A sermon preached before the Queen at White-Hall, March the 13th, 1691/2 by the Right Reverend Father in God, Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester.

A sermon preached before the Queen at White-Hall, March the 13th, 1691/2 by the Right Reverend Father in God, Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester.

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Romans VIII. 6.

For, to be carnally minded is Death; but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace.

IN these Words is imply'd a Distribution of Mankind into those who are carnally and spiritually minded; which Distinction is so Large and Comprehensive, as to take in all sorts and conditions of Men, and of so great Moment and Importance, that their Life or Death, Happiness or Misery depend upon it. But, considering the Mixture of Good and Evil in Mankind, it is not an easie matter to set the Bounds of the carnal and spiritual Mind; and considering the frequent Impunity and Security of bad Men, and the Fears and Troubles, which the best are not exempted from, it seems next to impossible to make out (at least as to this Life) that to be carnally minded is Death, but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace. Yet, our Apostle doth not seem to confine the Consequences here [Page] mention'd to another World, (although the full Accomplishment of them be only there to be expected;) but if we attend to his Scope and Design in the end of the foregoing Chapter, and the Beginning of this, we shall find that even in this Life the Result of a carnal Mind is a sort of Spiritual Death; and of a Spiritual Mind is Life and Peace: For, when S. Paul in the 7th Chapter had Represented himself as Carnal and sold under Sin, Rom. 7.14. although there were great Strugglings between the Convictions of his Conscience, and the Strength of Carnal Inclinations; yet, as long as the latter prevailed so that he could not do the things that his Mind and Reason told him he ought to do;19, 20. but did those things which he was convinced he ought not to have done: The more he Reflected upon himself, the more Sad and Miserable he found his Condition to be, as appears by that Emphatical Expression which follow'd upon it, O wretched man that I am, 7.24. who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death? But he no sooner finds hopes of Delivery and Escape out of that Estate, but he breaks forth into a Transport of Joy and inward Satisfaction.25. Thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory through [Page]Jesus Christ our Lord. Not meerly a Victory over Death, but over Sin too: And so he begins this Chapter after a triumphant manner; There is therefore no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus;8.1. who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For the Lord of the Spirit of Life which was in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death: 2. He that groaned under his Captivity before to the Law of Sin, doth now rejoyce in his Deliverance from it by the Grace of the Gospel. For, what could not be done by Natural Freedom, by the Power of the Law and the Force of Reason, is brought to pass by the Assistance of Divine Grace given to the Souls of Men by Jesus Christ. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh: 3. What was that which the Law could not do? It could Awaken, Convince, Terrifie and Confound the Consciences of Sinners under the Sense and Apprehension of their Sins; but it could neither Satisfie the Justice of God, nor the Minds of Men; it could not Remove the Guilt, nor take away the Force and Power of Sin. But God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinfull Flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the [Page]Flesh; i. e. Jesus Christ becoming an Expiatory Sacrifice for Sin, took off the damning Power of Sin; and by the prevailing Efficacy of his Grace subdued the Strength and Force of it to such a degree, That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, 4. who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit. How could this be, if S. Paul still considered himself in the same Condition he did in the foregoing Chapter? For if he were still in Captivity to the Law of Sin in his Members, how was it possible that the Righteousness of the Law should be fulfilled in him? How could he walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit, if the Good which he would he did not, and the Evil which he would not that he did? For these things are so repugnant to each other, that when they are spoken of the same Person, it must be under different Considerations; the one of him, as meerly under the Power of the Law; the other, as under the Grace and Influence of the Gospel. The one was like Rough and a Churlish sort of Physick, which searches into every Part, and puts all the ill Humours of the Body into Motion, and makes a general Disturbance and Uneasiness within, but yet lets them remain where they [Page] were; the other is like a gentle but more Effectual Remedy, which carries off the Strength and Power of inward Corruptions, and alters the Habit and Temper, and puts quite another Disposition into us, which produces very different Effects upon us. For, instead of Horrour and Despair, and inward Anguish and Confusion, there will follow a New Life of Joy and Peace here, and Eternal Happiness hereafter.

And this is what the Apostle means in the Words of the Text; To be carnally minded, &c. Wherein are two things, which very much deserve our Consideration.

I. The different Tempers of Mens Minds; some are Carnally and others Spiritually minded.

II. The different Consequences which follow them: To be carnally minded is Death; but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace.

I. The different Tempers of Mens Minds. The different Denominations are taken from the Flesh and the Spirit; which are here represented as two Principles so different from each other, that the same Person cannot be supposed to be acted by both of them. For, as the Apostle saith in the foregoing Words, [Page] They that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh;Ver. 5. but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Where the Flesh, in a Moral Sense, takes in all our Sensual Inclinations which are Sinfull either in their Nature or Degree. The Spirit is that Divine Principle, which possesses the Mind with the Love and Esteem of Spiritual things, and keeps our Natural Inclinations within the Compass of God's Law. To be carnally minded, is to be under the Influence of Carnal things, so as to make the Pursuit of them our Chief Design: To be spiritually minded is to have so deep and just a Sense of God and his Law upon our Minds, as to make it our business to Please him, and therefore to Subdue all such Inclinations which are repugnant to his Will.

But here lies the main Difficulty; how to Judge concerning this matter so, as to be able to Determine whether we our selves be carnally or spiritually minded. Which is a thing of so great Consequence for us to know, that the Peace of our Minds, the true Comfort of our Lives, our due Preparation for Death, and a Happy Eternity, do all depend upon it. And yet that this is a real Difficulty will appear from these Considerations.

[Page](1.) It requires a greater Knowledge of our Selves (as to our Spiritual Condition) than most Persons in the World can pretend to. For it is not a slight and superficial View of our Selves, not a transient, sudden Reflection, nor a partial Inquiry into our inward Passions, and the Course of our Actions, which can make us capable of passing a true Judgment upon the Temper of our Minds; but there must be a true Light, a serious and diligent Search, frequent Recollection, free and deliberate Thoughts, long Observation and due Comparison of our Selves with our Selves and with the Law of God, before we can form a just Opinion as to the prevailing Temper and Disposition of our Minds.

It's true, this is not necessary in all Persons; for some (and I am afraid too many) are so carnally minded, that the least Reflection or Consideration would make them see how bad their condition is. For, they have no true Sense of God or Religion at all; they have no serious thoughts or apprehensions of Divine and Spiritual Things; this World they pretend to know something of, and have too great an Esteem of the Vanities and Pleasures of it; for these wholly take [Page] up their Hearts and Time; and they have a savour and relish for any thing that tends to their Greatness or Honour or Entertainment of their Appetites or Fancies here; but if we speak to them of another World, of God and Heaven and a Spiritual Disposition of Soul; either they look on us with Amazement, as if they were Insensible of such things; or else with Scorn and Contempt, as if we went about to Deceive them. Alas! They are too Wise to be imposed upon by us; and they have other things to mind (I am sure not greater or weightier) which take up all their Time; and so what through the Business and the Impertinencies of this World, their Time passeth away as a Tale that is told; and as though it were a very pleasant Tale, they are troubled only to think it will be so soon at an End. But these are not the Persons, who require any such Care to pass a right Judgment upon them; for they can pretend to nothing that is Spiritual, as to the Tempers and Dispositions of their Minds; and therefore such as these must be set aside, for it is too apparent that they are only sensual and carnally minded.

[Page]But as the Papists distinguish of the Body of Christ, so may we of the Carnal Mind; there is a gross and Capernaitical Sense; and there is a more refined and (if I may use the Expression) a more Spiritual Sense of it. For although it be a great Absurdity in them to suppose that a meer Body can be after the Manner of a Spirit; yet it is not so to suppose a Carnal Mind to have a Mixture of some Spiritual Qualities and Dispositions in it. And this makes the difference so much harder to be perceived between the carnally and spiritually minded; since there are the same Faculties of Perception, Reasoning, and Application in both; and the same common Principles of Religion may be owned by both; which may in Reason be supposed to make some Impression on the Minds of the more Ingenuous part of Mankind, who are not given over to such a Reprobate Sense as the former were. Now, how to distinguish between frequent good Impressions on the Mind, and an Habitual Temper and Disposition, is not to easie to all who are concerned to distinguish them. And yet a Person may be throughly convinced of his Sins, and Tremble at the Apprehension of the [Page] Justice and Severity of God against them, he may have many Checks and Reluctancies of Conscience while he goes on to commit them; he may Sigh and Groan and Lament under the wretchedness of his Condition by his Love of Sin; and yet may love his Sins all the while more than God or Heaven, or any thing in Competition with them. The difference doth not lie in the Nature or Number of the Impressions from without, but in the inward Principle of Action. A Cistern may be full of Water falling down from Heaven, which may run as long as that holds which fell into it; but a Spring hath it rising up within, and so continues running when the other is spent. A carnal Mind may have many Spiritual Convictions, and good Motions and Inclinations, but after a time they wear off and leave no lasting Effect behind them; but where there is a Spring in the Soul, there is a fresh and continual Supply of such Inclinations, as keep up a constant Course of a Spiritual Life; which our Saviour calls Rivers of living Water. Joh. 7.38.

I confess it is hard to determine what a Habit or Principle abiding in our minds is; [Page] yet the Scripture doth evidently suppose such a thing, when it speaks of the New Birth, Joh. 3.3, 6. and the New Life, and the New Creature, 1.13. and the Children of God; all which are very insignificant Terms, if there be not under them something answerable to the First Principles of Life; Rom. 8.8, 9. 2 Cor. 5.17. 1 Joh. 3.9, 10. and if there be not a Divine Spirit dwelling and acting in the Souls of Good Men, and raising them up above Carnal and Sensual Objects to things Divine and Spiritual, and carrying them through the Passage of this World so as to prepare them for a better. But yet there may be many things which carry some Resemblance to this Principle within, which come not up to it. There may be such Principles of Education and good Manners, such Awakenings of Conscience, such a Strength of Natural Reason and Common Ingenuity, as may carry one on to do some very Good things, and yet he may fall short of having a true Principle of Spiritual Life in him. But then, there must be another Principle within, which contradicts this, and prevails over it, and carries him on to the Love of Sin, which proves too strong for the Love of God and the due Regard to Spiritual things.

[Page]The Result of this Discourse is, since the Carnal Mind is not to be taken meerly for such a one which stands out in Opposition to the Gospel, nor for such a one which is Insensible of Spiritual things; but such as may consist with a Common Profession of Religion, and have the same Convictions and good Impressions which others have; it doth require a more than ordinary Acquaintance with our Selves to be able to judge aright, whether the Temper of our Minds be Carnal or Spiritual.

2. But this is not all; for, since there is so great a Mixture of Good and Evil in the better sort of Mankind, there is required not barely Knowledge of our Selves, but a good Judgment too to adjust the Proportions of Good and Evil in Particular Persons, so as to be able to judge whether we are Carnally or Spiritually minded. For, as those who are Carnal, while they follow their Carnal Inclinations, may have many inward Strugglings by Spiritual Convictions; so those who are Spiritually minded may meet with many Combats from the Flesh, which may be Troublesome, where it cannot prevail. But there is a great difference between [Page] the Spirit struggling against the Flesh in the Carnally minded, and the Flesh struggling against the Spirit in those who are Spiritually minded. For, where there is no perfect Victory, there will be some Opposition; and the best have so many Failings to complain of in this World; so many Infirmities and Defects in their good Actions; so many Passions not brought into their due Order; so many Omissions of Personal and Relative Duties; such variety of Tempers and Weakness of Resolution; such Coldness in Devotion and Unreasonable Dejections of Mind; so many unaccountable Fears and such dreadfull Apprehensions of Death and the Consequences of it; that these things must make great Abatements as to such as are truly Spiritually minded.

But by all these things the Difficulty still increaseth, and therefore it is time to come to the Resolution of it; and that will be by shewing that the Difference between the Carnal and Spiritual Mind lies in these three Things:

1. In the Deliberate Judgment and Choice.

2. In the Prevailing Interest.

3. In the Constant Rule and Measure of Actions.

1. In the deliberate Judgment and Choice. For the main difference as to the Carnal and Spiritual Mind, lies in the different End which is aimed at by them. Where the Chief End is the Pleasing our Selves, and the enjoying of any thing as our Happiness under the Supream Good, whatever Thoughts and Intentions we may at some times have, to Repent of our Sins, and turn our Souls from the Love of Sin to the Love of God, as long as we continue pursuing a wrong End, we have too great Reason to conclude our Minds to be yet carnal and sold under sin. For while the Apostle represents himself so, he tells us he had his Conscience throughly awakened with the Sense of his sins, even of those which the World is least apt to be sensible of,Rom. 7.7, 8, 9. inward and secret Sins; he was not only convinced of the Excellency and Purity of the Law,12.14.22. but had some Pleasure and Satisfaction in it; he had some hearty desires to be rid of his beloved Sins; but yet they [Page] were too hard for him, he sighed and lamented under his deplorable Condition; but 'till the Grace of God came to set him free, he was in a miserable and hopeless State.

But how is it, that the Grace of God thus refines and purifies the minds of Men, so as of Carnal to make them Spiritual, when the same Passions and Inclinations remain? A Change there must be, and that real and spiritual, and therefore in our best Faculties, viz. our Understandings and our Wills; not by a Revelation of New Objects to the Mind, nor by offering any Force upon the Will; but by fixing the Judgment of the Mind and the Choice of the Will upon the best and most desirable Object, which is God himself, as the Supreme Good. The Turn of the Soul which makes one Spiritually minded, must not be only from gross and sensual Inclinations, but from every other kind of Good, which stands in Competition with the Supreme. A truly Spiritual Mind is one that is possessed with the Love of God above all, and that values other things, as they tend to the Enjoyment of Him. God must be the only Center of his Hopes [Page] and Designs; for in him alone his true Happiness consists: As the Psalmist expresses it; Whom have I in Heaven but thee? Psal. 73.25. and there is none upon Earth I desire besides thee. Whatever falls short of this, may agree to a carnal Mind; but a Carnal Mind can never love God as he ought to be loved; not with a Supreme transcendent Degree of Love, which is alone proper and suitable to him. All other kind of Love is beneath his Infinite Goodness and Perfections; and to love him as we do his Creatures, is to do him the greatest Dishonour, for it levels their Perfections, and supposes them to deserve the same Degree of Affection from us.

But there may be many Spiritual Notions in Mens minds about God and Religion; about Mystical Unions, and the Participations of Divine Love; man seeming Spiritual Raptures and Ecstasies, and yet there may not be this Spiritual Mind. For the Heats of Enthusiasm may seem to be very Spiritual, but are of another kind; they are Spiritual, as they are the Effects of a great heating of the Spirits by the Force of a vehement Imagination; which hath been often accompanied with as vehement an Inclination to Sensual [Page] Pleasures; which shews the plain Difference between an Exalted Fancy and a Spiritual Mind.

A Spiritual Mind is such a one as is not only throughly convinced of the Reality of Spiritual things; but of their Excellency and Desirableness, above any others that can be offer'd to our Choice. It sees through all the Glittering Vanities of this World; and soars above the most tempting and bewitching Follies of Mankind here: It frequently retires from the Noise and Confusion, the Hurry and Vexation of Worldly Affairs, that it may converse more freely with Invisible Objects; not meerly by way of Contemplation, but by raising the Affections of the Soul towards them, as the things which it hath chosen for its Happiness.

And this makes a [...]onderfull Alteration in the thoughts that these Different Tempers have concerning the same things. I do not deny but those who have carnal Minds may have some raised and spiritual Thoughts, but they are too cold and speculative; they may have noble and refined Speculations about the Invisible World; may be fully convinced [Page] that the things which are seen, could not be what they are, were it not for the things which are not seen; and that the things which are not seen, are of incomparably greater value than those which are so much more admired, because they are seen. But we must not conclude, that because men do really believe Spiritual things, therefore they are spiritually minded, (for that were to suppose all to be Saints who are not Atheists;) but there must be such a due Preference in our Minds, of that Invisible and Eternal State, above all that is accounted Great and Desirable here, as gives a just Denomination to one that he is Spiritually minded; i. e. that his Mind and Soul is fixed upon another World as his proper Happiness, and other things are regarded and valued in Subserviency to it.

2. A Spiritual Mind is discerned by the Prevailing Interest. For, as long as we are made up of Flesh and Spirit, there will and must be a Combat between them:Gal. 5.17. For the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would: And yet the same Apostle [Page] soon after adds, They that are Christ's have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts;24. the Meaning is, that, in some particular Instances and less remarkable Cases, the Flesh may sometimes be too hard for the Spirit; but in all Notorious Instances of the Lusts of the Flesh, which he reckons up; and in the main Issue of all lesser Combats the Spirit will be too hard for the Flesh in those who are spiritually minded; as the Flesh will be too hard for the Spirit at last in those who are carnally minded. If we look on them in the time of the Combat, it will be hard to judge which is most likely to prevail; but those may have the better in some particular Skirmishes, who may lose very much in the State of the War; a Good Man may be foiled by Surprise or under some disadvantage, but he will recover himself, and, it may be, gain Ground by his Falls; and a bad Man may in some fits of Devotion seem so spiritually minded, that one might be apt to think he were quite changed, 'till he returns to his former Practices. If we had been to judge of Ahab in the time of his Humiliation; and of David in the time of his Impenitency after his Sins of Adultery [Page] and Murther, we should have thought in common Justice and Charity, the latter had been the carnal, and the former the spiritual-minded man. But it was quite otherwise; which shews that we are not to judge of Mens Spiritual Condition by sudden and violent Motions whether good or bad; but by that Interest which prevails with them in the whole Course of their Lives. To give a general Character of a Man from some Violent Passion against the Tenour of his Life, would be like drawing the Picture of a Man in a Fit of an Epilepsy, or a Convulsive Motion of his Face. And to believe a Man to be a Good Man, because he hath some good Moods and Passionate Fits of Devotion, is, as if we should take a piece of rotten Wood for a true Phosphorus, because it shines sometimes; or suppose Judas to be a Saint, because he was so much in our Saviour's Company. The inward Habits and Dispositions of Mens minds may be cover'd over and disguised a great While; but a Tempting Occasion lays them open; as no doubt Judas did not get his habit of Covetousness of a sudden, but it was still growing and ripening under a fair appearance; [Page] and when the proper Season came, the Secret Malignity brake forth; and the Temptation of Thirty Pieces of Silver discover'd the Baseness and Hypocrisy of his Heart. Sometimes the Vein of Hypocrisy lies deep, and is cover'd over with such a fair outside, that no one can have Reason to mistrust it, 'till it discovers it self, and then the Corruption is found to loathsome, as to render ordinary Sincerity suspicious. But this is a common Fault, either to be too easily deceived, or too unreasonably mistrustfull; there is no certainty in a Deduction from particulars, but where the Causes are Equal and Necessary. It is as absurd an Inference that there is no such thing as a Spiritual Mind, because some who have pretended to it have been found Carnal; as that there is no such thing as Common Honesty among men, because some who have long born the name of Honest men have been found great Cheats and Impostors. But when a Predominant Habit doth discover it self, the Person must bear that Title and Denomination which it gives him.

3. A Spiritual Mind is known by the general Conformity of Actions to a Divine and [Page] Spiritual Rule; and so a Carnal Mind by following the Bent and Inclinations of the Flesh. And there lies a great Part of the Difference; for such who lay no Restraint upon their Natural Inclinations must needs be carnally minded; because the Flesh, as S. Chrysostom observes,Chrysost. in Gal. 5.17. is not taken, by S. Paul, meerly for the Body, but for the corrupt Part of our Selves, as consisting of Soul and Body. Aug. c. Julian. l. 4. c. 12. It is observed by Cicero 3. de Rep. That Mankind come into the World in a very ill Condition, with a Body naked, frail and infirm, with a Mind subject to Troubles, dejected with Fears, impatient of Labour, prone to Lust; but in the midst of all this, there is a certain Divine Flame of Wit and Vnderstanding, which lies as it were busied and overwhelmed; but with great Care and Industry may be so preserved and improved, as to Command our Appetites and Govern our Passions. But, alas! How little doth the Reason of Mankind signifie to the greatest Part of them? It helps them to see their Folly, and like a Sea-Light to a sinking Ship in a dark Night, makes those who are aboard, to behold their Misery, without helping them out of it. If the Frame of human Nature be considered in it self, and by way of Speculation, we have no Cause to complain of it; for [Page] as God hath given us Inferiour Faculties suitable to the Constitution of our Bodies, so he hath likewise Superiour, which are capable of Controlling and Governing them. But when Habit and Custom is joyned with a Vicious Inclination, how little doth human Reason signifie? All the Considerations of Natural Order, and Decency, and Regularity, and Good Example, are easily over-born by the strong Propensities of a Corrupt Inclination; which hurries men on to satisfie first their Brutal Appetites, and leaves Consideration 'till afterwards. So that Reason seems by such an After-game, rather given to Torment, than to Reform them.

Therefore the Wise God hath superadded his own Law to inforce that of Reason by a greater Authority; that Men may think themselves more concerned to take Care of their Actions, when they must give an Account of them to one Infinitely above them. But what can Mankind do in such a Wretched Condition? For the Law of it self is but like a Toyle to a wild Beast; the more he struggles, the more he is Intangled; so that he sees his Misery by it, but not his Remedy.

But such is the Goodness and Mercy of God towards Mankind, that he hath never [Page] refused to accept those, who have sincerely endeavour'd to do his Will according to the Measure of that Assistance which he hath given them. Thus we find Characters of Men in all Ages,Gen. 6.9.17.1. who were said to be Righteous before God, just and upright and perfect Men; and yet some of the most eminent of these had remarkable failings,Job 1.1, 2, 3. Psal. 37.37 as Noah, Abraham and Job; yet they had extraordinary Testimonies of God's Approving their Integrity and passing by those Faults which were contrary to the general Design and Tenour of their Lives.

I confess we meet with two Instances to the contrary in Scripture, which deserve our Consideration; and those were of Extraordinary Persons too, eminent for their long and faithfull Service of God; and yet upon single Faults committed by them, he was very severe with them. Which may seem to take much off from this Lenity and Goodness of God towards such who have a general Sincerity of Mind towards him. But, if we more strictly consider these two Cases, we shall find there was something very provoking in the Circumstances of them, which made God so much more displeased with the Committing them. For, they were Sins committed by them, in their Publick Capacities, and about [Page] such things wherein the Honour of God was more particularly concerned.

The First is the Case of Moses, who was a great Pattern of Wisdom and Meekness and Faithfulness, for forty years together, in the Conduct of a very froward People in the Wilderness; yet at last he happen'd to fail in some Part of his Duty, and God was so angry with him,Deut. 3.24, 25. that he would not hear his Prayer for going into Canaan, but he cut him off in the Wilderness at last, as he did the People for their Unbelief. But what was this Sin of Moses which made God so highly displeased with him? If we read the passage as it is related in the History of the Fact, it is not so easie to find it out. The People murmured for want of Water,Numb. 20.2, 3. God upon Moses his Prayer commands him, to take his Rod, and in the Assembly of the People,6. 8. to speak to the Rock and the Water should issue out. Moses assembles the People, expostulates the matter with them, strikes the Rock twice and the Waters came.10. Where is the great Sin of Moses all this while? Yet, he often repeats it,Deut. 1.37. that God was angry with him for something done at that time. God himself saith, Moses and Aaron rebelled against him;4.21. and that they did not sanctifie him before the People: the Psalmist saith,Num. 27.14 Psal. 106.33. they provoked [Page]his Spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his Lips. After all, the sin of Moses was a Mixture of Anger and some kind of Infidelity: For, the Psalmist saith, he was highly provoked; and God himself saith,Num. 20.12 they believed him not, to sanctifie him in the Eye of the Children of Israel. The Fault then seems to lie in this, that they were more concerned for their own Honour than God's, and did not so clearly Attribute the Power of the Miracle to God, but that the People might think they Assumed it to themselves, as appears by their Words to the People,ver. 10. Hear now, ye Rebels, must we fetch you Water out of the Rock? Which Expression doth not give God the Glory he expected from them; and he is so tender in Matters of his own Honour, that he would suffer none to encroach upon it, no not his faithfull Servants, but he made them smart for attempting it.

The other case is that of David's Numbering the People; and he was a Man after God's own Heart, of great Sincerity and Courage and Constancy in his Service. Yet of a sudden he took up a Resolution that he would have all the People number'd, without any Apparent Reason for it. And although he was discouraged from the Attempt by those about [Page] him, yet he would be obey'd. And what came of it? Truly, before the thing was compleated he grew very uneasie at what he had done, for it is said,1 Sam 24.9. His heart smote him after that he had numbred the People; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done. And yet in the Book of Chronicles it is said, that he finished it not, 1 Chr. 27.24. because Wrath fell for it against Israel. What was the Cause of all this Severity against David? Was it such an unpardonable Sin for a King to understand the Number of his People? Suppose it a Failing, yet why should God be so angry for one such Failing in him that had served God so sincerely as David had done? There must be something Extraordinary in this Case; for,Exod. 30.11.38.25. God sometimes supposes the People to be Number'd; and in some Cases he requires or allows it;Num. 1.2, 19 26.4 why then is he so displeased now at the doing it?1 Sam. 11.8. 2 Sam. 18.1. The best Account I know of it, is this; It was not a meer piece of Vanity and Ostentation in David, (altho' that be Displeasing to God,) but it was a thing (as designed by him) which was generally look'd on as inconsistent with the Fundamental Promise made to Abraham; and so it is mention'd in the Chronicles, why the Numbering was not exactly taken, because the Lord had said He would increase Israel like [Page]the Stars of the Heavens. 1 Chr. 27.23. Which seems to imply that there was a general Notion received among the People, that since God promised to increase them beyond Number, no one ought to go about to take the Exact Number of them. For, this must seem to savour of Infidelity, and a Contempt or Mistrust of God's Fundamental Promise. But however upon such Occasions God might use two of his most faithfull Servants thus, yet we have no Reason to question his Readiness to pardon these and other their Failings upon a Sincere Repentance, and to accept of their general Care and Endeavour to Please him instead of a Perfect Obedience.

But I have something farther to offer, for the clearing these two difficult Cases, viz. that there is a Difference to be observed between the Rule of God's Proceedings with particular Persons, as to the general Sincerity of their Actings; and the Measure of God's Political Justice as to Persons in Publick Capacities The Reason is, because in the latter Cases, God may justly have a Regard, not meerly to the Actions themselves, but to the Circumstances of the People they are related to. Thus Moses, mentions it three several times. The Lord was angry with me for your sakes; Deut. 1.37. and [Page] again,3.26. the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not hear me; and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee, speak no more to me of this matter. It seems he was so much concerned as to pray to God, and that earnestly, that he would give him leave to conduct the People into Canaan: but God would not grant his Request. But he tells the People that it was for their sakes that he was denied.4.21. Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, &c. So that the Blow which was given to the Head was for the sake of the whole Body.

And it is remarkable in the Case of David, that before he fell into the Sin of Numbering the People,2 Sam. 24.1. The Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; and he moved David against them to say, Go Number Israel and Judah. From whence it is evident, that the Sins of a People may provoke God to let Princes fall into such Sins, which may give just Occasion to God to punish both together. But this is a very different Case from the Method of God's dealings with particular Persons with Regard to their Integrity, according to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace. Which is established on such Foundations, that we need not give way to Despondencies for the sake of such particular Acts of Severity.

[Page]II. I am now to consider the different Consequences of these two, To be carnally minded is Death, but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace; which, in short, is, that the Advantage is far greater which comes to Mankind by one than by the other.

And that will appear by comparing them together,

(1.) As under Equal Circumstances.

(2.) As under unequal Circumstances.

1. As under Equal Circumstances. And here we have two sorts of Persons to consider.

1. Those who have Convictions of Conscience going along with a Carnal Mind. Such who look on the Conditions of Men in this World at a Distance, and judge only by Appearance, would be apt to think that those who do allow themselves all the Liberties which a Carnal Mind doth incline them to, have very much the Advantage of those who are under the Restraints of a Spiritual Mind; for they are bound to severe Rules of Vertue and Mortification, to deny all Vngodliness and Worldly lusts, and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present World; and these are thought to be very hard things; whereas such who are not under these Difficulties, seem to lead the most pleasant and easie Lives, enjoying [Page] themselves and being full of Noise and Confidence and appear to be all Mirth and Good Humour. But there is another Account to be taken of these things: If Men could look within and see all the secret Misgivings, the inward Horrours of Conscience, the Impatience and Dissatisfaction they have, when they seriously Reflect on their evil Courses, it would quite alter their Apprehensions of these things, and make them conclude with the Roman Orator,Est autem unus dies benè & ex praeceptis tuis actus peccanti immortalitati anteferendus. Cicer. Tuss. Qu. l. 5. c. 2. That one Day spent according to the Rules of Vertue were to be preferr'd before everlasting Debaucheries. And he was no Fool, no Pedant, no mean and contemptible Person, who said this, but a Man of Wit and Sense, of Quality and Experience, who had Opportunities and Means enough to have pursued the most Sensual and Voluptuous Course of Life; which yet we see out of Judgment and Choice he despised, and preferr'd a far shorter life according to the Rules of Vertue, before a Vicious Immortality. And yet, how short were the Incouragements to a Good Life, and the Dissuasives from Sin among the best of them, in Comparison of what we all know now by the Gospel of Christ? They went no farther than meer Natural Reason and the Common Sense of Mankind carried them; but [Page] we profess to believe the Wrath of God revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of Men;Rom. 1.18. 2.5, 6. 16. and that there will be a great and terrible day, 14.10. wherein men must receive according to their Works, 2 Cor. 15. whether they be Good or Evil. 10, 11. And will not this dreadfull Consideration awaken the Drowsie and Secure Sinner and make him look about him betimes, while there is yet any hopes of Mercy? Will he not become so wise at least, as to enter into the Consideration of his Ways, and to look back on the former Course of his Life, to examin and compare that with the Law of God by which he must be judged? And if we have but Patience to do this, he will have no farther Patience with himself, for being guilty of such unspeakable Folly. He will abhorr himself for all his sensual and sinfull Delights; which will turn into the greatest Bitterness and Anguish to his Soul; He will lament his Folly and Wickedness with the deepest sorrow; and take up sincere and firm Resolutions to return no more to the Practise of them. And if this be the Result, as it ought to be, of all the distinguishing sinfull Pleasures of a carnal Mind, I leave it to the most impartial Mind to Resolve whether there will be the least Advantage by pursuing them.

[Page]2. But we have too great Reason to suppose that Men may harden themselves to such a degree of Wickedness, as to be Insensible of the Folly of it, and to mock at those who go about to reprove them for it. Such as these are at Ease, because they have no Sense of their Condition; but so are those in a Lethargy: Is their Case therefore to be envied; or compared with those in Health, although more sensible of Pain and Danger? Who seem to be better pleased at sometimes, and transported with their own Imaginations than Men in a Frenzy? and yet no Man thinks their Condition happier for it. There is a sort of Moral Frenzy which possesses some part of Mankind, who, are not only Extravagant in their Actions, but Assume such a Degree of Confidence in Committing them, as though the Wise Men of all Ages had been the only remarkable Fools in it. But it is no such easie matter to Run down the Principles of Vertue and Religion, they have stood the Shock of all the Sarcasms and Reproaches of former Times; and there is still nothing at the Bottom of all the Scorn and Contempt that is cast upon them: but a Carnal and Profane Temper of Mind; which may bear them up for a while, but it will be sure to End in Everlasting Confusion; and then they will find what they were so unwilling to believe, That to be Carnally minded is Death. Not a meer State of Insensibility, but the [Page] worst kind of Death; A Death of perpetual Horrour and Torment; A Death without the Power of Dying, and yet with a perpetual Desire of it; A Death whose Sting can never be taken out; and whose Terror is said to be as everlasting as the Joys of Heaven. And shall not the Apprehension of such a Death, as this, so dreadfull, so unavoidable, so insupportable, make the greatest Sinners to Tremble, and be Confounded at the Apprehension of it? And, if once such Thoughts break into their Minds, farewell then to all the Imaginary Pleasure and Satisfaction of a Carnal Mind; for it must sink it into the Confusion if not the Despair of Hell.

(2.) But I have hitherto represented the Disadvantages, of one side; but are there not such on the other too? Some are too apt to think a Spiritual Mind to be nothing but a disorder'd Fancy, and Melancholy Imaginations of invisible things. If this were all, it were so far from being Life and Peace, that there could be no real Satisfaction about it. But a Spiritual Mind is truly the most desirable thing we are capable of in this World. For, it is the best Improvement of our Minds, which are Spiritual. It is, the purging and refining them from the Dross and Corruption which debased them. It is, the Advancing them towards the Divine Nature, by a gradual Participation of it. It is, the Raising them above the Carnal Delights, and [Page] the sollicitous Cares and Perplexing Fears of this World; and fitting them for a perpetual Conversation with Divine and Spiritual Objects.

And what then can be more agreeable to the best Part of our Selves here, than to have a Mind so disengaged from this World and so fit for a better? So that we may be content to take a View of the Worst which can be supposed as to Disadvantage here, which is, that Good Men may be under Unequal Circumstances as to their Condition in this Life; that is, when the Regarding another World more than this, may make their outward Condition more uneasie here, than it might have been, if they had follow'd only the Dictates of a Carnal Mind.

There are two sorts of Troubles we are to Expect in this World, (1.) Such as we bring upon our Selves by our own Acts: (2.) Such as are common to all Mankind: In both these the Spiritual Mind hath the Advantage.

(1.) As to such which men bring upon themselves. Let this be supposed; as it ought to be, when God pleases among Christians, who are to follow Christ in taking up his Cross: Is there any thing in this, which overthrows the Advantage of a Spiritual Mind above a Carnal? Can a Carnal Mind secure Men from Pains and Diseases, from Losses and Disappointments? Nay doth not the Pursuit of Carnal Pleasures bring more Troubles upon Men in this Life, than the Case [Page] of Persecution doth upon the best Christians? If the Loathsome Diseases, the Reproachfull and Untimely Deaths, which of all things ought to be most avoided, by such who believe no Life after this, be compared with the Pains and Martyrdoms of those who have suffer'd for their Religion, these will appear to be far more Eligible than the other, because the Mind hath far greater Satisfaction under them, and a certain Expectation of an Infinite Reward to follow upon them. Whereas the others can have no Comfort in looking back on what they have done, or forward in what they are to Expect. For they have destroy'd their own Happiness and hasten'd that upon themselves which they account their only Misery.

(2.) As to the Common Calamities of Life, which none can prevent or avoid, the Spiritual Mind hath very much the Advantage of the Carnal; For the one fills them with inward Peace and Satisfaction of Mind, which of all things carry men best through the Troubles of Life; being joyned with Patience, Humility, Self-Denial, and Submission to the Will of God; which are all the genuine Effects of a Spiritual Mind; but a Carnal Mind is froward and impatient, uneasie to it self and to all about it, and this makes every Pain and Trouble to be much greater than it would have been; like the Ass in the Fable: which lay down in the Water with his burthen of Wool and so made it heavier than before.

[Page]There were two things the Philosophical Men of Pleasure sought to comfort themselves by, under the unavoidable Troubles of Life; which the Spiritual Mind hath far greater Advantages than any of them had, as to both of them; and these are Reflection and Expectation.

(1.) Reflection. When Epicurus was in his last Agonies under the Stone,Epicurus Hermacho. V. what a miserable way was it for him to go about to comfort himself, by Reflecting upon his Atoms and his Maxims, his Imaginary Notion of the Happiness of Life consisting in Pleasure, when his Life was so near being ended by Excessive Pain? But a Good Man that hath sincerely endeavour'd to serve God in his Generation, Ciceron. de Finibus, l. 2. c. 30. and to do all the Good he could, and to promote the Interests of Religion and Vertue in the World, may in the midst of many Failings and Infirmities, look back with Comfort on the Course of his former Life, and by the Peace of a Good Conscience may injoy inward Satisfaction, under such Pains and Distempers, which make Life uneasie and Death more welcome, as it is a Passage to a far better State. And that is the next thing.

(2.) Expectation. It was a sorrowfull Expectation which Epicurus supported himself with, when he was in the Prospect of Death; which was no more, than that the Subtle Atoms which made up his Soul, would soon be scatter'd and dispersed, he knew not where, [Page] and then he should be, as if he had never been. But what Comfort is there in such a Dissolution? Men that have deserved it, may heartily wish it;, but they have deserved something worse, and that they must Expect. For, the just and holy God, will certainly call them to an Account for all their Vices and Follies;Heb. 10.31. and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God; and what a miserable Case are those in,27. who have nothing to look for but Judgment and Fiery Indignation, which shall consume the Adversaries of God and Religion?

But O the Blessed Hope and Joyfull Expectation that attends a Spiritual Mind! Especially when it is Enliven'd and Assisted by the Powerfull Influences of Divine Grace. For without that, even Good Men may be liable to some Dejections and Fears as to another World, from the vastness of the Change, the Sense of their Failings, the Weakness of their Minds, and Mistrust of their own Fitness for Heaven; but so great is the Goodness and Mercy of God towards them that sincerely love and fear him, that he always makes their Passage safe, though it be not so Triumphant. And although the Valley of the Shadow of Death may seem gloomy and uncomfortable at a Distance; yet when God is pleased to Conduct his Servants through it, he makes it a happy Passage into a State of a Glorious Immortality and Everlasting Life and Peace. To which God, &c.

FINIS.

[Page]

§

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[Page]

A SERMON Preached before the QUEEN AT WHITE-HALL, March the 13th. 1691/2.

By the Right Reverend Father in GOD, EDWARD, Lord Bishop of Worcester.

Published by Her Majesty's Special Command.

LONDON, Printed by J. H. for Henry Mortlock, at the Phoenix in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1692.

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Title statement

A sermon preached before the Queen at White-Hall, March the 13th, 1691/2 by the Right Reverend Father in God, Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester.

Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.

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1692

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2004-08 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

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A61624

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Wing S5664

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ESTC R8160

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13729570

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ocm 13729570

ID [VID]

101599

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Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 101599)

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— A sermon preached before the Queen at White-Hall, March the 13th, 1691/2 by the Right Reverend Father in God, Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester., Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699..

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40 p.

Printed by J.H. for Henry Mortlock ...,. London :: 1692.. ("Published by her Majesty's special command.") (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.)

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