goodnesse leads us to repentance It s Cruelty not Iustice to love punishment except to defend righteousnesse to reclaim the corrigible and to make examples of the impoenitent God is so far from taking pleasure in our miseries that as he said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e he is careful of us as his kindred when we fall Destruction is in the world but it came not from above it is of our selves as the Prophet sayes It is no plant of Gods setting and hath its roots onely in sin when God strikes though the blowes are just yet he counts the act strange Goodness is naturall to him he doth most willingly help when he hurts he is forced to it So Tertullian Vsque ad delictum hominis Deus à primordio tantum bonus exinde judex severus Ita prior bonitas Dei secundum Naturam severitas posterior secundum Causam Illa ingenita haec accidens c. God was good from the beginning till sin came after that he became a severe Iudge so that the goodnesse of God was first being his Nature severity later by reason of sin That inbred this accidental Yet this severity is good too Illum enim bonum judicares Deum c. For would you count him a good God who should make men worse for want of punishment As he doth not strike till he be highly provoked so then he is loath to do it My people are bent to back-sliding from me though they called them to the most High none at all would exalt him For all this God is loath to destroy them How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah c. We will not think that these were Rhetorical flourishes or Court-like expressions but that a reall truth of affection was declared by them So in other places he sayes he did not punish till there was no remedy It is so necessary that Righteousnesse should not be forgotten or thrust out of the world by impudent sinners that we must needs acknowledge the root of punishment to be goodnesse as he said for he strikes because we have transgressed the law of indispensible right and grieved the indwelling God Is it not goodnesse to hinder us though with afflictions from grieving and quenching the spirit which hath planted it self in us as a root of holy light and joy If God should indulge us in sin we might cry out ô Deum veritatis praevaricatorem Hoc erit bonitas imaginaria disciplina phantasma Since we see by these things how far God is exalted above all unworthinesse let us take heed lest by carelesnesse impotency of mind and lowness of soule we reproach God when we think to magnify him Let us take heed lest we bring down the hight of the divine glory by making it conform to our Idiopathies Clem. Alexand. reports out of Posidippus how Praxiteles when he was to make the Image of Venus expressed in the picture the form of one Cratina whom he loved by which means the miserable Idolaters worshiped the painters Mistresse for a Goddesse It is a rule in Divinity that we are to remove all imperfections from God We misrepresent God if we report any thing of him that makes him not the most noble object of Love Trust and Admiration to his creatures but rather makes him to be hardly thought of by them Let us beware of harbouring any conceit that there is the least of Craft Cruelty or Injustice in his disposition designs or providences In so doing we shall both blaspheme him and indispose our selves to love trust or obey him It were a mad impertinency in a child to praise his Father by reporting that he was a man of such parts that he could easily out-wit poor people and that he did use to do it Shall that go for the praise of wisdom which was only an accusation for vile craft It is not only Ambition but cruelty to seek to rise by the fall and ruine of others It was a heathen that said God makes a play of humane affaires and sports with men as balls It is a disgrace to the merciful Creator and just Governour of all things to despise the concernments of his creatures If we represent God as unjust in his praescriptions cruel in his designs or unequal in his providences we do as much as say that the Fountain of light sends forth darknesse that the spring of sweetnesse is bitter and endeavour to make Heaven and Hell meet We talk of Cannibals with abhorrence for greedy eating of mens flesh and shall we think that God takes pleasure in the destrustion of souls There were three pieces of Atheisme which men by the light of Nature condemned of old The first was a direct denial of the Deity which very few ever stooped unto The second a denial of Providence which was laid to the charge of Epicurus The third that God governs but without goodnesse and justice and of this many have been guilty who could find no other cause of their afflictions but Gods carelesness to save good men as they supposed themselves to be from suffering Those which make God the Authour of sin overthrow the righteousnesse of his nature and providence and if we at any time quarrel with his dispensations towards us and think God deals hardly with us do we not accuse him of injustice and the want of benignity when the guilt of our sins begins to encompass us the iniquity of our doings treads upon our heels if we attempt an evasion by laying our sins upon God for not giving us garce or suffering us to be tempted or I know not what do we not accuse his administration that he is rigorous or hath outwitted us It is the greatest disgrace of a Governour as the Philosopher observed long agone {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to lay snares for those whom he governs But this cannot be said of God for his Nature being goodnesse that must needs be the measure of his providence This is the first way to honour God in all things to preserve worthy thoughts of him We do honour to God if we carefully take heed lest we worship him in such a manner or with such oblations as make our service rather complement and flattery then true love and solid Adoration Throughout the Holy writ God hath declared a deep detestation of such worship and worshipers and seeks only such as worship him in spirit and truth that is which present no outward instance of worship but they put also their heart and soule in it When it is otherwise what saith God These people worship me with their mouths and honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me If such worshipers had nothing else base in them it is bad enough to make them odious to God that they think he doth not know or hate such spirits He being a spirit full of truth and goodness
will be worshiped only in Spirit Truth Hypocrites are not only impotent in their thoughts but sordid extremly if they should think that God is of such a Make that he is pleased with flatteâ—ies or that he doth not see and contemn the wickednesse of such as feignedly court him The Heathen world looked sometimes upon their gods as implacable Tyrants and reviled them at their pleasure which was a strange foolery to daigne to worship what they durst reproach At other times they looked upon them though as angry things yet easily to be pleased again and then they would kill a swine or a sheep and all was well In which they shewed themselves wicked ignorant of God and base flatterers This absurd Religion was by some wise men of their own condemned and rejected for vain superstition Maximus Tyrius in the Chapter which he wrote of the difference of friendship and flattery hath these words in reference to Religion {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. if there be any fellowship between God and men we may say that a truly good man is the friend of God but the superstitious a flatterer only The true lover of God is blessed but the superstitious is miserable For the first knowing his true love to God cometh boldly to him him the other dejected with the conscience of his Hypocrisy comes with servile fear devoid of trust and dreads God no otherwise then as a Tyrant When such worshipers come to God will he accept them no neither will any wise man receive a Gift which he knowes to be given with a wicked mind Those which with feigned submission in outward ordinances pretend to acknowledge God but do not love and obey him in their soules are superstitious flatterers no true lovers or worshipers of God And as they have small comfort in their soules for what is the Hope of an Hypocrite so with God they have no estimation for he accounts their applications as they are a disingâ—nuous flattery and a meer superstitious addresse The Emperour was not out when he said we should not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that we should not flatter God but worship him discreetly and in another place he gives a very good reason {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. for God regards not fine words but truth It is very observable that when David became sensible of the abuse which he had put upon the Divine Majesty by his scandalous disobedience he attempted not to make reparation of Gods honour by slaying a beast more worthy to live then himself yet a very poor compensation but saith expressely for he knew Gods mind Thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt offering An hypocrite would have made his cattel bleed and thought he had made good sarisfaction for his own with the lives of others and have pleaded the commands given in this point to Moses But David understood his duty better and was loath after so grievous sins to make such an unacceptable repentance and therefore he offered his own broken heart crushed with ingenuous shame and sorrow If any demand why David wav'd external oblations and made so light of outward applications since the Ceremonies of the Iewish Religion were instituted by God and as yet the Lawes which enjoyned them were in force I answer his meaning was that they were never appointed or accepted for the principal instances of Gods worship or so to be looked upon by religious persons They were not from the beginning Enock was not circumcised neither was Noah yet one of them was translated to glory without seeing of death which was an eminent Testimony that he was acceptable to God and the other was saved in an Ark of wood when all the world besides his family perished by water Abraham himself was declared blessed before he was circumcised Upon which consideration the Father told Tripho the Iew who thought himself some-body because he was under the discipline of Abraham {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. If one be a Scythian or Persian and have the knowledge of God and Christ and observe the indispensable rules of everlasting righteousnesse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He is circumcised with a good and profitable circumcision so that whâ—n Christ pulled down the Iewish hedges he brought things to the first state and made external ceremonies of no lesse value then they were at the first We may adde to this that when they were in use God made no very great reckoning of them neither did he esteem any justified for the bare observance of them When they pleased themselves highly in their external rights they were so far wide of the divine intention that he tells them that it were all one if they had let them alone I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices c. I am so far from demanding a scrupulous account concerning these performances that I am rather cloid with them So he told them by the Prophet Isaiah To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices I am full of burnt offerings of Rams Bring no more vain oblations c. And because they urged the Divine command by Ieremiah he tells them that he spake not to their Fathers nor commanded them in the day that he brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices One would think that these words should strangely amuse the people and that they thought the Prophet mad to speak against the known precepts wherein God had commanded these things Unto this two things may be said God accepted them by way of condescention and in regard of the hardnesse of their hearts they were a stiffe-necked people and therefore God put a hard yoke upon their necks which as the Apostle saith they were not able to beare {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. neither doth God receive sacrifices from you neither did he command you from the bebeginning to offer them as if he needed them but for your sinnes What he meant by sinnes he expresseth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} by reason of their idolatries Since they had such a mind to offer sacrifices that they would offer them to God or Idols he commanded them to offer them to him This Chrysostom takes notice of and sayes it is no wonder that he abolished them quite by Christ Iesus for he did not care for them from the beginning {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} How then did he require them by way of condescension to their weaknesse The Authour of the Constitutions affirms that till the provocation of the golden Calfe and their other idolatries sacrifices were not imposed and then it was only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that being clog'd with these troublesom yokes they might be forced from Idolatry He never did allow of them as commutations or dispensations
when the Altar is inscribed To an unknown Godâ— Religious expressions which are not founded in true knowledge are alwayes ridiculous and sometimes sadly blasphemous Those which have not a right understanding of God pray madly to him and speak foolishly of him Religious affections that are not bottomed upon a good understanding are framed childishly and continue accordingly Those which would be truly religious should take a serious Notice of those Attributes by which God hath discovered his nature We must not make excuses for our Ignorance by pretending that God is incomprehensible the greater he is the sooner we may find and apprehend him as you may sooner find the Sea then a River or that we cannot behold the naked Essence or Being of God no more can we of any thing else What is there in the world which we know but by its properties and effects And by them God is sufficiently knowable to us The {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the nanatural knowledge of God is implanted in mens soules as an inbred light in the eye to inable them to see him and he hath made the Creation a fair glasse to reflect his proper attributes for the invisible things of him which we talk of his eternal power and Godhead his goodnesse and wisdom powerfully declared which express the Divity of God are clearly seen by the world which he hath made and in his actions whereby he doth continually show himself he is so discernably revealed that those which do not see and serve him are without all apology of their ignorance and disobedience The works of God especially of benignity and goodnesse are called his witnesses Acts 14. 17. Neverthelesse he left himself not without witnesse in that he did good c. And the son of God who came out of the Fathers bosome out of an intimate acquaintance with God he hath revealed him Having all these assistances let us improve our knowledge of God lest we mistake extremely in our devotions and present an impertinent service If the unworthy Iewes had but well considered the nature of God they would have offered a reasonable and living service and not have been contented with brutish dead worship They would have known that it was an affront rather then an oblation so to mistake God as to think that he could be pleased with flesh and smoake and to undervalue him to others by their misbecoming services giving by-standers occasion to think that the true God smiled upon such impertinencies and gladly received such absurd votaries He which nourisheth ignonorance and unbelief in his mind will be ungodly in his heart life I must confesse I think this so far true that I am of his mind who said that the root of all wickednesse is Atheisme He which dishonours his Maker and despiseth the Law of his Benefactor in a wicked life would not do so if he believed that God made him and that all the blessings of his life were his meer bounty and that God was infinitely more lovely then any of his creatures and that the time will come when God will judge the wicked for their Idolatrous life for they sin by loving the creature more then the Creator and that he will abandon them to torments for their wilful disobedience But wicked men either perswade themselves that there is no God or that he is not such as he hath declared himself to be in the Scriptures The exclamation of the Poet was rational Heu primae scelerum causae mortalibus aegris Naturam nescire Deum i. e. Men would not sin as they they do but that they are ignorant of the Nature of God We do honour to God if after we have got a right knowledge of his Nature we do conform our seves unto it when as the Apostle saith we beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory by the Spirit of the Lord When we become imitators of God as dear children putting on the same Image Temper and Spirit following God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as far as it is possible for a man to follow God The reason of this is plain for by our careful conforming our selves to God we do manifestly acknowledge him to be the absolute pattern of all Excellency and the Primitive copy of all beauty and perfection Then we honour God in an effectual instance when we do in disposition and life show and hold forth the virtues or powerfull goodnesses of God who hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light When the light of wisdom goodnesse and righteousnesse shines before men in the lives of the children of God then will they much taken with that goodly Image glorify their heavenly Father who is the Archetype Exemplar of all goodnesse Clemens Alexand. hath said this in proper words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. It is the only way at once to imitate and worship the best of all Beings for we cannot imitate God but by such things as will make our worship holy nor worship him but by imitation Marcus in Iulian being asked what was the most worthy end of our life having answered to imitate God it was said to be an answers not only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. not only that he had answered nobly but that he had said all This imitation must be performed with all plainnesse and simplicity and with an universal regard to all Gods imitable perfections lest that be said to us which was replied to an unworthy Emperour when he made the imitation of Apollo his plea {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. But for all this I will take off his Crown for he hath not conformed himself to me in all things and in those things wherein he pretends to resemble me he hath not done it as he should That is a just imitation when we follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes God is not so pleased with Temples made with hands and he hath forbidden to attempt the making of foolish Images but he is well pleased with every good man and woman that make themselves the habitation of the Holy Spirit that offer their soules to God being made acceptable sacrifices through the participation of the divine Image and Nature When such a worshiper appeares before God he may bring what other sacrifice he will he shall be accepted vel farre litabit There is no Temple in which God will converse with a wicked man his oblations are the sacrifice of fooles His gifts may maintain the flames upon a visible Altar and his offerings present something that Church-robbers will be glad to steal but his soul is so unlike to God whom he pretends to worship that he abhorres him and his offerings He counts his name rather blasphemed than honoured by the mouthes of the ungodly when they presume to make mention of it though with a great deale