'^M'W V . 1^ : DONATION CQI.LEGE. SIXTEEN SERMONS VA RIOUS SUBJECTS AND OCCASIONS. SIXTEEN SERMONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS AND O CCASIONS. BY GEORGE HORNE, D.D. LATE BISHOP OP NORWICH", NOW FIRST COLLECTED INTO ONE -^QLUME. • THE THIRD EDITION, LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. COOKEj OXFORD; , AND G. Gi AND J. ROBINSON, P ATE RNOSTEK-RO W ; BY J, CUNDEE, IVY-LANE. I 800. ;Se72^ CONTENTS. DISCOURSE I. The Chriftian King. 1 Pet. ii. 21. Leaving us an example, that ye Jiiould follotu hisjieps. , Page 1 Preached before the Univerfity of Ox ford, at St. Mary^s, January 30, 1761. DISCOURSE II. Mercy to thofe who are of the Houfhold , of Faith recommended and enforced. Lamentations v. 3. We are orphans and" father lefs, our mothers ' are as widows. 39 Preached before the Sons ofthe Clergy^ in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, May 6, 1762. a DIS- vl CONTENTS. DISCOURSE III. Works wrought through Faith a Condi tion ofour Juftification. James ii. 24. Vou fee then, how that by xvorks a man is juft ified, and 7iot by faith only. 63 Preached before the Univerfity of Ox ford, at St. Marys, June 7, 1761. DISCOURSE IV. 'The Influence of Chriftianity on civil Society. Tit. ii. 11, 12. The grace ofGod, which bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that, denying ungodlinefs and worldly lufis, we fhould live foberly, righteoujly, and godly, in this prefent world. 97 Preached at 5"^. Mary's in Oxford, at thg Aifizes, March 4, 1773. DIS- CONTENTS. vii DISCOURSE V. The good Steward. ACTS XX. 35. It is more bleffed to give than to receive. 131 Preached in the Chapel of the Afylum for Female Orphans, May 19, 1774. ^ DISCOURSE VI. The Providence of God manifefbed in the Rife and Fall of Empires; 1 Samuel ii. 30. Them that honour me I will honour; and they that defpife me fhall be Ughtly efieemed. 155 Preached at St. Mary's in Oxford, at the Affixes, July 27, 1775. a3 DIS. viii CONTENTS. DISCOURSE VII. Chrift the Obje6l of religious Adoration, . and therefore very God. RoM. x. 13. Whofoever Jhall call upon the name of the Lord fhall be faved. 1 89 Preached before the Univerfity of Ox ford, at St. Marys, May 14, 1775. DISCOURSE VIIL- A Faft Sermon. Deut. xxiii. 9. When the hofi goeth forth againfi thine ene- Jmies, then keep thee from every wicked thing. " 221 Preached before the Honourable Houfe of Commons, at the Church of St. Mar-^ garefs, Wefiminfter, Feb. 4, 1780. DIS- CONTENTS. ix DISCOURSE IX. A Faft Sermon. Isaiah xxvi. 9. Vhen thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righte oufnefs. , 243 Preached before the Univerfity of Ox ford, 2it St. Marys, Feb. 21, 1781. DISCOURSE X. The blefsed Effects of Perfeverance. , 2 Thess. iii! 13. Be not weary in well doing. ¦ 279 Preached in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, before the Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge, June 12, 1783. DIS- ¦c CONTENTS. DISCOURSE XI. The Antiquity, Ufe, ahd Excellence of Church Mufic. Psalm Ivii. 8. Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp I ' 305 Preached at the Opening of a new Organ in the Cathedral Church of Chrifi, Canterbury i July 8, 1784. DISCOURSE XII. The Charadter of true Wifdom, and the Means of obtaining it, PjRQV. iv. 7f Wifdom is the principal thing, therefore get ivifdom : and with all thp getting, get underfianding. 323 Preached before the Society of Gen tlemen educated in the King's School, Canterbury, Aug, 0,6, 1784. D I S- CONTENTS. xi DISCOURSE XIII. The Praife of God perfected out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings. Psalm xxxiv. 11. Come, ye childre?i, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 357 Preached at the Parifh Church of St. Alphage, Canterbury, December 18, 1785. DISCOURSE XIV. The Duty of contending for the Faith. Jude, verfe 3. Beloved, xvlien I gave all diligence to write unto you of the co7nmon falvation, it was needful for me lo write unto you, and ex- ' hart you that you Jhould contend earnefily for the faith once delivered io the faints. 379 Preached at the Primary Vifitation of the moft'Reverend John Lord Archbifhop of Canterbury, in, the Cathedral and Me- tropolitical Clmrch, July 1, 1786. 4 DIS- xii CONTENTS. DISCOURSE XV. The Trinity in Unity. Mat. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all ndtions, bap- tizirig them in the name of the Father, ana of the Spn, and of the Holy Ghoji. 417 ' Preached in the Cathedral and Metro- political Church of Chriji, Canterbury, on Trinity Sunday, 1786. DISCOURSE XVl. Charity recommended on its true Motive, I John iv. 1 1. TfGod fo'l&oed us, tee ought ulfg to love one another. 441 Preached at St. George's, Bloomfbury, before the Governors of the Benevolent Inftitution for the Delivery of Poor Mar ried Women at their own Habitations, March 30, 1788. r^ DISCOURSE I. THE CHRISTIAN KING. 1 PET.-n. 2!. Leaving tis an example, that ye Jhould follow his Jleps. TIITHEN the angels beheld the dark disc, and difordered ftate of created nature J- upon its firft production, they >^ere, doubt- ~"~~" lefs, thrown into fome perplexity to conceive how it Ihould ever be made a means of ma nifefting forth the glory of the Creator. But when they faw the light fpring up, at the divine commaiid, from that blacknefs of dark nefs, and fix it's refidence in it's tabernacle the fun, illuminating and adorning the firma ment of heaven with it's glorious fhew, and the earth with it's beautiful furniture,' aU formed out of rudenefs and confufion, then B they 2 The Chrijiian King, ' DISC, they copfeffed that the difficulty of the ^* work ferved only to difplay the fkill of the workmafter, which is proportionably eftimated by the unpromifing nature of the materials. In like manner, whoever views the chaos to which the infinite wifdom of a prefiding Providence fometimes. permits the moral world to be ' reduced by the prevailing power of the prince ,of darknefs, and the agency of his inftrumertts, will fcarce be able, at fii'ft, to difcern any traces of the divine counfels in a mirror fo fullied and clouded' over by the enormities of finful men. Yet let him wait with patience for a little feafon, and thofe clouds fhall pafs away; a light fhall fhine, and fome great end prefent itfelf to iight, fp worthy of God, fo beneficial to man, that ftanding amazed at - a power able to bring the greateft good out of the greateft evi], he will be forced to cry out concern* ing the oeconomy of the fpiritual fyftem, as David did concerning the operations of the natural — " O Lord, how manifold are thy " works 1 Tlie Chriftian King. ^ *' works 1 In wifdom haft thou made them disc. "all"' ^¦ What a gloomy and comfartlefs fcene to the eye of flefh was exhibited in Judea, when the pure and innocent Jefus, forfaken by all his difciples, was delivered up into the hands of wicked men, to epd a life of righteoufnefs and mercy by a death of pain and fhame ! Certainly fhat was the hour of the ungodly, and the power of darknefs, But in that very hour was God glorified, and the world redeemed. And while the Egyptians look upon a cloud which they cannot fee through, Ifrael beholds in the fame colunin a bright and fhining light, direfiling ahd conducing them to the Land of Promife. And as nothing that was ever tranfafted upon the theatre of this world , brought fo much glory to Qod on high as the pafliori of t'ne Mejiah, fo next to that, becaufe ¦ Pf. civr. 24. B 2 th^ 4 The Chriftian King. DISC, the neareft refemblance of it, precious and *• moft honourable in his fight is the death of his faints. St. John "heard a voice from heaven," eiijoining him to 'write, and de clare . to the world, that- " bleflTed are the " dead .which die in the Lord'." More bleffed, furely, are they that die not only in him, but for him, and lay down their lives in a good and a righteous caufe. And though in the eyes of men the church might appear more amiable when, exulting in the favour of Conftantine, fhe wore the white garments of joy and feftivity, and car ried the palm of viftory and triumph, in her hand, yet we know that fhe was never dearer to God, becaufe never more con formed to the image of his Son, than juft before that period of time, when, pejfecuted by the fury of Dioclejian, fhe was feen ar rayed in the fcarlet robe of martyrdom, and bore her crofs after Jefus. Profperity in this world, befides that it is an argu ment which will conclude for ^iid againft ' T^ev, xiv. 13. every The Chriftian King. p €veiy caufe afid party in their turns, can disc. never be the badge of his difciples, who ^* came into the world in a ftable, among the beafts that perifli, and went out of it upon a crofs, numbered with malefaftors : And whoever makes this the criterion of the divine favour, muft condemn the generation of God's children, from righteous Abel to the bleffed martyr of this day; upon vphofe unparalleled murder though we cannot re- fleft but ivith horror and aftohifhment, yet moft gratefully are we ever bound to com memorate the glories of God's grace, which he made the villaHy of the moft abandoned rtiifcreants an occafion of calling forth and, difplaying to mankind in the perfon. 6i his ahointed, enabled thereby fo ftedfaftly to look unto arid fo clofely to copy after his Mafter and Saviour, who " left him an ex- " ample, that he fhould follow his fteps" — And he followed them unto the end. Bilt as exceptions have been taken at difcourfes on this day's occafion, as well as at fome parts of the church fervice ap- B 3 pointed 6 Tlie Chriftian King. DISC, pointed for it, on account of their inftituting I. what have been called impious comparifons' between our Lord and ¦ the royal martyr, it will not be amifs, . before we proceed, to obviate that objeftion. Some confiderations therefore fhall be laid before you, to evince that our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift is- fet forth to us in the holy fcriptiires 'as an example which we are to follewi and, con fequently, that every Chriftian, fo far as he does follow that example, and lives and dies in the fpirit of his mafter, is fo far conformed, or made lilte unto him ; by which it will appear, that a§ the royal martyr did eminently follow this example of Chrift, and fo was eminently, conformed and ¦ made like unto him, there can be no im piety in comparing him whh his' bleffed mafter. Our Lord then, let it be obferved, was, as our church well expreffes it in one of her colle£ts, " both a facrifice for fin, and alfo " an enfample of godly life'." By his fa^ « Colleft for the fecond Sunday after Easter. crifice The Chriftian King. 7 crifice he procured us grace to follow his DjIsc. example, which otherwife had been pro- i- pofed to US in vain; by his example he fhewed us how to make a right ufe of that grace, which unlefs we do, it is given in vain. So that if he who regards him as an example, and not as a Redeemer, -viiW be loft becaufe he cannot follow him ; he who takes him for a Redeemer, and not for an example, will be loft becaufe he does not follow him ; fince Redemption was in order to holinefs; and although it be moft certain that without Chrift no man can at tain unto holinefs, yet it is no lefs certain, that " without holinefs no man fhall fee " the Lord." He only is fully and effec tually redeemed, and has evidence to affure him of -it, who .bears ftamped on his foul the image and fuperfcription of his Savi our. Confidered indeed as the Redeemer of the world, Chrift ftands fingle and un approachable as the fun in the heavens. *' He trod the wine-prefs alone, and of the B 4 people 8 : Tiie Chriftian King. DISC. " people there were none with him^; for ^* . " no raan can by any means redeem his " brother, nor give unto God a ranfom " for him =." When therefore he bids us learn of liim, the lefTon propofed is not to cleanfe the lepers, or to raife the dead; to create, or to redeem; but to be like him in all his holy and heavenly tempersi and difpofitions " Learn of me for I am " meek ' and lowly of heart \" So far therx are we from being guilty of ¦_ any im^ piety, when we point out a fimilitude be tween Chrift and his faithful fervants, that perhaps we could not give a more juft and adequate definition of the religion we pro- fefs, than if we were to fay, " it confifts " in the imitation of him as man, the firft " born among many brethren* whom we " adore as God,, the Saviour of the world." Nor indeed can any one fail to fee that t^e life of Chrift was defigned' as a pattem * Ifai. Ixiii. 3. " Pf. xlix. 7. ' Matt, xi. 29. fox . Tlie Chriftian King. 9 fbr his follawers, who confiders how ad- disc. mirably it is calculated for- that purpofe. ' ^• We meet not here with legendary tales of romantic aufterities, ecftafies, and abftrac- tions, tending only to amaze and embarrafs the confciences of men with unprofitable and unneceffary fcruples ; but We behold a hfe which, though holy and without fpot or blemifh from beginning to end, was con ducted after the manner of men, and fo as to be imitable by them; being palfed in the midft of civil fociety, and in the ex ercife of all thofe lovely graces by which that is preferved and improved, |weetened and fanftified., " The glories of the life of " Jefus (fays one who ftudied it thoroughly) " were fo great, that the mpft early and " conftant induftry muft confefs it's own " imperfe£fion ; and yet was it fo fweet *'' and humane, that the greateft infirmity-, " if pious, fhall find comfort and, encou- ** ragement. Thus God gave his children " manna from heaven; and though Jt was *' excellent like the food of angels, yet it *' conformed to every palate, according tb « that 10 The Chriftian King. Disc. " that . appetite produced by tjieir feveral ^- " conftitutions ^" And fhould we not find it the beft compendium of morality, the moft perfeft and unerring rule whereby to direft ourfelves in all cafes, if we would only afk our own hearts, before we enter upon an a£bon, how the bleffed Jefus would behave in our circumftances? A con fcience but moderately informed from the Gofpel would feldom, perhaps, give a wrong determirtation. Biit the truth is,' we are afraid of the anfwer, and therefore dare not afk the queftion. Such then being the life of Chrift, what wonder that all men fhould be fo frequently called to an imitation of it, as we find they^ are in the Holy Scriptures ? The Apof- tle, Rom. viii. 21, aflTerts, that our confor mity to Chrift was. the great end and de fign of the divine counfels concerning us. ." Whom he did foreknow, them he did " predeftinate to be conformed to the image « Exhortation to the imitation of the life of Chrii!, in Biftiop Taykr'i Great Exem/lar, fedl. 8. of I. The Chriftian King. 1 1 " of his Son." Accordingly, the initiatory disc facrament of baptifm, as our church from the Scriptures informs us, " doth reprefent " unto us our profeflion, which is to fol- " low the e.vample, of our Saviour Chrift, " and be made like unto him." And there fore we are continually reminded and ex horted to hold faft, to live conformably to this" our profeffion. " He that faith .he " abideth in him, ought himfelf alfo fo to " walk even as he walked *¦." Thus only can we be delivered from all blindnefs of heart, and brought to a knowlege of the truth. For — " He that followeth me," faith he, *' fhall not walk in ,darknefs, but " fliallhave the light of life'." St. Paul propounds his own example to the Coinji- thians, becaufe it was a copy of Chrift's — " Be ye followers of me, evea as I am of " Chrift''." To fuch only is the reward promifed — " Ye which have followed me, " in the regeneration when the fon of man *' fhall fit upon the throne of his glory, ye <• I.John ii. 6. 'John viii. 12. ^ 1 Cor. xi. 1. "alfo 12 The Chr iftidn King. disc " alfo fhall fit on twelve : .thrbnes, judging ^' " the twelve tribes of Ifraer." And, laftly, the charadler given of the Ifrael of God by the well beloved Jphn is — " Thefe are " they which follow the Lanib whitherfo-. " ever he goeth •"." And if we confider what the path was in which the Lamb ' of God went before us, we fhall fee in what refpe£l: we are more efpecially commanded to follow him, viz. in fuffering with meeknefs and refig nation ; which indeed is the particular al luded to in the text. The Apoftle is en forcing the duty of bearing chaftifement patiently " when we do well, and fuffer for " it," frPm a confideration of its being the nature of our profeffion, which he proves from the fufferiiigs of it's grjeat author, and the example he afforded us in the things which he endured. " For even hereunto " were ye called, becaufe Chrift alfo fuf- " fered for us, leaving us ari example, that ' Matt. xix. 28. . " Rev. xiv. 4-. "he The Chriftian King. 1 3 " he fliould follow his fteps." The Chrif* disc tian profeflion therefore being a ftate of ^* fuffering in this life," and the patience of Chrift under all his fufferings defigned as a pattern to us under all ours, it follows, that every' Chriftian who fuffers patiently on this principle is conformed or made like unto Chrift in this refpeft, as our Lord fays all his difciples muft be — " Whofoever " will be' my difciple, let him deny him- " felf, and take up his crofs daily, and fol- ".I6w me °." And the Apoftle fpeaks of the fufferings, of himfelf and his fellow la bourers in this ' light, with a depth and energy of expreffion altogether inimitable — r " Always (fays he) bearing about in the " body, the dying, of the Lord Jefus, that " the life alfo of/Jefus might be made ma- " nifeft in ©ur/body^- For we which live " are always-delivered unto death for Jefus' " fake^ ' that the life alfo of Jefus might be ""ma'de manifeft in our mortal flefh"." It 'was therefore our martyr's duty, and his ", Lake Ijc. 23. • iQor. iv. 10. enemies 1 4 The Chriftian King. DISC, enemies took care he fhould not want art ^- ' opportunity of pradtifing it — it was, I fay, our martyr's duty to be like his Lord and mafter; and they who objeft to the truth of this are ignorant of their own duty, and of the Chriftian charafter, which is all a copying after the perfefl original of Chrifi, from the mortification of the ' old man cor rupt according to the deceitful lufts and paffions, which anfwers to his fufferings and crucifixion, to the entire renewal of the whole man in righteoufnefs and true holinefs, after his bleffed image, which an fwers to his refurreftion. Bat why fliould it be thought a thing incredible, that the charafter of a Chriftian king fhould bear a refemblance to Chrift fince his coming in the flefh, when we all know that the chara£lers of fome of the kings of Ifrael bore fo near a refemblance, ¦ that they had the honour to prefigure him before' his coming' ? In the Pfalms arfe de fcribed to us by the very fame words the fufferings of David, and thofe of the Son of David; Ths Chriftian Kitig. 1 5 David s the glory of Solomon, and that of disc the Prince of peace. If therefore many paf- ^^ fages allowed to be prophetically defcriptive of the Meffiah, were at firft fpoken of a tem poral prince, where can be the impropriety of applying them to another temporal prince, in the fame or like circumftances with him of whom they were originally uttered i" This confideration, it is humbly prefumed, fully juftifies the ufe which is made of fome texts of this fort in the hymn appointed to be ufed upon this day inftead of the venite ex- ultemus: fince, however, ftrongly character- iftical they are of our Lord, yet are they not fo abfolutely appropriated to him, but that they were once true, in the letter, of' a king of Ifrael; and therefore may with innocence and propriety be transferred from him to a king of England, who, had he too been a king of Ifrael in old timcj had been as eminent and diftinguifljed a fore runner of Chrift, as he was a follower of him. Nor let us wonder when we find the lives, and ' 16 The Chriftian King. DISC, and aft ions, and fufferings of all the faints I- from the beginning to the end of the world bearing fuch an analogy to thofe of Chrift, and of each other. For it cannot poffibly, in the nature of things, be otherwife ; feeing they all walk by the fame way to the fame end, snd it is one and the felf-fame Spirit that lives and rules in their hearts, forming and fafhion- Ing them to one and the fame model of de votion and piety, temperance and chaftity, hu mility and meeknefs, patience and refignatiPn, faith and charity, righteoufnefs and holinefs. And there is an analogy alfo, for the fame caufe, between the lives and aftigns of the children of difobedience in all ages and nations, as the fame fpirit vvorketh in them all, and the fame part is afted, be the aftor's name Cai^i, Korah, or Cromwell. All thefe things therefore duly weighed, viz. that Chrift was not only a facrifice for fin, but alfo an enfample of godly life; that his hfe was in the moft admirable manner calculated for the imitation of all ¦* mankind; Tlie Chriftian King, 17 mankind; that all are continually called to .disc an imitation of it, particularly in the article ' of fuffering patiently; that many kings, as well as priefts and prophets, of old had the honour to prefigure it, and, confequently, that kings in after ages may copy it ; and laftly, that all holy perfons muft of neceffity be like their mafter and each other, fbr the fame reafon that the children of difobedi ence are fo; we may now proceed, it is hopedj without offence, to take a view of the bleffed martyr, as a follower of his Lord, or, in other words, as a true difciple of the holy Jefus ; as living the life and dying the death of a christian king. And indeed, when we behold that con- ftellation of graces both adtive and pafllve which flione forth in the charadler of this excellent prince, we fliould be at a lofs. where to begin, but that he himfelf has left us a diredtion, in that advice to his fon,. drawft from his own pradtice — " With " God I would have you begin, and end ^" ' Eikott, fea. 27. c In 18 . The Ckr^ian King. disc In all things^ at all times, and allfeafons^ ^' his rule was, to " feek firft the kingdom of " God, and his righteoufnefs." Religion, had taken poffeffion of his heart, and im pregnated with it's benign and' falutary influences all the ftreams that proceeded from that fountain of life. Piety, too ge nerally banifhed from among the attendants upon princes, as fit only for the cell, and the cloyfter, was fliewn to be not incompa- '-• tible with the pleafures of a court, and the cares of a crown ; but feemed then to be in its proper province, when employed in moderating the former by it's wholefome difcipline, and, alleviating the latter by it's celeftial comforts.. Certain it is, that nei ther the one nor the other could hinder the king from " kneeling upon his kiiees," like the great beloved Daniel in the court of Babylon, at the appointed feafons, '" and " praying and giving thanks before his " God ^ }" nor could any meffage, however afflidtive and alarming, engage his attention for a fingle moment, till that bleffed work ' Dan. vi. lo. > was The Chriftian King. 19 was finiflied. His foul, like the royal bird, disc. bome upwards on • the flirong and well- ^' poifed pinions of a devotion as manly as it was ardent, arwd having the eyes oi her faith fixed on the glories of the fun of righteoufnefs, left the world and ±\\ things in it behind her, till her return. What a noble fight is Chriftianity feated upon a throne ! From fuch an eminence how does tlie fair light of a good example, diffufe itfelf far and wide through all the regions of the furrounding darknefs, to vvarm the frozen fons of ignorance and indevotion ? And how will fuch an example of a prince incumbered with the concerns of a whole kingdom, and yet findmg time for a con ftant attendance on, all his religious exercifes and fuffering nothing to interrupt him in them — how will it in the day of judgment condemn a carelefs, ungodly fort of people, who ftegledl the fervice of God when they have any thing elfe to do, and — when they have nothing elfe to do ! He who is accuftomed to , the fpiritual .c 2 delights 20 The Chriftian King. Disc, delights of prayer, the joys , of tha'nkfgiving./ ^' and the felicities of a good confcience, foori comes, in the fame degree as he relifhea them, to loath the finful pleafures of fenfu- ality. We are the lefs furprifed therefore^ after beholding the unfeigned piety* of this prince, to find him" living amidft all the temptations of fenfe heightened and fet off to the' utmoft, with the ftridl temperance of an afcetic, and holding forth to all ages and generations a rare example of purity and conjugal' fidelity ; his very thoughts being fo entirely brought into fubjedlipn to the Fulirig principle within him, that they were not fuffered to wander beyond the divinely appointed limits, to ftrange and forbidden objedts '. And with regard to the irafcible . paffions, his foul partook of the nature of thofe fuperior regions whither flic fo . often refprted, where the ftorms_ and tempefts that difturb the peace of this lower world are not known, and no fpirit is ftirring but that of univejfal love. If we trace this love in it's emanations ' Princefs Elizabeth's relation fubjoined to the Eikm. to The Chriftian King, 21 to all about him, what muft we think of disc that meeting of the king' arid his royal ^* ofepring after fonre years abfence, the fight of which moved the heart of Cromwell himfelf to compaffionate and applaud the unfortunate monarch, whofe blood he thirfted after, and with which , he was fhortly to fatiate himfelf In what abun dance the fame benignity ftreamed forth towards his faithful fervants we may judge by this remarkable circumftance, that when fome of them appeai'ed in his prefence with the ufual tokens of forrow for their relations lately flain in his fervice, ." he paid his " friends '(fay one of the hiftorians) a "tribute which none of his own unparal- " leled misfortunes ever extorted from "him — he diffolved into a flood of tears'." And when we confider what fort of enemies he had, and yet how mild and gracious he fhewed himfelf in all his dealings with thein, which they took care to repay as fuch men always do, we cannot but be much furprifed to fee, in one of the lateft ^ Hume, p. 457 C 3 dif- I. 22 Tlie Chriftian King. DISC difcourfes publifhed upon this oecaliori, tb^ epithet of unforgiving ' .applied to him, .and find ourfelves in' a manner irrefiftibly com pelled to fuppofe it 9,n error. of the prefs. For, furely, none of his fubjedlsj how ever -diftant from his perfon, were out qf the fphere of his affedtion. He loved them all: his care for their bodies were exceeded only by his concern for their fouls : and efteeming the church of England their beft and fafeft guide through all the ' difficulties and. dangers of this world to the glories of the next, he therefore loved her with an exceeding great and tender love. But here his own words— r—" God's glory and " the church's gopd I think myfelf fo much " the more bound in confcience to attend " with the moft j.udicious zeal and care, by " haw much I efteem the church above "the ftate, the glory of Chrift above mine "own, and the falvation of men's fouls ¦ The Lord Bifhopof Clloucefteir's Sermon preached be fore the Right Honourable the Hoi^fe of Lord.s, Jan. 30, neO, p. 12. ** above The Chriftian King. 23 " above the prefervation of their bodies and disc. "eftates"." This moft Chriftian king ^• ^garded the Church as the fpoufe of Chrift, fer whom he difdained not to fhed his moft precious blood, and the church of England as that portion of this church of which himfelf was appointed the guardian and protedlor. It was not through church bigotry or pious .prejudice that he was firmly attached to her conftitution, but from a ^W and thorough convidtion of it's redlitude arid conformity to the apoftolical model, as '5 keeping the middle way (I ufe his own " I words) between the pomp of fuperftitious " tyranhy, and the meannefs of fantaftic " anarchy ." The fortner of thefe, decked in gorgeous array, had fpread forth ^11 her charms to allure him when abroad in the early days of yoqdi ; the latter endeavoured to difpute and terrify bim into a cpm- ^iance, while he was a prifoner in his own kingdom. But both attempts were alike fcuitlefs and impoterit. H? returned from " £/'fo», fed. 13. "Eikm, feft. 27. e 4 Spain, 24 The Chriftian King. DISC. Spain, confirmed in his gopd opiiiion of the ^' Engliffi church, by, having viewed the cor ruptions of the. Roman (an effeA which is not always feen in thofe who go to view them) ; ^and vanquifhed the mighty cham pion, of prejbytery in the day of his afflidlion,. and in the land of his captivity; as the ftin extant ¦ papers relating that conteft abundantly teftify. Not to mention .that in the treaty of Newport, during the tranf adtions of two months, in ¦ which rehgion bore fo krge a ffiare, he alone, now grown gray, more in forrows than years, " fuftained " the argument againft fifteen men of the " greatlft ' parts and capacities of both " houfes, and no advantage was ever ob- '* tained over him," but all ftood ainazed, we are told 'by one of his lateft hiftorians, at " his quick conception; cultivated un- " derftariding, ehafte elocution, and digni*, "fied manner"." How greatly is it to be lamented, that .a prince thus qualified to adorn the church by his hfe, and defend ' * |iume/ p. 451. her The Chriftian King. 25 her by his writii\gs, ffiould find himfelf disc. difabled by his own fubjedls from teftifying ^• his love in any other way than by dying for her ! If any thing could be fancied to exceed this their enormity, it muft be a fupppfition (were fuch a fuppofition poffi ble) that this noble attachment to the church fliould be fneered a^ by a churchman of that high ^ order for whofe prefervation he refifted even unto blood. , -r With regard to the tranfadlions of /ftate, a preacher muft not commence hiftorian, or politician. Suffice it therefore to recom mend to. your candid and imparti«(f confi deration the following matters pf fadt; that England never was a more happy and flourifhing kingdom, than in the former part of this monarch's reign ^ ; that orie of the, moft furious of the republican party faid after his death, that — " If they defired " ^ : king, the laft was as proper as any "gentleman in England"^:" that he was ' Clarendon, Carte, Hume, artd the hiftories in genefal. ' Hume, p. 4.7 1 ." libelled 26 The Chriftian Ki7ig. DISC, libelled before he Was f:rowned »; that th« ^' firft parliainent he called refufed him the fupplies requifite for the carrying on a war entei-ed into by his father at their im portunate folicitation, and thereby diftreffed him to the iltmoft'': that the ancient laws of the kiftgdom, as well as the preeedefnts of his predeceffors, fet the prerogative of the crown much higher than we are now taught to conceive of it, and feemed to warrant him in the meafures he was ne ceffitated to takP for the procuring a fupply " ; that it is by no means fair - to form a judgment of pradlices in one age by principles which happened to prevail in another; -that the king- however, quitted all his claims which had been charged with illegality, and paffed more adls of gradfe' than ever were paffe'd in one reign, not only repairing the breaches he was fup pofed tohave made in the conftitution, but eredting new ramparts for it's future ftcu- * Carte, p. 135. ¦¦ Carte, p. 140; Hume, p. 144 ' Hume, naflim. Hume, paffim. rity,; The Chriftian King. 27 rity; that bis adverfaries made no other ufe disc of , his conceffions but to rife in their de- ^• maods, till a,t length, the proper feafon for it being arrived, they .fpoke , out, and re fufed to be content with any thing lefs than the abolition of epifcopacy, and to have the power of the militia vefted in their hands; that they feized bis majefly's forts and gaarrifons, his fleet and army; that the king's total unpreparednefs for war ffipwed how little he intended it ^ ^ that he fent to the two houfes, at different . times, before as lyell as ^fter his imprifonment, forty mef fages fbr peacfr'^: and in order to the obtaining^.it made more conceffions than he could juflify, and fuch as he afterwards be wailed with the forrows of, a moft fincere ^od bitte^ repentance ^ ; and laftly, that, to prove himfelf to have been by no means the aujhor of that defolating war, he appealed, upon the fcaffold, to the refpedt' ive dates ofhis own and the parliamentary '.''¦ i Eihn,ka. 19. ' Printed in the Reliquiae Carolina. ' See his prayer and cOnfeiFion fubjoined to the Eikon. com miffions 28 The Chriftian King. DISC commiffions for levying .troops «. Who- ^- -ever ffiafl reflea upon ah thefe particulars, will find himfelf obliged - to draw froni thence two conclufions ; firft, that the kirig was perfedtly innocent- of the war, and all it's difmal confequences: fecondly, that the leaders of the fadion had formed a plan, which they were determined not to reft till they had carried into execution, for the total overthrow of the conftitution. in church and ftate, and the introdiidtion of a preffiyterian republic in it's room; for the effedling which they were always bpPn the watch, ready to make their advantage with the people prepared for their purpofe by feditious pamphlets and enthufiaftic ' fer- moris, of every hafty and precipitate, mea fure into which they coi^ld trepan or fofte their fovereign. Such appears plainly and undeniably to have been the feheme pro jedted and invariably purfued by the heads of that party which was formed by what has been lately called a • coahtion of / ; ? See his laft fpeech as given by the hiftorians. ' PATRIOTS The Chriftian King, 29 patriots and' puritans, but what may, disc perhaps, be more properly ftyled a combi- ^* nation of rebels and schismatics, or n y rather, of rebellious ^schismatics, both principles being duly mixed and thoroughly incorporated into the conftitutions of the parhamentary leaders \ " And if" (fays a very acute and fagacieus writer, and one who is far from being a friend to monar chical principles, upon an ample furvey of the tranfadlions of thofe- times, and the cir cumftances the king was in) " if his poli- " tical prudence was infufficient to extri- " eate him from fo perilous a fituation, he " may be excufed ; fince, even after the " event, when it is commonly eafy to cor- " redl all errors, one is at a lofs to deter- " mine what condudly in his circumftances, " could have maintained the authority of " the crown, and preferved the peace of *? the natiori. Expofed to the affaults or " furious, implacable, and bigoted fadtions, " it was never permitted him, without the ^ See Hume, p. 146. " moft so The Chrijtian King. DISC " moft fatal confequences, to commit the ^- " fmalleft miftake ; a condition too rigorous " to be impofed on the greateft human " capacity '." In a word then we may conclude, that had this prince lived in better times, and reignedi over a people uninfedled with the, infinuating, inflating, and louring leaven of fanaticifm, he had been the delight of mankind, and his king dom the joy pf the whole earth. But fo had God ordained, that he was to be eminent in another way, and to be " made perfedl through fufferings," like ' his bleffed mafter, of whofe paffion and behaviour under it he certainly held forth the moft lively portraiture that ever was drawn in the fainter colours of mere hu manity. Therefore it pleafed the Almighty to caft this choice and moft precious piece of royal gold into the burning fiery furnace of adverfity, where he is univerfally allowed to have ffione to the laft with unrivalled and undiriiiniffied luffre. The fame divine ' Humcj p. 469. perfon. The Chriftian King, 31 perfon, who came, down to the three chil- disc. drett in the Babylonian furnace, evidenced ^• his prefence with this his faithful fervant in all his afflidlions, by that uniform equa nimity, that abfolute refignation, that in vincible patience, that winning meeknefs of love, by which he is faid to have gained as many hearts as he converfed with perfons. Men thought they could never fufficiently, admire the unaffedled eafe and cheerfulnefs Vvith whieh he defcended from his regal dignities, and paffed through all the various fcenes of his pitiable calamities, the heavieft ef which feem never to have excited any emotion in his mind, but that of compaffion for his infatuated perfecutors. It was ob ferved particularly by his curious and prying 'attendants, that the .-letter which brought him the firft news of his being fold by the Scotch to his implkcable enemies in England, produced not the leaft alteration in his countenance"'; being " only forry (as him- " felf expreffes it) that they ffiould do it, " and that his price ffiould be fo much * Hume, {>. 422. 1 ** above 32 The Chriftian King. DISC "ab6ve his Saviour's'" Confined to the ^- frightful folitude of a prifori, from which, fo great was his fenfe of honour and pro bity, he wonld not efcape when it was iri- his power, becaufe he had given his word to the parliament, although he knew certain death was the confequence — con fined,. I fay, to the frightful folitucle of a prifon, and cut off from all intercourfe with earth, being denied the attendance of his 'very chaplains to. minifter to him iri his fpiritual neceffities, he kept the communi cation with heaven ftill open, and from thence received fupplies the more abundant for his exclufion from the ordinary means of grace. - Here he experienced the benefit of having been converfant in the Scripturea in the days of vigour and profperity, when be walked in the garden df God, and. from the divine precepts and promifes, which are tbe flowers -of that garden, extradled thofe leffons of eternal wifdom, which proved his fuppprt and confolation when the dark and ftormy winter of adverfity fet ' 'Mon, feet. 23. in The Chr^ian King. S3 ra upon him; and which., will ever eon- disc. tinue to afford both inftrudtion and com- ^• fort to the affliaed foul that ffiall mak6 her abode in his inimitable .meditations—; a book inferior only, to the facred writings, ;^Sid which it were much to be .wifhed were the companion of every fon ?.3tid daughter of the church of England - A writer, who cannot be fufpedted of any partiality on the fide of the king's religion, yet fpeaking pf his amiable deportment during his imprifonment, bears this tefti mony fo it's power in him — " The ¦ great *' fourpe, whence the king derived confo- *^ lation amidft all his calamities, was un- ** doubtedly religion ;" let us be permitted to add, it was the Chriftian' religipn, as pro feffed in the Church of England ; *' a prin- *• ciple, which, in him, feems to have con- " tained nothing fierce nor gloomy, nothing *' which enraged him againft his adverfaries, ** pr terrified him with the difmal profpedt '* of futurity. While every thing around *• him bore a hoftile afpedl ; while friends, " faraily, relations, whom he paflionately D " loved. 34 • The Chriftian King. DISC " loved, were placed at a diftance, and im- ^' " potent to ferve him ; he repofed himfelf ** with confidence in the arms of that Be- " ing, who penetrates and fuftains all nature," let us add, who likewife in Jefus Chrift re deemed the world, " and whofe feverities, " if received with piety and refignation, he " regarded as the fureft pledge of unexhaufted " favour"."l!bus prepared, he had nothing to. do, but to w:ait with patience and obey with joy the divine fummons to quit the wilder nefs, and pafs over lordan into that good land, to tho{e[ everlafting hills, the profpedl of which had long been the folace and delight of his foul " in the houfe of her " Pi^gririiage." During the folemn mock ery pf his. unheard , of trial, the audacious. infolence, of his pretended judges, the bar-., barous. arid. brutal infults, the, revilings an^, the fpittings of the mercilefs foldiers, "his " foul (as the aforementioned writer beau- " Hume, p. 446. •^ tifully and that "having pati ently and cheerfully endured our appointed portion of forrow in this miferable wprld, and ferit. forth our lateft breath in expreffions of faith and .charity, we may be nMrnierec/, . as he is, " with the children.of Gpd, and our lot b.et " araong the faints.^' DISCOURSE II. JWERCY TO THOSE WHO ARE OF TH^E HlOUSHOLD OF FAITH RECOMMENDEH AND ENFORCED. LAMENTATIONS V. 3. We are orphans and fatherlcfs, our mothers are as widows. nPHE holy Jefus, who came forth from disc - the bofom of his Father to teach us ^^• the way of falvation, was himfelf pleafed to go before us in that way. Heavenly was the knowledge in which he inftrudted us, while in his bleffed example we behold every jot and tittle of it realifed aYid con- fummated in perfedl charity. To convince us that the only ufe of learning is to make men good, and that every article of faith ought to terminate in a duty, the fame divine perfon, who appeared as the well- fpring of uncreated wifdom, manifefted D 4 himfelf 40 Mercy to thofe who are of the Houfhold DISC himfelf to be the fountain of eveflafting *^" love. " Never .man fpake like this man," and never man acted like this man. His dodtrine was that God loved the world; as a comment thereon, he gave himfelf for uss and therefore laid it down as an axiom in the evan^gelical philofophy, that " it is, more " bleffed to give than to receive \" Ashe came into the world to proclaim and to fhew mercy, fo his law was the law of kind nefs, and his religion the religion of love. "Vfhat pleafure then muft this day afford to every intelligent mind, with what joy muft it fill every Chriftian heart, when our eyes are bleffed with the fight of fo illuA trious an affembly of perfons, bent upon convincing the world of the relation they bear to the Redeemer, by fdbmittin» ia that left which himfelf hath appointed^^ " By this ffiall all men knovr ' that ye are " my difciples, if ye hive love orie td « another \" And as your very attendance 'A&s XX. zs. , » John xiii. 35. upon of Faith recommended and enforced. 41 Upon this occafion is ^ piroof that much of disc. the tafk devolved upon the pteacher is already /^* done to his hand, by the preparation and dif- .pofition of your hearts towards the good work which it is his province to recommend to yoii j lb he cannot but feel great comfort and en couragement in the refledtion, that his fub- jedl is one which needeth not the fkill of the orator and rhetprician to amplify and adorn it. It requireth only to be fet forth in its native and artlefs drefs: — " We are or- " phans and fatherlcfs, our mothers are as wi- " dows." The ftate here defcribed is one fo full of diftrefs and fo void of comfort, that we cannot be furprifed at the effedt naturally produced in the iriinds oi the cdinpaffioriate by the words which defcribe if. The eye of Hfeaven feemeth tO' drop a tear bf pity over perfons in this condition : ,the Almighty fifequently acknowledgeth himfelf to be as it were overcome by their cries, and ne ceffitated to take them under his immediate patronage and protedtion. The fame God \ who. 42 Mercy to thofe. mho are of the Houfhold DISC who, in one verfe of the Ixviii th Pfalm, is "• defcribed as , glorioufly "riding upon the "heavens," appeareth in the very- next verfe, as " a father of the fatherlcfs, and " a judge ofthe widows-." " For as his " majefty is, fo is his mercy ^" '" Great is " our Lord, and great is his power, yea " and his wifdom is infinite "=." But the chorus in which finners moft chiefly delight to join is this : " His mercy endureth for *' ever':" that mercy which employed his infinite wifdom to contrive, and his great power to execute the plan of our redemption ; that mercy which relieved the miferable, and thereby laid an obligation upon all men ta'do likewife. The poor afflidled orphan, thrown uJ)ori the wide wprld, there to wander without houfe or home, in hunger and thiift, in cold and nakednefs, in pain and fickriefs; craving of thofe, who pafs by the way ' Pfal. Ixviii. 4, 5. '' Ecclus.ii. 18^ • Pfal. cxlvii. 5 . ' Pfal. cxxxvi. regardlefs of Faith recommended and enf orced. . 43 regardlefs of his complaints, and not at disc. leifure to be troubled with his pitiable ^^' fiory, one morfel of bread for the love of Jefus — what is he but a pidlure of fallen inan, caft out of Paradife, and dooraed to wander a ftranger and a fojourner upon the earth; hungering and thirfting after fome thing .that might fatisfy his empty foul ; inceffantly beat upon by cares and forrpws, imploring, for the love, of the fame Jefus, his daily bread ; intreating forgivenefs of his fins, and deliverance from , evil. But, th^iiks , be to God, the, importunity of a peti tioner is never complained of by him with whom we hl^e to do. No angry frown bids the fihner be "gone from the gate of heaven. There let him relate, at length, the ftory. pf his woes. It is as mufic to him who firft *' prepareth. the heart" of the penitent for prayer, and then " bis ear hearkeneth "; thereto."The church, confidered' in that ftate in which ffie was left by the fall and death of ' the firft Adam, is frequently repreferited in Scripture 44" Meray to thofb who are of the Houfhold disc Scripture as a widow furrOunded by fa*. *^' tberlefs children. And to her is applicabk tbat apoftolical defcrifAidn, " She that is a " widow indeed, and defolate, trufteth in " G(&dj and dontinu(3th in fupplications, and *• prayers night and day^" In this con dition the: fecond Adam, the Lord fi-om He&teri, faw her, and had CPmpaffioft ort her : He exhorted he^ to refrain her voice fi-om weeping 5 and ber eyes from tears i He " called her as a Woman 'forfaken and " grieved iri fpirit, to remember the re- " ptoach of her wid^otvbood no more '';'* She becarae the fpoufe of the King of .Heaven, and all her thild^Sft-iwefe made the fons of God. In him " tbe fathferleft " fburid mercy'," and he caufed this *• widPv<^'d heart to fing for joy''" ever*- lafting hallelnjahs to her benefadtor and Saviour, her Lord and her God.- The perfons therefore for whom I am this day an advocate, though unworthy, have a » i Tim. V. 5. * Ifaiah Htflefliii;^': Perfisrw .of; the beft" faHiifies in ftie^ itotiori' ihaveonofci.'dBfdainedllo.)^t: ithe btfead of the chQrdi,^' but halve efteemed it an' hbftour to fei*ve ' at '^thi ^*altars of their * 1 Saipuelxjjv. 11. God. 46 Merdy to thofe wkd' are of the Houfliold Disc. God. The clergy are no otherwife divided ^^- fi-om the laity, than as' they are taken out -'¦ ofthem, to be placed in' a nearer relation, by their office,- to the commori Saviour of all. A circumftance, which, inftead of eftrangingi cannot but infinitely endear them to all who love 'the Lord Jefus Chrift in fin- eerity. *' The Redeemef'is indeed no Ipnger^ lipbft earth in" perfon, to receive' good at ''the hands ''ctf men,. aS once in the 'highly'Ta^ voured land ¦ of Judea;- when hungry 'and thirfty with; long fafting, {vveary with jour neying from pladfe to place, and well iligK exhaufted with lAs labours for the fab4l^oii of the world, he vouchfaJfed to eat bread Jtfl the tables' of finners, ^ and , afked watetiDto drink of the woman ofi Samaria. Biit, ffeys good King David, " is ^there ydt any. .that " is ileftc of ; the ' houfe, : of Saul,. ; fjbAt I " may fhewjhim; kindnefs 'for Jonathan's " fake ^ ?" -'Are f theje vnpne left ,, of r{ the ¦ * " 2 Samuel ix. 1. hpufe of Faith recommended and enforced. 47 boufp of God, that we may fhew them pisc. kjndfefs for, Jefus' Take? Although Chrift "• be in heaven, hath he no . connedtions upon earth; no poor relations; left behin4 in the world ? The prefect affembly is a proof .that he ;.hath. All the kind expreffions, relative to the fons and daughters of afflidlion, who are ftyled flriends and rela tions, nay members of the body of our Lord, are more emphatically applicable to the objets of your • prefent attention, the ,widows and orphans of his . indigent Mi- nifters. He who inftrudleth thefe ignorant ones, may be faid with: Jofeph; and ^ Mary to educate the child Jefus. He who .giyeth food and raiment ta, thefe , needy ones, with Martha and Mary, ireceiveth and entertaineth Jefus. And he who comforteth thefe afflidled, refrefheth the bowels of Jefus. By fuch offices of. love performed to your brethren and the brethren of the Lord, ye do fhew forth a reraembrance,- of him " who tbpngh he " was rich, yet for your fakes he became "poor, that ye througb his poverty might "be 48 Mercy to thofe'who are of the Houfhold Disc, "be rich"." What he faid in the charac- II. ter ofthe good Samaritan to the hoft in whofe hands he left the wounded traveller, he faith now to you — ** Take care of them, and ** whatfoever ye fpend, when I come 'again, ^* I will repay you-." For he that hath " pity upon thefe poor, without all doubt ** lendeth unto the Lord; and look what " he layeth out, fhall infallibly be paid him *' again p." And, whereas men are wont to glory in the multitude of their debtors, it is obfervable that Chrift rejoiceth in the mul titude of his creditors, and loveth thofe befl to whom he oweth moft. The clergy, there fore might intreat for your friendly aid in the day of trouble, for the fake pf their Mafter, had they no fervices of their own to plead. But may I not be allowed to fay, they have; or will it be taken araifs, , if I affirm them to have beein your friends and bene- fadlors — friends and behefaftbrs to all " 2 Gor, vin. 9. • I -uke x. 35. 'i»rov. xix.' If. mankind? of Faith recommended and enforced 49 mankind? The fons of Levi blew the disc fdver trurapets, and caufed a joyful noife ^^¦ to be heard. Through their preaching, the word 'of falvation founded forth, arid glad tidings came to the inhabitants of the world, ^'hp can exprefs the labours and the fufferings undergone by the twelve illuftrious leaders of the Chriftian armies, and their immediate followers, when, marching into the field of battle under the flandard of the crofs, they overthrew the ^ ftrong holds of Paganifm, and effedted the converfion of the Roman' empire ? Nor hath the faith thus planted at the beginning been under God fupported and defended in all ages fince, but by the inceffant toils of thofe who from time to time have been called to the exercife of the minifterial ' office. The fun at his rifing hath often found them intent upon their ftudies for the edification" of their people; and the moon and the ftars in their courfes by night have been witneffes of th,e fervent prayers put up to the throne of grace, that their inftrlidtions might have the defired effedl, ' E and 50 Mercy to thofe who are of the Houfliold DISC, and the work of their -hands be profpered ^^' upon them. Millions of fouls, who, by. the pious fermons, the holy , writings; the fea- fonable reproofs, and the kind exhortations of their fpiritual guides, were reclaimed ' 'from the error of their ways, and led iri paths of righteoufri'efs to the marifions of glory, are now employed in making thofe manfions to refound with the praifes of their great Creator and Redeemer, who' inftituted fuch an order of men, and wrought his wonders of mey:y by them. And fince there was a Judas among the twelve Apoftles, -whofe treafon was never accounted any impeachment of the loyalty of the other eleven ; nay, fince there was a Lucifer even among the angels in heaven, whofe fall could never be fuppofed to fully the brightnefs of them that ftood; let not the failings of fome be imputed to a whole body of men, who have fo evidently been' the inftruments, in the hands of a gracious God, of -^bringing many fons to glory. But the benefadtions of the clergy have been by no means confined to the church 1 and II. of Faith recommended and enf orced. - 31 and to^the-Touls of men. They haye disc formerly, with fidelity to their Sovereign, emolument to the pubhc, and honour to themfelves, difcharged the moft important trufts of the ftate. And the colleges, the hofpitals; and the alms-houfes by them founded and endowed, with their unnum bered private charities, do abundantly teftify them not unmindful (when they had where withal) to relieve their poor brethren of the laity ; whofe kind'help and affiftance their af flidled widows and orphans humbly hope they may now, in their turn, without offence, folicit and implore. But the cafe of the reformed clergy of the church of England merits a more par ticular confideration. For certainly, if to reinjlate the Scriptures in their rightful throne, and to place the pure light of evan gelical truth upon the holy candleftick; if to clear the faith from the corrupt .tradi-- tions of men, and.to reduce pradtice from fpending itfelf in idle fopperies and unpro fitable pilgrimages to wOrks of piety and E 2 charity j 52 Mercy to.thofe who are of the Houfhold disc charity; if to free devotion from ignorance; ^^' fuperftition, and idolatry, and to render it intelligible, rational, and acceptable to God; if to give to faints the honour due untp th^m, without robbing the mafter to adorn the fervant ; if to pull down the ufurpations of human pride and policy, and to exalt the holy Jefus, as head of his church, and juftifier of his people ; if to reftore , to the King his fubjedls and fovereignty, to the laity that cup which is the communion of the blood of Chrift, and to all the due and, proper ufe of reafon enlightened by reve lation in matters of religion; and laftly, if. to free the nation from the exorbitant im- pofitions of the court of Rome ; if there be any merit in all this, the clergy cannot, be without' their fhare of it, who preached , and wrote, and fuffered, in the caufe of the reformation. And in one refpedt, ' through an original negledt at that time, they have fuffered ever fince. The tythes of many livings had been feized by the Pope; and appropriated to the maintenance of his creatures in the monafteries, while the of Faiih recommended and enforced. 53 the perfon officiating was forced to take up disc with the fcanty pittance which they thought ^ ' proper to allow him. Upon the diffolution of the monafteries, thofe tythes, inftead of reverting to the parochial priefts, whofe they were by all the laws of God and man, became a prey to the rapacious courtierr of JCing Henry VIII. and King Edward„ So that the clergy of the Church of Eng land obtained indeed at the Reformation the liberty of increafing their families, but were unhappily deprived of the allowance neceffary to maintain them. ' A clergyman, after having fpent a little fortune in his education, by the unwearied exertion of all the intereil he is able to make, is at length fo fuccefsful, as to be prefented^ to one of thefe impoverifhed vicarages. Perhaps (as is frequently the cafe) his lot falls in a market-town, where his cure is large, and his income fcarce equal to the annual ac- quifitions of half the tradefmen in it. By canons and ftatutes he is reftrained from ' improving his revenue by any fecular occu pation, but yet by the laws fubjedl to a ihare E 3 of 54 Mercy to thofe who are ofthe Houjhold DISC of the fecular burthensr His dues, triffing ^^' as they are, will be detained, if he doth not fometimes profecute for them ; and if he doth,, he will be vihfied and abufed; , he will be in danger of lofing his influence, perhaps of .being ruined by the fuit. In thefe circumftances he is to bring up a family, to fupport the dignity of his cha radler, -and it will ever be expedted of him, that he fhould fet an . example to his pa- rifhioners of hofpitality and i charity. Who ever fhall confider what multitudes, pf thofe who enter into holy orders have nothing better, if any thing fo good .^ as this to ex pedt, , will efteem it a fingular providence that the daily facrifice hath not ceafed from amongft us, for want . of officiating mi- nifters. A defire pf doing good feemeth to be the only motive left to induce num bers, deftitute of views and interefts, tp commence preachers of tbe gofpel ; fince the man would, fcarcely ftand clear of an abfurdlty who fliould now make that wretched requeft, which it was prophefied that the pofterity, pf E,fi fhould make, as a punifliment of Faith recommended and enforced. 55 punifliraent forthe fins pf their anceftors: disc "Put me, I pray , thee, into one of the ^^' 'fprieft's offices,: tbat I may eat a piece of ".¦bread''!" Here then we are at the fource of thofe miferies, which it is the pipus defign of this "day'st; affembly to alleviate. They who preach the gofpef are pot fuffered. to live pf the gofpel : and, -by the ; alienation of the- tythe? from the fivings, the cafe of the parochial > clergy, in England is; in real ity harder thari , that; of the mi"ift^^s of any church in the world, npt under perfecution. Tberefore is there a voiee fo often heard t. ¦ . ' ' , ^ ... in Ramah, lamentation,, and ^ weeping, and great mourning ; the voice of fome one or pther of " the wives of the fons of the "prophets, faying, ,Thy fervant my huf- *' -band is dead, and „thou knpweft that thy " fervant did fear the Lord, ..and the cre- *' di|:pr is c<^e to take urito him my two "ffons to be bondmen." The good man, worn out with ftudy and labour for the '' 1 Sam. ii. 36.. ' 2 Kings, iv. 1, 2. benefit 56 Mercy to thofe who are of the Houfhold Disc, benefit of others, is hardly gone to repofe ^^* in the duft, but his widow is driven from her home, endeared with all its inconveni-' ences by cuftom, and much more fo by the fad confideration, that fhe hath not now where to lay her head, or wherewithal to fatisfy her orphans; while " the tongue " of the fucking child cleaveth to the " roof of its mouth for thirft ; the young " children afk for bread, and no man "breaketh it unto them'." In this fitua tion, fhe cannot but call to mirid thofe, better times, thofe days of plenty , and profperity, which fhe once knew in her father's houfe, ere fhe had given her hand to the objedt of her efteem and affedtions; who yet ftandeth chargeable with np crime ' but this, that, being feparated to the fer vice of God, he was of a profeffion which ^ " r 1 never put it intp Jiis power to provide for, her fupport. — O come that bleffed day when thofe widow's tears fhall be wiped for ever from their eyes, and the reproach • Lam. iv. 4. of of Faith recommended and enforced. 57 of the married clergy be effedtually taken disc. off; when the land fliall be cleared of ^^• thefe pernicious remnants of popery (for fuch they are), and the reforraation be carried to its full perfedtion ! — Mean while the wretched orphan -aflcs only to be preferved alive, and made an ufeful mera ber of fociety ; and daily bread is the hurable requeft of the defolate ; widow, whofe hufband hath fo often reached forth the bread of eternal life to the hungry foul : and fince yours, my brethren of the laity, ' , fince yours hath been the harveft of the Reformation, ' at leaft " let her glean " among the fheaves, and reproach her ' " not : And let fall alfo fome of the hand- " fuls on . purpofe for her, an^ leave them, " that fhe may glean them, dnd rebuke her " not ' :" reraembering that which is written in the law of Mofes-—" When thou cuttefl " down thine harveft in thy field, and " haft forgot a fheaf in the field; thou " fhalt not go again to fetch it: It fliall • Ruth ii. 15. ¦ "be 58 Mercy to thofe Who are of ihe Houfhold DISC " be for fhe fatherlefs and for the widow, that ^^- " the Lord thy God may blfefs thee infaU the " work of thine hands "." -'And all the bleffmgs tif eternity reft on thd heads of thofe : who hiave . . fucCeffively contributed to- the' fupport of this corpora tion, which was eredted by King Charies II. and hath ilnce been honoured: by, repeated. inftaiices of royal munificence : to ' vvhich if we add the bounty of the excellent Queen 'Anne, ¦whofe piety towards the ¦ clergy will be had in everlafting remem brance, -and their' children's children call her bleffed, for her endeavours, by giving the- tenths and firft ,' fruits for the augmen tation of poor livings yearly, to cut.,:, off, in ipart, the fource of their diftrefs, it jriay indeed be _affirmed, and we may "and do tell ; it out with joy and gratitude, .that " Kings ha,ve . beten our nurfing fathers, and " Queens our, nurfing mothers." ' Nor hath this voluntary,' engagement, entered into, by • Peftt, jfxiv, 19, the of Faith recommended and enforced. 59 the fons of the clergy for the relief of their disc. ppor brothers and fifters, wanted the affift- ^'• ance either of perfons of quality and fortune among the laity, pr of many illuftrious and venerable Prelates, who ,by cliarity , preferable in the judgment of the Apoftle to the power of working miracles, bave prevented the poor widow's barrel of meal from wafting, and her crufe of oil frora failing. By thefe. bleffed inftruments of his providence and love doth the Almighty addrefs the foreboding and defporiding foul of every dying fervant of his, in the : words of that gi-acious. and comfortable promife : "Leave thy fatherlefs children, I will~ " preferve , them alive, and let thy widow " truft in rae ." Happy therefore are all they, -who have It this day. in their power to imitate the loving-kindnefs of their heavenly Fa,ther, arid, to copy after the exaraple of the holy Jefus, while they fhow their gratitude for * Jer. xli:?, 11, ' the 60 Mercy to thofe who are of the Houfhold DISC the benefits received from him at the hands ^¦^' of his minifters, by contribu,ting to relieve ~~' the deftreffes of their impoveriflied farailies, Riches thus expended are returned with increafe into the boforas oft fhe generous; for " the liberal foul fhall be made fat, " and he who Watereth fhall be watered alfo " himfelf''." Alms given through ¦ faith procure " deliverance in the time of trou- '' ble "¦ ;" they " fight for us againft our " enemies, better than a mighty fhield and " ftrong fpear » ;" they afcend up for " ' a "memorial before God\" and bring dovvn the benedidtions of heaven upon us ; they fandtify to us the whole creation" in the days of health; they comfort us, when we moft need comfort, on the bed of fick nefs"'; and they folloio us whither our eftates and poffeflions cannot'. *' He who " receiveth a prophet in the name of a pr&- " phet," and " who giveth to thefe httle " ones but a cup of cold water, becaufe " Prov. xi, 25. • Pfalm xli. 1, • Ecclus. xxix. 13. Aftsx. 4. 'Lukexi. 41. •* Pfalm xli. 3. B.ev. xiv. 13. "they of Faith recommended and enforced. 61 " they belong to Chrift, fhall in no wife disc "lofe his reward f" in that day, when the ^'• *' merciful fhall obtain mercy ^ ;" when, he who hath not turned away his face from the poor fhall not behold the face of the Lord turned away from him "¦ ; when the widow and the fatherlefs fliafl be the ableft advo cates, and plead with irrefiftible eloquence in behalf of their kind benefadtors, whofe liberality faved them from want and de- ftruftion. For lo ! an awful filence, and all the attention of heaven and earth en gaged, while ffom the throne of judgment' proceed thefe gracious words addreffed to the raerciful — " I was an hungry, and ye *' gaive me meat ; I was thirfty, and ye " gave me drink ; I w-as naked, and ye " clothed me — for, inafmuch as ye did it *' unto the leaft of thefe my brethren, ye *' did it unto me. Come therefore, ye bleffed " of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- *' pared for you from the , foundation of the *' world '. Ye are they which haVe conti- ' Matt. X. 4,1, 42. Mark ix. 41. « Matt. v. 7. * Tobit iv. 7. Matt. xxv. 3 4. " uued 6i2 Mercy to thofe who are, Kc, DISC " nued with me in my temptation "' ; be yc ^^' " numbered with my faints in glory eVer- « lafting,"— Which God grant that we all may be, through the merits and mediation of Chrift Jefus our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, three per fons and one God, be afcribed as is moft due, all bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power, now and for evermore. Amen. t Luke xxii. 28^ DISCOURSE III. WORKS WROUGHT THROUGH FAITH A CON DITION OF OUR justification. JAMES. II. 24. Fou fee then, how that by works a man isjiiftijied, and noi by Jaith only . ¦TyirAS- a difciple of the holy jefus per- disc mitted tp carve his own lot, and ^^i* to choofe his eraployraent in the world, he would doubtlefs wifh to pafs his days, without ftrife and contention, in the pleafing tafk of contemplating the love and fetting forth the praifes .of bis divine Lord and Mafter. But this is a felicity referved for us in a bfetter world, and fhall be given to them for whom it is prepared, when the church fhall pafs out of her mi litant into her triumphant ftate. At pre- fent 64 , Works wrought through Faith. DISC fent fhe is in an eneray's country ; thete is ^^^' a noife of war continually in the carap ; an;d every raan muft have his- " fword upon his " thigh, becaufe of fear in the night :'.^ every minifter of the' gofpel muft be armed with the fword of the Spirit, which is the zvord of God, to combat eveiry error, and put every herefy to flight, that may othet- wife take the advantage , of thofe feafon^ when the church is leaft upon her guards to affault and hurt the faith. It has indeed been a maxim fometimes laid down, that falfe opinion's, if let alone, will die of themfelves. But furely the gofpel and ex perience teach us another leffori. If men fieep while the tares are Jbzvn, it wiU cofl them many wakihg_^ hours to* root them up when they are grown, befides the great dan ger there is of rooting up the wheat com plicated and entangled , with them at the fame time. 'And if the mafter of the houfe fhould think it needlefs to extinguifli a fire already kindled and infinuating itfelf among the beams that compofe and fup pprt the edifice, he may foon be feen be wailing* ^ Condition of our luftificiition. 65 wailing his unpardonable negligence, over its disc ruins. Should it be afked, who are the ^^^• proper perfons to defend the faith, when it is attacked from time to tirae^ and to ftate the Chriftian dodtrines aright, as often as they are in divers raanners raifunderftood and perverted; the anfwer is obvious — - They who by the liberality of founders and benefadtors are feparated frora the cares and concerns of the world, that they may attend without diftradlion upon this very thing, and fee, 7ie guid detrimenti ecclefia capiat. Ths folifidian, oi Mntinomian'herefy, which afferts, " that man is juftified by faith " without works," and which took it's rife from a mifunderftanding and perver- fion of fome paffages in St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans, was one of the firft that dif- turbed the Chriftian church; inforauch that St. .Auguftin fays, that not only the Epiftle of St. Jaraes, but likewife thofe of ^ St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude were written to guard the faithful againft it's pernicious F influences. 66 Works wrought through Faith 'DISC. Influences.- His' words are — "iContra "eam'- m- « maxime dirigunt intentionem,l ut vehe- " menter aftruarit- fidem fine operibus nihil ', " prpdeffe \" Many have been the here fies firice, in the compofition of which' this opinion has been a -prime' ingredient. But It was all in its ^glory In the, laft - century, and' had taken' poffeffion of the theological' chair in this univerfity, Wheri' the ' I-ncom- patably learned -Bifliop Bull' entered the fifts againft it, and encountering' 'It's ableft' champions, gave it a total 'defeat in that' palmary Work, the HarmoniS Apoftolica, with it's defences, ftyled by Dr. Grabe, the triumph of ilie Church of England ^'. But as herefies make their, periodical revolutions In the church, like comets in the heavens, to fhed a baleful influence on all about them, the time feems to be coming- when antiyiomianifm is to -be again rampant among us. And, what wonder that this or any other herefy Ihould be introduced arid pro pagated, if men, inftead of having rrecourfe', ¦ Aug. de Fid. et Op. cap; 14. ¦• Nelfon's Life of Biftiop Bull, p: 235. - '''" i to a\^€hiidiiipiii^ ofyour Juftificatioii. 67 to ..the^ .cathoHcrdodlors' of the ancient church, disc and to : fuch .of our divinesaas^haveitrodden ^*^' in their ;i fteps, wifl extradl their theology from the lateft and loweft of the modern fedtaries, thus beginninig where they fhould €nd; if, inftead of .drawing living water for the. ufe, of the .feidtua-y from the cfrefh fpringsof primitive antiquity, they take up with (fuch as comes to them at fecond or third hand; from the Lake of Geneva: if. the j^irlt of a Cyprian exerted in the maintenance of the vigor Epifcopat^s> and the conftitution of the chnrch be accounted for bigotry and na-trownefsj and Clement and Ignatius pafs for but very moderate divineSi when compared with the new lights of the Tabernacle and Foundery. Should this method of ftudying divinity prevail-to the exciuficMir of the other, ; there will foon be neither or^er left in the c^wrcA, nor certainty in the faith. It is by, no means my defign in the fol- Ipvving difcourfe to endeayour to condudt you through all the ^windings and foldings F 2 of 6B' Worki'.xvi'ought through Faith ¦ DISC. of-thefTpolemieal labyrinth of jiiftificationj **^^ A 'matter of fuch -importance. -as raan''s ac- ceptande .vfirb hi* 'Maker does ( not • (bleffed be God) - depend' upon ¦nice., fcholaftic fub- tleties, OE'^nd enthufiaftic. fancies, it-may be fettled in a fhort and eafy way, by fuch plain de'clarations rof fcrijstuTe'Has holy^ m,€n of' old' were i wont to diredt themfelves by, in thofe ' happy times when -^ no ' one was accounted a. believie.r who wsls not' vir tiious, arid wheri faitk and a good life were fynoni- , mons terms. '"'I Alas, • (faith Bifliop TayJor) "the niceties of a fpruce underftanding " and, the: curious nothings of ufelefs s^fpcr "' culation,, ; and ,^11- the ';Qpinipr|s,: of, men ^' that make!rthe; divifions of hearty and, dp " nothing .elfe, cannbt bring, us one drop of "comfort in the, day ;,of tribulation, arid t" therefore^are no, parts of the ftrength of " faith: n^y, when a maniibegins truly to " fear God, and Is in the agonies of mor- " tification, all ," thefe - new nothings and " curiofities wilj lie negleQ:ed by, as fej^u- 'Sbles da by. children wb^n. they, are deadly "ijck., 'But,, that only •>\s\,'^ faith, whjeh " makes tCifkMtim i^ our Iitftificktibk. 69 B, makes us to lo»e-. God, to do his will,: to ^tie. V.'.fpi^rbls.imppfitions',; ta^truft tliisi;.prQmifes, '^' _ ^',lo fee through ¦ af< cloud, ; to ;pve«tome the "..world; to : refift the'. devil, to;fftand in the ",,day of trial, :: and , to be comforted in , ajl ^'. our foL^rows^" r, "The : propofition therefore which I fliall uiidertake to. prove,,-, pr, [rather to colledl .and fet 1 before, you fin orie; r point of view the arguments by which learned rafn^ and particularly. ;the author of',thg;.//Kr;/iO- nia, have irrefragably proved it, is that evi- d-ently contained in the words.qf; St. James now read to. ypu, , yiz. thaf; works ^-yvrought through -faith are a neceffary. condition of our juftificatipn..- " Ypu fee then how. that by ''works a man is juftified, and not by. faith "oniy."^ ,1 call works a, (neceffary v<;'fl??fZ///o;2 ofour jufiification, becaufe moft certain, it is, -.that the. only mer itoriouir^ caufe therepf is : the fa^ tisfadllon; of pur. Lord and SayJour' Jefu^ Chrift, who alone by his moft precious « Bp. TayIor'.=i Sermon ftyled Fides formata printed in the folio edittOfe ofhis Sermons, n. 4..'?.- blood 7.0 Works tprpught I through Fuith DISC blood ,ihed upon thelpf crofs ^hath obtained ' for us -remiffion of fins, and eternal 'life! But in tbe gofpel covenant' tOj^w^hich we are now admitted '^by, baptifm, faith and works ave'the'cojiditions, 'tptcthe perforraance of , which ' through the power of bis grace God has annexed the; proraifes of redemp tion, and without, the perforraance of which a right to thofe promifes can neither be ac- qliired, nbr^prefervfed. - That faith is fuch a' neceffary condition, all Chriftians are agreed. 'That works are fo likewife I fhall prove — from fcripture teftimonies j from fcrip ture examples; from the nature of faith ; from the ' nature of juftification ; and from the pro- cefs at the dhy of judgment : after which I fhall fhew from St. Paul's own words, that he preaches the very farae dadtrine with St. Jaraes ; and clofe the whole ¦ with the ftate bf that dodtrine given by Bifhop Bull in the noble ConfeflSon'^ of his faith in this particular, made by hira when on his death bed. ¦ And fi7ft, Jhat works are a neceffary" condition a Condition of our Juftification. 3T feonditioh ofi^Pur jaftificatton ' may be proved .disc frdm plain and exprefs teftirnonies of holy ^"' feripttire. • Tor thus . "God - 'by -'the pro^et jffliah erijpins hisi rebellious people to " ceafe ''- -to do «%il, arid learn to do well," . and then pforiiifes that though ^ ' their paft finS "'^ -were as fcarlet, they fhould be vfrbrtd as ^' friow^i" Here, "'¦remiffion of fins" through 'the Redeemer ^isthe gift' on' God'^s part : ' '* ceafing to do evil^'^ arid '^'learning "" to do' well'" are' the conditions on man's part. - Jri -fhe -Tame- manner 'the prophet "Ezekiel^ inforfefe the finnei", -to hfe'^reat and «nd lefs Jii Comfort, ;tbat if -he' will i'.' turn ¦" froml-his evil. ways,'- and make reflkutloh', " and walk Inlitbe ;ftatutes of life,''' ithen "all his .fins that he hath finned fliall .ridt " be: once mentioned %" Our Lord in thb gofpel calls -afl finners to him, that they may "find reft to 'their fouls" in the: arms of; bis mercy forgiving them their trefpaffes ; ¦but ^thfen, it ifj 'Upon coiidition that- they " take, bis yoke,'' i.e. his law, "upon them, " and .learn of him, and follow him," as ' Ifai. 1. IS. ' Ezek. xxxiife 14. . F 4 his 72 Works wroght thrdiigh Faith . DISC hIs' difciples, in word and deed. " Ye araD "^' " my friends," ,fays ibe-; in another t place, " if ye do' whatfoever I command. {-you'." Agre^cably hereto it is declared by St. Peter, ";'that.iri every nation he that feareth Gkad' <" and worketh righteoufnefs Is accepted of' ", hira^." .' Arid St. John In ilike manner^ iriftrudls us,; , that " if we walk in light; '- ", as Gpd 7 is In this -.light,! then have we " coramunipn with him,, , and the. blood ! of- " Jefus. Chrift his fon eleanfeth;;us frora aH^ " fin \" And -again — " Let no man ; de- " ceive you;" there Is therefore fome ;<^an- ger of our being deceived in thisapoint; " he that doeth righteoufnefs is righteous*." And thefe teftlmonles.mayifuflSce iar the necef fity of works in general, as a condition ofour juftification. But we rauftfj not, upon . this .occafion, forget thofe fcriptur;9S: which infift upon the neceffity of the great work of repentance In particular for that purpofe. To Jcali men •John 'XV. 14. ' AQ.s;x..,3'i..,,: ;. "' 1 John i. 7. '• I John vii; 3.. from a Condition of our JuftificaUan, 73 •fronr, tinae , ito otiniet to repeotarice was a disc partyof the'*remployment of -the' prophets m- -until Johrii . who ithus begam, his preaching r— " Repent, §>r/. the kingdom of heaven is ". atTiand^;" 'I bring forthe fruitsv 'meet .for ": repentance';" . i. e. iln the lang,u3ge of St. Paul, " do :worksj meet for* repentance*"." When JefuS -jt.hlmfe.lf ibegan to preach, it was in thefe words: " Repent, , and belieye *' thfeogofpel *.": r>W.kh him accordeth the apoftle St. Peter, in his firft fermon to the Jews. on the day of ^Pentecoft — ¦" Repent, " arid "be baptized,, every one of you, for " tlie remiffion of fins"." And, asaln, in another ferraon afterwards—" Repent, and '-'.tbe ODnvefted,: that yoiir fins riiay- *¦ be " blotted out *;" ;I. e. that . you may be juftified. Nor Is repentance a fingle wOrk, but a corapllcatiori of many, ¦ comprehend ing under it. If it be genuine and 'fincere, • the following rpatticulars ; viz. a true forrow and deep co?npunction of heart for fins paft; an humiliation under the righteousrhand of ' Malt. iii. 2. ' ' Ibid. v. 8. ". Ads xxvi. 2a "Marki. 15'a "Adsii.SS. ' Ibid. xiii. 19. , God; 74 ,:-'.Works.' wrought through Fa-ith DISC. God ; an hatred and deteftatidn of fin ; an ^^^' unreferved' crt72^^o?i of 'it I' ari earneft' arid Importunateiyb/?«/ fear, Gpd, feeing thou art in the disc " fame.!, condemnation? And vye /indeed ^^^• " juftly," &c. There is a paffage upon. the fubjedt in one', of the fathers fo "•ex- treriiely beautiful and appofite to the ,'pre- fent purppfe, that ' I; cannot help : tranflating jt— «' The penitent thief perforras many "office's, of religion at the fame! i time. *' .^e believes, hefears;\he feels compmiction, "and repents ; he confeffes, and preaches s " he loves, he. trufts, .and he prays. Heis " enlightened; by faith, fiibdued by fear, " Sofientd hyvcompujiction, fhaken by re pentance, ^ purged by .confeffion; he lis zea- " lona.inyhiSi preaching, and. enlarged in' his " charity; he hopes through confidence, and "" Pbtains hy \prayer''." Never furely did man perform fo much' in fo fhort a time ! And' if he was not juftified by faith alone, ' Multa fimul pietatis officia compleftitur. Credit, timet, compungitur, et pcenitet ; confitetur et prasdicat; amat, _ confidit, etorSt! Fide illaminatur, timore fubditur, com- puruCtiofie mollitur, poeaitentia concutitur, confeffione putr gatur, prsedicatione zelatur, dileftione dilatatur, confidentia fperat, Ofatione impetrat. Arnold, de ultimis sefitem ¦ verbis Domini, , ' where- 78 Works wrought through Faith Disc where fhall we find ah example bf''®ile who' ^^^- was.? But; Thirdly, if we corifider the nature of faith, it wifl appear to be impoflible that any man fliould be juftified by that alind For if faith can of itfelf avafl to juftlficdtioni it muft be either as it is an afien t to th^ gofpel truths, or a reliance on the gdfpe'l promifes; for I know pf no other' hot'ioti of -faith befides thefe two. Now that fiiitii as an afient to the triiths, of the gofpel earn not juftify, is agreed Pn all hafldsf; ¦ elfe were the devils juftified, '?«'.hbfe faith. Pi* belief of the truths ^relating to hinl'whd is to-be-their judge;- makes ih^td- tremble'', Which is more than It does to mdny who profefs ¦to have It. And then,' as-to. faith as' a reliance on the gofpel promifes,' thofe promifes being conditional, every refiance muil be a delufion which is not founded upon a confcience .witnefling < the perform ance of the conditions ; and a reliance -that is fo fotirided is the refult of works wrought through faith. It undeniably follows there fore. a Condition of oiij\ Juftification. 19 fcre; . Jhat' faith cannot jujiify' but as it disc worketh by Jove; arid, , cotifequently, that; ^^^' works are a neceffary condition pf our juftifi cation. ,The ,&me.;, propofi.don may be evinced, foifrthly, from the nature of juftification, which, being aforenfic term, implies a pri- fpn.er at the b'^'', a law by which he is to be tried, a witnefs to accufe him, and a judge, to pafs fentgnce.,'. Thus, in the cafe b^^e us, -the, prifoner at the bar is man; the law by which he is tp be tried is not the law", of -Mofes, exadting a perfedt and finlefs obedience, but that of Chrift, requir- iqg repentance and faith, with their pro per fruits.; the witnefs is confcience ; the judge is GhrifL Now, no one can he juft i- Jied, unlefs, he be abfolved by that law by which. he is- tried; nor can he be abfohed by. a law, unlefs he has fulfilled it. Indeed, were we to. be tried by a law requiring perfedl pbedience, it is certain no flefh. could be juftified by it, np man being able to fulfil it. But as we are to be, tried, by - ' a law 80 Works wrought through Faith III. DISC a law requiring repentance and faith; with their proper fruits, which now, through the blood of Chrift, are accepted arid " counted " for righteoufnefs," It moft certainly fol-, lows, that works, gofpel works, works of repentance and faith, are neceffary condi tions of our juftification, and that we cannot be juftified without them. This confequence cannot be evaded, biit 'by fup pofing that the gofpel is entirely raade up of promifes, without any precepts, to the obfervance of which through faith thofe proraifes are annexed; a fuppofition furely that can be made by no man that has ever read the feven firft chapters of St. Matthew's Gofpel. The fifth and laft argument to prove that works are a neceffary cpndition of our jufiification. is drawn from the method of God's proceeding at the day of judgment, as the manner of our being juftified will be beft feen by the manner in which we are declared to be , fo at that day. Now, how often is it faid in the New Teftament, that God a Condition of our' Juftification. 81 God fliall judge every man according to his disc works, znd that not the hearers or bare be^ ^^^' lievers of the gofpel any more than of the hia fliall be accounted " juft before God ?^* ^We muft all ftand," faith the apoftle, ** before the judgment-feat of Ghrifi:, *' that every one may receive the things *' done in his body, according to that he "hath done, whether it be good or bads" Our Lerd, warning men againft foolifh talkkig, becaufe " of every idle Word they *' muft give account in the day of judg- " ment," fiibjoins— " for by thy words thom * fhalt be juftified, and by thy words thou "fhalt be condemned ." And elfewhere he foretels bis fecond advent in thefe words — " The fon of man fhall oome' *fin the glory of his Father with his *' hoiy angels, and then • flialL he re- ** ward every man according to his •^.Worlts"." And fome of the laft words delivered by him to his church after his af- ' 2 Cer. V. 10. 'Matt. xii. 36 ' Ibid. xvi. 27. G cenfion. 82 Works wrought through Faith, DISC cenfipn, by the rainiftration of the well be- ¦'"• loved John, are thefe which fpllow — " Be-; "hold, I cprae quickly, and ray reward is " with me, to give every man according, a^ " his work fliall be "." But abpve all, that celebrated paffage. Matt. xxv. .where the procefs of the laft day is defcribed, fhould be engraved as with the ppint pf a diamond on the tables of our hearts for ever. There we hear the judge frPm his glorious thrpne,i before which afl nations are afferabled tp receive their final doora^ declaring fome to be juftified and accepted,, becaufe theip faith had wrought works of love, to himi in his poor brethri^n and members ; and others, becaufe their faith had npt wrpughlj thofe works, to be conderaned and, ever-, laftingly rejedted. " Then fhaU the: King. "fay unto them, on his right hand. Gome, i' ye bleffed children of -my -Father, inherit " the- kingdpm prepared for you from the 'f foundation ofthe wprld- ?or I was ai^' " hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was " Rev. xxii. 12. "thirfty. a Conditio7i of our Juftification. 83 ** thirfty, and ye gave me drink; 1 was a disc "ftranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ^^^• " ye clothed me ; I -was fick, arid ye vifited " me ; I was in prifon, and ¦ ye"" came unto ^' me. — Then fhall he fay alfo untp them "on -his left band. Depart frbm me, ye " curfed into everlaf^Irig fire prepared for "the. devil and his angels. For I was an " huflgred, and ye gave me no meat ; I was •^thirfty, arid ye gavenie no drink; I was "a ftranger, and ye took me not In; na- " ked, "and ye clothed me not; fick, and in " prifon, and ye vifited me not." If there fore works wrought through faith are the ground pf the fentence paffed, upon us at the day of judgment, then are they a neceffairy condition pf our juftification, o£ W'hich that fentence is declarative. Thus plainly doth it appccir from fcrip ture teftimonies, from fcripture examples, from the nature of faith, frora the nature of juftification, and from the procefs of the laft day, that " by works a man Isjuftified>, '" and not by faith only." Marvellpus G 2 would III. 84 Works wrought through Faith DISC would It be If, after this we fhould find the great apoftle of the Gentiles preaching' a contrary dddlrine. But having made our grpund good thus far, we> fhall eafily be able, by a fhort ftate of that cafe, to fhew that he doth noti but harraonizeth in every refpedl with his brother apoftle. In the three firft chapter^ of the Epiftle to the Romans, St. Paul undertakes to de monftrate that all who would be fkved, whether Jews or Gentiles, muft have re courfe to the Gofpel of Chrift. To evince the neceffity of their fo doing, he begins with c'onvidtirig the whole world of fin. In the firft chapter he prefers a bill of in- didlraent againft the Gentiles, fetting be fore thera their aborainable fins againft God, their neighbours, and their own fouls and bodies; their idoliatry, dnd their ini quity. But as the Jew was always ready to thank God that he was not as the Gen tiles we're, as living under a perfedl lavv given him by God himfelf immediately ' from heaven, St. Paul In the fecond chap ter d Condition ofour Juftification. 8B ter takes down his pride, by telling hira, disc that the , pef-fedtion of a law conld not be ^^^• matter vof glory, . but of fharae arid con demnation , to the tranj^reffdrs of it j and that this was fb notprloufly the cafe of the Jews, that through their breaking the law, in which they fbollfhly made their boaft/ the lawgiver was difhonpuredi and the name pf God blafphemed even among the Gentiles on 'that aqcoUnt. Having thus proved both Jezos and Gentilis to be -Under fin^ having ftqpped every Mouth by fliewing all the xoorld to be guilty and obiioxipus to the judgraent of God, the apoftle makes his mference in the third chapter — " There- " fore by the deeds of the law there fliall " no flefli be juftified in his fight ;" plainly^ bfecaufe all flefh having tranfgreffed the lavy; aU flefh is condemned by it, and therefore men muft go elfewhere for juftification. St. Paul tells them whither they are to go in the following glorious ftate of that doc trine according to the Gofpe} — " But novy " the righteoufnefs of God without the " Ikw is liianifefted, beiug witneffed by G ^ " the 86 Works wrought through Faith DISC "the Jaw and the prophets; even the ^"- " righteousnefs of God which is by faith "of. Jefus Chrift unto all, and upon afl "them that~ believe; for their is no differ-. "ence; for all have firined, and come fhort " of the glory of God ; being juftified Jree- " ly by his grace, through the rederaption "that is In Jefus Chrift; -whom God hath " fet forth to be a propitiation, through " faith in his blood, to declare his rlght- " eoufnefs for the remiffion of fins that "are paft, through the forbearance of God; " to declare, I fay,, at this tirae his right- " eoufpefs: that he might be juft, and yet " the juftifier of him that believeth in Je.^ " fus. Where 'is boafting then ? It is ex- " eluded. By wbat'^law? of works.? Nay: "but by tbe law of faith." From thefe premifes the apoftle now draws bis great conclufion'-^" Therefore •' we conclude that "a man is juftified by faith, without the "deeds of the law." Qut of thefe. laft words arife two queftions, which being anfwered, every difficulty :' will vanifh, and the great truth witneffed both by St. Paiil and (f Condition of our luftificatioji, 87 and St. James fliine forth without a cloud. Disci The ' "qileftions are thefe. Firft, what are ^^*- the zvorks here excluded by St. Paul, as unneceffary tp juftification ? Secondly, what is the faith to which juftification is attri buted?^ -' "With regard to the firft, what are- the- works here excluded by St. Paul, as unne ceffary to juftification? ,the anfwer is obvi ous. They are heathen aad Jewifli works, whether ceremonial, or moral, perfornied without the grace of Chrift, and fet up as meritorious: without thefe doubtlefs a man is juftified; for it was the irapoflibllity of his being juftified by them, which ' made it neceffary that juftification Ihould be the gift of God, and brought Chrift from hea ven to obtain it for us. That thefe are the works Intended by tbe apoftle Is ' unde- - niably ', evident from 'hence, that heathens 'ax^dj carnal Jews are the perfons againft whom he is here arguing. Not one word is here againft good works wrought through faith by, the Holy Ghoft, which are as ne G 4> eeffary. 88 Works wrought through Fccith D,isc eeffary a condition- of our juftification as ^^^- faith itfelf, and made fo by this very St.' Paul, as fh^ll be now fhewn, in anfwer to the Second queftion, viz. what is the faith to which juftification is attributed by hira. in riiis place? He fliaU tefl us himfdf. "In " Chrift Jefus neither circuracifion availeth "any thing, nor uneircumcifion, but faith "which worketh' by lov6 \" « In Chrift " Jefus neither circumcifion availeth any " tbing,^ nor uncirCumcifion, but a new "creature''." *' In Chrift Jefus neither " circumcifion availeth any thing, nor ua< " circumcifion, but keeplnjg the command- ** ments of God'." Who does no* fea here that the fddth to which St. Paul attri butes juftification, in oppofition to the deeds of the law. Is that which worketh by love, is the feme with ths^new creature and implies in it the " keeping the comraandmenti of "God?'^ » Gal. V. 6. ' Ibid. vL 16. ' I Cor. rii. 19. Again. a CaViditio-n cf our liifiification. 8 9 Ag^ " Therefore ;there is now no con- disc " demnation to thera which are in Chrift ^^^' " Jefus";" I. e. they are juftified. But who are they ? It foUows — " who vvalk not " after the flefii, but after the fpirit," i. e. who do not the tyorAri-- of the flefh, ; but the toorkS' of the fpirit: dding the works of the fpirit therefore is tJie condition of their juftification—" If ye live after the flefh, ye " fhafl diej but if ye through the fpirit do " mortify the deeds of the body, ye fhall "live." Once more. This fame apoftle, 1 Cor. jdiL 13. fpeaking of faith, though other- wife ever fo found and right, as disjoined from -eharity,, or love, maketh it to be of no value— " Though I had all faith, and "have not charity, I am nothing." Faith therefore, all faith, faith in the higheft de gree, avails nothing unto juftification, but fo far as it "worketh by lpve" to the *.' keeping the coraraandments." The moft ' Rom. .vii- !• 1 orthodox 90 Works wrought through Faith DISC orthodox faith may be without charity, and ^^^' then It will be altogether unprofitable to' him who hath it. But there' would be no' end of citing paffages from St. Paul to this effedl. Let thefe therefore fuffice. ' But what fhall we fay to the cafe of Abrahara, of whom St. Paul afferts, that " he believed God, and it was counted to "him for righteoufnefs?" Why, truly,' we have nothing to fay, but only this, that St. James brings this very Inftance of Abra ham, as of one who was juftified by works. " Wilt -thou know, O vain man, that " faith without works is dead ? Was not " Abraham our father juftified by work's^ "when he offered Ifaac his fon upon -the "altar? Seeft thou" (and wonderful it is that there fhould be ariy t prie who does not fee) " how faith wrought with his workSj. " and by works was faith made perfedl ?" And fo, his works being a/ll wrought through faith, the fcripture ? wa& ftill fulfill ed which faith, " Abraham beheved God, " and it was counted unto bim for righte- '> " pufnefs;" a Condition of our Juftification. 9 1 "oufriefs;" his faith working by love was dis.c. accepted in Chrift Jefus, according tp the ^^^¦ terras of that gofpel, which " the fcripture "¦preached before unto hira," Thus in this inftance of the father of the faithful, as in a coraraon centre, are the dodtrines of both apoftles met : one fays a man is juftified by " faith working ;" the ^ther by Working; " faith ;" and this Is really and truly all the difference there is between thera. What pity then Is it that fo raany voluraes fhould have been written to the Infinite vexation and difturbance of the church, upon the queftion ^-Whether a raan be juftified by faith, OR works; feeing they are- two ef- fential parts of the fame thing ! The body and the fpirit make the man; faith and works n^ake the Chriftian. " For as the " body without the fpirit is dead," and there fore but half the man, " fo faith withput "works is dead alfo," and therefore but half the Chriftian. Nor can any fon of Abraham be juftified otherwife than his father is de clared to have- been ^ — " Faith wrought with " his works, and by works was faith made "perfea." - I clofe 92 Works wrought thrdugh Faith Disc. I clofe all; vvith, that noble confeffion -^"' made - by Bifhop Bull , of his faith In this article of juftification, and iratlfied by him. juft, before his death, when he experienced the comfort of having adhered to it through life, fteering bis courfe thereby^ amidft all the antinomian errors of thofe fanatic flmes in which he wrote, to the haven of everlafting reft. " I moft firmly believe (fays this excel- " lent prelate) that as I yield a ftedfaft " afferit to the Gofpel of Chrifi, and as I " -work out trUe repentance by that faith, *' fhaking off, by the grace of God, the '-' yoke of every deadly firi; and devoting "'myfelf in earneft to the obfervation of " his evangelical law, I fhall obtain, by the " fovereigh niercy - of God the Father, for- " the raerits only of Jefus Chrift, his fori^ "and my I>Ofd. and Saviour*, who offered ' " himfelf up unto the Father a truly expir " atPry facrifice for my fins, and for the " fins bf the whole world, the full re- " miflion of all my paft fins,, be they never " fo many and great. But then I have no " otherwife a Condition ofour Juftificatiort, 93 ^ " otherwife any coiifidence of ray fins being disc* "forgiven me, or ofmy being in a ftate ''"• " of gr^ce and falvation, but as by a ferious "examination of my confcience, made ac- " cording to the rule of the Gofpel, there " fhall be evidence of the fincerity of my " faith arid repentance. And I believe " moreover, that while I bring fprth fruits " worthy of faith and repentance, and " while I not only abftain from thofe *' crimes which, according to the Gofpel, " exclude a man frpra heaveri, but do dl- " ligently likewife exercife rayfelf in gppd " works, bpth thofe of piety towards God, " and thofe of charity tpwards ray neigh- " hour, fo long I raay preferve the grace "that is given rae of remiffion and jufti- " fication : and that if I die in this ftate, " I ara in the way pf obtaining by it the '* mercy, of God, and eternal life and fal- " vatlpn, for the fake of Jefus Chrift. I *' believe yet that I raay fall away ; and, '* after having received the Holy Ghoft, as "our church fpeaketh, depart frpm grace : " and tha,t therefore I ought to work out 9i ' Works tvrought through Faith DISC " my falvation zvith fear and trembling. I i^i- : "believe alfo that Irt the Gofpel therp is' "pardon promifed to afl that fall, let it be "never fo often, fo that they do before ,- " their death renew their repentance, and' " do again their firft taorks; but then there " is not any where promifed to them' "either fpace of life, or grace that they " may repent, I believe that there Is given " to fome perfons a certain extraordinary " grace, according to the good pleafure- of " God ; but I account It the greateft madi' " nefs for any one therefore to prefume' " upon fuch a grace, or to challenge ought " for himfelf beyond the promifes of God,' " which are made' In the gofpel: And laft-'', " ly, it is my firm belief, that throughout " the whole courfe of my falvation, from " the very firft fetting out to the end "thereof, the grace and affiftance of God's " fpirit is abfolutely, neceffary : and that I' " never have done and never can do any' " fpiritual' good without Chrift, is my fufl " and. certain perfuafion. This is the way " of falvation which by God's grace I havC " entered a Conditio?! of our Juftification. 95 " entered Into, or at leaft have defired to disc " enter into, which I have therefore chofen, i^^- " becaufe it is clearly fet forth to rae in the " " holy fcriptures, and is a trodden and a fafe " vvay, which all catholic Chriftians for fifteen " hmiared years at ' leaft frora our Saviour's " birth have trodden before me \" God Almighty enable us all to walk in the farae way to the farae end ; and fot this purpofe let us befeech him, in thofe excel lent words of our church, to " give unto us " the increafe of faith, hope, and charity ; and, " that we Iriay obtain that which he doth " promife, raake ns to love that which he doth " command, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. *'¦ Amen\" » Apolog. pro. Harmon, p. 12. Nelfon's Life of Bifliop Bull, p. 463. ¦= Colleft forthe Uth Sunday after Trinity. DISCOURSE IV. THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON CIVIL SOCIETY. TIT. II. 11, 12. The grace of God, which bringeth falvation,, hath appeared to all men ; teaching us, that, denying ungodlinefs, and worldly tuft's, _ we ftiould Uve foberly, righteoufiy, and godly, in this prefent world. "1TI7ERE it required to produce frora the disc Scriptures that paffage, which exhibits, ^^ in feweft words, the fulleft account of the na ture and av'ws. The noun, from whence this' adverb is formed, figrii- fies, one of a*foitridviind, one that is mafter of hiriifelf, having- his appetites and paffions in - due '' order arid' fubjedtion ; fince, of every orie ' of 'thefe, if fuffeted^ to domineer, in ftead of* obeying, riiaj^ be faid, what has been often faid of one of them, thatitis a teftiporary madnefs. Thus, when the' pro-. digal in the parable is defcribed, as repent ing of bis profiigacy, the expreffion is, ^por. ciavTov ¦kk^i, hp came to himfelf. The phrafe intimates, . that, while engaged in his former coUrfe, he was not himfelf. The governing principle had been dethroned, and he had been carried away captive, at the will of ^ Le Clerc on the Caufes of Incredulity, part ii, chap. vi. his IV. on civil Society. 103 tlis conquerors. The queftion, therefore, wifl disc ftand thus; whether they are likely to make the beft raerabers of fociety, who poffefs the ufe of their reafon; or they, who have loft it? If we confider fobriety, as implying the regulation of our appetites, it fupplies us with the virtues of teniperanpe, as oppofed tb intemperance of every kind, and Induf try, as oppofed to floth. And where is the ftate, that would not wifli all it's fubjedls to be temperate and induflrious? Look at the generations of old, and confult the' ages that are paft. Enquire of kmgdoraS' that were once mighty upon earth, and of em pires that now live only in the records of hiftory. "Afk, them, and with one voice they will tell you, that - by thefe virtues they all rofe to greatnefs, glory, and ho nour ; by their contraries tbey funk into ruin, fharae, and reproach. Xearn we, then, as good citizens, duly to value the re hgion, that, upon the grounds of true' rea fon. IV. .106 The InflMence of Chrifiianity DISC fon, and eternal wifdom, with fuch per- fuafive energy recoramends and enjoins the pradtice of thefe -virtues, holding them forth to view, in the example of our Di vine Mafter, and thofe of bis firft folla\v- ers. A glutton, a drunkard, a debauchee, a fluggard, are monfters in the Gpfpel fyftem. There, we fee a religion, which is, all over, fobriety and purity, fervour, and alacrity. There we fipd prefcribed to us ftridl temperance always, prudept abftinencf often. And; why? That we may npt \id, brought under the power of an appetite, and enflaved i-o fo mercilefs and unreleiab- ing a tyrant. There we are diredted, whe ther vye ;^ eat, or drink, or whatever we de, tp do, afl to the glory ofGod; as if the world were one yaft teraple, and every good, .man, thrprigh the courfe of his adlipns, a iind of perpetual officiating prieft in it. There none are permitted to be idle; every -one is to be adlive -and diligent in fome eraptoymeint,' -not only innocent, but wfeiil t-o tbe comnmnity. Jf any do not work on civil Society . 1 07 work, itis declared that he fhould not «ff; »Jsc. and the portion of the unprqfittiik is;faid to ht ^^' v?ith that of the disobedient. But fobriety goes farther. It compre hends the government not of the bodily appetites only, but of the pdj/ions and affec tions pf the mind* The ufe of thefe is^ to ftir up die foul, arid put it upon afition, to awaken the underftanding, to excite the wifl, arid tb make the whole man vigorous and attentive in the profecution of his de^ figns. He whofe ddfigns ate right, and who, being mafter pf his {mflions, can d«» reQ: their force that way, proceeds Uke the mariner, who Undetftands his cooipaf&, and commands the winds : he raifes Or finks his affedlions, according to his judgaseflt, And carefuUy adjufts them to the nature of things j he applies' them, with all their ^ergy, to the profecutbn of his greateft ifitaereft; and raakes them militate, -tvith all theif force, againft v in, earthly objedts, (not, calculated tc afford it ; :dnd when they, are fet uppn fuch, bther-vjrlfe .than Iri perfedl fubordination to the better, things above, the man becomes a fure, prey to ;difappointment and vexation ^ Upon this principle, the, Gofpel,. in' the heart where it is,, received, moderates and- regulates the psiffions. In their applicatioa to terreftrial.objea.s, It reftrains the failles of anger that it fin not, and ftops the iffues "" See this point made oufj , by a.copious induaion of par ticulars, in Dr. Young's True Eftimate Qf Human Life. of on civil Society.- 109 of- diflike ; it repreffes infolence in joy, and disc prevents clamour or defpondency in grief; ^^' it forbids prefuraptlon In hope, and bridles the irapetuofity of defire : it perraits not fear to tranfgrefs the bounds of a prudent caution, and raitigates even courage, which without it becoraes a favage ferocity: it balances the raind In every ftate and for tune ; it produces modefty, raeeknefs, pa tience, candour, irapartiality; and, out of thefe ingredients, forras that fobriety of cha radler intended by our apoftle. And what is it but this fame fobriety, this coraraand of the pafljons, this felf government, that qualifies a man to difcharge properly all the relative duties of life ; that endears him to a coraraunity, and renders hira a truly ufeful and valuable raember of fociety? Deftitute of this, what is the world, as agi tated by human paffions, let loofe, without reftraint. In their fury, but a troubled fea, with the four winds ftriving on it for the maftery : where all is froth and foara, noife and eon- fufion ! _ From Ito Tlie Influence of Chriftianity DISC From that part, of man's duty, ¦which ^^- regards himfelf, expreffed by the word sw- ^mtas, ¦vye pafs to that which re^e^s his neighbour, pointed out by the terra Imotims, " Wc fhould live fo^berly, righteoufiy,' or " juftlys" that Is, according to the proper atid original meaniBg of the word, giving to all their due. What that due is, the Gofpd hath afcertained, not, like fhe mere moral- ifts, by a fyftem of rules only, but by In- fiifrng a principle, which reduces the law iX) a compend, and teadies the whole at once, in it's utmoft extent. The fffincipte fiere meant Is charity, which, when fiincere and ardent, needeth not the affiftance of precepts and direSions, at every turn, btrt, by it's own nature and force, fuperfedes, and even goes beyond them a;ll°. " For ** this," fays our apoftle elfewbere, " Thou ¦" flialt riot commit adultery, thou fhalt not " kIM, thou flialt not fteal, thou flialt not " bear falfe witnefs, thou fhalt not cove'l ; *' and if there be any other coraraandment, ' See Lord Bacon's Advancement of Learning, book vii. chap. iii. 1 " it on civil Society. Ill it Is briefly coraprehended in this faying, disc " namely. Thou fhalt love thy neighbour " as thyfelf Love worketh no ill to his " neighbour; tberefore love Is the fulfilling " of the law ^" It can do no ill, and will da all the good In it's power. " Thou " flialt love thy neighbour as thyfelf." — " Whatever ye would that men fhould^ do " unto you, do ye even fo unto them." Let every man allow thiat claim ofright in another, which- he .fhould think himfelf entitied to make, in like circumftances — a precept this, which enables every raan to be his own cafulft arid puts it out of bis povy^er to determine unjuftly; a precept which 'fhould be engraved on every heart, as it "Vfas, by the coraraand of the eraperor Beverus, on his palace, and public buildings ; the mriverfa'l tule of life, the raoral direc tory of the world ! Refledt, what an ap pearance fociety would wear. If men adled upon this evangeUcal principle. In fupe- riprs, it would be eq^uity and moderation, ' ^ Rom. xiii. 9. courtefy IV. 1 1 2 The Influence of Chriftianity DISC -courtefy and affabiUty, benignity and con- ^v. defcenfion : In inferioi^s, fincerity and fide- ^ lity, refpedl and dUigence. In princes, juf tice, gentienefs, and folicitude for the wel fare of their fubjedls : in fubjedls, loyalty, fubmiflion, obedience, quietnefs, peace, pa tience, and cheerfulnefs. In parents, ten- dernefs,'carefulnefs of their children's good education, comfortable fubfiftence, and ' eter nal welfare : in children, duty, honour; gra titude. In all men, upon all occafions, a readinefs to affift, to relieve, to comfort one another,^. — Can we help exclaiming, with the celebrated author of the Spirit of Laws — " How adrairable the religion, " which while It feems_ only to have In " view the felicity of the other life, confti- " tutes the happinefs of this''!" — "How " good and how pleafant would it be, for " brethren to dwell together In unity," under the influence of this celeftial prin ciple, diffufing Itfelf through all the raem- t See Dr. Barrow on the Profitablenefs of Godlinefsi vol. i. fermon 2d. ¦^ Spirit of Lav?Sj book xxiv. chap. iii. bers on civil Society. 113 IV. bers of a coraraunity, from the higheft to disc the loweft, grateful as '' the precious, oint- " ment upori the head, that ran down upon " the beard, everi upon Aaron's beard, and "went down to the fkirts of Ijis garment ;" " cheering and refrefliing " as the dew of " Hermon, or that which fell on the raoun- " tains of Sion." We have confidered man's duty to him felf and to his neighbour : he is to live fo berly and righteoufty. „ He is alfo to live godly, wasQats. The word conveys the Idea of every thing that , relates to the acknow- legeraent and worfhip of God ; of devotion, piety, or of religion, properly fo caUed, as dIftingUifhed frora morality. Here it is, that we rauft look for the main fpring and principle of adtion : for motives to virtue, capable of controuling the appetites, regu lating the paffions, and overcoming every obftacle objedted by felf-love to the prac tice of juftice and charity among men. " Godlinefs, ivai^aa, is profitable unto all " things, having promife of the life that 114 The Influence of Chriftianity disc " now Is, as weU as of that which is to ^'^•^ " come' :" and they, who affert religion to bave been the invention of priefts, or poli ticians, to keep the world in order, do thereby confefs that it . is, at leaft, good for ' that purpofe. Of human words and adtions, highly. pernicious to fociety, how many are there, not cognizable at an earthly tribunal ! Yet our happinefs or mifery, in our converfe with others, depends upon the regulation of , ¦', thefe. Now,"' implant but' a thorough fenfe of religion In the mind : teach a man always to confider himfelf as adting, fpeaking, nay even thinking, urider the eye of that Being, who feeth in fecret, but will one day reward or punifh openly ; you ftop the ftreams at the place of breaking forth,, and ftaunch, at once, the fountain of cor ruption. Of crimes that are cognizable by courts of judicature, bow few would fall under ' 1 Tim. iv. 8. their on civil Society. 115 their fentence, were it not for the obliga- disc tion, which religion lays upon thofe perfons, ^^' to fpeak the truth, by whofe evidence the fadts In queftion muft be proved and afcer tained ? There .Is a connedtion between reUgion and morality, like that between foul and body, not to be diffolved without the death of the latter. Speculative men may araufe themfelves and others with difquifitions on the beauty of virtue, and the relations of things. Independently of the will of God, and the motives fuggefted by the Scriptures. Virtue, without doubt, is beautiful; and there are relations of things, with correfpond- ing duties refulting therefrom. But will thefe confiderations charm to reft the eager appetites and -turbulent paflions of human na ture, in it's prefent condition ? " As well " might you think to bind an hungry tige^ " with a thread." But obferve the firra bafis, on which is for ever fixed the moraUty of the Gofpel. I 2 How 116 The Influence of Chriftianity DISC.. How clear in it's principles, ho\y powerful' .^^' In it's motives! — " We love God, becaufe " he firft loved us, and gave bis Son to be " the propitiation for our fins. If God fo " loved us, we ought alfo to love one " another. For he that loveth him. who " begat, loveth bim alfo who is begotten "of him." The; head of the moft un learned cannot but comprehend the mean ing of thefe few words ; and the heart of the moft learned muft feel the force of them. Such is the ground of th^t charity, which, as we before obferved, performeth every duty of focial life, and fulfilleth the law; To inculcate and produce in us this heavenly difpofition. Is the end of the Gof pel, and of all it's dodtrines. It is deduced in Scripture even from thofe that may feem to be of the moft myfteriou^ and fpeculatlve nature ; the unity of the divine perfons; the divinity "^and the fatisfadtion of Chrift; dodtrines, which cannot, there fore, be denied, or degraded, without re moving, or 'proportionably leffening the moft endearing and, affedting incitements to on civil Society. 1 1 'f to the Chriftian life''. Indeed, the happy disc temper, of which we are fpeaking, is the ^^• natural and kindly effedl of the great evangelical truths, when treafured up in the mind, and made the fubjedls of fre quent meditation. The jdeas of a recon ciled God ; a Saviour and Interceffor on high ; a gracious Spirit, informing our Ig norance, purifying our hearts, relieving^ our neceffities, alleviating our cares, and com forting our forrows — fuch ideas, as . thefe enable us to- bridle the .appetites of the body,- and to calm- the emotions of the mind; to bear with patience and cheer fulnefs the calamities of life ; tbey fweeten the temper, and harmonise the affedtions, refolvlng them afl into one, diverfified ac cording to the different fituation of it's proper objedt; of which gi-ief laments the abfence, and fear apprehends the lofs ; de fire purfues it; hope has It in view; anger rifes againft obftrudlion; and. joy triumphs k See Dr. Walerland's incom parable traft on the Impor tance of the Doftrineof the Holy Trinity, chap. ii. I 3 In 1 1 8 The Infiuence of Chriftianity DISC inpoffefiSon'. Thus religion fixes the heart on It's treafure, in faith without wavering, and refignation without referve : It draws J;he, afiedtions upwards towards heaven, as the fun does the exhalations of the earth, to return in fruitful fhowers, and blefs the world. Such, then, is the friendly afpedl which Chriftianity, as reprefented by the Apoftle in the text, evidently bears to the true in terefts of civil fociety. Yet a noble wri ter" has objedted It to the Gofpel, .that by confining, a man's views tp ' himfelf, and his fpiritual concerns, it caufeth him to flight the focial affedlions, as things apper taining -to this world, and of little moment. The reverfe, as we have feen, Is the truth. A difoharge of aU the focial duties in this world is, by the Gofpel, pointed out, as the way to promote true felf-intereft, and to obtain falvation in the world to come. For the performance of thefe duties, the' 'See Dr. Heylyn's Difcourfes, voL ii. p. 5. ¦" TheEarIofShaft«fbury. dodtrines on civil Society, 119 iV. dodtrines of Chriftianity fupply new motives ; disc. and the grace, which accompanies it, endues us with new powers. The fame noble author coraplains, that there Is In the Gofpel no raention raade of private friendfhip. Surely, If It be araong thofe things, that are " lovely and virtuous, " and praife-worthy," it Is comraanded, and wUl be rewarded. Evangelical principles extend It farther, and cement It better, than aU others. The Saviour of the world ftyles his difciples, friends ; and, among them, there was one, on account of his heavenly teraper and difpofition, more peculiarly fa voured and beloved than the reft. Chrifti anity procures, for It's fincere profeffor, the, friendfhip of God ; and Incites him, in imi tation of his dear Lord -and Mafter, tp deferve a more glorious title, than ever adorned the imperial diadem — the friend pf raankind. It Is yet again raade matter of complaint, by the aforefaid author, that public fpirit, or IV. 120 The Infiuence of Chriftianity DISC, or the love of our country. Is paffed over in filence by the Gofpel. That paffion for the fuppofed glory of their country, which led the Romans to carry war into all the kingdoms around them. Is not, indeed, in culcated by the Gofpel. Had it been, fo, Jefu,s, in conformity to his dodtrine, muft have put himfelf at the head of the Jewifli arraies; and it would foon have appeared, that the Son of man carae not to fave men's lives, but to deftroy them. If the love of our country fignifies a true and affedlionate concern for the public good, whither can we go for an example of it in it's higheft exaltation, better than to the charadter of our Lord? He was born for his people ; be laboured for them ; he preached for them; he mourned for 'them; he wept for them ; he Uved for them and, to crown all, he died for them. And bleffed are thofe fervants, whom their Lord, when he cometh, fhall find to be, or to bave been employed, like himfelf, in endeavouring to promote the temporal wel fare of the community, no lefs than the eternal ' on civil Society . 121 eternal falvation of individuals, by turning disc their fellow-citizens from fin to righteouf-. ^^• nefs, and bringing them to the knowlege and obedience of the heav'enly law. ' This - Is a fpecies of patriotifni difinterefted and unfufpedled : applauding angels view it with delight; and by the Lord of angels It will be had in honourable and everlafting reraembrance. The celebrated fceptic, Bayle,' had af ferted, that true Chriftians could not form a government of any duration". " Why "not?" replies, Montefquieu — " Citizens " Plotinus, as we are told by Porphyry, defired the em- ' peror Gallienus to rebuild a ruined city in Campania, and to give it to the philofophers, propofing to' dwell there himfelf, with his dilciples, and to eftabhfli Plato's republic. But though he was much in the emperor's favour, his pro jedt met with oppofition at court and came to nothing. Thus philofophy, as Tillemont obferves, though patronized by princes, could never, in any age, introduce it's rules even into one city ; and Jefus Chrifi: bath eftablifhed his all over the world, in fpite of all worldly oppofition from the great and learned. — A republic of modern deists and -moral .fhilasofJiers would be as great a curiofity as this ciiy of fih'i- ¦ hsophers would have been, but perhaps not quite fo well regulated^ Dr. Jortin's l^emarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. vol. i. p. 376. "of 122 The Influence of Chriftianity DISC " of this profeffion being infinitely enlight- ^^' " ened with refpedl to the various duties " of life, and having the warraeft zeal to " fulfil them, muft be perfedtly fenfible of " the rights of natural defence. The more " they believe themfelves Indebted to reli- " gion, the more they would think due to " their country. The principles of Chrif' " tianity, deeply engraved on the heart, " would be Infinitely more powerful than " the falfe honour of monarchies, than the " humane virtues of republics, or the fer- " vUe fear of defpotic ftates. And the " Chriftian religion, which ordains that ' " men fhould love each other, would, with- " out doubt, have every nation bleft with *' the beft civU, the beft political laws ; " becaufe thefe, next to this religion, are " the greateft good that men can give and The laft objedtion that fhall be mention^ ed, as made againft the Gofpelj relative to the prefent fubjedl — for I fear I begin to • Spirit of Laws, b. xxiv. chap. i. and vi. trefpafs on civil Society . 123 trefpafs upon your patience — is one, which disc. is very frequently made ; and, therefore, iv. ought not to pafs entirely unnoticed. It Is this; that Chriftianity feems often not only' to have failed In it's defign of removing evils from fociety, but to have been,^ itfelf, the caufe of introducing fome of the worft, as It bas given birth to religious controver- fies, fadtions, perfecutions, wars, mafiacres, and the like. The author of the Spirit of Laws has re^ turned In few words, and in his ufual mafterly manner, the proper anfwer to this objedtion—" To fay that religion is " not a reftralning motive, becaufe it does " not always reftrain, is equally abfurd as " to fay that the civil laws are not a re- " ftraining motive. It is a falfe way of " reafoning againft religion, to coUect, in a " large work, a long detail of the evUs it " has produced,'', if we do not give, at the J This is the method invariably purfued, in the numerous novels, and other trads of Voltaire. When one confiders, for what end fuch talents were given, and to what purpofe they 124 Tke Influence of Chriftianity DISC " farae time, an enumeration of the ad- ^'^- " vantages which have flowed from It. " Were I to relate all the evHs that have " arifen in the world from civil laws, and " civH government, I raight tell you of " frightful things. The queftion is not " to know whether It would be better, " that a certain raan, or a certain people, " had no religion, than to abufe what they " have ; but to know which is the leaft " evil, that reUgion be fometimes abufed, " or that there be no fuch reftraint, as "religion, on mankinds" Nothing can be more judicious and folid than this reply, as far as it goes. A confideration or two may be added. The Gofpel has not always produced It's proper effedts — Through whofe fault has this happened? God gave religion, as he gave the earth, to man; that in peace and they have been, for fo many years together, applied — Quis, taliafando, ¦¦ , Temperet a lachym'is! ' Spirit of Laws, b. xxiv. chap. ii. comfort on civil Society, 125 comfort he might cultivate and reap the disc fruits of it. Inftead of fo doing, man lays ^^* It wafte, and drenches it in blood. Can we blame God, or the earth,<: or religion? No ; to man alone the blame is due,; on man alone let it, then, be laid. The Gofpel has not always produced it's proper effedts — It was. foreknown, it was foretold, that it would not. ' Nothing has fallen out new; nothing contrary to the ex pedtation of it's divine Author, and his fervants. Chriftianity would have all men to be temperate, fober, purcj induftrious, . meek, peaceable, juft, and loving. In which cafe, paradife would again fpring up amongft us, and earth would be a, Uvely image of heaven. In one -word, were it perfedtly obeyed, it would eftabUfh the happinefs that Is attain able here below; and to It^ Imperfedtly as It is pradlifed, is owing the quietnefs, fecurity, and good order, that a great part of the world now enjoys. But, after aU; the arguraent againft reli- - 4 gion. 126 The Influence of Chriftianity DISC gion, drawn from the bad condudl of it's ^^* profeffors, though not conclufive, wUl always be prevalent ; and though many good an fwers may be given to it, the beft of all would be, to forfake our fins, and .amend pur ways. Our good adtions would then fpeak for us, and wipe off this imputation caft upon our faith. It was a fingular honour and advantage to the caufe of Chriftianity, that it's ancient writers, in their apologies for It, could addrefs them felves to the Romans in fuch words as thefe- — We are grown fo raany in number, that if we were only to withdraw ourfelves frora- your dorainions, we fliould ruin you ; you could not fubfift without us. Yet is our innocence as remarkable as our increafe. Your jails fwami with crirainals of your own religion : but you fball not find there one Chriftian, unlefs he be there becaufe he Is a Chriftian, and purely on account of his faith \ , We are riot, it will be faid, ' Dr. Jortin's. Difcourfes concerning the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, p. 169. m on civil Society, 127 in thefe days, to expedt a return of the diSc golden age of religion. But this may be ^^" faid, and faid with truth, that we know not what may be done, till we have made the experiment ; that it Is in every man's power to take off his fliare of the objedtion ; and if every man were to do fo, the whole would be reraoved. ^ Let us, then, awake — and, from the rifing 'up of the fun, to the going down of the fame, call all the world to awake, vfith us, to righteoufnefs — kings of the earth, and all people ; princes, and aU rulers of the world; high and low, rich and poor, one with another. It Is righteoufnefs whicb " exalteth a nation;" It Is righteoufnefs which " eftablifheth a throne."' Do we defire to live in felicity, and would we fain fee good days? Would the prince have the fubjedl loyal and obedient? Would the mafter have his fervant honeft and ob- , fervant? Would the parent have his chUd dutiful and grateful ? Would every man have- his friend faithful and kind ? bis neighbour 1 28 The Infiuence of Chriftian ity Disc neighbour, benevolent and charitable? Let ^^' all, without delay, becorae. In truth, dif ciples of the holy Jefus, and take away his reproach among men, by ftudying 'tP "adorn the dodtrine of God our Saviour in " all things." But chiefly we of the cler gy, who are ordained to the rainiftration, and fet for the defence _of the Gofpel; we, who are ftationed in thefe lUuftrious and far renowned 'feminaries, that have long been the delight of the nations, and a praife in the earth; here to behold the fu ture ornaments of their country, and pro- tedlors of its eftablifhment, growing up under our care -r- we are raore efpecially obliged to Ihew forth,' not only with our Ups, but in' our lives, the praifes of him who hath brought us to his marveUous light; and appointed us to publifh the glad' tidings of his falvation tp the fons of men. ReUgion, bad as the times were fuppofed and feared to be, hath not vs^anted friends, among the governors of Ifrael, who wib lingly offered themfelves to ftand forth in her caufe. The fences of tiie vineyard have on civil Society. 129 have been happily fecured. Let the vine yield disc. it's produce, grateful to God and raan; that ^^* while forae are as. " plants grown up in their " youth," others raay " bring fortii raore fruit " in their age." — " So let thy work, O Lord, " appear unto thy Servants, and thy glory unto " their children. And the glorious raajefty of " the Lord our God be upon us : profper thou " the work of our hands tipon us, O profper " thou our handy work." DISCOURSE V. THE GOOD STEWARD. . — .^ ACTS XX. 3S. Jt is more bleffed to give, than to receive. T^HE words are cited by St. JPaul, as thofe disc. of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. v. They occur not in any of the gofpels, but de- fcended, as we may fuppofe, by tradition, from the perfons to whom they were originally ad* dreffed. The truth contained In thera was deemed too important to be forgotten, and the apoftle was therefore comralflSoned by Provir dence to gather up this precious fragraent of the bread of life, that it raight not be loft, TS- ? The 132 The good Steioard. DISC The virtue which vye are now affenjbled to ^- conteraplate. In order to pradlife it, is often by our Lord and his difciples enjoined as our duty. In the paffage now read, it is recoramended, as our intereft; our prefent, no lefs than our future intereft. It bath been juftly obferved conceruing thofe paffages In the gofpel, which didlate abftinence and felf-denial, that their im port is only this ; " Do thyfelf no harra." With equal truth and propriety raay It be affirraed of the, precepts relative to the fubjedl before us, that they all terminate in the following raoft. wholefome piede- of advice, " Do thyfelf good:'' do good to thyfelf, by doing good to others. Felipity» is the daughter of beneficence : and. he who makes his neighbour happy, is always^ him felf, the happier raan of the two. There Is a more heartfelt fatisfadtion, a more fo lid corafort, a more lively and lafting jpy In beftowing, than there can be In accept ing relief " It is more bleffed to give " than to receive." A nobler maxim, fure- The sood Steward. 1 3 3 to ly, was ne^et propounded, to influence the disc condudl of the huraan race. Were the ex- ^- periment univerfaUy made, it would univer fally fucceed; the unequal diftribution of Heaven's favours would no longer be com plained of; the days of Eden would return upon earth; and the next life begin in this. It Is impoffible to plape our fubjedl In a raore advantageous light ; a light, in which, perhaps, it hath been lefs frequently viewed. Permit me, therefore, to profecute fo engaging and promifing a fpeculation ; fince. If duty and plea fure can be brought to coincide, all difficulties are folved, and the controverfy is for ever at an end. ' ' '/ Happinefs is nian's aim, from his birth to his death. Brit, amongft the men of the world, the queftion ftill reraains to be anfwered, " Where ffiaU It be found, " or where is the place thereof?" The earth and the fea have been ranfacked for it; but they fay, it Is not In thera. The K.-^ ' high V. 124 The good Steward* DISC, high born fons of arabitfon, the low raindeS children of avarice, and the giddy votaries of diffipation, return frora the chace, jaded and difappointed. A phantora appeared to delude them, as "they will all tell us, in their 'more ferious moraents, which fled as they piirfued, and variifhed when they ap proached to embrace it. Let us point out to thera a raore excellent way; let us bring theni in 'fight of fomething real and fubftan- tlal ; let us prevail upon them to feek hap: pinefs by doing good. They have in vain attempted to becorae bleffed by receiving: if they vVouldbecoirie indeed fo, it- muft be by giving. Strange as this pofition may, at firft fight, appear, it is evidently intimated to us, by the -operation of that principle im-, planted in our nature, which we coraraon ly ftyle inftmdl. Confider the toil and the foUcItude undergone, the anxious days and the wakeful nights paffed by the tender parent, in the care of her infant offspring. Yet even here, though fo painfully era ployed. The good Stetoard, 135 ployed, will fhe not tell you fhe experienceth disc a joy, for which the whole world, . if of- ^• fered in exchange, would be inftantly- re jedted with difdain ? Her charge, feeble and helplefs as it is, can make her no returns. Only fhe procures eafe and corafort for her child ; and its happinefs conftitutes her own. Such are the objedts reUeved and fupported by us. They are, in forae fort;, our work, our produdtion, olir adopted chUdren, the creatures we' have, as it were, forraed, and to whora, under God, we have re- ' ftored life ; life, which rauft otherwife have been dragged on, or loft, in raifery and for row. Thus, again, with regard to every connec tion friendfhip induces us to form in fociety; we feek not the fatisfadtion alone of being , efteeraed or beloved, but that of exciting in another the fentiments which delight our felves. The end ofthe affedtion is, to ren der its objedl happy, and fo to be happy by refledtion. 'K 4 Whence 136 The good Steward. DISC "Wbe.nce that general wifh in every ci- y- yili?pd perfon, , to raake hirafelf agreeable to thpfie around bira, and recommend him felf to' tbeiy gppd opinipu ? It is a tagh ackn,awlegeiiiaiejnt that we muft pleafe qtheris, if >vye would be pleafed our felves. . , To what end: ferves that paffion In the iiuraan breaft, Awhich caufes us to fyrapa- thize with forrow, and moves our bowels -within us.7to yearn over diftrefs? It af fords us, in pur own feelings, a demonftra- tjpn i3f the, propofition contained In the text. It forces, us to feek for bleffed.- nefs In liberaUty. It Inflidts mifery upon us, tiU - we. bave alleviated that of our brother. ¦ ,,( . T^; inequaUty of mankind, ordained^ by Prpyiderite; for this end^ araong others, ofr fers to lis, continually the oppprtunltles of thus becoraing happy, , We are unhappy, be caufe we negledt to feize and improve them ; fince it is an incontrovertable truth, that as The good Stetoard. 137 as no man was ever happy, while eraployed In disc making others miferable ; fo none was ever ^* miferable while employed in making others happy ; and he was a wife as well as a good prince, who declared tbe day to be loft, that was not marked In the calendar of beneficence. To Ills charadter the imperial diadem could add -no dignity. With the advantages poffeffed by different perfons it fhould be as with the comraodities produced by different countries ; the abun dance of one fliould fupply the neceffities of .another. God forraed the humari heart to be the difpenfer of bleffings, whiph aie fure to return to It again, in the courfe of circulation. He raade raan for fo ciety, and defigned not that he fhould be hap py, alone. We may be convinced, by a little re fledtion, that the gifts of Heaven, poured in eyer fuch profufion around bira, cannot make hun fp. Self is an Idol, that can cpntrlbute no raore to its own well-being, than 1S8 The good Steward. DISC, than the Idols worfhipped of old. Take a ^- man out of the worid, place him in foli tude, arid you wfll fee, that all the fup pofed fources of feUcity fail at once. In vert him with power : there are none on whom it can be exerclfed. Fill his trea- fury with gold and filver : they have loll all their value. Let him poffefs the high eft reputation : there is no one to regatd it. Beftow upon him the abiUties of an angel : they will prey upon themfelves, for want of other raaterials. Adorn bira with every accoraplifhraent : every accorapUfli^ ment wifl be ufelefs. Nay,' of piety itfelf, pradtifed pnly In folitude, it has been re^ marked by an elegant writer, that, " like " the flower blooming in the defart, it " may give It's fragrance to the winds of " heaven, and delight thofe unbodied fpi; " rits that furvey the works of God and " the adtions of men; but it beftovvs no " affiftance upon earthly beings, and how- " ever free from the taints of impurity, " yet wants the facred fplendour of bene- " ficeriee. The gifts of God, unlefs dif- fufed The good Steward. 1S9 fufed to "others, becorae unprofitable to disc the owner. To be enjoyed, they rauft be ^' coramunicated, and taken upon the re bound. Let us now, therefore, condudt our candi date for happinefs back Into fociety, with his poffeffions and talents, and let us fhew bira^ how he rauft employ thera, for the attalnraent ofhis end. They may be employed to the prejudice, they fhould be employed for the benefit of his fellow creatures. Or he will live , and die in a ftate of difappointment and vexa tion. Power, by the little fatisfadtion It, other-, wife affords, wIU. quickly convince hira to whora it has been coraraitted, that it was not given to gratify hirafelf at the expence of thofe under bis coramand, but to be exercifed for their advantage. Heroes were 'thought,^ of old, to be the fons of the Deity. But he did not fend them frora above, to feize and divide kingdoras, to ravage provinces, to fa'ck towns, and deftroy ... the 1 to The good Stezvard. DISC the unfortunate. They ca;raeto relieve raifery, "^- to fuccour diftrefs, and to be a bleffing to their fellow-chlzens and countryraen. Sorae tiraes, indeed, they could not betome fuch> but by refifting and vanquifliing their com mon eneraies. But the glory of conqueft Is always ftairied with blood. It can only be acquired by Carnage and death. Matty may rejoice and triumph ; but many mull mourn and be undone. GUbry, pure and fpdtlefs, is that vvhich refults frpra feli city procured and beftowed. This is to conquer hearts; and to conquer them, is to reign indeed. Government cannot ftand ori a firmer bafis, than the love of the fubjedl. It Is at the fame time the fecurity and ihe corafort of the prince ; his fliield and his re ward »." Whferein confifteth the happiriefs dtteri-^ dant on wealth ? In the toil with Vi^hicH it is acquired? As reafonably might we ' See the admirable eifays of the late good king Stanif- laus, printed at p-aris, undeir the title bf Le Philosopfie iien- faiiant, From whence many ofthe fentiments irt thij difcourfe are taken. 1 fearch The good Steward. 1 4 1 fearch after it In the raines,. or in the disc. gaUeys. In contemplating it, when ac- ^• quired? The world itfelf, for once, paffes " " ' a right judgment, and defplfeth the wretch who feeks it there. Iri. hazarding It at the gaming table? The pleafui-es afforded by the rack are as eligible. The difcipline of eaftern hermits was mild and indulgent; compared with the pains and penances, the anxieties and horrors, with whichi thofe: vigils are kept. In procuring the raeans oB riot and excefs? But they prey upon the ftrength, and. de.prefs,, the. ff^rits. If the rich raan would enjoy a found mind- in a? healthy body (and who can be called hap*- py that, doth riot ?) be muft live* llkc: the- poor man ; be- rauft attain, and preferve^ them by teraperance- and exercife, that* is;- by , labour and abftinence, abftinence from food of' fuch quaUty, and in fuch quantity^ as his appetite - would provoke him to take down. What advantage; then, you viciir fay, have the rich ? And are they not, after all, happier than the poor? Un doubtedly they are ; and for this reafon — ¦ becaufe 1 42 The good Steward. DISC becaufe " it is raore bleffed to give, than to xe- We are told of a philofopher, who threw his money Into the fea, left It fhould corrupt it's mafter. The adtion has been much applaud-; ed, butit may be queftioned whether It afford ed any proof of his proficiency. Righty ufed, others might -have been the better, hirafelf the happier, and not the lefs virtuous, .for , it. . ¦ : . . On a like principle, for raany centuries, nurabers pf Chriftians, in order to be per-, fedt, . left all, and retired into the wildernefs. Indeed, In thofe dreadful days, when, under the heathen eraperors, the furnace of per fecution was heated feven tiraes more than it was wont to be heated, we can blame none who endeavoured to get out of the reach of fuch treraendous fiaraes. What began by neceffity. Was afterwards con tinued by choice. To avoid a defeat, -the fpldiers of Jefus betook themfelves to flight. But, furely, the Chriftian hero fhould en gage The good Steward. 143 gage and conquer. He who is furnifhed disc with the ability to do good, fliould continue v. in the world, where good is to be done. ^ The raan of opulence, what is he but fteward to the fovereign Proprietor of all things ? It cannot be hjs duty, to forfake thofe of the houfliold over which he is placed ; and it fhould be his delight to take care of thera'. God grudges hira not the necef- faries, the conveniences, the coraforts of life for hirafelf; but only diredls , him, wifely and gracloufly diredls him, to promote his Lord's glory, and his own happinefs, by ex tending his concetn to all around him. He whp, in fuch circumftances, will not be perfuaded fo to do, fhould recolledt,. that the hour is coraing, and rauft foon coriie, when it ffiall be faid unto bira, by a raef- fenger, who wifl admit no excufe, and brooks no delay, " Give an account of thy Iteward- " fhip, for thou mayeft be no longer ftew- '* ard," The talents of the mind, whether na tural, acquired, or infufed from above,. ftahd 144 The good Stezvard. Disc ftand on the fame foot with power and richesi- ^* They are given, as an apoftle informs ¦ us, " to profit withal ;" to profit others; to lead men Into the paths' of wifdom and virtue, of religion and piety. Genius and learning, eraployed, for a Ipng courfe of y^ars, in fe ducing the rainds of raen to infidelity, arid^ exciting^ their paffions to vice, afford but st- melalicholy retrofpedl, to declinirig age. The' bittereft' refledtion we can have to make In our laft' hours, is- thi.s, that mankind are the worfe for us ; next to it is the refledtlbrii. that they are not the better. Wouldferft tbou; then, be' bl^ed' in ¦ thy merttal endowments ?¦ Take' care^ that thy brethren' be blefied by them. Tiius hath God ordained' it to be, in every' inftance. Nor can It' be otherwife;- if the tileffednefs of. man confifteth in a re femblance of his Maker. He is himffelf the moft beneficent of beings, and he is the happieft. He giveth all, and he can receive: nothing, but the humble acknow- legenaents; the grateful pralfes> of his crea-^ tures. The good Stezvard. 145 tures. He openeth his hand, and fiUeth all disc things living with plenteoufnefs. I^he eyes ^ of afl wait upon him, the whole family in heaven a^nd earth looketh up to him for a fupply of every want, and he giveth them tbeir food In due feafon. He clothes the paftures with flocks, the hills with woods, the gardens with flowers, and the vallies with corn. By hira, through hira, iri him, we live, and move, and have our being.. Power, riches, and wifdom. are his, and they are all exerted for the good of man. He is mighty ; but he is mighty to fave : his -riches are the riches of raercy and grace : and his wifdora plans our welfare. He would bave all men to be faved; and to corae. to a knowlege of the truth. He Is pleafed to reprefent his.own happinefs as depending on that of his people : he is de fcribed as rejoicing, when it is well with thera ; as grieving, when it is otherwife.— Can the book, which fo defcribes bira, be other than divine ? If the glory of the Godhead be too L dazzling 146 . The good Stezvard: DISC dazzling an objedl for the eyes of frail ^* raortality ftedfaftly tp behold, view that glory veiled in human nature. Confider the author and finiflier of our falvation, Chrift Jefus. He gave himfelf for us He came down from heaven to give life to the world, frora • which he received only perfecution, forrow, pain, and, death. Yet the delight afforded hira by his employraent -was an overbalance for all his fufferings; It ¦ was his refreffimentj and his fupport; through the courfe of his pilgriraage. " My " meat," faith he, " Is to do my father's " will, and to finifh his work." He "went " about, doing good." His life was ever adtive, and ever ufeful. Living, be preach ed, wherever he came, the dodtrme of fal vation; dying, he bore his laft teftimony to It's truth. For the fuffering of death crowned with honour, Invefted with all power, and feated at the right hand of the majefty. in the heavens, like ibis bright re- prefentative in the firraaraent, he diffufes light and life unto the ends of the earth; he reigns and -fhines for the beriefit of .the world : Tlie good Stezvard. 14*7 world: and, in fo doing, he is pronounced and disc proclairaed, by every creature, bleffed fox ever- ^- more. The confiderations which have been offered, may, it Is humbly hoped, fuffice to evince the truth of the propofition in the text, and to de- monfb-ate, tbat felicity is the offspring of bene ficence. The properties of this felicity wUl de ferve your notice. It Is immediate. The hufbandraan, in this cafe, waits not, as in others, a long feafon, for his harveft. In fowing he reaps. Nay, the' very defire of doing good, the very firft thought of that kind, which fprlngs up In the foul, brings with it it's own abundant reward ; It, produces a pleafure unknown to thofe, who eredt their happi nefs on the mifery of others, or who make the happinefs of others a fource of mifery to themfelves. It is exquifite arid unalloyed. It is the only pleafure attended and followed by no L 2 fatiety 148 Tlie sood Steward, to^ DISC, fatiety arid difguft, no trouble, no bit'ternefs; ^* no remorfe, no repentance. Our bounty, you wiU fay, perhaps, may be ineffedlual. . or it's objedts may prove ungrateful. Ingra titude may dyninifli it's value to the re ceiver, but not to the giver : be ,has done his bell, and his work is with, his God, who caufes the fun to arife and the rairi to defcend on the fields of thofe that acknowlege him not. \t\^ fecure: it may be called one's own. A ftranger intermeddleth not with it, to difturb it; the thief cannot break through, and fteal it away. It Is durable. Mere earthly foUcity' of every kind, even the raoft inripcent; like other, terreftrial produdtion^, ' involves'' in. it the feeds of It's own diffolution. There is a leaVen in the lurap, that will four 'ax\d corrupt it; there is a worra In the gourd, already at work to corrode and confume it. But the ' happinefs np-w I'ecomraended ' to you never \vaftes, nor diminiflies ; it in- creafes The- good Steward, 149 creafes in the enjoyment; it renders other disc. pleafures needlefs, and fupplies their place^ ''"• growing every day more and more fatif- fadtory and delightful ; but raoft of all ¦wifl it be found fo. in that day (not far from every one of us) when a foleran leave muft be taken of the world, and it's moft celebrated pleafures ; when aU we have received muft be parted with, and that alone will remain with us, which we have given away. Happy then the man, whofe faith has been to him a tree of life, yield ing this. It's proper fruit ; whofe love of God has been evidenced by, the love of his neighbour; who has lived not for himfelf, but for all that needed his affiftance. He fhall welcorae with cheerfulnefs the hour which appals the raightieft fin ner, and ftrikes terror Into the breaft of the unpro fitable fervant. At that hour, with holy hope, , and hurable confidence, he will Uft up his eyes toward heaven, and fay — Re deeraed by thy blood, and feparated from the poUutions of the world by thy fpirit, in thy nara.e, and through thy grace, I have L 3 made 1,50 ' The good Steward. Disc made it the bufinefs of my life to ffiew kindnefs ^' to others, even as thou haft ffiewn kindnefs to me. Remeraber me, Omy God, conceming this, and think upon rae for good. Lord, par don my tranfgreffions, and, receive rae to glo ry! Whatis the felicity, the erapty, fleeting ffiadow of felicity, furniffied by the poffeffion of crowns and fceptres, palaces and kingdoras, corapared to that of hira, who, with thefe fentiraents, is paffing frora tirae into eter* nity 1 Let rae therefore congratulate you on the op portunity, this day offered, of attaining what the world can neither give you, nor take from you. Thefe candidates for your kindnefs, by the very circuraftance of their being fuch, have it In their power to contribute more to your happinefs, than It Is poffible for you to contri bute to theirs. In. pafling through the ftreets of this fpacious and raagnificent metropolis, the mart of nations, and the emporiura of the ¦ globe, there is no fight fo pleafing, as that of The 2ood Steward. i .'5 1 ' to of the nuraerous and noble edifices rifing disc on every fide of us, for the reception and ^• reUef of poverty and mifery ; all the fair daughters of divine Charltj^, and each ad mirable in It's way. " Many .daughters " have done virtuoufly, but thou" — if It be Invidious to fay, " excelleft them ally" though " charity envieth- not"-^at leaft we muft fay — the experience of fixteen years warrants us to fay ¦ it— are equal to any, in the feledtion and - manageraent of thofe, who are fo fortunate as to be the objedts ofthy care I They are fuch, as have, on all accounts, an Indubitable claira to our corapaffionate regard. Deprived of every parental aid, both father. and mother had forfaken thera, when the Lord Almighty, , the father of the fatherlefs, by your raeans took them up,' and fupported thera. Oeftitute of any abode upon the earth, wide and extenfive as It is, your bounty provided for them a comfortable habitation; hungry and thirfty, you fed them, and gave them drink; naked, L 4 you 152 The sood Stezvard. to"- Disc. you clothed thera: expofed continually to ^' the wiles of thofe emiffaries of the De- ftroyer, ever watchful, and ever bufy, who fleep not, unlefs they have betrayed Un wary Innocence to proftitution, profligacy, ffiame, difeafe, and death ; you fnatched them, with an angel's hand^ from ruin, and condudted them to a little Zoar, where their fouls raight live. In danger of every evil. Into which Idlenefs and ignorance could render thera liable to fall, you em ployed and inftrudted them ; employed thera in the principles of that religion, -which alone can make them faithful y that religion, which not only teaches, but infufes into It's true difciples the virtues of hu mUity, modefty, raeeknefs, patience, tem perance, truth, and honefty. Happy they who are thus qualified and difpofed to ferve; happy the faraily, which hath fuch to feirve it; in thefe days more precious than gold ; yea, than much fine gold. Having been Well taught themfelves, they will be able to teach others alfo, and their fellow^-fervants raay receive everlafting be nefit TJie good Steward. 1 53 nefit from them; nay, let 'it not be for- disc gotten, that the general of the- Syrian ^* • armies was, by a fervant maid, diredled to a prophet, and induced to worffiip the Lord God of Ifrael. Our inftitution, in a word, feems to have been formed after the model of that heavenly love, difplayed, by the Father of raercies, and the God of all con folation, to loft mankind. He found iliem as fatherlefs children, the ^outcafts of Para dife, in a ftate of utter deftitutlon. He opened for them a houfe of refuge : he fed them with celeftial food : he gave them the water of life to drjnk: he clothed them with the garments of falvation : he in ftrudled them in, the way of righteoufnefs; he trained them to obedience, and , took them Into his own fervice, which is perfedl freedora, and leads to perfedl blifs. How pleafant a thing it is to behold an affembly united as one perfon in the furtherance of fo godlike a work ! Wearied with the din of politics, and the noife of folly, here the foul refts and expatiates, as in her proper element. Councils and fenates may be ftow 1 54; 77ie good Stezvard. disc flow applaufe, but fcenes like this adrainifter ^' corafort. Thofe may corapliraent the head, "~~~~ but thefe do honour to fhe heart. In the he raldry of heaven, goodnefs precedes greatnefs; and the patronage, fo early, and with fuch ef fedl, vouchfafed to the Asylum, affords an illuftrious inftance upon earth, where the latter glories only in becoraing Inftrumental to the forraer, efteeraing ,It more blessed to give» THAN TO RECEIVE. DISCOURSE VI. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD MANIFESTED IN THE RISE AND FALL OF EMPIRES. 1 SAMUEL II. 30. Them that honour me I will honour ; and they that defpife meJJiall be lightly efteemed. w HEN we perufe the inftrudlive page Disc of hiftory, we behold empires In the world, like waves in the ocean, fuc- ceffively rifing and difappearing again. Ex alted for a moment, one glitters before our eyes In power and majefty; but is fuddenly overwhelraed and abforbed by the fupe rior force of another ; which, Itfelf, per haps hardly ftays to be gazed at, but as quickly vaniffies from the fight, and is no raore. In filence we conteraplate the af fedting fcene. We adore the providence of him -vvho ruleth in the kingdoras of -'raen ; VI. 166 The Provide}ice of God manifefted DISC men; who putteth down one, and fetteth up ^^' another; ordering aU things according to the counfel of his own will. From the facred Scriptures we learn what that will is, and how gracious an af pedl it always bears towards the fervants of the true God. We fee the mofi untradta- ble of things and perfons fecrelly working together for good to them that fear and worffiip the Creator of the Univerfe. We perceive the potentates of the earth be coming fubfervlent to the kingdom of Meffiah, and carrying on the difpenfations of mercy and judgment towards his people, as their obedience, from time to time, pleads for th6 one, or their tranfgreffions call for the other. Our hearts are filled and warmed with a fenfe of his goodnefs, who caufeth the world and all that is in it to confpire in promoting the feUcity of his chofen. Confidered in tills Ught, let us take a view of the divine oeconomy in the govern- • raent , in the Rife and. Fall of Empires, 1 57 raent of the world frora the beginning, by disc an indiidtion of thofe particular fadts, to- vi- gether with the grounds and reafons of the farae, with which we are furniflied by hiftory, facred and profane. Such a view. It" is humbly hoped, will not be an un- pleafing employment of the time ufually allotted upon thefe occafions. It eannot be an unprofitable one ; fince, by ftudying the ways of him who is perfedl In know lege and holinefs, we ffiall beft learn to re,dtify and regulate our own. And it will be found peculiarly adapted to anfwer the end propofed by the . wdfdom and piety .of our anceftors, when they ordained, that the foleran adrainiftration of juftice ffiould coramence . with due and devout medita tion on the proceedings of that . Being; con cerning whom ' It Is faid, that, as mercy and truth go before his face, fo righteoufnefs and judgment 'ate the habitation of his throne.'- A .large and comprehenfive, that Is, a proper furvey of the great feheme ' of Pro vidence, 158 The Providence of God manifefted DISC, vidence, as formed upon the raaxira laid down ^^- by God hirafelf in the words of the text, rauft: take It's rife from, that gracioUs purpofe of faving raankind and bringing them to glory, which appears to have poffeffed the firft place in the defigns of Heaven. This we learn, from the notices, afforded In' the Scriptures, that we are " faved and called according to " the divine purpofe, and grace given us " in Chrift Jefus, before the world be- " gan '•" that God hath chofen us from " the beginning'';" that the Lamb of God was flain, that Is, Intentionally and vir tually flain " from the foundation of the « worid \" The world was enjoyed but, for a Uttle feafon by man In a ftate of innocence, and hath ever fince fyrapathlzed with hira in the raifery of his faU. But It Is ftill pre ferved, as the theatre on which the, raighty work of Rederaption is carried ori, unti^ that work ffiall be aceorapliffied. When •STim. i. 9. »2Theff.ii. 13. ' Rev. xiii. sl ''the in the Rife aiid Fall of Empires. 1 59 I " the fulnefs of the -Gentile ffiafl be come disc « in, and all Ifrael ffiall be faved''," then ^^- " the heavens fliall pafs away with a great " noife, and the elements ffiall melt with " fervent heat : the earth alfp and the " works that are therein ffiall be burnt " up^'Ere -we bave proceeded far in the raoft ancient and authentic of hiftories, we raeet with a ftupendous reprefentation of that final deftrudtion which awaits the prefent fyftera, as well as of that coraplete falva tion which ffiall be effedted for the fervants of the raoft High. The earth was defiled by the aborainations of It's inhabitants. Tbe fins of raen burft the fountains of the great deep, opened the windows of heaven, and caUed forth a deluge of water to cleanfe It frora It's corruptions ; when nei ther the riches of the wealthy, nor the power of the mighty, nor tiie wifdom of ' the wife, could avail to preferve thera hath ^^" made the ears of every one, who hath heard It, to tingle. The Roraan -empire,- ,by uniting all na-- tions under It's government, prepared the way for tbe univerfailty of the true reli gion, which receiving ftrength from every freffi perfecution, at length conquered the conquerors of the world ; and the crofs be came the ornament and glory of the impe rial diadem. But a love of the old idolatry, and a zeal for :the gods' of Roraulus, ftill poffeffed that great and powerful body of men, the fenate, who continually irapor tuned the Chriftian eraperors to reftore the ancient worftiip, and were only reftrained by them from reriewing the perfecution, after the example of their ariceftors''. This was the ftate of things In the fourth cen- tuiy, when ' God ' ealUrig to remembrance 1 See BofTuet's Univerfel Hiftory, ii. 184, and the au thorities there referred to, the 1 7 6 The Providence of God manifefted DISC the repeated cruelties, of the oppreffor, and ^^- the unexarapled fufferings of bis faithful '~ people, deUvered up to the Barbarians that city, drunken with the blood of the martyrs. " New nations (fays an " elegant hiftorian) feemed to arife, and to '• ruffi frora unknown regions, in order " to take vengeance on the Romans, for " the calamities which they had inflidted " on mankind'." The unwieldy fabric : of the empire ffiared the fate of it's pre deceffors ; It was overthrown with a raighty defplation, and divided Into the kingdoms which now fubfift around us, the Invaders, by change of fituation, becoming humanized, and having been converted to the faith, pf Chrift. Araong thefe weftern kingdoras, in the bofora of the church, and in the p^-etended narae of Chrift, hath arifen a tyrannical and oppreffive power, exercifing dorainion over the underftandlngs and confciences ' Robertfon's Hiftory of Charles 'V. vol. i. feft. 1. of VI. in the Rife and Fall of Empires 177 of men, and-- arraing itfelf -with fire and disc fword, for the puniffiraent of all who prefume to call in - queftion the infaUibility of it's , decifions. About the fame period were laid the foundations of another power, deftined .to be the fcourge of God to the corrupt and degenerate Chriftians of the eaftern part of the Roraan erapire; the Pharaoh, the Nebuchadnezzar, and the Antiochus of latter tiraes. Thefe have their ftated tafk to perforra, after which, they likewife, ' according to the prophecies, recorded in the Scriptures '(to the inter pretation of which learned men are very coraraeridably turning our attention, with increafing probability of fuccefs, as the events predidted approach), they Ukewife will go into perdition. " The Lord will " confurae thera. by the fpirit of his " raouth, and deftroy thera. by thp bright- " nefs of. his, coraing." Then .the happy day, foretold by the prophets, ffiall arrive, when all earthly rule and authority and power ffiall be put, down, and "theiking- " doras of this world ffiall become," in the N moft 178 The Providence ofGod manifefted DISC moft exalted fenfe of the words, " the king- v^- " doras of our Lord and bis Chrift." Thus, by going Into the fandtuary of God, we fee the end of all huraan glory. There taking our ftand, we behold the empires of tbe world paffipg fwiftly by us, and vaniffiing- away, to gl^^e place to that kingdora which fliall endure for ever; while the Almighty, by fuffering them to continue no longer than they ferved his defigns, affords us fufficient ground to apply to all, his own declaration con cerning one of them ; " For this caufe " have I raifed thee up, to fliew In thee "my power, and that my narae may " be declared through all the earth '." The fate of empires being Interwoven -with that of ReUgion, it pleafed God to communicate to his fervants the pro phets, the fecrets of his adrainiftration with regard to them; and the view which We have now taken of It demonftrates, ' Exod. ix. 16. that in the Rife and Fall of Empires. 179 that they are fo raany Inftruraents In the hand disc. of Providence, to execute It's defigns of ^^' merCy or judgraent on thofe who fucceffively become the objedts of either, according to the uniform tenor of the divine oeco nomy, frora the beginning to the end of tirae. Frora a furvey of God's prpceedings, learn we to redtify and regulate our own. To puniffi vvickednefs and vice, to pre ferve and proraote true religion and virtue, appears to have been the end and de- fingn of all his difpenfations. Let it be the end and defign pf all our tranfadtions, upon the prefent, and upon every other occafion. The feries of events which has been exhibited points out the difference between that which Is of ,the earth, earthy, and that which coraeth frora above ; and diredls us where to fix our choice. Not princes only, but enipires, you fee, are mortal. They fink, to rife no more. The Affyrian, the Babylonian, the Perfian, the Grecian, the Roraan, -— where are they? N 2 They i 80 T.he Providence of God manifefted DISC. They are gone — They fleep anloog tbe 'VI. dead. Arid, -what they are, _ the ftates, '" '' now fubfifting arpund us, which have fo often difturbed the repofe of Chriften- dom, and, ¦ with , their numerous and well- appointed arnjies, threaten again to dif turb it, ffiall one day be". All below is Inconftancy and agitation. But the king dom of God ffiafl- ftand. It's fpundatipns were laid before fhpfe . of the world. ; and when that ffiall be in. affies, when the powers of the earth and the lights of heaven .fliall faU, apd be extinguiffied for ever,, it's fuperftrudlu-re wUl appear In perfedt beauty. Death diffolves the re lation we bear to , an earthly government, and all civil diftindtions drop into the. duft together. But our citizenffiip, as faith thfe apofl;le- — ¦ni^-co]/ 'nokmvit.a-^is in heaveq'. As Chriftians, we belong to a polity not fubjedt tp diffolution : , a fpciety, whofe duration" runs paraUel with, the -days .of eternity. ' We form a ' body of which ' Philip, iii. 20. Meffiah in the Rife and Fail of Empires. 1 8 1 Meffiah is the .head, and to which ang-els disc. are therefore enjoined to minifter. What ^ wonder is It, that we find exceeding great and precious proraifes made to this high and heavenly community, and fulfilled, with regard to the empires of the world, frora age to age? " Kings fliaU.be thy *' nurfing fathers, and queens thy nUrfing " mothers ; they fhaU bow down to thee " with their faces loward,s the earth, and " lick up the duft of tUy feet ". ' The «' fons alfo of them that afflidled thee " ffiall corae bending unto thee, and all " they that defpifed thee fhall bow thera- " felves down at the foles of thy feet, and " they ffiall. call thee the city of the Lord, " the Zion of the Holy One of Ifrael. " Therefore thy gates ffiall be open con- _ "tinually; they ffiall not be ffiut day nor " night ; that' men may bring unto thee " the forces of the GentUes, and that their " kings may be brought ; for the nation " and kingdom that will not ferve thee " Ifai. xlix. 23. ¦ N 3 " ffiall 18^ The Providence of God manifefted DISC " ffiall periffi ; yea, thofe nations ffiall be ut- ^^- terly wafted"." Thus " glorious are the things fpoken " of thee, thou city of God '^ !" May Vve not, therefore, take up our parable, with Balaam, and fay, " Surely there is no " enchantment againft Jacob, neither is " there any divination againft Ifrael ^ ! " How ffiaU we curfe whora God hath " not curfed; or how fliafl we defy whom " God hath not defied "' ? Behold, we " bave received ' commandment tp blefs ; " He bath bleffed, and we cannpt reverfe " it \" If the dealing's of the Almighty with. a people be fquared by their deaUngs with his Religion, ^ the ftate of Religion wUl always be ' the fureft criterion whereby to judge of the ftate of that nation wherein it is planted; and there can be no greater enemies to their country, than thofe who are ' eneraies to her ; fince concerning her He hath declared, who cannot deceive, or " Ifa. Ix. 14, &c. n, 12. » Pfalm Ixxxvii. 3. y Numb, xxiii. 23, " Numb, xxiii. 8. • Numb, xxiii. 20. be 'in the Rife and Fait of Empires, 183 be deceived — " No weapon that is formed disc " againft thee ffiaU profper ; and every tongue ^^' " that ffiall rife againft thee In judgment thou ", ffialt condemn "." . God- doth not every day manifeft his wiU, by his prophets, refpedting the king doms which he fetteth up, and putteth down. But having fo often done it in the cafes of thofe great empires of which we have been fpeaking, he ffieweth us, by fuch reraarkable and prorainent inftances, how he adls in all others, and thereby enables us to forra a competent idea of our own fituatipn and circumftances. Sa cred hiftory inforras us what was .the par ticular ftate of the ancient people of God, i when he puniffied them by the heathen nations ; and both facred and profane hif tory inforra us what was the ftate of each erapire, when fubverted' by another. Si mUar caufes produce fimilar effedts. For though God's counfels are always executed, yet they are executed, for the moft part, ' Ifai, liv. 17. N 4 in 184» The Providence of Godlnanifefted DISC in that way which we are wpnt to call the ^^' natural courfe of things. He who has or dained that all the parts of the univerfe ffiould have a rautual dependance on each other, and op'erate regularly, by a due con catenation of caufes and effedts, bas like- wife ordained that the courfe of human affairs ffiould have it's progVeffion and pro portion. Individuals and coraraunities arife, accordingly, -at proper times, with qualities fuited to the ftation they are deftined to fill, and the wOrk which they are intended to perform. It is, therefore, np lefs ufeful than curious. In reading hiftory, to mark the different difpofitions, mariners, and charadters of nations, and their rulers ; fince thefe are the inftruraents working, under the diredtion of Providence, for the accorapliffiraent of it's defigns, wdthout any infringeraent of raan's free will. If you behold a nation diftinguiffied by irreligion and contempt of things facred, by licen- tloufnefs; fadllon, luxury, - diffipation, arid effeminacy, be affured that, without a re formation, and a return to firft principles, the • in the Rife and Fall of Empires, 185 the conqueft of that nation by fome other disc is becoming raore and more feafible jevery '^i- day; the fame vices, which provoke divine vengeance, preparing the way for it's exe cution. Such were the cbaradteriftics of the ancient people of God, in the times preceding their feveral captivities. Such was the cafe when the old Affyrian empire periffied with Sardanapalus ; when Babylon was furprifed by Cyrus ; when Darius was overthrown by Alexander : when Greece fell under the dominion of tbe Romans ; when thefe laft were overwhelraed by the northern nations ; and when Conftantipople was taken by the Turks. Every raan, who has tbe profperity of his country at, heart, ffiould. very ferioufly confider, how far thefe tokens are to be found upon ourfelves; what can be done to prevent the farther fpread ing of the infedllon, and to eradicate the feeds of the diforder. Thofe in the higher ranks of life, it raay be faid — it ought to be faid — cannot coraplain, that a bright exaraple of virtue is not held forth to theni from the throne. Happy would it be for 4 ' themfelves. 186 The Providence of God manifefted ' DISC therafelves, happy for the coraraunity, ^^^' would they ftudy to refledt it's luftre on the wide' extended circles df their inferiors and dependents. The legiflature bath by no raeans ffiewn hfelf backward In fup-, porting that eftabliffiment of Chriftianity fettled among us at the Reformation, The integrity of thofe truly reverend and refpedtable perfons, entrufted with the im portant charge of adminlftering juftice and judgraent in the land — that particular, which rendered the Roraans, In the opinion even of their eneraies, worthy to be mafters of the world — is univerfally feen, and gratefully acknowledged. In thefe fe- queftered and peaceful fcenes, the deftined manfions of literature and religion (long may they continue to be fo, loved by the Good, and patronized by tbe Great !) though the fences of our Inclofure will not ferve entirely to exclude the turn and terhper of the world about us, yet raany are diligent to teach, and raany attentive to learn. Wifdom uttereth ber voice, and the found of the Gofpel is heard. There ¦ is 171 the Rife and Fall of Empires. 1 87 is a river, the ftreams whereof, going forth disc froiri this their fountain, often caufe the ^'• wildernefs to become a fruitful field ; to rejoice, and bloffom as the rofe. It rauft be added, that there certainly refides in I Britiffi boforas a laudable propenfity to adls of beneficence. I have no defire to prefent the dark fide of tbe profpedl. May the wbole become light 1 May the return ing fpirit and power of godlinefs reanimate it's form, and be again the heart and foul of every adtion and intention, producing, with piety and charity unfeigned, obedience, union, honefty, frugality, teraperance, purity; let rae add, health, ftrength, and true fortitude. With thefe ffiould we, at any future tirae, be caUed to go forth againft our old enemies (all our prefent unhappy differences adjufted, and all our divifions healed), we ffiall go forth under the favour and protedtion of -Heaven; and then. He who created the world, and who preferves it, for the fake of his church ; He who fecured ,her in the ark, when the flood carae, and watched over her in the families of the holy patriarchs ; He who brought her out of 18^ The Providence of God, tc. DISC, of Egypt, led her thrdugh the wildernefs, in- ^^" troduced ber into the promifed -InheritahCe, and raade her to be the glory of the whole earth ; He who raifed up Cyrus to deliver her frora the power of Babylon ; who turned, the , heart of Alexander in her favour ; who went out, with Judas and his brethren, to the bat tle againft the armies of Antiochus, and bade the fword of Conftantine conquer under the banner of the Crofs ; He, the Lord of Hofts, wIU ever be with us ; He, the God. of Jacob, will ever be our refuge. — " O that my peo ple" — fays he. In that raoft condefcending and affedlionate w^iffi — " O that ray people had " hearkened unto me, and Ifrael had walked " in my ways ! I ffiould foon have fubdued " their eneraies, and turned my hand againft " their adverfaries ' — Them that honour " ME r WILL HONOUR; BUT SUCH AS DE- " SPISE ME SHALL BE LIGHTLY ESTEEMED." • Pf. Ixxxi. 13, 14. DISCOURSE VIL CHRIST THE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. AND THEREFORE VERY GOD. ROM. X. 13. Whofoever fiiall call upo7i the ¦name of the Lord^ ftiall be faved. nPHE -text, as Dr. Whitby . well re- disc marks upon it,, prefents. us with a '^'^'^' double argument In favour of our , Lord's Divinity. Firft, It appUes to him, "w^hat by the prophet Joel is fpoken of Jehovah ; fecondly, It affirms him to- be the objedl of religious adoration. Either, of thefe par ticulars does, indeed, imply the other. For if he be Jehovah, he rauft be the ob jedl of religious adoration ; and, if the ob jedl of religious adoration, he rauft be Je hovah, We might therefore take occafion, from this paffage, to prove his Divinity, and VII. 190 u Chrift .the Object of Religious Adoration, ; DISC and frora thence infer, that he is to be wor- fliipped ; but, at prefent, that the fubjedl may be viewed on every fide, let us take it In an other light ; let us firft prove, that he Is to be worffiipped, and frora -thence infer his Divi nity. But it is Incumbent upon me previoufly to obferve, that, fince the compofition of the following difcourfe, the caufe has been pleaded at large by much abler advocates'; for which reafon, a refolution was once taken to lay it afide, as fully and happily' fuperfeded. But a faying of one of the ancients occurred, that In tiraes -when erroneous and noxious tenets were diffufed, all raen ffiould erabrace forae ppporturiity to bear their teftiraony againft thera. It occurred likewife, that the evidence,' drawn to a point, and delivered from the pulpitj • See Dr. Randolph's 'Vindication of the 'Worfhip of the Son and Holy Ghoft; and Mr, Bingham's Vindication of the Doftrine and Liturgy of the 'Church of England. See likewife Mr. Burgh's Scriptural Confutation of the Argu ments againft the one Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. might and therefore very God. 191 might ftrike raany (of my younger audi- disc tors more efpecially) who might not be ^^^" difpofed to fearch for it in tradts of greater extent, and far greater raerit. This con fideration, above all, prevailed, that the eftabliffied dodtrine concernirig the wOrffilp of pur Redeemer raight receive no fraall degree of confirmation In the rainds of It's profeffors, when, without concert or con- fultatlon, perfons fitting down to reconfider it, at different tiraes, and In different places, ihould be found to reprefent it in the farae light, and to vindicate it by the farae argu raents. Intreating your favourable acceptance of this very neceffary apology, I will venture to proceed. Invocation, then. Is a part, and a princi pal part, of adoration ; but ray text raen tions the Invocation of Chrift, as a duty, to the performance of which, ' falvation is an nexed. ' " Whofoever ffiall call upon the " narae of the Lord ffiall be faved." The context treats wholly of Chrift, In whora. It is faid, " Whofoever believeth ffiaU not be " afliamed ; 192 Chrift. the Object of rtligious Adoration, • disc " affiamed;" and in whora, it is likewife ^'^^- faid, the Jews refufed to believe, when they bad heard of him by the preaching of the apoftles. " Whofoever ffiall caU on, " the name of the Lord, ffiall be faved. " But how . fliall they call on him, of whom, " tliey have not heard? and how fliaU " they hear without a prcac/jcr," Scc; Chrift therefore is, without doubt, the perfon mentioned in the text; he is, , confequently, the objedl of invocation, a principal part of reUgious adoration ;'¦ and the man who defires to be " faved," muft " call upon bim," by prayer. In the apoftolical tinies, all Chri'ftlans were fuppofed, by virtue of their profeffion, to invoke Chrift, and were charafteiiized by that very circuraftance. ' Thus St.. Pkul addreffes one of his Epiftles, " tO' all that "in every place call upon the nanae of the " Lord, Jefus, both theirs and ours'';' that is, fays an excellent paraphraft % "whora ¦¦ 1 Cor. i. 2*. "^Dr. Doddridge. " we and therefore very God. 193 "we and all true Chriftians join In ac- disc " knowledging and adoring as their Lord ^'^^^ " and ours." In the Ixth chapter of the Adls, we find Ananias faying of Saul, " And " here he hath authority to bind all that " call on thy narae ;" that is, fays Dr. Hariimond, " who publickly avow the " worffiip of Chrift." Again, In the fame -chapter, we read, " And ftralghtway he " preached Chrift In the fynagogues, that "he is the Son of God. But all that " heard hira werp amazed, and faid, is not " this he that deftroyed theni who called on " this name .'"' that Is, evidently, the name of Chrift. Spme critics tell us, that the phrafe ivinahaiuivoi ro Oioixa. X^TW,- " Calling UpOn " the name of Chrift," is to be taken paffively, as denoting thofe who were named by the name of Chrift, ox who were called Chriftians. . But this cannot be. The name, Chriftian, -vyas, not known In>. the world, tUl forae tirae aftet St. Paul's converfion, when, as St. Lufe exprefsly o >i inforras 194 Chrift the Object of religioui Adoration, DISC Informs us, " the difciples were called ^"- "Chriftians firft at Antioch;" whereas, before that time, they were diftinguiffied '' by the title of 67I¦l)£a^8/xEV0> ra Ovopia Xpis-a, "thofe who called on the name of Chrift." Befifdes that i7tiKaKsoiJi.ui (as bath been juftly obferved), when followed by an accufative cafe, always fignifies to invoke, or worfhip, except, only where/it fignifies to appeal ta. Thus, In the chapter from whence ' my text is taken-:-" The fame Lord is rich to " aU who. c'aU upon hira — for whofoever " ffiall call on the narae of the Lord fliall "be faved''." In the xxiid chapter of the Adls, Saul Is bidden to " waffi away his fins, " calling on the narae of the Lord '." And Origen, who . muft have underftcod the import and force of a Greek partici ple, at leaft as well as any modem critic, coraraenting on one of the above cited paffages, fays — " The Apoftle, in thefe " words, declares hira to be God, -whofe ^ Its OTaVTas- -r^,! E'B'iJCfxJi.BptEVsr aurov — ¦stois yag os «v ° E'^jxaXeo'a/iAEVOf rO Ovof/,x va Kt/giB. " name and therefore very God. '19a "name was called upon\" The arguraent disc therefore, deduced frora this expreffion, we ^^^' may venture to fay ftands gopd ; nor can it adrait of any farther reply, or evafion. St. Paul's ufual form of benedidlion was by invocation of the narae of Chrift. "Grace be to you, and peace, frora God " the Father, and frora our Lord Jefus " Chrift." Soraetiraes the narae of Chrift ftands in the firft order; " The grace of " the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of " God, and the corarauriion pf the Holy " Ghoft be with you all °." In another place, " The Lord Jefus Chrift corafort " your hearts ^ ;" that Is, I pray the Lord Jefus Chrift fo to do. And fpeakirig of his thorn in the fleffi, he fays — " / befought " the Lord thrice,, that It might depart from " me. And he faid unto me. My grace is " fufficient , for thee ; for my ftrength is " made perfedl In weaknefs. Moft gladly " therefore will I rather glory In ray ijifir- ' Origen. Com. in Rom. x. lib. viii. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. i" 2 ThefC ii, 16. o 2 " mities i as St. Stephen did, perfonally to Chrift, in •whofe caufe they laid dbwn their lives, and Into whpfe hands they refigned their fpirits, comraending their fouls to him, as unto a faithful Creator and Redeemer. In fhe Dloclefian perfecution, as Eufeblus informs and therefore very God. 207 ¦ Inforras us, the inhabitants of a city in disc; Phrygia, raen, women, and children, while "^"• affembled in the church at their devotions, , were by their enemies furpfifed and burnt, "calling upon Chrift, God over aU ™." Many other inftances occur In the farae -hiftoriari, where the dying raartyrs addrefs their prayers, to Chrift, under the higheft titles and attributes of the Divinity, as the living and true God, the great king over all the "earth, omnifcient and almighty, the Son of God, and hirafelf true and very God. And, as fuch, Eufeblus fays, the higheft powers on earth confeffed, and adored- him '. Would you hear the conteraporary wri- tersy araong the heathens, bearing teftirao ny to the farae great and iraportant truth, conceming the objedl of worffiip in the earlieft days of the Chriftian Church? You ffiall hear them. " Tov iiti taavruv ®eov Xgifov e'BiQouiA.iVoi. " Eufeb. lib. x. cap. h'. See the paffages cited bV Bing ham, in Ecclef. Antiq. b. xiii. ch. ii. < Pliny 208 Chrift the Object of religious Adoration, DISC Pliny lived In the beginning of the fe- ^^^' cond century, and, as a judge under Tra jan, took the confeffions of forae revolting Chriftians. He fays, they declared to him, " their ' cuftora was, to raeet on a certain " day, before It was light, and, arapng , "other- parts of their worffiip, fing an hymn " to Chrift, as to their God ^" Towards the clofe of the farae century, Lucian, or whoever was the author of tbe dialogue ftyled Philopatrls, bearing his name, and certainly written about tbat tirae, introduces, in a fcoffing way, a Chriftian catechift Inftrudllng a Pagan, catechuraen. The latter aflcs, " By whom, " then, ffiall I fwear?" that is, whom ffiall I take to be ray God, the objedl of my worffiip ? ¦ The anfwer is, " By that " God that reigns on high, the great, im- " raortal, heavenly God, and the Son of " the Father, and the Spirit proceeding " frora the Father, One in Three, and >¦ Carmenque Chrifto, quafi Deo, dicere fecum invicem. Plin. hb. X. Ep. 97. " Three and therefore very God. 209 " Three In One. Take thefe for your disc '' Jupiter; iraagine this to be your .God^." ^^^• Lucian, theri, bad evidently learned, and it Was ¦well knovvri araong the heathens in his tirae, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, or a Trinity of perfons. In the Godhead, conftituted tbe objedl of Chriftian worffiip. The manner in which this teftiraony affedted Socinus, "well def(^rves your notice — "I never raet " .with any thing which feeras raore to " favour the notion that a Trinity of " perforis in the Godhead -was in that " age the objedl of belief and worfhip, " than this paffage frora the dialogue ftyled " Philopatrls "." It might, perhaps, be fprae advantage to It in bis .efteera, as Dr. Wa- terland obferves ^, that It carae from a '. - ' ' * ' ' Lucian. Philopatrls, prope fin. • Ne,c vero nobis -quidqiiam haiStenus legere contigit, qiiod trini jftius Dei, aChriftiahis jam tum recep'ti etx-jjlti, • fidem faeere videatur magis, quam quae ex dialogo, qui Fhilefiairi's ihfcribitur, et inter Luciani opera numeratur, ad id probandum affertur.- Socln* adv. Eutrop-. c. xv. p. 68&.- Op. . , ' Importance of the Dodrine ofthe Holy Trinity, p. 370. P pagan. 210 Chrift the Object of religious Adoration, , DISC pagan, though it had not weight enough ^^^- to conquer his prejudices; for- he never wanted evafipns. But you fee in how very forcible a manner It ftruck bis appre henfion. Such was the pradtice of the Chriftian church, refpedting the worfliip of it's" Savipur, from the very beginning, and ' during the three firft ages; long befpre Arlanifra appeared In the world, or any of thofe difficult queftipns were raifed, which; aftervvards perplexed . raen with unlnteb liglble fubtletips, occafiPnd by the reftlefs, endeavours and fophiftry of the Ariaii party. , . What ffiall we, then, fay, to > thefe things ? What can we fay, but that He, to the invocation of whofe narae falvation is promifed; He, whofe name bis difciples, before they were called Chriftians, invoked, and were known to be bis difciples by fo doing; He, in whofe narae the Apoftles ' were and therefore very God. 211 •were accuftoraed to give their benedidtions, disc and concerning whora St. John fays, that, vii. " whatever we aflc of hira according to ' "his will, we fliall have the petition* " We defired of hira;" He, who was worffiipped by men, without reproving them for It, on earth, and to whom, in heaven, all the angeUc hofts, with the fpirits of the redeeraed, and' the whole creation of God, give glory and honour ; He, whora the church univerfal pro feffed, /rora the beginning, to adore; and into whofe hands the dying raartyrs, from iStephen downward, coraraitted their de parting fpirits ; He, to whofe fervice and vvorffilp, with that of the Father and the Holy Ghoft, every Chriftian Is dedl- catedy in baptifra; that this perfon Is, indeed, what St. Paul certainly ftyles hira, " God over all, bleffed for; ever'';" and' that we all raay, and ought to ufe the words of St. Thoraas, uttered not, as is pretended, by way of exclaraation to the ' 1 Rom. ix. 5. ' p 2 ' Father, 212 Chrift the Object cf religious Adoration, DISC Father, but In an iraraediate addrefs to the VII" Son, — (" Then Thoraas anfwered, and " faid unto him) — My Lord, and my ~" God''-" , For confider well with yourfelves — if we are to wofffiip only the Lord our God, as the primitive Chriftians profefled to do; and if we are, yet, to worffiip Chrift,- as they alfo profeffed to do;, muft it- not of ne ceffity follow,, that Chrift is the Lord our God? If raiUions of his fervants, from all the different parts of the . world, are to invoke bira by prayer, and be hears the prayer of the heart, as well as ,that of the lipS) muft he not be omnifcient and omniprefent, to do this ? The arguraent has often been urged ; — How mournful Is the refledtion, that this very confideration, which ought to fill our hearts with wonder, love, and praife, ffiould be raade occafion of denying the Lord that brought us, and the Spirit that con- fecrates us to gfory and iraraortality ! — Lord, what ^nd tiierefore very God. g 17 what is raan! behold, with compaffion, hi? disc miferable depravity ; and open his eyes, that vii. he may behold it blinfelf ! ' But you, my brethren (I addrefs rayfelf to the younger part of iny audience),. have not fo unlearned Chrift. You know in whom you have believed ; and you know the importance o'f believing Him to be, what He really is. The queftion we have been difcuffing is not of a trifling or indifferent nature. It relates to the prirae and leading articles of allreligion. It is not a point of fpeculation merely: our daily pradtice Is concerned in it's determina tion ; according to which, we are led either to honour or to diffionour our Redeemer. Minds honeft and ingenuous, like yours, wifl find np difficulty in forming a right judgment upon the fubjedl. In order to do it, there is no necef fity for you to plunge into all the metaphyfical depths of the. controverfy. The difpute Ues in a fraall compass. Jt turns upon a fadl, whe ther Chrift was, or was not, the objedl of di vine worfhip, in the apoftolical times, and thofe imraediately fucceeding. The evidence; has 218 Chrift the Object of religious Adoration, DISC has' been clearly, I would hope, though briefly, ^^^' ftated to you, in the preceding difcourfe,. But I would wiffi you to fearch, and colledt it more at large for yourfelves ; thofe of you, efpeci ally, who are preparing to teach others the truth, and to guard them againft the various errors which mark thefe latter days. The fcriptural part of the evidence lies in a little compafs. The reraainder may be found in the epiftles of the apoftolical fathers, the apo logies of Juftin Martyr, and one' or two mor6, and the ecclefiaftical hiftory of Eufebijiis. Should I fay, that all thefe raight be read, with eafe, in two raonths, I ffiould fay no more than tiie truth. And fo much, at leaft, of primitive antiquity ought to be ftudied by every divine; indeed, by evfery Chriftian, who has leifure and ability. For why fliould any man continue ignorant of that, which is fo foo;i, and fo eafily known ? Be converfant In the Scriptures, and acquaint yourfelves weU with the dodtrine and the pradtice of the church, in It's earlieft and pureft days, when you firft enter upon the miniftry; and the ef forts of unhappily mifguided men will in vain be and therefore very God. 219 be afterwards exerted, to raove you frora the disc rock of your falvation. Remember Jefus '^i^- Chrift, the fame yefterday, to-day, and for ~ ever; and confider how great things he hath done for you ; things, which, had they been left for a creature to effedt, had been unaffedted at this hour '; they rauft have ceafed, to eternity ; " none of thera can by any raeans redeem his *¦ brother, or give to God a ranfom for hira." To withhold prayer from your Saviour, is, Ira pious perVerfenefs ; to withhold praife and thankfgiving. Is impious ingratitude. , Heaven refounds with Salvation to the Lamb trium phant; and ffiall earth be fuUenly filent? Chrift rejoiced in his afflidlions, and efteemed thera glory, for your fake. No teraptation could prevail upon the Lord, In the hour of fuffering and forrow, to relinquiffi his gracious purpofe, and defert the caufe of his difciples; let no teraptation prevail upon thera to defert and difown the caufe of their Lord. Would any raan perfuade you to refufe divine worffiip to your Redeeraer? Rejedt the alterapt (who-- ever- makes it) with a noble fcorn ; aqd what ever others may think, or bo.wever they m^y aa. 220 Chrift ihe Object, SCc. DIS.C. adi, upon the occafion, do you call to mind V^^' the generous confeffion uttered by tbe martyr Polycarp, when . thfe Roraan Proconful bad urged him to deny Chrift. — " Fourfcore and " fix years (faid the venerable old biffiop) have " I ferved him, and never yet received any " thing but good at his hands : how, then, " ffiall I now blafpheme my King and my Sa- ". viour*?" * Martyrium Polycarpi apud Coteler, Patr. Apoftol. t. ii. p. 198. DISCOURSE VIIL A FAST SERMON. — 1 1— iriiiiiw I I I DEUT. XXIII. 9.. Whe7i the fioft goeth forth againft thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing. AS a rainifter of that Gofpel whicb disc was - firft pubUffied by the Prince of ^"^• Peace, who carae to reconcile aU things in , heaven and earth, and bequeathed peace, as his laft and beft legacy, to his difciples, I could rather have wiffied, it raight have' been ray province to congratulate you this' day on the approach of it's re-eftabliffi'- ment In the world ; dn the delightful' profpedt of ' tiraes, when the whole earth ffiould once more fit quiet, ^ and be at leifure t6 attend to better things, than* 4 ingenious 222 A Faft Sermon. DISC ingenious and well concerted plans of rau- ^^"- tual deftruction; when "nation ffiould not " lift up fwprd againft nation, neither " ffiould they learn war any more." Thefe ought to be tbe effedts of Re ligion ; thefe would be it's effedts, were it univerfally underftood and practifed; thefe will be it's effedls, at a more aufpicious sera of the chriftian church, and in a happier clime, as all the prophets have foretold, which have been fince the world began. Let nPne, meanwhUe, be offended and ftumble at that fturabling-ftone laid in their way by the frequency of wars araong' nations profeffing Chriftianity. Tbey owe not their origin to Religion, but to the want of it. The fault is in the ground, not in the feed, which is good, but is either ftolen away, or withered, or choked by the paffions growing up with it, and fometimes, even making it the caufe, the very innocent.' caufe, of thofe diffenfibns and aniraofities, which it was defigned for ever tp extirpate. " Whence -corae wars " and A Faft Sei^mon. 223 " and fightings araong you ? Come they disc " not hence, even of your defires," which viu. your Religion ffiould mortify and ¦ fubdue ? Doubtlefs, the fight of Chriftian, Catho lic, Faithful, and Apoftolic princes, fending their numerous regiraents to flaughter one another In thfe field of battle, forms a ffiocking contratl to the fpirit of the meek and lowly Jefus — fo ffiocking, that forae have been thereby induced to maintain the utter unlawfulnefs of all war. But -what then Is , to be done ? Who can prevent a reftlefs and; ambitious ftate frora attacking It's neighbpur? In thefe circumftances, fuch men muft either defend, themfelves, pr -be defended by others, or G-od muft in- terpofe miraculoufly In their defence, or all muft quietly .fubmit to conqueft and captivity by an unjuft Invader. Had this laft been, intended, that rigid moralift, tfie Baptift, would not have regulated, but prohi bited the military profeffion ; nor would Chriftians have served, as we know they did, with fidelity and dUigeface, in the armies of the Pagan emperors. The, "224 A Faft Sermon. DISC n ^ r VIII. The lawfulnefs of a yvar muft therefore be refted now, under, the Gofpel, up6n the fame foot ori wbich it hath ever ftood from t'he beginriing, namely, the juftide of It; and upon a fuppbfitiori that our caufe , is good — as we humbly truft it is — w'e may undoubtedly accept fne' perraiffidri, 'Or rather corariliffion, Iraplied in the fii'ft Words of the tejit; "-Wheri the hoft goeth " forth againft thine enemies" — The. peo ple of GPd raay ftUl be brought .urider a neceflity pf engaging In War, defe'nfive' or' offenfive, tb raaintain their rights, or tp. avenge . their -wrongs ; and fhat, whether^ againft foreign eneraies, or rebellious lub- jedls: much more. If the latter, after having eredted the ftarid'ard bf Indepen- dency, ffiould Unite with the former, arid exclaira concerning 'thofe who nourlfH^d", and brought them up, Uke the children of Lot, vvhen Affnr bad'; accedfed , tP the League — ¦" Corae, and Ifet us root alfo " them out, that they raay be no niore a " people ; and that the riame of Ifrael liiay " be no more in remembrance !" In cir-- cumftandes VUI. A Faft Sermon,. 225 cumftances like thefe, I fay, when all Is at disc ftake, the people of God raay carry on a war, as the only raeans left them to obtain an honourable and permanent peace, -which, in many cafes, can only be the fruit of vic tory; arid heroes might again be celebrated by an Apoftle (ffiould fuch heroes arife, with an Apoftle to celebrate thera) who, through faith, bave " fubdued kingdoras," as well as " wrought righteoufnefs." Between thefe two achieveraents, feera- Ingly fo very different (and often, alas, really fo!) the latter part of the- text points out. a nearer connedtion, than might, perhaps, bave been Iraagined ever to fub fift. " When the hoft goeth forth againft " thine eneraies, then keep thee frora " every wicked thing." If, even with -right on thy fide, thou wouldeft conquer ' and triumph, remeraber to prepare the way by. repentance and reformation. If thou deiireft to become great, let ambition firft excite thee to be good. ' The qualities are affociated in the ftyle Imperial of hea- Q ven — 226 , A Faft Sermon. DISC ven — " the Lord of Hosts — the holy VIII. « One of Ifrael." The charaaers therefore ' of the Warrior and the Chriftian are not incompatible. The firft convert to the Gofpel from . araong the nations was a mUitary raan ; Cornelius the centurion. That profeffion may unite . with the clerical. In the common caufe ; and the General may ftill go forth, as of old, with the Pro phet by his fide. While the bands of Joffiua are extended in the field, thofe of Mofes may be elevated In prayer ; and the minifters '"of ReUgion may animate the people to overcorae the adverfary without' them, by oppofing and vanquiffiing, as a preliminary ftep, the enemy within them, the moft dangerous eneray both to indi viduals and coraraunities. { What God has thus joined .together it is . the error of the tiraes to put afunder ; to think only of our fleets and arraies, and tO' fprget our faith and pradtice.' There arfe few to whom it occurs, that the latter can have any influence on the fuccefs of the former. VIII. A Faft Sermon. , 227 former. Fleets and arraies muft un- disc. doubtedly go forth ; they muft have pay ; they muft have provifion ; they muft have arras ; they rauft have Ikllful leaders : but when all the arrangeraents are raade. If God ^ not forth with thera, vain is the help of raan ! " The horfe Is prepared" — > he ought to be prepared—-" againft the "day of battle; but falvation is of the " Lord." This idea, which never ffiould bp abfent from our minds, and the cor- refpondent affedtion which It is calculated to avpaken In them, are expreffed. In one of the prayers ufed upon thefe occafions, with a propriety, dignity, and pathos, which nothing can exceed — nothing can withftand. " O Lord God of our falvation, " In whofe hands are the iffues of Ufe and " death, of good and evU, and without "whofe aid the wifeft counfels of frail " man, and the multitude of an hoft, and " all the Inftruraents of war, are but weak " and vain ; incline thine ear, we pray " thee, to the earneft and devout fuppll- " cations of thy fervants ; who nPt con- Q 2 " fiding 228 A Faft Sermon. DISC. ", fitimg in the fplendour of any thing that vui.- « jg great; or the ftabllity of any thing " that is ftrong here below, do-r' moft " hurably flee, O Lord, unto thee for " fuccour, and put their truft urider the " ffiadow of thy wings." Thefe have been the ¦ fentiraents of Britons, frora age to age; and let them continue to be fo, tiU time and the world ffiall finiffi their courfe tpgether. In uttering them, we fpeak the wojds not of fuperftition, bigotry, or en- thufiafra, but of truth and fobernefg, if there be a God who governs the world; and if there be not, -why do we faft- and pray? — " Let,;.. us eat and drink, for- to- " raorrpvv we die ;" we perlfti for ever, and becorae as if we had never been born. The dodtrine of Epicurus is erabraced, for the fake of the Inference drawn from it. But -we have been better ' ftrudted; and therefore let the Soldier, i , wt.. as the Chj-iftian, put on his arrapur with prayer. and fupplication. If, on the- contrary, "wben the hoft goeth forth," it ffiould carry prodigality, vice, and profanenefs, with A Faft Sermon. 229 with it, abroad,, arid they who ffend It disc. forth fliould pradlife the. farae. at ..horae, vi^^- what hope could remain ? " Wouldeft '* nPt thou, O our God, be. angry with f us,, till thou .hadft confuraed us, fo *.';that there fliould be no reinnant, nor " efcaping ?" 1... For , let us - refledt, what an aggravation it rauft needs be of national- wickednefs .In the fight of God, if it ffiould be fuffered to Increafe, or even' to continue the fame, at fuch a feafon as this. War, In It's own nature. Is a fpecies; -fof juftice,'; pf corredtive j-uftice. It is intend ed to be. fuch, by th^fo^.-wbo enter into it; as deeming, themfelves to,;have been ag grieved, and finding ^np ; other ^ raethod of obtaining redrefs. But — Thou that un- dertakeft . tp corredl offences, in othersy doft. thou, albandpn tbyfe|f ; to the .like? Thou , that : ; . goeft abput - to chaftife^ thy fellow fubjedl fot rebelUon againft 'his earthly fovereign,, art thou a rebel againft Q 3 the 230 A Faft Sermon. DISC the King eterhal, iraraortal, invifible ? ^^^^' This would be really cafting out evil fpirits through thfeir prinCe. The raan muft be hardened Indeed, who feels no cpmpundllorii when puniflung his brother for crimes, which he allows In hirafelf Sin, at any tlnie, is fin; but -wffien we are inflidling vengeance upon it in others — as the Apoftle . moft eraphatically expreffes hirafelf, " it becomes exceeding firiful." If we confider war, as It refpedts God, we raay recolledt, that peace is ever claffed araong the choiceft of thofe bleffings, which he beftows upon a favoured people; whofe felicity in the enjoyraent of .it is beautifully reprefented by the clrPuriiftance of converting their military weapons into iraplemfents of agriculture ; *' beating their " fwords into plowffi'ares,- and their fpears " into pruning hooks." What idea' theri are we taught to conceive of war? Lan guage finks under the prophetical writers, and creation feeras unable to fupply them ' with . an adequate Iraage, when they at tempt A Faft Sermon, 23 1 terapt to defcribe it's horrors. It is com- disc. pared to a " threffiing InftrumeUt of Iron :" ^^^^' it is ftyled, " the rod of God's wrath ; the " hararaer which breaketh the whole earth "In pieces:" it Is faid to be a " daffiing " two kingdoms together, like potters vef- " fels," to the deftrudtion of one— perhaps, of both. Arabition, Intereft, or a love of novelty, may, for a while, regard It as fport ; but moft affuredly, if it laft long, it wiU bp found a very ferious matter; fweet, per haps, in the mouth; but afterwards bit- ternefs itfelf. It's effedts may not be thought of at the time, whUe the wound is warm; but -when it coraes to grow cold-, and fefter, and perhaps is turning to a gangrene, they wUl be felt, and riiourned, for ages and generations. Sraarting under this fearful rod of the divine difpleafure — fo fearful, that a king of Ifrael preferred peftilence before it — dare we go on to violate the divine laws. In defpite of grace. In dfefiance of power ? " Do we provoke God to an- " ger ? Are we flxonger than he ?" Now, at leaft. Jet us forbear to add fin to fin. Q 4 And J232 A Faft Sermon, DISC And that more efpecially, becaufe It is fin ¦v"^- -which delivers this rod Into the chaften- ing hand bf the Almighty. It is foi- the tranfgreffions of a people, that God fuffers thefe divifions of Reuben' to arife within, and ftirs up the fpirit of princes to take peace from the earth without ; that com mercial ftates are ffiorn by bira of their ac- curaulated wealth (to ufe the energetic lan guage of Ifaiah), " with an hired razor;" that he waftes their ftrong men, and caufesi the loud lamentations of the widow and the fatherlefs to be heard in all their borders; that be commiffions war to march through' a land, with terror and amazement In the van ; famine, difeafe, and defolation, in the rear. If, then, fin be the furfeit, and war the difeafe occafioned by it, Inftead' of entering upon a falutary regimen, for the recovery of national health, ffiall we continue " daily to drink iniquity, Uke water ?" — God forbid ! There is yet another argument, which may come horae to fhe boforas of many who A Faft Sermon. 233 who bear me. In the hoft, wben it goeth disc fprth, you have, perhaps, a relation — a viii. near one — a father, — l-a brother — a fon — a friend, dear as llffe itfelf— for wbofe 'fafe return you are bound by the tendereft 'ties to wiffi, and in expedtation of the event, between hope and fear; pafs. many. an. anxi ous and. forrowfuLhour. That. event will turn upon the favour of Heaven, which raay< depend in part, at leaft, upon your faith and obedience. • The bleffing may be denied you, becaufe you deferve not that it ffiould be granted. For .i relations and friends in fuch a fituatipn,'! you^ probably foriietimes become an bumble advocate iri the clofct, and lift up your hands to ; God above. In a prayer of Interceffion; arid>we know-itbat " the effedl-ual fervent prayer "availeth much." But in order to it's fuccefs, the hands fo fifted up muft be "pure hands ;" the prayer- muft be that ^' of a righteous perfon.'-' For^.this reafon, ' if for no other — for , your brethren ' -and companions' fake— for the fake of your -country, which involves in It all. other re lations 234 A Faft Sermon. DISC lations and connedlions, be perfuaded, that VIII. virtue and piety make the patriot; and therefore, " when the hoft goeth forth againft " thine eneraies, then keep thee frora every " wicked thing." The obfervatlons may fuffice to illuftrate and confirm the dodtrine of the text, that a time of war ffiould be a time of reforma tion. But it may be, aflced, what is to be the nature of this reformation, and wherein is it to confift? An anfwer may be returned to this queftion In thp concluding words of the text; " Keep thee from every ¦vnoktd thing ;" forfake ; all evil, and be upon your guard againft the return of it : . but as fome fins, like fome difeafes, are more prevalent and contagious at certain tiraes, and In cer tain places, than others, mark well thfe abo- mlnatfons which difcrirainate and difgrace the age and the country in wbich you live, and be raore efpecially upon ypur guard a- galnft them. " Jehovah," faith the divine Pfalmift, " looketh .A Faft Sermon. 2S5 "looketh frora heaven, he beholdeth all msc " the fons of men ; from the place of his vm. " habitation he looketh upon all the inba- " bitants of the earth ; arid confidereth all " their works." He looketh, then, on all the Inhabitants of this land ; he confi dereth all THEIR works. And when thus he looketh, what doth he behold ? — • He beholdeth a great people, much de generated, and daily more and more dege nerating, from that noble fimpUcIty, , and manly integrity, ^bich cbaradlerifed the manners of their venerable ancfeftors ; de praving their rainds by the adoption of bad principles, ei;ifeebling their bodies by vice and efferainacy, fquandering their fortunes at the garaing table, and, then, by an adi of violence, in the rage and fury of defpalr,, ruffi- Ing forth to raeet their judge. He beholdeth that virtue, wbich con ftitutes the exceUency and dignity of the pther fex, which is to it protedtion and or nament, a rpbe and a diadem, in danger of being 256 A Faft Sermon, DISC being totally laid afide, while tbe. courts ^''^^' are crowded with trials for conjugal Infide- ¦ lity. He beholdeth an enormous and fenfelfefs luxury, ftill increafing with the __ diftreffes of the tiraes, accorapanied by a diffipation, depriving It's votaries of attention to all that is wife, and great, and good. - He beholdeth his ordinances negledted; his fabbaths profaned ; bis facraments dif- pataged; bis temples forfaken; bis rainifr- ters defpifed;. bis religion torn in. pieces by contending fedts, while there feeittS to be fcarcely enough of it, for each of them to take a little; the^ Infidel openly - reviling, '• or covertly mocking; the faith once dfellyerfed to the faints deferted for tbe dregs of Socinianifm ; a fet of -nien- ftyUng therafelves philofophers, wantoning in the paradoxical abfurdities of fcepti- pifm, leaving us, "between them, neither rinatter nor fpirit, neither body nor foul, and doing tbeir beft endeavours, in their lives •¦• and A Faft. Sermon, 237 and after their deaths, to render us a disc nation literally " withput God in the viu. « world." I would not defignedly aggravate — ¦ and I efteem It my bounden duty on this day not to extenuate — I "fear you acknowlege the leading features of the tiraes to be drawn from life. And Is it raatter of wonder — is It raat ter of offence, that a day ffiould be ap pointed by royal proclaraation, " for a " general fast and huraUiation before " Alraighty God, to be obferved in raoft " devout and foleran manner, by fending " up our prayers and fupplications to the " divine Majefty, for obtaining pardon for " our fins, and for averting thofe heavy "judgments which our manifold provoca- " tions have fo juftly deferved?" Is it matter of wonder, that we ffiould be puniffied by the revolt of our provinces ? . That we ffiould meet with fo many croffes, and find fo many difficulties, in re- 4 -^ ducing 238 A Faft Sermon. DISC, ducing them? That well appointed ar- v"^- raies, under able generals, fliould, for fo "" long a time together, have done nothing, or worfe than nothing? That the corrimon enemies fliould feize the opportunity? That their fleets ffiould overfpread the ocean, and appear upon our coafts with the vaunt- ings of Egypt — " I will purfue, I wiU over- " take, I will divide the fpoil ?" That we flioUld be left alone in, tbe conteft, while the nations around us ftand ftUl in filent araazeraent, waiting tbe event? Wafte not the tirae in fruitlefs complaints of thr? misfortune, or that accident; thjs minifter' or that comraander; but lay the blame, where it is due upon national wick ednefs, which has called down national calaraities. But we are ftill preferved, and pre ferved we truft, for a happy deliverance at laft, out of all our troubles. At the critical raoment of our huraiUation, when the convidtion was rendered coraplete, that " we could not truft in our bow, "it A Faft Sermon. 239 " it was not Pur fword that could help disc " us," the deftroying angel went forth, viu. and fwept away the flower and ftrength of the adverfe navy by ficknefs. The In folence of the eneray In another quarter has been fince repreffed by the cool and deterrained valour pf our countryraen. The ftorra, th^t feeraed to be gathered, and ready to burft forth in a neighbouring kingdora, is paffed over, and gone; the tirae of rejoicing Is there come, and the cheerful voices of gratitude and jnduftry refound on every fide. Nor doubt we, but that the little teraporary uneafineffes and difquletudes here, thofe clouds in our Engliffi atraofphere, wiU, ere long, by the fame prudential and falutary counfels, be dif perfed, and ferenity and tranquillity reftored araong us. Let the prodigal then return unto his heavenly Father, and he will receive ,hira. Let us take with us words, and turn to the Lord our God. Let us confefs his power, adore his goodnefs, and intreat his 240 A Faft Sermon. DISC, his mercy: let us. revere bis word,. obferve ^^"- bis fabbaths, attend his ordinances, and par- take his facraments : let our faith be blame lefs, and produce It's proper -fruits, righteouf nefs and holinefs, teraperance ' and purity, patience and refignation, felf kno-wlege and felf government: let wifdora- and ferioufnefs once more be the glory, of Engliffimen, and foUy and vanity fly ,a>vay — to the place from whence they came. One thing Is yet, behind — and oh that my voice could reach the remoteft corners of the land, to proclaim to all It's Inhabit ants the wiffies of Britain, that her chil dren would dwell together in unity; that they would not employ their ffiining ta lents, and extenfive attainraents, raerely in thwarting each other ; that they would not revive old jealoufies and aniraofities, or fow new ones ; that they would abolifli , enraity, and ftrain - every nerve in the ' profecution of this only contention — whp fliall ftand~ firft, - and do moft fe'rviccj in A Faft Sermon, 241 in the caufe of their King, and their disc Country. ^"^- Such is the nature of the reforraation to be defired. Bleffed are the eyes that ffiall fee It; but ftill raore bleffed the hands that ffiall have contributed to effedt It ! Viewed In the aggre gate. It may feera dlfficult-^-It iriay feera ira poffible. But let us divide the tafk araong us, and It will becorae eafy. Let each of us un dertake for ONE, and let us begin to-day. " Then will the Lord be gracious to bis Inhe- ," ri tance, as in the ancient days. In the gene- " rations of old; the Lord will make our way " profperous, and we ffiall have good fuccefs;" we bave had forae — we fliall have raore — " the " Lord will give strength unto his people; " the Lord will give his people the bleffing pf DISCOURSE IX. A FAST SERMON. ISAIAH XXVI. 9. When ihy judgments are in ths earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteoufnefs, TN that part of Ifalah's Prophecy, which disc , is coraprehended betyveen the thir- ^^' teenth and twenty-third chapters, inclu- fively, the fate of feveral cities and coun tries Is denounced. Stationed for the purpofe, by divine coraraand, in his watch- tower on mount Sion, and from thence caft ing his eye over the different ftates and era- pires in that part of the globe, tbe prophet Is raade to behold, in vifion, the judgraents of the Almighty prepared for them. He fees the mighty tempeft faUing, in an awful manner, around the horizon, and R 2 falling 244 , A Faft Sermon. DISC falling fucceffively, as the tranfgreffions of ^^- each called it down, on Babylon, Philiftia, Moab, Damafcus, Egypt, and Tyre. At length,' as there is no refpedt bf perfons with God, he perceives the ftorra ap proaching Judea Itfelf, and the whole weight of tbe divine difpleafure IiTipending ori the chofen people, for their wickednefs and apoftafy. The defolation Induced thereby on the holy land raakes the fub jedl of the twenty-fourth chapter, where it Is defcribed with a fubUraity of fenti- ment and expreffion peculiar to the facred writings. There is no need to detain you by a rainute enquiry into the particular period fuppofed to be intended. Ifaiah, as his learned tranflator and expofitor has very juftly obferved, chiefly eraploys ge neral Iraages : fuch as fet forth the great nefs and univerfailty of the ruin that was to be brought upon the country by thefe great revolutions. Involving all orders arid degrees pf raen, changing entirely the face • of things, and deftroying the -whole polity both religious and civil ; yet with intima-^ tions A Faft Sermon. 245 tions of a reranant to be favedj and a disc reftoration to be at length effedted, by a ^^' glorious eftabliffiraent of the kingdom of God. — Having thus viewed this extenfive and Interefting fcene In all it's parts and all it's confequences, he breaks forth, in the twenty-fifth chapter. Into a fong of praife. In which his mind feeras tp be more poffeffed with the profpedt of future mercies, than with the recolledlion of the paft. The heavenly ftrain is refumed in the twenty-fixth chapter, from whence the text Is taken. A chorus of the faithful is introduced, afcribing to God the glory of protedling them from their eneraies : " We have a " ftrong city ; falvation ffiall he eftabliffi " for walls and bulwarks." A proceffion is feen, advancing towards the teraple, of fuch whofe fidelity had been experienced in the day of public calaraity ; and the minifters there attending ¦ are corariianded to give them an entrance into thofe fapred manfions of refl: and peace. " Open ye , R 3 « the te 246 A Faft Sermon. bisc ' " the g&tes, and Ifet tlie righteous nation ix. tc enter ; conftant ih the truth, ftayed in raind, thou flialt prefetVe them in perpetual peace, becaufe they have trufted In thee." From this example, an exhortation is addreffed tp the weak and the Wavering, tbe tiraid and defpond- ing, to repofe their confidence in Him, who can bruife the ftrongeft eneray under the feet of his people : " Truft ye in " JehoVah for ever; for In the Lord ** Jehovah is never-failing protedlion. Fpr " he hath hurabled thofe that dwell on high ; the lofty city he hath brought ber down : he bath brought ber down to the ground, he feath levellfed her with " the duft. The foPt fliaU traraple upon " her; the fpet pf the poor, the fteps of " the needy." A queftion might be afked, why the good ffiould fuffar with the bad J Anfwer is returned, that nothing can befal them, which is not prop'Prtionefd to their cafe, and calculated for their faal benefit: " The way of the -Tighteous as " perfedlly ftrait ; tliou moft -Pxadlly -le- " velleft te et tt A Faft Sermon. - - 247 *^ velleft the path of the righteous"." The disc confeffors, thus perfuaded of the wifdom '^• and equity of God's proceedings, go on to defcribe in what, manner and with what f affedlions they receive his chaftifements, paffing the calm and filent hours of the night, and the dawn of the morning, in devout meditation and prayer, and waiting patientiy till the divine judgraents ihould produce their proper effedl, in reclaiming and reformu:^ thofe who were the objedts of them : " Even in the way of thy " laws, O Jehovah, we have placed our " confidence in thy name ; and in the " remembrance of thee is tbe defire of our " foul. With my foul bave I defired thee " in the night; yea, with my inmoft " fpirit in the morn bave I fought thee. *' For when thy judgraents are ip the earth, " the inhabitants of the world learn righteouf- " nefsb." •' See Vitringa. ,* The preceding citations are made Trom the Bishop of London's tranflation, as expreffing the fenfe ofthe original "with greater, force and precifion. a 4 Give 248 A Faft Sermbn. DISC. Give me leave to offer a few refledtions, ^^' fuitable to the prefent occafion, on the "" Teacher, the School, and the Leffon. The Teacher is God ; the School, that of Affliction; the Leffon, Righteous,- NESS. I. When from thefe happy and fe- queftered feats we look abroad, and ac quaint ourfelves with what is now paffing around us, a real fcene prefents Itfelf, refembling , that vifionary one exhibited to Ifaiah. The rage of man feeras to be contending with that of the winds and waves, which ffiall produce the great eft degree of raifery upon the earth i we hear the waUings of afflidled Iflands, and the cries of' nations in diftrefs. Aghaft, araidft fo rauch havoc and devaftatlon, the raind ffirinks back upon Itfelf, and afks, anxioufly afks, frora whence proceeds, fuch variety of -w^retcbednefs ? Whofe band Impofes this load of woe upon the human race? We rauft reply, in the propheti cal language, it Is " the burthen of the " Lord," A Faft Sermon. 249 Lord," who governs the world which he disc created. The priraary defign of thefe foleranities Is to diredl our thoughts, amidft the changes of this mortal life, to the fuperln- tending Providence of Him^ who ordereth all things aright in heaven and earth. Deftitute of this inftrudilve and coraforta ble confideration, we might fuppofe the univerfe to be under the- - uncontroulable influence of fiends and furies, fporting ' themfelves with tbe calaraities of mankind ; or we might deify chance, committing the affairs of it to the blindeft of guides, inftead of that one all-powerful divine In telUgence, which in the farae undivided inftant both fees and bears aU things. We might iraagine worlds to have been propa-r- gated in fucceffion, like vegetables, whofe feed is In therafelves; or, like aniraals, ab Ovo '. We might fancy the evil principle ' " In like manner as a tree sheds it's feed into the " neighbouring fields, and produces other trees: fo the " great vegetable, the world, or this planetary fyftera, " produces IX. 250' A Faft Sermon. Disc, to have been coeternal with, and Independent ¦^^" on, the good one. We raight argue from the attributes of God againft the reality of evil, or from the prevalence of evil againft tbe exiftence ofGod. • But the fedt is, we cannot reafonably doubt the exiftence of either. For the ex iftence of God, the argument frora the effedl to the caufe, or from the work to the workmafter, though much labour has been eraployed In a pofthumous volume to perplex and confound it, ftands firm and irrefragable ; nor can the incorapetence jaf the huraan underftanding (Uraited as it is " produces -within itfelf certain feeds, which being fcattereS " into the furrounding chaos, vegetate into new worlds, " A comet, for inftance, is the feed of a world ; and after " it has been fully ripened, by paffing from fun to fun, and " ftar to ftar, is at laft toffed into the unforihed elements " which every where furround this univerfe, and immediate- " ly fprouts up into a liew fyftem.— Or if, for the feke of " variety (for I fee no other advantage), we fljould fuppofe " this world to be an animal, a comet is the egg of this " animal : and in like manner as an oftrich lays it's egg in "the fand, which, without any farther care, hatches the " egg, and produces a new animal; fo .» Dia- logues concerning Natural Religion, p. 132. il? A Faft Sermon. 251 in it's views of ,created nature) to judge of disc the ufe and expedience of forae of tbe '^• parts,- ever be admitted by us, while we continue In our fenfes, as a proof that God did not make the whole. Eternal reafon, furely, fpoke by the mouth of the apoftle, when he faid, " Every houfe is buUded by " forae raan; but be that built all things " Is God*." When we fee an edlfic^e calculated to anfwer various purpofes, and carrying In it all the marks of thought and defign, we know it could not ' have ' buUt itfelf The fenfelefs materials could never have prepared and arranged therafelves In fuch order. The timber could not have moved, cut and fquared, out of the foreft ; nor could thd raarble bave advanced to meet it, hewn and poUffied, from the quarry. We conclude therefore that the houfe muft bave had a builder; and we apply the arguraent, a fortiori, to the cafe ef the world, and it's Maker, God ; the marks pf thought and defign being here in- i Heb. iii. 4. 1 finitely 252 A Faft Sermon. DISC finitely raore and greater. Tully fcruples ^^' not to affert, that he who denies his affent to it does not deferve the name of a man. Yet, in this learned and intelligent age, have we feen a writer who deeraed himfelf the deUverer of mankind fi'om the bondage of fuperftition, and the light of the nations, endeavouring to doubt and difpute it away, by an application of the favorite topic, fo thoroughly baffled, fome years ago, in the cafe of miracles. " Will any man (fays " he) tell me, with a ferious countenance, " that an orderly Univerfe rauft arife from " fome thought and art like the human, " becaufe We have experience of it ? To " afcertain this reafoning. It were requifite " that we had experience of the origin of " worlds S" His own words are cited, becaufe, otherwife you could hardly per haps have Iraagined it poffible, tbat a phi lofopher ffiould argue, " with a ferious " (Countenance," againft creation, from the circumftance of big not having been pre- ' Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, p. &5. fent A Faft Sermon. 253 fent when It was effedled, and becaufe it is an disc event which does not happen every day. We i^' are not 'to be Induced by fuch reafoning, to queftion the exiftence of God. As Uttle can we queftion the exiftence of evil. For why are we afferabled in this place, at this time ? Alas we hear of it, we fee it, we feel It, daily and hoUrly. But as the delft ,wUl not beUeve in the Scriptures, fo the atheift will not believe. in the being of a God, tUl every difficulty can be folved — Verily, then, each muft die in his unbelief. They ffiould believe upon fufficient evidence, and truft their Maker for the reft. The atheift cannot reconcile the notion of a God with the exiftence of evil. But there is fufficient evidence for tbe exiftence of both. Here, let us reft. God had his reafons for per mitting evil, br he would not have per mitted it. If he hath been pleafed to dif- cover them in bis' wprd, or if we can dif- cover them by a view of things corapared with that word, it is weU. If not, ftifl, reafons 25* J Eaft Sermon. DISC reafons there are; and what we cannot know noVv, we ffiall know hereafter. In the mean tirae, let It be repeated — God had his reafons for permitting evU; other- wife, he would not have permitted it— Tbe whole compafs of fcience does not furniffi a founder conclufion, refting on more fubftantial preraifes. Here fix your foot, and you fweep away at a ftroke all the flimfy fophifms fabricated in the fchool of Epicurus,,^ to entangle and diftrefs you on this part of the . fubjedt. » No ; in all our fufferings, national as well as perfonal, whether proceeding frora our enemies, from the eleraents, or frora ourfelves, we are to acknowlege the hand of heaven. The whole tenor of Scripture addreffeth a coraraunity, upon fuch an occafion, as our church doth an individual, labouring under ¦ difeafe and infirraity. " Know this, that " Alraighty God is the Lord of life" and " death, and of all things to them per- " taining, as youth, ftrength, health, age, " weaknefs, or ficknefs. Wherefore, wbat- ¦' foever your ficknefs is, know you cer- " tainly. A Faft Sermon. 255 " tainly, that It Is God's vifitation." Phiv disc. lofophy fliews us, there are fecond caufes, ^^¦ pbyfical and moral ; and the more phi lofophy can explain of tiieir nature, pro perties, and raanner , of agency, the better ; fuccefs attend her labours ! But religion affures us, that as they exift by the power, fo they adt under the diredtion and controul of the Firft. Why, 'then, often find we in ourfelves (for we often do find in ourfelves) a certain ffiynefs and backwardnefs In making this- acknowlegeraent ? There Is a vulgar and canting way of making it, which is dlf- gufting enough, and incurs the fufpicion of hypocrify; but ftiU, In fobriety and feri oufnefs, upon proper occafions, it ought to ^be raade. Is. there not a deficiency of /azVA in the cafe ? " Ye have heard of the pa- " tience of Job :" confider likewife thP ope ration of his faith. The Sabeans and Chaldeans defpoil hira of part of his pro perty; the Ughtning confuraes more of It; and an hurricane frora jbe wildernefs buries his 256 A Faft Sermon. DISC his children under the ruins of the houfe where they were feafting together- But what fays he ? , He raentions none of thera — " The " Lord save, and the Lord hath taken IX. " away^" There raay be anpther reafon. To ac knowlege puniffiraent. Is tP confefs guilt. In owning the judgraents of God to be upon us, we own that we have raade him our eneray; and as the refledtion is dif agreeable, we fondly endeavour to perfuade ourfelves, that our fufferings are owing to fome other caufe - — td any other caufe. But the juft and prudent inference ffiould run thus. Have we raade hira our enemy ? Let us lofe no time in making bira our friend; fince, when we are roUIng onward to the brink of the precipice, our fall will not, be prevented by ffiutting our eyes. Let us add to our faith huraility, and honeftly confefs ourfelves to be — yvhat Gpd knpws we are. This leads us to the 'Jobi. 21, Second A Faft Sermon. 257 Second confideration propofed, naraely, disc the fchool In which God is teaching us, ^^• that of Affliction. But why the School of Afflidlion? Is there no other School, In which we raay be taught ? Does God delight in the fuf ferings of raen? Certainly not. We have bis own gracious word to affure us, that " be doth not afflidl willingly s." He proceeds to dp it, like a tender and affec tionate parent, with reludlance. " How " ffiall I give thee; up, Ephraira ? How "ffiaU I deliver thee, Ifrael? How fliall I " make thee as Adraab ? How ffiall' I fet " thee as Zeboira ? Mine heart Is turned " within me, my repentings are kindled " together \" — Can the fprce of words go farther ? There is another School, in whicb we once were , placed, under the tuition of mercy, and drawn by the cords of a man, « Lam. iii. 33. ¦¦ Hot xi. 8. s that 258 A Faft Sermon. DISC, that the goodnefs of God might lead us to *^- repentance. But if profperity does not encourage us to be virtuous, adverfity muft corapel us to be fo. If we become not fenfible of heaven's bleffings by the enjoyraent of them, we rauft bP raade fenfible by the lofs. FooUffinefs is fome tiraes bound in the heart of a nation, as well as that of a chUd, and the rod of cor- redlion muft drive It out '. " Mifery and " fin (fays a great writer of the prefent " age) were produced together. The de* " pravatipn of human will was fallPwed by " a diforder of the, harmony of nature; " and, by that Providence, which often " places antidotes in tbe neighbourhood of *' polfpns, vice was checked by mifery, left, " It ffiould fw'eU tb Univerfal and un- " limited dominion." In a word, phyfical evil was ordained to be the puniffiment of moral. But this puniffiraent is feldom inflidted, Prov. xxii. 1.5, without A Faft Sermon. 259. without previous notice. Watphmen are bisp. generally fent to found an alarra, and ^—' faithful witneffes are raifed up, by their writings and by their condudl to bear their teftimony. Indeed, the Word of God is a ftanding admonition to ages and gene rations, not only by precepts, threats, and promifes> inftrudllng, rebuking, and ex horting, but in the hiftorical and pro phetical parts of it exhibltuig a variety, of cafes and precedents, among which any nation, at any period of it's exiftence, may, upon fearchmg, meet with one applicable to it's own ftate. So that whatever ca lamity befals usj the Holy Book, if we wUl but look into It, may be found re proving us, as St. Paul reproved the mari ners in the ffiip ; " Sirs^ ye ffiould have " hearkened to me, and ye would not " have fuffered this barm and lofs ''." The firft chaftifements are of a mild and gentle nature, as it were whifpering Adts xxviii. 21. s 2 repentance 260 , A Faft Sermon. Disc repentance and reformation in our ears. To ^^* generous and well-nurtured fpirits the flight eft appearances of difpleafure are fufficient. When the heart is hardened, more rIgorouS' meafures muft be taken, and heavier puniffi- ments brought forward. Majeftic, and treraendous, God arifes to judgraent: The found of his Ihundfer is heard at a diftance, and all the prognoftlcs appear of an approach ing ftorra, - Divine juftice, though fure, is flovv; and npw, as of old, the long-fuffering of God waits with fo much patience and for bearance, that as in the life of man there is a certain part, when, for forae years to gether, perceiving Uttle or no alteration in hirafelf and thofe about him, he almoft diffielleves, at leaft he feems wilUng to forget, that be ffiall grow old and die; fo by the firm eftabliffiraent and long fub fiftence of a nation, remaining nearly the farae, through the repeated vieifl!itudes of peace and war, we are terapted to eiiclaim, " Where is the threat of bis coraing ? " For AFaftSernwn. 261 " For aU things continue as they were'." disc But let us not fo deceive mirfelves. The ^^' nation, as well as the man. Is verging apace to that period of life, which is to be labour and forrow : the motion, however gradual and imperceptible for fome time, wUl be dreadfully accelerated In It's latter ftages ; and perhaps, after inceffant warnings and admonitions, the grira fpedtre wifl fuddenly appear in all his terrors, at an hour when we look not for hira. In thefe particular judgraents,. as in that laft and general one, " God hath appointed " a - day "." And although be hath re ferved fuch appointraents in bis own power, yet are there fymptoras of the diforder coraing to a crifis, certain " figns " of the tiraes," by which they who are converfant in the. Scriptures, and the hif tory of decUning' erapires, raay form ffirewd conjedtures, partly from the moral, arid partly from the political fituation of a people. ' 2 'Pet. iii. 4. " Aaaxvii. 31. .i.'¦^' - s 3 Wational, 262 A Faft Sermon. DISC, Natibnal, like perfonal depravity, is pra-' ^^* ^effive, and, at a Rated time, attains to maturity — in the language of Holy Writ, it is full; when a voice iffues from the throne, " Put in the fickle, for the harveft " is ripe ; the wickednfefe is great "," V The wickednefs of a country may be ftyled great, when it has aboliffied the old, vlrtupus, rtianly, national charadler, and introduced one of an oppofite complexion, having eftabliffied it's dominion by faffiiofi, and ruling vvith an high hand over all orders and degrees, no longer fubjedl to fear or ffiame, but becoming matter to itfelf either of glory, or of mirth ;¦ tram pling under foot, and fpurning at the very narae of that difcipline, which ffionlii check and reforra It; according to thofe moft fignificant and ever memorable words of the Roraan hiftorian, containing In them the fubftance of a volurae. " Ad Ula " mihi fe quifque acriter intendat animum. ° Joel iii. 13. quae A Faft Sermon. 263 " quae vita, qui mores fuerint : per quos . d isc. TV " viros, quibufque artibus, et partum pt " audtum imperium fit. Labente deinde *^pauUatim dIfcipUna, velut defidentes *'prIrao mores fequatur anirao; deinde ut " magis magifque lapfi fint ; tum ire coe- " perint prseclpltes ; donee ad haec tera- " pora, quibus nee vitia noftra, nee re- " MEDIA pati poffumus, perventum eft°." When difilpation and iraraorality reign triumphant in a Cbriflian country, they will foon difcard thofe principles by which they feel themfelves condemned, and adopt the fyftem of mfidelity. Revelation, after having been for a whUe " holden captive " In unrlghteoufnefs *'," difarraed and dif abled by heretical and falfe glpffes, will at length be ppenly denied and rejedted — like Him, who dared to thwart the plear iures ' of HerPdias — firft imprifoned, and then beheaded. • Liv. Prafat. * Rom. i. 18. s 4 Jofephus 264 A Faft Sermtin. Disc Jofephus gives the following account of ^^' his unhappy countrymen, at the time im mediately preceding- their final deftrudlloni, " That time," fays he, " abounded in aU " manner of iniquity, fo that none was " left unperpetrated. Yea, though a man " ffiould have endeavoured to Invent fome " new fpecies of It, yet could he have fal- " len uppn nPne, that was not then In "vogue'." Thus -much for practice—^ Now for faith. — " It was familiar with " them to make a jeft of divine things;.. " and to deride, as fo raany fenfelefs tales, " and juggling irapoftures, the facred ora^ " cles of their prophets, though theri " fulfiUing before their eyes, and upon " therafelves '." The chair of the fcorner, probably, was- regularly taken, and portions of the Word of God toffed abPut upori th6 tongues of prophanenefs and impurity, ^as a Sabbath-evening employraent, for the diverfion of the rabble. — After fuch an ac count, we naturally expedt to hear of the 9 Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. lib. vii. cap. 8. Edit. Hudfon. 'Ibid. Lb. iv. cap, 6. event IX. A Faft Sermon. . 265 event which foon followed — The carcafe disc was thrown out, and the eagles flew to their prey. Frora tbe political ftate of a nation, cora raon fenfe, as well as the experience of paft ages, forbids us to, augurate favourably, when having been drained of It's treafures by, a long feries of expenfive and ruinous wars. It Is, In confequence, oppreffed by an accuraulated and enorraous load of debt; the very intereft of which Is with difficulty difcharged, by all the variety of taxes and irapoftsj that abUity and ingenuity can de vife : when the body Is grown too large and jextenfive for the head to govern ; and the diftant provinces, revolting,' occafion, for the purpofe of reducing thera, a war ftill more expenfive and ruinous than any of the former: when the; ancient and avowed eneraies of fuch a country, taking advantage of it's fituation, corabine their forces to fupport the- rebelUon againft It, aiming to extinguifli It's, glory, the fubjedl of their adrairation, and to appropriate it's comraerce^ 266 A Faft Sermon, Disc commerce, the objedl of theiir envy; while ^^' of the furrounding nations, forae ^ftand un concerned fpedtators, or perhaps look to wards a ffiare of the fpoil, and others, even it's oldeft friends and aUIes, after having for forae tirae fecretly affifted, at length openly join the confederacy : when the war becomes one of procraftination and finance, each endeavouring to exhauft the refources of the other, fo that the con queror will probably fall breathlefs on the body of his antagonift: when, Inftead of unity and unaniraity at horae, the counfels and operations of a government,^^ in thefe perUous circuraftances, are clogged and Im peded by everlafting contefts for places of power and emoluraent; fo that apprehen" fions arife, where there ffiould leaft of all be the appearance of any ground for them, that the pubUc intereft bas been facrificed. to that of a' pia'rty : when through the prcr valence of licentious tenets, for many years with unwearied pains differainated, and now producing their proper fruits. In an impatience of aU law and reftraint, dif- 1 contents, A Faft Sermon. 267 contents, divifions, and fearchings of heart disc abound, ready, at every opportunity, to ^^• break forth into turault and confufion ; as it happened to the wretched Jerufalem, that whUe the Roman armies were apply ing the inftruraents of jdeftrudllon, in every dipedlion, from without, a fadtion of Zea lots within fet fire to the City and the Temple. If the foregoing particulars ffiall be judg.. ed applicable. In any degree, to ourfelves, and you ffiall be of opinion, that the Al mighty is indeed thus teaching us in the fchool of afflidtion at this tiriie, you will deem it neither inexpedient, nor unfeafon- able, to confider. Thirdly, the Leffon defigned to be taught, under this fevere courfe of difcipUne. The reprefentation given above has been given, not to produce defpondency, but to roufe attention; not to difcourage, but only to alarm. If a nation fleep, it muft be 268 A Faft Sermon. DISC be awakened. It were cruel; in fuch cir- ^^- curaftances, to be afraid of difturbing it. Afflidlion will not have Wrought the effedt intended, tiU we ffiall awake to Righte ousness, and learn, in this our day, the things which belong to, our peace and web fare. If the fenfe of danger be not quick, the effprts to efcape it wiU be ineffedlual. That it may be efcaped, we have no reafon to doubt. For though the appoint ment of a general and eternal judgment be abfolute, the tirae fixed for thefe partial and teraporal vifitations is always condi tional. — " Yet forty days, and Nineveh " ffiall be overthrown %" cried a true Pro phet, at the coraraand of his God, In the ftreets of that great and wicked city. But, at the voice of the Prophet, Nineveh re pented, and fubfifted raore than three times forty years afterwards. It is Indeed a rule in the divine proceedings, " At what in- " ftant I ffiall fpeak concerning a nation " and conceruing a kingdom, to pluck up, ' Jonah iii. 4. " and A Faft Sermon, 269 "and to pull down, and to deftroy It; If disc "that nation, againft whora I have pro- ^^' . " nounced, turn frpra, their evil, I wUl re • " pent of the evil that I thought to do " unto them '." . By repentancCj through faith in our Redeemer, we difarm the wrath of God, becaufe we ceafe to be any longer the objedts againft which it Is le velled. Should we continue finally impe nitent, like thofe mentioned by Ifaiah in the verfe following the text, who, " when "the arm of Jehovah is lifted up, will not "fee," then muft we be deftroyed, that other nations, admonlffied by our eiaraple, may be the more afraid to offend. But if we ourfelves take the warning which other- wife we ffiall give, then will the great end of . Providence In fending , thefe calaraities upon us be anfwered. We ffiall be re forraed, - we ffiall be pardoned, we ffiall be fpared. We ffiall leave our drofs and fcum behind, and come forth out of the fire, bright and burniffied. Jer. xviii, 7, 8. Phyfical 270 A Faft Sermon. DISC Phyfical evil, by being made the punifli- ^' ment of moral evil, becomes the caufe of moral good. And, as things are now con ftituted fince the fall, perhaps there is a very fmall portion only of moral good among men, which does not owe it's ori gin to this very caufe, " If pleafure were " not foUowed by pain, who would forbear " It ? If the inconvenience of fuffejing " wrong were not greater than the fatif- " fadtion of doing It, when would man- « kind have fubmitted to the reftraint of " laws ? Were it not for a, confcioufnefs " of being liable to fuffer tbe miferies we " relieve, how would charity 'wax cold ! " And how few would fix their attention " upon the future. If they were not dif- " contented with the prefent ! In a world " Uke ours, where our fenfes affault us, " and our hearts betray us, we ffiould pafs " on frora crime to crirae, beedlefs and re- " raorfelefs, if niifery did not ftand in our " way, and our own pains adraoniffi us of " our folly." Thefe are, in . fubftance', the obfervations of the fame great writer, to whom A Faft Sermon. 271 whom Ihave before aUuded, who is-fo weU disc known, that he need not be named. And ^x. moft valuable obfervations they are. They reconcile the mind to fuffering evil, and pnfold the myfterles of that divine cliy- mlftry, by which good may be extradled from it. I cannot forbear reciting from the farae place the following juft and beau tiful defcrlption of the whole procefs of this matter in an individual, from youth to age, which, in paffing, you wUl- be pleafed to apply, for yourfelves, to the cafe of a nation. And may the iffue, with refpedt to our own, be the fame ! " In chUdhood, whUe our minds are yet *' unoccupied, ReUgion is irapreffed upon " themj and the firft years of alraoft all " who bave been well educated, are paffed " in a regular difcharge of the duties of " piety. But as we advance forward Into " the crowds of life, innuraerable deUghts " folicit our inclinations, and innumerable " cares diftradt our attention. The time " of youth is paffed in noify froUcs ; raan- *' hood 272 A Faft Sermon. DISC "hood is led on frora hope to hope, and IX. tt fj.Qjjj projedt to projedt. The diffolute- " nefs of pleafure, the inebriation of " fuccefs, the ardour of expedtation, and "the vehemence of competition, chain " down the mind alike to the prefent " fcene ; nOr Is it remembered how , fogn " this mift of trifles rauft be fcattered, and " the bubbles which . float upon the rivulet " of life be loft for ever in the gulf of " eternity. To this confideration fcarce " any raan is awakened, but by forae " preffing and refiftlefs evil. The death " of thofe frora whora he derived his " pleafures, or to- whora he deftined - his " poffeffions, fome difeafe which ffiews " him the vanity of all external acquifi-, " tions, or the gloora of age which intef- -" cepts his profpedts of long enjoyment, " forces hira to fix bis hopes upon another " ftate ; and when he has contended with " the tempefts of life till , bis ftrength fails " hira, be flies at laft to.^the ffielter ,of re- " ligion "." " See the paper in the Idler, entitled, Phyfical Evil. moral Good, vol. ii. p. 206 ' Late A Faft Sermon. 273 .Late therefore . though it be, let us yet disc. apply our hearts unto wifdom. Had It ^^' been done fooner, it might have been done in a way more agreeable, and raore to our credit. But let us negledt to do it no longer. The inftrudtion, which we have failed to reap from benefits conferred, let us, however, reap from calaraities inflidted, and not fubjedls ourfelves to the reproach; uttered forraerly by the Apoftle to bis ., Galatians ; " Have ye fuf- " fered fo raany things in vain?-^If It be "yet in vain"." It is npt the bufinefs of thp day to call our governors to account, but ourfelves ; to cenfure their ffle^ures, but our , own. There is enough to corredl and reform* at hprae. At leaft, let us begin there. We ffiall -have no leifure, for forae tirae, to look abroad . " When tbou. art converted, ''.ftrengthen thy brethren '',''' but be not curious to fiqd fault with others, and carer ' Gal. iii. 4. " Luke xxii, 32. T I^S IX, 274 A Faft Sermon. DISC lefa to amend thyfelf.. < Enter into thy clofet, and when thou haft 'ffiiit the door, let the radft concerning qu€fftion be the leai^iig one— " Lord, is it I " ?" ISIaf ters of ' mere fcience often terrainate, as they begin, in fpePulation. But righte- oufriefs is an drl, and muft be acquired, like other arts, ' by pradtice^ by ufe, by habit. It referables ' a - Jpffon in . mufic, which Is to be learned indeed by the book; but no' man is reputed to have learned it, till he can readily take it from thence, and perforra it on the inftruraent. " He " that ' DO Eth: Righteoufnefs is ' righte- It confifteth not folely In going thr&ugb the fervices of this day; in adls of raourn ing and humUidtion." They are prepaf- ratives, and ejfcell'ent'' ones; but they are no more. To what piirpofe confeflion of fin, "if iin be not fbrfafceri ? What av^l !• Matt, xxvi," 22, ' i John iii. 7. 4 incitements A Faft Sermon^ 275 incitements to coriverfiph, if converfion do dIsC. not -fpllpw upoh -them? Why fubmit to ^^'- medicine, if we intend to continue in thofe irregiilaritiesj which firft caufed, and vvill ever perpetuate the diforder ? Alas, it ia labour loft— it is an aggravation of our crime—:' it is mockery^ — " it is iniquity — even this {blemttine@ting\'* To conclude i — Righteoufnefs Is not par tial ; it is not limited to this virtue, - or that perfon in. a community, but extend'S to all the poffible- duties of afl m^b iA every .ftation. The ' chaftlfemerifS of "Gd^ , (as a learned pibu? prelate of the laft' Cen tury well remains) " baVe a gitietA tam. " It is not their defign, that we- ffiould "quit one iU courfe to purfiie another j " th^t we ffiould abhor idols, Snd commit "facrilege; fly from fa'perftltion, ind rml /'into prophanenefs; cry out of oppreffion^ " and bring in conlufion ; fupprefs PopeVy, " to encourage fcblfra and fadtion ? From '• univerfal reforraatloil we raay expedl = Ifaiah i. 13. T 2 " univerfal 276 A Faft Sermon. Disc, 'univerfal deliyer^nce, ,''.". The effedt. of ^'^- SUCH.,. Righteoufnefs r wiU ibe ,; pe,ace,; to procure - the; \ re-eftabliffiment of which ampng ,(IIhpiftian nations, ido thefe judg ments of; the ^Almighty, npw In the rworld, addrefs , therafelves to It's Inhabitants', of aU ranks, ages,.^and. cpndjtipns, high and low;, rich and poor, young and old, clergy.iarid laity. ,., Bute chiefly :Jp you; 'O ye. Prince's,: do they :icall»,. aild; their .voice;; is to you that are juidges ; ofl .theji e-arth',: deputed i by the fpyereign of the ;uniV;erfe to rule his people in the ¦integrity of; ypur ihearts, and guide thf^ by the flcilfulnefs ofyour bai;ids. ,-,,View the.i.ftatC/ ofi CJhrlftenjdora, ,;pften becpmipg, fo^ years together, the theatre on which ypur fubjedls are fent forth, thoufands after thour fands, . to inflidl ; and fuffer. In their turns, the .manifpld calaraltiesi : of war: TeU It npt. in fthe -realms ofHindoftan; publiffi If t See a Serraon of Bilhop Brownrig, vol. ii. p. 172; from whence fome of the fentiments ih this Difcourfe were taken. ' not A Faft Serfnon. 277 not in the ftreets of Conftantinople ; make diss. it not known in tbe new difcovered iflands ^^' of the diftant fea ; left infidels triumph, and favages laugh us to fcorn. Hearken what the Lord God fpeaks concerning you. He fpeaks to you out of the whirlwind. In a very audible manner. While you are endeavouring to deftroy each other, the fury of the eleraents, referabling the laft convulfions of departing ^ nature, defolates the choiceft poffeffions of you all. In one part of the pidlure appear blood, and fife, and vapour of fmoke; in the other, the heavens are In confufion, and the founda tions of the earth ffiake. — If there be any fear of God, by whom ye reign ; if there be any confolation in Chrift, by whofe name ye are called ; if there bp any bowels of loVe and rafercy; pity the miferies of poor mankind, and wipe the tear from the eye of forrow; agree to let the horrid fcene be clofed, and reftore joy and comfort to a lamenting world. MUlions now on earth ffiall break forth In your praife, and gene rations yet unborn ffiall caU ydu bleffed, T 3 DISCOURSE X. THE BLESSED EFFECTS OF PERSEVERANCE. 3 THESS. III. 13. Be not weary in well doing. 'TTHE honour of being thus caUed to disc plead the caufe of a Society, whofe reputation muft run coeval with that of religion and virtue, is fomewbat qualified by the confideration, that the fubjedl has been already treated by fo many perfons pf fuperior erainence and abiUty. The mo tives that have place in compofition s of other kinds, can have none here ; fince in Vain would it b6 for the preacher to hope, that he ffiall be able either to invent new matter, or poliffi the old into new beauty and luftre. T 4 Difcou- »x. X. 280 The bleffed Effects of Perfeverance. DISC '" ^Difcouraging, however, ''as this refledtion may at firft fight appear, it affords no foUd reafon why fuch anniverfarles fliould be difcontinued or flighted. Succeffive - gene rations of raen require fucceffive Informal tion ; and the farae raen, though they may want to he informed hut once, raay want often to be reminded. .... Good impreffions, we know, are irapaired In much lefs time than that of a year, by the cares and plear fures^ of life, and need therefore ,'to be frequently retouched. Many hear with more effedl than they read': 'many alfo may hear, who do not read at all : and.of thofe , vvho do read, numbers may read a new fermon, who never read the old {though ." the old be better"); and;, by coraing into new hands. It raay procure us new friends and alUes. Freffi hints, and thofe of confequence, may be afforded hy the occurrences and publications of the times. Freffi accounts are eoraraunlcated of the progrefs made, to encourage the defponding; or of the farther fupplies requifite, The bleffed Effects of Perfeverance, 28 1 requifite, to give the opulent and generous disc an opportunity of furnlffiing them. ___I— It is matter of general coraplaint, that the fervour and zeal which, at the com mencement of a charitable inftitution, dif fufed warmth and fplendour on all around, are but too apt, by degrees, to languifli and die away, unlefs forae expedient be era ployed periodically to revive and cherlfli the boly flarae. Let rae congratulate fhe Society on the additional circumftances of ' folemnity, devifed, with equal benevolence and tafte, to grace their annlverfary, in the place where we .are now affembled. 'The eyes and ears of all prefent will atteft the propriety with which - they bave been adapted to anfvyer the purpofe in view. And refpedting tbat part of the enter-' tainment to.be provided by the preacher, it Is but doing juftice to the fubjedl to fay,, that though in Itfelf old, and " what we "have heard from the beginning," to the well- 282 . - The bleffed Efl'ects of Perfeverance. DISC well-difpofed, mind it is ever new. No mai) ^- Is the lefs pleafed to receive a vifit from a much loved friend, on the apcount of his having received many before. No man naufeates the meal of to-day, becaufe one compofed of the ¦ like falutary viands was ferved up to hira a year ago. Should he do fo, we well know where the fault muft Ucr; not In the quality of the meat, but in thp appetite of the eater. To prevent any thing of- the kind from taking place, let us ftrengthen and encourage one another by applying, as we raay y?ith great propriety do, the exhortation, of the Apoftle to thofe, who are en|[aged. in for warding the defigns of the Society. - Let us Endeavour to ffiew, that all fuch are, engaged In well-doing, and therefore that they ought not to be zveary. Manifold, in the prefent ftate ^ of th^ world, are the wants of raankind ; and the -virtues of one part of the fpepies confift much in relieving the neceffities of the other. Thf MeJ'ed Effects of Perfeverance. 283 other, ;It is the leading feature In ^weharac- disc ter, on whom angelic as well as human fpi- x. rits are diredted to fix their attention, that ^ "He went abou*-, doing good ;" In other words, as the explanation immediately follows," heaUng all that were oppreffed "of tbe devU%" and affliaed with the imaladles and calamities introduced into the world by fin, of which that evil fpirit was the author. An itiea of a fimilar nature is always fuppofed to be conveyed, when we fay of any perfon departed, that "he "did much good' Tin his life-tirae." Nay, to the- ' great . Governor of the Uni verfe, we have no other way of giving the glory due,; than by proclaiming, as weare Enjoined to do, that "Jehovah is good, and " that bis tenDisc. which. In the prefent ftate of bis nature, ^^* he is by no means difpofed at all tiraes to, anfwer as he ffiould do. Alive to earth, he is often dead to heaven. Troubled about many things, to the one thing needful he is apt to be inattentive. He fleepeth, and muft be awakened. " Awake up, therefore, my " glory ; awake, lute and harp ! I myfelf will " awake right early "." Let the inftruraent accorapany the voice, and the heart accom pany both. In- the conftitution of raan, as the all- wife artift has been pleafed to frame It, there are certain tones pf the voice, by which the affedtions of the mind naturally . exprefs themfelves. ' The tone of forrow Is mournful and plaintive ; the notes of joy,' ¦ exulting and jubilant,- St. Jaraes therefore , fpake with the ftridteft propriety, when he * Mufic -was ufed by the Pythagoreans to diffipate the' dulnefs of the mind at firft waking in the morning : and it is faid, I think, of good Bishop Kenn, that, immediately on rifing from his bed, he feized his guitar, and played fome fprightly ftrain, for this purpofe. faid) of Church Mufic. 305 faid, " Is any afflidled? let him pray; Is disc. "any merry? let him fing'\" ~ When the ^'' fpirifs are raifed by good news, or any other very pleafing confideration, every one whofe adtions are unobferved, and therefore unreftrained, will break forth Into finging. It js the proper expreffion of pleafure ; it is " the voice of joy and health in the dwel- " lings of the righteous." Who ffiall conteft THEIR right fo to declare and make their feelings known ? They have been in poffeffion of the privilege, evef fince the hour when, at the creation of the -world, " the morning ftars fang together, " and all the fons of God ffiouted for joy "= ;" and they will be found poffeffed, of it, in the day, when, for the redemption of the wprld, faints and angels ffiall fing tpgether, " Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and " power, to bin> that fitteth upon the " throne, and to the Lamb "* 1" During the intermediate , period between thefe - two ' James r. 13. ' Job xxxviii, 7, ^ Rev. V. 13. great ' XI. S06 the Antiquity, Ufe, and Excellence DISC great events, there is upon earth a mixture of evil and good ; there is, on that account,' a mixture of forrow and joy ; and the fervice of the church confifts of pkAYER and PRAISE. We have finned, we are afflidled, we pray : Our fins are forgiven, we rejoice, we fing. , If we confult the page of hiftory, we find, that araong all nations, where raufic . has , been at all underftood and pradlifed, it has been appUed to this ufe, and eraployed in their religious feftlvals. Whatever was the objedt of adoration. In this manner was adoration paid., And as it is notorious, that moft of the rites to be found among idolaters, were originally derived frora the primaeval church of God, and transferred to their falfe divinities. It is a fair fuppo fition, that what was pradlifed by one, had been firft pradtifed by the other. Short- as the account of things and perfons is in the Mofaic hiftory of an infant world, we re^d very early of thofe who • " bandied "the of Church Mufic. 307 "the harp and organ'." It is inippffible disc; to fay,' at this tirae, what fpecific inftruraents ''''• are denoted by the' Hebrew words ; that they denote raufical inftruments of fome fort, there is no doubt. No fooner was there a regular national church eftabliffied In Ifrael, a people feledt' ed by the Almighty for that very purpofe, than we find raufic making a part of the ritual. " The trumpet was blown in the " new moon, on the foleran feaft day; " fuch was the ftatute for Ifrael, the faw " of the God of Jacob." The perforra ers, vocal and Inftruraental, were ranged by the royal prophet, under divine diredtion, in their feveral claffes, and appointed to wait In fucceffion, through the year^ At ' Gen. iv. 21. Jubal, faid to have been 'fthe father of " fuch," was indeed a defcendant of Cain, and the feventh only from Adam in that line. But thatj even in that line, idolatry Jiad fo early taken place of the wotfliip of the true God, does not: appear. f 1 Chi'on. xxv. — In imitation of king David, the empe ror Charlemagne, In the univerfity of Paris, founded by him, and in other parts ofhis dominioiis, endowed fchoolsfoi' the ftudyand practice «f mufic. At church he always fung X 2 his SO^ The Antiquity, Ufe, and Excellence DISC great events, there is upon earth a mixture ^^' of evil and good ; there is, on that account,' a mixture of forrow and joy ; and the fervice of the church confifts of pkAYER and PRAISE. We have finned, we are afflidled, we pray : Our fins are forgiven, we rejoice, we fing. , If we confult the page of hiftory, we find, that araong all nations, where raufic has been at all underftood and pradlifed, it has been appUed to this ufe, and eraployed in their religious feftlvals. Wbatever was the objedl of adoration, in this manner was adoration paid., And as It is nptdrious, that moft of the rites to be found araong idolaters, were originally derived frora the, primaeval church of God, and transferred:, to their falfe divinities, it is a fair fuppo fition, that what was pradtifed by one, bad- been firft pradlifed by the other. Short- as the account of things and perfons is in the Mofaic hiftory of an , infant world, we re^d very early of thofe who ¦ " handled "the of Church Mufic. 307 " the harp and organ \" It Is impoffible disc to fay,' at this time, what fpecific inftruraents '''^• are denoted by the Hebrew words ; that they denote raufical Inftruments of fome fort, there is no doubt. No fooner was there a regular national church eftabliffied In Ifrael, a people feledt'- ed by the Almighty for that very purppfe, than we find mufic making a part of the ritual. " The trumpet was blown in the " new raoon, on the foleran feaft day j " fuch was the ftatute for Ifrael, the Taw " of the God bf Jacob." The perforraers. Vocal and- Inftrumental, were ranged by the royal prophet, under divine diredtion, in their feveral claffes, and appointed tb wait In fucceffion, through the year^ At • Gen. iv. 21. Jubal, faid to have been 'f'the father of " fuch," was indeed a defcendant of Cain, and the feventh only from Adam in that line. But that> even in that line, idolatry liad fo early taken place of the worfliip of the true God, does not appear. f 1 Chfon. xxv. — In imitation of king David, the empe ror Charlemagne, In the univerfity of Paris, founded by him,'and in other parts ofhis dominioiis, endowed fchools foi the ftudy and praftice of mufic. At church he always fung X 2 his SIO The Antiquity, Ufe, drid Excellence, Disc, exhorts bis converts more than once, to ^*' cheer and aniraate^ each other, in ' their chriftian courfe, 'by" pfalras and hymns, '5 and: fpiritual fongs, raaking raelody In " their hearts, as well as their voices, to "the Lord*." And this was the conftant "pradtice in the priraitive church. Inftru mental ' mufic could' have' no place during the tiraes of perfecution, when, for fearl of their, eneraies, the Chriftians were obliged to hold their ' afferablies in fecret charabers, in dens and caves of the earth. Organs are faid by forae to . have been introduced intp .churches, about the middle of the feventh; by others, not till the eleventh, or, twelfth, century ; fince -which tirae,, this kind of 'HI ufie has- raade a part in the chriftian fervice \ '. With , us of the church of England, Indeedj it ceafed for a ffiort period, in the laft century. By the fedtaries ^of .that day, organs were holden In aboraination; .and ¦¦ Ephef. V. \9. Colotr. iii. 16. < ' See Bingham, b. viii. ch. vii. fe6t. 14. the of Church J^Iufic. 3M -the fury of an enthufiaftic zeal, -which disc feeras to have been deaf, as well as ^^' BLIND, deftroyed many capital Inftru ments. It Is obfervable, however, of Mil ton, though fo warmly engaged againft the Church, that his tafte got the better of his prejudices; for jn one of his fraaller poeras, he fpeaks of cathedral fervice — as it ought to be fpoken of— and in a raanner truly worthy of hirafelf t. It is rauch to .the bonour -of the raerabers ofthe klrkiof Scotland, that many of thera have lately fubfcrlbed liberally towards the eredlion of an epifcopal chapel, with an organ, at '' But let my due feet never fail To walk the ftudious cloyfters pale. And love the high embowed roof). With antique pillars mafly proof. And ftoried -windows richly dight, Cafting a dim religious light, There let the pealiiig, Orgah blow, ^ To the full voiced choir below. In fervice high, and anthems clear. As maj with fvveetnefs, through mine ear Diffolve me into ecftafie,s. And bring all heaven before mine eyes. Il Ptiiseioa. X 4 Edinburgh. 312 The Antiquity i Ufe, and Excellence DISC Edinburgh. The votaries of preffiyteiy XI- not only bear, the found of the organ, but, I believe, bave adopted it In fome ,of their own places of worffiip in England.. O might all their other prejudices in our disfavour die away and vaniffi in like raan ner! The objedtions, in ffiort, of any account, urged againft choral raufic, are pointed at the abufe whjch has been foraetiraes made of It, and to which, like other goo4 things, it is at all tiraes liable. Great care fhould therefore be taken to keep the ftyle of it ehafte and pure, fuitable to holy places, and . divine, fubjedls. " Religious harmony (fays "Collier) muft be moving, but noble " withal ; grave, folemn, and feraphic ; fit " for a martyr to play, and an angel to, " bear.'-' The light movenients of the theatre, with- the effeminate and frit tered mufic bf modern' Italy, flioUld be excluded, and fuch corapofers as Tallis and Bird, Gibbons and King, Purcel and Blow, Croft and Clark, Wife and Weldon, Green and. of Church Mufic, 31-3 and Handeli ffiould be confidered (and It disc is hoped they always will be confidered) as ^^• pur Engliffi claffics in this facred fcience'. Nothing then can be faid againft it, and every thing may be faid for it. That which Is coraraonly affirraed of nature (whatever is meant by the word) may with truth and propriety be affirmed of the God of nature,- that he " dpth no- " thing in vain." To the element of air he bas given the pow'er of producing founds; to tiie ear the capacity - of, receiv ing them; and to the affedlions of the mind an aptnef^ to be moved by them, when tranfmitted through \the organs of ' The fcience of Mufic was ranked next to that of Theo logy by 'Luther, who is thought to have compofed the notes now fung to the hundredth Pfalm. — On the true ftyle ahd compofition of Mafic in general, and facred Mufic in parti cular, fee the Excellent obfervations made by the Reve rend and learned Mr. Jones, in his Treatife on the art of Mufic, dedicated to the Direftors of the concerts of ancient Mufic ; Introduction, and .occafionally through the work. The manner in which he has illuftrated one fcience by ideas borrowed from another, in the way of analogy, thews the hand of a mafter. the ^I'* The Antiquity, Ufe, and Excellence ;Disc the- body. The philofophy ofthe thing, is ^^' too deep, ahd wonderful .for us; we cannot attain unto it I But fuch Is the fadl; with that we are concerned, and that is enough for us to know. The end, .and defign of fp curious an apparatus are moft evident. Sound was Intended to be the vehicle, of fentimenti* and, ftiould be eraployed In the conveyance of fuch fentiriients as may iiiftruditio' Improve, purify and exalt 'the mind; fuch; as, when received and retain-' ed, may; -infpire refolutioUs, and produce; adtions, ' tending to the glory of Gpdv and the good of raankind'. How can this pur-. pofe be more effedtually anfwered, than it is, when the..' moft beautiful and fubUfnef paffages of holy writ, fet to the fineft mu fic, are beard outwardly with our ears, and. ingrafted Inwardly In pur hearts? What can we have — What can vve defire more, upon earth? The power of mufic is but too well known by fatal experience, when it is mifapplied — applied to cheriffi arid call forth of Clmrch' Mufic. '315 forth the evil that lies concealed in the Disc corrupt heart of fallen raan; to recom- ^^' mend and. excite In him, all the follies of levity and diffipation, of interaperancfe and wantonnefs. "What are we to do in this cafe ? Are we to renounce and difclaim' mufic?- No; let us employ mufic againft milfie; :-If. thejPhiliftlnes fing a chorus in honour - of their \ idol, let Ifraelites fing one louder to the glory of . Jehovah™. In. the heathen mythology we are told, that when the Sirens warbled their foft feducing ftrains, to aUure beedlefs mortals into the paths of unlawful pleafure, two different methods- were made Ufe of, to efcape thP fnare; Sorae rendered themfelves incapa ble, df hearing, while . others overpbwered |helr fongs by cbaUtlng^ divine hymns. The ftory is fabulous, but the raoral juft, and appofite to -the fubjedl in hand. For there is no doubt but that the heart may be weaned frora every thing bafe and raean, and elevated to every thing that is excel- Th's is done in the Oratorio of Sampfon. * ' lent S 1 6 The Antiquity, Vfe, aiid Excellence ¦DISC, lent and praife-worthy, by facred raufic. Xl. The evil fpirit raay ftill be difpoffeffed, and tbe good fpirit invited and • obtained, by the harp of the Son of Jeffe. Tall^ we of life, and joy, and plea sure? /" Thou, O Lord, ffiall ffiew us "the path of life; In thy prefence is, the " fulnefs of JOY, and. at thy right hand ii " pleasure for everraore"." Are We at \any time heavy and fluggUh.? .DpeS; rsligion feem duU, prayer a talk^, and thankfgiving a burden ? " Awake up, rny " glory ; awake, lute, and harp ! — -I will "praife thee, O Lord, among the peof)le; " I wUl fing unto thee among the '. nations. " For thy raercy is great unto the heavens, "and thy truth unto the. clouds. Setup " thyfelf, O God, above the heavens,- and " thy glory above all the earth °." " Pf. xvi. 1 1. Set full by Gold vs- In, and a charming ditet by Dr. Blake. " Pf. Ivii. 8,&c. Set by Wife. ' Have of Church Mufic. Sit T:?Have we a turn to ingratitude? Are we disc difpofed to forget the mercies we have re- ^^• ceived? — "I ara well pleafed that the " Lord hath heard the voice of ray prayer; " that he hath inclined his ear unto rae; " therefore wUl I caU upon bira as long as tl I live p. Is the ftrong man tempted to glory in his ftrength, the great man In bis power, 'the rich man In his poffeffions, or the fair woman in the beauty and gracefulnefs of ber perfon ? — " As for man, his days arc as grafs ; as " a flower of the field fo he flourlffieth. For " the wind paffeth over it — it Is goner— and " the place thereof ftjpll know it no '-' more''." Are we captivated by any thing we fee or hear below, and Induced to efteem. It great? — " I was in the Spirit on the " Lord's D^y, and I heard a great voice of > ' Pf. cxvi. 1. Set by, Dean Aldrich, from Carifiirai. •Pf. ciii. 15, Set by Clark. ' " much XI. 318 The AntiqUit.y\ Ufe, and Excellence DISC " much people in heaven, faying Hallelu- " jab ! Salvation, and glory, and honour, " and power, unto the Lord our God. For " true and righteous are bis judgments; ," And again they faid. Hallelujah. And " the fiaur and twenty, eiders and the four " living- creatures fell down, and worfliip> " ped God that fat on the throne, faying,. " Araen, Hallelujah. And a voice came "'out of the throne, faying, Praife diir > " God, all ye his fervants, and ye that fear' " hira both fraall and great. And I heai'd " as It were the voice of a great raultitude; " and as the voice -of- niany waters, and' as , " the voice of raighty thunderings, faying,' " Hallelujah, for jibe Lord God oranlpotent " reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and " give honour to hira ; for the marriage of the " Larab is come, and his -wife hath raade her- " feff ready '." Before fuch a fcene, and fuch a band, ' Rev. xix. 1, &c. Set by Blow in a strain of fublimity truly wonderful. every of Church Mufic. ' 319 every human performance muft ffirink, and Disc- fade away, iii the coraparifon. A per^. ^^• formance, however, bas lately been ex hibited, and, to our honour has been exhibited In Britain ' — (it's found ftiU vibrates in the ears of many who hear me) whicb furniffied the beft idea we ffiall ever obtain on earth of what is- paffing In heaven. It did juftice (and that is faying very much indeed) to a compofition, of the great mafter, to which may be applied the obfervation of a learned writer upon a chorus in an anthem penned by the farae hand, that " nothing lefs is fuggefted by It to the " iraagination, than all the powers of the '' univerfe affociated in the worffiip of It's. « Creator '." Mufic, then, has alWays been ufed in the church, and with good reafon. May it always continue to be fo ufed. ¦ Commemoration of Handel in Westminster Abbey. ' Sir John Hawkins, v. 'tis. and 3r20 The Antiquity, Ufe, and' Fxcellence "Disc and to produce It's " proper effedls ! In ?^- England, choral 'fervice *was 'firft- intlb- 'duced'in this' Cathedral", and' the prac tice of it long Confined tb the churchb of Kent, from whence it became gra dually diffufed over the whole kingdom; Here may it breathe it's* laft — but not till time ffiall expire with the, world. Violated no more by facrUegious hands, may this auguft and magnificent fa bric remain, in perfedl beauty, through all the generations pf mankind that are yet to come, a raonuraent of the piety of our anceftors, and a -witnefs to that of our pofterity': May thankfgiving and the voice of., melody, like tbat of this ° Sir John Hawkins, i. 404, 371. — We are informed by Strype, in his Annals of the Reformation, vol. ii. p< 314, that when Queen Elizabeth was entertained at Canterbury by Archbishop Parker, the French Ambafladorj who was in her fuite, hearing the excellent mufic in the cathedtal church, extolled it to the (ley, and brake out into thefe words. " O God," I think no prince befide in all Europe " ever heard the like, no, not our holy father the Pope "himfelf." — May we not fay, that to cathedrals, andthe perfons teaching and taught in them, has been owing the prefervation of mufic among us from age to age ? 1 , 'day, of Church Mufic. 321 day, be evermore heard in it, tiU the veU disc. . • vt' being done away wbich parts the vifible from ^ ' the invifible world, the choirs of heaven and earth ffiaU unite before the throne. MM^fad^ayha DISCOURSE XII. THE CHARACTER OP TRUE WISDOM, AND THE MEANS OF OBTAINING IT. 'f^^ PROV. rv. 7. ^ Wifdom is the principal thing, .therefore get wifdom, and zmth all thy getting, get undeifiandzng . 'T'HE fage Inftrudlor of the world, ^.^^^ from the eminence on whicK Prpvi- xii. dence had placed hira, furveys niankind. "" pifcontented with themfelves, and their pre fent condition, he beholds them engaged in the purfuit of fomething that ftill flies before thera. Pleafure, wealth, , and power, appear in their view, and folicit their at tention. Grieved to fee time mifpent In quell of things periffiable, and labour loft on 524 The Character of true Wifdom, ¦% ,, DISC on that which either may not be obtained, ^^^* or, when obtained, raay difappoint In en joyraent all the hopes excited by expedta tion, he raifes his Voice, and wiffies it. to be' heai'd to the ends of the earth. He calls raen off frora a fruitlefs chafe after - objedts attained, with' difficulty, and poffeffed without fatisfadtion ; : he points out one, adequate to all ' their efforts ; one,- In the purfuit of which no time can be mifpent, no labour can be loft; one,' which jpte- fents itfelf a fair raark, to be always hit by the quick eye, and the fteady hand ; one- thf^-'uray be furely gained by' genius and diligence, and when gained. Is pro dudtive of pleafure, riches, and h6n6\3i\ pleafure,' which fadeth not a-(vay; riches^' which nonfe' tan, take from -'the happy pdiP- feffor; aild' the honour,- wbrch cometh frtim God olfty;- Soloraon- fouiid, if men '^ were difpofed 'td' be contented with 'ii'by thirig, It was that with which they' never ffioilld" be contented — their' igndrkiice'.' He exhorts them' to rEARN.' ""Wifdom is' tbe priffci- *^'pal tiling :' therfefore, get wifdora ; ana « with and the Means of obtaining it. S2S " with. aU thy getting, get w^rftand- disc " ing." ^'^^ The fubjedt wUl beft, be laid before you, in it's feiveral bi^ij^hes, by confidering, what it is we are enjoined to acquire; ^how -vye are to acquire, it ; and why we are to acquire it. Firft, then, we wiU confider the nature of tbat, which wp are fo e|3ra,eftly enjpined to ac quire. It would be tedipfis, and It is needlefs, critically to difcufs the fignification, and. nicely to ):race the ^ades whicli difcrimi- nate t^he meaning of tbe different word^s eraployed in the book of Proverbs ; fuch as, "wifdora, underftanding, knowlege, pru- '^ dence, difcrftion," and the, reft. They fegm,|C)&ien to be ufed, p!roir\ifcuoufly. Sp f^, at leaft, ,as relates to our prefept, pur pofe, j-.and the inftitution whicb is the oc cafion qf, pur aflembling at this tiwe, tbey may certainly be regarded as terms nearty fynonymous 32« ;_ the Character of true W'ifSdm, DISC, fynoliymous, and intended to convey thii •^^^* idea now generally expreffed by the wofdi LEARNING. Tlic wlfdom of Solomon, we :¦¦: :. 1 "^z ': - , ¦ to know, extended Itfelf on every' fide ; it Was converla^Fni matters phyfical ahd thepi - ' " " ." -" ^ ,li'' ''^£i'f,'^ ¦'¦...- '.-;¦.. logical, natural and artificial : it Iilveftigcttgdi and ftated the' duties and offices of maU] poUtical, domeftic, and perfonal : It^*coii- templated himin the feveral relations and- employments of life, arid prefcribed the PPri* audi refpedtively proper in each. And this furely Is true wffdom ; this Is the fend'W ajl learnine. .' Pnilofppby, \he° refult of faga- .-^.::v: ^|,,^£ .i^^r -,:. ..'¦ :;,,,. °,„ pity, readmg; vand expenence, lays down rules and maxims; hiftory furniffies esfam- pies .^, and: the fyftem of nature, WitU'tM inventions and Irapro,v^ments of art, fupplie^ ¦'-¦-- ftp '3 ¦"¦ -images an4.£lJ^firatidns-.' *-diiA.-i..dIftin9;ion- has been raade betvveen dl- ''^/ and human learning, and much nas been , ¦^ritten upon it. The former has oy 301 ;xi9^«i . , . -, . -¦'.kwr-j , -' fome been magnified to the contempt aM "ex'clufi^- 'of . the latter, as if r that bu| not :l9^b* brought into the fandtuary; "a^ ;\:if and thie M^ans of obtaining it, 327 if any great quantity pf it were not only , disc ufelefs, but prejudicial; as if^feience vyerp ^''^" the de^th of goodnefs, aiid ignorajice . in^ <^eed the raPtber pf devotion. , On the other ha.xv^, there are, who pretty plainly inti mate, that ^ey think the na.me of learn ing duie only to,, that wh^cb we, ftyle hu man ; religion, in their opii;ilon, being cal culated. to engage the attention of npne but thofe, whpfe abUities qualify them not for fcholars. In the firft of thefe repref^ntatipi^s there is a want of judgraent ; in the fe cond, of piety. The two fpecies of learn ing differ 3 but they differ as ^xe .MEANS dp -frpm the end. Were there no divine learning, human leaming would lofe great part of It's value: limitei tP the prefent life, it rauft terminate on the confines of the gfrave. And had we ho bunian " learn- in£-, we ffiould not be able to attain to that which is divine. The days of infpira- . tion have been lone fince at sih end. God h;^„ ceafed^ to coraraunicate immediately' the treafures of vyifdom and knowlege to any man. Mpdern pretenfions to fuch comrau- nications 328 Tke marettter of true Wifd&m, DISC mcalidnsi betray fome fault either in the xii: hearts or heads of thofe who make them. Thefe treafures muft be fought for, with tJie bleffing" of God upon our endeavbtirs, in the ordinary' "way. All the divine leam-^ Jtig' upon earth is eoatajned in the books of the Old and' New Teftament, Which are Written in H^bifew' and ' Greek. Thofe lan guages; therefore, with the Latin, muft be ftudied; and the ftudy of thehi falls withiii the department of human learning. Enough, perhaps it wHl be urged, may be gathered frora 'ti^nfiatlons, for aU ffife purpofes required. Biit tb whom arfe -we indebted foir tranflatlons, unlefs td ' thofe whP by gobd and fufficient learning becaiii^ qua lified for the work ? Arid' aS the^!, hdv^eVer worthy and able, were yet very far ffoin infallible. It \^iU frequently bapiiein, ; in ppMfs oT difficulty, that we can neither fufficleflfly eftabliffi our own faith; nof confute -"tfeiif- guraents of the adverfary, ' withPut recurring tP the originals. The adverfary, to ferve his turn, vvill reciit' to thera: and^what v?IU become md the Me&m. of o^t'oivikgit. 3c29 beti^orae pf iUSy if we are not able to follow disc hjm? XII. The hiftory ,pf the people of God cannpt t^ ,-¥fi'te#?9d>-. without taking wltbus^ that of pagan ftates, particularly of the AffyriaiU, Perfian, Grecian, an4 Roman empires. An catadl acquaintance with what has been paf fing in the world, filice the extlndllpn of die laft, cannot be difpenfed with In a com mentator on the prophecies, particularly thofe in the Revelation. To adjuft the fitu ation of places, and the. fucceffion of times, we rauft caU to OUI affiftauce the fclenpes of gepgr^ajffiy, chronology, and aftronomy. ^^iqs can . the .pDpportipns ofthe temple and it's furniture, ^^efcribecj ,in the books of Kings, -and., Chronicles, and afterwards re ferred^ to by Ezekiel and St.; Jphn, be vvell comprehended and afeert^ed,, without fpmething of .mathematics and mechanle^. Thus neceffary Is a knowlege of languages aiidjfciences, to interpret jtiie, letter of^ Scrip ture, the fource^ of dodlrines^and precepts, thp fpundation of all Improvements,, mpral 1 and 336 The Character of true Wifdom, DISC and fpiritual: and they muft ever be' the ^^^- beft interpreters, who have the., largeft ffiare. of It. The advantages of a fuperior fkUl In the Greek language, as exercifed on paffages in the New Teftament, and the.. early ecclefiaftical writers, has bpen em^ nently difplayed In* a controverfy now fub- fiftmg; the fubjc'dl' of which is of the bighpft' Iraportance. .Lefs indeed, of huraan learning was needetj by the clergy,, when ithe. * world around thera had none , as was tbe cafe in ffie, ....¦'¦ ''.¦' .\i. .'ific,-)? dark ages preceding the Reforraatioi?. To the. clergy, howeyer, of thofe very ages are unbeUevers Indebted fpr the prefervation of that learning? which, fince the R,efqrmatioft^, they have eraployed in vain againft Chrifti anity. Frora the clergy in modern tiraes^ have proceeded nine in ten of' the bbolcs' written tp facilitate the progrefs of Utera^^ ture, and diffemlnate '^ every fpecies'' of it through the worid ]. Enemies . tp falfe phi- ' " See the late Dr. Jortin's admirable Charge, upon this fubjecl, at the. end of his'-Seinaons. • - '¦'^ < ¦ Jic; .' lofophy. and tlie Means of obtainitig it." 331 lofophy, they have ever proved themfelves. disc the friends and promoters of that which.' Is ^^^' true. Yet a certain author having very in^ nocently mentioned " a philofophlcal divine," as a charadler that might be fuppofed tp exift, without any contradidtion implied, the hiftorian of the Roman empire is pleafed to reprefent fuch a fuppofed being as a strange centaur'', a compofition abfurd and raon ftrous, half man and half brute. Accord ing to his owu ideas; however, the repre fentation may be juft enough ; for a pihilo- fopher, as we have top mdch reafon to ap- preliend, in his acceptation of the word. Is an unbeliever; a divine is (and let us hope, ' wiU alvvays continue to be) a be liever., ' Wifdom, It feertis, was born with the infidel, and wIU die with him. We wiU take the liberty, notwithftanding, to fay — becaufe it. is true — that wbatever learn- '-.'¦, I .. ' *i- -.," , • ' ¦ . - ¦ .,¦',•¦¦ Ine raay at any time have been brought to the , attack, tbere has never hitherto been founcl a deficiency of it for the defence of (.Vol/ ii.p;, 369. religipn ; 333 The Character qf true Wifdom, DISC religion; neith^ wiU there ,rbIn the laft century; .and one was at length effedted, which fwept away fchools and univerfitles, with the go vernraent civil and ecclefiaftical. The reve nues allotted to the fupport of cathedrals, and thefe their appendages, w^ere feized, with a view to augment the smaller LIVINGS. But raark the event — When the eftates were fold, the pre^ffiyterian minifters, who bad taken poffeffion of the livings, and expedted the augraentation, were told, to their utter aftonifliraent, tbat the money was wanted, to support pub lic CREDIT. It was wanted, and it was appUed accordingly^ — ^AU was then over whelmed by a deluge of enthufiafm, and Illiterate fanaticifm. The deluge -which now threatens us is one of another kind, but not a whit lefs forraidable. ' See Warner's. Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, ii. 580. Collier, ii. 848. Nalfon, ii,291. Thus 348 the Character of true Wifdom, DISC Thus much for the wifdpm we are ex- ^^^* horted to acquire, and the method of ac quiring It. , A few words ffiall be faid, and they fliall be but fe-w, in the Third and laft place, upon the advaU'- tages attending ' fuch acquifition to the*^- individual hirafelf, and to the coraraunity. To the Individual, wifdora Is indeed, as Solomon properly ftyles it, " the princl- " pal thing." The feat of It|s refidence Is in the nobleft part of the huraan corapbfi- tlon ; and that noble part it renders ftill more noble. What , elfe gives to raan the fuperiority over brutes ; to angel's over, man ; and to the Omnifcient over all his creatures? " The Lord Is a God of " knowlege'," and wifdora was with him frbra eternity'". The pleafures of wifdom exceed all others. In kind, degree, and duration, far « 1. Sam. ii. 3. * Prov. via. 22. Wifdom ix. 9. as and the Means of obtaining it. 34,9 as heaven Is hib;her than earth. " Her disc " ways are ways of pleafantnefs, and , all " her paths are peace'." A ftudious dif pofition makes thofe who are bleffed with It valuable, good, and happy. It enables them to find a paradife in foUtude, and profitably, as well as agreeably, to fill up the intervals of bufinefs. It renders them Uttle fenfible to the allurements of external objedts, to thofe trifles and improprieties which difgrace the man, and degrade the Chriftian. The Ul inftrudted and unem ployed are the perfons" whofe Imaginatlbn Is' always wandering and afloat. For want of folid nourlffiraent, their curiofity and their appetites turn to objedts either vain or dangerous ; and hence proceed alt thofe inventions for fquandering away thought and tirae, which generally 'end In a forgettulnefs of God and ourfelves. It is incredible what Inconveniences are avoided by thofe, who can pafs theit vacant hours with books, and their own thoughts, '' Prov. iii. -17. " Happy" Xll. 350 The Character of true Wifdom', DISC " Happy" — fays a prelate. In bis day, the ¦^"* admiration and delight of mankind, I mean tbe all accompllffied Archbiffiop of Cam bray — " Happy they, who are difgufted " with violent pleafures, and know how " to be pleafed with tbe fweets of an " innocent life. Happy they who delight " in Inftrudtion, and find a fatisfadtion in " cultivating their minds with knowlege. " Into whatever fituation adverfe fortune " may throw thera, they always carry en- " tertainraent with thera; and the dif- " quiet, which preys, on others in the " raidft of pleafures, is unknown to thofe " who can eraploy therafelves in reading. " Happy they, who love to read'." Let it be added, that this happinefs Is onfe, which as the vvorld does not give, fo neither can the world take away. It will never leave us, but continue a fall and firm friend, when ^very other pleafiire ffiaU have forfaken us, Wifdom wUl ' Telemachus, b. ii. See Phillips on the Study of Sa cred Literature, p. 172; comfort and the Means of obtaining it. 3oi comfort us In the day of forrow, and fup- disc. port US' In the hour of death. Like the ^^^ holy ark accompanying the camp of Ifrael, ffie wUl go with us over Jordan, and con dudl us to our Inheritance In thp^ land of promife. " Exalt her," fays tbe wife man, in the words Imraediately foUowing my text — " Exalt her, and ffie fliall proraote " thee ; flie ffiall bripg thee to honour " when thou doft erabrace her ; ffie " ffiall give to thine head an ornament of " grace, a crown of glory ffiaU flie deliver " to thee;" To a coraraunity tbe advantages of wif- , dom are many and great. A natiPn glories not lefs in the learning, than in the valour of her fons.' Long and illuftrious is the train of literary heroes, which Britain be holds, with an hpneft and confclous pride, who frora age to age have filkd the moft exalted ftations In church and ftate, or prefided In the different departments of fcience, or, from the ffiades of an honoura ble and lettered retirement, fent forth 4 their 352 Tlie Character of true Wifdom. DISC their writings for the entertainraent and ^"" Inftrudtion of mankind. My younger brethren, the hppe of the rifing generation, our future joy and crown, all thefe were men like yourfelves; trained In the farae courfe of education. Think of their exaraples, and eraulate; their fame. The trophies of MUtiades, you know, would not fuffer Theraiftocles. to fleep. Here the author of the book of Ecclefiafticus upon this fubjedl. In a chap ter read conftantly at our unlverfities, on the days appointed for a foleran comme moration of founders and benefadtors. " I ,et us now praife faraous raen and our " fathers that begat us. The Lord hath " wrought great glory by thera • through " bis great power frora the beginning. " Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, " men renowned for their power, giving " counfel by their underftanding; and " declaring prophecies : leaders of the pep- " pie by their counfels, and by their know- " lege of learning meet for the people; I " wife and the Means of obtaining it. 353 "wife and eloquent In their inftrudtions. disc " All thefe were honoured in their gene- ^"' " rations, and were the glory of their " times. Their bodies are buried In peace, " but their naraes liveth for evermore." WhUe the world fliall laft, and any regard be paid to that which deferves regard, " the people will tell of their wifdom, and " tbe congregation wUl ffiew forth their " praife"." If therefore there be any virtue. If there be any praife, think on thefe things, medi tate on them, give yourfelves wholly to thera. Tirae Is on the wing. It flies, to return no raore. Seize the rapraents as they pafs, and eraploy thera to the beft advantage. Lofe not the golden opportu nity, the fweet hour of prime, the morn ing of -youth, health, and ftrength. Con quer the difficulties at firft fetting out, and all will be pleafure ever after. Labour now, and corafortable will be your reft, "Ecclus, xliv. A a when 5 54 The Character of true Wifdom, DISC when the feafon of labour ffiall be over. •^^^' " For glorious is the fruit of labour, and " the root of wifdom ffiall never faU " away"." Let the fandtlty of your man ners keep pace with the Iraproveraent of your rainds. To your governors be, re- fpedtful and obedient; to your corapanions, gentle and loving; to~ aU, courteous and obUglng. ' And that the divine bleffing" raay be upon you In what you do, reraem ber to begin and end your ftudies with prayer. " If any raan lack wifdom, let « bira aflc of God"." Let bira aflc that, as the fon of .David did, and all things elfe, judged proper for hira, ffiall be added to if. Pray, therefore, that God would " give you wifdom tbat fitteth by his " throne, and rejedt you not from among " bis children : that he would fend her " out of bis holy heavens, and frora the " throne of his glory, that being prefent, " ffie raay labour vylth you, that you - may " know what is pleafing unto him. For " Wifdom iii. 15.' 'James i.5. » I Kings iii. II. "ffie and the Means of obtaining it. 355 "ffie knoweth and underftandeth aU things, disc " and ffie ffiall lead you foberly In your do- .^^^• " ings, and preferve you by her power. So " ffiall your works be acceptable'"/- In the fight of beaven and earth, bringing glory to God, credit to your inftrudlors, comfort to your friends, honour to yourfelves, and be nefit to your country, ,, 4 Wifdom ix. i, 10, 8jc. DISCOURSE XIII. THE PRAISE OF GOD PERFECTED OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES AND SUCKLINGS. PSALM XXXIV. 11. Come, ye children, hearken unto me : I will teach you the fear of the Lord, TT is one mark of that wifdora by which disc the world Is governed, that the affift- xiii, ance afforded is proportioned to the necef- '' fitles of the tiraes wherein fuch affiftance is called for. When the darknefs whicb covers a land becomes fo thick as to mkke men defpalr of it's removal, Ught fliall fuddenly arife from an unexpedted quarter; fraaU, Indeed, and fcarce difcernible, at firft; but gently and gradually Increafing, A a 3 till S 5 8 The Praife of God perfected DISC. tiU the darknefs vaniffies, and the perfedl •^"^' day is forraed. When corruption of one kind or other has in fuch a manner over fpread the face of religion, that it's features are fcarcely any longer to be diftinguiffied, a reforming hand ffiall appear, to do away the foil contradled in a courfe of ages, and reftore the pidlure to it's - original beauty. If a preacher raentions the iniquity of the age. It is regarded by many as a fort of cant ; as a neceffary Ingredient In the compofition of a fermon ; and we are aflced. If we thinly nations have not been as bad formerly ? Undoubtedly many have ; for which reafon, God deftroyed them, and raifed up otjiers to fiipply their places. In the days of Noah, and In thofe of Lot, men were as wicked as they are now; they were more fo ; for a flood came upon them in one cafe, a ftorra of fire and briraftone In the other. And whenever we ffiall be altogether like them (vvhich God forbid we ever ffiould be), judgraent, in out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings, 359 in fome ffiape, will feize upon us, " The disc *' kingdom of God .ffiall be taken from us, ^^^^• " and given to a nation that will bring "forth the fruits thereof" Such Is the rule of heaven's proceedings, and it altereth not. W^e are not yet overthrown, becaufe our meafure Is not yet filled ^ up ; but if we ^continue daUy eraployed in filling it, that meafure muft in time be full. The raatter Is, however, of late " come " home to our bufinefs and our boforas." A lawlefs tribe of profligate, defperate, un feeling villains have broken loofe upon the public, tb rob, to maliii, and to murder; fo that we can no longer travel with com fort upon the road, or fleep with fecurity in our beds. Numbers of thefe wretchfes are from time to tirae apprehended^; and crowded together in prifons ; frbm whence fome come forth again to make freffi ravages in fpciety, tenfold more the chil dren of hell (If poffible) than they went in; -while others furniffi out raoumful and horrible executions pf twenty; or thirty at A a 4 a tirae. 360 The Praife of God perfected , DISC a time, to the aftoniffiment of the king- ¦^^^^' doras around us, and our own ffiame and confufion of face; How happens It, fays fo reigners to our countrymen, when upon' their travels abroad — how happens it, that under a conftitution, of which you boaft, as the glory of the world, monthly fcenes . are exhibited, which would ffiock the rainds of Turks and Tartars ? This is a queftion raore eafily aflced, than anfwered. The fadt, alas, is certain ; and even the pubUc. prints begin to exclaim, that there is. no police araongft us, no remedy for thefe diforders; and, in ffiprt, tbat all is over. Bu^t let us not by any raeans defpalr. This would only make bad worfe. If we once ^ing ourfelves to fancy that no reraedy can be found, no renn^dy ever wUl be found ; for none will ever be fought. Dark as the profpeft was, a ray of Ught has broken In ttpon it, an4 that from an ¦* unexpedted qut of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings 361 unexpedted quarter. An Inftitution bas disc been fet on foot by a private » individual, ^^^^• to the excellency of which every man who loves his country rauft rejoice to bear his teftiraony. From fraall beginnings It has Increafed and diffufed itfelf In a wonderful raanner; and If it be generally taken up thrDUgh the kingdora, efpecially in the raetoopoUs, with the farae zeal and judg^ raent which have been ffiewn in the management of it araong you, the fagacity of the wifeft cannot forefee how rauch good may in the end be done by it, and how far It may go towards faving a great people frora Irapending ruin. At the rao ment in which I ara fpeaking, not lefs than one bundred thoufand pupUs are faid to be In training under it's care. There raay foon be ten tiraes that nuraber; and If it finally fucceed with half thefe, five hundred thoufand honeft raen and virtuous Wotoen, duly raingled In tbe mafs of the community, will make a great alteration, • Jilr. Raikes of Glouoeftesr, In 362 The Praife of God perfected, DISC In the cafe of good as well as' bad, " a XIII. « \\xt\Q leaven . (and this can hardly be " called a little) leaveneth the whole " lurap." . , The Inftitution Intended, as you all well know. Is that of Sunday schools, which feeras to addrefs itfelf to the parties con cerned, in the words of the text ; " Come " ye chUdren, hearken unto rae ; I wUl " teach you the fear of the Lord." The perfons to be taught under this in ftitution are children. It Is a great happinefs that men. In their prefent ftate, are not Imraortal. An evil generation paffes away; and. therefore, if proper care be taken, it raay be fucceeded by a good one. Elfevwere the cafe of the world lamentable indeed. With old of fenders little can be done. Hard labour, fpare diet, and; above all, folitude, might do foraething ; and the experiment, it is greatly hoped, wIH be made. But, in ge neral out of tlie Mouths of Babes and Sucklings. 363 neral. If the huffiandman has In vain dug disc about the trees in his garden, and taken ^m- every other ftep neceffary for their Ira- T" proveraent; his raethod rauft be, to train up younger and better plants, which may anfwer the end of their plantation, and bear fruit, when the others fliall no longer be fuffered to curaber the ground. &' The children propofed to be Inftrudted are thofe of the poor.- Of every coraraunity, as it has pleafed God to ordain In the prefent conftitution of things, the poor muft always form a very confiderable majority. The neceffities of mankind could never elfe be fuppUed; for the rich wiU not labour; but they are conftralned to pay ^ thofe, who for their own, and the oomraon good, can and will labour. In return for thefe fervices, the rich. If they were wife, ffiould do every thing in their power to make and to keep the poor honeft, virtuous, and reUgious; to inftrudl, or procure them to be Inftrudled, in 36+ Tite Praife of God perfected Disc in the kno'\ivlege and pradtice of their duty ^^^^' to God and Man; more efpecially, to fet them a proper example. This I fay would be to adi the part of wife raen, as well as good men; For wben the religious princi ple Is once perlflied and gone in the Poor, human laws vvIU lofe their effedt, and be fet at nought. I will mention a remarkable Inftance of this, well attefted. A fervant, whb had, made the Iraproveraent that might be expedted frora hearing the irreligious and blafpheraous converfation continually paf fing at the table where It was bis placfe to wait'', took an . opportunity tP rob bis raaf- ter. Being apprehended, and urged to give a reafon for this infamous behaviour. "Sir," faid he, " I had heard you fo " often talk of the impoffibility, of a future "ftate, and that after death there was no re- " ward for virtue, nor puniffiraent for vice, "• The table was that ofthe late Mr. Mallet. The fad 14 related by Davies in his life of Garrick, vol. ii. p. 59. " that out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings, 365 "that I was tempted to commit the rob- disc " bery," " Well but," replied the mafter, xm. " had you no fear of that death which the "" " laws of your country inflidl upon the " crime f" " Sir," rejoined the fervant, looking fternly at his mafter, " what Is " that to you. If I bad a mind to venture " tbat ? You had removed my greateft " terror; why ffiould I fear the lefs ?" Behold the wifdom of propagating Infi delity and atheifra In a nation ! As the middle and lower orders of mankind are always ready to iraitate the behaviour of their betters, this is one woful fpeciraen, among millions, of the raanner In which the general corruption of faith and raorals has defeended, and infedled the world. We muft now therefore take up the mat ter at the otber end, and try, if, by reform ing the poor, we cannot ffiame the rich into better manners, and better principles.- And for our encouragement, in oppofition to the inftance of a mafter perverting bis fervant, let us recolledt that mentioned In the 3 66 The Praife of God perfected disc the Scriptures of a feraale fervant, who XIII. ¦waited on the vvife of Naaraan, a general officer of the Syrians, and. converted her mafter to the belief and worship of the God of Ifrael=. To the poor the Gofpel was at firft preached : to the poor let it ftill be preached: the rich muft do as .they pleafe ; but for the promotion of their intereft temporal and eternal, they cannot do better, than to believe, and pradlife it therafelves, and to fee that every body be longing to thera does the farae. God de fend all mafters frora free-thlnkihg fer vants ! and all fervants frora free-thinking mafters I The foregoing considerations have been of a more general nature." It Is time now to note the peculiarities which diftinguiffi the inftitution of Sunday schools, and recoraraend thera to particular notice and encourageraent. Thefe have already been fet forth to great advantage, by a worthy 2 Kings V. 2. clergyman out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings, 367 clergyraan in our neighbourhood''. I have disc. only to draw his arguraents to a point, and xiii. ftate them In as concife a raanner to vou as I am able, adding withal what may have occurred to rayfelf in the way of con firraation, or Illuftration. It Is to be obferved, then, Firft, that ¦?vhen the managers of all other charitable foundations have done their beft, nurabers of children rauft ftill be - left in Ignorance, being employed, frora morning to evening, during six days of the week, and all little enough, to earn the bread they are to eat. Their cafe therefore is defperate, unlefs we contrive to give them on a Sunday that Inflrudllon which they .can obtain on no pther day. II. By appropriating the charitable fund to the ufe of Sunday alone, numbers * The Rev. Mr. Moore, of Boughton Bleam, in his Sermon onthe fubjed, andthe excellent and very ufeful Appendix fubjoined to it. may 368 - The Praife qf Gqd perfected DISC raay be coraprehended (perhaps aU the xm- poor chUdren In a place) who ftand in need bf fuch affiftance : whereas a- very few only could be benefited, at the farae expence, for the whole week. III. Sunday being a day of reft frora the labour of the hands, frora worldly bufinefs of all forts (for fuch it ought to be araong Chriftians), we are the more at Uberty to employ it in the opening of the underftanding, and iraproveraent of the heart, which is the proper eraployraent bf the day. And bleffed are they who do fo employ the bours which remain, after the attendance bn public worffiip is over. One of the great lights of the law. In the laft century. Lord Chief Juftice Hale, went fo far as to fky, and has left it upon record. In his inftrudtions to his children, that he never' failed to experience the kindly Influence of a well-fpent Sunday, on tbe bufinefs of the fucceeding week. He fuppofed (and I know of no good reafon to be given why we ffiould fuppofe otherwife) that, by the de vout out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings. ' S69 vout exercifes of fuch a Sunday, the raind disc and the teraper were formed and pre- x ni^ pared to encounter, 'the fatigues and diffi culties which might occur ; as alfo, that the favour of Heaven was a natural confe quence of having kept it's comraandraents. Give me leave therefore to take this op portunity of intreating yo\i to confider, whether the face of things, would not be very foon and very much altered for the better araong us, if each mafter of a fa mily ffiould refolve to Inftitute a kind of SUNDAY SCHOOL (If I may fo fpeak) in his own houfe, and dedicate the evening of the Lord's day to the inftrudtion of bis children and bis fervants in matters of reli gion. I am not pleading for a Jewiffi or a pufltaftiical fabbath; for a four face, or an III teraper °. But it feeras reafonable, that one evening, at leaft, out of feven, .ffiould be given to this good and neceffary ' On the 'de%n of the Chriftian fabbath, and the "proper manner of obfervirig it, fee a very fenfible letter in the Supplement to the Gentleman's Magazine for the year n%5, p. 1020. B b , work. XIII. 370 The Praife of God perfected DISC work, and ,that Sunday evening ffiould be fixed upon ; for unlefs fome tirae. be fixed upon, the work will never be done at all. A man may live fifty years, perhaps, with out once recolledting, that It is his duty to take this care of the boufehold over which it has pleafed God to place him. IV. By a sul^DAY school a nuraber of children are kept out of harm's way; they are colledled together, and inured to early and regular habits of attendance on God's worfliip j tbey are inftrudled In what Is right; they are enabled to employ well their leifure hours, when they grow up; and teach others after them to do the fame. Let me fay, that thpfe are very great points gained Indeed ! For though the obfervation be trite, It Is true, and cannot be too often repeated ; that m'oft of thofe unhappy wretches, who fuffer for their crimes, when they corae to confeffion, charge their deftrudtion upbn the manner in which in the days of their youth they mifpent Sunday, while their neighbours out of the Mouths cf Babes and Sucklings, 371 neighbours were at church. And how disc* can it be otherwife ? What wonder that xiii. they ffioald turn out bad, who conftantly miffed the opportunities (the only • ones, it may be, which they bad] of becoming good ? The thing fpeaks itfelf. And in confirraation of what was faid above re fpedting farailies, let it here be added, that more yoimg people, of either fex, fervants efpecially, are ruined by being perraitted to wander abroad, inftead of being well eraployed - at horae on a Sunday evening, than on any other. The reafon again Is plain; becaufe on that evening, for want of the difcipline in farailies above recom mended, there Is a far greater number of idle young people ftirring, whofe fole bu finefs it Is to feduce, and corrupt one ano ther. Thus is the holieft, of days, beyond any other, polluted and prophaned ! " If " the light that Is in thee be darknefs, " how great is that darknefs !" V. The children of the poor, by being dra-wn out of their obfcurity into notice B b 2 , and 372 The Praife of God perfected DISC and protedtion, are huraaniated and civilized^ xi^i- They are equally furprifed and pleafed,. on finding theriifelves thus regarded, and quickly becorae different creatures. Their paftor has an opportunity of vlfiting, ad- dreffing thera according to their capacities, examining thera, comraending and re warding the good and diligent, and re proving thofe that miffiehave themfelves. In thefe circumftances, he is always fure of being attended to with reverence and refpedt, and every thing he fays will be minded. To forra early in young rainds a proper difpofition towards their fpiritual father and teacher. Is a great acquifition, which rauft be produdtive of the beft con fequences, and would often prevent foine of the worft evils with which we are troubled. Laftly, let it be confidered (for though the confideration be of a lefs noble kind, it is by no means to be omitted) that by the principles of honefty and induftry, In- ftilled into thera, thefe children will be 1 difpofed. out oftheMouths of Babes and Sucklings. 373 difpofed, in future, to provide for thera- ..disc. felves and their farailies, the nuraber of x^'^-^'. paupers will be dirainiffied, and that heavy burthen of poor's rates lightened, which now threatens to overwhelra and crufli the nation. It is hard to^ conceive a fcherae which proraifes more benefits to the coraraunity. And wherever it has been tried, the ex pedtation has been anfwered. Children have preffed to be adraitted ; when ad mitted, they ha-ve made due improvement ; and. In forae inftances, have, ere long, coramenced mafters, and been found' teach ing otber chUdren at home, what thera^ felves had learned at fchool. At firft. It was Iraagined, that what -was learned only on one day of the -week, muft needs be forgotten before that - day carae again. The objedtion feemed plau fible, but fhe event bas fliewn that it wanted folidlty. Irapreflions made on one . Sunday have been found to remain on B b 3 the S74 The Praife of God perfected DISC the following Sunday. We are not In XIII. general aware, how, much may be done by a few hoiirs In a week conftantly em ployed on the fame fubjedl," efpecially where there is a wilUng raind. Nor let Us be difcouraged, though our endeavours raay not fucceed equally with all. AVhat endeavours ever did fo ? What gift of God has not been beftowed- on forae perfons in vain ? Rain falls on bar-t ren fandy deferts; but what would' be corae of us, if none were therefore to fall on our fields and gardens ? They muft become deferts too. Nothing can be more trifling than this objedtion. , Another has been advanced In fome of the. public prints, though you wUl fcarcely think It credible, namely, that they yvho teach the children are guilty of fabbath- breaking, becaufe they work on that day for hire. Then the minifters of rellgioii throughout the chriftian world are verUy guilty of fabbath-breakipg ; fince they are paid' out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings. 375 paid for teaching. Were they not fo paid, disc and bad they no other means of getting ^"^• their .bread, they muft aU be ftarved. Such are the objedtions which have been hitherto produced againft the infti tution of SUNDAY SCHOOLS. If no better can be produced, it rauft be faid, that, for all which appears, they are worthy of uni verfal encouragement. To enccmrage them is to forward the great defign of the Gof pel, In a cafe which feeras to adrait no other method of doing it. It Is -done with eafe ; for one perfon can inftrudl many ehUdren ; and it is done at an expence which is a mere trifle, compared with the expences daily incurred in ways which af ford, no real comfprt to the mind, pn the recoUedlipn. The inftlttition foUcits and implores, above aU, the patronage and affiftance of the clergy, under whofe diredtion and fuperlntendence, it ffiould, if poffible, be carried on. May we live to fee the tirae B b 4 when 576 ' The Praife of God perfected DISC when the laudable exaraple now before XIII. our eyes ffiall be foUowed in every parlffi ' throughout the kingdom ! Grateful furely muft it be to angels as well as men, to behold thofe children behaving with reve rence and devotion in the houfe of God, tvho might otherwife have been cora raitting adls of violence or fraud, without; to hear the praifes of the world's Creator and Redeeraer proceeding frora raouths, which raight have been pouring forth, a torrent of blafpheray, or obfcenity ; td find - a love of their duty and of their bufinefs iraplanted in hearts, where a love of idle nefs and of ralfchlef raight have taken up it's abode for ever. He who does not re joice at the profpedt of fuch a change as this, wIU have difficulty _in difcovering, why the tidings of a Saviour's birth were declared by the angel, who as at this fea fon .announced thera, to be tidings of joy. " Thou ffialt call his narae Jesus, for he " ffialj fave his people" — from wbat.!^ — " from their sins." To fee children therefore wandering in darknefs, ignorant of Ciut of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings. 377 of God and of Chrift, reprobate to every disc. good work and every notion of good; and xiu. to continue idle fpedtators of fuch a fcene, without raaking thofe exertions which it Is in our power to raake — this can never be right In any of us, clergy or laity; but muft contribute much to the weight of that charge, which fliall one day be brought againft us. On the contrary, to fuccour thofe who are thus diftreffed for want of fpiritual aid ; to preferve little children In a ftate of Innocence, or reclaira thera from one of error and vice, by leading thera in the ways of truth and holinefs ; thefe, fays one, who has fpent his life In the fer vice of raankind, readily and zealoufly giv ing his countenance and his affiftance to every fchdrae of piety and charity that In a long courfe of years has been fet afoot among us, and to whom raany of them owe their original. " Thefe are imperial " works, and worthy the iraraediate dif- " ciples of our Lord ;" to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three per- f Jonas Han way, Efq. fons. 378 The Praife of God perfected, ^c. DISC fons, and one. God, be afcribed, as is moft ^^^^* due, all bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power, raight, majefty, and dominioni now and ever. Amen. DISCOURSE XIV. JHE DUTY OF CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. JUDE, VERSE 3. Beloved, zehen I gave all diligence to write ujito you of the common falvation^ it was, needj'ul for 7ne to write unto you, and exhort you thatyou ftiould contend earneftly for the faitii once deli vered to the faints. TT bas been a doubt araong expofitors, pjsc. whether by the terras " coraraon fai- xiv. ?* vation," and " the faith once delivered " to the. faints," the Apoftle Intended dif ferent things, or tbe fame thing differentiy expreffed. The latter feems raoft proba ble. " The faith once delivered to . the " faints" feems neceffarily to Involve In it " tbe common falvation." But as this is a matter 380 The Duty of contending for the Faith. DISC a raatter of no great .confequence, it ffiall x^^- not detain us frora the confideration of that which certainly is fuch, the duty her^ fo evidently enjoined of " contending for " the faith." To take In the whole fub jedl, and difcufs It as fully as the tirae ufually allowed to an exercife of this kind will perrait. It raay be expedient to be* ftow fome refledtions on the object to be contended for; the necessity of con tending for It; and the manner in which the contention ffiould be carried on. I. The objedl to be contended for is, " the faith pnce deUvered." A queftion. Is at prefent' warraly agitated araongft us — ^What that faith is ? A queftion fome- what extraordinary at this tirae of. day; but certainly no trifling one ; fince either our opponents are guilty of degrading^ and diffionouring the Son of God and. the Holy Spirit; or the Chriftian Church has been guilty of Idolatry, frora the very days of the apoftles. This ' faith, as we fay. Is that fyftem of truths revealed In- the Holy / Scriptures fThe Duty of 'contending for the Faith. 381 Scriptures concerning the difpenfations of disc the God whom we adore, and Into whofe xiv. name we were baptized; the Fatherj the Son, and the Holy Spirit ; three perfons, in one God. Thefe truths are propofed to us as the ground of our hope, our com fort, and our joy ; as the principles on which the condudt of life Is to be fraraed, accepted, and rewarded. We recei\/e the Revelation which contains the truths, upon that plenary and fatisfadtory evidence vouchfafed us of its authenticity ; and we receive the truths which it contains, on the authority of the Revealer. There can be no better reafon for receiving them, when that Revealer Is God. Ignorance and malice have foraetiraes pronounced faith to be want of fenfe ; but, furely, there is as little fenfe in withholding affent when It ought to be given, as in giving It when It ought to be withholden. The different articles of our belief, dif perfed in the Scriptures, were very early colledled in fummaries, ftyled Creeds, re cited 382 the Duty of contending for the Faith. DISC cited at baptifra, and conftltuting thence-" xi^-' forth the badge and teft of a man's pro- feff]on% By a formulary of this kind, the eate-* chunien himfelf was, inftrudled; the faith, once delivered, tranfraitted down to' pofte rity; the raembers of the fpiritual fociety were kept together; the dodtrines by them believed and taught, raade known to the world, and diftinguiffied from a multitude of heterogeneous and erroneous Pplnions, .-by them difclalmed; a connedtion with the raaintainers of which would juftly bave brought difcredit on therafelves and their caufe. » Nothing can be ftronger for the dodtrine of the Trinity, as pne of it's ableft advocates juftly obferve,?, than that the moft ancient creeds fliould have been comprifed (for fo many learned men, upon good grounds, have con ceived that they were comprifed) in thefe few words : " I " believe in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy " Ghoft ;" fince it is declaring the Sacred Three to be the One God ; and no man, who had been baptized according to this form, could be ignorant of tlie dodrine. — See Waler land's Importance of the Dodtrine of the Trinity, wilh the authors there referred to, p. 203. For The Duty of contending for the Faith. 33S For thefe reafons, the ufe of Creeds disc appears to have been at firft introduced, ^^^' and fince continued. They who have atj any tirae thought proper to depart frora fuch as were eftabliffied in the body to which they originally belonged, foon found it neceffary to eftabliffi forae of their own. The Arians, rejedting that agreed upon at Nice, drew up fucceffively many others; I think, not fewer than feventeen. In the fpace of forty years. And reraarkable are the words of Moffieim concerning the So cinians : " They dreaded the effedls bf " inteftine difcord, which portended the "-.ruin of their coraraunity, before it could " arrive at any raeafure of ftabiUty or con- *' fiftence. This apprehenfion was too ," Well founded; for, as yet, they had agreed upon no regular fyftera of prin ciples, vfhlch raight ferve as a centre and " bond of union. A fumraary of their " religious dodtrine was firft pubUffied " in the year 1574. Their fyftem, after- " wards changed and new modelled, re- " quired a new confeffion of faith, to 4 " make_ ¦¦'6 te 38* The. Duty of contending for the Faith: DISC " make known its principles, and give a xi'V- « clear and full account .-of it's prefent " ftate. A new forra was drawn up by " Spcinus himfelf, and ftyled Irthe Raco- " viAN Catechism, vvhich Is ftUl con- " fidered as the , coNFEssibN bF faith of " the whofe fedl\" , The true queftion therefore concerning Creeds feeras to be, not whether' any ffiaU be irapofed, but who ffiall be the impo- , fers > :Now,. let us only fupppfe; that ,the , diredlion of ecclefiaftical matters in this -kingdom . ffiould • pafs into the hands of .thofe perfons, who regard the doarine:of the Trinity as involving in It an abfurdlty ,equal.to that pf Tranfubftantiation, andas being the grand obftacle tp the converfion of Jews, Mahometans, and Delfts; who deem the worffiip of Chrift to be grofs idolatry, and high treafon againft the ' ma jefty of ^ the pne fupreme God ; muft not ..^-Moftifim's Ecclef:, Hift. cent. xvi. fea. iii, parfii. chag. iv. §ix. the The Duty of coniendirig for the Paith, 385 the new unitarian church, with It's cbnfeffion' disc and fervices, be fo conftituted, as utterly and xiv. for ever to exclude us from becoraing raerabers of it } Moft undoubtedly; and of neceffity; It muft. " An unitarian people (we are told) " will not long be faiisfied with a trinitarian " eftabliffiment." Indeed, I fuppofe they wiU not; they will endeavour to overturn it : and it is our bufinefs to prevent them from fo doing. The reafoning that has been fo often employed againft the propriety of decifions by falUble men, feems Itfelf to be a fallacy, confuted by coraraon fenfe, raatter of fadl; and univerfal experience. A fociety of fallible men will always decide for them felves : tbey muft do fo ; they muft do the ' beft they can. Another fociety of fallible men will decide differently. Indi viduals muft likewife decide for them felves, to which fociety they will be united, or whether they wUl be united to either: and aU muft bear vyith one another. The c e nature XIV. S8^ thf: Duty qf contending for th^ faith. DISC P?,b^rp pf the cafe feems tp adr^it;^pf.,no other metbpt?- Jn .the mean tirae, the unitarians ihould confider, that we may be as firmly perfuaded of the truth of our dodtrines, as^ they cap be of the truth of theirs. They ffiould do WS, .the juftice ,tp beUeve that we are -fo ; .tba,t-:we do not fee tbe abfurdities Iraputed to, us: nor, when we teach the dodtrine of , three Persons, ,Intpnd tp teach that of thj^ee ,,GPDS\ ; Some, once our brethren in the faith, have forfaken It, and gone out from us. "^e lament^-we muft. lament — their de fediion; but we, cannpt\ help ^it. Tl)|^y ..have facrificed , their preferment tpj that « Crellius himfelf is candid enough t6 acknowW^^^hat the dodtrine of three perfons in one and the fame ihdividual eflenice does not conftitute real and perfeft tritheifm ; be caufe of the clde and infeparable iinion tetweife^them. 8.ee,the.paft*g^- ^ited'in Stillingfleet on thg iSufFerings of Chrift, part ij.. nearf^he end^ vol, iii. page. 407. of his works" in folio. which The Duty of contending for the Faith, . 387 which we think to be their error. What they disc have done cannot prove error to be truth ; it *^^' proves the fincerity of their perfuafion; and, as in the courfe of tbe controverfy, we apprehend, has been hiade to ippcat \he weaknefs bf their judgraent. Should a rainifter of the unitarian church, at any future tirae, by reading 'the writings of -Engliffi and French philofophers, be fe duced firft to doubt, and then to diffieUeve the . exiftence of the Grod, whofe worffiip, as a minifter, he is obliged to condudl; and, upon that grpund, relinquiffi his eftabliffi ment, though the principal means of fupport ing himfelf and a faraily — the cafe Is pof fible — what muft' they fay, from whofe fociety he thus elxcommunlcates himfelf? Not that the tenet is right, but that the pian is ^iiiifrong. Loud were the calls for an alteration of our forms, fome years aga, from'' men, ^and very leamed nieri, of the Arian 'opihib'n, who never once thought pf denying the c c 2 pre- 388 The Duty of contending for the Faith. DISC pre-exiftence of Chrift,- the miraculous ^^^' conception, the plenary infpiration of the apoftles, and of Chrift himfelf (for 6ven that is now denied), the Iraraortality of the foul, or the fpiritual nature of the Deity. Had an alteration then taken place, it rauft now have been fucceeded by another ; as the principal of biir prefent opponents has devifed quite ai different fyftenl, and feeras to entertain a more favourable opinion of us than of the Arians''./ But be this as it may. We ffiall be . greatly blaraeable, if we part with our Creeds, till our adverfaries are better agreed 'what ffiall be fubftltuted In their, room; and tUl we are affured, that; the remedy propofed will npt be much yvorfe than the difeafe under which they iraagine., us to labour ^ Till i that period ffiaU arrive^?' ' " The Arians are ejven lefs entitled to the appeUatimiff " .of: jmitarians than the Athanalfians, who alfo lay claim to " ii.'' . Hiftory of early . opinfon.s, &c. i. 81. See- the Prefece,' p. xv. ¦ -u.ii . '¦'.-¦ '^-'-j,,' - • ." It isarveafy matter, for men of wit and) fancy to'find ¦ " fault \*ith anything; but it requires thought and jud^-^v" " merkt to fettle things tij^n their trae bottom; Let thofef'-^ " wthU- The Duty of contending for the Faith. . 389 there xyiU be a neceUTity of "contending. for the disc " faith deUvered" to- us. xiv. II. There Is fomething very unpleg^f? " who are difpleased wifh the received dodtrine fhew us a ".'better, and form any other Coriftftent feheme (confiftent " witli Scripture and with jtfelf) if they can. Wife and " good men will be always willing to reform, if there be " caufe for it: but they will hot be forward to pull down " what appears to be founded on a rock, in order only to " build upon the fand. The Trinitarians have fome fatis- " faftion in obferving, how long certain great wits have " been eraployed in new modelling Chriftianity; and have « not-yet been able to agree in any one certain'fchenie." Thus while Ur. Priestley with fo much earnestnefs and vehe mence is pxefling upon us the Socinian feheme^, the author of Ben. Mordecai's Apology laughs at the idea of fettling the ChristiaStt faith by reftifying "" a Greek particle in Jusitin's " Trypho, or ranfacking antiquity for the opinions of ihe " Nazarenes, Muieans and Ebionites;" calling upon us to attend; to his dodtrine of "a, viftble and infexior Jehovah." See thei. Preface to his fecond fedilioti, p. v. — The woman mentioned in Prov. xiv. 1- is not mentioned as the wifeft of women, who "plucked down her houfe with herown hands," tafave others the trouble. Should we ever be perfiiaded to do like her, insttead of the kingdom of God immediately appearing (which fome feem to think would.be the cafe), a very Babel would arife in confequence. If the experience of the last century cannot make u& wife, -most certain itis thatwe fhall never tieeome fo. .When a man deceives me oncei-fays the Italian proverb, it is his fault; when twice. itis MINE. c c 3 Ing 300 TheDut^ of contending for the Faith. DISC, ing in the Sound of the word cqnten- ^^^* TION, and volumes ; have, been , written on the offence occafioned by the thing itfelf. But, alas, it Is one of thofe offences, which, I fear, " muft needs cpme." TUl the fons of!,Adam. ceafe to be tbe fons of A^am, it cannot be prevented. So long, on one plea or another, the city will be attacked ; and if attacked,; il rauft be tle- jfenjded : the fentinel at .his poft cannot be blaraed for giving the alarm, nor the garrifon fof appearlijg under arms. AU tJiat can be done in this conteft, as weU as others. Is to provide, that It be condudted 1.^ an honourable way, according to the l#,ws of vyar. " If it be poffible," fays an Apoftle, " as far as Ueth , in you, live "peaceably with all , men ^" , Cafes, it is' therefore liippofed^. may happen, in which it vvUI not be poffible. It is not in our power ^to " Uve peaceably . witb all men," if fo^e men wiU not live peaceably with us. We muft not be the aggreffors: we * Rom. xii, 18. muft The Duty of contending fdr the Faith. 391 muft not engage knowingly In a bad caufe; disc nor perfevere, if, in the procefs, we ffiall dif- xiv. cover our caufe to be a bad one. , Wonder has been often expreffed, that JRellgion ffiould ever bave becorae the fub jedl - of contention. But the' wonder would ceafe, if it were only coillidefed that things becorae the fubjedls bf conten tion In proportion t& their iraportance; and Religion being the raoft irapbrtant thing in the world, they Who are ferious In their Religion wUl never fuffer It to be taken from them, withbut contention. The fault is not in Religion, biit in the different underftandlngs, terapers, interefts, panions, and prejudices of raankind. He who can redtify and adjuft all thefe, will put an end to contention. TiU this ffiall be effedted, there wiU be herefies. '^ The Apoftle ufe* a ftronger tetm'; " there " MUST be herefies^:" and, therefore, fucb as are able muft combat them, and ^ 1 Cor. xi. 19. cc4 maintain 392. The Duty of contending for Jhe Faith. DISC maiitfain the dodtrines, i to which they op-if '_ pofe themfelves. ")'The truths, of God are not to be tamely given ilp. . The injundtion is, " Contend." The Apoftles contended againft the Jews, Pagans,/ and the Herefiarchs of their days. > The fathers of thd church con tended againft the ! farae enemies, ; and ¦ others who: arofe In fucceffion after them. The heroes of the Reforraation contended againft tbei'^Ronilffi corrupters of' t the faith; the blffi'^S; clergy, and others of our ' own cbul-cb, have contended againft adverfaries' of various denorainations; and If we exr pedl that church to fubfift, we muft contend too. K''has been hinted to us,' in fome late' pubUcations, that if^the trinitarian dodtrines ffioild? continue to' be ¦ obftinately maln^ tained, thft - churches which maintain thera, and, the -kingdoms i-in which fuch churches are fupported, will, ere long, be deftroyed, to make way for the pUre unitarian Gofi' pel. ''This ii a very feripus and alarraing intiniatibn- indeed. For a jealous Antitri- nltarl^q The Daty df contending far th^ Faith. "^^ 393 nitarian ; firtay "fancy, that: tbbfe Idblatrous disc chuHches ami kingdoms : requlfet'j ^o . be ocXiv.' quickened in their progrefs towards deftruc- ' tion; he may conceive hirafelf In duty bound to become an inftrument in execut-- ing the -vengeance of Heaven upon thera, for refufing to admit an. Arian or Socinian reformation, tendered in a' milder way. When " the . faJth,"i : by us efteemed -that " deUver- " ed to the faints," is- reprefented as the " abomination which maketh defolacte," furely it muft be high time either togive it upat once, if it be fuch; or to contendifor it,.if it be not. Our opponents are ffirewd, adllve, buly; buftling, . axid Indefatigabfe. They regard the toleration not as leave only to exercife their own religion, unraolefted, but as; a door opened to unlimited free enquiry; or. In other words, a full perraiffion to attack the church in every poflible way. They darp ; us I to put In ; execution^ the laws wbich are ftill fubfifting againft the " Ira- pugp.erSi0f certain received articles of faith, enadled 394 The Duty of xontending far the Faiths DISC enadled by thpfe who were indubitably ^*^' frfends, to toleration; in. general. ' They reprefent any human eftabliffiment, . as fucb, to be a part ofthe Grand Apoftacy; and: wiffi. to ftrip. religionis. that, is our reUgion, » of . the fupport and protedtion derived from it's: connedtion with ^ the ftate. They Inform us, that the . nation abounds with, Socinians, , at prefent concealed,, but ready, on a. proper, occafiion, to, declare: that a mine is laid under the old building pi. error and fuperftition, whiph a fingle fpark may, and probably fopn will, Infiaiijie, fo as to produce an inftantapeoua. explo- fion; in confequ'ence of which, that edi fice, the eredtion of which has been the Work of ages, may be overturned In a moraent, and fo effedtually, as that the farae foundation can never be built upon .again. Without any vifible mark.s of deca^y, and before it§i bigotted friends fufpedt any dan ger, it may vaniffi, we are told, like a caille in ^roTnanpe \ * See Dr. Prieftl^'s Irajortance of Free Enquiry, p. .35, Mi. It the Duty of contendirtg for the Faith. 395 If this Inforraation be juft, we are un- disc der no fraall obligation to the perfon by xiv. whom it has been coraraunicated. It is fair, it is manly, it is noble, it is kind ! and we muft blame ourfelves alone, if the caverns be not forthwith fearched, and the combuftlbles removed. But what a man wiffies, he eafily believes; and great, as we all knew, is the power of a lively imagina tion. We will therefore indulge a hope, that the aboye ftate of fadls raay not be quite exadl; however, in procefs of tirae it may poffibly be realized, unlefs proper mea fures ffiall be taken on our fide; unlefs we " contend." It As foitiewhat remarkable, that, in a fermon written and Breached above four years ago, a frietid of mine, aware of that " gunpowder," which Dr. Prieftley and his friends (as • he tells us) have been for fome time employed in " laying, f' grain by grain, under the old building," fpoke then of f a mine, waiting, perhaps, only till fome unforefeen oc- *' curfence ftiould kindle it, to deftroy, at one tremendous " explofion, (he conftitution, in church and ftate." — Thefe were his very words; as if he had been the bearer of the kntborn, while the DoSor was ai Work, The 596 The Duty of contending for the Faith. Disc-. 1 The neceffity of conteniding for the faitjh be- , ing thus evident, we are to confider. xiv; III. The manner In whieh that contention ; ffiould be carried on. When I fay contend, I do not mean, by pains and penalties. Spch we raay in flidl upon our adverfaries ;. and. If theiy get.: into ppwer (which, as they feem tp think wjU pretty foon be the^ cafe), they may- in flidl upon us. But by proceedings of this., kind nothing is proved. The faithv is apoftolical; the contentipn ffipuld .be fo, Ukewife. The weapons of our warfar,e muft be Scripture and hiftory, reafon^ and-, arguraent. By thefe the. caufe muft -b^. defended. By thefe It has hitherto been defended, and the invaders have left many ftrphg forts behind thera, untakeh.""" We, have. feen. nothing, as yet, wblcbt, ftiould; i|i-' duce us to depart from the dodtrines of our Lprd's\ Pre-exiftence, Divinity,''' 'ind Satisfadllon, ^nd to adopt the interpretar tlon&.of. Scripture . devifed by the Socinians ; which The Duty of contending for the Faith. 397 which of all the interpretations, at any tirae disc. oflered to the world, feera to be the fattheft ^^^' frora RATIONAL ' — a diftindtion to which per fons of that perfuafion have of late clairaed a kind of excliifive right. . But though pains and penalties are out pf " the queftion, we are nbt to be reraifs and lukewarm In the conteft ; we muft " contend earnestly." The word iifed by St. Jude, ' ssx.ymii!^Ea^cci, refers us to. the fevere ftruggles of the charaplons In the Grecian garaes. The farae allufion, upon the farae fubjedl, is employed in the Epif tle to the PhiUpians. " Staind faft In one " Spirit, with one mind ftriving together, " "auvn^Kuvres, wreftUng together, for the " faith of the Gofpel, and In nothing '."^Qannot ope kiiow (fays an excellent writer, thorough- , " ly converfant in thefe fubjeCts) that the Socinian interpre- " tation of John i. I'.and Heb. i. 10. or of the texts ' " isolating to Ghiift's pre-exiftence, is npt tke mjnd? of " Scripture ?. , Yea, one may knpyy it ,a.s certainly, ^s that " a counter is not the king's coin, or that a monfter is not us. It excites ^They iaveheen withftood,,jnd w/i Vvithftood. The thanks pr the church of England are due to Dr. Horfley, for [j[)U feafoRabk* learned, and judicious writings, in. her de- .fetice. Let him occupy the department.be is fo thoroughly .qiialiffed to 'fill, and go on fruftrating the attempts of our adverfaries to deprive us ofthe argument from tradition. ^ ' ' attention 400 Tbe Duty of contending for the Faith. DISC attention, and prevents indifference, XIV. the enemy, of aU others, moft to be dreaded. But whUe zeal is recomraended, let not charity be forgotten, They are by no means Incorapatible. Who raore zealous than the great Apoftle of the Gentiles? And where can be found a brighter exam ple of charity ? Boldly confuting and re proving falfe dodtrines, and corrupt prac tices ; but , ever ready tp devote hirafelf for the welfare / of thofe, aniong whom they prevailed. After his own example he di redls others to be aXn^EuovTsr EV a.ya.Ti'n, tO " fpeak the truth In love °" ;" fo to main tain truth, as not to violate char;ity. A golden precept, worthy to be engraven on the hearts of all who may be called forth to " contend for the faith ;" that they may do honour to their caufe by ffie arguraents propofed, and no diflionour to themfelves by the, raanner of propofing "» Epb«s. jv. 15. them XIV. The Duty of contending fQr tite' Faith. 401 them. , The. weight of the ¦, reafons wUl disc not be at aU dimlnlffied by the coijirteouf- nefs of the addrefs : In It's effedt It wiU be much Increafed. Mankind -care not to be driven ; they muft be led into all . trutk It was the method pradtifed by the Apof tles; it ffiould be pradtifed by their fuccef fors. Thus, and thus only, they are tp "heap coals of fire on the heads"" of their opponents. -The drofs wUl feparate, and the metal fibW pure. Logic ffiould be ufed without acrimony; and wit, if it'' be ufed at all, tempered with good humour, fo as not to exafperate the perfon who is the objedt of it; and then, we are fure, there is no mifchlef done. The difputant 0Ught to be at once firm and calm ; His head cool, and bis heart warra. Thus a controverfy foraetiraes begins; but thus, alas, it feldom ends; the irafcible paffions being generally excited; and full utterance given to them in it's progrpfe : aUowance rauft therefore be raade, on all fides, for ¦^ Rofti,. xii.; 20. D d the 402 The Duty of contending for the Faith, DISC the failings of huraanity. That the odium ¦ THEOLOGICUM cxcecds evciy other, is faid, perhaps without fufficient reafon. The veheraence of a conteft will be In propprtion to it's fuppofed Iraportance, the length of It's continuance, or the frequency of It's repetition. When men are earneft, in ffiort, they are apt foraetiraes to be vio lent. Our adverfaries. bave taken to them felves and their opinions the epithet of li beral, as well as tbat of rational. It raay be, with equal reafon. ^ For why it is raore liberal to deny, than It Is to afUrra, the dodtrine of tbe Trinity, feeras hard ,to fay : and forae pages might eafily be filled with language concerning that dodtrine, em ployed by the Polonian fraternity; which would make every ear In this audience to tingle". There is another property which one would moft devoutly wiffi a controverfy to * Plenty of it may be feen in that ufeful work. Dr. Jona-: than Edwards's Prefervative againft Socinianifm. poffefs. The Duty qf contending for the Faith. 403 poffefs, namely; brevity. A great book, disc in this way, is indeed a great evil, if the ^^^• point can be fettied in a fmaU one. The fuperfluity of naughtinefs ffiould be cut off; all flourlffi and declaraation, felf-adu lation and |)erfonal altercation, rhetorical araplification and digreffion, every fentence not Immediately ad rem, as ufelefs and noxious excrefcences, pared away; that point difcovered, on which the difpute turns, and the opponent clofely confined to it ^. Terms ffiould be defined, to prevent ' In doing this, no difputant, perhap.s, ever excelled Mr. Leflie. " The polemical fkill of a Leflie," is an expreflion of Bolingbroke. A clergyman's library ftiould not be without this author's theological works, in two volumes, fo lio, containing his pieces againft Deifts, Jews, Romanifts, Socinians, and Quakers. He is faid to have brought more perfons from other perfuafions, into the Church of England, than any man ever did ; his fkill in converfation being equal to that in writing. Allowance muft be made for a ftyle, which, though fufficiently perfpicuous and nervous, is not according to the modern ideas of corredtnefs and elegance. " Bayle ftyles him a man of great merit and learning. " Mr. T. Salmon obferves, that his works muft tranfmit " him to pofterity, as a man thoroughly learned and truly " pious. But abetter and more difinterefted judge, Mr. " Harris, informs us, that he made, feveral converts from " Popery; and fays, that, notwithftanding his miftaken D d 2 " opinions 404 The Duty of contending for the Faith. DISC ambiguity and evafion; arguments and. x^v- objeaions carefully colfeaed, and metho- dicaUy arranged ; ftated and anfwered with aU poffible concifenefs and perfplcuity; leaving as little roora as raay be for replies and rejoinders; the fad confequence of whicb is not only lofs of time and teraper to the writers, but difguft In the readers. who grow weary, and, defpairing of being able to fix their opinions, refolve to give themfelves no farther trouble about reli gion. For general utility, perhaps thd di- daftlc form, with' the objeftlons duly no ticed and obviated In their places. Is pre ferable to the ftriaiy polemical. The lat ter Is often laid afide, with the difpute " opinions about government, and^a few other matters, he " deferves the higheft praife for defending the Chriftian " religion againft Deifts, Jews, and Quakers, and for admi- " rably well fupporting the doflrines of the Church of " England againft thbfe of Rome." See Biographical Didlionary. — Mr. Leflie's writings have been negledted, becaufe he had the misfortune to be a Nonjuror. But fince the age is difpofed to drop prejudices, it is a pity that this alone ftiould be fuffered to remain ; efpecially as the fubjedl ofit is now " waxed old, and ready to vanifh "away." which The Duty of contending for the Faith. 405 which occafioned It; but the forraer. If disc, well executed, may continue to be read ^^^' and referred' tb, as a ftaple and ftandard book of Inftrudtion on the fubjedt of which it treats, from age to age. Tbe condudl of our opponents of dif ferent denominations irapreffes one leffon upon us with' great force. It is this; however our ftudies may be employed, never to -lofe fight of the grand objedl, but to keep It conftantly in view; and con trive by all means to forward it. It is marvellous to behold In what -manner . eyery department of literature has been pccupled, and converted Into a battery againft the faith and the church. Half our danger does not arife from tradts pro feffedly penned on the fubjedl of reUgion, but from writings of otber kinds, carrying nothing hoftile In their appearance. The unfufpedling reader, who fate down to In forra or araufe himfelf with a piece of na tural or civil hiftory, biography, a poera, D d 3 ¦ .a tale. 406 The Duty of contending for the Faiih. DISC a tale, or a fable, if he have not his wits .¦^^^" about him, finds his reverence for the doflrlnes of Chriftianity, arid thofe whp- tpach them, filched from him ; rifes, to his great furprife, half an Infidel ; and is not fure whether he has a. foul, a Saviour, or a God. As jt has not yet appeared that the talents of believers are lefs va rious, or lefs exceUent, than thofe of un beUevers, all thefe methods of diffufing errors ffiould be counteradted by the ad vocates for truth. The tafte of the age ffiould be attended to, and 'inftrudtion ad- minlftered through fuch vehicles as are moft Ukely to make it palatable. Every mrai. In that way to which his genius direfts him, ffiould exert his abilities in the fervice of his Maker and Redeeraer. He^ ffiould early form a plan for this purpofej to be kept In view, during the courfe of his reading, whether ftated or occafional. He wIU be pleafed to find, when he does this, how every book he, opens wiU lend it's affiftance, and furniffi forae hint that raay be TheDuty of contending for the Faith, 407 be iraproved, for the promotion of his de- disc fign''. An obfervation raay be here added, '^^^ that as in political, fo In religious contefts, execution Is done among the people, not by bulky treatifes, but fmall paraphlets, written down to tbe apprehenfions of the vulgar, diligently circulated, and fold at a low price'. My brethren of the clergy wUl, I ara fure, confider, with me, and lay, thefe things to heart. We engage, at ordi nation, not only " by the Scriptures to ' In this particular, among others, one of our old divines ufed to fay, he found the good effedt of a cuftom he had long pradlifed, which was, on a Sunday evening, to put a frefh Sermon on the ftocks, for the Sunday enfuing. Some thing always occurred, that was of ufe, in the reading of the week ; during which, he never failed to afli himfelf, as he went oli, To what purpofe can I apply this, in the way of my profeffion ? — An excellent rule. See that improving little book, the Life of Dr. Hammond, by Bifhop Fell. ¦¦ An excellent little tradt was printed for Rivington, in 1774, I wifh 20,000 of them were difperfed through the kingdom, at' this time. It was intitled, A Prefervative againft the Publications difperfed by modern Socinians ; in which the impiety and abfurdity of th^ir principles are clearly fhewn ; addreffed by a country clergyman to his pariftiioners, D d 4 " teach 408 The Duty of contending for the Faith, DISC. " teach and exhort with wholeforae doc- xiv. te ^j.jpg .'» i^ut Ukewife to " withftand and " convince gainfayers ; to be ready with " all faithful diligence to banlffi and drive " away all erroneous and ftrange .dodtrines, " contrary to God's word; and both pri- " 'vately and openly to call upon and en- " courage others to do, thp farae"." The faith is a precious depofit coraraitted ' to our charge. No care, no pains can be too great, to preferve It to our people, and deliver It down to our fucceffors In the miniftry, pure and unadulterated. Nei ther violence nor fraud ffiould be fuffered to rob us of the Ineftlraable treafure. God and bis Church expeft and require, that we fulfil honourably this engageraent, fo folemnly formed In the prefence of both. Whenever our faith Is affaulted, to us the world naturally looks up for it's defence ; and it Is weU, If a^ failure in this part of our duty be not, one day, urged againft us, as an arguraent for the aboUtion of an ' Ordination Office. ufelefs The Duty of contending for the Faith, 409 • ufelefs order of raen. It Is the property of our disc. great adverfary, firft to tempt, and then to ^ ''*''• ACCUSE. The prppagation and fupport of true religion conftitute. Indeed, our peculiar. vtalk, the prefcribed eraployraent of our tirae, the proper exercife of our powers and faculties; for want of which, they will be either turned to other purfuits, quite foreign frora our profeffion, or dlffi- pated In frivolous araufements, or permit ted to ruft in floth and indolence \ Study of the Scriptures and Ecclefiaftical Hiftory muft ever be regarded as the firft duty of a clergyman, becaufe that alone can prepare and qualify him for a difcharge of all the reft. It Is a duty, whicb, if cordially taken in hand, and vigoroufly profecuted, will foon becorae bis pleafure. And when a man's duty becoraes his pleafure, he is a ' When a friend told Bifhop Cumberland, he would ¦wear himfelf out by his inceffant application ; " It is^ " better," replied the Bifhop, " to wear out, than to rust " out.'^ happy 410 The Duty of contending for the Faith, DISC happy man. Till then, he never can be one; xiv. being indebted, for his peace of raind, if he ever enjoy any, only to the want of confiderar tion and refledtion. But what is there which . can fo enlarge, Iraprove, and delight the hu man mind, as a contemplation of the truths and difpenfations of the Alraighty ? W^here is the pleafure that can ftand the Corapari fon for a raoment? I know of none that is not as much inferior, as earth is to heaven. The Church of England, from the time of the Reformation, has gloried in a learned, clergy, who ftood prepared to repel, with Iklll and vigour, the affaults of her various adverfaries. Sorae would perfuade us, that this glory is departing from her. " The " nuraber of learned Socinian?, it Is faid. Is " Increafing ; that of learned Trinitarians, de- " creafing"." The remark cannot but excite fome " Importance of Free Enquiry, p. 5 1 . wonder. The Duty of contending for the Faiih, 411 wonder, when coming frora one fo evi- disc dently overmatched, as he appears to have ^^^' been. In point of learning, by his very re fpedtable antagonift. It affords, however, an ufeful hint to us, not to grow flack and reraifs In our profeffional ftudies; not to think of fubfifting on the fame acquired by our predeceffors, but diligentiy ' avaiUng ourfelves of their labours, ftill farther to advance and fet forward the truth by our own. A general diffufion of knowledge in thefe latter days bas enabled the Ibwer or ders of raankind to become acquainted with the objeftlons urged againft dodtrines laid down by our church as effential and . fundaraental. Her rainifters, therefore, will be frequently called upon for anfwers. to thofe objeaions ; which, without hav ing read and thpught well upon . the fub- ' jea, they raay be at a lofs to furniffi. Advantage will be raade of this circura ftance ; their people will be feduced, and the enemy will exult. A very fmall portion of tirae, appUed regularly and conftantly to any one purfuit, will foon 4 effea ' 412 The Duty of contending for the Faith. DISC effea things almoft incredible. It is re- ^^^- corded of the great Uffier, tbat, wiffiing to know, at firft hand, the fentiments of an tiquity on the points In difpute between the Roraanifts and ourfelves, he went through, between the age o? twenty and thirty-eight, the volurainous writings of the Fathers, by devoting, amidft his other labours, a IraaU proportion of time every day to that purpofe. Talks of this extent and difficulty need not be now impofed on a clergyman. The evidence on moft con troverted doarines has been colfeaed and^ arranged for hira; and by raeans of'a few well chofen books", perufed with due "Such aS— Biftiop Bull's Latin Works; Waterland's Importance ofthe Dodtrine ofthe Trinity; his Sermons at Lady Mayer's Ledlures ; Dr. Ridley's at the fame Ledlure, on the Holy Spirit; the writings of Dr. Randolph; Mr. Jones's Catholic Dodlrine of the Trinity ; Full Anfwer to the Eflay on Spirit ; Letter to the Common People ; to a Young Gentleman at Oxford; Remarks on the Confef- iional. .On Socinianifm; Grotius de Satisfadtlone; Stillingfleet's Difcourfe on the true Reafon of Chrift's Sufferings, against Crellius; Biftiop Coneybear's Sermon, on the Salisfadlion; Edwards's Prefervative ; Leflie's Dialogues on Sociniahifra: with Molheim's Account of it's rife and progrefs, in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. For The Duty of contending for the Faiih. 4 1 3 attention, he may become a fufficient mafter disc of the fubjea, and of the arguments which ^^^" have been, or Indeed can be, produced ; ¦ for there Is but little freffi matter at this tirae to be ftarted. What progrefs might lie raake; within the compafs of a year, at the rate of a couple of hours only in each day ! By fuch an employraent of his hours, he will be prepared, whenever fummoned, to render a good account of thera. Con fclous that he must render an account, and cannot render a good one. It Is Im poffible for him. If he reflpa at all, to continue long at eafe. The grand queftion ^ ... * concerning our condua Is, how It will ap pear at tbe great fcrutlny : and be; alone is truly wife, who fpends bis tirae as, at . the laft hour, be will wiffi to bave fpent it. Happy tbe raan, who raay be able with all huraility to fay, when that hour For the Judgment of the Jewifli Church againft the Uni tarians, Dr. Allix's book with that title; a moft learned, valuable, and decifive work, on that part of the subjedl. ffiall XIV. 414 The Duty of contending for ihe Faith, DISC fliall corae — " The tirae which thou haft " given rae has been paffed In thy fervice. " I have not fuffered rayfelf, through indo- " lence, or diffipation, to live In Ignorance " of thy truth, or to withhold It from " others., I bave laboured diligently and " faithfully to find it ; and, when found, to " publiffi and defend it. It Is not ray fault, " If the people periffi for lack of knowledge. " I have done my beft : I have fought a good " fight : I have kept the faith ; and endea- " voured that others .ffiould do the fame." This is a ftate of fatisfaaion and corafort for a rainifter of Chrift, weighed againft which, the world, with all It's wealth, aU it's pleafures, and all it's bonbui-s, is "duft " upon the balance, without weight, and wlthi. " out i-egard." But befides the teftiraony borne hira by bis confcience within, other witneffes wiU appear in his favour frora without. He will bave the approbation and thanks of all thofe who wifli well to the church and to their country ; who do not apprehend, that The Duty of contending for the Faith. 4 1 5 that the latter wiU be benefited by the de- disc ftruaion -of the former, or a nation faved ^'^• by apoftafy from it's Saviour. He will have the atteftation of multitudes, that by his mi niftry, by his difcourfes, by his writings, they were preferved or reclaimed from error and from death, and conduaed in the w*ay of truth and life. " Behold bira, and the children " which God hath given hira, Uke the arrows " in the band of the raighty ; happy is the " man that hath his quiver full of them ; he " ffiall not be affiamed when he fpeaketh with " his enemies, at the feat of judgraent "." On that feat he wUl view the bleffed Perfon, , for whofe faith he bas contended ; whofe caufe he bas raaintained; tbe bonour of whofe narae he bas afferted and vindicated; who has been' a fpeaator of the conflia, and will award the crown. ' Isai. viii. 18. Heb. ii. 15. Ps, cxxvii. i; 5. DISCOURSE XV. THE TRINITY IN tjNlTY. MATT. XXVIII. 19. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing ihem in the name of the Father, -and cf the 5ow, and of the Holy Ghofi. ' GUCH is the folemn form of baptifm, orsc. prefcribed by our bleffed Lord bim- ^^' felf, as a perpetual ftanding law to his church. Haying redeeraed hiankind, ahd thereby acquired a new and fpecial claim to their horaage and fervice, he entered lipouj and took poffeffion of his purchafed Inheritance. And for what end ? Plainly, that he might bring all nations, thus made his own by right of rederaption, to the knowledge and worffiip of the true God, And how is this done ? Why, by making E e them 418 The Trinity in Unity. DISC them acquainted, in the very firft inftance, ^^* with the obligations conferred upon them by three ever bleffed perfons, called by the naraes of Father, Son, and Holy. Ghoft, Thefe three perfons, therefore, thus related and thus naraed, constitute that one true God, into whofe name, faith, and profeffion, . people of all the nations of the earth, and, among them, we whp are here a.ffembled, have been baptized. : In this confifted .the fura of Chriftianity: on this foundation were the apoftles to erea a church thrpugh- out all the world. Here, If any where, a right underftanding, upon fo Iraportant a point, as the nature of God, and the raan ner of his exiftence, would be highly ne ceffary; nor could any one 'raiftake raore dangeroufly and fundaraentally, than In fuch an article as this. — Let us then cont fider. If you pleafe, how much is Iraplied in the form of baptifra thus prefcribed by our Lord to the univerfal church, and by that church retained, and obfeirved, from Its . firft foundation to the prefent hour ; bow this Is confirraed by tl^^ declarations , " of The Trinity in Unify. 419 pf Scripture at large; and the. Intereft we disc have in the dbarine that ffiall be thus ^^- eftabliffied. I. Now by the being baptized In tbe liamfe ofGod, can be meant no lefs than entering into covenant with a perfon^ as God ; pro^ fefling faith in him as fuch; enlifting one's felf into bis fervice ; and vowing all obedi ence and fubraiffion to him. Such is the natural, the 'obvious iraport of this rite, by which we are adraitted into the church of Chrift, this foleran forra of baptizing in the name of the Father, ^nd of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; that is, into the faith, fervice, and worffiip, of the Holy Trinity. For let us reflea a littie — '¦ The nations were to be baptized in the name of three perfons, in the fame manner^ and therefore, furely, in the fame fenfe, as in the name of one. Whatever honour, reverence, or regard, is paid to the Father E e 2 in 420 The Trinity in Unity. DISC in this folemn rite, the fame we cannot ^^' but fuppofe paid to all three. Is he ac- icnowledged as the objea of worffiip? So are the other two perfons likewife. Is he God and Lord over us ? So are they. Are we bis fubjefts, fervants, and foldiers, enroUed under bim? So are we equally under all. Are we hereby regenerated and made the temple of the Father? So are we likewife pf the Son and Holy Ghoft. " We will come," fays our Lord, " and make our abode- with him"." The outward aa refpeas all the three; the in ward meaning and fignlficatlpn rauft do the fame. We may confider likewife, that in the very names of Father and Son, a near re lation, alliance, and unity, between two of the perfons, " is intiraated; and in reafon, we muft infer foraething of a firaUar kind for the third, fo clofely joiapd with theffl. It is not faid; " in the name of God and ' John xiv. 25. " his The Trinity in Unity. 421 " his two faithful fervants;" nor "of God; disc. " and Chrift, and the Holy Ghoft;" wbich ^v. might have fuggefted a thought, that one only of the three was God ; but, " In the " name of the Father and of the Son," a ftyle perfeaiy equal and familiar, without any note of diftinaion more than that of a perfonal relation, carrying with It the idea of a famenefs of nature; as, among men, every Father .and Son are of the fame human nature with each other. Frpm the very wording of the form of baptifm, therefore, moft reafonably might it be pre- furaed, that -the two firft perfons nameid were equally divine : and the Inference from thence would fairly, and indeed una^ voidably, reach to the third, t6 make all fuitable and confiftent ; befides that ffie terms Holy,^ and Spirit, evidently point the fame way. But it is yet farther ia be confidered by us — and a confideration it is of very great weight indeed upon the fubjea — that a new reUgion was to be introduced with E e 3 this ,422 The Trinity' in Unity. DISC, this ibleran forra of words. And araong ^^' whom was it to be introd^uced ? Araong Gentiles, or Heathen nations. Thefe were to be: taught to turn frora their vanities tp tjie living God; to, renounce their idols and falfe gods, and fo. to be baptized In the narae of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft.. Now, what rauft occur to THEM, , upon this occafion, but that, inftead of all their deities, to whom they . had before ., bowed down, they were in u future to ferve, worffiip, and adore. Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, as th6 only- true and living God ? Frora the porapous and foleran prpclaraatipn of thefe three perfons in oppofition to all other gods, what could THEY conclude, but that thefe Three poffeffed in reality that Divinity which was falfely prpfuraed with refpea to the gpds of the nations ; that they had a natural right to all that horaage and fer vice, which men ffiould pay to a Divine Being ? We may add, that the circum-. ftance of the form running in the name rr-not NAMES, but In the ling i^lar .mimber, NAME one. The laft confideration under this head ffiall be, that nothing can appear more unreafonable, or unnatural, than tp fup ppfe that God and two creatures are here joined together In fo folemn a rite of admiffion Into a new religion Into the fervice of the living God, In direa oppo fition to all CREATURE-WORSHIP. For no rational account can be given, , why the Son and Holy Ghoft ffiould be thus clofely and equally joined with the Father, in an aa fo pubUc, and of fo high Iraportance to the falvation of aU raen, unlefs it be, that all raen are required to believe In, to worffiip, and to ferve them alfo, as well as the, Father : neither can It be reafon ably iraagined, that they are recommended to us in any fuch capacity, as perfons 'to be, E e 4 believed XV. The trinity in Unity. 423 NAME of the Father, and, of the Son, andof disc the Holy Ghoft, might and did In the ftrongeft' manner intiraate, that the authority of all the Three was the farae, their power equal, their perfons undivided, and tbeir glory 424 Tlie Tmriity in Unity. DISC believed in, ferved; and adored, if they be ^^' CREATURES Only; much lefs, if Chrift be no more than a mere man, like one of us ; and the Poly Spirit a property, or quaUty only, of the Father^in fliort, if the three, taken to gether, be any other than the living and TRUE God. Thus far we have been arguing on the words of the text, and the doarine implied in thera, without taking in what the Scripture has revealed at large concerning the Divi nity of the three perfons, which was, in the Second place, propofed tp be done. ^ Concerning the Divinity of the Father there is no difpute. Rlefpeaing that of the Sonj ydu ffiall judge for yourfelves, when I have laid be fore yoU what the Scriptures teach relative to his titles, his attributes, and the aaions afcribed to him^ The. divine titles given tp the Soil in the The Trinity in Unity, 425 Hply Scripture are as follpw. He i^ caUed disc *' the Word that - was In the beginning xv. " with God, and was God ;" that " wa^ " made fleffi," and whofe " glory was the "glory of the only 'begotten of the Father \" When it is faid, " A virgin ffiaU. conceive, " and bear a fon," it is faid alfo, " they " ffiall call his name Imraanuel; that is, "God with us\" He is the Lord, before whofe face John the Baptift was fent"* :" the Lord God foretold by Ifaiah, who was to " feed his flock like a ffiep- "herd\" Of Jefus Chrift it is affirraed by St. John, " This is the true God, " and eternal life ^" St. Paul mentions " the appearance of the great God and " our Saviour," or, " our great Gen "and Saviour, Jefus Chrift V for it is he who ffiall appear to , judge the world. Ifaiah ftyles him, " Wonderful, Counfellor, "the Migjity God";" St, Paul Again, ' John I. U. « Matt. i. 23, i Lukei. 76, « Ifai. xl. 10, 11. ' 1 Jol)p V. 20. ^ » Tit. ii. 13. 1 Pet. 1. T. ' Ifai. is. 6. " God 426 The Trinity in Unity. DISC. "God over all, bleffed; for everraore'." "'^^' In the Old Teftaraent, Chrift Is frequentiy called Jehovah'', a name which can be long to no one but God. In the Reve lation he is Introduced as faying of hirafelf, " I ara Alpha and Oraega, the Beginning *' and the - Ending, faith ' the Lord, which ^' is, an4 . which was, and which is to " come, the Almighty"." By St, Paul h'e is 'ftyled " tbe Lord of Glory ;" and by St. John, " King of Kings, and Lord of " Lords." .r And thus ranch for his titles, , As to bis attributes, he is declared io be eternal, ". without beginning of days, or " end of Ufe "" ;" unchangeable, reraaining the larae, when the heavens, and the ' Rom. ix. 5, ' J^r. xxiii. 6. Zech. xii. 10. cited John xix. Si. Rev. i, 7. Ifa,i. xl, 10. ' Rev. i. 1 1 . "I cannot, forbear recording it (fays Dr. '" Doddridge) that this text has done more than any other '.' in the Bible towards preventing me from giving into " that feheme, which would make our Lord Jefus Chpft no " more than a deified creature." A denial of the pre- ExisTENCE muft have feemed ftrange 1 John V. 20. F f 2 vet XV. 436 The Trinity in Unity. DISC yet tbat faith, to profit him, muft 'appear in the condua of his ; life ; as lovfe to a friend Is best witneffed by a readinefs to do bira fervice. It Is true, the fervice Is not the love, nor of equal value with it; yet the love that refufes the fervice wUl be accounted as nothing. The mystery of faith Is an invaluable treafure >; but the veffel that contains it muft be clean and unde filed : it muft be holden in a pure confcience; as the raanna, that glorious fyrabol of the word of faith preached to us by the Gof pel, was confined to the tabernacle, and preferved in a veffel of gold. A raind that is conformed to this world, and given up to it's pleafures, though it repeat the Creed without queftioning a fingle article of it, will be abhorred in the fight of God, as a veffel unfit for the mafter's ufe, and unworthy, becaufe unprepared, to ftand in the moft holy place. It is the great e:^- cellency of faith, that it can produce fuch a transformation In the life and manners, as no other principle has -any power to do. But many are poffeffed of this truth, without The Trinity in Unity. 437 without applying It to their own advan- disc tage. Let thera, however, bear In raind, ^^' that, " without holinefs no raan ffiall fee ¦" the Lord :" none of the world's drofs or irapurity will be fuffered to continue in his fight. * And In this he is no bard mafter, reaping where he has not fown, and requiring the fruit of good works, without giving uS ftrength and ability to bring them forth. He has provided for us the precious blood of the Lamb, and of fered to us tbe affiftance of bis Holy Spi rit, that we may ' be enabled to ferve that triie and living God In whom we believe. If vve are purged by him, we ffiall be clean : if he waflies us,' we fliaU be whiter thaii fnow; and wben the kingdotn of God ffiall corae, and his glory ffiall appear, . we ffiall be prepared to behold his face in rightebufnefs\ "' ' 'o' « It has been asked, " Of what importance tfie dodlrine , " of the Trinity can be to the State ?" We answer, much, every way ; as it is a dodlrine of the Scriptures, and as it is a dodlrine pregnant with the noblest motives to christian love ^nd obedience. It therefore requires and demands the support of every state wishing to enjoy the favour and pro- F f 3 teaion 433 The Trinity in Uiiity. jjisc. Tjhe fura pf the Vifhole matter, as St.* XV. Paul has wonderfully expreffed It in 3 fingle verfe, is this— r" TJhrpqgh (^hrift we " haye an accefs by one Spirit, unto, the " Father ¦*." To the Father, with a due- fenfe of this great honour and privilege, as fpns of Gpd, let us therefore addrefs : our felves, .., for pardpn, and admiffion tp our heavenly inheritance ; " Q Go^, the Fa- " ther of; heayen, have mercy uppn us, "miferable finners!" Bqt as wp have no deferts of our pwn, no works of rigbtepuf- nefs by which to claim his favour, and arp . entitled; only thrpugh the fufferings ay^d- fatisfaaion. of Chrift, let us befeech iiiivt tp intercede for us, and, ple.ad bis n^efits^ with the. Father; '' O Gpd, the Spn, Re- " deemer of the world, have, raercy, upon, " us miferable, fmijers,!" And. fince tbe benefits of bis raerits are appUed, apd our pardon fealed, and ourfelves enabled to render an acceptable ' fervice, only by the tedlion of that God, who, fpr such gracious purposes, hatji revealed it. ^ Ephes. ii. l8. operations XV. The Trinity in Unify. 439' dperatioiis and afliftanCes of the Hbly Spi- disc. rit, let us Iraplore His aid alfo; " O God " the Holy Ghoft, procieeding froni the .Fa- " ther and the Son, have mercy upon us " miferable finners!" Yet remembering, that, bow various foever the osconomy raay be, falvation is the one fole undivided end and work of aU; therefore to all let us. ad drefs our earneft prayers and invocations, as to the Grfeat' Power to whom we have con- fecrated ourfelves and fervices; " O holy, " bleffed, and glorious Trinity, three Perfons, " and .one God, have raercy upon us raifera- " ble finners !" And thou, alraighty and everlafting God, who haft given unto us thy fervants grace by the confeffion of a true faith to acknow lege the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the "power of the divine Majefty, to worffiip the Unity; we befeech thee, that thou wouldeft keep us ftedfaft in this faUh; and evermore defend us frora aU adverfities; who liveft and reigneft pne God world with out end. , F f 4 To ' 440 ' Tlie Trinity in Unity. DISC To this one God, for the means of grace ,' vouchfafed to us In this life, and for the hopes of glory in another, be afcribed, as Is raoft, due, all honour, raajefty, and dorainion, all praife and adoration, both now and for ever. DISCOURSE XVI. CHARITY RECOMMENDED ON ITS TRUE MOTIVE. 1 JOHN rv. 11. Jf Godfo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another. /GREATER injuftice cannot be. done disc to the doarines of Chriftianity, than ^"^^• to fuppofe thera barren fpeculatipns, fub- jeas Intended only fpr the medltatioiis of the . pious in their clofets, pr the contro- verfies of the learned In their writings; and iffuing in no conclufions, fpr the bene-., fit of fociety; and the corafort of raankind. The contrary Is happily evinced by the words juft read, in wljich, allufion is raade to the incarnation of the Son of God, as the 442 Charity recommended on its true Motive. DISC the great inftance of the divine love ^^^- toward -us; and that love propofed as the principle and the pattern of our love toward our neighbour. " If God fo loved " us," that be " fent his Son to be the " propitiation for our fins," — fucb are the words Imraediately preceding the text — then, " we ought > alfo to love one ano- " ther." We might afk hira in whom zeal fpr the welfare of bis fellow-creatures burns with the brighteft and raoft ardent flarae, what his patriotic and generous heart could wiffi Ihore, than that men might be brought to this bleffed teraper of mind? Did it but prevail- in It's full ex tent. It would reforra the world at once. Tranfgteffion would ceafei and with ' it much of our mifery and trouble. The reign of rightebiifnefs and happinefs would commence, and paradife' be. In 'great raea- fiire!, reftored' upon earth. St! Paul af- figns the reafon in very fev/" words; " Love worketh no IU' to it's nelghbdur^;"' ' Rom. xiii. 10. it Charity recommended on its true Motive. 443 it can work him no IU ; it can never disc injure him In his perfon, his bed, bis pro- ^^^' perty, or his charaaer ; it cannot fo much as conceive a defire for any thing that b'elongs to hira. But it refteth not content with negatives. It not only worketh hira no III, but It muft' work for him all the good In It's power. Is he hungry? It will give him meat. Is. he thirfty ? It will give him drink. Is be naked? It will clothe him. Is he fict? It will vifit him. Is he forrowful ? It will corafort bim; Is he in prifon? It will go to him, andj If' poffible, bring bira out. Upon this grovmd, wars muft for ever ceafe among nations, diffen- fions bf every kind among leffer focleties, and the individuals that compofe them. AU rauft be peace, becaufe' .all would be love. And thus would every end of the incarna tion be accompllffied ;¦¦¦ good' will to men, peace- on earth, and to God on high glory frora both'. In the farther- profecu-tfen of the fubjeay your attention is requefted to a few obfer vations 444 Charity recommended on its true Motive. DISC vatlons on the motive propofed by St. John ^'^^- for the duty of charity; and the beft manner of performing the duty upon that motive. Many feem to think, that If charity be but ffiewn, the motive Is a matter of indifference. It may be fo to the party receiving, but not to the party beftowing.' A fick perfon Is, equally benefited, whether he, who fits by his bed-fide, fits there from real affpaion, or with defign to -make a will In his own favour. Nothing can determine , the fterling , worth of an aajon, but a knowledge of the motive upon which, it is performed. Here, then, we ffiould be very careful not to deceive ourfelves. We ffipuld deal fairiy, and fearch our heatts to the bottora. In the. day of inqulfitidn and retrUiution, he who raade them, and tberefore knows what is. in them, wUl certainly do fo. Men and angels, on that day, wiU be raade acquainted not only with all ,we have done, but. vyith the , true reafons' why we did it; and the tranfaaipns of huraan .life Charity, recommended on its true Motive. 445 life wiU be found far otber than they feera. disc Nay, there are, even now, raen of the ^^^• world, endowed with fagacious and pene trating minds, who judging partly from what they experience In therafelves, and partly from what tbey have obferved In others, are not eafily imppfed upon. By knowing a perfon's" general charaaer, and laying circumftances together, they will give a ffirewd guefs at what is paffing within, and not be led to take the oftenfi- ble motive for the real. Some French au thors, and, after them, fome EngUfli ones, writing upon this plan, bave given a very unfavourable reprefentation Indeed of hu man nature. Theli' maxims are by no means univerfally true; but might be ren dered ferviceable, If we raade ufe of thera, not to cenfure others, but to exaraine our- . felves ; not to judge our neighbours, but to let our own confciences plead. Guilty, or Not Guilty. In the x:afe before us, forae inforraation is neceffary for us all, left, after perforraing aaions 446 Charity recommended on its true Motiv'e. DISC aaions of charity, by performing thern XVI. upon wrong and finifter raotives, we be- come expofed to the mortification of lofing their reward. We may perform thera raerely becaufe there Is a decency and propriety in fo doing ; others perform them, and we ffiould be thought meanly of," were we to orait them; we may per form thera out of. vanity, to acquire the charaaer , .of benevolent ; a , charaaer, tb which, perhaps, upon the whole, we have, no good title : we may perform thera out of envy, left a rival bear off the honour from us : we raay perform them to become popular, and ferve by thera forae fecular and political Intereft : we raay perfbrm thera in ,the way of corarautation for a fa vourite fin, in the praaice of which we bave deterrained to continue, and hope thus to buy off the puniffiraent due to it. In this laft article we ffiall find ourfelves grievoufly raiftaken. In all the reft raay be appUed the words of bur Lord ; " You " have your reward ;" 'you fought the praife of men.: you obtained it : you fought Charity recommended on its true Motive. 44:1 fought npt the praife of God; you obtaraed it disc not. XVI. There Is yet another motive, concerning which the deterrnlnation is more difficult — wben we perform an aa of charity, to efcape from the pain we feel at the fight of mifery. We relieve tbe objea ; but it is, to relieve ourfelves. We bear much pf ' thefe fine feelings, frora perfons who rejea with difdain the influence of a higher principle. God forbid we fliould depreciate this huraane and exqulfitely tender fen- tiraent, which the beneficent Author of our nature gave us, as a fpur to reraove , the diftreffes of others. In order to get rid of our own Uneafinefs. But it has . been juftly obferved, that " where not ftrengtb- " ened by fuperior motives, it Is a cafual " and precarious Inftrument of good, and " ceafes to operate, except In the Imraedi- " ate prefence, and within the audible cry " of mifery. This fort of feeling often " forgets that any calaraity exifts which is " out of It's own fight ; and though it " would 448 Charity recommended on its true Motive. DISC " would empty it's purfe for fuch an occafi- XVI. te onal objea as roufes tranfient fenfibiUty, yet " It feldom raakes any ftated provifion for ral- " feries, which, are not the lefs real becaufe " they do not obtrude upon „ the fight, and " awaken the tendernefs of Immediate fym- " pathy. This Is a fort of raechanical charity, " which requires fprlngs a.nd wheels to fet it a going'." to our enjpyraefits ; when we, find ourfelves furrpunded by our faraUIes and our friends; when- .we go out, and, when we corae in ; above all, when, as now, we vifit bis teraple, and hear, frora; his bleffed word, the hiftory of thofe won-. derful. works that be bas wrought, and of the feUcity he has prepared, for us In ano ther wprld, when this In which we now live ffiall be paffed away, and gone into perdition.- Often as . we acknowlege thefe favours, and , praife hira for the raerCy which endureth for ever, the queftion fliould occur. How' can I acknpwlegp' thera, with what face can I praife hira for them, if, after fo. rauch given,; I am npt 1 ready. Charity recommended on its true Motive. 453 ready, uponthis principle, to give to others? disc Verily, our praifes, as well as bur prayers, ^^^' will rife up in the judgment againft us, and condemn us. — No — If we hope for final, acceptance with our God, let us alvvays, in our life and at our death, re meraber the Inference in tbe text, and aa upon it — " If God fo loved us, we ought " alfo to love one another." The ftrength of this Inference, and the hold it has taken upon your minds, will appear this day, by the fupport afforded to an inftitution which needs fupport, and de ferves It. It needs fupport, as relying folely on the voluntary Contributions of well-difpofed perfons, and muft drop, if they • are with holden. But It can never be — In this refpea, withput Incurring the charge of felf-adulation, we may fay, that all nations muft yield the palra -to Engiiffiraen. At the firft caU of the kind,' they readily " put their hands to the plough ;" and eg 3 whfen 454 Charity recommended on its true Motive. DISC when they have* fo done, it is not their XVI. cuftom to " look back." That It deferves fuppoft, you will all be convinced, ' when It ffiall bave been briefly ftated to you, that the objeas relieved' by it are poor : that they are woraen ; that they are*raarried woraen, in the raoft pain ful and perilous fituation: and that the relief is brpught horae to thera. In their own houfes. God could have ordained that all ffiould have been rich. But he has not fo ordain-. ed. Poverty, with every other evil,' dame in, upon' man's tranfgreffion. The altera tion, which then took place in the earth, rendered labour neceffary. ' If none were poor, none would labour; and if fome did Dot labour, none .could eat. Difference there rauft be In rank and oi;ddr; and the rich are not of raore fervice to the poor, than the poor to thera. Equality of con dition could not fubfift by the conftitution of nature, as the cafe has ftood fince - the fall. Charity recommended on its true Motive. 455 feu. It rauft be effeaed by a new wa/; disc by the difpenfation of love and charity. ^^^" The indigence of forae rauft be helped by the fuperfluity of others. " The poor ffiall " never ceafe out of tby land," fays the God of Ifrael to his favoured people ; -" tberefore, I coraraand thee, faying. Thou " ffialt open thy hand wide to thy brother, " to thy poor, and to thy needy. In thy " land*"." An opportuuity of being bleffed is offered to the wealthy, and they fliould take particular care not to let it pafs thera unregarded ; for, " Bleffed is the man that " confidereth the poor and needy." In the fight of God, we are all poor. " He " openeth his hand," and from it we tct ceive, both for our bodies and our fouls, food and rairaent, medicine, Uberty, and, joy. Our Saviour hirafelf, rich in the poffeffion of all things vifible and Invifible, yet for our fakes becarae poor; he has di- reaed lis, in the perfons of the poor, to behold hira, as prefent, and, when they folicit our charity, to beftow it accordingly. " Deut. XV. n. e g 4 On 456 Charity recornmended on its true Motive. DISC. On the behalf of poverty, raore cannot be ^^^- faid. But it Is peculiarly affliaive, when it falls upon the weaker fex. At the fight of them In diftrefs, few hearts are fo hard as not to relent, and ffiew raercy and cora- paffibn. Forraed originally frora raan, to man they ofcourfe look up ' for fupport. It is bis duty, and. In all civilized nations, it bas ever been his glory, to. afford it. Their claim upon us Is Indeed a juft one. They were created as helprraates, and through life are found to be fuch. Frora the cra dle to the grave, frora the fwaddling- clothes tb the windlrig-ffi^et, we are in debted to their good offices ; offices which can with propriety ~be perforraed by them alone. By them is the burden of cares domeftic and ceconbralcal taken off frora us. ' The tendernefs and fyrapathy of their na ture alleviate our forrows, their \ affeaion and fideUty double our joys. The perfons affifted by our Benevolent Inftitution Charity recommended on its true Motive. 457 Inftitution axe married women, i For thofe disc in a fingle ftate, vybora thoughtlefs, un- ^^^• feeUng, cruel profligacy bad feduced, and over whora favage brutal Iuft > had tyran nized- for a tirae, and then caft thera, defti tute and forlorn, upon the public, where there was none to help; for fuch, I fey, when fufferings and the grace of God co operating had led them to repentance, and to feek forgivenefs, where we rauft all feek it, alt the hands of a Redeeraer — for fuch, a houfe of refuge has been opened^ and araple provifion raade In it, of all the affiftance requifite for the purpofe. And a noble charity it Is. ' " There is joy .In hea- " ven over one finner that repenteth;" there Is a joy peculiar to the circumftance of the ffieep that is found, which cannot happen, unlefs that ffieep has been loft. But let us not therefore, in the mean tirae, ¦forget the wants fuftained by fuch ofthe ilock as, having not wandered, require at tention and provifion in the fold. " Mar- " rjage Is honourable:" God bas pro nounced It to be fo, and man cannot render it 458 Charity recommended on its true Motive. DISC it otherwife. By It's offspring coffle the ^^^' ftrength of kingdoms, the eftabUffiraent of . thrones,' and the upholding of the world. Araong tbe Roraans, raore than four ages elapfed, from the foundation of their, city. without any complaint, or procefs, on ac count of adultery ; and It was not till the year 521, that they faw the firft divorce; when, though the caufe was fpecious, the indignation of all Rome purfued the di vorcer to the end of bis days, Tbefe men . were heathens ; but their morals put Chrifi tians wofully to the bluffi ! Let us not be wanting in our endeavours to roll away the reproach which lies fo heavy on the ' prefent generation, by this Inftance of re gard ffiewn to the boneft and faithful raarr. ried. It is -ffievsra at a tirae" when they raoft need It — a time of diftrefs and anguiffi, when they are fuffering under the fentence paffed from the beginning ; whpn pains of body, forrows of heart, and terrors of iraa gination, affail thera with corabined forces ; when Charity recommended on its tr-ue Motive. 459 when the eneray corapaffes thera round disc about, and poverty has fet all help at a xvi. diftance. Their cries have been heard by " the Lord of Sabaoth, and be bath raifed up friends to their affiftance. They have obtained raercy from God "to be " faved In " child-bearing ;" they fliould obtain it from you. If it be true, as the wife man has obferved, that " by a woman carae the " beginning of fin, and through her we aU " die ;" no lefs true it ,Is, that when the Saviour was born, " by a woraan carae the " beginning of righteoufnefs, and through " her we all live." " I ara corae, " fays that Saviour hirafelf, " that ye raight bave " life ; and that ye might have It more " abundantly." Evil Is fwallowed up by ¦good; and it rauft be through our own fault, If we do not becorae gainers by our > ' lofs. Sublirae and beautiful is the exulta tion of Mary, upon the occafion, over the great eneray — " My foul doth raagnify " the. Lord, and ray fpirit hath rejoiced in " God ray Saviour. For he bath regarded f the lowUnefs of his handraaiden. For " behold. 460 Charity recommended on its true Motive, DISC " behold, from henceforth, all generations ^^^•- " ffiall call rae bfeffed.' For he that is " mighty hath raagnified rae, and holy Is " his narae : and bis raercy is on thera " that fear hira throughout all g'enera- " tions." Laftly, the perfons for whora your be nevolence is this day Intreated, are not of the number of thofe wandering and pro feffional raendicants, who raeet you,' at every turn, with their claraprous and ira- portunate petitions. Sober, and laborious, they are to be found at horae ; quiet, though wretched ; vifited only by that charity, which, like the Influence'^of hea- ¦ ven's great lurainary, penetrates into the deepeft receffes, and " nothing is hidden " frora the heat thereof." Thither our Inftitution goes to find them, and carries to their own houfes the beft medical, and every other neceffary affiftance. By the fubfcriptions of a generous public, Hofpi- tals haye been erected, and are fupported, for the farae purpofe. Without In the feaft Charity recommended on its true Moti've. 461 leaft depreciating thera, or detraaing from Disc their utility, it raay yet be truly faid, that xvi. there are forae fuperior advantages attend- ing the prefent plan. The wife is not ab fent frora her family, where, though, for a tirae, ffie "'cannot herfelf do rauch, yet ffie can direa what, is to be done; the huf band can go forth to his labour, not an hPur of which can well be fpared : he is not induced to fpend his evenings abroad in public- houfes, which raay occafion his ruin, and that of his family ; being an eye witnefs to the forrov/s of his wife, the love between thera is Increafed ; and affection for the new-born offspring will ftlraulate him afrefli to Induftry ^ All poflible circumftances appear to con cur in recommending to your notice a fcberaC' thus calculated for the prefervation ' See An Account of the Benevolent Inftitution for the sole purpose of delivering poor married women at their own habitations, printed in the year 1786. By this it appears, that since the eftabliftiment, jn 1780, 9819 persons have been, delivered. of 462 Charity recommended on its true Motive DISC of life, the relief of indigence, the honour ^^^' of raarriage, the encourageraent of popula tion, and, as a confequence of aU, the ge neral welfare of fociety. It muft be approved, as foon as known; and when approved. It wUl be encouraged. To thefe poor, bTit not the Jefs valuable mo thers, in the hour of their utraoft diftrefs, and ffiarpeft anguiffi,- open your hands, and open them wide. Whatever you beftow, it will be Well beftowed, and properly- ex pended, In every fenfe truly refpeaable, honourable and noble are the perfons, who have been pleafed to take upon therafelves the fuperintendance of the expenditure. Parfiraony at this tirae would be oeconoray ill placed indeed. Spare foraething in the magnificence of your houfes, and ftyle of living, in the fplendour of your furniture; the coftUnefs of your apparel, the luxury of your tables, and your vifits to pubUc places ; but In your charity fpare nothing. ^; On the receipt of your incomes, fet afide iraraedi ately forae certain portion for this purpofe. When objeas offer, there will be a fund to Charity recommended on its true Motive. 463 to draw upon: you will give cheerfully, and disc without grudging ; you will always be giving, ^^^' you will always have foraething to give : and that which is fo given will be returned to you, with increafe abundant and eternal, when. In the fight of afferabled nations, and all the hofts of heaven, tbe faying will be verl- . fied—" Bleffed are the merciful : for they ffiall "obtain mercy." FINIS. 3 9002 08561 4460