of a very large extent yet it hath pleased the Holy-Ghost to reduce them under three heads 2 Tit. 12. Sobriety towards our selves Honesty towards our neighbour and Godliness towards God So that when it is said Dorcas was full of good works the meaning is this She was very Sober Honest and Godly in respect of her disposition and full of Acts of sobriety honesty and godlinesse in her conversation Only take notice of this before I come to the Doctrine Though Dorcas be here commended for her good works yet the Scripture speaketh sometimes of good works by way of Diminution and debasing of them which in what respect it is done is very necessary for us to observe Take notice therefore when good works are compared with the righteousness of Christ in relation to justification then they are rejected as unable for any such use and called menstruous rags 64 Is 6. dross and dung 3 Phil. 8. when the best works we do are considered in the Court of Justification there they are damnable and have so much dross in them that God doth reject them as wholy insufficient but look on them as fruits of Faith done out of obedience to Gods command and with respect to his Glory and so the Scripture doth highly commend them Thus then the Scripture commends good works against the Antinomian who holds them unnecessary but condemns good works yea the best works against the Papist who holds them to be meritorious whereas when we have done all Nisi Deus per misericordiam pareret non haberet quos per justitiam coronaret in Ps 100. we must say that we are unprofitable and acknowledge with Augustine that unless God did spare in mercy he should find none whom he might Crown in justice surely he that relyes upon his works doth like a man that on a moon-shinie night mistakes his own shadow for a bridge and so falls into the River and is drowned Now let the observation be this All that make profession of the Gospel should accompany their profession with fruitfullness in good works So Paul gave in charge to Titus These things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have beleeved in God be carefull to maintain good works 3 Tit. 8. two greek words are observable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it be their care and study the bent of their minds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to maintain or rather to be examples and presidents going before others in good works these are the richest and most usuall styles of commendation in Scripture Moses a man mighty in words and deeds Cornelius 7 Act. 22. 10 Act 2. 7 Luk 4.5 9 Act. 39. 16 Rom. 23. 2 Tim. 1.16 a man fearing God and giving much Alms. The Centurion worthy of favour for He hath built us a Synagogue Dorcas made so many Coats for the poor Gaius the Host of the Church Onesiphorus hath Paul his earnest Prayers for mercy because he often refreshed him and as one observes wittily the Scripture speaks but little of the learning of the Apostles but much of their Acts. The reasons why Professours of the Gospel should be full of good works are these 1 because true Christian Religion doth not consist meerly in Negatives It is not sufficient to abstain from evil except we do good cease to do evil learn to do well 1 Isa 27. That Tree which bears not good Fruit 13 Luk. 7. is a Cumberer of the ground and shall be cut down for the Fire as well as that which boars ill fruit and poysons the ground We must not only put off Wrath Malice Blasphemy 3 Colos 8. c. filthy Communication and Lying but put on also bowels of Mercie Kindnesse Humblenesse of mind Meeknesse Long-suffering and above all Charity which is the bond of Perfection 18 Luk 11. Thou sayst that thou art no Extortioner unjust or Adulterer but this is not sufficient thou tellest of the evil works which thou dost not but where are the good works thou dost though he be usually accounted a good man that doth no evil yet he is rather an evil man saith Chrysostome that doth no good And we read that at the day of Judgement men shall be condemned not only for the evil that they have done 25 Matth. but for the good that they have left undone Many there are that seem to be Religious when they deceive their own hearts For pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Father-lesse and the Widow and to keep our selves unspotted from the world 1 Jam. 27. Hereby we give testimony of the truth of our Profession when we are fruitfull in good works For he that professeth himself to be a Christian and is barren in good works is like a painted Tree that stands only for shew like Zeuxes Vine painted so lively that the Birds came to pick at it thinking to have filled their bellies but went away hungry as they came or like the Fig-tree in the Gospel of which Christ thought to have eaten 21 Mat. 18 19. Ruffin Eccles Hist. lib. 2. c. 10. but when he came near it had nothing but leaves as one Moses renowned for piety said to Lucius reputed an Arrian Bishop tendring the confession of his Faith to clear himself Tush saith he what tellest thou me of the Faith of the Ears let me have the Faith of the Hands So thou tellest me that thou art a constant hearer of the word thou art able to discourse out of it but Oh man what tellest thou me of the Faith of the Ears or the Faith of the Tongue let me see the Faith of the Hands Few I confesse troubled with the deaf and dumb Spirits in these times Ubi bona opera non apparent ad extra ibi fides non est ad intra Mr. Burgesse but most having withered Hands It was a saying of Iohn Husse that where good works are not without there Faith is not within and so some learned men say that good works are necessary to preserve a man in the State of Justification though they do not immediately concurr to the Act as in a man although his Shoulders and Breast do not immediately concurr to the Act of Seeing yet if a mans Eyes and Head were not knit to those parts he could not see and though the Fire do not burn as it is light yet it could not burn unlesse it were so The chief scope of St. Iames his Epistle is to urge hearers to be doers and vain boasters of justifiing Faith to justifie their Faith by their works 2. God is gloryfied by good works therefore saith our Master 5 Mat. 16. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and gloryfie your Father which is in Heaven The men 31 Job 20. 29 Job 15. 1 Jam. 25. for whom our Heavenly Father is Gloryfied are such whose works shine before men who warm the Loins of the Poor and
he that is barren in good works and yet bears high and broad the sail of Profession seems to be afraid lest the World should not take notice of him for an Hypocrite Good works likewise without a knowledge and profession of Christian Religion Splendida peccain are no better than glorious Sins as Augustine calls them no better than the virtues of Heathens Quid vobis ethnici cum virtutibus qui christum dei virtutem ignoratis unto which though we give the name yet they want the nature of virtue For as Bernard said What have you Heathens to do with virtues who are ignorant of Christ the virtue and power of God unto Salvation But where a profession of Religion and a practice of good works are in conjunction they make integrum sanctum an entire sincere compleat Saint Such an one was Dorcas in those days such an one was the Dorcas of our days First in general Full of good works then more particularly and Almes-deeds which she did In general She was full of good works When it is said that Dorcas was full of good works it is not meant that she was perfect 3 Jam. 2. for in many things we offend all and every Sin is a defect Much lesse may we think that She did works of supererrogation They are super-arrogant that think themselves righteous above the Rule As full as Dorcas was I dare say for her blessed Soul that She thought her self empty and barren Ears that are most laden with Corn hang lowest down to the ground and holiest Persons have alwayes the humblest thoughts of themselves Hereby therefore I conceive are meant three things 1. She was full of that is abundant in good works as when it is said 2 Chro. 24 25 that Jehojada waxed old and was full of days the meaning is he grew very old and when it is said of wicked worldly men that they are full of Children 17 Psal 14. the meaning is they have many Children So Dorcas was full of good works that is she was a very good woman and did abound in good works To be full of good works is as much as to be fruitful Dorcas her good works were not few as the gleaning Grapes 24 Isa 13. when the Vintage is done or as the shaking of an Olive Tree two or three Berries in the top of the uttermost bough four or five in the most fruitful branches thereof 17 Isa 5 but she was full of good works like the Vine before it is gathered and the Olive Tree before it be shaken 2. She was full of good works that is She did not only abound but in some sort super-abound considering her condition She did very many good works even beyond the expectation of those that knew her when they compared what She did as they imagined with what She had they would not have thought that She had so rich a Treasury that would have furnished her to expend so liberally They could not but think that her fulnesse of good works abroad would bring her to want at home Yet so it was She did many good works nor did they draw her dry but some way or other She was supplyed that She still did more it is very probable that Dorcas was not a woman of great worldly Estate and if she had not been notable for her good works She might in other respects have lived obscurely enough But whatever her estate was She had a free heart and did not for fear of wanting her self hold back her hand from supplying the necessities of others The Widow that cast her two Mites into the Treasury is said to have cast in more than they that cast in greater gifts 21 Luk. 1 2 3. because what they gave was out of their abundance but she cast in all that she had So Dorcas was full of good works that is She did abound yea she did super-abound comparing her abilities with her expence She did more than she was supposed able to do 3. She was full of good works that is her works were not only abounding but abiding She did not satisfie her self with what good she had done 3 Phil. 13.11 Eccles 6. but still she did more with the Apostle she forgot that which was behind and though shee had done very much good yet still she with-held not her hand according to the injunction 6 Gal. 9 10. Let us not be weary in wel-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not as we have therefore opportunity let us do good Out of the good Treasure of her heart She was still bringing forth good things 12 Math. 35 She was like the Orange-tree of which they write that it is bringing forth fruit all the year long as some are ripe so others are still budding And as it is said of the Church of Thyatira 2 Rev. 19. her works were more at the last than at the first Hereby She made it appear that she was no Hypocrite who is moved by an external principle and doth his good works only for particular ends and therefore continues not always to do good But She was a sincere Christian whose good works flowed from an inward Principle of grace and were directed to an universal end Gods glory So then Dorcas was full of good works that is She did very much good more than could be expected from such a Woman and thus she continued to her death 24 Mat. 46. and so was one of those blessed servants whom her Lord when he came sound well-doing Good works are sometime strictly taken for works of Charity because that Love is the fullfilling of the Law Aug. lib. 10. de civ Dei ca. 1. hac sibi Deus vel pro sacrificiis vel prae sacrificiis placere testatur God accepts of works of Charity for sacrifices with such sacrifices God is well-pleased 13 Hebr. 16. Yea he accepts them before sacrifices I will have mercy and not sacrifice 9 Math. 13. But oftentimes good works are taken more largely for the whole obedience of a Christian so we are said to be Gods workman-ship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Sure it is 2 Eph. 10. the Law is the Rule of good works and therefore obedience to any branch 1 Joh. 3.4 of the Law is a good work as the breach of any part of the Law is an evil work and as the Logicians say there is no created being but it is reduced into one of the ten predicaments so there is no duty or good work commanded of us but it is contained in one of those ten words 10 Deut. 4. as Moses calls them that is Commandments These good works in other places of Scripture are called good Fruits 3 Jam. 17. Fruits of righteousnesse 1 Phil. 11. Fruits of the Spirit 5 Gal. 2. Fruits worthy of Repentance 3 Luk. 8. and amongst many other expressions they are called armour of light 13 Rom. 12. Good works therefore are
a Vine and a Vine brings forth Fruit by Glusters not here and there a Grape but clusters of Grapes Beloved you all professe your selves to be engrafted into Christ I tell you it is a dishonour to the Root on which you professe your selves to grow to bear such unprofitable branches A garden enclosed is my Sister my Spouse thy Plants are an Orchard of Pomgranates with pleasant fruits Camphire with Spikenard Spikenard and Saffron Calamus and Cinamon with all Trees of Frank-Incense Mirrhe and Aloes with all the chief Spices thus Christ sets out his Church 4 Cant. 13. She was a Garden full of all the varieties of the heavenly Trees and flowers of Grace And it may be said of every Tree of this Garden as of the teeth of Christ 4 Cant. 2. they are like a flock of sheep even shorn which come up from the washing whereof every one beareth twins and none is barren amongst them It is a great shame for any of us not to be fruitfull whom God hath planted in a soil so fruitfull of all things pertaining both to Life and Godlinesse But our barrenness in good works may justly provoke God to turn our fruitfull Land into barrennesse 107 Psal 34. 2. Hos 9. 21 Math. 41. and not only take away his own Corn and his Wine and his Oyl his Wool and his Flax from us but even the Gospel it self and give it to a Nation that will bring forth the fruits of it Especially I have it in charge from the Apostle 1 Tim. 6 17. 9 Jud. 8. to charge such as are rich in this world to be rich in good works I read that when the Olive and Vine and Fig-tree were invited to be Kings over the rest of the Trees they pretended that they would not leave their Fatness and Sweetness and Fruitfulness for promotion as though a man could not bear fruit and bear Rule together God forbid that any of you should make your riches or greatness an excuse for your barrenness in good works But it was intended only as a Parable by him that spake it and so I leave it I passe from Dorcas commendation in the general to that thing for which she is especially commended to our imitation which is that shee was full of alms-deeds which she did By alms-deeds are meant works of mercy to those that are in necessity Now works of mercy respect either Soul or Body those which respect the Soul are six usually comprehended under this verse Instrue Castiga Remitte Solare Fer Ora Instruct Reprove Forgive Comfort Sustain and Pray They which respect the Body are likewise six contained in another verse Visito Poto Cibo Recolligo Vestio Condo Visit the Sick Refresh the Thirsty Feed the Hungry Redeem the Captive Cloath the Naked and Burie the Dead Now those works of mercy which respect the Soul are of the two the better Alms-deeds therefore for certain Dorcas did not omit them though else I think that by Alms-deeds in the Text are chiefly understood works of mercy respecting the Body Observ Professours of the Gospel ought to be very charitable to the Poor I have not eaten my morsels alone saith Job I have seen none to perish for want of Cloathing 31 Job 17. 19 Luk. 8. 10 Act. 2. Philem. v 7. 2 Tim. 1 16. 16 Rom. 23. the loins of the Poor have blessed me because he was warmed with the fleece of my sheep To passe by the example of Zacheas Cornelius Philemon Onesiphorus Gaius and others the example of Christ is most notable who though he lived by contribution himself yet gave out a share to the poor and had his Almoner to that purpose 13 Joh. 29. though this be a common Doctrine yet because it is not commonly practised it will not be unnecessary to adde a reason or two to enforce it 1. Distributing to the necessities of the poor is a work which God doth stricktly enjoyn Amongst many places I will select two one out of the Old Testament 15 Deut. 7.8 If one of thy brethren with thee be poor thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him The other is out of the New Testament 1 Tim 6.17 Charge them that are rich in this world that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselvs a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Hearken then my Bretheren it is not left arbitrary to you Bishop Hall in a Serm. on 1 Tim. 6.17 that you may do good if you will but it is laid upon you as your charge and duty and woe be to you if ye do it not Do good if ever ye look to receive good If ever ye look to be rich in Heaven be rich in good works upon the Earth There must be a Date ere there can be a Dabitur Give and it shall be given 19 Prov. 17. He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord who payes large encrease for all he borrows but how shall he give you the interest of Glory where he hath not received the principall of beneficence As the Graecian said of very tall men that they were Cypress Trees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fair and tall but fruitless So may I say of strait-handed rich-men and these Cypresses are not for the garden of Paradice none shall ever be planted there but the fruitfull If the first Paradice had any Trees in it only for pleasure I am sure the second which is in the midst of the new Jerusalem 22 Rev. 2. shall have no Tree that bears not twelve Fruits yea whose very leaves are not beneficial 2. Give me leave to ask you this question if you knew what to offer unto God that might be pleasing and acceptable to him would ye not do it 43 Gen. 11. are ye not glad that ye have any thing wherewith to present a great man whose favour you need that he delights in and will accept of and methinks you should be glad that you have any thing wherewith you may do a work that is pleasing to the Majesty of Heaven and Earth Well mind that of the Apostle 13 Hebr. 16. To do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is delighted or more properly as he observes in his Critickes hilariter affectus cheerfully affected with such sacrifices Beloved I beseech you consider shall not we poor men we sinfull men who are worms and no men between whom and God there is such an infinite distance as cannot be expressed shall not we rejoyce from our hearts that we can do any thing which may be acceptable and well-pleasing to God which may delight and give complacency to him you see what will please him Oh be not so backward to
by their knowledge are an Eye to the blind For such men God is blessed of men and such men shall be blessed of God in their Deeds The Sun it self if it did not shine and give warmth unto the Creatures were the glorious Face thereof ten times more glorious than it is none would half so much blesse God for it 3. Good works were one end of Christs death 2 Tit. 14. there the Apostle saith that Christ dyed to purchase unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works not only followers but zealous and lest men should think that we should only preach free-grace these things speak saith he and exhort So it is said that he suffered for Sin 1 Pet. 1.21 leaving us an example that we should follow his steps Now he went about doing good 10 Act. 38. And himself bare our Sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead unto Sin should live unto righteousnesse 1 Pet. 2.24 4. Good works are an ornament to our profession 1 Phil. 27. 2 Tit. 10 When we are full of good works we walk as becommeth the Gospel and adorn the Doctrine of God and our Saviour A Christian though like Leah tender-ey'd and cannot see farr into the mysteries of Religion yet if fruitful is more honourable than barren Rachel though fair and beautiful for parts and knowledge The credit of the Gospel should be dear to the Professours of it and woe to him who maketh that worthy name by which he is named to be evil spoken off 2 Jam. 7. Hence flows another Good works being an honour to our profession they will put to shame and silence prophane persons 1 Pet. 2.15 1 Pet. 3.16 1 Pet. 3.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who are ready to take all occasions to Blaspheme yea through our good conversation we may be instrumental for the gaining of those that are without Chrysostome calls good works unanswerable syllogismes invincible demonstrations to confute and convert Pagans 1. Then if this be our Doctrine Appl. it is manifest that the Papists do most falsly charge us to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 despisers yea condemners of good works We condemn them in no other sense than the Scripture condemnes them otherwise we commend them as the best signs of a living Faith and the expressions of thankfulnesse to God for redeeming us by his Son And therefore we think Ursine hath very fitly entituled his tractate of good works de gratitudine We say that God commands good works is well pleased with them and glorified by them and though they cannot merit eternal life for that is the gift of God yet there is in them an ordinability to eternal life 6 Roâ— 23. which is not in evil works And they do render the Subject capable of Heaven whereas evil works do wholly unfit him Therefore we are ever pressing upon our Auditors to learn to maintain good works for necessary uses that they be not unfruitful 3 Tit. 14. And we teach them that good works are necessary in a fourfold respect 1. Necessitate praecepti by the necessity of precept this is the will of God 1 Pet. 2.15 2. Necessitate ordinis by the necessity of an inviolable order whereby a rational Creature is obliged to yield all obedience to his Creator 3. Necessitate consequentiae by a necessity of consequence because good works do flow from the very essence and being of Faith Lastly Necesitâ—â—e medâ—i sive hypotheseos by a necessity of the means or a conditional necessity for though no man can be saved for his works yet without good works he shall not be saved for if yee live after the flesh â— Rom. 13. 6 Galat. 7. yee shall dye and whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap therefore good works are according to Bernard Via ad regnum though not causa regnandi 2. It reproves such as make profession of the Gospel and yet instead of being full of good works are full of evil works concerning whom it may be said 32 Deut. 32. that their Vine is the Vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrha their Grapes are Grapes of Gall their clusters are bitter Their works are works of the flesh Adultery Fornication Uncleannesse Lasciviousness Idolatry 5 Gal. 19. Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like Of some one or more of these they are full These men are the scandal of the Gospel and by how much Christian Religion is the best of Religions by so much are these the worst of men and no man so vile in the eyes of God 10 Luk. 33. and Men as a debauched Christian he doth not only bring shame 4 Joh. 22. but also suspicion upon his profession for however the Samaritan not the Jew relieved the distressed Traveller yet the Jews Religion was true not the Samaritans So in other cases truth of causes must not be judged by Acts of Persons Yet as he said it must needs be good that Nero persecutes so many are ready to say it cannot be good surely it cannot but be evil that such a wicked wretch professeth What shall I say to such do yee think it enough to say that you have Abraham to your Father 3 Mat. 9 10. Will you Steal Murder commit Adultry Swear falsly and come and stand before God in the House called by his name 7 Jer 9 10. 8 Joh. 4â— and say we are delivered to do all these abominations shall I tell you that yee are of your Father the Devil and his works you doe take it how you will the Scripture saith expresly that the Devil worketh in Children of Disobedience 2 Eph. 2. such as thou art Or Lastly Shall I tell thee that for such works comes the wrath of God upon the Children of Disobedience 5 Eph. 6. Thou art full of evill workâ— God is full of patience that doth not as yet pour out of the Vials of his wrath upon thee but take heed what thou dost God is prest under thee as a Cart 2 Am. 3. that is full of sheavs if the Axeltree of his Patience break the burthen will fall on thee a burthen so heavy 6 Rev. 57. that thou wouldst be glad to change it for Rocks and Mountains 3. Let us all be exhorted in this to make Dorcas our pattern She was neither Idle Evil nor Unfruitful Not Idle for we read of her works nor Evil for her works were good nor Unfruitful for she was full of them 1. Dorcas was not Idle 1 Tim. 5.13 for we read of her works She was none of those women that learn to be idle and wander about from House to House Good works saith Gerrhard in Scripture are taken In Loc. Com. not only for external actions but for inward affections to good but it pleased the Holy Ghost to use the name of works rather than habits or affections because the praise of
true virtue consists in action Sure it is man was made for action and though some Sciences in comparison of others more operative are termed speculative yet not one of them whose speculation tends not to and ends in some operation whereby man is advantaged and God honoured specially Divinity which is scientia affectiva effectiva We lose the sweetnesse of all our speculations reading and discoursing about Divinity if we reduce them not into good works It is the profit of practice which makes the study of the Law so sweet and that is accounted the best pasture which is seen in the flesh and fleece of the Sheep To little purpose it is that we do excolere animum Till and sow our minds with the Seeds of good notions if these Seeds bring not forth fruit in our works and actions The blessing of Daniels pulse and water 1 Dan. 15. was seen in the fatnesse and well-favourednesse of his countenance So the blessing that God gives to all our Meditating Reading Hearing and Discoursing is seen by our fruitfulnesse of good works What is a man the better for the Seed he soweth if it rot in the ground or bring not forth a crop that will reward him for his labour If a mans Meat be sweet and doth not nourish him it is a sign of an ill digestion and thy notions are raw indigested notions if they turn not into actions and operations And as we lose the sweetnesse so others lose the benefit of our speculations if not converted into good works therefore an idle person is not unfitly compared to the dumb jack in a Virginal whilst the other dance out a sweet and winning Musick it disturbs the whole body with an ill-distemper'd lazinesse 2. Dorcas was not Evil for her works were good One might better be idle than not well-employed for to be sure 1 Cor. 3.15 his work shall be burnt if he be not burnt for his work so that he is sure every way to receive losse and he that is not imployed in doing a good work suffers a double losse both propter lucrum cessans propter damnum emergens For whilst a man hath been doing evil he might have been doing some good which would have proved an advantage to him therefore in that respect he suffers losse but he hath been doing evil which will prove unto him evil and here is a double losse Now unto the Constitution of a good work many things are required especially these four a right Rule a right Motive a right Principle a right End 1. A right Rule that is the Law of God As the Artificer can draw no good line which is not commensurate to the Rule So neither is any work thou dost good though never so specious if not conformable to the Word In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men 15 Mat. 9. The blind whelps of will worship and ignorant devotion God regards not Counterfeit Coin is so farr from being currant that the Coining of it is a capital Crime and all works which have not the stamp of Gods word upon them are so farr from being acceptable that they are abominable to him and he rejects them with a who hath required these things at your hands 1 Isa 12. 2. A right Motive Unto a good work it is requisite that we do not only what is commanded but that we do it ex intuitu voluntatis because it is commanded In all good works there must be not only a knowledge of but a respect to the will of God 1 Thes 4.3 1 Thes 5.18 1 Pet. 2.15 12 Rom. 2. 5 Eph. 17. 7 Mat. 16. 4 Jer. 14. 18 Ezek. 31. which is therefore used so frequently as an argument to enforce our obedience because we ought to do every thing in conscience to Gods command For to do that which God wils and not to do it because he wils it is not obedience and therefore not a good work 3. A right Principle and that is a good heart Do men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles a corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit Such as the Fountain is such are the Streams Therefore we are commanded to wash our Hearts to make unto our selves new Hearts because we must be good before we can do good When the People of Israel promised that they would do all that God had commanded them by Moses What saith God Oh that there were such an Heart in them 5 Deut. 29. It is not for thee to promise that thou wilt lead a new life endeavour to be full of good works 11 Rom. 2. â— Oh labour to get such an Heart in the. By nature wee are wild Olives therefore we must by Humiliation be cut off from our own Stocks and by Faith put into Christ and so the property of the ground of our Hearts alter'd and meliorated 8 Rom. 8. ere we can bring forth good Fruit. Therefore we affirm that an unregenerate man cannot do a good work for they that are in the flesh 1 Sam. 24.13 cannot please God and wickednesse will proceed from the wicked 4. A right end and that is Gods glory whereunto all our Actions must be referred or else seem they never so good 1 Cor. 10.31 they are no better than Pharisaical Therefore the Apostle prays that the Philippians might be fill'd with Fruits of Righteousness to the glory and praise of God 1 Phil. 11. It is the mark 1 Phil. 11. that directs the eye Therefore where a mans mark is not good his aim is nought and so is his Action No Creature we say was made by it self and therefore not made for it self but him that made it So there is no good work which we can do of our selves therefore we ought not to do it for our selves but for his praise from whom we have the power 2 Cor. 5.5 And I make no question but so farr as a man is convinced that what good he doth is from God and not himself so farr will he direct the good that he doth unto God and not to himself Therefore a true Christian ascribes the glory of his good works to God as the Author and directs his good works to the glory of God as his end Lastly Dorcas was not unfruitful for she was full of good works This was the praise of the Romans that they were full of goodnesse 15. Rom. 14. of Stephen that he was full of Faith and power 6 Act. 8. and of Barnabas that he was a good man and full of the Holy-Ghost and of Faith 11 Act. 24. This was their praise and will be ours if we be such or in truth endeavour to be so Yet this is a small thing in comparison of the Glory that shall redound to God for what is our praise to Gods glory now herein saith our Lord is my Father glorified that ye bear much Fruit 15 Ioh. 8. A Christian in Scripture is compared to
and likewise of Alms-Deeds in Particular As Mr. Hieron calleth her a discreet compassionate cheerfull and Simple-hearted Almoner I come now to the sad part of my Text and that is her sickness and death It may be you have heard me hitherto with delight if I now stirr up your grief I cannot avoid it But I must go as I am led by the Text and the occasion Who would not be ready to say it was pity that Dorcas so good a Woman should all any thing that she should be sick but much more that she should die But so it seemed good to Divine Providence For it came to passe in those days that she was sick and died And it came to passe Observ There is a providence in and to be observed in the Sicknesse and Death of Gods Saints Pretious in the sight of the Lord 116 Psal 15◠is the Life and also the Death of his Saints And if they be so pretious to God how can we think but that there should be a special providence in their Sicknesse and Death If the hairs of their Heads are numbred 10 Mat. 30. much more the days of their Sojourning and if one of their hairs cannot fall to the ground but by the providence of their Heavenly Father much lesse can their whole bodies There is a threefold Providence of God First General which he exerciseth over all his Creatures Secondly Special which he exerciseth over Man Thirdly Particular which he exerciseth over his own People Of this last the Psalmest speaks 56 Psal 7. Thou tellest my wandrings put thou my Tears into thy Bottle are they not all in thy Book God in his providence orders the time when his people shall be sick and Dye the place where the Disease of which with all other circumstances of that nature and which is above all he doth fashion their Hearts by the same providence to bear Sicknesse and so disposeth of things that they are not taken away by Death till they have finished their work and are fit to enter into Glory Well then let us see his providence and submit to it acknowledging the Justice Wisdom and Goodnesse of it We are apt oft times to wonder that God should cast his people into Sicknesse and take them away by Death at such a time that he casteth them into such places it may be where they are at a distance from their Habitation that they are taken away by such a sharp Disease and violently that he doth not spare them a little to recover their strength before they go hence and be no more seen 39 Psal 13. Now we must answer all such questions as these with a sic evenit so it came to passe by the most wise providence of God whose respect to his Children is such that if he had seen any thing better this had not been Observ It came to passe in those days that She was Sick Gods dearest Children are not exempted from Sicknesse no more than any other affliction Si amatur quomodo infirmatur it is said 11 Joh. 3. Behold he whom thou lovest is Sick Augustine asks if he were beloved how came he to be Sick But in outward accidents of this life God makes no difference Nay it is usual in providence that they who have Gods Heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feel Gods Hand most heavy It is a very pretty saying of Clemens Alexandrinus Gods Children are not neer him unlesse they be within the reach of his Rod. They sit as Augustus said he did when he sate between Virgil and Horace Inter suspicia lachrymas the one melancholly the other troubled with sore eyes between sighing and weeping All the day long have I been plagued and chastned every Morning saith David 73 Psal 14. When yet it is said of some wicked worldly Men 73 Psal 7. that they were not in trouble like other Men neither were they plagued like other Men. You have read it may be or heard the Story of the holy Hermite that having lived to a compleat Age though very piously yet made a question of Gods love to him because all that while he had not which he could remember felt one hours sicknesse It pleased God in some short time before he dyed to visit him with an Ague which he blessed God for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and received as a Love-token not scrupling that so much afterward which formerly had troubled him Paul had a racking pain which he expresseth by a Thorn in the flesh 2 Cor. 12. Mr. Manton A learned Man thinks that he alludes to such kind of punishment as Slaves or Men not free were put to for great offences They sharpned a Stake and pointed it with Iron and put it in at his Back till it came out at his Mouth and so with his Face upward he Dyed miserably And therefore by that expression the Apostle intendeth some grievous bodily distemper or racking pain 2 Coo. 12.5 Certainly he speaketh of such an infirmity wherein he would Glory and therefore it is not probable that it should be meant of Sin or some prevailing Lust as many expound it but rather of some extreme corporal pain Yet I have observed that Gods Children are not apt to question his Love so much as in Sicknesse For Satan takes the advantage of the solitude of a Sick person to tempt him more and makes use of the pain and distemper of the Body to disturb and disquiet the mind But however Gods people have no more cause to doubt of Gods love in Sicknesse than any other affliction That which troubles them most is that hereby they are rendred unserviceable but where God disenableth from duty he looks not for it but accepts of the desire for the deed Besides Sicknesse it not such an unserviceable Estate may not one serve God acceptably in suffring as well as doing As it is said in the Revelation 14 Revel 12. here now is the Faith and Patience of the Saints Therefore if God shall cast your Bodies into Sickness be not dejected cast not down your Spirits 38 Isa 1. 7 Job 3 4. 38 Psal 7. 2 Phil. 27. Gods dearest Saints have had experience of sore Sicknesses such as Hezekiah Job David and Epaphroditus The Children of God have Bodies of the same matter and making with other men They are but earthen vessels subject to knocks and cracks as others are only they have a more pretious Lamp shining in these earthen pitchers than others have I mean a more pretious Soul Therefore comfort your selves and remember that in Sickness all your desire is before God and your groaning is not hid from him 38 Psal 9. And though your bodily distemper indispose you for duty yet God accepted Hezekiahs prayer 38 Isa 5. though when he prayed he did but chatter like as a Crane or a Swallow 38 Isa 14. So much of Dorcas Sickness I come now to her Death It is very