say I will give you my word for it We may easily conceive it requisite from that natural light which remain'd in the reasonable creature that God the Creator and Governor is to be worshipped 4 Acts 17.23 Rom. 1.23 25 1 Kings 18.21 and that no worship can be accepted of God but what is instituted of himself and sith there abides in Man naturally a strong desire of truth and immortality of knowing how he may be accepted of God 5 2 Cor. 5.9 Psal 4.6 73.24 and enjoy Communion with him that there should be some assured 6 2 Tim. 3.14 Revelation 7 John 1.18 Deut. 29.29 whereby he doth manifest himself and declare his will as the glass of his Divinity 8 2 Cor. 3.18 4.6 and the rule of his worship 9 Isa 1.10 12. Matth. 7.21 Col. 2.23 24. that we may not be guilty of worshipping we know not what or how being he is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and in truth 10 Joh. 4.22 24 3. Tho' God in infinite Wisdom during the time of the long-liv'd Patriarchs till some time after the flood thought it sufficient notwithstanding there was an early defection from his appointments which yet in some measure came under the Reformation of Enoch 11 Gen. 4.26 Noah 12 Gen. 8.20 9.5 and Abraham 13 Gen. 17.1 c. Deut. 8.5 4.7 8. to continue that way of Revelation from one to another during the infancy of his Church however when she grew up it became necessary for the due Conservation Vindication and Propagation of his Word that as all Nations by the light of Nature are directed generally to the use of Laws his own Laws reaching to the very motions of the heart should be written 14 Prov. 22.19 20. Luke 1.3 4. Rom. 15.4 This is found to be the most credible way of Proposal it being most fit we should ascribe that to God which is really consonant to the greatest Wisdom that the certainty of the Word of truth might be known and communicated God himself wrote his Laws 15 Exod. 24.12 Hos 8.12 and commanded Moses 16 Exod. 34.1 27. and the Prophets 17 Hab. 2.2 Jer. 36.2 Scripta tabella manet Dr. Templer to write his will and oracles These coming as the credential Letters of the supream infallible Majesty which are to remain inviolable not be rejected by any who could never see any demonstrative evidence to weaken the Authority thereof So that it would be most injurious to the Divine benignity to suspect that the All-wise and most gracious God would be wanting to his Church in so necessary a matter The great Doctor of the Gentiles would argue ‖ Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his Son but deliver'd him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things These things being premis'd 2. I shall proceed to the particular grounds of the Assertion so as I would hope they may not only satisfie real Christians but such as are doubting of the Divine Authority of the holy Scriptures if not dispos'd to be Antiscripturists 1. The Assent of Divine Faith whereby a sinner is converted and brought nigh to God is only built upon the Authority of God the Revealer considering his infallible Veracity that he is a God of truth and cannot deceive or be deceived having dominion over his Creatures who are therefore to submit to his Word penn'd upon his command by those who were divinely inspir'd 18 2 Tim. 3.16 2 Sam. 23.2 3. Hos 12.10 2 Pet. 1.21 1 Thes 2.13 as they vouch'd and prov'd themselves to be and we have no solid reason to except against their Proof Tho' the Prophets and Penmen of Scripture were not always accompanied with miracles when they delivered their Messages from God yet they required an attendance and obedience under an eternal penalty to be inflicted upon those who did disobey the voice and Message of God which if they to whom it came did not receive with a Divine Faith they did in Gods account refuse to obey There is no suspending our Assent when God expresly declares his Will by himself or his Messengers coming in his Name as in the last days he did by his Son 19 Heb. 1.1 who spake with Authority and not as the Scribes 20 Matth. 7.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There was a Divinity discern'd in it by the hearers and so there was in some proportion in the Prophets of the Lord somewhat Divine which might be discern'd by those unto whom it came as by Paul distinctly ‖ else it had been hard for God to have charged their eternal and temporal welfare or ruin 6 Acts 22.9 upon their discerning or not discerning a right betwixt his Word in the mouth of his own Prophets and that Word which pretended only so to be in the mouths of the false Prophets We have a notable instance hereof in opposition to those who pretended to Prophecy in the Name of the Lord to gain credit to their lies 21 Jer. 23.22 25 28. The Prophet that hath a dream let him tell a dream and he that hath my Word let him speak it faithfully what is the Chaff to the Wheat saith the Lord Is not my Word like fire saith the Lord And like an hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces The righteous God would not have required of Men under a dreadful penalty to have assented to his Word in opposition to the impostors dreams had there not been most certain tokens for the differencing of it from that of the false prophets whose words as all others besides his were as Chaff light and useless stuff for Mans food which the Wheat the bread of life might be easily known from by those who had eyes to see and did not because of their evil deeds love darkness rather than light ‖ John 3.19 we know they who by a good light are conversant in receiving and paying of monies do readily discern the genuine from counterfeit coin Whereupon Gerson * Pars prima De distinctione verarum Visionum a falsis affirmed that the true coin of Divine Revelation may be known from the counterfeits of Diabolical Visions as true Gold is from its counterfeit by its weight flexibility and durableness or continuity and incorruptibleness configuration and colour Gods holy Word had light and heat and power proper to it which made it evident tho' prejudice and conceited interest hindred many to whom it came from giving entire credit to it delivered by the Lords true Prophets 21 Isa 53.1 Jer. 43.3 and Christ himself 22 John 9.29 12.37 38. who will certainly manifest himself as in displeasure to those who reject him revealing the Father so in favour to those who receive him 23 John 14.21 Matth. 11.20 T is no way likely that one from the dead should so manifest himself if he came to impart his experiences to his
sublime nervous Epistle whether St. Luke or Barnabas or Clement or Apollos or the Apostle Paul as I most think I here dispute not is evidently walking in the searches of the great Excellency of Christianity as it was brought unto us by and took its denomination from and serves the purposes and speaks the Eminence Unction and Prerogatives and Designs of Christ the Son of God And this discourse he here directeth to the Hebrews by whom we may understand those Christian Jews that were in Syria Judea and principally at Jerusalem for those that were dispersed through the Provinces of the Roman Empire were commonly called Greeks And those indeed who were Converted to the Christian Faith were terribly persecuted by the Jews their Brethren and assaulted by Seducers to work them back again to their deserted Judaism and much ado they had to stand their ground Whereupon this Author mindful of what his Lord had said in Mat. xxiv 9-13 attempts to shew the Eminencies of their State and that Judaism was every way transcended by Christianity The Author of it was a greater and better Person than Moses Aaron or Melchizedeck The Doctrines were more mysterious and sublime The Laws more spiritual and most accurately suited to the compleating and perpetuating of the Divine Life and Nature in them and to the advancing them unto all Conformities to God imitations of him and intimacies with him The Promises were more glorious rich and full and all the Constitutions Furniture Services Ministry and Advantages of the Gospel Polity and Temple carried more glorious signatures of God upon them and were more eminently attested patronized and succeeded by God than ever Judaism was or than it could pretend unto Why therefore should it be deserted or coldly owned or improved negligently or defectively This Author having therefore gained his point and throughly proved the dignity of the Christian state and calling beyond all possibility of grounded Cavils or competition He next proceeds to shew these Hebrews the genuine and just improvement of what he had demonstrated Heb. x. 19-39 xi xii xiii 1-19 The Casuistical consideration of the Text best serves the stated purpose of this hour And that I may be evidently pertinent clear succinct and profitable let me now lay the Case and Text together and consider them in their relative aspects each toward the other 1. Luke-warmness is the remissness or defectiveness of heat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a middle thing betwixt cold and heat When there is not heat enough in subjecto capaci to serve the purposes that such a thing under such circumstances should subserve Now God and Christ expect a fervent Spirit burning and flaming Love and in the Text Love is here represented as needing Provocation Heart-warmth is nothing else but love suiting and accommodating it self to worthy objects according to their apprehended dignity usefulness or concerns Love is the endearing to our selves of apprehended Excellence or Goodness and our letting out our selves or the issuings forth of our pleased wills in correspondent motions towards reposes in obsequiousness to and engagements for what we admire and affect for worth or excellence discerned makes us accommodate our selves unto the pleasure and concerns thereof according to its nature place and posture towards us and our affairs therewith When therefore this Affection Principle or Grace or Passion if Love may properly be called so is grown too weak to fix the will and to influence the life so as to please its God and turns indifferent and unconcerned and variable as the winds and weather change this languor of the Heart and Will and its easiness and proneness to be drawn off from God and things Divine we call Luke-warmness which is nothing else indeed but the sluggishness and dulness of the heart and will to such a degree as that it is not duly affected with nor startled at nor concerned intimately about what is truly excellent and of great consequence and importance to us And hence our Author phrases it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that Love may and ought to be smart and keen heating and urging all the powers of the Soul to excite all their vigours and to perform all their Functions with strength and pleasure Consider well Cant. viii 6 7. ii Cor. v. 14. i Thess ii 8. Heart unaffectedness unconcernedness and inactivity let Souls and their concerns God's interest and the Matters of Christ's Kingdom go and be as they will Phil. ii 20 21. This is the malady to be cured 2. It is not so much a single instance of luke-warmness as a temper that the case speaks of Nor doth the Text intend an intermittent Feaver in the heart 't is not a transient Paroxysm by fits and starts for hearts to burn but 't is a stated frame that must be changed and fixt The Malady is a luke-warm temper a frame and constitution of the inward man too weakly bent and byassed towards God and heavenly things to make them statedly its predominant ambition business and delight Act. xi 23. ii Cor. v. 9. A frame of Soul that sits too loose towards God to do to bear to be to hope to wait much for him in the stormy and dark day 3. It is the effectual cure hereof that the case aims at and in this Paroxysm of Love and of Good Works the cure consists Hence Labour of love Heb. vi 10. i Thess i. 3. Love abounding more and more in knowledge and in all judgment that ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence until the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the Glory and Praise of God Phil. i. 9. 11. when Love is fervent fixt and genuinely fruitful then is this luke-warm temper cured indeed Hence zealous of good works See Tit. ii 11. 14. 4. How this Cure of such a temper may be effectually wrought is the next thing to be enquired into and the great import of the case before us and a great cluster of apt and pertinent Expedients doth the Text here entertain us with Such as 1. Determining and designing to enterprize the thing here called Provocation to love and to good works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 · This is the great concern to be espoused and the great scope of our intentions resolutions and endeavours Love and good works are the great Cure of this Distemper to which we must direct our thoughts words deeds provokingly Col iv 5 6 Such a Distemper must not be ordinarily expected to be cured by accident nor are their Labours likely to be prosperous who do not cordially design this Cure 2 The mutual Considerations of Persons Consider one another to a Provocation So the Greek We must take into serious deep and frequent thoughts the quality capacity spirits courses and concerns of one another and see wherein they are defective or exemplary and proficient in these things as
been tryed Am. 4. and prove unsuccessful Security and Impenitency is added to Rebellion before God proceeds against a People The Lords Goodness displays it self in his Calls and Patience waiteth an Answer ere he takes the advantage against a Land Isa 3.9 Oft besides the grosness of sins there is boldness and shamefulness they declare their sin as Sodom I shall not mention antecedent aggravations as Light Convictions Covenant bonds c. which add a weight to sin whiles committing You see what National Sins are in the Question and when they become such as hazard the ruine of a People Quest What are National Mercies in the Case before us Answ Such Blessings as truly and considerably affect the good of a Community They must be Blessings in their nature and National in their extent they must have an aptitude to the Common Weale the more they conduce to make a Land happy the greater the Mercy is Neither is the gracious design of God to bless a Land thereby to be disregarded for sometimes he rains Snares Psal 78.29 31. and gives Quails in judgment These Mercies regard our Souls or our Bodies or both I shall ennumerate some of them * By pardon I mean an exemption from Tempâ—ral Puniâ—hments for those sins The pardon of past sins and help against the like offences the pretence of God as effective of Spiritual and Temporal good Gospel Ordinances a Holy Judicious Faithful Ministry a pure Worship the Spirits energie in the Gospel to the Conversion of many Sinners and real Edification of Saints whereby the estate of Believers may be flourishing a Godly Discipline and Communion of Saints founded on plain Gospel Terms Love and Peace among Churches grounded on essential not disputable Notions and expressed in all the fruits of Christian Love freedom from Persecution and Malignity a Godly Magistracy using its Power to restrain Sin and promote Godliness Peace in our Borders Justice in our Courts Learning in the Schools Wisdom and sincere designs for publick good among Counsellours Plenty by a Blessing on ouâ— Trades and Labours Health in our Streets Credit and Influence among Neighbouring Countries freedom from such Judgments as waste and debate a Land These and the like constitute a happy Nation They are Mercies which National Sins forfeit and without which the aspect of a Land is mournful Greater or less degrees of all or any of these are within the Question as the object of our expectations and the sorts and degrees are oft proportioned to a Nations Repentance and determined by it Thirdly The Case stated and distinguished from what seems like it It is not what Repentance God requireth of particular persons in order to Eternal Life nor what Repentance God requireth of a sinful Nation as its duty nor what 's that Repentance without which a Nation shall never enjoy National Mercies nor what Repentance is that on which every Nation in all cases shall partake of National Mercies nor what shall limit our Prayers nor yet altogether our Hopes as to the state of a Land much less what is that Repentance which will best secure National Mercies But the Question connects our Repentance and warrantable expectations The scope of it is What is the lowest sort or degree of Repentance for National Sins which is requisite to warrant and ordiâ—arily direct our expectations of National Mercies The Reason why I add ordinarily will appear after the indefiniteness of the term National Mercies whether of this kind or of that to this or that degree I insist not upon Supposing that it imports at least so much and many Mercies as render a Nation tolerably happy and exempted from what it esteems calamitous Fourthly The Difficulties of the Case It s not only hard to determine it as the minimum quod sic in any qualification for Mercy nor yet as a thing depending on Multitudes and relating to the Providence of God as to what 's future but there are these other things that make it difficult 1. Other Nations are not under such express Rules with respect to Gods outward dealings as the Jewish Nation was That people was under a Theocracy God was their King 1 Sam. 12.12 on this account the Lord chargeth them when they were for a King 1 Sam. 8.7 that they rejected me that I should not reign over them Idolatry also was High Treason in that State they were Gods peculiar Nation and thereby to live in a more immediate dependance on him even in Civil respects Isa 51.4 than other People The Rules of their External Priviledges both Church and National were express in that Covenant of peculiarity whereinto they were admitted This Covenant easily determined mens Expectations of Gods dealings with them But I think we cannot always conclude from Gods Methods towards them how he will deal with other Nations that are not under the same Law 2. There have been alwayes great displays of Soveraignty in Gods Dispensation of Judgments and Mercy towards Nations He waites longer on some people than on others though no more guilty Sometimes he granteth favour to a Nation though its Sins be many and punisheth it when its provocations appear less Josh 7.1 The Sins of multitudes are connived at sometimes and at other times he afflicteth for the Offences of a few as in the case of Achan He hath diverted Judgments at the Prayer of one Moses Exo. 32.11 14. Ez. 14.14 Jer. 7.16 but sometimes though Noah Daniel and Job be there they shall deliver no more than themselves Yea he hath forbid his Servants to pray for a people as a thing to no purpose God hath sorely rebuked small Sins in particular Persons as Moses Vzzah c. to let men see its Patience in God not Innocency in Men that he still destroys not There is exact Wisdom and Righteousness in all this variety which the light of a higher State will discover though now by reason of darkness his wayes seem perplexed to us However this Soveraign unaccountableness must abate our positiveness in judging what will be the way of God towards a people though it hinders not the determining our ordinary Expectations 3. There are prophetick periods wherein National Mercies shall not be obstructed by impenitence but Repentance shall follow them Israel was not remarkably penitent when the time of Redemption from Egypt was come yet God keeps his day Ezek. 16.62 Hag. 2.14 16 17 18. Rev. 19 1 7 8. Their Release from Babylon found them in the like unfit posture yet God is pacified and brings them to Repentance by their return This people is unclean and what they offer is unclean yet he makes them prosper and build the Temple even though they had not turned to him And it seems to be not much otherwise with the Church when it sings the Praises of God for the consummating stroak against Antichrist Rev. 19.1 7 8. she is not ready nor cloathed with eminent Holiness 4. The Desolation of a
transgress you the commandments of the Lord that ye cannot prosper Were it otherwise Gods Name would not be Sanctified no order in this lower World would be kept But further Impenitence is not onely a Moral Obstacle to good as it provokes God to with-hold it but it s a Natural Obstacle the wickedness of men is efficient of Wo to a People and is in many senses destructive of Mercies and inconsistent therewith Many Enormities of a Nation are its Plagues as bad Laws wickedness in Magistrates a corrupt Ministry Oppression c. It s Iniquity is even materially its Ruin APPLICATION Many Inferences are obvious As How dreadful an Evil is Sin How dangerous to a Land are multitudes of Offenders A Nation is foolish that discountenances Piety and destroyeth the godly Party whereby it strikes at its own Refuge How good and long-suffering is God that calls the vilest Nations to return waits long for their Answer and destroys not till their Repentance be even hopeless What Enemies to themselves Neighbours and Posterity bound up in their doom are an impenitent people What sottish and Atheistical Men are they that guide their hopes and fears of a Nations Welfare by Fancies or second Causes but without regard to Gods Favour or Anger or the influence that Repentance or Impenitence have upon the wayes of God towards a People What a dismal Prospect is a Wicked Nation sporting with their Provocations and Warnings How uncertain a Tenure do most Nations hold their Mercies by But I have not time to insist on these I shall briefly apply the Resolution of the Case to our own Nation We are a Nation we have National Sins Repentance of these Sins is a presage of our future State as well as others I know no exemption or peculiar allowance we can expect at the hands of the righteous Governour of the World Oh that our Hearts were under the Power of this awful Truth that our iniquity may not be our ruin Ezek. 18.30 In order to this 1. I shall insist on some things in order to our Repentance 2. Enquire Whether we may groundedly expect National Mercies from our present Frame 3. Conclude with an Use of Lamentation of our National Impenitency and Dangers In order to our Repentance I shall 1. Represent to you the National Sins we ought to Repent of Hereby you 'l know what we should be humbled for resolve against and reform What a Terror ought it be but to mention our Provocations Oh that a Land of Light should be chargeable with such Enormities and yet be secure and hate to be reformed Where shall I begin the Charge We and our Fathers for some Ages have been guilty of the same sins yet unrepented of Against whom shall I level the Inditement Alass we have all sinned and done wickedly as we could Magistrates and Subjects Ministers and People the Unbelievers and Believers To what sorts of Sins shall I confine my self to Wo is us what Sins did God ever destroy a Land for that are not National with us But that the sound may not appear uncertain I account my self bound in Conscience to be more particular My subject forceth me not any uncharitable design Oh that my own heart were more filled with Zeal for God and deepest sorrows for the Nations Sin whiles I am recording what may offend the guilty though the Charge be too plain to admit a Denial Let us Enquire Is England altogether innocent as to its Laws Do not we see that some of the terms of Conformity are far other than our blessed Lord hath instituted Are they not remote from a tendency to advance real Piety and exclusive of some things that would much conduce thereto Is not a Diocesan Bishop set up whose sole Jurisdiction barrs all the other Ministers from the Exercise of a great part of their Office while the Bishop is utterly unable to perform it through the largeness of his Diocess Is there not more than an Umbrage of Lying and Perjury imposed on all Ministers when they must Assent Subscribe and Swear to what is more than suspicious yea utterly false Are not a heap of Ceremonies and corrupt Usages re-assumed though once cast out to the facilitating of the return of Popery dividing of Protestants and the scandal of the weak who are too apt to place Religion yea all their Religion in those Vanities How many severe Laws were made against Dissenters and severely executed to the ruin of Thousands Was it no provocation to silence Two Thousand Faithful Ministers when their Labours were so necessary and their places were to be filled up with many young Men who have proved fatal to serious Religion The Sacrament is made a Politick Engine to further the Damnation of unworthy Receivers that all such may be kept out whom they suspect any way hazardous to excessive Pomp and Ecclesiastick Pageantry Can the Land be Innocent where Atheism is so professed the most Blasphemous Oathes are fashionable Perjury Uncleanness Drunkenness Malignity against all credible Holiness so common and consistent with Reputation VVas it not among us that the Covenant was burnt by the hands of a Common Hangman and horrid Murthers committed as legal Executions Is not that Christian Nation guilty where prophanation of Sabbaths is so notorious yea pleaded for as warrantable Most Families have nothing of Gods VVorship the plainest Essentials of Religion by few understood the Operations of the Spirit turned into Ridicule and Religion placed in things that bear not a faint resemblance of the very form of it while Sobriety its self is meer matter of Scoff and the Fountains of Learning send forth many more fitted to Infect than Reform the Age Is it to be concealed that Men enter on the Ministry as Apprentices on a Trade and use it as a meer means for a Livelihood How many are Pastors without the peoples Consent And too many preach while unacquainted with the Gospel as a Law of Faith and Rule of the Recovery of Apostate Sinners The Labors of such have no tendency to Convert or Edifie their Hearers yea alass Conversion is judged a Foolish thing to urge All the most Debauched and Prophane are Regenerate if they were Baptized and come to Church Many Souls eternally perish by the influence of this one principle and the Ministry is diverted from its greatest end Have we not seen the Ministry too much laid out to serve the late Governments in designs of enslaving the Nations and ruining the Life of the Protestant Religion Though amazing was the Providence which almost too late opened some Mens Eyes by a close attempt against their own places and so swayed their Minds that they contributed to save the Land from that Ruin which a few more Sermons of Non resistance if believed by the Nation had rendred unavoidable The good Lord continue that impulse least our Miseries become greater by the beginnings of our Deliverance I design not this Account of all our publick Ministers blessed be God