not take the person of a Friend but be as Levi that knew neither Father nor Mother We usually paint Justice with a Ballance in one hand and a Sword in the other to weigh and execute If Justice in passing and care in executing the Sentence passed be wanting Knowledge and Power will be to no purpose But God will do what is just Job 8.3 and will not pervert Justiee With him a pure heart is better than a smooth word and a good Conscience than a good Purse 2. The certainty of it as to the thing the uncertainty as to the time He will he shall To lay down arguments in this Auditory to prove what we profess an Article of our Faith would be very impertinent The Scripture positively asserts it and all Gods Attributes undeniably evince it As his 1. Power God will have it so for the manifestation of his infinite Power 2 Cor. 5.10 He will bring all to Judgment We must all appear And that is a work of Almightyness to raise and revive the dead But there is nothing impossible to an Omnipotent Arm. 2. Wisdom It 's a poynt of Wisdom to bring a thing to its appoinâ—ed end Now the end that God made man for was not to live in this World for ever but to serve him here and afterwards enjoy him to all Eternity which cannot be done without a judgment first determining of us 3. Truth He hath spoken and cannot but fulfill it he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the World Act. 17.31 Men may break their words God will not He knows his appointed day and will keep it His Justice and Mercy doth enforce it It is the property of Justice to recompense to every man his own Mercy to whom Mercy Psal 101.1 and Judgment to whom Judgment appertaineth Now here in this World we see it not done The wicked many times flourish when the righteous suffer Naboth is stoned Joseph is in Prison If the World should always last where were Gods Justice and Mercy and therefore for the manifestation of these there must be a day of Retribution Dives must have his evil things Lazarus must have his good which here they have not All Gods attributes require that God should bring every thing and every man to judgment as most certainly he will and therefore we should as St. Hierome tells us he did what ever he was a doing remember and imagine that he heard that voice Arise ye dead and come to Judgment Math. 24.31 3. The Generality and Exactness of it VVe must all we must every one for every thing There is no answering as in Humane Courts by a Proxy God doth not deal in a lump by passing sentence on all men and all things together Condemn all or Acquit all No but he makes a Separation and distinguisheth between good and bad Here indeed Solomon tells us they fare all alike but hereafter there will be a distinction made and manifested Math. 25.32 Now Goats and Sheep feed and sold together then will be seperated Tares must be let alone and grow with the Corn till the day of Harvest but at last their will be a separation Chaff and VVheat lye in the same floor till the fan cometh Here men as Travaillers in a journey pass together lodge together but in the Morning part â—ood and bad are here mingled together But then it will be known which were Jacob's which were Labans Flock Masks and Vizards and Paint will be then stripped of then all shall appear as they are 4. The Righteous proceeding He will bring to judgment God will not sentence first and judge afterwards but first weigh judge and then sentence Neither will he sentence ex proprio motu by his own will and pleasure but according unto evidence and good proof For the Books shall be opened and by them shall men be tryed Rev. 20.12 Now there are three Books by and out of and according to which the judgment shall be 1. Rom. 2.14 Of Nature By this the Gentiles shall be tryed 2. Of the Scriptures by this those that lived in the Church shall be tryed The Books of the 1. Law who lived under the Law shall be judged by the Law 2. Gospel So St Paul tells the Christians God should judge the secrets of all hearts by the Gospel he preacht 3. Conscience So both shall be judged by the Books of their own Conscience for what they have Transgressed against the Books of Nature or Scriptures which will then witness what is now recorded in them Conscience may be now as a book clapsed which men do not read in Gen. 44. and so not mind their sins as Joseph's Brethren did not theirs till in their distress and then will they not they must read all And Lastly 5. The Sentence will be past distinctly As on all good and bad So whether it be good or whether it be bad God will not involve all promiscuously for that is far from him who is the great Judge of all the Earth and therefore he will do right Gen. 18.23 and not make the Righteous as the VVicked as Abraham in his Prayer pleads with God But God will then say 1. Come ye Blessed to his Sheep that hear his Voice Fear him and keep his Commandements 2. Go ye Cursed to the Goats who have said depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy Law And thus Honourable Right VVorshipfull VVorshipfull and Beloved I have laid before you with what brevity I could what the Doctrinal part of these words acquaint us with and have put Oyl in your Lamps by Doctrinal Instruction what now remains but that I put Fire to it by some practical APPLICATION VVhich shall be only in a word of Exhortation Humbly to beseech you as your Orator and earnestly to require you as Gods Embassador to see to it that whatever you do in all your Transactions whether publique or private in your politique and personal capacities as Magistrates Ministers Christians I say that whatever you do you be carefull that for all your Thoughts VVords and VVorks there may be nothing which may not Comply with Gods fear Correspond with Gods Command Comport with man's dignity duty and happiness Stand approved through Gods mercy and gracious acceptation in Gods judgment Certainly these reflections would have powerfull influence on us to regulate all our carriage Seneca gave his Friend Lucilius this Counsel that what ever he was doing He should imagine some of the Roman â—orthies did behold him and then he would do nothing dishonourable So let us say with Hagar Thou Lord seest me and with David I have set the Lord alwayes before me Of whom it is most true what the Poets feign of Minerva's Picture that it was drawn with that Art that look what way so ever a man turned himself her eyes were still upon him For he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all eyeâ— vvho seeth and vveigheth and tryeth and
2. The vanity of the itch of humane scribling and wearisomness of reading such writing such as are the Popes Canons and Decretals and other Popish Trumpery as likewise idle vitious and corrupting Plays and Romances which makes men neglect at least if not nauseate divine truths Of Carolostadius it is reported by Luther that he was eight years Dr. in Divinity before he had read One Word in the Scripture Mens Col. So that the most of Students among the Papists were well by one compared to a man knawing of a Flint when he had good bread by him which he neglected to make use of Solomon having thus laid down the excellency of God's and vanity of man's writings He now comes in the close of this book the words of my Text to lay down The Sum End Conclusion the Recapitulation the Epitome Compendium and Abridgment of what ever was written by God in this or other books of Scripture or was read or heard by man The scope at which all tended too Fear God and keep his Commandements All the lines that may be drawn from the whole circumference of divine truths written and revealed in this and all other books of Scripture which holy men of God which were moved by the Holy Ghost did or had or should write did all meet in this Center Fear God and keep his Commandements You may not expect then Right Worshipfull and Beloved a full and compleat handling of them on which a Minister might with great ease and more profit preach his whole life time than that German Professor of Divinity did who was Twenty-five Years Reading in his Publique Lectures on the First of Isaiah and had not finisht it There being nothing in the whole compass of Divinity but what may be reduced to the Fear of God and keeping His Commandements The one as the Root the other as the Fruit The one as the Fountain the other as the Streams of our practical complyance with Gods will it being as our Translators supply it the whole duty of man Which Translation the best of all Translations was by the incomparable Piety of King James and the indefatigable pains and accurate care of the most Learned Bishops Doctors and Divines of that age most happily performed and may not without great presumption be slightly spoken off Or as the Spanish toda eccellentia Or as Piscator Hoc est omnium Hominum this belongs to all men Many directions in Scripture are bounded and limited by several circumstances to particular persons but this concerns all and therefore to be regarded by all as that which is the alone Cynosure to guide us through the waves of a tempestuous Sea of troubles dangers labyrinths in this world unto the Port and Haven of heavenly happiness Text Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandement for this is the whole duty of man As the skilfull and provident husbandman first rids his ground of Thorns and then sowes his Seed So doth Solomon in this book of which the words read are the Compendium labour to remove from the hearts of men the love and study and endeavour after vanity by which the minds of all by nature are preoccupied and forestalled especially by this mistaken apprehension that they may at the same time embrace the Study of Earthly Vanity and Heavenly Piety There are none that do not by natural instinct desire the avoiding of eternal pains and the enjoyment of everlasting happiness It being the property of natural affection to desire its own preservation And by the same natural instinct are men carried after the pursuit of worldly things vanities indeed though the only substantial realities in their conceit Prov. 10.15 The Rich mans wealth is his strong Tower in his own conceit Some hasten after Pleasures others after Riches a third after Honour and so far the Doctrine Profession and external Practise of Piety shall be complyed with as they cross not those Appetites and much may be and is often done according to Gospel prescriptions as was by Herod who reverenced John Baptist heard him gladly and did many things Yea many times some will suffer much so they may enjoy their carnal desires But alas These foolishly perswade themselves to joyn those things together that are inconsistent Sooner will Heaven mingle with Earth the Fire with Water coalesce and remain at peace together than the study and love of Piety with the study and love of Earthly Vanity True it is that men may and do by their eager prosecution of earthly vanity deprive themselves of the happiness both of this and the future life But to enjoy both together let them use what diligence and skill they can they shall never attain it For no man can serve two so contrary Masters No man can serve God and Mammon Phil. 3.19 1 Joh. 2.14 No man can serve God and his Belly No man can love God and the World For God is a jealous God and will admit no rival He is as the true Mother who will have all or nothing Solomon then having in all the fore-going part of this book endeavoured to perswade men from the love and study of earthly vanities In these two last verses he shews us the sum and end of the whole of all our learning and hearing the right method and course of happiness both here and hereafter In which words we have to consider 1. The direction laid down Fear God and keep his Commandements 2. This direction prest by three arguments 1. It 's the conclusion of the whole matter 2. It 's the whole of man 3. God will bring all to judgment I shall speak to all these particulars first by way of Doctrine and then by way of Application 1. The direction laid down Fear God and keep his Commandements This compendious sum of Gods Counsel discovers Gods admirable Wisdom in revealing his mind so fully and yet so succinctly in reference to our duty and way to happiness It was the wonderfull wisdom of God to comprehend in the Decalogue all that is to be done by us in relation to God and our selves and our Neighbours More wonderfull in his contracting these ten words into two Love to God and Love to our Neighbour neither is it less wonderfull when the Gospel is sum'd up in this short expression Repent For the Kingdom of God is at hand Now the use that we are to make of this short sum is this That as Travailers have an eye to their Geographical Charts which they carry about with them unto which they often look to direct them in their way so ought Christians often to mind this Sum and Compendium of their duty unto which they must have respect to guide them in their way to the Heavenly Kingdom and which as another Jethro might direct them through the Wilderness of this World to their Heavenly Canaan Such an other Compendium of our duty we have in the description of Job He feared
experience exemplified the truth of it in these words he acquaints us when it is best to sâ—t up our rest viz. In the learning and practise of this One â—esson which is the whole of all that God requireth from us in reference to our advancing of his Glory and our Happiness And it is but just and reason that he that is our Master should have our fear he that made us and maintains us should have our service 2 Sam. 27. he that is our Loving Father should be honoured and obeyed by us whom if we love as Davids Souldiers did him what will we not adventure for his sake though it be as theirs was with the highest hazard and likelyhood of the greatest dangers as Fond Lovers do to gratifie a beloved darling Especially considering that all his commands are just equal delightfull or at least made so to us by his love shed abroad in our hearts so that we may joy and glory in enduring Tribulation in and for the observing of his Precepts 1 Cor. 15.58 2 Cor. 4.17 Isa 1.3 considering the abundant reward Our Labour shall not be in vain nor our suffering lost but shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory We expect Obedience from those creatures we breed and maintain and they usually do yield it The Oxe knows his Owner and the Ass his Masters Crib And if at any time they fail how are we displeased If Balaams Ass turn aside though his old acquaintance how angry was he if he lyes down how doth he strike him and wish for a Sword If hawks and hounds fail in the persuit of their games how do the Owners and Users rage and chafe Hath not God then more right to expect our fear of him and obedience to him especially considering he hath done infinitely more for us than we do or can for any creatures yea than he himself for all sublunary creatures making man the chief of his ways and the choice of his works his Master-piece The Model of Heaven and Earth of visible and invisible of mortal and immortal creatures having compacted in him all the excellencies that are divided amongst all other creatures Whose Creation was not as of other creatures with his word fiat Man but upon a consultation let us make man Other creatures Souls and Bodies made together as having a mutual dependance Man his Body first and then his Soul which was breathed from above and not educed out of any Elementary substance Tantae molis erat Humanam condere gentem Sanctius His animal mentisque Capacius altae VVhose face shews Gods wonderfull skill in its varieties and discoveries of inward passions His Soul One in Essence Three in Faculties Understanding VVit Memory represents the unfathomable depth of the Divine Trinity whose Created perfection had Blessedness Dominion and Prayer Gods Attributes VVhose restored condition mounts him above the Angels who admire the humane nature more than their own and in the person of Christ adore it So that man who by sin was fallen so low that he could not well fall lower is now by Grace restored to that height that he cannot rise higher So that if this be true that things are so much worth as they are bought by an accurate judgment and discretion Then must man both Body and Soul be of an excellent worth that was bought not with corruptible things such as Silver and Gold but by the precious blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.19 And this excellency that God first gave and restored to man calls for from us our fear of him and obedience to him who doth continue and enlarge this excellency here in this life and prepares for the everlasting duration of it to all Eternity For as it is the whole of Gods word the Scriptures from the first to the last So is it which is the second argument The whole of man 2. This is the whole of man Totus homo Vulgar Totum hominis Tremellius Hoc est omnium hominum Piscator All men are obliged to this Every one bound to it Toda felicidad Spanish All a mans happiness and the way to obtain it The whole duty of man Thus our English in which he ought to exercise himself and without which every man even the highest is nothing but vanity Ps 39.5 Verily every man in his best natural and worldly estate is altogether vanity This is that which he ought to regard through his whole life in deeds and words All these interpretations may be Orthodoxly given to these words And the result of all is this That the fearing God and keeping his Commandements is the whole 1. Priviledge 2. Duty 3. Happiness of man So that what the Orator speaks concerning Pronuntiation that it was the first the second and third part of a right Orator So may we say it is the first second and third even the whole perfection of a good man of a good Christian Its his 1. Priviledge Who of all sublunary creatures is in a Capacity of a Filial fearing and rational and voluntary compliance with his will and command It 's true indeed the Devils do know and are capable of doing Gods Commandements but not of a filial fear or willing obedience In many things God makes use of them in doing his command but except it be to do mischief it 's against their wills The irrational Creatures indeed they do his Commandements The Fire destroyed Sodom the Water the Old VVorld The Ravens fed Elijah and the Lyon kild the young Prophet But they know not what they did and so are not capable of a filial fear so cannot be said to keep his command no more than a Knife or Sword or Ax that men make use of in their business It 's only the priviledge of man amongst all sublunary creatures that can fear him out of love and obey him out of choise 2. The whole Duty of Man Whatever God requires of man both in reference to his inward reverence of the Soul and the external Obedience of the whole Man is comprehended under these two Directions As all natural beings by Logicians are reduceable to one or other of the ten predicaments all modes of being to the five predicables As all we believe to the twelve articles of the Creed As all we pray for to one or other of the Petitions of the Lords Prayer So is it in this case The whole duty that God expects from man is reduceable to one of these The fear of God and keeping his Commandements All the lines of divine truth even from the whole circumference of it meet in this Center So that whatever is largely written in the Scriptures for our learning and practise is contracted in this compendium and whatsoever is contrary unto these to either of them hath nothing of God's truth or Man's duty in it And by this we may determine as of all matters of practise that are to be done by us So likewise of all Dogmata