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THE

THEOLOGICAL WORKS

ISAAC BARROW, D.D.

PEIITTED ET C. J. CLAY, M.A.
AT THE UNIVEKaiTY PKES3.

THE
THEOLOGICAL WORKS

OF

ISAAC BARROW, D.D.
MASTER OF TKWITY COLLEOE, CAMBIIIDOE.

IN NINE VOLUMES.

(Snitfb for tit 3i&Mti of tj^e SSnibtrgits ^te$i

THE REV. ALEXANDER NAPIER, M.A.
TKINITY COLLEGE, CAMBEIDBE, VICAR OE HOLKHAM, KORl'OLK.

VOLUME I.
CONIAIKIKG
FIFTEEN SERMONS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

CAMBRIDGE :
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.
M.DCCC.LIX.

5279 V. I

CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.

SERMONS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

PAOK
Preface .......... ix
Life .........

xxxvii
Additions to Life . . . ' . ... Ivii
TiLLOT son's Preface ...... . Ixxxi
The Dedication ........ Ixxxvii
SERMON I.
the duty and reward of bounty to the poor.
Psalm oxii. 9.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness
endureth for ever ; his horn shall he exalted with honour . 3 — 96
SERMON II.
UPON THE PASSION OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR.
Philippians II. 8.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death ofthe cross 97—150
SERMON III.
(collated.)
the pleasantness of religion.
Proverbs hi. 17.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace 151 — 173
SERMON IV.
(collated.)
the profitableness of godliness.
1 Timothy iv. 8.
But godliness is profitable for all things . . 174 — 201

vi Contents.
PAGE
SEEMON V.
(collated.)
the profitableness op godliness.
1 Timothy iv. 8.
But godliness is profitable for all things . . 202 — 233
SERMON VI.
(collated, with additions from MS.)
the reward of honouring god.
1 Samuel ii. 30.
For them that honour me I will honour .... 234 — 268
SEEMON VII.
(collated.)
upright walking sure walking.
Proverbs x. 9.
He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely .... 269 — 292
SEEMON VIII.
(collated.)
of the duty of prayer.
1 Thessalonians V. 17.
Pray without ceasing .... . . 293 — 312
SEEMON IX.
(collated.)
of the duty op prayer.
1 Thessalonians v. 17.
Pray without ceasing ...... . 313 — 337
SEEMON X.
(collated, with additions )?K0M MS.)
OF THE DUTY OF THANKSGIVING.
Ephesians V. 20.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God . . . 338 — 366

Contents. vii
PAGE
SEEMON XI.
(collated, with additions from MS.)
op the duty of thanksgiving.
Ephesians v. 20.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God . , 367  403
SEEMON XII.
(collated.)
ON THE king's HAPPY RETURN.
1 Timothy ii, 1, 2.
/ exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, in
tercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men :
for kings, and for all that are in authority . . 404 — 443
SERMON XIII.
(collated.)
on the gunpowder treason.
Psalm lxiv. 9, 10.
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for
they shall wisely consider of his doing. The righteous
shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him ; and
all the upright in heart shall glory .... 444 — 484
SERMON XIV.
(collated.)
a consecration sermon.
Psalm cxxxii. 16.
T will also clothe her priests with salvation . . . 486 — 525
SERMON XV.
not to offend in word, an evidence of a high pitch
of virtue.
James hi. 2.
If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man . 526 — 551

PREFACE.

f\F all the great Theologians of the Church of Eng-
^^ land, among whom he has ever held one of the
highest places of honour, Barrow had himself published
the least. Celebrated both at home and abroad by his
Mathematical Works and Discoveries, he had given to
the world, at the time of his death, two Sermons only,
both printed by special request; the Spital Sermon,
preached and published in the year 1671 ; the Guildhall
Sermon, preached in the year 1677, the last sheets of
which were passing through the press during his fatal
illness. His great fame as a Theologian rests on the
works published at intervals after his death, under the
careful editorship of Archbishop Tillotson, then Dean of
Canterbury; who, amidst his many engagements, and
at the height of his celebrity as the great preacher of
the Age, could yet devote years of severe labour to ex
amining, and arranging, and finally pubhshing, the body
of works which Barrow had left in manuscript. In the
- strict sense of the term, Tillotson was not conjoined
with Abraham Hill by Barrow himself in the literary
executorship of his unpublished works, as his biogra
pher Birch seems to have imagined, misled by the au
thority of Dr Walter Pope, who in all matters con
nected with Barrow is most inaccurate: for Barrow
died intestate. That Barrow on his death-bed gave
B. S. VOL. I. b

X Preface.
Tillotson permission to publish the Treatise ofthe Pope's
Supremacy, we learn from Tillotson's preface prefixed
to the first pubUcation of that work ; but neither there
nor elsewhere does he inform us, whether or tO what
extent he had been directly entrusted by Barrow him
self with the discretionary publication of his manu
script works. Barrow's papers, after his death, natu
raUy reverted to his father ; by whom, as we may infer
from Ward's account^, "they were entrusted to the care
of Dr John Tillotson, and Abraham Hill, Esq., with
power to print such of them as they thought proper."
The editorial labours of TiUotson were continued
during a period of nearly ten years; as the following
chronological list of the several publications of the
works will shew:
1. Sermons preached on several occasions. Svo. London,
1678. (Sermons iii. — xxv. of the present Edition.)
2. Several Sermons against Evil Speaking. Svo. London,
1678. (Sermons XV.— xxiv. of this Edition.)
3. On the Love of Ood and our Neighbour, in several Ser
mons. Svo. London, 1680. (Sermons xxv.— xxxii.
of this Edition.)
These, in old advertisements and in the curious
document, which wiU be mentioned further on, are
termed, The First, Second and Third Volumes of Bar
row's Sermons.
4. A Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy. To which is added
a Discourse concerning the Unity of the Church 4to
1680. " Lives ofthe Gresham Professors, p. 164.

Preface. xi
In the same year the Discourse on the Unity of the
Church was published separately.
5. A Brief Exposition of the Lord's Prayer, and the Deca
logue. To which is added the Doctrine of the Sacra
ments. Svo. London, 1682.
6. The preceding form the first folio volume of the first
collected edition, published with a Preface by Tillotson,
in the year 1683.
The Second Volume, containing the Sermons on
the Creed, followed in the course of the same year.
The Third Volume, containing Sermons preached on
several occasions in the year i686. The Fourth
Volume, containing the Opuscula and Poemata, in the
year 1687. '
7. About three years after Tillotson's death, two
small volumes were published by Brabazon Aylmer :
A Defence of the Blessed Trinity. London, 1697. (Printed
in Vol. IV. of this Edition, p. 492, et seqq.)
A Brief Exposition of the Creed. London, 1697. (Printed
in Vol. VII. of this Edition.)
The above, together with some additions, of which
an account will be given, form the Theological Works
of Barrow, as printed in this Edition ; which have been
thus conveniently divided:
I. Sermons preached on Several Occasions. Vol. i.-^iv.
II. Sermons and Expositions on the Creed, the Lord's
Prayer, the Decalogue, the Sacraments. Vol. V. — vii.
III. The Treatise of the Papal Supremacy, and the Dis
course on the Unity of the Church. Vol. Vlll. h 2

xii Preface.
IV. The Opuscula and Poemata. Vol. ix. pp. 1—574.
V. The Works attributed to Barrow. Vol. ix. pp. 576—
726.
I. The first four Volumes contain sixty-five Ser
mons, preached on several occasions, and at several
places. It would be interesting to discover when and where
these Sermons were preached; but except in a few in
stances, neither the date nor the place of their delivery
can positively be ascertained. According to entries on
the several MSS., three were preached at St Mary's,
before the University, and at these dates :
Sermon III., .June 30, 1661.
Sermon s., Jan. 17, 1662.
Sermon xi., July 19, 1663.
The latter was also preached, with a new heading,
which is given Vol. i. p. 367 (note), at Gray's Inn,
Jan. 16, 1664. Sermon iii. was, according to Tillotson'',
the first sermon he ever preached. The same authority"
informs us, that the Restoration Sermon, and the Gun
powder Plot Sermon, were preached in the year of his
Vice-ChanceUorship, 1675— 1676; both, it is probable,
before the University. Sermon vi. was preached, ac
cording to an entry on the MS. before the Court, Aug.
1670; and as we learn from Evelyn's Dzar^/^, Sermon
xxvii. was also delivered to the Household, April
'' Preface to the first volume of the Collected Works
° Ibid.
* See the extract. Vol. n. p. 192 of this Edition (note).

Preface. xiii
1675. The Sermon which, for distinction's sake, has
been allowed to retain its first title. The Defence of
the Blessed Trinity (Vol. ix. p. 492, et seqq.) was
preached on Trinity Sunday, 1663. This is the sum of
the positive information we possess, at present, on
these two points. Internal evidence leads us to con
clude, that the greater part of them were Academical
Discourses, preached either before the University, or
in the Chapel of Trinity College.
The first and second Sermons, the only Theological
works published, as before remarked, during Barrow's
life, are in this Edition printed verbatim from the
original Editions, published the former in 1671, the
latter in 1677.
Of all the remaining sixty-three discourses, manu
script copies are not found in the Trinity College Col
lection, which, as we may infer from the following fact,
was probably incomplete when it passed by purchase
into the possession of the College. The Sermon on the
text Acts iii. 18 (Vol. iv. p. 371, et seqq.) is contained
in Vol. 366 of the Lansdowne MSS. of the British
Museum, with this short note on the fly-leaf: — Bra
bazon Aylmer tlie Booliseller gave me this sermon.
Febry. 15, 1694. Joli. Strype. May it not thence be
probably concluded, that Aylmer, to whom the copy
right of the works belonged, was in the habit of
giving single sermons to admirers of Barrow, or to
the curious in the coUection of manuscripts ? and may
not this instance account for the absence of several
sermons from the Trinity College MSS 1

xiv Preface.
It was necessary, therefore, to distinguish the Ser
mons collated with the MSS. from those which are
printed as in Tillotson's Edition : and this, accord
ingly, has been done in the Table of Contents pre
fixed to each Volume.
The additions and changes, however, which are
found in this Edition, derived from the collation of the
old text with the MS. draughts, require more special
notice. I The MSS. shew, that TiUotson, startled and
offended by the strange words so frequently used by
Barrow, was in the habit of substituting for them more
simple expressions; and that occasionally he erased
passages. For instance: in Sermon in. Vol. i. p. 14,
"the best actions, if they swell in life," has been sub
stituted for "the best actions, if they protuberate in
Ufe;" in Sermon xxxvi. Vol. li. p. 556, the passage
"Those foul monsters, our sins, I say, did aU stand
before him in their own horrid shape and ugly aggra
vations, thirsting to suck his blood, and gaping to
devour him," was erased by TiUotson. And through
out, "divert" is substituted for "avoce;" "satiety" for
"fastidiousness;" "improve" for "meliorate;" "flat
tering" for "adulatorous;" "gain" for "acquist;"
"thrust" for "extrude;" "without ceasing" for "inde-
sinently;" "heedless" for « oscitant ;" "Tuch-like" for
"semblable;" "forsake" for " derelinquish ;" "invent"
for "extund;" "rebuke" for "increpate;" "cast down"
for "detruded," &c. The process of erasure has oc
casionally been so mischievously effective as to defy

Preface. xv
all attempts at restoration; but in every case, where
the words or phrases could be deciphered, they have
been scrupulously restored. Nor has it been thought
necessary to indicate in the text where in each case
this has been done : the plan which the Editor imposed
on himself being simply to print Barrow's Works as
Barrow wrote them and left them.
2 But TUlotson permitted himself to take further
liberties. In his Edition, several of the Sermons are
subdivided by him differently from the manuscript
copies, and differently therefore from the present
Edition. Thus Sermons xl. Vol. in. p. 196, et seqq.;
XLiii. Vol. III. p. 300^ et seqq.; xlvii. Vol. in. p. 418, et
seqq. ; xlix. Vol. in. p. 490, et seqq. ; li. Vol. iv. p. 80,
et seqq.; lii. Vol. iv. p. 114, et seqq., were each
divided into two sermons; the manuscripts of these
Sermons clearly shewing the divisions made in Tillot
son's handwriting, as directions to the printer. Again,
Sermon l. Vol. iv. p. i et seqq. was divided into four;
and Sermon xxxvii. Vol. in. p. i et seqq. into five Ser
mons; the division in each case being, as in the above,
in Tillotson's handwriting. The length, indeed, of these
discourses, as they are now printed, — the former extend
ing to 79, the latter to 126 pages,— is excessive; beyond
the measure even of that age, which was patient of long
sermons. Whether when preached, they were preached
at length, may well be doubted ; but they are so
written, and in accordance with the plan followed in
this Edition, they are so printed. Of Sermon l. it may
be noted, there are no less than three MS. draughts;

xvi Preface.
one the copy used by the printer, and two others, of
which one is more sketchy than the other ; but in none
of these copies is there any indication of the threefold
division adopted by Tillotson.
3 But besides these restorations, new matter will
be found in this Edition, derived from second, third, or
even fourth draughts of the same Sermon. In op
position to the express statement of his friend and
biographer, Abraham Hill, "that subjects which he
thought most important to be considered for his own
use, he cast into the method of Sermons for the benefit
of others, and herein was so exact as to write some of
them four or five times over," Dugaid Stewart has
hazarded the opinion", that Barrow's sermons bear the
internal marks of extreme rapidity of composition, that
they are to be regarded as the almost extemporaneous
effusions of his pen; and to this alleged rapidity of
composition, the same author ascribes the hasty and
not altogether consistent opinions which he finds ex
pressed on some important topics. It would not be
just to Barrow to allow this view to pass unnoticed
and unrefuted, when the evidence is at hand to prove,
that his Sermons, and all his Works, were not more the
productions of his fertile genius than the results of
extraordinary elaboration. The MSS. abundantly con
firm Hill's account. Revision and correction of the
minutest character are their great characteristics. His
method of composition may, indeed, be easily traced,
by the help of the manuscripts, in its several progres-
• Prelim. Disser. to tho Encycl. Brit. Seventh Ed. p. 45.

Preface. xvii
sive stages. The subject chosen, he seems to have
drawn up a scheme of his intended argument; this he
unfolded at some length under several heads, leaving
spaces for new matter; this again, after receiving the
amplifications, was written out fully; and this fuller
draught was replaced by another fuller still, into which
additions and improvements, even to the most minute
verbal corrections, were carefully introduced ; nor even
then does it appear that he thought, that his discourse
or argument, after passing through these different
states, could ever attain the state of finality. It may
be doubted, on the unquestionable authority of these
remarkable Manuscripts, whether any author ever ela
borated his matter or his style in a higher degree than
Barrow. Inconsistencies of opinion, if such there be,
may not therefore be attributed to his rapidity of com
position. It is not however to be inferred, that there are
several MS. copies of each Sermon. Of many there
is but one MS. draught; this is the case with the
foUowing: Vol. i. Sermons in. iv. v. xii.; Vol. ii.
Sermons xxv. xxvn. xxvin. xxix. ; Vol. in. Sermons
xLiv. XLV. ; Vol. IV. Sermons lvii. lviii. lix. lx. lxiv.
Some of these, as the originals distinctly shew, are
in an unfinished, almost fragmentary state; specially
Sermons xxix. li. lii. lvi. lviii. — lx. which may be
regarded as specimens of Barrow's Sermons in their
middle stage of progress, awaiting amplification and
further revision.
There are two MSS. more or less full of each of the

xviii Preface.
following Sermons : Vol. i. Sermons viii. ix. x. xi. xin.
XIV. ; Vol. II. Sermons xxxiv. xxxv. ; Vol. in. Sermons
XXXVII. XXXIX. XL. XLI. XLII. XLIII. XLVII. XLIX. ; Vol. IV.
LII. From these second draughts interesting additions
are given in this Edition; the Table of Contents of
each volume indicating where this is the case. Par
ticular attention is directed to the new matter added
to Sermon xxxix. Vol. in. on the text, i Thess. v. i6,
Rejoice evermore, one of Barrow's noblest compositions;
and also to a considerable portion of a second Sermon
on the same text, in a more complete state than some
of the Sermons before mentioned, which is also printed
for the first time. Of the remarkable Sermon xvi.
Vol. II. p. I et seqq. which contains the famous de
scription oi facetiousness, though the copy used by the
printer is wanting, there are two other draughts in the
Trinity College Collection: from one of which the ac
companying facsimile has been made, which, it wiU be
observed, is not exactly the same as in the printed text.
The other less perfect copy, presenting this passage in
another less advanced stage, is a striking specimen of
the elaborate care bestowed by Barrow on his compo
sitions. There are three draughts, more or less complete, of
the foUowing: Vol. i. Sermon vi. ; Vol. in. Sermons
XLVi. XL VIII. ; Vol. IV. Sermon l. ; and of Sermon xxxvr.
Vol. II. there are no less than four MS. copies : one in
an early state, the other three full ; one of them indeed
even fuller than the copy used by the Printer, from
which additions have been given.

Preface. xix
This short account of the MSS. of several of the
Sermons contained in these Volumes will be found, it is
believed, both interesting and instructive in itself, and
may be viewed as a corroboration of Abraham Hill's
statement alluded to above. He speaks, indeed, of
Sermons written four or five times over : which may
be only a vague mode of saying, that of some Sermons
several copies existed ; but in one case at least, we see,
four copies exist of one Sermon; and in all proba
bility he was strictly correct when he speaks even of
five casts of the same discourse. Neither also will it
be considered strange, if the Trinity College Collection
does not furnish this confirmation, when the risks and
dangers to which all manuscripts are more or less sub
ject, are remembered.
4 Sermon lxiv. Vol. iv. found by the late Dr
Parkinson among the papers of Dr Byrom, while
engaged in preparing them for publication in the
Chetham Society's Works, and by him restored to
Trinity College, is printed in this Edition for the first
time. On the text Coloss. iii. 2, Barrow wrote two, if
not more. Sermons; of which the first is the one thus
recovered ; and the second that entitled, " The Defence
of the Blessed Trinity," not included in TiUotson's Edi
tion, but first separately published in the year 1697,
by Brabazon Aylmer, who prefixed to it a short
notice^. ' "The Bookseller's Advertisement.
" This excellent and seasonable Discourse in Defence of the Blessed
Trinity, the original copy whereof was found in the late learned Arch-

XX Preface.
II. The more doctrinal portion of Barrow's Theolo
gical Works, consisting of thirty-three Sermons on the
Creed, a Brief Exposition of the Creed, the Lord's
Prayer, the Decalogue, and the Doctrine of the Sacra
ments, is contained in Vols, v.— vn. of this Edition.
The Expository Sermons on the Creed, formed the
second volume of Tillotson's Edition, published in 1683;
the brief Exposition of the Lord's Prayer, the Deca
logue, the Sacraments, published at first in the year
1682, was also included in the first volume of the same
edition: the Brief Exposition on the Creed, though
undoubtedly among the MSS. committed to Tillotson's
care, was not printed in his Edition, but published after
his death in the year 1697, by Brabazon Aylmer, with
a preface^ vouching for the genuineness of the MS.
Of these the Exposition on the Creed was the
earliest composition. By a statute of Trinity College'^,
a Fellow, as a condition of his being appointed "CoUege
Preacher," was bound to observe a certain Exercise,
which consisted in delivering discourses on the Creed,
the Lord's Prayer, the Decalogue, the Sacraments, the
bishop Tillotson's study after his decease ; and being among many other
duplicate Manuscripts of the late learned Dr Isaac Barrow's Sermons, was
most certainly overlooked by His Grace upon publishing his Works •
which might very easily be in so great a number; for Dr Barrow usually
writ them several times over before he thought them finished.
" This had his last hand, as may be presumed, being very fair and
perfect, and every word of his own writing, which, lest any should doubt
of, I have preserved the copy in my own hands, where any one that
pleases may see it, and be satisfied. — B. Atlmee."
^ Prefixed to Vol. vn. of this Edition.
^ See Dr Whewell's Observations, Vol. ix. p. xxxviii.

Preface. xxi
Power of the Keys. Barrow was engaged in the year
1669, as we learn from a letter of his to Collins', in pre
paring for this Exercise; and this shorter Exposition of
the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, &c. was, no doubt in due
season, read from time to time in the Chapel of Trinity
College. Ofthe existence of one, and the greater portion
of this Exercise, consisting of the Exposition of the
Creed, Tillotson, it would appear, must, at one period at
least of his long editorial labours, have been ignorant;
for in his short preface-", prefixed to the separate publica
tion (1682) of a portion of it, viz. the Exposition ofthe
Lord's Prayer, the Decalogue, &c., he writes: "It were
to be wished, the Creed had also been explained by
him in the same manner; but that he hath handled in
a larger way in a great many excellent Discourses, upon
the several articles of it. These Discourses will make a
considerable Treatise, which will in due time be made
public." The Discourses thus alluded to, — which are, for the
most part, amplifications of the arguments of the Ex
position — were accordingly published in the year 1683.
But while preparing them for publication we must infer,
that the Exposition of the Creed fell under his notice ;
' "  my business hath hindered me, which hath been imposed
on me by the College ; 'tis to make Theological Discourses (as our
statutes order) upon the chief points of the Catechism (the Creed, Deca-
logue, Lord's Prayer, Sacraments, &c.), which out of term so takes up
my thoughts that I cannot easily apply them to any other matter. For
I have that imperfection, as not to be able to draw my thoughts easily
from one subject to another."- — Correspondence of Scientific Men of the
Seventeenth Century, Vol. ii. p. 71. Oxford, 1841.
^ Prefixed to Vol. tii. of this Edition.

xxii Preface.
for in one or two cases, which wUl be mentioned, he
has used portions of it in order to supplement and con
nect the series of these Expository Discourses.
Manuscripts of nearly all these Sermons are among
the Trinity CoUege CoUection, with which the printed
copies have been carefuUy collated. Collation shews,
that fewer liberties have been taken with these Ser
mons, which upon the whole were printed as they
were written. Duplicates and tripUcates of the MSS.
of this series occur also less seldom: of Sermons il
XVI. Vol. v., xvin. XXVI. Vol. vi., there are two, and
of Sermons in. Vol. v., xxx. xxxii. Vol. vi., there are
three MS. copies, more or less complete.
In this Edition, Sermon i. slightly differs at the
beginning and the end from the same sermon in Tillot
son's Edition.
The Introduction of Sermon x. is partly by TiUot
son ; partly a portion of the shorter Exposition.
The Introduction of Sermon xii. is taken verbatim
from the Exposition; the MS. begins with the words,
"The Creation of the world."
Sermon xxvi. Vol. vi. forms two Sermons, viz.
xxv. XXVI. in Tillotson's Edition; the second being
augmented by a long extract from the shorter Expo
sition, viz. that portion of it, with slight verbal altera
tions, which treats of the words of the Creed under
Pontius Pilate, Vol. vn. p. 226 — 231.
The parb of the Exposition, on the Descent into
Hell, TiUotson transformed into Sermon xxviii of h "
Edition, prefixing to it the text, Acts ii. 27. I^ +i^

Preface. xxiii
present, this will be found in its proper place as a con
stituent portion ofthe Exposition, Vol. vn. 274 — 291.
Sermon xxiii. on the text, The word was made
flesh, is now for the first time printed, from the MS.
in the Trinity College Collection. The substance, in
deed, of one part of it is contained in the Sermon
which follows: which was, perhaps, the reason why
Tillotson thought fit to exclude it from his Edition:
but the larger portion of it is both new and import
ant, and of such excellence as to justify the publication
of the whole Sermon, notwithstanding the evil of re
petition, which is found too commonly, though from
their posthumous character unavoidably, in the works
of Barrow. The Exposition of the Creed, as published by Bra
bazon Aylmer, of all the works of Barrow most needed
an Editor's care and revision; the punctuation was so
bad as very often to obscure the sense, and the mis
placement of whole passages rendered the arguments
incoherent. A careful collation with the original MS.
has brought order and clearness into this Treatise.
Repetitions almost without end will be discovered, when
the Exposition is compared with the Expository Ser
mons; but the Editor did not consider himself endued
with the power of suppression ; his duty being to repro
duce with fidelity whatever had undoubted claims to be
regarded as the production of Barrow.
III. The treatise of the Pope's Supremacy, and
the Discourse on the Unity of the Church, with a
short Appendix, form the Eighth Volume.

xxiv Preface.
"This exceUent and elaborate Treatise of the
Pope's Supremacy," says Tillotson, " the learned author
gave me particular permission to publish; with this
modest character of it, that he hoped it was indifferent
perfect, though not altogether as he intended it, if
God had granted him longer life."
The manuscript of this Work, — which imperfect as
the author deemed it, has ever been regarded as a
monumental work, and is still the unsurpassed treatise
on the subject — is not in the Trinity College Collec
tion: nor is it known to exist elsewhere. Portions,
indeed, of the arguments, in various forms, are found
scattered in six out of the fifteen volumes composing
that Collection; but in no case are these fragments
altogether the same with the printed text. In one of
these Volumes (bearing the press mark R. lo. i6, of
Trinity College Library) there are two early draughts
of the Introduction ; neither nearly so full as the Text :
Volume R. lo. 23 presents two early draughts, one
somewhat fuller than the other, of the matter of the
first Five of the Seven Suppositions into which the
Treatise is divided; in both cases cast in the form of
a Sermon on the text, Matt. x. 2 ; and in another Volume
(R. 10. 24) there is a yet earUer, very imperfect cast of
the same portion, also in the form of a Sermon on that
text; Volume R. 10. 19 contains a sketch correspondino-
to the review of the causes concurring and contributing
to the growth of the Papal power, Vol. vn. pp. 400  27 ;
Volume R. 10. 20 has a number of rough notes, many
of them erased by Barrow himself; Volume R. 10. 22

Preface. xxv
containing the largest body of MSS., shews, indeed,
abundant proofs of Barrow's care and industry in pre
paration; but furnishes no continuous portion of the
Treatise as printed. The MSS. of this volume shew
Supposition vi. cast differently from that form in which
Tillotson found and printed it. This account of the
MSS. is rendered necessary by the somewhat ambi
guous notice prefixed to the Edition of this Treatise
published in the year 1851, by the Society for Pro
moting Christian Knowledge, which seems to profess
collation with the original MS.; and it will also serve,
in some faint way, to exhibit the vast labour, which in
this, as in all his other works, Barrow bestowed on his
compositions. In this Edition, therefore, the Treatise of the Papal
Supremacy, and the Discourse on the Unity of the
Church, of which no MS. in any form exists, are
reproduced, as far as the text is concerned, from the
first Edition; with one exception, that the paragraphs
I. 2, pp. 292 — 295, misplaced in former Editions, are
here restored to their proper place, in accordance with
the suggestion of the Rev. Frederic Field, late Fellow
of Trinity College, Cambridge, adopted for the first
time in the Edition, above mentioned, of the Christian
Knowledge Society.
The Appendix entitled "Some Observations on
the Synod and Canons of Sardica," &c., was first
printed in the Edition just alluded to; but these do
not form a substantive treatise on the subject, as its
Editor seems to imagine ; but are merely sections,
B. s. vol. I. <^

xxvi Preface.
numbered xv, xvi. xvii, of a draught of Supposition
VI. cast in a different form from that of the printed
text: and these numbers shew, that the observations
extend to three different points — the Synod of Sardica;
the transactions at Sirmium, Aiicyra, &c. ; the passages
concerning Pope Liberius.
Special pains and labour have been bestowed in
verifying the very numerous quotations of this import
ant Volume. Every passage cited has been regarded
as incorrect, tUl proved otherwise by comparison with
the original. In many cases, both in the Treatise of
the Pope's Supremacy and the Discourse on the Unity
of the Church, the passages referred to are merely
indicated by Barrow; in this Edition they are given at
full length, in all cases where they do not exceed
the due proportions of a note. Quotations from the
Councils of the Church, and from Epistles of Popes,
which abound throughout the volume, have been
verified not only in the Collection of Councils used
by Barrow — that of Severinus Binius, the best and
fullest known in Barrow's age — but also in the latest
and most authoritative, Cardinal Mansi's. So that
the Notes, verified as they have been, will be found
to present a body of original passages, from the most
various and authentic sources, bearing on the subject
of the Papal Supremacy.
Prefixed to the Volume is an Analytical Summary
of the contents of the Treatise of the Papal Supremacy,
which, the Editor believes, wUl render its full and varied
matter more accessible and available to the student.

Preface. xxvii
IV. The Opuscula, consisting for the most part of
Academical Exercises, and the Latin Poems, are printed
in Vol. IX. of the present Edition. The disorder which
prevailed in the arrangement of its contents, as well as
the abundance of false readings found throughout it,
seem to justify the inference, that this volume had not
the benefit of Tillotson's careful supervision. In the
absence of positive information we are led to conjecture,
that as his father's partiality may have prompted the
publication of everything which came from the hand
of his celebrated son, so his eye alone watched the
sheets as they passed through the press'^.
In this Edition a new arrangement has been
adopted. The Opuscula and Poemata have been, as far
^ The following original letter of his Father, Thomas Barrow, ac
companied in all probability a presentation-copy of the Fourth Volume
to Dr Montague, the Master of Trinity College.
" To Dr Montague.
" Though under the infirmity of eighty and seven years, yet I
have a memory ready to acknowledge your kindness to my son, the
author. When ho was, as it were, a child, exposed on the banks of
the river Cam, Trinity College (Regia Proles) afforded him the love
of a parent and the instruction of a tutor. Whom you received a
distressed child, you returned a man accomplished with so great a
share of that learning and merit, for which your Society is renowned,
as fitted him for the honour of being Master of such a College. But
so it pleased God that death seized him absent from his beloved seat.
Wherefore give me leave to fancy this posthumous work as it were
his ghost wandering towards the accustomed place, and, as far as he
and I can, attending on his dear friends. " I am, &c.
"T. BAREOW."
Philosophical Papers collected by Abraham HiH, British Museum
Cat. 2903, art. 31. C 2

xxviii Preface,
as possible, placed in chronological order ; the grosser
blunders and false readings have been amended; and
short explanatory notes have been added where deemed
necessary. These improvements are almost exclusively
due to Dr Whewell, the Master of Trinity College,
who has also enriched this Edition with Observations on
Barrow's Academical Times, as illustrated in his Latin
Works, which have been prefixed to the Volume which
furnished the illustrations.
The second' Epistle to the Master and Fellows of
Trinity College, pp. 120 — 127, sent by Barrow from
Constantinople, in the year 1658, was not included in
the first Edition; but was first published in Ray's
Philosophical Letters, edited by W. Derham, London,
1718. Some pieces, thrown in, in the strangest manner,
among the Opuscula in the first Edition, have been
in this excluded, as having no claim to appear among
Barrow's works ; these are, The Superstition of the
Turks ; An English and Ltalian Glossary of certain
Turkish Terms; A series of Turkish Proverbs; and A
true Relation of the Designs managed by the old Queen
Wife qf Sultan Ahmed, written by Albert Bohovius.
V. The Ninth Volume also contains two Disserta
tions, and some Sermons and Fragments attributed
to Barrow; which formed the volume edited (1834)
by the Rev. J. P. Lee, formerly FeUow of Trinity
CoUege, Cambridge, now Bishop of Manchester: of
these some account must be given.
The two Dissertations are in this Edition placed

Preface. xxix
first. The MS. of the First entitled. Relating to the
Dissenters, is contained in the volume of the Trinity
College MSS. with the class mark, R. lo. 19; and is
undoubtedly in Barrow's handwriting. The very cast
ofthe MS. vouches for its authenticity; the arguments
are arranged under several heads, and spaces are left
for new matter — Barrow's mode of composing, as
evinced in many instances throughout the MSS. The
sentiments and the style also bear the stamp of Barrow's
mind and manner. This Dissertation may therefore be
regarded as a genuine fragment.
The Second entitled, Whether the Damned after the
Last Judgment shall live in Everlasting Torments or be
utterly destroyed? found in the same MS. volume as
the preceding, is also in Barrow's handwriting; but it
is strange the Editor of that volume failed to perceive
its true character — viz. that it is a transcript made by
Barrow, who in his own hand has written on the fly
leaf. Tract. A non. de Pcenis Infernalibus. Another copy
of the same Essay, found among the papers of Ward,
the author of the Lives of the Gresham Professors, pre
served in the British Museum, seems to settle the
question of its authorship. In the Ward MS. it is
entitled, Arcanum Theologicum. A sceptical Discourse
concerning the torments of Hell, by N, N. [Mr White-
foot of Norwich], With this transcript, Barrow's has
been compared ; and the variations of the former from
the latter are given in the portions printed within
brackets. The coUation of these two MSS. shews
also, that Barrow had not entirely transcribed the

xxx Preface.
treatise ; though the redundant leaves of his MS. seem
to imply that he intended to complete it. It is curious,
that Tillotson's name was also connected with this
Dissertation in a manner which still further identifies it.
As Dean of St Paul's he preached, as his biographer
Birch relates, before their Majesties, a Sermon on the
Eternity of Hell Torments', which gave rise to a great
clamour against him. "Dr Hickes," the Non-juror,
Birch relates, "discharges all the venom of his pen
against this wretched sermon, as he styles it, calling out
upon the Convocation to censure it,... and suggesting,
that the reasoning of it was borrowed from a manu
script discourse upon the same subject, still extant,
which Dr Hickes owns he had never seen, written by
an old sceptic of Norioich^" — by whom, as Birch adds,
was meant the Reverend John Whitefoot, Rector of
Heigham near Norwich. There can be little doubt,
that the treatise here alluded to by Dr Hickes in his
coarse invective against Tillotson, is the one of which
Barrow made a transcript, and which, for obvious rea
sons, was circulated only in MS. among the Theo
logians of that Age. The Latin Notes appended to the
Dissertation are Barrow's, which, as they express his
opinions on this doctrinal question, furnish its claim to
a place among his Works.
Of the Sermons attributed on doubtful grounds
to Barrow, the first four, published by the Bishop of
' This Sermon is found in Vol. i. p. 321 et seqq. of Birch's Edition.
¦London, 1752.
" Tillotson's Works, Vol. i. p. kv. (ed. 1752).

Preface. xxxi
Manchester and republished here, are contained in a
small volume, hitherto included among the collection
of Barrow's MSS., belonging to Trinity CoUege. The
only external evidence on which these have been
assigned to Barrow, is this note written on the fly
leaf: "¦ Dr Lsaac Barroiv's Sermons, preached in 1676;
preached by him. These Sermons are not in print."
Mr Joseph Netherclift, to whose judgment this volume
was submitted, thus reports on the character of the
MS. : This is a curious volume, chiefly written in a
large, half-print, round text hand, in Roman capitals,
shewing the study and attention of one who has devoted
much time and care to the simple mechanical art of
writing, perhaps a schoolmaster or a clerk; the work of
a copyist, and not of Barrow". It is, indeed, incon
ceivable that Barrow, whose own handwriting is a
model of neatness and clearness, should either himself
have adopted, or have employed another to adopt a
character which would torture the strongest powers of
vision to read continuously. But the Sermons them
selves are the conclusive argument against their ge
nuineness. It would scarcely be possible to find in
the whole range of sermon-literature any productions
more utterly unlike Barrow's than the four printed from
this MS. volume. Let the second of these be compared
with two on the same text, Vol. 11. Sermons xxv.
XXVI., which are undoubtedly genuine, and that com
parison alone will leave hardly a doubt on the mind,
that the same person who wrote the latter, could not
" Abridged from Mr Netherclift's MS, Report,

xxxii Preface.
have written the former Sermon, which in argument
is so incoherent, and in style so full of feeble conceits
and affectations. Is it possible, — to take one passage,
which may be regarded as a specimen of the average
matter and style of these Discourses, — that Barrow
could have written and spoken this mere rant?
" Lt was the express declaration of our Lord in the
penitent ivoman's case. 'Her sins which are many are
forgiven, for she loved much.' She ivrote her love there
luith tears; she wrote and blotted out, and dropped ano
ther tear and wrote again. Solicitous lest she had ex
pressed her affection too ivell, she would express it worse.
She wiped her tears again, as if at once she would be
liberal and sparing too, seeming to fear lest, if her stock
of tears were spent too soon, she should not weep enough.
She would not wipe her eyes, she only wiped her Sa
viour's feet, as if her hairs recalled those waters to their
fountain head, that they might bubble there a second
time"," &c.
The Editor cannot but express his conviction, that it
would be not less than an affront to Barrow's name,
to attribute to him compositions of the character of
these four Sermons.
The remaining Sermons and Fragments, printed in
that volume, are from MSS. belonging to the Univer
sity Library, Cambridge; the volume forming part of
the Library of Bishop Moor, purchased at his death,
and presented to the University by George I. The
external evidence for their genuineness is even of a
" Vol. IX. pp. 622, 623.

Preface. xxxiii
more slender character than that which could be claim
ed for the former : " Llic liber, ut ex manu videtur, fuit
viri illustrissimi Lsaaci Barrow." The identity of the
handwriting of this MS. volume with Barrow's is, then,
the sole ground upon which it has been assigned to
him. Mr Netherclift, to whom this volume also has
been submitted, is of opinion, that it presents spe
cimens of the handwriting of at least two different
persons, but none of Barrow's^. Neither does the ex
ternal evidence, somewhat shattered if not overthrown
by this opinion, receive any support from the intrinsic
ability and power of these Sermons and Fragments;
which, if they be free from the extravagances which
not seldom occur in the former, are yet uniformly duU
and common-place, and present not a single passage
bearing the impress of that full, vigorous, massive style,
which at once identifies the prose of Barrow, amid the
prose of all the great writers of the Language.
These, indeed, may seem sound arguments for the
exclusion of these sermons, but it has been deemed ex
pedient to publish them; and readers may determine,
according to their own judgment, the question of their
authenticity.

Much inquiry and research have added but little
to what was already known of Barrow from the brief
Memoir by his friend Abraham Hill, prefixed to the
first Edition of the Works. Three original letters, and
P Substance of Mr Netherclift's Report,

xxxiv Preface,
a few particulars regarding Barrow from unpubUshed
sources, were the discouraging results and rewards of
years of laborious search. On such a foundation the
Editor 'considered it useless to attempt to construct
a life of Barrow on a more extended scale; he has,
therefore, contented himself with reprinting Abraham
Hill's sketch, with such slight additional materials as
he has been able to collect.
The General Index will be found, it is hoped, both
full and exact for all purposes of reference.
The pleasing task now remains to the Editor of
thanking those persons, who have aided him in his
labours. And first and specially he offers his grateful thanks
to the Master and Senior Fellows of Trinity College, who
have entrusted him for so long a period with the inter
esting collection of the Barrow MSS. ; feeling, as he
does, that whatever of novelty, or interest, or com
pleteness, may be found in the present, above any
preceding Edition, is to be attributed to the free use
he has thus been permitted to make of them. To
Dr Whewell, the Master of the CoUege, the Editor
is under many obUgations for his active sympathy
and support throughout the progress of the Edition.
In the laborious task of verifying the quotations
abounding in Barrow's works, from books both rare
and bulky, the Editor has received much welcome
assistance; particularly from Dr Corrie, the Master of
Jesus College, who, with unfaUing courtesy and kind-

Preface. xxxv
ness, has on many occasions rendered him great ser
vice; and also from the following gentlemen, J. B.
Mayor, Esq., FeUow of St John's CoUege, Cambridge,
the Rev. James Tillard, Rector of Conington, and the
Rev. Canon CoUyer, Rector of Warham.
In the Appendix (0) to the Life by Abraham
Hill, a document of some interest — viz. the legal agree
ment between Thomas Barrow and Brabazon Aylmer,
negotiating the sale of the copyright of a portion of
Barrow's works — has been supplied by the Rev. Henry
John Rose, late Fellow of St John's CoUege, Cam
bridge, Rector of Houghton Conquest, who has most
kindly copied it from a volume of literary curiosities
bequeathed to the Parish by a former Rector, Dr
Zachary Gray. An additional reason might be found,
if needed, for its publication, in this curious fact in
Literary History, which it brings to light ; viz. that
within fifteen years after the sale of the copyright of
Milton's Paradise Lost to Samuel Symons, the printer,
for the sum of five pounds, no less than four hundred
and seventy pounds were given for the copyright of
the first foUo Volume of Tillotson's Edition of Barrow's
Works. His thanks are due to the Rev. Joseph RomiUy,
Registrar of the University, who very opportunely pre
vented him from reproducing in the additions to the
Life, the letter published as Barrow's, in the Cambridge
Portfolio, Vol. I. p. 71, by a person signing aKori; which
letter was written in the name of the Vice-Chancellor
Dr Some and the Senate to Robert Hare, on the ist

xxxvi Preface.
of May, 1 59 1, i. e. about forty years before Barrow was
born. For the original letter of Barrow to Sir Joseph
Williamson, printed in Appendix (K) to the Life, he
is indebted to the Rev. Joseph Edleston, Fellow of
Trinity College.
The Editor also desires to thank C. H. Cooper, Esq.
Town Clerk of Cambridge, for many hints and direc
tions in conducting his researches.
Nor can he omit gratefully to mention the valuable
aid and kind offices he has so frequently received from
C. J. Clay, Esq. the Manager of the Pitt Press, who
combines, as in days of old, the functions of a printer
with the accomplishments of a scholar.
ALEXANDER NAPIER.

SOME ACCO UNT
OF
THE LIFE
OF
DR. ISAAC BARROW:
TO THE
REV. DR TILLOTSON, DEAN OF CANTERBURY.

Sir,
rPHE affection of friends, or interest of the bookseller, has
¦^ made it usual to prefix the Life of an Author before his
works ; and sometimes it is a care veiy necessary to give
him a high and excellent character, the better to protect
his writings against that censoriousiiess and misconstruction
to which all are subject. What Dr Barrow has left, do as
little as any need such an advantage, standing firm on their
own worth; nay, his Works may supply the want of a
history of his life, if the reader take along with him this
general remark, that his Sermons were the counterpart of his
actions ; therein he has drawn the true picture of himself, so
that in them being dead he yet speaketh, or rather, is spoken
of'. Yet we the readers do gladly entertain any hopes of
seeing his example added to his doctrine, and we think we
express some kind of gratitude for your reviewing, digest
ing, and pubhshing his Sermons, if we desire from you his
Life too. His Sermons have cost you so much pains, as
would have produced many more of your own ; if now his
Life should ask a farther part of your time, it were still
' Heb. xi. 4. marg.

xxxviii Some Account of the
promoting the same ends, the doctor's honour, and the pubhc
good. What memorials I can recollect, I here present you,
that when you have refined this ore, it may be admitted
as my offering toward his statue. What may be said would
have had a stronger impression upon our passions, when they
were moved upon the first news of so great a loss ; or per
haps it were best to forbear till the publication of aU his
Works, when the reader will be farther prepared to admire
him. But I proceed in the order of time, that the other par
ticulars occurring to your memory, or suggested by other
friends, may more readily find their proper place, and so give
the better lustre to one another: and this I think the fitter
to be observed, because the harmonious, regular, constant
tenor of his life is the most admirable thing in it. For
though a life full of variety, and even of contrariety, were
more easy to be writ, and to most more pleasant to be read,
it less deserves to be imitated.
Dr Isaac Barrow was the son of Mr Thomas Barrow, (a
citizen of London of good reputation* yet living, brother to
Isaac Barrow, late Lord Bishop of St Asaph",) son of Isaac
Barrow, Esq. of Spipy Abbey in Cambridgeshire, (where he
was a justice of peace for forty years,) son of Philip Barrogh,
who has in print a Method of Physic, and had a brother,
Isaac Barrow, doctor of physic, a benefactor to Trinity Col
lege, and there tutor to Robert Cecil, Earl of Safisbury, and
Lord Treasurer*.
He was born in London, October, 1630": his mother was
Ann, daughter of WiUiam Buggin, of North Cray in Kent
Esquire; whose tenderness he did not long enjoy, she dyin"-
when he was about four years old.

Appendix (A). . Appendix (B).
Appendix (C). . Appendix (D).

Life of Dr Barrow, xxxix
His first schooling was at the Charter-house for two or
three years, when his greatest recreation was in such sports
as brought on fighting among the boys: in his aftertime a
very great courage remained, whereof many instances might
be set down ; yet he had perfectly subdued aU inclination to
quarrelling, but a negligence of his clothes did always con
tinue with him. For his book, he minded it not; and his
father had little hope of success in the profession of a scholar,
to which he had designed him. Nay, there was then so little
appearance of that comfort which his father afterward
received from him, that he often solemnly wished, that if it
pleased God to take away any of his children, it might be his
son Isaac : so vain a thing is man's judgment, and our pro
vidence unfit to guide our own affairs.
Removing thence to Felsted in Essex, he quickly made
so great a progress in learning and all things praiseworthy,
that his master appointed him a little tutor to the Lord
Viscount Fairfax, of Emely, in Ireland. While he stayed
here, he was admitted in Peter-house, his uncle the Bishop's
college', but when he removed to (and was fit for) the
University of Cambridge, Feb. 1645, he was planted in
Trinity College. His condition was very low, his father
having suffered much in his estate on account of adhering
to the king's cause; and being gone away from London to
Oxford, his chief support at first was from the liberality of
the famous and reverend Dr Hammond, to whose memory he
paid his thanks in an excellent Epitaph, (among his Poems^,)
wherein he describes the doctor and himself too; for the
most, and most noble, parts of the character do exactly
agree to them both. Being now, as it were, without relations,
he abused not the opportunity to negfigence in his studies,
f Appendix (E). ^ Works, Vol. ix. p. 540.

xl Some Account of the
or licentiousness in his manners, but seasoned his tender
years with the principles and the exercise of diligence,
learning, and piety, the best preparatives for the succeeding
varieties of life.
The young man continued such a royaUst, that he would
never take the Covenant; yet carrying himself with fairness,
candour, and prudence, he gained the good-will of the
chief governors of the University. One day Dr Hill, Master
of the College ^ laying his hand on his head, said. Thou art
a good lad; 'tis pity thou art a cavalier: and when in an
Oration on the Gunpowder-Treason' he had so celebrated
the former times, as to reflect much on the present, some
Fellows were provoked to move for his expulsion; but the
Master silenced them with this; Barrow is a better man
than any of us. Afterward, when "the Engagement^" was
imposed, he subscribed it ; but upon second thoughts,
repenting of what he had done, he went back to the Com
missioners, and declared his dissatisfaction, and got his name
rased out of the list.
For the juniors, he was always ready to give them his
help, aud very freely ; though for all the exercises he made
for them in verse and prose he never received any recom
pense but one pair of gloves.
While he was yet a young scholar, his judgment was too
great to rest satisfied with the shallow and supei-ficial Phy
siology then commonly taught and received in the universi
ties, wherewith students of meaner abiUties contentedly took
up: but he applied himself to the reading and considering
the writings of the Lord Verulam', Monsieur Descartes",
'' Appendix (F).
I Vol. IX. pp. 48—78. See also Dr Whewell's Notice, &o. pp. -viii— ix.
^ Appendix (G).
• Of. Carles. Hypoth. Worlcs, Vol. ix. pp. 86, 96, 07.
™ Cf. Vol. IX. p. 81, et seqq. ; p. 441, et seqq.

Life of Dr Barrow. xii
Gahleo, and other the great vnts of the last age, who seemed
to offer something more solid and substantial.
When the time came that he could be chosen Fellow of
his College, Ann. Dom, 1649°, he obtained by his merit; no
thing else could recommend him who was accounted of the
contrary party. After his election, finding the times not fa
vourable to men of his opimon in the affairs of Church and
State, to qualify him (as he then thought) to do most good,
he designed the profession of physic, aud for some years
bent his studies that way, and particularly made a great pro
gress in the knowledge of Anatomy, Botanies, and Chymistry.
But afterward, upon deliberation with himself, and con
ference with his uncle, the late Lord Bishop of St Asaph,
thinking that profession not weU consistent with the oath
he had taken when admitted Fellow, to make Divinity the
end of his studies, he quitted Medicine, and applied himself
chiefly to what his oath seemed fo oblige him.
He was upon aU opportunities so open and communica
tive, that many of his friends in that College (for out of it
he had few acquaintance) can, and I hope some one will, re
port frequent instances of his calm temper in a factious time,
his large charity in a mean estate, his facetious talk upon
fit occasions, his indefatigable industry in various studies,
his clear judgment on all arguments, his steady virtue in all
difiiculties, which they must often have observed, and can
better describe.
Of his way of discourse I shall here note one thing, that,
when his opinion was demanded, he did usually speak to the
importance as well as to the truth of the question : this was

" He was elected scholar in 1647, and took his degree of B.A. in 1649. In
1652 lie commenced M.A., and on the 11th. of June in the following year he was
Incorporated in that degree at Oxford. Ward. Wood.
B. S. VOL. I. "-

xlii Some Account of the
an excellent advantage, and to be met with in few men's
conversation. Traotare res multi norunt, sestimare pauci. Caedan.
While he read ScaUger on Eusebius, he perceived the de
pendence of Chronology on Astronomy, which put him on
the study of Ptolemy's Almagest; and finding that book
and aU Astronomy to depend on Geometry, he appUed him
self to Eucfid's Elements, not satisfied till he had laid firm
foundations ; and so he made his first entry into the Mathe
matics, having the learned Mr John Ray" then for his socms
stucliorwn, and always for his esteemed friend: he pro
ceeded to the demonstration of the other ancient Mathe
maticians, and pubhshed his Euclid in a less form and a
clearer method than any one had done before him: at
the end of his demonstration of Apollonius he has writ,
April 14. 7- . 7 . .
May 1 6. Intra hmc temp>oris mtervalla peractum hoc opus.
To so much dfiigence nothing was impossible: and in all
his studies his way was not to leave off his design tfil he
brought it to effect; only in the Arabic language he made
an essay for a little while, and then deserted it. In the same
place having also writ, Lahore et constantia, he adds, honw
si conjungantur humilitati et svhministrent cliaritati, Witli
these speculations the largeness of his mind could join
poetry, to which he was always addicted, and very much
valued that part thereof which consists of description; but
the hyperboles of some modern Poets he as much sHghted:
for our Plays, he was an enemy to them, as a principal cause
of the debauchery of these times; (the other causes he
thought to be the French education and the ill examples
° Ward corroborates this statement, ou the authority of Dr Worthinoton'a
Letter to Mr ^-«br^x4, 1654, MS. Mr WortK^.gtols. This l^ter Sno
rZ Ch \ '''t /\ T "Z""^ Correspor^ce of Br Worthing, edited
tor the Chetham Society by James Crossley, Esq.

Life of Dr Barrow. xliii
of great persons;) for satires, he writ none; his wit was
pure and peaceable.
W^hen Dr Duport resigned the chair of Greek professor,
he recommended this his pupil for his successor, who jus
tified his tutor's opinion by an excellent performance of the
probation exercise; but being thought inclined to Armini-
anism, he obtained it not : however, he always acknowledged
the favour which Dr Whichcote shewed him on that, as on
all occasions. The partiality of others against him in that
affair some thought might help forward his desire to see
foreign countries. I make no doubt, but that he, who in
lesser occurrences did very judiciously consider aU circum
stances, had on good grounds made this resolution, and wish
we now knew them ; for the reasons and counsels of action
would take off from the dryness of this narration, and more
strongly recommend him to imitation.
To provide for his voyage, Ann. Dom. 1654, he sold his
books, and went first into France ': at Paris he found his
father attending the English court, and out of his small viati
cum made him a seasonable present. He gave his College
an account of his voyage thither, which will be found among
his Poems'; and some further observations in a letter', which
will shew his piercing judgment in political affairs, when he
applied his thoughts that way.
After some months he went to Italy, and made a stay at
Florence; where he had the favour, and neglected not the
advantage, to peruse many books in the great Duke's Library,
and ten thousand of his Medals, and discourse thereon with
Mr Fitton, the fame of whose extraordinary abilities in that
sort of learning had caused the Duke to invite him to the
charge of that great treasury of antiquity'.
p Appendix (H). "> Vol. ix. pp. 444—457-
r Vol. IX. pp. Ill — 119.
' Dr Pope understood this passage as if the Grand Duke (at Mr Fitton'a recom-
d9,

xliv Some Account of the

,t.

Florence was too dear a place for him to remain in long
his desire was to visit Rome, rather than any other place;
but the plague then raging there, he took ship at Livom,
(Nov. 1657) for Smyrna", where he made himself most wel
come to Consul Bretton^ and the merchants; and so at Con
stantinople to Sir Thomas Bendish, the Engfish Ambassador,
and Sir Jonathan Daws, from whose civility he received many
favours; and there ever after continued between them an
intimate friendship.
As he could presently learn to play at all games, so he
could accommodate his discourse to aU capacities, that it
should be grateful and profitable; he could argue a point
without arrogance or passion to convince the learned, and
could talk pleasantly to the entertainment of easier minds,
yet still maintaining his own character, which had some such
authority as is insinuated in these words of Cicero to Atticus
(Ep. XX. 1. 14) : Non te Bruti nostri vulticulus ab ista ora-
tione deterret?
At Constantinople y, the see of St Chrysostom, he read
over all the works of that Father, whom he much preferred
before any of the others, and remained in Turkey above a
mendation) had offered Barrow the keepership of his Medals ; — not the only in
stance of his inaccuracy. — Pope's Life of Seth Ward, p. 134.
' Ward (Lives of Gresham Professors, p. 159), on the authority of a MS. letter
of Worthington to Hartlib, of the date Aug. 5, 1656, states that at Florence he
was generously aided with means to prosecute his travels by Mr James Stock, a
young merchant of London, to whom he dedicated his edition of Euclid's Data,
published 1657 ; and whose premature death he deplores in the letter written from
Constantinople printed for the first time in the Appendix (I).
" The incidents of the voyage from Leghorn to Constantinople are described in
the Iter Maritimum (Vol. ix. pp. 458 — 480), sent from Constantinople to the
Master and Pellows of Trinity.
' An elegy on his death is found among the Poemata, Vol. ix. pp. 511  514.
J From Constantinople he wrote another letter to the Master and Fellows of
Trinity, (Vol. ix. 120—127), which was first published in Eay's PhUosophical Let
ters, edited by Derham, Lond. 17 18, and in which he gives an account of the poli
tical state of Turkey. With this letter he sent also the Poem Be Religione Turcica
(pp. 481-510).

Life of Dr Barrow. xlv
year^ Returmng thence to Venice, as soon as he was landed,
the ship took fire, and with all the goods was burnt, but none
of the people had any harm. He came thence home'' through
Germany and Holland ; and some part of these travels and
observations are also related in his Poems.
The term of time was now somewhat past, before which
all Fellows of Trinity College are by the oath obhged to take
upon them priestly orders, or quit the College: he had no
rest in his mind till he got himself ordained'', notwithstanding
the times were then very unsettled, the Church of England
at a very low ebb, and circumstances much altered from what
they were when he took the oath, wherewith others satisfied
themselves in the neglect of orders.
When the Church and State flourished upon the King's
restoration, his friends expected great things for him who
had suffered and deserved so much: yet nothing came; so
that he was sensible enough to say, (which he has not left
among his Poems,) Te magis optavit rediturum, Carole, nemo,
Et nemo sensit te rediisse minus.
1660, he was without a competitor chosen' to the Greek
Professorship in Cambridge ; of which I can only say, that
some friend (to himself I mean) thought fit to borrow, and
never to restore those Lectures^

^ Appendix (I). = In 1659.
•> By Brownrigg bishop of Exeter, and Master of Catherine Hall, who, after
being ejected from his see by the parliament, lived in retirement at Sunning in
Berkshire. ¦: His Inaugural Oration as Greek Professor is in Vol. ix. pp. 137 — 164.
^ Ward (Lives of Gresham Professors, p. 160) states, on the authority of a MS.
letter of Worthington to Hartlib, ofthe date Oct. 21, 1661, that at first he chose
Sophocles aa the subject of his Lectures ; but afterwards selected Aristotle's
Rhetoric. This appears also by the Oraiio Sarcasnica, Vol. ix. p. 155.

xlvi Some Account of the
July 16, 1662S he was chosen to the Geometry Lecture at
Gresham College, vacant by the death of Mr Laurence Rook.
Dr Wfikins, who, while Trinity College had the happiness of
his Mastership, throughly observed and much esteemed him,
and was always zealous to promote worthy men and generous
designs, did interpose vigorously for his assistance, well know
ing that few others could fiU the place of such a predecessor;
he not only discharged the duty incumbent on him, but sup
phed the absence of his learned colleague, Dr Pope, Astro
nomy Professor ; and among other of his Lectures were divers
of the Projections of the Sphere; which he lent out also, and
many other papers we hear no more of He so well answered
all expectation, and performed what Dr Wilkins had under
taken for him, that when (1663^ Mr Lucas founded a Mathe-
matic Lecture at Cambridge, the same good and constant
friend recommended him to the executors, Mr Raworth and
Mr Buck, who very readily conferred on him that employ
ment : and the better to secure the end of so noble and use
ful a foundation, he took care that himself and successors
should be bound to leave yearly to the University ten written
Lectures ; and those of his which have been, and others yet
to be printed, wfil best give an account how well he acquitted
himself of that service^. But after that learned piece Geo-
metricce Lectiones had been some whUe in the world, he had
heard only of two persons that had read it through ; these
' His Inaugural Lecture is given Vol. tx. pp. 170 — 188.
' On the twentieth of May in this same year he was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society, in the first choice made by the council after their charter. — Ward,
Lives, p. 160.
e His Prefatory Oration, spoken in the Mathematical School, March 14, 1664,
is still extant, and may be seen pp. 189—212. On the 20th of May of the same
year he resigned his Gresham Professorship. Ward (p. 161) intimates, that about
this time also, he held for a short time the care of the Cottonian Library ; which
he resigned, desiring to settle at Cambridge.

Life of Dr Barrow. xlvii
two were Monsieur Slusius of Liege, and Mr Gregory of Scot
land, two that might be reckoned instead of thousands : yet
the little rehsh that such things met with did help to loosen
him from these speculations, and the more engage his inclina
tion to the study of Morality and Divinity, which had always
been so predominant, that when he commented on Archi
medes, he could not forbear to prefer and admire much more
Suarez for his book De Legihus: and before his Apollonius
I find written this divine ejaculation:
O ®€os yeoiixeTp€i.
Tu autem, Domine, quantus es geometra? quum enim
hcec seientia nullos terminos habeat; cum in sempiternwm
novorum theorematwm inventioni locus relinquatw, etiam
penes hwmanu/ni ingenium,, tu uno hcec omnia intuitu per-
specta habes, absque catena consequentiarum, absque tcedio
demonstrationum. Ad ccetera pene nihil facer e potest intel-
lectus noster; et tanquam hrutorum phantasia videtur non
nisi incerta qucedann somniare, unde in iis quot sunt homines
tot existunt fere sententice: in his conspiratur ab omnibus,
in his hu/manum ingeniimi se posse cdiquid, imo ingens ali
quid et mirificum visum, est, ut nihil magis mirum; quod
enim in cceteris pene ineptum in hoc efficax, sedulum, pros-
perum, &c, Te igitur vel ex hac re amare gaudeo, te sus-
picor, atque ilium diem desiderare suspiriis fortihus, in quo
purgata mente et claro oculo non hcec solum, omnia absque
hac successiva et laboriosa imaginandi cura, verum 'inulto
plura et majora ex tua honitate et immensissima sanctissi-
maque benignitate conspicere et scire concedetur, &c.
The last kindness and honour he did to his Mathematic
Chair was to resign it (1669) to so worthy a friend and suc
cessor as Mr Isaac Newton, fixing his resolution to apply
himself entirely to divinity; and he took a course very

xlviii Some Account of the
convement for his pubhc person as a preacher, and his pri
vate as a Christian ; for those subjects which he thought most
important to be considered for his own use, he cast into the
method of sermons for the benefit of others, and herein was
so exact, as to write some of them four or five times over""-
And now he was only a feUow of Trinity College, till my
Lord Bishop of St Asaph gave him a small sinecure in
Wales, and the Right Reverend Seth, Lord Bishop of Safis
bury (who very much valued his conversation), a Prebend
in his church ; the advantages of both which he bestowed in
a way of charity, and parted with them as soon as he was
made Master of his CoUege (1672'), he and his relations being
by that time out of a necessitous condition : the patent for
his Mastership being so drawn for him, as it had been for
some others, with permission to marry, he caused to be
altered, thinking it not agreeable with the statutes, fi-om
which he desired no dispensation.
He had hitherto possessed but a scanty estate, which yet
was made easy to him by a contented mind, and not made
a trouble by envy at more plentiful fortunes: he could in
patience possess his soul when he had httle else; and now
with the same decency and moderation could maintain his
character under the temptations of prosperity.
When the King advanced him to this dignity, he was
pleased to say, he had given it to tlie best scholar in Eng
land: his Majesty had several times done him the honour
to discourse him, and this preferment was not at all obtained
by faction or flattery; it was the King's own act, though his
desert made those of the greatest power forward to contribute
¦i See Preface, pp. xvi — xviii.
'In .670 he was created Doctor of Divinity by mandate. His patent of the
mastership bears date February 13, 1672: and he was admitted the 27th of the
same month. '

Life of Dr Barrow, xlix
to it, particularly Gilbert, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury,
and the Duke of Buckingham, then Chancellor of Cambridge,
and formerly a member of Trinity College.
It were a disrespect to his College to doubt that where
he had spent so much time, and obhged so many persons,
he should not be most welcome: they knew, as his power
increased, the effects of his goodness would do so too; and
the Senior Fellows so well understood and esteemed him, that
with good-win and joy they received a Master much younger
than any of themselves.
Besides the particular assistance he gave to many in their
study, he concerned himself in everything that was for the
interest of his College''. Upon the single affair of building
their Library, he writ out quires of paper, chiefly to those
who had been of the College, first to engage them, and then
to give them thanks, which he never omitted. These letters
he esteemed not enough to keep copies of; but by the
generous returns they brought in, they appeared to be of
no small value: and those gentlemen that please to send
back their letters wiU deserve to be accounted further bene
factors to the Library. He had always been a constant and
early man at the Chapel, and now continued to do the same ;
and was therein encouraged, not only by his own devotion,
but by the efilcacy his example had upon many others of his
CoUege. In this place, seated to his ease and satisfaction, a station
wherein of aU others in the world he could have been most
useful, and which he meant not to make use of as a step to
ascend higher, he abated nothing of his studies ; he yielded
the day to his pubUc business, and took fi-om his morning
sleep many hours, to increase his stock of Sermons, and write
t Appendix (K). ' Appendix (L).

1 Some Account of the
his Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy. He understood
Popery both at home and abroad; he had narrowly observed
it militant in England, triumphant in Italy, disguised in
France; and had earher apprehensions than most others of
the approaching danger, and would have appeared with the
forwardest in a needful time: for his engagement in that
case, and his place in your fi-iendship, I would (with the
leave of the most worthy Dean of St Pauls, his highly
respected friend) call him another Dr StUlingfleet.
But so it pleased God, that being invited to preach the
Passion-Sermon, April 13, 1677, at Guildhall Chapel, (and it
was the second Sermon for which he received a pecuniary
recompence,) he never preached but once more, falling sick
of a fever : such a distemper he had once or twice before,
otherwise of a constant health : this fataUy prevailed
against the skill and diligence of many physicians his good
friends"". I think not myself competent to give an account of his
life, much less of his sickness and death : if great grief had
not forced sfience, you, Sir, his dearest and most worthy
friend, had perpetuated the remarkables of that sad scene,
in a Funeral Sermon.
Our passions, which have hitherto been kept within the
banks, should now be permitted to overflow, and they even
expect to be moved by a breath of eloquence; but that is not
my talent. In short, his death was suitable to his life; not
this imperfect, sUght hfe, as I relate it, but that admirable,
heroic, divine life which he lived.
He died the 4th of May, 1677; and had it not been too
inconvenient to carry hun to Cambridge, then wit and elo
quence had paid their tribute for the honour he has done
them. ¦" Appendix (M).

Life of Dr Barrow. li
Now he is laid in Westminster Abbey, with a monument
erected by the contribution of his friends, a piece of gratitude
not usual in this age, and a respect peculiar to him among
all the glories of that Church. I wish they would (as I have
adventured) bring in their symbols toward the history of his
life : there are many which long before me had the advantage
of his conversation, and could offer more judicious observa
tions, and in a style fit to speak of Dr Barrow.
In the Epitaph", Dr Mapletoft", his much esteemed friend,
doth truly describe him. His picture was never made from
the life, and the eflftgies on his tomb doth httle resemble
him. He was in person of the lesser size, and lean ; of extra
ordinary strength, of a fair and calm complexion, a thin skin,
very sensible of the cold; his eyes grey, clear, and somewhat
short-sighted; his hair of a light auburn, veiy fine and
curling. He is well represented by the figure of Marcus
Brutus on his denarii ; and I will transfer hither what is said
of that great man.
Virtue was thy life's centre, and from thence
Did silently and constantly dispense
The gentle vigorous influence
To all the wide and fair circumference. COWLBT.
The estate he left was books; those he bought, so well
chosen as to be sold for more than they cost; and those he
made, whereof a catalogue is annexed': and it were not
improper to give a further account of his works than to name
them: beside their number, variety, method, style, fulness,
and usefulness, I might thence draw many proofs to confirm
what I have before endeavoured to say to his advantage,
and many more important reflections wiU be obvious to you,
than to such a reader as I am. I wiU only take leave to say,
that for his little piece of The Unity of the Church, he
" Printed at the conclusion of this Memoir.
° Appendix (N). ^ Appendix (0).

Ui Some Account of the
has better deserved of the Church and Religion, than many
who make a greater figure in Ecclesiastic History and
Pofitics. But such remarks wiU be more fitly placed in
what we expect from his learned friends of the University.
And to them I must also refer for the observables at the
taking his several Degrees, and discharging the ofiftce of
Vice-ChanceUor. There are beside other particulars, which are grateful to
talk over among friends, not so proper perhaps to appear in
a pubhc writing. For instance, one morning going out of a
fi-iend's house, before a huge and fierce mastiff was chained
up, (as he used to be aU day,) the dog flew at him ; and he
had that present courage to take the dog by the throat, and
after much struggling bore him to the ground, and held hun
there, tiU the people could rise and part them, without any
other hurt than the straining of his hands, which he felt
some days after.
Some would excuse me for noting that he seemed intem
perate in the love of fruit ; but it was to him physic, as well
as food; and he thought, that if fruit kill hundreds iu
autumn, it preserves thousands: and he was very free too
in the use of tobacco, believing it did help to regulate his
thinking. I did at first mention the uniformity and constant tenor of
his hfe, and proceeding on have noted several particulars of
very different nature. I therefore exjilain myself thus ; that
he was always one by his exact conformity to the rule in a
virtuous and prudent conversation ; he steered by the same
compass to the same port, when the storms forced him to shift
his saUs. His fortune did in some occasions partake of the
unsettledness of the times wherein he lived; and to fit him
self for the several works he was to do, he entered upon stu
dies of several kinds, whereby he could not totaUy devote

Life of Dr Barrow. liii
himself to one ; which would have been more for the public
benefit, according to his own opinion, which was, that general
scholars did more please themselves, but they who prosecuted
particular subjects did more service to others.
Being thus engaged with variety of men and studies, his
mind became stored with a wonderful plenty of words where
with to express himself; and it happened that sometime he
let slip a word not commonly used, which upon reflection he
would doubtless have altered, for it was not out of affectation.
But his hfe were a subject requiring other kind of dis-
couraes ; and as he that acts another man, doth also act him
self ; so he that would give an account of the exceUent quali
ties in Dr Barrow, would have a fair field wherein to display
his own. Another Camerarius or Gassendus would make
another Life of Melanchthon, or Piereskius. What I am doing
will not j)revent them ; I shall be well satisfied with my un-
skilfulness, if I provoke them to take the argument into better
hands ^-
All I have said, or can say, is far short of the idea which
Dr Barrow's friends have formed of him, and that character
under which he ought to appear to them who knew him not.
Beside all the defects on my part, he had in himself this dis
advantage of wanting foils to augment his lustre, and low
places to give eminence to his heights ; such virtues as his,
contentment in aU conditions, candour in doubtful cases, mo
deration among differing parties, knowledge without ostenta
tion, are subjects fitter for praise than narrative.
If I could hear of an accusation, that I might vindicate
our friend's fame, it would take off from the flatness of my
expression; or a well-managed faction, under the name of
zeal, for or against the Church, would shew weU in story; but
I have no shadows to set off my piece. I have laid together a
1 Appendix (P).

liv Some Account ofthe Life, &c.
few sticks for the funeral-fire, diy bones which can make but
a skeleton, till some other hand lay on the flesh and sinews,
and cause them to five and move. You will encourage others
by pardoning me, which I promise myself from that goodness
wherewith Dr Barrow and you have used to accept the small
service with the great devotion of. Sir,
Your obedient and humble servant,
A[BRAHAM] H[ILL].
London, April lo, 1683.

ISAACUS BAREOW,
S.T.P. REGI CAROLO IL A SACRIS.
Vir prope divinus, et vere magnus, si quid magni habent
Pietas, probitas, fides, summa eruditio, par modestia,
Mores sanctissimi undequaque, et suavissimi.
Geometrise Professor Londini Greshamensis,
Grsecse Linguae, et Matheseos aptid Cantabrigienses suos,
Catbedras omnes, ecclesiam, gentem ornavit.
Collegium S. S. Trinitatis Prseses illustravit,
Jactis bibliotbecse vere regise fundamentis auxit.
Opes, bonores, et universum vitse ambitum.
Ad majora natus, non coutempsit, sed reliquit seculo.
Deum, quem a teneris coluit, cum primis imitatus est,
Paucissimis egendo, benefaciendo quam plurimis,
Etiam posteris, quibus vel mortuus concionari non desinit.
Csetera, et pene majora ex soriptis peti possunt.
Abi, Lector, et semulare.
Obiit IV. die Maii, ann. Dom. mdclxxvii.
.lEtat. suae xlvii.
Monumentum hoc Amici posuere.

APPENDIX.

(A)
" His father's name was Thomas, a reputable citizen of London,
and Linen-draper to King Charles the First, to whose interests he
adhered, following him first to Oxford, and after his execrable murder,
he went to his son Charles the Second, then in exile, there with great
patience expecting the King's restoration, which at last happened,
when 'twas almost despaired of. I remember Mr Abraham Cowley,
who also was beyond sea with the King, told me. At our first coming
into France, we expected every post would bring us news of our being
recalled; but having been frustrated for so many years, we could not
believe it when the happy news arrived." — Pope's Life of Seth, Bishop
of Salisbury, p. 130.
In the year 1687, when the Fourth Volume of Barrow's Works
was published, Thomas Barrow, his father, was then 87 years old ;
(see the original letter, General Preface, p. xxvii. (note)). How long
after this he lived has not been ascertained.
(R)
" Isaac Barrow, Bishop of St Asaph, was educated at Peter-
House, Cambridge, of which he was elected a Fellow. From his
Fellowship he was however ejected by the Presbyterians, in the year
1643, the year of his nepheVs entry as Pensioner of the College; and
went to Oxford, the head-quarters of the royalist party, where he
continued to remain till the surrender of the garrison to the forces of
the Parliament. After which he shifted his residence from place to
place, sharing the depressed condition of the Royalist Clergy, till the
Restoration, when he was restored to his Fellowship at Peter-House,
and also elected a Fellow of Eton. In the year 1663 he was made
Bishop of Man ; his consecration Sermon being preached in Henry
the Seventh's Chapel, July 4, 1663, by his celebrated nephew. (Bar
row's Works, Vol. I. Serm. xiv. pp. 484—523.) He died at Shrews
bury, June 24th, 1680, in the 67th year of his age; and on the first
B. S. VOL. L ^

lviii Appendix.
of July following was buried in the Cathedral of St Asaph. His
epitaph, which is singular, occasioned some scandal. Over his grave
was laid a large flat stone, and another over that supported by pedes
tals; on the last of which is the following inscription engraven:
' Exuviae lsaaci Asaphensis Episcopi, in manum Domini depositae, in
spem Isetae resurrectionis per sola Christi merita. Obiit dictus reve-
rendus Pater festo Divi Johannis Baptistae, anno Domini 1680, aetatis
67, et translationis suse undecimo.' On the lower stone which is even
with the ground, is the following inscription, composed by the Bishop
himself, and engraven on a brass plate fastened on the stone : Exwvice
lsaaci Asaphensis Episcopi, in momum Domini depositee, in spem Icette
resurrectionis per sola Christi merita. 0 vos transeuntes in Domum
Domini, Domum orationis, orate pro conserve vestro, ut inveniat
misericordiam in Die Domini." (Abridged from the Biograph.
Britann., Vol. i. pp. 628, 629. 2nd Edition, 1778).

GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE BARROW FAMILY.

Henet Baerow.
I  1
John Barrow, of  , in the =F
county of SuflFolk. I

Philip Barrow,
of Gaseby, in Suf
folk.

Katherine, daughter
of  ^Mitson, of
Linton, in Cam
bridgeshire.

Isaac Barrow, M.D.,= Agnes, relict of George Cotton,
a benefactor to Tri- of Benefield, in Essex, Esq.,
man-ied anno 1570, and bu
ried Jan. 7, 1589, at All-hal-
lows, in Cambridge.

nity College, in Cam
bridge, where he wag
sometime fellow.

Isaac Barrow, baptised at Gaseby, anno 1563, was=f=Rebecca, daughter of Ri

ot Farnham, in Norfolk, anno 1609, afterwards Spin-
way Abbey, at Wickham, in Cambridgeshire, Esq
about forty years. J. P. ^'

Thomas Barrow,
citizen of London.

chard Yound, of Bar-
telinnsted, in Hertford
shire.

Q

a,

«> ts

Isaac Baebow, D.D.
From the Worthington MSS. in the Brii. Mus. 6209, foi. 92.

Anne, daughter of Will.
Buggen, of North Cray,
in Kent, married at
St James', Clerken-
well, in County of Mid
dlesex, May 29, 1628.

Isaac Barrow, D.D.
Bishop of St Asaph.

>^

lx Appendix.
(D.)
" Mr Hill fixes Dr Barrow's birth in the month of October, a.d.
1630. But I hope he will not be ofi'ended if I dissent from him,
both as to the year and month, and produce reason for so doing ; 'tis
this : I have often heard Dr Barrow say, that he was born on the
29th of February; and if he said true, it could not be either in
October or in 1630, that not being a leap-year. I would not have
asserted this, merely upon the credit of my memory, had it been any
other day of any other month, it being told me so long since, had I
not this remarkable circumstance to confirm it : he used to say, ' it
is in one respect the best day in the year to be born upon, for it
afibrded me this advantage over my fellow-coUegiates, who used to
keep feasts on their birth-day ; I was treated by them once every
year, and I entertained them once in four years, when February had
nine and twenty days.' " — Pope's Life, p. 129.
(E)
Hill's date is, liowever, more probably correct. In the Register of
Peter-House he is thus entered as a pensioner : " Isaacus Barrow Lon-
diniensis in Hospitii Suttononiani Schola educatus, annum agens de-
cimum quartum examinatus et approbatus admissus est Pensionarius,
ad primam mensam scholar, sub tutela M"' Ban-ow, Dec. 15, 1643."
Baiter's MS. notes to Ward, Brit. Mus. Cat. 6209, foi. 13.
This date of his admission is, as Ward' remarks, "wholly incon
sistent with Dr Pope's account (of the date of his birth), the two
nearest leap-years to 1630 being 1628 and 1632, which will fix his
admission at Peter-House, either to the twelfth or sixteenth year of
his age, whereas the words of the College Register are very express,
annum agens decimum quartum." Moreover, Barrow's epitaph, writ
ten during his father's life, and probably from information derived
from him, tells us, he was in his 47th year, when he died in 1677.
(F)
"Dr Hill was appointed Master of the College during the Parlia
mentary visitation of the University at the end of the year 1643 by
the Earl of Manchester. The test was The Covenant. Dr Comber,
the Master, together with Dr Row, the Vice-Master, Herbert Thorn-
' Lilies of Gresham Professors, p. 157.

Appendix. Ixi
dike, and John Sherman, two contributors to the Polyglott Bible,
Cowley the poet, with others, refused, and were ejected."
Memoir of Dr Duport, Camb. Mus. Critic. Vol. ii. p. 679.
(G.)
On the 2nd of January, 1649, an Act for subscribing the late
Engagement was read a third time and past. The preamble runs to
this effect :
"Whereas divers disaffected persons do, by sundry ways and
means, oppose and endeavour to undermine the Peace of the Nation
under this present Government; so that unless special care be taken
a new War is likely to break forth. For the preventing thereof and
also for the better uniting of this Nation, as well against all Invasions
from abroad, as the common Enemy at home ; and to the end that
those who receive Benefit and Protection from this present Govern
ment, may give assurance of their living quietly and peaceably under
the same, and that they will neither directly nor indirectly contrive
or practice any Thing to the Disturbance thereof :''
Then it proceeds to enact, " That all men whatsoever, of the age
of 18 years or upwards, shall take and subscribe the following Engage
ment : I do declare and promise that, I unll he true and faithful to the
Commoniuealth of England, as it is now established, without a Eing or
a House of Lords."
The subscriptions were to be taken before the Commissioners of
the Great Seal, or Justices of the Peace for the County, City, or
Town where the persons lived ; their names and places of abode to be
entered in a Book by the Justices of the Peace, to be by them cer
tified to the respective Sherifis, and delivered to the Clerk of the
Parliament, whenever so required by the House or the Council of
State. The time for subscribing, originally fixed for 20th of February,
was afterwards extended to the loth of April following.
Pari. Hist, (old Ed.) Vol. xix. 243.
This Act was repealed 1653 by an ordinance of Cromwell and
his Council. See ScobelVs Collection of Acts and Ordinances, p. 277.
(H)
Some interesting particulars, never before published, regarding
Barrow, at this period of his life, are found in letters from Dr Worth
ington to Mr Samuel Hartlib, Brit. Mus. Gat. 6209, foi. 92, 93.

Ixii Appendix.
14 Febr. 1654 : " This afternoon I met with Mr Barrow, (it could
not be sooner). He expressed himself obliged to you for the books
you sent. I could not strictly tie him to any particular day of
returning the Mathematical papers, because I would not have him
straitened in his thoughts ; but desired him to return them sometime
next week. His book is in the stationer's hands, but I think the
stationer is not able to print it. Something he gives Mr Barrow for
the copy. For the gentleman is (as many scholars who tumble not
in the world) not rich; but one of admirable parts, and had no body to
instruct him in Mathematics, but propria Marte he conquered all
difficulties in the most crabbed authors. He is but a young man.
He looks upon his performance upon Euclid as a small business to
him. He knows Tacquet, &c. He is versed in Physick, an excellent
Grecian. That which he would most direct himself to (if he had
encouragement to subsist) is Natural Philosophy, and in that we are
most at a loss. He is a free philosopher. He talks of travelling,
and but that he is well-principled and fixed, the Jesuits would not
stick at any thing to give (get T) a person of such accomplishments.
He is a serious and modest person, not vain-glorious and supercilious.
It is one of the greatest afflictions to my spirit, when I consider that
there are such accomplished persons here and there in the world, and
yet because they could not be base or servile, nor scramble for the
things of the world, are too often without those helps, which might
enable them to do good, as to the advancement of knowledge, &c.
There are divers rich men, to whom to part with £20 or £40 a year
would not be more hurtful than a flea-bite, that yet cannot be pos
sessed with any noble thoughts. I have sometimes thought, that God
would not honour some men because of their wickedness (though
speciously covered) to be instrumental to so high and noble ends with
their wealth. That persons of true worth and such as might be emi
nently serviceable, should want .what may in a modest way encourage
them, is to me an affliction, and makes me the more sensible of the
vanity and slightness of the world."
Eidem. 2 March, 1654.
" Mr Barrow is preparing for his travels. He thinks of beginning
his long journey this month. He is therefore straitened in time as to
the account aud perusal of Mercator's paper. He would do nothing
slightly. He hath scarce time to publish something which he intends
to add upon Euclid, which he is now upon, and would despatch.
I wish he could be encouraged to stay."

Appendix. Ixiii
Letter of Barrow to Mr Thomas Hill, of London, written from
Constantinople. (Brit. Mus. Letters belonging to the Hill Family.
Add. Cat. 5488, foi. 125.) Pera qf Constamtinople,
December 17, 1658.
Sir, Receiving your very kind lines, I find myself overcharged
with courtesy by a gentleman, whom I had not formerly the happiness
to know, but now think myself familiarly acquainted with, at least
with the better part of him, his soule, by that glimpse of goodness
and ingenuity, which you have been pleased to discover unto me; and
in all reason I am the more to esteem your kindness, by how much
I am conscious how small invitation my desert could afibrd it, for as
to the merits you are pleased to acknowledge, I have so little right
to them, that I am far from pretending any. However I gladly and
thankfully embrace your tender of friendship, which I shall esteem as
a great honour, and being otherwise unable shall correspond in hearty
affection and due observance ; as in the same to your brother, if that
gentleman please also to condescend to so mean an acquaintance.
The news of Mr Stock's death must of necessity be very ungrate
ful to me, being thereby deprived of a friend to whom I was infinitely
obliged, to manifest my thankful respects to whom I should have
been desirous of long life, though I had otherwise hated it ; beside
that it hath plunged me into some straits and quite splitt (sic) all my
desires of future travel, whereof his assistance would have been the
main support. For the medails you have bought I am glad they are
fallen into such hands, not despairing hereafter by your favour to
obtaine a sight of them, and so renew that little knowledge in them,
which that worthy gentleman Mr Fitton was pleased to impart; in
which I have made no progresse here, not meeting with any matter
to exercise upon, nor indeed much enquiring after any, my slender
accommodation not enabling me to purchase any curiosities, had
they presented themselves. Mr Fitton's paper Of the value and
rarity of medails, I should have been glad, if I could have communi
cated to you ; but I find myself robbed of them by a presumptuous
negligence; for thinking, that Mr Catcher (Batcher?) had with others
his books and papers, left that with me, upon search I found my
hope disappointed, and that unhappy Fate had with him ravished it
also from me, wherein I accompted to have lost a treasure. I should

]x.iv Appendix,
advise you to pursue your designed acquisition of it, thinking it
worth your enjoying, and wish you success therein. I hope I may
now be untacked from this place to which by a fatal chain I seem to
have been tyed (as Prometheus to his rock), and that this day (if the
Winds and Turks give leave) I shall take my passage in the Pose
and Crown bound for Venice, but touching at Smyrna. From
Venice my intention is, after very small stay, to haste through
Germany and Holland into England, so that I doubt, whether I shall
see and salute you in Italy, though I should be very desirous of that
content, that I might have opportunity more fully to express my
sense of your kindness, to receive your commands, and know if in any
thing I could be subservient to your virtuous inclinations. In the
meanwhile be pleased to accept of the hearty thanks and earnest good
wishes of Your most humble Servant Isaac Barrow.
Be pleased to present my humble service to Dr Duncan, Dr
Kirton, Mr Beale.
I should be glad to hear of any circumstances or particularities
concerning Mr Stock's death. Endorsed, Isaac Barrow,
Constantinople, Dec.
Received March 1658.
(K.)
His firmness in supporting the interests of the College is shewn
by the letter (now first published), replying to an application for
dispensing with certain statutes, probably exemption from taking
orders, (State Paper Ofiice, Domestic 1674. N°. 102).
To the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Williamson, Principal Secretary of
State at Whitehall.
Right Hon*'".
I should be heartily glad of opportunity to serve you in anything,
and even ambitious to desei-ve your favour; I have also much respect
and kindnesse for Mr Aston, and should be ready to doe him any
good that I could; but I am so unhappy, that in the busynesse about
which you did me the honour to write unto me, I am not capable to
yeeld any furtherance, it being, as I apprehend, inconsistent with my
obligations : nor can I thinke this course adviseable for Mr Aston to

Appendix. Ixv
take, upon divers accompts; I doe not see how he can well seeke,
accept, or make use of a dispensation in this case, it seeming expressely
repugnant to severall clauses in the oath which he tooke when he
was admitted to be Fellow : upon which if he will seriously refiect, it
is likely he will not satisfy himself to accept such a dispensation, and
certainly others will be dissatisfyed in his doing it. The thing itselfe
will be distastfull, as anything can be, to the College, nor I am confi
dent will the Senior Fellows passe it without an addresse to prevent
its effect, by reason of the pernicious consequence thereof; it being
visible, that there will never want divers young men (if not most) who
will be very urgent and make great friends to follow such an exam
ple ; which would tend not only to the destroying succession, but to
the subversion of the maiue designe of our foundation, which is to
breed Divines: and probably to a greater inconveniense, obvious
enough, than any of these : whence never hitherto, as I conceive, any
such thing hath been attempted, at least with successe. Indeed a
Fellowship with us is now so poore, that I cannot thinke it worth
holding by an ingenuous person upon terms lyable to so much
scruple, to so much clamour and obloquy, to the inducing so much
prejudice on a society, the welfare whereof he is obliged to tender.
This is my sense, expressed with that freedome, which I hope your
goodnesse will pardon to. Right Hon., Your devoted servant,
Isaac Barrow.
Trin. Coll., Dec. 3, 1674. (L.)
The following Letter to a person unknown, the only one of those
alluded to by Abraham Hill, which the Editor has succeeded in
recovering, is printed in Hartshorne's Book-Parities ofthe University
of Cambridge, p. 274. It were, indeed, greatly to be wished that the
statement of the Author of that volume was correct — "that the
numerous letters of Barrow, written on this occasion, and displaying
a wonderful fertDity of invention in varying the manner of address
to the persons whom he solicited, were preserved."
" Sir, " We presume both humbly and earnestly to recommend unto
you, the great enterprise of a new and magnificent Library, propor
tioned to the grandeur of the Founder, and not inferior to any other

Ixvi Appendix.
buildings of the College; to which we, of the present Society, were
obliged by the great munificence and favour of the Right Reverend
father in God, John, late Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, our
most worthy benefactor, who hath given us (by the building of the
new Hostell) fifty pounds a year for ever, to be expended in buying
books, which our present Library (being already filled, and overbur
dened with those we have) can neither contain nor support. Now,
Sir, that relation you have to our College, of which you were some
time a worthy member, the candour of your nature, and that great
esteeme you have alwayes held for learning, do encourage us to this
address; especially considering, that the benefit and convenience of
this building, will not only redound to us, but will also add great
ornament to the whole University, some honour to the Nation, and
may be very advantageous and useful, to such of your own posterity,
who shall come to this place, where you had some part of your happy
education. We have been able by our own private contribution, and
by the assistance of many noble benefactors and friends, to erect and
cover this building. And, though it be a structure of vast expense,
even of twelve or fourteen thousand pounds ; yet by God's permission,
we have a fair prospect of finishing it, and of joining the south side
of Neville's Court unto it, to make up the Square; if generous per
sons inclined to pious and laudable works (amongst whom we are
ambitious to place yourself) will aflford us their aid and assistance.
We, therefore, most earnestly beg your favour, and supply in this
great concern; being very desirous to have your name in the cata
logue of our Benefactors, which lest we should seem to doubt of, we
add no more, but only wish you all happinesse, and remain,
" Sir, " Your most humble servants,
" The Master and Senior Fellows
" Of Trinity College in Cambridge."
Harleian MSS. Brit. Mus. 7001.
The circumstances attending the building of the Library are thus
described in the Lives of ihe Nortlis, Vol. iii. pp. 364—366. Lond.
1826: "When the doctor (Dr North) entered upon the Mastership of
Trinity College, the building of the Great Library, begun by his im-

Appendix. Ixvii
mediate predecessor Dr Barrow, was advanced about three quarters
of the height of the outward wall ; and the doctor most heartily and
diligently applied his best forces towards carrying it on; besides his
own contributions, most of his friends and relations, upon his en
couragement, became benefactors; the particulars whereof will appear
in the accounts of this noble structure. The tradition of this under
taking runs thus. They say that Dr Barrow pressed the heads of
the university to build a theatre ; it being a profanation and scandal
that the speeches should be had in the university Church, and that
also be deformed with scaffolds, and defiled with rude crowds and
outcries. This matter was formally considered at a council of the
heads ; and arguments of diflB.culty, and want of supplies, went strong
against it. Dr Barrow assured them that if they made a sorry build
ing, they might fail of contributions ; but if they made it very mag
nificent and stately, and at least, exceeding that at Oxford, all gentle
men of their interest would generously contribute; it being what they
desired, and little less than required of them ; and money would not
be wanted as the buildings went up, and occasion called for it. But
sage caution prevailed, and the matter, at that time, was wholly laid
aside. Dr Barrow was piqued at this pusillanimity, and declared that
he would go straight to his college, and lay out the foundations of a
building to enlarge his back court, and close it with a stately library,
which should be more magnificent and costly than what he had pro
posed to them, and doubted not but, upon the interest of his college,
in a short time to bring it to perfection. And he was as good as his
word; for that very afternoon he, with his gardeners and servants,
staked out the very foundation upon which the building now stands ;
and Dr North saw the finishing of it, except the classes, which were
forward, but not done, in his time; and divers benefactions came
in upon that account; wherewith, and the liberal supply from the
college, the whole is rendered complete; and the admirable disposi
tion and proportion on the inside is such as touches the very soul
of any one who first sees it."
See also the account of the building of Trinity Library in the
Memoir of Dr James Duport. — Cam. Mus. Grit. Vol. n. p. 696; and
Barrow's V. G. Spe6ch,Yo\. ix. p. 222, and the Notice of his Life, p. xlii.
(M.)
" The good Dr Barrow ended his days in London, in a prebend's
house that had a little stair to it out ofthe cloisters, wUch made him

Ixviii App>endix.
call it a man's nest, and I presume it is so called at this day. The
master's disease was a high fever. It had been his custom, contracted
when (upon the fund of a travelling fellowship) he was at Constantin
ople, in all his maladies, to cure himself with opium; and being very
ill (probably) he augmented his dose, and so infiamed his fever, and
at the same time obstructed the crisis : for he was as a man knocked
down, and had the eyes of one distracted. Our doctor (the Hon. and
Rev. Dr John North) seeing him so, was struck with horror; for
he, that knew him so well in his best health, could best distinguish ;
and when he left him, he concluded he should see him no more
alive; and so it proved." Lives of tlie Nortlis (1826), Vol. in. pp. 319, 320.
Pope {Life of Seth Ward, p. 166) gives this account of his illness.
" Some few days after he came again to Knightsbridge, and sate
down to dinner, but I observed he did not eat : whereupon I asked
him, how it was with him : he answered, that he had a slight indis
position hanging upon him, with which he had struggled two or
three days, and that he hoped by fasting and opium to get it off, as
he had removed another, and more dangerous sickness, at Constan
tinople some years before."
And this of the place of his death, differing from North's state
ment, which is most probably correct, Dr Walter Pope not being
addicted to accuracy.
"He died May 4, Anno Dom. 1677, in the 47th year of his age,
in mean lodgings, at a Sadler's near Charing-Cross, an old, low, ill-
built house, which he had used for several years: For though his
condition was much bettered by his obtaining the Mastership of
Trinity College, yet that had no bad influence upon his morals, he
still continued the same humble person, and could not be prevailed
upon to take more reputable lodgings." Pope, Life of Seth Ward,
p. 167. See the Notice of his Life, Vol. ix.
(N)
Among a number of letters from eminent men to Dr Mapletoft
published from the papers in the possession of his grandson, Mr
Mapletoft, "an eminent surgeon at Chertsey," in the European
Magazine (1789), Vol. xiv., xv., are the foUowing from Barrow to
Mapletoft :

Appendix, kix.

I.

Sir, I hope you are not so much mistaken as to suppose you left
m my custody that parcell of bookes which I bought of you, and for
which I pay'd sixe pounds to Mr. Pulleyn, according to your order
(the chiefe of which were Curio his dictionary, a Plato, an imperfect
Plutarch of Stephens' print). Of any other bookes of your's left with
me I have neither knowledge, memory, nor footstep, excepting that I
doubt of three small bookes, which are a Virgil and a Horace with
Indexes, and a Greeke testament, Gr. and Lat. in octavo (with some
notes of Beza); all which being out of keltred, I did cause to be
rebinded ; and the latter did give away to a friend, who beginninge
to study Greeke, desired such a one : the two former I have reason to
thinke that I payed for, but being not thoroughly sure, I had rather
wrong myselfe than you, and therefore, if you thinke good, shall be
ready to make them good to you, altho' I confesse I am not willing to
part with the bookes themselves. The other I find not in the cata
logue of my bookes, and therefore believe that either you left it with
me, or that it was overseen when you removed your hampires and
things from my chamber, and I shall make it good to you in specie or
value, as you shall choose, although when I disposed of it I did not
esteeme it worth consideration. I am certaine you left no other booke
in my custody. I have parted with few bookes, though I have been
so unwise as to purchase very many; and therefore if ever I had any
of your bookes I am confident it is with me still, and if your memory
doe suggest any that you doubt of, I will search for it; but I am well
assured there never was any such. There are but few remaining here,
I take it, of your old acquaintance ; those that are, Mr Hawkins espe
cially, and Mr Pulleyn, receive kindly and returne your salutes. So
doth Your assured friend and humble servant,
ISAAC BARROW.
Tkin. Coll. ii March, 64.

Hon. and deare Sir,
Mr Eusden intends, God willing, for London in the coach next
Wednesday; will present himselfe to you, and obey your directions.
He shall have recommendations from our Master to the Bishop of
London for receiving orders immediately. He is satisfied with the
conditions you propound, and will performe what shall be required of

Ixx Appendix.
him. I am very confident you shall find him so in all respects to
answer your desires, that you shall not have cause to repent of the
obligation you have putt upon him and me. Plea.se to forward the
enclosed, and to present my hearty love and service to Mr Pomeroy;
it was my unhappinesse not to see him at London. Thanking you
(more than I can expresse) for all your kindnesse,
I am, most affectionately
and obligedly your's,
IS. BARROW.
Trin. Coll. March 12, 69.
Mr Eusden desired me to present his humble service to you.

Deare Doct'',
"Grates persolvere dignas
Non opis est nostrse, Doctor ; nee quicquid ubique est
Gentis Dardanise."
You have driven me to my snipps, being de propria insolvent
of fit expression. In sooth I never find any regrett for my being a
poore meane fellow, but when upon such occasions I consider myselfe
to be hopelesse of getting opportunity to shew my willingnesse to be
thankfuU for such courtesyes. I could now even wish myselfe an
Arch-Bishop, yea, almost a Pope, that I might have preferments for
you to dispose of to your friends, beside that I might be able to keepe
a company of crazy knaves, and allow good fees for them. My comfort
is yet, although you can receive none from me, yet that you will have
some requitall in the satisfaction of having obliged your friends, this
good college, that worthy wag whom I doubt not but you will find in
i-espects correspondent to your best expectations, and to the character
thought due to his deserts from
Your ever most affectionate friend
and thankful servant,
IS. BARROW.
I shall offer (though I know nothing) upon a kind of intimation
in your's to wish you much joy; for surely you could not leave such
a Lord but for a very good Lady.
Tein. Coll. Jun. 23, 1669. IV.
Dear Doctor,
I should have satisfyed myselfe with an — or all conveyance
of my devoirs to you by some of our tribe of Gad, but that I have an

Appendix. Ixxi
earnest sute to you, which cannot be well prosecuted otherwise then
by the penn, and with which I dare not trust any scholer errant of
them all : in few, 'tis this ; that you would use your best endeavours
(which, ni fallor, will be very powerfull) towards excusing me to the
gentle Bellerophon of these, for not attending on him to Oxford;
whither a fond desire of seeing a certain Doctor hath drawne him
(I think that Doctor be a conjuror) after a laudable resolution he
had taken of staying at home with me and following his studyes. I
will not furnish you with rational weapons wherewith to worke this
feat of absolution, as not pretending to the wisdome of doing all
things with good reason ; only I advise you to employ thereon this
one to my seeming, plausible discourse, that I must surely have some
great reason, or (which is tantamount) a very strong humour on my
side, since the instigation of a person (of your acquaintance) to whom
you know I beare a great respect, and to whom I am much obliged,
could not stirr me (though I must confess to you it did somewhat
stagger me) : you may also, if you please, tell him that I designe to
compensate for this neglect by some signall demonstration, if industry
can find out or good fortune .shall ofier an opportunity. But I forgot
where you are, and how this, that, and t'other gentleman are lugging
you hither and thither. I pray comply with them all as you can ;
only first let your sweet hands be kissed by
Your most afiectionate
and obliged servant,
ISAAC BARROW.
Much gratulation and service to your Reverend fi, sacris Dr Blomer.
Tein. Coll. July 6, 1669. V.
Deare Sir,
I did, upon my returne hither from the waters in Oxford
shire, find your very obliging letter (for which I thanke you) together
with my papers ; and since you invite me to trouble you, I will not,
having a fitt occasion, be so rude as to wave your curtesy. Needing
mony here, and having a small sume, about 8 or 9 pounds due to me
from a pupill, brother to the gentleman to whom the enclosed is
directed, and who I suppose will pay it if you please to ask for it and
receive it, I request of you that favour, and that you receiving it will
cause it to be returned to me hither, supposing you know how to
do it. Mr Richards promised me to pay it to Dr. Tillotson : if he
should have done so, I request you to ask that good Doctor for it.

Ixxii Appendix.
unto whom (by the way) having commended the trouble of obstetri-
cating to my Spittal Sermon, I have requested him to present 4 to
you for your self and friends. I shall, God willing, about the end of
this month (if our master the King doe not' ramble another way)
come to serve him and thanke you. In the meane time, I am
Your most obliged and
affectionate servant,
ISAAC BARROW.
My service I pray to Mr Firman and all our friends, particularly
to Dr Blomer and his lady, who I hope is well.
Sarum, July J, 1671. VI.
Deare Sir,
I doe heartily bid you welcome home, and receive your kind
salutations most thankfully; but your project concerning Mr Davies
I cannot admitt. Trinity College is, God be thanked, in peace, (I
wish all Christendome were so well) and it is my duty, if I can, to
keep uproars thence. I do wish Mr Davyes heartily well, and would
doe him any good I could; but this I conceive neither faisible nor
fitting. We shall discourse more of it when I come. I have severely
admonished T. H. for his clownish poltronry in not daring to en-
countre the gentle Monsieur that saluted him from Blois. Pardon
my grave avocations that I deferr saying more till I shall be so happy
to see you. In the meane time (with my best wishes and services to
you, your good madam Comfortable, the good Doctor, and all our
friends) I am, Deare Sir,
Your most affectionate friend
and obliged servant,
IS. BARROW.
Tkin. Coll. July 19, 1673. VII.
Deare Sir,
Could I be assured of so good successe, I should willingly
uudergoe many a rapp ; and saying no more, I heartily thank you for
straining so farr to shew your kindnesse to the College, taking it for
a great obligation to myselfe. I doe also thank you for your good
offices to Sir John Holman, whose favourable answer will much en
courage our businesse ; for indeed we doe need some positive declarers
per verba de prcesenii, to suppresse the infidelity and timorousnesse of
some, even among us, who feare that after we have begunn we shall
be deserted. Our design is indeed great, but no greater then the

Appendix. Ixxiii
place doth require, and then we may well accomplish, if we doe not
faile of that assistance, which, upon a very reasonable and moderate
computation, we may hope. I have forborn answering to your case
about practise, because Mr Crouch hath been every day expected to
come hither; but hearing now that it will be a weeke before he
cometh, I shall tell you what I think, according to the best informa
tion and judgment I can make. We do here generally concurr in
opinion that every Doctor of Physick, ^jj taking his degree, hath a
license to practise every where in the kingdome; that this hath ever
been a privilege of the University ; and that whoever attempteth to
infringe this privilege doth ^dolate his obligations and oaths to the
University. Besides cure custome and possession of this right, we
have this evident proofe that the University hath ever exercised a
power of licensing sufficient persons to practise universally, according
to the forme which I send you inclosed ; which licence no Doctor of
Physick taketh, because his taking the degree doth involve it. And
whereas in this Parliament the College (or some of them) did putt in
to get an Act for appropriating practise to themselves, the University
privilege being objected against them, they were forced to desist :
their seeking of an Act did argue their want of present right; and
their disappointment, that they had small colour for it. Wherefore
if they intend (by application to his Majesty, or otherwise) to endea
vour any thing in prejudice to our privilege, you may be assured that
I shall do my best to defend it, and I doubt not to find a concurrence
of the whole University in opposing them ; wherein we may be con
fident of our ChanceUour's helpe, whom we have found ready upon all
occasions to protect our rights. I have no more to say at present,
but that I am
Your most affectionate friend
and servant,
ISAAC BARROW.
Tkin. Coll. Feb. 8, 1675.

(0.)
Of the Theological Works a full account has been given in the
General Preface. His published Mathematical Works are these :
I Euclidis Elementa. Svo. Cantab. 1655 et saepius.
2 Euclidis Data. 8vo. Cantab. 1657. This was subjoined to
the Elements in some following Editions.
B. S. VOL. I. /

Ixxiv Appendix.
3 Lectiones Opticas, xviii. 4*0. Lond. 1669.
4 Lectiones Geometricae, xiii. 4to. Lond. 1670.
5 Archimedis Opera, Apollonii Conicorum Libri iv., Theodosii
Sphaerica, methodo nova illustrata et succinte demonstrata.
4to. Lond. 1675.
After his death, these were published :
I Lectio, in qua Theor^mata Archimedis de Sphaera et CyHndro,
per methodum indivisibOium investigata ac breviter demon-
strata, exhibentur. i2mo. Lond. 1678.
2 Mathematicse Lectiones, habitae in Scholis publicis Academiae
Cantabrigiensis. An. Dom. 1664—6. Svo. Lond. 1683.
From Ward's Lives of Gresham Professors, p. 162 : where also a
list is given of his unpublished Mathematical Works.

COPY OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THOMAS BARROVr AND BRABAZON AYLMER.
Know all men by these Presents that I Thomas Barrow Sen' of
the Citty of Westminster Gentleman : Administrator to the Late
Reverend and Learned D' Isaac Barrow Master of Trinity CoUedge
in Cambridge dec'^ my beloved Son. For and in Consideration ofthe
sum of ffour hundred pounds of lawful mony of England to me in
hand paid By Brabazon Aylmer Cittizen and Stationer of London
before the sealing and delivery hereof, the receipt whereof I do
hereby acknowledge. Have granted bargain' d, sold, assigned, and set
over, and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, assign, and set
over unto the said Brabazon Aylmer, his Executors Administrators
and Assigns : The several Bookes and Coppys of Bookes, Sermons, or
Discourses hereunder writ: with all the prefaces Epistles Titles
Tables, &c. writ or preached by the said D' Isaac Barrow dec* and
since his death published by the Reverend D' Tillotson Dean of
Canterbury, as follows, viz.
I Inprimis. A Sermon of Bounty to the Poor: preached at the
Spittal in Easter week Ano Domi 1671. By the said D' Isaac Barrow.
2 Item. A Sermon on the Passion of our blessed Saviour :
preached at Guild-hall Chappel on Good firiday the 13* day of April
1677. By D' Isaac Barrow.

Appendix. Ixxv
3 Item. A Vollum, containing Twelve Sermons ; preached
upon several occasions. By the said D' Isaac Barrow; comonly
called the first vol: and printed first in the year 1678.
4 Item. A Vollum containing Te Sermons Entituled Severall
Sermons against Evil-speaking. By Dr Isaac Barrow; comonly
called the Second Volum : and printed first in the year 1678.
5 Item. A vollum containing Eight Sermons ; comonly called
the third Volum and entituled Of the Love of God and our neighbour
in several Sermons : By the said D' Isaac Barrow : and printed first
in the year 1680.
6 Item. And also a Larg Booke in Quarto entituled: A
treatise of the Popes Supremacy. To which is added a Discourse
concerning the Unity of the Church! By the said D' Isaac Barrow.
And printed first in the year 1680.
To have and to hold the said Coppys, Bookes, Sermons, or Dis
courses Unto him the said Brabazon Aylmer his Execut" Adminis-
traf" and Assignes to his and their own proper use and behoofe for
ever. And I the said Thomas Barrow do hereby covenant promise and
grant to and with the said Brabazon Aylmer his execuf' Adminis-
trat" and Assignes by these presents that I the said Thomas Barrow
now have in myselfe good right, full power and lawful authority ; to
grant bargain and sell the said Bookes and Coppys to him the said
Brabazon Aylmer, in manor aforesaid.
And I do hereby desire and authorize the Master and Wardens
of the Company of Staconers London to permit and suffer the said
Bookes or Coppys &c. to be entered in their Register to him the said
Brabazon Aylmer as his own proper Bookes & Coppys. Wittness
my hand and scale the . . . fourth day of April Ano Domi one thou
sand six hundred and eighty one (1681).
Thomas Barrow.
Wittness,  HA RUE Y,
MARY POWELL (Servant to  Haevet).
N. B. The whole of the above in the original is on one page, on
the back of which is written the following :
/2

Ixxvi Appendix.
I do hereby acknowledge to have ReC of Brabazon Aylmer
the sum off seaventy pounds ; being in full payment for another ^
Booke of D' Isaac Barrows Intitled A Briefe Exposition of the j- ^^
Lords Prayer And the Decalogue ; to which is added the Doc
trine of the Sacraments in 2,"° :
Wittness my hand this 13"" day of October 1681.
Thomas Barrow.
V,"iUness, Walter Juein.
William Wilkins. (P-)
Abraham Hill's wish was never gratified. No Camera/rius or
Gassendus among Barrow's friends arose to write his biography. A
very insufficient substitute appeared in the person of Dr Walter
Pope, who devoted a portion of the volume containing his Life of
Seth Ward, Bishop of Salisbury (Lond. 1697), to notices of Barrow
and other distinguished men of that age. From these the following
are reproduced, — with the caution, that absolute veracity seems not
to have adorned their Author's character. I.
" As soon as Dr Ward was made Bishop of Exeter, he procured
for his old friend Dr Wilkins, the rectory of St Laurence-Jewry,
who was then destitute of any place, the reason whereof I have given
before : he being minister there, and forced by some indisposition to
keep his chamber, desired Dr Barrow to give him a Sermon the next
Sunday, which he readily consented to do. Accordingly, at the time
appointed, he came, with an aspect pale and meagre, and unpromising,
slovenly and carelessly dressed, his collar unbuttoned, his hair un
combed, &c. Thus accoutred, he mounts the pulpit, begins his prayer,
which, whether he did read or not, I cannot positively assert, or
deny : immediately all the congregation was in an uproar, as if the
church were falling, and they scampering to save their lives, each
shifting for himself with great precipitation ; there was such a noise
of pattens of serving-maids, and ordinary women, and of unlocking
of pews, and cracking of seats, caused by the younger sort hastily
climbing over them, that I confess, I thought all the congregation
were mad : but the good Doctor seeming not to take notice of this
disturbance proceeds, names his text, and preached his Sermon, to
two or three gathered, or rather left together, of which number, as it

Appendix. Ixxvii
fortunately happened, Mr Baxter, that eminent Non-conformist was
one, who afterwards gave Dr Wilkins a visit, and commended the
Sermon to that degree, that he said, he never heard a better Dis
course. There was also amongst those who stayed out the Sermon,
a certain young man, who thus accosted Dr Barrow as he came down
from the pulpit : ' Sir, be not dismayed, for I assure you, 'twas a good
Sermon.' By his age and dress he seemed to be an apprentice, or, at
the best, a foreman of a shop, but we never heard more of him. I
asked the Doctor what he thought, when he saw the congregation
running away from him 1 ' 1 thought,' said he, ' they did not like
me, or my Sermon, and I have no reason to be angry with them for
that.' ' But what was your opinion,' said I, ' of the apjirentice?' ' I
take him,' replied he, ' to be a very civil person, and if I could meet
with him I'd present him with a bottle of wine.' There were then
in that parish a company of formal, grave, and wealthy citizens, who
having been many years under famous ministers, as Dr Wilkin.s,
Bishop Ward, Bishop Reynolds, Mr Vines, <fec. had a great opinion
of their skill in divinity, and their ability to judge of the goodness
and badness of Sermons. Many of these came in a body to Dr
Wilkins, to expostulate with him, why he suffered such an ignorant,
scandalous fellow, meaning Dr Barrow, to have the use of his pulpit.
I cannot precisely tell whether it was the same day, or some time
after in that week, but I am certain it happened to be when Mr
Baxter was with Dr Wilkins. They came, as I said before, in full
cry, saying, they wondered he should permit such a man to preach
before them, who looked like a starved cavalier, who had been long
sequestered, and out of his living for delinquency, and came up to
London to beg, now the King was restored; and much more to this
purpose. He let them run their selves out of breath, when they had
done speaking, and expected an humble submissive answer, he re
plied to them in this manner : ' The person you thus despise, I assure
you, is a pious man, an eminent scholar, and an excellent preacher :
for the truth of the last, I appeal to Mr Baxter here present, who
heard the Sermon you so vilify : I am sure you believe Mr Baxter
is a competent judge, and will pronounce according to truth;' then
turning to him, 'Pray, Sir,' said he, 'do me the favour to declare
your opinion concerning the Sermon now in controversy, which you
heard at our church the last Sunday.' Then did Mr Baxter very
candidly give the Sermon the praise it deserved, nay more, he said,
' That Dr Barrow preached so well, that he could willingly have been
his auditor all day long.' When they heard Mr Baxter give him

Ixxviii Appendix.
this high encomium, they were pricked in their hearts, and all of them
became ashamed, confounded, and speechless; for, though they had a
good opinion of their selves, yet they durst not pretend to be equal
to Mr Baxter; but at length, after some pause, they all, one after
another, confessed, they did not hear one word of the Sermon, but
were carried to mislike it by his unpromising garb and mien, the
reading of his prayer, and the going away of the congregation; for
they would not by any means have it thought, if they had heard the
Sermon, they should not have concurred with the judgment of Mr
Baxter. After their shame was a little over, they earnestly desired
Dr Wilkins to procure Dr Barrow to preach again, engaging their
selves to make him amends, by bringing to his Sermon their wives
and children, man-servants and maid-servants, in a word, their whole
families, and to enjoin them not to leave the church till the blessing
was pronounced. Dr Wilkins promised them to use his utmost en
deavour for their satisfaction, and accordingly solicited Dr Barrow to
appear once more upon that stage, but all in vain, for he would not
by any persuasions be prevailed upon to comply with the request of
such conceited, hypocritical coxcombs."

" He had one fault more, if it deserves that name, he was gene
rally too long in his Sermons ; and now I have spoken as ill of him
as the worst of his enemies could, if ever he had any : he did not con
sider, that men cannot be attentive to any discourse of above an hour's
duration, and hardly so long, and that therefore even in plays, which
are discourses made for diversion, and more agreeable to mankind,
there are frequent pauses and music betwixt the acts, that the spec
tators may rise from their seats and refresh their weary bodies and
minds. But he thought he had not said enough, if he omitted any
thing that belonged to the subject of his Discourse, so that his Ser
mons seemed rather complete Treatises, than Orations, designed to be
spoke in an hour; hereof I will give you two or three instances. He
was once requested by the Bishop of Rochester then, and now Dean
of Westminster, to preach at the Abbey, and withal desired not to be
long, for that auditory loved short Sermons, and were used to them.
He replied, ' My Lord, I will shew you my Sermon;' and pulling it
out of his pocket, puts it into the Bishop's hands. The text was in
the tenth chapter of the Proverbs, the latter end of the eighteenth
verse, the words these; He that uttereth slander is a liar. The Ser
mon was accordingly divided into two parts, one treated of slander,

Appendix. Ixxix
the other of Ues'. The Dean desired him to content himself with
preaching only the first part, to which he consented, not without
some reluctancy, and in speaking that only it took up an hour and
a half. This Discourse is since published in two Sermons, as it was
preached. Another time, upon the same person's invitation, he
preached at the Abbey on a holiday : here I must inform the reader,
that it is a custom for the servants of the church upon all holidays,
Sundays excepted, betwixt the Sermon and Evening Prayers, to shew
the tombs and effigies of the Kings and Queens in wax, to the meaner
sort of people, who then flock thither from all the comers of the
town, and pay their twopence to see ' The play of the dead volks,' as
I have heard a Devonshire clown not improperly call it. These per
ceiving Dr Barrow in the pulpit after the hour was past, and fearing
to lose that time in hearing, which they thought they could more
profitably employ in receiving, — these, I say, became impatient, and
caused the organ to be struck up against him, and would not give
over playing till they had blowed him down. But the Sermon of the
greatest length was that concerning Charity, before the Lord Mayor
and Aldermen at the Spittle; in speaking which, he spent three
hours and a half. Being asked, after he came down from the pulpit,
whether he was not tired; 'Yes, indeed,' said he, 'I began to be
weary with standing so long^.' "

" All the while he continued with the Bishop of Salisbury I was
his bedfellow, and a witness of his indefatigable study; at that time
he applied himself wholly to divinity, having given a divorce to
mathematics and poetry, and the rest of the Belles Lettres, wherein
he was profoundly versed, making it his chief, if not only business, to
' As usual. Pope is inaccurate. He does not give even the text correctly ;
nor is he right about the division of the subject-matter of the Sermon : the first
(Vol. II. pp. 102 — 127) treats of slander and its various manifestations ; the second
(pp. 128 — 146) of the folly of slander. Nor, if the Sermons as printed be the
SermoQS that were preached, is it credible, that the first of less than twenty-four
pages took an hour and a half to deliver. Both of these are discourses of moderate
length even according to modem notions.
2 Here, again, another opportunity presents itself of testing the truthfulness of .
Pope's stories. The Spital Sermon, exclusive of notes, occupies about ninety pages
of this Edition ; an amount of matter which might well be delivered within three
hours and a half. But it is evident Barrow did not preach all he had written ;
for in the formal request to publish it (see Vol. I. p. 2), he is asked to print his
Sermon, loith what farther he had prepared to deliver at that time.

l^^x Appendix.
write in defence of the Church of England, and compose Sermons,
whereof he had great store, and, I need not say, very good.
« We were once going from Salisbury to London, he in the coach
with the Bishop, and I on horseback; as he was entering the coach
I perceived his pockets strutting out near half a foot, and said to him,
' What have you got in your pockets ?' He replied, ' Sermons.' ' Ser
mons,' said I, ' give them me, my boy shall carry them in his port
manteau, and ease you of that luggage.' 'But,' said he, 'suppose
your boy should be robbed :' ' That's pleasant,' said I, ' do you think
there are parsons padding upon the road for Sermons?' ' Why, what
have you,' said he, ' it may be five or six guineas, I hold my Sermons
at a greater rate, they cost me much pain and time.' ' Well then,'
said I, ' if you'll insure my five or six guineas against lay-padders,
I'll secure your bundle of Sermons against ecclesiastical highway
men.' This was agreed; he emptied his pockets, and filled my port
manteau with divinity, and we had the good fortune to come safe to
our journey's end without meeting either sort of the padders fore-
mentioned, and to bring both our treasures to London.
" He was of a healthy constitution, used no exercise or physic,
besides smoking tobacco, in which he was not sparing, saying, it was
an instar omnium, or panfarmacon : he was unmercifully cruel to a
lean carcase, not allowing it sufficient meat or sleep : during the
winter months, and some part of the rest, he rose always before it
was light, being never without a tinder-box and other proper uten
sils for that purpose ; I have frequently known him, after his first
sleep, rise, light, and, after burning out his candle, return to bed be
fore day. I say, I have known him do this; I report it not upon
hearsay, but experience, having been, as I said before, his bedfellow
whilst he lived with the Bishop of Salisbury."

'' He was careless of his cloaths, even to a fault ; I remember he
once made me a visit, and I perceiving his band sat very awkwardly,
and asked him, ' What makes your band sit so ? ' 'I have,' said he,
' no buttons upon my collar.' ' Come,' said I, ' put on my night
gown, here's a tailor at hand,' for by chance my tailor was then
with me, ' who will presently set all things right.' With much ado
I prevailed with him; the buttons were supplied, the gown made
clean, the hands and face washed, and the clothes and hat brushed ;
in a word, at his departure, he did not seem the same man who came
in just before."

THE

PUBLISHER TO THE READER

n^HE Author of the following Sermons was so pub
licly known, and so highly esteemed by all learned
and good men, that nothing either needs or can be
said more to his advantage. Not but that I think it
very fit, that the picture of this truly great man should
be drawn at full length, for the knowledge and imita
tion of posterity; and it will, I hope, be done hereafter
by some more skilful hand : however, I shall not within
the narrow limits of a Preface, so much as attempt
the character of him ; of whom, either not a little, or
nothing at all ought to be said.
And the Sermons themselves do as little need
commendation as the Author; their own excellency
and eloquence will praise them best. I shall therefore
only advertise the reader of some few things con
cerning them.
The design of the five first is, to recommend reli
gion to our esteem and practice, from the consideration
of the manifold excellencies and advantages of it.
The four next do treat of the two great duties of reli
gion, and parts of divine worship, prayer and thanks-

Ixxxii The Publisher to the Reader.
giving; and contain likewise a very powerful persuasive
to the practice of them. The three following were
preached upon three solemn occasions : the first of them
upon the 29th of May, 1676, the anniversary of His
Majesty's happy restoration: the second upon the fifth
of November, 1675, in commemoration of our great
deliverance from the Powder Treason, both in the year
of his Vice-Chancellorship : the third at the consecra
tion of the Bishop of Man, (afterwards Lord Bishop
of St Asaph) his uncle; in which he pleads for the
due respect and revenue of the Clergy with so much
modesty, and yet with so great force of reason and
eloquence, that the whole profession may justly think
themselves for ever indebted to him.
Some of these twelve Sermons were the very first
that he made ; by which we may judge with what pre
paration and furniture he entered upon this sacred
employment. The first of them was preached at St
Mary's in Cambridge, June 30, 1661, and Avas, I think,
the first that he ever preached. Those two excellent
Sermons of thanksgiving were, as I am informed, the
next. The fourth in order was the first that he preached
before the King's Majesty. In the placing of them
as they now stand, I had very little regard to the
order of time, but rather to some small reason taken
from the subject matter of them, not worth the men
tioning; any reason almost being good enough in a
matter so indifferent, and where none is necessary.
The next ten Sermons are thought fit to be put
together, because of their affinity to one another, all

The Publisher to the Reader. Ixxxiii
of them relating to the same argument, and tending
to reform the several vices of the tongue. The last
two of them indeed against pragmaticalness and med
dling in the affairs of others, do not so properly be
long to this subject; but considering that this vice is
chiefly managed by the tongue, and is almost ever
attended with some irregularity and indiscretion of
speech, they are not altogether so foreign and unsuit
able to it. And never were discourses of this kind
raore necessary than in this wicked and perverse gene
ration ; wherein the vices here reprehended are so very
rife, and out of the abundant impiety of men's hearts
there proceeds so much evil speaking of all kinds, in
atheistical discourses, and blasphemous raillery, and
profane swearing; and when censoriousness, detraction
and slander are scarce accounted faults, even with
those who would seem to be most strict in other parts
and duties of Religion.
The author of them, as he was exemplary in all
manner of conversation, so especially in this part of it,
being of all men I ever had the happiness to know,
the clearest of this common guilt, and most free from
offending in word; coming as near as is possible for
human frailty to do, to the perfect idea of St James
his perfect man. So that in these excellent Discourses
of his he hath only transcribed his own practice. All
the rules which he hath given he most religiously ob
served himself, and was very uneasy when at any
time he saw them transgressed by others in his com
pany.

Ixxxiv The Publisher to the Reader.
There is one thing in them needs excuse, namely,
that several things which are more briefly and sum
marily said in the first of these Sermons about evil
speaking are repeated in some of the following Dis
courses: which because it could not well be avoided,
but either by wholly leaving out the first Sermon, or
very much mangling some of the rest, will, it is hoped,
for that reason be easily pardoned.
The eight following Sermons are likewise sorted
together, because they explain and enforce the two
great commandments of the law, the love of God, and
of our neighbour.
The two next were published by himself, and only
those two. The first of them, about the Duty and
Reward of Bounty to the Poor, was preached at the
Spital, and published at the desire of the Lord Mayor
and Court of Aldermen. This was received with uni
versal approbation; and perhaps there is nothing ex
tant in Divinity more perfect in its kind : it seems to
have exhausted the whole argument, and to have left
no consideration belonging to it untouched. The other,
on the Passion of our blessed Saviour, was the last he
preached, but one; and, I think, the occasion of his
death, by a cold he then got, which, in all probability,
was the cause of the fever of which he died, to our
unspeakable loss. This he sent to the press himself,
but did not live to see it pubhshed.
The next part of this Volume is a brief Explication
of the Lord's Prayer, the Decalogue, and the Doctrine
of the Sacraments. It were to be wished that the

The Publisher to the Reader. Ixxxv
Creed also had been explained by him in the same
manner ; but that he hath handled in a larger way, in
a great many excellent Sermons upon the several arti
cles of it, wherein he hath not only explained and
confirmed the great doctrines of our religion, but like
wise shewn what influence every article of our faith
ought to have upon our practice. Which Discourses
make the second Volume of his works.
The last part of this first Volume is his learned
Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy, to which, because
there is prefixed a Preface giving a short account, I
need not here to say anything farther of it.
Besides these, the Author hath left many other
excellent Sermons, upon several important and useful
subjects in Divinity: besides a great many learned
Lectures and Treatises in the Mathematics; and divers
excellent Orations and Poems, all in Latin. All which
may, God willing, in convenient time be communicated
to the public, to the great advantage and furtherance
of religion and learning.
In the mean time, I heartily recommend these
Sermons which are already published to thy serious
perusal; and shall only say this of them, that as they
want no other kind of excellency, so particularly they
are animated throughout with so genuine a spirit of
true piety and goodness, that he must either be a per
fectly good, or prodigiously bad man, that can read
them over without being the better for them.
JOHN TILLOTSON.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
HENEAGE,
EARL OF NOTTINGHAM,
LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND,
AND
ONE OF HIS MAJESTY'S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY-COUNCIL.

Mt Lord, I TAKE the boldness to present your
Lordship with some of the fruits of my deceased son's
studies in Divinity. And since it hath pleased God,
to my unspeakable grief and loss, to deprive me of so
great a blessing and comfort of my old age; it is no
small mitigation of my sorrow, that whilst he hved he
was not unprofitable to the world; and that, now he
is dead, he hath left those monuments of his piety
and learning behind him, which, I am told, are gene
rally thought not unworthy to be imparted to the
public. If these Sermons be such, I have no cause to doubt
but they will easily obtain your Lordship's patronage,
who are so known a favourer of all that is virtuous
and worthy, especially of Religion and the ministers of
it; of which I had particular experience upon the
death of my good son, when your Lordship was pleased,

Ixxxviii The Epistle Dedicatory.
with so much humanity and condescension, to send to
comfort me under that sad loss, and to express your
own resentment of it.
But whatever these Sermons be, since I have no
other way to acknowledge my great obligations to
your Lordship upon aU occasions, I hope your Lord
ship will please favourably to accept of this, how small
soever, yet sincere testimony of my dutiful respects
and gratitude. I am, My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obliged
and most obedient servant,
THOMAS BARROW.

THE
DUTY AND REWAED
OF
BOUNTY TO THE POOR
IN
A SERMON
PEBACHBD AT
THE SPITTAL
UPON WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK,
ANNO DOM. M.DC.LXXL

TO THE BIGHT HONOUEABLE
SIR RICHARD FORD,
LOED MAYOR OF LONDON,
AND THE COURT OF ALDERMEN.
Eight Hon'''^
As out of grateful respect, I did (although otherwise indisposed
for such employments) endeavour to discharge that service, which
you vouchsafed to call me unto, in conceiving and uttering these
meditations ; so now in publishing them, I do purely submit to your
commands, meaning therein to approve myself.
Right Hon'",
Your most obedient Servant, Isoojc Barrow.

B. S. VOL. I.

FORD, Mayor.
Martis secundo die Maii 1671. Annoq; Domini Regis Caroli Secundi
Anglias, &c. vicesimo tertio.
This Court doth desire Dr Barrow to print his Sermon,
preached at the Spittal on Wednesday in Easter Week last, mth
what farther he had prepared to deliver at that time.
AVERY.

IMPRIMATUR.
Sam. Parker, R'"° in Christo Patri ac Domino D"» Gilberto Archiep.
Cantuar. a Sac. Dom.
Jul. 3, 1671.

SERMON L
THE DUTY AND REWARD OF BOUNTY TO
THE POOR.

PsALM CXII. 9.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor ; his right
eousness endureth for ever ; Ms horn shall be exalted
with honour.

A

S this whole Psalm appears to have a double serm.

I.

intent ; one to describe the proper actions and
affections of a truly reKgious or pious man ; (of a
man Wlio feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly Nss. i.
in his commandments;) the other to declare the
happiness of such a man's state, consequent upon
those his affections and actions, whether in way of
natural result, or of gracious recompense from God :
so doth this verse particularly contain both a good
part of a pious man's character, and some consider
able instances of his felicity. The first words {He
hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor) express
part of his character ; the latter {His righteousness
endureth for ever, his horn shall be exalted with
honour) assign instances of his felicity. So that
our text hath two parts, one affording us good
information concerning our duty, the other yielding
great encouragement to the performance thereof;
for we are obliged to foUow the pious man's prac
tice, and so doing we shall assuredly partake of his
1—2

4 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. condition. These parts we shall in order prosecute,
^- endeavouring (by God's assistance) somewhat to
illustrate the words themselves, to confirm the
truths couched in them, and to inculcate the duties
which they imply.
For the first part, He hath dispersed, he hath
given to the poor ; these words in general do import
the hberal bounty and mercy which a pious man
is wont to exercise ; doing which doth in good
part constitute him pious, and signally declareth
him such ; is a necessaiy ingredient of his piety,
and a conspicuous mark thereof. But particularly
they insinuate some things concerning the iiature,
the matter, the manner, and the object of those
acts. He hath dispersed, he hath given. Those words
being put indefinitely, or without determining what
is dispersed and given by him, may be supposed to
imply a kind of universahty in the matter of his
beneficence ; that he bestoweth whatever he hath
within compass of his possession, or his power ; his
Luke xii. Ta vTrdp-)(ovTa, (the things which he hath,) and his
Ta evovTa, (the things which he may,) according to
the prescriptions of our Lord in the Gospel. Every
thing, I say, which he hath in substance, or can do
by his endeavour, that may conduce to the support
of the Hfe, or the health, or the welfare in any kind
of his neighbour, to the succour or relief of his mdi-
gency, to the removal or easement of his affliction,
he may well here be understood to disperse and
give. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
visiting the sick, entertaining the stranger, ran
soming the captive, easing the oppressed, comfort
ing the sorrowful, assisting the weak, instructing

Bounty to the Poor. 5
or advising the ignorant, together with aU such serm.
kinds or instances of beneficence, may be conceived '
either meant directly as the matter of the good
man's dispersing and giving, or by just analogy of
reason reducible thereto : substantial alms, as the
most sensible and obvious matter of bounty, was
(it is probable) especially intended, but thence no
manner of expressing it is to be excluded ; for the
same reasons which oblige ns, the same affections
which dispose us to bestow our money, or deal our
bread, will equally bind and move us to contribute
our endeavour and advice, for the sustenance and
comfort of our poor neighbour. Answerably our
discourse will more expressly regard the principal
matter, liberal communication of our goods ; but it
may be referred to aU sorts of beneficence.
Further, the word dispersed intimateth the
nature of his bounty, in exclusion of practices dif
ferent from it. He disperseth, and is therefore
not tenacious, doth not hoard up his goods, or keep
them close to himself, for the gratifying his covet
ous humour, or nourishing his pride, or pampering
his sensuality ; but sendeth them abroad for the
use and benefit of others. He disperseth his goods,
and therefore doth not fling them away altogether,
as if he were angry with them, or weary of them,
as if he loathed or despised them ; but fairly and
softly with good consideration he disposeth of them
here and there, as reason and need do require. He
disperseth them to the poor, not dissipateth them
among vain or lewd persons in wanton or wicked
profusions, in riotous excesses, in idle diver-
tisements, in expensive curiosities, in hazardous
gamings, in any such courses which swallow whole

6 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. all that a man hath, or do so cripple him, that he
" becomes unable to disperse any thing : our good

man is to be understood wisely provident, honestly
industrious, and soberly frugal, that he may have
wherewith to be just first, and then liberal*.
Eph.iv.28. His dispersing also (or scattering, so the He-
Prov. xi. brew*" word here used is otherwise rendered : There
^^' is, saith the Wise Man, that scattereth, and yet
increaseth : where we may remark, that this word
singly by itself, without any adjunct matter to
limit or interpret it, is used to signify this kind of
practice. This his dispersing, I say, also) denotes
the extent of the pious man's bounty, that it is
very large and difiusive, and in a manner unre
strained ; that it reacheth to many places, and is
withheld from no persons within the verge of his
power and opportunity to do good. This practice
commonly by a hke phrase (unto which perhaps
2 Cor. lx. this word refers) is termed sowing : He, saith St
Gal. id. '!, Paul, which soweth sp>ari7igly shall also reap spar-
p'rov.xi. ingly ; and he lohich soweth bountifully shall also
'^- reap bountifully. Now, he that soweth, having
chosen a good soil, and a fit season, doth not regard
one particular spot, but throweth all about so much
as his hand can hold, so far as the strength of his
arm doth carry. It is likewise called watering:
Prov.xi. {He that water eth, saith Solomon, shaU, be watered
'^' himself:) which expression also seemeth to import
a plentiful and promiscuous effusion of good drop
ping in showers upon dry and parched places ; that
is, upon persons dry for want, or parched with
^ Ov yap oioV re x/'W"'"' '^X^^" M eVi/ieXou^exov, Snas exV-  -A-ri^*'
Eth. TV. 1. [21.]
D -l-tS

Bounty to the Poor. 7
affliction. So the good man doth not plant his serm.
bounty in one small hole, or spout it on one nar- ^'
row spot, but with an open hand disseminates it,
with an impartial regard distils it all about. He
stints it not to his own family or relations ; to his
neighbours, or friends, or benefactors ; to those of
his own sect and opinion, or of his humour and
disposition ; to such as serve him, or oblige him, or
please him ; whom some private interest ties, or
some particular affection endears him to ; but scat
ters it indifferently and unconfinedly toward all
men that need it" ; toward mere strangers, yea,
toward known enemies ; toward such who never
did him any good, or can ever be able to do any ;
yea, even toward them who have done evil to him,
and may be presumed ready to do more. Nothing
in his neighbour but absence of need, nothing in
himself .but defect of ability, doth curb or limit his
beneficence. In that UpoOvfila, (that proclivity and 2 Cor. viii.
promptitude of mind,) which St Paul speaketh of, '^'
he doth good everywhere : wherever a man is, there
is room for his wishing well, and doing good, if he
can** : he observes that rule of the Apostle, As we Gai. vi. 10.
have opportunity, let us do good unto all men. So \^°^' ^'
the pious man hath dispersed. It foUows,
He hath given to the poor. These words denote
the freeness of his bounty, and determine the prin
cipal object thereof: he not only lendeth (though
he also doth that upon reasonable occasion ; for, A Ps. cxii. 5.
" 'Eaj/ I'S.i/y TWO. Kaxas wao'xovTa, firjbiv irepiepya^ov Xomov' cxfi,
TO diKalaifia ttJs ^orjdfias, to kokois nadi'iv avrov. — ToB ©coC iuTi, Kav
"EXXfiK 5, Kav 'lovbaios. — Chrys. in Heb. Orat. x. [0pp. Tom. iv.
p. 489.] * Ubicunque homo est, ibi beneflcio locus est. — Sen. de Vit.
B. cap. xxiv. [2.]

8 The Duty and Reward of
serm. good man, as it is said before in this Psalm, shew-
' eth mercy, and lendeth ; and otherwhere. The right-
Ta. xxxvii. ^gy^ ^'^ g^gj, mcrciful, and lendeth ; he, I say, not
only sometimes willingly lendeth) to those who in
time may repay, or requite him ; but he fi-eely
giveth to the poor, that is, to those from whom he
can expect no retribution back. He doth not (as
good and pious, he doth not) present the rich : to
do so is but a cleanly way of begging, or a subtle
kind of trade ' ; it is hardly courtesy ; it is surely
no bounty ; for such persons (if they are not very
sordid or very careless, and such men are not
usually much troubled with presents) will, it is likely
overdo him, or at least will be even with him in
kindness. In doing this, there is little virtue ; for
Lukevi. it there wiU be small reward. For, Lfyou do good
^^' ^'*' to them who do good to you, (or whom you conceive
able and disposed to requite you,) Ilota x'^P^h what
thanks are due to you ? For that, saith our Saviour,
even sinners (even men notoriously bad) do the
same : And if you lend to them from whom you
hope to receive, what thanks have you ? For sinners
even lend to sinners, to receive as much again. All
men commonly, the bad no less than the good, are
apt to be superfluously kind in heaping favours on
those whom fortune befriends, and whose condition
requires not their courtesy^; every one almost is
ready to adopt himself into the kindred, or to screw
himself into the friendship of the wealthy and

® Qui diviti donat, petit. " He that giveth to the rich shall
surely come to want." — Prov. xxii. 16.
Orav S' o Saifiav fv SiSw, ri 8f ? cpiXav ;
ApKU yap avTos 6 ©cAj dcpeXetv dcXmv. 
Eurip. Crest. [667.]

Bounty to the Poor. 9
prosperous^: but where kindred is of use, there it serm.
is seldom found ; it is commonly so deaf, as not to ^'
hear when it is called ; so blind, as not to discern
its proper object and natural season, {The time of 'Prov. xvii.
adversity, for which a brother is born.) Men dis
claim alliance with the needy, and shun his ac
quaintance ; so the Wise Man observed. All the 'Proy. xix.
brethren of the poor do hate him ; how much more
do his friends go far from him f Thus it is in vul
gar practice'' : but the pious man is more judicious,
more just, and more generous in the placing of his
favours ; he is courteous to purpose, he is good to
those who need. He, as such, doth not make large
entertainments for his friends, his brethren, Msi^utexiv.
kindred, his rich neighbours ; but observes that pre
cept of our Lord, When thou makest a feast, call
the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou
shalt be blessed : for they cannot recompense thee ;
thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the
just. Thus the pious man giveth, that is, with a
free heart and pure intention bestoweth his goods
on the indigent, without designing any benefit,
or hoping for any requital to himself ; except from
God, in conscience, respect, and love to whom he
doeth it.
It may be also material to observe the form of
speech here used in reference to the time : He
hath dispersed, and he hath given; or. He doth
disperse, he doth give; (for in the Hebrew lan
guage the past and present times are not distin-
^ Tau eirvxovvToav Travres "crl OTjyyeveis. — [Menand. Sentent.
Sing. 510. (Ed. Meineke.)]
** Eu jrpaa-o-f' ra (piKav S' ouSeV, ^v ns Sva-Tvxjj. —
Eurip [Phcen. 403.]

10 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. guished :) which manner of speaking may seem to
^' intimate the reality, or the certainty, and the con

stancy of his practice in this kind ; for what is past
or present, we are mfallibly secure of; and in mo
rals, what one is said to have done, or to do, is
always understood according to habit or custom.
It is not. He ivill disperse, he will give ; that were
no fit description of a good man ; to pretend to,
would be no argument of piety; those words might
import uncertainty, and delay in his practice. He
that saith, / will give, may be fallacious in his pro
fessions, may be inconsistent with his resolutions,
may wilfully or negligently let slip the due season
of performing it. Our good man is not a Doson,
or Will-give, (like that king of Macedon, who got
that name from often signifying an intention of
giving, but never giving in effect';) he not only
purposes well, and promises fairly for the future,
but he hath effectually done it, and perseveres
doing it upon every fit occasion. He puts not his
neighbour into tedious expectations, nor puts him
off with frivolous excuses, saying to him, as it is in
Prov. iii. the Provorbs, Go, and come again, and to-morrow
L will give, when he hath it by him : he bids him
Jam.ii. i6. not havo patience, or says unto him. Depart in
peace, when his need is urgent, and his pain im
patient, when hunger or cold do then pinch him,
when sickness incessantly vexeth him, when pre
sent straits and burdens oppress him ; but he af-
fordeth a ready, quick, and seasonable reUef
He hath dispersed, and given, while he lives,
ETTfKXrj'^i; fit AojVtoi', oSs inayyeKriKoi pkv, ov ri\e<novpyos 8i
tS>v vTToa-xearemv. — Plut. in Paulo .^mil. [0pp. Tom. iv. p. 471. Ed.
Steph.]

Bounty to the Poor. 11
not reserving the disposal of all at once upon his serm.
death, or by his last will ; that unwilHng will, ^-
whereby men would seem to give somewhat, when
they can keep nothing ; drawing to themselves
those commendations and thanks, which are only
due to their mortality : whenas were they immor
tal, they would never be liberal : No ; it is. He hath
freely dispersed; not an inevitable necessity will
extort it from him ; it cannot be said of him, that
he never does well, but when he dies'' ; so he hath
done it really and surely.
He also doth it constantly, through all the
course of his life, whenever good opportunity pre
sents itself He doth it not by fits, or by accident,
according to unstable causes or circumstances mov
ing him, (when bodily temper or humour inclineth
him, when a sad object makes vehement impression
on him, when shame obligeth him to comply with
the practice of others, when he may thereby pro
mote some design, or procure some glory to him
self,) but his practice is constant and uniform,
being drawn from steady principles, and guided by
certain rules, proceeding from reverence to God,
and good-wiU toward man, following the clear dic
tates and immutable laws of conscience. Thus
hath the pious man dispersed, and given to the poor:
and let thus much suffice for explicatory reflection
upon the first words.
The main drift and purport of which is, to
represent the liberal exercising of bounty and mercy
to be the necessary duty, the ordinary practice, and
the proper character of a truly pious man ; so that
^ Avarus, nisi cum moritur, nil recte facit.
[Publ. Syrus, Sentent (Poet. Seen. Latin. Vol. vi. p. 227. Ed. Bothe.)]

12 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. performing such acts is a good sign of true piety ;
' and omitting them is a certain argument of ungod
liness. For the demonstration of which points,
and for exciting us to a practice answerable, I shall
propound several considerations, whereby the plain
reasonableness, the great weight, the high worth
and excellency of this duty, together with its strict
connection with other principal duties of piety, will
appear. And first, I will shew with what advan
tage the holy scripture represents it to us, or presses
it upon us.
I. Head of I We may consider, that there is no sort of
duties which God hath more expressly commanded,
or more earnestly inculcated, than these of bounty
and mercy toward our brethren : whence evidently
the great moment of them, and their high value in
God's esteem may be inferred. Even in the an
cient law, we may observe very careful provisions
made for engaging men to works of this kind, and
the performance of them is with huge life and
Deut. XV. urgency prescribed : Thou shalt not harden thy
''' "¦ heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother. — •
Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto thy brother,
unto thy poor, and to thy needy in the land. So
did Moses, in God's name, with language very
significant and emphatical, enjoin to the children
of Israel. The holy prophets also do commonly
with an especial heat and vigour press these duties,
most smartly reproving the transgression or neg
lect of them; especially when they reclaim men
from their wicked courses, urging them seriously
to return unto God and goodness, they propose
this practice as a singular instance most expressive
of their conversion, most apt to appease God's

Bounty to the Poor. 13
wrath, most effectual to the recovery of his favour, serm.
Wash you, saith God in Isaiah, make you clean ; ¦"¦"

put away ihe evil of your doings from before mine ^^^^- i- '^'
eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well. So in
general he exhorts to repentance : then immedi
ately he subjoins these choice instances thereof:
Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the isa.i.i.i'j,
fatherless, plead for the widow. — Come now, then jei-. vu. 5,
he adds, let us reason together : though your sins be ^'
as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
When Daniel would prescribe to king Nebuchad
nezzar the best way of amendment, and the surest
means of averting God's judgments impendent on
him, he thus speaks : Wherefore, O king, let my Dau.iv.27.
counsel be acceptable unto thee ; break off thy sins
by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shelving
mercy to the poor^. This he culled out as of all
pious acts chiefly gratefiil to God, and clearly tes
tifying repentance ; and. So very impious a person
was alms able to justify, says the Father thereupon".
So also when God himself would declare what
those acts are which render penitential devotions
most agreeable to him, and most effectual, he thus
expresseth his mind : Ls not this the fast lohich L isai. iviH.
have chosen ? To loose the bands of wickedness, to
undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free,
and that ye break every yokef Ls it not to deal
thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the
poor that are cast out to thine house f vihen thou
' Tai afiapnas arov iv i\er]p.o(rvvais Xirpcotrai : SO the LXX. ren
der those words, reading, it seems, ms for pID
™ TSIaPovxoBovocrop, tov toiovtov dcrf/3^, la-xva-ev j? l\ei]p.oa-vvr]
BiKoiaa-ai. — Athau. ad Antioch. Qusest. lxxxviii. [0pp. Tom. u.
p. 288 E.]

14 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou
hide not thyself from thine own flesh f Of so great

consideration and moment was this sort of duties,
even under that old dispensation of weakness, ser
vility, and fear ; so much tenderness of compassion
and benignity did God exact even from that hard
hearted and worldly people, who were so Httle
capable of the best rules, and had encouragements,
in comparison, so mean toward performances of
this nature. The same we may well conceive,
under the more perfect discipline of universal amity,
of ingenuity, of spiritual grace and goodness, in a
higher strain, with more force and greater obhga-
tion to be imposed on us, who have so much
stronger engagements, and immensely greater en
couragements to them. And so indeed it is : for
Luke xii. thoso procopts delivered by our Lord, Sell all thai
xi. '41^ ' 2/^^ have, and give alms ; Lf thou wilt be perfect,
¦il'; vi^^ig. *^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ f^^"^ hast, and give to the poor ; Give
to every man that asketh thee; Treasure not up to
yourselves treasures upon the earth, do indeed sound
high, but are not insignificant or impertinent.
They cannot signify or design less, than that we
should be always, in affection and disposition of
mind, ready to part with anything we have for the
succour of our poor brethren ; that to the utmost
of our ability (according to moral estimation pru
dently rated) upon all occasions we should really
express that disposition in our practice ; that we
are exceedingly obhged to the continual exercise
of these duties in a very eminent degree. These
indeed were the duties which our Lord, as he did
frequently in his discourse commend and prescribe,
so he did most signally exemplify in his practice ;

Bounty to the Poor. 15
his whole life being in effect but one continual act serm.
of most liberal bounty and mercy toward mankind ; ^'
in charity to whom he outdid his own severest
rules, being content never to possess any wealth,
never to enjoy any ease in this world. And therein
(both as to doctrine and practice) did the holy
apostles closely follow their Master : As poor, yet 2 Cor. vi.
enriching many ; as having nothing, yet possessing
all things. So they throughly in deeds practised
these duties, which ia words they taught and earn
estly pressed ; admonishing their converts to Dis- Kom. xii.
tribute to the necessities of the saints, to Do good to Gai. vi. 10.
all men ; To do good, and to communicate not to Het. xiu.
forget ; to Shew mercy with cheerfulness, to Put on coiose. iii.
boioels of mercy ; to Be kind and tender-hearted one ^'-^ j.^
toward another; to Abound in the grace of liberality. 2 cor. viii.
Such are their directions and injunctions to all '''
Christian people ; so did they preach themselves,
and so they enjoined others to preach. Charge the i Tim. vi.
rich in this world, saith St Paul to his scholar
Timothy, tluit they do good, that they be rich in
good works, ready to distribute, willing to commu
nicate ; and. These things, saith he likewise, advis- Tit. iU. s.
ing Bishop Titus, / will that thou affirm constantly,
that they which believe in God may be careful to
m,aintain good works; what good ivorks he meaneth,
the reason adjoined doth shew ; For these things,
saith he, are good and profitable unto men.
2 It is indeed observable, that as in every
kind that which is most excellent doth commonly
assume to itself the name of the whole kind ; so
among the parts of righteousness (which word is
used to comprehend all virtue and goodness) this
of exercising bounty and mercy is peculiarly called

16 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. Righteousness ; so that Righteousness and Merciful-
' ness (or Almsdeeds,) the righteous and bountiful
person, are in scripture expression ordinarily con
founded, as it were, or undistinguishably put one
for the other ; it being often, when commendations
are given to righteousness, and rewards promised
to righteous persons, hard to discern, whether the
general observance of God's law, or the special
practice of these duties, are concerned in them.
Likewise works of this nature are in way of pecu-
Acts ix. 36. liar excellency termed Good works ; and to perform
10 ; vi. 18. them is usually styled. To do good, and To do well ;
I , ' " ' {AyaOoD epya^eaOai, KaXoc iroieiv, AyaOoepyelv, 'Aya-
G^r^'a' ^oi'ojeti', EvTroi€~iv, Evepyerelv, are words apphed to
^¦f°- . this purpose ;) which manners of expression do
35- ... argue the eminent dignity of these performances.
16. ' 3 We may also consequently mark, that in
CSX. 3 . .j-j^Qgg places of scripture where the divine law is
abridged, and religion summed up into a few par
ticulars of main importance, these duties constantly
make a part : so when the prophet Micah briefly
reckons up those things which are best in the law,
and chiefly required by God, the whole catalogue
of them consisting but of three particulars, mercy
Mic. vi. 8, comes in for one ; He hath shewed thee, 0 man,
saith he, what is good: and what doth the Lord
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God? Likewise of
those (^apvTepoL tov voixov, those) more substantial
and Weighty things of Gods law the neglect of
which our Saviour objecteth as an argument of
impiety, and a cause of woe, to those pretending
Matt.xxiu. zealots, this is one : Woe unto you. Scribes and
'^^' Pharisees, hypocrites ; for ye pay tithe of mint and

Bounty to the Poor. 17
cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of serm.
the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. The sum of ^'
St John the Baptist's instruction of the people is
by St Luke reduced to this point ; The people Luke iii.
asked him, saying, What shall we do? He an- '°' "'
swering saith unto them, Lie that hath two coats,
let him impart to him that hath none ; and he that
hath meat, let him do likewise. St James's system
of religion is this : Pure and undefiled religion Jam. i. 27.
before God and the Father is this ; to visit the fa
therless and widow in their affliction, (that is, to
comfort and relieve all distressed and helpless per
sons,) and to keep himself^ unspotted from the world.
St Paul seems to be yet more compendious and
close : Bear ye, saith he, one anothers burdens, Gai. vi. 2.
and so fulfil the law of Christ. Yea, God himself
compriseth all the substantial part of religion
herein, when, comparing it with the circumstantial
part, he saith, / will have mercy, and not sacri- Hos. vi. 6.
fice. 4 It is in like manner considerable, that in
the general descriptions of piety and goodness, the
practice of these duties is specified as a grand in
gredient of them. In this Psalm, where such a
description is intended, it is almost the only par
ticular instance ; and it is not only mentioned, but
reiterated in divers forms of expression. In the
37th Psalm it is affirmed and repeated, that T^e Ps. xxxvii.
righteous sheweth mercy; he sheweth mercy, and '
giveth; he sheweth mercy, and lendeth. In the
Proverbs" it is a commendation of the virtuous
woman, Whose price is far above rubies, that She Prov.xxxi.
stretcheih out her hand to the poor, yea, stretcheth '°' ^°"
° " The righteous giveth, and spareth not." — Prov. xxi. 26.
B. S. VOL. I. 2

18 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. forth both her hands to the needy. And in Ezekiel,
 ;  (which is especially remarkable,) the i Sth chapter,
where the principal things constituting a pious
man are more than once professedly enumerated,
this among a very few other particulars is ex
pressed, and taketh up much room in the account ;
of such a person (who Shall surely live, and not die,
that is, who certainly shall abide in God's favour,
and enjoy the happy consequences thereof) it is
Ezek.xviii. supposod, that he Neither hath oppressed any, nor
hath withholden the pledge, nor hath spoiled by vio
lence ; but hath given his bread to the hungry, and
hath covered the naked with a garment, and hath
taken off his hand from the poor.
5 Also in the particular histories of good
men, this sort of practice is specially taken notice
Heh.xiii.3. of, and oxprossod in their characters. In the story
of our father Abraham, his benignity to strangers,
and hospitableness, is remarkable among aU his
deeds of goodness, being propounded to us as a
pattern and encouragement to the like practice.
In this the conscience of Job did solace itself, as
Job xxix. in a solid assurance of his integrity : I delivered
11'. ^^' ^^' the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that
had none to help him. The blessijig of him that
was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused
the widow's heart to sing. I was eyes to the blind,
and feet I was to the lame ; I was a father to the
Job XXX. poor. Did not I weep for him that was in troublef
^*" Was not my soul grieved for the poor ? Hence
also did the good pubHcan recommend himself to
the favour and approbation of our Saviour, saying,
Luke xix. Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor :
' ^' hence did salvation come to his house : hence he is

Bounty to the Poor. 19
proclaimed, a son of Abraham. Of Dorcas, that serm.
good woman, who was so gracious and precious ^'
among the disciples, this is the commendation and
character; She was full of good works and aZ^iis- Acts ix. 36.
deeds, which she did; such practice made her ca
pable of that favour, so great and extraordinary,
the being restored to life ; at least in St Chrysos
tom's judgment : The force of her alms, saith he, did
conquer the tyranny of death". Cornelius also, that
excellent person, who was, though a Gentile, so
acceptable to God, and had so extraordinary graces
conferred on him, is thus represented ; He ivas a Acts x. -i.
devout man, and one that feared God, ivith all his
house; who gave much alms to the people, and
prayed to God alway. We may add, that to be i Tim. iii.
hospitable (one branch of these duties, and inferring Kt. i. 8.
the rest) is reckoned a qualification of those who
are to be the guides and patterns of goodness unto
others. And particularly, one fit to be promoted
to a widow's office in the church is thus described ;
Well reported of for good works ; if she have i Tim. v.
brought up children ; if she have lodged strangers ;
if she have ivashed the saints' feet ; if she have re
lieved the afflicted ; if she have diligently followed
every good vjork.
6 So near to the heart of piety doth the holy Gai. v. 14.
scripture lay the practice of these duties : and no 9, 10.'
wonder ; for it often expressly declares charity to mI^'4.^'
be the fulfilling of God's law, as the best expression "•
of all our duty toward God, of faith in him, love
and reverence of him, and as either formally con
taining, or naturaUy producing all our duty toward
° 'H rrjs i\eriiJ.oo-vvris bivafus ivUrja^ Ka\ tovtov (davarov SC.) t^v
TvpawiSa. — Chrys. in Gen. Orat. lv. [0pp. Tom. i. p. 431.]
2—2

20 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. our neighbour. And of charity, works of bounty
and mercy are both the chief instances and the
plainest signs : for whereas all charity doth consist
either in mental desire, or in verbal signification,
or in effectual performance of good to our neigh
bour ; this last is the end, the completion, and the
assurance of the rest p. Good-will is indeed the
root of charity ; but that lies under ground, and
out of sight ; nor can we conclude its being or hfe
without visible fruits of beneficence. Good words
are at best but fair leaves thereof, such as may, and
too often do, proceed from a weak and barren dis
position of mind. But these Good works are real
Tit. iii. 14. fruits (so St Paul caUs them ; Let ours also, saith
28. ° he, learn to maintain good works for necessary uses,
¦'^' ^'^' that they be not unfruitful,) which declare a true
life, and a good strength of charity in the bearer
2 Cor. viii. of them : by them. To t*;? v/xerepa^ ayairrj's yvj)aiov.
The sincerity (or genuineness) of our charity is
proved. For as no man ever doth impress a false
stamp on the finest metal ; so costly charity is sel
dom counterfeit. It is to dechne spending their
goods or their pains, that men forge and feign ;
pretending to make up in wishing well, the defect
of doing so, and paying words instead of things :
but he that freely imparts what he hath, or can do
for his neighbour's good, needs no other argument
to evince that he loves in good earnest, nor can
indeed well use any other ; for words, if actions are
wanting, seem abusive ; and if actions are present,
they are superfluous. Wherefore St John thus
1 John iii. advisos ; My little children, let us not love in word,
18. P 'Emracns ayam/s 6 eXeor. — Greg. Nyss. in Matt. V. 7. [De
Beatit. Orat. v. 0pp. Tom. 1. p. 803 a ]

Bounty to the Poor. 21
or in tongue, (AW' epyo) kuI a\rj6eia,) but wi work serm.
and in truth. To love in work, and to love in truth, ^'
he signifies to be the same thing ; and to pretend
love in speech, without practising it in deed, he
imphes not allowable. And St James in way of
comparison says, that as faith without works is
dead, so love without beneficence is useless. For,
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute o/'Jam.u. 15,
daily food, and one of you say unto him. Depart in '
peace, be you warmed and filled, notwithstanding
ye give them not those things which are needful to
the body, what doth it profit f Even so faith with
out Works is dead. Cold wishes of good, working
no real benefit to our neighbour, and a faint assent
unto truth, producing no constant obedience to
God, are things near of kin, and of like value ;
both of little worth or use. Charity then being
the main point of religion, mercy and bounty being
the chief parts of charity, well may these duties be
placed in so high a rank, according to the divine
heraldry of scripture.
7 To enforce which observations, and that we
may be further certified about the weight and worth
of these duties, we may consider, that to the observ
ance of them most ample and excellent rewards are
assigned; that, in return for what we bestow on
our poor brethren, God hath promised all sorts of
the best mercies and blessings to us. The best of
all good things, (that which in David's opinion was Ps.bdii. 3.
better than life itself,) the fountain of all blessings,
(God's love and favour, or mercy,) is procured
thereby, or is annexed to it. For, God loveth (X2Cor.ix. 7.
cheerfd giver, saith St Paul ; and, The merciful Matt. v. 7.
shall obtain mercy, saith our Saviour : and, Mercy Jam. u. 13.

22 The Duty and Reivard of
SERM. rejoiceth against judgment, (or boasteth, and tri-
" umpheth over it ; Kara/cayT^arat eXeos Kplaew^ : that
is, it appeaseth God's wrath, and prevents our
condemnation and punishment,) saith St James ;
Matt.vi. God will not continue displeased with him, nor
wiU withhold his mercy from him, who is kind
and merciful to his neighbour. It is true, if
rightly understood, what the Hebrew Wise Man
Eccius. iii. saith. Water will quench a fiaming fire, and alms
maketh an atonement for sins. For this practice
hath the nature and name of a sacrifice, and is
declared as such both in excellency and efficacy to
surpass all other sacrifices ; to be most acceptable
to God, most available for expiation of gmlt, most
effectual in obtaining mercy and favour "i. Other
sacrifices performed in obedience to God's appoint
ment (on virtue of our Lord's perfect obedience,
and with regard to his pure sacrifice of himself) did
in their way propitiate God, and atone sin : but
this hath an intrinsic worth, and a natural aptitude
to those purposes. Other obhgations did signify a
wilhngness to render a due homage to God : this
really and immediately performs it. They were
shadows or images well resembhng that duty,
(parting with anything we have for the sake of
God, and for purchasing his favour,) whereof this
is the body and substance. This is therefore pre
ferred as in itself excelling the rest, and more esti
mable in God's sight; so that in comparison or
competition therewith, the other seem to be shghted
Hos.vi.6. and rejected. I will, saith God, have mercy, and
' Si nudum vestias, teipsum induis justitiam. — Ambr. Offic. i.
11. [0pp. Tom. n. col. 11 p.] Hier. in Psalm, cxxxiii. [0pp. Tom.
n. col. 475.] Chrys. 0pp. Tom. v. Orat. lv. [p. 374.]

Bounty to the Poor. 23
not sacrifice : and, Will the Lord be pleased with serm.
thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers ^'

of oil? Will he? that is, he wiU not be pleased ^i^- ^- 7-
with such sacrifices, if they be abstracted from the
more delightful sacrifices of bounty and mercy.
God never made an exception against these, or
derogated from them in any case : they absolutely
and perpetually are, as St Paul speaketh. Odours Phii.iv.i8.
qfa sweet smell, sacrifices acceptable and well-pleas
ing to God. And the apostle to the Hebrews
seconds him : To do good, saith he, and to commu- Heb. xiii.
nicate, forget not ; for with such sacrifices God is ' '
well plea^sed. By these, aU. other works and aU
enjojTuents are sanctified : for. Give alms, saith our Luke xi.
Lord, of what ye have ; and, behold, all things are *''
pure unto you. Such charitable persons are there
fore frequently pronounced blessed, that is, in effect
instated in a confluence of aU good things. Blessed Ps. xk. i.
is he that considereth the poor, says the Psalmist ;
and. He that hath a bountiful eye is blessed, saith Prov. xxu.
Solomon ; and. He that hath mercy on the poor, Prov. xiv.
happy is he, saith the Wise Man again ; and,
Blessed are the mercifid, saith our Lord himself. Matt. v. 7.
So in gross and generally. Particularly also, and
in retaU, the greatest blessings are expressly aUot-
ted to this practice ; prosperity in all our affairs is
promised thereto. Thou, saith Moses, shalt surely i)™t. xv.
give thy poor brother, and thine heart shall not be
grieved that thou givest unto him ; because that for
this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all
thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand
unto. StabUity in a good condition is ordinarUy
consequent thereon : so the prophet Daniel imphes,
when, advising king Nebuchadnezzar to these

24 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. works, he adds. If it may be a lengthening of thy
. tranquillity. Dehverance from evU incumbent, pro-

an.1v.27. ^gg^JQjj^ jj^ imminent danger, and support in afflic
tions, are the sure rewards thereof ; so the Psahnist
Ps. xH. I, assures us : Blessed, saith he, is he that considereth
2j 3. .
the poor : the Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him
alive, and he shall be blessed upon earth ; and thou
wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen hum upon the bed of lan
guishing ; thou ivilt make all his bed in his sickness.
Security from aU want is likewise a recompense
Svui 27 P^^P^^ thereto : for, He that giveth to the pom- shall
Isai. lviii. uot lack, saith the Wise Man. If thou draw out
' '' "¦ thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul,
then shall thy light arise in obscurity, &c. Thriving
in wealth and estate is another special reward : for,
Prov. xi. The liberal soul shall be made fat ; the same author
gives us his word for it. Even of the good things
here below, to those who for his sake in this or any
Matt. xix. other way do Let go houses or lands, our Lord pro-
miseth the return of a hundredfold, either in kind
or in value. So great encouragements are annexed
to this practice even in relation to the concern
ments of this transitory life : but to them beside
God hath destinated rewards incomparably more
considerable and precious, spiritual and eternal
rewards, treasures of heavenly wealth, crowns of
endless glory, the perfection of joy and bhss to be
Luke xiv. dispensed At the resurrection of the just. He that
Matt. xix. for my sake hath left houses or lands, shall receive a
Markx. hwidrcdfold now at this time, (or in this present
29.30- life^) and in the world to come shall inherit ever
lasting life; so infaUible truth hath assured us.,

Bounty to the Poor. 25
They who perform these duties are said to Make serm.
themselves bags which wax not old, a treasure that ^'

faileth not in the heavens; to Make themselves^^'^'^y'-
n • 1 J. n . T -, 33; XVI. 9.
friends of the unrighteous mammon, who, when they
fail, (when they depart, and leave their earthly
wealth,) will receive them into everlasting habita
tions ; to Lay up in store for themselves a good i Tim. vi.
foundation against the time to come, that they may ^^'
lay hold on eternal life. Such rewards are pro
mised to the observers.
8 And correspondently grievous punishments
are designed and denounced to the transgressors of
these duties ; the worst of miseries is their portion
and doom : they, for bemg such, do forfeit God's
love and favour ; they lose his blessing and protec
tion ; they can have no sure possession, nor any
comfortable enjoyment of their estate; for He, saith
St James, shall have judgment without mercy, who Jam. a. 13.
sheweth no mercy. And of such a person it is said
in Job, That which he labourethfor he shall restore, Jobxx. 18,
and shall not swallow it down: according to his
substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not
rejoice therein ; because he hath oppressed and for
saken the poor. (Not only because he hath unjustly
oppressed, but because he hath uncharitably for
saken the poor.) If by the divine forbearance
such persons do seem to enjoy a fair Portion mPs.xvii.14;
this life, {Prospering in the world, and increasing
in riches,) they wiU. find a sad reckoning behind in
the other world : this wUl be the result of that
audit ; Woe be unto you, rich men, for ye have Luke vi.
received your consolation ; (such rich men are ^'^^
meant, who have got, or kept, or used their wealth
basely ; who have detained all the consolation it

26 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. yields to themselves, and imparted none to others;)
 '. — and. Remember, son, thou didst receive thy good
Luke XVI. ^ii{,figg ^".^ ^i^(g iij-Q. ^gQ (ii(Jst receive them, as to
swaUow them, and spend them here, without any
provision or regard for the future in the use of
Matt. XXV. them ;) and, Cast that unprofitable servant (who
made no good use of his talent) into utter darkness.
Luke xu. Such wiU be the fate of Every one that treasures up
to himself, and is not rich unto God; not rich in
piety and charity, not rich in performing for God's
sake works of bounty and mercy.
9 It is indeed most considerable, that at the
final reckoning, when aU men's actions shaU be
strictly scanned, and justly sentenced according to
their true desert, a special regard wiU be had to
the discharge or neglect of these duties. It is the
bountiful and merciful persons, who have relieved
Christ in his poor members and brethren, who in
that day will appear to be the sheep at the right
hand, and shaU hear the good Shepherd's voice
Matt. XXV. uttering those joyful words. Come, ye blessed of my
Father, enter into the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the ivorld : for I was an
hungred, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and
ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took
me in; I was naked, and ye clothed me; I was
sick, and ye visited me ; I was in prison, and ye
came unto me. He doth not say, because you have
made goodly professions, because you have been
orthodox in your opinions, because you have fre
quented rehgious exercises, (have prayed often and
long, have kept many fasts, and heard many ser
mons,) because you have been staunch in your
conversations, because you have been punctual in

Bounty to the Poor. 27
your deaUngs, because you have maintained a spe- serm.
cious guise of piety, sobriety, and justice; (although, ^"
indeed, he that will come off weU at that great
trial, must be responsible, and able to yield a good
account in respect to aU those particulars ;) but
because you have been charitably benign and help
ful to persons in need and distress, therefore blessed
are you, therefore enter into the kingdom of glori
ous bliss prepared for such persons. This proceed
ing more than intimates, that, in the judgment of
our Lord, no sort of virtue or good practice is to
be preferred before that of charitable bounty ; or
rather that, in his esteem, none is equal thereto :
so that if the question were put to him, which is
one of them to Antiochus, (in Athanasius's works,)
which is the most eminent virtue'' ? our Lord would
resolve it no otherwise than is done by that father,
affirming, that mercifulness is the queen of virtues ;
for that, at the final account, the examination
chiefly proceeds upon that ; it is made the special
touchstone of piety, and the peculiar ground of
happiness. On the other side, those who have
been deficient in these performances (uncharitable
and unmerciful persons) wUl at the last trial appear
to be the wretched goats on the left hand, unto
whom this uncomfortable speech shaU by the great
Judge be pronounced ; Depart from me, ye cursed, Matt. xxv.
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and '^^' '^^' ^^'
his angels : for I was hungry, and ye gave me no
meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;
I loas a stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked,
and ye clothed me not ; sick and in prison, and ye
visited me not. It is not, we may see, for having
[¦¦ Qusest. cxx. Inter Athan. 0pp. Tom. ii. p. 297 b.]

28 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. done that which in this world is called rapine or
' wrong, for having pUlaged or cozened their neigh
bour, for having committed adultery or murder, or
any other thing prohibited, that these unhappy
men are said to be formally impeached, and finally
condemned to that miserable doom ; but for having
been unkind and unmerciful to their poor brethren^ :
this at that high tribunal will pass for a most enor
mous crime, for the capital offence ; for this it is
that they shaU be cursed, and cast doAvn into a
wretched consortship with those malicious and
merciless fiends, unto whose disposition they did
so nearly approach.
Thus it appears how mighty a stress God in
the holy scripture doth lay upon these duties, so
peremptorily commanding them, so vehemently
pressing them, so highly commending them, so
graciously by promises alluring us to the perform
ance, so dreadfuUy by threatenings deterring us
from the neglect of them. What an affront then
wUl it be to God's authority, what a distrust to his
word, what a contempt of his power, his justice,
his wisdom, what a despite to his goodness and .
mercy, if, notwithstanding all these declarations of
his will and purposes, we shall presume to be un
charitable in this kind ! There are also considera
tions, (very many, very clear, and very strong,)
which discover the great reasonableness and equity
of these laws, with our indispensable obhgation to
obey them ; the which indeed with greater force
^ Oiix on SiripnaKao-tv, oi& on aetrvXijKacnv, fj peixoix^vKanv, fj
aWo n rmv dnrjyopfvpivaiv neirotT] Kairiv, TavTr/v rrjv rd^tv KaraKptdevres,
dXX' on iiT) Xpiarov dia Tmv 8eop.eva>v TidepamvKaatv. — Greg. Naz.
Orat. [xiv. 0pp. Tom. i. p. 285 c]

Bounty to the Poor. 29
do exact these duties from us, and do more earn- serm.
estly plead in the poor man's behalf, than he can ^-
beg or cry. If we either look up unto God, or
down upon our poor neighbour, if we reflect upon
ourselves, or consider our wealth itself, every
where we may discern various reasons obliging us,
and various motives inducing us to the practice of
these duties.
In regard to God,
I We may consider, that, by exercising of H- Head
bounty and mercy, we are kind and courteous to course.
God himself; by neglecting those duties, we are
unkind and rude to him : for that, what of good or
eAal is by us done to the poor, God interprets and
accepts as done to himself The poor have a pecu
liar relation to God ; he openly and frequently
professeth himself their especial friend, patron, and
protector ; he is much concerned in, and particu
larly chargeth his providence with their support.
In effect therefore they shall surely be provided
for, one way or the other ; {The poor shall eat and Pa.xxii.26;
be satisfied : God will save the afflicted people : The xviii. 27 ;
Lord preserveth the strangers, he relieveth the father
less and widow. When the poor and needy see^isai.xK.17.
water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth
for thirst, L the Lord will hear them, I the God of
Israel will not forsake them :) but out of goodness
to us, he chooseth, (if it may be, we freely concur
ring therein,) and best liketh, that it should be
done by our hands ; this conducing no less to our
benefit, than to theirs ; we thereby having oppor
tunity to shew our respect to himself, and to lay
an engagement on him to do us good. God there
fore lendeth the poor man his own name, and

30 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. aUoweth him to crave our succour for his sake.
 " (When the poor man asketh us in God's name, or
for God's sake, he doth not usurp or forge, he hath
good authority, and a true ground for doing so :)
God gives him credit from himself unto us for what
he wants, and bids us charge what he receiveth
on his own account ; permitting us to reckon him
obliged thereby, and to write him our debtor ; en
gaging his own word and reputation duly to repay,
Prov. xix. fuUy to satisfy us. He that hath pity on the poor
lendeth to the Lord ; and that which he hath given
will he pay him again, saith the Wise Man : and,
Matt. XXV. Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of my bre
thren, ye have done it unto me, saith our Saviour :
Heb.vi.io. and, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and
labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his
name, in tliat ye have ministered to the saints, and
do minister, saith the apostle. What therefore we
give to the poor, God accepteth as an expression
of kindness to himself, being given to one of his
friends and clients, in respect to him ; he regards
it as a testimony of friendly confidence in him, sig
nifying that we have a good opinion of him, that
we take him for able and wiUing to requite a good
turn, that we dare take his word, and think our
goods safe enough in his custody. But if we stop
our ears, or shut our hands from the poor, God
interprets it as a harsh repulse, and an heinous
affront put upon himself : we doing it to one who
bears his name, and wears his Uvery, (for the poor
man's rags are badges of his relation unto God,)
he thereby judges, that we have little good-wiU,
little respect, Uttle compassion toward himself:
since we voucli^afe not to grant him so mean a

Bounty to the Poor. 31
favour, since we reftise at his request, and (as it serm.
were) in his need, to accommodate him with a ^'
smaU sum, he justly reputes it as an argument of
unkindly diffidence in him, that we have sorry
thoughts of him, deeming him no good corre
spondent, little valuing his word, suspecting his
goodness, his truth, or his sufficiency.
2 We by practising those duties are just, by
omitting them are very unjust toward God. For
our goods, our wealth, and our estate are indeed
none of them simply or properly our own, so that
we have an absolute property in them, or an entire
disposal of them : no, we are utterly incapable of
such a right unto them, or power over them : God
necessarUy is the true and absolute proprietary of
them. They are called the gifts of God : but we Eccies. v.
must not understand that God, by giving them to ' ' "" ^'
us, hath parted with his own right to them : they
are deposited with us in trust, not aUenated from
him ; they are committed to us as stewards, not
transferred upon us as masters : they are so ours,
that we have no authority to use them according
to our wUl or fancy, but are obUged to manage
them according to God's direction and order. He,
by right immutable, is Lord paramount of aU his
creation ; every thing unalienably belongs to him
upon many accounts. He out of nothing made all
things at first, and to every creature through each
moment a new being is conferred by his preserva
tive influence : originaUy therefore he is Lord of
aU things, and continuaUy a new title of dominion
over every thing springeth up unto him : it is his
always, because he always maketh it. We our
selves are naturaUy mere slaves and vassals to him :

32 Hie Duty and Reward of
SERM. as we can never be our own, (masters of ourselves,
 '¦ — of our Uves, of our hberties,) so cannot we ever
properly be owners of any thing ; there are no pos
sible means by which we can acquire any absolute
title to the least mite ; the principal right to what
we seem to get, according to aU law and reason,'
Ps.xxiv.i; accrueth to our master. All things about us, by
Ixxxix. II ; which we hve, with which we work and trade, the
earth which supports and feeds us, and furnisheth
us with aU commodities, the air we breathe, the
sun and stars which cherish our Iffe, are all of
them his, his productions and his possessions, sub
sisting by his pleasure, subject to his disposal.
How then can any thing be ours ? How can we
I Sam.xxv. say, with the foolish churl Nabal, Shall I take my
bread, and my water, and my fiesli, and give it ?
Thine ? O inconsiderate man ! How camest thou
by it ? How dost thou hold it % Didst thou make
it ? Or dost thou preserve it ? Canst thou claim
any thing by nature* ? No ; thou broughtest no
thing with thee into the world ; thou didst not
bring thyself hither. Canst thou challenge any
. thing to thyself from chance ? No, for there is no
such thing as chance, aU things being guided and
governed by God's providence. Dost thou con
ceive thy industry can entitle thee to any thing ?
Thou art mistaken ; for aU the wit and strength
thou appHest, the head thou contrivest with, and
the hands thou workest with, are God's ; all the
success thou findest did whoUy depend on him, was
' Sed ais, Quid injustum est, si cum aliena non invadam, pro
pria diligentius servo ? O impudens dictum, propria dicis ? quae ?
ex quibus reconditis in hunc mundum detulisti ? — Amhros. [Serm.
LXIV. Dom. viii. post Pent. 0pp. Tom. v. foi. 92 L. Ed. Paris.
1632.J

Bounty to the Poor. S3
altogether derived from him ; aU thy projects were serm.
vain, all thy labours would be fruitless, did not he '
assist and bless thee. Thou dost vainly and falsely
Lift up thine heart, and forget the Lord thy God, Deut. viii.
whena,s thy herds and fiocks multiply, and thy silver li'. ^*'^^'
and gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is
multiplied ; if thou sayest in thy heart, My power,
and the might of my hand, hath gotten me this
wealth. But thou must remember the Lord thy God,
for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.
[  Who am I, saith David, and what is my i 9^™"-
people, that we should be able to offer so willingly
ofter this sort ? For all things come qf thee ; and
qf thine own have we given thee.'] Since then upon
aU scores every thing we have doth appertain to
God, he may without any injury recaU or resume
whatever he pleaseth ; and whUe he letteth any
thing abide with us, we cannot justly use it other
wise than he hath appointed, we cannot duly apply
it otherwise than to his interest and service ". God
then having enjoined, that after we have satisfied
our necessities, and supplied our reasonable occa
sions, we should employ the rest to the reUef of .
our poor neighbours ; that If we have two coats, Luke m.
(one more than we need,) we should impart one to
him that hath none ; iftve have meat abundant, that
we likewise communicate to him that wants it :
" Aliena rapere convincitur, qui ultra necessaria sibi retinere
prohatur. — Hieron.
Quicquid enim nobis Deus plusquam opus est dederit, non
nobis specialiter dedit, sed per nos aliis erogandum transmisit ;
si non dederimus, res alienas invasimus. — Aug. [Serm. CLxxviir.
0pp. Tom. V. col. 461 F.]
Terra communiter omnibus hominibus data est, proprium nemo
dicat quod commune ; plus quam sufficeret, sumptum et violenter
obtentum est. — ^Ambros. [ubi supra, foi. 92 m.]
B. S. VOL. I. 3

34 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. God, by the poor man's voice, (or by his need and
" misery,) demanding his own from us, we are very
unjust if we presume to withhold it ; doubly unjust
we are, both toward God and toward our neigh
bour : we are unfaithful stewards, misapplying the
goods of our Master, and crossing his order* : we
are wrongful usurpers, detaining from our neigh
bour that which God hath aUotted him ; we are in
the court of conscience ; we shall appear at the bar
of God's judgment no better than robbers, (under
vizards of legal right and possesion,) spoihng our
poor brother of his goods ; his, I say, by the very
same title as any thing can be ours, by the free
donation of God, fully and frequently expressed,
as we have seen, in his holy word. (He cannot
take it away by violence or surreption against our
wiU, but we are bound wUUngly to yield it up to
him ; to do that, were disorder in him ; to refuse
this, is wrong in us.) 'Tis the hungry man's bread
which we hoard up in our barns, 'tis his meat on
which we glut, and his drink which 'we guzzle'' ;
'tis the naked man's apparel which we shut up in
our presses, or which we exorbitantly ruflSe and
flaunt in : 'tis the needy person's gold and silver
which we closely hide in our chests, or spend idly,
or put out to useless use. We are in thus holding,
or thus spending, truly YVkeoveKrai, not only covet
ous, but wrongful, or havers of more than our own,
against the wiU of the right owners ; plainly vio-
* 2i 8c OVK aTTOtrTfpT}TTis, a trphs oiKovopiav ibi^a, ravra I'Sio
o'eavrov noiovpevos ; — Bas. M. [Hom. in Luc. xil. 18. 0pp. Tom. I(.
p. 50 B.]
y Nostrum est (pauperes clamant) quod effunditis ; nobis cru-
deliter subtrahitur, quod inaniter expenditis. — Bern. Ep. xlii.
[(De Offic. Episc.) 0pp. Tom. I. col. 470 b.]

Bounty to the Poor. 35
lating that precept of Solomon ; Withhold not good serm.
from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power ^-
of thy hand to do it. If we are ambitious of having Pfov. m.
a property in somewhat, or affect to call any thing
our own, 'tis only by nobly giving that we can
accompUsh our desire ; that will certainly appro
priate our goods to our use and benefit : but from
basely keeping, or vainly embezzling them, they
become not our possession and enjoyment, but our
theft and our bane^. (These things, spoken after
the holy fathers, wise instructors in matters of
piety, are to be understood with reasonable tem
perament, and practised with honest prudence. I
cannot stand to discuss cases, and remove scruples ;
a pious charity wiU easily discern its due limits and
measures, both declining perplexity, and not evad
ing duty. The sum is, that justice towards God
and man obUgeth us not to suffer our poor brother
to perish, or pine away for want, when we surfeit
and swim in plenty, or not to see him lack neces
saries, when we are weU able to reUeve him.)
3 Shewing bounty and mercy are the most
proper and the principal expressions of our grati
tude unto God ; so that in omitting them, we are
not only very unjust, but highly ingrateful. Innu
merable are the benefits, favours, and mercies,
(both common and private,) which God hath be
stowed on us, and doth continually bestow : he
incessantly showers down blessings on our heads ;
He daily loadeth us with his benefits ; he perpetu- Ps. ixvin.
aUy Crowneth us with lovingkindness and tender '^ '
^ Omne igitur quod male possidetur, alienum est : male autem
possidet, qui male utitur. — August. [Ep. ci/lli. ad Maced. 0pp.
Tom. II. col. 634 e.]
3—2

cm. 4.

36 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. mercies : aU that we are, aU that we have, all that
_ — ! — we can hope for of good, is alone from his free
bounty : our beings and hves, with all the conve
niences and comforts of them, we entirely owe to
him as to our Maker, our Preserver, our constant
Benefactor : all the exceUent privileges we enjoy,
and all the glorious hopes we have as Christians,
we also stand indebted for purely to his undeserved
Ps. cxvi. mercy and grace. And, What shall we render unto
the Lord for all his benefits toward us ? ShaU we
render him nothing? ShaU we refuse him any
thing ? Shall we boggle at making returns so in
considerable, in regard to what he hath done for
us ? What is a Uttle gold, or silver, or brass per
haps, which our poor neighbour craveth of us, in
comparison to our life, our health, our reason ; to
all accommodations of our body, and aU endow
ments of our mind ? What are all the goods in
the world to the love and favour of God, to the
pardon of our sins, to the gifts of God's Spirit, to
the dignity of being the children of God and heirs
of salvation ; to the being freed from extreme
miseries, and made capable of eternal fehcity?
And doth not this unexpressible goodness, do not
all these inestimable benefits require some corre
spondent thankfulness ? Are we not obhged, shall
we not be wilhng to exhibit some real testimony
thereof? And what other can we exhibit beside
this ? We cannot directly or immediately requite
God, for he cannot so receive anything from us ;
he is not capable of being himself enriched or
exalted, of being anywise pleasured or bettered by
us, who is in himself infinitely sufficient, glorious,
Ps. xvi. 2. ioyful, and happy: Our goodness extends not to
Job xxii. I. „ ,y

Bounty to the Poor. 37
him; A man cannot be profitable to his Maker, serm.
AU that we can do in this kind is thus indirectly, ^'
in the persons of his poor relations, to gratify him,
imparting at his desire, and for his sake, somewhat
of what he hath bestowed on us upon them. Such
a thankful return we owe unto God, not only for
w^hat he hath given us, but even for the capacity
of giving to others ; for that we are in the num
ber of those who can afford reUef, and who need
not to demand it*. Our very wealth and prosper
ous state should not seem to us so contemptible
things, that we should be unwilling to render
somewhat back in grateful resentment for them :
the very act of giving is itself no mean benefit ;
(having so much of honour in it, so much of plea
sure going with it, so much of reward foUowing
it ;) we receive far more than we return in giving ;
for which therefore it is fit that we should return
our gratitude, and consequently that we should
perform these duties. For indeed without this
practice, no other expression of gratitude can be
true in itself, or can be acceptable to God. We
may seem abundantly to thank him in words ; but
a sparing hand gives the lie to the fuUest mouth :
* Aos Ti Tot ©ew ;^apt(7T)7/jtoj', on rav ev izoielv bvvapevcov eyevov,
aXX' ov tSv ev iraBelv Seo/ievav, — Greg. Naz. [Orat. xiv. 0pp. Tom. i.
p. 276 a.]
 Toj' (j)i\avdpa)iTov vpvrjaai betriroTrjv, on rots aXXorpiots ^pas
(raXppovl^ei iraBripatn, KOi ovK rjpas els erepav 7rapeirep\jfev OLKias, aXX'
els ras Tjperepas SXXovs rjyaye 6vpas. — Theodor. Ep. XXX. [0pp. Tom.
III. p. 920 c]
El pr] vopi^eis Xap^aveiv p.aKkov, r/ bibovai, pfj TrapacrxJls. — -
Chrys. Orat. liv. [0pp. Tom. v. p. 365.]
Keque enim homo Deo prsestat beneficium in his quse dederit,
sed Deus in his homini quse acceperit. — Salvian. [adv. Avar. Lib. i.
p. 234. Ed. Baluz.]

38 The Duty and Reivard of
serm. we may spare our breath, if we keep back our sub-
 '.  stance ; for aU our praising God for his goodness,

and blessing him with our hps, if we wiU do
nothing for him, if we will not part with anything
for his sake, appears mere compliment; is, in truth,
plain mockery, and vile hypocrisy.
4 Yea, which we may further consider, aU our
devotion, severed from a disposition of practising
these duties, is no less such ; cannot have any true
worth in it, shaU not yield any good effect from it.
Our prayers, if we are uncharitably disposed, what
are they other than demonstrations of egregious
impudence and folly ? For how can we with any
face presume to ask anything from God, when we
deny him requesting a small matter from us ? How
can we with any reason expect any mercy from
him, when we vouchsafe not to shew any mercy
for his sake ? Can we imagine that God wiU
hearken unto, or mind our petitions, when we are
deaf to his entreaties, and regardless of his desires?
Prov. xxi. J^o ; Whoso stoppctli his ears at the cry of the poor,
he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
'Tis his declaration to such bold and unreasonable
Isai. i. IS. petitioners, When you spread forth your hands, I
ivill not hear you ; when you make many prayers, I
loill not hear. No importunity, no frequency of
James v. 4. prayors wiU move God in such a case ; the needy
4,'s!6! '^ man's cries and complaints wiU drown their noise;
his sighs and groans will obstruct their passage,
and stop the ears of God against them. Likewise
all our semblances of repentance, all our corporal
abstinences and austerities, if a kind and merciful
disposition are wanting, what are they truly but
presumptuous dallyings, or impertinent triflings

Bounty to the Poor. 39
with God ? For do we not grossly collude with sin, serm.
when we restrain the sensual appetites of the body, ^'
but foment the soul's more unreasonable desires ;
when we curb our wanton flesh, and give licence
to a base spirit ''? Do we not palpably baffle, when
in respect to God we pretend to deny ourselves,
yet upon urgent occasion aUow him nothing ? Do
we not strangely prevaricate, when we would seem
to appease God's anger, and purchase his favour
by our submissions, yet refuse to do that which he
declares most pleasing to him, and most necessary
to those purposes ? It is an ordinary thing for
men thus to serve God, and thus to delude them
selves : / have known many, saith St BasU, who
have fasted, and prayed, and groaned, and ex
pressed all kind of costless piety, who yet loould not
part with one doit to the afflicted'^. Such a cheap 2 Sam.
and easy piety, which costs us little or nothing, can ^'^' ^'^'
surely not be worth much ; and we must not con
ceit, that the aU-Avise God {The God of knowledge, i Sam. 11.3.
by whom actions are iveighed, as Anna sang, and
who Weigheth the spirits also, as the Wise Man Prov. xvi.
saith) wiU be cheated therewith, or take it for more "'
than its just value. No ; he hath expressly signi
fied, that he hath Not chosen such services, nor isai. lviii.
doth take any pleasure in them : he hath caUed f; 13' 14.
them Vain and impertinent oblations ; not Sweet ^^°' ^^ ^'
or acceptable, but abominable and troublesome to J^^- '''• ^°-
him, such as he cannot away with, and is weary to
bear. 'Tis religious hberahty that doth prove us
*" Ti he KepSos, <ra)cl)poa^vri [lera aTravdpanias ; &c. — Chrys. Or. LV.
[0pp. Tom. v. p. 373.]
" OiSa TToWovs vrjtTTevoVTas, rrpoaevxopevovs, crreva^ovras, natrav
TTjV abaTravov evXafietav evbeiKwpevovs, o^oXov be eva pfj npo'iepevovs
To'is dXtfiopevois. — Bas. M. [Hom. in Div. 0pp. Tom. ii. p. 54 c]

40 The Duty and Reward of
serm. to be serious and earnest in other religious per-
 '. — formances ; which assures that we value matters
of piety at a considerable rate ; which gives a sub
stance and solidity jto our devotions ; which sanc
tifies our fasts, and verifies our penances ; which
renders our praises real, and our prayers effectual ;
so that these being combined, we may reasonably
expect acceptance and recompense ; and in effect
to hear that from God, which by him was returned
Acts X. 4. to good Cornehus, Thy prayers and thine alms are
come up for a memorial before God.
5 The conscionable practice of these duties doth
plainly spring from those good dispositions of mind
regarding God, which are the original grounds and
fountains of aU true piety ; and the neglect of them
issueth from those vicious dispositions which have
a pecuUar inconsistency with piety, being destruc
tive thereof in the very foundation and root. Faith
in God is the fundamental grace upon which piety
is grounded ; love and fear of God are the radical
principles from which it grows : aU which as the
charitable man discovers in his practice, so they
are apparently banished from the heart of the illi
beral and unmerciful person.
As for faith, the good man, in shewing bounty,
exerciseth the chief act thereof ; he freely parteth
with his goods, because he trusteth on God's provi
dence more than them, and believeth God more
ready to help him, than any creature can do, in his
need ; because he is persuaded that God is most
good and benign, so as never to suffer him to be
oppressed with want ; because he taketh God to be
Matt. vi. just and faithful, who, having charged him To care
Phil. iv. 6. for nothing, but To cast his care and burden upon

Bounty to the Poor. 41
the Lord, having promised to care for him, to Sus- serm.
tain him. Never to leave or forsake him, having also •*•'
engaged himself to repay and recompense him for i Pet. v. 7.
what he giveth to his poor neighbour, wUl not fail Heb. xiu.
to make good his word ; because he thinks God ^"
abundantly solvent, and himself never the poorer
for laying out in his behalf; because, in short, he
is content to Uve in a dependance upon God, and
at his disposal. It is mentioned by the apostle to
the Hebrews, as a special instance of a resolute and
constant faith in the first Christians, that Theyueh.x.z^.
took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in
themselves that they had in heaven a better and an
enduring substance. He that not forcibly by the
violent rapacity of others, but voluntarily by his
own free resignation for the service of God deliver-
eth them up with the same alacrity, opinion, and
hope, thereby demonstrates the same faith. But
the gripple wretch, who wiU bestow nothing on his
poor brother for God's sake, is evidently an infidel,
having none at all, or very heathenish conceits of
God**. He must be either a mere atheist, disbe
lieving the existence of God; or an epicurean, in
his heart denying God's providence over human
affairs ; (for did he conceive God to have any
regard unto, or any influence over what passes
here, how could he be afraid of wanting upon this
score ? how could he repose any confidence in these
possessions ? how could he think himself secure in
such a neglect or defiance of God ?) or he must be
exceedingly profane, entertaining most dishonour-
^ 'O yap ToiovTos ov to Bern neititrrevKev, aXXa r^ eavTOv xpv<rt<^,
Geof TOVTO ^yoipevos, Ka\ en avra TreiroiSios, — Const. Apost. IV. 4.
[Cotel. Pat. Apost. Tom. i. p. 293.]

42 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. able and injurious apprehensions of God. He
 '. — cannot but imagine God very unkind, not only in
neglecting men that want his help, but in making
them to suffer for spending upon his account ; very
unjust, in not repaying what he borrows ; very
unfaithful, in breaking his word ; very deceitful, in
gulUng us of our things by fair promises of resti
tution and requital : or he must apprehend God
forgetful of what we do, and himself says ; or that
he is needy and impotent, not having wherewith to
make satisfaction, not being able to make good
what he pretends. He must in his conceit debase
God even beneath the vUest creatures, thinking a
senseless lump of clay more apt in his need to help
him, than God can be with aU his power and care ;
supposing his money safer in his own coffers than
in God's hands, and that iron bars will guard it
more surely than divine protection ; esteeming his
neighbour's bond for much better security than
God's word, and that a mortal man is far more
able or more true than the eternal God. He cer
tainly cannot think one word true that God says,
being loath to trust him for a penny, for a piece of
bread, or for an old garment. AU God's promises
of recompense, and threatenings of punishment,
he takes for idle fictions : heaven and heU are but
Utopias in his conceit ; the joys of one, offered to
the charitable person, are but pleasant fancies ; the
torments of the other, denounced to the uncha
ritable, but fearful dreams. AU other things are
but names ; money and lands are the only real
things unto him ; all the happiness he can conceive
Hab. ii. 9. Or wish is Contained in bags and barns ; these are
the sole points of his faith, and objects of his con-

Bounty to the Poor. 43
fidence. He makes gold his hope, and saith to the serm.
fine gold, Thou art my confidence. He rejoices . ^'

because his wealth is great, and because his hand-^"'^^^'^-
hath gotten much, as Job speaketh, disclaiming that
practice in himself, and tacitly charging it on the
persons we speak of He doth, in fine, affect a
total independency upon God, and cares to have
no dealing with him ; he would trust to himself,
and live on his own estate : so gross infidelity and
horrible profaneness of mind lie couched under this
sort of vices.
As for the love of God, the Uberal man declares
it, in that for God's sake he is willing to part
with anything, that he values God's love and favour
above all other goods ; that he deems himself rich
and happy enough in the enjoyment of God. But,
Who hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother i John iii.
have need, and shutteth tip his bowels from him, how
dwelleth the love of God in him ? saith St John :
that is, it is impossible he should love God; 'tis a
vain conceit to think he does ; 'tis a frivolous thing
for him to pretend it. For how possibly can he
bear in his heart any affection to God, who wiU
not for his sake, and at his instance, part with a
little worthless trash and dirty pelf? who prizes
so inconsiderable matters beyond God's favour and
friendship ? who prefers the keeping of his wealth
before the enjoyment of God ; and chooses rather
certainly to quit his whole interest in God, than to
adventure a small parcel of his estate with God ?
His practice indeed sufficiently discovers, that his
hard and stupid heart is uncapable of any love,
except of a corrupt, inordinate, and fond love, or
dotage toward himself, since so present and sensi-

44 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. ble objects cannot affect him. He that loveth not
 ;  his brother, whom, he hath seen, how can he love God,
I John iv. whom he hath not seen ?
20. And as to the fear and reverence of God, the
liberal man expresses it in submission to God's
commands, although with his own present seeming
diminution and loss ; in preferring the discharging
of his conscience before the retaining his money ;
in casting overboard his temporal goods, that he
may secure his spiritual and eternal concernments.
He can say (his practice attesting to his profession)
Pa. cxbc. with David, / love thy commandments above gold ;
cxix! 72. and, The law of thy mouth is dearer to me than
thousands of gold and silver : he shews that he is
Exod.xviii. -4 man of truth, fearing God, and hating covetous-
^'' ness; which dispositions, as having much affinity
and connection, are well joined together by Jethro.
But the uncharitable man can have little fear of
God before his eyes : since the commands of God
have no efficacy on his conscience ; since he dreads
not the effects of divine power and justice, pro
voked by his disobedience ; since he deems an
imaginary danger of want from giving, worse than
a certain commission of sin in withholding ; and is
more afraid of penury here, than of damnation
hereafter. The truth is, the covetous or iUiberal man is
therefore uncapable of being truly pious, because
his heart is possessed with vain devotion toward
somewhat beside God, which in effect is his sole
Col. iii. s. divinity ; he is justly styled an idolater, for that
^ ¦ ^' ^' he directs and employs the chief affections of his
mind upon an idol of clay, which he loves with all
his heart and all his soul, which he entirely confides

Bounty to the Poor. 45
in, which he esteems and worships above all things, serm.
It is Mammon, which of all the competitors and •*••
antagonists of God, invading God's right, and
usurping his place, is (as our Lord intimates) the
most dangerous, and desperately repugnant : where
he becomes predominant, true rehgion is quite
excluded ; Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt. vi.
Other vicious inclinations combat reason, and often ^*'
baffle it, but seldom so vanquish it, as that a man
doth approve or applaud himself in his miscar
riages : but the covetous humour seizeth on our
reason itself, and seateth itself therein ; inducing it
to favour and countenance what is done amiss.
The voluptuous man is swayed by the violence of
his appetite ; but the covetous is seduced by the
dictate of his judgment : he therefore scrapes and
hoards, and lets go nothing, because he esteems
wealth the best thing in the world, and then judges
himself most wise, when he is most base. Labour Prov. xxiii.
not to be rich ; cease from thine own wisdom, saith "*'
Solomon ; intimating the judgment such persons
are wont to make of their riches : whence, of all
dispositions opposite to piety, this is the most per
nicious. But further,
6 Let us consider, that nothing is more con
formable to God's nature, or renders us more like
to him, than beneficence and mercy ; and that con
sequently nothing can be more grateful to him :
that nothing is more disagreeable and contrary to
the essential disposition of God, than ilUberaUty
and unmercifulness ; and therefore that nothing can
be more distasteful to him. What is any being in
the world, but an efflux of his bounty, and an argu
ment of his hberality? Look everywhere about

46 The Duty arid Reioard of
SERM. nature, and consider the whole tenor of providence,"
 '.  survey all the works, and scan all the actions of

God, you will find them all conspiring in attesta
tion to those sweet characters and elegies which
the holy scripture ascribeth to God, representing
Exod. him to be Merciful and gracious, longsuff'ering, and
Joel ii. 13. abundant in goodness; to be Sorry for evil, (inci-
18. ' ^' dent to, or inflicted upon any creature,) to Delight
s&i. xxx. ^-^ mercy, to Wait that he may be gracious ; styhng
Rom. XV. }j^jj^ .^Q Qq^ qJ Iq,^jq^ of peace, of hope, of patience,
Bph. ii. 4. qf all grace, and of all consolation, the Father of
1 1 ; i. 3. pities, rich in mercy, and full of boivels ; affirming
II. ' of him, and by manifold evidences demonstrating,
I Pet

Luke "
35-

that he is Benign even unto the ungrateful and evil;
that He is good to all, and his tender mercies are
Ps. cxiv. 9. over all his works. Nature, I say, providence, and
revelation, do all concur in testifying this, that
there is nothing in God so peculiarly admirable,
nothing, as it were, so godlike, that is, so highly
venerable and amiable, as to do good and shew
mercy". We therefore by Uberal communication
to the needy do most approach to the nature of
God, and most exactly imitate his practice ; acquir
ing to ourselves thereby somewhat of divinity, and
becoming httle gods to our neighbour'. Nothing,
saith St Chrysostom, maketh us so near equal to
God as beneficence^: and. Be, saith St Gregory
Nazianzen, a god to the unfortunate, imitating the
^ Seoi) TToXXcoj; oVtoij' e(j)' oTs Bavpa^erai, ovbev ovras as to mv-
ras evepyeTetv, IbidraTov. — Greg. Naz. Orat. [xxxil. Tom. I. 0pp.
p. 596 E.]
' Deus est mortal! juvare mortalem. — Plin. Hist. Nat. ir.
[5. 4-] _ ^ _ ^^
^ Ovbev yap i^pas 'icrovs Oem jroiel, as ri evepyerelv. — Chrys. in
Matt. Hom. xxxv. [0pp. Tom. 11. p. 243.]

Bounty to the Poor. 47
mercy of God; for a man hath nothing of God serm.
so WMch as to do good^. That such hath always ^'
been the common apprehension of men, the prac
tice of aU times sheweth, in that men have been
ever apt to place their benefactors among their
gods, deferring that love and veneration unto them
in degree, which in perfection do appertain to the
supreme Benefactor'. Be merciful, as your heavenly Luke vi.
Father is mercifid ; so our Saviour proposeth God's ^^' ^ '
mercy to us, both as a pattern directing, and as an
argument inducing us to mercifulness : implying it
also to be a good sign, declaring us the children of
God, the genuine offspring of the aU-good and aU-
merciful Father ; yea, that it even renders and
constitutes us such, (we thereby coming most truly
to represent, and most nearly to resemble him).
Our Lord further teaches us, saying. Love your Matt. v.
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to those '*'*'
that hate you  that ye may be the sons of your
Father which is in heaven. And they who thus
are God's chUdren must consequently be very dear
to him, and most gracious in his sight ; he cannot
but greatly like and love himself (the best of him
self) in them ; he cannot but cherish and treat
them weU, who are the fairest and truest images of
himself; no spectacle can be so pleasant to him, as
to see us in our practice to act himself, doing good
Tevov Tffl aTvxovvTi Qeos, tov eXeov rov Qeov piprj<rapevos. Ovbiv
yap OVTCOS, (is to ev iroielv, avdparnos exei Qeov. — Greg. Naz. [Orat.
xiv. 0pp. Tom. I. p. 276 B.J
' Hie est vetustissimus referendi bene merentibus gratiam mos,
ut tales numinibus adscribantur [ascribant]. — Plin. Nat. Hist. ii. 7.
[ii. 5. 6.]
Suscepit vita hominum, consuetudoque communis, ut beneficiis
excellentes viros in coelum fama ac voluntate tollerent. — Cic. de
Nat. Deor. ir. [24, 62]

48 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. to one another ; As the elect of God, holy and be
loved, putting on bowels of mercies and kindness,

Col. m. 12, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering ; for
bearing one another, and forgiving one another,
Eph.v.i,2. even as Christ forgave us ; Being followers of God
as dear children, and walking in love, even as
Christ also loved us. But on the other side, there
is not in nature anything so remotely distant from
God, or so extremely opposite to him, as a greedy
and griping niggard : hell is scarce so contrary to
heaven, as such a man's disposition to the nature
of God : for 'tis goodness which sits gloriously
triumphant at the top of heaven ; and unchari-
tableness lieth miserably grovelling under the bot
tom of heU : heaven descends from the one, as its
principal cause ; heU is buUt on the other, as its
main foundation : as the one approximates the
blessed angels to God, and beatifies them ; so the
other removeth the cursed fiends to such a distance
from God and happiness : not to wish, not to do
any good, is that which renders them both so bad
and so wretched ; and whoever in his conditions is
so like to them, and in his practice so agrees with
them, cannot but also be very odious to God, and
extremely unhappy. God cannot but abhor so
base a degeneration from his likeness in those who
by nature are his children, and should be further
such according to his gracious design ; neither can
anything more offend his eyes, than seeing them
to use one another unkindly. So that if obtaining
the certain favour of the great God, with aU the
benefits attending it, seem considerable to us ; or if
we think it advisable to shun his displeasure, with
its sad effects ; it concerns us to practise these

Bounty to the Poor. 49
duties. So I conclude that sort of considerations, serm.
enforcing these duties, which more immediately _^L__
regard God.
Further, before we deny our relief to our poor ni. Head
neighbour, let us with the eyes of our mind look on course.
him, and attentively consider who he is, what he is
in himself, and what he is in relation unto us. The Prov. xxix.
righteous considereth the cause of the poor ; but the
wicked regardeth not to know it. Blessed is he that Ps. xii. i.
considereth the poor.
I He whose need craves our bounty, whose
misery demands our mercy, what is he ? He is not
truly so mean and sorry a thing, as the disguise of
misfortune, under which he appears, doth represent
him. He who looks so deformedly and dismaUy,
who to outward sight is so ill bestead, and so piti-
fuUy accoutred, hath latent in him much of admira
ble beauty and glory. He within himself containeth
a nature very exceUent ; an immortal soul, and an
intelUgent mind, by which he nearly resembleth
God himself, and is comparable to angels : he invi
sibly is owner of endowments, rendering him capable
of the greatest and best things. What are money
and lands ? What are sUk and fine Unen ? What
are horses and hounds, in comparison to reason, to
wisdom, to virtue, to reUgion, which he hath, or (in
despite of aU misfortune) he may have if he please ?
He whom you behold so dejectedly sneaking, in so
despicable a garb, so destitute of aU convenience
and comfort, (lying in the dust, naked, or clad with
rags, meagre with hunger or pain,) he comes of a
most high and heavenly extraction : he was bom a
prince, the son of the greatest King eternal ; he
can truly caU the sovereign Lord of aU the world
B. S. VOL. I. 4

50 The Duty and Reward of
serm. his father, having derived his soul from the mouth,
. having had his body formed by the hands of God

Prov. xxii. himself (In this. The rich and poor, as the Wise
Man saith, do meet together ; the Lord is the maker
of them all.) That same forlorn wretch, whom we
Gen. i. 28. are so apt to despise and trample upon, was framed
and constituted lord of the visible world ; had all
the goodly brightnesses of heaven, and aU the
costly furnitures of earth created to serve him,
Ps. viii. 6. {Tliou madest him, saith the Psalmist of man, to
have dominion over the works qf thine hands ; thou
hast put all things under his feet.) Yea, he was
made an inhabitant of paradise, and possessor of
felicities superlative ; had immortal Ufe and endless
joy in his hand, did enjoy the entire favour and
friendship of the Most High. Such in worth of
nature and nobleness of birth he is, as a man ; and
highly more considerable he is, as a Christian. For,
as vile and contemptible as he looks, God hath so
regarded and prized him, as for his sake to descend
from heaven, to clothe himself with flesh, to assume
the form of a servant ; for his good to undertake
and undergo the greatest inconveniences, infirmities,
wants, and disgraces, the most grievous troubles
and most sharp pains incident to mortal nature.
God hath adopted him to be his chUd ; the Son of
God hath deigned to call him brother : he is a
member of Christ, a temple of the Holy Ghost, a
free denizen of the heavenly city, an heir of salva
tion, and candidate of eternal glory. The greatest
and richest personage is not capable of better pri
vUeges than God hath granted him, or of higher
preferments than God hath designed him to. He
equally with the mightiest prince is the object of

Bounty to the Poor. 51
God's especial providence and grace, of his con- serm.
tinual regard and care, of his fatherly love and ^'

affection ; who, as good EUhu saith, Accepteth not Job xx>
the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more '^'
than the poor; for they are all the work of his
hands. In fine, this poor creature whom thou
seest is a man, and a Christian, thine equal, who
ever thou art, in nature, and thy peer in condition'' :
I say not, in the uncertain and unstable gifts of
fortune, not in this worldly state, which is very
inconsiderable ; but in gifts vastly more precious,
in title to an estate infinitely more rich and excel
lent. Yea, if thou art vain and proud, be sober
and humble ; he is thy better, in true dignity much
to be preferred before thee, far in real wealth sur
passing thee : for, Better is the poor that walketh in EccIus.
his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, prov.
though he be rich. ^'^^
2 That distinction which thou standest upon,
and which seemeth so vast between thy poor neigh
bour and thee, what is it ? whence did it come ?
whither tends it ? It is not anywise natural, or
according to primitive design : for as aU men, are
in faculties and endowments of nature equal, so
''EvvorjO'ov, oTt o/io/ms trot eXevdepos i<rn, Kal t^s avTrjs (rot
Koivavei evyevelas, Koi rravTa troi Koiva KeKTrjrai. — Chrys. in Heb.
Orat. XI. [0pp. Tom. lY. p. 493 ]
Ot To'iwv ev rots nvevpanKoXs Tocravrrjv exovres Itronpiav, nodev
fieya cjipoveiTe ; on 6 belva jrXoiJtrtoy, koi 6 beiva lo'xvpos ; — Id. in
Eph. iv. 4. [0pp. Tom. in. p. 818.]
Cf. in Joh. Hom. xv. Tom. II. p. 615. [Et yap Ka\ prj a-vyyevrjs
liTjbe (ptXos earlv, dXX' avSpawos icm r^s avTTjs o-oi perexav (j)va-eoDS,
jov aiiTov ex<i>v beairoTqv, opobovXos Kal opoirKqvos  Ei be Koi.
TTjS irLtrreas perexei Trjs avTrjs, Ibov 0"0t Kat /icXos yeyove.^
ToiavTij yap ^ rov Uvevparos x^pf-s' oportpovs noie'i rovs 6p6<ppo-
vas. — Greg. Naz [Orat. xxxiv. 0pp. Tom. i p. 622 A.]
4 — 2

6.

52 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. were they aU originaUy equal in condition, aU
•*•• wealthy and happy, aU constituted in a most pros
perous and plentiful estate ; all things at first were
promiscuously exposed to the use and enjoyment
of aU, every one from the common stock assuming
as his own what he needed. Inequality and private
interest in things (together with sicknesses and
pains, together with aU other infeUcities and incon
veniences) were the by-blows of our fall' : sin intro
duced these degrees and distances ; it devised the
names of rich and poor ; it begot these ingrossings
and inclosures of things ; it forged those two smaU
pestUent words, Meum and l\ittm, which have engen
dered so much strife among men, and created so
much mischief in the world : these preternatural
distinctions were, I say, brooded by our fault, and
are in great part fostered and maintained thereby ;
for were we generally so good, so just, so charitable
as we should be, they could hardly subsist, espe
ciaUy in that measure they do"*. God indeed (for
TLevta Kat ifKovTOS, iXevdepla re, tjv (^apev, Kai bovXeia, Kat ra
Totavra rav ovopdrav, varepov eTretaTJXdov tw yevet rav dvOptarrav,
mtTTtep appaxTTTipaTa Koiva Tti/a Tjj KOKia avveunreaovra, KqKeivrjs ovra
emvo^para. — Greg. Naz. [Orat. xiv. 0pp. Tom. i. p. 275 b.]
"^ To yap epbv, koI to aov, tovto to ¦^vxpov p^pa, Kal pvplovs
TToXepovs els ttjv oiKovpevrjv elcrayaybv, &c. — Chrys. Orat. LIT. [0pp.
Tom. V. p. 364.] et in Act. ii. 47. [Tom. iv. p. 648.]
Natura omnia omnibus in commune profudit. Sic enim Deua
generari jussit omnia, ut pastus omnibus communis esset, et terra
foret omnium qusedam communis possessio. Natura igitur jus
commune generavit, usurpatio jus fecit privatum. — Amb. Offic. l.
28. [0pp. Tom. II. col. 35 e.]
Kat yap el pera OKpi^elas tovto e<jivXaTTeTO, ov bovXos, ovK eXei-
6epos rjV, OVK apxcov, ovK apxopevos, ov rrXovirios, ov irivris, ov piKpos, ov
peyas, ov Sia/3oXor av eyvda-dr/ jroTc. — Chrys. in 1 Cor. Orat. XXIII.
[0pp. Tom. m. p. 455.]
"UoTrep av et ns iv Bearpa 6eav KaTaXajSav, etra e^elpyot Toiis fVfto-
lovran, 'ibiov eavToiJ Kp'wcov to koivws irao'i Kara rfjv xpfj'nv TrpoKelpevov'

Bounty to the Poor. 53
promoting some good ends, and for prevention of serm.
some mischiefs, apt to spring from our ill-nature in ^'
this our lapsed state ; particularly to prevent the
strife and disorder which scrambling would cause
among men, presuming on equal right and parity
of force) doth suffer them in some manner to con
tinue, and enjoins us a contented submission to
them : but we mistake, if we think that natural
equality and community are in effect quite taken
away ; or that aU the world is so cantonized among
some few, that the rest have no share therein. No ;
every man hath stUI a competent patrimony due to
him, and a sufficient provision made for his tolera
ble subsistence. God hath brought no man hither
to be necessarUy starved, or pinched with extreme
want ; but hath assigned to every one a chUd's
portion, in some fair way to be obtained by him,
either by legal right, or by humble request, which
according to conscience ought to have effect". No
man therefore is aUowed to detain, or to destroy
superfluously what another man apparently wants :
but is obUged to impart it to him ; so that rich men
are indeed but the treasurers, the stewards, the
caterers of God for the rest of men, having a strict
charge to Dispense unto every one his meat in due Matt.
season, and no just privUege to withhold it from Luke tdi.
any : the honour of distribution is conferred on '^^•
them, as a reward of their fidelity and care ; the
right of enjoyment is reserved to the poor, as a
ToioCroi elcn kcu ol ttXovo'i.oi. ra yap KOiva rrpoKaracrxovTes, 'ibia iroiovv-
Tai bia TTjv 7rp6Xijyjnv. — Basil. M. [Hom. in Luc. xii. 18. 0pp. Tom.
U. p. 49 E.]
" Incassum se innocentes putant, qui commune Dei munus
sibi privatum vindicant. — Greg. M. [Pastor. Curse, Pars iii. Admon.
22. 0pp. Tom. It. col. 66 E.]

64 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. provision for their necessity. Thus hath God wisely
^' projected, that all his children should both effec-

1+

tuaUy and quietly be provided for, and that none
of them should be oppressed with penury ; so that,
2 Cor. viii. as St Paul hath it. One man's abundance shall
supply another mans want, that there may be an
equality : for since no man can enjoy more than he
needs, and every man should have so much as he
needs, there can be reaUy no great inequahty among
men ; the distinction wUl scarce remain otherwhere
than in fancy. What the phUosopher said of him
self. What I have is so mine, that it is every man's°,
is according to the practice of each man, who is
truly and in due measure charitable ; whereby that
seemingly enormous discrimination among men is
weU moderated P, and the equity of divine Provi
dence is vindicated. But he that ravenously grasps
for more than he can weU use, and gripes it fast
into his clutches, so that the needy in their distress
cannot come by it, doth pervert that equity which
God hath estabUshed in things, defeats his good-
intention, (so far as he can,) and brings a scandal
on his providence : and so doing is highly both
injurious and impious.
3 It was also (which we should consider) even
one main end of this diEFerence among us, permitted
and ordered by God's providence, that as some
men's industry and patience might be exercised by
their poverty, so other men by their wealth should
have abUity of practising justice and charity ; that
° Ego sic omnia habeo, ut omnium sint. — Demetrius apud Sen.
de Ben. vii. 10. [6.]
P '0 dyawZv tov TrXrja-lov as eavriv, ovbev irepirra-oTepov KeKrrjTai
TOV nXrjiriov. — Basil. M. [Hom. in Div. 0pp. Tom. ir. p. 62 B.]

Bounty to the Poor. 55
so both rich and poor might thence become capable serm.
of recompences, suitable to the worth of such vir- "
tuous performances. Why art thou rich, saith
St Basil, and he poor? Surely for this; that thou
mayest attain the reward of benignity, and faithful
dispensation; and that he may be honoured with
the great prize of patience'^. God in making thee
rich, would have thee to be a double benefactor,
not only to thy poor neighbour, but also to thyself,
whilst thou bestowest reUef on him, purchasing
a reward to thyself. God also by this order of
things designs, that a charitable intercourse should
be maintained among men, mutually pleasant and
beneficial ; the rich kindly obliging the poor, and
the poor gratefully serving the rich. Wherefore
by neglecting these duties we unadvisedly cross the
good purpose of God toward us, depriving ourselves
of the chief advantages our wealth may afford.
4 We should also do well to consider, that a
poor man, even as such, is not to be disregarded,
and that poverty itself is no such contemptible
thing as we may be prone to imagine. There are
considerations, which may qualify poverty even to
dispute the place with wealth, and to claim prece
dence to it. If the world vulgarly doth account
and caU the rich man happy, a better Author hath
pronounced the poor man such : Blessed are the Luke vi.
^ AioTi a-v pev TrXovTels, eKelvos be neverai ; rj navras, iva Ka\ av
XprjO-TOTTjTos Kal nKTTrjS o'cKOVopias picrBbv vnobe^rj, KUKelvos rols peyd-
Xois adXois tTjs vTTopovrjs nprjdrj. — [Hom. in Luc. xii. 18. 0pp. Tom.
li. p. 50 A.]
nXovTOV Kal TTevlav rots dvdpctnrois bieveipev 6 rmv oXcov brjptovpyos
re Kal Trpvravis, ovk abUa ¦<irfj(pm xP'']<rdpevos, dXX' acfioppfjv axpeXeias
Tois TrXovalois irapexav, tS>v nevrjTOsv ttjv evbeiav. — Theodor. Ep. XXIII.
[0pp. Tom. III. p. 917 B.]

56 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. poor, doth march in the van of the beatitudes ; and
" a reason goeth along therewith, which asserteth its
right to the place, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven; for that they are not only in an equal
capacity as men, but in a nearer disposition as poor,
to the acquisition of that blissful state ; for that
poverty (the mistress of sobriety and honest indus
try, the mother of humUity and patience, the nurse
of all virtue) renders men more wiUing to go, and
more expedite in the way toward heaven : by it
also we conform to the Son of God himseff, the
heir of eternal majesty, the Saviour of the world,
2 Cor. viii. '\^'lio for our sakc became poor, (A<' j^/xas e7rTa!;^ei/(Te,
for our sake became a beggar,) that we through his
poverty (or beggary) might become rich: he wil
lingly chose, he especiaUy dignified and sanctified
that depth of poverty, which we so proudly sUght
and loathe. The greatest princes and potentates in
the world, the most wealthy and haughty of us aU,
but for one poor beggar had been irrecoverably
miserable ; to poverty it is, that every one of us
doth owe aU the possibility there is, aU the hopes
we can have of our salvation ; and shaU we then
ingratefuUy requite it with scorn, or with pitiless
neglecf ? ShaU we presume, in the person of any
poor man, to abhor or contemn the very poor, but
most holy and most happy Jesus, our Lord and
Redeemer ? No ; if we wiU do poverty right, we
must rather for his dear sake and memory defer an
especial respect and veneration thereto.
5 Thus a due reflection on the poor man him
self, his nature and state, wUl induce us to succour,
' Dedignatur aliquis paupertatem, cujus tam clarte imagines
sunt? — Sen. Consol ad Helv. [xn. 6.]

Bounty to the Poor. 57
But let us also consider him as related unto our- serm.
selves : every such person is our near kinsman, is ^-
our brother, is by indissoluble bands of cognation
in blood, and agreement in nature, knit and united
to us. We are all but several streams issuing from
one source, several twigs sprouting from one stock ;
One blood, derived through several channels ; one Acts xvii.
substance, by miraculous efficacy ofthe divine bene
diction multipUed or dilated unto several times and
places. We are aU fashioned according to the same
original idea, resembling God our common Father;
we are aU endowed with the same faculties, inclina
tions, and affections ; we all conspire in the same
essential ingredients of our constitution, and in the
more notable adjuncts thereof; it is only some in
considerable accidents (such as age, place, figure,
stature, colour, garb) which diversify and distin
guish us ; in which, according to successions of
time and chance, we commonly no less differ from
Ourselves, than we do at present from them : so
that in effect and reasonable esteem, every man is
not only our brother, but (as Aristotle' saith of a
friend) "'AXXos aurds. Another one's self; is not only
our most lively image, but in a manner our very
substance ; another ourself under a smaU variation
of present circumstances : the most of distinction
between us and our poor neighbour consists in exte
rior show, in moveable attire, in casual appendages
to the nature of man ; so that reaUy when we use
him weU, we are kind to ourselves ; when we yield
him courteous regard, we bear respect to our own
nature ; when we feed and comfort him, we do sus-
° [Eth. IX. 4. 5.]

58 The Duty and Reward of
serm. tain and cherish a member of our own body*. But
" when we are cruel or harsh to him, we abuse our

selves ; when we scorn him, we lay disparagement
and disgrace on mankind itself ; when we withhold
succour or sustenance from him, we do, as the pro-
isai. lviii. phet Speaketh, Hide ourselves from our own fiesli;
we starve a part of our own body, and wither a
branch of our stock ; immoderate selfishness so
bUndeth us, that we oversee and forget ourselves :
it is in this, as it is in other good senses, true what
Prov. xi. the Wise Man saith. The merciful man doeth good
to his own soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his
own fiesh.
6 Further, as the poor man is so nearly aUied
to us by society of common nature, so is he more
strictly joined to us by the bands of spiritual con
sanguinity. AU Christians (high and low, rich
and poor) are chUdren of the same heavenly Fa
ther, spring from the same incorruptible seed, are
regenerated to the same Uvely hope, are coheirs of
the same heavenly inheritance ; are aU members of
Rom. xii. one body"^, {Members, saith St Paul, one of an
other,) and animated by one holy Spirit : which
relation, as it is the most noble and most close
that can be, so it should breed the greatest endear
ments, and should express itself in correspondent
' Nemo est in genere humano, cui non dilectio, etsi non pro
mutua caritate, pro ipsa tamen communis naturse societate debe-
atur. — Aug. [Ep. cxxx. (ad Probam.) 0pp. Tom. n. col. 387 c]
OiKeioi' Siras avdpconos dvOpanm Kal (jiLXov.  Arist. [Eth. VIII. i. 3.]
'Ev aXXorptois nadeo't Qepanevreov, dbeXtpol, rb avyyeves, Kal 6p6-
bovXov. — Greg. Naz. [Orat. xiv. 0pp. Tom. i. p. 262 b.]
Nihil est enim unum uni tam simile, tam par, quam omnes
inter nosmetipsos sumus. — Cic. de Leg. [i. 10. 29.]
** Gal. iii. 28. ndyres yap vpets els ea-re ev Xpia-ra ^Irja-oi. Are
all one-. — Cf. Chrys. in Joh. Hom. xv. [0pp. Tom. ii. p. 615.]

5

Bounty to the Poor. 59
effects ; it should render us ftiU of affection and serm.
sympathy one toward another ; it should make us ^'
to tender the needs, and feel the sufferings of any
Christian as our own ; it should dispose us freely
to conamunicate whatever we have, how precious
soever, to any of our brethren'' ; this holy friend
ship should establish a charitable equality and com
munity among us, both in point of honour and of
estate : for since aU things considerable are com
mon unto us, since we are all purchased and puri
fied by the same precious blood, since we aU par
take of the same precious faith, of the same high
calling, of the same honourable privUeges, of the
same glorious promises and hopes ; since we aU
have the same Lord and Saviour; why should
these secular trifles be so private and particular
among us ? Why should not so huge a parity in
those only valuable things not wholly (I say, not
in worldly state or outward appearance, such as
the preservation of order in secular affairs requir-
eth, but) in our opinion and affection extinguish
that sUght distinction of rich and poor, in concern
ments temporal ? How can we slight so noble, so
great a personage as a Christian, for wanting a
little dross ? How can we deem ourselves much
his superior, upon so petty an advantage, for hav
ing that, which is not worth speaking or thinking
of, in comparison to what he enjoy eth ? Our Lord
himself is not ashamed to caU the least among us Heb. li.n.
his brother and his friend : and shaU we then dis- 40.
dain to yield to such an one the regard and treat- ^"l"" ^^'
" ^HXav yap ovbev "biov, oinves (}>[Xoi
'Opdms nec^vKatr, dXXd Koivd xp^pf'Ta. —
Eurip. Androm. [376]

60 The Duty and Reward of
serm. ment suitable to such a quaUty? Shall we not
^' honour any brother of our Lord ? Shall we not

be civU and kind to any friend of his ? If we do
not, how can we pretend to bear any true respect
or affection unto himself ? It is his express precept,
Matt. XX. that the greatest among us should, in imitation of
his most humble and charitable self, be ready to
Rom. xii. sorvo the meanest ; and that we should In honour
PhU. ii. 3. prefer one another, and In lowliness of mind esteem
others better than ourselves, are apostoUcal rules,
extending indifferently to rich and poor, which are
plainly violated by disregarding the poor. Yea,
this relation should, according to St John's doc
trine, dispose us not only freely to impart these
temporal goods, but even, if occasion be, wUhngly
I Johhiii. to oxposo our vory lives for our brethren : Hereby,
saith he, we perceive the love of God, because he
laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay
down our lives for our brethren. How greatly
then are they deficient from their duty, how Uttle
in truth are they Christians, who are unwiUing to
part with the very superfluities and excrements of
their fortune for the rehef of a poor Christian !
Thus considering our brother, may breed in us
charitable dispositions toward him, and induce us
to the practice of these duties.
IV. Head Moroovor, if we reflect upon ourselves, and
course. cousidor either our nature, or our state here, we
cannot but observe many strong engagements to
the same practice.
I The very constitution, frame, and temper
of our nature directeth and inchneth us thereto ;
whence, by observing those duties, we observe our
own nature, we improve it, we advance it to the

Bounty to the Poor. 61
best perfection it is capable of; by neglecting serm.
them, we thwart, we impair, we debase the same "
— HcBG nostri pars optima sensus^; the best of our
natural incUnations (those sacred rehcs of God's
image originaUy stamped on our minds) do sensi
bly prompt, and vehemently urge us to mercy and
pity : the very same bowels, which in our own
want do by a hvely sense of pain inform us thereof,
and instigate us to provide for its rehef, do also
grievously resent the distresses of another, admo
nishing us thereby, and provoking us to yield him
succour". Such is the natural sympathy between
men, (discernible in aU, but appearing most vigor
ous in the best natures,) that we cannot see, can
not hear of, yea, can hardly imagine the calamities
of other men, without being somewhat disturbed
and af&icted ourselves. As also nature, to the acts
requisite toward preservation of our Ufe, hath an
nexed a sensible pleasure, forcibly enticing us to the
performance of them ; so hath she made the com
munication of benefits to others to be accompanied
with a very delicious relish upon the mind of him
that practises it ; nothing indeed carrying with it
a more pure and savoury dehght than beneficence.
A man may be virtuously voluptuous, and a lauda
ble epicure by doing ''much good ; for to receive
good, even in the judgment of Epicurus himself,
(the great patron of pleasure,) is nowise so plea-
y Juv. Sat. XV. [133.]
^ Mutuus ut nos
Aflfectus petere auxilium et praestare juberet. —
[Id. ibid. 149.]
*iXo7rr<»;(ow koi crvpiraOes to rav dvBpanav yevos. — Arch, ad
Mon. 852.

62 The Duty and Reward of
serm. sant as to do it* : God and nature therefore within
• us do sohcit the poor man's case : even our own
ease and satisfaction demand from us compassion
and kindness towards him ; by exercising them we
hearken to nature's wise disciplines, and comply
with her kindly instincts : we cherish good humour,
and sweeten our complexion ; so ennobUng our
minds, we become not only more like to God, but
more perfectly men : by the contrary practice we
rebel against the laws, and pervert the due course
of our nature ; we do weaken, corrupt, and stifle
that which is best in us ; we harden and stupify
our souls ; so monstrously degenerating from the
perfection of our kind, and becoming rather like
savage beasts than sociable men ; yea, somewhat
worse perhaps than many beasts ; for commonly
brutes wUl combine to the succour of one another,
they wiU defend and help those of the same kind.
2 And if the sensitive part within us doth sug
gest so much, the rational dictates more unto us :
that heavenly faculty, having capacities so wide,
and so mighty energies, was surely not created to
serve mean or narrow designs ; it was not given
us to scrape eternaUy in earth, or to amass heaps
of clay for private enjoyment ; for the service of
one puisne creature, for the sustenance and satis
faction of a single carcass : it is much below an
inteUigent person to weary himself with servUe
toUs, and distract his mind with ignoble cares, for
concernments so low and scanty : but to regard
and pursue the common good of men ; to dispense,
* 'EiriKovpos TOV ev Trdtrxeiv, rb ev iroieXv, ov povov KoXXiov aXXa
Kal tjbiov elvai (prjo-i. — Plut. de Philos. conv. cum Princ. [0pp. Tom.
m. p. 1393. Ed. Steph.]

Bounty to the Poor. 63
advise, and aid, where need requires ; to diffuse its serm.
virtue all about in beneficial effects ; these are ^"
operations worthy of reason, these are employ
ments congruous to the native exceUency of that
divine power implanted in us ; such performances
declare indeed what a man is, whence he sprang,
and whither he tends.
3 Further, examining ourselves, we may also
observe, that we are in reality, what our poor
neighbour appears to be, in many respects no less
indigent and impotent than he : we no less, yea
far more, for our subsistence depend upon the arbi
trary power of another, than he seemeth to rely
upon ours. We as defectible creatures do continu
ally want support ; we as grievous sinners do always
need mercy; every moment we are contracting
huge debts, far beyond our abUity to discharge ;
debts of gratitude for benefits received, debts of
guUt for offences committed ; we therefore perpetu-
aUy stand obliged to be craving for mercy and
relief at the gates of heaven. We aU, from prince
to peasant, live merely upon alms, and are most
reaUy in condition beggars : To pray always, is aLukexviii.
duty incumbent on us from the condition of our ''
nature, as well as by the command of God. Such
a likeness in state should therefore dispose us to
succour our feUoWS, and, Aacei'^eti' Ge^ t6v eXeov,
eXeov j^io^^oi/T-aj, To lend mercy to God, who need
mercy from him, as the good father^ speaketh. We
should, as the apostle advises and argues, Remem- Heb. xui.
her them that are in bonds, as bound with them ; ^'
and them which suffer adversity, as being ourselves
also in the body ; as being companions in necessity,
*" Greg. Naz. [Orat. XLiii. 0pp. Tom. I. p. 818 n.]

64 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. or subject to the Uke distress. If we daUy receive
^- mercy and rehef, yet, unmindful of our obligation
to God, reftise them to others, shaU we not deserve
Matt, xviii. to hear that dreadful exprobration, O thou wicked
^^'^^' servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou
desiredst me : shouldest not thou also have had com
passion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity
on thee? 4 The great incertainty and instabihty of our
condition doth also require our consideration. We,
that now flourish in a fair and fuU estate", may
soon be in the case of that poor creature, who now
sues for our rehef; we, that this day enjoy the
wealth of Job, may the morrow need his patience :
there are Sabeans, which may come, and drive
away our cattle ; there are tempests which may
arise, and smite down our houses ; there is a fire
of God, which may fall from heaven, and consume
our substance ; a messenger of aU these mischiefs
may, for all we know, be presently at our doors ;
it happened so to a better man than we, as unex
pectedly, and with as small ground to fear it, as it
can arrive to us : aU our weal is surrounded with
dangers, and exposed to casualties innumerable :
violence may snatch it from us, treachery may
cheat us of it ; mischance may seize thereon, a
secret moth may devour it ; the wisdom of Provi
dence for our trial, or its justice for our punish
ment, may bereave us thereof ; its own Ught and
fluid nature (if no other accountable causes were
apparent) might easUy serve to waft it from us ;
" Opas b' evecm Toliriv ev trKonovpevois
Tapjielv rbv ev Trpdadovra, pfj a-(pciXfj irore. —
Soph. Trachin. [296.]

Bounty to the Poor. Q5
for Riches, saith the Wise Man, make themselves serm,
wings, (they, it seems, do need no help for that,)

and fly away like as an eagle toward heaven ; that ¦^'¦°^- ^™''
is, of their own accord they do so swiftly convey
themselves away, out of our sight, and beyond our
reach ; they are but wind : What profit, says the Eccies. v.
Preacher, hath he that laboureth for the wind?
For wind ; that is, for a thing which can nowise
be fixed or settled in one corner ; which, therefore,
it is a vanity to conceive that we can surely appro
priate, or long retain. How then can we think to
stand firm upon a place so slippery 1 how can we
build any confidence on a bottom so loose and
brittle ? how can we suffer our minds to be sweUed
up like bubbles with vain conceit, by the breath of
such things, more fleeting and vertiginous than
any air ? against the precepts of the wisest and best
men : If riches increase, saith the Psalmist, set not Ps- ixii.
your heart on them : Wilt thou set thine eyes upon Prov. xxUi.
that which is not ? saith the Wise Man : (that is, ^'
wilt thou regard that which is so transitory and
evanid, that it hardly may be deemed real ; which
we can scarce look on, before it is gone ?) And,
Charge them, saith St Paul, that are rich in this i Tim. vi.
ivorld, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in
uncertain riches : {'Eirl ttKovtov aStjXoTtjTi, in the
obscurity, or inevidence of riches ; things, which
we can never plainly discern how long we shaU
keep them, how much we can enjoy them :) what
should make us unwilling, with certain advantages
to ourselves, freely to let that go, which presently
without our leave may forsake us ? How can we
reasonably judge our case much different from that
of the poorest body, whenas in a trice we may per-
B. S. VOL. I. 6

66 The Duty and Reward qf
SERM. haps change places and persons ; when, the scene
 '¦ — turning, he may be advanced unto our wealth, we
may be depressed into his want**? Since every age
yieldeth instances of some Croesus, some Poly-
crates, some Pompey, some Job, some Nebucho-
donosor, who within a smaU compass of time doth
appear to all men the object both of admiration
and pity, is to the less wise the mark both of envy
and scorn "=; seeing every day presenteth unex
pected vicissitudes, the sea of human affairs conti
nually ebbing and flowing, now rolling on this,
now on the other shore, its restless waves of profit
and credit ; since especially there is a God, who
arbitrarily disposeth things, and with a turn of his
hand changeth the state of men ; who, as the scrip-
I Sam. ii. ture saith, Maketh rich and poor, bringeth low and
Job xii. 21. Iftetli up; Pour eth contempt upon princes; Raiseth
the poor out ofthe dust, and lifteth the beggar from
the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make
them inherit the throne of glory : seeing, I say,
apparently, such is the condition of things here,
that we may soon need his pity and help, who now
requesteth ours, why should we not be very ready
to afford them to him ? Why should we not gladly
embrace our opportunity, and use our turn weU ;
becoming aforehand with others, and preventing
their reciprocal contempt or neglect of us hereafter :
Eecies. xi. Cast thy bread upon the waters ; for thou shalt find
it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and

Ps. cvii,
40, 41.
cxiii. 7.

d

Kal yap ea-xdrrjs dvolas av e'lr), coj/ Kal 'dKovres e^taraadai pe'X-
Xopev erepots, Toirav prj perabovvai eKovras rots beopevois.  ChryS.
Orat. LV. [0pp. Tom. v. p. 374.]
" Sejanus — quo die ilium Senatus deduserat, populus in frusta
divisit. — Son. de. Tranq. [cap. xi. 9.]

Bounty to the Poor. 67
also unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall serm.
be upon the earth : that is, considering the incon-  '¦ 
stancy and uncertainty of affairs here, and what
adversity may befaU thee, be Uberal upon aU occa
sions, and thou shalt (even a good whUe after) find
returns of thy liberality upon thee : so the Wise
Man advises, and so wisdom certainly dictates that
we should do.
5 And equity doth exact no less : for were
any of us in the needy man's pUght, (as easUy we
may be reduced thereto,) we should beheve our
case deserved commiseration ; we should importu
nately demand relief; we should be grievously
displeased at a repulse ; we should apprehend our
selves very hardly dealt with, and sadly we should
complain of inhumanity and cruelty, if succour
were refused to us. In aU equity therefore we
should be apt to minister the same to others ; for
nothing can be more unreasonable or unjust, than
to require or expect that from another, which in a
like case we are unwUhng to render unto him'': it
is a plain deviation from that fimdamental rule,
which is the base of aU justice, and virtuaUy the
sum, as our Saviour telleth us, of whatever is pre
scribed us : AU things whatsoever ye would that Matt. vii.
men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this
is the Law and the Prophets. I add, that upon
these considerations, by unmerciftil deahng, we put
ourselves into a very bad and tickUsh condition,
whoUy depending upon the constancy of that which
is most inconstant ; so that if our fortune do faU,
we can neither reasonably hope for, nor justly pre-
' Beneficium dare qui nescit, injuste petit. —
[Publ. Syrus. (Poet. Seen. Latin Vol. ti. p. 288. Ed. Bothe.)]
5 — 2

68 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. tend to, any reUef or comfort from others: He that

doeth good turns is mindful of that which may come
Eccius. m. ]iQ,j,Qafter ; and when he faileth, he shall find a stay.
6 We should also remember concerning our
selves, that we are mortal and frail. Were we im
mortal, or could we probably retain our possessions
for ever in our hands ; yea, could we foresee some
definite space of time, considerably long, in which
we might assuredly enjoy our stores, it might seem
somewhat excusable to scrape hard, and to hold
fast ; to do so might look hke rational providence :
^™I- but since Riches are not for ever, nor doth ihe
XXVII. 24. • ./ '
crown endure to all generations, as the Wise Man
speaketh ; since they must infaUibly be soon left,
and there is no certainty of keeping them for any
time, it is very unaccountable why we should so
James i. greodUy seek them, and hug them so fondly. The
rich man, saith St James, as the fiower of the grass,
shall pass away; it is his special doom to fade away
suddenly ; it is obvious why in many respects he
is somewhat more than others obnoxious to the
fatal stroke, and upon special accounts of justice he
may be further more exposed thereto : considering
Luke^xii. the case of the rich fool in the Gospel, we may
easUy discern them : we should reckon, that it may
happen to us as it did there to him ; that after we
have reared great barns, and Stored up much goods
for many years, our soul this very night may be
required of us : however, if it be uncertain when,
it is most certain, that after a very short time our
thread wUl be spun out ; then shaU we be rifled,
iTim.vi. and quite stript of aU ; becoming stark-naked, as
Eccies. V. when we came into the world : we shaU not carry-
Job i. 21. with us one grain of our ghstering metals, or one

Bounty to the Poor. 6Q
rag of our gaudy stuff; our stately houses, our fine serm.
gardens, and our spacious walks, must aU be ex-  '-  ¦
changed for a close hole under ground ; we must
for ever bid fareweU to our pomps and magnifi- isai. xiv.
cences, to our feasts and jollities, to our sports and
pastimes ; not one of aU our numerous and splendid
retinue, no companion of our pleasure, no admirer
of our fortune, no flatterer of our vices, can wait
upon us ; desolate and unattended we must go
down to the chambers of darkness : then shaU we
find that to die rich, as men are wont improperly
to speak, is really to die most poor ; that to have
carefully kept our money, is to have lost it utterly;
that by leaving much, we do indeed leave worse
than nothing : to have been wealthy, if we have
been iUiberal and unmerciful, wiU be no advantage
or satisfaction to us after we are gone hence ; yea,
it wiU be the cause of huge damage and bitter
regret unto us. AU our treasures wUl not procure
us any favour, or purchase one advocate for us in
that impartial world ; yea, it shall be they, which
wiU there prosecute us with clamorous accusations,
wiU bear sore testimony against us, {The rust qfja.mesv.3.
them, saith St James, shall be a witness against us, 25. ^ ^^'
signifying our unjust or uncharitable detention of^'^^'^;
them,) wiU obtain a most heaAry sentence upon us; ™^***- ^^"^•
they wiU render our audit- more difficult, and James v. 5.
inflame our reckoning; they wiU aggravate the guUt
of our sins with imputations of unfaithftilness and
ingratitude ; so with their load they wiU press us 1 Tim. vi.
deeper into perdition : to omit, that having so iU
managed them, we shaU leave them behind us as
marks of obloquy, and monuments of infamy upon
our memories ; for ordinarily of such a rich person

Job xxvii.

19; n-

70 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. it is true, that Job says of him. Men shall clap
their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his
place; like one who departs from off this stage,
after having very iU acted his part. Is it not,
therefore, inflnitely better to prevent this being
necessarily and unprofitably deprived of our goods,
by seasonably disposing them so as may conduce
to our benefit, and our comfort, and our honour^;
being very indifferent and unconcerned in our affec
tion toward them ; modest and humble in our con
ceits about them ; moderate and sober in our en
joyments of them ; contented upon any reasonable
occasion to lose or leave them ; and especiaUy most
ready- to dispense them in that best way, which
God hath prescribed, according to the exigencies
of humanity and charity ? By thus ordering our
riches, we shaU render them benefits and blessings
Luke xvi. to US ; WO shaU by them procure sure friendship
and favour, great worship and respect in the other
world ; having so lived, (in the exercise of bounty
and mercy,) we shaU truly die rich, and in effect
carry all our goods along with us, or rather we
have thereby sent them before us ; having, hke
wise merchants, transmitted and draAvn them by a
most safe conveyance into our country and home ;
where infallibly we shall find them, and with ever
lasting content enjoy them. So considering our
selves, and our state, wUl dispose us to the practice
of these duties.
v.^^Head Furthermore, if we contemplate our wealth
course. S T^j yhp ea-xdrrjs avotas ia-rlv d<i>etvai n tS>v fjperepav dvarro-
pe'ivai evraiOa, ijpav piKpbv varepov peXXovrav evreidev dnobrjpelv.
Kal yap oTrep dwoXei<p6fj ^rjpla ytverai. ndvra toIvvv eKe'i irpmep-
iria-ea, evda Kal rjpe'is bunravrbs biarpl^eiv peXXopev XowroV  Chrys.
Or. LV. 0pp. Tom. v. [p. 365.]

Bounty to the Poor. 71
itself, we may therein descry great motives to serm.
bounty.  '. 
I Thus to employ our riches is reaUy the best
use they are capable of ; not only the most inno
cent, most worthy, most plausible, but the most
safe, most pleasant, most advantageous, and conse
quently in aU respects most prudent way of dis
posing them. To keep them close without using
or enjoying them at all, is a most sottish extrava
gance, or a strange kind of madness ; a man thence
affecting to be rich quite impoverisheth himself,
dispossesseth himself of aU, and alienateth from
himself his estate'' : his gold is no more his than
when it was in the Indies, or lay hid in the mines ;
his corn is no more his than if it stood growing in
Arabia or China ; he is no more owner of his
lands than he is master of Jerusalem, or Grand
Cairo : for what difference is" there, whether dis
tance of place, or baseness of mind, sever things
from him ? whether his own heart, or another
man's hand, detain them from his use ? whether
he hath them not at aU, or hath them to no pur
pose ? whether one is a beggar out of necessity or
by choice ? is pressed to want or a volunteer there
to ? Such an one may fancy himself rich, and
others as wise as himself may repute him so : but
so distracted persons to themselves, and to one
another, do seem great princes, and style them
selves such ; with as much reason almost he might
pretend to be wise, or to be good. Riches are,
'' SKopni^opevos 6 ttXovtos, Kaff ov 6 Kvpios vrrorWeTai rpdrrov,
7re<j}VKe Trapapevetv' irvvexopevos be aXXorpiovcrdai, — Basil. M. [Horn.
in Div. 0pp. Tom. n. p. 53 a.]
Tam deest avaro, quod habet, quam quod non habet. —
[Publ. Syrns. (Poet. Seen. Lat. Vol. vi. p. 257. Ed. Bothe.)]

72 The Duty and Reward of
serm. Xprnara, things, whoso nature consists in useful-
 '¦  ness' ; abstract that, they become nothing, things
of no consideration or value ; he that hath them is
no more concerned in them than he that hath them
not : it is the art and skUl to use affluence of
things wisely and nobly, which makes it wealth,
and constitutes him rich that hath it ; otherwise
the chests may be crammed, and the barns stuffed
fuU, whUe the man is miserably poor and beg
garly'' : it is in this sense true, which the Wise
Prov. xiii. IVTau says. There is that maketh himself rich, yet
hath nothing. But the very having riches (wUl
such a man say) is matter of reputation ; men do
esteem and honour him that hath them. True, if
he knows how, and hath the mind to use them
well : otherwise aU the credit they yield consists in
making their master ridiculous to wise men, and
infamous among all men. But, putting case that
any should be so fooUsh as to respect us merely for
seeming rich, why should we accommodate our
practice to their vain opimon, or be base ourselves,
because others are not wise ? But, however, (may
he say again,) it is a pleasant thing to see them ;
a heap of gold is the most lovely spectacle that one
can behold ; it does a man's heart good to view an
abundance of good things about him. For this
plea, indeed, he hath a good author : this, it should
seem, was aU the benefit the Wise Man observed
Eccies. V. in them accrumg to such persons : What good,
saith he, is there to the owners thereof, saving the
^ Kal yap ^PW^™ Sta toOto Xeyerat, oix Iva Karopi^apev, aXX'
iva els beov airots xpv<r<ip^da. — Chrys. in Matt. Hom. xlix. [0pp.
Tom. n. p. 316.]
^ Desunt inopise multa, avaritise omnia. —
[Publ. Syrus. apud] Sen. Epist. cviii. [9.]

Bounty to the Poor. 73
beholding of them with their eyes? But if this be serm.
aU they are good for, it is, one would think, a very  '- 
slim benefit they afford, little able to balance the
pain and care requisite to the acquist and custody
of them ; a benefit indeed not proper to the pos
sessor ; for any one may look on them as weU as
he, or on the Uke ; any one at pleasure may enjoy
better sights ; aU the riches and ornaments of
nature, the glorious splendours of heaven, and the
sweet beauties of the field, are exposed to common
view ; the choicest magnificences and gallantries of
the world do studiously present themselves to every
man's eye ; these in part every man truly may
appropriate to himself; and by imagination any
man can as weU take all that he sees for his own,
as the tenacious miser doth fancy his dear pelf to
be his. But mine heir (perhaps he wiU further say)
wiU thank me, wUl praise me, wiU bless me for my
great care and providence. If he doth, what is
that to thee ? Nothing of that wUl concern thee,
or can reach thee ; thou shalt not hear what he
says, or feel any good from what he does : and
most probably thou art mistaken in thy opinion
concerning him ; as thou Knowest not who he shaU Ps. xxxbc.
be, that shall gather all thou heapest up, or Shall Ecciea. u.
rule over all thy labour, (whether he shall be a wise '^'
man or a fool, a kinsman or a stranger, a friend or
a foe,) so thou canst as Uttle guess what he wiU
think or say : if he hath wit, he may sweetly laugh
at thee for thy fond wisdom ; if he hath none, his
commendations wiU httle adorn thy memory ; he
wUl to thy disgrace spend what thou leavest, as
vainly as thou didst get or keep it. But (this to

74 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. be sure he wiU in the end say for himself) money
 '¦ — is a good reserve against necessary occasions, or
bad times that may come ; against a time of old
age, of sickness, of adversity; it is the surest
friend a man can have in such cases, which, when
Prov. ^. aU faUs, wiU be ready to help him : The rich
mans wealth is his strong city : the Wise Man, he
thinks, never spake more wisely ; he therefore wUl
not dismantle this fortress, but wUl keep it weU
stored, letting therefore his wealth he dead and
useless by him. But (to let pass now the profane
infidelity of this plea, excluding all hope in God,
and substituting our providence in the room of his)
what a foUy is it thus to anticipate evU, and to
create to ourselves a present adversity from a sus
picion of one future ; to pinch ourselves now,
lest we should suffer hereafter ; to pine to-day,
because we can imagine it possible that we may
starve to-morrow ; to forego certain occasions of
enjoying our goods, for that perchance the like
occasions may happen one day, we know not when ;
not to use things now, when reason bids us, be
cause they may be useful at another time ! Not
considering also, that many intervenient accidents,
more probably than a moderate and handsome use
of our wealth, may crop the excrescences thereof
2 But setting aside these absurd excuses of
penuriousness, we may consider, that, secluding
the good use of them in beneficence, riches are
very impertinent, very cumbersome, very danger
ous, very mischievous things; either superfluous
toys, or troublesome clogs, or treacherous snares,
or rather aU these in combination, productive of
trouble, sorrow, and sin. A smaU pittance wiU

Bounty to the Poor. 75
and must suffice, to aU reasonable purposes, to serm.
satisfy our necessities, to procure conveniences, to  '. 
yield innocent deUght and ease : our nature doth
not require, nor can bear much : {Take heed and Lukexii.
beware of covetousness, saith our Lord ; for a man's i Tim. vi.
life consisteth not in the abundance of the things
which he possesseth ; that is, a man may Uve well
without it :) aU the rest, setting beneficence apart,
can only serve vanity or vice, will make us reaUy
fools and slaves'. {They that will be rich, saith the i Tim. vi.
apostle, fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in
destruction and perdition.) They puff up our
minds with vain and false conceits ; making us, as
if we were in a dream or phrensy, to take our
selves for other persons, more great, more wise,
more good, more happy than we are ; for con
stantly, as the Wise Man observed. The rich man is Prov.
wise in his own conceit ; Great men are not always job"xxxii.
wise. And Agur thus intimates in his prayer, 9-
Remove far from me vanity and lies ; give me nei- Prov. xxx.
ther poverty nor riches. They render us insensible
a;nd forgetful of God, of ourselves, of piety and
virtue, of aU that is good and worthy of us ; {Lest Prov. xxx
/ be full, said that good man again, assigning a
reason why he deprecated being rich, and deny
thee, and say. Who is the Lord ?) they swaUow up Matt. vi.
our thoughts, our affections, our endeavours, ourEcdus.
time and leisure, possessing our hearts with a ^^^j '^^
doting love unto them, (excluding other good '^'^¦
affections,) distracting our minds with anxious
Corporis exigua desideria sunt ; frigus submovere vult, ali-
mentis famem ac sitim extinguere ; quicquid extra concupiscitur,
vitiis, non usibus, laboratur. — Sen. Consol. ad Helv. [cap. ix. 9.]

76 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. cares about them, (choking other good thoughts,)
encumbering aU our life with business about them.

^T^^'i^'' (inconsistent with due attention to our other more
Jam weighty and necessary concernments,) filling our
Luke xvi. heads with suspicions and fears, piercing our hearts
with troubles and sorrows ; they immerse our souls
in aU the foUies of pride, in aU the filths of luxury,
in all the mischiefs emergent from sloth and stu-
I Tim. vi. pidity ; they are The root of all evils unto us, and
Matt. xix. the greatest obstructions of our true happiness,
^^' '^'^' rendering salvation almost impossible, and heaven
in a manner inaccessible to us : so that to be rich
(if severed from a sober mind, and a free heart) is a
great disease, and the source of many grievous dis
tempers both of body and mind; from which we
cannot well otherwise secure or rescue ourselves,
than by liberaUy spending them in works of bounty
and mercy ; so shaU we ease ourselves of the bur
dens", so shaU we elude the temptations, so shall
we abandon the vices, and so shall we escape aU
the sad mischiefs incident to them : thus to use
wealth shall turn it into a convenience, and an
ornament of our hves, into a considerable blessing,
and a ground of much comfort to us. Excluding
this use of wealth, or abstracting a capacity of
doing good theremth, nothing is more pitiful and
despicable than it ; it is but Uke the load or the
trappings of an ass : a wise man on that condition
would not choose it, or endure to be pestered with
it ; but would serve it as those philosophers did,
who flung it away, that it might not disturb their
contemplations : 'tis the power it affords of benefit-
™ 'A7ro(j)6pncrai n rijs vijbs, iva nXerjs Kov(f)6Tepos. — Greg. Naz.
[Orat. XXXVI. 0pp. Tom. i. p. 642 e.]

Bounty to the Poor. 77
ing men, which only can season and ingratiate it serm.
to the relish of such a person : otherwise it is evi

dently true, which the Wise Man affirms. Better is Pi-qv. xv.
a little with the fear ofthe Lord, than great treasure,
and trouble therewith.
3 Again ; we may consider, that to dispense
our wealth hberaUy is the best way to preserve it,
and to continue masters thereof ; what we give is
not thrown away, but saved from danger": while
we detain it at home (as it seems to us) it reaUy is
abroad, and at adventures ; it is out at sea, saiUng
perilously in storms, near rocks and shelves, amongst
pirates; nor can it ever be safe, till it is brought
into this port, or ensured this way : when we have
bestowed it on the poor, then we have lodged it in
unquestionable safety; in a place where no rapine,
no deceit, no mishap, no corruption can ever by any
means come at it". All our doors and bars, aU our
forces and guards, aU the circumspection and vigi-
lancy we can use, are no defence or security at all in
comparison to this disposal thereof: the poor man's
stomach is a granary for our corn, which never can
be exhausted; the poor man's back is a wardrobe
for our clothes, which never can be pUlaged; the
° M^ 8^ vopi^e TTjv iXerjpoa-vvtjV avdXtopa ehai, dXXa irpdaobov,
prjbe boTrdvrjv, dXXa Trpaypareiav. Mel^a yap Xapfidveis, 7 blbcos. &c. 
Chrys. Orat. xxxni. 0pp. Tom. v. p. 208.
° Mrj Tolwv ^eibcopeOa xpitp^rav, paiXXov be (jjetbdpeda rav xpV
pdrcov. 'O yap ^eibopevos r&v Svrav, els ras rav rrevfjTtov x^^pas,
aira ivaironBeTai, els rbv aavXov Brjtravpbv, Koi XrjOTats Kal olKerais Kal
o-VKO^dvrais KOKovpyois kcu irdcrais e(j)6bois dvaXoDTOV. — Id. Orat. LV.
[0pp. Tom. v. p. 373.]
Multi sancti et sanctse omni modo caventes, ipsas velut matrcs
deliciarum divitias dispergendo pauperibus abjecerunt, et tali modo
in coelestibus thesauris tutius condiderunt. — Aug. [Ep. cxxx. (ad
Probam.) 0pp. Tom. 11. col. 385 e.]

78 The Duty atid Reward of
serm. poor man's pocket is a bank for our money, which
 '- — never can disappoint or deceive us: aU the rich
traders in the world may decay and break ; but the
poor man can never fail, except God himself turn
bankrupt ; for what we give to the poor, we deUver
and intrust in his hands, out of which no force can
wring it, no craft can filch it; it is laid up in heaven,
whither no thief can climb, where no moth or rust
do abide. In despite of aU the fortune, of all the
might, of aU the malice in the world, the liberal
man wiU ever be rich : for God's providence is his
estate ; God's wisdom and power are his defence ;
God's love and favour are his reward; God's word
Prov. is his assurance ; who hath said it, that He which
^""' ' giveth to the poor shall not lack : no vicissitude
therefore of things can surprise him, or find him
unfurnished ; no disaster can impoverish him ; no
adversity can overwhelm him ; he hath a certain
reserve against all times and occasions : he that
Isai. xxxii. Dcviscth liberal things, by liberal things shall he
stand, saith the prophet. But, on the other hand,
being niggardly is the likeliest course we can take
to lose our wealth and estate ; we thereby expose
them to danger, and leave them defenceless ; we
subject them to the envious eye, to the slanderous
tongue, to the ravenous and insidious hand ; we
deprive them of divine protection, which if it be
Ps. cxxvii. away, Tlie watchman waketh but in vain : we pro-
^' voke God irrecoverably to take it from us, as he
did the talent from that unprofitable servant, who
did not use it well. We do indeed thereby yield
God just cause of war and enmity against us ; which
being, Omnia dat qui justa negat; we do forfeit aU to
divine justice, by denying that portion which belongs

Bounty to the Poor. 79
to him, and which he claims. Can we hope to live serm.
in quiet possession of any thing, if we refuse to  '¦ —
pay our due tributes and taxes imposed upon us by
our almighty Sovereign ; if we live in such rebel
Uon against his authority, such violation of his
right, such diffidence to his word ? No : He that ^g™"^' ^^•
trusteth in his riches shall fall ; but the righteous
shall flourish as a branch : such is the difference
between the covetous and the liberal, in point of
Security and success concerning their estate.
Even according to the human and ordinary way
of esteeming things, (abstracting from the special
providence of God,) the hberal person hath, in con
sequence of his bounty, more real security for his
wealth, than this world hath any other : he thereby
gets an interest in the gratitude and affection of
those whom he obligeth, together with the good-
wiU and respect of aU men, who are spectators of
his virtuous and generous dealing : the hearts and
memories of men are repositories to him of a trea
sure, which nothing can extort from him, or defraud
him of If any mischance should arrive, or any
want come near him, aU men would be ready to
commiserate him, every man would hasten to his
succour. As when a haughty, a greedy, or a grip^
pie man do faU into calamity or disgrace, scarce
any one regardeth or pitieth him^: fortune, de
serting such a person, carries aU with it, few or
none stick to him ; his most zealous flatterers are
commonly the first that forsake him; contempt
and neglect are the only adherents to his condition;
P Miraris, cum tu argento post omnia ponas.
Si nemo prsestet, quem non merearis, amorem? —
Hor.-Sat. I. i. [86.]

80 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. that of the Wise Man appears verified, He that
 '- — hideth his eyes from the poor shall have many a
xx^. 27. cttrse. So the courteous and bountiful person,
when fortune seems to frown on him, hath a sure
refuge in the good-will and esteem of men; aU
men, upon the accounts of honour and honesty,
take themselves to be concerned in his case, and
engaged to favour him; even those, who before
were strangers, become then his friends, and in
effect discover their affection to him; it, in the
common judgment of people, appears an indignity
and a disgrace to mankind, that such a man should
want or suffer.
4 Nay further, we may consider, that exer
cising bounty is the most advantageous method of
improving and increasing an estate ; but that being
tenacious and iUiberal doth tend to the diminution
and decay thereof The way to obtain a great
increase is, to sow much : he that sows httle, how
can he expect a good crop? It is as true in spiri-
Gai. vi. 7, tual husbandry, as in the other ; that Wliat a man
soweth, that he shall reap, both in kind and accord
ing to proportion: so that great husbandman St
2 Cor. ix. Paul assureth us. He that soweth sparingly shall
reap sparingly; but he that soweth bount fully shall
also reap bountifully: and Solomon means the
Prov. xi. same, when he saith. To him that soweth righteous
ness shall be a sure reward. The way to gain
abundantly is, you know well, to trade boldly; he
that wUl not adventure any thing considerable,
Prov. iii. how can he think of a large return? Honour the
Lord with thy substance, so shall thy barns be filled
with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new
wine. 'Tis so likewise in the evangelical negotia-

8,

18.

9, 10.

Bounty to the Poor. ^ 81
tions; if we put out much upon score of conscience serm.
or charity, we shall, be sure to profit much. Libe-  '¦ —
rality is the most beneficial traffic that can be ; it is
bringing our wares to the best market ; it is letting
out our money into the best hands; we thereby
lend our money to God, who repays with vast
usury ; an hundred to one is the rate he aUows at
present, and above a hundred mUlions to one he
wiU render hereafter; so that if you will be mer
chants this way, you shaU be sure to thrive, you
cannot faU to grow rich most easUy and speedUy:
The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that Prov. xi.
vjatereth shall be watered himself: this is that
which St Paul again argues upon, when, com
mending the PhUippians' free kindness toward
him, he says. Not because L desire a gift, bid L pm. iv.
desire fruit that may abound to your account.
Bounty yields Y^apirov liKeovaXovTa, a fruit that
multiplies, and abundantly turns to good account;
it indeed procuring God's benediction, the fountain
of aU desirable plenty and prosperity; for The 'p^oy.x.
blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth
no sorrow with it. It is therefore the greatest want
of poUcy, the worst Ul-husbandry and unthriftiness
that can be, to be sparing this way ; he that useth
it cannot be thriving; he must spend upon the
main stock, and may be sure to get nothing con
siderable. God ordinarUy so proceeds, as to recom
pense and retaliate men in the same kind, wherein
they endeavour to please him, or presume to offend
him ; so that for them who freely offer him their
goods, he in regard thereto will prosper their deal
ings, and bless their estates : {For this very thing Deut. xv.
the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, ' '
B. S. VOL. L 6

82 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto, says
.  '. — Moses :) but they who wUl not lay out any thing
Ps. bodii. for him, he wiU not concern himself in their success
17. otherwise than to cross it, or, which is worse, to
curse it ; for if he seem to favour them for a time
with some prosperity in their affairs, their con
dition is much worse thereby, their account wUl
be more grievous, and their fate more disastrous
in the end.
5 Further, the contributing part of our goods
to the poor wUl qualify us to enjoy the rest with
satisfaction and comfort. The oblation of these
first-fruits, as it wiU sanctify the whole lump of
our estate, so it will sweeten it; having offered this
weU-pleasing sacrifice of piety, having discharged
this debt of justice, having paid this tribute of
gratitude, our hearts being at rest, and our con
science weU satisfied, we shall, like those good peo-
Acta ii. 4(5. pie in the Acts, Eat our meat with gladness and
singleness of heart; to see the poor man by our
means accommodated, eased, and refreshed, wiU
give a delicious relish to aU our enjoyments. But
withholding his portion from the poor, as it wiU
poUute and profane all our estate, so it will render
the fruition thereof sour or unsavoury to us: for
can we with any content taste our dainties, or view
our plenties, whUe the poor man stands in sight
pining with hunger '*? Can we without regret see
our waUs clothed vdth tapestry, our horses decked
with golden trappings, our attendants strutting in

q

Eyyif d TrevtjS, rfj voa-a ^o^6rja-ov els tovtov anepev^al n rav
Trepirrav. Ti Kal av Kapveis aTrenratv, Kal ovtos ireivwv ; Kal aii Kpai'
rraXdi,, Kal oStos vbepiav ; Kal aii Kopm Kopov ^apvpcov, Kal ovtos nepi-
rpempevos v6aa ;_Greg. Naz. [Orat. xxxvi. 0pp. Tom. i. p. 643 a.]

Bounty to the Poor. 83
wanton gaiety, whUe our honest poor brother ap- serm.
pears half naked, and trembling with cold? Can  ^'

we carry on one finger enough to furnish ten poor
people with necessaries, and have the heart within
us, without shame and displeasure, to see them
want? No; the sense of our impiety and ingrati
tude toward God, of our inhumanity and unwor
thiness toward our neighbour, wiU not faU (if ever
we considerately reflect on our behaviour) to sting
us with cruel remorse and self-condemnation; the
clamours of want and misery surrounding us wUl
pierce our ears, and wound our hearts; the frequent
objects of pity and mercy, do what we can to ban
ish them from our prospect or regard, will so assaU,
and so pursue us, as to disturb the freedom of our
enjoyments, to quash the briskness of our mirth,
to aUay the sweetness of our pleasure ; yea, rather,
if stupidity and obduration have not seized on us,
to imbitter aU unto us; we shaU feel that true,
which Zophar speaks of the cruel and covetous
oppressor. Surely he shall not feel quietness in his Job xx.
belly — he shall not rejoice in his substance — in the ' ' ^°' ^^'
fulness of his sufflciency he shall be in straits.
6 I shaU touch but one consideration more,
persuasive of this practice ; it is this : The peculiar
nature of our reUgion speciaUy requires it, and the
honour thereof exacts it from us; nothing better
suits Christianity, nothing more graces it, than
liberaUty; nothing is more inconsistent therewith,
or more disparageth it, than being miserable and
sordid. A Christian niggard is the veriest non
sense that can be; for what is a Christian? what,
but a man, who adores God alone, who loves God
above aU things, who reposes aU his trust and con-
6 — 2

84 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. fidence in God? What is he, but one who under-
I. . .
 '- — taketh to imitate the most good and bountiful
God; to foUow, as the best pattern of his practice,
the most benign and charitable Jesus, the Son of
God ; to obey the laws of God, and his Christ, the
sum and substance of which is charity ; half whose
religion doth consist in loving his neighbour as
himself? What is he, further, but one who hath
renounced this world, with all the vain pomps and
pleasures of it ; who professes himself in disposition
and affection of mind to forsake all things for
Christ's sake; who pretends little to value, affect,
or care for any thing under heaven; having aU his
main concernments and treasures, his heart, his
hopes, and his happiness, in another world ? Such
is a Christian. And what is a niggard ? AU things
quite contrary: one, whose practice manifestly
shews him to worship another thing beside and
before God; to love Mammon above God, and
more to confide in it, than in him ; one who bears
small good-will, kindness, or pity toward his bro
ther ; who is little affected or concerned with things
future or celestial ; whose mind and heart are riveted _,
to this world; whose hopes and happinesses are
settled here below ; whose soul is deeply immersed
and buried in earth; one who, according to con
stant habit, notoriously breaketh the two great
Lukex. heads of Christian duty. Loving God with all his
heart, and his neighbour as himself; it is therefore,
by comparing those things, very plam, that we
pretend to reconcUe gross contradictions and incon
sistencies, if we profess ourselves to be Christians,
and are iUiberal. It is indeed the special grace
and glory of our religion, that it consisteth not in

Bounty to the Poor. 85
barren speculations, or empty formahties, or for- serm.
ward professions ; not in fancying curiously, or  '. 
speaking zealously, or looking demurely; but in
really producing sensible fruits of goodness; in
doing, as St Paul signifies, Things good and profit- Tit. iii. 8.
able unto men, such as those chiefly are, of which
we speak. The most gracious wisdom of God hath
so modeUed our reUgion, that according to it piety
and charity are the same thing; that we can never
express ourselves more dutiful toward him, or bet
ter please him, or more truly glorify him, than
when we are kind and good to our poor brother.
We grossly mistake, if we take giving of alms to
be a Jewish or Popish practice, suitable to chUdren
and duUards in religion, beneath so refined, so
improved, so loftUy spiritual gaUants as we : No,
'tis a duty most properly and most highly Christian,
as none more, a most goodly fruit of grace, and a
most faithfiU mark thereof: By the experiment of"^ cJor. ix.
this ministration, we, as St Paul saith, glorify God
for our professed subjection unto the Gospel of
Christ, and for our liberal distribution unto our
brethren and unto all men: without it our faith is
dead and senseless, our high attainments are fond
presumptions, our fine notions and dehcate spiritu
alities are in truth but siUy dreams, the issues of a
proud and ignorant fancy: he that appears hard
hearted and close-fisted towards his needy brother,
let him think or caU himself what he pleaseth, he
plainly is no Christian, but a blemish, a reproach,
and a scandal to that honourable name.
7 To all these considerations and reasons
inducing to the practice of this kind of charity, I

86 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. might subjom examples, and set before you the
 ^ — fairest copies that can be imagined thereof We
have for it the pattern of God himself, who is infi-
James i. 5, nitely munificent and merciful ; From whom every
Acts xvii. good and perfect gift descendeth ; Who giveth life,
and breath, and all things unto all; Who giveth
liberally, and upbraideth not. We have the ex-
¦2 Cor. viii. ample of the Son of God, who out of pure charity
did freely part with the riches and glories of eter
nity, voluntarily embracing extreme poverty and
want for our sake, that we who were poor might
be enriched, we that were miserable might become
Acts X. 38. happy ; who Went about doing good, spent aU his
life in painful dispensation of beneficence, and
reheving the needs of men in every kind. We
have the blessed patriarchs to follow, who at God's
pleasure and caU did readily leave their country,
their friends, their goods, and aU they had. We
have the practice of the holy apostles, who freely
Matt. xix. Let go all to follow their Lord ; who cheerfuUy sus
tained aU sorts of losses, disgraces, and pains, for
promoting the honour of God, and procuring good
unto men : we have to move and encourage us
hereto the first and best Christians, most ftdl of
Acta iv. 34, grace and holy zeal, who So many as were possess
ors of lands and houses, did sell them, and did im
part the price of them to the community, so that
there was none poor among them, and that distribu
tion was made to every one as he had need. We
have all the saints and eminent servants of God in
aU times, who have been high and wonderful in the
performance of these duties. I could tell you of
the blessed martyr St Cyprian, who was liberal by

Bounty to the Poor. 87
wholesale, bestowing all at once a fair estate on serm.
God and the poor'' ; of the renowned bishop St  '. —
Basil, who constantly waited on the sick, and
kissed their sores ^; of the most pious confessor St
Martin, who having but one coat left, and seeing
a poor man that wanted clothes, tore it in two
pieces, and gave one to that poor man*: and many
like instances out of authentic history might be
produced, apt to provoke our imitation. I might
also, to beget emulation and shame in us, represent
exemplary practices of humanity and charity even
in Jews, Mahometans, and pagans, (such as in
these cold days might pass for more than ordinary
among us ;) but I shaU only propound one present
and sensible example ; that of this noble city,
whose pubhc bounty and charity in all kinds (in
education of orphans, in curing the diseased both
in body and mind, in provision for the poor, in
relieving aU sorts of necessities and miseries) let
me earnestly entreat and exhort us aU for God's
sake, as we are able, by our private charity to imi
tate, to encourage, and to assist ; let us do this so
much the more wUlingly and freely, as the sad
circumstances of things, by God's judgments
brought upon us, do plainly require, that the public
charity itself (lying under so great impediments,
' Pontius in vit. Cypr. [Distractis rebus suis ad indigentiam
pauperum sustentandam, tota prsedia pretio dispensans, duo bona
simul junxit, &c. — Inter 0pp. Cypr. col. cxxxvi.]
° Greg. Naz. [Aia tovto, ovbi roXs x«»'Xe(rt!' dinj^lov npav ttjv
voaoy. — Orat. XLHI. 0pp. Tom. I. p. 818 D.]
' Sulp. Sever, [de Vit. B. Mart. cap. iii. p. 303. Ohvium
habet in porta Ambianensium civitatis pauperem nudum 
nihil prseter chlamyden qua indutus erat, habebat  Arrepto
itaque ferro, quo accinctus erat, mediam dividit, partemque ejus
pauperi tribuit, reliqua rursus induitur.]

88 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. discouragements, and distresses) should be sup-
 '¦ — ported, supplied, and reUeved by particular liberal
ity. No words that I can devise will be so apt to
affect and move you, as the case itself, if you please
to consider it : hear it therefore speaking, and, I
pray, with a pious and charitable disposition of
mind attend thereto :
A true report, &c.
For this excellent pattern of pious bounty and
mercy, let us heartUy thank Almighty God ; let us
humbly implore God's blessing on the future ma
nagement of it ; let us pay due respects to the
worthy promoters thereof, and pray for rewards
upon them, answerable to their charitable care and
industry employed therein ; let us also according
to our abUity perform our duty in following and
ftirthering it : for encouragement to which practice,
give me leave briefly to reflect upon the latter part
of my text ; which represents some instances of
the felicity proper to a bountiful person, or some
rewards pecuUar to the exercising the duties of
bounty and mercy.
The first is, His righteousness endureth for ever.
These words are capable of various senses, or of
divers respects ; they may import, that the fame
and remembrance of his bounty is very durable, or
that the effects thereof do lastingly continue, or
that eternal rewards are designed thereto ; they
may respect the bountiful man himself, or his pos
terity here ; they may simply relate to an endur
ance in God's regard and care ; or they may with
that also comprehend a continuance in the good
memory and honourable mention of men. Now in
truth, according to aU these interpretations, the

Bounty to the Poor. 89
bountiful man's righteousness doth endure for ever, serm.
that is, very lastingly, (or so long as the special  '¦ —
nature of the case doth bear,) in any sense ; or for
an absolute perpetuity in some sense : the words
in their plenitude do naturally and without strain
ing involve so many truths ; none of which there
fore we think fit to exclude, but shaU briefly touch
them all.
I As for future reputation and fame, (which,
that it in part is intended here, that which pre
cedes, The righteous shall be had in everlasting re- Ps. cxii. 6.
membrance, doth argue,) it is evident that it pecu-
Harly attends upon this practice : the bountiful
person is especially that Just man, whose memory Prov. x. 7.
is blessed, (is Mer' eyKwfjilwv, as the Greek renders
it ; that is, is prosecuted with commendations and
praises). No spices can so embalm a man, no
monument can so preserve his name and memory,
as works of beneficence ; no other fame is compar
ably so precious, or truly glorious, as that which
grows from thence : the renown of power and
prowess, of wit or learning, of any wisdom or skiU,
may dweU in the fancies of men with some admi
ration : but the remembrance of bounty reigns in
their hearts with cordial esteem and affection ;
there erecting immoveable trophies over death and
oblivion, and thence spreading itself through the
tongues of men with sincere and sprightly com
mendations. The bountiful man's very dust is
fragrant, and his grave venerable ; his name is
never mentioned without respect ; his actions have
always these best echoes, with innumerable itera
tions resounding after them : His goods shall be eccIus.
established, and the congregation shall declare his ^^'' ' ''

90 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. alms. This was a true friend to mankind ; this
 ^ — was a real benefactor to the world; this was a man
good in earnest, and pious to good purpose.
2 The effects of his righteousness are hkewise
very durable : when he is departed hence, and in
person is no more seen, he remains visible and
sensible in the footsteps and fruits of his goodness ;
the poor stUl beholds him present in the subsistence
of himself and his famUy; the sick man feels him
in the refreshment which he yet enjoys by his pro
vision; he supervives in the heart of the afflicted
which stUl resents the comfort, and rejoices in the
ease, which he procured him; aU the world de
rives benefit from him by the edification it receiv
eth from his example; reUgion obtaineth profit
and ornament, God himself enjoy eth glory and
praise from his righteousness.
3 His righteousness also endureth in respect
to his posterity. It is an usual plea for tenacity
and parsimony, that care must be had of posterity,
that enough must be provided and laid up for the
famUy : but in truth this is a very absurd excuse ;
and doing according thereto is a very preposterous
method of proceeding toward that end ; it is reaUy
the greatest improvidence in that respect, and the
truest neglect that can be of our chUdren : for so
doing, together with a seeming estate, we entaU a
real curse upon them : we divest them of God's
protection and benediction, (the only sure preser
vatives of an estate ;) we leave them heirs of no
thing so much as of punishments due to our ingra
titude, our infideUty, our impiety and injustice
both toward God and man : whereas by UberaUy
bestowmg on the poor, we demise unto them God's

Bounty to the Poor. 91
blessing, which is the best inheritance ; we recom- serm.
mend them to God's special care, which is the best  '- —
tuition ; we leave them God's protection and pro
vidence, which are a wealth indefectible and inex
haustible ; we constitute God their guardian, who
wiU most faithfuUy manage, and most wisely im
prove their substance, both that which we leave to
them, and that which we gave for them to the
poor ; we thereby in good part entitle them to the
rewards appropriate to our pious charity, our faith,
our gratitude, our self-denial, our justice, to what
ever of good is virtuaUy contained in our acts of
bounty ; to omit the honour and good-wiU of men,
which constantly adhere to the bountiful man's
house and famUy. A good man leaveth an inhe- Prov. xUi.
ritance to his children's children. It is therefore
expressly mentioned in Scripture as a recompense
pecuUar to this virtue, that security from want
and aU happiness do attend the posterity of the
bountifiil person : He is ever merciful and lendeth, ^^- xxxvii.
and his seed is blessed, saith David of him gener
aUy : and David also particularly observed, that
in aU the course of his long Ufe he could find no
exception to the rule : I have been young, and now Ps. xxxvii.
am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, '^^'
nor his seed begging their bread.
4 His righteousness also endureth for ever in the
perpetual favour of God, and in the eternal rewards
which God wiU confer upon him, who, out of con
science and reverence toward God, out of good-wUl
and kindness toward his brother, hath dispersed,
and given to the poor. God will not, as the apostle Heb. vi.
saith, be unjust to forget his labour of charity in
ministering to his poor brother : from the seed

92 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. which he hath sown to the Spirit, he shaU assuredly
- reap a most plentiful crop of blessings spiritual ; he

I TJm.^'vi.' shaU effectuaUy enjoy The good foundation that he
'5- hath stored up: for the goods he hath sold and
Matt. xiii. delivered, he shaU bona fide receive his bargain, the
Hidden treasure and Precious pearl of eternal hfe ;
for this best improvement of his talent of worldly
Matt. XXV. riches, he shaU hear the Euge bone serve, Well
done, good and faithful servant, enter into thy
master's joy : he shaU at last find God infinitely
more bountUul to him, than he hath been unto
the poor.
Thus when aU the flashes of sensual pleasure are
quite extinct ; when all the flowers of secular glory
are withered away; when aU earthly treasures are
buried in darkness ; when this world and aU the
fashion of it are utterly vanished and gone, the
bountiful man's state will stiU be firm and flourish
ing, and His righteousness shall endure for ever.
It foUows, His horn shall be exalted with honour.
A hom is an emblem of power; for in it the beasts'
strength, offensive and defensive, doth consist; and
of plenty, for it hath within it a capacity apt to con-
I Sam. xvi. tain what is put into it ; and of sanctity, for that in
I kings i. it was put the holy oil, with which kings were con-
^^' secrated ; and of dignity, both in consequence upon
the reasons mentioned, (as denoting might, and
influence, and sacredness accompanying sovereign
dignity,) and because also it is an especial beauty
and ornament to the creature which hath it; so
that this expression {His horn shall be exalted with
honour) may be supposed to import, that an abun
dance of high and holy, of firm and soUd honour
shall attend upon the bountiful person. And that

so it truly shaU, may from many considerations serm.

Bounty to the Poor. 93
•uly sh
appear. I Honour is inseparably annexed thereto, as
its natural companion and shadow. God hath im
pressed upon aU virtue a majesty and a beauty,
which do command respect, and with a kindly vio
lence extort veneration frem men : such is the
natural constitution of our souls, that as our sense
necessarily liketh what is fair and sweet, so our
mind unavoidably wiU esteem what is virtuous and
worthy; aU good actions as such are honourable:
but of all virtues, beneficence doth with most un
questionable right claim honour, and with irresisti
ble force procures it ; as it is indeed the most divine
of virtues, so men are most apt to venerate them,
whom they observe eminently to practise it. Other
virtues men see, and approve as goodly to the
sight; but this they taste and feel; this by most
sensible experience they find to be pleasant and
profitable, and cannot therefore but highly prize it".
They, who Do their alms before men, although out Matt. vi.
of an unworthy vain-glorious design, have yet, as ''
our Saviour intimates, their reward ; they fail not
to get honour thereby ; and even so have no bad
pennyworth : for, in the Wise Man's judgment, A ^^ov. xxii.
good name is rather to be chosen than great riches;
they receive at least fine air, for gross earth ; and
things very spiritual, for things most material; they
obtain that which every man doth naturaUy desire
and prize, for that which only fashion in some
places endeareth and commendeth : they get the
end for the means; for scarce any man seeketh
" ^iXoCvTat be ax^bbv paXiara oi eXevdepioi tSiv drr dpeTfjs- d^eXi-
poi yap, TOVTO b' iv rfj boaei. — Arist. [Eth. IV. 1, 11.]

94 The Duty and Reward of
SERM. wealth for itself, but either for honour", or for vir-
 tue's sake, that he may Uve creditably, or may do
good therewith : necessity is served with a httle,
pleasure may be satisfied with a competence ; abun
dance is required only to support honour or promote
good; and honour by a natural connection adhereth
Prov. xxi. to bounty. He that followeth after righteousness
and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
2 But further, an accession of honour, accord
ing to gracious promise, (grounded upon somewhat
of special reason, of equity and decency in the
thing itself,) is due from God unto the bountiful
person, and is by special providence surely conferred
on him. There is no kind of piety, or instance of
obedience, whereby God himself is more signaUy
honoured, than by this. These are chiefly those
Matt. V, Good works, the which men seeing, are apt to glo-
Phii. i. ii.rify our Father which is in heaven; Being filled
with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Christ
Jesus to the glory and praise of God. To these
fruits that is most apphcable which our Lord saith,
Jdtmxy.s. Hereby is my Father glorified, if ye bear much
Prov. xiv. fruit; for as He that oppresseth the poor reproach-
eth his Maker; so he honour eth him, that hath mercy
on the poor. The comfortable experience of good
in this sort of actions wiU most readUy dispose men
to admire and commend the excellency, the wis
dom, the goodness of the divine laws, wUl therefore
procure God hearty praise and thanks for them : for,
2 Cor. ix. as St Paul teacheth us. The administration of this
service not only supplieth the want of the saints,
but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto
^ At yap bwaaretai Kal o ttXovtos bia rrjV nprjv ianv aipeTa,—
Id. [Ibid. IV. 3, 18.]

Bounty to the Poor. 95
God; whilst by experiment of this ministration, they serm.
glorify God for your professed subjection unto the  '¦ —
Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution
unto them, and unto all men. Since then God is
so pecuUarly honoured by this practice, it is but
equal and fit that God should remunerate it with
honour : God's noble goodness wUl not let him seem
defective in any sort of beneficial correspondence
toward us ; we shaU never be able to yield him any
kind of good thing in duty, which he wiU not be
more apt to render us in grace ; they who, as Solo
mon speaketh. Honour God with their substance, Prov. ill.
shaU by God certainly be honoured with his bless
ing : reason intimates so much, and we beside have
God's express word for it : Them, saith he, who ' Sam. ii.
honour me, I will honour. He that absolutely and
independently is the fountain of aU honour. From i chron.
whom, as good king David saith, riches and honour
cometh, for that he reigneth over all, he wiU assur
edly prefer and dignify those who have been at
special care and cost to advance his honour. He
that hath the Hearts of all men in his hands, and Prov. xxi.
Fashioneth them as he pleaseth, wiU raise the boun- Ps. xxxiii.
tiful man in the judgments and affections of men. '^'
He that ordereth aU the events of things, and dis
poseth success as he thinks fit, wUl cause the boun
tiful person's enterprizes to prosper, and come off
with credit. He wiU not suffer the reputation of
so real an honourer of himself to be extremely
slurred by disaster, to be blasted by slander, to be
supplanted by envy or malice; but wiU Bring forth Ps. xxxvii.
his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as
the noon-day. 3 God wUl thus exalt the bountiful man's horn

96 The Duty and Reward qf Bounty to the Poor.
SERM. even here in this world, and to an infinitely higher
.  pitch he wiU advance it in the future state : he
shall there be set at the right hand, in a most
honourable place and rank, among the chief friends
and favourites of the heavenly Eang, in happy con
sortship with the holy angels and blessed saints:
where, in recompense of his pious bounty, he shaU,
from the bountiful hands of his most gracious Lord,
2 Tim. iv. receive An incorruptible crown of righteousness, and
I Pet. V. 4. ..4 w unfading crown of glory. The which God of
his infinite mercy grant unto us aU, through Jesus
Christ our Lord ; to whom for ever be all praise.
Amen.
Heb. xiii. Now the God of pcacc, that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the
sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make us perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in us that which is well-pleasing in his
sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for
ever and ever. Amen.

ZO, 21.

A SEEMON

UPON

THE PASSION

OF

OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR

PREACHED AT

GUILDHALL CHAPEL,

ON GOOD FRIDAY, THE 13th DAY OF APRIL,
ANNO DOM. M.DC.LXXVII.

Sacramentum salutia bumanse non licet tacere, etiam si nequeat
explicari. — P. Leo. I. Serm. de Pass. 7.

B. S. VOL. I.

DAVIES, Mayor.
Martia xxiv die Aprilis, 1677, Annoque Regia Caroli Secundi Angliae, &c.
vicesimo nono.
This Court doth earnestly desire Dr Babrow to print his
Sermon, preached at the Guildhall Chapel, on Good Friday
last, hefore the Mayor and Aldermen of this City.
WAGSTAFFE.

SEEMON IL
UPON THE PASSION OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR.

Phil. II. 8.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled him
self, and became obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross.
WHEN, in consequence of the original apostasy serm.
from God, which did banish us from paradise, 
and by continued rebeUions against him, inevitable
to our corrupt and impotent nature, mankind had
forfeited the amity of God", (the chief of all goods,
the fountain of aU happiness,) and had incurred Joi™ "»•
his displeasure ; (the greatest of aU evUs, the foun- Coi. lii. 6.
dation of aU misery :)
When poor man having deserted his natural
Lord and Protector, Other lords had got dominion isai. xxvi.
over him, so that he was captivated by the foul,
mahcious, cruel spirits, and enslaved to his own
vain mind, to vUe lusts, to wild passions^ :
When, according to an eternal rule of justice. Gen. iv. 7;
that sin deserveth punishment, and by an express
law, wherein death was enacted to the transgressors
of God's command, the root of our stock, and con
sequently all its branches, stood adjudged to utter
destruction" :

Cyril, c. Jul. viii. [Opp. Tom. vi. p. 278 A, B. ix. p. 303 b.]
Iren. iii. 33, 34 ; iii. 8.
Iren. v. 16.
7—2

100 Upon the Passion of
SERM. When, according to St Paul's expressions, All
 — the world was become guilty before God, 'Ytto^ikos
19. ' ¦ Tft) Qew, (or subjected to God's judgment:) All
y^^^f^g^' men (Jews and GentUes) were under sin, under
Gal. iii. 10. Condemnation, under the curse; All men were con-
32. ' eluded into disobedience, EJ? aTreiOeiav, and shut up
Roml'i'ii!^' together (as close prisoners) under sin; All men had
23 ; V. 12. gi,jri,jfiQ^^ and come short of the glory of God : Death
had passed over all, because all had sinned:
When for us, being plunged into so wretched
a condition, no visible remedy did appear, no pos
sible redress could be obtained here below: for
what means could we have of recovering God's
favour, who were apt perpetually to contract new
debts and guUts, but not able to discharge any old
scores ? What capacity of mind or will had we to
entertain mercy, who were no less stubbornly per
verse and obdurate in our crimes, than ignorant or
infirm 1 How could we be reconciled unto Heaven,
who had an innate antipathy to God and goodness ?
\_Sin, according to our natural state, and secluding
Rom. vi. evangelical grace, reigning in our mortal bodies,
Rom!^vii°' ^0 good tiling dwelling in us; there being a pre-
4^' s- .. dominant Laiv in our members, warring against
Rom. vii. _ _ ' ...
^3- the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity
Rom. Ti.6. .,•'.. . . ,. ^ „ ^,, ^
Col. iii.,9. to the law of sm; a mam ingredient 01 our Old man
^ om. viii. i^g^j^g ^ carnal mind, which is enmity to God, and
cannot submit, Ov-^ vTroTaa-crerai, to his law; we being
Epb. iv. Alienated from the life of God by the blindness of
'^' our hearts, and enemies in our minds by wicked
works :'\ How could we revive to any good hope,
Eph. ii. I. who were Dead in trespasses and sins, God having
Rom'v '' "withdrawn his quickening Spirit ? How at least
'°- could we for one moment stand upright in God's

our blessed Saviour. 101
sight, upon the natural terms, excluding aU sin, serm.
and exacting perfect obedience ?  '. 

When this, I say, was our forlorn and despe- S'l"- "¦. s-
rate case, then Almighty God, out of his infinite ", i.s. .
Ps cxliii
goodness, was pleased to look upon us (as he 2. '
sometime did upon Jerusalem, Lying polluted in xxxiv. 7.
her blood) with an eye of pity and mercy, so as ^'^^^' ^"''"
graciously to design a redemption for us out of aU
that woful distress: and no sooner by his incom
prehensible wisdom did he foresee we should lose
ourselves, than by his immense grace he did con
clude to restore us.
But how could this happy design weU be com- Eph. i. 4,
passed ? How, in consistence with the glory, with iii. 11.
the justice, with the truth of God, could such ene- \ Pe™' i^.' ^'
mies be reconcUed, such offenders be pardoned, ^^ ^j;
such wretches be saved ? Would the omnipotent ?;
, n. 1 T • Rom. XVI.
Majesty so affronted, deign to treat with his rebels 25.
immediately, without an intercessor or advocate ?
Would the sovereign Governor of the world sufier
thus notoriously his right to be violated, his au
thority to be shghted, his honour to be trampled
on, without some notable vindication or satisfac
tion ? Would the great Patron of justice relax the
terms of it, or ever permit a gross breach thereof
to pass with impunity ? Would the immutable
God of truth expose his veracity or his constancy
to suspicion, by so reversing that peremptory sen- Gen. ii. 17.
tence of death upon sinners, that it should not in
a sort eminently be accomplished*? Would the
most righteous and most Holy God let slip an
Athan. de Incarn. [Bavdrov yap ^v XP^'"; ""' Odvarov vnep
"iravrav ebei yeveadai, iva to Trapa ttovtcov 6<peiX6pevov yevrjrai. — Opp.
¦Tom. I. p. 64 F.]

102 Upon the Passion of
SERM. opportunity so advantageous for demonstrating his
 '- — perfect love of innocence, and abhorrence of ini
quity? Could we therefore weU be cleared from
our guilt without an expiation, or reinstated in
freedom without a ransom, or exempted from con
demnation without some punishment ?
No : God was so pleased to prosecute his de
signs of goodness and mercy, as thereby nowise to
impair or obscure, but rather to advance and Ulus
trate the glories of his sovereign dignity, of his
severe justice, of his immaculate holiness, of his
unchangeable steadiness in word and purpose. He
accordingly would be sued to for peace and mercy :
nor would he grant them absolutely, without due
compensations for the wrongs he had sustained;
yet so, that his goodness did find us a Mediator,
and furnish us with means to satisfy him. He
would not condescend to a simple remission of our
debts; yet so, that, saving his right and honour,
he did stoop lower for an effectual aboUtion of
them. He would make good his word, not to
let our trespasses go unpunished ; yet so, that by
our punishment we might receive advantage. He
would manifest his detestation of wickedness in a
way more illustrious than if he had persecuted it
down to heU, and irreversibly doomed it to endless
torment. But how might these things be effected?
Where was there a Mediator proper and worthy to
intercede for us ? Who could presume to sohcit
and plead in our behalf? Who should dare to put
himself between God and us, or offer to screen
mankind from the divine wrath and vengeance?
Who had so great an interest in the court of hea-

our blessed Saviour. 103
ven, as to ingratiate such a brood of apostate ene- serm.
mies thereto ? Who could assume the confidence  — 

to propose terms of reconciUation, or to agitate a
new Covenant, wherewith God might be satisfied,
and whereby we might be saved ? Where, in hea
ven or earth, could there be found a priest fit to
atone for sins so vastly numerous, so extremely
heinous ? And whence should a sacrifice be taken,
of value sufficient to expiate for so manifold enor
mities, committed against the infinite Majesty of
Heaven? Who could Find out the everlasting
redemption^ of innumerable souls, or lay down a
competent ransom for them aU? Not to say, could
also purchase for them eternal hfe and bUss ?
These are questions which would puzzle aU the
wit of man, yea, would gravel aU the wisdom of
angels to resolve : for plain it is, that no creature
on earth, none in heaven, could weU undertake or
perform this work.
Where on earth, among the degenerate sons of
Adam, could be found Such an high priest as Heb. vu.
became us, holy, harmless undefiled, separate from
sinners ? and how could a man, however innocent
and pure as a seraphim, so perform his duty, as to
do more than merit or satisfy for himself? How
many hves could the Ufe of one man serve to ran
som; seeing that it is asserted of the greatest and
richest among men, that None of them can by any Ra. xiix. 7.
means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom
for him. And how could avaUable help in this case be
expected from any of the angehcal host ; seeing
(beside their being in nature different from us,
® Alaviav Xvrpaaiv evpdpevos. — ^Heb. ix. 12.

104 Upon the Passion of
SERM. and thence improper to merit or satisfy for us ;
 beside their comparative meanness, and infinite
distance from the majesty of God) they are but
our feUow-servants, and have obUgations to dis
charge for themselves, and cannot be solvent for
more than for their own debts of gratitude and
service to their infinitely-bountiful Creator; they
also themselves needing a Saviour, to preserve
them by his grace in their happy state ?
Indeed, no creature might aspire to so august
an honour, none could achieve so marveUous a
work, as to redeem from infinite guilt and misery
the noblest part of all the visible creation : none
could presume to invade that high prerogative of
God, or attempt to infringe the truth of that reiter-
isai. xliii. atod proclamation, /, even I, am the Lord, and
21.' ' beside me there is no Saviour.
Wherefore, seeing that a supereminent dignity
of person was required in our Mediator, and that
an immense value was to be presented for our ran-
isai. hx. som; seeing that God saw there was no man, and
wondered (or took special notice^ that there was no
intercessor; it must be his arm alone that could
bring salvation; none beside God himself could
intermeddle therein.
But how could God undertake the business?
Could he become a suitor or intercessor to his
offended self? Could he present a sacrifice, or
disburse a satisfaction to his own justice? Could
God alone contract and stipulate with God in our
behalf ? No ; surely man also must concur in the
transaction : some amends must issue from him,
somewhat must be paid out of our stock : human
Karevorjae. LXX.

Hos. xiii.

16.

our blessed Saviour. 105
¦wUl and consent must be interposed, to ratify a serm.
firm covenant with us, inducing obligation on our  '¦ —
part. It was decent and expedient, that as man,
by wUful transgression and presumptuous self-
pleasing, had so highly offended, injured, and dis
honoured his Maker; so man also, by wilhng
obedience, and patient submission to God's plea
sure, should greatly content, right, and glorify
him. Here then did lie the stress; this was the knot, Eph. i. s,
which only Divine wisdom could loose. And so Luke i. 78.
indeed it did in the most effectual and admirable tS. iu. 4'.

Rom. V. 8.

IV. 4.

way: for in correspondence to all the exigencies of g:°°
the case, (that God and man both might act their J°^" ^^^
parts in saving us,) the blessed eternal Word, the Heb. x. 7.
only Son of God, by the good-wiU of his Father, Heb. v. t;
did vouchsafe to intercede for us, and to un- Eph.^i. 6.
dertake our redemption^ ; in order thereto volun- g ^™" "¦
tarily being sent down from heaven, assuming ^'*- ": '+•
human flesh, subjecting himself to aU the infirmi- 15 ; ji- 9-
ties of our fraU nature, and to the worst inconven
iences -of our low condition; therein meriting
God's favour to us, by a perfect obedience to the
law, and satisfying God's justice by a most patient
endurance of pains in our behalf ; in completion of
aU, willingly laying down his Ufe for the ransom of
our souls, and pouring forth his blood in sacrifice
for our sins.
This is that great and wonderful Mystery ofi Tim. iii.
godliness, (or of our holy religion,) the which St ' '
Paul here doth express, in these words concerning
our blessed Saviour; Who being in the form q/'phii. ii. 6,
God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God ; ''' ^'
^ Constit. Apost. vin. 12. [Cotel. Pat. Apost. Tom. i. p. 402.]

106 Upon the Passion of
serm. but made himself qf no reputation, and took upon
 !  him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men : and being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death ofthe cross.
In which words are contained divers points
very observable. But seeing the time wiU not
aUow me to treat on them in any measure as they
deserve, I shaU (waving aU the rest) insist but
upon one particular, couched in the last words,
Even the death of the cross, Qavdrou Se crravpov ;
which by a special emphasis do excite us to con
sider the manner of that holy passion which we
now commemorate ; the contemplation whereof,
as it is most seasonable, so it is ever very pro
fitable. Now then in this kind of passion we may con
sider divers notable adjuncts ; namely these : i Its
being in appearance criminal. 2 Its being most
bitter and painful. 3 Its being most ignominious
and shameful. 4 Its peculiar advantageousness
to the designs of our Lord in suffering. . 5 Its
practical efficacy.
I. We may consider our Lord's suffering as
criminal ; or as in semblance being an execution of
Isai. hu. justice upou him. He, as the prophet foretold of
him, was numbered among the transgressors; and
2 Cor. V. God, saith St Paul, Made him sin for us, who
^'' . knew no sin: that is, God ordered him to be
treated as a most sinful or criminous person, who
in himself was perfectly innocent, and void of the
least inchnation to offend.
John V. So in effect it was, that he was impeached of the
&o.';vii.i2'. highest crimes; as a violator of the divine laws in

our blessed Saviour. 107
divers instances; as a designer to subvert their reU- serm.
gion and temple ; as an impostor, deluding and

seducing the people; as a blasphemer, assuming to ^^.'*^v^i';
himself the properties and prerogatives of God ; as 4°-
a seditious and rebelhous person, Perverting ^Ae Luke xxiii.
nation, inhibiting payments of tribute to Csesar, Matt.
usurping royal authority, and styUng himself Christ ^^'^' ^^'
a king : in a word, as a malefactor, or one guilty
of enormous offences'*; so his persecutors avowed
to Pilate, If, said they, he were not a malefactor, Johnxvui.
Ka/coTTOJOT, we would not have delivered him up unto
thee. As such he was represented and arraigned ;
as such, although by a sentence wrested by mah
cious importunity, against the wUl and conscience
of the judge, he was condemned, and accordingly
suffered death.
Now whereas any death or passion of our Lord,
as being in itself immensely valuable, and most
precious in the sight of God, might have been
sufficient toward the accompUshment of his general
designs, (the appeasing God's wrath, the satisfac
tion of divine justice, the expiation of our guilt ;)
it may be inquired, why God should thus expose
him, or why he should choose to suffer under this
odious and ugly character'? Which inquiry is the
more considerable, because it is especially this cir
cumstance which crosseth the fleshly sense and
worldly prejudices of men, so as to have rendered
the gospel offensive to the superstitious Jews, and
despicable to conceited Gentiles. For so Tryphon in
Justin Martyr'', although from conviction by testi-
^ Constit. Apost. t. 14. [Cotel. Pat. Apost. Tom. i. p. 317.]
' Cur si Deus fuit, et mori voluit, non saltem honesto aliquo
mortis genere affectus est? &c. — ^Lact. Instit. iv. 26.
^ Just. M. Dial, cum Tryph. [p. 197 A, B.] [Ei be Kal drlpas ovrms

108 Upon the Passion of
SERM. monies of scripture, he did admit the Messias was
 '- — to suffer hardly, yet that it should be in this ac
cursed manner, he could not digest. So the great
adversaries of Christianity (Celsus', Porphyry",
Julian") did with most contempt urge this excep
tion against it. So St Paul did observe, that
I Cor. i. Christ crucified was unto the Jews a stumblingblock,
'^^' and unto the Greeks foolishness. Wherefore, to
avoid those scandals, and that we may better
admire the wisdom of God in this dispensation, it
may be fit to assign some reasons intimated in holy
scripture, or bearing conformity to its doctrine,
why it was thus ordered. Such are these.
I As our Saviour freely did undertake a hfe of
greatest meanness and hardship, so upon the like
accounts he might be pleased to undergo a death
most loathsome and uncomfortable. There is no
thing to man's nature (especially to the best natures,
in which modesty and ingenuity do survive) more
aravptoS^vai tov Kptarbv, diropovpev eTrtKaTaparos yap 6 aravpovpevos
ev Ta vopa Xeyerai eivai. (oare npbs tovto aKprjv bvaireiarcos ex<o.
Tradrjrbv pev rbv "Kpiarbv 5n al ypatpaX Krjpvaaovat, ^avepov ianv el
be bia TOV iv rm vopa KeKarrjpajievov irdOovs, ^ovXopeda puiOelv, el
exets Kal irepl tovtov dirobel^at.']
' Orig. con. Cels. n. p. 83. [Tims b' ovk avnKpvs yjrevbos to vTtb
TOV wapa ra KeXaa 'lovSaiov Xeyopevov, otj, " Mrjbeva neiaas pexpt e^rj,
on {oyi) prjbe roiis eavrov paBrjTas, iKoXdadrj Kal roiavra vnepeive ;"J
VII. p. 368. [Tov be Pia pev ivipprjTordrio, Bavdr^ be olKriaTm XPW°^
pevov, Qebv Tideade.^
™ Aug. de Civ. Dei, x. 28. [Opp. Tom. vil. col. 263 c] [Hunc
autem Christum esse non credis ; contemnis enim eum propter
corpus ex femina acoeptum, et propter crucis opprobrium.]
° Cyril, c. Jul. VI. Opp. Tom. VI. p. 194 o. [E'ra a bvarvxe'is av-
VpamoL  ro tov aravpov irpoaKwelre §vXov, elKdvas avrov aKiaypa-
(j>ovvTes iv TM peraiTTtf kcu, irpb t5>v olKrjparcov iyypd^ovres, apa d^ias
av Tif avveraiTepovs vpSiv piarjaeiev, fj rovs d(f>poveaTepovs eXerjaeiev, oJ
KaraKoXovdovvres vplv els tovto ^6ov oXedpov, ware rovs alaivtovs
d(f>evTes 6eovs inl rav 'lovbalav peraP^vai veKpdv.J

our blessed Saviour. 109
abominable than such a death. God for good pur- serm.
poses hath planted in our constitution a quick sense  '- —

of disgrace ; and, of aU disgraces, that which pro-
ceedeth from an imputation of criines is most
pungent; and being conscious of our innocence doth
heighten the smart ; and to reflect upon ourselves
dying under it, leaving the world with an indehble
stain upon our name and memory, is yet more
grievous. Even to languish by degrees, enduring
the torments of a long, however sharp disease,
would to an honest mind seem more eUgible, than
in this manner, being reputed and handled as a
villain, to find a quick and easy despatch.
Of which human resentment may we not observe
a touch in that expostulation. Be ye come out, as i-uie xxii.
against a thief, with swords and staves ? If as a Matt.
man he did not hke to be prosecuted as a thief; yet ^^^'" ^^'
wUlingly did he choose it, as he did other most dis
tasteful things pertaining to our nature, {The liken Ptii. "• i-
ness of man,) and incident to that low condition,
{The form qfa servant,) into which he did put him
self: such as were, to endure penury, and to fare
hardly, to be sUghted, envied, hated, reproached
through all his course of Ufe.
It is weU said by a pagan philosopher, that. No
man doth express such a respect and devotion to
virtue, as doth he who forfeiteth the repute of being
a good man, that he may not lose the conscience of
being such''. This our Lord wilUngly made his
case, being content not only to expose his hfe, but
to prostitute his fame, for the interests of goodness.
" Nemo mihi videtur pluris Eestlmare virtutem, nemo illi magis
esse devotus, quam qui boni viri famam perdidit, no conscientiam
perderet. — Sen. Ep. lxxxi. [19.]

110 Upon the Passion of
SERM. Had he died otherwise, he might have seemed
. to purchase our welfare at a somewhat easier rate ;

he had not been so complete a sufferer; he had not
tasted the worst that man is Uable to endure : there
had been a comfort in seeming innocent, detracting
from the perfection of his sufferance.
John V. Whereas therefore he often was in hazard of
37,' 40,"' death, both from the clandestine machinations and
ig^T-x ^^ outrageous violences of those who mahgned
32, 39- him, he did industriously shun a death so plausible,
and honourable, if I may so speak ; it being not so
disgraceful to faU by private maUce, or by sudden
rage, as by the solemn dehberate proceeding of
men in pubhc authority and principal credit.
Accordingly this kind of death did not faU upon
John vi. him by surprise or by chance ; but he did From the
beginning foresee it ; he plainly with satisfaction
did aim at it : he, as it is related in the Gospels, did
shew his disciples, that it was incumbent on him by
Matt. xvi. God's appointment and his own choice ; that He
Luke ix. ought, it is said, to suffer many things, to be rejected
32/ 33- by the chief priests, elders, and scribes, to be vilified
31?"^ ^' ^y them, to be delivered up to the Gentiles, to be
mocked, and scourged, and crucified, as a flagitious
slave. Thus would our blessed Saviour in con
formity to the rest of his voluntary afflictions, and
for a consummation of them, not only suffer in his
body by sore wounds and bruises, and in his soul
by doleful agonies, but in his name also and repu
tation by the foulest scandals ; undergoing as weU
aU the infamy as the infirmity which did belong to
us, or might befaU us : thus meaning by aU means
throughly to express his charity, and exercise his
compassion towards us ; thus advancing his merit.

Qur blessed Saviour. Ill
and discharging the utmost satisfaction in our serm.
behalf  '- —

2 Death passing on him as a malefactor by
public sentence, did best suit to the nature of his
undertaking, was most congruous to his intent, did
most aptly represent what he was doing, and imply
the reason of his performance. For we all are
guUty in a most high degree, and in a manner very
notorious : the foulest shame, together with the
sharpest pain, is due to us for affronting our glo
rious Maker ; we deserve an open condemnation
and exemplary punishment : wherefore he, under
taking in our stead to bear aU, and fuUy to satisfy
for us, was pleased to undergo the hke judgment
and usage; being termed, being treated as we
should have been, in quaUty of an heinous male
factor, as we in truth are. What we had reaUy
acted in dishonouring and usurping upon God, in
disordering the world, in perverting others, that
was imputed to him ; and the punishment due to
that guUt was inflicted on him. All we like sheep isai. mi. 6.
have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his
own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the ini
quities of us all. He therefore did not only sustain
an equivalent pain for us, but in a sort did bear an
equal blame with us, before God and man.
3 Seeing, By the determinate counsel of God, it Acta u. 23.
was appointed that our Lord should die for us, and
that not in a natural, but violent way, so as perfectly
to satisfy God's justice, to vindicate his honour, to
evidence both his indignation against sin, and wil
lingness to be appeased ; it was most fit that affair
should be transacted in a way, wherein God's right
is most nearly concerned, and his providence most

112 Upon the Passion of
SERM. plainly discernible ; wherein it should be most
 '. — apparent that God did exact and inflict the punish
ment, that our Lord did freely yield to it, and sub
missively undergo it, upon those very accounts. All
Deut. i. Judgment, as Moses of old did say, is God's, or is
administered by authority derived from him, in his
name, for his interest; aU magistrates being his
officers and instruments, whereby he governeth and
ordereth the world, his natural kingdom : whence
that which is acted in way of formal judgment by
persons in authority, God himself may be deemed in
a more special and immediate manner to execute it,
as being done by his commission, in his stead, on his
behalf, with his peculiar superintendence. It was
therefore in our Lord a signal act of deference to
God's authority and justice, becoming the person
sustained by him of our Mediator and Proxy, to
undergo such a judgment, and such a punishment ;
whereby he received a doom as it were from God's
own mouth, uttered by his ministers, and bare the
stroke of justice from God's hand, represented by his
instruments. Whence very seasonably and patiently
John xix. dijj j^e reply to Pilate, Thou hadst no power over
me, Kar' etxov, (or against me) except it were given
thee from above : implying that it was in regard to
the originally supreme authority of God his father,
and to his particular appointment upon this occa
sion, that our Saviour did then frankly subject him
self to those inferior powers, as to the proper
ministers of divine justice. Had he suffered in
any other way, by the private mahce or passion of
men, God's special providence in that case had been
less visible, and our Lord's obedience not so re
markable. And if he must die by public hands, it

our blessed Saviour. 113
must be as a criminal, under a pretence of guUt serm.
and demerit ; there must be a formal process, how  '¦ —

full soever of mockery and outrage ; there must be
testimonies produced, how void soever of truth or
probabiUty ; there must be a sentence pronounced,
although most corrupt and injurious : for no man is
in this way prosecuted, without colour of desert :
otherwise it would cease to be public authority, and
become lawless violence; the prosecutor then would
put off the face of a magistrate, and appear as a
cut-throat or a robber.
4 In fine, our Saviour hardly with such advan
tage, in any other way, coiUd have displayed aU
kinds of virtue and goodness, to the honour of God,
to the edification of men, to the ftirtherance of our
salvation. The judgment-haU, with aU the passages leading
him thither, and thence to execution, attended with
guards of soldiers, amidst the crowds and clamours
of people, were as so many theatres, on which he
had opportune convenience, in the fuU eye ofthe
world, to act divers parts of sublimest virtue : to John
express his insuperable constancy, in attesting truth, i T?m. vi.
and maintaining a good conscience; his meekness, '^'
in calmly bearing the greatest wrongs ; his patience,
in contentedly enduring the saddest adversities ; his
entire resignation to the wiU and providence of God;
his peaceable submission to the law and power of
man ; his admirable charity, in pitying, in excusing,
in obliging those by his good wishes, and earnest
prayers for their pardon, who in a manner so inju
rious, so despiteful, so cruel, did persecute him, yea,
in gladly suffering aU this from their hands for their
salvation ; his unshakeable faith in God, and unal-
B. s. VOL. I. 8

114 Upon the Passion of
SERM terable love toward him, under so fierce a trial, so
II. . .
 '.  dreadful a temptation. AU these excellent virtues
and graces, by the matter being thus ordered, in a
degree most eminent, and in a manner very conspi
cuous, were demonstrated to the praise of God's
name, and the commendation of his truth ; for the
settlement of our faith and hope, for an instruction
and an encouragement to us of good practice in
those highest instances of virtue.
It is a passable notion among the most eminent
pagan sages, that no very exemplary virtue can
weU appear otherwise than in notable misfortune''-
Whence it is said in Plato, that to approve a man
heartily righteous. He must be scourged, tortured,
bound, have his two eyes burnt out, and in the close,
having suffered all evils, must be impaled, or cruci
fied''. And, It was, saith Seneca, the cup of poison
which made Socrates a great man, and which out of
prison did transfer him to heaven' ; or did procure
to him that lofty esteem, affording him opportunity
to signalize his constancy, his equanimity, his un-
concemedness for this world and Ufe. And, The
virtue, saith he again, and the innocence of Rutilius
would have lain hid, if it had not (by condemnation
and exUe) received injury ; while it was violated, it
P Magnum exemplum, nisi mala fortuna, non invenit. — Sen. de
Prov. [cap. iii. 5.]
^ 'O bUaios paanyciaerai, arpe^Xdaerai, bebrjaerai, iKKavBrjaerai
Tm(j)daXpd, TeXevrav wdvra KOKa nadaiv dvaaKivbvXevdijaerai. — Plat, de
Kep. II. [361 E.J
' Cicuta magnum Socratem confecit. — Sen. Ep. xin. [14.]
Calix venenatus, qui Socratem transtulit e carcere in coelum. —
Id. Ep. Lxvii. [9.]
Squalls fuit in tanta inajqualitate fortunse. &c. — Id. Ep. civ.
[28.]

'our blessed Saviour. 115
brightly shone forth'. And he that said this of serm.
others, was himself in nothing so illustrious, as in  '¦ —
handsomely entertaining that death to which he
was by the bloody tyrant adjudged. And gene
raUy, the most honourable persons in the judgment
of posterity for gaUant worth, to this very end (as
such phUosophers teach) were by divine Providence
delivered up to suffer opprobrious condemnations
and punishments, by the ingrateful maUgnity of
their times'. So that the Greeks, in consistence
with their own wisdom and experience, could not
reasonably scorn that cross which our good Lord
(did not only, as did their best worthies, by forcible
accidental constraint undergo, but) advisedly by
free choice did undertake, to recommend the most
exceUent virtues to imitation, and to promote the
most noble designs that could be, by its influence.
So great reason there was that our Lord should
thus suffer as a criminal.
II. We may consider that in that kind his
suffering was most bitter and painful. EasUy we
may imagine what acerbity of pain must be endured
by our Lord in his tender Umbs being stretched
forth, racked, and tentered, and continuing for a
good time in such a posture ; by the Piercing his Ps. xxii.
hands and his feet, parts very nervous and exqui
sitely sensible, with sharp naUs, (so that, as it is
said of Joseph, The iron entered into his soul;) by Ps- cv. i8
abiding exposed to the injuries of the sun scorch
ing, the wind beatuig, the weather searching his
' Rutilii innocentia ac virtus lateret, nisi accepisset injuriam;
dum violatur, effulsit. — Id. Ep. lxxix. [12.]
' Sen. de Prov. cap. ii. iii. &c. Plut. de Stoic. Contr. [Opp.
Tom. III. p. 1931. Ed. Steph.]
8—2

116 Upon the Passion of
SERM. grievous wounds and sores. Such a pain it was ;
and that no stupifying, no transient pain, but one

25, 34-

both very acute and lingering: for we see, that
he together with his feUow-sufferers had both pre-
Markxv. genco of mind and time to discourse. Even six
long hours did he remain under such torture, sus
taining in each moment of them beyond the pangs
of an ordinary death. But as the case was so hard
and sad, so the reason of it was great, and the fruit
answerably good. Our Saviour did embrace such
a passion, that, in being thus content to endure the
most intolerable smarts for us, he might demon
strate the vehemence of his love ; that he might
signify the heinousness of our sins, which deserved
that from such a person so heavy a punishment
should be exacted; that he might appear to yield a
valuable compensation for those pains which we
should have suffered ; that he throughly might
exemplify the hardest duties of obedience and pa
tience. III. This manner of suffering was (as most
sharp and afflictive, so) most vUe and shameful;
being proper to the basest condition of the worst
men, and unworthy of a freeman, however nocent
and guUty". It was Servile supplicium, a punish
ment never by the Romans, under whose law our
Lord suffered, legaUy inflicted upon freemen, but
upon slaves only ; that is, upon people scarcely
regarded as men, having in a sort forfeited or lost
themselves. And among the Jews that execution
which most approached thereto, and in part agreed
with it, (for their law did not aUow any so inhu-
" Quod etiam homine libero, quamvis noccnte, videatur indig-
num. — Lact. Instit. iv. 26.

our blessed Saviour. 117
man punishment,) hanging up the dead bodies of serm.
some that had been put to death, was held most  '¦ —

infamous and execrable : for. Cursed, said the law, Deut. xxi.
is every one that hangeth upon a tree ; cursed, that Gai. lii. 13.
is, devoted to reproach and malediction" ; Accursed
by God, saith the Hebrew, that is, seeming to be
rejected by God, and by his special order exposed
to affliction. Indeed, according to the course of things, to be
set on high, and for continuance of time to be
objected to the view of aU that pass by, in that
calamitous posture, doth infuse bad suspicion, doth
provoke censure, doth invite contempt and scorn,
doth naturaUy draw forth language of derision,
despite, and detestation; especiaUy from the in
considerate, hardhearted, and rude vulgar, which
commonly doth think, speak, and deah according
to event and appearance : ( — Sequitur fortunam,
ut semper, et odit damnatos^ — ) whence QearpiX^eaOai, Heb. x. 33.
To be made a gazing-stock, or an object of reproach
to the multitude, is by the apostle mentioned as
an aggravation of the hardships endured by the
primitive Christians. And thus in extremity did
it befall our Lord: for we read'', that the people
did in that condition mock, jeer, and revile him,
drawing up their noses, abusing him by scurrUous
gestures, letting out their virulent and wanton
tongues against him ; so as to verify that predic
tion, / am a reproach of men, and despised of the Ps. xxii. 6,
people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: ^'^"
^ ToCto yap povov ttjs TeXevrrjs to eibos imb dpdv CKeiTo. — Chrys.
Or. Lxi. Opp. Tom. vi. [p. 631.]
y [Juv. Sat. X. 73.]
^ Luke xxiii. 35, 36. 'E^epvKrnpiCov, 'EverratCov. Matt, xxvii. 39.
EPXaa(j>i]povv.

118 Upon the Passion of
SERM. they shoot out the lip, they shake ihe head, saying,
 He trusted in the Lord : let him deliver him, seeing
he delighted in him.
Matt. ix. The same persons who formerly had admired
xxi. 9.' 'his glorious works, who had been ravished with his
exceUent discourses, who had foUowed and favoured
him so earnestly, who had blessed and magnified
Luke iv. him, {For he, saith St Luke, taught in the syna
gogues, being glorified by all,) even those very-
persons did then behold him with pitUess contempt
and despite. In correspondence to that prophecy.
Pa. xxii. They look and stare upon me, E'uxTtJKei d \a6^ Oeaipwv,
Luke xxiii. Th^ pcoplc stood gaziiig on him, in a most scornful
^^" manner, venting contemptuous and spiteful re
proaches ; as we see reported in the evangelical
story.
Heb. xu. Thus did our blessed Saviour Endure the cross,
despising the shame. Despising the shame, that
is, not simply disregarding it, or (with a stoical
haughtiness, with a cjmical immodesty, with a
stupid carelessness) sUghting it as no evil; but not
eschewing it, or not rating it for so great an evil,
that to decUne it he would neglect the prosecution
of his great and glorious designs.
There is innate to man an aversation and abhor-
rency from disgraceful abuse, no less strong than
Heb. xi. are the like antipathies to pain : whence Cruel
mockings and scourgings are coupled as ingredients
of the sore persecutions sustained by God's faithfiil
martyrs. And generaUy men with more readiness
wiU embrace, with more contentedness wiU endure
the cruelty ofthe latter, than of the former; pain
not so smartly affecting the lower sense, as being
insolently contemned doth grate upon the fancy.

36,

our blessed Saviour. 119
and wound even the mind itself For, The wounds serm.
of infamy do, as the Wise Man telleth us, go down

into the innermost parts of the belly, reaching thexviir8;
very heart, and touching the soul to the quick. ™' '^"
We therefore need not doubt, but that our Sa
viour as a man, endowed with human passions,
was sensible of this natural evU ; and that such
indignities did add somewhat of loathsomeness to
his cup of affliction; especiaUy considering that his
great charity disposed him to grieve, observing
men to act so indecently, so unworthily, so unjustly
toward him : yet in consideration of the glory that
would thence accrue to God, of the benefit that
woiUd redound to us, of the Joy that was set before Heb. xU.
him, when He should see of the travail of his soul, isai. Hii.
and be satisfied, he most wUlingly did accept, and ""
most gladly did comport with it. He became a Gai. iii.
curse for us, exposed to malediction and reviling ; ^^'
He endured the contradiction, or obhquy, of sinful Heb.xU. 3.
men : He was despised, rejected, and disesteemed isai. hu. 3.
of men : he in common apprehension was deserted
by God, according to that of the prophet. We did isai. iiii. ^.
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted ;
himself even seeming to concur in that opinion.
So was He made a curse for us, that we, as the Gai. la. 13.
apostle teacheth, might be redeemed from the curse
of the law ; that is, that we might be freed from
the exemplary punishment due to our transgres
sions of the law, with the displeasure of God
appearing therein, and the disgrace before the
world attending it. He chose thus to Make him- Phii. ii. 7.
self of no reputation, vouchsafing to be dealt with as
a wretched slave, and a wicked miscreant, that we
might be exempted, not only from the torment.

120 Upon the Passion of
SERM. but also from the ignominy which we had merited:
 '. — that together with our hfe, our safety, our hberty,
we might even recover that honour which we had
forfeited and embezzled.
But lest any should be tempted not sufficiently
to value these sufferances of our Lord, as not so
rare, but that other men have tasted the hke ; lest
any should presume to compare them with afflic
tions incident to other persons, as Celsus did com
pare them with those of Anaxarchus and Epicte-
tus"; it is requisite to consider some remarkable
particulars about them.
We may then consider, that not only the infi
nite dignity of his person, and the perfect innocency
of his hfe, did enhance the price of his sufferings ;
but some endowments peculiar to him, and some
circumstances adhering to his design, did much
augment their force.
He was not only, according to the frame and
temper of human nature, sensibly touched with
the pain, the shame, the whole combuiation of dis
asters apparently waiting on his passion; as God
(when he did insert sense and passion into our
nature, ordering objects to affect them) did intend
we should be, and as other men in Uke circum
stances would have been ; but in many respects
beyond that ordinary rate : so that no man, we may
suppose, could have felt such grief from them as he
did, no man ever hath been sensible of anything
* Orig. con. Cels. vil. pp. 367, 368. \^Avd^apxov yovv, os els oXpov
ip^Tjdels, Kal ¦n-apavopcoTara avvrpi^opevos, ev paka KaTe(f>p6vei Trjs
KoXdaecos, Xeyajv, Unaae, nnaae tov Ava^dpxov dvXaKov, avrov yap ov
Trrlaaeis  Ovkovv 'Ettiktijtov ; os, tov beanorov arpe^Xovvros
avTov rb aKeXos, viropeibmv dveKTTXrjKras eXeye, Kardaaeis' Kai Kard-
^avTos, Ovk IXeyoj;, emev, on Kardaaeis i]

' our blessed Saviour. 121
comparable to what he did endure; that passage serm.
being truly applicable to him. Behold, and see if-

there be any sorrow like to my sorrow, which is done ^*™-^- "•
unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in
the day of his fierce anger ; as that unparaUeled
Sweating out great lumps of blood may argue ; and ^^^^ '^^i'-
as the terms expressing his resentments do inti
mate. For, in respect of present evUs, he said of
himself. My soul is exceeding sorrowful to death; Matt.
he is said 'A^rnxovelv, to be in great anguish and 38-
anxiety, to be in An agony or pang of sorrow. In
regard to mischiefs which he saw coming on, he is
said to be Disturbed in spirit, and to be Sore John xm.
amazed, or dismayed at them. To such an exceed- Mark xiv\'
ing height did the sense of incumbent evUs, and ^^'
the prospect of impendent calamities, the appre
hension of his case, together with a reflection on
bur condition, screw up his affections.
And no wonder that such a burden, even the
weight of aU the sins (the numberless most heinous
sins and abominations) that ever were committed
by mankind, by appropriation of them to himself,
lying on his shoulders, he should feel it heavy, or
seem to crouch and groan under it; that in the
tnystical Psalm, appUed by the apostle to him, he Heb. x. 5.
should cry out. Innumerable evils have compassed Ps. xi. 12.
me about ; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me^
so that I am not able to look up ; they are more
than the hairs of my head, and my heart faileth
me. The sight of God's indignation, so dreadfully
flaming out against sin, might weU astonish and
terrify him : to stand, as it were, before the mouth
of hell belching fire and brimstone in his face ; to
lie down in the hottest furnace of divine ven-

122 Upon the Passion of
se^rm. geance; to quench with his own heart-blood the
 '- — wrath of heaven, and the infernal fire, (as he did
in regard to those who wUl not rekindle them to
themselves,) might well in the heart of a man
beget unconceivable and unexpressible pressures of
affliction. When such a Father (so infinitely good
and kind to him, whom he so dearly and perfectly
loved) did hide his face from him, did frown on
him, how could he otherwise than be mightUy trou
bled? Is it strange that so hearty a love, so
tender a pity, contemplating our sinfulness, and
experimenting our wretchedness, should be deeply
touched? To see, I say, so plainly, to feel so
throughly the horrible blindness, the foUy, the infi
delity, the imbecility, the ingratitude, the incorri
gibility, the strange perverseness, perfidiousness,
mahce, and cruelty of mankind in so many in
stances, (in the treason of Judas, in the denial of
Peter, in the desertion of aU the apostles, in the
spite and rage of the persecutors, in the falsehood
of the witnesses, in the abuses of the people, in
the comphance of PUate, in a general conspiracy
of friends and foes to sin,) aU these surrounding
him, all invading him, aU discharging themselves
upon him ; would it not astone a mind so pure ?
would it not wound a heart so tender and fiiU of
charity ?
Surely, any of those persons who fondly do
pretend unto, or vainly do glory in, a suUen apa
thy, or a stubborn contempt of the evUs incident
to our nature and state, would in such a case have
been utterly dejected: the most resolved philoso
pher would have been dashed into confusion at the
sight, would have been crushed into desperation

our blessed Saviour. 123
under the sense of those evUs which did assault se^rm.
him. 
With the greatness of the causes, the goodness
of his constitution did conspire to increase his suf
ferings. For surely, as his complexion was most
pure and dehcate, his spirit most vivid and appre
hensive, his affections most phant and tractable;
so accordingly would the impressions upon him be
most sensible, and consequently the pains which
he felt (in body or soul) most afflictive.
That we in like cases are not aUke moved, that
we do not tremble at the apprehensions of God's
displeasure, that we are not affrighted with the
Sense of our sins, that we do not with sad horror
resent our danger and our misery, doth arise from
that we have very glimmering and faint concep
tions of those matters; or that they do not in so
clear and hvely a manner strike our fancy; (not
appearing in their true nature and proper shape, so
heinous and so hideous as they reaUy are in them
selves and in their consequences;) or because we
have but weak persuasions about them ; or because
we do but slightly consider them ; or from that our
hearts are very hard and caUous, our affections
very cold and duU, so that nothing of this nature
(nothing beside gross material affairs) can moUify
Or melt them ; or for that we have in us smaU love
to God, and a slender regard to our own welfare;
in fine, for that in spiritual matters we are neither
so wise, so sober, so serious, nor so good or inge
nuous, in any reasonable measure, as we should be.
But our Saviour, in aU those respects, was other
wise disposed. He most evidently discerned the
wrath of God, the grievousness of sin, the wretch-

124 Upon the Passion of
s^j^_^- edness of man, most truly, most fully, most strongly
 represented to his mind : he most firmly beheved,
yea most certainly knew, whatever God's law had
declared about them : he did exactly consider and
weigh them : his heart was most soft and sensible,
his affections were most quick and excitable by
their due objects: he was fuU of dutiful love to
God, and most ardently desirous of our good, bear
ing a more than fraternal good-wiU towards us.
Whence it is not so marveUous that as a man, as a
transcendently wise and good man, he was so vehe
mently affected by those occurrences, that his ima
gination was so troubled, and his passions so stirred
by them; so that he thence did suffer in a manner
and to a degree unconceivable; according to that
ejaculation in the Greek hturgies, A«a twv ayvwcrTwv
(TOV TraQrju.a.TWV eXitjcrov tj/JiS.^, Xpicrre, By thy unknown
sufferings, 0 Christ, have mercy on us. But further,
IV. We may consider, that this way of suffer
ing had in it some particular advantages, conducing
to the accomphshment of our Lord's principal
designs. Its being very notorious, and lasting a compe
tent time, were good advantages. For if he had
been privately made away, or suddenly despatched,
no such great notice would have been taken of it,
nor would the matter of fact have been so fuUy
proved, to the confirmation of our faith, and con
viction of infideUty; nor had that his exceUent
deportment under such bitter affliction (his most
divine patience, meekness, and charity) so illus
triously shone forth. Wherefore, to prevent all
exceptions, and excuses of unbehef, (together with
other collateral good purposes,) divine Providence

our blessed Saviour. 125
did so manage the business, that as the course of serm.
his hfe, so also the manner of his death, should be

most conspicuously remarkable. / spake freely to john xviii.
the world, and in secret have I done nothing, said ^°'
he of himself; and, These things, said St Paul to Acts xxvi.
king Agrippa, were not done in a corner. Such
were the proceedings of his hfe, not close or clan-
cular, but frank and open; not presently hushed
up, but leisurely carried on in the face of the
world, that men might have the advantage to
observe and examine them. And as he hved, so
he died, most pubhcly and visibly ; the world being
witness of his death, and so prepared to beheve his
resurrection, and thence disposed to embrace his
doctrine ; according to what he did foreteU, /, being John xii.
lifted up from the earth, shall draw all men to me: ^^'
for he drew aU men, by so obvious a death, to
take notice of it ; he drew aU well-disposed persons,
from the wondrous consequences of it, to beheve
on him. And, As, said he again, Moses did exalt John iu.
the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man ^'^'
be exalted. As the elevation of that mysterious
serpent did render it visible'', and did attract the
eyes of people toward it; whereby, God's power
invisibly accompanying that sacramental perform
ance, they were cured of those mortiferous stings
which they had received: so our Lord, being
mounted on the cross, aUured the eyes of men to
behold him, and their hearts to close with him;
whereby, the heavenly virtue of God's Spirit coope
rating, they became saved from those destructive
sins, which from the Devil's serpentine instigations
they had incurred.
'' Iron. IT. 5.

126 Upon the Passion of
serm. Another advantage of this kind of suffering
 '. — was, that by it the nature of that kingdom, which
he did intend to erect, was evidently signified:
that it was not such as the carnal people did
expect, an external, earthly, temporal kingdom,
consisting in domination over the bodies and estates
of men, dignified by outward wealth and splendour,
managed by worldly power and pohcy, promoted
by forcible compulsion and terror of arms, affording
the advantages of safety, quiet, and prosperity
here; but a kingdom purely spiritual, celestial,
eternal; consisting in the governance of men's
hearts and minds; adorned with the endowments
of wisdom and virtue ; administered by the conduct
and grace of God's holy Spirit ; upheld and propa
gated by meek instruction, by virtuous example,
by hearty devotion, and humble patience; reward
ing its loyal subjects with spiritual joys and conso
lations now, with heavenly rest and bUss hereafter.
No other kingdom could he presume to design,
who submitted to this dolorous and disgraceful
way of suffering; no other exploits could he pre
tend to achieve by expiring on a cross ; no other
way could he rule, who gave himself to be managed
by the wiU of his adversaries; no other benefits
would this forlorn case aUow him to dispense. So
John xviii. that woU might he then assert. My kingdom is not
of this world; when he was going in this signal
way to demonstrate that important truth.
Lukeii.3s. It was also a most convenient touchstone to
prove the genuine disposition and worth of men ;
so as to discriminate those wise, sober, ingenuous,
sincere, generous souls, who could discern true
goodness through so dark a cloud, who could love

our blessed Saviour. 127
it though so Ul-favouredly disfigured, who could se^rm.
embrace and avow it notwithstanding so terrible  '- —
disadvantages; it served, I say, to distinguish
those Blessed ones, who would not be offended OTMatt.xi.6.
him, or by The scandal of the cross be discouraged i Pet.'u. '
from adhering to him, from the crew of bUnd, J'c^. i.
vain, perverse, haughty people, who, being scan- ^3-
dahzed at his adversity, would contemn and reject
him. Another considerable advantage was this, that
by it God's special providence .was discovered, and
his glory iUustrated in the propagation of the gos
pel *=. For how could it be, that a person of so low
parentage, of so mean garb, of so poor condition,
who underwent so lamentable and despicable a
kind of death, faUing under the pride and spite of
his enemies, so easily should gain so general an
opinion in the world (even among the best, the
wisest, the greatest persons) of being The Lord qfiCoi.a.s.
Ife and glory? How, I say, could it happen, that '^^"•''
such a miracle could be effected without God's aid
and special concurrence? That king Herod, who
from a long reign in flourishing state, with pros
perous success in his enterprises, did attain the
name of Great; or that Vespasian, who trium
phantly did ascend the imperial throne, should
either of them, by a few admirers of worldly
vanity, seriously be held, or in flattery be caUed
the Messias, is not so strange : but that one who
was trampled on so miserably, and treated as a
wretched caitiff, should instantly conquer innumer
able hearts, and, from such a depth of extreme
adversity, should be advanced to the subUmest
" Chi7S. Orat. lxi. Opp. Tom. vi. [p. 632.]

128 Upon the Passion of
SERM. pitch of glory; that The stone which the builders
¦ with so much scorn did refuse, should become the

Pa. cxviii.

22^ 23. head-stone of the corner; this (with good assurance
we may say) was the Lord's doing, and it is mar
vellous in our eyes.
2Cor.iv. 7. Hereby indeed The excellency of divine power
' and wisdom was much glorified; by so impotent,
so improbable, so implausible means accomphshing
so great effects ; subduing the world to obedience
of God, not by the active valour of an illustrious
hero, but through the patient submission of a poor,
abused, and oppressed person ; restoring mankind
to hfe and happiness by the sorrowful death of a
crucified Saviour.
V. Lastly, the consideration of our Lord's
suffering in this manner is very useftil in appUca
tion to our practice: no point is more fruitfiil of
wholesome instruction, none is more forcible to
kindle devout affections, none can afford more effi
cacious inducements and incentives to a pious hfe.
For what virtue will not a serious meditation on
the cross be apt to breed and to cherish? To what
duty wiU it not engage and excite us?
I Are we not hence infinitely obUged, with
most humble affection and hearty gratitude, to
adore each Person ofthe blessed Trinity?
That God the Father should design such a
Rom. viii. redemption for us ; Not sparing his own Son, {the
Coi. i. 13. Son of his love, dear to him as himself,) but deliver
ing him up for us, to be thus dealt with for our
sake : that God would endure to see his Son in so
pitiful a condition, to hear him groaning under so
grievous pressures, to let him be so horribly
abused; and that for us, who deserved, nothing

our blessed Saviour. 129
from him, who had demerited so much agamst serm.
him ; for us, who were no friends to him, (for Even

II.

when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God^'"^'^''°'
hy the death of his Son;) who were not any ways
commendable for goodness or righteousness: (for
Christ did suffer for sinners, the just for the unjust; i Pet. iii.
and God commended his love to us, that while we i^m. v. 6.
were sinful, Christ died for us:) that God thus jg^"""- "¦
should Love us, sending his Son to be a propitior -^ T^- ^•
tion for our sins, in so dismal a way of suffering, lo-
•how stupendous is that goodness! how vast an
obhgation doth it lay upon us to reciprocal affec
tion ! If we do owe aU to God, as our Maker,
from whose undeserved bounty we did receive aU
that we have; how much further do we stand
indebted to him as the author of our redemption,
from whose iU-deserved mercy we receive a new
being, and better state ; and that in a way far more
obhging! For God created us with a word, with
out more cost or trouble : but to redeem us stood
him in huge expenses and pains ; no less than the
debasing of his only Son to our fraUty, the exposing
him to more than our misery, the withdrawing his
face and restraining his bowels from his best
beloved. If a Jew then were commanded by law,
if a Gentile were obhged by nature, to Love God Matt. xxii.
with all his heart and all his soul; what affection
doth a Christian, under the law and duty of grace,
owe unto him? By what computation can we
reckon that debt? What faculties have we suffi
cient to discharge it? What finite heart can hold
an affection commensurate to such an obhgation ?
And how can it otherwise than inflame our
heart with love toward the blessed Son of God, our
9

B. S. VOL. I.

130 Upon the Passion of
SE^RM. Saviour, to consider that, merely out of charitable
 — pity toward us, he purposely came down from hea-
i9Vv."2, ven, and took our flesh upon him, that he might
Gal. ii. 20. ^^lierein undergo those extreme acerbities of pain,
Apoc. i. 5. and those most ugly indignities of shame for us ?
John XV. Greater love, said he, hath no man than this, that a
13, man lay down his life for his friends. But that
God should lay down his hfe, should pour forth his
blood, should be aspersed with the worst crimes,
and clothed with foulest shame, should be executed
on a cross as a malefactor and a slave, for his ene
mies and rebeUious traitors, what imagination can
devise any expression of charity or friendship com
parable to this ? Wherefore if love naturally be
productive of love, if friendship justly meriteth a
correspondence in good-wiU, what effect should the
consideration of so ineffable a love, of so unparal
leled friendship, have upon us ?
How can any serious reflection on this event
faU to work hearty gratitude in us toward our good
Lord? For put case, any person for our sake (that
he might rescue us from the greatest mischiefs, and
purchase for us the highest benefits) AvUlingly should
deprive himself of aU his estate, (and that a very
large one,) of his honour, (and that a very high one,)
of his ease and pleasure, (and those the most perfect
and assured that could be;) that he should expose
himself to the greatest hazards, should endure the
sorest pains and most disgraceful ignominies; should
prostitute his hfe, and in most hideous manner lose
it, merely for our sake : should we not then appre
hend and confess ourselves monstrously ingrateful,
if we did not most deeply resent such kindness ; if
upon all occasions we did not express our thankful-

our blessed Saviour. 131
ness for it; if we did not ever readUy yield aU the serm.
acknowledgment and aU the requital we were able? ""
The case in regard to our blessed Saviour is like in
kind ; but in degree, whatever we can suppose doth
infinitely faU below the performances of him for us,
who stooped from the top of heaven, who laid aside
the majesty and the fehcity of God, for the infamies
and the dolours of a cross, that he might redeem us
from the torments of heU, and instate us in the joys
of paradise. So that our obhgations of gratitude to
him are unexpressibly great ; and we cannot with
any face deny ourselves to be most basely un
worthy, if the effects in our heart and hfe be not
answerable. Nor should we forget, that also upon this account
we do owe great love and thanks to God the Holy
Ghost, who, as he did originaUy conspire in the
wonderful project of our redemption, as he did
executively by miraculous operation conduct our
Saviour into his fleshly tabernacle, as he did by
unmeasurable communications of divine virtue assist John m.
his humanity through aU the course of his life ; so ^'^'
in this juncture he did inspire him with charity
more than human, and did support him to undergo
those pressures with invincible patience ; and so did
sanctify all this sacerdotal performance, that our
Lord, as the apostle doth affirm. Did through if^e Heb.ix. 14.
eternal Spirit offer himself ivithout spot to God.
2 What surer ground can there be of faith in
God, what stronger encouragement of hope, than is
suggested by this consideration ? For if God stead- i Pet. i.
fastly did hold his purpose, and faithfuUy did ac- Eph. i. 4.
compUsh his word in an instance so distasteful to " '" ^°'
his own heart and bowels ; how can we ever suspect
9—2

132 Upon the Passion of
SE^RM. his constancy and fidelity in any case ? how can we
 distrust the completion of any divine promise ?
Rom. viii. Lf God Spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us, to the suffering of so contumeUous
affliction ; how can we any ways be diffident of his
bounty, or despair of his mercy? how, as the apostle
doth argue, shall he not also with him freely give us
all things ?
If ever we be tempted to doubt of God's good
ness, will not this experiment thereof convince and
satisfy us ? For what higher kindness could God
express, what lower condescension could he vouch
safe, by what pledge could he more clearly or surely
testify his wUlingness and his dehght to do us good,
than by thus ordering his dearest Son to undergo
such miseries for us ?
If the greatness of our sins discourageth us from
entertaining comfortable hopes of mercy*, wUl it not
rear our hearts, to consider that such a punishment
hath been infiicted to expiate them, which might
content the most rigorous severity ; that such a
Gal. iii. 13. prico is laid down to Redeem us from the curse,
I Pet.l 19. which richly may suffice to discharge it ; that such a
sacrifice hath been offered, which God hath avowed
for most available, and acceptable to himself? So
that now what can justice exact more from us?
What have we further to do, than with a penitent
and thankful heart to embrace the mercy purchased
Rom. viii. for US ? Who is hc that condemneth, seeing Christ
I'pet. ii. ^("'i^ died, and Hath his own self borne our sins in
^¦^- his own body on the tree ? Whatever the wounds of
Col. i. 20. our conscience be, is not The blood ofthe cross, tem-
* Quis de se desperet, pro quo tam humilis esse voluit Filius
Dei? — Aug. de Ag. Chr. cap. xi. [Opp. Tom. vi. col. 251 b.]

our blessed Saviour. 133
pered with our hearty repentance, and applied by a serm.
lively faith, a sovereign balsam, of virtue sufficient  '- 
to cure them? And may we not By his stripes be - Pet. "•
healed ? Have we not abundant reason, with the
holy apostle, to Joy in God through our Lord Jesus Pom- v. n
Christ ; by whom we have received the atonement ?
Is it not to depreciate the worth, to disparage the
efficacy of our Lord's passion, any ways to despair
of mercy, or to be disconsolate for guilt ; as if the
cross were not enough worthy to compensate for
our unworthiness, or our Saviour's patience could
not balance our disobedience ?
3 It indeed may yield great joy and sprightly
consolation to us, to contemplate our Lord upon
the cross, exercising his immense charity toward
us, transacting aU the work of our redemption, de
feating aU the enemies, and evacuating aU the
obstacles of our salvation.
May we not delectably consider him as there
stretching forth his arms of kindness", with them
to embrace the world, and to receive all mankind
under the wings of his protection ? as there spread- isai. ixv.
ing out his hands, with them earnestly inviting and
entreating us to accept the overtures of grace, pro
cured by him for us ?
Is it not sweet and satisfactory, to view our Lev. ix.
great High Priest on that high altar offering up ^^'
his own pure flesh, and pouring out his precious
blood, as an universal, complete sacrifice, propitia
tory for the sins of mankind^?
Is it not a goodly object to behold humility
^ Extendit ergo in passione manus suas, &c. — Lact. Instit.
IV. 26.
' Chrys. Orat. Lxxxn. Opp. Tom. v. [p. 563.]

134 Upon the Passion of
SERM. and patience so gloriously rearing themselves above
 aU worldly, all infernal pride and insolence ; by the
cross ascending unto the celestial throne of dignity
and majesty superlative?
Is it not pleasant to contemplate our Lord there
standing erect, not only as a resolute sufferer, but as
Col. ii. IS. a noble conqueror, where Having spoiled principa
lities and powers, he made a solemn show, triumph
ing over them? Did ever any conqueror, loftily
seated in his triumphal chariot, yield a spectacle so
gallant and magnificent? Was ever tree adorned
with trophies so pompous and splendid?
To the exterior view and carnal sense of men,
our Lord was then indeed exposed to scorn and
shame; but to spiritual and sincere discerning, all
his and our enemies did there hang up as objects of
contempt, utterly overthrown and undone.
Matt. xii. There the DevU, that Strong and sturdy one,
Luke xi. 'O Jffxi'/oos, did hang up bound in chains, disarmed
HeKii. 14. and rifled, quite baffled and confounded, mankind
being rescued from his tyrannic power.
There the world, with its vain pomps, its coun
terfeit beauties, its bewitching pleasures, its fondly
admired exceUencies, did hang up, aU defaced and
Gal. vi. 14. disparaged ; as it appeared to St Paul : for God,
saith he, forbid that I should glory, save in the cross
of Christ, by which the world is crucified to me, and
I unto the world.
Gal. ii. 20 ; There, in a most lively representation, and most
Coh'^ii. 5. admirable pattern, was exhibited, the Mortification
Rom. viii. ^ ^^^ fiesh, with its affections and lusts ; and our
Rom. vi. 6. Old man was crucified, that the body of sin might
be destroyed.
I Pet. ii. There our sins, being, as St Peter telleth us.

24.

our blessed Saviour. 135
Carried up by him unto the gibbet, did hang as serm.
marks of his victorious prowess, as malefactors by

him Condemned in the fiesh, as objects of our hor- ^^^- '^i"-
ror and hatred.
There death itself hung gasping, with its sting i Cor. xv.
puUed out, and aU its terrors queUed ; his death 2 Tim. i.
having prevented ours, and induced immortality. Heb. ii. 14.
There aU wrath. Enmity, strife, (the banes of Eph. 11.15,
comfortable life,) did hang abolished in his flesh, coi. i. 20.
and slain upon the cross, by the blood whereof he
made peace, and reconciled all things in heaven
and earth.
There manifold yokes of bondage, instruments
of vexation, and principles of variance, even aU
The handwriting of ordinannces that was against Coi. ii. 14.
us, did hang up, cancelled and nailed to the cross.
So much sweet comfort by special consideration
may be extracted from this event, which in appear
ance was most doleful, but in effect the most happy
that ever by Providence was dispensed to the
world. Further,
4 This consideration is most useful to render
us very humble and sensible of our weakness, our
vileness, our wretchedness. For how low was
that our faU, from which we could not be raised
without such a depression of God's only Son ! How
great is that impotency, which did need such a
succour to reheve it! How abominable must be
that iniquity, which might not be expiated without
so costly a sacrifice! How deplorable is that
misery, which could not be removed without com
mutation of so strange a suffering! Would the
Son of God have so Emptied, (Eavrov eKevwae), and Phil. u. 7.

136 Upon ihe Passion of
SERM. abased hunself for nothing? Would he have
 '¦ — endured such pains and ignominies for a trifle ?
No, surely; if our guUt had been sUght, if our
case had been tolerable, the divine wisdom would
have chosen a more cheap and easy remedy for us.
Is it not madness for us to be conceited of any
worth in ourselves, to confide in any merit of our
works, to glory in any thing belonging to us, to
fancy ourselves brave, fine, happy persons, worthy
of great respect and esteem; whenas our unworthi
ness, our demerit, our forlorn estate did extort
from the most gracious God a displeasure needing
such a reconcUiation, did impose upon the most
glorious Son of God a necessity to undergo such a
punishment in our behalf?
How can we reasonably pretend to any honour,
or justly assume any regard to ourselves, whenas
I Cor. ii. 8. the firstborn of heaven. The Lord of glory, partaker
Phil. ii. 7. of divine majesty, was fain to Make himself of no
reputation, to put hunself into the garb of a ser
vant, and, under the imputation of a malefactor, to
bear such disgrace and infamy in our room, in heu
of the confusion due to us ?
What more palpable confutation can there be
2Cor.x. J. of human vanity and arrogance, of all lofty Imagi
nations, aU presumptuous confidences, aU turgid
humours, aU fond self-pleasings and self-admirings,
than is that tragical cross, wherein, as in a glass,
our foul deformity, our pitiful meanness, our help
less infirmity, our sad wofulness are so plainly
represented ?
WeU surely may we say with St Austin, Let
man now at length blush to be proud, for whom God

our blessed Saviour. 137
is made so humble^. [And since, as he doth add, serm.
This great disease of soul did bring down the  '- —
almighty Physician from heaven, did humble him
to the form of a servant, did subject him to contume
lies, did suspend him on a cross, that ihis tumour
by virtue of so great a medicine might be cured^f\
may not he weU be presumed incurable, who is not
cured of his pride by this medicine'; in whom nei
ther the reason of the case, nor the force of such
an example, can work humUity?
; 5 But further, while this contemplation doth
breed sober humUity, it also should preserve us
from base abjectness of mind; for it doth evidently
demonstrate, that, according to God's infaUible
judgment, we are very considerable ; that our souls
are capable of high regard ; that it is a great pity
we should be lost and abandoned to ruin. For
surely, had not God much esteemed and respected
us, he would not for our sakes have so debased
himself, or deigned to endure so much for our
recovery; divine justice would not have exacted or
accepted such a ransom for our souls, had they
been of little worth. We should not therefore
sUght ourselves, nor demean ours6lves Uke sorry,
contemptible wretches, as if we deserved no con
sideration, no pity from ourselves; as if we thought
our souls not worth saving, which yet our Lord Acts xiii.
46.
s Jam tandem erubescat homo esse superbus, propter quem fac
tus est humilis Dous. — Aug. in Ps. xviii. [Opp. Tom. iv. col. 87 e.]
^ Iste ingens morbus omnipotentem Medicum de coelo deduxit,
usque ad formam servi humiliavit, contumcliis egit, ligno suspendit,
ut per salutem tantse medicinse curetur hie tumor. — Ibid.
' Quse superbia sanari potest, si humilitate Filii Dei non sana-
tur? — Id. de Agone Chr. cap. xi. [Opp. Tom. vi. col. 251 E.]

138 Upon ihe Passion of
serm. thought good to purchase at so dear a rate". By
 '. — so despising or disregarding ourselves, do we not
condemn the sentiments, do we not Adhfy the suf
ferings of our Lord; so with a pitiful meanness
of spirit joining the most unworthy injustice and
ingratitude? Again,
6 How can we reflect upon this event without
extreme displeasure against, and hearty detestation
of our sins ? those sins which indeed did bring such
tortures and such disgraces upon our blessed Re
deemer? Judas, the wretch who betrayed him;
the Jewish priests who did accuse and prosecute
him; the wicked rout which did abusively insult
over him ; those cruel hands that smote him ; those
pitiless hearts that scorned him; those poisonous
tongues that mocked him and revUed him; aU
those who were the instruments and abettors of
his affliction, how do we loathe and abhor them!
how do we detest their names and execrate their
memories ! But how much greater reason have we
to abominate our sins, which were the true, the
Rom. iv. principal actors of all that woful tragedy ! He
^^' was delivered for our offences; they were indeed
the traitors, which by the hands of Judas deUvered
2 Cor. V. him up. He that knevj no sin, was made sin for
^^' us; that is, was accused, was condemned, was exe
cuted as a sinner for us. It was therefore we, who
by our sins did impeach him; the spiteful priests
were but our advocates : we by them did adjudge
^ Aut vero pro minimo habet Deus hominem, propter quem
mori voluit Unicum suum? — Id. in Psal. cxlviii. [Opp. Tom. iv.
col. 1676 r.]
Si vobis ex terrena fragilitate viles estis, ex pretio vestro vos
estimate. — Id.

our blessed Saviour. 139
and sentence him; PUate was but drawn in against serm.
his will and conscience to be our spokesman in  '. —

that behalf: we by them did inflict that horrid
punishment on him ; the Roman executioners were
but our representatives therein. He became a Gai. iii. 13.
curse for us; that is, aU the mockery, derision, and
contumely he endured, did proceed from us; the
sUly people were but properties acting our parts.
Our sins were they that cried out, Crucifige, {Cm- Luke xxiii.
cify him, crucify him,) with clamours more loud joim xix.
and more importunate than did aU the Jewish ' '^'
rabble ; it was they, which by the borrowed throats
of that base people did so outrageously persecute
him. He was wounded for our transgressions, and isai. hii. 5.
bruised for our iniquities: it was they, which by
the hands of the fierce soldiers, and of the rude
populace, as by senseless engines, did buffet and
scourge him; they by the naUs and thoms did
pierce his flesh and rend his sacred body. Upon
them, therefore, it is most just and fit that we
should turn our hatred, that we should discharge
our indignation.
7 And what in reason can be more powerful
toward working penitential sorrow and remorse,
than reflection upon such horrible effects, proceed
ing from our sins? How can we forbear earnestly
to grieve, considering ourselves by them to have
been the perfidious betrayers, the unjust slanderers,
the cruel persecutors and barbarous murderers
of a person so innocent and lovely, so good and
benign, so great and glorious; of God's own dear
Son, of our best friend, of our most gracious Re
deemer ?
8 If ingenuity will not operate so far, and

I20.

140 Upon the Passion of
SERM. hereby melt us into contrition; yet surely this con-
 sideration must needs affect us with a religious
™"'''^' ^®^^- -^'^'^ ^^^ ^^ otherwise than tremble to think
upon the heinous guilt of our sins, upon the dread
ful fierceness of God's wrath against them, upon
the impartial severity of divine judgment for them,
all so manifestly discovered, all so livelily set forth
in this dismal spectacle? If the view of an ordi
nary execution is apt to beget in us some terror,
some dread of the law, some reverence toward
authority ; what awful impressions should this sin
gular example of divine justice work upon us!
How greatly we should be moved thereby,
what affections it should raise in us, we may even
learn from the most inanimate creatures: for the
whole world did seem affected thereat with horror
and confusion; the frame of things was discom
posed and disturbed; aU nature did feel a kind of
compassion and compunction for it. The sun (as
from aversion and shame) did hide his face, leaving
the world covered for three hours with mournful
blackness; the bowels of the earth did yearn and
quake ; the rocks did split ; the veil of the temple
was rent ; the graves did open themselves, and tho
dead bodies were roused up. And can we then
(who are the most concerned in the event) be more
stupid than the earth, more obdurate than rocks,
more drowsy than interred carcases, the most in
sensible and immoveable things in nature ? But
further, 9 How can the meditation on this event do
otherwise than hugely deter us from all wUful dis
obedience and commission of sin? For how thereby
can we violate such engagements, and thwart such

our blessed Saviour. 141
an example of obedience ? How thereby can we serm.
abuse so wonderful goodness, and disoblige so

¦transcendent charity ? How thereby can we reject
-that gentle dominion over us, which our Redeemer
did so dearly purchase, or renounce The Lord that Tit. ii. 14.
bought us at so high a rate ? With what heart can 18, 19. '
we bring upon the stage, and act over that direful g °™' ^'^'
.tragedy, renewing aU that pain and all that dis- ^p^et^'i'i'
grace to our Saviour : as the apostle teacheth that ' ^°'^- ^i-
we do by apostasy. Crucifying to ourselves the Son Heb. vi. 6.
of God afresh, and putting him to an open shame ?
Gan we without horror Tread under foot the Son Heb. x. 29.
of God, and count the blood of the covenant an
unholy thing ; (as the same divine apostle saith' aU
wilful transgressors do;) vUifying that most sacred
and precious blood", so freely shed for the demon
stration of God's mercy, and ratification of his gra
cious intentions toward us, as a thing of no special
worth or consideration; despising aU his so kind
andpainfiil endeavours for our salvation; defeating
his most charitable purposes and earnest desires
for our welfare; rendering aU his so bitter and
loathsome sufferings in regard to us utterly vain
and fruitless, yea indeed very hurtful and perni
cious ? For if the cross do not save us from our
sins, it wiU much aggravate their guUt, and aug
ment their punishment; bringing a severer con
demnation and a sadder ruin on us. Again,
10 This consideration affordeth very strong
engagements to the practice of charity towards our
-neighbour. For what heart can be so hard, that
the blood of the cross cannot moUify into a chari-
E/couo-imj dpapravovToav fjpav. — Heb. X. 26.
Koivbv rjyrjadpevos. — V. 29.

142 Upon the Passion of
serm. table and compassionate sense? Can we forbear
 to love those, toward whom our Saviour did bear
so tender affection, for whom he was pleased to
sustain so woful tortures and indignities? ShaU
we not, in obedience to his most urgent commands,
in conformity to his most notable example, in
grateful return to him for his benefits, who thus
did gladly suffer for us, discharge this most sweet
and easy duty towards his beloved friends ? Shall
we not be wiUing, by parting with a httle super
fluous stuff for the rehef of our poor brother, to
requite and gratify him, who, to succour us in our
2 Cor. vui. distress, most bountifuUy did part with his wealth,
with his glory, with his pleasure, with his hfe
itself? ShaU we not meekly comport with an infir-
Eph. iv. mity, not bear a petty neglect, not forgive a smaU
Coi. iii. 13. injury to our brother, whenas our Lord did for us
and from us bear a cross, to procure remission for
our innumerable most heinous affronts and offences
against Almighty God ? Can a heart void of
mercy and pity, with any reason or modesty pre
tend to the mercies and compassions of the cross ?
Can we hope that God for Christ's sake wUl par
don us, if we for Christ's sake wiU not forgive our
neighbour ?
John XV. Can we hear our Lord saying to us. This is my
'^' command, that ye love one another, as I have loved
John xiii. you ; and. Hereby shall all men know that ye are
^^' my disciples, if ye love one another? Can we hear
Eph. V. ^. St Paul exhorting. Walk in love, as Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an
offering and a sacriflce to God for a sweetsmelling
savour ; and. We that are strong ought to bear the
inflrmities of the weak — For even Christ pleased

Rom. XV,
I, 3-

our blessed Saviour. 143
not himself, hut, as it is written, The reproaches of serm.
them that reproached thee fell on me ? Can we

attend to St John's arguing. Beloved, if God so i Jotn iv.
7 7 . 1 1 ; iii. ID,
loved US, then ought we also to love one another.
Hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us : wherefore we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren?
Can we, I say, consider such precepts, and such
discourses, without effectuaUy being disposed to
comply with them for the sake of our crucified
Saviour ? aU whose Ufe was nothing else but one
continual recommendation and enforcement of this
duty ; but his death especiaUy was a pattern most
obUging, most incentive thereto. This use of the
point is the more to be regarded, because the
apostle doth apply it hereto, our text coming in
upon that occasion; for having patheticaUy exhorted
the PhUippians to aU kinds of charity and humble
condescension, he subjoineth. Let this mind be in Phii. a. 5,
you, which was in Christ Jesus ; who being in the
form of God, &c.
1 1 But furthermore, what can be more opera
tive than this point toward breeding a disregard of
this world, with aU its deceitful vanities and mis
chievous delights ; toward reconcihng our minds to
the worst condition into which it can bring us;
toward supporting our hearts under the heaviest
pressures of affliction which it can lay upon us ?
For can we reasonably expect, can we eagerly
affect, can we ardently desire great prosperity,
whenas the Son of God, our Lord and Master, did
only taste such adversity ? How can we refuse,
in submission to God's pleasure, contentedly to

144 Upon the Passion of
SE^RM. bear a slight grievance, whenas our Saviour gladly
 did bear a cross, infinitely more distasteful to car
nal wiU and sense than any that can befall us?
Who now can admire those splendid trifles, which
our Lord never did regard in his life, and which at
his death only did serve to mock and abuse him ?
Who can relish those sordid pleasures, of which he
hving did not vouchsafe to taste, and the contraries
whereof he dying chose to feel in all extremity ?
Who can disdain or despise a state of sorrow and
disgrace, which he, by voluntary susception of it,
hath so dignified and graced ; by which we so near
Rom. viii. resomblo and become conformable to him ; by which
Phil. iii. we concur and partake with him ; yea, by which in
Apoc. i. 9. some cases we may promote, and after a sort com-
13'^^*' '^' piste his designs. Filling up, as St Paul speaketh.
Col. i. 24. that which is behind of ihe afflictions of Christ in
our flesh ?
Who now can hugely prefer being esteemed,
approved, favoured, commended by men, before
infamy, reproach, derision, and persecution from
them ; especiaUy when these do foUow conscientious
adherence to righteousness? Who can be very
ambitious of worldly honour and repute, covetous
of wealth", or greedy of pleasure, who doth observe
the Son of God choosing rather to hang upon a
cross, than to sit upon a throne; mviting the
clamours of scorn and spite, rather than acclama
tions of blessing and praise; divesting himself of
all secular power, pomp, plenty, conveniences, and
solaces; embracing the garb of a slave, and the
° Cogitemus crucem ejus, et divitias lutum putabimus. — ^Hier.
ad Nepot. [Ep. xxxiv. Opp. Tom. iv. p. ii. p. 263.]

our blessed Saviour. 145
repute of a malefactor, before the dignity and serm.
respect of a prince, which were his due, which he  '- —
most easily could have obtained?
Can we imagme it a very happy thing to be
high and prosperous in this world, to swim in afflu
ence and pleasure ? Can we take it for a misery
to be mean and low, to conflict with some wants
and straits here ; seeing the Fountain of aU happi
ness did himself purposely condescend to so forlorn
a state, and was pleased to become so deep a suf
ferer" ? If with devout eyes of our mind we do •
behold our Lord hanging naked upon a gibbet,
besmeared aU over with streams of his own blood,
groaning under smart anguish of pain, encompassed
with all sorts of disgraceful abuses. Yielding (as it isai. i. 6.
was foretold of him) his back to the smiters, and his
cheeks to them who plucked off the hair, hiding not
his face from shame and spitting ; wiU not the ima
gination of such a spectacle dim the lustre of all
earthly grandeurs and beauties, damp the sense of
aU carnal delights and satisfactions, quash all that
extravagant glee which we can find in any wild froUcs
or riotous merriments ? WiU it not stain aU our
pride, and check our wantonness ? WUl it not dis
pose our minds to be sober, placing our happiness
in things of another nature, seeking our content in
matters of higher importance ; preferring obedience
to the wUl of God before compUance with the
fancies and desires of men; according to that pre
cept of St Peter, Forasmuch then as Christ hath i Pet. iv.
suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise '
Quis beatam vitam esse arbitretur in iis, quse contemnenda
esse docuit Filius Dei? — Aug. de Ag. Chr. cap. xi. [Opp. Tom. vi.
col. 252 B.]
B. S. VOL. I. 10

146 Upon the Passion of
SERM. with the same mind — so as no longer to live the
 '. — remaining time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but
to the will of God ?
12 This indeed wUl instruct and incline us
cheerfuUy to submit unto God's wUl, and gladly to
accept from his hand whatever he disposeth, how
ever grievous and afflictive to our natural wiU ; this
point suggesting great commendation of afflictions,
and strong consolation under them. For if such
hardship was to our Lord himself a school of duty,
Heb. V. 8. He, as the apostle saith, learning obedience from
what he suffered ; if it was to him a fit mean of
perfection, as the apostle doth again imply when he
Heb. ii. lo. saith. That it became God to perfect the Captain of
our salvation by suffering; if it was an attractive
of the divine favour even to him, as those words
Johnx. 17. import. Therefore the Father loveth me, because L
lay down my life ; if it was to him a step toward
Luke xxiv. glory, according to that saying, Was not Christ to
suffer, and so to enter into his glory ? yea, if it was
a ground of conferring on him a subhme pitch of
Phil. ii. 9. dignity above aU creatures, God for this obedience
having exalted him, and given him a name above
Heb. ii. 9. all uamcs ; We seeing Jesus — -for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour; the heavenly
society in the Revelations with one voice crying
Rev.v. 12. out. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain {Who re
deemed us to God by his blood) to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing: if affliction did minister
such advantages to him ; and if by our conformity
to him in undergoing it, (with Uke equanimity,
humUity, and patience,) it may afford the Uke to
us ; what reason is there that we should anywise be

our blessed Saviour. 147
discomposed at it, or disconsolate under it ? Much serm.
greater reason, surely, there is, that, with St Paul

and aU the holy apostles, we should rejoice, boast, ^om ^24^
and exult in our tribulations ; far more cause we ^^"- '*'•
_ 12.
have with them to esteem it a favour, a privilege, Luke vi.
an ornament, a fehcity to us, than to be displeased Phu. i. 29,
and discontented therewith. jameri.'*2
To do thus is a duty incumbent on us as Chris- f Pet^i.^7
tians. For, He, saith our Master, that doth not'^i^-'^''}-''
' ' ' I Cor. 1. 4
take up his cross, and follow me, is not worthy o/"i Thess. m
me: He that doth not carry his cross, and go after Rom. viii.
me, cannot be my disciple. He that doth not will- Acts xiv.
ingly take the cross, when it is presented to him by ^ Tim. iii.
God's hand; he that doth not contentedly bear it, ^^^^ ^
when it is by Providence imposed on him, is no- 38;x;vi.24,
•^ '¦ . . . Lukexiv.
Wise worthy of the honour to wait on Christ; he is 27 ; ix. 23
not capable to be reckoned among the disciples of
our heavenly Master^. He is not worthy of Christ,
as not having the courage, the constancy, the sin
cerity of a Christian ; or -of one pretending to such
great benefits, such high privileges, such exceUent
rewards, as Christ our Lord and Saviour doth pro
pose-. He cannot be Christ's disciple shewing such
an incapacity to learn those needful lessons of humi
lity and patience, dictated by him ; declaring such
an indisposition to transcribe those copies of sub
mission to the divine wUl, self-denial, and self-resig
nation, so fairly set him by the instruction and
example of Christ : for, Christ, saith St Peter, i Pet- "•
Suffered for us, leaving us an example, 'YiroXipiTrd-
vwv vTToypafifxov, that we shouldfollow his steps-.
P Greg. Naz. [XcXoy avaravpaiBrjn, ovvveKpddrjn, avvTd(j>rjdi irpo-
dvpas, Iva Kal avvavaar^s, Kal awbo^aaBfjS, Kai avp^aaCXevarjs, &C. —
Orat. XXXVIII. Opp. Tom. i. p. 675 c]
10—2

148 Upon the Passion of
serm. 13 The wiUing susception and the cheerful sus-
 tenance of the cross, is indeed the express condition,
and the peculiar character of our Christianity; in
signification whereof, it hath been from most ancient
times a constant usage to mark those who enter
into it with the figure of it. The cross, as the in
strument by which our peace with God was wrought,
as the stage whereon our Lord did act the last part
of his marveUous obedience, consummating our re
demption, as the field wherein the Captain of our
salvation did achieve his noble victories, and erect
his glorious trophies' over aU the enemies thereof,
was well assumed to be the badge of our profession,
the ensign of our spiritual warfare, the pledge of
our constant adherence to our crucified Saviour; in
relation to whom our chief hope is grounded, our
Gal. vi. 14. great joy and sole glory doth consist : for, God for
bid, saith St Paul, that I should glory, save in the
cross of Christ.
I Cor. i. 23. X4. Let it be. To the Jews a scandal, (or offen
sive to their fancy, prepossessed with expectations
of a Messias flourishing in secular pomp and pros
perity ;) let it he folly to the G)-eeks, (or seem absurd
to men puffed up and corrupted in mind with fleshly
notions and maxims of worldly craft, disposing them
to value nothing which is not grateful to present
sense or fancy,) that God should put his own most
beloved Son into so very sad and despicable a condi
tion''; that salvation from death and misery should
' To Tpoiraiov tov aravpov. — Const. Apost. VIII. 12. [Cotel. Pat.
Apost. Tom. I. p. 399.]
' Orig. con. Cels. n. p. 79. [Kal oiVrai ye Kparvveiv to ty/tXr/fia-
ijrel Xoyov iirayyeXdpevoi vlbv eivai. tov Qeov, dnobeiKwpev ov Xoyov
KaBapbv KOL dyiov, aWa avdpairov dnpoTara diraxdevra Kal diToTvpiravi-
aBevra.^

our blessed Saviour. 149
be procured by so miserable a death; that eternal serm.
joy, glory, and happiness should issue from these  '- 

II.

fountains of sorrow and shame; that a person in
external semblance devoted to so opprobrious usage,
should be the Lord and Redeemer of mankind, the
King and Judge of all the world : let, I say, this
doctrine be scandalous and distasteful to some per
sons tainted with prejudice ; let it be strange and
incredible to others bhnded with self-conceit; let aU
the inconsiderate, all the proud, aU the profane part
of mankind openly with their mouth, or closely in
heart, slight and reject it: yet to us it must appear
grateftil and joyous; to us it is n«7Tos Xo'7os, A 'Tim. i.
faithful and most credible proposition worthy of all 2 Tim. ii.
acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to
save sinners, in this way of suffering for them : to
us, who discern by a clearer light, and are endowed
with a purer sense, kindled by the divine Spirit ;
from whence we may with comfortable satisfaction
of mind apprehend and taste, that God could not in
a higher measure or fitter manner, Ulustrate his
glorious attributes of goodness and justice, his infi
nite grace and mercy toward his poor creatures, his
holy displeasure against wickedness, his impartial
severity in punishing iniquity and impiety, or in
vindicating his own sacred honour and authority,
than by thus ordering his only Son, clothed with
our nature, to suffer for us ; that also true virtue
and goodness could not otherwise be taught, be
exempUfied, be commended and impressed with
greater advantage.
Since thereby indeed a charity and humanity so
unparaUeled, (far transcending theirs who have been
celebrated for devoting their lives out of love to

150 Upon the Passion of our blessed Saviour.
SERM. their country, or kindness to their friends,) a meek-
 '- — ness so incomparable, a resolution so invincible, a

patience so heroical, were manifested for the instruc
tion and direction of men; since never were the
vices and the vanities of the world (so prejudicial to
the welfare of mankind) so remarkably discounte
nanced; since never any suffering could pretend to
2"cor°"'^' ^'^ 'W'oriihy and beneficial effects, the expiation ofthe
'9- whole world's sins, and reconcUiation of mankind to
God, the which no other performance, no other
sacrifice did ever aim to procure; since, in fine, no
virtue had ever so glorious rewards, as sovereign
dignity to him that exercised it, and eternal happi
ness to those that imitate it; since, I say, there be
such excellent uses and fruits of the cross borne by
our Saviour ; we can have no reason to be offended
at it, or ashamed of it; but with aU reason heartUy
should approve and humbly adore the deep wisdom
of God, together with aU other his glorious attri
butes displayed therein. To whom therefore, as is
most due, let us devoutly render all glory and
praise. And,
Apoc. i. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
56.... .
sins in his blood, and hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory
Apoc. V. and dominion for ever and ever. Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever
and ever. Amen.

SERMON IIL"
THE PLEASANTNESS OF RELIGION.

Prov. III. 17.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
are peace.
THE meaning of these words seems plain and serm.
obvious, and to need little explication. Her  —
ways, th&,t is, the ways of wisdom. What this
wisdom is, I shaU not undertake accurately to de
scribe (in an audience so well acquainted with it).
Briefly, I understand by it, an habitual skUl or
faculty of judging aright about matters of practice,
and choosing according to that right judgment, and
conforming the actions to such good choice. Wa.ys
and Paths in Scripture-dialect are the courses and
manners of action. For doing there is commonly
caUed walking ; and the methods of doing are the
Ways in which we walk. By Pleasantness may be
meant the joy and deUght accompanying, and by
Peace the content and satisfaction ensuing such a
course of actions. So that in short, the sense of
these words seems simply to be this ; that a course
of life directed by wisdom and good judgment is
delightful in the practice, and brings content after
it. The truth of which proposition it shall be my
» St Mary's, June 30, 1661.

152 The Pleasantness of Religion.
serm. endeavour at this time to confirm by divers reasons.
1 Ml
 — and illustrate by several instances.
I. Then, wisdom of itself is delectable and satis
factory, as it implies a revelation of truth, and a
detection of error to us^ It is like light, pleasant
to behold, casting a sprightly lustre, and diffusing
a benign influence aU about; presenting a goodly
prospect of things to the eyes of our mind ; display
ing objects in their due shapes, postures, magni
tudes, and colours; quickening our spirits with a
comfortable warmth, and disposing our minds to a
cheerful activity; dispelling the darkness of igno
rance, scattering the mists of doubt, driving away
the spectres of delusive fancy; mitigating the cold
of suUen melancholy; discovering obstacles, securing
progress, and making the passages of life clear,
open, and pleasant. We are aU naturally endowed
with a strong appetite to know, to see, to pursue
truth ; and with a bashful abhorrency of being
deceived, and entangled in mistake. And as suc
cess in inquiry after truth affords matter of joy and
triumph; so being conscious of aberration and mis
carriage therein, is attended with shame and sor
row. These desires wisdom in the most perfect
manner satisfies, not by entertaining us with dry,
empty, fruitless theories, upon mean and vulgar
subjects; but by enriching our minds with excellent
and useful knowledge, directed to the noblest ob
jects and serviceable to the highest ends. Nor in
its own nature only, but,
II. Much more in its worthy consequences is
wisdom exceedingly pleasant and peaceable : in
'' Nihil est ei (menti hominis) veritatis luce dulcius. — Cic.
Acad. [iv. 10.]

The Pleasantness of Religion. 153
general, by disposing us to acquire and to enjoy aU serm.
the good, delight, and happiness we are capable of;  —
and by freeing us from all the inconveniences, mis
chiefs, and infeUcities our condition is subject to.
For whatever good from clear understanding, deli
berate advice, sagacious foresight, stable resolution,
dexterous managery and address, right intention,
and orderly proceeding, doth naturally result, wis
dom confers: whatever evU bUnd ignorance, false
presumption, unwary creduUty, precipitate rashness,
unsteady purpose, UI contrivance, backwardness,
inability, unwieldiness and confusion of thought,
beget, wisdom prevents. From a thousand snares
and treacherous allurements, from innumerable
rocks and dangerous surprises, from exceedingly
many needless encumbrances and vexatious toils of
fruitless endeavour, she redeems and secures us.
More particularly,
III. Wisdom assures us we take the best
course, and proceed as we ought. For by the same
means we judge aright, and reflecting upon that
judgment are assured we do so : as the same argu
ments by which we demonstrate a theorem con
vince us we have demonstrated it, and the same
light by which we see an object makes us know we
see it. And this assurance in the progress of the
action exceedingly pleases, and in the sequel of it
infinitely contents us. He that judges amiss, not
perceiving clearly the rectitude of his process, pro
ceeds usuaUy with a dubious sohcitude ; and at
length, discovering his error, condemns his own
choice, and receives no other satisfaction but of re
pentance. Like a traveUer, who, being uncertain
whether he goes in the right way, wanders in con-

154 The Pleasantness of Religion.
serm. tinuah perplexity, tUl he be informed, and then too
 late understanding his mistake, with regret seeks
to recover himself into it. But he that knows his
way, and is satisfied that it is the true one, makes
on merrUy and carelessly, not doubting he shaU in
good time arrive to his designed journey's end.
Two troublesome mischiefs therefore wisdom frees
us from, the company of anxious doubt in our
actions, and the consequence of bitter repentance :
for no man can doubt of what he is sure, nor repent
of what he knows good.
IV. Wisdom begets in us a hope of success in
our actions, and is usuaUy attended therewith. JS^ow
what is more delicious than hope? what more satis
factory than success? That is like the pursuit of
a flying enemy, this hke 'gathering the spoU ; that
hke viewing the ripe corn, this hke the joy of har
vest itself. And he that aims at a good end, ^nd
knows he uses proper means to attain it, why should
he despair of success, since effects naturaUy foUow
their causes, and the Divine Providence is wont to
afford its concourse to such proceedings ? Beside
that such weU-grounded hope confirms resolution,
and quickens activity, which mainly conduce to the
prosperous issue of designs. Further,
V. Wisdom prevents discouragement from the
possibihty of UI success, yea, and makes disappoint
ment itself tolerable. For if either the foresight of
a possible miscarriage should discourage us from
adventuring on action, or inculpable frustration
were intolerable, we should with no heart apply our
selves to any thing; there being no designs in this
world, though founded upon the most sound advice,
and prosecuted by the most dihgent endeavour,

The Pleasantness of Religion. 155
which may not be defeated, as depending upon serm.
divers causes above our power, and circumstances  "
beyond our prospect. The inconstant opinions,
uncertain resolutions, mutable affections, and fal
lacious pretences of men, upon which the accom
plishment of most projects rely, may easUy deceive
and disappoint us. The imperceptible course of
nature exerting itself in sudden tempests, diseases,
and unlucky casualties, may surprise us, and give
an end to our business and Uves together. How
ever, the irresistible power of the Divine Provi
dence, guided by the unsearchable counsel of his
wiU, we can never be assured that it wiU not inter
pose and impede the effects of our endeavours.
Yet notwithstanding, when we act prudently, we
have no reason to be disheartened ; because, having
good intentions, and using fit means, and having
done our best, as no deserved blame, so no consi
derable damage can arrive to us : and though we
find Almighty God hath crossed us, yet we are
sure he is not displeased with us. Which consi
deration, wherewith wisdom furnishes us, wUl make
the worst success not only tolerable, but comforta
ble to us. For hence we have reason to hope, that
the AU-wise Goodness reserves a better reward for
us, and wUl sometime recompense not only the
good purposes we unhappUy pursued, but also the
unexpected disappointment we patiently endured;
and that however we shaU be no losers in the end.
Which discourse is mainly fortified by considering
how the best and wisest attempts have oft miscar
ried. We see Moses, authorized by God's com
mand, directed by his counsel, and conducted by his
hand, intended to bring the Israelites into the land

156 The Pleasantness of Religion.
SERM. of Canaan : yet, by the unreasonable increduhty and
 '- — stubborn perverseness of that people, he had his
purpose frustrated. The holy prophets afterward
earnestly endeavoured to contain the same people
within compass of obedience to the divine com
mands, and to reduce them from their idolatrous
and wicked courses ; yet without correspondent
effect. Our Saviour, by the example of his holy
hfe, careful instruction, and vehement exhortations,
assayed to procure a behef of and submission to his
most excellent doctrine; yet how few believed his
Isai. hii. I. report, and comphed with his disciphne ! Yea,
Almighty God himself often complains, how in
a manner his designs were defeated, his desires
thwarted, his offers refiised, his counsels rejected,
laai. V. 4. his expectations deceived. Wlierefore, (saith he
concerning his vineyard,) when I looked it should
bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ?
isai.kv. 2. And again, I have spread out my hands all the day
Jer. vii. 25, to a rebelUous pcoplc. And again, I have even sent
unto you all my prophets, daily rising up early, and
sending them: yet they hearkened not unto me.
Wherefore there is no good cause we should be dis
heartened, or vexed, when success is wanting to
weU-advised purposes. It is foohsh and ill-grounded
intentions, and practices unwarrantable by good
reason, that make the undertakers solicitous of suc
cess, and being defeated leave them disconsolate.
Yea further,
VI. Wisdom makes all the troubles, griefs, and
pains incident to life, whether casual adversities, or
natural afflictions, easy and supportable; by rightly
valuing the importance, and moderating the in
fluence of them. It suffers not busy fancy to alter

The Pleasantness of Religion. 157
the nature, amplify the degree, or extend the dura- serm.
tion of them, by representing them more sad, heavy, .  '—
and remediless than they truly are. It aUows
them no force beyond what naturally and necessa
rily they have, nor contributes nourishment to their
increase. It keeps them at a due distance, not per
mitting them to encroach upon the soul, or to pro
pagate their influence beyond their proper sphere.
It wiU not let external mischances, as poverty and
disgrace, to produce an inward sense which is be
yond their natural efficacy : nor corporeal affections
of sickness and pain to disturb the mind, with which
they have nothing to do. The region of these
malignant distempers being at most but the habit
of the body, wisdom by effectual antidotes repels
them from the heart, and inward parts of the soul.
If any thing, sin, and our unworthy miscarriages
toward God, should vex and discompose us : yet
this trouble wisdom, by representing the divine
goodness, and his tender mercies in our ever-
blessed Redeemer, doth perfectly allay. And as for
aU other adversities, it abates their noxious power,
by shewing us they are either merely imaginary,
or very short and temporary ; that they admit of
remedy, or at most do not exclude comfort, not
only hindering the operations of the mind, nor ex
tinguishing its joys; that they may have a profit
able use, and pleasant end ; and, however, neither
imply bad conscience, nor induce obligation to
punishment. For,
VII. Wisdom hath always a good conscience
attending it, that purest delight and richest cordial
ofthe soul; that brazen waU, and impregnable for
tress against both external assaults and internal

158 The Pleasantness of Religion.
SERM. commotions ; that Continual feast, whereon the
mind, destitute of aU other repast, with a never

III,

Prov. XV
15-

24,

languishing appetite may entertain itself; that
faithful witness, and impartial judge, whoever
accuses, always acquitting the innocent soul ; that
certain friend, in no strait faihng, in no adversity
deserting; that sure refuge in all storms of fortune,
and persecutions of disgrace; which, as Solomon
Prov. iii. j^ero uotos, roudors a man's Sleep sweet, and undis
turbed with fearful phantasms, his heart light, and
his steps secure; and, if anything, can make the
Stoical paradox good, and cause the wise man to
smUe in extremity of torment; arming his mind
with an invincible courage, and infusing a due con
fidence into it, whereby he bears up cheerfully
against mahcious reproach, undauntedly sustains
adversity, and triumphs over bad fortune. And
this invaluable treasure the wise man is only capa
ble of possessing ; who certainly knows and heartUy
approves the grounds upon which he proceeds ;
whenas the fool, building his choice upon blind
chance, or violent passion, or giddy fancy, or
uncertain example, not upon the steady warrant of
good reason, cannot avoid being perplexed with
suspicion of mistake, and so necessarUy is deprived
of the comfort of a good conscience.
VIII. Wisdom confers a facUity, expert readi
ness, and dexterity in action; which is a very plea
sant and commodious quality, and exceedingly
sweetens activity. To do things with difficulty,
strugghng, and immoderate contention, disheartens
a man, quells his courage, blunts the edge of his
resolution, renders him sluggish and averse from
business, though apprehended never so necessary,

The Pleasantness of Religion. 159
and of great moment. These obstructions wisdom serm.
removes, faciUtating operations by directing the  _
attention to ends possible and attainable, by sug
gesting fit means and instruments to work by, by
contriving right methods and courses of process ;
the mind by it being stored with variety of good
principles, sure rules, and happy expedients, reposed
in the memory, and ready upon aU occasions to be
produced, and employed in practice.
IX. Wisdom begets a sound, healthfiU, and
harmonious complexion of the soul, disposing us
with judgment to distinguish, and with pleasure to
relish savoury and wholesome things, but to nau
seate and reject such as are ingrateful and noxious
to us ; thereby capacifying us to enjoy pleasantly
and innocently aU those good things the divine
goodness hath provided for and consigned to us;
whence to the soul proceeds aU that comfort, joy,
and vigour, which results to the body from a good
constitution and perfect health.
X. Wisdom acquaints us with ourselves, our
own temper and constitution, our propensions and
passions, our habitudes and capacities ; a thing not
only of mighty advantage, but of infinite pleasure
and content to us. No man in the world less
knows a fool than himself; nay, he is more than
ignorant, for he constantly errs in the point, taking
himself for, and demeaning himself as toward an
other, a better, a wiser, an abler man than he is.
He hath wonderful conceits of his own qualities
and faculties ; he affects commendations incompe
tent to him ; he soars at employment surpassing
his abUity to manage. No comedy can represent
a mistake more odd and ridiculous than his : for he

serm.
III.

160 The Pleasantness of Religion.
wanders, and stares, and hunts after, but never can
find nor discern himself; but always encounters
with a false shadow instead thereof, which he pas
sionately hugs and admires. But a wise man, by
constant observation, and impartial reflection upon
hunself, grows very famUiar with himself : he per
ceives his own inclinations, which, if bad, he strives
to alter and correct; if good, he cherishes and cor
roborates them : he apprehends the matters Tie is
fitting for, and capable to manage, neither too mean
and unworthy of him, nor too high and difficult for
him; and those applying his care to, he transacts
easUy, cheerfuUy, and successfully. So being nei
ther puffed up with vain and overweening opinion,
nor dejected with heartless diffidence of himself;
neither admiring, nor despising; neither irksomely
hating, nor fondly loving himself ; he continues in
good humour, maintains a sure friendship and fair
correspondence with himself, and rejoices in the
retirement and private conversation with his own
thoughts : whence flows a pleasure and satisfaction
unexpressible. XI. Wisdom procures and preserves a con
stant favour and fair respect of men, purchases a
good name, and upholds reputation in the world :
which things are naturaUy desirable, commodious
for life, encouragements to good, and preventive of
many inconveniences. The composed frame of
mind, uniform and comely demeanour, compliant
and inoffensive conversation, fair and punctual
dealing, considerate motions, and dexterous ad
dresses of wise men, naturaUy beget esteem and
affection in those that observe them. Neither than
these things is there anything more commendable

The Pleasantness of Religion. 161
to human regard. As symmetry and harmony to serm.
the animal senses, so delectable is an even temper ^^^'
of soul and orderly tenour of actions to rational
apprehensions. Folly is freakish and humorous,
impertinent and obstreperous, inconstant and incon
sistent, peevish and exceptions; and consequently
fastidious to society, and productive of aversation
and disrespect. But the wise man is stable in his
ways, consonant to himself, suiting his actions to
his words, and those to his principles, and all to
the rule of right reason; so that you may know
where to find him, and how to deal with him, and
may easily please him, which makes his acquaint
ance acceptable, and his person valuable: beside
that real worth of itself commands respect, and
extorts veneration from men, and usually prosperity
waits upon his weU-advised attempts, which ex
ceedingly adorn and advance the credit of the
undertaker ; however, if he faU sometime, his usual
deportment salves his repute, and easUy makes it
credible it was no fault of his, but of his fortune.
If a fool prosper, the honour is attributed to propi
tious chance ; if he miscarry, to his own UI manage
ment : but the entire glory of happy undertakings
crowns the head of wisdom; whUe the disgrace of
unlucky events faUs otherwhere. His light, like
that of the sun, cannot totaUy be eclipsed; it may
be dimmed, but never extinguished, and always
maintains a day, though overclouded with misfor
tune. Who less esteems the famous African cap
tain for being overthrown in that last fatal battle,
wherein he is said to have shewn the best skiU,
and yet endured the worst of success ? Who con
temns Cato, and other the grave citizens of Rome,
B. S. VOL. I. 11

162 Tlie Pleasantness of Religion.
SERM. for embracing the just, but improsperous cause of
 '. — the commonwealth ? A wise man's circumstances
may vary and fluctuate Uke the floods about a
rock; but he persists unmovably the same, and his
reputation unshaken : for he can always render a
good account of his actions, and by reasonable
apology elude the assaults of reproach.
XII. Wisdom instructs us to examine, com
pare, and rightly to value the objects that court
our affections, and challenge our care; and thereby
regulates our passions, and moderates our endea
vours, which begets a pleasant serenity and peace
able tranquUUty of mind. For when, being deluded
with false shows, and relying upon Ul-grounded
presumptions, we highly esteem, passionately affect,
and eagerly pursue things of httle worth in them
selves or concernment to us, as we unhandsomely
prostitute our affections, and prodigaUy mispend
our time, and vainly lose our labour; so the event
not answering our expectation, our minds thereby
are confounded, disturbed, and distempered. But ,
when, guided by right reason, we conceive great
esteem of, and zealously are enamoured with, and
vigorously strive to attain things of exceUent worth,
and weighty consequence ; the conscience of having
well placed our affections, and weU employed our
pains, and the experience of fruits corresponding
to our hopes, raAdshes our mind with unexpressible
content. And so it is : present appearance and
vulgar conceit ordinarUy impose upon our fancies,
disguising things with a deceitful varnish, and
representing those that are vainest with the great
est advantage; whUst the noblest objects, being of
a more subtle and spiritual nature, like fairest

The Pleasantness of Religion. 163
jewels enclosed in a homely casket, avoid the notice serm.
of gross sense, and pass undiscerned by us. But  ^-
the Ught of wisdom, as it unmasks specious impos
ture, and bereaves it of its false colours ; so it
penetrates into the retirements of true exceUency,
and reveals its genuine lustre. For example, cor
poreal pleasure, which so powerfuUy allures and
enchants us, wisdom declares that it is but a pre
sent, momentary, and transient satisfaction of bru
tish sense, dimming the hght, suUying the beauty,
impairing the vigour, and restraining the activity
of the mind; avocing from better operations, and
indisposing it to enjoy purer delights; leaving no
comfortable rehsh or gladsome memory behind it,
but often followed with bitterness, regret, and dis
grace. That the profit the world so greedUy gapes
after is but a possession of trifles, not valuable in
themselves, nor rendering the masters of them
so ; accidentaUy obtained, and promiscuously en
joyed by aU sorts, but commonly by the worst of
men ; difficultly acquired, and easUy lost ; however,
to be used but for a very short time, and then to
be resigned into uncertain hands. That the honour
men so dote upon is ordinarily but the difference
of a few petty circumstances, a pecuUar name or
title, a determinate place, a distinguishing ensign ;
things of only imaginary excellence, derived from
chance, and conferring no advantage, except from
some httle influence they have upon the arbitrary
opinion and fickle humour of the people ; compla
cence in which is vain, and rehance upon it danger
ous. That power and dominion, which men so
impatiently struggle for, are but necessary evUs
introduced to restrain the bad tempers of men ; most
11—2

164 The Pleasantness of Religion.
serm. evil to them that enjoy them; requiring tedious
 attendance, distracting care, and vexatious toU ;
attended with frequent disappointment, opprobri
ous censure, and dangerous envy; having such real
burdens, and slavish encumbrances, sweetened only
by superficial pomps, strained obsequiousness, some
petty privileges and exemptions scarce worth the
mentioning. That wit and parts, of which men
make such ostentation, are but natural endow
ments, commendable only in order to use, apt to
engender pride and vanity, and hugely dangerous,
if abused or misemployed. What should I men
tion beauty, that fading toy; or bodUy strength
and activity, quahties so palpably inconsiderable ?
Upon these and such like flattering objects, so
adored by vulgar opinion, wisdom exercising severe
and impartial judgment, and perceiving in them
no intrinsic excellence, no solid content springing
from them, no perfection thence accruing to the
mind, no high reward allotted to them, no security
to the future condition, no durable advantages pro
ceeding from them; it concludes they deserve not
any high opinion of the mind, not any vehement
passion of the soul, nor any laborious care to be
employed on them, and moderates our affections
toward them : it frees us from anxious desire of
them ; from being transported with excessive joy
in the acquisition of them ; from being over
whelmed with disconsolate sorrow at the missing
of them, or parting with them ; from repining and
envying at those who have better success than
ourselves in the procuring them; from immode
rate toil in getting, and care in preserving them :
and so delivering us from all these unquiet anxie-

The Pleasantness of Religion. 165
ties of thought, tumultuous perturbations of pas- serm
sion, and tedious vexations of body, it maintains  —
our minds in a cheerful calm, quiet indifferency,
and comfortable liberty. On the other side, things
of real worth and high concernment, that produce
great satisfaction to the mind, and are mainly con-
ducible to our happiness, such as are a right under
standing and strong sense of our obligations to
Almighty God, and relations to men, a sound
temper and complexion of mind, a virtuous dispo
sition, a capacity to discharge the duties of our
places, a due qualification to enjoy the happiness of
the other world; these and such Uke things, by
discovering their nature, and the effects resulting
from them, it engages us highly to esteem, ardently
to affect, and industriously to pursue ; so prevent
ing the inconveniences that foUow the want of
them, and conveying the benefits arising from the
possession of them.
XIII. Wisdom distinguishes the circumstances,
limits the measures, determines the modes, appoints
the fit seasons of action ; so preserving decorum, and
order the parent of peace, and preventing confu
sion, the mother of iniquity, strife, and disquiet. It
is in the business of human life as in a buUding;
a due proportion of bulk, a fit situation of place, a
correspondency of shape, and suitableness of colour,
is to be observed between the parts thereof : a de
fect in any of which requisites, though the mate
rials hap to be choice and excellent, makes the whole
fabric deformed and ugly to judicious apprehension.
The best actions, if they protuberate in life, and ex
ceed their due measure, if they be unskilfully mis
placed, if in uncouth manner performed, they lose

166 The Pleasantness of Religion.
^ m!^' ^^^^'^ quahty, and turn both to the disgrace and
 disadvantage of life. It is commendable to pray;
but they that would always be performing that
duty, by their absurd devotion procured to them
selves the title of heretics : and they that wiU stand
praying in places of pubUc concourse, deserved
our Saviour's reprehensions ; and those men who,
against the custom and ordinary use, would needs
I Cor. xi. pray with their faces covered, you know St Paul
insinuates of them, that they were fond and con
tentious persons. Friendly admonition is very laud
able, and of rare use ; but being upon aU occasions
immoderately used, or in public society so as to en
croach upon modesty, or endamage reputation ; or
when the person admonished is otherwise employ
ed, and attent upon his business ; or being dehvered
in an imperiously insulting way, or in harsh and
opprobrious language ; it becomes unsavoury and
odious, and both in show and effect resembles a
froward, mahcious exceptiousness. It were infi
nite to compute in how many instances want of
due order, measure, and manner, do spoU and in-
commodate action. It is wisdom that applies
remedy to these mischiefs. Things must be com
pared to, and arbitrated by, her standard, or else
they wUl contain something of monstrous enormity;
either strutting in unwieldy bulk, or sinking in de
fective scantness. If she do not fashion and model
circumstances, they wUl sit ugly on the things that
wear them ; if she do not temper the colours, and
describe the lineaments, the draught of practice wUl
be but rude and imperfect, and little resemble the
true patterns of duty ; but if she interpose, and per
form her part, all things will appear conformable,
neat, and delicate.

The Pleasantness of Religion. 167
XIV. Wisdom discovers our relations, duties, serm.
and concernments, in respect of men, with the na-  ^^^'
tural grounds of them; thereby both quaUfying and
inclining us to the discharge of them : whence ex
ceeding convenience, pleasure and content ensues.
By it we understand we are parts and members of
the great body, the universe; and are therefore con
cerned in the good management of it, and are there
by obhged to procure its order and peace, and by
no irregular undertaking to disturb or discompose
it ; which makes us honest and peaceable men : that
we proceed from the same primitive stock, are chU
dren of the same father, and partake of the same
blood with aU men ; are endowed with like faculties
of mind, passions of soul, shape of body, and sense
of things : that we have equally implanted in our
original constitution inclinations to love, pity, gra
titude, sociableness, quiet, joy, reputation : that we
have an indispensable need and impatient desire
of company, assistance, comfort, and relief; that
therefore it is according to the design of nature,
and agreeable to reason, that to those, to whom our
natural condition by so many bands of cognation,
similitude, and mutual necessitude hath knit and
conjoined us, we should bear a kind respect and
tender affection ; should cheerfuUy concur in un
dergoing the common burdens : should heartUy
wish and industriously promote their good, assist
them in accomphshing their reasonable desires,
thankftdly requite the courtesies received from
them, congratulate and rejoice with them in their
prosperity, comfort them in their distresses, and, as
we are able, relieve them ; however, tenderly com
passionate their disappointments, miseries, and sor-

168 The Pleasantness of Religion.
SERM. rows. This renders us kind and courteous neigh-
 hours, sweet and grateful companions. It repre
sents unto us the dreadful effects and insupportable
mischiefs arising from breach of faith, contravening
the obligations of solemn pacts, infringing public
laws, deviating from the received rules of equity,
violating promises, and interrupting good corre
spondence among men ; by which considerations it
engages us to be good citizens, obedient subjects,
just dealers, and faithful friends. It minds us of
the bhndness, impotence, and levity, the proneness
to mistake and misbehaviour that human nature
necessarily is subject to ; deserving rather our com
miseration, than anger or hatred, which prompts us
to bear the infirmities of our brethren, to be gentle
in censure, to be insensible of petty afironts, to par
don injuries, to be patient, exorable, and reconcUea-
ble to those that give us greatest cause of offence.
It teaches us, the good may, but the evil of our
neighbour can in no wise advantage us; that from
the suffering of any man, simply considered, no bene
fit can accrue, nor natural satisfaction arise, to us;
and that therefore it is a vain, base, brutish, and
unreasonable, thing, for any cause whatsoever, to
desire or dehght in the grief, pain, or misery of our
neighbour, to hate or envy him, or insult over him,
or devise mischief to him, or prosecute revenge upon
him; which makes us civil, noble, and placable en
emies, or rather no enemies at all. So that wis
dom is in effect the genuine parent of all moral and
poUtical virtue, justice, and honesty; as Solomon
Prov. viii. says in her person, I lead in the way of righteous
ness, and in the midst of the paths of judgment.
And how sweet these are in the practice, how com-

The Pleasantness of Religion. 169
fortable in the consequences, the testimony of con- serm.
tinual experience, and the unanimous consent of aU  —
wise men sufficiently declare. But further,
XV. The principal advantage of wisdom is, its
acquainting us with the nature and reason of true
Religion, and affording convictive arguments to per
suade to the practice of it ; which is accompanied
with the purest deUght, and attended with the most
sohd content imaginable. I say, the nature of ReU
gion, wherein it consists, and what it requires; the
mistake of which produceth daily so many mischiefs
and inconveniences in the world, and exposes so
good a name to so much reproach. It sheweth it
consisteth not in fair professions and glorious pre
tences, but in real practice; not in a pertinacious
adherence to any sect or party, but in a sincere love
of goodness, and dislike of naughtiness, wherever
discovering itself; not in vain ostentations and
flourishes of outward performance, but in an inward
good complexion of mind, exerting itself in works
of true devotion and charity; not in a nice ortho
doxy, or pohtic subjection of our judgments to the
peremptory dictates of men, but in a sincere love of
truth, in a hearty approbation of, and comphance
with, the doctrines fimdamentally good, and neces
sary to be believed; not in harsh censuring and
virulently inveighing against others, but in care
ful amending our own ways ; not in a peevish cross
ness and obstinate repugnancy to received laws and
customs, but in a quiet and peaceable submission to
the express laws of God, and lawful commands of
man ; not in a furious zeal for or against trivial cir
cumstances, but in a conscionable practising the
substantial parts of religion ; not in a frequent tali-

170 The Pleasantness of Religion.
SERM. ing or contentious disputing about it, but in a ready
 observance of the unquestionable rules and pre
scripts of it : in a word, that ReUgion consists in
nothing else but doing what becomes our relation
to God, in a conformity or simUitude to his nature,
and in a wiUing obedience to his holy wiU : to which
by potent incentives it aUures and persuades us ; by
representing to us his transcendently glorious attri
butes, conspicuously displayed in the frame, order,
and government ofthe world : that wonderful power,
which erected this great and goodly fabric; incom
prehensible wisdom, which preserves it in a con
stant harmony ; that immense goodness, which hath
so carefully provided for the various necessities,
deUghts, and comforts of its innumerable inhabi
tants. I say, by representing those infinitely glo
rious perfections, it engages us with highest respect
to esteem, reverence, and honour him. Also, by
minding us of our manifold obligations to him, our
receiving being, hfe, reason, sense, aU the faculties,
powers, exceUencies, privileges, and commodities of
our natures from him ; of his tender care and loving
providence continuaUy supporting and protecting
us ; of his liberal beneficence, patient indulgence,
and earnest desire of our good and happiness, by
manifold expressions evidently manifested toward
us; it inflames us with ardent love, and obliges us
to officious gratitude toward him. Also, by declar
ing the necessary and irreconcileable contrariety of
his nature to aU impurity and perverseness, his
peerless majesty, his irresistible power, and his aU-
seeing knowledge, it begets an awful dread and a
devout fear of him. By discovering him from his
infinite benignity wUling, and from his unlimited

The Pleasantness of Religion. 171
power, only able to supply our needs, relieve us in serm.
distresses, protect us from dangers, and confer any  "^"
valuable benefit upon us, it engenders faith, and
encourages us to rely upon him. By revealing to
us his supereminent sovereignty, uncontroUable do
minion, and unquestionable authority over us; to
gether with the admirable excellency, wisdom, and
equity of his laws, so just and reasonable in them
selves, so suitable to our nature, so conducible to
our good, so easy and practicable, so sweet and
comfortable ; it powerfuUy inclines, and by a gentle
force, as it were, constrains us to obedience. By
such efficacious inducements wisdom urges us to all
duties of ReUgion, and withal surely directs us (as I
before said) wherein it consists; teaching us to have
right and worthy apprehensions of the divine na
ture, to which our devotion, if true and good, must
be suited and conformed : and so it frees us, as from
irrehgion and profane neglect of God, so from fond
superstitions, the sources of so much evU to man
kind. For he that wisely hath considered the wis
dom, goodness, and power of God, cannot imagine
God can with a regardless eye overlook his pre
sumptuous contempts of his laws, or endure him to
proceed in an outrageous defiance of Heaven, to
continue hurting himself, or injuring his neighbour ;
nor can admit unreasonable terrors, or entertain
suspicious conceits of God, as of an imperious mas
ter, or implacable tyrant over him, exacting impos
sible performances from, or delighting in the fatal
miseries of his creatures; nor can suppose him
pleased with hypocritical shows, and greatly taken
with superficial courtships of ceremonious address ;
or that he can in any wise favour our fiery zeals.

172 The Pleasantness of Religion.
serm. fierce passions, or unjust partiahties about matter
— ¦ — '- — of opinion and ceremony; or can do otherwise than
detest aU factious, harsh, uncharitable, and revenge
ful proceedings, of what nature, or upon what
ground soever; or that he can be so inconsistent
with himself, as to approve any thing but what is
like himself, that is, righteousness, sincerity, and
beneficence. Lastly, Wisdom attracts the favour of God, pur-
chaseth a glorious reward, and secureth perpetual
Wis. vii. felicity to us. For God loveth none but him that
28 ' ill. I (^ dwelleth with ivisdom. And, Glorious is the fruit
of good Idbours: and the root of wisdom shall never
Prov. iii. fall away. And, Happy is the m.an that flndeth
wisdom: and. Whoso flndeth her, findeth life, and
shall obtain favour ofthe Lord. These are the words
of wise Solomon in the book of Wisdom, and in the
Proverbs. God loveth her, as most agreeable to his
nature; as resembhng him; as an offspring, beam,
and efflux of that wisdom which founded the earth,
and estabhshed the heavens ; as that which beget-
teth honour, love, and obedience to his commands,
and truly glorifies him ; and as that which promotes
the good of his creatures, which he earnestly desires.
And the paths she leads in are such as directly tend
to the promised inheritance of joy and bhss.
Thus have I simply and plainly presented you
with part of what my meditation suggested upon
this subject : it remains that we endeavour to obtain
this excellent endowment of soul, by the faithful
exercise of our reason, carefiil observation of things,
dihgent study of the divine law, watchful reflection
upon ourselves, virtuous and religious practice ; but
especially, by imploring the divine influence, the

The Pleasantness of Religion. 173
original spring of light, and fountain of aU true serm.
knowledge, following St James's advice : Lfany man  '- 
lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth freely. ''^™^^ '' ^'
Therefore, O everlasting Wisdom, the Maker, Re
deemer, and Governor of aU things, let some com
fortable beams from thy great body of heavenly
light descend upon us, to iUuminate our dark
minds, and quicken our dead hearts; to inflame
us with ardent love unto thee, and to direct our
steps in obedience to thy laws, through the gloomy
shades of this world, into that region of eternal light
and bliss, where thou reignest in perfect glory and
majesty, one God ever blessed, world without end.
Amen.

SERMON IV.
THE PROFITABLENESS OF GODLINESS.

Prov. xiv.
23-

I Tim. IV. 8.
 But godliness is profitable for all things.
^^v^' XT OW generaUy men, with most unanimous con-
 ¦-J. sent, are devoted to profit, as to the immediate
scope of their designs, and subject of their doings,
if with the sUghtest attention we view what is
acted upon this theatre of human affairs, we cannot
but discern. AU that we see men so very serious
and industrious about, which we caU business ; that
which they trudge for in the streets, which they
work or wait for in the shops, which they meet
and crowd for at the exchange^, which they sue for
in the hall, and solicit for at the court, which they
plough and dig for, which they march and fight for
in the field, which they travel for at land, and sail
for (among rocks and storms) upon the sea, which
they plod for in the closet, and dispute for in the
schools, (yea, may we not add, which they fre
quently pray for and preach for in the church?)
what is it but profit ? Is it not this apparently, for
which men so eagerly contest and quarrel, so bit
terly envy and emulate, so fiercely clamour and
inveigh, so cunningly supplant and undermine one
another; which stuffeth their hearts with mutual
" $eC, as peya bvvaadov iravraxov ra bv' o^oXci. —
Aristoph. [Ran. 141.]

The Profitcdjleness of Godliness. 175
hatred and spite, which tippeth their tongues with serm.
slander and reproach, which often embrueth their.  ^^'
hands with blood and slaughter; for which they
expose their lives and Umbs to danger, for which
they undergo grievous toUs and drudgeries, for
which they distract their mind with cares, and
pierce their heart with sorrows; to which they
sacrifice their present ease and content, yea, to
which commonly they prostitute their honour and
conscience? This, if you mark it, is the great
mistress, which is with so passionate riyality every
where wooed and courted; this is the common
mark, which aU eyes aim, and aU endeavours
strike at; this the lure which men demand for all
their pains, the prize they hope for aU their com
bats, the harvest they seek from aU the year's
assiduous labour. This is the bait, by which you
may inveigle most men any whither; and the most
certain sign, by which you may prognosticate what
any man wiU do: for mark where his profit is,
there wiU he be. This some professedly and with
open face, others slUy and under thin veUs of pre
tence ; (under guise of friendship, of love to public
good, of loyalty, of religious zeal;) some directly
and in a plain track, others obliquely and by sub
tle trains; some by sordid and base means, others
in ways more cleanly and plausible ; some gravely
and modestly, others wildly and fiiriously ; all (very
few excepted) in one manner or another, do clearly
in most of their proceedings level and drive at*".
'' Prima fere vota, et cunctis notissima templis
Divitise, crescent ut opes, &c. —
Juv. Sat. X. [23.]
Omnes ad affectum atque appetitum utilitatis suse naturae ipsius

176 The Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. This practice then being so general, and seeing
 that men are reasonable creatures, that it is so
cannot surely proceed from mere brutishness or
dotage; there must be some fair colour or sem
blance of reason, which draweth men into, and
carrieth them forward in this way. The reason
indeed is obvious and evident enough; the very
name of profit impheth it, signifying that which is
useful, or conducible to purposes really or seemingly
good. The gain of money, or of somewhat equiva
lent thereto, is therefore specially termed profit,
because it readUy suppheth necessity, furnisheth
convenience, feedeth pleasure, satisfieth fancy and
curiosity, promoteth ease and Uberty, supporteth
honour and dignity, procureth power, dependencies,
and friendships, rendereth a man somebody con
siderable in the world ; in fine, enableth to do
good, or to perform works of beneficence and
charity. Profit is therefore so much affected and
pursued, because it is, or doth seem, apt to procure
or promote some good desirable to us.
If therefore a project should be proposed to us
very feasible, and probable to succeed, in pursuance
whereof assuredly we might obtain great profit;
methinks, in consistence with ourselves, and con
formably to our usual manner of acting, we should
be very ready to embrace and execute it. Such a
project it is, which in my text, by a very trusty
voucher and skilful judge of such things, and one
who had himself ftdly experimented it, is proposed ;
which in itself is very practicable, so that any of
us may, if we have a mind to it and wUl be at the
magisterio atque impulsione ducuntur. — Salv. ad Eccl. Cath. li.
(adv. Avar. ii. p. 253. Ed. Baluz.)

The Profitableness of Godliness. 177
pains, throughly compass and carry it on: which serm.
wUl exceedingly turn to account, and bring in  L-
gains unto us unspeakably vast ; in comparison
whereto aU other designs, which men with so much
care and toU do pursue, are very unprofitable or
detrimental, yielding but shadows of profit, of'^'^
bringing real damage to us.
It is briefly this, to be religious or pious ; that
is, in our minds steadfastly to believe on God,
(such as nature in some measure, and revelation
more clearly, declareth him,) in our hearts earnestly
to love and reverence him, through all our practice
sincerely and dUigently to observe his laws. This
is it which St Paul affirmeth to be profitable for
all things, and which it is my intent, by God's
help, to recommend unto you as such ; demon
strating it really to be so, by representing some of
those numberless beneflts and advantages which
accrue from it, extending to aU conditions and
capacities of men, to aU states, aU seasons, and in
effect to all affairs of Ufe.
It hath been ever a main obstruction to the
practice of piety, that it hath been taken for no
friend, or rather for an enemy, to profit; as both
unprofitable and prejudicial to its foUowers : and
many semblances there are countenancing that
opinion. For rehgion seemeth to smother or to
slacken the industry and alacrity of men in foUow
ing profit, many ways : by chargmg them to be
content with a little, and careftil for nothing ; by
diverting their affections and cares from worldly
affairs to matters of another nature, place, and
time, prescribing in the first place to seek things
spiritual, heavenly, and fiiture; by disparaging aU
B. S. VOL. I. 12

178 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. secular wealth, as a thing, in comparison to virtue
 '. — and spiritual goods, very mean and inconsiderable ;
by checking greedy desires and aspiring thoughts
after it; by debarring the most ready ways of get
ting it, (violence, exaction, fraud, and flattery,)
yea, straitening the best ways, eager care and dUi-
gence; by commending strict justice in aU cases,
and always taking part with conscience when it
clasheth with interest; by paring away the largest
uses of wealth, in the prohibition of its free enjoy
ment to pride or pleasure; by enjoining Uberal
communication thereof in ways of charity and
mercy ; by engaging men to expose their goods
sometimes to imminent hazard, sometimes to cer
tain loss ; obhging them to forsake aU things, and
to embrace poverty for its sake.
It favoureth this conceit, to observe, that often
bad men by impious courses do appear to thrive
and prosper; while good men seem for their good
ness to suffer, or to be no wise visibly better for it,
enduring much hardship and distress.
It furthereth the prejudice, that some persons,
void of true piety, or imperfectly good, (some dab
blers in religion,) do not from their lame, shght,
and superficial performances, feel satisfactory re
turns, such as they did presume to find ; and
thence, to the defamation of piety, are apt to say,
Mai. iii. 14. with thoso men in the prophet. It is vain to serve
God: and what profit is it that we have kept his
ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully
before the Lord of hosts? Yea, that sometimes very
pious men, being out of humour, and somewhat
discomposed by the urgent pressures of affliction,
the disappointments and crosses incident to all

The Profitableness of Godliness. 179
men here in this region of trouble, are apt to com- serm.
plain and express themselves dissatisfied, saying

with Job, Lt profiteth a man nothing that he should Job xxxiv.
delight himself ivith God. What advantage will ii'^''^''''-^-
be unto me, and what profit shall I have, f I be
cleansed from my sin? or with David, VeiHly 1 Ps. ixxiii.
have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my ^^' '"*'
hands in innocency: for all the day long I have
been plagued, and chastened every morning.
To these considerations, disadvantageous in this
respect to piety, may be added, that the constant
and certain profits emergent from it (although in
comparably more substantial, and to the mind
more sensible than any other) are not yet so gross
and palpable, that men, who from being immersed
in earth and flesh are blind in error, duU of appre
hension, vain and inconsiderate in their judgments,
tainted and vitiated in their palates, can discern
their worth, or rehsh their sweetness. Hence it
is that so many follow the judgment and practice
of those in Job, Who say unto God, Depart from Job xxi.
us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ivays. *'
What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what profit should we have, if we pray unto
him? For voiding which prejudices, and the recom
mendation of St Paul's project, I shall, as I said,
propose some of those innumerable advantages, by
considering which the immense profitableness of
piety wiU appear. And first, I shaU mention those
considerations which more plainly do import uni
versality; then shaU touch some benefits thereof,
seeming more particular, yet in effect vastly large,
and of a very diffusive influence. 12—2

ISO The Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. I. First then, we may consider that piety is
 '¦ — exceeding useful for aU sorts of men, in aU capaci
ties, all states, aU relations; fitting and disposing
them to manage aU their respective concernments,
to discharge all their pecuhar duties, in a proper,
just, and decent manner.
Eph. vi. 9. It rendereth aU superiors equal and moderate in
their administrations; mild, courteous, and affable
in their converse ; benign and condescensive in aU
their demeanour toward their inferiors.
Eph. vi. 5. Correspondently it disposeth inferiors to be sin
cere and faithful, modest, loving, respectful, dili
gent, apt wiUingly to yield due subjection and
service.
Col. iii. 22. It inclineth princes to be just, gentle, benign,
18. ^'¦"' careful for their subjects' good, apt to administer
justice uprightly, to protect right, to encourage vir
tue, to check wickedness.
Rom. xiii. Answerably it rendereth subjects loyal, submis-
r'it. iii. I. sive, obedient, quiet, and peaceable, ready to yield
1Pet.ii.13. ^^g honour, to pay the tributes and bear the bur-
iPet.iv.9. dens imposed, to discharge all duties, and observe
all laws prescribed by their governors, conscionably,
Phii.ii. 14. patiently, cheerfuUy, without reluctancy, grudging,
or murmuring.
Eph. vi. 4. It maketh parents loving, gentle, provident for
?Tim"v!8! their chUdren's good education, and comfortable sub-
Eph. vi. I. sistence ; chUdren again, dutiful, respectfiil, grate-
Coi. m. 20. ^^^ ^^^ ^^ requite their parents.
Eph. V. 25. Husbands from it become affectionate and com-
^Pet'lii.' 7! pliant to their wives; wives submissive and obe-
coi iii: is: dient to their husbands.
Tit. ii. 5. j^ disposeth friends to be friends indeed, fuU of
cordial affection and good-wiU, entirely faithful,

The Profitableness of Godliness. 181
firmly constant, industriously careful and active in serm.
performing all good offices mutually. ^^'
It engageth men to be diligent in their calling,
faithful to their trusts, contented and peaceable in
their station, and thereby serviceable to public
good. It rendereth aU men just and punctual in their ci^a'- ^'^- "-,
dealing, orderly and quiet in their behaviour, court- pmi. iv. 8.
eous and complaisant in their conversation, friendly i,. ^^^' "'
and charitable upon aU occasions, apt to assist, to ^Pf"^' '^'
relieve, to comfort one another.
It .tieth all relations more fastly and strongly,
assureth and augmenteth aU endearments, enforceth
and establisheth aU obligations by the firm bands
of conscience ; set aside which, no engagement can
hold sure against temptations of interest or pleasure.
Much difference there is between performing these
duties out of natural temper, fear of punishment,
hope of temporal reward, selfish design, regard to
credit, or other the hke principles, and the dis
charging them out of religious conscience : this
alone wUl keep men tight, uniform, resolute, and
stable ; whereas all other principles are loose and
sUppery, wUl soon be shaken and falter.
In consequence to those practices springing from
it, piety removeth oppression, violence, faction, dis
orders, and murmurings, out of the state; schisms
and scandals out of the church ; pride and haughti
ness, sloth and luxury, detraction and sycophantry,
out of the court; corruption and partiahty out of
judicatures; clamours and tumults out of the street;
brawlings, grudges, and jealousies out of families;
extortion and cozenage out of trade; strifes, emula
tions, slanderous backbitings, bitter and foul Ian-

182 The Profltableness of Godliness.
SERM. guage out of conversation : in aU places, in aU
 '. — societies it produceth, it advanceth, it estabhsheth,
order, peace, safety, prosperity, aU that is good, all
that is lovely or handsome, aU that is convenient or
pleasant for human society and common life. It is
Prov. xiv. that which, as the Wise Man saith, Exalteth a
12; nation; it is that which Establisheth a throne.
XX. 28; It is indeed the best prop and guard that can
viii. IS ; ' be of government, and of the commonweal : for it

xxix. 8.

settleth the body pohtic in a sound constitution of
health, it firmly cementeth the parts thereof; it put-
teth all things into a right order and steady course.
It procureth mutual respect and affection between
governors and subjects, whence ariseth safety, ease,
and pleasure to both. It rendereth men truly good,
(that is, just and honest, sober and considerate,
modest and peaceable,) and thence apt, without any
constraint or stir, to yield every one their due ; not
affected to needless change, nor disposed to raise
any disturbance. It putteth men in good humour,
and keepeth them in it; whence things pass smoothly
and pleasantly. It cherisheth worth, and encou-
rageth industry ; whence virtue flourisheth, and
wealth is increased ; whence the occasions and
means of disorder are stopped, the pretences for
sedition and faction are cut off. In fine, it cer
tainly procureth the benediction of God, the source
Prov. xi. of all welfare and prosperity; whence. When it goeth
xxix, ^. '>'f^&ll with the righteous, the city rejoiceth ; and, When
the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice,
saith the great politician Solomon.
It is therefore the concernment of all men, who
Ps. xxxiv. as the Psalmist speaketh, Desire to live well, and
r Pet. iii. would fain see good days ; it is the special interest

10.

The Profltableness of Godliness. 183
of great persons, (of the magistracy, the nobUity, serm.
the gentry, of aU persons that have any considerable  '—
interest in the world,) who would safely and sweetly
enjoy their dignity, power, or wealth, by aU means
to protect and promote piety, as the best instru
ment of their security, and undisturbedly enjoying
the accommodations of their state. 'Tis in all re
spects their best wisdom and policy; that which wiU
as weU preserve their outward state here, as satisfy
their consciences within, and save their souls here
after. AU the MachiaveUan arts and tricks, aU the
sleights and fetches of worldly craft, do signify no
thing in comparison to this one plain and easy way
of securing and furthering their interests.
If then it be a gross absurdity to desire the
fruits, and not to take care of the root, not to cul
tivate the stock, whence they sprout; if every prince
gladly would have his subjects loyal and obedient,
every master would have his servants honest, dili
gent, and observant, every parent would have his
chUdren officious and grateful, every man would
have his friend faithftil and kind, every one would
have those just and sincere with whom he doth
negotiate or converse ; if any one would choose to
be related to such, and would esteem their relation
a happiness ; then consequently should every man
in reason strive to further piety, from whence alone
those good dispositions and practices do proceed.
II. Piety doth fit a man for aU conditions,
qualifying him to pass through them aU with the
best advantage, wisely, cheerfiiUy, and safely; so
as to incur no considerable harm or detriment by
them. Is a man prosperous, high, or wealthy in condi-

184 The Profltableness of Godliness.
SERM. tion ? Piety guardeth him from all the mischiefs
 '. — incident to that state, and disposeth him to enjoy
the best advantages thereof It keepeth him from
being swelled and puffed up with vain conceit, from
being transported with fond complacence or confi
dence therein ; minding him, that it is purely the
gift of God, that it absolutely dependeth on his dis
posal, so that it may soon be taken from him ; and
that he cannot otherwise than by humihty, by gra
titude, by the good use of it, be secure to retain it ;
minding him also, that he shaU assuredly be forced
to render a strict account concerning the good
management thereof. It preserveth him from being
perverted or corrupted with the temptations to
which that condition is most hable ; from luxury,
from sloth, from stupidity, from forgetfulness of
God, and of himself; maintaining among the floods
of plenty a sober and steady mind. It fenceth him
from insolence, and fastuous contempt of others ;
rendereth him civU, condescensive, kind and help
ful to those who are in a meaner state. It instruct-
eth and inciteth him to apply his wealth and power
to the best uses, to the service of God, to the
benefit of his neighbour, for his own best reputa
tion, and most solid comfort. It is the right bal
last of prosperity, the only antidote for all the
inconveniences of wealth ; that which secureth,
sweeteneth, and sanctifieth aU other goods : without
it aU apparent goods are very noxious, or extremely
dangerous; riches, power, honour, ease, pleasure,
are so many poisons, or so many snares, without it.
Again, is a man poor and low in the world ? Piety
doth improve and sweeten even that state : it keep
eth his spirits up above dejection, desperation, and

The Profitableness of Godliness. 185
disconsolateness; it freeth him from all grievous serm.
solicitude and anxiety; shewing him, that although '
he seemeth to have httle, yet he may be assured
to want nothing, he having a certain succour and
never-faiUng supply from God's good providence ;
that, notwithstanding the present straitness of his
condition, or scantness of outward things, he hath
a title to goods infinitely more precious and more
considerable. A pious man cannot but apprehend
himself like the child of a most wealthy, kind, and
carefiil father, who, although he hath yet nothing
in his own possession, or passing under his name,
yet is assured that he can never come into any
want of what is needful to him : the Lord of all
things (who hath aU things in heaven and earth at
his disposal, who is infinitely tender of his children's
good, who doth incessantly watch over them) being
his gracious Father, how can he fear to be left des
titute, or not to be competently provided for, as is
truly best for him ?
This is the difference between a pious and an
impious man. Is the pious man in need ? he hath
then an invisible refuge to fly to, an invisible store
to furnish him ; he hath somewhat beyond all pre
sent things to hope in, to comfort himself with :
whereas the impious person hath nothing beside
present appearances to support or solace himself
by ; the which failing, down he sinketh into dejec
tion and despair. Is the good man in affliction ?
he knoweth that it cometh not on him without
God's wise appointment, nor without good inten
tion toward him, for probation, exercise, and im
provement of his virtues, or for wholesome correc
tion of his bad dispositions ; that it is only physic

186 The Profltableness of Godliness.
SERM. and discipUne to hun, which shaU have a comfort-
 able issue ; that it shaU last no longer than it is
expedient for him that it should : wherefore he
patiently submitteth to it, and undergoeth it cheer
fuUy, with the same mmd wherewith a patient
swaUoweth down an unsavoury potion, which he
presumeth wUl conduce to his health". Never, in
deed, hath any man enjoyed more real content, or
hath been more truly satisfied, than good men have
been in a seeming depth of adversity"*. What men
ever upon earth have been more sorely afflicted,
have underwent greater losses, disgraces, labours,
troubles, distresses in any kind, than did the holy
apostles ? Yet did they most heartUy rejoice, exult,
and triumph in them all. Such a wondrous virtue
hath piety to change all things into matter of con
solation and joy. No condition in effect can be
evU or sad to a pious man : his very sorrows are
pleasant, his infirmities are wholesome, his wants
enrich him, his disgraces adorn hioa, his burdens
ease him ; his duties are privUeges, his faUs are the
grounds of advancement, his very sins (as breeding
contrition, humihty, circumspection, and vigilance)
do better and profit him : whereas impiety doth
spoU every condition, doth corrupt and embase all
good things, doth embitter aU the conveniences and
comforts of hfe.
" Scimus enim amicos Dei ab amantissimo ac misericordissimo
Patre Deo mala ista poenalia recipere, et hsec nou ut poenam, seu
vindictam iracundiae, sed magis ut correctiones et medicamenta
stultitiEB, et adjumenta virtutis, ut malleationes sive fabricationes,
et tunsiones, sive ablutiones, et candidationes. — Quil. Par. de
Sacram. [Opp. Tom. i. p. 414 e.]
^ 'EKetvovs pev yap iireKov(pi^ev i; x°P" ''V^ paprvpias, Kai ij eXitls
Tmv enrjyyeXpevav, Kal i; Trpbs rbv Xpiarbv dydirrj, Kal to irvevpa rb
irarptKov. — Euseb. Eccl. Hist. v. 1. Mart. Lugd. [Tom. i. p. 204.]

The Profltableness of Godliness. 187
III. Piety doth virtually comprise within it serm.
aU other profits, serving all the designs of them  ^^'
all : whatever kind of desirable good we can hope
to find from any other profit, we may be assured
to enjoy from it.
He that hath it is ipso facto vastly rich, is
entitled to immense treasures of most precious
wealth; in comparison whereto aU the gold and
all the jewels in the world are mere baubles. He
hath interest in God, and can caU him his, who is
the All, and in regard to whom all things existent
are less than nothing. The infinite power and wis
dom of God belong to him, to be ever, upon aU fit
occasions, employed for his benefit. All the inestim
able treasures of heaven (a place infinitely more
rich than the Indies) are his, after this moment of
hfe, to have and to hold for ever : so that great
reason had the Wise Man to say, that In the house Prov.xv.6.
of the righteous is much treasure. Piety therefore
is profitable, as immediately instating in wealth :
and whereas the desired fruits of profit are chiefly
these, honour, power, pleasure, safety, hberty,
ease, opportunity of getting knowledge, means of
beneflting others ; aU these, we shall see, do
abundantly accrue from piety, and in truth only
from it.
The pious man is in truth most honourable.
Inter homines pro summo est optimus, saith Seneca® :
whom Solomon translateth thus ; The righteous is prov. xii.
more excellent than his neighbour. He is dignified ^ '
by the most iUustrious titles, a son of God, a friend
and favourite to the sovereign King of the world,
= Ep. xc. [4.]
Kar" aXrjdeiav b' 6 dyaQbs povos nptjTeos.  Arist. Eth. [iV. 3. 20.]

188 The Profltableness of Godliness.
SERM. an heir of heaven, a denizen of the Jerusalem
 above : titles far surpassing all those which worldly
state doth assume. He is approved by the best
and most infaUible judgments, wherein true honour
resideth. He is respected by God himself, by the
holy angels, by the blessed saints, by all good and
aU wise persons ; yea, commonly, by aU men : for
Prov. xii. the effects of genuine piety are so venerable and
amiable, that scarce any man can do otherwise
than in his heart much esteem him that worketh
them. The pious man is also the most potent man : he
hath a kind of omnipotency, because he can do
whatever he will, that is, what he ought to do';
and because the Divine Power is ever ready to
Phil. iv. 13. assist him in his pious enterprises, so that He can
do all things by Christ that strengtheneth him. He is
able to combat and vanquish him that is'O Icry^vpoi,
Matt. xii. TTie stout and mighty one ; to wage war with happy
Lukexi. success Agaiust principalities and powers. He
Eph.vi.12. conquereth and commandeth himself, which is the
Prov. xvi. l3ravest victory and noblest empire^ : he queUeth
32 ; xxv. "^ _ ¦¦¦ >¦
28. fleshly lusts, subdueth inordinate passions, and
ijohnv.4. repeUeth strong temptations. He, By his faith,
overcometh the world with a conquest far more glo
rious than ever any Alexander or Caesar could do.
He, in fine, doth perform the most worthy exploits,
and deserveth the most honourable triumphs that
man can do.
' Tantum enim quantum vult potest, qui se, nisi quod debet,
non putat posse. — Sen. Ep. xc. [4.]
^ Id. de Ben. v. 7. [3.] [Quem magis admiraberis, quam qui
imperat sibi, quam qui se habet in potestate ? Gentes facilius est
barbaras, impatientesque alieni arbitrii, regere, quam animum
suum continere, et tradere sibi.]

The Profltableness of Godliness. 189
The pious man also doth enjoy the only true serm.
pleasures ; hearty, pure, solid, durable pleasures ;  '—
such pleasures as those of which the divine Psalm
ist singeth: Ln thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy ^b. win.
right hand there are pleasures for evermore. That
All joy in believing, that Gaiety of hope, that inces- ^°™- ^"^•
sant Rejoicing in the Lord, and Greatly delighting Heb. iii. 6.
in his law, that continual feast of a good con- Ps.xiiii.4i
science, that Serving the Lord with gladness, that cxi^.'ie,' ^'
Exceeding gladness with God's countenance, that ^^' t,^'j^°'.
Comfort of ihe Holy Spirit, that Joy unspeakable "¦ ^ ¦ .^^'•
J .J .J J. >.j J. o;xciv. 19;
and full of glory ; the satisfaction resulting from isai. xxix.
the contemplation of heavenly truth, from the Joim xvi.
sense of God's favour, and the pardon of his sins, i pet!'i. 8.
from the influence of God's grace, from the hopes ^°™' ^^^'
and anticipation of everlasting bliss ; these are
pleasures indeed, in comparison whereto aU other
pleasures are no more than brutish sensualities,
sordid impurities, superficial touches, transient
flashes of delight : such as should be insipid and
unsavoury to a rational appetite ; such as are tinc
tured with sourness and bitterness, have painful
remorses or quahns consequent^. AU the pious
man's performances of duty and of devotion are
frill of pure satisfaction and delight here, they shall
be rewarded with perfect and endless joy hereafter.
As for safety, the pious man hath it most abso
lute and sure; he being guarded by Almighty
power and wisdom ; Resting under the shadow ofvs. xvii. s ;
xxxvi. 7 ;
•¦ Quid enim jucundius, quam Dei Patris et Domini reconcili-
atio, quam veritatis revelatio, quam errorum recognitio, quam tan-
torum retro criminum venia ? quae major voluptas, quam fastidium
ipsius voluptatis, quam seculi totius contemptus, quam vera liber
tas, quam conscientia integra, quam vita suflEiciens, quam mortis
timor nullus ?— Tert. de Spectac. cap. xxix. [Opp. p. 84 c]

190 The Profltableness of Godliness.
SERM. God's wings; God Upholding him with his hand.
Ordering his steps, so that none of them shall slide.

Ps. lvii. I

ix^^Ixd.' Holding his soul in life, and suffering not his feet
nfcxk"' ^^ ^^ moved; he being, by the grace and mercy of
XXX 'ii ^^^> secured from the assaults and impressions of
31; cxix.' aU enemies, from sin and guUt, from the Devil,
9;ciix.45. world, and flesh, from death and heU, which are
our most formidable, and in effect only dangerous
enemies. As for liberty, the pious man most entirely and
truly doth enjoy that ; he alone is free from captiv
ity to that cruel tyrant Satan, from the miserable
slavery to sin, from the grievous dominion of lust
and passion. He can do what he pleaseth, having
a mind to do only what is good and fit. The law
James i. he obsorveth is worthUy caUed The perfect law of
liberty ; the Lord he serveth pretendeth only to
John XV. command freemen^ and fiiends : Ye are my friends,
said he, if ye do whatever I command you ; and. If
the Son set you free, then are ye free indeed.
And for ease, it is he only that knoweth it ;
having his mind exempted from the distraction of
care, from disorder of passion, from anguish of con
science, from the drudgeries and troubles of the
world, from the vexations and disquiets which sin
produceth. He findeth it made good to him.
Matt. xi. which our Lord inviting him did promise. Come
unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest : he feeleth the truth of those
Isai. xxvi. diviuo asscrtious, Thou wilt keep him in perfect
r>s. cxix. peace, whose mind is stayed on thee ; and. Great
165. Ou yap ianv, ovk eanv iXevdepos, dXiC rj pdvos 0 Xptarai fav. —
Chrys. ad Theod. [Orat. i. Opp. Tom. vi. p. 59. j

The Profltableness of Godliness. 191
peace have they which love thy law, and nothing serm.
shall offend them. ^'
As for knowledge, the pious man alone doth
attain it considerably, so as to become truly wise
and learned to purpose. Evil men, saith the Wise ^™i:XXVlll K
Man himself, who knew weU, understand not judg
ment: but they that, seek the Lord understand all
things. It is the pious man that employeth his
mind upon the most proper and worthy objects,
that knoweth things which certainly best deserve
to be known, that hath his soul enriched with the
choicest notions ; he skilleth to aim at the best
ends, and to compass them by the fittest means ;
he can assign to each thing its due worth and
value ; he can prosecute things by the best
methods, and order his affairs in the best manner :
so that he is sure not to be defeated or disap
pointed in his endeavours, nor to mispend his care
and pains, without answerable finiit. He hath the
best master to instruct him in his studies, and the
best rules to direct him in his proceedings : he can
not be mistaken, seeing in his judgment and choice
of things he conspireth with infaUible wisdom.
Therefore "O evae^cHv aKpais (pikoaocpe't, The pious
man is the exquisite philosopher^. The fear of the Job xxviii.
Lord, that is wisdom ; and to depart from evil is prov. ix.
understanding. The fear ofthe Lord (as is saidp°;g'xJ;o.
again and again in scripture) is the head (or top) qf"^^- 3+'
wisdom. A good understanding have all they that ^i°-
keep his commandments.
Further : the pious man is enabled and disposed
(hath the power and the heart) most to benefit and
^ Herm. Trismeg. [Stob. Eclog. Lib. I. cap. xxxv. §1. Tom.i.
p. 273. Ed. Gaisford.]

192 The Profltableness of Godliness.
SERM. obhge others. He doth it by his succour and
 '- — assistance, by his instruction and advice, which he
is ever ready to yield to any man upon fit occa
sion : he doth it by the direction and encourage
ment of his good example : he doth it by his con
stant and earnest prayers for all men : he doth it by
drawing down blessings from heaven on the place
where he resideth. He is upon aU accounts the most
true, the most common benefactor to mankind ; all
his neighbours, his country, the world are in some
way or other obliged to him : at least, he doth all
the good he can, and in wish doth benefit aU men.
Thus aU the finits and consequences of profit,
the which engage men so eagerly to pursue it, do
in the best kind and highest degree result from
piety, and indeed only from it. All the philosophi
cal bravados concerning a wise man being only
rich, only honourable, only happy, only above for
tune, are verified in the pious man : to him alone,
as such, with a sure foundation, without vanity,
with evident reason, those aphorisms may be ap
plied. They are paradoxes and fictions abstracting
from religion, or considering men only under the
light and power of nature : but supposing our reh
gion true, a good Christian soberly, without arro
gance, in proportion and according to the measure
of his piety, may assume them to himself, as the
Phil. iv. holy apostle did : / possess all things, I can do all
^^' '^' things, he may in a sort say after St Paul.
As for aU other profits, secluding it, they are
but imaginary and counterfeit, mere shadows and
Ulusions, yielding only painted shows instead of
substantial fruits ' Sen. Ep. LIX.

The Profltableness of Godliness. 193
If from bare worldly wealth (that which usurp- serm.
eth the name of profit here) a man seeketh honour, ^^'
he is deluded, for he is not thereby truly honour
able ; he is but a shining earth-worm, a weU-trapped
ass, a gaudy statue, a theatrical grandee ; with God,
who judgeth most rightly, he is mean and despica
ble : no intelUgent person can inwardly respect him.
Even here, in this world of faUacy and dotage, the
wisest and soberest men, whose judgment usually
doth sway that of others, cannot but contemn
him, as master of no real good, nor fit for any good
purpose ; as seeing that in the end he will prove
most beggarly and wretched.
If a man affecteth power thence, he is grievously
mistaken : for, instead thereof, he proveth exceed
ingly feeble and impotent, able to perform nothing
worthy a man, subject to fond humours and pas
sions, servant to divers lusts and pleasures, Capti- ^ Tim. ii.
vated by the Devil at his pleasure, overborne by
temptation, hurried by the stream of the world,
and liable to the strokes of fortune.
If he propoundeth to himself thence the enjoy
ment of pleasure, he wiU also much faU therein: for
in heu thereof he shaU find care and trouble, sur
feiting and disease, wearisome fastidiousness and
bitter regret; being void of aU true delight in his
mind, satisfaction in his conscience; nothing here
being able to furnish soUd and stable pleasure.
If he fancieth safety, he deludeth himself: for
how can he be safe, who is destitute of God's pro
tection and succour; who is the object of divine
wrath and vengeance ; who is assailed by many
fierce and powerful enemies ; whom the roaring
lion is ready to devour ; whom death and Sudden ^ ^^' ^'
B. S. VOL. I. 13 Prov. X. 29.

194 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. destruction are coming to seize upon; whom guilt
 threateneth, and heU gapeth for ; who without any
guard or fence standeth exposed to such imminent,
such horrid and ghastly dangers?
If he thirst for hberty, he wiU be fioistrated : for
he can be no otherwise than a slave, while he con-
tinueth impious; Servus tot dominorum, quot vitio-
rum'^, A slave to so many masters as he keepeth
Prov. XXV. vices : a slave to himself and his own lusts : carry
ing about with him the fetters of unsatiable desire,
being hampered with inconsistent and irregular
affections. Ease he cannot obtain, being oppressed with
unwieldy burdens of sin, of care, of trouble ; being
tossed with restless agitations of lust and passion ;
Isai. lvii. being Like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, whose
waters cast up mire and dirt.
If he meaneth to get wisdom, he is out : for
wisdom and impiety are incompatible things. AU
his knowledge is vain, all his speculations are no
better than dreams, seeing he erreth in the main
2 Tim. iii. point, and is not Wise to salvation.
'^' He is, in fine, extremely mistaken, and in aU his
projects wiU be lamentably disappointed, whoever
fancieth any true profit without piety : he never can
attain to be so much as wealthy ; but drudge and
plod what he can, must be a beggar, and a forlorn
wretch. For how can he be any wise rich, who
doth want all the best things, the only valuable
things in the world, which any man may have,
which any good man doth possess ? How can he
be rich, who is destitute of the most needful accom
modations of life; who constantly feedeth on the
¦" Aug. [de Civ. Dei, iv. 3. Opp. Tom. vn. col. 90 r.]

The Profitableness of Godliness. 195
coarsest and most sordid fare, (the dust of pelf, the serm.
dung of sensuality;) who hath no faithful or con  '- —
stant friends, (nothing earthly can be such;) who
is master of nothing but dirt, or chaff, or smoke ?
Whereas also riches do consist, not in what one
enjoyeth at present, (for that can be little,) but in
a presumed abUity to enjoy afterward what he may
come to need or desire ; or in weU-grounded hopes
that he shaU never faU into want or distress. How
can that man be rich, who hath not any confidence
in God, any interest in him, any reason to expect
his blessing? yea, who hath much ground to fear
the displeasure of him, in whose hand all things
are, and who arbitrarily disposeth of aU? Piety
therefore is the only profitable thing, according to
just esteem. She is more precious than rubies, and p^ov. iu.
all the things we can desire are not to be compared
to her. Upon this account it is most true, what the
Psalmist affirmeth, A little that the righteous hath is p^- . ^
• 7 /¦ 7 77 XXXVU. 10.
better than great riches of the ungodly.
IV. That commendation is not to be omitted,
which is nearest at hand, and suggested by St Paul
himself to back this assertion concerning the uni
versal profitableness of piety; For, saith he, it hath
the promise of the life that now is, and of that which
is to come: that is, God hath promised to reward it
with blessings appertaining to this mortal Ufe, and
with those which concern the future eternal state.
As for the blessings of this Ufe, although God
hath not promised to load the godly man with
affluence of worldly things, not to put him into a
splendid and pompous garb, not to dispense to him
that which may serve for pampering the flesh, or
gratifying wanton fancy, not to exempt him from
13—2

196 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. aU the inconveniences to which human nature and

this worldly state are subject; yet hath he promised
to furnish him with whatever is needful or conve
nient for him, in due measure and season, the which
he doth best understand. There is no good thing
which a man naturaUy desireth, or reasonably can
wish for, which is not in express terms proposed as
a reward, or a result of piety.
Prov. i. 6. In general, it is declared, that Blessings are upon
xxviii. 8; the head of the just; that. No good thing God will
p^ixxxiv. withhold from them that walk uprightly; that, what-
Eccies viii ®^®^ otherwisc doth faU out, Lt assuredly shall be
l^-. ... well with them that fear God; that, Blessed is every
Isai. m. 10. "^ . .
Ps.cxxviu. one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways: —
happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee ;
Prov. xii. that, There shall no evil happen to the just ; that,
Rom. viii. All things work together for good to them that love
'^- ' ' God. Particularly, there are promised to the pious
man,
Prov. X. 3 ; A suppfy of all wauts. The Lord will not suffer
^"'' '^^' the soul of the righteous to famish. The righteous
Ps. xxxiv. eateth to the satisfying of his soul. There is no
^' '°' want to them that fear God. The young lions do
lack, and suffer hunger ; but they that seek ihe Lord
shall not want any good thiTig.
Ps. xxxiu. A protection in aU dangers. The eye of the Lord
™'v.'2o; is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in
xxxvii' 28-^^''^ 'mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to
xci. lo, II. keep them alive in famine. There shall no evil be
fall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling : He shall give his angels charge over thee,
to keep thee in all thy ways.
Guidance in all his undertakings and proceed-

Tlie Profitableness of Godliness. 197
ings. The steps of a good man are ordered by the serm.
Lord  none of his steps shall slide.  In all

XXXVU.

thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct tliy^l]^^
paths. Prov. iii. 6.
-'• Prov. xi. 3,
Success and prosperity in his designs. Commit s ; ''^']- B;.
thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him, and he 5-
shall bring it to pass.  Whatsoever he doeth, it Ps. i. 3.
shall prosper.  Thou shcdt decree a thing, and Job xxii.
it shall be established; and the light shall shine upon
thy ways. The Lord shall cominand a blessing I'eut.
7-7 7 7 • 77 7 7 ^^''i"- 8-
upon tfiee m thy storehouses, am m all that thou
settest thine hand unto. Thine expectation shall not Rrov.xxiii.
be cut off.
Comfortable enjoying the fruits of his indus
try. Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands. Ps.cxxviii.
Satisfaction of aU reasonable desires. The desire Prov. x. 24.
ofthe righteous shall be granted. Delight thyself in Ps. xxxvii.
the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine
heart. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear oxiv. ig.
him : he will hear their cry, and will save them.
Firm peace and quiet. The work of righteous- isai. xxxU.
ness shall be peace ; and the effect of righteousness,
quietness and assurance for ever. Great peace have Rs- cxix.
they which love thy laio. The fruit of righteousness james iii.
is sowed in peace.
Joy and alacrity. Light is sown for the right- P^. xcvii.
eous, and gladness for the upright in heart. In the Prov. xxix.
transgression of an evil man there is a snare : but
ihe righteous doth sing and rejoice.
Support and comfort in afflictions. He healeth p^. cxivu.
the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your ps. xxxi.
heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. xxvii. 14.
Deliverance from trouble. Many are the afflic- Ps. xxxiv.
19, 20.

198 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. tions of the righteous, but the Lord deliver eth him
 out of them all. He keepeth all his bones, not one of
Ps. xxxvii. j7 • 7 7
39. tliem IS broken.
Preservation and recovery from mishaps or mis-
Ps. xxxvii. carriages. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his
hand. Preferment of aU sorts, to honour and dignity,
Ps. xxxvii. to wealth and prosperity. Wait upon the Lord, and
keep his way ; and he shall exalt thee to inherit the
Prov. xxii. land. By humility and fear of the Lord are riches
Ps. cxii. I, and honour. Blessed is the man that feareth the
Prov. Lord  wealth and riches are in his house. The
Job xxxvi. upright shall have good things in possession. If
Job xxxvi. ^^^y ^^^y ^^^ serve him, they shall spend their days
"• . in prosperity, and their years in pleasure. The
II. tabernacle ofthe righteous shall flourish.
Prov.x.27; Long Ufe. The fear of the Lord prolongeth
^2, 16™' days. By me thy days shall be multipUed, and the
years of thy life shall be increased. Let thine heart
keep my commandments : for len,gth of days, and
long life, and peace, shall they add unto thee.
Prov. X. 7, A good name enduring after death. The memory
^^' of the just is blessed.
Ps. xxxvii. Blessings entailed on posterity. His seed shall
eJo^xx!' be mighty upon earth ; the generation ofthe upright
Prov xii ^^^^ ^^ blessed. The root ofthe righteous shall not
be moved. Thus is a Uberal dispensation even of temporal
goods annexed by God's infalhble word unto the
Prov. xi. practice of piety. It is indeed more frequently,
beut. abundantly, and exphcitly promised unto God's
&c. ' ancient people, as being a conditional ingredient of
vn.12; XI. ^-^^ covenant made with them, exhibited in that as

The Profitableness of Godliness. 199
a recompense of their external performance of reli- serm.
gious works prescribed in their law. The Gospel ' 
doth not so clearly propound it, or so much insist
upon it, as not principally belonging to the evan-
geUcal covenant, the which, in reward to the per
formance of its conditions by us, pecuUarly doth
offer blessings spiritual, and relating to the future ^ Cor. iv.
state ; as also scarce deserving to be mentioned in Rom. viii.
comparison to those superior blessings. Yet as the
celestial benefits, although not openly tendered in
the Jewish law, were yet mystically couched therein,
and closely designed for the spiritual and hearty
practisers of reUgion ; so is the coUation of temporal
accommodations to be understood to belong to aU
pious Christians : there is a codicil, as it were, an
nexed to the New Testament, in which God signi-
fieth his intention to fiirnish his children with aU
that is needful or convenient for them. His provi
dence hath not ceased to watch over us, his bounty
doth not faU toward us even in this respect; his
care wiU not be wanting to feed us and clothe us
comfortably, to protect us from evil, to prosper our
good undertakings. Hence doth he command us
to care for nothing, but To cast our care upon him, i Pet. v. 7.
to recommend our business to him, because he careth
for us; He will never forsake us; he will hear our Heb. xiii.
prayers, and help us. Hence we are enjoined Not iiatt. vi.
to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, ^^^^ ^
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Hence it is '7-
said, that The divine power hath given us all things 2 Pet. i. 3.
pertaining unto life and godliness, through theknow-
ledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.
Hence it is promised by our Lord, that if we Seek Matt. vi.

200 The Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. first the kingdom of God, all things shall be added
 to us. Hence it is inferred, as consequential to the
nature of the evangelical dispensation, that we can-
Rom. viii. not want any good thmg; He, saith St Paul, that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us
all things ? In fine, hence it is proposed as noto
rious, that nothing is permitted to faU out other-
Rom, viii. .^gg ^Yi&n as conduceth to our good. We know,
saith St Paul, that all things work together for good
iCor.x.13. unto those that love God: nor Will God, in any case,
suffer us to be tempted, by any want or pressure,
beyond what we are able to bear. Thus is piety
evidently profitable, as having the promises of this
hfe, or exhibiting aU temporal blessings desirable
to the practisers thereof
But infinitely more profitable it is, as having
the promises of the future hfe, or as procuring a
title to those incomparably more exceUent blessings
Luke xii. of the other world ; those indefectible treasures,
I Pet. i. 4. that Incorruptible, undefiled, and never-fading in-
\,j,°^' '^' heritance, reserved in heaven for us; that Exceeding
l^f. 1. 8 ; ,jjuQigJit of glory; those ineffable joys of paradise, that
hghtsome countenance and beatifying presence of
God ; that unconceivably and unexpressibly joyfiil,
glorious, perfect, and endless bhss ; briefly, aU that
is comprised and intimated in those words of the
I Cor. ii. 9. apostle. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him. Infi
nitely profitable surely must that be, which pro
cureth those things for us: and in these respects
great reason had St Paul to say, that Godliness is
profitable for all things.

The Profitableness of Godliness. 201
But further to evidence and recommend this serm.
point, I might propound certain peculiar advan-_^_l_
tages arising from piety, which have a very general
influence upon our lives, and do afford unto them
exceeding benefit : but this I must, in regard to the
time and your patience, at present forbear.

SEEMON V.
THE PROFITABLENESS OF GODLINESS.

I Tim. IV. 8.
 But godliness is profitable for all things.
^^v^' ~\'^ discoursing formerly upon these words, I did
 L propound divers general considerations, serving
to confirm and recommend this assertion of St Paul.
I shall now insist upon some others more particular,
which yet seem much conducible to the same pur
pose, declaring the vast utUity of reUgion or piety.
I. We may consider, that rehgion doth pre
scribe the truest and best rules of action; thence
enhghtening our mind, and rectifying our practice
in aU matters and upon aU occasions, so that, what
ever is performed according to it is done weU and
wisely, with a comely grace in regard to others,
with a cheerful satisfaction in our own mind, with
the best assurance, that things are here capable of,
to find happy success and beneficial fruit.
Of aU things in the world there is nothing
more generally profitable than light : by it we con
verse with the world, and have aU things set before
us ; by it we truly and easUy discern things in their
right magnitude, shape, and colour ; by it we guide
our steps safely in prosecution of what is good, and
shunning what is noxious; by it our spirits are
comfortably warmed and cheered, our Ufe conse
quently, our health, our vigour, and activity are

The Profitableness of Godliness. 203
preserved. The Uke benefits doth religion, which serm.
is the light of our soul, yield to it. Pious men  '. 
are Children of the light; pious works are works of Luke xvi.
light Shining before men. God's word (or true Eph. v. s.
reUgion) is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto \. ^^^' ^'
our path; enabUng us to perceive things, and judge ^.^^"^ ""''
rightly of them; teaching us to walk straightly and ^t^'v'ii'
surely, without erring or stumbling; qualifying us Psai. cxix.
to embrace what is useful, and to avoid hurtful
things; preserving our spiritual life, and disposing
us to act weU with a vigorous alacrity : without it a
man is stark blind, and utterly benighted, gropeth isai. iix.
in doubt, wandereth in mistake, trippeth upon aU job v. 14.
occasions, and often faileth into mischief The path :s^\. ig.
of the just, saith the Wise IVTan, is as the shining fs^Ig.'^'
light. The way of the wicked is as darkness, they
know not at what they stumble. Righteousness Rrov. xiii.
keepeth him that is upright in the way; but wicked
ness overthroweth the sinner.
Again: it is a fair ornament of a man, and a
grand convenience both to himself, and to others
with whom he converseth or dealeth, to act regu
larly, uniformly, and consisteintly; freeing a man's
self from distraction and irresolution in his mind,
from change and confusion in his proceedings;
securing others from delusion and disappointment
in their transactions with him. Even a bad nUe
constantly observed is therefore better than none' :
order and perseverance in any way seemeth more
convenient than roving and tossing about in uncer
tainties. But, secluding a regard to the precepts
of reUgion, there can hardly be any sure or settled
* Via eunti aliquid extremum est ; error immensus est. — Sen.
Ep. XVI. [8.]

204 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. rule, which firmly can engage a man to, or effec-
 tuaUy restrain a man from any thing.
There is scarce in nature any thing so wUd, so
untractable, so unintelligible, as a man who hath no
bridle of conscience to guide or check him. A pro
fane man is hke a ship, without anchor to stay him,
or rudder to steer him, or compass to guide him ; so
that he is tossed with any wind, and driven with
any wave, none knoweth whither ; whither bodily
temper doth sway him, or passion doth hurry him,
or interest doth puU him, or example leadeth him,
or company inveigleth and haleth him, or humour
transporteth him; whither any such variable and
unaccountable causes determine him, or divers of
them together distract him : whence he so rambleth
and hovereth, that he can seldom himself teU what
in any case he should do, nor can another guess it;
so that you cannot at any time know where to find
him, or how to deal with him: you cannot with
James i. 8. roasou ovor rofy upon him, so Unstable he is in all
his ways. He is in effect a mere chUd, aU humour
and giddiness, somewhat worse than a beast, which,
foUowing the instinct of its nature, is constant and
regular, and thence tractable ; or at least so untract
able, that no man wUl be deceived in meddling with
him. Nothing therefore can be more unmanly than
such a person, nothing can be more unpleasant than
to have to do with him''.
But a pious man, being steadUy governed by
conscience, and a regard to certain principles, doth
both understand himself and is inteUigible to others :
*" Nihil est enim tam occupatum, tam multiforme, tot ac tam
variis affectibus concisum atque laceratum, quam mala mens. —
Quint. XII. 1. [7.]

The Profitableness of Godliness. 205
he presently descrieth what in any case he is to do, serm.
and can render an account of his acting : you may — — —
know him clearly, and assuredly tell what he wUl
do, and may therefore fuUy confide in him'^.
What therefore law and government are to the
public, things necessary to preserve the world in
order, peace, and safety, (that men may know what
to do, and distinguish what is their own,) that is
piety to each man's private state, and to ordinary
conversation: it freeth a man's own life from dis
order and distraction; it prompteth men how to
behave themselves toward one another with security
and confidence.
This it doth by confining our practice within
settled bounds : but this advantage appeareth
greater, considering that the rules which it pre-
scribeth are the best that can be. Such they must
needs be, as proceeding from infalhble wisdom and
immense goodness; being indeed no other than
laws, which the aU-wise and most gracious Lord
and JVIaker of the world, out of tender kindness to
his subjects and creatures, with especial regard to
our welfare, hath been pleased to enact and de
clare. What of old he said to the Israelites con
cerning their laws, may with greater advantage be
applied to those which should regulate our lives:
And now, Lsrael, what doth the Lord thy God re- Deut. x.
quire of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk "' '^'
in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
" "Ean S" ij Toiavrrj opovoia iv toIs imeiKeaiv ovtoi yap Kal eav-
Tois opovoovai Kal dXXijXois, inl rav avrav ovres, as elnelv rav rotovrav
yap pevei ra fiovXrjpaTa, Kai. ov perappel, aajrep Evpiiros. — Arist. Eth.
IX. 6. [3.]

12.

206 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. soul; to keep the commandments of the Lord, and
 his statutes, which L command thee this day for thy
good? {For thy good; that was the design of their
being commanded; thereto the observance of them
did tend.) And that commendation, which by the
Levites in Nehemiah is given to that, doth more
clearly and fuUy agree to the Christian (general
Neh.ix.13. and perfect) institution; Thou camest down from
m,ount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven,
and gavest them right judgments, and true laws,
Rom. vii. good statutcs and commandments. And, The law,
saith the apostle Paul, is holy; the commandment
is holy, just, and good: as such it is recommended
to us by its Author, so we Christians are by many
great arguments assured that it is, and that it is
such even our natural reason dictateth; so (as to
the chief instances thereof) the most wise and
sober men always have acknowledged, so the gene
ral consent doth avow, and so even common ex
perience doth attest. For, heartUy to love and
reverence the IVIaker of aU things, who by every
thing apparent before us demonstrateth himself
incomprehensibly powerful, wise, and good, to be
kind and charitable to our neighbours, to be just
and faithful in our dealings, to be sober and
modest in our minds, to be meek and gentle in our
demeanours, to be staunch and temperate in our
enjoyments, and the like principal rules of duty,
are such, that the common reason of men and
continual experience do approve them as hugely
conducible to the pubhc good of men, and to each
man's private welfare. So notoriously beneficial
they appear, that for the justification of them we
might appeal even to the judgment and conscience

The Profitableness of Godliness. 207
of those persons, who are most concerned to dero- serm.
gate from them. For hardly can any man be so '
senseless, or so lewd, as seriously to disapprove or
condemn them, as inwardly to blame or slight those
who truly act according to them. The wiU of men
sometimes may be so depraved, that dissolute per
sons wantonly and heedlessly may scoff at and seem
to disparage goodness ; that good men by very bad
men for doing well may be envied and hated : (their
being so treated is commonly an argument of the
goodness of their persons and of their ways :) but
the understanding of men can hardly be so cor
rupted, that piety, charity, justice, temperance, meek
ness, can in good earnest considerately by any man
be disaUowed, or that persons apparently practising
them can be despised ; but rather, in spite of aU
contrary prejudice and disaffections, such things and
such persons cannot but in judgment and heart be
esteemed by aU men. The lustre of them by a na
tural and necessary efficacy (like that of heaven's
glorious light) dazzleth the sight and charmeth the
spirits of all men living ; the beauty of them irre
sistibly conquereth and commandeth in the appre
hensions of men : the more they are observed, the
more useful and needful they appear for the good of
men ; all the fruits which grow from the observance
of them being to all men's taste very pleasant, to aU
men's experience very wholesome. Indeed, aU the
good, whereby common life is adorned, is sweet
ened, is rendered pleasant and desirable, doth spring
thence ; all the mischiefs which infest particular
men, and which disturb the world, palpably do arise
from the transgression or neglect thereof
If we look on a person sticking to those rules,

208 The Profitableness of Godliness^
SERM. we shaU perceive him to have a cheerful mind and
 '¦ — composed passions, to be at peace within, and satis
fied with himself; to live in comely order, in good
repute, in fair correspondence, and firm concord
with his neighbours. If we mark what preserveth
the body sound and lusty, what keepeth the mind
vigorous and brisk, what saveth and improveth
the estate, what upholdeth the good name, what
guardeth and graceth a man's whole life; it is
nothing else but proceeding in our demeanour and
dealings according to the honest and wise rules of
piety. If we view a place where these commonly
in good measure are observed, we shall discern,
that peace and prosperity do flourish there; that
all things proceed on sweetly and fairly; that men
generaUy drive on conversation and commerce to
gether contentedly, dehghtfuUy, advantageously,
yielding friendly advice and aid mutually, striving
to render one another happy; that few clamours or
complaints are heard there, few contentions or stirs
do appear, few disasters or tragedies do occur;
that such a place hath indeed much of the face,
much of the substance of paradise.
But if you mind a person who neglecteth them,
you wiU find his mind gaUed with sore remorse,
racked with anxious fears and doubts, agitated with
storms of passion and lust, living in disorder and
disgrace, jarring with others, and no less dissatis
fied with himself If you observe what doth impair
the health, doth weaken and fret the mind, doth
waste the estate, doth blemish the reputation, doth
expose the whole Ufe to danger and trouble ; what
is it but thwarting these good rules? If you con
sider a place where these are much neglected, it

The Profitableness of Godliness. 209
wiU appear like a wilderness of savage beasts, or a serm.
sty of foul swine, or a heU of cursed fiends ; full  '- 
of roaring and tearing, of factions and feuds, of
distractions and confusions, of pitiful objects, of
doleful moans, of tragical events. IMen are there
wallowing in filth, wildly revelUng, bickering and
squabbUng, defaming, circumventing, disturbing
and vexing one another ; as if they affected nothing
more than to render one another as miserable as
they can. It is from lust and luxury, from am
bition and avarice, from envy and spite, and the
like dispositions, which religion chiefiy doth inter
dict, that aU such horrid mischiefs do spring.
In fine, the precepts of Religion are no other,
than such as physicians would prescribe for the
health of our bodies, as pohticians would avow need
ful for the peace of the state, as Epicurean philo
sophers do recommend for the tranquiUity of our
mind, and pleasure of our lives ; such as common
reason dictateth, and daUy trial sheweth conducible
to our welfare in aU respects : which consequently,
were there no law exacting them of us, we should
in wisdom choose to observe, and voluntarily im
pose on ourselves, confessing them to be fit matters
of law, as most advantageous and requisite to the
good (general and particular) of mankind. So that
what Plutarch reporteth Solon to have said, that
He had so squared his laws to the citizens, that all of
them might clearly perceive, that to observe them was
more for their benefit and interest than to violate
them^, is far more true concerning the divine laws.
^ Plut. in Sol. [Kai roiis vopovs avrbs ovras dppo^erai to'is ttoXI-
rais, aare iraai tov napavopetv ^eXriov imbeX^ai to biKatonpayeiv. —
Opp. Tom. I. p. 322. Ed. Reisk.]
B. S. VOL. I. 14

210 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. II. We may consider more particularly, tha
 piety yieldeth to the practiser aU kind of interio
content, peace, and joy; freeth him from aU kindi
of dissatisfaction, regret, and disquiet ; which is ai
inestimably great advantage : for certainly the hap
piness and misery of men are whoUy or chiefly
seated and founded in the mind. If that is in i
good state of health, rest, and cheerfulness, what
ever the person's outward condition or circumstance!
be, he cannot be wretched : if that be distemperec
or disturbed, he cannot be happy. For what if £
man seem very poor ; if he be abundantly satisfiec
in his own possessions and enjoyments? What i
he tasteth not the pleasures of sense ; if he enjoyetl
purer and sweeter dehghts of mind? What if tem
pests of fortune surround him; if his mind be cahr
and serene? What if he have few or no friends; i
he yet be throughly in peace and amity with him
self, and can deUghtfiiUy converse with his owe
thoughts ? What if men slight, censure, or revUt
him; if he doth value his own state, doth approve
his own actions, doth acquit himself of blame in his
own conscience? Such external contingencies car
surely no more prejudice a man's real happiness,
than winds blustering abroad can harm or trouble
him that abideth in a good room within doors, than
storms and fluctuations at sea can molest him who
standeth firm upon the shore. On the other hand,
the greatest affluence of seeming goods wUl avail
nothing, if real content of mind be wanting. For
what wiU the highest eminence of outward state
import to him that is dejected in his own conceit ?
What if the world court and bless him, or if aU
people do admire and applaud him ; if he be dis-

The Profitableness of Godliness. 211
pleased with, if he condemneth, if he despiseth him- serm.
self? What if the weather look fair and bright  '. 
without, if storms rage in his breast, if black clouds
do overcast his soul ? What if he do abound with
friends, and enjoy peace abroad; if he find dis
traction at home, and is at cruel variance with him
self ? How can a man enjoy any satisfaction, or
rehsh any pleasure, while sore remorse doth sting
him, or solicitous doubts and fears do rack him°?
Now that from the practice of reUgion, and
from it alone, such inward content and pleasure do
spring; that it only ministereth reason of content,
and disposeth the mind to enjoy it; that it extir-
pateth the grounds and roots of discontent ; that it
is the only mother of true, sober alacrity and tran
quUUty of mind, wUl, upon considering things, be
manifest. There is no other thing here in this world that
can yield any solid or stable content to our nund.
For aU present enjoyments are transient and evanid; Prov.
and of any fiiture thing, in this kingdom of change ^^' ^*'
and contingency, there can be no assurance. There Prov.
is nothing below large enough to fiU our vast ca
pacities, or to satiate our boundless desires, or to
appease our squeamish delicacy. There is nothing
whose sweetness we do not presently exhaust and
suck dry; whereof thence we do not soon grow
weary, quite loathing, or faintly liking it. There
is not any thing which is not sUppery and fleeting;
so that we can for a long time hope to possess it,
* Evdvpiav yap Kal ;(a/)ai' ovk dpxrjS peyeOos, ov ;f/)i;/iaT(Bj' TTXrjdos,
oil bvvaarelas oyKos, ovk laxvs aaparos, ov woXvreXeia Tpaire^rjs, oix
ipariav Koapos, ovk aXXo n tUv dvOpanlvav jroieTv e'iadev, dXX' §
Karepdapa povov nvevpariKov, Kai avveibbs dyadov. — Chrys. in Rom.
Hom. I. [Opp. Tom. ra. p. 9.]
14—2

212 The Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. or for any time can enjoy it, without restless care
in keeping it, and anxious fear of losing it. Nothing

there is, in the pursuance, the custody, the defence
and maintenance whereof we are not liable to dis
appointments, and crosses. Nothing consequently
there is productive of any sound content to the
fastidious, impatient, greedy, and restless heart of
man. The greatest confluence of present, corporeal,
secular thmgs (of all the health, the riches, the dig
nity, the power, the friendships and dependencies,
the wit, the learning and wisdom, the reputation
and renown in this world) will not afford much of
it : which yet is but an imaginary supposition ; for
in effect hardly do all such accommodations of life
Eccies. X. concur in any state. There is ever some dead fly
in our box, which marreth our ointment; some
adherent inconvenience, which soureth the gust of
our enjoyments: there is always some good thing
absent, which we do want or long for; some ill
thing present, or in prospect, which we abhor, would
avoid, do fear may come. If therefore we would
find content, we must not seek it here; we must
want it, or have it from another world: it must
come hither from heaven, and thence only piety
can fetch it down. This, instead of these unsatis
fying, uncertain, and unstable things, supplieth us
with goods adequate to our most outstretched
Luke xii. wishes, infallibly sure, incessantly durable ; An in-
I Pet. i. 4. defectible treasure, Qtjcravpov dveKXenrrov, An incor-
Heb. xii. ruptible inheritance, KX^povo/x'tav atpOaprov, An un
shakable kingdom, Bao-tXe/an daaXevTov, a perfect and
endless joy, capable to replenish the vastest heart :
which he that hath a good title to, or a confident
hope of, how can he be otherwise than extremely

The Profitableness of Godliness. 213
pleased, than fully content? It assureth the favour serm.
and friendship of God, of him that is absolute Lord  '- 
and disposer of aU things : the which he that hath,
and confideth in, what can he want or wish more ?
what can he fear? what can annoy or dismay him?
what can hap to him worthy to be deemed evU or
sad? What is poverty to him, for whom God is
concerned to provide? What is disgrace to him,
that hath the regard and approbation of God ? What
is danger to him, whom God continuaUy protecteth ?
What can any distress work on him, whom God
doth comfort, and will relieve ? What is any thing
to him, who is sensible that aU things are purposely
disposed to him by that wisdom which perfectly
knoweth what is best; by that goodness which en
tirely loveth him? In fine, he that is conscious to
himself of being well-affected in mind, and acting
the best way, who is satisfied in the state of his soul,
secure from God's displeasure, and hopeful of his
favour, what can make any grievous impression on
him ? What other affections than such as are most
grateful and pleasant can lodge in his soul? Joy
and peace have natural seeds in such a mind, and
necessarUy must spring up there ; in proportion, I
mean, and according to the degrees of piety resident
therein. The Epicureans did conceit and boast, that hav
ing by their atheistical explications of natural ef
fects, and common events here, discarded the belief
and dread of religion, they had laid a strong foun
dation for tranquUUty of mind, had driven away all
the causes of grief and fear, so that nothing then
remained troublesome or terrible unto us; and con
sequently, what, said they, could forbid, but that

214 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. we should be entirely contented, glad and happy?
 — Nos excequat victoria ccelo^; no God then
surely could be more happy than we. But then-
attempt in many respects was vain and lame. They
presumed of a victory which it is impossible to ob
tain : and supposing they had got it, their triumph
would not have been so glorious, their success would
not have been so great, as they pretended. For
seeing no Epicurean discourse can baffle the potent
arguments which persuade Rehgion; (those argu
ments, which the visible constitution of nature, the
current tradition of aU ages, the general consent of
men, the pregnant attestations of history and ex
perience concerning supernatural and miraculous
events, do afford;) since the being and providence
of God have proofs so clear and vahd, that no sub
tlety of man can so far evade them, as not to be
shaken with them, as wholly to be freed from doubt
and suspicion of their truth; since there can be no
means of evincing the negative part in those ques
tions to be true or probable; it is impossible that
any considering man, in this cause against religion,
should suppose himself to have acquired an absolute
and secure victory, or that he should reap substan
tial fruit of comfort thence. It cannot be that any
man should enjoy any perfect quiet, without acting
so as to get some good hope of avoiding those dread-
fid mischiefs, which reUgion threateneth to the trans
gressors of its precepts. Were there indeed but rea
son enough to stir, if not to stagger, an infidel; were
it somewhat dubious whether, yea, were it great
odds that there are not reserved any punishments
for impiety, as indeed there is, if not the perfectest
' [Lucret. I. 80.]

The Profitableness of Godliness. 215
assurance imaginable, yet vast advantage on the serm.
contrary side; were there but any smaU reason for — = — '- —
a judgment to come, as there are apparently very-
many and great ones; had most men conspired in
denying Providence, as ever generaUy they have
consented in avowing it; were there a pretence of
miracles for estabUshing the mortaUty and impunity
of souls, as there have been numberless strongly tes
tified by good witnesses and great events, to con
firm the opposite doctrines ; did most wise and sober
men judge in favour of irrehgion, as commonly they
ever did and stUl do otherwise ; yet wisdom would
require that men should choose to be pious, since
otherwise no man can be throughly secure. It is a
wildness, not to dread the least possibUity of incur
ring such horrible mischiefs: any hazard of such
importance cannot but startle a man in his wits. To
be in the least obnoxious to eternal torments, if men
would think upon it as men, (that is, as rational
and provident creatures,) could not but disturb
them. And indeed so it is in experience ; for what
ever they say, or seem, aU atheists and profane men
are inwardly suspicious and fearful; they care not
to die, and would gladly escape the trial of what
shaU follow death. But let us grant or imagine the
Epicurean successful as he could wish in this enter-
prize of subduing religion: yet except therewith
he can also trample down reason, new mould hu
man nature, subjugate aU natural appetites and pas
sions, alter the state of things here, and transform
the world, he wUl yet in the greatest part fail of his
conceited advantages; very short he will faU of tri
umphing in a contented and quiet mind. That
which accrueth thence wUl at most be no more than

216 The Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. some negative content, or a partial indolency, aris-
 ing from his being rescued from some particular
cares and fears ; which exceedeth not the tranquUhty
of a beast, or the stupidity of one that is out of his
senses : that is aU he can claim, which yet is more
than he can ever compass. For he cannot be as a
beast, or a mere sot, if he would : reason, reflecting
on present evils, and boding others future, wiU af
flict him; his own unsatiable desires, unavoidable
fears, and untameable passions, wiU disquiet him.
Were the other world quite out of his faith, or his
thought, yet this world would yield trouble suffi
cient to render him void of any steady rest or solid
joy. AU men ever have, and ever wiU complain,
that the burdens, crosses, satieties of this life, do
much surpass the conveniences and comforts of it.
So that, were no other to be expected or feared,
this of itself would become grievous and nauseous^;
we should soon have enough or too much of it, with
out a support and supply from otherwhere. In the
largest affluence of things, in the deepest calm of
our state, we are apt to nauseate, and are weary
even of our prosperity itself; the which indeed com
monly hath ingredients not only somewhat unsa
voury, but very bitter and loathsome. We may
add, that had those profane attempters quite ban
ished rehgion, they with it must have driven away
aU the benefits and comforts of it : which, even sup
posing them but imaginary, are yet the greatest
which common hfe doth need or can desire: with
it they would send packing justice, fidelity, charity,
sobriety, and aU solid virtue, things which cannot
^ Ut vera tibi similitudine id de quo queror exprimam, non
tempestate vexor, sed nause<\ — Sen. de Tranq. An. i. [12.]

The Profitableness of Godliness. 217
finhly subsist without conscience : which being gone, serm.
human Ufe would be the most disorderly, most un- - — '¦ —
safe, most wretched and contemptible thing that
can be ; nothing but insipid and flashy sensuahties
would be left behind to comfort a man with ; and
those hardly any man (by reason of competitions
and contentions for them, nowise restrainable) could
enjoy quietly or safely. It is therefore piety alone,
which, by raising hopes of blessings and joys in
comparably superior to any here that cannot be
taken from us, can lay any ground of true content,
of substantial and positive content; such as con
sisteth not only in removing the objects and causes
of vexatious passions, but in employing the most
pleasant affections (love, hope, joy) with a deUghtful
complacence upon their proper and most noble ob
jects. The kingdom of God (and that only, no other i^f™- ^''^¦
kingdom hath that privilege) consisteth in righteous
ness (first, then in) peace and spiritual joy. No
philosopher, with truth and reason, can make that
overture to us which our Lord doth; Come unto me Matt. xi.
28.
all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and ye shall
find rest to your souls. Out of Religion, there can be
no aphorism pretended, like to that of the prophet.
Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is isai. xxvi.
stayed on thee. ^'
If indeed we distinctly survey aU the grounds
and sources of content, it wUl appear that Rehgion
only can afford it.
Doth it result from a weU governing and order
ing our passions ? Then it is plain, that only a
pious man is capable thereof; for piety only can
effect that : it alone, with the powerful aid of
Divine grace, doth guide our passions by exact

218 The Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. rules, doth set them upon worthy objects, doth
 — temper and tune them in just harmony, doth sea
sonably curb and check them, doth rightly correct
and reform them.
This no bare reason (which naturally is so dim
and so feeble in man) can achieve : much less can
unreasonableness do it, which is ever prevalent in
irrehgious persons. Their passions do ever run
wildly and at random, in no good pace, within no
good compass, toward the meanest and basest
objects ; whence they can have no rest of quiet in
their minds\ As they are constantly offending, so
will they ever be punishing themselves, with intes
tine broUs and conflicts, with dissatisfactions and
Isai. xlviii. regrets'. Hence, There is no peace to the wicked.
lvii'. 20. He is like the troubled sea, which cannot rest. God
(as St Austin speaketh) hath said it, and so it is,
every inordinate mind is a punishment to itself^.
Doth content spring from a hearty approbation
of, or a complacence in a man's own actions'; from
reflection that he constantly doth act according to
reason and wisdom, to justice and duty ? Then can
the pious man alone pretend to it, who knoweth
Acts xxiv. that he walketh Inoffensively toward God and
""¦ man ; that he consulteth his own best interest and
welfare ; that assuredly no bad consequence can
*" Mala mens — cum insidiatur, spe, curis, labore distringitur ;
et jam cum sceleris compos fuerit, solicitudine, pcenitentia, poena-
rum omnium exspectatione torquetur. — Quint, xn. 1. [7.]
' Nee ulla major poena nequitise est, quam quod sibi ac suis
displicet. — Sen. Ep. xlii. [2.]
Tipapta dbiKias dKoXovBos.  Plat, de Leg. V. [728 c]
'' Jussisti enim, et sic est, ut poena sua sibi sit omnis inordina-
tus animus. — Conf. [Lib. I. cap. xii. Opp. Tom. i. col. 77 A.]
' Nisi sapient! sua non placent : omnis stultitia laborat fastidio
sui —Sen. Ep. ix. [19.]

The Profitableness of Godliness. 219
attend his unblameable behaviour ; that most wise serm.
men have declared their approbation of his pro-  '¦ —
ceedings ; that if he prove in his chief design mis
taken, yet no mischief can thence befall him ; yea,
that he is not thereby quite disappointed, seeing
even much present satisfaction and convenience do
arise up to him from his practice.
Doth content grow from a sound and healthful
constitution of soul ? It is the pious man alone
that hath that, whose mind is clear from distem
pers of vice and passion. The impious man is
infirm, out of order, fuU of disease and pain, ac
cording to the prophet's description of him ; — The isai. i. 5,6.
whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint :
from ihe sole of the foot even unto the head there is
no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and
putrifying sores.
Doth content arise specially from good success
in our attempts, or from prosperous events befaU-
ing us ? Then it is the pious man who is most
capable thereof: for he only is secure, that what
seemeth good and prosperous is reaUy such to him,
as meant for his good by the Divine goodness, as
tending thereto by the guidance of infaUible wis
dom. As he only hath ground to hope for success,
because he confideth in God, because he dutifiiUy
seeketh God's help, because God is favourably dis
posed toward him, because God ordereth his steps, Ps. xxxvii.
because God is by promise engaged to bless him, '^^'
because he is conscious of intentions to render God
thanks and praise for it, to employ his success to
God's honour and service : so he only can be
satisfied with the appearance of success, being able
with assurance to say after St Paul, We know Rom. viii.
28.

9

220 Hie Profitableness of Godliness.
serm. ihat to those who love God all things co-operate for
 '. — good. Is security from danger, from trouble, from
want, from aU evil, a source or matter of content ?
It certainly doth attend the pious man ; God being
his especial protector, his comforter, his purveyor.
Prov. xii. There shall no evil befall the just : There shall no
Vs. xci. lo; plague come near his dwelling. God keepeth all
I'j. ' ' his bones, not one of them is broken. He delivereth
Prov.x.24. the righteous out of their troubles. The desire of
Ps. xxxiv. the righteous shall be granted. There is no want
to them that fear God. So do the holy oracles
assure us.
Doth contentedness spring from sufficiency, real
or apprehended ? This appertaineth peculiarly to
the pious man : for, having God, the master of aU,
Ps. bcxiii. for his portiou, he hath the richest estate that can
be ; he hath all that he can desire, he cannot but
iTim. vi. take himself to have enough. Hence Godliness
with contentedness (Mer' aurapKeias, with suffciency)
is, as St Paul saith, Wopiaixo^ ixkyai, ihe great way
of gaining. He saith it not, as supposing godli
ness and contentedness to be separable ; but rather,
as implying godUness therefore to be most gainful,
because sufficiency and contentedness do ever at
tend it. In fine, if that saying of Seneca be true,
that. If to any man the things he possesseth do not
seem most ample, although he be master of the whole
world, he is yet miserable^; then assuredly the
pious man only can be happy ; for to him alone his
possessions can seem the largest and best, such as
there can be no possible accession to, or amend-
" Si cui sua non videntur atnplissima, licet totius mundi domi-
nus sit, tamen miser est. — Sen. Ep. ix. [18.]

6.

The Profitableness of Godliness. 221
ment of For nothing can be greater or better serm.
than God, in whom he hath a steadfast propriety, "
whose infinite power and wisdom are engaged to
do him the utmost good that he is capable of
And further,
III. Seeing we have mentioned happiness, or
the Summum bonum, the utmost scope of human
desire, we do add, that piety doth surely confer it.
Happiness, whatever it be, hath certainly an essen
tial coherence with piety. These are reciprocal
propositions, both of them infaUibly true, He that
is pious is happy ; and. He that is happy is pious.
No man doth undertake or prosecute any thing,
which he doth not apprehend in some order or
degree, conducing to that which aU men under a
confiised notion regard and tend to, which they
caU happiness, the highest good, the chiefest desi
rable thing. But in their judgments about this
thing, or the means of attaining it, as men dissent
much ; so of necessity most of them must be mis
taken. Most, indeed, do aim and shoot at a mere
shadow of profit, or at that which is very little con
siderable, and in comparison nothing at aU; which
Uttle conduceth to the perfection of their nature, or
the satisfaction of their desire. If they miss the
mark, they are disappointed; if they hit it, they
are no less, and in effect hit nothing. But what
ever this grand matter is, in whatever it consisteth,
however it be procured; be it the possession and
fruition of some special choice goods, or an aggre
gation and affluence of aU goods ; piety surely is the
main ingredient and principal cause thereof. All
other goods without it are insignificant and unuse-
ful thereto ; and it cannot be wanting where piety

222 Tlie Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. is. Be a man never so rich, so powerful, so learned
 and knowing, so prosperous in his affairs, so honour
able in the opinions and affections of men : yet
nowise happy can he be, if he is not pious ; being
he wanteth the best goods, and is subject to the
worst evUs ; being he wanteth the love and favour
of God, he wanteth peace and satisfaction of con
science, he wanteth a right enjoyment of present
things, he wanteth security concerning his final
welfare. Be he never so poor, so low in the eyes
of men, so forlorn and destitute of worldly conve
niences ; yet if he be pious, he cannot be wretched :
for he hath an interest in goods incomparably most
precious, and is safe from aU considerable evUs; he
hath a free resort to the inexhaustible fountain of
aU happiness, he hath a right to immense and
endless fehcity, the which eminently containeth
all the goods we are capable of; he is possessed
thereof in hope and certain reversion, there is but
a moment to pass before his complete fiiiition of it.
The want of aU other petty things no more can
maim the integrity of his fehcity, than cutting the
hair, or paring the naUs, do mutUate a man : aU
other things are but superfluities or excrescences in
regard to the constitution of happiness. Whatever
happeneth, that wiU assuredly be true, which is so
Ps. cxxviii. much inculcatod in holy scripture. Blessed is every
\'. ' '^^"' one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways ;
happy shall he be, and it shall be well with him.
Matt. V. Piety is indeed fraught with beatitudes, every part
thereof yieldeth peculiar blessedness. To the love
of God, to charity toward our neighbour, to purity
of heart, to meekness, to humUity, to patience, to
mercifulness, to peaceableness, beatitude is ascribed

3—1

The Profitableness of Godliness. 223
by our Lord, the great Judge and dispenser of it. serm
Each religious performance hath happy finits grow-  1-
ing from it, and bUssful rewards assigned thereto.
AU pious dispositions are fountains of pleasant
streams, which by their confluence do make up a
fuU sea of feUcity.
IV. It is a pecuUar advantage of piety, that it
furnisheth employment fit for us, worthy of us,
hugely grateful and highly beneficial to us. JVIan
is a very busy and active creature, which cannot
Uve and do nothing, whose thoughts are in rest
less motion, whose desires are ever stretching
at somewhat, who perpetually wUl be working
either good or evU to himself: wherefore greatly
profitable must that thing be, which determineth
him to act well, to spend his care and pain on that
which is truly advantageous to him ; and that is
Religion only. It alone fasteneth our thoughts,
affections, and endeavours upon occupations worthy
the dignity of our nature, suiting the excellency of
our natural capacities and endowments, tending to
the perfection and advancement of our reason, to
the enriching and ennobling of our souls. Secluding
that, we have nothing in the world to study, to
affect, to pursue, not very mean and below us, not
very base and misbecoming us, as men of reason
and judgment. What have we to do but to eat,
drink, hke horses or like swine ; but to sport and
play, Uke chUdren or apes ; but to bicker and
scuffle about trifles and impertinences, like idiots ?
what, but to scrape or scramble for useless pelf ; to
hunt after empty shows and shadows of honour,
or the vain fancies and dreams of men ? what, but
to wallow or bask in sordid pleasures, the which

224 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. soon degenerate into remorse and bitterness ? To
which sort of employments were a man confined,
what a pitiful thing would he be, and how incon
siderable were his life! Were a man designed
only, hke a fly, to buz about here for a time, suck
ing in the air, and hcking the dew, then soon to
vanish back into nothing, or to be transformed
into worms; how sorry and despicable a thing were
he ! And such without Religion we should be.
But it suppheth us with business of a most worthy
nature and lofty importance; it setteth us upon
doing things great and noble as can be; it en
gageth us to free our minds from all fond conceits,
and cleanse our hearts from aU corrupt affections;
to curb our brutish appetites, to tame our wUd
passions, to correct our perverse incUnations, to
conform the dispositions of our soul and the actions
of our life to the eternal laws of righteousness and
goodness : it putteth us upon the imitation of God,
and aiming at the resemblance of his perfections;
upon obtaining a friendship and maintaining a cor
respondence with the High and Holy One ; upon
fitting our minds for conversation and society with
the wisest and purest spirits above ; upon providing
for an immortal state, upon the acquist of joy and
glory everlasting. It employeth us in the divinest
actions, of promoting virtue, of performing benefi
cence, of serving the public, and doing good to aU:
the being exercised in which things doth indeed
render a man highly considerable, and his hfe ex-
ceUently valuable.
It is an employment most proper to us as rea
sonable men. For what more proper entertain
ments can our mind have, than to be purifying

The Profitableness of Godliness. 225
and beautifying itself, to be keeping itself and its serm.
subordinate faculties in order, to be attending  '. 
npon the management of thoughts, of passions, o^
words, of actions depending upon its governance ?
It is an employment most beneficial to us : in
pursuing which we greatly better ourselves, and
meUorate our condition ; we benefit and oblige
others ; we procure sound reputation and steady
friendships ; we decline many irksome mischiefs and
annoyances; We do not, hke those in the prophet, isai. iv. 2.
spend our labour for that which satisfieth not, nor
spend our money for that which is not bread : for
both temporal prosperity and eternal felicity are
the wages of the labour which we take herein.
It is an employment most constant, never
aUowing sloth or Ustlessness to creep in, inces
santly busying aU our faculties with earnest con
tention; according to that profession of St Paul,
declaring the nature thereof, Herein always do /Acts xxiv.
exercise myself, to have a conscience void of offence
toiuard God and toward man. Whence it is called
a Fight, and a Race, implying the continual earn- i Tim. vi.
estness of attention and activity, which is to beneb.xii. 1.
spent thereon.
It is withal a sweet and grateful business : for
it is a pious man's character, that He delighteth ^^-o^i-^-
greatly in God's commandments; that The com- iJotn v. 3.
mandments are not grievous to him ; that it is His John iv.
meat and drink to do God's tvill ; that God's luords W. cxix.
(or precepts) a7^e sweeter than honey to his taste ; '°^'
that The ivays of rehgious wisdom are ways o/'prov.iu.
pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Whereas ^
aU other employments are wearisome, and soon
become loathsome ; this, the further we proceed in
B. S. VOL. I. 15

226 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. it, the more pleasant and satisfactory it groweth".
 There is perpetual matter of Adctory over bad inch-
nations pestering us within, and strong temptations
assaUing us without : which to combat hath much
dehght : to master, breedeth unexpressible content.
The sense also of God's love, the influences of his
grace and comfort communicated in the perform
ances of devotion and aU duty, the satisfaction of
good conscience, the assured hope of reward, the
foretastes of future bhss, do season and sweeten aU
the labours taken, and aU the difficulties under
gone therein.
In fine, the bare hght of nature hath discerned,
that were it not for such matters as these to spend
a man's care and pains upon, this would be a
lamentable world to Uve in. There was, for in
stance, an emperor great and mighty as ever did
wield sceptre upon earth, whose exceUent virtue,
coupled with wisdom, (inferior, perhaps, to none
that any man ever without special inspiration
hath been endowed with,) did quaUfy him with
most advantage to examine and rightly to judge
of things here ; who, notwithstanding aU the con
veniences which his royal estate and weU settled
prosperity might afford, (the which surely he had
fuUy tasted and tried,) did yet thus express his
thoughts : Ti /uoi ^jji/ ev K6<rnip kbv^ Qewv, ri vpovolas
Kevw ; What doth it concern me to live in a world
void of God, or void of Providence^? To govern
the greatest empire that ever was, in the deepest
° Non potest cuiquam semper idem placere, nisi rectum. —
Sen. Ep. XX. [5.]
Dedit enim hoc providentia hominibus munus, ut honesta ma
gis juvarent. — Quint. l. 12. [19.]
" M. Ant. II. § 11. Cf. VI. § 10.

The Profitableness of Godliness. 227
calm; to enjoy the largest affluences of wealth, of serm.
splendour, of respect, of pleasure ; to be loved, to  '. —
be dreaded, to be served, to be adored by so many
nations; to have the whole civil word obsequious
to his ^viU and nod ; aU these things seemed vain
and idle, not worthy of a man's regard, affection,
or choice, in case there were no God to worship,
no providence to observe, no piety to be exercised.
So little worth the while, common sense hath
adjudged it to live without religion.
V. It is a considerable benefit of piety, that it
affordeth the best friendships and sweetest society.
Man is framed for society, and cannot hve well
without it^; many of his faculties would be useless,
many of his appetites would rest unsatisfied in
solitude. To have a friend wise and able, honest
and good, unto whom upon all occasions we may
have recourse for advice, for assistance, for conso
lation, is a great convenience of Ufe'^ : and this
benefit we owe to rehgion, which supplieth us with
various friendships of the best kind, most beneficial
and most sweet unto us.
It maketh God our friend, a friend infinitely
better than aU fiiends, most affectionate and kind,
most faithful and sure, most able, most willing,
and ever most ready to perform aU friendly offices,
to yield advice in aU our doubts, succour in all our
needs, comfort in all our troubles, satisfaction to
aU our desires. Unto him it ministereth a free Prov. xii. 2.
address upon aU occasions; with him it aUoweth us 15; xxxui.
P NuUius boni sine socio jucunda possessio est. — Sen. Ep. vi.
¦J Nam ut aliarum rerum nobis innata dulcedo est, sic amici-
tire.— Id. Ep. IX. [14]
15—2

228 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. continually a most sweet and pleasant intercourse.
 The pious man hath always the aU-wise God to
19 ¦ xxxvii. ^^^^ssl him, to guide his actions and order his
Job xxxvi ^^^P^ j ^6 la.&^ the Almighty to protect, support,
7- and relieve him; he hath the immense goodness to
commiserate and comfort him; unto him he is not
only encouraged, but obliged to resort in need:
upon him he may, he ought to discharge aU his
cares and burdens.
It consequently doth engage aU creatures in
the world to be our friends, or instruments of good
to us, according to their several capacities, by the
direction and disposal of God. All the servants of
our great Friend wUl, in compUance to him, be ser-
jobv. 23. viceable to us, Thou shalt be in league with ihe
stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be
at peace with thee: so Job's friend promiseth him
upon condition of piety. And God himself con-
Hos. ii. 18. firmeth that promise ; In that day, saith he in the
prophet, will I make a covenant for them with the
beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and
with the creeping things ofthe ground. And again,
Isai. xliii. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with
''' thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow
thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt
not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon
Ps.cxxi.6. thee. And, The sun shall not smite thee by day,
Ps.xoi. 13. nor the moon by night. Thou shalt tread upon the
lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt
Mark xvi. thou trample under foot. They shall take up scor
pions; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them : (so our Lord promised to his disci-
Deut. pies.) Not only the heavens shall dispense their
kindly influences, and the earth yield her plentiful

IS.

XXVUI. 12.

The Profitableness of Godliness. 229
stores, and all the elements discharge their natural serm,
and ordinary good offices ; nor only the tame and  '. 
sociable creatures shaU upon this condition faith
fuUy serve us ; but even the most wild, most fierce,
most ravenous, most venomous creatures shaU, if
there be need, prove friendly and helpful, or at
least harmless to us : as were the ravens to Elias, i Kings
the Uons to Daniel, the viper to St Paul, the fire ''™'
to the three children.
But especially piety doth procure the friendship Rs. xxxiv.
of the good angels, that puissant host of glorious hem! 14'
and happy spirits: they aU do tenderly love the
pious person; they are ever ready to serve and do
him good, to protect him from danger, to aid him
' in his undertakings, to rescue him from mischiefs.
What an honour, what a blessing is this, to have
such an innumerable company of noble friends
(the courtiers and favourites of heaven) deeply con
cerned and constantly vigilant for our welfare !
It also engageth the blessed saints in glory.
The spirits of just men perfected, the church of the Heb. xii.
first-born, to bear dearest affection to us, to further
our prosperity with their good wishes and earnest
prayers, mightUy prevalent with God.
It rendereth all sorts of men our friends. To
good men it uniteth us in holy communion; the
communion of brotherly charity and hearty good-
wiU, attended with all the good offices they are able
to perform : to other men it reconcileth and endear
eth us ; for that innocent and inoffensive, courteous
and benign, charitable and beneficent demeanour,
(such as piety doth require and produce,) are apt to
concihate respect and affection from the worst men.

230 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. For, Vincit malos pertinax bonitas'; men hardly
 can persist enemies to him whom they perceive to
be their friend : and such the pious man in disposi
tion of mind, and in effect when occasion serveth,
is toward aU men^; being sensible of his obhgation
Gal. vi. 10. to love all men, and. As he hath opportunity, to do
good to all men. It assureth and more strictly
endeareth our friends to us. For, as it maketh
us hearty, faithful, constant friends to others; so it
reciprocaUy tieth others to us in the like sincerity
and fastness of good-wUl*.
Prov. xvi. It reconcUeth enemies. For, When a man's
ways do please the Lord, he maketh his enemies to
be at peace with him. It hath a natural efficacy to
that purpose, and Divine blessing promoteth it.
By it aU conversation becometh tolerable,
grateful, and useful. For a pious man is not easUy
disturbed with any crossness or perverseness, any
infirmity or impertinency of those he converseth
with : he can bear the weaknesses and the failings
of his company; he can by wholesome reflections
upon aU occurrences advantage and please him
self". In fine, piety rendereth a man a true friend and
a good companion to himself; satisfied in himself,
"• Sen. de Benef. vii. [31.]
' Qui sibi amicus est, soito hunc amicum omnibus esse. — Sen.
Ep. VI. [6.]
' 'Opoias be Kal iqbeXs- Kal yap d^rXas oi dyadol ^Scis Kal dKXrjXois. —
Arist. Eth. Tin. [3. 6.]
" Svvbidyetv re 6 roiovros eavra ^ovXerav rjbeas yap avrb Troiet'
rav Te yap Trenpaypevav imTepTrels al pvrjpai, Kai rav fieXXovrav eX~
mbes dyadai — Id. Eth. IX. [4. 5.]
" Qureris quid profecerim ? amicus esse mihi coepi.— Sen. Ep.
VI. [6.]

The Profitableness of Godliness. 231
able to converse freely and pleasantly with his own serm.
thoughts. It is for the want of pious inclinations  '¦ —
and dispositions, that solitude (a thing which some
times cannot be avoided, which often should be
embraced) is to most men so irksome and tedious,
that men do carefiUly shun themselves, and fly
from their own thoughts; that they decline all con
verse with their own souls, and hardly dare look
upon their own hearts and consciences: whence
they become aliens from home, wholly unacquaint
ed with themselves, most ignorant of their own
nearest concernments, no faithful friends or plea
sant companions to themselves; so for refuge and
ease they unseasonably run into idle or lewd con
versation, where they disorder and defile them
selves'^. But the pious man is, like Scipio, Never
less alone, than when alone^: his soUtude and retire
ment is not only tolerable, but commonly the most
grateful and fruitful part of his life : he can ever
with much pleasure, and more advantage, con
verse with himself^; digesting and marshalling his
y Nemo est, cui non satius sit cum quolibet esse, quam secum.
— Sen. Ep. [xxiv. 7.]
"Evioi TOV ibwv ^iov, ms drepTrearaTov Beapa, TTpoaibeXv oix imope-
vovatv, &C. — ^Plut. irepl UoXvTrp. Opp. Tom. II. p. 916. Ed. Steph.
Zr/Tovaiv ol poxBrjpol peff av avvbirjpepevaovai, eavTovs be (pev-
yovaiv. — Arist. Eth. ix. 4. [9.]
^ [Scipionem — dicere solitum, scripsit Cato nunquam se —
minus solum quam cum solus esset.— Cic. de OflF. in. 1. 1. Rep.
I. 17. 27.]
* Acquiescit sibi, cogitationibus suis traditus. — Sen. Ep. ix.
[13.] Sapiens autem nunquam solus esse potest : habet secum omnes
qui sunt, qui unquam fuerunt boni, ct animum liberum quocunque
vult transfert. Quod corpore non potest, cogitatione complectitur.
Et si hominum inopia fuerit, loquitur cum Deo. Nunquam minus

232 The Profitableness of Godliness.
SERM. thoughts, his affections, his purposes into good
 '. — order; searching and discussing his heart, reflect
ing on his past ways, enforcing his former good
resolutions, and framing new ones ; inquiring after
edifying truths ; stretching his meditations toward
the best and sublimest objects, raising his hopes
and wanning his affections towards spiritual and
heavenly things; asking himself pertinent ques
tions, and resolving incident doubts concerning his
practice : in fine, conversing with his best friend in
devotion; with admiration and love contemplating
the divine perfections displayed in the works of
nature, of providence, of grace; praising God for
his excellent benefits and mercies; confessing his
defects and offences; deprecating wrath and im
ploring pardon, with grace and abUity to amend ;
praying for the supply of aU his wants. AU which
performances yield both unconceivable benefit and
unexpressible comfort. So that solitude (that
which is to common nature so offensive, to cor
rupt nature so abominable) is to the pious man
extremely commodious and comfortable: which is
a great advantage peculiar to piety, and the last
which I shaU mention.
So many, and many more than I can ex
press, vastly great and precious advantages do
accrue from piety; so that weU may we conclude
with St Paul, that Godliness is profitable for all
things. It remaineth that, if we be wise, we should, if
we yet have it not ingraffed in us, labour to ac-
solus erit, quam cura solus fuerit. — Hier. adv. Jovin. Lib. I. [Opp.
Tom. IV. pais ii. col. 190.]

T%e Profitableness of Godliness. 233
quire it; if we have it, that we should endeavour serm.
to improve it, by constant exercise, to the praise of  ! 
God, the good of our neighbour, and our own
comfort. Which that we may effectually perform.
Almighty God in mercy vouchsafe, by his grace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom for ever
be all glory and praise. Amen.

SERMON VL"
THE REWARD OF HONOURING GOD.

I Sam. II. 30.
For them, that honour me I will honour.
SERM. rpHE words are in the strictest sense the word
 '¦ — -*- of God, uttered immediately by God him
self; and may thence command from us an especial
attention and regard. The history of that which
occasioned them is, I presume, weU known ; neither
shaU I make any descant or reflection thereon ;
but take the words separately, as a proposition of
itself, affording a complete instruction and ample
matter of discourse. And as such, they plainly
imply two things : a duty required of us to honour
God; and a reward proffered to us, upon performance
of that duty, being honoured by God. It is natu
ral for us, before we are wUUng to undertake any
work, to consider the reward or benefit accruing
from it; and it is necessary, before we can perform
any duty, to understand the nature thereof To
this our method of action I shaU suit the method
of my discourse; first endeavouring to estimate the
reward, then to explain the duty. Afterward I
mean to shew briefly why in reason the duty is
enjoined; how in effect the reward is conferred.
I. The reward may be considered either abso-
[» Ad Aulam. Aug. 1670. MS.]

The Reward of honouring God. 235
lutely, (as what it is in itself;) or relatively, (as to serm.
its rise, and whence it comes). ^^"
I For itself, it is honour; a thing, if valued
according to the rate it bears in the common
market, of highest price among all the objects of
human desire ; the chief reward which the greatest
actions and which the best actions do pretend unto,
or are capable of; that which usuaUy bears most
sway in the hearts, and hath strongest influence
upon the Uves of men ; the desire of obtaining and
maintaining which doth commonly overbear other
most potent inclinations. The love of pleasure
stoops thereto : for men, to get or keep reputation,
wiU decUne the most pleasant enjoyments, wiU
embrace the hardest pains. Yea, it often prevails
over the love of life itself, which men do not only
frequently expose to danger, but sometimes devote
to certain loss, for its sake''\ If we observe what
is done in the world, we may discern it to be
the source of most undertakings therein : that it
not only moveth the wheels of pubhc action, (that
not only for it great princes contend, great armies
march, great battles are fought;) but that from it
most private business derives its life and vigour:
* Even the sex which naturally is so tender and timor
ous hath aiforded many instances, that life may be less dear
than honour. What Cicero' somewhere professes to be his
may seem to be the general sense of men, that nothing in
life is desirable without it. MS.
1 Denique, cum omnia semper ad dignitatem retuHssem, ueo sine ea
quidquam expetendum esse homini in vita putassem, mortem, quam etiam
virgines Athenis, regis, opinor, Erecthei filise, pro patria contempsisse dicun-
tur, ego, vir consularis, tantis rebus gestis, timerem ? — Orat. pro Sext.
[xxi. 4S.]

236 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. that for honour especiaUy the soldier undergoes
 '.  hardship, toU, and hazard; the scholar plods and
beats his brains ; the merchant runs about so
busUy, and adventures so far; yea, that for its
sake the meanest labourer and artificer doth spend
his sweat, and stretch his shiews*. The principal
drift of aU this care and industry (the great rea
son of aU this scuffling for power, this searching for
knowledge, this scraping and scrambling for wealth)

* Riches themselves (procuring \\h\ch may seem the im
mediate cause of all that care and industry employed in
several ways) men chiefly (as Aristotle well observes) do
seek for honour's sake that they may live in reputation ; for
necessity is served with a little, pleasure may be satisfied
from a competence, abundance is required only to support
honour ; take away credit from wealth, there will be no such
scraping and scrambling for it ; there was not so in Rome,
when poor Fabrieius, Curius and Quintius were capable of
being consuls and dictators there : nor in Sparta for many
hundred years, where the citizens (as Plutarch tells us)
enjoyed much of ease and leisure to attend nobler employ
ments, because riches were not there at all invidious, or
honourable. Yea, we daily see men to contemn or neglect
riches, who can hope to procure respect some other way : by
getting knowledge, or any other creditable endowments :
the care and pains men expend upon which do commonly
grow from this same root : for take away esteem from know
ledge, curiosity will soon languish and study expire. This
is the reason Plato assigns, why the sciences did not flourish
in Greece, in his times, because no city did then honour
them ; and why in the ancienter times of the Roman state,
picture, music, poetry, with other ingenious arts, were alto
gether unknown, Cicero could not give a better account,
than because honour, which feedeth arts, and glory, which
kindleth studies, were wanting. MS.

Tlie Reward of honouring God. 237
doth seem to be, that men would live in some credit, serm.
would raise themselves above contempt''.- '
In such request, of such force, doth honour
appear to be. If we examine why, we may find
more than mere fashion (or mutual imitation and
consent) to ground the experiment upon. There
is one obvious reason why no mean regard should
be had thereto : its great convenience and useful
ness: for that a man cannot himself Uve safely,
quietly, or pleasantly, without some competent
measure thereof ; cannot well serve the public, per
form offices of duty to his relations, of kindness to
his friends, of charity to his neighbours, but under
its protection, and with its aid : it being an engine
very requisite for the managing any business, for
the compassing any design, at least sweetly and
smoothly ; it procuring to us many furtherances in
our proceedings, removing divers obstacles out of
our way, guarding a man's person from offences,
adding weight to his words, putting an edge upon
his endeavours : for every one allows a favourable
ear to his discourse, lends an assisting hand to his
attempts, grants a ready credence to his testimony,
"Xbots 5' av Koi rav Ibiarav rovs imeiKeardrovs virep oKXov pev
oibevbs uv rb ^^v dvTiKaTaXXa^apevovs, vwep be rov Tvxelv KoXrjs bo^ijs,
diroGvrjaKeiv ideXovras. — Isocr. Orat. ad Philip. [§ 135.]
Mors turn sequissimo animo oppetitur, cum suis se laudibus vita
occidens consolari potest. — Cic. Tusc. Quajst. [i. 45. 109.]
Laudis avidi pecuniae liberales erant, gloriam ingentem divitias
honestas volebant; banc ardentissime dilexerunt, propter banc
vivere voluerunt, pro hac et mori non dubitaverunt. Ceeteras
cupiditatcs hujus unius ingenti cupiditate presserunt. — Aug. de
Civ. Dei, v. 12. [Opp. Tom. vn. col. 126 p.]
Al yap bwaareXai Kal 6 irXovros bta ttjv nprjv ianv aiperd. — Arist.
Eth. IV. 3. [18.]
Honos alit artes, omnesquo incenduntur ad studia gloria, &c. —
Cic. Tusc. QuECst. I. [2. 4.]

238 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM, and makes a fair construction of his doings, whom
 he esteems and respects*. So is honour plainly
valuable among the Bona utilia, as no smaU ac
commodation of life; and as such, reason approves
it to our judgment".
But, searching fiirther, we shaU find the appe
tite of honour to have a deeper ground, and that it
is rooted even in our nature itself For we may
descry it budding forth in men's first infancy, (be
fore the use of reason or speech;) even httle chUdren
being ambitious to be made much of^, maintaining
* Vide Hier. [Paulin.] Ep. ad Celant.
Conscientia tibi, fama proximo tuo. Qui fidens conscientise su;b
negligit famam suam, crudelis est. — Aug. [Serm. ccclv. Opp.
Tom. V. col. 1380 b.]
Galen. ['O yap rot rav rroXXav dvBpdirav eiraivos els pev ;(pfias
nvas iiriTTjbeiov opyavov ivmre yiyverai.  De Method. Med. VII. 1.
Opp. Tom. X. p. 457. Ed. Kiihn.]
Nee vero negligenda fama est ; nee mediocre telum ad res gc-
rendas existimare oportet benevolentiam civium. — Cic. de Amic.
[xvn. 61.]
Vide Chrys. Tom. vi. Orat. xvii.
^ Vidi ego et expertus sum zelantem parvulum, &c. — Aug.
[Conf. I. 7. Opp. Tom. i. coL 73 D.]

* What hath been said of war {Fama constant bella) may
be said of all business, the success thereof much depends
upon credit ; 'tis not he that is really stronger, or wiser, or
better, but he that is so reputed, who commonly in the con
duct of affairs hath the advantage. St Augustine observing
this, how necessary reputation is, that a man may be able to
do any good, or considerably to benefit others, says this :
Seeing our fame is as necessary in respect to our neighboui",
as our conscience is for ourselves, he, that confiding in his
conscience, doth neglect his reputation, is uncharitable and
ci-uel. MS.

The Reward of honouring God. 239
among themselves petty emulations and competi- serm,
tions, as it were about punctilios of honour. We  '—
may observe it groAving with age, waxing bigger
and stronger together with the increase of wit and
knowledge, of civU culture and experience; that the
maturest age doth most resent and rehsh it ; that it
prevaUs most in civiUzed nations; that men ofthe
best parts, of the highest improvements, of the
weightiest employments, do most zealously affect it
and stand upon it; that they who most struggle
with it do most feel its might, how difficult it is to
resist and restrain it, how impossible it is to stifle
or extinguish it. For the phUosopher with aU his
reasons and considerations cannot dispute it down,
or persuade it away; the anchoret cannot with aU
his austerities starve it, or by his retirement shun it :
no affliction, no poverty, no wretchedness of condi
tion, can totally suppress it. It is a spirit that not
only haunts our courts and palaces, but frequents
our schools and cloisters, yea, creeps into cottages,
into hospitals, into prisons, and even dogs men into
deserts and soUtudes°; so close it sticks to our na
ture. Plato saith, it is the last coat which a wise
man doth put off. But I question whether he could
shew us that wise man who had done it, or could
tell us where he dwelt, except perhaps in his own
Utopian repubUc. For they who most pretend to
have done it (who in their discourse most vUify
honour; who talk like Chrysippus*, that a wise man
for reputation sake wiU not so much as stretch out
* In solitudine cito subrepit superbia. — Hier. [ad Rusticum
Mon. Ep. xcv. Opp. Tom. iv. p. ii. p. 773.]
' Cic. de Fin. [iii. 17.] [De bona autem fama .... Chrysippus
et Diogenes, detracta utilitate, ne digitum quidem, ejus causa, por-
rigendum esse dicebant.]

240 The Reward of honouring God.
serm. his finger ; or like Seneca «, that we should do every
 '- — thing purely for conscience sake, without any re
gard to men's opinion ; who make harangues and
write volumes against glory) do yet appear by their
practice, sometimes by so doing, to aim at it : even
as men do usually complain of and eagerly quarrel
with that which they most affect and woo. Chry
sippus wrote, as we are told, above 700 books'", most
of them concerning logical quirks, and such as one
can hardly imagine what other drift he could have
in composing them, besides ostentation of his sub-
tUty and sharpness of wit. Seneca, ff history do
not wrong him, and the face of his actions do not
misrepresent him, was not in his heart exempt from
a spice of ambition. Yea, that exceUent emperor
M.. Aurelius, who would often speak hke a Stoic,
could not but commonly act like a man, more by his
practice commending honour, than he disparaged it
in his words. For story represents him very care
ful and jealous of his credit, very dUigent to pre
serve it and to repair it\ TertuUian calls such phi
losophers Negotiatores famcB^, Merchants for fame:
and it is perchance some part of their cunning in
their trade, which makes them strive to beat down
^ Nihil opinionis causa, omnia conscientiae faciam. — De Vit. B.
[xx. 3.]
Nihil sit illi cum ambitione famaque: sibi placeat. Hoc ante
omnia sibi quisque persuadeat. Me justum esse gratis oportet —
Id. Ep. cxni. [24.]
Id. de Ira, m. [41. 2.]
** Diog. Laert. [in Chrys. vn. 7. 3. Tov dpiBpbv yap vnep
¦nevre Kai eirraKoaid ianv."]
' Erat famsB suse curiosissimus.
Male loquentium dictis, vel Uteris vel sermone respondebat. —
Capitolinus [Hist. Aug. Script, p. 31 a., p. 32 a]
^ Tertull. Apol. [cap. xlvi. Opp. p. 36 c]

The Reioard of honouring God. 241
the price of this commodity, that they may more serm.
easily engross it to themselves. However, expe-  '- 
rience proves that such words are but words, (words
spoken out of affectation and pretence, rather than
in good earnest and according to truth :) that endea
vours to banish or to extirpate this desire are but
fond and fruitless attempts. The reason why is
clear : for it is as if one should dispute against eat
ing and drinking, or should labour to free himself
from hunger and thirst : the appetite of honour
being indeed, as that of food, innate unto us, so as
not to be quenched or smothered, except by some
violent distemper or indisposition of mind'; even
by the wise Author of our nature originaUy im
planted therein for very good ends and uses, re
specting both the private and pubhc benefit of
men ; as an engagement to virtue, and a restraint
from vice ; as an excitement of industry, an incen
tive of courage, a support of constancy in the pro
secution of worthy enterprises ; as a serviceable
instrument for the constitution, conservation, and
improvement of human society'". For did not some
' Sed nimirum, ut quidam, morbo aliquo et sensus stupore,
suavitatem cibi non sentiunt : sic libidinosi, avari, facinorosi, verse
laudis gustum non habent. — Cic. Philipp. [ii. 45.]
* For as men are made naturally to approve, and com
mend acts of justice, of goodness, of sobriety ; to esteem
and respect persons, whom they observe disposed to perform
them ; so by a desire to obtain such approbation and esteem
are men prompted and instigated to perform such acts, to
acquire such dispositions. As general respect doth com
monly attend those who are useful to society, or capable of
being so, (by their endowments of mind, or other accessory
enablements: by their skilfulness, their courage, their
B. S. VOL. I. 16

242 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. love of honour glow in men's breasts, were that noble
 . — spark quite extinct, few men probably would study
for honourable quaUties, or perform laudable deeds;
there would be nothing to keep some men within
bounds of modesty and decency, to deter them from
doing odious and ugly things; men, not caring what

wealth,) so by the love of such respect men are rendered
industrious in procuring to themselves such qualities and
capacities. And because honour is nowhere to be obtained,
but in society ; and it is chiefly got by actions beneficial
thereto, by an inclination thereto men are driven to embrace
society, and induced to endeavour its welfare. So that in
effect were this instinct wanting, few would do laudable
deeds, or study for honourable qualities ; most men would
perhaps, if not altogether shun society, yet at least decline
the cares and burdens necessary toward the promoting its
good : for the sustaining which the chief recompense is usu
ally this of honour ; common life would want most of its
ornaments, much of its convenience ; a barbarous sloth, a
brutish'*stupidity would overspread the world; there being
nothing to inflame men's desire of worthy things, nothing to
whet their courage in prosecution of them ; nothing to sup
port their constancy in the encountering difiiculties and dan
gers incident to gallant enterprises, nothing of that kind
(nothing noble or brave) would be achieved or attempted.
There would be then no such virtue as modesty, to keep
men within bounds of honesty and 'decency, to restrain men
from doing odious and ugly things. The best examples
would become idle shows, looked upon unconcernedly with
out any influence or effect. The judgments of wise and good
men about what is just and fit to be done would pass for
empty speculations ; men not caring what others think of
them, would not regard what they do themselves ; that would
happen in extremity, which experience shews us to be now
in degree, that the most shameless men do the most shame
ful things. MS.

The Reioard of honouring God. 243
others thought of them, would not regard what serm.
they did themselves"" ; a barbarous sloth or brutish ^^'
stupidity would overspread the world, withdrawing
from common hfe most of its ornaments, much of
its convenience; men generaUy would, if not alto
gether, shun society, yet at least decline the cares
and burdens requisite to the promoting its welfare,
for the sustaining which usuaUy the chief encour
agement, the main recompense, is this of honour.
That men therefore have so tender and delicate a
sense of their reputation (so that touching it is like
pricking a nerve, as soon felt, and as smartly offen
sive) is an exceUent provision in nature; in regard
whereto honour may pass among the Bona natu-
ralia, as a good necessary for the satisfaction of
nature, and for securing the accomphshment of its
best designs.
A moderate regard to honour is also commend
able as an instance of humanity or good-wUl to
men, yea, as an argument of humUity, or a sober
conceit of ourselves. For to desire another man's
esteem, and consequently his love, (which in some
kind or degree is an inseparable companion of
esteem,) doth imply somewhat of reciprocal esteem
and affection toward him ; and to prize the judg
ment of other men concerning us, doth signify
that we are not oversatisfied with our own.
We might for its further commendation aUege
the authority of the more cool and candid sort of
philosophers, (such as grounded their judgment of
things upon notions agreeable to common sense
and experience ; who adapted their rules of prac-
" Albas b' olxopevrj, rvavrav yevereipa KaKiarav. — Greg. Naz.
[Carm. ad Olymp. Opp. Tom. ii. p. 1066.]
16—2

244 The Reivard of honouring God.
SERM. tice to the nature of man, such as they found it in
 the world, not such as they framed it in their own
fancies,) who have ranked honour among the prin
cipal of things desirable, and adorned it with fair
est elegies ; terming it a divine thing", the best of
exterior goods", the most honest fruit and most
ample reward of true virtue ; adjudging, that to
neglect the opinions of men (especiaUy of persons
worthy and laudable) is a sign of stupid baseness,
that to contemn them is an effect of unreasonable
haughtiness^ ; representing the love of honour
(rightly grounded and duly moderated) not only
as the parent and guardian (as productive and pre
servative) of other virtues, but as a virtue itself,
of no small magnitude and lustre in the consteUa-
tion of virtues, the virtue of generosity i. A virtue,
which, next to the spirit of true Rehgion, (next to
a hearty reverence toward the supreme, blessed
goodness, and that holy charity toward men which
springeth thence,) doth lift a man up nearest to
heaven ; doth raise his mind above the sordid
desires, the sorry cares, the fond humours, the
perverse and froward passions, with which men
commonly are possessed and acted : that virtue,
" efioi/ yap dyadov ttou Tifi^. — Plat, [de Leg. V. 727 A.]
KdXbv rais TroXXals woXeo-i to TrapaKeXevpd ian, irpoTipav njv
eibo^iav irpbs rav noXXav. — Id. [de Leg. XII. 950 c]
" ToiovTov b' Jj Tip!]- peyiarov yap brj tovto twv eKros dyadav. —
Arist. Eth. IV. 3. [lO.j
P Nam negligere, quid de se quisque sentiat, non solum arro-
gantis, sed etiam omnino dissoluti. — Cic. de Offic. i. [28. 99.]
' Levis est animi, lucem splendoremque fugientis, justam glo
riam, qui est fructus verse virtutis honestissimus, repudiare. — Id.
in Pis. [xxiv. 67.]
Sed tamen, ex omnibus prsomiis virtutis, si esset habenda ratio
pra;miorum, amplissimum esse prsemium gloriam. — Id. pro Mil.
[xxxv. 97.]

Tlie Reward of honouring God. 245
which inflames a man with courage, so that he serm,

dares perform what reason and duty require of-
him, that he disdains to do what is bad or base ;
which inspires him with sincerity, that he values
his honesty before all other interests and respects,
that he abhors to wrong or deceive, to flatter or
abuse any man, that he cannot endure to seem
otherwise than he is, to speak otherwise than he
means, to act otherwise than he promises and pro
fesses; which endows him with courtesy, that he
is ready to yield every man his due respect, to
afford any man what help and succour he is able ;
that virtue, which renders a man upright in aU his
dealings, and correspondent to aU his obligations ;
a loyal subject to his prince, and a true lover of his
country, a candid judge of persons and things, an
earnest favourer of whatever is good and commen
dable, a faithful and hearty friend, a beneflcial and
useful neighbour, a grateful resenter and requiter
of courtesies, hospitable to the stranger, bountiful
to the poor, kind and good to aU the world : that
virtue, in fine, which constitutes a man of honour,
who surely is the best man next to a man of con
science. Thus may honour be valued from natural
light, and according to common sense".
But beyond all this, the holy scripture (that
most certain standard by which we may examine
and determine the true worth of things) doth not
teach us to slight honour, but rather in its fit order
and just measure to love and prize it. It indeed
' Trahimur omnes laudis studio; et optimus quisque maxime
gloria ducitur. — Cic. pro Arch. [xi. 26.]
0( x"/"'^"""^^ '^^'- rrpaKTiKol, plausible and active men do, saith
Aristotle, place happiness in honour. — Eth. [i. 3, 4.]

VI.

246 Tlie Reward of honouring God.
SKRM. instructs us to ground it weU, (not upon bad qua-
 '- — lities or wicked deeds, that is villainous madness ;
not upon things of a mean and indifferent nature,
that is vanity ; not upon counterfeit shows and
pretences, that is hypocrisy; but upon real worth
and goodness, that may consist with modesty and
sobriety:) it enjoins us not to be immoderate in
our desires thereof, or complacences therein, not to
be irregular in the pursuit or acquist of it; (to be
so is pride and ambition ;) but to affect it calmly,
to purchase it fairly : it directs us not to make a
regard thereto our chief principle, not to propound
it as our main end of action : it charges us to bear
contentedly the want or loss thereof, (as of other
temporal goods ;) yea, in some cases, for conscience
sake, or for God's service, (that is, for a good
incomparably better than it,) it obhges us wUlingly
to prostitute and sacrifice it, choosing rather to be
infamous than impious", (to be in disgrace with
men, rather than in disfavour with God :) it, in
fine, commands us to seek and embrace it only in
subordination and with final reference to God's
honour. Which distinctions and cautions being
provided, honour is represented in holy scripture
as a thing considerably good, which may be re
garded without blame, which sometimes in duty
must be regarded. It is there preferred before
other good things, in themselves not despicable.
Ecoies. vii. For, A good name is better than precious ointment;
Prov. xxii. yea, A good name is rather to be chosen than great
'¦ riches, saith the Wise M.sna.. It is caUed a gift of
Ecoies. vi. God : for. There is a man, saith the preacher, to
2. ^ Non vis esse Justus sine gloria ? at mehercule ssepe Justus
esse debebis cum infamia. — Sen. Epist. cxiii. [25.]

The Reioard of honouring God. 247
loliom God hath given riches and honour. Yea, serm.
not only a simple gift, but a blessing, conferred in

kindness, as a reward and encouragement of good
ness : for. By humility and the fear of the Lord, Prov. xxii.
saith he again, are riches and honour. Whence it
is to be acknowledged as an especial benefit, and a
fit ground of thanksgiving ; as is practised by the
Psalmist in his royal hymn : Honour, saith he, Ps. xxi. 5.
and majesty hast thou laid upon him. Wisdom Prov. iii.
also is described unto us bearing in her left hand
riches and honour: and wisdom surely will not
take into any hand of hers, or hold therein, what
is worth nothing. No: we are therefore moved
to procure her, because. Exalting her, she shall pro- p^v. iv.
mote us. — She shall give unto our head an ornament
of grace, a crown of glory shall she deliver to us.
We are also enjoined to render honour as the best
expression of good-wiU and gratitude toward them
who best deserve in themselves, or most deserve
of us ; to our prince, to our parents, to our priests, i Pet. a.
especially to such of them as govern and teach iTim. v.
weU, to all good men, {Have such in reputation, pi^u. „. 29.
says the apostle). And were not honour a good
thing, such injunctions would be unreasonable.
Yea, because we are obhged to bear good-wUl
toward aU men, St Peter bids us to Honour all i Pet. ii.
men. From hence also, that we are especiaUy
bound to render honour unto God himself, we
may weU infer with Aristotle, that Honour is the
best thing in our power to offer^. To these consi
derations may be added, that we are commanded
to walk Euaxynovwi, {Decently, or speciously, which Rom. xUi.
implies a regard to men's opinion ;) to Provide item. xii.
' Eth. IV. 3. [10.] '^'

248 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. things honest in the sight of all men, (KaXd, that is,
 not only things good in substance, but goodly in
I Pet. ii. appearance;) to Have our conversation honest be
fore the Gentiles, (KaX»ji; again, that is, fair, or
comely, and plausible, such as may commend us
and our profession to the judgment of them who
Phil. iv.8. observe us.) St Paul also exhorts us to Mind,
not only what things are true, are just, are pure;
but also ''Ocra ae/uvd, { Whatever things are venerable,
or apt to beget respect,) "Ocra TrpoaipiXri, { Whatever
things are lovely, or gracious in men's eyes and
esteem,) ''Oaa eiKpiifia, {Whatever things are well
reported, or well reputed of). He requires us not
only. If there be any virtue, (any thing very good
in itself,) but. If there be any prraise, (any thing
much approved in common esteem,) that we should
Mind such things. Lastly, the blessed state here
after (the highest instance of divine bounty, the
complete reward of goodness) is represented and
recommended to us as a state of honour and glory;
to be ambitious whereof is the character of a good
Rom. ii. 6, man. To every man, saith St Paul, shall God ren
der according to his works: to them, who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory, and ho
nour, and immortality, eternal Ife.
Such is the reward propounded to us in itself;
no vUe or contemptible thing, but upon various
accounts much valuable; that which the common
apprehensions of men, plain dictates of reason, a
predominant instinct of nature, the judgments of
very wise men, and divine attestation itself, con
spire to commend unto us as very considerable and
precious. Such a reward our text prescribes us
the certain, the only way of attaining.

The Reioard of honouring God. 249
2 Such a benefit is here tendered to us (that serm.
which yet more highly commends it, and exceed-  '¦ 
ingly enhances its worth) by God himself : /, saith
he, will honour. It is sanctified by coming from
his holy hand ; it is dignified by foUowing his most
wise and just disposal ; it is fortified and assured
by depending on his unquestionable word, and un
controllable power : who, as he is the prime au
thor of all good, so he is in especial manner the
sovereign dispenser of honour. The king, we say,
is the fountain of honour. What any king, as the
representative and delegate of God, is in his par
ticular kingdom, that is Almighty God absolutely
and independently in all the world. Both riches ' 9^'"""-
, . . . xxix. 12.
and honour, said good king David, come of thee,
for thou rulest over all : in thine hand is power and
might; in thine hand it is to make great, and to
give strength unto all. He whose grants are in
effect only sure and vaUd, whose favours only do
in the end turn to good account, he freely offers
us most desirable preferment ; he doth himself gra
ciously hold forth most authentic patents, by virtue
of which we may aU become right honourable, and
persons of quaUty indeed ; having not only the
names and titles, the outward ensigns and badges
of dignity, (such as earthly princes confer,) but the
substantial reahty, the assured enjoyment thereof.
(For man can oiUy impose law upon tongues and
gestures; God alone commandeth and inchneth
hearts, wherein honour chiefly resideth.) He offers
it, I say, most freely indeed, yet not absolutely : he
doth not go to seU it for a price, yet he propounds
it under a condition; as a most just and equal, so
a very gentle and easy condition. It is but an

250 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. exchange of honour for honour; of honour from
 '- — God, which is a free gift, for honour from us,
which is a just duty; of honour from him our
sovereign Lord, for honour from us his poor vas
sals; of honour from the most high IMajesty of
heaven, for honour from us vUe worms creeping
upon the earth. Such an overture one would
think it not unreasonable to accept, but impossible
to refuse. For can any man dare not to honour
invincible power, infaUible wisdom, inflexible jus
tice 1 WUl any man forbear to honour immense
goodness and bounty 1 Yes, it seems there are
men so mad as to reject so fair an offer; so bad as
to neglect so equal a duty. Let us therefore con
sider what it is that is here required of us, or
wherein this honouring of God consists, that we
may thereby discern when we perform this duty,
when we are deficient therein.
II. There are several ways of honouring God,
or several parts and degrees of this duty; aU which
we may refer to two sorts, conceiving the duty as
a compound, made up of two main ingredients,
(correspondent to those two parts in which they
reside, and of which our nature consists; which
distinction St Paul suggesteth, when he saith,
iCor. vi. Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
^°' which are God's) one of them being, as it were, the
form and soul, the other as the matter and body
of the duty.
I The soul of that honour which is required
of us toward God, is that internal esteem and reve
rence which we should bear in our hearts towards
him; importing that we have impressed upon our
minds such conceptions about him as are worthy

Th.e Reward of honouring God. 251
of him, suitable to the perfection of his nature, to serm.
the eminency of his state, to the just quaUty of his  '- 
works and actions : that we apprehend him to be,
what he reaUy is, in his nature, superlatively good,
wise, powerful, holy, and just : that we ascribe
unto him the production and conservation of aU
beings, together with an entire superintendency
over, and absolute disposal of, aU events : that we
conceive ourselves obliged to submit unto, and
acquiesce in, aU his dispensations of providence, as
most wise and most righteous; to rely upon the
declarations of his mind, (whether in way of asser
tion or promise,) as infaUibly true and certain. In
such acts of mind the honouring of God doth pri
marily consist. In acts, I say: not in speculative
opinions concerning the divine exceUencies, (such
as aU men have, who are not downright atheists or
infidels, floating in the fancy, or dormant in the
mind;) but in continuaUy present, Uvely, effectual
acts of apprehension and judgment, sinking down
into the heart and affections, and quickening them
to a congruous, real performance. Such an appre
hension of God's power, as shall make us to dread
his irresistible hand, shall cause us to despair of
prospering in bad courses, shaU dispose us to con
fide in him, as able to perform whatever he wiUs
us to expect from him : such an opinion of his wis
dom, as shaU keep us from questioning whether
that is best which God declares to be so ; as shaU
hinder us from presuming (in comphance with our
own shaUow reason or vain fancy) to do any thing
against God's judgment and advice : such a conceit
of God's justice, as shaU render us carefiil to per
form what his law promises to reward, and fearful

252 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. to commit what it threatens to punish : such a per-
 suasion concerning God's goodness, as shaU kindle
in us an hearty affection toward him, shaU make
us very sensible of his bounty, and ready to yield
returns of duty and gratitude unto him; as shaU
preserve us from being distrustful of his provi
dence, or doubtful in our need and distress of
finding relief from him : such a vigorous and fruit
ful esteem of God in aU respects, as shaU produce
in us dispositions of mind, and actions of hfe,
agreeable to our various relations and obhgations
to him ; becoming us as his creatures and chUdren,
as his subjects and servants. This is indeed the
soul of the duty, which being absent, aU exterior
(how specious soever) either professions or per
formances, are but as pictures, having in them
somewhat of resemblance in shape and colour,
nothing of life : yea rather, as carcases, not only
dead and senseless, but rotten and filthy in God's
Isai. xxix. sight. TMs pcoplc, saith God, do honour me with
Matt.xv.s. ^^e^V lips, but their heart is far from me. Such
honour is indeed no honour at aU, but impudent
abuse and profane mockery : for what can be more
abominably vain, than for a man to court and
cajole him, who knows his whole heart, who sees that
he either minds not, or means not what he says?
It behoves us therefore by aU proper means, by
contemplating the works and actions of God, (his
admirable works of nature, the wise proceedings of
his providence, the glorious dispensations of his
grace,) by meditating on his word, by praying for
his grace, by observing his law and wiU, to raise
up in our hearts, to foment and cherish this inter
nal reverence, which is the true spring of aU piety,

The Reivard of honouring God. 253
the principle which forms and actuates that other serm.
sort, coming next to be touched on, being the  '¦ —
body of our due honour to God ; concurring in its
order to the integrity thereof, as without which
the interior part would be a kind of ghost, too thin
in substance, too remote from sense, too destitute
of good fruit and use.
2 This bodily part consists in outward expres
sions and performances, whereby we declare our
esteem and reverence of God, and produce or pro
mote the like in others. For our thus honouring
God respects those two ends and effects, the utter
ing our own, the exciting in others a reverence
toward him. And it we may first view in the
general or gross bulk thereof; then survey its prin
cipal members.
First, in general, God is honoured by a wiUing
and careful practice of all piety and virtue for con
science sake, or in avowed obedience to his holy
wiU. This is the most natural expression of our
reverence toward him, and the most effectual way
of promoting the same in others. A subject can
not better demonstrate the reverence he bears to
ward his prince, than by (with a cheerful dihgence)
observing his laws; for by so doing he declares
that he acknowledgeth the authority, and revereth
the majesty, which enacted them; that he approves
the wisdom which devised them, and the goodness
which designed them for public benefit ; that he
dreads his prince's power, which can maintain
them, and his justice, which wiU vindicate them;
that he relies upon his fidelity, in making good
what of protection or of recompense he propounds
to the observers of them. No less pregnant a sig-

254 The Reward of honouriny God.
s:^m. nification of our reverence toward God do we yield
 in our gladly and strictly obeying his laws ; thereby
evidencing our submission to God's sovereign au
thority, our esteem of his wisdom and goodness,
our awful regard to his power and justice, our con
fidence in him, and dependance upon his word.
As also the practice of wholesome laws, visibly
producing good fruits, (peace and prosperity in the
commonwealth,) doth concUiate respect unto the
prince, he thereby appearing wise and good, able
to discern, and wUling to choose what confers to
public benefit : so actions conformable to the divine
law, being (by God's wise and gracious disposal)
both in themselves comely and lovely, and in
Tit. iii. 8. effect, as St Paul saith. Good and profitable to men,
conducing indeed not only to private, but also to
pubhc welfare, to the rendering human society
comfortable, to the settling and securing common
tranquUUty, the performance of them must needs
bring great commendation to the author and or-
dainer of them. By observing them we shaU, as
I Pet. ii. 9. St Peter speaks. Set forth the virtues of him that
called us to such a practice. The light and lustre
of good works, done in regard to divine command,
wiU cause men to see clearly the exceUencies of our
most wise and gracious Lord ; wiU consequently
Matt. V. induce and excite them To glorify our Father which
joimxv.s. ^5 in heaven. In this, saith our Saviour, is my
Father glorified, if you bear much fruit. The good-
liness to the sight, the pleasantness to the taste,
which is ever perceptible in those fruits which
genuine piety beareth, the beauty men see in a
calm mind and a sober conversation, the sweetness
they taste from works of justice and charity, will

The Reward of honouring God. 255
certainly produce veneration to the doctrine which serm.
teacheth such things, and to the authority which  '¦ —
enjoins them. It is an aggravation of impiety,
often insisted upon in scripture, that it slurs, as it ^°m- "•
were, and defames God, brings reproach and oblo- Tit. a. 5.
quy upon him, causes his name to be profaned, to 14.
be cursed, to be blasphemed ; and it is answerably EzeL '' ^'
a commendation of piety, that by the practice '^''"^'" ^°'
thereof we (not only procure many great advan
tages to ourselves, many blessings and comforts
here, aU joys and feUcities hereafter: but do also
thereby) beget esteem to God himself, and sanctify ^^ j^^ '¦
his ever-blessed name ; cause him to be regarded Coi. 1. 10.
and reverenced, his name to be praised and blessed 12.
among men. It is by exemplary piety, by Provid- Rom. xii.
ing things honest in the sight of all men, by doing
things honourable and laudable, (such are all things
which God hath been pleased to command us,) that
we shaU be sure to fulfil that precept of St Paul, of
Doing all things to the glory of God ; which is the ^ ^°^- ¦^•
body of that duty we speak of
Secondly, But there are, deserving a particular
inspection, some members thereof, which in a pecu
liar and eminent manner do constitute this honour ;
some acts which more signaUy conduce to the illus
tration of God's glory. Such are,
I The frequent and constant performance (in
a serious and reverent manner) of all reUgious
duties or devotions immediately addressed to God,
or conversant about him: that which the Psalm
ist styles. Giving ihe Lord the honour due to his p^- xxix. 2.
name, worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holi
ness. 2 Using all things pecuharly related unto God,

256 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. his holy name, his holy word, his holy places, {The
 places where his honour dwelleth,) his holy times,
isai.Tviii. ' (religious fasts and festivities,) with especial re-
'3' spect.
Rom. xiii. 3 Yielding due observance to the deputies and
tial. ii. 7. ministers of God (both civil and ecclesiastical) as
I Sam. viii. g^(.j^^ Qj. ijecause of their relation to God : the doing
Matt. i.. of which God declares that he interprets and ac-
John xiii. copts as douo uuto himsolf.
2 Cor. ix. 4 Freely spending what God hath given us
Prov. iii. 9; (ou^t of respoct uuto him) in works of piety, charity,
XIV. 31. g^j^^j mercy ; that which the Wise IMan caUs Honour
ing the Lord with our substance.
5 All penitential acts, by which we submit
unto God, and humble ourselves before him. As
Josh. vii. Achan, by confessing of his sin, is said to Give
Apoc. xvi. glory to the Lord God of Israel.
^' 6 Cheerful undergoing afflictions, losses, dis
graces, for the profession of God's truth, or for
John xxi. obedience to God's commands. (As St Peter is
'^' said by his death, suffered upon such accounts, to
glorify God.)
These signal instances of this duty (represented
as such in holy scripture) for brevity's sake I pass
over ; craving leave only to consider one, most
pertinent to our present business, and indeed a
very comprehensive one ; which is this :
7 We shaU especiaUy honour God, by dis
charging faithfiiUy those offices which God hath
intrusted us with; by improving dUigently those
talents which God hath committed to us; by using
carefuUy those means and opportunities, which God
hath vouchsafed us, of doing him service and pro
moting his glory. Thus he to whom God hath

The Reward of honouring God. 257
given wealth, if he expend it (not to the nourish- serm.
ment of pride and luxury, not only to the gratify-  '. 
ing his own pleasure or humour, but) to the fur
therance of God's honour, or to the succour of his
indigent neighbour, (in any pious or charitable
way,) he doth thereby in especial manner honour
God. He also on whom God hath bestowed wit
and parts, if he employ them (not so much in con
triving projects to advance his own petty interests,
or in procuring vain applause to himself, as) in
advantageously setting forth God's praise, hand
somely recommending goodness, dexterously en
gaging men in ways of virtue, (doing which things
is true wit and exceUent policy indeed,) he doth
thereby remarkably honour God. He likewise that
hath honour conferred upon him, if he subordinate
it to God's honour, if he use his own credit as an
instrument of bringing credit to goodness, thereby
adorning and iUustrating piety, he by so doing
doth eminently practise this duty. The like may
be said of any other good quality, any capacity
or advantage of doing good ; by the right use
thereof we honour God: for that men, beholding
the worth of such good gifts, and feeUng the benefit
emergent from them, will be apt to bless the donor
of them ; as did they in the Gospel, who, seeing our
Saviour cure the paralytic man, did presently Glo- Matt.ix.8.
rify God, who had given such power unto men. But
especially they to whom power and authority is
committed, as they have the chief capacity, so they
are under an especial obligation thus to honour
God : they are particularly concerned to hear and
observe that royal proclamation, Give unto the Lord, Ps. xxix.i,
0 ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength;
B. S. VOL. L 17

258 The Reward of honouring God.
s:^M. give unto the Lord the honour due unto his name.
 -_ — When such persons (like king Nebuchadnezzar"
34. ¦ ¦ returned to his right senses) do seriously acknow
ledge their power and eminency derived from God
alone; when they profess subjection unto him, and
express it in their practice, not only driving others
by their power, but drawing them by their example,
to piety and goodness ; when they cause God's name
to be duly worshipped, and his laws to be strictly
observed ; when they favour and encourage virtue,
discourage and chastise wickedness ; when they
take care that justice be impartially administered,
innocence protected, necessity reUeved, aU iniquity
and oppression, aU violence and disorder, yea, so
much as may be, aU afSiction and wretchedness be
prevented or removed ; when they by aU means
strive to promote both the service of God and the
Matt. xxiv. happiness of men {Dispensing equaUy and benignly
Luke xii. to the family over which their Lord hath set them,
'^^' their meat in due season; providing that men under
I Tim. ii. 2. them May live a peaceable and quiet life, in all
godliness and honesty; doing which is the business
aUotted to them, the interest, as it were, of God,
which he declares himself concernedly to tender,
and by their ministry to prosecute ;) when they
carefuUy do such things, then do they indeed ap
prove themselves worthy honourers of their high
IMaster and heavenly King; then do they truly
act God's part, and represent his person decently.
When the actions of these visible gods are so
divinely good and beneficial, men wiU be easily
induced, yea, can hardly forbear to reverence and
" " I blessed tbe most High, and praised and honoured him,"
&c. — Dan. iv. 34,

The Reward of honouring God. 259
magnify the invisible founder of their authority, serm.
By so doing, as they will set before men's eyes the  '- —

best pattern of loyalty ; as they wiU impress upon
men's hearts the strongest argument for obedience
and respect toward themselves : as they shall both
more plainly inform and more effectually persuade
people to the performance of their duty unto them,
than by aU the law and all the force in the world ;
as they wiU thereby consequently best secure and
maintain their own honour, and their own welfare,
(for men will never be heartily loyal and submissive
to authority till they become really good ; nor wiU
they ever be very good tiU they see their leaders
such:) so they wUl together greatly advance the
praise and glory of him in whose name they rule,
to whose favour they owe their power and dignity ;
Ln whose hand, as the prophet saith, is their breath, Kan. v. 23.
and whose are all their ways. For all men wUl be
ready most awfuUy to dread him, unto whom they
see princes themselves humbly to stoop and bow ;
no man will be ashamed or unwiUing to serve him,
whom he shall observe that his lords and governors
do concern themselves to worship : the world cannot
but have a good opinion of him, a participation of
whose power and majesty yields such exceUent
fruits ; it wiU not faU to adore him, whose shadows
and images are so venerable. It is a most notorious
thing, both to reason and in experience, what ex
treme advantage great persons have, especiaUy by
the influence of their practice, to bring God him
self, as it were, into credit : how much it is in their
power easily to render piety a thing in fashion and
request. For in what they do, they never are alone,
or are ill attended : whither they go they carry the
17—2

-60 The Reward of honouring God.
SE^RM. world along with them : they lead crowds of people
 after them, as well when they go in the right way,
as when they run astray. The custom of Uving
weU, no less than other modes and garbs, wUl be
soon conveyed and propagated from the Court ; the
city and country wUl readily draw good manners
thence, (good manners truly so caUed, not only
superficial forms of civUity, but real practices of
goodness). For the main body of men goeth not
Qua eundum, sed qua itur, not according to rules
and reasons, but after examples and authorities ; es
peciaUy of great persons, who are like stars, shining
in high and conspicuous places, by which men steer
their course : their actions are to be reckoned not
as single or sohtary ones, but are, like their persons,
of a pubhc and representative nature, involving the
practice of others, who are by them awed, or shamed
into compliance. Their good example especiaUy
hath this advantage, that men can find no excuse,
can have no pretence why they should not foUow it.
Piety is not only beautified, but fortified by their
dignity; it not only shines in them with a clearer
lustre, but with a mightier force and influence : a
word, a look (the least intimation) from them will
do more good, than others' best eloquence, clearest
reason, most earnest endeavours. For it is in them,
if they would apply themselves to it, as the wisest
Prov. XX. 8. prince implies, to scatter iniquity with their eyes.
A smile of theirs were able to enliven virtue, and
diffuse it aU about; a frown might suffice to mortify
and dissipate wickedness. Such apparently is their
power of honouring God; and in proportion thereto
surely great is their obligation to do it : of them
peculiarly God expects it, and aU equity exacts it.

The Reward of honouring God. 261
What the meaner rank of servants (who are em- serm.
ployed in baser drudgeries, whose fare is more  '. —
coarse, whose wages are more scant, who stand at
greater distance from their lord, and receive no such
ample or express marks of his favour, what these)
do is of some consequence indeed, but doth not im
port so much to the master's reputation ; their good
word concerning him, their good carriage toward
him doth not credit him so much. But those whom
he employs in matters of highest trust and import
ance to his affairs, whom he places in the nearest
degree to himself, (seats even in his own throne,
upon his own tribunal,) whom he feeds plentifully
and daintily, maintains in a handsome garb, aUows
largely, as their deportment doth much reflect on
their lord's esteem, as they are highly capable of
advancing his repute ; so all the rules of ingenuity
and gratitude, aU the laws of justice and equity do
obhge them earnestly to endeavour it. And it is
indeed no less their concernment to do so. For if
there be disorders, prejudicial to the master's honour
and interest, frequently committed in the family, it
is those servants must be responsible : if due order
be there kept to his glory and advantage, they shall
chiefly be commended, and peculiarly hear the
Euge, bone serve. They must be loaded with other Matt. xxv.
men's faults, or crowned for other men's virtues, as ^^'
their behaviour hath respectively contributed to
them. Those universal rules of equity, proposed
in the Gospel, will, in God's reckoning with and
requiting men, be punctuaUy observed : To whom- ^"^^^ ™^-
soever much is given, of him much shall be required;
answerable to the improvement of what is delivered
in trust shall the acceptance be.

262 The Reward of honouring God.
s:^M. I have insisted somewhat more largely on this
 point, because our text hath a particular aspect
thereon ; the words being uttered upon occasion of
Eh, then judge in Israel, his not using authority to
these purposes ; his forbearing to redress a grievous
abuse, committed by his own sons, to the disservice
and dishonour of God. Whence to persons of his
rank is this law especiaUy directed ; upon them is
this duty chiefly incumbent: on them assuredly,
(as sure as God is true,) if they wUl observe the
duty, the reward shaU be conferred. God wUl
certainly not only preserve the honour they have
already, but wiU accumulate more honours on
them. These are general truths; the particular apph-
cation of them is ours. God, I pray, vouchsafe his
grace and blessing, that it may be made to our
benefit and comfort.
III. I should now shew why the duty is re
quired of us, or how reasonable it is. I must not
(and the matter is so palpable that I need not)
spend many words on that. God surely doth not
exact honour from us because he needs it, because
he is the better for it, because he, for itself, de
hghts therein. For (beside that he cannot want
any thing without himself, that he cannot any wise
need mortal breath to praise him^, or hands of
flesh to serve him, who hath miUions of better
creatures than we absolutely at his devotion, and
can with a word create miUions of miUions more,
fitter than we to honour him) the best estimation
" 'AKTjparos yap airoi 17 ovaia Kal dvevSerjs oiaa, oibevbs erepov
npoabe'irai- oi be alvovvres avrov Xapwporepoi yivovrai. — Chrys. in
Psal. cxliv. [Opp. Tom. i. p. 885.J ct vide in Tsal. ciii.

The Reward of hoiiouring God. 263
we can have of him is much below him; the best serm. VI
expression we can make is very unworthy of him.  '- —

He is infinitely exceUent, beyond what we can
imagine or declare : His name is exalted above all Neh. ix. 5.
blessing and praise; His glory is above the earth 13.
and heaven. So that all our endeavours to honour xm^y>.
him are, in comparison to what is due, but defects,
and in a manner disparagements to him. It is
only then (which should affect our ingenuity to
consider) his pure goodness that moves him, for
our benefit and advantage, to demand it of us.
I For that to honour God is the most proper
work of reason ; that for which primarily we were
designed and framed ; (for as other things were
made to afford the matter and occasion, so man
was designed to exercise the act of glorifying God ;)
whence the performance thereof doth preserve and
perfect our nature''; to neglect it being unnatural
and monstrous.
2 For that also it is a most pleasant duty. He
is not a man, (hath lost aU natural ingenuity and
humanity,) who doth not delight to make some
returns thither, where he hath found much good
will, whence he hath felt great kindness. Since
then aU the good we have, we have received from
God's favour, it cannot but be very pleasant to
render somewhat of requital, as it were, unto him ;
and we can render no other but this. We cannot
make God more rich, more joyful, more happy
than he is: aU that we can do is, to express our
reverence toward him.
3 For that likewise our honouring God dis-
y Sen. Ep. Lxxvi. [17.] [Virum bonum, concedas necesse est,
Bummse pietatis erga deos esse.]

264 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. poses us to the imitation of him, (for what we do
 reverence we would resemble,) that is, to the doing
those things wherein our chief perfection and hap
piness consists, whence our best content and joy
doth spring.
4 In fine, for that the practice of this duty is
most profitable and beneficial to us ; unto it by an
eternal rule of justice our final welfare and pros
perity being annexed: whence God hath declared
it to be the way and condition of our attaining that
thing which we so Uke and prize, honour to our
selves; the which by promise he hath engaged him
self to confer on those who honour him. And,
IV. This promise he makes good several ways :
some of them I shaU briefly suggest.
I The honouring God is of itself an honour
able thing ; the employment which ennobles heaven
itself, wherein the highest angels do rejoice and
glory. It is the greatest honour of a servant to
bring credit to his master, of a subject to spread
his prince's renown, and (upon grounds vastly
more obliging) of a creature to glorify his IVIaker :
that we may do so is an honour we should be glad,
may be proud of.
2 By honouring God we are immediately in
stated in great honour; we enter into most noble
relations, acquire most Ulustrious titles, enjoy most
glorious privileges ; we become the friends and fa
vourites of heaven, are adopted into God's famUy,
and are styled his children ; do obtain a free access
unto him, a sure protection under him, a ready
assistance from him in all our needs. And what
honour can exceed, can equal this?
3 God hath so ordered it, that honour is natu-

The Reward of honouring God. 265
raUy consequent upon the honouring him. God serm.
hath made goodness a noble and a stately thing ;  '- —
hath impressed upon it that beauty and majesty
which commands an universal love and veneration,
which strikes presently both a kindly and an awfiil
respect into the minds of all men. The righteous p™v. xii.
is (not only in himself, but in common esteem)
more excellent than his neighbour. Power may be
dreaded, riches may be courted, wit and knowledge
may be admired; but only goodness is truly es
teemed and honoured^. Not only men of goodness
and discretion, but even the vulgar sort of men
(yea, as Plato hath weU observed, the worst men)
do pass this judgment, do prefer true goodness
above aU things".
4 God, by his extraordinary providence, as
there is reason and occasion, doth interpose, so as
to procure honour to them, to maintain and fur
ther their reputation, who honour him. God Ps. xxxiii.
fashioneth ihe hearts of men : The hearts of the Pr'ov. xxi.
greatest men are in his hand ; he turneth them as '"
the rivers of waters, whithersoever he will : he con
sequently raiseth or depresseth us, as he pleases,
in the judgments and affections of men. When a Prov. xvi.
man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his ene
mies to be at peace with him, saith the Wise IMan ;
^ Vevov TOV nXrjaiov npiarepos, fV tov (jiavrjvai xpv^rorepos, &C. —
Greg. Naz. [Orat. xxiv. Tom. i. p. 276 B.]
Is gloria maxime excellat, qui virtute plurimum prajstet. — Cic.
[pro Plane, xxv.]
Kar' dXrjOeiav S' 6 dyadbs povos nprjreos.  Arist. Eth. IV. 3. [20.]
Adeo gratiosa virtus est, ut insitum sit etiam malis probare me-
liora. — Sen. de Benef. iv. 17. [2.]
* QeXov be n Kal evaroxov evean Kal roXai kokois, aare ndpiroXXoi
Kal rav a(f>6bpa KaKav ev toIs Xoyois Kal rais bo^ais biaipovvrai rovs
dpeivovs rav dvdpdirav, Kal rovs x^'pcaj. — Flat, [de Leg. XII, 960 b.]

266 The Reward of honouring God.
SERM. that is, he disposeth the most averse minds to love
 and honour him. No envy can supplant, no slan
der can deface the credit of such a person; since
God hath taken it into his charge and care, since
Ps. XXXVU. he hath said it, that He will bring forth his right-
Ps. XXX. 7 ; eousness as the light, and his judgment as the noon
day. God also by secret methods, and undiscem-
ible trains, ordereth all events, managing our
thoughts and designs, our enterprises and actions
so, that the result of them shaU be matter of
benefit, comfort, and reputation, or of disaster,
regret, and disgrace, as he thinks good. Victory
and success he absolutely disposeth of^ and conse
quently of the honour that follows them ; and they
do usually attend the honours of God : for, as it is
Ps. cxi.io. in the Psahn, A good success have they who keep
''""*' his commandments. M.a.'o.j are the instances of
persons, (such as Abraham, Joseph, IMoses, David,
Job, and Daniel,) who, for their signal honouring
of God, from a base and obscure, or from an
afflicted and forlorn condition, have, in ways
strange and wonderful, been advanced to eminent
dignity, have been rendered most iUustrious, by
iSam.ii.8. the providenco of him, Wlio raiseth the poor out of
^s. cvu. ^j^^ dust, and lifteth the beggar out ofthe dunghill, to
set them among princes, and to make them inherit
the throne of glory. He doth it in an evident man
ner, and eminent degree, to some ; he doth it in a
convenient way, and competent measure, to aU that
honour him.
5 Whereas men are naturally incUned to bear
much regard to the judgment of posterity concern
ing them", are desirous to leave a good name be-
" Cic. Tusc. I. [14. 31.]

The Reward of honouring God. 267
hind them, and to have their memory retained in serm.
esteem" ; God so disposes things, that The memory

Prov. X. 7.

of the just shall be blessed ; that His righteousness P3°cxil &
shall be had in everlasting remembrance ; that His ^ """^^ ™'"
light shall rejoice, (or burn clearly and pleasantly,
even when his life is put out here). No spices can
so embalm a man, no monument can so preserve
his name and memory, as a pious conversation,
whereby God hath been honoured, and men bene
fited. The fame of such a person is, in the best
judgments, far more precious and truly glorious,
than is the fame of those who have exceUed in any
other deeds or quaUties. For what sober man
doth not in his thoughts afford a more high and
hearty respect to those poor fishermen, who by
their heroical activity and patience did honour God
in the propagation of his heavenly truth, than to
all those Hectors in chivalry, those conquerors and
achievers of mighty exploits, (those Alexanders
and Csesars) who have been renowned for doing
things which seemed great, rather than for per
forming what was truly good? To the honour of
those excellent poor men, conspicuous monuments
have been erected everywhere ; anniversary memo
rials of their names and virtues are celebrated ; they
are never mentioned or thought of without respect ;
their commendations are interwoven with the praises
of their great Lord and Maker, whom they honoured*.
^ \vdyKrj yap, o)S eoiKe, peXetv rjplv Kai tov eireira xpdvov, eneibrj
Kal TVyxdvovai Kard nva (pvaiv ol pev dvbpanobabearaToi oibev <ppov-
Tifc'rES avTov, oi b' iwieiKeararoi nav woiovvres, onas av els rbv eneira
xpdvov ev dKOvaaaiv.  Plat. Epist. II. [311 c]
TcSv 8e bovXav tov Xpiarov Kal ra aripara Xapnpd, rfjV ^aaiXiKm-
TaTTjV KaToXa^ovra irdXtv Kal rfpepai Karacpavels, eoprrjv rfj olKovpevrj
TToiovaai, &c. — Chrys. in 2 Cor. [Hom. xxvi. Opp. Tom. in. p. 687.]

268 The Reward of honouring God.
serm. 6 Lastly, to those who honour God here, God
 hath reserved an honour infinitely great and excel
lent, in comparison whereto aU honours here are
but dreams, the loudest acclamations of mortal
men are but empty sounds, the brightest glories of
this world are but duskish and fleeting shadows;
7 Cor. IV. Q^ honour most solid, most durable; An eternal
weight of glory. They shall, in the face of all the
world, be approved by the most righteous Judge's
unquestionable sentence ; they shaU be esteemed in
the unanimous opinion of angels and saints; they
shaU be applauded by the general voice and attes
tation of heaven; they shaU then be seated upon
unmovable thrones, their heads encircled with un
fading crowns, their faces shining with rays of
unconceivable glory and majesty. The less of
honour they have received here, in this transitory-
moment of life, the more thereof they shall enjoy
in that future eternal state; where, with him who,
John viii. through the whole course of his Ufe, sought not his
'*^' ^°' own honour, but the honour of him that sent him ;
Heb. ii.g; Who, for the Suffering of death, was crowned with
glory and honour ; Who, for the joy that was set
before him, endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set at the right hand of God ; with those who
consecrated aU their endeavours, and who sacrificed
their lives to the promoting of God's honour, they
shall possess everlasting glory. Which, together
with them, God Almighty of his infinite mercy
grant unto us all, through Jesus Christ our Lord ;
to whom, with God the Father, and God the Holy
Ghost, be for ever all honour and praise. Amen.

xn. 2.

SEEMON VII.
UPRIGHT WALKING SURE WALKING.

Prov. X. 9.
He that walketh uprightly walketh surely.
npHE world is much addicted to the poUtics; the serm.
-*- heads of men are very busy in contrivance,  ^ —
and their mouths are full of talk about the ways
of consulting our safety, and securing our interests.
May we not therefore presume, that an infallible
maxim of poUcy, proposing the most expedite and
certain method of security in aU our transactions,
wUl be entertained with acceptance ? Such an one i Kings ill.
. 12,
the greatest poUtician and wisest man for business
(if we may take God's own word for it) that ever
was or wiU be, doth here suggest to us. For
the practice couched in our text he otherwhere
voucheth for a point of poUcy, teUing us, that A Prov. xv.
man of understanding walketh uprightly: and here
he recommendeth it as a method of security. He
that walketh uprightly walketh surely.
Treating upon which aphorism, I shall, by God's
help, endeavour, first, in way of expUcation, briefly
to describe the practice itself; then, in way of proof,
by some considerations to declare, that security
doth attend it.
For exphcation. To walk (as weU in the style
of holy scripture, as in other writings, and even in

270 Upright walking sure walking.
s:erm. common speech) doth signify our usual course of
 deahng, or the constant tenor of our practice.
Uprightly, according to the original % might be
rendered, in perfection, or with integrity : and by
the Greek translators in several places is supposed
chiefly to denote sincerity and purity of intention.
In effect, the phrase. He that walketh uprightly,
doth import, one who is constantly disposed in his
designs and deaUngs to bear a principal regard to
the rules of his duty, and the dictates of his con
science: who in every case emergent is ready to
perform that, which upon good dehberation doth
appear most just and fit, in conformity to God's
law" and sound reason, without being swayed by
any appetite, any passion, any sinister respect to
his own private interest of profit, credit, or plea
sure, to the commission of any unlawful, irregular,
unworthy, or base act; who generally doth act
out of good principles; (namely, reverence to God,
charity to men, sober regard to his own true wel
fare ;) who doth aim at good ends, that is, at God's
honour, public benefit, his own salvation, other
good things subordinate to those, or weU consistent
with them ; who doth prosecute his designs by
lawful means, in fair ways, such as honest provi
dence and industry, veracity and fidelity, depend
ance upon God's help, and prayer for his blessing:
in short, one who never advisedly doth undertake
any bad thing, nor any good thing to ill purposes;
nor doth use any foul means to compass his in
tents. ^ " He that walketh in his uprightness, feareth the Lord." —
Prov. xiv. 2.

Upright ivalking sure walking. 271
Now, that such an one doth ever proceed with serm.
much security, from the foUowing considerations  '—
may appear.
I. An upright walker is secure of easily
finding his way. For it commonly requireth no
reach of wit or depth of judgment, no laborious
diUgence of inquiry, no curious intentness of ob
servation, no solicitous care, or plodding study, to
discern in any case what is just; we need not much
trouble our heads about it, for we can hardly be to
seek for it. If we wiU but open our eyes, it lieth
in view before us, being the plain, straight, obvious
road, which common reason prompteth, or which
ordinary instruction pointeth out to us : so that
usuaUy that direction of Solomon is sufficient, Let Prov. iv.
thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look xAi. i'.i.
straight before thee. — Turn not to the right hand,
nor to the left.
The ways of iniquity and vanity, (if we may
caU them ways, which indeed are but exorbitances
and seductions from the way,) ill designs and bad
means of executing designs, are very uninteUigible,
very obscure, abstruse, and intricate; being infi
nitely various, and utterly uncertain : so that out
of them to pick and fix on this or that may puzzle
our heads, and perplex our hearts; as to pursue
any of them may involve us in great difficulty and
trouble. But the ways of truth, of right, of virtue,
are so very simple and uniform, so fixed and per
manent, so clear and notorious, that we can hardly
miss them, or (except wUfiiUy) swerve from them.
For they by divine wisdom were chalked out, not
only for ingenious and subtle persons, (men of
great parts, of refined wits, of long experience,) but

272 Upright walking sure walking.
SERM. rather for the vulgar community of men, the great
 '— body of God's subjects consisting in persons of
meanest capacity and smaUest improvement : being
Ps. xix. 7; designed to Make wise the simple, to Give the young
Prov. viii. man knowledge and discretion: to direct aU sorts of
Ps. cxii. 9. people in their duty, toward their happiness ; ac-
^sai. xxxv. gQj,jjj^j^g .^Q ii^^^ ^jj^ j^Q prophet, A high way"" shall
be ihere, and it shall be called, The way of holiness
— the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err
therein. They are in very legible characters graven by
Rom.ii.15. the finger of God upon our hearts and consciences,
so that by any considerate reflection inwards we
Isai. XXX. may easily read them : or they are extant in God's
Ps'. xxxvii. word, there written as with a sunbeam, so perspi-
^'' cuously expressed, so frequently inculcated, that
without gross negligence or strange dulness we
cannot but descry them. For who with half an
eye may not see, that the practice of pious love
and reverence toward God, of entire justice and
charity toward our neighbour, of sober temperance
and purity toward ourselves, is approved by reason,
is prescribed by God to us?
Prov. iv. Hence in the holy scriptures, as bad ways are
15.' "' '^' called dark, crooked, rough, sUppery ways; so the
^0 n vm. gQ^^ ways are said to be clear, plain, direct, even
T^'cxxv""? • ways : The path of the just, say they, is as a shining
j'^'^^X- ^'' light. All the words of my mouth are plain to him
Jer. xxiii. that Wider Standeth^, (or, that considereth them.)
Heb. xii. My foot Standeth in an even place. The law of his
Ps'. V. 8. God is in his heart: and none of his steps shall
" 'Obbs Kadapd.—hXX.
ndvra ivajTia tois avviovai.  LXX

Luke iii. 5. 7- 7
Prov. iii. SOiaa.
^^' " 'Obbs Kadapd.— LXX.

Upright walking sure walking. 273
Hence it is affirmed, that an upright man doth serm.

hardly need any conduct beside his own honesty.

VII.

For, The integrity, saith Solomon, of the upright xxTiii.^'14!' Prov. iv.
18 ; viii. 8,

shall guide them; and, The righteousness of the per- ^¦'°''- ^^•

feet shall direct his way.
But in case such an one should ever be at a 31 ; xxvi.
stand or at a loss, in doubt of his course, he hath xviii. 36.
always at hand a most sure guide to conduct or ff^' ^''
direct him. It is but asking the way of him, or
saying, with the Psahnist, Shew me thy ways, 0 Ps- xxv. 4 ;
Lord, teach me thy paths; Teach me to do thy will, xvii. 5 ;'
and, Lead me in the way everlasting; O let me wo^exxxix.24;
wander from thy commandments: and then His j^^j'.Tc!'
ears, as the prophet saith, shall hear a word behind ^^^'- '"'''•
him, saying. This is the way, walk ye in it; then Ps- xxv. 9,
the words of the Psalmist shaU be verified. What xxivii. 23.
man is he that feareth the Lord ? Him shall he
teach in the way that he shall choose. The meek
will he guide in judgment, and the meek he will
teach his way.
Hence is the upright man happily secured from
tiring pains in the search, from racking anxieties
in the choice, from grating scruples and galling
regrets in the pursuit of his way.
II. The upright walker doth tread upon firm
ground. He doth build his practice, not upon the Prov.xii.5.
perilous bogs, the treacherous quagmires, the de
vouring quicksands of uncouth, bold, impious,
paradoxes, (such as have been vented by Epicurus,
by Machiavel, by others more lately, whose infa
mous names are too well known, as the effects of
their pestilent notions are too much felt;) but upon
solid, safe, approved, and well-tried principles ; viz.
these, and the like coherent with them : That there
B. S. VOL. L 18

274 Upright walking sure walking.
serm. is an eternal God, incomprehensibly powerful, wise,
 — just, and good ; who is always present with us, and
ever intent upon us ; viewing not only aU our ex
ternal actions, (open and secret,) but our inmost
cogitations, desires, and intentions, by the which
our actions chiefly are to be estimated : that he, as
governor of the world, and judge of men, doth
concern himself in aU human affairs, disposing and
managing aU events according to his righteous
pleasure; exacting punctual obedience to his laws,
and dispensing recompenses answerable thereto ;
with impartial justice rewarding each man accord
ing to the purposes of his heart and the practices
of his hfe : that aU our good and happiness doth
absolutely depend on God's favour; so that to
please him can only be true wisdom, and to offend
him the greatest foUy : that virtue is incomparably
the best endowment whereof we are capable, and
sin the worst mischief to which we are liable : that
no worldly good or evU is considerable in compa
rison with goods or evUs spiritual: that nothing
can be reaUy profitable or advantageous to us,
which doth not consist with our duty to God, doth
not somewise conduce to our spiritual interest and
eternal welfare ; yea, that every thing not service
able to those purposes is either a frivolous trifle,
or a dangerous snare, or a notable damage, or a
woeful bane to us : that content of mind, springing
from innocence of hfe, from the faithful discharge
of our duty, from satisfaction of conscience, from a
good hope in regard to God and our future state,
is in our esteem and choice much to be preferred
before aU the dehghts which any temporal posses
sion or fruition can afford; and, that a bad mind is

Upright walking sure walking. 275
the sorest adversity which can befall us. Such are serm.
. . VII
the grounds of upright practice, more firm than  '—
any rock, more unshakeable than the foundations
of heaven and earth; the which are assured by the
sacred oracles, and attested by many remarkable
providences; have ever been avowed by the wiser
sort, and admitted by the general consent of men,
as for their truth, most agreeable to reason, and for
their usefulness, approved by constant experience;
the belief of them having apparently most whole
some influence upon aU the concerns of life, both
pubhc and private ; indeed, being absolutely need
ful for upholding government, and preserving hu
man society; no obhgation, no faith or confidence
between men, no friendship or peace being able to
subsist without it. "Whence the practice built on
such foundations must be very secure. And if
God shaU not cease to be, if he wiU not let go the
reins, if his word cannot deceive, if the wisest men
are not infatuated, if the common sense of man
kind do not prove extravagant, if the main props
of life and pUlars of society do not faU; he that
walketh uprightly doth proceed on sure grounds.
III. The upright person doth walk steadily,
maintaining his principal resolutions, and holding
his main course, through aU occasions, without
flinching or wavering, or desultory inconsistence
and fickleness ; his integrity being an exceUent
baUast, holding him tight and weU poised in his
deportment; so that waves of temptation dashing
on him do not make him roU in uncertainty, or
topple over into unworthy practices.
Lust, passion, humour, interest, are things very
mutable, as depending upon temper of body, casu-
18—2

276 Upright walking sure walking.
SERM. alties of time, the winds and tides of this vertigi-
 nous world: whence he that is guided or moved
James i. 8. by them must needs be many minded and Unstable
P8.ovii.27. in all his ways ; wiU Reel to and fro like a drunken
man, and be at his wit's end ; never enjoying any
Settled rest of mind, or observing a smooth tenor
of action. But a good conscience is very stable,
and persisteth unvaried through aU circumstances
of time, in aU vicissitudes of fortune. For it steer-
eth by immoveable pole-stars, the inviolable rules
of duty; it aimeth at marks which no force can
stir out of their place ; its objects of mind and
affection are not transitory; its hopes and confi-
isai. xxfi. dences are fixed on the Rock of ages. Whence an
upright person in all cases, and all conditions,
(prosperous or adverse,) is the same man, and
goeth the same way®. Contingences of affairs do
not unhinge his mind from its good purposes, or
divert his foot from the right course. Let the
weather be fair or foul, let the world smile or
frown, let him get or lose by it, let him be favoured
2Cor.vi.8. or crossed, commended or reproached, {By honour
and dishonour, by evil report and good report,) he
wiU do what his duty requireth : the external state
of things must not alter the moral reason of things
with him. This is that which the Psalmist observ-
Ps. cxii. 7, eth of him : He shall not be afraid of evil tidings,
Prov. iii. for Ms heart standeth fast, and believeth in the Lord.
'^°' His heart is stdblished, and will not shrink. And
Prov. xvi. this the Wise Man promiseth to him ; Commit thy
3- works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be esta
blished. ^ Justum ac tenacem propositi virum. 
Hor. [Carm. iii. 3. 1.]

Upright walking sure walking. '277
Hence a man is secured from diffidence in him- serm.
self, and distraction in his mind, from frequently  L_
being off the hooks, from leading an unequal life,
clashing with itself, from deluding and disappoint
ing those with whom he converseth or dealeth,
and consequently from the inconveniences issuing
thence. IV. The way of uprightness is the surest for
despatch, and the shortest cut toward the execu
tion or attainment of any good purpose ; securing a
man from irksome expectations and tedious delays,
the which, as the Wise Man saith, do Make the Prov. xiii.
heart sick.
It in scripture is caUed The straight and ^4e Lute 111.5.
plain way. And as in geometry, of aU lines or
surfaces contained within the same bounds, the
straight line and the plain surface are the shortest ;
so it is also in morahty : by the right Une of jus
tice, upon the plain ground of virtue, a man soon
est wiU arrive to any well-chosen end.
In this way there are no bewildering intrigues
and mazes, no crooked windings and turnings, no
occasions forcing men to dance hither and thither,
to skip backward and forward, to do and undo;
which courses do protract business, and commonly
do hinder from ever despatching it. But a man
acting justly and fairly doth continually proceed
on in the direct open road, without retreat, ex
cursion, or deflection ; Not turning aside (as the prov. iv.
phrase is in holy writ) to the right hand or to ihe'^^^^y^.^.
left. ^™^- '+¦'
To clamber over fences of duty, to break through
hedges of right, to trespass upon hallowed enclo
sures, may seem the most short and compendious

278 Upright walking sure ivalking.

SERM. VII.

ways of getting thither where one would be : but
doth not a man venture breaking his neck, or
scratching his face, incurring mischief and trouble
thereby? Is he not liable to the fate to which the
Ecoies. X. Preacher doometh him, He that diggeth a pit shall
fall into it: and whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent
shall bite him ? For instance, to grow rich, fraud,
extortion, corruption, oppression, overreaching and
supplanting may seem the readiest and most expe
dite ways ; but in truth they are the furthest ways
about, or rather no ways at aU : for that which is
got by those means is not our own : nor is the pos
session of it truly wealth, but usurpation, or deten
tion of spoil and rapine, which we ought to dis
gorge. And however to the getting it there are
often mighty difficulties occurring from men, there
are commonly insuperable obstacles interposed by
God; who hath expressly condemned and cursed
Prov. xiii. those ways, declaring, that Wealth gotten by vanity
xxij. i6; (or cozenage) shall be diminished; that He that
oppresseth to increase his riches, shall surely come to
xxviii. 22, want ; that He, who (thus) hasteth to be rich, hath
an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall
come upon him; that As the partridge sitteth on
eggs, and hatcheth them not : so he that getteth riches
and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of
his days, and at his end shall be a fool. Whereas
the plain way of honest, harmless industry, (joined
with a pious regard to him who is the dispenser of
aU good things,) how slow soever it may seem, is
the most speedy, because the ozUy safe way to
thrive; having, beside all secondary advantages,
Prov. X. 4; the security of those oracles; The hand of the dili-
; ' gent shall make rich : He that gathereth by labour

Jer. xvii.
II.

xxvm. 19
xiii. II
xxii. 4.

Upright walking sure walking. 279
shall increase: By humility and the fear ofthe serm.
Lord are riches, and honour, and life.  '—
V. The way of uprightness is in itself very "^^^ ''^"' ^'
safe, free of danger, tending to no mischief ; accord
ing to those sayings of the Wise Man ; There shall Prov.
no evil happen to the just : Ln the way of righteous- xvi. 17 ; '
ness is life; and in the path thereof there is no ^^ixil.^zi,
death. ^^•
He who designeth only that which is just and
reasonable, who innocently and fairly prosecuteth
his intent, can run no great hazard, cannot faU p^- xxxvii.
into any extreme disaster, cannot irrecoverably
sink into miserable disappointment.
He probably wiU not receive much harm from
men, or trouble from the world : for, as he mean
eth innocently, as he dealeth inoffensively, (not
violently assailing, nor fraudulently circumventing,
not any wise injuriously or maliciously abusing any
man,) as he doth yield no just provocation or ur
gent temptation to oppose him; so is he not very
likely to meet with obstructions or crosses thwart
ing his designs. He can hardly raise up adversa
ries; at least such as wiU prove very formidable,
or very fierce and implacable toward him.
He may be sure that few wise men, and no
good men, wUl trouble him ; but that such rather
wiU afford their countenance and furtherance to
his undertakings. But assuredly he shaU have the favourable pro
tection of Almighty God, who throughly knowing
his heart, and observing the righteousness of his
intentions and proceedings, wiU not suffer him to
incur any notable, destructive, remedUess calamity.
His prayer, dictated by good conscience. Let inte-Ts.xxv.2j.

280 Upright walking sure walking.
^ vn^' ^^^^y ^^'^ uprightness preserve me, wUl certainly be
 -— heard ; God having passed his word for it in num-
6;xi'. 6. ' berless places of scripture; particularly in those

"op remarkable words of Isaiah: He that walketh right-

Prov,
xviii. IO
xxk'^s^' ^^"^sly, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth
Ps. xviii. 2, the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from
xxiii. 4 ; holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing
Job xi.' 14, of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil ; he
Isai. xxxiii. shall dwcll On high: his place of defence shall be the
'S' '^- munitions of rocks ; his bread shall be given him,
his water shall be sure. That is, a man who is
constantly upright in his dealings shaU by the
divine Providence be infaUibly and impregnably
preserved from any grievous mischief, from any
sore want, from any extreme distress.
The way of uprightness is ever guarded with
angels ready to promote the affairs of the honest
person, or at least to protect him from evU. He
may hopefuUy say to himself, as Abraham did to
Gen. xxiv. his sorvaut. The Lord, before whom L walk, will
send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way : or
he confidently may apply to himself that of the
Ps. xci. Psalmist, He shall give his angels charge over thee,
to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up
in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
However, the sequel wUl be tolerable : whatever
the success of his undertaking be, it can be no
ruin, no slur, no heart-breaking to him. His con?
science is safe, his credit is entire, his hopes are
good ; he is perfectly secure from being tainted
with foul guilt, from being exposed to due reproach,
from being stung with vexatious remorse, from
being plunged into a gulf of desperation or discon
solateness. For,

40,

12.

Upright walking sure walking. 281
VI. The way of uprightness is fair and plea- serm.
sant. He that walketh in it hath good weather,  '- —
and a clear sky about him; a hopefiil confidence
and a cheerful satisfaction do ever wait upon him.
It is joy, as the Wise Man saith, to the just to do ^™^- ^''^¦
judgment. Being conscious to himself of an honest mean
ing, and a due course of prosecuting it, he feeleth
no check or struggling of mind, no regret or sting
of heart ; being throughly satisfied and pleased with
what he is about, his judgment approving, and his
will acquiescing in his procedure, as worthy of him
self, agreeable to reason, and conformable to his
duty. He therefore briskly moveth forward with ala
crity and courage ; there being within him nothing
to control or countermand him, to puU him back,
to make him halt, to distract or disturb him.
Nor hardly can any thing abroad dismay or
discourage him. For he may reasonably hope for
the good-wUl of men, and cannot hugely dread
their opposition. He may strongly presume upon
the propitious aspect and favourable succour ofprov. xi.
Heaven, which always smileth and casteth benign ^°"
influences on honest undertakings.
He that hath chosen a good way may with jer. xxxii.
assurance commend his way to God's providence; prov. xxiv.
he may depend upon God for his concurrent bene- ^^^^ j^ ^g
diction ; he, with an humble boldness, may address
prayers to God for his protection and aid. He, so Ps. xxxvii.
doing, hath interest in divers clear declarations and ^'' ^' ^^'
express promises of good success; such as those;
Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, Prov. xvi.
and he shall bring it to pass. The Lord is nigh Eccius. li.

282 Upright walking sure walking.
serm. unto all that call upon him in truth: he will fulfil
 the desire of them that fear him; he will hear their
Ps. XXXIV. ^^y^ ^^g ^^-^ ^^^^ them.

xxxui. 21. jjg jj^g^y ^Q^Q ^Q refer his case to the severest

22; XXVI. i;
xxxiii. Prov. .
H- examination, saying with Job, Let me be weighed
i8, 19 ; in an even balance, that God may know mine inte-
xxvi. II. ' gnty; and with the Psalmist, Judge me, 0 Lord,
2^ ^^^" according to my righteousness, and according to
Ps^v?8^' ™*'^^ integrity that is in me.
xxvi. I. He with an humble confidence can appeal to
2 Kings God, borrowing the words of Hezekiah, I beseech
XX. 3. "
thee, 0 Lord, remember how L have walked before
thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done
that which is good in thy sight.
Prov. X. 28. Hence, The hope of ihe righteous, as the Wise
Man teUeth us, is gladness. He, considering the
goodness, the justice, the fideUty of God, whereof
his integrity doth render him capable and a proper
object, cannot but conceive a comfortable hope of a
good issue.
And obtaining success, he doth not only enjoy
the material pleasure thereof, but the formal satis
faction that it is indeed good success, or a blessing
indulged to him by special favour of God; enabling
Ps. xviii. him to say with the Psalmist, The Lord rewarded
' ' me according to my righteousness; according to the
cleanness qf my hands hath he recompensed me.
For L have kept the ways qfthe Lord, and have not
wickedly departed from my God.
However, an upright dealer hath this comfort
able reserve, that whatever doth befaU him, how
ever the business goeth, he shaU not condemn
and punish himself with remorse; he shaU not
want a consolation able to support and to erect his

Upright ivalking sure walking. 283
mind. He shaU triumph, if not in the felicity of serm.
his success, yet in the integrity of his heart, and  ^-
the innocence of his deportment ; even as blessed
Job did under aU the pressures of his adversity :
for. Till I die, said he, / will not remove my inte- J°^ ^''™-
grity from me. My righteousness I holdfast, and
will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so
long as I live.
So true it is upon all accounts, that, according
to that assertion in the Psalm, Light is sown for ps- ^cvii.
the righteous, and joyful gladness for the upright in
heart. VII. He that walketh uprightly is secure as
to his honour and credit. He is sure not to come
off disgracefully, either at home in his own appre
hensions, or abroad in the estimations of men. He
doth not blush at what he is doing, nor doth
reproach himself for what he hath done. No blem
ish or blame can stick upon his proceeding.
By pure integrity, a man first maintaineth a
due respect and esteem for himself, then preserveth
an entire reputation with others : he reflecteth on
his own heart with complacence, and looketh upon
the world with confidence. He hath no fear of
being detected, or care to smother his intents. He
is content that his thoughts should be sounded,
and his actions sifted to the bottom. He could
even wish that his breast had windows, that his
heart were transparent, that aU the world might
see through him, and descry the clearness of his
intentions. The more curiously his ways are
marked, the more exactly his dealings are scanned,
the more throughly his designs are penetrated and

284 Upright walking sure walking.
SERM. known; the greater approbation he is sure tO
 receive. The issue of things assuredly will be creditable
to him; and when the dayhght hath scattered aU
mists, hath cleared all misprisions and mistakes,
his reputation wiU shine most brightly : the event
declaring, that he had no corrupt ends ; the course
of his proceedings being justified by the very hght
of things. God himself will be concerned to vindicate his
reputation, not suffering him to be considerably
Ps xxxvii. defamed; according to that promise. He shall bring
xxxiv.' 5. forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment
as the noon-day. That in Job wUl be made good
Job xi. 15. to him. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without
spot: and he may confidently aver with the Psahn-
Ps. cxix. 6, ist. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have re
spect to all thy commandments.
If he findeth good success, it wUl not be invi
dious, appearing weU deserved, and fairly procured:
it will be truly honourable, as a fruit and recom
pense of Aortue, as a mark and pledge of the divine
favour toward him.
If he seemeth disappointed, yet he wiU not be
disparaged : wise and candid men wUl excuse him ;
good men wUl patronise his cause ; no man of sense
Ps. xxxvii. and ingenuity wUl insult on his misfortune. He
shall not, as the Psahnist assureth, be ashamed in
an evil time. Yea, often his repute from under
a cloud will shine, if not with so glaring splendour,
yet with a pleasant lustre; uprightness disposmg
him to bear adverse events with a graceful de
cency.

XXXIV. XV. '.:.

Upright walking sure loalking. 285
VIII. The particular methods of acting which serm.
uprightness disposeth to observe, do yield great  1_
security from troubles and crosses in their transac
tions. What is the conduct of the upright man? He Prov. xiii.
is clear, frank, candid, harmless, consistent in all ps.
his behaviour, his discourse, his dealing. His^^'
heart commonly may be seen in his face, his mind
doth ever suit with his speech, his deeds have a
just correspondence with his professions; he never
faUeth to perform what he doth promise, and to
satisfy the expectations which he hath raised.
He doth not wrap himself in clouds, that none
may see where he is, or know how to find him;
may discern what he is about, or whither he
tendeth. He disguiseth not his intents with faUacious
pretences of conscience, of public good, of special
friendship and respect.
He doth use no disingenuous, spiteful, unjust
tricks or sleights, to serve the present turn.
He layeth no baits or snares to Catch men, Jer. v. 26.
alluring them into mischief or inconvenience. m'. eTix. '
As he doth not affect any poor base ends, so^^;^^\^'
he wiU not defile his fair intentions by sordid ^ ; ^'^v- 7 ;
. . 0x1. 5.
means of compassing them ; such as are iUusive Prov. xxvi.
simulations, and subdolous artifices, treacherous Eccies.x.s.
coUusions, sly insinuations and sycophantic detrac- iv^'^i'jixiv.
tions, versatUe whiflflings and dodgings, adulatorous i^^i.^'s.^''"'
coUoguings and glozings, servUe crouchings and ^<"^- ^'^'•
fawninsfs, and the like. Eccius.
xix. 20.
He hath little of the serpent, (none of its 2 s'am.'xv.
lurking insidiousness, of its surprising violence, of Prov.xi.9;
its rancorous venom, of its keen mordacity,) but '"''"¦ ^^'

286 Upright walking sure walking
SERM. much ofthe dove, (aU its sunphcity, its gentleness,
 its fidelity, its innocence,) in his conversation and
commerce. His wisdom is ever tempered with sincerity,
and seasoned with humanity, with meekness, with
James lu. charity; being The wisdom which is from above,
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated,
full of good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy.
Prov. xiv. He sometime may prudently reserve his mind,
II- xiii. "3, not ventmg it by foolish loquacity: but his words
\i'; xu!'23. ^'^ never clash with his meaning, so as to deceive
Eccius. XX. Qj. disappoint any man.
Prov. xxii. He may warily prevent harm and decUne perils :
12; xiv. 8, but it is without hurtful countermining, or deriv -
^' ' ing mischief on his neighbour.
Eccies. viii. He may discreetly pick out seasons, and em
brace opportunities of righting or benefiting him
self : but he never wiU seek or lay hold of advan
tages to prejudice others.
Prov. xii. He sometimes may repress insurrections of
anger or disgust : but he never doth aUow them to
bake into rancour or mahce.
He may be apt to use courteous, affable, obUg
ing demeanour, serving to breed friendships, and
to stifle eninities : but he never thereby meaneth
to guU, inveigle, and entrap men; or to procure
instruments and aids of any perverse design.
He is no enemy to himself, but (according to
the obhgations of reason and conscience) he hath
always a regard to the good of others ; nor is ever
so selfish, as to be unjust or uncharitabe to any
man. The principal engines he doth employ for ach-

Upright walking sure walking. 287
ieving his enterprises are, a careful and cautious serm.
providence in contriving, a sedulous and steady  ^
diUgence in acting, a circumspect heedfulness not to
provoke any man by offensive carriage, by injury,
by discourtesy, to obstruct him, but rather by kind
demonstrations and real beneficence to engage
men to further him in his proceedings : but espe
ciaUy his main instrument, wherein he most con
fideth, is devout suppUcation to God for his succour
and blessing.
Now is not this conduct the most secure that
can be 1 doth it not afford many great commodities
and advantages ? doth it not exempt from manifold
fears, and cares, and crosses, and slaveries?
It cannot but derive blessings from the God of p^v. xH.
truth, the great friend of simpUcity and sincerity,
the hater of falsehood and guile.
And humanly regarding things, he that useth
these methods, doth from them obtain many con
veniences. He doth not he under perpetual con
straint, engaged to keep a constant guard upon
himself, to watch his memory, to curb his tongue,
to manage his very looks and gestures, lest they
betray his intentions, and disclose his plots. He is
not at the trouble of stopping holes, of mending flaws,
of patching up repugnances in his actions, that his
mind do not break through them. He is not afraid
of the disappointment and shame which attend the
detection of unworthy designs. He is not at pains
to obviate the jealousies, the surmises, the diffi
dences, the counterplots, the preventive oppositions Prov. xxvi
and assaults, which gloomy closeness and crafty xxi. e!
dissimulation ever do raise against the practisers ^^' ^"'
of them. In fine, men do not shun the conversa-

288 Upright walking sure walking.
SERM. tion and the commerce of an upright person, but
 gladly do consort and deal with him; do seek his
acquaintance and aUiance : they are not apt to dis
trust him, to suspect him, to be shy and reserved
in their intercourse with him; but readily do place
an entire confidence in him, and use a clear frank
ness toward him. No man doth fear him as dan
gerous, or wiU cross him as an adversary. Whence
as he seldom hath cause to fear, or occasion to
contest with others ; so he doth undisturbedly en
joy the benefits of society with great safety, ease,
and comfort.
IX. Lastly, an upright walker hath perfect
security, as to the final result of affairs, that he
shaU not be quite baffled in his expectations and
desires. And if prosperity doth consist in a satis
faction of mind concerning events, he cannot faU
Pa. i. 3. of most prosperous success. Whatsoever he doeth,
Prov. xu. ^^:^j^ ^^ Psalmist of him, it shall prosper. How

21

is that ? Doth he, if he warreth, always get the
victory? is he perpetuaUy, when he tradeth, a con
siderable gainer? wiU he certainly, after sowing,
reap a plentiful crop? Probably yes; and perhajis
no. Yet assuredly he shaU prosper, in the true
notion of prosperity, explained by those divine
Ps. xxxvii. sayings : Mark the perfect man, and behold the
iJai. xxxii. upright; for the end of ihat man is peace. The
''¦ work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect
of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
Eccies. viii. Surcly I hiow it shall be well with them that fear
God He cannot be much defeated in his purposes :
for, as to his general, principal, absolute designs,
(that is, his design of pleasing God, and procuring

Upright walking sure walking. 289
his favour; his design of satisfying himself, and serm
discharging his conscience ; his design of promoting  '—
his own spiritual interest, and saving his soul ; his
design of doing good, of exercising charity to his
neighbour, of serving the public, of obUging the
world by virtuous example, and by real benefi
cence,) these he cannot fail throughly to accom
plish ; nothing can obstruct him in the prosecution,
nothing can debar him from the execution of these
undertakings ; in spite of all the world, by the suc
cour of that divine grace which ever doth favour
and further such designs, he most happUy will
achieve them. And for other inferior designs, he
can hardly be crossed in regard to them : for it is
an essential part of integrity, not otherwise to
affect or aim at private, secular interests, than
under condition, and with a reservation, if it be
God's pleasure, if it seem good to divine wisdom.
He knoweth that his pains employed on any honest
purpose, in a fair way, (be it to procure some
worldly advantage for himself, for his relations, or
for his friend,) are not lost, if they have the fruit
of submission to God's wUl, and acquiescence in
the event disposed by him. He is assured that it
is good luck to have his project blasted, and that
missing is better than getting, when by sovereign
wisdom it is so determined. He therefore could
not so fix his heart, or engage his affection in any
such concern, that his mind is surprised, or his
passions discomposed by a seeming adverseness of
events to his endeavours. So that in effect he can
have no bad success. For how can that occurrence
be deemed bad, which plain reason dictateth in
certain judgment to be most expedient for him;
B. S. VOL. L 19

290 Upright walking sure walking.
SERM. about which he ever was very indifferent, and with
 which at present he is not heartUy displeased?
How can it be taken for disappointment and mis
fortune, which one was prepared to embrace with
satisfaction and complacence?
Yea, to a person so disposed, that success which
seemeth most adverse, justly may be reputed the
best and most happy, as promoting ends incompar
ably more exceUent than any worldly acquist : as
producing fruits exceedingly more wholesome and
more savoury than any temporal commodity; as
exercising and improving the divinest virtues,
(humUity, patience, meekness, moderation, con
tentedness,) a grain whereof is worth aU the
wealth, all the preferment, aU that is desirable in
the world.
Wherefore let the worst that can arrive, (or
that which human blindness and fondness do count
the worst,) yet upright persons do not come off UI,
or so (matters being rightly stated) as to be losers
upon the foot of the account.
If this do not satisfy grosser apprehensions, we
may add, that even in these meaner concerns Al
mighty God is pleased commonly to reward and
encourage upright persons by the best success. For
he hath, as it were, a natural inclination to gratify
those who desire to please him ; and, as the Psahn-
Ps. X.XXV. ist expresseth it. Hath pleasure in the prosperity
Prov. xi. of his servants. He may seem concerned in ho-
1°' nour to countenance those who have regard to his
wUl, and who repose confidence in his aid; discri
minating them from such as presume to act against
or without him, in defiance to his wUl, with no
Prov. xiv. deference to his providence. As they do render

Upright walking sure walking. 291
him his due respect, by submitting to his authority, serm.
and avowing his power ; so he will acknowledge  '—
them by signally favouring their concerns. Even Deut.xxviii 2 *
his truth and fideUty are engaged in their behalf ; xxx. 9.
seeing he very often hath declared and promised, ^,^^1^^™';
that in aU matters, and upon aU occasions, he will ™']^'^v.
be ready to blese them. ^^^j. ^
X. To conclude ; It is an infinite advantage of 33- ,
•TIT 1 11 • in Eccles.vm.
upright deahng, that at the last issue, when aU 5.
things shaU be most accurately tried and impar- xxviii. 10,
tially decided, a man is assured to be ftdly justffied ^°' ^' '
in it, and plentifuUy rewarded for it. As then all
the deceits, which now pass under specious masks,
shaU be laid bare ; aU varnish of pretence shaU be
wiped off; all perverse intrigues shaU be unravel
led; aU wicked and base intentions shaU be quite
stripped of the veils which now enfold them; aU
shrewd contrivers and engineers of mischief, aU
practisers of unjust and maUcious guUe, shaU be
exposed to shame. Shall lie down in sorrow: so isai. 1.1 1.
then The righteous man shall stand in great 60M- Wisd.v. i.
ness; his case will be rightly stated, and fuUy
cleared from slanderous aspersions, from odious
surmises, from unlucky prejudices and mistakes:
what he hath done shaU be approved; what he
hath suffered shaU be repaired. So that it then
evidently wUl appear, that upright simpUcity is the
deepest wisdom, and perverse craft the merest
shallowness; that he, who is true and just to others,
is most faithful and friendly to himself ; that who
ever doth abuse his neighbour, is his own greatest
cheater and foe. For, In the day when God shall B.om.ii.16.
judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, Every man's i Cor. iii.
19_2 '3;iv.5.

292 Upright walking sure walking.
SERM. work shall be made manifest. The Lord will bring
"VTT •
 '. — to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall
every man have praise of God. Unto which our
' Tim. i. upright Judge, The King eternal, immortal, invi
sible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for
ever and ever. Amen.

SERMON Vm.
OF THE DUTY OF PRAYER.

I Thess. V. 17.
Pray without ceasing.

I

T is the manner of St Paul in his Epistles, after serm.
that he hath discussed some main points of  '—

doctrine or discipline, (which occasion required
that he should clear and settle,) to propose several
good advices and rules, in the observance whereof
the life of Christian practice doth consist. So that
he thereby hath furnished us with so rich a variety
of moral and spiritual precepts, concerning special
matters, subordinate to the general laws of piety
and virtue; that out of them might weU be com
piled a body of ethics, or system of precepts De
offciis, in truth and in completeness far excelling
those which any philosophy hath been able to
devise or deliver. These he rangeth not in any
formal method, nor linketh together with strict
connection, but freely scattereth them, so as from
his mind (as out of a fertile soil, impregnated with
all seeds of wisdom and goodness) they did aptly
spring up, or as they were suggested by that
holy Spirit which continuaUy guided and governed
him. Among divers such delivered here, this is one,
which shall be the subject of my present discourse;

294 The Duty of Prayer.
^Yxn" ^^ which, having no other plain coherence (ex-
 cept by affinity of matter) with the rest enclosing
it, I shaU consider absolutely by itself, endea
vouring somewhat to explain it, and to urge its
practice. Pray without ceasing. For understanding these
words, let us first consider what is meant by the
act enjoined. Praying; then, what the quahfication
or circumstance adjoined, Without ceasing, doth
import. I The word prayer doth, in its usual latitude
of acception, comprehend aU sorts of devotion,
or aU that part of rehgious practice, wherein we do
immediately address ourselves to God, having by
speech (oral or mental) a kind of intercourse and
conversation with him. So it includeth that praise
which we should yield to God, implying our due
esteem of his most excellent perfections, most glo
rious works, most just and wise dispensations of
providence and grace; that thanksgiving whereby
we should express an affectionate resentment of
our obligation to him for the numberless great
benefits we receive from him ; that acknowledg
ment of our entire dependence upon him, or our
total subjection to his power and pleasure; together
with that profession of faith in him, and avowing
of service to him, which we do owe as his natural
creatures and subjects; that humble confession of
our infirmity, our vUeness, our guUt, our misery,
(joined with deprecation of wrath and vengeance,)
which is due from us as wretched men and griev
ous sinners ; that petition of things needful or con
venient for us, (of supply in our wants, of succour
and comfort in our distresses, of direction and

The Duty of Prayer. 295
assistance in "our undertakings, of mercy and par- serm,

vm.

don for our offences,) which our natural state (our
poor, weak, sad, and sinful state) doth engage us
to seek ; that intercession for others, which general
charity or special relation do require from us, as
concerned or obUged to desire and promote their
good. AU these religious performances, prayer, in
its larger notion, doth comprise ; according whereto
in common use the whole body of divine service,
containing aU such acts, is termed prayer; and
temples, consecrated to the performance of aU holy
duties, are styled houses of prayer ; and that brief
directory, or pregnant form of aU devotion, which
our Lord dictated, is caUed his prayer; and in
numberless places of scripture it is so taken.
In a stricter sense, it doth only signify one
particular act among those, the petition of things
needful or useful for us.
But according to the former more comprehen
sive meaning, I choose to understand it here; both
because it is most commonly so used, (then, espe
ciaUy, when no distinctive limitation is annexed,
or the nature of the subject-matter doth not
restrain it,) and because general reasons do equally
oblige to performance of aU these duties in the
manner here prescribed : nor is there any ground
to exclude any part of devotion from continual use;
we being obUged no less incessantly to praise God
for his exceUencies, and thank him for his benefits,
to avow his sovereign majesty and authority, to
confess our infirmities and miscarriages, than to
beg help and mercy from God. AU devotion
therefore, aU sorts of proper and due address to
God, (that Ilacra Trpoaeuyfj, All prayer and suppli- Eph. vi.
i8.

296 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. cation, which St Paul otherwhere speaketh of) are
 here enjoined, according to the manner adjoined,
Without ceasing, 'A^iaXeiirrw^, that is, indesinently,
or continually. 2 For the meaning of which expression, we
must suppose, that it must not be understood as if
we were obhged in every instant or singular point
of time actually to apply our minds to this practice :
for to do thus is in itself impossible, and therefore
can be no matter of duty ; it is inconsistent with
other duties, and therefore must not be practised;
yea, wUl not consist with itself; for, that we may
pray, we must hve; that we may live, we must eat;
that we may eat, we must work ; and must there
fore attend other matters : so that actual devotion
neither must nor can swallow up aU our time and
care. The deliberate operations of our mind are
sometimes interrupted by sleep, sometimes wUl be
taken up in satisfying our natural appetites, some
times must be spent in attendance upon other rea
sonable employments commanded or aUowed by
God; whence there can be no obhgation to this
practice according to that unlimited interpretation.
This precept therefore (as divers others of a Uke
general purport and expression) must be under
stood not in a natural, but moral sense, according
as the exigence of things permitteth, or as the
reason of the case requireth ; so far as it is conve
niently practicable, or as it is reasonably compa
tible with other duties and needs. But we must
not so restrain it as to wrong it, by pinching it
within too narrow bounds". How then it may he
* Adoro scripturas plenitudinem — Tertull. [adv. Hermog. cap.
zxil. Opp. p. 241 D.]

The Duty of Prayer. 297
understood, and how far it should extend, we shall serm.
. . VIII
endeavour to declare, by propounding divers senses  '—
whereof it is capable, grounded upon plain testi
monies of scripture, and enforcible by good reason;
according to which senses we shall together press
the observance thereof.
I. First then, Praying incessantly may import
the maintaining in our souls a ready disposition or
habitual inclination to devotion; that which in
scripture is termed The spirit of supplication. This Zeeh. xii.
in moral esteem, and according to current language
derived thence, amounteth to a continual practice ;
a man being reckoned and said to do that, to
which he is ever prompt and prepense: as it is
said of the righteous man, that He is ever merciful. Pa- xxxvU.
and lendeth, because he is constantly disposed to
supply his neighbour with needfiU rehef; although
he doth not ever actuaUy dispense ahns, or furnish
his neighbour with supphes for his necessity. The
words may signify this ; they do at least by conse
quence imply so much: for if we do not in this,
we can hardly perform the duty in any sense;
without a good temper fitting, and a good appetite
prompting to devotion, we scarce can or wUl ever
apply ..ourselves thereto. If there be not in our
heart a root of devotion, whence should it spring ?
how can it live or thrive ? If the organs of prayer
are out of kelter, or out of tune, how can we pray?
If we be not Accincti, have not the loins of our iPet.i.13.
mind girt, and our feet shod in preparation to the 35"! ^ '"''
service, when shaU we set forward thereto? -M^/ p^.CTm.'t!
heart, said David, is fixed, L will sing and give 1^°^'
praise: fixed, that is, readily prepared, and steadily Ezra vii.
incUned to devotion. So should ours constantly

298 The Duty of Prayer.
^\iu" ^^' -^^ ^ *"^® friend is ever ready to entertain
his friend with a frank courtesy and complacency;
as he ever is apt upon occasion for advice and
assistance to have recourse to him: so should we
be always disposed cheerfuUy and decently to con
verse with God, when he freely cometh to us, or
we have need to apply ourselves to him. If there
be (from stupidity of mind, from coldness of affec
tion, from sluggishness of spirit, from worldly dis
traction) any indisposition or averseness thereto,
we should, by serious consideration and industrious
care, labour to remove them; rousing our spirits,
and kindling in our affections some fervency of
desire toward spiritual things; otherwise we shaU
be apt to shun, or to shp the opportunities inviting
to devotion; our hearts wUl be so resty or Ustless,
that hardly we shaU be induced to perform it,
when it is most necessary or useful for us.
II, Praying incessantly may denote a vigUant
attendance (with earnest regard, and firm purpose)
employed upon devotion: such attendance as men
usuaUy^ bestow on their affairs, whereof, although
the actual prosecution sometime doth stick, yet the
design continuaUy proceedeth; the mind ever so
directing its eye toward them, as quickly to espy,
and readUy to snatch any advantages of promoting
them. This is a kind of continuance in practice,
and is commonly so termed : as we say, that such
a one is buUding a house, is writing a book, is
occupying such land, although he be at present
sleeping, or eating, or foUowing any other busmess ;
because his main design never sleepeth, and his
purpose resteth uninterrupted. This is that which
is so often enjoined under the phrase of watching

The Duty of Prayer. 299
about prayer. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, serm

VIII.

saith our Lord. Continue in prayer, and watch in -
ihe same, saith St Paul. Be ye sober, and watch ^^^"^ ^^^'
unto prayer, saith St Peter. Which expressions im- ^°'^'^ ^'
port a most constant and careful attendance upon '8.
1-11 1 • iPet.iv. 7.
this duty : that we do not make it a Xidpepyov, or Matt.xxiv.
by-business in our life, (a matter of smaU consider- %'. ^'''
ation or indifference, of curiosity, of chance,) to be
transacted drowsUy or faintly, with a desultorious
and sUght endeavour, by fits, as the humour taketh
us ; but that, accounting it a business of the choicest
nature and weightiest moment, we do adhere thereto
with unmoveable purpose, regard it with undis-
tracted attention, pursue it with unwearied dUi-
gence, being always upon the guard, wakeful and
expedite, intent upon and apt to close with any
occasion suggesting matter thereof That we
should do thus, reason also doth oblige: for that,
as in truth no business doth better deserve our ut
most resolution and care ; so none doth more need
them; nature being so backward, and occasion so
slippery, that if we do not ever mind it, we shaU
seldom practise it.
III. Praying incessantly may signify, that we
do actuaUy embrace all fit seasons and emergent
occasions of devotion. This, in moral computation,
doth pass for continual performance: as a tree is
said to bear that fruit, which it produceth in the
season; and a man is accounted to work in that
trade, which he exerciseth whenever he is caUed
thereto. This sense is, in several precepts paraUel
to that in hand, plainly expressed. Pray, saith Eph. vi.
St Paul, with all prayer and supplication, 'Ev iravrl '^'
Kaipw; and. Watch, saith our Lord, 'Euiraprl Kaiow Luke xxi.
'36.

2 Tim. iv.

300 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. ^eofxevoi, praying in every season, or upon every
- opportunity. Devotion, indeed, is rarely unseason
able or impertinent : we may offer it EvKaipw^, uKal-
pm, Ln season, and out of season; that is, not only
taking opportunities presented for it, or urgently
requiring it, but catching at them, and creating
them to ourselves, when there is no such apparent
and pressing need of it. But there are some
special occasions, which more importunately and
indispensably do exact it : some seasons there are,
(either ministered by extrinsical accidents, or
springing from internal dispositions,) when, with
out both great blame and much damage to our
selves, we cannot neglect it: times there be most
proper and acceptable, when we do especiaUy need
to pray, and when we are likely to speed well
Ps. xxxii. therein. Every one, saith the Psalmist, that is
13. godly will pray unto thee in a time when thou may-
isa^xilx. ^t be found: and, My prayer, saith he again, is
*• unto thee in an acceptable time.
Thus, when we have received any singular bless
ing or notable favour from God, when prosperous
success hath attended our honest enterprises, when
we have been happUy rescued from imminent dan
gers, when we have been supported in difficulties,
or reUeved in wants and straits; then is it season
able to render sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise
to the God of victory, help, and mercy; to admire
Ps. xviii. and celebrate him, who is our Strength, and our
ixxi.'s, &c. deliverer, our faithful refuge in trouble, our fortress,
and the rock qf our salvation. To omit this piece
of devotion then is vile ingratitude, or stupid neg-
hgence and sloth.
When any rare object or remarkable occurrence

The Duty of Prayer. 301
doth, upon this theatre of the world, present itself serm.
to our view, in surveying the glorious works of  '—

nature, or the strange events of Providence ; then
is a proper occasion suggested to send up hymns of
praise to the power, the wisdom, the goodness of
the world's great Creator and Governor.
When we undertake any business of special mo
ment and difficulty, then it is expedient (wisdom
prompting it) to sue for God's aid, to commit our
affairs into his hand, to recommend our endeavours
to the blessing of him, by whose guidance all
things are ordered, without whose concourse
nothing can be effected, upon whose arbitrary dis
posal aU success dependeth.
The beginning of any design or business (al
though ordinary, if considerable) is a proper season
of prayer unto him, to whose bounty and favour
we owe our abiUty to act, support in our proceed
ings, any comfortable issue of what we do: (for -4K^Cor. 111.5.
our suffciency is of him: Without him we can do John xv. 5.
nothing.) "Whence we can never apply ourselves
to any business or work, not go to eat, to sleep, to
travel, to trade, to study, with any true content,
any reasonable security, any satisfactory hope, if
we do not first humbly implore the favourable pro
tection, guidance, and assistance of God^.
When we do fall into doubts, or darknesses, (in
the course either of our spiritual or secular affairs,)
not knowing what course to steer, or which way to
turn ourselves ; (a case which, to so bhnd and sUly
creatures as we are, must often happen ;) then doth
the time bid us to consult the great oracle of truth.
The mighty Counsellor, Tlie Father of lights, seek- isai. ix. 6.
*" Aei wdarjs npd^eas Trporjye'iaBai irpoaevxv". — Marc. Erem. 17.

302 The Duty of Prayer.
^vni*" '^^ resolution and satisfaction, light and wisdom
—  from him; saying with the Psalmist, Shew me thy
Prov. "xx.' ways, 0 Lord, lead me in thy truth, and teach me;
Ps.' x^". ^"/o^ Ihou art ihe God of my salvation: Order my
xxvii'. II • ^^^P^ ^™ ^% word, and let not any iniquity have do-
crfHi"' "' ™^^"o^ 0'^^'"' '"'^^i foUowing the advice of St James,
xxxii. 8;' If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
133- ' q'^^veth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and
PrOT.^i". 6. *^ shall be given him.
isai. XXX. When any storm of danger blustereth about
Ps. lvi. 3 ; ug^ perilously threatening, or furiously assaUing us
xviii. 3. ' with mischief, (so that hardly by our own strength
or wit we can hope to evade,) then with the wings
of ardent devotion we should fly unto God for
shelter and for rehef
When any anxious care distracteth, or any
heavy burden presseth our minds, we should by
prayer ease ourselves of them, and discharge them
upon God, committing the matter of them to his
care and providence ; according to that direction of
Phil. iv. 6. St Paul, Be careful for nothing: but in every thing
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God.
When we do Ue under any irksome trouble or
sore distress, (of want, pain, disgrace,) then, for
succour and support, for ease and comfort, we
2 Cor. i. 3. should have recourse to The Father of pities, and
18," 19 7' God of all consolation; Who is nigh to all ihat call
xxxYv. ?7; upon him, will also hear their cry, and will save
f™' !''''' them; who, when The righteous cry, doth hear
Ixxxiv. 9; them, and delivereth them out of all their troubles;
xxxiii. 20; who is SO oftou stylod The hiding-place from trou
bles, the help and strength, the shield and buckler,
the rock, the fortress, the high tower, the horn of

The Duty of Prayer. 303
salvation, to all good and distressed people. To serm.
him we should in such a condition have recourse,  '—
imitating the pious Psalmist, whose practice was
this : In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: p^- 1^5.™-
-J .J -J ^ ./ _ 2 ; xvm. 6 ;
I poured out my complaint before him, I shewed cxiij. 2 ;
before him my trouble: I called unto the Lord in
my distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in
a large place.
When any strong temptation doth invade us,
with which by our own strength we cannot grap
ple, but are like to sink and falter under it;
then is it opportune and needful that we should
seek to God for a supply of spiritual forces, and
the succour of his almighty grace, as St Paul did :
when There was given to him a thorn in the flesh, a ^ '^°^- ^i'-
messenger of Satan to buffet him; then He besought
the Lord thrice that it might depart from him:
and he had this return from God, My grace is suf-
flcientfor thee.
When also (from ignorance or mistake, from
inadvertency, negUgence, or rashness, from weak
ness, from wantonness, from presumption) we have
transgressed our duty, and incurred sinful guUt;
then, (for avoiding the consequent danger and
vengeance, for unloading our consciences of the
burden and discomfort thereof,) with humble con
fession in our mouths, and serious contrition in our
hearts, we should apply ourselves to the God of
mercy, deprecating his wrath, and imploring pardon
from him; remembering that promise of St John,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for- i John i. 9.
give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity;
and that declaration of the Wise Man, He that p™v.
xxvm. 13.

304 The Duty of Prayer.
^vni^' ^^^''^^^^ ^'^s sins shall not prosper, but he that con-

Ps.

-fesseth andforsaketh them shall have mercy.

6 Th^™ c. -"-^ these and the hke cases God by our necessi-
Jobvii.2o. ties doth invite and summon us to come unto him;
and no less fooUsh than impious we are, ff we do
then sUnk away, or fly from him. Then we should
Heb.iv.i6. (as the apostle to the Hebrews exhorteth) Come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need, (or,
for seasonable rehef '^.)
And beside those outwardly prompting and
urging us, there be other opportunities, springing
from within us, which we are no less obliged and
Jer. xxxv. concemod to embrace. When God by his gentle
Prov. i. 24. whispers caUeth us, or by his soft impulses draweth
kvliif' us into his presence; we should then take heed of
^^'' *' stopping our ears, or turning our hearts from him,
refusing to hearken or to comply. We must not
any wise quench or damp any sparks of devout
affection kindled in us by the divine Spirit; we
must not repel or resist any of his kindly sugges
tions or motions.
Whenever we find ourselves well affected to, or
weU framed for devotion; that we have a Uvely
sense of, and a coming appetite to spiritual things;
that our spirits are brisk and pure, our fancy calm
and clear, our hearts tender and supple, our affec
tions warm and nimble ; then a fair season offereth
itself; and when the iron is so hot, we should
strike. If at any time we feel any forward inclinations
or good dispositions to the practice of this duty,
we should never check or curb them, but rather
" Els evKaipov ^orjSeiav.

The Duty of Prayer. 305
should promote and advance them; pushing our- serm.
selves forward in this hopeful career ; letting out  '—
the stream of our affections into this right channel,
that it may run freely therein, that it may over
flow and diffuse itself in exuberance of devotion.
Further, IV. Praying incessantly may signify, that we
should with assiduous urgency drive on the intent
of our prayers, never quitting it, or desisting, tUl
our requests are granted, or our desires are accom
plished. Thus doing we may be said to pray con
tinually: as he that goeth forward in his journey,
(although he sometime doth bait, sometime doth rest
and repose himself,) is said yet to be in travel ; or
as he that doth not wave the prosecution of his
cause, (although some demurs intervene,) is deemed
still to be in suit. This is that which our Lord did
in the Gospel prescribe and persuade, where it is
recorded of him, that He spake a parable Mreto Luke xviii.
them, that men ought always to pray, and not to
faint. That praying always the ensuing discourse
sheweth to import restless importunity, and perse
verance in prayer : the same which so often is com
mended to us by the phrases of Mj? eKKUKelv, Not to ^\\^jq
faint or falter ; Mij Travecr^aj, Not to cease, or give Rom. xii.
over; UpoaKaprepelv, To continue instant, or hold co'i. iv. 2,
out stoutly; 'Aymvi^eaOai, To strive earnestly, or]^^^y^js_
contest and struggle in prayers; Upoa-fxeveiv t"""? ^^'lo'stiv.
Se^aeai, To abide at supplications; 'Aypvirvfiv eV^;..™^-^-
¦n-dcrn irpoaaapTeprjcrei, To ivatch ivith all perseverance, ixix. 6, 32 ,-
That which also is implied by those terms, which ixxxUi! 16.
in scriptural style do commonly express devotion : peutX". ^"
by Seeking God; which impheth, that God doth ^9-
B. S. VOL. I. 20

306 • The Duty of Prayer.
^vnf " "^^^ presently, upon any slight address, discover
himself in beneficial effects answerable to our de-

^ rov. vm. g^j.gg^ |j^^ after a careful and painful continuance in
g";,^]^";. our apphcations to him: by Waiting upon God;
ixix. 3; which signifieth, that if God do not presently
xxxvii. 7; appear granting our requests, we should patiently
xxvii. 14; stay, expecting tUl he be pleased to do it in his
xxv.™"i \'^' own best time, according to that in the Psahn, Our
cxiv.' 15'^' ^y^^ '^^'^^ upon the Lord our God, until he have
Isai. viii. mercy upon us : by Knocking ; which intimateth,
xUx. 23. ' that the door of grace doth not ever stand open, or
Lam. iu". " that we can have an effectual access to God, untU
Prov. XX. ^^> 'warned, and as it were excited, by our earnest
Ps". cxxiii. iiiiportunity, pleaseth to listen, to disclose himseff,
?- to come forth unto us.
Luke XII. A 1 1 •
36- And this practice reason also doth enforce.
¦™' ¦ Por there are some good things absolutely neces
sary for our spiritual life and welfare, (such as are
freedom from bad inclinations, disorderly affec
tions, vicious habits, and noxious errors*; the sanc
tifying presence and influence of God's holy Sprit,
with the blessed graces and sweet fruits thereof;
growth in virtue, dehght in spiritual things, the
sense of God's love and favour, with the like,)
which good reason engageth us perseveringly to
seek, as never to rest or be satisfied till we have
acquired them in perfect degree ; since we cannot
ever do well without them, or ever get enough of
them. In begging other inferior things, it may
become us to be reserved, indifferent, and modest;
but about these matters (wherein all our fehcity is
extremely concerned) it were a folly to be slack or
^ Vid. Chrys. ad Theod. 11. Opp. Tom. vi.

The Duty of Prayer. 307
timorous °: as we cannot be said immoderatelv to serm.
. . VIII
desire them, so we cannot be supposed immodestly  —
to seek them there, where only they can be found,
in God's presence and hand. The case doth bear,
yea, doth require, that we should be eager and hot,
resolute and stiff, free and bold, yea, in a manner
peremptory and impudent solicitors with God for
them. So our Saviour intimateth, where compar
ing the manner of God's proceeding with that of
men, he representeth one friend yielding needful
succour to another, not barely upon the score of
friendship, but Aia Trjv dvaileiav. For his ^77^29tt- Luke xi. 8.
dence; that is, for his confident and continued
urgency, admitting no refusal or excuse. So doth
God, in such cases, allow and oblige us to deal
with him, being instant and pertinacious in our
requests. Giving him no rest; (as the phrase is inisai.ixu.7.
the prophet ;) not enduring to be put off, or brook
ing any repulse ; never being discouraged, or cast
into despair, by any delay or semblance of neglect.
We may wrestle with God, like Jacob, and with Ja
cob may say, / will not let thee go, except thou bless Oen.xxxU.
me. Thus Godsufferethhimselfto be prevailed upon,
and is wiUingly overcome : thus Omnipotence may
be mastered, and a happy victory may be gained
over invincibUity itself Heaven sometime may be
forced by storm; (or by the assaults of extremely
fervent prayer;) it assuredly wiU yield to a long
siege. God will not ever hold out against the
attempts of an obstinate suppliant. So The king- Matt. xi.
dom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent
take it by force. We read in St John's Gospel of John v. s-
* Albas b' OVK dyaSrj Kexp^peva dvbpl TrpoiKT}/. [Hom. Od. XVII. 347.]
20—2

308 The Duty of Prayer.

s VIII

ERM. a man, that, being thirty-eight years diseased, did
- wait at the pool of Bethesda seeking rehef : him
our Lord pitied and helped, crowning his patience
with miraculous relief, and proposing it for an ex
ample to us of perseverance ^ It is said of the
Gen. xxv. patriarch Isaac, that He entreated the Lord for
his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord was
entreated of him, and Rebecca his wife conceived.
Whereupon St Chrysostom doth observe, that he
had persevered twenty years in that petition^.
Of good success to this practice we have many
Lam. iii. assurances in holy scripture. The Lord is good
Isai. XXX. unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seek-
23.' " eth him,^. Blessed are all they that wait for him.
y_^-^lig,'' None that wait on him shall be ashamed. They
?Chron^'' ^^'^^ '^'^^'^ upon thc Lord shall renew their strength ;
xxviii. 9. they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
11. shall run, and not be weary ; ihey shall walk, and
1 Ch^on.^ not faint. So hath God assured by his word, and
Pa! ix." 10 ¦ engaged himself by promise, that he wUl yield
'^^¦^} unto constant and patient devotion ; so that it shaU
ixx. 4 ; never want good success.
Without this practice we cannot indeed hope to
obtain those precious things ; they wUl not come at
an easy rate, or be given for a song ; a lazy wish
or two cannot fetch them down from heaven. God
wUl not bestow them at first asking, or deal them
out in one lump : but it is upon assiduous solicit
ing, and by gradual communication, that he dis-
penseth them. So his wise good-wiU, for many
' Vid. Chrys. Orat. XL. Opp. Tom. v. [p. 266.] et in Joh. Hom.
xxxvi. Tom. II. [p. 700. J
8 Vid. Orat. Lxviii. Tom. vi. [p. 701.]
•^ " Seehing Ood, the periphrasis of a religious man." — Ps-

cxix. 2
X. 4,

The Duty of Prayer. 309
special reasons, disposeth him to proceed : that we serm.
may (as it becometh and behoveth us) abide under  '—
a continual sense of our natural impotency and
penury: of our dependance upon God, and obliga
tion to him for the free coUation of those best
gifts: that by some difficulty of procuring them
we may be minded of their worth, and induced the
more to prize them : that by earnestly seeking them
we may improve our spiritual appetites, and excite
holy affections : that by much conversing with
heaven our minds may be raised above earthly
things, and our hearts purified from sordid desires :
that we may have a constant employment answer
able to the best capacities of our souls, worthy our
care and pain, yielding most solid profit and pure
delight unto us : that, in fine, by our greater en
deavour in religious practice we may obtain a more
ample reward thereof.
For the same reason indeed that we pray at aU,
we should pray thus with continued instance. We
do not pray to instruct or advise God; not to tell
him news, or inform him of our wants: {He knows Matt.vi.?
them, as our Saviour telleth us, before we ask:) nor
do we pray by dint of argument to persuade God,
and bring him to our bent; nor that by fair speech
we may cajole him or move his affections toward
us by pathetical orations : not for any such purpose
are we obUged to pray. But for that it becometh
and behoveth us so to do, because it is a proper
instrument of bettering, ennobling, and perfecting
our souls ; because it breedeth most holy affections,
and pure satisfactions, and worthy resolutions, be
cause it fitteth us for the enjoyment of happiness,
and leadeth us thither : for such ends devotion is

310 The Duty of Prayer.
^vni^' P'^^^^ribed; and constant perseverance therein being
 needful to those purposes, (praying by fits and
starts not sufficing to accomplish them,) therefore
such perseverance is required of us. Further,
V. Praying incessantly may import, that we
do with aU our occupations and aU occurrences
interlace devout ejaculations of prayer and praise;
hfting up our hearts to God, and breathing forth
expressions of devotion, suitable to the objects and
occasions which present themselves. This, as it
nearly doth approach to the punctual accomphsh
ment of what our text prescribeth, so it seemeth
^t^'T^'t required by St Paul, when he biddeth us Pray
Coiiii. 16. always 'Ev Trveu/uaTt, in spirit, and to sing 'Ev rjj
KapSia, in the heart: that is, with very frequent eleva
tions of spirit in holy thoughts and desires toward
heaven ; with opportune resentments of heart,
directing thanks and praise to God. We cannot
ever be framing or venting long prayers with our
hps, but almost ever our mind can throw pious
glances, our heart may dart good wishes upwards;
so that hardly any moment (any considerable space
of time) shaU pass without some lightsome flashes
of devotion'. As bodily respiration, without inter
mission or impediment, doth concur with all our
actions ; so may that breathing of soul, which pre
serveth our spiritual hfe, and ventilateth that holy
flame within us, weU conspire with all other occu
pations ^ For devotion is of a nature so spiritual,
' Sed non satis perspiciunt, quantum natura humani ingenii
valeat : quas ita est agilis et velox, sic in omnem partem, ut ita
dixerim, spectat, ut ne possit quidem aliquid agere tantum unum :
in plura vero, non eodem die modo, sed eodem temporis momento,
vim suam impendat. — Quint, i. 12. [2.]
Mvrjpovevreov yap Qeov paXXov tj dvanvevariov' Koi, el oidv re

The Duty of Prayer. 811
so subtle, and penetrant, that no matter can ex- serm.
elude or obstruct it. Our minds are so exceed  ^
ingly nimble and active, that no business can hold
pace with them, or exhaust their attention and
activity. We can never be so fully possessed by
any employment, but that divers vacuities of time
do intercur, wherein our thoughts and affections
wiU be diverted to other matters. As a covetous
man, whatever beside he is doing, will be carking
about his bags and treasures; an ambitious man
wiU be devising on his plots and projects; a volup
tuous man will have his mind in his dishes ; a las
civious man wUl be doting on his amours; a studi
ous man will be musing on his notions ; every man,
according to his particular inclination, wiU lard his
business and besprinkle aU his actions with cares
and wishes tending to the enjoyment of what he
most esteemeth and affecteth : so may a good
Christian, through aU his undertakings, wind in
devout reflections and pious motions of soul toward
the chief object of his mind and affection'. Most
businesses have wide gaps, aU have some chinks,
at which devotion may slip in. Be we never so
urgently set or closely intent upon any work, (be
we feeding, be we travelling, be we trading, be we
studying,) nothing yet can forbid, but that we may
together wedge in a thought concerning God's
goodness, and bolt forth a word of praise for it;
but that we may reflect on our sins, and spend a
penitential sigh on them ; but that we may descry
our need of God's help, and despatch a brief peti-
TovTo elire'iv, prjbe aXXo n fj tovto irpaKreov. — Greg. Naz. [Orat. xxvil.
Opp. Tom. I. p. 490 B.]
' Vid. Chrys. Orat. v. in Annam. Opp. Tom. v. [pp. 77, 78.]

312 The Duty of Prayer.
^yiu" ^^^^ ^'^^ '^^ ¦ ^ ^""^ ^^ praised, a Lord have mercy,
 a God bless, or God help me, wUl nowise interrupt
or disturb our proceedings". As worldly cares
and desires do often intrude and creep into our
devotions, distracting and defiling them; so may
spiritual thoughts and holy affections insinuate
themselves into, and haUow our secular transac
tions. This practice is very possible, and it is no
less expedient : for that if our employments be not
thus seasoned, they can have no true hfe or savour
in them; they wiU in themselves be dead and
putrid, they wUl be foul and noisome, or at least
flat and insipid unto us.
There are some other good meanings of this
precept, according to which, holy scripture (backed
with good reason) obhgeth us to observe it: but
those, (together with the general inducements to
the practice of this duty,) that I may not fiirther
now trespass on your patience, I shaU reserve to
another opportunity.
™ Erne Kara bidvoiav, 'EXerjadv pe, 6 Oebs, Kal dmjpnarai aov ij
eixj. — Chrys. [ubi supra, p. 77.]

SERMON IX.
OF THE DUTY OF PRAYER.

I Thess. V. 17.
Pray without ceasing.
WHAT the prayer here enjoined by St Paul serm.
doth import, and how by it universaUy aU  '- —
sorts of devotion should be understood, we did for
merly discourse. How also according to divers
senses (grounded in holy scripture, and enforced
by good reason) we may perform this duty inces
santly, we did then declare; flve such senses we
did mention and prosecute: I shaU now add two
or three more, and press them.
VI. Prayiny then incessantly may imply, that
we do appoint certain times conveniently distant
for the practice of devotion, and carefuUy observe
-them. To keep the Jews in a constant exercise
of divine worship, God did constitute a sacrifice,
which was caUed Tamidh, ('H ^lawavTh Ovcria,) The Dan. viii.
continual sacrifice. And as at that sacrifice, being Heb. xiii.
constantly offered at set times, was thence de- ^^^ ^
nominated continual; so may we, by punctuaUy
observing fit returns of devotion, be said to pray
incessantly. And great reason there is that we should do so.
For we know that all persons, who would not lead
a loose and slattering life, but design with good

314 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. assurance and advantage to prosecute an orderly
—  course of action, are wont to distribute their time
into several parcels; assigning some part thereof
to the necessary refection of their bodies, some to
the convenient relaxation of their minds, some to
the despatch of their ordinary affairs, some also to
famUiar conversation and interchanging good offi
ces with their friends"; considering, that otherwise
Jamesi. 8. they shaU be uncertain and Unstable in all their
ways. And in this distribution of time devotion
surely should not lack its share: it rather justly
claimeth the choicest portion to be allotted thereto,
as being incomparably the noblest part of our
duty, and mainest concernment of our lives. The
feeding our souls and nourishing our spiritual life,
the refreshing our spirits with those no less plea
sant than wholesome exercises, the driving on our
correspondence and commerce with heaven, the
improving our friendship and interest with God,
are affairs which above all others do best deserve,
and most need being secured. They must not
therefore be left at random, to be done by the by,
as it hitteth by chance, or as the fancy taketh us.
If we do not depute vacant seasons, and fix peri
odical returns for devotion, engaging ourselves by
firm resolution, and inuring our minds by constant
usage to the strict observance of them, secluding
from them, as from sacred enclosures, all other
businesses ; we shaU often be dangerously tempted
to neglect it, we shaU be commonly Ustless to it,
prone to defer it, easUy seduced from it by the en-
^ Cur ipsi aliquid forensibus negotiis, aliquid desideriis amico-
rum, aliquid rationibus domesticis, aliquid cursa corporis, nonnihil
voluptatibus quotidie damns ? — Quint, i. 12. [7.]

The Duty of Prayer. 315
croachment of other affairs, or enticement of other serm. IX
pleasures. It is requisite that our souls also (no  '- —
less than our bodies) should have their meals, set
tled at such intervals as the maintenance of their
life, their health, their strength and vigour do
require ; that they may not perish or languish for
want of timely repasts; that a good appetite may
duly spring up, prompting and instigating to them ;
that a sound temper and robust constitution of soul
may be preserved by them.
Prayers are the bulwarks of piety and good
conscience, the which ought to be placed so as to
flank and relieve one another, together with the
interjacent spaces of our life; that the enemy (J7ieHeb. xii. i.
sin which doth so easily beset us) may not come on
between, or at any time assault us, without a force
sufficiently near to reach and repel him.
In determining these seasons and measures of
time according to just proportion, honest prudence
(weighing the several conditions, capacities, and
circumstances of each person) must arbitrate. For
some difference is to be made between a merchant
and a monk, between those who follow a court, and
those who reside in a cloister or a college. Some
men having great encumbrances of business and
duty by necessity imposed on them, which consume
much of thefr time, and engage their thoughts ; of
them in reason, neither so frequent recourses to,
nor so long durances in prayer can be demanded,
as from those who enjoy more abundant leisure,
and freer scope of thoughts. But some fit times
all may and must aUow, which no avocation of
business, no distraction of care should purloin from
them.

316 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. Certain seasons and periods of this kind nature
 itself (in correspondence to her unalterable revolu
tions) doth seem to define and prescribe: those
which the royal prophet recommendeth, when he
f^'iv^iV' ^^i^^5 I^ ^s a good thing to give thanks unto the
Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, 0 thou
most high: to shew forth thy lovingkindness every
morning and thy faithfulness every night. Every
day we do recover and receive a new hfe from
God ; every morning we do commence business, or
revive it; from our bed of rest and security we.
then issue forth, exposing ourselves to the cares
and toils, to the dangers, troubles, and temptations
of the world : then especiaUy therefore it is reason
able, that we should sacrifice thanks to the gracious
preserver of our hfe, and the faithful restorer of its
supports and comforts; that we should crave his
direction and help in the pursuit of our honest
undertakings ; that to his protection from sin and
mischief we should recommend ourselves and our
affairs; that, by offering up to him the first-fruits
of our diurnal labours, we should consecrate and
consign them all to his blessing; that, as we are
then wont to salute all the world, so then chiefly
with humble obeisance we should accost him, who
is ever present with us and continuaUy watchful
over us. Then also pecuUarly devotipn is most
seasonable, because then our minds being less pre
possessed and pestered with other cares, our fancies
becoming lively and gay, our memories fresh and
prompt, our spirits copious and brisk, we are better
disposed for it.
Every night also reason caUeth for these duties ;
requiring that we should close our business and

The Duty of Prayer. 317
wind up aU our cares in devotion; that we should serm.
. . IX
then bless God for his gracious preservation of us  '¦ —

from the manifold hazards and the sins to which
we stood obnoxious; that we should implore his
mercy for the manifold neglects and transgressions
of our duty, which through the day past we have
incurred; that our minds being then so tired with
study and care, our spirits so wasted with labour
and toil, that we cannot any longer sustain our
selves, but do of our own accord sink down into a
posture of death, we should, as dying men, resign
our souls into God's hand, depositing ourselves and
our concernments into his custody, who alone Doth Ps. cxxi.4.
never sleep nor slumber; praying that he would
guard us from all the dangers and disturbances
incident to us in that state of forgetfulness, and
interregnum of our reason ; that he would grant us
a happy resurrection in safety and health, with a
good and cheerfiil mind, enabling us thereafter
comfortably to enjoy ourselves, and dehghtfuUy to
serve him.
Thus if we do constantly bound and circum
scribe our days, dedicating those most remarkable
breaks of time unto God's service, since beginning
and end do comprehend the whole, seeing, in the
computation and style of Moses, Evening and Gen. i.
Morning do constitute a day, we may with some
good congruity be said to pray incessantly.
EspeciaUy if, at the middle distance between
those extremes, we are wont to interpose somewhat
of devotion. For as then usually our spirits, being
somewhat shattered and spent, do need a recruit,
enabUng us to pass through the residue of the day
with its incumbent business; so then it would do

318 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. weU, and may be requisite, in a meal of devotion
 to refresh our souls with spfritual sustenance,
drawn from the never-faUing storehouse of divine
grace; which may so fortify us, that with due
vigour and alacrity we may perform the ensuing
duties to God's honour and our own comfort. Thus
to practise was the resolution of the Psahnist, that
Ps. lv. 17. great master of devotion; Evening, said he, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud.
And this was the custom ofthe noble Daniel, from
which no occasion could divert, no hazard could
Dan. vi. 10. (Jeter him: He kneeled, saith the story, upon his
knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave
thanks before his God.
These are times which it is necessary, or very
expedient, that aU men (even persons of highest
rank, and greatest emplojrment) should observe.
These even of old were the practices of religious
persons, not expressly prescribed by God's law, but
assumed by themselves; good reason suggesting
them to the first practisers, and the consenting
example of pious men afterward enforcing them.
God indeed did himself in his law, or by his
prophets, appoint public and solemn celebrations
of worship to himself, in sacrifices (involving prayer
and accompanied therewith) constantly to be offered
2 Chron. ii. every morning and evening : rehgious princes also
t" Chron. did institute services of thanksgiving and praise to
xliii'*°a''be performed at those times: but there doth not
Ezra iii. 3. appear any direct institution of private devotion,
or its circumstances ; but the practice thereof seem
eth originaUy to have been purely voluntary,
managed and measured according to the reason,
by the choice of each person; yet so, that the prac-

The Duty of Prayer. 319
tice of eminently good men leading, and others foi- serm.
lowing, it grew into a kind of common law, or  '- —
standing rule, (seeming to carry an obhgation with
it,) to observe the times specified.
Besides those three times, there were further
other middle times observed by devout people, who
had leisure and disposition of mind thereto ; once
between morning and noon, and once between noon
and evening were sequestered to that purpose :
whence in the Acts the ninth hour of the day (that
is, the middle interval between noon and evening)
is caUed The hour of prayer. Yea, some did im- Actsiii.i.
pose on themselves the observation of two other
times, one between evening and midnight, the
other between midnight and mom. To which
practice those places in the Psalms do seem to
allude; My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, ^s. ixiu. 5,
when I remember thee on my bed, and meditate on
thee in the night-watches. I prevented the dawning p^- o^ix.
of the morning, and cried: Mine eyes prevent the
night-watches, that I may meditate on thy word.
And plainly the whole number of those times
which the Psalmist observed is expressed in those
words : Seven times a day will I praise thee, be- Ps- cxix.
cause of thy righteous judgments. Which examples
whoever shaU choose to foUow, (in any measure,)
he shaU do wisely and commendably; he shaU cer
tainly have no cause to repent; he wUl find it richly
worth his whUe; great benefit and comfort wiU
thence accrue unto him.
If indeed Jews were so Uberal in assigning, so
punctual in affording such portions of time for
yielding praise, and offering supplications unto
God; how much more free and ready, more careful

320 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. and diligent, should we be in this way of practice!
 we who have a religion so far more spiritual, and
exempt from corporeal encumbrances ; precepts so
much more express and clear; so much higher
obhgations and stronger encouragements to this
duty ; whom God in especial manner so graciously
doth invite, so powerfully doth attract unto himseff.
But fiirther,
VII. More especiaUy this precept may be
Lev. xix. supposed to oxact from us a compUance in careftdly
30 ; XXVI. ^ ^ _ •¦• y
2. observing the times of devotion ordained by pubhc
authority, or settled by general custom. This in a
popular and legal sense is doing a thing indesi
nently, when we perform it so often as is required
by law or custom. So the apostle to the Hebrews
Heb. ix. 6. saith of the priests, that They went always into the
tabernacle, accomplishing ihe service of God: Always,
that is, at aU the solemn times appointed. And
thus of the apostles it is affirmed by St Luke, that
Luke xxiv. They were continually in the temple, blessing and
praising God; that is, they constantly resorted
thither at the stated times of concourse for prayer.
This good reason also plainly doth enjoin : for that
the neglecting it is not only a disorderly behaviour
in a matter of high consequence ; a criminal disre
gard and disobedience to authority; a scandalous
contempt of our neighbours, from whose laudable
fashion we discost; a wrongfiil deserting the public,
to whose good, mainly promoted by the pubhc
worship of God, we do owe the contribution of our
endeavour; but a heinous affront to Almighty
God, who thereby is plainly dishonoured, and in a
manner openly disavowed; a huge prejudice to
religion, the credit and power whereof, without

The Duty of Prayer. 321
visible profession, exemplary compliance, mutual serm.
consent and encouragement, cannot be upheld.  '- —
Were there times by law or custom defined, (as in
some places indeed there are,) when aU men should
be required in person solemnly to attend on their
prince, for professing their allegiance, or deferring
any homage to him ; would not those, who should
wilfully refuse or decUne appearance, be justly
chargeable as guUty of dishonouring and wronging
himi would not their such defaUance pass for suf
ficient proof that they do not acknowledge him,
that at least they do not much regard or value
him? So, by not joining at stated times in cele
bration of divine worship, we may be weU conceived
wholly to disclaim God, or greatly to disesteem
him ; to slight religion, as a thing insignificant and
unprofitable. Do we not indeed thereby more
than intimate, that we Uttle believe God to be our
sovereign Lord and Governor; that we stand in
no great awe or dread of him; that we are not
much sensible of his benefits and mercies ; that we
repose smaU trust or hope in him ; that we do not
take ourselves much to want his protection, his
guidance, his assistance, his favour and mercy?
Are we not in effect like to those in Job, who Say Job xxi.
unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the ''^' '^'
knowledge of thy ways? What is the Almighty,
that we should serve him? or what profit shall we
have, if we pray unto him? Thus the standers-by
commonly (some so as to be much offended at,
others so as to be corrupted by our bad example)
wiU interpret this neglect : and so assuredly God
himself wiU take it from us, and accordingly deal
with us. As he claimeth this public attendance
B. S. VOL. 1. 21

322 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. on him for his due : {Give, proclaimeth he by the
 ^— mouth of one of his great heralds. Give unto the
1,2; kv'i. Lord, 0 ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and
strength: Give unto the Lord the glory due to his
na/me: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:)
so if we to his wrong and disgrace refiise to yield
it, we shaU certainly find answerable resentment
and recompense from him : that as we are careless
to serve him, so he wUl be unmindful to bless us ;
as we are backward to avow and glorify him, so
he wUl not be forward to own and grace us ; as we
LukeTx^^' ^^ ^^ Deny him before men, so he will deny us
26; xii. 9. before them also. What other measure indeed can
12. ' ' we imagine or expect to receive? WiU God, think
we, be so partial and fond to us, so disregardfiil
and injurious toward himseff, that he wUl vouch
safe to appear in favour to us, when we deign not
to appear in respect to him? that he wUl openly
tender our repute, when we apparently disregard
his honour? that he wiU employ his wisdom, or
exert his power, in our behalf, when we scarce wiU
think a thought, or stir a step, for his service?
Can we hope that he wUl freely dispense prosper
ous success to our enterprises, when we either care
not or scorn to implore his help? that he wUl reach
forth undeserved blessings to us, when we subtract
due praises from him? that he wUl any wise shew
himself bountifiil and mercifid toward us, when we
so palpably are injust and ingrateful toward him?
Prov. iii. ]Nfo, Surely he scorneth the scorners; and, Whoso-
i*Sam. ii. cvcv dcspiscth Mm shall be lightly esteemed; so he
^°" expressly hath threatened ; and seeing he is both
infaUibly true and invincibly able, we may reason
ably presume that he vriU accomplish his word.

The Duty of Prayer. 323
VIII. Lastly, Praying incessantly may im- serm.
port at large a frequency in devotion. This the  '- 
words at least do exact or necessarUy imply, how
ever expounded. For domg incessantly cannot
imply less than doing frequently: in no tolerable
sense can we be said to do that continuaUy, which
we do seldom: but it is an ordinary scheme of
speech to say, that a man doth that always, which
he is wont to do, and performeth often. As of the
pious soldier Cornelius it is said, that He gave ^ots x. 2.
much alms to the people, and prayed to God always;
and of Anna the prophetess, that She departed ^^^^^¦3'! ¦
not from the temple, but served God with prayers
and fastings night and day; that is, she frequently
resorted to the temple, and served God with an
assiduous constancy. As the words may bear and
do involve this sense, so doth the reason of the
case enforce it : for very just, very fit, very needful
it is to practise thus. There is ever at hand abun
dant reason for, and apposite matter of, devo
tion ; therefore no large space of time should pass
without it: there be perpetually depending many
causes thereof; whence there is not to be aUowed
any long vacation from it. As every moment we
from God's mercy and bounty partake great
favours; so should we often render thanks and
praise for them : for perpetually to receive courte
sies, and rarely to return acknowledgments, is
notorious ingratitude and iniquity. We frequently
(and in a manner continuaUy) do faU into sins;
often therefore we are obUged to confess sins, we
are concerned to deprecate wrath, and beg mercy;
otherwise we must long crouch under the sore
burden of guilt, the sad dread of punishment, the
21—2

324 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. bitter pangs of remorse, or the desperate hazard of
 stupid obduration. Whatever we design or under
take, toward the good management and happy
success thereof, we (being ignorant and impotent
creatures) do need the guidance, the assistance,
and the blessing of God; so often therefore it is
requisite that we should be seeking and suing for
them : if not, we do not only transgress our duties,
but fondly neglect or fouUy betray our own con
cernments. The causes therefore of devotion being
so constant, the effects in some correspondence
should be frequent.
Such frequency is indeed necessary for the
breeding, the nourishment, the growth and im
provement of all piety. Devotion is that holy and
heavenly fire, which darteth into our minds the
light of spiritual knowledge, which kindleth in our
hearts the warmth of holy desires : if therefore we
do continue long absent from it, a night of dark
ness vriU overspread our minds, a deadening cold
ness wiU seize upon our affections. It is the best
food of our souls, which preserveth their hfe and
health, which repaireth their strength and vigour,
which rendereth them lusty and active: if we
therefore long abstain from it, we shaU starve or
pine away ; we shaU be faint and feeble in aU reli
gious performances ; we shall have none at aU, or
a very languid and meagre piety.
To maintain in us a constant and steady dispo
sition to obedience, to correct our perverse inclina
tions, to curb our unruly passions, to strengthen
us against temptations, to comfort us in anxieties
and distresses, we do need continual supplies of
grace from God; the which ordinarUy are commu-

The Duty of Prayer. 325
nicated in devotion, as the channel which convey- serm

eth, or the instrument which helpeth to procure it,
or the condition upon which it is granted. Faith,
hope, love, spiritual comfort, and joy, aU divine
graces are chiefly ehcited, expressed, exercised
therein and thereby : it is therefore needful that it
should frequently be used; seeing otherwise we
shall be in danger to fail in discharging our chief
duties, and to want the best graces.
It is frequency of devotion also, which main
taineth that friendship vdth God which is the soul
of piety. As familiar conversation (wherein men
do express their minds and affections mutually)
breedeth acquaintance, and cherisheth good-wUl of
men to one another; but long forbearance thereof
dissolveth or slakeneth the bonds of amity, break
ing their intimacy, and cooling their kindness : so
is it in respect to God; it is frequent converse
with him which begetteth a particular acquaintance
with him, a mindful regard of him, a hearty Uking
to him, a delightful taste of his goodness, and con
sequently a sincere and soUd good-wiU toward him ;
but intermission thereof produceth estrangement
or enmity toward him. If we seldom come at
God, we shall Uttle know him, not much care for
him, scarce remember him, rest insensible of his
love, and regardless of his favour; a coldness, a
shyness, a distaste, an antipathy toward him wiU
by degrees creep upon us. Abstinence from his
company and presence will cast us into conversa
tions destructive or prejudicial to our friendship
with him; wherein soon we shaU contract familiar
ity and friendship with his enemies, (the world
and the flesh,) which are inconsistent with love to

IX.

326 The Duty of Prayer.
serm. him, which wUl dispose us to forget him, or to dis-
 like and loathe him.
It is, in fine, the frequency of devotion which
alone can secure any practice thereof, at least any
practice thereof duly qualified : so hearty, so easy,
so sweet and deUghtful as it should be. We have
aU a natural averseness or indisposition thereto, as
requiring an abstraction of thoughts and affections
from sensible things, and a fastening them upon
objects purely spiritual; a rearing our heavy spirits
above their common pitch; a staying and settling
our roving fancies ; a composing our vain hearts in
a sober and steady frame, agreeable to devotion:
to effect which things is a matter of no smaU diffi
culty and pain ; which therefore, without much use
and exercise, cannot be accomplished ; but with it,
may; so that by frequent practice, the bent of our
heart being turned, the strangeness of the thing
ceasing, the difficulty of the work being surmount
ed, we shaU obtain a good propension to the duty,
and a great satisfaction therein.
This will render the way into God's presence
smooth and passable; removing, as aU other obsta
cles, so particularly those of fear and doubt in
respect to God, which may deter or discourage us
from approaching to him. God being most holy
and pure, most great and glorious, we, sensible of
our corruption and vileness, may be fearful and
shy of coming near unto him. But when, coming
Eccius. ii. into his presence, we do find that Such as his
Ps'. xxxiv. majesty is, such is his mercy; when we do Taste and
^' see that the Lord is good ; when by experience we
Ps.xvi. II. feel, that In his presence there is fulness of joy;
a. ' ' being Abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his

Tlie Duty of Prayer. 327
house; having our souls there Satisfied as with serm,

IX.

marrow and fatness; finding, that A day in his
courts is better than a thousand spent otherwhere ; ^f ' '^"''
perceiving that he biddeth us welcome, that he ^^^'^- ^°-
treateth us kindly, that he sendeth us away re
freshed with sweetest comforts, and rewarded with
most exceUent benefits ; this vdll not only reconcile
our hearts to devotion, but draw us into a cordial
liking and earnest desire thereof; such as the
Psalmist expresseth, when he saith. My soul long- p^- ixxxiv.
eth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord:
my heart and my fiesh crieth out for the living God.
This wiU engage us into strong resolutions of con
stantly practising it ; such as the same holy person
again declareth in these words ; / love the Lord, Ps. cxvi.
because he hath heard my voice and my suppli
cations; because he hath inclined his ear unto me,
therefore will L call upon him as long as L live.
Hence, instead of a suspicious estrangedness, a ser
vile dread, or an hostUe disaffection toward God,
there wUl spring up an humble confidence, a kindly
reverence, a hearty love toward him; which wiU
upon aU occasions drive us to him, hoping for his
friendly succour, longing after his kind embraces.
So will the frequency of devotion render it facile
and pleasant. Whereas, on the contrary, disuse
thereof wiU make it at any time hard and irk
some ; strengthening and increasing our natural
averseness thereto : performing it seldom, we shall
never perform it weU, with that attention, that
affection, that promptitude, that wiUingness and
alacrity, which are due thereto.
According to so many senses, in so many re-

328 Tlie Duty of Prayer.
SERM. spects, may we, and should we observe this pre-
 cept. From thus praying continuaUy there can be
no good exception or just excuse. The most com
mon pleas that wUl be aUeged for the omission
thereof are two; one drawn from external avoca
tions, the other from internal indispositions ob
structing it : both of which are so far from being
good, that, being scanned, they wUl soon appear
serving rather to aggravate than to excuse or
abate the neglect.
I. I cannot, saith one, now attend to prayers,
because I am not at hberty, or at leisure, being
urgently caUed away, and otherwise engaged by
important affafrs. How much a flam this apology
is we shaU presently descry, by asking a few ques
tions about it.
I Do we take devotion itself to be no business,
or a business of no consideration? Do we conceit,
when we pay God his debts, or discharge our
duties toward him, when we crave his aid or
mercy, when we solicit the main concernments of
our soul, (yea, of our body also and its estate,) that
we are idle or misemployed; that we lavish our
time, or lose our pains?
2 "What other affairs can we have of greater
moment or necessity than this? Can there be any
obligation more indispensable than is that of yield
ing due respect and service to our Maker, our
great Patron, our most hberal Benefactor? Can
there be any interest more close or weighty than
this, of providing for our soul's eternal health and
42. ^''' happiness? Is not this indeed the grand work.
Job xxiu. ^^^ ^^^^ necessary matter, in comparison whereto

The Duty of Prayer. 329
aU other occupations are mere trifling, or unproflt- serm.
able fiddling about nothing''? What vdU aU other  '. —
business signify, what will come of it, if this be
neglected? Busy we may be, we may plod, we
may drudge etemaUy; but aU to no end. All our
care is in effect improvidence, aU our industry may
be weU reckoned idleness, if God be not served, if
our souls are not secured.
3 If we survey and prize all worldly businesses,
which among them wiU appear so importunate as
to demand, so greedy as to devour, so worthy at
least as to deserve all our time, that we cannot
spare a few minutes for maintaining our most plea
sant intercourse, and most gainful commerce with
heaven? What are the great businesses of the
world? what but scraping and scrambling for pelf,
contriving and compassing designs of ambition,
courting the favour and respect of men, making
provision for carnal pleasure, gratifying fond cu
riosity or vain humour? And do any of these
deserve to be put into the scale against, shall aU
of them together be able to sway down our spiri
tual employments? ShaU these images, these sha
dows of business, supplant or crowd our devotion;
that which procureth wealth inestimably precious,
pleasure infinitely satisfactory, honour incompara
bly noble above aU this world can afford? If the
expense of time be, as the phUosopher" said, lioXvTe-
XearaTov dvdXwjxa, The most precious expense that
can be ; how can it better be laid out than upon
Al Texvai rav Triarav iirepyid elaiv' epyov be i; Seoae^eia.—
Const. Apost. II. 61. [Cot. Pat. Apost. Tom. i. p. 269.]
'^ Theophr. [Svvexes re eXeye TroXuTeXcs dvdXapa elvai rbv XP°'
vov. — Diog. Laert. (Vit. Theoph.) v. 2. 10]

330 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. the worthiest things, such as devotion alone can
 afford the purchase and possession of? True vir
tue, sound vrisdom, a quiet conscience, and steady
tranquUUty of mind, the love and favour of God, a
title unto endless joy and bhss, are purely the gifts
of Heaven; and thence they will not descend of
themselves, but prayer must fetch them down. If
nothing then in the world be comparable to those
things, how can any time be so well spent as in
prayer, which acquireth them ; which also best
secureth whatever we have, and is the readiest way
to procure whatever we want?
4 Should we not further, honestly comparing
things, easily discern, that it is no such indispens
able business, but rather indeed some base dotage
on lucre, some inveigling bait of pleasure, some
bewitching transport of fancy, that crosseth our
devotion? Is it not often a complimental visit, an
appointment to tattle or to tipple, a match for
sport, a wild ramble in vice or foUy, that so deeply
engageth us to put off our duty?
5 Yea, is it not commonly sloth rather than
activity, an averseness from this, rather than an
inclination to any other employment, which divert-
eth us from our prayers? Is not, I say, the true
reason why we pray so seldom, not because we are
very busy, but because we are extremely idle ; so
idle, that we cannot willingly take the pains to un
screw our affections from sensible things, to reduce
our wandering thoughts, to compose our hearts
into a right frame, to bend our untoward inchna-
tions to a comphance with our duty? Is it not
because we do not feel that savour and satisfaction
in these, which we do in other trivial and worth-

The Duty of Prayer. 331
less employments, nor will be at the trouble to serm,
work such dispositions in our souls? Do we not  '—
betake ourselves to other conversations and com
merces merely for refuge, shunning this intercourse
with God and with ourselves ? These, I fear, are
oftener the real causes of our neglecting devotion,
than any such mighty avocations which we pre
tend. 6 But were there indeed not only a counterfeit
or imaginary, but a real competition between devo
tion and other lawful business, which, in reason,
should carry it? in conscience, which of the two
should be forborne or suspended? Is it not evi
dently better, that the pursuit of our temporal inter
ests, whatever they be, should be a littlec becked,
than that our affairs of everlasting consequence
should be quite laid aside? that we should venture
a smaU impairing of our estate, than surely enda
mage our souls; that we hazard to disappoint or
displease a man, than dare to affront and offend
the Almighty God?
7 Were it not strangely absurd and unhand
some to say, I cannot wait on God, because I must
speak with a friend; I cannot go to church,
although God caUeth me thither, because I must
haste to market ; I cannot stand to pray, because
I am to receive money, or to make up a bargain ;
I cannot discharge my duty to God, because a
greater obligation than that doth lie upon me ?
How unconceivable an honour, how unvaluable a
benefit is it, that the incomprehensibly great and
glorious majesty of heaven doth vouchsafe us the
liberty to approach so near unto him, to converse
so freely with him, to demand and derive from his

332 The Duty of Prayer.
serm. hand the supply of aU our needs, and satisfaction
 of aU our reasonable desires! and is it then just or
seemly, by such comparisons to disparage his
favour, by such pretences to baffle with his good
ness ?
Put the case, our prince should caU for us to
speak with him about matters nearly touching his
service and our welfare; would it be according unto
duty, discretion, or decency, to reply, that we are
at present busy, and have no leisure, and must
therefore hold ourselves excused; but that if he
vnU stay a whUe, at another time, when we have
less to do, we shaU be perhaps disposed to wait
upon him ? The case is propounded by our Lord
in that parable, wherein God is represented as a
great man, that had prepared a feast, and invited
many guests thereto; but they excused themselves:
Matt. xxii. One said, that he had purchased land, and must
Luke xiv. nccds go out to see it ; another had bought five yoke
' ' of oxen, and must go to prove them; another had
married a wife, and therefore could not come.
These indeed were affairs considerable, as this world
hath any; but yet the excuses did not satisfy'*: for,
notwithstanding, the great person was angry, and
took the neglect in huge disdain.
8 Moreover, if we reflect what vast portions
of time we squander away upon our petty matters,
upon voluptuous enjoyments, upon fruitless pas
times, upon impertinent talk; how can we satisfy
ourselves in not aUotting competent time for God's
service, our own salvation, and the future ever
lasting state? Doth not he, who, with the con-
* "Erreira Sri aKrj^is ravra Kal 7rpd(paais, &c. — Chrys. in Joh.
Horn. XI. [Opp. Tom. ii. p. 597.]

The Duty of Prayer. 333
tinuance of our Ufe, bestoweth on us aU our time, serm. IX
deserve that a pittance of it should be reserved for  '- 
himself? Can aU the world duly claim so great
an aUowance thereof May not our soul (which is
far our noblest part, which indeed is all ourselves)
justly challenge a good share of our time to be
expended on it ? or shaU this mortal husk engross
it aU ? Must eternity, which comprehendeth aU
time, have no time belonging to it, or aUotted for
its concernments? 9 Again, is it not great imprudence so to lay
our business, that any other matter shaU thwart or
thrust out devotion ? Easily with a Uttle provi
dence may things be so ordered, that it, without
interfering or justhng, may well consist with all
other both needful business and convenient diver-
tisement; so that it shaU neither obstruct them,
nor they extrude it : and are we not very culpable,
if we do not use so much providence® ?
ID In truth, attending upon devotion can be
no obstacle, but will be great furtherance to all
other good business. It is the most sure, most
pleasant, most advantageous and compendious way
of transacting affairs, to mix prayers and praises
vdth them ; it is the best oU that can be, to make
the wheels of action go on smoothly and speedUy:
it not only sanctifieth our undertakings, but much
promoteth and exceedingly sweeteneth the ma
nagement of them. For the conscience of having
rendered unto God his due respect and service, of
having intrusted our affairs to his care, of having
° Uparov pev, airb tovto eyKKrjpa ov piKpbv, to KVKXovadai roaov-
rav rrpaypdrav nXijOei, Kill rols l3iaTiKo1s ovra wpoarjXaadai bia rravrbs,
as prjbe piKpav els Ta ndvrav dvayKaiorepa ayeiv axoX^v. — [Id. ibid.]

334 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. consequently engaged his protection and assistance
 for us, wUl dispose us to do things with a coura
geous alacrity and comfortable satisfaction; wiU
fiU us with a good hope of prospering; wiU pre
pare us however to be satisfied with the event,
whatever it shaU be ; wiU in effect procure a bless
ing and happy success, such as we may truly
rejoice and triumph in, as conferred by God in
favour to us. Whereas neglecting these duties,
we can have no solid content or savoury com
placence in any thing we undertake : reflecting on
such misbehaviour (if we be not downright infidels,
or obdurate reprobates in impiety) vrUl quash or
damp our courage : having thence forfeited aU pre
tence to God's succour, and provoked hun to cross
us, we must needs suspect disappointment : as we
have no reasonable ground to hope for success ; so
we cannot, if success arriveth, be heartUy satisfied
therein, or take it for a blessing.
He therefore that is such a niggard of his time,
that he grudgeth to vrithhold any part thereof
from his worldly occasions, deeming aU time cast
away that is laid out in waiting upon God, is reaUy
most unthrifty and prodigal thereof: by not sparing
a Uttle, he wasteth aU his time to no purpose; by
so eagerly pursuing, he effectuaUy setteth back his
designs; by preposterously affecting to despatch
his affairs, he rendereth them endless, or which is
the same, altogether unprofitable.
In fine, we may be sure that no time is spent
even so prudently and pohticly, with so great
advantage and so real fruit to ourselves, as that
which is employed upon devotion. In sacrificing
his time, his pains, his substance, any thing he

The Duty of Prayer. 335
hath or can do, to God's service, no man can be a serm.
loser.  '- —
We have also many examples plainly demon
strating the consistency of this practice with aU
other business. Who ever had more or greater
affairs to manage, and who ever managed them
with greater success, than David ; upon whom did
Ue the burden of a royal estate, and the care over
a most populous nation ; the which He fed with a p^- ixxvui.
faithful and true heart, and ruled prudently with
all his power; who waged great wars, vanquished
mighty enemies, achieved many glorious exploits,
underwent many grievous troubles? Yet could
not such engagements distract or depress his mind
from a constant attendance on devotion. I will Ps- xxxiv.
bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be con- ixxi. 6 ;
tinually in my mouth. My mouth shall shew forth cxiv. 2 ;
thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day. I xxxv. 28 ;
will abide in thy tabernacle for ever. So he de
clareth his resolution and his practice. Who is
more pressingly employed than was Daniel, first
president over so vast a kingdom, chief minister of
state to the greatest monarch on earth ? yet con
stantly Thrice a day did he pray and give thanks Dan. vi.
unto his God. Who can be more entangled in vari
eties and intricacies of care, of pains, of trouble, than
was he that prescribeth unto us this rule of praying
continually ? Upon him did Ue The care of all ^ csor. xi.
the churches; Night and day with labour and toil 'iihess.in.
did he work for the sustenance of his Ufe, that he
might not (to the disparagement of the Gospel)
burden any man; perpetually he was engaged in
aU sorts of labour and travail, ever conflicting with
perils, with wants, with inconveniences numberless :

336 The Duty of Prayer.
SERM. yet did he exactly conform his practice to his rule,
 being no less indefatigable and incessant in his
devotion than he was in his business. "Who ever
managed a greater empire than Constantino ? Yet
Every day, as Eusebius reporteth, at stated times,
shutting himself up, he alone privately did converse
with his God\ The most pious men indeed have
never been idle or careless men, but always most
busy and active, most industrious in their caUings,
most provident for their famUies, most officious
toward their friends, most ready to serve their
country, most abundant in aU good works; yet
have they always been most constant in devotion.
So that experience clearly doth evidence, how
reconcUeable much devotion is to much business;
and that consequently the prosecution of the one
cannot weU paUiate the neglect of the other.
II. No better can any man ward himself
from blame, by imputing the neglect of devotion
to some indisposition within him thereto. For
this is only to cover one fault with another, or to
lay on a patch more ugly than the sore. It is, in
effect, to say we may sin, because we have a mind
to it, or care not to do otherwise. Our hidisposi-
tion itseff is criminal; and, as signifying somewhat
habitual or settled, is worse than a single omission:
it ought therefore to be corrected and cured; and
the way to do it is, by setting presently upon the
practice of the duty, and persisting resolutely
therein : otherwise how is it possible that it should
ever be removed ? The longer we forbear it, the
' Kaipols eKdartjs ijpepas raKTo'is eavrov iyiiXeiav, pdvos pova to)
airw TrpoaapiXei Oea. — Euseb. de Vita Const, iv. 22. [Tom. i.
p. 637.]

The Duty of Prayer. 337
more seldom we perform it, the stronger surely serm.
wiU our indisposition grow, and the more difficult  '—
it wUl be to remove it. But if (with any degree
of seriousness and good intention) we come indis
posed to prayer, we may thereby be formed into
better disposition, and by continual attendance
thereon, we shaU (God's grace cooperating, which
never is wanting to serious and honest intentions)
grow toward a perfect fitness for it: prayer by
degrees vdU become natural and deUghtful to us.

B. S. VOL. I. 22

SERM,

SEEMON X."
OF THE DUTY OF THANKSGIVING.

Ephes. V. 20.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God.

;rm. rpHESE words, although (as the very syntax
 L doth immediately discover) they bear a relation
to, and have a fit coherence with, those that pre
cede, may yet, (especially considering St Paul's
style and manner of expression* in the preceptive
» [St Mary's, Aug. 17, 1662. MS.]

* It is the usual manner of St Paul, (who, out of a
good heart inflamed with devout piety towards God, and
cordial charity to men, is wont to pour forth abundance of
excellent precepts and seasonable admonitions) by a special
artifice so to order his discourses, that those duties, which
have a near afiinity between themselves, springing from the
same root, grounded on the same reason, or tending to the
same end, may not be dissevered from each other by becom
ing the matter of different exhortations ; but coupled rather
and connected together by a common relation to some one
more general or more principal duty, wherein they are in
cluded, or upon which by some causahty or consequence
they depend; which general or principal duties expressing
in the imperative mood, the others he subjoins as accesso
ries to them, and parts of their train by means of participles,
or of adjectives equivalent. I shall not need to spend time
in exemplifying that, which to hira, who with competent

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 339
and exhortative part of his Epistles,) without any serm,
violence or prejudice on either hand, be severed  '—
from the context, and considered distinctly by
themselves. And (to avoid encumbrance by fur
ther comparison) so taking them we may observe,
that every single word among them carries with it
something of notable emphasis and especial signi-
ficancy. The first Giving thanks expresses the sub
stance of a duty, to which we are exhorted. The
next (I mean, in order of construction) to God,
denotes the object or term to which it is directed.
The following always determines the main circum-

attention peruses the original scripture is every where observ
able ; especially in that rich treasury of wholesome advices,
the 12th chapter of the Epistle to the Eomans : where often
what is in the Greek couched in participles and adjectives is
by our translators understood and rendered imperatively;
and what there is introduced in way of relative dependence,
is interpreted as spoken absolutely and distinctly. In such
manner here the particular and consequent duties of praising
and thanking God for his mercies and benefits are annexed
(by this form of syntax) to that original and most compre
hensive duty of being replenished with the Divine Spirit,
from which as all other gracious dispositions, so more espe
cially this of devout gratitude to God, doth immediately result
and is derived. Although therefore as to the form and
manner of speech, these words do not precisely constitute
an entire sentence of themselves, and do manifestly contain
a respect to those, which precede in the next verse save
one, Be filled with the Spirit ; yet considering St PauFs
way of expressing his mind and the nature of the matter it-
itself, (designing to avoid encumbrance in our discourse) we
need not scruple to take them as an absolutely distinct ex
hortation and to pronounce them thus : Give thanks always
for all things unto God. MS.
22—2

340 The Duty of Tlianksgiving.
SERM. stance of this and all other duties, the time of per-
 formance. The last for all things, declares the
adequate matter of the duty, and how far it should
extend. These particulars I shall consider seve-
raUy, and in order.
I. First then, concerning the duty itseff, To
give thanks, or rather, to be thankful ; (for Eir^^api-
(jTelv doth not only signify Gratias agere, reddere,
dicere, to give, render, or declare thanks, but also
Gratias habere, grate affectum esse, to be thankfully
disposed, to entertain a grateful affection, sense, or
memory : in which more comprehensive notion I
mean to consider it, as including the whole duty
or virtue of gratitude due to Almighty God for aU
his benefits, favours, and mercies ;) I say, concern
ing this duty itself, (abstractedly considered,) as
it involves a respect to benefits or good things
received ; so in its employment about them it
imports, requires, or supposes these foUowing parti
culars. I It implies a right apprehension of, and con
sequently a considerate attention unto, benefits
conferred. For he that is either whoUy ignorant
of his obUgations, or mistakes them, or passes them
over with a shght and superficial view, can nowise
Ps.cvii.43. be grateful. Whoso is wise, and will observe these
things, even they shall understand the lovinghind-
Ps. lxiv. 9. ness of the Lord. Men shall fear, and shall declare
the work of God ; for they shall wisely consider qf
Pa.cxi. ^. his doings. The works of the Lord are great,
Ps. xxxiv. sought out of all that have pleasure therein. 0 taste
(first, and then) see that the Lord is good.
This is the method that great master of thanks
giving prescribes ; first experimental notice, then

The Duty of Tlianksgiving. 341
wise consideration, then grateful sense, then public serm.
acknowledgment. And those we find both by him  '. 

and by the prophet Isaias (in the very same words)
reprehended as wickedly ingrateful persons, who
Regarded not the work of the Lord, nor considered p«- ^''¦^i"-
the operation of his hands. 'Tis part therefore ofisai. v. n.
this duty incumbent on us, to take notice of dUi
gently, and carefully to consider, the divine bene
fits ; not to let them pass undiscerned and unre
garded by us, as persons either wofuUy bUnd, or
stupidly drowsy, or totaUy unconcerned.
'Tis a general fault, that the most common and
frequent, the most obvious and conspicuous fa
vours of God, (like the ordinary phenomena of
nature, which, as Aristotle observes, though in
themselves most admirable, are yet least admired,)
the constant rising of the sun upon us, the descent
of fruitfiil showers, the recourse of temperate sea
sons, the continuance of our life, the enjoyment of
health, the providential dispensation of wealth,
and competent means of livelihood, the daily pro
tection from incident dangers, the helps of improv
ing knowledge, obtaining virtue, becoming happy,
and such Uke most excellent benefits, we com
monly little mind or regard, and consequently
seldom return the thanks due for them. Possibly
some rare accidents of providence, some extraor
dinary judgment, some miraculous deliverance, may
rouse and awaken our attention : (as it is said of
the Israelites, When he slew them, then they sought Ps- bcxviu.
him — and remembered that God was their rock,
and the high God their Redeemer :) but such ad
vertency is not the effect so much of gratitude, as
of curiosity or of necessity : the notable rarity

342 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. mvites, or some powerfiil impulse commands our
 notice. But the truly gratefol industriously de
sign, and are studious to know, throughly their
obligations, that they may be able to render an
swerable returns for them.
2 This duty requires a faithfiil retention
of benefits in memory'', and consequently fre
quent reflections upon them. For he that is no
longer affected with a benefit than it incurs the
sense, and suffers not itseff to be disregarded, is
far from being grateful ; nay, if we beheve the
philosopher, is ingrateful in the worst kind and
highest degree. For, Lngratus est, saith he, qui
beneficium accepisse se negat, quodaccepit; ingra-
tus est, qui dissimulat ; ingratus, qui non reddit :
ingratissimus omniu/m, qui oblitus est. He ihat
falsely denies the reception of a benefit, and he ihat
dissembles it, and he ihat doth not repay it, is in
grateful; but most ingrateful of all is he that forgets
it". It is a sign the benefit made no deep impres
sion on his mind, since it left no discernible foot
step there ; that he hardly ever thought of makiag
recompense, since he hath suffered himseff to be
come altogether uncapable of doing it : neither is
there any hope of his amending the past neglect ;
no shame, no repentance, no fair occasion can
redeem him from ingratitude, in whom the very
remembrance of his obhgation is extinguished.
If to be sensible of a present good turn de
served the title of gratitude, aU men certainly
would be gratefiil : the Jews questionless were so.
^ 'Axdpiaros, Sans ev nadav dpvtjpovei.
[Menand. Sentent. sing. 10. Ed. Meineke.]
¦= Sen. de Benef. ni. [1. 2.]

Tlie Duty of Tlianksgiving. 343
When Almighty God, by his wonderfiil power in serm.
extraordinary ways, deUvered them from the ty-  '. 
ranny and oppression of their prevalent enemies ;
when he caused streams to gush forth from the
bowels of a hard rock to refresh thefr thirst ; when
bread descended from heaven in showers, and the
winds were winged with flesh, to satisfy their
greedy desires ; then surely they were not alto
gether unsensible of the divine goodness ; then
could they acknowledge his power, and be forward
enough to engage themselves in promises of corre
spondent observance toward him for the fiiture.
But the mischief was, immediately after, as the
Psalmist complains. They forgot his works, and ihe Ps- ixxviii.
wonders he had shewed them: They remembered
not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them
from the enemy. They refused to obey, neither tyere^eh.ix.iy.
mindful of the wonders that God did among them,
as Nehemiah confesses in their behalf Ofthe rock'^^^h
that begat them they were unmindful, and forgot the
God that formed them, as it is in Deuteronomy.
They distrusted his promises, repined at his deal
ings, disobeyed his laws, and treacherously apo
statised from his covenant. Such were the fruits
of their ingrateful forgetfulness ; which therefore
that people is so often charged with, and so sharply
reproved for by the prophets.
On the contrary, we find that great pattern of
gratitude, the royal prophet David, continuaUy
revolving in his thoughts, imprinting upon his
fancy, studying and meditating upon, recoUecting
and renewing in his memory, the results of divine
favour. / will remember, saith he, thy wonders qf^s. ixxvii.
old ; L ivill meditate of all thy works, and talk of cxim. '5 ;

SERM. X.

344 The Duty of Tlianksgiving.
thy doings: and, / remember the days of old; I
~. — \ — ^^^^ meditate on all thy works ; I muse on the works
xxvi. 3. of thy hands : and. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul,
Ps. ixiii. 5, and forget not all his benefits : and. My mouth shall
praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee
upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night-
watches, because thou hast been my help. No place
unfit, it seems, no time unseasonable for the prac
tice of this duty ; not the place designed for rest,
not the time due to sleep, but, as David thought,
more due to a wakeful contemplation of the divine
goodness. Whose vigilant gratitude we should
strive to imitate, devoting our most sohtary and
retired, our most sad and serious thoughts (not the
studies only of our closet, but the consultations
also of our pUlow) to the preservation of those
blessed ideas ; that neither length of time may
deface them in our fancy, nor other care extrude
them thence.
It was a satirical answer, (that of Aristotle,)
and highly opprobrious to mankind ; who, being
asked, Ti Ta-xicrrov yrjpdffKei ; What doth the soonest
grow old? replied, Xdpis, Thanks^: and so was
that adagial verse, ''A/u' ^XerjTai Kal reOvriKev n x"/"'^-
No sooner the courtesy born, than the resentment
thereof dead^. Such reproachfiU aphorisms we
should labour to confute, especiaUy as they are
applicable to the divine favours, by so maintaining
and cherishing our thanks for them, that they nei
ther decay with age, nor prematurely die, nor be
buried in obUvion ; but may resemble the pictures
"* {^EpaTTjBels rl yqpdaKei raxv, Xdpis, ecjrrj. — Diog. Laert. (Vit.
Arist.) V. 1. 11.]
^ [Menand. Epig. p. 299. Ed. Meineke.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 345
and poetical descriptions of the Graces, those serm.
goodly daughters of heaven, smiUng always with a ' 
never-fading serenity of countenance, and flourish
ing in an immortal youth.
The middle, we may observe,, and the safest,
and the fairest, and the most conspicuous places in
cities are usuaUy deputed for the erections of sta
tues and monuments dedicated to the memory of
worthy men, who have nobly deserved of their
countries. In Uke manner should we in the heart
and centre of our soul, in the best and highest
apartments thereof, in the places most exposed to
ordinary observation, and most secure from the
invasions of worldly care, erect lively representa
tions of, and lasting memorials unto, the divine
bounty ; constantly attending to which we may be
disposed to gratitude. Not one blessing, not the
least favourable passage of providence ought to
perish with us, though long since passed, and
removed out of the sphere of present sense.
We must not in our old age forget who formed Ps. ixxi. 6.
us in the womb, who brought us into the Ught, who
suckled our infancy, who educated our childhood,
who governed our youth, who conducted our man
hood through the manifold hazards, troubles, and
disasters of life. Nor in our prosperity, our afflu
ence of good things, our possession of Canaan, Deut. yi.
should we be unmindful of him who relieved us in
our straits, who supphed our wants, sustained our
adversity, who redeemed us from Egypt, and led
us through the wUdemess. A succession of new
and fresh benefits should not (as among some
savages, the manner is for the young to make away

12; vm. II.

346 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. the old) supplant and expunge ancient ones, but
 make them rather more dear and venerable to us.
Time should not weaken or diminish, but rather
confirm and radicate in us the remembrance of
God's goodness ; to render it, as it doth gold and
wine, more precious and more strong. We have
usuaUy a memory more than enough tenacious of
injuries and UI turns done to us : let it never be
said, to the disgrace of that noble faculty, that we
can hardly forget the discourtesies of man, but not
easUy remember the favours of God. But fur
ther, 3 This duty imphes a due esteem and valua
tion of benefits; that the nature and quality, the
measure and quantity, the circumstances and con
sequences of them be weU expended ; else the gra
titude is hke to be none, or very defective. For
we commensurate our thankfulness, not so much
to the intrinsic exceUency of things, as to our
pecuhar estimations of them. A cynic perhaps
would not return more thanks for a diamond than
for a pebble ; nor more gratefully receive a talent
of gold than an ounce of copper; because he equally
values, or rather alike contemns both.
Wherefore we find (our never-to-be-forgotten)
example, the devout thanksgiver, David, conti
nuaUy declaring the great price he set upon the
divine favours; admiring and displaying their
transcendent perfections, their wonderful greatness,
thefr boundless extension, thefr excessive multitude,
thefr endless duration, their advantageous circum
stances, (the exceUent needfulness, convenience, and
seasonableness of them; together with the admi-

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 347
rable freeness, wisdom, and power of the Bene- serm.
factor, shining forth in and by them.) L will  '- —
praise thee, O Lord, saith he, among the people, L ^^- '^¦""- ^'
will sing unto thee among the nations: for thy mercy
is great unto the heavens, and thy faithfulness reach
eth unto the clouds. And, Remember the marvellous Fs.cv. 5, 7.
works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judg
ments of his mouth. He is the Lord our God, his
judgments are in all the earth. And again, Thy Ps- xxxvi.
mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, thy faithfulness
reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like
the great mountains; thy judgments are a great
deep : 0 Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! and, Ps.cxxxix.
How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O Lord!
0 how great is the sum of them! If I should count
them, they are more in number than the sand. And
again, His work is honourable and glorious, his Ps- cxi. 3.
righteousness endureth for ever : and, The Lord is Ps. cxiv. 9.
good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his
works: and. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth Ps. ixviii.
us with his benefits.
In such manner ought we dUigently to survey
and judiciously to estimate the effects of divine
beneficence, examining every part, and descanting
upon every cfrcumstance thereof: like those that
contemplate some rare beauty, or some exceUent
picture; some commending the exact proportions,
some the graceful features, some the Uvely colours
discernible therein. There is not the least of the
divine favours, which, if we consider the conde
scensive tenderness, the clear intention, the unde
served frankness, the cheerful debonairity expressed
therein, hath not dimensions larger than our com-

348 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
»
serm. prehension, colours too fair, and Uneaments too
—  comely for our weak sight thoroughly to discern;
requiring therefore our highest esteem and our
utmost thanks.
'Tis perhaps somewhat dangerous to affix a
determinate value upon any of God's benefits : (for
to value them seems to undervalue them, they
being reaUy inestimable:) what then is it to ex
tenuate, to vUify, to despise the greatest? We
should esteem them, as we measure the heavens
with our eye, as we compute the sands upon the
shore, as we would prize inexhaustible mines of
gold, and treasures of pearl; that is, by confessing
heartUy their worth surpasses the strength of our
imaghiation to conceive, and of our speech to utter ;
that they are immense, innumerable, unconceivable,
and unexpressible. But stUl,
4 Giving thanks imports, that benefits he
received with a wUUng mind, a hearty sense, a
vehement affection. The forementioned particulars
are indeed necessary properties, inseparable con
comitants, or prerequisite conditions to : but a
cheerful and cordial acceptance of benefits is the
form, as it were, and soul, the life and spirit, the
principal and most essential ingredient of this
duty. It was not altogether unreasonable, though it
went for a paradox, that dictate of the Stoics, that
Suffcit animus animo, and, that Qui libenter acci-
pit beneficium, reddidit^: that he, who with a wUl
ing and weU-affected mind receives a courtesy,
hath fully discharged the duty of gratitude ; that
other endeavours of return and compensation are
' [Sen. de Ben. ii. 31.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 349
rather handsome accessions to it, than indispensably serm.
requisite to the completion thereof For as in the  '- —
coUation, it is not the gold or the sUver, the food
or the apparel, in which the benefit consists, but
the vrill and benevolent intention of him that be
stows them ; so reciprocaUy it is the good accept
ance, the sensibleness of, and acquiescence in the
benefactor's goodness, that constitutes the grati
tude ; which who affords, though he be never
capable of yielding other satisfaction, Voluntate
voluntati satisfecit ; and, Regum cequabat opes
animis^  . It is ingenuity that constitutes
(respectively) both a bountiful giver and a thankful
receiver. A truly noble benefactor purely aimeth
at, not any material reward or advantage to him
self ; (it were trading this, not beneficence ;) but
the good, profit, and content of him, to whom he
dispenseth his favour : of which being assured, he
rests satisfied, and accounts himself royally recom
pensed ^
Such a benefactor is Almighty God, and such
a tribute he requires of us ; a ready embracement
of, and a joyful complacency in his kindness ; even
such as he expressed, who said. Because thy loving- p^- ixiii- 3 ;
kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee: ixxi. 22';
ixiii. s;
ix. I, 2.
8 [Virg. Georg. iv. 132.]
^ Quoties quod proposuit quis consequitur, capit operis sui
fruotum. Qui beneficium dat, quid proponit ? prodesse ei cui dat,
et voluptati sibi esse. Si quod voluit, efiiecit, pervenitque ad me
munus ejus, ac mutuo gaudio affecit, tiilit quod petiit. Non enim
sibi invicem aliquid reddi voluit; aut non fuit beneficium sed
negotiatio . . . Habet quod voluit, si bene acceptum est. Sed spe-
ravit emolumentum aliquod : non fuit hoc beneficium, cujus pro
prium est, nihil de reditu cogitare. — Senec. [De Benef. ii. 31.]
Nee est dubium, quin is, qui liberalis benignusve dicitur, officium,.
non fructum, sequatur. — Cic. de Leg. i. [18. 48.]

350 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. and. My soul shall be filled as with marrow and
 fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful
lips : and, / will praise thee with my whole heart ;
Ps. ciii. I. / ,j^iii Iq gif^ ^^^ rejoice in thee : and, Bless the
Lord, 0 my soul ; and all that is within me, praise
his holy name.
No holocaust is so acceptable to God, as a
heart inflamed with a sense of his goodness. He
2Cor.ix. loyes not only 'iXapov S6t,]v, {A merry giver), but
IXapov leKTYjv {A cheerful receiver) also. He would
have us, as to desire his favour with a greedy
appetite, so to taste it with a savoury rehsh. He

Acts 17-

XIV.

designs not only to fiU our mouths with food, but
our hearts also with gladness.
We must not seem to grudge or repine, to
murmur or disdam, that we are necessitated to be
beholden to him ; lest it happen to us as it did to
Ps. Ixxviu. them of whom it is said, While ihe meat was net
in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them,
and slew the fattest of them. Yea, 'tis our duty
not to be contented only, but to be delighted, to
be transported, to be ravished with the emanations
of his love : to entertain them with such a dispo
sition of mind, as the dry and parched ground
imbibes the soft dew and gentle showers ; as the
chUl and darksome air admits the benign influences
of heavenly Ught ; as the thirsty soul takes in the
sweet and coohng stream. He that with a suUen
look, a dead heart, a faint sense, a cold hand, em
braces the gifts of heaven, is reaUy unthankfiil,
though with deluges of wine and oU he makes the
altars to overflow, and clouds the sky with the
steam of his sacrifices. But yet further,
5 This duty requires due acknowledgment of

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 351
our obligation, significations of our notice, declara- serm.
tions of our esteem and good acceptance of favours  '. 
conferred. It is the worst and most detestable of
ingratitudes, that which proceeds from pride and
scorn : and such is he guilty of, who is either
unwiUing or ashamed to confess himself obUged ;
who purposely dissembles a benefit, or disavows
the benefactor ; who refuses to render those most
manifestly due, and most easily discharged, those
neither toilsome nor expensive oblations of praise
and acknowledgment'. This part of our duty
requires, that we offer to God, not costly hecatombs,
but The calves only of our lips; (as the prophet Hos. xiv.2.
Hosea speaks ;) not the fruit of our lands, but
KapTTov j^eiXe'ft)!/ only, (as the apostle to the Hebrews
styles it,) The fruit of our lips, confessing to his ^^^- ^'"•
name; that we employ some few blasts of the
breath he gave us on the celebration of his good
ness, and advancement of his repute. / will praise p^- i^ix.
the name of God with a song, and will magnify him
with thanksgiving. This shall please the Lord better
than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs,.
saith David.
And surely it is the least homage we in grati
tude owe and can pay to Almighty God, to avow
our dependence upon and obligation to him for the
good things we enjoy, to acknowledge that his
favours do deserve thanks, to publish to the world
our experience of his goodness, to proclaim solemnly
with the voice of thanksgiving his most deserved
' Oibe yap ^apv Ti Kal iiraxOes im^rjTei nap' Jjpav, dXX' rj rb
opoXoyelv povov ras Toaavras evepyeaias, Kal ras virep rovrav aira
evxapianas dva^epeiv.— Chrys. [in Gen. Orat. ix. Opp. Tom. i.
p. 54.]

352 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. praise; resembling him who abounds in such ex-
 pressions as these : I will sing of the mercies of ihe
I ¦ ^' Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known
Ps.xxvi. 7. his faithfulness to all generations. I will publish
with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all his
Ps. cxiv. 5. wondrous works. I will speak of the glorious honour
Ps. xl. 10. of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. I have
not hid thy righteousness in my heart, lhave declared
thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not con
cealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from ihe
great congregation^.
Thus if a grateful affection hve in our hearts, it
wUl respire through our mouths, and discover itself
in the motion of our hps. There wiU be a conspi
racy and faithfiil correspondence between our mind
and our tongue : if the one be sensible, the other
wiU not be silent; as if the spring works, the wheels
wUl turn about, and the beU not faU to speak.
Neither shall we content ourselves in lonesome
tunes, and private sohloquies, to whisper out the
divine praises; but shall loudly excite and provoke
others to a melodious consonance with us. We shall,
with the sweet singer of Israel, cite and invoke
heaven and earth; the celestial chofr of angels; the
several estates and generations of men, the num
berless company of aU the creatures, to assist and
join in concert with us, in celebrating the worthy
deeds, and magnifying the glorious name of our
most mighty Creator, of our most bountifiil Be
nefactor. Gratitude is of a fruitful and diffusive nature, of
a free and communicative disposition, of an open
^ Vid. Ps. Ixvi. 6: 'O come hither, and behold the works of
God,' &c.

The Duty qf Thanksgiving. 353
and sociable temper: it wiU be imparting, discover- serm.
ing, and propagating itself: it affects Ught, company,  '. —
and Uberty ; it cannot endure to be smothered in
privacy and obscurity. Its best instrument there
fore is speech, that most natural, proper, and easy
mean of conversation, of signifying our conceptions,
of conveying, and as it were transfunding our
thoughts and our passions into each other'. This
therefore glory of ours, and best organ that we Ps. ivu. 8.
have, (as the Psalmist seems to caU it,) our tongue,
we should in aU reason devote to the honour, and
consecrate to the praise of him who made it, and
who conserves it stiU in tune.
And, the fiirther to provoke us, we may con
sider, that it hath been the manner prompted by
nature, and authorized by general practice, for men
of all nations, and aU times, and aU ways, by com
posed hymns and panegyrical elegies, to express
thefr gratitude for the gifts of nature, and for the
benefits indulged by Providence; in their pubhc
sacrifices and solemn festivities extolling the excel
lent qualities of thefr imaginary deities, and reciting
the famous achievements of their heroes and sup
posed benefactors : to whose favourable help and
blessing, in their conceit, they owed the fruits of
the earth, the comforts of Ufe, the defence and pa
tronage of thefr countries : being indeed mistaken
in the object, but not transgressing in the substance
of the duty ; paying a due debt, though to false
creditors. And I wish we were as ready to imitate
them in the one, as we are, perhaps, prone to blame
' ^UX"? y"P' "'/»'"> ^^\Vi '="' nvevpa Tvvevpan avvairrdpeva, Kara
TTjv TOV Xoyov aTTopav, &c. — Clem. Alex. Strom, i. [Opp. Tom. i.
p. 317.] B. S. VOL. I. 23

354 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. them for the other. For, certainly, acknowledg-
 ments of the divine goodness, and solemn testifica
tions of our thankful sense thereof, (whatever the
abused world may now imagine,) was always, is
now, and ever wiU be the principal and most noble
part of aU reUgion immediately addressed to God.
But moreover,,
I Sam. xu. 6 This duty requires endeavours of real com-
'^^' pensation, and a satisfactory requital of benefits,
according to the abUity and opportunity of the re
ceiver : that we do not only verbaUy Dicere, and
Agnoscere; but really ^g^ere, a,nd Referre gratias: that
to him, who hath by his beneficence obliged us, we
minister reciprocal assistance, comfort, and rehef, if
he need them, and be capable to receive them : how
ever, by evident testimonies to discover our ready
disposition to make such real returns ; and withal,
to suit our actions to his good Uking, and in our
carriage to comply vdth his reasonable desires. For,
Heb. vi. 7, As the earth which drinkeih the rain often coming
upon it, and, having been by great labour tOled
and manured with expense, yieldeth yet no meet
herbage 'Qoravriv evdeTov, or fruit agreeable to the
expectation of him that dresseth it, but is either
whoUy barren, or produceth only thorns and briers,
is (as the apostle to the Hebrews teUs us) to he
reprobated, and nigh unto cursing; that is, deserves
no further care or culture to be employed on it,
and is to be reputed desperately worthless : so is he,
(that we may apply an apodosis to the apostle's
comparison,) who, daily partaking the influences of
divine providence and bounty, affords no answer
able return, to be accounted execrably unthankful,

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 355
and unworthy of any further favour to be shewed serm.
toward him.  '. 

'Tis true, our Righteousness (or beneficence, so ps. xvi. i.
the word there signifies) doth not extend unto God:
his benefits exceed aU possibUity of any proportion
able requital : he doth not need, nor can ever imme
diately receive any advantage from us : we cannot
enrich him with our gifts, who by unquestionable
right, and in unalterable possession, is Lord and
Master of aU things that do actuaUy or can possibly
exist; nor advance him by our weak commenda
tions, who afready enjoyeth the supreme pitch of
glory ; nor any way contribute to his in itself com
plete and indefectible beatitude. Yet we may by
apposite significations declare our wUlingness to
serve and exalt him : we may by our obsequious
demeanour highly please and content him : we may,
by our charity and benignity to those whose good
he tenders, yield (though not an adequate, yet) an
acceptable return to his benefits. What shall I Ps- cxvi.
render unto the Lord for all his benefits? saith
David, in way of counsel and deliberation: and
thereupon resolves, / will take the cup of salvation, Ver.13,14.
and call upon the name ofthe Lord: I will pay my
vows unto the Lord. Seasonable benedictions, offi
cious addresses, and faithful performances of vows,
he intimates to bear some shadow at least, some
resemblance of compensation. And so did his wise
son likewise, when he thus advised. Honour theFroy.m.^.
Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of
thy increase.
Almighty God, though he really doth, and can
not otherwise do, yet wUl not seem to bestow his
favours altogether gratis, but to expect some com-
23—2

356 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. petent return, some smaU use and income from
 them. He wiU assert his rightful title, and be ac
knowledged the chief proprietary, by signal expres
sions of our fealty, and the payment of some, though
inconsiderable, quit-rent, for our possessions derived
from him : he wiU rather himself be seemingly in
digent, than permit us to be reaUy ingrateful. For
knowing weU, that our performance of duty and
respect toward him greatly conduceth to our com
fort and happiness"*, he requireth of us such demon
strations of them, as we conveniently are able to
exhibit; he appoints services expressive of thank-
fidness, exacts tributes and customs, demands loans
and benevolences, encourages and accepts free-will
Exod. offerings from us. Thou shalt not appear empty
before the Lord, was a statute to the Jews, quahfied
and moderated by certain measures : the first-fruits
of their lands, the first-born of their cattle and of
themselves, the tenths of their annual increase, and
a certain aUotment from the spoUs acqufred in wars,
did God chaUenge to himself, as fitting recompenses
due for his bounty to and care over them.
Neither did the Gentiles conceive themselves
exempted from the like obUgation. For the 'AKpoOi-
via, the top or chief of their corn-heaps, they were
wont to consecrate unto him who had blessed theh
fields with increase; and the AKpoXeia, the first and
best of the prey, they dedicated to the adornment of
his temple by whose favourable disposal they had
obtained the victory. Neither would they sooner
begin their meal, and partake of thefr necessary
" 'AKifpaTor yap airov jj oiaia Kal dvevberjs ovaa, oibevbs erepov
irpoabe'irai' ol be alvovvres airbv, airol Xapnporepoi yivovrat. — Chrys.
in Ps. CXLIV. [Opp. Tom. i. p. 885.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 357
refreshment, than, by pouring forth their gratula- serm.
tory Ubation, they had performed some homage to  '- 
heaven for it. oibe ns erXrj
Xlpiv nieeiv, Ttplv Xe'v^ai vireppevei Kpoviavi",
was the custom, it seems, in Homer's time. I shall
not insist upon their AvadtjixaTa, their anniversary
or their casual sacrifices ; but only observe, (what,
if seasonable, might by many sufficient testimonies
be evinced,) that those men (at least the most in
teUigent of them) were not so senseless as to ima
gine, that the gods, to whom they performed those
services, and devoted those oblations, did any wise
need, or were traly benefited by them"; but that
they esteemed it a comely thing, by the most sig
nificant means they could invent, to declare their
grateful sense of the divine goodness and indul
gence toward them.
And though we are, perhaps, disobhged now
from the circumstantial manner, yet are we no wise
freed from (but rather more strongly engaged to)
the substantial performance of this sort of gratitude.
We are to offer stUl, not dead buUs and goats, but, as
St Paul saith, Our own bodies, living sacrifices, holy Rom.xU.i.
and acceptable to God. We are excused from mate
rial, but are yet bound to yield Uvevfuai-iKas Oucria?,
Spiritual sacrifices unto God, as St Peter teUs us. i Pet. li. 5.
We must bum incense stiU, that of fervent devo
tion ; and send up continually to heaven Qvaiav
aive<T£u]<!, that Thank-offering of praise, which the Heb. xiU.
apostle to the Hebrews mentions. We must con- '^'
° Horn. n. [vn. 480.]
° oi yap, oipai, toiovtov ian rb t£j' 6eav, aare vnb bdpcov irapd-
yeaOai olov kokov roKiarrjv &C. — Plat. Alcib. II. [149 E.]

358 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. secrate the first-bom of our souls, (pure and holy
.  thoughts,) and the first-fruits of our strength, (our
most active endeavours,) to God's service. We
must slay our impure desfres, mortify our corrupt
affections, and abandon our selfish respects for his
sake. We must give him our hearts, and present
our wUls entfrely to his disposal. We must vow
to him, and pay the daUy oblation of sincere obe
dience'. We must officiously attend his pleasure,
and labour to content hiTn by an innocent and
unblemished conversation. With these things Al
mighty God is effectuaUy gratified; he approves of
and accepts these, as real testimonies of our thank-
fidness, and competent returns of his benefits.
EspeciaUy our charity and beneficence, our ex
hibiting love and respect to good men, (his faithful
servants and near relations,) our affording help and
succour to persons in need and distress, he accounts
a suitable retaUation of his kindness, acknowledges
to be an obUgation laid upon himseff, and hath by
settled rules and indispensable promises obhged
Prov. xix. himseff to requite them. For, He that hath pity
^''' on the poor, lendeth unto the Lord; and that which
Heb.vi.io. lie liaih given, he will pay him again: and, God is
not unrighteous, to foiyet your work and labour of
love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that
ye have ministen^ed to the saints, and do minister:
Heb. xiii. and. To do good and to communicate, forget not;
Phil. iv. 1 7,^0 r with such sacrifices God is well pleased: and, /
'^- desire fmit, saith St Paul to the PhUippians, thA
may abound to your account. But L have all, and
abound; L am full, having received of Epaphrodi-
P Mia dpoi^fj KvpiaTOTTj Trapa avSpajrav, ravra bpav anep apeara
T<S Oea. — Clem. Alex. Strom, vil. [Opp. Tom. ii. p. 840.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 359
tus the things which were sent from you, an odour of serm,

a siveet smell, a sacrifice acceptcdyle, well pleasing to  '- —
God. And, Inasmuch as ye have done it to (that Matt. xxv.
is, fed, and clothed, and comforted) the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me, saith our
Saviour; manifestly declaring, that the good we
do, and the respect we shew unto good and needy
men, God reckons it done unto himseff.
And this point I shaU conclude with the say
ings of the wise Hebrew phUosopher Ben-Sirach:
He that keepeth the law, bringeth offerings enough: Eccius..
He that taketh heed to the commandment, offereth 3.
a peace-offering. He that requiteth a good turn,
offereth fine flour: and he that giveth alms, sacri-
flceth praise. To depart from wickedness is a
thing pleasing to the Lord: and to forsake un
righteousness is a propitiation. To these I shaU
only add this one particular;
7 That true gratitude for benefits is always
attended with the esteem, veneration, and love of
the benefactor. Beneficence is a royal and godlike
thing, an argument of eminent goodness and power
conspiring; and necessarily therefore, as in them
that perceive and duly consider it, it begets respect
and reverence ; so pecuUarly in those that feel its
benign influence, it produces love and affection:
Uke the heavenly Ught, which to aU that behold it
appears glorious ; but more powerfuUy warms those
that are dfrectly subject to its rays, and is by them
more vigorously reflected.
And as to those that are immediately concerned
therein, it imports more particular regard and good-
wUl ; so, if they be duly sensible thereof, it engages
them in mutual correspondence to an extraordinary

Luke
47-

vu.

360 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. esteem and benevolence: such as David upon this
 account professes to have been in himself toward
^,'4^'"''' ^^^> ^^^ frequently excites others to. I will love
thee, 0 Lord, my strength. I will call upon the
Lord, who is worthy to be praised. Tlie Lord liveth,
and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my
Ps. cxvi. I. salvation be exalted. L love the Lord, because he
hath hea,rd my voice and my supplications. And,
(in the gospel,) Because her sins, being many, were
forgiven, therefore she loved much. So true it is,
that sense of favour indulged is naturaUy productive
of love**. Thus have I plainly and simply presented you
with what my meditations suggested concerning
the nature and substance of this duty, with the
several branches sprouting from the main stock
thereof: I proceed now to that which wUl exceed
ingly enlarge the worth, and engage to the per
formance thereof.
II. The object and term to which it is to be
directed; we are to give thanks to God. To God, I
say; that is, to him, unto whom we are obhged,
not for some smaU and inconsiderable trifles, but
for the most weighty and valuable benefits : from
whom we receive, not 'few or some, but all good
things; whatever is necessary for our sustenance,
convenient for our use, pleasant for our enjoyment;
not only those that come immediately from his
hand, but what we obtain from others, who from
him receive both the wiU and the power, the means
and the opportunities of doing us good : to whom
we owe, not only what we ever did or do at present
1 Xdpis X^P^'' y"P ^<mv tj TiKTOva' del. Soph. [Ajax. 622.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 861
possess, or can hereafter hope for of good; but that serm.
we were, are, or shaU.ever be in capacity to receive  '. 
any : to the author, upholder, and preserver of our
being; without whose goodness we had never been,
and without whose care we cannot subsist one
moment. To him, who is the Lord and true owner of aU
things we partake of; whose air we breathe, whose
ground we tread on, whose food sustains us ; whose
wholly we are ourselves, both the bodies we carry
about us, (which is the work of his hands,) and the
soul we think with, which was breathed from his
mouth. To him, who hath created a whole world to
serve us, a spacious, a beautiful, a stately world
for .us to inhabit and to disport in; who hath sub
jected so fair a territory to our dominion, and con
signed to our use so numerous a progeny of goodly
creatures, to be managed, to be governed, to be
enjoyed by us.
So that wherever we direct our eyes, whether
we reflect them inward upon ourselves, we behold
his goodness to occupy and penetrate the very root
and centre of our beings ; or extend them abroad
toward the things about us, we may perceive our
selves inclosed whoUy and surrounded vdth his
benefits. At home we find a comely body framed
by his curious artifice, various organs fitly propor
tioned, situated, and tempered for strength, orna
ment, and motion, actuated by a gentle heat, and
invigorated with Uvely spirits, disposed to health,
and quaUfied for a long endurance ; subservient to
a soul endued with divers senses, faculties, and
powers, apt to inquire after, pursue, and perceive

362 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. various deUghts and contents. To the satisfaction
 '- — of which aU extrinsical things do minister matter
and help ; by his kind disposal, who furnishes our
palates with variety of deUcious fare, entertains
our eyes with pleasant spectacles, ravishes our ears
vrith harmonious sounds, perfumes our nostrils with
fragrant odours, cheers our spirits with comfortable
gales, fiUs our hearts with food and gladness, sup
plies our manifold needs, and protects us from
innumerable dangers.
To him, who hath inspired us with immortal
minds, and impressed upon them perspicuous cha
racters of his own divine essence; hath made us,
not in some superficial hneaments, but in our most
intimate constitution, to resemble himselJ^ and to
partake of his most exceUent perfections ; an exten
sive knowledge of truth, a vehement complacency
in good, a forward capacity of being completely
happy, (according to our degree and within our
sphere). To which blessed end by aU suitable
means (of external ministry and interior assistance)
he faithfuUy conducts us ; revealing to us the way,
urging us in our process, reclaiming us when we
deviate; engaging us by his commands, sohciting
us by gentle advices, encouraging us by gracious
promises ; instructing us by his holy word, and ad
monishing us by his loving Spirit.
To him, who vouchsafes to grant us a free ac
cess unto, a constant intercourse and a famUiar
acquaintance with himself; to esteem and style us
his friends and chUdren ; to invite us frequently,
and entertain us kindly with those most pleasant
dehcacies of spiritual repast ; yea, to visit us often
at our home, and (if we admit) to abide and dwell

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 363
with us ; indulging us the enjoyment of that pre- serm.
sence, wherein the life of aU joy and comfort con-  '¦ —
sists, and to behold the Ught of his all-cheering
countenance. Is there any thing more ? Yes : To him, who,
to redeem us from misery, and to advance our
estate, hath infinitely debased himself, and eclipsed
the brightness of his glorious majesty ; not disdain
ing to assume us into a near affinity, yea, into a
perfect union with himself ; to inhabit our fraU and
mortal nature, to undergo the laws and conditions
of humanity, to appear in our shape, and converse,
as it were, upon equal terms with us, and at last
to taste the bitter cup of a most painful and dis-
gracefid death for us.
Yea, to him, who not only descended from his
imperial throne, became a subject, and (which is
more) a servant for our sake ; but designed there
by to exalt us to a participation of his royal dig
nity, his divine nature, his eternal glory and bliss ;
submitting crowns and sceptres to our choice ;
crowns that cannot fade, and sceptres that can
never be extorted from us.
Further yet. To him, the exceUent quality,
the noble end, the most obliging manner of whose
beneficence doth surpass the matter thereof, and
hugely augment the benefits ; who, not compeUed
by any necessity, not obUged by any law, (or pre
vious compact,) not induced by any extrinsic argu
ments, not inclined by our merits, not wearied with
our importunities, not instigated by troublesome
passions of pity, shame, or fear, (as we are wont
to be,) not flattered vrith promises of recompense,
nor bribed with expectation of emolument, thence

364 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. to accrue unto himseff; but being absolute master
 of his own actions, only both lawgiver and coun-
seUor to himself, aU-sufficient, and incapable of
admitting any accession to his perfect bUssfiilness ;
most wilUngly and freely, out of pure bounty and
good-wUl, is our Friend and Benefactor ; prevent
ing not only our desires, but our knowledge ; sur
passing not our deserts only, but our wishes, yea,
even our conceits, in the dispensation of his in
estimable and unrequitable benefits ; having no
other drift in the collation of them, beside our real
good and welfare, our profit and advantage, our
pleasure and content.
To him, who not lately began, or suddenly wiU
cease, that is either uncertain or mutable in his
intentions, but from everlasting designed, con
tinues daUy, and wUl (if we suffer him) to aU eter
nity persevere unmoveable in his resolutions to do
us good. To him, whom no ingratitude, no undutiftd
carriage, no rebeUious disobedience of ours, could
for one minute whoUy remove, or divert from his
steady purpose of caring for us : who regards us,
though we do not attend to him; procures our
weffare, though we neglect his concernments ; em
ploys his restless thought, extends his watchM
eye, exerts his powerfiil arm, is always mindfiU,
and always busy to do us good ; watching over us
when we sleep, and remembering us when we for
get ourselves : in whom yet 'tis infinite condescen
sion to think of us, who are placed so far beneath
his thoughts ; to value us, who are but dust and
dirt ; not to despise and hate us, who are really so
Ps. cxiii. despicable and unworthy. For Though he dwelleth

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 365
on high, saith the Psalmist truly and emphaticaUy, serm.
he humbleih himself to behold the things that are "
done in heaven and earth.
To him, that is as merciful and gracious, as
liberal and munificent toward us ; that not only
bestows on us more gifts, but pardons us more
debts, forgives us more sins, than we live minutes ;
that with infinite patience endures, not only our
manifold infirmities and imperfections, but our
petulant foUies, our obstinate perversenesses, our
treacherous infidehties ; overlooks our careless neg
lects and our wilful miscarriages ; puts up the
exceedingly many outrageous affronts, injuries, and
contumelies continually offered to his supreme
IMajesty by us base worms, whom he hath always
under his feet, and can crush to nothing at his
pleasure. To him yet, who, as St James saith, Giveth j&mes i. s-
freely, and upbraideth no man ; who caUs us nei
ther very frequently nor over strictly to accounts ;
who exacts of us no impossible, no very difficult,
no greatly-burdensome or costly returns ; being
satisfied with the cheerful acceptance of his favours,
the hearty acknowledgments of his goodness, the
sincere performance of such duties, to which our own
welfare, comfort, and advantage (rightly appre
hended) would otherwise abundantly dispose us.
To him, lastly, whose benefits to acknowledge is
the greatest benefit of aU ; to be enabled to thank
whom deserves our greatest thanks ; to be sensible
of whose beneficence, to meditate on whose goodness,
to admfre whose excellency, to celebrate whose praise,
is heaven itself and paradise, the Ufe of angels, the
quintessence of joy, the supreme degree of felicity.

Ps. cvi. 2.

366 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. In a word, To him, whose benefits are im
mensely great, innumerably many, unexpressibly
good and precious. For, Who can utter the mighty
acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his
praise ? said he, who had employed often his most
active thoughts and his utmost endeavours there
upon, and was incomparably better able to do it.
To this God, to this great, to this only Bene
factor of ours, we owe this most natural and easy,
this most just and equal, this most sweet and plea
sant duty of giving thanks. To whom if we wil-
fuUy refiise, if we carelessly neglect to pay it, I
shall only say thus much, that we are not only
monstrously ingrateful, and horribly wicked; but
abominably foolish, and deplorably miserable. I
shaU repeat this sentence once again, and wish it
may have its due effect upon us : To this great, to
this only Patron and Benefactor of ours, if we do
not in some measure discharge our due debt of
gratitude for his inestimable benefits and mercies,
we are to be adjudged not oiUy most prodigiously
unthankful, most detestably impious, but most
wofuUy stupid also and senseless, most desperately
wretched and unhappy.
I should now proceed to consider the cfrcum
stance of time determined in the word Always;
and the extension of the matter, implied in those
words. For all things: and then to subjoin some
further inducements or arguments persuasive to
the practice of this duty. But the time (and, I
fear, your patience) faUing, I shaU reserve them to
some other opportunity.

SERMON XI.''
OF THE DUTY OF THANKSGIVING.

H

Ephes. V. 20.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God.
AVING formerly, in this place, discoursed serm.
upon these words, I observed in them four  '- —

particulars considerable : i The substance of a
^ This sermon, preached at St Mary's, July 19, 1663,
seems also to have been preached at Gray's Inn, Jan. 10,
1 664, with the following introduction.
These words (to omit all matter of needless preface and
circumstance) contain three things observable : 1 The sub
stance of a duty to which we are exhorted. Giving of thanks
unto God. 2 The circumstance of time assigned to the perform
ance of that duty, Always. 3 The extent of the matter about
which the duty is to be employed, For all things. The duty,
Giving thanJcs, includes, or implies these things : I A dili
gent attention unto or considerate observation of the Divine
I)enefits. 2 A faithful retention of these benefits in our
memory, and frequent reflection upon them. 3 A due
esteem and valuation of them. 4 A willing, hearty, and
affectionate acceptance and entertainment of them. 5 Fit
significations of our notice, declarations of our esteem and
acknowledgments of our obligations for the favours received.
6 Competent endeavours of requital and compensation for
them. 7 Exhibiting love, respect, and veneration to God
our benefactor. These particulars I have largely insisted
upon otherwhere in this city; and now proceed to the
second particular; which is the circumstance, &c. MS.

368 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. duty, to which we are exhorted, to Give thanks;
 2 The term unto which it is directed. To God ;
3 The circumstance of time determined in that
word Always; 4 The extent of the matter about
which the duty is employed. For all things. Con
cerning the two former particulars, wherein the
duty consisted, and wherefore especiaUy related
unto God, I then represented what did occur to
my meditation.
III. I proceed now to the thfrd, the circum
stance of time aUotted to the performance of this
duty, expressed by that universal and unhmited
term. Always.
Which yet is not so to be understood, as if
thereby we were obliged in every instant (or sin
gular point of time) actuaUy to remember, to con
sider, to be affected with, and to acknowledge the
divine benefits : for the dehberate operations of our
minds being sometimes whoUy interrupted by
sleep, otherwhUe preoccupied by the indispensable
care of serving our natural necessities, and with
attendance upon other reasonable employments, it
were impossible to comply with an obligation to
the performance of this duty so interpreted. And
those maxims of law, Impossibilium nulla est ohli-
gatio, and, Quce rerum natura prohibentur, nulla
lege conflrmata sunt, (that is. No law or precept
can oblige to impossibilities,) being evidently
grounded upon natural equity, seem yet more vahd
in relation to his laws, who is the Judge of aU the
world, and in his dispensations most transcend
ently just and equal.
We may therefore observe, that the Hebrews
are wont (in way of synecdoche, or grammatical

The Duty of Tlianksgiving. 369
hyperbole) so to use words of this kind, that serm.
their universal importance ought to be restrained  '- —
by the quaUty or cfrcumstances of the matter about
which they converse. As when our Saviour saith.
Ye shall be hated of all men for my sake; aU is not Matt.x.22.
to be taken of every singular person, (since there
were some that loved our Saviour, and embraced
the evangelical doctrine,) but for many, or the most.
And when David saith. There is none that doeth Ra- xiv. i.
good, he seemeth only to mean, that in the general
corruption of his times there were few righteous
persons to be found. And so for ever is often
used, not for a perpetual and endless, but for a long
and lasting duration; and always, not for a con
tinual, unintermitted state of being or action, but
for such a perseverance as agrees to the condition
of the thing to which it is applied.
'Tis, for instance, prescribed in Exodus, that
Aaron should bear the judgment of the children Exod.
of Israel (the Urim and Thummim) upon his heart
before the Lord continually; that is, (not in abso
lute and rigorous acceptation continuaUy, but) con
stantly, ever, when he went into the holy place to
discharge the pontifical function, as the context de
clares. And our Saviour in the gospel saith of
himself, '£70) irdvrore i^iSa^a, L always taught in the John xviii.
temple; that is, very often, and ever when fit occa
sion was presented. And the apostles, immediately
after Christ's ascension, ^Haav Siairavros ev t^ 'lepw, Luke xxiv.
Were, as St Luke teUs us, continually in the temple,
praising and blessing God; that is, they resorted
thither constantly at the usual times or canonical
hours of prayer. In like manner those injunctions
(of nearest affinity) of Praying, of Rejoicing, of Luke xviii.
B. s. VOL. 1. 24

370 Tlie Duty of Thanksgiving.
s^RM. Giving thanks always, are to be taken in a sense so
-—  qualified, that the observance of them may be at
i6, 17, is.' least moraUy possible.
jgP ¦ ""• Thus far warrantably we may Umit the extension
and molUfy the rigour of this seemingly boundless
term ; but we can hardly aUow any further restric
tion, vrithout destroying the natural signification, or
diminishing the due emphasis thereof As far
therefore as it is possible for us, we must endea
vour always to perform this duty of gratitude to
Almighty God: and consequently,
I Hereby is required a frequent performance
thereof: that we do often actually meditate upon,
be sensible 0^ confess and celebrate the divine
beneficence. For what is done but seldom or
never, (as we commonly say,) cannot be under
stood done always, vrithout a catachresis, or abuse
of words too enormous. As therefore no moment
of our life wants sufficient matter, and every consi
derable portion of time ministers notable occasion of
blessing God ; as he allows himself no spacious in
tervals or discontinuances of doing us good: so
ought we not to suffer any of those many days
(vouchsafed by his goodness) to flow beside us, void
of the signal expressions of our dutiful thankfiil-
ness to him ; nor to admit in our course of hfe any
long vacations from this duty. If God incessantly,
and through every minute, demonstrates himself
gracious unto us ; we in aU reason are obhged fre
quently and daily to declare ourselves gratefiU unto
him. So at least did David, (that most eminent ex
ample in this kind, and therefore most apposite to
Ulustrate our doctrine, and to enforce the practice

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 371
thereof;) for. Every day, saith he, I will bless serm.
thee; I will praise thy name for ever and ever.  '- —
Every day. The heavenly bodies did not more ^^' "^^^^ '^'
constantly observe their course, than he his diurnal
revolutions of praise : every day in his calendar was
as it were festival, and consecrated to thanksgiving.
Neither did he adjudge it sufficient to devote some
smaU parcels of each day to this service : for, My '^^- ^^''¦
tongue, saith he, shall speak of thy righteousness
and of thy praise all the day long: and again, Jf y ^s. ixxi. s,
mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy
salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers
thereof. The benefits of God he apprehended so
great and numerous, that no definite space of time
would serve to consider and commemorate them.
He resolves therefore otherwhere to bestow his
whole life upon that employment : While I live ^^- "y^"''^-
^ . . . ^ ; '''^. 33-
I will praise ihe Lord: L will sing praises unto
my God while L have any being: and, I will bless ^^¦^'^"¦
the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be Ps. bad. 6.
in my mouth. No man can reasonably pretend
greater impediments, or oftener avocations from
the practice of this duty, than he, upon whom the
burden of a royal estate, and the care of governing
a populous nation, were incumbent : yet could not
they thrust out of his memory, nor extinguish in
his heart, the Uvely sense of divine goodness;
which (notwithstanding the company of other secu
lar encumbrances) was always present to his mind,
and, like a spirit, (excluded from no place by any
corporeal resistance,) did mingle with and pene
trate aU his thoughts and affections and actions.
So that he seems to have approached very near to
the complete performance of this duty, according to
24—2

372 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
s^M. the extremity of a Uteral interpretation, and to
 have been always, without any intermission, em
ployed in giving thanks to God. The consideration,
methinks, of so noble a pattern, adjoined to the
evident reasonableness of the duty, should engage
us to the frequent practice thereof''.
But if the consideration of this exceUent ex
ample do not, yet certainly that may both provoke
us to emulation, and confound us with shame, of
Epictetus, a heathen man, whose words to this pur
pose seem very remarkable: Et yap vovv e'l^opiev,
(saith he in Arrian's Dissertations '') aXXo n eSei
tjfxas TTOieiv Kai Kotvfj Kat ioiai, tj vfiveiv to Qe7ov, Kal
6V<prj/ne7v, Kal eTre^ep-y^eaOai ras ¦^i^dpiras ; ovk eoet Kal
cTKaTTTOvTas, Kai apovvras, Kal eaOiovTa?, (foeiv tov v/xvov
TOV eiy TOV Qeov ', Mesas' o Geos, oti rjjuv Trapecy^ev
opyava Toiavra, ot wv T»yi' yrjv epyaaofxeva fieyas o
Geos, on yeipas oeowKev, oti KaTairocnv, oti Koikiav, 'oti
a!v^eaQai XeX)j0oTtt)S, oti KaOevoovTas avairvelv. TaDra
e0' eKaaTov e(bvfxve1v eoet, Kal tov fieyiOTOv Kal Oetora-
Tov v/xvov e(pv/xve7v, on Trjv cvvafxiv 'eowKe Trjv irapaKO-
XovOTjTiKtjv TovTois, Kal oow "^prjaTiKriv. Tt ovv ', eiret ol
TToWol diroTeTv(p\waQe, ovk eoet Tivd elvai tov Tavrijv
eKirKripovvTa tyjv ywpav, Kai vwep iravTWV ctoovTa tov
vfxvov TOV eiy tov Qeov ; ti yap aXKo ovvafxai yepwv
Yft)\o9, el fxi] iijuvelv tov Qeov ; el yovv atjowv tjfirjv, eiroi-
ovv Ta Tjjs atjoovos ei kvkvo^, tu tov kvkvov. rwv oe
XoyiKOs elfii, vjivelv fxe Se7 tov Qeov ' tovto fxov to epyov
ean, TTOiai avTo' ovo eyKaTa\et\j/^oi) Trjv Ta^iv TUVTrjv,
El be ^aaiXevs dvrjp pvpiais ^airn^opevos (ppovriai, Kat navrO'
xddev nepieXKopevos, roaavrdKis rtjs ijpepas rrapeKoXei rbv Qeov, Tiva av
exoipev dnoXoyiav rj avyyvdprjv 'jpeis, Toaavrrjv axoXfjv ayovres, Kai prj
avvexas avrbv iKerevovres, &C. — Chrys. [Orat. XIV. Opp. Tom. V.
p. 76.] ¦= Bpict. Diss. I. 16. [15 — 21.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 373
e<p' oaov av oiowTai' Kal vixd$ evl t-^v avTriv TavTtjv SERM
wlrjv TrapuKaXw. That is, in our language, If we  ^
understood ourselves, what other thing should we do,
either publicly or privately, than sing hymns to, and
speak well of God, and perform thanks unto him?
Ought toe not, when we were digging, or ploughing,
or eating, to sing a (suitable) hymn to him^? Great
is God, in that he hath bestowed on us those instru
ments wherewith we till the ground: Great is God,
because he hath given us hands, a throat, a belly;
that we grow insensibly, that sleeping we breathe.
Thus should we upon every occurrence celebrate God,
and superadd of all the most excellent and most
divine hymn, for that he hath given us the faculty
of apprehending and using these things orderly.
Wherefore since most men are blind and ignorant
of this, should there not be some one who should dis
charge this offce, and who should for the rest utter
this hymn to God? And what can I, a lame and
decrepit old man do else, than celebrate God?
Were I indeed a nightingale, I would do what be
longs to a nightingale; if a swan, what becomes a
swan: but since now I am endued with reason, I
ought to praise God. Tliis is my duty and concern
ment, and so I do ; neither will I desert this employ
ment, while it is in my power: and to the same song
I exhort you all. Thus that worthy phUosopher, not
instructing us only, and exhorting with pathetical
discourse, but by his practice inciting us to be con
tinuaUy expressing our gratitude to God.
^ ndvra toiwv tov jSiov eoprfjv ayovres, ndvrrj Trdvrodev irapelvai
rbv Qebv ireTreiapevoi, yeapyovpev alvovvres, nXeopev vpvovvres, Kara
TrjV aXXijV jroXireiav ivrexvas dvaarpeCJidpeOa. — Clcm. Alex. Strom.
VII. [Opp. Tom. II. p. 851.]

i 3-

374 Tlie Duty of Thanksgiving.
s^M. And although neither the admonition of pro-
 phets, nor precepts of phUosophers, nor the exam
ples of both, should prevaU ; yet the precedents,
methinks, of dumb and senseless creatures should
animate us thereto ; which never cease to obey the
law imposed on them by their IVEaker, and without
Ps. xix. intermission glorify him. For, The heavens declare
ihe glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his
handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and
night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no
speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
It is St Chrysostom's argumentation; Kal ydp al(T-
Xpov av e'lTi, saith he, tov XoyiKov avOpwirov Kal twv
opu}iii.evtiov airavTwv Tiiitiorepov, eXarrov ttjs KTicrews
(pepeiv KUTa tov Trjs ev(pf]fx'ia% Xoyov ' ovk aicrypov Se
fiovov, aXXa Kat Utottov. Ylws oe ovk aToirov; e'lye avTrj
fxev Kaff eKaaTrjv rj/xepav Kal wpav dvaireixirei t^ oecriroTjy
So^^oXoy'iav. It were an ugly thing, that man, endued
with reason, and the most honourable of all things
visible, should in rendering thanks and praise be
exceeded by other creatures: neither is it only base,
but absurd. For how can it be otherwise, since other
creatures every day and every hour send up a doxo-
logy to their Lord and Maker ^? For, The heavens
declare the glory of God, &c.
If the busy heavens are always at leisure, and
the stupid earth is perpetually active in manifest
ing the wisdom, power, and goodness of their
Creator; how shameful is it, that we (the flower of
his creation, the most obUged, and most capable of
doing it) should commonly be either too busy or
too idle to do it; should seldom or never be dis-
* In Ps. cxliv. [Opp. Tom. i. p. 884.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 375
posed to contribute our endeavours to the advance- serm.
. XI
ment of his glory ! But,

2 Giving thanks always may import our ap
pointing and punctually observing, certain conve
nient times of performing this duty ; that is, of
serious meditation upon, and affectionate acknow
ledgment of the divine bounty. We know that
aU persons, who design with advantage to prosecute
an orderly course of action, and would not lead a
tumultuary life, are wont to distinguish their por
tions of time, assigning some to the necessary
refections of their body, others to the divertisement
of their minds, and a great part to the despatch of
their ordinary business : otherwise (like St James's
double-minded man) they would be unstable in aU James i. s
their ways; they would ever fluctuate in their reso
lutions, and be uncertain when, and how, and to
what they should apply themselves. And so, this
main concernment of ours, this most exceUent part
of our duty, if we do not depute some vacant sea
sons for it, and observe some periodical recourses
thereof, we shaU be tempted often to omit it; we
shall be listless to do it, apt to defer it, and easily
diverted from it by the encroachments of other less
behoving affairs.
The Jews, to preserve them in the constant
exercise of this duty, had instituted by God a
sacriflce caUed TJDJh {juge), rendered by the Greek
translators, 'H ^lairavTo^ Ovala, The continual sacn- i>an. viu.
flee; to which the divine author of the Epistle to
the Hebrews seems to aUude, when in these words
he exhorts : At' avTou ovv dvatpepcofiev Qva'tav alveaews Heh. xiii.
StuTravTos T<p Qecj), By him therefore let us offer the
sacriflce qf praise to God continually, (or the con-

376 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. tinual sacrifice of praise,) the fruit of our lips,
 giving thanks to his na/me. As that sacrifice there
fore, being offered constantly at a set time, was
thence denominated continual ; so perhaps may
we, by constantly observing some fit returns of
praise and thanksgiving, be said always to give
thanks. In determining the seasons and proportions of
which, what other rule or standard can we better
conform to, than that of the royal prophet? I
shaU not urge his example so much ; (according to
which we should be obhged to a greater frequency;)
Ps. cxix. for. Seven times a day, saith he, do I praise thee,
because of thy righteous judgments: but rather
allege his general dfrection and opinion, proposed
Ps. xcii. i, to us in these words of his ; It is a good thing to
^ ' ^' ' give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto
thy name, 0 thou Most High ; to shew forth thy
lovingkindness every morning, and thy faithfulness
every night. It is a good thing ; that is, a seemly,
a convenient, a commendable, a due performance :
Every morning; that is, when our spirits, being
recreated with sleep, are become more vigorous,
our memories more fresh, our fancies more quick
and active : To shew forth thy lovingkindness ; that
is, from a hearty sense of our obligation to ac
knowledge the free bounty of him, who, in pur
suance of his former kindness, hath been pleased
to accumulate new favours to us ; to guard us by
his watchful care, when we were buried, as it were,
in a senseless ignorance, and total neglect of our
own welfare ; to raise us from that temporary
death, and to confer a new Ufe upon us, restoring
us to our health, to our means of subsistence, to

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 377
all the necessary supports, and the desirable com- serm.
forts of life : Every night also ; that is, when our  '- —
spirits are exhausted with action, and our minds
tired vdth thoughtfulness ; when we are become
weary, not of doing only, but almost of being ; we
should conclude our toUs, and wrap up our cares in
the sweet sense and gratefiil memory of his good
ness, who hath protected us so many hours from
the manifold dangers, and more sins, to which, by
our weakness, and our foUy, and our bad inclina
tions, we are through every minute exposed ; and
withal hath provided us so easy and so delightful
a means of recovering our spent activity, of repair
ing our decayed strength.
Thus if we constantly begin, and thus close up,
thus bound and circumscribe our days, dedicating
those most remarkable periods of time to blessing
God, and Making, as the Psalmist speaks, the out- Ps. kv. s.
goings of the morning and evening to rejoice in him :
(since beginning and ending do in a manner com
prehend the whole ; and the morning and evening,
in IVIoses's computation and style, do constitute a Gen. i.
day;) we may (not incongruously) be supposed
and said to give thanks always. But yet further,
this may import,
3 A vigilant attendance upon this duty, such
as men bestow on thefr employments, whereof
though the actual prosecution ceases, yet the de
sign continuaUy proceeds. As we say, such a one
is writing a book, building a house, occupying a
piece of land, though he be at that present perad-
venture sleeping, or eating, or satisfying some other
desfre ; because his design never sleeps, and his
purpose persists uninterrupted. And thus, it

378 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. seems, we are to understand our Saviour and the
 apostles, when they exhort us UpocjKapTepe'iv, To
Rom. xii. , . . . " t i t • •
II. continue instant m prayer and thanksgiving; and,
CoI.iv. -i.' ^ypvT^velv ev irdarj TrpoaKapTepijaet, To watch with all
'^vi^- i- 16. perseverance ; and Fp^yopelv, To wake in thanks
giving ; and M>J iraveaQat, Not to give over giving
I Thess. V. thanks: and to perform these duties A^aXeiVrteis,
Liie xviii. Incessantly, or without giving off: Mrj eKKUKe'iv, Not
to grow worse, faint, or falter : (which is, in that
place, made equivalent to, exphcatory of doing
duty always). Which expressions denote a most
dUigent attendance on these duties ; that we may
make them not a Udpepyov, a diversion or by-busi
ness of our Uves, aUowing only a perfunctory and
desultorious endeavour on them ; but esteem them
a weighty business, to be pursued with steadfast
resolution and unwearied industry.
As our beings and powers did proceed from
the goodness, so the results of them naturaUy tend
to the glory of God ; and the dehberations of our
wUl ought to conspfre with the instincts of our
nature; it should be the principal design which our
intention should aim at, and our endeavour always
drive on, to glorify our IVEaker. Which doing,
we may be reputed to discharge this duty, and in
some sense said always to give thanks. But fiirther,
4 This term Always doth necessarily imply a
ready disposition, or habitual inchnation, to give
thanks, ever permanent in us : that our hearts, as
Ps. cviii. I. David's was, be fixed always (that is, fittingly
prepared, and steadily resolved) to thank and
praise God ; that our affections be like tinder,
though not always inflamed, yet easily inflammable
by the sense of his goodness.

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 379
'Tis said of the righteous man, that He is ever serm. XI
merciful, and lendeth : not for that he doth ever

actuaUy dispense alms, or furnish his poor neigh- f|; ^'''''"'¦
bour with suppUes ; but because his mind is ever
incUnable to do it when need requires. So a
grateful man doth always give thanis, by being
disposed to do it upon aU fit occasions. 'Tis the
habit that quaUfies and denominates a man such
or such in any kind or degree of morahty. A good
man is in scripture frequently compared to a Tree i'^- i- 3-
bringing forth fruit in due season ; and the root
thereof is this habitual disposition, which, being
nourished by the dew of heaven, and quickened by
the benign influence of divine grace, sprouts forth
opportunely, and yields a plentfful increase of good
fruit. Though we cannot always sing, our organs
may be always rightly tuned for praise ; at least,
they should never be unstrung, and whoUy out of
kelter. We should maintain in ourselves a constant
good temper of mind, that no opportunity surprise,
and find us unprepared to entertain worthUy the
effects of divine favour : otherwise we shaU as
weU lose the benefit, as God the thanks and glory
due to them. That we be always thus disposed,
is not impossible, and therefore requisite. But
moreover, 5 Lastly, Giving thanks always imports, that
we readily embrace every opportunity of actuaUy
expressing our thankfiUness. For so, what in
some places of scripture is enjoined to be done
continuaUy, and indesinently, is in others only
required to be done upon aU opportunities. Which
shews, that UavTore is to be expounded, not so

380 The Duty of Tlianksgiving.
s^M. much 'Ev TravTl xpo>"p, At all times, as 'Ev ¦ttovtI
 -Kaipw, In every season. So Upoaevydixevot ev Travri
Eph.vi.i8. - , I r> ¦ r A. t~
Katpip ev TTvevixaTt, x-raying upon every opportunity
Luke xxi. in your spirit: and, 'kypvirveWe ovv ev ttovtI Kaipip
Seofxevot, Be watchful, praying in every season.
And this sense seems probably to be chiefly
intended by this apostle, whenever he hath (as he
hath often) this expression, HdvTOTe evxapta-Telv,
that we embrace every overture or fit occasion of
giving thanks.
'Tis true, no time is unseasonable to do it :
every moment we receive favours, and therefore
every minute we owe thanks : yet there are some
especial seasons that do more importunately require
them. We should be Uke those trees that bear
fi:Tiit (more or less) continuaUy; but then more
kindly, and more abundantly, when more power
fuUy cherished by the heavenly warmth.
When any fresh, any rare, any remarkable
benefit happens to us ; when prosperous success
attends our honest endeavours ; when unexpected
favours faU as it were of thefr own accord into our
bosoms ; (hke the grain in the golden age spring
ing up "AairapTa /cat dvijpoTa, without our care or
our toU, for our use and enjoyment ;) when we are
dehvered from straits in our apprehension inextri
cable, surmount difficulties seeming insuperable,
escape hazards (as we suspected) inevitable ; then
is a special season presented us of offering up the
sacrifice of praise to the God of mercy, help, and
victory. When we revolve in our minds (as we should
often do) the favourable passages of providence,
that in the whole course of our lives have befaUen

Tlie Duty of Thanksgiving. 381
us: how in our extreme poverty and distress (when serm.
perhaps no help appeared, and aU hopes seemed to  '¦ —
faU us,) God hath raised us up friends, who have
commiserated, comforted, and succoured us ; and
not only so, but hath changed our sorrowful con
dition into a state of joy; hath (to use the Psalm
ist's expressions) Turned our mourning into danc- Ps- xxx.
ing; hath Put off our sackcloth, and girded us with
gladness ; hath Considered our trouble, and known ps- xxxi.
our soul in adversity; hath Set our feet in a large
room, and furnished us vdth plentiful means of
subsistence ; how in the various changes and ad
ventures, and travels of our Ufe, upon sea and land,
at home and abroad, among friends and strangers
and enemies, he hath protected us from wants and
dangers; from devouring diseases, and the distem-
peratures of infectious air ; from the assaults of
bloody thieves and barbarous pirates ; from the
rage of fire, and fury of tempests ; from disastrous
casualties ; from treacherous surprises ; from open
mischiefs, that with a dreadfiil face approached
and threatened our destruction : then most oppor
tunely should we with aU thankful exultation of
mind admire and celebrate our Strength and our Vs. xl. it -,
deliverer; our faithful Refuge in trouble, and The ix. g ; xa.
rock of our salvation.
Also when the ordinary effects of divine pro
vidence do, in any advantageous manner, present
themselves to our view ; when we peruse the vo
lumes of story, and therein observe the various
events of human action ; especiaUy the seasonable
rewards of virtue, the notable protections and deU-
verances of innocence, and the unexpected punish
ments of malicious wickedness : then we should

382, The Duty of Thanksgiving.
s^rm. with thankful acclamations celebrate the divine
 goodness and justice; joining in concert with that
Apoc. xix. heavenly choir, and saying. Hallelujah; salvation,
and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord
our God: for true and righteous are his judgments.
Or when we contemplate the wonderful works
of nature, and walking about at our leisure, gaze
upon this ample theatre of the world, considering
the stately beauty, constant order, and sumptuous
furniture thereof ; the glorious splendour and uni
form motion of the heavens ; the pleasant fertihty
of the earth ; the curious figure and fragrant sweet
ness of plants ; the exquisite frame of animals ;
and aU other amazing mfracles of nature, wherein
the glorious attributes of God (especiaUy his tran
scendent goodness) are most conspicuously dis
played ; (so that by them not only large acknow
ledgments, but even gratulatory hymns, as it were,
of praise have been extorted from the mouths of
Aristotle, Phny, Galen, and such Uke men, never
suspected guUty of an excessive devotion ;) then
should our hearts be affected vrith thankful sense,
and our hps break forth into his praise.
Yea, from every object of sense, from every
event of providence, from every common occur
rence, we may extract fit matter of thanksgiving :
as did our Saviour, when, considering the stupid
infideUty of those proud people of Chorazin, Beth-
saida, and Capernaum, (who were not at aU af
fected by his miraculous works, nor moved to
repentance by his pathetical discourses,) and com
paring it with the pious creduhty of his meaner
disciples, he brake forth into that divine ejacula-
Lukex.21. tion; I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and

The Duty of Tlianksgiving. 383
earth, ihat thou hast concealed these things from the serm,

XI.

wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes. Ev e/cetVw Ttf Kaipif diroKpiQeis Ificrov^ elire, Matt. xi.
saith the evangeUcal narration ; Upon that occa
sion Jesus thus spake : he embraced that conve
nient opportunity of thankftdly acknowledging
God's wise and gracious dispensation. And fre
quent occasion is afforded us daUy (were our minds
suitably disposed) of doing the like.
But so much concerning the time of perform
ing this duty.
IV. We proceed to the matter thereof. For all
things. St Chrysostom (in his Commentary upon
the 145th Psalm) having enumerated several par
ticulars for which we are bound to thank God ;
Because, (I recite his words punctually ren
dered,) Because, saith he, he hath made us, who
before had no being, and made us such as we are ;
because he upholds us being made, and takes care
of us continually, both publicly and privately,
secretly and openly, with and without our know
ledge ; for all visible things created for our sake,
the ministry of them afforded to us ; the conformar
tion of our bodies, the nobleness of our souls ; his
daily dispensations by miracles, by laws, by pun
ishments ; his various and incomprehensible pro
vidence; for the chief of all, that he hath not
spared his only-begotten Son for our sake; the
beneflts conferred on us by baptism, and the other
holy mysteries, {or sacraments ;) the ineffable good
things to be bestowed on us hereafter, the king
dom of heaven, the resurrection, the enjoyment of
perfect bliss^ ; having, I say, in these words com-
[Kai ydp iroXXav iapev ofjieiXeTai aira, on re ouK ovras iirolrjae.

384 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. prised the things for which we are obliged to thank
 and praise God, he thus despondently concludes :
If any one shall endeavour to recount particu
larly every one of these things, he will but plunge
himself into an unexpressible deep of benefits, and
then perceive for how unexpressibly and incon
ceivably many 'good things he stands engaged to
God^. And to the hke Non plus doth the devout '
Psalmist seem to be reduced, when he thus ex-
Ps. cxxxix. claims, How precious are thy thoughts unto me, 0
xxxvi.' s, 6, God! how great is the sum of them! If I should
count them, they are more in number than the sand.
I shall not therefore confound myself by launch
ing too far into this immense ocean, nor strive
minutely to compute the incomprehensible sum of
the divine benefits ; but only observe, that in gross,
according to our apostle's calculation, all things,
which however happen to us, are ingredients
thereof. No occurrence (great or smaU, common
or particular, present or past, pleasant or sad, per
petual or transitory) is excluded from being the
subject of our thanksgiving : each one may prove
beneficial to us; and we are with a cheerful con-
Kal on TowvTovs eipydaaro- on yevopevorvs biaKparei, Ka\ on Kaff
eKdarrjV irpovoel ttjv ^pepav, Koi Koivfj Kal ISia, Kal Xddpa Kal (jiavepas,
Kal elborav Kal oix elborav. Tt yap av ns etwoi rci opcSpeva a bi
^pas inoiTjae ; ttjv biaKoviav airav rjv napexerai ; tov aaparos rrjii
bioTrXaaiv ; Trjs ^vx^s ttjv eiyeveiav ; ttjv Kaff eKdarrjv ijpepav oIkovo-
piav, TTjV bia rav davparav, rrjv bia rav vdpav, ttjv bid rav npapiav ;
Trjv TTOiKiXrjv airov Trpovoiav Koi aKaTaXrjnTov ; rb Ke<j)dXaiov rav dyaSav,
on oibe rov povoyevovs iipeiaaro bi i^pav ; rd boBevra ^brj bia tov
(BaTTTiaparos, bid rav pvarrjpiav ; ra peXXovra bo6rjaea6ai dnopptjra
iKelva dya6d, rrjv ^aaiXeiav, ttjv dvdaraaiv, rrjv X^^iv rfjs Trdarjs paKapi'
oTTjTos yepovaav ; — In Ps. cxiv. Opp. Tom. I. pp. 884 — 6.]
® ['Av ydp eKaoTov ns rovrav KaraXeyrj, els neXayos dcfiarov ipire-
ae'irai eiepyeaiav, Kal o\j/eTai irdaav iarlv virevBvvos ra Qea. — Id.
Ibid.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 385
tentedness and a grateful resentment to receive serm. XI
them all from God's hand. But to observe some  '- —

little distinction : I say,
I We are to give thanks, not only for great
and notable benefits, but for the least and most
ordinary favours of God : though indeed none of
God's favours are in themselves smaU and incon
siderable. Men are wont to bless themselves, if
they receive but a transient glance from a prince's
eye ; a smile from a great personage ; any slender
intimation of regard from him that is in capacity
to do them good. What is it then to receive the
least testimony of his good-wiU, from whom alone
every good thing can be expected ; upon whose
disposal aU happy success of our wishes, our hopes,
and our endeavours do entirely depend ! We repute
him unjust who withholds the least part of what is
due from the true owner : and is not he ingrateful
then, that omits to render thanks for the least of
divine mercies ?
There is one glory of the sun, another of the i Cor. xv.
moon, another of the stars, saith St Paul. Some'^''
works of God indeed excel in lustre ; yet aU are
glorious, all are to be discerned, aU to be esteemed
and thankfuUy entertained by us. The brightness
of the one should not whoUy obscure the other ; if
it do, it argues the weakness of our sense, the
dulness of our spiritual faculty. For every beam
of light that deUghts our eye, for every breath of
afr that cheers our spirits, for every drop of plea
sant Uquor that cools our thirst, for every minute
of comfortable repose, for every step we safely
take, for the happy issue of the least undertaking,
for escaping the vengeance due to an idle word or
B. S. VOL. I. 25

386 The Duty of Thanksgiving,
serm. a wanton thought, we owe a hymn of praise to
 — God. But,
2 We are to render thanks, not only for new
and present benefits, but for aU we have formerly,
aU that we may hereafter receive. We find David
not only frequently acknowledging the gracious
dispensations of Providence toward him through
the whole course of his Ufe, but looking back in his
thankful devotions as far as his very original being,
and praising God for favours conferred on him be-
Ps. cxxxix. yond his memory, yea before his life. / will praise
thee, saith he, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made : marvellous are thy works, and ihat my soul
knoweth right well. My substance was not hid
from thee, when I was made in secret, and curi
ously wrought in ihe lower parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imper
fect ; and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them. And St Paul, yet further
reflecting his grateful consideration, blesses God
for his favour commenced before the beginning of
Eph. i. 3, 4. things. Blessed, saith he, be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as he hath chosen us before the foundation
qfthe world.
Neither doth the memory only of former, and the
enjoyment of present, but the hope and foresight
also of future blessings, worthUy claim our thanks.
I Pet. i. 3, For, saith St Peter, Blessed be the God and Father
^' of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 387
dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, serm,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for  '—
you. Beasts only, and men not much better than
they, are affected with present good turns: but
men of honest and generous temper resent indif
ferently the obligations of aU times. Sense doth
not confine their gratitude, nor absence remove, nor
age wear it out. What once is done, is ever done
to them ; and what of courtesy is proposed, seems
to them performed. But having before discoursed
somewhat largely concerning the remembrance of
benefits, I leave this point. Furthermore,
3 We should bless God, not only for new,
rare, extraordinary accidents of providence, but for
the common and daUy benefits and indulgences
thereof''. These favours are usually the greatest
and most valuable in their own nature. (For what
can be imagined of higher consequence to us, than
the preservation of our Uves and of our estates, by
which they are comfortably maintained; than the
continuance of our bodies in good health, and our
minds in their right vrits; than the knowledge of
heavenly truth, the encouragements to virtue and
piety, the assistances of divine grace, and the pro
mises of eternal bUss continuaUy exhibited to us?)
Shall the commonness and continuance of these
exceeding favours, that they are not given us once
only, and transitorily, but continued, (that is, given
us so often as time hath instants,) and with an
uninterrupted perseverance renewed unto us; shaU
*" Quem vero astrorum ordines, quem dierum noetiumque vi-
cissitudines, quem mensium temperatio, quemque ea, quae gignun-
tur nobis ad fruendum, non gratum esse cogant ; hunc hominem
omnino numerare qui decet? — Cic. de Leg. ii. [7. 16 ]
25—2

388 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
^^^" ^^^ abate and enervate our gratitude, which in aU
 reason should mainly increase and confirm it ? But
this point I also touched before, and therefore, for
bearing to insist thereon, I proceed.
4 We should give thanks, not only for private
and particular, but for pubhc benefits also, and for
I Tim. ii. such as bofaU others. / exhort therefore, saith St
Paul, before all things, that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all
men : not Prayers only, for good things to be be
stowed on others; but Thanksgivings also, for the
benefits received by others. (And 'Yvep -n-avTiov in
our text, however otherwise commonly interpreted,
may well admit this sense also ; and be taken indif
ferently, Pro omnibus. For all persons, and Propter
omnia. For all things.)
We are aU citizens of the world, and concerned
in its good constitution ; and thence obUged thank
fully to adore the mighty Upholder and vdse Go
vernor thereof, praising him for all the general
benefits hberaUy poured forth upon mankind'. We
partake in the commodities of civU society; and
therefore should heartUy thank him, by whose gra
cious disposal order is maintained, peace continued,
justice administered, plenty provided, our hves
made safe and sweet to us therein. We are mem
bers of a church, and highly interested in the pros
perous estate and well-being thereof : when unity
therefore is preserved, and charity abounds; when
knowledge is increased, and virtue encouraged;
when piety flourishes, and truth triumphs therein ;
we are bound to render all possible thanks to the
gracious bestower of those inestimable blessings.
' Vid. Chrys. in 2 Cor. Orat. ii. [Opp. Tom. iii. p. 663.]

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 389
We are much mistaken in our account, if we serm. XI
either determine our own concernments, or mea  '- —
sure this duty, by the narrow rule of our private
advantage : for subducting either the benefits com
monly indulged to mankind, or those which accrue
from the welfare of public society, what possibility
wUl remain of subsistence, of safety, of content
unto us? what but confusion, want, violence, and
disquiet? As we are concerned with our utmost endea
vours to promote, to wish and pray for, to delight
and rejoice in, the public good of mankind, the
peace of our country, the prosperity of Sion; so
we are to bless and thank him, by whose gracious
help and furtherance they are attained.
If we consult aU history, (sacred and civil,) we
shaU find it to contain hardly any thing else consi
derable, but the earnest endeavours of good men
for pubUc benefit, and their thankful acknowledg
ments to the divine goodness for it. IMoses, Da
vid, Nehemiah, St Paul, all the prophets, and aU
the apostles, what other things memorable did
they do, but serve God in procuring public good,
and bless God for conferring it?
Neither only as we are combined with others in
common interest, but without selfish respects, purely
out of charity, and humanity, and ingenuous pity,
•are we obliged to thank God for the benefits he is
pleased to impart to others. If upon these accounts
we are commanded to Do good to all men ; to Re- Gal. vi. lo.
joice with those that rejoice; to Love even those that j^"""-?"-
hate us, and Bless those that curse us ; 'tis (by fair *"¦*"" '*'¦
consequence) surely intended, that we should also

390 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. bless God for the g^ood issue of our honest endea-
XI. ¦ P 1
 vours, or of our good wishes for them.
And verily could we become endowed with this
exceUent quality of deUghting in others' good, and
heartUy thanking God for it, we needed not to envy
the wealth and splendour of the greatest princes,
not the wisdom of the profoundest doctors, not the
rehgion of the devoutest anchorets, no, nor the
happiness of the highest angels: for upon this
supposition, as the glory of aU is God's, so the con
tent in aU would be ours. AU the fruit they can
perceive of their happy condition, of what kind
soever, is to rejoice in it themselves, and to praise
God for it : and this should we then do as well as
they. M.J neighbour's good success is mine, ff I
equally triumph therein: his riches are mine, if I
dehght to see him enjoy them: his health is mine,
if it refresh my spirits : his virtue mine, if I by it
am bettered, and have hearty complacence therein.
By this means a man derives a confluence of joy
upon himself, and makes himself, as it were, the
centre of aU felicity ; enriches himself with the
plenty, and satiates himself with the pleasure, of
the whole world : reserving to God the praise, he
enjoys the satisfaction of all good that happens
to any. Thus we see David frequently thanking God,
not for his favour only and mercy shewed particu
larly to himself, but for his common munificence
Ps. cxiv. 9; toward aU : for (to use his own phrases) His good-
cx VI. 7, , ^^^ ^^ ^j2^ ^^^ ^^-^ tender mercies over all his works;
for Executing judgment in behalf of the oppressed;
for Feeding the hungry; for Loosening the prisoners;

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 391
for Opening the eyes ofthe blind; for Raising them serm.
that are bowed down ; for Preserving the strangers,  '. 
and Relieving the fatherless and widow; for Lifting p^. cxivii.
up ihe meek; for Loving, and calling for, and de- 1 Pet. v. 7.
fending the righteous; for Opening his hand, and dv. 28;
satisfying the desire of every living thing; for Giving cxivii^g'.
to the beast his food, and to the young ravens when
they cry unto him; in a word, for his goodness to
every particular creature, not excluding the most
contemptible nor the most savage of aU. And how
affectionately doth St Paul every where thank God
for the growth in grace and spiritual wisdom, for
the patience in afSiction and perseverance in faith,
of those good Christians he writes unto ! So should,
with an unrestrained exuberance, both our charity
to men, and our gratitude to God, abound. But
moreover, 5 We are obliged to give thanks, not only for
pleasant and prosperous occurrences of providence,
but for those also which are adverse to our desire,
and distastefid unto our natural sense ; for poverty,
sickness, disgrace ; for all the sorrows and troubles,
the disasters and disappointments, that befall us.
We are bound to pay thanks, not for our food only,
but for our physic also : (which, though ingrateful
to our palate, is profitable for our health :) we are
obliged, in the school of providence, not oidy for
the good instructions, but for the seasonable correc
tions also vouchsafed unto us, (whereby, though
our senses are offended, our manners are bettered ''.)
Whatever proceeds from good purpose, and tends
Toj' Oebv opoias dwpveXv XPV' i^"' KoXd^ovra, Kal dvievra KoXd-
aeas- dpipdrepa ydp Krjbepovias, dp^orepa dyaddrrjTos, &C. — Chrys. in
Ps. cxlviii. [Opp. Tom. i. p. 903.]

392 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. to a happy end, that is graciously designed, and
 effectuaUy conduces to our good, is a fit subject of
thanksgiving : and such may aU adversities prove
unto us. They proceed usually from love and kind
Heb. xii. 6. intention toward us: for. Whom God loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he re-
Ps. cxix. ceiveth: and, / know, 0 Lord, saith David, that thy
judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness
hast afllicted me : in faithfulness, that is* Avith a
sincere intention of doing me good.
God thoroughly knows our constitution, what
is noxious to our health, and what may remedy our
distempers; and therefore accordingly disposeth
to us Pro jucundis aptissima quaeque';
instead of pleasant honey, he sometimes prescribes
wholesome wormwood for us. We are ourselves
greatly ignorant of what is conducible to our real
good, and, were the choice of our condition whoUy
permitted to us, should make very foolish, very-
disadvantageous elections.
We should (be sure) all of us embrace a rich
and plentiful estate ; when as, God knows, that
would make us slothful and luxurious, sweU us with
pride and haughty thoughts, encumber us with
anxious cares, and expose us to dangerous tempta
tions ; would render us forgetful of ourselves and
neglectful of him. Therefore he wisely disposeth
poverty unto us ; poverty, the mother of sobriety,
the nurse of industry, the mistress of wisdom;
which wiU make us understand ourselves and our
dependance on him, and force us to have recourse
unto his help. And is there not reason we should
' [Juv. Sat. X. 349.]

The Duty of Tlianksgiving. 393
be thankful for the means by which we are deli- serm.
. XI
vered from those desperate mischiefs, and obtain  ^
these excellent advantages?
We should aU (certainly) choose the favour and
applause of men : but this, God also knows, would
corrupt our minds with vain conceit, would intoxi
cate our fancies with spurious pleasure, would
tempt us to ascribe immoderately to ourselves, and
sacrilegiously to deprive God of his due honour.
Therefore he advisedly suffers us to incur the dis
grace and displeasure, the hatred and contempt of
men; that so we may place our glory only in the
hopes of his favour, and may pursue more earnestly
the purer deUghts of a good conscience. And doth
not this part of divine providence highly merit our
thanks? We would all climb into high places, not con
sidering the precipices on which they stand, nor the
vertiginousness of our own brains : but God keeps
us safe in the humble vaUeys, aUotting to us em
ployments which we are more capable to manage.
We should perhaps insolently abuse power,
were it committed to us : we should employ great
parts on unwieldy projects, as many do, to the dis
turbance of others, and thefr own ruin : vast know
ledge would cause us to overvalue ourselves and
contemn others : enjoying continual health, we
should not perceive the benefit thereof, nor be
mindful of him that gave it. A suitable medio-
.crity therefore of these things the divine goodness
allotteth unto us, that we may neither starve for
want, nor surfeit with plenty.
In fine, the advantages arising from afflictions
are so many, and so great, that (had I time, and

394 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
^ XL^' ^^^^ ^* seasonable to insist largely on this subject)
 it were easy to demonstrate, that we have great
reason, not only to be contented with, but to rejoice
in, and to be very thankful for, aU the crosses and
vexations we meet with : to receive them cheerfiiUy
at God's hand, as the medicines of our soul, and
the condiments of our fortune ; as the arguments of
his good-wUl, and the instruments of virtue; as
soUd grounds of hope, and comfortable presages of
future joy unto us.
6 Lastly, we are obliged to thank God, not
only for corporeal and temporal benefits, but also
(and that principaUy) for spiritual and eternal
blessings. We are apt, as to desire more vehe
mently, to rejoice more heartUy in the fruition, and
more passionately to bewaU the loss of temporal
good things ; so more sincerely and seriously to
express our gratitude for the reception of them,
than for others relating to our spiritual good, to
our everlasting weffare. Wherein we misjudge
and misbehave ourselves extremely. For, as much
as the reasonable soul (that goodly image of the
divine essence, breathed from the mouth of God)
doth in dignity of nature, and purity of substance,
excel this feculent lump of organized clay, our
body ; as the bUssful ravishments of spirit surpass
the dull satisfactions of sense ; as the bottomless
depth of eternity exceeds that shaUow surface of
time, which terminates this transitory life ; in such
proportion should our appetite unto, our compla
cence in, our gratitude for spiritual blessings tran
scend the affections (respectively) engaged about
these corporeal accommodations.
Consider that injunction of our Saviour to his

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 395
disciples : Ln this rejoice not, that the spirits are serm.
subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your

names are vjritten in heaven. Rejoice not ; that is, "'^®^' '^°'
Be not at aU affected with this (although in itself
very rare accompUshment, eminent privUege, glo
rious power of working that indeed greatest of
miracles, subjecting devils ; that is, baf&ing the
shrewdest craft, and subduing the strongest force
in nature) in comparison of that delight, which
the consideration of the divine favour, in order to
your eternal feUcity, doth afford.
We are, 'tis true, greatly indebted to God for
our creation, for that he hath extracted us from
nothing, and placed us in so lofty a rank among
his creatures ; for the excellent faculties of soul
and body wherewith he hath endued us ; and for
many most admirable prerogatives of our outward
estate : but much more for our redemption, and
the wonderful circumstances of unexpressible love
and grace therein declared ; for his descending to
a conjunction with our nature, and elevating us to
a participation of his ; for dignifying us with more
illustrious titles, and instating us in a sure capa
city of a much superior happiness. Our daily food
deserves weU a grace to be said before and after it :
but how much more that constant provision of
heavenly manna, the evangeUcal verity ; those
savoury dehcacies of devotion, whereby our souls
are nourished to eternal Ufe ? 'Tis a laudable cus
tom, when we are demanded concerning our health,
to answer. Well, L thank God; but much more
reason have we to say so, if our conscience can
attest concerning that sound constitution of mind,
whereby we are disposed vigorously to perform

396 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. those virtuous functions, due from reasonable na-
XI
 '- — ture, and conformable to the divine law. If for
the prosperous success of our worldly attempts;
for avoiding dangers that threatened corporal
pain and damage to us ; for defeating the adversa
ries of our secular quiet, we make Te Deum laudor
mus our 'ETrti^i'/ctoy, (our song for victory ;) how
much more for the happy progress of our spiritual
affairs, (affairs of incomparably highest conse
quence ;) for escaping those dreadful hazards of
utter ruin, of endless torture ; for vanquishing sin
and hell, those irreconcUeable enemies to our ever
lasting peace ; are we obliged to utter triumphal
anthems of joy and thankfulness !
This is the order observed by the Psalmist :
Ps. ciii. I, inciting his soul to bless God for all his benefits,
he begins with the consideration of God's mercy in
pardoning his sins ; then proceeds to his goodness
in bestowing temporal favours. Who forgiveth all
thy sins, leads the van ; Who satisfieth thy mouth
with good things brings up the rear in the enume
ration and acknowledgment of God's benefits.
That our minds are iUustrated with the knowledge
of God and his glorious attributes, of Christ and
his blessed gospel, of that straight path which con-
ducteth to true happiness ; that by divine assist
ance we are enabled to elude the aUurements, to
withstand the violences of temptation, to assuage
immoderate desires, to bridle exorbitant passions,
to correct vicious inchnations of mind ; requfres
more our hearty thanks, than for that we were able
by our natural vrit to penetrate the abstrusest mys
teries, or to subjugate empires by our bodily
strength. The forgiveness of our sins doth more

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 397
oblige us to a grateful acknowledgment of the serm.
divine goodness, than should God enrich us with  '—
all the treasures contained in the bowels of the
earth, or bottom of the ocean. One glimpse of his
favourable countenance should more enflame our
affections, than being invested vrith all the imagin
able splendour of wordly glory.
Of these inestimable benefits, and aU the ad
vantageous circumstances wherewith they are
attended, we ought to maintain in our hearts con
stant resentments ; to excite our thankfulness, to
kindle our love, to quicken our obedience, by the
frequent contemplation of them.
Thus have I (though, I confess, much more
slightly than so worthy a subject did require) pro
secuted the several particulars observable in these
words. I should conclude with certain induce
ments persuasive to the practice of this duty ;
whereof I have in the tenor both of the former and
present discourse insinuated divers, and could pro
pound many more : but (in compUance with the
time) I shaU content myself briefly to consider
only these three very obvious ones.
First therefore, we may consider, that there is i-
no disposition whatever more deeply radicated in
the original constitution of all souls ' endued with
any kind of perception or passion, than being sen
sible of beneflts received; being kindly affected
with love and respect toward them that exhibit
them ; being ready with suitable expressions to
acknowledge them, and to endeavour competent
recompenses for them. The worst of men, the
most devoid of all, not only piety, but humanity
and common ingenuity, the most barbarous and

398 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. most wicked, (whom neither sense of equity nor
 respect to law, no promise of reward or fear of
vengeance, can anywise engage to do things just
and fitting, or restrain from enormous actions,)
retain notwithstanding something of this natural
mchnation, and are usuaUy sensible of good turns
done unto them. Experience teaches us thus
much ; and so doth that sure oracle of our Sa-
Lukevi. viour : If, saith he, ye do good to those who do
good to you, what thanks is it? for even sinners
(that is, men of apparently lewd and dissolute con
versation) do the same.
Yea even beasts, and those not only the most
gentle and sociable of them, (the officious dog, the
tractable horse, the docUe elephant,) but the wUd
est also and fiercest of them, (the untameable hon,
the cruel tiger, and ravenous bear, as stories teU
us", and experience attests,) bear some kindness,
shew some grateful affection to those that provide
for them. Neither wUd beasts only, but even inanimate
creatures seem not altogether insensible of benefits,
and hvely represent unto us a natural abhorrence
of ingratitude. The rivers openly discharge into
the sea those waters, which by indiscernible con
duits they derived thence ; the heavens remit in
bountifiil showers what from the earth they had
exhaled in vapour ; and the earth by a fi:iiitfid
increase repays the culture bestowed thereon; if
not (as the apostle to the Hebrews doth pronounce,)
Heb. vi. 8. it desorvos cursing and reprobation. So mon
strous a thing, and universaUy abominable to
nature, is aU ingratitude. And how execrable a
^ Vid. Aul. Gel. Lib. v. c. 14.

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 399
prodigy is it then toward God, from whom alone serm
we receive whatever we enjoy, whatever we can  '—

expect of good ?
The second obUgation to this duty is most just H-
and equal For, (as he said weU,) Beneficium
dare qui nescit, injuste petit"; He unjustly requires
(much more unjustly receives) a benefit, who is not
minded to requite it. In aU reason we are indebted
for what is freely given, as weU as for what is lent
unto us. For the freeness of the giver, his not
exacting security, nor expressing conditions of
return, doth not diminish, but rather increase the
debt. He that gives, indeed, according to human
(or pohtical) law, (which, in order to preservation
of public peace, requires only a punctual perform
ance of contracts,) transfers his right, and alienates
his possession: but according to that more noble
and perfect rule of ingenuity, (the law which God
and angels and good men chiefly observe, and
govern themselves by,) what is given is but com
mitted to the faith, deposited in the hand, treasured
up in the custody of him that receives it"; and
what more palpable iniquity is there, than to
betray the trust, or to detain the pledge, not of
some inconsiderable trifle, but of inestimable good
will ? Excepta Macedonum gente, saith Seneca,
non est in ulla data adversus ingratum actio: In
no nation {excepting the Macedonians) an action
could be preferred against ingrateful persons, as so^.
(Though Xenophon, no mean author, reports'', that
" [Publ. Syrus. (Poet. Seen. Latin. Vol. vi. p. 228. Ed, Bothe.)]
° KaXbv TO drjaavpiapa Keipevrj X°P'^-
[Menand. Sentent. sing. 295. Ed. Meineke.]
P De Benef. [iii. 6. 2.]
^ [Cyri Discip. I. 2, 7.]

400 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
serm. among the Persians also there were judgments
 '- — assigned, and punishments appointed for ingrati
tude.) However, in the court of heaven, and at
the tribunal of conscience, no offender is more con
stantly arraigned, none more surely condemned,
none more severely punished, than the ingrateful
man. Since therefore we have received aU from the
divine bounty ; ff God should in requital exact,
that we sacrifice our Uves to the testimony of his
truth ; that we employ our utmost pains, expend
our whole estate, adventure our health, and pros
titute aU our earthly contents to his service ; since
he did but revoke his own, it were great injustice
to refiise compUance with his demands : how much
more, when he only expects from us and requires
some few acknowledgments of our obUgation to
him, some Uttle portions of our substance, for the
rehef of them that need, some easy observances of
his most reasonable commands !
III. Thfrdly, This is a most sweet and delightfiil
Ps. cxxxv. (Juty. Praise the Lord, saith the most experienced
Psahnist, for the Lord is good; sing praises to his
Ps. cxivii. name, for it is pleasant: and otherwhere. Praise
' '^' ' the Lord: for it is good to sing praises to our God ;
for it is pleasant, and praise is comely. The per
formance of this duty, as it especiaUy proceeds
from good humour, and a cheerful disposition of
mind; so it feeds and foments them; both root
and fruit thereof are hugely sweet and sapid.
James v. Whonce St Jamos ; If any man be afllicted, let
'^' him pray; is any merry, let him sing psalms.
{Psalms, the proper matter of which is praise and
thanksgiving.)

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 401
Other duties of devotion have something labo- serm. XI.
rious in them, something disgustful to our sense.

Prayer minds us of our wants and imperfections ;
confession induces a sad remembrance of our mis
deeds and bad deserts : but thanksgiving includes
nothing uneasy or unpleasant; nothing but the
memory and sense of exceeding goodness.
AU love is sweet ; but that especially which
arises, not from a bare apprehension only of the
object's worth and dignity, but from a feeling of
its singular beneficence and usefulness unto us.
And what thought can enter into the heart of man
more comfortable and delicious than this, that the
great IVIaster of all things, the most wise and
mighty King of heaven and earth, hath entertained
a gracious regard, hath expressed a real kindness
toward us ? that we are in capacity to honour, to
please, to present an acceptable sacrifice to him,
who can render us perfectly happy? that we are
admitted to the practice of that wherein the
supreme joy of paradise, and the perfection of
angelical bUss consists ? For praise and thanks
giving are the most delectable business of heaven ;
and God grant they may be our greatest dehght,
our most frequent employment upon earth.
To these I might add such further consider
ations : That this duty is of all most acceptable Ps. ixix. 30,
to God, and most profitable to us. That grati- 23.' "
tude for benefits procures more, disposing God to
bestow, and quaUfying us to receive them. That
the serious performance of this duty efficaciously
promotes and facihtates the practice of other duties ;
since the more we are sensible of our obligations
to God, the more ready we shall be to please him,
B. S. VOL. I. 26

402 The Duty of Thanksgiving.
SERM. by obedience to his commandments. What St
X.I
 '- — . Chrysostom saith of prayer. It is impossible that
he, who with competent promptitude of mind doth
constantly apply himself thereto, should ever sin\ is
most especiaUy true of this part of devotion : for
how can we at the same time be sensible of God's
goodness to us, and wilUngly offend him ? That
the memory of past benefits, and sense of present,
confirms our faith, and nourishes our hope of future.
That the cfrcumstances of the divine beneficence
mightUy strengthen the obUgation to this duty;
especiaUy his absolute freeness in giving, and our
total unworthiness to receive; our very ingratitude
itseff affording strong inducements to gratitude.
That giving thanks hath de facto been always the
principal part of aU religion, (whether instituted
by divine command, or prompted by natural reason,
or propagated by general tradition;) the Ethnic
devotion consisting (as it were totaUy) in the praise
of their gods, and acknowledgment of thefr bene
fits ; the Jewish more than half in eucharistical
oblations, and in solemn commemorations of pro
vidential favours; and that of the ancient Chris
tians so far forth, that bystanders could hardly
discern any other thing in their rehgious practice,
than that they sang hymns to Christ, and by mu
tual sacraments obUged themselves to abstain from
aU viUainy'. But I wiU rather whoUy omit the
' Vid. diviniss. Chrys. locum. Opp. Tom. v. p. 76. ['A/iVx""
vov ydp, dprjxavov avSpajrov pera ttjs npoarjKovarjS vpoSvpias ev^o-
pevov, Kal TTapaKaXovvra rbv Oebv avvexas, dpapreiv rrore. — In Ann.
Orat. v.]
* Plin. Epist. [x. 97. 7.] [Adfirmabant autem banc fuisse sum-
mam vel culpsB suse vel erroris, quod essent soliti stato die ante
lucem convenire; carmenque Christo, quasi Deo, dicere secum

The Duty of Thanksgiving. 403
prosecution of these pregnant arguments, than be serm.

further offensive to your patience.
Now the blessed Fountain of all goodness and
mercy inspire our hearts with his heavenly grace,
and thereby enable us rightly to apprehend, dili
gently to consider, faithfully to remember, worthily
to esteem, to be heartily affected with, to render all
due acknowledgment, praise, love, and thankful
obedience for all his {infinitely great and innumer
ably many) favours, mercies, and benefits freely
conferred upon us : and let us say with David, ^f- '^''"•
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only doeth
wondrous things : and blessed be his glorious name
for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with his
glory. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from Ps- cvi. 48.
everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people
say, Amen.
invicem, seque sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere, sed
ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne adulteria committerent, ne fidem falle-
rent, ne depositum appellati abnegarent.]

26—2

SERMON XII.
ON THE KING'S HAPPY RETURN.

I Tim. II. I, 2.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all
men: for kings, and for all that are in authority.
SERM. QT PAUL in his preceding discourse having
 ^ insinuated directions to his scholar and spi-
1 Tim. L 3, ritual soh, Timothy, concerning the discharge of
his office, of instructing men in their duty according
to the evangeUcal doctrine; (the main design
whereof he teacheth to consist, not (as some men
Ver. 6. conceited) in fond stories, or vain speculations, but
Ver. 5, 19. in practice of substantial duties, holding a sincere
faith, maintaining a good conscience, performing
offices of pure and hearty charity;) in pursuance of
such general duty, and as a principal instance
thereof, he doth here First of all exhort, or, doth
Exhort that first of all aU kinds of devotion should
be offered to God, as for All men generaUy, so par
ticularly for Kings and magistrates. From whence
we may collect two particulars, i That the mak
ing of prayers for kings is a Christian duty of
great importance. (St Paul judging fit to exhort
thereto Upwrov ttuvtcov, Before all other things; or,
to Exhort that before all things it should be per
formed.) 2 That it is incumbent on the pastors

On the King's happy Return. 405
of the church (such as St Timothy was) to take serm.

special care, that this duty should be performed in
the church ; both publicly in the congregations, and
privately in the retirements of each Christian :
according to what the apostle, after the proposing
divers enforcements of this duty, subsumeth in the
eighth verse ; / will therefore, that men pray every
ivhere, lifting up holy hands, without tvrath or
doubting. The first of these particulars. That it is a duty
of great importance to pray for kings, I shall insist
upon : it being indeed now very fit and seasonable
to urge the practice of it, when it is perhaps com
monly not much considered, or not weU observed ;
and when there is most need of it, in regard to the
effects and consequences which may proceed from
the conscionable discharge of it.
]VIy endeavour therefore shall be to press it
by divers considerations, discovering our obligation
thereto, and serving to induce us to its observance :
some whereof shall be general, or common to all
times; some particular, or suitable to the present
circumstances of things.
I. The apostle exhorteth Christians to pray
for kings with aU sorts of prayer : with A6>ja-ets, or
Deprecations, for averting evils from them; with
Upoaevxal, Or Petitions, for obtaining good things
to them ; with ' EvTev^ets, or occasional Intercessions,
for needful gifts and graces to be coUated on them;
as, after St Austin, interpreters*, in expounding
St Paul's words, commonly distinguish; how accu-
* Aug [Ep. oxLiz. (ad Paul.) Opp. Tom. n. col. 508 d,e.]
Beza. [in locum, p. 697. Ed. Basil. 1559.]
Grotius [in locum. Opp. Tom. ii. p. 961]

XII.

406 On the Kings happy Return.
SERM. rately, I shaU not discuss : it sufficing, that assur-
 edly the apostle meaneth, under this variety of
expression, to comprehend aU kinds of prayer.
And to this I say we are obhged upon divers
accounts. I Common charity should dispose us to pray
for kings. This Christian disposition inchneth to
universal benevolence and beneficence; accordiog
GaL vi. 10. to that apostoUcal precept. As we have opportunity,
let us do good unto all men: it consequently wiU
excite us to pray for aU men; seeing this is a way
of exerting good-wUl, and exercising beneficence,
which any man at any time, ff he hath the will
and heart, may have opportunity and abUity to
pursue. Xo man indeed otherwise can benefit all : few
men otherwise can benefit many : some men other
wise can benefit none : but in this way any man is
able to benefit aU, or unconfinedly to obhge man
kind, deriving on any somewhat of God's immense
beneficence. By performing this good office, at
the expense of a few good wishes addressed to the
Sovereign Goodness, the poorest may prove bene
factors to the richest, the meanest to the highest,
the weakest to the mightiest of men : so we may
benefit even those who are most remote from us,
most sti-angers and quite unknown to us. Our
prayers can reach the utmost ends of the earth; and
by them our charity may embrace aU the world.
And from them surely kings must not be ex
cluded. For i^ because aU men are our feUow-
creatures, and brethren by the same heavenly
Father; because aU men are alUed to us by cogna
tion and simihtude of nature; because aU men are

On the King's happy Return. 407
the objects of God's particular favour and care : if, serm.
because aU men are partakers of the common  '—
redemption, by the undertakings of him who is the
common IMediator and Saviour of all men; and
because aU men, according to the gracious intent
and desfre of God, are designed for a consortship
in the same blessed inheritance: (which enforce
ments St Paul in the context doth intimate :) if, in i Tim. ii.
fine, because aU men do need prayers, and are *' ^' ^'
capable of benefit from them, we should be chari
tably disposed to pray for them : then must we also
pray for kings, who, even in their personal capa,
city, as men, do share in all those conditions. Thus
may we conceive St Paul here to argue : For all
men, saith he. For kings; that is consequently for
kings, or particularly for kings ; to pray for whom,
at least no less than for other men, universal cha
rity should dispose us.
Indeed, even on this account we may say espe
ciaUy for kings; the law of general charity with
pecuUar advantage being applicable to them: for
that law commonly is expressed with reference to
our neighbour, that is, to persons with whom we
have to do, who come under our particular notice,
who by any intercourse are approximated to us ; and
such are kings especiaUy. For, whereas the greats
est part of men (by reason of thefr distance from
us, from the obscurity of their condition, or for
want of opportunity to converse with them) must
needs sUp beside us, so that we cannot employ any
distinct thought or affection toward them : it is not
so with kings, who by their eminent and iUustrious
station become very observable by us; with whom
we have frequent transactions and mutual con-

408 On the King's happy Return.
SERM. cems ; who therefore, in the strictest acception, are
 our neighbours, whom we are charged to love as
ourselves; to whom consequently we must perform
this most charitable office of praying for them.
2 To impress which consideration, we may re
flect, that commonly we have only this way granted
us of exercising our charity toward princes; they
being situated aloft above the reach of private
beneficence'': so that we cannot enrich them, or
reUeve them by our alms ; we cannot help to exalt
or prefer them to a better state; we can hardly
come to impart good advice, seasonable consolation,
or wholesome reproof to them ; we cannot profit or
please them by familiar conversation. For, as in
divers other respects they resemble the Divinity; so
in this they are hke it, that we may say to them,
Ps. xvi. -i. as the Psahnist to God, Thou art my Lord ; my
goodness extendeth not to thee. Yet this case may
be reserved, wherein the poorest soul may benefit
the greatest prince, imparting the richest and
choicest goods to him : he may be indebted for his
safety, for the prosperity of his affairs, for God's
mercy and favour toward him, to the prayers of his
meanest vassal. And thus to oblige princes, me
thinks, we should be very desfrous ; we should be
glad to use such an advantage, we should be ambi
tious of such an honour.
3 We are bound to pray for kings out of charity
to the pubhc; because thefr good is a general good,
and the communities of men (both church and
' Privatorum ista copia est, inter se esse munificos. — Auson.
ad Gratian. Imp. [Opp. p. 699. Ed. Toll. 1671.]
Absit, Auguste, et istud sancta divinitas omen avertat, ut tu a
quoquam mortalium expectes vicem bencflcii! — Mamert. Grat.
Actio Jul. Imp. [cap. xxxii. Paneg. Vet. Tom. ii. p. 207.]

On the King's happy Return. 409
state) are greatly concerned in the blessings by serm.
prayer derived on them.

The safety of a prince is a great part of the com
mon welfare; the commonwealth, as it were, living
and breathing in him : his faU, like that of a tall
cedar, (to which he is compared,) shaking the earth, isai. a. 13.
and discomposing the state ; putting things out of
course, and drawing them into new channels ; trans
lating the administration of affairs into untried
hands, and an uncertain condition. Hence, Let i Kings i.
the king live, (which our translators render, God 1 King.? xi.
save the king,) was an usual form of salutation or ^ chron.
prayer : and, 0 king, live for ever, was a customary j''^"';
address to princes, whereto the best men did con- 3^"^^ ..
form, even in application to none ofthe best princes ; "i- 9 ; . v-
as Nehemiah to king Artaxerxes, and Daniel to Neii. ills'.
king Darius. Hence not only good king David is
caUed The light of Israel; {Thou shalt not, said ^Sam.xxi.
Abishai, any more go out with us to battle, that thou
quench not the light of Israel;) but even the wicked
and perverse king Zedekiah is by the prophet
Jeremy himself (who had been so misused by him)
styled The breath of our nostrils. {The breath, saith Lam.iv.
he, of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord was
taken in their pits.) Hence not only the fall ofiChron.
good king Josiah was so grievously lamented ; but ^^^' ^'^'
a solemn mourning was due to that of Saul ; and,
Ye daughters of Jerusalem, weep for Saul, was a 2 Sam. i.
strain becoming the mouth of his great successor "' ^'*'
king David. Hence the primitive Christians, who
could not be constrained to swear by the genius of
Csesar, did not yet, in comphance with the usual
practice, scruple to swear by their health or safety" :
" Sed et juramus, sicut non per genios Csesarum, ita per salu-

410 On the King's happy Return.
^xii^' *^^^ ^^' ^^ express thefr wishing it, with appeal to

God's testimony of thefr sincerity therein ;

as

Gen. xUi. Josoph may be conceived to have sworn By the life
of Pharaoh. Hence well might the people teU
2 Sam. king David, Thou art worth ten thousand of us ;
seeing the pubUc was so much interested in his
safety, and had suffered more in the loss of him,
than if a myriad of others had miscarried.
This honour likewise of a prince is the glory of
his people; seeing it is founded on qualities or
deeds tending to thefr advantage; seeing it can
hardly be supposed, that he should acquire honour
without their aid and concurrence, or that he should
retain it without thefr support and thefr satisfac-
Prov.iv.9. tion. And as the chief grace and beauty of a body
is in the head, and the fairest ornaments of the
whole are placed there; so is any commonwealth
most dignified and beautified by the reputation of
its prince. The wealth and power of a prince are the sup
ports and securities of a state; he thereby being
enabled to uphold and defend its safety, its order,
Ps. ixxii. its peace ; to protect his people from foreign injuries
'^' and invasions; to secure them from intestine broils
and factions; to repress outrages and oppressions
annoying them.
The prosperity of a prince is inseparable from
the prosperity of his people; they ever partaking
of his fortunes, and thriving or suffering with him.
For, as when the sun shineth brightly, there is a
clear day and fair weather over the world; so
when a prince is not overclouded with adversity or
tem eorum, quas est augustior omnibus geniis. — Tert. Apol. cap.
xxxii. [Opp. p. 28 A.]

On the King's happy Return. 411
disastrous occurrences, the pubUc state must be serm.
serene, and a pleasant state of things vriU appear.  '. 
Then is the ship in a good condition, when the
pUot in open sea, with fuU sails and a brisk gale,
cheerfuUy steereth on toward his designed port.
EspeciaUy the piety and goodness of a prince is
of vast consequence, and yieldeth infinite benefit to
his country. For, Vita principis censura est ; the
life of a prince is the caUing of other men's hves to
an account. His example hath an unspeakable Eccius. x.
influence on the manners of his people, who are ""
apt in all his garb and every fashion to imitate
him"*. His practice is more powerful than his
commands, and often doth control them. His
authority hath the great stroke in encouraging vfr-
tue and checking vice, if it bendeth that way; the
dispensation of honours and rewards, with the in
fliction of ignominies and corrections, being in his
hand, and passing from it according to his inclina
tions. His power is the shield of innocence, the
fence of right, the shelter of weakness and simpli
city against violences and frauds. His very look
(a smUe or a frown of his countenance) is sufficient
to advance goodness and suppress wickedness;
according to that of Solomon, A king sitting in the Prov.xx.8
throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his
eyes. His goodness pleasing God procureth his
^ Flexibiles quamcunque in partem ducimur a principe, atque,
ut ita dicam, sequaces sumus ; huic enim cari, huio probati esse
cupimus ; quod frustra speraverint dissimiles ; eoque obsequii con-
tinuatione pervenimus, ut prope omnes homines unius moribus
vivamus. — Plin. Paneg. [cap. xlv. 6.]
Vita principis censura est, eaque perpetua ; ad hanc dirigimur,
ad hanc convertimur; nee tam imperio nobis opus est, quam ei-
emplo. — [Id. Ibid. § 6.]

412 On the King's happy Return.
serm. favour, and therewith deduceth from heaven all
^^^^~r tinds of blessings on his people. And ff those
Tsam ¦• ^^^^^^^ aphorisms of the Wise IMan be true, that
,g ™- ^"- Righteousness exalteth a nation and establisheth a
Prov.xi. throne; that When it goeth well with the righteous,
the city rejoiceth ; and the same By the blessing of
the upright is exalted : then upon his inchnations
to virtue the advancement and stabihty of pubhc
weffare do mainly depend. So, for instance, how
did piety flourish in the times of David, who loved,
favoured, and practised it ! and what abundance of
2 Sam. vii. prosperity did attend it! What showers of bless-
Ps. bcxii. ings (what peace, what wealth, what credit and
glory) did God then pour down upon Israel! How
did the goodness of that prince transmit favours
and mercies on his country till a long time after his
2 Sam. vii. decease ! How often did God profess For his ser-
I Kings xi. vant David's sake to preserve Judah from destruc-
j'ei-. xxxiii. tlou ; SO that ovon in the days of Hezekiah, when
Ps. Ixxxix. tJi6 king of Assyria did invade that country, God
^9 ; .. by the mouth of Isaiah declared, / unll defend this
cxxxn. 10. '^ 'J
Isai. citi/ to save it for mine own sake, and for my ser-
xxxvii. 35- -^^ ;r, . ,, -^ , ' ' ^
I Kings xi. vanl David s sake.
^'' ^"*' We may indeed observe, that, according to the
representation of things in holy scripture, there is
a kind of moral connection, or a communication of
merit and guilt, between prince and people; so
that mutuaUy each of them is rewarded for the
virtues, each is punished for the vices of the other.
As for the iniquities of a people, God withdraweth
from their prince the free communications of his
grace and of his favour, (suffering him to incur
sin, or to faU into misfortune; which was the case
1 King.9 of that incomparably good king Josiah, and hath
xxiii. 25.

On the King's happy Return. 413
been the fate of divers excellent princes, whom serm.
God hath snatched away from people unworthy of -

them, or involved with such a people in common J^^^' '"¦ ''
calamities ; according to the rule propounded in Deut.
the Law, of God's dealing with the Israelites in ''''™'" ^ '
the case of their disobedience; and according to
that of Samuel, If ye shall do wickedly, ye shall be ' Sam. xU.
consumed, both ye and your king:) so reciprocally, Prov.
for the misdemeanours of princes, (or in them, and : Kings xi.
by them,) God doth chastise their people. For fxingaxv.
what confusions in Israel did the offences of Solo- l\-
mon create! What mischiefs did issue thereon ''™- "•
from Jeroboam's wicked behaviour ! How did the
sins of IManasseh stick to his country, since that,
even after that notable reformation wrought by Jo
siah, it is said. Notwithstanding the Lord turned 2 Kings
not from the fierceness of his great wrath ivhere-
with his anger was kindled against Judah, because
of all the provocations wherewith Manasseh had
provoked him! And how sorely, by a tedious three ^Sam.xxi.
years' famine, did God avenge Saul's cruelty to- '"
ward the Gibeonites!
Nor are only the sins of bad princes affixed to Jer. xxxii.
people conspiring with them in impiety; for even ^''
of king Hezekiah it is said. But Hezekiah rendered ^ chron.
not again according to the benefit done unto him;
for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was
wrath up>on him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
So the pride and ingratitude of an excellent prince
were avenged on his subjects. And when good
king David (God averting his grace from him) did
faU into that arrogant transgression of counting
his forces, that, as Joab prudently foretold, be
came A cause of trespass to Israel; and God, saith r chron.
xxi. 3, 7.

XXIV. I.

414 On the King's happy Return.
^xii^' ^^ ^^'^^' '^^^ displeased with this thing; therefore
 — he smote Israel.
David indeed seemed to apprehend some in-
I Chron. iquity in this proceeding, expostulating thus ; Is it
not I that commanded the people to be numbered?
even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed:
but as for these sheep, what have they done? But
God had no regard to his plea, nor returned any
answer to it; for indeed God's wrath began with
the people, and their king's sin was but a judg-
2 Jam. ment executed on them; for The anger, it is said,
of the Lord was kindled against Israel, (by their
sin surely, which is the only incentive of divine
wrath,) and he moved David against them to say,
Go, number Israel and Judah.
So indeed it is that princes are bad, that they
incur great errors, or commit notable trespasses, is
commonly imputable to the fault of subjects; and
is a just judgment by divine Providence laid on
them, as for other provocations, so especiaUy for
their want of devotion, and neglecting duly to
pray for them. For if they constantly, with hearty
sincerity and earnest fervency, would in their be-
Ps. xxxiii. half sue to God, who Fashioneth all the hearts of
Pr'ov. xxi. men, who especiaUy holdeth the hearts of kuigs in
'¦ his hand, and turneth them whithersoever he will;
we reasonably might presume, that God by his
grace would direct them into the right way, and
incUne their hearts to goodness; that he would ac-
isai. lx. 17. complish his own word in the Prophet, I will make
thy off cers peace, and thine exactors righteousness:
that we might have occasion to pay thanksgivings
Ezra vii. Uko that of Ezra, Blessed be the Lord God of our
'^'^' fathers, who hath put such things as this in the king's

On the King's happy Return. 415
heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in serm.
Jerusalem.  '. —

We are apt to impute the UI management of
things, and the bad success waiting on it, unto
princes, being in appearance the immediate agents
and instruments of it : but we commonly do therein
mistake, not considering that ourselves are most
guUty and blamable for it; that it is an impious
people which maketh an unhappy prince ; that their
offences do pervert his counsels and blast his un
dertakings; that their profaneness and indevotion
do incense God's displeasure, and cause him to de
sert princes, withdrawing his gracious conduct from
them, and permitting them to be misled by tempt
ation, by iU advice, by their own infirmities, lusts,
and passions, into courses fit to punish a naughty
people. So these were the causes of Moses's speak- Ps. cvi. 32,
ing unadvisedly with his lips, and that Lt went ill
with him for their sakes; of Aaron's forming the Exod.
molten calf; of David's numbering the people; of ^™;^^^"
Josiah's unadvised enterprise against Pharaoh '^•
Neco; of Zedekiah's rebeUion against the Assy
rians, (notwithstanding the strong dissuasions of
the prophet Jeremy;) concerning which it is said,
For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass 2 Kings
in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them'
out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against
the king of Babylon.
Considering which things it is apparent, that
prayer for our prince is a great office of charity to
the pubhc; and that in praying for his safety, for
his honour, for his wealth, for his prosperity, for
his virtue, we do in effect pray for the same benefits
respectively to our country : that in praying for his

XXIV. 20.

416 On the King's happy Return.
serm. welfare, we do in consequence pray for the good of
 '- — all our neighbours, our friends, our relations, our
families; whose good is wrapped in his welfare,
doth flow from it, doth hang upon it.
We are bound, and it is a. very noble piece of
charity, to love our country, sincerely to desire and
earnestly to further its happiness, and therefore to
pray for it; according to the advice and practice
Ps. cxxii. of the Psalmist : 0 pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
cxxviii, 5. they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within
thy walls, and prosperity ivithin thy palaces. We
are obliged more especiaUy upon the highest ac
counts, with dearest affection to love the church,
(our heavenly commonwealth, the society of our
spiritual brethren,) most ardently to tender its
good, and seek its advantages; and therefore most
urgently to sue for God's favour toward it : being
Ps. li. 18. rea,dy to say after David, Do good, 0 God, in thy
good pleasure to Sion: build thou the walls ofJeru-
Fs. cu. 13, gQiQ,jfji_ Arise, 0 Lord, and have mercy upon Sion:
i.9ai. \xi.i.fiQr the time to favour her, yea, ihe set time, is come.
Now these duties we cannot more easUy, more com
pendiously, or more effectuaUy discharge, than by
earnestly praying for our prince ; seeing that if we
do by our prayers procure God's favour to him, we
do certainly draw it on the state and the church.
If God, moved by our devout importunities, shaU
Pa. xxi. 4. please to guard his person from dangers, and to
grant him a long life; to endue his heart with
grace, vrith the love and fear of himseff, with a
zeal of furthering public good, of favouring piety,
of discountenancing sin ; if God shall vouchsafe to
inspire him with wisdom, and to guide his counsels,
to bless his proceedings, and to crown his under-

On the King's happy Return. 417
-takings with good success: then assuredly we have serm.
much promoted the public interest; then infaUibly,  —
together with these, all other blessings shall de
scend on us, aU good wiU flourish in our land.
This was the ancient practice of Christians, and
directed to this end. For, We, saith Lactantius to
Constantino, with daily prayers do supplicate God,
ihat he would first of all keep thee, whom he hath
vjilled to be the keeper of things; then that he would
inspire into thee a will, whereby thou mayest ever
persevere in the love of God's name ; which is salu
tary to all, both to thee for thy happiness, and to us,
for our quiet".
4 Wherefore, consequently, our own interest and
charity to ourselves should dispose us to pray for
our prince. We being nearly concerned in his
welfare, as parts of the public, and as enjoying
many private advantages thereby; we cannot but
partake of his good, we cannot but suffer with him.
We cannot Uve quietly, i£ our prince is disturbed ;
we cannot Uve happUy, if he be unfortunate; we
can hardly Uve virtuously, if divine grace do not
incUne him to favour us therein, or at least restrain
him from hindering us'. This is St Paul's own
consideration : / exhort you, saith he, to make pray
ers for kings — that we may lead a quiet and peace
able life in all godliness and honesty. Upon such
an account God did command the Jews to pray for
® Cui nos quotidianis precibus supplicamus, ut te in primis,
quem rerum custodem voluit esse, custodlat ; deinde inspiret tibi
voluntatem, qua semper in amore divini nominis perseveres. Quod
est omnibus salutare, et tibi ad felicitatem, et ceteris ad quietem. —
Lact. Instit. vii. 26.
' Nescio an plus moribus conferat princeps, qui bonos esse
patitur, quam qui cogit  Plin. Panegyr. [cap. xlv. 4.]
B. S. VOL. L 27

Jer. xxix.
7-

418 On the King's happy Return.
serm. the welfare of that heathen state under which they
- Uved in captivity. And seek, said he, the peace of
the city whither L have caused you to be carried
away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it : for
in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. And for
the Uke cause the Christians of old deemed them
selves bound to pray for the GentUe magistrates;
according to that of TertuUian : We pray for you,
because with you the empire is shaken: and the
other members of it being shaken, assuredly even we,
how far soever we may be thought from troubles, are
found in some place of thefall^. Further,
5 Let us consider, that subjects are obUged in
gratitude and ingenuity, yea in equity and justice,
to pray for their princes. For,
They are most nearly related to us, and aUied by
the most sacred bands; being constituted by God,
in his own room, the parents and guardians of their
country; being also avowed and accepted for such
by solemn vows, and most holy sacraments of aUe
giance : whence unto them as such we owe an hum
ble piety, a very respectfid affection, a most dutiful
observance; the which we cannot better express
or exercise, than in our heartiest prayers for thefr
welfare. ^ Vobiscum enim concutitur imperium, concussis etiam cete
ris membris ejus : utique et nos (licet extranei a turbis sestimemur)
in aliquo loco casus invenimur. — Tert. Apol. cap. xxxii. [Ed.
PameL 1617.]
Christianus nullius est hostis, nedum Imperatoris ; quem seiens
a Deo suo constitui, necesse est, ut et ipsum diligat, et revereatur,
et honoret, et salvum velit. — Id. ad Scap. cap. ii. [Opp. p. 69 c]
Jurant per Deum, et per Christum, et per Spiritum Sanctum
et per majestatem Imperatoris, quse secundum Deum generi hu
mano diligenda est et colenda. — Veget. [de Re Mil. Lib. ii.
cap. 5.]

On the King's happy Return. 419
They by God are destined to be the protectors of serm.
the church, the patrons of reUgion, the fosterers and  '- —
cherishers of truth, of virtue, of piety: for of the
church in the evangeUcal times it was prophesied.
Kings shall be thy nursing fathers ; Thou shalt i^ai. xiix.
suck the breasts of kings; Kings shall minister to \x.'i6, 10.
thee : wherefore to them, not only as men and citi
zens, but pecuUarly as Christians, we owe the high
est duty ; and consequently we must pay the best
devotion for them.
To them we stand indebted for the greatest
benefits of common Ufe : they necessarUy do take
much care, they undergo great trouble, they are
exposed to many hazards for our advantages ; that
under thefr shadow we may enjoy safety and quiet, ^^™- ^''•
we may reap the fruits of our industry, we may
possess the comforts and conveniences of our Ufe,
with security from rapine, from contention, from
sohcitude, from the continual fears of wrong and
outrage. To their industry and vigilancy under God, we
owe the fafr administration of justice, the protec
tion of right and innocence, the preservation of
order and peace, the encouragement of goodness,
and correction of wickedness : for Tliey, as the apo- i^o™- ^"i-
stle teUeth us, are God's ministers, attending conti
nually on these very things. They indeed so attend
as to deny themselves, and so forego much of their
own ease, their pleasure, their satisfaction; being
frequently perplexed vrith cares, continuaUy en
slaved to business, and subject to various inconve
niences, rendering their Ufe to considerate specta
tors very Uttle desirable.
As therefore, according to our Lord's observa-
27—2

420 On the King's happy Return.
^xii^' ^^°^' ^^^ ^^^ usually styled Benefactors, so thej
really are ; even the worst of them (such as Clau-

Luke25-

xxu.

dius or Nero, of whom our apostles speak) in
considerable measure; at least in comparison oi
anarchy, and considering the mischiefs issuing
from want of government. The matter is not
fiattery : (saith St Chrysostom, himself of all men
furthest from a flatterer ;) but according to the rea
son of the case^ we must esteem ourselves much
obliged to them for the pains they sustain in our
behalf, and for the benefits we receive from them.
For he indeed must be a very bad governor, to
whom that speech of the orator TertuUus may not
Acts xxiv. without glozing be accommodated; Seeing that by
thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy
deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,
we accept it always, and in all places, most noble
Felix, with all thankfulness.
However, what Seneca saith of phUosophers,
that They of all men are most obliged, and most
grateful to kings and magistrates, because from their
care they enjoy the leisure, quiet and security of
contemplating and practising the best things ; upon
which account, saith he, they could not but reve
rence the authors of so great a good as parents^ ;
that is, or should be, far more true of Christians.
*" Ou KoXaKela earl Tb rrpdypa, dXXa Kara rbv tov biKaiov yiverai
Xoyov. — Chrys. in 1 Tim. ii. 1. [Opp. Tom. iv. p. 272.]
' Errare mihi videntur, qui existimant, philosophise fideliter de-
ditos contumaces esse ac refractarios, et contemtores magistratuum
ac regum, eorumve per quos publica administrantur. E contrario
enim, nulli adversus illos gratiores sunt; nee immerito, nullis
enim plus prsestant, quam quibus frui tranquillo otic licet. Itaque
hi, quibus aptum ad propositum bene vivendi aditum confert seeu-
ritas publica, necesse est auctorem hujus boni ut parentem colant.
— Sen. Ep. Lxxiii.

On the King's happy Return. 421
That leisure (to use his words) which is spent with serm.
God, and which rendereth us like to God^ ;. the  '- —
liberty of studying divine truth, and of serving God
with security and quiet; are inestimable benefits,
for the which they are indebted to the protection of
magistrates : therefore in aU reason a grateful retri
bution of good-wUl, and of all good offices, particu
larly of our prayers, is to be paid to them. Is it not
very absurd, saith St Chrysostom, that they should
labour and venture for us, and we not pray for them^?
6 Whereas we are by divine command fre- ' !"«*¦ "¦
quently enjoined to fear and reverence, to honour, Rom. xiii.
to obey kings; we should look on prayer for them fit. iii. i.
as a principal branch, and the neglect thereof as a f^ff-^'™-
notable breach of those duties. For,
As to honour and reverence, it is plain that no
exterior signification, in ceremonious unveiUng or
cringing to them, can so demonstrate it, as doth
the wishing them well in our hearts, and from
thence framing particular addresses to the divine
Majesty for their welfare. Than which practice
there can be no surer argument, that we hold them
in great account and consideration. And how
indeed can we much honour them, for whom we do
not vouchsafe so much as to offer our good wishes,
or to mention them in our intercessions unto him,
who requireth us to make them for all men, and
particularly for those for whom we are concerned ?
Doth not this omission evidently place them in
the lowest rank, beneath the meanest of our friends
'' Quanti sestimamus hoc otium, quod inter Deos agitur, quod
Deos facit ? — Ibid.
[nSff ovv oiK droTTOV avrovs pev vnep tovtov arpareveadat Kal
TO OTrXa Tideadai, iv rjpe'is iv dbeia aprjv' rjjias be prjbe vnep rav kiv-
bvvevdvrav Kal arparevopevav noietadai berjaeis ; — Chrys. ubi supra.]

422 On the Kinfs happy Return.
SERM. and relations ? doth it not imply a veiy slender
 1— regard had to them ?
And as for obedience, prayer for princes is
clearly an instance thereof; seeing it may be sup
posed, that aU princes do require it from thefr sub
jects. Not only Christian princes, who beheve
God the sole dispenser of aU good things, and the
great efficacy of devotion in procuring them from
him, may be deemed to exact this beneficial office
from us ; but even heathens and uifidels, from
their dim notion of a sovereign Providence, (which
hath ever been common in the world,) have made
an account of this practice ; as we may see by that
decree of the Persian king in Ezra, charging his
officers to furnish the Jewish elders with sacrifices,
j;zi-a vi. That, said he, they may offer sacrifices of sweet
savour unto the God of heaven, and pray for ihe life
of ihe king, and of his sons. And that such was
the practice of the Romans even in their heathen
ish state, doth appear from those words of Pliny;
We have, saith he, been wont to make vows for the
eternity of the empire, and for the welfare of the
citizens; yea for the welfare of ihe princes, and in
their behalf for ihe eternity of ihe empire^.
Not only pious princes with a serious desire
wUl expect this duty from us; but even profane
ones in poUcy wiU demand it, as a decent testimony
of respect to them, and a proper means of uphold
ing their state ; that they may seem to have place
in the most serious regards and solemn perform
ances of their subjects. So that to neglect this
¦^ Nuncupare vota et pro seternitate imperii, et pro salute
civium, imo pro salute principum, ac propter lUos pro seternitate
imperii, solebamus. — Plin. Paneg. [cap. lxvii. 3.]

IO.

On the King's hap)p>y Return. 423
duty is ever a violation of our due obedience, and serm.
a kind of disloyalty to them. Again, "
7 The praying for princes is a service pecu
liarly honourable, and very acceptable to God ;
which he wUl interpret as a great respect done to
himself: for that thereby we honour his image and
character in them, yielding in his presence this
special respect to them as his representatives"; for
that thereby we avow his government of the world
by them as his ministers and deputies; for that
thereby we acknowledge all power derived from
him, and depending on his pleasure ; we ascribe to
him an authority paramount above aU earthly
potentates ; we imply our persuasion, that he alone
is absolute Sovereign of the world. The King ofi Tim. vi.
kings, and Lord of lords, so that princes are nothing
otherwise than in subordination to him, can do
nothing without his succour, do owe to him aU
thefr power, their safety, their prosperity, and wel
fare " ; for that, in fine, thereby disclaiming aU
other confidences in any son of man, we signify our Ps. cxivi.
entire submission to God's wiU, and sole confidence 8,' 9.
in his providence. This service therefore is a very
grateful kind of adoring our Almighty Lord; and
as such St Paul recommendeth it in the words
immediately subjoined to our text. For this, saith ^ Tim. 11.3.
he, is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour. 8 Let us consider, that whereas wisdom,
guiding our piety and charity, wUl especially incline
° Deo vel privatus, vel militans servit, cum fideliter eum dili-
git, qui Deo regnat auctore. — Veget. [de Re Mil. Lib. n. cap. 5.]
" Temperans majestatem Csesaris infra Deum, magis ilium com-
mendo Deo. — Tert. Apol. cap. xxxiii. [Opp. p. 28 B.]

424 On the King's happy Return.
SERM. us to place our devotion there where it wUl be
 '— most needful and useful ; we therefore chiefly
must pray for kings, because they do most need
our praiyers.
The office is most high, and hard to discharge
weU or happUy: wherefore they need extraordi
nary supplies of gifts and graces from the divine
bounty. Their affairs are of greatest weight and import
ance, requiring answerable skUl and strength to
steer and wield them: wherefore they need from
the fountain of wisdom and power special commu
nications of light, of courage, of abiUty, to conduct,
to support, to fortify them in their managements;
Ps. li. 12. they need that God should uphold them, Ilvevp.aTi.
}jy efxovtKtp^, with that princely spirit, for which king
David prayed.
They often are to deliberate about matters of
dark and uncertain consequence ; they are to judge
in cases of dubious and intricate nature; the which
to resolve prudently, or to determine uprightly, no
human wisdom sufficiently can enable; wherefore
Isai. xi. 2 ; they need The spirit of counsel, and The Spirit of
judgment, from the sole dispenser of them, the
Isai. ix. 6. great Counsellor and most Righteous Judge. The
Ps. vu. II. ^ggg^ ^j^^ ablest of them hath reason to pray with
I Kings iii. Solomon, Give thy servant an understanding heart,
\visd.ix.4. to judge thy people, that I may discern between good
Ps.ixxu.i. ^^^ -^^^ y^ ^^^ ^^ ^j^g ^^ jvdge this thy so great
a people? that so, what the Wise IMan saith
Prov. xvi. may be verified, A divine sentence is in the lips
'°' of the king, his mouth transgresseth not in judg-
2 Sara. xiv. mcnt : and that of the wise woman. As an angel
''¦ P [Ps. li. 14. LXX.]

On the King's happy Return. ' 425
of God, so is my lord the king to discern good serm.
and bad.  1_

They commonly are engaged in enterprises of
greatest difficulty, insuperable by the might or
industry of man ; in regard to which we may say
with Hannah, By strength shall no man prevail; ' Sam. ii.
with the Preacher, The race is not to the swift, nor Eccies. ix.
the battle to the strong ; with the Psahnist, There is Va. xxxiii.
no king saved by the multitude of an host: where- " '
fore they need aid and succour from the Almighty,
to carry them through, and bless their designs with
success. They are most exposed to dangers and disasters;
(standing like high towers, most obnoxious to the
winds and tempests of fortune ;) having usually
many envious iU-vrillers, many disaffected male-
contents, many both open enemies and close insi-
diators ; from whose force or treachery no human
providence can sufficiently guard them: they do
therefore need the protection of the ever-vigUant
Keeper of Israel to secure them : for. Except the Ps- xxi. 4 ;
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain; cxxvii.' i ,-
except the Lord preserve the king, his guards, his ^''''"'' ' '
armies surround him to no purpose.
They have the natural infirmities of other men,
and far beyond other men are subject to external
temptations. The malicious spirit (as in the case
of Job, of David, of Ahab, of Joshua the high Zech. lii.i.
priest, is expressed) is ever waiting for occasion,
ever craving permission of God to seduce and per
vert them ; success therein being extremely condu
cible to his villainous designs. The world continu
aUy doth assault them with all its advantages, with
all its baits of pleasure, with all its enticements to

426 On tlie King's happy Return.
SERM. pride and vanity, to oppression and injustice, to
 '— sloth, to luxury, to exorbitant self-wiU and seff-
Eccies.viii. conceit, to every sort of vicious practice. Their
eminency of state, their affluence of wealth, their
uncontroUable power, their exemption from com
mon restraints, their continual distractions and en
cumbrances by varieties of care and business, thefr
multitude of obsequious followers, and scarcity of
faithful friends to advise or reprove them, their
having no obstacles before them to check their
wUls, to cross thefr humours, to curb thefr lusts
and passions, are so many dangerous snares unto
them: wherefore they do need plentiful measures
of grace, and mighty assistances from God, to pre
serve them from the worst errors and sins; into
which otherwise it is almost a miracle if they are
not plunged.
And being they are so hable to sin, they must
consequently stand often in need of God's mercy
to bear with them, and to pardon them ^
They therefore, upon so many accounts needing
special help and grace from Heaven, do most need
prayers to derive it thence for them.
AU princes indeed do need them. Good princes
need many prayers for God's help, to uphold and
confirm them in their virtue : bad princes need de
precations of God's wrath and judgment toward
them, for offending his IVEajesty; together with
suppUcations for God's grace to convert and reform
them: the most desperate and incorrigible need
prayers, that God would overrule and restrain them
from doing mischief to themselves and others. AU
'' 'O nXelara npdaaav, nXeiaff dpaprdvei ^porav.
[Eurip. CEnom. Frag. 1.]

On the King's happy Return. 427
princes having many avocations and temptations, serm.
hindering them to pray enough for themselves,  '—
do need supplemental aids from the devotions of
others. Wherefore if we love them, if we love our
country, if we love ourselves, if we tender the
interests of truth, of piety, of common good, we,
considering thefr case, and manifold need of pray
ers, vriU not fail earnestly to sue for them; that
God would afford needful assistance to them in
the administration of their high office, in the im
provement of their great talents, in the conduct
and management of thefr arduous affairs; that he
graciously would direct them in their perplexed
counsels, would back them in their difficult under
takings, would protect their persons from dangers,
would keep their hearts from the prevalency of
temptations, would pardon thefr faihngs and tres
passes. Again,
9 Whereas God hath declared, that he hath
special regard to princes, and a more than ordi
nary care over them, because they have a peculiar
relation to him, as his representatives, the Minis- wisd. vi.4.
ters qf his kingdom, the main instruments of his
providence, whereby he conveyeth his favours,
and dispenseth his justice to men; because also
the good of mankind, which he especiaUy tender-
eth, is mainly concerned in their welfare; whereas,
I say, Lt is he that giveth salvation unto kings; That Pa. cxiiv.
giveth great deliverance to his king, and sheweth :g.yiii^o' '
mercy to his anointed; that hath the king's heart, prov."'xi
and his breath, and aU his ways in his hand : even I:
' •' Dan. V. 23.
upon this account our prayers for them are the more
required. For it is a method of God, and an esta-

428 On the King's happy Return.
^xn^' ^li^^sd rule of divine providence, not to dispense

- special blessings without particular conditions, and
the concurrence of our duty in observance of what
he prescribeth in respect to them. Seeing then he
hath enjoined, that, in order to our obtaining
those great benefits which issue from his special
care over princes, we should pray for it, and seek
it from his hands; the omission of this duty wiU
intercept it, or bereave us of its advantages; nor
in that case may we expect any blessings of that
kind. As without praying for ourselves we must
not expect private favours from heaven; so with
out praying for our prince we cannot weU hope for
public blessings. For, as a profane person (who in
effect disavoweth God, by not regarding to seek
his favour and aid) is not qualified to receive any
good from him; so a profane nation (which dis-
claimeth God's government of the world, by not
invoking, his benediction on those who moderate it
under him) is not weU capable of common benefits.
Ezra viii. Jt is upou aU accouuts true which Ezra said. The
hand of our God is upon all them for good ihat
seek him: but his power and his wrath is against
all them that forsake him. If therefore we desfre,
that our prince should not lose God's special re
gard, if we would not forfeit the benefits thereof to
ourselves, we must conspire in hearty prayers for
him. ID To engage and encourage us in which prac
tice, we may further consider, that such prayers,
offered duly, (with frequency and constancy, with
sincerity and zeal,) do always turn to good ac
count, and never want good effect : the which, if it
be not always easily discernible, yet it is certainly

22.

On the King's happy Return. 429
real; if it be not perfect, as we may desire, yet it is serm.
competent, as expediency requireth, or as the con-  ^—
dition of things will bear.
There may be impediments to a fuU success of
the best prayers; they may not ever prevail to
render princes completely good, or extremely pros
perous: for some concurrence of their own will is
requisite to produce their virtue, God rarely work
ing with irresistible power, or fatal efficacy; and
the state of things, or capacities of persons, are not
always fitly suited for prosperity. Yet are not
such prayers ever whoUy vain or fruitless ; for God
never prescribeth means unavailable to the end : he
never would have commanded us particularly to
pray for kings, if he did not mean to bestow a
good issue to that practice.
And, surely, he that hath promised to hear all
requests, with faith and sincerity and incessant
earnestness presented to him, cannot fail to hear
those which are of such consequence, which are so
agreeable to his wiU, which do include so much
honesty and charity. In this case, surely we may
have some confidence, according to that of St John,
This is the confidence we have in him, that, if we •¦ John v.
ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.
As the good bishop, observing St Austin's
mother, vrith what constancy and passionateness
she did pray for her son, being then engaged in
ways of error and vanity, did encourage her, say
ing, Lt is impossible that a son of those devotions
should perish''; so m.^ we hopefuUy presume, and
encourage ourselves, that a prince wiU not mis-
' Fieri non potest, ut filius istarum lacrymarum pereat. — Aug.
Conf. III. 12. [Opp. Tom. i. col. 96 r.]

430 On the King's happy Return.
^xu^' ^^^^> ^^^ whose welfare many good people do
 earnestly sohcit: Fieri non potest, ut princeps
istarum lacrymarum pereat.
James V. You kuow in general the mighty efficacy of
prayer; what pregnant assurances there are, and
how wonderfid instances thereof occur in holy
scripture, both in relation to pubhc and private
Matt. xxi. blessings : how it is often promised, that All things,
Matt. vii. whatsoever we shall ask in prayer, believing, we
Gen. XX. sholl reccivc ; and that. Whoever asketh receiveth,
Numb. xi. ^''^'^ ^^ that sceketh findeth, and to him that knocketh
Ps.''cvi.^3o. '^^ ^^^^ ^^ opened : how the prayer of Abraham
jMh'l 12 ^^^ ^^^^ Abimelech, and his family of barrenness;
Lu™/''°' ^'^^ *^^ prayers of ]\ioses did quench the fire, and
25. cure the bitings of the fiery serpents; how the
iT^V' prayer of Joshua did arrest the sun; how the
xvl!2!!22. prayer of Hannah did procure Samuel to her, as
2 Kings iv. his name doth import; how Elias's prayers did
I Kings open and shut the heavens; how the same holy
xm. 6. . , •'
Deut. iv. prophet s prayer did reduce a departed soul, and
Neh.ix.27. ^^^^ ^^ Elisha did effect the same, and that of
^^ii^^fj*' another prophet did restore Jeroboam's withered
ju/fii I .1^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ prayers of God's people frequently
iv. 3 ; vi. 7; did raise them up saviours, and When they cried
unto the Lord in their trouble, he delivered them out
2 Chron. of tlicir distrcsscs : how the prayers of Asa discom-
xx.'3, 12, fited a mUUon of Arabians, and those of Jehosha-
20,' 2^^ "' phat destroyed a numerous army of his enemies by
XXXUI. 12, jj^Q^j. Qy^j^ hands, and those of Hezekiah brought
E|th. iv. (Jown an angel from heaven to cut off the Assy-
Neh. i. 11; rians, and those of JManasses restored him to his
Dan. chap, kingdom, and those of Esther saved her people
viir'ix.'™" from the brink of ruin, and those of Nehemiah
XI. xu. inclined a pagan king's heart to favour his pious

On the King's happy Return. 431
design for re-edifying Jerusalem, and those of serm.
Daniel obtained strange visions and discoveries.  '- —
How Noah, Job, Daniel, Moses, and Samuel are Ezek. xiv.
represented as powerful intercessors with God ; Jei-. xv. i.
and consequently it is intimated, that the great
things achieved by them were chiefly done by the
force of their prayers.
And seeing prayers in so many cases are so
effectual, and work such miracles; what may we
hope from them in this, wherein God so expressly
and particularly directeth us to use them ? If our
prayers can so much avail to our personal and pri
vate advantage, if they may be very helpful to our
fidends; how much shall the devotions of many
good men, aU leveUed at one mark, and aiming at
a public most considerable good, be prevalent with
the divine goodness ! However, if God be not
moved by prayers to convert a prince from all sin,
to make him do all the good he might, to bless
him in aU matters ; yet he may thence be induced
to restrain him from much evil, to keep him from
being worse, or from doing worse than otherwise
would be ; he may dispose him to do many things
weU, or better than of himself he would do ; he
may preserve him from many disasters otherwise
incident to him : which wUl be considerable effects
of prayer. II I shaU add but one general consideration
more, which is this, that prayer is the only aUow-
able way of redressing our case, if we do suffer by
or for princes.
Are they bad, or do they misdemean them
selves in their administration of government and
justice ? we may not by any violent or rough way

432 On the King's happy Return.
^xn^' ^*^®^pt to reclaim them; for they are not account-
 '— able to us, or Uable to our correction. Where the
^iL^4.' word of a king is, there is power : and who shall
say to him, What doest thou? was the Preacher's
doctrine. Do they oppress us, or abuse usi do they treat
us harshly, or cruelly persecute us? we must not
kick against them, nor strive to right ourselves
Prov. XXX. 'by resistance. For, Against a king, saith the
I Sam. Wise Man, there is no rising up : and. Who, said
David, can stretch out his hand against the Lord's
Rom. xiii. anointed, and be guiltless? and. They, saith St
Paul, that resist, shall receive to themselves dam
nation. We must not so much as ease our stomach, or
discharge our passion, by raUing or inveighing
Exod. xxu. against them. For, Thou shalt not speak evil of
Acts xxiii. the rider of thy people, is a divine law; and, to
2 Pet. ii. Blaspheme, or revUe, dignities, is by St Peter and
Jude 8. St Jude reprehended as a notable crime.
We must not be bold or free in taxing their
Job xxxiv. actions. For, Ls it fit, said Ehhu, to say to a king,
Ps'. Ixxxix. Tliou art wicked, and to princes. Ye are ungodly ?
^'' and. To reproach ihe footsteps of God's anointed, is
impUed to be an impious practice.
We must forbear even complaining and mur-
jude i6. niuring against them. For murmurers are con
demned as no mean sort of offenders; and the Jews
in the wilderness were sorely punished for such
behaviour.
Eccies. X. We must not (according to the Preacher's
M. viii. advice) so much as curse them in our thoughts; or
^^' not entertain iU conceits and UI wishes in our
minds toAvard them.

On the King's happy Return. 433
To do these things is not only high presumption serm.
in regard to them, (inconsistent with the dutiful  ^ —
affection and respect which we owe to them,) but
it is flat impiety toward God, and an invasion of
his authority; who alone is King of kings, and hath ' Tim. vi.
reserved to himself the prerogative of judging, of
rebuking, of punishing kings, when he findeth
cause. These were the misdemeanours of those in the
late times, who, instead of praying for their sove
reign, did clamour and raU at him, did asperse him
with foul imputations, did accuse his proceedings,
did raise tumults, and levy war against him, pre
tending by rude force to reduce him to his duty;
so usurping on their prince, or rather on God him
self ; assuming his right, and taking his work out
of his hands; discovering also therein great pro
faneness of mind, and distrust of God's providence;
as if God, being implored by prayer, could not, or
would not, had it been needful, without such
irregular courses, have redressed those evils in
church or state, which they pretended to feel or
fear. Nothing therefore in such cases is left to us
for our remedy or ease, but having recourse to
God himseff, and seeking relief from his hand in
his good time, by converting our prince, or direct
ing him into a good course; however comforting
ourselves in the conscience of submitting to God's
wUP. This is the only method St Paul did prescribe,
° Absit enim ut indigne feramus ea nos pati quse optamus, aut
ultionera a nobis aliquam machinemur, quam a Deo expeetamus. —
Tert. ad Scap. cap. ii. [Opp. p. 69 D.]
B. S. VOL. I. 28

434 On the Kings happy Return.
serm. even when Nero, a most vile, flagitious man, a
111
 sorry and naughty governor as could be, a mon
strous tyrant, and most bloody persecutor, (the
very inventor of persecution,) did sway the empire'.
He did not advise Christians to stand upon their
guard, to contrive plots, to provide arms, to raise
mutinies and insurrections against him ; but to
offer supplications, prayers, and intercessions for
him, as the best means of their security and com
fort". And this was the course of the primitive
Christians, during their hard condition under the
domination of heathen princes, impugners of their
religion: Prayers and tears were then the only
arms of the church; whereby they long defended
it from ruin, and at last advanced it to most glo
rious prosperity".
Indeed, if, not assuming the liberty to find fault
with princes, we would practise the duty of seek
ing God for his blessing on thefr proceedings; if,
forbearing to scan and censure acts of state, we
would earnestly implore God's direction of them; if,
leaving to conceive disgusts, and vent complaints
about the state of things, we would assiduously
petition God for the settlement of them in good
* Qui non dicam regum, sed omnium hominum, et vel imma-
nium bestiarum sordidissimus, dignus exstitit, qui persecutionem
in Christianos primus inciperet. — Sulp. Sev. [Hist. Sac. Lib. ii.
cap. 28. p. 236.]
" Ita nos magis oramus pro salute Imperatoris, ab eo earn
postulantes, qui prajstare potest. Et utique ex disciplina patientise
divinae agere nos, satis manifestum esse vobis potest, cum tanta
hominum multitudo, pars pene major civitatis cujusque, in silentio
et modestia agimus. — Tert. [ubi supra.]
^ Fundendo sanguinem, et patiendo magis quam faciendo con-
tumelias, Christi fundata est ecclesia. Persecutionibus crevit,
martyriis coronata est. — Hieron. [ad Theoph. Ep. sxxix. Opp.
Tom. IV. p. ii. col. 338.]

On the King's happy Return. 435
order; if, instead of being shrewd politicians, or serm.
smart judges in such matters, we would be devout  '—
orators and humble soUcitors at the throne of grace ;
our endeavours surely would find much better effect
toward pubhc advantage: we certainly might do
more good in our closets by a few hearty wishes
uttered there, than by all our tattling or jangling
poUtics in corners.
There are great contrivances to settle things :
every one hath his model of state, or method of
poUcy, to communicate for ordering the state; each
is zealous for his own conceit, and apt to be dis
pleased with those who dissent from him : but it is,
as the fairest and justest, so the surest and like
liest way of reducing things to a firm composure,
(without more ado, letting the world alone to
move on its own hinges, and not impertinently
troubling ourselves or others with the conduct of
it,) simply to request of Almighty God, the sove
reign Governor and sole Disposer of things, that he
would lead his own vicegerents in the management
of the charge by himseff committed to them. Be Phil. iv. 6.
careful for nothing ; but in every thing by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests
be made known to God, is a rule very appUcable to
this case.
As God's providence is the only sure ground of
our confidence or hope for the preservation of
church and state, or for the restitution of things
into a stable quiet; so it is only our hearty
prayers, joined with a conscientious observance of
God's laws, whereby we can incUne Providence to
favour us. By them alone we may hope to save
things from sinkmg into disorder, we may assuage
28—2

436 On the King's happy Return.
^xii*' ^^ factions, we may defeat the machinations
 against the pubhc welfare.
1 2 Seeing then we have so many good argu
ments and motives inducing to pray for kings, it
is no wonder that, to back them, we may also
allege the practice of the church, continuaUy in all
times performing this duty in its most sacred
offices, especially in the celebration of the Holy
Communion^. St Paul indeed, when he saith, I exhort first of
all, that prayers be made, doth chiefly impose this
duty on Timothy, or supposeth it incumbent on the
pastors of the church, to take special care, that
prayers be made for this purpose, and offered up
in the church jointly by aU Christians': and ac
cordingly the ancient Christians, as TertuUian doth
assure us, did Always pray for the emperors, that
God would grant them a long life, a secure reign,
a safe family, valiant armies, a faithful senate, a
loyal people, a quiet world, and whatever they, as
men or as emperors, could wish''. Thus, addeth
he, even for their persecutors, and in the very
pangs of their sufferings, they did not faU to prac
tise. Likewise of the church in his time St Chry
sostom teUeth us, that All communicants did know
y Constit. Apost. vm. 13. [Cotel. Pat. Apost. Tom. i. p. 404.]
Cf. II. 57. [Ibid. p. 266.]
'^ Polycarp. ad Phil. [cap. xii. (Antiq. Vers.) Cotel. Pat. Apost.
Tom. II. p. 189.]
* Precantes sumus omnes semper pro omnibus Imperatoribus,
vitam illis prolixam, imperium securum, domum tutam, exercitus
fortes, senatum fidelem, populum probum, orbem quietum, qua:-
cunque hominis et Csesaris vota sunt. — Tert. Apol. cap. xxx. [Opp.
p. 27 B.]
Hoc agite, boni prsesides, extorquete animam Deo supplicantera
pro Imperatore. — Ibid, [c]

On the King's ha.ppy Return. 437
hoiv every day, both at even and morning, they did serm

make supplication for all the world, and for the -
emperor, and for all that are in authority^.
And in the Greek liturgies (the composure
whereof is fathered on St Chrysostom) there are
divers prayers interspersed for the emperors,
couched in terms very pregnant and respectful.
If the offices of the Roman church, and of the
churches truckling under it, in latter times, shaU
seem more defective or sparing in this point of
service, the reason may be, for that a superlative
regard to the solar or pontiflcal authority (as pope
Innocent III. distinguished) did obscure their de
votion for the lunar or regal majesty*^. But our
church hath been abundantly careful, that we
should in most ample manner discharge this duty;
having in each of her holy offices directed us to
pray for our king in expressions most fuU, hearty,
and lively.
She hath indeed been charged as somewhat
lavish or over-liberal of her devotions in this case.
But it is a good fault, and we Uttle need fear over
doing in observance of a precept so very reason
able, and so important : supposing that we have a
*" Km toCto 'iaaaiv oi pvarai, Trmr Kaff eKdarrjv rjpepav yiverai, Kai
iv eanepa Kal iv npaia- nms vnep navrbs tov Koapov, Kal ^aaiXeav
Kal ndvrav rav iv vnepoxfj ovrav, noiovpeda ttjv berjaiv. — Chrys. in
1 Tim. ii. 1. [Opp. Tom. iv. p. 271.]
" [Ad firmamentum igitur coeli, hoc est Tlniversalis Ecclesise,
fecit Deus duo magna luminaria, id est, duas instituit dignitates,
quEe sunt pontificalis auctorltas, et regalis potestas ; sed ilia quse
prEeest diebus, id est, spiritualibus, major est ; quse vero carnalibus
minor ; ut quanta est inter Solem et Lunam, tanta inter Pontifices
et Reges difierentia cognoscatur. — P. Innoc. III. in Decret. Greg.
IX. Lib. I. tit. xxxiii. cap. 6. Corp. Jur. Can, Tom. ii. p. 59. Ed.
Pith. Paris. 1687.]

XII.

438 On the King's happy Return.
SERM. due care to ioin our heart with the church's words,
XII. •> >
 and to the frequency of prayers for our prince do
confer a suitable fervency. If we be not dead, or
merely formal, we can hardly be too copious in
this kind of devotion ; reiteration of words can do
no harm, being accompanied with the renovation
of our desires. Our text itself wUl bear us out in
such a practice ; the apostle therein by variety of
expression appearing solicitous, that abundance of
prayers for kings should be offered in the church,
and no sort of them omitted.
There are so many general inducements to this
duty at aU times; and there are beside divers par
ticular reasons enforcing it now, in the present
state and posture of things.
fs- x^iTe- Times of trouble, of danger, of fear, of darkness
Ixxvii. 2; ' and perplexity, of distraction and distress, of. guilt
cx'riiTs/ ^^^ deserved wrath, are most seasonable for re-
cril^'e'. ' course to the divine help and mercy in prayer*.
James v. And aro not ours such ? are they not much hke
Ps. Ixxxii. to those of which the Psalmist saith. They know
not, neither will they understand; they walk on in
darkness: all ihe foundations of the earth are out
of course? or Uke those of which our Lord spake,
Luke xxi. when there was Upon the earth distress of nations,
2 icings with perplexity ; men s hearts failing them for fear,
^^^' ^' and for looking after those things which were coming
on the earth?
Are not the days gloomy, so that no human
providence can see far, no wisdom can descry the
issue of things?
'^ Inops senatus auxilii humani ad deos populum ac vota vertit.
— Liv. in. 7. Cf. V. 16. [Jamque Eomani, desperataope humana,
fata et Deos spectabant.]

On the King's happy Return. 439
Is it not a very unsettled world, wherein all serm,

XII.

the public frames are shaken almost off the hinges,
and the minds of men extremely discomposed with Ps. cvii.27.
various passions; vdth fear, suspicion, anger, dis
content, and impatience? How from dissensions
in opinion do violent factions and feuds rage ; the
hearts of men boiUng with flerce animosities, and
being exasperated against one another, beyond any
hopes or visible means of reconcilement !
Are not the fences of disciphne cast down? Is
there any conscience made of violating laws? Is
not the dread of authority exceedingly abated, and
aU government overborne by unbridled Ucentious-
ness? How many adversaries are there, bearing ill Ps. cxxix.
. . • 5 ¦ Ixxxiii.
will to our Sion ! How many turbulent, malicious, 5.'
crafty spirits, eagerly bent, and watching for oc
casion to subvert the church, to disturb the state,
to introduce to confusion in all things! How
many Edomites, who say of Jerusalem, (both ec
clesiastical and civil,) Down with it, down with it Ps- ..
' cxxxvu. 7.
even to the ground!
Have we not great reason to be fearfid of God's
just displeasure, and that heavy judgments will
be poured on us for our manifold heinous provoca
tions and crying sins; for the prodigious growth of
atheism, infidelity, and profaneness; for the rife
practice of aU impieties, iniquities, and impurities,
with most impudent boldness, or rather with out
rageous insolence; for the extreme dissoluteness in
manners; the gross neglect or contempt of aU
duties ; the great stupidity and coldness of people
generaUy as to all concerns of reUgion; for the
want of religious awe toward God, of charity to-

440 On the King's happy Return.
SERM. ward our neighbour, of respect to our superiors, of
 '— sobriety in our conversation ; for our ingratitude
for many great mercies, and incorrigibleness under
many sore chastisements, our insensibleness of
many plain warnings, loudly calUng us to repent
ance? Is not aU the world about us in combustion,
cruel wars raging every where, and Christendom
weltering in blood? and although at present, by
God's mercy, we are free, who knows but that
soon, by God's justice, the neighbouring flames
may catch our houses?
In flne, is not our case palpably such, that for
any good composure or reinstatement of things in
good order, for upholding truth and sound doc
trine, for reducing charity and peace, for reviving
the spirit of piety, and bringing vfrtue again uito
request ; for preserving state and church from ruin ;
we can have no confidence or reasonable hope, but
in the good providence and mercifiil succour of
Isai. xliii. Almighty God ; Beside whom there is no Saviour;
Hos.xiii.4. who alone is The hope of Israel, and Saviour
Jer. XIV. 8. ^^g^g^^ ^,^ ^^"^g ^j- troublcf WO uow having great
cause to pray with our Lord's disciples in the
Matt. viii. storm, Lord, save us, we perish.
Upon such considerations, and others whereof
I suppose you are sufficiently apprehensive, we
now especially are obliged earnestly to pray for
our king, that God in mercy would preserve his
royal person, and inspfre his mind with light, and
endue his heart with grace, and in all things bless
Isai. lviii. him to US, to bo A repairer of our breaches, and a
restorer of paths to dwell in; so that under him we
may lead a quiet life in all godliness and honesty.

On the King's happy Return. 441
I have done with the first duty, (Prayer for serm.
kings;) upon which I have the rather so largely  '. 
insisted, because it is very seasonable to our present
condition. II. The other (Thanksgiving) I shaU but touch,
and need not perhaps to do more. For,
I As to general inducements, they are the
same, or very like to those which are for prayer; it
being plain, that whatever we are concerned to
pray for, when we want it, that we are bound to
thank God for, when he vouchsafeth to bestow it.
And if common charity should dispose us to resent
the good of princes with complacence ; if their wel
fare be a public benefit; if ourselves are interested
in it, and partake great advantages thereby; if in
equity and ingenuity we are bound to seek it;
then, surely, we are much engaged to thank God,
the bountiful donor of it, for his goodness in con
ferring it.
2 As for particular motives, suiting the present
occasion, I need not by information or impression
of them fiirther to stretch your patience; seeing
you cannot be ignorant or insensible of the grand
benefits by the divine goodness bestowed on our
king, and on ourselves, which this day we are
bound with aU grateful acknowledgment to com
memorate. Wherefore, instead of reciting trite
stories, and urging obvious reasons, (which a small
recollection will suggest to you,) I shaU only re
quest you to join with me in the practice of the
duty, and in acclamation of praise to God. Even
so Blessed be God, who hath given to us so gra- 1 Kings i.
cious and benign a prince, (the experiments of '^ *

Ps. xcviii.
2.

442 On the King's happy Return.
SERM. whose clemency and goodness no history can pa-
 '— rallel,) to sit on the throne of his blessed father
and renowned ancestors.
Ps. xviii. Blessed be God, who hath protected him in so
40 ; Ixxxix. ' T I • r-
^2.^3- many encounters, hath saved him from so many
dangers and snares, hath dehvered him from so
great troubles.
Blessed be God, who in so wonderful a man
ner, by such miraculous trains of providence, did
reduce him to his country, and reinstate him in
the possession of his rights; thereby vindicatiag
his own just providence. Declaring his salvation,
and openly shewing his righteousness in the sight of
all people. Blessed be God, who in him and with him did
restore to us our ancient good constitution of go
vernment, our laws and liberties, our peace and
quiet; rescuing us from lawless usurpations and
tyrannical yokes, from the insultings of error and
iniquity, from horrible distractions and confusions.
Ps. cxxvi. Ever blessed be God, who hath Turned the
Isai. XXX. captivity of Sion; hath raised our church from the
^°' dust, and reestabUshed the sound doctrine, the
decent order, the wholesome discipUne thereof;
hath restored true religion with its supports, ad
vantages, and encouragements.
Blessed be the Lord, who hath granted us to
continue these sixteen years in the peaceable frui
tion of those blessings.
Ps. ixvi. Praised be God, who hath not cast out our
prayer, nor turned his mercy from us.
Praised be God, Who hath turned our heaviness
into joy, hath put off our sackcloth, and girded us
with gladness.

20.
Ps. xxx.
II.

On ihe King's happy Return. 443
Let our mouth speak the praise ofthe Lord; serm
and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and

Ps. cxiv.
ever. 21.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be our rock ; and p?- ^^"i-
. 4".
let the God of our salvation be exalted.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only Ps. ixxii.
doeth wondrous things; and blessed be his glorious
name for ever; and let the whole earth befllled with
his glory. Amen, and amen.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from ever- P!-<="-48;
, Xii. 1 3 ;
lasting to everlasting : and let all the people say, wix. 52 ;
Amen. Praise ye the Lord. 1 ajron.
xvi. 8 — 36.

SEEMON xm.''
ON THE GUNPOWDER-TREASON.

SERM.
XIII.

Psalm LXIV. 9, 10.
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of
God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall
trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall
glory.
IF we should search about for a case paraUel to
that which we do now commemorate, we
should, perhaps, hardly find one more patly such,
than is that, which is impUed in this Psalm : and if
we would know the duties incumbent on us in
reference to such an occasion, we could scarce better
learn them otherwhere than in our text.
With attention perusing the Psalm, we may
therein observe, that its great author was appre
hensive of a desperate plot by a confederacy of
vncked and spiteM enemies, with great craft and
Ver. 5. secrecy, contrived against his safety. They, saith
he, encourage themselves in an evil matter: they
commune of laying snares privily; they say. Who
shall see them? That for preventing the blow
threatened by this design, (whereof he had some
glimpse, or some presumption, grounded upon the
knowledge of their implacable and active mahce,)
" Nov. 5, 1673.

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 445
he doth implore divine protection : Hide me, saith serm.
he, from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the

insurrection of the workers of iniquity. That he ^^^' ^'
did confide in God's mercy and justice for the sea
sonable defeating, for the fit avenging their machi
nation : God, saith he, shall shoot at them with an Ver. 7.
arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. That they
should themselves become the detectors of their
crime, and the instruments of the exemplary pun
ishment due thereto : They, addeth he, shall make Ver, 8.
their own tongue to fall upon themselves : all that
see them shall flee away.
Such was the case ; the which, unto what pas
sage in the history it doth relate, or whether it
belongeth to any we have recorded, it may not be
easy to determine. Expositors commonly do refer
it to the designs of Saul upon David's life. But
this seeming purely conjecture, not founded upon
any express words, or pregnant intimations in the
text, I shaU leave that inquiry in its own uncer
tainty. It sufficeth to make good its pertinency,
that there was such a mischievous conspiracy,
deeply projected, against David ; (a very great
personage, in whose safety the pubhc state of God's
people was principaUy concerned ; he being then
king of Israel, at least in designation, and there
fore in the precedent Psalm, endited in Saul's time, Ps- ixii;.
is so styled;) from the peril whereof he, by the
special providence of God, was rescued, with the
notable disappointment and grievous confiision of
those who managed it. The which case (at least
in kind, if not in degree) beareth a plain resem
blance to that which lieth before us.
And the duties, which upon that occasion are

446 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. signified to concern people then, do no less now
 — sort to us ; the which, as they lie couched in our
text, are these : i Wisely to consider God's doing;
2 To fear ; 3 To declare God's work ; 4 To be
glad in the Lord; 5 To trast in God ; 6 To glory.
Of which the first three are represented as more
generaUy concerning men ; the others as apper
taining more peculiarly to righteous and upright
persons. These duties it shaU be my endeavour some
what to explain and press, in a manner apphcable
to the present case. I caU them duties; and to
warrant the doing so, it is requisite to consider,
that all these particulars may be understood in a
double manner; either as declarative of event, or
as directive of practice upon such emergencies.
When God doth so interpose his hand, as sig
naUy to check and confound mischievous enter
prises, it wiU be apt to stir up in the minds of men
an apprehension of God's special providence, to
strike into their hearts a dread of his power and
justice, to wring from their mouths suitable declar
ations and acknowledgments ; and particularly
then good men wUl be affected with pious joy; they
wiU be encouraged to confide in God, they wUl be
moved to glory, or to express a triumphant satis
faction in God's proceedings. These events natu
rally do result from such providential occurrences ;
for production of these events such occurrences are
purposely designed ; and accordingly (where men
are not by profane opinions or affections much
indisposed) they do commonly foUow.
But yet they are not proposed simply as events,
but also as matters of duty: for men are obhged

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 447
readily to admit such impressions upon their minds, serm.
hearts, and Uves, from the special works of Provi-  '—
dence ; they are bound not to cross those natural
tendencies, not to frustrate those wise intents of
God, aiming at the production of such good dispo
sitions and good practices : whence if those effects
do not arise, as often notoriously they do not in
some persons, men thereby do incur much guilt
and blame.
It is indeed ordinary to represent matter of
duty in this way, expressing those practices conse
quent in effect, which in obUgation should foUow,
according to God's purpose, and the nature of
causes ordered by him. As when, for instance,
God in the law had prescribed duty, and threatened
sore punishment on the disobedient, it is subjoined.
And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no I'^'^t- ?'™-
more presumptuously : the meaning is, that such ij ;
exemplary punishment is in its nature apt, and its
design tendeth to produce such effects, although
not ever, questionless, with due success, so as to
prevent aU transgression of those laws. So also,
When, saith the Prophet, thy judgments are in the ¦'¦^^'- ''''""•
land, the inhabitants of the world will learn right
eousness: the sense is, that divine judgments in
themselves are instructive of duty, it is their drift
to inform men therein, and men ought to learn
that lesson from them; although in effect divers
there be, whom no judgments can make vriser or
better; such as those of whom in the same Pro
phet it is said. The people turneth not unto him isai. ix. 13.
that smiteth them ; and in another, Ln vain have Jer. ii. 30 ;
/ smitten your children, they received no correc- Neh. ix. 29.
tion. As therefore frequently otherwhere, so also

448 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. here, this kind of expression may be taken chiefly

XIII.

to import duty. To begin then with the first of
these duties.
I We are upon such occasions obliged Wisely
to consider, (or, as the Greek rendereth it, "Ewtivai,
To understand, or To perceive, as our old transla
tion hath it) God's doing^. This I put in the first
place, as previous in nature, and influential upon
the rest : whence (although in the Hebrew it be
knit to the rest, as they aU are to one another, by
the conjunctive particle ve, and, yet) we do trans
late it casually. For they shall wisely consider, for
they shall perceive; because indeed without duly
considering and rightly understanding such occur
rences to proceed from God, none of the other acts
can or wUl be performed: attentive consideration
is needful to beget knowledge and persuasion ; these
to breed affection and practice.
There are many who, in such cases, are nowise
apprehensive of God's special providence, or affected
with it; because they do not consider, or do not con
sider wisely and inteUigently.
Some are very inobservant and careless in re
gard to things of this nature ; so drowsy and osci
tant, as not to attend to whatever passeth, or to
mind what God acteth in the world : such as those
Isai. V. 12. of whom the Prophet saith, The harp, and the viol,
5 ,^ X. 4. ' the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts :
but they regard not the work of the Lord, nor the
operation of his hands: that is, their minds are
so amused by wanton divertisements, their hearts
are so immersed in sensual enjoyments, as nowise
Ta noifjpara avrov avvrJKav. — LXX.

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 449
to observe the most notable occurrences of Provi- serm.
1 XIII.
dence. 
Others, although they do ken and regard what
is done, as matter of news, or story, entertaining
curiosity and talk : yet out of sloth or stupidity do
little consider it, or study whence it springeth;
contenting themselves with none, or with any
superficial account which fancy or appearance sug
gesteth : like beasts they do take in things obvious
to thefr sense, and perhaps stand gazing on them ;
but do not make any careful reflection, or inquiry
into their original causes and reasons ; taking (as
a dog, when he biteth the stone flung at him, or as
a child that is angry with the log he faileth on)
whatever appeareth next to be the principal cause :
such as the Psalmist again toucheth, when he
saith, A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a Ps. xcu. 6.
fool understand this : and as he doth acknowledge
himself on one occasion to have been ; is'O foolish ^^- '^'^"i-
tvas L, and ignorant ; I was as a beast before thee.
Others pretend to consider much, and seem
very inquisitive ; yet (being misguided by vain pre
judices or foul affections) do not consider wisely, or
weU understand these matters ; the result of their
care and study about them being to father them
on wrong causes, ascribing them to the mere con
duct and agency of visible causes, hurried by a
necessary swinge or roUing on by a casual fluctua
tion of things ; not descrying God's hand in them,
but profanely discarding and disclaiming it: such
as those in the Psalms, who so reflected on Provi
dence as to say," How. doth God know ? and is Ps. ixxiii.
there knowledge in the Most High? The Lord ¦j-'x. n'.
doth not see, neither doth the God of Jacob regard
B. S. VOL. L 29

450 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. it; such as hath been the brood of Epicurean and
 '— profane considerers in all times, who have earn

estly plodded, and strained their wits, to exclude
God from any inspection or influence upon our
affairs. Some indeed there have been so very dull and
stupid, or so perverse and profane, as not to discern
Isai.iii. lo; Qod's hand, when it was made bare, raised up,
XXVI. II. ' _ _ ' i'
Deut.xxvi. and stretched out in the achievement of most pro
digious works; not to read Providence, when set
forth in the largest and fairest print : such as those
Ps. cvi. 7. of whom it is said in the Psalm, Our fathers under
stood not thy wonders in Egypt; and those of whom
John xu. it is observed in the Gospel, Though he had done
so many miracles before them, yet they believed
not: such as the mutinous people, who, although
Numb.xvi. they beheld the earth swallowina: up Korah with
32 ^i^ 4.1. ^ O JL
his complices, and a fire from the Lord consuming
the men that offered incense ; yet presently did faU
a charging IVioses and Aaron, saying, Ye have
killed the people of the Lord. 'No wonder then, if
many do not perceive the same hand, when it is
wrapped up in a complication with inferior causes;
when it is not Ufted up so high, or so far extended
in miraculous performances.
The special providence of God in events here
effected or ordered by him, is indeed commonly not
discernible without good judgment and great care;
it is not commonly impressed upon events in cha
racters so big and clear, as to be legible to every
eye, or to any eye not endued with a sharp perspi-
cacy, not applying an industrious heedfulness : the
tracts thereof are too fine and subtle to be descried
by a dim sight, with a transient glance, or upon a

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 451
gross view: it is seldom so very conspicuous, that serm.
persons incredulous, or any-wise indisposed to  -^
admit it, can easily be convinced thereof, or con
strained to acknowledge it : it is often (upon many
accounts, from many causes) very obscure, and not
easUy discernible to the most sagacious, most
watchful, most wiUing observers. For, the instru
ments of Providence being free agents, acting with
unaccountable variety, nothing can happen which
may not be imputed to them with some colourable
pretence. Divine and human influences are so
twisted and knit together, that it is hard to sever
them. The manner of divine efficacy is so very soft
and gentle, that we cannot easUy trace its foot
steps. God designeth not commonly to exert his
hand in a notorious way, but often purposely doth
conceal it. Whereas also it is not fit to charge
upon God's special hand of providence any event,
wherein special ends of wisdom or goodness do not
shine; it is often hard to discover such ends, which
usuaUy are wrapped in perplexities: because God act
eth variously, (according to circumstances of things,
and the disposition, capacity, or state of objects,)
so as to do the same thing for different ends, and
different things for the same end: because there
are different ends, unto which Providence in vari
ous order and measure hath regard, which our
short and narrow prospect cannot reach: because
God, in prosecution of his ends, is not wont to pro
ceed in the most direct and compendious way; but
windeth about in a large circuit, enfolding many
concurrent and subordinate designs: because the
expediency of things to be permitted or performed
doth not consist in single acts or events, but in
29—2

452 On the Gunpoivder-Treason.
SERM. many conspiring to one common end : because we
 -^ cannot apprehend the consequences, nor balance the
conveniences of things in order to good ends : be
cause we are apt to measure things by thefr con
gruity to our opinions, expectations, and affections :
because many proceedings of God depend upon
grounds inaccessible to our apprehension; such as
his own secret decrees, the knowledge of men's
thoughts, close purposes, clandestine designs, true
qualifications and merits; his prescience of contin
gent events, and what the result wiU be from the
combination of numberless causes: because some
times he doth act in methods of vrisdom, and hy
rules of justice, surpassing our capacity to know,
either from the finiteness of our nature, or the
feebleness of our reason, or the meanness of our
state and circumstances here : because all the divine
administration of affairs hath no complete deter
mination or final issue here; that being reserved
to the great day of reckoning and judgment. It
is further also expedient that many occurrences
should be puzzling to us, to quash our presump
tion, to exercise our faith, to quicken our industry,
to engage us upon adoring that wisdom which we
cannot comprehend.. Upon such accounts, for
such causes, (which time wiU not give me leave to
explain and exemplify,) the special providence of
God is often cloudy, is seldom so clear, that with
out great heed and consideration we can perceive
it. But however to do so is plainly our duty; and
therefore possible.
For our reason was not given us to be idle upon
so important occasions; or that we should be as
brute spectators of what God doeth. He surely in

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 453
the governance of his noblest creature here discover- serm.
eth his being~ and displayeth his attributes : we -  —
therefore carefully should observe it. He thereby ^^'i-';..
(and no otherwise in a pubUc way) doth continu- n-
ally speak, and signify to us his mind : and fit it is,
that we his subjects should hear, should attend to
the least intimations of his pleasure. To him thence
glory should accrue, the which who but we can
render? and that we may render it, we must know
the grounds of it. In fine, for the support of God's
kingdom, for upholding the reverence due to his
administration of justice among us, it is requisite,
that by apparent dispensation of recompenses duty
should be encouraged, and disobedience checked:
very foolish therefore we must be, if we regard not
such dispensations.
So reason dictateth, and holy scripture more
plainly declareth our obligation to consider and
perceive God's doings. To do so is recommended
to us as a singular point of wisdom: Whoso is wise, Ps.cvii.43.
and will observe these things, they shall understand
die lovingkindness of the Lord. Let him that glori- Jer. ix. 24.
eth glory in this, that he understandeih and knoweth
me, that L am the Lord, which exercise lovingkind
ness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. Who Hos.xiv.g.
is wise? and he shall understand these things; pru
dent? and he shall know them. For the ivays qfthe
Lord are right, &c. We are vehemently provoked
thereto: Understand, ye brutish among the people; 'Ps.xdv. 8.
and, ye fools, when will ye be wise? They are re
proved for neglect and defailance. Who do not regard Ps. xxviii.
ihe work ofthe Lord, nor the operation of his hand. isai.'v.'i2.
The not discerning Providence is reproached as a Ps. xcii. 6.
piece of shameful folly; A brutish man knoweth n.'

454 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
^xni^' ''^^^' neither doth a fool understand: and of wofid
 pravity; 0 ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face ofthe
56. ^''"' sky; but how is it that ye cannot discern this time?
Matt. xvi. rj\^ contemplate and study Providence is the prac-
Ps. Ixxvii. tice of srood men. L will meditate on all thii works,
12; cxliii. ° . . , '
5- saith the Psalmist, chiefly respecting works of this
Ps. cxi. V!. kind : and. The works of the Lord are great, sought
out of all them that have pleasure therein. It is a
fit matter of devotion, warranted by the practice of
good men, to implore God's manifestation of his
Ps. xoiv. justice and power this way. 0 Lord God, to ivhom
vengeance belongeth, shew thyself; Ift up thyself,
thou Judge of the earth. It is God's manner hereby
Ps. ix. 16. to notify himself The Lord is known by thejudg-
m.ent that he executeth. He for this very purpose
Ps. cix. 27. doth interpose his hand ; That men may know it is
Isai. xB. his hand, and that the Lord hath done it; That, as
Ezek. vii. it is in Esay, they may see, and know, and consider,
and understand together, that the hand ofthe Lord
hath done this, and ihe Holy One of Israel hath
created it. He manageth things so that men may
be brought to know, may be induced to acknow
ledge his a,uthority, and his equity in the manage
rs. Ixxxiii. ment thereof*^ ; That they may know ihat he, whose
ixv'ii.'^'. 'name is Jehovah, is the Most High over all the
^' ''™'"" earth: that they may say. Verily ihere is a reward
for ihe righteous: verily ihere is a God that judgeth
the earth. In fine, the knowledge of God's special
providence is frequently represented as a mean of
nourishing our faith and hope in him, as a ground
of thankfulness and praise to him, as an incentive
" God thereby doth support and encourage good men.
He doth thereby convince and confound ill men. — Ps. ix. 19, 20.
He thereby doth instruct all men. — Isai. xxvi. 9.

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 455
of the best affections (of holy joy, and humble fear, serm.
and hearty love) toward him : wherefore we ought  '—
to seek it, and we may attain it.
There are consequently some distinctive marks
or characters, by which we may perceive God's
hand : and such may these be which foUow, (drawn
from the special nature, manner, adjuncts, and con
sequences of events :) upon which may be grounded
rules declarative of special providence, such as com
monly wUl hold, although sometimes they may ad
mit exceptions, and should be warUy applied.
I The wonderful strangeness of events, com
pared with the ordinary course of things, or the
natural influence of causes; when effects are per
formed by no visible means, or by means dispro
portionate, unsuitable, repugnant to the effect.
Sometimes great exploits are achieved, mighty
forces are discomfited, huge structures are de
molished, designs backed with aU advantages of
vrit and strength are confounded, none knows how,
by no considerable means that appear; nature
rising up in arms against them ; panic fear seizing
on the abettors of them ; dissensions and treacheries
springing up among the actors; sudden deaths
snatching away the principal instruments of them.
As, when The stars in their course fought against Judg. v.
Sisera: when the wind and skies became auxiliaries
to Theodosius*^ : when The Lord thundered with a i Sam. vii.
great thunder upon the Philistines, and discomflted 2 s'am.xxii.
14.15.
^ Aug. de Civ. Dei, v. 26. [Milites nobis qui aderant, retule-
runt, extorta sibi esse de manibus quajcunque jaculabantur, cum a
Theodosii partibus in adversaries vehemens ventus iret, et non
solum qusecunque in eos jaciebantur concitatissime raperet, verum
etiam ipsorum tela in eorum corpora retorqueret. — Opp. Tom. vn.
col. 140 E.]

456 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. them, and they were smitten before Israel: when
The Lord made the host of Syrians to hear a noise

6. '"^^¦^"- of chariots, of horses, of a great host; — whence they
2 Chron. arose and fled: when The children ofAmmon and
Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount
Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them; and when
they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,
2 Kings every one helped to destroy another: when The
angel ofthe Lord went forth and smote in the camp
ofthe Assyrians 185,000 men; and when they arose
early in the morning, behold they were all dead
corpses: when the mighty power of Antiochus was,
Dan. viii. ^s it is Said, to be Broken without hands: and
25. . . '
Dan.ii. 45. whou, as it is foretold, A stone cut out ofthe moun
tain without hands should break in pieces the iron,
the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold. Such
events do speak God to be their cause, by his in
visible efficacy supplying the defect of apparent
means. So likeAvise, when by weak forces great feats^
are accomplished, and impotency triumpheth over
Isai. xUx. ijiiglit^; when, as the Prophet saith, Tlie captives
of the mighty are taken away, and the prey of the
Josh, xxiii. terrible is delivered: when One man, as is promised.
Lev. xxvi. doth chasc a thousand, and Two put ten thousand to
Deut. flight: when a stripling, furnished only with faith
xxxii. 30.
I Sam. e Vid. Artabani Orat. apud Herod, [vil. 10. 5.] ['Opas ra vnep.
xvu. 40. ^^opj-a f(5a as KepavvoX 6 Oebs, oibe ia (fyavTa^eodai, rd be apiKpa
oibcv piv Kvi^et ; Spas be as is olxijpara ra peyiara, alel Kal bevbpea
ra TOiavra dnoaK^nrei ra fieXea ; <j)i\eei yap o Oebs Ta i7rfpe;(0!/ra
ndvra KoXoveiv. ovra brj Kal arparbs noXXbs vnb oXiyov bia^Seiperai
Kara roidvbe. inedv a(j)i 6 Oebs (pdov^aas ^ojSov ip^dXrj, ^ fipovTJjV, bt
av ifpBdprjaav dva^ias eavrav oi yap ia (ppoveeiv peya 6 Oebs aXXov
5 eavrov.] 'AXX aiei ye Aibs Kpeiaaav vdos, rje nep dvbpav.
Hom. 11. XVI. 688.

On the Gunpowder-lVeason. 457
and a pebble, shall knock down a monstrous giant, serm.
armed with a helmet of brass and a coat of mail,  '—
with a huge target, sword, and spear: when suc
cesses arrive Uke those recorded in scripture under
the conduct of Joshua, Gideon, Jonathan, Asa, Judg. vii.
Jehosaphat; wherein very small forces by uncouth I'sam.xiv.
means did subdue formidable powers : this doth argue 2'chron.
that God doth interpose; with whom, as it is said, ^xT'i" '17.
it is aU one To save by many, or by few, and those i Sam. xiv.
that have no power; whose Power is perfected in iCor.xii.g.
weakness; who Breaketh the arm ofthe wicked, and xxx-riii'.is-
Weakeneth the strength ofthe mighty, and Delivereth ^^¦^•j'-^l.
xxxv. 10
lxxvi. 5.

the poor from him that is too strong for him. ^^"^^ ^° >

Also, when great poUcy and craft do effect no
thing, but are blasted of themselves, or baffled by
simplicity: when cunningly-laid designs are soon
thwarted and overturned : when most perspicacious
and profound counsellors are so blinded, or so in
fatuated', as to mistake in plain cases, to oversee
things most obvious and palpable: when profane,
malicious, subtle, treacherous pohticians (such as ^ Sam. xv.
Abimelech, Achitophel, Haman, Sejanus, StiUco,
Borgia, with many Uke occurring in story^) are not
only supplanted in their wicked contrivances, but
dismally chastised for them: the occurrences do
more than insinuate divine wisdom to intervene,
countermining and confounding such devices. For
he it is. Who, as the scripture telleth us, maketh i^^i- ^i^^-
the diviners mad; turneth wise men backward, and
maketh their knowledge foolish; Disappointeth the-^°^^-^^' Ps. xxxiii.
' Mnia (fitXrj, pdpyrjv ae Seal 6eaav. lo.
Hom. Od. XXIII. 11.
s Ruffinus, S. Paul, d'Ancre, de Luna, &c.

458 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
serm. devices of the craftu^, so that their hands cannot
XIII. "^ J J ' ^ ...
 perform their enterprise; taketh the ivise m their
own craftiness, and turneth down the counsel of
the froward headlong.
Whenever a just cause or honest design, with
out any support or succour of worldly means, (with
out authority, power, wit, learning, eloquence,)
doth against aU opposition of violence and art pre
vail ; this signifieth him to yield a special counte
nance and aid thereto, who, to depress human pride,
I Cor. i. 2 7, and advance his own glory. Hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise ; and the
weak things of the world to confound the things ihat
are mighty; and base things of the world, and
things ivhich are despised, and things that are not,
to bring to nought things that are: (that are with
us in most request and esteem.)
Again, when plots, with extreme caution and
secrecy contrived in darkness are by improbable
means, by unaccountable accidents, disclosed and
Ecciea. x. brought to light ; A bird of the air, as the Wise
Hab.ii. II. Man spoakoth, telling the matter; The stones in the
wall, as it is in the Prophet, crying out Treason.
Esther vi. The king cannot sleep ; to divert him the chronicle
is caUed for; JVIordecai's service is there pitched
on ; an inquiry is made concerning his recompense ;
honour is decreed him; so doth Haman's cruel
device come out. Pity seizeth on a pitUess heart
toward one among a huge number of innocents
devoted to slaughter: that he may be saved, a
letter must be sent: in that, words inserted sug
gesting the manner of execution; that carried to
'' ^ovXrjv noXvnXdKav i^earijaev. — LXX.

h

On the Gunpoivder-Treason. 459
the wise king, who presently smelleth it out: so serm
this day's plot was discovered. Such events.

whence can they well proceed, but from the aU- ^^' ''^^'' '^'
piercing and ever watchful care of him. Whose eyes. Job xxxiv.
as EUhu said, a,re upon the ways of man, and he
seeth all his goings? There is no darkness nor
shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity shall
hide themselves: for Hell is naked before him, and^°^^^^-
destruction hath no covering. Amos ix. 2.
Also, when UI men by their perverse wiliness
do notably befool and ensnare themselves, laying
trains to blow up thefr own designs, involving
themselves in that ruin and mischief into which
they studied to draw others ; as when Saul, expos- ' Sam.
ing David's life to hazard, increaseth his honour ;
when the Persian nobles, incensing the king against
Daniel, do occasion his growth in favour, with Dan. vi.24.
their own destruction ; when Haman, by contriving
to destroy God's people, doth advance them, and Esther vii.
rearing a gallows for IMordecai, doth prepare it for
himself: when it happeneth according to those
passages in the Psalms, The wicked are taken in Ps- ^. -2 ;
ihe devices that they imagined; in the net which they xxxv. 8;
hid is their own foot taken: He made a pit a7i(ivB.'iV;
digged it, and is fallen into the ditch ivhich he made: ^"'"' ^•
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and Ps. vii. 16.
his violent dealings shall come upon his own pate:
these are pregnant evidences of God's just and
wise providence; for The Lord is knoivn by the Fs. ix. 16.
judgment that he executeth; the wicked is snared in
the work of his own hand.
All such occurrences, containing in them some
what, if not downrightly miraculous, yet very
admirable, in like manner deflecting from the

460 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. stream of human affairs, as miracles do surmount
-XIII. _
 the course of nature, most reasonably may, most
justly should, be ascribed to the special operation
Ps. Ixxii. of him. Who only doeth wonderful things.
IO.' 2 Another character of special providence
is, the seasonableness and suddenness of events.
When that, which in itself is not ordinary, nor
could weU be expected, doth fall out happUy, in
the nick of an exigency, for the relief of innocence,
the encouragement of goodness, the support of a
good cause, the furtherance of any good purpose ;
(so that there is occasion to acknowledge with the
Isai. kiv. Prophet, Thou didst terrible things, that we looked
not for;) this is a shrewd indication that God's
hand is then concerned ; not only the event being
notable, but the connection thereof with circum
stances of need being more admirable.
Thus, in time of distress and despondency, when
a man is utterly forlorn, and destitute of all visible
relief, when, as the Psalmist speaketh. Refuge faiV
Pe. cxiii. 4; Qth him, and no man careth for his soul: if then
xllV. 2 f, •
cviii. 12.' EjjKaipo's jSoijdeia, An opportune succour doth arrive;
16. " ' he is then unreasonable and ingrateful, if he doth
not avow a special providence, and thankfuUy
Ps. xlvi. I ; ascribe that event unto him who is Our refuge and
xxxvii. 39; strength; a very present help in trouble ; A strength
Sx"'i4 ¦ to the poor, a strength to ihe needy in his distress,
iJaT'xxv -^ refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat ;
4; xxxiii. j'he hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof in time
Jer. xir.s. of trouble. This is that, for which, in the 107th
18. ' Psalm, the divine goodness is so magnificently
f|^'2™3i; celebrated; this is the burden of that pathetical
rapture, wherein we, by repeated vrishes and exhort
ations, are instigated to bless God ; his wonderfully

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 461
relieving the chUdren of men in their need and serm. XIII
distress : this is that, which God himself in the  '—
Prophet representeth as a most satisfactory demon
stration of his providence. When the poor and la^i. xii.
needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue
faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, L the
God of Jacob will not forsake them: L will open
rivers in high places, and fountains in ihe midst of
the valleys, &c. that they may see, and know, and
consider, and understand together, ihat ihe hand of
ihe Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel
hath created it. *
So also, when pestUent enterprises, managed
by close fraud or by impetuous violence, are brought
to a head and come near to the point of being
executed ; the sudden detection or seasonable
obstruction of them do argue the ever vigilant eye
and the all-powerful hand to be engaged : God ever
doth see those deceitful workers of iniquity, laying
their mischief in the dark; he is always present at
their cabals and clandestine meetings, wherein they
brood upon it. He often doth suffer it to grow on
to a pitch of maturity, till it be thoroughly formed,
tUl it be ready to be hatched, and break forth in
its mischievous effects ; then in a trice he snappeth
and crusheth it to nothing. God beholdeth violent
men setting out in their unjust attempts, he letteth
them proceed on in a fuU career, until they reach
the edge of their design ; then instantly he check-
eth, putteth in a spoke, he stoppeth, he tumbleth
them down, or turneth them backward. Thus was Esther iii.
Haman's plot dashed, when he had procured a
royal decree, when he had fixed a time, when he
had issued forth letters to destroy God's people.

462 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. Thus was Pharaoh overwhelmed, when he had iust
XIII
 '— overtaken the children of Israel. Thus were the

Exod. xiv.

XIX. 20

.5-

designs of Abimelech, of Absolom, of Adonijah,
of SanbaUat nipped. Thus when Sennacherib with
an unmatchable host had encamped against Jeru-
^™gs salem, and had to appearance swallowed it, God
did put a hook into his nose, and turned him back
2Mac. ix. into his own land. Thus when Antiochus was
marching on furiously to accomplish his threat of
turning Jerusalem into a charnel, a noisome disease
did intercept his progress. Thus when the profane
Caligula did mean to discharge his bloody rage on
the Jews, for refnsing to worship him, a domestic
sword did presently give vent to his revengefiil
breath'. Thus also, when Juhan had by his policy
and authority projected to overthrow our religion,
his plot soon was quashed, and his life snapped
Isai. Bx. away by an unknown hand*". Thus, Whenever the
enemy doth come in like a flood, (threatening imme
diately to overflow and overturn aU things,) the
Spirit of the Lord doth lift up a standard against
him; that is, God's secret efficacy doth suddenly
restrain and repress his outrage. This usually is
the method of divine Providence. God could pre
vent the beginnings of wicked designs; he could
supplant them in their first onsets'; he could any
where sufflaminate and subvert them : but he
rather winketh for a time, and suffereth the
designers to go on, tUl they are mounted to the

* Joseph. Antiq. Jud. Lib. iviii. [cap. 8. Opp. Tom. I. p. 905.]
^ Chrys. in Babyl. Orat. ii. [Opp. Tom. v. p. 471.] Greg. Naz
Orat. V. [Opp. Tom. i. p. 162 d.]
Et be pfj iK npooipiav, prjbe eidlas, edos aira toiovtov, &C. —
Chrys. ad Olymp. [Ep. i. Opp. Tom. vii. p. 52.]

19.

On the Crunpowder-Treason. 463
top of confidence"", and good people are cast on the serm,
brink of ruin ; then 'Atto ixYi'^avrj^, surprisingly, unex-  '—
pectedly he striketh in with effectual succour"; so
declaring how vain the presumption is of impious
undertakers; how needful and sure his protection
is over innocent people ; how much reason the one
hath to dread him, and the other to confide in him.
Then is God seen, then his care and power wUl be
acknowledged, when he snatcheth us from the jaws
of danger, when Our soul doth escape as a bird ^^- <'^^'^'
out ofthe snare of the fowler.
3 Another character of special Providence is,
the great utUity and beneficialness of occurrences,
especiaUy in regard to the pubUc state of things,
and to great personages, in whose welfare the pub
Uc is much concerned. To entitle every petty
chance that arriveth to special providence may
signify lightness; to father on God the mischiefs
issuing from our sin and foUy may savour of pro
faneness : but to ascribe every grand and beneficial
event unto his good hand hath ever been reputed
wisdom and justice". Lt hath been, saith Balbus in
Cicero, a common opinion among the ancients, that
whatever did bring great benefit to mankind was
never done without divine goodness toward men^.
And weU might they deem it so, seeing to do so is
most agreeable to his nature, and appertaining to
"" "Orav Kopv<pa6^, orav ai^rjdfj, &c. — Id. Ibid.
° Nee Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus
Inciderit.— [Hor. Ars Poet. 191.]
° Magna dii curant, parva negligunt. — Cic. de Nat. Deor. [ii.
66, 167.]
P Quicquid enim magnam utilitatem genferi adferret humano,
id non sine divina bonitate erga homines fieri arbitrabantur. —
Ibid. [ii. 23. 60.]

464 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. his charge, and may appear to be so by good argu-
 '— mentation a priori. For, that God doth govern
our affairs may be deduced from his essential attri
butes ; and, consequently, that he doth in especial
manner order these things, which are the most proper
and worthy objects of his governance. God indeed
doth not disregard any thing; he watcheth over
the least things by his general and ordinary provi
dence ; so that nothing in nature may deviate from
its course, or transgress the bounds prescribed to
Matt. vi. it. He thereby clotheth the grass of the field; He
Ps.civ. n;providethfor the raven his food, and The young lions
ps.'civ.^ii. seek their meat from him: without his care A spar-
xxxviii.39. '^''^ doth not fall to the ground; by it. All the hairs
^^^tf" of our head are numbered. But his more special
hand of providence is chiefly employed in managing
affairs of great moment and benefit to mankind;
and peculiarly those which concern his people, who
do profess to worship and serve him; whose wel
fare he tendereth with more than ordinary care and
Dan.iv.2s. affoctiou. Ho therefore hath a main stroke in all
' ^ ' ' revolutions and changes of state : he presideth in
Ps. xlvi. 9. aU great counsels and undertakings ; in the waging
Prov. xxi. of war, in the settlement of peace ; in the dispensa-
i 'chron. tiou of victory and good success. He is pecuUarly in-
XXIX. II. j;Qj,gg^g(j \t^ the protection of princes, the chief
Wisd. vi. Ministers of his kingdom; and in preservation of
¦''' ''' his people, the choice object of his care, from vio
lent invasions and treacherous surprises; so as to
prevent disasters incident, or to deliver from them.
Ps. cxliv. It is he that, as the Psalmist saith, doth give salvo-
Vs. oxxi. 4. tion unto kings; who delivereth David his servant
•^'- """"""j .from the hurtful sword. It is He that continuaUy

50; XXI
xxxiii. 16.

keepeth Israel without ever sleeping or slumbering;

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 465
who is The hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof; serm.
Who is in the midst of her, that she shall not be 
moved; who hath declared, that He tvill help her, va'xwi.s;
and that right early; that He will not cast off his^^-"^""-
people, nor forsake his inheritance; that No weapon i^ai. iiv.
formed against his church shall prosper; that Sal- Ps. iii. 8.
vation belongeth to the Lord, and his blessing is
upon his people. When therefore any remarkable
event, highly conducing to the pubUc good of
church and state, (supporting them in a good con
dition, or rescuing them from imminent danger,)
doth appear, it is most reasonable and most just, to
ascribe the accomphshment thereof to God's hand.
When any pernicious enterprise, levelled against
the safety of prince and people, is disappointed, it
is fit we should profess and say, Tlie righteous Lord ^^•^™-
hath hewn the snares of the ungodly in pieces.
4 Another like mark of special providence is,
the righteousness of the case, or the advantage
springing from events unto the maintenance of
right, the vindication of innocence, the defence of
truth, the encouragement of piety and virtue. God
naturaUy is the judge of right, the guardian of
innocence, the patron of truth, and promoter of
goodness. The Lord is a refuge to the oppressed: Ps- ix. 9;
He is a father ofthe fatherless, and a judge of the x^T^. ^ '
widow: He will maintain the cause of the afficted. Job xxxvi.
and the right ofthe poor: He executeth righteous- vs.cxt 12.
ness and judgment for all that are oppressed: He Ps- ciii- 6 ;
blesseth the righteous, and compasseth him with fa
vour as with a shield: He preserveth the souls ofthe'P^-j,- ";
righteous, and delivereth them out qfthe hand of the xxv.' 10;'
ungodly: All his paths are mercy and truth, unto'^^^^' ''^'
such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
B. S. VOL. I. 30

466 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. Whenever therefore right is oppressed, or perilous-
 '— ly invaded ; when innocence is grossly abused, or
sorely beset; when piety is fiercely opposed, or
cunningly undermined; when good men for the
profession of truth, or the practice of virtue, are
persecuted, or grievously threatened with mischief;
then may we presume that God is not unconcerned,
nor wiU prove backward to reach forth his succour.
And when accordingly we find, that signal aid or
deliverance do then arrive ; it is most reasonable to
suppose, that God particularly hath engaged him
self, and exerted his power in their behalf For,
seeing it is his proper and pecuUar work, seeing it
most becometh and behoveth him to appear in such
cases, affording his helpful countenance; when he
doeth it, we should be ready to acknowledge it.
Isai. Ixvi. In such a case. The hand of the Lord shall be
14. . ....
known toward his servants, and his indignation to
ward his enemies, saith the Prophet.
5 Another character is, the correspondence of
events to the prayers and desfres of good men.
Ps. kix. For seeing it is the duty and constant practice of
2; 'cxi. 6; good men in aU exigences to implore God's help;
James v. soeiug such prayors have, as St James telleth us, a
p^' i^i . . mighty energy, it being God's property, by them
xxxiv. 15; to be moved to impart his powerfid assistance;
XCI. 15; ¦'•¦'¦
cxiv. 18. seeing God most plainly and frequently hath de
clared, and obliged himself by promise, that he
wiU hear them, so as to perform whatever is expe-
2 Chron. diout in their behalf; seeing we have many notable
6 ' ' experiments recorded in scripture (as those of Asa,
Jehosaphat, Hezekiah, Elias, Daniel, and the hke)
xvii. T° &c. of prayers bringing down wonderful effects from
2 Kings J. ./ 1 • 1 , 1
xix. 15. heaven, with which the testimonies of all times

XIV. 1 1
XX.xxxil.

XXI. I,
2.

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 467
and the daily experience of good men do conspfre''; serm.
seeing the presumption of such efficacy is the main  —
ground and encouragement of devotion: we have
great reason, whenever events are answerable to such
prayers, to ascribe the performance of them to God's
hand : great reason we have in such cases to cry
out with David, Now know I that the Lord saveth ^s. xx. 6.
his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven,
with the saving strength of his right hand: just
cause have we, according to his pattern, thankfully
to acknowledge God's favour in answering our pe
titions ; The king, said he, shall joy in thy strength, ^^•
O Lord, and in thy salvation how greatly shall he
rejoice! For thou hast given him his heart's desire. Pa. xxx. 2;
. , . . Ixvi. 17 ;
and hast not withholden the requests of his lips. cxvIB. 5.
6 Again, the proceedings of God (especiaUy in
way of judgment, or of dispensing rewards and
punishments) discover their original by their kind
and countenance, which usuaUy do bear a near
resemblance, or some significant correspondence,
to the actions upon which they are grounded.
Punishments, saith a father, are the forced offsprings
of willing faults^ : and answerably, rewards are the
chUdren of good deeds: and God, who formeth
both, doth commonly order it so, that the chUdren
in their complexion and features shall resemble
their parents. So that the deserts of men shaU
1 Ilocrai pvpidbes dvbpav Koi cfidXayyes, oaa iKerevovres povov rjpels,
Kal Oebs ^ovXrjdels Kareipydaaro ; — Greg. Naz. [Or. V. Opp. Tom. I.
p. 168 A.]
How many myriads and squadrons of men were there, whom, we
only praying, and God willing, discomfited f saith Nazianzene in
reference to the defeating of Julian's design.
' Tc5i/ ¦yap eKOvaiav KaKav to dKovaia elalv exyova.^— Joan. Damas.
[De fide Orthod. Lib. iv. cap. 19. Opp. Tom. i. p. 289 e.]
30—2

468 On the Gunjwwder- Treason.
SERM. often be legible in the recompenses conferred or
 ^inflicted on them^: not according to the natural
result of their practice, but with a comely reference
thereto; apt to raise in them a sense of God's
hand, and to wring from them an acknowledgment
of his equity in so deahng with them. So when
humble modesty is advanced to honour, and am
bitious confidence is thrown into disgrace; when
liberality is blessed with increase, and avarice is
cursed vrith decay of estate ; when craft incurreth
disappointment, and simphcity findeth good suc
cess ; when haughty might is shattered, and help
less innocency is preserved; when the calumnious
Ps. xii. 3. tongue is bUstered, the flattering hps are cut off,
the blasphemous throat is torn out; when bloody
Rev. xvi. 6. oppressors have blood given them to drink, and
come to welter in their own gore; (an accident
which almost continuaUy doth happen;) when
treacherous men by their own confidants, or by
themselves, are betrayed; when retaliations of ven
geance are ministered, extorting confessions Uke to
Judg. i. 7. that of Adoni-bezek, As L have done, so God hath
requited me; deserving such exprobrations as that
I Sam. XV. of Samuol to Agag, As thy sword hath made women
childless, so shall thy mother be childless among
women; grounding such reflections as that concern-
2 Macc. ix. ing Antiochus, Thus the murderer and blasphemer
having suffered most grievously, as he entreated
other men, so died he a miserable death; by such
occurrences the finger of God doth point out and
indicate itself; they speak themselves immediately
Luke xiv. to come from that just God, who doth ^Avrawo^iU-
12. om. xu. 8 jj,^j ^^p avrbs ttjs KoXdaeas 6 rponos rtjs dpaprias rbv Tp6irov
pipe'irai. — Chrys. 'Avbp. iff. [Opp. Tom. vi. p. 591.]

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 469
vai, render to men answerably to their doings; who serm.
payeth men their due, sometimes in value, often in  '—
specie, according to the strictest way of reckoning*.
He, as the Prophet saith, is great in counsel, and "^^^^ '^''^"•
mighty in work: for his eyes are open to all ^Ae Ps.ixii.i?.
ways ofthe sons of men, to give every one according
to his ways, and according to the fruits of his doings.
This indeed is a sort of administration most con
formable to God's exact justice, and most conduci
ble to his holy designs of instructing and correcting
offenders. He therefore hath declared it to be his
way. Lt is (saith the Prophet, directing his speech Jer. i. is ;
to the instruments of divine vengeance upon Baby
lon) the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon
her; as she hath done, do unto her. And, The day o^^d. 15.
. 1 Ezek.
qfthe Lord (saith another prophet, concerning the xxxv. 15.
like judgment upon Edom) is near upon all the
heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto
thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
Thereby doth God mean to declare himself the
Judge and Governor of men : For, J will, saith he ^zek. vB.
in Ezekiel, do unto them after their way, and ac- Job xxxiv.
cording to their deserts will L judge them; and they
shall know that I am the Lord. Further,
7 Another argument of special providence is,
the harmonious conspiracy of various accidents to
one end or effect. If that one thing should hit
advantageously to the production of some consider
able event, it may with some plausibihty be attri
buted to fortune, or common providence : yet that
*A Kara rav rov Qeov paprvpav nparos i<jievpe KoXaarijpia, ravff
inopeivavra biKaiordrrj ^ri<pa. — Euseb. de Vit. Const. I. [S9. Tom. I.
p. 631.] (de Maximino.)
Is oculos qui erucrat Christianis, ipse visu orbatus.

470 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. divers things, having no dependence or coherence
 '— one with the other, in divers places, through
several times, should aU join their forces to com
pass it, cannot weU otherwise than be ascribed to
God's special care wisely directing, to his own
hand powerfully wielding, those concurrent instru
ments to one good purpose. For it is beside the
nature, it is beyond the reach of fortune, to range
various causes in such order. BUnd fortune can
not apprehend or catch the seasons and junctures
of things, which arise from the motions of causes
in their nature indifferent and arbitrary : to it
therefore no such event can reasonably be imputed.
So to the bringing about our Lord's passion, (that
great event, which is so particularly assigned to
God's hand,) we may observe the monstrous trea
chery of Judas, the strange malignity ofthe Jew
ish rulers, the prodigious levity of the people, the
wonderful easiness of Pilate, with other notable
accidents, to have jumped in order thereto. So
also, that a malicious traitor should conceive kind
ness toward any, that he should be mistaken in
the object of his favour, that he should express his
mind in a way subject to dehberate examination,
in terms apt to breed suspicion where the plot was
laid ; that the counseUors should despise it, and
yet not smother it ; that the king instantly, by a
light darted into his mind, should descry it : these
things so happily meeting, may argue God (who
mouldeth the hearts, who guideth the hands, who
enhghteneth the minds of men) to have been
engaged in the detection of this day's black con
spiracy. Such are some characters of special providence;

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 471
each of which, singly appearing in any occurrence, serm.
would, in a considerate man, breed an opinion  '—
thereof ; each of them being very congruous to the
supposition of it ; no such appearances being other
wise so clearly and cleverly explicable, as by assign
ing the divine hand for their principal cause. But
the connection of them all in one event (when
divers odd accidents do befall at a seasonable time",
according to exigency for the public benefit, the
preservation of princes, the security of God's
people, the protection of right, the maintenance of
truth and piety, according to the wishes and
prayers of good men, with proper retribution and
vengeance upon the wretched designers of mischief;
such a complication, I say, of these marks in one
event) may thoroughly suffice to raise a firm per
suasion, to force a confident acknowledgment
concerning God's providence, in any considerate
and ingenuous person : it readily wUl dispose such
persons upon any such occasion to say. This is the Ps. cxvBi.
Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. ^'
Notwithstanding therefore any obscurity or
intricacy that sometime may appear in the course
of Providence, notwithstanding any general excep
tions that may by perverse incredulity be alleged
against the conduct of things ''; there are good
marks observable, whereby (if we are not very
blockish, drowsy, supine, lazy, or froward ; if we
wiU consider wisely, with industrious attention and
care, with minds pure from vain prejudices, and
" Vid. Diod. Sic. Lib. xv. p. 482. [Ed. Steph. 1659.]
" El pTj arjpeia Kal Bavpara, dXX' ioiKora arjpeiois npdypara, beiy-
para rrjs noXXfjs rov OeoC npovolas Kal dvTiXrj^eas d<pdTov. — Chrys.
ad Olymp. Ep. i. [Opp. Tom. vil. p. 55.]

472 On the Gunp)owder-Treason.
serm. corrupt affections) we may discern and understand
 God's doing. Which to do is the first duty speci
fied in my text : upon which having insisted so
largely, I shaU (hoping you wUl favour me with a
little patience) briefly touch the rest.
II. It is the duty of us aU, upon such remark-
Job xxxvB. able occurrences of providence. To fear God : All
22 ; xm. ... .
II. men, it is said, shall fear. It is our duty in such
ixvin. 35.' cases to be affected with aU sorts of fear ; with a
an. VI. 2 . £g^^ ^£ awful dread, with a fear of hearty reverence,
with a fear of sober caution ; yea, sometimes with
a fear of dejecting consternation. When God doth
Isai. Hx. appear clad with his robes of vengeance and zeal,
denouncing and discharging judgment ; when he
representeth himself Fearful in praises, terrible in
II. ' ' his doings toward the children of men, working ter-
Ps.^ixvi. rj^ijjiQ things in righteousness ; it should strike into
ixv. 5. Q,^j. liearts a dread of his glorious majesty, of his
Deut. mighty power, of his severe justice, of His glorious
X. 17. ' and fearful name: it should instU into our minds
a reverence of his exceUent wisdom, his exceeding
goodness, his perfect holiness : it should breed in
our souls a sohcitous care of displeasing and pro-
isai.ixvi.2. voking Mm : it should cause us in our hearts to
shake and tremble before him. Then is that of
Ps. xxxiii. the Psalmist to be put in practice. Let all the earth
fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants of the world
-ps. cxiv. 1. stand in awe of him. Tremble, thou earth, at the
presence of the Lord, at ihe presence ofthe God of
Jacob. Such dispensations are in their nature
declarative of those divine attributes which do
require such affections : they are set before our
eyes to cast us into a very serious and solemn
frame ; to abash and deter us from offending, by

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 473
observing the danger of incurring punishments hke serm.
to those, which we behold inflicted upon presump  '—
tuous transgressors ; upon those who do heinously
violate right, or furiously impugn truth, or pro
fanely despise piety ; who ea,rnestly prosecute
wicked enterprises ; who persecute the friends of
God with outrageous violence, or treacherous sub
tlety. Upon infliction of such punishments, ^H Deut. xvii.
the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more ji; xix.
presumptuously, saith God himself, declaring the
nature and drift of them.. They do plainly demon
strate, that there is no presuming to escape being
detected in our close machinations by God's aU-
seeing eye ; being defeated in our bold attempts
by God's almighty hand ; being sorely chastised
for our iniquity by God's impartial judgment.
Extremely blind and stupid therefore must we be,
or monstrously sturdy and profane, if such expe
riments of divine power and justice do not awe us,
and fright us from sin. When the lion roareth,'B.os.xi.io.
who will not fear ? When the trumpet is blown in Amos iii.
the city, shall not the people be afraid ? Shall he.
At whom ihe mountains quake, and the hills m.elt ; Nah. i. 5.
Whose indignation the nations are not able to abide; Jer. x. 10.
At whose wrath ihe earth doth shake and tremble ; ^s.-civ. 32 ;
At whose reproof the pillars of heaven are asto- bcxvi. 8.
nished ; shaU he visibly frown, shall his wrath 1° ^'^^'
flame out, shaU he shake his rod of exemplary ven- xxv^^^'^'
geance over us, and we stand void of sense or^''-^^''?-
fear 1 If so, then surely a brutish dotage, or a 10.
gigantic stoutness doth possess us.
III. We are in such cases obUged To declare
God's ivork: that is, openly to acknowledge and
avow, to applaud and celebrate the special provi-

474 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. dence of God, with his adorable perfections dis-
 played in such events ; to the glory of God's name,
in expression of our reverence and gratitude toward
him, for the common edification of men ; for which
uses they greatly serve, to which purposes they
are designed. We should not view such providen
tial occurrences, hke dumb beasts, with a duU or
careless silence, as if we did not mind them, or
were not concerned in them : we should not sup
press or stifle the knowledge of them in our breasts,
as if they were barely matters of private consider
ation and use ; we should not let our observation
and resentment of them be fruitless, so as to yield
no honour to God, no benefit to man. But we
should propagate and convey them into others : in
so loud a tone, in so lively a strain we should vent
them, as thereby to excite the notice, to infiame
the affections of all men within the reach of
our voice ; provoking them to conspfre Avith us in
acknowledgment of God's power and wisdom, in
acclamation to his justice and goodness. This is
Ps. lvii. 8. the due improvement of our Glory ; that peculiar
exceUency, wherein chiefly (except in our reason)
we do surpass aU creatures ; that, without which
our reason itself is more than half unprofitable ;
that, whereby we put our best member to its best
use. For this we have the devout Psalmist's pious
resolutions, his exemplary performances, his zealous
wishes, his earnest exhortations to guide and move
Ps. cxiv. s, us. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy ma-
ix.xvu'. 12; jesty, and of thy wondrous works. Men shall speak,
"'¦ ^*' ofthe might of thy terrible acts ; and L will declare
thy greatness. They shall speak of the glory of thy
kingdom, and talk of thy power. So did he signify

On ihe Gunpowder-Treason. 475
his resolution. I have not hid thy righteousness serm.
within my heart ; I have declared thy faithfulness 
and thy salvation : I have not concealed thy loving
kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
So his conscience testified of his practice. 0 that Ps. cvii. 8,
J C 2 1 22
men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and {i.
for his wonderful works to the children of men : that
they would offer ihe sacrifice of thanksgiving, and
declare his works with gladness. So doth he pour
forth his desire. O clap your hands, all ye people;
shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Sing \l:^l]'^f^'f:
unto the Lord, bless his name : shew forth his salves
tion from day to day. Declare his glory among the
heathen, his wonders among all people. Come and ''^- ^ >
see the works of God. Sing forth the honour of his i-^'"- 5. ^ ;
name, make his praise glorious. 0 give thanks unto ^¦"- ^^'
the Lord; call upon his name; make knoirni his
deeds among the people. So doth he summon, so
doth he urge us to this practice ; and in his de
portment, we may see our duty.
IV. It is pecuUarly the duty and practice of
good men upon such occasions to feel and to ex
press reUgious joy. The righteous shall be glad in
the Lord. Good men indeed then have great mat
ter, and much cause, on many accounts, to be glad.
It becometh them to rejoice, as having an uni
versal complacence in God's proceedings, as grate
fully relishing aU dispensations of Providence.
They, as pious, are disposed to bless and praise
God for aU things incident, and cannot therefore
but rejoice; joy being an inseparable companion of
gratitude and praise. Hence, Light is sown for the Ps. xcvii.
righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. "'
Hence, The voice of salvation and rejoicing is in \{. '

476 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. the tabernacles of the righteous. Hence, Rejoice in
 ^ the Lord, 0 ye righteous: for praise is comely for
^s. XXXUI. the upright; is an exhortation backed with a very
good reason.
They cannot but find satisfaction in observing
God's providence notably discovered, to the confir
mation of their faith, and cherishing their hopes;
together with the conviction of infidelity, and con-
Ps. XXXUI. fusion of profaneness. Our heart, saith the Psahn
ist, shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in
Ps. xm. 5. his holy name. I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart
Ps. CVU. shall rejoice in thy salvation. The righteous shaU see
'^^' it, and rejoice; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
It is to them no smaU pleasure to behold God's
holy perfections iUustriously shining forth; and the
glory of him (who is the principal object of their
love, their reverence, their hope, and confidence)
Ps. xcvii. to be conspicuously advanced. Rejoice, saith the
¦¦^'Psalmist, 0 ye righteous, and give thanks at the
Ps. xlviii. remembrance of his holiness. Zion heard, and was
8, 9. ' glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced, because
of thy judgments, 0 Lord. For thou. Lord, art
high above all the earth.
It is to them ground of exceeding comfort to
receive so clear pledges of God's love and favour, '
his truth and fideUty, his bounty and munificence
toward them, expressed in such watchfid care over
them, such protection in dangers, such aid in
needs, such dehverance from mischiefs vouchsafed
to them. Such benefits they cannot receive from
God's hand, without that cheerfulness which always
Ps. xiii. 6. doth adhere to gratitude''. J ivill, saith David,
y Cum accipiendum judicaverimus; hilares accipiamus, profi-
tontes gaudium, &c. — Sen. de Benef ii. 22. Vid. Ibid. 30.

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 477
sinq unto ihe Lord, because he hath dealt bounti- serm. XIII
fidly with me. Because thou hast been my helper,  '—
therefore in ihe shadow of thy wings L will rejoice. ^' "'' '''
My lips shall greatly rejoice in thee; and my soul^^-^^^-'^s-
which thou hast redeemed. I will be glad and re- Ps- xxxi. 7.
joice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my
trouble, and hast known my soul in adversities.
The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we Ps. cxxvi.
are glad. Let all those that put their trust in thee Ps. v. h.
rejoice : let them ever shout for joy, because thou
defendest them.
They are also greatly refreshed with apprehen
sion of the happy fruits sprouting from such dis
pensations of providence; such as are the benefit
of mankind, the peace and prosperity of the civil
state, the preservation, settlement, enlargement,
advancement of God's church, the support of right,
the succour of innocence, the maintenance of
truth, the encouragement and furtherance of piety;
the restraint of violence, the discountenance of
error, the correction of vice and impiety. In these
things they, as faithful servants of God, and real
friends of goodness, as bearing hearty good-will
and compassion to mankind, as true lovers of their
country, as Uving and sensible members of the
church, cannot but rejoice. Seeing by these things
their own best interest, (which is no other than the
advantage of goodness,) their chief honour, (which Ps-oxxii.6.
consists in the promotion of divine glory,) their 26.
truest content, (which is placed in the prosperity
of Sion,) are highly furthered; how can they look
on them springing up, without great delight and
complacence ? 0, saith the Psalmist, sing unto the Ps. xcviii.
Lord— for he hath done marvellous things. He '' ^"

478 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
SERM. hath remembered his inercu and his truth toward
XIII
 — ihe house of Lsrael : all the ends of the earth have

Isai. xlix. seen ihe salvation of our God. And, Sing, 0 hear
Ps. xcvi. vens, crieth the Prophet, and be joyful, 0 earth,
and break forth into singing, 0 ye mountains : for
the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have
isai. kvi. mercy on his afllicted. And, When, saith he, ye
shall see this, (the comfort of God's people,) your
heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish
like an herb : and the hand of the Lord shall be
known toward his servants, and his indignation
toward his enemies.
Even in the frustration of wicked designs,
attended with severe execution of vengeance on
the contrivers and abetters of them, they may have
a pleasant satisfaction ; they must then yield a
Ps. lviii. cheerful applause to divine justice. The righteous.
Job xxii. saith the Psalmist, shall rejoice when he seeth the
Ps. Ixviii. vengeance : and. Let the wicked, saith he, perish at
^' 3- the presence qf God ; but let the righteous be glad,
let them rejoice before God, yea let them exceed
ingly rejoice. Whence, at God's inffiction of judg-
jer. li. 48. ment upon Babylon, it is said in Jeremy, Then the
heaven and ihe earth, and all thai is therein, shall
sing for Babylon; and at the fall of mystical Baby-
Rev, xviii. Ion, in the Apocalypse it is likewise said. Rejoice
^°' over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and
prophets ; for God hath avenged you on her. Fur
ther, V. The next duty prescribed to good men in
such case is. To trust in God, that is, to have their
affiance in God (upon all semblable occasions, in
all urgencies of need) settled, improved, and corro
borated thereby. This indeed is the proper end.

On the Gunpowder- Treason. 479
immediately regarding us, of God's special provi- serm.
dence, disclosing itself in any mfraculous, or in any  '-

remarkable way ; to nourish in well-disposed minds Ps- bcxviii.
that faith in God, which is the root of aU piety,
and ground of devotion. Such experiments are
sound arguments to persuade good men, that
God doth govern and order things for their best
advantage; they are powerful incentives, driving
them in aU exigencies to seek God's help ; they are
most convincing evidences, that God is abundantly
able, very wUling, and ever ready to succour them.
They, saith the Psalmist, that know thy name will ^s- ix. lo.
put their trust in thee : for thou. Lord, hast not for
saken them that seek thee. And, /, saith he, will p^- ixi. 4,
abide in thy tabernacle for ever ; L will trust in the 9, &c. ;
covert of thy wings : for thou, O God, hast heard ''^^'
my vows : thou, hast been a shelter for me, and a
strong tower from the enemy. It is, indeed, a great
aggravation of diffidence in God, that. Having
tasted and seen that the Lord is good ; having felt Ps- xxxiv.
so manifest experience of divine goodness; having
received so notable pledges of God's favourable in
clination to help us ; we yet wUl not rely upon him.
As a friend, who by signal instances of kindness
hath assured his good-wiU, hath great cause of
offence, if he be suspected of unwUlingness in a
needful season to afford his relief: so may God
most justly be displeased, when we, (notwithstand
ing so palpable demonstrations of his kindness,) by
distrusting him, do in effect question the sincerity Eccius. a.
of his friendship, or the constancy of his goodness '°'
toward us.
VI. Good men upon such occasions should
glory : All the upright in heart shall glory. Should

480 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
^XHL ¦ ^^°^' *^^* ^^' ^^ contemplation of such providences,
 feeling sprightly elevations of mind and transports
of affection, they should exhibit triumphant demon
strations of satisfaction and alacrity. It becometh
them not in such cases to be dumpish or demure;
but jocund and crank in their humour, brisk and
gay in their looks, pleasantly flippant and free in
their speech, jolly and debonair in their behaviour;
every way signifying the extreme complacency
they take in God's doing, and the fuU content they
f 'itc""""* *^^*® ^^ ^^®^^ ^*^*®- "^^^y "^*^ solemn exultation
should triumph in such events, as in victories
achieved by the glorious hand of God in their
behalf, in approbation of their cause, in favour
toward their persons, for their great benefit and
comfort. They may (not as proudly assuming to
themselves the glory due to God, but as gratefiiUy
sensible of their felicity springing from God's
favour) *Se jactare, Se laudibus efferre, (as the
Hebrew word doth signify;) that is, in a sort boast,
and commend themselves as very happy in their
relation to God, by virtue of his protection and
aid. They may (not with a haughty insolence, or
wanton arrogance, but with a sober confidence and
cheerfulness) insult upon baffled impiety^, by their
expressions and demeanour upbraiding the foUy,
the baseness, the impotency, and wretchedness
thereof, in competition with the wisdom, in oppo
sition to the power of God, their friend and patron.
For such carriage in such cases we have the prac
tice and the advice of the Psalmist to warrant and
'¦ Ps. Iii. 6, 7. The righteous shall laugh at him, or, derUe
him, in this manner : Lo, this is the man that made not Ood his
strength.

On the Gunpiowder- Treason. 481
direct us. In God, saith he, we boast all the day serm,
long, and praise thy name for ever. Thou, Lord.

hast made me glad through thy work ; and I ivill y^liCf^' '
triumph in ihe works of thy hands. We will rejoice Ps- xx. 5.
in thy salvation ; and in the name of our God we
will set up our banners. Glory ye in his holy name: Ps.cv.3,2.
let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lmd.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him ; talk ye of all
his wondrous works. Save us, 0 Lord our God, Ps. cvi. 47.
and gather us from among the heathen, to give
thanks unto thy name, and to triumph in thy praise.
Such should be the result (upon us) of God's mer
ciful dispensations toward his people.
I shaU only further remark, that the word here
used is by the Greek rendered ' ErraiveQricrovrai, They
shall be praised: which sense the original will bear,
and the reason of the case may admit. For such
dispensations ever do adorn integrity, and yield
commendation to good men. They declare the
wisdom of. such persons, in adhering to God, in
reposing upon God's help, in embracing such
courses which God doth approve and bless: they
plainly tell how dear such persons are to God ; Ps. cxxvi.
how incomparably happy in his favour, how im- ?,'&aT
pregnably safe under his protection; as having his a^""™''"'
infaUible wisdom and his invincible power engaged
on their side. This cannot but render them admi
rable, and their state glorious in the eyes of aU
men; inducing them to profess with the Psahnist
Happy is the people, which is in such a case; yea, Ps. cxiiv.
happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. And il' '''''""'
of such a people, that declaration from the same
mouth is verified, Ln thy name shall they rejoice all Ps. ixxxix.
the day long, and in thy righteousness shall they 5e ' ' '^'
B. S. VOL. L 3]

482 On the Gunpowder- Treason.
^liu' ^^^^^^^- fo'^ i^ou art the glory of their strength, and
 in thy favour their horn shall be exalted.
Such are the duties suggested in our text, as
suiting these occasions, when God in a special
manner hath vouchsafed to protect his people, or
to rescue them from imminent mischiefs, by vio
lent assault or by fraudulent contrivance leveUed
against them.
I should apply these particulars to the present
case solemnized by us: but I shall rather recom
mend the appUcation to your sagacity, than further
infringe your patience, by spending thereon so
many words as it would exact. You do weU know
the story, which by so many years repetition hath
been impressed on your minds : and by reflecting
thereon :
You will easUy discern, how God, in the season
able discovery of this execrable plot, (the master
piece of wicked machinations ever conceived in
human brain, or devised on this side heU, since the
foundation of things,) in the happy dehverance of
our nation and church from the desperate mischiefs
intended toward them, in the remarkable protec
tion of right and truth, did signalize his provi
dence. You wUl be affected with hearty reverence
toward the gracious Author of our salvation, and
with humble dread toward the just awarder of ven
geance upon those miscreant wretches, who digged
Ps. lvii. 6. this pit, and feU into it themselves.
You will be ready with pious acknowledgment
and' admiration of God's mercy, his justice, his
wisdom, to declare and magnify this notable work
done by him among us.

On the Gunpowder-Treason. 483
You must needs feel devout resentments of iov serm. XIII
for the glory arising to God, and the benefits accru  '—
ing to us, in the preservation of God's anointed,
our just sovereign, with his royal posterity : in the
freeing our country from civil broUs, disorders, and
confusions ; from the yokes of usurpation and slav
ery; from grievous extortions and rapines; from
bloody persecutions and trials, with the like spawn
of disastrous and tragical consequences, by this
design threatened upon it : in upholding our church
(which was so happUy settled, and had so long
gloriously flourished) from utter ruin : in securing
our profession of God's holy truth, the truly cathohc
faith of Christ, (refined from those drossy aUoys,
wherewith the rudeness and sloth of blind times,
the fraud of ambition and covetous designers, the
pravity of sensual and profane men had embased
and corrupted it,) together with a pure worship of
God, an edifying administration of God's Word and
Sacraments, a comely, wholesome, and moderate
discipline, conformable to divine prescription and
primitive example ; in rescuing us from having
impious errors, scandalous practices, and super
stitious rites, with merciless violence obtruded
upon us: in continuing therefore to us the most
desirable comforts and conveniences of our hves.
You further considering this signal testimony
of divine goodness, wUl thereby be moved to hope
and confide in God for his gracious preservation
from the like pernicious attempts against the safety
of our prince and welfare of our country, against
our peace, our laws, our reUgion ; especially from
Bomish zeal and bigotry, (that mint of woful fac
tions and combustions, of treasonable conspiracies, 31—2

484 On the Gunpowder-Treason.
serm. of barbarous massacres, of horrid assassinations, of
 intestine rebellions, of foreign invasions, of savage
tortures and butcheries, of holy leagues and pious
frauds, through Christendom, and particularly
among us,) which as it without reason damneth,
so it would by any means destroy all that wiU not
crouch thereto.
You wUl, in fine, vrith joyous festivity, glory
and triumph in this illustrious demonstration of
God's favour toward us ; so as heartily to join ia
those due acclamations of blessing and praise :
Ps. cxxiv. Blessed be ihe Lord, who hath not given us as
Ixviii. 32. a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a
bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is
broken, and we are escaped.
Rev. xix. Alleluiah; Salvation, and glory, and power
unto the Lord our God : for true and righteous are
his judgments.
Rev. XV. 3. Great and marvellous are thy works, 0 Lord
God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, 0
thou King of saints.
Ps. Ixxii. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only
' ' ' ' doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious
name for ever : and let ihe whole earth be filled with
his glory. Amen, and Amen.

SERMON XIV.
A CONSECEATION SERMON*

Psalm CXXXII. i6.
/ will also clothe her priests with salvation.
rPHE context runs thus: The Lord hath sworn in ^^iv^'
-^ truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of 
ihe fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. If
thy children will keep my covenant and my testi
mony that I shall teach them, their children shall
also sit upon thy throne for evermore. For ihe
Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his
habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will L
dwell; for L have desired it. L will abundantly
bless her provision: L will satisfy her poor with
bread. I will also clothe her priests with
salvation : and, her saints shall shout aloud for
joy. There will I make the horn of David to
bud, &c.
If all, not only inaugurations of persons, but
dedications even of inanimate things to some
extraordinary use, hath been usuaUy attended with
especial significations of joy and festival solemnity;
with great reason the consecration of a person to
so high and sacred a function, as that of a Christ
ian bishop, (that is, of a prince, or principal pastor
* Henry the Seventh's Chapel, July 4, 1663, at the Bishop of
Man his consecration.

486 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. in God's church,) requires most pecuUar testimo-
 ^nies of our gratulation and content: the face of
things ought then to be serene and cheerfiil : the
thoughts of men benign and favourable : the words
comfortable and auspicious, that are uttered upon
such occasion. And that ours at present should
be such, the subject, as well as the season, of our
discourse doth require; words few, but pregnant,
and affording ample matter for our best affections
to work upon: and which more particularly will
engage us, both to a hearty thankfulness for past
benefits, and to a confident expectation of future
blessings; while they acquaint us with the ancient
exhibition of a gracious promise, remind us of the
faithful performance thereof hitherto, and assure us
of its certain accomphshment for the future. The
occasion whereof was this : King David, moved by
a devout inclination to promote God's honour, and
benefit the church, had vowed to build a magnifi
cent temple, imploring God's propitious concur
rence vrith, and approbation o:^ his design. Where
upon Almighty God not only declares his accept
ance of that pious resolution, but rewards it with a
bountiful promise, consisting of two parts ; one
conditional, relating to David's chUdren and pos
terity, that they, in an uninterrupted succession,
should for ever enjoy the royal dignity, in case
they did constantly persist in observing his cove
nant, and the testimonies that he should teach
them ; the other more absolute, that, however,
what he chiefly intended concerning God's estab
lished worship and the perpetual welfare of the
church, God would have an especial care that it
should fully and certainly be accomplished : that

A Consecration Sermon. 487
he would for ever fix his residence in Sion; that he serm. XIV.
would protect and prosper it, and all that did  '—

belong thereto ; especially those that did most need
his favour and assistance, the poor, the priests, and
the saints, (or Gentle ones*'.) This is briefly the
importance of the general promise, wherem is com
prehended that particular one whereon we are to
treat : and in which we may observe,
I The Promisor, I.
2 The persons who are especiaUy concerned
in the promise. Her priests.
3 The thing promised, Clothing with salva
tion. I. I say, the Promisor, I : that is, the Lord;
the most true, the most constant, the most power
ful God; most true and sincere in the declaration
of his purpose, most constant and immutable in
the prosecution, most powerful and uncontrollable
in the perfect execution thereof : Whose words are Ps. xxxUi.
right, and all whose works are done in truth : Who fxxxix. 34.
ivill not break his covenant, nor alter the thing that
is gone out of his lips : Whose counsel shall stand, isai. xivi.
and who will do all his pleasure. These glorious
attributes and perfections of his, so often cele
brated in holy writ, do ground our reliance upon
aU God's promises, and do oblige us, notvrithstand-
ing the greatest improbabilities or difficulties ob
jected, to beUeve the infaUible performance of
this. II. The persons whom the promise mainly
regards. Her priests. Priests, that is, persons
peculiarly devoted to, and employed in, sacred
matters; distinguished expressly from the Poor,

488 A Consecration Sermon.
^xrv^' (^^^^ ^^> other meek and humble persons;) and
 from the Saints, (that is, all other good and reli
gious men.) And, Her priests; that is, the priests
CoBtra of Sion : of that Sion which The Lord hath chosen;
2 Uhron. _ _ '
vii. 21. which He hath desired for his permanent habita^
tion ; which he hath resolved to Rest and reside in
for ever. Whence it plainly enough foUows, that
the priests and pastors of the Christian church are
hereby, if not solely, yet principally designed.
Which interpretation, because it is in a manner
the foundation of our subsequent discourse, and
by some it may perhaps not be readUy admitted,
I shall endeavour further to confirm by these few
arguments. I Because the covenant here mentioned is not,
as to the main parts thereof, of a conditional or
2 Chron. temporary nature, but absolute and perpetual; and
must therefore be understood to respect the Christ
ian church : (that of the Jews being long since
rejected, their temple demolished, their Sion dere-
linquished.) For although one particular con
tained therein, concerning the continual succession
of David's posterity in the regal authority over
Israel, hath a condition explicitly annexed ; (and,
consequently, the effects depending upon perform
ance of that condition were contingent and muta
ble;) yet aU the rest of this covenant (or promise)
is conceived in terms peremptory, and expressly
importing perpetuity. This is my rest for ever,
ly-n^y, that is, as the Greek translators render it,
Eij a'lojva a'lwvo^, {In seculum seculi,) that is, to the
end of this world ; as Ejs a'tcova^ twv aiwviav denotes
the end of aU worlds, or the most perfect sempi-
ternity. And that it doth really in this case de-

A Consecration Sermon. 489
note a proper and unlimited perpetuity, is also S|^^-
evident by those explications thereof in the eighty 
ninth Psahn, where the very same covenant is, as
to some parts thereof, more largely recorded. Once ^s- ixxxix.
^ ' . ° •! .„ , . 35, 3°, 37-
have I sworn by my holiness, ihat I will not lie unto
David: his seed shall endure for ever, and his
throne as the sun before me : it shall be established
for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in
heaven. No words can express more fuUy a per
petual duration, or at least one coextended with
the duration of the world, than those do. And
the prophet Jeremy, referring also to this very
covenant, and particularly to this very clause
thereof, thus expresses the matter : Thus saith ihe Jer. xxxiii.
Lord ; Lf you can break my covenant of the day, 2 chron.
and my covenant of the night, and that there should
not be day and night in their season ; then may also
my covenant be broken with David my servant, ihat
he should not have a son to reign upon his throne ;
and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. But
further, 2 The completion of this individual promise is
both by the prophets foretold, and expressed by the
evangelists, to appertain to the times of the gospel.
Ye heard even now the words of Jeremy, which
are by him applied to those times, when God would
cause the Branch of righteousness (that is, Jesus Jer. xxxiu.
of Nazareth, our blessed Saviour) to grow up unto
David, who should execute judgment and righteous
ness in ihe land. In those days, saith he further, "Ver. 16.
shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell
safely : and this is the name wherewith she shall be
called, (or rather, which he shall be called, as not
only the vulgar Latin and the Greek interpreters.

490 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. but the Chaldee also read it,) THE LORD OUR
 1- RIGHTEO USNESS. Likewise in the fifty-fifth
Isai. lv. 3. of Isaiah, God thus invites the GentUes : Incline
your ear, and come unto me ; hear, and your soul
shall live : and I ivill make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David: that is, I
wUl ratify that everlasting covenant, which, in your
behalf, I once made with David, and vriU confer on
you those favours which I faithfuUy promised him;
relating to this very promise also. For both in
Solomon's prayer, which in aU probability was
indited about the same time, and upon the same
occasion with this Psalm, and in the eighty-ninth
Psalm, the benefits of the same covenant are caUed
2 Chron. The mercics of David. 0 Lord God, turn not away
the face of thine anointed, remember the mercies of
Ps. bcxxix. David thy servant, saith Solomon : and. My mercy,
saith God, will L keep with him for evermore, and
Ver. 24. ^y covenant shall stand fast with him : and. My
faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him ; that
is. My faithful (or sure) mercy ; Td ocrta tu Trio-ra,
Acts xiii. as the LXX. and St Paul with them in the Acts,
render this place of Isaiah. And in the song of
Zachary, we have one passage of this promise cited
Luke i. 68, and applied to the times of the gospel: Blessed be
^' ^°' the Lord God of Israel, who hath visited and re
deemed his people ; and hath raised up a horn of
salvation in the house of his servant David ; as he
spake by the mouth of his holy prophets : viz. by the
mouth of this prophetical Psalmist here, where it
is said. There will I make the horn of David to
Ps. Ixxxix. l)ud ; and in the paraUel Psahn, In my name shall
his horn be exalted. To omit those many places
where our Saviour, in correspondence to this pro-

A Consecration Sermon. 491
mise, is affirmed to Possess the throne of his father serm.
. ./ ./ XIV.
David, and to Rule over the house of Jacob for ever.

-n/r Vide Luke
Moreover, i. 3^. edit.
3 That by the Sion here mentioned is not ^"''''*'^-
chiefly meant that material mountain in Judaea,
but rather that mystical Rock of divine grace and
evangelical truth, upon which the Christian church,
the only everlasting temple of God, is unmoveably
seated, is very probable, (or rather, manifestly cer
tain,) by the Prophets' constant acception thereof
in this sense, when they assign the character of
perpetual durability thereto. As in Isaiah, where
he thus prophesies of the Christian church : The isai. ix. 14,
sons also of them that afficted thee shall come bend
ing unto thee, and all they that despised thee shall
bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet ; and
they shall call thee. The city of the Loi-d, The Sion
of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast
been forsaken and hated, so that no man went
through thee ; I will make thee an eternal excellency,
^ py ^f niany generations. Thou shalt also suck
the milk ofthe Gentiles, and shalt suck the breasts of
kings, &c. And the Prophet IMicah, speaking ofMic. iv. i.
The last days, (that is, of the evangelical times,
when The mountain of the house of ihe Lord should
be established in the top of the mountains,) saith
thus : And I will make her that halted, a remnant ; Ver. 7.
and her that was cast far off, a strong nation : and
the Lord shall reign over them in mount Sion from
henceforth even for ever. And the Prophet Joel,
speaking of the same times, (when God would pour Joei ii. 28;
out his spirit upon all fiesh,) hath these words : So ™- 17-
shall ye know, that L am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Sion, my holy mountain: then shall

492 A Consecration Sermon.
^^^- Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers
 pass through her any more. AU which places no
man can reasonably doubt, and all Christians do
firmly consent to respect the Christian church. To
which we may add that passage of the author to
Heb. xii. the Hobrows, But ye are come unto mount Sion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Je
rusalem; that is, to the Christian church.
4 The manner of this covenant's dehvery, and
confirmation by the Divine oath, argues the incon-
ditionate, irreversible, and perpetual constitution
thereof : for to God's most absolute and immutable
decrees this most august and solemn confirmation
doth pecuharly agree. So the Apostle to the He-
Heb.vi.17. brews seems to intimate: Wlierein, saith he, God,
willing more abundantly to demonstrate the immu
tability of his counsel, (' ETriSe't^ai TO dfierdQeTOV rrji
^ovXtji avTov) interposed an oath.
We may therefore, I suppose, upon these
grounds, solidly and safely conclude, that this pro
mise doth principally belong, and shall therefore
infaUibly be made good, to the Christian priest
hood; to those who, in the Christian church, by
offering spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiv
ing, by directing and instructing the people in the
knowledge of the evangelical law, by imploring for
and pronouncing upon them the divine benedic
tions, do bear analogy with, and supply the room
of, the Jewish priesthood.
From which discourse we may, by the way,
deduce this corollary : That the title of priest,
although it did (as most certainly it doth not)
properly and primarUy signify a Jewish sacrificer,
(or slaughterer of beasts,) doth yet nowise deserve

A Consecration Sermon. 493
that reproach, which is by some, inconsiderately, serm.
(not to say profanely,) upon that mistaken ground,  '—
commonly cast upon it; since the holy scripture
itself, we see, doth here, even in that sense (most
obnoxious to exception) ascribe it to the Christian
pastors. And so likewise doth the Prophet Isaiah ;
And L will also take of them for priests and for isai. ixvi.
Levites, saith the Lord: speaking (as the context
plainly declares) of the Gentiles, which should be
converted and aggregated to God's church. And
the Prophet Jeremiah : Neither shall the priests the Jer. xxxiu.
Levites want a man before me to offer burnt-offer
ings, and to do sacrifice continually. Which pro
phecy also evidently concerns the same time and
state of things, of which the prophet IMalachi thus
foreteUs : For, from the rising ofthe sun to the going Mai.i. n.
down of the same, my name shall be great among
ihe Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be
offered to my name, and a pure off'ering. It were
desfrable, therefore, that men would better con
sider, before they entertain such groundless offences,
or pass so uncharitable censures upon either words,
or persons, or things. But I proceed to the
III. particular, which is the matter of the
promise. Clothing with salvation. Where we may
observe. First : that the usual metaphor of being clothed
doth in the sacred dialect denote a complete en
dowment with, a plentiful enjoyment of, or an
entire apphcation to, that thing, or quality, with
which a person is said to be clothed. So is God
himseff said to be Clothed with majesty and strength. Ps. xciii. >.
And David prays, that they might be Clothed with Ps.
shame and dishonour, that did magnify themselves

26 ; cix.
29.

494 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. against him. And in Ezekiel, The princes of the
 ^ isles, being amazed by the ruin of Tyre, are said to
i6. ' ' clothe themselves with trembling. And that bitter
Ps.cix. i8. adversary of David did Clothe himself unth cursing,
as with a garment. And Job avouched of himself,
Job xxix. J py^t on righteousness, and it clothed me ; my judg
ment was a robe and a diadem. And St Peter
I Pet. V. 5. advises us to Put on, or to be clothed with, humility.
FinaUy, Isaiah introduces our Saviour speaking
Isai. lxi. thus : I wHl greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul
lix.' 17. shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me
with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me
with the robe of righteousness; as a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride
adorneth herself with her jewels. So that (as by
these instances we may discern) to be clothed with
salvation is to be perfectly endowed therewith ; to
be invested with it as with a garment, which
whoUy encloseth and covereth the body, so that no
part is left unguarded and unadorned thereby.
Secondly: But now what is that salvation with
which the priests of Sion shaUbe thus clothed? I
answer : Salvation, when it is put absolutely, and
not conjoined with any particular object, (or term
from which,) doth in the Hebrew language pro
perly signify a deliverance from, or remotion of,
all sorts of inconvenience; and, consequently, an
affiuence of all good things; and, in effect, the
same which other languages caU felicity and pros
perity, or design by terms equivalent to those : the
Hebrews having hardly any other word so properly
correspondent to those, as this word, salvation.
Whence that title of Saviour", and the God of sal-
° Deus Sar^p ssepe Platoni.

A Consecration Sermon. 495
vation, so often attributed to Almighty God, im- serm.
ports as much as, the Dispenser of aU good gifts ;  ^
the great Benefactor, Assister, and Protector of
men: and to save is promiscuously used for, to
relieve the needy, to comfort the sorrowful; to
restore the sick to his health, the prisoner to his
liberty, the captive to his country; to defend the
weak from injury, and the humble from contempt ;
to deliver the distressed from imminent danger,
the innocent from unjust condemnation, the slan
dered from 'undeserved reproach: in a word, all
the effects of God's goodness and power, the whole
work of the Divine providence and beneficence, are
hereby expressed.
We wiU recite one or two of those many places
which confirm this notion. Surely his salvation is Ps. bcxxv.
nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in ^'
our land. His salvation is nigh ; that is, his lov
ing care attends upon them, to assist and preserve
them; which is thus otherwise expressed: He will.^^- "xiv.
fulfil the desire of them that fear him ; he will hear
their cry, and will save them. And again, ^AePs-cxiix.4.
Lord taketh pleasure in his people ; he will beautify
the meek with salvation: that is, he wiU, by his
good providence, dispose them into a convenient
and decent condition of life. And again. It is he Ps. cxhv.
that giveth salvation unto kings ; that is, by whose ^°'
gracious disposal they prosper, and are preserved
in dignity, plenty, and safety.
I wUl not, by citation of places, labour to con
firm so obvious a notion : it may suffice for that
purpose, that the supreme accompUshment of aU
happiness, the enjoyment of perfect bliss in heaven,
is, in agreement with this Jewish acception of

496 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. the word, most commonly styled salvation. But I
 '— must add, that, whereas salvation may relate either
to the outward estate of a man's body, Ufe, and
fortunes, or to the internal dispositions of the
mind ; to our present condition in this world, or
to our future and eternal estate : it doth seem here
(I say not, to exclude the latter altogether, yet)
more directly and principaUy to respect the former,
viz. that external and temporal weffare, which is
conspicuous and visible in this world. M.j reason
is, because the other parts of this prophetical pro
mise do, in their most natural acception, signify
that outward prosperity, wherewith God would
vouchsafe to bless his church : that abundant
benediction of her store, that satisfying her poor
with bread, that joyful exaltation of her saints,
that clothing her enemies with shame, being
expressions properly denoting a state of external
good weal and comfort ; and, in consonance to
them, require that we thus likewise understand
this phrase ; the priests being also questionless
designed to partake in this glorious feUcity of the
church. Which is also confirmed by other prophe
cies of the same tenor and intention : as particu
larly that in Jeremy concerning the recoUection of
Israel, and redemption of the spiritual Sion ; it is
Jer. xxxi. said, / will satiate the soul of the priests with fat-
^^' ness, and my people shall be satisfied with my
goodness, saith the Lord.
Now, although we may adventure safely to
interpret the declarations of the Divine favour
according to the most comprehensive sense of
which the words are capable, where they are con^
ceived; (it being the manner of the immensely

A Consecration Sermon.^ 497
good God, to exceed, rather than to be deficient, s|^^^-
in the performance of his word ; and to surpass 
the expectations he hath raised in us, than any
wise to disappoint them :) yet, however, the least
we can imagine here promised to the priests of
Sion will comprehend these three things :
I A free and safe condition of hfe : that they
be not exposed to continual dangers of ruin, of
miserable sufferance, or remedUess injury : that the
benefits of peace, and law, and pubhc protection
shaU particularly appertain to them ; so that thefr
adversaries (if any they happen to have) shaU not
be incited, by hope of reward or impunity, to hurt
their persons, rifle their goods, disturb their quiet ;
but that they shaU enjoy good degrees of security,
Uberty, and tranquUUty in this world.
2 A provision of competent subsistence for
them : that their condition of Ufe be not whoUy
necessitous, or very penurious, destitute of conve
nient accommodations, or depending altogether for
them upon the arbitrary benevolences of men,
which is, at best, but a more plausible kind of beg
gary ; but that they shaU be furnished with such
reasonable suppUes, as are requisite to encourage
them in the cheerful performance of their duty.
3 A suitable degree of respect, and so high a
station among men, as may commend them to
general esteem, and vindicate them from contempt :
that they be not reputed among the dregs and
refuse of the people ; that their persons be not base
and despicable, their names made the objects of
vulgar obloquy, their functions become prostitute
to profane frrision ; but that some considerable
authority, some more than ordinary regard and
B. S. VOL. I. 32

498 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. veneration accrue unto them from the high rela-
 — tions which they bear, and from the sacred busi
ness which they manage.
AU this at east (according to the most mode
rate interpretation of the phrase) that abundant
salvation doth imply, wherewith God hath pro
mised to invest the priests of Sion.
We may therefore presume, or rather not pre
sume, but confidently rely upon, and comfort our
selves in the expectation of, God's faithfiil continu
ance to fulfil this promise. We may assure our
selves, that neither the secret envy of them who
repine at those encouragements which God's pro
vidence hath conferred on priests, nor the open
malice of those that furiously oppugn their welfare,
shaU ever prevaU to overwhelm them with extreme
misery, penury, or disgrace ; since no endeavour of
earth or hell can ever be able to reverse this ever
lasting decree of Heaven, or to defeat that irre
sistible power which is engaged to its execution.
No inferior force can denude them of that salva
tion, wherewith the Supreme Truth hath promised
to clothe them.
Which confidence of ours may be improved, by
considering the reasons that might induce Almighty
God to resolve, and promise thus favourably in
behalf of his priests. (For, though we cannot
penetrate the incomprehensible depths of the divine
counsel, nor should ever peremptorily conclude
concerning the determinate reasons of his actions :
yet, when the wisdom of his proceedings doth
clearly approve itself to our understandings, we
ought readily to acknowledge it, and humbly to
praise him for it.) Now the reasons why divine

A Consecration Sermon. 499
Providence should undertake to preserve the priest- serm.
hood in safety, to procure for them liberal mainte-  '—
nance, and to raise them above a state of scorn
and infamy, may be especiaUy these three :
I It concerns God's honour.
2 The good of the church requires so.
3 Equity and the reason of the case exacts it.
In prosecuting which heads of discourse, I shaU
not seem to you, I hope, to transgress the rules of
modesty or decency. There be certain seasons,
wherein, confessedly, it is not only excusable, but
expedient also, to commend one's self; as when a
man is falsely accused, or unjustly afiUcted. And
with greater reason sometime, men are aUowed to
praise the country where they were born and bred,
the family to which they are aUied, the society to
which they are more especiaUy related. And if, at
this time, I assume the like Uberty, the occasion, I
hope, wUl apologize for me. It becomes not me
to be an adviser, much less a reprover, in this
audience : may I therefore, with your favourable
permission, presume to be a commender, or, if you
please, a pleader for the weffare of this sacred
order, although myself an unworthy and inconsi
derable member thereof. I say therefore,
I. God's honour is concerned in the safe, com
fortable, and honourable estate of his priests ; and
that upon account of those manifold relations,
whereby they stand aUied, appropriated, and de
voted to himself
They are in a pecuUar manner his servants.
The servant of the Lord, saith St Paul, must not 2 Tun. a.
strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach. The ^'^'
servant ofthe Lord; who's that? are not aU men
32—2

500 A Consecration Sermon.
s|EM- God's servants 1 is not he Lord of aU 1 Yes ; but
 a Christian priest, such as Timothy was, is by way
of exceUency so styled. All men owe subjection,
obedience, and homage to God : but the priests
Joeiii. 17. are (his 'YTrrjpeTai, his AetTovpyoi) his ministers,
I. ' ' his officers, his immediate attendants, his domes-
,6°™' ^^' tics, as it were, and menial servants ; that ap
proach his person, that tread the courts of his
house, that wear his proper badges, that are em
ployed in his particular business. And is it then
for God's honour, to suffer them to be abused, to
want convenient sustenance, to live in a mean and
disgraceful condition ? Would it not redound to
the discredit of an earthly prince, to permit, that
the attendants on his person, the officers of his
court, the executors of his decrees, should have
the least injury offered them, should fare scantly
or coarsely, should appear in a sordid garb ? Are
they not therefore, by especial privileges, guarded
from such inconveniences ? And shaU the great
King and Lord of all the world be deemed less
provident for, less indulgent (not to say less just)
unto his servants ? servants, I say, and those not
of the lowest rank, nor appointed to the vUest
drudgeries ; but such as are employed in the most
honourable charges, and are intrasted vrith his
most especial concernments.
Tit. i. 7. They are his stewards. A bishop, saith St Paul,
must be blameless, as the steward of God. If the
I Tun. iii. church be OTkos Qeov, God's house, or family, as it
iCor.iv.i. is called, and the priests the OIkovoploi, the stewards
of that house, the comptrollers of that family; it is
Matt.xxiv. surely no mean station they obtain therein. The
I Cor. iv. I. distribution of his bread, (the bread of life, his holy

A Consecration Sermon. 501
word,) and the dispensation of his most precious serm.
goods, (the holy mysteries,) are committed to their

care and pradence. Who then, saith our Saviour, Lute xii.
is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord
shall make ruler over his household, to give them
their portion qf meat in due season ? Who but the
priests, who are therefore styled both TlpoecxTooTeg, i Tim. v.
'Ryov/xevoi, Kvfiepvi^ffeii, {Presidents, Guides, Rulers,) Heb. xiii.
and Uoifievei, {Feeders, or Pastors,) ofthe church. I'oor. xU.
Yea, they are OiKoSofioi also, the buUders of that ^p^ j.^,
house, founding it by initial conversion, rearing it "•
by continued instruction, covering and finishing it
by sacramental obsignation of divine grace. As a ' ^°^- ^"•
wise architect, saith St Paul, / have laid the foun
dation, and another builds, upon it.
They are Qeov awepyoi, Cooperators with God ; i Cor. m.
that manage his business, and drive on his designs :
the solicitors of his affairs, the masters of his re
quests : his KripvKe^,Heralds,thsd, pubUsh his decrees, i Tim.ii. 7.
denounce his judgments, proclaim his pardons and n.
acts of grace unto his subjects; that blazon his
titles, and defend his rightfid authority in the
world: yea, his ministers of state; the ministers (I
say, absit invidia) of his most glorious spiritual
kingdom ; (which is pecuUarly denominated the
kingdom of God;) the orderly administration of
which, its advancement, its preservation, and its
enlargement, are especially commended to their
diligence and fidelity.
They are, lastly, God's ambassadors, delegated Mai. li. 7.
by him to treat of peace, and sohcit a fair corre
spondence between heaven and earth. Now then, 2 Cor. v.
saith St Paul, we are ambassadors for Christ, as ^°'
though God did beseech you by us : we pray you in

502 A Consecration Sermon.
s^P*t- Chrisis stead, be ye reconciled to God. As though
 God did beseech you by us : see, they manage God's
concernments, and in a manner represent his per
son. At least, if the apostles were more properly
God's ambassadors, the present ministers of Ee-
ligion are his agents, and residents here among
men, designed to pursue the same negociations
commenced by them. Now you know by the Law
of Nations, and common consent of aU men, aU
manner of security, good entertainment, and civil
respect hath been ever acknowledged due to am
bassadors, and pubhc ministers : their employment
hath been esteemed honourable, their persons held
sacred and inviolable ; and whatsoever discourtesy
hath been shewed unto, or outrage committed
upon them, hath been interpreted done to him
John xiii. from whom they derive their commission, whose
Matt.x.40; person they represent. And so truly the bad usage
XXV. 40. q£ God's priests, if not directly and immediately,
does yet reaUy and truly, according to moral esti
mation, terminate on God himself, and reflect on
his honour, and prejudice his Rehgion; a due regard
to which cannot be maintained, without propor
tionable respect to the ministers thereof The
basest of the people may serve to be priests to
Jeroboam's calves, but not become the ministry of
the God of Israel.
Do we not see the reverence of civU govern
ment upheld more by the specious circumstances,
than by the real necessity thereof; by the magni
ficent retinue, and splendid ornaments of princely
dignity, than by the eminent benefits of peace and
justice springing thence? Shall not (not only the
greatest inward worth, but) the highest nobihty, if

A Consecration Sermon. 503
basely attired, badly attended, slenderly accommo- serm.
dated, pass unregarded, yea disregarded by us?

men being generaUy either unable to discern, or
unwiUing to acknowledge excellency divested of
sensible lustre. Religion therefore must be well
habited, or it wUl be UI respected: the priests must
wear a comely (if not a costly) livery, or God their
master's reputation will be impaired in popular
fancy. Consider David's reasoning ; Lo, L dwell in a ' chron.
house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant qf the
Lord remaineth under curtains ; and compare such
discourse therewith as this; and judge candidly,
whether they have not some parity : Lo, my attend
ants are clad with the finest purple, God's ministers
are covered with the coarsest sackcloth ; my people
surfeit with dainties, his servants pine away for
scarcity ; my courtiers are respectfuUy saluted, his
priests scomfuUy derided ; no man dare offend mine,
every one may trample on his officers.
And lest we should imagine God himself alto
gether void of such resentments, or such compari
sons impertinent, consider that disdainful expres
sion of his; If ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it Mai. i. 8.
not evil ? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it
not evil ? Offer it now to thy governor ; will he be
pleased with thee, or accept thy person ? saith the
Lord of hosts. The same testimonies of respect
that we shew our governors, God, it seems, expects
from us in aU kinds, and may reasonably much
greater. Nor is it a matter of slight consideration, how
plentiful provision, in the policy devised and consti
tuted by God hunself, was made for the priests ;

504 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. how God assumes the immediate patronage

XIV,

them, and appropriates the matter of their sust(
^™*- nance unto himself The priests, saith the La^v
XVUl. Z,i. _¦'•'.
the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have %
part nor inheritance with Israel : they shall eat tl
offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheri
ance. Therefore shall they have no inheritanc
among their brethren : the Lord is their inheritand
So that then, it seems, no man could withhold an
part of the priests' maintenance, without sacrileg
ous encroachment on God's own right, and robbin
him of his due : (which is the greatest security (
an estate imaginable.) How likewise (next to th
prince) the highest dignity and authority was the
conferred on the priests : to them the interpretatio
of law, to them the decision of doubtful cases di
appertain ; with severe injunctions to comply wit
their determinations. See how the business is h
Deut. xvii. culcated. If there arise a matter too hard'fc
thee, between blood and blood, between plea an
plea, between stroke and stroke, being matters c
controversy within thy gates ; then shalt thou aris
and get thee up into the place which the Lord th
God shall choose: and thou shalt come unto th
priests the Levites, and unto the judge that sha
be in those days, and inquire ; and they shall she\
thee the sentence of judgment. And thou shalt d
according to the sentence which they of that plaa
which the Lord shall choose, shall shew thee; an
thou shalt observe to do according to all that ihe
inform thee. According to the sentence of the la\
which they shall teach thee, and according to ih
judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt dc
thou shalt not decline from the sentence, which the

A Consecration Sermon. 505
shall shew thee, to the righi hand, nor to the left. S|em-
And the man that will do presumptuously, and will  '—
not hearken to the priest, that standeth to minister
there before the Lord thy God, even that man shall
die, and thou shalt put away evil from Lsrael.
Observe with how eminent a power God then
thought fit to endow his priests'*.
And though we are not in aU cases obUged punc
tuaUy to follow those poUtical prescriptions ; yet is
the reason of them perpetual, and the example
venerable : especiaUy since the custom of aU times,
and the reason of aU the world, doth in a sort con
spire to back it.
The first priest we meet with in scripture is Cen. xiv.
Melchizedek; a king also; and such a one, as the
patriarch Abraham, (a prince also himself, and,
what is somewhat more, just then a conqueror,)
in the midst of his triumphal heights, was not
ashamed to acknowledge his superior, to honour
him with a tribute of his spoUs, and to receive a
benediction from him. The next (if I mistake not) Gen. xU.
is Potipherah, the priest of On, whose daughter "^^^
was not thought by the king of Egypt an unequa;l
match for Joseph, his chief favourite, and the next
in dignity to himself in that flourishing kingdom.
{Though such an aUiance would perhaps be thought
derogatory to the worships of our days.) The thfrd Exod. a.
is Revel, or Jethro, priest of Midian, the father-
in-law hkewise of the iUustrious Moses ; a man as
of approved wisdom, so doubtless of considerable
Kal ydp in&nrai ndvrav, Kai biKaarai rav dp^ia^Tjrovpevav, Kal
KoXaaral rav Kareyvaapevav oi lepe'is ird^ffrjaav, saith Josephus.
[Con. Apion. Lib. ll. cap. 21. Opp. Tom. n. p. 485.] The priests
were constituted supervisors of all things, and judges of controversies,
and punishers of offences.

506 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. dignity too. And the next to him (in order of
 story) IS the venerable Aaron, no meaner a man,
^^h than the brother of him who was Kinq in Jeshurun.
Thus aU nations, wise and ignorant, civU and bar
barous, were by one common instinct (as it were)
of natural reason prompted, by conferring extraor
dinary privUeges of honour and convenience on
their priests, to express their reverence of the
Deity, and their affection to rehgion®.
I vviU not ransack the closets of antiquity, nor
with needless ostentation produce the Egyptian
Hierophantae, the Persian Magi, the Gauhsh Druids,
the CaUphs, and Muftis of other nations, to shew
what pre-eminences of respect they enjoyed, what
powerful sway they bore in their respective coun
tries^; how the most weighty affairs, both of peace
and war, were commonly dfrected by their oracular
dictates. It shall suffice to observe, that the gal
lant Romans, (whose devout zeal to rehgion Poly
bius^ himself, no especial friend of theirs, could
not forbear to admire and applaud,) I say, that the
most wise and vahant Romans did set so high a
value upon the priestly order, that if their principal
magistrates (the Praetors and Consuls themselves)
did casuaUy meet with one of Vesta's priests, they
caused immediately those dreadful rods, the ensigns
of their authority, to submit ''; and they themselves
" OuTf yap yeapybv, oiire ^dvavaov lepea KaTaarareov' vno yap
rav noXirav npenei TipdaBai Toiis Beovs.  AristOt. Pol. vn. 9. [9. J
' Porph. nepl 'Anox- (de Abstin.) Lib. iv. § 16. Cses. de Bell.
Gal. Lib. vi. [cap. 13.]
» [Lib. VI. 56, 7.]
JlaVTa TO npdypara 'Papaiois els rbv Oebv dvrjyeTO. — Plut. m
Marcello. [Opp. Tom. iv. p. 546. Ed. Steph.]
•¦ M. A. Sen. Controv. [Lib. i. p. 94. Ed. Var. Arastel. 1672.]

A Consecration Sermon. 507
respectfully gave place, as if they meant to confess serm.
those priests in a manner their betters. Nor did 
they among them of the most noble extraction, and
of the highest dignity in the commonwealth, (even
after many glorious exploits achieved by them,)
scornfully disdain, but did rather ambitiously affect
to be admitted into the coUege of priests : insomuch
that, after the dissolution of the Republic, the Em
perors thought good to assume the Pontifical dig
nity to themselves, supposing the office too honour
able, the title too magnificent for a subject. For
they wisely, it seems, and honestly adjudged it no
debasement of thefr quality, no diminution to their
personal excellency, to be employed in the service
of the immortal gods; whom they acknowledged
the patrons of their country, the protectors of their
safety : nor that they less deserved of the pubUc,
who rightly ordered their rehgious devotions, than
they who prudently advised in the senate, or fought
vaUantly in the field : for that the good success of
pubhc undertakings did as much, or more, depend
upon the favourable disposition of divine Provi
dence, as upon the careful endeavour of human
industry. I cannot forbear to allege that so grave and
pertinent speech of Cicero, which is the exordium
of his oration ad Pontifices: Cum multa divinitus,
pontifices, a majoribus nostris inventa atque instituta
sunt; turn nihil prceclarius, quam quod vos eosdem
et religionibus deorum immortalium, et summce rei
publicce prceesse voluerunt: ut amplissimi et claris-
simi cives rempublicam bene gerendo ; pontiflces
religiones sapienter interpretando, rempublicam
conservarent. A wholesome and politic institution

508 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. he thought it, conducible to the public good and
 '— safety, that the civil and sacred authority should
be united in the same persons; that it was as
well for the interest of the state, as for the
credit of Religion, that the priests should be men
of honour, or (which is aU one) honourable men
priests. AU which evinces plainly, that it is in no wise
the result of a generous heart, (for what nation
ever produced so many brave spirits as that?) but
rather proceeds from an inconsiderate dehcacy of
humour, (or from a profane haughtiness of mind,)
to loathe, as now men do, and despise that em
ployment, which in its own nature is of all most
noble and most beneficial to mankind. For ff to
be a courtier in a particular country is of aU others
the most honourable relation ; and to wait upon a
mortal king is accounted a most worthy function:
to be pecuharly God's servant, and in rehgious ad
dresses immediately to attend on him, must conse
quently be the most exceUent preferment in the
world, which is God's kingdom'. And ff to sup
ply a man's bodUy needs, to restore his Uberty, to
save his life, be works of generous beneficence;
how much more is it so, by good conduct and in
struction of men, to adorn their souls with virtue,
to free them from the bondage of sin, to rescue
them from eternal ruin?
Our magnanimous ancestors, who erected as
well trophies of their invincible courage abroad, as
' Itane plus decet hominis, quam Dei famulum nominari ? ac
terreni, quam ccelestis Regis dici Officialem, altioris ducitur digni
tatis ? Qui clero militiam, forum anteponit Ecclesise ; divinis pro
fecto humana, coelestibus prseferre terrena convincitur. — Bern.
Epist. Lxxviii. [Opp. Tom. i. col. 82 b.]

A Consecration Sermon. 509
monuments of their incomparable piety at home, serm.
and equaUy by both did purchase immortal renown  '—
to their ingrateful posterity, (for not to imitate
good example is the greatest ingratitude,) they,
I say, were otherwise disposed; to whose honest
devotion we owe those handsome privileges, and
those competent revenues, which the priesthood
stUl enjoys; and which are so maligned by this
untoward age, not less degenerate in spirit than
corrupt in manners : when aU wisdom, and virtue,
and reUgion, are almost in most places grown ridi
culous : when the serious use of reason is become
(in vulgar opinion) the most impertinent and insig
nificant thing in the world: when innocence is
reputed a mere defect of wit and weakness of judg
ment; integrity, a fondpertinacity of humour; con
stancy of mind and gravity of demeanour, a kind
of suUen morosity or uncouth affectation of singu
larity; and aU strict practice of Christian duty in
curs the imputation of some new-found opprobrious
name, one or other. No wonder then_, when Re
Ugion itself hath so much decayed in its love and
esteem, if the priests, its professed guardians, do
partake in its fortune. Nor is it to be feared, but
that, when the predominant vanities of the age are
somewhat decocted, and men grow weary of their
own inconvenient foUies; whenever (not a fierce
zeal for some whimsical model, or some paradoxical
opinion, but) a sober esteem of, and a cordial affec
tion to virtue and genuine piety do begin to revive
in the breasts of men; the love and reverence of
the clergy vriU return. For it wUl be ever true,
what was once said, (though dictated only from
the reason and experience of a heathen,) Qui bona

510 A Consecration Sermon.
SER^. fide Deos colit, amat et sacerdotes^; He that sin-
 '— cerely worships God, will heartily love his priests.
But not to insist longer on this reason.
II. The good of the church requires, that the
priesthood be weU protected, weU provided for,
and weU regarded. That men be converted from
iniquity, induced to the sincere practice of virtue,
is the chief good of the church, that to which the
favour of God is annexed, and upon which the sal
vation of souls doth rely. And this good mainly
depends, partly upon the due execution of the
priestly office, partly upon the fit disposition of the
people to comply therevrith: and to both those
effects, the comfortable estate of the priesthood is
conducible and requisite. The priest must be capa
ble to instruct with advantage, and the people dis
posed to learn with readiness: he must lead, and
they foUow cheerfuUy in the paths of righteousness.
Which alacrity how can he be master of, whose
mind, care, and grie:^ the inseparable companions of
a needy estate, do continuaUy distract and discom
pose ? whose spirit is dejected with constant regret
and frequent disappointments? Can he be free
and expedite in the discharge of his duty, who is
perplexed with the difiiculties, and encumbered
with the varieties of secular busmess, such as the
exigences of a narrow condition do necessarUy in
duce? No; few there be that, with Epictetus, can
philosophate in slavery; or, Uke Cleanthes, can
draw water aU the day, and study most of the night.
The priests are bound, (for the propagation of
trath and right, and for the reclaiming of men
from error and sin, that is, for the most important
^ Statius. Epist. Dedic. in v. Lib. Sylvarum.

A Consecration Sermon. 511
good of the church,) as the apostles are often serm.
related to have done, Wappn<yi,aX,eaQai, To speak all  ; 
out, (or to use an unconfined liberty of speech;) to xiv. 3;
exhort to the practice of virtue, as our Saviour Ephes". vi,
did, Mer' klova'ta's. With license and authority; to {9;^*'!;
deter from vice, as St Paul enjoins Titus, MeTa32^ ..
Tra'o-jjs kiviTayri';, With an dll-commanding and im
perious strain; and, (as those faithful brethren did,
encouraged by St Paul's example,) ToXn^v d<p6(iw^ Phii. 1. 14.
AaXeTi; rov \6yuv, To dare undauntedly to utter the
word of truth : they are obUged to deal impartially
with aU, to flatter no man : to admonish, yea, and
(with prudence, seasonably) to reprove the greatest
of men : not to respect the persons of the rich, nor
to dread the faces of the most terrible among men.
And how shaU this necessary courage be engen
dered, be cherished, be preserved, in the breast of
him who grovels upon the ground, and crouches
under the depressing loads of want and disgrace'?
What engines are able to raise the spirits of men
above the ordinary fountains from which they
spring, their fortunes? What props can sustain
them at that due pitch, destitute of sohd strength,
wealth, and respect? With what face shall a pitiful
underling encounter the solemn looks of an op
pressing grandee? With wha-t hope of success, in
his forlorn habit, shaU he adventure to check the
' Plurima sunt, quse
Non audent homines pertusa dicere Isena.
Juven. Sat. v. [131.]
Albas Toi npbs dvoXfiirj, Bdpaos be npbs oXfia.
Hes. [Op. et Di. 319.]
JJpbs anavra beiXov ianv 6 nevrjs npdypara,
Kai navras avrov Karacppovelv vnoXap^dvei.
Menand. ['AbeXrpoi. p. 7. Ed. Meineke.]

612 A Consecration Sermon.
SER3I. vicious extravagances of a ruffling gallant? WiU
 he dare to contradict the opimon, or to disaUow
the practice, of that wealthy or this powerful neigh
bour, by whose alms, it may be, he is reheved, and
supported by his favour?
But admit it possible a man may be both ex
tremely indigent and sufficiently resolute : (that is,
strong without food, and fat by digesting the thin
air:) with what regard then, shall his free and
faithful advice be entertained? ShaU not his mo
derate confidence be accounted impudence; his
open sincerity of speech be styled unmannerly pre
sumption; his minding others of thefr duty ad
judged a forgetfidness of his own condition, or a
disorderly transgressing the due limits thereof:
if he be not ashamed of the truth, wiU not the
truth be ashamed of him? ShaU he not prejudice
more by the meanness of his garb, than further by
the force of his reason, that good cause which he
maintains? WUl men respect his words, whose
person they despise ? WiU they be wiUingly coun-
seUed or patiently reproved by him, whom they
esteem, yea, whom they plainly see, so much their
inferior? No: the same words, which proceed from
the mouths of men in eminent dignity, are not the
same when they are uttered by those of base de
gree". Weak and ineffectual are the most eloquent
harangues of beggarly orators; obscure, like them
selves, and unobserved, the most notable dictates
of poor, mercenary pedants. The authority of the
"" To b' d^iapa, Kav KaKas Xeyrjs rb abv
Iletaef Xoyos ydp ck t dbo^ovvrav lav
KaK Tav boKovvTav avrbs ov ravrbv aBevei.
Eurip. Hec. [293.]

A Consecration Sermon. 513
speaker doth usually more incline, than the weight serm.
of the matter. It was the observation of the wise  ^

son of Sirach: When a rich man slips, he hath EocIus.
^ -'¦ ' xm. 22, 23.
many helpers; he speaketh things not to be spoken,
and yet men justify him: the poor man miscarried^
and they further rebuked him; he spake discreetly,
and yet could have no place. When a rich man
speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue; and his
words they extol to the clouds^: but if ihe poor man
speak, ihey say, Who is this? and if he stumble,
they will help to overthrow him. And Solomon
himself notes the same : The poor man's wisdom is Eccies. ix.
despised, and his words are not heard. Not only
those that swell with pride and swim in plenty,
but even the meanest of the people, wiU be apt to
contemn his instructions, whom they perceive in
few or no circumstances of Ufe to excel them. If
the preacher's condition be not, as well as his pul
pit, somewhat elevated above the lowest station,
few wUl hear him, fewer mind his words, very few
obey him. Job's case deserves weU to be con
sidered. WhUe he flourished in wealth and repu
tation aU men attended to his counsel, and admfred
his discourse. The princes, saith he, refrained '^°^ '™^''-
talking, and laid their hand on their mouth: the ^'i, 2'!.
nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to
the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard me,
then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it
gave witness to me. Unto me men gave ear, and
vjaited, and kept silence at my counsel. After my
words they spake not again, and my speech dropped
upon them. So officiously attentive were all men
KaWfora Movaav (l)6eyyeTai nXovrav dvrjp.
[Eurip. Frag. Incert.]
B. S. VOL. I. 33

25-

514 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. to Job in his prosperity. But when the scale was
 turned, and he became depressed in estate, no man
minded either him or his discourse, except it were
Q°i'o'Ti '' ^^ despise and scorn both. But now, saith he, they
that are younger than I have me in derision, whose
fathers I would have disdained to have set with the
dogs of my fiock. I am their song, yea, I am their
by-word. They abhor me, they fiy far from me,
and spare not to spit in my face; because he hath
loosed my cord, and afficted me". If Job, a per-
job XXX. son, who so equaUy and moderately, yea, so hum
bly, and courteously, and bountifuUy used his
prosperity, as we find he did, was notwithstanding
in his adversity so generaUy slighted and abhorred;
what shaU their lot be who never enjoyed those
advantages? what regard shall their wholesome
advice find ? what efficacy their most pathetical ex
hortations ,obta;in ? what passion thefr faint breath
raise in men's benumbed hearts? No more, cer
tainly, than thefr mean condition shaU procure
among men either of fiiendship or esteem.
We see therefore, how Almighty God, that he
might concUiate credit unto, and infuse a persua
sive energy into the words of his prophets and
apostles, was pleased to dignify them vrith extraor
dinary gifts of foretelling future events and doing
miraculous works : their doctrine, it seems, (though
of itself most reasonable and plausible,) being not
sufficient to convince the hearers, without some
remarkable exceUency in the teachers, chaUenging
the people's awfid regard, and exciting their atten
tion. Otherwise how pitifuUy scant a draught those
" Prov. xiv. 20 2^ poor is hated even of his own neighbour :
but the rich hath many friends.

A Consecration Sermon, 515
poor fishers of men had caught by the common serm.
aUurements only of innocent life and rational dis  ^
course, I leave you to imagine. And where such
extraordinary commendations are wanting, is it
not reasonable that the need of them should be
supphed by ordinary and probable expedients ?
I might fiirther add, how a necessitous and
despicable estate doth commonly not only disturb
the minds and deject the spirits of men, but dis-
tempereth also thefr souls, and vitiateth their
manners; rendering them not only sad and anxi
ous, slavish and timorous, but greedy also and
covetous, peevish and mutinous, rude and igno
rant; engages them in sordid company, and tempts
them to unworthy courses. From which one cause
how scandalous effects, and how prejudicial to the
church's both honour and safety, have proceeded,
I need not for to say, since woful experience too
loudly proclaims it.
I might add, moreover, that the priests do con--
fer to the good of the state ; which is secured and
advanced by the sincere instruction of men in duties
of obedience, justice, and fideUty; and by mainte
nance of good conscience among men. So that, if
things be rightly considered, it wUl be hard to find
a better commonwealth's man, than a good min
ister. Seeing therefore the good of the church, upon
various accounts, is so much concerned in the
priests' encouragement, welfare, and respect, it is
very fitting they should have them. Which con
sideration I conclude with that serious admonition
of the Apostle to the Hebrews, wherein the sub
stance of what hath been spoken on this point is
33—2

516 A Consecration Sermon.
SERM. contained: Obey you/r rulers (or guides,) and mh-
 — mit to them: for they watch for your souls, as they
xi6u Xlii j7 •
ly. ¦ ¦ tfiat are to give an account; that they may do it
with joy, and not with complaint, M;?' (TTeva(pvTi% :
for this is unprofitable for you, 'AXvaireXii yap {ip.lv
TOVTO : that is. For this pays no taxes, quits no
scores, turns to no account, is nowise advantageous
for you ; but rather (for there is a Meiwats in those
words) is hurtful and detrimental to you. But
further, III. Common equity, and the reason of the
case exacts, that safety, competent subsistence, and
fitting respect be aUowed to the priests. If you
consider their personal quahties; who, I pray, do,
commonly, better deserve those advantages than
they? Those quahties, I say, which result from a
liberal, a sober, a modest education in the schools
of wisdom, and under the influences of good disci
pUne. If birth (that is, at best, an imaginary
relation to the gaUantry of an ancestor) entitle
men to honour; if the cheap favours of fortune be
so highly prized and admired; if riches (that is,
the happy results of industry in trivial matters) do
easUy purchase respect: what may not they pre
tend to, whose constant (and not always unsuccess
ful) endeavour it hath been to deserve well, to
cultivate their minds, and regulate their manners?
True worth, indeed, is not confined to any par
ticular order of men; yet I should wrong none, by
saying it is no where more plentifuUy to be found
than in this p. What is it that doth advance men's
nature, that adorns their minds, that commends
their persons to especial regard? Is it knowledge?
P Vide Orig, contra Cels. Lib. iii. p, 129,

A Consecration Sermon. 517
The priests' lips preserve it ; thefr discourse doth see^-
difiuse it. Is it virtue? Whence have more or

greater examples thereof proceeded than from " ^ ' "' ^'
them? Is it piety? It is their proper business : it
hath been always, in some measure, their care to
promote it. That ignorance and barbarity, disso
luteness and frreligion, have not long since, like a
deluge, overspread the face of the world, none, I
suppose, wUl be so unjust as to deny, in greatest
part, due to thefr vigilant endeavours. Even those
improvements of wit and eloquence, which are
employed to thefr disgrace and disadvantage, must
be acknowledged originaUy derived from them.
Faults they have had, and wiU always have ; for
they are men, and subject to the common imper
fections of mortal nature: but that, perhaps, less
and fewer than any other distinct sort of men ; that
as it is their duty, so it hath been their practice, to
excel in vfrtue ; and that they have commonly, in
effect, made good St Ambrose's words. Debet prw-^
ponderare vita sacerdotis, sicut prceponderat gra
tia"^, were not difficult to demonstrate, if seemly
to make comparisons, or to insist upon so invidious
a subject. Nor, were they greater than ever really
they have been, or than ever mahce could mis
represent them, should it be therefore equal, that
the miscarriages of some should derogate from
the reputation, or prejudice the welfare of the whole
order. But to wave this plea; consider their employ
ment. Is there any office more laborious, more
vexatious than thefrs ; accompanied with more
wearisome toil, more soUcitous care, more tedious
' [Epist. LXiii. Opp. Tom. ii. col. 1037 D.]

518 A Consecration Sermon,
s|E^- attendance? They are deservedly called Watch-
 ^^ men, being constrained to stand always on the
17. ¦ ¦ guard, to be always wakefid, attentive, and ready
to warn the people of approaching dangers: and
Ephes. iv. Shepherds likewise, being forced to endure the
various hardships of that uneasy hfe, the inconve
niences of all weathers, the nipping frosts and
sweltry heats, and aU diversities of irksome travaU;
they must feed, they must guide, they must de
fend; they must seek the lost, and reduce the
straying sheep. What assiduity of study, what
earnest contention of soul are they obhged to use,
in the continual instruction, exhortation, and repre
hension of the people; in rectifying thefr judg
ments, satisfying their scruples, removing their
prejudices, bearing their infirmities, and sympa
thizing with their afflictions? It is they that are
engaged, with aU their might, to withstand the
prevailing encroachments of iniquity, to stop the
progress of pernicious errors, to detect the false
pretences of impostors, to confute the faUacies of
sophisters, to repel the assaults of all adversaries to
the tmth; yea, if need be, to expose, not only their
dearest contents of Ufe, but even their Uves them
selves, in the defence thereof
Eusebius reports thus of Maximinus : ToiJs twv
sKKXriaiiov ap'xovTai (lovovs, ws airiovs t^s kutu to evay-
yekwv Si^auKaXiast avaipe'iaOai TrpoaTaTTei. He com
manded that only the governors of ihe church (that
is the bishops) should be slaughtered, as the authors
of the growth and prevalence of evangelical doc
trine^. Neither was it a singular practice of that
bloody tyrant; but, as a thing of course, it con-
' [Hist. Eccl. VI. 28. Tom. i. p. 293.]

A CoTisecration Sermon. 519
stantly foUows, that wherever righteousness and serm.
truth are violently impugned, the priests are sure  '—
to taste deepest of that bitter cup; that their goods
be, m the first place, sequestered and spoiled, their
reputation stained, their persons misused, their
hves sacrificed to the persecutor's outrageous
mahce. Is it not reasonable then, and equal, that they,
who, for the service of God and benefit of the
church, undergo such difficulties, and are objected
to so great hazards, should be sustained, should be
refreshed by proportionable encouragements ? Is it
not barbarous usage, to expect so hard duties from
them, to impose such heavy burdens on them, and
yet to grudge any suitable comforts, any satisfactory
rewards to them ? Good king, Hezekiah surely was-
not so minded, of whom it is said, He commanded ^ ^^^°^-
' _ ' , XXXI. 4.
the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the por
tion of the priests and Levites, that they might be
encouraged in the law of the Lord': that is, they
might be heartened to study, to teaehj to perform
the duties required of them by the divine law.
And St Paul thus rationaUy expostulates in tiie-
priests' behalf :.^ Who ever goeth to war at his^ own~^ Cor, ix.
charges ? who planteih a vineyard, and' eat'etK not Rom', xv.
qfthe fruit thereof? or who feedeth a fiock, and eat- ^'^'
eth not of ihe milk of the fiock ? Lf we have sown
unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we
shall reap your carnal things ? Ls it a great thing ?
Do you think much of it ? If you da, you are un
reasonable, you are unjust, you are ingrateful.
And otherwhere, he thus very emphatically admo
nishes : We beseech you, brethren, to mind them i Thess. v.
which labour among you, and preside over you "' '^'

520 A Consecration Sermon.
s^i?^!- {UpoiaTa/xevous vfiwv) in the Lord, and that admo-
 nish you ; and to esteem them more than exceed
ingly (YTrep e/c irepiaaov) in love, for their work (or,
for their offce) sake: {so'' Epyov frequently signifies
I Tim. V. in such cases.) And again : Let the elders (or
priests, Ol TrpetTJivTepoi,) which rule well, be counted
worthy of double honour, (or of double recom
pense: so Ttfxri also imports.) Priests, as so, for
their office sake, have honour and reward due to'
them ; which, according to the good management
of that office, are proportionably to be augmented
and multiplied.
But further yet, abstracting from both their
personal worth and the merit of their service, con
sider their condition in this world, and see whether
it doth not in equity challenge some reasonable
provision to be made for them. Are they not, by
the nature of thefr profession, secluded from aU
ordinary means of temporal advancement ? Be not
those usual inlets of wealth, the court, the camp,
and the exchange, shut upon them, yea, barred
against them, by those insuperable obstacles of law
and custom? Can they grow rich by trade, or
famous by feats of arms? May they plead for
others ? It is well if they be aUowed to do it for
themselves before equal judges. Yet are they not
men, endued with human passions and resent
ments? Are they not citizens, partaking in the
common interests of the weal pubhc ? Are they
not sensible of the inconveniences, and capable of
enjoying the benefits of this Ufe ? Are they not
equaUy obliged, and would they not be glad, as
well as others, to be in a capacity to requite cour
tesies, to help relations, to gratify friends, to reheve

A Consecration Sermon. 521
the poor, to express respectively their humanity serm.
and thefr gratitude ? SkUl they not to use the  —
goods of fortune (or rather the gifts of Providence)
with as much discretion, as much sobriety, as much
honour, as others ? Compare things righteously,
and let reason judge ; let experience be examined;
let those eternal monuments of their piety, their
charity, their hospitality, declare and testify.
Shall, lastly, the fruits of painful study, the im
provement of hopeful parts, the flower of vigorous
age and strength spent in the public service, tend
only hither, to put a man into a state of strugghng
with extreme contempt and penury ? If this be
not, what I pray you, is monstrous iniquity ?
Since therefore it appears (upon so many seve
ral scores) reasonable, that Almighty God should
undertake the protection and assert the honour of
his priests, we may not only praise the goodness,
but approve also the wisdom of this promise, and
by the contemplation thereof strengthen our faith
in reliance thereon. To which purpose one consi
deration more may very much conduce, and withal
may provoke our gratitude to celebrate his truth
and faithfulness in making good, as weU as his
goodness and vrisdom in making, this promise ;
viz. the considering how continuaUy hitherto God
hath been pleased effectuaUy to clothe his priests
with salvation, to provide abundantly for their
safety, their accommodation, their respect in this
world, and to deUver them from the opposite in
conveniences. If we reflect our thoughts on the first ages of
Christianity, (not more dismal for suffering than
glorious for piety,) it is admirable to see how sin-

522 A Consecration Sermon.
^xr^' ^®^^^y ^^^ passionately the Christian peojde did
-.  then love their priests and pastors ; how UberaUy,
out of their slender stock and the shipwrecks of
their spoUed fortunes, they -contributed to their
maintenance ; what exceeding veneration they bore
them ; with what incredible alacrity they submitted
to the most severe discipUnes enjoined by them ;
how vriUingly they foUowed theni, though leading
into the jaws of death and cruel torture : so that,
although it was then necessary for the Christian
priests to undergo the greatest hardships, accord
ing to the design of Christian rehgion, (which was
to be propagated, not by terror of power, nor hy
politic artifice, but by the invincible faith, resolu
tion, and patience, of the professors and teachers
thereof;) yet never more may they have seemed
to thrive and prosper, than in that juncture of
time, when they enjoyed the universal good-vriU
and applause of good people, when they uncon-
strainedly embraced afihction for righteousness'
sake, and acquired thereby the certain fruition of a
more excellent salvation.
But in the succeeding times, when Christianity,
breaking out of the clouds of persecution, began to
shine over aU with brightest lustre ; of the glo
rious and happy fruits of that Ulustrious triumph
none did partake more fuUy, than they who had
sustained the hardest brunts of the foregoing con
flict, and had been the principal causes of the
success. Then the joyful acclamations of the faith
ful people resounded in the praise of their victo
rious champions : then did the Emperors them
selves, with arms outstretched and hearts enlarged,
with affection embrace the authors of their happy

A Consecration Sermon. 523
conversion : then aU laws prejudicial to their wel- serm.
fare were rescinded, and new ones were substi-  '—
tuted, abundantly providing for their security,
honest Uvelihood, and due reverence ; which, in
progress of time, not in the Roman empire only,
but in aU other nations, (that afterwards did enter
tain Christianity,) were nowise impafred, but were
rather ampliated and fortified by the pious favour
of princes : the barbarous Goths, and Vandals, and
Lombards, being no sooner endued with any tinc
ture of civUity, or any sense of Religion, than
possessed with a hearty reverence of their bishops
and priests.
And ever since, (which is not to be imputed,
as some rashly, if not impiously aver, to the preva
lence of Antichristian iniquity, but rather to the
providence of divine Benignity ; ever since, I say,)
till the late commotions and alterations in Chris
tendom, they have been the guardians of others'
safety, not themselves deprived of protection; have
abounded with wealth, rather than wanted suste
nance ; have been the objects of envy, more than
of contempt. Princes have loved and cherished
them, have rehed upon their advice, and intrusted
them with their highest concernments. Nobles
have not been ashamed to yield them place. The
sacerdotal robe hath been often dyed with purple ;
and the sons of mighty monarchs have not thought
themselves degraded by entering into their order.
And ff, in some particular places, (before or since
those changes) their condition hath not been so
high and plentiful, yet hath it been (almost ever)
tolerable ; the countenance of authority and the
respect of the people being in good degree vouch-

524 A Con,secration Sermon.
serm. safed them. Even in those churches, which til
 this day groan under the oppression of infide
princes, the priests (by the free pemussion of thos(
princes) retain their jurisdiction in a manner ai
great as ever ; and withal enjoy a maintenance no
altogether inconsiderable.
So favourable hitherto hath God been unto hii
priests, so faithful to his promise : which dotl
oblige us to thank him ; which may encourage us
to hope in him ; which may arm us with confi'
dence against the present iU-vriU of those that wish
and against the practices of those that design oui
ruin. It is true, this promise is not affixed to al
parts of time, to all particularities of place, to al
determinate circumstances of things. The priests
may, now and then, here and there, in this or that
suffer highly ; they may be ejected, be plundered
be degraded, as experience hath shewed us. Bui
they may be also soon restored, repossessed, re
advanced, and (I had almost, said) revenged too, as
the like experience doth assure us. It is not im
possible, I confess, we may relapse into the same,
or into a more calamitous estate ; the obstinate
disaffections of men threaten it, and our own mis
carriages more dangerously : yet the most offen
sive of these (which many honest men dislike, anc
most men exclaim against) have been in as bittei
terms complained of, m almost the first ages. ' In-
hiant possessionibus, prwdia excolunt, auro incu
bant, emunt venduntque, qucestuiper omnia student,
said a devout writer of ecclesiastical history'* aboui
1 300 years ago. And so much no man (withod
" Sulp, Sev. [Hist. Sacr. Lib. i. cap. 23, p. 24.]

A Consecration Sermon. 525
extreme uncharitableness and falsehood) can in so seme.
general terms impute to the present clergy : not- 
withstanding which, God did continue to vouch
safe his protection to them. They were some
times, (by the inundations of barbarous people,)
and we may again, (by national concussions,) be
severely chastised for our faults : yet were not
they, nor shall we be (at least every where and for
ever) utterlv reiected. God may visit our trans- 'p^- ixxxix.
. ..... 32, 33, 34,
gressions with the rod, and our iniquity with stripes:
nevertheless his lovingkindness will he not utterly
take from us, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail. His
covenant he will not break, nor alter ihe thing that
is gone out of his lips. God may for a time hide
his face from us ; but he will not for ever turn his
back upon us : the honour of the priesthood may
for a while be overclouded in some part of the
world ; but shaU never totaUy be eclipsed, nor
swallowed up in a perpetual night. While God
continues his residence in Sion, and defends his
church against The gates of hell and powers of^^*'-^'"-
darkness ; while reUgion retains any sway in the
hearts of men, and truth possesses any room upon
earth ; the priests shaU not be left destitute and
naked, but everlastingly be clothed with salvation.
Which that it may (to the glory of God and good
of his church) more surely come to pass, let us con
vert this promise into a prayer, and say with Solo
mon, Now therefore arise, 0 Lord God, thou and 2 chron.
the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, 0 Lord^'^^'
God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints
rejoice in goodness. Amen.

SERMON XV.
NOT TO OFFEND IN "WORD AN EVIDENCE OP
A HIGH PITCH OF VIRTUE.

James III. 2.
If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man
SERM. rpHIS sentence stands at the head of a discourse
 '- — -L concerning the tongue, (that doubtful engine
of good and evil,) wherein how exceUent benefits,
and how grievous mischiefs, it, as rightly or per
versely wielded, is apt to produce, how it is both
a sweet instrument of aU goodness, and a sharp
weapon of aU iniquity, is positively laid down, and
by fit comparisons iUustrated. But secluding aU
relation to the context, the words may weU be
considered singly by themselves : and as such they
instruct us, asserting a certain truth ; they direct
us, implying a good duty. They assert that man
to be perfect, who offends not in speech ; and they
consequently imply, that we should strive to avoid
Deut.xviii. offending therein : for to be perfect, and to go on
Liike vi. to perfection, are precepts, the observance whereof
Matt V 48- ^^ incumbent on us. We shaU first briefly explain
*¦?,¦ *'•... the assertion, and then declare its truth ; affcer-
2 Cor. xm. '
II- wards we shall press somewhat couched in the
Heb. vi. I. , , ^
duty. To offend originally signifies to impinge", that
" E" tis iv Xoya ov nraiei.

Not to offend in Word dc. 527
is, to stumble, or hit dangerously upon somewhat serm.
lying cross our way, so as thereby to be cast down,  '¦ —
or at least to be disordered in our posture, and
stopt in our progress : whence it is well transferred
to denote our being, through any incident tempta
tion, brought into sin, whereby a man is thrown
down, or bowed from his upright state, and inter
rupted from prosecuting a steady course of piety
and virtue. By an usual and apposite manner of
speaking, our tenor of life is called a way, our Ps- xxxvii.
conversation walking, our actions steps, our ob
serving good laws uprightness, our transgression of
them tripping, faltering, faUing.
By not offending in word, we may easily then
conceive to be understood such a constant restraint,
and such a carefiil guidance of our tongue, that it
doth not transgress the rules prescribed unto it by
divine law, or by good reason ; that it thwarteth
not the natural ends and proper uses for which it
was framed, to which it is fitted ; such as, chiefly,
are promoting God's glory, our neighbour's benefit,
and our own true welfare.
By a perfect man is meant a person accom- Jame» i. 4.
pUshed and complete in goodness, one of singular
worth and integrity, a brave and excellent man,
who, as to the continual tenor of his Ufe, is free
from aU notorious defects and heinous faults ; hke
David, Fulfilling all God's will, and having respect Acts xiu.
to all God's commandments ; hke Zachary and Eli- p • .
zabeth. Walking in all ihe commandments and^-
ordinances ofthe Lord blameless. Thus was Noah, Gen.^vi.9;
thus was Abraham, thus was Job perfect. This is j^b i.''..
the notion of perfection in holy scripture : not an
absolute exemption from all blemish of soul, or
blame in hfe ; for such a perfection is inconsistent

528 Not to offend in Word
SERM. with the nature and state of man here, where noi

XV.

with modesty or with truth can say, I have mai
rov.xx.g. ^^ hcaH clcau, I am pure from my sin ; where evei
Job ix. 20. man must confess with Job, If I justify mysa
mine own mouth shall condemn me ; if I say, I a
Eccies. vii. perfect, it shall prove me perverse. For, There
10. not, as the Preacher assures, a just man uponearti
James iii. that docth good, and sinneth not; and. In mar,
things we offend all, is our Apostle's assertion ia
mediately preceding my text ; which words ma
serve to expound these. In many things, saith h
we offend all ; that is, there is no man absolute]
perfect : but If any man ofl'end not in word, (tb
is, if a man constantly govern his tongue weU
that man is perfect; perfect in such a kind an
degree as human frailty doth admit ; he is em
nently good ; he may be reasonably presume
upright and blameless in aU the course of his prai
tice ; Able, as it foUows, to bridle the whole bod,
that is, qualified to order all his actions justly an
wisely. So that in effect the words import this
that a constant governance of our speech, accorc
ing to duty and reason, is a high instance and
special argument of a throughly sincere and soli
goodness. The truth of which aphorism may from severs
considerations appear.
I A good governance of speech is a stron
evidence of a good mind ; of a mind pure froi
vicious desfres, calm from disorderly passions, voi
of dishonest intentions. For since speech is
chUd of thought, which the mind always travaUet
and teemeth with", and which after its birth :
'' A fool travaileth with a word, as a woman in labour of
child. — Eccius. xix. 11.

an Evidence qfa high Pitch of Virtue. 529
wont in features to resemble its parent ; since every serm.
man naturally is ambitious to propagate his con 
ceits, and without a painful force cannot smother
his resentments ; since, especiaUy, bad affections,
Uke stum or poison, are impetuous and turgid, so
agitating aU the spirits, and so sweUing the heart,
that it cannot easily compose or contain them ;
since a distempered constitution of mind, as of
body, is wont to weaken the retentive faculty, and
to force an evacuation of bad humours ; since he,
that wanteth the principal wisdom of weU order
ing his thoughts and mastering his passions, can
hardly be conceived so prudent, as long to refrain,
or to regulate their dependence, speech ; consider
ing these things, I say, it is scarce possible, that he,
which commonly thinks iU, should constantly either
be well silent, or speak weU. To conceal fire, to
check lightning, to confine a whirlwind, may per
haps be no less feasible, than to keep within due
compass the exorbitant motions of a soul, wherein
reason hath lost its command, so that Qua data
porta", where the next passage occurs, they should
not rush forth, and vent themselves. A vain mind
naturally wiU bubble forth or fly out in frothy
expressions ; wrath burning in the breast will
flame out, or at least smoke through the mouth ;
rancorous imposthumes of spite and malice wUl at
length discharge purulent matter ; lust, boihng
within, wiU soon foam out in lewd discourse. If
the fountain itself is poUuted, or infected, how can
the streams be clear or wholesome ? How can ye. Matt. xii.
being evil, speak good things? saith our Lord ; for 3*' 35-
from the abundance ofthe heart the mouth speaketh.
" [Virg. ^n. I. 83,]
B. S. VOL. I. 34

530 Not to offend in Word
SERM. A good man, addeth he, out ofthe good treasure of
 the heart bringeth forth good things ; and an evil
man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things : 'EKfidWei Trovr/pa, He casteth forth ill things,
as a fountain doth its waters by a natural and
necessary ebulUtion. It is true, that in some par
ticular cases, or at some times, a foul heart may
be disguised by fair words, or covered by demure
reservedness : shame, or fear, or crafty design,
may often repress the declaration of iU thoughts
and purposes. But such fits of dissimulation can
not hold ; men cannot abide quiet under so violent
constraints ; the intestine jars, or unkindly truces,
between. heart and tongue (those natural friends)
cannot be perpetual, or very durable : no man can
hold his breath long, or Uve without evaporating
through his mouth those steams of passion which
Fs. xxxix. arise from flesh and blood. My heart was hot
within me, while I was musing the fire burned ;
\ then spake I with my tongue, saith David, express
ing the difficulty of obstructing the eruption of our
affections into language. Hence it is, that speech
is commonly judged the truest character of the
mind*^, and the surest test of inward worth ; as that
I Pet. ill. 4. which discloseth The hidden man of the heart,
which unlocketh the closets of the breast, which
draws the soul out of her dark recesses into open
light and view, which rendereth our thoughts
visible, and our intentions palpable. Hence, Lo-
quere, ut te videam. Speak, that I may see you, or
know what kind of man you are, is a saying which
aU men, at first meeting, do in their hearts direct
* 'Avbpbs x"-?"-"-''^? ^'* Xoyov yvapi^erai.
[Menand. Sentent. Sing, 26, Ed, Meineke,]

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 531
one to another : neither commonly doth any man serm. XV.
require more to ground a judgment upon, concern-  '—-
ing the worth or abiUty of another, than oppor
tunity of hearing him to discourse for a competent
time : yea, often before a man hath spoken ten
words, his mind is caught, and a formal sentence is
passed upon it. Such a strict affinity and connec
tion do all men suppose between thoughts and
words. 2 From hence, that the use of speech is itself
a great ingredient into our practice, and hath a
very general influence upon whatever we do, may
be inferred, that whoever governeth it weU, can
not also but weU order his whole life. The extent
of speech must needs be vast, since it is nearly
commensurate to thought itself, which it ever
closely traceth, widely ranging through all the
immense variety of objects; so that men almost as
often speak incogitantly, as they think silently.
Speech is indeed the rudder that steereth human
affafrs, the spring that setteth the wheels of action
on going; the hands work, the feet walk, aU the
members, and aU the senses act by its direction and
impulse ; yea, most thoughts are begotten, and
most affections stirred up thereby: it is itself most
of our employment, and what we do beside it, is
however guided and moved by it. It is the pro
fession and trade of many, it is the practice of all
men, to be in a manner continuaUy talking. The
chief and most considerable sort of men manage
all their concernments merely by words; by them
princes rule their subjects, generals command their
armies, senators deliberate and debate about the
34—2

532 Not to offend in Word
SERM. great matters of state; by them advocates plead
 causes, and judges decide them ; divines perform
their offices, and minister thefr instructions; mer
chants strike up their bargains, and drive on aU
their traffick. Whatever almost, great or small, is
done in the court or in the haU, in the church or
at the exchange, in the school or in the shop, it
is the tongue alone that doeth it : it is the force of
this little machine that turneth all the human
world about. It is indeed the use of this strange
organ which rendereth human hfe, beyond the sim
ple life of other creatures, so exceedingly various and
compounded ; which creates such a multiphcity of
business, and which transacts it; while by it we
communicate our secret conceptions, transfusing
them into others; whUe therevrith we instruct and
advise one another ; whUe we consult about what
is to be done, contest about right, dispute about
truth; whUe the whole business of conversation, of
commerce, of government, and administration of
justice, of learning, and of religion, is managed
thereby; yea, while it stoppeth the gaps of time,
and fiUeth up the wide intervals of business, our
recreations and divertisements (the which do con
stitute a great portion of our life) mainly consist
ing therein, so that, in comparison thereof, the
execution of what we determine, and aU other
action do take up smaU room : and even aU that
usuaUy dependeth upon foregoing speech, which
persuadeth, or counselleth, or commandeth it.
Whence the province of speech being so very large,
it being so universaUy concerned, either immedi
ately as the matter, or by consequence as the

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 533
source of our actions, he, that constantly govern- serm.
eth it well, may justly be esteemed to live very  '- 
exceUently. 3 To govern the tongue weU is a matter of ex
ceeding difficulty, requiring not only hearty good
ness, but great judgment and art, together with
much vigUance and circumspection; whence the
doing it argues a high pitch of virtue. For, since
the tongue is a very loose and versatile engine,
which the least breath of thought doth stir, and
set on going any way, it cannot but need much
attention to keep it, either in a steady rest, or in a
right motion. Since numberless swarms of things
roving in the fancy do thence incessantly obtrude
themselves upon the tongue, very much appUcation
of mind and great judgment are requisite to select
out of them those few which are good and fit,
rejecting aU that is bad and improper to be spoken.
Since continuaUy temptations occur, provoking or
alluring to miscarriage in this kind, (for beside in
ternal propensions and commotions of soul, every
object we behold, every company we are engaged
in, every accident befalling us, doth suggest some
what inviting thereto ; the condition of our neigh
bour moving us, if high, to flatter, if low, to insult;
our own fortune prompting, if prosperous, to boast,
if cross, to murmur; any action drawing from us,
if it pleaseth us, fond admiration, if it disliketh,
harsh censure : since, I say, we are thus at every
turn obnoxious to speak amiss,) it must be matter
of huge skiU and caution, of mighty industry and
resolution to decline it. We for that purpose need
to imitate that earnest and watchful care of the
holy Psalmist, which he thus expresseth ; / have, ss. xvU. 3.

Ps. XXXIX,
I. !

534 Not to offend in Word
SERM. saith he, purposed that my mouth shall not offend:
^— — r— and, / said, saith he again, / will take heed to my
ways, that I sin not with my tongue ; I will keep
my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before
me. And thus to maintain a constant guard over
his heart and ways, thus in consequence thereof to
curb and rule his speech weU, must assuredly be
the mark of a very good person. Especially con
sidering, that,
4 Irregular speech hath commonly divers more
advantages for it, and fewer checks upon it, than
other bad practice hath. A man is apt, I mean, to
speak iU with less dissatisfaction and regret from
within; he may do it with less control and less
hazard from without, than he can act UI. Bad
actions are gross and bulky, taking up much time,
and having much force spent on them, whence men
easUy observe and consider them in themselves
and others : but iU words are subtUe and transient,
soon born, and as soon deceased; whence men rashly
utter them, without much heed before them, or
much reflection after them. Bad actions have also
usuaUy visible effects immediately consequent on
them: but words operate insensibly and at dist
ance ; so that men hardly discern what wUl foUow
them, or what they have effected. There are also
frequent occasions of speaking UI, upon presump
tion of secrecy, and thence of indisturbance and
impunity; yea, doing so is often entertained with
complacence, and encouraged with applause : the
vilest abuses of speech (even blasphemy, treason,
and slander themselves) may be safely whispered
into ears, which wiU receive them vrith plea
sure and commendation. Bad language also in

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 535
most cases is neither strictly prohibited, nor se- serm.
verely chastised by human laws, as bad action is.  '- —
Whence ordinarUy the guilt of this misbehaviour
seems little or none ; and persons much practising
it, both in their own conceit, and in the opinion of
others, do often pass for innocent. Men indeed
here wiU hardly discern any rule, or acknowledge
any obligation : the tongue they deem is free, and
any words may be dispensed with : it is sufficient
if they abstain from doing gross wrong or mis
chief, they have a right and Uberty to say any
thing : Our lips are our own ; who is Lord over Ps. xii. ^.
us ? so are men commonly prone to say, vrith those
in the Psalm. Hence whosoever, notvrithstanding
such encouragements to offend herein, and so few
restraints from it, doth yet carefuUy forbear it,
governing his tongue according to rules of duty
and reason, may justly be reputed a very good
man. Furthermore,
5 Whereas most of the enormities, the mis
chiefs, and the troubles, whereby the souls of men
are defiled, their minds discomposed, and their
Uves disquieted, are the fruits of ill-governed
speech ; it being that chiefly which perverteth jus
tice, which soweth dissensions, which raiseth all
bad passions and animosities, which embroUeth the
world in seditions and factions, by which men
wrong and abuse, deceive and seduce, defame and
disgrace one another, whereby consequently innu
merable vexations and disturbances are created
among men ; he that by well governing his speech
preserveth himself from the guilt, disengageth his
mind and Ufe from the inconveniences of aU such
evUs, (from the discreet and honest management

536 Not to offend in Word
SERM. thereof enjoying both innocence and peace,) must
 necessarily be, as a very wise and happy, so a very
good and worthy person.
6 His tongue also, so ruled, cannot but produce
very good fruits of honour to God, of benefit to our
neighbour, of comfort to himself: it wiU be sweet
and pleasant, it wiU be wholesome and useful;
endearing conversation, cementing peaceful society;
I breeding and nourishing love, instructing and edi-^
fs • 'x'.^"; ; fy^"-^' °^ cheering and comforting the hearers. His
XV.' 4 ; xii.' tongue is health ; His mouth is a well and tree of
3;'xY. 23'; life ; His lips disperse knowledge; He shall be
satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.
Every man shall kiss his lips. Such, as the Wise
Man telleth us, are the effects of innocent, sober,
and weU-ordered discourse; the which do much
commend their author, and declare the exceUent
virtue of that tree, from which such fruits do
grow. 7 Lastly, the observation, how unusual this
practice is in any good degree, may strongly
assure the excellency thereof For, the rarer, espe
cially in morals, any good thing is, the more noble
and worthy it is ; that rarity arguing somewhat of
pecuUar difficulty in the attainment or the achieve
ment thereof Nothing is more obvious to com
mon experience, than that persons, who in the rest
of their demeanour and dealings appear blameless,
yea, who, in regard to other points of duty, would
seem nice and precise, are extremely peccant in
this kind. We may see divers, otherwise much
restraining and much denying themselves, who yet
indulge themselves a strange Ucentiousness in
speaking whatever their humour or their passion

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. ^2i7
dictates. Many, in other respects harmless, (who serm.
would not for any thing smite or slay folks,) we  '—
may observe vrith their tongue to commit horrible
outrages upon any man that comes in their way.
Frequently persons, very punctual in their deal
ings, are very unjust in their language, cheating and
robbing their neighbour of his reputation by en- -
vious detraction and hard censure. They, who
abhor shedding a man's blood, wiU yet, without
any scruple or remorse, by calumnious tales and
virulent reproaches, assassinate his credit, and
murder his good name, although to him perhaps
far more dear and precious than his life. Com
monly such, as are greatly staunch in other enjoy
ments of pleasure, are enormously inteniperate in
speaking, and very incontinent of their tongue:
men, in aU other parts of morality rigorously sober,
are often in this very wild and dissolute. Yea, not
seldom we may observe, that even mighty pre
tenders to godUness, and zealous practisers of de
votion, cannot forbear speaking things plainly
repugnant to God's law, and very prejudicial to his
honour. Thus it is observable to be now; and thus
we may suppose that it always hath been. So of
his time St Hierome, (or rather St Paulinus, in his
exceUent Epistle to Celantia) testifies : Such a lust
(saith he, concerning the ill governance of speech)
of this evil hath invaded the minds of men, that
even those, who have far receded from other vices,
do yet fall into this, as into the last snare of the
Devil^. So it appears, that among aU sorts of good
® Tanta hujus maii libido mentes hominum invasit, ut etiam
qui procul ab aliis vitiis recesserunt, in istud tamen, quasi in ex-

538 Not to offend in Word
SERM. practice, the strict governance of the tongue is least
 ordinary, and consequently, that it is most admir
able and exceUent. And this is aU I shaU say for
confirmation of the point asserted.
Now then, as it is our duty to aim at perfection,
or to endeavour the attainment of integrity in heart
and hfe, so we should especially labour to govern
our tongue, and guard it from offence. To which
purpose it is requisite, that we should weU under
stand and consider the nature of those several of
fences to which speech is Uable, together with the
special pravity, deformity, and inconvenience of
each : for, did we know and weigh them, we should
not surely either Uke or dare to incur them.
The offences of speech are many and various in
kind ; so many as there be of thought and of action,
unto which they do run paraUel : accordingly they
weU may be distinguished from the difference of
objects which they do speciaUy respect. Whence,
I some of them are committed against God, and
confront piety; 2 others against our neighbour,
and violate justice, or charity, or peace ; 3 others
against ourselves, infringing sobriety, discretion,
or modesty; or, 4 some are of a more general
and abstracted nature, rambling through aU mat
ters, and crossing aU the heads of duty. It is
trae, that in most, or in all offences of speech,
there is a compUcation of impiety, iniquity, and
imprudence; for that by aU sorts of UI speakmg
we sin against God, and break his commandment;
we injure our neighbour, at least by contagion
tremum diaboli laqueum, incidant. — [Inter Opp. Hieron. Ep. cix.
Tom. IV. p. ii. col. 816.]

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 539
and bad example; we abuse ourselves, contracting serm.
guUt, and exposing ourselves to punishment : also  '- —
the general vices of speech (unadvisedness and
vanity) do constantly adhere to every bad word:
yet commonly each evU speech hath a more direct
and immediate aspect upon some one of those ob
jects, (God, our neighbour, or ourselves,) and is
pecuUarly repugnant to one of those capital virtues
(piety, charity, and sobriety) unto which all our
duty is reduced. Now, according to this distinction,
I should, if time would give leave, describe and
dissuade particularly all these sorts of offence : but
(since I must be respectful to patience, and careful
myself not to offend in speech) I shaU confine the
rest of my present discourse to the first sort, the
offences against piety; and even of them I shaU
(waving the rest) only touch two or three, insinu
ating some reasons why we should eschew them.
These are,
I. Speaking blasphemously against God, or ps.
reproachfuUy concerning rehgion, or to the disgrace jg/™'
of piety, with intent to subvert men's faith in God, Numb.xxi.
or to impair thefr reverence of him. There hath Job xxxiv.
been a race of men (and would to God that race
were not even tiU now continued) concerning
whom the Psalmist said. They speak loftily, they pg. ixxia,
set their onouih against the heavens; who, Uke the ^' ^•
proud Sennacherib, Lift up their eyes, and exalt isai.
their voice against the Holy One of Lsrael; who, ^hron.^'
with the profane Antiochus, Speak marvellous ^^2 -S'
things against the God of gods. This of aU impie- 3^-
ties is the most prodigiously gigantic, the most
signal practice of enmity towards God, and down
right waging of war against heaven. Of all

540 Not to offend in Word
SERM. weapons formed against God, the tongue most
 '- — notoriously doth impugn him; for we cannot reach
isai.hv,i7, iieaven with our hands, or immediately assault God
by our actions : other UI practice indeed obliquely,
or by consequence dishonoureth God, and defameth
goodness; but profane discourse is directly levelled
at them, and doth immediately touch them, as its
formal objects. Now doing thus argueth an ex
tremity both of folly and naughtiness : for, he that
doeth it, either behoveth the existence of God, and
the truth of religion; or he distrusts them. If he
doth beheve them, what a desperate madness is it
in him, advisedly to invite certain mischief to his
home, and pull down heaviest vengeance on his
own head, by opposing the frresistible power, and
provoking the inflexible justice of God! What an
abominable vUlany and baseness is it thus to abuse
God's immense goodness and mercy, offering such
despite to the Author of his being, and free Donor
of aU the good he enjoys! What a monstrous con
spiracy is it of stupidity and perverseness in him,
thus wUfuUy to defy his own welfare, to forfeit aU
capacity of happiness; to precipitate and plunge
himseff into a double heU, that of bitter remorse
here, that of endless pain hereafter! But if he,
that reproacheth God and Religion, be supposed dis-
trastful of their being and reality, neither so is he
excusable from Uke degrees of folly and pravity:
for, beside the wild extravagance of such disbehef,
against legions of cogent arguments and pregnant
testimonies, against all the voice of nature and
faith of history, against the settled judgment of
wise and sober persons who have studied and con
sidered the point, against the current tradition of

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 541
all ages, and general consent of mankind; all which serm.
to withstand, no less demonstrateth high indiscre-  —
tion than arrogance ; beside also the palpable sUli-
ness which he displays, in causelessly (or for no
other cause than soothing a fantastic humour)
drawing upon himself the anger and hatred of aU
men who are concerned for the interests of thefr
reUgion, thrusting himself into great dangers and
mischiefs thence imminent to him, both from pri
vate zeal and public law; beside, I say, these evi
dent folUes, there is an unsufferable insolence and
horrible malice apparent in this practice; for it is
no less than the height of insolence, thus to affront
mankind in matters of highest consideration, and
deepest resentment with it; not only thwarting its
common notions, but vihfying the chief objects of
its highest respect and affection, of its main care
and concernment; so making the fiercest invasion
that can be on its credit, and charging it with
greatest fondness. Who can endure that He,
whom he apprehends to be his grand Parent, his
best Friend and Benefactor, his great Patron and
Sovereign, should in downright terms be defamed
or disparaged? Who can patiently bear that,
wherein he placeth his utmost hopes and supreme
felicity, to be expressly slighted or scorned? Who
can take the offering to do this, otherwise than for
a most injurious reflection upon his judgment and
his practice? If he cannot beUeve in God, he may
let them alone who do : if he wiU not practise Re
Ugion, he may forbear to persecute it. He cannot
pretend any zeal; it is therefore only pride that
moves him to disturb us. So may every man, with
aU the reason in the world, complain against the

542 Not to offend in Word
SERM. profane talker. Seeing also it is most evident,
 '- — that hearty reverence of God, and a conscientious
regard to Rehgion, do produce great benefits to
mankind, being indeed the main supports of com
mon honesty and sobriety, the sole curbs, effectuaUy
restraining men from unjust fraud and violence,
from brutish lusts and passions; since apparently
Religion prescribeth the best rules, and imposeth
the strongest engagements to the performance of
those actions, whereby not only men's private wel
fare is promoted, and ordinary conversation is
sweetened, and common Ufe is adorned, but also
whereby pubhc order and peace are maintained;
since, as Cicero with good reason judged, Piety
being removed, it is probable that justice itself (of
aU virtues the best guarded and fortified by human
power) could not subsist, no faith could be secured,
no society could be preserved among men^; it being
manifestly vain to fancy, that assuredly without
reUgious conscience any one will be a good subject,
a true friend, or an honest man ; or that any other
consideration can induce men to prefer duty to
their prince, the prosperity of their country, fidehty
toward their friends or neighbours, before thefr
own present interests and pleasure: since, I say,
the credit of Religion is so very beneficial and use
ful to mankind, it is plain, that he must be exceed
ingly spiteful and malicious, who shall, by profane
discourse, endeavour to supplant or shake it. He,
that speaketh against God's providence, hath as
suredly a pique at goodness, and would not have
' Haud scio an, pietate adversus Deos sublata, fides etiam, et
Bocietas generis humani, et una excellentissima virtus, justitia, tol-
latur. — Cic. [de Nat. Deor. i. 2, 4,]

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 543
it predominant in the hearts of men. He, that serm,
disparages ReUgion, doth certainly take his aim  ^
against virtue, and would not have it practised in
the world : his meaning plainly is, to effect, if he
can, that men should Uve Uke beasts in foul impu
rities, or Uke fiends in mischievous iniquities. Such
an one, therefore, is not to be taken as a simple em
bracer of error, but as a spiteful designer against
common good. For indeed, were any man assured
(as none can upon so much as probable grounds
think it) that Rehgion had been only devised by
men, as a supplemental aid to reason^ and force,
(drawing them, whom the one could not persuade,
nor the other compel, to the practice of things con
ducible to the pubhc weal;) that it were merely an
implement of policy, or a knack to make people
loyal to their prince, upright in their dealings,
sober in their conversations, moderate in their pas
sions, virtuous in all their doings; it were yet a
most barbarous naughtiness and inhumanity in
him to assay the overthrow thereof, with the de
feating so excellent purposes : he, that should at
tempt it, justly would deserve to be reputed an
enemy to the welfare of mankind, to be treated as
a pestilent disturber of the world.
IL Another Uke offence against piety is, to
speak loosely and wantonly about holy things,
(things nearly related to God or to Religion,) to
make such things the matter of sport and mockery,
to play and trifle vrith them. But of this I shall
have occasion to speak in another discourse.
III. Another grand offence against piety is,
^ Ut quos ratio non posset, eos ad officium religio duceret. —
Id.[?J

544 Not to offend in Word
SERM. rash and vain swearing in common discourse; an
 — offence which now strangely reigns and rages in
the world, passmg about in a specious garb and
under glorious titles, as a genteel and graceful qua
lity, a mark of fine breeding, and a point of high
gaUantry. Who, forsooth, now is the brave spark
and complete gentleman, but he that hath the skiU
and confidence (O heavens! how mean a skill ! how
mad a confidence!) to lard every sentence with an
oath or a curse; making bold at every turn to
salute God, fetching him down from heaven to
avouch any idle prattle, to second any giddy pas
sion, to concern himself in any trivial affair of his;
yea, caUing and challenging the Almighty to damn
and destroy him ! But somewhat to repress these
fond conceits and vile practices, let us, I pray, con
sider, I That swearing thus is most expressly and
Matt. V. strictly prohibited to us. I say unto you. Swear
not at all: but let your conversation be. Yea, yea;
Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh
James V. of cvH: SO our Lord forbids it. But above all
things, my brethren, swear not — lest you enter into
condemnation: so doth St James warn against it.
And is it not then prodigious, that in Christendom
any man should affect to break laws so plain and
so severe; that it should pass here, not only for a
tolerable, but even for a commendable practice, to
violate so manifest and so important a duty; that
so directly to thwart our Lord himself should be a
thing not in use only, but in credit and request
among Christians? What more palpable affront
could be offered to our Rehgion, and to aU that is
sacred among us? For what respect or force can

12.

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 545
we imagine reserved to reUgion, while a practice so serm.
indisputably opposite thereto, in a high degree, is  '—-
so current and prevalent?
2 Again, according to the very nature and
reason of things, it is evidently an intolerable pro
faneness, thus unadvisedly to make addresses and
appeals to God, invoking his testimony, and de
manding his judgment about trifles; far more such,
than it were a high presumption and encroach
ment upon the majesty of a prince, on every petty
occasion to break into his presence, and to assail
his ears, dragging him to hear and determine con
cerning it. Whence the very light of nature con
demns this practice, and even heathens have loudly
declared against it, as derogatory to the reverence
of the Deity, and unsuitable to the gravity of a
worthy man.
3 Swearing indeed is, by our holy Oracles,
worthily represented to us, as an especial piece of
worship and devotion toward God; wherein, duly
performed, we piously acknowledge his chief attri
butes and singular prerogatives : (His being every
where present, and conscious of aU we say or do;
his goodness and fidelity, in favouring truth and
protecting right ; his justice, in rewarding veracity
and equity, in avenging falsehood and iniquity;
his being the supreme Lord of all persons, and last
Judge in all causes; to signify and avow these
things to God's glory, swearing was instituted, and
naturaUy serveth:) wherefore, as all other acts of
devotion, so this grand one especiaUy should never
be performed without all serious consideration and
humble reverence; the cause should be certainly
just and trae, the matter worthy and weighty, the
B. S. VOL. I. 35

546 Not to offend in Word
serm. manner grave and solemn, the mind framed to
 eamest attention, and fiimished with devout affec
tions. Those conditions are always carefully to
be observed, which the prophet intimates when
Jer. iv. 2. te chargeth thus ; Thou shalt swear. The Lord
liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness.
It is therefore horrible mockery and profanation
of a most sacred ordinance, when men presume
to use it without any care or consideration, with
out any respect or awe, upon any slight or vain
occasion. 4 The doing so is also very prejudicial to
human society; for the decision of right, the secu
rity of government, and the preservation of peace,
do much depend upon an awfiil regard to oaths;
and therefore upon thefr being only used in due
manner and season : the same do greatly suffer by
the contempt or disregard of them, and conse
quently by their common and careless use. They
are the surest bonds by which the consciences of
men are tied to the attestation of truth and observ
ance of faith; the which, as by rare and reverent
use they are kept firm and fast, so by frequent and
negUgent ?ipplication of them (by their prostitution
to every light and toyish matter) they are quite
dissolved, or much slackened. Whence the pubhc
seems much concerned, that this enormity should
be retrenched. For, if oaths generally become
cheap and vUe, what wUl that of aUegiance signify?
If men are wont to daUy with swearing every
where, can they be expected to be strict and seri
ous therein at the bar, or in the church? WiU
they regard the testimony of God, or dread his
judgment, in one place, or at one time, whenas

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 547
every where continuaUy (upon any, upon no occa- serm.
sion) they dare to confront and contemn them ?  '—
5 This way of swearing is also a very uncivU
and unmannerly practice. It is, not only a gross
rudeness toward the main body of men, who justly
reverence the name of God, and loathe such abuses
thereof; not only an insolent defiance to the com
mon profession and law of our country, which dis
allows and condemns it ; but it is very odious and
offensive to any particular society, if at least there
be one sober person therein : for, to any such
person (who retains a sense of goodness, or is any
wise concerned for God's honour) no language or
behaviour can be more disgustfid; nothing can
more grate the ears or fret the heart of such an
one, than this kind of talk: to give him the lie
were a compliment, to spit in his face were an
obUgation, in comparison thereto. Wherefore it is
a wonder, that any person, having in him a spark
of ingenuity, or at aU pretending to good manners,
should find in his heart or deign to use it.
6 This practice also much derogateth from the
credit of him that useth it, rendering the truth of
whatever he says, in reason and justice, suspected.
For, he that is so void of conscience as to swear
vainly, what can engage him to speak truly ? He,
that is so loose in one such point of obedience to
God and reason, what should we conceive him in
regard to another?
7 It can be surely no wrong to distrust him,
since he implies himself not to be, even in his own
opinion, a credible person ; since he judges not his
own bare affirmation to deserve beUef For why,
if he takes his word to be competently good, doth

5.48 Not to offend in Word
SERM. he back it with such asseverations ? Why, unpro-
,  '- — voked, caUs he God to witness, if he thinks his own
honesty sufficient to assure the truth of what he
says''? An honest man, methinks, should scorn
thus to invaUdate his own credit, or to detract
from the authority of his word, which should stand
firm upon itself, and not want an oath to sup
port it.
8 To excuse this, the swearer must be forced
to confess another ugly fault in speaking, that is,
impertinence, or using of waste and insignificant
words; to be charged wherevrith, he is indeed how
ever unavoidably liable. For oaths, as they pass
commonly, are mere excrescences of speech', which
do nothing else but encumber and deform it : they
embeUish discourse, just as a wen or a scab does
beautify a face ; as a spot or a patch do adorn a
garment. For to what purpose, I pray, is God's
name haled into our idle talk? Why should we so
often mention him, when we never mean any thing
about him ? Into every sentence to foist a dog, or
a horse, would altogether be as proper and perti
nent. These superfluous words signify nothing,
but that the speaker little skUleth the use of speech,
or the rule of conversation, but meaneth to prate
any thing without wit or judgment; that his fancy
is very beggarly, and craves the aid of any imper
tinency to reUeve it. One would think, that a man
of sense should grutch to lend his ears, or incUne
his attention, to such putid stuff; that, without
^ Tantus in te sit veri amor, ut quicquid dixeris, juratum
putes. — Hier. [(Paulinus) ad Celant. Ep. cix. Opp. Tom. iv. p. ii.
col. 817.]
' Hpos dvanXrjpaaiv Xoyov. — Hierocles. [in Aur. Carm. Com.
p. 38.]

an Evidence of a high Pitch of Virtue. 549
nauseating, he should not endure to see men lavish serm,
time, and squander breath so frivolously.  '—
9 In fine, this offence is particularly most
inexcusable, in that it scarce hath any temptation to
it, or bringeth with it any advantage; so that it is
unaccountable, what (beside mere vanity or per
verseness) should dispose men thereto. It grati-
fieth no sense, it yieldeth no profit, it procureth no
honour, for the sound of it is not very melodious,
nor, surely, was any man ever preferred for it, or
got an estate thereby; it rather, to any good ear,
maketh a horrid and jarring noise, it rather pro
duceth displeasure, damage, and disgrace. Where
fore, of aU dealers in sin, the swearer is apparently
the sUliest, and maketh the worst bargains for him
seff; for he sinneth gratis, and, Uke those in the
Prophet, seUeth his soul for nothing. An epicure isai. m. 3.
hath some reason, and an extortioner is a man of
wisdom, if compared to him ; for they enjoy some
pleasure, or acquire some gain here, in lieu of thefr
salvation hereafter. But he offends heaven, and
abandons happiness, he knows not why, nor for
what; a fond humour possesses him, he inconsider
ately follows a herd of fops, he affects to play the
ape ; that is aU he can say for himseff. Let me be
pardoned, if just indignation against a vrickedness
so contemptible, so heinous, and so senseless, and
withal so notorious, and so rife among us, doth
extort from me language somewhat tart and vehe
ment. If men would then but a little consider things,
surely this scurvy fashion would be soon discarded,
much fitter for the scum of the people, than for the
flower of the gentry ; yea rather, much below any

550 Not to offend in Word
SERM. man endued with a scrap of reason, not to say with
 a grain of Religion. Could we bethink ourselves,
certainly modest, sober, and pertinent discourse,
would appear far more generous and manly, than
such wUd hectoring God Almighty, such rude
insulting over the received laws, such ruffianly
swaggering against sobriety and goodness. If
gentlemen would regard the virtues of thefr ances
tors, (that gaUant courage, that soUd wisdom, that
noble courtesy, which first advanced their famUies,
and severed them from the vulgar,) this degenerate
wantonness and dirtiness of speech would return
to the dunghUl, or rather (which God grant) would
be quite banished from the world.
FinaUy, as to this whole point, about not
offending, in our speech, against piety, we should
consider, that, as we ourselves, with aU our mem
bers and powers, were chiefly designed and framed
to serve and glorify our Maker; (it being withal
the greatest perfection of our nature, and the
noblest privilege thereof so to do;) so, especially,
our tongue and speaking faculty were given us, to
declare our admiration and reverence of him, to
express our love and gratitude toward him, to cele
brate his praises, to acknowledge his benefits, to
promote his honour and service. This, consequently,
is the most proper and worthy use thereof; from
this it becomes in effect what the PsalnUst so often
Ps. xvi. 9 ; terms it, our Glory, and The best member we have ;
lvii. 8; ' as that, whereby we far excel aU creatures here
°""' '' below; that, whereby we consort with the blessed
angels above, in distinct utterance of praise to our
Creator. Wherefore applying it to any impious
discourse, (tending anyvrise to the dishonour of*

an Evidence qfa high Pitch of Virtue. 551
God, or disparagement of Religion,) is a most unna- serm,
tural abuse thereof, and a vUe ingratitude toward  '—
him that gave it to us. From which, and from aU
other offences, God in his mercy preserve us aU,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, unto whom for
ever, vrith heart and tongue, let us strive to render
all glory and praise. Amen.

END OF VOLUME L

CAMBRIDGE :
PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

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