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A26158
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Ten sermons preach'd before Her Royal Highness, the Princess Ann of Denmark at the chappel at St. James by Lewis Atterbury ... LL.D. and one of the six preachers to Her Royal Highness.
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Atterbury, Lewis, 1656-1731.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing A4157; ESTC R35290
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112,085
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264
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our Ways as to turn our feet unto God's Testimonies Which God of his Mercy grant for the sake of our blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ our Lord. SERMON III. 2 TIM III. 5. Having a form of Godliness but denying the Power from such turn away THIS know saith St. Paul Ver. 1. That in the last days periolous times shall come because of the wickedness of Men as he goes on in the second Verse for Men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous proud boasters blasphemers and all which he comprehends under one Character in the words of the Text Having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power And this is the chief Reason why the times would be so perilous because the greatest part of these wicked Persons should conceal their Crimes under a Form and shew of Godliness Were they professedly and openly wicked there were some Ingenuity even in their Impudence because they could not be tax'd or upbraided with Hypocrisie Were they covetous proud blasphemers without a shew of Zeal and pretence of Religion then all Men might plainly discern and detect them Psal 55.12 and from an open Enemy I would have hid my self says David Shelves and Quicksands that have Lights always burning to discover them by are the more easily avoided and we are forewarn'd against the Dog that barks first But these Deceivers of whom St. Paul speaks have a fair and glorious outside tho' they are foul within These workers of Iniquity cry Lord Lord and are great Professors of Religion They put on the Form of Godliness tho' they deny the Power thereof and therefore they have the greater Sin From hence it is that they are the more dangerous Company and we have the greater Reason to observe the Caution laid down in the Text from such turn away Having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power from such turn away From these words I shall shew I. What is here meant by Godliness what by a Form and what by the Power of it II. That we may have a Form without the Power of Godliness III. How we may discover whether we have the Power of Godliness or else only the Form of it IV. And Lastly how far we must turn away from such as have only the Form but not the Power of Godliness 1. What is here meant by Godliness what by a Form and what by the Power of it Godliness in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a devout and sincere Worship of the only true God in Spirit and in Truth both inwardly and outwardly according to his Word Or to describe it more fully and expresly 1 Tim. 1.5 'T is an earnest Love of God out of a pure Heart and a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned whereby we are incited to glorifie God and to do good towards Men So that in this one word is imply'd our whole Duty towards God and Man This is express'd by St. 1 Tim. 2.2 Paul by leading a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 4.8 This is that Godliness which is profitable unto all things and has the Promises of the Life that now is and that which is to come By a Form of Godliness is meant an outward Resemblance a colourable shew or likely appearance of Godliness when a Man puts on the Face and outside of Religion Acts and Mimicks it so well as to deceive and impose upon those who converse with him who judging according to the outward appearance believe him to be an honest holy and religious Man tho' in truth he is nothing less He may not only deceive others but delude himself also and be confidently perswaded that he is the Child of God and one of the chief Favourites of Heaven when indeed he is a Servant of the Devil and a Firebrand of Hell And in truth the Form must be like the Pattern or else it is no Form at all for we do not say a Picture or Statue is such a Man's Picture or Statue unless it bears a lively Resemblance of his Looks and Person Thus a Form of Godliness must be such a shew and outside of Religion as is of the same hew and complection with true Religion and a lively Portraicture of it tho' in many Respects it falls short of the Power of Godliness which implies that Force and Efficacy that internal Principle and Spring of Action which is well express'd by the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby a Man is made as St. 1 Tiâ—â— 41 8.12 Paul says An example of Believers in word in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith in Purity and has the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation teaching him to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world If a Man has Charity in Conversation Faith and Purity in Spirit so as to deny all worldly Lusts and to live soberly in himself and righteously towards others and godly towards his Maker and Redeemer Then is his Soul and Body entirely subject to the Cross of Christ then his Form of Godliness proceeds from the Power of it And this is that Power of Godliness which works mightily unto Salvation And this Power of God is most evidently seen in reducing the most Stiff-neck'd and Hard-hearted Sinners in prevailing with them to leave their beloved Sins and bosom Vices and in beating down and subduing the most stubborn and unruly Passions such as Pride Envy Malice and Revenge those Sins our corrupt Nature is most subject to and in making so great a Change in us that we do not seem to be the same Men. The Lyon becomes a Lamb and the Serpent a Dove a natural Man a Man wholly Spiritual and a Servant of the Devil a Child of God He aims at new ends Acts by new Principles and is ready to expose his Life by giving his Testimony to those Truths which before were foolishness unto him And therefore the Gospel is call'd Rom. 1.16 the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believes This is that Power of Godliness which those Hypocrites mentioned by St. Paul in the Text are without here 't is they are defective which brings me to shew 2. That the Form of Godliness may be without the Power of it And this is confirm'd by many other Texts of Scripture We are forewarn'd that we do not look to the outward appearance 2 Cor. 11.14 for the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light and then 't is no wonder that his Servants can put on the guise and appearance of the Children of God There are numerous instances set down in the Holy Scripture sufficient to convince us of this Truth We are told that a Man may pretend to be sent from Heaven and yet Preach another Gospel than that which our Saviour reveal'd to the World and hereby deserve an Anathema Nay he may Preach the true Gospel with such force of Reason and wonderful Efficacy
will be faithfully serv'd and Servants well used all degrees of Men will serve God and their Countrey in their several Places and Stations and hereby promote the Weal and flourishing Condition of those Kingdoms in which they live Neighbour Nations will forget their mutual Quarrels and Animosities Isa 2.4 beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks and willingly concur to proclaim an Universal Jubile of Peace thro' the Universe II. 'T is the Interest of every private and particular Person to lead a Godly and religious Life Which will plainly appear from these following Considerations First That there is very little true Pleasure to be found in a debauch'd and wicked Course of Life Secondly That the way to lead a comfortable Life even in this world is to be vertuous and religious Thirdly That the worst Circumstances a good Man can fall into are to be preferr'd before the most prosperous Condition of the Wicked And if so then certainly 't is the true Interest of every one to lead a Holy and religious Life First 'T is evident that there is very little true Pleasure to be found in a debauch'd and wicked Course of Life because 1. A wicked Course of Life is contrary to the Dictates of a Man 's own Reason For since Man is a reasonable Being God has enjoyn'd him a reasonable Service and therefore he who disobeys the Laws of God must do violence to himself and Act contrary to the Dictates of his own mind God has indulg'd Mankind in all the reasonable Gratifications of his sensual Appetites he has furnished this World like a plentiful Store-house with all things necessary for his Subsistence and Delight and permitted and allowed him to taste of every Sweet every thing which his Soul desires provided he keeps within the Bounds of Reason and Justice Temperance and Sobriety that his Affections are not too much set upon them or his precious time too long taken up in the pursuit of them God is not so hard a Master as to create Mankind with strong Propensions and Appetites and then to tye him up from the Gratification of them to shew him Pleasures and agreeable Objects and to deny him the Satisfaction of enjoying them No the great Father and Benefactor of Mankind sincerely desires and has provided for our Happiness in this World as well as the next and restrains us only from the abuse of his Creatures and an inordinate and excessive Love and Affection towards them He delights to see Men live sutably to their Natures and please themselves with the rational Enjoyments of a harmless and innocent Life And 't is our own Sin and Folly which makes us miserable fastens us to the Oar Gen. 3.19 and obliges us to that hard Condition of getting our bread with the Sweat of our brows In the State of Innocency Man's Reason gave bounds to his Desires his Will was sufficient to govern his Actions and to conduct him to Happiness But when he fell from his Integrity the Faculties of his Soul were weaken'd and disorder'd his Passions grew so head-strong that he was not able to restrain them within their due Bounds without the assistance of a supernatural Power And from this rage and disorder of our Passions all our irregular Desires after unlawful Pleasure do proceed which must needs disturb the Happiness of that Soul wherein they reside For every sinful Lust we entertain in our Souls is a deflection from the Laws of right Reason every sin that we commit is a base a foolish and unmanly Act 't is below the Dignity of our Nature and by consequence contrary to our true Interest 2. The Pleasures of a wicked Life are precarious and uncertain either we may be snatch'd away from them or those Delights may leave and forsake us 'T was the observation of the Philosopher long ago that nothing can make us Happy which is not in our own Power For 't is the next step to Misery to consider that for ought we know the very next moment this may be our Condition Every Age and every Kingdom will furnish us with Instances more than enough of the inconstancy of worldly Pleasure The revenge of Saul was frustrated when he had got David into his Net and Herod's Divinity vanish'd in the midst of his Adorers and the Worms became the Executioners of God's just Indignation against him The rich Man in the Gospel had no sooner sung a Requiem to his Soul but he had this Sentence pronounced against him Luk 12.20 Thou fool this night thy Soul shall be required of thee Nay frequently a vain and causeless Fear strips us of all these Enjoyments and they are so truly the Creatures of Phancy that upon the least alteration of our fickle and unstable Minds they vanish and disappear 3. The Pleasures of a sinful Life are but short at the best Though nothing should interrupt them yet they fade of themselves and pass away like a Tale that is told They yield us some little Amusement for the present and divert our Thoughts from more serious and profitable Employments but are of no longer Duration than the present moment We our selves cannot continue long in the World and if we could yet we should either lose the relish of Pleasure or what is worse it would grow nauseous and burthensome to us Lastly Sinful Pleasures are attended with perpetual Fears and misgivings of Conscience And here let me appeal to every ones Experience whether Shame and Confusion do not seize upon him and Horror strike through his Soul whilst he is in the Commission of any wicked Action Doth he not like his first Father Adam run away from the Presence of his God as asham'd of his own Nakedness or sew Fig-leaves together make some poor Excuses to cover it Thus it is at first till Conscience is either lull'd asleep or sear'd and Custom in sinning has in some measure taken off the dread of that Punishment which is due to it and because Vengeance seems to slumber the hardned Sinner is the less apprehensive of it And yet for all this his Conscience sometimes awakes lays before him the things he had done Arraigns and Condemns him for them When he lies on a Sick-bed or some grievous Affliction or Calamity befalls him this recalls his wandring Thoughts brings to his Mind the Actions of his past Life and shews them to him in a true Light and in their proper Colours This calms the Rage and hurry of his Passions dispels the Fumes of Sensuality and gives him a true Prospect of his Condition And then he begins naturally thus to Reason with himself What if there should at last be a God whom I have made it my business all my Life long to affront What if there should be a day of Account and a State of everlasting Bliss or Misery What a miserable Condition am I in lost and undone to all Eternity I have indeed liv'd a Life of Pleasure and