aedificationem bonorumque actuum nexum fundat so Dyonisius Carthusianus He that yields prompt obedience to Christs commands builds himself a spiritual house a secret Cabinet of his mind a building of vertues and a close compacted tenement of good deeds Good works beloved they are the structure of every Christian builder the inseparable companions of every true beleiver This is a true saying saith Saint Paul and these things I will that thou shouldest affirm Tit. 3. 8. that they which have beleived God might be careful to shew forth good works Faith must be shewed by good works For as the body without the spirit is dead even so Faith without works is dead also Saint James James 2 18. Faith therefore though it be the foundation of good works and evidence of things not seen yet it is nothing worth if works be wanting nor can it justifie any man before God unless by good works it self be justified before men Was not Abraham our Father justified through good James 2. 21. works saith Saint James when he offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar that is was he not by his works known and found to be justified Did not Jobs works thus manifest his faith Who was no less than eyes to the blind feet to the lame and a pittiful Father to the distressed poor as he testifies of himself Yea as possible it is to separate light from its fountain the Sun as good works from saving Job 29 15 16. Tit. 1. 16. faith the mother Use 1. What then shall we think of all those that have only a form of Godliness denying the power thereof Such as profess that they know God yet by works deny him and are abominable and disobedient and to every good work even reprobates as St Paul speaks of them to Titus Surely beloved these though perhaps they may acount themselves in the number of Gods faithful builders yet are they indeed no better than Babel builders building to themselves nothing else but aerial Castles of sad and sempiternal confusion clouds they are without water carried about of windes corrupt trees without fruit twice dead and pluckt up by the roots wandering Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for Jude vers 12. evermore so Jude in his general Epistle verse 21. Serpit hodie putrida tabes hypocrisis per omne corpus Ecclesiae quo tolerantius eo desperatius eoque periculosius quo communius Bern. The corrupt consumption of counterfeiting hypocrisie creeps at this day through the whole body of the Church which is so much the more desperate so much the more dangerous by how much the more indured by how much the more common 't was the complaint of good Saint Bernard in his time and I would to God there were not as great need at this time for me to make it mine for do no not all or at least most of all slighting sincerity content themselves with the bare shew and formality of Religion Nay which is worse is not religion commonly made a cloak to palliate deformed vice which seldome or never dare shew her self in publick unless she steal the robes of vertue and actuate her mischeif with sly hypocrisie Is not Pharisaical avarice now vailed under a pretence of long prayers as sometimes we read it was in our Math. 23. 14. blessed Saviours time Is not Herodians cruelty now covered over with the vizard of holy devotion as heretofore it was with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I may come and Math. 2. 8. worship him Yes yes we are I fear most of us all like whited tombs appearing beautiful outward but are within full of rottenness We have fair leaves but foul fruit good words but no good works and yet we would be counted in the number of Gods faithful builders too but let us not O let us not dear Brethren I beseech you any longer deceive our selves with a vain conceit of couzening God who is not mockt like men with shadowes nor yet mislead like us with outward shews Let us not think to mask our impiety from his omniscient Majesty under religious pretences nor yet to muffle our hypocrisie under the garment of zealous devotion No no Bonav Ostensio enim reverentiae in ore fallax est nisi adsit pariter exhibitio obedientiae in opere as Bonaventure well observes in vain do they honour God with Isa 29. 13 14. their lips whose hearts are farre from him so the Prophet Isaiah Who shall ascend into the Mountain of the Lord Psal 24. 3 4. and who shall stand in his holy place 't was the question of worthy David and his answer immediately follows even he that hath innocent hands and a pure heart that hath not lift up his mind unto vanity nor sworn to deceive his neighbour Chrys Answer me now O dissembling hypocrite saith Saint Chrysostome if it be good to appear good why wilt thou not be that which thou wouldest fam appear to be And if it be ill to appear ill why wilt thou be that which thou wouldst not appear to be but if it be good to appear good 't is than farre better to be good and if it be ill to appear ill 't is farre worse to be ill be therefore that which thou appearest or else appear what thou art so farre Saint Chrysostome Check now thy self thou vermonger that with a madding thought thus chasest fleeting shadows for frivolous it is for thee externally to profess thy self the servant of Christ and yet to wear the devils Livery In vain it is for thee to acknowledge God to be thy only Lord in publick prayer and yet to obey in all things the world the flesh and the devil in thy private practise Yea impious it is to be thus the divils 1 Cor. 4. 20. Rom. 2 13. builders in substance and Gods only in shew Non enim in verbis situm est regnum Dei for the Kingdome of God is not in word saith the Apostle Non Auditores sed factores legis justificabuntur not the hearers but the doers of the Law shall be justified so the same Apostle Quid Iam. 1. 22. vocatis me domine domine c. Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things that I speak saith our Saviour Be ye therefore doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving Math. 7. 21. your own selves so Saint James For not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven so likewise our Saviour Christ Labour not therefore any longer dear Brethren I beseech you to cover your nakedness with the fig-leaves of vain-glorious hypocrisie but now at length indeavour to compass your loyns with the girdle of sincerity that so ye may be found of God not fictitious but faithful builders not supine but industrious doers which is the second thing by which a
and them will I endue by my spirit with the like faith in me That confession which thou hast made shall be the foundation of all beleivers so Theophylact. Supra Petram aedificat qui supra Christum aedificat so Stella He that buildeth and layeth his foundation on Christ buildeth and layeth it on a Rock Four reasons I find why Christ may and that not unfitly be resembled to a Rock First Because a Rock is a sound firm and stable stone Petca enim est rupes penitus immobilis on which whosoever buildeth buildeth most strongly buildeth most surely Christ in like manner is a stone yea a corner stone utterly unmoveable He that buildeth on him buildeth most firmly buildeth most safely against whom Math 16 18 the Gates of Hell cannot prevail Secondly a rock is a stone as well of offence as defence it defendeth and keepeth from ruine that which is built upon it so likewise doth it offend and break to peices all obstacles that shall justle against it Christ in like manner is a stone of offence as well as defence as he defendeth and keepeth his Elect that are founded and built upon him from ruine and destruction So likewise doth he offend and break to peices like potters vessels all wicked and ungodly obstacles that shall jussel against him to them is he made a stone to stumble at and a Rock of offence as Saint Peter speaketh And that they that justle against Christ thus must needs be confounded hear what our 1 Pet. 2. 8 Saviour Christ himself saith Whosoever shall fall on this stone he shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will dash him to pieces Take heed therefore beloved of justling Christ either Math. 21. 44. by your contemptuous mocking of his service or disdainful deriding of his servants lest the like confusion seaze on you that sometime fell on Julian that justling Apostata which constrained him in horrour of heart to confess and to cry out Sozom. Vicisti Galilee vicisti Galilee Thirdly A third reason why Christ is resembled unto a Rock is because that hence did refreshing water sometimes gush out and that in abundance for the miraculous releife of the children of Israel in the dry and thirsty wilderness And Moses lift up his hand and with his Rod he smote the Rock twice and the water came out abundantly Numb 20. 11 Ps 78. 15 16 Wisdom 11. 4 He cleft the Rock in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of the great depth He brought floods also out of the stony Rock so that it gushed out like the Rivers so the Psalmist And again when they were thirsty they called upon thee and water was given them out of the high Rock and their thirst was quenched out of the hard stone This all this Saint Paul explaineth and applyeth to Christ And the Children of Israel did all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank saith he of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ This 1 Cor. 10. 4 Rock was struck for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities as the Prophet Isaiah saith From whence floweth unto all Gods children that live in the dry and thirsty wilderness of this wicked world most large refreshing Isa 53. 5. streams of living water Salientes in vitam aeternam springing up unto everlasting life as our Saviour Christ himself telleth us As therefore the children of Israel in their dry necessities quenched their souls with the sweet streams that Jo. 4. 14. issued out of that typical Rock in the wilderness So let us beloved in all our dry dolours and thirsty distresses run unto this Rock of Christ refresh our parched souls Psal 46. 1. with the living fountains of his holy Gospel and quench our thirsty hearts with the most comfortable waters of his evangellical promise Fourthly and Lastly Christ is resembled to a Rock because a Rock is a receptacle for innocent Doves to preserve them in safety from the piercing claws of devouring Birds so likewise is our Saviour Christ a receptacle for all faithful simple meek harmless Dove-like Christians to defend them from the raging malice of all the malignant Kites of the World that would devour them he he is the Rock of our salvation and present help in trouble A Rock beloved beyond the reach of all though never so malevolent adversaries in whose cliffs the Dove like-Christian abides most safely on which he builds most surely Statuitque fundamentum super petram And laid his foundation on a Rock Obs It is then you see the duty of every good Christian not to build on merits but to lay their foundation on a Rock not to trust confidently in their own deserts but to rely faithfully on Christs deservings The Father of the faithful built not on merrits But laid his foundation Gen. 15. 6 a Rock For Abraham believed in God and that was accounted to him for righteousness Behold he that lifteth up himself his minde is not upright in him but the Habac. 2. 4. just shall live by his faith To trust then in our selves or in any worldly thing besides is never to be at quiet The only rest is to rely upon God by faith for being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Rom 5. 1. Christ our Lord. The reason of the point or cause why Gods children ought not to rely on good works is evident For by faith 2 Cor. 1. 24 Gal. 2. 16 ye stand saith the Apostle And again We know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ so the same Apostle Be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and from all things which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses by him every one that beleiveth is justified so Saint Paul Act. 13. 38 39 Good reason therefore have we to distrust our selves and to disclaim our own righteousness seeing that in us there dwelleth no good thing seeing we are all gone out of the way and that there is none that doth good no not Rom. 7. 18 Psal 14. 3 Isa 64. 6. one In a word seeing that we have all been as an unclean thing and all our righteousness as filthy cloutes And great reason have we to lay the foundation of our faith on the Rock of Christs merrits who of God is made unto us wisdom sanctification righteousness and redemption as Saint Paul expressly telleth us 1 Cor. 1. 30 Applic. How grossely then do they erre that forsaking this Rock fasten their foundation chiefly on the fickle sand of good works and that as Maldon in loc Rom. 7. 24. Firmissimum salutis suae fundamentum as Maldonat the Jesuite on this place Whenas alass who knows not how miserable and how wretched we are in our selves carrying alwayes about us no
and prudent inspection and revising I commit it desiring that they may rather see more than they expect than look for more than they find in it And if then after their perusal they acquire any emolument either of delight to please their fancy or of wholsome instruction to regulate their conversation let them bless God thank the High Sheriffe of the County of Dorset and send up a Supplication to Heaven for me who do unfeignedly desire the truth of Grace in them and the increase of it also on all the Israel of God and am Your most humble Servant in the work of the Ministry JOHN STRAIGHT A SERMON Preached at the Assizes held at Dorchester in the County of Dorset March the 4 th 1669. Luke 6. 48. He is like a man that built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock and when the waters arose the floods beat upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded on a Rock SAint Paul travelling from Malta to Rome sailed Act. 28. 11. in a Ship of Alexandria whose badge by which Ships are usually discerned one from another was Castor and Pollux Gods Children are travelling hence to Heaven and sailing through the turbulent waves of this troublesome World to the tranquil Haven of eternal happiness though not in a Ship of Alexandria yet in the bark of their bodies their badg to discry them from hypocritical time-servers and cognizance to discover them from such as call Christ Lord Lord but do not the things that he speaks is not Castor and Polux but he that heareth my word and doth the same he is like a man that built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a Rock and when the waters arose the floods beat upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded on a Rock The words you see are the cognizance of a sincere Christian the very badge of a true beleiver Metaphorically deciphered out unto your view by these six subsequent things First by his care and providence in building him a house Secondly by his pains and industry in digging deep Thirdly by his wisdome and discretion in laying his foundation on a Rock Fourthly by the ensuing perils and dangers in the rising of the waters and beating of the flood Fifthly by the invalidity and weakness of those perils and dangers in that they could not shake it Sixththly and lastly by the cause and reason of its firm validity for it was founded on a Rock He is like a man which c. A sound and sincere Christian is first described by his care and providence in building him a house He is like a man which built an house I find in Scripture four kindes of Builders First God himself Secondly Gods Ministers Thirdly one building up another And Fourthly every particular Christian building up himself The first kind of Builder is God himself So the Psalmist except the Lord build the house their labour is but lost Psal 127. 1. that built it Now God he builds four sorts of houses As First a house of his providence to wit the great and glorious fabrick of this Universe The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work Secondly a house of his Psal 19. 1. 1 Cor. 6. 19. spirit Know ye not that your bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you so the Apostle Thirdly a house of correction for those that are incorrigible Tophet is ordained Isa 30. 33. of old saith the Prophet Isaiah Fourthly and lastly a white-Hall a Star-Chamber a house of glory not made with hands but eternal in the Heavens so Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5. 1. Let the house of Gods providence banish distrust and teach us thankfulness Let the house of his Spirit bridle our carnal concupiscence and induce us to consecrate our bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God Rom. 12. 1. Let his house of correction make us tremble at sin and move us to newness of life And lastly let his house of glory instruct us to wean and withdraw our affections from the transitory things of this present World and Phil. 1. 23. perswade us to a longing with Saint Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all And this of the first knd of Builders 2. Gods Ministers are a second kind of Builders For behold this day have I set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdoms to pluck up and to root out to destroy and to throw down to build and to plant its God own commission Jer. 1. 10. to the Prophet Jeremiah Now these they build three manner of wayes Verbo Vita Precibus By Preaching by Practising and by Praying First By preaching Peter lovest thou me feed my Joh. 21. 17. Phil 3. 17. Lambs Secondly by practising Brethren be followers of me and look on them which walk so as you have us for an example Thirdly by praying For this cause we cease not to pray Cor. 1. 9. for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his wiâ—l in all wisdome and spiritual understanding so St Paul 3. A Third kind of Builder is one building up another Wherefore exhort one another and edifie one another even as ye do so the Apostle Jonathan must build up David 1 Thes 5. 11. and David Jonathan Brethren if a man be suddenly taken in any offence ye which are spiritual restore such a one with Gal. 6. 1. the spirit of meekness the word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 build him up by putting him in joynt again 4. The Fourth and last kinde of Builder is every particular Christian building up himself So Saint Jude in his Jude vers 20. General Epistle But Beloved edifie your selves in your most holy faith And this is he that heareth the word of God and doth it This is he whose foundation is faith and whose house is good works Bonav Similis est hic aedificanti domum peâ— profectum virtutum so Bonaventure this is he which is like a man that built an house Obs Gods Children they are not careless hearers but careful builders Their Religion rests not in the ear rowles not in the eye floates not on the tongue nor in a word doth it only consist in the bare shew of outward holiness No no its foundation remains in the heart and its rootes in the inner man They hear the word and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience so our Saviour tells us they seek not so much to seem as indeed to be religious they are therefore builders not of slight Luk. 8. 15. or superficial boothes but of solid and substanstial buildings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is like a man that built an house Dyonis Carthus Qui verbis Christi obedit spiritualem demum secretumque mentis thalamum el virtutum
less than a body of death from which with the Apostle we may well cry out who shall deliver us If therefore I would justifie my self saith Job mine own mouth shall condemn me if I would be perfect he shall judge Job 9. 20. me wicked And again If God found no steadfastness in his servants but layed folly upon his Angels how much more in them that dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust Well therefore may we pray even the best of Job 4. 18 19 us all with holy David Ne intres in judicium domine Enter not into judgment O Lord with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified For indeed beloved Psal 143. 2. the most perfect keeping of the Law and the exactest observation of Gods commandments that can in this life by any be performed deserveth in it self no reward nor can it of it self profit us to justification for when we have done all those things which are commanded our Saviour Christ himself hath yet wished us to confess that we are still but unprofitable servants And if unprofitable Luke 17. 10 then when we have done all that is commanded us seeing we have done no more than was our duty to do how much more unprofitable how much more undeserving are our weak endeavours which come so short of fulfilling the least commandment Hence Saint Bernard Ber. Ser. 52 Hoc totum hominis meritum si totam spem suam ponat in eo qui totum salvum fecit sufficit ad meritum scire quod non sufficiant merrita This is the whole merit of man if he put his whole confidence in him that saved him it is merit enough to know that merits are not available For grace ye are saved through faith saith the Apostle and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not Eph. 2. 8. of works least any man should boast himself Hence Saint Augustin Saint Aug. Quisquis tibi enumerat vera merrita sua quid tibi enumerat nisi muneratua Whosoever numbreth or reckoneth up his merits unto thee what doth he number or recount to thee but thy gifts unto him Let Papistical merit mongers therefore if they will brag still of the condignity and boast yet of the congruity of their good works we with the Apostle will through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousness through faith Let them I say go if they please unto the Allmighty clad in the polluted garments of their own righteousness with a Da mihi quod merui We like true Israelites will expect our heavenly fathers blessing in the perfumed garments of our elder brother In a word let them if they will like superficial Carpenters content themselves with specious structures on sandy foundations we like substantial Builders will comfort our selves with sollid erections on sure foundations Hofm Profecto stulti sunt qui tantum aedificant splendide non utiliter Et stulti sunt qui sibi satisfactum putant si solum numerentur inter Electos etiamsi non numerentur cum electis so Hofmister Truely saith he they are fooles who build only for shew and not for profit and they are fooles that think it enough for themselves to be accounted here of the Elect although hereafter for want of a good foundation they be not numbred with the Elect. It is the root beloved that susteines the tree and the foundation that supports the building Stella Structura quamvis exterius magnifica sit altitudine excellens firma tamen non erit nisi solido firmoque nitatur fundamento so Stella The building saith he be it never so sumptuous never so stately never so lofty yet will it not be stable unless it be grounded on some sollid and firm foundation Our spiritual building in like manner be it never so specious be it never so glorious to the eye of the world yet will it not be 1 Tim. 6. 12 19 permanent except it be grounded on a firm foundation unless its foundation be laid upon a Rock Statuitque fundamentum supra petram And laid his foundation on a Rock Dig not O dig not then to your selves any longer broken cisterns that will hold no water build no longer on sandy foundations that will withstand no weather but fight the good fight and lay the good foundation that when the waters do arise and the floods do beat upon your buildings they may not shake them which is the fourth thing by which a sincere Christian is in my Text described Namely by the perils and dangers immediately ensuing his discretion in laying his foundation on a Rock and comes now next in order to be spoken of And when the waters arose the flood beat upon that House A true Christian can no sooner be built upon the Rock but he must instantly look for storms of affliction a true convert can no sooner be ingrafted into Christ but he must suddenly expect to undergo the Cross Gods Elect children can no sooner lay their foundation on this Rock of Christ but presently the bitter waters of distasteful afflictions will arise yea and the sorrowful floods of horrid tentations will beat upon their buildings Is Saint Paul 2 Cor. 12. 7. Psal 102. 3 4 5 6. John 6. 4. 7 built upon this Rock He shall have a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet him Is David a man after Gods own heart He shall be much perplexed with many miseries Is Job an upright man in the Land of Vz He shall suffer many afflictions In a word as Paul when he came to Macedonia so we even every one of us so soon as we look towards Jerusalem which is above so soon as we make a conscience of sin we shall be troubled on every side fightings without and terrours within fightings without with open and professed enemies to 2 Cor. 7. 5 the truth and fears within from false brethren fighting without by the continual assaults of outward tentations and fears within by spiritual derilictions and conflicts with despair Nunquam bella bonis nunquam dissidia cessant Et quoeum certet mens pia semper habet Prosper With wars intestine are the godly alwayes prest And pious minds with something do contest To such conflicts and assaults the dearest of Gods children are subject in this their pilgrimage here and if you would have a reason for it it is evidently this viz. because they are now become the devils open enemies they must therefore look to be assaulted both by stratagems and violence The devil like a cunning fowler spreads his nets for them only that are out of his clutches not for them that are in his own custody No Prince maketh warre with his Loyal Subjects The wicked are as sure as temptation can make them to them therefore he speaks as freindly as Holofernes sometime did to Judeth Fear not in thine heart for I never hurt any