will be worshiped only in Spirit Truth Hypocrites are not only impotent in their thoughts but sordid extremly if they should think that God is of such a Make that he is pleased with flatteâ—ies or that he doth not see and contemn the wickednesse of such as feignedly court him The Heathen world looked sometimes upon their gods as implacable Tyrants and reviled them at their pleasure which was a strange foolery to daigne to worship what they durst reproach At other times they looked upon them though as angry things yet easily to be pleased again and then they would kill a swine or a sheep and all was well In which they shewed themselves wicked ignorant of God and base flatterers This absurd Religion was by some wise men of their own condemned and rejected for vain superstition Maximus Tyrius in the Chapter which he wrote of the difference of friendship and flattery hath these words in reference to Religion {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. if there be any fellowship between God and men we may say that a truly good man is the friend of God but the superstitious a flatterer only The true lover of God is blessed but the superstitious is miserable For the first knowing his true love to God cometh boldly to him him the other dejected with the conscience of his Hypocrisy comes with servile fear devoid of trust and dreads God no otherwise then as a Tyrant When such worshipers come to God will he accept them no neither will any wise man receive a Gift which he knowes to be given with a wicked mind Those which with feigned submission in outward ordinances pretend to acknowledge God but do not love and obey him in their soules are superstitious flatterers no true lovers or worshipers of God And as they have small comfort in their soules for what is the Hope of an Hypocrite so with God they have no estimation for he accounts their applications as they are a disingâ—nuous flattery and a meer superstitious addresse The Emperour was not out when he said we should not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that we should not flatter God but worship him discreetly and in another place he gives a very good reason {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. for God regards not fine words but truth It is very observable that when David became sensible of the abuse which he had put upon the Divine Majesty by his scandalous disobedience he attempted not to make reparation of Gods honour by slaying a beast more worthy to live then himself yet a very poor compensation but saith expressely for he knew Gods mind Thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt offering An hypocrite would have made his cattel bleed and thought he had made good sarisfaction for his own with the lives of others and have pleaded the commands given in this point to Moses But David understood his duty better and was loath after so grievous sins to make such an unacceptable repentance and therefore he offered his own broken heart crushed with ingenuous shame and sorrow If any demand why David wav'd external oblations and made so light of outward applications since the Ceremonies of the Iewish Religion were instituted by God and as yet the Lawes which enjoyned them were in force I answer his meaning was that they were never appointed or accepted for the principal instances of Gods worship or so to be looked upon by religious persons They were not from the beginning Enock was not circumcised neither was Noah yet one of them was translated to glory without seeing of death which was an eminent Testimony that he was acceptable to God and the other was saved in an Ark of wood when all the world besides his family perished by water Abraham himself was declared blessed before he was circumcised Upon which consideration the Father told Tripho the Iew who thought himself some-body because he was under the discipline of Abraham {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. If one be a Scythian or Persian and have the knowledge of God and Christ and observe the indispensable rules of everlasting righteousnesse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He is circumcised with a good and profitable circumcision so that whâ—n Christ pulled down the Iewish hedges he brought things to the first state and made external ceremonies of no lesse value then they were at the first We may adde to this that when they were in use God made no very great reckoning of them neither did he esteem any justified for the bare observance of them When they pleased themselves highly in their external rights they were so far wide of the divine intention that he tells them that it were all one if they had let them alone I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices c. I am so far from demanding a scrupulous account concerning these performances that I am rather cloid with them So he told them by the Prophet Isaiah To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices I am full of burnt offerings of Rams Bring no more vain oblations c. And because they urged the Divine command by Ieremiah he tells them that he spake not to their Fathers nor commanded them in the day that he brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices One would think that these words should strangely amuse the people and that they thought the Prophet mad to speak against the known precepts wherein God had commanded these things Unto this two things may be said God accepted them by way of condescention and in regard of the hardnesse of their hearts they were a stiffe-necked people and therefore God put a hard yoke upon their necks which as the Apostle saith they were not able to beare {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. neither doth God receive sacrifices from you neither did he command you from the bebeginning to offer them as if he needed them but for your sinnes What he meant by sinnes he expresseth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} by reason of their idolatries Since they had such a mind to offer sacrifices that they would offer them to God or Idols he commanded them to offer them to him This Chrysostom takes notice of and sayes it is no wonder that he abolished them quite by Christ Iesus for he did not care for them from the beginning {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} How then did he require them by way of condescension to their weaknesse The Authour of the Constitutions affirms that till the provocation of the golden Calfe and their other idolatries sacrifices were not imposed and then it was only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that being clog'd with these troublesom yokes they might be forced from Idolatry He never did allow of them as commutations or dispensations
defenders of christian Religion reproved the folly of the Heathen world for attempting to introduce vertue into men and yet acknowledged vices and enormities in the Gods whom they adored For when they had said all they could to shame a sinner which was guilty of the worst crimes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that is He will make a fair evasion of punishment by alledging that it is no sin to imitate the Gods Clemens Alexandrinus quoting against the Greeks that ugly passage in Homer concerning Mars and Venus sayes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Away with your song Homer it is not good it teacheth Adultery So the wicked Hypocrites in Davids time utterly unwilling to raise their low soules up unto God would needs call him down to themselves And that they might continue more securely what they were they would needs perswade themselves that God was such as themselves So the Dirty Ranters of our times that they might wallow more quietly in filthinesse thought they had Apologized sufficiently for their villanies by saying That every thing is God It is not impertinent to this matter also that we take notice that there are many things in God which are not imitable by us because they sute not our Nature or else transcend our State Which is no wonder at all for there are divers things in the created world which though they are in themselves Excellencies yet do not fit our constitutions A man cannot shine as the Sunne doth nor is he strong as an Oake How shall we guide our selves then Easily Such as will be at leisure to think will soon perceive many imitable Perfections in God And that we may misse none God manifest in the flesh both by word and deed hath shewed us what is good and what the Lord requires us to follow And having commanded us to do nothing but what he hath done before us He hath both given us encouragement by shewing us the practicablenesse of God-like vertues in our Nature and hath excellently taught us the performance of our Duty By his Gospel that commands us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect it is plainly revealed wherein that perfection consists as in Love Charity Mercifulnesse Forgivenesse Righteousnesse Purity and indeed the compleat beauty of all Holinesse I need not transcribe the Scriptures which have pointed out this truth to the life you have them before you I shall only write an excellent passage out of Justin Martyrs Epistle which he wrote to Diognetus in which they are very well summed up His words are these {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. It is not blessednesse to have dominion over others nor to seek the advantages of a worldly condition nor to oppresse those which are below us neither can any man by such things imitate God For they belong not to his Greatnesse But to bear your neighbours burdens and by how much you are above others so much the more to do good to those which are below you and to relieve those which want with such things as you have received from God makes you a God to those who receive them from you This is to be a true follower of God To conclude since by the premises we see laid before us the divine pattern of necessary Duties God grant that none of us be like the man of whom Saint James speaks Who looking into the Law of Liberty the Royall Law of our King that frees us from the slavery of sin and death takes notice of his face and peradventure of many spots there but having beheld himselfe goes away and forgets what manner of man he was nor remembers to wash them off But rather that we may look carefully upon our selves as we are represented by this holy mirrour and continue till we understand perfectly what we ought to be and then not forget to reform our selves wholly according to the prescriptions that are there and so attain the blessednesse of the Gospel of which none but obedient Christians are capable You have great abilities and constant opportunities Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus who in the fulness of time put on the form of a srevant to save the world By being in the world as he was that is in the same temper and practise {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} you shall know That you are of the truth and secure your confidence in God for the present and afterwards through his unspeakable mercies you shall be counted worthy to stand before the son of Man in the great day of his most glorious appearance Which Grace that you may obtain is the prayer of Eaton Coll. Iuly 26. 1659. Your affectionate Servant in Christ Jesus NATH. INGELO 1 Corâ— 10. 31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the Glory of God SAint Paul having received a Question in a Letter from the Corinthians viz. Whether it was lawfull to be present at an Idol Feast or to eat any thing that was sold in the Shambles if it had been offered to an Idol before either by the Owner who having offered a part devoted the whole or the Priest peradventure having brought his portion to the market gave an answer to it Chap. 8. and in this Chapter explains himself a little further As to the first branch of the Question he answers expressely That they might not be present at an Idol Feast it being a part of the worship or at least such an Appurtenance as none could partake of without sin the Heathens offering part to the Devils and feasting upon the rest Those which pretend fellowship with Christ as all Christians do in the Feast of the Holy Eucharist must take heed of this Idolatrous Communion lest they put Devils in Competition with Christ who came to destroy their works As to the other part of the Question concerning things offered to Idols and afterward sold in the Shambles he sayes they might eat without scruple because they knew an Idol to be nothing and that the Earth with the meats and fruits thereof as also the Sea Psal. 95. 5. belong to God and are held of us in his right not of Ceres or any other heathenish God or Goddesse Therefore a good man need make no question but if any guest at the Table say This or that portion was offered to an Idoll then he must forbear to eat of it Why he accounts an Idoll nothing what is it the worse It 's true it is not yet forbear for his sake for he esteems an Idol something and worships it as a God with the oblation of meat and will by thy eating after he told thee what it was be confirmed in his sinne and so through thy true knowledge uncharitably managed thy brother perisheth whom Christ in love died to save Thy Master preferred the salvation of a sinner before his own life and thou wilt
not forbear the tasting of a little meat it may be but once to prevent thy brothers damnation Besides thou dost indiscreetly adminiâ—ter an occasion to confirm his foolish estimation of an Idol above the true God to whose Honour we are to refer the actions of our whole life and whose Gloâ—y can scarce by any thing be so advanced by us as by a prudent charity so much may serve for the explication of the Coherence of the Text The verse contains one of those two comprehensive principles which divide the substance of Religion between them and are of such important use to a good man in all his wayes that he can never neglect either of them but he must needs miscarry The first is Dependance upon God that is a constant clasping about Almighty Goodnesse which hath given us a Being but not without an absolute necessity of cleaving still to it without which we cannot support our selves as we perceive by that Impotency and feeblenesse which we often feel in our selves Alas we should sink down into nothing and so would the whole Creation were it not for that omnipotent life which penetrates through all things to comfort and sustein them Whosoever ceaseth this duty to God the first Cause of all things tears himself off from his root withers and becomes unprofitable to God and himself and growes as stupidly as the Trunks of senselesse Trees upon roots that afford them sap and juice though they know it not The second is a sincere ordination of our selves and our works to the honour of God which is a consequent of the former for it is as absurd morally not to live to God as it is impossible naturally to live of our selves This Latter is the exhortation of Saint Paul in the Text and I have the rather chosen it for the subject of this discourse because though it is by many much talked of yet few things are more mistaken and none more neglected In the explication of this great point I shall endevour to 1. State the true notion of Gods glory 2. Shew how we may glorify God in all we do 3. Demonstrate that we ought to do so 4. Give notice of some things by which God and Christian Religion have been much dishonoured First I will endevour to state a true Notion of the Divine Glory But being about to write of such a subject I may well begin with the words of an excellent Philosopher who going to describe Gods nature sayes thus {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. Now what manner of thing should I be whilst I speak of God what beauty of speech what light of apprehension revealing it self in clear expressions what harmony of well chosen words is needfull to describe to my self and others so great a matter This he might well say considring that by reason of the excellency of Gods Nature the darknesse of our minds and the poverty of speech it is difficult to think or speak any thing worthy of him Some by reason of the unworthinesse of their soules are apt extremely to debase the glory of God and it is possible so far to mistake that in stead of praising him we may blaspheme And it is an acknowledged truth that our Religion depends not upon a slight extramission of ill grounded expressions or shallow affections but upon a deep intramission of Gods reall excellencies That we might not mistake the Divine Glory he who only could hath told us what it is When a worthy man and one very familiar with God made this prayer to him I beseech thee shew me thy glory he received a grant of his prayer in these words I will make my goodnesse passe before thee which is called the Glory of God Verse 22. Thou shalt see my back parts for my face cannot be seen thou shalt see as much as can be shown or is fit for thee to see my Name shall be told thee by which I glory to be known In the next Chapter when the Divine Glory passed by this proclamation was made The Lord the Lord God Mercifull and Gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth c. This was a glorious Name indeed and worthy of God Moses saw God appearing after this manner more then once for God shewed himself to him decked with the Glory of his goodnesse when he came forth in the Creation of all things and rejoyced to see every thing made good And God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good as if he had said God having in rich benignity made all things in a decent correspondency to his own goodnesse pleased himself as an artificer doth when his work answers the beautiful Idea's of his own mind The Psalmist hath express'd this in plain words After he had taken an exact view of God as he appeared decked with the Glory of his works for so he begins My God thou art great clothed with Honour and Majesty thou coverest thy self with light as with a Chrystal robe c. He addes ver. 31. The Glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works From the forementioned Scriptures we perceive that Gods Glory is the Divine Goodnesse which shines forth in his works and those merciful condescensions by which he seeks to make his creatures partakers of his own blessednesse according to their capacities Whilst this goodnesse passeth before our eyes we see God as a bright Sun incircled with his own out-spread rayes of Light and Love being capable indeed of no other Glory but what accrues to him from the displaying of his own goodnesse no more than the Sun can be seen but by his own Beams He which can receive nothing if he will have Glory must give That which may be known of God shining in Nature taught the Philosophers the same truth Hierocles speaks very well to this purpose {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. There can be no reasonable cause given for the Creation of all things but the essential goodnesse of God for he is good by Nature and perfectly free from envie Other causes besides this may be assigned but they savour more of humane imperfections then correspond with Gods blessednesse and perfection So Simplicius {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. God having an omnipotent power and infinite good will made nothing evil but all things good as much as could be that is as much as every thing is capable of his goodnesse So that if we take notice of the world {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the free efflux of the Divine goodnesse we may easily perceive the design of God in the Creation to have been like that of an excellent Limner who having filled a large Room with divers Tables some bigger some lesse beautifies them all according to their proportions with his skilful hand Here also we may receive an account of the difference
for inward goodnesse true righteousnesse the Love of God Charity Humility and such like which are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} everlastingly good of their own nature excellent {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as our Saviour calls them the weightier matters of the Law upon which God looks with a regard sutable to their intrinsecall value and worth The externals were at the best but figures of heavenly things and shall God accept of the sign for the thing signified they are at the best but carnal and therefore poor rudiments as the Apostle calls them but when they are separated from inward goodnesse they are not only beggarly but false like wooden boxes with nothing in them If God made no more account of external significations when they were so many so pompous so costly shall we think that he will now accept those few which he hath left in his Church and hath revealed to us the necessity of a spiritual worship since the new Law hath required a perpetual Sabbath or rest from elvill works shall we reckon it godlinesse to be idle one day in a week shall we think our selves clean from sin which we affect and practise by being once baptized with water This made the Iewish oblations and rites so abominable to God they made account by the performance of externals to make a supply of inward disobedience and ungodliness When you fasted did you fast to me no but to themselves for by the bodily fast they thought to commute for the spiritual which was to relieve the oppressed to feed the hungry to cease from sin to mortify the old man When they thought by carnal circumcision to dispense with themselves for the inward which is the purifying of the soul from all foul affections God declared constantly to them by his Prophets that he would punish them in the same rank with the wicked Gentiles because they also that is the Jewes were uncircumcised in heart God is so far from accounting himself honoured with fair pretenses that he doth abominate them as the coverings of Hypocrites who being loath to be at the pains of true goodnesse think to put off God whom they pretend to worship with that which costs them nothing The forementioned Iew being hard put to it in this point confessed ingenuously {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. The precepts of your Gospel are so wonderfull great that l suppose no body is able to keep them No Hypocrite can because he hath not resigned his heart to God but to a truly good man they are easie so the Apostle and his Commandements are not grievous But he that doth not love God nor hath submitted his will to the divine government being conscious to himself of base defects would make them up in an easier way This is manifest in the Pharisees whom our Saviour hath branded for notorious Hypocrites they were more scrupulous then others concerning Gnats that they might more quietly swallow Camels That they might be thought not to omit what was indeed indispensable they made great conscience of the Ceremonial Matth. 12. 1 2 3. for the keeping a ceremony they would have an act of mercy omitted whilest our Saviour doth reprove their Hypocrisy he doth also convince them of ignorance for have you not read what David did when he was an hungred and they that were with him how he entred into the house of God and did eat the Shew-bread which was not lawful to be eaten but by the Priests If you had known what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice ye would not have condemned the guiltlesse At that time when those Rites were most in force God permitted his bread to be taken off from his Table to relieve the hungry alwayes preferring mercy and goodnesse before a ceremoniall observance and if you had understood what God would teach you by such his actions you would find your selves much reproved for your Hypocrisy So it is still the way of Hypocrites with pretenses of regard to God whom they have not seen to neglect known duties to their brethren whom they do see to stand in need of them But they are grossely mistaken for God is content that positive rites and institutions should give way to moral eternal duties but that outwards should be put in the room of inwards is most odious to him Doth any wise man prefer a show to the substance Therefore when these deceivers thought to impose upon God on this fashion in Malachy's time he bids them offer their corrupt sacrifice to the Governour See if you can delude any man of place and understanding and make him believe you have done him much honour by fair words though you think unworthily of him in your minds and are disaffected towards him in your hearts We do honour to God if we chuse instances that are fitly expressive of regard to him and then perform them in the best manner that we can Though when we have done all we are unprofitable servants that is we have not in the least inriched our heavenly Master yet if we chuse the fittest instances we can find to do honour to God and present the performances of our dutie with all integrity of soule though we do not then reach his height of glory yet he will accept us because he doth regard his creatures according to what they have Though we present nothing that is strictly worthy of him yet we are accepted because we have no better God is so gentle that he doth often accept lesse then the very best from Honest soules and if he would not take our best addresses in good part we could have no intercourse with him in worship I will name five instances by which we may do honour to God acceptably First If we carefully labour for such a knowledge of Gods Nature and will as may lay a sufficient foundation for those many acts of Religion by which we are to acknowledge him True Religion hath many excellent things in it which have no support in ignorant soules as for example The highest Love the most perfect Trust the greatest submission of our wills c. How shall a man perform these if he be ignorant of that Goodnesse which makes God most lovely that Truth which makes him faith-faith-worthy that Authority and Righteousnesse which require our perfect obedience God hath made it one characteristical expression of irreligious persons They know not the Lord Ignorance is a note of wicked carelesnesse in men because they seek not the knowledge of so Noble a Benefactor and it carries along with it all Irreligion in other instances And therefore it was well said by the Philosopher the true worship of God is founded upon a right apprehension of him The Argument of our Saviour by which he disproved the Samaritan worship goes upon the same ground You worship that which you do not know Joh. 4. 22. It is no wayes likely that the sacrifice should be proper