for Heaven all tenderness of Conscience and fear of sinning all heavenly discourse and serious preaching reading or praying are also made odious for their sakes For hearing so ill of the persons and seeing that these are the things wherein they differ from others they reduce their judgement of their practices to their foresetled judgement of the persons When their diligence in their Families in prayer and instructions in reading and fruitful improvement of the Lords day or any other actions of strictness and holy industry are mentioned these ungodly Ministers are ready to blot them with some open calumnies or secret reproaches or words of suspicion to vindicate their own unholy lives make people believe that serious piety is faction hypocrise The black tincture of their minds and the design and drift of their preaching may be perceived in the jeers and girds and slanderous intimations against the most diligent servants of the Lord. The controverted truths that such maintain they represent as errours Their unavoidable errours they represent as heresie Their duties they represent as faults and their humane frailties as enormous crimes They feign them to be guilty of the things that never entred into their thoughts And if some that have professed godliness be guilty of greater crimes they would make men believe that the rest are such and that the family of Christ is to be judged of by a Judas and the scope is to intimate that either their Profession is culpable or needless and less commendable Regeneration they would make to be but the entrance into the Church by Baptism and any further conversion then the leaving off some gross sins and taking up some heartless forms of duty to be but a fancy or unnecessary thing And they would draw poor people to believe that if they be born again Sacramentally of water they may be saved though they be not born again by the renewing of the Holy Spirit Being strangers themselves to the mystery of Regeneration and to the life of Faith and a heavenly Conversation and to the loving and serving God with all their Soul and Might They first endeavour to quiet themselves with a belief that these are but fancies or unnecessary and then to deceive the people with that by which they have first deceived them elves And it is worthy your observation what it is in Religion that these formal Hypocrites are against There are scarce any words so sound or holy but they can bear them if they be but deprived of their Life Nor scarce any duty if it be but mortified but they can endure But it is the Spirit and Life of all Religion which they cannot bear As a Body differeth from a Carkass not by the parts but by the life so there is a certain life in preaching and prayer and all other acts of worship which is perceived by several sorts of hearers The Godly perceive it to their edification and delight For here it is that they are quickned and encouraged Life begetteth life as fire kindleth fire The ungodly often perceive it to their vexation if not to their conviction and conversion This life in preaching praying discipline reproof and conference is it which biteth and galleth and disquieteth their consciences And this they kick and rail against This is the thing that will not let them sleep quietly in their sin and misery but is calling and jogging them to awake and will not let them sin in peace but will either convert them or torment them before the time It is the Life of Religion that the hypocrite wants and the life that he is most against A painted fire burneth not A dead Lion biteth not The Carkass of an Enemy is not formidable Let the words of that Sermon that most offendeth them be separated from the life and put into a Homily and said or read in a formal drowsie or a School-boys tone and they can bear it and commend it Let the same words of prayer which now they like not be said over as a lifeless customary form and they can like it well I speak not against the use of forms but the abuse of them Not against the Body but the Carkass Let forms themselves be used by a spiritual serious man in a spiritual serious manner with the inter position of any quickening exhortations or occasional passages that tend to keep them waken and attentive and make them feel what you mean and are about and you shall see they love not such animated forms It is the living Christian and lively worship and serious spiritual Religion which they hate kill it and they can bear it Let the picture of my enemy be nearer and comelier then his person was and I can endure it in my bed-chamber better then himself in the meanest dress It is the living Christians that in all parts of the world are chiefly persecuted Let them be once dead and dead-hearted hypocrites themselves will honour them especially at a sufficient distance They will destroy the living Saints and keep Holy dayes for the dead ones Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because ye build the Tombs of the Prophets and garnish the Sepulchers of the Righteous and say if we had been in the days of our Fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets Wherefore be ye witnesses unto your selves that ye are the children of them which killed the Prophets Fill ye up the measure of your Fathers ye serpents ye generation of vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell Matth. 23. 29 30 31 32 33. The dog that will not meddle with the dead creature will pursue the living and when he sees it stir no more will leave it Christianity without seriousness is not Christianity and therefore not lyable to the hatred of its enemies as such Say any thing and do any thing how strict so ever if you will but act it as a player on the stage or do it coldly slightly as if you were but in jeast you may have their approbation But it is this life and seriousness and worshipping God in Spirit and Truth that convinceth them that they themselves are lifeless and therefore troubleth their deceitful peace and therefore must not have their friendship If it were the meer bulk of duty that they are weary of how comes it to pass that a Papist at his Psalter Beads and Mass-books can spend more hours without much weariness or opposition then we can do in serious worship Turn all but into words and beads and canonical hours and dayes and shews and ceremony and you may be as religious as you will and be Righteous overmuch and few will hate or reproach or persecute you among them as too precise or strict But living Christians and worship come among them like fire that burneth them and makes them smart with a word that is quick powerful sharper then any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit
subject of Solomon in this Chapter and observing that wisdom and piety exempt not men from death he first hence infers that Gods love or hatred to one man above another is not to be gathered by his dealing with them here where all things in the common course of providence do come alike to all The common sin hath introduced death as a common punishment which levelleth all endeth all the contrivances businesses and enjoyments of this life to good and bad and the discriminating justice is not ordinarily manifested here An Epicure or Infidel would think Solomon were here pleading their unmanly impious cause But it is not the cessation of the life or operations or enjoyments of the soul that he is speaking of as if there were no life to come or the soul of man were not immortal But it is the cessation of all the actions and honors and pleasures of this life which to good or bad shall be no more Here they have no more reward the memory of them will be here forgotten They have no more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun vers 5 6. From hence he further inferreth that the comforts of life are but short and transitory and therefore that what the creature can afford must be presently taken And as the wicked shall have no more but present pleasures so the faithful may take their lawful comforts in the present moderate use of creatures For if their delightful goodness be of right and use to any it is to them And therefore though they may not use them to their hurt to the pampering of their flesh and strengthening their lusts and hindering spiritual duties benefits salvation yet must they serve the Lord with joyfulness with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things which he giveth them Deut. 28. 47. Next he inferreth from the brevity of mans life the necessity of speed and Diligence in his duty And this is in the words of my Text where you have 1. The duty commanded 2. The reason or motive to enforce it The Duty is in the first part Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do that is whatever work is assigned thee by God to do in this thy transitory life do it with thy might that is 1. Speedily without delay 2. Diligently and as well as thou art able and not with sloathfulness or by the halves 2. The Motive is in the last part For there is no work nor device nor knowledg nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest that is It must be now or never The grave where thy work cannot be done will quickly end thy opportunities The Caldee Paraphrase appropriates the sense too narrowly to works of charity or Alms whatsoever good and almsgiving thou findest to do and the moving reason they read accordingly for nothing but thy works of righteousness and mercy follow thee But the words are more general the sense is obvious contained in these two Propositions Doct. 1. The work of this life cannot be done when this life is ended Or There is no working in the grave to which we are all making haste Doct. 2. Therefore while we have time we must do our best or do the work of this present life with vigour and diligence It is from an unquestionable and commonly-acknowledged truth that Solomon here urgeth us to diligence in duty and therefore to prove it would be but loss of time As there are two worlds for man to live in and so two lives for man to live so each of these lives hath its peculiar employment This is the life of preparation the next is the life of our Reward or Punishment We are now but in the womb of eternity and must live hereafter in the open world We are now but set to school to learn the work that we must do for ever This is the time of our apprentiship we are learning the trade that we must live upon in Heaven We run now that we may then receive the Crown we fight now that we may then triumph in victory The Grave hath no work but Heaven hath work and Hell hath suffering There is no Repentance unto life hereafter but there is Repentance unto torment and to desperation There is no Believing of a happiness unseen in order to the obtaining of it or of a misery unseen in order to the escaping of it nor believing in a Saviour in order to these ends But there is the fruition of the happiness which was here believed feeling of the misery that men would not believe and suffering from him as a righteous Judge whom they rejected as a merciful Saviour So that it is not all work that ceaseth at our death but only the work of this present life And indeed no reason can shew us the least probability of doing our work when our time is done that was given us to do it in If it can be done it must be 1. by the recalling of our Time 2. by the return of life 3. or by opportunity in another life But there is no hope of any of these 1. Who knoweth not that Time cannot be recalled That which once Was will be no more Yesterday will never come again To day is passing and will not return You may work while it is day but when you have lost that day it will not return for you to work in While your candle burneth you may make use of its light but when it is done it is too late to use it No force of Medicine no Orators elegant perswasions no worldlings wealth no Princes power can call back one day or hour of time If they could what endeavours would there be used when extremity hath taught them to value what they now despise what chaffering would there be at last if time could be purchased for any thing that man can give Then Misers would bring out their wealth and say All this will I give for one days time of Repentance more And Lords and Knights would lay down their Honours and say Take all and let us be the basest Beggars if we may but have one year of the Time that we mispent Then Kings would lay down their Crowns and say Let us be equal with the lowest Subjects so we may but have the Time again that we wasted in the Cares and Pleasures of the world Kingdoms would then seem a contemptible price for the recovery of Time The Time that is now idled talkt away The Time that is now feasted and complemented away that is unnecessarily sported slept away that is wickedly presumptuously sin'd away how precious will it one day seem to all How happy a bargain would they think that they had made if at the dearest rates they could redeem it The prophanest Mariner fals a praying when he fears his Time is at an end If importunity would then prevail how earnestly would they pray for the recovery of time that formerly derided praying or minded it
joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. And the enmity of the Cainites may teach the Christian what he should be and wherein his excellency lieth It is life and seriousness that your enemies hate and therefore it is life and seriousness that you must above all maintain though dead-hearted hypocrites never so much oppose and contradict you O sirs they are no trifles but the greatest things that God hath set before you in his Word and called you out to prosecute and possesse and your time of seeking them is short and therefore you have no time fortrifles nor any to lose in idleness and sloath And of all men Preachers should be most sensible of this If they were not against serious holiness in others it is double wickedness for such as they to be against it in themselves It is great things that they have to study and to speak of and such as call for the greatest seriousness and reverence and gravity in the speaker and condemn all trifling in matter or in manner A man that is sent to Christ to run for an immortal crown or to direct others in such a race to save his own or other mens souls from endless misery should be ashamed to fill up his time with trifles or to be slight and cold about such great and weighty things All the heart and soul and might is little enough for matters of such unspeakable importance When I hear Preachers or people spend time in little impertinent fruitless things that do but divert them from the great business of their lives or to dally with the greatest matters rather then to use them and treat of them with a seriousness suitable to their importance I oft think of the words of Seneca the serious Moralin as shaming the hypocrisie of such trifling Preachers and Professors of the Christian faith Verba copiosa componis interrogans vincula nectis dicis Acuta sunt ista Nihil acutius aristâ in quo est utilis Quaedam inutilia inefficacia ipsa subtilitas reddit that is You compose copious words and tye hard knots by curious questions and you say O these are acute things what is more acute then the peal of corn and yet what is it good for subtilty it self makes some things unprofitable and uneffectual Istae ineptiae Poetis relinquantur quibus aures oblectare propositum est dulcem fabulam nectere sed qui ingenia sanare fidem in rebus humanis retinere ac memoriam officiorum animis ingerere volunt serio loquantur inagnis viribus rem agant that is Leave these toyes or fooleries to Poets whose business is to delight the ear and to compose a pleasant fable But they that mean to heal mens understandings and retain credibility among men and to bring into mens minds the remembrance of their duties must speak seriously and do their business with all their might Demens omnibus merito videret He would justly by all be taken for a mad man that when the Town expecteth to be stormed by the enemies and others are busie at work for their defence will sit idle proposing some curious questions Nunquid tibi demens videtur si istis impendero operam nunc obsideor quid agam mors me sequitur vit a fugit Adversus haec me doce aliquid effice ut ego mortem non timeam vita me non effugiat And shall I not be taken for a mad man if I should busie my self about such things that am now besieged what shall I do death pursueth me teach me something against these make death not dreadful to me or life not to fly from me Si multum esset aetatis parce dispensandum erit ut sufficeret necessariis nunc quae dementia est supervacua discere in tanta temporis egestate If we had much time we should sparingly lay it out that it might suffice for necessary things But now what a madness is it to learn things needless or superfluous in so great a scarcity of time Metire ergo aetatem tuam tam multa non capit Measure thy age It s not enough for so many things Relinque istum ludum literarum Philosophis Rem magnificam ad syllabas vocant qui animum minuta discendo diminuunt conterunt id agunt ut Philosophia potius difficilis quam magna videatur Socrates qui totam Philosophiam revocavit ad mores hanc summam dixit esse sapientiam bona malaque distinguere Leave this learned play to Philosophers A gallant business They call us to syllables and debase and depress the mind by learning such little trivial things and make Philosophy rather to seem a matter of difficulty then great Socrates that revoked all Philosophy to manners 〈◊〉 call this the highest wisdom to distinguish good and evil Did a Seneca see by the light of nature so much of the necessity of seriousness and diligence about the matters of the soul and so much of the madness of spending words and time on trifles And yet shall there be found a man among professed Christians and among the Preachers of Faith and Holiness that plead for trifling and scorn at seriousness and count them moderate and wise that a Heathen brands as toyish and distracted What is it that cloudeth the glory of Christianity and keepeth so great a part of the world in Heathenism and Infidelity but this that among Christians there are so few that are Christians indeed and those few are so obscured by the multitude of formal trifling hypocrites that Christianity is measured and judged of by the lives of those that are no Christians Religion is a thing to be demonstrated and honoured and commended by practice words alone are ineffectual to represent its excellency to so blind a world that must know by feeling having lost their sight In our professed faith we mount unto the Heavens and leave poor unbelievers wallowing in the dirt O what a transcendent unconceivable glory do we profess to expect with God unto eternity And what manner of persons should they be in holy conversation and godliness that look for such a life as this How basely should they esteem those transitory things that are the food and felicity of the sensual world How patiently should they undergo contempt and scorn and whatsoever man can inflict upon them How studiously should they devote and refer all their time and strength and wealth and interest to this their glorious blessed end How seriously should they speak of and how industriously should they seek such sure such near such endless joyes Did professed Christians more exactly conform their hearts and lives to their profession and holy rule their lives would confute the reproaches of their enemies and command a reverent and awful estimation from the observers and do more to convince the unbelieving world of the truth and dignity of the Christian faith then all the
or which any Christian can speak against in any of this 7. Another part of your work is to search the Scripture as that which containeth your directions for eternal life Joh. 5. 39. To love the Word of God more then thousands of gold silver perfer it before your necessary food Psal 119. 72. Job 23. 12. and to meditate in it day night as that which is your pleasure and delight Psa 1. 2. as that which is able to make you wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15. and to build you up give you an inheritance among the sanctified Acts 20. 32. That you lay up the word of God in your hearts and teach them diligently to your children and talk of them when you sit in your houses and when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up Deut. 6. 6 7. 11. 18 19. that so you your houshoulds may serve the Lord Josh 24. 15. This is the work that we call you to And is there any thing that a christian can make a controversie of in all this Is there any thing that Protestants are not agreed of 8. Another part of your work is that you guard your tongues and take not the name of God in vain and speak no reproaches or slanders against your brethren that no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers Eph. 4. 29. and that fornication uncleanness and covetousness be not once named among you as becometh Saints neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks Eph. 5. 3 4. And is there any thing of doubt or controversie in this 9. Another part of the work which we perswade you to is to pray continually 1 Thes 5. 17. and not to wax faint Luke 18. 1. to be fervent and importunate with God as those that know the greatnesse of their necessity Luke 18. 6 7. Jam. 5. 16. That you pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Eph. 6. 18. and in every thing by prayer and supplication to make known your requests to God Phil. 4. 6. that you pray for Kings and all in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. And is there any thing in all this that any Christian can deny 10. Lastly the work we call you to is to love your neighbours as your selves and to do to others as you would have them arbitrio sano do to you To scorn deride molest imprison slander or hurt no man till you would be so used your selves on the like occasion To rejoyce in other mens profit and reputation as your own To envy none to hate no man to wrong none in their persons estates or names To preserve the chastity honour and estate of your neighbour as your own To love your enemies and forgive them that wrong you and pray for them that hate and hurt and persecute you This is your work And is there any thing of faction Schism or controversie in this No you shall shortly be convinced that the differences and controversies of believers and the many opinions about Religion were a wretched hypocrital pretence for your neglect and contempt of the substance of Religion about which there was no difference but all parties were agreed in the confession of the truth however hypocrites would not live according to their own professions But perhaps you 'l say that there is such difference in the Manner yet among them that agree in the Principles and the Matter that you know not which way God is to be worshipped In answer 1. Do you practise as aforesaid according to the Principles and matter agreed on or not If you do not it is but gross hypocrisie to pretend disagreements in the Manner as an excuse for your contempt or omission of the Matter which all agree in Forsooth your families shall be prayerless and you will make a jeast of serious prayer because some pray on a book and some without and some that are wisest think that either way is lawful Will God be deceived by such siilly reasonings as these 2. But this shall not hide the nakedness of your impiety Will you also in the Manner of your obedience but go so far as all Christians are agreed in I will breifly then give you some particular instances 1. The work of God must be done with reverence in his fear not like the common works of men with a common carelesse frame of mind God will be sanctified of all that draw near him Lev. 10. 3. He will be served as God and not as man He will not be prayed to with a regardlesse mind as those do that can divide their tongues from their hearts and say over some customary words while they think of something else Is a dreadful thing for dust to speak to God Almighty and a dangerous thing to speak to him as slightly and regardlesly as if we were talking to one of our companions It beseemeth a believer to have more of the fear of God upon his heart in his ordinary converse in the world then hypocrites and formalists have in their most solemn prayers Knowest thou the difference between God and man Put then such a difference between God and man in thy addresses as his Majesty requireth And see also that thy family compose themselves to a reverent behaviour when they joyn with thee in the worshipping of God What have you to say now against this reverent manner of behaviour Is there any thing controvertible in this 2. It also requisite that you be serious and sober in all the service you perform to God Do it not ludicruously and with half a heart Be as much more fervent and serious in seeking God and your salvation then you are in seeking worldly things as God and your Salvation is better then any thing in the world Or if that be beyond your reach though else there is reason for it at least let the greatest things have the greatest power upon your hearts You cannot pray more fervently for heaven then heaven deserveth O let but the excellency and greatnesse of your work appear in the serious manner of your performance I hope you cannot say that his is any point of controversie unlesse it be a controversie whether a man should be an hypocrite or be serious in the Religion which he doth profess 3. It is requisite that your service of God be performed understandingly Psal 47. 7. 1 Cor. 14 15. God delighteth not in the blind devotion of men that know not what they do Prayers not understood are indeed no prayers For no mans desire goeth further then his knowledge and he expresseth not his desires that knoweth not what he expresseth himself Nor can he expect the concurrence of another mans desires that speaketh what another understandeth
not The word that is not understood cannot sink into the heart and sanctifie it or if it be not well and soundlie understood it s easily stoln away by the tempter Mat. 13. 19 23. If understanding be necessarie in our common conversations much more in our holy addresses to the Almighty Prov. 17. 27. A man of understanding is of an excellent Spirit but God hath no pleasure in fools or in their Sacrifices Eceles 5. 1 4. nor is pleased with a Parrot-like lip-service which is not understood He saith in detestation of the Hypocrites This people draweth near unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me Mat. 15. 8 9. I hope then when we call you to serve God in judgment with understanding we call you to nothing that a Christian should make question of 4. God is a Spirit and they that serve him must serve him in Spirit and in truth Joh. 4. 24. The Father seeketh such to worship him ver 23. He calleth for the heart he looketh for the inward desires of the soul He converseth with minds that are abstracted from vanity and are seriously taken up in attending him and are intent upon the work they do The carkass of a Prayer separated from the Life of it stinketh before the holy God As he will be loved so will he be served with all the heart and soul and might And do we call you then to any thing that is doubtful when we call you to the Spiritual worshipping of God 5. Yet we maintain that the body hath its part in the service of God as well as the soul and the body must expresse the inward reverence and devotion of the soul though not in a way of hypocritical ostentation yet in a way of serious adoration The bowing of the knee the uncovering of the head and reverent deportment and whatsoever nature or common use and holy institution hath made an expression of holy affections and a decent and grave behaviour of our selves should be carefully observed in the presence of the most High and the holy things of God more reverently to be respected then the presence of any mortal man And the rather because that a grave and reverent and holy manner of deportment in Gods worship reflecteth upon the heart and helpeth us in our inward and spiritual devotion it helpeth the beholders and awakeneth them to reverent thoughts of God and holy things which a regardless and common manner of deportment would extinguish And it s no dishonour to reverent behaviour that it is the use of Hypocrites but rather an honour to it For it is something that is good that the Hypocrite useth for the cloak of his secret emptiness or evil If there were nothing good in reverent behaviour before God it would not serve the Hypocrites turn As it is a commendation to long-prayer that the Pharisees made it their pretence for the devouring of widdows houses And those that call them hypocrites that are much in holy exercises and speeches should consider that if holy exercises and speeches were not good they were not fit for the hypocrites design evil will not be a fit cloak for evil that which the hypocrite thinks necessary to the covering of his sin we must think more necessary to the cure of our sin and the saving of our souls The way to avoid hypocrisie is not by running into impiety and prophaness we must do more then the hypocrite and not less else he will rise up in judgement against you and condemn you if he would do more to seem good then you will do to be good and to please your Maker if a Pharisee will pray longer to colour his oppression then you will do to attain salvation The mischief of hypocrisie is that the soul of Religion is wanting while the corps is present And will you cast away both soul and body both inside and outside in opposition to hypocrisie If others do seem to love God when they do not will you therefore not so much as seem to do it So here about reverence in the service of God The hypocrite should not exceed the sincere in any thing that is truly good This is the manner of Gods service that I perswade you to and to no other And is there any thing of controversie in this Prefer but the spiritual part and know but what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice that so you may not condemn the innocent and you shall never say that we will be more backward then you to decency and reverent behaviour in Gods service 6. God will be served in Purity and Holiness with cleansed hearts and hands and not with such as remain defiled with the guilt of any wilful sin He abhorreth the sacrifice of the wicked and disobedient He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law his prayers are abominable Prov. 28. 9. and 15. 8. 21. 27. Isa 1. 13. Eccles 5. 1 2 3 4. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me saith the Lord to oppressing wicked men Isa 1. 11. When you come to appear before me who hath required this at your hand to tread my Courts Bring no more vain oblations incense is an abomination to me the new Moons and Sabbaths the calling of Assemblies I cannot away with it is iniquity even the solemn meeting c. ver 12 13. And when you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgement relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widdow Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. To play the glutton or drunkard or filthy fornicator in the day time then to come to God at night as if it were to make him amends by an hypocritical prayer to blaspheme Gods Name and oppose his Kingdom and Government in your selves and others and to do your own will and hate and scorn them that do his will and study his will that they may do it and then to pray that Gods Name may be hallowed his Kingdom come and his Will be done is an abusing God and not a serving or pleasing him Live according to your prayers and let your lives shew as well as your words what it is that you desire This is the service of God that we call you to And can you say that there is any thing controvertible in all this Are there any men of any party among Christians or sober Infidels that dare contradict it 7. God will be served entirely and universally in all his Commands and with all your faculties in works of Piety Justice and Charity which must never be separated You must not pretend your Charity against duties of Piety for God is to