made manifest unto all there are mollisma tempora certain times and seasons in which it is most amiable and it is part of Christian prudence so to exert it that it may appear beautiful and lovely unto all in its proper season the present circumstances are to be consulted seriously least our Moderation do degenerate into a sordid and a sneaking compliance an Holy Zeal must sometimes have its perfect work as well as Patience when once Remissness gets the upper hand of Order God himself is neglected whilst his Divine Offices are perfunctorily carelesly and slubberly performed when the publike Solemnities of Religion are if not laid aside yet so managed as if they were altogethar needless and to no purpose the Moderate Man may mourn in secret and by his silence at such a time manifests his prudence because it is an evil time but this seems to be rather an opportunity for courage and constancy in the Resolute that the world may see that we are neither afraid nor ashamed of that which some count madness and folly that we are neither to be complemented by the sly Polititian nor Hectored by the prophane Atheist out of that Faith which we have professed and wherein we stand In a word this is our Moderation when in affliction we are not froward under discouragements we are not discontented when we can love those who persecute us and are ready to do good to those who do despightfully use us when we count it all joy that for righteousness sake we are evil thought of or evil spoke of when we are not over-sollicitous of every ones good word but should God and his Truth require it we can venture through a bad report to shew our Constancy and Perseverance and though the Moderate Man walks circumspectly not as a fool but as wise endeavouring to approve himself to the Consciences of those with whom he has to do yet his heart doth neither mis-give him nor reproach him as his humility is conspicuous so his integrity is solid if he does approve himself it is that the Lord may commend the singleness of his heart and the integrity of his Soul even the Lord who is at Hand And so I press to the Third and Last thing propounded to wit How the Coming of Christ either in the Flesh or to Judgment is an Argument to us to improve this Grace of Moderation The Lord is at hand just now gone from us lately appearing in our Flesh And he is at hand in like manner to come again the day is approaching in which God will Judge the World by the Man whom he hath ordained even the Man Christ Jesus and the Apostle doth in another place joyn both these together to wit that the consideration of Christs first Coming should have this effect upon us that we live in a continual expectancy of his Second Tit. 2.11 12. The Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil world Moderation is but one comprehensive word for all these looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious appearance of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ First Let your Moderation be known unto all men the Lord is at hand not far from every one of us lately appearing in our flesh having Sanctified our inclinations and affections whilst he was subject unto like Passions with us being in every thing tempted as we are yet without sin we might indeed sometime have been foolish deceived by and deceiving one another Status Naturae status Belli in this sense we were by Nature the Children of Wrath not only in relation to God whom we had provoked but also in relation to each other delighting in violence and oppression But Tit. 3.4 After the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward Man appeared we are freely justified by his Grace and made Co heirs together according to the Hope of Eternal Life and this is that which we must Persevere in since we have believed on God that we be alwayes careful to maintain good works and those such which are not in the least Destructive but every way profitable unto men let every one that nameth the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord depart from all iniquity Our Saviour in the Flesh God incarnate in his Birth throughout his Life but chiefly at his Death was not only a most successful example but a prevailing argument for our Moderation First His Birth was the Son of Righteousness arising with healing in his wings it was through the tender Mercies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through the Bowels of the mercy of our God that the Day-spring from on high did visit us and this is our Happiness consequential hereupon that being delivered from our Ghostly and our carnal Enemies we may serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the daies of our lives this was the Angelical Hymn at his Birth that as his coming into the World was Glory to God in the highest so it was in Earth Peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and good will towards Men nay further that our Love upon this occasion might be raised to its due pitch those words are not unfitly rendered by the Vulgar In terris pax hominibus bone voluntatis On earth Peace unto Men of Good will And now shall our Saviour empty himself of his honour that he may accommodate himself unto us and we be puffed up one against another are we not all of us now Brethren doubtly dear unto each other both in the Flesh and in the Lord or rather in the Lord who was made Flesh Secondly Nay yet again not only the fruit of his holy Mothers Womb at his Birth but the whole course of his Life was nothing else but a continued labour of Love could he do any good were it to the poorest and the meanest to the basest and unworthiest it was his meat and his drink he loved much and therefore all along though loaded with indignities he forgave much he had not where to lay his head and yet he wrought Salvation wheresoever he came how glad was he though in a crowd that vertue wentout of him in this chiefly was his humility conspicuous in that he confessed and he denyed it not that He though the Son of Man and so the first born of the whole Creation came not to be Ministred unto but to Minister and to give his Life a Ransome for many And are not we likewise to tread in his steps is not this the Lesson which hence we are to take out that the greatest amongst us be in all good and vertuous offices as it were a Servant unto all remembring alwayes the words of our Lord Jesu Christ that it is better to give than receive we should therefore from his example be ready to give and willing to communicate Thirdly Yet once more and chief of all his Death was
it it will never be forgiven us Nay sad it is to consider it but too really true there are those in the world who should teach as well as they know better things who call those their Patrons which exercise authority over or have any influence upon them transporting them to act either lukewarmly in or indirect opposition against that Religion to which they have already given up their names so often both by Obligatory Oaths and Promissory subscriptions they are sufficiently enough convinced that this is and ought to be the worship of the God of our Fathers but alas what need they concern themselves for that which they shall never be able to help must they venture upon the bad and lose the good report of such who for the present are kind unto them and may hereafter as things may come about reward their pert pragmatical zeal with ruine and destruction like Naaman the Syrian they will worship no other God then the God of Israel but as for bowing in the House of Rimmon when their Masters lean upon their shoulders they shrink up their shoulders and as to this they have a Latitude the Lord pardon them in this Well let them go in peace they are loth it seems to be put to any trouble in the service of their God alas poor low-spirited wretches they are to be pittied since they have not faith to trust that God whom they worship beyond their present injoyments who are for living at case in an earthly Sion and that they may keep their present station turn their books upon the Temple But let it not be so with us let it be known to the world maugre men and Devils that we dare be honest Oh! why should we be as those who turn aside onely that we may go with such who will have company that they may be froward and perverse whatsoever our dependancies upon greatness may be we must be careful as in humility so also with resolution not in the least to let go our integrity in our patience we must possess our souls and yet we must be so far watchful over our selves that our hearts do not reproach us so long as we live Consider we that God is not a man that he should lie neither is he as the Son of man that he should repent he hath said it and it was the Truth himself that spoke it concerning Eli and his sons when they prevaricated in his service 1 Sam. 2.30 He that honoureth me him will I honour and he that despiseth me shall be lightly esteemed Above all things in our Religion which is the onely tye or chain of Communion betwixt a Man and his Maker let us not be swayed by so timorous so sordid so Hypocritical a principle as is that of base unworthy compliance sneakingly to gratifie the humours of such who lie in wait either for to deceive or to be deceived and that against the dictates of our own Minds and the principles of that visible Community which in a settled Oeconomy we have already professed heartily to embrace and that if for no other reason let it be for this lest in time we grow to that height of wickedness as to persecute that way of worship to which once we did conform God forbid that we should ever live to see it but so it may come to pass that none shall prove more rigid and severe against then such as have been timoâ—ous lukewarm and unsettled under the strictness of discipline and order May we not set our countenances upon some men amongst us stedfastly to behold them till both they and we are ashamed and while we look upon them fall a weeping as the Prophet Elisha did upon Hazael who was to be King of Syria 2. Reg. 12.8 I weep saith the Prophet because I know of the evil which thou wilt do unto the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire their young men wilt thou slay with the Sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their women with child But Hazael replyed what is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing the Prophet was more then a Prophet in this instance the Lord had shewed all this unto him And though we do not pretend now adays to New Revelations it is well if we give credit to what has been revealed of old God grant that this Prophesie may never be made again a History whilst we may sadly weep over some amongst us who should they once more have opportunity would destroy all our pleasant things pull down all the houses of God break the carved work with Axes and hammers tell them what are our just fears what say they Are we dogs that we should make all this havock but we need not urge a Spirit of Prophesie let us look a little backward and our later dayes of misery and confusion will tell us that such things as these have been done by those who did more than ever they intended to do in the work of Deformation in the midst of us God grant that we may never have occasion to stand in need of their pity even their mercies are cruel meer y pretending friends when ever they have opportunity prove most insolent enemies especially if once it makes for their Interest to be malicious if they can but thus recover their credit which by a former neutrality they have hazarded they will leave no stone unturned yea though it be by laying of the Temple waste Down with it Down with it will they say in the day of their fierce wrath and who shall withstand them But is this their kindness to their Friends must it be to lay Sion waste and to make Jerusalem an heap of Stones It can hardly be otherwise imagined but that these great Minions in the Text proved at length to be the worst Persecutors who though they might be perswaded of what they heard and of what they saw yet for fear of the powers which were set over them did not dare to own that word which to them was accompanied with power These very men to shew their readiness of Subjection or to take off all manner of suspition that they were never heartily of that Perswasion no further than was consistent with their Self-preservation might be the first to lay hands upon the Apostles to imprison them to deliver them up had they not been over-ruled unto death it self But this was Gods never-ceasing care and providence over his Church that should hand joyn in hand they should be able to do no violence they even thus considered as now turned enemies shall not approach to hurt them upon second and better thoughts they do yet again give back and these are the Third sort of Persons who are said in the Text to keep this remoter Distance even the Adversary himself though an open and professed enemy yet he durst not draw near for mischief God is terrible in his Judgments Signs and wonders are wrought by the
their people for without a little Dissimulation their could be neither Living nor Livelinood But certainly God has no need of such mens Hypocrisie to Manifest his Glory nor the Church of their Dissimulation to preserve its peace He that is a Friend to all Religions or to all perswasions in Religion so far that according to the circumstances of his life he can ingage in or defend any of them is in truth of no Religion at all he is ready to Apostatize with Julian and should there arise an eleventh Persecution against Christianity he is never like to be either a Resolute Confessour for the truth he has own'd or a Faithful Martyr for the Faith into which he was baptized but this will be his sad Conversion quite contrary to the blessed alteration which was in St. Paul Is not this he that preached Christ but now he destroys all those who call upon that name delivering them up to bonds and imprisonment even to death it self God grant that we may never know such times as will put these men to their tryal and he preserve and continue his Church in Unity and Uniformity amongst us that it never stand in need of them to be Champions for its Faith or Discipline But whither such an eager industrious sollicitude of being indifferent of appearing all things to all men wresting St. Pauls practice as bad as they have done his writings out of a desire not to gain Proselytes but credit and profit to themselves I say whether such a zealous studious luke-warmness in things sacred and holy is not in the direct consequence of it a pre-requisite disposing a man to turn Jew Turk Pagan Infidel any thing does not in the formal notion of it promote Atheisme both in practice and speculation I leave this to the Disputers of this World to the curious speculative heads of our times seriously and soberly to consider But as for us let us be careful of a Temporary Faith of a Religion ours in the profession of it only because suited to the Climate we live in and the air we breath in to the popular breath we daily suck to the soil of the Countrey to the humours of Multitude Let us be stedfast in our holy Profession persevere in the way of Godliness as knowing that Pure Religion is to keep our selves unspotted from the World it is Heaven-born God on high is Worshiped and man upon Earth is saved in the celebration of it this being our Assurance that we are accepted and a comfortable satisfaction to us that our zeal is rightly qualified when in the integrity of our hearts and the uprightness of our soul it is as permanent as it is passionate it is the same continued flame bright and pure to the last bending it self one way tending upwards though it be fire it is not seated beneath the concave of the Moon I mean spent upon sublunary changing perishing Designes but it is cherished by influenced upon and clothed with the Sun of Righteousness and the reward of its Constancy shall be Everlasting Felicity for him who is thus piously zealous unto Death there is laid up a Crown of Life And so I pass to the 2. Reason of this Apostolical approbation and that Taken from the habit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be alwayes And here as in the Application of the first Discourse was mentioned we must be careful that we distinguish the habit of zeal from the constitution of the Body whether it be not the overflowing of the Gall rather than the result of Grace from the heart True indeed being called unto Grace and Holiness whatsoever were our passions before they are Crucified now with Christ in mortification and with him they are risen again and sanctified unto his service and so our zeal may at the same time be in some sort the natural temper of our Bodies and the pious frame of our Minds but then in other circumstances of life our zeal for Charity must alwayes take place of Passion neither must the Sun at any time set somnum nec rixa facit nor are the shadows of the night to be spread over our wrath So then be our Constitution what it will if in the personal occurrences of our lives our Moderation be known unto all men our zeal for God and Religion because perpetually the same is therefore Good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it must be Alwaies Thunder does root up Foundations the effects of it are as dreadful as the noise is terrible but then the Lightning which doth accompany it is momentany it is but a sudden flash and we see it again no more There is a Madzeal or a Phrenzy rather like Thunder it pretends that it will clear the air when it makes the earth to tremble nothing but Desolation and overturning where-ever the Bolt lights it makes havock of all before it be it never so pleasant or desireable but the Lightning transcient the promising overtures are but some sudden glances which have more of terror and amazement than of comfort and refreshment we see them indeed or hear of them no sooner are they seen or heard but no where are they to be found whereas a Holy zeal is like the Sun breaking through a cloud though intercepted with the mists and foggs of errour and seduction yet it will make its way and spread the day where e're it comes it ariseth in its strength and in its beauty and rejoyceth to run its course it s going forth is from Heaven and its Circuit to the end of it again and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof such a thing is a pious zeal like unto the Ordinances of Heaven abiding the same for ever day after day tells the World its Piety and night after night in a satisfactory contemplation upon its own constancy sheweth unto the Devout Soul that such a zeal thus fixed and unalterable is according unto Godliness True zeal is not like Herods Devotion who sometimes heard John Baptist gladly and for his sake when the humour took him did many things that were good it is not like Agrippa's half Perswasion and yet not perswaded to be a Christian very near and so the farther from the Kingdom of Heaven it is not like Felix his pannick fit of trembling while he hears St. Paul reasoning of Temperance of Righteousness and of Judgment to come soon shaked off in a colder Dismission go thy way for this time when I have a more convenient season I will send for thee it is not a sudden motion an ecstatical rapture an impetus that may cast Saul himself amongst the Prophets it is not a hot burning fit which comes and goes as some unhealthy humours ferment more or less in the Body or wild fancys work disturbedly and confusedly in the brain such a zeal as this which is not constant to it self is not unlike to Sauls evil Spirit when the Lord was departed from him it wants Davids Harp the sweet Singer of Israel the
alone that we do not at any time commit the least action at the performance of which as thoughts may trouble us our hearts misgive us and consciences may presently fly in our faces that we do not that in our most close private retirement which we may be afraid or ashamed to own should we be made a spectacle to Angels and to Men It is not he that commendeth himself in the sight of men that is approved but whom the Lord commendeth 2 Cor. 10.18 However then we may and ought in some doutful things which are not much material for us to inquire into resign up our judgments to our Superiours in the Church yet we must be careful that we do not give up our zeal to the inspection of those that are set over us in this we must study to approve our selves in the sight of God and not of Man Here They are to be reproved who can suite themselves to as many ways of worship as they have Masters in Religion like slavish Minions altogether at other mens beck they serve as it were an apprentiship in their Devotion onely before men not in singleness of heart as in the sight of God who trieth the reins and searcheth out the Deep of the heart These are they who urge the spirit of meekness in an Apostle to be a sufficient plea for them in their luke-warmness and because some whose business it is to Govern do walk by certain rules of prudence of which they are the best and only Judges let them look to it for none but they shall answer for it if the wisdom of the Serpent devour the innocency of the Dove if their Policy get the start of their Piety therefore every one who is in sworn subjection must take liberty to deviate from an established Rule and yet these very men take it ill to be esteemed but half faced professours of Conformity no when there is need of it or the Audience requires it persons so and so qualified being in presence to countenance it they can be as hearty and as zealous for an exact solemnity as the best of us and who dares mistrust them for other then most genuine and dutiful Sons of the Church Such as these who are thus carried away with a Dissimulation they are to be withstood to the very face for indeed they are to be blamed however men may be deceived by them yet let them know that God is not to be mocked They may insinuate themselves into favour and into power for a while as being fit instruments for any Design Men who can venture upon any thing to please those whom they call Patrons and Benefactors Vivant in senatum veniant let them live and injoy their reward here whilst the Man whose principle is integrity this the root of the matter to be found in him awaits for his in another world it is the Lord our God who seeth in secret and without great repentance shall reward the Hypocrite of which none so bad as the Dissembler in Gods services with shame and everlasting contempt Nay these pitiful thread-bare policies a man may see thorow into the Mystery of iniquity they are like Cobwebs though in the Palaces of Princes on a sudden swept away whereas the honest and the upright heart which in all the Occurencies of Life looks upon God as its guide has a regard to him as its Judge and from him expects an eternal reward this is that principle at the bottom which will carry a man thorow all extremity and keep his head above water though the billowes roar about him Do we not even in this life many times see Confusion sit upon the face of base servile Spirits the Devil owes them a shame and e're they go hence many times he pays them part of their wages But behold the perfect man and mark the upright the beginning the continuance to be sure the end of that man is peace To Conclude Let your your zeal as well as your Moderation be known unto all men and the same argument to inforce both The Lord is at hand all things are naked and bare before the eyes of that God with whom we have to do he is at hand near us within us and round about us there is no hiding from his presence who understandeth all our thoughts long before they are Cease we from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of why should our concerns for the eternal Gospel or the Administration of it be subordinate to the interests of a temporary momentany service as if God were either unwilling or unable to be a Rewarder of those who diligently seek him no the Promise of God to Abraham is still a sure word of Prophesie to all those that are the Children of faithful Abraham Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect fear not I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward As for all tergeversating transgressors the end of them is that they shall perish together the ungodly shall be rooted out at the last But Psal 97.11 there is sprung up a Light for the Righteous and joyful gladness for such as are true-hearted Behold then yet once again the Perfect man and mark the upright Or as our Church in her Liturgy renders that versicle Psal 37.38 Keep innocency and do the thing which is right that shall bring a man peace at the last Let us keep innocency maugre men and Devils let us walk uprightly in our integrity and let us do the thing which is right be sure that our emulations and strivings be for a good thing this shall bring a man peace at the last Peace at the last even the last end of our life when we shall find heaviness in our flesh upon our death-bed an undisturbed and a quiet Conscience when we shall lay our selves down in peace to sleep our last with this comfortable reflection that we have done nothing to contribute to the troubles of our Israel and Peace at the last which shall last for ever bringing us unto Jesus who is the Author of that Faith which though fighting in a state militant we have kept the Finisher of that Hope which in a tempestuous sea has been a sure Anchor-hold even the Anchor of our Hope fixed in Heaven and the Prince of that Peace which as a reward of our valour in the Fight at our Triumph we shall injoy that Peace which passeth all understanding and is full of Glory Whilst in the mean time our Pious and Holy Zeal for Good which cannot but be good being in the way of Godliness shall be like Elijah's Chariot that I may conclude with the same instance with which I begun a Chariot of flame to carry us from a troublesome evil world to our Mansions of Rest and Peace where we shall no longer need to be so eagerly sollicitous for God and for his Glory but throughout the days of eternity our Love