of its Rules Examples He must not walk by the Rules the World walks by He must not imitate the same Patterns the life of a Christian must be a life ordered by the Rules and Examples of the Word not of the World His Principles from which he acts his Rules and Precepts by which he acts and his Ends for which he acts must be higher than the World And thus much for the Explication II. For the Confirmation of the truth of the Doctrine So consider the grounds and reasons Why Christians must be Nonconformists to the World First They are to be Nonconformists to the world in respect of their Calling A Christian's Calling and his Conformity to the world cannot consist nor stand together To make this out consider 1. What a Christian is called from 2. What a Christian is called to 1. What a Christian is called from He is called from the world he is called out of the world and so he is called from a conformity to the world John 15. 19. I have chosen you out of the world The Church is described to be a company of faithful ones chosen and called out of the world Now What is this calling out of the world It is not calling them from living in the world It is not calling them from using of the world it is not calling them from all conversing with the world but it is a calling them from conforming to the world Rev. 18. 4. Come out of her my people i. e. Have nothing to do with Babylon's Manners and sinful Customs and corrupt Forms of Worship 2. Consider what Christians are called to 2 Pet 1. 3. they are said to be called to Glory and Vertue Christians are called to Holiness and Happiness And upon this account he must not be a Conformist to this world 1. He is called to Holiness 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. Be ye holy Now Holiness consisteth not with conforming to the world the world is unclean impure unholy 1 Joh. 5. 19. The world lieth in wickedness it lies like a Beast in its own dung and filth Conforming to the world is being like the world and bearing the image of the world and so it is to bear the image of that that is unholy and unclean A Christian is called to bear another image he is called to be like God But none can bear the Image of God and the Image of the world too God is infinitely holy and he that will be like to a holy God must be unlike an unholy world Jam. 1. 27. it is there made one part of that Religion that is said to be pure and undefiled For a man to keep himself unspotted of the world which shews that the world is a bespotting and defiling thing 2 Pet. 2. 20. we read of the pollutions of the world If you look upon that Scheam and Figure of the world that St. John hath drawn 1 Joh. 2. 16. you will find whatever is in the world is all lust So Tit. 2. 12. we read of worldly lusts And if you will see what the way and course and practice of the world is you have it in 1 Pet. 4. 3. excess of Riot Drunkenness Revelling c. So then it cannot be that a Christian's being called to holiness can consist with a conforming to this world 2. Christians are called to Glory As to Holiness so to Happiness Now calling to glory and conforming to the world cannot stand together Prov. 15. 24. The way of life is above to the wise That way that leads to glory lyes above the world Those Principles from which a man acts those Rules by which a man acts and those Ends for which a man acts that acts for Heaven and seeks for Glory and Immortality are all higher Principles Rules and Ends than those of the world and far above them The world's way will never bring a man to glory it may bring a man to worldly Honour and Preferment but will never mount a man to the enjoyment of the things of that world that is to come The world hath kept many from Heaven and is still the great block and hinderance in the way to Heaven How many have the cursed courses and examples of the world undone and damned And how often doth the Scripture cautionate all to take heed of the world as a dangerous Rock against which a thousand Demaâ—â— have dashed themselves and made shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience Secondly Consider some particular grounds Why Christians are to 〈◊〉 Nonconformists to the world 1. Conformity to God and the World cannot stand together no more than the love of God and the love of the World can 1 Joh. 2. 15. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him There is an antipathy and contrariety between God and the World A man is never more like God than when he is most unlike the World Now a Christian is to conform to God and Christ The first and best is said to be the Rule of the rest Christ is our highest and best Pattern Here is no serving of two Masters no conforming to two contrary Patterns He that will be a Conformist to the World must be a Non-conformist to God and Christ 2. The world is one of the declared Enemies that a Christian is to fight against worldly lusts as well as fieshly lusts fight against the soul so that conforming to the world is taking part and siding with our Enemy The Apostle saith Gal. 6. 14. The world is crucified to me and I to the world q. d. The world and I are upon equal terms of defiance I neither care for the would nor the world for me 3. Christians are predestinated to another Conformity than that to the world Rom 8. â—9 For whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son Not to the Image of the world Conformity to the world consists not with that Predestination 4. What was a Christian's Rule and Pattern before conversion cannot be his Rule after Before conversion the world was so Eph. 2. 3. The Apostle tells the Ephesians that before conversion they walked according to the course of the world 5. It was one end of Christ's living so long on earth to give us a better and a more noble Pattern and Example than what the world gave 1 Pet. 2. 21. Leaving us an example that we should follow his steps 6. It is a debasement to a Christian to be a Conformist to the world The ground of Conformity and Imitation should be to advance and better but in conforming to the world a Christian doth but degrade himself he writes after a Copy by which he cannot mend his hand It is observable in Scripture what the wicked of the world are compared to among Beasts to I yon 's Bears Wolves among Plants to Briers Thorns c. Among other living Creatures to Vipers Dogs Swine What a debasement is it for Christians to be like such
forth seasonable and wholesom Fruit for the Comfort and Refreshing of others which hath occasioned no doubt the Thanks-giving of many to God on your behalf And if God hath given you with a large and plentiful Estate a large Heart and open Hand to do good it is a double Blessing and lays a double Obligation upon you to be thankful Now because the best Christians need dayly Monitors to warn them of Dangers and to awaken them to Duty and the continual Exercise of their Graces give me leave as a faithful Friend to beseech you to keep in remembrance and seriously to ponder what the Apostle writes to Timothy 1 Tim. 6. 17. 18 19. The more Splendid your outward Condition is the greater is the Danger you are exposed unto from the Temptatations of a Smiling Flattering World which being masked vetled are not easily known and discovered which if they were would more easily be resisted and were nothing so dangerous They that by Experience know what a tempting thing Worldly Grandeur is and have any acquaintance with their own hearts how apt they are to be taken with it cannot but acknowledg it is none of the easiest Points of that difficult Duty of Christian Self-denial for those that have arrived at the Haven of Worldly hopes to keep their Hearts humble from being lifted up with Self-admiring thoughts when their outward Greatness and Splendor invites others to applaud and admire them And indeed it will put the Faith of Christians to the greatest Stress and prove not only the Truth but the Strength thereof when in the midst of Worldly Enjoyments they can look above them to higher and better and in the midst of Worldly Greatness can live above it in the Soul-ravishing View of Heavenly Glory It must needs be then a Mercy worth the asking and a Lesson worth the learning to have our Hearts loosed from all outward Comforts before Hand and to leave and part with them in affection before we are called to part with them indeed seeing there will be a time of parting and we enjoy them on no other but partingterms and then whensoever they are taken from us or we from them the trouble of parting will not be great But to detain you no longer with an Epistle As concerning the Author of the ensuing Sermons it is needless for me to write any thing to you who were so nearly related and so sâ—â—iliarly acquainted with him to whom I doubt not his Memory is and will be precious and that true Love and due esteem you always had for his publick and profitable Labours is a sufficient Commendation of this Practical Piece to your Serious Perusal which I hope and heartily wish through the Blessing of God may prove advantagious to preserve you from Worldliness and for the promoting the power of Godliness in your Hearts and Lives that you may dayly strive after a nearer and closer Conformity to Christ your Heavenly Pattern in all his imitable Graces then shall you have no cause to repent the reading but rejoyce and bless God that by his good Providence it is brought forth to publick View wherein the Author though dead yet speaketh Your most Affectionate Kinsman in any Service of Christian Love to be commanded STEPH BAXTER THE CONTENTS THE words of the Text words either of Counsel Caution Command p. 1. Here considered as a Prohibitive Precept 1 The Act forbidden ibid. 2 The Object to which it hath relation 2 What is not forbidden Not living in the world All using of the world All converse with the men of the world ib. Two things forbidden to Christians in relation to the world Affection Imitation ib. Doct. It is the duty of Christians to be Nonconformists to this world 2 1. Explication Two things opened 1. What is meant by the world its Frame Family Here meant the Family 3 Five Reasons why the worst of the World are called the World 4 5 6. 2. What it is to be a Nonconsormist to this World 7 8 9. Wherein conformity to the World stands In 1 Approbation 2 Imitation 9 Wherein a Nonconformity stands In Judgment Affection Conversation 10 11 Not conforming to the World's Rules Examples 12 2 Confirmation 1 Reasons in general what a Christian is 1 Called from 2 Called to 1 Holiness 2 Happiness 13 14 15 2. Reasons in particular 1 Conformity to God and the World cannot consist 16 2 This World is one of a Christian's declared Enemies 17 3 Christians are predestinated to another Conformity ib. 4 What was a Christian's Rule before conversion cannot be after ib. 5 One End of Christ's living on Earth was to give us an Example to conform to ib. 6 It is a Debasement to a Christian to be a Conformist to this World 18 3 Vindication Quest Whether all conformity to this World be unlawful 19 Conformity distinguished into Civil 19 Sinful 28 Doubtful 30 Advice given concerning Doubtful Conformity ib. 4 Application 1 Information 1 What is the Character of a true Christian 32 What to judg of those who are Conformists to this World 34 3 Why Nonconformists to this World are so much hated 38 Exhortation Three things handled 1 The chief Causes of a Conformity viz. 1 Slavish fear of the World's frowns 41 2 Sinful love of the World's favours ib. Four things men naturally affect 1 To be thought some-body in the world 42 2 To be free from the world's hatred ib. 3 To have company in their way 43 4 To have Elbow-room 44 2. Discoveries whether we are Nonconformists to this world By being unlike the world 50 By being Conformists to another world 50 Enquiries hereupon made General Particular ib. 1 General Enquiry What conformity to those in Heaven 50 Quest Who are in Heaven Answ God Christ Angels The Spirits of just men made perfect ib Trials of our conforming to God in our Judging 51 Affecting ib. Conformity to Christ in Sufferings 53 Sanctity 55 To Angels In doing the will of God on Earth as they in Heaven That shewed in five particulars 57 To the Spirits of just men That shew'd in two particulars 60 2. Particular Queries 1 What Language do you speak 62 2 What Life do you live ib. 3 What Works do you do ib. 4 What things do you most look after 63 5 What world do you most provide for ib. 6 What world do you account your home ibid. 7 What Interest do you most rejoice in 64 8 From what world do you fetch all your comfort ib. 9 What Promises do you most prize ib. 10 How do you do the Civil businesses of this life ib. 3. Directions that we may be Nonconformists to this world 65 1 Compare both worlds together ib. Both worlds compared in seven particulars 65 to 71 The Question put upon this comparison Which world is most worthy of our conformity 72 2 Compare together the loss of conforming the gain of Not-conforming ib. The gain and loss of Conformity compared 71 to 78 The gain and
the Rules of the Word both for judging of things and for practice 1. For the Rules prescribed us in the Word they are all pure I might name many but among others take these three 1. The VVord teacheth us to judg of things as God judgeth of them whose judgment is according to truth the judgment of the VVorld is according to appearance and corrupt phantasie 2. The Word teacheth us to judg of things as they have relation to the Soul That that is good which is good for the Soul which tends to the making of us more Holy and Heavenly 3. The Word teacheth us to judg of things to be good or evil as they relate to a man's future and eternal state So those things to be good that concern a man's eternal well being and those things to be evil that relate to eternal misery Thus for the Rules of judging of things Next for the Rules of Practice I shall name some of many to you you will find them all holy and pure 1. Is this Doing what pleaseth God not what pleaseth men Pleasing God whom ever we displease This is a Rule in the Word for practice it telleth us We should not be the servants of men to please their sinful humours and lusts and fancies 2. To do as the best do and not as the most do where by best we mean not the best of the Parish who are accounted so for their Riches and Lands and Possessions but the best in respect of Godliness and Holiness 3. In all things we do to prefer suffering before sinning To chuse Affliction rather than Sin It gives us to consider that the least evil of Sin hath more evil in it than the greatest evil of Suffering 4. In all we do to respect more inward than outward peace To regard most peace in our own Spirits and Consciences To remember what the Martyr said There were no Stocks to the Stocks of an evil Conscience To have a care to preserve the Bird in our bosome 5. Doing good and avoiding evil though with disadvantage to our selves when the good concerns eternal life and the disadvantage only this life Thus for some of the Rules for practice Next for the Patterns and Examples that the VVord of God holds out to us You will find them all holy having the Inscriptions of Heaven and Holiness on them So it propounds to us for our imitation the Examples First Of Jesus Christ Secondly Of Holy men and such as were Followers of Jesus Christ 1. Of Jesus Christ So it holds him out to us as our great Pattern to imitate It shews us the steps of his Humility Meekness Patience Obedience Holiness Heavenliness 2. It holds out to us the Examples of Holy men for our imitation more famous in their Generation than others for their Faith Piety Patience Holiness Zeal Heb. 6. 12 Be ye followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the Promises Consider the Scripture propounds to us for our example such as inherit the Promises of God the VVorld propounds such as inherit the Threatnings of God The Word propounds to us for our examples such as now are in Heaven The VVorld propounds such who for ought we know are either in Hell or in the road-way to Hell Now Christians I have given you a brief specimen and view of the VVorld's Rules and Examples and of those of the VVord and now compare them together and judg which are most worthy of your conformity Upon your comparing them together you will find the result to be this 1. That the Rules and Examples of the VVord are more high and noble and excellent than those of the VVorld The VVorld's Rules and Examples are low and base and a Christian debaseth himself in conforming to them they are below a Christian's Calling they are below a Christian's Spirit they are below a Christian's Profession they are below a Christian's Hope and Expectation and so must needs be too low for his conformity and imitation Man is an excellent Creature he was made a little lower than the Angels so that next to the Angels he is the most noble of Creatures And God that gave Man a noble Being gave him also a noble Rule to live and walk by As God made not man to be his own End neither did he make him to be his own Rule From whom he received his Being he was to receive his Rule His Rule was the Will and Law of his Creator and herein stood his excellency in conforming to that Rule When man conformed to another Rule he lost his excellency God made man upright but as Solomon saith they have found out many inventions So God made Man excellent but having found out other Rules to conform to than those of his Creator they have lost their excellency There was a high and noble Rule for a high and noble Creature and that Rule is the Rule of the Word which contains the revealed Will of the Creator 2. You will find this upon comparing them together That the Rules and Examples of the Word are more pure and holy than those of the World Consider what is said of the Word of God and what is said of the World Of the Word of God the Scripture saith it is pure very pure as Gold tryed in the fire seven times Of the World it 's said that it is sinful evil and that it lieth in wickedness Now as the Word is so are its Rules and as the World is so are its A pure Word hath pure Rules and an impure VVorld must needs prescribe impure Rules The higher things are the purer they are VVhat is Purity but a freeness from all Contagion and touch of inferior things That Gold is impure that is mixed with dross and that Face and Garment is defiled that is spotted with dirt Consider things are pure ex contactu superiorum the higher they are and the more heavenly the more pure And things are impure ex contactu inferiorum the lower things are the more impure Now upon this account the Rules and Precepts of the VVord most needs be the purest because they are must high holy heavenly There is no scoria no dross at all in them And as for the Examples of the VVord they are holy and heavenly ones that are propounded to us for our conformity and imitation Obj. It 's true some may here except against the Examples and say What was there no dross in them Had not the best Saints their failings and corruptions Were they perfectly pure without stain or blemish Ans To this we answer That the Examples and Patterns that the VVord of God holds out to us for our imitation are as I told you before of two sorts those 1. Of Jesus Christ 2. Of Holy men 1. The Example of Jesus Christ Now his Example is without and beyond all exception it is perfectly pure He hath left us his steps to tread in and upon view of them it wil never be found that he trod