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A55782
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Four sermons preached in Oxford by John Price.
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Price, John, Master of arts.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing P3352; ESTC R25593
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64,575
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154
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and piety O that all men in all places of all callings would make it their businesse to doe good and distribute some way or other Titus Vespasian counted that day lost in which he had done good to no one O Amici Amici diem perdidi my friends my friends I have lost a day O let not us Christians be ashamed to learn some what of Heathens 't is our excellency to come neer God to be the Children of our Father which is in Heaven We cannot come neer to God in any thing more than in doing good For the inciting of you I shall present you with these Motives 1. Consider that charity is the very life the soul and as it were the essence of Religion True Religion doth not consist so much in contemplation and speculation as in practise and action it is not so much the work of the head and the tongue as of the heart and the hand Me thinks now a dayes Religion is dwindled into frothy airy love quenching disputations We are all head no heart we are like Children sicke of the rickets our heads are swollen bigger than our whole bodies we are so far from works of charity that we cannot afford one another Charitable words but I would have such Bountefeaus such fire brands of the Church to know that no mans private humour is valueable with the Churches peace though he did shine in it as a Starre of the first magnitude Whoever gets by such disputes I am sure the Church looseth Me thinks the Divines of England are like so many unnatural Sons like so many Neroes ripping up the bowells of their own Mother the Church It had bin better that many of them had never been than that they had been so seditious 'tWere well if they would bestow some of those precious hours that they spend in scribling one against another in binding up the broken comforting the comfortlesse visiting the sicke according to that in Jam. I. 17. This is pure Religion and undefiled before God to visit the Fatherlesse and the Widowes in their affliction 2. Consider that good works are the best evidences of a good faith of a true saving justifying faith When I see the fruits of good works I cannot but conclude that the Tree of faith is alive When our Saviour had cured the man with the withered hand he bids him to testify that it was whole stretch it forth stretch forth thy hand O my beloved if ye would shew me that the sinewes of your faith are not shrunk that the hands of your charity are not withered stretch thē forth Excellent is that of the Apostle shew me thy faith by thy works Not by thy words but by thy works a workelesse faith is a worthlesse faith Though it be faith alone that justifieth yet it is not an alone solitary unaccompanied faith though it be the fore finger alone that points in the hand yet it is not alone when it pointes Faith in the soul is like a Queen attended with a Royal traine of other graces as maidens of honour Me thinks I hear faith Rachel like crying out give me Children or else I dye O how lovely a sight it is to see the Vine of faith laden with the clusters of good works 3. Consider that whatsoever ye doe to any of Christs poor members he looks upon it as done to himself And me thinks this motive should be of great force with you me thinks 〈◊〉 should strive who should first doe Christ a good turn When a man gives an 〈◊〉 he should not so much look at the member of Christ as at Christ in the member and though he doth not give him any thin◠for his own yet he should give him somewhat for Christs sake Suppose Christian thou sawest Christ himself that spilt his precious blood for thee comming to thy doors and asking a bit of bread couldst thou have the heart or the face to deny him Surely thou wouldst not be so rocky hearted 't is all one and if thou doubtest of this beleeve Christ himself that saith so Matth. 25. 40. In as much as ye have done it to the lest of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me Christ gave us all and me thinks we should by way of gratitude give him somewhat again 4. Consider that that which is given to the poor is a meās to sanctify that which we have He that gives God any thing he is wont to repay him in greater abundance The Sydonian Womans Oyl that was poured into empty vessels never ceased running If we would have our Oyl alwayes to run we must pour it into empty vessels The Widows Oyl consumed not as long as she fed the Prophet Eccles. 11. 1. Cast thy bread upon the Waters and thou fhalt find it after many dayes That bread is not cast away that is cast upon the Waters Psol 41. 1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor blessed in his estate blessed in his Children blessed here blessed hereafter 5. Consider that whatever ye give the poor on earth God will give it you in Heaven nay ten thousand times more according to that give and it shall be given unto you Though I doe not say here with the Papists that good works are meritorious of Heaven yet this I say that God is pleased to bestow Heaven upon those that doe good works those that testify their faith by their works That a piece of Leather is currant it is not from the value that is in the thing it self but from the value that the Prince puts upon it as St. Augustine Deus non coronat merita tua sed dona sua God crowns not any merit in thee but his own gifts We doe not goe to Heaven because we doe good works but because God hath promised to give us Heaven if we doe good works according to those places lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven a good foundation for the time to come And happy is the man that layes out treusures on earth that he may receive treasures in Heaven Happy is the man that treads upon his riches and makes them a ladder to climbe up thither happy is the man that exchangeth his gold for that street of the new Jerusalem that is of pure gold Happy is the man that by giving to the poor can turn his Pactolus his River of gold into those Rivers of pleasures which are at Gods right hand for evermore O lend God somewhat in this World and he will surely pay you in the World to come O give the poor your bread here and God will give you the bread of life hereafter and you shall hear that sweet sentence come ye blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the World for I was an hungry and ye gave me bread thirsty and ye gave me drink naked and ye cloathed me To which Kingdome God of his infinite goodnesse bring us all and lead us through the Kingdome of grace into the Kingdome of glory for his Son Jesus Christs sake FINIS ERRATA P. 15. l. 10 your 2d Sermon p. 5. l. 3. the meaning l. 6. divine philosophicall l. 7. philosophical Such l. 29. bee brow-beaten p. 7. l. 25. their fathers had p. 8. l. 25. courts p. 9. l. 9. similitude p. 10. l. 1. of the Prince of the aire l. 4. your father p 13. l. 1. denied our Saviours l. 4. the truth So much l. 5. the use I shall make of it is p. 16. l. 24. received p. 17. l. 4. Minister p. 24. l. 18 these p. 29. l. 22. Concionis p. 31. l. 21. here the souls p. 33. l. 12. give us 3d Sermon p. 3. l. 2. Lord loved p. 10. l 4. King so that p. 11. l. ult struck p 12. l. 6. formost 4th Sermon p 2. l. 28. beneficentiae communionis p. 19. l. 4. in the obeying