no true Rest to be expected But our pretenders to the Spirit who call the Scriptures a dead letter boast of new inspirations and endanger greatly the bringing in confusion amongst Men and disturbances into States and Kingdoms the Governours whereof having no other authority than what is either founded or agreeable to the word or will of God it will still be in the power of each pretender to deliver Oracles out of his own breast as the immediate dictates of Gods Spirit quite contrary to the safety and interest of that Government which any where is or may be established And so the peace of Kingdoms must be as uncertain and changeable as the phansies of Men and the Laws as alterable as Testaments are while the Testator lives every illuminate breast pretending to come like Moses from God in Sinai with new Tables of divine Commandements which must abolish and exclude the old but it is our great comfort blessed be God that the publick Doctrine established in the Church of England is at this day such that it is not chargeable with any one thing contrary to any part of that duty which a Christian owes either to God or Man Let these pretenders consider what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man to profit withal As if he should have said let no Man pretend to the Spirit for any other end or purpose save for what it was given and that was not to procure himself glory not to separate from his Brethren not to pride and puff up himself by despising and scorning others but to advance the glory of God and promote his own and others salvation If what thou hast or pretends to have be given the honour is the givers and the receiver must give an account how he hath used what he hath received Now in order to the procuring this eternal Rest there are indeed in the Church several gifts in several men different Offices and divers operations which look at first as if they proceeded from several principles and tended to division but as all this variety tends to unity so all indeed proceeds from unity Unity in Trinity one and the same God truly distinguisht into three Persons but always united into the same God-head But what Rest may those Men expect who dig at the foundation of our Religion and stick not to deny that blessed Trinity into whose worship and in whose name we are Baptized The name of the Father the Son and Holy Ghost To which three Sacred Persons we so often say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost These are the Three which said to each other when they made Man Gen. 1. Let us make Man after our Image in our likeness These are they which manifested themselves at our Lords Baptisme joyning again to renue that Image in which we were made The Father in the voice the Son owned by that voice the Spirit in the Dove abiding on him These are that Holy Holy Holy to whom the Seraphims in Isaiah under the old Testament gave all glory These are they to whom the Angels and Saints in Heaven sing that Anthem of praise in the Revelations This is the sum of Christian Religion and that which brings Rest and peace eternal to all that well understand and receive it And therefore the Council of Nice ordained that the Literae formatae or Commendatory Letters which were the solemn warrants of entertainment and hospitality between Christians should be subscrib'd by these Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denoting the Trinity and their faith who carried those Letters There are three saith St. John that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one and the same God blessed for ever One Essence according to what our Lord hath said I and the Father are one Thus to believe highly concerns us all because of all errors none so pernicious none so intolerable as those which concern the first fountain whence all things flow and the last end to which all things tend Derive all from the blessed Trinity ascribe and refer the glory of all to the blessed Trinity and then we shall come to enjoy him in blessed rest and happiness whom we thus believe adore and honour St. Paul tells us 1 Cor. 12.8 That there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit differencies of administrations but the same Lord diversities of operations but it is the same God that worketh all in all This should stand as a great argument of Unity and Charity amongst our selves Humility and Thankfulness to God who hath made us partakers in several measures and degrees of these gifts these administrations these operations that though our gifts and places and works are very different and unequal yet they come all from the same Spirit Lord and God who wisely governs and orders all things by his Council here below The Apostle tells us v. 8. To one is given the word of wisdom a special ability of understanding To another the word of knowledge to interpret the mystical senses and veiled meanings of holy Scripture To another Faith or a firm belief to work all miracles To another the gift of healing a peculiar power to cure diseases without the help of Physick To another the working of Miracles such as was the delivering Hymineus and Philetus to be afflicted by Satan the striking Elymas blind and Ananias and Saphira dead To another diverse kinds of Tongues the gift of speaking several and strange Languages which he was never taught And all this worketh that one and the same Spirit who divides his several gifts to several Men according to his good pleasure Other Scriptures tell us the same as that of St. Matt. 25.15 The Master of the house gave to one Servant five Talents to another two to another one to every one according to his several ability He gives such and so much as he sees every Man is fit to make use of to Gods glory and the Common good Thus God will shew himself both a free donor and a wise disposer of all things For if one Man should have all abilities and others few or none of any worth the World might seem to be guided either by blind fortune or fatal necessity but now that Men have their several Offices and their several abilities by which they are each fitted for anothers service and all for the beauty and benefit of the whole frame the hand of divine providence appears in the disposing of them God would have Men take notice of their gifts and of their defects that by the one they may learn humility and by the other thankfulness For if any one had all parts he would be too proud of his perfections and begin to think he needed not the supply of Gods farther favours who had so much of his own already Again if any Man were destitute of all Gods gifts and mercies he would want
from God's Rest that will prepare themselves for it by faith hope and love unfeigned sincere impartial persevering obedience and patience giving them full assurance of it upon the evidence of their integrity in these things inclusive of none but such as entirely humbly thankfully believe and accept it on these terms They that as yet neglect these terms or are in danger of falling away from their former diligence in observing them had need to fear lest they miss of it and in that fear work out their own Salvation give all diligence to make their calling and election sure which as it seems by St. Peter is not so unless by adding to Faith Courage to Courage Knowledge Godliness Charity Temperance Patience more and more Having these promises dearly beloved saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 7.1 The promises of a most gracious reception all the mercies of Heaven hereafter with so much on Earth as is for our good I will receive you and be your Father and you shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all pollution of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God It seems then that humble fear of offending God and losing his promises by not performing of their conditions not coming out from among the wicked or coming out not cleansing our selves more and more from all pollutions of Flesh and Spirit is not only the beginning of Wisdom as you have it elsewhere but perfective of Holiness which is our only true Wisdom Were all that profess the Name and Gospel of Christ Jesus sincere professors or were all that begin to be so secured for ever from ceasing to be so by turning back to disobedience and unbelief Saint Paul and St. Peter would not thus both of them exhort to fear lest a promise being left them of entering into God's Rest any of them should seem to miss or fall short of it But since it is so clear and manifest that many professors in all Ages have been faithless and hypocritical in their profession and since it is so disputable at least nay highly probable both from Scripture and from reason and experience that many professors sincere at first may prove backsliders and fall away from their former righteousness faith and obedience 't is both the Duty and Wisdom of all to fear lest any miss of the promises for want of performing sincerely and constantly the necessary conditions annexed to them Scarce is there any part of Divinity more dangerously mistaken corrupted debauched by the prejudices or interests passions or lusts of several Men made more instrumental to flatter and cherish that sloth in good or security in evil for destruction of which they were made or propounded than that of the promises of Christ and his Gospel Some give them the inclosure or monopoly as I may so say of our faith while the precepts and threats which have as much right to be believed as they his Kingly and Prophetic Office to which he was as particularly anointed as to that of Priest being too commonly set aside as unnecessary nay with some not only look'd upon as no part of the Gospel but as dangerous to be obtruded for the object of Faith or Duty Some would perswade themselves and others that the promises of Christ are particular and absolute confin'd to some few and to those howsoever they be qualified when as the whole tenor and current of Christian Doctrine proclaims directly the quite contrary that they are general and conditional a Picture that looks every Man in the face that comes into the room but cannot be imagined to eye any Man else unrestrained to all provided they perform the condition and an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those diffusive rich Store-houses sealed up against all who do not perform it Shall we therefore have the patience the justice and piety yea the wisdom and faithfulness to our selves to resist a while these strong prejudices to rescue the sacred object of faith from such misprisions to set up the promises of Christ henceforth in such a posture as may have the safest and kindest influence the powerfullest and most benign aspect on our Hearts and Lives not to swell and puff up our phansies any longer with an opinion that we are the special favourites of Heaven to whom the promises of Rest are consign'd unconditionally or without possibility of being forfeited but to engage and oblige our Souls to that universal constant righteousness holiness obedience as well as faith which may really instate us in those promises that may like the Angel to St. Peter in Prison awake us out of our sleep and dream and shake off those gyves and manacles which keep our feet from walking in the ways which God hath prescribed and thereby even confine and fetter God himself if I may so speak from making good his promises effectually to such indisposed unqualified persons If we look on the lives of most Christians professing the Gospel with great pretence at least of confidence that they shall be partakers takers of God's Rest that the promise thereof belongs to them though they live as those that set up their Rest in the lusts of the flesh those lusts of the Eye that pride of life which is directly contrary to it and the love of the Father we have but too great reason to fear that unless they repent and reform speedily and effectually they will prove such as no Rest belongs to And if we look on the slothful negligence in good works yea the wilful backsliding to wicked works to false Doctrines to lewd practises which are to be found too visibly and frequently even in those who once were sincere Believers such as had for a time obeyed both in heart and life the Gospel of Christ received his precepts into their practice as well as promises into their Creed we shall have too great reason to fear that they also may fall away finally from those conditions without the renewed presevering performance of which there is no rest of Gods to be had Wherefore both in respect of the former faithless Professors and of the latter backsliding Professors let us fear as the Apostle exhorts us fear in wisdom towards our selves and fear in charity towards others fear and watch over our selves and one another watch and pray labour and strive lest a promise being left us of entering Gods rest any of us seem to fall short of it for want of attending to its conditions which is not onely an outward profession but a lively faith working by love and that not onely begun or continued for a while but persevering to the end Despise not then the motive of Fear lest you despise your own Souls To fear any mortal visible enemy any earthly temporal danger in an holy righteous cause is cowardise and servile baseness to fear the labour of study and diligence is sloth and idleness but to fear God and his righteous threats especially
matter to bless God for But now that God hath given to Men a measure of good things and hath temper'd their gifts with many defects they may easily see they are both indebted to God for all they have and depending on God for all they want And so this dividing Gods gifts should teach us to think humbly of our Selves and thankfully of God and to set up our Rest in those gifts and graces which his bounty hath so freely conferred upon us Not inwardly to repine and envy nor outwardly to disturb and pervert that order which God hath made but to let God alone with his wise and gracious dealing with us and to rest satisfied with our own portion and to prize and esteem the gifts of others acknowledging their due worth and value where ever we find them for if the holy Spirit of God divide his gifts as he will and his will is always gracious and wise then either to deny or envy or debase them is no better than to thwart God in one especial work of his wisdom and goodness Some Men indeed would have greater gifts and most Men would have greater callings and places in the Church and State all secretly grudging against God and envying one another and if it were not the mercy of God to over rule such secret swellings they would burst out to the overthrow of peace and order and would prove no less destructive to our temporal quiet and Rest here than to our eternal Rest hereafter 'T was good Counsel which Joseph gave to his Brethren when they were returning with their Sacks of Corn to their Father in Canaan See ye fall not out by the way We are all Travellers returning to our Fathers house the Heavenly Canaan in which are many mansions enough certainly for all the Sons of Adam and God hath given to every Man such gifts and graces such guides and assistances for their conduct that were they not wanting to themselves they need not doubt their safe arrival But such are our fallings out by the way such our jarrings and dissentions our lingrings delays and backslidings that we may have cause to fear the greater part of these Travellers will fall short of these mansions and never take up their Rest in their Fathers house It is an ancient and true saying Unum quodque est propter operationem suam God hath made all that he made ordered all things that he ordained and there is nothing but what he made and set in order for that work and operation to which its nature place and faculties are fitted The work and operation therefore is the first in order of intention or design though the last in order of execution and accomplishment But nothing can operate or work aright except it be gifted or endued with some faculty or hability to that work And that this faculty or hability may produce its work in due order it must have its due place and office appointed by him who orders all things Now as this is true and certain in the universal body of the World and in the particular natural body of all Men so it is chiefly to be observed in the Spiritual body of Christ's Church First there are gifts to enable Men to perform the work for which God hath appointed them Then there are Offices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or administrations to authorize them and give them Commission in their several places to exercise those gifts with which they are endued and perform those works for which they are gifted and authorized Then there are works which must be performed by Men endued with those gifts and those Commissions This is the wise method and order which he that hath made all things in number measure and weight hath prescribed and observed himself in all his works and prescribed us in his word to observe Gifts are first mentioned because they are first necessary for the qualifying of the Person both for his office and his work What ever we have what ever we are by nature or grace in our worldly condition or in our spiritual is a gift For what are or what have we in any respect if good it be that we have not received from that God who is the only self-subsisting all-sufficient fountain and fulness of all being and life For in him we live and move and have our being From him and through him and to him are all things He spake the word Let it be thus and thus by that eternal word his only Son and it was so His Spirit moved upon the Waters and all things that he pleased to have done through this word by this Spirit were produced for by the word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the host of them by this Spirit or word of his mouth All then is his gift Ab unissimo Deo manant multiformia ab aeterno temporalia All diversity comes from Unity all times and temporal things from the eternity of this Trinity It is God alone that hath made and order'd the dull Earth and the active Sun distinguished the World into such diversity of Creatures in order to serve one another the Elements for the mixt bodies herbs and grass for the living unreasonable Creatures those for Man and Man for his own service and glory If God had made but one Creature that one had proved him an infinite God as to his power for nothing but an Almighty power can bring forth any thing though but an Atom or dust or sand out of nothing But now that he hath made and appointed so many Creatures in such a just and excellent order this makes the riches of his wisdom and bounty clearly appear to the Eye of reason and then he demands of Man who hath this reason in all humility and thankfulness that he adore and revere that God who hath made so many divers Creatures to serve him that he may learn thereby to serve and love his Creator and gracious benefactor and so at last come to enjoy him whom he hath thus served and loved in eternal joy and rest If any one should ask why was I made a liveless Element a senseless Plant an unreasonable though a living Creature but a reasonable Man above all these able to see and consider what I see and know to the honour of God There can no account or reason be given but the free bounty of his gift who thus distinguisht and ordered all things And so also amongst Men why one is noble another obscure one rich another poor one beautiful witty and strong another weak dull or less comely what account can any one give but that there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit Lord God who thus orders them And this must teach us contentedness without envying Superiors and Charity without despising or neglecting inferiors But besides these gifts these Offices and administrations which God hath placed in the World for its Temporal Government there are gifts supernatural and spiritual which God hath