A SERMON Preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, March 9. 1661.

THE condition of those in the Text, both for what they had been once, and for what they now were, that is, for their stray­ing and returning again, looks so like our case of late, (who, if ever any, had err'd and stray'd from all the ways of duty both to God and man, but are now happily returned to the Shepherds and Bishops of our Souls) you may perhaps imagine this Text to be cho­sen of purpose to pursue those two Blown Ar­guments.

And therefore before I proceed farther, it will be necessary to deliver you from those thoughts, and perhaps that fear. For though the mischiefs in the one, and Blessings in the other be such, as deserve never to be forgotten; yet possibly may not endure a perpetual importu­nate Remembrancer.

And the truth is, the very words and phrase of the text, which only at the first blush carries us upon those thoughts, will leave us, if we look a little nearer to them. For the Straying here will prove to be of another kind, and the Return will be found to be to ano­ther Bishop. The straying here was of such as had err'd like Sheep, whereas ours had little or nothing of the Sheep in it, save the Sheeps clothing; for dress'd up they were with pre­tenses as soft as wool, Gods glory, Purity of wor­ship, Christian liberty, nothing worse then these, and so indeed they err'd like Sheep, as if they had been such; but the truth is, it was liker the ranging of Wolves, tearing and devour­ing, then the straying of weak and silly Sheep. And for the returning likewise here, though it was to a Bishop, yet I dare not be so bold with him that bears that name in the text, directly to apply it to our Bishops, nor ad­vance our return to this.

The Bishop here was no doubt our blessed Lord and Saviour, whom God himself had consecrated and ordained to that office; but our Bishops are not otherwise concerned here then as they can make their title from and under him; but if that may be done hereafter, I trust you will not be against it. In the mean time, if there were no more in it, me thinks this should be enough to recon­cile the Presbyterians to the name of a Bishop, which our Saviour himself hath vouchsafed to take upon him. But having laid aside that argument, which the words at first sight seem'd to offer, I bespeak your attention to one of a more common interest, which con­cerns all that would be Christians, whose character it is▪ Who from the ways of sin and error, are return'd to the faith and obedi­ence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who to reduce us from those ways hath taken upon him to be our Shepherd and Bishop.

The main point is, That God of his mercy complying with the necessities and infirmities of nature, hath erected an Office of trust and confidence in his Church, under the quality of a Shepherd and Bishop, to direct and guide us, who otherwise would erre and stray like sheep, and so be lost for ever.

THe particulars incident to this are, first. The necessity of it, impli'd in our natural condition, who like Sheep are of themselves apt to erre and go astray. 2. The accommodation we have for it. For what should they do which are out of the way, but return? and to whom should Sheep return but to a Shep­herd? and lost Sheep, but to him that came to seek and save that which was lost? and where should they find so safe and sure a retreat, as in him who purchas'd them with his own blood? All these are accomplished in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, whom we shall consider, first in his office of Shepherd or Bishop; then in his Flock or Diocess; the Souls of men. We are returned, &c.

1 THe first thing we meet with in the text, is our natural condition. That we were as Sheep that had gone astray. And the con­fession of this is the first thing we meet with in our Liturgy. We have erred and stray'd like lost Sheep. And though it were fit and ne­cessary it should be there, for, sure I am, we never err'd worse then since we laid that by; yet here we look upon it in another relati­on and use; it is the first stone to be laid in [Page 5]this building, in the erection of the office of a Shepherd and Bishop. The infirmities of the Sheep are the ground of the necessity of a Shepherd.

But now that while we are speaking of our errors, we do not commit one, we must know, first what kind of erring this is, and then how we fell into the fatal necessity of it. What it is, the Bishop that must lead us out of it, will tell us; for he is the Bishop of our souls: and therefore our Straying here must be that of the Soul. For though our natu­ral infirmities do expose us to error in many things else, yea almost in all other things, even those that are within the reach of sense and reason: there is not any thing in Nature, in Art, in Philosophy, though commonly re­ceived for truth, which of late time is not charged with error, and it may be some­times not without cause; yet without any great regard here, if the Soul be not con­cern'd.

Now if we be so liable to error in the things of this life, where both the end and the way to them are within the compass of the eye, in which we erre, as it were, in our own Countrey, where we are bred and born; we [Page 6]must certainly lose our way, where we are strangers, being Citizens of another Countrey, as those blessed Saints, who best knew the ways of the soul, confessed, that they were strangers and pilgrims here. Heb. 11.14. And they which say so, shew plainly that they seek a Countrey, and that a better, that is, a heavenly, where God hath prepared for them a City. They must needs be disappointed that seek for Heaven upon earth, where there is nothing fitted and proportion'd to the Soul, either for the nature or the desires of it. The Soul is immortal, and cannot be provided for, where all things are liable to change and mortality; for when it shall survive them, it will be at a loss, till it find a Countrey like it self, that is everlasting and immortal.

And as the nature, so the desires of the Soul are unsatisfied here; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hear­ing, nor the understanding with knowledg, nor the heart with the best and choicest de­lights of it. We are soon wearied and tir'd with what we have, and are as thirsty of that we have not. In our plenty as craving, as others in their greatest wants. The goods of [Page 7]this world are Hydropick all, quo plus bibuntur plus sitiuntur. They that have the greatest share and portion in them, of Wealth, of Honour, of Power, do not sleep the better, nor are their bodies less comber'd with disea­ses, nor their minds freer from vexations and troubles. And therefore as the Saints I nam'd before, did by what they willingly suffer'd here, shew plainly that they sought another Countrey; so by this is shewn as plainly, that they had cause to do so.

Now here lies the fatal necessity of erring, they seek a Countrey and City that is invisi­ble and unknown to nature, either what the state of that Countrey is, or by what laws the Citizens thereof are to be govern'd. And when we walk in the dark it is not strange we should lose our way.

A chief part of that way lies, first in the knowledg and worship of that God, who had prepar'd for them a City, by what Sa­crifices, Rites and Ceremonies he will be serv'd. How much of that may be had by nature, we learn by those, who were most likely to know, but did not, who were the masters of knowledge to most other Nations, Rom. 1. for of such S. Paaul speaks Rom. 1. Who [Page 8]when they profess'd themselves to be wise, as well they might in many other things, yet in this of Gods worship, they became fools. For they turned the glory of the uncorruptible God, Rom. 1.23. into the similitude and image of corruptible Man, and of birds, and four footed beasts, and of creeping things.

The right way of worshipping God (since reveal'd to us to be by Jesus Christ) was not only unknown to them, but to those to whom God had more peculiarly imparted himself. Ephes. 3.5. The mysterie of Christ Ephes. 3.5. in other ages was not made known to the Sons of men, untill he was reveal'd unto his holy Apostles and Pro­phets by his Spirit. Yea it was unknown to the very Angels, who when it was first reveal'd, in a kind of admiration and curiosity [...], 1 Pet. 1.12. desir'd to look, the word signifies earnestly to pry into. And that which the An­gels of Heaven did not know, certainly the sons of men could not.

The other part of the way to that heavenly Countrey in which we may naturally seem to have some skill, the way of vertue, that is, in the stile of Scripture, Tit. 2.12. to live godly, right­eously and soberly in this present world, appeared to the very Heathen to be the only way to [Page 9]happiness. Yet these natural impressions were so dim and imperfect, both through Originaly corruption, and the over-ruling power of passion and lust, that of those things they knew, they held the truth in unright­eousness, even to the very perverting of the course of nature as the Apostle observes of them in the same place, Rom. 1. Rom. 1.

Besides, many vertues they knew not, which are the glory of Christianity, as Humi­lity, Denying our selves, Taking up the Cross, Forgiving and Loving our enemies, in their eyes looked more like follies then vertues, and so they would have done in ours too, if we had had no better guide then our selves to lead us.

By this we may see the necessity we have of Leading; let us now see the accommodation we have for it in the Leader. Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, a person every way fitted for the purpose, both for his skill, and good will; He knew best the Heavenly Countrey, whither we are going, and the way to it; for he came from thence, from the bosom of his Father. And for his good will to his own, we cannot doubt they are the Sheep which he had purchased with his blood, and by [Page 10]that had a just title to govern in what Lordly way of Secular domination he pleased; yet chose that easie gentle way as Shepherds use to lead their Sheep. And such he professed himself to be. John 10.11. I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life for the Sheep, and He made it good in every point while he was upon carth; He went about doing good, preaching the Gospel, healing the diseases of the Sheep, forgiving their sins, till he came to the last and hardest work of a good Shep­herd, He laid down his life for his Sheep.

Yet his Pastoral care died not with him. As he was a Priest for ever; so he was a Shep­herd for ever; for after he had in person ascen­ded into Heaven, he took care for his flock that he left behind Him, that they might not be as Sheep without a Shepherd. And from thence gave gifts unto men, some Apostles, some Prophets, Ephes. 4. some Pastors and Teachers, &c. to continue still his Pastoral charge upon earth: and they were the same persons which before he went he had designed for it, and for the same reason that the Father sent Him, Mat. 15.24. to seek and save the Sheep that were lost; as appears in the preamble to the commission given to the Apostles. Mat. 9.36. Mat. 9.36. When he saw the multi­tude [Page 11]he had compassion on them, because they were dispersed and scattered abroad like Sheep having no Shepherd. This commission indeed was only to the lost Sheep of the house of Israel while he was alive; but when he rose again from the dead, He renewed and enlarged it to the lost Sheep of all the world. Mat. [...]8.1 [...]. Go and teach all Nations.

And as he assigned the persons, sicut misit me Pater. As the Father sent me so send I you. Joh. 20.21 He Instituted likewise the office it self in all the points and parts of it.

• 1. Go and teach all Nations, baptizing,
  Mat. 2 [...].1 [...].
  &c. there he gave the power of preaching and baptizing.
• 2. He commands a perpetual memorial of his death, in the Sacrament of his blessed body and blood. Hoc facite,
  1 Cor. 11.24.
  &c.
• 3. He gave them at the same time the power of the Keyes,
  Joh. 20.23
  Whose sins ye remit they are remitted, &c.
• 4. And before that in case of contumacy he gave power to excommunicate offenders, If he will not hear the Church,
  Mat. 18.17.
  let him be as a hea­then and publican.
• 5. He ordered them how and what to pray. When ye pray say,
  Mat. [...].9 [...]
  &c.
• [Page 12]6. He gave them power and jurisdiction over false Shepherds, to expel them from the flock.
  Mat. 7.19.
  Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps cloathing, but inwardly are ravening VVolves. These and the like are the parts of the Shepherds office.

III And to all these in the third place he gave besides a divine vertue and efficacy to work supernatural effects upon the Soul. Not only the institution, but the power also is from him. And therefore by S. Paul he is cal­led the great Shepherd, 1 Pet. 5.4. The cure of Souls was originally in him, [...], but [...] ministerially and derivatively in the Shepherds under him.

IV And fourthly, that their leading might be taken and acknowledged for his, He ap­pointed that all should be done in His name. That they should Preach in his name, Pray in His name, Assemble together in His name, Cast out Devils in His name. And accord­ingly S. Paul, when he judg'd the incestuous Corinthian to be delivered unto Satan, 1 Cor. 5.4. he did it in the name and power of Christ. And when. 2 Cor. 5.10. he absolved him, it was in persona Christi. All was His.

To the Apostles it may be all this was al­lowed, but not therefore to all other Shep­herds after. Yes, to all that can rightly claim from Him. Mat. 28.20 His promise was to be with them to the end of the world, that is, longer then any Apostle could live. I am sure the necessities of the Sheep will be the same for ever; for Sheep we shall be still wheresoever we are. When God distributed to the Church the several parts of the Pastoral charge, some Apostles, some Prophets, some Pastors and Teachers, he adds, that it was, Ephes. 4. ad consum­mationem Sanctorum, & adificationem corporis Christi; that is, so long as there should be Saints to be perfected, and so long as Christ should have a Church, a body upon earth, and that is so long as there should be Sheep Christ had provided there should be Shep­herds. And these he hath taken to that near­ness and conjunction, that the obedience or contempt done to them, he takes it as done to himself. Qui vos audit me audit, &c.

The benefits and advantages we have by this are many; first, it is an honour and incou­ragement to the Shepherds, that the work they do is Christs, who will bear them out in what they do according to their duty, [Page 14]and reward them for what they suffer for it.

2. It removes all discouragement from the Sheep, that make a stand at the infirmities and frailties of their Shepherds, that they look through and beyond all them at the po­wer of Christ under whom they serve.

3. Another great benefit it is, that in all doubtful and difficult cases we may secure our selves upon the conduct of Christ in his Mini­sters. For if possibly men should be misled by them into error, when in simplicity of heart, not knowing any thing to the contrary, they shall submit to them; I dare promise them at least a favourable hearing from him that commanded the obedience.

But I dare not, nor can say that for all Shepherds; for every congregational herd hath their Shepherd too; but such as have no part in that power, which is derived from Christ and his mission; that gave it immedi­ately to the Apostles only. Joh. 20. Sicut misit me Pater, sic, &c. And all others that have it must receive it from them, or from such as derive it from them by succession. It is but reason that Christ should have the choice of his own Ministers. The Sheep that belong to those other Shepherds, can plead nothing [Page 15]for their obedience to them. S. PAULS obedite praepositis, belongs not to them, Heb. 13.17. they obey not those that are set over them, but either those that set themselves over the flock, or the flock themselves set them, and that not of necessity, which some vainly plead for them; but as necessary, professing there is no lawful calling for a Minister, quem non misit populus, where the Shepherd is not chosen by the Sheep. If these fall into an error by the misguidance of their Shepherds, they are in a sad and worse condition, which admits no plea of excuse or extenuation from the Shep­herd. They must bear their own faults, and the misguiding of the Shepherds, which they make their own by choosing them. In a word, the favour that Christ doth is to his own, not the peoples Shepherds.

II THe next thing that falls into our consi­deration is our Duty. To return to Christ the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls. And that is to submit our selves to be led and guided by him. To turn to Christ is in effect to turn Christian. We are no less concerned here. And that must be in two respects: in his office of Shepherd and Bishop, and [Page 16]in the execution of it by Shepherds and Bishops.

I For first, we can not be said to return to him as a Shepherd, if we refuse him in any part of his office. The good Sheep saith our Saviour John 10.27. hear the voice of the Shep­herd and they follow him. Joh. 10.27. If they turn their ears only to him, and hear him, and not follow him, they turn short, for follow him they must through all the parts of his office. 'Tis so with us, who for the most part like nothing in the Shepherd but his pipe, and a pleasant tune. His rod and his staffe we can spare. The Prophet Ezekiel describes us right, chap. 33. and old humour it seems it was. Ezek. 33.31. They come unto thee, And sit before thee as my people, to hear my words, v. 31. just as we do here come and sit us down as the Lords people to hear his word. But what follows in the next verse? Verse 32. And loe thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an Instru­ment; for they hear thy words, but do them not.

And what will come of this at the last, our Saviour tells us in the Parable, where some had the boldness to plead for their entrance, that they had eat and drunk in his presence, Luk. 13.26 and had heard him in their streets. Citizens it seems they were by the streets, and by their devotions, [Page 17]a Sermon and a Dinner, they eat with him, and they heard him. But what came of it? by hearing him 'tis like they knew him well; for all that, he tells them plainly, He knew not them. If the Sheep wanted no­thing but knowledg, I should pardon them if they desired nothing of the Shepherd but a Sermon. But this is not that which I prin­cipally intended here.

II But secondly, That our turning to Christ be in the full execution of his office, as in per­son, so by commission. Princes, as well they may, think themselves contemned in their Embassadors and Ministers. And so doth our Saviour for his Shepherds, who are his Ministers and Embassadors too. Qui vos sper­nit me spernit.

I shall not inclose this power or favour to Bishops only, because I find that name in the text; but lay it in common to all such to whom Christ hath committed under him the govern­ment of the Church and the cure of Souls; so as Presbyterians may have a share here, when they can prove their Ordination and Mission.

This part of our duty to obey Christ in his Ministers is with many of very hard digestion, who not regarding the necessity there is of it, [Page 18]nor the benefit we have by it, nor the authority and commission we have for it, nor the gentle conduct we have in it, lay it aside as a thing of no use, and that God hath provided other means to lead us many and more certain then any Shepherds can be. We have first our own Reason to lead us.

• 2. We have Scrip­ture a surer guide then that.
• 3. We have the Spirit besides,
  Joh. 16.13.
  and that will lead us into all truth.

Lastly, we have our own Consciences, which in the commission of Leading is of the Quorum, nothing can be done without it.

We cannot deny but that all these have a part and share in the guiding of our souls. But as no one of them doth exclude or bar the other; so nor do all of them the Shep­herds. For allowing to every of these that which is peculiar to them, there will be still found something to remain, which is proper for the Shepherds to do.

I am now, I confess, in a discourse not so smooth and easie as best befits popular Ser­mons; yet because many whom it concerns to weaken the hands and power of Church-governors, do with their importunate cla­mours fill the Pulpit, you will be pleased to allow of a short Answer from thence too.

I AND first for REASON; It is not to be denied, that it ought to be admit­ted even in matters of Religion, where it hath least to do; for Religion is the object and im­ployment of Faith, and not of Reasoning, and yet naturally no man will believe any thing unless he sees Reason for it. But how? not a Reason of the thing that he believes; for that works Knowledge, not Faith; but yet a rea­son of believing it, for the credit of the Author that relates it; for nothing can be more un­reasonable, then not to believe God that can­not ly. But to admit reason in matters of Faith for any other use then that, is to set up a Religion without Faith, which would be as strange a thing as to have a Religion with no­thing else.

There are in Religion some things to be known as well as believed, and to these Rea­son and Discourse is proper; for though the Articles of Faith, and whatsoever shall appear to be contained in Scripture are without all doubt and reasoning to be received, because God hath revealed them; yet that this or that Article or Proposition is contained in Scripture, is a thing to be know, and lyes within the [Page 20]compass of sense, we may see whether it be there or no, that is, for the words. And for the meaning of those words we must un­derstand the language in which they are writ­ten, the proper import and idiom of the phrase, the force and consequence of the dis­course, the coherence and consent it hath with other points better known. We must be­sides discover the fallacies and inconsequences of those that would obtrude a different sense from that we receive. All these difficulties, though in matter of Religion, are within the conduct of Reason; but it is Reason so exal­ted with skill of Arts and Languages, with Prudence and Diligence, that we shall be forced to find work for the Shepherds too. The greatest part of Christs flock, I am sure, must perish if they may not trust others in those things, to which their natural inabilities or course of life hath made them incapable. And for the best of the flock, whom both Nature and Art hath fitted to master the greatest difficulties of themselves; if they shall seriously consider how much and how oft Prejudice, Education, Custom, Passion and Interest doth corrupt our Reason, we would in prudence sometimes suspect our own, and [Page 21]seek better security from the Church; where though we shall not infallibly find the truth, we may alwayes safely presume it. This will serve to reconcile our obedience with Reason.

II THE next pretender against the Shep­herds leading is the SCRIPTURE. I confess the Scripture to be a surer guide then Reason, for the Authors sake; and yet, by what ye heard even now, it works little with­out it, but yet surer for all that. The igno­rance of Scripture is a cause of erring. Ye erre, saith our Saviour, Mat. 22.29. not knowing the Scrip­tures. And to keep us right in our way Gods Word is a lantern to our feet, and a light unto our paths. Psal. 119.105. We cannot say too much of the ex­cellency and benefit of it. It is a perfect re­cord of all that concerns Heaven, or the way to it. It hath all the perfections that a law or rule can have to guide us; yet those perfecti­ons are confin'd within the limits and nature of a law, to do no more then is proper for a law to do, which is very little without a Judge to apply it. Though the rule be sufficiently straight & perfect, yet it measures nothing out of the hand of him that hath skill to use it. [Page 22]Bring what controversy you will to the laws, they pronounce nothing either for the Plain­tiff or Defendant. This is the true reason why, though all sects pretend to Scripture, there is yet no end of controversies, because there is no common Judge to end them. And the reason why every sect for all that seems to rest satisfied, they are guided by the Scripture, is because they carry their Judge a-long with them, themselves.

So as if together with the Scriptures there be not a Shepherd too, or some as little to be trusted, our selves I mean, it cannot lead at all. Heb. 4.12. It is indeed a two-edged sword, but cuts nothing, but in the hand of him that useth it.

III A Third pretender to avoid the Shepherds is the SPIRIT. That without question will lead us into all truth. Joh. 16.13. But for the manner of the Spirits leading, the Scripture points out two wayes, The one Divines call [...], the other may be call'd [...] i. e. as it led the Prophets of old, by revealing to them the truth and matter of the Prophesy, the object. And by this way it led all the Apostles, to whom the whole [Page 23]doctrine of the Gospel, and mystery of sal­vation by Christ was reveal'd. 2 P.t. 1.21. And thus holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. To this way of leading none can pretend, that doth not prove his commission from God by a miracle, who sends none of such an errand that cannot make it appear some way, that he came from him. If the Enthusiastick would have his dreams believed to be the dictates and revelations of the Spirit, let him shew his letters of Credence from Hea­ven seal'd with a miracle, and I shall not doubt to set him above all the Doctors and Shep­herds of the Church. Otherwise he may deceive himself by his spirit, he shall not deceive me.

The other way of the Spirits leading is [...], i. e. not by revealing any thing to us, but by co-operating with us, by fortifying the soul and the faculties of it, to all superna­tural actions, by assistance of grace to inlighten the understanding to comprehend divine truth, to inflame the affections with the love of it, to support our endeavours in all diffi­culties and temptations. To this assistance of the Spirit all the faithful have a right. And though in this way the Spirit cannot deceive us, yet we may be deceived in it, because it [Page 24]never works but with us; if we fail in what we are to do, then that fails us.

And by this way not only private persons, but publick Councels are governed. To whom the Spirit doth not reveal the matter of their Decrees [...], but by way of co-operation assists their indeavours to find out the truth from the proper Topicks of it, the Scrip­ture and Antiquity; for so all the force of their decrees depends upon the reason and grounds upon which they are made. For if any Councel might pretend to that other way of revelation, sure that first famous Apostolical Councel might, Act. 15. But that did not otherwise determine the matter in controversy then [...], Acts 15.7. v. 7. when there had been much debate and disquisition out of the Scriptures, were the decrees made and sign'd accordingly. It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us. Verse 28. The Apostles and El­ders were in joynt commission with the Spirit; the same Lord that sent the Spirit, sent the A­postles also, and therefore no contradiction to be led by the Spirit, and by the Shepherds too.

IV THE fourth and last leader which is brought in to avoid the Shepherds, is [Page 25]the CONSCIENCE. This is the Presbyterians strongest fort against Obedience. If he can get his Conscience about him, he thinks himself so safe that he may bid defiance to all Authority.

In the Commission of leaders, I confess, as I said, the Conscience to be of the Quorum. We are to do nothing without it, and much less against it. But then we must be sure we mistake not somewhat else for the Conscience. Every disease and distemper of the mind, causless scruple, slight perswasion, ground­less fear is not the Conscience, against which we are bound not to act.

The tender Conscience, for which so much favour is pleaded, may prove in some no bet­ter then a disease of the Soul, a spiritual Splene. For though it be good to be tender of offend­ing God in any thing where it proceeds from the good temper and constitution of the soul, which is the same constantly in all cases, and is not affected or taken up for a purpose, as the sturdy begger carries his arm in a string, that it may be a Patent to beg and be idle.

You may know it certainly to be a disease if it comes upon us by fits and starts, as to be tender of offending God when we obey men, [Page 26]and not to be tender of offending God when we disobey them. If they be not as tender of one side as of another, as I never find them to be, it is but a Paralitick Conscience that is dead of one side. For tell him the Church commands it, he presently shrinks and startles at it; and well so, for possibly he may sin against God. But tell him on the other side that God commands obedience to those that rule over us, it moves him not at all, you may thrust a needle into his side and he feels it not. It shews plainly the Conscience hath a dead Palsy on that side.

But a right and sound Conscience against which certainly we ought not to act, is a con­stant and well governed judgment; for not to amuse you as the manner is with frivolous distinctions and definitions of Conscience, in this case the Conscience is nothing but every mans private judgment; for he ought not to attempt the doing of any thing, till he hath framed this judgment to himself, that it is lawful for him to do it. Now seeing our private judgment hath so great power and influence as to interrupt the course of publick, it had need be a true and regular judgment. As first,

I It must not be arbitrary, for that we think we have reason to decline in the publick Ma­gistrate, to govern by Will and not by Law. Many a Conscience if it were well examined, will prove to be nothing but will, not judge­ment.

II Every good judgment is upon a full hear­ing of the cause of both sides, all evidences duly weighed and examined, then resolves; this is a Conscience against which we ought not to act, though possibly it might prove to be erroneous; yet for all that we must know that it doth not set us free from the guilt of disobeying our Governors. And then this is all the benefit our Conscience will do us in case of error, that it casts us into a necessity of sinning, by obeying against our selves, by dis­obeying against our Governors. We shall do well therefore to take care, that we make not every slight perswasion, doubt or scruple, a Conscience, trusting to be discharged of our obedience by that, which indeed binds it faster upon us, for that is the very end and benefit for which is instituted the Pastoral charge, that when we are so weak we can not safely trust our selves, we may rely upon that: unless we think it a good plea, I am [Page 28]blind and therefore I will not be led. I am weak and sickly, and therefore I will not be rul'd by the Physitian.

Now to sum up all, if not Reason, nor Scripture, nor the Spirit, nor Conscience will discharge us of the duty we owe to the Church, in the name of God, let us not rashly fling away so great a blessing, that in all our doubts and fears, for our quiet and security, we may have recourse to the Shepherds and Bishops of our Souls.

THis is the last point, the Shepherds Flock or the Bishops Diocess: the Souls of men. And here we meet with another quar­rel from the Presbytery. That they may be sure to spoil the Bishops of all authority, they take away their Diocess, the cure of Souls, that they may be Bishops sine titulo; for Bi­shops they are not either of our bodies or estates. And why not of our Souls? Christ indeed the great Shepherd that purchased them may rule them, but they are too preci­ous for any other Shepherds to Lord over: which they say is done by binding the Souls with Church-laws and censures, which Christ hath set at liberty. And thus they set up [Page 29]Christ against himself, and Christian liberty against Christian duty.

S. Paul, I confess doth earnestly press this point of liberty, Gal. 5.1. Stand fast in the liberty where­with Christ hath made us free, and be not intangled again with the yoak of bondage. But what liberty? It is not simply from obedience either to men or Laws, for that were destructive to Humane Society as well as Religion. What then is it? It is no more then that Christians have a liberty not to be Jews. I dare be bold to say, this is all that can be made of it. And the reason why S. Paul did so earnestly press it is evident. The Jews that were willing enough to entertain the doctrine of Christ, yet were not so easily drawn to part with those Rites and Ceremonies, to which they had been so long accustomed, and upon so good authori­ty. To humour these Simon Magus and his Disciples set up a medly of both Religions, that they might be Christs Disciples and Moses too. Against this doctrine S. Paul sets him­self, especially in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians. If they have taken upon them to be Christians let them stand to that, and not look back again to the flesh having begun in the Spirit. For behold, Gal. 3.3. I Paul say unto you, if [Page 30]ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. To claim from hence liberty from any other men or laws then the Jews, Gal. 5.2. they might as well say Christ hath here given them liberty not to be Christians. For Christians we cannot be, unless we obey the Laws and Government of those that Christ hath set over us. To use our liberty in this case our Apostle in the 16. verse of this Chap. hath adjudged it to be no better then a cloak of malitiousness. 1 Pet. 2.

And for those Consciences which are so tender that every Church-law pinches and galls them, they do without reluctance bind their own Souls. Every private man can do that which we will not indure the Church should do. He that promiseth any thing is bound in conscience to perform it, though before he took that bond upon him, he had his Christian li­berty not to do it. Before Ananias promised to sell his estate, and give it to the Church, he was free, S. Peter told him so; Was it not in thine own power? Acts 5.4. Yet after that it was not in his power to make use of that liberty; for his conscience was bound. And if a promise may do this, much more a vow or an oath. If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his Soul, Num. 30.2 Numb. 30.2. (the Soul [Page 31]may be bound) he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

If a man should be so unreasonable as to say, his conscience may be bound by himself, but not by any else. Do not they themselves, as their manner is in their Sermons, bind over their hearers to answer for them at the day of judgment? and what a heap and load of Ser­mons must then ly upon their Consciences? though the truth is, they bind none but them­selves, and that to repent for corrupting Gods Word, and misleading the people into Facti­on, Sedition and Disobedience, to say no worse.

Let us seriously consider and compare that which they would avoid, with that which they indeavour to set up in the room of it. They would avoid first the power of the Church in her Laws and Censures as a domi­neering over mens consciences, and a lording it over Gods inheritance. But if they look upon it with an impartial eye, they shall find all contrary, nothing but moderation; as first in the very stile of the Church, that there might be no harsh words. The laws by which they govern, are not call'd laws but canons, [Page 32]that is, rules to guide, rather then sorce.

• 2. Church-punishments are not call'd poenae but censurae, not that they are sweetned with good words only, but with real benefit; for they are not as temporal punishments ad vindictam but ad disciplinam, for the amendment, not revenge of sin.
• 3. The temporal judge, if not So­veraign, cannot pardon the felony though he would.

The Ecclesiastical judge cannot but pardon though he would not. Ecclesia non claudit gremium redeuntibus, is a rule in the Court Christian. The Church refuseth none that will return and repent. There is no such rule in secular Courts, that the thief or murtherer upon repentance may be pardoned. And by Church-Canons in elder times it was deemed an irregularity to be present at a sentence of blood. Not that it is a crime to be so, but as the Canon speaks, propter defectum lenitatis, that nothing in them might seem to be of harshness or cruelty. The highest and most terrible of all Church-censures, of which men seem to be most impatient, how harmless and gentle is it, Excommunication? If he be not guilty, clavibus errantibus, he is never the worse for it; the bonds fall off themselves; if he [Page 33]be guilty, he may be the better for it if he will. When S. Paul judged the incestuous Corinthian to be delivered unto Satan, 1 Cor. 1.3. and this was thought to be Excommunication and some­what more; yet this was for his benefit, for the destruction of the flesh, Verse 5. that the spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus, verse 5. What is there in all this that should fright us from our obedience?

But now let us see what on the other side they would set up in the room of this. A li­berty of Conscience, forsooth, from the fetters of laws, that they might not serve God in bonds like slaves, but freely. That they may preach what they will, and as long as they will. That they may pray how they will, and fast when they will. That they may stand and kneel where and when they will. Indeed a true arbitrary Will-worship; instead of a lawful or­derly serving of God, a confusion of all.

But they hold themselves wrong'd to be charged with will-worship, for that they do all by Reason and the Scripture and the Spirit. Yet for all that pretense they are still under that charge; because all these are at their own wills; what sectary is there that with a wet finger cannot, nay doth not challenge Rea­son, [Page 34]the Scripture, the Spirit and Consci­ence to be for him, when he will?

And why do they allow these to guide them and not the Shepherds, but because these are at their beck and will, but the Shep­herds are not? And therefore because they cannot command them, they would be rid of them, that so they might without control, Lord it as they will.

But I shall trouble you no longer with our Shepherds or their Adversaries, but for a con­clusion and caution reflect upon our selves: for though Christ hath committed the cure of our souls to others, he hath not taken it from our selves. The Shepherds were gi­ven for a help to ease us in it, not to ease us of it. Every one may and must be by a con­current care a Shepherd and Bishop to him­self; and then here I shall take leave only to put you in mind of your Diocess, your Souls, that ye be not our Apostles [...], in this Epistle, 1 Pet. 4.15 that we mistake not our Cure; for there be other things we have as great af­fection for as our Souls, I wish we had not. The rich glutton in the Gospel, when he said to his Soul, Soul take thine ease, thou hast much goods laid up for thee, Luk. 12.19 &c. sure he mistook his [Page 35]body for his Soul, for there was nothing in his barns that could feed that. This is no greater an error and mistake then we dayly commit our selves; to go no farther then this present time. Lent, if there were any thing left of it among us but the name, charges the soul by prayer and fasting to fit and pre­pare it self to meet our Lord at the Resurrecti­on. When we plead our constitution and health against it, it shews we are no ill Curates of our bodies, whatsoever we be of our souls.

Yea that which hath a better title to be our souls will not lie within this Cure; the intel­lectual and principal part of the soul, and the inriching it with the knowledge of Arts and Sciences, speculative and practick, by which all our affairs and the greatest of all the affairs of the world are governed, which employ the souls best vertues and indowments, and for which none but great and noble souls are fit. Yet this is not the soul for which Christ died, and is to be our Cure. For when we have gain­ed this and all the world besides we may lose our souls. The Holy Ghost takes no other notice of these then as if they were but bodies, and [Page 36]indeed for their continuance they are no bet­ter, for they perish with our bodies; the great­est wits and wisest conduct lie buried in their dust with them, nor will they appear again for us in that world where the soul is most concern'd. In a word, the Scripture owns no losing or saving to the soul but in that condition which must live and continue for ever. Nothing is worthy that name that is not immortal. Yet I must recal my self when I said these mortal souls, that is, in their temporal condition, are not with­in our Cure; to get, it may be not, but to use they are. The meanest of them all our Saviour expresly commits to our charge, Luk. 16.9. Make you friends of unrighteous Mam­mon, that they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Things everlasting are proper for the soul. And if you shall make you friends likewise of your honours, powers, and knowledge, for the advantage of Gods honour and service, certainly they will do as much for you as Mammon can. For thus these mortals do put on immortality, these cor­ruptibles do put on incorruption. 1 Cor. 15.54. You may in this sense make a soul out of your [Page 37]bodies by the chast, sober and temperate use of them. And so our bodies and all else become the proper Cure of our souls, and in the discharge of that care, we may expect the blessing of good Shepherds as well as that of good Sheep. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, 1 Pet. 5.4. ye shall receive a crown of Glory that fadeth not away.

A SERMON Preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, April 5. 1663.

WE have an Altar in the Tenth Verse, and in this we have a Sacrifice: But what Al­tar, and what Sacrifice? for they are scandalous words. For the Altar, let that fall, if the Sacrifice cannot support it: But for the Sacrifice, whereof we are now to treat, it is, I confess, a word of offence, because there goes under the name of a Christian Sacrifice, that which our Church calls a blasphemous fable, Art. 31. and dangerous deceit. Should I leave you with­out [Page 2]any Caution upon that fear and danger in Sacrificing, it would be to little purpose to offer at the commending of any: For we are too often troubled more with words, than what they signifie. And therefore as the Ora­tor adviseth, when such a case shall happen Mi­tigandas esse prius aures; somewhat must be said beforehand to remove a prejudice that will fall upon all that shall be said after. That which the Article speaks of is the Sacrifice of the Mass, wherein the Priests of that Sacrifice say, That Christ himself is really sacrificed for the quick and dead: And for want of this, our Church is not by them allowed to have either Priest or Sa­crifice.

'Tis true, we pretend not to that Mystical Art and Chymistry, to turn the Elements of Bread and Wine into the Natural Body and Blood of Christ, by which alone they make themselves Priests, and Him the Sacrifice. I put in no claim therefore from this Text, either to that Priest, or this Sacrifice, but yet to a right in both, but both of another kinde: For the Sacrifice, the Text is clear, and the Priest follows of course; there can be no Sa­crifice without him. And it is as clear too, That it is not the Sacrifice of the Mass, though [Page 3] Christ himself be in it; for 'tis he whom we first meet with in the Text, By him. Here indeed he is, but not in the quality of a Sacrifice to be offered, as in the Mass, whereof he is the Mat­ter, but as a Mediator only. It is not Him, but By him we are to offer.

Now seeing we may be secure, it is not that we might possibly fear; let us see what it is we may safely, and must necessarily per­form.

We are first to offer a Sacrifice to God.

• 2. That for the kind, is Eucharistical, not Propitiatory.
• 3. The Matter of it is to be, not the Fruit of our Fields, or of our Flocks, but of our Lips.
• 4. Not every fruit that grows upon the lips, but [...] lips Confessing to his (i.e. Gods) Name.
• 5. This confessing here is not of him, (though that be otherwise necessary; for he that denies him, shall be denied by him) but To him, and that makes it a Sacrifice.
• 6. It must be to Him, and not to any Crea­ture, Saint, or Angel. Praise them we may, but offer a Sacrifice of praise, we must not.
• 7. It is not a Sacrifice to be done at starts, and upon occasions, but continually, a daily Sacrifice.
• [Page 4]8. It is to be offered by Him, that is, by Christs merits and mediation. 'Tis that which gives power and efficacy to this and all our services, which would be nothing worth, if we came in our own names.

Lastly, You have the Reason, why all this, Therefore; and that sends us back to the Twelfth Verse, Wherefore Jesus, that he might sanctifie the people by his Blood, suffered without the Gate. That he suffered for us, and that he suffered without the Gate, are the reasons, why by him, and why of us. By him, because by the sacrificing of himself, he made our peace with God. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God for it. And why of us? Because he suffered without the Gate; whither the Jews that were within the Gate must go out and follow him, in the next Verse, leaving their City and Sanctuary. And we the Gentiles that are with­out the Gate already, may find him in our own Territories, that so both Jew and Gen­tile [...] joyntly together, as the word imports, May confess to the honour of his Name.

And as Therefore carries in it the reason of our duty, so it doth in that same accommoda­tion it hath to the time: For this is Passion [Page 5]Sunday; and why so called, we learn from Ru­pertus and others, because the Jews on this day met together, to consult of and contrive the death of our Lord; which, not many days after, they effected.

It will not be fit (I confess) for that reason, to anticipate the Meditations proper to that So­lemnity. Yet as now the Passion was in pre­paration and conception by them, it will be so far a keeping of time with it, if we also now shall prepare a Sacrifice of praise for it, that we may be fit then to honor God by confessing to his Name, the wonderful mercies and un­speakable benefits we receive by the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord.

By him therefore let us offer the Sacrifice of Praise to God continually, that is, the Fruit of our lips, con­fessing to his Name.

And that we may the better perform our Sacrifice of Praise, Let us by him also offer a Sacri­fice of Prayer, &c.

THat we are to offer a SACRIFICE to God, is here so plainly enjoyned, and so punctually described, both for matter and man­ner in every circumstance, that one would think it strange it should be neglected, and more [Page 6]strange it should be contemned by any. But for our selves, if we would be clear in this mat­ter (as every good man should desire to be) it is fit we call our selves to account when, and how we perform it.

The Ancient and Primitive Church (of whom this may best be learned) did, in conscience of their duty herein, compose several Liturgies, that by them they might have a Publick daily Sacri­fice for the honor and worship of God; as that of St. James at Jerusalem, St. Marks at Alexan­dria; after that, St. Chrysostoms at Antioch, St. Basils at Caesaria, St. Gregories at Rome; and in­deed, there was no Church without one. They that wrote Apologies for the Christians, being of the Heathen accused of Atheism, because they were never seen to offer sacrifice to the Gods for answer to that, had recourse to this Sacri­fice of Praise in the Text.

The Copies of those Ancient Liturgies, as they come now to our hands, have no doubt suffered the fate of time, that is, some changes, by which the preposterous zeal of some hath overcharged them with numerous, and some­times superstitious Additions; yet the substance and intendment of them was to perform this duty. And therefore our Church, that never [Page 7]was of the mind to fling away Chaff and Corn, both at once, That they might not want what all Churches ever had; so ordered our Liturgie, that by it we might with safety and true devotion, daily Sacrifice to the praise and honor of God. Wherein they have fol­lowed, not only the Precept, but Patern also from this Text, as by a short parallel between them, may visibly appear; as first,

I The Text calls us to a Sacrifice, and the Li­turgie is that Sacrifice. Antioch was the place where Christs Disciples were first called Christi­ans; and Antioch is the place where the Christian Service is first called a Liturgie▪ Acts 13. We find the Dis­ciples met together at their Liturgie. [...], Verse 2. which we tran­slate, Fasting and Ministring to the Lord; for [...] properly signifies a Publick Ministration; to which, the word used by the Church, fits well, calling it Common Prayer; and is so expounded by St. Luke himself in the next Verse, VVhen they had Fasted and Prayed. Verse 3. This Liturgie or Ministring to God, must needs be in something for His honor and service, which is properly a Sacrifice.

II Secondly, As it is a Sacrifice to God, so to none but God: We call it Divine Service, and so we use it. No Creature, Saint, or Angel, hath [Page 8]any part in it, as in some they have. Praise them we may for the good service they have done the Church; but offer a Sacrifice of Praise we may not. It was never heard, saith St. Augustine, Offero tibi Sacrificium, Petre, or Paule, or Cypriane. And though the invocation of them simply be not a Sacrifice, yet it is such, when used in Divine Service in the place of one. And that it is not heard in our Liturgie, it is no doubt, with their good leave and liking too. The Angel, Rev. 19. will answer for that Order: When St. John would have worshipp'd him, Do it not (says he) I am your fellow servant. And the Apostles Paul and Barnabas for their Order, when the men of Lystra would have sacrificed to them, they cried out, Sirs, why do you these things? Acts 14.15. we also are men of the like Passions with you. That they are Gods friends, intitles them to no more than a place in his Court to do him ser­vice, not in his Throne to receive any. And therefore that honor which God hath not given to another, we have not given to them in our Liturgie.

III Thirdly, The Sacrifice of the Text is Eu­charistical, a Sacrifice of Praise, and so is our Liturgie. We pretend to no expiation or sa­tisfaction for sins, either of quick or dead: [Page 9]We owe that to a better Sacrifice. The price of Redemption is greater than any service we can do: It cost more to redeem our souls, we must let that alone for ever; and therefore in the Liturgie, our Sacrifice is set to no higher key, than, VVe praise thee, O God, &c. Psal. 49.

IV Fourthly, In every Sacrifice there must be something offered, and that in the Text is the fruit of our Lips: For though the Root of this and every good service, must be in the heart, yet the fruit must sprout outwardly in the lips. For though a vertue may sometimes be accomplished in the heart only, yet neither this nor Prayer it self, if private or mental on­ly, (though otherwise of excellent use) will amount to a Sacrifice, till it come into the lips; for no proper Sacrifice is invisible: And therefore in our Liturgie, as we pray, that God would open our lips; so we practise when we joyn with the Priest in the Confessions and Psalms, and in such things where he alone is not con­cerned.

V Fifthly, It is not every fruit that grows upon the lips, is fit to make a Sacrifice, but [...], lips that confess to his Name. But how comes confessing more than anything else, to relate to a Sacrifice? It is thus. The end [Page 10]and import of every thing offered to God in Sacrifice Eucharistical, is a Profession and Ac­knowledgment of some blessing bestowed upon the Sacrificer; and so either expresly or impli­citely is joyned with it. As for instance; At the offering of the first-fruits, they are com­manded to make a Confession in this form. Thou shalt go unto the Priest, Deut. 26.3. and say thus unto him, I confess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come into the Country which the Lord sware unto our Fathers to give us; That is, in the first-fruits they confess the Land that bore them to be of Gods gift. Now of such confessions as these, the whole body and matter of the Liturgie is framed.

1 Our first address and approach into Gods presence is, by a Confession of our sins, which is a putting off our shooes with the defilements we have contracted in our ways; for the place and presence is holy. And by this we make Profession and Acknowledgment of Gods per­fect purity and holiness, in that we presume not to come into his presence, till we first put off our uncleanness.

2 Then follows the Absolution; and this is an­other Confession of his infinite mercy, that he is willing to forgive our sins, and to [Page 11]use the ministry of sinful man, to confer it upon us.

3 Then we have the Hymns and Psalms, which is a third Confession to his Name, whereby we do with chearful and thankful hearts, acknow­ledge him to be the Author of all the good we enjoy, or hope for.

4 For Lessons we have the Scriptures read, and they are written for our learning: In that we confess, God to be our infallible Teacher, to whose Oracles we submit to be guided, both in faith and manners.

And because the Rules of both lie diffused through the whole body of Scripture, we have them summ'd up in the Creeds and Decalogue. In the Creeds we acknowledge our faith in his wisdom, who hath so mysteriously contrived the means and way of our Salvation, before un­known to Men and Angels: And in the Deca­logue we confess his Dominion, That he is our Lawgiver; and to that our Patron also, not on­ly gives us Laws but Grace, and hearts to keep them.

5 In the Collects, Prayers, and Supplications, for the supply of our wants and necessities, as well temporal as spiritual, we acknowledge every good gift, and every▪ perfect giving to come down from the Father of lights.

But the chief of all the Confessions is that, for which our Saviour instituted a Sacrament. Do this in remembrance of me; that is, in Com­memoration and Acknowledgment of what he by his blood hath purchased for us: For we must not think, as some do, that a Sacra­ment should be instituted for relief only of a bad memory, like a thred tied about the fin­ger; but solemnly to celebrate the memory of the greatest of blessings that God ever bestow­ed upon men; the Redemption of our Souls by the blood of his dear Son: And therefore this Confession carries away from all the rest, the name of an Eucharist, a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving.

By this we see the matter of the Sacrifice of the Text fulfilled in the Liturgie by Confessing to his Name.

VI The next thing to be observed is, the circum­stance of time when this Sacrifice is to be offer­ed, and that is continually. In conformity to this, our Service is a continual daily sacrifice, a Morning and Evening Prayer. And though the greatest benefit of this belongs to those that daily attend it; yet because it is the Publick Sacrifice of the Church, all that are Members of that have their part and interest in it, though [Page 13]they be absent, yet not in equal measure. The present are intitled to the benefit as a Sacrifice offered by them; the absent as a Sacrifice offered for them. For this is our juge Sacrificium that is perpetually burning upon the Altar, for the service of God, and in behalf of every member of the Church, that doth not ponere obicem, set a bar upon himself by his wilful neglect of it, and opposition to it.

VII Lastly, By him we are to offer; 'Tis his me­rit and mediation that crowns the Sacrifice. In vain should sinful man approach so great a Majesty in his own Name; but by him who hath made our peace with God, and sanctified us by his blood, we may find access to him. This by him gives the Characteristical difference of the Christian sacrifice from all others; for other­wise the Sacrifice of Praise was common to all times before, and under the Law. You find in many Psalms a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving, but in none of them by him, in Christs name. St. John 16.24. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my Name (says our Saviour) but hereafter his Name will give vertue and efficacy to all our services: And therefore to gain so gracious an Advocate with the Father, our Prayers and Supplications are in the Liturgie offered up in [Page 14]his Name, concluding always, By the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ.

THus you see the Text, exemplified throughout in the Liturgy; and the Litur­gie therefore warranted by the Text. I could not promise my self time enough to take a view of all the particulars, I have therefore reduced that I have to say at this time, to this one Observation in gross.

That our Liturgie or Common Prayer is a true Sacrifice to God, for the praise and honor of His Name.

And to this I shall not beg the assent of those that like it not, but require it; and by the authority of the same Apostle in another place, Rom. 15.8. where we read, That Jesus Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promise made unto the Fathers. Now what that promise was, he tells us in the next verse. That the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy, as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing praises unto thy Name. Here are Confessions, [Page 15]and praises, and Singing, by which God is to be glorified among the Gentiles: They that will be Christians upon other terms, do in effect make God a lier, who promised it should be so.

And yet they that would not have it so, are very many, and of many sorts; and though I cannot think the worse of it, that it lies un­der a popular dislike; yet because it is no ill way of learning our duties by the folly of those that oppose it, I shall give you a short account of them.

I The ATHEIST first charges it with such weapons as he hath, scorn and drollery: That these Forms, and Ceremonies, and Pageantry of worshipping God in Liturgies, is but a trade in­vented by the Priests, to get their living, and according to the priviledge of Inventors, they claim a Monopoly, that they only may have the offering of that Sacrifice.

It is not strange, that they who have not God in their hearts, as the Prophet David speaks of those fools, should have any sacrifice in their lips for him. In this only, I confess, they are no fools. If there be no God, we need not trouble our selves about a Sacrifice; but if there be a God, let them take the fool again; [Page 16]for Sacrifice is his due. Never was any Nation so barbarous, that fancied a Deity, but thought it necessary to make some testification and ac­knowledgment of it by Sacrifice.

II To these we may joyn the whole Herd of SECTARIES, who are but a kind of godly Atheists. When the late storm that raged amongst us, brought with it those Locusts that over-spread the Nation; though their whole business was to destroy, yet of all most viru­lently the Publick Service of the Church. And hence it is, that in the practice of their devo­tions, you shall find nothing that looks like the offering of a Sacrifice of praise for the honor of God: But their meeting together, is only to tell one another their dreams and ridiculous phansies, belying the holy Spirit an hour or two, and then depart. And so I leave them.

And come to another sort of enemies, whom I intend more particularly to call to an ac­count, and the rather, because they seem to allow of a Publick Sacrifice of praise, as far as a free Directory will go; but for a set and stinted Liturgie (as they call it) they have it in abomi­nation, as appears by the heap of accusations they bring against it.

• 1. That it is a polluted unclean thing.
• 2. That it is a dead Sacrifice.
• 3. A Book-service of the Letter, and not of the Spirit.
• 4. A Childish.
• 5. Confused.
• 6. Improper, Impertinent service.
• 7. A tedious service.
• 8. A lame sacrisice, full of defects.

And lastly, A blinde one, that edifies not.

All this dirt and filth they cast upon it, is easily wiped off with a right understanding of this only general Doctrine of the Text, That it is a sacrifice of praise to God for the honour of His Name.

I First, They say it is a polluted unclean thing, taken out of the Popish Missal and Breviary: But if it be truly according to the patern in the Text, as ye have heard, a Sacrifice of praise to God, we need not be troubled through what hands it passed before it came to us: For as we are not ashamed to confess that our Re­ligion is not a new, but Reform'd Religion; so, nor need we be ashamed to say, We worship God, not by a new, but Reform'd Liturgie: And so our Faith and Worship are both of a piece, and both as old as the Text.

II Secondly, They say it is a dead Sacrifice, made up of empty Forms and Ceremonies, void of that life and affection which is necessary in Gods service. If there be that want of affection in our Prayers, it is a fault, lie where it may: But certainly the Forms are not guilty of it. It is injustice to require that in a Sacrifice, which belongs only to him that offers it. The Church that composed the Forms cannot create affection. If we come to this Sacrifice and leave our hearts behind us, I know where the blame must lie.

But you will say, you do not accuse Set Forms, for want of life in themselves, but that by the continual repetition of the same things, they be-dead affection in those that should have it. And how, I pray, should that be? If the sense of real wants and blessings, which are al­ways the same, cannot keep up our affections, how should a new set of words do it? Can we imagine that God should be taken with va­riety and shift of phrases, or that the affection that takes heat from them, will render the ser­vice more acceptable to God?

And therefore, when they complain that their devotion is tired with nothing but Al­mighty and most merciful Father, in the Morning; [Page 19]and Almighty and most merciful Father, in the Even­ing; and the same over and over again every day: That complaint did never lie against the Jews daily Sacrifice, which was a type of ours; that there was a Lamb in the morning, and a Lamb again at evening; and the same over again every day in the year. When our Savour at his last agony in the Garden, three times retired himself from his Disciples to pray, he used still the same form of words without any change, St. Matth. 26.44. And who dares say he want­ed ability to vary his prayer, or can say, he want­ed affection, though he did not? For as St. Luke relates it, He prayed so earneslly, St. Luke 22.24. that his swet was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground; and then sure there was no want of affection; for when our zeal is at the hottest, we do not use to swet at our prayers.

III I go on to a third charge; That Set forms, instead of helping us, hinder the Spirit by which we should pray. The truth is, Such as the Spirit may be, and too often useth to be, it ought rather to be bound with chains, than left at liberty; under a Form of Praying, to Libel their Governors, or whom, or what they please to bring into hatred with the people: But for the true Spirit of Prayer, that cannot [Page 20]be tyed with words: For they are utterly mis­taken that think the Spirit of Prayer, supplies any defect of words or phrases; for that very Text of St. Paul, whereon they ground it, con­futes them; Rom. 8.26. The Spirit helpeth our in­firmities. But in what? not in words; for what the Spirit supplies are there said to be [...], not spoken at all; or, as we translate it, which cannot be uttered. What then doth it sup­ply? It maketh intercession for us with groans, which cannot be uttered. The true Spirit of Prayer consists in groans, in zeal, and fervency; and that, where it is, will animate and put life into any Form of Prayer. They who call Forms of their own making, or borrowing, con'd without Book, Praying by the Spirit, do both cheat the people, and blaspheme the Holy Ghost.

IV A Fourth Objection is, That it is but a Book-Sacrifice, a Reading-Service, which any child may do. They complain it seems of case: If God should require a harder thing of us, as no doubt there are many harder things to be done, do them we must. The easiness lays the greater obligation upon us: How ridiculous would this exception appear against the Legal Sacrifices! A Butcher could [Page 21]kill and dress a Lamb, as well as a Priest. This is a false, deceitful weight. Gods service is not to be weighed by the labor of doing, but by the relation to him, for whom it is done: And therefore King Solomon, when, by the advice of his Father upon his death-bed, he call'd to ac­count the chief Leaders in the rebellion of A­doniah, as Joab that commanded in chief, and Abiathar the High Priest, made no question of putting Adoniah and Joab to death; but for Abiathar, though he deprived him of his office, yet he spared his life. And why? he gives no other reason but this, Because he bore the Ark before his Father David. But was that a work of such merit and difficulty? Could not any Porter do as much? it was but carrying of a Chest. Solomon did not take his measure by that. That Sacred Chest, the Ark, was a Symbol of Gods presence; it had relation to his Ser­vice, and that he preferred before his own; for Adoniah was his Brother of the half-blood, and Joab his cosin-german.

You that are the Kings servants here in Court, do not weigh the merit and honor of your places, which you justly have, by the pains and difficulty of your service, which we know in many is little enough, but by the great­ness [Page 22]of the Master for whom you do it. Chil­dren may be able to read the Book, but not therefore sit to offer the Sacrifice.

V They are troubled with the rude, confused noise that is made by the people, in answering to the Confessions and Psalms. It seems their ears are as tender as their consciences, and both a­like out of tune: For this is a Publick Sacrifice, [...] in the Text, i. e. a Confessing together. Now there can be no communication of men together, but by speech, and therefore of ne­cessity it must be the Fruit of our Lips. But while we, in obedience to that, pray God to open our Lips, they teach the people to shut them. They take it very ill, that they are silenced, though they deserve it, and yet stick not to silence the whole Congregation, without any of­fence or fault of theirs.

VI They say it is an improper and impertinent Service: We use such Hymns and Psalms for our Praises and Thanksgivings as are not proper and appliable to us: For how can any one that is a Man, say in the Magnificat, Thou hast regarded the lowliness of thy handmaid? Or how can it be seasonable for all, especially young men, to say in the Nunc dimittas, Lord now let thy servant depart in peace.

For answer to this, and the rest of that kind: It is but turning to the Doctrine of the Text, as we have done in all the rest. The Liturgie is the Churches Publick Sacrifice of Praise; and in that we are not only to give thanks for blessings immediately conferred upon our per­sons, but upon us with the whole Church, by the intervention of others. For in the Bles­sed Virgin we do all partake of the grace done to her, being taken to be the Mother of our Lord. And in old Simeon we rejoyce at the sight of that salvation, which was a Light to us Gentiles, as well as a glory to the people of Israel.

VII They are offended with the length of the Service, which makes it not only tedious in it self, but injurious also by hindring the Sermon. To measure the length first: If we lay our line to it, you will not find it so. It takes up but a very short part of the whole time which God has bestowed upon us; of which enough we have, and too much we take many times for our rest and sleep; enough for our own necessary business, and a good portion besides for our pleasures and lawful de­lights. Can we think an hour or two spared out of all this, too long for Gods service? or a Lamb too much for him, who has bestowed [Page 24]the whole flock upon us? The tediousness which is caused by the length of the Service, is cured by the end. It must needs be a less trouble to us, if we consider it to be an honor for God. To say no more, How can we think those Prayers too long, in which we our selves sue for eter­nity?

Nevertheless, if the length of the Liturgie should, as they say, prove a hinderance to Preaching, I had so much the less to say for it: But how that should be, I understand not. The Wise man assures us, there is a time for all things, and sure then there is a time for two things, Prayer and Preaching both. But pos­sibly we may be so surprised, that there is not time for both; The Case of Conscience here will be, which of them may best be spared. The Prayers are to God, the Sermons to us; the Pray­ers for Gods honor, the Sermons for our profit. In this case, I think I may safely leave every man to be his own Casuist, and go on to the next.

VIII It is defective, and so a lame Sacrifice. How inconsistent are their complaints, and how hard are they to be pleased? It is both too long and too short. They mean it is too long in the whole, and too short in the parts. In the [Page 25] Confession of sins, in the Thanksgivings, in the Collects, many material things omitted. The Scriptures read in broken pieces, and not in order.

These would not be counted defects, if we consider their end and use in the Liturgie, which is to be a Sacrifice of praise to God, for that is sufficiently attained by them as they are there used.

It is true, if we respect these duties in refer­ence to their immediate proper effects, the com­mon Forms are insufficient; for no man may pre­sume of Remission of sins, unless he confess to God the particulars wherein he hath offended. Nor can be truly thankful to him for the bles­sings, whereof he makes no particular acknow­ledgment: Nor can attain to a full and clear knowledge of the Scriptures, that reads not all, and in order. All this is easily granted.

But they are utterly mistaken in the use of a Liturgie, that would have it to be a commonstore to furnish out every duty and vertue, any fur­ther than to serve for the publick honoring, and praising of God: For if particulars should be named, wherein all are not concerned, how can they truly and heartily say Amen? And likewise, when some portions only of [Page 26]Scripture are read, it is to suit the present oc­casion and solemnity. And for particular Con­fessions and Thanksgivings, if men were so well-affected, and so well-acquainted with their own Souls, as they should be; when general words are used, they may if they please, reflect up­on their own particulars; and so render the Publick Service, an advantage also to their pri­vate interest and profit.

IX I will add but one exception more. They say it is a blind Sacrifice, and edifies not. To edifie is to contribute to the building of us up in faith or godliness; and then not edifying, the meaning must be, that it is good for nothing. And truly, if it be so, it is but reason we should part with it.

But possibly when they say, It doth not edifie, it may have some other meaning in it. They may say it edifies not, because they like it not, or are not pleased and satisfied with the use of it; or, which is nearer the true meaning of the word, there is nothing of instruction in it, which they have not heard a thousand times before.

They who come to Prayers for these ends, may indeed be disappointed, because they come without their errant. This is a Sacrifice [Page 27]for the praise and honor of God; if it edifies that, we have no cause to complain. A Sermon, I confess, may fit our turns better in both these respects, if it be as it should be: It is no doubt a more pleasing entertainment of the time, if it be to edifie our liking; and fitter for in­struction, if it be to edifie our learning. But then to say, Divine Service doth not thus edifie, is to blame the Prayers, because they are not a Sermon. You would take it ill, as well you might, if I should except against Sermons, be­cause they are not Prayers, i. e. a Sacrifice of praise for the worship of God, as certainly they are not. But let both have their dues, and they are both good edifiers; The Sermon of Faith and Knowledge, the other of the Praise and Worship of God.

Yea, that part, which, of all the rest, seems least to edifie, The Hymns, and Psalms, and Anthems with Musick, edifie the praise of God. I will praise the name of God with a sung, and mag­nifie it with thanksgiving, Psal. 69.30. Yea, the very instruments themselves have their part in praising God. Therefore will I praise thee, and thy faithfulness, O God, playing upon an Instrument of Musick. Unto Thee will I sing upon the Harp, O thou holy One of Israel, Psal. 71.20. This per­haps [Page 28]may be allowed to David, to use the Art wherein he excelled, and may agree with the Jewish service, but not with the Christian. Nay St. Paul, Rom. 15.8. in the place I named before, assures us, That it was a promise made to the Fathers, that Christians should so glorifie God, by Con­fessing to Him, and Singing to His Name, the very Singing is not omitted; and that not of Him only, but to Him; which seems so ridi­culous to some, to sing our Prayers, or any thing that is offered to God: But it did not so to him that knew it better, Psal. 104.33. I will sing unto the Lord, as long as I live; I will sing praises unto my God, while I have my being. What ever others think, he was resolved to live and die in it.

I shall trouble you with no more of their Objections: These only I have taken out of a greater heap, because they are such as con­front the Plain Doctrine, and Letter of the Text, and are the most popular insinuations wherewith unwary people have been deluded.

But you will say, though we see no reason to approve of these men, yet have we not reason to pity them? For they are content to lose their Livings for their Consciences. What they lose, I cannot say; but for pitying them, I [Page 29]should be apt enough, if I did not see some Gallants venture more for a young wanton Mistress, than others for a chast and sober wife. If they be so fond of their new Directo­ry and Covenant, as young lovers are in the first heat of their affection, who say, That they had rather beg together, than part; who can help it? Yet I will hope that a little more time, and a little less Indulgence, which uses to make the one, will make the other wiser too.

And so I leave them, and come to Our selves, whose Judgments have not been so far corrupted as to be enemies to the Liturgie; yet, I know not how, something hath so poisoned our Affections, that we are not so good friends to it as might be wished. We care but little to come to it, and have as little respect when we are at it; we fit it out, or talk it out, so as nothing seems to be more impertinent, and wherein we are less concerned, than in this Service. Why will you go to Church? say they; there's nothing but Prayers. That is in words at length, There's nothing but praising and honouring God.

It is not possible, that any could be thus bold with their Creator, if they did not de­ceive [Page 30]themselves with a perswasion that a full amends may be made him another way. That obedience to Gods Commands, a ver­tuous and godly life is the best Sacrifice. He that keepeth the Law, Ecclus. 35.1. Psalm 4.5. saith the Son of Sirach, bringeth Offerings enough. And David, an Au­thor of more credit, tells us of a Sacrifice of Righteousness. And the Apostle in this chap­ter, To do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Verse 16. These are, and every other act of Vertue, may be a Sacri­fice, and God honoured by them: But yet not such as will serve to satisfie the Duty of the Text. The Sacrifice of obedience is Metapho­rical, i. e. God accepts it as well as if it had been a Sacrifice, that is, something given to himself. But the Sacrifice of praise is proper without a Metaphor. The original word [...] I confess, imports something to be de­stroyed, but that is meer accidental to the no­tion of Sacrifice. It doth distinguish the kind, but not constitute the nature of it, which is accomplished by offering something to God in acknowledgment of him. And for this use, the fruit of our lips is as proper, as the fruit of our flocks, or of our fields, ever were.

So likewise the honor which God receives from our obedience, differs from that of Sa­crifice; for that is only of consequence, and by argumentation, i. e. It suits with the na­ture and will of God; as we say, Good ser­vants are an honor to their Masters, by re­flection: But the honor by Sacrifice is of di­rect and special intendment, it hath no other use, and is a distinct vertue from all other acts of obedience, and of a different obliga­tion.

I should not trouble you with these nice distinctions, if they did not carry with them matter of important consequence; least a necessary service should be shuffled up, and quite lost in the croud of other duties. For, though God hath the honor of obedience and a vertuous life, if we deny him the honor of a Sacrifice besides, we rob him of his due; and a greater Sacriledge we cannot commit: For that which goes upon the common account of Sacriledge, robs God only of things dedi­cated for his service; (and yet that crime hath fired the nests of those, that took Coals from the Altar, to warm their own harths) but this is [Page 32]the robbing God of the Service it self, to which the other is but an accessory.

It is a fallacy, and piece of practick sophi­stry that cozens the world, for men to think themselves discharged of one duty by the zeal they bear to another; as if God were not rob'd so long as we leave him any thing.

Now, as it is well worth our care, that this Service be not lost in the crowd of other duties, so will it be much more, that it be not lost in worse company, in a throng of Vices. And lost it will be, when the vertue of it is gone. Psal. 107.34. Afruitful land is made barren by the sins of them that dwell therein. The same cause will make our Prayers as fruitless as our fields. To honour God with our lips, and dishonour him with our lives; to be strict at Prayers, and loose to all disorders; The Presbyterian pretensions cannot make our Sacrifice so abo­minable as our sins can: They make God complain of that which he himself command­ed, Isai. 1.11. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord; I am full with the burnt offerings of Rams, and the fat of fed Beasts. And again, Bring no more vain Oblati­ons; [Page 33]Incense is an abomination unto me: So it was with the Jews Sacrifice; and the Christians will fare no better, ver. 15. When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, and when ye make many Prayers I will not hear: Whence grows the displeasure that God takes against his own Service, but from this? Your hands are full of blood. He will accept no Sacrifice from polluted hands. And therefore to reconcile him to his own Service, he puts us into this course, verse 16. VVash ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek Judgement, relieve the oppressed, plead for the widow.

If we come thus minded and prepared to Gods Altar, and offer the Sacrifice of Praise to the honour of his Name, we may with confidence expect, what God in the same case promised, 1 Sam. 2.30. Them that honour me, I will honour.

To conclude. All that I have said hitherto is only to vindicate Gods Service from con­tempt, and to restore it to some of the respect due to it. And this, though the froward times did not need, cannot I hope be thought an ill office [Page 34]for a Sermon, once to be an Advocate for Prayer, seeing Prayers will always do as much for the Sermon, be an Advocate to God to bring down a blessing upon it. As the Church teacheth us to do, so let us pray, That the words which we have heard with our out­ward ears may, &c.

A SERMON Preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, March 27.1664.

TO take heed is always good, but most necessary when danger is least suspected; we have therefore more need to look to our hear­ing, because of all other things we may think that hath least need of it. If it had been a Caveat upon the Tongue, Take heed what you say; there is reason enough for that; for the tongue is a world of iniquity, Jam. 3.6. it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of Nature. But for hearing, that seems a harm­less innocent thing, meerly passive, no man the worse for it: And this makes us sit down securely to hear any thing: But take heed; [Page 36]Hearing is no such harmless thing: Though hearing ill, be not doing ill, yet at length it may bring us to it; it is a door to let it in up­on us. We are all set in the midst of Temp­tations and Enemies, and cannot be safe un­less we have a watch and guard upon the pas­sages.

As David, considering the mischiefs that came by intemperate and unadvis'd speaking, wisely resolv'd to set a watch at the door of his lips; Dixi, Custodiam; I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my tongue: So another guard will be as necessa­ry at the ear, that nothing go in or out, in at the ear, or out at the mouth, that may betray us to our Enemies. If we look not to our ears, they will soon become guilty of the corruptions of the heart; as when we hear the slatterer it corrupts our judgment of our selves; the tale-bearer or slanderer, it cor­rupts our judgment of others. If we heark­en to prosane, silthy, atheistical communica­tion, it poisons the whole man; for evil words corrupt good manners. Thus the ear by letting in, may prove as ill as the tongue by letting out, a world of iniquity too. A lit­tle care here will prevent a great deal of mis­chief; [Page 37]take it at large; for it is good for a [...] Persons, for all Places, for all Times. But the Caveat of the Text comes nearer to us; it follows us to Church, where we think our selves out of all danger; and yet nearer to the very business we come about, the hearing of Gods Word; an imployment so safe from danger, that we think no care is to be taken unless it be to get a place to hear in: For concerning this hearing is the advice given upon occasion of the Parable of the Sower, that went before, wherein our Saviour him­self interprets the Seed to be God's Word, and the Soil in which it was sown to be the Hearers. Of four several sorts, but one came to good. It is a great odds, and yet I wish it were not often greater; three to one of the Hearers miscarried, and the fault was on­ly in the hearing. It is therefore very season­able for us that are come to hear, and especi­ally at this time of Lent, when there is more of this Seed sown than at any other time of the year. Where the loss will be more, the care should be greater. Take heed what you hear. This is the Argument whereof with Gods blessing we are now to treat.

COncerning our care about hearing, it will not be amiss to bestow the first part of it about the meaning of the Words. St. Luke relates the same passage with some difference.

Tade heed how your hear. That which is quid here, is quomodo there. The difficulty will be, Whether St. Mark should expound St. Luke, or St. Luke St. Mark? for in relating matter of fact, the truth must be one, though the words differ: And yet the words do not so differ, but that in Scripture the one is sometimes taken for the other, quid for quo­modo, and quomodo for quid: Gen. 2.19. God brought all the beasts of the field and fouls of the air to Adam, to see what he would call them. What, that is How; there is quid for quomodo. On the other side, Luke 10.26. we have quo­modo for quid: VVhat is written in the Law? how readest thou? How, that is, VVhat readest thou?

Though this promiscuous use of the phra­ses will serve to reconcile the Evangelists, that they might mean the same thing in diffe­rent words; yet will it not serve to find out which that meaning should be. It will be a [Page 39]safe course therefore to take both in; for though vi verborum we can not, yet, which is lawful in a Preacher, vi consequentiae we may; for they are so close woven together, that one cannot well go without the other. It will be to no purpose how we hear, unless we hear what we should: and it will be to as little to hear what we should, if we care not how we hear it. If we take them both in, they will compleat our care in the two parts of it, and also make two Points of the Sermon, VVhat we hear, and How we hear.

1. Take heed what —

But how can that be given in caution to the Hearer which is not in his power? for it is wholly at the choice of the Speaker what we hear: When the Ear is open it must hear what is spoken, whether it be good or bad. True, if the Precept had been gi­ven to the Ear, so it must be; but it is given to the Hearer, to him that hath an Imperium and ruling of that and all the other senses. If the reason or will shall command, the Ear will open or shut, like or dislike. It is not simple hearing, the Sense it self is not capable of advice, but mix'd. Heb. 4.2. St. Paul gives the reason why the Gospel being preach'd to the [Page 40]Jews did not profit them, because not mix'd with Faith in them that heard it. It is not simple hearing, but mix'd with a more noble part of the Soul that guides it. And so to take heed what you hear, is in effect to take heed what Faith and Credit you give to that you hear; for so it follows in the Verse, VVith what measure you mete it shall be measur'd to you, the benefit will answer to the care, measure for measure. But what different measure can there be of that which differs not? Gods Word is from everlasting unchangeable. The grass may wither, and the flower thereof may fade away, saith St. Peter, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever; and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you, 1 Pet. 1. ult. 1 Pet. 1. ult.

Though Gods word be one in it self, yet that one hath been made known to the world in different ways and Degrees, and so re­quires a hearing proportionable to them. God who at sundry times, Heb. 1.2. and in divers man­ners spake in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days spoken by his Son. And likewise that which the Son spake in those last days, the days of the Gospel, was in divers manners. For first he spake by him­self [Page 41]self in person, Luke 4.18. The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. That which he preached was certainly Gods word. And when he left the world to go to his Father, he sent the Holy Ghost from Heaven, who in the mouth of the Apostles preached the same Gospel; for those holy men spake not by the will of man, but as they were mov'd by the Holy Ghost. And therefore this also was truly the word of God. 2 Pet. [...] 24. And when the Church was thus found­ed by the preaching of the Holy Ghost, for the propagation of it to all times after, it pleased God to give it in VVriting, in a Scrip­ture, and that by inspiration of the same Spirit which before preached it. So as now we need not ascend to Heaven to fetch Christ down, nor the Holy Ghost, as some pretend to do to know Gods will, but to receive it only from that Scripture. Thus far we have the Word of God in Proper, (i. e.) immedi­ately out of the mouth of God, and our hearing must be absolute for the matter, we must say with Samuel, Speak Lord, for thy ser­vant heareth.

But when it pleased God to commit the dispensing of that word to the Pastors of the [Page 42]Church, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Ephes. 4.12. Now the word of God was come▪ into the hands of men subject to infirmities and error, who may both deceive themselves and others. And here our Savi­ours advice comes in season, Take heed what you hear. Before, Gods word was in the Origi­nal, but here only in the Transcript, or Co­py; and some Copyings are more happy than others, and come nearer the Original, and therefore not all of the same value and esteem. All Preachers are not to be heard alike, nor all Sermons. The word of God in them is so the water of Life, that it often tastes of the mineral, through which it runs, and hath a tincture from the earthen Vessel that brings it, and therefore not to be receiv'd with that measure of trust which belongs to the pure and proper word of God. For, take a Ser­mon at the best, the most you can make of it is, that it is Gods word only in a qualified sense, because the Church intends it should be so; and it is the Preachers judgment and opinion that it is so; and possibly it may be so indeed. But then because possibly it may not be so, we had need take heed what we hear.

We learn from St. Paul that it was more than possible, it was truly so then; for he warns Timothy of Preachers that will strive about words to no purpose, but to the subversion of the hearers, 2 Tim. 2.14. And verse 16. By pro­phane and vain bablings do increase to more ungodli­ness. And verse 17. Their word will eat as doth a Canker, or a Gangrain; for so the Greek word is; and that's a dangerous Disease, and by all means possible to be avoided, and especially to be taken heed of. Thus it was in the early times of the Church, we have reason then to look for worse after, and so we of late times found it by sad experience: Not only profane and vain bablings, but Sedition, Treason, Rebellion were drest up and appear'd in the likeness of Sermons. It is too plain, we have but too much need of caution to take heed.

But alas! what should private men do? must they, or can they call all Preachers and Doctrines to account? The Scriptures indeed which are the undoubted Word of God would do it if well manag'd, but how can that be hoped from every hand? wherein wise, that is, learned men, are mistaken, and from whence every Sect seeks Patronage, and [Page 44]perswades it self to have it. What means is there then left by the help whereof we may take heed what we hear. Truly none that I know, but this still, the Scriptures are the only infallible rule.

But how! Not left loose to the prejudices and fancies of every man; for then it will fall out, as with those that look in a Glass, in which every one sees his own face, though not anothers; the reason is because he brings his face to the Glass, not because it was there before. So every Sect sees the face of his own Religion in the Scripture, not because it was there before, but because his strong fancy and prejudice brought it thither; he thinks he sees that in the Scripture, which in truth is only in his own imagination.

But how then can we have any help from the Scriptures to take heed what we hear? Not as Gods word lies diffus'd through the whole body of them; but as prepar'd and fitted up in a summary and short form of wholsom words by such to whom the care of the Church is committed.

If any shall think this a humane invention derogatory to the sufficiency of the Scrip­tures. Let him implead St. Paul first, who [Page 45]made the same use of it, finding what mis­chief false Teachers had done, charges Ti­mothy with the care of it, 2 Tim. 1.13. [...]. Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me. This form he calls in the last verse of the former Epi­stle [...], a depositum committed to his trust, and for that very purpose that he might avoid profane and vain bablings, and oppositions of Science falsly so called; and that is plainly, that they might take heed what they hear.

The same course was taken by the whole Church after considering how hard, or rather impossible it was for every one out of the Scriptures to work out to himself an assu­rance of the knowledge of as much as was necessary to salvation, and with that a con­sent with the rest of the faithful, who are commanded to speak and think the same things, which cannot be done but in a certain form of words. Such a form, 1 Cor. 1.10. if not the same with S. Paul [...], was the Apostles Creed, the use whereof hath ever since continued in the Church to be a help to take heed what we believe.

The same course was of later times held by [Page 46]divers particular National Churches, who weary with the insolence and domineering of their Sister at Rome, did suo jure uti, and pro­vide for themselves, which sell out in a time when the world was filled with Controversies and Disputes of Religion. That the people might not be carried about with every wind of do­ctrine, that blew from all corners, it was their care, and wisdom to compose a form of whol­some words in their several Confessions, to be a rule what to hear.

Now following our Saviours advice, you have reason to ask, With what measure of Faith are these confessions to be received; for, Quis custodiet ipsum custodem? What cre­dit must be given to that which must be a rule how far we credit others? That we mistake not, They are not to be received with that faith which is due to Gods word, or any thing out of it as necessary to salvation; but with such as wise men would give to the means of setling unity and consent in matters contro­verted, as the title of our Confession imports; that is, That they are Articles of Peace not Articles of Faith. They make no new Re­ligion or new Faith.

This, by the way, gives an easie Answer [Page 47]to the Papists hard Question, as they think; Where was your Religion before Luther? Where was your Church before the 39. Articles? We do not date our Religion from those Articles. The Church of England (I grant) is call'd so from their Confession, but by an accidental denomination; i.e. It is that Church which for preservation of unity and peace in it, in­joyns nothing to be taught or heard for God's Word which is repugnant to them in the particulars there mentioned. But for the essential denomination of our Faith, whereon Salvation depends, it is the Faith of God's Word, summ'd up in the ancient Catholick and Apostolick Forms; as is evident from our Constitutions and Practice. For when any is received as a Member into the Church by Baptisin, the Laver of Regeneration, no other Faith is required but that which is com­prised in the Apostles Creed. And when by a confession of our Faith and Sins, we pre­pare to receive the other Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord, our Faith is that according to the ancient Nicene Creed. And in the Office of Visiting the Sick, the Absolution (a comfort at all times, and most of all when we give up our Souls into the [Page 48]Hands of God) is not to be administred but to those that make confession as well of their Faith as of their Sins; and that Faith is only according to the Apostles Creed. Thus are we born, nourish'd, and dissolv'd by the same Faith, according to the ancient Catholick and Apostolick Forms. A Faith of this age nei­ther ought they to reproach, nor we to be asham'd of.

To return to our particular Church Con­fession; it hath another end and use; they are Articles of peace and consent in certain Con­troversies to instruct and help us to take heed what we hear.

But it will not be so taken by all; for the Churches Remedy is the Sectaries Disease, who complain, That by this means the liberty of the Spirit and of the Conscience are penn'd up in those Forms; and, which is a worse mischief, if it were true, a binding of God's Word, which ought to be free: But for that God's Word neither is nor can be bound. The Forms are no more but the gathering together some of those Waters which flow all over the Scriptures, into a stream, to fit them for the ease and use of all. But they say, they take a better course to [Page 49]fetch all from the Fountain. The Fountain indeed is purer; but I see no reason why the Water should be purer in their Pitchers than in the Churches Stream, seeing both claim immediately to the same Fountain.

They say again, That these Forms are no better than snares, to hinder many a painful Preacher of the Gospel. They would seem careful to unbind God's Word; but I see it is to set themselves at liberty. As for painful­ness in Preaching, if it be not to some good purpose, I shall not much reckon upon.

The Pharisees compassed Sea and Land, Mat. 23.13. but it was to make Pharisees, Proselytes of their Faction, not of Religion.

Nay, but they preach the Gospel. The Gospel is a glorious Word; but what Gos­pel? A Gospel you may perhaps have enough of, and too much: S. Paul informs Timothy of perilous times to come, 2 Tim. 3.1. when men will be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, without natural affection, truce­breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-mind­ed.

How think you comes it to pass that there should be such a general Apostacy? was it [Page 50]not for want of preaching? They had no Sermons, or perhaps no great affection for them; they were some cold hearers, that were content with one Sermon a day. No, that was not the matter; if we read on to the next Chapter we shall find they had hearing enough; for they were such as heap'd to them­selves Teachers, and so had heaps of Sermons, and affection for them too; for they had itch­ing ears. What was it then? They could not away with sound Doctrine, but would have Teachers after their own lusts; they had the Gospel in plenty, but it was Evangelium [...], not [...]; after their own lusts, not of sound Doctrine.

But what is sound Doctrine? S. Paul doth not say here, because a little before he had given Timothy a form of it, Keep the Form of sound words which thou hast heard from me; and because their Gospel did not agree to that, he chargeth him to avoid it. So should we do too with such a Gospel as will not stand within our form of wholesom words: Or if it be such as was preached here for twenty years together, we have little rea­son to be fond of it, or any pains that is taken about it. If they will not hear the [Page 51]Churches Gospel, what reason hath the Church to hear theirs?

To end my first point, If it was wisdom in St. Paul to commend a form of words, and in the whole Catholick Church to use one; if the same was practis'd by every reformed Church, and all that people might with peace and security know what to hear: I do not un­derstand what wisdom it can be to lay all com­mon again for any mans pleasure; for this is to legitimate Schism, and entail division to the Church for ever. As you love your selves, your quiet, and look to receive benefit by the immortal seed of Gods Word, if you would be good Christians, that is, be advised by Christ, and in that way which all Christians have used, to Take heed what you hear.

WE come now to the second point of our care, Take heed how you hear, and this no less necessary than the former; for when we have provided for the Matter what we hear, we may yet offend in the Manner how; and so lose the benefit of both.

That which is here set down in proper words, is by our Saviour illustrated in a Simi­litude, verse 21. Is a candle brought to be put [Page 52]under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a Candlestick? that is, and so St. Luke expresses it, A candle is not brought to be put under a Bushel, but to be set on a Candlestick. This makes two points in the manner of our hearing, one negative, that we do not so hear Gods Word that we put it under a Bushel, another affirmative, that we set it on a Candlestick.

For the first, Gods Word is a light, we can do nothing more contrary to light than to hide it, to put it under a Bushel, i.e. to do any thing that will intercept the light and benefit of it. Now this may be done several ways.

First, By perverting the proper end and use of hearing. Hearing Gods word is cer­tainly a good point of Religion; for it is a duty commanded, verse 23. If any man have ears to hear let him hear; yet if he hear as he should, he must not mistake one kind of du­ty for another. Duties are of divers kinds, some essential parts of Religion, some instru­mental, and some both. The two chief du­ties of this time, fasting and hearing, are in­strumental onely. That Fasting is so, we learn from St. Paul. The Kingdom of Heaven is not meat and drink, i.e. consists not in it; [Page 53]yet if well used is a help to it. Instrumenti vis in usu consistit. If fasting attains not the end and use of it, it is good for nothing, not to be reckon'd in the order of Religious duties. So hearing Gods Word, if it work no amendment in us, is but a Cypher alone that stands for nothing, no better than a Candle under a Bushel.

II When hearing is not it self, doth not the own duty, we are extreamly mistaken if we make it serve for any other. Hearing doth edifie, help to the building, but as an Instru­ment, not as Stone and Timber, the essential parts of it. The Ax and the Hammer, the Square and the Level, are instruments with­out which there can be no building: but we would think him mad that should therefore lay them in the Walls or the Foundation: They are as much guilty of folly, who make their ordinary worship of God to be nothing but to go hear the Sermon; yea, and the extraordinary, a solemn Fast and Humilia­tion to hear a Sermon; A publick Thanks­giving to hear a Sermon, and that is all. If any business extraordinary fall out, where­unto we think fit by our Devotion to ingage Gods blessing and protection, all we do for [Page 54]his sake we sit and hear a Sermon. If the Ser­mon doth the work of an instrument it is well, to fit and enable us to perform those duties, it self is neither stick nor stone in the Building. We must not think all is done when the Ser­mon is done.

Instruments are of an indifferent nature, may be well or ill used; so are not essen­tials, as Faith, Repentance, and Charity, are constantly the same. Fasting, I said was an instrumental duty, and so was as well us'd for strife and debate, as for Humiliation and Repentance. We may remember many of those fighting Fasts. He that hew'd Timber be­fore out of the thick Trees was known to bring it to an excellent work; Psal. 74. but now they break down all the carved works thereof with Axes and Hammers, that is, with the same tools that built it. As Sermons are instruments to build up, at another time they pull down as fast. It is therefore very necessary we take heed how we hear them.

As we must not mistake in the kind of the duty, an instrumental for an essential; so nor in the kind of the Instrument: for some are natural, as the eye is of seeing, the ear of hear­ing; these naturally do their work. Others [Page 55] positive of Divine Institution, which have no vertue or power but from that; and such are the Sacraments. I confess I never heard any say, that hearing of Gods Word was a Sacra­ment of Faith: yet I know there is more ver­tue ascrib'd to it than natural, and by some more than Sacramental; for no Sacrament they think effectual without a Sermon.

If there be a mistake in the manner and kind of operation in the Instrument, it will prove another putting the Candle under a Bushel. I hope you will not think it a fruitless curiosity to enquire a little farther into it.

Hearing and Preaching both, for they al­ways go together, are so proper to the Gos­pel, that by them it is distinguished from the Law; for St. Paul arguing for the Christian Faith against the Jewish, calls it the Hearing of Faith, Gal. 3.2. He that ministreth to the spi­rit, and worketh miracles among you, doth he it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith? The like propriety in the Gospel hath preaching; for whatsoever way the wisdom of the world may take, It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that be­lieve, 1 Cor. 1.21. And thus by way of di­stinction the Gospel is call'd the ministration [Page 56]of the Spirit, because preached by inspiration of the Spirit, and the Law the ministration of the Letter, because given in writing, 2 Cor. 3.6. Who hath made us Ministers of the New Testa­ment, [...], not of the Letter, but of the Spirit.

But was there then no hearing nor preach­ing under the Law? That cannot be said nei­ther. They have Moses and the Prophets, saith Abraham to Dives, let them hear them. And the Priest's lips could not preserve knowledge unless it were received from his mouth by hearing. It was commonly practised in the Synagogues after the reading of the Law in the time of the Apostles to exhort the peo­ple. When St. Paul and his company went into the Synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, they were desired to give the people a word of ex­hortation. Acts 13.15.

How then comes it to pass that by hearing and preaching, the Christian Religion is di­stinguished from the Jews, which are com­mon to both? And why is the Law call'd the ministration of the Letter, by way of distincti­on, seeing the Gospel is written as well as the Law?

'Tis plain that these things are spoken, not [Page 57] simply, and universally of either, but in rela­tion to their beginning and first publishing to the world. Because the Law was then gi­ven by writing, though afterwards preached; it is called the ministration of the Letter: So the Gospel, though afterwards written, yet because it was then only preached by revelati­on of the Holy Ghost, it is call'd the ministra­tion of the Spirit.

That likewise which St. Paul speaks of the hearing of Faith, and of saving men by the fool­ishness of preaching hath a peculiar relation to Christianity in the manner of founding it at first. For certainly Preaching in it self was not in the eye of humane wisdom a foolish way to perswade, but such as the wisest of them all used: when they would perswade the people any thing, they did it by orations and speeches, which are of the same kind with preaching.

But if we look at that preaching by which the Christian Religion was at first introduced, it had in the eye of humane wisdom something of folly in it. For to introduce a Law or Re­ligion to any people, these two things among others are necessary.

That they give it in Writing, that they [Page 58]might more certainly know what they had to do, and that it be by such as have authority and power. And this way God himself took in giving the Jews a Law: for first, he wrote it with his own fingers, and then published it by the Ministry of Moses who was their leader and governour.

But for the introduction of the Gospel, it pleased God to take a far different course, that is, to commit all to the preaching of a few poor despicable Fisher-men, who were only private men, of no authority; and of whose Gospel they had no knowledge, but from what was to be taken from their mouths. And that when first preached, was by some esteemed no better than a distemper, yea, plain drunkenness: yet, thus it pleased God to put the words of eternal life into these earthen vessels, and by that means to make his own power known, and by that folly to con­found the wisdom of the world.

But for our preaching, though it may have many times too good a title to foolishness in preaching, yet not to the foolishness of preaching: for, those obstacles remov'd, it is the ordinary way by which all knowledge, humane as well as divine is communicated: [Page 59]My meaning is, that hearing now is to be look­ed upon as the common natural instrument to receive instruction, and therefore no benefit to be reckon'd on from it, but what is com­mon to all other learning and knowledge, that is, by serious studying, and diligently pondering the things we hear; for if we trust to any secret, sacramental, mystical vertue in hearing: that profit we should get by the Word we may lose by the Hearing. Therefore take heed how you hear; for this is a second way of putting Gods word under a Bushel.

III There is another way, which in part at least puts under the Bushel too, when we confine it to the Sermon: whereas that is of little use, if Gods word be not in it; they say, The word is of as little, if it be not in a Sermon, which is a derogation to the goodness and bounty of Almighty God, who hath dispensed his Di­vine Truth so many ways besides: as,

First by Reading; for though when Gods Word was preached only, it could be only heard; yet when it was a Scripture, it might be known, as all other Writings, by reading also: for this reason St. Paul sets Timothy to his Book, 1 Tim. 4.13. Till I come give attendance to read­ing; Search the Scriptures, for therein you [Page 60]think you have eternal life; and search we can­not unless we read them, that by reading we may find the way to eternal life: yea, though all were to be done by preaching, Reading is that too: For Moses had in old time them that preach­ed him, being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath­day, Acts 15.21.

Secondly, By writing, Gods Word works Faith in us, if S. John was not mistaken when he said, 1 Joh. 5.13. These things have I written unto you, that ye may know ye have eternal life, and that ye may be­lieve in the name of the Son of God. Good wri­ters are in their kind good Preachers. Why then should any be scandalized at the Preach­er, that looks upon his Book where his Ser­mon is written. Indeed, if men now were to speak as the Apostles did, as the Spirit gave them utterance, it were a great mistake to look for him in a Book: But if we, as all must take Gods Word out of the Scripture; and every Preacher, if he be not too bold with God and his Auditors, that he may speak from thence what is both true and seasonable, prepares by writing that which he is to preach; the Ser­mon is the same in the Pulpit that it was in the study, and though the Preacher that looks in his Book be the worse, the Sermon I am sure is not.

Thirdly, We may receive the fruit of God's Word in the virtuous life and example of others; for this St. Paul calls the holding forth the VVord of Life, Phil. 2.16. That ye may be blameless, the Sons of God, without rebuke, holding forth the VVord of Life; i. e. it is visible and le­gible in all our actions and demeanour. Thus a Man may be a Preacher of God's Word, though he be not in Orders: Yea, Women, that are forbidden to speak in the Church, may thus convert their Husbands at home. Likewise, ye VVives be in subjection to your Husbands, that if any obey not the Word (that is, 1 Pet. 3 1. when it is preached) they also may without the Word be won by the conversation of the Wife. So power­ful and effectual is God's Word, that it works by example, though in the weakest Vessels.

IV There be divers ways of preaching in the more proper sense, besides the Sermon; for preaching is either publick or private, as we learn from St. Paul, Acts 20.20. where he gives account to the Elders of Ephesus of himself, That he had taught them publickly, and from house to house. Sure he did not make a formal Sermon in every house he came into, but as occasion and opportunity [Page 62]was given, by Conference he made known to them the Will of God.

V Again, Publick preaching is not all of a kind; for that may be, either by laying the Foun­dation, the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ, as the Apostle calls them, Heb. 6.1. which we call Catechizing. If this be not Preaching, if laying the Foundation be not edifying, we shall make but a sorry Building. If this Founda­tion of Faith be not well laid, every new wind of Doctrine that rises blows it straight down again.

In these several ways, besides the Sermon, is God's Word effectual. Now if we put all these under the bushel, and set up the Sermon only, we had need take heed how we hear that; for if that wherein all our hope and con­fidence lies should go under the bushel too, we are in a sad case.

It will therefore neerly concern us to take heed, That God's Word be not lost in the Sermon, i. e. that the power of it, which con­sists in the evident conviction of truth, be not lost in formalities and impertinences, common­ly us'd in Sermons.

As when little regard is given by some to God's Word, unless the Sermon presents it [Page 63]self dress'd up with all the curiosities of Art, Language, and Phansie too; which sometimes so disguises it, as it can hardly be known from a Poem. But for the true use of Ornaments of Art and Speech, if they make us love our duties the more, as they make us more in love with hearing, I should think it well bestow'd. But if painted Sermons be like painted Glass, that makes' a Room beautiful, but intercepts too much the light, it may well go in the rank too of those things which put God's Word under the bushel.

The same is done too with a courser sort of Forms, which have no title to be divine, but that they want humane Learning. And yet if God's Word be not in that jejune formal dress, it will not be so kindly received by those who out of a seeming tenderness of the liberty of God's Word, are afraid that the Churches Form should bind it, and spare not to fetter it in cold formalities of their own, in which it languisheth to nothing.

Again, God's Word must needs be put under a bushel, when it is put into the bushel; I mean, when it is heard by Measure; I do not mean the measure of Faith here in the Text, the measure of the Sanctuary; but [Page 64]the common Market-measure; as when we must have an Hour-glass full at least, and somwhat running over, to make a just Ser­mon; though the particulars be as incoherent both with the Text and themselves, as the sand that measures them; yet if it runs on smoothly, and fills up the time, all is well.

There is as little good from Sermons when they are heard by Tale; if we have not our full number, as well as our full measure, two at the least a day, the poor people are starv'd.

They would pity my simplicity, if I should take upon me to confute it out of vain Philo­sophy, and tell them out of it, That quantitatis nulla est efficacia: I shall, with their good leaves, 1. Tim. 3.1. from St. Paul, (out of the place I na­med before) to Timothy, shew them, That there is no efficacy in quantity: What a bed­roll of sins doth he lay at their doors that heap to themselves Teachers? There was a heap of sins under a heap of Sermons. And no wonder; for being after their own lust, the more commonly the worse.

There be many other things to be taken heed of in hearing, which intercept and ob­struct the light of God's Word: But because the time wears away, I will add but one more.

That out of ignorance or ill will we do not misconstrue what we hear; as St. Peter observ'd some to do with St. Paul's Epistles, which they wrested to their own destruction.

And this I rather add in my own defence, lest that which is spoken in favour of hearing, should be interpreted a discouragement to it; because people generally are not so well affect­ed as they should be to so good a duty, who had more need of fire to heat them, than Wa­ter to cool them.

It had been to better purpose, you will say, if I had taken my Text out of St. James; Be swift to hear.

But I beseech you not to be mistaken. That which hath been said doth not take us off our speed: We may be still as swift to hear as our Zeal can carry us. It puts us only in our right way, that we do not run in vain. It is only to take God's Word from under the bushel, where it doth no good; that we may set it on the candlestick, from whence we may receive the light of it, and in that the benefit of our Saviour's advice, to take heed how we hear; which is the second part of our care in the affirmative, by setting Gods VVord on the candlestick.

TO set God's VVord on the Candlestick, is to set it where we may receive the light of it; and that is, first,

I By a particular use and application of it to our selves that hear; for though Preachers have commonly these words in their Sermons, Uses, and Application, and they know best why they use them, I do not; for sure I am, they are more proper to the Hearers. The Preacher gives the Doctrine, but the Hearers must make the Use and Application. No Preacher can say, as Nathan to David, Thou art the Man; unless he have a special Commission, as he had from God. No Preacher hath ac­cess to our Consciences; at that Bar every man must be his own Judge and VVitness, and as there shall be cause, pronounce Sentence against himself, Thou art the Man.

If we sit at the Sermon as men unconcern'd for any thing but the hearing of it, to us it is all one as if it had been still under the Bushel, and not upon the Candlestick.

If we hear, and make no use of it, we leave out the best part of the Sermon; for the Hear­ers make bad Sermons, as well as Preachers.

But when a fault or error is reprehended, must every Hearer pronounce himself guilty! [Page 67]Certainly No; for that were injustice to con­demn the innocent. Though the Sermon condemns not every man that hears it, yet it puts every man upon his trial, to let the light into his own bosom, to see whether he be guil­ty or not. If guilty, let him do as guilty men do, sue for mercy, and pardon, and amend­ment: If not guilty, let him enjoy the com­fort of that, If our heart condemns us not, then have we confidence towards God, 1 Joh. 3.21. And happy is he that condemneth not himself, Rom. 14.22. Guilty, or not guilty, we have benefit by the light that actually shines upon us; for so it doth in the Candlestick.

II A light in a Candlestick inlightens every one alike that comes into the room. If a light be brought to us which none can see but he that brings it, it may very well be suspected to be none of God's Lights, because it will not stand in a Candlestick, so as to be seen by others. And many such there be, who must be allowed to hold special intelligence with God, and by private illumination from the Spirit, see clearer and farther into the darkest Mysteries than any of the Doctors or Rabbies.

They put me in mind of some, though not the best sort of Creatures, yet in the dark see [Page 68]better than others; as the Owle, the Cat, and the Bat: of which I have known Philosophers give this reason: That rays of light do natu­rally stream from their eyes, by which the Me­dium and Air about is inlightned; This at best, if there be any such, is a light which none sees but themselves. Now if those illuminated seers be such that their light is not where Gods Word should be in a Candlestick, where it may be seen of all, it is indeed no better than Owles light that shines only out of their own eyes.

III A light in a Candlestick doth not only en­lighten all the persons, but all the parts also of the room, every corner, the darkest and most se­cret places: it shines not only upon our cloaths and faces, (i. e.) our outward fashion and demeanor, but as God requireth truth in the inwards parts, Psal. 51.6. thither must the light go too, to the most retired Closets and Cabinets with­in, to the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. It is sharper than any two-edged Sword that enters between the joynt and the marrow. Heb. 4.12. Light will pierce through where no Sword can go, at the least hole and crevise. If all our acti­ons of greatest secrecy receive not light and di­rection from Gods Word, we do not set it in [Page 69]a Candlestick, for there nothing is hid from the light thereof.

IV A Candle in a Candlestick, as it gives light to every part of the room, so it doth to all the work and business in it. It shews not only the end of all eternal rest and happiness, but is a light unto the paths that lead to it. It holds us not only upon the gaze of the glory and joys of Heaven, but carries us through the darker mysteries of faith, and the more unpleasing ways of Repentance and Mortification. The Gospel is not the power of God to salvation, unless it be also the power of God upon all the steps and degrees to it. In a Candlestick it is a light all over, from one side of the room to the other.

V Lastly, From Gods Word in a Candle­stick, we do Totam lucem recipere, take the be­nefit of the whole light in all the effects and operations of it. It is a word of instruction, a word of exhortation, a word of comfort, a word of reproof, a word of promise, and a word of command, and so serves us in all our necessities. It instructs the ignorant, corrects the obstinate, comforts the dejected, dejects the proud, quiets the passions, invites by pro­mises, binds by commands.

If we pick and chuse, lay hold on the word [Page 70]of consolation, not of correction; of promi­ses, not of commands. We take the light as men do out of a dark Lanthorn, from one side only, no more than looks towards our private ends and interest. But in a Candlestick the light dilates if self impartially in all the several powers of it; there is no parcelling or divi­ding in that, all or none; we must totam lucem recipere.

So much difference we see there is between Gods Word in a Candlestick, and under a Bushel; and how much benefit comes by the one, and how little by the other. If we take not heed to this, we fall into the common, but dangerous error. That when we have heard the Sermon, we have done our duty for that time, though we neither heed what or how we hear. And yet according to that only, Sermons are, as St. Paul speaks of them in the person of the Preacher, A savour of life, or a sa­vour of death. As the evil servant was judg'd out of his own mouth, so shall the careless hearer out of his own ears. And more I could not say, if I had more time. It is that whereon life or death depends; therefore Take heed what you hear.

A SERMON Preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, March 12. 1664/5.

AND] is a word that takes hold of something that went be­fore, without which the sense of that which follows is not full. That which went next before is, We beseech you to in­crease more and more. We beseech you, is that we are to take into the Text, and then it runs thus, We beseech you to study to be quiet.

But all the use I shall make of it, now we have it here, is but to give you a taste before­hand of the nature and quality of this duty, That it is no trivial thing little to be regard­ed, but that which obliged S. Paul, Sylvanus, [Page 74]and Timotheus, for they all joyn'd in it, to be so earnest, as to beseech them to study to be quiet.

• 2. And that which commends this du­ty the more is, (as we use to say, Men are best known by the company they keep) And brings in this Duty in the company of the best of Vertues, Charity, for that place S. Paul gives it above all;
  Col. 3.14.
  Above all things put on Charity, which is the bond of perfection. To study to be quiet, and to increase in brotherly love and charity, for that led the way before, are two duties bound together in the same Exhortati­on.
• 3. Quiet is not only a fit companion for Charity, but an Allie to it, and grows out of it, as the branch out of the stock; for where brotherly love is, there will be alwayes quiet too.
• 4. To make all suit the better with Cha­rity, the Exhortation is advanced by a Dialect of Love, VVe beseech you. Paul, Sylvanus, and Timotheus, were all Apostolical men, and might command, as S. Paul of himself in another case to Philemon, Though I might be bold to enjoyn thee, yet for loves sake I rather beseech you.

And lastly, that which might very well set this edge upon their affections, was, that which happened to the Thessalonians at their first con­version; for this Epistle was written imme­diately [Page 75]after. The story we have in the 17. chap. of the Acts: When S. Paul had preach'd the Gospel to them, and with good success; for v. 4. Some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Salas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few, But v. 5. The Jews who believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the City in an up­roar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people; mad enough of them­selves; but the more to ferment and enrage them, they charge the Apostles with the fault that they themselves were acting; These are they that turn the world upside-down. S. Paul hav­ing escaped this fury by going to Athens, and there considering in what a case he left his new Converts, both them and their Doctrine; them in a furious tumult, and their Doctrine under the reproach of troubling the world; out of a zeal, no doubt, and desire to remove that scandal from the Faith, of all things begs and beseecheth them to study to be quiet.

But how will this concern us? I wish we never had, and had not still the same occasi­on. It is not so long since, that we should for­get how our late troubles first brake in upon [Page 76]our quiet: We had unbelieving Jews then a­mongst us too, and some, as was thought, in the literal sense; who moved with envy of the times, took unto them likewise a com­pany of lewd fellows of the baser sort, set the City in an uproar; and we may remember whose houses they beset (as the Jews did Ja­sons) none of the meanest, and cried out for that justice which themselves deserved. And there were Religions in the world then too many, to the scandal of the true, who led on, and blew up those tumults: And even now, though (God be thanked) they dare not be so bold to assault us in the streets, and beset our houses as they did then; yet still keep their quarters and leaguers within doors, with more secresie, but no less danger.

It will not therefore be unseasonable for us now, who have the same cause the Thessalonians had, with the same affection the Apostle did, to beseech you to study to be quiet. We have all need of quiet, and quiet it seems hath need of study, and study hath need of Gods bles­sing, and therefore before we proceed fur­ther, Let us pray, &c.

THe parts of the Text are two; VVhat we are to study, And That we are to study. First, What? That ye study to be quiet.

Quiet is here commended under the notion and quality of an Art or Science; for we are injoyned to study it. And in them we are to look, first, to the object, the nature and qua­lity of it; and then to the Principles and Theo­rems whereon the Art is grounded.

1. For the nature and kind of this Quiet first: For there be many things lay claim to this word, which are either unfit for our stu­dy, or improper to this place. As first, there is a quiet from all motion or action that is good or useful; to do nothing but eat and drink and sleep, or worse; Away with that quiet; it neither deserves our study, nor needs it. This is Negotiosa quies; we are commanded in the words following to be busie as well as qui­et; we are both to study to be quiet, and to do our own business.

2. There is a Quiet, not simply from all, but publick business; when men retire them­selves for private study or devotion. This may be allowed, and commended too, when the ne­cessities of their Countries requires them not. [Page 78]But because publick imployments are seldome forced upon any, nor need to be; for no mans parts or abilities are so great, which may not truly, and certainly will be thought such as can very well be spared. They therefore who affect that privacy, may be secure from that necessity; they who have a will to be quiet for devotion or study, need not study to be quiet, the access to that is easie enough.

3. There is another Quiet, more com­mendable in its self, and needs our study too; To compose our unruly and disordered passi­ons and affections, which raise tumults and commotions within us, that will not suffer us to be at rest or quiet day or night. In the midst therefore of all the temptations of good, or storms of ill fortune to rest securely and con­tentedly, whatsoever happens to our private, is certainly an admirable temper, and well worthy our best care and study; and was that which S. Paul himself it seems studied, for he said he learned it; Phil. 4.11. I have learned in what estate soever I am, therewith to be content.

But the quiet we are here to study is not properly within us, but without us; it is not simply a quiet from motion, but commotion, a troubling of others.

4. And that I may contract my argument and bring it into as narrow a compass as may be, I shall not take in every of the disturb­ances of the quiet of others: No not that which is the greatest of all, and most contrary to peace and quiet, Civil Wars and broils. The mischiefs of that we have learned so lately to our cost, and so perfectly, that I hope we need not be set to study that now: when every good man was put to his study how to live, and when vile and contemptible wretches ranted in plenty and power.

The horrid fruits and consequences of that great disturber of quiet, War, have induc'd some learned men as well as others to think all wars unlawful; I should have been much inclined to that opinion upon the strictest rules of Christianity, if War were not sometimes necessary to Peace. A foreign War for that reason may be lawful, but a civil and domestick never. And the reason of this difference is, because for the composing of all quarrels that may arise between subjects, God hath by his Ordinance provided a remedy in Princes and Magistrates, from whom alone we are to seek for revenge or defence. But for such diffe­rences as arise between free Princes and States, [Page 80]because there is no Judg on earth, to whom they may have recourse for their relief, being destitute of the common remedy, they may, without question, make use of that sword which God hath put into their hands to de­fend their subjects from the injuries as well of strangers as their own. Nor are they in this Judges in their own cause, which hath some appearance of injustice; for a foreign War, for defect of a competent Judg on Earth, is but an appeal to the supreme Judg of Heaven and Earth. And when they go into the Field, it is but to plead their cause before God, with whom are the issues of War. Only they had need be careful, that the cause they bring be­fore him be good; For shall not the Judg of all the world do right? But we must leave this to Princes and their Ministers, who are the only proper students of that quiet, which is distur­bed by War, and come to that which may and must be the study of us all: That is, a quiet from troubles that arise from different judgments and perswasions in matters of Religion, which cause sects and divisions in it, though they break not out into an open War. Not that War be quite left out of the Sectaries reckoning. For though Civil Wars and Rebellions have [Page 81]their beginning for the most part from the ambition or discontent of a few, yet because the people, who are the necessary instruments of that mischief, be not apt to serve the ambi­tion of others, if it comes bare-faced to them, the mask of Religion is always put on, where­in all people are concerned, which makes it a common and popular interest. And therefore you shall scarce hear of a Rebellion of late times, in which Religion did not carry the Colours at least, if not command in chief.

But I shall nevertheless at this time forbear to make that any part of the Schismaticks charge, but treat them upon their own terms, that they are as great enemies to War as any that object it to them: Yet I must charge them all to be guilty of the breach of peace and quiet in the Church, and that not accidentally, which may sometimes bear excuse, but ne­cessarily; it is connatural and incident to the very nature of Schism, which is a rent or divi­sion, so the word signifies. It is the worst disturbance that can be to any body, to be torn in pieces. It dissolves the bonds by which the parts are joyned together, especially that which unites them to the Head; for schism in the Churches notion is properly a separation [Page 82]from the Head and authority, and is the same in the Church that Rebellion or Treason is in the State. Now as every disobedience to the King and the Law is not Treason, though against the King, but the disclaiming the right and power the King hath to govern, and the practice of such things, by which his Regalia and rights are usurpt by others, as to make War, to make Laws, to thrust Officers upon him, to order the Coin, these and of the like kind are only Treason. So every error or disobedience in Religion makes not a schism, but the disclaiming the right and power the Church hath to govern them, and a usurpa­tion of a right to themselves, to order and frame points of Belief, and Forms how to serve and worship God, apart from the Church, for so went the style of the ancient Church for Schism, altare contra altare, which in our modern dialect is a Conventicle against the Church. For though Schism be formally a separation from the Head, yet consequently it works upon the members; for that which was at first but difference of opinion, soon begets a disaffection, and from that grows to hatred and contempt, and so falls into the practice of such things as destroy the very [Page 83]being and power of Religion, which consists in the mutual offices of Charity; and though this mischief breaks not out into an actual War, yet is always accompanied with most unnatural and unchristian practices, as S. James long since observed, Jam. 3.16. Where envy and strife is, there is confusion, and every evil work. Now to avoid all this, it will highly con­cern us to study to be quiet.

Having cleared the first Point, the Object of our study, Quiet, and wherein the formalis ratio of it consists, and how it comes to be disturbed by Schism: The next Point is, to enquire into the Principles whereon we are to ground our study; for if there should be an errour or mistake in them, all our labour and study is lost, or worse; for an inveterate, grounded, studied errour is so much the hard­er to be reclaimed. It was no unreasonable demand therefore of the Philosopher, who asked a double reward for those Scholars that had been already entred into the study of Phi­losophy, because his pains would be double with them, to undo first, and cast out those false prejudices which they had already learned.

Now if it should happen, that they which are otherwise studious and desirous of peace, [Page 84]should not do the things that make for peace, Rom. 14.10. as the Apostle requires, our study will grow upon us, first to unlearn those false deceitful princi­ples of peace, before we enquire into the true: Of some of the chief of these therefore I shall give you an account in the first place. It will conduce much to the peace of the Church, they say, First,

• 1. If Religion were free, and all compulsory means forborne.
• 2. If meer Errours in Judgment howsoever were not punished as crimes, which is not in the power of any to help.
• 3. Or if that, yet (Thirdly) That omission of Forms and Ceremonies were not more severely and frequently punished, than notorious and scandalous crimes.
• 4. If fewer Articles and Points of Religion were defined, it would make more room in the Church for those that dissent.
• 5. Another is, If men of moderate Opinions were only imployed in the Church.
• 6. The last, and most importunate pre­tender to peace, is, Liberty of Conscience.

But that none of all these are things that make for peace, I shall shew with as much brevity as the matter is capable of; as first.

1. Not the forbearance of all compulsory means by punishments, which, they say, is repug­nant to that freeness with which Religion should be entertained, and only forces men to an hypocritical obedience to that which in in their judgments they detest.

Religion, I grant, should be free; it is no Religion which is not so; But it is as true, that every other act of vertue, and obedience to the Laws should be free likewise; but therefore not to punish them that transgress, were to proclaim a perpetual Jubile, and set open all prison doors: God would never have enjoyned the Magistrate to punish temporally, nor himself threatned to punish eternally, if the fear of that did corrupt our obedience: For our Saviour in the Parable, when the guests came not to the banquet at his invitation, Luk. 14.23. commanded his servants to compel them to come in. And where they say, the fruit of that is but hypocrisie; Hypocrites they are like enough to be, but from a worse cause, not from the punishment, but their own frailties, because they prefer their temporal safety before the eternal blessing which Christ hath promised to all that suffer for his sake and the truth. Se­condly, It is true, that punishments reach not [Page 86]directly the inward man, nor do they teach or inform the Judgment, that is, they do not perfect the work; but are nevertheless a good beginning to it: For, Fear is the beginning of Wisdom, which Love must perfect. Though the Needle stays not in the Garment, yet it must lead the Thred that makes it up. The Rod indeed doth not teach the child, yet scares him to his book where he may learn: So though punishments do not perfect and accomplish our duty, yet they set us to our studies, to con­sider that we do not rashly cast our selves up­on danger, which otherwise possibly we would never think off, but run on whither our wild vain fancies and groundless perswasions led us: For Spes impunitatis est illecebra peccandi. Pu­nishments therefore are both justified for the good they do, and are absolved from the evil they are pretended to do; and therefore wholly to forbear them in matters of Religion is no good principle whereon to ground the Churches peace.

II The next is, That howsoever it be in other matters of Religion, it would make much for the quiet of the Church, if Errors in Judgment were not punished as crimes, because no man can be abler and wiser than God hath made him.

It is true, that an Error, so long as it stays in the Understanding, and goes no further is not properly a sin; for the Understanding is not agens liberum, but passive. In that the eye of the mind is as the eye of the body; if that be naturally short-sighted, it is no fault that it sees not so far as another: But if the weakness of the Understanding participate with the Will, which is agens liberum, and so the Error comes within our power, then it may be pro­perly a sin. This is the case of all that dissent in Sects; for though in speculation the Under­standing is distinct from the Will, yet in prac­tise they are seldom severed. For it is morally impossible, that after a man hath conceived an opinion, he should not be well pleased with it, and have a will as occasion is to defend and propagate it too. And when it is Voluntarium, no doubt but it is Peccatum, and when error grows to be a sin, I know no reason why it may not be punished; for interest reipublicae pec­cata puniri. But for all that it is, they say, a great disturbance of quiet to be tied to assent to that we cannot know nor comprehend. That's a great mistake. I know there is much exception taken to the too punctual desinitions of some mysteries of the faith, and particularly [Page 88]in the Creed commonly called by Athanasius, where there are many particulars which they cannot know nor comprehend. Whereas in truth it is not required of them, they are not bound to know them, but to believe them; for it is the mercy of God, that the defect of our knowledg may be supplyed by the knowledg of others; for to believe is to see with other mens eyes, as knowledg is with our own.

But may we safely trust others in that which so neerly concerns as a Creed? Yes sure, and it is as well the mercy, as the command of God, that we should trust those that watch over our souls; yet still that must be to supply the defect of our knowledg, not otherwise; for the Church is not Lord of our Faith, but helper of our Ignorance. It supplies the de­fect of our sight, it doth not put it out: for if a man knows the contrary, he is not bound to be­lieve others; for if he can see with his own eyes, why shall he be tied to see with other mens?

But then we must distinguish betwixt not knowing the negative, and a positive know­ing the contrary: for if we refuse to believe meerly because we do not know or under­stand, we leave no place for Faith at all, which is the benefit to see by others. And for that, [Page 89]positive knowledg which discharges us of be­lieving others that we be not mistaken, it is not every conjectural or probable perswasion will do it, but certain knowledg: and when that is, we may safely learn from the Schools; Ubi non est for mido contrarii, after diligent search and enquiry, when there remains no scruple, doubt, or fear of the contrary, when the understand­ing is fixed, we are said to be certain.

If this knowledge will serve to discharge us of believing others, every one that dissents will say he knows the contrary, yea, and if need be will swear to it too; for that's an expedient lately found out to obtain that liberty, That they may be admitted to swear they know the contrary to that which is commanded. Truly, if they will say it, and think so too, whether they swear it or no, I think we may safely ab­solve them from the guilt of disobedience: but that must be in foro Conscientiae only, and let them make the best use they can of that; yet in foro externo we cannot; for there the Judge must give sentence according to his know­ledge, and not according to the knowledge of the party, if he will do justice. And that course can be no good friend to Peace, which is an enemy to Justice.

III Though Errors may be punished, yet it troubles the quiet of many, that the omission of Forms and Ceremonies is more severely punished then some foul and scandalous crimes.

To this I answer, First, That they who object this, are not to be trusted with the bal­lance of sins, for we know how the Market went for them when they held the Scale: O­bedience to the King and the Laws, and serv­ing God according to them, were the great scandalous crimes.

2. Allowing it to be true as they say, That omission of Forms and Ceremonies is by the Church more frequently and severely punish­ed then greater faults. But how greater? It may be in their proper and natural guilt and ob­liquity, according to which sentence shall be given at the day of Judgment, and to death eternal. But our earthly Tribunals are not erected to anticipate the day of Judgment, to bring all sinners to trial for whatsoever they have committed in the flesh, and according to the proper measure of their guilt; but for a particular end and use; that people, while they live here in the world, and in society, may be kept in good order and quiet, from doing or receiving injuries. And to this end [Page 91]is the degree of their punishments commen­surate: Treason and Rebellion are more se­verely punished in the State then many other hainous crimes, because they destroy the very foundation of government and Society. And for the same reason, a schismatical disobedi­ence, though but in matters of Form and Ce­remony, is pursued with more care and strict­ness, because it destroys the very end for which the power is given the Church to punish, which is, the preservation of peace and unity.

For though the Pastors of the Church may and must by way of Instruction, the better to prepare us for our account at the great and ge­neral Judgment, give every sin the proper weight and measure of guilt, that is by way of Instruction: But by way of Correction the Church is bound up to certain causes, and if they keep not their bounds, they shall be sure to hear of a prohibition; and those causes are especially such, for which the power is only given, That the peaceable orderly Worship and ser­vice of God be not disturbed.

For though they are ever telling us, it is for trifles, ceremonies, or indifferent things, it is but the same quarrel the Atheists have against God himself, for being so much of­fended [Page 92]for an Apple, a trifle which scarce any man that hath an Orchard would have been troubled with; and one Answer will serve both in effect. In that forbidden fruit, Gods authority in commanding, and Adams duty in obeying, were symbolically engaged for him and his, and there was venome enough in that to infect both. The Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, in like manner, though not in like degree, though in their opinion as incon­siderable as the paring of Adams apple, yet when discord and disobedience is found with them, there is poyson enough in that for the strongest antidote the Church doth at any time make use of. Let not that therefore mis­lead or disturb our Student of Quiet.

IV Nor that which, in the Fourth place, they look at as another Expedient for Peace, If fewer Points and Articles of Religion were defined, that so the Church-door may be wider open to let in those whose dissent now troubles the peace of the Church.

It is fit, I grant, the Church-door should stand always open, but for such as shall be fit to enter; for it would be a dangerous thing to set any door so wide open to let in an enemy upon us. But to what purpose would we have [Page 93]the Church-door so wide, when the Gate of Heaven is strait? why should they be taken in here, if they shall be turned back there? The Church is a City, as Jerusalem, a City that is at unity in it self; so it is a City too that hath gates and walls to shut out others.

He that came to a little City, where there was a great Gate, merrily warned the Citizens to take heed lest their City went not out at the Gate, may soberly be said to those that would have the Church-door so wide to let in all Sects, to take heed lest the Church gets not out at the door: For where so many Religi­ons are, it may be feared, that soon there will be none at all. If we be not, as the Apostle com­mands, built up in the same Faith, it will avail us little to be found within the same walls.

It is therefore a perverse remedy for peace, to abate or diminish the Articles and definitions of the Church, which were made of purpose to take away controversies; it would be a strange course to end controversies, to take away the definitions. Our Student must read his Books backward, if he seek for peace from hence. We might as well say, all the world would be quiet, if there were no Judges nor Laws to determine differences.

V There is another Expedient for Peace, which I hear much spoken of, and highly set by as a-great point of prudence, If men of mode­rate opinions were only taken into imployment in the Church.

Moderation, I confess, is an excellent vertue, and much to be desired; Let your moderation be known unto all men, Phil. 4.5. But then it must be in a subject capable of it, wherein there are extremes and excesses to be moderated, as there is certainly in our passions, there it is proper. S. Paul gives it for a Lesson to all Students in Religion, Ephes. 4.31. Let all bit­terness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, and tender-hearted, forgiv­ing one another, even as God for Christs sake hath for­given you. This no doubt is a very fit temper for quiet, and none more unfit then angry, waspish, and domineering spirits.

Only this caution is to be observed in lenity, That it be such as may win men into the Church, not such as may secure and encourage them to stay without. Yet lenity and gentleness is so good a Vertue, that I am loth to cast water upon it, or seem to temper it.

But for men of moderate opinions, I am [Page 95]at a loss to know what they should be; for moderation there cannot be, but between ex­treams: Now what extreams are there of o­pinions in a setled Church, unless the Church be one extream, and the Schismatick another? and then the man of moderate opinions is he that is part Church-man, and part Schisma­tick. I hope none are so unkind to their Mo­ther the Church, to charge extremities upon her Doctrine or Laws. If there be any such, they are but Hybrides in Religion, and make a new sect in the Church, as pernicious to the peace of it as any of the rest. The truth is, moderate opinions are a Chimaera, a phansie; either nothing, or somewhat worse then no­thing: for possibly they may bestow that good word (Moderation) upon such as care little either to observe the Law themselves, or to re­quire it of others. If these be the men of mo­derate opinions, I wonder how they will be able to give account of their justice and fidelity to the trust committed to them. Yes, they say, very well; It is rather prudence then in­justice, to mitigate and sweeten the sharpness and rigour of the Law. But if the Law it self be too rigorous, in God's name let it be amen­ded, and not left to the arbitrary power of [Page 96]others to do it, for that's known to be a reme­dy ten times worse then the disease. It is said in Physick, I know not how truly, that an error in the first concoction, is not mended in the second: It is certainly true here, an error or excess in the Law, which is the first conco­ction of justice, will be ill cured afterward by an arbitrary partiality in the execution. I hope therefore no wise Student of quiet, will take such Moderators for the best Ministers of peace. But I leave them, and come to the most popular, and therefore most dangerous principle in the study of quiet; that is, Liberty of Conscience.

VI I have spoken to this point heretofore in this place; yet because of late our New Philo­sophical Divines, as well as others, press hard for it, knowing without a free Market, they cannot vend their new bold speculations; I shall resume the point again a little more largely, yet within the compass of these two particulars.

• First, That there is a great deal of reason to restrain the Conscience, and
• Secondly, That there is no reason to give it liberty.

1. There is reason enough to restrain the Conscience, for the mischief it doth to Quiet [Page 97]when it is at liberty; for all the discord and divisions of the Church grow from hence, and that is a mischief we have reason to avoid. Mark them (saith S. Paul) which cause divisions among you, Rom. 16.17. and avoid them. There is reason then to mark that which causeth them to make di­visions, and that's the Conscience. It is no quiet­ter in the Common-wealth, where it destroys the very Foundation of Government, and fru­strates the Ordinance of God for it in Princes and Magistrates; for what is left for them to do, if every one must follow the dictate of his own Conscience, that is, in plain terms, be bound only to obey himself.

This is no slander to the pretenders of Con­science; they will say as much themselves, if ye ask them. Ask the Schismatick why he joyns not with the congregation of Gods peo­ple? and he will tell you, His Conscience will not suffer him. Ask the Rebel in the State, why he takes up Arms to the ruine of his King and Countrey? and his Conscience will an­swer for him, That it is Gods cause, and it is to do him service. Ask him again, why he doth not repent of the mischief done by it? (for that they seldom do) and the Conscience will serve that turn too. It is Gods cause, and the [Page 98] Conscience will not suffer them to repent of that. Thus we see, the Conscience, as it is used, doth not only open a door to sin, but shuts the very door to mercy, that is Repentance.

If S. John said true, as no doubt he did, That there were many Antichrists, then possibly the Conscience thus improved may be one of them. For, it sets it self in the Church above all that is called God, yea, and God himself too, in a sense; for his Laws are not to be obeyed, unless the Conscience first allows them to be his: and thus all is resolved into the Conscience, as the dernier resort and last appeal.

While the King and the Pope are contend­ing for Supremacy, the Conscience without scruple puts in for it against both, and takes it for her right to be supreme in all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil. There is great com­plaint in the world of domineering over the Conscience; but have we not rather cause to complain of the domineering of the Consci­ence? And if any list to see the Conscience acting all this, we need go no further then our late times, when the Conscience was loose for a while; one would think Hell had broke loose, so fill'd was on a sudden the Church with sects, and the Common-wealth with [Page 99]confusion. There is reason enough therefore to restrain the Conscience that acts all this, if we knew how.

The next thing I undertook to shew, is, That there is no reason why it should have liberty; and particularly, not that which gives the fair­est colour to it: Neither the duty we owe to Truth, which seems to have some right to liber­ty; nor that we owe to the Will of God, that nothing be done against the Conscience. For the first.

Truth is that (I confess) which no consi­deration of peace may warrant us to desert; for I could never be of that opinion, That Truth in smaller matters may for Peace sake be either denied or prejudiced. Magna est veri­tas etiam in minimis; in Gods name let it pre­vail over all. But then it must be Veritas in re­bus, not Veritas in intellectu. For though Truth be defined to be a conformity of the under­standing to the thing as it is indeed, yet takes the name from both; from the thing where Truth is originally, and from the understand­ing where it is only represented. Truth in that first reference to the thing, admits no qualifi­cation; things must be taken as they are, be they never so small: but as the things come to [Page 100]be represented to, and entertained by the Understanding, by reason of the mistakes and errours that may happen in that, though Truth it self, or Truth in the thing cannot, yet my apprehension of it may both yield to better, and may sometimes be waved for peace sake. To argue from Truth in the thing, to Truth in the apprehension only, is a fallacy against the Rules of Reasoning, we call it Petitio principii, or a begging of the questi­on. If a Sectary should beg an alms, I wish he may have it; but he shall beg long ere it be granted him, that he hath the Truth. How then can he presume upon that truth, to which he hath no other title but his own perswasion, which can be no better then any mans else, who is as strongly perswaded to the contrary? And this is all the service that Truth can do the Conscience for liberty.

2. The second thing whereupon the Con­science especially bears it self so high, is the Will of God that nothing be done against the Conscience. That no doubt is a great offence, and made so by the greatest Authority: Yet the same God that requires our obedience to the Conscience, commands us likewise to o­bey our Parents, our Princes and Governours, [Page 101]and all these stand upon as good authority as the Conscience. If we cannot reconcile our obedience to that with our obedience to these, we may sin against God, when we do not sin against the Conscience. For though God hath erected a Tribunal in every mans breast, and there set the Conscience to be a Judg of all our actions, there be other Tribunals of Ju­stice besides, of Gods erection too, and to which he hath subjected the very Conscience. Ye must needs be subject (Rom. 13.) not only for wrath, but also for conscience. And after both these, there is another Tribunal in Heaven, to which all Judges, Conscience and all must give an account one day. For the Conscience is no Court of Record; the Decrees and Acts passed there, will be no good evidence at that Bar; there all must be re-examined, and tried over gain. Though I know nothing by my self, (saith S. Paul) yet am I not thereby justified. Though he could not charge his Conscience with any offence, he knew a further trial must pass upon him before he could be ab­solved. My Conscience indeed may be pleaded there in evidence against me as a Wit­ness to condemn me, but not as a Judg to absolve me. It is a great mistake in the power [Page 102]and operation of the Conscience: That it will condemn us, if we do any thing against it, the Text is clear for that; but that it will ab­solve us for that we do according to it, there is no Text, I am sure, for that. We must then be tried by the Law, and not by the Conscience: For how the proceedings will be at that Bar, we have a record, Matth. 5.31. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him; Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be ga­thered all nations. When the Court was set, the Charge was given to those on the left hand; I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat; I was athirst, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye cloathed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.

To this Charge the Conscience (no doubt confidently enough) pleaded Not guilty; Lord, when saw wee thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Their Conscience could accuse them of none of these things; for all that, the Sentence went against them upon a point of Law and Equity; In that ye did it not to these (saith the Judg) ye did it not to me. And for this they were condemned to eternal punish­ment.

If they that stand so much upon their con­sciences did seriously consider this, they would find as little cause to desire that liberty, as there is to grant it, seeing it stands them in so little stead when they have most need of it; for when they think their conscience shall answer for them, they must then answer for their conscience, and upon trial, the con­science may prove the great offender. Thus have I hitherto given you an account of some of the vulgar mistaken principles of Quiet, which our Student is first to unlearn; which are all but the patching up of a false deceitful peace, condemned in the Politicks under the name of a Syncretismus, when all the Factions in Crete joyn'd together in a common danger, which lasted no longer then the cause of it: like the bonds of a hard Frost, that binds Earth and Water, Sticks and Stones all to­gether, till the Sun comes to shine upon them, and then they all presently return to their proper place and nature again.

But I fear I have run out all my time almost in these mistaken ways of peace: I presume it will be a greater offence to leave you here now, then to beg a little more time to set you in the right way, though I shall not go [Page 104]beyond the office of a Mercury, to point the hand where it lies.

There is the Kings high-way to peace, and the Students private way, and both good in their kind. With the Kings way I shall not meddle, as being sitter matter for our thank­fulness then instruction, who hath already paved the way for us by wholsom Laws for that purpose. But because oft-times Vitia sunt remediis fortiora, the compulsory way by Law, though always necessary, is not always ef­fectual; to the Kings way we must add the Students also: That every one in his parti­cular makes it his care and business to contri­bute to it, that it be an artificial studied peace, to which not Fear only, but Conscience of Duty and Religion obligeth us.

Now every good Student of any Science searches into the true and proper cause of things; for, Scire est per causas cognoscere. If the cause of all division in the Church, be differing in judgement, nothing can cure that but a consent. S. Paul therefore prescribes that for the remedy, 1 Cor. 5.10. That there be no divisions among you; how may that be helped? it follows, But that ye be perfectly joyn­ed together in the same mind, and in the same judg­ment. [Page 105]This is the true Apostolical Principle, whereon we are to ground our Study of Qui­et: For all the fine things and sentences that are spoken for peace and quiet, will little move those that are, and may very well be confident, they ought not howsoever have peace with Sin, or Error. Unless therefore we can be first perswaded that we ought not to charge the Church with either, we do no­thing for Peace, This I confess is the great difficulty, yet if this be not done, there can be no hope of Peace.

And to do this, I shall not send our Stu­dent to the Polemick School, to convince him out of speculative Principles of Reason and Divinity; for to that study, some have not capacity, others not leisure: I shall on­ly commend to him some practical Princi­ples of Religion, obvious to all, and denied by none, that out of them he may learn not to dissent from, or condemn the Church of Error.

To prevent the passing that sentence, let the Student,

• 1. Study himself, his own con­dition.
• 2. Let him Study the Church against which he passeth sentence.
• 3. Let him study the nature and quality of the things where­upon [Page 106]upon judgment is given.
• 4. Let him con­sider well the manner of proceeding in judgment. In all which we shall find some known Prin­ciple of Religion to direct us.

1. First, In the study of our selves, and our own condition: Religion teacheth us to have an humble, lowly, mean opinion of our selves; and not without cause whether we respect our Understandings, or our Af­fections: Our Understandings are naturally weak, imperfect, short-sighted, we know but in part, the best of us; and our Affections too are disloyal to our Understandings, The heart of man, saith the Prophet, is deceitful a­bove all things, We have little reason then to trust our selves much in either. He that is truly conscious of his own weakness or lame­ness, will be content to be supported by others. If we study this point well, our own infirmi­ties, we should learn more willingly to assent to, and take support from the Church.

Especially, if in the second place, we study that too whose Governors Religion likewise teaches us to obey, For they watch over our souls, Heb. 13.17. If it be a good point of Religi­on, in lowliness of mind to esteem others better then our selves, Phil. 2.3. it is Religion and Rea­son [Page 107]son both, to think our Governors wiser too; for there is a presumption always in favour of them. S. Paul gives it for a rule to Timothy, Not to receive an accusation against an Elder, 1 Tim. 5.19. but before two or three witnesses, because it is to be presum'd on the part of Age and Authority, to know more, and offend less. But when it comes to be the whole Eldership, all our Governors joyntly, the presumption is so much the stronger. If we add this study to the former, how little reason we have to trust our selves, and how much we have to trust our Governors, we will not rashly pass sen­tence against them, if we have either Reason or Religion is us.

3. And yet we have more work for our Student; Let him, in the third place; consi­der the nature and quality of the things where­upon judgment is given, how apt they are to deceive us. Truth is many times so like an Error, and Error comes so near to Truth, that he had need be careful and circumspect that shall distinguish them in some cases. And in others again, Truth lies hid under many folds, especially ambiguity of words, the com­mon cheat of all Students, who are more of­ten deceiv'd into opinions then convinc'd. It [Page 108]is not strange to see so many go astray from the Church, to whom the things of it are re­presented under the covert of false names, when they hear the Government of it called Tyranny; obedience, slavery; contempt, courage; licence, liberty; frenzy, zeal; order, superstition. How easily thus may simple people mistake their way, and fall into the pit that's cover'd over with shadows and false names of things? When he hath studied this point well,

4. Let him, in the fourth place; be well advised in what manner he proceeds in judgment, and upon what evidence: For, allowing the Conscience to be a Judg, it must not trespass upon the Rules of good Judicature, as, both sides must be heard impartially, which is sel­dom done; the Conscience must not be mis-led no more then other Judges, by prejudice, passion, or favour; for what can that judg­ment be worth which is perverted by any of these. Now if we examine how most men come to pass sentence against the Church, we shall find it to be upon very slight evidence: It may be their Education, they have been always brought up that way; for Sects com­monly run in a blood, in a family: Or they [Page 109]have been so taught, they say, by good men; that indeed is the sum and upshot of the Faith of most that dissent, the credit given to some weak, private, ignorant Instructer, whose person they have in admiration, without any great cause, God knows; whereas their private judgments, because they are parties, ought always to be suspected, if we be wise; and because against their Governors, to be contemn'd, if we be obedient.

All these well studied, may make for peace when possibly Arguments, and Disputes, and Punishments too will not do it. And yet if still none of these will make our Student quiet,

Let him, in the last place, make trial of a common remedy that prevails in all cases of difficulty: Let him but study his own secu­rity, the sasest course, and he shall find that better provided for in the Churches judgment, then in his own; for, if he should erre in following the Church, or his Governors, for that is possible, the greatest part of that guilt, some say all, I say only the greatest part, must lie at their door that command that which is unlawful: But if they should erre in following their own judgment, or a Judge [Page 110]of their own choosing, for that makes it their own too, and that is more then possible, all the blame and guilt then must of necessity and inexcusably fall upon themselves. Up­on these principles, setting aside all those that may convince our judgments in particulars, from these alone, I say, we see how safe, how prudent, how religious a thing it is to submit our private judgments to the publick, for the peace of the Church.

It remains only now, that we imploy our best endeavour and study for it, which is the se­cond part of the Text, and the last thing to be considered,

That ye study.

STudy is an earnest intention of the mind, by diligent search and enquiry. Wishing well to Quiet, or speaking well of it, will not serve; the greatest disturbers of Peace will do that many times, give it a good word, when they will not part with the phansie for it. And yet Quiet is a thing that requires care and pains somewhat more then ordina­ry: For when S. Peter likewise speaks of peace, it is in the words of the same import, Seck peace, 1 Pet. 3.11. and ensue it. If it be hidden, seek [Page 111]it out; if it flies from you, pursue after it. It is a busie thing to be quiet. The word here translated, Study, is in the Original [...], Be ambitious of it; that is, pursue and study it as you would do Honour and Prefer­ment: And that, I think, is as much as can be desired; and yet no more then Quiet both deserves and needs.

First, It deserves it. For though quiet be rather Status vita, then Virtus; it is no Ver­tue it self, yet the best soil to plant Vertue in. The fruits of righteousness are sown in peace, Jam. 3.18. So are all the fruits of Industry; Learn­ing, Arts, Sciences, Traffick, Commerce, flourish most in the calm temperate clime; but in troubles and dissentions every good thing goes backward, only mischief thrives. It fares with troubled times, as in troubled waters; all the filth, dirt and mire in the bottom gets them up to the top. We saw as much when our waters were lately troubled; what a deal of filth, dirt and mire, what for­did stuff was then got up to the top and high­est place of rule and command? So much are we the more oblig'd to study that peace and quiet, which hath sunk them to their proper place again, the bottom: And [Page 112]there let them lie, if you would be quiet.

2. As it deserves therefore our study, so it needs it too; for it is a difficult thing to be quiet, the way to it lies through so many parts and duties of Religion, and not the easi­est of them neither: To deny our selves, by humility and lowliness of mind to ac­knowledge our own weakness and frailty, to submit our judgments to others, as better and wiser then our selves; to subdue our pas­sions and lusts, from whence the Apostle ob­serves Wars and Contentions to come, from our Lusts; and to all these the Flesh hath natu­rally a reluctance. Our Student therefore hath need to contend with himself to be at peace with others.

S. Paul was at Athens when he wrote this Epistle, a famous University for the study of all liberal Arts and Sciences. I cannot say he had these in his thought, when he com­mended this study to the Thessalonians, as an Art of more use then any he found at Athens: Yet when I see him so passionately earnest for it, to beseech them to study, we have reason to value it as an Art well worthy of Schools, and Professors, and Students. And they would make a Royal Society, whereof the [Page 113]King himself is Master, who is our Peace-maker by office, and by a care equal to that, hath by Law provided, 1 Tim. 2.2. that under Him we may live a peaceable and quiet life in all godliness and honesty. He hath little sense of Honour, that will not enter himself a Student under that conduct. The very word for Study, [...], carries Honour with it.

And yet I can tell them of a higher School for it then this, and wherein Kings them­selves are content to be Students. Our Lord Christ, the great Mediator of our eternal peace with Heaven, would not be brought into the world without a Song of Peace on Earth, by Angels: S. Joh. 14.27. And when he left the World, bequeathed it as a Legacy after him, My peace I leave with you. And when he comes again to judge the world, we have reason to look that he will call us to a reckoning how we use his Legacy. And so he will too; for he is That Lord, Matth. 24. that when he came and found some smiting their fellow-servants, commanding them to be cut asunder, and have their portion with hypocrites: A punishment well sitted to the offence; there was a schism in the fault, and there shall be another schism in the punishment; they who sundred and [Page 114]divided from their Brethren, should them­selvs be cut asunder, and have their portion with hypocrites. But for the Peace-makers, when he comes, he will provide better com­pany, Matt. 5.9. for they shall be called the Children of God. Blessed are they then whom the Lord when he comes shall find at their studies of that Quiet, which gives them so fair a Title to Eter­nal Rest and Peace in Heaven with Christ, and all the Children of God.

A SERMON Preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, March 18. 1665/6.

THE whole Verse, whereof these words are a part, is an Exhorta­tion to the study of Two Les­sons; One for Quiet, the other for Business: That ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business.

Of the former, the last time I had the ho­nor to be called to this Service, we treated particularly; and it was a point well worthy our care and study. But the Lesson we are now to learn, seems not much to deserve or need it.

I have not (I confess) sought far for a Text, but took that which came next to hand. [Page 116]Nor doth the Text put you to seek far what you are to do; It is but your own business. In both respects it may be thought unfit for this Audience, which is not of that quality to be entertained with no better Provision than what comes next to hand; and especially, if that should prove plain and homely, as this is, To do our own business; and as it follows, To work with our own hands: This is but a kind of Mecha­nical Doctrine; and what should that do here in Court?

Not to leave my self and the Text under this prejudice; That I sought no farther for it, was not of easiness or neglect, but Choice; Because I found it not only in conjunction and company with the excellent Study of Quiet, to which any kind of retainer at large might deserve respect; but also, Because I saw it set by the Apostle, in a place of near and in­timate relation, a Principle and Foundation to it. The next way to be quiet abroad, is to be busie at home. And though it be but plain Do­ctrine, 'tis never the worse for that use; for Foundations are best, when plainest. It is noted as a cause why men make little proficiency in Arts and Sciences, that the Principles and Ele­ments are not so well studied as they should be. [Page 117]And the reason why they fall under that neg­lect, is, Because none of the great things which the Art it self promises, are seen in the Princi­ples at first. And therefore Quintilian, that the Schollars of his Art might not be discouraged with the meanness of his First Elements, tells them, that Latent Fundamenta, conspiciuntur aedifi­cia; there is little to be seen in the Foundation, that lies hid under ground; all the beauty and luster is in the Superstruction. This doing our own business, [...] is a practical prin­ciple, whereupon depends much of the busi­ness of our whole lives, and so hath the fate of other foundations, to be little seen and regard­ed; It lies low under ground, and we over­look it, as a thing not worthy any mans thought or care. But to give it the due, we must not look upon what it is in Sight, but what it is in vertue; a Principle and Foundation whereupon is built that, which is the desire of all good men, the publick peace and quiet of the Church and Kingdom. And then we may allow it to be good Doctrine which hath so good a Use. It is a good tree that brings forth good fruit.

But then you will say, It must be in season too. Now the wise man tells us, Eccles. 3.9. There is a time [Page 118]for war, as well as a time for peace. And can it then be seasonable again and again thus to im­portune the study of such things as make for peace, at a time when we are all, and have cause to be in preparation for war? Indeed if it were such a peace, as would weaken the hands of any in the pursuit of that Just, Ne­cessary and Royal Expedition, it were a most un­seasonable Solecism: But we must know, As there is a War that makes for Peace, so there is a Peace that makes for War. Unity among our selves, binds us close together; we are the stronger for it. Vis unita fortior; in divisions and discord, strength is distracted and scattered; Dum singuli pugnant, omnes vincuntur. Domestick Peace then, though it comes not out of the Artillery, is good Ammunition for War: And it falls in well too, with the express Letter and Doctrine of the Text, It is our own business. As it is the proper business of a King to protect His Subjects from the Insolencies and Injuries of proud insulting Neighbours; so it is the busi­ness of every good Subject too, to assist Him in it with their Lives and Fortunes. Whether therefore we seek for Peace at home, or have cause of War abroad, the duty of the Text is for us. We are doing our own business. But [Page 119]though it be a good Foundation to build on every way; yet, except the Lord build the house, their labour is but lost that build. Let us therefore before we go farther in the work, go to him for a blessing upon it, &c.

That ye study to do your own business.

I Take in the word (study,) being forc'd by the necessary construction of Grammar and Reason. For an object without an act, im­ports nothing: to do our own business, may be as well a fault, as a duty; but if study be taken in, the sense is certain and perfect, it is that wherein we shall do well to imploy our study. As we are to study to be quiet, so we are to study also to do our own business.

The words will bear two senses; as there are two sorts of offenders about business, nihil a­gentes, and aliud agentes, And in the words of the Apostle, [...], and [...], 2 Thes. 3.11. the idle that work not at all, and the busie-bodies; so we translate [...]: The Text will reach them both, for either it sets every one a­work, to find himself some business, or it re­strains and confines him to that which is his own.

The former against Idleness, is a good lesson, [Page 120]that, to awaken the lazy sluggard out of his dead sleep; for, they are, as S. Paul speaks of his idle wanton widows, 1 Tim. 5.6. dead while they live. There is no more life in an idle man, then in an Idol-god, that hath eyes and see not, ears and hear not; but the other sense seems to agree better with the scope of the place, and will afford work enough for this time; the Apostle seems to have observed some among them too much busied in matters that brought trouble and disquiet to themselves and others; for remedie whereof he enjoyns them to look to their own business.

But how their own? For it may be a fault, and a great one too, so to do our own busi­ness, as not to regard what becomes of others; that if our own turns be serv'd, and we get, no matter who loses. This is deservedly for­bidden by our Apostle himself to the Philippi­ans, chap. 2. ver. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. And in the 21. v. complains of it too, that every one seeks his own, and not the things which are Jesus Christs. But our own here, and our own there, are two different things: That which he blames there, is our own of interest; there may be too much of our own in that: but [Page 121]that which he commands here, is our own of duty and office. In this it must be so much our own, that it must be none but our own. Having reduced the words to their proper genuine sense, in this Lesson there will fall to be learned these particulars.

• 1. That, there is and ought to be a propriety in business; that to every one there belongs something that he may properly call his own.
• 2. The Obligation of Duty and Religion to confine himself to that which is his own.
• 3. The Operation it hath had in the World upon our Quiet or Disquiet.
• 4. From these is inferr'd a Necessity to Stu­dy it; That ye study to do your own business.

I First, That there is a Propriety in Business. This must be laid for a ground; all the rest else will fall to nothing. It will be no Religion to keep it; no Sin to break it; no need to Study it.

That which S, Paul spake of the Doctrine of the Gospel in general at Ephesus, A great door, and effectual was opened to him, 1 Cor. 16.9. and there were many Adversaries; is true also of this parti­cular Doctrine of Propriety, It is a door open to all wise and sober men; yet it hath many Adversaries.

There is a busie humour in the world, to lay all common; and it is grown to be a Sect of Religion; yea, more than one; as many as there are kinds of Propriety, so many Sects endeavour to fling down the Inclosures.

1 As first, There is a Propriety in Goods and Possessions; and against this, there rises a Sect of Levellers, who tell us from the Psalmist, The Heavens are the Lords; but the Earth hath he given to the Children of men: Psal. 115.16. That to which every man hath a Right by the Gift of God, the Pride and Covetousness of a few have en­gross'd, and made their own.

2 There is a Right and Propriety of Respect and Honour due to some above others. Against this arises another Sect of Levellers they call Quakers, who refuse to give Honour to whom Honour belongs: Though this looks like a Religion against good manners only, or were but some Quarrel with the Grammarians against proper Names; the Mischief of it lies deeper, and is of the spirit of Anabaptism, who oppose the very Powers and Dignities themselves, which they despise in their Titles; for they cannot be so foolish, though simple enough, as to make a Religion of Names only. These are dangerous Sects of Levellers [Page 123]both; but they lie not in our way. The Text toucheth only Levellers of Business, who think they are not to be barr'd the liberty of doing any thing that is good; bonum quo communius eo melius, and ought not to be impropriate to any. But that there is a Title and Propriety in some to business, wherein it is not permitted to every one to interpose, a necessity in Na­ture requires, The World is replenished with infinite variety of things, and a great deal of work is to be done to make them useful and serviceable to us. Now it is not possible for every one to do all, and hardly all, in any one thing, to gain the full use and benefit of it. But when the works are distributed severally to some, the benefit may redound to all.

All the business of the world resers either to a Spiritual End, the good of the soul; or to a Temporal and Civil, our well-being while we live here upon earth: And to both these Ends God hath appointed and assigned parti­cular persons; he did not leave them in com­mon. In the Temporal there is private busi­ness and publick. For private use, as in Fa­milies, there is the business of the Husband and Wife, the Parent and Children, the Ma­ster and Servants: And out of Families, for [Page 124]private use likewise, there is the business of Physicians and Advocates, Husbandmen, Merchants and Mariners, Mechanicks and Labourers; and all these are of private nature, though of common benefit. Then is there the publick business, by whith all these are or­dered and governed, 1 Pet. 2.13. and they are by S. Peter distinguished to our hands, as that of the King as Supreme, and of Governors sent by him; and they are Magistrates and Judges for Peace, Captains and Commanders for War, And besides these, there is the business of Ministers and Assistants to the Supreme Power, Coun­sellors, Lawyers, Officers and Servants; and all these are for that temporal end.

And for the Spiritual, whose business refers to the soul there is likewise a Propriety; as in Bishops to Ordain, Institute and Order the rest of the Clergy specially, and of the whole Dio­cess occasionally, as the necessity of it shall require. Then is there the business of the Presbyters, in the several parts of the Diocess, in a more particular and immediate Cure and Charge, to be directed by, and accountable to the Bishop. There be others Diaconal and Mi­nisterial to both. And all together, Temporal and Spiritual, as several Members, make one [Page 125]Body; and every Member, saith the Apostle, hath not the same office, Rom. 12.4. God di­vided his Gifts to every one severally as He will, 1 Cor. 12.11. he did not scatter them in com­mon, but divide them, and all hold in severalty.

And as that Severance and Propriety stands upon good Authority; so Authority was, no doubt, induc't upon reason of Profit and Interest. It conduceth more to the common good, than Community it self could.

1 First, It brings Order into the common business of the world, and that takes away confusion, which never did any thing well. To avoid fornication, 1 Cor. 7.2. let every man have his own wife. Upon the same Equity, to avoid the promiscuous lust and curiosity men have to mingle with any business, Let every man likewise have his own.

2 In reason all business will be best done too, by those to whom they are peculiar and proper. Artifici in sua arte credendum. Men are most trusted in their own Trades. We trust the Lawyer with our Estates, the Physician with our Bodies. I say nothing of our Souls; we are so wise at that work, as to trust none but our selves.

3 Yet thirdly, The nature and condition of [Page 126]the business it self, may require it: Some are so difficult, that every one cannot do, though he would; and some are so mean, that every one would not do though he could: and all are such, as through the mercy of God we need not do if we will, unless it be our own business.

We are now faln upon the Second Part, that as every one hath some business that is his own, so Duty and Religion obligeth him to take upon him no business but his own.

II THis Lesson will not be so easily learned, as the former: all confinement of it self seems uneasie. He that hath no mind to go a­broad, would not be tied to stay at home. And he that cares for no business, will take it ill to be barr'd any. But this consinement besides, nips the growth and encrease of good, where­of they think, more would be done if every one have free liberty to do it; and therefore it is just and reasonable to allow any one a con­current jurisdiction with others in any thing that is otherwise good, though that be to go­vern with the King, to pray and preach, or what they please, with the Priest. And they have as much of propriety as any can have to [Page 127]business; yet even to these, they think any man may make a sufficient title, that hath un­derstanding to know what is to be done, as well as any other, and affection to do it, perhaps more then others. And all have right and in­terest in the publick, especially that wherein Religion and the soul is concerned; how God may be best served, and wherein His glory may be most promoted. Will not all these make a Title good enough to any business?

The Glory of GOD, indeed, is a high and over-ruling Title; if we do not set it on our own heads, as the manner is, to make Gods glory serve our own. Otherwise that, and the rest are such things, as all men of wisdom or conscience should have regard to, in any business they undertake; provided yet it be their own. In that every one hath liberty to improve his understanding and knowledg for the best, as well for his own soul as the publick good: In that let the glory of God be the Star to guide him. But all these do not make the business ours; they are a good qualification in any for business, yet give no right or Title to it. Great knowledg and skill in the Laws will not set a man upon the Bench; nor of Divinity, in the Bishops Chair; nor will the dexterous [Page 128]glib-gifted tongue put a man into the Pulpit. There must be besides a Title and Commissi­on to make them ours.

But must all the obligations we have to the Publick good, and to Gods honour, stoop to Com­missions, Titles and proprieties, which are but the creatures and constitutions of men?

To this question, I answer in the words of Job, 13.7. Will you speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? It is deceitful talking, to plead for God against himself; for though it should be granted, that the sorting of several employ­ments and functions have something of man in them; yet the confirmation and approbation of God makes it his, and so divine: for as God hath founded a divine Moral law, upon the propriety of goods and possessions, Thou shalt not steal; yea, Thou shalt not covet that which is anothers; and yet it comes not to be anothers, but by humane Laws: So though different states of life and employments have somewhat in them by disposition of Law, or our own choice; yet upon them is also founded this moral duty, to keep within those bounds: For though men laid the Land-marks, yet God command­ed They should not be removed, Deut. 19.15.

It is a kind of Burglary to break into ano­ther [Page 129]mans business, as well as into another mans house: or if you will not allow it to be theft to have anothers business found with you, as it is to have anothers goods; it is as ill as theft in S. Peter's opinion. The Murtherer, the Thief, the Evil-doer, the Busie-body; there's a Messe of them, he puts them all alike together, 1 Pet. 4.15.

To shut up this point, If the glory of God, and the publick Good, and such like fair preten­ces, might let us loose upon one anothers bu­siness, it would quickly bring us round, where we were, to that confusion and disorder, for remedy whereof, the Apostle added this Les­son to the former. We shall never learn to be quiet well, unless we learn also to keep within our own business.

Yet I deny not, but that Discord and Dis­sention have other causes besides; for, of Pride cometh contention, saith Solomon, Prov. 13.10. And from covetousness, saith S. James, they desire, and have not, James 4.2. It is true of other Lusts, Wrath, Revenge, Envy, Slander, and Curio­sity too, break the peace too often, and had need be bound to their good behaviour all: Yet we may observe it, That none of all these do actually any great mischief that way, till [Page 130]they first bring it to this, till it draws us from our own station, and fling us upon some thing that is none of our own business.

III THE truth of this will more fully be seen in the Third Part, which comes next to be considered, The Operation it hath had in the world, by disturbing the Peace and Quiet of it. Meum and Tuum hath not fill'd it with more Suits and Contentions in our Goods and Pos­sessions, than it hath in the actions and business of our lives, What is our own, and what is not our own.

To arraign all that are guilty of breaking this Rule in several kinds, would ask a long process. We will therefore take notice only here of the attempts upon Government and Re­ligion, by those whose business it was not; be­cause the most and greatest tempests and storms in the Christian World, have blown from that Coast.

The Wars and Combustions over all Italy and Germany, in the time of the Emperor, HENRY the 4th, had their beginning from hence. Pope Hildebrand, GREG. vij. not content with that which his Charge and Office of Bishop allow'd him, began to mea­sure [Page 131]out to himself a Greatness equal to the City he serv'd in, which had been Domicilium Imperii; first brake in upon the Temporal Power, not heard of before in the Church, though then a Thousand years old: Where, for the better support of his Greatness, he en­deavoured to get into his Disposing, all Church-Promotions; and for that end, call'd a Council at Rome of a few Bishops for his pur­pose, and there Decreed all Patronages and Do­nations by Lay-men, Princes not excepted, to be void, and of no effect in Law. What could be expected from so Unjust a Decree, but vehe­ment Opposition, and a bloody Dispute? What troubles the same Patronage and Investi­ture of Bishops brought presently after into this Kingdom, our Stories are full of. But the an­gry Pope, when he saw he could not quietly enjoy the Rights of the Crown, falls fiercely upon the Crown it self, and would be Master of that too; and then he thought he should Rule to purpose for the Catholick Cause. And for an Essay of this bold Usurp'd Power, fairly Deposed the Emperor, and absolv'd his Subjects of their Obedience. This was certainly no Bishops business. He may bless the Corona­tion, not dispose of the Crown. He may pray [Page 132]for a Godly and Peaceable Government un­der it, not make a prey of it. To absolve Pe­nitents of their Sins, is a Bishops work; not of their Duties; that is not to remit their Sins, but to make them Sinners. Now what was likely to be the effect of all this, but that which hapned, Wars and Combustions over the whole Empire?

Though that Pope did not long out-live that Feite of his, yet his Successors and their Parasites have so ply'd the Cause ever since that time, some directly, some indirectly, that the fire is not yet extinguished. Now if the Pope met with some Princes that would not endure his Ranging thus in their Dominions, but thought it high time to quit his Miter, to secure their Crowns, he may thank himself for it. They may call it a Schism, if they please; but it is a Schism without a Sin. That word will hurt none so much as the Causers and Authors of it; For it is but reasonable and just, That if the Pope would not know his bu­siness, that Princes should know theirs. This is my First Instance, of the Troubles that by this means brake into the whole Church.

2 We need not go far from home for ano­ther. We were in a sad case not long since [Page 133]in this Kingdom by a Civil War. I meddle not with the fault, let that sleep under the Act of Oblivion. We may, I trust, without offence, enquire into the cause of it. What were they doing that gave us that disquiet? Look upon the Standard set up for the War; I mean, the most Execrable COVENANT, Quomodo legis? how read you there? was it not medling with business was none of their own? They Cove­nanted first to extirpate the Government of the Church established by Law, That Law, with hands lifted up to Heaven, they swore they would abolish. The Legislative Power we know in whom it is, to make or mend Laws; it was none of their business. In this they were cer­tainly too bold with the Kings Scepter. At the next turn they take hold of his Sword too, and engage themselves to a mutual Defence against all Opposition. This also was none of their bu­siness. For though a Self-defence may be allow'd as natural to all; it is against private, not pub­lick Opposition; and then too, as Divines generally resolve, Cum moderamine inculpatae Tu­telae; never to the hurt of others; that is, Every man may defend himself clypeo, but not every one gladio. The Sword is the Kings, and He that takes it from any hand but His, [Page 134]where God hath plac'd it, shall perish with the Sword. In this the Covenanters, as ill as they like Bishops, would be, in the Apostles phrase, [...], 1 Pet. 4.15. the worst sort of Bishops, that is, medlers in business was none of their own. The Worshippers of the Covenant have therefore been well dealt with, as the wor­shippers of the Golden Calf were by Moses, Exod. 32.20. As he made them drink that, so have they been made to eat this; though some of them be found of so foolishly distempered sto­macks, that they choose rather to part with that which is their own, than renounce a Busi­ness was none of their own. But the Cove­nant is past, and let it go. I wish for quiet sake, we may never hear of the like again.

3 This was transient: But there still remains a permanent and habitual Disturbance of our Peace, in the multitude and swarms of SECTS and Factions in Religion, to which it is natu­rally and inseparably inherent: An incurable mischief; like the Leprosie on the walls, that could not be cleansed, but by pulling down the House. From these we have felt already but too much, and have cause yet, to fear more.

But can we charge them with doing a bu­siness is none of their own? Can any thing be [Page 135]more properly our own business, than the care of our souls, and to serve God in the best manner that our understandings and Consciences shall direct us?

They are mistaken that think the Charge lies upon this issue, what every man may do for himself and his own salvation. He may without question do very much, for he may keep all Gods Commandments, if he can; and when he cannot, he may be truly contrite and penitent for breaking them; and then he may assuredly believe his sins shall be forgiven him by the merits and passion of our Lord Je­sus Christ. And again, He may serve and worship God with as much fervency and de­votion as he can and will; he may abound in Charity, Meekness, Humility, Patience and Temperance, and all other Christian vertues: And so long as ye thus follow that which is good, saith S. Peter, who will harm you? And I may say too, 1 Pet. 3.13. who can hinder you in all this? but if he makes himself a party in a Sect, if there be assembling together in companies, gather Congregations, incorporate in a Body, mo­dule Churches, give Laws of Doctrine and Worship, set up Teachers and Leaders of their own; to all this they have as little Right, as they have need. A man may go far, ye see, in [Page 136]Religion, without troubling any; and if then they fall into some Error or Misbelief in Reli­gion, they ought not to be severely handled; but when they betake themselves to a Sect, that alters the case, it will then be compassion mi­staken. A Locust alone is no such perilous beast to be fear'd or regarded by any; but when they come in shoals and swarms, and cover the face of the earth, they are a plague to the Countrey where they light. So to look upon a Sectary single, who out of simplicity and good meaning follows his Conscience, our hearts should be every whit as tender for them, as their Consciences are. But if we look upon them in Company, they are as ill and dan­gerous as the company they are found in; and the danger of all popular Meetings, and Asso­ciations to a State, makes it the proper business of a King and his Ministers to look to it, and to provide against it; wherein the care hath been taken, deserves a just commendation.

And yet when I assert and refer this busi­ness to the KING, I look to be call'd to an account for that; For they take the boldness by way of recrimination, to turn the Text upon, the King himself, That His Power is Civil, and Matters of the Church and Religion [Page 137]are Ecclesiastical, and so none of his business.

This is, I confess, too weighty a matter to be here thrust into the corner of a Sermon; yet it will be necessary to say so much as may somewhat lay that loud clamour against it: For the Papists and Presbyterians both, how ill soever they may agree in other matters, hunt in couples against the Kings Power and SU­PREMACY. But as we denie not all to others in their places; so we claim not all for the King. If I shall but only now set out His Part in matters of the Church, it will appear sufficiently, that he is Rectus in Curia, stands right in the Text, and takes not upon him business which is not his own.

We acknowledge the Civil and Ecclesiastical to be two distinct Powers; and though they may be both in one Person, and were origi­nally so; yet by the Divine, positive Laws both of Jews and Christians, they were so distin­guished, that though one person were capable of both, yet not without a lawful Title and In­vestiture to either. I cannot therefore think, That the King is an Ecclesiastical Person, who was never Ordained or Consecrated to be so. Therefore when some Learned in our Laws affirm, That the KING is Supreme Ordi­nary, [Page 138]and mixta persona, it must be understood in some other sense, and for some other pur­pose; for we do not find that he attempts the doing any thing that is the proper act of an Ecclesiastical Person.

Yes, they say, he claims by his Title of Supremacy, To govern all persons in all causes, as well Ecclesiastical as Civil.

We acknowledg this to be his just Title; but deny, that he doth any thing by it, which is not properly his own business, and in Right of his Crown. That he is the Fountain also of all Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, though it be not expresly in his Title, we acknowledge to be in his Power. But here I must crave leave to say something of the nature and notion of JURISDICTION, though it shall tast some­what of the race and harshness of the School; yet much of the Case depends upon it, and no little mistakes there are about it.

It is agreed generally, That there is in the Church a Power of Orders, and a Power of Jurisdiction distinct; that is, for the Power, though not distinct in the object and matter of that power; for that is the same in both: As, preaching Gods Word, administring the Sa­craments, or the Censures of the Church, are [Page 139]of the power of Orders. And the putting all, or any of these in execution, is by a power of Jurisdiction. The former, as Divines distinguish, is a power in habitu, the other in actu. So that Jurisdiction is nothing else, but a power to do actu­ally, what was potentially or habitually receiv'd in Orders.

I do not here take Jurisdiction in the strict vulgar sense, to be a power jus dicendi inter partes litigantes only, as the word imports; but more largely, as it reacheth to any act of Order, without which it cannot lawfully be put in execution.

Now the Question here will be, How a King can be the Fountain of the Ecclesiastical Juris­diction us'd in his Dominions, who neither givs Orders himself, not executes any; that is, hath neither power of Orders, nor Power of Jurisdiction?

My Answer to this Question, is, That the Kings Power lies without both these, and is that which gives Commission and Faculty to persons ordained to execute their Orders within his Dominions. And the Reason, Ground and Necessity of that is, Because the Ecclesiastical Function cannot be put in exe­cution, but by such ways and means as are ab­solutely and originally in the King, and in Right of his Crown. As first,

1 There must be some Subjects upon whom they may execute their Ecclesiastical Orders; now all the Subjects within his Dominions, are the Kings, who must of necessity lose so much of the Right he had in them, as any o­ther assumes without Him. From hence grows his Right to order and constitute Dio­cesses and Parishes, and to set them their bounds and limits; that is, upon which of his Sub­jects, and how far he will allow them respec­tively to execute their Orders; for without those bounds, it is not, nor is us'd to be taken for any part of their business.

2 To the publick exercise of Religion the peo­ple must meet together. And all assemblings of people together, are absolutely in the Power of Princes; all States in all times have ever been jealous of them, and provided severe Laws against them; for it is impossible, be the pre­tences of meeting never so fair, to govern peo­ple, and keep them quiet long, if they may have liberty to flock together at their pleasures.

3 When they are met together, there must be some to teach and instruct them. How dange­rous a thing it is promiscuously to suffer Ha­rangues and Orations to be made to the people by such who possibly may be Trumpets of [Page 141]Sedition; who by slandering the Govern­ment, and speaking evil of Dignities, may in­flame people to Rebellion? We have known such things done. It is therefore necessary, that none be allow'd that liberty to speak to Multitudes assembled together, but such with whom a King may safely trust his people. And this gives him a Right and Capacity of Patro­nage and Nomination to Ecclesiastical Charges?

4 Lest the Doctrine which they teach the people, should be such as would amuse them with Novelties, or occasion Alterations, and foment Divisions, or any way disturb the Peace of the Kingdom; it is just and reason­able that the King should confine them with­in the compass of certain Articles and Do­ctrines of Religion, which gives Him a Right to that, which in other respects, no doubt, be­longs to the care of the Church.

5 But besides the Articles of Peace, we find that the King in His Laws declares what is Heresie: That, if any thing, seems to be the pro­per work of the Ecclesiastical Power; yet even in that he is not out at his own Civil business. For seeing meer Ecclesiastical Censures are found not to be of sufficient force to suppress dangerous and Heretical Opinions, without [Page 142]the use of the temporal Sword: Out of the care the King hath of the Lives and Estates of His Subjects, he will not let His Sword loose to the will of others, who by declaring what they please to be Heresie, may bring them in peril; He therefore confines them to such cases only, wherein He is content His Sword should be made use of. This is all, and is that which must be allowed to be the proper business of the King to assign, how far, and in what cases His Temporal Power and Sword shall be employ'd, and can be no invading the Eccle­siastical.

6 But lastly, Is not this the same wrong and illusion we charge the Pope with, who in order to his Spiritual End, Usurps the Temporal Power; so the King in order to his Temporal Government, invades the Ecclesiastical?

No, the case is far different; If the Pope did order temporals by spiritual means only, i. e. Ecclesiastice, we had the less to say against him; he is not out of the way of a Bishops power, though he should abuse it. But he for his spiritual end, usurps temporal means, and takes upon him to dispose of temporal Estates, that is none of his business. But the King in ordering Ecclesiastical things to His temporal end, uses [Page 143] no Ecclesiastical means, but temporal only, which are his proper business, He doth not excommunicate the Pope out of the Church, as the Pope would do him out of his temporal Dominions. But the King, if he see cause, may banish him and his Emissaries out of his Kingdom. That cannot be deny'd to be the proper business of a King to secure and free his Kingdom from any thing that is destructive to it. Now if in all this the King moves not out of his own civil Sphere, to return to our Secta­ries, who put us upon this digression, they still remain as we left them, guilty of doing much that is none of their own business.

What then is to be done with them? Ac­cording to a late Statute, a Mittimus (I think) might be made to send them to prison; but the Apostle here deals more kindly with them, and sends them only to School to study better, which is my Fourth and last Point.

IV THat ye study to do your own business. I will take no more out of the word Study, then what any one understands to be in it; A serious weighing and considering of the matter; and there is need of it.

1 The first thing the Student is to do before [Page 144]he takes in hand any matter of importance, to set down and consider whether it be his own business, or no; what Title he can make to it. It is utterly a fault amongst us, to think that no part of our business, to consider whether it be our business or no. If a qualm comes o­ver the stomack, that we begin to grow Go­vernment-sick, or that the Ceremonies and Su­perstitions of the Church offend us, presently without further dispute, what ever comes of it, it is resolved we will have a better Govern­ment, and a more pure and reformed Church. That is commonly concluded, before this be disputed. No good Student will do so, con­clude without premises. We must see whe­ther it be our own business first, how we can derive a Title to it.

We know, that Government and Religion come both originally from God; to which none can have Right, but they to whom God hath set over, and entrusted the Care and Charge of either; Our part is to see by what mean Con­veyance it comes from them to us. If we have nothing to shew that either of them have been particularly committed to us, we may safely and certainly conclude, it is none of our business.

2 Every Student must observe a good me­thod in his study; whereof one Rule is, To proceed a manifestis ad obscuriora: Let him be­gin at that which is without question his own business. Hath he done all that belongs to his proper place and Function, which is certainly his own? Or hath he a Family at home to go­vern, that no doubt is his too? Are his Wife, and Children, and Servants well ordered, all as they should be? S. Paul gives a charge to Timothy, not to set a Bishop over the Church, who hath not governed his own Family well. Though some have not a Family without, yet every one hath a Family within, and a large one too: To rule his passions and inordinate desires only, ask a world of work, and they will find it so, when ever they set themselves upon it.

What a preposterous method and course is it to hunt eagerly after Liberty from some ima­ginary Pressure in Government, or some poor Ceremony in the Church, while in the mean time we are true slaves to some base, vile lust within us. Here we should begin to set our selves at liberty from our selves. And this the method of Charity requires, as well as the me­thod of Art. Charity begins always at home, at [Page 146]our own business. Tantumne ab re tua otii est tibi, was well said in the Comedy, Aliena ut Cures. True Charity will find no leisure for other's work, till her own be done. If this method were carefully observ'd, the world would be a great deal quieter then it is.

3 Study will be therefore needful in this case, because otherwise unconsidering men are apt to be carried away with the fair shew of Zeal and Religion in reforming others; they take it for a wrong from any that think not so of it: But by considering well, they will find they are disappointed of that hope; for whatsoever sets them on work, it cannot be true Religion, that is not contrary to it self. All Students know, that One truth is not repugnant to an­other; nor one vertue to another.

1 Religion doth not make men fools, to employ themselves in that whereof there comes no good. All we do in other mens business, runs wast. S. Paul, 2 Thess. 3.11. calls it idleness; [...], working not at all; but are busie-bodies; busie, and yet not work at all. He says the same of his Widows of pleasure, 1 Tim. 5.3. That they were [...] and [...], idle, and busie-bodies both. He thinks that not worthy to be call'd business, which is not our own.

2 And yet, Secondly, There is a worse mat­ter in it than idleness. It charges our account more than needs; and there is no Wisdom in that; for when the Conscience brings us in more work than either God or Man particu­larly requires, though it be not our own of Duty here, it will be our own in Account here­after: For the conscience of doing it, makes it ours howsoever; and so guilty both of it, and all the mischeif that comes by it.

3'Tis against Justice: That doth suum cuique tribuere. Justice lets every man enjoy his own. He that takes upon him another mans business, because he can do it better, (for that's the great pretence, to do that which is best) may as well take another mans Purse, because he will spend the money better. I think we will hardly allow of that Justice.

4'Tis against Hope, that Christian hope which supports us in all our Sufferings and Afflicti­ons. Whereof, when S. Peter, 1 Ep. 4. c. had for the consolation of his Countrey-men, scat­tered abroad, pour'd out a plentiful measure, v. 13.14. Rejoice, in as much ye are partakers of Christs sufferings, that when his glory shall be re­veal'd, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Ver. 14. If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ, happy are [Page 148]ye; for the Spirit of Glory, and of God resteth upon you. But presently in the very next words, ver. 15. he puts in an exception to busie-bo­dies; they have no part or share in that con­solation: Let none of you suffer as a Murtherer, or a Thief, or a Busie-body. They have as little right to the comfort in suffering, as they had to the business for which they suffer.

Lastly, As it disappoints them of the hope of that Mercy from God; so it casts them into the snare of the Devil. It was safe and wise Coun­sel the Apostle gives, Eph. 4.27. Not to give place to the Devil. He whose busie thoughts car­ries him abroad, to pry into, and meddle in others business, gives place to the Devil in the mean time to enter in, ransack and disorder all at home, where there is none to resist him: There is no better fence against the Devil, than this, si invenerit occupatos, if he finds us diligently employ'd at home in our own business.

If for all this, the medling Reformers of others would be thought the men of Religion, and of the first rate too; Let them know, That it is of such a Religion as hath neither Prudence in it, nor Charity, nor Justice, nor Hope, nor Safety. And when he hath weigh'd all these mischiefs that follow the breaking this Rule;

Let him in the next place, consider the be­nefit that comes by keeping it. At that I began, and with that I will conclude. This Lesson was set us of purpose by the Apostle to second and enforce the other of Peace and Quiet. The best way to be quiet with others, is to be busie with our selves. It is the natural and genuine effect of it. All discord and dissention must be between two, either persons or parties; and that which commonly kindles the fire, is envy, or some supposed injury; now he that intends his own business only, can give no occasion to others, of either envy or complaint; and so in recompence of keeping to his own business, he shall quietly sit under his own Vine, and under his own Fig tree; he shall have own for own.

Lastly, Besides this outward quiet with o­thers, it will produce another within us, the quiet and tranquillity of the Conscience, without which outward peace may prove to some but a quiet passage here, to eternal misery hereaf­ter. But this makes it a thorough quiet, both sides alike, within and without; for it layes those busie, unsatisfied thoughts within us, which otherwise gives trouble both to our selves and others: That when we see not, or [Page 150]think we see not all things so well carried in the Church and Government, as we could wish; yet having gone as far to mend it, as the line of our own business will reach, and the farthest end of that is, having peaceably mov'd for it, and heartily pray'd for it, we may with a safe and quiet Conscience, leave the rest to God, and those to whom he hath committed that Care and Charge, whose proper business it is. And as many as walk according to this Rule, Peace be on them, and Mercy from the God of Peace and Mercy; To whom be all honour, glory and praise, for ever. Amen.

A SERMON Preached Before His MAJESTY AT WHITE-HALL.

BEfore we look into the particulars of the Doctrine of this Text, we may from the Preface [Be not deceived] learn so much of the nature of it, that we are either in danger to be deceived, or in great danger if we should [Page 2]be deceived, or both. It will therefore be necessary, first to implore the aid and assi­stance of Gods grace, which is the best Guide to lead us through the intricate ways of Er­rour and Deceit, &c.

The Text it self seems not at first sight to answer the expectation which the Preface hath raised of Danger to us. It hath but one purpose, but that is carried upon two Propositions; One General, That whatso­ever a man sows, he shall reap. The other Par­ticular, of what shall be reaped, from the Flesh, or from the Spirit.

For the General, I must confess, it is a truth wherein few or none are deceived, not any Gardener or Plough-man, never so simple, that looks to reap what he hath not sown. God gave that vertue in the Creation to all living things to bring forth after their kind. And our Saviour himself made use of it to a higher purpose, we cannot gather Grapes of Thorns, nor Figgs of Thistles.

So far we may possibly digest this truth in the General, and fear not much to be de­ceived, but when we come to Particulars, where it touches our own flesh and spirit, though it be as true as the General, and must [Page 3]be so, being contained in it: yet because in this case it mixeth with our own Interest and Affection, what we wish may not be true, we are easily misled to think it so.

To this therefore, at least the Caution in the Preface is proper and necessary, though not in the General. For this reason I shall lay that aside, as less liable to fraud, and bestow our care at this time upon this to which the Apostle directs his, where we are in danger to be deceived; He that soweth to the flesh, &c.

And here our first care must be that we be not deceived in the meaning of the words; which look so like a Description of the Day of Judgment, that some Expositors have taken them for it, and to be the same with that 2 Cor. 5.10. We shall all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that every man may re­ceive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

I do not refuse this Exposition for any danger that might come by mistaking, for it would howsoever lead us to a point of great consequence, and not a little necessa­ry for these times in which our beloved Liberty hath rifled so far into the Mysteries [Page 4]of Religion, and digged so much about the Foundation, that the House is in danger; where, they say, all depends upon the re­port of others, who know as little as our selves whether there be a Heaven or Hell, or Day of Judgment or no. The detection of so dangerous a Deceit had been necessary, if the occasion had been as fit; I shall there­fore leave it to other Texts, which are more proper for it then this is, knowing well, that Truth receives not more preju­dice any way, then when it is set upon weak and uncertain Foundations.

1 Now the reason why I take not that sense in here, is because the words will not fairly bear it. If it had been sowing the sins and lusts of the flesh, whereupon the last Judg­ment shall be given, it had been clear for that; but the words are to the Flesh, and to the Spirit, [...], and so must have another meaning.

2 And as the Sowing, so the Reaping also dif­fers from that at the Day of Judgment; for he that sowes to the flesh shall reap corruption; and it will be hard to find Everlasting burn­ings in that word, which naturally signifies no more then privation of Life or Being. Now [Page 5]they that give themselves over all their lives to the lusts of the flesh without re­morse, would be content with this doom, and hear no quit all scores with Dying, if they might more of it.

What other sense then will the words more properly bear? To the flesh, and to the spirit, imply rather the soil wherein they are to sowe, then the seed, and are as two Fields in which God sets all men to work. Every one hath two Ploughs going, one to the flesh, and another to the spirit.

1 For the Flesh first, it must be taken ab­stractly from the sins of the flesh, though it be hard parting them, as the best of us know; yet we may consider them apart, and so we saw them in our Saviour, who took our flesh upon him, that is, our natural and ci­vil condition of life, he had all the infirmi­ties of the one except sin, and the burthens of the other; he was born under the Law, and paid obedience and tribute to the Ci­vil Power. This is that flesh which God hath given us as a stock to be imployed, but upon account. He hath not given us our natural lives to fling away at our pleasures, by disorders, distempers, or quarrels. Nor [Page 6]hath he put us here into the World into the societies of men, to live in want and con­tempt, but to improve our industry to the best advantage both to our selves and others; and may by that attain to some luster and splendor of riches, honour, and command, to which no oppression, or extortion, or any lucky sin hath advanced us, and that is, though we have brought no corruption into the flesh, yet we shall reap corruption from it. This is a Doctrine, which our dai­ly experience abundantly confirms, by the frequent turnings, changes and vicissitude of things.

But that our desires should be so un­changeably fixed upon things so mutable, must be some great delusion, or in the Apo­stles phrase in a like manifest case, a be­witching, not to trust our own eyes in what we see every day. But because though the World be full of Deceivers, we are still the greatest deceivers of our selves; let us take it upon the credit of others, and those the wisest Kings, Solomon, and his Father David, who may be the better trusted in this, for that neither of them were any great enemies to the flesh. Solomon, when he had [Page 7]run through all the glories, pleasures, and de­lights of the world, never any King drank deeper in that cup; yet he at last wearied, sate down to write a Book to teach others, that all was Vanity, and that is but another word to signifie Corruption. And David, as well of observation as experience, I my self have seen the ungodly in great power flourishing like a green Bay tree; I went by and lo he was gone, I sought him, and his place could no where be found, Psal. 37.36. And least we should think this the portion onely of the ungodly, Psal. 49.9. Wise men also die and perish together, as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for others: and it may be not that nei­ther; For riches (saith the Wise man Prov. 23.) make themselves wings and fly away from the owner. And at another time the Owner too makes himself wings and flies away from them. All things in the World are upon the Wing. And it is a strange deceit the Prophet observes ( vers. 11.) And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever. And to give themselves a kind of Immortality, they call them after their own names. But they are oft times deceived in that too; so far doth Corruption eat into all our designs. The [Page 8]lewd people will be the Gossips and name the Child in despite of the Father; and that little to his liking or honour. We are not sure to enjoy that poor vanity to leave a name behind us upon that which cost us so much care and expense. Lastly, How well soever he speeds here, and that the Glo­ry of his house be increased, yet this will be certain, ( vers. 17.) He shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, neither shall his pomp fol­low him.

I do not think by this, or any thing that can be said more, to make you our of love with the flesh, it is neither possible nor need­ful. I shall only for a conclusion of this first part beg in the Apostles name, that ye would not be deceived, as all are who give more for a thing then it is worth. To spend all our time and cost upon that which will be worth nothing; or as ill, no better then rottenness and corruption.

I make the more haste through this Field of the Flesh, that we may stay the longer in that of the Spirit, where our labour and til­lage will be to better purpose, for ye see the best that can be hoped for from the other, is but to flourish as a Flower of that Field, [Page 9]and that Psal. 103.19. as soon as the wind goeth over it is gone. Nullus flos nisi novus. Corru­ption bloweth upon the most florid condi­tion in it. But the growth and increase from the field of the Spirit is incorruptible, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us, 1 Pet. 1.4. for he that soweth, &c.

When we see so great a Harvest, and yet so few Labourers in the Field, some strange delusion there must be, wheresoever it lies; we must confess the Apostles caution here was no more then needs: Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For is it possible where so good wages are, so few should set themselves at work? unless they either mistrusted their pay, Eternal Life, and so mocked God that promised it; or mistook the sowing, and so deceived themselves. Both these would deserve to be well considered, but because they who have some diffidence of a life here­after to come, have not the confidence to say so; I have not so much spare time as to spend in proving that which they will be ready to say they do not deny. I shall there­fore now endeavor only to undeceive them, if it may be, in the vain pretences they make to it in the sowing.

And here, first it will be necessary, that whatever else deceives them, to see, that a misunderstanding of the words give no occasion to it, to know what this sowing to the Spirit is, and how it comes to make a Title to Everlasting Life, for there are no mean Competitors in the same Claim. For,

• 1 1. Christ is the Author of this life, For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive, 1 Cor. 15.4. And 2 Tim. 1.10. Our Lord Jesus Christ hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light.
• 2 2. Another Competitor with the Spirit, is the Gospel, that is the immortal seed of this life, Being born again by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever, 1 Pet. 1.23. It is the Power of God to Salvation.
• 3 3. Faith puts in to the same Claim, The Just shall live by Faith, Rom. 1.17. And 1 Tim. 1.16. St. Paul professeth that Jesus Christ had set forth him as a Pattern to all them who should hereafter believe on him to everlasting life.

Is there yet another way to Everlasting life by sowing to the Spirit? It is happy for us that there is any way to it, but yet we [Page 11]may be at a loss and confounded where there are so many.

To remove that fear, we must know, that all these are but several name of the same thing, though in divers appearances, and Phases, as the Astronomers word is, Christ, the Gospel, Faith, and the Spirit, do all relate to life everlasting.

Christ as the Author of it, provided all things necessary to it. The Gospel, as the Re­gister of all that is to be known or done to attain it. Faith is our submission and obe­dience to the Gospel. The Spirit is the pub­lisher and preacher of it, Ephes. 3.5. The my­steries of Christ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed un­to the Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit. And for this reason the Apostle expresly calls the Gospel the Spirit, Gal. 3.3. For whereas they having already embraced the Gospel, fell back to Circumcision and other rites of the Law, severely charges them with▪ folly; Are ye so foolish having begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? The Spirit is the Gospel, and the Law the Flesh: they are so called Heb. 9.10. Carnal Ordinances; and the reason why is intimated, because they were [Page 12]temporal, imposed upon them, until the time of Reformation and no longer; where­as the Gospel abideth for ever, 1 Pet. 1.23.

Thus we see that Christ, and Faith, and the Gospel, and the Spirit must all meet in the title to everlasting life; if we separate and divide them, we are certainly decei­ved; it is a fallacy à compositis ad divisa, di­viding those things which the Spirit hath joyned together. And by this we may trie and examine the sufficiency of their Pleas apart and divided.

1 First, For those that make their title to life from Christ alone, that they are Chri­stians at large, not to be tied up by any par­ticular rules of Faith or Obedience, that is to divide Christ from his Gospel against his own will, who promised to reward them that forsook any thing for his sake and the Gospel, he joins them both together, Mark 10.29. and will not own them for his friends that do not all that he commands them, John 15. and they shall find more Work-commandments in the Gospel then a fan­tastical name of Christianity. Whilest by this means they think to avoid Schism, they make one, for they are Schismaticks upon [Page 13]record, 1 Cor. 1.10. It is declared (saith Saint Paul) that there are divisions, the Greek word is Schisms among you; every one of you saith I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas, I am of Christ. Is that a Schism to be for Christ? Yes sure, it is dividing of him; for he adds, Is Christ divided? and how could that be, but from his Apostles, whom he had appointed to instruct them in the Gospel, and had made them as it were one person with himself, He that hears you hears me. And thus was Christ divided.

What could probably be the cause of this separation from them, but that they were not satisfied either with their Doctrine, or▪ severity of their Discipline, sought to shroud▪ themselves under the name of Christ, not out of a great respect to him and his Do­ctrine, which we may well presume could not differ, but because it was a more plausi­ble way to shift off their Authority, by ap­pealing from the Servants to the Master.

Much after this Copy do our Christians of the Latitude write. They believe in Christ without a Creed, they obey him without doing his Will; they worship him, no man knows how, but every man as he [Page 14]likes; and if he likes that better, not at all.

2 As these are deceived by dividing Christ from his Gospel, so secondly others by the same fallacie divide the Spirit from it. So fully was the Mystery of Christ made known in the Gospel by the Spirit, that St. John gives a charge, that if there come any that bring not that Doctrine, not to receive him, nor bid him God speed, 2 Joh. 10. This Doctrine serves not many mens purpose, they must have other Doctrines, and to credit them, other Spirits too. Every one will have a Fami­liar Spirit of his own to teach him.

But are we to look for no other Instru­ction from the Spirit, but what is already taught in the Gospel? that is to depose him of his Office from the time that the Gospel was first revealed, and leave him no work to do after. God forbid, there are many other excellent Offices of the Spirit besides Revelation; there is the Spirit of Sanctifica­tion, whereof we have continual need, to infuse all divine Graces and Vertues into us, to assist and strengthen us in all our infirmi­ties, to lead us out of temptations, troubles, and dangers, which every day surround us; yet not to reveal anew what we are to be­lieve [Page 15]or do, which is already done in the Go­spel. And yet the Spirit will help us in that too; For when any difficulty or contention arise about them, we may and must pray for the Spirits assistance, to clear our under­standings, by removing pride and prejudice that obscure it; to inflame us with a true love of truth, not to dictate and reveal, or whisper any thing which is not to be seen in the Gospel, as well by the eyes of others as our own.

But doth not the Spirit bear witness to our spi­rits that we are the children of God? This can be no other but a private Spirit. That this Text stand not in our way ( Rom. 8.16.) we must distinguish, not onely, as I have said already, the Spirit by the several operations of reveal­ing and sanctifying: So of the several kinds of bearing witness, which is either proper, by affirming or denying any thing expresly, or improperly, by proof and argument from the Nature and Incidents of the matter in question; as Acts 14.17. God left not himself without witness in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons. Rain and fruitful seasons affirm nothing of God, yet prove sufficiently his Godhead, Power, [Page 16]and Providence in governing the World.

Now the Spirit in both these senses doth bear witness to our spirits, that we are the chil­dren of God, without the help of private Re­velations. For if we speak of bearing wit­ness properly, the publick Spirit in the Gospel will effect that where it gives this testimony, That whosoever believes, re­pents, and amends his life, is the Child of God, when our spirits can experimentally assume that we are so qualified, then the Spirit in the Gospel beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. And if we speak of bearing witness in the o­ther sense, of proving by argument and reason, then the Spirit of Sanctification working a real change in us, a detestation of Sin, and a true love and practice of Vertue and Godliness, beareth witness to our Spi­rits that we are the children of God. Here is therefore no place in this Text for private Revelations, and I wish they had none a­mongst us; for under colour of them, every one will have a private Spirit, though of his own making. No Chymist can extract Na­tural Spirits out of any thing with more ease, then they can Divine; any vain Dream or [Page 17]Imagination, nay any wicked devilish sug­gestion shall be an impulse of Gods Spirit. It were happy for this Kingdom and Church if we could lay these Familiar Spirits; No Schism in the Church, no Mischief in the Commonwealth; no Rebellious Practice which was not carried on by the conduct and impulse of these Spirits. Thus by them they trouble the World, deceive simple men, and work despite to the Spirit of God.

3 There is yet another title made to Life-everlasting upon the same fallacie, by Faith divided from the Gospel.

Faith hath been an unhappy word of con­tention; but I shall onely take notice here of the insufficiency of the Plea of that Faith, which by those that invented it, is called, Fides specialis misericordiae, that no man is ju­stified, and by consequence, hath right to Life Everlasting, but he that believes by a spe­cial mercy to him in particular, his sins are forgiven; or which is all one, that he is ele­cted, for without that there is no remis­sion.

The Faith of the Gospel they think is too general, without life, and common to the [Page 18]Devils, who believe and tremble; they are Be­lievers and Quakers too, and yet are Devils. I cannot say how much of the Gospel they believe, but by their trembling, and their own confession to our Saviour, Art thou come to torment us before our time? that they belie­ved the Article of the last Judgment; that they shall be one day tormented for their sins. By the way, the Devils may shame them that have not learned so far in their Creed.

But notwithstanding this, we must not be so kind to the Devils, as to think they have the Faith of the Gospel, because that works by love; Circumcision availeth not any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love, Gal. 5.6. I think no man hath so much charity for the Devils, as to think they have any. There is no reason therefore why the Faith of the Gospel should suffer for their sakes. The word of Faith, saith St. Paul, Rom. 10.8. is that which we preach, and that was the Go­spel. Our particular election may be writ­ten in the Book of Life in Heaven, but it is no where to be found written in the Book of the Gospel. True Faith is that which we preach, saith the Apostle, but this Faith of [Page 19]Election no man can preach; for who can say and say truly of his own knowledge, that I, or you, or any man by name is elected. Now if this Faith cannot come by hearing, what will become of our Sermons? indeed, of any thing that can be called Religion or Sowing to the Spirit? for that leads us a way to Heaven through believing some myste­ries we understand not, through many a heavy and hard law of mortification and denying our selves; whereas this Faith cuts off all that, and may well go for sowing to the flesh. For first, in favour to this, it shrinks up all the duties of the Gospel into Faith; and then all Faith into one Article, and that not in the Creed neither: and something they pare from that too, it works not as an act which we may call ours, for that will prejudice Gods free Grace, but as a relation to Christ; and in the Logick Schools it is disputed, whether Relations have any real being or no. And thus all hangs upon a Pins point, and leaves not a Corn to be sown to the Spirit. We may therefore conclude that this, and the other Pretenders are all deceived, mistake the Field of the Spirit, which is the Gospel, and sowe quite be­side it.

It will be now time to enter into the Field it self, and see what work the Spirit there sets us to. It is a large Field, and rea­ches as far as the Gospel; indeed too large to be passed through at one time. But this as a great Country may be seen in a little Chart.

1 1. One of the works, and a chief design of the Spirit in the Gospel, is a godly, righteous, and vertuous life.

2 2. And a second is like to it, A right Faith in the Mystery of Christ and Salvation.

3 3. A third is a devout and reverent wor­ship of God in Prayers, Praises, and Con­fessions.

4 4. A fourth is a careful use of the auxilia­ries of Grace, Sacraments, Fastings, and other acts of Humiliation.

5 5. Fifthly, Then we have the adorning all these with comely and decent Ceremo­nies. This last though far from the Heart of Religion, is yet within the Body of it, as well as the rest.

One thing more I have not yet named, which seems at a farther distance from the great duties of the Gospel, and yet hath the advantage above the rest, that it is here ex­presly [Page 21]called, sowing to the Spirit; and what that is, we shall learn from the Verse prece­dent; where

6 6. The Apostle exhorts him that is taught in the Word, to communicate to him that teacheth in all good things. If there be any coherence in the discourse, any reason in the rational Particle [for] For he that soweth unto the Spirit. The communicating our Goods for the Gospel, is true sowing to the Spirit.

This duty therefore together with those already named, are all Sowing to the Spirit, and have a joint tendency to life everlasting. For the meaning is not that any of them apart make a full Title to it, but according to their quality and degree carry us their part in the way towards it.

It is therefore but a piece of fraud and Sophistry to discountenance one duty, by setting up a greater against it, as the man­ner is, that the main purpose of the Gospel looks another way. And so run down one duty with another, the less with the greater, as Great Persons do their Inferiors. This is not onely a Deceit, but plain mocking of God, who commands both, and a setting him against himself.

I note this Fallacy in common, that it be not made use of here on our particular, to mislead us from the due regard ought to be given to the maintenance of those that mi­nister in the Gospel; though it be not the accomplishment of the great duties, yet hath a remote influence upon all. Set it in as low a place in Gods House as you please, but for the Spirits sake, let it not be turned out of dores.

I single out this duty from the rest, that may deserve our care more, and need it less. It hath fewer friends to speak for it I con­fess, but the true reason why I do it, is be­cause it was the particular occasion of the Apostles delivering this doctrine; and in this I shall keep both a better measure with the Time, and with the Apostles intention, and it is a point too, wherein we are as much deceived as in any.

Our worldly Goods by nature and kind are Carnal, yet being sown to the Spirit, be­come spiritual, they are infranchised and in­corporate into the Family and Retinue of the Spirit, they alter their property, not by imprinting any real indelible character into them, as envy and ill-will objects, but gi­ving [Page 23]onely the respect that persons of low birth have, when they are adopted or affian­ced into a more noble Stock. When the Flesh serves the Spirit it is advanced above her condition, the Volatile nature of the Flesh is fixed by the Spirit, and helps to make up the title to everlasting life.

This is warrant enough for me to make a Suit, and reward enough for those that grant it: That for Gods sake and the Spi­rits, when the Church Revenue comes into your thoughts to cast an eye, if not of duty, of compassion upon such miserable places, where there is but too much necessity for it. I can speak of my own knowledge, that there are many hundreds of Parishes in this Kingdom, where there is not so much year­ly maintenance for serving the Cure, as one of your Foot-men stand you in.

If so great a scandal to Religion, and real obstruction to it, be in these indigent Times too heavy a burthen to be removed, and therefore unseasonable also to be moved. Though this be no time of sowing to the Spirit, it can be no season to pull up that which hath been already sown by the devotion of others.

'Tis strange that the Church mainte­nance should be thought to hang so loose, more then other mens Estates, as that any man, when the sullen humour takes him, can think to blow them away with a Mo­tion, Let the Church Lands be sold.

If they were held onely upon Frank al­moign, it is as firm a Tenure as any is in Law. But it is more strange, that they should think to mock and elude God, who once declared it to be a robbing of him also. When he charged the Jews for detaining Tithes and Offerings from the Priests of that Altar. What reason can be given that the Ministers of a better Covenant should have a worse title? There are not many Estates in the World besides which God himself owns; this bears the Image and Superscription of the Spirit. It must be a desperate boldness to break into his peculiar, to stir any thing that is sown in his Field.

And that it may not seem strange that Carnal things should be thus advanced to spirituals; for by a like conversion Spiri­tual things degenerate into Carnal. This likewise will be worth our observation.

Religion is out of doubt a Spiritual thing, [Page 25]yet if that spread and run into Schisms, it grows Carnal. For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal, 1 Cor. 3.4. So Rom. 16.17. They who cause divisions among you serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own Bellies; if any thing be flesh sure the Belly is.

If there be so much malignance and sowreness in Schisms and Divisions to turn Religion into Flesh, what shall we think of a Religion, in Design, that is made up all of Sects and Divisions? that must be all Flesh. I say no more, it is in private Design onely; as when St. Paul charged the Corinths with strife, and schism, it was but upon report onely. It is reported (saith he) by them of the house of Cloe, that there are contentions among you. So I say, onely, it is reported from a house of Cloe, how these Schisms shall be disposed of. A Church shall be contrived that will give room and Liberty to them all.

But if the Church must be new modelled for their sakes, they must new model the Rules of Wisdom and Government too; For by that it was ever thought necessary that the People should conform to the Laws of the Church; never that a Church should [Page 26]conform to the humours of the People.

This is so irregular a thing, that it will not be labour lost to take a little farther no­tice of it. And first that you may know it by name, it is to be called, a Comprehensive Church; a name, I must confess, not unfit for the purpose, though I think it might have been better called a Drag-net, that will fetch in all kind of Fish, good or bad, great or small, there will be room enough for Le­viathan to take his pastime therein. But how shall the Church be drawn out to such a bredth and latitude?

That will be no hard matter to do. It is but pulling down the Old Walls, the Con­fession of Doctrine, and Canons of Disci­pline. Lay all common, and then no doubt there will be room enough for all.

But will these prove so good company when they are in, for whose sake this should be done? Will they not rather give us cause to fear what the poor Trojans found, when they broke down the old Walls of their City to let in a Horse with a Comprehensive Belly, that carried armed enemies enough to ruine them and their City.

And least we should think this done for [Page 27]love of their company, they let us know they have no meaner inducement to it, then that which governs all the World, Gain and Profit, advancement of Trade, and increase of Money. This is plain dealing, they profess to sowe the Spirit to the Flesh. They will make a Church that shall make us rich. But can there be any blame or harm in this? Can we not be Religious and rich too? I will not dispute that, if we bring riches up to Religion. But I will dispute it, and de­ny it too, if we bring Religion down to Riches. Godliness may be Gain, but Gain will never be Godliness. Riches may be a good Nurse to cherish it, but an ill Mother to bring it forth, for whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh.

It is the greatest dishonour that can be to the Spirit to make it serve for Compost, onely to lay in the Field of the Flesh.

But these, you say, though carnal things, may be secondary ends, which do not make void the spiritual. Peace and Charity are the two Pillars whereon this Church is to be built, and they will serve to keep up the Spirit in it.

We cannot deny but that they are true [Page 28]spiritual things, but if both these Pillars should fail, there would nothing be left in the Church but Flesh.

1 For Peace and Union, that which feeds the hope of that, is taking down the Walls that divide them; that is, removing the Confessions and Canons, and all will natu­rally fall in together.

For answer to this, we must distinguish the quality of the persons for whom this room is to be made. And they are either such as will be content to leave their faults and errours behind them; and to those we shall do well to set our gates wide open, and need not pull down our Walls. Or they are such as bring their errours, animo­sities, and divided judgments along with them. And to pacifie these, the taking a­way the Walls will do no good, for they bring their Divisions with them into the Bowels of the Church, where the flame will be more fierce and dangerous, then when it burnt onely without. All the be­nefit can be hoped for by taking away the Confessions and Canons, is but to secure them from punishment, but leaves them free to all other causes of dissention, or ra­ther [Page 29]fortifies and animates them to pursue their differences with more violence. Impu­nity and Authority will not cool their zeal of advancing the Interest of their Sect; for it is not Toleration but Mastery they aim at. In the mean time our Sowing will be turned into Fighting, our Plough-shares into Swords; the field of the Spirit into a field of War, and thus we shall live in a perpetual storm. This is all the hope we have of Peace by it.

2 And for Charity, we shall find it hath as little to do here. It will be neither want of Charity to leave them out, nor a work of Charity to take them in.

1. It will be no want of Charity to leave them out, if by that we condemn them not. And condemn them we do not, if we keep St. Pauls rule. Schismaticks are without the Church, we judge not them; Those that are without the Church, God judgeth, 1 Cor. 5.13. They must stand or fall to God. And when we do refuse them, we do not con­demn them to Hell. All we say is, if they will not go to Heaven our way, they shall not go in our company; and in truth they cannot.

2. It is no work of Charity to take them in with all their faults. For though Cha­rity be a good natured Vertue, and covers a multitude of sins, but when they are not known abroad, but cherisheth none that are. I could never think it a breach of Charity to condemn Heresie or Schism, which are known sins, though it be against Charity to condemn any person of either, of whose guilt there may be doubt. Charity may sometimes absolve the Offender, but never the Offence. When the Offence is known to us, and the Fact avowed by them, they cannot be taken in for Charity sake, if we love our own quiet, and Charity begins at home.

Now if neither Peace nor Charity have any share in framing this New Church, I may for a Conclusion ask the question our Saviour did the Jews concerning John's Baptism, Is it from Heaven, or of men? or which is all one, is it from the Flesh or from the Spirit? If they shall say from the Flesh, all men will adjudge it to Cor­ruption; If they shall say from Hea­ven, or from the Spirit, I will ask them another question, Whether a Church with­out [Page 31]Walls can be of Gods making? His Church is a garden enclosed, Cant. 4.12. And when he planted a Vineyard, Esay 5.2. and that was his Church, he fenced it in. But when he saw it brought forth wild Grapes, then he threatens them with this Judgment, I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the Wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. Can it be wisdom to draw that upon our selves, which God would not inflict but in vengeance? To make the Field of the Spirit no better then the Field of the Sluggard? Prov. 24.31. I went by it, and lo it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face there­of, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Nothing can be liker then Schisms to Thorns, and Liberty from Laws to a broken Wall.

If I had kept my self to the proper work of the Preacher this day, which is Palm Sunday, I should have carried a Palm to the triumph of our Saviour entring into Jerusalem. But finding some so busie in strewing our way with THORNS, in stead of PALMS, I thought it fitter first to clear the way of them, to prepare it [Page 32]this day for a greater Triumph at Easter, over Sin, Death, and Hell.

I have no more to say, but to end as I began, Be not deceived, God is not mocked. That which is dearest to us, our own Cre­dit, that we be not men deceived; and that which ought to be Gods honour, that he be not mocked, are both engaged in the Truth of this Doctrine, that we do not rashly ad­venture to sowe what we would be loath to reap; and unwisely prefer that which will certainly and suddenly fade away, before that which will last for ever. He that sow­eth to the flesh, &c.