promises for the difference lies in these respects following 1. That above it differs from that below in degrees of Excellency that here below is grounded on Faith which beholds the promises of God darkly but that above is grounded on a clear sight and a perfect vision 2. That hope below is attended with sighs and sadnesses that above without sorrow all sighing and sorrow being removed from their hearts whose tears are wiped away with the light of Gods Countenance 3. This below hath weaknesses and imperfections but that above is a confirmed hope thus our hope even to the day of Judgement shall not be abolished in Heaven in regard of Essence it remains but in regard of weaknesses it ceases For till Gods promises be accomplished there is yet hope in exercising that act that may bring us to the enjoyment of the highest manifestation of Divine Love 2. The more principall objects not in this life onely that is not onely for the things of this life but the things of a better life for though hope looking to God it refers to the things of this life for subsistance yet it chiefly respects the things of the other life the resurrection of the flesh c. other hopes may promise eternall but will but serve as figge leaves other hopes may bring to the fruition of what we hope for but cannot give satisfaction but such is the excellency of this hope as it will supply so much as faith can beleeve or hope desire so that as it would be desperateness to cast away this anchor so again madness to cast it off as needless the Saints which should be climbing Heaven it would be folly for them to ply this hope about this life when we may have it about a better to hope in this life onely is unchristian and lesse then Christianity will not give us the hope of an eternal life to follow Christ onely to get possession of outward comforts is but to starve our souls while we feed our bodies with the loaves of pretended Sanctity for he that will be Heir to Christs Kingdome must expect to be crown'd with thornes temporal felicity having no entailment upon his discipleship persecution being their portion and their sufferings part of their triumph So that each true Beleever must joyn in the Chorus with the song of Saint Paul pathetically exprest in the words of my Text If in this life onely we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable FINIS A SERMON ON St. THOMAS Day SERMON V. St. IOHN 18.37 To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witnesse unto the truth c. Introduction ENvie and Malice the inseparable companions of a vicious heart are alwayes in unwearied motion untill they have found out some convenient means whereby to bring about their abominable ends and rather then be disappointed of unhallowed thoughts or wicked words they will not cease to speak evil of the way of truth yea by them those are accounted enemies that speak the truth thus wicked Ahab salutes the Prophet Elijah Have I found thee O my enemy 1 Kings 21.20 So that it seemes he accounted that holy person no lesse then his souls adversary for telling the truth so persecuted they the Prophets of old and the malice of men and devils have been so persecuting in all ages that the Church hath not found where to rest for the Saints wandred up and down afflicted and tormented yea they wandred about saith the Apostle in sheeps-skins and goats-skins c. of whom the world was not worthy Heb. 11.38 And in this the Disciple was not before or above his Lord for no better entertainment had Christ himself and he is pleased to say To this was I born for this cause came I into the world c. Which words have a double aspect and Ianus-like appear with a double face the one looking upon Christ the other upon Christians the one concerns our Saviour the other respects our selves For 1. If you respect the day so they look at Christ not onely as this is the Lords Day but as it is the Advent-Sunday instituted for the Advent or coming of Christ in the Flesh 2. It looks upon Christ as coming in his Ordinances and administrations to his people 3. It looks upon his coming in gracious visitations as on this day by his power coming to deliver the Church Militant from sinne and misery to be a Church triumphant in glory and thus my Text hath reference to the several comings of Christ But that 's not all the words not onely concern Christ but they have reference unto Christians also and that in a threefold respect for they eye all the errours and mislookings of the times 1. They look upon the grosse opinions of those that say the Scepter of Christ and the power of earthly Kings stand in opposition one to another and thereupon cry down all rule and all authority saying like the heathen Let us break their bands in sunder c. Psal 2.3 It is true Christ had the Title of a King yet neither that nor himself made any impeachment of Caesars Lawes and though he denied not himself to be a King yet he refused to dethrone Caesar for he saith expresly my Kingdome is not of this world So then you see he is not in opposition to the Kings of the earth he came not to take away earthly Kingdomes but to give an Heavenly Kingdome and therefore he saith Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars c. We must obey the temporal Lord for his sake who is the Heavenly Lord for they who yeild not obedience to temporal Kings for Christs sake who hath commanded it have as yet made no glorious entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven for love to Christ and submission to Caesar may and do dwell together in the same heart 2. The words look upon mens works as they are Christians who in defence of lawful Superiours with their swords in their hands had rather die fighting then betray their liberty by a cowardly resignation of their lives and fortunes and also as Christians they have learnt of Christ their Head to pay Tribute where lawfully it is demanded for if any might have rebelled and refused the same none more lawful and able then our Saviour who could at his pleasure command more then twelve legions of Angels to assist him and could command all the treasures of the earth as King and Lord thereof yet refused the glory of the one to pay lawful tribute and the innumerable force of the other that with silence he might answer Caesars Deputy for he came to bear witness of the truth and he will rather lose his life then his obedience 3. That none that would be thought a Christian might think himself unconcerned the words look upon all men but especially upon those that in pretended religious yet persecuting times are ready to betray the truth rather
to our deserts and that with speed too for the time draws neer when God will come to judge the earth righteously and the nations with his truth Psal 96.13 He will try all things as the refiner by fire which will discover and make legible that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the blind and subtil characters of mens thoughts and actions which before could not be read or perceived and all this by the power of his righteous judgement and the unerring law of his revealed will those righteous statutes the breaking whereof will make the wicked call to the mountains to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb when he shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon all ungodly and impenitent sinners whose destruction is of themselves their sins being the measure of his punishments for he will reward every man according to his works whether they be good or whether they be evil for with him is no respect of persons for as suffers the pesant so shall the Princes of the earth if found in their impenitency if their steel melt before his fierceness what shall man do whose clay-cottage continually sticks in the mire of sinne Oh sit down then and hang your mournful harps upon the willows of contrition cast away from you all terrene hopes of comfort which at last like Egypts reeds will prove no further useful then with sorrow to pierce your troubled sides lean no longer upon the staffe of your own understanding lest your falling thence become irrecoverable but betake your selves with true and pure devotion to that golden mercy-seat whence none ever returned empty that sought aright for there is no armour able to resist or divert Gods severe judgements but pious prayers and fervent ejaculations and no doubt but if you thus do but he who lends an ear to the cry of speechless blood will not turne it away from the voice of your petitions especially if put up in the name of him whose employment it is to propitiate for the sins of the whole world you must needs confess your selves sinners and if living and dying such you may be sure the end thereof will be eternal misery Therefore it s every mans great concernment as he would escape the last to provide against the former and the sooner the better because we know not how soon our accounts will be demanded and God come with ah thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee c. Therefore to day while its called to day let 's hear his voice and not harden our hearts against him 2 Seeing none can say his heart is clean and all have reason to say every one is more righteous then we Oh then what fountains of tears should we shed if possible to bath our sinful souls in and baptize our selves anew in penitential teares not that the water alone hath any cleansing virtue in it for the very springs must be purged by the rock Jesus Christ yet contrition is ofttimes an inseparable signe of being cleansed for when sins by us are truly repented of Gods favourable eye of compassion looks on those sins as if they were never committed and where our sins look as red as crimson we must endeavour to have our tears as white as snow that falling sincerely from the eye of a true penitentiary they prevail with the father of mercies to pass over our souls when his judgements begin to be executed so then we must put off the redness of guilt that so we may be clothed with the white robe of innocency by getting our sins and iniquities blotted out But do not deceive your selves it is not a seeming holiness or appearing innocency acquired by our own strength that will avail us such weak lights are easily blown out and extinct by the gust of every temptation or like the costly gilt of a well-tuned instrument appearing pleasant while such but when once the strings begin to jar the impatient hand with fury casts both them and all its beauty from it as if no such loveliness had ever there been found Therefore above all things t is our concernment to make sure work in the things of eternity not taking them upon trust or others credit but our own experience not fearing others so much as our own eternall weal for there is nothing hath been so much the bane of Christian community as an overweening conceit of our own sanctity saluting every man with a Pharisaical Stand off I am more holy then thou disdaining to think any are so high in Christs esteem as our selves whereas our truest glorying is onely in the cross of Christ and an humble heart which in the sight of God is of great price For if thou Lord be extreme to mark what is done amiss who can abide it And this brings me to the second observation propounded namely That the mercy of God is such he 'l not alwaies be extreme to mark what 's done amiss Mercy is Gods proper work it is that wherein his chief delight doth rest what was reported of Dionysius the Emperour and left upon record for his eternal fame viz. that he wept when he came to subscribe his name to condemne a man as being loth to dip his finger in the blood of his fellow-creature is much more true of the Father of Mercy witness those tears that dropt from the eyes of our Saviour over impenitent Ierusalem a sad presage of approching ruine and yet a true symptome of his unwillingness to put the same in execution though they were already come to the Zenith of impiety killing the King of Glory and the Saviour of the world and though but beholding this at a distance such was his mercy that it made him weep Mercy is an attribute that of it self properly belongs to God justice is as it were by accident because of mans evil therefore is he said to wait to do the one but sparing in execution of the other yea he is unwilling to execute determined wrath therefore he saith how shall I give thee up O Ephraim and I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger c. Hos 11.8 9. therefore he that hateth nothing that he hath made will not alwaies be extreme with what he hath not made lest with it he destroy the work of his hands for the mercy of God is exercised towards man as considered in a twofold capacity 1. As a sinner 2. As his creature 1. As a sinner that he may do away his sins Isa 43.25 he makes open proclamation thereof I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins so willing is God to free the sinner from mistaking the person that he ingeminates the word as if he had said if thou art unacquainted who it is that must do away thy sins know that it is I I who am thy maker and put thee in a blessed condition whence thou fell and it is I who again will restore thee
is but a lame consent yeilded by constraint for he that by a Tyrant is compelled with force of punishment to deny the Truth doth in a sort deny and not deny he denies it outwardly with his lips but his heart greives inwardly for the same because his conscience bears witness to the Truth but he that with a wicked life is given wholly to sin that he hath all his delights in it that man hath made himself perfect in evil 4. From the more full signification we do signifie more of wickedness to be in us by our works than by our words he sits at a farre greater denial of truth that denies it by a wicked life than he that denies it onely with his lips for fear of death though both these are great aggravations since in our lives words and works we are to bear witness to the Truth for to this end were we born and for this cause came we into the world c. Application Our Saviour bids Let your light so shine before men c. Saint Matthew 5.6 then we may hence learn that those that should light others to Heaven by their Doctrine must not darken their way by the evil example of an unholy life and not only must Ministers but people also let the light of holiness appear visible in their lives When God places a man a private Christian in the lower Orbe he puts him there to shine like a starre bright and clear in his own sphere Christians should shine and bear witness in their lives and be cautious how they walk because every sin puts a dimness upon the soul and darkness internal can expect no other but to go to darkness eternal and therefore St. Peter saith that our good works should make those that look on us as evil doers glorifie God in the day of visitation 1 Saint Peter 2.12 There be some that must believe in Christ throughout the world and witness his Truth to unbelievers by a holy life and why may it not belong to us but if on the contrary we be found to live as they live how shall they be brought to believe as we believe It was the saying of a Heathen If I did see the Christians lives better I should think their faith better than mine Religion and the Doctrines of Faith are often disgrac'd by wicked Professors 1 Tim. 1.6 7. the rebellion of a Christian that is a Servant though to an Heathen Master brings a scandal both upon God and on holy Religion Sure I am God and Religion is very much disgrac'd and the Gospel dishonoured and the Church of Christ abused by the wicked lives of those that are called the Sons of the Church Oh therefore that by holy lives judicious reading faithful hearing and constant studying and meditating in the wayes of God and the Truths of God we would make our selves able and ready to give an account of the hope that is in us that so both in our knowledge and practice we bearing witness to the Truth here on earth we may have the truth in our consciences to bear witness to our selves that we are the Sons of God that so he that ascended into Heaven to take possession of his own Glory may in time bring us thither who himself affirmed and after whose example we should walk that as he was born and came into the world to bear witness to the truth so we should also account of our selves that we were born and that we came into the world that we might bear witness to the truth that we came into the world this Christian world to witness to the truth as common Christians that we came into the world the Church of God as members thereof to justifie that faith by a holy life unto which our parents had baptized us still indeavouring to carry the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus that as he did so we came into the world to bear witness to the truth for he justified himself before the judgement-seat of Pilate saying in the words of my Text To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness to the truth The end of the Sermons Dr. Hewit's publique Prayer after Sermon O HOLY HOLY HOLY Lord God of heaven and earth heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory Glory be to thee O Lord glory be to thee glory be to thee glory be to thee for all those infinite favours which thou of thine infinite goodnesse hast voucsafed to us who are lesse then the least of all thy mercies for the fountain of all mercies Jesus Christ in whom thou hast loved us with an everlasting love before ever we or the world were made that thou hast created us after thine own Image and redeemed us by the bloud of Jesus Christ when we were utterly lost that thou hast called us with an holy calling and in some measure sanctified us by the graces of thy holy Spirit that thou hast spared us thus long and given us so long and so large a time of repentance when as thou mightest have cut us off in the midst of our transgressions whilst we were rebelling against thee Blessed be thy name O Lord for all thy mercies vouchsafed unto us thy mercies to allure us thy promises to wooe us thy patience and long-suffering towards us to lead us to repentance thy corrections to reclaime us thy judgements to affright and better us blessed by thy name for all opportunities of wel-doing for all hinderances of evill-doing for all the good purposes and resolutions thou hast put into our hands to draw our souls from the dregs of sin and ignorance into the glory of thy Saints for any assistance that thou hast given to any of us in any holy performance for the Communion of thy Saints the aide of their counsels the benefit of their Prayers the comfort of their conversations the protection of thy Holy Angels for all corporall spirituall temporall and eternall mercies mercies concerning this life and mercies concerning the life to come Blessed be thy name for thy mercies to us all the dayes of our lives thy mercies unto us this present day for the light thereof the greater light the light of thy truth to shine into our soules to guide our feet into the way of all truth For that portion of Scripture wherein thou hast been pleased to reveal thy self unto us at this time Lord though it be sowne in much weaknesse do thou raise it up in great power let it not be as water spilt upon the ground but let it be as seed sown in good ground that it may take deep root downward in our hearts by faith and bring forth much fruit upwards in our lives and conversations to the glory of thy holy name to the edification of thy Church and people and to the salvation of our souls in the day of Jesus Christ to whom with thy self and holy Spirit we desire to