Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
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A33292
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A Lent-sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, March 3, 1699/1700 before the Right Honourable the Ld. Mayor and Aldermen of the city of London / by Sam. Clerke ...
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Clark, Samuel, 1626-1701.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing C4493; ESTC R35642
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10,761
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30
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are hugely zealous in matters of Devotion and Religious Ordinances but utterly careless of all manner of Vertue and Moral Goodness Now abating the Hypocritical Abuses of religious Ordinances supposing Men to be as serious in them as their Importance requires yet as instrumental Duties and commanded only in Order to something of greater Excellency Whensoever they are separated from their end they must be also separated from their Goodness and are as empty of all solid Piety as were all the carnal Services of the Pharisees without an inward and spiritual Obedience What is it to be curious to wash our Hands if incurious to purifie our Hearts What is it to starve and fast away our Corpse if we feed and pamper our Lusts What is it not to rob if we defraud and oppress our Neighbours Or while we relieve our Brother at the same time to hate and despise him It is no better all this than to let go the Body and Substance of Religion to pursue its Shadow and Appearances 'T is no other in God's repute than to make the Means of Grace become a Servant to Impiety the outward Form of Religion a Disguise for Hypocrisie and the Instruments of Piety engines to undermine what they were ordain'd to advance In the Scripture Phrase such profess they know God but in Works deny him Tit. 1.16 Fye Christians How is God's Name dishonoured by such Professors of his Name The sincere Christian sets himself to a serious minding of true and real Goodness He values his Devotions not by his Zeal and Frequency but by their Success and Efficacy and as they influence his Life so he estimates them according to that of St. Jerome Inter Christianum Gentilem non Fides tantum debet sed Vita distinguere diversum religione per diversa opera monstrate Hier. ad Celantiam Not only Faith but Life must distinguish between a Christian and a Gentile and we must shew a diverse Religion by diverse Works The Rules of Christianity are Modesty Justice bearing of the Cross Constancy in the Profession of Godliness Yet what confident Boldness is in our Streets What Injustice is in our Land What Pampering of the Flesh What Intemperance What Lukewarmness in Religion We profess a Gospel of Mortification of Humility of Self-denyal Yet how vain How proud How fashionable are we How little Regard have we to answer this Gospel Profession Think you Beloved That the bare reading the Scriptures and the frequent having the Book of Christian Learning in your Hands is enough to denominate you Christian Men and Women May you call your selves the Disciples of our Saviour because you turn over some good Books and hear good Sermons No such matter there is more in it than so For our Actions our Lives these must shew what we are Covetousness and Love of Pleasure tells us plainly that we are Idolaters and dead in Sin Our Murmurings and Discontent bespeak us rather with that prophane Cardinal to prize our part in Paris above that in Paradice Or with ungrateful Israel to prefer Aegypt before Canaan Pride and Study to be admired in the World proclaim us Devilish and Vain-glorious To give a Proof of our Humanity and Christianity too to convince the World that we are not turned unreasonable Creatures We must live according to our Reason we must practice our Religion we must prefer our Souls before our Bodies and the Concerns of our immortal Being before the Trivial Enjoyments of a few Moments What else means that of St. Paul 1 Cor. 3.3 that we should not be carnal and walk as Men but spiritual and walk like Christians Christians are not distinguished from others by outward Fashions and Modes not by their external Forms and Molds into which they are cast not by professing a Body of Notions differing from others in the World but they are distinguished by the renewing of their Minds by the Peaceableness of their Thoughts by Charity and Heavenly Love by pious and Holy Lives Christianity binds us to live answerably to the Gospel of Christ The two Disciples thought it enough to live as Elias did and to seek for Vengeance on their Enemies But Christ tells them they are called to another Spirit The Spirit of the Gospel is a Spirit of Meekness it is a Spirit of Patience it is a self-resigning Spirit it is a Spirit of Love of Love to God even to the Loss of our Lives of Love to our Neighbours even to the Love of our Enemies In short The Spirit of the Gospel is a Spirit of Holiness and all that partake thereof are holy They grow in Grace as St. Paul speaketh or according to the Baptist's Injunction in my Text They bring forth Fruit meet for Repentance Give me Leave a little to expatiate on the Christians Fruitfulness grounded on a two-fold Foundation 1st Their Name 2d Their Relation As to their Name First They are sometimes called Believers sometimes Christians two distinct Denominations we grant them but in Substance they are the same thing However If there be any Difference in this they are alike they both require Fruitfulness and as in that which is evil not to go backward is to go forward So here not to go forward is to go backward Believing Christians must not be at a stand till fixt in Heaven For 1. Whence have they their Name Is it not from their Faith in Christ Now Faith if it be not operative it is not at all We read Lev. 9.17 that the people were to burn their own Sacrifices besides the burnt Sacrifices in the Morning Their own Sacrifices What can this import if not as Dr. Willet on the place That we should not relye upon the Speculation of Faith only but must also labour to bring forth the Fruit thereof St. Paul beseecheth the Corinthians Not to receive the Grace of God in vain 2 Cor. 6.1 And St. Peter exhorts us 2 Pet. 1.5 To add to Faith Virtue to Virtue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance to Temperance Patience to Patience Godliness to Godliness Brotherly-kindness to Brotherly-kindness Charity Intimating thus much to us that a Faith without virtuous Works is but dead and fruitless A Faith that worketh not is a Faith that saveth not as St. James insinuates when he calls it vain True Faith as it is a Grace most needful so it is a Grace most fruitful Fruitful on our side in good Works fruitful on God's side in a plentiful Reward for it is no sooner given of God but it gives God So soon as thou believest O Christian Christ is thine and all else whatever is his The Merits of his Passion the Virtue of his Resurrection the Comfort of his Ascension He being gone before to prepare Celestial Mansions for you He that gives us Christ will also with him give us all things Rom. 8.32 Faith doth identifie God and the godly My God saith Daniel when he declares his Deliverer and a Believing Thomas crys out My Lord and my Christ Seeing now
From the Approach of the Kingdom of God verse 2. 2. From the Wrath of God at the Day of Judgment 3. From the present Judgement hanging over their Heads ver 10. Time will not permit me to discuss these particulars therefore briefly somewhat by way of Improvement and I have done First Is it so that we must Bring forth fruits meet for Repentance Then this teacheth us that only that which is Spiritual and Holy can be possess 't of Heaven There 's no Happiness without Holiness Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they shall see God Matt. 5.8 As God is of pure Eyes and cannot behold Iniquity with the least of Approbation so Sin is of dim and dark eyes and cannot behold God with eyes of Joy Sinners can look upon God no otherwise than as the Bat the Owl or weak eyes do on the Sun at which they are much grieved Sin is contrary to the Nature of God He therefore cannot harbour Sinners in his Bosome Know ye not that no unrighteous Man shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 Tho' we abstain from foul Sins if we wilfully commit any we shall never get to Heaven without this genuine Repentance By this the Children of God become victorious and triumph over Sin As a King who may have Rebels and may be wounded too yet keeps his Power still So the Saints and Children of God may have many Infirmities many Failings many Slips nay some sound Falls yet in the end they Rise again and get the Victory Nor marvel at it for Eph. 2.9 They are God's Workmanship created to good Works The expression is worth our Note Created to them that is not only purposed and intended to abound in good Works but also enabled and fitted for them In the Creation every thing was enabled to live after their kind 'T is true the best of Men may sin indeed as Men they cannot avoid it but the Godly Man's heart like a troubled Fountain tho' muddy it having a Spring within worketh it self pure again and purgeth out all the Mud. He is not to learn that God hath coupled together Grace and Glory Holiness and Happiness a spiritual Birth and a spiritual Inheritance Many would be happy hereafter but will not be Holy here Many would be glorified Saints in Heaven but will not be mortified not to say crucified Saints on earth but this is far from right The reason is because we cannot be justified if not sanctified nor glorious if not gracious Heb. 12.14 Follow Peace with all Men and Holiness without which no Man shall see the Lord. Alcibiades was too timorous who being called from Banishment refused to return and being asked if he durst not trust a Country answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In every thing else he would but in the Question of his Life he would not trust his Mother least ignorantly she should mistake the black Bean for the white and intending a Favour should do him a Mischief Such a slavish Fearfulness as this towards God our Heavenly Father would greatly mis-become Christians for there can be no better Security in the World than they have for the Hope and Confidence of a future well being As God is our Creator He is faithful as our Redeemer He hath purchased our Souls at a dear rate and as our Lord they and we are his own But yet this expectation of divine Mercy as to the Issue of our Souls and final Interest must be in the Ways of Piety 1 Pet. 4.19 Commit your Souls to God in well doing as unto a faithful Creator We must live to Him if we will live with Him Oh let us at length live holily and blamelessly Let us consider that it is Purity of Life that God requireth of us Let our Bodies be a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God Rom. 6.3 4. And as the same blessed Apostle adviseth in another place Make no Provision for the Flesh whereby to fulfil the Lusts thereof but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ that is adorn his Doctine by a Conformity to his Life Put on his Modesty and his Temperance in a perfect Opposition to Rioting and Drunkenness put on his Chastity and Purity in opposition to Chambering and Wantonness put on his Bowels and his Mercy in opposition to Scrife and Envy A King's Court is no common Receptacle for ragged Rogues Joseph in the forlorn Fashion of a Prisoner was not fit for Pharaohs Presence Tho' the Serpent might come into the earthly Paradice yet no unclean thing shall enter Heaven There is no Room for the Serpent there It is an Inheritance undefiled 1 Pet. 1.4 Sin hath a defiling Nature so that if Sin might enter Heaven it would soon pollute it Hereupon the Angels in the very first Act of Sin were thrown out with a Vengeance Now can we think to come thither with our Iniquities The Irish Air will sooner brook a Toad or a Snake to live therein than Heaven a Sinner the Air of the Place cannot indure it Oh what horrible Presumption is it What Sauciness unspeakable When gross Sinners shall think themselves fit Companions for the most Holy Trinity For us dear Christians To have God in the end say Come and reign with me We must now say to him Come and reign in us Oh let it be the continual Breathing of our Souls our serious Option and most ardent as also daily Prayer this Lord rule thou over us For we may assure our selves if we in this our day bid God depart He will in his send us packing to the Devil and his Angels But if we live as becometh the Gospel of Christ Bliss shall follow Piety In the Composition of the World the higher Place any thing hath the Purer it is As Water is purer than the gross Earth Air than the Water Fire than Air. Now the third Heaven being above all shews the Purity that must be in those that dwell there Fair as the Moon pure as the Sun Cant. 6.9 Is not this more than insinuated by the Apostle Col. 1.9 in these Words Who hath made us meet to be Partakers with the Saints in Glory Oh let us not fondly think that a pure Place will receive impure Sinners Was Satan once banished Heaven to re-enter again in his wicked Members Did Heaven spue out the disobedient Angels and shall it lick up its Vomit again The gross and heavy Earth which to Heaven is but as Sodom to Jerusalem shall it be impatient of bearing such Burthens as filthy Sinners Shall it cast them out And shall Heaven all pure and clear receive the Refuse of the Earth No onely that that is Pure and Holy can enter the Coelestial Paradice Those that have Admittance there must bring forth fruit meet for Repentance This the 1st Use 2. Must we bring forth fruit meet for Repentance Then let us dung the Ground that it may be fruitful Let us be diligent in the means appointed by God for this end Give all Diligence to make your calling and Election sure so St. Peter 2 Pet. 1.10 It is our present Business to make sure of â—uture Happiness which cannot be done as hath been all along instill'd but in the Ways of Piety This the 2d 3. Must we bring forth fruit meet for Repentance Then let us labour more for inward Purity than outward Prosperity Labour not for the Meat that perisheth but for that which indureth to everlasting Life John 6.27 Let us labour to be truly Pious to be truly Godly While we live we shall find Godliness gainful and nothing so sure as that when we die we shall find it needful Let us therefore set our Affections on things that are above and not on things that are below Col. 3.1 And as the Apostle proceeds ver 2. Let our Conversations be in Heaven Inward Piety is the best Friend to outward Prosperity but it is not convertible Very rare it is if ever that outward Prosperity is other than an enemy to inward Piety The things of this Life have not the Promise of Godliness but Godliness hath the Promise of the things of this Life 1 Tim. 4.8 And as to the Concerns of another a better World we have heard before that Faith Vertue Knowledge Temperance and Patience without Godliness are all vain What an excellent Jewel then must Godliness needs be And who would not part with all for it Who would not with St. Paul count all things but dross and dung in Comparison of it Oh what is Darkness to Light What is Sin to Holiness What is Gold to Grace What is Earth to Heaven That we silly Creatures should forfeit the one by too much prizing and dotage on the other Is it not beneath a rational Being to neglect great and weighty things and busie themselves in Toys and Trifles When we have a Crown to look after an Heaven to enjoy a Kingdom to be made Heirs of Shall we employ our selves about catching â—lies and picking Cockles To conclude I beseech you all dear Christians as you tender the Welfare and eternal Happiness of your truly precious and immortal Souls Labour more for inward Holiness than outward Grandure Labour more for Piety than Plenty Labour more for the Seeds of Grace than the Mass of Gold And Labour more for an heavenly Conversation than an earthly Possession The Earth is for a Saints Passage but Heaven is for his Inheritance Which to enjoy We must bring forth fruit meet for Repentance Now to God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost in Persons Three in Essence One be ascribed and given as is most justly due All Honour Glory Praise Dominion Obedience and Thanksgiving now and for evermore Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS