DISCOURSES Upon several Divine Subjects. BY THO. GREGORY, M. A. Late of Wadham College in OXFORD, And now Lecturer of Fulham near London. LONDON, Printed for R. Sare, at Greys-Inn-Gate in Holbourn. MDCXCVI. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND Right Reverend Father in God, HENRY, Lord Bishop of LONDON, DEAN of the CHAPEL, And one of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council. My most Honoured Lord and Patron, THE great Blessings which I enjoy under the happy Influence of your Lordship's Favour, oblige me with all due Humility to lay these Discourses at your Lordship's Feet: not as though I can be so vainly arrogant, as to imagine they any ways deserve your Perusal or Acceptance, but purely as an Acknowledgement of your Lordship's Goodness, and an hearty, tho' poor, Expression of my unfeigned Gratitude. Most of them have been compiled since your Lordship vouchsafed to receive me under your Wings, and therefore it may be expected, that they approve themselves in some measure worthy of so noble a Patronage. This (I confess) I have ambitiously endeavoured effectually to accomplish; But if I fall short of so Great an Enterprise, I humbly hope for Pardon from your Lordship's Candour, which the World has so long and so deservedly admired. I am, My most Honoured Lord, Your Lordship's Most Humble, most Grateful, most Dutiful Servant, T. G. TO THE READER. 'TIS the indispensable Duty of every Faithful Christian, to obviate (as far as he is able) the growing Distempers of the Age he lives in. This I have, with the greatest Sincerity, tho' not with the greatest Abilities, attempted in the following Discourses, which are designed to preserve thee, through God's Blessing, from those dangerous Rocks so many poor Souls unhappily split upon, viz. Schism, Scepticism, Worldly-Mindedness, Heresy, False Notions of God and of his Holy Covenant, and Despair. If my Endeavours prove successful in any of these Points, I unfeignedly beseech thee to give God the Glory, and Me thy Prayers. Farewell. The principal ERRATA of the Press are thus to be Corrected. PAge 41. Line 18. for where read were. p. 49. l. 18. f. time r. times. p. 53. l. 6. f. who had traduced r. who traduced. p. 69. l. 6. f. thought r. thoughts. ibid. l. 9 f. of the lust r. of lust. ib. l. 11. f. tempers r. tempests. p. 74. l. 27. f. false-glossing r. false-glozing. p. 76. l. 17. f. irradations r. irradiations. p. 78. l. 20. f. momentary r. momentany. p. 82. l. 25. f. Elapses r. illapses. p 96. l. 5. f. is urged r. is he urged. p. 102. l. 17. f. as r. of. p. 106. l. 17. f. entered his Soul r. entered into his Soul. p. 110. l. 23. f. to r. and. p. 136. l. 1. f. these r. those. p. 140. l. 8. f. a Being taken up r. a Being wholly taken up. ib. l. 26. f. Blessedness r. Blessed. p. 152. l. 11. f. momentary r. momentany. p. 115. l. 7. f. places r. place. p. 156. l. 18. f. fleeting r. flitting. p. 161. l. 24. f. divest r. divest. p. 164. l. 16, 17. f. declares Sinners r. declares to Sinners. p. 165. l. 18. f. waits their r. waits for their. p. 166. l. 28. f. appears r. appear. p. 168. l. 8. deal too. p. 179. l. 26. f. Symbals r. Symbols. p. 187. l. 21. f. the World r. this World. p. 188. l. 10. f. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. ib. l. 26. f. divested r. devested. p. 194. Marg. f. M. Osyr. r. M. Tyr. p. 208. l. 8. f. farther is r. farther, he is. p. 211. l. 24. f. the heavenly r. thy heavenly. ib. l. 11. f. He Redeemed thee too r. He Redeemed thee. Redeemed thee too. p. 222. l. 4. f. Countries r. Counties. p. 239. l. 15. f. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 1 KINGS xviii. 21. How long halt ye between two Opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. THese Words are a just Expostulation of a Prophet of the Lord with the rebellious and stiffnecked Sons of Jacob and Joseph. God had so fully revealed himself unto them, and so plainly chalked out the way, which they should walk in, that 'twas absolutely impossible they should be either ignorant of the one, or mistaken in the other, without wilful Perverseness and the most studied Prevarication. He made himself known even by his name Jehovah to their Fathers in Egypt, and assured them, by many miraculous or Supernatural Acts of Vengeance upon the Heads of their Enemies, that He, who is the Author of Nature, the Controller of Second Causes, and the Sovereign Commander of all the World, vouchsafed, in a most peculiar manner, to become their God. He brought them out of that Land of their Captivity, that House of their Bondage, with a mighty hand and stretched-out Arm: marching himself at the Head of their Armies in a Pillar of Cloud by Day, and a Pillar of Fire by Night. He afterwards most solemnly proclaimed himself to them before the glorious Battalions of attending Angels upon Mount Sinai: even entering into a Covenant with his People; and, as their Lord and King, giving them Ordinances, Laws, and Statutes, for the Regulation and Government of their Public and Private Concerns, their Lives and Polity. In short, He made Israel alone, of all the Nations of the Earth, his Firstborn; arrayed him with the Excellency of Dignity, and the Excellency of Power; caused all his Brethren to bow down before him, and his name to be a Blessing and a Praise in all the Earth. And yet so perverse and untoward was the Disposition of this People, so monstrously disingenuous and ungrateful their Returns, that they never seriously considered what he had done, the wonderful Mercies he daily showed to them; but always turned their Backs, and fell away like their Forefathers, starting aside like a broken Bow. Tho' the Sons of Levi throughout all their Tribes instructed them continually in the Law of the Lord, and Prophets were sent in every Generation to continue them in the Knowledge and Service of their God; nay, tho' God, to prevent their seeking after lying Divinations, was pleased, in a most extraordinary manner, to reside himself amongst them, and to be always ready, by his Urim and Thummim, to answer and direct them in all momentous Emergencies; yet, they perpetually affronted him to his very Face, and provoked him to Jealousy by their shameless Backslidings. They forsook God their Saviour, and lightly esteemed the Rock of their Salvation: not only rejecting him from being their King when he reigned with the tender Mercies and Indulgencies of a Father; but also diminishing him even in his Godhead, by setting up other Lords besides him to Rule over them. No sooner did the Government * 1 Kings 12.30. introduce or † 2 Kings 12.3. Ch. 18.4. tolerate the Superstitions of strange Worship, but they displayed at large the Levity and Baseness of their Temper; either causelessly falling off from the God of their Fathers, and devoting themselves wholly to the Abominations of their Neighbours, or sacrilegiously dividing between Him and Them, between the Lame and the Blind, and the Almighty God. The Temple of the Lord shall not be shut up nor broken down, if the Houses of Idols may also stand open and be frequented; nor the Priests of the Living God be molested in their Office, provided the same Liberty be allowed to the Worshippers of Daemons. In a word, They'll be contented to Worship sometimes before the Ark of the Lord, if at others they may as religiously bow themselves in the House of Rimmon; and devoutly sing Praises to the God of Heaven, may they join likewise in the Adorations and Services of Baal. This lukewarm, indifferent, trimming Behaviour, this desultory, faithless, ungodly Temper being justly reproved and condemned by the Prophets, was so far from returning to a due stability in the ways of Godliness, that it ran out into the violent, outrageous Extremes of Bigotry and Superstition: not contenting itself any longer with the Schismatical Erection of Altars against Altars, but under the specious Colours of ancient Sophistry, the plausible Pretences of a more excellent way of Worship, proceeding even to throw down all the Altars of God in the Land, to revile, persecute, and slaughter his Servants, and to advance and cherish the Authors of Schism, the Incendiaries of Church and State, and the Patriots of their Irreligion, the Prophets of Baal only. As tho' to serve God in his own way was an unreasonable Imposition upon the Liberty of Conscience, and the Patriarches and Prophets were all Idiots and Madmen, because they and their Families would serve the Lord. This revolting, light, unstable People, the Prophet Elijah (I say) expostulates with in the Text; plainly affirming, that 'tis altogether inconsistent with the Nature of true Piety to halt between two Opinions, or (as Grotius explains it) to alternate and vary in the Objects of their Devotion, sometimes Worshipping God, and sometimes Baal; it being their indispensible Duty, once for all, to satisfy themselves throughly which of these two is God, and then for ever to renounce the one, and to fix and centre in the Service of the other. How long (says he) halt ye between two Opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; But if Baal, then follow him. How seasonably we may, with this Expostulation in our Mouth, address ourselves to the Present Age, I need not inform you. Every Man, that looks carefully about him, and seriously considers the present Posture of Affairs, sees 'tis absolutely necessary. The Life and Spirit of Religion seem to be banished out of our Streets; and nothing but Scepticism and Incredulity, Superstition and Profaneness, Hypocrisy and Dissimulation, to dwell in our Land. To promote their own Ends, or the Interest of a Party, Men profess themselves Sons of the Established Church, frequent her Assemblies, conform to her Injunctions, and appear zealous and devout in her holy Offices. But all this while they do but flatter her with their Mouth, and dissemble with her in their Tongue; for their Heart is so far from being whole with her, that they detest her Constitution, repine at her Establishment, and constantly strike in with her deadly Enemies, endeavouring by all means possible to supplant and overthrow her. They talk perpetually of the Loveliness of Friendship, and wish that our Jerusalem might at length be at Peace and Unity within herself: and yet at the same time they think it no Sin to frequent unlawful Assemblies; tho' they thereby widen her Breaches, strengthen the Hands of her Enemies, confirm their Prejudices, and become the Abetters and Promoters of an execrable Schism. In a word, They are exactly of the same Temper and Complexion with the upbraided People in the Text, standing ready, as the Tide of their Interest turns, to revolt from God to his Rival, from Truth to Falsehood, from Union to Schism, from the Church to a Conventicle. Now this indifferent Temper they ordinarily style Moderation; which is a Virtue truly excellent and laudable in itself, but the least understood by these Men of any in the Circle. That only obliges Men to manage their Disputes, and to assert their Principles, of whose Truth they are fully persuaded, with Temper: but This allows them to have no Principles at all, or at least to act as if they had none; and consequently is so far from answering its Character, that 'tis a very indecent and unreasonable thing, odious and abominable in the Sight of God and Good Men, most impious in its Nature, and pernicious in its Consequences. Which will evidently appear from these three Considerations: I. That it plainly demonstrates, that Men are acted by no fixed and steady Principles, but are of vagrant and lose Minds, unresolved in their Judgements, unsettled in the Faith, and in truth of very little or no Religion at all. II. That it exposeth every particular Person to all the various and fantastic Spirits of Error and Delusion. And, III. The whole Community to Ruin and Destruction. 1. This indifferent Temper is both impious in its Nature, and also pernicious in its Consequences, because it plainly demonstrates that Men are acted by no fixed and steady Principles, but are of vagrant and lose Minds, unresolved in their Judgements, unsettled in the Faith, and in truth of very little or no Religion at all. Origen tells Celsus, that such is the Nature and Excellency of Christianity, that it utterly stripped and devested Mankind of all their hereditary and most prevailing Immoralities: the Scythian thereby becoming mild and courteous, the Persian chaste and continent, the Roman humble and condescending, and the Greek veracious and modest. But had the Greek, together with the Profession of Christianity, still retained his Vanity and Falseness, the Roman his Pride and Haughtiness, the Persian his Softness and Incontinence, and the Scythian his Fierceness and Inhumanity: Had (I say) these Nations, thus divided between the Christian Virtues and their Pagan Vices, Christ and their Idols, God and their Lusts, the Father had never gloried in their Accession to the Church, but most deservedly excluded them from the Denomination of true Believers. For how can he sincerely Believe God to be the Best of Being's, who will not Love and Serve him with his whole Heart? or Christ to be his only Saviour, who shares his Affections between Him and Belial? How can he believe Christianity to be a truly divine and heavenly Instituti-who affects it with Lukewarmness, Indifferency, or Moderation? or how can he contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints, who still fluctuates and wavers between two Opinions? The Indifferency of his Temper, abundantly betrays the Incredulity of his Heart; and having no settled Principles, he is in danger (like a Ship without Ballast) to be over-set with every Wind of Delusion and Imposture. The Second Thing to be considered. 2. This indifferent Temper is both impious in its Nature, and also pernicious in its Consequences, because it exposeth every particular Person to all the various and fantastic Spirits of Error and Delusion. Were Men once well grounded in the Principles of their Religion, and able to give a Reason for their profession of the Faith; did they not take up their Religion upon Trust, and (like the Turks and Pagans) only therefore embrace it, because consonant to the Belief and Practice of their Progenitors; they would be wonderfully delighted in the Statutes of the Lord, and walk without Offence in the Path of his Commandments. The multifarious Contrivances of the Enemy, and the Deceiver, would be easily detected and unravelled by their Reason; which, assisted by the unerring Records of Divine Revelation, would break through all the Fogs and Vapours of Deceit, with the Strength and Brightness of the faithful Witness in Heaven. But when the Mind lies uncultivated, and devoid of true Principles, and is not framed into a Right Understanding and Judgement of Divine Things; when Men cannot rationally account for any, and therefore are indifferently inclined to all the ways of Worship, the Tempter will soon appear in the beautiful Form of an Angel of Light; and under that disguise, unhappily decoy them into the endless Mazes and Labyrinths of Error. The Shadow of Religion, to their unskilful Judgements, will soon be effectually recommended for the Substance; and the External, fallacious, superficial Signs, be mistaken for the Interior and Real Acts of Devotion. A judicious, safe, well-grounded Piety, will be renounced for the wild irrational Dictates of Melancholy and Enthusiasm; and one fantastical, senseless, unintelligible Interpreter of the Divine Oracles, be preferred before ten Men, that can render a Reason. In a word, They'll be induced either totally to reject the Word of God for their own pretended Inspirations; the undefiled Law of the Most High, for the soul, impure Suggestions of their ungodly Spirits; or at least, to mingle with the Waters of Life, the putrid Streams that flow from their own Cisterns. This I need not prove from the Records of Antiquity: our own Nation being a sad Demonstration of it at this day. For how are some of our Brethren, tho' they enjoy the most blessed Opportunities of a right Information, tossed to and fro (like foolish Children) with every Wind of strange Doctrine? How are they led away by every Impostor from the simplicity of the Gospel? and spoiled and plundered of their Christian Armour by the false Prophets, that are gone out into the World? Alas! were it not for the decent and orderly, the wise and prudent, the beautiful and heavenly Constitution of our Established Church, This Land, which was not long since the Glory of all Lands, would really be nothing else, but a Spiritual Bedlam: all the various kinds of Spiritual Frenzy and Madness having entered into it, and uncomfortably filling its mournful Habitations with their outrageous Blasphemies and unintelligible Jargon. No Notion so absurd and ridiculous, no Doctrine so monstrous and paradoxical, no Principles so wicked and atheistical, but what find some dreaming Prophet amongst us to espouse and assert them; and that Dreamer, tho' he has neither Piety nor Learning, nothing, but the loathsome detestable Varnish of Hypocrisy and Dissimulation, to distinguish him from his Neighbours; has, notwithstanding, his Followers, Abetters; and Admirers. men's indifferency in the Affairs of Religion unfortunately leads them to those unlawful Assemblies, where their unstable and treacherous Hearts are easily taken captive by the Spirit of Delusion; so that under the pretence of trying all things, they really let go all, that is good; from Neuters, or indifferent and lukewarm Friends, commencing virulent, irreconcilable Enemies to the Preachers of sound Doctrine. To such Delusions and Inpostures (I say) are Men unhappily exposed by their unaccountable Indifferency in the Affairs of Religion. But, alas! this is not all; For, 3. This indifferent Temper not only exposeth particular Persons to the various and fantastic Spirits of Error and Delusion, but the whole Community likewise to Ruin and Destruction. A Kingdom divided against itself (says our * Mar. 3.24. Lord) cannot stand; and by these means this Nation stands divided into several Factions and Parties, who with all imaginable Rancour and Bitterness endeavour to devour and prey upon one another. Our Enemies then may save themselves the danger of venturing their Necks among us. Let them have but Patience, and we shall do their work for them. What their Plots and Cabals, their Fire and Faggots, their Gunpowder and Treason could never effect, our Enmities and Divisions, our Feuds and Animosities, our Strises and Seditions will certainly bring to pass. These disunite and weaken our Forces in the day of Battle. These divide our Councils and evacuate the wise Sanctions and Decrees of our Synods. These pull down our Fortresses, our Walls, and Bulwarks, and expose us naked and defenceless to the Incursions of the Common Enemy. Tho' therefore we never so solemnly protest against the Innovations of Popery, and zealously declare our Abhorrence and Detestation of its impious Doctrines, unless we endeavour, by all lawful and warrantable means to cement these Differences, we ourselves are the Men who maintain its Interest here, and make way for its unhappy Readmission into the Land. May the Good Lord of Heaven and Earth then open all our Eyes, and cause us to know the Things which belong unto our Peace, before our Sins provoke him to hid them finally from our Eyes. And thus you have seen, how much this indifferent Temper falls short of the Character some Men unskilfully put upon it. That 'tis so far from being allied to that truly excellent and laudable Virtue, Moderation, that 'tis a very indecent and unreasonable thing; odious and abominable in the sight of God and Good Men; most impious in its Nature, and pernicious in its Consequences. That it plainly demonstrates, that Men are acted by no fixed and steady Principles, but are of vagrant and lose Minds, unresolved in their Judgements, unsettled in the Faith, and in truth of very little or no Religion at all. That it not only exposeth particular Persons to the various and fantastic Spirits of Error and Delusion, but the whole Community likewise to Ruin and Destruction. Let me then entreat you, my Brethren, for the Credit and Reputation of our Common Christianity; for the Honour of our most Beautiful, Prudent, and Pious Mother, the Church of England; for the Preservation, Safety, and Happiness of these Kingdoms; as you love your God, your Religion, your Country, your own Souls; to be steadfast and immovable in the Profession of the Faith, not walking deceitfully and in Masquerade, as (you see) the manner of some is, nor basely prostituting your Consciences by an hypocritical, prevaricating Behaviour to your Secular Interest; but, in spite of all the Terrors and Allurements of the World, serving God with a faithful and true heart, with Uprightness and Sincerity, all the days of your Life. And to this End, give me leave to advise these few things. 1. That you call no Man Master upon Earth; i. e. That you never have any Man's Learning or Piety in such Veneration, as to receive all he says for an Oracle, for an infallible Rule of your Faith and Manners; but that you always remember, that you have a great Master in Heaven, who has given you a sure and certain Rule to walk by, and who expects your Obedience without any Reserve. This Caution was given by our Lord himself to his Disciples; Mat. 23. and it truly favours of the excellent Wisdom and Providence of its Author. For the Proselytes of the Pharisees were possessed with such a Persuasion of the great Sanctity and unparallelled Learning of their Masters, that they entirely resigned themselves up to their Conduct and Guidance, becoming thereby, both in Notion and Practice, twofold more the Children of Hell than themselves; and those famous Contests between the Thomists and Scotists and other Disputants in the Church of Rome, are wholly to be ascribed to the overweening Opinion which they all pertinaciously retain for their own Patriarches. Nay, the First Sin that crept into the World, came this way: for I conceive, with a great and learned * Joseph Mede. Book 1. Disc. xl. Author of our own, that 'twas the too great Opinion which the Woman entertained of the Wisdom of the Serpent, that induced her first to listen to, and then to comply with his Suggestions; and I doubt not but that the Apostate Spirits themselves, might still have kept their Heavenly Habitations, had not their deluded Fancies doubled the Glory of that Son of the Morning, Lucifer. In short, † Vid. Hen. Dodwell Ep. 2. Sect. 5. & Steph. Penton. Appar. Spec. ad Theol. par. 1. cap. 6. 'Tis the superstitious Reverence and unaccountable Honour, which the Schoolmen pay to Authority, that betrays them into many unhappy Errors, as well in their Theological as Philosophical Speculations. Honour Men then only as Men. Whatever their Natural or Acquired Excellencies may be, they are all subject to Error. Try all their Doctrines therefore, whether they be of God; and believe nothing, tho' enforced with the greatest Human Authority, unless upon due Examination you find it consonant to Scripture and Reason. And so I come to the 2. Thing advisable; which is, That you would try all Things, and not take up your Religion upon Trust, upon the Authority and Recommendation of your Natural, Civil, or Spiritual Fathers; but, that you would let it be (what it ought to be) a Rational Service the Result of your own mature impartial, and well-weighed Considerations. And what in this I say unto you, I would say more particularly to our Dissenting Brethren. They are equally guilty with the Romanists in this Point; depending too securely upon the Authority, and acquiescing in the Reports and Representations of their Leaders. I would therefore (I say) most earnestly entreat them, as they will answer it at the Dreadful Day of Judgement, when every Man must stand or fall by his own Conscience, to judge for themselves; and fairly and ingenuously, severely and impartially, to weigh and consider the Doctrine and Discipline, the Principles and Order, of our Established Church. Can we thus far prevail; I am verily parsuaded that those Heats and Passions which now so tumultuously boil in some men's Bowels against her, would all evaporate and expire; and we should soon walk together into the House of God as Friends. Which I therefore believe, because 'tis well known, that many of her Adversaries have been perfectly reconciled to her upon lesser Motives: only by venturing to consult their own Senses, and calmly and sedately to look into her Devotions. The Church did then to their unbiass'd Judgements most clearly unfold her ravishing Beauty and Brightness, and their wondering Eyes saw and confessed her Parts and comely Proportions. She appeared fair as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, and (quite contrary to their Expectations) terrible to Enthusiasm and Popery too, as an Army with Banners. I would therefore (I say again) most earnestly entreat these Persons to lay aside their Prejudices, and with their own Eyes seriously to look into and examine her Constitution. If she enjoins any thing, that's inconsistent with any Law of Reason, any Law or Rule of the Gospel, any Article of our Faith, any part of Christian Worship, or the Practice of the Universal Church in the First and Purest Ages; Reason would that we should bear with their Separation. But if her Doctrine be truly consonant to the Word of God: If her Discipline serves directly to the Beating down the Strong-holds of Sin, and to the Promotion of Piety and a Good Life: If her Devotions are substantially pious and prudent, serious and comprehensive, significant and intelligible, and Every way most wisely and divinely composed: If her Ceremonies are not only few in Number, but likewise decent, grave, significant, and edifying in their Nature and Use: In a word, If she does all things (according to the Apostolical Injunction) Decently, and in order, after the Primitive Patterns, according to the best measures of Human Wisdom. If (I say) she does all this, (and all this 'twill be demonstratively evident to every impartial Enquirer, that she does) than I cannot but affirm, that their Separation from us, in point of Conscience, is altogether unwarrantable, impious, schismatical. But because they are taught to be deaf to our Apologies and with an unmanly, blind, implicit Faith, to believe us Apostates to Popery and Innovation. I would (I say) most earnestly beseech them to use their own Senses; and to read, to think, and to judge at last for themselves. That they would not pass Sentence upon us, before they know us; nor judge of the Doctrine or Discipline of our Church by the Prejudices of their Education, or the disingenuous, illaudable Reports of their Partial Leaders; but wholly and entirely by the word of God, the sure, infallible Rule of the Holy-Scriptures. A Method, which in the next place I likewise most hearty advise you to. 3. Then, Read the Scriptures. This is the Duty of Every Christian, required and enjoined by the Saviour of our Souls, the Lord Christ Jesus. Search the Scriptures, (says * Joh. 5.39. he) for in them ye have Eternal Life, and they are they which testify of me. And indeed, 'twas by these that our Lord himself repelled the impudent Assaults and crafty Insinuations of the Devil: that his Apostles both planted and watered his Church: and that the pious Fathers and Councils baffled the Heresies, and put to Silence the Ignorance of foolish Men. Let as many of us therefore, as can distinguish between Good and Evil; Young Men and Maidens Old Men and even Children, be conversant in these Writings. They are that Rule, which, if duly attended to, will not suffer us to err, being not (like the Oracles of Daemons) wrapped up in intricate, obscure, ambiguous Expressions, but plain and easy to the meanest Understanding. Plain and Easie (I say) in all things necessary to Salvation; the Credenda as well as the Agenda of our Religion; the things which demand our Faith, as well as those, that call for our Practice, in many places displaying themselves in such Capital Letters, that he who runs may read them. There are indeed in these Writings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, some obscure Places, and hard to be understood. But these (I conceive) are not necessary to be understood; For if they were, our Heavenly Father had undoubtedly so delivered them, that by his Blessing upon our honest Labour and Study, we should at length certainly, clearly, and distinctly understand them. But since (as I humbly conceive) they are not so delivered, but after all our Pains and Industry lie securely enveloped with their own Darkness, we may safely conclude from the Goodness of our Maker, that they are not necessary to be understood. Nay, I verily believe, that such is the nature of some of these Places, especially of some in St. John's Revelations, that 'tis prodigious Impertinence and unpardonable Vanity, to determine peremptorily upon them. They seem to be Prophecies, which belong not to us, but to our Children; Not to the Present, but Future Ages of the Church, when they will all clear up, and apparently unfold themselves in their utmost Completion. Then at last will the Clouds all vanish and disappear, and these places shine forth with untainted Lustre and Brightness. Then will the Church behold, with Joy and Transport, the manifold Wisdom of God, which for wise and great Ends is hid from these Ages and Generations; and which therefore, 'tis no ways necessary we should understand. Let others then (if they dare venture) curiously pry into these Recondite Points; Let them continually rack and torture their Brains in the fruitless search after these hidden Mysteries, till their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Knowledge falsely so called, so swell add puff them up, that they either wrist them to their own Perdition, overlooking the plain, self-evident places, and by unwarrantable, contradictory expositions of the obscure, bringing in damnable Heresies and Corruptions into the Church; or (of all which this present Age is abundant proof) they cause their own Heads to grow vertiginous, and irrecoverably fall into the lamentable state of Delirancy and Madness. But let us be sober and wise unto Salvation, not impertinently prying into things beyond our reach; but studying the things which make for Peace, and things whereby we may edify one another. Let us meditate in the Law of the Lord, not to gratify our Curiosity, but to meliorate our Lives; not to encourage and patronise Divisions and Schism, but to preserve Union and Concord in the Church of God; Not to be litigious, noisy, and impertinent; but holy and unblameable in all manner of Conversation. The fourth and last thing to be advised. 4. Study to live well, or in all the Accidents and Emergencies of your Lives to keep a Conscience void of Offence towards God and towards Man. This is the best and surest way to preserve yourselves pure from all manner of Contagion: For I can never entertain such unworthy Thoughts of my Blessed Maker, as to think he will suffer an ingenuous Soul, who makes it her Business sincerely to search after Truth, and diligently to walk in the old Paths, ever to die in any Damnable Error. And if I am not unpardonably mistaken, the Sacred Oracles do abundantly confirm me in this Persuasion. Great peace, says the * Psal. 119. ver. 105. Psalmist, have they that love thy Law, and nothing shall offend them: and † Ver. 130. again, When thy word goeth forth, it giveth light and understanding unto the simple: and ‖ Ver. 104. again, Through thy Commandments I get understanding, therefore I hate all evil ways. And our ** Joh. 7.17. Lord himself, If any man will do his will, he shall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God. And as I am persuaded, that 'tis absolutely impossible for a devout, well-meaning, sincere, and pious Soul ever to die in any damnable Error; so, on the other hand, I conceive it almost as impossible for a Man, who has cast off all Care of his Conscience, to keep his Faith long pure and undefiled. † 2 Tim. 1.19, 20. St. Paul tells us of Hymeneus and Alexander, that having put away their Conscience, they miserably made Shipwreck of their Faith: And 'tis observable of the Learned Jews, that when about three or fourscore Years before the Nativity of Christ they began to relax their Discipline, and to dissolve into the lose and wanton Customs of their neighbouring Orientals, they immediately betook themselves likewise to transform their Faith; resolving the Commandments of God into their own Inventions, and making his Word of none effect through their upstart Traditions. You see they first defiled their Conscience, and then their Faith. May then the God of all Grace, who hath called us unto his Eternal Glory by Christ Jesus, keep us steadfast in the Faith once delivered to the Saints; and to that End establish, strengthen, settle us in every good Word and Work. To Him he Glory and Dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Amen. 1 PET. Ch. v. Ver. 8. Your Adversary the Devil, as a Roaring Lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. WHether that ancient Opinion of the Heathens de invidiâ Daemonis had its Rise only from those grand Cheats and Delusions which the more inquisitive and searching Heads amongst them observed to be imposed upon the World, not only in their more common and ordinary ways of divination, but likewise by the most celebrated Oracles themselves, as * De Mist. Egypt. Jamblichus argues; or rather, as the Learned † Orig. of Temp. Eo. Casaubon contends, borrowed its Original from the History of the Fall of Man, which the several Nations are supposed to have received by Tradition from the Sons of Noah, and Plato more particularly from some Learned Jews in Egypt; I shall not take upon me to determine: My present Scope and Design being only to show; 1. That in the Confession of All, as well Heathens as Christians, there are a sort of wicked and malignant Daemons, which are Enemies to mankind. Expressed in these Words of my Text, The Devil, your Adversary. 2. That these wicked and malignant Daemons are permitted to wander up and down in the Earth. Expressed in these Words, The Devil, your Adversary, walketh about. 3. To lay open, with what indefatigaable Pains and various Stratagems they seek to ruin Men, and with what Cruelty they treat them, when they are delivered up into their hands: Expressed and employed in these words, As a roaring Lion he walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 4. Though they have Malice enough to destroy us all, yet that they cannot do us the least Mischief, unless God permits them. Expressed in these Words, Seeking whom he may devour; or, may be permitted to devour. 1. In the Confession of All, as well Heathens as Christians, there are a sort of wicked and malignant Daemons, which are Enemies to mankind. Should we take the Wings of the Morning and travel over all the Nations of the Earth, we should find but very few among the Reputed Sages of the Heathen World, who did not acknowledge and maintain this great Truth. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says * Lib. de Is●d. & Osir. p. 369. Plutarch, It is the Opinion of the most, and wisest of them: And just before more at large; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. This Tradition, says he, is very ancient, deduced from the Eldest Theologists and Legislators to the Poets and Philosophers, whose first Author cannot be found, and yet hath gained firm and unshaken Belief, not only in ordinary Discourses and Reports, but hath likewise diffused itself into the Mysteries and Sacrifices both of Greeks and Barbarians: The Truth of which Assertion, we find amply confirmed by the concurrent Testimony of Diogenes Laertius, † Prooem. ad. vit. Philosoph. who tells of the Persian Magis, that they acknowledged two distinct Principles, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a Good and a Bad Daemon; and for the Confirmation of what he says, quotes Eudoxus, Hermippus, Aristotle, and Theopompus. And the Egyptian Typho is in every one's mouth, to whom they ascribed all that was evil; as they did whatever was good to Isis and Osiris. Neither did this Opinion confine itself within the narrower Limits of Egypt and Persia; but, like Nebuchadnezzar's Tree, planted and rooted in the midst of the Earth, it grew and was strong, and the Boughs thereof reached unto Heaven, and the Branches thereof to the end of all the Earth. The Romans did not shake off its Leaves, or cut off its Branches; and the Grecians delighted themselves under the Shadow of it: the latter as * Lib. de Isid. & Osirid. p. 370. Plutarch witnesseth, attributing what was good to Jupiter Olympius, what was evil to Hades; the former, saith † Noct. Attic. l. 5. c. 12. A. Gellius, sacrificing to Dijovis, that he might do them good, and appeasing his Anti-God Vejovis, as he might do them no harm. It must indeed be confessed, That this Opinion, (as 'tis vulgarly understood) how ancient and universal soever, is diametrically opposite both to Scripture and Reason; it setting up two contrary Principles equally invested with infinite Power, and so by necessary Consequence destroying them both, with many other Absurdities and Contradictions, which this is not a proper time to enumerate. Yet this doth not diminish one Ray from the Illustration it gives to my present purpose, since it clearly and evidently demonstrates that the Heathen World did concur in the Testimony of a wicked Daemon; which, as Porphyry relates in the Close of his Letter to Anebo, was vulgarly known by the name of the Deceiver. But if we advance from the Ancient to the more Modern Philosophers, we shall find, that, like the Sun, the higher this Doctrine of Evil Spirits ascended, the fairer and clearer it gradually showed itself; and that breaking in some measure through those thick Mists of Error, which had grievously overrun it since its first Rising, it at length diffused again a true and genuine Light over the Minds of Men, notwithstanding those little Spots, which still appeared in its Face. PluPlutarch indeed, seems not over-willing to embrace it; yet he doubts he can give no good Account of those Phantasms or Apparitions which haunted the Excellent and Philosophical Dion and Brutus, unless he receives, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as * Prooem. ad Vit. Dion. he calls it, that very ancient Tradition, that there are certain impious and fascinating Daemons, which envy good Men, and withstand their Enterprises, by creating Fears and Troubles to them, that so they may hinder them in their pursuit of Virtue, lest, by continuing steadfast and unblameable in Good, they should after Death be made Partakers of greater Felicity than they enjoy. Not unlike to this, is the Description which Jamblichus gives of them; † De Mist. Egypt. sect. 2. cap. 6. & sect. 4. cap. 13. Edit. Oxon. who critically deciphering the different Apparitions of the Gods, Archangels, Angels, and Daemons, expressly asserts, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, That the good Daemons do not administer to men's Lusts, or prompt them to any Impiety; but that they are Evil Daemons, who inflict Diseases upon their Bodies, and enslave their Souls to Sensual Appetites, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and depress and clip the Wings of them who generously aspire to the bright-shining Regions of Immortality. These he ‖ Sect. 4. cap. 7. elsewhere extravagantly calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Daemons essentially wicked, who yet take upon them to be good and of a truly Divine Nature, and do therefore command their Worshippers to be just and holy, whilst in truth they have no care of Holiness and Virtue, but do studiously contrive the Ruin of Mankind. And in many other places of that admirable Book De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum, he excellently describes the malignant Temper of these Evil Spirits; so that tho' in the main he closely adheres to the Egyptian Theology, yet here he exactly treads in the Steps of his Master Porphyry, * Epist. ad Anabon. & de Abstin. l. 2. p. 199. who tells us, That there are a sort of Spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a deceitful Nature, who turn themselves into all Forms and Shapes, (the very Description, that is given of them in Sacred Writ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and taking upon themselves the Persons of good Daemons, craftily insinuate into their unwary Worshippers, that they are the Causes of all Good as well as of Evil, whereas indeed they assist Men in nothing that is really Good; but do only cheat, delude, and impose upon them, whilst they feast their Nostrils with the Fumes of the Altar, and make it their business to throw Rubs in their ways who walk in the Paths of Virtue. Proclus delivers the very same Doctrine: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says he, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Some, I know, would have these Earthly Daemons to be only good Spirits of an inferior Order, who constantly attended the Superior Deities; but if we consider that they took upon them these false Titles, and personated their Superiors only that they might the better delude their Worshippers, we must needs confess them to be of the other sort; especially since the Philosopher * In A'cibiadem. elsewhere fully explains himself, and in a whole Chapter abundantly lays open the Malignity of these Spirits, almost in the same Words, as those Christian Writers † Apol. c. 22. Tertullian ‖ In Octavio. Minut. Felix, and ** De Idolorum Vanitate. St. Cyprian have done. In short, †† De Abst. l. 2. & apud Iambl. de Mist. Egypt. sect. 1. c. 18. Porphyry distinguisheth the Daemons, which the Grecians worshipped, into Good and Bad; the Former they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; the Latter, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. And as though he had a mind to subvert the very Foundations of Ethnic Theology he no less dogmatically than truly asserts, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Singular Number, and he says with St. Paul, That what the Heathens thus sacrificed, they sacrificed to Devils, and not to God. From all which put together, it evidently appears, That the thinking Sages of the Heathen World had a clear and distinct Idea of the Malignity of some Evil Spirits; which we Christians know to be Apostate or Fallen Angels. 2. These wicked and malignant Daemons are permitted to wander up and down in the Earth. Minut. Felix tells us of Hosthanes, whom he calls the First of the Magis, that he delivered a tradition of some malignant Daemons, which wander to and fro in the Earth, and are Enemies to Mankind; and both the Jews, with most of the * Vide eruditissimum illum virum Josephum Mede l. 1. serm. 4. Fathers of the four first Centuries, and also the Pythagoreans and Platonists, and other Sects, have carried the Notion yet higher, affirming that not only the whole Circumference of this Lower World, but that likewise the several Regions of the Air, and all that Space above the Globe of the Earth to the Face of Heaven, is full of Daemons or Evil Spirits, who serve under their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Prince, and are commissioned and sent out by him to inveigle undiscerning Mortals into Ruin and Destruction. Thus the great * Sect. 4. cap. 13. Patron of the Egyptian Mysteries does not hesitate to assert, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that without all Controversy these Spirits have a vast and almost unlimited Power over the Affairs of Men, and in the Government of this World; and therefore † Sect. 2. cap. 3, 7. he indifferently calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Governors, Rulers of this World, who manage all Sublunary things as they please. And indeed, he seems here to stretch himself much beyond his Measure, and not to speak like an undisciplined, unilluminated Philosopher. For the Saviour of the World himself, who best knew what Power he had given to this Enemy of Mankind, * Joh. 12.31. styles him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the Prince of this World; and the great Apostle of the Gentiles advanceth yet farther, expressly † 2 Cor. 4.4. calling him, the God of this World: both which mighty Denominations sufficiently indicate, that the Devil is more than a petty Prince in this World. Nay in the sixth Chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, he delivers himself in such terms as seem to betray the Reading of the forecited Philosopher: Put on, says he, the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to repel all the Temptations and Stratagems, and to hold out against all the Assaults of your Adversaries; for your Danger is great, and your Enemies powerful; you wrestle not against Flesh and Blood, i. e. against any ordinary Human Enemies, but against the several Ranks of Devils, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, against Principalities, against Powers, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World, against spiritual Wickedness, or (as the ‖ Grotium videas, & Hammondum. Syriack reads) wicked Spirits in high places. Here, as the Reverend and Learned Dr. Hammond observes, Wicked Spirits in high places are distinguished from the Rulers of the Darkness of this World; noting thereby several sorts of Devils, either in respect of their Mansions, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, aerial or earthly Spirits; or else of the Inclinations which they suggest. The Earthly Devils suggesting grosser, carnal Appetites, the Filthiness of the Flesh; the Aerial, Pride, Vainglory, Malice, and such like, the Filthiness of the Spirit. But from the Consideration of the destructive and implacable Temper of these Spirits of Darkness, the truly Philosophical and most Thinking Pagans' (followed herein by some eminent and ancient * Vide Hermae Pastorem, lib 2. mandat 6. Edit. Ox. Christians) have been induced to believe, that every individual Person is not only the common Scope of their Envy and Malice; but that (as the Poet sings) Quisque suos patitur manes, every Man has likewise his peculiar Evil Angel, which constantly attends him, curiously observing his Faults, and endeavouring by all Arts and Stratagems to ruin and destroy him. Thus every Pythagorean had two Genii, a Good one and a bad one, the latter of which, Olympiodorus calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that Daemon which hales the Soul to Judgement, and which, he says, follows her into this World against her Will; whereas she chooseth her Good Genius to be her Leader and Guardian, and, as Plato speaks, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, an Accomplisher of all her Desires. Mahomet has adopted the same Doctrine into his Religion; telling us withal, That they sit on men's Shoulders with Table-Books in their Hands, and that the one writes down all the Good, the other all the Evil a Man does. But whatever we think of this, certain it is, That the Evil Spirits are not only permitted sometimes to tempt Men to bring Mischief upon themselves, but that many of the Disasters and Calamities which are brought upon the World, may also be attributed to the same pernicious Agents, Jamblicus was very sensible of this; and therefore he * Sect. 2. c. 7. calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, punishing or revenging Daemons; and for the same Reason the † Gallaeum consulas ad calcem Orac. Sibyl. Chaldaic Oracles style them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Earthly Dogs and Executioners of Mankind. ‖ De Abst. l. 2 pag. 198, 202. Porphyry is of the same Opinion; ascribing the Miseries of Humane Life, such as Plagues, Famines, Sterilities, Earthquakes, Droughts, to no other 'Cause than the Malice of these Daemons: and he is followed herein by Bodinus, who attributes not only all prodigious Thunders, Storms, and Tempests, but even your most ordinary Winds to Good or Bad Angels. Now tho' I can by no means subscribe to him in this Latitude, yet 'tis sufficiently evident from the History of Job, that as to the former Opinion, both he and the other Philosophers are much in the right. For * Cap. 1. there we find him both consuming the Good Man's Sheep and Servants with Lightning, and also by a great and violent Wind from the Wilderness, overturning the House upon his Sons and Daughters: † Psal. 78.49. Nay, the Royal Psalmist puts the Case beyond all reasonable Doubt; assuring us, That the dreadful and tragical Scene of multiplied Signs and Wonders in the Land of Egypt was acted by the Ministry of Evil Spirits. He cast upon them, says he, the Fierceness of his Anger, Wrath, and Indignation, and Trouble, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, by sending Evil Angels among them: And the Apostle seems to assert no less, when he ‖ Eph. 2.2. calls the Devil the Prince of the Power of the Air. But as 'tis certain, that the Devil is permitted sometimes actually to tempt Men, sometimes to amaze them only by the horrible Fragors of Storms and Tempests; so likewise 'tis evident, that he is a Person capable of a delegate Employment in some great Mutation of States: and many Probabilities have been observed by wise Personages, says the Excellent Bishop †† Great Exemplar, pag. 100 Taylor, persuading that the Grandeur of the Roman Empire was in the Degrees of Increment and Decrement permitted to the Power and Managing of the Devil; that the Greatness of that Government, being in all Appearance full of Advantage to Satan's Kingdom, and employed for the Disimprovement of the weak Beginnings and improbable Increase of Christianity, might give Lustre and Demonstration to it, that it came from God; since the great Permissions of Power made to the Devil, and acted with all Art and Malice in Defiance of the Religion, could produce no other effect upon it, but that it made it grow greater; and the Greatness was made more miraculous, since the Devil, when his Chain was off, fain would, but could not suppress it. But perhaps it may be here objected, That tho' we must confess, that before the Mysterious Incarnation of the Son of God the Devil had such vast Dominions in the World, that he seemed actually to have possessed what God promised to his Son, even the Heathen for his Inheritance, and the uttermost Parts of the Earth for his Possession; yet, since the Triumphant Ascension of our Blessed Saviour, we cannot suppose, without Contradiction to Sacred Writ, that he now retains any at all, since both * Joh. 12.31. Christ himself assures us, that he hath cast him out, and St. † Pet. 2.4. Peter expressly declares, that they are cast down to Hell, and delivered into Chains of Darkness to be reserved unto Judgement. To this we answer, Those bright Sons of the Morning, which grew vertiginous through the Sublimity of Happiness, and are most deservedly charged with Folly for leaving their own Habitations, are indeed bound over to Eternal Pains, and lie at present in a dark, miserable and wretched Condition. they be, they carry Hell in their Breasts, and read in their Consciences the large Characters of Divine Vengeance, consigning them over to Everlasting Woe and Misery. But Yet we must needs acknowledge, that 'tis abundantly evident, both from * Mat. 8.20. Mat 5.7. Luk. 8.31. Scripture and Reason, That their present Punishment, how dolorous and bitter soever, will be much heightened and increased after the Great Day of Accounts; so that tho' I will not deny, but that (as the Schoolmen and other Divines of Latter ●i●es would have it) many of these infernal Bands may be so closely committed to Prison, that they are never permitted to make Excursions into the Earth; yet, on the other side, we may dare to affirm, that the Alwise God does often suffer great Troops and vast Multitudes of them to come abroad into this World, either for the Trial of the Good, or for the Punishment of the Bad, or to be to us what the Remnant of the cursed Nations was, to the sinful Israelites, even Pricks in our Eyes, and Thorns in our Sides. And, if we impartially consider, neither this Text of St. Peter, nor the parallel one of St. Judas, do any thing evacuate or enervate this Assertion. For if they must needs be understood to prove such an actual condemning of the Devil to Chains at present, that he shall not come forth till haled to Judgement; if I say, the Sense of the Words must needs be this, we cannot allow them by any means to be true. For even when these Epistles where written, (which is supposed to have been a little before the Destruction of the Jews, his Dominions were large, and his Empire extensive. He did not only work powerfully in the Children of Disobedience, who were taken Captive by him at his Will, but had also began to Lord it over God's own Heritage. He was daily sowing Tares among the Wheat, and endeavouring to choke the good Seed, and to render it fruitless. Like an hungry Lion, he roared after the Prey, and began to glut his Jaws with the Blood of the slain; and upon this account, the Apostle, in my Text, warns the Christians to watch, and to be always upon their Guard against so potent and vigilant an Adversary. Though therefore the victorious Saviour of the World hath utterly divested these Evil Spirits of their Power, and made his Conquests over them publicly discernible to all Men, by throwing them out of their Temples, gagging and silencing them in their Oracles, and so dragging, as it were, Principalities and all the Powers of Darkness shackled and unarmed at the Wheels of his triumphant Chariot. Though, I say, since the towering Roman Eagle, which for many Ages had spread its all-conquering Wings over the trembling World, submitted herself, and gave place to the humble Sign of the Cross, the Sound of the Gospel is gone out into all Lands, and its Words unto the Ends of the World; so that the Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of the Lord, and almost all Nations do him Service; yet, Certain it is, that the Devil is not yet totally banished out of this World: For in the 23d Chap. of the Revelations and the 3d Ver. we have an account of a closer Imprisonment of Satan, and so of his Regiments of Evil Spirits, that shall be before the World's End, than is yet for sthe present; and 'tis also manifest from the * Sozom. Hist. l. 5. c. 19 p. 627. History of Primitive Times, that after the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, he was still permitted to be in the World. For even in the Times of Julian the Apostate, we find his Oracle yet standing; and 'twas the constant Custom of the Church, in the first Ages, to excommunicate, or, as S. Paul phraseth it, to deliver enormous and incorrigible Sinners to Satan, as to a Lictor or Executioner, who was wont to sift and shake them terribly, and by inflicting Diseases and Torments upon the Body, forced them to fly for Refuge to the Arms of their offended Father. Now therefore, we must indeed acknowledge with the † Rev. 12.9, 10, Inhabitants of Heaven, that Salvation and Strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of his Christ, is come unto us; for the great Dragon is cast out, that old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole World: He is cast out of his Strong-holds, and his Angels can no longer exercise their Tyranny in the Earth: But yet he still sitteth lurking in the thievish Corners of the World, and privily in his lurking Dens does he plot against the Innocent; his Eyes are wholly set against the Saints. Though his Hands are tied, and he is bound to his Good-behaviour; yet, as an Explorator or Searcher for faults, he goes up and down to and fro in the Earth. I know there are some, who will be ready to object, That this Relaxation of Evil-Spirits from their dark houses of Sorrow, can by no means consist with the Wisdom of God; For since his Justice condemned them to unspeakable and Eternal Torments, 'tis next to Madness (say they) to suppose, that he would suffer their Pains to receive any Diminution; which yet the Hurt which according to this Position they are sometimes permitted to do to Mankind, would certainly afford them. But this seeming Contradiction will be easily reconciled, if we consider, that the like Argument may be urged as well against the Absence of good Angels from the Court of Heaven. For since 'tis piously believed on all hands, that the Blessed Inhabitants of those serene and peaceful Mansions are now (the time of Probation being gone long ago) fully and unalterably confirmed in Happiness and Glory; how can we imagine, that their heavenly Father would be so unkind, as to deprive them of the Beatific Intuition of his interior Beauties, and, as it were, to banish his beloved Sons for a time from the Regions of Bliss? And yet we need not be beholden neither to the Egyptians nor to the Platonists for the Confirmation of this Truth; the Sacred History, more than once, assuring us, if they do not constantly adhere to, and inseparably accompany Good Men, yet that they often descended to secure them in their Dangers, and are also still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Ministering Spirits, sent forth to minister to them, who shall be heirs of Salvation. Wherefore, in Answer to this Objection, we may consider, That Kindness and Compassion are so twisted and interwoven (as I may so say) with the very Essences of these glorious Creatures, that 'tis Heaven to them to relieve and assist their Fellow-Servants here below; which being joined to that infinite Delight and Satisfaction, which they undoubtedly receive in the Execution of the Divine Will, makes abundant Recompense for the seeming Loss of that more plentiful Harvest of Joys which the Blessed reap in the Mansions above. And on the other side: The Evagation of Evil Spirits from their infernal Dungeon, must rather afford them fresh Occasions of Torture, than administer any true Solace or real Content. For so fierce and implacable, so insolent and outrageous, so envious and Eternally malicious, are these Sons of Perdition, that it must needs be Death to them to be frustrated in their Designs, and worse (if possible) than Hell itself, to see their Plots and Machinations all defeated and unravelled. How then must they fret and tear their Bowels for Grief, to find their weak Attempts trampled on in great Disdain and Triumph by the Regenerate Sons of Adam, who dwell securely under the Defence of the Most High, and abide continually under the Shadow of the Almighty? To see themselves sunk into so low and despicable a condition, that they are as light and contemptible as the Dust before the Wind, whilst the Angels of the Lord persecute and Scatter them? How must they be clothed with Shame, and Dishoour and Confusion of Face, to see those little Mists they endeavoured to raise, utterly dispersed and vanished, and the Glory of the Lord shining round about the World, and appearing out of Zion in perfect Beauty? But not to prosecute these Considerations any farther: The bare dismal Apprehensions of that accumulated Punishment, which after the Last Day they must certainly undergo for all the Evil they have done amongst Men, are sufficient to counterpoise whatever accidentary Satisfaction they seem to receive upon the Earth. I foresee but one Scruple more, that may arise against this Discourse; which is, That supposing Men were very well disposed to believe all we have said, yet those Antic, ridiculous Circumstances, which in the Narrations even of the gravest Personages do accompany many things of this nature, strongly argue the Uncertainty of them all. But, to this 'twill be sufficient to answer, with the Learned and Judicious Dr. * Appendix to the Antidote against Atheism, c. 12. par. 3. More, That the Conversation of Evil Spirits amongst us in this World ought to seem never the more incredible for those ludicrous Passages. For 'tis not at all disconsonant to Reason, that such Daemons, which have their Haunts near this lower Air and Earth, are variously † Hanc, opinor, ob causam audiunt apud S. Lucam c. 4. v. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & passim apud Ethnicos penates, Lares, Lamiaes, Empusae, Fauni, Satyri, Lemures, etc. lapsed into the enormous Love and Liking of the Animal Life, having utterly forsaken the Divine; and that therefore there are such Passions and Affections in them, as are in Wicked Men and Beasts; and that some of them especially bear the same Analogy to an Unfallen Angel, that an Ape or Monkey does to a Sober Man; so that all their Pleasure is in unlucky ridiculous Tricks. This (I am sure) is fully and clearly attested by * De Abst. lib. 2. Porphyry, † Orig. cont. Cells. l. 8. p. 417. & l. 7. p. 334. Celsus, Origen, St. Basil (or whoever else was the Author of that Commentary upon Isaiah) and others. Wherefore, 3. I come to show with what indefatigable Pains, and various Stratagems, they seek to Ruin Men, and with what Cruelty they treat them when they are delivered up into their hands. This sublunary Region indeed, which Man inhabits, is nothing else but a continued Scene of Changes and Revolutions. All things in this natural World are subject to Ebbs and Flows, and nothing is found in it that acts either uniformly or constantly. But the Devil's Malice is of another Constitution; it suffers no Intermissions, no Vicissitudes, but (like that stock of Motion which that great Mechanical Wit Descartes supposeth the Universe at first endowed with) it continues always in the same proportion, and is never intended or remitted. For tho' he may act more fiercely at one time than at another, yet certainly he pursues his Revenge in general with the same Earnestness and Vigour, and always wills our Ruin in the same measure of Volition. Hence it comes to pass, that having once gained Permission to begin his Assault, he, like Fire, has no Power to suspend his Act, but is as entirely determined by the Fullness of his Malice, as a Natural Agent by the Appetites of Nature. Thus, as though it had been a small thing to have caused infinite Numbers of the Heavenly Host to let fall their Crowns, and to have swept away with his Tail the third part of the Stars of Heaven, we find him in the way Infancy of the World, nay (if some say true) in the same Day wherein Man was Created, plotting and nontriving to ruin all Mankind in their Head. And tho' 'tis believed, for very good Reasons, that he could not, with all his Art and Subtilty, entice so much as the Impure and Debauched Posterity of Cain to Idolatry before the Flood; yet we are too well assured, that he laid the Foundations of his Empire very early in the World. For Historians say, that even in the time of Heber, who was the fifth from Noah, Idolatry began mightily to prevail; these Hellish Impostors giving Answers through the Images, which Men generally carved to themselves in Memory of their Ancestors, and to which, upon all Occasions, they addressed themselves with the most solemn Veneration. And from thence, how imperious and domineering, how haughty, arrogant, and cruel, how tyrannical and intolerable, he showed himself to his Worshippers, till Christianity appeared in the World, all Histories, both Sacred and Profane, do abundantly testify. Having exalted himself above all that is called God, and (the Jews excepted) rendered the whole Creation subject to Vanity, he sat himself Lordly in the House of God, acting there like himself, the grand Chief of the Damned. He sent Miseries and Calamities upon the Theatre of the World for his Sport and Pastime, and set on one part of the Creation to bait another for his Diversion. Like the immane Roman Emperors, he took Pleasure to exercise Men with Dangers, and to see them play bloody Prizes before him. Neither thousands of Rams, nor ten thousands of Rivers of Oil, could satisfy the raging Thirst or Boulimy of this ravenous Wolf. He must needs tear in pieces the more excellent Prey, and take his Pastime in Rivers of Human Blood. Thus in Crete and afric under the Name of Saturn he glutted his Ears with the last Groans and dismal Accents, and his devouring Jaws with the tender Carcases of slaughtered Infants. Thus in Cyprus, Tenedos, and Lacedaemonia; in Carthage, France, and Germany; in Arabia, Scythia, Egypt, and Rome itself, he made himself drunk with the Blood of Men; which is attested not only by those Christian Writers * Apol. c. 9 Tertullian and † Divin. Institut. l. 1. c. 21. Lactantius, but likewise by that acute Philosopher and Enemy to Christianity ‖ De Abst. l. 2. p. 226. Porphyry; who, after he had reckoned up in how many places of the World Human Sacrifices were in use, confesses 'twas done at Rome in the Feast of Jupiter Latialis even in his time. Nay, as tho' the Air had been corrupted, and Men by natural Breathing drew in the Infection, this Contagion spread itself as far as the House of God, and the Holy Land itself was defiled with Blood. Not only Aliens and Strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel, but even God's own peculiar People, was so bewitched and besotted, as both to adore the Sun, when it shined, and the Moon when she walked in her brightness, (which itself was an Iniquity to be punished by the Judge) and also to inflame themselves with Idols under every green Tree, and to offer their Sons and their Daughters unto Devils. Thus tho' his ambitious Designs were balked in the Beginning, and he fell with all his Legions, like Lightning, from Heaven; tho' he could not be like the Most High in Glory, nor erect his Throne next to the Almighty; yet he vaunted himself here amongst the deluded Sons of Men, and by his Villainies, Sophistries, and Arts of Terror, affrighted them into the Worship and Adoration of his Person. Yet even then (so great is the Pride, and Unbounded the Malice of this cursed Arch-Daemon) as though Crowns and Sceptres, and all the Tributary Princes and Potentates of the Earth had been too little; as though the Glory of so much Power, and the infinite multitude of Slaves and Vassals availed him nothing at all, whilst good Mordecai bowed not, nor did him Reverence, he was restless and dissatisfied, and with haughty Haman impatiently sought his Ruin. He repined at those peaceable, Haltionian Days which under the kind influence of Heaven pious Souls did enjoy, and whom Providence hedged in he chief longed to devour. This is fully illustrated in the Instance of Job, where, as soon as God had permitted to put forth his hand, and touch all that he had, how did he muster up all the Mischiefs Hellish Malice could invent, and with greater Eagerness than that of an Eagle or Vulture, seize upon the Prey? He plundered him in his Estate (says the Reverend and Learned Dr. * Patriarchal Dispensation. Cave) by the Sabaean and Chaldaean Freebooters, who left him not an Ox or Ass of all his Herd, not a Sheep or a Lamb either for Food or Sacrifice. He endeavoured all he could to blot out his Name from under Heaven, having slain his seven Sons and three Daughters at once by the Fall of an House. He blasted him in his Credit and Reputation, and that by his nearest Friends, who had traduced and challenged him for a Dissembler and an Hypocrite. He ruin'd him in his Health, having smitten him with sore Ulcers from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, till his Body became a very Hospital of Diseases. Nay, that not the least Dawnings of Consolation might peep through this black Cloud of Sorrow and Anguish, besides those ghastly Spectacles and horrid Apparitions whereby he infested his * Cap. 7. ver. 14. Dreams, he suggested to his † Cap. 6. ver. 4. waking Thoughts sad and uncomfortable Reflections; the Arrows of the Almighty being shot within him, the Poison whereof drank up his Spirits, the Terrors of God setting themselves in Array against him. And thus, for at least twelve Months, say the Jews, probably for a much longer time, did this grand Engineer of all Mischief wreek his Hellish Malice upon this Good Man, till God in Mercy put a Period to this tedious Trial, and crowned his Sufferings with an ample Restitution. But if we ascend from these Times to the first Planting of the Gospel, we shall find him yet more eagerly prosecuting all Acts of Hostility; possessing men's Bodies, tormenting them with sundry kinds of Diseases, and endeavouring, if possible, to break the very Golden Chain of Predestination. Now that dreadful Woe, which the * Rev. 12.10, 12. Angel with a loud Voice denounced from Heaven against the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea, was fulfilled: for the Devil was come amongst Men having great Wrath, because he had but a short time. He saw the Prophecies were all fulfilled; that the Sceptre was departed from Judah, and a Lawgiver from between his Feet; that therefore Shiloh was suddenly to come, unto whom the gathering of all People should be. He saw, that his Coming was now grown, not only the Expectation of the Jews; but the common discourse too of all the Heathen Nations. That there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as St. Cyril says of him, a great and eminent Harbinger, who in the Power and Spirit of Elias introduced and ushered in the Arrival of this Son of Righteousness, and spoke great and glorious things of this Son of God. Wherefore, not to mention his persecuting him, a poor helpless Infant by jealous Herod, nor yet to re-mind you of those many Troubles, which he afterwards created him from the hypocritical, ambitious, bloodthirsty Pharisees; that he might leave no stone unturned, nothing unattempted, whereby he might compass his Designs, he impudently attacks the Redeemer of the World himself, and perceiving him to be a Person of greater Sanctity and Perfection, than to be moved by sensual and low Desires, he thought Ambition might be most likely to Ruin him, since 'twas that, which prevailed so powerfully upon himself; and accordingly the Dominions of the World are offered to the Sovereign Disposer of them, and the Heir of all the Kingdoms of the Earth is tempted to accept of his own, at the expense of falling down, and worshipping the Devil. Which brings me to the other part of this my Third Particular, which is, to observe, what various Ways and Methods this cunning Serpent takes to entrap us. When the Devil intends a Battery, he views the Strength and Situation of the Place; and where he espies the weakest Guards, there he most vigorously makes his Onset. True it is, that in our Saviour he could have no such Advantage; but how Fatal it has proved to his Spouse, the Church, no Man, that justly glories in the Title of a Christian, can be ignorant. He stirred up Kings and Princes, and the greatest Powers and Policies of the World, to confederate and combine together to extirpate and banish it from off the Face of the Earth. By Arms and Armies, by Strength and Subtlety, by Malice and Cruelty, he endeavoured to stifle and smother it in its Infancy and first Delivery into the World. But when he found, that, notwithstanding all this Opposition, it still lifted up its Head in triumph, and outbraved the fiercest Storms of the most violent Persecutions; that neither Swords, nor Axes, nor Crosses, nor wild Beasts, nor Chains, nor Fire, nor all other Instruments of the most exquisite Tortures could prevail any thing at all; but that, as he complainingly tells Porphyry, they might as well, and to better purpose, attempt to write upon the Surface of the Water, or to fly like a Bird in the Air, than to reduce the Christian from his Sentiments, and compel him to blaspheme, he immediately betakes himself to other Counsels, and seeks to undermine that Faith, which he saw he could not carry by open Assault and Battery. And how successfully he thus worked in God's Vineyard, the many Heresies, which grew up together with the Gospel, do sufficiently demonstrate. But to pass from Universals to Particulars, from Communities of Men to Individuals: Let us through all the intermediate Ages retreat to the Origin of the World, and we shall find him even then giving a full and convictive Evidence of that Craft and Subtlety which he exercised more at large in Succeeding Generations. He beheld our first Father entertaining his Wife with the fondest Caresses of too amorous a Fancy; and therefore by the Mediation of so dear an Object he presents the Temptation. He knew that his Arguments were not convincing of themselves, and therefore the beauteous hands of the young Virgin-Mistress are made the Orators. Thus afterwards in the ears of envious Saul he Sounded the glorious Panegyrics of his Rival, and suggested to his remiss and unguarded Successor the softer Whispers of the Spirit of Fornication. Before young Beginners in Religion he displays a frightful Scene of ensuing Difficulties; that 'tis a solitary, lonesome, melancholy Profession, under whose baleful Influence nothing but Roots of Bitterness, can spring up. He insinuates into their Heads, that God is a consuming Fire to all alike; that he is busied in Heaven, not only to destroy the Wicked, and to dash in pieces Vessels of Dishonour, but likewise to break the bruised Reed, and to cast smoking Flax into the Flames of Hell. He suggests to them, that Christ is a hard Task Master; who tho' he very well knows, that our Foundation is in the Clay, yet unreasonably obligeth us to the Work of Angels, and to the Performances of the most Exalted and Beatifyed Spirits: That though the Law is prescribed to Persons whose Varieties and different Constitutions cannot be regular or uniform, yet he allows no Latitude of Performance, but unmercifully binds us all to just Atoms and Points. And thus by opening his Mouth in Blasphemy against God, and by pretending to speak peaceably to Men; by deterring them either with the pretended Difficulties of Religion, or by blowing up their new-kindled Zeal into Superstition; in short, by all the Arts, which either his Hellish Malice or Policy can invent he labours to ruin the Children of Men; so that if the overruling hand of Providence had not put a Hook into the Nostrils of this Leviathan, the Foundations of the Intellectual, as well as of the Natural World, had long since been out of course. Which brings me to my Fourth and Last Particular, which is, to show, tho' he has Malice enough to destroy us all, yet that he cannot do us the least Mischief, unless God permits him. 4. 'Tis the Opinion, I confess, of the Learned Part of the World, that the Strength and Natural Faculties of this Prince of Darkness are nothing diminished or impaired by his Fall; but, that he still glories in the same Power, which swelled him with so much Pride, as to say in his Heart, I will ascend into Heaven; I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God; I will sit upon the sides of the North; I will ascend above the Heights of the Clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet this ought not to discourage the weakest of us; for let his Strength be what it will, and his Malice so great, that (as the Queen of Sheba said of Solomon's Wisdom and Prosperity) the half of it has not been told us; yet we are sure that he has his Bounds and Limits prescribed him; and that as Jamblichus comfortably remarks, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, there is one God, who overrules all the Legions of malignant Daemons. For this we have the Confession of the Devil himself: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Haec, aliaque hujusmodi oracula referuntur à Porphyrio, Proclo, Ethnicisque aliis; nonnulla etiam à Lactantio. Videas item Gallaeum, qui hoc oraculum habet ad calcem Sibyl. pag. 43. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The Daemons, says he, which wander about the Earth, how unruly and ungovernable soever, are tamed by the Scourge of God's Rod. And how truly he spoke, the History of Job, and of the Herd of Swine make manifest and apparent: There we see they could not so much as enter the filthy Swine, till Christ had given them leave; nor touch a Hair of that good Man, till permitted from above; so that what that afflicted Saint says in another Case, is verified in this: That hitherto indeed he may come, but no farther, and here shall his proud Rage be stayed. From what has been thus discoursed I shall now briefly deduce two or three Corollaries, and conclude. 1. Then, Let us consider, what End and Design God has in suffering these Enemies of Mankind to be abroad in the Earth; and since we shall find, that he leads us through this great and terrible Wilderness, wherein are fiery Serpents and Scorpions, that he may humble us, and that he may prove us, to do us Good at our Latter End, let us never frustrate such gracious Purposes, nor provoke him by our Continuance in sin to let us fall into the hands of these Enemies, who already distress us in our very Gates. The Arrows of the Lord are every where in the Earth, and shall not the Inhabitants of the World learn Righteousness? If we have any real Love for ourselves, any Concern for our true and main Interest, let us open our Ears to Discipline, and presently return from all our Iniquities. For we shall not serve God for nought; He will make an hedge about us and about our House, and about all that we have, on every side; His Hand shall hold us fast, and his Arm shall strengthen us, so that the Enemy shall not be able to do us violence, nor these wicked Spirits approach to hurt us. Not to hurt us therefore I say, because tho' he permit them to cast us into the Furnace of Affliction, yet he does it only to refine and purify us from our Dross. He may use them as sharp and cutting Instruments, but then 'tis with this merciful Design of letting out our Corruption. In short, However they may sometimes seem to triumph over us in this World, yet certainly there will be an End, and our Expectations shall not be cut off. When Death shall draw back the Curtain, the Face of things shall be utterly changed. Then shall the Righteous Man stand in great boldness before the face of such as afflicted him, and made no account of his Labours; and they shall say within themselves: This is he whom we had sometime in Derision and a Proverb of Reproach; we Fools endeavoured to make his Life Madness, and to cause his End to be without Honour; but how, in spite of all our Malice, is he numbered among the Children of God; and whilst we are condemned to Everlasting Torments, His lot is among the Saints? 2. Since we are besieged on every side by such potent, subtle, and treacherous Enemies, let us take care to be always upon our Guard; and since our Journey is dangerous, and our Way slippery, let him that thinks he stands surest, take continual heed lest he fall. The latter Platonists indeed talk much of a Class of Being's, called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Unites, Goodnesses, Minds or Intellects, which they suppose to be as Essentially immutable as the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness or shadow of turning; but we have not so learned Christ. And tho' I cannot deny, but that as some Men, for a long, obstinate uninterrupted abuse of God's Grace, are at last justly given up to their own Hearts Lusts, and suffered with the utmost bent of their Souls to follow their own Imaginations; so the Analogy of Reason seems to require, that others, who in spite of all Opposition, have for a long time manfully resisted the Devil, and in the midst of Temptations faithfully adhered to the Commandments of God, should at length be so firmly established with his Free Spirit, that they should never be moved, but become burning Lamps to give constant Light in the Temple of God: yet since no Man, no not the Chosen Vessels and chiefest Favourites of Heaven, could scarce ever assure themselves of so happy a State, but were perpetually forced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, to use Roughness to their Bodies, and to keep them in Subjection, lest after all, they should become Castaways; I think it highly concerns every one of us to keep our Souls diligently, to lift up the hands that hang down, and to strengthen the feeble Knees, to hold fast that which we have, that neither Man nor Devil deprive us of our Crown. Lastly, Let us look up to Heaven, and with Hearts full of Joy and Gratitude bless that God to whom alone we own the Happiness of all those Hours and Days of Peace, in which we sit securely under our Vines, and eat the pleasant Fruit of our Figtrees, and see no Serpent winding his voluminous Trunk about the Branches, and presenting us with fair Fruit to ruin us. 'Tis the Lord's doing, that we have the Quietness of a Minute, and it ought to be marvellous in our Eyes; for if he had not put a Bit into our Enemy's Mouth, but should suffer him cruelly to fall upon us, he would render us of all things in the World the most miserable. Our Tables would become a Snare to us, our Beds a Torment, our Dreams fantastic, lustful, and illusive. Every Sense should have its Object of Delight and Danger, an Hyaena to kiss, and to perish in its Embraces. How strongly then are we obliged to adore the Lord, by whom cometh Salvation, and to Love and Praise that God by whom we escape Death? Who out of the Abundance of his overflowing Goodness, miraculously rescues us from the base and miserable Slavery of these Evil Spirits into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God? O how plentiful, may we say with the Royal * Psal. 31. ver. 21. Psalmist, is his Goodness, which he hath laid up for them that fear him; and that he hath prepared for them that put their Trust in him, even before the Sons of Men! Tho' they walk in the dark and gloomy Valleys of the Shadow of Death, and are encompassed by Enemies on every side, yet by his infinite Mercy and abundant Grace, he turns them from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto the Living God. Wherefore to him who is thus able to keep us from falling, and notwithstanding all the malicious Attempts of our Ghostly Enemies, to present us faultless before the Presence of his Glory with exceeding Joy; To the only wise God, Our Saviour, be Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power, now and ever. Amen. COLOS. iii. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the Earth. THAT 'tis our Interest, as well as Duty, to set our Affection on things above, not on things on the Earth, I shall (without any preliminary Discourse) briefly evince from these following Reasons. I. Because they only are proportioned to the utmost Capacity of the Soul, and consequently they only can yield her true Satisfaction; whereas all things here are vain, insufficient, empty, and unsatisfying. II. Because they only are Permanent, Sure, and Certain; whereas all things here are frail, short, and uncertain. III. Because they only refine and spiritualise our Nature, widen and enlarge our Faculties, and so fit and prepare us for the spiritual and abstracted Entertainments of an Immortal and Divine Life; whereas all things here degravate and weigh down the Soul, reach out to her that Cup of Oblivion, which makes her forget her own Nature and Excellencies, and ingloriously to take up with the enjoyments of Brutes. 1. 'Tis our Interest, as well as Duty, to set our Affection on things above, not on things on the Earth, because they only are proportioned to the utmost Capacity of the Soul, and consequently they only can yield her true Satisfaction; whereas all things here are vain, insufficient empty, and unsatisfying. Whoever diligently attends to the Workings of his own Mind, and seriously considers the Bent, Appetites, and Inclinations of his Soul, will soon find her to be of so exalted a Nature, that not all the Good of the Creation, tho' amassed together and fully enjoyed, would be able to terminate her Desires, to employ the whole Activity of her Love, to fix her entire weight, or to detain and give Anchorage to her boundless Aspirations. The voluptuous Epicurean (whatever he pretends) can never satisfy the Cravings of his Soul with Corporeal Pleasure, nor the most Quintessential Stoic find an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a Selfsufficiency and Tranquillity within his Breast, arising out of the Pregnancy of his own Mind and Reason. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Our Souls have strong and weighty Motions, and nothing can bear them up, but something permanent and immutable. They Sink through all these present Entertainments, as a Stone does through a watery Medium, till at length it happily arrives to its own proper Centre. They may indeed enjoy so much of this or that particular Object, as to desire no more of it; but then their Desires are still running out after some other Objects; and when they have obtained and enjoyed them too, they still remain as dissatisfied as before. The Eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the Ear with hearing, says * Eccles. 1.8. Solomon. Tho' they are the widest of all the Senses, and can take in more abundance with less Satiety, and serve more immediately for the Supplies of the Rational Soul; yet a Man's Eye strings may even crack through Vehemency of Poring, and his Ears be filled with all the Variety of the most exquisite Sounds, Harmonies, and Lectures in the World; and after all, his Soul within him be as greedy to see and hear more as it was at first. Hence arise Distractions of Heart, anxious and carking Thought for to Morrow; Rovings and Inquisitions of the Soul after infinite Varieties of earthly things; sparklings of the Lust; Swarms of Endless Thoughts; those Ebb and Flow, those Tempers and Aestuations of that Sea of Corruption in the Heart of Man, because the Soul can find no Centre here to rest upon, nothing large enough for the Entertainments of so ample and so endless a Guest. In short, We may (I confess) refresh ourselves with the Excellencies of the Creatures, and discover such variety of Sweetness and Beauty in their Natures, as will plentifully entertain us with delightsome Speculations. But for pure Rest and Peace, for plenary Acquiescence and Termination of Desires, 'tis no no where (as I have * Doctrine of a God, and Provide. Vindicat. & Assert. p. 36, 37. elsewhere shown at large) to be found within the whole Latitude of the Creation. Nay, This is confirmed by the ingenuous Confession of One, who was the most Experienced of all the Sons of Adam for Enquiry, the most wise for Contrivance, the most wealthy for compassing all Earthly Delights: Who, many years sifted out the finest Flour, and tortured Nature to extract the most exquisite Spirits, the purest Quintessence, which all the Varieties of earthly Delights could afford. Who yet at last had nothing better to say of them all, than that they were Vanity and Vexation of Spirit. I have seen ( * Eccles. 1.14. says he) all the works that are done under the Sun, and behold All is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit. This (I say) is our case with all these present Entertainments: They smilingly offer themselves to our Embraces, and deceitfully promise us all the Satisfaction our Hearts can desire. But when we have once taken them into our Arms, they immediately fade and pine away in our very Embraces, and leave the Soul weeping and disconsolate for her unexpected Disappointment. But now 'tis quite otherwise with the things that are above. No sooner does the Soul pass from her dark Prison into the Mansions of Light and Glory; but in that Paradise of God, where happy Spirits sit down by immortal Streams, entertaining themselves with Songs of Love and Praise, she finds perfect Satisfaction and Termination of all her desires. Having joined herself to God (to speak Platonically) as a Centre to a Centre, she rests there with full Acquiescence and Complacency. Whatsoever is beautiful and glorious, whatsoever is fair, lovely, and harmonious in the Face of Nature, she contemplates in the most eminent manner in her Beloved, the Unfoldings of whose Beauty discover to her such Causes of Joy, of Transports, of Ecstasies and Ravishment of Spirit, that all her Faculties overflow with Joy and Everlasting Gladness. Which brings me to my Second Consideration, which is to show, that 'tis our Interest, as well as Duty, to set our Affections on things above, not on things on the Earth, because They only are permanent, sure, and certain; whereas all things here are frail, short, and uncertain. 2. Now tho' we were born with all the Advantages of an healthful Body and of a cheerful Spirit, and blest with all the Circumstances of Success and Fortune: yet when we have compassed all our Projects, when we are happy (if possible) to the utmost of our Capacities, when all things conspire to complete our Felicity, the most pleasant Prospect we can take from this highest pitch of humane Happiness, is the gloomy Regions of approaching Death and Darkness. The Fatal Sword hangs perpetually over our Heads, and tho' it may possibly hover there for some time, it cannot be long, before it fall, and cut off the Thread of Life, and so put a final period to all our Mirth and Happiness. 'Tis the irreversible Decree of Heaven, that after a short, mushroom Life, we return into Dust and Silence; and that, when we have floated up and down a few Minutes upon the troublesome Waves of this tempestuous World, we disappear, and Sink back into the grave and bottomless Dungeons of Oblivion. Nay perhaps, whilst we are dancing upon these restless Waves, some violent Accident may prevent the Work of Nature, and suddenly crush the Bubble into its original Nothing. In short, All those Differences, which now so much distinguish the several sorts of Men, must ere long expire, and the Ashes of the Deformed and Beautiful, of the Learned and Ignorant, of the Honourable and Base, lie intermingled together. The Crowns of Kings, and the Shackles of the Prisoners, the Robes of Princes and the Rags of Beggars, the Gallants Bravery and the Peasants Russet, the Statists Policy, the Courtier's Luxury, the Soldier's Gallantry, and the Scholars Curiosity, must all, ere long, be laid aside in the Melancholy Retirements of the Grave. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. M. Anton. ad Stips. lib. 5. c. 8. p. 135. What then is there in all this World that deserves our Care? What worthy the Thoughts, the Love, the Embraces of an immortal Soul? Alas! were these Things never so good and satisfactory in themselves, yet this single Consideration of their Shortness and Uncertainty, would (like a Moth fretting a Garment) cause all their Beauty to consume away, and constrain the Wise and thinking Few to pronounce them Vanity. But as the Things that are seen, these present Entertainments of Sense, are Temporal; so the Things that are not seen, those Glories, Crowns, and Sceptres, that expect us in the other World are Eternal. Heaven is an Eternal Sabbath, the Saints Everlasting Rest. Their Inheritance is not only Undefiled, but incorruptible likewise, and such, as fadeth not away. There they Labour no more, Sin no more, Sorrow no more; but, secure of the Everlasting Fruition of those Unutterable Glories bask themselves in the pleasant Rivers of overflowing Felicity. Their Crowns are set with the invaluable and sparkling Diamonds of Immortality; Their Glory is immarcessible, and suffers no Eclipse; and they follow the Lamb in white Robes, and shine like the Stars in the Firmament for Ever and Ever. O come then, thou bright and Everlasting Day, and break in upon these sad benighted Souls of ours! Put an End to this toilsome, this wearisome State, and take us into the possession of thine own Rest and Peace; that these superficial, fallacious Pleasures may never beguile us more, but we securely Sabbatise in the Kingdom of God, the Eternal Comprehensions of Celestial Glory. 3. 'Tis our Interest, as well as Duty, to set our Affection on things above, not on things on the Earth, because They only refine and spiritualise our Nature, widen and enlarge our Faculties, and so fit and prepare us for the spiritual and abstracted Entertainments of an immortal and Divine Life; whereas all things here degravate and weigh down the Soul, reach out to her that Cup of Oblivion, which makes her forget her own Nature and Excellencies, and ingloriously to take up with the Enjoyments of Brutes. When the deluded Soul is once taken Captive by the superficial, false glozing Excellencies of temporary Objects, and suffers herself to be lulled asleep in the Lap of sensual Enjoyments, they immediately spoil her of her Strength and Beauty, and betray her into the hands of her immortal Enemies. They entirely shave off those golden Locks, which rendered her at once invincible and comely, and by clipping her radiant and sublimating Wings, confine her to the lower Regions of Sense and Materiality. Nay, by the delusive Strains of their Magical Songs they so effectually steal away and inchant her Affections, that she grows utterly unmindful of her Relations above, and resigns herself wholly to their unequal Embraces. Her noble Aspirations, which could easily ascend above the utmost Limits of corruptible Nature into the boundless Habitations of immortal Blessedness, like heavy terrene Exhalations, arise now no higher than the Regions of Sense; and all the rational and delicious Entertainments of abstracted Contemplations give way to the vile, impure suggestions of an earthly, sensual, and brutish Imagination. In short, They so vastly decline her from her true and natural Point, and sink her so low into the loathsome Faeculencies of the material World, that (as tho' 'twas the Perfection of her Nature to be subservient to the Body, and uninterruptedly to enjoy the beggarly Delights and Gratifications of Sensuality) she openly Prosecutes the exalted Entertainments of the Divine Life with all the Expressions of Rudeness and Disdain, and shamelessly chooseth that for her Portion and Inheritance, which is the particular and discriminating Curse of the Serpent: Upon thy Belly shalt thou go, and Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. But now as the scanty disproportionate Enjoyments of Sense naturally debase and impoverish the Soul, so do the Contemplation of spiritual Objects unconceivably improve and enlarge all her Faculties. As when Moses conversed with his most glorious Maker, and the attending Myriads of Holy Ones upon Mount Sinai, he derived upon his Face such Reflections of their Beauty, such bright and vivid Irradations of their excellent Glory, that the Children of Israel could not look steadfastly upon it; so when we frequently meditate upon the noble and exalted Being's of the other World, they naturally dilate and expand all our Faculties, sublimate and brighten our enlarged Spirits, till they appear like those of their own Company, Beautiful and Majestic, as the Sons of the Morning. They raise such importunate and insatiable Desires, such towering and seraphic Aspirations in the Soul, as will acquiesce and terminate only in the blissful Enjoyments of the Supreme Good, the everlasting Fruition of his incomprehensible Glory. The best Enjoyments, the noblest Entertainments this World can afford, savour of nothing now but Dung and Filthiness to their Palates, which can relish nothing but the Dew of Heaven, the spiritual Manna, the Food of Angels, those pure and divine Joys which refresh the Saints above for evermore. And thus whereas the Degenerate Soul, which is clogged with the Propensions of the Animal Life, needs no angry Cherub with a flaming Sword to keep her unhallowed hands from off the Tree of Life, her own corrupted Nature (as the excellent Pythagorean and Academic have long since observed) being utterly uncapable of the Joys of Heaven; this enlarged and purified Soul, on the contrary, is duly qualified for the noblest Entertainments of that exalted State. From the Suitableness and Congruity of her Faculties with the Objects, she will sweetly centre upon those intellectual Pleasures, and most amply spend all her Powers upon the Infinite and Essential Goodness, as upon her most proper Object, the End of her Being, the Author and Finisher of her Happiness and Glory. In a word, She will go away from her earthly Tabernacle ready tuned to the Music of Heaven, in the first moment of her Entrance skilfully strike in with the Quires of Angels, and harmoniously raise her Voice to the Songs of Zion. Thus you have my Reasons which enforce the Exhortation in the Text. I shall now briefly deduce from them two or three practical Inferences, and conclude. 1. Then, You have seen how vain, insufficient, empty, and unsatisfying all the Profits and Pleasures of this World are: that the whole Earth, tho' changed into one Paradise, would not be able to yield the Soul Satisfaction; and likewise if it could, that she is not certain of enjoying it one minute. Let this Consideration then teach us to pray with the Excellent * Vide Simplicii Orationem apud Jamblichum ad calcem notarum. Edit. Ox. eandem videas ad finem Epicteti. Philosopher, That we may know ourselves, and not devote our Exalted Nature to the empty Gaieties of these momentary Bubbles; but apply our Minds constantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, to the glorious Realities of the other World, the substantial Entertainments of Life and Immortality. Let it remind us (I say) not to trust in these uncertain Riches, these broken Reeds, these slender Stays of Vanity, these Impertinencies, Dreams, and Nothings; but to lay up our Treasures in Heaven, those secure and everlasting Storehouses, where no Thief approacheth, nor Moth corrupteth, nor Death, which blasts all our Enjoyments here, interposeth; but we shall reign Kings and Princes with our God for ever and ever. Let it warn us to be perpetually mindful of our Mortality, and humbly and diligently to wait all the days of our appointed time, till our Change come. In a word, Let it oblige us to forget those things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, to press with all possible Vehemence towards the Mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. 2. You have seen how great and glorious the Rewards that expect us in the other World are; that they are both proportioned to the utmost Capacity of the Soul, and also will be enjoyed to all Eternity. Do not you then long for this happy state? and sigh and desire ardently with St. Paul to be dissolved, and to be with Christ? * My Father, and Mr. John Gregory, in his posthumous Discourse of the Morality of the Sabbath, pag. 101. Here (as says a Blessed Author) you have hard Working-days, sore Labour and Travel under the Sun. The Devil assaults you, the World hates you, your own evil Hearts many times distress you, and crazy Bodies discourage you. We are all here clouded with Sin and Misery, and ah! our Vileness is upon us. Let us then bear up our Souls upon the loftiest Wing of Divine Contemplation, and follow our Ascending Lord above this Darkness and miserable Habitations into the radiant Mansions of his Father's House, the Kingdom of Glory. Let us meditate Day and Night upon that blessed time, when we shall have our Feet upon the Top of Mount Zion, and rejoice in the Felicity of his Chosen, the unfolded and essential Glories of his Divine Countenance, which are too bright for our mortal Faculties, and which none can see and live. When we shall give Thanks with his Inheritance, the blessed Societies of Saints and Angels, and everlastingly enjoy the delicious Repasts of Anthems and Allelujahs: in short, upon the infinite Transports and Ravishments of the Soul in the secure and everlasting Fruition of the Divine Love, upon the mutual Endearments and Caresses of Immortal Spirits, and upon all those glorious things which are spoken by him who made and fully understands them, of the City of God. Let us frequently and seriously (I say) contemplate these things, and they will most assuredly so influence our Wills, and fan the Flame of our Affections, that we shall become perfectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, dead to ourselves, and to all the luscious Relishes of the sensual Nature, continually tending upwards with importunate Reaches towards heavenly Objects. Then we shall be sufficiently encouraged to take up the Cross of Christ, and willingly and cheerfully undergo all the Afflictions and Tribulations of this Life; well knowing, that the Sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed in us; this light Affliction, which is but for a moment, working for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, an infinitely more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory. Lastly, As our future Happiness proceeds from the Vision of God, so you have seen, that without Holiness no Man can see him. Let this then excite us to form and fashion the Frame of our Minds into a Likeness and Affinity with our Blessed Maker. Let it oblige us to prepare ourselves for the Intuition of his Beauty, to purify ourselves as he is pure, and to purge, refine, and spiritualise our Nature, that we may be qualified for the Possession of our proper Centre, our home and native Region, the Highest Heaven. Let it lead our awakened Souls to the Divine Goodness and Philanthropy for the Regulation of their disorderly and tumultuous Appetites, and induce them humbly and intensely to pray at the Throne of Grace, that they may perfect Holiness in the Fear of God. For when we thus sincerely desire to shake ourselves from the Dust, to arise, and put on our beautiful Garments, and to see the King in his Beauty, the Glory of the Lord will be revealed to us, and we shall certainly behold the Excellency of our God. As the Bridegroom rejoiceth over the Bride, solacing himself in the ardent and dear Reciprocations of her Love, so will our God rejoice over us. He will be in the midst of us, he will save us, he will rejoice over us with Joy: He will rest in his Love, he will rejoice over us with Singing. He will take away all our Dross, and for his Name's sake purify and cleanse the Corruptions of our Nature, until the Righteousness thereof go forth as Brightness, and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth. In a word, He will vouchsafe us the most gracious Visitations and Elapses of his Holy Spirit, and never leave letting himself down into us, till he has quite loosened us from Sin and from ourselves, and wrought us up into such a blessed Uniformity with the Divine Nature, as will make us meet for his amiable Dwellings, the City of Righteousness, where we shall joyfully mention the loving Kindnesses of the Lord, and be for ever delighted with the Abundance of his Glory. Which God, of his Infinite Mercy, grant, etc. HEBREWS two. 3. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great Salvation? IN handling these Words, I shall endeavour to show, 1. The Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ; and 2. Our Inexcusableness and the intolerable Aggravations of our Gild and Punishment, if we neglect it. That so either common Gratitude in reflecting upon the infinite Condescensions of Divine Love may draw us, or at least the Terrors of the Lord may affright us into Obedience. For how shall we escape, if we neglect so great Salvation? I. I am to show the greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ. And this appears, 1. From the Consideration of the Greatness and Majesty of the Person undertaking it. Now 'twas not any one of the Patriarches, who were burning and shining Lights in their Generations. 'Twas not Moses, nor one of the Prophets, by whom in times past he spoke unto the Fathers; But when the Fullness of the time was come God dealt with us, as the Lord of the Vineyard did with his Husbandmen; last of all sending even his own Son to be his Ambassador to Mankind. His own Son, from whom by the Spirit all those Divine Teachers, which from the Beginning of the World to his Birth went before him in the Flesh, received their Power and Commission. Of whom Moses and the Prophets were only Types, Forerunners and Shadows; Figures, Ministers and Substitutes, to prepare and enable the World by degrees to receive this great Mystery of Godliness, God manifested in the Flesh: this last and universal Declaration of Life and Immortality brought to light in his Gospel. His own Son, who is his only-Begotten, Coessential and Coeternal with himself, the Heir of all things, the Lord of Glory, the very Brightness of his Father's Glory, the Express Image of his Person, full of Grace and Truth. His own Son, * Col. 1.16, 17. by whom were all things made, Visible and Invisible. Those most glorious and exalted Sons of the Morning, who when the Foundations of the World were laid, sang melodiously together, and shouted for Joy, as well as the Beasts of the Field. All Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers in Heaven and Earth, as well as the subordinate Classes of inferior Being's, and who still upholds them all by the Word of his Power. This is the Person, that comes to Save us. Even He, † Phil. 2.6, 7. who subsisted in the Form or Nature of God, and therefore thought it no Robbery, but his inviolable Right, to be Equal with God, makes himself of no Reputation, but takes upon him the Form or Nature of a Servant, and is made in the Likeness of Men. Deus Humanâ visit sab imagine terras. God himself, I say, even the High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth Eternity, and whose Name is Great, Wonderful and Holy; the Lord Jehovah, with whom is Everlasting Strength, in very deed bows the Heavens, and comes down to dwell among Men. Well then might the officious Host of Heaven, the Quires of Angels, who long desired to see the Mystery of this Day usher in the Birth of this great Prince with Songs and Allelujahs. Well might one of them, clothed with the Brightness and Similitude of a Star, call the Levantine Princes, the great and Learned Magis, as Emblems of his Future Conquests over the Princes and Learned Sages of the Heathen World, to do him Obeisance; and others, winged with Joy and Triumph carry these glad Tidings to the humble Shepherds, and send them likewise, as the First-fruits of his own People, to pay their Homage to their Lord. For had the heavenly Host been silent, the Lowest Class of Being's, the very senseless and inanimate Parts of impatient Nature, had questionless found a Voice to have told us, That unto us a Son was born, unto us a Child was given, whose Government is upon his Shoulders, and whose Go forth from Everlasting. But now how miserable and wretched was our Captivity which the Arm of Omnipotence only could lead captive? How thick and dismal the Darkness we were in, which the Rays of the Sun of Righteousness only could disperse and scatter? How weighty and insupportable that Wrath which nothing could appease, but the adequate Condescensions of an Infinite Love? Where were all those spotless Beauties of the Upper World? Those kind, compassionate Spirits, who seem to make it a great Part of their Heaven, to relieve us here below? Where all those bright Squadrons of exalted Seraphims whose Names are renowned and glorious for their transcendent Love in the Habitations of Men here, as well as in the Mansions of Glory? Can not these unstained, pure, and undefiled Images of our heavenly Father, These faultless, innocent, and unblameable Being's, who continually surround his Throne with Anthems of Praise, intercede for, and reconcile the offended Deity to Sinful Man? No, we were such heinous Offenders, that nothing less than God himself, could satisfy for our Faults: These Blessed Spirits could only in strains of Sorrow lament our Fall, and with a Pity and Concern commensurate to the passable Nature of such happy Being's, expect the Final determination of Infinite Wisdom, Goodness and Justice. I know many Learned Men, both Ancient and Modern, are of Opinion, That God might have pardoned the Sins of Mankind without any Satisfaction made to his Justice, Solo nutu, & jussu, & voluntate, merely by the unexceptionable Prerogative of his Sovereign Will and Power; and that 'twas only to show his great Concern for the Honour of his Laws, and his everlasting Hatred and Detestation of Sin, that he humbled his own Son to become a propitiation for it. Far be it from me, to entrench upon the Divine Omnipotence, or impiously to say to his Goodness, what himself does to the Sea; Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther, and here shall thy Operations be stayed. Yet I think we may venture to affirm, that these Excellent Persons seem to be so enamoured with the Beauty, of that lovely Attribute, his Mercy, that they have hardly vouchsafed to cast so much as one glance upon his Justice. Mercy, I acknowledge, is his Favourite, his darling Excellence; the very Flower and Beauty, as I may so say, of his Nature, in which his Soul takes most Delight and Complacency. And this, considered alone, might have remitted the whole Debt without any payment at all, or at least have accepted the Satisfaction of an Angel. But then I consider on the other hand, that Justice is as Essential to him as Mercy, and that as the one is infinite, so is the other too. Now Justice (you know) demands the whole Debt should be discharged, and the Sinner not released till he has one way or other paid the uttermost Farthing. But which, I pray, of all the Angels, is sufficient for these things? or where shall we find, amongst those Finite, tho' glorious, Being's, a Saviour able to satisfy Infinite Justice for the Sins of the whole World? The Blessed Jesus looked and saw there was none to help, and wondered there was no Intercessor; therefore his own Arm brought Salvation to him, and his Righteousness it sustained him. What I say, none of all Created Being's, none of the heavenly Powers, those Magisterial and Masterpieces of his Creation, could Undertake, the Son of God himself humbly descends from his Throne of Glory even down to his Footstool, to perform and accomplish. Welcome then, thrice welcome, Blessed Jesus, into thine own World. Welcome to the unhappy Dwellings of forlorn and helpless Man. May the sense of thine infinite Love enlarge thy Dominions, and cause all People, Nations, and Languages, to rise up, and call thee Blessed. May all Nations, whom thou hast made come and worship thee, and glorify thy Name; For thou art Great, and dost wondrous things, thou art God alone. Now then, my Brethren, let us not so ill requite this stupendous Condescension of the Son of God, as to debase him (as some impious and ungrateful Wretches do) beneath the Condition he humbled himself unto. Let us not, I say, for his infinite Love cast Dirt in his Face; or, because he vouchsafed to assume the Infirmities of Humane Nature, despoil him (as much as we can) of the Glory and Majesty of the Divine. Though his Beauty was benighted under a Cloud, there was Form and Comeliness enough in him, that we should desire him. The unconverted * Joseph. de Antiq. Jud. l. 18. c. 4. Jew himself will tell us, that his Divinity, like the Sun shining through a Cloud, gave such Illustration and Testimony to all his Actions, that 'twas hardly lawful to call him a Man. And now he has run his Race, and finished his Course; the Cloud is removed, and the Mists all scattered before the prevailing Sun. The Incarnate God shines forth in his full Glory and Triumph; yea, he is now altogether lovely. 'Tis the highest Repast of Angels, and the peculiar Entertainment of Glorified Spirits, to behold, admire, and praise his excellent Greatness; and when our enlarged Souls shall fly away to the same blissful Mansions, and be admitted to the Comprehensions of an intuitive Beatitude, they shall with equal Satisfaction contemplate his Divine Beauty, and as skilfully tune their Harps to his Praises as they. Let us therefore, in the mean time, lay our Hand upon our Mouth, and with all due Prostration both of Body and Mind adore this great Mystery of Goodness, this astonishing Miracle of the Divine Mercy and Condescension, which, though above the adequate Comprehension of our Reason, is put beyond all possibility of Distrust; being most amply confirmed to us by the concurrent and infallible Testimony of God, Angels, and Men. At his Baptism and Transfiguration, you know, he was proclaimed by a Voice from Heaven, to be the Beloved Son of God, in whom he was well pleased. And again, when he bringeth in his First-begotten into the World, he commands, that this Exinanition of himself (this Obscuration of his Essential Glory under the Veil of Humane Flesh) may not diminish one Ray from the Honour of his Divine Majesty; but that all the Potentates in Heaven and Earth fall down and worship him. Worship him, † Psal. 97.7. says he, all ye Gods, all ye Angels and Thrones in Heaven, all ye Kings and Judges of the Earth. The holy Angels, with their usual Cheerfulness, obeyed the Royal Orders. They humbly adored the holy Child Jesus, and stood ready, through all the Periods of his Life, to Serve and Worship him. St. Peter, though he saw him not so clearly as these Blessed Spirits, generously confessed, that he was Christ the Son of the Living God; and he received this Confirmation from the Mouth of our Lord himself, That Flesh and Blood had not revealed it unto him, but his Father only, which is in Heaven. Nay (to the everlasting Shame and Confusion of the unbelieving Sons of Men) the Devils themselves have ever subscribed to this Article. They knew and confessed him here on Earth, and still believe and tremble. The overawed and trembling ‖ Vid. Suidam in August. Oracle plainly confessed to the Roman Emperor at his Birth, that though he appeared under all the disadvantageous Circumstances of Humanity and Weakness, He was the Sovereign Lord and King of the blessed Being's above; * Luke 8.28. which was afterwards confirmed by a whole Legion of unclean Spirits, when in the Man possessed they jointly lifted up their Voices to him with a Jesus thou Son of God Most High. But to what purpose, I say, was all this? or why all this Noise and Ostentation, had he not been the Son of God in another and more excellent manner than were any of the Sons of Men, who either lived with him, or that went before him, had there not been something in it extraordinary, that entitled him to so sublime and divine a Privilege? Angels, Kings, and Prophets (I confess) are frequently called the Sons of God. They have a larger Participation of his Power, or a Communication of more special Grace than is indulged and granted to his other Children; but yet their Honour and Dignity fall infinitely short of that of Jesus the Son of God. For to which of the Angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten thee? Or who is he amongst all those exalted Sons of the Most High, whom the Father advanced to sit at his own Right-hand till his Enemies are made his Footstool? David (you know) was a King, and yet he calls him Lord; and John the Baptist, though he was more than a Prophet, was never by Angels, Men, or Devils acknowledged to be properly the Son of God: no; these are the high Prerogatives of our Lord Christ Jesus: to him alone belong the most glorious and supereminent Titles of his own Son, his only Son, his only Begotten, and the Heir of all things. So that in all things (I say) he has the Pre-eminence. But the Scriptures (if possible) speak plainer yet. They not only instruct by natural and necessary Illations and Consequences, but also (to prevent all Cavils and Disputes) are careful in many places to assert this Truth as clearly, and as expressly, as Words can speak. * Joh. 20.28, 29. St. Thomas believes and confesseth to him, that he is his Lord and God; and those who should afterwards inherit the same Faith, are pronounced Blessed. The Beloved † Joh. 1.1. Disciple is positive, that the Word was God; and in the Close of his first Epistle speaking of Jesus, (to show against an Objection, which he rightly foresaw would be afterwards urged against the Christians, that they might safely worship him, without any Fear or Danger of that Idolatry which the Heathens were guilty of in worshipping their Daemons,) This, says he, is, not Deus factus, a made God, a God by Office, not by Nature; but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the True God. The Learned * 1 Cor. 15.87. 1 Tim. 3.16. Rom. 9.5. Apostle adds, that this Second Man is the Lord from heaven, and God manifested in the Flesh, and again, (most blasphemously, if not truly; this being that particular Eulogy which is due only to Jehovah, the one Supreme, Eternal God of Israel) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, God over all Blessed for Ever and Ever. Nay, (not to mention the many Repetitions of this most glorious Doxology to him in other places of Scripture) This is that good Confession our Lord himself made before his Judge. He had all along, to the Rage and Amazement of his Enemies, held his peace; showing by his Silence, that he despised all their Accusations as certain and apparent Calumnies. But no sooner is urged to determine this Point, but he opens his Mouth, and decides the matter. I adjure thee by the living God, * Mat. 26.63, 64. says the Highpriest, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus, after their modest way of Affirmation, saith unto him, Thou hast said, Or, as St. Mark more positively, Jesus said, I am. 'Tis certain, the Highpriest understood him not in that Vulgar Sense wherein Great and Righteous Persons, Kings and Prophets, are called the Sons of God; but that he affirmed himself to be so in the Literal, Proper, and Natural Signification of the words: For otherwise he could not, upon the account of this Confession, have charged him with Blasphemy, nor consequently the Council have voted him to be guilty of Death. Thus too in the Fifth of St. John he tells the Jews plainly, that God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, his own Father; making himself thereby (as they rightly concluded) to be Equal with God. And in another Conference with them in the Tenth of that Evangelist, He not only owns himself to be the Christ, and the Son of God in the most proper sense; but adds farther, that He and his Father are One: One, not in Will only, but in Essence, Glory, Honour, and Power. I am sure the Jews understood him thus: for knowing, that none could call himself the proper and natural Son of God, who must not assert himself likewise to be God, and allowing him to be nothing more than a mere Man, they again tax him with Blasphemy, and go about to stone him. I and my Father, says our Lord, are One. Then the Jews took up Sons again to stone him. Jesus answered them Many good Works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those Works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but for Blasphemy, and because that thou, being a Man, makest thyself God. The Jews, I say, in these places accuse him of calling himself the Son of God in the most proper Sense, and consequently of making himself also very God. And yet our Lord is so far from traversing the Indictment, or reselling the Crimination, that in Vers. 38. he confirms their Logic, and then leaves them in this Opinion, which certainly he could never have done without infinite Derogation from the Honour of the Divine Majesty, and downright blasphemy, had he not really been what they apprehended he said he was: the Proper, Natural, and Only Begotten Son of God. Thus, I say, is the Divinity of our Lord put beyond all possibility of Distrust, being preached to all the World by Angels, Prophets, and Apostles; Proclaimed more than once from Heaven by the God of all Truth, the Eternal Father of Angels and men; and also most positively asserted in a public Assembly by our Lord himself, who, as the * 1 Pet. 2.22. Holy Ghost bears him witness, did no Sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. What need we then, My Brethren, any farther witness? Or how is it possible for any Man, who rightly understands the weight of Divine Testimony, to call it into Question? Such Men as † Hist. Eccles. lib. 5. cap. 28. Eusebius has long since observed, must be more wise than their Maker, more knowing, and more intelligent, even than God that made them. Those inspired and infallible Witnesses, the Prophets and Apostles, were not so knowing; and the most intelligent of all the Heavenly Spirits, the Cherubims themselves, if compared to them, are found wanting. The Church of Christ, in all Ages, has unhappily been overspread with the thick, uncomfortable darkness of Ignorance and Error; and These Men alone have had the inestimable Privilege of enjoying the happy Goshen, the Dwellings of Light, the glorious Habitations of Wisdom and Knowledge. For if after the complicated, irrefragable Testimony of so many Infallible Witnesses, the Belief and Confession of the Church be required in this Matter, She has in all Ages believed and confessed it. This is that Faith, says the * Concil. Paris. tom. 1. pag. 844. Synod of Antioch, which we have received from the Beginning, and which the holy Catholic Church preserves pure and undefiled; having derived it by a constant and uninterrupted Succession, even unto this Day, from the Blessed Apostles themselves. And † Videas Bulli Defensionem Fidei Nicenae, & Whitbit tractatum de verâ Christi Deitate, sect. 2. some truly excellent and Learned Divines of our own, have shown at large the Truth of this Assertion, from the particular Writings and Monuments of the Primitive Fathers; who, as well before as after the Council of Nice, with one Heart and one Voice confess and maintain the Divinity and Eternal Generation of the Son of God. These well-grounded and pious Souls could not be laughed or ridiculed by the Scoffs and Jeers, the Taunts and Sarcasms of their Learned and witty Adversaries; nor frighted by the severest Appearances of Torture and Persecution, out of their Trust and Confidence in the Holy Jesus; but notwithstanding all the Imputations of Folly and Madness from an invidious Trypho, a scoffing Lucian, a virulent Celsus, and a malicious Julian, they continually called upon him in the time of Trouble, and (as * Epist. l. 10. Ep. 97. Pliny tells Trajan) sang Praises to him as to the God of their Salvation. Neither did they only thus bravely contend for the Faith against the violent Incursions of the wild Boar out of the Forest; the Menaces and blasphemous Assaults of their professed Enemies, the Jews and Gentiles; but also were infinitely careful to secure it from the Wiles and Stratagems of the little Foxes; those false Teachers, that crept in amongst them, and under the specious Pretences of Reason and Revelation continually endeavoured to spoil the Lords Vineyard. No sooner did any Heretic dare to impugn or invalidate this Doctrine, but he was immediately disowned by all the Faithful, and Anathematised or cast out of the Church as a ravenous Wolf, who designed only to devour and tear in pieces the Lord's Flock, which is demonstratively Evident from that Class of Heretics, Ebion, Theodotus, Artemon, Paulus Samosatenus, and Photinus. In short, Socinus himself confesseth, that the whole Stream of Antiquity runs against him; and, that of all the Primitive Fathers and Councils, there is not so much as one that any way countenanceth his Opinion. So that you see, from all hands, that unless with a truly Satanical Pride we exalt ourselves above all that is called God, and flatly give Heaven and Earth, God, Angels, and pious Men the Lie to their face, and side only with Jews, Turks, and Pagans, we must acknowledge the Blessed Jesus to be in very deed no other than the Only-Begotten Son of the Most High, the Maker of All things, the King of Glory, Alpha and Omega, the First of Being's, and the Last of Ends, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Thus then does the Greatness of our Salvation appear from the Greatness and Majesty of the Person undertaking it. It does so 2. From the Greatness and Unconceivableness of those Sufferings, whereby he did accomplish it. Some, indeed, lessen the Sufferings of our Lord, by thinking he had the Comprehension of Blessedness, the Supports of actual Glory in the midst of all his Torments; that even then he did behold the Face of God, and communicate in Glory. But in answer to Men of these Thoughts, I consider with the Excellent Bishop * Great Exemplar, pag. 413, 414. Taylor, 1. That though the two Natures of Christ were knit by a mysterious Union into one Person, yet the Natures still retained their incommunicable Properties; so that as the Divine Nature could not by virtue of this Union derive upon itself the Infirmities of the Humane, so neither did the Humane partake in all Instances of the Felicities of the Divine: these indeed being essentially in God, but to Man communicated without Necessity, and by an arbitrary Dispensation. Tho' therefore, as God, he is omniscient, and knows every thing; yet that, as Man, he was ignorant as many things, seeking Fruit upon the Figtree when the time of Figs was not come, and telling us himself, that he knew not the Day nor the Hour when he should judge the World; and therefore being said to have increased in Wisdom and Knowledge. Though, as God, he is from Everlasting, and World without end; yet that, as Man, he had a Beginning in the Circumscriptions of time. Lastly, Though, as God, 'twas impossible for him to suffer, yet that, as Man, he was the Subject of Torment and Misery. 2. That some Virtues and Excellencies were then in the Soul of Jesus, which are not consistent with a glorified State; such as Hope, Holy Desires, and the like: All which having their Seat in the Soul, do suppose her yet in a state of Pilgrimage; a Condition, that is imperfect, and in order to something beyond what is present, it being impossible (as St. Paul observes) for a Man to hope for that which he already sees and enjoys. 3. That this Opinion annuls and destroys the whole Merit of his Sufferings. For the least glimpse of Glory, the minutest Ray of Beatific Vision, outweighs the greatest Calamities, and infinitely exceeds all that Spirit of Pain that can be extracted from the Infelicities of this World. But the Holy Scriptures everywhere assure us, that his Passion upon the Cross was a state of Merit and Work, and that as a Reward of it, he was crowned with Glory and Immortality. We see Jesus, says the * Heb. 2.9. Apostle, who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the suffering of Death crowned with glory and honour. And ‖ Phil. 2.8, 9 again, Christ humbled himself, and became obedient to Death, even the Death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name. For his Sufferings (you see) his Name was exalted, his Kingdom glorified, and his Humanity advanced above all the Orders of Angels. For these he was made the Lord of all the Creatures, the First-fruits of the Resurrection, the Exemplar of Glory, the Prince and Head of the Catholic Church: And therefore since all this was his Recompense, the Reward of his Sufferings, it could not be a necessary Consequence and natural Efflux of the Personal Union of the Godhead with the Humanity. On the other hand there are who affirm, that the Soul of Jesus upon the Cross suffered the Pains of Hell, and all the Torments of the Damned; and that without such Sufferings, it is not imaginable he should pay the Price which God's Wrath did demand of us. But the same that reproves the former, does likewise reprehend these latter. For the Hope, which was the support of his Soul in the midst of its Agonies, as it confesseth an Imperfection, that is not consistent with the state of Glory, so does it exclude that Despair which is the Sting and Torment of accursed Souls. Our dearest Lord suffered indeed the whole Condition of Humanity, Sin only excepted; and by those sad Pains he endured upon the Cross, merited Heaven for himself as the Head, and for all his faithful Servants as the Members of his Mystical Body. But yet (I say) we cannot conceive that he was ever under the Amazement of Hell, or that upon the Cross he felt the formal Misery and Spirit of Pain, which is the Portion of Damned Spirits, because 'twas impossible he should despair, and without Despair 'tis impossible there should be a Hell. But though I can by no means subscribe to this Assertion; yet I think 'tis highly probable, that in the Intention of Degrees and present Anguish the Soul of our Lord upon the Cross might feel a greater Load of Wrath than is incumbent in every instant upon perishing Souls. S. Paul tells us, that every Sinner, as such, carries no less a Load about with him than a whole Body of Death. How many Deaths then, and unconceivable Agonies, must the Lamb of God have felt, when (as the Prophet speaks) the Lord laid on him the Iniquities of us all? Certainly the lively Sense of united, concentred Vengeance due to the Sins of the whole World, and the vast and singular Capacity of his Soul who was the Word incarnate, rendered his Sufferings most amazing and insupportable. His Agony was so great, that it compelled him, for a time, almost to despair, and sink under its weight. Sure we are, it extorted from him this most bitter Cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And how insupportable must those Sufferings have been, which could appear even to stagger such a Faith, and to eclipse his Assurance of the Presence and Love of his Heavenly Father? But now again, How great is the Bitterness of that Death, the rescuing us from which, brought so much Shame, and Pain, and Amazement upon the Son of God? How unparalleled and unconceivably great that Salvation, in the purchasing of which the Lord of Hosts himself did even bleed and die? The Waters of Bitterness (you see) entered his Soul, and the Storms of Death and of his Father's Anger broke him all in pieces. But if this was done in the Green Tree, what without this would have been done in the Dry? If (I say) the Sufferings of our Lord, who was the Son of God and innocent, who was all fair, and had no spot in him, were so sad and lamentable, then how amazing and insupportable had our Portion been without this Atonement, whom Sin had rendered his professed Enemies; and, as it were, fitted and marked out as Fuel for everlasting Burn? But, 3. The Greatness of our Salvation appears, in that it frees us from the Bondage and Slavery of the Law. This was a grievous and servile Dispensation, consisting of innumerable little Rites and Ceremonies, which had no intrinsic Value in themselves, and are therefore said by God himself to be Statutes that were not good; but were only adapted for a time to the weak Capacities and babe-like Humours of the Jews. Of Rites and Ceremonies, I say, so heavy and burdensome, that the Apostles themselves complained, that 'twas a Yoke upon their Necks, which neither they nor their Forefathers were ever able to bear. But now has Christ taken this Yoke from off our Necks, and made out a way for us into the Liberty of the Sons of God. He deals no longer with us as with Children in our Minority, but has delivered us from the Tutorage and Pedagogy of the Law, from the Severity of its Commands, from the exact Punctilios and Numerousness of its Imposition. The new Moons and Sabbatical Years, the many Washings and Purifications stand us in no stead; neither are we obliged to long and tedious Journeys to Jerusalem, to present our Oblations and Sacrifices at the Temple. Christ our Passover having been sacrificed for us, and the Messiah cut off, all those typical Oblations and Sacrifices must for ever cease, the Shadow give place to the Substance, those Ritual Observances to Natural and Moral Duties, those Carnal Ceremonies to the Spiritual Worship, and that Temporary Dispensation to the Everlasting Covenant of the Gospel. Circumcision now avails no more than Uncircumcision, and 'tis neither Meat nor Drink, but a new Creature only, that commends a Man to God. In a word, our Duty is no longer clogged with a company of useless and troublesome Ceremonies, but (like the Services of the ancient Patriarches) is more easy and acceptable, more plain and simple, more humane and natural, more becoming the Grandeur and Majesty of the Divine Being, and, more agreeable to the Nature of a spiritual and immortal Soul. 'Tis only to be happy the most proper and compendious way; to love our blessed Maker for himself, and our Neighbours for his sake; to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the World. All which, especially if we consider the extraordinary Indulgence of Divine Assistance, which we now enjoy, render our Salvation Great, Wonderful, and Glorious. And so I come to my Fourth Particular, which is to show, the Greatness of our Salvation, from the Consideration of those greater Aids of Divine Grace, those particular Mercies we now enjoy under the Dispensation of the Gospel, whereby we may be freed both from the Gild and Punishment, and also from the Power and Dominion of Sin. 4. Now the Law only discovers Sin, but affords no degrees of supernatural Power to subdue it; but with the Preaching of the Gospel the Holy Ghost was sent down from Heaven, who by illuminating, preventing, and exciting Grace assists Men to perform the Conditions of Salvation, and is promised in rich and liberal Supplies to all that humbly and ardently pray for him. God now pours Water upon him that is thirsty, and Floods upon the dry Ground; he pours out his Spirit upon our Seed, and his Blessing upon our Offspring, whereby they may spring up as among the Grass, as Willows by the Watercourses. The Law directs to no means for the Expiation of Gild, but peremptorily and dogmatically denounceth Death to all Offenders. The Soul that sins shall die. But the Gospel delivers us from this terrible Sentence of the Law, and allows a Renovation of the Sinner by Repentance, to which the plenary Pardon of Sin is assured. Wash ye, Is. 1.16, 17, 18. make ye clean, says God by his Evangelical Prophet, put away the evil of your do from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, and though your Sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. God indeed will not pardon those who flatter themselves in their Sins; but they who confess and forsake them shall find Mercy. The Law exacts absolute perfect, uninterrupted Obedience; and for the least Omission or accusing Act, past an irrevocable Doom upon the Offender: Cursed is the man that continues not in a things written in the Law, to do them. But the Gospel mitigates and allays this Strictness and Severity; calls only for sincere and persevering, though imperfect Obedience, and propounds such merciful Conditions to the guilty, that upon the performance of them they may plead their Pardon sealed with the Blood of their Redeemer, to be saved and crowned in the Day of Judgement. And thus whereas the Law worketh nothing but Wrath, being as terrible in its Injunctions, as 'twas at first in its Promulgation; the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel of Peace, addresseth itself to us after another manner. It speaks to us in a still, small Voice; the whole Tenor of it (you see) running in this gentle strain, Sin no more; Repent and be converted; Come to Christ, and be refreshed, and find Rest unto your Souls. The Grace of God, I say, which bringeth Salvation, doth thus appear, teaching us, that if the time passed of our Lives shall suffice us to have wrought the Will of the Gentiles, and we will now in good earnest renounce all our ungodly and worldly Lusts, and take care for the time to come faithfully to discharge our Duty to God, our Neighbour, and Ourselves, to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present World, Sin shall not have Dominion over us, God having obliged himself by express Promise, that he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but that in all our Temptations he will make a way for us to escape, that we may be able to bear them. So that though Sin is not entirely destroyed, (that being the Privilege of Angels and Souls freed from the Fetters of Mortality) yet (as St. Paul speaks of its Effect, Death) it has lost its Sting, and is only instrumental to the Advancement of the Glory of God, who upon our sincere and hearty Repentance, and Reformation of our Lives, will pardon all our past Offences, though never so many and great in themselves; and for those daily Failures, those Sins of Infirmity, those Lapses of Humane Nature, which the Best of Men must more or less be subject to, as long as they lie under the Disadvantages of Mortality, will put them all upon the Score of the Cross. 5. The Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ, appears, in that he has delivered us from that Ignorance and Darkness which the whole World lay in at his Coming. Both Jews and Gentiles (I confess) had some Notices or Conceptions of a Future State; but then they were so miserably intricate and obscure, so confused and uncertain, that they were very little better than none at all. Those most Thinking and Learned Pagans, the Pythagoreans and Platonists, after the most diligent Search and Enquiry into these Matters, could never advance beyond a Probability: all their fine Harangues and rapturous Discourses upon the Immortality of the Soul, being Indications rather of their good Wishes, than Demonstrations of its Reality. Aristotle not only wavers and fluctuates in his Opinion, but also Problematically disputes against it; though it must be confessed, that in his Book De Animâ he styles her, without any scruple, Eternal and Immortal. But the Stoics are as Dogmatical in this Point as in any other. Sometimes indeed they talk like Abstracted Being's or pure Intelligences, with the noblest Flights of Rhetoric and Fancy deciphering the Exalted Happiness of the Soul when she is entirely loosened from the Clogs of Matter, and freely roves up and down in the pure unmixed Regions of Light and Glory. But then (as though they had lain all this while in a Trance, and had only been entertained with the fantastic illusive Representations of a sportive Imagination) they for the most part peremptorily determine, That Death is not only the Separation of the Soul from the Body, but the utter Dissolution likewise, or Dissipation of both; there being no more after the Death of a Man than was before his Birth, viz. Emptiness, Insensibility, and Darkness: Nay, when in their abstracted Humours they vouchsafe to allow her a Subsistence without the Body, 'tis only till the next Universal Conflagration, when she and all Created Being's must End and Die together. Nor indeed was the Confession of that great Master of Morality, Socrates himself, much better; for, concluding his gallant and most excellent Apology before the Areopagites, with some glorious Reflections upon the inestimable Happiness of Good Men in the other World, he in the very last Words dashed all with an open undisguised Acknowledgement of his remaining Doubts and Jealousies. Sub finem Apol. apud Platonem. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Can I be assured (says he a little before) of the Reality of this Blessed State, I would gladly die a thousand times over to enjoy it. But now (my Judges) the time of my Departure is come: 'Tis your Lot to live, and mine to die; which of these two is the Better, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, is a thing utterly unknown to any but God alone. In short, Dicaearchus, Democritus, Epicurus, and their Followers, as constantly as positively declare, That there is no Subsistence of the Soul after this Life; but that when the Body returns to Dust, she immediately relapseth into the bottomless Abyss of Annihilation and Darkness. And then for the Jews, at the time of our Saviour's Coming, they stood much upon the same Level: For, though from the Translation of Enoch and Elias, and the Death of their Patriarches, who never inherited the Promises of Temporal Felicity, and particularly that of Moses, which their Rabbins are pleased to call The Kiss of God's Mouth, intimating thereby, that he breathed out his Soul by the Force and Energy of Contemplation; without those Pains and Convulsions which are the usual Concomitants of the Death of other Men, resolving himself into the Embraces of his Maker: From the positive and express Words of Job, which (however some Modern Commentators are pleased to understand them) are, I conceive with S. Hierom and the Ancients, as plain and clear a Confession of the Resurrection, as any that have been made since the Promulgation of the Gospel: From the glorious Confession of that excellent Woman and her seven Children in the Maccabees, who all refused Deliverance, that they might obtain a better Resurrection: and from those many Promises of Eternal Life scattered up and down in the Book of Psalms, and other Writings of the Old Testament. Though (I say) from all these one might reasonably expect the Jews should have had some fuller and clearer Knowledge of the State after Death; yet being no part of that Covenant which (if strictly considered as made with that People at Mount Sinai) was founded only upon Temporal Promises; Peace, Long Life, Plenty, and Prosperity in their own Land, they had generally no other Effect, than that they were believed to be the Reward of Men of Heroick and Extraordinary Piety. Nay, their unaccountable Blindness and Unattention to the Faith and Manners of their Fathers, who did all eat the same spiritual Meat, and did all drink the same Spiritual Drink, as we Christians do, occasioned so many Cavils and Disputes amongst them, that the Sadduces peremptorily denied it; not only, decrying the Resurrection of the Dead, but affirming likewise, with the forementioned Epicureans, that the Souls of Men did perish together with the Body. And tho' the Pharisees on the contrary confessed it, yet their Notions of it (as Josephus himself, * Antiq. Jud. l. 18. c. 2. who was one of them, tells us) were no better than those of Fairy-Land or Elysian Dreams. Delicious Dwellings, flowery Fields, Crystalline Rivers, and beauteous Trees of Gold, under whose delightful shade they should play and toy away a whole Eternity with fair and amorous Virgins, was the utmost Heaven they could or cared to imagine; and therefore the Sadduces so often foiled and buffled them with that Argument of the Woman and her seven Husbands, which they thought to be so conclusive, that (but with different Success) they attacked likewise with it our Saviour himself. But now the Veil is taken off by Christ, and we behold the Glory of the Lord with open Face; For this (says the Apostle) is the Promise that he has promised us, even Eternal Life. A Life not of sensual and brutish Pleasures, not a Paradise of all Filthiness and Debauchery (whereby the Epileptic Impostor has likewise imposed upon his Followers) but a Life of perfect Purity and Holiness, a Life of immaterial, spiritual, abstracted Joys, of chaste and rational Delights; where our Nature shall be entirely conformed to the Divine, made like to God, and we enjoy an endless and uninterrupted Communion with our Maker. This he has promised, and of this he has given us Assurance; all the Assurance the thing is capable of, in that he has not only raised himself from the Dead, but called likewise some of our Brethren already out of the Grave, and taken them up with him in their glorious Bodies to enter beforehand upon the Possession of this promised Inheritance. So that we may boldly say with the Apostle, We know for certain, and are fully assured, that if this earthly house of our Tabernacle be dissolved, we have a Building of God, an House not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. Thus has the Sun of Righteousness dispelled all those Clouds of Ignorance and Darkness which overspread the whole World at his Rising, and brought Life and Immortality to perfect Light through the Gospel. Which must certainly be acknowledged to be a very great Salvation, if we consider in the next place, that he has hereby rescued us from that base and slavish Fear of Death, by reason of which we had otherwise been all our life-time subject to Bondage. 6. Now how unwelcome soever Death must be to those Men, to whom 'tis therefore all Terror before, because all Darkness behind; who are therefore dismayed at his Approach, because they know not the Consequences of this King of Terrors; 'tis impossible that Person should immoderately fear Death, who considers, that 'tis only a Passage from this Wilderness to the true Canaan, the Rest above, that flows with Milk and Honey, with Innocence and Happiness for ever: who knows, that the Death of the Saints is not total, but that as in the Ceremony of Purification from Leprosy one Bird was killed, the other let fly into the open Air, (the mysterious Shadow of the Lepers being restored to a state of Liberty) so when the Body dies, and returns to the Earth, the Spirit is freed from the Clogs of Mortality, and returns, with Songs of Joy and Triumph in its mouth, to the Object of its Happiness, the God that gave it. Nay, the faithful Christians, the true Lovers of Jesus, who have tasted the Goodness of the Lord, and long considered and well weighed the incomparable Difference between the mean, imperfect, frail Felicities of this present World, and the substantial, solid, immutable Glories of that which is to come, must certainly cry out with the inflamed * Cant. 1.4. Spouse, Draw us, and we will run after thee: O! loosen our Affections from this World, that we may readily ascend to thee. Their longing Souls will renew the passionate Sighs of the Exiled Prophet, O when shall we come and appear before the presence of God How welcome must Death be to them, when it comes (as it were) with Olive-branches in its hands to offer them Peace? to set them at perfect Liberty from the Bondage of Corruption, the Servitude and Thraldom of their mortal Bodies? They know their happy Souls will be immediately conveyed by Angels into the Presence of their Saviour, and by him presented to his Father without Spot or Wrinkle, invested with his Righteousness, complete in his Holiness, and prepared and qualified for an Everlasting Communion with him in Glory. That they are the Reward of his Sufferings, the precious and dear Purchase of his Blood, and therefore that they shall be joyfully received into Heaven by him, who will then see the glorious Effects of the Travail of his Soul, and be satisfied. That the Angels, who rejoiced at their Conversion, will much more do so at their Glorification; and the Church of the Firstborn, who have before them entered into Glory, have a new Accession of Joy, to see them safely arrived at the same undefiled and immortal Inheritance. These things (I say) thus duly considered, must needs inspire them with Courage and Alacrity, and enable them cheerfully to lay down their Bodies, that they may ascend to the Seat of Blessedness, this happy Society above, that inspires mutual Endearments and Joys for evermore. I am sure 'twas thus with the Primitive Christians. S. Paul, with the most earnest Affections and passionate Zeal, desired to departed hence, to leave the transitory, dissatisfying Pleasures of this Life, to be dissolved and to be with Christ; and the Martyrs with all imaginable Boldness and Gallantry encountered Death, that interposed between them and Glory. They as willingly left their Bodies, as Elias let fall his Mantle, to ascend into Heaven. Some indeed of these excellent Persons (as ‖ Hom. 8. S. Chrysostom tells us) went to Death with many Appearances of Fear. When they heard the wild Beasts roar, they were struck with Horror: At the sight of the Executioners and the Instruments of Torture, they were pale and trembling. The Flesh seemed to cry out, O! Let this Cup pass from me. But these, alas! were but the little ineffectual Struggle of innocent Nature, which, though weak and faint, followed the Spirit, and corrected its own Desire with, Not my Will, but thine be done. As the Moon in Eclipse, though obscure, goes on in a Regular Course, as when 'tis full of Light by the Reflection of the Sun; so these Christian Heroes, though as it were, forsaken and deprived of the kind Influences of the Spirit, the bright Beams and Irradiations of Divine Comfort, persevered notwithstanding in their Regular Motion, the resolute and undaunted Profession of the Truth. No Torments could force them to renounce their Saviour; no Terrors of Death to warp from the Profession of their Faith; but the Consideration of that eternal weight of Glory, which after a short night of Sorrow and Heaviness they should receive in the Inheritance of the Saints in Light, enabled them at length to overcome their Fears, and in spite of all the Reluctancy of Nature, to keep the Command of God, and the Faith of Jesus. Thus the Stars fall down from Heaven, and Clods of Earth ascend and shine in the Firmament. The Angels, that excelled in Strength and Knowledge, kept not their state of Purity and Glory, but are shamefully sunk down into Corruption and Misery: but these humble Believers, though weak and encompassed with many Difficulties, were preserved by the Blood of Jesus from destructive Evil, from the Fear of the First, and the Power of the Second Death, passing undauntedly through the Dominions of the King of Terrors to their Father's Kingdom, where with all the Company of Holy Angels and Beatified Souls, they now lie enfolded in the Circles of Peace and Joy, expecting the Consummation of Blessedness, the Redemption of their Bodies in the joyful and glorious Morning of the Resurrection. Which brings me to my Seventh and Last Particular, which is to show the Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ, in that he has not only merited the Salvation of our Souls, but the Redemption likewise, or the Resurrection, of our Bodies. 7. Of all the Christian Doctrines, this was ever esteemed the most incredible; and has accordingly, in all Ages, met with the greatest Opposition. The Learned Heathens generally looked upon the Body as the Prison, the Dungeon, and Sepulchre of the Soul, and therefore do not stick to affirm, That for a separated Soul to return into a Body, is to undergo a second Death. Nay, that famous Rabbin Ben Maimon was of the same Persuasion; it being a known Aphorism of his in his Great Work, That in the World to come (or state of consummate Happiness) there shall be nothing but pure Incorporeity. This engaged them to employ all their Learning and Parts to represent this Doctrine as a monstrous and ridiculous Paradox, not fit to be embraced by any of the genuine Sons of Wisdom and Learning. Accordingly we find St. Paul was counted mad by Festus, and but a Babbler at best by the great Wits at Athens, for venturing to preach to them Jesus and his Resurrection: and it chief stomaches the Heathen in Minutius Felix, that the Christians should peremptorily assert the Resurrection of the Body, which every Eye saw to be subject to Corruption; and yet at the same time threaten Ruin and Destruction to the Heavenly Bodies, which the generality of Philosophers acknowledged incorruptible. Nay some Christians themselves have not been very careful to answer us fairly in this matter. Photius tells us of Synesius, that for his great Parts and singular Abilities he was made a Bishop, before he believed this Article; and the Socinians, Anabaptists, and some other Sectaries, seem to be no great Favourers of it at this day. But what if these Men believe not? Shall their Unbelief make the Faith of God of none effect? God forbidden. Yea let God be true (as the Apostle speaks) though every Man a Lyar. He than that is Truth itself, who therefore can neither deceive nor be deceived, has told us, that the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Joh. 5.28. Grave shall hear his Voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life, and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation. And now (my pious Brethren) how joyful and pleasant a thing is this, to hear of the Restitution of our lost Parts, the Renovation of our corrupted and putrefyed Bodies? that they shall not be devoured in the Jaws of Death and the Grave, but restored to us again all Fair, and Beautiful, and Glorious? Sin indeed removes us all into the Retirements of the Grave, and securely locks us up for a time in the Iron Embraces of the King of Terrors. It dismantles us of all our Strength and Beauty, and dooms us to dwell for ever in those dark Houses of Forgetfulness and Corruption. We lie in the Grave like Sheep, helpless, and fast bound in the Chains and Fetters of Death. This last Enemy has at present an absolute and entire Domination over us; our Beauty, Honour, and Glory, mouldering and consuming all away in his insatiable Dwellings. But yet he who hath the Keys of Hell and of Death, hath promised to unlock the Doors of these loathsome Prisons, and to let the Prisoners go forth into a state of Liberty and Glory. He turneth Man to Destruction; but his Almighty Voice will one day call through all the Receptacles of Nature, Come again ye Children of Men. By him lastly, who liveth and was dead, and is alive for evermore, shall those that sleep in the Dust of the Earth be awaked and sing, Death is swallowed up in Victory. Which Consideration alone, as it is full of Comfort, and Joy, and Triumph to every faithful Christian, so is it likewise sufficient to curb the Arrogance and Haughtiness of that Apostate Spirit. Who therefore (says an ingenious * Br. Rel. Med. pag. 87. Author of our own) chief frequents Coemeteries, Charnel-Houses, and Churches, because they are the Dormitories of the Dead; where, like an insolent Champion, he beholds with Pride the Spoils and Trophies of his Victory over Adam. And thus I have discharged my first General Head, which was, to show the Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ. I now proceed to my Second, which is, very briefly to lay before you our Inexcusableness, and the intolerable Aggravations of our Gild and Punishment, if we neglect it. How shall we escape, etc. 1. Then, we shall be utterly inexcusable, and intolerably aggravate our Gild and Punishment, if we neglect this great Salvation which Christ hath wrought for us, because we shall be entirely destitute of the mollifying Circumstances and Considerations of Ignorance. Whilst Men had little or no Understanding, but walked on still in Darkness, 'twas no wonder that the Foundations of the Moral, as well as of the Intellectual World, were out of course. Their broken Notices of another State, and beggarly Conceptions of its Delights and Entertainments, induced them rather to let lose the Reins to their Intemperance, than to correct and retrench the Luxuriancy of their Vices. A more delicious Canaan, the Fields and Groves of Elysium, and a Mahometan Paradise, naturally lead Men to an unbounded Gratification of their sensual Appetites, as to that which is the End and Perfection of their Being's, their ultimate Portion in the Regions of Eternity. So that a truly moral Man, with such Persuasions about him, would be an Object equally strange and surprising, as Fuel or dry Stubble, that will not take fire in the midst of a burning fiery Furnace. But now with Christians is the Case quite otherwise. We know for certain both the Existence and Nature of the other State. That for pure and holy Souls, who are entirely cleansed from the Stains and Pollutions of corrupted Nature, and raised to the Possession of their Primitive Brightness, remains a most glorious and undefiled Inheritance, Entertainments most agreeable to their enlarged Faculties, exalted and divine Joys for evermore. That for impure and sensual Souls, on the contrary, who fight under the Banner of the World and the Flesh, forsaking God that made them, and lightly esteeming the Rock of their Salvation, is prepared a Worm that will never die, and a Fire that will ne'er be quenched. We know (I say) that Refined and Purified Souls will be received into serene undisturbed Mansions of everlasting Happiness, the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, where, with all the shining and innumerable Companies of Holy Angels, they shall for ever behold and praise the unfolded Beauties of their God and Saviour. That on the other hand there are sad, uncomfortable Regions of Darkness and Misery, where Fire and Brimstone, Storms and Tempests, will be the lamentable and everlasting Portion of the Ungodly. Fire and Brimstone, to possess, inflame, and torment their Bodies; and the Storms and Tempests of an enraged Conscience impetuously to hurry their awakened Souls through all the unhappy Stages of that woeful Eternity. If we then dare to commit Wickedness, who have received this clear Knowledge of its sad Effects and Consequences; that it cuts off all our hopes of the Glories of Heaven, and irrevocably condemns us to the unconceivable Agonies and Amazements of Hell; we put ourselves beyond all possibility of Excuse, and (as our Saviour himself assures us) unmeasurably enhanse the Severities of our Condemnation. This is the Condemnation, * Joh. 3.19. says he with an Emphasis, i. e. the highest, the greatest, the most intolerable Condemnation, that when Light is come into the World, Men love Darkness rather than Light. In a word, God may vouchsafe to wink at the times of Ignorance, and graciously overlook the unhappy Miscarriages of the unenlightned World: He may be favourable to the Servant that knows not his Will, and therefore does unwittingly things worthy of Stripes: But Christians, who know their Lord's Will, and yet prepare not themselves, nor do accordingly, will have nothing to plead or pretend for their Disobedience, and therefore will most certainly be beaten with many Stripes. 2. We shall be utterly inexcusable, and intolerably aggravate our Gild and Punishment, if we neglect this great Salvation which Christ has wrought for us, because we thereby become guilty of the vilest Ingratitude. We know the infinite Obligations to Duty and Gratitude, which our Heavenly Father has laid upon us; all the Stratagems of his Goodness, the astonishing Miracles of Divine Mercy and Condescension. That he, whom the Virgins, the untainted Being's above adore and love, meekly drew a veil over his Essential Glories, and clothed himself with Flesh for the Society of Mankind. That the Eternal, Independent, All-sufficient One, stooped down for our sakes to the lowest Estate of Uneasiness and Need; and the Lord and Governor of all the Kingdoms of the Earth vouchsafed to dwell among us, though he scarce found a place where to lay his Head. That the King of Glory was contented not only to be despised and rejected of Men to become a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief; but also to suffer his most precious Life to be most cruelly and ignominiously taken from among Men, that be might entitle us again to Happiness and Glory. Nay, we have seen the only begotten Son of the Living God oppressed and groaning under a heavier load of Misery than all this; almost sinking under the insupportable Burden of his Father's Wrath and in the Anguish and Bitterness of 〈◊〉 Soul most lamentably complaining, t● his Father too, whom he had never offended, had for the Foulness and Blackne●● our Iniquities hide his Face from him. 〈◊〉 more, we are sensible that we our se● have been the Betrayers and Murderers of the Lord of Life; that he has frequently bled afresh, and been crucified again 〈◊〉 our new Sins; that our repeated Impieties have wounded his sacred Side, and the 〈◊〉 rows of our Ingratitude pierced him to 〈◊〉 very Heart. How (notwithstanding 〈◊〉 this) he is so merciful, that he will not suffer his Displeasure to arise, but that he calls us daily, importunes us incessantly, and entreats us earnestly to return. That he begs us not to ruin and destroy ourselves, opens his Arms to receive us, tho' we have been never so ungrateful, and promiseth Pardon for all that is past, if we will but take care to be obedient for the future. Lastly, we know, that if we will return, and do Works meet for Repentance, he will in due time take us from this Vale of Misery, these Regions of Exile, this State of our Pilgrimage into his Father's House, there solemnly pronounce our Discharge before all his Saints, and crown us with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. Now then to trespass against this great Friend and Benefactor, whose wonderful Love even condescended to assume our Nature into his Divinity, and so to exalt it above Cherubims and all the brightest Orders of Intelligences; who in our Nature thus assumed graciously embraced for our ●akes both the Miseries and Calamities of a distressed Life, and also the Infamy and Tortures of an accursed Death; who still (notwithstanding all our disingenuous and most ungrateful Returns) continues his Tenderness and Compassion for us, even ●ayly offering his Grace and Pardon to the greatest of Sinners, and by all the gentle Insinuations of an unwearied ●over endeavouring to allure and entice them into Happiness. To trespass (I say) against this great Friend and Benefactor, is certainly a Provocation of the most amazing Proportions, a Sin of the deepest Dye, the basest and foulest Ingratitude, that can be imagined. What then (think you) will be the Condition of such Sinners when God shall come to Judge the World? When they shall see him, whose infinite Love they have despised and rejected, coming in the Clouds of Heaven, and all his Holy Angels with him, to reward every Man according to his Works? Alas! every Circumstance of this glorious Day will frightfully represent to their awakened Consciences the monstrous Aggravations of their unparallelled Ingratitude. This God, who now comes in the Clouds with Vengeance is that very Saviour who died to redeem them. Those Emeralds or sparkling Jewels that shine so gloriously in his Body, the deep and ghastly Wounds he received 〈◊〉 their sakes: Those glittering Attendants and Myriads of holy Ones; the Company he designed for their Eternal Conversation and those bright Regions of Everlasting Day, which appear over their Heads, th● Place he so dearly purchased for their immortal Inheritance. These things (I say) thus united, and at once represented to their view, will swell their Passions to that Height and Fullness, as infinitely exceed the Measures of Mortality to conceive. They will occasion such sharp, such acute Reflections, as (like two-edged Swords) will every way rend, and tear, and stab, and gash their mollified Spirits with fresh incurable Wounds to all Eternity. Their monstrous Ingratitude will then look them broad in the face, and (like frightful and terrible Gorgon's or Furies) possess their Souls with Horror and Trembling, with ineffable Amazement and everlasting Confusion. In a word, The thorough and lively Apprehensions which they shall then have of their Sins and Follies, will so incense and enrage them, that they'll be all in a flame with Fury and Indignation against themselves, weeping, and wailing, and gnashing their Teeth; always, as it were, von a Rack, without any Intermission of their Pains and Anguish, distorted, afflicted, distracted, confounded. What then remains, but that, since these things are so, we seriously take our Case into Consideration? That since our Burden is lighter than that of Jews or Gentiles, we run with greater Cheerfulness the ways of God's Commandments? That we grieve not the Holy Spirit, nor turn the Grace of God into Lasciviousness; but that the great, extraordinary Assistances which we now enjoy under the Gospel, influence our Wills, direct our Choice, and give Warmth and Vigour to our Affections? That the certain Faith and Assurance which we have of a Future State, and of its Rewards and Punishments, work most powerfully upon our Minds to conquer all the Temptations of this Life, to deter us from doing any thing whereby we may forfeit our Crown, and to render us steadfast, , always abounding in the Work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know, that our Labour will not be in vain in the Lord? and since the greatest Punishments imaginable attend our Miscarriages, that we lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees, and run with patience the Race that is set before us? Let us then look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, and follow his Example, who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross, despised the Shame, and is therefore now sat down at the Right-hand of the Majesty on High. Let us frequently contemplate his stupendious, unfathomable Love in vouchsafing to assume our Nature; that he, who is Mighty, should so debase himself to magnify us, and evermore say with the inflamed and seraphic Virgin, Holy and Blessed is his Name. Let us, with her Piety and Devotion, view the Immaculate Lamb of God crowned with Thorns upon the Cross: Let us behold him there bleeding and dying for our Sins. Let his unconceivable Agonies sink deep into our Hearts, and make us to weep bitterly for those Sins which caused such Torments to our Dearest Lord. Let us beseech him by all that Anguish and Amazement his Soul endured for our sakes, never to suffer us to crucify him any more; but that he would be pleased to come and take up his Lodging with us, to drive out all those Usurpers, the World with its Vanities; to make an utter Destruction of every Amalakite, and to take to himself the entire Possession of our Hearts. Let us most passionately entreat him not to suffer our immortal Souls, the price of his own Blood, to perish; but that he would be graciously pleased to wash away all their Stains, to them in his white Robe, and so to present them spotless and unblameable to our Heavenly Father. Lastly, If the Author of Salvation, and that Eternal too, be worthy to be praised, let us now begin these Songs upon Earth, which will be our happy Employment and Business in Heaven, with all those glorious Angels and Holy Ten Thousands that worship about the Throne, saying, Blessing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power be unto him that fitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for Ever and Ever. Amen. Amen. Allelujah. ECCLES. ix. v. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. WEre we to take the Measures of our most holy Profession, as they are reached out to us in the Systems of some Christian Rabbins, how prodigiously irrational and absurd an Institution would it appear to be? An Institution both repugnant to the glorious Attributes of God, and also destructive to the Welfare and Happiness of Mankind. They pronounced it a state of absolute Liberty and Emancipation, a perfect Discharge from all Duty and Obedience, a Charter only of Libertinism and Licentiousness. Provided a Man be orthodox in his Notions, and sound in his Faith, 'tis no matter how he lives, like an Angel or like a Devil, so apt are Men to abjure their Reason in compliment to their Senses; and rather than forsake their darling Vices, to shelter them under the Patronage even of the immaculate Jesus. But if we look upon Christianity as our Great Master himself is pleased to hold the Perspective, as he is all Fair, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Psal. 50.2. the Perfection of Beauty, and the Holy One of Israel, so would his Institution appear to be a most fair and amiable Copy of his Eternal Beauty and Holiness. It commands us not to rest in a fruitless, barren, and dead Faith, but to evidence its Life and Reality by our Works. That we walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith we are called; turning from these Idols of our own Brains, these vain, fantastic Ideas of our carnal Imaginations, to serve truly and painfully the Living God. That we trifle not away our precious hours in Idleness and Impertinence; but work out our Salvation with all that Care and Solicitude a matter of such moment requires, even with Fear and Trembling. It endeavours by all the endearing Methods of everlasting Love and Kindness to allure and charm us into the Practice of all Virtues, beseeching us even by the Mercies of God, all those ineffable Appearances of Goodness which take up the Wonder, the Praises, and the Adorations of the Sons of God in Glory, that we think no Sacrifices worthy of our Maker, but such as are offered in the purest Fires, the most ardent and brightest Flames of Seraphic Love. That the Redeemed of the Lord declare not his Glory in such feeble Sounds and Voices, as are the faint Echoes of a distant Valley; but that they clap their hands together with Joy and Cheerfulness, and sing Praises to him lustily, and with a good Courage. That our Souls, with all their Powers and Faculties, magnify and set forth the admirable Greatness of the Lord, and our Minds also, or Spirits, rejoice with Joy unspeakable in God their Saviour. In a word, That we do not the Work of the Lord negligently, nor be remiss and slothful in the great Business of our Souls; but always fervent in Spirit, vigorously industrious to improve all those Talents, all those golden Opportunities God entrusts us with, to our greatest Advantage, with our utmost Diligence serving the lord Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. The Reasonableness of which Exhortation, I shall briefly represent to you from these following Considerations: I. From the Nature of God. II. From the Nature of our own Souls. III. From the transcendent and inestimable Value of the Rewards that attend us. And, iv From the exceeding Brevity or Shortness of the time we are allowed to work in. 1. From the Nature of God. Was God indeed such a one as the Epicureans fancied him to be; a Being taken up with the Fruition and Contemplation of his own Blessedness, and that would never vouchsafe to respect the humble Addresses and Supplications of his most faithful Servants, we should have no great reason to wonder at that Coldness and Indifferency, that lukewarm and careless Behaviour which appears so visibly in our Religious Performances. Nay, I could willingly conclude with the Wise * Senec. de Benef. lib. 4. cap. 4. Heathen, that nothing but pure Madness could induce Mankind to bestow any Worship at all upon such a Being, who, as though he was deaf as Baal, and helpless as Dagon, after all their Wrestle and Importunities would neither hear them, nor help them. But alas! we have no such Pretence or Subterfuge for our Impiety. The God whom we serve, is indeed that Blessedness and Eternal Being that rests upon his own Centre, without the Assistance of any External Object, enjoying infinite Delight and Complacency from the solitary Contemplation of his own Essential Perfections. He dwells in the high and lofty Place, encircled with such transcendent Rays of Light, that the brightest Seraphim veil their Faces, and at an awful distance adore his inaccessible Glory. Yet do Mercy and Goodness so essentially sit enthroned with his glorious Majesty, that even he, who thus inhabits Eternity, humbleth himself to behold the things that are done both in Heaven and Earth. The Lord looketh down from Heaven, says the * Psal. 33.13. Psalmist, and beholds all the Children of Men: from the habitation of his Dwelling he considereth all them that dwell upon the Earth. And the Philosophic Orator, without the help of Revelation, Sit persuasum civibus, says he, and so on. i e. Let all the Citizens assuredly know, that God takes particular notice what manner of Persons we are, with what Mind and Devotion we perform the Acts of our Religious Worship, and that he will deal with every man according to his Works. He is not a petty Prince, 1 King 20.13, 28. (as the Syrians profanely imagined) whose Knowledge and Sovereignty are confined only to a particular Province; but the Lord most High is terrible, he is a great King over all the Earth. Not only the shining Inhabitants of the Courts above, the innumerable and invincible Legions of Glorious Angels, but the inferior Troops likewise of natural Causes serve under his Banner, and duly execute his Commands. He maketh the Spirits or Winds his Messengers, and the flaming Fires his Agents or Ministers. The Clouds at his Command drop Fatness upon the Hills and Mountains, and the Valleys likewise by his Blessing stand in their Season so thick with Corn, that they laugh and sing. Yea, the most casual and seemingly fortuitous Actions are ordered by his Wisdom, and the Sun sees nothing in all his Course so little and inconsiderable, but what falls under his Care and Providence. He feeds the young Ravens that call upon him; and the Lions roaring after their prey, do seek and receive their Meat from God. By him do the Rose in Sharon and the Lily of the Valleys on play their fragrant Beauties? and the airy Choiristers securely sit upon the Boughs and sing, not one of them falling to the ground without our heavenly Father. Yea, the very Hairs of our Head, says our Lord, are all numbered. In short, no Space, no Place, exludes his Presence. He penetrates into the Centre of our Spirits; enters the secret Chambers, the closest Recesses and Retirements of our Hearts; yea, and discovers all our most secret Thoughts and Imaginations long before we ourselves do, even before they are. He is about our Paths, and about our Beds, and spies out all our ways. Now then, considering the Nature of God, how ought our Souls, think ye, to be employed in his Worship and Service? Is this God, whose Majesty fills Heaven and Earth, to be approached with flat and tepid Devotions? Is he fond of trifling impertinent Ceremonies? or to be pleased with Lip-Devotion and complimental Addresses? Certainly no. The Lame and the Blind (says the Prophet) such impotent, Mal. 1.8. imperfect Services, if offered to an Earthly Governor, would most assuredly be rejected; much less than can they be grateful ●o him, who is the Fountain of all Dominion and Sovereignty, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, who reigns to all the Ends of the Earth. The matchless Excellency of his Nature (as many Learned Pagans have observed) calls for our best and noblest Performances, neither will he accept of any thing less than the Cream, the Flower and Strength of our Reason. We must nor pretend to honour him with our Lips, when our Hearts are far from him; but always approach him with the deepest Awe, Reverence, and Admiration; love and desire him (as an exact and learned † Mr. Norris in his Reas. and Rel. pag. 39 Author speaks) with the full Bent and Spring of our Souls; and fix and concentre upon him all our Passions and Affections. The Armies of Heaven, the glorious Troops of Angels, serve him thus. Their Wings know no weariness from continual Flying; their Voices are never hoarse through loud and constant Allelujahs; but with unconceivable Alacrity and Joy they sing and fly, and do his Will to all Eternity. 'Tis true, our present Encumbrances are many, our Wings are clipped, and we cannot run so nimbly as these bright Favourites of Heaven, yet such is the Nature of our Souls, that even in this unhappy state of Degeneracy, they may arrive to many degrees of their B●…ness and Alacrity. 'Tis impossible 〈◊〉 we should love and praise our Maker 〈◊〉 these Spirits do, who with open Face behold his unfolded and essential Glo●…: yet may our Spirits (if they are not wan●ing to themselves) regain, in a great measure, their heavenly Nature and Activity. They need not be so oppressed with the weight of the Body, not so confined to these Walls of Clay, but that they may frequently ●o abroad, recover upon the Wing, mount into a purer Air, far above the ●ttractions and Enchantments of Sense, and converse freely with God. And so I come to my Second Consideration, which is, to represent to you the Reasonableness of the Exhortation contained in the Text, from the Nature of our own Souls. 2. Sad indeed and deplorable are the Decays of our Primitive Beauty, and lamentable the Ruins of our Original Frame. God made Man upright; his whole Constitution was beautiful and harmonious, and his Soul (drawn, as it were, by the central Force of her native Seat) moved naturally towards Heaven. But if we view him in his present Condition, Quantum mutatus ab illo est! how is this glorious Creature changed! Clouds and Darkness (if I may so speak) are continually round about him: Confusion and Disorder are the Habitation of his Seat. His Understanding is dark and cloudy; his Will crooked and perverse; and he is become a strange Contradiction to himself; being not able to do the things that he would. Wars and Tumults, intestine Broils and Commotions, ruffle and discompose him, and there is a Law in his Members impetuously fight against, and frequently bringing into Captivity the Law of the Mind. But though the Soul is thus shamefully fallen from her Primitive State of Excellency and Perfection; yet, how glorious is she still in comparison of all the Creatures that are round about her? The glimmering Remains of her original Beauty, the very Twilight of her native Lustre and Brightness, appears so wonderful and dazzling, that she is still but a few degrees below the Angels of God. How swift are her Motions? how nimble her Thoughts? how brisk and active her Operations and Reflections? The swiftest Morning-Ray passeth not so soon from East to West, as she flies through all the Airy Regions into the highest Heavens, and thence again descends through all the Ethereal Plains, to contemplate in their various Mansions the Workmanship of her Maker. How exalted are her Aspirations? how boundless her Desires? how vastly large and comprehensive her Capacities? She weighs all the Excellencies of Nature in a Balance, and finds them wanting: her Appetites and Inclinations being no more to be satisfied with any Created Good, than an hungry Stomach with wise Say or excellent Diagrams. But now has God enriched our Minds with these noble Powers to prosecute the Delights or Interests of this World, and to bestow some fashionable and perfunctory Attendance only on his Service and Obedience? No, these vast, capacious Spirits, that can take in and lodge so many Truths together without Confusion or Disorder; that are so restless and indefatigable in their Search after Happiness, and can no where acquiesce, or terminate their Desires upon any Created Good, are designed for the highest and most exalted Entertainments. Not for these disproportionate Objects of Sense, the feculent Pleasures of the Body, (which the contracted Faculties of Brutes are able even in their utmost Intention to comprehend) but for Joys truly Angelical and Divine; for Communion and Fellowship with God himself by Prayers and Praises here, and for the most intimate Fruition of his Beatific and Essential Glories in Heaven hereafter. How unworthily then do we behave ourselves towards them, when we decoy them down into earthly Enjoyments? How do we cramp and straighten their Faculties? contract and lessen their aspiring Strength and Vivacity? Their natural Motion, you see, is towards Heaven, and they grasp at nothing less than Glory, and Honour, and Immortality. Let us not then confine them to the Earth, when they are ready to take Wing, and fly towards Heaven. Let us not enslave them to poor and beggarly Objects, when their Capacities dispose them for the Fruition of the Best Being, the Life of Angels. When through the Assistances of Religion they are advanced to their true Elevation, they'll immediately ascend above the Magnetism of secular Entertainments. They will then be possessed with such lively and ravishing Apprehensions of the Divine Beauty, as will oblige them, for his sake, utterly to discard and renounce all their other Loves. Though there be threescore Queens, and fourscore Concubines, and Virgins without number, yet their Love, their Undefiled, will be but one. In a word, They'll collect and concentre all the scattered Rays of their Affections into this one Point, delight and solace themselves only in the Lord their God, and sing and give Praise to him with Fervour and Alacrity as the Angels do, who joyfully wait his Call, and stand with Wings stretched out, ready to fly when he commands. 3. I am to represent to you the Reasonableness of the Exhortation contained in the Text, from the Consideration of the transcendent and inestimable Value of the Rewards that attend us. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. We are engaged, says the Philosopher, in a great Conflict, a Divine Enterprise, 'tis for a Kingdom and for Liberty; for the Liberty even of the Sons of God, and for the Kingdom of Heaven. As we were not redeemed by corruptible things, such as Gold, Silver, or precious Stones; so neither is our purchased Inheritance of so trifling and inconsiderable a value. The Liberty of the Sons of God is an Eternal Emancipation from Sin and Misery, from the Solicitations of our Senses, the Importunities of Satan, and from all the Disadvantages and Encumbrances of this mortal State. Have you seen the Cedars or the Fir-Trees, which from a little Seed rise so high, and spread their Branches so wide? Just so will it far with Man in the State of Regeneration; infinitely beyond his present Self will his Perfections be. Here the Corruptible Body presseth down the Soul, and the Earthly Tabernacle weighs down the Mind, which otherwise would muse of many things. But there will our Spirits, to their endless Joy and Comfort, find their Garments lighter; this unwieldy Clog of Flesh and Blood being made fit to serve them in their briskest Motions, and even to vie with the swiftest Seraph that flies in the Regions of Light and Glory. Here though we sometimes travel with Vigour and Alacrity in the way that leads to Zion; yet in an instant such Fogs and Vapours rise from our terrene and sensual Affections, as cast a cold Damp over all our Faculties, and make us heartless and unactive as the Earth we tread on. But there we shall be all Life, and Spirit, and Wing, entirely freed from the Vicissitudes of Mortality, and bathe our active and sprightly Plumes in the Silver Streams of Eternal Joy and Delight. Here Satan sometimes mixeth himself among the Children of God, and many enter into the Choirs of the Saints, who know not how to chant their ravishing Melody, the Songs of Zion. But in the Blessed Consort above, every Soul will be harmonious, and skilfully contribute its part to the full Music of Heaven. The glorious Company of the Apostles, the goodly Fellowship of the Prophets, the noble Army of Martyrs, together with the several Orders of glorious Angels, will stand about the Throne; with one Heart and one Voice giving glory to him who sits thereupon, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. They shall wear Crowns on their Heads more bright and glittering, than those of the Mightiest Oppressors; and those immortal Palms they shall carry in their hands, declare, That Death is Swallowed up in victory. They shall no longer stand behind the Wall of Partition, nor be debarred by a thick House of Clay, from beholding the ultimate Object of their Love and Praise; but all intervening Obstacles and Impediments shall be removed, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Psal. 84.7. and that Summum Bonum, that Fountain of Life and Blessedness, that Primitive and Original Beauty, the God of Gods himself, appear in his Essential Lustre and Brightness, to every one of them in Zion. In short, 'Tis in vain to attempt the painting of this Blessed State by Rhetorical Colours: no Words, no Thoughts, can reach it; yea, the bold, licentious Metaphors even of Poets themselves, fall infinitely short of its Greatness and Excellency. Eye hath not seen, says St. Paul, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Now then can we think this Blessed State designed for them that are at Ease in Zion? who rest in the Notional Considerations of the Goodness of their Maker, and therefore lie securely dissolved in the softest Caresses of Luxury and Voluptuousness? No. We must be conformable to our Lord in the Likeness of his Death, before we can be so in the Likeness of his Resurrection. We must crucify the Old Man, and utterly abolish the whole Body of Sin, and by our constant and uniform Practice of an Universal Righteousness, strive to enter in at the straight Gate. We must labour with all our Might to make our Calling and Election sure, and press with all possible Vehemence towards the Mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. If these Corruptible Crowns, the fading momentary Honours of this Life; if (I say) the transient Favour of a Prince, and the vain, uncertain Plaudite's and Hosannas of the Crowd cannot be justly achieved without Toll and Labour; then surely we cannot expect that these immortal Honours, the Approbation of God himself, the Applause of his Holy Angels, and the Crown of Immortality, can be obtained at a cheaper Rate. This were to prostitute the Divine Favours, to vilify the Pearl of Price, and insufferably to debase that Glory which cannot be comprehended but by the Circle of Eternity. Nothing then, but Constancy and Perseverance, can crown the Christian Hero, and set on his Head an immortal Diadem. Be faithful unto the End, saith our Lord, and I will give thee the Crown of Life: and again, To him that overcometh, I will grant to sit down with me on my Throne, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father on his Throne. Lift up the Hands than that hang down, and strengthen the feeble Knees. Behold, Thy Saviour holds out to thee a Crown of Glory, and invites thee to partake of his immortal Joys. He calls thee to the blissful Choir of Angels, and to the glorious Society of Just Men made perfect, who following him in White Robes, do nothing but sing and love to all Eternity. Alas! could we but hear some Echoes of those Songs wherewith they make the Paradise of God, the Place of his happy Residence, the Seat of his Eternal Empire, the Heaven of Heavens continually resound; some Remains of those Voices, that Symphony and Joy wherewith the Saints above triumph in the Praises and solemn Adoration of the King of Spirits, how would they inflame our Desires to be joined with them? O how amiable should we think those Dwellings of the Lord of Hosts? Our Souls would most passionately desire and long to enter into the Courts of the Lord, and to go and sing with those glorious Being's the Praises of the Living God. We should choose rather to be Doorkeepers, the very meanest Persons of all that Blessed Company in the House of God, than to enjoy for ever the utmost Liberality of Created Nature in the Tents of Wickedness. We should think nothing too much to part with for that Blessed Inheritance, but readily sell all that we have for that Pearl of Price, that inestimable Treasure, those solid and substantial Glories of the Kingdom of Heaven. In a word, we should cheerfully follow the Patriarches, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, and Confessors, through all the Stages of Mortification and Self-denial; most gladly encountering all the Tribulations, Hardships, and Difficulties the World or Satan can bring upon us, that we might at last attain to that ineffable Glory. But, Lastly, I come to represent to you, the Reasonableness of the Exhortation contained in the Text, from the Consideration of the exceeding Brevity or Shortness of the Time we are allowed to work in. Man is like a thing of nought, says the Psalmist, his time passeth away like a Shadow, that necessarily disappears when the Sun leaves our Horizon, and may also fall short of that Period by the Interposition of a Cloud. He carries within himself the Causes of a necessary and speedy Dissolution, and is also liable to ten thousand Accidents without, that may hasten his Ruin. Nay, though by the good Providence of God he happily escapes all these, and arrives to his utmost Period, that natural Term, which is set him by the Temperament of the First Qualities; yet what an airy, fleeting, and fantastic Appearance is he? Our Life is but a Vapour, says St. James, which appears and dances up and down a few Minutes over the places that gave it Birth, and then vanisheth, and sinks back into its primitive Night and Darkness. The Day wears away apace, our Sun hastens to go down, the Shadows every Moment increase, and the Hours of Darkness come on, that long Night of Silence and Solitude, wherein no Man can work. It is appointed for all men once to die, says the * Heb. 9.27. Apostle, and then for ever to cease from labouring and improving their State; for immediately follows Judgement, which consigns them either with Lazarus to the Refreshments and Consolations of Abraham's Bosom, or to the dismal Dwellings of Dives in everlasting Burn. † Phaedon. c. 45. p. 178. in Dialog. select. Edit. Cantab. Plato indeed, and from him the Romanists at this day, talk much of an intermediate State, where Satisfaction may be made for some Miscarriages of our Lives here. But in all the Word of God, there is not so much as one place that countenanceth this Opinion. 'Tis not the Doctrine of God, but the Invention of Men; the weak and beggarly Element of this World, not the Revelation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: He only commands us to be therefore prepared continually for our Last Hour, because we then enter upon a state eternal and immutable: that private particular Sentence which passeth upon the Soul at her Departure from the Body, being to be openly renewed and confirmed upon the whole Man at the General Day of Judgement. How ought then this Consideration to alarm all the dormant Powers and Faculties of our Souls, and to wind them up to the highest pitch of Action in this momentous Affair? How careful, I say, should we be by a prudent Management and Husbandry of these fleeting Moment's, to secure to ourselves a happy Portion in the Regions of Eternity? If we misspend these Days of Probation, you see there remain no more. If we neglect these present Opportunities, we are lost for ever. And what a dismal Reflection (think ye) will this be in the other World, when we shall remember, that Mercy was frequently offered us, and that we as frequently rejected it? and that for the little imperfect Services of a few Days, our Maker graciously offered to place a Crown of Eternal Glory upon our Heads? Alas! This is the chief Ingredient of that bitter Cup which afflicts and torments the Damned for ever and ever. This that dismal Thought, which raiseth the Storms and Tempests in the Kingdom of Darkness below. Once they might have been saved; once they had their Day, and they refused the Light when it shined. Their God was gracious and merciful to them, but they were cruel to themselves. He offered them Mercy, but they would never accept it. He called them to Life, but they obstinately chose Death. No Tortures so exquisite, as such Reflections. No Lashes so severe, as the Upbraid of such an enraged Conscience. These (I say) are the Snakes that twist about their Heads, and sting, and hiss, and make them roar to all Eternity. From which miserable State, God in Mercy preserve us all, through the Merits and Mediation of Jesus the Beloved. To whom, etc. MATTH. xi. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. BUT am I called indeed? may the ravished Soul say. Called too to Ease, and Refreshment, and Peace, though my Sins and Impieties are so many? Does the Holy One of Israel regard so vile a Creature? and will He, who is the God of all Purity, vouchsafe to receive into his Arms so impure a Wretch? Yes; for 'tis the Voice of my Beloved that spoke. He stands not, as formerly, behind the Wall, nor looks in at the Window, showing himself only through the Lattess; but has opened the Door, and is come in, and speaks and says to me, Rise up, my Love, my Fair one, and come away. Draw me then, O my Beloved, and we will run after thee. Receive me, though the Sun has looked upon me; though I am black, and corpse as the Tents of Kedar. I am bowed down and ready to sink under the weight of my Sins. I have no might against this great multitude of Transgressions that is set in Array against me, nor know I what to do, only my longing, my languishing Eyes are still upon thee, and I will patiently hearken what the Lord God will farther say unto me, who so graciously speaks to Sinners, that, like his Saints, they turn and come unto him. Come unto me (says he) all ye, that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. In which Words are four things observable. I. A gracious Invitation; Come. II. The Person to whom the Invitation is made; Unto me: that is, unto Christ. III. The Persons invited, All Penitent Sinners in general; All ye that labour and are heavy laden. All ye that sigh, and groan, and are bowed down, and ready to sink under the grievous Burden of your Sins. iv The Benefit of accepting this Invitation; I will give you Rest. 1. We have in the Text a gracious Invitation, Come. God spoke once, and twice also have I heard the same, that Mercy belongeth unto God. For this is the Voice of him who is the Wisdom of the Father; that Wisdom, which by the Mouth of his Prophet * Chap. 55. ver. 1. Isaiah called in the same manner to the Sons of Men, inviting them to come freely, and partake of his Divine Refreshments. Ho, every one that thirsteth says he, come to the waters; and he that hath no money come, buy, and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without price. The Angels indeed that sinned, are fallen into the gloomy and lamentable State of utter Desperation. There is no Mercy in store for these self-deluded, inexcusable Apostates of the Upper World; but because they foolishly exalted themselves against the Lord, whom they could not but know to be the Author and Fountain of all Happiness and Glory, they are entirely dismantled of their primitive Robes of Light, and cast down from their Heavenly Mansions into this Lower Orb, where, in miserable and darker Habitations, they are reserved, as condemned Malefactors, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says ‖ 2 Ep. 2.4. S. Peter; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says † Ver. 6. St. Judas, for everlasting Chains of the Blackness of Darkness at the Judgement of the Great Day, when they shall be brought forth, as out of a Prison, before the Tribunal of Christ, and hear the just Sentence of Eternal Death more solemnly pronounced against them before the General Assembly of the Saints and Angels. This (I say) is the deplorable and undone Condition of the Apostate Angels. Their Fall is irrecoverable, their Sin irremissible, and the Decree that is gone out against them irreversible. But Man, tho' a Being of a much lower Class, and an Apostate too, finds Favour and Mercy at the hands of his God. He vouchsafes him the liberty of Second Thoughts, and if we will but be obedient and hearken, promiseth an entire Renovation of his Corrupted Nature by the abundant and powerful Communications of his most Holy Spirit. Nay, so desirous is he of this happy Change, that he long prostitutes his Patience (as I shall instantly show more at large) to men's wanton Humours in Expectation of it, is contented to lay aside his amazing Glories, and seems to divest and strip himself of all his Attributes, save that of Mercy. His Allseeing Eye graciously overlooks our manifold Sins and Wickednesses, and, as tho' he saw them not, continueth to shine upon us with its reviving Brightness. His Justice gives way to his Forbearance and Long-suffering; and when it takes place, 'tis so tempered and qualified, that in the midst of Judgement he always remembers Mercy. Mercy is his Favourite, his darling Excellence, that lovely and amiable Attribute which is over all his Works, and in which, we are sure, his Soul takes most Delight and Complacency. 'Twas by this Name he, in the Presence and Assembly of his invincible Holy Ones upon Mount Sinai, most solemnly proclaimed himself to his Servant Moses: The Lord, Exod. 34.6. says he, the Lord God, merciful and gracious. Nay, tho' he is the God of all Truth, and therefore can no more deceive than be deceived; yet, as though it had been a small thing thus to have proclaimed himself before Men and Angels, he has likewise, in a gracious and wonderful Condescension to the Infirmities of his Creatures, and that the broken and contrite Spirit might have the surest Word of Promise that could possibly be given it, vouchsafed even to interpose his Oath, and as solemnly to swear the same thing. As I live, saith the Lord God, Ezek. 33.11. I have no pleasure in the death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his way, and live: Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? What tender, what compassionate Strains are these? 'Tis as if he had said, Since there is no Being so great as myself, by myself I have sworn, that as sure as I am God, that eternal and faithful Being, with whom is no Variableness or Shadow of Turning, I desire not the Death of any Sinner; but had rather, ten thousand times over, that you would all, from the least to the greatest, hear my Voice in this Accepted Time, this day of Salvation, and repent, and be saved. For now do I freely offer you my Grace, which I most passionately beseech and entreat you to accept, and to return, and live. Turn ye then, turn ye unto me, for why will ye die? Why will ye weary me out with your continued Provocations? Why will ye constrain me, by your unworthy and most wretched Abuses of my Grace, your insufferable Grieving of my Spirit, at length to departed from you, and to leave you to die in your Sins? Is Eternal Death so desirable a thing? Is Heaven and my Glory so despicable and vile? Why then, let me ask you again, since you have my free Grace to enable you to Return, nay, since 'tis far easier for you to be saved than to be damned, why, why, will ye die, O house of Israel? Thus does our Heavenly Father, by the most solemn Protestations demonstrate his Everlasting Love and Kindness to Mankind. And how exactly do all his Dispensations correspond with these his gracious Declarations? With what Patience (I say) and Forbearance, does he deal even with the greatest of Sinners? How affectionately entreat them to fly into the Harbour, and to secure themselves, by a timely Reformation, from the Wrath which is to come? Such various Ways and Methods does he contrive to bring them to Repentance, so earnestly beg and solicit them to accept in time the Terms of Salvation, that one would think 'twas his own, not their Interest, that Men should be saved. He always, like a generous Enemy, declares Sinners his just Anger and Displeasure, and excites them before it be too late, to prepare to Meet him, and with Weapons, which will most certainly prevail, viz. Prayers and Tears, to disarm his Justice. Thus when within the small compass of about two thousand years his gracious and marvellous Works of Creation and Providence were so far from being, praised and had in Honour, that all Flesh had degenerated from this great End of its Creation, and most shamefully corrupted its way upon the Earth; tho' he was grieved (to speak after the manner of Men) at the very Heart, and it repent him that he had made Man, yet he could not immediately withdraw his Hand, and let him fall into Ruin, but mercifully prolonged the day of Vengeance and gave his sinful Creatures time and space for Repentance. He resolved indeed, that the Spirits, which he had made, should not Eternally remain in their Bodies, as Slaves and Vassals to those Instruments of Unrighteousness, but that if Men repent not, he would open the Windows of Heaven and break up the Fountains of the great Deep, and bring in a Flood upon them, that should sweep them all away. But, before he can do this, Noah, a Preacher of Righteousness, must daily assure them of their Danger, and he waits their Repentance a hundred and twenty Years. Thus too, tho' the Sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were very grievous, and cried loud, and the Cry of them ascended up into the Ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, yet could not they prevail with him to let lose his Thunder to overwhelm them with a swift and deserved Destruction; but on the contrary (to prevent, if possible, their Ruin) he, by his good Providence, so ordered and disposed things, that Lot, a holy and pious Person, living amongst them, should first lay before them their prodigious Impieties, and warn them to prevent the heavy Judgements due to them, by a speedy Repentance. And, when (notwithstanding all this) they sinned yet more, and forced his Holy Spirit to forsake them utterly, by their intolerable Fornications; yet would not his Goodness then give him leave to execute upon them the Fierceness of his Indignation; but still stayed his hand, and engaged him to be gracious. As though 'twas possible for him to be deceived, it induced him to make a further Enquiry; to go down, and see, whether they had indeed done altogether according to the Cry of it, which was come unto him. Nay, tho' their Sins and Provocations were so many and so great, yet so much greater was his Mercy; so unwilling was he that they should perish, that he promised the interceding Patriarch, that, if he could find but ten Righteous Persons amongst them, he would save them all. But (not to multiply Instances, which are numberless) the liveliest and most breathing Image of the Divine Mercy and Pity, the most glorious and ravishing Displays of his unbounded Compassions appears in the wonderful Contrivance of our Restitution, the mysterious and Costly Redemption of Lapsed Man. This is an Instance of Love so astonishing and unfathomable, as will afford new matter through all the Ages of Eternity, for the Contemplation and Praises of the Saints and Angels in Heaven. Since 'tis a Province too great for any Created Being, the Son of God himself, before whose insupportable Glories the Seraphims veil their faces, graciously descends from the Celestial Paradise into the Wilderness of this World to seek his straying Creatures, to restore the lost sheep of the House of Israel; and with his own Voice to call them back to himself, the great Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls. He comes in his Father's Name to proclaim Pardon and Forgiveness to all, that return to him; to demonstrate his infinite Tenderness and Compassion for every Soul of the Sons of Adam; that (notwithstanding all their Sins) he would not have any of them perish, not the greatest, not the oldest, not the most presumptuous of Sinners, but that all should come to the Knowledge of the Truth, and be saved. This is his Business, This his Errand, This the great End and Design of his Coming; which having finished in all the Parts he undertook, and to confirm our Faith, sealed his Letters of Invitation with his own Blood; and being now to return to the Father, he (to the Everlasting Comfort and Joy of Repenting Sinners) commands his Apostles to go forth and carry them into all Parts of the World. Go * Mark 16.15. says he, and Preach the Gospel (these glad Tidings of Reconciliation and Peace between God and Man) to every Creature. And accordingly too St. † 2 Cor. 5.19. Paul tells us, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing to them their trespasses and sins. The whole Tenor and Design (you see) of the Evangelical Dispensation is to bring Sinners to their Saviour, to call them off from all their vain Confidences, to believe and trust only in the Son of God; to beseech them to come to Christ, that they may be refreshed and find Rest unto their Souls. And so I am brought to the Second Thing observable in the Text, viz. the Person to whom the Invitation is made; To Me: that is to our only Saviour and Redeemer, the Lord Christ Jesus. 2. We are not then to unfold our Necessities, or to present our Supplications and Prayers to Saints or Martyrs, to Patriarches, Prophets, or Apostles, no not to the Blessed Virgin Mother herself. The Votaries indeed of this Glorious Saint in the Romish Church are (as a Learned * See a Discourse of the due Praise and Honour of the Virgin Mary, entitled, Speculum Beatae Virgins. Author of our own has shown at large) sufficiently extravagant in the Honours they pay to her. They exalt her above the Thrones even of Cherubin and Seraphim, array her in the brightest Robes of Majesty and Honour, and most religiously and devoutly Romance her into a Deity, Nay, this is not the Practice only of her private Authors, but the more Authentic Voice likewise of her public Offices, in which they frequently invoke her by the paramount Titles of Mother of Mercy, Mother of Grace, Sweet Parent of Mercy, Queen of Heaven, the Gate of the Great King, the only Hope of Sinners, and their most gracious Lady. Now these (I say) be Rants and Excesses indeed. Excesses, which questionless, if known, would put the Modesty of this Blessed Virgin to a much greater Blush, than did the Appearance and Compliment of the Angel Gabriel. We confess her Privileges and Prerogatives are singularly great. He that is Mighty hath magnified her and Blessed is her Name. We acknowledge her a most happy Instrument of our Good, and therefore shall her Memory be always Dear to us. Dear and Honoured throughout all Generations; Dear and Reverenced, but not worshipped and adored. In a word, Her (according to her own Prediction) will we ever call Blessed; but only amongst Women. To Her will we ascribe Glory, Honour, and Praise; But to her Son alone, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Power, Might, Majesty and Dominion. For (to speak a little closer to this Point) if the Saints in Heaven (This Blessed Virgin, and the Rest) have no constant Knowledge of our Affairs here below then 'tis the Inference of every Elementary Logician, and the Concession of the greatest Champions of their own Party, that 'tis altogether in vain, and to no purpose, to Pray to them. Si non cognoscant nostras orationes, videtur otiosum & supervacaneum ad ipsos orare, are * De Relig. tom. 2. l. 1. c. 10. Suarez his own Words▪ But that the Saints in Heaven (this Blessed Virgin and the Rest) have no constant Knowledge of our Affairs here below, and consequently that 'tis altogether in vain, and to no purpose, to Pray to them, is evident from that of the Prophet † Cap. 63. v. 16. Isaiah: Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel knows us not. For certainly if Abraham and Israel were ignorant and know nothing of the Affairs of that very People which descended from their own Loins, than we have all the Reason in the World to conclude, that the Saints in Heaven have no constant Knowledge of us, and of our Affairs, who are perfect Strangers to their Blood and Families. Our Adversaries (I know) will be here ready to Object, That Abraham and Israel were rightly said by the Prophet to be ignorant, and to know nothing in his Time of the Affairs of Mankind, and consequently, that then indeed 'twas but in vain, and to no purpose, to pray to them, because before the Resurrection of our Lord the Patriarches were not admitted into Heaven, but lay only in Limbo, the Retired and Secret Caverns of the Earth, where they were utterly excluded from the Vision of God and likewise from all Traffic and Commerce with Men. But that now the case is quite altered with them; that they are all translated from those Regions of Darkness, that State of Expectation▪ those Tabernacles of Hope, into the inmost Court of Heaven, the Kingdom of their Father, the Land of Fruition, where their Understandings are so widened and enlarged that they have a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things, that are done both in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, so that now they are become the proper Objects of our Devotion; being both privy to all our Necessities, and also as Fellow-Members of the same Mystical Body, most willing and ready to here and assist us. But I answer, 1. That this Opinion of Abraham and Israel's being in Limbo only, and not in Heaven itself before the Resurrection of our Lord, is groundless and unwarrantable. Elias, we are sure, was translated into Heaven, and we know likewise, that Moses came down with him from that place to commune with our Lord upon the Mount. But if these his Sons were thought worthy, before the Resurrection of our Lord, to be admitted into those blissful Mansions; why Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, and the Peculiar Friend of God; Why Isaac and Israel, and the other Patriarches and Prophets, who were all Heirs of the same most holy Faith, should be excluded, I know not. But supposing this Opinion was really as true as they would have it; and that we could not deny, (what you see, we have all the Reason in the World to deny,) but that the Saints before the Resurrection of our Lord lay only in Limbo, but are now in Heaven: yet that being there, they have a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, is, I answer in the 2. Place a most unphilosophical, false, and impious Assertion that has no Foundation in Scripture, Reason, or Antiquity. 1. It has no Foundation in Scripture. Now to pray after any other manner than what Christ himself hath taught us, is not only Ignorance, but Sin, says * De Orat. Domin. pag. 139. Ed. Oxon. St. Cyprian. But what one place is there (I ask) in all his Scriptures, that demands this of us? which of all his Apostles, Evangelists, or Prophets, doth allow that any of the Saints departed should be invoked by us? Bannes, a Learned Dominican, ingenuously confesseth, that he knows not of any. His Words are as express and full as can be: Orationes ad Sanctos faciendas nequè etiàm expressè nequè involute Scripturae docent, i. e. that 'tis our Duty to Pray to the Saints the Scriptures do neither explicitly nor implicitly inform us. And those of his own Profession have never yet been able to show that he is in an Error. 2. This Assertion has no Foundation in Reason. For if the Saints in Heaven have a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, than this Knowledge of theirs is owing either 1. To their own Ubiquitary Presence, by virtue of which they see and hear all our Words and Actions, as some of our Adversaries affirm. Or, 2. As others, with the like Boldness, To their Perspicacity and Clear-sightedness, whereby they are able to discern our very Thoughts and Intentions. Or, 3. To the constant and faithful Relations of daily-ascending Saints and Angels; as a Third more modestly. Or, 4. As most, To the Vision of the Divine Essence, which they call Speculum Trinitatis. But all these ways are ridiculous and absurd, and some of them impious. For, 1. The Saints in Heaven have not a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, because they are every where present, and so see and hear all our Words and Actions. Heaven indeed is God's Throne, and the Earth is his Footstool. The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him; but he fills all Places both in Heaven and Earth, and the imaginary Space too beyond the Limits of Both, he is a God near at hand to us all; to those that abide in the Continent, and that remain in the broad Sea, and also that live afar off in the Ends of all the Earth. In a word, tho' he cannot be circumscribed or included in any Place, yet by his Immensity he is so every where present, as not to be excluded out of any; so that we may all of us, at one and the same time, pour out our Prayers before him with full Assurance of being heard. But now 'tis quite otherwise with all Created Being's. Creation necessarily implies Limitation; so that 'tis as great a Contradiction to say, That the Essence or Virtue of a Created Being can be Boundless or Infinite, as that a Self-Existent, Independent Being can be Finite. Every Abstracted Spirit therefore since Created, tho' raised to the utmost degree of its Perfection, is but Finite; and consequently (as that great Patriarch of the Roman Schools, * Sum. Part. prim. Quaest. 52. Art. 2. Aquinas himself confesseth) non se extendit ad omnia, sed ad aliquid unum determinatum, tho' it may, as it pleaseth, be sometimes in a greater, sometimes in a lesser place, yet it is so far from being able to extend it self to all places, that 'tis always necessarily and unavoidably but in one. Non est ubique, nec in pluribus locis, sed in uno loco tantùm, as he speaks again in the same Paragraph. Great then only is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, because there is no End of his Greatness. 2. The Saints in Heaven have not a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, from their Perspicacity or Clear-sightedness, whereby they are able to discern our very Thought and Intentions. This is plain from the Argument immediately foregoing: For since, according to the Laws of Creation, the Saints are all limited and circumscribed in their Essences and Perfections, it must necessarily be granted, that they are likewise limited and circumscribed in their Science or Knowledge; it being impossible for any Being but such as is Immense and fills all Places, to know the different Concerns of all the several Being's residing and acting in those different Places. God then alone (since it appears, that he only is Omnipresent) must be acknowledged to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the Searcher of the Hearts. In him indeed do our Souls and Bodies live, move, and have their Being's. He understands our Constitution, knows whereof we are made, the Composition (as I may so say) of our very Essences, and therefore discerns all the Motions and Operations of our Souls. In short, 'Tis his Prerogative alone to be about our Paths, and about our Beds, in our Hearts, and in our Spirits, and consequently to spy out all our Ways. Whence it likewise appears in the 3. Place, That the Saints in Heaven have not a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion; from the constant and faithful Relations of daily ascending Saints and Angels; from the Informations and kind Intercourses of Guardian Angels, and the narrations of such happy Spirits, as leaving their Earthly Tabernacle daily ascend thither; because 'tis evident (you see) that there are many things here amongst us, which these Saints and Angels can never understand, many Designs and Contrivances, many Wishes and Desires, many Vows and Prayers, that are lodged only in the Heart, and consequently are known only unto God. Wherefore 4. The Saints in Heaven have not a particular, entire, and perfect Knowledge of all things, that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, from the vision of the Divine Essence, which they call Speculum Trinitatis. Now 'tis a great Question amongst Learned Men, Whether the Blessed Spirits above are indeed capable of seeing the Divine Essence, and many of no ordinary note espouse the Negative, thinking it as impossible for a Created, Finite Being, to behold the Essence of an Uncreated, Infinite Being, as 'tis for a Bird of Night to gaze steadily upon the Sun. Which Opinion (if true) entirely destroys this Speculum Trinitatis, and dashes it with its Consequences, all to pieces upon the Ground. But, I confess, I hitherto see nothing that can induce me to embrace it, The Affirmative seems most consonant both to Scripture and Reason. When Moses humbly desired, that God would vouchsafe to show him his Glory, or to imprint upon his Mind a clear, distinct Idea of his Divine Essence, he was answered, That he could nor have his wish now, whilst he lay under the Disadvantages of Mortality, because he was a God dwelling in such Light, as no Mortal Eye could approach; but that he should so see him hereafter, when these Impediments should be removed, and he happily invested with the stronger Privileges of Immortality. Thou canst not see my Face, says God, Exod. 33.20. for there shall no man see me, and live. For these words certainly imply, That tho' he could not now, by reason of the thick Veil of his flesh; yet that he should see his Essence hereafter, both when his Earthly Tabernacle should be dissolved and laid aside▪ and also, when he should receive it again all clarified and spiritualised. Moses himself undoubtedly understood them thus: for had he thought otherwise, and that he was never to be admitted to the Intuition of his Maker's Glory, the naked, clear, and real Vision of his Divine Essence; but that he was for ever to rest in Symbals and Figures; in reflected Glories, and secondary Manifestations, (which was to find his Ultimate Happiness in some thing really distinct from his God) his devout, affectionate Soul, which so ardently breathed after the most intimate Fruition even of the Living God, would never have been satisfied with this uncomfortable Answer, but we had questionless heard of the sad Complaints, the bitter Bemoaning, and doleful Accents of his disconsolate Spirit, who, when the natural Bias of her Desires moved necessarily towards God, trembling continually, like the amorous Needle, for the Embraces of that most Lovely and Amiable Object; was yet for ever excluded from his Beatific Presence, the Contemplation and Fruition of the interior Beauties of her Beloved. And indeed we all so naturally desire to see this First Cause, this Parent of Nature, and the Author of all our Being's, that tho' we were surrounded with all the Sweets of Paradise, all the other most exquisite Delights and Entertainments that Heaven can afford; yet, without Him they would but fade▪ and whither, and dwindle into nothing, and our restless, dissatisfied Spirits would still, in the midst of them all, be impatiently crying out, Ah! Where, Where is our God? For as He is the First of Being's, so is He the Last of Ends: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says Plato rightly, that proper and principal End of Rational Being's, the Vision of whom alone can satisfy the aspiring Soul, and in the Circle of whose Embraces only the immoratal Spirit finds Rest, and Peace, and Joy for Evermore. See him then we shall in the other World: See the Sovereign Fair openly and clearly, really, and as He is. Now we hear of him by the Ear; but then, shall our Eye with Joy and Triumph see him. Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then Face to Face. Now we know only in part but then shall we know, even as we ourselves also are known. This Expression (I readily acknowledge) is not to be understood according to the Strictness of the Letter. As we are known, is a Note of Similitude only, not of Equality; for the Sun may as well be included in a Spark of Fire, as God be comprehended by our Finite Faculties. Know him then we shall, not so as to comprehend him, but so as to be ravished and for ever transported with his Essential Perfections. The Light of a Candle as truly shines as the Light of the Sun, tho' not with equal Extent and Splendour; so shall our Knowledge be truly like His, reaching even His Divine Essence, tho' not Equal to His in comprehending it, as He does ours. Thus far then are we and our Adversaries agreed. The Saints in Heaven do really view and contemplate the Divine Essence. But now to say, that they behold in it all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, is most absurd and ridiculous. If you let a Vessel down into the Sea, 'twill indeed be filled to the utmost of its Capacity; but then, you know, it must needs overflow, because 'tis impossible it should receive into its Bosom the vast Congeries of that inexhaustible Abyss. So admit the Saints into the Presence of their Maker, where they may clearly and distinctly behold his Divine Essence: their Finite Understandings may indeed by his voluntary Revelations be filled with all that Knowledge they are capable of receiving; but then 'tis necessary they likewise overflow, because, 'tis absolutely impossible they should be widened and enlarged to the infinite and boundless Comprehensions of Omniscience. This besides the Reason of the thing, (which assures us, that 'tis absolute impossible any Being should have the Attributes of the Divine Nature, which has not the Divine Nature itself) is plain from the Instance of the Angels. These Blessed Spirits were before the Incarnation of our Lord admitted into their Father's House, the Mansions of Glory, the Royal City of the Heavenly King. The time of their Probation was over and gone, and they all unalterably confirmed in a state of Happiness and Glory. Their Business, and Employment was to contemplate the Unfolded Beauties of the Divine Countenance, and to sing continually in the Presence of the Lord, that Great is the Glory of their God. And yet how imperfect was the Knowledge, how improveable the Understandings even of these Intelligences? Notwithstanding this clear Vision of the Divine Essence, the Mystery of Man's Redemption was so far hid from their Eyes that before the Manifestation of the Son of God in the Flesh, they had only some general, dark, and obscure Notices of it. And tho' now (as * Ephes. 3.10. St. Paul tells us) the manifold Wisdom of God is in a greater measure made known unto them by his Dispensations in the Church, yet even now are they so far from being able to comprehend it, that † 1 Epist. 1.12. St. Peter assures us they still desire to look farther into it. These things, says he, the Angels desire to look into. In short, our Lord has put this case beyond all doubt; for speaking of the Day of Judgement: Of that Day and Hour, ‖ Matth. 24.36. & Mat. 13.32. says he, knoweth no Man, no, not the Angels of Heaven, nor the Son, but my Father only. For if the Son of God himself, as Man, tho' he is to be the Umpire of that Great Day; and the Holy Angels, who always behold the Face of their Father, and who with unspeakable Alacrity and Joy will attend and wait upon him in this his glorious Expedition, was once and are still ignorant in this matter, then certainly it can be nothing but Folly and Madness to imagine, that the Spirits of Just Men and Women (which, tho' never so perfect as such, are, as they stand in Relation to their Bodies, to whom they have a natural Inclination, even in Heaven itself, but in a State of Imperfection) should so far excel, as to have an entire and perfect Knowledge of all things, that are done both in Heaven and Earth. Now then from what has been thus discoursed, I presume, 'tis Evident, that there is no Foundation in Reason to think, that the Saints (though in Heaven) have a particular, entire and perfect Knowledge of all things that are done in Heaven and Earth, and consequently of all the Circumstances, Concerns, Occurrences, and Affairs of every Man's Life, and so are become the Objects of our Devotion, as our Adversaries pretend; but that on the contrary, we have all the Reason in the World to conclude, that they have no constant Knowledge of any thing here below; and consequently, that according to the Romish Doctors themselves, 'tis otiosum & Supervacaneum, an idle, vain and superfluous, and according to Truth itself, an impious, wicked, and idolatrous piece of Devotion, that is put up to them. For tho' we allow, that God does sometimes of his especial Grace vouchsafe by an Extraordinary Revelation to acquaint his Saints with something of our Affairs here below, like the good Shepherd in the Gospel, who when he had found the Sheep he had lost, soon informed his Neighbours of it, and called them together to rejoice with him for it; nay, farther, tho' I cannot think it too much to grant, that the Saints in Heaven do not only intercede with God for the Church in general; that he would be favourable and gracious unto Zion, and vouchsafe to repair the Breaches in the Walls of Jerusalem; but also that some of them, at some Times, on some Occasions, which either an immediate Revelation from God himself, or perhaps the Relation of a Guardian Angel or possibly a short Errand of their own discovers to them, do (as * Ep. ad Trall. pag. 80. Vsser. Edit. Ignatius, † De Orat. sect. 34 Origen, ‖ De Mortalit. pag. 166. Ed. Oxon. Cyprian and ** Vid. Aug. Confess. l. 9 c. 3. Basil. Hom. 20. Ambros. de obitu Theod. Hieron. Ep. 25. others think they do) Pray for some of us in particular; yet since there is no certainty in this matter, no Revelation to inform us when this is done, or indeed whether it be so much as done at all; we cannot from such pious Conjectures only infer with the Council of Trent, that we ought to Pray to them, or make them the Mediators between God and ourselves; especially since (besides the Arguments already alleged) God himself has expressly pronounced him Cursed who thus trusteth in Man, and maketh Flesh his Arm, and whose Heart departeth from the Lord. All we are to do, is to Praise and Magnify the Name of God for them that he has been pleased of his gracious Goodness to deliver their Souls from the Burden of the Flesh, from the Waves and Storms of this tempestuous World, and to land them safely on the peaceful Harbour of Eternity. That he adorned and enriched them with his manifold Gifts and Graces, whereby they are rendered as burning and shining Light to his Church in succeeding Generations, This, I say, together with a Reverential Respect, and study of Imitation, is all we have to do upon their Account; and This, we are sure, (whatever the Trent Doctors determine) was the only Inference the Primitive Church made from these Premises. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The Honour, says * Vid. tom. 5. p. 625. Vid. & Eus. Hist. Eccl. l. 4. c. 15. pag. 134, 135. & Aug. de Civit. Dei l. 8. c. 27. & l. 22. c. 10. S. Chrysostom, that we are to pay to the Martyrs, is to strike the same Lines, as those invincible Heroes have done; to copy out their Fortitude and Magnanimity, and with the like Cheerfulness to lay down our Lives for the Lord's sake. And so I come to my 3. Particular, which is to show, That as this Assertion has no Foundation in Scripture nor Reason; so, neither has it the least Support from Antiquity. Spiritus Defunctorum, † De curâ pro mortuis. says St. Austin, non vident quaecunque eveniunt aut aguntur in istâ vitâ hominum, i. e. The Spirits of the Saints departed, do not know all things that are Acted upon the Stage of the World. And * Ep. 3. de Epitaph. Nepot. St. Hierom, speaking of his deceased Friend Nepotianus, is more particular: Quicquid dixero, says he, quia ille non audit, mutum videtur; quocum loqui non possumus, de eo loqui non desinamus. Whatsoever I shall say, seems dumb and to no purpose, because Nepotian does not hear me; yet since we can no more speak with him, let us be the longer in speaking of him. I know the Fathers about the latter End of the Fourth Century in their Funeral and Anniversary Panegyrics of the Saints and Martyrs, frequently use very elegant and affectionate Apostrophe's to them, as tho' they supposed them present. But the Popish Abusers of this innocent. Custom would do well to consider, that they most cautiously usher them in with If's and And's, as in that † Orat. 1. cont. Julian. of Nazianzen: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Hear, O thou Soul of the Renowned Constantine, if thou hast any sense or knowledge of these matters: For every Schoolboy will tell them, that this is only a Rhetorical Flourish, a pleasing Strain of Eloquence taken up by Orators in expressing their own, and moving the affections of others; but never used by any as a Form of Prayer, or a Mode of addressing their Devotions to the Deceased. But we need not seek far for the Sense of Antiquity in this Matter. The Fathers have sufficiently declared their Opinion in their Controversy with the Arians. These Heretics divested the Blessed Jesus of his Divinity; diminished and degraded him into a mere Creature, and yet held it lawful to pay him Religious Worship. This, (tho' the Arians declared they worshipped him only with an inferior degree of Worship, parallel to what our Adversaries now call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, not with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, or that Degree, which is peculiar only to the Supreme God, was universally abhorred and detested by the Fathers, who looked upon it as an impious Restauration of Pagan Idolatry. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says Athanasius, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; i. e. Why do not these Arians, since they are of this Opinion, descend into the Class of the Unbelieving Gentiles? for they are all guilty of one and the same kind of Idolatry, Worshipping the Creature besides the Creator. But now if the Arians were thus peremptorily condemned by the Fathers for Idolatry, because they worshipped the Blessed Jesus, tho' but with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as they supposed him to be a Creature; then how is it possible for our Adversaries to escape the same Condemnation, who pay the same degree of worship to those we all know to be Creatures? The Arians supposed the Son of God to be a Creature, but were in the wrong; and therefore, tho' Formally Idolaters, according to their own mistaken Hypothesis, yet were they not Materially and Really so. But these Men know for certain, that the Saints they worship are indeed but Creatures, and therefore are as well Materially as Formally Idolaters. The Arians worshipped the Son indeed as a Creature; but then not as an Ordinary, Inferior Creature; but as the first, the most glorious, and the most excellent of all Creatures, by whom, as an Instrument, all the others were made, and yet were found Guilty; How then shall these Men escape, who worship in the same manner these ordinary, Inferior Being's, whom we all know to be the Workmanship of his hands, as he is God. But though the Saints are to have no part or share in our Devotions, yet may we not humbly present our petitions before the Exalted Thrones of Angels and Archangels? The Saints indeed were Persons of like Passions with ourselves, they had their Slips and Miscarriages here upon Earth and now in Heaven still bear the Marks and Badges of their Sins, being deprived of half of themselves, their Bodies. But these Blessed, indefective Spirits are the Firstborn Sons of the Heavenly King the most Correct and Amiable Patterns of his Essential Purity and Holiness, and certainly he expects we should peculiarly honour them whom himself in so especial a manner delights to honour. Honour them indeed we will, and in the way most becoming such glorious and Exalted Being's. We will endeavour to copy out their heavenly Virtues, to transcribe their Heroic Exellencies, and to live like Angels here, that we may for ever live with them hereafter. But to pray to them to invoke them, to implore their Aid and Assistance in the time of our Need, is what neither they desire nor we can give. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, see not, Rev. 19.10. and 22.9. was the Heavenly Messengers abrupt and hasty prohibition to St. John, when dazzled and overcome by his Extraordinary Glory, he would erroneously have worshipped him for his Adorable Master; and he that dares do this, holds not the Head says * Col. 2.19. St. Paul; but vainly puft up by his fleshly Mind, degenerates (as the whole Laodicean † Vid. Balsamon. Canon. p. 841. Council in its thirty fifth Canon truly declares) into the Abominable and Sacrilegious Rites of the Idolatrous Jews and Gentiles. For whatever Fig-leaves Men may sew together to cover their Nakedness withal, 'tis most certain, that they who in these Nations worshipped their Baalim, their Daemons, or Angels most, did it upon the very same Principles, as our Adversaries do at this day. The ‖ Vid. Plat. sym. Apul. de Daemon. Socrat. & Grotium in 2. cap. Ep. ad Col. v. 18. Pythagoreans, ‖ Vid. Plat. sym. Apul. de Daemon. Socrat. & Grotium in 2. cap. Ep. ad Col. v. 18. Platonists, and other Learned Heathens, will answer for themselves, and the Rabbins (as they are cited at large by the learned ‖ Intell. Gust. p. 468, 469. Cudworth) for both Jews and Gentiles, that they were always so far from thinking by such worship to derogate any thing from the Honour of the Lord Jehovah, whom (tho' under different Names) they all equally acknowledge to be the Common Father of Gods and Men, that they did verily believe he was highly pleased at that sort of Worship, which they gave these his Extraordinary Ministers; the Honour redounding chief to himself that made them; and also that he accepted their Humility, who duly sensible of their own Vileness and Unworthiness, dared not to approach his awful Majesty without the Introduction of such mighty Favourites, such Beloved Mediators. And yet (notwithstanding these so specious Pretences) our * Rom. 1. Apostle expressly declares of the Gentiles, that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God; but were therefore vain in their Imaginations, because they worshipped the Creatures, tho' not as so many Supreme, Independent Being's; but only as Mediators of Intercession, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Besides, the Creator, and the Prophets, continually bait the Jewish Church for these things, with the soul and odious Name of Whore, Prostitute Whore, and Abominable Harlot. So that you see, 'tis the peculiar Honour, the incommunicable Prerogative of the Son of God (as the Learned † Orig. cont. Cells. l. 5. p. 233. & l. 8. p. 382.384.395. Father peremptorily and frequently inculcates) to be our Mediator, to receive our Devotions, and to intercede for us at the Right hand of the Father; Prayer then shall be made only unto him, and daily shall he be praised. He is the way, the Truth and the Life, and no man can come unto the Father but by Him. As in the Earthly Tabernacle the Highpriest only entered into the most Holy Place beyond the Veil, there to be an Agent with God for the People; so our only Highpriest, the Blessed Jesus has therefore by his own blood entered into the Holy of Holies, the Heavenly Tabernacle, that there he may appear in the Presence of God for us. He is that Angel with the golden Censer, who offers the Incense, the Prayers of the Saints, upon the golden Altar before the Throne; that Angel of the Presence, that Messenger of the Covenant, who is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. Tho' therefore there be (as the Learned * 1 Cor. 8.5. Apostle observes) that are called Gods, yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, many Celestial and Sovereign Gods, according to the ‖ Vid. Jamblich. de Mist. Egypt. sect. 5. c. 17. & M. Osyr. sub finem dissertationis primae. Platonists, who never interest themselves in the Affairs of Mankind; and Many subordinate and inferior Lords, or Daemons, whose Office (as you have heard) is to be Agents and Mediator between the Gods and Men; Yet shall no Man spoil me through this absurd Philosophy, and vain Deceit, which is only after the Tradition of Men, after the weak and beggarly Rudiments of the World, and not after Christ. For to us Christians, says the same * 1 Cor. 8.6. and 1 Tim. 2.5. Apostle, there is but one (sovereign) God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and but one Mediator between God and Men, the Man Christ Jesus. This Himself confirms in that Dialogue between Him and the Angels, recorded by the Prophet. Who is this, say they in Rapture and Amazement, that cometh from Edom, Isa. 63. with died garments from Bozrah? This, that is glorious in his Apparel, travelling in the Greatness of his Strength? I, that speak in Righteousness, answers our Lord, Mighty to save. But wherefore, they humbly ask again, art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wine-press alone, says our Lord, and of the People there was none with me. I alone am mighty to save, and besides me there is no Saviour. Good luck then have thou with thine Honour, O Lord; Ride on, because of the Word of Truth, of Meekness, and of Righteousness, and thy Right-Hand shall teach thee terrible things. Terrible things indeed for the King's Enemies, who would have other Lords besides Thee to rule over them. But gracious and comfortable things for thy Servants, the Sheep of thy Pasture, who know thy Voice, and therefore come to thee, who alone canst give Ease to our Troubled Spirits, being that Lamb of God, which takest away the Sins of the whole World. And so I come to the third thing observable in the Text, viz. the Persons invited, who are All Penitent Sinners in general; All ye that labour and are heavy laden. All ye that sigh, and groan, and are bowed down, and ready to sink under the grievous burden of your sins. 3. There is no Person, no Time, no Rank or Quality whatsoever, that is excepted. God would have all Men come to the Knowledge of the Truth, and be saved, says the * 1 Tim. 2.4. Apostle; there's the Universality of the Persons: And the Time, the † Ezek. 18.27. Prophet tells us, is as universal; 'tis not now and then only; but, whensoever a wicked man turneth away from the wickedness that he hath committed, and doth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Accordingly we find God, in the 1st of Isa. calling to all Sinners in general, without any Distinction of Circumstances, Ages, or Conditions, to come, and be reconciled to him. Wash ye, make ye clean, says he, put away the evil of your do from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well; and then, tho' neither the Out-going of the Morning, nor of the Evening, have praised me; but from the Height of your Youth to the Declensions of Old Age, you have been taken, and led Captive by your Sins at their will, I will do them all away: Tho' they be as Scarlet, they shall be white like Snow; tho' they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. And again, in the third of Jeremiah, he with Infinite Tenderness and Affection courts his People to come to him, tho' they had most frequently revolted, and infinitely offended his Divine Majesty. They say if a Man put away his Wife, and she be joined to another Man, she shall not return to her former Husband any more: But thou hast played the harlot with many Lovers, yet return again to me, saith the Lord. Thus Absolute and Universal are the Promises and Invitations God makes to Sinners. Thus solemnly and pathetically does he declare (as you saw more at large in my First General Head) his towards them; that he desires not the death of any of them all; but had rather they would every one of them, from the Least to the Greatest, turn from their evil ways, and Live. And yet we meet with some Persons in the World, whose Ears are entirely stopped against this gracious and ravishing Voice of the Heavenly Charmer. The Suggestions of Satan, or the Unhappiness of an ill Constitution of Body, or the unwarrantable Assertions of some ill-natured, surly and melancholy Pseudo-Prophets, or possibly all these three together, have plunged their tender Spirits in the profoundest Depth of Amazement and Despair. They think they have committed a Sin unto Death, the Sin against the Holy Ghost, and therefore that Salvation belongs not to them; but that, tho' at present in different Mansions, they are reserved, as well as the Devils, for Everlasting Chains of Darkness at the Judgement of the Great Day. The Case of these Persons is sad and lamentable, and such as calls for our Prayers, our Sorrow, and our utmost Assistance. And indeed for their Sakes I first made Choice of my Text, tho' the second thing observable in it hath hitherto interrupted my Prosecution of this Matter. Have Patience therefore now, I pray, whilst for the Ease of such afflicted Souls, and to prevent (through God's Blessing) such dangerous Mistakes in others, I insist upon this Point. Now the Sin against the Holy Ghost is generally thought to be irremissible, and our Saviour's Words seem to assert as much. All manner of Sin and Blasphemy, * Matt. 12.31, 32. says he, shall be forgiven unto Men: but Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto Men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. And again in † Chap. 3. v. 28, 29. St. Mark, Verily I say unto you, All Sins shall be forgiven unto the Sons of Men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme, but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, but is obnoxious to the Sentence of Eternal Damnation. And yet S. Chrysostom among the Ancients, and ‖ In Matt. 12. Maldonat, ‖ In Matt. 12. Grotius, ‖ In Matt. 12. Hammond, and * Great Exampl. pag. 201. Tailor amongst the Moderns, are so charitable, as to think, that this Expression, shall not be forgiven, is to be Understood with a Qualification; Impossibility in Scripture sometimes denoting no more, than an extreme Difficulty. Thus our Lord expressly * Mark 10. declares, that 'tis easier for a camel to go through the Eye of a Needle, (which is absolutely impossible) than for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of God. Yet he means not by this Assertion utterly to exclude all Rich Men from the Hopes of Heaven; but only signifies to us, that 'tis a very hard and difficult matter for them that trust in Riches, saying to Gold, Thou art our Hope, and to the fine Gold, Thou art our Confidence, ever to undertake the severer Discipline of the Gospel here, and consequently to be made Partakers of his Glory in the Kingdom of Heaven hereafter. How hard is it, says he to his astonished Disciples, for them that trust in Riches, to enter into the Kingdom of God? In like manner, (say these Learned Men) when he positively asserts, that all Sins and Blasphemies whatsoever shall be forgiven unto Men, but that the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven, he means not, that 'tis absolutely impossible it should ever be forgiven; but only, that it shall not be forgiven so easily, but more hardly, and with greater Difficulty, than any other Sin or Blasphemy whatsoever, Non utiquè quod remitti non possit, as the forecited Jesuit; not that it cannot he forgiven at all; but because they who commit it, nullam peccati sui excusationem habent, are utterly destitute of all Apologies and Excuses, and therefore are more unpardonable than other Men. I confess, I can determine nothing in this matter, whether this Sin be irremissible or not; I can only answer with the humble Prophet, Lord, thou knowest. God's gracious dealing indeed with David after his Adultery and Murder, with Peter after his Denial of his Master, with Paul after his persecuting the Church, and with a thousand other Sinners of the same Magnitude, obligeth me to believe, that there is no Sin or Blasphemy whatsoever which is irremissible in respect of God; and that therefore if the Sin against the Holy Ghost be indeed irremissible, 'tis only because it utterly excludes those who commit it, from Repentance. But though I dare not be positive as to the Consequences of this Sin; yet (what is a greater matter of Comfort to despairing Souls) I may venture to affirm, that, as to the Nature of it, 'tis such as cannot be committed by any Christian. If you ask me what 'tis, I briefly answer, That 'tis a Total Apostasy, and Final Falling away from Christ and his Gospel. I say, a Total Apostasy, and Final Falling away. And yet not every Total Apostasy, and Final Falling away neither; For 'tis possible a poor, ignorant Soul may be so decluded, as to Apostatise from Christianity to Mahometism, or some other Imposture, and yet still believe Christ to have been a very good Man. But this is such a Total Apostasy, such a Final Falling away from Christ and his Gospel, as is attended with the greatest Virulency, Rancour, Spite and Malice against both as can be imagined. When a Man not only utterly renounceth the known Truth, but also doth hate and abhor Christ and his Word; doth revile and spit upon him; doth with the Scribes and Pharisees crucify and mock him; and is so far from acknowledging him to be the Son of God, or indeed so much as a good Man, who did all his Miracles by the Power and Assistance of the Holy Spirit, that he most maliciously and despitefully, after full Conviction of his Conscience to the contrary, pronounceth him the greatest of Cheats, a most grand Impostor, the Eldest Son of the Devil, who acted only by Commission from Beelzebub, the Prince of the Devils. This I take to be plain from our Saviour's own Words, when he mentioned this Sin. There was brought unto him, says the Evangelist, one possessed with a Devil, blind and dumb: Matt. 12. compared with Mark 3. and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw. The People, amazed at this great Miracle, gave Glory to him; confessing him to be, in very deed, the promised Messiah, the Son of David. But the Scribes and Pharisees, moved with envy, tho' they knew the Miracle to be the Effect only of the Spirit of God; yet, to lessen his Reputation among the People, declared, against their own Consciences, that 'twas not by any Divine Authority; but purely by Virtue of a black Confederacy with the Infernal Powers, that he did these things. This Fellow, say they with unparallelled Rancour and Disdain, doth not cast out Devils, but by Beelzebub, the Prince of the Devils: Upon this says our Lord, All Sins shall be forgiven unto the Sons of Men, and Blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme; but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: And then is added the Reason of this Assertion (which plainly shows what the Sin against the Holy Ghost is) in these words, because they said, He hath an unclean Spirit. Now then (My Brother) dost thou believe and confess, That our Lord Jesus Christ is, in very deed, the Eternal Son of the Living God? That when he was here upon Earth he acted only by Commission from his Father; and that the Mighty Works which did show forth themselves in him, were done by the Virtue and Power of his own most Holy Spirit? If thou dost, then be of good cheer, that hast not yet, and as long as thou continuest in this Faith, thou canst not commit this Sin against the Holy Ghost. Nothing now, but thy Impenitence, can separate between thee and thy God. Thou hast his own word for't: All sins and blasphemies whatsoever shall he forgiven unto the Sons of Men; tho' perhaps this Sin against the Holy Ghost (which thou hast not committed) shall never be forgiven. Break off thy sins then by Repentance, and they shall all be forgiven thee, Depart out of Babylon, and come to Christ; and thou shalt be refreshed, and find Rest unto thy Soul. And so I come to the Last Thing observable in my Text, viz. the Benefit of accepting our Lord's Invitation; I will give you Rest. 4. What joyful Tidings are these? What Ease is here to wounded Consciences? what Comfort to Despairing Sinners? * Cant. 2. v. 11, 12. Lo the Winter (that dismal time, wherein Ignorance, Error, and Superstition, like Floods in the Winter-season, overflowed the earth) is passed, and the Rain (those cloudy, uncomfortable days, wherein we could see, and enjoy but little of him) is over and gone: All the tokens of a new World appear, and invite us to come and partake of heavenly joys and pleasures. The Flowers appear on the Earth; All manner of Blessings spring up in abundance, now the Sun of Righteousness is risen upon us. The time of the singing of Birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land: The heavenly Host sing for Joy, and excite all Mankind to praise their Saviour with joyful Lips. Is then thy Soul full of Sorrow and Heaviness, and drooping under the Apprehensions of thine approaching Judgement. Does thy Conscience tell thee, That Hell is thy Portion; and thine Inheritance in the Land where Death reigns for ever and ever? Is this, I say, thy case? Why, do not any longer despond, but throw away thy Garments, thy Sins, that encompass thee about, and rise up, for thy Saviour calls thee. Behold, the Wise Men rise up at his Call; they acknowledge his gracious Summons, and hastily come away from a far Country; and therefore are kindly received, tho' their * Vid. Justin. M. Dial. cum Tryph. Jud. pag. 304. & Orig. count. Cells. lib. 1. p. 45, 46. Witchcrafts and Idolatries are so many. The humble Shepherd likewise obey the Heavenly Vision; as soon as the Angels are gone to Heaven, they leave their feeble Flocks, and tender Lambs, and therefore are graciously admitted to the Presence and Adoration of the great Shepherd of their Souls. The Star out of Jacob is risen upon thee also, and and if thou wilt follow its Light, 'twill conduct thee to the Mansions of thy Lord and Saviour. The Glory of the Lord too is ready to shine round about thee; the abundant Visitations of his Grace from Heaven will (if thou art willing) dispel the uncomfortable Darkness of the Night; all the black Clouds of Melancholy and Despair, and enlighten thy Understanding, and actuate all thy Faculties, till at length they happily bring thee to Bethlehem, to the Presence and Embraces of the Holy Jesus. Come then, I say, thou sinking, despairing Soul, unto thy Saviour. Come to him, by Faith and Repentance, and he will by no means cast thee off. Come to him, and he will most tenderly receive thee. The Bowels of his Compassion will immediately move towards thee; and he will gently take thee by the hand, and guide thee into the way, that leads to Zion. 'Twas his Meat and Drink, when he lived amongst us to proclaim Liberty to the Captives; to loosen those, whom Sin and Satan has bound; to bind up the ; to give Medicines to heal their Sicknesses, and to preach the acceptable Year of the Lord. And tho' now he is gone to Heaven; yet he has not left thee comfortless. He is abstracted from thee as to his bodily Presence; but, his Divine Spirit and Grace still attend and wait upon thee. Not all the Glories of Heaven, the Allelujahs of the Angels, and the triumphant Songs of the Saints, can make him forget thee; but the same Tenderness of Spirit, the same Mercy and Lovingkindness which he had upon Earth he now in the midst of all his Glories, still retains for thee in Heaven. We have not such an Highpriest, says the Apostle, as cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities; but who having been tempted himself, is able to secure them that are tempted. He sits in those glorious Mansions at the Right hand of the Father, to make intercession for us. His Merits continually plead the Pardon of Repenting Sinners at the Throne of Grace, and he is able and willing to save all them to the uttermost that come unto God by him: Nay, 'tis his Glory, his Joy, and Crown, to forgive Sins; 'Tis the reward of his Sufferings, the Recompense of his Agonies, to Save Sinners. This he so ardently desires and thirsts after, that he breaks not the bruised Reed, nor quencheth the smoking Flax; but still more and more softens and mollifies the relenting Heart, till he sends forth Judgement unto Victory. He cannot be always chiding, neither keepeth he is Anger for ever; but tho' he cause Grief, yet will he have Compassion, according to the multitude of his Mercies. Thus when Ephraim turned and repent; when he smote upon his Thigh, and was ashamed for the reproachful Sins of his Youth; how tenderly, how affectionately, does his Maker deal with him? Is Ephraim * Jer. 31.20. says he, my dear Son? Is he a pleasant Child? that is Ephraim is indeed my dear Son, he is a most pleasant Child; for since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. In the same manner when Zion, deeply sensible of her Sins grew disconsolate, and said within herself, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me; he earnestly protests to her, that his Heart was more tender of her than the Heart of any Parent could be of the Child of Infant of her own Womb. Can a Woman, * Isa. 49.15. says she, forget her sucking Child, that she should not have compassion on the Son of her Womb? Tea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Nay farther is so pleased at the Return of a Sinner that he assures us, there is Joy in Heaven over such a One; yea more Joy among the Angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth, than over Ninety and Nine Just Persons, who need no Repentance. When a lost Sheep of the house of Israel is found; when it is rescued out of the Jaws of Death and of Hell; Snatched out of the Paw of that roaring Lion who continually goes about seeking whom he may devour, and safely brought back into the Fold of the great Shepherd the Lord Christ Jesus; These Blessed Spirits are no sooner acquainted with it, but they take into their hands their instruments of Music, and in the highest Strains of Seraphic Joy contulate his Return. The Valleys (to speak after the Excellent Bishop Taylor) are no sooner filled with Benediction, and a fruitful Shower from Heaven; but these Mountains leap with Joy, even the Joy of conquerors. This he has sensibly represented to us in the Parable of the Prodigal. Luke 15. He had most grievously transgressed his Duty in every point, both to God and Man. When his indulgent Father, upon his Request, had kindly Divided his Living between Him and his Brother; expecting, you may be sure, no small Comfort and Satisfaction from the joint Welfare and Happiness of his dutiful Children; this ungrateful and inhuman Wretch not many days after gathers all together, and gets him away into a far Country, where forgetful of his most tender Father, forgetful of his sorrowful Relations, forgetful of his most gracious God, he lies wallowing in the Mire of all Fifthiness and Debauchery, mispending his precious hours in the Conversation and Caresses of shameless, prostitute, abominable Strumpets, and wasting all his Substance in a most profligate, brutish, and riotous way of living. Yet no sooner does his Father spy him returning home, with a penitent Confession in his Mouth; but (notwithstanding his great Unworthiness) his Bowels are moved towards him: yea, he becomes impatient, cannot expect his near Approach; but his Joy and Affection give him wings. Whilst he is yet a great way off, he runs, he flies to meet him; has not Patience to stay for his humble Confession; but immediately, in an Ecstasy of Joy, falls upon his Neck, forgives and kisses him. The best Robe, the fattest Calf, Music, and Dancing, all the Expressions of the most solemn and extraordinary Joy are hardly enough to entertain him. Now then (my disconsolate Brother) who would not rather thus cause Joy to the Blessed Choires above by a sincere and hearty Repentance, than by a Sullen, unwarrantable Despair please the professed Enemies of God and Man, the Spirits of Darkness? Who (I say) would not rather, by a timely Repentance, be the occasion of a Jubilation and Festival both in Heaven and Earth; than by causing Grief in both delight the sullen and destructive Powers of the Kingdom of Darkness? A Jubilation, I say in Heaven and Earth too: For see, thy Mother the Church, is highly concerned for thee, she mourns and laments thy unhappy State, and daily offers up Prayers and Tears for thy Recovery. She longs to see thee come boldly into her Courts, there with all her faithful Sons and Daughters to worship the God of our Joy and Gladness; and to sing merrily, and to make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob. Let then the Prayers and Tears of thy afflicted Mother; let the Hearty Concern, and passionate Wishes of the kind Spirits above, let the most gracious and tender Promises of Pardon which Truth itself has made thee, work thee out of this groundless, this unaccountable State of Despondency. Thou must not, thou canst not surely, after all this, despair. Thy Saviour tells thee, thou art not thine own; but His. He made thee at first, when thou wast nothing; and when thou wast lost and worse than nothing, He Redeemed thee too with his own blood, and most solemnly swears he would not have thee perish. Wilt thou not then believe Him, who hath done so many and great things for thee? Wilt thou not believe Him, who could even bleed and die for thee? If any Man of known Integrity had given thee his word thou wouldst not Scruple to believe him: How then canst thou thus affront thy God who cannot lie, by thy Infidelity; when he not only says, but also swears, he would have thee live? O! do not, do not thus evacuate all the gracious Methods the Heavenly Father is pleased to use for thy Recovery; Do not thus foolishly exclude thyself from Happiness, when God does not exclude thee. Alas! Thy God is Omnipotent, and can most easily perform all his Promises, and therefore he needs not deceive thee. He is good and gracious, and therefore he will not deceive thee. With him is no Variableness, or shadow of Turning; but he is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever, and therefore he cannot deceive thee. Obey then his gracious Call; come to him; throw thyself into his Arms; prostrate thyself with all due Humility at his feet; offer to him thy broken and contrite Spirit; beg him to accept thee, who never yet refused any, and he will most gladly receive thee. Tho' thou art never so heavy-laden, he will give thee Rest. He will ease thee of thy burden; he will pardon thy sins; he will quiet thy. Conscience here, and give thee everlasting Rest and Happiness hereafter. Which God, of his infinite Mercy, Grant unto us all, through the Merits and Mediation of Jesus the Beloved. To whom, etc. A DISCOURSE Upon the Fifth of November. PSAL. cxviii. Ver. 24. This is the Day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. THIS Psalm is supposed to have been compiled by the Royal Psalmist, when, after a long Series of Troubles and Persecutions, he was at last both safely placed upon the Throne of Israel and Judah, and had also subdued the proud Lords of the Philistines, together with their Allies and Confederates; * 2 Sam. 5. who, in hopes to have crushed him before he grew too powerful, had rallied their Forces, and invaded the Land. He had long grappled with the indefatigable Malice of his envious, bloodthirsty Master; long encountered the fierce Oppositions of Enemies abroad, but especially of Adversaries at home, some of which (as he complains Psalm 64.) were Men of such sneaking, slavish, mercenary Souls; of such beggarly, disingenuous, unmanly Spirits, that not daring to appear in the Gallantry of open Enemies, they betook themselves to the little Arts of skulking Revenge; endeavouring by all the sinister methods of clancular hatred, by a long train of secret Calumnies and Reproaches, to blow up his reputation, and at one Blast to deprive him both of Life and Crown. But now at length had the good hand of Providence put a joyful period to all these Troubles and Afflictions, and made him glad with the Joy of his Countenance. His haughty Neighbours humbly pay him Homage, and he tramples upon the Necks of his Domestic Adversaries. The Greatness of his Dangers endear him to the People, who from his so many miraculous Escapes, conclude him the Peculiar Favourite of Heaven and therefore receive him with the hearty and joyous Reiterations of Acclamations and Hosannas. Wherefore in a due sense of these great blessings, he is not contented to offer only his own Sacrifice of Praise, but likewise in the beginning of this Psalm excites all the people with their Doxologies and Allelujahs to assist and join with him in these his grateful acknowledgements. O give thanks unto the Lord, says he, for he is gracious because his mercy endureth for ever. Let all the Tribes of Israel, let the Priests and Levites; yea let All them, that fear the Lord, confess, that he is gracious, and that his mercy endureth for ever. You need not recount the Wonders he showed for your Forefathers in the Land of Egypt nor recall to your Memories how after a Succession of Mracles for forty years in the Wilderness, he at last with a mighty Hand and stretched-out Arm drove out the Nations before them, and gave them this pleasant Land for an Inheritance; Look only upon me, and you will see a most lively Instance of his Mercy and Goodness. For when mine Enemies swarmed about me like Bees, and as one Man, conspired with all their Might and Cunning to throw me down from the Throne to which I was advanced; when I was invaded by vast Multitudes from abroad, and undermined by the secret Treacheries and Machinations of more dangerous Adversaries at home; even then, when there seemed no possible way for my Escape, was the Lord my Helper, and is become my Strength, and my Song, and my mighty Salvation. So that the Stone which these unskilful Builders would have rejected, as unfit to be used, is, you see, become the headstone in the Corner, whilst (notwithstanding all the Attempts of mine Enemies to the contrary) I sit this day safely on my Fathers Seat. Now then, it ever, present yourselves joyful before the Lord the King, and come with me into his Courts in the voice of Thanksgiving; for This, of all others, is the Day which the Lord himself hath made; we will therefore rejoice and be glad in it. Thus you have, in short, the occasion of these Words, which I shall no longer insist upon, as they respect the circumstances of David; but consider them wholly, as they reflect Lustre upon the Solemnisation of this present Day. A Day, which, if any, may most properly be said to be made by the Lord, since it bears the liveliest Characters and Impresses of his Power and knowledge, of his Wisdom and Goodness, and of all those other glorious Attributes whereby we are assured, that he governs the World. For trace the Histories of ancient Times, turn over all Authors both Sacred and Profane, and (the Day of our Spiritual Redemption excepted) produce me a Day like This, so memorable in its Circumstances, so glorious in its Issue, and so unparallelled in its Consummation. Of all those Deliverances God in past Ages vouchsafed his Church, methinks none ever amounted to the Wonder of this Day, when I consider; 1. The black and dismal nature of the Design, which was this Day framed against us. And, 2. The Strangeness and Unexpectedness of our Deliverance from it. 1. I say, It will appear, that of all those Deliverances God in past Ages vouchsafed his Church, none ever amounted to the Wonder of this Day; and consequently, that this Day, of all others, may most properly be said to be made by the Lord, if we consider the black and dismal nature of the Design, which was this Day framed against us. As the Heavens rejoiced and the Earth was glad to see the glory of the Lord in the uncorrupted Light of the Gospel after a long Night of Ignorance and Superstition arise in Brightness upon us; so those restless Spirits, who always bore Evil-will to our Zion, as though they had received a second Downfall, in their undiscerned Habitations vented themselves in nothing, but Lamentations, and Mournings, and Woe. They saw the unparallelled Beauty of her Countenance, which, tho' long masked and clouded with the Veil of Widowhood, did now at length break forth in such Splendour and Brightness, that the Gentiles were coming to her Light, and Kings to rejoice in the Brightness of her Rising. That therefore in this holy Mountain there was no Den for such Beasts of Prey, but that they must either forego their beloved Dainties, and peaceably lie down in the Pastures with the Lamb, or for their own Security betake themselves to harder seeding in the barren Recesses of the Wilderness. Wherefore, impatient both of Restraint and Exile, they incontinently breathed out our Destruction; and to support and underprop their sinking Interest, at sundry Times, and in divers Manners, endeavoured to overturn the Foundations of our Felicity; sometimes, with the factious Son of Sheba, they blowed the Trumpet of Rebellion, disclaimed their Right in David, and endeavoured by good Words, and fair Speeches, to persuade others also, that they likewise had no Inheritance in the King. Sometimes, on the contrary, by the terrible Assaults of anathemas, Curses, and Excommunications, they laboured to scare and fright us into a Compliance. But when they found, that (notwithstanding all their Craft and Subtlety) their Designs were still defeated and unravelled, and all their most cunningly contrived Enterprises dwindled into continual Disappointments; that their ravenous, woolfish Nature, tho' never so close covered with Sheeps-clothing, was always discovered, and that none therefore dared to come in to their Standard, nor, tho' led on by the Infallible Hero himself, to enter the Field against the Lords Anointed; so that neither their Armadoes from Spain, nor false Witnesses from St. Omers, nor all those dreadful Thunderings and Lightnings from Rome could prevail any thing at all; but that the Virgin, the Daughter of Zion, despised them and laughed them to scorn, the Daughter of Jerusalem still shook her head at them; as Men even encouraged by Disappointments, and emboldened by Repulses they start anew, and rather than be for ever frustrated, are contented to divest themselves utterly of their Humanity, and to embark into so barbarous, so savage a Design, as will make the ears of all Posterity to tingle. Many Waters cannot quench their burning Rage, neither can the Floods, how deep soever, drown their Fury; but they resolve to tear in pieces the more excellent Prey, and one way or other to take their Pastime in Rivers of Royal Blood. Flectere fi nequeunt Superos— Since Heaven and Earth, Angels and Men, are against them they descend into the Regions of Darkness and Obscurity, as if they designed to ask Counsel of the Powers of Darkness. And indeed whoever accurately contemplates the nature of this cursed Design, must needs acknowledge it to bear all the marks of a hellish, diabolical Offspring. For where, but in the dismal Regions of everlasting Malice and Cruelty, could be hatched so barbarous, so villainous a Conspiracy? A Conspiracy so black and detestable, so hideous in its Circumstances, so fatal in its Consequences, that 'tis hardly possible to imagine, that it could have been invented by Man, unless (what the Jews of old thought of their Daemoniacks) they had really been converted into the Nature and Substance of fierce, implacable, destructive Daemons. A Conspiracy, which, if it had taken effect, would have utterly extinguished the Light of our Israel, and overspread the Nation again with thick Darkness of Ignorance and Superstition: which would have murdered the Lord's Anointed, and accomplished the savage Tyrants most execrable Wish; at one Blow cutting off the Head even of three Kingdoms: nay in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, have entirely destroyed both Root and Branch, King and Parliament, Prince and People, Peers and Prelates, Lords and Commons. A Conspiracy, that would have involved us all in Blood, exposed our Wives and Children to the merciless Fury of our Enemies, and enslaved our Lives and Fortunes, Souls and Bodies, to the imperious and domineering Lords of monopolising Rome. Lastly, A Conspiracy it was whose teeming Womb was ready to bring forth the ghastly Issue of Blood and Fire, and pillars of smoke, which would either have rendered our beautiful Cities a Wilderness, or (which is worse) an Habitation of Dragons, and made Jerusalem a Desolation. Alas! These unrighteous and cruel Men did not design only to shake off the Leaves, or to lop off the Branches of this fruitful Vine, but entirely, to pluck her up by the Roots * Ps. 137.7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Lay her waste, and down with her even to the ground, was all the Cry. So that not only our Land would have mourned for the Loss of her Gracious Sovereign, our Cities of their wise and prudent Governors, our Countries of their vigilant and powerful Guardians (which alone would have rendered us the Wonder and Astonishment of Men and Angels) but (which is yet worse, if any thing can be worse) our pure and undefiled Religion had also been lost in the general Devastation. Those insatiable flames, which had devoured her noble Patrons, would likewise unmercifully have preyed upon her drooping Vitals, till they had rarisyed her Substance into a mere empty Shadow, and changed the Spirituality of her Worship into external, cumbersome, impertinent Ceremonies. In short, Whatever the very Quintessence and Elixir of all villainy and Barbarity, of Superstition and Idolatry, of Mischief and Immanity could have imposed upon us, must (unless the Almighty hand of God would have wrought a Miracle for their Rescue and Deliverance) have been endured by our Posterity throughout all Generations; so that this Church, (I say) which is now the Perfection of Beauty, and the Joy of the wholly Earth, had unhappily became the very Scorn and Derision of her Enemies, and their Song all the day long. But (Blessed be God) our Soul is escaped, as a Bird out of the Snare of the Fowler, the Snare is broken, the Design blasted, the Plot unravelled, and we thereby most wonderfully delivered. Which brings me to my Second Particular, which is to show, that it will likewise appear, that of all the Deliverances God in past Ages vouchsafed his Church, none ever amounted to the Wonder of this Day; and consequently, that this Day, of all others, may most properly be said to be made by the Lord, if we consider the Strangeness and Unexpectedness of our Deliverance. 2. Many and glorious (I confess) have been the Deliverances which God in past Ages has vouchsafed his Church. He has often defeated the Designs, infatuated the Counsels, and brought to nought the Devices even of her most powerful Enemies, upholding her, when just sinking by the hand of his Providence. But yet when I seriously reflect upon the dismal Circumstances of this Day's Design, how secret the Conspiracy, how little Prospect of a discovery, and how ready the Execution, I am forced to acknowledge, that This, of all others, was the Lord's own doing and that 'tis altogether marvellous in our eyes. The Church of God indeed, in the Persian Monarch's time, was destined to Ruin, and the black Decree sealed with the King's own Signet. But then (you know) the Design was divulged, and the Day of Slaughter deferred, so that the Jews had time to contrive means for their Preservation, which accordingly we find they did, and turned the fatal Stroke upon the Heads of their Enemies. The Primitive Christians likewise were often persecuted and devoted to Death. But then they always, with the Prophet, foresaw the Cloud that threatened them. The Emperors were Heathens, and so they could expect no better Usage from them, and consequently had warning to provide for themselves. But now the case of our Church was quite different at this time. Her Security was her greatest Danger, and her implicit Faith like to have ended in her Ruin. No Storm threatened from abroad, neither did any Cloud seem to gather over our Heads at home; but our Air was as serene and quiet, as free from Storms and Tempests, as the superlunary Regions. The Mercy of our peaceful Solomon, like the Sunbeams, did (as we shall see more at large by and by) so plentifully diffuse its kind Heat and Warmth to all sorts of Men, that 'twas generally thought, he had melted the obdurate and inflexible Hearts of his most virulent enemies into reciprocal Tenderness, Loyalty and Obedience. But, alas! the Event most truly Demonstrated, that some of his best Subjects did not more frequently than justly tell him, that he was merciful even to a Fault; and kind, tho' it were to his own and the Kingdom's Danger. For when by these Means we were too easily persuaded, that our Enemies were reconciled to us, and become our Friends, so that we should never see the Sons of the Giants returning to defy our Israel any more; and upon this account not only intoxicated ourselves with present pleasure, but entertained our thoughts likewise with the fair, delightful Prospect of our future Felicity. Even than I say, when we thought ourselves most secure, was the Enemy within our Walls, and the fatal Sword hanging over our Heads. The Snares of Death encompassed us about, and our Souls were even hard at Death's door. Strangers sought after our Life, and we knew it not; yea they had caught us in their Nets; yet we perceived it not. There was indeed in the Kingdom a confused Notion, and obscure Knowledge of some great thing, that was suddenly to be done; But then, as King * K. Jame's Works, pag. 291. James assures us, 'twas only amongst the Papists, who likewise, for secrecies sake, were not to be entrusted with the Particulars. But that the King and Parliament were to be destroyed, and that by the quick dispatch of Gunpowder. That the Enemy had so long sat brooding upon this wicked Design, that the direful Offspring was almost come to the birth: This was a thing of that nature, that no Protestant either feared, or so much as suspected it. 'Twas locked up only in the Breasts of the Conspirators, who likewise, for the greater Concealment, had bound themselves by an Oath of Secrecy; yea, under the seal of the Holy Sacrament, not to reveal it directly not indirectly to any without common Consent. So that as to all external Helps, our Case was as desperate as possibly it could be, and we were even, like Sheep, bound ready for the Slaughter. Now then, did our own Strength or Policy bring Salvation to us, or our own Right-arm obtain us this Victory? Did the wisdom of the King's Counselors, the Care of his Magistrates, the Subsidies of his Friends, the Fidelity of his Servants, or the Courage of his Soldiers work for him this Deliverance? No. We only stood, still and saw the Salvation of God. Tho' our hands were tied, God fought from Heaven for us, the Stars in their courses fought against our Enemies. When the Harvest was come, and they were just putting in the Sickle, he turned the Edge against themselves, and cut them down in their Wickedness. He so infatuated their Counsels, and turned their deepest Policy like Achitophel's into so great Foolishness, that when they might securely have let in the Floods upon us, they turned the Stream directly against themselves, so that the Waters went over their own Soul: Had they but gone on with the same Privacy they began, and not suffered the direful Project to wander beyond the Limits of their own Breasts it had undoubtedly been crowned with wished-for Success. But as tho' the mighty Secret was too big to be long confined within so narrow a Compass, and, like a boisterous Vapour shut up within a cloud, struggled and was restless, till it tore its way through; of their own accord, when no Man either desired, or compelled them, they disclosed their own Wickedness; for by a Letter from one of them to the Lord Mounteagle (which yet was wrapped up in Terms as dark and enigmatical as the Egyptian Hieroglyphics (was the whole Matter most happily discovered, and this horrid Design, which had long been contriving, and was now just brought to a head, in a moment most miraculously blasted and confounded. Thus did He alone, who stilleth the raging of the Sea, curbing the Insolence of its proud Waves only with Reins of sand stem likewise the impetuous Torrent of our Enemy's Fury, and set it its Bounds, which it could not pass. Thus did He (I say) alone, who silenceth the raging Tempest, and commands the fight Winds to leave off their Contentions, snatching the Mariner, when at his Wit's end, from the devouring Jaws of the Deep, by the same Almighty Fiat still the storm that was about us; after all its Rage and Fury, gently wafting us to the Haven where we would be. Tho' we walked on still in Darkness, till the Foundations of the earth were almost out of course, yet Hell was naked before Him, and Destruction had no Covering. These black, obscure Chambers of Death were as clear to him as the Light; and these gloomy Regions of inextinguishable Malice as bright as the Noonday. He therefore laughed at their Attempts, derided their Counsels, and only therefore suffered them to bring us into the utmost Extremity, that when he should in due time deliver us, and we should safely look back upon the Danger we had escaped, we might not possibly communicate the Glory of our Preservation to any thing upon Earth, but be forced to attribute it wholly and entirely to His Goodness who alone giveth Salvation unto Kings, and delivereth his Servants from the hurtful Sword. And thus does it appear, both from the black and dismal Nature of the Design, which was this Day framed against us, and also from the Strangeness and Unexpectedness of our Deliverance from that Design, that 'twas the Lord himself who was on our side when Men risen up against us, and that we were delivered from these Dangerous Waters, Zechar. 4.6. as God speaks to Zerubbabel, not by Might, nor by Power, but by his Spirit alone, which moved upon the Face of them, and that therefore upon all Accounts we may say, This especially is the Day which the Lord hath made, and consequently that we ought to rejoice and to be glad in it. And so I come to the duty contained in my Text, viz. the Obligation incumbent upon us of rejoicing, and praising God for the Deliverances he vouchsafes us, employed in these latter Words: We will rejoice and be glad in it. Now I shall not encroach so much upon your Patience, as superslously to enlarge upon the Obligation of this Duty, which I rejoice to find already acknowledged. But since your Cheerfulness and Alacrity in its Performance has left me nothing else to do, than to encourage and applaud you in so good a Work, I shall only crave leave to propose two or three things to your considerations, whereby, I humbly conceive, you may most properly discharge it. 1. Then. We cannot better express our Joy and Gratitude to God for the transcendent Mercy of this Day, than by declaring our detestation and Abhorrence of that Doctrine, which as tho' its Foundations were laid upon the Traditions of Devils rather than of Men, countenanceth, nay, encourageth Men in such black, Antichristian undertake. Of that Doctrine, I say, which, under the venerable and sacred Veil of the best Religion in the World, authoriseth its Professors to perpetrate such Villainies, as the Pagan's themselves would blush to have committed. Many indeed are the Outrages and Barbarities committed by the Janissaries, and 'tis as ordinary for them amongst the Turks, as 'twas of old for their Fellow-Praetorian bands amongst the Romans, to deprive their Emperor of his Crown first, and then of his Life. But not to say, that these are only single Persons, or at farthest but particular Orders of Men; the things they commit will admit of Excuse and Extenuation. They never pretend to do them upon the account of Religion, but purely for Politic Ends and the Good of the State. Their Laurels fade and whither under the malignant Influence of the present Governor, whose Fortune (like a direful Comet) threatens Subversion to the Empire, wherefore in the Tempest of their Souls they set up another in his place, whose happier Conduct, they hope, will repair the Ruins they have suffered and settle the Greatness and Grandeur of the state upon a sure, lasting, and Basis. But now for a whole Sect of Men to be so biggotted and infatuated, as to be even obliged by the Principles of their Religion to die their hands in the Blood of their Brethren; for Men of Reason, Learning, and Conscience, to make it their Business to throw Kingdoms off their Hinges, and to tumble them into a state of Anarchy and confusion: For Christians even in cold blood to stab the sacred Persons of Princes, and piously to Triumph in the Ruins of States and Nations. This when done, (and This, you know, the Papists have often done) is enough to make the Sun once more to draw in his Beams, and the Angels to veil their Faces in Abhorrence and Detestation. I know there are some, who have the Confidence to tell us, that this is not the Doctrine of the Catholic Church, but the Presumptions only of some private Persons. But not to reply, that 'tis at lest the Tenet of the Jesuits, and the concurrent Doctrine of all their Casuists: These objectors would do well to let us know, what one solemn Declaration that Church ever made against it. Alas! It was always so far from being discountenanced or exploded either by their Holy Father himself or any General Council, that for six hundred Years at least it has been, as it were the discriminating Mark of that communion from all others. It hath been adopted into their Laws both Ecclesiastical and Civil; and highly approved and abetted by the Supreme Authority and Infallible Judgement of their Popes and Councils. Else how came it to pass, that two of the Jesuits, which were conscious of this Plot, upon their Arrival were made, one the Pope's Penitentiary, the other a Confessor in St. Peter's at Rome? that Garnet's Name as * Appen. p. 150. Widdrington witnesseth, was inserted into the English Martyrology; and tho' he confessed himself, that he died for Treason, and dehorted all others of his Persuasion from such pernicious Practices, yet that his Bones were kept for Relics, and his Image set over Altars, as that of a holy Martyr? In short, 'Tis plain, that 'tis not spurious, but truly genuine, since it has been abundantly confirmed by the general Practice of that Church, there being scarce any Kingdom, or People, or Nation, where she has unhappily landed, but what bears the most ample and indelible Characters of this Fundamental Article. Witness the woeful and lamentable Stories of the Roman Inquisition in Spain, and that brutish Slaughter of the innocent Waldenses in France, when (as 'tis proved by our very Learned and Pious † De Stat. & Success. Eccles. cap. 10. Usher from their own Authors) they were, upon no other account whatever, but purely for the sake of their Religion, butchered by these Bloodhounds in the space of 36 Years to the Number of One hundred and four Thousand seven hundred forty and Seven. Witness the frequent Attempts upon our Sovereign of Blessed Memory, Queen Elizabeth, after Pius the Fifth had insolently thundered out his anathemas against her, and by a Bull fixed up by some Priests in London pretended to absolve all her Subjects from their Fealty and Allegiance. Witness that Unfortunate Prince, Henry III. of France, who within the Compass of this last Century, was stabbed by one of his own Subjects, James Clement a Monk, only for favouring the Protestant Religion. Which, tho' an Execrable, Villainous, and Diabolical Act, was so far from being censured or condemned by Sixtus Quintus then Pope, that his Holiness both approved, and also highly extolled it in a long Consistory Oration, calling it an excellent, glorious and memorable exploit, not achieved without the special Providence and Appointment of the Great and Good God, and the Suggestion and Assistance of his most Holy Spirit. Witness that grievous Massacre, which in our own memory, the Huguenots suffered in France, which, tho' equalling at least the heat of any of the ten famous Persecutions by the Heathen Emperors, was yet applauded by Innocent the Eleventh as a thing pleasing unto God, a Sacrifice of sweet savour, which would advance that bloody Tyrant to a very eminent Station in the Regions of Immortality. 'Twould be endless to run through all the Butcheries they have committed. No Design so horrible and bloody, no Attempt so mischievous and treacherous, no Enterprise so base and cruel, but what you may find committed by them under the sacred Name of Religion and Conscience. For Witness, lastly, the black, unparallelled Undertaking of this Day, when against all the Laws of God and Man, of Justice and Gratitude, of Humanity and Reason, one of the Best of Kings and most Indulgent of Princes, was with the Queen and Prince at one Thunder Clap to have been sent to Heaven. One might reasonable expect to hear of some unusual Provocation, that raised these men's Spirits to such an incredible height of Immanity. But, alas! the most enraged of them never seriously alleged any; and if they had, the very Stones in the Wall would have found a Voice to have condemned them. For if Mercy and Goodness if Kindness and Benevolence, if Paternal Care and Royal Indulgence, have any Charms or Endearments, they all concentred in that Excellent Prince they thought to have destroyed. Past Experience had richly demonstrated, how impatiently these Bloodhounds thirsted after Royal Blood; yet so gloriously did his Mercy triumph over his other Virtues, that he not only winked at their Misdeeds, but gave them likewise free Access to his Person, honoured some of them with particular Dignities, and (as he declares * Pag. 253. himself) so animated and encouraged them by his as much unexpected as undeserved Favours, that they did directly expect, and assuredly promise themselves Liberty of Conscience, and Equality with his other Subjects in all things. And yet (as tho' we must first cease to be Men, before we can commence Papists; and renounce both our Reason and Conscience, to become servants to his Holiness) tho' under the benign Influence of his so happy Reign they basked themselves in the pleasant Rivers of overflowing Felicity; tho' (I say) they sat under his Shadow with great Delight, whilst his Banner over them was Love, the poisonous Seeds of that pestilential Heresy, had (as appears from their own Confessions) so infected, or rather quite choked the good Seed of Nature, that (notwithstanding all the Obligations that Heaven and Earth could lay upon them) Hell got the upper hand, and they thirsted after his Blood. Good God That Men, who profess themselves the Disciples of a poor, despised and crucified Saviour, whose Life, tho' he had all the heavenly Host at his Command, was one continued Lecture of Humility, Meekness, and Self-denial, and whose whole Doctrine resolvable into this one Precept, Love one another, should be so far from following his Example in saving men's Lives, and doing all the Good they can, that they go about with his Professed Adversary, seeking whom they may devour. That the Professors of that Religion, which is made up of Purity, Piety, Peace and Holiness, should delight in cruel Treacheries, bloody Massacres, and tragical Murders, nay think by so doing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as our * Joh. 16.2. Saviour speaks, even to offer a Sacrifice to God, as tho' he would be pleased with that sort of Worship which the most barbarous and brutish part of Mankind used to give to the Devil. Does it not seize you with Amazement, to think that the Servants of the Prince of Peace should delight above all others to imbrue their hands in Blood, and that the Followers of the meek Lamb of God should degenerate into ravenous Wolves and Tigers! That the Vicar of Christ, who expressly declares that his Kingdom is not of this World, should magisteriously take upon him to dispose of Crowns and Sceptres, and insolently to trample upon the Necks of Kings and Emperors? Certainly, if these things are indeed consonant to the Principles of Christanity, I know no Reason that great Statist Machiavelli had to complain that it rendered Men unfit for cruel Undertake; or why those Heathen Emperors, which Persecuted it most, should not be canonised for Saints, since they undoubtedly did the Office of good Patriots in endeavouring to rid the World of such Men who made it their business to turn it upside down. But, Quid Christiani laeserant Regna terrena? How the Christians had caused any Molestation or Damage to the Kingdoms of the Earth, was justly demanded by St. Austin. For tho' from their frequent Discourses of that Kingdom which they expected hereafter, their Enemies erroneously suspected them to be disaffected to the Government, 'tis abundantly evident both from their Writings and Practice, that they were Caesar's best Friends. They did not indeed with his other subjects exalt him above the Level of despised Mortality, and therefore they neither gave him Sacrifice, nor swore by his Genius but (what really became good and pious Men) they fought his Battles, honoured his Person, revered his Power, paid his Tribute, offered up Prayers for him, and obeyed his Laws, unless where they evidently contradicted the Laws of Christ and where they did, submitted to the most cruel Penalties they laid upon them, with the greatest Calmness and Serenity of Soul. And when, notwithstanding all this, they were accused (as indeed they often were) as Enemies to Caesar, they thought it highly concerned them for the Honour of their Religion, by all means possible to wipe off these Stains, which were falsely laid upon them; and accordingly we find them in their Apologies and other Writings with all the Zeal imaginable vindicating themselves from such malicious Aspersions. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, * Cat. 10. says St. Cyril, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We beseech God for the common Peace of the Churches, for the Quiet of the World, for our Kings, their Soldiers, and Auxiliaries. And † Ap. c. 30. Tertullian, Precantes sumus Omnes sempèr pro omnibus imperatoribus, and so on, i. e. We all do continually pray, that God would give our Emperors a long Life, a secure Empire, a safe House valiant Armies, a faithful Senate, a good People, a peaceable World, & quaecunque Hominis & Caesaris Vota sunt, and whatsoever Caesar either as a Man or Emperor, can wish. 'Tis manifest then, that these Primitive Christians never thought it their Duty to assassinate Princes, tho' Pagan or Heretical, for the Cause of Religion, or to excite their Subjects to Rebellion for the Interest of the Gospel. They did not illuminate men's Understandings with Fire and Faggots, nor convince or silence Gainsayers by the Arguments of Apostolical Dragooners. As their Battles were Spiritual, so neither were their Weapons Carnal. 'Twas the peculiar Honour of their Profession, that it grew victorious by Sufferings, and triumphed in Persecutions: That Tears were its Jewels, and its Chains its chiefest Ornaments: That whereas all other Religions, in the World did by a multitude of Sacrifices as it were, train up and inure men's Minds to Blood and Destruction it was always (like its great Author) upon the Passive; not by Swords and Daggers, by Fire and Faggots, by Plots and Cabals, but by enduring all things, by bearing all things, recommending itself to the World. Now then, is the Church of Rome this meek and gentle spouse of Christ, which is therefore comely as the Curtains of Solomon, because black through the Heat of Persecutions? Is she, I say, that Church whose Foundations are laid on the Blood, not of her Enemies, but dearest Friends? However Bellarmine might pride himself in his Notes of the true Church, yet surely her red and bloody Garments speak her to be either that Beast in the Apocalypse, that kills all those that will not receive his Mark in their Foreheads, nor worship his Image; or that great Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth, which St. John saw drunken with the Blood of the Saints, and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus. O my Soul then, come not thou into her secret, and unto her Assemblies mine Honour be not thou united. 2. We cannot better express our Joy and Gratitude to God for the transcendent Mercy of this Day, than by letting it remind us of his infinite Goodness in calling us from the Tents of these wicked Men, who by teaching and maintaining such pernicious Doctrines, do not only (as you have already seen) carry Men on to the most heinous Immoralities, but also as a natural Consequence from such Premises, wholly and entirely pervert the Simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. To some unthinking Persons perhaps this may seem a bold Charge; yet I need not be long in the Proof of it. For not to tell you, that these Men have set up such a number of Intercessors, that as the Prophet Jeremy, speaks, according to the number of their Cities, so are their Gods; tho' the * 1 Tim. 2.5. Apostle (for his Argument is levelled against the Heathens, who never so much as heard of a Mediator of Redemption, and therefore did only acknowledge those of Intercession) expressly declares, that there is but One. Not (I say) to remind you, that tho' our Saviour in his Farewell-speech most passionately bequeathes to us mutual Love and Kindness, and the more to endear this Duty to us, adds withal, that this should be so evident a Mark of our Profession, that hereby should all Men know, that we are indeed his Disciples; yet † Vid. Concil. Lateran. 4 Can. 3. de Haeret. These Men teach, that if we will be Christians indeed, we must rifle and plunder one another, kill and stab our Brethren, butcher our Benefactors, blow up Parliaments, and destroy Heretical Kings and States; for this is not only lawful, but also laudable, excellent, heroic, and meritorious. Lastly, nor to say that they forbidden their Priests to Marry, and condemn that Sacred Institution in such Persons as impious, and damnable; tho' ‖ Heb. 13.4. St. Paul assures us, that 'tis equally honourable in all sorts of Men; nay * 1 Tim. 4.1, 3. reckons the Prohibition of it amongst the Doctrines of Devils, and the Primitive Church never thought the worse of her Bishops for it: What else speak their taking the Cup from the Laity? tho' according to the positive command of Christ, that they should all Drink of it, the Primitive Church (as they themselves confess) allowed it them; and rather than not worship an Idol or Image, their abolishing (as much as they can) the Commandment that forbids it? What mean their Indulgences, their Fairs and Sales of Masses, and frequent Prayers for the dead? by all which they have inverted the Assertion of our blessed Saviour, rendering it almost impossible for a Poor Man to be Saved or for a Rich Man to be Damned? Why have they interdicted the Use of the Scriptures to the People, when the † 2 Tim. 3.15. Apostle assures us, that they are so far from doing them harm, as they pretend, that they are able to make them wise to Salvation? and the ‖ Psal. 1.1, 2. Psalmist, in an Ecstasy, pronounceth the Blessedness of that Man unspeakably great, whose Delight is in the law of the Lord, and who therefore with unwearied Study meditates continually therein both Day and Night? Nay when * Joh. 5.39. and Mat. 22.29. Christ himself expressly Commands them to read them diligently, and attributes the pernicious Errors of the saducees to their Ignorance of them? Are these things indeed with their other repudiated Doctrines, built upon the Foundations of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the Head-corner-stone? Alas! If you look narrowly into them, you will discern their Nature to be alien and extraneous, some of them being borrowed purely from the Heathens, others from the Post of the Primitive Church, the Gnostics, and most of them (as they themselves acknowledge) from Oral Tradition, there being not one Word to countenance them in all the Scriptures. But is not this to invert the Religion of Christ, and entirely to overthrow the fundamental and substantial Principles of our Profession? Is not this, with the Pharisees, to make the Word of God of none effect by humane Traditions, or rather to preach another Gospel than what we have received from Christ and his Apostles the which tho' an Angel from Heaven should do, the † Gal. 1.8, 9 Holy Ghost has long since pronounced him accursed? How they are like to escape this Imputation at God's Tribunal, they would do well to consider; I wish it could never be laid to their charge. To return then to ourselves: What infinite Reason have we to bless God, who has graciously purged out this old Leaven from amongst us, and made us a new Lump unto himself? Who, by the glorious Instruments of our Reformation, has brought us out of the darkness of Error and Innovation into the true and genuine Light of the Gospel; and for those Leeks and Garlick our Souls so much abhorred, feeds us with heavenly Manna to the full? Certainly, if Heaps of Mercies both Spiritual and Temporal; If the free Possession of your Estates, and the Happiness of being Members of the most uncorrupted Church in the World, are things that can in reason pretend to our Gratitude, we, of all Men in the World, are the most indebted. O then, let us never, with the ungrateful Israelites, hanker again after these loathsome fleshpots; nor when we have eaten and drank to the full, rise up to play with this Harlot any more. She will often, no doubt, be tempting and ensnaring you, and by her Paints and Colours, gaudy Shows, and Pompous Pageantry, endeavour to entice you again into her Embraces. But remember, 'tis only a treacherous Syren's Voice, which only therefore courts you, that she may make you her Prey. She seeks not you but yours, and how Zealous soever she may seem for your Welfare, the Term of her desire is only her own. She knows the Fruitfulness of your Land, the Liberality of your Soil, and the Pleasantness of your Dwellings. She remembers, how she once ranged without Control over all your pleasant Pastures, and chose out the fattest of your Lands, for her to sport and play in; and therefore, since for the foul Apostasy she made from her Primitive Innocence, the flaming Sword and the Guardian Spirits debar her from re-entering this Paradise, 'tis no Wonder if, the better to deceive us, she transform herself for a time into an Angel of Light. But I trust the wakeful eye of Providence will still discover her Treacheries, and not suffer us any more to be ensnared by her Smiles. And then for her Frowns, we are sure they cannot hurt us. Those Curses she so liberally throws against us, will (I doubt not) take wing and fly back upon herself; and all those Bulls and Interdicts, anathemas, Curses, and Excommunications which yearly in Passion Week, the better to prepare herself for the Celebration of the Lords Supper, she charitably denounceth against us, either prove Bruta fulmina, Thunderclaps, which indeed make a Noise, but want a kill Bolt, or by woeful Rebounds turn the direful Execution upon her own Head. In a word, If we take care to walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith we are called, and not dishonour Reformed Religion by the Deformity of our Lives, maugre all the Malice of Earth and Hell, of Men and Devils, we shall undoubtedly be saved. Damnation will not be inflicted according to men's Passions and Uncharitableness, neither will the grim Faces, and dreadful Menaces of Romish Emissaries exclude us from the Favour and Blessing of Heaven. Tho' they reject us, Christ will embrace us; Tho' they turn us out of their Synagogues, God, will receive us under his Wings; and provided we forfeit not his Protection by our Misdemeanours, the Angel of his Presence will undoubtedly continue to save us, till Time itself shall be no more. Wherefore, that we may not peculiarly incur this Judgement by our Ingratitude, but duly express our Joy and Thankfulness to God for the transcendent Mercy of this Day, let us 3. Take Care both to continue ourselves, and also to bequeath to our Posterity a grateful Remembrance of it. How near was the Daughter of Zion to be covered with a Cloud, and to be trampled under foot by her treacherous Enemies? The Net (you have heard) was cast about her, and the Fowlers even hasting to the Slaughter. The Train was laid, all the Instruments of death prepared, and there remained nothing to make us an Holocaust to the Roman Moloch, but just putting the lighted Match to the Powder. And yet, methinks, I hear the Church, full of Faith, saying, Tho' no Danger was ever like to any Danger, yet I charge You, O ye Daughters of Jerusalem, by the Roes and by the Hinds of the Field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my Love, till he please. For how forlorn and destitute soever I may seem to some, yet I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine, tho' therefore he tarries, he will not be long, but will in due time look forth as the Morning, fair as the Moon, clear as the Sun, and terrible as an Army with Banners. And indeed her Beloved came, when she expected him not; He was found of her, when she sought not after him. He awaked as one out of Sleep, and looked and saw there was none to help, and wondered that there was none to uphold. Therefore his own Arm brought Salvation to her, and his infinite Goodness alone upheld her. May then that God, who has thus wonderfully wrought for us in snatching us from the Mouth of the Lion, and the Paw of the Bear, be ever blessed; and the Remembrance of this unspeakable Mercy never defaced, so long as the Sun and Moon shall endure. May those glorious Spirits, which before pitied our Danger, and now rejoice at our Deliverance, never be frustrated in their Expectations; but see all our Members and Faculties, our Lips and Lives, Hearts and Voices, harmoniously singing the Triumphs of the Lord, and in the continual Order, Concord, and Congruity, declaring the infinite Goodness of our God; that so our Candlestick may never be removed for our Ingratitude, but, tho' Darkness cover the Earth, and gross Darkness the People, This Church may still be a Crown of Glory in the Hand of the Lord and a Royal Diadem in the Hand of her God, that the Gentiles may admire her Beauty, and the Sons also of them that afflicted her, come bending unto her: and all they that despised her bow themselves down at the Soles of her Feet: and all the Nations round about call her the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy one of Israel, Lastly, May she be covered with the Robes of Righteousness, and continually clothed with the Garments of Salvation, till the Great Year of Jubilee, the time of her final Redemption shall come, when God shall put an End to all Prejudices and Animosities, all Struggle and contentions, and all the Elect with Crowns on their Heads, and Palms in their hands shall make one perfect Harmony in singing the eternal Praise of God and of the Lamb. Which blessed time, God in his Mercy hasten, through Jesus Christ our Lord; To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Three Persons and One God, be ascribed, as is most due, all Honour, Glory, Power, Might, Majesty, Dominion, and Thanksgiving, from this time forth and for evermore. Amen. FINIS. BOOKS Printed for RICHARD SARE AND JOSEPH HINDMARSH. FAbles of Aesop and other Eminent Mythologists, with Morals and Reflections. Folio. The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo. Octavo. Seneca's Morals. Octavo. Erasmus' Colloquies. Octavo. Tully's Offices. Twelve. Bona's Guide to Eternity. Twelve. All six by Sir Roger L'Estrange. The Genuine Epistles of St. Barnabas, St. Ignatius, St. Clement, St. Polycarp, The Shepherd of Hermas, and the Martyrdoms of St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp. Translated and Published with a large Preliminary Discourse, by W. Wake, D. D. Octavo. A Practical Discourse concerning Swearing, by Dr. Wake. Octavo. Complete Sets, consisting of Eight Volumes of Letters, writ by a Turkish Spy, who lived forty five years undiscovered at Paris, giving an Impartial account to the Divan at Constantinople of the most remarkable Transactions of Europe during the said time. Twelve. Humane Prudence, or, the Art by which a Man may raise himself and Fortune to Grandeur, the sixth Edition. Twelve. Moral Maxims and Reflections in four Parts; written in French by the Duke of Rochefoucault, now made English. Twelve. Epictetus' Morals with Simplicius' Comment made English from the Greek; by George Stanhop, late Fellow of King's- College Cambridge. Octavo. The Parson's Councillor; or, the Law of Tithes; by Sir Simon Degge. Octavo. Of the Art both of Writing and Judging of History, with Reflections upon Ancient as well as Modern Historians, by the Learned and Ingenious Father Le Moyne. Twelve. An Essay on Reason; by Sir George Mackenzie. Twelve. The Unlawfulness of Bonds of Resignation. Octavo. The Doctrine of a God and Providence; vindicated and asserted by Tho. Gregory, late of Wadham- College, Oxford; and now Lecturer near Fulham. Octavo. Some Discourses on several Divine Subjects; by the same Author. Octavo. Death made Comfortable, or the Way to Die well; by John Kettlewell, a Presbyter of the Church of England. Twelve. Dr. Gregory's Divine Antidote against the Socinians. Octavo. Dr. Wake's Thanksgiving Sermon. Dr. Gregory's Thanksgiving Sermon.