A SERMON Preached at St. PAULS Church in London April 17. 1659. And now Published at the desire of the Lord MAYOR and the COURT of ALDERMEN By NATH. INGELO D.D. and Fellow of Eton Coll. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Iustin. Martyr Printed for L. Fawn at the Sign of the Parrot in S. Pauls Church-yard 1659. Dr. Ingelo's Sermon TO THE Right Honourable The Lord MAYOR And the Court of ALDERMEN of the City of London Right Honourable Right Worshipfull IT was an excellent saying of a Martyr {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} That is Of all things by which we most industriously design the advancement of Gods service there is none so acceptable unto him as those endeavours by which we strive to make men better He needeth not any of our services but he accepts what we do in conformity to his God-like actions And as they do naturally terminate themselves in the happinesse of his Creatures in which the Divine goodnesse pleaseth it selfe So He takes our hearty diligence in good part when we shew our selves true Co-workers with Him This is the greatest Honour of which a Creature is capable and the highest instance of subserviency to our Maker Our Saviour hath said this in other words My Father worketh till now and I work My Father though He rested upon the Sabbath day from the works of Creation having made the world such as He had designed it to be yet He continues the work of the gracious preservation of his Creatures And I having nothing of my own to do work with Him In his great love to me He hath shown me what He doth made me partaker of his Counsels and is always with me in rare instances of His Presence because I ever do what pleaseth him Our Lord knew with what great desire of restoring the state of the fallen Creation He was sent into the World And being fully fatisfied in the worthinesse of the divine appointment rejoycing that it was so acceptable to the Father that He should become a Saviour He omitted no fit meanes to bring that purpose to effect For which He received publickly great approbations from above declared not onely in words but other most significant Testimonies It was my design to throw a mite into this Treasury by the preaching of this Sermon which exhorts us unto the pursuit of Goodnesse that by it we may attain a noble conformity to God and do honour to Him by the lively expressions of it in our actions As men can be made good only by resemblance of that Archetype Image so I know nothing by which one may so plainly manifest the excellency of Goodnesse as by making it appeare to be the Glory of God and that none do truly worship him but such as are like Him in disposition and practise All the world hath acknowledged the Imperfection of Humane Nature And those which have had the happines to understand better than others have perceived that its defects are onely to be made up by a participation of a Divine Nature Neither have they more clearly discerned that the perfections of God are the infallible patterns of all worthy imitation then they have confidently pronounced that the chief thing in Divinity is Goodnesse In the early dayes of the Heathen world this notion was so deeply implanted in their minds that when Pythagoras had raised the Italians out of the miseries of vice by his excellent precepts and formed them into the happinesse of a well-governed life whilest their neighbours wondred at their felicity which they themselves perceived to be true by their inward sense and general experience what said they {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. Thenceforth they reckoned him among their Gods they took him for a good Doemon and lover of mankind And whilst every body gave their opinion some said he was one of the heavenly Gods come down in the shape of men to teach the world and to reform humane Naure being {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} an happy spurre to prick on sluggish men to vertue and happiness than which a greater good could not come to men So the Lycaonians as we read in the Acts of the Apostles seeing one of Lystra which was a creeple from his Mothers womb enjoy the use of his feet by the charity of Saint Paul cryed out The Gods are come down to us in the likenesse of men As they esteemed God to be the Authour of all Good they were right but thinking every good thing to be God by a grosse mistake they brought in Idolatry being not able to distinguish between the giver and receiver or between Him that was the Original spring and such as by the Fountains leave derived the streames to others taking every good thing for the best of all Whether there had a tradition continued to them from the beginning That God in the similitude of mortal man should bestow great blessings upon the world I know not If they had it was made good in Christ or God manifest in the flesh But they plainly declared How much they believed Goodness convertible with God as also in that rather than they would attribute any evill to Him as indeed they ought not being ignorant to answer the Question {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} they would needes set up another Principle for the Authour of â—vill not discerning it seems that the Creature upon which goodnesse is derived but not immutably fixed might degenerate into evill by its own will and so bring in mischief without setting up an Anti-God As these things do sufficiently declare that inseparable connexion that is between the Nature of God and supreme Goodnesse So concerning his worship it hath been pronounced on all hands that there is no instance so considerable and proper as the imitation of his goodnesse They said of old {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Then we worship God best when we imitate him most This is a most reasonable service For how highly must they needs honour the Divine Nature that count themselves and all things else utterly contemptible so far as they are unlike unto it And have no Standard by which they estimate worth besides the resemblance of that Holy Image and knowing that to be such do carefully endeavour to make themselves and others partakers of it By these things we see what need we have to acquaint our selves well with the Divine Nature and to take care that we understand God aright not only because true apprehensions of Him are necessary to bottome a good confidence and are the roots upon which Love and Adoration grow but also because if we form wrong imaginations concerning God we shall quote him for a defence of our own unworthinesse and make the blasphemy of our errour very hardly curable It was an unanswerable Argument by which the ancient
that is in the degrees of goodnesse and perfection among the Creatures The variety is a great piece of the beauty of this lovely frame There is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon another of the Starres A suit of Arras Hangings cannot be made without severall colours and those laid differently upon worsted silk silver and Gold formed into divers Images Musick would be a pitifull thing if there were but one note or tone without higher and lower sounds we should want the delectablenesse of Harmony which is more grateful as the notes of which it consists are not the same but tunably different Those things which seem but little in comparison of others have much as to their own capacity and are often more admirable then greater for in instances where it was not expected as he said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i.e. They show an Almighty skill in little In the highest things God ascends far above the reach of our eyes and in the lowest he stoops to the remotest proportions of possibility and his Glory shines through them all whilst he fills each measure of reception with due participations of goodnesse which is his own Image and his goodnesse is over all his works By this we see That God made the world for his glory out of meer grace willing to bestow happinesse upon others He was not oppressed with the fullnesse of his blessednesse but like a voluntary spring poures forth the waters of life upon the world I will rejoyce over them to do them good He is pleased wiâ—h being a Benefactor and is delighted when he makes others happy Hence God was most justly worshiped by the Church throughout all generations as the Benigne Father of the Creation Father being a known name of Love which he expressed in his uninterrupted care of all things in the respective ages of the world but especially in the fulnesse of time when to make up the sad ruines of the lapsed Creation he put the breaches of it under the hand of his beloved Sonne who came upon the stage as the expresse image of his person and the brightnesse of his glory which hath been mentioned for in him it shined most clearly He brought salvation in his Name Good will in his Nature His Errand which we call the Gospel what was it but the Love of the Father proclaimed by his beloved Son As we have it epitomized by the Evangelist Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life This word our Saviour verified with works of transcendent charity for he went up and down doing good expressing a great pity to the bodies but much more to the souls of men and after the service of his whole life which was an Exemplary performance of charity he made his death also a great proof of his love which being stronger then sin and death he offered himself upon the Crosse by a powerful spirit of benignity and became the Redeemer of miserable sinners so that the Angels Hymne was extremely pertinent when they sung Glory to God on High for the good will which was expressed below by the appearance of Christ Jesus whom not only Angels but wise and good men saw and acknowledged his glory to be as the glory of the only begotten Son of God full of Grace and Truth The fulness of true goodnesse was the glorious Image of the Father shining in the face of the Son When he went away just upon his return he said Father I have glorified thee and verse 26â— he tells us how I have declared thy Name what name but that which was proclaimed long before as the glory of God withall he leaves this title Love as his own remembrance by which he would be acknowledged in the world and the badge of his Disciples Hereby shall all men know you to be mine if you love one another One that well knew the truth of this Glory as a genuine follower of Christ his Lord adorns himself with it Having expressed all love and good will in endeavouring the salvation of the Gentiles he pleaseth himself in the good of others which he had furthered after this manner What is our Hope or Crown of rejoycing are not even you in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his coming for you are our Glory and Ioy Divine Paul but never more then now Divine for the glory of God shined out of his mouth as Porphyrie said that Plotinus his soul did when he spake So much being premised concerning the right notion of Gods glory it remains to be spoken next how we may glorify God or do all things to his glory Divines use a distinction of glorification which is not improper to be mentioned in this place One is Perfectio objecti glorificati the perfection of the object glorified and to glorify in this sense is to produce some perfection in the object glorified and thus God doth glorifie his creatures The other is Perfectio subjecti glorificantis a perfection in the person who is said to give glory by which he is able to take a due notice of the excellencies which are in the glorified object but addes nothing to it and thus we are said to glorify God By which we see that the word glorify is of a quite different signification when it is applyed to God and to us For it is a true rule Talia sunt praedicata qualia permittuntur à subjectis What is said of God and us in the same words puts on a vast difference of sense when it is referred to his acts and ours What belongs to God I have discoursed already that small matter that we reach to I shall explain in a few particulars 1. We do honour to God if we preserve alwayes in our minds a right notion of his glory and thrust farre from us all low poor thoughts of God We cannot do a greater disparagement to the highest worth then to think meanly of it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as the Father said God may be represented to his disparagement by the unwise Therefore whensoever we think or speak of God we should be sure to use no {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} no poor groveling expressions or creeping imaginations which fall utterly below the worthinesse of so glorious a person Since he can receive no glory by addition of any thing to what he is let us not foolishly endeavour to take away from him by obscuring that which he hath revealed himself to glory in by attributing to him any Temper Disposition or Design that is unworthy of him Let us raise our thoughts of God as high as we can for by that which hath been said already it appeares how far all unworthinesse is removed from God He neither made the world at first or preserves it now for any self-interest what Iulian said of AEsculapius in his fortieth
when the Altar is inscribed To an unknown Godâ— Religious expressions which are not founded in true knowledge are alwayes ridiculous and sometimes sadly blasphemous Those which have not a right understanding of God pray madly to him and speak foolishly of him Religious affections that are not bottomed upon a good understanding are framed childishly and continue accordingly Those which would be truly religious should take a serious Notice of those Attributes by which God hath discovered his nature We must not make excuses for our Ignorance by pretending that God is incomprehensible the greater he is the sooner we may find and apprehend him as you may sooner find the Sea then a River or that we cannot behold the naked Essence or Being of God no more can we of any thing else What is there in the world which we know but by its properties and effects And by them God is sufficiently knowable to us The {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the nanatural knowledge of God is implanted in mens soules as an inbred light in the eye to inable them to see him and he hath made the Creation a fair glasse to reflect his proper attributes for the invisible things of him which we talk of his eternal power and Godhead his goodnesse and wisdom powerfully declared which express the Divity of God are clearly seen by the world which he hath made and in his actions whereby he doth continually show himself he is so discernably revealed that those which do not see and serve him are without all apology of their ignorance and disobedience The works of God especially of benignity and goodnesse are called his witnesses Acts 14. 17. Neverthelesse he left himself not without witnesse in that he did good c. And the son of God who came out of the Fathers bosome out of an intimate acquaintance with God he hath revealed him Having all these assistances let us improve our knowledge of God lest we mistake extremely in our devotions and present an impertinent service If the unworthy Iewes had but well considered the nature of God they would have offered a reasonable and living service and not have been contented with brutish dead worship They would have known that it was an affront rather then an oblation so to mistake God as to think that he could be pleased with flesh and smoake and to undervalue him to others by their misbecoming services giving by-standers occasion to think that the true God smiled upon such impertinencies and gladly received such absurd votaries He which nourisheth ignonorance and unbelief in his mind will be ungodly in his heart life I must confesse I think this so far true that I am of his mind who said that the root of all wickednesse is Atheisme He which dishonours his Maker and despiseth the Law of his Benefactor in a wicked life would not do so if he believed that God made him and that all the blessings of his life were his meer bounty and that God was infinitely more lovely then any of his creatures and that the time will come when God will judge the wicked for their Idolatrous life for they sin by loving the creature more then the Creator and that he will abandon them to torments for their wilful disobedience But wicked men either perswade themselves that there is no God or that he is not such as he hath declared himself to be in the Scriptures The exclamation of the Poet was rational Heu primae scelerum causae mortalibus aegris Naturam nescire Deum i. e. Men would not sin as they they do but that they are ignorant of the Nature of God We do honour to God if after we have got a right knowledge of his Nature we do conform our seves unto it when as the Apostle saith we beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory by the Spirit of the Lord When we become imitators of God as dear children putting on the same Image Temper and Spirit following God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as far as it is possible for a man to follow God The reason of this is plain for by our careful conforming our selves to God we do manifestly acknowledge him to be the absolute pattern of all Excellency and the Primitive copy of all beauty and perfection Then we honour God in an effectual instance when we do in disposition and life show and hold forth the virtues or powerfull goodnesses of God who hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light When the light of wisdom goodnesse and righteousnesse shines before men in the lives of the children of God then will they much taken with that goodly Image glorify their heavenly Father who is the Archetype Exemplar of all goodnesse Clemens Alexand. hath said this in proper words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. It is the only way at once to imitate and worship the best of all Beings for we cannot imitate God but by such things as will make our worship holy nor worship him but by imitation Marcus in Iulian being asked what was the most worthy end of our life having answered to imitate God it was said to be an answers not only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. not only that he had answered nobly but that he had said all This imitation must be performed with all plainnesse and simplicity and with an universal regard to all Gods imitable perfections lest that be said to us which was replied to an unworthy Emperour when he made the imitation of Apollo his plea {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. But for all this I will take off his Crown for he hath not conformed himself to me in all things and in those things wherein he pretends to resemble me he hath not done it as he should That is a just imitation when we follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes God is not so pleased with Temples made with hands and he hath forbidden to attempt the making of foolish Images but he is well pleased with every good man and woman that make themselves the habitation of the Holy Spirit that offer their soules to God being made acceptable sacrifices through the participation of the divine Image and Nature When such a worshiper appeares before God he may bring what other sacrifice he will he shall be accepted vel farre litabit There is no Temple in which God will converse with a wicked man his oblations are the sacrifice of fooles His gifts may maintain the flames upon a visible Altar and his offerings present something that Church-robbers will be glad to steal but his soul is so unlike to God whom he pretends to worship that he abhorres him and his offerings He counts his name rather blasphemed than honoured by the mouthes of the ungodly when they presume to make mention of it though with a great deale
men repent Those which have known God and do inwardly adore that goodnesse which shines in his nature and works will imitate the same works and endeavour to convince this ungodly world that only such works are worthy of God And though they cannot yet raise them up with themselves to the height of goodnesse yet they keep themselves up from falling into the lownesse of ungodly spirits and practises and therefore are farre from contriving the miseries of others taking away their liberties ensnaring their consciences depriving them of their estates blasting their names but rather teach the ignorant forgive offences and relieve the wants of the afflicted being ashamed that their neighbours should be destitute of any thing in which he may be helped by them Our Saviour hath said this plainly Joh. 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified if you bring forth much fruit What fruit but of the divine spirit Love Charity Goodnesse How doth this glorify the Father Thus by bringing forth much of this fruit you shew you are united with the root of goodnesse to which you do honour growing upon it like the branches of a Tree loaden with plenty of excellent fruit The forementioned fruits are the grapes of the generous vine whose blood rejoyceth the heart of God and man All other frutis of wickednesse unrighteousness uncharitableness are such as all men ought to be ashamed of and grow only upon the degenerate plants of Sodom and Gomorrah Having shown how we may do all things to Gods glory it remaines to demonstrate that we ought to do so which I will perform briefly in two particulars This is a necessary correspondence that we are to keep with the great order of all things We offer violence to the beautiful order of the world if we do not ordinate and referre all our actions to God If he be the fountain of all Being Truth and Power the Cause of Causes the Spring of life and happinesse we should make what hast we can to returne to him uniting our selves with the first cause in all which we do and so we shall as one sayes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} joyn the end to the beginning The order which God hath implanted in the Natures of all things created is by one likened to an Oath which God took of all his works when they went out of his hands that they should return to him again It is fit that all reasonable creatures should keep it for they know it is their duty and their disobedience is a kind of perjury It is but just that all things should be for him since they are all of him It is not only violence but folly to attempt the perverting of this order for one way or other God will be acknowledged at length Cleanthes understood himself well when he said to God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. I will follow thee willingly if I should not I must unwillingly Shall a drop divide it self from the Sea Shall the whole nay he that is more then the whole follow a poor contemptible part All things created by the Law of their creation should observe the first agent but much more intelligent creatures who know their Creator and themselves If we neglect this duty we contract a guilt of the most horrible ingratitude in the world and if we do it habitually we draw a foul stain upon the course of our life and do as much we can Apoâ—â—atize from the Founder and Parent of the Creation As other things according to their spheres do move gratefully towards God and so urge us with their examples to do obeysance to God so they do administer to us manifold occasions are in severall cases means and instruments and in divers respects are great obligations put upon us so that if we stop the return of Gods glory we are not only in regard of our selves the worst thing that can be named that is ingrateful but we would make God to have bestowed his benefits upon other things in vain and so prove bad to God by making other things uselesse in which he hath been good to us A mean man being preferred by one of quality came in time to such place as set him above his Benefactor and he making use of his power to throw him down who had raised him up the Gentleman to reprove him by showing him his unworthinesse sent him a picture in which the Sun was eclipsed by the Moon with this word upon it Totum adimit quo ingrata refulget i. e. It ingratefully puts out the light by which it shines The acknowledgement of God is interwoven with the Nature of man and is as Des Cartes sayes Notae Artificis operi impressa The Artificers mark set upon his work He which choakes the resentments of God in his soule and neglects this duty doth tear off the Founders Arms from the expressions of his charity and raze the Donors name out of his Gifts The whole fore-going discourse being of it self practical and all along particularly referred to our life it will be lesse needfull to make any application only I shall speak a word or two by way of Caution against some things by which God and Christian Religion which is the greatest manifestation of him have been and are much dishonoured We are to give no offence to Iew or Gentile to those that are within or without the Church There are four notorious offences given to both The first is when those that professe the faith of the Gospel contradict the principles of reason with absurd assertions Many things of Revelation are above reason but none are contrary to it The light of the Sunne is no contradiction to the light of the Moon We cannot deal with God or man but by reason which because the beasts want we judge them incapable of Religion How will you come near to a man that is not a Christian but by such things as you both agree in That is Reason by whose mediation you may get within him and prove the Scriptures to be the word of God He will find reason to believe that by the same principles by which he gives credit to all other things When you are so farre you have another principle to deale upon but you shut that dore if you talk absurdly Will you teach him greater things who are out your self in lesse It is a great advantage to your cause when he sees you can say truly with the Father {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i.e. that Christian Religion contains whatsoever others professe that 's true and that you do not joyn such ill-agreeing matters with this which he can demonstrate to be false I have often thought that among the many hinderances of Christian Religion which the more ingenuous part of the unbelieving world stumble at we may reckon the extravagant opinions that have crept into the books of Christians and will needs be looked upon as the Dictates of our most