CONTENTS TO VOL. VI.

SERMONS.

SERMON CXVII.

THE PREJUDICES AGAINST CHRISTIANITY CONSIDERED.

And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.—Matt. xi. 6.

I HAVE from these words

See Sermon CXVI. Vol. V. p. 554.

I. Those prejudices and objections which the world had against our Saviour and his religion at their first appearance; as also to inquire into those which men at this day do more especially insist upon, against the Christian religion; and to shew the unreasonableness of them.

II. How happy a thing it is to escape and overcome the common prejudices which men have against religion.

I have entered upon the first of these; the prejudices which the world had against our Saviour and his religion. When this great teacher of mankind came from God, though he gave all imaginable testimony and evidence that he was sent from heaven, yet the greatest part of the world, both Jews and gentiles, were mightily offended at him, and deeply prejudiced against him and his doctrine; but not both upon the same account.

I have already given you an account of the chief exceptions which the Jews made against our Saviour and his doctrine, and have shewn the unreasonableness of them.

I proceed now to consider the principal of those exceptions, which the gentiles and heathen philosophers took at our Saviour and his doctrine. I shall mention these four:

First, That Christianity was a great innovation, and contrary to the received institutions of the world.

Secondly, They objected against the plainness and simplicity of the doctrine.

Thirdly, That it wanted demonstration.

Fourthly, That the low and suffering condition of our Saviour was unsuitable to one that pretended to be the Son of God, and to be appointed by him for a teacher and reformer of the world. These are the chief exceptions which the heathen, and especially their philosophers, took at our Saviour and his doctrine.

First, That the Christian religion was a great innovation, and contrary to the received institutions of the world; and consequently that it did condemn the religion which had been so universally received and established in the world by so long a continuance of time. And no wonder if this made a great impression upon them, and raised a mighty prejudice in the minds of men against the Christian religion; no prejudices being so strong as those that are fixed in the minds of men by education: and of all the prejudices of education, none so violent and hard to be removed, as those about religion; yea, though they be never so groundless and unreasonable. “Hath a nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods?” Intimating to us, that men are very hardly brought off from that religion which they have been brought up in, how absurd soever it be. When Christianity was first propounded to the heathen world, had men been free and indifferent, and not prepossessed with other apprehensions of God and religion, it might then have been expected from them, that they should have entertained it with a readiness of mind proportion able to the reasonableness of it. But the case was quite otherwise; the world had for many ages been brought up to another way of worship, and inured to rites and superstitions of a quite different nature. And this sways very much with men; Sequimur majores nostros, qui feliciter sequuti sunt suos; as one of the heathens said in those clays; “We follow our ancestors, who happily followed theirs.” Men are hardly brought to condemn those opinions and customs in religion, which themselves and their forefathers have always embraced and followed. And wise men especially are loath to admit so great a change in a matter of so great concernment as religion is. So that this must be acknowledged to have been a considerable prejudice against the Christian religion at its first appearance. But yet, upon a thorough examination, this will not be found sufficient in reason to withhold men from embracing Christianity, if we consider these four things:

1. No prudent person thinks that the example and custom of his forefathers obligeth him to that which is evil in itself, and pernicious to him that does it; and there is no evil, no danger, equal to that of a false religion; for that tends to the ruin of men’s souls, and their undoing for ever. A man might better allege the example of his forefathers to justify his errors and follies in any other kind than in this, which is so infinitely pernicious in the consequences of it.

2. In a great corruption and degeneracy, it is no sufficient reason against a reformation, that it makes a change. When things are amiss, it is always fit to amend and reform them; and this cannot be done without a change. The wisest among the heathens did acknowledge that their religion was mixed with very great follies and superstitions, and that the lives and manners of men were extremely corrupt and degenerate; and they endeavoured, as much as they could, and durst, to reform these things. And therefore there was no reason to oppose an effectual reformation, for fear of a change; a change of things for the better, though it be usually hard to be effected, being always a thing to be desired and wished for.

3. The change which Christianity designed, was the least liable to exception that could be, being nothing else, in the main of it, but the reducing of natural religion, the bringing of men back to such apprehensions of God, and such a way of worshipping him, as was most suitable to the Divine nature, and to the natural notions of men’s minds; nothing else but a design to persuade men of the one true God, maker of the world, that he is a Spirit, and to be worshipped in such a manner as is suitable to his spiritual nature. And then, for matters of practice, to bring men to the obedience of those precepts of temperance, and justice, and charity, which had been universally acknowledged, even by the heathens themselves, to be the great duties which men owe to themselves and others. And that this is the main design of the Christian religion, the apostle hath told us in most plain express words: (Tit. ii. 11, 12.) “The grace of God (that is, the doctrine of the gospel) which hath appeared to all men, and brings salvation, teacheth us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

And all that the Christian religion adds beyond this, are means and helps for our direction, and assistance, and encouragement in the discharge and performance of these duties. For our direction, God hath sent his Son in our nature, to declare his will to us, and to be a pattern and example of holiness and virtue. For our assistance, he hath promised the aids of his Holy Spirit; and for our encouragement, he offers to us pardon of sin in the blood of his Son, and eternal life and happiness in another world. This is a short sum and abridgment of the Christian religion, and there is nothing of all this that can reasonably be excepted against.

4. God, considering the prejudice of the heathen against Christianity, by reason of their education in a contrary religion, was strong and violent, was pleased to give such evidence of the truth of Christianity, as was of proportionable strength and force to remove and conquer this prejudice. He was pleased to give testimony to the first founder of this religion, by mighty miracles, and particularly by his resurrection from the dead; but because the report of these things was only brought to the heathen world, and they had not seen these things themselves; therefore, he enabled those who were the witnesses of these things to the world, to work as great miracles as he had done. And when they saw those who gave testimony to our Saviour’s miracles, do as great and strange things themselves, as they testified of him, there was no reason any longer to doubt of the truth of their testimony. So that though the prejudice of the heathen against Christianity was very great, yet the evidence which God gave to it was strong enough to remove it. The doctrine of Christianity was such as might have recommended itself to impartial men, by its own reasonableness: but meeting with violent prejudices in those to whom it was offered, God was pleased to give such a confirmation to it as was sufficient to bear down those prejudices.

Secondly, Another objection against Christianity was the plainness and simplicity of the doctrine. They expected some deep speculations in natural or moral philosophy; they made full account, a teacher sent from heaven would have instructed them in the profoundest points, and discoursed to them about the first principles of things, and the nature of the soul, and the chief end of man, with a subtilty and eloquence infinitely beyond that of their greatest sophisters, and able to bear down all opposition and contradiction: but, instead of this, they are told a plain story of the life and miracles of Jesus Christ, and of his dying upon the cross, and rising from the dead, and ascending into heaven; and a few plain precepts of life; and all this delivered without any ornaments of art, or insinuation of eloquence, to gain the favour and applause of those to whom they related these things.

But now this, truly considered, is so far from being any real objection against the Christian doctrine, that it is one of the greatest commendations that can be given of it: for matter of fact ought to be related in the most plain and simple and unaffected manner; and the less art and eloquence is used in the telling of a story, the more likely it is to gain belief. And as for our Saviour’s precepts, how plain soever they might be, I am sure they are a collection of the most excellent and reasonable rules of a good life, and the freest from all vanity and folly, that are to be met with in any book in the world. And can any thing be more worthy of God, and more likely to proceed from him, than so plain and useful a doctrine as this? The language of the law is not wont to be line and persuasive, but short, and plain, and full of authority. Thus it is among men: and surely it is much fitter for God to speak thus to men, than for men to one another.

Thirdly, It is objected, that the doctrine of our Saviour and his apostles wanted demonstration; they seemed to impose too much upon the understandings of men, and to deliver things too magisterially, not demonstrating things from intrinsical arguments, but requiring belief and assent without proof.

This the apostle St. Paul readily acknowledged, that, in preaching the gospel to the world, they did not proceed in the way of the heathen orators and philosophers. (1 Cor. ii. 4.) “My speech and my preaching was not in the enticing words of man’s wisdom: but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power;” that is, they did not go in the way of human eloquence and demonstration; but yet their doctrine did not want its evidence and demonstration, though of another kind. They did not go about to bewitch men by eloquence, nor to entangle their minds by subtle reasonings, the force of which very few are capable of: but they offered to men a sensible proof find demonstration of the truth of what they delivered, in those strange and miraculous operations, to which they were enabled by the Holy Ghost. And this was a sensible evidence, even to the meanest capacity, of a Divine assistance going along with them, and giving testimony to them. I appeal to any man, whether the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and his ascending into heaven, be not a clearer demonstration of another life after this, and more level to the capacities of all mankind, than the finest and subtilest arguments that can be drawn from the immaterial nature of the soul, its power of reflection upon itself, and independency upon the body as to some of its operations; which yet are some of the chiefest arguments that philosophy affords to prove the immortality of our souls.

Fourthly, The heathens objected, that the low and mean condition of our Saviour was unsuitable to one that pretended to be the Son of God, and to be appointed by God to be a teacher and reformer of the world. This, to the heathen philosophers, did not only appear unreasonable, but even ridiculous. So St. Paul tells us: (1 Cor. i. 23.) “We preach Christ crucified; to the Jews a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness:” to think that a man who appeared in such mean circumstances should be fit to reform the world; and one, who himself was put to death, should be relied upon for life and immortality.

This objection I have heretofore considered at large, and therefore shall now speak but very briefly to it.

Besides those excellent reasons and ends which the Scripture assigns of our Saviour’s humiliation: as, that he might be a teacher and example to us; that he might make expiation for our sins; that by suffering himself he might learn to commiserate us; that “by death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and might deliver those who, through fear of death, were all their lives subject to bondage;” I say, besides these, it was of great use that he should live in so mean and afflicted a condition, to confront the pride, and vanity, and fantastry of the world, and to convince men of these two great truths—that God may love those whom he afflicts; and, that men may be innocent, and virtuous, and contented in the midst of poverty, and reproach, and suffering. Had our blessed Saviour been a great temporal prince, his influence and example might possibly have made more hypocrites and servile converts; but would not have persuaded men one jot more to be inwardly good and virtuous. The great arguments which must do that, must be fetched, not from the pomp and prosperity of this world, but from the eternal happiness and misery of the other. Besides, had he appeared in any great power and splendour, the Christian religion could not have been so clearly acquitted from the suspicion of a worldly interest and design, which would have been a far greater objection against it, than this which I am now speaking to.

Add to all this, that the wisest of the heathen philosophers did teach, that worldly greatness and power are not to be admired, but despised by a truly wise man; that men may be virtuous, and good, and dearly beloved of God, and yet be liable to great miseries and sufferings; and that whoever suffers unjustly, and bears it patiently, gives the greatest testimony to goodness, and does most effectually recommend virtue to the world; that a good man under the hardest circumstances of misery, and reproach, and suffering, is the fittest person of all other to be the minister, and apostle, and preacher of God to mankind; and surely they who say such things (which the heathens have done) had no reason to object to our blessed Saviour, his low and suffering condition.

As to that part of the objection, that he, who promised immortality to others, could not save himself from death and suffering: considering that he, who was put to death, rescued himself from the power of the grave; it is so far from being ridiculous, that no thing can be more reasonable, than to rely upon him for our hopes of immortality, who, by rising from the grave, and conquering death, gave a plain demonstration that he was able to make good what he promised.

I have done with the exceptions which were made against our Saviour and his doctrine at their first appearance in the world. I proceed, in the

Second place, To consider the prejudices and objections which men at this day do more especially insist upon, against our Saviour and his religion; and they are many.

First, Some that relate to the incarnation of our Saviour.

Secondly, To the time of his appearance.

Thirdly, That we have not now sufficient evidence of the truth of Christianity; the main arguments for it relying upon matters of fact, of which, at this distance, we have not, nor can be expected to have, sufficient assurance.

Fourthly, That the terms of it seem very hard, and to lay too great restraints upon human nature.

Fifthly, That it is apt to dispirit men, and to break the vigour and courage of their minds.

SERMON CXVIII.

THE PREJUDICES AGAINST JESUS AND HIS RELIGION CONSIDERED.

And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.—Matt. xi. 6.

FROM these words I proposed to consider these two things:

I. The prejudices and objections which the world at first had, and many still have, against our blessed Saviour and his religion.

II. That it is a great happiness to escape the common prejudices which men are apt to entertain against religion.

I have considered those objections which the Jews and heathen philosophers made against our Saviour and his religion: and,

II. Those which, at this day, are insisted upon by the secret and open enemies of our religion. And I mentioned seven, the two last of which I shall now speak to.

Sixthly, It is objected, that there are many divisions and factions among Christians. This I confess is a great reproach and scandal to our religion; but no sufficient argument against it. And,

1. To lessen and abate the force of this objection, it is to be considered, that a very great part of the divisions, that are among those that are called Christians, are about things that do not concern the essentials of Christianity; and therefore they are no argument that Christianity is not true, because they bring no suspicion of doubt and uncertainty upon the fundamentals of Christianity, which all agree in, though they differ in other things. It is true, indeed, they are very indecent, and contrary to the nature and precepts of the Christian religion; which, above any religion in the world, does strictly require love and unity. They take off much from the strength and beauty of our religion: but do by no means destroy the truth of it.

2. How many and great soever they may be, yet they can with no colour of reason be imputed to the Christian religion, as giving any cause or encouragement to them, however by accident it may be the occasion of them. For no man doubts but that the best thing in the world may be perverted by bad men, and made an occasion of a great deal of mischief in the world, and yet be very innocent of all that mischief. No man can deny but that Christianity does strictly enjoin love, and peace, and unity, among all the members of that profession; and so far as Christians are factious and unpeaceable, so far they are no Christians. So that a man may as well except against philosophy, because of the differences that were among the philosophers, and say there was no truth among them, because they were not all agreed in all things, as call the truth of Christianity in question, for the differences that are among Christians. Nay, a man might every whit as well except against laws and government; because, not withstanding them, there are frequent seditions, and rebellions, infinite suits, and controversies, occasioned even by the very laws: but no man was ever so unreasonable as to think this a good reason against laws and government.

SERMON CXIX.

JESUS THE SON OF GOD, PROVED BY HIS RESURRECTION.

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.—Rom. i. 4.

ST. Paul, in the beginning of this Epistle (according to his custom in the rest) styles himself an apostle, particularly called and set apart by God for the preaching of the gospel; the main subject whereof was “Jesus Christ our Lord,” who, as he was, according to his Divine nature, “the eternal Son of God;” so, according to his human nature, he was not only the Son of man, but also the Son of God. “According to the flesh (that is, the weakness, and frailty, and mortality of his human nature) he was the Son of David;” that is, of his posterity by his mother, who was of that house and line. “Made of the seed of David, according to the flesh,” (ver. 3.) But “according to the Spirit of holiness” (that is, in regard of that Divine power of the Holy Ghost, which was manifest in him, especially in his resurrection from the dead) he was demonstrated to be the Son of God; even according to his human nature; “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

All the difficulty in the words is concerning the meaning of this phrase; of Christ’s being “declared to be the Son of God.” The word is which most frequently in Scripture does signify, predestinated, decreed, determined; but likewise signifies, that which is defined, declared, demonstrated, put out of all doubt and controversy: and in this sense our translation renders it. As if the apostle had said, that our Lord Jesus Christ, though, according to the frailty and weakness of his human nature, he was of the seed of David; yet, in respect of that Divine power of the Holy Ghost, which manifested itself in him, especially in his resurrection from the dead, he was “declared to be the Son of God, with power;” that is, mightily, powerfully demonstrated to be so; so as to put the matter out of all dispute and controversy.

And, therefore, following our own translation, I shall handle the words in this sense, as containing this proposition in them;—that the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, by the Holy Ghost, is a powerful demonstration that he was the Son of God.

And it will conduce very much to the clearing of this proposition to consider these two things:

First, Upon what account Christ, as man, is said to be “the Son of God.

Secondly, In what sense he is said to be “declared to be the Son of God” by his resurrection from the dead. The consideration of these two particulars will fully clear this proposition, and the apostle’s meaning in it.

First, Upon what account Christ, as a man, is said to be “the Son of God.” And for our right apprehension of this matter, it is very well worthy our observation, that Christ, as man, is no wherein Scripture said to be “the Son of God,” but with relation to the Divine power of the Holy Ghost, some way or other eminently manifested in him; I say the Divine power of the Holy Ghost, as the Lord and Giver of life, as he is called in the ancient creeds of the Christian church. For as men are naturally said to be the children of those from whom they receive their life and being; so Christ, as man, is said to be the Son of God, because he had life communicated to him from the Father, by an immediate power of the Spirit of God, or the Holy Ghost. First, at his conception, which was by the Holy Ghost: the conception of our blessed Saviour was an immediate act of the power of the Holy Ghost, overshadowing, as the Scripture expresses it, the blessed mother of our Lord: and then at his resurrection, when, after his death, he was, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, raised to life again.

Now, upon these two accounts only, Christ, as man, is said in Scripture to be “the Son of God.” He was really so upon account of his conception; but this was secret and invisible; but most eminently and remarkably so, upon account of his resurrection, which was open and visible to all.

1. Upon account of his conception by the power of the Holy Ghost. That, upon this account, he was called the Son of God, St. Luke most expressly tells us, (Luke i. 35.) where the angel tells the Virgin Mary, that the Holy Ghost should come upon her, and the power of the Highest should overshadow her, and therefore that holy thing, which should be born of her, should be called the Son of God. And this our Saviour means, by the Father’s sanctifying him, and sending him into the world; for which reason, he says, he might justly call himself the Son of God: (John x. 35, 36.) “If ye called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken: say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?” If there had been no other reason, this had been sufficient to have given him the title of the Son of God, that he was brought into the world by the sanctification, or Divine power, of the Holy Ghost.

2. Christ is also said in Scripture to be the Son of God, and to be declared to be so, upon account of his resurrection from the dead, by the power of the Holy Ghost. His resurrection from the dead is here in the text ascribed to the Spirit of holiness, or the Holy Ghost. And so in other places of Scripture: (Rom. viii. 11.) “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you:” and, (1 Pet. iii. 18.) “Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit; that is, he suffered in that frail mortal nature which he assumed, but was raised again by the power of the Holy Ghost, of the Spirit of God which resided in him. And upon this account he is expressly said, in Scripture, to be the Son of God. (Psal. ii. 7.) “I will declare the decree; the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee:” to which, perhaps, the apostle alludes here in the text, when he says, that “Christ was decreed to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead.” To be sure, these words, “this day have I begotten thee,” St. Paul expressly tells us were accomplished in the resurrection of Christ; as if God, by raising him from the dead, had begotten him, and decreed him to be his Son. (Acts xiii. 32, 33.) “And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”

He was the Son of God before, as he was conceived by the Holy Ghost; but this was secret and invisible, and known only to the mother of our Lord: and therefore God thought fit to give a public and visible demonstration of it, so as to put the matter out of all question; he declared him in a powerful manner to be his Son, by giving him a new life after death, by raising him from the dead; and by this new and eminent testimony given to him, declared him again to be his Son, and confirmed the title which was given him before, upon a true but more secret account, of his being conceived by the Holy Ghost.

And as our Saviour is said to be the Son of God upon this twofold account, of his conception by the Holy Ghost, and his resurrection to life by the Spirit of God; so the Scripture (which does solicitously pursue a resemblance and conformity between Christ and Christians) does likewise, upon a twofold account (answerable to our Saviour’s birth and resurrection), call true believers and Christians the children of God; viz. upon account of their regeneration, or new birth, by the operation of the Spirit of God; and upon account of their resurrection to eternal life, by the power of the same Spirit.

Upon account of our regeneration, and becoming Christians by the power and operation of the Holy Spirit of God upon our minds, we are said to be the children of God, as being regenerated and born again by the Holy Spirit of God: and this is our first adoption: and for this reason the Spirit of God conferred upon Christians at their baptism, and dwelling and residing in (hem afterwards, is called the Spirit of adoption; (Rom. viii. 15.) “Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby you cry, Abba, Father;” and (Gal. iv. 5, 6.) believers are said to “receive the adoption of sons; God having sent forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father;” that is, all Christians, forasmuch as they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, and having the Spirit of God dwelling in them, may with confidence call God Father, and look upon themselves as his children. So the apostle tells us, (Rom. viii. 14.) “That as many as are led (or acted) by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God.”

But though we are said to be children of God upon account of our regeneration, and the Holy Spirit of God dwelling and residing in Christians; yet we are eminently so, upon account of our resurrection to eternal life, by the mighty power of God’s Spirit. This is our final adoption and the consummation of it; and therefore, (Rom. viii. 21.) this is called “the glorious liberty of the sons of God,” because by this we are for ever “delivered from the bondage of corruption;” and by way of eminency, the adoption; viz. the redemption of our bodies.

We are indeed the sons of God before, upon account of the regenerating and sanctifying virtue of the Holy Ghost; but finally, and chiefly, upon account of our resurrection by the power of the Divine Spirit. So St. John tells us, that then we shall be declared to be the sons of God, after another manner than we are now: (1 John iii. 1.) “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” “Now we are the sons of God (that is, our adoption is begun in our regeneration and sanctification), but it doth not yet appear what we shall be;” we shall be much more eminently so at the resurrection. “We know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.”

But the most express and remarkable text to this purpose, is Luke xx. 35, 36. where good men, after the resurrection, are for this reason said to be the children of God, because they are the children of the resurrection. “But they who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more; for they are equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” For this reason they are said to be the children of God, because they are raised by him to a new life; and to be made partakers of that which is promised to them, and reserved for them. For all that are raised by the power of God out of the dust of the earth, are not therefore the children of God; but only they that have part in the blessed resurrection to eternal life, and do inherit the kingdom prepared for them. Not those who are raised to a perpetual death, and the resurrection of condemnation. These are not the children of God; but the children of wrath, and the children of perdition.

But the resurrection of the just, is the full and final declaration, that we are the children of God; not only because we are restored to a new life, but because, at the resurrection, we are admitted to the full possession of that blessed inheritance which is purchased for us, and promised to us.

And the Spirit of God, which is conferred upon believers in their regeneration, and afterwards dwells and resides in them, is the pledge and earnest of our final adoption, by our resurrection to eternal life; and upon this account and no other, is said to he the earnest of our future inheritance, and the seal and confirmation of it. (Eph. i. 13.) “In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession;” that is, the Holy Spirit of God, which Christians were made partakers of, upon their sincere belief of the Christian religion, is the seal and earnest of our resurrection to eternal life; as the apostle plainly tells us, in that remarkable text, (Rom. viii. 11.) “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

I have been the longer upon this, because it serves fully to explain to us those obscure phrases, of the seal and earnest, and first fruits of the Spirit, which many have mistaken to import some particular and spiritual revelation or impression, upon the minds of good men, assuring them of their salvation. Where as the apostle intended no more by them, but that the Spirit of God, which dwells in believers, enabling them “to mortify the deeds of the flesh, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit,” is a pledge and earnest to us of a blessed resurrection to eternal life by the power of the Spirit of God, which now dwells in ns, and is the same Spirit which raised up Jesus from the dead. And in this chapter, the Spirit of God is said (ver. 16.) to “bear witness to our spirits,” that is, to assure our minds, “that we are the children of God;” that is, that we are his children now, and consequently heirs of a glorious resurrection to eternal life: for so it follows in the next words, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.” And this being glorified together with Christ at the resurrection, he calls, (ver. 19.) “the manifestation of the sons of God.” Thus you see how, in conformity to the Son of God, our elder brother, we are said to be the sons of God, because we are now regenerated, and shall, at the last day, be raised up to eternal life, by the power of the Spirit of God. I proceed to the

Second thing I propounded to speak to, for the clearing 1 of these words; namely, In what sense Christ is to be “declared, or demonstrated, to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” By which the apostle means these two things:

1. That by his resurrection from the dead he was approved by God to be the true Messias, and vindicated to the world from all suspicion of being a deceiver and impostor. And consequently, in the

2. Second place, That hereby God gave testimony to the truth and divinity of his doctrine.

1. By his resurrection from the dead, he was approved by God to be the true Messias, foretold by the prophets, and expected at that time by the Jews, and sufficiently vindicated to the world to be no deceiver and impostor.

And for our fuller understanding of this, we are to consider these two things:

(I.) What the apprehensions and expectations of the Jews were concerning the Messias. And,

(2.) What the many crimes were which they laid to our Saviour’s charge, and for which they condemned him.

SERMON CXX.

THE DANGER OF APOSTACY FROM CHRISTIANITY.

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance: seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.—Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6.

THESE words are full of difficulties, and the misunderstanding of them hath not only been an occasion of a great deal of trouble, and even despair, to particular persons, but one of the chief reasons why the church of Rome did for a long time reject the authority of this book; which, by the way, I cannot but take notice of, as a demonstrative in stance both of the fallible judgment of that church, and of the fallibility of oral tradition; for St. Jerome more than once expressly tells us, “that in his time (which was about four hundred years after Christ) the church of Rome did not receive this Epistle for canonical:” but it is plain, that since that time, whether moved by the evidence of the thing, or (which is more probable) by the consent and authority of other churches, they have received it, and do at this day acknowledge it for canonical; from whence one of these two things will necessarily follow; either that they were in an error for four hundred years together while they rejected it, or that they have since erred for a longer time in receiving it. One of these is unavoidable; for if the book be canonical now, it was so from the beginning; for Bellarmine himself confesseth (and if he had not confessed it, it is nevertheless true and certain), that the church cannot make a book canonical, which was not so before; if it was not canonical at first, it cannot be made so afterward; so that let them choose which part they will, it is evident, be yond all denial, that the church of Rome hath actually erred in her judgment concerning the authority of this book; and one error of this kind is enough to destroy her infallibility, there being no greater evidence that a church is not infallible, than if it plainly appear that she hath been deceived.

And this, also, is a convincing instance of the fallibility of oral tradition. For if that be infallible in delivering down to us the canonical books of Scripture, it necessarily follows, that whatever books were delivered down to us for canonical in one age, must have been so in all ages; and what ever was rejected in any age, must always have been rejected: but we plainly see the contrary, from the instance of this Epistle, concerning which the church of Rome (which pretends to be the great and faithful preserver of tradition) hath in several ages delivered several things. This is a peremptory instance both of the fallibility of the Roman church, and of her oral tradition.

Having observed this by the way, which I could not well pass by upon so fair an occasion, I shall betake myself to the explication of these words; towards which it will be no small advantage to consider the particular phrases and expressions in the text: “It is impossible for those who were once enlightened;” that is, were solemnly admitted into the church by baptism, and embraced the profession of Christianity. Nothing was more frequent among the ancients, than to call baptism φωτισμὸν, “illumination;” and those who were baptized were called, φωτιζόμενοι, “enlightened persons,” because of that Divine illumination which was conveyed to the minds of men by the knowledge of Christianity, the doctrine whereof they made profession of at their baptism. And, therefore, Justin Martyr tells us, that, by calling upon God the Father, and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the name of the Holy Ghost, ὁ φωτιζόμενος λοῦεται, “the enlightened person is washed;” and again more expressly, Καλεῖται δὲ τοῦτο λουτρὸν φωτισμὸς, “this laver (speaking of baptism) is called illumination.” And St. Cyprian gives us the reason; because by virtue of baptism in expiatum pectus ac purum desuper se lumen infundit, “Light is infused from above into the purified soul.” And that this expression is so to be understood here in the text, as also chap. x. 32. the Syriac and Ethiopic give us good ground to believe; for they render the text thus: “It is impossible for those who have been once baptized, and have tasted of the heavenly gift. “And at the tenth chapter, ver. 32. which we translate, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;” that is, call to mind the former days, in which, after by baptism ye had publicly embraced the profession of Christianity, ye were, upon that account, exposed to many grievous sufferings and persecutions. So that I think there can be no great doubt, but, by “those that were once enlightened,” the apostle means, those that were baptized.

To proceed then: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost;” these two expressions seem to denote the spiritual benefits and graces of the Holy Ghost conferred upon Christians by baptism, particularly regeneration, which is the proper work of the Holy Ghost, and justification and remission of sins. So we find faith, whereby we are justified, called the gift of God, (Eph. ii. 8.) “Faith is the gift of God;” and our justification is called a gift, and a free gift, five several times in one chapter, (Rom. v. 15-18.) “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift; for if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many;” and what this free gift is he tells us in the next words; viz. justification, or remission of sins; (ver. 16.) “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” So that by the “heavenly gift,” I understand remission of sins; and by being “made partakers of the Holy Ghost,” the sanctifying power and efficacy of God’s Spirit.

SERMON CXXI.

CHRIST THE AUTHOR, AND OBEDIENCE THE CONDITION OF SALVATION.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.—Heb. v. 9.

THIS is spoken of Christ, our great high-priest under the gospel; upon the excellency of whose person, and the efficacy of his sacrifice for the eternal benefit and salvation of mankind, the apostle insists so largely in this and the following chapters; but the sum of all is briefly comprehended in the text, that our high-priest, “being made perfect, became the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him.”

In which words we have these four things considerable:

1st, The great blessing and benefit here spoken of; and that is, eternal salvation; and this implies in it, not only our deliverance from hell, and redemption from eternal misery, but the obtaining of eternal life and happiness for us.

2dly, The author of this great blessing and benefit to mankind; and that is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God; who is here represented to us under the notion of our high-priest, who, by making atonement for us, and reconciling us to God, is said to be the author of eternal salvation to mankind.

3dly, The way and means whereby he became the author of our salvation; “being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation.” The word is τελειωθεὶς, having consummated his work, and finished his course, and received the reward of it. For this word hath an allusion to those that run in a race, where he that wins receives the crown. And to this the apostle plainly alludes, Phil. iii. 12. where he says, not as though I had already attained,” οὐχ ὄτι ἤδη ἔλαβον, not as if I had already taken hold of the prize; but I am pressing, or reaching forward towards it; ἢ ἤδη τετελείωμαι, “or were already perfect:” that is, not as if I had finished my course, or had the prize or crown in my hand; but I am pressing forward towards it. In like manner, our blessed Saviour, when he had finished the course of his humiliation and obedience, which was accomplished in his sufferings, and had received the reward of them, being risen from the dead, and exalted to the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and honour, he is said to be τελειωθεὶς, made perfect; and therefore, when he was giving up the ghost upon the cross, he said, (John xix. 30.) τετέλεσται, “it is finished,” or perfected; that is, he had done all that was necessary to be done by way of suffering for our redemption. And the same word is likewise used (Luke xiii. 32.) concerning our Saviour’s sufferings; “I do cures to-day and to-morrow, καὶ τὴ τρίτῃ τελειοῦμαι, and the third day I shall be perfected;” this he spake concerning his own death. And, therefore, (chap. ii. 10.) God is said .” to make the Captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings;” Διὰ παθημάτων τιλειῶσαι. And thus our high-priest, being “made perfect” in this sense; that is, having finished his course, which was accomplished in his sufferings, and having received the reward of them in being exalted at the right hand of God, “he became the author of eternal salvation to us.”

4thly, You have here the qualification of the persons who are made partakers of this great benefit, or the condition upon which it is suspended, and that is obedience; “he became the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him.”

These are the main things contained in the text. For the fuller explication whereof I shall take into consideration these five things:

1st, How and by what means, Christ is the “author of our salvation.”

2dly, What obedience the gospel requires as a condition, and is pleased to accept as a qualification, in those who hope for eternal salvation.

3dly, We will consider the possibility of performing this condition, by that grace and assistance which is offered, and ready to be afforded to us by the gospel.

4thly, The necessity of this obedience, in order to eternal life and happiness.

And, 5thly, I shall shew that this is no prejudice to the law of faith, and the free grace and mercy of God, declared in the gospel.

1st, We will consider how and by what means Christ is the author of our salvation; and this is contained in these words, “being made perfect, he be came the author of eternal salvation;” that is, (as I told you before) having finished his course, which was accomplished in his last sufferings; and having received the reward of them, being exalted at the right hand of God, “he became the author of eternal salvation” to us; so that, by all he did and suffered for us, in the days of his flesh, and in the state of his humiliation, and by all that he still continues to do for us now that he is in heaven at the right hand of God; he hath effected and brought about the great work of our salvation. His doctrine and his life, his death and sufferings, his resurrection from the dead, and his powerful intercession for us at the right hand of God, have all a great influence upon the reforming and saving of mankind; and by all these ways and means he is the author and cause of our salvation; as a rule, and as a pattern, as a price and propitiation, and as a patron and advocate that is continually pleading our cause, and interceding with God on our behalf, for mercy and grace to help in time of need.

And, indeed, our condition required a high-priest who was qualified in all these respects for the recovery of mankind out of that corrupt and degenerate state into which it was sunk; a high-priest “whose lips should preserve knowledge,” and from whose mouth we might learn the law of God; whose life should be a perfect pattern of holiness to us, and his death a propitiation for the sins of the whole world; and by whose grace and assistance we should be endowed with power and strength to mortify our lusts, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God; and, therefore, “such a high-priest became us, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, who might have compassion on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way, and being himself compassed with infirmities, might have the feeling of ours, being in all points tempted as we are, only without sin;” and in a word, “might be able to save to the utmost all those that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us.”

By these qualifications our high-priest is described in this Epistle; and by these he is every way suited to all our defects and infirmities, all our wants and necessities; to instruct our ignorance by his doctrine, and to lead us in the path of righteousness by his most holy and most exemplary life; to expiate the guilt of our sins by his death; and to procure grace and assistance for us by his prevalent intercession on our behalf. By all these ways, and in all these respects, he is said to be “the author of eternal salvation.”

1st, By the holiness and purity of his doctrine, whereby we are perfectly instructed in the will of God and our duty, and powerfully excited and persuaded to the practice of it. The rules and directions of a holy life were very obscure before, and the motives and encouragements to virtue but weak and ineffectual, in comparison of what they are now rendered by the revelation of the gospel. The general corruption of mankind, and the vicious practice of the world, had in a great measure blurred and defaced the natural law; so that the heathen world, for many ages, had but a very dark and doubtful knowledge of their duty, especially as to several instances of it. The custom of several vices had so prevailed among mankind, as almost quite to extinguish the natural sense of their evil and deformity. And the Jews, who enjoyed a considerable degree of Divine revelation, had no strict regard to the morality of their actions; and contenting themselves with some kind of outward conformity to the bare letter of the ten commandments, were almost wholly taken up with little ceremonies and observances, in which they placed the main of their religion, almost wholly neglecting the greater duties and weightier matters of the law.

SERMON CXXII.

THE POSSIBILITY AND NECESSITY OF GOSPEL OBEDIENCE, AND ITS CONSISTENCE WITH FREE GRACE.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.—Heb. v. 9.

FOR the explication of these words, I proposed to consider these five things:

1st, How and by what means Christ is the author of our salvation.

2dly, What obedience the gospel requires as a condition, and is pleased to accept as a qualification, in those who hope for eternal salvation.

3dly, The possibility of our performing this condition, by that grace and assistance which is offered, and ready to be afforded to us by the gospel.

4thly, The necessity of this obedience, in order to eternal life and happiness.

5thly, The consistency of this method and means of our salvation with the law of faith, and the free grace and mercy of God declared in the gospel.

I have handled the two first of these, and now proceed to the

Third thing I proposed to consider; viz. The possibility of our performing this condition, by that grace and assistance which is offered, and ready to be afforded to us by the gospel. For if Christ be Hie author of eternal salvation only to those who obey him, then those who live in disobedience to the gospel, are in a state of damnation. But there cannot be the guilt of disobedience, where obedience is impossible; no man being guilty, or justly liable to punishment, for the not doing of that, which it was no ways possible for him to do. Therefore the covenant of the gospel, into which God has entered with mankind, doth necessarily suppose the possibility of performing the condition of it; otherwise it leaves them in as bad a condition as they were in before, because it only offers new blessings and benefits to us, but sets us never the nearer the obtaining of them, if so be the condition upon which they are granted be altogether impossible to us; nay, it renders our state many degrees worse, if our not performing the condition of such gracious offers brings us under new and greater guilt.

If it be said, that some few persons have great benefit by it, because they, by an especial and effectual grace, shall be enabled to perform the conditions of this covenant; is not this a mighty straitening to the grace and mercy of the gospel, to confine it within so narrow a compass, as still to leave the greatest part of mankind in a worse condition, than if salvation had never been offered to them? as it certainly does, if (as this doctrine does necessarily suppose) the guilt and punishment of men shall be greatly increased and heightened by their contempt of, and disobedience to, the gospel; when, at the same time, it is acknowledged, that it was not possible for those men to obey it, for want of that special and effectual grace, which is necessary to enable them thereto. I do not love to handle these points contentiously; but this in my apprehension does as much derogate from the amplitude and riches of God’s grace in the gospel, as any thing that can easily be said.

SERMON CXXIII.

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST, WITH THE COMMISSION AND PROMISE WHICH HE GAVE TO HIS APOSTLES.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth: go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: audio, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.—Matth. xxviii. 18, 19, 20.

THESE words are the last that our blessed Saviour spake to his apostles, immediately before his ascension into heaven: and there are these three things contained in them:

I. A declaration of his own authority; “all power is given unto me, both in heaven and in earth:”

II. A commission to his disciples, grounded upon that authority; “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

III. A promise to encourage them in this work; “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

I. Here is our Saviour’s declaration of his own authority; “all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Here is an unlimited power and authority given him over all creatures in heaven and earth. This the Scripture tells us, was conferred upon him, as a reward of his sufferings: (Phil. ii. 8, 9, 10.) “He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” that is, that all creatures, angels, and men, and devils, should do homage, and acknowledge subjection to him.

II. Here is the commission he gave to his apostles, by virtue of this authority; “go ye therefore and teach all nations.” The commission which he here gives, is founded in the authority he had before received. Having all power committed to him, he constitutes and appoints the apostles and their successors to manage the affairs of this his spiritual kingdom upon earth; and this seems to be the same commission, which St. John mentions in other words: (John xx. 21.) “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you;” that is, as my Father commissioned me before, so now, having received full authority from him, I commission you.

Now, in this commission, which our Saviour gave to his disciples, I shall take notice,

First, Of the general import and design of it.

Secondly, A more particular declaration how they were to manage this design.

First, The general import and design of this commission; “go ye and teach all nations.” The word which we translate teach, is μαθητεύσατε, disciple all nations, endeavour to make all the world Christians. One would think here was a power plainly enough given them, to preach the gospel to the gentiles, as well as the Jews. Which will more fully appear, if we compare this passage in St. Matthew with the other evangelists. St. Mark, chap. xvi. 15. hath it; “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” From which text, I suppose, St. Francis thought himself bound to preach to beasts and birds, and accordingly did it very often, and with wonderful success, as they tell us in the legend of his life. But to extend our Saviour’s commission so far, is want of common sense; in which St. Francis (though they tell us he had other gifts and graces to an eminent degree) was plainly defective.

But to proceed, St. Luke (chap. xxiv. 47.) tells us, our Saviour commanded, that l( repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. So that their commission did plainly extend to the gentiles, as well as to the Jews; only they were to begin with the Jews, and to preach the gospel first to them; and, when they had gone over Judea and Samaria, then to pass to other nations, as St. Luke doth most expressly declare: (Acts i. 8.) “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, unto the uttermost parts of the earth.”

But see the strange power of prejudice, to blind the eyes even of good men in the plainest matters. The disciples of our Saviour, for all they had entertained a new religion, yet they retained the old pride and prejudice of their nation against the rest of the world; as if none but themselves had any share in the favour of God, or were to have any part in the salvation of the Messias.

Our Saviour did so far consider this prejudice of theirs, that he never, in his life-time, acquainted them with this matter, so as to make them fully to understand it, because they were not able to bear it. And it is very probable, that this is one of those things which our Saviour meant: (John xvi. 12, 13.) “1 have yet many things to say unto you; but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.” That is, he should lead them into the knowledge of those truths, of which they were not then capable. And though our Saviour, after his resurrection, seems to have declared this sufficiently to them; yet by their practice, after his ascension, it appears that they understood all this only of the Jews; namely, that they were to preach the gospel first to the Jews that were at Jerusalem, and in Judea, and then to those that were dispersed in other nations; for it is clear from the history of their first preaching, recorded in the Acts, that they preached to none but to the Jews, and the proselytes of the Jewish religion. So strong was their prejudice, that they had not the least suspicion that this blessing of the gospel was intended for the heathen world; nor were they convinced to the contrary till St. Peter had a special vision and revelation to this purpose, and the Holy Ghost came upon the gentiles in miraculous gifts, as he had done before upon the Jews that were converted to Christianity. And thus the Spirit of God led them into this truth, and then they understood this command of our Saviour’s in a larger sense. And to this St. Peter plainly refers, (Acts x. 42.) where he tells us, how that Christ, after his resurrection appeared to them, and “commanded them to preach unto the people.” So likewise do Paul and Barnabas, (Acts xiii. 40.) where they speak thus to the Jews: “it was necessary that the word should first be preached to you; but seeing you put it from you, lo, we turn to the gentiles, for so hath the Lord commanded us.” Now he no where commanded this, but in this commission, which he gave them before his ascension.

Secondly, You have here a particular declaration how they were to manage this work of making disciples to the Christian religion.

1. By baptizing them into the Christian faith.

2. By instructing them in the precepts and practices of a Christian life.

1. By baptizing them into the Christian faith, which is here called “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Baptism is a solemn rite appointed by our Saviour for the initiating persons into the Christian religion: but it was a ceremony in use before, both among the Jews and gentiles. The heathens observed it at the initiating persons into their religious mysteries; and the Jews, when they admitted proselytes to their religion; at which time the males (as Maimonides tells us) were both circumcised and baptized, the women were only baptized. One circumstance of the baptism of grown persons was, that, standing in the water up to the neck, they recited several precepts of the law. And as the Jewish writers further tell us, this ceremony did not only belong to them that were of grown years, but to the children of proselytes, if it were desired, upon condition, that when they came to years they should continue in their religion.

SERMON CXXIV.

THE DIFFICULTIES OF A CHRISTIAN LIFE CONSIDERED.

Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.—Luke xiii. 24.

THERE are two great mistakes about the nature of religion, equally false, and equally pernicious to the souls of men: and the devil, whose great design it is to keep men off from religion by any means, makes use of both these mistakes, to serve his own purpose and design upon the several tempers of men. Those who are melancholy and serious, he disheartens and discourageth from attempting it, by the extreme trouble and difficulty of it, representing it in so horrid and frightful a shape, incumbered with such difficulties, and attended with such troubles and sufferings, as are insuperable, and intolerable to human nature; whereby he persuades men, that they had better never attempt it, since they may despair to go through with it.

On the other hand, those who are sanguine, and full of hopes, he possesses with a quite contrary apprehension; that the business of religion is so short and easy a work, that it may be done at any time; and, if need be, at the last moment of our lives, though it is not so well to put it upon the last hazard; and by this means a great part of mankind are lulled in security, and adjourn the business of religion from time to time; and because it is so easy, and so much in their power, they satisfy themselves with an indeterminate resolution to set about that business some time or other before they die, and so to repent, and make their peace with God, once for all.

These pretences contradict one another, and therefore, cannot be both true; but they may both be false, as indeed they are, and truth lies between them; religion being neither so slight and easy a work as some would have it, nor so extremely difficult and intolerable as others would represent it. To confute the false apprehensions which some have of the easiness of it, our Saviour tells us, there must be some striving; and to satisfy us that the difficulties of religion are not so great and insuperable as some would make them, our Saviour tells us, that those who strive shall succeed and enter in; but those who only seek, that is, do not vigorously set about the business of religion, but only make some faint attempts to get to heaven, shall not be able to enter in. “Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, but shall not be able.”

The occasion of which words of our blessed Saviour, was a question that was put to him by one of his disciples, concerning the number of those that should be saved: (ver. 23.) One said unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?” To which curious question, our Saviour (according to his manner when such kind of questions were put to him) does not give a direct answer, because it was neither necessary nor useful for his hearers to be resolved in; it did not concern them to know what number of persons should be saved, but what course they should take that they might be of that number; and therefore, instead of satisfying their curiosities, he puts them upon their duty; admonishing them, instead of concerning themselves what should become of others, to take care of themselves. “And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, J say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” He does not say, that but few shall be saved (as some have presumptuously ventured to determine), but only few in comparison of those many that “shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”

In these words we may consider these two things:

First, The duty enjoined; “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”

Secondly, The reason or argument to enforce it: “For many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”

First, The duty enjoined; “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” Which words being metaphorical, I shall strip them of the metaphor, that so we may see the plain meaning of them. Now by this metaphor, or rather allegory, these three things are plainly intended:

1st, The course of a holy and Christian life, in order to the obtaining of eternal happiness, is here represented to us by a way, which every man that would come to heaven, must walk in. For so St, Matthew (who expresseth this more fully) makes mention of a way, as well as a gate, by which we must enter into it; “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth to life.” And this, though it be not expressed by St. Luke, is necessarily understood; “Strive to enter in at the strait gate;” that is, into the way that leads to life.

SERMON CXXV.

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores.—Luke xvi. 19, 20.

I INTEND, by God’s assistance, to go over this parable, than which I think there is none in the whole gospel, which is more apt to affect men, or which is more artificially contrived, and in the circumstances whereof a greater decorum is observed.

It is a great question among interpreters, whether this narration concerning the rich man and Lazarus be a parable, or a history, or a mixture of both. That it is not a history, the resemblance between it and others of our Saviour’s parables, will easily convince any man that is not contentious; besides that, in some ancient copies, it is ushered in with this preface, “And he spake a parable to his disciples: A certain rich man,” &c.

But yet, as some of the ancients have not improbably conjectured, it seems to be such a kind of parable, as had something of a real foundation; as, namely, there was such a poor man as Lazarus is here described, and of that name among the Jews: for in a mere parable it is altogether unusual to name persons, nor is this done in any other of our Saviour’s parables.

But whether this be so or not is not worth the disputing, because it alters not the case as to our Saviour’s purpose, and the instructions which we may learn from it.

In the handling of this parable, I shall explain it as I go along, and draw two sorts of instructions or observations from it.

The first sort of observations shall be from the circumstances which serve for the decorum of the parable: and these I will not warrant to be all intended by our Saviour; but only to be true in themselves, and useful, and to have a probable rise from some circumstances of the parable, and therefore I shall speak but very briefly to them.

The second sort of observations shall be such as are grounded upon the main scope and intent of the parable; and these I shall insist more largely upon. I begin,

First, With those observations and instructions which I shall gather up from the circumstances which serve for the decorum of the parable; and I shall take them in order as they lie in the parable.

(Ver. 19.) “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.” Some think that our Saviour, in this description, reflected upon Herod, because he describes this rich man to be “clothed in purple.” But this conjecture is without reason; for, besides that it was not our Saviour’s custom in his preaching to give secret girds to the magistrate; it is certain that it was long after our Saviour’s time that purple was appropriated to kings: it was then, and a great while after, the wear of rich and powerful men, and of the favourites and great men of the court, who are frequently, in ancient histories, called the purpurati, those that wore purple.

SERMON CXXVI.

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores.—Luke xvi. 19, 20.

I PROCEED to our second observation, that a man may be poor and miserable in this world, and yet dear to God. This beggar, Lazarus, though he was so much slighted and despised in his life-time by this great rich man, yet it appeared, when he came to die, that he was not neglected by God, for he gave his angels charge concerning him, to convey him to happiness; (ver. 22.) “The beggar died, and was carried into Abraham’s bosom.”

But this truth is not only represented to ns in a parable, but exemplified in the life of our blessed Saviour. Never was any man so dear to God as he was, for he was his “only-begotten Son, his beloved Son, in whom he was well-pleased:” and yet, how poor and mean was his condition in this world; insomuch, that the Jews were offended at him, and could not own one that appeared in so much meanness for the true Messias. He was born of mean parents, and persecuted as soon as he was born; he was destitute of worldly accommodations: “The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests, but the Son of man had not where to lay his head. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

God could have sent his Son into the world with majesty and great glory, and have made all the kings of the earth to have bowed before him, and paid homage to him: but the wisdom of God chose rather that he should appear in a poor and humble, in a suffering and afflicted condition, to confound the pride of the world, who measure the love of God by these outward things, and think that God hates all those whom he permits to be afflicted.

Now it was not possible to give a greater and clearer demonstration of this truth, that goodness and suffering may meet together in the same person, than in the Son of God, “who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and to put him to grief.”

Afflictions in this world are so far from being a sign of God’s hatred, that they are an argument of his love and care; “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” Those he designs for great things here after he trains up by great hardships in this world, and by many tribulations prepares them for a kingdom. This course God took more especially in the first planting of Christianity; the poor chiefly were those that received the gospel. “Not many mighty, nor many noble; but the base things of the world, and the things that were despised, did God choose.” “Hearken, my beloved brethren, (saith St. James, chap. ii. 5.) hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him?”

Now this consideration should persuade to patience under the greatest sufferings and afflictions in this world. God may be our Father, and chasten us severely; nay, this very thing is rather an argument that he is so. God may love us, though the world hate us. It is but exercising a little patience, and these storms will blow over, and we shall be removed into a calmer region, where “all tears shall be wiped from our eyes; and death and sorrow shall be no more.” This was the portion of the Son of God here; but it is a faithful saying, that “if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.” Therefore, those who suffer in this world ought not to be moved, “as though some strange thing happened unto them; but they should rather rejoice, inasmuch as they are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, they also may be glad with exceeding joy,” (1 Pet. iv. 12, 13.) I proceed, to a

Third observation, which is the different estate of good and bad men after this life; “Lazarus died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man died,” and went to hell. This the justice of Divine Providence seems to require; so that if there had been no revelation of God to this purpose, it is a thing very credible to natural reason, whether we consider God or ourselves. If we consider God, our reason tells us, that he is the holy and righteous governor of the world, and consequently, that he loves goodness, and hates sin; and therefore is concerned to countenance the one, and discountenance the other, in such a solemn and public manner, as may vindicate his holiness and justice to the world. Now the dispensations of his providence are promiscuous in this world; and therefore it seems very reasonable, that there should be a general assize, a fair and open trial; when “God will render to every man according to his works.”

And if we consider ourselves, this will appear very credible; for this has been the constant opinion, not only of the common people, but of the wisest persons, who had only the light of nature to guide them. Nay, if we do but search our own consciences, we shall find an inward and secret acknowledgment of this, in that inward peace and satisfaction we find in any good action, and in that shame, and fear, and horror, that haunts a man after the commission of any, though never so secret a sin.

And as reason and Scripture together do assure us of a future judgment; so likewise, that men, when they pass out of this world, shall meet with the proper consequences and rewards of their actions in the other. And though the happiness or misery of men be not so complete as it shall be after the public judgment, yet it is unspeakably great. Lazarus is represented as very happy immediately after his passing out of this world; he is said to be carried into Abraham’s bosom: by which the Jews express the happiness of the future state. And the rich man is represented as in great anguish and torment. But what the happiness of good men, and the misery of wicked men, shall be in the other state, we can but now imperfectly and unskilfully describe. Each of these I have in another discourse spoken some thing to. I proceed, to a

Fourth observation, the vast difference between men’s conditions in this world, and the other. The rich man prospered here, and was afterwards tormented: Lazarus was poor and miserable in this world, and happy in the other; (ver. 25.) “Remember, that thon in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” And it is very agreeable to the wisdom of God, to make such a difference between men’s conditions in this world and the other; and that for these two reasons:

1st, For the trying of men’s virtue.

2dly, In order to the recompensing of it,

1. For the trial of men’s virtue. For this end principally God ordains the sufferings of good men, and permits the best of his servants many times to be involved in the greatest calamities, to try their faith in him, and love to him; to improve their virtue, and to prevent those sins into which the mighty temptations of a perpetual prosperity are apt to draw even the best of men; to take off their affections from the love of this vain world, and to engage and fix them there, where they shall never repent that they have placed them; to prove their sincerity towards God, and to exercise their patience and submission to his will; to prepare them for the glory of the next life, and to make the happiness of heaven more welcome to them, when they shall come to it.

2. In order to the recompensing of men: that they who will take up with the pleasures and enjoyments of this present world, and take no care for their future state; that they who will gratify their senses, and neglect their immortal souls, may inherit the proper consequences of their wretched choice. And, on the other hand, they w ho love God above all things, and had rather endure the greatest evils, than do the least; that they who look beyond the present scene of things, and believe the reality and eternity of the other state, and live accordingly, may not be disappointed in their hopes, and serve God and suffer for him for nothing. From this consideration of the difference between the condition of men in this world and the other, we may infer,

1. That no man should measure his felicity or unhappiness by his lot in this world. If thou receivest thy good things, art rich and honourable, and hast as much of the things of this world as thine heart can wish; art splendidly attired, and farest sumptuously every day; art in no trouble like other men, neither art plagued like other folk; do not upon this bless thyself as the happy man. On the other hand, art thou poor and miserable, destitute of all the conveniences and accommodations of this life; do not repine at thy lot, and murmur at God for having dealt hardly with thee. No man can be pronounced happy or miserable for what befals him in this life; “no man knows love or hatred by these things;” this is but a short and inconsiderable duration, and it matters not much what entertainment we meet withal, as we are passing through this world: the state of eternity is that wherein the happiness or misery of man shall be determined. He is the happy man who is so in that life which shall never have an end; and he is miserable that shall be so for ever.

2. We should not set too great a value upon the blessings of this life. We may receive our good things here, and be tormented hereafter; nay, this very thing will be no inconsiderable part of our torment, none of the least aggravations of our misery, that we did receive our good things. Nothing afflicts a man more, and toucheth him more sensibly when he is in misery, than the remembrance of his former prosperity; had he never been happy, his misery would be the less.

Therefore we should be so far from applauding ourselves in the prosperity of this world, that we should rather be afraid of receiving our good things here; lest God should put us off with these things, and this should be all our portion, and lest our misery in the next world be the greater for our having been happy.

The felicities of this world are transient, and though our happiness were never so complete, yet it is going off, and passing away; and when it is gone and past, if misery succeed it, it had better never have been. “Remember, thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things;” these things are only for our life time, and how short is that! Did men seriously consider this, they would not set such a price upon any of the transient enjoyments of this life, as for the sake of them to neglect the great concernments of another world. We are apt to be dazzled with the present glittering of worldly glory and prosperity: but if we would look upon these things as they will be shortly gone from us, how little would they signify! the rich man here in the parable did, no doubt, think himself a much happier man than poor Lazarus that lay at his door; and yet, after a little while, how glad would he have been to have changed conditions with this poor man! when he was in torments, then, no doubt, he wished that he had suffered all the misery and want in this world which Lazarus did, provided he might have been comforted as he was, and “carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom.” We should value this world, and look upon it, as this rich man did, not when he enjoyed it, but when he was taken from it; and we should esteem it, and use it while we may, as he wished he had done when it was too late.

3. We should not be excessively troubled if we meet with hardship and affliction here in this world; because those whom God designs for the greatest happiness hereafter, may receive evil things here. Thus our blessed Saviour, “the Captain of our salvation, was made perfect through sufferings:” this was the method which God used towards his own Son, first “he suffered, and then entered into glory/ He suffered more than any of us can bear; and yet he supported himself under all his sufferings, by the consideration of the glory that would follow; “for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, and despised the shame.”

The same consideration should arm us with patience and constancy under the greatest evils of this life. The evils that we lie under are passing and going off; but the happiness is to come. And if the happiness of the next world were no greater, nor of longer continuance, than the miseries of this world; or if they did equally answer one another; yet a wise man would choose to have misery first, and his happiness last. For if his happiness were first, all the pleasure and comfort of it would be eaten out by dismal apprehensions of what was to follow: but his sufferings, if they were first, would be sweetened by the consideration of his future happiness, and the bitterness of his sufferings would give a quicker relish to his happiness when it should come, and make it greater.

But a good man under the sufferings of this life, hath not only this comfort, that his happiness is to come, but likewise that it shall be infinitely greater than his sufferings; that these are but short, but that they shall never have an end. And this was that which fortified the first Christians against all that the malice and cruelty of the world could do against them. They thought themselves well paid, if, through many tribulations they might, at last, “enter into the kingdom of God;” because they believed that the joys of the next life would abundantly recompense all their labours and sufferings in this world. They expected a mighty reward, far be yond all their sufferings; they were firmly persuaded that they should be vast gainers at the last. So the apostle tells us of himself, (Rom. viii. 18.) “I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed.” And to the same purpose, (2 Cor. iv. 17, 18.) “Our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us an eternal weight of glory, whilst we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” If we would consider all things together, and fix our eyes as much upon the happiness and glory of the next world, as upon the pomp and splendour of this; if we would look as much at “the things which are not seen,” as “the things which are seen,” we should easily perceive, that he who suffers in this world does not renounce his happiness, only puts it out to interest, upon terms of the greatest advantage.

4. We should do all things with a regard to our future and eternal state. It matters not much what our condition is in this world, because that is to continue but for a little while: but we ought to have a great and serious regard to that state that never shall have an end. Therefore, whenever we are doing any thing, we should consider what influence such an action will have upon the happiness or misery of the next life. We should measure every action and every condition of our lives by the reference of them to eternity. To be rich and great in this world, will contribute nothing to our future happiness; all these things which we so much doat upon, and pursue with so much eagerness, will not commend any man to God; they will signify nothing when we come to appear before our Judge. Death will strip us of these things, and in the other world, the soul of the poorest man that ever lived, shall be upon equal terms with the richest. Nothing but holiness and virtue will then avail us; and it is but a little while, and we shall all certainly be of this mind, that the best thing men can do in this world is to provide for the other. I proceed, to a

Fifth observation, that the state of men in the next world is fixed and unchangeable; which I ground upon ver. 26. “Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they that would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence.” By which words our Saviour seems, not only to intend, that they that are in heaven and hell can have no communication and intercourse with one another; but like wise that they are lodged in an immutable state. Those that are happy, are like to continue so; and those that are miserable, are immutably fixed in that state.

1. As to those that are in happiness, there can be no great doubt. For what can tempt men that have so narrowly escaped the dangers and temptations of a wicked world, and are possessed of so great a happiness by the free grace and mercy of God, to do any thing whereby they may forfeit their happiness; or so much as entertain a thought of offending that God, to whom they cannot but be sensible how infinitely they are obliged? In this imperfect state few men have so little goodness as to sin without temptation, but in that state where men are perfectly good, and can have no temptation to be other wise, it is not imaginable that they should fall from that state.

2. As to the state of the damned, that that like wise is immutable, the Scripture does seem plainly enough to assert, when it calls it “an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,” and uses such expressions to set forth the continuance of their misery, as signify the longest and most interminable duration, expressions of as great an extent, as those which are used to signify the eternal happiness of the blessed; and as large and unlimited, as any are to be had in those languages wherein the Scriptures are written.

Besides that, wicked men in the other world are in Scripture represented, as in the same condition with the devils, of whom there is no ground to believe that any of them ever did or will repent. Not because repentance is impossible in its own nature to those that are in extreme misery; but because there is no place left for it. Being under an irreversible doom, there is no encouragement to repentance, no hope of mercy and pardon, without which repentance is impossible. For if a man did utterly despair of pardon, and were assured upon good ground that God would never shew mercy to him, in this case a man would grow desperate, and not care what he did. He that knows that whatever he does, he is miserable and undone, will not matter how he demeans himself. All motives to repentance are gone, after a man once knows it will be to no purpose. And this the Scripture seems to represent to us, as the case of the devils and damned spirits. Because their state is finally determined, and they are concluded under an irreversible sentence, therefore repentance is impossible to them.

Sorry no doubt they are, and heartily troubled, that, by their own sin and folly, they have brought this misery upon themselves, and they cannot but conceive an everlasting displeasure against themselves, for having been the cause and authors of their own ruin; and the reflection of this will be a perpetual spring of discontent, and fill their minds with eternal rage and vexation; and so long as they feel the intolerable punishments of sin, and groan under the insupportable torments of it, and see no end of this miserable state, no hope of getting out of it, they can be no otherwise affected, than with discontent at themselves, and rage and fury against God.

They are indeed penitent so far, as to be troubled at themselves for what they have done; but this trouble works no change and alteration in them; they still hate God who inflicts these punishments upon them, and who they believe is determined to continue them in this miserable state. The present anguish of their condition, and their despair of bettering it, makes them mad; and their minds are so distracted by the wildness of their passions, and their spirits so exasperated and set on fire by their own giddy motions, that there can be no rest and silence in their souls, not so much the liberty of one calm and sedate thought.

Or if at any time they reflect upon the evil of their sins, and .should entertain any thoughts of returning to God and their duty, they are presently checked with this consideration, that their case is determined, that God is implacably offended with them, and is inexorably and peremptorily resolved to make them miserable forever; and during this persuasion, no man can return to the love of God and goodness, without which there can be no repentance.

This consideration of the immutable state of men after this life, should engage us with all seriousness and diligence to endeavour to secure our future happiness. God hath “set before us good and evil, life and death, “and we may yet choose which we please; but in the other world we must stand to that choice which we have made here, and inherit the consequences of it.

By sin mankind is brought into a miserable state; but our condition is not desperate and past remedy. God hath sent his Son “to be a prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins “So that though our case be bad, it need not continue so, if it be not our own fault. There is a possibility now of changing our condition for the better, and of laying the foundation of a perpetual happiness for ourselves. The grace of God calls upon us, and is ready to assist us; so that no man’s case is so bad, but there is a possibility of bettering it, if we be not wanting to ourselves, and will make use of the grace which God offers, who is never wanting to the sincere endeavours of men. Under the influence and assistance of this grace, those who are “dead in trespasses and sins, “may “pass from death to life;” may be “turned from darkness to light,” and “from the power of Satan unto God.” So long as we are in this world there is a possibility of being translated from one state to another, from the dominion “of Satan into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.” But if we neglect the opportunities of this life, and stand out against the offers of God’s grace and mercy, there will no overtures be made to us in the other world. After this life is ended, God will try us no more; our final miscarriage in this world will prove fatal to us in the other, and we shall not be permitted to live over again to correct our errors. “As the tree falls so it shall lie;” such a state as we are settled in when we go out of this world, shall be fixed in the other, and there will be no possibility of changing it. We are yet “in the hand of our own counsel,” and by God’s grace we may mould and fashion our own fortune: but if we trifle away this advantage, we shall “fall into the hands of the living God,” out of which there is no redemption. God hath yet left heaven and hell to our choice, and we had need to look about us; and choose well, who can choose but once for all, and for ever. There is yet a space and opportunity left us of repentance; but so soon as we step out of this life, and are entered upon the other world, our condition will be sealed, never to be reversed: and because, after this life, there will be no further hopes of mercy, there will be no possibility of repentance. “This is the accepted time, this is the day of salvation; therefore to-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; lest God swear in his wrath that ye shall not enter into his rest.” I proceed, to a

Sixth observation; that a standing revelation of God is evidence sufficient for Divine things. “They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;” that is, they have the books of Moses and the prophets, written by men divinely inspired, these do sufficiently declare to them the will of God, and their duty; and it is unreasonable to demand or expect that God should do more for their conviction and satisfaction.

I know very well the text speaks only of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, those of the New being not then extant when this parable was delivered. But what is here said concerning the Scriptures of the Old Testament, is equally applicable to the New: and though Abraham do only recommend Moses and the prophets, there is no doubt but he would have said the same concerning Christ and his apostles, if the books of the New Testament had been then extant. So that what shall say upon this observation, does indifferently concern the whole Scripture.

And that I may make out this observation more fully, I shall take these five things into consideration:

1st, What we are to understand by a Divine revelation.

2dly, Give a brief account of the several kinds of it.

3dly, Shew what advantage this standing revelation of the Scriptures hath above any other way of conveying the will of God to the world.

4thly, That there is sufficient evidence for the divinity of the Scriptures.

5thly, That it is unreasonable to expect that God should do more for our conviction, than to afford such a standing revelation of his mind and will. I shall go over these as briefly as I can. I begin with the

1st, What we are to understand by a Divine revelation. By a Divine revelation we are to understand a supernatural discovery, or manifestation of any thing to us; I say supernatural, because it may either be immediately by God, or by the mediation of angels, as most, if not all the revelations of the Old Testament were. A supernatural discovery or manifestation, either immediately to our minds, by our understandings and inward faculties, (for I do not so well understand the distinction between understanding and imagination, as to be careful to take notice of it,) or else immediately to our understandings by the mediation of our outward senses, as by an external appearance to our bodily eyes, or by a voice and sound to the sense of hearing: a discovery or manifestation of a thing, whether it be such as cannot be known at all by the use of our natural reason and understandings; or such as may be discovered by natural light, but is more clearly revealed or made known, or we are awakened to a more particular and attentive consideration of it. For it is not at all unsuitable to the wisdom of God, to make a supernatural discovery to us of such things as may be known by the light of nature, either to give us a clearer manifestation of such truths as were more obscurely known, and did, as it were, lie buried in our understandings; or else to quicken our minds to a more serious and lively consideration of those truths.

2dly, For the several kinds of Divine revelations. That they were various, the apostle to the Hebrews tells us; (chap. i. 1.) “God who, at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake to the fathers by the prophets;” where, by prophets, we are to understand not only those who did foretel future things, but any person that was divinely inspired, and to whom God was pleased to make any supernatural discovery of himself.

Now the several kinds of revelation taken notice of by the Jews, are visions, dreams, prophecy, oracle, inspiration, or that which they call the Holy Ghost; voice Bath-col, or that which was highest of all, which they call gradus Mosaicus, the degree of revelation which was peculiar to Moses. The Jewish writers, especially Maimonides, have many subtle observations about the differences of these several kinds of revelation, which depend upon subtle and philosophical distinctions of the faculties of perception; as that some of these revelations were by impression only upon the understanding; some only upon the imagination; some upon both; some upon the outward senses; but the simple and plain difference between them, so far as there is any ground in Scripture to distinguish them, seems to be this:—vision was a representation of something to a man when he was waking, in opposition to dreams, which were representations made to men in their sleep. Prophecy might be either dream or vision; and the Jews observe, that it was always one of these two ways, which they grounded upon Numb. xii. 6. “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” But prophecy, in the strict notion of it, had this peculiarly belonging to it, that it was not only monitory or instructive, but did foretel some event of concernment to others; and the Jewish doctors tell us, that it was a clearer revelation, and carried a greater assurance along with it; and that this was common to all the three, that there was something of ecstasy and transport of mind in all these.

The fourth sort of revelation, which was by oracle which is called Urim and Thummim, was a rendering of answers to questions, by the high-priest looking upon the stones in the breast-plate; which how it was done, is uncertain.

The fifth sort of revelation is that which they call the Holy Ghost, which was a more calm and gentle inspiration, without any extraordinary transport of mind or ecstasy, such as David had in the writing of the Psalms.

The lowest of all was that which they called Bath-col, which was by a voice from heaven; and this is the way of revelation, which the Jews observed, did only continue among them from the days of the prophet Malachi to our Saviour.

The highest of all was that which they called gradus Mosaicus to which the Jews give several prerogatives above all the other ways of revelation; as, that it was done by impression merely upon the understanding, without ecstasy, or rapture, or transport, when he was waking, and in his ordinary temper, and his senses not bound up either by ecstasy or sleep; that it was a revelation immediately from God himself, and not by the mediation of an gels, without any fear, or amazement, or fainting, which was incident to other prophets; and the spirit of prophecy rested upon him, and he could exert it arbitrarily, and put it forth when he would. Of which thus much is evidently true from the story of him, that the spirit of prophecy did rest more constantly upon him, and that he could exert it with greater freedom, and without any discernible amazement or transport from his ordinary temper. But that it was by impression merely upon his understanding, as that is a distinct faculty from the imagination, is not so certain: that it was always by an immediate communication from God, without the mediation of angels, seems not to be true; for St. Stephen tells us, that “the law was given by the disposition of angels,” (Acts vii. 53.) And St. Paul, that it was “ordained by the angels in the hand of a mediator,” that is, Moses, (Gal. iii. 19.) But that the revelation which was made to him, had some singular prerogatives above those of other prophets, is plain from Scripture, (Numb. xii. 5-8.) when Aaron and Miriam contended with Moses as being equal to him, God tells them that there was a vast difference between him and other prophets; “Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so—With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches,” &c. (Exod. xxxiii. 11.) “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” (Deut. xxxiv. 10.) “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” All which signify at least this, that God made the clearest, and most familiar, and most perfect discoveries to Moses of any of the prophets; only our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom God hath discovered his will to us under the New Testament, did excel Moses; Moses being but a faithful servant, that is, humilis amicus, “a meaner sort of friend;” but the Lord Jesus Christ, “the only-begotten Son of God,” who came from the bosom of his Father, and was intimately acquainted with the secrets of his will, and “had not the Spirit given him by measure,” but the most plentiful effusion of it, being “anointed above his fellows.”

Now these being the several sorts and degrees of revelation, which God hath made of himself to the world, the Holy Scriptures are a system or collection of these, the authentic instrument or record, by which the things revealed any of these ways are transmitted to us, and is, therefore, called “the word of God,” as containing those things which God, in several ages, hath spoken to the world; that is, matters of Divine revelation, which are necessary to be known by men, in order to their eternal happiness. And this being now the great and standing revelation of God, which is to continue to the end of the world, I intend to limit my discourse solely to this, as being the only revelation which we are concerned to in quire after.

And, therefore, in the third place, to shew yon, what advantages this standing revelation of the Scriptures hath above private revelations made to particular persons, and frequently repeated and renewed in several ages; that so it may appear both agreeable to the wisdom of God to settle revelations in this way, as being more commodious; and like wise to his goodness, it being a real privilege which these latter ages of the world enjoy, that they have a more fixed and certain way of being acquainted with the will of God, than those ages had, which were governed by such private revelations, as were now and then made to particular persons: and the advantages are these:

1. It is a more certain way of conveyance of things, and more secure and free from imposture. Suppose a revelation made to a particular person, which is of general concernment; that this may have a general and lasting effect, he must impart it to others, as many as he can, and give them the best assurance he can of it; and these must relate it to others; and so it must pass from hand to hand, to be delivered from parents to their children. Now this way of conveying a revelation by oral report must needs be liable to many uncertainties, both by involuntary mistakes, through weakness of memory or understanding, and wilful falsifications and impostures, out of malice and design. So that the effect of an unrecorded revelation can neither be large nor lasting; it can but reach a few persons, and continue a little while in its full credibility; and the further it goes the weaker, like circles made in water, which the more they enlarge themselves, and the longer they continue, the less discernible they are, till at length they quite disappear. Whereas, being once recorded by persons secured from error, by supernatural and Divine assistance, they are not liable to those easy falsifications or mistakes, which traditional reports and relations are necessarily, through human malice or weakness, liable to.

2. It is a more general and universal way of conveyance; which is evident from the common experience of the world, who have pitched upon this way of writing things in books, as that which doth most easily convey the knowledge and notice of things to the generality of men.

3. It is a more uniform way of conveyance; that is, things that are once written and propagated that way, lay equally open to all, and come in a manner with equal credit to all; it being not morally possible, that a common book, that passeth through all hands, and which is of vast importance and concernment, should be liable to any material corruption, without a general conspiracy and agreement; which cannot be, but that it must be generally known. So that considering the commonness, and universal concernment of this book of the Scriptures, all men are in a manner equally, that is, every man is sufficiently and competently assured of the credit of it; that is, that we are not in any material thing imposed upon by false copies. But in traditional revelation it is quite otherwise; tradition being a very unequal and ununiform way of conveyance. For seeing it may be of general concernment, and all cannot have it at the first hand; that is, immediately from him to whom it was made, but some at the second, others at the third, fourth, or fifth hand, or much further off; the credit of it will be necessarily weakened by every remove. A report that comes through many hands, being like the argument we call induction; and as the strength and goodness of that depends upon the truth of every one of those instances that make it up, so that if any of them fail, the whole argument is nought; so the credit of a report that passeth through twenty hands, depends upon the integrity and sufficiency of all the relators; and whatever there is either of falsehood and malice, or of incapacity of understanding, or frailty of memory, in any of the relators, so much of weakness is derived into the report or testimony; and consequently, the assurance which we can have of a private revelation, which is delivered traditionally through a great many persons, must needs be very unequal.

4. It is a more lasting way of conveyance. Which likewise appears by experience, we having now nothing at all of the history of ancient times, but what is conveyed down to us in writing.

5. It is a more human way of conveyance, which requires less of miracle and supernatural interposition for the preservation of it. This book of the Scriptures may with ordinary human care be transmitted entire, and free from any material error, to all succeeding ages: but revelations unwritten, if they have any lasting and considerable effect, they must, at least, in every age, be renewed and repeated; otherwise, in a very short space, either through the unfaithfulness, or carelessness, and frailty of men, they will either be quite lost, or so corrupted and depraved, that they will signify nothing.

From all which it appears, that we have so little cause to murmur and repine at the providence of God, which in these latter ages of the world does not make those more immediate discoveries and manifestations of himself to us, that he did to former ages; that we have rather great reason to admire the wisdom and goodness of God’s providence, which hath privileged us with this standing revelation of his written word, which hath so many ways the advantage of frequent and extraordinary revelation, and in respect of the generality of mankind, is much more useful and effectual to its end. I know there are some that have endeavoured to persuade the world, that doctrines may much better be preserved by common rumour and report, than by writing and record; but I hope there is no man so destitute of common sense as to believe them, contrary to the experience of all men.

I come now to the fourth thing I proposed to be considered; namely, That there is sufficient evidence of the divinity of the Scriptures. By the divinity of the Scriptures, I mean that they were revealed by God, and that the things contained in them were not invented by men, but discovered to men by God; and that the penmen of these books did not write their own private conceptions, but were inspired by the Holy Ghost. Now, if we can be satisfied of this, we ought to receive the Scriptures with the same reverence as if an angel from heaven should declare these things unto us, or as if God should immediately reveal them to our minds; for nothing can come with greater authority than this, that we believe it to be revealed by God; and provided we be assured of this, it matters not which way; the thing hath the same authority.

Now that we have sufficient evidence of the divinity of the Scriptures, will best appear by considering what is sufficient to give authority to a book, so that no prudent or reasonable man can question but that the book was writ by him whose name it bears. For what evidence we would accept of for the authority of other books, we must not refuse in this case for the Scriptures; if we do, we deal unequally, and it is a sign that we do not want evidence for the authority of the Scriptures, but that we have no mind to believe them.

Now the utmost authority that any book is capable of, is, that it hath been transmitted down to us by the uncontrolled testimony of all ages, and that the authority of it was never questioned in that age wherein it was written, nor invalidated ever since.

And this evidence we have for the authority of the Scriptures. As for the Old Testament, I shall not now labour in the proof of that by arguments proper to itself, but shall take the divinity of them upon the authority of the New; which, if it be proved, is sufficient evidence for it, though there were no other.

Now for the Scriptures of the New Testament, I desire hut these two things to be granted to me at first:

1. That all were written by those persons whose names they bear: and for this we have as much authority as for any books in the world, and so much as may satisfy men in other cases, and therefore not to be rejected in this.

2. That those who wrote those books were men of integrity, and did not wilfully falsify in any thing; and this cannot reasonably be denied, because these very persons gave the utmost evidence that men could give of their integrity. The highest attestation that any man can give of the truth of what he relates, is to lay down his life for the testimony of it; and this the apostles did.

Now if this be granted, that they did not falsify in their relations concerning the miracles of Christ, and his resurrection, and the miraculous gifts which were bestowed upon the apostles after his ascension; this is as great an evidence as the world can give, and as the thing is capable of, that our Saviour was “a teacher come from God,” and that the apostles were extraordinarily assisted by the Holy Ghost; and if this be granted, what can be desired more to prove the divinity of their writings?

But it may be said, that though the apostles were granted to be men of integrity, and that they did not wilfully falsify in their relations, yet they might be mistaken about those matters: but that they were not, we have as much evidence as can be for any thing of this nature; namely, that the things which are related are plain sensible matters of fact, about which no man need mistake, unless he will; and they did not write things upon the report of others, who might possibly have designs to deceive, but upon the surest evidence in the world, their own knowledge, and the testimony of their senses: “the things that we have seen and heard, testify we unto you.” So that if they were mistaken in these things, no man can be sure of any thing; and by the same reason that we disbelieve the authority of the Scriptures upon this account, we must believe nothing at all. This is, in short, the whole force of the argument for the divinity of the Scriptures, which I might have enlarged infinitely upon; but I design now only briefly to represent to you, that we, who live at the distance of so many ages from the time of this revelation, are not destitute of sufficient evidence for the authority of the Scriptures, and such evidence, as they who reject in other cases, are esteemed unreasonable.

I should come now to the

5th, and last thing; namely, That it is unreason able to expect that God should do more for our conviction, than to afford us a standing revelation of his mind and will, such as the books of the Holy Scriptures are. But this I shall refer to another opportunity, in a particular discourse upon the 31st verse, which contains the main design, the sum and substance of this whole parable.

SERMON CXXVII.

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.—Luke xvi. 31.

THESE words are the conclusion of that excellent parable of our Saviour concerning the rich man and Lazarus, and they are the final answer which Abraham gives to the rich man’s last request; who being in great torment, and not able to obtain any ease for himself, is represented as concerned for his relations, whom he had left behind him upon earth, lest they also, by their own carelessness and folly, should plunge themselves into the same misery that he was in; and therefore he begs of Abraham, that he would send Lazarus to his father’s house, where he had “five brethren, that he might testify unto them, lest they also should come to that place of torment.” To which request Abraham answers, that there was no necessity of such an extraordinary course to be used towards those who had sufficient means of conviction so near at hand, if they would but hearken to them, and make use of them. “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”

But the rich man presseth his request further, upon this reason, That they might not perhaps be moved by Moses and the prophets; nay, it was likely they would not be moved by them; for they had always had them, and yet they remained impenitent: but if a special messenger should be sent to them from the dead, this certainly could not fail to awaken them, and bring them to repentance: (ver. 30.) “And he said, Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.” To which Abraham makes this peremptory reply, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.”

In which words Abraham absolutely denies that there is any such probability, much less certainty, that those who reject a public credible revelation of God, such as that of the Holy Scripture is, should be effectually convinced by a messenger from the dead. And our Saviour brings in Abraham delivering himself very positively in this matter, and therefore we may presume it to be our Saviour’s own sense, and may rely upon it for a truth; which, however at first sight it may not be so evident, yet I hope in the progress of this discourse to make it sufficiently clear.

But before I undertake that, I shall premise a caution or two, to prevent all mistake in this matter.

First, That we are not to understand these words too strictly and rigorously, as if the thing were simply and in itself impossible, that a man who is not convinced by hearing or reading Moses and the prophets, should be brought to repentance any other way. For it is very possible in the nature of the thing; yea, and likely enough, that a man who is not convinced by calm evidence and persuasion, may yet be very much wrought upon by a strange and amazing accident: and if one, whom he had knownwhen he was alive, should appear to him from the dead, and declare the certainty of a future state, and the condition of things in another world, there is little doubt to be made, but that this would more rouse and awaken him to consider his danger, than all the threatenings of God’s word; and it is very possible that, by the concurrence of God’s grace, this might prove an effectual means to convince such a man, and to bring him to repentance. And yet for all this, it is not probable upon the whole matter, and if all circumstances be duly considered, that this should generally have a permanent effect upon men, so as thoroughly to reclaim such persons as do obstinately resist the light and counsels of God’s word.

Secondly, Another caution I would give is this r that we are not to understand these words so as to weaken the force of that argument from miracles, for the proof and confirmation of a Divine doctrine; as if our Saviour intended to insinuate, that miracles are not a proper and sufficient argument to. convince men. For our Saviour does not here oppose Moses and the prophets to a miraculous testimony; but he advanceth the public evidence and testimony which Moses and the prophets had above the evidence of a single and private miracle; for Moses and the prophets had their confirmation from miracles; and miracles are the great evidence and attestation which God hath always given to the divinity of any person, or doctrine; and therefore Abraham cannot be thought to speak any thing to the prejudice of miracles, when he says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” Nay, so far is he from that, that this reasoning, of his is rather for the advantage of miracles. For Moses and the prophets had the confirmation of many and great, of public and unquestionable miracles; a credible relation whereof was conveyed down to after ages. So that if rational means of conviction were the thing desired, it was not likely that those, who were not persuaded by Moses and the prophets, which were acknowledged by themselves to have had the confirmation of so many undoubted miracles, should, in reason, be convinced by a private and single miracle.

These considerations being premised by way of caution, I come now to make out the truth of what is here asserted in the text. And for the full clearing of this matter, I shall speak to these two propositions:

First, That it is unreasonable to expect that God should do more for the conviction of men, than to afford them a standing revelation of his mind and will; such as that of the Holy Scriptures is. And if so, then,

Secondly, That upon the whole matter it is very improbable, that those who reject this public revelation of God, should be effectually convinced, though one should speak to them from the dead.

First, That it is unreasonable to expect that God should do more for the conviction of men, than to afford them a standing revelation of his mind and will; such as that of the Holy Scriptures is. This is strongly implied in Abraham’s first answer, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;” as if he had said—having such means of conviction so near at hand, why should they desire and expect any other? It is in this case of the Scriptures, as in that of God’s providence; God does not commonly prove his providence to men by extraordinary in stances of his power, and by changing the course of nature, to convince every man in the world that he governs it; but by standing testimonies of his wisdom, and power, and goodness; by these God does sufficiently satisfy considerate men of his government and care of the world; and though he do seldom manifest himself in supernatural and extraordinary ways, yet he hath not left himself without a witness, by the constant course of nature, in the returns of day and night, in the revolutions of the sea sons of the year, “in that he gives us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” And these standing arguments of his providence, though they be not so much taken notice of, because they are so common, yet they are daily miracles, and we can hardly imagine greater, and we should be strangely amazed at them, but that they are so very frequent and familiar.

The case is the same as to Divine revelation. God hath not thought fit to gratify the perverse curiosity of men, by affording to every man a particular and immediate revelation of his mind and will: but he hath given us a standing revelation, which at first had the greatest and most miraculous confirmation, and he hath still left us sufficient means of being assured of the truth of this revelation, and of the confirmation that was at the first given to it; and we tempt God, by demanding extraordinary signs, when we may receive so abundant satisfaction in an ordinary way. This being admitted, I shall proceed, in the

Second place, to shew, That it is, upon the whole matter, and all circumstances considered, very improbable, that those who reject this public revelation from God, should be effectually convinced, though one should speak to them from the dead. And this is that which is expressly asserted here in the text, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” Not but that any man would be very much startled and amazed, if one should come from the dead to warn him out of the danger of his wicked life; but yet for all that, it is very unlikely that they, who obstinately and perversely refuse to be convinced by Moses and the prophets, would be effectually persuaded, (that is, so as to be brought to repentance and reformation of their lives) “though one should rise from the dead.” And that for these reasons:

1. Because, if such miracles were frequent and familiar, it is very probable they would have but very little effect; and unless we suppose them common and ordinary, we have no reason to expect them at all.

2. Men have as great or greater reason to believe the threatenings of God’s word, as the discourse of one that should speak to them from the dead.

3. The very same reason which makes men to reject the counsels of God in his word, would, in all probability, hinder them from being convinced by a particular miracle.

4. Experience does abundantly testify, how in effectual extraordinary ways are to convince those who are obstinately addicted and wedded to their lusts.

5. An effectual persuasion (that is, such a belief as produceth repentance and a good life) is the gift of God, and depends upon the operation and concurrence of God’s grace, which there is no reason to expect either in an extraordinary way, or in an extraordinary degree, after men have obstinately rejected the ordinary means which God hath appointed to that end.

1. If such miracles, as a special messenger from the dead to warn and admonish men, were frequent and familiar, it is very probable they would have but very little effect upon men; and unless we suppose them common and ordinary, we have no reason to expect them at all. For it is unreasonable at first sight, that the worst and most obstinate sort of sinners should expect this, as a peculiar favour and privilege to themselves, and that God should not do as much for others, who have deserved it more, and would probably make better use of it; and, if these things were common, it is very probable that men would not be much moved by them. It may be, while the apprehension of such a thing were fresh upon them, they would take up some good resolutions; as sinners usually do, while they are under present convictions of conscience, and the hand of God, by some great affliction or sickness, lies heavy upon them: but still they would be apt to defer their repentance, and put it off till the present amazement were a little over, and the terror of their first apprehensions were abated and worn off by degrees, and after a little while they would return to their former course. And this is too probable, from what we see men do in other cases, not very much remote from this. It is a very terrible and amazing thing to see a man die, and solemnly take his last leave of the world. The very circumstances of dying men are apt to strike us with horror: to hear such a man how sensibly he will speak of the other world, as if he were just come from it, rather than going to it; how severely he will condemn himself for the folly and wickedness of his life; with what passion he will wish that he had lived better, and served God more sincerely; how seriously he will resolve upon a better life, if God would be pleased to raise him up, and try him but once more; with what zeal and earnestness he will commend to his best friends and nearest relations a religious and virtuous course of life, as the only thing that will minister comfort to them, when they come to be in his condition. Such discourses as these are very apt to move and affect men for the time, and to stir up in them very good resolutions, whilst the present fit and impression lasts: but, because these sights are very frequent, they have seldom any great and permanent effect upon men. Men consider that it is a very common case, and sinners take example and encouragement from one another; every one is affected for the present, but few are so effectually convinced, as to betake themselves to a better course.

And if apparitions from the dead were as common as it is for men to die, we may reasonably presume that the discourses of dead and dying, of those that are going, and those who come from the dead, would have much the same effect upon the generality of men.

But if we suppose this a singular case (which there is no reason to do), in that case the effect would probably be this; a man that was strongly addicted to his lusts, and had no mind to leave them, would be apt, when the fright was over, to be easily persuaded that all this was merely the work of fancy and imagination; and the rather, because such things did not happen to others as well as to himself.

SERMON CXXVIII.

[Preached at Whitehall, Ann. 1683.]

THE CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD WISER THAN THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT.

For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.—Luke xvi. 8.

THESE words are in the parable of the rich man’s steward, who, being called upon to give up his accounts, in order to his being discharged from his office, cast about with himself what course he had best to take, to provide for his subsistence, when he should be turned out of his employment: at last he resolves upon this, that he will go to his lord’s debtors, and take a favourable account of them, and instead of “a hundred measures of oil, write down fifty;” and instead of “a hundred measures of wheat, write down fourscore;” that, by this means, he might oblige them to be kind to him in his necessity. The lord, hearing of this, commends the unjust steward, “because he had done wisely; that is, he took notice of his dishonesty, but praised his shrewdness and sagacity, as having done prudently for himself, though he did not deal justly with him. And this is usual among men; when we see a man ingeniously bad, to commend his wit, and to say, it is a great pity he doth not use it better, and apply it to good purposes. Upon the whole, our Saviour makes this observation: That “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light;” as if he had said, thus did this worldly wise man; thus provident was he for his future security and subsistence. He no sooner understands that he is to be turned out of his office, but he considers what provision to make for himself against that time. And is it not pity, that good men do not apply this wisdom to better and greater purposes? For is not every man such a steward, entrusted by God with the blessings of this life, and many opportunities of doing good? For all which, since he must shortly give an account, he ought, in all reason, so to use them, as thereby to provide for the happiness of another life, against this temporal life have an end.

And this is all the parallel intended in this parable, as we may see by our Saviour’s application of it. For parables are not to be stretched to an exact parallel in all the parts and circumstances of them, but only to be applied to the particular point and purpose intended. A parable, and the moral accommodation of it, being (as one well observes) not like two planes, which touch one another in every part, but like a globe upon a plane, which only toucheth in one point. Thus our Saviour separates the wisdom of this steward from his injustice, and proposeth that to our imitation: “The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.”

The words are a comparison, in which we have,

1st, The persons compared, “the children of this world,” and “the children of light.” It is a very usual phrase among the Hebrews, when they would express any thing to partake of such a nature or quality, to call it the son or child of such a thing. Thus good men are called “the children of God,” and bad men “the children of the devil;” those who mind earthly things, and make the things of this world their greatest aim and design, are called “the children of this world;” and those who are better enlightened with the knowledge of their own immortality, and the belief of a future state after this life, are called “the children of light.”

2dly, Here is the thing wherein they are compared, and that is, as to their wisdom and prudence.

3dly, The object of this prudence, which is not the same in both; as if the sense were, that “the children of this world are wiser than the children of light,” as to the things of this world; but here are two several objects intended, about which the prudence of these two sorts of persons is respectively exercised, the concernments of this world and the other: and our Saviour’s meaning is, that “the children of this world are wiser in their generation,” that is, in their way; viz. as to the interests and concernments of this world, “than the children of .light” are in theirs; viz. as to the interests and concernments of the other world.

4thly, Here is a decision of the matter, and which of them it is that excels in point of prudence, in their way; and our Saviour gives it to the “children of this world;” they “are wiser in their generation than the children of light.”

Now this proposition is not to be taken in the utmost strictness and rigour, as if it were universally true, and without any exception, as if no man had ever been so wise and provident for his soul, and the concernments of another world, as worldly men are for the interests and concernments of this life. For there are some that are fools at large, and imprudent in their whole conduct and management, both as to their affairs of this world and the other; who are, in too strict a sense, “the children of this world:” they mind nothing but this world, and yet are grossly imprudent, even in their prosecution of their temporal interests; they neglect and forego all other worldly advantages for the sake of a little sensual pleasure; and then they lose and destroy that too, by an over hot and eager pursuit of it, and turn it at last into gall and wormwood. And there are others (as St. Paul for instance) who, I doubt not, have been as prudent, and zealous, and industrious for the promoting of religion, and the salvation of themselves and others, as any man can be about the affairs of this present life; and I hope there are some such in every age; but, God knows, there are very few, and their wisdom and industry is seldom so equal, and constant, and uniform, as that of the men of this world.

So that we are to understand this saying of our Saviour’s with the same allowance as we generally do all moral and proverbial speeches, that they are true for the most part, and the instances and exceptions to the contrary are very rare. It is seldom seen, that good men are so wise for the concernments of their souls, and of religion, as many worldly j men are for their worldly interest.

In speaking to this proposition, I shall do these three things:

First, Confirm and illustrate the truth of it, by considering the several parts and properties of wisdom.

Secondly, Give some probable account of this, by considering, what advantages “the children of this world” have above “the children of light.”

SERMON CXXIX.

CONCERNING THE PERFECTION OF GOD.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.—Matt. v. 48.

THESE words are the conclusion which our Saviour draws from those precepts which he had given his disciples, of greater perfection, than any laws that were extant in the world before: (ver. 44.) “1 say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for those that despitefully use you and persecute you.” And to persuade them hereto, he propounds to them the pattern of the Divine perfection; telling them, that being thus affected towards their enemies, they should resemble God, (ver. 45.) “That ye may be the children of your heavenly Father; for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil, and on the good; and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust.”

And then he tells us, that if we be not thus affected towards our enemies, and those that have been injurious to us, we are so far from being like God, that we are but just level with the worst of men: (ver. 46, 47.) “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have you? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” And then concludes that if ^e would attain that perfection which the Christian religion designs to advance men to, we must endeavour to be like God in these perfections of goodness, and mercy, and patience; “Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” In which words we have,

First, The absolute perfection of the Divine nature supposed: “As your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Secondly, It is propounded as a pattern to our imitation: “Be ye therefore perfect,” &c.

In handling of these words I shall do these four things:

I. Consider how we are to conceive of the Divine perfection.

II. I shall lay down some rules whereby we may govern and rectify our opinions concerning the at tributes and perfections of God.

III. How far we are to imitate the perfections of God, and particularly what those Divine qualities are, which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation.

IV. I shall endeavour to clear the true meaning of this precept, and to shew that the duty here in tended by our Saviour is not impossible to us; and then conclude this discourse with some useful inferences from the whole.

I. I shall consider how we are to conceive of the Divine perfection, these two ways:

1. By ascribing all imaginable and possible perfection to God.

2. By separating and removing all manner of imperfection from him.

1. By ascribing all imaginable and possible perfection to God; absolute and universal perfection, not limited to a certain kind, or to certain particulars; but whatever we can conceive and imagine to be a perfection, is to be ascribed to him; yea, and beyond this, whatever possible perfection there is, or possible degree of any perfection, which our short understandings cannot conceive or comprehend, is to be ascribed to him. For we are not to confine the perfection of God to our imagination, as if we could “find out the Almighty to perfection:” but, on the contrary, to believe the perfection of the Divine nature to be boundless and unlimited, and infinitely to exceed our highest thoughts and apprehensions.

More particularly, all kinds and all degrees of perfection are to be ascribed to God, which either do not imply a plain contradiction, or do not argue some imperfection, or are not evidently inconsistent with some other and greater perfection.

Some things may seem to be perfections, which in truth are not, because they are plainly impossible, and involve a contradiction: as, that what has once been, should by any power be made not to have been; or that any thing, which by its nature is limited and confined to one place, should at the same time be in another. These things in reason are impossible, and therefore not to be supposed to fall under any power, how unlimited soever. For if we once ascribe contradictions to God, we destroy his being; because then to be, and not to be, power, and no power, would be all one.

And then there are some perfections, which do argue and suppose imperfections in them; as motion, the quickness and swiftness whereof in creatures is a perfection, but then it supposeth a finite and limited nature: for a boundless and immense Being, that is every where present at once, hath no need to move from one place to another; and therefore, though motion be a perfection in creatures, there is no reason to ascribe it to God, because it supposeth a greater imperfection.

And there are also some imaginable degrees of perfection, which, because they are inconsistent with other perfections, are not to be admitted in the Divine nature. For instance, such degrees of goodness and mercy may be imagined, as would quite exclude and shut out justice; and, on the other hand, such a strictness and a rigour of justice, as would leave no room at all for patience and mercy; and therefore such degrees are not really to be esteemed perfections. For this is a certain truth, that nothing is a Divine perfection, which evidently clasheth with any other necessary and essential perfection of the Divine nature. We must so consider the perfections of God, that they may accord and consist together; and therefore it cannot be a perfection of God to be so good and gracious as to encourage sin, and to overthrow the reverence of his own laws and government. It is not goodness, but easiness and weakness, to be contented to be perpetually injured and affronted. It is not patience to be willing to be everlastingly trampled upon. So likewise, on the other hand, it is not a perfection to be so severe and rigorous, as to smite a sinner in the instant that he offends, not to be able to refrain from punishment, and to give time for repentance.

But whatever perfection is conceivable or possible, and argues no imperfection, nor is repugnant to any other necessary perfection, is to be ascribed to God; for this is the most natural and easy conception that we can have of God, that he is the most perfect being. This natural light doth first suggest and offer to the minds of men, and we cannot conceive of God as mere power and will, without wisdom and goodness. Hence it is that the Greeks call God very often τὸ Κρεῖττον, the best of beings: and the Latins, optimus maximus, “the best and the greatest,” beatissima et pcrfectissima natura constans, et perfecta ratio, “the happiest and most perfect nature, immutable and absolute reason;” and many other such expressions which we meet with in the writings of the heathen philosophers. I readily grant, that the first and most obvious thought which men have of God, is that of his greatness and majesty; but this necessarily involves or infers his goodness; as Seneca excellently reasons, Primus deorum cultus est deos credere, dein reddere illis majestatem suam, reddere bonitatem, sine qua nulla majestas; “The first worship of the gods is to believe their being, next to ascribe to them greatness and majesty, to ascribe to them goodness, without which there can be no majesty.”

And we shall find all along in Plato and Tully, and the best and wisest writers among the heathens, that they every where attribute the highest excellences and perfections to the Divine nature, and do steer and govern all their discourses of God by this principle, that perfection is to be ascribed to him: and whenever any thing is said of God, they examine whether it be a perfection or not; if it be, they give it him as his due; if it be not, they lay it aside, as a thing not fit to be spoken of him.

And in the Scripture we do every where find perfection ascribed to the nature, and works, and laws of God, to every thing that belongs to him, or proceeds from him. (Job xxxvii. 16.) “Dost thou know the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge?” And again, “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection?” (Psal. xviii. 30.) “As for God, his way is perfect.” (Psal. xix. 7.) “The law of the Lord is perfect.”

I shall not need to consider particularly the several perfections of the Divine nature; I shall only give you a brief scheme and draught of them. What ever perfection can be imagined either in the manner of being or acting, is to be ascribed to God; therefore, as to his nature, we say that he is a spirit; that is, that he is not mere body or matter, because that would exclude several other perfections; for mere matter is incapable both of knowledge and liberty, being determined by necessary laws and motions; and yet without knowledge and liberty, there can be no wisdom nor goodness. We say of God, that he is of himself, and without cause, and does not owe his being to any other; and consequently, that he is necessarily, and that he cannot but be, and cannot be otherwise than he is; for that which is of itself did not choose whether it would be or not, nor whether it would be thus or other wise; for to suppose any thing to deliberate or consult about its own being, is to suppose it to be before it is.

We must say of God, likewise, that he is immense, and every where present, because to be limited is an imperfection; and that he is eternal; that is, ever was, and shall be; for to cease to be, is a greater imperfection than sometime not to have been.

And then we are to say of God, that he is the cause of all other beings; that they are made by him, and depend upon him; that he knows all things, and can do all things in the most perfect manner, by a glance of his mind, and by the mere beck and nod of his will, without long study or deliberation, without laborious pains and endeavours, and consequently, that nothing is exempted from his knowledge, and power, and providence, and that he administers all things in a way of goodness and wisdom, of justice and truth; and therefore all things are to be referred to him, as their last end. All these perfections, and all other that are possible, we are to look upon the Divine nature as fully and immutably possessed of, and that in a higher and more excellent degree than our finite understandings are able to conceive or comprehend.

2. As we are to ascribe all imaginable and possible perfections to God, so we are to separate and remove all manner of imperfection from him. We must not obscure or blemish the Divine nature with the least shadow or blot of imperfection. If we once admit of this, to ascribe any thing to God which argues imperfection, we strike at the foundation, and destroy one of the clearest and most essential notions which men have of God. And therefore we find the Scripture very careful to remove all kinds of natural or moral imperfection from God. (Gen. xviii. 25.) “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous shall be as the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the world do right?” (Deut. xxxii. 4.) “A God of truth, and without iniquity.” (Rom. ix. 14.) “What shall we say then, is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid,” far be it from him.

Hence it is that Scripture holiness is so frequently ascribed to God, which signifies the purity and freedom of the Divine nature from that which we call sin; and God is very solicitous to give us such a notion of himself, as may remove sin and unrighteousness at the greatest distance from him, because that is the greatest of imperfections. Is it an imperfection to countenance sin? the Scripture acquits God of it: (Psal. v. 4, 5.) “Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee.” Is it an imperfection to go from one’s word, or to change one’s mind? this, likewise, is removed from God: (1 Sam. xv. 29.) “The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: he is not a man, that he should repent.” Is it an imperfection to want any thing, to be liable to any thing, to depend upon any thing without one’s self for their happiness? this also is to be set far from him. (Job xxii. 2, 3.) “Can a man be profitable to God? or is it a gain to him, that thou makest thy way perfect?” (Job xxxv. 6, 7.) “If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him? if thou art righteous, what givest thou him, or what receiveth he of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art, and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.” Is it an imperfection to tempt, or to be tempted to sin? this is to be separated from. God: “He cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth he any man,” saith St. James, (chap. i. 17.) And, to mention no more, is it an imperfection to be in any respect mutable? this is denied of God: “With him there is no variableness, or shadow of turning.” Thus you see how we are to conceive of the perfections of God, by ascribing all imaginable and possible perfection to him, and removing all shadow of imperfection from him. I proceed, in the

II. Second place, To lay down some rules by which we may rectify and govern our opinions concerning the attributes and perfections of God: the best I can think of are these following:

First, Let us begin with the most natural, and plain, and easy perfections of God, and lay them for a foundation, and rectify all our other apprehensions of God, and reasonings about him, by these; and these are his power, wisdom, and goodness, to which most of the rest may be reduced. Right apprehensions, and a firm belief of these, will make it easily credible to us, that all things were made, and are governed by him; for his goodness will dispose and incline him to communicate being to other things, and to take care of them when they are made. An infinite power and wisdom render him able to do all this without any labour or difficulty, and without any disturbance of his ease or happiness, as Epicurus would seem vainly to fear; who, in truth, did not believe a God, but pretended only to deny his providence, and that he either made or governed the world, because he was loath to lay so much trouble upon him. Vain man! as if those things which are impossible and difficult to our weakness and folly, might not be infinitely easy to infinite power and wisdom.

Particularly the goodness and justice of God are not so difficult to apprehend, as the disputes and: controversies about them have rendered them to many. When we consider infinite knowledge and power, we may easily lose ourselves, and go out of our depth, by wading too far into them: there is something concerning these, that is unimaginable, and unaccountable to our reason; we may not be able to understand how something may be produced from nothing, because it argues such an excess of power, as we cannot comprehend; but yet we are forced to acknowledge, that either the world must be produced from nothing, or that matter was eternally of itself, which is every whit as hard to imagine, as that infinite power should be able to produce it from nothing. So likewise we are not able to conceive, how God can certainly know future events, which depend upon voluntary and uncertain causes, because we cannot comprehend infinite knowledge; but this we may easily be satisfied in, that infinite power and knowledge may be able to do and know many things, which we cannot conceive how they can be known or done, no more than a child can imagine how a great mathematician can demonstrate his propositions. Only this we are sure of, as we can be of any thing, that no power can do that which is evidently impossible, and implies a plain contradiction.

We are not able, perhaps, to reconcile the particular providences of God with his universal goodness, justice, and wisdom, because we cannot see to the end of his ways and works at one view, and see every part with relation to the whole; which would appear very wise, if we knew the whole series of things, and saw the entire design together, as God himself does, to whom (as Solomon tells us) “all his ways are know r n from the beginning.”

So that however we may be at a loss in our conceptions of God’s infinite knowledge and power, yet goodness, and justice, and truth, are notions easy and familiar; and, if we could not understand these, the whole Bible would be insignificant to us. For all revelation from God supposeth us to know what is meant by goodness, justice, and. truth; and therefore no man can entertain any notion of God, which plainly contradicts these. And it is foolish for any man to pretend, that he cannot know what goodness, and justice, and truth in God are; for if we do not know this, it is all one to us whether God be good or not, nor could we imitate his goodness; for he that imitates endeavours to make himself like some thing that he knows, and must, of necessity, have some idea of that to which he aims to be like: so that if we had no certain and settled notion of the goodness, and justice, and truth of God, he would be altogether an unintelligible being; and religion, which consists in the imitation of him, would be utterly impossible.

Now these being the most easy and intelligible perfections of God, by which he is said in Scripture to declare his name, that is, to make himself known to us, we should govern all our reasonings about God (as, concerning his decrees, and his concurrence with the free actions of men, and his particular providence, which are things more dark and obscure) by what is more clear; and we shall find in Scripture, that in all these points holy men do constantly appeal to these unquestionable and intelligible perfections of God. “Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? (saith Abraham.) that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the world do right?” We may be mistaken, but God certainly knows who are wicked, and who are righteous; and he knows how to punish the wicked, and save the righteous: but we cannot be mistaken in this principle, that the Judge of all the world will do right. Thus Moses satisfies himself, and others, concerning the particular providences of God to wards the people of Israel. (Dent, xxxii. 3, 4.) “I will publish the name of the Lord: all his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he.” This we certainly know of God. So St. Paul, (Rom. ii. 2.) “Thou art inexcusable, O man!” Whatsoever excuse men may pretend for their faults, he lays down this for a principle, “We are sure the judgment of God i according to truth.”

Secondly, Let us always consider the perfections of God in conjunction, and so as to reconcile them with one another. Do not consider God as mere power and sovereignty, as mere mercy and goodness, as mere justice and severity; but as all these together, and in such a measure and degree, as may make them consistent with one another. The greatest mistakes in religion have certainly sprung from this root, from separating the perfections of God, and considering them singly, and framing such wide and large notions of one, as to exclude another; whereas the perfections of God agree together, and that is not a Divine perfection which contradicts any other perfection. Among men, indeed, an eminent degree of any one excellency does usually shut out some other; and therefore it is observed, that power and moderation, love and discretion, do not often meet together; that a great memory and a small judgment, a good wit and an ill nature, are many times found in conjunction. But in infinite perfection all perfections do eminently meet and consist together; and it is not necessary that one excellency should be raised upon the ruins of an other.

And if this had been well considered, men would not, by being too intent upon God’s sovereignty^ with neglect of his other perfections, have spoken those hard things about predestination; for the sovereignty of God doth by no means set him above the eternal Jaws of goodness, and truth, and righteousness. And if this were considered, men would not, by poring upon the justice and severity of God, be so swallowed up in despair; for God is not so severe, but he is merciful to the penitent, and hath left a retreat for the returning sinner. If this were well considered, it would check the presumption of those who encourage themselves in sin, by fancying to themselves a God of all mercy and goodness; and “because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore their heart is fully set in them to do evil;” for it is not goodness and mercy finally to bear with and forgive obstinate offenders, but want of prudence and good government.

Thirdly, Among different opinions concerning God (as there always have been and will be in the world) choose those which are farthest from extremity; because truth as well as virtue usually lied between the extremes. And here I will instance in that controversy, which has much disquieted the church almost in all ages, concerning the decrees of God; about which there are two extremes; the one, that God peremptorily decrees the final condition of every particular person, that is, their everlasting happiness or misery, without any regard or consideration of the good or bad actions of men: the other, that God decrees nothing concerning any particular person, but only in general, that men found under such and such qualifications shall be happy or miserable, and puts it into their own power to qualify themselves. Now he that is doubtful in this matter, as every man must be that understands the difficulties on both sides, had best take up in the middle opinion, that God decrees the final condition of particular persons with respect to certain qualifications; which, speaking absolutely, are not in every man’s power, but yet, under the influence of God’s grace, which is never wanting to the sincere endeavours of men, may be said to be in our power, in the same sense as St. Paul says, “I am able to do all things through Christ strengthening me:” for besides that this in all probability is the truth, there will be this advantage in it—that he that stands in the middle, is like to be more moderate towards the dissenters on both sides, than either of them will be to one another: because the middle is not so far from either extreme, as the extremes are from one another;. at the worst, he stands fairest for an impartial inquiry after truth, and when he has satisfied himself where the truth lies, he may more silently pass over to it, without any great imputation of in consistency; which cannot but be remarkable in him, who passeth from one extreme to another.

Fourthly, and lastly, Entertain no opinion concerning God, that doth evidently contradict the practice of religion, and a good life, though never so specious and subtle arguments may be used to persuade it. Truth is most easily seen and discerned in those reasonings and opinions which tend to practice; because the absurdity and inconvenience of, them is soonest discovered; whereas we cannot so certainly find out the truth or falsehood of those opinions, which speculative men devise in their studies, with out any consideration whether they serve any real purpose of life or not. Men, indeed, are very apt to form those notions, which are most remote from common sense and use; because more pains and wit are required to make them plausible; but there needs no other argument to make a wise man despise them, than that they are unprofitable, and signify nothing to our practice, and to make men truly better.

This is universally true in all kind of knowledge, but most considerable in the knowledge of God and religion; because that knowledge is of the greatest consideration. We need not scruple to admit some things, not so evident to natural reason, if we be satisfied of the truth of them from a higher and more cogent reason: as, that God has revealed it, and said it; this general reason may persuade us of a thing that is above and beyond natural reason: but we may not admit any thing for a Divine revelation, which evidently contradicts and weakens the practice of a holy life; because this is the main end of all Divine revelation; and we know God, only in order to the service and imitation of him.

Let us then look upon all knowledge that contradicts practice, as vain and false, because it destroys its end. There are many things that seem probable enough in speculation, which yet we most pertinaciously deny, because they are not practicable; and there are many things which seem doubtful in speculation, and would admit of great dispute, which yet, because they are found true in practice and experience, are to be taken for certain and unquestionable. The ἀργὸς λόγος, the idle reasoning of the Stoics was a thing contemned by the wiser philosophers, as vain and useless subtlety. Zeno pretends to demonstrate there is no motion; and what is the consequence of this speculation, but that men must stand still? but so long as a man finds he can walk, all the sophistry in the world will not persuade him that motion is impossible. In like manner, they that would persuade us that men can do nothing, nor contribute any more to their own sanctification than stocks or stones, and upon scripture-metaphors misunderstood (as our being “dead in trespasses and sins,” and “created to good works,”) graft notions, which are impossible and absurd in practice, do not consider that the natural consequence of this is, that men must do nothing at all in religion, never think of God, nor pray to him, nor read his word, nor go to church, but sit still and be wholly passive to the operations of God’s grace. But however this may seem plausible, and men may think they add much to the glory of God’s grace, while they deny any power in the creature; yet every considerate man will presently apprehend that this is by no means to be admitted, because it contradicts practice, and makes all the commands and exhortations of God’s word vain and to no purpose, because it destroys religion, and discourages the endeavours of men; makes them slothful and careless of working out their own salvation, than which nothing can set a man farther from God’s grace and assistance, and more immediately dispose him for ruin; and upon some such false reasoning as this, the slothful servant in the parable hid his talent in a napkin, and buried it in the earth; but when he was called to account, his excuse was not admitted, but he was cast “into utter darkness.” The two other particulars; namely, how far we are to imitate the Divine perfections, and particularly what those Divine qualities are, which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation, and likewise to clear the true meaning of this precept, and to shew that the duty here enjoined, “Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” is not impossible to us: both these I shall refer to another opportunity.

SERMON CXXX.

CONCERNING OUR IMITATION Of THE DIVINE PERFECTIONS.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.—Matt. v. 48.

IN these words we have, First, The absolute perfection of the Divine nature supposed, not only in those beforementioned, of goodness, and mercy, and patience; but in all other excellences whatsoever.

Secondly, The perfection of God is propounded as a pattern for our imitation.

In the handling of these two particulars I propounded to proceed in this method:

I. To shew how we are to conceive of the Divine perfection.

II. To lay down some rules, by which we may rectify and govern our opinions concerning the at tributes and perfections of God.

III. To shew how far we are to imitate the perfections of God, and particularly what those Divine qualities are which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation.

IV. To clear the true meaning of this precept; and to shew that the duty here intended by our Saviour is not impossible to us; and then to draw some useful inferences from the whole.

The two first I have already spoken to. I now proceed to the third particular, which is, To shew how far we are to imitate the perfections of God, and particularly what those Divine qualities are which our Saviour doth here more especially propound to our imitation. For though these words do suppose the absolute perfections of God, which are incommunicable, and a creature, as such, is utterly incapable of them, these cannot be supposed to be intended for a pattern to us. As, the necessity and independency of the Divine nature; and the self-sufficiency of it to his own happiness; to be the original cause of all things; and consequently, supreme Lord and Governor; the immensity and eternity of his being: these, and perhaps several other perfections, are in communicable to a creature; and it would be an insufferable pride, and a kind of high treason against the Divine Majesty, and a sottish ignorance of the necessary bounds and limits of our own state, as we are creatures, to think to resemble God in those excellences, of which the condition of a creature is utterly incapable. This was the sin of Lucifer: an ambition to step into the throne of God, and to belike the Most High.

So that, in our imitation of the Divine perfection, we are to keep within the station of creatures, not affecting an independency and sovereignty like the Most High, and to be omnipotent as he is, “to have an arm like God, and to thunder with a voice like him,” as the expression is in Job; but to endeavour to resemble him, pro modulo creaturae, according to the rate and capacity of a creature, in those Divine qualities, and in such measures and degrees, as our finite and dependent nature is capable of.

More especially and chiefly in the moral perfections of the Divine nature, such as are his goodness, and mercy, and patience, his justice, and truth, and faithfulness; these, and only these, the Scripture seems to comprehend under the name of holiness; not all the excellences of the Divine nature in general; but those which we call moral excellences and perfections, such as those which I have named; for with these, and hardly with any other, is the holiness of God joined in Scripture, as “holy and righteous—holy and true,” &c. And therefore, when God says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy;” it signifies, that we are to imitate God in his goodness, and mercy, and patience, and righteousness, and faithfulness, and truth; for these are the holiness of the Divine nature, which set him at the greatest distance from that which we call moral impurity and sin.

For that which our Saviour, here in the text, more peculiarly recommends to our imitation, is the goodness of God, of which his mercy and patience are two eminent branches. The mercy of God, is his goodness to those that are in misery, or are liable to it. The patience of God, is his mercy in sparing those who have deserved punishment, and are liable to it. And the goodness of God is then greatest, when it is exercised towards the evil and unthankful; those who are so far from deserving it, that they have given great and just provocations to the contrary. And this affectionate temper of mind, which is so remarkable in God towards the unworthy and unthankful sons of men, our Saviour recommends to our imitation, here in the text, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” “Be ye therefore——” this particle of inference, therefore, hath a plain relation to something spoken before; and if we look back to ver. 44. we shall find our Saviour there enjoining his disciples to “love their enemies; to bless them that curse them; to do good to them that hate them; and to pray for those that despitefully use them, and persecute them.” And by what other argument doth he enforce the practice of this difficult duty, but by telling us, that this is to be like God, to be good to the evil and unthankful? (ver. 45.) “That ye may be the children of your heavenly Father, who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and his rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” God is good to all, and exerciseth great mercy and patience even towards the evil and unjust. And then he concludes, that if perfection itself be fit to be a pattern, we should labour after these qualities; “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” So that though the universal perfection of the Divine nature be here supposed, yet the attributes of his goodness, and mercy, and patience are here particularly pointed at, and propounded to us for our pattern; and the precept of imitating the Divine perfection is more especially to be understood of those perfections which our Saviour had been discoursing of before; viz. the goodness and mercy of God. And that this is undoubtedly so, is evident from St. Luke’s rendering this precept, (chap. vi. 36.) “Be ye therefore οἰκτίρμονες, benefici, ready to do good, full of kindness and benignity; merciful, as your Father which is in heaven is merciful;” that is, endeavour you to be such as I have described God to be. And this St. Matthew calls perfection; because the goodness of God is his great perfection; and the glory of the Divine nature, that which reflects a lustre and beauty upon all his other attributes, and takes off the terror of them. From all which it is plain, what those perfections of the Divine nature are, which our Saviour doth here particularly recommend to our imitation. I come now, in the

Fourth and last place, To clear the true meaning of this precept; and to shew, that the duty here required, and intended by our Saviour, (when he says, “Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,”) is not impossible to us. And to this purpose, be pleased to consider these three or four things:

1. That our imitation of God is certainly restrained to the communicable perfections of God, and such as creatures are capable of; as I have shewn before. For it is so far from being a duty to affect or attempt to be like God in his peculiar perfections, that it was probably the sin of the apostate angels.

2. Our imitation of the Divine perfections, which are communicable to creatures, is likewise to be restrained to such degrees of these perfections, as creatures are capable of. For no creature can ever be so perfectly good as God is; nor partake of any other excellency, in that transcendant degree, in which the Divine nature is possessed of it.

3. But there is no manner of inconvenience in having a pattern propounded to us of so great perfection, as is above our reach to attain to; and there may be great advantages in it. The way to excel in any kind, is, optima quaeque exempla ad imitandum proponere, to propose the highest and most perfect examples to our imitation. No man can write after too perfect and good a copy; and though he can never reach the perfection of it, yet he is like to learn more, than by one less perfect. He that aims at the heavens, which yet he is sure to come short of, is like to shoot higher than he that aims at a mark within his reach.

SERMON CXXXI.

THE HAPPINESS OF GOD.

The blessed God.—1 Tim. i. 11.

The whole verse runs thus:

According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

SINCE all men naturally desire happiness, and thirst after it, methinks we should all desire to know what it is, where it is to be found, and how it is to be attained by us, in that degree in which creatures are capable of it. What Job says of wisdom, may be said also of happiness; “God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.” He only, who is perfectly possessed of it himself, knows wherein it consists, and what are the true ingredients of it.

So that to direct us in our search after happiness, the best way will be to contemplate and consider the Divine nature, which is the perfect pattern and idea of happiness, and the original spring and fountain of all the felicity that creatures are capable of. And to that end I have pitched upon these words, wherein the apostle attributes this perfection of blessedness or happiness to God; “The blessed God.”

And though this be as essential a part as any other of that notion which mankind have of God from the light of nature, yet I no where find in all the New Testament, this attribute of happiness given to God, but only twice in this Epistle, It is true, indeed, the title of blessedness is frequently given both to God and Christ, but in another sense and in a quite different notion: as (Mark xiv. 61.) where the high-priest asks our Saviour, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” τοῦ εὐλογητοῦ, of him that is to be celebrated and praised. (2 Cor. xi. 31.) “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore.” So likewise, (Rom. i. 25.) “The Creator blessed for evermore:” which likewise is said of Christ, (Rom. ix. 5.) “Of whom Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for evermore;” that is, for ever to be praised and celebrated. But in all these texts the Greek word is εὐλογητός, which though we translate blessed, yet it is a quite different notion from the title of blessedness, which is given to God in the text, where the word is not εὐλογητός but μακάριος, “the blessed (or happy) God;” and this title is not any where in all the New Testament (that I know of) given to God, but here in the text, and chap. vi. ver. 15. where our Lord Jesus Christ (who also is God) is called “the blessed and the only Potentate.” And whether this title of “the blessed (or the happy) God,” be here in the text given to God the Father, or to his eternal Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is not so much material to my present purpose to inquire. For, suppose it be Christ who is here called “the blessed God;” this however is certain, that blessedness or happiness is a title belonging to God, which is all that is necessary for a foundation of my present discourse.

In speaking of this argument, I shall do these three things:

I. Shew what we are to understand by the happiness of God, and what are the essential ingredients of it.

SERMON CXXXII.

THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD.

With whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.
—James i. 17.

The whole period runs thus:

Do not err, my beloved brethren: every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comet h down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

THE connexion and dependance of these words upon the former is briefly this: the apostle had asserted before, that God is not the author of sin and evil; (ver. 13, 14.) “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God is not tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed/ And here in the text he asserts, that God is the fountain and author of all good; “Do not err, my beloved brethren;” as if he had said, Do not mistake me, though sin and evil be not from God, but from ourselves, and our own corrupt hearts; yet all good is from God, and not from ourselves; though we be the authors of the sins we commit, yet we are not so of the good that we do, that is from God; “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” Sin, which is nothing but evil and imperfection, is not from God, but wholly from ourselves; whatever is good and perfect, is not from ourselves, but from God; we are neither inclined to that which is good, nor are able of ourselves to perform it; both the inclination and the power are from God, who is the fountain of goodness and perfection, and can never be otherwise, and can never change nor cease to be so, for “with him is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.”

“Every good gift, and every perfect gift;” all that goodness, and all those degrees of perfection which are in the creatures, in the highest angels or saints, in the best of the sons of men, whatever there is of excellency and perfection, of goodness or happiness, in any of them, “is from above;” that is, from heaven; it is the gift of God, and cometh down from that perfect, good, and glorious Being, whom the apostle here calls “the Father of lights;” in allusion to the sun, which is a kind of universal benefactor to the world, and liberally dispenseth his light and heat and influence upon all things here below; but then there is this difference—the sun changeth its habitudes and positions in reference to us, and varies its shadows; it rises and sets, comes nearer to us, and goes farther from us; but it is otherwise with this intellectual and immaterial sun, “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning;” παραλλαγὴ ἤ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα, which are all astronomical words; the first, παραλλαγὴ, signifies the various habitudes and positions wherein the sun appears to us every day, at its rising, in the meridian, and when it sets; τροπὴ is a word which belongs not to the daily, but to the yearly course of the sun, which is nearer to us, or farther from us, as he approacheth nearer towards the northern or southern tropics; and hence it is that it casts several shadows to people in several countries; and agreeably to this, the word ἀποσκίασμα, “casting of shadows,” being joined with signifies, the variation of the shadows according to the course and motion of the sun.

But God is an eternal spring of light, which never riseth or sets, which hath no mixture of shadow nor darkness, hath no changes nor variations, but is al ways the same free and liberal dispenser of good things to his creatures; “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning;” which words signify, the immutable perfection and goodness of the Divine nature; which shall (by God’s assistance) be the subject of my present discourse; in which I shall proceed in this method:

1st, I shall briefly explain what is meant by the immutability or unchangeableness of the Divine nature.

2dly, I shall shew that this is a perfection essential to God, to be immutably what he is; that is, good and perfect.

3dly, I shall answer an objection which lies against it, from the mention so often made in Scripture of God’s repenting himself, And,

4thly, Apply the consideration of it to ourselves.

I. For the explication of it. By the immutability of God, we mean, that he always is, and was, and to all eternity will be, the same; that he under goes no changes either of his essence and being, or of his properties and perfections. In reference to the unchangeableness of his being, he is said to be “eternal, incorruptible, and only to have immortality.” In reference to his perfections, he is always the same infinitely wise, and good, and powerful, and holy, and just being; from whence it follows, that he is constant and immutable in all his decrees and councils, his purposes and promises. We are uncertain and mutable in our very nature and beings, and in all those qualities and perfections which be long to us, in all our purposes, resolutions, and actions; we are continually growing or decreasing in this or that quality, and do frequently change from one extreme to another, from that which is more perfect, to the contrary; now knowing, and then ignorant; sometimes wise, and oftener foolish, stronger and weaker, better or worse, as it happens, and as we order ourselves, continually waxing or waning in our knowledge and wisdom, and goodness and power; we frequently change our minds, and alter our purposes, and break our promises, and contradict our firmest and most serious resolutions, and speak a thing and do it not, say it, and do not bring it to pass: but God is everlastingly the same in all his perfections, constant to his intentions, steady to his purposes, immutably fixed and persevering in all his decrees and resolutions. I proceed to the

II. Second thing I proposed; namely, To shew that this perfection is essential to God, to be unchangeably what he is. And this I shall endeavour to make manifest both from natural reason, and from the Divine revelation of the Holy Scriptures.

1. From the dictates of natural reason; which tells us, that nothing argues greater weakness and imperfection than inconstancy and change. This is the great vanity of all creatures, that they are uncertain, and do not long continue in one state; this is the vanity of the world in general, that “the fashion of it passeth away;” and of man in particular, that he is liable to so many natural changes, by age, and diseases, and death; for which reason he is said by the Psalmist to be, “in his best estate, altogether vanity;” and that he is liable to so many moral changes, to be deluded and deceived in his understanding, and to alter his opinion so often, to be so fickle in his will, and to change so often his purposes and resolutions, according to the alteration or appearance of things. We attribute change and inconstancy to persons of the weakest age and understanding; as children, who are liable to be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind,” as the apostle speaks, (Eph. iv. 14.)

Now if the Divine nature were subject to change, this would cast an universal cloud upon all the Divine perfections, and obscure all other excellences, and make them “like the flower of the field,” which, how gay and glorious soever, is fading and perishing; and the greater the Divine perfections are, the greater imperfection would mutability be; for, as the corruption of the best things is the worst, so the better any thing is, so much the worse it would be to have it liable to corruption and change.

And, as mutability in God would darken all his other perfections, so would it take away the foundation and comfort of all religion; the ground of our faith, and hope, and fear, of our love and esteem of God, would be quite taken away. We could have no great honour or esteem for a being that is fickle and inconstant; if his power and justice were uncertain, his threatenings would, in a great measure, lose their awe and force; if his truth and faithfulness could fail, no promises and declarations, how gracious soever, would be any security or firm ground of trust and confidence.

And this reasoning is not the result of Divine revelation, but clearly founded in the natural notions and suggestions of our minds; as will appear by citing one or two testimonies to this purpose, of those who had no other guide but natural light. Plato, in his Phaedo, inquires, “Whether the Most Perfect (that is, God) be always the same, or some times thus, and sometimes otherwise? that is (saith he), whether that which is equality, and goodness, and bounty itself, receives any the least change at any time, and be not constant and uniform, and of itself always the same, Καὶ οὐδαμῆ ιὐδαμῶς ἀλλοίωσιν οὐδεμίαν ἐνδέχεται, and is never, in any wise, upon any account, subject to any change or alteration what soever?” To which he answers, “That it is necessary that he should be the same always alike.” And (lib. 2. de Repub.) where he lays down the fundamental laws and constitutions of religion, he mentions these two (which, one would almost think, he borrowed from St. James, but that he lived so long before him); viz. First, “That God is the cause of all good, and in no wise of any evil;” answerably to what our apostle here asserts, that “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; but that every good and perfect gift is from him.” Secondly, “That God doth not deceive us, by making various representations of himself to us; some times in one form, and sometimes in another; for he is unchangeable, and always the same, and can not, τῆς ἐαυτοῦ ἰδέας ἐκβαίνειν, pass out of his own idea or be any other than what he is.” Which he further confirms by this excellent reasoning: “That which is the best and most perfect being, is not liable to any alteration; but such a being is God, and therefore he cannot be changed by any thing that is weaker and less perfect than himself, and he cannot will to change himself; for, if he should, it must either be for the better, or for the worse: it cannot be for the better; for, being already possessed of all perfection, there can be no accession of any to him by any change; and certainly there is no wise being, as God is, that will change for the worse;” and therefore he concludes, Κάλλιστος καὶ ἄριτος ὢν εἰς τὸ δυνατὸν μένει ἀεὶ ἁπλῶς, καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ μορφῇ, “That being the goodliest and best being that is possible, he always continues simply the same.” Seneca likewise, speaking of the immutability of God’s counsels, (lib. 6. Benef.) Statuerunt (says he) quae non mutarint, neque unquam primi concilii deos poenitet; “The gods make unchangeable decrees, and never repent them of their first counsel.”

2. This will yet more clearly appear from the Divine revelation of the Holy Scriptures, which tell us, that God is unchangeable in his nature, and in his perfections, in all his decrees, and purposes, and promises; in his essence and being: (Exod. iii. 14.) “I am that I am;” this is his name, whereby he made known himself to the comfort of his people, and to the terror of the Egyptians, their oppressors: (Psal. xc. 2.) “From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” (Psal. cii. 27.) “Thou art the same, and thy years fail not.” (Mai. iii. 6.) “I am the Lord, and change not.” Hence it is, that the title of “the living God” is so frequently attributed to him; and he swears by this, as denoting not only his eternity, but his unchangeableness: “As I live, saith the Lord.” Hither, likewise, we may refer those texts where he is called the “incorruptible God.” (Rom. i. 23.) “The immortal king,” (1 Tim. i. 17.) and is said “only to have immortality,” (1 Tim. vi. 16.) And he is immutable likewise in his perfections; hence it is so often said in the Psalms, that “his goodness and his mercy endure for ever:” his righteousness is likewise said to “endure for ever;” (Psal. cxi. 3.)and (Ps. xxxvi. 6.) to be “like the great mountains;” not only visible and conspicuous, but firm and immoveable: and the same, likewise, is said of his truth and faithfulness; (Psal. cxvii. 2.) “His truth endureth for ever:” and of his power; (Isa. xxvi. 4.) “In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

And so likewise in his decrees, and purposes, and promises; (Psal. xxxiii. 11.) “The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, and the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” (Isa. xiv. 24.) “Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.” (Numb. xxiii. 19.) “God is not a man that he should lie, or as the son of man, that he should repent: hath he spoken, and shall not he do it? hath he said it, and shall not he bring it to pass?” If he hath made any promise, or entered into any covenant with us, it is firm and immutable. (Psal. lxxxix. 33.) “He will not suffer his faithfulness to fail, his covenant will he not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of his lips.” His covenant and his promise are in themselves immutable; but for our further assurance, God hath given us his oath, the highest sign of immutability; so the apostle to the Hebrews tells us, (chap. vi. 18.) “That by two immutable things (viz. his promise and his oath), in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who are fled for refuge to the hope which is set before us.” I proceed to the

III. Third thing I promised; which is, To answer an objection, which may seem to lie against what hath been said, from the mention so often made in Scripture, of God’s repenting himself; as, Gen. vi. 6. where it is said, that it repented God that he had made man:” (1 Sam. xv. 11.) that “he repented that he had made Saul king.” And (2 Sam. xxiv. 16.) “when the angel had stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it,” it is said, that “the Lord repented him of the evil.” And Psal. cxxxv. 14. the Lord saith there, that “he will repent himself concerning his servants.”

To all which I answer, That this expression of God’s repentance, we are to understand (as many others in Scripture) after the manner of men, and as spoken by way of condescension and accommodation to our weakness and capacity, and not as casting any imputation of mutability and inconstancy upon God; as if, out of levity, or for want of foresight, he did alter his mind: but when God is said to repent “that he made man,” or “that he made Saul king,” the change was not in him, but them; and it signifies, not that God was absolutely deceived in his expectation, but that things had fallen out contrary to all reasonable expectation; and therefore, the Scripture clothes God with the human passion of repenting and grieving for what he had done, as men use to do when they are greatly disappointed, and fall short of their expectation.

And as for the other instances, wherein God is said to repent him of evils threatened; the expression only signifies thus much, that God doth not execute that which seemed to us to have been his peremptory purpose and resolution; that is, he is pleased to do otherwise than his threatenings seemed openly to express, because of some tacit condition implied in it, which he did not think fit to acquaint us with. And this doth not at all derogate from (he constancy and immutability of God: for when God did threaten, he spake what he did really purpose and intend, if something did not intervene to prevent the judgment threatened, upon which he was resolved, at that time when he threatened, to be taken off, and to stay his hand: and in thus doing, God doth not mutare consilium, sed sententiam; he doth not change his inward counsel and purpose, but takes off the sentence, which was passed with reserved conditions, and unknown to us, on purpose to urge us the more effectually to repentance

And that God usually reserves such conditions, not only in his threatenings, but sometimes also in his promises, appears from that remarkable text—(Jer. xviii. 7-10.) “At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from the evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them: at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them.” And from this very consideration, the same prophet encourageth the people to repentance; (Jer. xxvi. 13.) “Therefore, now amend your ways, and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent him of the evil he hath pronounced against you.” And we have a famous instance of this in the case of Nineveh, the destruction whereof within forty days after, God had openly proclaimed by his prophet; yet he stops the execution of the sentence, upon their repentance; (Jonah iii. 10.) “The men of Nineveh turned from their evil ways, and the Lord repented of the evil he said he would do unto them, and he did it not.”

All that now remains, is to apply this doctrine of the immutability of the Divine nature to ourselves; and the consideration of it may serve to several good purposes, both in reference to bad and good men.

First, In regard to sinners and wicked men.

And, first, The unchangeableness of God is matter of great terror to wicked men. Let but the sinner consider what God is, and the consideration of his unchangeable nature must needs terrify him: “He is a holy God, and of purer eyes than to be hold iniquity;” (Hab. i. 13.) “He is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with him: the foolish shall not stand in his sight, he hateth all the workers of iniquity;” (Psal. v. 4, 5.) He is likewise a just God, and “will by no means clear the guilty,” nor let sin go unpunished; (Exod. xxxiv. 7.) He is also omnipotent, and able to execute the vengeance threatened against sinners: “Who knoweth the power of thine anger?” (Psal. xc. 11.) “Thou, even thou, art to be feared; and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” (Psal. lxxvi. 7.) “Strong is the Lord God who judgeth;” (Rev. xviii. 8.) And, which gives a sad accent to all this, he that is thus holy, and just, and powerful, continues for ever the same, and will never alter or put off any of these properties, will never cease to hate iniquity, and to be an implacable enemy to all impenitent sinners: and is it not “a fearful thing to fall into the hands of” this holy, and just, and omnipotent God, who lives for ever, and can punish for ever? Let all obstinate sinners hear this, and tremble: you cannot be more obstinately bent to continue in your wicked ways, than God is peremptorily resolved to make you miserable. If you be determined upon a sinful course, God is also determined how he will deal with you; that he will not spare, but that “his anger and jealousy shall smoke against you,” and that all the curses that are written in his book shall light upon you, and that he “will blot out your name from under heaven;” he hath sworn in his wrath, that unbelieving and impenitent sinners “shall not enter into his rest:” and, for the greater assurance of the thing, and that we may not think that there is any condition implied in these threatenings, he hath confirmed them by art oath; that by this “immutable sign, in which it is impossible for God to lie,” sinners might have strong terrors, and not be able to fly to any, in hopes of refuge.

Secondly, The consideration of God’s unchangeableness, should likewise be a very powerful argument to urge sinners to repentance. If they will but leave their sins, and turn to him, they will find him ready to receive them, upon their repentance and submission; for “he is a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and ready to forgive;” he is unchangeably good, and “his mercy endureth for ever:” but if they will not come in, and submit to these terms, there is nothing before them but ruin and destruction; nothing then remains but a “fearful looking-for of judgment, and fiery indignation to consume them.” God hath declared to us the terms of our pardon and peace: and if we will not come up to them, he is at a point, he cannot change his nature, nor will he alter the terms of his covenant: there is a perfect and eternal opposition between the holy nature of God, and an impenitent sinner; and it is impossible such an one should be happy till this opposition be removed; and to do that, there are but two ways imaginable, by changing God, or by changing ourselves. The nature of God is fixed and unalterable; God cannot recede from his own pure nature; therefore, we must depart from our sinful and corrupt nature. God can not quit his holiness; therefore, we must leave our sins: we can have no hope to change God; therefore, we must change ourselves. Rectify, sinner, thine own corrupt nature, and renounce thy lusts; do not venture upon impossibilities; rather think of altering thy sinful nature, which may be changed, than of altering the Divine nature, which is essentially immutable, “with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.” God hath once condescended so far as to take our nature upon him, to make us capable of happiness: but if this will not do, he can go no lower; he will not, he cannot, put off his own nature to make us happy.

Secondly, In reference to good men, the consideration of God’s unchangeableness, is matter of great consolation to them; in all the changes and vicissitudes of the world, their main comfort and hope is built upon a rock, “the rock of ages,” as the expression is in the prophet Isaiah; (chap. xxvi. 4.) it relies upon the unchangeable goodness and faithfulness of God, “all whose promises are yea, and amen,” truth and certainty. All other supports and hopes may fail us: but “God will not suffer his faithfulness to fail; his covenant will he not break, nor alter the thing which is gone out of his lips,” as the Psalmist assures us, (Psal. lxxxix. 33.) Men may break their word, and be less than their promises; but “God is faithful, who hath promised to give grace and glory, and to withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly.” “He is not as man, that he should lie, or as the son of man, that he should repent. Hath he spoken, and shall he not do it? Hath he said it, and shall not he bring it to pass?”

If there be any thing that hath the appearance of a change in God, it is usually on the merciful side; as when he stops the execution of his threatenings, upon the repentance of a sinful nation, as in that remarkable text which I mentioned before: (Jer. xviii. 7, 8.) “At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them:” and so, likewise, when his faithful people and servants are in great distress, and there is no visible help and means of relief; in this case, likewise, God is said to repent, and to appear for their rescue; (Deut. xxxii. 36.) “The Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone/

Thus we should comfort ourselves in the greatest extremities, with the consideration of the immutable goodness and faithfulness of God. The things of the world are mutable, and the men of the world; even those things which seem most constant, as the heavens; and to be settled upon the surest foundations, as the earth; yet these shall be changed: (Psal. cii. 25-27.) “Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands: they shall perish, but thou shalt endure; all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” From whence the Psalm ist infers this comfort to the church and people of God; (ver. 28.) “The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.”

Nothing that is mutable can be a solid foundation of comfort and confidence. Men are inconstant, and riches are uncertain, and all other things which men commonly trust to; and therefore, the apostle chargeth them that are rich in this world, not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. He only, that lives for ever, is a firm foundation of hope and confidence.

When God would comfort the Israelites in Egypt under their great oppression, he bids Moses only to declare to them his immutability; (Exod. iii. 14.) “Say unto them, I am that I am hath sent me unto you/ And this is the great comfort of Christians, that he who is their Saviour and their hope, is “the same yesterday, to-day and for ever:” “he that was, and that is, and that is to come,” in all durations the same.

We are continually changing, and are not the same we were; some of us were young, and now are old; once, perhaps, flourished in great prosperity, but now are poor and needy; were once strong and healthful, but no\v sickly and weak: it should comfort us in all these changes, that God is still the same, and he alone is instead of all other comforts and supports: when all other things fail, we may “rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of our salvation.” Youth, and health, and riches, and friends may forsake us; but God hath promised, that he “will never leave us, nor forsake us;” that he will not leave us when we are old, nor forsake us when our strength faileth; when our strength fails, and our heart fails, then is he the strength of our hearts, and our portion for ever; and when our great change shall come, and the terrors of death shall take hold of us, we have still the same comfort, “the Lord liveth, and blessed be the God of our salvation.”

In a word, the consideration of God’s immutability, should keep us fixed and unmoved in all the changes and accidents of this world, and not apt to be startled and surprised at them; according to that of the Psalmist, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, because his heart is fixed, trusting in God.” This should make us constant to him and his truth, “steadfast and unmoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord;” it should make us “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering,” in full assurance that God will be as good to us as his word, and in a firm hope and persuasion of” that eternal life which God, that cannot lie, hath promised.”

SERMON CXXXIII.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

The Lord is a God of knowledge.—1 Sam. ii. 3.

I COME now to speak of those properties and perfections which relate to the Divine understanding, and will, and manner, and power of acting. Knowledge considers things absolutely, and in themselves: wisdom considers the respects and relations of things one to another, and under the notion of means and ends. The knowledge of God, is a perfect comprehension of the nature of all things, with all their powers, and qualities, and circumstances: the wisdom of God, is a perfect comprehension of the respects and relations of things one to another; of their harmony and opposition; of their fitness and unfitness to such and such ends. The knowledge of God, only implies his bare understanding of things; but his wisdom, implies the skill of ordering and disposing things to the best ends and purposes, to make every thing, and to govern and administer all things in number, weight, and mea sure. I shall at present speak of the first of these, the knowledge of God; which, as I said, is a perfect comprehension of the nature of all things, and of every thing belonging to their nature: of the powers, and qualities, and circumstances of things.

These words signify God to be “the fountain of knowledge;” that is, that he possesseth it himself, and communicates it to others. In the handling of this, I shall,

SERMON CXXXIV.

OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

The Lord is a God of knowledge.—1 Sam. ii. 3.

I HAVE considered this perfection of God, in some of the greatest and most difficult instances of it, his knowledge of the most secret things, the hearts of men, and future events; against the last of which there are some objections, which I come now briefly to consider, and pass on to what remains.

Objection the first; The impossibility of the thing. The certainty of all knowledge depends upon the certainty of the object; therefore there cannot be a certain and determinate knowledge of any thing, but what is certainly and determinately true: but future events, which may or may not be, have no certain and determinate truth; that is, it is not certain either that they will or will not be, because they have no certain cause; therefore there can be no infallible knowledge concerning them.

Answer.—This I confess is the grand difficulty; I shall not be so solicitous to take it away, as to give satisfaction to it.

1. I might say, with a very fair probability, that the certainty of knowledge doth not depend upon the uncertainty of the cause, but of the object, which may be certain, though the cause be contingent. Which I prove thus: whatever event hath actually happened, as, because now it is past, it is certainly true that it was; so, because it once was, it was certainly true, before it was, that it would be, as in Peter’s denying of Christ. If it be now true that be hath denied him, it was true before, that he would deny him; and it being determinately true, God saw it as it was; so that here is an object of a certain knowledge.

2. Though we could not explain the possibility of God’s knowing future contingencies, much less the manner how; yet we are sufficiently assured that God doth know them. I will give but one in stance for the proof of this. Nothing more evident than the sin of Adam; yet God foreknew this, how else was Christ “decreed before the foundation of the world?” Christ was a remedy upon the occasion of sin; now the remedy could not be designed before the sin was foreseen: and this being certain, cum constat de re, frustra inquiritur de modo: “when we are certain of the thing, it is not necessary to know the manner.” We are satisfied of many things, the manner whereof we do not know; we believe the union of the soul and body, though no man can explain how a spirit can be united to matter; we believe the continuity of matter; that is, that the parts of it hang together, of which whoso ever saith he can give an account doth but betray his own ignorance. And so in many other things; that man doth not know himself, nor the measure of his own understanding, nor the nature and obscurity of things, that will not confess himself posed in many things, that doth not acknowledge that there are many ἀφάνταστα, many things, the manner whereof is unimaginable, and of which our best reason and understanding can give no account.

3. It is very unreasonable to expect we should know all the ways which infinite knowledge hath of knowing things. We have but finite faculties and measures, which bear no proportion to infinite powers and objects. Could we explain the manner how infinite knowledge knows things, we should be like God in knowledge, our understandings would be infinite like his; and in this case especially it becomes us to put on the modesty of creatures, and to remember that we are finite and limited. Some arrogant spirits take it for an affront to their understandings, that any one should expect they should believe any thing, though they have the highest assurance of it, if they cannot explain the particular manner of it; they make nothing to deny God’s knowledge of future events, unless they may be satisfied of the particular way how he knows them.

I know there are those who undertake to explain the particular manner. Some say, that God sees future events in speculo voluntatis; others say, that the eternity of God is actually commensurate to all duration, as his immensity to all space, and so God doth not so properly foresee and foreknow, as see and know future things by the presentiality and co-existence of all things in eternity; for, they say, that future things are actually present and existing to God, though not in mensura propria, yet in mensura aliena: the schoolmen have much more of this jargon and canting language; and I envy no man the understanding these phrases; but to me they seem to signify nothing, but to have been words invented by idle and conceited men, which a great many ever since, lest they should seem to be ignorant, would seem to understand; but I wonder most, that men, when they have amused and puzzled themselves and others with hard words, should call this explaining things.

SERMON CXXXV.

THE WISDOM, GLORY, AND SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, now and ever.—Jude, ver. 25.

I AM treating of the attributes of God, particularly of those which relate to the Divine understanding, his knowledge and wisdom. The knowledge of God, only implies his bare understanding of things; but his wisdom, implies the skill of ordering and disposing things to the best ends and purposes, the skill of making, and governing, and administering all things in number, weight, and measure. The knowledge of God rather considers things absolutely, and in themselves: the wisdom of God, considers rather the respects and relations of things, looks upon things under the notion of means and ends: accordingly, I describe them thus: the knowledge of God, is a perfect comprehension of the nature of all things, with all their qualities, powers, and circumstances. The wisdom of God, is a perfect comprehension of the respects and relations of things one to another; of their harmony and opposition, their fitness and unfitness to such and such ends. I have largely spoken to the first of these: I come now to the

Second, The wisdom of God in general; together with his majesty and sovereignty, as they are here joined together. I begin with the

First, That God is “the only wise God.” In handling of this, I shall shew,

SERMON CXXXVI.

THE WISDOM OF GOD IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.—Psalm civ. 24.

I AM treating of the attributes and properties of God, particularly those which relate to the Divine understanding, which I told you are his knowledge and wisdom. I have finished the first, the knowledge of God. The last day I spake concerning the wisdom of God in general; but there are three eminent arguments and famous instances of God’s wisdom, which I have reserved for a more large and particular handling. The wisdom of God shines forth in the creation of the world, in the government of it, and in the redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ. Of these three I shall speak severally.

I begin with the first, the argument of God’s wisdom, which the creation doth furnish us withal. In this visible frame of the world, which we behold with our eyes, which way soever we look, we are encountered with ocular demonstrations of the wisdom of God. What the apostle saith of the power of God is true likewise of his wisdom: (Rom. i, 20.) “The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead:” so the eternal wisdom of God is under stood by the things which are made. Now the creation is an argument of the wisdom of God, as it is an effect of admirable counsel and wisdom. As any curious work or rare engine doth argue the wit of the artificer; so the variety, and order, and regularity, and fitness of the works of God, argue the infinite wisdom of Him who made them; a work so beautiful and magnificent, such a stately pile, as heaven and earth is, so curious in the several pieces of it, so harmonious in all its parts, every part so fitted to the service of the whole, and each part for the service of another; is not this a plain argument that there was infinite wisdom in the contrivance of this frame?

Now I shall endeavour to prove to you, that this frame of things, which we see with our eyes, which we call the world or the creation, is contrived after the best manner, and hath upon it evident impressions of counsel and wisdom. I grant the wisdom of God is infinite, and that many of the ends and designs of his wisdom are “unsearchable, and past finding out,” both in the works of creation and providence; and, that “though a wise man seek to find out the work of God from the beginning to the end, he shall not be able to do it;” and we shall never be able to exhaust all the various wisdom and contrivance which is in the works of God; though the oftener and the nearer we meditate upon them, the more we shall see to admire in them; the more we study this book of the creation, the more we shall be astonished at the wisdom of the Author: but this doth not hinder but that we may discover something of the wisdom of God, though it be in finite. As the effects of infinite power may fall under our senses, so the designs of infinite wisdom may fall under our reason and understanding; and when things appear to our best reason plainly to be ordered for the best, and the greatest advantages of the world and mankind, so far as we are able to judge; and if they had been otherwise, as they might have been a hundred thousand ways, they would not have been so well; we ought to conclude, that things are thus, and not otherwise, is the result of wisdom.

Now the wisdom of God in the creation will appear by considering the works of God. Those who have studied nature, can discourse these things more exactly and particularly. It would require perfect skill in astronomy, to declare the motions and order of heavenly bodies; and in anatomy, to read lectures of the rare contrivance of the bodies of living creatures. But this, as it is beyond my ability, so it would probably be above most of your capacities; therefore, I shall content myself with some general and more obvious instances of the Divine wisdom, which shines forth so clear in his works, that “he that runs may read it.”

1. I shall take a short survey of the several parts of the world.

2. Single out man, the masterpiece of the visible creation.

1. If we survey the world, and travel over the several parts of it in our thoughts, we shall find that all things in it are made with the greatest exactness, ranged in the most beautiful order, and serve the wisest and best ends.

If we look up to heaven, and take notice only there of that which is most visible, the sun, you see how, by the wise order and constancy of its course, it makes day and night, winter and summer. This the Psalmist takes notice of: (Psal. xix. 1, 2.) “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy-work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.” It may easily be imagined, many ways, how the sun might have had another course in reference to the earth; but no man can devise any other, that should not be very much to the prejudice of the world; so that this being the best, it is an argument that wisdom had the ordering and disposing of it.

If we look down to the earth, we shall see gods ascending and descending; I mean clear representations of Divine wisdom in the treasures that are hid in the bowels of it, and those fruits that grow upon the surface of it. What vast heaps, and what variety of useful materials and minerals, are scattered up and down in the earth as one would think with a careless hand, but yet so wisely dispersed, as is most proper for the necessities and uses of several countries! Look upon the surface of the earth, and you shall find it clothed and adorned with plants of various and admirable frame, and beauty, and usefulness. Look upon the vast ocean, and there you may see the wisdom of God in bridling and restraining that unruly element—I mean, in sinking it below the earth; whereas the water might have been above and covered the earth, and then the earth had been in a great measure useless, and incapable of those inhabitants which now possess it.

Look again upon the earth, and in the air and sea, and you shall find all these inhabited, and furnished with great store of living creatures of several kinds, wonderfully made in the frame of their bodies, endowed with strong inclination to increase their kinds, and with a natural affection and care towards their young ones; and every kind of these creatures armed either with strength or wit to oppose their enemy, or swiftness to fly from him, or strong holds to secure themselves. But the creation is a vast field, in which we may easily lose ourselves. I shall therefore call home our wandering thoughts; for we need not go out of ourselves for a proof of Divine wisdom. I shall therefore,

2. Select the choicest piece of it, man, who is the top and perfection of this visible world. What is said of the elephant, or behemoth, (Job xl. 19.) in respect of the vast bigness and strength of his body, is only absolutely true of man, that he is divini opificii caput, “the chief of the ways of God, and upon earth there is none like him.” Man is mundi utriusque nexus, “the bond of both worlds,” as Scaliger calls him, in whom the world of bodies, and the world of spirits, do meet and unite; for in respect to his body, he is related to this visible world, and is of the earth; but in respect of his soul, he is allied to heaven, and descended from above. We have looked above us, and beneath us, and about us, upon the several representations of God’s wisdom, and the several parts of the creation; but we have not yet considered the best piece of the visible world, which we may speak of, without flattery of ourselves, and to the praise of our Maker. God, when he had made the world, “he made man after his own image.” When he had finished the other part of the creation, he was pleased to set up this picture of himself in it, as a memorial of the work man. Now we shall a little more particularly consider this piece of God’s workmanship, being it is better known and more familiar to us, as it is more excellent than the rest, and, consequently, a higher instance of the Divine wisdom. It is observed by some, that, concerning the parts of the creation, God speaks the word, “Let there be light,” and “Let there be a firmament, and there was so:” but when he comes to make man, he doth, as it were, deliberate, and enter into consultation about him. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let him have dominion;” (Gen. i. 26.) as if man, above all the rest, were the effect and result of Divine wisdom, and the creature of his counsel.

Man may be considered either in himself, and in respect of the parts of which he consists, soul and body; or with relation to the universe, and other parts of the creation.

1. Consider him in himself, as compounded of soul and body. Consider man in his outward and worse part, and you shall find that to be admirable, even to astonishment; in respect of which, the Psalmist cries out, (Psal. cxxxix. 14.) “I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” The frame of our bodies is so curiously wrought, and every part of it so full of miracle, that Galen (who was otherwise backward enough to the belief of a God), when he had anatomized man’s body, and carefully surveyed the frame of it, viewed the fitness and usefulness of every part of it, and the many several intentions of every little vein, and bone, and muscle, and the beauty of the whole; he fell into a pang of devotion, and wrote a hymn to his Creator. And those excellent books of his, De Usu Partium, “of the usefulness and convenient contrivance of every part of the body,” are a most exact demonstration of the Divine wisdom, which appears in the make of our body; of which books, Gassendus saith, the whole work is writ with a kind of enthusiasm. The wisdom of God, in the frame of our bodies, very much appears by a curious consideration of the several parts of it; but that requiring a very accurate skill in anatomy, I choose rather wholly to forbear it, than by my unskilfulness to be injurious to the Divine wisdom.

But this domicilium corporis, “the house of our body,” though it be indeed a curious piece, yet it is nothing to the noble inhabitant that dwells in it. The cabinet, though it be exquisitely wrought, and very rich; yet it comes infinitely short in value of the jewel, that is hid and laid up in it. How does the glorious faculty of reason and understanding exalt us above the rest of the creatures! Nature hath not made that particular provision for man, which it hath made for other creatures, because it hath provided for him in general, in giving him a mind and reason. Man is not born clothed, nor armed with any considerable weapon for defence; but he hath reason and understanding to provide these things for himself; and this alone excels all the advantages of other creatures: he can keep himself warmer and safer; he can foresee dangers, and provide against them; he can provide weapons that are better than horns, and teeth, and paws, and, by the advantage of his reason, is too hard for all other creatures, and can defend himself against their violence.

If we consider the mind of man yet nearer, how many arguments of divinity are there in it! That there should be at once in our understandings distinct comprehensions of such variety of objects; that it should pass in its thoughts from heaven to earth in a moment, and retain the memory of things past, and take a prospect of the future, and look forward as far as eternity! Because we are familiar to ourselves, we cannot be strange and wonderful to ourselves; but the great miracle of the world is the mind of man, and the contrivance of it an eminent instance of God’s wisdom.

2. Consider man with relation to the universe, and you shall find the wisdom of God doth appear, in that all things are made so useful for man, who was designed to be the chief inhabitant of this visible world, the guest whom God designed principally to entertain in this house which he built. Not that we are to think, that God hath so made all things for man, that he hath not made them at all for himself, and possibly for many other uses than we can imagine; for we much overvalue ourselves, if we think them to be only for us; and we diminish the wisdom of God, in restraining it to one end: but the chief and principal end of many things is the use and service of man; and in reference to this end, you shall find that God hath made abundant and wise provision.

More particularly we will consider man,

1. In his natural capacity as a part of the world. How many things are there in the world for the ser vice and pleasure, for the use and delight of man, which, if man were not in the world, would be of little use? Man is by nature a contemplative creature, and God has furnished him with many objects to exercise his understanding upon, which would be so far useless and lost, if man were not. Who should observe the motions of the stars, and the courses of those heavenly bodies, and all the wonders of nature? Who should pry into the secret virtues of plants, and other natural things, if there were not in the world a creature endowed with reason and understanding? Would the beasts of the field study astronomy, or turn chymists, and try experiments in nature?

What variety of beautiful plants and flowers is there! which can be imagined to be of little other use but for the pleasure of man. And if man had not been, they would have lost their grace, and been trod down by the beasts of the field, without pity or observation; they would not have made them into garlands and nosegays. How many sorts of fruits are there which grow upon high trees, out of the reach of beasts! and, indeed, they take no plea sure in them. What would all the vast bodies of trees have served for, if man had not been to build with them, and make dwellings of them? Of what use would all the mines of metal have been, and of coal, and the quarries of stone? would the mole have admired the fine gold? would the beasts of the forest have built themselves palaces, or would they have made fires in their dens?

2. Consider man in his geographical capacity, as I may call it, in relation to his habitation in this or that climate or country. The wisdom of God hath so ordered things, that the necessities of every country are supplied one way or other. Egypt hath no rains; but the river Nil us overflows it, and makes it fruitful. Under the line, where there are excessive heats, every day there are constant gales and breezes of cool wind, to fan and refresh the scorched inhabitants. The hotter countries are furnished with materials for silk, a light clothing; we that are cooler here in England, with materials for cloth, a warmer clothing; Russia and Muscovy, which are extreme cold, are provided with warm furs and skins of beasts.

3. Consider man in his capacity of commerce and intercourse. Man is a sociable creature; besides the advantages of commerce with remoter nations, for supplying every country with those conveniences and commodities, which each doth peculiarly afford. And here the wisdom of God does plainly appear, in disposing the sea into several parts of the world, for the more speedy commerce and intercourse of several nations. Now if every country had brought forth all commodities, that had been needless and superfluous, because they might have been had without commerce; besides that, the great encouragement of intercourse among nations, which is so agreeable to human nature, would have been taken away: if every country had been, as now it is, destitute of many things other countries have, and there had been no sea to give an opportunity of traffic, the world had been very defective as to the use of man. Now here appears the wisdom of God, that the world, and all things in it, are contrived for the best.

Thus I have endeavoured to do something to ward the displaying of God’s wisdom in the workmanship of the world, although I am very sensible how much I have been mastered and oppressed by the greatness and weight of so noble an argument. For “who can declare the works of God! and who can shew forth all his praise!”

The use I shall make of what has been said, shall be in three particulars.

1. This confutes the Epicureans, who impute the world, and this orderly and beautiful frame of things to chance. Those things which are the proper effects of counsel, and bear the plain impression of wisdom upon them, ought not to be attributed to chance. What a madness is it to grant all things to be as well made, as if the wisest agent upon counsel and design had contrived them; and yet to ascribe them to chance! Now he that denies things to be so wisely framed, must pick holes in the creation, and shew some fault and irregularity in the frame of things, which no man ever yet pretended to do. Did ever any anatomist pretend to shew how the body of man might have been better contrived, and fitter for the uses of a reasonable creature, than it is? or any astronomer to rectify the course of the sun? As for the extravagant and blasphemous speech of Alphonsus, “That if he had stood at God’s elbow when he made the world, he could have told him how to have made it better;” besides his pride, it shews nothing but his ignorance; that he built his astronomy upon a false hypothesis, as is generally believed now by the learned in that science; and no wonder he found fault with the world, when he mistook the frame of it: but those who have been most versed in nature, and have most pried into the secrets of it, have most admired the workmanship both of the great world, and the less.

But if we must suppose the world to be as well made as wisdom could contrive it, which is gene rally granted, it is a monstrous folly to impute it to chance. A man might better say, Archimedes did not make any of his engines by skill, but by chance: and might more easily maintain, that Cardinal Richlieu did not manage affairs by any arts or policy; but they fell out by mere chance. What pitiful shifts is Epicurus put to, when the best account he can give of the world is this:—“That matter always was, and the parts of it, in motion, and after a great many trials, the parts of matter at length hampered themselves in this fortunate order wherein they now are; that men, at first, grew out of the earth, were nourished by the navel-string, and when they were strong enough, broke loose and weaned themselves; that the nostrils were made by the waters making themselves a passage out of the body; and the stomach and bowels by the waters forcing a passage downward; that the members of the body were not made for those uses for which they serve, but chanced to be so, and the uses afterwards found out.” Is it worth the while to advance such senseless opinions as these, to deny the wisdom of God? Is it not much easier, and more reasonable to say, that the wisdom of God made all these things, than to trouble ourselves to imagine how all things should happen thus conveniently by chance? Did you ever know any great work, in which there was variety of parts, and an orderly disposition of them required, done by chance, and without the direction of wisdom and counsel? How long time might a man take to jumble a set of four and twenty letters together, before they would fall out to be an exact poem: yea, or to make a book of tolerable sense, though but in prose? How long might a man sprinkle oil and colours upon canvas, with a careless hand, before this would produce the exact picture of a man? And is a man easier made by chance than his picture? He that tells me that this great and curious frame of the world was made by chance, I could much more believe him if he should tell me that Henry the Seventh’s chapel in Westminster was not built by any mortal man, but the stones did grow in those forms into which they seem to us to be cut and graven; that the stones, and timber, and iron, and brass, and all the other materials came thither by chance, and upon a day met all happily together, and put themselves into that delicate order, in which we see them so close compacted, that it must be a great chance that parts them again. Now, is it not much easier to imagine how a skilful workman should raise a building, and hew timber, and stones, than how that variety of materials, which is required to a great and stately building, should meet together all of a just bigness, and exactly fitted, and by chance take their places, and range themselves into that order? I insist the longer upon this, because I am sensible how much atheism hath gained in this age.

2. Let us admire, and adore, and praise the wisdom of God, “who hath established the world by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his understanding; who hath made all things in number, weight, and measure;” that is, by exact wisdom. The wise works of God are the proper object of our praise; and this is a day proper for the work of praise and thanksgiving. Now under the gospel, since Christ was clearly revealed, we have new matter of praise and thanksgiving; but as God has given us Christ, so he hath given us our beings. We are not so to remember our Redeemer, as to forget our Creator. The goodness, and power, and wisdom of God, which appears in the creation of the world, ought still to be matter of admiration and praise to Christians. It is a great fault and neglect among Christians, that they are not more taken up with the works of God, and the contemplation of the wisdom which shines forth in them. We are apt enough to admire other things, little toys; but we overlook this vast curious engine of the world, and the great Artificer of all things. It was truly said by one, that most men are so stupid and inconsiderate, as to admire the works of a painter or a carver more than the works of God. There are many that have bestowed more eloquence in the praise of a curious picture, or an exact building, than ever they did upon this noble and exquisite frame of the world, or any of the other works of God. We can admire the wisdom, and design, and skill of petty artists, and little engineers; but here is wisdom in the beauty and order of the creation. Did we love God, and take pleasure in the effects of his wisdom and power, we should be more in the contemplation of them. (Psal. cxi. 2.) “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein:” let us then say with the Psalmist, “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches,” &c.

More particularly let us, with a humble thank fulness, admire the wisdom which hath made and disposed all things so fitly for our use and service, and with so merciful a respect to us: the light and influence of heaven; the beasts and the fruits of the earth. We find the Psalmist often praising God upon this account, (Psal. cxxxvi. 4, 5, &c.) The wisdom which hath framed these bodies of ours, (Psal. cxxxix. 14-16.) Which hath endowed us with knowledge and understanding. Elihu complains, that men were apt to overlook these great blessings of God. (Job xxxv. 10-12.) “But none saith, Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night? who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven? There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.”

3. Use. Trust the wisdom of God, which made the world, to govern it, and the affairs of it; and the wisdom which hath framed thy body in so curious and exquisite a manner, and formed thy spirit with in thee, and hath made so many creatures with reference to thy necessity and comfort, trust him for thy future provision. (Matt. vi. 25.) “I say unto you, Take no thought for your lives, what ye shall eat,” &c. “Is not the life more than meat? and the body than raiment?” He hath given us our souls; he hath breathed into us the breath of life, and made these bodies without our care and thought; he hath done the greater, will he not do the less? When thou art ready anxiously and solicitously to say, What shall I do for the necessaries of life? consider whence thou didst receive thy life; who made this body of thine; thou mayest be assured, that the wisdom which hath created these, considered how to supply them; the wisdom of God knew that you would want all these, and hath accordingly provided for them, therefore “fear not.”

SERMON CXXXVII.

THE WISDOM OF GOD IN HIS PROVIDENCE.

Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.—1 Peter v. 7.

AMONGST the several duties which, towards the conclusion of this Epistle, the apostle exhorts Christians to, this is one not to be over-much solicitous and concerned about what may befal us, but to refer ourselves to the providence of God, which takes care of us. In speaking to this argument, I shall,

I. Consider the nature of the duty here required, which is, to cast our care upon God.

II. The argument used to persuade us to it: because he careth for us.

I. For the nature of the duty here required. The word μέριμνα signifies an anxious care about events, a care that is accompanied with trouble and disquiet of mind about what may befal us; about the good that we hope for and desire, or about the evil which we fear may come upon us. This the apostle exhorts us to throw off; and to leave to the providence of God, and his care, all those events which we are apt to be so solicitous and disquieted about. The expression seems to be taken out of Psal. lv. 22. “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.”

Now that we may not mistake our duty in this matter, I shall shew what is not here meant by casting all our care upon God; and then, what is meant by it.

The apostle cloth not here intend to take men off from a provident care and diligence about the concernments of this life; this is not only contrary to reason, but to many express precepts and passages of Scripture, wherein diligence is recommended to us, and the blessing of God, and the good success of our affairs promised thereto; wherein we are commanded to provide for those of our family, which cannot be done without some sort of care; and wherein slothfulness and negligence are condemned and threatened with poverty; so that this is not to cast our care upon God, to take no care of ourselves, to use no diligence and endeavour for the obtaining of the good which we desire, and the prevention of the evil we fear; this is to tempt the providence of God, and to cast that burthen upon him, which he expects we should bear ourselves.

But by casting our care upon God, the apostle intends these two things:

1. That after all prudent care and diligence have been used by us, we should not be farther solicitous, nor trouble ourselves about the event of things, which, when we have done all we can, will be out of our power. And this, certainly, is our Saviour’s meaning, when he bids us “take no care for the morrow.” When we have done what is fit for us for the present to do, we should not disquiet and torment ourselves about the issue and event of things.

2. Casting our care upon God, implies, that we should refer the issue of things to his providence, which is continually vigilant over us, and knows how to dispose all things to the best; entirely confiding in his wisdom and goodness, that he will order all things for our good, and in that confidence resolving to rest satisfied and contented with the disposals of his providence, whatever they be.

You see, then, the nature of the duty which the apostle here exhorts to; viz. That after all prudent care and diligence have been used on our parts, we should not be disquieted in our minds about the event of things, but leave them to God, who hath the care of us, and of all our concernments. Which is the

II. Second thing I proposed to speak to, and which I intend chiefly to insist upon; viz. The argument which the apostle here useth to persuade us to this duty, of casting all our care upon God, because it is he that careth for us: and this implies in it these two things:

1. In general, that the providence of God governs the world, and concerns itself in the affairs of men, and disposeth of all events that happen to us.

2. More particularly, that this providence is peculiarly concerned for good men, and that he takes a special care of them and their concerns; “He careth for you.” The apostle speaks this to them, not only as men, but as Christians. And thus the Psalmist, from whom these words seem to be taken, does apply and limit this promise; “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

1. That God taketh care of us, implies in general, that the providence of God governs the world, and concerns itself in the affairs of men, and disposeth of all events that happen to us. I shall not now enter upon a large proof of the providence of God; that is too large and intricate an argument for a short discourse, and hath a great deal of nicety and difficulty in it; and though it be a fundamental principle of religion, and hath been almost generally entertained and believed by mankind, and that upon very good reason; yet because the vindication of many particular appearances of Providence does, in a great measure, depend upon a full view and comprehension of the whole design, therefore we must necessarily refer ourselves for full satisfaction, as to several difficulties and objections, to the other world, when we shall see God’s works, together with the relation of every part to the whole design, and then many particular passages, which may now seem odd and crooked, as we look upon them by themselves, will, in relation to the whole, appear to have a great deal of reason and regularity in them.

Therefore I shall at present only briefly, and in the general shew that it is very credible, that there is a wise Providence that governs the world, and interests itself in the affairs of men, and disposeth of all events which happen to us.

And I desire it may be observed in the entrance upon this argument, that the handling of this question concerning Providence, doth suppose the being of God, and that he made the world, as principles already known and granted, before we come to dispute of his providence; for it would be vain to argue about the providence of God, with those who question his being, and whether the world was made by him: but supposing these two principles, I that God is, and that he made the world, it is very i credible that he should take care of the government of it, and especially of one of the noblest parts of it, the race of mankind. For we cannot believe, I that he, who employed so much power and wisdom in the raising of this great and magnificent pile, and furnishing every part of it with such variety of creatures, so exquisitely and so wisely fitted for the use and service of one another, should, so soon as he had perfected it, forsake his own workmanship, and take no further care of it; especially considering that it is no trouble and disquiet to him, either to take notice of what is done here below, or to interpose for the regulating of any disorders that may happen; for infinite knowledge, and wisdom, and power, can do this with all imaginable ease, knows all things, and can do all things, without any disturbance of its own happiness.

And this hath always been the common apprehension of mankind, that God knows all things, and observes every thing that is done in the world, and, when he pleaseth, interposes in the affairs of it. It is true, indeed, the Epicureans did deny that God either made the world or governs it; and, therefore, wise men always doubted whether they did indeed believe the being of God, or not; but being unwilling to incur the danger of so odious an opinion, they were content, for fashion sake, to own his being, provided they might take away the best and most substantial arguments for the proof of it. The rest of the philosophers owned a Providence, at least a general Providence, that took care of great and more important matters, but did not descend to a constant and particular care of every person, and every little event belonging to them: Interdum curiosus singulorum, says Tully; “Now and then, when he pleases, he takes care of particular persons, and their lesser concernments;” but many of them thought that God did generally neglect the smaller and more inconsiderable affairs of the world, Dii minora negligunt neque agellos singulorum et viticulas persequuntur, “The gods overlook smaller matters, and do not mind every man’s little field and vine.” Such imperfect apprehensions had they of the providence of God. And though they would seem hereby to consult the dignity and ease of the Deity, by exempting him from the care and trouble of lesser matters, yet, in truth and reality, they cast a dishonourable reflection upon him, as if it were a burthen to infinite knowledge, and power, and goodness, to take care of every thing.

But now, Divine revelation hath put this matter out of doubt, by assuring us of God’s particular care of all persons and events. Our Saviour tells us, that God’s providence extends to the least and most inconsiderable creatures; to the grass of the field, “which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven.” (Matt. vi. 30.) To the fowls of the air, and that to the least of them, even to the sparrows, two of which are “sold for a farthing, and yet not one of them falleth to the ground” without God. (Matt. x. 29.) Much more doth the providence of God extend to men, which are creatures far more considerable, and to the very least thing that belongs to us, to the very hairs of our head, “which are all numbered;” the lowest instance that can be thought on.

So that the light of nature owns a more general Providence; and Divine revelation hath rectified those imperfect apprehensions which men had about it, and hath satisfied us, that it extends itself to all particulars, and even to the least things and most inconsiderable. And this is no ways incredible, considering the infinite perfection of the Divine nature, in respect of which, God can with as much and greater ease take care of every thing, than we can do of any one thing; and the belief of this is the great foundation of religion. Men, therefore, pray to God for the good they want, and to be freed from the evils they fear, because they believe that he al ways regards and hears them. Men, therefore, make conscience of their duty, because they believe God observes them, and will reward and punish their good and evil deeds. So that, take away the providence of God, and we pull down one of the main pillars upon which religion stands; we rob ourselves of one of the greatest comforts and best refuges in the afflictions and calamities of this life, and of all our hopes of happiness in the next.

And though there be many disorders in the world, especially in the affairs of man, the most irregular and intractable piece of God’s creation; yet this is far from being a sufficient objection against the providence of God, if we consider that God made man a free creature, and capable of abusing his liberty, and intends this present life for a state of trial in order to another, where men shall receive the just recompence of their actions here; and then if we consider, that many of the evils and disorders which God permits to happen, are capable of being over-ruled by him to a greater good, and are made many times to serve wise and excellent purposes, and that the providence of God does sometimes visibly and remarkably interpose, for the prevention and remedy of great disorders and confusions; I say, considering all this, it is no blemish to the Divine Providence, to permit many of those irregularities which are in the world, and suffer the fates of good and bad men to be so cross and unequal in this life. For supposing another life after this, wherein men shall come to an account, and every man shall receive the just recompence of his actions, there will then be a proper season and full opportunity of setting all things straight, and no man shall have reason then, either to glory in his wickedness, or to complain of his sufferings in this world. This is the first, that God’s providence governs the world, and interests itself in the affairs of men, and disposeth of all events that happen to them; and this is a very good reason why we should cast our particular cares upon him, who hath undertaken the government of the whole.

2. The providence of God is more peculiarly concerned for good men, and he takes a more particular and especial care of them. The apostle speaks this to Christians, “Cast all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” And this David limits in a more particular manner to good men: “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

The providence of God many times preserves good men from those evils which happen to others, and, by a peculiar and remarkable interposition, rescues them out of those calamities which it suffers others to fall into; and God many times blesseth good men with remarkable prosperity and success in their affairs. To which purpose there are innumerable declarations and promises in the Holy Scriptures, so well known, that I shall not trouble you with the recital of them.

Notwithstanding which, it cannot be denied, that good men fall into many evils, and are harassed with great afflictions in this world: but then the providence of God usually ordereth it so, that they are armed with great patience to bear them, and find great comfort and support under them, and make better use and improvement of them than others; so that one way or other they turn to their advantage. So the apostle assures us, (Rom. viii. 28.) “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” All the evils and afflictions which happen to good men, conspire one way or other to the promoting of their happiness, many times in this world, to be sure they make a great addition to it in the other. So the same apostle tells us, (2 Cor. iv. 17, 18.) “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, whilst we look not,” &c. And can we say God’s providence neglects us, when he rewards our temporal sufferings with eternal glory? when, through many hardships and tribulations, he at last brings us to a kingdom? Was Joseph neglected by God, when, by a great deal of hard usage and a long imprisonment, he was raised to the highest dignity in a great kingdom? Or rather, was not the providence of God very remarkable towards him, in making those sufferings so many steps to his glory, and the occasion of his advancement? And is not God’s providence towards good men as kind and as remarkable, in bringing them to an infinitely better and more glorious kingdom, by tribulation and sufferings; and making “our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, to work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?”

Thus you see what is implied in God’s care of us in general; that he governs the world, and disposeth all events; and particularly, that he is peculiarly concerned for good men, and takes a more especial care of them. Let us now see of what force this consideration is, to persuade to the duty enjoined in the text, to cast all your care upon God; that is, after all prudent care and diligence hath been used on our part, not to he anxious and solicitous about the event of things, but to leave that to God. Now this consideration, that God cares for us, should be an argument to us, to cast all our care upon him, upon these two accounts:

1. Because if God cares for us, our concernments are in the best and safest hands.

2. Because all our anxiety and solicitude will do us no good.

1. Because if God cares for us, our concernments are in the best and safest hands, and where we should desire to have them; infinitely safer than under any care and conduct of our own. And this ought to be a great satisfaction to our minds, and to free us from all disquieting thoughts: for if God undertakes the care of us, then we are sure that nothing shall happen to us, but by the disposal or permission of infinite wisdom and goodness. There are many things, indeed, which to us seem chance and accident; but in respect of God, they are providence and design; they may appear to happen by chance, or may proceed from the ill-will and malicious intent of second causes, but they are all wisely designed; and as they are appointed or permitted by God, they are the result of the deepest counsel, and the greatest goodness. And can we wish that we and our concernments should be in better or safer hands, than of infinite power and wisdom, in conjunction with infinite love and goodness? And if we be careful to do our duty, and to demean ourselves towards God as we ought, we may rest assured of his love mid care of us; and if we do in good earnest believe the providence of God, we can not but think that he hath a peculiar regard to those that love and serve him, and that he will take a peculiar care of their concernments, and that he can and will dispose them better for us, than we could manage them ourselves, if we were left to ourselves, and our affairs were put into the hands of our own counsel.

Put the case we had the entire ordering and disposal of ourselves, what were reasonable for us to do in this case? We would surely, according to our best wisdom and judgment, do the best we could for ourselves; and when, upon experience of our own manifold ignorance and weakness, we had found our weightiest affairs and designs frequently to miscarry, for want of foresight, or power, or skill to obviate and prevent the infinite hazards and disappointments which human affairs are liable to, we should then look about us; and if we knew any person much wiser, and more powerful than ourselves, who we believed did heartily love us, and wish well to us, we would out of kindness to ourselves, ask his counsel in our affairs, and crave his assistance; and if we could prevail with him to undertake the care of our concernments, we would commit them all to his conduct and government, in confidence of his great wisdom and good-will to us.

Now God is such an one; he loves us as well as we do ourselves, and desires our happiness as much, and knows infinitely better than we do, what means are most conducing to it, and will most effectually secure it. And every man that believes thus of God (as every man must do, that believes there is a God, for these are the natural and essential notions which all men have of the Deity); I say, every man that believes thus of God, the first thing he would do (if he knew not already that God had voluntarily, and of his own accord, undertaken the care of him and of his affairs) would be to apply himself to God, and to beseech him with all earnestness and importunity, that he would permit him to refer his concernments to him, and be pleased to undertake the care of them; and he would, without any demur or difficulty, give up himself wholly to him, to guide and govern him, and to dispose of him as to him should seem best.

Now if God have prevented us herein, and with out our desire taken this care upon himself, we ought to rejoice in it, as the greatest happiness that could possibly have befallen us; and we should, without any farther care and anxiety, using our own best diligence, and studying to please him, cheer fully leave ourselves in his hands, with the greatest confidence and security, that he will do all that for us which is really best; and with a firm persuasion that that condition, and those circumstances of life which he shall choose for us, will be no other but the very same which we would choose for ourselves, if we were as wise as he.

And it is so natural for men to think thus of God, that the very heathen poet had the same idea of him, and upon that ground, adviseth us to commit all our concernments to him.

Permittes ipsis expemlere miminibus quid
Conveniat nobis, rebusqne sit utile nostris;
Nam pro jucundis, aptissima quaeque dabunt dii;
Charior est illis homo, quant sibi.

“Leave it (says he) to the wiser gods, to consider and determine what is fittest for thee, and most for thy advantage; and though they do not always give thee what thou desirest, and that which pleaseth thee best, yet they will give that which is most fit and convenient for thee; for man is more dear to the gods, than he is to himself.” Not much different from this, is the Divine counsel of Solomon: (Prov. iii. 5, 6.) “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It is considerable who it is that gives this advice: the wisest of the sons of men; and yet he adviseth to trust in God for direction, and not to lean to our understandings.

If, therefore, we be fully persuaded of God’s infinitely wise and good providence, we ought certainly to refer ourselves to him, and perfectly to acquiesce in his disposal, and to rest satisfied in whatever he does; and whatever condition he assigns to us, we ought to be contented with it; if we be not, we find fault with his wisdom, and reproach his goodness, and wish the government of the world in better hands.

So that a firm belief of the providence of God, as it would take away all anxiety concerning future events, so would it likewise silence all those murmurings and discontents, which are apt to arise in us when things fall out cross to our desires, when disasters and disappointments happen to us, and the providence of God casts us into sickness, or poverty, or disgrace. This quieted David, when he was ready to break out into murmuring at the afflictions and calamities which befel him: “I held my peace, (says he) and spake not a word, because thou, Lord, didst it.” And this, likewise, should keep us from fretting and vexing at instruments and second causes; to consider that the wise providence of God over-ruleth and disposed) the actions of men, and that no harm can happen to us without his permission. This consideration restrained David’s anger, under that high provocation of Shimei, when he followed him, reproaching him, and cursing him; “Let him alone; the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David.” He considered that God’s providence permitted it; and looking upon it as coming from a higher hand, this calmed his passion, and made him hear it patiently. If a man be walking in the street, and one fling water upon him, it is apt to provoke him beyond all patience: but no man is in a passion for being wet ten times as much by rain from heaven. What calamity soever befalleth us, when we consider it as coming from heaven, and ordered and permitted there, this will still and hush our passion, and make us, with Eli, to hold our peace, or only to say, “It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good.”

We are, indeed, liable to many things in this world, which have a great deal of evil and affliction in them, to poverty, and pain, and reproach, and restraint, and the loss of our friends and near relations; and these are great afflictions, and very cross and distasteful to us; and, therefore, when we are in danger of any of these, and apprehend them to be making towards us, we are apt to be anxious, and full of trouble; and when they befal us, we are prone to censure the providence of God, and to judge rashly concerning it, as if all things were not ordered by it for the best. But we should consider, that we are very ignorant and short-sighted creatures, and see but a little way before us, are not able to penetrate into the designs of God, and to look to the end of his providence. We cannot (as Solomon expresseth it) see the work of God from the beginning to the end; whereas, if we saw the whole design of Providence together, we should strangely admire the beauty and proportion of it, and should see it to be very wise and good. And that which, upon the whole matter, and in the last issue and result of things, is most for our good, is certainly best, how grievous soever it may seem for the present. Sickness caused by physic, is, many times, more troublesome for the present, than the disease we take it for; but every wise man composeth himself to bear it as well as he can, because it is in order to his health; the evils and afflictions of this life are the physic and means of cure, which the providence of God is often necessitated to make use of; and if we did trust ourselves in the hands of this great Physician, we should quietly submit to all the severities of his providence, in confidence that they would all “work together for our good.”

When children are under the government of parents, or the discipline of their teachers, they are apt to murmur at them, and think it very hard to be denied so many things which they desire, and to be constrained by severities to a great many things which are grievous and tedious to them: but the parent and the master know very well, that it is their ignorance and inconsiderateness which makes them to think so, and that when they come to years, and to understand themselves better, then they will acknowledge, that all that which gave them so much discontent, was really for their good, and that it was their childishness and folly which made them to think otherwise, and that they had, in all probability, been undone, had they been indulged in their humour, and permitted in every thing to have their own will; they had not wit and consideration enough to trust the discretion of their parents and governors, and to believe that even those things which were so displeasing to them, would at last tend to their good.

There is a far greater distance between the wisdom of God and men, and we are infinitely more ignorant and childish in respect of God, than our children are in respect of us; and being persuaded of this, we ought to reckon, that while we are in this world, under God’s care and discipline, it is necessary for our good, that we be restrained in many things, which we eagerly desire: and suffer many things that are grievous to us; and that when we come to heaven, and are grown up to be men, and “have put away childish thoughts,” and are come to understand things as they truly are, and not “in a riddle,” and darkness, as we now do; then “the judgment of God will break forth as the light, and the righteousness of all his dealings as the noon day;” then all the riddles of providence will be clearly expounded to us, and we shall see a plain reason for all those dispensations which were so much stumbled at, and acknowledge the great wisdom and goodness of them.

You see, then, what reason there is to refer ourselves to the providence of God, and to “cast all our care upon him,” to trust him with the administration and disposal of our concernments, and firmly to believe, that if we love God, and be careful to please him, every thing in the issue will turn to the best for us; and therefore, we should not anxiously trouble ourselves about the events of things, but resign up ourselves to the good pleasure of Him, who disposeth all things “according to the counsel of his will,” entirely trusting in his goodness, and in his fatherly care of us, and affection to us; that he will order all things for us for the best, referring the success of all our concernments to him, “in whose hands are all the ways of the children of men,” cheer fully submitting to his determination, and the declarations of his providence, in every case.

And this is a proper expression of our confidence in God’s wisdom and goodness, to refer things to him before the event, and to say with the Christians, (Acts xxi. 14.) “The will of the Lord be done;” because this shews that we are persuaded that God will do better for us, than our own counsel and choice; and to submit to his will after the event, is likewise a great instance of our confidence in him, and that we believe that he hath done that which is best: for when God, by his providence, declares his will in any case, we should look upon it as the sentence of a wise and just judge, in which all parties concerned ought to acquiesce, and rest fully satisfied.

And this may well be expected from us Christians, who have much greater assurance of the particular providence of God, than the heathens had; and yet some of them were able to free themselves from all trouble and anxiety, from murmuring and discontent. Upon this consideration, Epictetus (as A man tells us) would express himself thus: “I had always rather have that which happens; because I esteem that better which God wills, than that which I should will.” And again, “Lift up thine eyes (says he) with confidence to God, and say, Henceforth, Lord, deal with me as thou pleasest; ὁμιογνωμονῶ σοι, ἴσος εἰμί· I am of the same opinion with thee, just of the same mind that them art I refuse nothing that seems good to thee; lead me where thou wilt; clothe me with what garments thou pleasest: set me in a public place, or keep me in a private condition; continue me in mine own country, or banish me from it; bestow wealth upon me, or leave me to conflict and struggle with poverty, which of these thou pleasest; ἐγώ σοι ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τούτων πρὸς ἀνθρωπους ἀπολογήσομαι. If men shall censure this providence towards me, and say, Thou dealest hardly with me; I will apologize for thee, I will undertake and maintain thy cause, that what thou dost is best for me.” What could a Christian say more or better, by way of resignation of himself to the providence of God? It almost transports me to read such passages from a heathen, especially if we consider in what condition Epictetus was; he had a maimed and deformed body, was in the extremity of poverty, a slave, and cruelly and tyrannically used, so that we can hardly imagine a man in worse and more wretched circumstances; and yet he justifies the providence of God in all this, and not only submits to his condition, but is contented with it, and embraces it; and since God hath thought it fittest and best for him, he is of the same mind, and thinks so too. I confess, it doth not move me to hear Seneca, who flowed with wealth, and lived at ease, to talk magnificently, and to slight poverty and pain, as not worthy the name of evil and trouble: but to see this poor man, in the lowest condition, and worst circumstances of humanity, bear up so bravely, and with such a cheerfulness and serenity of mind to entertain his hard for tune; and this not out of stupidity, but from a wise sense of the providence of God, and a firm persuasion of the wisdom and goodness of all his dealings^ this, who can choose but be affected with it, as an admirable temper for a Christian, much more for a heathen! To which we may apply that saying of our Lord, concerning the heathen centurion, “Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel;” so wise, so equal, so firm a temper of mind is seldom to be found, no, not amongst Christians. And this is the first consideration, that if God cares for us, we and our concernments are in the best and safest hands, and therefore we should cast all our care upon God. The

Second is, Because all our anxiety and care will do us no good; on the contrary, it will certainly do us hurt. We may fret and vex our own spirits, and make them restless, in the contemplation of the evils and disappointments which we are afraid of, and may make our lives miserable, in the sad reflections of our own thoughts; but we cannot, by all our anxiety and care, control the course of things, and alter the designs of providence; we cannot^ by all our vexation and trouble, overrule events, and make things happen as we would have them. And this is the argument our Saviour useth to this very purpose: (Matt. vi. 27.) “Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit to his stature?” So that all this trouble is unreasonable, and to no purpose, because it hath no influence on the event, either to promote or hinder it. Things are governed and disposed by a higher hand, and placed out of our reach; we may deliberate, and contrive, and use our best endeavours for the effecting of our designs, but we cannot secure the event against a thousand interpositions of Divine providence, which we can neither foresee nor hinder; but yet, notwithstanding, these our endeavours are reasonable, because they are the ordinary means which God hath appointed for the procuring of good, and prevention of evil; and though they may miscarry, yet they are all we can do: but after this is done, trouble and anxiety about the event is the vainest thing in the world, because it is to no purpose, nor doth at all conduce to what we desire; “we disquiet ourselves in vain,” and we distrust God’s providence and care of us, and thereby provoke him to defeat and disappoint us.

Let us then, by these considerations, be persuaded to this duty, the practice whereof is of continual and universal use in the whole course of our lives; in all our affairs and concernments, after we have used our best endeavours, let us sit down and be satisfied, and refer the rest to God, whose providence governs the world, and takes care of all our interests, and of the interest of his church and religion, when they seem to be in greatest danger.

We cannot but be convinced that this is very reasonable, to leave the management of things to him who made them, and therefore understands best how to order them. The government of the world is a very curious and complicated thing, and not to be tampered with by every unskilful hand; and, therefore, as an unskilful man, after he hath tampered a great while with a watch, thinking to bring it into better order, and is at last convinced that he can do no good upon it, carries it to him that made it to mend it, and put it into order; so must we do, after all our care and anxiety about our own private concernments, or the public state of things; we must give over governing the world, as a business past our skill, as a province too hard, and “a knowledge too wonderful for us,” and leave it to him, who made the world, to govern it, and take care of it.

And if we be not thus affected and disposed, we do not believe the providence of God, whatever profession we make of it; if we did, it would have an influence upon our minds, to free us from anxious care and discontent. Were we firmly persuaded of the wisdom and goodness of the Divine providence, we should confidently rely upon it, and, according to the apostle’s advice here in the text, “cast all our care upon him, because he careth for us.”

SERMON CXXXVIII.

THE WISDOM OF GOD IN THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND.

Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.—1 Cor. i. 24.

I HAVE, in the ordinary course of my preaching* been treating of the attributes and perfections of God; more particularly those which relate to the Divine understanding—the knowledge and wisdom of God. The first of these I have finished; and made some progress in the second, the wisdom .of God: which I have spoken to in general, and have propounded more particularly to consider those famous instances and arguments of the Divine wisdom, in the creation of the world; the government of it; and the redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ. The two first of these I have spoken to; namely, the wisdom of God, which appears in the creation and government of the world. I come now to the

Third instance of the Divine wisdom, the redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ; which I shall, by God’s assistance, speak to from these words, “Christ the wisdom of God.”

The apostle, in the beginning of this Epistle, upon occasion of his mentioning the divisions and parties that were among the Corinthians, where one said, “I am of Paul;” another, “I am of Apollos;” asks them, whether “Paul was crucified for them?” or, whether “they were baptized in the name of Paul?” To convince them that they could not pretend this, that they were baptized into his name, he tells them, at the 14th and 15th verses, that he had not so much as baptized any of them, except two or three; so far was he from having baptized them into his own name; and at the 17th verse, he says, that his work, his principal work, was “to preach the gospel,” which he had done, not with human eloquence, “not in wisdom of words,” but with great plainness and simplicity, “lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect;” lest, if he should have used any artifice, the gospel should have been less powerful. And, indeed, his preaching was unaffectedly plain; and, therefore, the gospel did seem to very many to be a foolish and ridiculous thing. The story which they told of Christ crucified, was “to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the gentiles foolishness.” The Jews, who expected another kind of Messias, that should come in great pomp and glory, to be a mighty temporal prince, were angry at the story of a crucified Christ. The Greeks, the philosophers, who expected some curious theories, adorned with eloquence, and delivered and laid down according to the exact rules of art, derided this plain and simple .elation of Christ, and of the gospel.

But though this design of the gospel appeared silly and foolish to rash, and inconsiderate, and prejudiced minds; yet “to them that are called,” to them that do believe, “both Jews and gentiles, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God;” Christ, that is, the way of our redemption by Jesus Christ, which the apostle preached, “the wisdom of God,” an eminent instance of it.

SERMON CXXXIX.

THE JUSTICE OF GOD IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS.

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?—Gen. xviii. 25.

IN treating of the attributes of God, I have considered those which relate to the Divine understanding; viz. knowledge and wisdom. I come now to consider those which relate to the Divine will; viz. these four—the justice, the truth, the goodness, and the holiness of God. I begin with the first; namely, the justice of God.

At the 17th verse of this chapter, God, by a great and wonderful condescension of his goodness, reveals to Abraham his intention concerning the destruction of Sodom; upon this Abraham, (ver. 23.) interceded with God for the saving of the righteous persons that were there; and to this end, he pleads with God his justice and righteousness, with which he apprehended it to be inconsistent to “destroy the righteous with the wicked;” which, without a miracle, could not be avoided in a general destruction. “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? that be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee; shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” This negative interrogation is equivalent to a vehement affirmation, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” that is, undoubtedly he will. This we may take for a certain and undoubted principle, that, in the distribution of rewards and punishments, the Judge of the world will do righteously.

So that the argument that lies under our consideration, is the justice of God in the distribution of rewards and punishments; for the clearing of which, we will consider it,

First, In hypothesi, in regard to the particular case which is here put by Abraham in the text.

Secondly, In thesi, we will consider it in general, in the distribution of rewards and punishments.

First, We will consider it in hypothesi, in regard to the particular case which is here put by Abraham in the text; and the rather, because, if we look well into it, there is something of real difficulty in it, not easy to be cleared; for Abraham’s reasoning, if it be true, does plainly conclude, that it would have been unrighteous with God in the destruction of Sodom, not to make a difference between the righteous and the wicked, but to involve them equally in the same common destruction. “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee; shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” as if he had said, Surely the Judge of all the earth will never do so unrighteous a thing.

And yet, notwithstanding this, we see it is very usual for the providence of God to involve good men in general calamities, and to make no visible difference between the righteous and the wicked. Now the difficulty is, how to reconcile these appearances of providence with this reasoning of Abraham in the text.

And for doing of this, I see but one possible way, and that is this; that Abraham does not here speak concerning the judgments of God, which befal men in the ordinary course of his providence, which many times happen promiscuously, and involve good and bad men in the same ruin; and the reason hereof is plain, because God in his ordinary providence does permit the causes, which produce these judgments, to act according to their own nature, and they either cannot or will not make any distinction; for the calamities which ordinarily happen in the world, are produced by two sorts of causes, either those which we call natural, or those which are voluntary. Natural causes, such as wind, and thunder, and storms, and the infection of the air, and the like: these, acting by a necessity of nature, without any knowledge or choice, can make no distinction between the good and bad. And the voluntary causes of calamities, as men are, they many times will make no difference between the righteous and the wicked. Nay, many times they are maliciously bent against the righteous, and the effects of their malice fall heaviest upon them. Now, we say, that things happen in the way of ordinary providence, when natural causes are permitted to act according to their nature, and voluntary causes are left to their liberty; and, therefore, in the course of ordinary providence, it is not to be expected that such a distinction should be made; it is neither possible, nor does justice require it: it is not possible, supposing natural causes left to act according to their nature, and voluntary causes to be left to their liberty; nor does justice require it, for every man is so much a sinner, that no evil that befals him in this world, can be said to be unjust in respect of God.

So that Abraham is not here to be understood, as speaking of such judgments as befal men in the ordinary course of God’s providence, in which, if the good and bad be involved alike, it cannot be expected to be otherwise, nor is there any injustice in it; but Abraham here speaks of miraculous and extraordinary judgments, which are immediately inflicted by God for the punishment of some crying sins, and the example of the world to deter others from the like. And such was this judgment, which God intended to bring upon Sodom, and which Abraham hath relation to in this discourse of his. In this case, it may be expected from the justice of God, that a difference should be made between the righteous and the wicked; and that for these reasons:

1. Because this is a judgment which God himself executes. It is not an event of common providence, which always follows the nature of its cause, but an act of God, as a judge. Now it is essential to a judge to make a discrimination between the good and the bad, so as to punish the one, and to spare the other; and this is as necessary to all proper acts of judgment in this world as the other: there being no other difference between them, but that one is a particular judgment, and the other the general judgment of the whole world.

2. When God goes out of the way of his ordinary providence in punishing, it may reasonably be expected that he should make a difference between the good and the bad; for the reason why he does not in his common providence, is because he will not break and interrupt the established order of things upon every little occasion: but when he does go besides the common course of things in punishing, the reason ceaseth, which hindered him before from making a difference; and it is reasonable enough to expect, that in the inflicting of a miraculous judgment, a miraculous difference should be made. Without making this difference, the end of these miraculous judgments would not be attained; which is remarkably to punish the crying sins of men, and by the example to deter others from the like sins: but if these judgments should fall promiscuously upon the righteous and the wicked, it would not be evident, that they were designed for the punishment of such sins, when men did see that they fell likewise upon those who were not guilty of those sins; consequently the example could not be so effectual to deter men from sin.

Upon all these accounts, you see that Abraham’s reasoning was very strong and well grounded, as to those judgments which are miraculous and extra ordinary, and immediately inflicted by God, for the punishment of great and heinous sins, which was the case he was speaking of. And accordingly we find, that, in those judgments which have been immediately and miraculously inflicted by God, he hath always made this difference between the righteous and the wicked. In the deluge which he brought upon the old world, the Spirit of God gives this reason why the judgment was so universal, because “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth;” and the reason why he saved Noah and his family was, because in this general corruption of mankind he alone was righteous; “Thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” So likewise in that miraculous judgment of Korah and his company, when God “made a new thing, and the earth opened her mouth to swallow them up,” none perished but he and his complices; the rest had warning given them by God to “remove from the tents of those wicked men.” Thus you see, that as to the particular case in the text, Abraham’s reasoning concerning the justice of God is very firm and concluding. I proceed to the

Second thing, which was that which I principally intended to discourse upon; viz. to consider the justice of God, in general, in the distribution of rewards and punishments. And here I cannot but grant, that the best evidence of this is yet wanting. We have clear demonstrations of the power, and wisdom, and goodness of God, in this vast and admirable frame of things which we see; but we must stay till the day of judgment for a clear and full manifestation of the Divine justice; for which reason the day of judgment is in Scripture called, “the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” But in the mean time we may receive sufficient assurance of this, both from natural reason, and from Divine revelation.

1. From natural reason, which tells us, that God loves righteousness, and hates iniquity, and consequently that it must be agreeable to his nature, to countenance and encourage the one, and to discountenance the other; that is, to give some public testimony of his liking and affection to the one, and of his hatred and dislike of the other; which cannot otherwise be done, but by rewards and punishments.

But however the heathen reasoned about this matter, whatever premises they laid, they firmly believed the conclusion, that God is just. Plato lays down this as a certain and undoubted principle, “That God is in no wise unjust, but as righteous as is possible; and that we cannot resemble God more, than in this quality and disposition.” So likewise Seneca tells us, “That the gods are neither capable of receiving any injury, nor of doing any thing that is unjust.” Antoninus, the great emperor and philosopher, speaking doubtfully, whether good men are extinguished by death, or remain afterwards; “If it be just, (says he,) you may be sure it is so; if it be not just, you may certainly conclude the contrary; for God is just, and, being so, he will do nothing that is unjust or unreasonable.” And, indeed, the heathen philosophers looked upon this as the great sanction of ail moral precepts, that God was the witness and the avenger of the breach and violation of them, Qui secus faxit, deus ipse vindex erit; “If any man do contrary to them, God himself will punish it;” which shews, that there is a natural awe upon the minds of men of the Divine justice, which will overtake offenders either in this world or the other. But this will more clearly appear in the

2. Second place, from Scripture, or Divine revelation. And those texts which I shall produce to this purpose, may be reduced to these two heads: either such as prove the rectitude of the Divine nature, and his justice in general; or such as speak more particularly of the justice and equity of his providence in the distribution of rewards and punishments. I begin, first, with those which declare the rectitude of the Divine nature, and the justice of God in general; and that, either by attributing this perfection to him, or by removing the contrary, in justice and unrighteousness, at the greatest distance from him.

1. Those which attribute this perfection to God. I shall mention but a few of many: (Psal. cxxix. 4.) “The Lord is righteous.” (Dan. ix. 7.) “O Lord! righteousness belongeth unto thee.” This good men have acknowledged, when they have lain under the hand of God, (Ezra ix. 15.) “O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous.” And this the worst of men have been forced to own, when they have been in extremity; (Exod. ix. 27.) then “Pharaoh said, The Lord is righteous.” This hath been likewise acknowledged by those who have lain under the great est temptation to doubt of it; (Jer. xii. 1.) “Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet, let me talk with thee of thy judgments; wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?” The prophet, notwithstanding he saw the prosperous condition of wicked men, and the afflicted state of the godly, which seemed hard to be reconciled with the justice of God’s providence; yet, before he would so much as reason about it, he lays down this as a certain conclusion, “Righteous art thou, O Lord.” To this head, likewise, belong all those texts which speak of righteousness, as God’s dwelling-place, and his throne, of his delight injustice, and of the duration and eternity of it, which I need not particularly recite.

2. There are likewise other texts which remove the contrary, viz. injustice and unrighteousness, at the greatest distance from God, as being most contrary to his nature and perfection. (Deut. xxxii. 4.) “A God of truth, and without iniquity.” (2 Chron. xix. 7.) “There is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor accepting of persons, nor taking of gifts.” (Job viii. 3.) “Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?” which is a vehement negation of the thing. (Job xxxiv. 10-12.) “Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.” (Rom. ix. 14.) “What shall we say then? is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.”

Secondly, There are other texts which speak more particularly of the justice and righteousness of God in the distribution of rewards and punishments. It is true, indeed, the justice of God doth not constantly appear in this world in the dispensations of his providence, because this is a time of patience and forbearance to sinners, and of trial and exercise to good men; but there is a day a coming, when all things shall be set straight, and every man shall receive the just reward of his deeds, when the justice of God shall be evident to all the world, and every eye shall see it, and shall acknowledge the righteous judgment of God; and this the Scripture most clearly and expressly declares unto us; and hence it is, that the day of judgment is called “the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” The righteousness of God doth not now so clearly appear, but that there are many clouds over it; but there shall be a day of revelation, when the righteousness of God shall be made manifest to all the world.

The remunerative justice of God shall then appear in the rewarding the righteous; and the punitive justice of God in punishing the wicked and ungodly; “so that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth the world.”

Now the righteousness of this vengeance of God, which God will take upon sinners, is further set forth to us in Scripture, from the equity and impartiality of it.

I. From the equity of it.

1. In that the sins of men have justly deserved the punishment, that shall come upon them; (Rom. i. 32.) “Who, knowing the judgment of God, δικαίωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, the righteous judgment of God, “that they which commit such things are worthy of death.”

2. In that the judgment of God shall be proportioned to the degree and heinousness of men’s sins, so as the lesser or greater sins shall be punished with more or less severity. So our Saviour threatens to those who continue impenitent under the gospel, and the advantages of it, their case shall be more sad than that of Tyre and Sidon, and “it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of judgment, than for them,” (Matt. xi. 21, 22.) And (Luke xii. 47, 48.) there you have different degrees of punishment threatened, proportionable to the aggravations of the sins which men have committed; “The servant which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes: but he that knew it not, but did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes;” and so proportionably of all other aggravations of sins, “for to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and unto whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” So, likewise, God will vindicate the contempt of the gospel more severely than of the law, because the confirmation of it is clearer, and the salvation offered by it greater. (Heb. ii. 3, 4.) “If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall we escape?” &c. And so, (Heb. x. 28, 29.) “He that despised Moses’s law, died without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?”&c.

II. The righteousness of this judgment is further set forth to us in Scripture by the impartiality of it. Hither belong all those texts, which remove from God that προσωποληψία, that “respect of persons,” which is so incident to human tribunals. Now, respect of persons is in distribution of justice, and hath regard to some external qualities or circumstances of the persons, which do not appertain to the merit of the cause, and upon account of those circumstances, to deal unequally with those, whose case is equal; as when two persons, who are equally guilty of a crime, are brought to their trial, and the one is condemned, and the other acquitted, upon the account of friendship, or relation, or some other interest; because one is poor, and the other rich; the one hath powerful friends to intercede for him, the other not; the one brings a gift or bribe, the other, not; or upon any other account, besides the pure merits of the cause; I say, to deal thus in the distribution of justice, is respect of persons. Other wise, in matters of mere grace and favour, respect of persons hath no place, according to that common rule of divines, προσωποληψία, locum non habet in gratuitis, sed in debitis. Now this the Scripture every where speaks of as a thing very far from God. (Deut. x. 17.) “The Lord your God is the God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh rewards.” (2 Chron. xix. 7.) “There is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.” (Job xxxiv. 18, 19.) “Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? or to princes, Ye are ungodly? How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor! for they are all the work of his hands.” (Rom. ii. 6.) “Who will render to every man according to his deeds: for there is no respect of persons with God.” (Acts x. 34, 35.) “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” (Eph. vi. 8.) The apostle there presseth the duties of servants to masters, from this consideration, that “whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free;” and at the 9th verse, “Ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening; knowing that your Master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him.” He maketh this likewise an argument, why men should not oppress and deal deceitfully one with another: (Col. iii. 25.) “But he that doeth wrong, shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons.” And, in general, St. Peter urgeth this consideration upon all men to deter them from sin in any kind: (1 Pet. i. 17.) “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.”

And, besides that the Scripture doth remove this at the greatest distance from God, it gives us also several instances of the impartiality of the Divine justice, that it is not to be perverted and turned aside by any of those extrinsical considerations which commonly sway with men; it is not to be prevailed with and overcome by flattery and entreaties. (Matt. vii. 21, 22.) “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven,” &c. The Divine justice is not to be imposed upon by good words, and external shows, and false professions; so neither by any external relation to him: “For many shall come from the east, and from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness.”

And, however men may bear up themselves now upon their worldly greatness and power, certainly there is a time coming, when the greatest persons in the world, those who overturn kingdoms, and lay waste countries, and oppress and ruin millions of mankind for the gratifying of their own lusts and ambition; I say, there is a day a coming, when even these, as much, nay, more than others, shall fear and tremble before the impartial justice of God. (Rev. vi. 15.) “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, shall hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?” The impartial justice of God will treat the greatest and the meanest persons alike. (Rev. xx. 12.) “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.” All judged “according to their works.”

I should next proceed to vindicate the justice of God in the distribution of rewards and punishments, from those objections which seem to impeach it: but before I enter upon this, it will be convenient to satisfy one question, which hath occasioned great disputes in the world; and that is, how far justice, especially as to the punishment of offenders, is essential to God? And for the clearing of this matter, I shall briefly lay down these propositions:

1st, I take this for a certain and undoubted truth, that every perfection is essential to God, and cannot be imagined to be separated from the Divine nature, because this is the natural notion which men have of God, that he is a being that hath all perfection.

2dly, The actual constant exercise of those Divine perfections, the effects whereof are without himself, is not essential to God. For instance, though God be essentially powerful and good, yet it is not necessary that he should always exercise his power and goodness, but at such times, and in such a manner, as seems best to his wisdom; and this is likewise true of his wisdom and justice, because these are perfections, the effects whereof are terminated upon something without himself.

3dly, It is essential to God to love goodness, and hate sin, wherever he sees them. It is not necessary there should be a world, or reasonable creatures in it: but upon supposition that God makes such creatures, it is agreeable to the Divine nature, to give them good and righteous laws, to encourage them in the doing of that which is good, and to discourage them from doing that which is evil; which cannot be done, but by rewards and punishments; and therefore it is agreeable to the perfection of the Divine nature, to reward goodness, and to punish sin.

4thly, As for those rewards which the gospel promiseth, and the punishments which it threatens, there is some difference to be made between the rewarding and punishing justice of God.

1. As for that abundant reward God is pleased to promise to good men, the promise of it is founded in his goodness, and the performance of that promise in his justice; for it is justice to perform what he promises, though the promise of so great and abundant a reward was mere goodness.

2. As for the punishing justice of God, about which hath been the great question, whether that be essential to God or not, it seems very plain, that it is not necessary that God should inflict those judgments which he threatens, because he hath threatened them; for there is not the like obligation upon persons to perform their threatenings, that there is to perform their promises; because God, by his promise, becomes a debtor to those to whom he makes the promise; but when he threatens, he is the creditor, and we are debtors to his justice; and as a creditor, he may remit, the punishment which he hath threatened: but then, if we consider God as loving goodness and hating sin; if we look upon him as governor of the world, and concerned to preserve good order, to encourage holiness and righteousness, and to discountenance sin; under this consideration it is essential to him to punish sin at such times, and in such manner and circumstances, as seem best to his wisdom.

And I am not at all moved by that, which is urged by some learned men to the contrary, that if punishing justice were essential to God, then he must punish the sinner immediately, so soon as he hath offended, and to the utmost of his power; because whatever acts naturally, acts necessarily, and to the utmost: for I do not suppose such a justice essential to God as acts necessarily, but such a justice, which, as to the time, and manner, and circumstances of its acting, is regulated and determined by his wisdom; and there is the same reason, likewise, of his goodness.

I come now to the objections, which are taken partly from the dispensations of God in this world, and partly from the punishments of the other.

First, As to the dispensations of God in this world, there are these two things objected against the justice of the Divine providence:

I. The inequality of God’s dealings with good and bad men in this world.

II. The translation of punishments, punishing one man’s sin upon another; as, the sins of the fathers upon the children, of the prince upon the people. I begin with the

First objection, The inequality of God’s dealing with good and bad men in this world. In this life things happen promiscuously, “there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked;” if the wicked suffer and are afflicted, so are the righteous; if the righteous sometimes flourish, so do the wicked: and is not this unjust, that those who are so unequal as to their deserts, should be equally dealt withal? or if there be any inequality it is usually the wrong way; the wicked do, many times, prosper more in the world, and the righteous are frequently more afflicted. This was the great objection of old against the providence of God, which the heathen philosophers took so much pains to answer; nay, it did often shake the faith of holy and good men in the Old Testament: (Job xii. 6.) “The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are se cure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly;” and chap. xxi. 7-9. he expostulates the same matter again: and David says, this was a great stumbling-block to him; (Psal. lxxiii. 2, 3.) and the like we find in the prophets, (Jer. xii. 1. Hab. i. 13.) This objection I have elsewhere considered; I shall now very briefly offer two or three things, which I hope will be sufficient to break the force of it.

1. It must be granted, that it is not necessary to justice, to shew itself immediately, and to dispense rewards and punishments so soon as there are objects for them. This is not thought necessary among men, much more ought we to leave it to the wisdom of God to determine the time and circumstances of the exercising of his justice; and we are not to conclude, that the providence of God is unjust, if he do not bestow rewards, and inflict punishments, just when we think he should.

2. If God intended this life for a state of trial, wherein he would prove the obedience of men, and their free inclination to good or evil, it is not reasonable to expect that he should follow men with present rewards and punishments; for that would lay too great a force upon men, so that there would hardly be an opportunity of trying them; but, on the contrary, there is all the reason in the world to presume that God should exercise the graces and virtues of good men with afflictions and sufferings, and suffer bad men to take their course for a while, and walk in their own ways, without continual checks, by frequent and remarkable judgments upon them so often as they offend.

3. If there be another life after this, wherein men shall be judged “according to their works,” then this objection vanisheth; for that great day will set all things straight, which seem now to be so crooked and irregular. The deferring of rewards and punishments to the most convenient season, is so far from being a reflection upon the justice of God, that it is highly to the commendation of it. What Claudian says of Ruffinus, a very bad man, whose long impunity had tempted men to call in question the justice of God, is considerable in this case:

Abstulit hunc tandem Ruffini poena tumultum,
Absolvitque deos.

“The punishment which overtook him at last, did quiet those tumultuous thoughts, and absolved the gods from all blame.” When men look but a little way, and consider only the present state of things, they are ready to quarrel at the justice of them; but if they would look at the end of things, and have patience to stay till the last, to see the conclusion and winding up of things, they would then acquit God in their thoughts from all those imputations of in justice, which, from the inequality of present dispensations, rash and inconsiderate men are apt to charge him withal.

Second objection, From the translation of punishments, the punishing of one man’s sin upon another, as of “the fathers upon the children,” which God threatens in the second commandment, and did, in some sort, fulfil in Ahab, “in bringing the evil he had threatened him withal, in his son’s days.” (1 Kings xxi. 29.) The punishing the sin of one person upon a people, as that of Achan upon the whole congregation. (Josh. xxii. 20.) “Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel! and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.” And the sin of David upon the people, (2 Sam. xxiv.) when seventy thousand died of the plague, for David’s sin in numbering the people? Now how is this agreeable to justice? Is it not a known rule, Noxa caput sequitur? “Mischief pursues the sinner?” What can be more reasonable, Quam ut peccata suos teneant authores? “Than that men’s faults should be charged upon the authors;” and punishment fall upon the guilty?

For answer to this,

1. It is not unreasonable that one man should bear the punishment of another’s fault, if he be willing and content to bear it: Volenti non fit injuria; “There is no wrong done to those that are willing to undergo it,” though they be innocent; which was the case of our blessed Saviour suffering for us, “the just for the unjust,” as the Scripture expresseth it.

2. Where the person upon whom the punishment is transferred, is likewise a sinner, and obnoxious to God, there can be no injustice; because he hath deserved it upon his own account, and God may take what occasion he pleaseth to punish them that deserve to be punished.

3. In punishing the iniquity of the father upon the children, the guilty person, that is, the father, is punished in the calamity of his children; for a man’s children are himself multiplied: and therefore it is very remarkable, that in the second commandment, God promiseth to “shew mercy to thousands of generations of them that love him;” but he “visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children,” but to “the third and fourth generation;” that is, so far as man may live to see them punished, and suffer in their punishment.

4. As to the punishment of the people for the sins of their princes and governors, and one part of a community for another, supposing all of them to be sinners, which is the true case, God may lay the punishment where he pleaseth; and there is no more injustice, than when a man is whipped on the back for the theft which his hand committed, a community being one body: besides, the prince is punished in the loss of his people, the glory of a king consisting in the multitude of his subjects.

The objection with respect to the other world, the punishment of temporal evils with eternal, is elsewhere answered.

The use we should make of this whole discourse is,

First, If God be just and righteous, let us acknowledge it in all his dispensations, even in those, the reason whereof is most hidden and obscure: Nehemiah, (ix. 33.) speaking of the great afflictions that had befallen God’s own people, yet this he lays down as a firm principle, “Howbeit, thou art just in all that is brought upon us.”

Secondly, This is matter of terror to wicked men. God doth now exercise his milder attributes to wards sinners, his mercy, and patience, and goodness: but if we despise these, that terrible attribute of his justice will display itself; and this the Scripture describes in a severe manner; “The Lord revengeth, and is jealous: the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and reserveth wrath for his enemies.”

Thirdly, This is matter of comfort to good men, that the righteous God governs the world, and will judge it: “The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice, (Psal. xcvii. 1.) and he gives the reason of it in the next verse; “Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” Though he be omnipotent, we need not fear; for his power is al ways under the conduct of eternal righteousness.

Fourthly, Let us imitate this righteousness; let us endeavour to “be righteous as he is righteous;” let us give to God the love, reverence, and obedience which are due to him; and in all our dealings, what is just and due to men. This duty hath an immutable reason, founded in the nature of God.

SERMON CXL.

THE TRUTH OF GOD.

A God of truth.—Deut. xxxii. 4.

IN speaking to this attribute, I shall,

I. Shew you what we are to understand by the truth of God.

II. Endeavour to prove that this perfection belongs to God, that he is “a God of truth.”

III. Answer some objections that may be made against it; and then make some use of it.

I. What we are to understand by the truth of God. I shall take it as the Scripture useth it in a large sense, so as to include not only the veracity Of God, but his faithfulness. Hence it is that, in Scripture, truth and faithfulness are so often put together, and frequently put one for another: (Isa. xxv. 1.) “Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” (Rev. xxi. 5.) “These words are true and faithful.” And the faithfulness of God in performing his promises, is frequently called his truth. And because the Scripture useth them promiscuously, we need not be very solicitous to find out distinct notions of them: but if you will, they may be distinguished thus: the truth or veracity of God hath place in every declaration of his mind; the faithfulness of God only in his promises.

For the first, The veracity or truth of God; this hath place in every declaration of his mind; and signifies an exact correspondence and conformity between his word and his mind, and consequently between his word and the truth and reality of things. The correspondence of his word with his mind, depends upon the rectitude of his will; the conformity of his word with the reality of things, not only upon the rectitude of his will, but the perfection of his knowledge, and the infallibility of his understanding: so that when we say God is true, or speaks truth, we mean thus, that his words are a plain declaration of his mind, and the true representation of things, in opposition to falsehood, which is speaking otherwise than the thing is, and hypocrisy, that is, speaking otherwise than we think. For instance, when God declares any thing to be so, or not to be so, to have been thus, or not to have been thus, the thing really is so, and he thinks so; when he expresseth his desire of any thing, he does really desire it; when he commands any thing, or forbids us any thing, it is really his mind and will that we should do what he commands, and avoid what he forbids; when he declares and foretels any thing future, it really shall come to pass, and he really intended it should; if the declaration be to be understood absolutely, it shall absolutely come to pass; if the declaration be to be understood conditionally, it shall come to pass, and he intends it shall, if the condition be performed.

Secondly, The faithfulness of God. This only hath place in his promises, in which there is an obligation of justice superadded to his word; for God, by his promise, doth not only declare what he intends, and what shall be, but confers a right upon them to whom the promise is made, so as that the breach of his promise would not only cast an imputation upon his truth, but upon his justice.

SERMON CXLI.

THE HOLINESS OF GOD.

Be ye holy, for I am holy.—1 Pet. i. 16.

IN speaking to this attribute, I shall,

I. Inquire what we are to understand by the holiness of God.

II. Endeavour to shew, that this perfection belongs to God.

I. What we are to understand by the holiness of God. There is some difficulty in fixing the proper notion of it; for though there be no property more frequently attributed to God, in Scripture, than this of holiness, yet there is none of all God’s attributes, which divines have spoken more sparingly of, than this.

The general notion of holiness is, that it is a separation from a common and ordinary, to a peculiar and excellent use. And this notion of holiness is applicable either to things or persons. To things: thus the vessels of the tabernacle, and the vestments of the priests, were said to be holy, because they were separated from common use, and appropriated to the peculiar and excellent use of the service of God. Holiness of persons is twofold; either relative and external, which signifies the peculiar relation of a person to God; such were called ἱερεῖς, priests, or holy men: or else habitual and inherent; such is the holiness of good men, and it is a separation from moral imperfection, that is, from sin and impurity: and this is called ὁσιότης and the primary notion of it is negative, and signifies the absence and remotion of sin. And this appears in those explications which the Scripture gives of it. Thus it is explained by opposition to sin and impurity; (2 Cor. vii. 1.) “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness;” where holiness is opposed to all filthiness. Sometimes, by the negation of sin and defilement: so we find holy, and without blame, put together; (Eph. i. 4.) “Holy, and without blemish;” (Eph. v. 27.) “Holy, harmless, and undefiled;” (Heb. vii. 26.) It is true, indeed, this negative notion doth imply something that is positive; it doth not only signify the absence of sin, but a contrariety to it: we can not conceive the absence of sin without the presence of grace; as, take away crookedness from a thing, and it immediately becomes straight. Whenever we are made holy, every lust and corruption in us is supplanted by the contrary grace.

Now this habitual holiness of persons, which consists in a separation from sin, is a conformity to the holiness of God; and by this we may come to understand what holiness in God is: and it signifies the peculiar eminency of the Divine nature, where by it is separated and removed at an infinite distance from moral imperfection, and that which we call sin; that is, there is no such thing as malice, or envy, or hatred, or revenge, or impatience, or cruelty, or tyranny, or injustice, or falsehood, or unfaithfulness, in God; or if there be any other thing that signifies sin, and vice, and moral imperfection, holiness signifies that the Divine nature is at an in finite distance from all these, and possessed of the contrary perfections.

SERMON CXLII.

Although the present position of the above Sermon seems to interrupt the regular series of those on the Attributes, it appeared nevertheless proper to preserve that arrangement, which had been adopted in former editions of the Author’s works.

.[A Spital Sermon, preached at Christ Church on Easter Tuesday, April 14, 1691.]

OF DOING GOOD.

Let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not: as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.—Galat. vi. 9, 10.

THE apostle, in these words, recommends unto us a great and comprehensive duty, the doing of good; concerning which, the text offers these five particulars to our consideration:

I. The nature of the duty itself, which is called well-doing, (ver. 9.) and doing good, (ver. 10.)

II. The extent of this duty in respect of its object, which is all mankind; “Let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the house hold of faith.”

III. The measure of it, “As we have opportunity.”

IV. Our unwearied perseverance in it: “Let us not be weary in well-doing.”

V. The argument and encouragement to it; because “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not: therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good,” &c.

I. I will consider the nature of the duty itself of well-doing, and doing good. And this I shall explain to you as briefly as I can, by considering the extent of the act of doing good, and the excellency of it. And,

1. The extent of the act. It comprehends in it all those ways wherein we may be beneficial and useful to one another. It reaches not only to the bodies of men, but to their souls, that better and more excellent part of ourselves, and is conversant in all those ways and kinds whereby we may serve the temporal or spiritual good of our neighbour, and promote either his present, or his future and eternal happiness.

To instruct the ignorant, or reduce those that are engaged in any evil course, by good counsel, and seasonable admonition, and by prudent and kind reproof; to resolve and satisfy the doubting mind; to confirm the weak; to heal the broken-hearted, and to comfort the melancholy and troubled spirits: these are the noblest ways of charity, because they are conversant about the souls of men, and tend to procure and promote their eternal felicity.

And then to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, release the imprisoned; to redeem the captives, and to vindicate those who are injured and oppressed in their persons, or estates, or reputation; to repair those who are ruined in their fortunes; and, in a word, to relieve and comfort those who are in any kind of calamity or distress.

All these are but the several branches and in stances of this great duty here in the text, of doing good; though it hath, in this place, a more particular respect to the charitable supply of those who are in want and necessity; and, therefore, with a more particular regard to that, I shall discourse of it at this time. You see the extent of the duty: we will, in the

Second place, Briefly say something of the excellency of it; which will appear, if we consider that it is the imitation of the highest excellency and perfection. To do good, is to be like God, who is good, and doeth good; and it is to be like to him in that which he esteems his greatest glory: it is to be like the Son of God, who, when he was pleased to take our nature upon him, and live here below, and to dwell amongst us, “went about doing good.” And it is to belike the blessed angels, the highest rank and order of God’s creatures, whose great employment it is to be “ministering spirits, for the good of men.” So that, for a man to be kind, and helpful, and beneficial to others, is to be a good angel, and a Saviour, and a kind of God too.

It is an argument of a great, and noble, and generous mind, to extend our thoughts and cares to the concernments of others, and to employ our interest, and power, and endeavours for their benefit and advantage: whereas a low, and mean, and narrow spirit is contracted and shrivelled up within itself, and cares only for its own things, without any regard to the good and happiness of others.

It is the most noble work in the world; because that inclination of mind, which prompts us to do good, is the very temper and disposition of happiness. Solomon, after all his experience of worldly greatness and pleasure, at last pitched upon this, as the great felicity of human life, and the only good use that is to be made of a prosperous and plentiful fortune: (Eccles. iii. 12.) “I know (says he, speaking of riches) that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life.” And, certainly, the best way to take joy in an estate, is to do good with it: and a greater and wiser than Solomon has said it, even He, who is the power and wisdom of God, has said it, that “it is a more blessed thing to give than to receive.”

Consider further, that this is one of the great and substantial parts of religion, and next to the love and honour which we pay to Almighty God, the most acceptable service that we can do to him: it is one table of the law, and next to the “first and great commandment” of loving the Lord our God, and very like to it: “And the second is like unto it (says our Saviour), Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;” like to it, in the excellency of it; and equal to it, in the necessary obligation of it.” And this commandment (says St. John, I Epist. chap. iv. ver. 21.) have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also.” The first commandment, indeed, excels in the dignity of the object, because it enjoins the love of God; but the second seems to have the advantage in the reality of its effects: for the love of God consists in our acknowledgment, and honour of him; but our “righteousness and goodness extend not to him;” we can do him no real benefit and advantage: but our love to men is really useful and beneficial to them; for which reason God is contented, in many cases, that the external honour and worship which he requires of us by his positive commands, should give way to that natural duty of love and mercy which we owe to one another: “I will have mercy (says God, in the prophet Amos), and not sacrifice.”

And to shew how great a value God puts upon this duty, he hath made it the very testimony of our love to himself; and for want of it, hath declared that he will reject all our other professions and testimonies of love to him, as false and insincere. “Whoso hath this world’s good, (saith St. John, 1 Epist. chap. iii. ver. 17.) and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” And again, (chap. iv. ver. 20.) “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

You see the duty here recommended, both in the extent, and in the excellency of it; “Let us do good.” I proceed to consider, in the

II. Second place, The extent of this duty, in respect of its object, which is all mankind, but more especially Christians, those that are of the same faith and religion; “Let us do good unto all men, especially unto those that are of the household of faith.” So that the object, about which this duty is conversant, is very large, and takes in all mankind; “Let us do good unto all men.” The Jews confined their love and kindness to their own kindred and nation: and because they were prohibited familiarity with idolatrous nations, and were enjoined to maintain a perpetual enmity with Amalek, and the seven nations of Canaan, whom God had cast out before them, and devoted to ruin, they looked upon themselves as perfectly discharged from all obligation of kindness to the rest of mankind: and yet it is certain, that they were expressly enjoined by their law to be kind to strangers, because they themselves had been strangers in the land of Egypt. But our Saviour hath restored this law of love and charity to its natural and original extent; and hath declared every one that is of the same nature with ourselves to be our neighbour and our brother, and that he is to be treated by us accordingly, whenever he stands in need of our kindness and help; and to shew that none are out of the compass of our charity, he hath expressly commanded us to extend it to those who, of all others, can least pretend to it, even our enemies and persecutors.

So that if the question be about the extent of our charity in general, these two things are plainly enjoined by the Christian religion:

1. Negatively, That we should not hate, nor bear ill-will to any man, nor do him any harm or mischief. “Love worketh no evil to his neighbour,” saith the apostle, (Rom. xiii. 10.) And this negative charity every man may exercise towards all men, without exception, and that equally; because it does not signify any positive act, but only that we abstain from enmity and hatred, from injury and revenge, which it is in every man’s power, by the grace of God, and the due care and government of himself, to do.

2. Positively, The law of charity requires that we should bear an universal good-will to all men, and wish every man’s happiness, and pray for it, as sincerely as we wish and pray for our own; and if we be sincere in our wishes and prayers for the good of others, we shall be so in our endeavours to procure and promote it.

But the great difficulty is, as to the exercise of our charity, and the real expressions and effects of it, in doing good to others; which is the duty here meant in the text, and (as I told you before) does more particularly relate to the relief of those who are in want and necessity. And the reason of the difficulty is, because no man can do good to all in this kind, if he would; it not being possible for any man to come to the knowledge of every man’s necessity and distress; and if he could, no man’s ability can possibly reach to the supply and the relief of all men’s wants. And, indeed, this limitation the text gives to this duty; “As we have opportunity (says the apostle) let us do good unto all men;” which either signifies, as occasion is offered, or as we have ability of doing, or both, as I shall shew afterwards.

So that it being impossible to exercise this charity to all men that stand in need of it, it is necessary to make a difference, and to use prudence and discretion in the choice of the most fit and proper objects. We do not know the wants of all men, and therefore the bounds of our knowledge do of necessity limit our charity within a certain compass; and of those whom we do know, we can relieve but a small part, for want of ability: from whence it follows, that though a man were never so charitably disposed, yet he must of necessity set some rules to himself for the management of his charity to the best advantage. What those rules are cannot minutely and nicely be determined: when all is done, much must be left to every man’s prudence and discretion, upon a full view and consideration of the case before him, and all the circumstances of it; but yet such general rules may be given as may serve for the direction of our practice in most cases; and for the rest, every man’s prudence, as well as it can, must determine the matter. And the rules which I shall give, shall be these:

First, Cases of extremity ought to take the first place, and do for that time challenge precedence of all other considerations. If a person be in great and present distress, and his necessity so urgent, that if he be not immediately relieved he must perish, this is so violent a case, and calls so loud for present help, that there is no resisting of it, whatever the person be; though a perfect stranger to us, though most unworthy, though the greatest enemy we have in the world, yet the greatness of his distress does so strongly plead for him, as to silence all considerations to the contrary; for, after all, he is a man, and is of the same nature with ourselves; and the consideration of humanity ought, for that time, to prevail over all objections against the man, and to prefer him to our charity before the nearest relation and friend, who is not in the like extremity. In other cases, we not only may, but ought to relieve our friends, and those that have deserved well of us, in the first place; but if our enemy be in extremity, then that Divine precept takes place, “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink.”

Secondly, In the next place, I think that the obligation of nature, and the nearness of relation, does challenge a preference; for there is all the reason in the world, if other things be equal, that we should consider and supply the necessity of those who are of our blood and kindred, and members of our family, before the necessity of strangers, and those who have no relation to us. There is a special duty incumbent upon us, and another obligation beside that of charity, to have a particular care and regard for them. In this case, not only Christianity, but nature, ties this duty upon us: (1 Tim. v. 8.) “If any man provide not for his own, especially for those of his own house,” for them that are of his family, “he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel;” that is, he doth not only offend against the law of Christianity, but against the very dictates of nature, which prevail even amongst infidels. And our Saviour has told us, that when our parents stand in need of relief, it is more acceptable to God to employ our estates that way, than to devote them to him and his immediate service; and that it is a kind of sacrilege to consecrate that to God, whereby our parents may be profited, and provided for in their necessity.

Thirdly, The obligation of kindness and benefits lays the next claim to our charity. If they fall into want who have obliged us by their former kindness and charity, both justice and charity do challenge from us a particular consideration of their case; and proportionably, if we ourselves have been obliged to their family, or to any other that are nearly related to them.

Fourthly, Those “who are of the household of faith,” and of the same religion, and members of the same mystical body, and do partake of the same holy mysteries, the body and blood of our blessed Saviour, the strictest bond of love and charity; these fall under a very particular consideration in the exercise of our charity: and of this the apostle puts us in mind, in the last words of my text, “Let us do good unto all men, especially unto those that are of the household of faith.” God hath a special love and regard for such, and those whom God loves ought to be very dear to us.

And this, perhaps, was a consideration of the first rank, in those times when Christians lived among heathens, and were exposed to continual wants and sufferings; but it signifies much less now that Christianity is the general profession of a nation, and is too often made use of to very uncharitable purposes; to confine men’s bounty and benefits to their own sect and party, as if they, and none but they, were “the household of faith;” a principle which I know not whether it has more of Judaism or of popery in it.

Fifthly, After these, the merit of the persons who are the objects of our charity, and all the circumstances belonging to them, are to be valued and considered; and we are accordingly to proportion our charity, and the degrees of it. I shall instance in some particulars, by which a prudent man may judge of the rest.

Those who labour in an honest calling, but yet are oppressed with their charge, or disabled for a time by sickness, or some other casualty: these, many a time, need as much, and certainly deserve much better, than common beggars; for these are useful members of the commonwealth; and we can not place our charity better than upon those, who do what they can to support themselves.

Those, likewise, who are fallen from a rich and plentiful condition, without any fault or prodigality of their own, merely by the providence of God, or some general calamity; these are more especially objects of our charity and liberal relief.

And those also who have been charitable, and have liberally relieved others, when they were in condition to do it; or the children or near relations of those who were eminently charitable and beneficial to mankind, do deserve a particular regard in our charity. Mankind being (as I may say) bound in justice, and for the honour of God’s providence, to make good his promise, to preserve such from extreme necessity.

SERMON CXLIII.

THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over al his works.—Psal. cxlv. 9.

THE subject which I have now proposed to treat of, is certainly one of the greatest and noblest arguments in the world—the goodness of God; the highest and most glorious perfection of the best and most excellent of beings, than which nothing deserves more to be considered by us, nor ought, in reason, to affect us more. The goodness of God, is the cause and the continuance of our beings, the foundation of our hopes, and the fountain of our happiness, our greatest comfort, and our fairest example, the chief object of our love, and praise, and admiration, the joy and rejoicing of our hearts; and therefore the meditation and discourse of it must needs be pleasant and delightful to us: the great difficulty will be, to confine ourselves upon so copious an argument, and to set bounds to that which is of so vast an extent; “The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.”

Which words are an argument, which the divine Psalmist useth, to stir up himself and others to the praise of God: at the 3d verse he tells us, that “the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised;” and he gives the reason of this, (ver. 8, 9.) from those properties and perfections of the Divine nature, which declare his goodness; “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to auger, and of great mercy: the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works:” where you have the goodness of God declared, together with the amplitude and extent of it, in respect of the objects of it: “The Lord is good to all.”

In the handling of this argument, I shall do these four things:

First, Consider what is the proper notion of goodness, as it is attributed to God.

Secondly, Shew that this perfection belongs to God.

Thirdly, Consider the effects and the extent of it.

Fourthly, Answer some objections which may seem to contradict and bring in question the goodness of God.

First, What is the proper notion of goodness, as it is attributed to God.

There is a dry metaphysical notion of goodness which only signifies the being and essential properties of a thing; but this is a good word ill bestowed; for, in this sense, every thing that hath being, even the devil himself, is good.

And there is a moral notion of goodness; and that is twofold;

1. More general, in opposition to all moral evil and imperfection, which we call sin and vice; and so the justice, and truth, and holiness of God, are in this sense his goodness. But there is,

2. Another notion of moral goodness, which is more particular and restrained; and then it denotes a particular virtue, in opposition to a particular vice; and this is the proper and usual acceptation of the word goodness; and the best description I can give of it is this, that it is a certain propension and disposition of mind, whereby a person is inclined to desire and procure the happiness of others; and it is best understood by its contrary, which is an envious disposition, a contracted and narrow spirit, which would confine happiness to itself, and grudgeth that others should partake of it, or share in it; or a malicious and mischievous temper, which delights in the harms of others, and to procure trouble and mischief to them. To communicate and lay out ourselves for the good of others, is goodness; and so the apostle explains doing good, by communicating to others, who are in misery, or want: (Heb. xiii. 16.) “But to do good, and to communicate, forget not.” The Jews made a distinction between a righteous and a good man; to which the apostle alludes, (Rom. v. 7.) “Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet, peradventure, for a good man some would even dare to die.” The righteous man was he that did no wrong to others; and the good man he who was not only not injurious to others, but kind and beneficial to them. So that goodness is a readiness and disposition to communicate the good and happiness which we enjoy, and to be willing others should partake of it.

This is the notion of goodness among men; and it is the same in God, only with this difference, that God is originally and transcendently good: but the creatures are, the best of them, but imperfectly good, and, by derivation from God, who is the fountain and original of goodness? which is the meaning of our Saviour, (Luke xviii. 19.) when he says, “There is none good, save one, that is God.” But though the degrees of goodness in God and the creatures be infinitely unequal, and that goodness which is in us be so small and inconsiderable, that, compared with the goodness of God, it does not deserve that name; yet the essential notion of goodness in both must be the same; else, when the Scripture speaks of the goodness of God, we could not know the meaning of it; and if we do not at all understand what it is for God to be good, it is all one to us (for aught we know) whether he be good or not; for he may be so, and we never the better for it; if we do not know what goodness in God is, and consequently when he is so, and when not.

Besides that, the goodness of God is very frequently in Scripture propounded to our imitation; but it is impossible for us to imitate that, which we do not understand what it is: from whence it is certain, that the goodness which we are to endeavour after is the same that is in God; because in this we are commanded to imitate the perfection of God; that is, to be good and merciful as he is, according to the rate and condition of creatures, and so far as we, whose natures are imperfect, are capable of resembling the Divine goodness.

Thus much for the notion of goodness in God; it is a propension and disposition in the Divine nature, to communicate being and happiness to his creatures.

Secondly, I shall endeavour to shew, in the next place, that this perfection of goodness belongs to God; and that from these three heads:

I. From the acknowledgment of natural light.

II. From the testimony of Scripture and Divine revelation. And,

III. From the perfection of the Divine nature.

I. From the acknowledgments of natural light. The generality of the heathen agree in it, and there is hardly any perfection of God more universally acknowledged by them. I always except the sect of the Epicureans, who attribute nothing but eternity and happiness to the Divine nature; and yet if they would have considered it, happiness without goodness is impossible. I do not find that they do expressly deny this perfection to God, or that they ascribe to him the contrary; but they clearly take away all the evidence and arguments of the Divine goodness; for they supposed God to be an immortal and happy being, that enjoyed himself, and had no regard to any thing without himself, that neither gave being to other things, nor concerned himself in the happiness or misery of any of them; so that their notion of a Deity was, in truth, the proper notion of an idle being, that is called God, and neither does good nor evil.

But, setting aside this atheistical sect, the rest of the heathens did unanimously affirm and believe the goodness of God; and this was the great foundation of their religion; and all their prayers to God, and praises of him, did necessarily sup pose a persuasion of the Divine goodness. Who soever prays to God, must have a persuasion or good hopes of his readiness to do him good; and to praise God, is to acknowledge that he hath received good from him. Seneca hath an excellent passage to this purpose; “He (says he) that denies the goodness of God, does not, surely, consider the infinite number of prayers that, with hands lifted up to heaven, are put up to God, both in private and public, which certainly would not be; nor is it credible, that all mankind should conspire in this madness of putting up their supplications to deaf and impotent deities, if they did not believe that the gods were so good as to confer benefits upon those who prayed to them.”

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