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A61172
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A sermon preached before the King at White-Hall, Decemb. the 24th. 1676 by Thomas Sprat ...
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Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing S5052; ESTC R1442
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14,382
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41
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Private Life that Charity towards men that humble Devotion towards God in which we can only say we have heard our Nation once excell'd 'T would be a melancholy employment to search into the causes of this unhappy change but whatever other occasions may have contributed to the continuance and increase of it certainly the chief cause of the beginning of it was Spiritual Pride and Hypocrisie the want nay the contempt of an humble and docible Spirit The different effects of this disposition and of that which is contrary to it have been abundantly tried in all Histories in all States Civil and Ecclesiastical especially Ecclesiastical Those Countries and Societies of men have ever most flourish'd where men have been kept longest under a reasonable Discipline those where the number of Teachers have been few in comparison to the number of Learners There was never yet any wise Nation or happy Church at least never any that continued long so where all have thought themselves equally fit and have been promiscuously admitted to be Teachers or Law-givers What can be the consequence of such a head-strong stiff-necked over-weening unmanageable Spirit can any thing be more destructive to Church and State than such a perverse humor as is unteachable ungovernable it self and yet over-hasty to govern and teach others where Children get too soon out of the government of their Parents and Masters where men think it a Duty of Religion to strive to get out of the Government of their Magistrate and Prince where Christians shall think themselves not at all bound to be under the Government of the Church must not all domestic and Politic and spiritual Relations soon be dissolv'd must not all order be speedily overthrown where all the true ways to make and keep men orderly are confounded And what in time would be the issue of such a confusion what but either gross ignorance or false knowledge which is as bad or worse what but a contempt of virtue and prudence under the disgraceful titles of pedantry and formality what but a looseness of tongues and lives and at last mens taking pride in and valuing themselves on such looseness what but a disobedience to the Laws of man in a pretence of the Kingdom of God but in truth a neglect of all the Laws both of God and man In short what but mad Enthusiasm first and then licentious Atheism for very near is the distance very easie the passage from one of these extremes to the other Wherefore for these most pernicious distempers the great prevention the best remedy is this in my Text that we all receive the Kingdom of God as little children that children be carefully instructed in Religion as children whilst they are so that our grown men our wise men especially our witty men should not disdain to be as children in respect of spiritual instruction that the same modesty of opinions and duty to Governours and submission to Instructors which children have by nature without any experience they would strive to have by choice as the main end of and best means to improve their greatest wit and experience 'T is good for a man that be beareth the yoke in his youth 'T is good for him that beareth it not only for human society 'T is good to bear the yoke the severest direction the hardest restraint much more to yield to the tenderness of counsel the easiness of instruction the wholsom severities of Discipline First then in the name of God may the means of Education the times of Institution the rules of Discipline the Laws of Government the distance and duties of Inferiors to Superiors of all degress be most seriously regarded that our men may be brought up to business to professions fitted for the world for Heaven by the laborious methods of virtue and knowledg and obedience by an exact Rule by sure degrees no matter how slow so they be but sure better too slow than too precipitate And lastly may our men of ripe years our men of business our great men be intreated to revive and restore the antient simplicity and integrity of manners to practice an inward humility and lowliness of mind an outward innocence towards all condescension to Inferiors observance of Superiors submission to Teachers subjection to Rulers and to practise all these excellent virtues not only as so many moral or political Duties but as indeed they are as some of the most Christian most Spiritual and most Evangelical Graces Thus for us all to become as Children is the surest way to preserve where it is to recover where it was lost private virtue public honesty and a national piety And by the words of our Saviour in my Text I am impowred to promise to this blessed Temper an eternal Reward For if whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein Hence we may well conclude that whosoever shall receive it as a child shall enter therein For of such says our Saviour is the Kingdom of God Of which I beseech Almighty God to make us all partakers Amen FINIS A Catalogue of some Books Printed for and sold by H. Brome since the dreadful Fire of London to 1675. COmber on the Common-Prayer in two Volumes A Guide to Eternity By John Bona Octavo Dean W. Lloyd's Sermon before the King about Miracles His Sermon at the Funeral of John Lord Bishop of Chester 6d His Sermon before the King in Lent 1673. 6d The Seasonable Discourse against Popery in 40. 6d The Defence of it 40. 6d The Difference betwixt the Church and Court of Rome 40. 6d The Papists Apology to the Parliament answered 6d Mr. Naylor's Commemoration Sermon for Colonel Cavendish 6d Mr. Sayer's Sermon at the Assizes at Reading 6d Mr. Tho. Tanner's Sermon to the scattered Members of the Church 6d Mr. Stanhop's four Sermons on several occasions 80. bound 1 s. 6d Papal Tyranny as it was exercised over England for some Ages with two Sermons on the fifth of Nov. by Dr. Du Moulin 40. 1 s. 6d His Sermon at the Funeral of Dr. Turner Dean of Canterbury 6d Bishop Laney's last Sermon before the King Dr. Duport's three Sermons on Nov. 5. Jan. 30. May 29. The Reformed Monastery or Love of Iesus The History of the Charterhouse with the Life and last Will of Thomas Sutton Esq S. James 4.6 Ver. 13 14. Heb. 12.1 1 Pet. 2.2 Rom. 12.2 Luke 11.41 Tit. 2.14 Mat. 10.16 1 Cor. 14.20 St. Chrysost. on St. Matth. 19.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lam. 3.27
the same eternal life simple in the means that conduce to that end which are but two and those always the same Faith and Obedience And so simple should be the practice of all that would use those means in a right manner and expect thereby the benefit of that end Nothing shews a nearer resemblance to the Divine Nature than a mind that is pure unmix'd and undefil'd nothing manifests a greater conformity to the Divine Laws than a life of plain innocence nothing more expresses that free and generous disdain which all true Christians have or should have of these earthly transitory things nothing declares a more magnanimous confidence in the Divine Providence nothing a more submissive resignation to the Divine will nothing a more stedfast and assured hope of future happiness nothing can keep us safer from dangerous mistakes in all matters of eternal concernment The plain fair even candid mind of which a right measure may soonest be taken is best prepar'd to take a right measure of spiritual things That mild and innocent disposition which least of all deceives others is least of all capable of being dangerously deceived it self in the ways of everlasting salvation Have not more bold venturous artificial wits fallen into errors than they who have been content with the steddy constant firm motion of meek and humble Christians Whilst those presume all on themselves they trust to the most fallible guide whilst these wholly suspect themselves and implore most the grace of God they never fail of a certain assistance and direction And what has been generally the success of both the humble teachable temper of the one has produc'd many real Saints the proud presumptuous subtle spirit of the other has prov'd a fruitful soil for the production of Heretics or Atheists Give me leave therefore most humbly to advise and beseech you all as you would be esteem'd the true Disciples of Christ to labour for this blessed temper which is most proper for Disciples this humble and sincere practice of what you do know this humble willingness to be taught what you do not know and submission to those that do I do not by this in the least plead for the gross blindness and implicit Faith of the Laity which is one of the chief Artifices of the Church of Rome No we that are Ministers of the Church of England may be content nay we may really wish that all our Laity had as much true solid understanding in Religion as our Clergy We can get no advantage by your want of knowledge no more than you can do by ours We have no spiritual cheat with which to delude you for the representing of which we should stand in need either of darkness or of a false light We have nothing in our public profession which the wisest men the most pious Christians may not outwardly practice nothing in our Faith which they ought not inwardly to believe We know and are well assur'd that the only reason why our Church is not more generally embrac'd and admir'd is bycause the purity of its Doctrine the sobriety of its Devotion the moderation of its Discipline the largeness of its Charity are not more impartially and calmly examin'd more generally understood Our Church in its Spiritual State as you are Christians is most conformable to the Rules of Christ to the Apostolical practice to the Primitive Institutions In its Rational state as you are men its Doctrines are very agreable to the reason of mankind its Precepts most becoming the purest and the strictest laws of Nature and Virtue and Morality In its Political state as ye are Englishmen its Interest is inseparable from the Interest of our Nation and Government We are therefore so far from being jealous of your most curious and exact search into the Practices and Principles of our Church that we desire it nay we most earnestly beseech it We are in no danger from mens most subtle inquiry into it we may be from their utter carelesness and indifference towards it We are not against any mans seeing Spiritual Truth only we would not have the blind presume to teach others to see we would not have men think they see when they do not which is the most certain way for them never to see at all We would have you know as much as you can only we would have you believe that both you and we may know much more than we do We intreat you to strive to know all in a right way by sober degrees for right purposes and uses and ends Most seasonable is this advice and I wish it could be most effectually recommended For to speak plain truth a meek humble teachable Spirit and by consequence a devout peaceable and obedient Spirit are almost quite gone out of the world whereas all things in Religion should be plain scarce any thing will now please that is so Whilst so many strive to be Teachers and place most of their Religion in that how many censurers have we of others how many Reformers of the public how few learners how much fewer practisers themselves Alas is it not apparent that ever since so many of the Laity have so much invaded so many have so much despised the Office of the Clergy Pride has evidently prevailed over Humility Faction over Unity ill Nature over Charity Though I am not willing to make a Satyr on any Religious Party nor do I think that the best way to reclaim them our Consciences should convince their Consciences our Lives should confute their Lives else 't is not enough only to employ our tongues and our fancies against their Consciences yet for Truths sake this I must say that of all the Sects amongst us who contemn the Authority of the Church who separate themselves from the great things of our Religion on a dislike of some small things and amongst whom all think themselves gifted Brethren alike Whatever other virtues or shadows of virtues they may seem to have whatever sobriety of Life or strictness of Conversation or freedom from some scandalous sins they may pretend to For which yet I cannot but say that if they are really such as they pretend I wish they were ours yet may they not generally be observ'd to be exceedingly defective in the two principal Fundamental Graces of Christianity which are Humility and Charity Humility of looks or habit they may have but have they as much of heart or life Charity of Good Works do they not too much despise as a low legal way to Heaven Charity of Opinions have they any at all It cannot be denied but in this last Age in most of our memories our Nation has manifestly degenerated from the practice of former times in many Moral Virtues and Spiritual Graces which should teach us to render to God the things that are Gods and to Caesar the things that are Caesars Where is that integrity of Manners that truth of Conversation that dutiful observance of Order that modestly of