graces were form'd before then it solemnly appeared and thorough them powerfully exerted it self either in Signs and Wonders or in the more desireable Fruits those here of the Text. When therefore the Holy Ghost was come it did in many believers of the first Age for the Conversion of those that believed not so exalt the Faith it found and endue it with such an Extraordinary force that the Christians in the strength of their pure Belief wrought the greatest Miracles and were able by no more of it than might be compar'd to a grain of Mustard seed to remove Mountains to such Effects the Blessed Spirit advanced the Nature of Faith in a singular manner on a Particular occasion But it was however always to be understood that then the Operation was most Divine and the improvement most Natural when from Faith and Hope God giving the increase there arose Love their Proper genuine Fruit whose Production you are now to see For when a man by a stedfast lively Faith shall be assur'd of the Existence of his God as firmly as he is of his own and shall have on his Mind any suitable Conception of the Divine Nature any view of those ineffable Transcendent Perfections shall have once discover'd the Eternal Immortal Omnipotent All-wise the absolutely Holy Just and most infinitely Good As he cannot but fall down Prostrate before all this Greatness and adore the Majesty so must he if there be in him any resemblance of such qualities be infinitely affected at the sight of so much Purity and passionately devote himself to so great Goodness Had man no Interest in those Attributes did he stand by only and see and were the Kindness of the Gospel directed to the Angels yet certainly he could not but take part and concern himself to Esteem and to Love he would be naturally attracted and fix'd on such an Object by the tendency of a Rational Soul the Sympathy if I may so say of a Spiritual Being But if he shall find himself the happy Object of all that Goodness that all those Glorious Attributes shine on him if by the same Faith he shall come to learn that this Being of such inconceivable Perfection was wonderful in nothing more then in his love to Mankind and had prevented any Affection we could shew by one conceived for us before the foundation of the World when he shall reflect by what hand he is made and whose likeness he has the honour to bear that himself whatsoever he values himself upon or whatever he delights in is owing all to the Benignity of the same Cause when he shall have read in the holy writings such passionate expressions of good will how earnestly and concernedly the Almighty bespeaks us how willing he is to pardon how glad to reward how he lovesus more then we do our selves in one instance appear'd to love us more then he loved his so only Begotten Son when man shall have perceived much love for him from a Being so infinitely to be belov'd himself if he retains any thing of the Image of his Maker will he not resemble him in a correspondent Affection except he be yet but Earth if he has any apprehension any sense will he not discover it by grateful dutiful resentment he might as well at the Creation have refuss'd to Live as now to Love This way would a lively attentive Faith move After it has laid before us the History of the Divine Love it would of it self excite us to demonstrations of our own But further when Faith hath given us such a beauteous glorious Idea of the nature of God such an Obliging Engaging representation of his Goodness to man and has had its proper effect upon us has created in us a Due Value and Adoration for his Blessed being an approbation of his holy Will and a warm zealous Devotion to his service It then too begins to give us the confidence of entitling our selves more peculiarly to the Favour of God and we presume of a particular interest in his gracious Promises Assur'd of the Veracity of his Love and conscious of the sincerity of our own we look not only on the past testimonies of his goodness but expect the Glories of the future and hope now as earnestly for Heaven as we certainly believe it And if Faith alone which is in it self but a passive Impression on the Mind has that force in it as to be the cause of so much Love This Hope when once conceived being of a Moving Active Nature will not fail to quicken our desires anew and absolutely inflame our Divine Affection To sum up then the whole The soul having from Faith the glorious amiable view of God's Infinite Perfections together with the History of his Exceeding Kindness his undeserved and unchangeable Affection to Mankind and seeing too before its eye by Hope the prospect of Heaven it s assur'd blessed immortal expectations which way will it turn it self where it shall not see cause to Love and to admire It must give it self up encompassed on all sides surrounded with infinite Attractives and everlasting Obligations If any Person is to be beloved it is this which Faith presents if any past Favours can engage us none earlier nor greater then His If any Future Hopes can prevail none more Certain nor more Glorious then those And these Bands of Love each of them singly would certainly hold and fix us Irremovably but joyn'd together and Twisted in a threefold Cord they are impossible to be broken And so far have I represented to you these workings of Faith and Hope after the manner of Nature and without the Co-operation of the Holy Spirit But if we shall suppose that God himself comes in enlightens our Understanding and warms our Affections if he shall be pleas'd to draw the lovely Image of himself on our Minds to form in us a right Sense of all his Goodness and a true Conception of his everlasting Joys to enliven the Thoughts and actuate the Motions of the Soul What raptures and extasies are we then to suppose Whom then would we have but God And whom should we desire on Earth in Comparison of him Then should we be all on fire from Heaven And a Flame kindled in us that many Waters would not quench neither could the Floods drown Our Love for him would resemble his Divine Nature and as much surpass any Worldly Passion as God excells the Creation This then is the Holy Passion of those that are grown up in Christ to their full Stature This is the Fire they are Baptiz'd with who are Baptiz'd with the Holy Ghost And as soon as the Breathings of the Spirit have blown up and
is in it's own Nature the sweetest the most delightful and most agreeable Motion of the Mind And lastly as we observ'd of Love that it's Motives from Faith and Hope were powerful enough in themselves but invincibly Prevalent when inforc'd by the blessed Spirit so is the Joy that arises from them and Love certain and sure in it's immediate Causes and necessary from their Natural influence but exalted yet more by the Concurrence of the Holy Ghost and super naturally enlarg'd by it's Operations For the Motions of the Holy Spirit within us cannot be suppos'd to be but in the most grateful Cheerful manner It is the Spirit of Comfort and Consolation and in it's Presence are fulness of Joys as the Property of the Wicked one is to torment to infuse Grief and Anguish Sadness and Despair 3. From Love and Joy springs Peace of both kinds of the Mind and Conscience within and to the World abroad In such a breast is no disorder nor trouble nothing but content and satisfaction a Quiet and Serenity as if it were in Heaven no outward accidents nor inferior cares can discompose it And if peace be preserved within it will appear in our conversation and we shall be as easy to others as to our selves In those passions of Joy and Love the Spirits move outwards and diffuse the sweetness and equality of their temper into all our Actions Here will be no Envy Anger nor Discontent we shall not be Turbulent Disorderly nor seditious 4. Thence too Long-suffering not easy to be disorder'd disturb'd or provoked by sufferings by Injuries by failing of better expectations None of these things will move Minds that are wholly set upon their God nor will their divine Joy suffer them to be sensible of the lighter momentary afflictions So far will they be from being hasty froward captious querulous and repining 5. From the same cause is Gentleness or sweetness of Temper to be ready to forgive and easy to be reconcil'd this will be done in imitation of Gods Love to us and out of Love to our Brethren for God's sake Besides that Joy of it self disposes to pardon opens our Heart and our Arms. 6. Goodness too is perfect from the same principle as we here may take it for an Universal Kindness Pitty and Compassion to be ready to do all good Offices to all the world in the most obliging manner out of Affection and with Joy 7. Faith which here follows is as I premised before sitly understood by Integrity or Fidelity and the reason of this rendering may recommend it the more to the better part of this Audience These two words Faith and Meekness as they are joyned here so are they found together in Elder Authors and probably in the same signification Eccles 1.27 As in Ecclesiasticus Faith and Meekness are Gods Delight and afterwards in the Description of Moses he sanctified him with Faithfulness and Meekness Eccles 45 9 4. where faithfulness is in the Greek the same with the Faith before And these two Qualities that make up here the Character of the greatest Magistrate and wisest Governour Moses are the same that are recorded in the Book of Numbers The first this of Fidelity God himself gives him My servant Moses who is Faithfull in all my house The other of Meekness Numb 12.3 the Holy Writer makes his peculiar commendation Now this man Moses was the meekest man in all the Earth Numb 12 3. The Faithfulness of Moses appear'd eminently in the whole course of his Ministry in the Delivery of his Messages and discharge of his Duty but most remarkably amidst the Rebellious Prevarication of the People Israel He never Connived at their Mutinies nor gave Countenance to their Ingratitude His Brother had suffered himself to be led by the People and set up a Molten Image But Moses is never found in their murmurings and discontents He kept his integrity and preserv'd his Loyalty to his God His Meekness too was as singular Not Fierce Proud and Haughty Arrogant and Imperious but Modest Humble and Affable This being that other part of the Character of that holy Governour and the Signification of the Word here translated Meek and answering to the Hebrew Notion of Lowliness and Modesty For this reason we take leave to render the word Faith by Faithfulness When God gave Moses of his Holy Spirit this was the Fruit. And in this Sense it comes here most Properly amongst the other attendants of Divine Love It being here as in Conjugal affection where Fidelity and Truth are the most Proper and most necessary Companions of that and Peace For when our Affection is once engaged to God there will follow a faithful Perseverance in all known Duties Obedience to laws Divine and Humane Loyalty to God and his Representatives But on the contrary when Love and Peace are banished and Hatred Animosity Faction and Sedition take place they presently introduce Prevarication Dissimulation and Treachery they are the constant Causes of Calumny Slander Falshood and Perjury As Satan the first Rebel is the known Father of Lyes 8. The other Grace of Meekness as oppos'd to insolence is too a Fruit that necessarily grows from Love For that disposition of mind as it is Peaceable Easie and Gentle So too does it equal and Level and respects all Mankind but as Brethren of the same House tho under differing Circumstances This causes that the Superiors stoop and Condescend are not harsh nor Supercilious are Civil Kind and Treatable And if it has that Power over Governours and makes the Character of a Magistrate it may well become Subjects and suit with those of a lower degree Humility Modesty Deference and Submission are proper to their Station as Insolence Contemptuousness Affronting of Government is both absurd in Morals and impossible in Charity and neither consists with the Spirit of God nor with Order and Policy 9. The last is Temperance Which is but an Argument of our Love to God in not preferring the Pleasures of the World before him For as the Spirit of God is Holy and cannot dwell in a Body polluted so neither can it be suppos'd that a Soul accustom'd to Divine Love and Spiritual Joys should relish any longer those sensual Satisfactions These are the Fruit of the Spirit with this Connexion and Dependance Heavenly Love is the Original of those that follow and they like the issue of the same Parent have indeed a near resemblance but so that their Natures are distinct and their difference discernable Gifts fit for the Holy Spirit to give and worthy each of a more particular description II. And now after we have known and consider'd them distinctly I shall entreat you to bestow one reflection upon them all together This Fruit how fair it is to the Eye how Lovely not forbid us as that of Paradise but given and presented of which if we have tasted We are restored to a Condition of Happiness greater then that design'd in Eden We