upon him for it as Aaron here did but as for Miriam she neither Confest her Sin nor shew'd any Sorrow for it but stubb rnly persisted in it For notwithstanding God Arraigned her himself and sate himself as â—udge in Moses's Cause and ask'd her why she was not affraid to speak against his Servant Moses she made no Reply by an humble Plea for Mercy but stood as a sullen Mute and so God recorded her and left her to Judgment and departs from her in great Fury Num. 12. 9. 2. The second Infectious Disease is the Pestilence which prevails mightily by Infection killing Thousands in a short time So doth the Plague of Spiritual Delusions Infect and Destroy many Thousands of Souls in a very few Days And that these Mens Principles in my Text had the same Effect it was too apparent in their Punishment and one may read their Sin in their Punishment And that there was a Spiritual Plague fore broken and running upon these Mens Spirits It is evident by the Injunction which God laid upon the rest of the People to depart from them and not to come near them nor touch any thing of theirs least their Sin should Infect them and they perish with them in their Sins And so Infectioâ—s was it to many Thousands in Israel that it brake forth upon them on the Morrow and in a Congregated Assembly Murmured against Moses and told him he had Killed the People of the Lord. How nearly doth Heresie in the Soul resemble the Pestilence in the Body for as fast as that lothsom Disease cleaves to the Body so fast doth Heresie stick in the Soul and Heart of a Man For as it is a very difficult thing and almost Impossible for a Phisttian to heal the Plague of Pestilence in the Body So it is a very hard and difficult thing for the best Majestrate or the best Minister in the World to reclaim any Man or Woman from the Error of their way that have forsaken the Publick Service of God the High-way of Salvation and betook themselves to the By-paths of a Pestilential Conventicle one Year Hence it is that the Apostle St. Paul Exhorts Titus to Reject A Man that is an Heretick after the first and second Admonition And subjoyns this Reason Knowing that he that is such is subverted and Sinneth being Condemned of himself Titus 3. 10 11. Now you may happily ask what an Heretick is I Answer A Heretick is one that obstinately Defends and Maintains an Opinion contrary to the Faith Practice and Profession of the truely Antient Catholick and Apostolick Church But ye may happily say why doth the Apostle Exhort Titus to be so quick and brief in Admonishing such an one and upon a second Contempt imediately to reject him I Answer Answer Because they have refused the way of Truth and chosen and prâ—fer'd an Erronious Opinion be ore it and obstinately reâ—use to return again This assâ—ion iâ— verified by the Testimony of the Prophet Jeremâ— Chap. 6. ver 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls This was the first Admonition the Prophet gave them aâ—ter their Revolt unto which they obstinately answered We will not walk therein The second word of Admonition is in ver 17 Also I set Watchmen over you saying Hearken to the sound of the Trumpet Unto which they made this stubbora Answer We will not Hearken Upon this their refusal after their second Admonition to return to the antient ways of God the Prophet proceeds in the name of the Lord to give Judgment upon them in ver 18. 19. Therefore hear ye Nations and know O Congrâ—gation what is among them Hear O Earth behold I wâ—ll bring Evil upon this People even the Fruit of their Thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my Words nor to my Law but rejected it Twice did those Men in my Text return a stubborn Anâ—wer to Moses that they would not return to their former Conformity but deâ—perately resolved to stick close to their former Remonstrance for when Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Eliab to come to him doubtless to perswade and advise with them to forbear the further Prosecution of their wicked Designs and to consider the manifold mischiefs that would unavoidably follow such wicked enterprizes as they were now begining to prosecute then they returned this resolute Answer We will not come up and aggravated it with this Expostulation Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land thâ—t floweth with Milk and Honey to kill us in the Wilderness except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us ver 13. and then in ver 14. They follow their blow with a Moreover thou hast not brought us into a Land that floweth with Milk and Honey or given us Inheritance of Fields and Vineyards Wilt thou put out the Eyes of these Men We will not come up Upon this second Repulse of theirs to Moses's Admonition he utterly Rejects them and now will have no more to do with them but turns his Prayer directly against them And in the Indignation of his Spirit said unto the Lord Respect not thou their Offering And what the Effect of such a Prayer was like to be may be easily read in the Judgment that followed for the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up with all that appertain'd to them and I wish with all my Heart that these Mens Principles had sunck into the Ground with them and never appear'd again upon the face of Earth but vae mihi 3. A third Infectious Disease in the Body of Man is the Cancer a sore fretting Disease very small in the beginning dangerous in growth and pernitious in the end Such is all Scismatical and false Doctrine in the beginning scarcely discern'd but by degrees it eats so far into the Soul that it destroys both Faith and Practice We have this confirm'd by the Apostle St. Paul in an Epistle of his to the chief Pastor of the Church of Ephesâ—s 2. Tim. 2. Cap. 16. 17. 18. ver But shun prophane Bablings for they will increase unto more Ungodliness And their Word will eat as doth a Canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus Who concerning the truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some O Lord for thy Mercy sake save and deliver thy Church and People in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and the Religion Established by Law therein from the fly insinuating creeping Soul-infectious Diseases of Sediton Privy Conspiracy and Rebellion false Doctrine Heresie and Scisme and work in us such a Reformation in all our Lives that our Conversations before God and Man may be such as may beautifie and adorn our most Holy Faith and demonstrate to the World that we are living Members of Christ's Body I have now finished my third
the Lord hath rejected them 2. The second that mentions it is the Apostle St. Paul Romans 1. 28. God gave them over to a Reprobate Mind the Reason for it he gives in the former part of the ver in these words And even as they did not like to retain God in their Knowledge So God gave them over to a Reprobate mind The next place is likewise a Testimony of the same Author 2. Cor. 13. 5 Examin your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Now that many of this Church to whom he thus writes were Revolâ—ing from the Truth which they had formerly embraced and Scismatically going off from the Body of the Church of which by an outward Profession they had for a long time been Members its evident from several passages in both his Epistles to them 1. He calls them the Church of God at Corinth 1. Cor. 1. 2. 2. Thanks God for them that they were enriched with all Vtterance and Knowledge and that they came behind in no Gift 1. 1. 4 7. 3. Persuades them to unity of Judgment and avoiding of Divisions yea beseeches them in these Words 1. Cor. 1. 10. I Beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that is in the Name of our Anointed Saviour that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment 4. Checks them for entertaining several Errors as the eating of Meat offered to Idols contrary to the Apostolical Decree at Jerusalem which he brought from thence in his own Person and delivered to them with his own Hands Chap. 8. 5. Reproves them for Praying in the Church with their Heads cover'd Chap. 11. 6. For Prophaning the Lords Supper by their undecent carriage at the Communion thereof Chap. II. 7. Sharply Rebukes them for denying the Resurrection of the Dead Chap. 15. All which Errors being directly contrary to their former Faith and Profession of the Gospel which they received and embraced at his first Preaching of the Gospel to them he earnestly exhorts them to a serious Examination of their present and former State and so to make a speedy return to their first love of the Truth from which they were now falling into a State of Reprobation The fourth place where the word Reprobate is mentioned is in Pauls second Epistle to Timothy 3. 8. 13 14 As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the Truth Men of corrupt minds Reprobate concerning the Faith But evil Men and Saducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them These Men whom he here calls Reprobates must needs have Relation to them whom he names in the first Chap. of his two Epistles to Timothy the first Bishop of the Church of Ephesus In the 1 Tim. 1. 20. He names Hymeneus and Alexander whom he there saith he had delivered up to Satan for making a Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience ver 19. Now I am apt to think that this Hymeneus whom he mentions here is the same whom he mentions in his second Epistle Chap 2. ver 17. And their word will eat as doth a Canker of whom are Hymeneus and Philerus Who concerning the Truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some That is throw them into a State of Reprobation Two others he names in 2 Tim. 1. 15. This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia are turned away from me that is are turned Reprobates and have forsaken their first love to the Truth of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes Hold fast the form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me ver 13. And I am apt to believe that the former mentioned Alexander is the same he bids Timothy beware of 2 Tim. 4. 14 15. Alexander the Copper-smith did me much evil the Lord Reward him according to his Works Of whom be thou aware also for he hath greatly withstood our Words There can be no greater Enemies to the Truth then those that once profest it and at last revolt from it I am further apt to think that this Alexander is the same that took Pauls part in the uproare at Ephesus against the Priests of Diana's Temple Acts 19. 33. And they drew Alexander out of the Multitude the Jews putting him forward And Alexander beckoned with his hand and would have made his defence unto the People But when they knew that he was a Jew all with one Voice about the space of two Hours cryed out Great is Diana of the Ephesians But whither it where the same or some other of that name he made himself a Reprobate to his Faith and Profession of the Gospel And thus much briefly to the fifth Reason to prove it dangerous and unsafe for Christians to Congregate themselves with any such People tho' never so full of Knowledge and seeming Holyness that do deny Conformity to such Laws and Ordinances which God hath given to them by the Hands of faithful Governours 2. I am come now to the second thing considered in the Explication and therein to shew you what some of the Preposterous and unlucky Dispositions of these Mens Spirits were under such spetious Pretences and first It did manifestly appear that they were of a proud Spirit Pride had overcome their Wits as we usually say of an haughty Person they were proud of their exâ—raordinary Gifts and parts by which they had gotten a Name amongst the discontented Israelites and a seditâ—oâ—s party amongst them I mean among that party of them that were so for many of them stood fast to God and his Servant Moses in observing the Rules of that Religion which contained a prescript Form of Laws and Ordinances cemented with harmless and inoffensive Ceremonies as ye have already heard and which they themselves once promised to observe and keep But now their spiritual Pride was such and their Minds so estranged from that their Promise and Profession that they dare tell him to his Face That he took too much upon him to lift up himself above them This one Fly of spiritual Pride had utterly mar'd their whole Box of Sacred Ointment manifest in their former Submission and Obedience and engaged the Lord to oppose them Had not spiritual Pride been the Root of their Sin the Lord had not set himself against them for the humble and poor in Spirit are his joy and Delight but the proud and haughty in Spirit are the Objects of his hatred and contempt The Princely Psalmist affirms it Psal 138. 6. Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect unto the lowly but the proud he knoweth afar off And another Scripture saith God resisteth the
what may we then learn from this sacred Oracle of God's Revealed Will Why I humbly conceive they teach us these Three things 1. That Uniformity of Prayer in the Publick Worship of God is the best way and manner of waiting upon God 2. That such Publick Worship of God comes nearest to the Heavenly of any other upon Earth and therefore most suitable to his Nature and most agreeable to his Mind and Will 3. That such Uniformity is the absolute Determination of his Divine Will and shall be the standing Rule and Practice of his Church and People in the midst of all their Enemies Those People then that reject despise vilify and reproach with opprobrious words and scurrilous Language such a Form of Prayer and such a Method of Serving God which is Beautified and Adorned and Seasoned with the Salt of God's Holy Word are one sort of Anti-Scripturians But tho' there be too many that do so yet it is never the worse for their dirty Language no more than the Heavenly Manna was because some seditious Israelites gave it the scurrilous name of Light Bread The Holy and Heavenly Angels continued feeding on that Food which proud and haughty Men trampled under their Feet and gave it no better Commendation that Light and Lothsom Bread I do not therefore much admire at the contempt which some have taken up against the Prayers of our Church when Israel God's chosen People and the Seed of Abraham grew weary of Heavenly Manna the Food of Angels But what shall we say to these things For since the chief of the fallen Angels in the shape of a Serpent Poisoned our Nature with the Venome of his own Sin no Age hath been free from some Appearances of it among the Sons of Men nor ever will be till Satan be confined to the Bottomless Pit I am sure in the time of the Prophet Ezekiel the Church was pestered with such sort of Cattle as he calls them Chap. 34. 18 19 20. Seemeth a it small thing unto you to have eaten up the good Pasture but ye must tread down with your Feet the residue of your Pastures And to have drunk of the deep Waters but ye must foul the residue with your Feet As for my Flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your Feet and they drink that which ye have fouâ—ed with your Feet Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them Behold I even I will Judge between the Fat Cattel and between the Lean Cattel Because ye have thrust with Side and with Shoulder and pusht all the Diseased with your Horns till ye have scattered them abroad Therefore will I save my Flock and they shall no more be a Pray and I will Judge between Cattel and Cattel Hence it is Evident the Lord will one Day Judge between the Holy Martyrs that Composed the Prayers of our Church for us and afterwards Sealed it with their Blood in Flames of Fire Whither they did well in so doing or whither they do wickedly who think their Tongues their own to vilify and scornfully reproach it at their own Pleasure and with out all controul for who is Lord over them Come my Brethen be not angry with me nor account me an Enemy because I tell you the truth and I will ask you a few Questions I. What good thing there is that any of you ask in your Extempore Prayers that we do not ask in a well-set Form of sound Words II. Whither there be any one Petition in the Daily Prayers of our Church that doth contradict the least Branch of God's Revealed Will that savours of Impiety or that can be truly said to hinder the work of Grace in the Heart of any Sinner III. Whither there be any thing wanting that may make a miserable Man happy even in this Life if he can obtain the things he Prays for IV. Whither the things we pray for therein if granted be not of force to make the worst of Sinners to become one of the better sort of Saints upon Earth V. Whither there be any thing that is requisite or necessary for Soul or Body to make our Lives comfortable here and our Souls eternally Happy hereafter that is omitted or left out in the Prayers of our Church VI. Whither the matter contained in the Book of Common Prayer be not a constant acknowledgment and Vindication of the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints And whither we are not Exhorted earnestly to contend for it VII Whither there be any thing that may savingly inform the Judgments of Men in mattrrs of Faith or enlighten the Understanding in the Mystery of Mans Salvation or that may encourage Sinners to turn from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan unto God which are not to be found in the Doctrin and Discipline of the Church of England And now I beseech you my Friends ask your selves this one Question Whither it savours of Wisdom in any that profess the Name of Christ or own themselves to be his Servants to question the truth of his Word Who as a Prophet hath foretold the desolation of Kingdoms to proceed from their Divisions Hath not Moses that Man of God told Israel of old that God would raise them up a Prophet like to himself and that God the Father would put words into his Mouth and that whosoever would not give heed thereto God would require it of him And doth not the Apostle St. Peter tell us Acts 3. That Christ was that Prophet and that whosoever would not hear him should be destroyed from amongst the People And hath not Christ by vertue of his Prophetical Office told us That a Kingdom divided cannot stand but is brought to desolation O let us not Tempt Christ by our divisions to try whether he will or can save us from Desolation contradictory to his own word I think therefore and I do Appeal to the Conscience of any unbiassed Man that professeth the Christian Faith whither it be not better for you to return to the High-Way of Salvation again then by your Divisions to continue rambling from one by-path to another till ye know not which way to take and leave the Breach open for our Enemies to break in upon us and lay our Land Desolate Do ye not hear what the Son of God said Mat. 24. 15. When ye therefore shall 〈◊〉 the Abomination of Desolation stand in the Holy Place Standing where it ought not so St. Mark reads it And hath he not told us elsewhere that The Divisions of a Kingdom will bring it to Desolation Shall we then call our selves Believers and give no credit to his Word in so weighty a concern as the Preservation of a Kingdom from Ruin and Destruction May we not safely conclude from the Words of our Saviour that Divisions and Dissentions amongst Profest Christians is an Abomination unto the Lord And that Scism is a provoking Sin Did not Christ weep for the Divisions of Jerusalem And shall we