Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A53323
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A sermon preach'd in St. Paul's cathedral before the Lord-Mayor, aldermen, &c. on Sunday, October 23, 1698 by Edward Oliver ...
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Oliver, Edward, d. 1732.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing O272; ESTC R17592
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7,965
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28
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Mr. OLIVER's SERMON Before the LORD-MAYOR c. At St. Paul's Cathedral October 23. 1698. EDWIN Mayor Jovis xxvii die Octobris 1698. Annoque RRs Wilhelmi Tertii Angliae c. Decimo THis Court doth desire Mr. Oliver to Print his Sermon Preached before the Lord-Mayor and Aldermen of this City at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Sunday last GOODFELLOW A SERMON PREACH'D in St. PAUL's Cathedral BEFORE THE Lord-Mayor ALDERMEN c. On SUNDAY October 23. 1698. By EDWARD OLIVER M. A. Fellow of Corpus Christi College Cambridge and Chaplain to the Right Honourable GEORGE Earl of Northampton The Second Edition LONDON Printed for Edward Castle next Scotland-Yard-Gate near Whitehall MDCXCVIII A SERMON Preach'd before the Lord-Mayor c. JOHN IV. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in sprit and in truth OUR Blessed Redeemer neglected no opportunity of exerting that universal Charity he came into the world to teach that thus by his Practice his Doctrine might gain Credit and the stiffest Prejudices be wrought off and conquer'd by so powerful an Example Answerable to this we find him here in this Chapter bearing with patience the Ignorance and subtle Shifts of a Woman with tenderness reproving the Sins of an heinous Offender with kindness though himself a Jew conversing with a Samaritan Thus by his Affability and stooping to the meanest Capacity does he convince the Understanding that was fraught with Prejudice and Infidelity subject that Will that was led captive at the pleasure of each unruly Lust In short of an Idolater and Adult'ress makes a Convert and a Teacher of others Such care does he take to have all come to the knowledge of the Truth that we find him supplying the defects of Education removing those Disadvantages she lay under and what the Jews might have learnt from the Books of their Prophets which Books the Samaritans did wholly reject and so were not capable of understanding he here with great plainness nay more than he vouchsafes to his own Nation declares viz. That he was the Messiah and was to introduce a new and better Law So much advantage has Ignorance and a Confession of Sins above an affected Pretence to Knowledge and a counterfeited Zeal There is no Verse that has relation to this Story but would afford many useful Remarks But since I have pitch'd upon this of the Text I shall take no further notice of the rest than as they are particularly necessary to the Explication of it And in order to this 't will be expedient to consider to what this Position is oppos'd And we shall best understand what is here meant by Spirit and Truth if we look back a little and take notice how it was introduc'd Nor will the Reflections which I shall make be improper for this Auditory where though I believe there is neither Jew nor Samaritan to convince yet we have those I fear sometimes to deal with who make such a Medley of Religion that they are near as dangerous to the Truth of it For so do the Romanists confound their Will-worship and Idolatry with the Essentials of Christianity that they take both from its Truth and Spirituality So do other Dissenters from Us mistake the true Notion of its Spirituality that they derogate from the very Essentials of our most Holy Religion and would go about to persuade us its Truth consisted in mere Airy Notions and Wild Enthusiasm Our Blessed Saviour having convinc'd this Samaritan of his extraordinary Knowledge by telling her all that ever she did she is so far from denying or concealing her fault that she owns him for a Prophet and as such begs his Instructions in that great Dispute that was between the Jews and those of her own Nation It being necessary for her that knew her Sins were many and heinous and had not only learnt out of the Books of Moses that there could be no Atonement made between God and her no Remission obtain'd without a Sacrifice but also that the Almighty would accept of no other Sacrifice but such as was offer'd him in that one Place he had chosen to put his Name in nay yet more That all Sacrifices that were offer'd elsewhere were esteem'd no better than of wilful Murder It was necessary I say for her to understand how and where this her Offering would be accepted Nor could she judge any more fit to resolve her than one of whose great Wisdom and Knowledge she had then had such full Proof and Experience The Religions that at this time took place in the World were those of the Jews and Gentiles The Jews worshipp'd only One and the True God the Gentiles abounded in such as were False to whom they paid their Adoration Now the Samaritans made a mixture of both these and added to the Worship of the true God the Adoration of the false For when Shalmanesser carried Israel away captive into Assyria he sent the Refuse of divers Nations to possess Samaria and the cities of it 2 Kings 17.25 who in the beginning of their dwelling there feared not the Lord therefore the Lord sent lions among them and slew some of them To remove which Plague their King sent one of the Priests which he brought from thence to dwell there and to teach them the manner of the God of the land So they feared the Lord and served their own gods ver 33. that is admitted the Religion of the Jews and yet retained their own Superstition Now though the Jews and Samaritans differ'd in many things as were easy to show yet they chiefly disagreed in the Place of their Sacrifices These pleading the Practice of their Forefathers whom they forgetful of their true Religion esteemed Abraham Isaac and Jacob believing themselves descended from them and settled in this Land ever since the departure of Moses out of Egypt in the mean time upbraiding the Jews that their Religion was only founded on Hearsay and Opinion The Jews justly esteem'd theirs the Holy Temple of Jerusalem where God appear'd between the Cherubims where was an unquestioned Succession of Priests to minister and where their Kings had always offer'd Sacrifice On the other side the Samaritans boasted their Mount Gerizim as the Place chosen of God where Abraham as their Tradition would make them believe in obedience would have offer'd up his Son Isaac and where Jacob returning out of Mesopotamia worshipp'd Nay so were they possess'd with a belief of the Antiquity of their Temple that in the time of Ptolomy Philometor about a hundred and sixty years before Christ they undertook with the hazard of their Lives to prove it before that of Jerusalem even out of the Laws of Moses So strangely mistaken may the fond boasts be of Succession and Antiquity and so little Credit to be given to bare Tradition This was the foundation of the Woman's Question v. 20. and this Question she justly thought dignus Vindice nodus worthy of a Prophet to resolve Now
utterly impossible Is not the whole Question here concerning Publick Worship the one false and idolatrous the other gross and carnal and is it any other than a Publick Worship that our Saviour opposes to them Spirit to the one and Truth to the other Is not the very Word he uses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most expressive of an outward Act of Devotion and Adoration Did ever the Jews who knew what they worshipp'd do it without Ceremony And have we not Examples every where in Holy Writ even from our Saviour and his Apostles of external Acts of Adoration Nay which perhaps is a greater Argument to these men do not they themselves use them What mean else their set Looks formal Voice and forc'd Gestures In short all comes to this they will they must have Ceremonies but they must be of their own making and their dislike is greater 't is to be fear'd to the Church that enjoins 'em than to the Things themselves 'T is true the Law shall give place to the Gospel nor shall there be any appointed Place for Sacrifice for that it self shall be abolish'd but worship we must and how that shall be done without prescrib'd Place Time and Order is absolutely inconceivable Still we must worship in the beauty of holiness and though we are neither confin'd to Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim yet must we not forget the assembling our selves together As for the Objections from hence against Set Forms and the Pretensions to the Spirit How vain and frivolous are they Where is such Assistance promis'd or upon what account indeed necessary Let these Pretenders to Inspiration work Miracles too and then we shall believe these extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost which we rightly now judge already ceas'd Besides so little reason have they that the very Opinion contradicts it self and what they pretend an Extemporary Effusion is no more than a Form to all the Auditory who are ty'd up to those Words they are pleas'd to put together for them and are often work'd up by Heat and Passion to say Amen to no better than Nonsense sometimes I fear even Blasphemy it self Strange is it that men otherwise sober and that will not venture a Sermon which they only address to the People without Care and Accuracy of Wording should yet dare to entertain Commerce with God at all adventures buoy'd up with a little Popular Applause and Self-conceit Most evident it is that what they would make the World believe is immediately from Heaven is attainable by Memory and a Volubility of Speech and perfected by a great share of Confidence Then do we truly worship in Spirit when after our Blessed Saviour's Example we pray with Warmth and Devotion in a sound well-weigh'd Form of Words nor does the Almighty ever deny his Assistance or the Petitions of such Adorers So sensible has all the World been of the Necessity of a Form that there is no Age or Church that has left themselves at liberty nor was it ever thought on till Religion grew a Blind for Faction and Interest We worship not as the Jews did with such Ceremonies as are signs and figures of things to come those we know are and were to be abolish'd But our external visible Services imply the Truth of the Promises already exhibited and our outward Acts are testimonies of our inward Faith Love Humility and other Christian Virtues Nor is it to be question'd but that divers Saints and Holy Prophets did in this manner adore nor is this taken away but perfected by our great Lawgiver Would it not be very strange that Christianity which gives us Rules of Conversation and Civility reaches us Obedience to our Prince Submission to Governors Respect and Kindness to all men in general should yet suffer us to make our approaches to the Almighty with Disrespect and Rudeness Yet do we not often see such men as will pay due Reverence to a Neighbour or Equal rush into the Place of Worship and the Presence of God himself without the least shew of Devotion and Respect 'T is allow'd all men in comparison of the great God are equal and Titles cease when we have regard to one Omnipotent But this should be so far from lessening that it should infinitely heighten our outward Acts of Submission and Humility Is he not our Master where is then our Reverence Is he not our Lord where is then our Fear Thus on the one side have some wander'd from the meaning of the Text nor do the Papists less err on the other who are so far from worshipping in Spirit that they still retain that Sacrifice that was once offer'd up for all that cloud and load their Religion with innumerable Ceremonies that content themselves with repeating so many Prayers and conclude they have then sufficiently worshipp'd when their Set-task is finish'd Now how insignificant and sapless must this Devotion be how unacceptable to the God of Purity and Omniscience that searches the Heart and expects a reasonable Service Or how can it be agreeable to Him who sent our Saviour into the World to remove this very Bondage from the Jews and to establish a Spiritual and Divine Worship Nay can it satisfy a man of Sense and Consideration Yet so far can the Prejudice of Custom and Education prevail that this is the known Practice of those that profess that Religion Happy thrice happy are we then in the Constitution of our Church May it long so flourish Whilst we have no Ceremonies but what Decency require and Primitive Practice allows have Instructions plain and easy Prayers serious and accommodate to the meanest Capacity and so free from just exception that we may well question that man's Understanding always his Charity that refuses to say Amen But thus much of the First Particular I come now to what is meant by II. Worshipping him in Truth For though nothing hinders but they may be here taken one for the Exposition of the other yet have we hitherto and shall still treat of it as it was oppos'd to the False Worship of the Samaritans which was now to be abolish'd and they no longer to worship they knew not what on Mount Gerizim So that by it is forbidden all Corporeal Representations of the Almighty for so the Samaritans did worship him as all mixture of Heathenish Superstition and Idolatry Who are said in Scripture to belye the Almighty whilst they chang'd the truth of God into a lye and serv'd the Creature as or with the Creator who is blessed for evermore Then do we worship him in Truth when in serious and devout Meditation we can work up our Thoughts above all things material when we only contemplate a Being incorporeal infinite in all that 's great and good and to him alone as such offer up our Supplications What shall we say then to the Romanists who would still confine the Almighty to Mount Gerizim What else mean their Prayers and Offerings their fam'd Shrines their long and tedious Pilgrimages to some particular Chappel or renown'd Altar Still have we the Boast of the Practice of their Fathers though equally false with that of the Samaritans and a Religion made and upheld by Superstition and Policy deliver'd down as Primitive Still have we a mixture of Idolatry in their Worship nay the God of Heaven almost dethron'd by a Crowd of feign'd Saints and counterfeit Miracles With what glittering Tawdriness are their Churches fill'd How are their Altars beset with Puppets the variousness and ridiculousness of whose Dress serves only to amuse and divert the Traveller How do they dare to represent the Almighty under the Decays of Age and lye prostrate before each Image their Fancies prompt 'em to chuse This is the daily Practice of all in general and if this be not Idolatry certainly there never was any yet Nor can we ever distinguish between the Opinion and general Practice of a Church so far as to excuse them To conclude Let us that have a plain and easy Rule to walk by so carry our selves between these two dangerous Extremes as by our Examples to promote and uphold the Well-being of the best of Churches Let us be constant to our Liturgies fervent at our Devotions Thus shall we with Decency and Order worship the God of Truth and offer up a reasonable a spiritual and acceptable Service Thus shall we after a Peace of Conscience which we may justly expect in the Performance of our Duties be made Partakers of an Inestimable Reward To which God c. FINIS Books Printed and Sold by Edward Castle near Whitehall ADvice to an Apprentice under these following Heads 1. Religion 2. Justice and Fidelity 3. Obedience 4. Diligence 5. Affability 6. Temperance 7. Chastity 8. Thrift 9. Humility 10. Discretion With a Preface to the Masters A Catechism or familiar Instructions on the Principal Points of the Christian Religion By Mr. Drelincourt Translated out of French A Treatise of the Causes of Incredulity Wherein are examin'd the Motives and Occasions which dispose Unbelievers to reject the Christian Religion By Mr. Le Clerc