Religion as Machiavel well observed was not calculated for the inspiring of Men with great Designs such I suppose as his Caesar Borgia aimed at It was too plain too Philosophical too Innocent and Charitable to raise an ambitious heat or to serve it And therefore it was very likely in process of time that it should be helped out by other Principles and Doctrines that would bring in the swelling of worldly Pride into the Church as the African Fathers in their Epistle to Celestine called it and advance one part of it to the depressing of all the rest But because true Christianity serves no such Design therefore was our Saviour opposed by the Rulers of the Jews his Doctrine did not tend at all that way viz. to make Hierusalem the Mistress of the World and that all should depend upon her it did not minister to their ambitious and worldly Hopes and therefore was not for their turn 3. If we look upon Christianity as a Rule of Worship it will still hold true that Offences must needs come because the Worship it prescribes is a Worship of great simplicity that has but two or three positive Institutions of Divine Authority viz. the two Sacraments and the Invocation of God through the Name and Mediation of his Holy Son Jesus Now this was not likely to be acceptable to the generality of Mankind who love rather a pompous number of Ceremonies and nice Observations than a grave and decent administration of Worship For the former does amuze the Senses and entertain the Imagination the latter does that but very little in Comparison and rather satisfies our Reason But most People are more apt to be affected with things that touch their Fancy than their Judgment And therefore it was hardly to be expected but in time their would grow very great excesses in this kind as there did even in St. Austin's days who complain'd of it not a little in his Epistle to Januarius Neither could it be doubted but such excesses would be accompanied with false Notions of Religion and of the way to please God For whereas the excellent design of our Saviour in appointing so small a number of external Observations leaving the necessary Rules of Decency to be determined by the Church was this to take Men off from all pretence of placing the weight of Religion in outward Ceremonies and by their very Worship to instruct them in Piety and Vertue and to shew them that God will not be pleased without those things whereas he did hereby effectually declare that God who is a Spirit would be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth that is with the Affections of a pious Heart and the Obedience that is expressed in a good Life The corrupt Nature of Man is as averse from this as 't is fond of the other and desires to please God by so easie a Religion as that which runs out into a world of Mysteries and Shews and Observations and seems to save them the labour of subduing their Lusts and Passions and of serving God by a righteous and holy Life And this was one thing that made the Primitive Christians contemptible and odious to the Heathens that they had so few Rites and Ceremonies so plain and simple a Form of Divine Service but one Altar but one Mediator no Tutelar Deities and Patrons no throngs of petty Gods but one or two Mysteries and those too plain and instructing without Pomp and Amuzement for such causes as these they reckoned the Christians little better than Atheists believing that a Religion which made no stately shew to be as good as none at all 'T is true that God himself appointed a Form of Divine Service to the Israelites that consisted of a vast number of Ceremonies but besides this that they were to be the Types to discover the Messias when he should appear There was another end of Divine Providence observable in that Constitution which was this that they having a stately and Mystical Form of Worship of their own might be less under a Temptation of learning of the Idolatrous Nations round about them whose numerous and gaudy Ceremonies in their Worship would have bewitched the Jews ten times more than they did if they had not been able to vye with them But God by his Prophet said That he gave them Statutes that were not good to be sure not the best in themselves but considering the time the best for them For when God sent his Son into the World who was to teach all mankind to Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth and to convert the Nations from Idolatry the Scheme of the Mosaic Worship was taken down and the Church was furnished with nothing but Prayers and Praises two Sacraments and one Mediator But by all this it appears that the design of the Gospel in this matter runs counter to the fond and foolish inclinations of mankind and therefore that Offences were ready to come upon this account also So that considering the temper and design of the Gospel it was a Religion too good for a wicked World too wise for a vain and foolish World I mean it was too good and too wise to escape Opposition and all change the World would either try to keep it out or when that was in vain to attempt any longer to square and form it better to its own purposes and inclinations It was upon this account viz. of the design of the Gospel which was exalted above a worldly Spirit that a peculiar temper was required by our Saviour in order to the embracing of his Doctrine A Spirit of Honesty and Sincerity of Humility and Teachableness love of the Truth willingness to learn patience of Reproof and the like without which Dispositions the common prejudices against Christianity would certainly hinder the efficacy of those Arguments and Motives by which it was recommended And therefore since God did not intend by an irresistible act upon the minds of Men to over-rule them into a compliance with the Gospel it was not to be expected but that it should be first of all greatly opposed as it was and afterwards insincerely handled as it hath been And this although the Doctrine of the Gospel is peculiarly furnished with means to infuse a wise and honest disposition into them that want it For those means are consistent with the liberty of Humane Nature and after all men may be the worse and not the better for them Nothing could in its own Nature be more fit to awaken Men to Consideration and to lead them to Honesty and Wisdom and to conquer all worldly and carnal prejudices than the promise of Eternal Life and the warning of a day of Judgment to come It is in this that the great power of the Gospel to mend the tempers of Men consists But when all is done in this kind that can be done Men may choose their Portion in this World because they will not hearken and consider And it well became Divine Providence
the Holy Spirit in Answer to Dr. O. 1677. Octavo A Second Part. 1680. A Reply to a Pamphlet called The Mischief of Impositions Writ by Mr. A. against the Dean of St. Pauls 1681. Quarto An Answer to the Dissenters Objections against the Common-Prayers 1683. Quarto The Difference of the Case between the Separation of Protestants from the Church of Rome and the Separation of Dissenters from the Church of England 1683. Quarto A Discourse concerning the Invocation of the B. Virgin and the Saints 1686. Quarto A Paraphrase with Notes on the Sixth Chapter of St. John against Transubstantiation 1686. Quarto A Discourse concerning the pretended Sacrament of Extream Unction With a Letter to the Vindicator of the Bishop of Condom 1687. Quarto A Second Letter to the Vindicator of the Bishop of Condom 1687. Quarto A View of the whole Controversie between the Representer and the Answerer in which are laid open some of the Methods by which Protestants are Misrepresented by Papists 1687. Quarto An Answer to the Representer's Reflections upon the state and view of the Controversie c. Shewing that the Vindicator has utterly ruined the new Design of Expounding and Representing Popery 1688. Quarto Queries concerning the English Reformation answered 1688. Quarto The School of the Eucharist a Translation the Preface writ by Dr. Claget Of the Humanity and Charity of Christians A Sermon Preached at the Suffolk Feast in St. Michael Cornhil London Nov. 30. 1686. J. S. The CONTENTS SERMON I. Rev. II. 12 13 14 15 16. AND to the Angel of the church in Pergamos write these things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satan's seat is and thou holdest fast my Name and hast not denied my faith even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain amongst you where Satan dwelleth But I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to Idols and to commit fornication So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate Repent or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth SERMON II and III. Matth. XVIII 7. Wo unto the world because of offences for it must needs be that offences come but wo unto that man by whom the offence cometh SERMON IV. Matth. XXVI 41. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak SERMON V. Matth. IV. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve SERMON VI. Gen. XXII 12. Now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not with-held thy son thine only son from me SERMON VII Matth. XV. 1 2 3. Then came to Jesus Scribes and Pharisees which were at Jerusalem saying Why do thy Disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders for they wash not their hands when they eat bread But he answered and said unto them Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition SERMON VIII 1 Cor. XI 19. For there must be Heresies also amongst you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you SERMON IX 2 Pet. I. 19. We have also a more sure word of Prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the star arise in your hearts SERMON X. 1 Cor. XII 13. For by one spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit SERMON XI Gen. XV. 16. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquities of the Amorites is not yet full SERMON XII Luke XIII 5. I tell you Nay but except you repent ye shall all likewise perish SERMON XIII Luke XVIII 8. Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh shall he find faith on the earth The XIV an Assize-Sermon preached at St. Mores in Bury 1678. Levit. XIX 12. Ye shall not swear by my Name falsly The XV Sermon preached at Windsor before the Princess of Denmark Gen. V. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him SERMON XVI Job XI 10. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil SERMON XVII Rom. VIII part of 34 and 35 ver It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth The Sum of a Conference on Feb. 21st 1686. between Dr. Claget and Father Gooden about the Point of Transubstantiation Imprimatur February 5 1688. Hen. Maurice Rmo in Christo P. D. Wil. Archeipis Cant. Ã Sacris The First Sermon REVEL II. 12 13 14 15 16. And to the Angel of the Church in Pergamos write these things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satans seat is and thou holdest fast my Name and hast not denied my faith even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful Martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth But I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the Doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to Idols and â—o commit fornication So hast thou also them that hold the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate Repent or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth THAT the seven Churches of the Proconsular Asia to which our Lord sent these several Messages by Saint John were then in being when he saw this Vision and heard these words is a matter I think beyond question and therefore there is little reason to question whether in these Messages the then present state of those Churches were described and whether the design of our Lord was likewise to describe the state of the Church from the days of the Apostles to the end of the World in several intervals thereof as some men think I dare not take upon me to deny Sure I am that in these Epistles to the seven Churches there are Instructions no less useful for all Ages of the Church than if they were as truly prophetical as they are historical and that they were designed not only for the Information of the then present Churches of the Proconsular Asia but for the Edification of all Churches in all places and in all Ages of the World is evident from that so often repeated close He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Every Church therefore because it can hear ought to hear and every man of every Church because every man hath an ear to hear
be Christians And this is one of the common Scandals of the World that Truth is so often insincerely represented and false Doctrines propounded still by the same Authority that holds forth some necessary Truths And for this reason the Gospel does not allow but command us to use a Judgment of Discretion not to reject that which is good because it comes from the same Authority that requires evil nor to admit error because it is accompanied with truth but to prove all things and to hold fast that which is good 4. All Popular Artifices that are used to recommend either wicked Errors or Practices are also great Offences and lead many silly Souls astray of which kind the most obvious are these An external shew of Strictness and Piety without real Virtue and Godliness at the bottom of it And of this the Pharisees were the first notable instance who placing Religion in abundance of nice Observations seemed to be the most strict and devour People in the World and therefore our Saviour knowing the wickedness of their Hearts and Lives compared them to whited Sepulchres that within were full of dead went bones and all uncleanness And this Offence would be so powerful whenever it should happen that it seemed good to the Spirit to foretel it expresly 〈◊〉 That in the latter times some should depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits forbidding to Marry and commanding to abstain from Meats 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. Another Offence of this kind when was also expresly foretold is pretending the Testimony of Miracles For says our Saviour himself There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect Behold says he I have told you before Matth. 24.24 25. And thus St. Paul foretold that when that wicked one should be revealed his coming should be after the working of Satan with power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness I shall name but one other popular device for the supporting of Errour and that is to denounce Damnation peremptorily against all Gainsayers with which Artifice the Judaizers secured themselves against the Gentile Christians saying Except ye be circumcised and keep the law of Moses ye cannot be saved Now although every man that has a tongue may if he please lay this weight upon his Cause as to exclude all from Salvation that are not of his way and therefore the threatning be not worthy of a wise man's thought till the merits of the Cause be examined Yet it has two notable advantages that it is framed to work upon the passions of men more than upon their judgment and in most men their passion is stronger than their reason and it may be so used as to bear the World in hand that 't is not Uncharitableness but meer Pity and Tenderness to the Souls of Men that compels them to speak so harsh but so necessary a Truth And 't is a wonderful thing to observe how easie Men are to be managed when on the one side there is a positive Sentence of Damnation to work upon their fears and on the other an appearance of serious Charity to win their Affections for by this Art Men of contrary Parties have with strange success served contrary Opinions and Practices I cannot if I were willing reckon all the Offences of this kind that is popular and plausible ways of deceiving But that there would be such our Saviour did not only foretel in the general when he said It must needs be that Offences come but in particular also when he said Beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps-cloathing Mat. 7.15 5. To this I may add what St. Paul observes 1 Tim. 6.5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness That any thing may be defended as a part of Religion which makes for worldly Interest It is no such hard matter to perplex things that are plain to find colours for denying things that are evident to hide the weakness or the strength of an Argument to divert from the Cause to the Person so artificially as if the Cause went on still to lose the matter in debate to make Truth look like Errour and Errour like Truth to those that are willing to be deceived if a man is resolved to bend all his wit this way for something may be said for any thing 6. And lastly bad examples of men professing the true Religion are another most dangerous Offence Since I doubt most men are so framed as to take up their opinions more easily from Authority than from other Argument and they understand more easily the difference between good and evil Manners than between strong and weak Reasons And then they will be apt to judge of the Truth or Falshood of a way of Religion by the good or bad Fruits of Practice it brings forth in those that profess it which doubtless our Saviour intimated in those words Let your light so shine before men that others seeing your good works may glorify your Father which is in heaven But to hold the Truth in Unrighteousness is not only a Scandal to those that are in Errour confirming them in their wrong way but likewise to those that are in the way of Truth by encouraging them to Sin in like manner especially when evil examples are set by those that are particularly obliged to set none but good ones whose Place or Office Wealth or Quality makes them more conspicuous and gives others any kind of dependence upon them And because of the pernicious influence of bad examples we find St. Paul often calling upon the Christians with whom he had to do to fix their observation upon those that were good Brethren says he be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample For many walk of whom I have often told you and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Thus I have very briefly considering the largeness of the Subject shewn what Offences were to come by laying before you the principal and most obvious Offences which we know by the Predictions of the Scripture and alas for the World by too sad experience And now I proceed to the second Point which was to consider why it must needs be that Offences should come that is why it was not to be expected but that these or such Scandals as these would be given to the World. And this Inquiry is necessary to be pursued upon this account if upon no other that it may appear that the certainty of Offences coming did not arise from any defect or fault of the Blessed Gospel of our Saviour If we consider the Harmless and Dovelike Temper of Christianity the excellency of its Design the richness of its Promises the Divinity of its Rules and Precepts the Comforts it
has in store for all honest Minds and that instead of running cross to the Interests of Mankind either here or hereafter it shews an infallible way to single Persons and to Communities to be happy in this World and to all men to be for ever blessed in the World to come We would rather have expected it should have been foretold that no man in any Age would ever set himself to oppose the design of the Gospel either in whole or in part If likewise we observe what clear and undeniable Testimonies of Divine Revelation God approved and owned it by how highly reasonable the Principles thereof are and how those things which could not be known but by Revelation yet being once revealed do satisfie our Reason and approve themselves to it How evident the Design thereof is how plain the Precepts how few the positive Institutions of it are and how significant and profitable they are and how full of Instruction finally how manifest those necessary Doctrines are the belief whereof is necessary to make a man a Christian and what that Mystery of Godliness is which in the Apostles days was confessed and without Controversie If we look upon these things and no farther we should rather have expected that the Doctrine of our Saviour should never have been gainsaid never perverted never mingled with Errour never have given occasion to wrangling and discord and never have become the matter of nice and angry Dispute but onely of an unblamable Faith and Practice The Gospel of Christ is undoubtedly a faithful Saying or Doctrine clearly revealed and standing upon evident Testimonies of Divine Revelation it is also worthy of all acceptation Why then must it needs be that Offences come To which I shall give a plain answer in our Saviour's words to Nicodemus That light is come into the world and men love darkness rather then light because their deeds are evil Joh. 3.18 and therefore it must needs be that Offences should come For the Religion of Christ is not sutable to the Spirit of this World and therefore the World hateth it and therefore no wonder if it hath one way or other always sought to obstruct the Progress and Design of it In a word it is not the defect but the exceeding excellence and purity of true Christianity that has given occasion to the World to oppose it to pervert it and to discourage the Profession or Practice of it For it is a Religion too wise and too good for them that have no mind to be wise and good themselves and therefore considering the great corruption of humane Nature which God would not over-bear by an irresistible power but cure by rational means and methods no wonder that Offences have come nay that our Saviour said it must needs be that Offences come To argue more particularly 1. The Doctrine of the Gospel is a Doctrine of Manners lays a severe restraint upon all the unreasonable Lusts of Men and makes a great many Liberties unlawful which they are for the most part violently inclined to take And therefore every carnal man while he so continues carries within himself a terrible prejudice a secret Enemy against the Truth as it is in Jesus and his Heart riseth with as much anger against that Doctrine of God that telleth him it is not lawful for him to pursue his worldly and fleshly desires as he would but to subdue and mortifie them as Herod when he took his Brother's Wife expressed against John the Baptist for saying It is not lawful for thee to have her Man's Nature affecteth a lawless Liberty and cannot endure to be confined it is diseased and cannot endure to be healed and it was therefore likely enough that very many would reject the Physician and be angry with those very Remedies that our Heavenly Father has sent The true and sincere Doctrine of Christ my Brethren if it be believed cannot but make us very uneasie and unquiet while we are conscious of sin and are not willing to be reformed because it reveals to us the Wrath of God against all our unrighteousness and ungodliness it forewarns us of a dreadful Sentence at the last day and of an everlasting Punishment which we are unwilling at the same time to venture in which we are unwilling to part with our sins and to reconcile our selves to God by Repentance And Men that are lovers of Pleasures and lovers of Gain cannot easily admit a Doctrine which gives them as much uneasiness and disturbance as if the point of a Sword were always turned toward their very Hearts For this Reason the Pharisees could not endure the Doctrine of Jesus and this was one Reason why the Heathens opposed it and persecuted it and is one Reason why Christians have corrupted it by finding out other ways to avoid Damnation than by a lively Faith and true Repentance and effectual Reformation and keeping the Commandments of God. It is this that hath made way for satisfactory Commutations Merits of others and the absolute power of the Keys and all those devices which are good for nothing but to reconcile a wicked Life to the hopes of Heaven and to entangle the plain sense of those words of Christ He that heareth these sayings and doth them not I will liken him to a foolish man that built his House upon the Sand and the winds blew and the rain fell and the floods came and beat upon that House and it fell and great was the fall thereof that is it suffered an irreparable Ruin. 2. If we consider the Doctrine of Christ as it is a Doctrine both of Faith and Manners it is no way framed to serve the ends of ambitious and worldly-minded men or to help them in pursuing those ends by a pretence of Religion and therefore it was not to be expected but in process of time it would be by some or others molded for that purpose when Opportunity should serve Our Saviour taught the World no other Principles of Morality no other Articles of Faith than what were equally for the Interest of all parts of Mankind to believe and follow a common good and an equal benefit was intended in them all For let them prevail without corruption and alteration the Honour and Safety of Soveraign Princes is secured and a quiet and peaceable Life to Subjects Neighbour-Nations shall give strength and confidence instead of creating Jealousies to one another the Master shall be better served and the Servant better used the Church by her Doctrine and Spiritual Authority will be a Guard to the State and receive at the same time Protection from it Here was no design in Christianity to set up any Nation or party of Men in opposition and to the disadvantage of all mankind beside but it plainly aimed at a general good and under its Penalties requires all its Professors to aim at the same too and condemns those who are lovers of themselves in opposition to all others amongst the greatest Offenders And this
are believers already and therefore we need not trouble our selves with constant reading of the Bible Were not they so to whom St. Peter wrote Nay the Apostles were then alive to instruct them by Word as well as by Writing and moreover daily Miracles were wrought for confirmation of the Faith yet they did well in taking diligent heed to the Scriptures And shall not we do so too who can find Apostles and Miracles no where but there We believe already but have we all of us that stedfast Faith which the Gospel requires which is not grounded merely upon education and the custome of our Country but upon the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power Have we that Faith which will bear examination and encounter opposition If we have a very little exhortation will serve the turn to make us persevere in reading God's Book whereby we shall be yet more strongly built up in our most Holy Faith. But if not our want of Faith will not be admitted at the last day for an excuse of the badness of our Lives when we had the Scriptures laid before us the Holy Scriptures I say which if they had been diligently and honestly read by us would have furnished us with such an immoveable ground of our Christian belief as would have supported us in the Day of Temptation Nay if our Faith was grown never so strong yet the Reading of the Scriptures would be necessary for us to make the precepts and rules of the Christian Life and the Motives and Reasons of practising them daily present in our minds For the Temptations to sin are always present the snares of Hell are still round about us we are ever in some danger and therefore we ought always to be strong in the Lord by having a constant sense of those Divine Truths upon our minds which are our great defence and security And I see not how this can be if we neglect to have recourse unto that ever necessary Treasure of Divine truth the Holy Word of God. St. Chrysostom therefore doubted not to say and I wish we may all well consider that earnest saying of so Wise and Holy a Man as he was It cannot be says he It cannot possibly be that a man should attain Salvation unless he be diligently conversant in Spiritual Reading Himself was so excellent and constant a Preacher that if any one man not extraordinarily inspired could have made it needless for his hearers to Read the Scriptures at home he I should reckon was the man and yet I observe he often complains to them that the reason why most of them gained little profit by what he said either as to improvement of knowledg or good practice was because they did not read the Scriptures he explained to them either before or after his Sermons and says he it is the neglect of this reading that causeth all Heresie and Corrupt Life Now I beseech you how much time do we spend in other things of little concern to us either as to our Health or Wealth or our Worldly Callings And what a shame and a sin is it for us to find so little time as generally we do to furnish our selves with the knowledg of God's Truth and with pious affections towards the doing of his will out of God's Holy Book What a great matter were it if we borrowed some time for this purpose from our Recreations or even from our ordinary business For what is this Life to Life Everlasting What is the Wealth and Pleasure of this World to our Salvation in the World to come And therefore the forementioned excellent Person argued with his hearers in this manner Perhaps some may say That they are otherwise imployed in their worldly callings and others that they have not money to spare to buy the Scriptures but says he what a ridiculous thing would it be for a man of a Secular imployment to neglect it upon pretence that he has not time for it or that he has not wherewhithal to purchase the necessary Tools of his Calling These things are seldom or never pleaded but by Idle Persons And do you not all know that you are professed Christians and called to the hope of Eternal Life and that diligent reading and hearing the Holy Scriptures is as necessary to your Christian Calling as any thing can be to the successful management of your Secular professions I shall add this one thing That besides that improvement in knowledge and virtue which is naturally consequent upon much conversing with God's Book they that do so have a peculiar title to God's supernatural Blessing who is wont to reward a pious and reverent use of Holy things with greater measures of his grace In one word by other studies we may grow wise for this world but if we add this to the rest we shall yet grow wiser for this world by taking heed to those incomparable instructions that the Holy Bible abounds with and which is something more we shall grow wise unto Salvation The Tenth Sermon 1 Cor. XII 13. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit AFTER the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles there was a continual Communication of Supernatural and Extraordinary Gifts to other believers for a long time To one was given by the Spirit the Word of Wisdom To another the Word of Knowledge by the same Spirit To another Faith by the same Spirit To another the gifts of Healing by the same Spirie To another working of Miracles To another Discerning of Spirits To another Divers kinds of Tongues To another the Interpretation of Tongues But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. And this manisestation of the Spirit was given to every man to profit withal i. e. to profit the whole Body whereof himself was a Member For though that one Spirit which distributed his wonderful gifts amongst the Faithful could have given them all to the same man so as that one and the same Person should have had the Word of Wisdom and the Gifts of Healing and the Working of Miracles and a Prophetick Power and Discerning of Spirits and Divers kinds of Tongues yet to maintain a mutual dependance and a Charitable serviceableness of the Members one amongst another he gave to one one gift to another another dividing severally to every man for by this means one would stand in need of another and each Member would be obliged to take care of the rest knowing that he also wanted the supply of that assistance which the rest were able to give him whereas if one man had all gifts he would not be under so sensible an obligation of consulting for the common good wanting no assistance from any others But God ordered the state of the Church like that of the Natural Body to which the Apostle elegantly
that we our selves are such Members of that One Body as we ought to be and as all others ought to be likewise The Eleventh Sermon Gen. XV. 16. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full ABRAHAM was now in the Land of Canaan and this was the third time God had appeared to him and promised him That his Seed should possess that Land. In which repetition of the Promise there is this remarkable Circumstance That God told him how long it would be before they should possess it and likewise mentioned one reason why they should possess it no sooner it should be Four hundred years before his Seed should come hither and not sooner because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full This was the case That the Seed of Abraham could not possess the Land of Canaan otherwise than by dispossessing the Canaanites So that the Bounty of God to the Israelites was likely to prove a terrible Judgment upon the Canaanites But these were not grown to that height of Ungodliness and Vice which God usually punishes by Destruction in this world but God foreseeing that in Four Hundred Years more their sins would be ripe for vengeance determined to reprieve them so long and in the mean time to dispose of the Seed of Abraham otherwise That which I intend to discourse upon is the long sufferance of God in bearing with Mankind till their Wickedness grows intolerable of which this is a most remarkable Instance That altho he might justly have destroyed the Amorites Four hundred Years before they were destroyed yet he gave them so long time and bore with them all the while Before I proceed to this I shall Premise Two Enquiries 1. What the Iniquity of the Amorits was 2. Whether the only Reason why God would not yet put them out of Possession was That their iniquity was not yet full 1. What was the Iniquity of the Amorites I answer That they were guilty of Idolatry of Violence and Abominable Uncleanness for they were for these Sins cut off by the Children of Israel when they were grown to that height to which they came in Four hundred Years time And it is not improbable that the Amorites were at that time when God appeared to Abram the worst of all the Canaanites in all these respects and therefore that God mentioned them rather than any of the rest as they were afterwards one of the first Nations that were destroyed as we read in Numb 21. and that with this particular Remark That their spirits were hardned and their heart obstinate as you may find Deut. 2.30 2. We must not say That the only Reason why God deferred the Punishment of the Amorites Four hundred years was because their iniquity was not yet full and that because there were other Ends of Providence to be brought about in the time some of which are mentioned in this place viz. That the Seed of Abraham might in the mean while be proved and tryed by many hardships they were to undergo and thereby instructed in their Duty and prepared for the Land of Promise For thus we find God said to Abraham v. 13. Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred years i. e. before the Four hundred Years are expired and also that nation whom they shall serve will I judg and afterwards they shall come out with great substance and in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full Where you see there are more ends than one for which God would not put the Seed of Abraham into a present Possession of the Promised Land nor do it in haste neither partly because God would still bear with the Canaanites partly because the Israelites yet to be born were to be instructed by the variety of Conditions through which they were to go and be prepared by the discipline of Divine Providence for the obtaining of that Promise which was made to Abraham and his Seed And this is the admirable way of God's Providence in governing and disposing all things that by the same means he brings about several ends fitting and accommodating things to one another in that manner that every event seemed to be his particular and only care while all the rest were as particularly aimed at and the means directed to it as certainly as to any one of them These things seemed needful to be premised for the better understanding of this place And now I proceed to the main points of Instruction which are suggested in the Text and they are these two 1. The Patience of God in bearing so long as he doth with the Provocations of his Justice from wicked men And 2. His untaxable Justice in bringing upon them that Punishment at last which their Incurable Obstinacy deserves For both these Observations are clearly suggested by the Text The seed of Abraham should not come Four hundred Years because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full but then they should come the former being as I said a great Demonstration 1. Of the Patience of God for the Amorites were already faln into the sins for which they were at last cut off only they were not come to that intolerable height of wickedness to which they were grown in process of time now all the while they were Examples of God's Patience because he might justly have appeared against them to destroy them even at that very time when he determined to give them yet Four hundred Years to repent and escape No sooner is Sin committed but Punishment is presently due and therefore it is Goodness to forbear the inflicting of it the very next moment but to forbear so long a time is properly Patience and Long-sufferance and it is such Patience as is proper only to him who is God and not Man For the Illustration of which I have two Things to commend to your Consideration which will I doubt not be useful to assist us in framing worthy and honourable Apprehensions of God with respect to this matter The First is 1. That God never wants Power and Means and Opportunities to be avenged of wicked men 2. That he hath always the same displeasure against and hatred of sin for these things put together do clearly shew That the Patience of God is indeed a Divine Perfection and infinitely to be praised above all that we can imagine of the like quality amongst men For 1. God never wants Power and Means to punish his Enemies and therefore it is in him always Goodness to reprieve and his deferring the Punishment is properly the Patience which is worthy of Praise When men forbear revenging the Affronts and Injuries that they have received it is very often because they wait for an opportunity which yet they want they are forced to be content
good part the evil as well as good that comes from God's Hand because 't is all meant in good part to us Especially if we consider 5. That he is not and cannot be mistaken in judging what kind of Evil or what degree of Evil is expedient for our good Let that which happens be of what kind it will and how great soever it be in the kind yet from his Infinite Wisdom we ought to conclude against all objections That all things considered it is the best for us We perhaps do not see how it should be so but we have not the less reason to believe it God's thoughts are above ours and his ways above our ways and we are not to argue as if we understood our selves as well as God understands us Our business is to submit to him patiently and to depend upon him intirely and to thank him from our hearts for his continual Providence over us Acknowledging that we are not fit to be humour'd in all our desires neither to enjoy Pleasure longer than he sees 't is for our good nor to say with what pain we should be chastised or with what Trouble we should be exercised we are not wise enough to be our own chusers and we cannot be better than by being in God's Hands 6. We should take Evil at God's hand in good part because he is not wanting to supply us with strength to bear it and to support us with comforts of a better kind than those he takes away If he makes us more conformable to his will we get a better Conscience than we had before and that will of it self enable us to go through many and great Troubles of this Life If he lessens our Love of this World and increases our Faith and Hope of a better Life and fixes our thoughts upon Heaven more than they were wont to be if he inspires us with a greater sense of his Love and gives us more and more of his Holy Spirit then although here are Worldly Evils to be born yet there are also such Spiritual consolatives to support us under them that we have more reason to be thankful than to complain God will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able but will with the temptation c. so the Apostle assur'd the Christians and were themselves examples of it none ever went through greater Troubles and Persecutions than they but they do not speak of themselves as objects of Pity He says they were strengthned with all might according to God's Glorious Power unto all Patience and Long-suffering with joyfulness Col. 1.11 They were indeed troubled on every side yet not distressed perplexed but not in despair Persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed sorrowful yet always rejoicing 1 Cor. iv 8. vi 10. 7. We are to consider that the Troubles of this Life are not always Punishments but sometimes Trials In which case they admit of great comforts and therefore St. James says My Brethren count it joy when ye fall into divers temptations James 1.2 where by temptations he understands those Troubles that from time to time befell the Christians for their profession and proved their sincerity for so 't is explained in the following words knowing this that the trial of your Faith worketh patience Such were the afflictions of Job as we see by the circumstances of his story God had given this testimony to him That he was a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed evil But Satan answer'd Doth Job fear God for nought Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face Thus the Devil charged Job and in him all Religious men That his pretence to Piety was mere flattery not proceeding from a hearty love to God but from the Love of Worldly prosperity Now though the event shewed the falseness of the Devils suggestion yet thus far he was in the right That affliction tries whether a man be a mere mercenary pretender to Religion or whether he be an upright man fearing God and eschewing evil For he that pretends Religion pretends to serve God and to depend upon him in all conditions of Life and that God is more to him than all the World besides But the reality of this can never be so well seen as when we do his will and bless his name even when he deprives us of the good things and sends us the afflictions of this Life We should therefore receive evil from God's hand as well as good though we were as perfect as Job was in fearing God and eschewing evil because though it does not befall us in such a case as a Punishment yet it comes as a tryal and there are weighty reasons for Patience under it For 1. it is exceedingly for the Honour of God and Religion if we acquit our selves well in bearing it This shews the sincerity and the power of our Faith and that Religion is a Principle of the truest Fortitude and Fidelity when no worldly loss nor outward pain can hinder us from blessing God and persevering in our Duty the World will see that we are very sure we serve a good Master and one whom we believe nothing ought to deter or discourage us from obeying not death it self nor vexations worse than death Hereby we declare that without all this Worlds good he alone is sufficient for our reward that there is no evil like losing his favour no good like keeping it 2. It will make also for our own Comfort for although without this a good man may have reasonable assurance of his own integrity i. e. by an equal Care to do his Duty in all respects while God makes an hedg about him on every side yet it cannot be denied that he must needs have yet a more comfortable assurance of it when be goes on to depend upon God under the hardest pressures of affliction For this is the highest Point of Religion and therefore proves our sincerity in all the rest Upon this trial we cannot doubt but that it was for God's sake that we abstain'd from Drunkenness and Theft and hard dealing and Lust and Uncleanness that in pure Conscience and with Pious affections we offer'd up our daily Prayers and Blessed God for all his gifts and observed his Laws For no other Principle can make a man persevere in Religious dependence upon him when he is not bribed with the Prosperity of this World. The Truth is that all the Virtues that are exercised while every thing goes well with us as heart can wish are something necessary for our welfare in this World if we go wisely to work for it A liar will not be believed a false man will not be trusted drunkards will hardly thrive
SEVENTEEN SERMONS Preach'd upon Several Occasions Never before Printed By WILLIAM CLAGETT D. D. Late Preacher to the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn and one of His Majesty's Chaplains in Ordinary With the SUMM of a CONFERENCE On February 21 1686 between Dr. Clagett and Father Gooden about the Point of Transubstantiation LONDON Printed for W. Rogers at the Sun in Fleet-street over against St. Dunstan's Church 1689. THE PREFACE THere will need no more to recommend the following Discourses to the Reader than only to assure him he is not imposed upon by the Title Page but what is here presented to him as Dr. Claget's Sermons are really so being published from his own Papers and by his own Brother And indeed the Sermons themselves do sufficiently speak their Author for they every where express the Spirit the Judgment and the Reasoning of that Excellent Man tho' some of them perhaps want that Finishing which his Masterly Hand would have given them had he been to have published them himself The first of these Sermons he meant to have Printed if God had given him Life being prevailed upon by the Importunity of several of his Friends who then judged it very seasonable The last in this Collection was the last Sermon he Preached It was preached at St. Martins in the Fields on the day of his Lent-course there And that very Evening he fell into that Sickness which put a period to his Life twelve days after No Man perhaps in this Age of so private a Condition died more lamented For as he had all the amiable charming Qualities to procure the Esteem and Love of every one that knew him So God had bestowed upon him so many great and useful Talents for the doing Service to Religion to the Church to all about him And he so faithfully and industriously employed those Talents to those purposes that he was really a Publick Blessing and he had that Right done him as to be esteemed so He was born at St. Edmunds-Bury Sept. 24. 1646. being the Son of Mr. Nicholas Claget then Minister there His Vniversity-Education was at Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge His first Publick appearance in the World was at his own Native Town of Bury where he was chosen one of the Preachers Which Office he discharged for several years with so universal a Reputation that it might be truly said as to him That a Prophet had Honour in his own Country From thence at the Instance of some considerable Men of the Long Robe whose Business at the Assizes there gave them Opportunities of being acquainted with his great Worth and Abilities he was prevailed with to remove to Grays-Inn And indeed it was no small Testimony given to his Merits that he was thought worthy by that Honourable Society to succeed the Eminent Dr. Cradock as their Preacher In this Place he continued all the remainder of his Life and he behaved himself worthily in it and the Gentlemen of that House took all Occasions of declaring that he did so by the constant Kindness they expressed to him while he lived and the Respects they paid him at his Death He had indeed at the time of his Death two other Preferments besides that of Grays-Inn The Lord Keeper North his Wives Kinsman had given him a Living in Buckingham-shire but the other Place was that which he himself most valued next to Grays-Inn and that was the Lecture of Bassishaw to which he was chosen by that Parish about two years before his death It was the Lecture which Dr. Calamy had immediately held before him Never was there two greater Men successively Lecturers of one Parish nor ever was any Parish kinder to two Lecturers Dr. Claget dyed of the Small-Pox March 28th and was buried in the Church of St. Michael Bassishaw His Wife Mrs. Thomasin North a most Vertuous and Accomplish'd Woman dyed eighteen days after him of the same Disease and was buried in the same Grave with him There is this little Passage not unfit to be mentioned here The last Sermon Dr. Claget made tho' not the last he preached was that which is the sixteenth in this Collection upon this Text Shall we receive good at the hands of God and shall we not receive evil This Sermon he made upon occasion of the death of a Child of his that happened a little before And he had writ it fairly out I suppose for this end that his Wife might read it And accordingly she did so but upon a much sadder Occasion For it was after his death that she got this Sermon into her hands and then she made it her continual Entert ainment and a seasonable one it was as long as her strength would suffer her But to return to Dr. Claget We owe it to the Society of Grays-Inn that he was brought to this City But after he came hither his own Merits in a little time rendred him sufficiently conspicuous For so innocent and unblameable was his Life such an unaffected Honesty and Simplicity appear'd in all his Conversation so obliging he was in his Temper so sincere in all his Friendships so ready to do all sorts of good Offices that came in his way and withal so Prudent a Man so good a Preacher so dexterous in untying Knots and making hard things plain so happy in treating of common Subjects in an uncommon and yet useful way So able a Champion for the True Religion against all Opposers whatsoever and lastly so ready upon all occasions to Advise to Direct to Encourage any work that was undertaken for the promoting or defending the Cause of God. I say all these Qualities were so eminent in Dr. Claget that it was impossible they should be hid The Town soon took Notice of him and none that intimately knew him could forbear to love and admire him and scarce any that had heard of him to esteem and honour him If the Reader would know more of Doctor Claget let him peruse those Writings of his which he Published himself By them he will in some measure be able to make a Judgment of the Genius and Abilities of the Man. If a Friend can speak without partiality there doth in those Writings appear so strong a Judgment such an admirable Faculty of Reasoning so much Honesty and Candor of Temper so great plainness and perspicuity and withal so much spirit and quickness and in a word all the Qualities that can recommend an Author or render his Books Excellent in their kind That I should not scruple to give Dr. Claget a place among the most Eminent and Celebrated Writers of this Church And if he may be allowed that it is as great an Honour as can be done him For perhaps from the inspired Age to this the World did never see more Accurate and more Judicious Composures in matters of Religion than the Church of England has produced in our days The Discourses writ and published by Dr. Claget are these that follow A Discourse concerning the Operations of
to permit those to resist the Holy Spirit and the means of Salvation who would not be reclaimed by any reasonable means and that for these three Reasons 1. That there might be a clear difference made between the good and honest heart on the one side and the insincere and incourigible on the other Which had been impossible if God had by his Omnipotence equally overborn all men into the Faith and Obedience of Christ But as the case stands the Gospel is a Touch-stone that distinguisheth between the Humble and Sincere and the Unteachable and Dishonest part of Mankind And the Offences which are given by those that do not receive the Truth in the love of it are a farther trial of the sincerity and ingenuity of men as St. Paul said of one kind of Offences There must be Heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest And therefore notwithstanding Offences that remains true which our Saviour said All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 i. e. All sincere and humble persons who are committed to the special care of Christ to train them up to eternal Life will be sufficiently armed against Temptations and the Offences that are laid in their way shall but clear their sincerity and wisdom more to the World and turn to the encrease of their reward 2. As the sincerity of the Righteous so neither had the proper advantages and power of Truth been seen had God interposed his irresistible power to prevent all Offences and Endeavours against the Truth And therefore he was pleased to suffer Errour and Folly to appear upon the stage of the World even after the heavenly Wisdom of the Gospel was made known to Mankind that by its own strength it might struggle with all kind of opposition and prevail and be justified of her Children 3. By this way the Wisdom of Divine Providence and the truth of God's word and his care over the Church is seen more illustriously than if Offences had never been suffered That Promise that the Gates of Hell should never prevail against the Church of Christ nor the Faith lost from the Earth had lain in the Gospel unobserved we should have had no occasion for recourse to it no means of tryal whether we put our trust in it had the Truth been never opposed never corrupted we had wanted one notable reason to praise God that while the Offences are so rife in this World this Church gives no Offence in matter of Doctrine or in matter of Worship and that God may count us worthy to enjoy so inestimable a Blessing let us pray that we may give no Offence by our Examples let us adorn our Profession by our Conversations and shew the Purity of our Faith by the Purity of our Actions Thus much for the necessity of Offences that thus would arise It must needs be that Offences come The Third Sermon MATTH XVIII 7. Wo unto the World because of Offences for it must needs be that Offences come But wo to that man by whom the Offence cometh I Come now to the second point viz. That Offences would do great mischief in the World. Wo unto the World because of Offences In speaking to which I shall consider I. What mischief is done by Offences II. Whence it comes that they are of so pernicious a Consequence 1. What mischief is done by them And in this Question I need not be large because the Answer to it has in some part been already given under those several heads of Scandal which I mentioned before it being impossible to shew where the Scandal of any Practice or Opinion lies without touching upon the mischief it is apt to do But to what has been said something may be added 1. The general mischief of Offences or Scandals is this That they are a prevailing Temptation upon many in the World to forsake the way of Truth and Piety For as good Examples and Encouragements good Counsels and Instructions are proper means of making others better so ill Examples and the Arts of Seducing must needs have a contrary influence God has put us into a kind of dependance upon one another and has thereby given us Opportunities of the greatest Charity and the best kinds of doing good viz. of leading and confirming one another in the way of Truth and Vertue But there is no help for it but the Society we have with one another may be abused into a means of doing one another mischief And therefore as where Truth is sincerely represented where Vertue is encouraged where Authority protects them where Wit and Learning are engaged to recommend them there abundance of good will be done upon those who are framed to learn and not to teach to follow but not to lead the way So on the other hand it is not to be expected but the abuse of all those Advantages will create Prejudices against Truth and Goodness and mislead multitudes And this is too evident from the Experience of the World in all Ages No Opinions how foolish and absurd soever how pernicious soever to the common Interest of Mankind if they have been set off with plausible Colours or supported by Authority or have been accommodated to the Interests of wicked Men but they have had Abettors and Followers and have very often taken such deep Root in the Affections of Men that 't is one of the hardest things in the World to convert them into the way of Truth But more particularly in the second place 2. The scandal of advancing Doctrines that give liberty to the Lusts of Men and ease to their Minds without effectual Reformation This Scandal I say has this pernicious effect that for the most part it fears the Consciences of Men and hardens their Hearts against all Reproof Although it be a terrible aggravation of Sin for a Man to venture upon the doing of that which his Conscience pulls him back from and for which he knows he must give a sad account at the last day if it be not prevented by Sorrow and Reformation yet such a Man is in a better condition than one that is well satisfied with himself and believes his condition to be good enough while he goes on in his sins without Reformation because he has another way to escape the damnation of Hell. For so long as a Man believes the Promises and Threatnings of the Gospel as they are and knows the Terms upon which they are made it may be hoped that he will at length lay these things seriously to Heart and that some awakening Reproof from Men or some merciful Providence of God may make the Truth which he is already provided with the belief of effectual to his Conversion But there is little Reason to hope this of a Man whose very Principles are corrupted and has no fears within himself for a charitable Man to take hold upon And therefore that saying