queen of all graces it is as necessary as it is excellent For though we bestow all we have to feed the poore thouâ—h we give our bodies to be burnt yet if we have not Charity it profiteth us nothing But now a self-seeker is made up all of uncharitablenesse 1. He hath no love unto Jesus Christ his interest and there is a double curse pronounced against those that love not the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 16. 22. 2. He hath no love to his Neighbour but for his owne ends it is amor concupiscentiae vel amicitiae it is not love but merchandize 3 He hath no love to Church nor State All his love centers in himself He is wholly compounded of self-love and creature love which is a composition God hates 5. It is a Sin that makes all our holy duties abominable in the sight of God Though the actions we doe be never so holy yet if we do them upon politique designes if we aim at our selves in what we do the Lord abhorres us and all we do as we see in the Pharisees who in their Almes Prayers and Fastings did all to be seen of men and therefore God abhorred all they did Self-aimes pollute and putrifie all holy actions 6. It is a sin of horrible Hypocrisie for it is making use of Religion as a ladder to clime up to preâ—ment and then casting the ladder away it is setting up God as a Pander to our ambitious and covetous interest which is Hypocrisie to be abhorsed This is uti Deo ut â—ruamur nobismetipsis which is no little transgression 7. It is Idolatry in the highest degree it is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a worshipping of self it is making our selves and our own interest the root rule and scope of all our undertakings which is to make an Idoll of our selves and to usurp the throne of God It is Idolatry against the first Commandement which is greater than Idolatry against the second by how much the heart is better than the knee 8. It is a sin that is the fruit of six cursed roots as you have already heard and the root of many cursed fruits It is 〈◊〉 omnium vâ—tiorum a sin and the cause of all sin the Plâ—e soâ—e oâ— Church and State the great Church-devouring and State destroying sin To give some few instances What is the reason that the Government of the Church so happily began is now obstructed and almost quite broken in 〈◊〉 Is it not because all men seek their owne and no men the things of Christ What is the reason that the house of God lieth wast and every man labours to build his own house Why is it that men complain of taxes and want of trading but no man complaines that the House of God is neglected the pure Ordinances despised and the godly Ministry undervalued Is it not because all men seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ What is the reason that the truths of Christ are trampled under feet and men are suffered to deny the Divinity of Christ and of the Scriptures and no man saith why do you so But let a man but speak a word against the lawes of men he shall be severely punished Is not this because all men seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ What is the reason that so few Gentlemen Citizens and Ministers appeare for the things of Christ that so many silence themselves and suffer Religion to be almost lost and yet dare not appeare for it Why is it that our Lectures are so little frequented in most placesâ— that many think nothing too much to give to their 〈◊〉 but any thing too much for their Minister that 〈◊〉 Master will be very exact to see his servant do his business upon the week daâ—es but indulge him to do what he will upon the Lordâ— day Is it not because all men seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ What is the reason that the things of the Church drive on so slowly like the Egyptian Chariots when the wheeles were taken off what is the reason that there is so much oppression and injustice in places of judicature So much cousenage and false dealing in our commerce one with another in a word what is the cause of all our miseries both in Church and State Is it not because all men seek their own and not the thinâ—s of Jesus Christ thus you have the greatnesse and the mischievousnesse of this sinfull selfe-seeking So much for the Explication of the Doctrine I come now to the Application Is this be so that amongst the multitude of Christians that professe love to Christ and his cause there are many yea very many that â—ek their owne and not the things of Christ Let us then 〈◊〉 beseech you behold as in a glasse the sinfulnesse and miserablenesse of the times wherein we live for if the Apostle complaâ— of his times which were the first and the best times the golden Age the Primitive Apostolical Virgin-Church when the Saints of God met together in one place with one accord much more may we of our times which are the last and worst the iron age wherein the Church of Christ is wofully divided and wonderfully Apostatized How justly I say may we take up this sad complaint against our tâ—es All men seek thâ—i owne not the things of Jesus Christ And yet I dare not say all men collectively I believe there are a few names even in England which have not defiled their garments and have not bowed their knees to Baal some Magistrates some Gentlemen some Ministers and Citizens yet remaining who seek the things of Jesus Christ more than their owne yea with the neglect and losse of their owne who seek the prosperity and welfare of Sion more than their own Some Ezra's Nehemiah's and Daniel's that lay to heart the desolations of the Church and with Old Ely are more troubled about the Arke of God than their owne private relations But these are a very few in comparison It is certaine that most of all sorts are guilty of this sinfull selfe-seeking most Magistrates most Gentlemen Ministers and Citizens Now then let us examine our selves whether we be not amongst the number of this multitude To quicken you to this consider 1. That this sinne is both a New and an Old Testament sinne It reigned not onely in Pauls time but in Debora's and Baraks who tell us that for the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart because he abode among the Sheep-folds and cared not what became of the Church of God Judges 5. 15 16. 2. It is a common and ordinary sinne few are free from it 3. It is a great and crying abomination as you have heard 4. It is a great and hidden iniquity an inward invisible and spirituall sinne that consumes England as a moth not as a Lion It is threatned Hos. 5. 12. 14. That God would be to Ephraim as a
Moth and as a Lion Murder Adultery Sodomy injustice c. devoures England as a Lion but selfe-love and selfe seeking destroies it as a Moth secretly and yet certainly Let us therefore be very serious in the worke of selfe-trying There are three sorts of men whom I indict as guilty of this sinfull and cursed selfe-seeking 1. Such as seek their owne things and not at all the things of Christ 2. Such as seek their own things before and more than the things of Châ—ist 3. Such as pretend to seek the things of Christ but seek their owne things under the colour of seeking the things of Christ 1. Such as seek their owne credit profit preferment ease and safety and not at all the things of Christ It is reported of Agrippina the Mother of Nerâ— who being told that if ever her Son came to be Emperor he would put her to death she answered â—eream ego modo ille imperet Let me perish so he may be Emperour There are many such who say in their hearts Perat religio modo ego imperem So I may get an estate and grow great in the world no matter what becomes of Religion and Reformation Quest Are there any Christians of this minde Answ. There are many who are called Christians at large of this minde who have the name and but the name of Christians and carry this name as Uriah did his Letters to Joab Non ad salutem sed ad runam not for Salvation but Damnation you shall know them by this Character Let such men as these have their trading as formerly enjoy outward prosperity and be freed from taxes they will thinke themselves sufficiently happy It is all one to them whether all Religions be tolerated or none at all These men say with Tiberius the Emperour Diis Deorum curae sunto Let God take care of Religion all our care is for our outward estate these are they that make their Money their God who minde earthly things whose end is damnation of whom I may say as Christ of Iudas better they had never been borne 2. Such as seek their own things before and more than the things of Christ who seek their own interest more cordially more industriously and more vigorously than the interest of Religion Thus did the Gaderens as you have heard thus doe most Christians Quest How shall I know whether I preferre in my judgement affections or conversation my owne outward interest before the interest of Christ and the Gospel Answ 1. If the seeking of thine own things take up the first best and most of thy time If thy marrow and strength of thy Soule goe out after them if thou makest them thy {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} thy Primum quaerite and unum necessarium and the things of Christ thy {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and idle houre If the seeking of thine own make thee neglect the things of Christ or seek after them negligently this a signe that thou dost over-value and over-affect thine owne things and undervalue and dis-affect the things of Christ 2. If thou mournest more for personall miseries than for the desolations of Sion it is a signe thou mindest thine owne things more than the things of Christ this is a frame of spirit quite opposite to true Saintship Ezra Nehemiah David Daniel and Ieremiah were more afflicted with the miseries of the Church then their owne 3. If the seeking of thine own things take away thy courage for Christ and his cause and make thee come to Christ by night as Nichodemus did and the more thou hast of the world the lesse thou appearest for Christ and his Gospel the more honours the more fearfull If the preserving of thine owne things make thee betray the things of Christ by sinfull silence or base cowardise this is a sign thou preferrest thine own interest before the interest of Christ 4. If the seeking of thine own things make thee seek to find out excuses and vaine pretences to hinder thee from appearing for Christ this is a sign c I read Luke 14 18. when the Servant was sent to fetch the Guests to the great Supper of the Gospel they all with one consent began to make excuse c. The times wherein we live are very sinfull and perillous the Truths and Ministry of Christ are trampled under feet Religion and Reformation neglected Now God by us his Ambassadors calls upon you to appear for his Truths and for his Gospel ministrie and Gospel-ordinances Methinks I hear the Nobleman say I have a great estate to lose pray have me excused I heare the rich Citizen say I shall be utterly undone in my trading pray have me excused I heare the voluptuous Epicure say I have married a wife pray have me excused Take it for a certain rule If the seeking of these outward things puts thee upon excuses thou seekest them sinfully For if you look into the text forementioned you will finde that the excuses there made were 1. Lying and false they say they cannot come whereas the truth was they would not come non posse pretenditur nolle in câ—usâ est 2. Poore and frivolous What is a Farm in comparison of Heaven marrying a Wife in comparison of being married to Jesus Christ 3. Vain and unprofitable For notwithstanding the excuses they made it is said verse 24. That none of these men which were bidden shall tast of my supper 4. Unreasonable and unconscionable For they made those things laqueos Diaboli snares and impediments to hinder them from Christ which would have been vincula obedientiae motives and incouragements to bring them to Christ 5. Lastly If when thine owne things and the things of Christ come in competition and thou must either part with the one or the other if thou choosest as Spyra did and as the young man in the Gospel did rather to part with Christ and his Gospel than with thy profit and preferment this is a sure note that thou seekest thine own things before and more than the things of Christ I read of Tiberius Emperour of Rome that he sent to the Senate to receive Christ into the number of their Gods but they refused to doe it upon this account because if they received him they must reject all their other Gods and therefore chose rather to renounce Jesus Christ than to receive him and part with the rest of their feigned Deities If thou renouncest and rejectest the Lord Christ and his Truths rather than thou wilt lose thy creature-enjoyments thou art a sinful self-seeker of the highest forme But now on the contrary If thou pursuest after the things of Christ in the first and chiefe place If thou mournest more for Church desolations than personall miseries If the more wealth thou hast the more couragious thou art for God and art glad that thou hast an Estate to lose for Christs cause If the seeking of thine owne things doe not put thee upon lying vaine
frivolous and unconscionable excuses If thou art like unto Hormisdas a Nobleman of Persia who was deposed from all his Honours because he would not deny his Religion and afterwards restored again and a little after solicited again to deny Christ and his truths but he rent his purple robe and laid all his honours at the foot of the Emperour and said Si propter ista me denegaturum Christum put as ea denuò accipe If you thinke to gaine me to deny Christ for the re-obtaining of my honours take them all back againe If this be the frame of thy heart it is a certaine token that thou prizest lovest and seekest the things of Christ before and more then thine owne things 3. The third sort of those who are guilty of this sinfull selfe-seeking are such who pretend to seek the things of Christ but seek their owne things under colour of seeking the things of Christ who hold forth the preservation and propagation of Religion as a stalking horse to catch men by as a blinde to deceive the world but aime aâ— nothing lesse then Religion but either with Demetrius at their owne gaine or with Jehu at the obtaining of a Kingdome or with Balaam at the wages of iniquity This sinne of selfe-seeking is so odious both to God and Man that it never appeares upon the stage in its owne likenesse but alwaies covered over with Samuels mantle There is no sinne hath more {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Fig-leaves and religious cloaks to cover it then this sinne By this meanes the Pope of Rome hath purchased his triple Crowne It is said Rev. 13. 11. that Antichrist should have two hornes like a Lambe but yet act like a Dragon signifying unto us that Antichrist should under colour of Religion act all his villanies and bloudy Massacres and by this means deceive all the world Therefore Antichristianisme is called a Mysterie of iniquity that is iniquity covered over with faire shewes and pretences of godlinesse What Murders what Treasons hath not the Pope committed under the colour of defending the Catholique Religion under pretence of being Peters successor and of having â—eters keyes and chaire Witnesse the holy league as it was called in France witnesse the Gunpowder treason amongst us undertaken under shew of Religion for the defence of the Catholique cause What I affirme of Papists and Jesuites the like I say of all the Errors and Heresies that have been broached in the Christian world The Apostle tells us that the first Authors of Heresies and Schismes were great selfe seekers Men greedy of filthy lucre who served not the Lord Jesus but their owne bellies who made merchandise of the Soules of people making gaine their godlinesse not godlinesse their gaine But though they were such yet they did not appeare to be such but seemed to be very holy and selfe-denying Therefore Christ calls them Wolves in sheeps cloathing ravening Wolves inwardly though innocent Sheep outwardly They honied over the poison of their Doctrine with good words and faire speeches to deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 18. Such a one was Pelagius one of the greatest enemies to the Doctrine of Grace that ever the Church had who made such a shew of godlinesse that when Hierome first wrote against his Heresies he was forced to conceale his name lest by appearing to write on purpose against him his book should have been rejected by the people who did so highly magnifie him Let me adde This is a sinne which not onely Papists and Jesuits Schismaticks and Hereticks but most Christians in the world are tainted withall It is a most true saying Pauci amant Iesum propter Iesum there are few and but very few who love Christ for Christs sake Most people follow Christ for the loaves and make use of Christ to serve their own ends and interest Let a Man be to marry a Wife and he will in words pretend that it is Religion and Godlinesse that he most of all desires but if you had a window to look into his heart you will finde that it is Money which is his chiefe aime But amongst all sorts of Men the great States-men and deep Polititians are most eminently guilty of this sin who usually bring Religion upon the stage meerly to usher in their Politick designes It is a cursed Maxim in Machiavel that Kings and Princes should labour after a shew of Religion but not look much after the substance For the substance would be a burden but the shew of it would be very usefull for the carrying on of their own ends and designes This wicked advise and counsell is followed by many Kingdoms Common-wealths at this day there was scarce ever any State or Church-reformer who did reforme Religion for Religions sake but for his owne ends either to be revenged of his enemies or to gaine Church-revenues or to be a coy-Duck to draw a party to side with him Let me give in a few Examples It pleased God so to order affaires in Henry the Eights time that the Popes supremacy was abolished in England But what was the principle that moved the King to doe this was it out of love to the true Religion or was it not rather that thereby he might be revenged of the Pope who would not allow of his Divorce from his first Wife I have read of Maximilian Emperour of Germany who living in Luthers time professed a great deale of zeale after Reformation and especially in plucking down golden Images But the story saith that it was not so much out of hatred to the Images as out of love to the gold which made him undertake it In the History of the Civill Warres in France I read that when the Princes of the blood fell out one with another one party called in the Protestants to their assistance not out of love to Religion but that thereby they might gaine a party That which I say of Kingdomes and Common-wealths the like I say of Armies I read of Goliahs sword hid in a cloth behind the Ephod 1 Sam. 2. 9. The sword never appeares to the world under bloudy colours but alwayes cloathed with a linnen Ephod pretending Reformation of abuses in Church and State But it is worth remembring that this sword was the sword of Goliah who was a defier of the Israel of God and a great enemy to Religion The summe of all amounts to this that in all ages of the Church especially in times of Civil Warre and in times of Reformation there are thousands that hold forth to the world in their words and Declarations a sincere desire to propagate the Gospel and the Kingdome of Christ and to advance the pure Ordinances of Christ yet notwithstanding minde nothing really and inwardly but their preferment and advancement Quest But how shall I know whether I am but a pretender to the things of Iesus Christ whether I am one who makes