MORAL VIRTUE'S BAPTISED CHRISTIAN: Or the Necessity of MORALITY Among Christians. By WILLIAM SHELTON M. A. Late Fellow of Jesus College in Cambridge, and now Vicar of Bursted Magna in Essex. Verae divitiae non opes sunt, sed Virtutes, quas secum Conscientia portat, ut in perpetuum Dives fiat. Bernardus de Adventu Domini. Monstro quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dare. Semita certe, Tranquillae per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unica vitae. Juven●● LONDON, Printed by J. M. for Nathaniel Ranew and Jonathan Robinson. 1667. TO THE Right Worshipful Sir THOMAS DARCY Baronet, At Kentwell Hall in Suffolk. SIR, I Have undertaken to recommend Non est gloriosares gratum esse nisi tutum est ingratum fuisse. Seneca d● Benefi●. Moral Virtue, which I should very little understand, if I did not believe Ingenuity and Gratitude to be a considerable part of it. A Virtue which is rather more than less excellent, because the contrary Vice is not 〈◊〉 punishable by Humane 〈◊〉 What are the favours to a grateful acknowledgement of which you have obliged me; I could take a● Wurd in ●elling the world, but that I would not bring you under a suspicion of Symbolising with those, who gave Alms for the Trumpets sake. Yet Math. 6. thus much I think myself bound to say: If there be any thing in these papers doth my Reader go●d, when he hath given thanks to God, for this help (among others) ●o ●a virtuous and good life; let him be i● thankful to Silius Thomas Darcy, for those endouragements of my first and earliest Studies, without which it may be I had never been in capacity of doing this service. Besides this Retribution which I was in Justice to make, if I would be Modish, I should go on to take notice of your other Virtues. For Books are more commonly without Epistles Dedicatory, than those Epistles without an Elegy of the persons to whom they are made. Indeed Sir, you deserve it, and the Argument I prosecute would fairly lead me to it: But I consider, if I should say little, I should detract from your worth: For as he who with all seriousness and pretended Faithfulness reproves another for some petty escapes and inadvertencies of life, would have it believed that there are no greater faults to come under Censure: (a note whereby Plutarch distinguishes De adulatoris & amici discrimine. a Flatterer from a Friend.) So will he who slightly and sparingly commends, give occasion to suspect, that there is nothing else worthy of commendation. But if on the other side, I should be as large, as Applications of this nature use to be, and as your Merit justly Challengeth; They who are strangers to your Person, would not believe but I were a Flatterer: A Vice so abhorrent to my Nature, (unless I flatter myself) that I think I have sometimes been too Morose, and have been wanting to give Testimony of the Value I have had for many persons, upon no other account, but because I would not be thought to Flatter. To avoid which suspicion, I now say the less; yet I do not doubt, but my thoughts of you, and all other Lovers of Virtue, are as Honourable as theirs who compliment and brag more. Such there are in the world, bafely Mercenary Parasites, who have men's persons in admiration but for their own advantage; who under pretence of Honouring Virtue, do it a great deal of disservice; for while they commend Men as if they were Virtuous, and that at all adventures; they encourage many to be still Vicious: And yet there is some good comes out of this evil; for when they who do not deserve it are flattered and spoken well of, it is a great Argument that Virtue is very Excellent and Praiseworthy where indeed it is: for why should a Picture be drawn handsomer than the Face, but because Beauty is a desirable thing? This is some advantage, in as much as it is a conviction to the world, that, that Virtue which is so much commended, aught to be more practised: Else it is as true here as any where— Laudatur & Alget. Sir, If you please to give this Book a Palronage when you are at leisure to read it, I hope you will find the Argument, as not unworthy of a Christian, so neither of a Gentleman. However there may be some Gallants of the Times, (as there have always been) who think it below them, and dishonourable to them, to be tied up to the same Rules of Virtue with Ordinary Men: yet Virtue Generosum Honestum. Persius. of old hath been counted so Generous and Noble a thing, that it hath not only made Men Gentlemen, but Gods too in the account of the Heathens. So Cicero De Nature Deorum. Lib. 2. gives this Reason why Hercules, and Aesculapius, and others were reputed Gods; because while they lived they were excellent and useful Men. And even still throughout the world, the design and intent of conferring Titles of Honour, is this, to reward and encourage Virtue. Go on Sir, by your Virtuous Example to let the world know, that you believe Virtue to be Excellent and Honourable. Go on to 2 Phil. shine as a light in this World, that hereafter you may shine as a Star in Glory: Which is the hearty Prayer of, March 6th 166 6/7. SIR, Your most Obliged and Humble Servant, William Shelton. THE EPISTLE To the READER. OF those two Ends why Books are written, to make men wiser or better; the latter is therefore to be preferred to the former, because it is incomparably more safe to be good without Learning, then to have skill in Learning, and none in Virtue; and so cum doctrinâ descendere in infernum. Knowledge is a rare accomplishment, and they who undervalue it, betray their want of it; for it hath no Enemy but Ignorance: Yet is it not a Star of the first Magnitude, nor the one thing needful. It hath many times the Honour to be as John Baptist was to Christ, a praecursor to goodness; yet we must say as he did; That which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it, is preferred before i●. ●● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they were always together in the same subject, yet 〈◊〉 they are not: Though I will not say of the Learned men of this Age, what L●cta●tius▪ said De 〈◊〉 Sapientiâ Lib. 3. Cap. 15. of the Philosophers ' of old, Ex philosophis perrarò fuerit qui aliquid in vitâ fecerit laude dignum. Si quis mores eorum diligenter inquirat, inveniet iracundos, cupidos, libidinosos etc. No doubt but there are many in whom Religion and Learning dwell together; yet the other part of his observation is fully true: Innumerabiles exist●nt & Ibid. semper extiterunt, qui sunt & fuerunt sine ullâ Doctrinâ boni. There have been many men, of mean parts and small improvements, have had Grace and Virtue enough to carry them to Heaven. But bare Knowledge gives no man a title to those Heavenly Joys. This is a manifest and a considerable disproportion between these two; answerable to which, there must be some difference assigned, between Practical writings, and Controversial (though for some other reasons it may be the difference is not so great.) If I should speak any thing to the disparagement of the Learned Books of Learned men, I should deserve to be counted an Envious Fool, who for want of abilities to attain to what they have attained, envy the fame of their names. That small measure of Learning I have, I thank God for; and without arrogance I may say, I have so much as to make me wish for more, and to honour it where ere I find it. I have a great veneration for those men, whose Reason being serviceable to their Religion, are able solidly, and accurately, to dispute a controversy, and contend earnestly for the Truth. It was a brave achievement of Hannibal (in regard it was successful) to break himself a way through the Alps with Fire and Vinegar: Such are there within the Church of God, men valiant for the Truth, whose way lies through Rocks and Mountains of opposition and difficulty; yet there is a certain sharpness, and piercingness of wit, whereby they make their way plain; and it is easy to follow them, whom it was almost impossible (for ordinary men) to go before. These men have not their deserts, if they be not men of renown, and famous in their generations. This I have said, that I might not be thought to derogate from them, nor by any thing that follows, eclipse or darken the splendour of their names. For notwithstanding all this, though Books of Controversy be very excellent in their kind: yet Practical Books do more nearly concern us, than many Controversial: Those disputes are most excellent that are most useful; and then are they of greatest use, when they inform the judgement, in order to the directing and bettering the life; from which end, those controversies which are more remote, have lest of excellency, and may best be spared. But Books of Practice are therefore so called, because they do immediately tend to the bettering the lives of men. There are many things concerning which controversies are moved, which we may safely be ignorant of; There are others which it is fit we should have a right understanding in; yet if we doubt, or it may be are in Error, it is such a miscarriage as holy men may be obnoxious to, and yet continue holy. But there are not so great allowances given us in matters of practice, as that we may count ourselves unconcerned in them. Besides, it is not for every one to write, nor for every one to read Books of Controversy: we whose employments fix us in obscure corners of the Country, far from Books, but what our own poor Libraries furnish us withal, and far from frequent converse with Learned men, it cannot be expected that we should manage disputes equally with those who have better helps; or if we should, what little notice would the greatest part of our people take of them; they who little understand, would as little regard these things? But every Body hath a Soul to save, and is therefore obliged to understand the way that leads to that Salvation, and more than so, to walk in it. So that there is a peculiar excellency in those writings that teach us how to order our conversations aright, which is not in many speculations and parts of Learning. Archimedes did well to study the Mathematics, and the skill he attained in that Noble Science was so great, that few men's inventions did better deserve an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. But when the City was taken, and his life in danger, it had been better for him if he had more studied his own preservation. So they who reach their faculties as far as they can, towards the comprehension of Omne scibile, do well, provided that they do not in the mean time neglect that which is more necessary, the study of a good life. To promote which, is the design of this Book; a design certainly good, for it aims to make men good. What I have done in it is not for me to say; sure I am, I have meant honestly, and have faithfully endeavoured. If any wonder why I spend so many words in so an acknowledged an Argument (as if a man should write a Book to prove, that so long as the Sun shines the day lasts) the first part of ●ny undertaking will answer him, that though it be acknowledged in Thesi, yet there have not wanted those, who for several Reasons have had but a mean opinion of Moral Virtue: Or if it were not so, yet the lives of men do greatly need some such discourse. Wickedness and Immorality is very bold, and bare-faced, and it is no easy matter to put it out of Countenance: yea in all likelihood, where Immorality discovers itself so shameless in the life, there is Atheism settled at the heart. Something therefore I take occasion to say to the Atheist more than once; Indeed he deserves to be more sharply and severely dealt with, but that there is little to be got by Casting pearls before Math. 7. Swine. That little I have said is too much for him to answer, if he read and consider it; if he will not, nothing can be enough. For the rest I will not pre-occupy my Reader (only I interpose, that for the greater perspicuity of the Method, I cast it into Books, and Chapters, and Sections) but leave him when he hath read the whole, and considered the manners of mankind, to judge whether I have not chosen a needful subject, and that which was fitting to be suggested. If I have any where failed, as I am not the first who have appealed to a Candid Reader; So I hope my offence is not so great, as that I should despair of the same Candour. Moral Virtue's Baptised Christian: OR, The Necessity of Morality among Christians. BOOK I. CHAP. I. Sect. 1 WHen we distinguish ourselves from the Heathen World by a Profession of the Christian Religion, it is to be supposed we believe the Christian Religion to be the best in the World, or we are fools to be what we profess: But the Excellency of this Religion doth not lie in a supercilious condemning of whatsoever may be found good and laudable elsewhere, but rather on the other side; for the Doctrine of the Gospel (though it have this principally to glory in, that it doth reveal the Mystery hid from ages and generations, viz. the redemption of Col. 1. 2●. the world by a Crucified Saviour; yet withal) doth own and comprehend within itself, yea and further improves, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, etc. and if there be Phil. 4. 8. any virtue or any praise doth require us to think on these things. There have been some Notices of God, and some acknowledged principles, tending to the bettering of the lives of men, ever since there were m●n in the world: But if it be lawful to allude to a fable; as some have seigned the Sun all night to be clipped into Stars, which in the morning do reunite in the body of the Sun, so hath it been in this case: The knowledge of God and those precepts of the Law of Nature, which grew up in the world, by being propagated from Adam to Noah, and so downwards; after the multiplying of Languages and dividing of Nations, were as the Sun broken into Stars; for the further they scattered, the weaker and fainter they grew, till at last the Gentile world was be●ighted; for the Gentiles did walk in the vanity of their mind, Having their understanding Eph●●. 4. 17. 18. darkened, etc. Thus it continued to be, the world for the greatest part of it, was governed by dim lights, or indeed shadows rather than lights, till the Sun of righteousness arose: Yet ●●●l. 4. 2. still there was some starlight in this night of Ignorance, there did remain a Conscience of good and evil; the Gentiles who had not the Law of Moses did by Nature the things contained Rom▪ 2. 14. in the Law. The more sober Heathens did believe themselves to be under an obligation of being virtuous, and accordingly we find in many of their writings, good precepts that direct us in our behaviour in the world; which though of themselves they cannot attain the end for which the holy Scriptures are profitable, 2 Tim. 3. 17. that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works: yet are not these precepts of Morality to be despised, in as much as our Blessed Saviour himself, from whom our Religion takes its name, doth frequently urge and inculcate those very rules of a good life, which were acknowledged among the Heathens; and as he did himself assume our humane Nature to his divine at his Incarnation, so doth he assume Morality and incorporate it into Divinity: so that the Gospel doth require of every one that names the name of Christ to departed 2. Tim. 2. 19 from iniquity. That is as much as to say, he that pretends to be a Christian (though he must be somewhat else; yet withal) he must be a Moral man: which is the position I undertake; It is necessary for a Christian to be a Moral man. Sect. 2 That is: He who professeth faith in Jesus Christ, and therefore is called a Christian, whether he be so only by outward profession, or also by an inward participation of the Divine Nature; this man is not at his liberty, but he is bound up, he is under a necessity (of what kind will hereafter appear) of practising moral virtues; (i. e.) He owes obedience to the Moral law. There is a certain manner of life, which the law directs to, and is therefore called the moral law, because circa Mores, it is concerning the manner of a man's conversation, his behaviours towards other men; or his carriage towards himself: A Christian should be moral as well as Religious, he must live soberly and ●it. 2. ●2. righteously as well as godly: He must be just and honest, and temperate and meek; and in a word, fulfil the whole law by an universal observation of that comprehensive precept, Thou Mat. 22. 39 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Which is enough to be said for the explication of the Terms, they are plain to any one that is willing to understand them. Sect. 3 3. That I may the more orderly proceed in the proof of what I have undertaken to prove; namely, that it is necessary for a Christian to be a moral man, I comprehend all my subsequent discourse within these two Propositions. Prop. 1 Whatever reasons may have induced some men to speak slightly and undervaluingly of morality, yet none of them all conclude against the necessity of it in a Christian. Prop. 2 When we have yielded to these as much as safely we may, yet do there remain great and strong, and unanswerable reasons, why it is necessary for a Christian to be a moral man, and abound in moral virtues. By the first of these we shall gain an answer to all those objections that may be made on the other side, and shall proceed thus far, that there doth not appear any thing to the contrary, but that it may be so; the second will be a more full demonstration of the case, tha● not only it may be, but so it is, and so it must be, and cannot be otherwise, because it is necessarily so. CHAP. II. Sect. 1 THe first Proposition will take up the first Book; and that is, Whatever reasons may have induced some men to speak slightly and undervaluingly of morality, yet none of them all conclude against the necessity of it in a Christian. In the making good of which Proposition, it must be enquired what may have been the reasons that have induced men thus to speak: in each of which it will be found that they do not conclude moral virtues unnecessary; for they are such as these. An extreme opposition to the doctrine of the the Papists concerning the merit of good works. A sense of the insufficiency of moral virtues for Salvation without the addition of Faith and Repentance. A desire to save the prerogative of the Scriptures, and to prefer them before the writings of all Heathen Moralists or Philosophers. To these three there is much to be yielded, but not so much as to prejudice the cause; but in the two following there is a great deal of danger, as in these a great deal of truth. They are; An opinion that the obligation of the Moral Law is not consistent with the perfection of a Gospel-state; and as Antinomianisme, hath frequently ushered in Libertinism. The vicious inclinations of men of corrupt affections, have prompted them to break all these bands of humane societies, that they may range and rant without control, who have therefore cast off the yoke of all goodness, because it is too heavy for their flesh and blood; yea and sometimes have emboldened themselves to say, as they who have said, with our tongue Psal. 12. 4. will we prevail: our lips are our own, who is Lord▪ over us? Sect. 2 An extreme opposition to the Doctrine of the Papists concerning the merit of good works. Indeed it is easy for opposition to be extreme▪ when two adversaries have turned their backs upon one another, they will be ready to think, that whatever is contrary to error must needs be truth, and therefore though they go never so far from each other, yet still they are in the right way: whereas commonly truth lies▪ in the middle between both, and doth frequently suffer as Christ did, with a Thief on each hand; for whether we add to truth or diminish from it, on both sides an injury is done to it. Thus is it between the Papists and some of their eager adversaries: for the most part the Papists err by adding to the word of God, by being wise above what is written: To the Scriptures they add Traditions, and make them of equal Authority. We acknowledge a power in the Church Artic. 20. to de●ree rites or ceremonies, and authority in controversies of Faith; they add Infallibility to that Authority. We acknowledge a superiority of order and jurisdiction; they add the supremacy of their Pope. We own two Sacraments; they add five more. We believe in one Mediator between 1 Tim, 2, 5 God and man, the man Christ Jesus; they make many. And so in many other cases: particularly to our present purpose, we acknowledge a necessity of good works; they add▪ that they are meritorious. Now because the Papists go so far to ascribe so much to good works; therefore some unwary men have adventured in contradiction to them, to ascribe too little: if they be necessary, the Papists make them meritorious; on the contrary, l●st they should be thought meritorious, some have judged them little or not at all necessary. The extreme opposite to the Papists in this case is the Antinomian, whom yet I reserve for another Head afterwards, their Doctrine being of so dangerous concernment, that it doth deserve a distinct consideration; now I only consider them as those who in contradicting the Papists have run themselves into as great a danger on the other side. Vtrinque in contrarias partes velus in extremitates Hold'st. Lect. 19 P. 158. s●induntur adversarii: Hinc Pontificii plus aequo ad dextram vergunt, dum causam salutis nostrae in legis operibus ponunt; illinc Antinomi ad sinistram, dum legis usum omnem & obligationem explodunt. On either hand adversaries run into extremes: The Papists err too much on the right hand, by making good works the cause of our salvation: The Antinomians on the left, by denying that there is any use of, or obligation to the law. Sect. Thus it appears to have been in the difference between George Major and Nicholas Amsdorfius, two Germane Divines. Major defends this Proposition according to Scripture, Melch. Adam. in vitis corum. Bonorum operum studium est necessarium ad salutem. The study of good works is necessary to salvation. Against this Flacius Illyrious and Amsdorfius cry out amain, It is a Popish Doctrine, and would introduce merit; and therefore they oppose this bold and wicked speech to it, Bona opera sunt noxia & perniciosa ad salutem. Good works are hurtful and pernicious to salvation. Which proceeding, out of a dislike to the Popish Doctrine of merit, had been just if it had gone no farther; for it is Usher answ. to Jesus. challenge. p. 498. a doctrine which (as a very Learned and Reverend Prelate saith) from our very hearts we detest and abhor. But see how easy it is for men to contend for victory rather than truth, and rather than not oppose an adversary, they will condemn him though he be Innocent. Many men contend for the truth as men run for the ball; when they come at it, they step over it or kick out of the way, to wrestle with their adversary: whereas the truth of the case is, we do not merit by good works, yet we are obliged to them; we do not merit, so we acknowledge. Good Artic. 12. works which are the fruits of Faith and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgement; yet we believe them to be necessary for us; for it follows in the same place, Yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith. And surely these have been thought by learned men to be very consistent; though good works do not merit, yet they are necessary, else a Reverend Doctor, afterwards a Prelate of our Church, did little understand himself in his disputation upon this argument, where this is one conclusion; Bona Davenant de justit. actual. Cap. 31. Con. 7. opera justificatorum, sunt ad salutem necessaria, necessitate ordinis, non causalitatis, vel planius ut via ordinata ad vitam aeternam, non ut causae meritoriae vitae aeternae. That is in few words. Good works are ordained as a necessary means to eternal life, but they do not deserve eternal life. Sect. 4 This Objection hath hitherto been considered as concerning good works in the general; but it doth manifestly relate to the Argument in hand; for moral virtues so qualifyed as shall afterwards be said, works of Justice, and Mercy, and Sobriety, etc. these are exercises of morality; and so far as good works are necessary, so far will these be found to be: the necessity of which is not now to be proved, but asserted, and vindicated from this Objection, which vulgar people that do not know how to distinguish, are ready to burden it with: when we are industrious to urge upon men the duties of honesty, and righteous and just deal between man and man, let it not be suspected that this is done out of a secret design to symbolise with the Papists. For may not a man go 10. mile unless he go 20.? True it is we do go on part of the way with the Papists for the truth's sake; that is, to assert good works and moral virtues necessary, and here we ●ix: they would draw us on further to a persuasion that they are meritorious; that doth not at all follow upon the necessity we ascribe to them: there is a necessity upon other accounts; as shall be demonstrated in due time. And this is enough to be yielded to this plea, whereupon some speak but meanly of moral virtues; and there does not yet appear any thing to the contrary but they may be necessary for a Christian. CHAP. III. Sect. 1 Object. 2 A Sense of the insufficiency of moral virtues to salvation, without the addition of faith and repentance, hath been another reason why some other men have attributed less to moral virtues, than otherwise they would have done, if they had been considered out of that competition. The merit of good Davanant, ●● supra. works, and the perfection of them, are two different things, and diversely and apart handled by a forecited Author; although therefore they be not supposed to merit, yet if they be thought so perfect, as that faith and repentance may be laid aside; no wonder if sometimes they be lightly made of and seemingly disparaged; for it is to preserve our due esteem of faith and those spiritual graces which are required in us over and above those Moral Virtues, which the Heathens at any time could attain to. We do not wonder when we 〈◊〉. Ch Princ. ●. 4▪ 3. read, Moral Principles to such as rely upon them, and seek no further, prove Mortal Principles: or as another likewise of our own: If Moral Vertuousness Bolton's Discourse of True Happiness p. 14. were able to put on the greatest Magnificence and applause that ever it anciently enjoyed among the precisest Romans, whereby it might worthily draw into admiration and just challenge, even these times of Christianity; yet in respect of acceptance with God, and conformity to his will, and being not guided and sanctified by supernatural grace; it is but at the very best the very filthiness of a menstruous clout. For if this be true, it may be said, and be no prejudice to the necessity of Morality; for the same Author in the same place, in words a little before saith, I deny not, but that Moral Vertuousness is good and excellent in itself. Yea in the Articles of our Religion we do profess thus much: They also are to be had accursed, that presume to Artic. 18. say, that every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law and the light of Nature. For holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the name of Jesus, Christ whereby men must be saved. Wherefore, as St. Paul could preach Faith in Jesus Christ without making void the Law, Do we then make void the Law Rom. 3. 31. through Faith? God forbidden: yea, we establish the Law. So can we and ought we to say, do we then make void the Righteousness of God V 22. which is by Faith (which is the phrase in the same Chapter) through the Law, or through our preaching of Virtue? God forbidden: yea, we establish Faith. Sect. 2 Yea, far be it from a Sinner to undervalue Faith and Repentance, there being no other way of freedom from guilt and recovering our Innocency. Yet those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder; together with Faith and Repentance must go holiness in all manner of Conversation, which certainly 1 Pet. 1. 15. includes Morality. He that hopes to climb to Heaven by a Ladder of bare Moral Virtues will do it as soon as build a Castle in the Air; that is, he goes about a work, which because it wants a foundation, can never be brought to perfection: So that Virtue is so far from destroying Faith, that it doth suppose it as that without which, howsoever it be necessary, yet without Faith it is insufficient to attain its End. Yet notwithstanding it is true, though a man cannot build without a foundation, a bare foundation is no perfect building; wherefore Faith and Virtue do mutually require one another: There must be Faith, and Virtue added to this Faith, as we are directed: And besides this giving all diligence▪ add to your 2 Pet. 1. 5. Faith Virtue; of which words more hereafter. Together with this let it be considered that, that which pretends to be Faith, if it be without works, is not Faith univocally and properly so called; It is but a dead Faith; It may James 2. 17. Revel. 3. 1. have a name to live but is dead, and therefore in truth is no justifying saving Faith: which makes it the more evident, that though Morality be insufficient without Faith, yet together with Faith it may be necessary. I say it may be, because however there may be somewhat of Argument already hinted, in what is before said to prove it; yet it is not my present business to prove that it is necessary, only that it may be notwithstanding its insufficiency without Faith and Repentance. There is then no great difficulty in reconciling these two; the Dignity and Excellency of Faith, and the necessity of Moral Virtues: Yea without any disparagement to Faith, after that we have given it its due pre-eminence, yet we may safely say, that though it be more excellent in some kind, yet it is not so in every respect; for there are some excellencies of a good, upright, sober Conversation, which cannot properly be affirmed concerning either Faith or Repentance, of which sort are these two. Sect. 3 Faith and Repentance are rather Conditional duties then Absolute; they are our duties upon supposition that we have sinned against God, but not otherwise; they are necessary sinful Creatures, else if man had never sinned, what need he repent? And there being no Atonement to be made for that which never was, what Saviour would there have been for man to have believed in for Justification? Wherefore Faith and Repentance suppose man fallen into sin, and then indeed they are altogether necessary; but not necessary to man as a Creature: But now Justice, and Charity, and Meekness, and Humility, etc. are absolute perfections belonging to our Nature; and such as our Innocence (which would have made our Repentance needless) would so little have exempted us from, that we could not have been innocent without them. Now though we are Sinners, we do not cease to be men; therefore as because we are Sinners, we must repent and believe; so because we are men, we are obliged to Virtue. Moreover Faith and Repentance are but purgative Virtues (as the Platonists speak) but Charity, etc. are paradeigmatical; that is, by Faith and Repentance we are purged from Sin, and so prepared for Communion with God; but by the other we do properly resemble God. It is therefore to be observed, we are commanded to be holy as God is holy, particularly to be Merciful, to Love and do good as God doth, to be Meek and Lowly as Christ was: But we are not commanded to believe as God believes; for Faith and Repentance in that notion in which we now speak, as supposing sin to be repent of, and by Faith to be justified from, cannot without Blasphemy be attributed to the infinite and holy God: yet those other things are resemblances of the Divine perfections, as might be at large shown; but I reserve it to another place. Book 4th. Sect. 4 So that now laying these things together; as when we preach Morality, we do not go about to undermine Faith; so neither on the other side, when we extol Faith, may we be so understood as to deny the necessity of these Moral Virtues; nay if I should say yet a little more, I should but speak the mind of a very Learned and holy man, whose words I will therefore use, that I may be sure to express his meaning. True profession without honest Conversation not Hales Remains p. 39 only saves not, but increases our weight of punishment: But a good life without true profession, though it bring us not to Heaven, yet it lessens the measure of our Judgement; so that a moral man, so called, is a Christian by the surer side. So then, though our morality will not save us without Faith and Repentance; yet for our immorality we may be damned for all our pretences to Faith, which is dead without works, and to Repentance, which must be again repent of, if it be not a forsaking of sin together with a confessing of it. And this is the answer to the second Objection; Notwithstanding the insufficiency of moral virtues for salvation, without Faith and Repentance, yet this doth not prove them unnecessary. CHAP. IU. Sect. 1 Object. 3 A Desire to prefer the holy Scriptures before the writings of Heathen Philosophers, hath been another reason why some have spoken but meanly of morality, to magnify Divinity properly so called. Upon which account, they that shall be lavish in the commendation of Moral virtues, and for that purpose do frequently make use of Heathen Authors, may be suspected thereby to undermine the credit of the Scriptures. For did not Abraham know Gen. ●● Sarah to be barren when he turned in to his handmaid Hagar? and shall we not be thought to blast the authority, or disbeleive the sufficiency of the Scriptures, when we quote and turn to Plate and Aristotle together with or instead of the Apostles: wherefore it may be judged safe to keep to Scripture-language: Yea, it hath sometimes been given out of the Pulpit (and that in no mean an Auditory) as a sign of of a false Teacher, to teach the Law and Moral Mr. Dell at St mary's Cambr. Virtues, Philosophy and Philosophical subtleties, which the Apostle long ago forbade; the greatest mystery in the World is in Christ, and what have we to do with Philosophy? Now lest this apprehension should get into some less understanding minds, that this preaching Morality (which the Heathens likewise urge) is a prejudice to the Scriptures, it will be worth our while to vindicate it in this particular; and to show, that though the Scriptures be highly to be honoured and admired above any other writings whatsoever; yet this is no argument but there may be a necessity of morality: and those Heathens did well to recommend to the world the practice of those virtues, which the light of Nature taught to be such. Yea there will be a further advantage by making stay upon this argument; for by comparing the word of God and the writings of Heathen Moralists together, there will be found so great a defect in all them, that it will be necessary for us even upon this account to search the Scriptures: for the moral Virtues that we now recommend, though they be the same for substance with those that found praise among the Heathens; yet we enforce them after another manner than they did: It is a more Divine, Evangelical Morality; we preach Divinity and Morality both together: we do not think that Abare and Pharpar, rivers 2 Kings 5 of Damascus, are as good as the waters of Israel. We draw water out of the wells of Salvation, from Isa. 12 3. the word of God we derive our authority, and urge commands for sobriety and righteousness; and thus doing it ought not to be wondered at: if we sometimes make use of Heathen Authors, as Christ himself though he had greater witness than that of John, yet did not deny his John 5. Testimony altogether. Sect. 2 I must therefore go on here in the same manner as before, (but more distinctly and largely because the matter in hand requires it:) 1. Grant what is to be granted, and discover the faultiness and imperfection of all Heathen Moralists; and yet show that, that very morality which they have (though not advantageously enough) commended, (it being a diviner thing than they were ware of) is necessary for us to practise. In which undertaking I am not much discouraged by the observation of a man otherwise Learned and Wise; who conceits, that the Philosopher Charron preface to his book of wisdom. handles this subject more sweetly and pleasingly, the Divine more austerely and drily: again the virtue and honesty of Divines is too anxious, scrupulous, deject, sad, fearful, and vulgar: Philosophy is altogether pleasant, free, buxom, and if I may so say, wanton too, and yet notwithstanding puissant, noble, generous, and rare. These words I take to be the lash of a Lawyer against men of another profession. However if there be any truth in it, it is the fault of the Divine not of the Divinity; and possibly it may presently be found, that this puissance and nobleness of Philosophy is one of its faults, and an unwarrantable Luxuriancy in their pens; whereas the Morality of the Scriptures is, though more humble, yet certainly more safe. I proceed therefore, To acknowledge that our rule of Morality of a well governed and orderly Conversation, is that Regula vitae & morum, which we have in the holy Scriptures; the word of life is the rule of life: for there is some fault to be found with the best of Heathens and their best writings. We must dress Virtue in another fashion than either Plato, or Plutarch, or Seneca have done, before we can become Proxenetae for it, and bespeak men that live in the Christian world to fall in love with it. For not to mention their gross ignorance and manifold errors concerning the right worship and service of God, even here, where their excellency chief lay; it is easy to observe a double failure among them, which because they themselves have not sufficiently corrected, we may not take their writings as a just and adequate rule of Moral actions. They are, 1. An excess in their boastings. 2ly A defect in their attainments; they have been unmeasurably confident in their pretences; they have slenderly performed, what they have so pretended to; they have boasted of a perfection of degrees, but they have not attained to a perfection of parts: The discovery of these will be a full discharge of my first task under this Objection. I am therefore first to show, that they have been too presumptuous and bold in some Cases, for which I give these Instances. The Apathy of the Stoioks is one great Argument of their vanity in assuming to themselves a perfection, which neither Humane Nature is capable of, nor would it properly (rebus sic stantibus) be a perfection if it were attained, but rather a stupid debasement of those who glory in it: And so some Philosophers yield; Plutarch for one, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De. virtu. morali. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. To cast away our passions altogether is neither possible nor Expedient for us. Wherefore Lactantius hath passed this Censure upon them, that they are furious and mad men; in these two passages, to omit others of the like nature: Stoici De vero cultu. Cap. 2. 15. furiosi qui (affectus) non tam temperant quam abscindunt, rebusque à Naturâ insitis castrare hominem quodammodo volunt. And again a little after. Quare nihil aliud dixerim quàm Ibid. Cap. 17. insanos, qui hominem mite ac sociale Animal orbant suo nomine; qui evulsis Affectibus quibus omnis constat humanitas, ad immobilem stuporem mentis perducere volunt. It is a madness to boast of a freedom from all manner of passion, which is so connatural to us. Neither is this the only instance of their Arrogance. There is a kind of a self sufficiency they attribute to themselves, because of which they need not make those applications to God by Prayer, which is so great and so excellent a part of our Religion. So says Seneca in those infamous words of his often quoted: Turpe Epist. 31. est etiamnum deos fatigare. Quid votis opus est? fac te ipse faelicem, It is a shameful thing to weary God with your prayers, make yourself happy. It may be those words are not so proud as some would make them, especially if compared with another passage before in the same Epistle: Si vis esse faelix deos ora, etc. If you would be happy pray to the Gods, etc. which last words by their Connexion do suppose the providence of God to order events for us; but there is a great suspicion, that the former contain an opinion, That if man will he cannot but be happy; because he hath the free use of his faculties so much in his own power, that as Epictetus sayee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. God himself cannot conquer Dissert arri. Cap. 1 the choice of our wills. Wherefore we shall find that the Stoics parallel the case of a good man to that of God. So Seneca, this Philosophy promises me, that I may be Par Deo, equal Sen. Ep. 48. to God, and he repeats it in other places: I add but one more; Deus non vincit sapientem faelicitate, etiamsi vincit aetate, etc. God is longer Jb. Ep. 73 happy than a wise man, but he is not more happy, & other expressions to the same purpose. He that would see more of this Argument, may read Gatakers Annotations on Antoninus. If I listed P. 65. to be censorious I might observe the method of Antoninus his first Book; wherein he doth make all his other acknowledgements of gratitude to his friends, before he gives his Thanks to God. But it shall suffice to pass him with this observation, though he seem freely to acknowledge where he got good, whether from God or man; yet I do not remember, that he is sensible of humane frailties, but he seems to be of the same mind as to the whole carriage Cap. 1. Verse. Finem. of his life, as in the case of his anger towards Rusticus: though he were often angry, yet he did nothing to make him repent. From such instances as these I gather that the Philosophers had too great an opinion of themselves, & did not well understand their dependence upon God, and how necessary it is to pray without ceasing. 1 Thess. 5. 17. Sect. 4 It is true Seneca makes a handsome excuse not only for the Stociks but for other Philosophers (who have been vainglorious enough to see it in one another, though not to acknowledge it in themselves; witness the retort of Plato upon Diogenes, Calco Platonis Fastum, at cum Majori fastu.) In his Book of De vi tâ Beatâ. Cap. 18. a happy life: Aliter loqueris aliter vivis etc. If you object thus to me, you discourse better than you live: I answer, this hath been objected to Plato, to Epicurus, to Zeno, all these did not so much tell us how they lived, as how virtuous men ought to live. An excuse which Mr. Gataker makes in favour of Antoninus who hath been Pra loq. observed not to be without a Tincture of this same fault, though may be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as his own phrase is. But let us consider, if they did really believe what Seneca says of himself in the foresaid Book: Ibid. C. eodem. Ego in alto vitiorum omnium positus sum: I am sunk into all manner of Vice: how infinitely did they shame themselves who believed it was in their own power to be good and happy, and yet they were guilty of all manner of sin? And moreover how shall we understand their Paradox, That vices and virtues are all equal, if not by Tullyes' explication, Pares esse virtutes nec bono viro meliorem nec temperanti temperantiorem Tully parad. & facile potest perspici? Virtue's are equal; if one be good, another cannot be better, etc. Now did they not believe Socrates and Cato, etc. to be good men, if so they must by this rule be perfectly good or not at all so. They did ascribe a perfection of Virtue to virtuous men; which is enough to be said of the Stoics, who were but one Sect of Philosophers. Sect. 5 It would be tedious to insist as largely of other Sects: of the Platonists especially much may be said, and not a little of the rest. Let it suffice to say this of them all; none of them were sufficiently sensible of the weakness of humane Nature; none of them but did believe their Philosophy was their perfection and the way to Happiness; they had too high an opinion of that Morality which will by and by appear to have been deficient in many things: and one of them seems to speak for all, who might have been a happy man if he could have made his words good; for none needed it more than he, who did so violently oppose the Christian Religion; his first words upon Pythagoras Hierocles. are, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: Philosophy is the purgation and perfection of humane life: and he gives the reason of both in the next words; which being spoken of Philosophy in general, may be supposed to be the opinion of all Philosophers, and is the first thing laid to their charge; they are too Thrasonical in their boasting; they do assume too much to themselves, and though their expressions in this kind may be looked upon as generous, puissant, and noble, a thing before observed they have been commended for; yet were they never the better men for all this, for the second error is worse; then the first, and helps to make the first worse, for when it shall be considered that they who have bragged of more than they needed, have yet performed less than they ought, it will then be so much the more evident, that all this is with good reason brought to prove what it intends; viz. That the writings of the Heathen are not a sufficient rule without the Word of God of Moral Actions. CHAP. V. Sect. 1 THey are chargeable as to have exceeded in their boastings, so to have been deficient in that, of which they did boast. When Zeno Illustr. de Philosop. professed that piece of Stoicism, to be free from passion and so from grief, Antigonus caused a report to be raised that his house and lands were spoiled, and his Wife and Children carried Captives; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, says the story, the man betrayed by his sorrowful looks, what he denied with his tongue, that he was of like passions with other men. So would another Philosopher be above all fear; but an unreasonable Creature was enough to convince an unreasonable man; he run away at the barking of a Dog, and acknowledged Difficile est hominem exuere, It is hard to be more than a man. Such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is between the presumptuous confidences of these men, and their slender performances, an Objection which Christians to their great shame are liable to; but than it is to be observed that it cannot be objected against Scripture Morality, that which we object against the Institutions of the Heathen, for we do not now only tax them for their unanswerable lives (which yet might be done,) but there is a defect in their very Philosophy itself, it doth not sufficiently instruct a man, how he should be a good man, which because it cannot be said against the Scripture, doth give this force to our present Argument, that therefore we must fetch our instructions for a Moral life from the Scriptures, not from Heathen moralists. The thing then to be proved is, That none of the Philosophers have perfectly instructed us in moral Virtue, for which there will be a double proof, if we consider the matter of their precepts and the manner of them: 1 They have recommended some things for good and Virtuous which are not so: 2ly those things which we acknowledge to be Virtuous, yet they have failed in the manner of their recommendation. It will be most methodical to bring all the first instances into this Chapter, which will make it so much the larger, for there are many things to be said under this head. Sect. 2 They have erred concerning Virtue, they have thought some things to be so, which we who are taught by Scripture dare not allow; for such and some things they charge for vicious, which we own for good and warrantable; concerning which latter, Lactantius hath De vero cultu Cap. 17. a Chapter on purpose to prove; Quod ea qua Philosophi putant vitia, virtutes font, si tamen ad finem debitum referantur i. e. ad Deum; wherefore referring to him in that case, the whole of this proof shall be taken up in the former, they have set off some evil things with good names: there are some things which because of their gay appearances and specious pretences they have taken for flowers, but when we come to consider them closely they are stinking weeds; and that which first offers itself to consideration is, Their Suicidium or their Self-Murder: They have thought it lawful if a man be weary of his life, or be urged with some difficulties or troubles, which he knows not how to bear, to dispatch himself out of the World, and this is a great piece of Fortitude for a man to dare to kill himself; whereas we Christians who profess that we ought to have vitam in patientiâ, as well as mortem in desiderio, we ought to be willing to live as well as glad to die; we who believe we are not at our own but at God's dispose, and withal who think it greater glory to suffer and live patiently, then die peevishly; we believe it to be nothing less than valour, for a man in discontent to kill himself; it is as sneaking and cowardly, as for a Soldier to run away out of the Field, because he is afraid to fight. Men pretend to be gallant and noble spirited men, and dare kill themselves in a bravado, that they may not be thought to be afraid of Death, why is this, but because they are afraid to live? they choose a short pain of Death (not considering what follows after) before the tedious and uncertain troubles of life. Now this is neither Valour nor Virtue, we come into the world to be serviceable to our Creator, and if it be his will we should serve him by suffering, it is not for us to be Judges in our own Case; we ought to be willing to die when ever God calls, but we may not run before we be sent: Yet now this hath been looked upon as a great attainment, as an Heroic degree of Courage and greatness of mind, for a man to be able to destroy himself. So did the Romans admire Cato's valour who killed himself at Vlica, because he did not like to come into Caesar's hands. It is somewhat that Florus says of him; Acceptâ partium clade nihil cunctatus (ut sapiente dignum erat) mortem laetus accivit; It was wisely done of him to kill himself. But Seneca much more in one of his Books, Non video quid habeat in terris Jupiter Cur bonis mala fiant. Cap. 2. pulchrius, si convertere animum velit, quam ut spectet Catonem; and afterwards he describes his death; gladium sacro pectori infigit, & illam V locum sanctissimam animam manu educit, and more to the same purpose in the same place: It was such a glorious fight to see Cato kill himself, that if God should look down from Heaven, he could not have a more pleasing sight. Indeed all the Philosophers were not of this mind, but the Stoics generally are; and it is a Phrase often used by Epictetus, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: The door is open for any man to go out of the Disser lat. Cap. 9 alibi. Lib. 5. 8. 29. alibi. world when he hath a mind to it. And Antoninus to the same purpose, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: This is the valour of the Heathens which we may not imitate because it is cowardliness nicknamed. Sect. 3 If we proceed to another sort of men, we shall find an unnatural sin among the Platonists (at least as some understand it) tolerated and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 allowed, which the Apostle severely reproves. The men leaving the natural use of the woman, Rom 1. 27. burned in lust one towards another, men with men: or males with males. A sin which Socrates himself is supposed to have been guilty of towards Alcibiades. So Diogenes Laertius reports Diog. in vitâ Socratis. it from another Author: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. which probably is the reason of that verse in Juvenal, Inter Sat. 2. Socraticos notissima fossa Cinedos. I should be immodest to give a plain translation of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. words. Sure Plato speaks very broadly in one of his Dialogues, and brings in a story between Socrates and Alcibiades to confirm what was before said of Socrates; concerning which discourse although Fjoinus make a mystical interpretation in his Commentaries, and quotes a passage in Plato in another place, which seems to detest this wickedness, in the sum he gives of the Dialogue; yet in that same place he confesses, quod autem tam crebram 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 injiciat mentionem abominanda est in ipso audaci●, nisi eo consilio id fecisset ut eam detestandam esse hominibus suis voluisset demonstrare. But there needs abundance of Charity to make a man believe he had this end. Now were this only Plato's opinion it might be the less charged upon other men, but it seems it did so generally obtain among the Platonists, that so grave and sober a man as Plutarch who lived at the least four hundred V Helvicum. years after Plato was in a great doubt whether to affirm or deny the lawfulness of this Fact. I do not remember such a doubtful passage Plut. De Liberis educand. p 11. Xyl. in all his morals, as are those words of his in this case, where he could find in his heart to condemn it, but the Authority of Socrates, Plato, Xenophon, Aeschines, etc. incline him to allow, whence I conclude the morality of the Heathens did not enough censure this detestable enormity. To this might be added another opinion of the same kind of men, the Community of Wives Lib. 5. which Plato in his Commonwealth would persuade to be very advantageous if it were but feasible. But having observed somewhat of the Stoics and Platonists, it is necessary that somewhat be added of the Peripatetics, who are not without their errors in this kind. Sect. 4 That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that jesting which Aristotle makes a virtue, St. Paul reproves as inconvenient. In the exposition of which place some Eph. 5. 3. there are that think, that which Aristotle called a Virtue, is not here taxed as a vice but the extreme of it, and among the rest, one hath Zanchy in locum. this note; Haec simpliciter ab Apostolo non damnatur, cum non dedeceat viros bonos, sed suo tempore & loco, sed saepe capitur pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Aristotle makes the extreme of it: likewise Beza and Heinsius though not often, yet here they do agree, making the third word exegetical to the second, then is jesting condemned when it is foolish talking and not otherwise: Now to speak as favourably as may be in the case, if it be not directly a vice, yet sure it may not be reckoned as a moral Virtue; no more than other innocent recreations are to be accounted Virtuous: for if it be a Virtue for a man to be witty, then why may not bare knowledge be as well accounted goodness, between which certainly there is a vast difference, but if the words should be more severely interpreted, there would not want probability for a conjecture, that that very thing which Aristotle makes a Virtue is here judged inconvenient, for the two other words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, filthiness and foolish talking, may not unfitly be called the extremes of this Urbanity: If discourse be obscene and filthy on one hand, it exceeds, if it be ridiculous and foolish that is the other extreme; now not only these, but even jesting itself may seem to come under censure, as being joined with them. But because Learned men have given a more favourable interpretation of it, I do not conclude it unlawful altogether, though I have as little reason to judge it a Moral Virtue, for then certainly it would be a duty, and then it would be a sin for a man not to be witty; and withal it would be considered, that for a man to make a trade of it, or to be frequent in it, it will be found that Hae Nugae Seri● ducúnt in Horace. Mala— These things are toys and yet they do, Bring many a man to many a woe. Sect. 5 There lies as great an Objection against the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the same Author, that Aristot. greatness and magnanimity of mind, whereby a man ought to judge worthily of himself, and to aspire to those Honours and greatnesses he apprehends himself to be capable of; which howsoever excusable it may be, if it be possible to keep it from that arrogance and ambition which is made an extreme of it, yet considering the general temper of those Heathens, who were counted most magnanimous, we shall find not only the Philosophers but all other sorts of men that did publicly appear in the world to have been Animalia gloriae. Sure Aristotle would comprehend his Emperor Alexander's daring bravery of Spirit, under this Magnanimity, and so were all the Usurpations of the Roman State reckoned for Illustrious instances of the greatness of their Spirits; wherefore Livy in the preface to his History says, Caeterum aut me Amor suscepti negotii fallit, aut nulla unquam resp. nec major, nec sanctior, nec bonis exemplis ditior fuit. And if all their unjust encroachments upon their Neighbours be instances of Magnanimity, it is easily seen, they mistook glory for Virtue: And the Trophies they erected as tokens of their Triumph are so spoken of by one of their own Satirists. Juven Sat. 10. Humanis majora bonis creduntur, ad haec se Romanus, Graiusque ac Barbarus Induperator Erexit, Causas discriminis atque Laboris Ind habuit: Tanto major Famae sitis est quam Virtutis, quis enim Virtutem amplectitur ipsam Praemia si tollas? To raise a name and get renown, Is all that's now in fashion grown; For this the Roman and the Greek, And Annibal and all did seek; For this men hazard all and sweat, Not to be good so much as great; That all mankind is more in Love, With Fame than Virtue this doth prove; Scarce any body cares to be, A Virtuous man without this fee. Sect. 6 It were easy to give more instances in this kind, but that we may not take a pride or pleasure in discovering the errors of others; and were there not some necessity of all this, as will appear after the next consideration is dispatched, I could with as great content have let them alone. So much shall suffice to prove that the Heathen Writers have failed in the matter of their Precepts; some things have been judged Virtue which are not so; base metals often go currant and unsuspected, because they have the same stamp with Silver: So have some base actions been warranted and allowed among them, because they have looked like Virtues. CHAP. VI Sect. 1 BUt as it pleased God to give Abraham Gen. 18. leave to argue in case of Sodom: Wilt thou destroy all the City for lack of five? So now may it be said, Shall we despise all morality that the Heathens taught, because five or six or some few mistakes may be found among them: what disparagement was it to eleven of the Apostles, that the twelfth was a Traitor and a Devil? and why should the other precepts of Philosophy suffer, because of some few escapes among them, if the rest be good and sound, it may rather be wondered that they erred no more, then that they did at all err. It remains therefore to make good the second part of the charge, that they have failed not only in the matter but manner too. In some things they have put evil for good, and good for evil; Virtue and Vice have exchanged their names and garbs, and so have deceived the unwary world: But this is not all: In those things which we acknowledge to be Virtues abstractly considered, yet we deny the men that practised them, to have been completely virtuous and good: which is evidently true, if the Rule be good, Bonum ex integrâ causiâ, malum ex quolibet defectu. To make an action throughly good it is necessary, that all due circumstances should concur, if there be any defect either in matter or manner, the Action is not good; or if it be, it is not well done. Wherefore it is further to be considered that the Gentiles not having learned Christ as we have done being ignorant of some mysteries which the Ephes. 4. Gospel reveals to us, have by this ignorance been alienated from a Godly life. And two things especially (to name no more) they have been ignorant of, which serve to our present purpose. Sect. 2 They knew not what our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ hath done to redeem us, and what the Holy Ghost doth to Sanctify us; without which two we are unable to any thing that is good, without which our best Virtues, could not be pleasing to God, and therefore must needs have some imperfection in them. Works done before Ar●ic. 13. the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of the Spirit are not pleasing to God, forasmuch as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed the Heathens did well to follow their Reason so far as it was right, but they did not know that their Reason was to be rectified before it could be right; That they were to be created in Christ Eph. 2. 10▪ Jesus to good works before they could walk in them: For how can the fruit be good till the Tree be so? that therefore a man may live justly and righteously, he must first be just; and what Mortal man can be just till he be justified? We have all sinned, and if we be justified, it is by Faith in Christ, and then we may be bold to say our works are good, when we put in this condition, as Mr. Herbert did, It is a good work if it be sprinkled with the blood of Christ. When likewise together with Christ dying for us; The holy Spirit of God lives within us; we are now put into a State to 1 Thes. 4. 1. walk so as to please God. Upon which accounts the Morality, Justice, Honesty, etc. which the Scripture obliges us to, is more perfect, then that which the Heathens by the light of Nature attained to. Sect. 3 In prosecution of this Argument much might be added; but I consider I have been more large upon this third Objection, then upon either of the former, and also that somewhat hath been already said in the Case, under the second Objection where it was declared, that our Christian Morality doth necessarily suppose Faith in Christ; and Christ without us would be little to our advantage, without the work of the Spirit within us; wherefore it having been supposed already, I enlarge not upon it, but conclude, that what hath been said is enough to discover an imperfection, in the Heathen Philosophers and Moralists, notwithstanding they have been so vain glorious in their boasting of perfection, yet have they had no such Cause; for they have failed in many things, and we also should fail, if we had not a better and surer rule to walk by, viz. the Word of God. Which was the thing to be granted to this Objection; though we urge Morality, Integrity, and Honesty, and a good Conscience towards man; yet we do not refer ourselves to the writing of the Heathen, as to our only or perfect Rule; but we believe the Scriptures teach us much better. Sect. 4 Object. To all this it may be said, It is a thankless office to tell men of their faults; so may it seem, yea and unmanly too, to insult over the dead, who are not able to plead their own Cause: Wherefore it will in likelihood, be enquired; for what Reason are all these things produced against a sort of men, who ought rather to be pitied, and it may be thought much better to bury their faults in silence. Answ. To this I Answer, that they who least understand these things, yet do most need them, and this is principally for their sakes, that they may not mis-understand the design of that which they call preaching of Morality: something I can by experience say, that when Ministers have thought it necessary sometimes to insist upon the Doctrine of good works, as well as upon Faith at other times, when they have urged upon their Auditors a just, and honest, and peaceable Conversation, and for these purposes may have had occasion to Quote Heathen Authors, that have recommended the same thing; presently there hath this prejudice arisen against such Sermons: These men are sure better studied in the Philosophers than the Scriptures. They talk of Plato and Aristotle and we cannot tell who, and do not seem to make any difference between their writing and the word of God. (And it is very likely there have been some who have been over-lavish in this kind.) Now as Elijah said to the Messengers of Ahaziah, Is it not because there is no God in 2 Kings 1. Israel, that ye gay to inquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron? so will it be suspected: Is it not because these men slight the Scriptures, or it may be understand them not, that they speak so much in the Language of the Heathen? as they speak half in the speech of Ashdod, because Nehem. 13 they could not speak the Jews Language. At least it will be thought that such men do too much magnify the light of Nature, and give too much honour, to those men, who were without Christ (unless revealed unto them by a miracle) and so without hope and without God Eph. 2. in the World. And it is very likely this Treatise may meet with the same fate; For I do not think so well of myself, as to expect more Candour than other men have found; Yet am I willing to prevent mistakes if it may be, and for that purpose have I made all these acknowledgements of the Errors and Imperfections of the Heathens, that it may not be thought we attribute too much to them, or refer to them as to perfect guides. Let it not therefore trouble any whose leisure and want of better books, may give them leave to look into this; I say let not this be a scruple, that I have chose a subject, wherein it is not improper to make use of Heathen Authors; for it is already confessed, that they have erred and failed in many things, and are not to be compared to the word of God: And what more to say for the satisfaction of such persons, I cannot tell. So then at last I have done with those concessions which are to be made, in this Case to preserve the Honour and Esteem of the Scriptures inviolate, and to prefer them to all other writings whatsoever; which was the first thing promised vuder this head, to grant what is to be granted to this Objection: In all which, I should do very vainly if I thought I did contradict myself, or that any of these things did signify any thing against the practice or necessity of morality; which was the second thing to be considered under this head, but that which need not take up so much time as the former. CHAP. VII. Sect. 1 THough the Heathens did fail in many things yet they did not fail every where; sometimes they do give good precepts yea many times, and those very rules of Virtue which they gave, so far as they are according to the Scriptures (but not where they contradict) are fit for us to take notice of, and being improved by Scripture they are necessary for us to conform to. To argue that because they erred in some things, therefore they are not to be believed in any thing, is as vain as to say because a man sometimes tells a lie, therefore we will not believe him, where we know he speaks true. There are some things in which we know the Philosophers have spoken true, for the Scriptures speak the same: As God ba●e witness to the Israelites, they have well said in all that Deut. 5. they have spoken, though there wanted in them an heart to do it: so verily though in their lives these men be weak as other men, yet they have well said in many things, they have spoken very selfe-denyingly and like mortified Christians, concerning the contempt of the world and worldly things: They have given good rules for the government of a man's self, both as to his passions within, and outwardly for his discourse and actions; they have disparaged wickedness and vice, and they have done what they could to represent Virtue amiable and lovely, that if it might be, that might come to pass which Plato speaks of it as Tully quotes him: Formam ipsam, Marce Fili, & tanquam faciem Tully office▪ l. 1. honesti vides quae si oculis cerneretur, mirabiles amores (ut ait Plato) excitaret sapientiae. Were it possible to see Virtue in an humane shape, she would wonderfully, draw all men's eyes and affections after her. That Moral Virtues are so excellent is not now to be proved, but hereafter, when these disadvantages are all removed, for the present it is sufficient to say, that because we have the Scripture to supply the defect of all other Authors, it argues nothing against the necessity of morality, that others have been imperfect in the descriptions and recommendations of it. Sect. 2 Yea moreover it may not be amiss to add for a conclusion of this Argument, that, supposing we have the word of God to correct their errors, there may be very good use made of the writings of Philosophers and if it be done without arrogance, or affectation of being thought to have read a great deal, it may be lawful and convenient to imitate St. Paul whom we find to have inserted into the body of the New Testament three sentences out of three several Heathen Authors, Aratas, Menander, Acts. 17. ● C●r. 15. Tit. 1. and Epimenides, and that for these three Reasons. That we may justify the Scriptures as to a ●. main part of them, the severe precepts they give for the right ordering our conversation ought not to be looked upon as strange things, for they are such as the world hath been long acquainted with, where the light of the Gospel hath not come: yea as Balaam had a desire to curse the Children of Israel, yet did altogether bless them; so have some Heathens unwittingly given an honourable Testimony to Christian Religion and the Gospel, though they have persecuted the Professors of it, in as much as they themselves have said many the same things; though they could not lay so sure a foundation for a good life, nor build so high towards perfection, as the Scriptures have done; yet somewhat they have done, in the same kind, by which rude and imperfect Models they have justified that excellent platform of a new Creature, created to good works, that God hath given us in his Sect. 3 It is lawful to quote Heathens, that we may shame ourselves, where we fall short of those Virtues, to the knowledge and practice of which, the more Ignorant Heathens have attained: with what astonishment may we look into the Christian world to see, how many there are, that know more and better than the Heathens, but do worse: we Christians that ought to follow the Example of Christ and the Apostles, are many degrees below the more sober Heathens. This is to the shame of many that name the name of Christ, and yet depart not from those iniquities, that Cato or Socrates would have been ashamed of. Solomon expresses his indignation against idleness, by sending the Sluggard to School to the Ant, who having no Prov. 6. 6. 7. 8. guide, overseer nor ruler, provides her meat in the Summer, etc. Now if so ignoble a Creature be fit by its Example to teach a man, as it is Parvulanam Horace. Exemplo est magni formica laboris. See how the little Pismires be, Instances of great Industry. Then may a Heathen be fit to teach a Christian. Go to the Philosopher thou degemerate Christian, thou hast the word of God for thy Rule, the Spirit of God for thy guide, which they wanted; yet did they better provide for their credit while living, and for their safety after death: Would Aristides have played the Knave, and have cheated his Neighbour who was firnamed the just? Were Fabricius and Curius so sordid and covetous as many Christians are, of whom the Roman Stories report how little they cared for gold and Silver, or the bribes of Pyrrhus? Would Regulus have been Treacherous to his own Country, who was resolved to be true to his Enemies? How was Luxury and riot discouraged among the Lacedæmonians, when the places where they used to feast together, were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch. because of their frugality in their expenses. And so in other cases, It is good to see what they have said and done, that the Man may shame the Christian; for it is a very shame for us who have better helps than they, if we do not go beyond them in all Virtue and goodness. Sect. 4 It may be worth the while to borrow some passages from these Authors; because though the Scripture be more perfect, yet in some things, where it is not so particular, instances from others may help to illustrate, what is more closely couched in them: It is no defect in the Scriptures to be short, but their glory, that in so little a compass, so much should be contained: But in regard they are so much shorter, than many discourses of the Heathens, it cannot be imagined, but that some things should be more dilated on elsewhere, which may help to convey what is here commanded, with the greater force to our understandings and affections: The gay adds nothing to the sense and meaning of the book; yet it encourages the Child to take the book into his hand, and so he may learn the sooner. So are those illustrations, and similitudes, and examples, and apposite sentences, which we bring out of other Authors, not by way of supplement to the word of God; but to try if by any way or means, we can make any impression upon the minds of men. And this is Apology enough for the use of Heathen Authors, in the use of which it is to be acknowledged it is easy to overdo: And it is a witty comparison of a Learned man, That to stuff a Sermon with Citations Wilkins Ecclesiastes. of Authors, and the witty say of others, is to make a feast of Vinegar and Pepper; which may be very delightful, being used moderately as sauces, but must needs be very improper and offensive, to be fed upon as diet. So much (if not too much) in answer to the third Reason, why some have spoke so slightly of Morality, to save the prerogative of the holy Scriptures, by preferring them above the writings of all Heathen Moralists. CHAP. VIII. Sect. 1 Obj. 4 THere is another sort of men, with whom I have next to deal, to whom I must not be so facile and yielding as in the former cases: They are the Antinomians, who are of opinion that the Obligation of the Moral Law is not consistent with the perfection of a Gospel state; and therefore no wonder if they during that persuasion, undervalue Morality. Who first gave these men their denomination, and of how long standing they have been in the World, is almost as hard to find, as the Head of Nilus. A Learned Doctor of our Church hath taken Holdsw. pains in it, to whom I dare add nothing. He finds Antinomianisme among the Manachees, and higher a great deal: In hoc▪ se speculo intueantur Lect. 19 Antinomi, & agnoscant prosapiam suam, Quis Pater ipsorum? Manes. Quis Auus? Tatianus. Quis Proavus? Martion. Abavus? Cerdon. Tritavus? Simon. Yea further than Simon Magus he pursues the Serpent to his first Den. The Devils first temptation was to make our first Parents Antinomians. Sect. 2 How this wretched sort of men, are the opposite extreme to the Ch. 2. Papists, hath been observed before out of this same Author, but no more than said of them, because this is their proper place: Certainly they are direct Adversaries to this Doctrine of the necessity of Moral Virtues, for they own no Obligation to the Moral Law; and so they say if we may credit those who have perused their writings: There is a Sermon extant with this Title God's eye on his Israel, which is in Mr. Gataker. the design of it a resutation of the Antinomians; in the Preface to which, the Author reports one of their positions in these very words: That the Moral Law is of no use at all to a Believer, no rule for him to walk or examine his life by, and that Christians are free from the mandatory power of it. Another borrowing this from Edward's Gangr. the foresaid Author, adds this to it as another of their say. Neither Faith, nor Repentance, nor Humiliation, nor Selse-denyal, nor use of Ordinances, nor doing as one would be done, to are duties required of Christians, or such things as they must exercise themselves in, or they can have no part in Christ. Sect. 2 Yea foreign Authors have quoted as bad passages, as these, though some of them to our grief from English mouths. Lex non est digna Hoornb. sum. controv. ut vocetur verbum Dei. And again Non admittunt Antinomi, quod nos de bonis operibus dicimus, esse ea viam ad regnum non causam regnandi. Afterwards he reports Richardson to say, condemnamus nos ali●uid agere ad nostram salutem. Yea it seems there is a Book written by Eton peacem▪ one (whom Bishop Hall bewails, to have belonged to his Diocese of Norwich,) and set out by Lancaster. another, the same man I suppose who was used to such midwifery, for it was such a name, that set out Dr. Crispe (whom I dare not join with the worst Antinomians) which Book hath this Title: The Honey▪ comb of free justification by Christ alone. In which he discourses of the great privileges of Believers: That now since Gataker ut supra. the death of Christ upon the Cross, sin itself and guilt and punishment, are so utterly and infinitely abolished, that there is now no sin in the Church of God, and that God sees no sin in us, and whosoever believes not this point is undoubtedly damned. Sect. 3 Surely if this were all the Scriptures were good for, give me the sting rather than the Honey; These sweet allurements of men to licentiousness, plus Aloes quam Mellis habent. The sting the severity of threaten is more safe for us to lie under. It is better to be terrified to obedience than to be flattered to sin: But blessed be God we find Honey in the Scriptures too, yea that which is sweeter than the Honey and the Psa. 19 Honeycomb. There are glorious priviledeges we hope to partake off, but than it must be by keeping in God's way; that is the way of obedience to God's commands, some of which will hereafter be found to require good works and Moral Virtues. It ought not to be expected that I should now undertake to confute these dangerous and blasphemous positions; that will be sufficiently done, if the second Proposition be proved, which will give good reasons for the necessity of Moral Virtues, where it will appear, that what this wretched generation of men hath filthily devised, hath proved nothing to our prejudice; they have spoken swelling words, but they are words of vanity, and none of them conclude against the necessity of Moral Virtues. So I dismiss these men likewise only with this one Observation. So many Antinomians as have proceeded to be Fift-Monarchy-men, as they are commonly called, must needs contradict themselves: For that man that believes Christ will come to reign personally upon the Earth, and introduce the Glorious Kingdom of the Saints; and yet, shall not at the same time believe himself obliged to be an honest man, and Morally Virtuous; he must not think that the Kingdom of Christ will be like the new Heavens and the new 2 Peter 3. Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Which yet the Scripture says: And surely if Christ be Head of this Kingdom, either he must Countenance Unrighteousness or be unable to suppress it, or there shall be no unrighteousness there, or if there be, it will be no glorious Kingdom nor any such great advance, from the present Administration of things in the World. CHAP. IX. Obj. 5 THere is but one sort of men more to be considered, and they are such as make good the words of St. Paul, Evil men and seducers 2 Tim. 3. wax worse and worse: Antinomianisme is the high way to Libertinism: Wherefore it is not to be wondered at, if those corrupt principles have given occasion to rotten and abominable practices: Hence have proceeded those Ranters in Religion, that late years have abounded with, who have made themselves truly liable to those criminations, that were falsely objected to the Primitive Christians. viz. Promiscui Concubitus, and the like; yea there are some that have extinguished all sense of Religion; that laugh at Conscience, and will not persuade themselves either of Heaven or Hell: Yea they will scarce profess to believe a God in the World but that by their execrable Oaths they do out of their own mouths damn themselves. This is their Motto: Ede, bibe, lude, post mortem nulla voluptas: Let's eat, and drink, and game, while we have leisure; For Death will put an end to all our pleasure. And if God do not give them Repentance and amendment of Life, they will find the latter to be too True; for than comes wailing and gnashing of Teeth: They will not be convinced now, to be sure not persuaded; but then comes an unanswerable proof, and an intolerable Argument, The wrath of God executed upon Unrighteous men, is the greatest, but dreadfullest demonstration in the world, that it was necessary for them, to have lived sober and Righteous lives. In the mean time some of them possibly, scarce believe themselves Reasonable Creatures, and then it will be in vain to argue with them; if they pretend to Reason, I will endeavour to speak pertinently to the case, by producing Arguments of several sorts, to prove it necessary for them, and all the rest of mankind, to he good and Virtuous, and presuming upon the strength of them (to which I am now approaching) I may confidently say, that these evil imaginations of men of corrupt minds, add no more disadvantage to the Cause, than any thing that was before pleaded: Wherefore I conclude this first part of my discourse, and I hope I have proved my first general Proposition, which was this; whatever Reasons may have induced some men to speak slightly of Morality, yet none of them all conclude, that it is not necessary for a Christian to be a Moral man. Moral Virtue's Baptised Christian: OR, The Necessity of Morality among Christians. BOOK II. CHAP. I. THe second Proposition follows: Having now yielded as much safely may be yielded; there do yet remain great and strong, and unanswerable Reasons to prove the affirmative: viz. It is necessary for a Christian to be a Moral man. Two ways an Action may become necessary: Necessitate praecepti, or Medii: Some things are necessary because they are commanded; other things may likewise be commanded, yet in their own Natures they are necessary as means to an End, and would be so if there were no other command for them, but what is included in the Law of Nature; according to which distinction there is this double proof of the forementioned proposition. It is necessary for a Christian to live in the exercise of Moral Virtues, because God hath commanded him so to do. Together with these commands the nature of the thing requires that so it should be. The first of these will not take up so much time as the second, yet to make the method more clear, I assign to each a distinct Book. The first way of arguing is from the Testimony that God himself in his Word bears to Virtue: God hath in Scripture commanded us to abound in Moral Virtues; to be just and honest; to be temperate, sober and chaste; to be charitable and meek, etc. These are things which we may be bold to press upon the consciences of men, for we may add a more authoritative ipse dixit than the Scholars of Pythagoras contented themselves with, we say Thus saith the Lord to all of them. Concerning which Commands these four things are worthy to be considered: they are many, plain, particular, peremptory commands. The Commands of Scripture for Moral Virtues are many, that we may easily find them. They are plain, that when found we may easily understand them. They are particular, that when understood we may easily apply them. They are peremptory, that we may not easily shift off that application. CHAP. II. Sect. 1 THe Scripture doth contain many precept for the right ordering of our Conversation the Old Testament not a few, the New Testament Psa. 50. very many. The Old Testament is Canonical, as in another, so in this sense; for it contains rules of Life, such are especially the Ten Commandments, whereof the six last directing our behaviour towards our Neighbour, comprehend Moral Virtues. As we are Creatures we own ourselves to God, who made us for his own glory and service; but this same God hath made us fellow Creatures, and some of the service he requires of us, is to keep a good conscience towards man: Wherefore as it hath pleased God to direct us in his worship, to those duties, which we call the duties of the first Table; so withal the same God, at the same time, in the same extraordinary manner, did speak all those words as we read: so that the latter are 20. Exod. 1. the words of God as well as the former: Yea there will be found so near an affinity between the first and second Table (a distinction which God himself hath authorized, by writing the Law in two Tables) that unless we obey both we cannot duly obey either. Prima Tabula est magnes ad secundam, secunda est Lapis ●ydius ad primam. Those two Tables which were at first of Stone; The first is a Loadstone to the second, The second is a Touchstone to the first. If we hearty love God we shall be engaged to keep all his Commandments: And this Commandment 1 John 4. 21. have we from him, that he who loves God, love his Brother also. And by way of reciprocation, if we love our Brother, it is an Evidence of our love to God, and his to us: If we love one another, God dwells in us, and 1 John 4. 12. his love is perfected in us. But otherwise, if a man say, I love God, and hateth his Brother, he is 1 John 4. 20. a Liar; for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? So that the Motto, which hath sometimes been otherwise applied, is not improper here: Si Collidimur, Frangimur. As Moses broke both Exod. 32. the Material Tables, by throwing them upon the ground; so certainly the Laws written upon them, if they be made to clash one against another, they will all be broken: for whosoever shall oppose one to the other, and presume that his being Religious to God, will excuse him from being Righteous to his Neighbour; James 2. 10. he that shall thus offend, though it be but in one point, will be guilty of a breach of the whole Law: And though the Reason there added be a little varied, yet it holds good. He that said 11. thou shalt not be an Idolater, or an Atheist, said also thou shalt not be an Adulterer, or Murderer, or Liar, etc. Now if thou Commit no Idolatry, yet if thou kill or lie, etc. thou art become a Transgressor of the Law, of the same God who requires both. That which the Law of God commands is necessary for a Christian man: But to abound in Moral Virtues is that which the Law of God (the Moral Law) commands: Therefore to abound in Moral Virtues is necessary for a Christian man. Sect. 2 To which if it be Objected, that Christians Obj. or New-Testament Saints, are of a higher dispensation; The Law was indeed given by Moses, John 1. 17. but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ, and that such Grace as makes void the works of the Law: Answ. 1 It might be answered, 1. That the Moral Law was given to the Israelites, not as Israelites but as men; and then à quatenus ad omne valet Consequentia: So long as Christians continue men, Reasonable Creatures, so long they will be under an Obligation to this Law: And this appears, because before the promulgation of this Law upon Mount Sinai, Cain Gen. 4. transgressed it in killing his Brother, Ham in mocking his Father, the men of Sodom in Gen. 9 Gen. 19 their uncleanness, which hath ever since boar the name of Sodomy from them: Now in those ages they must have this Law, else how could they transgress it; for where no Law is there is ●o●. 4. ●5. no Transgression? It might be Answered, that a Law once in force, is presumed so to continue, till it cease of itself, or be repealed by the Lawmaker; neither of which can be made good in this Case: Upon which Answer I do not in enlarge; partly because (especially in matters of Fact) Assirmantis est probare: If the Antinomians cannot produce how and when it was repealed, we may persist to say it is still valid: But chief because a determination of this question, when a Law as to the reason and foundation of it ceases and is null; if it be accurately done, would be some what too speculative for every vulgar reader, who I make account are most concerned in what I writ, whose practice if I may be useful to direct, I shall the less care to make them wander in speculation. Scholars do not want Books that make out this argument. Therefore it is sufficient to say, that those commands of the Old Testament, which are repeated in the New, are never the more out of date, because they are first found in the Old: such are the precepts of the Moral Law, which have been already named. Wherefore though other precepts and rules of Life might be insisted on, out of the Old Testament, which are not liable to any just exception, yet because there is so very great plenty in the New thither let us go. Sect. 3 There are very many commands in the Gospel, that make it necessary for a Christian to abound in Moral Virtues; so many that it would be long to name all; yet that it may help us forward in the practice of them, it may be worth our while to consider, that we have a greater confirmation, then of two or three witnesses: There is no Book in the New Testament but hath some commands, or something very near commands, for this purpose. It is no small advantage to our cause to consider first, That the first Sermon Christ preached M●●. 5. 6. 7. chap. doth handle much of this Argument, doth enforce many commands of the moral Law before mentioned, and doth require us to love our Enemies, not to be guilty of rash judging, to do as we would be done to: and many the like afterwards in St. Matthew's Gospel. St. Mark Mar. 7. ch. 12. ch. doth likewise repeat some of these, of Honouring Father and Mother, and loving our Neighbour as ourselves. St. Luke also says the same things, and directs Luke. 6. ch. 10. ch. 11. ch. 12. ch. 21. ch. John. 13. 14. 15. ch. Acts. 5. to show mercy and to give Alms, and warns against Covetousness, and elsewhere against surfeiting and drunkenness. In St. John the same Saviour spoken of in the former Gospels, requires Humility and Love. The Acts of the Apostles being a History is fuller of examples than commands; Acts. 4. the judgement on Ananias and Sapphira for lying, and of the Church for love, and one heartedness: but there are not altogether wanting commands there neither, for Charitableness, Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give then to Acts. 20. Acts. 23. receive: for submission to Authority: Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people: And we may presume that St. Paul's reasoning with Foelix of Righteousness and Temperance Acts. 24. was in an Authoritative commanding way; for it is an unusual thing for a Prisoner to make the Judge tremble. If we go on to the Epistles, they have much of the same Argument, Rom. 12. 13. ch. 1 Cor. 13. ch. 2 Cor. 13. 11. v. Galat. 5. 16. v. etc. to the end of that chap. The latter end of the Ep. to the Eph. from the 24. v. of the 4. ch. the greatest part of the remainder of the Ep. Philip. 2. ch. beginning, 4. ch. 8. v. A great part of the 3. and 4. ch. to the Colos. 1 Thessal. 3. 12. v. 4. ch. 5. 6. v. 9 etc. 2 Thessal. 3. 10. 1 Tim. 1. 9 etc. 6. ch. 11. 2 Tim. 2. 19 22. Titus. 2. 12. 3. 8. The Ep. to Philemon is in the design of it an exhortation to forgive an injury. Heb. 13. ch. 1. etc. 5. etc. 16. The Ep: of St. James, besides that it commends Works together with Faith, directs to the government of the Tongue, to meekness, and against Envy, James 3. v. 2. etc. 13. 14. St. Peter hath many such precepts, 1 Ep. somewhat in every Chapter, 2 Ep. 1. 5. etc. The 1 Ep. of St John is known to commend love; so likewise the 2 Ep. v. 3. he wishes them grace with truth and love; yea likewise the third, as it doth commend the hospitality of Gaius, so doth it add a precept, v. 8. St. Judas after he had described the sins of some of his time, v. 8. 9 etc. some of which were Immoralities; he doth not obscurely insinuate the contrary, though not in so many words command it, v. 19 20. Yea for a conclusion of all, 22 Revel. 11. when unjust and filthy men are given over to their injustice and filthiness, yet righteous men are established in their righteousness, and blessed in it. v. 14. These are many, but not all the directions that are to be found in the New Testament, which teach us in our behaviour in the world and in the exercise of Moral Virtues. The force of these commands is not now to be considered, but afterwards, when it must be made appear that they are peremptory and admit of no evasion or excuse. It is enough now to make an induction and enumeration of particulars, which is sufficient for the purpose, though not so full as it might be made: I have mentioned so many, that I may well give this Advertisement to all those who are concerned in it; that they do us great wrong, who despise our preaching of Morality, and do not think it Gospel preaching: if we may follow the Example of Christ and the Apostles, we are then certain we do truly preach the Gospel, when we command Moral Virtues; for it is evident they did the like before us, and that not sparingly, but in abundant manner. This is the first part of the Argument from the Scripture: The commands for Moral Virtues are very many, and we may easily find them. CHAP. III. Sect. 1 THey are likewise plain commands, that when found they may easily be understood: The directions which the Scripture gives about the management of our Affairs, are not so dark as the Answers that the Heathens had from their Oracles: They themselves called their Apollo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, because of his ambiguity: we may give him another Epithet, that which the Pharisees without any Reason gave to Christ, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. That deceitful Spirit 27 Math. 63. (the Devil that took upon him the state of a God) was ambiguous on purpose, that by those riddles he might salve his own credit amongst them, though they should chance to be deceived as Croesus and others were: But the Scriptures are clear and plain, especially as to these matters of practice: The word of God 2 Pet. 1. 19 is a light shining in a dark place: Such was the World till Christ's time, a dark place, men were much in the dark, and that as to Virtue as well as Religion, as hath been before said, and made Book 1. an Argument of the insufficiency of the writings of the Philosophers: But here have we a lamp 119 Psa. to our feet, and a light to our paths. So our Divine Poet expresses it; But all the Doctrine which he taught and gave, Herbers Poems. Was clear as Heaven, from whence it came; At least those Beams of Truth which only save, Surpass in Brightness any Flame. Divinity. Love God, and love your Neighbour, watch and pray, Do as you would be done unto; O Dark instructions even as dark as day, Who can these Gordian knots undo? What the Disciples once said to our Saviour. Joh. 16. Lo now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no parable; So may we say of many of the commands of Scripture: for what can be more plain, whether for matter or manner, then for a man to Love his Neighbour as himself? who knows not how he loves himself, and he who will not believe he hath many Neighbours, will 10 Luke. find that he ought to show himself neighbourly to whomsoever shall have need of him, if he understand the Parable; so to recompense Evil for Evil, and many others: These are such things, of which we use to say, he that runs may read them: There needs no great intenseness of mind; it is not necessary to dwell long upon them to understand them, they are plain and easy to be understood. This is now another advantage we have by the Gospel; it doth both bring us light and open our Eyes to see that light▪ the directions of the Word, and the teachings of the Spirit, promised in that Word, make our Rule very plain and easily understood. Sect. 2 These many plain Rules of life are not all general, so that the application of them may be easily mistaken, but directed to particular conditions, and Relations, and circumstances of life: we do not only read in the general that we must abstain from fleshly lusts, but we 1 Pet. 2. Gal. 5. 1 Thes. 4. have particular Catalogues of those Lusts: we are not only bid to walk so as to please God, but we are told what it is that is well pleasing to him: In so small a Volume as the Scripture is▪ it would be unreasonable to expect particular commands for every Punctilio, for every smaller Occurrence of Life: There are general Rules of prudence, which may easily be accommodated to particular circumstances; yet evident it is, that there are many commands for persons in such Relations; For Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children, Masters and Servants, Magistrates and Subjects. Moreover there are commands for particular duties; for Meekness, and Humility, and Charity, and Temperance, etc. if the Scripture sometimes speaks in Parables, yet many of them are such which we may easily apply to ourselves, as Nathan did his to David, when he said thou art 2 Sam. 12. the man. As John the Baptist gave directions in particular to the people, to the Publicans, and 3 Luke. to the Soldiers, as they applied to him; so will the Gospel answer us, if we come with the same question: And what shall we do? go and search the Scriptures, see what is written, how readest thou? It were a childish fancy to expect to be called by our Names (as once Peter was, Arise Peter, kill and eat) who will dare to say, that when the King issues out a Proclamation to all his subjects; because I do not find my name there, it doth not concern me? We are all concerned, and we are as good as named, and particularly directed, in many affairs of our lives, how to exercise ourselves in righteousness, and goodness, and all Moral Virtues. Here are now 3 things said to prove that the Scripture doth make Virtue necessary, by giving many, plain, particular commands in the case; but that there may remain no question of our Obligation, the 4th. follows. CHAP. IU. Sect. 1 THese many, plain, particular commands are absolute without any condition that may excuse, they are peremptory and severe, and strict, so that when they are found and understood, and ready to be applied, there remains no evasion to shift off that Application. Certain it is, that where God doth not dispense with his Laws, there man may not; It is against all Reason, that an Inferior Magistrate should control a Superior; but it is monstrous, that the head and the feet should change places; that the Common people, whose duty it is to obey Laws, should usurp Authority over the Lawmakers, and dispute their commands: And if it be necessary there should be such a distance between man and man, for the safety and preservation of mankind; Is not then the distance greater between God & man? Thinkest Job. 35. 2. thou this to be right, that thou saidst my Righteousness is more than Gods? Elihu first puts the question, but afterwards God himself demands the same; I will demand of thee and declare thou Job. 4●. ●. 8. unto ●e; wilt thou also disannul my Judgements, wilt thou condemn me that thou mayst be Righteous? Hast thou an Arm like God, or ●anst thou Thunder with a voice like him? Where is the power and Authority that dare oppose itself to God, before whom the Hills mel● like wax? 97 Psa. ●●. 2. for fear of whom and for the glory of his Majesty, the lofty looks of men are humbled, and the ●●●ghtiness of men is bowed down. Yea moreover where is the wisdom that may better inform God, or alter what he hath once established? Isal. 40. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Land, o● being his Counsellor hath taught him? Out of the ●outh of the most High, and from infinite wisdom, have proceeded the directions we have for our Conversations: And it is Arrogance beyond an Epithet, to offer ourselves as Counsel to the Almighty, or to pre●●●e or advise a change of that which hath gone o●● of the Mouth of God. Unless it please God himself first to repeal his Laws, it is not possible that a Creature should have Authority to usurp upon his Creator. All the question than is, whether God himself have not annexed some conditions to his commands, whether there be not some reserves and exceptions, which in case they happen, then upon performance of the condition, the obligation becomes void and of none effect. Indeed Christian privileges, by which we ought to encourage ourselves to Christian duties, have been abused (by those that turn the grace J●de 4. of God into lasciviousness) to patronise all manner of impiety; and three things especially have been made use of to this purpose, Faith, and Repentance, and Christian liberty; none of all which do give any indulgence to Immorality, or viciousness of life, or do weaken those commands which require Moral Virtues. Sect. 2 Not Faith. It hath already been acknowledged, that the necessity of Moral Virtues ought not to be understood as a prejudice to Book 1. Object. 2▪ Faith; It must now be considered on the other side, that as Morality doth not make Faith useless; so neither doth Faith bring any excuse for Immorality. If it be said, I believe in Jesus Christ, for the pardon of my sins, and for the Salvation of my Soul, upon his alone merits I rely, who hath promised Everlasting life to me if I believe; therefore what need I do any more? To this I oppose the words of St. Paul, This is a Faithful saying, and these Ti●us 3. ●. things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God be careful to maintain good works; these things are good and profitable unto men. They who have believed in God may not sit down and bless themselves with the privileges of the Faithful, without any more ado, they must maintain, i. e. they must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 excel, must be eminent in good works; they must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a word which no body that understands but will allow it thus much, they Antistites esse, Beza in loc. must be Precedents of good works: And this they must take care of, and be solicitous about, and lest there should be any that may doubt of it, he will have Titus affirm it constantly, he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. must be very firm and resolute in the case, without peradventure it is the duty of Believers thus to do; to all which it is some Emphasis, that he gins the Verse thus, A Faithful saying, a word which he doth elsewhere use in weighty matters, It is a Faithful saying, and 1 Tim. 1. 15. worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the World to save sinners. To all which nothing can be objected by any man, that doth not magnify his own private Spirit before St. Paul, who did more than think he had the Spirit of God; unless possibly this should be imagined, that Moral Virtues are not here comprehended under good works: wherefore let one Apostle interpret another, let us borrow of St. Peter to explain St. Paul, And besides 2 Pet. 1. 5. this giving all diligence, add to your Faith Virtue, etc. Temperance, Patience, Charity. A place beyond all exception to prove, that though we have Faith, yet we may not be without Virtue; for if there be any place in Scripture where we are to understand Faith in the most excellent kind, it is here; for it is that like precious Faith, which the Apostles obtained, V 1. it was a Faith joined with such a knowledge of Christ, as that by great and precious promises they became partakers of the divine V 4. Nature; yet this Faith that makes men like God, is not too good to accompany with Virtue, nor can it safely be alone; for he that lacketh V 9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. these things (i. e. these Virtues) is blind and cannot see a far off. Now if we must give diligence to add Virtue by way of supply to Faith (as the word imports) than Faith is no excuse for a failure in Virtue. To these we may add St. James, who speaks as confidently; What doth it profit, my Brethren, though a man say he hath Faith and have no works, can Faith James 2. 14. save him? will such a Faith which is dead without works be a saving Faith? no surely, not till these contradictions can be reconciled, that a man may at the same time be an unholy, or an unsanctified Saint, a wicked Believer, an honest Knave. When Judas his kiss can be interpreted friendship, then when he comes to betray his Master, when the way to Heaven lies through the midst of Hell; when these things come to pass, then may a man hope to be saved by his Faith, though he be and continue to be, the person whom God threatens to damn for the wickedness of his Conversation. Faith is a saving grace, if it be true Faith, but Noscitur ex socio; if it be not accompanied with good works it is but dead, and will never entitle us to life. Therefore though it be our privilege that we may believe, yet this is no excuse from Moral Virtues. CHAP. V. Sect. 1 NEither doth Repentance disoblige us any more than Faith. It is Mercy that Sinners can never enough admire, that upon Repentance they may be accepted into favour, so as that their iniquity shall not be their Ruin: But it is a wicked perverting of this Mercy, if Ezek. 18. instead of leading us to Repentance, it encourages Rom. 2. 6. us to sin the more, because this grace doth thus abound; yet how many are there in the World, who upon presumptions of Repentance some time before they die, do think it less needful for them to be holy and Virtuous while they live. Whereas in truth this very thing is a sufficient Argument for the necessity of those Virtues, for a failure in which men hope to repent, and so to be excused: A Drunkard or Swearer, or any other vicious person, intending hereafter to repent and amend, now continues in those evil courses; but what do men mean when they say they will repent? Do they not believe it is sin that must be repent of? He that hath not committed a fault must lie if he cry peccavi; why should he be sorry and wish he had not done it? If this sorrow be for that which is amiss, than Drunkenness etc. are hereby acknowledged to be Sins, by those who say they will repent of them: If Drunkenness be a Sin, than it must needs be a duty to be temperate and sober, and so for the rest; and if these Moral Virtues be our duties, then are we under an obligation to them, and they are necessary for us: It is therefore evident that Repentance is so far from excusing us in our Immorality, that it doth suppose the contrary Virtues necessary for us; if they were not, we were fools to repent that we have not practised them; but in regard they are, theirs is the greater folly, that make Repentance a Plea to excuse themselves: and this were enough to be said in the case, but it is not all. Sect. 2 For 2. if the Nature of Repentance be understood, the necessity of that proves the necessity of good works: Repentance in the comprehension of it, is an exercise of the life as well as of the heart; he that reputes must not only be sorry for his sins, but he must turn from them, and forsake them: Let the wicked forsake Isa. 55. his way, etc. and let him return to the Lord, etc. and therefore Repentance and amendment of life are put for one and the same thing: The old English Translation did so express it, Amend your lives; for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. And certainly if a man be sincerely sorrowful for his former sins, he will take care for the time to come to do so no more, there will be a change in his life as well as in his heart: So there was in his, who would not at first obey his father, but afterwards he repent Math. 21. 29. and went. He that reputes in earnest, will say, If I have done iniquity, I will do no more. When sorrow is after a Godly sort, it Job 34. 32. makes a man careful, studious and industrious, What carefulness it wrought in you. Now if ● Cor. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. this be necessary thus to amend and change, than so far as Repentance is necessary, instead of being an Argument the other way, it doth clearly prove the necessity of a holy life. He that reputes of Drunkenness and dishonesty, must leave it, else he is an Hypocrite; he that must leave it, must practise the contrary; It is not possible a man can leave Drunkenness, if he be not sober: And he that must practise, is therefore under an Obligation, so that because it is necessary to repent of Immorality: and this wicked men acknowledge; If they understood the consequence of the Argument, they must needs acknowledge also the necessity of Moral Virtues. Sect. 3 Much more might be said to convince of the danger of deferring Repentance, though▪ it be not for us to determine the grace ●f God: if it please God to accept of a man that is just dying before be repent and return to him (according as it hath been sometimes said, Betwixt the stirrup and the ground, Mercy is sought, Mercy is found) Yet certainly the hazard is great that ●●ey ●● who defer Repentance; It is very hazardous whether ever they may live to execute their Intentions; They give great provocations to God, to cut the● off in their sins, and in Impenitency among the rest: They lay many hindrances and obstructions in their own way, because the longer they live in sin, it is▪ the harder for them to leave it at last, if they do not make themselves incapable: But these things are somewhat more out of my present purpose, and they are Arguments that may be more safely omitted, because they are more copiously handled in their proper places, by those that writ particularly about Repentance. So much for answer to the second presumption; the possibility of Repentance is no Argument against the necessity of Moral Virtues; but the necessity of Repentance is a great Argument that they are necessary. Sect. 4 But is not Christian Liberty a salve for all Excesses? may we not understand that voice to Peter (what God hath cleansed, that call not thou Acts 10. common) of things as well as men, and of the Moral as well as the Ceremonial Law? are not all things now lawful to us? is there any difference between one action and another, now under the Gospel? are we not free so as not to entangle ourselves with any yoke of Bondage? so sure they would gladly hope, that say, God sees no sin in his people: But it is a pitiful pretence to think, that Christian Liberty should deliver us from a necessity of Obedience. If men will make a Gospel of their own, and a Religion of their own, they must expect to be saved by a Saviour of their own: But than woe be to those men, that neglect that great salvation, H●b. 3. which Christ hath purchased and procured, and will effect in his own way: If we make the Gospel of Christ our rule then, nothing is more plain than this; that the freedom which Christ hath purchased for us, though it be from the Curse of the Law, yet it G●l. 3. is not from our Obligation to the Law: Being Rom. 6. then made free from sin, ye became the servants of Righteousness. There is more in the same Chapter to the same purpose: Indeed the whole Gospel is a proof to the contrary; there is no Liberty may be called Christian, but what is allowed in the Gospel: It is not imaginable, that the Gospel should allow us Liberty to transgress those commands, which it doth so frequently urge; unless we think Christ would be divided against himself, which is the way Luk● 11. (by his own confession) not to have his Kingdom stand. Wherefore it is enough to say, that the Gospel being the Rule both of our Liberty and Duty, though it be true, that we have allowances which the Jews had not, and that is our Liberty; yet we have commands which both Jews and Gentiles had, and that is our duty: And then it must needs follow, that the Liberty which would take us off from good works and Moral Virtues, is Antichristian and Devilish. It is not the Seed of God remaining in men, but the Seed of the Serpent, that teaches them to wind, and turn, and roll themselves about any way, so as they may but shift out of the paths of God's Commandments. The commands of the Gospel for Moral Virtues, are strict and severe; neither the pretence of Faith, nor of Repentance, nor of Christian Liberty, is any sanctuary for men of unhallowed lives. And this is the proof from Scripture: It is Necess●●●● 〈◊〉 necessary for a Christian to live Righteously and Soberly, because there are many, plain, particular, peremptory commands, whereby God requires these things of us; which was the first necessity assigned, because God in Scripture hath commanded them. CHAP. VI Sect. 1 TO which Argument, in regard it doth depend upon the pleasure and authority of the Lawmaker, it will be sitting to add another Consideration, which will be a great strength to it, and in likelihood may have greater force upon those that are most likely to transgress. And this it is, As it hath pleased God to command Moral Virtues, so he hath added in the same Word many severe threaten, to those who shall break these Commands, and be guilty of the contrary vices. Neither would the Laws of God nor Man, signify much to the greatest part of mankind, if they were not penal Laws. We ought to be Rom. 13. subject not only for wrath but Conscience sake: But did not fear of wrath and punishment scare many Men, little would Conscience of duty prevail with them; for notwithstanding that there are good wholesome Laws made, and penalties annexed; yet how many Robberies, and Murders, and other Enormities are there committed in the world? But if these wild Beasts had not their way hedged up with Thorns, they would quickly overrun the world, and make it a desolate wilderness. The execution of the penalty adds life to the Law. So therefore it hath pleased God to provide, the more effectually to engage Men to a godly and righteous life, to declare his wrath against unrighteousness; to threaten Hell and Damnation, and Wrath to come, to Immoral, as well as to Men. The lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone is very terrible; but such as Murderers, Revel. 21. and Whoremongers, and all Liars shall have their part in; but not only these, Wrath, Galat. 5. Strife, Sedition, Envyings, Drunkenness, Revellings, and such like; they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. To 1 Cor. 6. whom likewise, Covetous Persons, Extortioners and Revilers are added in another place. These and such like places of Scripture there are, whereby profane and wicked Men are given to understand, what they may trust to, while they presume upon impunity in their wicked courses. As sure as God is in Heaven, these wicked and evil practices lead to Hell: as sure as Hell is dreadful and intolerable, it is necessary for Men to leave these sins; yea, because these things being to come are not not so much feared, we find by experience, that God doth (as he threatens Gog) plead against the Ezek. 38. world with Pestilence and Blood: And these now of late have we in England felt, what God can do; when within the space of one year, and 1665. London. Westminst within the compass of two Cities so adjoining that they may go for one, together with their Suburbs and Liberties, have been swept away mostly by the Plague, (though not altogether) little less than an 100000 Persons, as by their Weekly Bills we are assured. The good God give us every one to turn from the evil of his Jonah 3. way, that God may turn from his anger, that we perish not: Moreover, God can send divers Plagues and Diseases upon Men, that they may know (what Pharaoh would not be convinced of, but by such kind of Arguments) that God Exod. 14. is the Lord; that it is not safe to despise the commands of God, as if he were not in earnest when he gave them. Sect. 2 Among many instances that all Ages have abounded with, of the many judgements that come upon the world for sin; scarce any Age hath had a sadder proof, than we of late have had: For before one woe is quite past, behold Revel. 9 another woe comes; after the Plague a Fire. Oh thou sometime one of the fairest of Cities, with what Lamentation shall we bewail thee! In what a sad sense may we apply those Words; The Lord hath purged (London) by the spirit of Isa. 4. 4, 5. Judgement, and by the spirit of Burning: The Lord hath created (almost) upon every dwelling place (of the City) yea and upon (the place of) her Assemblies also, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night. How did we hope that that bosom of Destruction (the Plague) having swept so clean, there would be no more work for new Judgements? and therefore we hoped those words would not have reached us; For all this his anger is not Isa. 9 turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. But our old and our new sins have plotted together, to provoke God to lay waste the City of our Solemnities, the joy of the whole Nation. For how many Centuries of years, hath the Lord kept that City, and blessed the Labours of the Watchmen, that they have not watched in vain? For how long together hath God appointed Isa. 26. Salvation for walls and bulwarks? How many Fires have been quenched, and the breaches repaired? yea, we read the whole City was once in a manner consumed by Fire, (Anno Godwin Catalogue of Bishops. p. 189. 1086.) yet out of the Ashes did arise a new City, that in succeeding Generations had attained to greater Glories and Magnificence, than ever the Original Structures could pretend to. The story or tale rather (for so even Pliny's Natural History. Pliny himself suspected it to be) of the Phoenix, gives him 660 years to live, before he fires his Nest. It is not yet 600 years, since that dreadful Fire in the latter end of William the conquerors Reign: So that in this respect, we cannot make London parallel to the Phoenix; God grant we may in another, that we may see a new City grow out of the Ashes of the old. In the mean time, we are very blind, if so great a Fire as this will not light us to see how angry God is with Men for their sins: We would not foresee our punishments in our sins, now God himself undertakes to light us to see our sins in our punishments: And surely our sins are great, for our punishment is so. Methinks I find a weak fancy may imagine to itself a representation of this desolate City, bewailing itself in words to this purpose: Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by? behold Lamen. 1. 12. and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce arger. Call me not Naomi, call me Marah, for the Almighty Ruth 1, 20. hath dealt very bitterly with me. I was full, but now am empty: full of fair Churches, of goodly Houses, of rich Shops, of stately Halls, of large Streets, of many People, but full of sin too, and now I am emptied; for see what a void space this Fire hath made. Why then do ye call me pleasant, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? Have pity Job 19 21. upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my Friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. Doth it not grieve you to see these Ruinous Heaps? Have you no compassion for my once Wealthy Citizens, whose Wealth is now below Envy, and they themselves ashamed of their former Pride? The time hath been, when my Poets have thought nothing too much to say of me; and I myself thought, I deserved such an honourable Testimony as this from one of them. Vide Weavers Funeral Monuments. p. 350. Take heedful view of every thing, and then say thus in brief, This either is a world itself, or of the world the chief. But now I cannot find any hath given me my due so much as he, who after many admirations of my glory, and plenty, and populousness, yet adds, Ibid. p. 352. Howbeit many Neighbour Towns, as much ere now could say, But place for people, people, place, and all for sin decay. Yet rejoice not against me, O mine Enemy: for Micah 7. 8, 9, 10. though I fall, I shall arise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgement for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine Enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her, which said unto me, where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her, now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. But if it must follow, what follows in that Chapter; Notwithstanding the Land shall ver. 13. be desolate, because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their do. The Lord is righteous, and the will of the Lord be done. Indeed this astonishing providence is a most demonstrative Argument for my purpose; but such an one, as I was not ware of, when I first began to argue. For before it came to pass, who would have believed, that in so short a time, such a flourishing City could have been consumed? Who would not have hoped, that some of those many Engines would have been useful to have quenched the Fire? Some of those many Thousands, that the Plague had spared, might have been able to have stopped the Flames? But the hand of the Lord was lifted up. It hath pleased God by a very severe proof, to chastise us into a belief of the danger of wickedness and sin, and what less can we infer from it, then Discite justitiam moniti, & non temnere Divos. Virgil Ae●●id 6. Which I a little vary and translate. Learn to be good and honest, don't provoke That God, that strikes with such a heavy stroke. My Reader will pardon this digression, occasioned by so remarkable an occurrence. I now return. When God gave the Law upon Mount Sinai, it was accompanied with Thunders, and Exod. 20▪ Lightnings, and the noise of the Trumpet, and the Mountain smoking, that the people might be afraid to offend such a God. Though the voice of the Gospel be a stiller voice, yet there are as it were Thunder and Lightning: The voice of the Lord in his threaten, doth loudly proclaim to the World his pleasure, that he will have his commands observed, else woe be to them that shall presume to transgress. Wherefore because some of these commands require Moral Virtues, and some of these threaten condemn Vice; from the tenor of this Law, I gather my first general Argument, why it is necessary for a Christian to be a Moral Man. Sect. 2 If it seem strange that I have dwelled so long upon an Argument, that carries with itself a plain and undoubted evidence; I answer, Arguments taken from Reason only, though they may be very strong and good, yet may they be liable to more suspicion, by those who are not so capable to discern a true Reason from a false one: It is easy to judge of matter of fact, when a testimony is produced out of the Word of God; (if there be first a satisfaction that it is the Word of God) than we may be sure we are not mistaken; especially when the Texts mentioned are so plain as those formerly insisted on: But ignorant and mean Men may be imposed upon; if falsehood be subtly devised, it may go for depth of right Reason: Men may and sometimes do, pro falso non minus Grotius de Jure Bel▪ & pacis prol●g. quam pro vero, vires eloquentiae intendere; as is said of Carneades, who could declaim one day for justice with a great deal of zeal, and the next day as much against it: Certain it is, that many Books are written in contradiction to one another; they all pretend to Reason, and it is not always easy to distinguish between strength of Reason, and sleight of Wit: Wherefore I have first premised the Authority of the commands, and by a large explication of them, have endeavoured to free them from all exception; that it may help forward what is further to be said by way of Reason and Argument. So that when it shall be seen, what an Harmony there is between Scripture and Reason, how they do jointly defend the same Cause, it may make the greater impression upon those that shall happen to be my Readers, and more effectually persuade to these Virtues. Moral Virtue's Baptised Christian: OR, The Necessity of Morality among Christians. BOOK III. CHAP. I. Sect. 1 TOgether with the commands of God, it is evident from the Nature of the thing, that there is a necessity of Moral Virtues, and so there would have been if we should suppose the Scripture not to have been written; though now that we have this sure word of Prophecy, we do not abstract from it, but add some other considerations to those already named; for which likewise we have Authority from the word of God: It is therefore further to be proved, that there is a necessity of Moral Virtue, to which (for a further confirmation) I add there is likewise an excellency in it, and such an excellency, as (though it may be considered abstractly from the foresaid necessity, yet joined to it) will give a further advantage to this argument; for by how much the more excellent it is, it must needs be more necessary for us to practise it. The first of these is an argument so worthy to be considered at large, that it alone will enlarge this Book to the bigness of both the former; yet I hope I shall enlarge upon nothing impertinent or unworthy notice taking. Sect. 2 There is a necessity of Moral Virtue not only out of obedience to a command, but it is necessary as a means in order to an end. So far Necessitas medii. as an end is necessary to be obtained, so far those means must necessarily be used, without which we cannot attain that end. Now there are these four ends and purposes for the obtaining of which we ought to be virtuous in our Conversation. That our Lives may be good. That our Deaths may be safe. That both may be comfortable to ourselves. That by one or both we may be profitable to others. Which are all over and above and besides this, that we may please God, which was the former Argument: for we cannot please God but by obedience to his Commands. We must be virtuous that our lives may be good: for which two things must be proved. That there is a goodness in these Moral actions. Such a goodness as without which we cannot be said to be men of good lives. Sect. 3 There is a goodness in Moral Virtue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, These Tit. 3. ●▪ things are good and profitable to men. The goodness of an Action consists in its agreeableness to its rule: Now because these Moral Virtues are according to Rule, therefore they must needs be good. Which is easily proved, if one thing be but supposed, viz. that Man is a reasonable creature: Which proposition if any man shall deny, or profess to doubt of, there is little to be got by arguing with him; for he doth profess himself to be uncapable to discern of an Argument: He must be taught by Correction rather than Instruction: He must be taught as we teach Dogs, Argumento bacillino, with a wooden Argument. Wherefore supposing this, that man hath some nobler principle in him, than a Hog or a Dog; somewhat above life and sense and motion; he is a Creature endued with Reason, with an Understanding to discern what is truth, and a Will to choose what is good; I am then to demonstrate that which if all men were virtuous would need no other demonstration: But the wicked excesses and abominable debaucheries of a great part of the world (not excepting those that live in the Christian world) give occasion to think, that wickedness doth alter men's understandings. (Malitia mutavit Wisd. 4. intellectum.) So that they are not sensible of any difference between good and evil: men will not be persuaded (at least they live as if they were not) but that it is as lawful to revenge an injury as to requite a kindness; It is as noble and generous, to inflame their souls by Intemperance to Lust, as it is to deny themselves and to mortify those affections. Dolus aut Virtus, they cannot tell which to prefer; it is as creditable to cheat another, if it be done handsomely and ingeniously, as it is to be scrupulous lest they should do any wrong; and so almost in all sorts of Vice. Sect. 4 It is not like that these kind of persons should leave a wanton play, for a discourse that pretends to Sobriety and Morality; if they will forsake the Church to go to the Tavern or Alehouse or worse places, it is not likely they will find themselves in so melancholy retirements, as to be at leisure to peruse an argument of this nature: Yet it is not impossible but out of an humour at least they may: An Epicurean would hear St. Paul; Agrippa and Bernice, very fanciful persons, had a great mind to hear what he could say for himself: And I remember a story in Plutarch, that when Plato had persuaded Timothy the Son of Conon to leave his great feasts, and one night to sup with him, the next morning finding himself in a more happy temper of body, than he used to be after his luxurious meals, he acknowledged that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: They that sup with Plato are better for it the Plutarch Sympos. ●. 6. proe●m▪ Day after: So possibly may it be with these my endeavours, if any body will be persuaded to try, they will find it true, what upon the former supposition I am now to evince, that there is a goodness in Moral Virtues, and an unsuitableness, an unbecomingness and naughtiness in every vice. Which I prove by Propositions founded upon and drawn from one another. CHAP. II. THe first whereof is this. Sect. 1 Prop. 1 Man being a reasonable Creature, must of necessity have another and higher rule to act by, than brute Beasts are capable of. There is a Lex Vniversi, or a Law whereby the whole Creation may be said to act, or to be acted by Rule: The Motions of the Heavens we call orderly and regular motions, because they are by Rule, according to the appointments of that God, who hath appointed the Moon for Seasons, Ps●. 104. and the Sun knoweth his going down. The changes among the Elements are natural and according to Rule, the growth of Plants, the exercises of sense in Beasts, pursuing that which is convenient, and avoiding that which is inconvenient to their Natures; all these 〈◊〉 a kind of a Rule to act by. Now how comes it to pass that Man alone above all the rest of the Creation should be lawless? In as much as we are Creatures, we have the Law of our Creation; but in regard we are Reasonable Creatures, of a higher and nobler Nature, than any beast of the Field; either our actions must be below our Natures, or we must have an higher and more excellent Rule, than other Creatures have. They have a Rule whereby they eat and drink, etc. They have a Rule for their bodies, which is all they are worth: We have Souls besides, and how can it be, but they must have a Rule proper and suitable to their Natures? Our wills and affections have their proper objects to fix upon, as well as the Eye hath Colours, or the Ear Sounds: Now the objects of our wills being as different, as those of our senses, there must be some way and means whereby the Soul may distinguish between good and bad, as well as the Eye between white and black. It is not possible that every thing should be fitting for us to do; because of the contrariety that is in actions: If it be fitting to be sober and temperate, than it is not fitting to be drunk; If fitting to love others, than not fit to hate and malign them, and so in other cases: But how shall we know what is fitting or not, but by some Rule, whereby we may try and so pass a Judgement upon our actions? Some Rule then there must be proper for us: Man being a reasonable Creature, must act by Rule, and by a higher Rule than Brute Beasts are capable of. Which is the first Proposition. Sect. 2 The Rule which all men are to frame their actions according to, is the Law of Nature or the directions of right Reason. There is another Rule by which it hath been already proved, that there is a necessity of these Virtues, because they are commanded by the Word of God; it would be Actum agere, now to insist on that, which indeed is our best Rule. But there have been many Nations in the World with whom God hath not dealt as with the Jews of old, as for his Judgements, they have Psal. 147. not known them, or with Christians now: Many have not the Gospel among them, yet they are not without a Rule; for even these Gentiles show the work of the Law written in their hearts, Rom. 2▪ etc. the same Law which the Heathens call non scriptam, sed natam Legem, even this Law of Nature, which is an universal Rule all the World over. If any should be so brutish as to think their sensual appetite, the measure and rule of what is good or bad; they do in effect deny themselves to have any Reason, because they suffer it to be overborn and overruled by sense; for if the actions of a reasonable Creature are governed by sense, what is the man's Reason good for? how can he be said to be Reasonable in his Actions, or to have Reason for what he doth? They who are thus enchanted by the pleasures of sense (as Homer feigns Ulysses Odyss. 10. followers to have been by Circe.) it is time for them to renounce their Humanity, to go and keep Company with their Relations: Let them join themselves to their kindred, and wallow in the same mire with Swine; Let them go to graze with the beasts of the field, till their understandings return to them, as was Dan. 4. said of Nabuchadnezzar; for they are not fit to converse with men. We who profess to▪ have Reason, must make it our Rule, or we can have no Rule worthy of our Faculties. Sect. 3 Nor is every Reason a sufficient Rule, but right Reason; if every man's apprehensions were his sole Rule, how soon would the world return to its first Chaos? into what a confusion would mankind fall? for men's apprehensions are many time: either moulded by their interests, or biased by their passions, Stat pro ratione voluntas, their will usurps the place of their Reason, and gives a Law to it. Now men's interests and passions so often opposing and thwarting each other, this cannot be a standing Rule for all mankind, because of the manifest inconveniencies, and disturbances, and disorders that would follow hereupon. The former Rule of sense is too short, and therefore not adequate, nor proportioned to the vast dimensions of a reasonable Soul: The latter is crooked, a Lesbian Rule, that will bent whither a man would have it; wherefore neither of these is fit to measure our actions by, if we would know when we do well or ill. We must therefore distinguish between the Reason of the man, and the Reason of the thing: The Reason of the man corrupt sometimes and depraved, and makes men put good for evil, and evil for good: But the Reason of the thing is constant, and certain, and uniform; that is, the Law of Nature and the directions of right Reason, which every man may attain to, if he do not blind himself by prejudice or passion; for it is that we are born with, viz. a Conscience of good and evil: And this Law and Conscience (especially as it is supported and confirmed by the Law of God, & his Commands in his Word) is a Rule whereby we are to guide our conversations. So then, if the Virtues we speak of will abide this Test, if they be found right according to this Rule, they must needs be good Actions; for there cannot be any goodness in any Action, if it be not in conformity to its Rule: which makes room for the 3. Proposition. Sect. 4 Honesty, and Justice, and Moral Virtues, as they have been before proved to be according to Scripture Rule; so are they agreeable to the Law of Nature; and therefore have a goodness in them, because they are so agreeable: which, to save a more operose manner of proof, is sufficiently manifest by this one Argument, which if it be true, must needs be convincing to all sorts of persons. The Argument is this; It is universally acknowledged by all men, whether good or bad; whether they practise Virtue or despise it, yet is Virtue acknowledged to be a fitting and becoming thing, and agreeable to our Natures. Concerning virtuous and sober men it is no doubt: they would never take the pains to climb the Hill of Virtue, did they not believe, that when they had conquered the first difficulties, they should find afterwards a more suitableness to their Natures, and a pleasure in the attainment: For no man that studies to be Virtuous, but will find the Philosophers were not much mistaken in it, when they thought, as Lactantius represents them; Viam, quae sit assignata virtutibus, primo aditu De vere ●ultu cap. 3. esse arduam voluerunt, & confragosam; in quâ si quis difficultate superatâ, in summum ejus evaserit; habere eum de caetero planum iter, lucidum amoenumque campum, & omnes laborum suorum capere fructus uberes atque jucundos. The first attempts of Virtue are difficult: The bridling of our passions is like the backing of a Colt, it cannot be done but warily and by degrees, and that not without Labour: Now were not these things Pulchra, as well as Difficilia, were it not an excellent thing thus to do; at least, did not those men that thus behave themselves believe so, there can no good Reason be given why they should take so much pains to no purpose. Virtuous men believe Virtue and Goodness to be the same thing, or else it would never draw them so powerfully to an admiration of it: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, evocat ad Sibbs ad Clerum. sui amorem vi quâdam Magneticâ. Men would never follow Virtue for Virtue's sake, if they did not believe it carried its reward along with it. Now if the Rule be good, that Credendum est Artifici in suâ arte. Men are to be believed there, where they have most experience; though men of corrupt affections and vicious practices should deny that there is any goodness in Virtue, yet would it he no great Argument on the other side; for whom should we sooner believe than those who have tasted, and seen and tried? for thus much is certain, that all men who practise Virtue, believe it to be agreeable to their Natures. CHAP. III. Sect. 1 BUt what if it be found that those who trample Virtue under their feet, and will not profess to own any obligation to it, yet their Consciences recoil within them, and they themselves believe what they outwardly and in works deny; namely, that it is best to be Virtuous? this will be a great evidence in the case, and this witness is true: Wicked men bear witness to Virtue commonly when they die, or if not so, yet certainly sometimes while they live. Death brings Men to a sober sadness: The frolicks of life expire like a flaring Candle in a stink, and leave filthy and troublesome remembrances of themselves behind them. It is a common conceit of many people, that when the Devil assumes a humane shape, he always betrays himself by a Cloven Foot; surely so is it in the lives of Men, who are of their Father the Devil: whatever shapes and disguises they have put on, yet the lower end of their life is clovenfooted, they discover a breach that they have made upon their Consciences; they acknowledge at the last that they have been Sinners, they have not done well to be Drunkards or Swearers, to cheat their Neighbours, etc. for which they now say, Lord have Mercy upon us: that supposes they are in danger of being Miserable, else they would not need Mercy: If they may be Miserable, then sure they have sinned, else how should they discern it? Now I argue, are these men's First or Second thoughts like to be Wisest, and nearer to the truth of the case? Their eager pursuits of sin while they lived, have had much of their will and fancy, and corrupt Affections, but little 1 Sam: 18. & 20. ch. of their Reason; and so when the Evil Spirit is upon Saul, it is no wonder if he cast a javelin at David, and afterwards at Jonathan, his best Friends; but when his Reason returns to him, he acknowledges his error, and says that David was more righteous than he. In like manner 1 Sam. 24. many Men hate those Virtues which are according to Gods own heart, as David was; but this is during the prevalency of the Evil Spirit; when they come to die, as the Soul is loosening from the Body, so by degrees they are wrought off from the deceits of sense and the temptations of the World; when they are at Death's door, and see it opened for them, than they have another representation of themselves: Sculls and dead men's Bones, and the Worms that are to feed upon them; and besides, a dismal pre-occupation of their thoughts concerning the dreadful day of Judgement; these things alter the case. Then the Men who would sometimes fill themselves with costly Wine and Ointments, and crown themselves with Rosebuds, Wisd. 20. to be partakers of their wantonness, etc. yet shall be afraid and remember their sins, and Wisd. 4. their own wickedness shall come before them to convince them: Yea they shall change their minds, and sigh for grief of mind, and say within themselves; This is he whom we sometimes had in Wisd. 5. derision, and in a Parable of reproach: We fool's counted his life madness, and his end without Honour: How is he counted among the Children of God, and his portion is among the Saints! If this be Apocryphal, yet it is good sense, and the more likely to be true, because Canonical Scripture gives us a like instance; wicked Balaam did even before his death desire to die the death of the Righteous, and that his last end Numb. 23. should be like his. Herein are many wicked men like Balaam, of whom we read this passage: Balaam the Son of Beor hath said, and Numb. 24. the man whose eyes are open hath said. Dixit vir occlusus oculo, says Montanus, according to the letter of the Hebrew: The Margin of our Translation hath this Exposition of it: The Man who had his eyes shut, but now open. There is a beauty and lustre in Virtue, against which Vicious Men shut their eyes, and will not see, but Isa. 26. they shall see and be ashamed: When death is closing their bodily eyes till the Resurrection, than the understanding opens, and discerns the folly of the forepast life; when it is growing too late to amend, than Men begin to Repent, and proceed thus far at least, to acknowledge they have done ill, and to own a goodness in Virtue, and an agreeableness to their natures and right reason. Sect. 2 This observation is common and of easy notice taking, that many profane Men are thus affected when they die: But it is true withal, that this General Rule among others hath its Exceptions: The Consciences of some Men are past feeling while they live, and are not awakened when they die: As Pope Boniface the 8th lived like a Lion and died like a Dog. So is many a wicked Man in this sense, Primus ad extremum similis sibi, From first to last one and the same, He lives in sin, dies without shame. They live like Beasts, and so they die: they sin like Lions boldly, and undauntedly, and fiercely; they die like Dogs wretchedly, and churlishly, and basely; without the understanding of a Man to consider whither they are going, without Faith in God, or love to Heaven, or Fear of Hell: Yet notwithstanding all this, as we say of Brute Beasts, that they have some semblances of Reason in many of their Actions, (of which Plutarch give many instances in his Book De solertiâ Ammalium) so these Brutish Men while they live, have some Candle-light of their understandings (The Spirit Prov. 10. of a man is the Candle of the Lord) not extinct, though it be shut up in a dark Lantern, and do not discover itself to others, unless it be at unawares. Sect. 3 For 2. There are some certain times and seasons wherein the most vicious persons that are, acknowledge the Virtue's contrary to their practice to be agreeable to right Reason; for which there are these Evidences. Many Men who will not leave sin, yet will dissemble it; It is not much more common for a Malefactor at the Bar to plead not Guilty, then for a Drunkard when he is sober, to deny that he was drunk: And so they that will swear, will lie, and deny that they did swear; and he that would revenge himself upon his Neighbour, will not own it to be Revenge: he that would cheat his Neighbour, would be thought an honest Man, etc. wherefore now is all this, were not these vices contrary to right Reason, and the Virtues they oppose agreeable thereto? Why should any Man be ashamed of that, which he doth not believe to be unlawful? If it be a Virtue to be Drunk or Knavish, why do not Men avow and profess it, and make as much conscience of being Drunk, as others do to be Sober? Herein did Gehazi, Ananias, and Sapphira, and others betray themselves; when a Man denies a fact which he knows himself to have committed, he is therein a self-condemned Man: He denies it, because he is loath to own it; and therefore Men do not own their sins, because they know them to be sins, and the Virtues that are contrary to them to be good and reasonable Actions. Sect. 4 If it happen that wicked Men do for some time forbear their excess of wickedness, and do some good action: If a riotous debauched person continues sober, whether for want of opportunity or ability to sin; or if because others are, he be charitable to the Poor, or forgive an Injury, or the like; how quickly doth he proclaim his Righteousness, and take occasion to commend himself! As Jehu would 2 Kings 10. have his zeal for the Lord taken notice of, when yet he was but a Hypocrite: And the Pharisees (likewise Hypocrites) would sound a Mat. 6. Trumpet when they gave their Alms: Such Hypocrites still there are, who in a sense but little commendable, would make a Virtue of necessity; because they could not sin, they would be thought Virtuous because they did not. A Knave that is made to be Virtuous against his will, how ready is he to allege that as an Argument for himself, and to boast that he did no wrong! This supposeth Virtue to be praiseworthy, else why should they praise themselves for it, when yet they are not Virtuous out of love to it, but only because they cannot safely commit vice? Sect. 5 Yea once more: It is evident that wicked Men believe Virtue to be reasonable and good, by the apprehensions they have of it in others, especially when it makes for their own Interest: He whose conscience gives him leave to cheat another, yet would not have another cheat him: He who would not pay his Debts if he could avoid it, yet believes it to be honest and conscionable for another Man to pay him, if he be Creditor: He who scruples not to wrong another, yet would not receive wrong from another; nor doth he think it fair for another to revenge himself upon him. I argue therefore; with what conscience can a Knave expect honest dealing from another Man; why doth he demand a Debt, if he do not believe his Debtor ought to pay him? If he do so believe, then must he needs judge this just and honest dealing; a reasonable and becoming thing; wherefore though he will not practise it himself, yet because he requires it of others, it is a sign he doth in the inward sense of his Soul approve of such practices, and though he follow the worse, yet he allows the better. The case is the same in Revenge; he that will not forgive an Injury, yet will be glad to be forgiven when his Enemy hath an advantage against him: He that will not feed the Poor, yet would fain be fed if he were poor, and will commend the persons that shall so return good for evil. By these and by other such instances, it is easy to observe how these kind of men contradict themselves: As Goliath brought David a Sword to cut off his own Head, so do these Gigantic monstrous sinners, that seem neither to fear God nor regard Man, whose boundless wickedness neither the Laws of God nor Man can restrain; yet an Arrow out of their own quiver pierces them to the Heart: Out of their own Mouths they are condemned, their own consciences witness against them; their apprehensions of Virtue in others, will rise up to their Judgement and Condemnation, because they were not Virtuous themselves; for hereby they join in the same acknowledgements with Virtuous Men, of its becomingness and agreeableness to the light and Law of Nature. Which being so universally acknowledged, needs not be further proved, though it may be done by other kind of Arguments: It is enough that wicked men do own a goodness in Moral Virtue; I add no other Arguments under this Head, because I believe it true what Grotius observes to this purpose: Esse aliquid Juris Naturalis, probari De Jure Belli & pac. l. 1. c. 1. solet tum ab eo quod prius est, tum ab eo quod posterius, quarum probandi rationum illa subtilior est, haec popularior. To prove any thing to be according to the Law of Nature à priori, from the conveniency or inconveniency of it to our Natures and Reasons, is a more subtle way of arguing, and may be the strongest Argument in itself considered; but Arguments à posteriori, from the consent of mankind (as he there instances) are more popular, that is, more taking with, and more suitable to the apprehensions of ordinary men, and so may be more effectual for their end, that is, to convince and persuade. Wherefore so much shall suffice to prove that there is a goodness in Moral Virtue; which was the first part of my first Argument, to evince the necessity of these Virtues. CHAP. IU. Sect. 1 BUt every thing that is good is not therefore necessary, for there may be another good to supply its place, or a greater good which may make it useless; wherefore that Moral Virtue may be understood to be necessary in order to a good life, it must be added: As there is goodness in Moral Virtue, so is it such a goodness as without which men cannot be said to be men of good lives. It is not with Virtue, as it is with Meats and Drinks; there are many dainty dishes and delicious drinks, yet they are not necessary, neither for the supply of our need, nor for the satisfaction of our appetites: He that must say non habeo, may likewise say, nec careo, nec cupio; he that hath them not, may well be without them, for there are other savoury meat he may feed upon. But there is such a necessity of Virtue, as that the defect of it cannot otherwise be supplied: for if any thing would give a dispensation to an Immoral life, it must be Christian Religion; but it hath been before said, that neither Faith nor Repentance, nor Christian Book 2. Liberty; and it might as well be proved of every Christian privilege; none of these will indulge a man, and give him leave to be wicked and vicious in his Conversation. Christian Religion, and Moral Virtue, are not like two several roads, either of which do indifferently lead to the same place: but indeed they are one and the same thing; not that bare Virtue is Religion; but it is within Religion, as a part is within the whole: for the commands of the Gospel do plainly and peremptorily require it, as hath been said; and therefore one and the same thing (for example Charity, Humility, etc.) doth bear both these names of Moral Virtue, and Christian Grace. From whence it might be sufficiently proved, that a man cannot be a man of a good life, if he do not fulfil these Commands: yet for a further confirmation, let these considerations be annexed. Sect. 2 Though Christian Religion do bring us into new Relations, yet it doth not annul and destroy all the old: By Christ we become Friends to God, and Children of God; we come to be Brethren, and all members of the same body whereof Christ is the Head: Yet notwithstanding there doth still remain a Relation, between Magistrate and Subject, Husband and Wife, Father and Child, Master and Servant, etc. and this the Scripture doth suppose, by giving distinct precepts to these several sorts of persons: Moreover the Scripture doth require a continuance in these Relations, witness St. Paul: Let every man abide in the same calling 1 Cor. 7. 24. in which he was called. Art thou called being a Servant care not for it, but if thou mayest be made free use it rather. And is not that as much as to say, that our calling (to Christianity) doth not make us free from this subjection? Yea (as there is a Jus gentium as well as Jus Naturae, so) there are other Relations between one Nation and another: There is a necessity that one Nation should traffic, should maintain correspondence with another. Non omnis fert omnia Tellus. No Country is a Paradise. The Scripture tells us of a pearl of greater price, of better Riches than any Merchant can fetch from either of the Indies: but as there will be eating and drinking, so there will be buying and selling in this World, and our Religion doth not prohibit us to have intercourse with other Nations. Blessed be God we live in a plentiful land, where we ourselves are more churlish and barren than our soil; yet it is no disparagement to us, that we are not planted in the Garden of Eden. Every herb doth not grow in our own Garden. There are some things of daily use among us, our Sugars, and Spices, our Silver, and Gold, etc. which we must go out of doors for, to fetch them in from other Nations; though we have likewise Commodities of our own to export to others. Now if the trade of a Merchant be a lawful calling, this likewise makes it evident, that all Relations between man and man are not dissolved, there where the Gospel takes place. So then there do continue such distinctions and Relations as these in the Christian World. Sect. 3 Wherefore so long as these Relations do continue, there are some duties necessarily resulting from these Relations. There is a carriage and behaviour due from one to the other; every Relation doth connote some duty, else if there be nothing required, they are as Strangers that are unconcerned in each others affairs, and not as Relations. A Father must provide and take care for his Child, and the Child reverence and obey his Father, and so in the like cases. It is nonsense for a man to say he owns such a one to be his Child, and yet he hath no more regard to him then to a mere Stranger. Again, the correspondencies of Kingdoms and States, and the Traffic from Nation to Nation, do not these suppose duty? Is it fitting we should rob other Nations to enrich our own? we have just reason to be angry with other Nations that would do so to us; or is it equitable we should import their Commodities, without making them a compensation? There is somewhat required by way of Duty, whether in war or peace; whether in buying, selling, or exchanging, or any other reference that one man speaks to another, or any business that one hath to transact with another; there is somewhat just, equitable, and due in our carriage and behaviour, that is, every Relation infers duty. Sect. 4 These duties that are required for the due approving of ourselves in these relations, are exercises of Moral Virtue. In the systematical or doctrinal part of Moral Philosophy, Ethics are distinguished from Economics and Politic●●; yet evident it is, that the latter do belong to the former generally taken. No man can live morally well according to the rules of the Ethics, if he do not order himself in his family, and political capacities according to those rules. Subjection to Magistrates and protection of Subjects; Obedience to Parents, and respect to Children; and all those other just and charitable, and liberal actions which are necessary for us to practise as we are engaged in such relations, these are duties of the second table, commanded in the Gospel, and are exercises of Moral Virtue. So that the substance of the Argument contained in these premises is this: For as much as we Fellow-creatures are in some relation one to another, which cannot be fulfilled nor managed unless we be virtuous; It remains that there is such a goodness in Moral Virtue, as that we being as we are, and must continue to be; without it we cannot be said to live good lives. Sect. 5 This Argument hath proceeded upon the comparison of ourselves with ourselves, the several respects in which Christians stand to one another. Let one thing more be added, let the Heathen and the Christian be compared together, and it will be found true, that, if Morality were necessary for the Heathen, so that where they failed, their lives were not good; than it must be as necessary for us Christians: Who doubts but that Justice and Temperance were virtues in the Heathen, how shall they be judged but by the not be for Immorality as well as for Idolatry and Irreligion? for wherein is the Light of Nature plainer, and they more inexcusable then in Unrighteousness and Intemperance, and such like Vices, which they themselves sometimes acknowledged to be such. Now need not a Christian be as virtuous as a Heathen? undoubtedly he ought, unless the Gospel exempt him, which hath already been observed to be plain and positive in the case. But furthermore, is not vice the same now that it was of old, as abominable and reprovable, and virtue as commendable and necessary? If men's lives may rather give them a denomination than their profession, a great part of the Christian World is still Heathenish. The Devil is a revengeful as well as a malicious spirit: It hath pleased God to spread abroad the Christian Religion far and wide, by his Almighty power. His name hath Malac. 1. been great among the Gentiles from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same. But if Heathenism hath been dispossessed in one kind, hath it not returned in another? Is not the Devil's Chapel near God's Church? Hath every one that hath been baptised into the name of Christ, put on Christ? Why then should it now be thought a strange thing, that Drunkards, and Swearers, and Murderers, and Adulterers, and Liars, and Thiefs, and Knaves, and Rebels, and Covetous, and Proud, and Peevish, and Uncharitable men, should be reproved for these sins as well as Hypocrites, and Formalists, and Unbeleivers, etc. did not David sin in the matter of Bathsheba as truly as Amnon in the case of Tamar? and was he not accordingly reproved for it by Nathan? Would Treason be ever the less crime if one of the Court or Bedchamber should be guilty of it? was Brutus more pardonable than the rest who conspired the death of Julius Caesar, because of his near relation to him? Surely the Israelites are taught otherwise, You only have I known of all Amos 3. all families of the Earth, therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. There was a greater Communion between God and the Jews then with other Nations, and more plentiful Communications from him; by reason of which they knew more of God than other Nations did: This is now the case of us Christians: We know more of God than the Heathens did, in particular we know what the word of God requires of us in point of Morality. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do Justice, and love Mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? and that which is showed us we do or may know; Wherefore to him that knoweth to do good, James 4. and doth n●t, to him it is sin. And if it be a sin to break these commands, than it is good to keep them; and if it be good so to do, than the first Argument is made good: There is a goodness, and such a goodness in Moral Virtue, as that without it we cannot be said to be men of good lives. Which was the first necessi●● assigned of Morality, that our lives may be good. CHAP. V. Sect. 1 End. 2 IT is necessary for us to be virtuous, that our deaths may be safe. I shall be mistaken if I be thought to mean, that bare Moral Virtue will make our lives good or our deaths safe: Faith and Repentance, and the grace of the good Spirit of God have more than once been acknowledged necessary: Yet is it easy to apprehend that Virtue may be necessary for these purposes, though not sufficient. Concerning life it hath been already said: It remains to say, that if we desire to die in safety, we must be virtuous while we live, and that for two reasons. Because it is possible that these men of wicked and profligate lives may be miserable after death. More than so, it is certain they shall, if so they live and die in the same state. Wicked Immoral men, such as are Drunkards, and Liars, and Unjust persons, &c. cannot die in safety, because it is possible they may be miserable after death: which possibility hath the force of an Argument, to persuade men to provide better for their safety when they come to die: The Husbandman makes his best advantage of a fair day, it is not safe to let his Corn lie abroad, if it be fit to take in, because the next day may prove rainy. The Merchant makes use of the wind when it is lies right; it is not safe to defer, because it is possible afterward the wind may not serve him as now it doth. In all cases about our worldly affairs, a possibility of danger is an effectual Argument for present care: And why should it not awaken our Souls as well? It is at least possible that after death, they who die in these wickednesses, may perish everlastingly for them. Sect. 2 Now it may be wondered at, in regard the next part of the Argument pretends to certainty, why any time should be spent in this which is not so clear and convincing, and therefore it may not be so much worth the while to stand upon it. Ans. To which I answer, there are some persons may be more convinced and wrought upon by this kind of proof, than any other way. If the times be not made a great deal worse than they are, there are many persons so desperately Atheistical, so devoid of all fear of God, or conscience of sin, or belief of a future state, that they profess to doubt of all these: they cannot tell what will become of them, they acknowledge no reason to make them believe that there is another life after this; and therefore they disowning the Scriptures, and mocking at the threaten therein contained, it signifies nothing to them to sca●e them by threatening the wrath of God, and Hell, and Damnation for their sins; they will not profess to believe any of these things: Wherefore though it be not like such persons will think what I have written worth reading, much less will they consider of it; yet to make my discourse as complete as I can, I have brought in this among other things, and it is pertinent enough: for what Atheist in the world can deny it possible but that these things may be? who can tell any thing to the contrary? they who will not believe there is a Hell, yet it is not possible they should demonstrate that there is none. The Jewish Doctors do supply that part of Scripture, where it is said, Cain talked with Abel his Brother, thus: ●en. 4. Ainsw. in Loc. D. Helvic. de Chald. Bib. paraphras. cum Te●a edit. Cain said there was no judgement, nor judge, nor world to come, nor good reward for justice, nor vengeance for wickedness, etc. But how could Cain then, or any of his followers now, be assured of it? upon what account is it impossible that our Souls should outlive our Bodies, or our Bodies afterwards be rejoined to our Souls? who can demonstratively answer St. Acts 26. Paul's question? why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? and what contradiction is it to say, that they who do so live in another world, shall be either rewarded or punished according as they have lived in this. Sect. 3 Plato seems to make Socrates' doubt in this case, when almost twice together he says, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; Apologia Socratis vers. sin●m. and the last words of that Dialogue answers the question, whether it be better to die or to live, thus; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: It is known only to God himself. Yet the Dialogue next but one, Phaedo makes it evident, that however he would not exasperate his Judges by proving of it; yet he did firmly believe the souls immortality, and rewards and punishments in the world to come. Now put the case, every one doth not yield to his Arguments, (than which we have better elsewhere) yet who is there that can deny but it may be so, and then what if it should be so? what if possibly the lascivious person should roll and stretch himself in a bed of everlasting burn? what if possibly the drunkard, whose reason is sunk and drowned in his cups, should sink into a lake that burns with fire and brimstone? what if liars, and cheaters, and knaves, should be found to have put the greatest cheat upon themselves at the last, when they have irrecoverably destroyed their own souls? were there nothing else to be said then this, It is possible all this may happen, it should be a powerful and dreadful amazement to careless and secure sinners: They are in a road that they do not consider whether it may lead, for aught they know (it is not possible they should know the contrary) all their mirth may end in everlasting bitterness▪ It is possible, they that live viciously, and so die, may be miserable for ever; therefore it cannot be safe for such men to die; and if so, it is then necessary men should live virtuously, that they may die safely. Sect. 4 But that which follows is much more convincing; it is certain that men of profane wicked lives, who do likewise persevere in them till they die, shall after death be infinitely more miserable than ever they were, or thought themselves happy while they lived. Certain from the testimony of the Word of God, as might be largely shown, but that it hath ●een said already; when the threaten of Book 2. ●he Word were added to the Commands, to ●rove a preceptive necessity of Moral Virtue; ●t shall suffice therefore summarily now to ●peak▪ However there be no sin so great or ●oul, which the blood of Christ is not of virtue enough to cleanse us from, (and therefore this is not to be understood as a prejudice to the free and overflowing grace of God) yet in regard those men are supposed never to have truly and throughly repent and believed, whose repentance doth not proceed to a reformation of life, and their faith show itself by good works; therefore they who thus live and die, are under the curse of the Gospel, as well as of the Law: and the threaten of the Gospel have been already produced: I only now say, the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven (and shall one day be revealed and executed in Hell) not only against all ungodliness, Rom. 1▪ but also against all unrighteousness of men; unrighteous, immoral, wicked men, shall suffer for their faults, and how then can it be safe for them to die? Sect. 5 The thing itself is its own evidence, that they who thus live and die in enmity to God, without being reconciled to him, it cannot be but they must needs be miserable after death. Indeed these two things must be supposed, that there is a God, and that our souls are immortal: which Atheists will expect should be proved before they will yield. I think I should too far digress if I should undertake to prove these; which I shall the less need to do, because they are so frequently and successfully undertaken by others: there may be the same reason for this as for the former head about the possibility of these things, they are the same persons who deny both. I took that in, because it might be dispatched in few words. But the existence of a Deity and the souls Immortality, cannot be proved convincingly to Reason, without a large discourse upon them: wherefore in hopes that this Treatise will find all those it meets with ready to yield both these; then supposing them, it cannot be but wicked men who are enemies to God while they live, and die in the same state, must needs be deserted of God & separated from him after death. If God be not infinitely holy and pure, he cannot be God: his nature being absolutely perfect, it must needs follow, that God must infinitely abhor sin, and sinners for sin, where it is not purged away, as it is not in these men. Now how can it stand to reason, that those men who have dishonoured God all their life long, have lived in contradiction to his Nature, and Will, and Laws: He is holy, they are unholy; he is light and they are darkness; I say, it cannot stand to reason, that these men should be received into the favour of God: What communion hath light with darkness? 2 Cor. 6. what concord hath Christ with Belial? what love can God bear to his desperate enemies? They Job 21. Luk. 13. that say to God depart from us, why is it strange that God should command them to departed from him? Indeed if God were such a God as the Heathens made their Jupiter, and Venus, and Bacchus to be; then might God entertain such wicked persons into his Court, for it would be but like to like. And it may be feared it was one reason, why the Heathens did so allow themselves in all manner of wickedness and vice, because they had gods to be their Patrons, whom their Fables report to have practised the same things. But the Lord is our God, the Lord whose name is Holy and Reverend, and Psal. 111 holiness is his nature: And it may be, it would not be a greater sin to say, there is no God at all, then to say, there is such a God as the Poets speak of: yea, and the more sober Heathens were of this mind; Plutarch for himself affirms as much, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, De superstitione▪ p. 169. Xyland. etc. What say you, he that believes there is no God, is he not wicked? but he that believes there is such a God as superstitious men fancy him to be, is he not much more wicked? for my own part, I had rather men should say, there was never such a man as Plutarch, then that they should say, Plutarch was an inconstant, passionate, revengeful man, etc. It is very dishonourable to God, to think him any thing less than infinitely and perfectly Holy; and then what must become of those men, who are as unlike to God as the Devil is, or their natures are capable of? they must look to be separated from God, as the Devils are, they must keep company with their own kindred and allies; sin marries the soul to the Devil, and his company, and his torments are the portion of a sinner: Wherefore woe be to the wicked, it shall be ill with Isa. 3. him; for the reward of his hands shall be given him: and men of lose, profane, debauched, vicious lives, are wicked men, whose misery that waits for them in the world to come, will express and enforce this Argument with greater horror than they are now ware of: Then will it be proved, that it was necessary to live honestly, and virtuously, because they that live otherwise, are miserable when they die: Which was the second instance of the necessity of Moral Virtue; as that our lives may be good, so that our deaths may be safe. CHAP. VI Sect. 1 End 3 THere is a necessity of Moral Virtue, that both life and death may be comfortable: what the world would be without light, that are our lives without comfort; light is gladness, and therefore it would be a melancholy world, if we were all benighted, and left to grope in the dark; and gladness is light: The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy. We 〈◊〉 8. should soon be weary of our lives, if we were debarred of all the comforts and pleasures of life. But the question is, where is the Palace of Pleasure, and which are the paths that lead to it? where doth Hearts-ease and Comfort grow? how may we come to live in Pleasure, and to die with Joy? surely there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are Prov. 14. the ways of death. So are the ways of wickedness and vice, in point of comfort as well as safety; and if ever we hope for comfort and joy, whether living or dying, we must apply those words to this case: Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men, Prov. ●▪ avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. And the reason added afterwards is not impertinent, The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto a perfect day: The way of the wicked is as darkness, they know not at what they stumble. And for the proof of this I offer two things. There is no considerable Comfort to be had in, or from a wicked Immoral life. But in the exercise of Virtue, there is Pleasure, and Comfort, and Peace, and that in abundant measures. Sect. 2 So long as a man continues wicked, he can expect no considerable comfort in that state; I say no considerable comfort, because it cannot be denied, but these men presume and boast, that they live the most merry and jovial Job 21. lives: They take the Timbrel and Harp, and rejoice at the sound of the Organ. They spend their days in wealth, (or properly in good) they good themselves in the pleasures of sense. Had not Belshazzar a merry bout? (as the phrase sometimes Dan. 5. is) and have not the generation of Drunkards still the same, that count it pleasure to riot in the day time? yea their pleasures are 2 Pet. 2. too great to be confined to a day: Instead of Psa. 119. rising at midnight to give thanks to God, they sit up till midnight to sin against God. By such kind of persons as these, men of more severe principles, that dare not let out so fast to their sinful excesses, are counted melancholy fools, that will not allow themselves to be merry, and brisk, and take the pleasures of life while they last. These things are indeed so, and pity it is that men are so besotted, as not to understand true pleasure, nor to be able to distinguish blazing Comets from fixed Stars: that joy and comfort that makes the biggest show, that is most gazed after; whereas true joy is more inward and serious, Res severa est Senec●. Epist. 23. verum gaudium, quite another kind of thing then vicious men apprehend; and that which they partake of, is not so considerable, as that they deserve to be said to live comfortably. That appears thus; Sect. 3 The pleasures of wickedness and vice, take them at the best without their inconveniences, and they are but pleasures of sense or fancy, and therefore no great matter; or if they do reach the soul, they are but corrupt affections that are gratified by them, and still they do not amount to much; what are the pleasures, and joys of intemperate men, whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as they are distinguished? whether they be Drunkards, or Gluttons, or Unclean persons, these are carnal sensual pleasures, they are tasted and felt, and that is all that can be said of them. What are the pleasures of games, and plays, but to be heard, on seen or fancied? so is Covetousness a lust 1 Joh. 2. of the Eye; for when goods are increased, they are increased that eat them, and what good is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with their Eyes? And the sweetness that Eccles. 5. is in revenge, and malice, or any like distemper of the mind, they do but please the fancy, not reason, or judgement, or conscience; these things men do to satisfy their humours, not that by; reason they are satisfied they are fit to be done: And are pleasures of sense so considerable, that men should lay aside conscience for their sakes? Was it not a ridiculous thing for an Emperor to raise an Army, and Callgula. send them down to the Seaside, as if there were some new province for them to go and conquer; but when they come there, all their business is to gather Cockle-shells? so methinks do the men that thirst after the pleasures of wickedness; they awaken and stir up the powers of their souls; their fancy works; they have thoughts, designs, and contrivances, and projects in their heads; to these are joined their busy affections, their longing hopes, and their eager desires; and when all these are mustered together, they are a great force: And what is all this for? not to conquer an Enemy, but to gather Cockle-shells; not to purge their souls of the remainders of sin, and so to march on Heavenwards, when they have beat down all that stands in opposition; but to find out some rare inventions to tickle their senses. A goodly errand, for a man to come into the world to contest with the Brutes which shall be most happy! Vain man, dost thou not know, that thy Ox, and thy Ass, is happier than thyself if thou hast nothing else to glory in but the pleasures of sense? or if not they, yet some other more inconsiderable creatures do outvie us in all these things. It is observed, there is no sense we have, but there is some unreasonable creature hath it in greater excellency than we; unless possibly the Touch, which is the most ignoble of all. And there is an instance of all in these two old plain Verses, but V Charron Wisd. p. 38. good enough for my purpose, unless the men they reprove were better. Nos aper auditu praecellit, Aranea tactu, Vultur odor●tu, lynx visu, simia gustu. Vultures, and Lynxes, Spiders, Apes, and Swine, Each hath a sense more excellent than thine: Is it worth the while for a reasonable creature, to rise in the morning, and so from day to day, for no other purpose, but to be dressed fine, and then to sit down to eat, and drink, or rise up Exod. 32. to play? Would Solomon have sent a Fleet to Tarshish for Apes, and Peacocks, if there had been no Silver, nor Gold, or Ivory to be brought 2 Chron. 9 thence? much less would they have brought them, and left their Gold behind them: yet thus do wicked men, they take more pains for toys and fancies, more for what they shall eat, and drink, and put on, then for the Kingdom of Math. 6 God, and the righteousness thereof. This is all men live for, to eat, and drink, and be merry; and if these things be so considerable, let us give the right hand of fellowship to the beasts of the field, who enjoy these pleasures as they are capable, more undisturbedly a great deal than we do. The pleasures of sense are like the wisdom that contrives and pursues them, sensua and devilish: yea the most spiritual pleasures James 3. these men have, the gratifying their corrupt affections is no better, for envying and Ibid. strife are named in the same place. This is one instance how mean, and low, and dreggy, the comforts of wicked men are; they ascend but to pleasure the sense, or fancy, or they descend rather; for it is as if a Giant should put forth all his strength to encounter a Pigmy, when a spirit stretches itself to its utmost capacity, for no other thing, but to please the senses of the body. Sect. 4 It is evident that men of vicious lives have but little pleasure, because they are commonly most melancholy when they are alone: it is no natural pleasure that flows from any fountain within, but it is forced by outward means; small is their mirth, but when they are in company with men of the same principles and practices with themselves, whereby they check and silence the checks of their own conscience: They are jovial and frolic at a Tavern, where, as I may so say (the expression is not so uncouth as their practice) they drink a health, that is, they wish well to the damnation of their souls. Many are their feasts and revels abroad; but how are they, when they are in no other company but God and their own Conscience? then it is with them, as sometimes with Saul, there i● an evil spirit upon them, 1 Sam. 16. which cannot be charmed nor laid but by Music, as his was; they are so dull and dumpish when alone, that they must go abroad again to seek for some pleasure to allay the smart of the inward guilt: It is a precarious pleasure that men must stand to the courtesy of others for, whether they will allow it them or no; those comforts are best, that are freest, and most within our own power. The feast of a good Conscience is such, as we may daily invite ourselves to, Nemine contradicente: if it please God to allow us the rejoicing testimony of our own consciences, it is not all the world can make us melancholy; and therefore holy men are most merry when they are alone: but so are not drunkards, and swearers, etc. And it is of ordinary observation, that many men cannot abide to be alone, (especially not in the dark) they are glad of any company. And I believe, were it not for this, that men do not know how to spend their time alone, to their own comfort and satisfaction, Taverns and Alehouses would not be so full as generally they are; it is no sign a man lives merrily, because his boon company makes him so: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch. p. 100 John 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. If we judge of men according to outward appearance, we shall not judge righteous judgement. There are many are counted happy, but their hearts know their own bitterness. Now this pleasure that men are fain to go out of doors for, to get it where they can, to buy it by pennyworths and small parcels, must needs be little and inconsiderable, in comparison of that which virtuous men have in a full stock within their own Souls. Besides it may be added, the more our pleasure comes from without, it is the more uncertain; for the same causes that give it may withhold it, if they either withdraw, or prove miserable Comforters: Or if all second causes should conspire together to make a man prosperous in his wickedness; yet it is but a forced mirth, not natural, and therefore not constant: yea all the noise these pleasures make, cannot drown nor still the clamour of a guilty conscience: but all this while, in the midst of laughter, the heart is sorrowful. Prov. 14. And it is evident that so it is, because the more men retire from the world, their pleasure abates; the more they are alone, the more dejected and sorrowful they are. There may be an objection against this concerning one sort of men; and it is the observation of the Poet of covetous men, who seem to be never so well pleased, as when they are alone meditating on their wealth. — Populus me sibilet, at mihi plaudo Horace. Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplor in Arcâ. I don't regard what people say, Let them laugh on, and flout me: At home I'm merrier than they, I have all my bags about me. It is hard to find an answer in the next words of the same Poet; but Plautus doth it fully in his Euclio. Nunc ibo ut visam estne ita Aurum ut condidi, Aulular. Quod me sollicitat plurimis miserum modis. I hide my Money in a cunning hole, And yet I can't but be afraid 'tis stole: I'm glad I'm rich, yet have a thousand fears, Vexations, griefs, disquietments, and cares. And if the solicitudes and perplexities of covetous men be set against their pleasures, they have little to boast more than other men: And even these men depend upon others for their comfort; for it is in the power of any body that hath to deal with them, to vex or disquiet them, either by disappointing of them, or by making them afraid they shall be disappointed. CHAP. VII. Sect. 1 THat which is a foundation to this Reason, is by itself another; Wickedness and vice is in its own nature disturbing and troublesome: It is so far from producing any considerable comfort, that it is properly the cause of trouble and discomfort. Vice doth rob and deprive men of that which it pretends to bring them; as Jugglers persuade silly people they can make money, when at the same time they pick their pockets; such juggle and hypocrisies are there in sin; there is a show of pleasure, and assemblance of mirth, but it is a deceitful, and a destructive play; such a play as was between Abner and Joabs' men: Abner said to Joab, let the young men now arise and play before us, and Joab said let them arise: but what was their sport? They caught every one his fellow by 2 Sam. 2. the head, and thrust his sword into his fellows side, so they fell down together. Or such sport as Samson Judg. 16. made the Philistines, Call for Samson that he may make us sport; they did not know what would follow, he pulled down the house upon the Lords and all the People, and crushed them to pieces. Many are the woes and sorrows that men bring upon their own heads, by indulging themselves in sin, which when they feel they believe, though before they would not. Two ways sin is troublesome, formally and efficiently. Sect. 2 Formally. In as much as forma dat esse & distingui, beings are distinguished by their forms; therefore the properties of beings do arise from those forms, (whatever kind of things those forms be) thus is vice formally the cause of trouble, because it is a property inseparably annexed to it, or indeed more than a property. Sin is the sickness of the soul: as it is the property of sickness to be troublesome to the body, so is sin to the soul; and it cannot otherwise be, especially in the irregularities of passions, Anger and Revenge, and Malice, and Envy, and Ambition, and Pride; and such like exorbitances as these, they are grievous afflictions to those that are overborn with them. The impetuous workings of these affections are like the ragings of the Sea: The wicked are like the troubled Sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast forth mire and dirt; and therefore no wonder that it follows, Isa. 5. 7. There is no peace (saith my God) to the wicked. How can that Nation be at peace that nourishes an intestine War? so is it here, there is an 1 Pet. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Plutarch De virt. & vitio. p. 101. Army of lusts that wars against our souls. Our passions in their nature are disquieting & vexatious: So could a Philosopher challenge vice; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; Where is the sweetness and pleasure of wickedness? it is neither without cares nor grief; neither doth it satisfy and content, nor doth it remove trouble, nor produce ease. No verily, as the same word in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signify both sin and the punishment of it, so doth the thing answer the name. Virtue is not more its own reward, than Vice is its own punishment and torment. The sollicitudes and fears of Covetousness and Ambition, the heats and turbulencies of Anger, the impatiencies of Revenge, the frettings and pine of Envy, and generally the dissatisfiedness of every Lust; what are all these, but plentiful demonstrations that sin and sorrow are so interwoven together that they cannot be parted, unless all be unravelled by Repentance? which yet is likewise an Argument to the purpose; for though Repentance be safe if it be sincere, yet it is a troublesome work: As it is the property of a Wave to roll, of the Wind to blow, of the Thunder to make a noise; so is sin in its own nature formally and properly disturbing and troublesome. There are Crocodiles in the River Nilus, for fear of whom the Dogs, who would otherwise be glad to drink largely to quench their thirst, can only lambere & fugere, lick and be gone, to secure themselves: But wicked men are not so happy; if they will intoxicate themselves with the pleasures of the world, they must take them as they are, one with another, and there is a pain accompanies the pleasure. There is that in sin which embitters it: It is the property of vice to be disquieting and vexatious, and while it is so, there is little comfort to be expected in a vicious course of life. Sect. 3 As Trouble and Sorrow is a property, so it is an effect of sin. Men who are immoral in their lives, because of the pleasure they hope to reap from the liberty they give themselves, do administer to their sorrow faster than their joy. If they be bodily pleasures they adventure their souls upon, then is nothing more evident and notorious than the sad effects of Riot and Intemperance: Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? P●ov. 23. who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? they that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine. Dear do men pay for their frothy pleasures, when sometimes they drink themselves to death; for which purpose Bear●s Theatre of God's judgement. there are many stories extant; or if not so, yet the aches, and pains, and surfeits, and fevers, or at the best, the unaptnesses of such men's bodies to any good employments, are testimonies that these are troublesome sins. And if the same cannot be said of all, yet somewhat else can, and that is the inward trouble th●t follows upon a sense of guilt, after the sin is committed. It is a fearful thing for a man to fall under the lash of his own conscience; how can that man avoid his misery, that carries it about with him wherever he goes? we may as soon command our souls out of our bodies, as our consciences out of our souls. There is a principle in man that cannot be always bribed nor overawed: A man may loosen his reins, and gallop furiously to his intended stage; but before he comes there he may break his neck. Men are pursuing their pleasures in great earnestness, and because they can find no better mirth, they will try what they can find in sin; but it is a Tragical story in the end. I have heard of those who in acting Tragedies, when their parts have led them to make a show of killing themselves, have by a venturous mistake killed themselves indeed: So do many men to their great grief find, they have been out of the way of true pleasure, they have undone themselves, and laid a foundation for their misery and trouble as long as they live: There is little comfort to be had in sin, for it is in its own nature the cause and original of many sorrows and disquietments. Sect. 4 But this is not yet all: Men of vicious lives have no considerable comfort in those courses, because not only in the midst of laughter the heart is sorrowful; but the end of that mirth is Prov. 14. heaviness. When men come to die, than they themselves understand, and acknowledge the folly and vanity of these toyish pleasures: the comfort that wickedness affords during life, ●● but little, but at death it is none at all; ●hey who live sinfully, die sadly, that is, unless they have some other comfort then what ●hey gain from their sinful courses; for how ●hould this be otherwise? If thou do ill, the joy fades, not the pains. Herbert. Poems. The pleasure that is taken in the commission of a sin, passes away together with the act; but the stinging remorses of conscience abide, and then return with greatest vehemence, when the pleasure of sin is gone and passed. Concerning the agonies and throbs of conscience that sin procures, it hath been just now observed an Argument in the case: It is enough now to suppose that, and to add this consideration to it; that when men are dying, their wickedness affords them no comfort, because their transitory pleasures are gone together with their sins. The pleasures of intemperance, of rioting and drunkenness, of chambering Rom. 13. and wantonness, of strife and envying, of revenge and malice, of injustice and oppression, and wrong, or any such like sin; what is become of all these when the miserable man is approaching to his death? when all that a man hath is going out of his possession, where is the appendage of pleasure that belongs to him? Assuredly when death comes, as it changes men's minds concerning the goodness of Virtue, (a thing before observed, and doth not belong to this place,) so doth it give men to understand the unsuccessfulness of immorality, that it cannot prolong those pleasures, which during life it did pretend to. As the Greeks use to call the night 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, because it is a fit season for consideration and meditation, when in our retirements we may more wisely consider of our concerns; so may the evening of the night of death be very fitly called. When men are retiring from the hurries of the world, where they were not at leisure to distinguish between truth and appearance; then is the evil day come, when men will speak as they find, they will say, they have Eccles. 12. no pleasure in it. And in the foreknowledge of this it was, that the Egyptians had a custom at their feasts to bring in an old dry Skeleton to the table, with such a kind of Rhodiginus. Apothegme, Ede, bibe, talis post mortem futurus. Eat, Drink, and welcome, for you see, What after death you are like to be. Which in the fairest interpretation of it may be thought as a restraint upon their excess of mirth; but it seems their meaning was quite contrary, they would be merry while they lived, because death would put a period to all their jollity: So are these Verses quoted out of Petronius upon this occasion. Sic erimus cuncti, postquam nos auferet orcus, Causin. Hieroglyph Ergo vivamus dum licet esse, bene. Such after death is every man, Let's then be merry while we can. So it may be do many in the world, drink their full draughts of pleasures while they live, because they know there is no such thing in the Grave, whither they are going: But is not this as much as to say what I would now urge, the pleasures of sin are inconsiderable for this Reason; because they die, if not before, yet certainly when we die; and therefore is it that men's hearts die within them, before their body dies, as Nabals did. 1 Sam. 2 Sect. 5 And for this purpose I appeal to the consciences of those men, who have at any time been upon their sick beds, and to their own apprehensions have been like to die; what hath been the opinion of these men concerning the pleasures of wickedness? what remains of all their joys? what are the echoes of their songs? what relish have they upon their palates, of all the dainties that they have either eat or drunk? what are they now the better for the wrongs they have offered others, and for their revenge, and such like evil dispositions, wherein they have triumphed in their life time? If I may make an answer, I do not doubt but it may be such an one as once Esau made Jacob: Behold I am at the point to die, Gen. 25. and what profit do all these things do to me? And therefore I may argue a little further in the words of the Apostle: What fruit hath any man in those things whereof he is now ashamed, for (if the next words may be inverted) Death is the end of those things. Death puts an end to Rom. 6. all the merriments of life, and now at death the remembrance of those things is grievous to them: Then succeed those wishes, (and it is well if they be not as vain as their former joys) I would I had better understood myself; would I had had more wisdom, and more grace, to have forsaken that evil company that led me away to consent and partake in their wickedness: would I had looked on my pleasures, not as they came with their flattering and inviting aspects, but as they now go away from me, with repentance, and fear, and shame. Oh that I had taken more care to please God, and less to enjoy the pleasures of sense! Some such thing said Cardinal Wolsey, a little before his death: Had I served Herbert's History Henry 8. God as diligently as I have done the King, he would not have given me over in my grey hairs. So say men of wicked and immoral lives; had I pleased God more, and my company and myself less, God would not have given me over in this my necessity; but I have had my portion in this world: I have sought for sin, and hunted after pleasure, and if God be not more merciful to my soul, I shall have no portion in the world to come, but everlasting separation from the presence of God. Surely these are the apprehensions of some men that send for their Minister, and though they would fain justify themselves as much as they can, yet they cannot deny but they have been Company-keepers, they have been Gamesters, and it may be worse; they have spent a great deal of time idly and wantonly. Now what becomes of these men, whether peradventure God may give them grace to repent, is not for us to determine, our charity hopes the best: But whether so or not, these self-accusations, and these different apprehensions they have of things when they are dying, to what they had when they were lusty and strong to sin, is an argument of the vanity and shortness of that pleasure that men take in sin; and 'tis the fourth proof, that there is no considerable comfort to be found in sin, either living or dying. This is the first part of this Third Argument: There is a necessity of Moral Virtues, that our lives and deaths may be comfortable; for so long as men continue wicked, notwithstanding all the brags they make that they live the merriest lives, yet it is found to be nothing so. CHAP. VIII. Sect. 1 THe ways of Virtue are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. It is said of wisdom, but it is such a wisdom as dwells with Prov. 3. Prov. 8. Prov. 9 prudence, and such a wisdom of which the fear of the Lord is the beginning; and where it is so, it follows in another place; And unto man Job 28. he said, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and to departed from evil is understanding. So that Virtue being comprehended under that wisdom which teaches a man to order his conversation aright; of that likewise may it be said, that her ways are ways of pleasantness. Pleasure is the satisfaction of an appetite, and according as the appetite is, whether sensible or rational, so is the pleasure. The joys and pleasures of sin, are but the pleasures of sense for the most part, and therefore inconsiderable: It will be now found, that the pleasure that arises upon Virtuous Actions, is in the mind and soul. Delight is nothing Reynolds Treatise of passions. else but the Sabbath of our thoughts, and that sweet Tranquillity of mind, which we receive from the presence and fruition of that good to which our desires have carried us. Concerning which much might be said, and there is no Theme gives a man a greater temptation to try his skill in Rhetoric then this: But I intent to argue, not to declaim, I am therefore content to pass this over, only when I have added one description of joy and pleasure, which I find in an Author (though a Jesuit, yet) excellent in these kind of writings. Gaudium Neiremberg. de Arte voluntatis. Prolep. 5. est quoddam silentium appetitus, quaedam Modestia Ambitionis, quoddam claustrum cupiditatis, quoddam sine fastidio epulum cordis, quidam Thronus jam considentis Affectus, quaedam Mors desiderii, etc. denique ut haec complectar quoddam satis. And surely this Joy must needs be a glorious thing, when the glory that God will beam on his servants in the other world, is so expressed, Enter into the joy of thy Math. 25. Lord. Those great and immeasurable measures of joy, are reserved for the world to come: yet now in this life, in this vale of tears, there are rivers of pleasure. True it is, the joy and Rom. 15. peace which God fills his people with, is in and by believing: And the joy we have out of Christ is unsound, as we out of Christ are unsafe: wherefore it hath been before said, that Book 1. Moral Virtue is not to be separated from Faith, but they suppose one another; and then supposing the Virtue we speak of to be such, it will be easy to prove, that the exercise of Moral Virtues, Righteousness and Temperance, etc. do furnish us with a great deal of joy and comfort. Sect. 2 That I prove when I have but first supposed, that whereas the pleasures of vice are all, or for the most part, of the sense and outward man; the pleasures of Virtue are inward, in the mind. After what manner the mind is gratifyed, will appear in the following Sections; let it now be supposed, and then how much hath Virtue to say for herself, and to glory over wickedness and sin? If we may borrow a little of Jothams' parable; Vice is Judg. 9 the Bramble, that instead of shadowing, scratches the body: Virtue is the Vine that cheers the heart of man: Vice is a plaster that skins over an old sore; Virtue is a cordial that preserves and refreshes the spirits: Vice gratifies the sense, Virtue the understanding; and he that doubts whether of these be the greater pleasure, doth in effect blaspheme God; for he doubts whether the Beasts of the Field be not more happy than God himself, and so becomes as ridiculous an Idolater as the Egyptians, who had— In Hortis Numina— who Juvenal. worshipped Garlic and Onions, instead of God blessed for evermore. But hath the mind no greater pleasures than the body? Is not our reason more perfect and excellent than sense? Are not our souls capable of more happiness, than any of our bodily faculties? He that so little understands himself, and the worth of his own soul, as not to believe it, no wonder if he mistake true pleasure. But that it may not be said, this is gratis dictum, these questions are no proofs; I proceed to prove, that there is a great deal of joy and pleasure in the exercise of Virtue, and that such as doth hugely overbalance the pleasures of sin. Sect. 3 It is a great satisfaction to any man's mind, that he hath done his duty; and this satisfaction is great joy and pleasure: The man whose conscience is his witness that he hath done well, cannot be without an inward complacency of mind. Our rejoicing is this, the 2 Cor. 1. Testimony of our Conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, we have had our Conversation in the World. It is true, he mentions the grace of God that assisted him, and so we acknowledge that our Virtue must be animated by grace; but it was his regular conversation (which certainly could not be so, if he had not exercised those Moral Virtues, which are necessary in our deal between man and man) that gave him this joy, and our joy was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. great. Our boasting, or that glorying is this. In conformity to which example, it is easy for any man to find the same in his own experience. There are many virtuous actions are no otherwise rewarded in this World, but by the acquittance and discharge of a man's own Conscience. Many good endeavours succeed ill. Two Neighbours are at variance, a third would reconcile them, but one or both return him hatred for his good will. One man doth amiss, another reproves him▪ but receives more reproaches than he gives reproofs. So is the temperate man, the Song of the Drunkards. Psa. 69▪ And may it not now be thought that Virtue is bitterness in the latter end? No verily: still Ipsa quidem Virtus pretium sibi— Claudi●●▪ Virtue is worthy of regard, For 'tis its self it's own reward. Abimeleches Apology is the Virtuous man's satisfaction: In the Integrity of my heart, and Innocency Gen. 20▪ of my hands have I done this. From this satisfaction of mind proceeds tranquillity, and joy, and pleasure; and if there were nothing else to be understood by that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that selfsufficiency which the Heathens gave to a Virtuous man than this; that a man in the Exercise of Virtue can furnish himself with Joy and Comfort, without the external additaments of Fame and Honour, and being admired by o●her men; I should not before have reckoned it among the faults of the Stoics, that they did put such a value upon themselves▪ They truly were blame-worthy in shutting God out; yet did they mean well, where they did mean no more than those words of the Emperor seem to import: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antonin. Lib. 7. Sect. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The mind of man is of such a Nature, that when it doth well, it is sufficient of itself to bless itself with a calm tranquillity. Sect. 4 What God said to Cain, according as we translate the words: If thou do well shalt thou Gen. 4. not be accepted? So saith the Conscience of an honest man: He that doth well is acceptable to himself, he is not a burden to himself, as those men are, whose guilty Consciences do heavily accuse them. It is a pleasant thing for a man to reflect upon himself when he knows he hath done well. We are not contented with the admirations and flatteries of other men: Fame and applause leaves us solicitous, lest men may live to change their minds concerning us, as the Romans of Sejanus. — Nunquam (si quid mihi credis) amavi Juven. Sat. 10. Hunc hominem— I never loved him, whom before I did admire and adore. Or as the Lycaonians who stoned the same Acts 14. man as a Malefactor, whom before they worshipped as a God. These outward appendages of Virtue, credit and praise, will never satisfy a fixed stayed mind: But when a man comes to judge of himself by his own actions, and sees that according to his best understanding he hath done his duty, and that which was fit for a man in his circumstances to do; the satisfaction that arises hence is very joyous: and if I would descend to particular Virtues, it were easy to show, how much content and pleasure arises from this satisfaction. All the instance I for the present give, shall be in the case of being benevolous & kind: The courteous and charitable man, who makes it his business to do good offices, is plentifully rewarded into his own bosom. So was the experience of a man (not only otherwise qualified to merit Respect and Reverence, but) abundant in Charity to admiration, Dr. Hammond in his life by Dr. F●ll. who would use to say; It was one of the greatest sensualities in the world to give. They who delight thus to serve God by being Virtuous, their Virtue itself is a delight and pleasure to them, because they are satisfied that they are doing what they ought do. Sect. 5 Sweet and pleasant is the Exercise of Virtue, because hereby we conquer those lusts and passions, which untamed and uncontrolled, are very disturbing and uncomfortable to us. It is now to be supposed that vice is troublesome, as having been before proved in the Chapters immediately preceding. Now as that brings light that cashiers darkness, that introduceth heat which expels cold; so that must needs administer joy that assuageth griefs, and removeth trouble. To insist on particulars is not my present purpose, I only name them; Love subdues Hatred, Humility Pride, Meekness Anger, Fortitude and Constancy Fears and Griefs, Contempt of the World Ambition and Covetousness, and so in other parallel cases. Wherefore as the Jews E●●h. 8. had light, and gladness, and joy, when they had liberty to fight and destroy their Enemies; much more was it a good day, a day of feasting and gladness when the work was done: so is it with Virtuous men, they are fight, and conquering, and killing, and when their unruly passions are brought under, when they have got the Victory, than they triumph, that is, they are full of joy. Many a song of Thanksgiving do we find in Scripture for deliverance from Enemies: And great have been the triumphs of the Romans, when they returned with the spoils of War. The feast of a good Conscience, and the triumphs of a Virtuous Soul, may be less pompous as to outward show; but what they have less of the fashion of Agrippa and Bernice, they are the more like the King's Daughter, all glorious ●● 45. within. The war that the Spirit manageth against the Flesh, hath the same design with other wars, to procure peace; which when it ●● attained, we (Englishmen especially) cannot but be sensible how desirable it is: We are at the same time unthankful to God, undutiful to our Prince, and unnatural to ourselves, if we do not rejoice that we live in peace. There is no kind of peace that is without its kind of joy: so is the peace within our own minds, when we have bridled and restrained our irregular and exorbitant passions, when we have quelled our lustful inclinations, and have either in whole or in part, by the blessing of God upon virtuous endeavours, Isa. 48. and 57 attained that peace, which God himself twic● saith, doth not belong to wicked men: when Temperance. and Justice, and other like habits are so firmly rooted in us, that we find none, or no great reluctancy of the Flesh, in the exercise of them; then behold how the soul enjoys itself! how glad it is to find things in due order, the inferior faculties subordinate to the superior, and they to their supreme Lord, the Father of Spirits! Go now and see if a righteous and just man doth not rejoice to consider, that temptations of Covetousness hath not made him unjust; go and ask of those men whom you observe to be most sober and upright in their conversations, they will tell you that they thank God, they have a peace within them that passeth all P●il. 4. understanding. They will say, that Meekness, and Charity, etc. are lovely things, to be embraced for their own sakes: They rejoice to think that their souls are delivered from their enthralling lusts, and disturbing passions. If I should say that Virtue doth this perfectly for us, I should myself incur the censure which I before past upon the Stoics; who have boasted of a perfection that they could not attain. Truly the Spirits of just men, are not yet in this life made perfect: In many things we James 3. offend all. Yet this is truth; though we are not in this state completely holy, so as to be sinless, (and therefore our happiness and comfort is incomplete) yet so far as we do arise towards a perfection of Virtue, we do thereby get the conquest of our lusts and passions, and the more they are subdued, the greater freedom and pleasure we gain to ourselves: and for this reason, there is a pleasure and joy in Virtuous Action's; which is the second proof. Sect. 6 There is a pleasure in Virtue; for whereas wickedness and vice doth bring men first or last to repent; this is the property of Virtuous actions, that the farther a man proceeds in them, he is the more confirmed that they are becoming and fitting things. The more Virtuous any man is, he doth the less repent that he did ever begin to be Virtuous: What Simonides said of silence, I have often repent Plutarch ●e Garrulitate. that I have spoken, but never that I held my peace; That says the Virtue us man: I have have often repent, that I have been no more Virtuous, that I have failed so often in my Duty; but where I have attained in any measure to any degrees of it, I am glad, and did never repent of what I have done. There may be some who for want of skill and proficiency in the School of Virtue, may repent of their good deeds: but what though they do? Is it an Argument that there is no pleasure in Learning, because a Dunce throws away his Book, and wishes he had never gone to School? Was St. Paul ever the worse, because the love of this world tempted ● Tim. 4. Demas to forsake him? Doth it signify much to the disparagement of Christian Religion, because Julian proved an Apostate? Now this is the case; some men have ventured upon Virtue, out of an opinion that it was an easy thing, and when they find the difficulties of it, vice is not easily mastered, nor passions easily subdued, than they fall back again; and before they were throughly redeemed from a vain conversation, they again make their bargain with the Devil, and sell▪ themselves to work wickedness. But what shall we say of these men? even this, they are to Virtue as the many Antichrists are to Christian Religion; and of them may Virtuous men say, They 1 Joh. 2. went out from us, because they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. They are not Virtues menial servants, they are but retainers and hangers on; they do but pretend to some Virtuous actions; some good things they may do, but they do not Benè, out of a love to Virtue: They may have a procatarctick, but they have no proegumenal cause; they may be outwardly drawn to the exercise of Virtue, but not from an inward principle of goodness. Now Virtue is not to stand or fall according to the opinions of these men. Sect. 7 But now take a man that hath in good earnest set himself to be an honest and righteous man, and that hath made conscience of doing the duties that the Word of God and his own conscience have made appear to be his duties; and (whatever fears and grumble he might find within himself when he first began, yet) as he goes on, he is the more confirmed in his way; the more he sees into the mystery of Virtue, he admires it the more, and chooses it the rather; and a man by accustoming himself to it, will grow more acquainted with the pleasure of it, and will daily see less cause to repent of his choice. The rule that Plutarch applies to Temperance, will be found true of all sorts of Virtue: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: De sanita●e tuend● Choose that manner of life that is best, and custonie will make it pleasant. This Argument hath somewhat of experience in it: for a man to disparage that of which he hath no knowledge, he talks for want of wit, and he must get into the company of his fellow-fools to be believed. Come to those who have experience what Virtue is, and they find the deeper the sweeter: The more Virtue, the less Repentance, and the less Repentance, the more Joy: for he that chooseth a course of life, of which he sees no cause to repent, he must needs good himself in it, and rejoice to think he hath made a happy choice: He tastes the sweetness of it, and then because, Contra gustum non est disputandum: No man can be disputed out of his senses, nor persuaded that that is not sweet which he tastes to be so; it remains a certain Argument, that there is a great deal of pleasure in Virtuous Actions. Sect. 8 I might go on to compare Virtue and Vice together; and than it would appear by an enumeration of particulars, that there is much more pleasure in temperance, than in rioting and drunkenness; however, they that live in such pleasures, are dead to all such persuasions: also that just and righteous dealing, brings a man more content and comfort, than violence, and wrong, and oppression; yea, the forgiving an injury, is sweeter than revenge, and in many other like cases: but this would be to descend to particulars, which is somewhat without my purpose; I leave it to be considered by any that will enter into a sober comparison of these things. These Virtues have their marks in their foreheads; It is easy to discern a difference, and then not hard to pass a judgement, that there is more pleasure in Virtue than Vice; which was the second thing to be proved in this Third Argument, and so it is dispatched. It is necessary to be Virtuous, that both life and death may be comfortable. CHAP. IX. Sect. 1 End. 4 THere remains but one thing more to make this part of my discourse like Virtue herself, and like a Virtuous man, who is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; that is square, and fixed, and stable, one that can stand alone without being upheld by other props; or in our English phrase, one that goes of all four. There is a Fourth proof, That it is necessary for us to be as hath been before said, that hereby we may become profitable to others as well as to ourselves. It hath been before evidenced that it is for our own advantage to be Virtuous, that our condition may be good, and safe, and comfortable: Whereby it appears that Virtue is Bonum honestum, and jucundum; good and honest, good and pleasant: there is but one other sort of good, Bonum utile, good and profitable, and so Virtue likewise is; for hereby we do not live to our souls alone, we look on the things Rom. 14. Phil. 2. of others as well as on our own. That Virtue whereby we do good to others, is properly called Beneficence, and is comprehended under Charity: But as there is a justice in every Virtue, it is just, and equal, and fit to be done; so is there a Charity too, insomuch that unless we be good ourselves, we shall do little good to others. But good and Virtuous men are Benefactors to the places where they live. Two things will finish this Argument, and make it correspond to the former. 1. Men of vicious and lose lives do live idly and unprofitably, and as such they do no good in the world. 2. The exercise of Virtue is much for the advantage of mankind. Sect. 2 Wickedness is a vain and unprofitable thing, and wicked men are unprofitable members of a Commonwealth: It may be by accident and beyond their intention, they may be an occasion of good done, and yet they are never the better men. The staggerings and reel to and fro of the Drunkard, together with his sottish looks and behaviour, and the woeful effects of his intemperance, may persuade another man to abhor that vice. When a Spendthrift hath impoverished himself by Idleness, and Gaming, and Prodigality, another may take warning by his miseries, not to be guilty of the same folly: But what is this to the commendation of such men, whose bad examples do only by accident make others good? Thus the Spartans' allowed their Slaves to be Drunk, to teach their Children to abhor it; but it was no part of their wisdom so to do. Is the Devil to be commended for his malice against the Saints, because he thereby puts them upon their guard, to watch more strictly over themselves, and so may be an occasion to make them better? The Devil is a wicked malicious spirit for all this, for he means not so, but it is in his heart to destroy; as was said of the Assyrians Isa. 10. against the Jews. What glory is it for a man to do that, in which the Devil doth as much or more than he? The vices of men are not the more excusable, because they may be an occasion of Virtue to other men; for though they may occasion good done, yet they themselves do none, nor do they intent any. The design of wickedness is not to profit and advantage others. For 1. It doth no good. 2. It doth a great deal of harm. Sect. 3 It doth no good, and therefore is unprofitable and vain. I am not altogether of that mind, that they who are not good themselves, cannot do good to others: Minime absurdum Historia Concilii Tridentini. p. 382. Folio. est, (said the Chancellor of France in a Solemn Assembly) ut multi boni Cives sint, qui boni Christiani non sunt. Sure it may please God both in Church and State, to make use of wicked men to do him service: for which there is no need of other instance then of Judas and Saul! Judas was one of the 12 Apostles that Christ sent on great errands, and gave them power and authority suitable to their employment: Then he called his 12 Luke 9 Disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all Devils, and to cure Diseases, and he sent them to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the Sick. It is possible they who preach to others, may be Castaways themselves: God 1 Cor. 9 may bless their gifts to others, though they want grace for themselves. At the same time a man may out of his own mouth condemn himself and save others. And for State-Affairs, Saul is another instance, who though a wicked man, as he afterwards declared himself to be, so wicked that God would not own him, nor he God; yet at his first coming to the Kingdom, God made choice of him to save his people out of the hand of the Philistines; 1 Sam. 9 16. and in a particular case, he was enabled to the rescue of Jabesh-Gilead, by the spirit of God coming upon him. Accordingly 1 Sam. 11. 6. it is easy to observe, there are many men who have wisdom as an Intellectual habit, when they have it not as a Moral Virtue; they have parts, and gifts, and abilities, which it pleaseth God to overrule for the service of his Church and the good of others; yet they want that grace which is saving to themselves. The comparison will serve other men as well as Ministers; There are many are like Greenham. to Marks in the Highway, which rot away themselves, while they stand instructing others. There are many Physicians prescribe rules to others, which themselves will not observe: And thus it must not be denied, but there may be many, who may continue bad themselves, and yet may have an influence upon the welfare of others. But than it is to be observed, that this is no prejudice to the Argument in hand. Vicious men may do good, because they have some good in them; if not grace and virtue, yet parts and abilities, and some actions materially good they perform, which God blesses for good purposes: but all this while their wickedness and vice is unprofitable and unserviceable: A Drunkard when he is sober may work hard, to maintain his Family; but his Drunkenness is idle and vain, and doth no good; and the same is to be said of all other vices. For will any man say that Envy, and Spite, and Revenge is for the benefit of mankind? as well may recompensing evil be called doing good: or is a generation of Drunkards an advantage to a Nation, because they maintain and uphold Taverns and Alehouses? or is cheating and lying for the profit of others, because thereby men scraping together great Estates, leave their Children rich? with as much reason may we say, the World is the better for Adultery, Fornication, yea and incest too; because the Pope gets money by toleration of Stews, and dispensation in unlawful Marriages. There is a selfishness in wickedness: Men desire their own pleasure, which according to the third Argument is inconsiderable; or their own profit, which according to the second is none at all: for if it be not safe for such a man to die, than what is a man profited if he Math. 16. gain the whole World, and lose his own Soul? And if the designs they propound to themselves cannot be accomplished, much less that which they did not design. Wickedness doth no good, intends none; it is as vain to expect any, as for a man to go to a Thorn to gather Grapes, or Math. 7. to a Thistle for Figs; for a corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good Fruit. This is now somewhat to the disparagement of vice, it doth no good; but there is more yet to come. Sect. 4 It doth not only not do good, but it doth a great deal of harm. It is to the prejudice and disadvantage of Kingdoms, and States, and Corporations, and Towns, and Families, that some of the Members of these Bodies live vicious lives. For first, it is greatly to the damage of mankind that there should be so many persons mis-employ their faculties, whereby they might do the world good service. What pity it is to see a house well built, neatly contrived, handsomely furnished, yet haunted and fit for no bodies use. Such are many men's Souls, curious fabrics, that discover much of the wisdom of their Creator, and fitted for excellent purposes, but they are possessed by evil Spirits, and haunted with furies; their furious passions and devilish lusts, overrule and pervert their Reason, and make it unserviceable: And this is a great mischief to the World. For he that cuts off my hand, doth my body an injury, by depriving me of a member that is useful to the whole body: So is a man to the rest of mankind, a part of the whole, for whom the World might be the better, but that by his wicked life he cuts himself off from those opportunities of doing good, for which he was born into the World. It every Farmer should let his grounds lie fallow for seven years together, how soon should we starve, unless we could live by Briars and Thorns? But this is the bad husbandry of Vice, men's Souls lie non-improved, they bring forth no fruit for the benefit of others; they take up the room of honester men, and crowd them out of employment; but they themselves are good for nothing. Bare Idleness is a great mischief, and therefore the wicked and slothful servant is called an Unprofitable servant, and accordingly Math. 25. punished: If the man who had the five Talents, had managed that one, he would have made a good use of it, and done good with it: but so long as it lay hid up in a Napkin, it was as if there had been none at all. If Virtue had the management of those parts and abilities that are spent upon Sin, it would be better for the World than now it is: wherefore as he that throws away his money doth his Family harm, because he deprives them of that which should maintain them; so doth the man who sells himself to sin, he disables himself from doing good: and this is a great mischief comes by wickedness, as it is Impeditivum boni, the good it hinders is to be interpreted doing hurt. Sect. 5 The calamities of war are a sad proof that wickedness is a mischievous thing. For whence come wars and fightings in the world, come they James 4. not hence, even of men's lusts? There is an insatiabilis libido either habendi or dominandi (that is Covetousness and Ambition) which do lead many Armies into the field; many I say, not all: It is to be hoped that they mean well, and they have a great desire to persuade the world to peace and concord, who are of opinion that it is not lawful for Christians to make war. Indeed it were to be wished that there were no need of it: But the world must be well amended, before it can be supposed, that the honestest and justest cause will always without any force, by its mere justice obtain against its adversary. Wherefore without calling that into question which we are obliged to grant if we be true to ourselves, it must be yielded, That it is lawful for Christian men at the command of the Artic. 37. Magistrate, to wear weapons and serve in the w●rs. Yet all wars are not lawful to be sure, not on both sides; and than if many be unlawful, either in their original, as occasioned by covetousness or ambition, or oppression; or in their progress as managed by cruelty and revenge; then let it be considered, how unhappy they are in their end. How many millions of people hath the sword devoured? How many Countries have been harrassed, and for a time dispeopled? How many Cities sacked and burnt? for the fire and the sword many times go together. And whence is all this? from some of the forementioned sins, or some other like them: una & ea vetus causa bellandi cupido divitiarum & imperii. The instances of Sallust. Ambition and Pride are many. When Bajaz●t was taken Prisoner and carried to Tamerlane, after that memorable battle, where some say more than 300000 men lost their lives, one question that Tamerlane asked him was; what made him so proud as to adventure upon the Greek Emperor, in hopes to conquer him and Turki●●● History. win Constantinople; he gave him this answer: Even the same thing that moved thee to invade me, the desire of glory and sovereignty. A truer account cannot be given of the adventures of Alexander in Asia and the Indies, and of the expeditions of the Romans into other countries. Sometimes Covetousness hath marched along with Ambition; men have promised to themselves, We shall find all precious substance, we Prov. 1. shall fill our houses with spoil. This Florus acknowledges Flor. expedit in Cypron. to have been the reason why the Romans invaded Cyprus, because of the same of their riches. Sometimes Lust hath begot war; So Paris his ravishing Helena brought 10 years' wars to Troy, and Troy to destruction. Sometimes revenge, sometimes one sin, sometimes another, wickedness and sin brings war, and war woe and misery, and calamity: and so it appears to be mischievous to the world. Sect. 6 Wickedness and Vice doth much mischief in the world; for this is the cause, at least one cause of the decays of Kingdoms and States, and of the ruin of many particular families. The changes of the Moon, and the turn of Sesostris wheel, are emblems too good to signify the inconstancy and inconsistency of humane affairs. The Moon decreases, and changes, and renews again; and the wheel rises as fast as it falls: But there are many Kingdoms and Empires have fallen to decay, without any visible hope of a resurrection. It is small thing to inquire of Troy, where is Babylon and Nineveh, those two great Cities, sometimes the wonder and terror of the world? we may almost as well go to the mountains of Ararat, to seek for some broken planks of Noah's Ark, as to rake in the rubbish to find out where those Cities once were. The Virgin Isa. 47. daughter of Babylon is come down to sit in the dust, and there is no Throne of the Caldaeans, none to be sure in comparison of what once was. Yea even Rome herself, which is still not only in being, but in her glory and pride, yet hath changed its place, as well as its manner of government, as if the City itself were beforehand taught, that it is moving towards a period. And as for the Monarchies that have made these City's famous, and the Ladies of the Earth, Isa. 47. how have they all supplanted one another? The Medes and Persians translated the Empire from the Assyrians to themselves, but could not always keep it; Alexander overpowered them, and laid the foundation of a Monarchy, but lived to do no more: the Grecian Empire was even stifled in the birth by bad midwifery; Alexander's successors dividing it into parts, weakened the whole. Then came the Roman Eagles (those birds of prey) they gather upon the Earth, and instead of finding make a carcase: Math. 24. They dispirit other Nations, and by power and policy together prevail over the rest, and make the world do homage to Rome. (— quae de septem totum circumspicit orbem Montibus, Imperii Roma Deumque locus. Ovid. Rome is enlarged from hill to hill so great, That th' Empire and the Gods make it their Seat.) Yet now these Eagles have their wings clipped, and all they can do is but to flutter about Germany, who hath an Emperor indeed, but his Empire but small in comparison of the extent of the Territories of old Rome; yea weak as well as small, Tenue & exangue corpusculum, quod vix Sleidan▪ ●ssibus haeret. The body of the Empire little better than skin and bone. What is now the reason of all this? is it not because there is a Dan. ●▪ God in the Heavens, who changeth the times and the seasons, who removeth Kings and setteth up Kings? Yes verily so it is, and one of the proudest of the sons of men have acknowledged it: Nabuchadnezzar was made to know, That the most High ruleth over the Kingdoms of men, and Dan. 5. that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. But withal it is true, though God made desolations Psa. 46. in the Earth, yet men deserve them. The Tekel is the reason of the Mene, Mene, Men are weighed in the balances and are found wanting, Dan. 5▪ and that is the reason why God numbers their Kingdoms and finisheth them. Wanting indeed to God, and guilty of many sacrilegious impieties; but withal wanting to themselves, and to the due administration of their affairs. Either oppression and violence, or some other wickedness hath shaken the foundations of those Kingdoms and Monarchies, and at last ruined them. So the same Histories that tell us of the original and growth of Monarchies, give us an account of the decrease and fall of them. Sardanapalus Justin. his luxury and effeminateness translated it from the Assyrians to the Medes. The cruelty of Astyages to Harpagus, was the occasion of his revolt to Cyrus, and by that means it came among the Persians. The softness and delicacy of the Persians betrayed them to Alexander, whose successors, by their self-designments falling off from, weakened one another; and it befell them that (as before the Cities of Greece) dum imperare singuli cupiunt, imperium omnes perdiderunt. Which advantage when the Romans had got, they lorded it for a great while, but at length suffered more than a nominal diminution; when Augustus dwindled into Augustulus: but really their greatness is eclipsed. They have been no more innocent, than other Empires before them, and they have at last suffered for their Ambition and Pride, and insolent Usurpations; so that there is little left besides the name of the King of the Romans. Now it is to be considered, that there cannot be such mutations in Kingdoms and States, but there are many miseries and mischiefs attend them, and fall upon the common people, who are involved in the same calamities with their Princes. Which changes and miseries, though they may have other causes assigned them, yet evidently this is one, the wickedness and vice of the persons concerned: and thus Immorality appears to be a pernicious thing, because so many sad events follow upon it. The case of particular families is no less notorious: Many who have been born to good fortunes, have yet been impoverished and beggared by the riot and prodigality, and gaming or other wastfulnesses of their forefathers. How many have been undone, that very way by which their fathers hoped to raise them? if that observation be good, De malè quaesitis vix gaudet tertius haeres. Ill gotten goods do many times prove Snares, If not to men themselves, yet to their Heirs. Men would fain leave their Children rich, and therefore take care to get Estates any how, by cheating and cozenage, and for that purpose have many artifices and devices; but they do not consider all this while, that when they entail an Estate upon their posterity, they do at the same time entail a Curse upon the Estate; and this also adds to the proof, that wicked men do harm in the World. Sect. 7 If any thing else be needful to be said, I might say 4ly, The issues of private feuds, and grudges, and quarrels between Neighbour and Neighbour, make it manifest that the world is the worse for many of its inhabitants. When men are bend upon Revenge, they are set upon mischief at the same time. A man shall Isa. 29. be made an offender for a word. An action of slander is commenced for a rash and unadvised word; or otherwise there are many waspish spirited men, that as soon as ever they are stirred will sting. Some men seek, and some make occasions to prejudice and wrong their Neighbours. Neither is yet this Pandora's box quite opened. Besides what hath been already said, the very example of wicked men leavens the World, and by making it a mass of iniquity, increases the number of those mischiess which pester mankind. A Company of Drunkards are a Plague to the place they live in, and so are most other sins; for they are catching and infectious, and many perish by the evil example of other men. This and the former might be plentifully insisted on, but that they are obvious to every one's experience. Sect. 8 There is yet another great mischief comes to the World by wickedness; it hinders the propagation of the Christian Religion into other parts of the World. It might be a great motive to persuade Infidels to have good thoughts of that Religion whose professors live good and honest lives. We have a Prayer in our Liturgy (on good Friday) on purpose for Jews, and Turks and Infidels; that they may be fetched home to the flock, and be made one fold, under one Shepherd Jesus Christ our Lord: and surely they do a service acceptable to God, who are any ways instrumental in so glorious an undertaking: but how had the men need be qualified, who are like to do any good this way; they had need be men of excellent lives, and be very true to the exercise of those Virtues, that have found so much praise among the Heathens. I have read somewhere of Averro (if I mistake not) that a point of Doctrine alienated him from the Christian Religion, Quandoquidem Christiani adorant quod comedunt, sit anima mea cum Philosophis. Transubstantiation was then creeping into the Church, or if not, he did not rightly understand the Doctrine of the Sacrament. But corruption in practice will much more alienate: The Spaniards in some of their first deal with the Savages in Heylin Geogr. America, to persuade them to be baptised, told them, that they who were baptised should go to the joys of Heaven, the rest should go to Hell: One of them, a person of quality, asked them whether they themselves (the Spaniards) were to go; they said to Heaven; then (says he) I had rather go to Hell with the unbaptised, than live in Heaven with so cruel a people. What marvel is it if a Jew or Infidel argue thus: I see these men that go for Christians, take little care of their lives, they pretend to the most excellent Religion in the World; but if we may judge of it by their actions, their profession is vile and contemptible. God doth not stand in need of the ministry of men, when it pleases him that the fullness of the Rom. 11. Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved; he can-bring his own ends about, with any or without any means: But as to humane probabilities, how is this like to retard the spreading of the Gospel? Blindness is happened Rom. 11. to Israel, and it continues upon the Infidel, but they are not so blind as not to see that True Religion includes Morality. If therefore in all our Negotiations with them, our Merchants and Factors, or whoever any ways converse with them, would not only exactly observe the rules of Justice (which it is to be hoped they do) but would also take care and pains in the governance of themselves, that they be discreet and sober, and advised in all their behaviour; it might be hoped that Infidels would by degrees entertain better thoughts of Christian Religion than yet they do: But alas this is the very thing to be feared, Christendom itself is in a great many places overgrown with Barbarism: We may send them word to China, and the Indies and America, that Virtue is not where so much honoured and owned as among Christians; but when they come to hear, that Pride, and Revenge, and Covetousness, and Sensuality, and all manner of Vice doth prevail, as much with us as in any other parts of the World; our sin hath the same aggravation with that of Eli's Sons: The sin of the young men was great before the Lord, ● Sam: 2. for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. It is no wonder if Heathens abhor Christian Religion, when they see Christians live such horrid lives: Though this be not indeed the fault of our Religion, but of the professors of it, yet it will be interpreted so; and this mischief is added to all the rest, men of immoral wicked lives, hinder as much as in them lies (so far as they are wicked) the spreading of Christian Religion. Wherefore if we would do good in the World, we must abound in Moral Virtues, for the contrary Vices are much to the detriment and damage of Mankind. CHAP. X. Sect. 1 BY being Virtuous, men become profitable, and their Virtue makes them so; wherefore these things are said to be good and profitable Tit. 3. to men. These are the men whom the world can ill spare, for they are useful in their places: There is no Creature in the world, be it never so mean, but so far as it is useful is to be accounted of: even the Ass and her Colt, had a value put upon them, because the Lord Math. 21. had need of them. This is to be said in the behalf of Virtue, there is need of it: It makes men fit to do good service, and therefore aught to be encouraged and practised. And that which was named last but one in the last Chapter, I now begin with. Good men do good by their good examples: As men of naughty and vicious▪ lives corrupt the world, so here doth Virtue countermine vice. He hath but little observed the world, who doth not see what a mighty force example hath almost every where: Now though examples of Virtue do not so much good as bad examples do hurt, because men are generally most inclined to that which is worst; yet some good they do, and many times a great deal: For were it not out of this persuasion, why ● do we read History? It is no doubt a pleasant thing, and as much a recreation as an employment, to look beyond our own Times and Countries, and see what hath been done in the World in former times, and what is elsewhere: But if there were nothing else but bare pleasure, there may be as much said for Romances as for real stories. There is a profit as well as a pleasure, Studia abeunt in mores, as the Lord Bacon Essay of study. observes; and then when men fashion their lives and manners according to their studies, whereas other studies make men witty and subtle, this peculiar effect hath History, it makes men wise: And how is that, but by observing the examples of others, and improving them to our advantage. So thought another Wise and Learned Man: Defixum hoc Peireskius. Gassend. de vit â ejus. habuit, confer maximè Historiam componendae vitae, censebat enim quodammodo efficaciorem Philosophiâ, quod haec quidem verbis homines erudiat, sed illa exemplis accendat, etc. Now the good we get by such examples, is an Argument that Virtuous men do good in the world, because they help to make others good: They stir them up to the same practices, by breeding such an emulation in them, as Miltiades did in Themistocles: he was converted as I may say, (i. e.) he was changed in his behaviour, from a debauched vicious man, by the fame Miltiades got at the Battle of Marathon: So he Plutarch. Apophtheg. gave this reason of his change, Miltiades his Trophy will not let me sleep, or be dull and idle. Yea there are such inviting provocations in good examples, that our blessed Saviour himself thought good to make use of this Argument, to teach his Disciples humility and condescension: I have given you an example that Joh. 23. ye should do as I have done to you. It is a great happiness when Parents or Masters of Families, or any Public persons who have the governance of others, are Virtuous themselves; for they can then urge the same Virtue with the greater Authority upon others: Otherwise there is a great difference between the precepts and instructions of those who practise Virtue, and those who neglect it: Such as we read between Christ and the Scribes, He taught Math. 7. them as one having Authority, and not as the Scribes. How did they teach? They taught, but they did not practise, They say and do not: Math. 23. But (though other interpretations may be given of the words, this is a truth) Christ spoke with Authority, he did enforce his Doctrine by his own example. A Picture may be well drawn, and if it flatter, may be handsomer than the person it represents; but there is life in the person, which is wanting in the Picture: In like manner Virtue may be portrayed, as to its lineaments and colours, in good advice, and Moral precepts, and there may be Rhetorical insinuations which may flatter it, and express some Heroical degrees which are scarce practicable and attainable by flesh and blood; yet for all these flourishes of Rhetoric, there is that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 still wanting; there is a certain lifeness in Virtue which cannot be expressed but by a good example. Now the world being so much advantaged this way, this good Virtue doth, that they who practise it, do good by their good examples. Sect. 2 Honest and Virtuous men by their very presence do good. After that Moses had been conversing with God in the Mount, the shinings of his face struck an awe in the people of Israel Exod. 28. at their approaches to him: So in some sort doth the exercise of Virtue give a lustre to the persons of Virtuous men. Wicked men have such a Regard and Reverence to them, that they will not commit those sins in their presence, which yet they have a mind to commit, and would fain be in other company, that they may be more bold in: So doth it frequently happen, that those men who will swear, and scorn, and scoff at all manner of goodness; yet in the presence of some men, whom they know to have a hatred to their practices, they can contain themselves: and they who will swear among their fellows, yet will not before men of more severe Principles. Now as wickedness and vice doth harm by hindering good, (as hath been said) so is Virtue hereby advantageous; it lays a restraint upon wicked men, at least so as to prevent some Acts of sin, if not to extinguish the Habits. There is one and the same reason given why Herod delayed to kill John Baptist, and why the Pharisees would have delayed to take Christ; he would have killed him but he feared the Math. 14. multitude: They would have taken our Saviour, but not on the Feast day, lest there should be Math. 26. an uproar among the people. Now though it may be all this multitude were not indeed good and throughly honest, yet this good they had, they counted John as a Prophet; and likewise they had a great esteem of Christ because of his Miracles. Many such men there are in the world, who in this, as in other things, are Hypocrites as the Pharisees were; they have a mind to sin, but they are loath to be seen in it: By how much the more Virtuous men are scattered about the world, they do help to loosen the knot, and weaken the conspiracy of wicked men, that they cannot so confidently carry on the designs of Hell and Darkness. There was somewhat in the presence of Aristides that did discountenance dishonesty; and that was the reason that Themistocles (who though not so debauched as before, yet was scarce honest) and others contrived to banish him by the Ostracism (a custom among the Athenians) that he might not be at home to divert and restrain their indirect deal. Sect. 3 It is well for the world that there are Virtuous men, for they do greatly help to preserve the rest of mankind from Universal Ruin. The same men who are the light of the world, Math. 5. are the salt of the earth: they who are exemplary in their lives, do season the rest of the world, and preserve it from being corrupted and destroyed. It pleaseth God to have Respect to the Prayers and Persons of his Holy Ones; and for their sakes to forbear that punishment which he hath threatened to wicked men: So is the Language of the Scripture, when God doth seem resolved to destroy Israel in a moment; yet Moses prays and beseeches God, And then the Lord repent of Exod. 32. the evil which he thought to do to his people. And Moses his intercession is given as the reason why he spared them: He said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen Psa. 106. stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them. Again, it seems Ten Righteous Men would have preserved Gen. 18. Sodom; yea, God had so much Respect to the person of Lot (we do not read that he prayed for Sodom) that so long as he stayed there, he did as it were hold God's hands that he could do nothing: So may we with Reverence say, according to those words in Scripture spoken to Lot in his going to Zoar, Haste thee escape Gen. 19 thither, for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Yea, it pleased God to have Respect to David and his Posterity after him; so that he would not rend the Ten Tribes from Solomon for David his Father's sake; so is 1 Kings 11. it said to Solomon, yea, and to Rehoboam there is a promise with a threatening, I will not rend away all the Kingdom, but will give one Tribe Ibid. to thy Son for David my servant's sake. This regard God hath, not to the merits of men; there is no man that sins (as every just man upon the earth doth) who is able to expiate for Eccles. 7. his own sins by his own merits, (for then he would not need a Saviour) and if not so, how then should he deserve mercy for other men? The Papists speak of a Treasury of the Saints merits, which is one foundation of their Doctrine of Indulgences, as also a ground why they hope the sooner to be released out of Purgatory; but this their Treasury is a well without water: yet though not for their deserts and merits, for his mercy's sake it pleaseth God so to honour righteous and holy men, as to let the wicked world know, that they are the better for their righteous neighbours. As God doth many times send evil when they are taken away, and therefore it is said; The Righteous Isa. 57 is taken away from the evil to come: so doth he stay and forbear to send it as long as they remain: Wherefore good men are the props and supports of the world. There are a sort of men who (as the men of Sodom were weary of Lot) are weary of the company of honest men; and would be glad if there were no body in the world but of their Gang; but it is because they do not consider who are their best Friends: It is for the sake of the Wheat that the Tares are suffered to grow till Harvest. There is a mixture of good and bad Math. 13. together, in Nations, and Cities, and Towns, and almost in all Societies of men: Now there are blessings derived upon wicked men, because they are in company with those who are better than themselves, and whom God hath a regard to: This is more to the commendation of Virtue, it keeps the world a foot, it doth stay, and uphold, and preserve mankind from falling to that decay and corruption to which vice doth naturally tend; and so is an instance of what good Virtue doth. Sect. 4 Virtue must needs turn to advantage; for they who are throughly and sincerely Virtuous, ●4 make Conscience of doing good; they who are so out of good Principles, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of a love to Virtue, will believe themselves obliged to the practice of every Virtue, which they are in capacity for: They will endeavour to make good that common observation, that there is a connexion of Virtue, insomuch that he who is Virtuous in one, will be so in all, or will strive so to be: and he that strives to be completely Virtuous, how can he forget that Noble and Excellent disposition of Charity, which the Scripture makes so much of, that all our behaviour toward our Neighbour is comprehended in this, Thou shalt love thy Rom. 13. Neighbour as thyself. He who is Virtuous, will be Charitable and well disposed; and he who is so, how much good will he do? Here is a cluster of Proofs, which (as the cluster of Grapes from Eshcol was born between two) is Numb. 13. somewhat too big to be crowded within one Argument: but because I would multiply as little as I can, I include them all here. Charity is kind, there are many good offices are performed 1 Cor. 13. by a Charitable man: to Feed the Hungry, and the Naked, and relieve those who are in want and distress; to resolve doubts and satisfy scruples; to correct error and inform ignorance; to pity and comfort the sad and dejected spirits of other men; to be helpful in all straits, to bear the burdens of others, that they may be eased; to become all things to all men, that by all means we may do good to some, this is the Trade of a good man: and when all these rills are united in one, they make a forcible stream that cannot easily be damned up: Suppose this good spirited man to have ability and opportunity thus to let out his spirit, it is not easy to divert his good intentions, nor to take him off from his endeavours of doing good: So that this is a pregnant instance how advantageous Virtue is, because this doing good is itself a Virtue; in which it were easy to enlarge, but that I consider I am slipped into a particular consideration, which doth not so much belong to Virtue in the general, as to one part of it; therefore I go no farther in it. Sect. 5 Virtue is not only singly serviceable, but it is like the Salt that Elisha made use of to heal the naughty waters; it doth sanctify other accomplishments, 2 Kings 2. complishments, and convert them to do good service: other endowments, whether of the body or the mind, are (as we say of the passions) neither good nor bad, but according as they are used: Now (if that fancy may be Moralised) Virtue is the Philosopher's Stone that turns all into Gold; for which several instances might be given, I take up with two: Knowledge and Riches are two such things, which when they are found in a way of righteousness, are greatly serviceable to the world; otherwise they are better lost then found. A man had better be without a Knife than cut his Neighbour's Throat with it; so is it less criminal for a man to be a Fool then a Knave, or to be Poor then to have Riches and abuse them to the wrong and prejudice of other men; wherefore this good Virtue doth, it teaches a man the right use of these things. Where an able head and an honest heart dwell together, that man is well qual fy for a serviceable man. Bare knowledge is no great perfection, no more then bare power, for it may be an instrument of much mischief: The Counsel of Ahitophel was as if a man had enquired 2 Sam. 16. at the Oracle of God, but if it had been successful it would have ruined David. We use to compare crafty men to Foxes, and they are more like to none than to Sampsons' Foxes, Judge 15. commonly they carry firebrands in their tails: The end of their contrivances and designs, is to waste, and consume, and destroy. But the wisdom of the Serpent, and the simplicity of the Math. 10. Dove, are a happy pair when matched together. There is no man who doth not set his wits to work if he have any; now Virtue corrects and restrains the extravagant sallies and wildnesses of wit, and purifies wisdom from those dregs which make it earthly, sensual, and devilish; it altars the property of wit, and makes it wisdom. The head receives influence from the heart. An honest good man is more conscientious than to abuse his parts, and knowledge, and skill, to the hurt of his Neighbour: He doth not study a cunning craftiness, whereby he may lie in wait to deceive: Eph. 4. but his wisdom is from above, for it hath the same characters, it is full of mercy and good James 3. Herbert. fruits. Wits an unruly Engine, and it is not every man knows how to use it: There is a 1 Cor. 8. great deal of knowledge that puffs up, and doth not edify without Charity, which is Virtue: There is a great deal of learning in the World, skill in Languages, knowledge in Arts and Sciences; and many men that have these, are but as sounding brass or a tinkling Cimbal; they want 1 Cor. 13. grace to sanctify their gifts. There is then this great piece of service Virtue doth, it makes men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, their wisdom is Rom. 12. a sober well governed wisdom; the more Virtuous and good any man is, the better use he makes of his Learning and parts, not to his own vainglory, or to the prejudice of other men, but to their benefit and advantage as much as he is able. A virtuous man makes a like improvement of his estate, that he doth of his knowledge; that is, he doth good with it. Riches are which certainly may be made use of to good purposes. He that threw his money into the sea because it should do him no harm, was either a low-spirited man (according to Seneca's observation, Epist. 5. Infirmi animi est pati non posse divitias: It is an Argument of a weak mind not to be able to hear riches) or else he was strangely humorsom, if not worse; Lactantius could not tell what to think of him, whether he were in his wits or no: Quid ille qui patrimonium in nummos redactum De falsâ sap. Cap. 23. projecit in Mare, ego dubito utrumne sanus an demens fuenit: and his reason is to my purpose, fac beneficium, etc. he might have done good with it, etc. riclies are the gift of God who gives power to get wealth, and it cannot reasonably be Deut. 8. thought they are given to be thrown away. But why then are they improved no better? men either hoard up their money or throw it away. Many are the men who make no use at all of their money, only to tell it, and bless themselves that they are rich. And then this love of 1 Tim. 6. money is the root of all evil. This greedy desire of gain hath brought along with it many mischiefs into the world, and almost undone it. ●●mpan. de Monarch. Hispan. Vere affirmare possumus mundum novum quodammodo perdidisse mundum veterem, nam mentibus nostris avaritiam insevit, & mutuum amorem extinxit, etc. since Silver and Gold have been so plentifully brought from America, the new world hath destroyed the old, by introducing Covetousness, and extinguishing Love and good will among men. On the other side some are as Prodigal as others Covetous: There are, that will venture almost all they have upon a cast at Dice: there are (and they are not all Luke 15. younger Brothers neither, as he in St. Luke) who waste their substance with riotous living. These are now the extremes, and it is nothing but Virtue will keep a man within the mean. A man that makes Conscience of his do, believes that God hath made him rich in this world, that he 1 Tim. 6. may do good, that he may be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. It is want of will rather than want of money that is the reason why there is no more good done in this kind: if men were well disposed and virtuously inclined, the rich discoveries that have been made in the West-Indies, of gold and silver mountains rather than mines (such as is that of Potozi) would have helped to have restored the world to its golden age, in the same sense the Poets speak of: men would be well furnished for the mutual service and supply of one another, and it is well for the whole where the parts agree, and are helpful to each other. So far as Virtue prevails it conquers Vice (as hath been said) so then hereby it is that a man gets rid of his covetous and prodigal humour both. A good man who is likewise willing to do good, he doth neither hold too fast, nor doth he let go too soon; but as there is occasion, he makes his estate serve him, and not he that. And thus is Virtue advantageous to the world, it makes a man a good steward of those things he is entrusted with, particularly of his knowledge and riches. The same may be said of Authority and places of public trust; of Credit and reputation, of time and leisure; the more virtuous a man is, the more Conscience he will make of making a right use of all these things. But it is time I made haste to the Conclusion of this Argument; I have therefore but one thing more to add. Sect. 6 Virtue is much for the world's advantage, for it is a firm and solid foundation for true friendship. There is no friendship we can confide in any farther, than we can have assurance that the reason and cause of that friendship doth remain and abide; therefore when either prosperity or adversity, or mere Neighbourhood of place or interest (as all these do) make men friends; this is an uncertain friendship, because the foundation is uncertain. Where prosperity makes friends, if one be falling into adversity, the other forsakes him, like Rats and Mice that run away when the House is falling: So did the Romans fall off from Sejanus, when he was near his ruin: Yea and St. Peter, as holy a man as he was, was for a while tempted to deny his Master, when he came into trouble. Again, two men whom the Prison hath reconciled, preferment hath severed and distanced from one another. men's Neighbourhoods and Interests also vary: If there be nothing else but these to glue men's affections together, they will not always hold. If Virtue be not in the case, we are at a loss for a firm Basis to found friendship Cicer. Laelius. on. Hoc sentio nisi in bonis amicitiam esse posse; for why should I make that man my Friend, whom I cannot trust? how can I trust a man, unless I believe him to be an honest and just man? Again a proud man is unfit for a friend: there is a kind of equality among friends (not of state and condition, as the Levellers would introduce, but) the humility and condescensions of the Superior, will meet with his friend, and in the sympathy of their Souls there is a likeness and an oneness. Pride therefore makes men unsociable, so doth Anger and quarrelsomeness, and such like evil dispositions. Still therefore we want that which cements friends together, and we shall not find it till we come to Virtue: that is a thing to be confided in. Not that I would make every man my friend, whom in charity I ought to judge honest as to the main (as we use to say) for there are many such men, who are yet guilty of many unhappy failings and weaknesses. Every one is not fit to keep a secret, and it is not safe to unbosom our Souls to them. Some are censorious (a distemper that spreads very far this day in England) and other things there are that make men less apt for these purposes: but than it is to be observed, all this is want of those degrees of Virtue which we ought to aspire to; still therefore so far as men are virtuous they have the right disposition for friends; for hereby men are taught to perform all good Offices for their friend that they are able (as hath been lately said, Virtue sets men on work to do good) and also it doth restrain men from doing those that are not good. There is a kind of obstinate friendship, which many times proceeds to a Brotherhood in iniquity: Men are so resolved to humour and gratify their friend, that they will do evil for their sakes. So was C. Blossius to Cicer. Laelius. Tiberius Gracchus, he was so much his friend, he said, that he would do any thing for him; and when the question was asked, what if Gracchus should bid you fire the Capitol, would you do it? he answers he would not bid me do such a thing; but if he should, I would do as he bid me. So had Herod passed his word Math. 14 and his Oath to the Daughter of Herodias, to do for her whatsoever she should ask; and when she required the head of John Baptist, he would not deny it to her. Now here is an excellent use of Virtue, to keep friendship within its right Channel. A Virtuous man will do all the good he can to his friend, but (unless he fail in his Virtue) he will not profane that sacred thing, by entering into a League to maintain friendship, whether by lawful or unlawful means. Now true friendship is a noble and gallant thing, an excellent attainment of humane Nature; but that Ceremonies and Compliments have almost either obscured it where it is, or crowded, it into some few corners of the World, that it is scarce any where to be found. Surely civility, and affability, and courtesy, is a fine accomplishment; yet I am of opinion (and though I be accounted a Clown for so thinking, I am not much solicitous) that as Sarah turned Hagar out of doors for her fcornful Imperiousness; so if ever friendship get any considerable dominion in the World, smcerity and plain-heartedness must keep somewhat a stricter hand over dissembling Compliments. I fear men must grow less Complimental, if they would approve themselves real friends; but I am going out of the way: I could not choose but salute friendship when it came in my way; I return and make this use of this short digression: If friendship be such an excellent thing, then is this greatly to the commendation of Virtue, that it doth so help to make and keep men friends. Which is the last instance I give (and I cannot conclude with a better) that it is much for the profit and advantage of mankind, that men should live in the exercise of Moral Virtues. Which was the proof of the fourth Reason I have given in this kind; Virtue is necessary (Necessitate Medii) as a means in order to an end. If we would live good lives; if we desire to die in safety; if we would have our lives and deaths Comfortable to ourselves; and if we believe ourselves bound to live profitably to the advantage of others; It is necessary for us (all of us Christians as well as other men, and Christians more than other men, because of the commands ) to abound in Moral Virtues. Moral Virtue's Baptised Christian: OR, The Necessity of Morality among Christians. BOOK IU. CHAP. I. Sect. 1 THe second and third Book have contained the proof of the second general proposition, as I at first summed up my discourse: There are great, and strong, and unanswerable Arguments, which prove it necessary for a Christian to be a Moral man: A double necessity I have assigned, each of which have been distinctly handled. I am now towards my Conclusion, only I remember I did promise somewhat by way of appendix to add to this last consideration; That as there is a necessity of Moral Virtue, so likewise is there an excellency in it: and this will require a few words; but I will not multiply many. Virtue is not only necessary, but it is an excellent, brave, becoming thing, a thing lovely and of good report: It cannot otherwise be, if that be true which is already said; that which is so good and comfortable to ourselves, so good and advantageous to others, if we do not admire it, we do greatly undervalue it; we do not well understand it, if we do not believe it to be very excellent. So much hath been said to those heads, that I am loath again to refer to them: Any one may easily apprehend the force of an Argument, that which hath the qualifications , is very Excellent: wherefore passing that by, I add two things more: There is a great excellency in Moral Virtue, for it is an imitation of God, and a Type of Heaven. Both which must be understood with some caution. Sect. 2 By being virtuous we do imitate and resemble God and Christ. It is true, we call God holy and not virtuous, for the holiness of God is not to be described after the same manner that we define Moral Virtue. Our passions are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the matter that our virtue works upon, which passions are not assignable to God: And there are some particular virtues which we cannot attribute to God; as Temperance, which supposes us in a bodily state, and Humility, which at best supposes us in a creature-state (for though it pleases God in Scripture to say he humbles himself, yet that doth no more prove that he is humble in our notion, than his repenting proves that he doth repent as we do) yet notwithstanding by virtue we resemble God. The holiness of God is the perfection and rectitude of his Nature; so our virtue, though alone it be not our perfection, yet it belongs to our integrity and rectitude: When we are commanded to be holy, in all manner of Conversation, how can we fulfil that Command, if we do not exercise those virtues without which our Conversation cannot be as it ought to be? Now this holiness is a conformity to God, for in the same place it followeth, because it is 1 Pet. 1. written be ye holy, for I am holy. And in many particular cases, that Justice and Righteousness in our deal, and that Truth and faithfulness in our word and promise, which makes us honest, is an imitation of God, who is Righteous Psa. 145. in all his ways, and holy in all his works; and who doth not suffer his faithfulness to fail. Psa. ●9. When we are kind and charitable, and desirous to do good, then are we the Children of our Father Math. 5. Luke. 6. which is in Heaven, and are merciful as our Father also is merciful: Again, when we are gentle and meek, than we are like that God who is Merciful and Gracious and Long-suffering, etc. whence Exod. 34. it doth appear that this Moral Virtue is a true and a considerable part of godliness: that man is a beastly man, who lives like a beast, and he a manly man who lives and acts like a man; accordingly, he who is thus Godlike, doth so far deserve the name of a Godly man. The Heathens had the same apprehensions of their Virtues; though they fell short of the attainment, yet so far as their Philosophy made them virtuous, Hi●rocl. it did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. And is not this a great ennoblement of our souls, that we may be raised up to be like God? doth not God infinitely excel all his creatures? wherefore though we come infinitely short of the divine perfections, yet so far as we do attain to any resemblance of him, it is our excellency to be like that God, who doth so infinitely excel. To be transformed into the Image of our Creator, what can be more desirable? yea, may we not say, (if we should suppose that which yet cannot possibly come to pass) that if it were possible for holiness and happiness to be separated from one another, it were a greater perfection and glory to be like God in holiness then in happiness. The state of happiness in Heaven we call a glorious state, and it is a greater glory than we can now conceive: But is not holiness more glorious? if unholiness be worse than unhappiness, then is holiness better than happiness: now so it is; for unhappiness is our misery, but unholiness is our sin, and therefore more to be avoided. Where are now the men that dare sit in the Seat of the Scorners, to despise and laugh at all manner of Goodness and Virtue? is it nothing to be like God? should we choose to be like the Devil in Malice and Revenge, and ill will, and such like evil dispositions, is it a thing to be gloried in? is there any will glory that he is going to Hell to keep company with the Devils? surely we do not understand our Natures, or we cannot but acknowledge, it is a great excellency to be like God, as we are, in the exercise of these Moral Virtues. To which might be added as a consideration contiguous to this; the life of Christ doth greatly commend Moral Virtue: He was Temperate, and Meek, and Humble, he went about doing good; and many proofs in the Gospel there are, that in all his deal with all men he behaved himself as did become him; which may help to confirm us in a belief of the excellency of Virtue; it is such an imitation of God, as the life of Christ was very remarkable for. But I add no more to this first Instance. Sect. 3 To live in the exercise of Moral Virtue is a Type of Heaven: So do the Angels and Saints live in Heaven, though in greater perfection; as being altogether in a sinless state: Not in every particular so, that kind of Justice and Honesty that is of use now in this world, and we call Commutative Justice, is of no use there: There is no need of Buying, or Selling, or Exchanging; for there is no need of Eating, and Drinking, their bodies after the Resurrection are made glorious and spiritual bodies: and ● Cor. 15. therefore for the same reason they will not exercise that Virtue of Temperance as it is here exercised: but the carriage and behaviour (as there must be some) whereby they behave themselves one towards another in that Glorious Choir, is always as it ought to be: There is Love, and Meekness, and Humility, and such like good Affections; there is no Envy, nor Pride, nor ill Will, nor any such Hellish quality; their Charity is particularly 1 Cor. 13. said never to fail. Indeed there is somewhat else in Heaven that doth augment the glory of the place, and their happiness who are taken up thither; they are in close Communion with God, in whose presence is fullness of joy, Psa. 16. and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore. Yet as it is an accessary to their glory to be in company with one another; so is this somewhat not to be despised, that their love is made perfect, and all the correspondencies of Heaven are sinless and pure: Hell shall be shut up in Hell, all Devilish qualities shall be banished Heaven, and Holiness and Righteousness will be in its Triumphancy in that Church Triumphant. Now if this be the utmost perfection of which our natures are capable, to be translated into this state; how must it needs be an excellent attainment, to be in any measure like those glorified spirits? There is somewhat in our natures, that doth mind us of an imperfection, in every state and attainment in this world; for it is natural for us to desire a change: There are the strive of the Infant in the womb, which discover the inclinations of its nature to be born into the world, and to be at liberty: Boys would fain be Men, and Men notwithstanding that they despise Old Age in others, yet would live to be old themselves: an Apprentice would be out of his time, to set up for himself; and a Servant hath a great desire to become a Master. There is scarce any thing in the Universe, but would be graduate, and commence some higher degrees of perfection, than it hath yet attained. All this would not be, if there were not a belief, an imagination at least, that there is some greater excellency in those states, to which we are not yet arrived, then for the present we do enjoy: wherefore if ever we desire after Heaven, while we are upon Earth, (as we ought always to do) this supposes we believe it to be a place of more glorious excellencies, than any we have yet seen or tasted now in this world; and if it be so, than we must go on to argue, that (in regard it is not so much the place, as the the state that makes the happiness) the nearer we come in the disposition of our minds, and the tenor of our lives, to that Heavenly state, our lives are so much the more excellent. And this being true of a Virtuous and good life, that it is some resemblance to, and some weaker degrees of the life of Heaven; it adds to the Argument, that as there is a great necessity of, so there is a superlative excellency in Moral Virtue. CHAP. II. Sect. 1 ANd now I think these premises are strong enough to bear and enforce the Conclusions I would draw from them, which are only these two. I infer, 1. A just Apology for those who preach up Morality. 2. An Expostulatory Plea against those who do not practise it. Here is Apology enough for those Preachers of the Gospel, who Preach the Moral Law in Gospel times; who would put Christians in mind that they are men still, and must not forget the duties of man to man: It is a Doctrine that we have this only reason to be ashamed of, that we who Preach it to others, do so little practice it ourselves; else if we suffer in our good names for this kind of Preaching, we suffer for righteousness sake, and we may 1 Pet. 3. well glory in our sufferings. Where a People have conceived a prejudice against their Minister, there is scarce any kind of Preaching, but they will cavil at: If we endeavour to give them satisfaction concerning the order and discipline of the Church, and tell them what reason they have to be peaceable and modest, and not to make divisions; then we are the men who are all for conformity and the service of the outward man; and if we can but bring our people to conform, we do not care what lives they live. This we would not be thought to do, to neglect to give our people good instructions for their lives; and therefore we insist upon Moral Virtues sometimes, and would persuade men to be just, and honest, and charitable, etc. but then we are in danger of being counted Popish: these men sure hope to be saved by their good works, they extol them so much, and preach them up so often: No not so neither▪ we do not trust in ourselves, nor put any confidence in the flesh, but in the merit of our Saviour; therefore we lay the foundation of Heb. 6. Repentance from dead works, and Faith towards God; and we insist upon the great privileges of believers, that they are redeemed from the curse of the Law, and the wrath of God; and though they be guilty of many failings, yet is there no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Now haply it will Rom. 8. be suspected we are Antinomians or Solifidians, we attribute so much to faith, that it may be our hearers may the less regard good works. When we explain the Articles of our Creed, and so have occasion to mention some of the more abstruse Doctrines of Christian Religion; it will be said these are dark mysterious things, and we do not know how to understand them; we have more need of milk then of this strong meat: If therefore we condescend to the meanest capacities of our Auditors, and preach plain matters of practice, in a plain and familiar way then shall we be censured for dull and plain; souls, that have no Scholarship at all in us: And I would there were no Scholars this day in England, that do exalt knowledge above goodness; and that choose rather to have their fancies tickled, than their affections warmed. I fear it is an objection, that many of the Learneder sort will make against Preaching Morality, (especially when we Countrey-Preachers preach it in our plain way, suitable to those that hear us) these are things that every body knows well enough; and why should we trouble ourselves so often to speak of these things? If now among all these Cavils, there be any, who (upon any reason whatsoever) do undervalue this kind of Preaching; my answer to them who are thus quarrelsome, might be this; Have we not power to make choice of what Texts and Subjects we apprehend useful to those to whom we Preach? and why should we be abridged of this our Liberty? But I say moreover; Sect. 2 They who are thus angry with us, so● dwelling so long on these things, either they themselves practise the Virtues we Preach or they do not: If they do, it is to be hoped they understand what they do, and why; they believe a necessity of these things, and then either they must believe all the rest of their neighbours to be as Virtuous as themselves, or else why do they not give us leave to tell other men of their faults? And if vices be faults and sins, why should it be thought or fault, to do now as in the times of old; Cry aloud, and Isa. 58. not spare to show men their transgressions and their sins? But it may be these men themselves are in the same condemnation with other men; it may be they are Immoral themselves, notwithstanding all their pretences to Faith, and the privileges of Believers: And if so, than it is no wonder if the Horse kick when he is pinched in a sore place; M●n be troubled because we speak home to their Consciences, and tell them of their faults; but then we are so much the more justified in what we do. There is need enough we should Preach up Virtue, and we must do so, till men do more live it up: and when we can see the time that our people will leave off their dishonesty and unrighteous deal, they will lie, and cheat, and be drunk no more, etc. we will encourage and commend them for doing their duty; and will proceed to tell them of their blessed estate, that they who know these things, are to be pronounced Joh. 13. happy, because they do them. In the mean time, I think that man's boldness was not the confidence of a Fool, of whom I have heard, that being abroad upon a visit, and desired to give his Friend a Sermon, he Preached against Swearing; and having occasion to stay there longer, the second and the third time he Preached over the same Sermon; when being asked if he had not forgot himself, in Preaching the same Sermon thrice together, he says no; I Preached it once, and I observed little good came of it, you went on to swear; therefore I repeated it again, and yet you did not mend; and now after the third time, it may be you will not leave it: therefore I Preach over the same Sermon, because you practise over the same sins. Is there not need we should reinforce and renew our Sermons and Exhortations in this kind; for when we have done all, we prevail little, still the world continues wicked and immoral? And this is no unjust Apology for ourselves, who Preach such Doctrines as these are. But we are yet more than barely excusable; I suppose we are to be encouraged in these undertake, if that be true which hath been already said: If Moral Virtue be so necessary and excellent, (and if it be not, eedò rationem, they who are of the opinion, but that they cannot, would do well to undeceive the world, that men's Consciences may not be overawed by Bug-bears, and Spectres, and Fancies; as Niema Pompilius made use of the Goddess Aegeria among the Romans) then why Livy. are we not praiseworthy who do tell men so? And this is my first Conclusion in Apology for ourselves who Preach Morality. CHAP. III. Sect. 1 THat which now only remains, is to expostulate with those who neglect the exercise of these Virtues. I would not be so proud of myself, nor so insensible of the headstrongness of my own passions, and the other errors and failures of my life, as to excuse myself, while I am reproving others: Nor am I so severe to others, as not to acknowledge there are compassionable infirmities of humane nature. Wherefore having made this acknowledgement, I hope my Reader will have somuch charity for me as to believe, I will charge myself where I find any thing amiss; and therefore will not upbraid me with Physician heal thyself. Sect. 2 In which confidence I proceed to conclude in a few words; happy then is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which Rom. 14. he alloweth: We all allow Virtue to be excellent and praiseworthy; happy is that man, and happy is that party of men, whose judgement doth not condemn its practice. When then shall our zeal be more hearty than heady? When shall the earnestness of our spirits, which provokes us to contend in matters of opinion, be spent this way, some of it, to provoke H●b. 10. one another to good works? It was an office of great repute among the Romans to be Censor morum; by which it appears what an excellent opinion they had of Virtue, and what care they took to correct vice, because this was one of the most honourable offices in the Commonwealth. But now adays how is every body almost got into this Office! Oh when shall our censurings of others be turned to a self-judging, and that end in a self-amending? when shall we strive who shall live the best lives? Sect. 3 Thus far we are all agreed, and not we only but the whole World, so far as it is under any form of government, and manner of Civility; for there is no Nation under Heaven, but so far as it is governed by Laws, the intent of those Laws is to encourage Virtue, and to restrain wickedness and sin. The Jew, the Mahometan, and the Infidel, though they do all oppose the Christian Religion, yet herein they do agree both with that, and with one another; they acknowledge a certain decorum to be observed in our actions, and they applaud Virtue so far as they understand ●t. Among the many Traditions that the Jewish Writers abound with, those which they call the seven precepts of Noah, are not the least considerable (of which see Ainsw. upon Genes. 9 4. and Weemse's Exercitat. Divine, pag. 41) now they being some of them restraints upon Immorality▪ are some evidence in the case: but besides, the Jew acknowledges the Old Testament for the word of God; at least the Five Books of Moses, are owned by all of them, and there being commands (as hath been before said) for a Moral conversation, it cannot be that they should deny the necessity of Virtue. The Turks are a rude and unmannerly people, yet have they likewise a kind of Religion and Gospel among them; and of those 8 Heads Heylin Geogr. Arab. to which their Alcoran is reduced by a learned man: these are 4, Giving to the Poor; Obedience to Parents; Against killing; and last of all, Do to others as thou wouldst be done unto thyself. (Upon which last let it be observed, that as it is a grand Maxim of the Gospel, so hath it found universal entertainment all the world over, in so much that Alexander Severus, though a Heathen Emperor, and one who is said to have Prideaux. been at first harsh to the Christians; yet he thought this a fit Motto, only turning the Affirmative Joh. Laetus. into a Negative; Quod tihi non vis, alteri ne feceris, Do not to another what you would not▪ have him do to you) Yea concerning the Turks it is worthy to be added, that one who was an Eye-witness and a diligent observer of Busbeq. Epist. 1. their State-policies, gives this Character of them; In eâ Gente, Dignitates, Honours, Magistratus, Virtutum & Meritorum praemia sunt; Improbitas, Ignavia, Inertia, nullo honore pensantur. I am sorry he had occasion to add, and more sorry if it should still be true in Christendom; Ibid. Apud nos aliis vivitur moribus, virtuti nihil est relictum loci, omnia natalibus deferuntur. Sect. 4 Yea the very Pagans and Infidels are not without an apprehension of the excellency and becomingness of Virtue; the Philosophers of old have been produced before, and it might be enough to say of them in the general what Grotius doth; Inter Paganos non defuerunt qui De verit. Christianae Relig. L. 4. adifinem. dixerint singula, quae nostra Religio habet universa. Those precepts of Virtue that are gathered together in the Gospel, are scattered up and down the several writings of the Pagans. But I find in a late Author, one passage very considerable to this purpose. In the great Empire of China (though it be far removed from those parts of the World where Christian Religion principally obtains) the Chinois have such honourable thoughts of Moral Virtue, that it hath been a stated Custom among them, (if the late invasions of the Tartars have not interrupted it) that at every New and Full Moon, throughout that vast Kingdom, there have been some public Officers appointed in every Town, to proclaim a little before the Sunrising, these six Rules of life. 1. Parentibus omnes obediunto. 2. Superioribus Honorem & Observantiam deferunto. Theophil. Spizelim De Re literariâ sinensium. Sect. 12. 3. Inter proximos & vicinos concordiam & pacem concilianto. 4. Liberos & nepotes literis & honestis disciplinis instruunto. 5. Parts & officia sua quilibet debitè exequatur. 6. Nemini ulla injuria irrogetur, sive corporis laesione, sive Adulterio; sive Furto. That is, 1. Let all obey their Parents. 2. Let them reverence and honour their Superiors. 3. Let Neighbours make and keep peace with one another. 4. Let Parents bring up their Children in good Learning, and honest Trades or Callings. 5. Let every one look to the due discharge of his office and place. 6. Let none hurt another, neither by any corporal Violence, nor Adultery, nor Theft. How like is Virtue to the Sun in the Heaven, or to the Heaven itself, upon this as well as other accounts! There is no speech Psal. 19 nor language, where the voice of Virtue is not heard. Sect. 5 But to come nearer home; within the Christian World, there is the Papist and the Protestant; within the Reformed Churches, there are names and notes of difference more than I am willing to reckon up; among all these are feuds, and quarrels, and contentions; yet these all (though they are not of one heart and mind) yet thus far they are of one Language, Gen. 11. or one Lip; take them together, or take them apart (excepting a few Strange-spirited Antinomians) and they profess to believe the necessity and excellency of Moral Virtue. Thus far we have all attained to believe and know, that it is necessary for us to live upright, and honest, and virtuous lives. Here we are all of one judgement (though haply as to particular cases and circumstances of life, there remain doubts and difficulties, as to what is fit to be done, and what not, which is Virtue, and which Vice.) Wherefore we are all concerned in the exhortation of the Apostle, if we apply it to the matter in hand. There will be differences in opinion and judgement, perhaps as long as the world stands; Nevertheless whereto Philip. 3. we have already attained, let us walk by the same Rule, let us mind the same thing: Even this same thing among others, that I have all this while been recommending; viz. Moral Virtue. The Rule whereby we ought to walk in the exercise of it, is the dictates of our own Conscience, when it is rightly informed by the word of God. And as many as walk according Galat. 6. to this Rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the whole Israel of God, and upon all those who let their light so shine before men, that they Math. 5. may see their good works, and glorify their Father which is in Heaven. FINIS. Mr Geo. Herbert, Page 80. ¶ Virtue. SWeet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the Earth and Sky: The dew shall weep thy fall to night; For thou must Die. Sweet Rose, whose hue angry and brave Bids the rush gazer wipe his Eye: Thy root is ever in its grave, And thou must Die. Sweet Spring, full of sweet days and Roses, A box where sweets compacted lie; My Music shows ye have your closes, And all must Die. Only a sweet and Virtuous soul, Like seasoned timber, never gives; But though the whole world turn to coal, Then chief lives. ERRATA. THe slips of the Press are not many, nor very considerable; some Commas and periods are misplaced, and some Letters and Figures are mistaken, which the Readers ingenuity (going along with his Eye) will pardon as he finds them. What in any kind is most considerable let it be thus corrected. P. 8. lin. 21 read kick it out. p. 20. In Marg. r. Lib. 1. vers. finem. p. 27. In Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 42. l. 14. r. Manichees. p. 48. l. 2. r. as much as safely: p. 57 l. 29. r. so not to recompense. p. 70. l. 26. deal these. p. 79. l. 1. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. p. 87. l. 26. r. deserve it. p. 115. lin. Antepen. r. It is not hard. p. 128. l. 31. r. and this Joy.