not For so filthy is sin that it makes us and all that is ours corrupt and abominable It defiles the conscience rots our good name inâ—…cts our acquaintance by the contagion of sin and makes our very Prayers abominable which otherwise might be our sweetest odors In which speculation St Basil said the Angels forsake the custody and and company of us when we forsake Holines to delight in sin And the Poet could say Accipiet nullas sordida turris aves And yet we have had but a little glimpse of this Holines in the Purity of it self and the contrary Impurity of Unholines Shall we now come a little neerer to it and take a clearer view of the large extent it hath over all virtues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Hebrew word coming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeparare separare implies that Holines is a separation of our selves from sin to a virtuous and godly life Which is the extent of the word Righteousnes as it is often used in holy Scripture Yet there are some that would-confine Holines to some one part Some lodge it in the ear some in the tongue Though our Saviour came not to smooth our tongues or fill our ears but to present us with pure hands and chast eyes to guide our feet into the wayes of Peace and Holines and to render all our parts and actions such as may receive purity and holines from the right Fountain the Heart it self We must begin with Holines in the Heart if we mean to see God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God saith our Saviour Mat 5. 8. There we must begin but we must not stay there Thence we must climbe up to those several steps of Holines so often commended to our care in the word of God building up our holy Faith as St. Jude speakes till it come to a full structure To this structure you must bring in all the good works that may be making your holines passe through all Virtues St. Paul meanes that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being fruitful in every good work Col. 1. 10. But there he is in generals Will you hear him run over the particulars Then observe what he saith to the Philippians Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue if there be any praise think of these things and the God of Peace shall be with you Phil. 4. 8 9. This is the Holines that must be joyned to peace if you will hear the great Doctor of the Gentils VVill you now have some particulars from St. Peter the Doctor of the Jews Thus saith he Adde to your Faith virtue he is no Solifidian then he goes on To your virtue knowledge temperance patience godlines brotherly kindnes Charity for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7 8 11. i. e. so shall we be admitted to the Vision of God Shall I adde what St. Peter hath in the ninth verse he that lacks these things is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like one that is purblind and cannot see a far off or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blind outright that is he is so far from seeing God or any divine things that he sees nothing as he should do XXVI Another reflexion upon the proposal of the second meanes Hebr. 12. 14. NOw if we have them we shall not be kept long from the happy sight of him that is the God of Peace and Holines Yes Have them you will say but how shall we have them The answer is laid before our eyes in the words of sacred Scripture Follow Peace and Holines They are both so willing to be had if we will but follow them there needs no more But we must learn what it is to follow The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred by following we observed before to be a busy and active word It signifies a hearty and serious persuit an eager hunting after what we long for Having told you this I hope I shall have leave to ask one Question He that hath some faint desire hovering about the heart and breathing it self about the lips if he put himself to no farther trouble in the prosecution can he be said in this sense to follow Peace or holines I believe he that seeks or follows any thing as he should must use his head and his feet and somewhat else as well as his wishes and lip-labour And so he had need that thinks of attaining what here we speak of For can we think that peace or holines do so undervalue themselves that they will wait our leisure and â—…e whistled up when we please by the charme of a cold prayer or two Or can we imagine that such Precepts as these to follow after peace and holines without which no man shall see God are so given to us that if we like them we may use them if not we may lay them by Do we conceive that what the holy Scripture enjoyns and we are commanded to preach is left to our liberty to practice as we or you shall see cause Then may our Preaching and your Hearing quickly come to an end like a tale or dream of one running after Peace and Holines and before he came at them stumbling upon Felicity and the Vision of God Let us not deceive our selves God is not mocked He that saith there is no enjoyment of the one without following of the other no seeing God without Holines he will not dispense with the Duty and follow after us with the Reward that care not to make our selves capable of the Blessing For this will prove a necessary Duty And then there would be another Quaestion Whether we do so perform it whether we so follow after holines as if we understood what it is to follow after and what is the value of that which is set before us Shall I more fully explain what is the true Force of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Following He rightly follows a Duty that avoiding all occasions of the contrary vice watches for and apprehends all hints and opportunities of doing good He that ambitiously laies hold of a happy hour and fair way wherein to approve his virtues And this way of following and persuing we may learn from the practice of those that have little to do with Holines How doth the coveteous man follow his beloved gain Doth he not rise early and late retire himself to rest Doth he not exhaust his strength and abilities by Sea and Land to compasse what he aimes at though with hazard of health and life it self What doth the ambitious and amorous person How eagerly and with what pains do they hunt after that which they fancy their best prize and content Our following of Holines might borrow a little heat and aemulation from
of his self-exaltation so he that humbles himself will be exalted according to the measure of his Humiliation So far shall we be from doubting that when we are most out of conceit with our own value Cod respects us most Whâ—…n we' are placed by oâ—…r selves so low that we think we cannot go lower then indeed as we may be sure we cannot fall so nothing is so sure as that we shall rise To learn this excellent lesson shall we be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught by God himself and hear how he expresseth it in his holy word Upon whom shall I loâ—…k but upon him that is of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word I sai 66. 2. A troubled spirit is a Sacrifice to God A broken and contrite heart he will not despise Psal. 51. 17. Nay it is in the plurall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacrifices that is a Sacrifice equivalent to many other A Sacrifice that goes beyond all the Sacrifices of the Law The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a â—…ontrite heart and will save such as be of an humble spirit Psal. 34. 17. King Hâ—…zekiah found this true as well as David in that ready answer from God I have heard thy prayers I have seen thy tears Isai. 38. 5. So did Daniel in the Angel's report that srom the first day that he set his â—…eart to understand and chasten himself before God his words were heard And so will all other that make tryal of Gods infinite mercy IX Another sure way of Preparation from our Love of God and our Delight in Him BEside that sad way of Humiliation we have another more chearful way of promoting our Prayers We may take it from holy David a man after Gods own Heart that had made great use of it How dear and sweet the very mâ—…ntion of God or his holy word or any thing of his was to David's tongue and heart he hath sufficiently expressed in many Psalmes especially in the 119 and 145. both of them Alphabeticall Psalmes that they might be the easier committed to memory and the latter so highly esteemed by the Jewes that R Kimchi tells us the Rabbines had a saying that whosoever heartily recited the 145 Psal thrice a day needed not doubt of his eâ—…ernal Fâ—…licity As if they thought it the best Psalme to increase the love of God in us and so to fit us fâ—…r the Beatificall Vision and the heavâ—…nly quire above Yet how easily or how much soever the Jewish Church was taken with emphatical expressions of that Divine Love many in the Christian Church that should be more affected with it do seem to dote so much upon somewhat here below that they cannot hear with that ear and wish to go along with the Psalmist charme he never so wisely Therein they are rather like those Idols that have ears and hear not But if I should tell them how advantageous holy David saith that our love of God may prove to our obtaining of what we pray for I hope they would listen a little better to that Therefore I will keep them no longer from it They may see it Psal. 37. 4. in these words Delight thy self in the Lord and he will give thee thy heart's desire Which is made good in another Psalme that speakes in the person of God Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him He shall call upon me and I will hear him Now though this be the reward of Divine Love yet it were a shame that we should need much to be incited to it to love him whose creatures we are and on whose mercy and goodness depends all our Felicity X. Other Means to facilitate our accesse to God by Prayer NOt only our love to God but our love and respect to others too may procure a good successe of our Prayers As 1. Mercy in forgiving them Hence is that Evangelicall advise When thou prayest lift up holy hands without wrath 1 Tim. 2. 8. that is be in Charity when thou prayest If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there rememberest that thy Brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift go first be reconciled to thy Brother Mat. 5. 24. Forgive thy neighbour so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest Ecclus. 28. 2. 2. Mercy in relieving them Old Tobit made it his advise to his son Turne not thy face away from the poor and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee c. 4. 7. Solomon had said it before him in other termes He that stoppeth his ear at the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself but shal not be heard Prov. 21. 19. King Nebuchadnezer was therefore put in a fair way of preventing a sad punishment by Daniel's good counsel to break off his sins by alms-deeds and mercy to the poor Dan. 4. 27. And Cornelius found the vertue of this when he had the honour to be told by an Angel that his prayers were heard and his Almes-deeds were had in remembrance in the sight of God Act. 10. 31. Ecclus 3. 30. 4. 10. 3. Due respect to Parents Who so honoureth his Father makes an atonement for his sins Ecclus. 3. 3. He shall be heard when he makes his prayer v. 5. v. 15. Thus in all things our Christian and virtuous demeanour of our selves hath the force of letters of recommendation to promote our cause to the throne of grace And we have our Saviour's own word for it that If we abide in him and his words abide in us Ask what we will it shall be done unto us Joh. 15. 7. Out of these and the like Institutions which we take out of the holy Scriptures and wherein we perceive what preparation fits us best for the attaining of our humble suits of the hand of God every man should select some above the rest as most peculiar to himself and wherein his present care should make some amends for his former neglect remembring the advise of Baruch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. As it was your mind to go astray from God so being returned seek him ten times more Baruch 4. 28. by humble and hearty obedience as well as by earnest supplication XI Caveats for the Matter and Manner of Prayer THat our Prayers may be succcessesull it will be further necessary to take order that they may be ever attended with those Cautions Virtues and Graces which are most conducible to that end Such as these are 1. Not to ask amisse for any thing either in the scope and matter or in the method and order of of our Prayers For many ask and receive not because they ask a miss Jam. 4. 3. that they may consume it upon their own pleasures and fancies In such cases we must not expect to be heard unlesse it be to the punishment of our folly and presumption And otherwise we must not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our prayers must be grounded upon
their following of Vice But we have them can set us better Copies to follow if that will move us Let us follow those Saints that have gone this way before us as far as they have been Followers of Christ and follow them in that Resolution which we have from St. Paul I count not my self to have apprehended saith he Phil. 3. 13. i. e. I am not so secure of my name in the book of life that I may sit down and take my ease but this I do forgetting those things which are behind that is not relying too much upon the former pains that I have taken in a Christian course of life and the Duties belonging to my place and reaching forth unto those things which are before that is keeping my eye still upon the end of my race with resolution of perseverance I presse on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. Or if any would presse higher still let them follow the ardour and obedience of the blessed Angels as it is our daily prayer that God's will may be done by us in Earth as it is by us in Heaven XXVII Another view of this Means with a fuller expression of the extent of it out of Psal. 34. 13. WE shall need to say no more of the terms wherein Holines is proposed But Holines being so necessary a Duty as without which we are excluded from eternal Felicity it will not be amiss to hear a little more of the full extent of it And that we may best learn from holy David who in the long compas of the 119 Psalm containing 176 verses and elsewhere hath given us more pious expressions of his Desires and Resolutions for an exact holy and virtuous life according to the dictates of God's holy word then any other have And as he was the best able having it so much in his thoughts and endeavours so he hath given us also the best Periphrasis of Holines in the full compas of it and joyned it with Peace too which the better fits our former Meditations He hath done it in these words Eschew evil and do good seek peace and ensue its Ps. 34. 13. upon which we build our following Discourse Eschewing evill and doing good is here put as a compleat description of Holines in the true extent and agrees with that which we observed of the Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Holines in us is a separation of our selves from sin to a holy and virtuous life This Holines so clearly and fully discovering it self both by eschewing evil and doing good may well be set in the first place before peace either as absolutely necessary and eminent in it self or as being the best meanes to conduct us to our Peace For no hope of Peace without a good life If we will be Filii pacis and look for the blessing of Peace to rest upon us we must begin with eschewing evill and doing good Our seeking and labouring for the best peace will be of little consequence wiithout that For it was Sin that first broke the peace every way And the breaking off of sin must usher the way to our Peace again The Word of God is the Gospel of peace upon these termes The Ministers of God which are his Embassadors propose no other conditions of Peace The holy Sacramâ—…nts are no otherwise the signes and pledges of our peace 1 In the one the laver of Regeneration being justified by Faith we have peace towards God through Jesus Christ our Lord. But so that we enter covenant to be no more at enmity with God but to fight under his Banner make his Enemies ours and live in obedience to his Laws Of all which this is the summe to eschew evil and do good 2. In the other Sacrament of the holy Eucharist we are honoured with an Invitation to God's holy Table which is an evident confirmation of our peace He would not invite us if he would not be Friends with us But to that we have no Admission and welcome without the renouncing of our evil wayes and resolving to do good These are the steps of our Jacobs Ladder that is of our Liberty to ascend and descend and have fair entercourse between God and us This is the order of that Wisdom from above which is first pure and then peaceable saith St. James c. 3. v. 17. In these steps and in this order our Saviour led us the way For how read we of him Thou hast loved Righteousnes and hated iniquity therefore the Lord hath anointed Thee with the oyl of gladnes above thy Fellows Psalm 45. 8. That is He was first Melchisedec King of Righteousnes and as glad of that as of the oyl of gladnes that made him King of Salem that is King of Peace But whatsoever we think of the Order or of the terms wherein they are expressed still we shall see that they usually go together Righteousnes and peace Ps. 85. 10. in the holy league Obedience and peace Great peace have they that keep thy law Ps. 119. 165. Peace and Holines Hebr. 12. 14. as we found them before Peace and innocence Keep innocence and that will bring a man peace at the last Psalm 37. 38. And as many as walk after this Rule of newnes of Life peace be-upon them Gal. 6. 16. And in effect this is all that is required of us God calls not for great learning or deep understanding nor any thing else but good living Knowledg and Truth go not beyond this they do but show the way This is the way He that knows much may increase his sorrow by his knowledg when he thinks of what our Saviour said of him that knew his Masters will and prepared not himself to do according to it Luk. 12. 47. But he that knows lesse may settle himself closer to the practice of what is here required eschewing evill doing good following of peace And blessed is the man whom the Lord when he comes shall find so doing Luc. 12. 43. I will say no more of the Order and Union of those two I will rather look a while upon eschewing evil and doing good as they may be considered in themselves But still we may take notice of the Psalmist's method which will teach us first to take order for the eschewing of evil before we undertake the doing of good 1. For Sin is our spiritual disease we must be cured of that before we come to the works of our perfect health 2. Sin is our Pollution And who can be filled with sweet and pretious virtues till his Body and Soul are become pure and fit vessels wherein to receive them Or what Doves will come to filthy cottages 3. Sin is our Deviation and departure from God and goodnes First we must recedere â malo get out of those blind wayes before we can be set in a clear way of doing good Having seen the Order wherein this charge is to be taken I will keep you no
prayer in his very Agony he prayes in the same words thrice XLII Of singing the Psalmes or Anthems FOr these I shall only commend 3 Rules which we may learn from the sweet Singer of Israel 1. The first is in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sing unto the Lord ye Saints of his or holy ones Ps. 30. 40. Of all other this is no task for them that have no Holines For To sing to the Lord is not barely to pronounce and chant the words of the Psalm but from a pure and thankful heart to make melody unto God Therefore holy David invites none to sing but such as are holy Full well he knew that an Evil Tree cannot bring forth good Fruit nor can the Heart unles it be first purged and sanctified produce any thing to the praise and glory of God Our Persons must first be liked else Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a Sinner no more then a Jewel in a swines snout Ecclus. 15. 9. 2. The second is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sing with understanding Psal. 47. 7. that is Laying the ground of your Joy in God himself not in any prosperity or good successe of our own Bas. in Psal. 32. Or Having a true tast and relish of what is sung the mind so distinguishing the sense virtue of that which is uttered by the mouth that we may truly say with the Psalmist O how sweet are these words unto my throat Psal. 119. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or lastly Singing in law and measure For sure He that made all things pondere numero mensurâ is not pleased with the irregular noise of bellowing and screaming voices but rather with decent and lovely sounds of pious devout and discreet Singers Such as if they will have Instruments of Musick too take order that they may be well tuned and well-sounding like Davids Cymbals Psal. ult 3. The third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sing praises lustily unto Him with a good courage Ps. 33. 3. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sing well that is saith St Hierome Make that good in your Actions which your tongue expresseth or as St Basil expounds it with your Devotion and Intention no way distracted 2. Then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is when you exalt Him put forth all your strength as the wise man speaks Ecclus. 43. The Hebr and Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are patheticall termes and signifie such a joy as cannot be articulate but is rather expressed in shoutes and acclamations like that of Souldiers in the Camp upon a notable victory and Countrymen in the Field at the end of a happy harvest or such a joy as conceives far more then can be uttered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He 's a happy man that hath the Art of this Joy Ps. 89. 16. And it seems the Christians had it in the first times of the Church For St Jerome saith they were wont so to thunder out their Amen and sing their Psalmes that the noise ecchoed with it They did it with that chearful noise and devotion as if by their very voice they would have opened the Heavens Their Amen was like a clap of thunder and their Halelujah like the roaring waves of the Sea The Israelites were before hand with them in that chearfulnes For when they only received the Arke into the Camp they shouted with so great a shout that the Earth rang again 1 Sam. 4. 5. And how they sang before it at other times you may guesse by Holy David My Heart danceth for joy saith he and in my song will I praise thee And it is no wonder if David danced with his heart and with his feet too For we read of one lame from his Mothers womb and yet as soon as his feet were at liberty he was found going into the Temple skipping and praising God Act. 3. 2. 8. So did some before us while we neither dance nor sing after them So cold or hoarse we are and so favourable to our selves as if we cared not that our Service and Thankfulnes should keep any Analogy either with the goodnes and greatnes of God or with the chearfulnes of those in both Testaments that have gone before us and led us the way 1. But let us a little bethink our selves whether it be not a Solecisme to sing and not to be chearful 2. And whether Praise and Thankfulnes by the law of Nature may not call for Joy and Alacrity of Spirit 3. And lastly whether for that very cause this part of service is not both often and with good reason performed by singing playing on Instruments Which came not in with the Law For we read of their Songs and Musick presently after their passage out of the Red Sea before ever they had Arke or Temple or Law from Mount Sinai And if you will hear Calvin upon Luc. 2. 13. It is according to the pattern above where the Angels are set out playing upon Harps before the Throne I wish their Joy and Alacrity may stirre up ours at least that we would take up that Resolution of Holy David Psal. 71. 21. My Lips will be faine when I sing unto Thee and so will my Soul which thou hast delivered My Soul shall be filled even as it were with marrow and fatnes when my mouth praiseth Thee with joyfull lips Psal. 63. 6. We may find the good K Hezekiah following that example and his people with Him 2 Chron. 29. 30. And we shall do no lesse if we will give true weight to the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I mentioned before which signifie a kind of unutterable joy Such a Joy and Praise agrees properly to none but God an Honour that fits Him only who is in Himself ineffable and incomprehensible And therefore as He is best served with those prayers that have in them gemitus inenarrabiles groans that cannot be expressed so He is best served with those praises too that have in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such patheticall deliveries of Joy and thankfulnes as no Articulate voice can reach unto I said He is best served with those I will say more He cannot well be served by any but such as are in effect aequivalent to them Take the best Praise that ever was delivered by the holiest Saints and it is but ex ore infantum lactentium as weak an expression as if it came out of the mouth of the babes and sucklings Whatsoever we pen for others whatsoever we sing out our selves in regard of the full expression that is due to God it is but like the first titubations and ventures at words which little Infants begin to frame in imitation of their Nurses Nay the Prophet David would have me go lower yet For He that had chanted out Gods praise in so many sweet Psalmes doth yet confesse of them all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tacet tibi Tehillah that is a Psalme is a