A contrite and humble heart with motives & considerations to prepare it.

A CONTRITE AND HUMBLE HEART WITH Motives & Conſiderations to prepare it.

PARIS. M.DC.XCII.

Permiſſ •… Superiorum.

PSALM. L.

A Contrite & Humble Heart, O God, Thou wilt not deſpiſe.

I. SAM. VII.

Prepare your Hearts to God, & Serve Him onely.

TO THE READER.

THe Subject which I treat of, is the Beſt of Hearts; a Contrite & an Humble One. A Heart which is the Price of Heaven. An ineſtimable Jewel, which deſerves our ſelling all we have to purchaſe it. What diſadvantages it may have ſufferd in my hand, who have prepar'd & fashion'd it according to my Fancy, I pretend not to excuſe. As rough, & as unpolisht as it is, the Jewel is entire: the interiour Value of it is the ſame within it ſelf: And that's aboundantly ſufficient to attone for all. Beſides, Contrition and Humility affect not the advantage of a Modish Outſide: Plain Sincerity becomes them infinitely more. An humble Penitent who has an angry God to pleaſe, & trembles under his Almighty Hand, has ſomething elſe to think of. When a Magdalen once comes with penitentiall Tears to bathe her Saviour's feet, she quite forgets her Looking-glaſs; & comes, without conſulting it. She brings her precious Ointments with her: But theſe are only for her Lord: They are not, either to adorn her ſelf, or pleaſe the Company.

The Method I have followd, may perhaps ſeem arbitrary, & require a line or two, to juſtifie it. I begin with the Love of God. 1. Becauſe it is the Firſt, the Greateſt, & indeed the Whole Duty of Man. 2. Becauſe although the Practiſe of Repentance commonly begins with Fear, goes on with Hope, & ends in Love; yet where our Practiſe ends, our Theory begins; and what is laſt perform'd, is generally firſt deſign'd, and principally aim'd at. 3. Becauſe there is no ground for either Hope or Fear, before we Know our Duty. When we know it, and conſider well how little we obſerve it; Then it is that we begin to tremble at the thought of our Appearance at the Bar: The Terrour of a Living God awakens us, and makes us ſenſible, how fearfull a thing it is, Hebr. 10.31. to fall in to his hands. For this reaſon, in the ſecond place I shew the generall Motives of our Fear: Which, to prevent Deſpair, I counterballance with the Motives of our Hope: And, after all, becauſe Preſumption is the greater danger of the two, (our Pride inclining us to think Repentance eaſy, & our Self-Love dayly tempting to Differr it,) therefore I have taken care to shew the Danger of Delay. Theſe Preparations I thought proper for a Contrite & an Humble Heart.

When I deſcribe Contrition, I enlarge much more upon the Reſolutions of Amendment, than the Sorrow due to Sin: becauſe theſe Reſolutions are commonly the more neglected of the two. A little Melancholy, or a little Tenderneſs of nature, with no more than meerly Self-Love in the Caſe, may oftentimes produce a ſenſible concern, and even Tears, when we reflect upon the danger we are in: Though all this while, our Darling Humours, our beloved Sins, are every jot as dear to us as ever. Some ſlight Thoughts we have, in generall, of doing ſo no more: But theſe are only ſuperficiall: They produce not a ſincere & hearty Deteſtation of our Crimes: They are to God, what our Compliments are to our Neighbours; Theſe are Words of courſe, & Thoſe are Thoughts of courſe; Both ſignifie juſt nothing.

Theſe two Sections of Contrition 91. have been printed apart, by One who ſign'd the Paper as his Act & Deed; inviting others to take pen in hand, Intro. Par. 1. ch. 21. & do the ſame. I ſign it not with my Hand; but only wish, my Reader & my ſelf may ſign it with our Hearts.

In the firſt four Sections of Humility I offer little or nothing of my own. It would not have become me to pretend to much acquaintance with ſo rare a Virtue. And beſides, in ſuch a Matter, ſo extremely diſagreable to our Corrupted nature, there was need of more Authority than mine.

I conclude with the Character of a Good Chriſtian. Having deſcrib'd his Heart, I thought it would not be amiſs to finish the remainder of his Character. In this alſo, I advance not a word of my own. Should I preſume to draw a Chriſtian to the life, 'twould be in me as great a Vanity as if my Reader should pretend to ſit for the Picture. I produce the Scripture chiefly, & the Fathers; now and then a Modern Author: Any helping Hand was welcome in ſo difficult a Piece.

No matter Who I am. I am a Son of the Church; & Submitt my ſelf entirely to Her. S. Pacian B. of Barcelone. My Name is CHRISTIAN, & my Surname CATHOLICK; the reſt I have leave to conceal. God's Honour & my Neighbour's Good is All I aim at; And, as to either of theſe Deſigns, I have no other Name, but what is altogether uſeleſs.

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I Have yet ſomething more to ſay, which I had almoſt quite forgotten. It relates not, either to the generall Deſign of this little Tract, or to any conſiderable Part of it; but only to ſome few pages in the laſt Section of Humility Having there propoſed one generall Motive of that Virtue, by ſetting forth the great Enormity of Sin, I proceed to ſeverall aggravating Circumſtances of it, and amongſt many others I undertake to prove, that there never was, nor ever can be, upon Earth, any Impiety, Diſloyalty, or Treachery, equall to that of a Sinner. This could not be perform'd, without anſwering the Objections of ſome people who ſeem to be of another Mind: And my preſent Buſineſs is only to put my Reader in a way of obſerving, who it is that ſpeaks; that he may not confound my Adverſaries words with mine. I have heard of a Man who opening the first Volume of S. Thomas of Aquine, & lighting by chance upon the third article, Utrum Deus ſit? He no ſooner caſt his eye upon the following words, Videtur quod non, but immediately he shutt it again, & laid it by, as a book pernicious & not fit to be read. Tis a groſſe miſtake, to imagine that every thing, which is ſaid in an Author, is ſaid by him. In Scripture it ſelf, there is many a thing ſaid, which the Scripture dos not ſay. For example: Tis ſaid in Scripture, that There is no God; Pſ. 14. v. 1. and yet the Scripture dos not ſay ſo: tis the Fool that ſays ſo, in his Heart: And this is my Caſe, in the three Articles above mention'd. There are ſeverall things ſaid in them, which I do not ſay. There are Things, alluding to ſome Tranſactions, which I had no inclination to ſpeak of; but, being Objected by Others, I could not avoid Anſwering. As to the Matter of the Objections, I ſay nothing my ſelf; but only Argue againſt Thoſe who are inclin'd to ſay too much.

Tis commonly ſaid, that Loſers have leave to talk; Nor is it altogether without reaſon: VVhy should they not have it? They pay for what they have. But nevertheleſs, how hard ſoever it may be to gouvern a man's Paſſion in ſome occaſions, 'tis certainly a very poor excuſe, when there is nothing but the Temptation to attone for the Sin. Let a Man loſe what he will, a judicious Stander by never likes Him the worſe for being VViſe enough to hold his Tongue: And when we have made the beſt we can of the matter, tis but an unbecoming thing, to be ſo much tranſported as ſome are. A Man's Reputation, in this point, is as much at ſtake as his Money; and, of the two, 'tis better to ſave one, than loſe both.

Ʋpon ſuch Thoughts as theſe, I have ever been reſerv'd & moderate in ſpeaking of the Times. I hold my Tongue, as an Honeſt man may, & a VViſe man ought: I ſubmitt to Providence, as many a better Man dos: And, whatever my Thoughts may be, I keep them to my ſelf.

For this Reaſon alſo (although it be no affront to the Creation, to ſpeak ill of the Chaos which preceded it) I have, even in thoſe Affairs which were forerunners of the 92. preſent Settlement, taken care to ſay nothing of my own. The Alluſion is totally Theirs whom I diſpute with: The Application only, is Mine. I pretend to ſilence them by their own Principles; & therefore am oblig'd to give them fair Play. I pretend not, to argue from my own Ideas of things, but from theirs; & should be very diſingenuous, if I did not repreſent them their own way, according to their own liking. All this while, I know well enough what to think of theſe matters; but is it not my buſineſs, at preſent, to tell any man my Thoughts. VVhatſoever any man may deſerve, I accuſe no man. I endeavour to entertain my ſelf with ſuch Conſiderations as become a Contrite & an Humble Heart: I accuſe my ſelf in the Sight of God: And, as for Thoſe who ſo violently accuſe their Neighbours in the Sight of Men, I have ſo much Zeal as to wish They would pleaſe to call home their Thoughts, & find them better Employment. Mean time, there's nothing but the Grace of God can calm the Spirits of Men: And One might as well pretend to chide the VVinds and the VVaves in a Storm, as adviſe people in ſome occaſions to be Silent. The only way of Dealing with ſuch Perſons, is to let them run on quietly, till the Humour begins to be out of breath. They take it kindly, that they are not contradicted; & are afterwards more willing to hear Reaſon. Let them alone: Let them ſay what they pleaſe of the Mote in their Brother's eye: Never interrupt them: VVhen they have done, Then is the Time, & even then 'tis hard enough, without Offence, to mind them of a Beam in their own. According to this Method, I have in the Alluſion given the Loſers leave to talk: And afterwards, in the Application, I make a Parallel, which plainly shews, Their Crimes are greater, in the Sight of God, than ever any Man's were, in the Sight of Men.

VVhen our Saviour heard the Clamours of the People againſt the VVoman whom they loudly accus'd of Adultery, He knew well enough what to think of the matter, but however He kept his Thoughts to himſelf. He ſaw how violent they were; their ſtones ready in their hands; & themſelves in great haſt to execute the ſentence of her Death. All the while, the Scripture ſays, He ſeem'd as if he heard them not. Jo. 8. v. 6. He contradicted nothing; question'd nothing; whatſoever they objected, He gave all for granted. In the end, when they continued asking him, v. 7. & would not be quiet without an Answer, He ſaid; He that is without Sin amongſt you, Let him firſt caſt a ſtone at her.

And now, pray give me leave to ask: Had the VVoman any reaſon, to take it ill of our Saviour, becauſe he ſaid nothing in her defence? Or had the People any juſt cauſe to be offended at him, becauſe he minded them of their Duty? VVithout doubt She was pery well pleas'd to hear him ſay nothing againſt her: And, as for the People, they were confounded by their own principles, & went away quietly, one by one, as ſoon as our Saviour had putt them in mind of being greater Sinners themſelves. In a word, Both Parties were pleas'd: The Deſign of his Argument was a Charity to the One: And his VVay of Arguing was no Injury to the Other.

If I have not the ſame good Fortune, in pleaſing both Parties, 'tis none of my fault. My VVay of Arguing and the Deſign of my Argument are Both exactly the Same. VVhatſoever my Succeſs may be, My Comfort is, I have done what I can to draw Good out of Evill; and He who ſees my Heart, I hope, will reward my Endeavours. My Matter led me to it, whether I would or no, And 'twould have been an uncharitable thing, to ſtep out of the way, when I thought my ſelf in ſuch a fair one, of Doing Good.

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MOTIVES OF LOVE.

SECT. I. How much it imports us to Love God above All Things.

WHen the Phariſee askt our Saviour, VVhat is the Great Commandement in the Law? Math. 22.36. Our dear Redeemer, who came to perfect the Old Law, who came to change the Law of Fear into a Law of Love, who brought down fire from Heaven to enflame our Hearts, replyd: Thou shalt Love thy Lord thy God with all thy Heart, v. 37. with all thy Soul, v. 38. with all thy Mind. This is the Great Commandement.

I fear that many of us litle think how Great it is. We litle reflect on the one ſide how great our Obligations are to Love our God; & on the other ſide how great are the Advantages which cannot fail to attend this Love. We litle conſider how great our Ingratitude is, if we omit our Greateſt Duty; How great our Folly is, if we neglect our Greateſt Good.

SECT. II. That the Love of God is our Greateſt Duty.

TO make it plainly appear that the Love of God above all things is the Greatest Duty of a Chriſtian, One would think it were enough to shew, that 'tis a Duty which compriſes all our other Duties; that it is the Total Sum of Chriſtianity; & that, without the leaſt hyperbole, it is the VVhole Duty of Man; becauſe all other Precepts whatſoever only are ſo many Branches of this Great Commandement, which is the Root of all the reſt. Serm. de Orat. Domin. S. Cyprian calls it the Grand Epitome of all our Obligations. And were it neceſſary, it were eaſy to demonſtrate that as God is therefore infinitely Perfecter than all his Creatures, becauſe He really contains in his own Eſſence all Perfections whatſoever; ſo our Obligation to Love him is incomparably greater than all other obligations, becauſe it eminently comprehends them all together.

This is enough to give us a confus'd Idea of our Duty at a diſtance. If we draw the proſpect nigher, we shall find an infinite variety of preſſing motives which enforce our Obligation. Every ſingle Excellency of the Object we adore is all Divine▪ No shadow there of any Blemish to obſcure thoſe Charms which challenge our Affection: Nothing in our God but what is infinitely amiable, & deſerving infinitely more than All the Love that we are able to return. Since therefore All and every one of his innumerable Excellencies are unlimited & boundleſs; ſince they All & every one deſerve a ſuitable Eſteem; ſince they command our Love as much as they deſerve it: hence it follows clearly, that our Duty is as boundleſs as their Merit; & that, as S. Bernard ſays, There is no other Meaſure of our Love, than Loving without Meaſure.

Amongſt the numberleſs variety of thoſe divine Perfections, which the Eye has not ſeen, 1. Cor. 2.9. nor the Ear heard, nor have enter'd into the Heart of any man; there is One which we are more acquainted with; there's One which in a manner makes the reſt our own; & which, of all, is the moſt apt to make a ſenſible impreſſion in a Generous Heart; I mean that of a True Friend. We read in Eccleſiaſticus, 6.15. that There is nothing comparable to a True & Faithfull Friend: and that, in the ballance of the Wiſe, He weighs much more than all the Gold & Silver in the world. As there is nothing Better upon Earth than a True Friend, ſo there is nothing more pretended to. And as the world deceives us moſt, where we expect it leaſt; ſo there is hardly any thing in which it more deceives us, than in this. Of all, that read theſe lines, perhaps there is not one who has not been already very much miſtaken in a Friend: and 'tis no wonder, if we always 〈◊〉 ſo, till we raiſe our hearts above this World, & fix them there, where we are ſure to find a True & Faithfull One; who Loves us gratis; Always Lov'd us; Lov'd us even when we were his Enemies; and will for all Eternity continue the ſame Love, unleſs we prove Ʋngratefull, & refuſe to Love Him above all things, as He very well deſerves.

He Loves us gratis: Not for any Good He gains by it; or any litle Service we can do him. He cannot ſtand in need of any of thoſe Goods, which every moment He beſtows upon us. 16.2. Thou art my God, ſays the Pſalmiſt; My Goodneſs extends not to Thee. When we have done all we can, Luke 17.10. we are unprofitable Servants: We have done our ſelves the greateſt good we can imagine, but our God is not a jot the better for't. Lib. 10. de Civ. The Fountain, ſays S. Auſtin, is not better for our drinking at the Stream, nor the Sun the better for our walking by his Light. If I may uſe S. Paul's expreſſion, 2. Cor. 12.14. He ſeeks not what is Ours, but Ʋs. He ſeeks for nothing but our Love, & even this Command he lays upon us meerly for our Good: Deut. 10.12.13. And Now, ſays He, what dos thy Lord thy God require of thee, but to Love Him with all thy Heart; vvhich I command thee, this Day, for thy Good. Behold dear Chriſtians, a True & Faithfull Friend! and ſee how you can anſwer it to your Good Nature, if you do not Love Him.

He always Lov'd us; always thought of us; not only all of us in generall, but every one of us; & Lov'd us with a Love Eternall as Himſelf. He ſays, in the Prophet Jeremy; 13.3. I have Lov'd Thee, with an Eternall Love; therefore with loving Kindneſs have I drawn Thee. And what more powerfull Attractive can there be to draw us to Him; than that Loving Kindneſs which from all Eternity took care of our Concerns, contriv'd our future Happyneſs, & drew a Scheme of all the neceſſary means to bring us to it. Except himſelf, He hardly thought of any thing but Us; Our firſt Creation, our Redemption, our Salvation, were always in his Eye; they were the Eternall Entertainment of his mind; they were the Great Deſign which gave occaſion to the firſt Production of this World, which we ungratefully preferr before Him, though He made it for us. Never forſake your Old Friend, Eccli. 9.14. your New one will never be like Him. Alas! who can help it, if we will be ſo ungratefull, & forſake ſo ancient a Friend? we may be ſure it is impoſſible to find a New one comparable to him.

He Lov'd us, even when we were his Enemies. Tis true; The firſt Production of the Univerſe was Proof enough; & no man can deny but that ſo Great a Gift beſtowd upon us, for our Uſe, aboundantly ſets forth the Greatneſs of his Love. But yet the whole Creation of the World is nothing to the conſtant Conſervation of it for our ſakes, who have ſo long ſo much abus'd it. If the firſt beſtowing of a more than ordinary favour, without any previous merit on our ſide, be ſuch an argument of more than ordinary Love; What is the conſtant repetition & continuation of the Same ſo long a time, although the longer we enjoy it, we demerit more & more, & are as obſtinate in our Ingratitude as He is conſtant in his Kindneſs? Was there ever any true & hearty Love, like this! S. Paul expreſſes ſome reſſemblance of it in a ſecond Letter which he writes to the Corinthians, & declares his readyneſs to ſerve them, though (ſays he) the more aboundantly I love you, 1. Cor. 12.15. the leſſe I am lov'd. We read it in the 12. chapter, which relates his Rapture into the third Heaven: and without all doubt this Love of his was copyed there from the divine Originall. If one ſmall Spark of this celeſtial Love had ſuch a wonderfull effect in the Apoſtle's breaſt; What can we ſay or think of that immenſe & boundleſs Fire of Everlaſting Love, which no Ingratitude of Man was ever able to extinguish! Though our God foreſaw how much it was in vain to court our Love, although He was not ignorant that his Affection for ſo baſe & ſo unworthy Creatures would be more deſpis'd the more he labour'd to endear us to him; though He knew before hand the unparallelld Ingratitude of Man; Nevertheleſs He ſent his only Son to ſave us, He could not hold his Hand, He could not deny himſelf the Satisfaction of being infinitely Kind. Be aſtonisht, Jerem. 2.12. O ye Heavens, at this!

S. John, diſcourſing of this Love, takes notice of no other motive of it than 〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉 our Gratitude; our indiſpenſable Obligation to be Gratefull to ſo Good a Friend. 1. Jo. 4.19. We Love Him, ſays he, becauſe He firſt Lov'd Ʋs. He dos not ſay, becauſe He's infinitely Good & Perfect in himſelf, but becauſe He has been infinitely Good & Kind to us. His reaſon I gather from the 12. v. of the ſame Chapter, where He ſays, No man has ſeen God any time; & the 20. where he adds, How can a man Love God, whom he has not ſeen? If we had ever ſeen him Face to Face, 1. Cor. 13.12. as all the Bleſſed Spirits do in Heaven, we should then have lov'd Him here as they do there; The very Sight of Him (although He never had been Kind) would have tranſported us beyond all thoughts of any thing but Him; it would have been impoſſible to entertain the leaſt impreſſion of any other Love, in Competition with Him. But becauſe this Happyneſs is not to be expected here, where 'tis impoſſible to ſee Him as He is: 1. Jo. 3.2. Therefore S. John, the Diſciple whom JESUS Lov'd, Who by experience knew that no impreſſion ſinks deeper in a Generous heart, Jo. 21. v. 7. than the endearing Obligation of returning Love for Love, pleads nothing elſe but Gratitude for the fullfilling of this Great Commandement; VVe Love Him, 1. Jo. 4.19. ſays he, becauſe He firſt Lov'd us.

There's nothing more obliging than the Love of a True Friend; & nothing elſe obliges us without it. Whatſoever the interiour value of a Benefit amounts to, when we caſt it up, the Obligation is not taxt by any other weight or meaſure than his Love to whom we ſtand indebted for it. In this Caſe, Ingratitude of all crimes is the moſt unpardonable, a Crime ſo baſe, which Human Nature ſo abhorrs, that even the Worſt of men who are asham'd of nothing elſe, can never endure that any man should either ſay or think They are Ʋngratefull. Other ſins they publish to the World, but This They always labour to conceal. And though I ſcarce can think of any Wickedneſs ſo infamous but Some have been ſo Wicked as to Glory in it; yet Ingratitude is ſo Ʋnworthy, carries ſo much Baſeneſs in the very Front of it, that I could never hear of any that were ever Proud of being thought Ʋngratefull. Rather than a Man should think They are ſo, they invent a thouſand frivolous pretences to diſown the Obligation; they quarrell with the Benefit; revile the Benefactor; & that they may deny a leſs Ingratitude they hide it with a greater. So asham'd they are to own this fault, that they had rather be a thouſand times ungratefull than be once eſteemd ſo.

This is the Crime which many of us are ſo Guilty of, although we as are as much unwilling to beleeve it, as we are asham'd to own it. And One of the moſt notorious aggravations of our great Ingratitude is this; that we not only are ſo, but are in a manner quite inſenſible of being ſo. Becauſe our God is infinitely more our Friend than any Other can be, Therefore we regard Him infinitely leſs. We cannot without indignation obſerve one man ungratefull to another: The very Story of an ungratefull Action, ſays Seneca, puts us out of all Patience, and gives us a loathing for the Author of it. That inhuman Villain, we cry, to do ſo horrid a Thing! And yet when we obſerve how horribly ungratefull a poor miſerable Creature is to our Creator, we take litle notice of it; we regard it with a cold indifference, as if we were content it should be ſo.

We cannot plead in our defence that we are ignorant how much we ſtand indebted to him for his Love: Alas! we all know well enough that there was never any Love like His: ſo True, ſo Ancient, & ſo Constant. If we plead Forgetfullneſs or Inadvertency; 'twill only make the matter worſe by offering to mend it. He is the moſt Ʋngratefull of all, ſays the Morall Philoſopher, who Forgets either the Benefactor, or the Benefit. And yet when we have made the beſt we can of an ill Cauſe, 'tis certain that the true, if not the only, Reaſon why we are inſenſible of our Ingratitude, is becauſe we ſeldom call to mind, & almoſt quite Forget, 1. Jo. 4.19. how Great our Obligation is to Love our God, becauſe He firſt Lov'd us.

All the Ends of the VVorld, Pſalm. 22.28. ſays the Pſalmiſt, shall Remember, and be Converted to God. Let us Remember only What a Friend God is; how infinitely Better than the Beſt we have beſides: Let us Remember only This, and We shall be Converted: We shall be asham'd of our Ingratitude, and Love Him above all Things.

SECT. III. That the Love of God is our Greateſt Good.

WHatever our Duty is▪ the very word Commandement is always odious to thoſe who love their Liberty, & makes it ſo much harder to go down with them. But yet, if after ſecond thoughts upon the matter, we diſcover that One reaſon, why it is our Greateſt Obligation, is becauſe it is our Greateſt Good; Math. 11.30. the Yoke will then ſeem eaſy & the Burthen light.

Three things there are, which gain our Hearts, command our Inclinations, & in a manner gouvern all our Actions; and theſe three things are, Honour, Profit, Pleaſure. Whatſoever we call Good falls under one of theſe three Heads; tis either Honourable, Profitable, or Delightfull. All theſe three accompany the Love of God; & none of them are ever be found without it.

1. To begin with Honour: I take for granted, No man ought to judge that This or That is Honourable, becauſe the Generality of Mankind, by miſtake, is apt to value & admire it; but before he gives his verdict, every man should firſt conſider well the merits of the cauſe. A Wife Man though he liv'd amongſt a Multitude of Infidells, & ſaw how much they honour & adore falſe Gods, he would not therefore preſently conclude ſuch Idols Honourable; but would rather laugh at thoſe who are ſo blind as not to ſee how litle They deſerve it. The Queſtion is not, what we (by a vulgar errour) are inclin'd to honour moſt, but What it is that is moſt worthy of it? And This upon a ſtrict enquiry will appear to be the Love of God. Honour, at all hands, is agreed to be, a Teſtimony of ſome Excellence; and Nothing can be truly honourable, if it be not truly Excellent. A man has no juſt Title to his Honour (any more than what the common Duties of Civility amount to) if he have not ſomething in him more than ordinary, ſome Perfection to diſtinguiſh Him, & raiſe him to a Height more elevated than the loweſt Rank of men.

The Qualities which juſtly challenge men's Eſteem, are VViſdom, Justice, Power, & Whatſoever raiſes us to the Perfection of our Nature. 2.2. q. 47. a. 13. As for VViſdom; S. Thomas of Aquine has demonſtrated that No man can be truly VViſe, who dos not Love God above all things. He may be, ſays he, a VViſe Merchant, or a VViſe Pilot, a Wiſe Stateſman, or a Wiſe. Generall; becauſe he may be Prudent in the choice of Proper Means well fitted to the Purpoſe & Deſign of ſuch Employments: But 'tis impoſſible to be a VViſe Man without being VViſe in order to the Proper End of MAN, the great Deſign of his Creation, which is nothing but the Knowledg & the Love of God. A Magiſtrate, who is created meerly for the Publick Peace, whatever he may be in other things, if he be not VViſe in order to that End, He is not a VViſe Magiſtrate: And ſince All Mankind was created to be happy in an Everlaſting Union with God, Whatever a Perſon may be in other Affairs, if he be not Wiſe in order to this End, He may be a Wiſe VVhat you pleaſe, but he is not a VViſe MAN.

As for Juſtice, I would gladly know how any Man is thoroughly & truly Juſt, who is perpetually Guilty of the moſt notorious injuſtice, we can think of. Such is the Man, whoêre he be, that dos not Love his Maker as he ought. Tis true; He only is injuſt to God; He only wrongs Himſelf; he never wrong'd his Neighbour, may be, all his Life. But what would you ſay of a Steward who only cheats his Maſter? Would you think him a Just Man, becauſe he never cheats his Fellow-Servants?

As for Power: I Confeſs it may be Great, in ſome particular reſpects, but never can be Abſolute, without the Love of God. I may ſay the ſame of Power, that S. Thomas ſays of Wiſdom. A Man without this Love may be a Powerfull Prince, a Powerfull VVarriour, or the like: becauſe, without it, He may have all Power neceſſary for the main Deſign of Gouvernment, or VVar, &c. But ſince, without this Love, he neither can Command his Paſsions, nor Himſelf; 'tis evident He has not all the Power neceſſary to attain the proper End of Man's Creation: in a word, He is no Powerfull MAN, who is not Maſter of Himſelf.

Thus you may plainly ſee how theſe three Characters of VViſe, Juſt, Powerfull, which are the moſt eſteem'd & Honour'd in the World, are only Shadows, & imperfect Semblances, if ſeparated from the Love of God. You plainly ſee; that it not only is the Greateſt Excellence of Man, moſt Honourable, moſt Deſerving our, Eſteem; but that, without it, there is hardly any Thing which truly is ſo.

2. As it is our Greateſt Honour, ſo it is our Greateſt Profit. S. Paul was ſo ſenſible of this, that though the Fervour of his Zeal appears in all his Writings, yet he never ſpeaks with greater Emphaſis than when he has a fair occaſion to diſcourſe upon this ſubject. Though I ſpeak, 1. Cor. 13. ſays he, with the Tongues of Men & Angels, & have not CHARITY, I am become like ſounding Braſs, or a tinkling Cymbal. And though I have the Gift of Prophecy, & underſtand all Myſteries, & all Knowledg: and though I have all Faith ſo that I could remove Mountains, & have no Charity; I am Nothing. And though I beſtow all my Goods to feed the Poor, & though I give my Body to be burn'd, & have not Charity; it PROFITS me nothing. He has reckon'd up the greateſt Gifts, & beſt Advantages, that he could call to mind; & yet he ſays, They All are Nothing to our Purpoſe, without Love. On the other ſide, the ſame Apoſtle teaches us, that All things elſe are Profitable with it, though they never can be ſo without it. VVeknow, Rom. 8.28. ſays he, that All things work together for GOOD, to thoſe who LOVE God. The Secret of changing all things in to Gold has, in vain, long time been ſought for: but the myſtery of changing all the meaneſt of our Actions in to more than Gold, is much more eaſy to be found. 1. Cor. 10.31. VVhatever ye do ſays S. Paul, Do all to the Glory of God; & every thing you do, will have more value in his ſight, than all the Gold & Silver in the World. The leaſt Degree of Love, the coldeſt Act of Charity, Math. 10.42. even the Giving a Cup of cold water, for the Love of God, our Saviour tells us, shall in no wiſe looſe its Reward. So true is that, of S. Auſtin; All things elſe are Profitable, with it; Nothing elſe is truly ſo, without it.

3. As it is our Greateſt Profit, ſo it is our Greateſt Pleaſure: There is Nothing ſo Delightfull, even in this World, as to Love God with all our Heart, with all our Soul, with all our Mind. Tis hard enough, I know, to make the World beleeve it: Becauſe although the Truth be, in it ſelf, as clear & bright as the Meridian Sun; Our Paſsions raiſe a cloudy Miſt before our Eyes, which intercepts the Sight of it. All Perſons, whoſe Affections are fixt upon the Pleaſures of this World, can hardly ever be perſuaded but that the Love of God is the Dulleſt, & the moſt Inſipid Thing imaginable. They eaſily conceive, that Nothing is ſo Honourable, as to be a Saint; And that it is but very litle Profit for a Man to gain the VVorld, Math. 16.26. & looſe his Soul: The Honour & the Profit are agreed upon; But where's the Pleaſure? All that can be ſaid upon this ſubject, They are unacquainted with, They underſtand it not. He preaches in an unknown Tongue, who preaches the Love of God to thoſe who never Lov'd Him. The Language of Love, ſays S. Bernard, is Barbarous, to thoſe who Love not.

As ſoon as ever they begin to turn their back upon theſe rotten Pleaſures, & look towards Heaven; preſently theſe Darlings of their Heart begin, as it were, Conf. lib. 8. to pull them by the ſleeve, as Saint Auſtin words it, & whiſper in their Ear; Do you Forſake Ʋs? And from this moment shall we have your Company no more, FOR EVER? Shall we NEVER ſee you more? Thus they ſollicite, Thus they importune, & tempt them, to differr the time of their Converſion. Do you think it poſsible to Live without the Pleaſures of this World? Ah Chriſtians! Tis not only poſsible; it is the Greateſt Pleaſure in the World to Live without them. Tis true: The very Thoughts of Separation are like Thoughts of Death: But then we ought to reflect, that as we feel no pain when we are Dead, but all our pain is only whilſt we are in Dying: So we feel the pain of leaving worldly Pleaſures, whilſt we are Deliberating what to Do; But we are Dead, We feel no pain at all, when once we are Reſolv'd upon't. You are Dead, 3.3. ſays S. Paul to the Coloſſians, and your Life is hidden with Chriſt in God. I am Dead, 2.19.20. ſays the ſame Apoſtle to the Galatians, & the Life which I now live in the Flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God who Lov'd me. See the powerfull Effects of Love! It makes us as inſenſible to all the Pleaſures of this World, as if our Inclinations were already Dead, & quite Extinguisht in Us. Love is as Strong as Death. Cant. 8.6.

Tis this Victorious Love which frees us from the Tyranny of all thoſe Paſſions, which divide the Kingdom of our Heart: Math. 12.25.26. a Kingdom brought to Deſolation; where Satan caſts out Satan; & How can this Kingdom stand? How is there any true Content and Satisfaction to be found in it? A Man who places all his Happyneſs in Humouring his Paſsions, can never pleaſe himſelf, till he has pleas'd them All: And ſince it is impoſsible to pleaſe two Maſters, how is't poſsible for any Man to pleaſe ſo many? I might here appeal to each Man's private Conſcience for a farther Teſtimony of this Truth; But, if a Sullen Conſcience (even when it is upon the Wrack) refuſes to Confeſs, We have the Word of God, the beſt & cleareſt Evidence, we can deſire: The VVicked, Iſai. 57.20, 21. ſays He, are like the troubled Sea, when it cannot Reſt; whoſe VVaters cast up Mire & Dirt: There is no PEACE, ſays my God, to the VVicked.

On the other ſide, when once the Love of God has full poſſeſſion of our Heart; when Chriſt Gouverns it by Faith, & the Holy Ghoſt by Charity; Gen. 1.2. Math. 8.26. when the Spirit of God begins to moue upon the face of the VVaters; it preſently Commands the VVinds & the Sea, & there ſucceeds a Great Calm. In a word, As much as Liberty is more agreable than Slavery, As much as Unity is better than Diviſion, As much as Peace, Content, & Eaſe, are more Delightfull than perpetuall Diſturbance, Diſcontent & Pain; ſo much the Pleaſure, which attends the Love of God, is Greater than the Pleaſures of this VVorld.

Had it been poſſible for our Creator to oblige us All to Love Him gratis, we might then have had more Colour for our Crime. And yet, it would have been no more than what He very well deſerves. He Lov'd us gratis, without any poſſibility of Recompence: He humbled himſelf to repair our Honour; He quitted Heaven to promote our Intereſt; He ſufferd torments to procure our Eaſe; And it would only be a Suitable Return, if we preferr'd his Honour, Intereſt, & Pleaſure, far before our own. But, as our Kind & Gracious God has order'd it to our advantage, we are All oblig'd to ſeek our Own True Honour, Intereſt, & Pleaſure; & deſpiſe the Falſe Appearances of Honourable, Profitable, & Delightfull, which the World endeavours to delude us with.

When we have made the moſt we can of ſuch an Obligation, 'twill amount to neither more nor leſſe than What we dayly ſee before our Eyes. Conſider how the Ambitious, the Covetous, & the Voluptuous, love their Honours, Riches, Pleaſures: Is it not plain, They Love them above all things? And why should not we Love God as well as Worldlings Love the VVorld? They Love it with all their Heart, They deſire nothing elſe but to enjoy it; with all their Soul, They have no paſsion for any thing elſe; with all their Mind, They think of nothing elſe, but how to make a Figure in it. Has God leſs charms than the VVorld? Or is a Flattering Friend (well known to be our Greateſt Enemy) more amiable than the Beſt of Friends, moſt True, moſt Ancient, & moſt Conſtant, who has always Lov'd us better than we Love our ſelves? Is it a Greater Honour, for a Man to be the Divel's Slave, than be a Favourite of God? Is it a Greater Profit, to be cheated in the End, than be Eternally Rewarded? Or are thoſe Pleaſures which are always mixt with intervalls of diſcontent, anxiety, & pain, greater than thoſe Delights which are unchangeable, immortall, & divine, which even in this Vale of Miſery begin our Heaven upon Earth? Ah Chriſtians! We have litle reaſon to diſpute the terms of ſuch an Obligation, where the whole Advantage is entirely on our Side: So great Advantage, that we cannot truly Love our ſelves, Math. 22.38. unleſs we Love our Lord our GOD, with all our Heart, with all our Soul, with all our Mind: This is, not only our Greateſt Duty, but our Greateſt Good.

SECT. IV. That the Love of God is the chief Grace of the Holy Ghoſt.

I Am come, Luke. 12.22. ſays our Saviour, to Send Fire on the Earth; & what do I deſire but that it may be Kindled? This He deſires; for This He came; and This we pray for, in the Service of the Church; Come Holy Spirit; Fill the Hearts of thy Faithfull, & Kindle in them the Fire of thy Love.

The Holy Ghoſt came viſibly at firſt; & prov'd his Preſence by the Miracles He did. But yet a Spirit is not naturally ſenſible; & when He comes inviſibly, He comes more like Himſelf; nor have we any reaſon (when He dwells within us) to ſuſpect that He is leſſe at home, becauſe He leſſe Appears abroad. Although we do not ſee the Fire deſcend, & reſt upon our Heads; yet if the Love of God enflame us, if it burn within our Hearts, if it appear in our Devotion, in our Converſation, in our Actions; 'tis enough; we then may hope we have receiv'd the Holy Ghoſt, & that our Saviour verifies in us his Promiſe, which He made us, when He ſaid, He shall be IN YOU. Jo. 14. v. 17. He did not come in to the World, to viſit the Apoſtles only, and abandon their Poſterity: Our Saviour did not ſend him to us, that he might immediately forſake us, but that He might remain with us for ever, to the End of the World: Jo. 14. v. 16. I will pray my Father, ſays He, that He may abide with you for ever.

The Spirit of God shall be in Ʋs. Tis a ſolemn Promiſe of our Saviour himſelf: we cannot doubt of it, although we cannot but admire it with profound aſtonishment, Kings. 3.8.27. like that of Solomon: VVill God dwell with us on the Earth! will the Spirit of God not only dwell here with us, but within us! If Heaven ſays he, and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Thee, How much leſſe this Houſe which I have builded! If we find that Salomon was thus tranſported when he lookt upon his Temple, & compar'd it with the Majeſty of God, to whom he built it; may not we admire much more the living Temple of the Holy Ghoſt? If the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain the Spirit of God, How much leſſe this litle Houſe of clay? Can we imagine that this litle Heart of ours is more capacious than Heaven? Or can our Heart contain our God, if Heaven cannot? Oh no: our God is infinite; He cannot be contain'd in either; & yet He dwells in both. Hear the Pſalmiſt; 122.1. To Thee I lift up my Eyes, O Thou that Dwelleſt in the Heavens. Hear S. Paul; 1. Cor. 3.16. You are the Temple of God, & the Spirit of God Dwells in You. Compare both Teſtaments, the Old and New; & if you ſeriouſly beleeve them both, conclude we have the ſame aſſurance that God dwells in Virtuous Souls, as that He dwells in Heaven.

The Kingdom of God is within you. Luke. 17.21. Whereſoever Majeſty reſides, the Court is there; & whereſoeuer the King gouverns, there his Kingdom is. If the Almighty gouvern all the Paſſions, Motions & Affections of our Souls; if once He be the Souvereign Monarch of our Hearts, if the Love of God give Law to all our Inclinations; the H. Ghoſt is then as truly in us, as a King is in his Kingdom, & He is no otherwiſe in Heaven. This is that Heaven upon Earth which none can underſtand but thoſe devout & pious Souls, who by experience Taſt & See how ſweet God's Kingdom is, Pſ. 33.9. where Chriſt gouverns by Faith, & the Holy Ghoſt by Charity; or (as S. Auſtin ſays) whoſe King is Truth, whoſe Law is Love.

A Spirit, having no proportion with Place (if we beleeve Philoſophers) is neither here, nor there, nor any where, of its ſelf; but only by its Operation in a Body, which is in ſome Place. When Angels formerly appear'd with airy bodies, they were truly & ſubſtantially preſent in thoſe human Forms, which they inhabited, by operating there. Whatever the Airy Body ſeemd to do, the Angel truly did; the Angel mov'd, the Angel walkt, the Angel ſpoke, diſcourſt, converſt with men. The Holy Ghoſt is likewiſe truly & ſubſtantially preſent in the Soul of a devout & pious Chriſtian. He dwells in his Heart by operating there: His Heart becomes a Paradiſe on Earth: The Love of God, now planted in the middle of it, is the Tree of Life: Gen. 2.9. The Holy Ghoſt himſelf becomes the Angel Guardian, of the Place, & like the Cherubin defends it with a Flaming Sword: Gen. 3.24. Gal. 5. v. 25. He gives him Life, we Live by the Spirit; He gives him Motion, we VValk by the Spirit; He gives him Speech, Tis not You that Speak, Math. 10.20. ſays our Saviour to his Apoſtles, but the Spirit of God that Speaks in You.

So far you ſee the Parallell betwixt the Preſence of an Angel dwelling in an airy Body, & the Preſence of the Holy Ghoſt inhabiting in us. Only this difference there is. Philoſophers are puzzled to explain the Virtue & the Operation by which an Angel moves the Body it aſſumes; But Chriſtians, by the light of Faith, have this Advantage over them: They plainly read & underſtand in Scripture, that the Virtue of the Holy Ghoſt, by which He moves & gouverns us, is Charity; & that the Operation, which with us He produces in us, is the Love of God above all things. God the Holy Ghoſt is Charity: 1. Jo. 4.8. He is the Conſubſtantiall Love of God the Father & the Son. If Charity inſpire us; if the Love of God direct us, gouvern us, & influence the principall Deſigns & Actions of our Life; we then may reaſonably hope, 1. Cor. 2.12. we have not receiv'd the Spirit of this VVorld, but the Spirit which is of God.

That Inclination which is predominant, & gouverns all the reſt, is uſually call'd the Spirit of a man. If this be Love of Honours, Riches, Pleaſures of this World; Tis an Ambitious, a Covetous, a Carnall, or (to ſpeak them all at once) a VVorldly Spirit. But if it be the Love of God above all things, without any competition of Creatures; 'tis a Virtuous, a Divine, a Holy Spirit: Then it is that the Love of God is diffus'd in our Hearts, Rom. 5.5. by the Holy Ghoſt, the HOLY SPIRIT which is given to us.

S. Paul, Acts. 19.1.2. when he came to Epheſus, and found certain Diſciples, demanded of them; Have ye receiv'd the Holy Ghoſt, ſince ye beleev'd? And I am apt to think, it would not be amiſs to put the Queſtion, to the Chriſtians of our Age. You in whoſe Minds Chriſt dwells by Faith, dos the Holy Ghoſt dwell in your Hearts by Charity? Is your Love ſuitable to your Creed? Do you Love God, as you Beleeve He deſerves? Do you Love Him above all things? Your greateſt Care, is it to pleaſe your God? Your greateſt Grief, is it to have diſpleas'd Him? In all things, which deſerve Deliberation, do you firſt conſult his Law, & make it the Rule of all your Meaſures? Examine well the whole Courſe of your Life; your Actions, Humours, & Deſigns. What is it that employs your Mind the moſt? What Thoughts are thoſe which cloſe your Eyes at Night, & open them next Morning? Are they fixt upon the Only Neceſſary? Do they tend to Heaven? All things elſe, what are they? Are they Nothing in compariſon of That? If ſo; you have receiv'd the Holy Ghoſt; the Spirit of God, Io. 14. v. 17. whom the VVorld cannot receive. But if the Souvereign Inclination of your Hearts be Love of Honours, Riches, Pleaſures; if your greateſt Grief & Trouble be your diſappointment of Succeſs in theſe; if upon all occaſions you conſult your Inclinations & the Maximes of the World: You then may anſwer, as the Epheſians did; Alas we are but litle acquainted with this Holy Spirit; we have ſcarce heard of him; we know not what He is: A VVorldly Spirit we have more acquaintance with; But, as for the Spirit of God, He is a Stranger to us. We ſay our Prayers, we frequent the Sacrements, we are in the common road of cuſtomary Duties: But our Ambitious Spirit, our impatient Love of Honour is ſuch, that we are more concern'd for an Affront, than for a Mortall Sin: Our Avaritious Spirit, our inſatiable Love of Riches is ſo violent, that we had rather hazard the loſs of all the Heaven we pretend to, than expoſe the Treaſure we poſſeſs: Our Carnall Spirit, our incontinent Love of Pleaſure is ſo paſſionate, that we had rather quitt our Right to all the Eternall Joys above, than any way deny our ſelves the rotten ſatisfaction we ſeek for here below: In short, we love this World ſo much, that if we might but always have it at Command, 'tis All we ask; We wish no more; VVe have receiv'd the Spirit of this VVorld. 1. .Cor. 2.12.

I hope I may be pardon'd if I am a litle importune in preſſing home this Queſtion; Acts. 19.2. Have you receiv'd the Holy Ghoſt? Eternity depends upon't: Your Choice of Heaven, or Hell; Your being Children of God, or of the Divel; Your being Sav'd, or Damn'd for ever: All This, (& what is All if This be not?) All This depends upon the Anſwer to this neceſſary Queſtion. Rom. 8.16. As Many as are led by the Spirit of God, ſays Saint Paul, They are the Children of God. Compute your Actions, Words, & Thoughts; from Morning to Night; from Day to Day: Dos the Spirit of God direct & lead you? Or the Spirit of this World? If the Spirit of God, You are the Children of God: If not, Hear what the Apoſtle ſays, If any Man have not the Spirit of Chriſt, He is none of his: Rom. 8.9. He is not a Brother of Chriſt; He is not an adoptive Son of his Eternall Father; He has a Father in Hell, but none in Heaven. Our Saviour plainly ſays, Jo. 8. v. 42. If God were your Father, You VVould LOVE Me above all things; but becauſe You do not, v. 44. You are of your Father, the Divel.

Let thoſe who, above all things, Love the World, Conſider this, and Tremble. Let them not gaze in vain upon our Saviour aſcending to his Father: Let them be aſſur'd his Father is not theirs; & that, as certainly as He aſcended to his Father in Heaven, they shall in time (unleſs they ſeriouſly repent) deſcend to their's in Hell.

This was the Reaſon why our Saviour told the Jews: VVhither I go, Jo. 8. v. 21. You cannot come: As if He should ſay; I go to my Father; If He were your Father alſo, then you might bear me Company: But, 1. Cor. 2.12. ſince you have receiv'd the Spirit of this VVorld; as long as you are gouvern'd by the Spirit of another Father; You may in due time follow him to Hell, But 'tis impoſſible (without ſincere Repentance)▪ You should ever follow me to Heaven: VVhither I go, you cannot come. The Jews amaz'd to hear it, knew not what He meant. He told them the reaſon: I am from above, Jo. 8. v. 23. ſays He, I am not of this VVorld; The Spirit which gouverns all my Actions is from above; 'tis not the Spirit of this World; 'tis the Spirit of my Father; therefore I go to him. But on the other ſide, You are of this VVorld, Ibid. You are led by the Spirit of this World; and therefore VVhither I go, You eannot come.

Let us not flatter & deceive our ſelves with vain appearances of ſuperficiall Piety which flote upon the Surface of our Souls; but ſound the very bottom of our Hearts, & be aſſur'd that if we find them chiefly fixt upon this World, or any Creature in it; We may ſtand gazing with the Men of Galilee, We may contemplate & admire the Aſcenſion of our Saviour; but all in vain; All this will be no Comfort to us; Whither He goes, we cannot follow Him. We cannot Aſcend, unleſs we firſt receive the Holy Ghoſt: nor can we receive Him, unleſs we firſt prepare for His reception.

SECT. V. That we ought to prepare our Heart for this great Grace.

WHen our Saviour was upon the point of leaving his Apoſtles, after He had been fourty days diſcourſing with them concerning the Kingdom of God, The laſt & moſt important thing He recommended to their Care, was that They should prepare themſelves for the receiving of the Holy Ghoſt: Acts. 1.4. He commanded them that they should not depart 〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉 from Jeruſalem, but wait for the Promiſe of the Father.

Prepare your Hearts, 1. Sam. 7.3. ſays the Prophet; Prepare your Hearts to God, & ſerve Him only, and He will deliver you: Prepare your Hearts to entertain the Holy Ghoſt, or elſe you never will receive Him. Prepare Materialls for the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt: 1. Cor. 6.19. His Temple is not to be built & finisht in a day: We muſt have Time to carry on the Work, & more than ordinary Preparations muſt be made: Chron. 1.29.2. VVith ALL MY MIGHT, ſays the Royall Prophet▪ I have PREPAR'D for the Houſe of my God; becauſe, ſays he, v. 1. the VVork is GREAT; & the Palace is not for Man, but GOD.

Our Heart has been profan'd with Idols: Our Ambition, A varice, & Luſt have had their ſeverall Altars in it; & from time to time, according as occaſion ſerv'd, have offerd Sacrifice to Honours, Riches, Pleaſures. Such a Temple, ſo Profan'd, muſt be demolisht; & a New one built upon the Ruines of it. 18.31. Make your ſelves a New Heart, & a New Spirit; ſays the Prophet Ezechiel. Although it be God's VVork, it is not only His but alſo Ours. As much as lies in us, we muſt cooperate and labour with Him: And the more difficult it is, the more induſtriouſly we muſt endeavour to effect it. Chron. 1.29, 2. VVith all our Might, with all our induſtry & diligence, we muſt prepare our Heart, that it may be a Temple of the Holy Ghoſt.

O that we had but VVings like a Dove (the wings of that Dove which once deſcended viſibly upon our Saviour) Then would VVe fly away, Pſal. 55.6. & be at Reſt: Our Hearts would fly away from all things in this World, & be at Reſt in Heaven. If once the Love of God enflame our Hearts, with ardent & continuall deſires of being happy with Him, We shall find that theſe Deſires are VVings by which our Hearts aſpire & mount to Heaven. But if the Love of any thing in this World bind us to the Earth, We then shall find that our celeſtiall Deſires are clogg'd with earthly Paſſions; & although we now & then, with a faint ſigh, look up to Heaven, yet our ſtronger Inclinations will always bear us down. He who is wholly diſengag'd from all the Charms of a deluding World, He only is at liberty; S. Auſtin ſays, The VVings of his ſoul are Free; But if his Heart be any way enſnar'd with any other Love, He then has Birdlime in his VVings; He cannot fly away, & be at Rest.

The Apoſtles themſelves were not prepar'd for the receiving of the H. Ghoſt, as long as they were ſatisfied with being Happy in our Saviour's Company on Earth. If any Satisfaction here below could innocently challenge ſo much place in their Affections, ſurely Innocence it ſelf deſcending down from Heaven had the beſt & cleareſt Title to their Love. And yet as long as they were of S. Peter's mind, and though • with themſelves, Math. 17.4. Tis Good for us to be Here; Tis Good to make our Tabernacles Here; ſo long we find they were not fit for the Reception of the Holy Ghoſt. Jo. 16. v. 7. I tell you the truth, ſays our Saviour; Tis expedient for you that I go away. Becauſe you Love me with ſo litle Reſignation, & are ſo unwilling that I leave you; therefore 'tis expedient for you that I now aſcend, to raiſe your Hearts above the World, & carry them to Heaven with me. If I go not away, your Love will creep upon the Earth, the Spirit of the World will ſtill poſſeſs your Hearts, the Spirit of God will find no habitation there, v. 7. the Comforter will not come: But if I depart, if I (whom you ſo dearly love) aſcend, your Minds & Hearts will follow me to Heaven, they will be rais'd above the reach of all things in this World, the Spirit of the World will have no dwelling there, You then will be prepar'd for the receiving of the H. Ghoſt, & when you are ſo, v. 7. I will ſend Him to you.

When the Holy Ghoſt came, Acts. 2.2. He fill'd All the Houſe where they were ſitting. Wherever He comes He fills the Houſe; He takes it All to Himſelf; And 'tis no wonder, being Infinite, He takes up ſo much room. As God would ceaſe to be Immenſe, If there were any Corner of the World in which He is not Preſent: So the Holy Ghoſt would ceaſe to be our Infinite and Souvereign Good, if any Corner of our Heart have any thing lodg'd in it, that excludes Him. When once we have receiv'd the Holy Ghoſt, our Heart is the Kingdom of God. He is the Abſolute and Only Monarch that commands it: He cannot Alienate the leaſt part of his Title to the Gouvernment: He cannot any way admitt of a Companion in his Throne. Our Heart is the Throne of the Moſt High: And, if we remember what became of Lucifer, I hope it will ſuffice to make us ſenſible, how dangerous a thing it is, to place a Creature in the Throne of God, Iſai. 14.14. & make it like the Higheſt.

S. Auſtin, wondring at the overflowing meaſure of Gods Holy Spirit in the Apoſtles Hearts, obſerves that the reaſon why they were ſo full of God, was becauſe they were ſo empty of his Creatures: They were very Full, ſays he, becauſe they were very Empty: becauſe they were ſo Empty of the Spirit of this World, therefore they were ſo full of the Spirit of God.

O that our Hearts were Empty; O that they were purg'd & cleans'd like theirs from all inordinate affection to this World; We then should be prepar'd like Them, & ready to receive the Fullneſs of the Holy Ghoſt. Tis a great Work; & will require ſome time. Why are we then ſo flow in undertaking it? Acts. 1.11. VVhy do we ſtand Gazing? We gaze, we lift our eyes to Heaven: But yet we ſtand; our feet are fixt upon the Earth. We preferr Heaven before Hell: of the two we had rather be there: But, of the three, (if it were poſſible) we had rather be always here.

How long will you love Vanity? Pſal. 4.2. ſays the Pſalmiſt. This World is nothing elſe but Vanity: How long will you Love it? Eccleſ. 4. v. 16. Tis Vanity & Vexation of Spirit: How long will you delight in it? It flies before you like a Shadow: 6. v. 12. How long will you run afterit? Alas! tis but a Shadow if you overtake it. The VVorld paſſes away: 1. J • 4.17. Tis an unkind, illnatur'd VVorld which paſſes by us with a flattering ſmile, & will not ſtay a moment with us. If it had ever been a true & faithfull Friend to any man, We should have ſome pretence to juſtifie our expectation of its being Kind: But, ſince we know it never was ſo to its greateſt Favourites, We way be ſure it never will be ſo to us. The Time will come, when we shall plainly ſee (although perhaps, too late) that All is Vanity; & we shall love no more what we are now ſo fond of. The Love of all thoſe Trifles, which our Infancy was once much pleas'd withall, is now forgot: and we ſo much contemn thoſe childish entertainments, that unleſs we ſaw the ſame in other Children, we should ſcarce beleeve we ever lov'd them. As when we advance in years, we ſee the folly of our Childhood; ſo upon our Deathbed we as plainly ſee the folly of our Life: we then diſcover, that the Honours, Riches, Pleaſures of this World, are only ſo many ſerious Trifles, which are therefore more ridiculous becauſe more ſerious. When once the Period of our Time approaches: When we are upon the Borders of Eternity: When we are, as it were, betwixt two Worlds, the End of this, & the Beginning of the next which never will have end: Then it is that all our Joys begin to vanish out of ſight; they are the ſame to us as if they never had been preſent: Than it is that all our Miſeries are every one in View, ſuch Miſeries as never can be paſt, but will for all Eternity be always preſent: When once that Hour comes, we shall be Wiſe enough to undervalue & contemn what we ſo dearly love: But then, I fear, We shall be VViſe too late: Our uſeleſs VViſdom will not riſe in Judgment for us, but against us. O let us now endeavour to be VViſe, & diſengage our Hearts from all inordinate affection to this world; that we may be prepar'd for the receiving of this Grace, which is the beſt & ſureſt Pledge of the Eternall Glory, which we hope for in the world to come.

MOTIVES OF FEAR.

SECT. I. How much it imports us to remember the Day of Judgment.

WHen the Diſciples askt our Saviour what would be the Sign of his Coming and of the End of the VVorld? Math. 24.3. v. 36. Our Saviour anſwerd, that the Day & Hour were not to be known before hand: that his Coming would be like a Flash of Lightning, v. 27. when they leaſt expected Him: Therefore, v. 44. ſays He, be ready; for in ſuch an Hour as you think not, the Son of Man will come: v. 35. Heaven & Earth shall paſs away, but my VVords shall not paſſe away. The World shall have an End. The Son of man shall Come to Judge the World. The Hour of his Coming shall ſurpriſe us, when we think not of it. If we knew before hand, we should certainly prepare: And we have much more reaſon, ſince we do not know it.

But, alas! our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt himſelf has prophecied, v. 38. that As in the days that were before the Floud, they were eating & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage, till the Day that Noe entred the Ark; v. 39. And Knew not, till the Floud came, and took them all away: So alſo, shall be the Coming of the Son of man. He told us how it would be: & every day we ſee how true it is. We mind nothing, but eating & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage; We ſeek for nothing but Diverſion, Sport, & Paſtime; We now Rejoyce; But then, when the World ends, our Joys will end with it; Then we shall Grieve; & not only then, Math. 24.30. but for ever. THEN all the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn.

They shall All mourn. Not All the Juſt; Not All God's Friends, Not All devout & pious Chriſtians; who not only in their Baptiſm, but alſo during Life, renounc'd the Vanities & Pleaſures of this World: All theſe will have juſt reaſon to abound with Joy, at the Approach of their ſo long defir'd, & everlaſting, Happyneſs: Pſal. 126.5. They ſow'd with Tears, but now shall reap with Joy.

All the Tribes of the Earth; All Thoſe whoſe Hearts were always fixt upon the Earth; upon the Honours, Riches, Pleaſures of the Earth; THEY shall All mourn. And not without ſufficient Reaſon. For, 1. They shall ſee the fatall End of all their tranſitory Happyneſs; 2. They shall ſee the ſad Beginning of their everlaſting Miſery.

SECT. II. That our Laſt Day is the fatall End of all our tranſitory Happyneſs.

AS, on the one ſide, Nothing can be truly Little, which is Infinite; So, on the other, Nothing can be truly Great, which has an End. Baruch. 3. v. 25. Our God is Great, ſays the Prophet, & has no End. As if he had a mind to let us underſtand, that God himſelf, with all his other Attributes, would be but little, if He had one: that All this World is therefore inconſiderable: and that the Next is therefore to be valued above all things, becauſe it is a World without End. This is the common Miſery, attending all our Happyneſs. All that is paſt, is Nothing: All that we enjoy at preſent, is but one poor moment: All that is to come, is every moment leſs & leſs, approaching nigher to the finall period of its future Being; which is Nothing.

The very Thought of this is ſo afflicting, that it puts a ſtop to all our joys, & makes us miſerable in the full Carreer of our Felicity: We need no more, to damp our Spirits in the midſt of our enjoyments, than the importunity of this unwellcome Thought; All This will shortly have an End. The Paradiſe of our firſt Parents would have been to them no Paradiſe at all, had they foreſeen the End of it. And when God pleas'd to interdict the eating of the fatall fruit, He ſeem'd to judge that nothing could be more effectuall to contain them in their Duty, than to let them know, that Death should put an End to All, if ever they preſum'd to eat of it. As it was then their chief & only comfort, to ſurvey the vaſt extent & great variety of their Delights, and at the ſame time confidently ſay, All this is ours for ever, if we pleaſe: So it had been impoſſible for any artifice of the malicious Serpent, to ſurpriſe them, or prevail upon them, if He had not flatter'd them with ſome aſſurance, that they should not Die; but ſtill be truly Happy, that is, happy without End.

The Divel dos not now pretend to face us down, VVe shall not Die: He knows that ſo notorious a Cheat would never paſs upon us. But yet, for fear leaſt we should undervalue all the vain allurements of a miſerable World, he whiſpers in our ear, We shall not Die ſo ſoon: he has not the impudence to tell us that the World will never end, but that it will not end ſo ſoon as we imagine: Luke. 12.19. Thou haſt many Goods, ſays the Rich Man in the Ghoſpel, laid up for many years.

This is, in short, the Sum of our Felicity on Earth. The Happyeſt Man, that ever liv'd, could ſay no more than this. He could not ſay, that he had All which he deſir'd: he could not but obſerve, by ſad experience, that he was ſtill unſatisfied, & that his ſmall poſſeſſions were nothing to his Great Deſires. Nor could he ſay, that what he had would always be his own: He could not but be well acquainted with the truth of What Man is; He dayly Dies; He every moment is upon his journey to the Grave; He waſts away, Job. 14.10. gives up the Ghoſt, & VVhere is he? However, he might ſay, to comfort his inſatiable Soul; Although thou haſt not All that that thou canſt wish for, Thou hast MANY Goods; And, though thou canſt not poſſibly enjoy them always, yet they are laid up for MANY years: thy Palace is magnificent, thy Entertainment ſplendid, thy Attendance numerous, thy Gardens are a Paradiſe of pleaſure & delight, thy Honour equall to thy Fortune, & thy Power equall to both; the World admires thee, courts thee, & almoſt adores thee; is not this enough? Thou hast many Goods. And why should any melancholy apprehenſions ſeize thy Spirits, & diſturb thy Mind with fearfull thoughts of looſing what thou haſt? there is no danger, whilſt thou liv'ſt; & thou art in the flower of thy age, juſt ripe for pleaſure, healthy, vigorous, & like to live theſe many years: And what haſt thou to do, but take thy Eaſe, Eat, Drink, Luke. 12.19. & be as Merry, as if thou wert to live for ever?

Behold, the Beſt that we can make of the moſt happy State we hope for here. We dare not look before us, leaſt we ſee the End of All our joys: We blindly dote upon theſe Darlings of our Paſſion, & endeavour to forget the miſery of their Mortality & ours. We are not able to ſupport a ſerious thought of our perpetuall decay; & though we love our ſelves above all things, yet we hate the very ſight of our condition; we cannot endure to look into our ſelves; and as an idle Solitude is ever troubleſome, becauſe we love no company ſo little as our own; ſo the great reaſon, why the company of any other perſon is ſo pleaſing, is becauſe it hinders us from thinking of of our ſelves.

The Greateſt & moſt Happy Man whoſe Heart is fixt upon this World, would ſoon be Melancholy if he had but leiſure to reflect that every Moment lēads him to the Period of his Happyneſs. The dolefull Proſpect of a future Separation is ſo terrible, that he endeavours all he can to think of nothing farther than the preſent. All the buſy Agitation of his mind, the Exerciſes of his body, & the Paſtimes of his Converſation, are delightfull to him chiefly upon this account; becauſe they are Diverſions; that is, becauſe they fix his mind upon the preſent moment, & divert him from the melancholy Thought, that All his Happyneſs muſt have an End.

If the bare thought of our approaching Period be ſo dolefull, even at a diſtance, where Uncertainty gives room to make the moſt we can of our Felicity; if I ſay, the very Thought of it be ſo afflicting; What will the Preſence of it be, when with our own eyes we shall ſee that fatall End which now we are ſo much afraid to think of? We now are merry & rejoyce; becauſe we banish from us the uneaſy Apprehenſion: But then All thoſe who will be ſad Spectators of this dolefull Scene, will be no longer able to divert themſelves from thinking of the Miſery, they ſee before them. Then All the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn. Math. 24.30.

To cloſe the Eyes of any dying Friend we dearly love, is apt to move our tears; although our other Friends who yet ſurvive, are ſtill a comfort to us. But when their Dearest Friend, the VVorld it ſelf, begins to die; When All their Comfort, all at once, forſakes them; When the Sun & Moon grow dark, & the expiring World begins to cloſe its Eyes: THEN they shall All mourn.

When once that diſmall Day is come, which the Prophet Zephaniah calls, the Great Day of the Lord, Ch. 1. v. 13. a Day of Calamity and Miſery, a Day of Darkneſs, a Day of Tribulation & Diſtreſs: When Cataracts of Fire shall shower down upon their heads, as if the Stars themſelves fell from the Firmament: When in the laſt Convulſions of its mortall Agony, the Earth trembles, and Hell it ſelf lies gaping under their feet: Then they shall plainly ſee the meaning of that Viſion in the Revelations, 10.5.6. which repreſents an Angel ſtanding with one foot upon the raging Sea, another on the trembling Land, lifting his hand to Heaven, & ſwearing by Him that lives for ever; Time shall be no more.

Poor miſerable Wretches! There was once a Time, when Honours Dignities & Titles recommended them to the admiring World, whoſe eyes were dazled with the glory of their Greatneſs: They were follow'd, waited on, & celebrated in their Generation: But now, alas! They shall be ſo, No more. There was a Time, when they abounded in the overflowing meaſure of their VVealth; their Palaces were ſumptuous; and All things ſuitable to the aſpiring Height of their Ambition: But now, No more: Their great Magnificence is buried in the ruines of the World; their Gold & Silver melted down into the Earth, from whence it came; and All their Pride lies levell'd with the common Duſt, to which All Things return. There was a Time, when all the ſinfull Pleaſures of the World attended them; when they deny'd their Paſſions nothing that they askt; when they had full Command of All that they deſir'd, & rather cloy'd than ſatisfy'd their brutall appetites: But now, No more. Their Honours, Riches, Pleaſures, All are at an End: Their Time is at an End: Their Time shall be NO MORE.

When, as it happens frequently amongſt the various accidents of Human Life, We are depriv'd of ſome particular Enjoyment which we paſſionately love; though we lament & grieve, yet we have ſtill ſome Comfort left: Tis not a totall deprivation of All that we enjoy: The Damage is ſupported by ſome other Pleaſures & Conveniences. If one Friend die; our other Friends ſurvive. If one forſake us; we may find another faithfull to us. Or, if they all abandon us; yet our misfortune is not univerſall; We have always ſomething left, which we can think upon without affliction, & repoſe our wearied Thoughts. He that is dangerouſly Sick of one or two diſeaſes, is not at the ſame time ſick of all the reſt. Whatever his condition is, he always has ſome hopes of being better: And although theſe hopes are very little, They are ſtill ſome little Comfort to a Man in Miſery. But when this Dreadfull Day is come, which putts an end to Time, it putts an end to All their Hopes; All that they ever lov'd, or now deſire, abandons them; their Inclinations are more lively than they ever were, & All are diſappointed. Then All the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn; to ſee the fatall End of All their tranſitory Happyneſs. But, alas! this is not All: They shall have much more reaſon to lament & grieve, when at the ſame time they behold the Sad Beginning of their Everlaſting Miſery.

SECT. III. That our Laſt Day is the Sad Beginning of our Everlaſting Miſery.

WE have ſeen the dreadfull ſymptoms of an agonizing World; the terrible Convulſions of expiring Nature; & the finall End of All that Sinners love with ſo much Paſſion: an End of all Ambition, Avarice, & Pleaſure; an End of all their Honours, Riches, & Amours; an End of politick Deſigns, of ancient Families, of nuptiall Joys; an End of idle Converſations, Balls, & Plays; an End of Beauty, Wit, & Courage; an End of all their Feaſting, Drinking, & Diverting; an End of all their Mirth, Delight, & Paſtime; And, which of all things is moſt terrible to a deſpairing Soul, an End of Sin, but not an End of the Sinner; an End of Pleaſure, but not an End of Pain; an End of Time, but not an End of their Eternity, which will eternally Begin, and never have an End. After Hundreds, Thouſands, Millions, not of Years but Ages; if we may ſuppoſe that Heaven & Earth, with all that they contain, were chang'd into numerall figures; at the foot of the Account, whatever it amounts to, you may find it witten, Here Eternity Begins. Moreover, if you multiply this number by it ſelf, & by the ſame rule multiply the Product of it, All is Nothing to Eternity; Wherever this innumerable number ends, Eternity Begins.

If All be Nothing to Eternity, What will the inconſiderable number of thoſe years which Sinners prodigally ſpend in Sin, What will it then appear to be? Will it not ſeem incomparably leſſe than Nothing? And will not Sinners then have too much reaſon to lament, that for ſo short a Moment, ſo much leſſe than Nothing, they have forfeited the eternall Joys of Heaven, & incurr'd the everlaſting Pains of Hell? VVhat is a man advantag'd, Luke. 9.25. ſays our Saviour, if he gain the whole world, & loſe himſelf? Alas! poor Souls, what Comfort is it to have gain'd the World, & loſt your Selves? to have loſt all Happyneſs, & gain'd (If I may call it Gain) all Miſery, and All for Nothing.

What Pains, & by what Means, they are to ſuffer, is a queſtion fitter for our Curioſity than our Edification. Tis enough, to know as much of Hell, as the Apoſtle tells us of Heaven: Neither the Eye has ſeen, 1. Cor. 2.9. not the Ear heard, not has it entred into the Heart of any man, what unſpeakable Pains & Torments the Almighty has prepar'd in the next life, for thoſe who have in this offended Him. Tis enough that God is certainly as Juſt as He is God, & therefore infinitely Juſt. Tis enough that the Enormity of Sin, which He ſo patiently endures, is aggravated by the Greatneſs of his Majeſty, & therefore infinitely Infinite. It follows evidently hence, that All All the moſt effectuall & moſt proper Means which God's great Wiſdom can invent, All that his Juſtice By the Eternall Rule of his Decree can exact, & All that his Omnipotence According to the rigour of the Sentence. can put in execution will be All employd to punish thoſe who have offended him. It follows alſo that it is as much impoſſible for any man to comprehend the great exceſs of thoſe eternall Pains, as 'tis to underſtand God's Wiſdom, Juſtice & Omnipotence, All which are infinitely rais'd above the reach of human Reaſon. However we may eaſily conjecture ſomething, by conſidering God's Juſtice in this World, & judging thence, what it may be hereafter.

If the Juſt themſelves are ſo ſeverely punisht in this World, if it be true, as the Pſalmiſt ſays, 34.19. Many are the Aſſlictions of the Righteous; if even God's Friends, who are ſo faithfull to him, undergo ſuch punishments for little failings in their Duty; what will become of his Enemies, who forfeit all their Title to his Friendship, by their grievous Sins?

If in the days of overflowing Mercy, which appear'd ſo eminently above all his Works, he gave ſuch ſignall inſtances of his avenging Anger; if even when his Pity (in a manner) held his hands, the Fury of His Wrath broke looſe, & with an univerſall Deluge laid the world ſo deep in water, that amongſt ſo many millions not a ſingle Sinner could eſcape: what will become of miſerable Sinners at the Day of Judgment, when the End of Time shall put an end to all his Goodneſs, all his Kindneſs, all his Mercy, & begin the Triumph of Eternall Juſtice? When our God will be to us no longer Good, no longer Kind, no longer Mercifull, but only Juſt; eternally, & infinitely Juſt?

Our Saviour Jeſus will not then appear as the Phyſician Tis too late to be Cur'd or Redeem'd. & Redeemer of our Souls, but only as the Judge of all our Actions: And even to his Friends As Judge he appoints them that place. at his Right Hand, He will not shew himſelf in any other Quality: The very Sentence of their Happyneſs will be an Act of Juſtice only Not an Act of Pardon. not of Mercy: Our Lord, ſays the Apoſtle, at that Day will be a Righteous Judge. Tis true, 'twas nothing but the mercifull Aſſiſtance of his Grace which heretofore enabled them to ſight, and finish well their Courſe; But now, in the Rewarding of his Friends according to his Promiſe No longer inclind to Pardon. He's no longer Mercifull, if we beleeve S. Paul, but only RIGHTEOUS and JUST.

If at that Day He would b • Mercifull to any, He woul • ſurely be ſo to his Friends And ſince the Beſt & Faith fulleſt of all his Servant find no Mercy Tis too late to ask for Mercy. at the Tryall, Can his Enemi • expect it? Tis call'd th • Day of Judgment, to diſtinguish it from all theſe othe • Days of Mercy: And if in theſe He shower'd dow • Fire from Heaven, 'tis no wonder if in thoſe the Star • themſelves will ſeem to fall▪ If Sodom and Gomorrh were conſum'd, tis eaſy to beleeve that then the Earth will All of it be laid in Ashes But, alas! this univerſal • Deluge of devouring Fire together with the Darkneſ • of the Sun & Moon, the roarings of the Sea, and howlings of the Wind & Air, All this is but a Prelude to the Miſery of Sinners; This is only the Beginning of their ſorrows; Math. 24.8. This is nothing but their Summons to appear before the Bar; And 'tis the dreadfull Appprehenſion of their Judgment & Damnation which torments them with an agonizing Fear.

There was a Time, when Life was ſweet; but now they hate it. There was once a Time, when the deſpair of Living was their greateſt Pain; but now, the Scene is chang'd, & the deſpair of Dying is incomparably more tormenting. In thoſe days, ſays the beloved Diſciple, Men shall ſeek Death, Revel. 9.6. & shall not find it, They shall deſire to Die, & Death shall fly from them. There was a Time, when Sinners laught at all the Fears and Apprehenſions of this Day; Eccleſ. 3.4. but now the Time of laughing will be paſt; nor will it be, as Salomon calls it, a Time to mourn: it will not be a Time, but an Eternity to mourn.

Then All the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn. Not only Thoſe who whilſt they liv'd were thought to carry viſibly the mark of Reprobation in their foreheads; but alſo ſuch as liv'd great Saints in the eſteem of men, & died great Sinners in the Sight of God; shall then deſire to die again, & ſeek for an Eternall Death, & shall not find it. Then shall their conceal'd Abominations, all their shamefull Actions, all their ſecret Works of Darkneſs, come to light. Then nothing shall be coverd, nothing ſo induſtriouſly hid, Math. 10.26. but what shall be reveal'd to all the World. Nor only Thoſe who took ſuch care to hide their Sins from others, but even thoſe who formerly were uſ'd to hide them from themſelves, shall clearly ſee the Malice of their palliated Crimes: Math. 24.30. Then they shall SEE; and Then they shall MOURN.

We now are willing to live peaceably & quietly within our ſelves; We do not much delight in the remorſes of a guilty mind; and therefore we contrive ſome kind of Conſcience for every thing we do. We are uneaſy at the thought of everlaſting pains; & therefore, if we ever take our ſelves to task, we rake together all we can to make a favourable judgment of our State. As the Examen rather is deſign'd to pleaſe our ſelves, than God, tis generally very ſuperficial. We look upon our Actions all in groſſe, without enquiring much into the drift & cheif deſign of them: We look upon the outward shew; the approbation, & eſteem of men; The example of ſome, who paſſe for good & virtuous, and yet have often done the ſame as we do; Our being free (as we ſuppoſe) from many faults which we obſerve not in our Selves; Our great abhorrence of ſome certain Sins, which we obſerve in others; Our being punctually & religiouſly preciſe in ſome ſmall matters, ſome exteriour mortifications, ſome particular devotions, which we take a fancy to: And thus we frame a falſe Idea of the miſerable State we shall be found in, when we come before the Bar. We now are proud, & willing to excuſe our ſelves: but then the Teſtimony of our clearer ſighted Conſcience will confound & humble us. Our Paſſions blind us now; we ſee not what we truly are: But then the Sun of Juſtice will ariſe, & ſcatter all the darkneſs which conceals us from our ſelves. The piercing rays, the All-diſcovering beams of Truth will break like lightning through the Clouds of our affected ignorance, when once the Son of Man appears, to judge the World.

If there were any poſſibility of cheating his All-ſeeing Wiſdom; of calling back the time of his indulgent Mercy; or eſcaping from the hands of his Allmighty Power: Were there any poſſibility of this; or were there any Friend from whom the Guilty might expect the leaſt aſſiſtance; it would be ſome litle Comfort.

They had once a true & faithfull Friend, who dearly lov'd them; came from Heaven to inſtruct them, & conduct them thither; liv'd a painfull & laborious life amongſt them; & although neglected, ſcorn'd, & perſecuted by them, yet continued conſtant in his Love, & to redeem them, paid their Ranſom with the price of his own Bloud. But now their beſt and only Friend becomes their greateſt Enemy. He lov'd them once: But Love ſo long neglected & ſo much abus'd, is now quite chang'd into a mortall & eternall Hatred. He invited all of them to come to Him whenever they had need of his Aſſiſtance; Math. 11.28. Come to me All you that labour: But now, alas! it is too late to come: His Patience now is ſpent; & in the Fury of his everlaſting indignation He for ever banishes them from Him: Math. 25.41. Go from Me ye accurſed. Go Ambitious Souls, & leave your honourable Titles all behind you; go & ſeek the beſt preferment you can find amongſt the Divel & his Angells: Ibid. v. 41. Go Infatiable Miſers; go, & take poſſeſſion of that Miſery which you have purchas'd with the loſs of your beloved Treaſure: Go Voluptuous Wretches; you who formerly have wisht your Flames might ever burn; Go now, & Burn for ever, in the everlaſting Flames of Hell.

Behold, the dreadfull Sentence, we muſt All expect, Luke. 21.36. unleſs we follow his Advice who then will be our Judge: VVatch therefore, ſays He, & Pray always; that you may then be accounted worthy to eſcape, & ſtand before the Son of Man. Alas! Our dear Redeemer takes no pleaſure in Condemning us. No Man, ſays S. Auſtin, who deſigns to ſtrike us, bids us have a Care. Our Saviour often warns us, often calls upon us, often bids us Have a care. S. Paul exhorts us in his Name: Rom. 13.11. Tis Now the Hour for us to Riſe from ſleep: Tis now the Hour to go with tears of true Repentance to the Throne of Grace; that then we may appear with Confidence & Joy before the great Tribunal his Juſtice: Tis now the Hour to hearken to Him, Math. 11.28. Come to me All you that labour; that then we may be ſure to hear him call us to Him, Come ye Bleſſed; Math. 25.34. Come & reap the Fruit of all your labours; Come & Take poſſeſſion of thoſe Everlaſting Joys, which were prepar'd for you, from the Foundation of the VVorld. Amen.

MOTIVES OF HOPE.

SECT. I. How unreaſonable a thing it is for any Sinner to Deſpair.

THe greateſt Miſtery of Chriſtian Morality conſiſts in the equall ballancing of Hope & Fear, betwixt God's Mercy & his Juſtice; that we may neither be ſecure in Sin, becauſe he 〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉 is ſo Mercifull; nor yet deſpond, becauſe he is ſo Juſt. Preſumption & Deſpair are the two Rocks 'twixt which all Chriſtians ought to ſteer an even courſe; & ſo avoid the One as not to dash upon the Other. Tis perhaps the greateſt Secret of the Divel's Art. He firſt inclines us to Preſume; And we no ſooner ſee the danger of it; but he tempts us to Deſpair. Thus he commences; Thus he finishes his work.

I muſt confeſs The greateſt part of Mankind being ſo inſenſible, ſo ſtupid, ſo immerſt in wordly cares & pleaſures, is enough to juſtifie the pious zeal of thoſe who frequently proclaim the menaces of an offended Majeſty, & with the formidable noiſe of Hell, Damnation, & everlaſting Torments labour to awake & rouſe them from the Lethargy of ſin. But, when they are awake, & looking round about them, take a proſpect of their miſerable State; when every horrid Crime appears in its own dreadfull shape; when Multitudes of paſt offenſes croud into their minds, and overwhelm their heavy thoughts with a deſpairing expectation of no leſſe than everlaſting Miſery: Alas! poor Souls, it is not now a ſeaſonable time to magnifie the motives of their Fear. If ever Comfort & Encouragement were neceſſary to allay the pains & anguishes of a deſpairing Soul; Now is the time. What shall we ſay? Tell them, they need not fear? Oh no: The malice of their grievous ſins is infinite; The danger of their lamentable State is greater than they can imagine: Let but their Hope be equall to their Fear, they cannot fear too much. How then shall we encourage their expiring Hope? I'l tell you how.

If God were only Juſt, & were not alſo Powerfull and Mercifull, a Sinner then might lawfully deſpair: But when God's Power and Mercy both concurr to comfort the deſponding Heart of an afflicted Penitent, What can he wish for more? There are but two conditions requiſite to qualify the Perſon, upon whoſe aſſiſtance we depend, that we may ſafely hope, & with a loving confidence aſſure ourſelves of his Protection. The firſt is; that he can relieve us, if he will: the ſecond; that he will relieve us, if we pleaſe. VVill, without Power, ſignifies but little: Power, without Will, ſignifies much leſs: But when they both meet in the perſon of a Friend, to whom we always have a free acceſs; who certainly can help us, if he will; & no leſs certainly will help us, if we pleaſe: Then, let our preſent miſery be never ſo great, let the approaching danger of our future ruine every day ſeem greater; we may with trembling hearts expect the helping Hand which can and will deliver us; but all our Fear can never exclude our Hope; it cannot rob us of that comfort, ſatisfaction, & joy, which ſo much Confidence inſuch a Friend inſpires.

If when a Sinner ſtrugles with his Chains; endeavours to break looſe; and more he ſtrugles, more he finds himſelf engag'd; (which the All-ſeeing Wiſdom frequently permitts, to humble a proud Soul:) If then theſe two great Truths were ſettled in his Mind, to wit, that God can free him, if He will; & that He will not fail to free him, if he pleaſe; O! with what pleaſure would he relish the aſſurance of this loving Confidence! with how much tranſport of a joyfull mind; would he recite thoſe words of S. Paul, 1. Tim. 1.12. I know in whom I have beleev'd; I know in whom I put my truſt; I know, & am perſuaded, He is able to deliver me. I am aſſur'd, He is not only Powerfull but Mercifull; and therefore I am certain He both can and will aſſiſt me.

SECT. II. That God can help us if he will.

DIvinity and boundleſs Power are ſo much the ſame, that no man can deny the one, & own the other. There is no Truth ſo evident, in which the World ſo univerſally agrees, as God's Omnipotence. Every body knows that Nothing is impoſſible to God. Tis one of the firſt Truths which a Philoſopher demonſtrates, or a Chriſtian beleeves. Almighty is his Name; the Name we know him by; the Name He anſwers to, when ever we call upon Him.

What need I then diſcourſe upon a Truth, which every body knows? The reaſon is, Becauſe although we know it well enough, We very ſeldom, hardly ever, think of it.

We all know Nothing is impoſſible to God: and that the lamentable State of a poor Sinner cannot be ſo deſperate, but that He can retrieve him. And yet how little do we think of this, when we are tempted to deſpair? Do we not then behave our ſelves as if we doubted of it? I am afraid that, at the beſt, we pray like him, of whom S. Mark makes mention; Lord, Ch. 9. v. 22. If Thou CANST do any thing, have compaſsion on us, & help us. I fear we often are incredulous, and have juſt reaſon to repeat with tears his humble prayer; Lord, I beleeve, v. 23. help Thou my unbelief.

If David, that great Saint according to God's heart, 1. Sam 13.14. who looking back to take a view of all his paſt iniquities, ſaw at a diſtance only ſome few Sins, which he had long ſince washt away with penitentiall tears; if He could ſcarce ſupport the terrour of that melancholy proſpect, Pſ. 38. v. 3.4.6.10. as he ſays himſelf, & all day long went mourning for his Sins; if his heart panted, & his ſtrength fail'd him; if had no reſt, becauſe he was over head in his iniquities, which like a heavy burden were too heavy for him; If He, I ſay, were thus perplext with Fear, & almoſt ready to Deſpair of his Salvation; Have not I Juſt cauſe to apprehend much more the Danger of ſuch Doubts in greater Sinners, who are almoſt ſurfeited with Sin, before they ſeriouſly begin to look behind them & compute the terrible arrears of all their paſt Offences?

I muſt confeſs, the difficulties which occurr in the converſion of a Sinner, are inſuperable, if compar'd to the weak ſtrength of our corrupted Nature; and if the poſſibility of working our Salvation be conſider'd only with regard to human Frailty, there appears no hope of compaſſing ſo great a Work. Such is the Ignorance & Blindneſs of our Ʋnderstanding; Such is the Malice & Perverſneſs of our VVill; Our Inclinations are ſo prone to liberty; & the Reſtraint of our unreaſonable Humours is ſo ſenſibly uneaſy to us; that a thorough Reformation of our Lives is far above our ſingle ſtrength. Without the Grace of God, we neither have the Wiſdom to contrive it, nor the Courage to begin it, nor the Power to perform it.

But yet this Darkneſs of our Reaſon, though we cannot of our ſelves diſpell it, may be diſſipated by a lively Faith in Him who enlightens every man that comes in to the World: Jo. 1.9. This Depravation & Corruption of our VVill, (although it be to us alone impoſſible) may by the ſweet & forcible impulſes of a powerfull Grace be chang'd & rectified: This obſtinate Rebellion of our Appetite againſt the Rule of Reaſon, & the Precepts of a Chriſtian life, (though we have often found our Selves unable to reduce it to the terms of juſt Obedience) may eaſily be conquerd by Omnipotence.

If Sin have ſo much blinded us, that we can hardly ſee our Danger: If the Noiſe of Wordly vanities have made us almoſt deaf to all good counſell: If the Habit of our Sins have lam'd us, ſo that we can ſcarcely move a foot towards Heaven: If we are blind, deaf, lame, nay even dead to God & all that's good, (no Perſon can be in a worſe condition than this) All this is nothing to the powerfull hand of God: Such miracles as theſe were his familiar Exerciſe on Earth: The blind ſee, the deaf hear, Math. 11.5. the lame walk, the dead are rais'd to liſe. All this our God can eaſily perform, in favour of us, whenſoêre He pleaſes.

Lord, if thou wilt, ſays the Leprous man, Math. 8.2. thou CANST make me clean. Let the diſeaſes of a ſinfull Soul be ever ſo inveterate, ſo deeply rooted in the heart, He clearly and diſtinctly comprehends the nature of them all: He knows exactly the proportion & virtue of his Remedies: And all of them obey the word of his Command; I will, Math. 8.3. ſays He, Be thou cleans'd; (when once God ſays the word, the work is done) immediatly his Leproſie was cleans'd.

Create in me, Pſ. 50. O my God, Create in me a clean Heart. I ask not any thing but what is eaſy to Thee. Alas! it is to me impoſſible: but Thou, my God, canſt do it with more eaſe than I can ask it. Behold my miſery with pity & compaſſion. Behold me indigent & naked, cloath'd with nothing but the horrid ſcurf of my Uncleanneſs. Behold me blind, deaf, lame; & almoſt dead with a contagious leproſie of Sin, which covers me from head to foot, & has not left a ſound part in me. Conſcious of my unworthyneſs, after ſo long neglecting my condition, after ſo long confiding in my own weak ſtrength, after ſo long deſpairing of my health, becauſe I thought I could do any thing, & found I could not cure my ſelf; Conſcious, I ſay, of my Unworthyneſs, I ſcarce pretend to ask for Mercy: I only caſt my ſelf upon my knees & face proſtrate before thy Feet, expoſing & laying open all my grievous diſtempers, which, every one of them (though I am humbly ſilent) every one ſpeaks loudly my neceſſities, & begs with all the moving eloquence of Miſery thy pity & aſſiſtance. I know my Sins provoke thy Juſtice, whilſt my Miſery appeals to thy Almighty Power: But thy faithfull ſervant David tells me, that the Iſraelites provokt Thee alſo; & nevertheleſs, not for their ſake, but for thy Name's ſake Thou waſt pleas'd to ſave them; Pſal. 106.8. that Thou might'ſt make thy mighty Power known. This is the firſt Foundation of my Hope: I know the Credit of thy Power is engag'd in their behalf, who truſt entirely in it, firmly expect it, & depend upon it: And therefore, in this poſture, I preſent my ſelf with loving Confidence before thy Feet, reſolving there to expect with all Humility & Patience when thou shalt pleaſe to caſt an eye upon me, and either find the Benefit of being cur'd, or (which appears to me impoſſible) die in the hands of an omnipotent Phyſician. Ah my dear Jeſus! This is all that I can do: And even This I cannot do without thy Grace: But, when I have done This, my Comfort is, that Thou canſt do the reſt: Lord if Thou wilt, Math. 8.2. Thou canst make me clean.

Dear Chriſtians, let us pauſe a while, & with a ſerious attention behold this Leper at our Saviour's feet: Behold the lively Image of a Sinner, & the perfect Model of a Penitent: Behold both what we are, & what we ought to be: In his Diſeaſe, we ſee our Miſery; in his Behaviour, we ſee our Duty: in his Diſeaſe, we ſee the ſad effects of Sin; we ſee the ſtrong temptations & aſſaults of a moſt terrible Deſpair: In his Behaviour, we ſee the fruits of true Repentance, we ſee the victory of a triumphant▪ Hope, & the great comfort which attends a loving Confidence in God's Omnipotence.

O what a Comfort is it to an humble Penitent, to be aſſur'd that as God gives him All he has, ſo He can give him All he wants! If we are almoſt quite oppreſs'd with thoſe aridities & deſolations of Mind, which none can know but by experience; S. Paul tells us, 2. Cor. 9.8. God is able to make all Grace abound in us: If we labour under the perpetuall violence of importune temptations; the ſame S. Paul aſſures us, Hebr. 2.18. God is able to ſuccour thoſe that are tempted: If our temptations are ſo ſtrong, & we ſo negligent that after ſome reſiſtance we relapſe into our Sins; if we riſe again, & yet fall; if we renew our Reſolutions, & when we think our ſelves ſecureſt, are ſurpris'd & fall again; S. Paul aſſures us, Rom. 14.4. God is able to make us ſtand: If having tried all ways we can imagine, we are at a loſſe, & know not either what to think or what to ask; Epheſ. 3.20. the ſame Saint tells us, God is able to do exceeding aboundantly, above all that we can ask or think.

Is any thing too hard for God? Geneſ. 18.14. Can any thing be hard to him whoſe Power is infinite, & whoſe VVill is his Power? 1. Sam. 2.6. Our Lord kills, & makes alive; brings to the grave, & raiſes up: His Power accompanys our Souls as far as the Gates of Hell it ſelf, & brings them back again. Although your Soul quite overgrown with ſin, may be (perhaps) in the All-ſeeing Eye of God, a much more horrid object than the fouleſt Divel in Hell; Nevertheleſs go confidently with the Leper to our Saviour; croud in amongſt the multitudes that follow Him; caſt your ſelf down upon your knees & face; Say, with a truly contrite truly humble heart, Math. 8.2. Lord if thou wilt, thou CANST make me clean: Then shall you hear him graciouſly return that comfortable anſwer; I will; Be thou clean: Then shall you be tranſported with exceſs of joy, to find & feel the truth of what I now advance; to wit, that God not only can relieve us if he will, but alſo will relieve us if we pleaſe.

SECT. III. That God will help us if we pleaſe.

ALthough God's Power be the firſt Foundation of our Hope; his Mercy, always ready to aſſiſt us, is the principall, if not the only, Motive of it. This was the comfortable Meditation with which the Royall Prophet counterballanc'd all his Fears; Pſal. 26.3. Thy Mercy, ſays he, Thy loving Kindneſs is always before my eyes. Without this comfort he would never have ſupported the remorſes of his Conſcience; Pſal. 50.4. his Sin was ever before him: His continuall Apprehenſions and frightfull Thoughts would certainly have driven him into a deep Deſpair, Pſal. 26.3. had not God's Mercy alſo always been before him. The very thought of God reviv'd his drooping Spirits: he could not ſo much as think of Him, without thinking of his Mercy: to be God, & to be Mercifull, were to him one & the ſelf ſame thing: 59.17. my God is my defence, ſays he, & the God of my Mercy. If he lifted up his eyes to Heaven, with enflam'd deſires of being happy there; he ador'd that Mercy which preſerv'd the Angells, & rewarded them with Glory: Thy Mercy, O Lord, 36.5. is in the Heavens. If he lookt down, & took a proſpect of this vale of miſeries; he admir'd, to ſee God's Mercy ſtoop ſo low, to ſee it moſt appear where there is moſt occaſion for it, to ſee it ſuperabound where Sin abounds: 33.5. The Earth is full of his Mercy. If he lookt before him he beheld God's Mercy ſtarting firſt, preventing, & forerunning all his good deſigns & entrepriſes: 59.10. His Mercy will prevent me. If he lookt behind him, he beheld the ſelf ſame Mercy following him, promoting, carrying on, & perfecting his good Endeavours: 23.6. His Mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life. Which way ſoever he caſt his eye, he ſaw himſelf defended & ſurrounded with God's Mercy; himſelf the Center, Mercy the Circumference: 32.10. Him that trusts in God, Mercy shall compaſs him about: Thus did this Saint, who once had been a Sinner, Thus did he comfort & encourage his afflicted Soul, when ever the remembrance of his Sins oppreſs'd his Mind: And thus may we, in imitation of him, Thus may we alſo anſwer all the troubleſome ſuggeſtions of our panik Fears; confronting Sin with Grace, Juſtice with Mercy, Fear with Hope & loving Confidence in him, whoſe Mercy ſtill is infinite, 100.5. & always will be ſo; His Mercy is Everlaſting.

All this, you'l ſay, is little comfort to a Sinner, who is day & night obſeſst with all the terrifying Spectres of a guilty Conſcience. Every body knows, that God is infinitely Mercifull. But yet the Word of God aſſures us, & it is a fundamentall Truth which every Chriſtian is acquainted with; Math. 22.14. Math. 7.14. That few are choſen amongſt many which are call'd; that the Gate which leads to Life is ſtrait & narrow; & that there are but few who find it: ſo that all the ſplendid Appearance of God's Mercy, when 'tis well examin'd ſeems to vanish out of ſight, or shrink into a little compaſs, if compar'd with the innumerable numbers of thoſe Reprobates, Rom. 9.22. who are prepar'd and fitted for Deſtruction. Is not this enough to make a Sinner tremble? A Sinner who is conſcious to himſelf of being much more guilty in the ſight of God, than many millions of thoſe Souls who are already gone before him, & already ſuffer the eternall flames of Hell?

Theſe Thoughts, I muſt confeſſe, are Terrible. To him whoſe eyes are open by God's grace to ſee the malice of his Sins, & ſee Death, Judgment, & Damnation attend; Such thoughts as theſe, to ſuch a man, are terrible beyond expreſſion. But however, if a man be more afraid than hurt, where is the harm of all his Fear? Are we not All oblig'd to humble our proud hearts under the powerfull hand of God, 1. Pet. 5.6. Phil. 2.12. and work out our Salvation with Fear & Trembling? Is not our obligation to fear, conſiſtent with our greater motives, greater obligations to hope? Tis one of the moſt dangerous miſtakes that we are ſubject to. We ſeem to fancy that our Fear deſtroys our Hope; & that we cannot hope unleſs we ceaſe to fear. We take theſe two Affections of the Mind for mortall Enemies, becauſe their humours are ſo oppoſite. But, as that Friendship is the greateſt, which no difference of Humour can divide: So, if we examine well the matter, we shall find that Fear & Hope are ſuch inſeparable Friends, they cannot poſſibly ſubſiſt without each other's company; The Separation of the one, is certainly the Death & Ruine of the Other. Fear, without Hope, degenerates into Deſpair. Hope, without Fear, is now no longer Hope, but dangerous Preſumption. If now & then our Minds are troubled & perplext with Fear; We muſt not therefore preſently conclude, that we have loſt our Hope: No, no; We should have loſt it, if we did not fear.

If the Conſideration of God's Juſtice make a Sinner tremble; he may lawfully deſire to be deliver'd from the uneaſyneſs, the pain, & the anxiety, which are the troubleſome Companions of his Fear: But, as for Fear it ſelf, 'tis an eſſentiall Duty of a Chriſtian, which cannot upon any terms admitt a Diſpenſation. If the unſearchable Deſigns and Secrets of God's Providence are apt to fill our Souls with apprehenſions & fears; this only helps us to perform the one half of our Duty, without prejudicing the performance of the other: for the more we fear his Juſtice, ſo much more we haſten to the shelter of his Mercy.

This was the only Refuge which the Royall Prophet had recourſe to, in his days of trouble, Pſal. 77.2. v. 9. when his Soul refus'd to be Comforted. Has God, ſays he, forgotten to be gracious? v. 8. Has He shut up, in Anger, all his tender Mercies? Is his Mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his Promiſe fail for evermore? Oh no; His promiſe cannot fail: He can no more deceive, than be deceiv'd. He has ſign'd his promiſe more than once in Scripture: And with a ſolemn Oath He has deliver'd it. A Promiſe & an Oath which, by Commiſſion from Himſelf, his Miniſters are order'd to make uſe of.

When Sinners are dejected with Temptations of Deſpair: Ezek. 33.10. When their Tranſgreſſions & their Sins lie heavy upon them: When they begin to pine away with Fear, & melancholy Thoughts of never being able to recover: What shall we ſay, to comfort them?

Say to them, Ezek. 33.11.14. ſays the Prophet: If the wicked turn from his ſin; if he repent; if he amend, v. 15. & walk in the Statutes of Life; He shall ſurely live, (& what can be more ſure, ſince God himſelf is pleas'd to ſay it?) v. 15. He shall ſurely live; He shall not die. v. 16. None of the ſins he has committed, shall be ever mention'd to him; he shall hear of them no more; they shall not riſe in judgment againſt him: God himſelf has promis'd, v. 16. He shall ſurely live; He shall not die?

Say to them again; and ſay it boldly, in his Name whoſe Juſtice makes them tremble: Ezek. 33.11. As I live, ſays the Lord God, I have no pleaſure in the Death of the wicked; but that the VVicked turn from his way, & Live. Return, ſays He, Return from your evill ways: VVhy will you die?

VVhy will you Die? As who should ſay; you may live if you will; I always am at hand, prepar'd to help you, if you heartily repent; you know, you may recover, if you have a mind to it; you know, that if you die, it is becauſe you will: As I Live have no pleaſure in your Death, and therefore I have reaſon to complain, VVhy WILL you Die?

Dear Chriſtians, What can we wish for more? We know that God can help us if He will. Whether He will or no, we need no farther proof, than his own Word. We have his Word: We have his Oath: He cannot take his own Great Name in vain; And He has ſworn by his own Life, He has no pleaſure in our Death; He dos not, of himſelf, deſire it; but that we return & live. O! we are happy; O beatos, quo rum causâ Deus jurat! O miſeros, ſi nec juranti Domino credimus! for whoſe ſake God ſwears! But O! how miſerable are we; if, when God himſelf is pleas'd to ſwear, we can't beleeve Him!

If Deeds are better proof than Words, Let us paſs from what He has ſaid, to what He has done. What has. He done for Sinners? Or rather, What has He not done? For them He came from Heaven; for them He lived a pain full life on Earth; for them He died upon the Croſs. Math. 9.13. I came not, ſays He, to call the Juſt, but Sinners; He came, becauſe 'twas neceſſary he should come: And therefore for their ſakes, for whom it was moſt neceſſary, for them he principally came. He never was ſo kind to any, as to Sinners. All his Converſation was in their Company, He made it his chief buſineſs to oblige them, He follow'd them from place to place, He thought of nothing elſe but how to gain their love, He came with a deſign to enflame their hearts, He brought down fire from Heaven with him, & wisht for nothing more than that this fire might burn. His more than ordinary Kindneſs was in all occaſions ſo viſibly remarkable, that He was taken notice of, & pointed at. The Phariſees were ſcandaliz'd to to ſee't. And in thoſe days, it was his great Reproach; He was too much a Friend to Publicans & Sinners. Math. 11.19. All this while, alas! they little underſtood his Buſineſs upon Earth. His great Compaſſion of their Miſery, was the occaſion of his coming: And ſince their Indigence firſt brought him from above, it was no wonder the Relieving of it was his chief Employment here below. He came as a Phyſician to his dying Friends, whom He moſt dearly lov'd; & therefore took moſt care, & was the moſt concern'd, for thoſe who were moſt dangerouſly ſick. Thus did our God behave himſelf to Sinners. Thus did he love his Enemies; and treat them as his deareſt Friends. Thus did He live to ſerve them, till at length He died to ſave them.

S. Paul concludes from hence, Rom. 5.10. We now have much more Hope than ever. For if when we were Enemies, we then were reconcil'd to God; undoubtedly we now have much more reaſon, being reconcil'd, to hope we shall be ſav'd. If then, before he ſent his only Son, God lov'd his Enemies ſo dearly as to ſend him: We may well conclude, that ſince He came amongſt us, ſince He interpos'd betwixt us & his Father's Anger, ſince He died to reconcile us to Him, ſince He roſe again, Rom. 8.34. & at the right hand of his Father is our Advocate in Heaven, making interceſsion for us; ſurely now our humble Supplications, joyn'd with his, & offer'd in his Name, Jo. 14. v. 15. will for his ſake be much more eaſily receiv'd. If then a Contrite & an Humble Heart was always ſo agreable, He never would deſpiſe it; Will He now refuſe it? If the Totall Sum of all the horrid Crimes of Mankind during ſeverall Ages, if the Malice of them All together, could not any way divert the courſe of overflowing Mercy; if it could not hinder Him from ſending Jeſus to redeem the World; How can we think, the Greatneſs of our Sins can hinder Him from having Mercy on us, when we heartily repent?

Let us therefore, once for all, humbly confeſs, & own our Fault. The Truth is; We are proud, & willing to excuſe our ſelves. We are willing to lay the blame of our Impenitence at our Creator's door, & ſay; He will not pardon us; He will not give us Grace; He will not ſave us: When, if we well examine, we shall find the blame is always ours; We will not repent; We will not comply with his Grace; in a word, We will not be ſav'd.

All we can ſay, in our defence, is that our ſins are great, God will not look upon ſuch grievous Sinners as we are. I cannot, ſay they are not great, or that we are not grievous Sinners: But, that therefore God will never look upon us, is as falſe as the Word of God is true. He hates the Sin, but loves the Sinner: He hates the Leproſie, but loves the Leper: S. Aug. Conf. lib. 8. cap. 3. And, as a Mercifull Father, He rejoyces more, at the Repentance of one Sinner, than the Innocence of ninety nine who do not ſtand in need of it.

Let us therefore, once again, humbly acknowledg, & confeſs our Fault. We only pretend our Leproſie is ſo inveterate, God will not ſuffer us to come into his ſight, He will not cure us, He will not make us clean. The Truth is; we are ſo negligent, ſo ſtupid, ſo inſenſible of our condition, that though we now & then are terrified to ſee the Danger of it, nevertheleſs we will not make our Supplications to Him as we ought, We will not be cur'd, We will not be cleans'd.

DANGER OF DELAY.

SECT. I. Hew apt we are to differr Repentance.

THat we are, All of us, ſome time or other, betwixt this & Death, oblig'd under pain of Eternall Damnation to rouſe our ſleepy ſouls from the bewitching Lethargy of Sin; is an important Truth, which no man can diſpute. We All are fully ſatisfied, that if we live in the ſtate of Sin, if our Affections are criminall, if our Hearts are divided betwixt Heaven & Earth; we muſt, before we Die Repent and Mend, or we are loſt for ever. Luke. 12.3. Ʋnleſs we repent, we shall All perish.

This we agree upon: Our difficulty lies not in the knowing, but in the performing of our Duty. When we diſcourſe with our Selves in generall terms, what it is we ought to do; the Debate ſoon comes to an Iſſue: But, as we deſcend to the particulars of when and how; We come not ſo eaſily to a Reſolution, about the Time. We ſuppoſe that we are able, at our pleaſure, to change our Hearts, ſubdue our Paſſions & reform our Lives: But our Hearts, at preſent, are otherwiſe engag'd; our Paſſions are youthfull, and very importune; our way of Life, though none of the beſt, is ſuitable to the common Maxims of the World; And what haſt, I pray, to do juſt now, what may be done as eaſily another time, when ever we pleaſe? Beſides, the preſent Circumſtances are very particular: An abrupt Diſengagement would now go very much againſt the hair: We had better, for a time, content our Paſſions, & bring them to a compoſition: When this or that Buſineſs is over, that we may more freely attend to the work of our Salvation; when our Company changes; when we meet with a Conjuncture of more favourable circumſtances; O! then we'l begin the New Man; bid Adieu to the follies of this World; & from that inſtant date the beginning of our journey towards Heaven.

Thus the Colour of Piety gives a reputation to the Deluſion: We cover the popular Cheat with an agreable diſguiſe: And betwixt gratifying our Inclinations, on the one ſide, with a criminall condeſcendance, & pacifying the remorſes of our Conſcience, on the other ſide, with a plauſible pretence of future amendment at a more convenient time; We make Virtue, in appearance, ſubſcribe to our Vices, & counterfeit God's Hand to one of the worſt Temptations of the Divel.

SECT. II. How dangerous it is to differ Repentance.

TIs clear, we are not Maſters & Diſpoſers of our Time: only He, who was the firſt Author of Time, who now conſerves it, & who will one day put a finall period to all Time; He I ſay, & only He, diſpoſes of it as he pleaſes.

Beſides, the Changing of our Hearts is far above our ſingle ſtrength; we are not able, by our ſelves, ſo much as to begin ſo great a Work, how then shall we be able to perform it, at our leiſure, whenſoever we pleaſe? S. Gregory aſſures us (& we know it well enough) that God who promiſes to PARDON us, Ho. 12. in Ev. if we Repent; has never promis'd us the TIME of our Repentance.

Tis true: we cannot but confeſs, (to the great shame of our Ingratitude,) that our Creator loves us far above our merit. If we look back from hence as far as the firſt Creation, & carry our ſerious thoughts through all the ſteps of Providence, we meet with nothing but remarkable inſtances of his good wishes towards us. Nay, if we yet look farther back from the firſt moment of this World into Eternity, We find Him, before the beginning of all Time, entertaining his Thoughts with the premeditation of our wellfare; And in the firſt page of his Eternall Accounts, we find the great Deſign of Man's Redemption, that ſtupendious Myſtery of Mercy & Juſtice, the Incarnation of our Lord & Saviour Jeſus Chriſt; who held nothing ſo dear, no obligation ſo important, as our Sanctification; even to the degree of laying down his Life for the advantage of that ſacred Intereſt. See here, the Motives which we have to think He loves us! Yet give me leave to tell you, He is not ſo fond of us, but that He can be angry at us, when He finds his Love neglected. Witneſs all thoſe miſerable Chriſtian Souls, who once were happy in the ſame Teſtimonies of his Affection: Who thought, as we do, to reform their lives at a more convenient ſeaſon: Who ſuppos'd, as we do, that God's extraordinary Grace would never fail to be at hand, when ever they pleas'd to have occaſion for it. Alas, poor Souls, they now are lodg'd in the flames of Hell for all Eternity; and know, too late, that though God never fails to beſtow his extraordinary Graces, where He finds a faithfull correſpondency of our Endeavours with his mercifull Aſſiſtance; yet He often shuts his Hand, if we withdraw ours. He dos not firſt deſert us: Yet, if deſerted by us, 'tis no wonder if He treat us upon equall terms, & ſo deſert us.

Wonder not, that God who is ſo infinitely good, can find in his heart to Abandon thus a Sinner, who ſtifles the remorſes of his Conſcience, who reſiſts the frequent inſpirations which invite him to Repentance, who has always ſomething elſe to do when he thinks of his Duty, always is ſo rude, ſo ſcornfully uncivill, in receiving all the Embaſſys of Peace which Heaven ſends him; that every trifling Object which ſalutes his Fancy, every miſerable creature which a ſilly Paſſion recommends to him, is ſure to have the preference, & be the firſt admitted.

How often dos God court us, when we are alone, as it were carefully managing that favourable occaſion, when it may be preſum'd we are at leiſure for his entertainment? But, alas! we are perhaps never leſs alone, than when we are alone: The Common Enemy of Mankind is then moſt buſy to prevent the advantage of ſuch a happy circumſtance. How often dos He apply himſelf to us, when any ſuddain Accident has croſs'd our inclinations, when we have been diſſappointed in our intrigues, when we begin to find our labour loſt in the purſuit of what we hunted after, when we ſit down angry & affronted at the confuſion of our miſtake, almoſt ready to fall out with the World for having cheated us: then it is that He takes hold of this conjuncture; begins in a loving manner to expoſtulate with us; to exprobrate to us how treacherous a Friend we find the World to be; on the contrary, how conſtant & faithfull a Friend He has been to us, from all Eternity to this moment; how ready He is, notwithſtanding all that's paſt, to receive us with open arms into favour again, if we return ſincerely to Him. And how do we hearken to all this? Why, truly, it paſſes away like a little Fit of melancholy; we were then in an ill humour; we are now glad 'tis over; & ſo we think no more on't. What ever God ſpeaks to our Hearts, is all out of doors: Our Hearts are shut againſt him, Apoc. 3.20. all the time; He ſtands at the door, and knocks; and we neglect Him, letting Him ſtand & wait our leiſure; We approve the Friendship of the World before his; And though we may have ſome ſlight thoughts of hearing Him ſome other time, yet for the preſent we flatly deny Him Entrance, & refuſe Him Audience.

Let us now Conſider a little; What pittifull Worms we are, who thus contemn the Almighty; Who He is, whom we affront; What trifles we preferr before him: And we shall not wonder if at length He leave us, & deſert us with a Reſolution never more to offer us theſe extraordinary Favours: I go away, ſays He, Jo. 8. v. 21. & you shall Seek me, and you shall Die in your Sins.

SECT. III. Reaſons why Delay is ſo Dangerous.

THat I may diſcover, yet more clearly, the Extravagance of Sinners who differr the entire Converſion of their Hearts from time to time, upon a vain Preſumption of chooſing their own time, when they pleaſe; I ſuppoſe, as a fundamentall Principle, 1. Pet. 5. v. 5. that God gives Grace to the humble, and reſiſts the Proud.

He who values himſelf upon being Wiſe enough in the management of his ſalvation; Who neglects the time which God's great Mercy offers him; Who preſumes He can, whenêre he pleaſes, chooſe the time of his Converſion; Such a Perſon, if ever he approach the Throne of Grace, comes in a diſpoſition directly oppoſite to Reconciliation; he carries Pride barefac't in the very Front of him; and the Addreſs, he preſents, is endorſt with the very ſame fault which he begs pardon for.

A true Convert comes trembling, with a Heart truly humbled under the Omnipotent Hand of an offended Majeſty; And ſuch a Penitent will always find Favour; A Contrite & Humble Heart God never will deſpiſe; All his former Offences will paſſe for nothing; Ezek. 33.16. None of his ſins He committed shall be mention'd to him; In the Day of his Converſion his Impiety shall never hurt him; What time ſoever God shall pleaſe to mark out to him, if he manage that, he is ſecure.

But if a Sinner careleſsly reject God's inſpirations, & from time to time neglect the opportunities He mercifully offers him; if he behave himſelf as if he thought his Time of Reconciliation were entirely at his own diſpoſing; and, upon this account, when he thinks fit, preſents himſelf before the Throne of Grace; His very Coming in this manner is an Act of Pride, a Pride by which he dangerouſly preſumes upon a more than ordinary Favour, ſuch as he knows has been denied to many thouſands, who are damn'd for ever, for leſs Sins than his, & leſs neglect of the Almighty; a Pride, which is the greateſt provocation that can be imagin'd, in as much as it abuſes all his infinite Goodneſs, Longanimity, & Patience, not only to the utmoſt degree of contempt, but even to an impudent aſſurance of obtaining Mercy when we pleaſe, although we have ſo much, ſo often, & ſo long, contemn'd it. This is a ſufficient Reaſon, why God may abandon ſuch proud Penitents as often as He pleaſes: and this Reaſon is attended with a ſort of Obligation (if a man may term it ſo) incumbent upon Providence, if not always, at leaſt generally & for the moſt part, to treat them according to their merit.

This Obligation ariſes from two Titles. God is the the Creator of Man, & the Redeemer of Sinfull man. The firſt gives Him the Prerogative of being the ſupreme and univerſall, Lord and Maſter of the Univerſe; under which Character it belongs to him to give Law to all the parts of it, & take ſuch methods as may with a ſmooth & eaſy, yet ſtrong & ſteddy influence promote & carry on the great Deſign of the Creation. Hence comes the Obligation of ſupporting the Credit, & maintaining the Authority of his Gouvernment, which ſinks immediatly & falls to nothing, if his too great Indulgence always tolerate the open violation of his precepts, joyn'd with all the indignities, affronts, and inſolences, of a haughty Subject, that will not be reclaim'd but when he pleaſes, will not take the advantage of thoſe favourable Opportunities which are ſo often offer'd him, but differrs the only neceſſary Buſineſs of his life from time to time, upon a proud Preſumption of being receiv'd at any hour whenſoêre he pleaſes. Nothing under Heaven can in this occaſion keep up the Spirit & vigour of Diſcipline amongſt us, and place the Fear of God before our eyes, but a juſt & ſevere Punishment, ſuch as becomes the Indignation of an angry God abus'd, affronted, & contemn'd; which is, to treat us as we treat Him, leave us as He finds us, & flatly refuſe us Audience when we make our ſupplications to Him.

This Motive which ariſes from the Title of Creator is aboundantly ſufficient; but yet the Title of Redeemer is a far more powerfull inducement to the ſame rigour of Juſtice. The Creation of the World was but a ſmall Expence: A Word ſaid, & the whole Work done. But the Redemption of ſinfull Man, the Extraction of him out of the profound Abyſs of Sin and Malice, was a more laborious Maſterpiece of Mercy & Juſtice; it coſt him his deſcent from Heaven, a painfull life for many years upon Earth, & the laſt drop of his moſt precious bloud upon the Croſs. Having redeem'd us from the Divel, at ſo dear a rate, & having paid the utmoſt price of our Salvation, He has a ſtrict Right to the Honour and Reputation of his Mercy; Iſai. 42.8. He is Lord of All, and his Glory He will not give to Another. He is our Lord & Maſter; by Redemption All of us are His; He has paid the full Diſcharge of our Account; but He will not apply the Value of this Payment to thoſe perſons whoſe Pride will either Challenge the Credit, or Share it with Him; He beſtows it only where it may be evident, if not to all the World, at leaſt to every Sinner's Conſcience who receives the benefit, that nothing but the Power of Grace could work ſo wonderfull a Reſurrection, & free him from the Servitude of Sin.

He who made our Hearts, cannot but know the temper of our Inclinations. He cannot but ſee how partiall & unequall we are in our Judgments. If any thing be amiſs with us, we preſently begin to murmure & repine within our ſelves, as if God only were the Author of our failings. But if we ſucceed in any thing, that ſeems praiſeworthy, either in the Sight of God or Man, we preſently aſſume the reputation of it to our ſelves. Our Faith teaches us the contrary: And we ſeem to beleeve it. But yet, I know not how it is, our Pride which comes into the World with us, S. Ber. de ord. vit. & mor inſtit. That Vice which is the first we fight with, & the last we conquer, is ſo apt to work upon our Judgment, that if we examine well, we cannot but obſerve, we always are a great deal more inclin'd to magnifie our own Endeavours, than to admire the Power of Grace. If God should never treat us as we merit; if He never should abandon thoſe who from his Goodneſs take occaſion to abuſe it; We should grow inſenſible of our neceſſities; We should forget our Obligations to the Grace of our Redeemer; We should behave our ſelves as if we thought that All is done by our High Hand, Deut. 32.27. & not by the Aſſiſtance of our Lord. This is one Reaſon, & a juſt one, why He is oblig'd (as I may ſay) in honour, if not always, at leaſt generally, & for the moſt part, to refuſe them Audience in a Time of their own chooſing, Who during the time which He thought proper for their purpoſe, never would vouchſafe to hearken to Him. Jo. 8. v. 21. I go away, ſays he, & you shall Seek me, & you shall Die in your Sins.

SECT. IV. That we ought to begin immediatly, without Delay.

HE who has promis'd PARDON to thoſe who Repent, S. Greg. Hom 12 in Evan. has never promis'd TRUE REPENTANCE to thoſe who differ • it. A man muſt be a Stranger to the ordinary Courſe of Providence, who dos not know that there are certain Times in which our God is kinder & more favourable to us; when Clouds of Anger diſappear; when Heaven ſeems to ſmile upon us; & the Almighty ſeems to meet half way the Prayers & Addreſſes of his people. Tis not that God is liable to any shadow of Inconſtancy: He always is inclin'd to Mercy, and nothing but our Sins can force him to the Rigour of his Juſtice. Sometimes He showers down his Graces in a plentifull aboundance; viſits & inſpires us with good Thoughts, good Inclinations to amend our lives; ſtrongly & ſweetly moves us; frequently & importunely preſſes & ſollicites us to true Repentance. But, if we ſlight his favours, He withdraws them from us: Mercy neglected & abus'd gives place to Juſtice: And all thoſe great and extraordinary Graces, which before abounded, are denied us; that we may, by this means, grow ſenſible of their Neceſſity & our Dependency, their Power & our Weakneſs.

What Wiſe man is there in the World, Chriſt. Directory. p. 2. c. 7. § 3. & n. 35. who reading This, will not fear the differring of his Converſion, though it were but for one day? Who knows, whether this shall be the laſt day, or no, that ever God will call him? God ſays, I call'd, Prov. Ch. 1. & you refus'd to come; I held out my hand, & you would not look towards me; and therefore I will FORSAKE you in your Extremity. He dos not ſay, how many times He call'd; or how long He held out his hand. God ſays, I ſtand at the door, & knock: but He ſays not, how often. Ibid. n. 37. A. D. 1673. Almighty God is ready & bountifull to knock and call; but yet he binds himſelf to no time or ſpace, but comes & goes at his pleaſure. And they who take not their times when they are offer'd, are excuſeleſs before his Juſtice, & do not know whether ever it shall be offer'd them again, or no: for that this thing is only in the Will & Knowledg of God alone; who takes Mercy where it pleaſes him beſt, and is bound to none. And when the prefixt time of calling is once paſt, Wo be to that party; for a thouſand Worlds [perhaps] will not purchaſe it again.

This Reaſon is aboundantly ſufficient to make us manage carefully the work of our Salvation with fear & trembling; Phil. 2.12.1. Pet. 5.6. and humble our ſelves under the powerfull hand of God; without pretending to any abſolute Security of our admittance whenſoêre we pleaſe. We are certainly damn'd, if we never ask pardon; probably it may be yet time enough, if we ask it now; And in concurrence of a certain ruine on the one ſide, with a probability of ſafety on the other, No Wiſe man will looſe time to deliberate upon the choice.

Some will ſay, perhaps, Tis a ſevere Caſe, to Renounce all worldly Affections, & Deny them what's moſt dear to them; to declare war againſt the moſt violent of Paſſions; & to undergo the hardship of perpetuall ſervice in the engagement; if we have no abſolute ſecurity of making peace when ever we deſire it. Had we an aſſurance of our Pardon, whenſoêre we ask it; it were ſome encouragement to undertake a thorough Reformation of our lives. But, to renounce All, upon a a hazard of gaining Nothing, is too cold an invitation to encounter ſo painfull & laborious a Task.

O Man! 9.20. ſays S. Paul to the Romans, who art Thou, that thus replyeſt againſt God? Who are you, that dare preſume to article with Him, in this manner? Is it not enough, to have ſo frequently tranſgreſt his Laws, ſo much contemn'd his Menaces, ſo long abus'd his Patience? Is it not enough to have idoliz'd the objects of your Paſſion? to have ſet up your Single ſelf in oppoſition to all the dictates of Duty & Obedience? to have affronted the Omnipotent Hand, which (had not his Mercy held it) had long ſince ſunk your miſerable Soul to the Abyſs of Hell? Is not this enough, unleſs the ſame Pride, which began your Miſery, accompany alſo the Petition of your Pardon? Remember that God reſiſts the proud, 1. Pet. 5.5. & gives Grace only to the humble. Remember that he is a very proud Beggar, who will not ask an alms except he be aſſur'd before hand of receiving it; And that God is ſo far from receiving the inſolent Requeſt of ſuch a proud Petitioner, that (on the contrary) He openly declares he hates him: Eccli. 25.4. My Soul, ſays He, Hates a proud Beggar.

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Ah Chriſtians! We muſt (if we hope for Salvation) we muſt come in another diſpoſition. We muſt not looſe time upon the debate, whether or no we have a certain proſpect of ſucceſs. We muſt work our Salvation with fear & trembling; Phil. 2.12.1. Pet. 5.6. and humble our ſelves under the powerfull hand of God. In this Conjuncture we have nothing elſe to do, but fly in all haſt to the Throne of Grace: Hebr. 4.16. Every Moment is precious: Every Moment of Delay encreaſes the Danger.

The prodigall Son, whoſe imitation our Saviour recommends to us, propoſing him as a great example of an humble Penitent, did not looſe time in ſtudying whether his Father would receive him or not; he did not before hand enquire into his Father's humour; how he ſtood affected to him? whether he were ready to admitt him? or determin'd never more to look upon him? But, immediately, Luke. 15.17. v. 18. at his firſt coming to himſelf, he ſaid; I will riſe, and go to my Father, & ſay to him, Father, I have Sinn'd. So far was he from any abſolute aſſurance of his pardon, & ſo ſenſible of his unworthyneſs; he did not ſo much as offer to demand a perfect reconciliation, but left himſelf entirely to his Father, to diſpoſe of him, & do with him what he pleas'd: Father, v. 19. I am not worthy to be call'd your Son.

Alas! What can we do in this condition? We muſt redouble our prayers which we have heretofore ſo often huddled over, with as much indifference & coldneſs, as if we were afraid leſt God should hear us, & aſsiſt us with his Grace to take up our Croſſe, Math. 16.24. deny our ſelves, & follow Him.

If after a month, a year, or more, we find no great effect of Mercy; we muſt ſtill perſever firm in our Endeavours: The more we fear God's Anger, the faſter we muſt fly to the Protection of his Goodneſs. We muſt not ſink under the apprehenſions of our Reprobation, but without diſputing our Deſtiny, we muſt reſolve, either to obtain pardon, or die in the demanding of it.

If the Almighty ſeem to take no notice of us; if He ſeem as it were to command us out of his ſight; we have nothing elſe to ſay, but, Lord, whither shall we go? Jo. 6. v. 68. What way is there to fly from thy Anger, but by the ſpeedieſt recourſe we poſſibly can make to the shelter of thy infinite Goodneſs? We know, we deſerve an Eternall Bannishment from thy Preſence: We know, we often have refus'd Thee Audience: We know, it was our common Anſwer, Go, Prov. 3.28. and Come again another time: & therefore we know, we have no reaſon to complain, if now we are forſaken & abandon'd by Thee. But this is only what we deſerve; 'tis only what we juſtly Fear: Thou nevertheleſs commandeſt us to Hope otherwiſe; And 'tis in complyance with this Command, Rom. 4.18. that we Hope even againſt Hope. We come not to diſpute about our Heaven or our Hell; We come not to capitulate upon the Articles of our Salvation; We only fear as we have reaſon, and hope as we ought; ſo that, ſetting aſide the whole ſollicitude of that Affair, we leave it entirely to thy Mercy. We come with a Contrite & Humble Heart; full of nothing but a ſincere Sorrow for all our paſt Offences, joyn'd with a hearty Reſolution never to offend Thee any more: Except it may be an Offence for Sinners, ſuch as we are, to continue in thy Preſence; Which cannot be: No, no; though we should ſee thy Sword of Juſtice drawn againſt us, & thy Omnipotent Hand ſtretcht out to ſtrike us dead at thy Feet, We will not quitt the place, Job. 13.15. Although Thou kill'ſt us, we will ſtill Trust in Thee.

This is the Humble Heart, which charms our God; the Heart which He cannot refuſe; Pſ. 50. Such a Contrite ſuch an Humble Heart He never will deſpiſe. This is the only diſpoſition that can make amends for the abuſe of ſo much Goodneſs; & for the differring our Converſion ſo long, upon a proud Preſumption of Amendment when we pleas'd. Such an Humble Heart, as this, gives God no reaſon to be jealous of his Honour: His Hand appears manifeſtly in the management and preparation of it: Ex od. 8.19. The Finger of God is here. Such a Convert, as this, will never challenge any share in the Honour of his Converſion; but, admiring the Benefit, will reſign the Honour, & humble himſelf ſo much the more in his preſence Who made him what he is. But God will always have the Honour of the work; He will be Mercifull when He thinks fit, & not allow proud Man to diſpoſe of his Mercy; He will take his own time, and confound the preſumptuous Pride of thoſe, who (as if they were God's Maſters, rather than his ſervants,) make no doubt but they can chooſe a Time convenient, when they pleaſe.

Sinners, Deceive not your ſelves. Think not that God is always equally diſpos'd to hear us, whenſoever we appoint our time of Audience. He will not ſuffer us to pretend to the honour of beginning our Converſion, & challenging his. Greateſt Graces, at our leiſure. Tis true; He died to ſave us: But, though He died for our Benefit, He died for God's Honour; and will not part with any share of this Honour, to humour a proud Penitent. 〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉 Iſai. 42.8. 1. Pet. 5.5. He is Lord of All, and his Glory He will not give to Another. He Reſiſts the Proud, and only to the Humble He gives Grace in this World, Glory in the next.

A CONTRITE HEART.

SECT. I. Sorrow for our Sins.

O My God! Anton. das Chagas. God of my Soul, my Life, my Heart, & All that is within me! I have ſinn'd, ô my God; I have offended Thee; I have done ill before the Face of Heaven & Earth. Neither the Stars of Heaven, nor the grains of Sand upon the Earth, are equall to the boundleſs number of my grievous ſins.

Ah my dear God! my Maker, my Preſerver, my Redeemer, & my Only Benefactor, how it grieves me to have So offended Thee! Ibid. I am much more troubled at my great Ingratitude, than at the greatneſs of the Torments I deſerve.

O that I could bewail, with Tears of bloud, the baſe Unworthyneſs of my behaviour to my only moſt Obliging, moſt Endearing, moſt Deſerving Friend! A Friend who always lov'd me, even when I lov'd my ſilly Humours & his miſerable Creatures more than Him; who always Lov'd me, even when I was his moſt Ʋngratefull Enemy; And notwithſtanding All, ſtill Made me whatſoêre I VVas, ſtill Gave me whatſoêre I Had, and ſtill Invited me, nay even Courted me, with dayly inſpirations of his Grace, to Love Him above All Things. O that my Eyes were living Fountains of continuall Repentance, to bewail my baſe Unworthyneſs!

And yet although my bleeding Heart should burſt out at my Eyes, my Grief would nere be equall to my Grievous Sins; the Guilt of which is infinite, and infinitely greater than I'm able to conceive. Though I should weep with Tears of bloud in every corner of the Earth where I have ſinn'd; All that would never wash away the Guilt or Scandall of my Crimes. There's nothing but the bleeding Sacrifice of the Ʋnſpotted Lamb of God; There's nothing but the Bloud of JESUS dying for my ſake upon the Croſs; There's nothing elſe can reconcile me to the Souvereign Majeſty which I have ſo provok't; There's nothing elſe can wash out the deep Stains of my unſpeakable ingratitude.

This is that Mercy of my God, which the admiring World has Reaſon to call Great: That Mercy which is truly Great, not only in it's ſelf, but Great to all that are Partakers of it. Have Mercy on me, O God, Pſ. 50. according to Thy Great Mercy. VVash my poor ſoul from it's Iniquity, & Cleanſe it from it's Sins. Sprinkle me only, with the bloud of JESUS, & I shall be Cleans'd; VVash me with it, & I shall be whiter than Snow. Caſt me not away from Thy Face; but look upon a Contrite & an Humble Heart, which (for the ſake of Thy Beloved Son, Math. 17.5. with whom Thou art well Pleas'd) I hope Thou wilt not deſpiſe; but that Thou wilt have Mercy on me, O God, according to Thy Great Mercy.

SECT. II. Reſolutions of Amendment.

I Have ſaid: Now I Begin. Alas! Pſ. 76. How often have I ſaid So, & as often broke my word! And what Hope have I Now to keep it, more than any other Time? When I renew the dolefull memory of my Relapſes, how I tremble at the very Thought! To think how often, in a lukewarm Fit of Piety, I have imagin'd I was Now beginning to amend my Life; And yet how Soon, how Eaſily, how Shamefully hath every ſuddain Paſſion, every ſinfull Inclination, every ſilly Humour overcome my beſt &▪ firmeſt Reſolutions! Proud as I was, I wonderd always at my weakneſs, & could ſcarce beleeve it, though I Saw it. Proud as I was, ſtill went on in the ſame road; Still fancyd it was eaſy to Reform when I Reſolv'd upon't; And ſtill excus'd my ſelf, by laying all the fault upon my Neighbours, my Employments, or ſome other Circumſtances of my Life. And yet, what Place ſoever I have liv'd in, whatſoever Buſineſs I have been employd in, whatſoever Circumſtances have attended me through all the ſeverall changes of my Fortune; I have always been the ſame Frail Creature, always equally unfaithfull to my word. What Hope then have I Now to keep it, more than any other Time?

Muſt I Deſpair? Yes, yes: 'Tis abſolutely Neceſſary for me to Deſpair of my own Strength, that I may ſeriouſly begin to Hope in nothing elſe but Him who gives Grace to the Humble, 1. Pet. 5.5. & reſiſts the Proud. And may I by his Grace Perſever all my Life, improving each day more & more, in This Deſpair, which is the Reaſon why I Hope more now than any other Time.

O that I had long ſince Deſpair'd entirely of my own ſufficiency, & plac't my Confidence in nothing but the powerfull aſſiſtance of his Grace; I should not then have been ſo Negligent ſo openly Expos'd on every ſide, to the continuall ſurpriſes of my Paſsions. I should then have carefully employd the precious moments of my Time, either in Studying how to Meet my ſeverall Dangers, or Forecaſting how to Avoid Them. I should then have Prayd as heartily, as men do in a Storm; who every moment fear to ſink, & every moment lift their trembling Hands & weeping Eyes to Heaven; the ſame angry Heaven whence They juſtly apprehend their fatall Ruine. Ah my God! how ſeldome have I Prayd ſo! And how often have I Askt Thy Grace as Careleſly as if I had no need of it!

My Reſolutions, like my Prayers, hitherto have only been in Generall terms: That now I would Reform my Life; I would no longer be a Slave to Paſſion & Humour; I would now Begin to be a Saint; And, O! how I have been asham'd to Think of all my Follies! Alas! This very Pride which made me thus Asham'd, was That which made me Fancy, 'twas an Eaſy matter to Amend; & therefore made me Careleſs in obſerving the Particular Occaſions of my Greateſt Sins, the Remedies which ought to be applyd, & the Impediments which ought to be remov'd. But ſince the ſad experience of my weakneſs makes me wiſer, I am now reſolv'd it shall be the chief Buſineſs of my Life, to watch and ſtudy all the Motions of my Heart: What Paſsions are predominant; what Inclinations Second them; by what Approaches They gain ground; & by what Means, in This or That particular Occurrence, They may be reſiſted, weakned, & ſubdued.

A Maſter Workman needs but now & then apply his Rule, becauſe his Habit guides his skillfull Hand. But I, Unskillfull as I am, who only now Begin the neceſſary Art of Living well, & have ſo many years contracted an ill habit of neglecting all thoſe Holy Precepts; I muſt now, not only in my Morning-Recollection carefully Foreſee each Danger I am like to meet with in the Day; But frequently Renew thoſe pious Reſolutions; In All occaſions Conſult the Eternall Truth Which came from Heaven to inſtruct me; And Examine ſeriouſly, if the Employment of my Thoughts, Words, Actions, & Deſires, be ſuitable to ſo Divine a Rule.

All This I am Reſolv'd upon, in Preſence of my God, & the whole Court of Heaven. Help me, All ye Bleſſed Spirits, Luke. 15.7. who are Joyfull witneſſes of theſe my Holy Reſolutions; Aſſiſt me now to make an humble Offering of them All before the Throne of Grace; Hebr. 4.16. And joyn your Better prayers with mine, to beg a Bleſsing for Them; without which, although I dayly water Them with penitentiall Tears, They never will Encreaſe, & bring forth Fruit. I have ſaid: Now I Begin. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy Great Mercy; For Such a Change comes only from the Right Hand of the Higheſt. Pſal. 76.11.

AN HUMBLE HEART.

SECT. I. The Neceſsity and Advantages of Humility.

ALl our Saviour's Life & Converſation upon Earth, S. Aug. lib. de ver. rel▪ was a continuall inſtruction for the modelling of ours. But above all things He particularly recommended to us the example of his great Humility: Math. 11.29. Learn of me, ſay's he, becauſe I am humble of Heart; and you will find reſt for your ſouls.

The neceſſity of this incomparable Virtue is ſo great, Rodriguez. Par. 2. Tr. 3. ch. 1. that 'tis impoſſible without it to make any progreſs in a Sprituall life. Our Pride corrupts and ruines all our virtuous Actions, unleſs Humility begin, continue, & conclude them.

S. Gregory ſays, Rodriguez. ch. 2. True virtue never grows in any Soul, but when 'tis nourisht by its proper Root, which is Humility. This plain compariſon expreſſes very well its nature, and its properties. 1. A flower fades & withers when 'tis parted from its root. 2. The root is never better, than when hidden in the earth, and trampled under foot. 3. A Tree is longer-liv'd, and yields more fruit, according as the root of it is deeper, and lyes lower under ground.

How much our Faith dedepends upon Humility, Rodr. ch. 3. the Apoſtle tells us, when he ſpeaks of caſting down imaginations; 2. Cor. 10.5. every high 'thing that exalts it ſelf againſt the knowledge of God; and captivating every thought to the Obedience of Chriſt. Man's Reaſon is but weak, and ſubject to miſtake; & therefore a ſubmiſſive Spirit is requir'd: the want of which has been the firſt beginning of all hereſies, and verified S. Paul's prediction, 2. Tim. 3.1.2.3.7. that in the laſt days dangerous times will come: becauſe Men will be Proud; deſpiſers of good people; & ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of Truth.

The ſame Humility which guides our Faith, encourages our Hope: Rodr. c. 10.11. becauſe the more we fear our weakneſs & diffide in our own ſtrength, the more we have recourſe to God, in whom we place our confidence: and thus when we are weak, 2. Cor. 12.10. ſaies the Apoſtle, we are ſtrong. That is to ſay, when once we rightly underſtand our ſelves, & being thoroughly convinc't of our infirmity, we ſeriouſly begin to hope in nothing but the aſſiſtance of God's Grace: then 'tis that He himſelf begins to take in hand the management of our affairs; provides for us in all our ſpirituall wants; ſupports, & guides us, by a ſpeciall providence, in all our pious undertakings. Tis with us, as 'tis with Beggars who expoſe their ulcers and their miſeries: the more they lay them open in the publick view, the more they move our pitty, & obtain more almes of Charitable perſons: So the more ſincerely we confeſs, & with profound humility acknowledge, our extreme neceſſities, expoſing them in preſence of our God, the more we move him to compaſſionate our miſerable State, & to beſtow upon us more aboundantly the riches of his Grace.

Humility, as it encourages our Hope ſo it improves our Charity. An humble Man perpetually conſidering his innumerable faults & imperfections, the more he ſees his great unworthyneſs, the more he wonders at God's patience, & is more inclin'd to love his Goodneſs above all things. P. Craſſet. T. 2. Con. 14. Nothing makes me better underſtand how good God is, than when I ſee with how much patience he endures a man, who is not able to endure himſelf. Tis He who is offended: I am the offender. I, all Wickedneſs: & He, all Holyneſs. As wicked as I am, I can't endure my ſelf: As holy as He is, He ſuffers me with patience. I only ſee a ſmall part of my faults, and hate my ſelf: He ſees them all, and yet He dos not ceaſe to love me. I have ſuch a horrour of my ſelf, when I conſider how inconſtant & how frail I am: & yet I can't perceive that God has any horrour of me. On the contrary, the more I humbly own my wickedneſs, the more obliging & endearing proofs He gives me of inſuperable Goodneſs.

Our Humility preſerves & guards our Chaſtity. Rodr. ch. 3. Saint Bernard dos not fear to ſay, that even the Purity of the Bleſſed Virgin her ſelf, had never been agreable to God, without it. Corn. a Lap. in c. 1, ad Rom. Beſides it is not only neceſſary to preſerve our Chaſtity; but is the the beſt and moſt effectuall remedy, that can be, to procure it. Luxury is the punishment of pride: and Chaſtity the triumph of humility. S. Hierome ſays, tis hard to find a Heretick that loves Chaſtity; although in his diſcourſes he may ſeem to praiſe it, & pretend to practiſe it. The reaſon is, 1. Pet. 5.5. becauſe God gives grace only to the humble, & reſiſts the proud: and where there is no Grace, there is no Chaſtity, but all Concupiſcence. Hence comes the common ſaying of our Novelliſts, that Chaſtity is impoſsible: & 'tis no wonder that they think ſo; for it is ſo, to the Proud, and Graceleſs; who can nere be truly chaſt, till they are truly humble. They are given up by God to all uncleaneſs, Rom. 1.24. through the luſt of their own hearts: and 'tis but juſt, that if the Soul refuſes due ſubmiſſion to God, the Body should be found, by his permiſſion, as untractable & diſobedient to ſuch a Soul. Becauſe, ſays S. Gregory, by Pride they preferr themſelves before Men: by Luxury they ſoon become like Beaſts.

A man might eaſily go through all other virtues, Rodr. ch. 3. and obſerve Humility as neceſſary for the acquiring and preſerving of them All. But what has been already ſaid, ſuffices to convince us, that the moſt compendious method of aſpiring to Perfection, is to make it our chief buſineſs, to be truly humble.

Tis enough to add, P. Craſſet. T. 1. Lund. 3 de l' Avent. that All our virtues & good actions, without Humility, will never ſave us: & that all our ſins & imperfections, with true Humility, will never damn us: For as ſoon as ever we are truly humble, all our vices leave us, & immediately all virtues take poſſeſſion of our heart. My ſoul! why are we then diſcourag'd? Why do we deſpair? Why are we, now & then, ſo melancholy when we think of all our imperfections & faults? If therefore we have reaſon to deſpair: have we not therefore reaſon to be humble? Let us be ſo then: & we shall have no longer any reaſon to deſpair. Let us but humble our ſelves in preſence of our God: we shall ſoon obtain all that we have not; we shall be able to do all that we cannot; & we shall receive all that we deſerve not. You cannot faſt? At leaſt you can humble your ſelf. You cannot weep for your ſins? Humble your ſelf, becauſe you cannot. You have not Time enough, nor Health enough, to ſay much prayers? However, you may be as humble every jot, as if you had. Do what you can, you always pray with much diſtraction? Be content, & humble. You are now & then ſurpris'd, and fall into ſome ſin? Have patience: take more care another time: & be more humble ever after.

An Humble Heart God never will deſpiſe. Pſ. 50. And is not This enough to shew us the Neceſsity & great Advantage of Humility? How comfortable is the Thought of it, to them whoſe Want of health, or other Circumſtances, will not ſuffer to make uſe of corporall Auſterities, in Satisfaction for their Sins! What Comfort is it to them, to reflect that ſtill they have a Refuge left them in the Sanctuary of this Virtue. Tis the only One they have, if we beleeve an ancient Father of the Church. S. John. Clïma. Recapitul. Ar. 35. VVhoever has committed grievous Sins; & has a Body weak & Sickly; Let him tread the footſteps of Humility: In all things Let him fellow, where the Spirit & the Impulſe of that Virtue lead him: Tis the only way He has to ſave his Soul.

SECT. II. Firſt Degree of Humility.

THe firſt Degree, Rodr. ch. 5. is to have a mean opinion of our ſelves; to think our ſelves contemptible; & judge that we deſerve to be deſpis'd by all the World. The Knowledge of our ſelves, our Weakneſs & our Miſery, is no Humility; but only is the neceſſary Means to come to this Degree of it.

A perſon truly humble, Rodr. ch. 3. always has before his eyes his own defects & imperfections: in others he conſiders chiefly the perfections & virtues which he finds: & thus he always is perſuaded that his neighbours are much better & more perfect than himſelf. He loves them with reſpect & tenderneſs. He is not angry at his being valued leſſe than they; but glad to ſee them All preferr'd before him.

His Sins, Ibid. Pſ. 50. which ever are before him, make him ſenſible that he deſerves the worſt of punishments: & therefore whatſoever happens to him, he eſteems it infinitely leſſe than his iniquity deſerves. He never thinks himſelf affronted. Whatſoever wrong is done him; he receives it as a favour, in compariſon of what he has juſt reaſon to expect. He ſuffers all, in ſilence, upon this account: And far from breaking out into complaints, he only calls to mind that humble ſaying, of the Prophet Micah, 7.9. I will bear the indignation of my God, becauſe I have ſinn'd againſt him.

The hardeſt meaſure we can ſuffer in this life; Rodr. Ch. 7. the greateſt & the moſt ſevere humiliations we can think of, are incomparably leſſe than what is due to any ſingle crime, which we committ againſt the Majeſty of God. Can we imagine, all the World is able to dishonour him too much, who has dishonour God himſelf? And is't not juſt that having ſlighted & neglected his Creator, he himſelf should be deſpis'd by All, and live for ever after in diſgrace? Epheſ. 2.3. Remember that a Sinner is a Child of wrath, an Enemy of God, a Monſter of deformity, condemn'd to everlaſting flames: Remember this; and you will shrink below the feet of all the World; becauſe you will be then convinc't, that howſoever you are humbled & oppreſs't, a Man who has but once offended God, deſerves to ſuffer more.

Although my Conſcience accuſe me not, Rodr. ibid. 1. Cor. 4.4. Though I know nothing of my ſelf, ſays the Apoſtle, yet I am not hereby juſtified; but he that judges me, is God. When we conſider well, how doubtfull our condition is, & how we always are uncertain of our being juſtified: This, this alone, without all other motives, which are numberleſs, is of it ſelf aboundantly ſufficient to humble us. What Chriſtian is there, that would dare to shew his face? or Man that would not rather wish to ſink into the bowells of the Earth, to hide himſelf? if this reflection once had made a deep impreſſion in his mind, My Crimes are certain, but my Pardon is uncertain. Nothing can be more uneaſy to a Soul, that would be ſav'd, than this Uncertainty. But yet there's nothing in the World of greater uſe for the acquiring and preſerving of Humility. There's nothing can refrain us more from Cenſuring our Neighbours, or Deſpiſing even thoſe who ſeem the greateſt Sinners; than to think, that We our ſelves are far from having any certainty of being in the State of Grace; & that, this very moment we may be, for ought we know, in equall danger of the everlaſting flames of Hell.

SECT. III. Second Degree of Humility.

THe Second Degree, Rodr. ch. 13. is when we love to be neglected, and deſire to be deſpis'd. As hard as it appears, if we were once well grounded in the firſt Degree, the way would then be short & eaſy to the ſecond. If we had but once a mean opinion of our ſelves; if once we truly thought our ſelves contemptible; if once our judgment were convinc't that we deſerve to be deſpis'd by All the World; it would not then be difficult to ſuffer their contempt: We then should even wish for ſuch occaſions of improving our humility: they would be always very wellcome to us, & afford us, every day, new joy & conſolation. Tis certain, ſays S. Bonaventure, that we naturally love to ſee our ſentiments approv'd, & our opinions followd. VVhich if it be true, as our experience too often teaches us, why are we ſo uneaſy when we ſee our neighbours undervalue us? Tis queſtionleſs, becauſe we are not, in our judgment, thoroughly convinc't that we deſerve to be deſpis'd; for if we were, we should be glad to ſee our neighbours follow our opinion. Rodr. ch. 14.

The Diſpoſitions which make way to this Degree, are, 1. to shun as much as may be, all occaſions of praiſe. 2. To ſuffer patiently the humours and inſults of others. 3. To take no pleaſure in our being celebrated and admir'd.

1. The Avoiding all occaſions of praiſe, Ibid. is recommended to us by the great example of our Saviour, & the univerſall practiſe of the Saints. Our Saviour fled from thoſe who thought to chooſe him King. He shewd his Glory on mount Thabor to no more than three of his Diſciples; and immediatly charg'd them not to ſay a word on't. Whenſoever his great Charity appear'd in doing miracles, his great humility appear'd no leſſe in his commanding ſecrecy. S. Fr. Sales. p. 3. c. 5.

Humility affects not to appear in her own likeneſs. She forbears expreſsions which diſcover her. She deſires, not only to conceal all other Virtues, but particularly, to conceal her ſelf. P. Craſſet. T. 1. Mar. 3. de l'Arent.

Tis a dangerous thing to ſpeak of one's ſelf; either well, or ill: if well, 'tis to appear deſerving; if ill, 'tis to appear humble.

An humble man had rather hear another ſay, S. Fr. Sales. p. 3. c. 5. that he is miſerable, inconſiderable, good for nothing; than be heard to ſay it of himſelf. At leaſt, he never contradicts it. Whoſoever ſays it, he beleeves it firmly and is therefore glad that others are of his opinion.

2. If we ſeriouſly conſider'd, Rodr. ch. 14. that the eſteem of men, is generally, if not always, an Occaſion of Preſumption & Pride; & that the Saints themſelves, who by Gods Grace were more ſecure from danger, always fled from ſuch temptation, even with averſion & horrour: we should certainly conclude, that whatſoever may contribute to the humbling of us, & inducing us to have a mean opinion of our ſelves, should be receiv'd with patience, & embrac't as uſefull means of purchaſing, preſerving, & encreaſing our Humility. The opportunities of practiſing this Virtue are ſo frequent every day, that if we did but carefully forecaſt to profit by them, we might almoſt make it our continuall Exerciſe. B. III. ch. 49. It happens, ſays the Devout Kempis, that what is pleaſing to others, shall go well forward; that which thou wisheſt, shall not ſpeed: That which others ſay, shall be heard; what thou ſayſt, shall be nothing regarded: Others shall ask, & shall receive; thou shalt ask, & not obtain: others shall be great in the praiſe of men; but of thee there shall be no ſpeech: to others this or that shall be committed; but thou shalt be accounted fit for nothing. At this, Nature is apt ſometimes to be troubled; and 'tis much, if thou art humble enough, to bear it patiently with ſilence.

3.Ibid. To be charm'd ſo little with Eſteem & Honour, as to take no pleaſure in them, is a third ſtep to the height of this Degree; much harder than the other two. For as Saint Auſtin very well obſerves, although it may be eaſy for a man to live without praiſe, when it is denied: tis hard enough for any man, to take no pleaſure in it, when 'tis freely offerd him. A proud man, ſays S. Gregory, rejoyces even when he knows that his admirers are miſtaken in him. For he cares not what his Life is in the ſight of God, but only values the appearance of it in the ſight of Men. And therefore he his puft up with the leaſt applauſe: He fancys he has reap't the fruit of his endeavours: He deſires no more: He aims at nothing elſe. But, on the contrary, an humble man is ſo averſe from the applauſe of Men: that he's uneaſy with it. He's afraid there is no reall ground for it: or elſe he fears the loſſe of his Reward in Heaven, by receiving of it here; & trembles at the apprehenſion of exchanging, for a little popular Eſteem, the Crown of everlaſting Glory, which he hopes for. Salomon ſays, Prov. 27.21. As gold is tried by the furnace, ſo is a man by his praiſe. S. Gregory adds; if he grows vain by hearing it, he's like falſe gold, which ſuffers by the fire: but if the hearing of it makes him tremble, leaſt it may be prejudiciall to his ſoul before the Souvereign Judge; 'tis like a fire which only ſerves to purify, & give him a new luſtre. We should be ſo grounded in the knowledg of ourſelves, that when we are commended, we may always have before our eyes our baſe Unworthyneſs; and be ſo much the more asham'd, to think, we are ſo far from being what we ſeem to be; that we fall short of being, even what we should be.

By theſe three Steps we come at laſt to the Degree of loving & deſiring to be undervalued & deſpis'd: Rodr. ch. 15. We become, not only humble in our Judgment, but our Heart. The firſt degree, which is Humility of Judgment, was not to be found in J. C. as S. Bernard well obſerves: becauſe He knew himſelf too well, to have a mean opinion of himſelf, or think himſelf contemptible, or judge that He deſerv'd to be deſpis'd by all the World. But the ſecond Degree, the true humility of Heart, was the Humility of our Redeemer. He took pleaſure in deſcending, & becoming Man: He lov'd to be neglected, ſcorn'd, & ridicul'd: He heartily deſir'd to undergo all injuries, inſults & outrages. Behold the Example of our Maſter. See the Leſſon which he came to teach us. Math. 11.29. Learn of me, ſays He, becauſe I am humble of HEART.

A true Diſciple of Chriſt, Ibid. is dead to all things in this world; he hates it, & deteſts it; he deſires not to be valued & eſteem'd in't; but embraces all Humiliations with the ſelf ſame paſſion, which worldly perſons have for Honour & Eſteem; and is as glad to meet with all occaſions of appearing inconſiderable & contemptible, as they are overjoyd to meet with opportunities of ſeeming Great.

To know if we are true Diſciples of our Maſter, Rodr. ch. 16. & have perfectly acquir'd this Virtue; we muſt, by this Rule, examine well the diſpoſition of our Heart, & ſee if we rejoyce as much at being undervalued valued & deſpis'd, as others do at being honour'd & applauded.

This Examen is the Touchſtone of Humility. Ibid. For 'tis agreed upon by all, that Virtue is imperfect in us, till we practiſe it with ſatisfaction & pleaſure. If we find the leaſt repugnance in the practiſe, when occaſion ſerves; & uſe much preparation to ſurmount the difficulty of it; 'tis indeed the way to acquire ſuch Virtue, but it alſo is a certain mark, we have not yet acquir'd it in perfection. A Maſter of an Art, as Ariſtotle ſays, has ſuch a habit of it, that he uſes no deliberation, but performs the operations of it with ſuch eaſe, he ſcarce knows what he's doing when he dos his work. And Philoſophers tell us, that in ſurpriſing Accidents, we act not by Reflection, but by Habit. For which reaſon, 'tis in vain to examine, what our Inclinations are (& whether we are truly Humble, or no) by what we do with preparation & leiſure: We muſt carefully examine, what we ſuddainly are apt to do, without deliberation.

However, Rodr. Chr. 17. if by this Examen we obſerve, that notwithſtanding our Endeavours to improve, we frequently are importun'd, & ſometimes overcome, by Pride & Vanity: if we are yet ſo far from taking pleaſure in the practiſe of Humility, that we are hardly able to ſupport in ſilence the Uneaſineſs we ſuffer in it: Let not this diſcourage us: But on the contrary, the more we ſee our weakneſs, let it humble us the more; & let us learn from thence

to uſe our utmoſt diligence in laying a more firm Foundation of Chriſſtian Humility, which is Humility of Heart. Tis not a thing impoſſible. For, by the grace of God, we may be able, ſays S. Auſtin, not only to imitate the example of the Saints, but alſo of the Souvereign Maſter of the Saints. He invites us all to imitate his Virtue; & can we fancy He invites us to a thing impoſſible? Learn of me, ſays He, becauſe I am Humble of HEART. And S. Hierom very well obſerves, that thoſe words of our Saviour, If thou wilt be Perfect, Math. 19.21. come & follow me, are a manifeſt conviction, that by his Grace, (which always is at hand,) we have it in our power, to be Perfect, if we will.

SECT. IV. An Objection Anſwerd.

IF Charity incline us to deſire our neighbour's Good, Rodr. cb. 29. & to contribute what we can to their Salvation; why should our Humility deſire that all the World may undervalue us? Without their thinking well of us (in ſome capacity, or other) we shall never do them any good; they never will confide in us; they will not hearken to us; we shall have no credit with them. Is't not therefore reaſonable, even by the Rule of common Charity, that we should rather ſeek their Kindneſs & Eſteem, than their Averſion & Contempt?

S. Ibid. Gregory anſwers. Tis one thing, to deſire our neighbour's Eſteem; another, to rejoyce at his Profit. Tis a Crime to covet Reputation for it's own ſake, & rejoyce at being Great in the opinion of men. But yet, to wish as much of it, as may be neceſſary for ſo good an End, as that of ſerving Souls & gaining them to Chriſt; is an effect of Charity. And thus 'tis lawfull to deſire our neighbour's good opinion & eſteem, ſo far as may enable us to do them good: becauſe we thus deſire it, only for their ſervice, & the greater glory of our our God, with a ſincere and totall diſengagement from the charmes of Pride & Vanity. If any man, who naturally hates a Potion, or a Pill, upon occaſion procures it, & deſires to take it; we may be aſſur'd, that ſuch a man takes phyſick, not Phyſick ſake, but purely for his Health. So when a man, who by an extraordinary grace of the Almighty, hates the applauſe & honour of this World; when ſuch a man procures, deſires, & manages with care, the good Opinion of men; becauſe it may be uſefull to him in their ſervice; we may be aſſur'd he only ſeeks God's Honour, not his own.

However, Ibid. this great Truth is generally much abus'd; & under the pretence of it, we only cover our Ambition, & diſguiſe our Vanity. Wee covet Honours, ſeek Preferments, & intrude our ſelves into Employments, letting ſlip no opportunity of being or appearing. Great; & all this while, we plead; tis only Charity, to qualifie us for the better ſervice of our Neighbours. We have therefore need of no ſmall circumſpection to diſcern the cheat. The way to know it, ſays S. Gregory, is to examine all occaſions, where our Reputation is a thing indifferent, & uſeleſs to our neighbour. If in theſe, we care not for the good Opinion of men; we may ſuppoſe, that when we are concern'd for't, it is only for our neighbour's ſake, & not our own.

S. Ibid. Gregory thus untys the knot; but S. Francis cutts it with more eaſe, & much more clearly takes away the difficulty.

Whatſoever the Occaſions are, Ibid. He roundly anſwers: that our Charity begins at home: that if it inclines us to deſire our Neighbour's ſpirituall good; with much more reaſon it inclines us to deſire our Own: that if our Reputation may be uſefull to our neighbour; our Diſgraces & Humiliations (incurr'd without our fault) may prove more beneficiall to our ſelves. If when I preach, ſays he, or when I practiſe any virtue which is edifying, I am pleas'd with praiſes, which endanger my Salvation; becauſe their good Opinion of me, helps them to improve by my inſtruction, & example: How much reaſon have I, for my own ſake, to rejoyce a great deal more, when (having done my beſt) I ſtill am undervalued & deſpis'd; becauſe, by this means, I my ſelf am more acceptable to God, and more ſecure of my Eternall Happyneſs?

Our Saviour himſelf, See R. ch. 29. whoſe Charity inclin'd him to deſcend from heaven, & to ſacrifice his life for Sinners; knew that many unbelieving Souls were loſt by undervaluing & deſpiſing him; He knew that many millions of them would have been converted, if they had admir'd & honour'd him as he deſerv'd; & yet He never ſought for wordly Honour as a means to ſave them; but although though their Souls were dear to Him, his honour was not. Jo. 6.38. As He came from heaven, not to do his own will, but the will of him that ſent him: So He came to ſeek the Honour of his Father, not his own. I honour my Father, Jo. 8.49.50. ſays He; I ſeek not my own glory. Tis enough that whilſt I only ſeek his Honour, He takes care of mine; & that although I never ſeek my own, v. 50. yet there is One that always ſeeks & judges it; & always will be ſure to do me juſtice. Let us follow the Example of our Saviour. Let us make it the cheif Buſineſs of our life to do the will of him that ſent us, not our own. Let us honour our Father in Heaven. Let his Honour only be the Object of our care, & never let us mind our own, but reſt content that He himſelf takes care of it. Let no appearance of our Neighbour's Profit cheat us into an Ambition of being popular; but let us faithfully, in all things, do our Duty for the Love & Honour of our God; & as for mens opinion of us, let us leave it to his Providence. His Honour, here below, is left (as I may ſay) to our diſcretion: He committs it to our care: He forces not our Liberty, but only offers the aſſiſtance of his Grace, & lets us Honour him, & ſerve him as we pleaſe. Shall God thus truſt his honour in ſo bad a hand as ours? & shall not we be ſatisfied, to truſt our honour in ſo good a hand as His?

SECT. V. Third Degree of Humility.

THe Third, Rodr. ch. 30. & Laſt Degree is the Humility of Saints, who are moſt humble in the ſight of God, when they are moſt eſteem'd & celebrated by the World.

When a Perſon, full of faults & imperfections, has a mean opinion of himſelf; eſteems himſelf no better than he is; & is content to be reputed ſuch as he eſteems himſelf; We may commend him, ſays S. Bernard; but have little reaſon to admire him. Who admires to ſee a poor man have a mean opinion of his riches? think himſelf no richer than he is? & reſt content that others think ſo too? but if a Rich man rank himſelf amongſt the poor, & treat them with reſpect, as if he were the leaſt conſiderable of them all; This very well deſerves our admiration.

By this deſcription of the third Degree, we plainly ſee, that the Humility of Saints & the Humility of Sinners is the ſame in Subſtance, though they differ in Perfection. Tis true: we wonder not, to ſee a man ſtand ſteddy upon even ground. But when we ſee the ſame man ſtand as firm upon a lofty pinnacle; we gaze, & wonder at him. All this while, the Man's the ſame; though we admire him more, becauſe the place is higher & the difficulty greater. So 'tis in our preſent caſe. Humility is either of the Judgment, or the Heart. The third Degree is comprehended in the Firſt, & Second. But however we admire much more an humble Saint; becauſe his eminent degree of Sanctity is higher, & the difficulty of his being humble, therefore ſeems much greater.

I ſay ſeems greater: becauſe I am not apt to think it is ſo; upon ſecond thoughts. My reaſon, in short, is This. Humility of judgment & of heart, are chiefly grounded in the Knowledg of our ſelves, & Love of God. The Firſt induces us to have a mean opinion of our ſelves: the more we know our ſelves, the more we think our ſelves contemptible, the more we judge that we deſerve to be deſpis'd by all the World. The Second makes us glad to be neglected, & deſire to be contemn'd: And as the Love of God encreaſes in our hearts; the more we have & ſcorn the tranſitory honour of this world; the more we love to follow the Example of an humble God; the more we heartily deſire to be agreable to none but him; as being every day more ſenſible of this great Truth; He only is approv'd; 2. Cor. 10.18. whom God commends.

Let us only lay theſe notions right together. 1. The Knowledg of our ſelves & Love of God, is that which makes men Saints. No Perſon ever was a Saint without them: No man ever was a Sinner with them. And the more this Knowledg and this Love encreaſe, the Greater is the Sanctity. 2. This Knowledg & this Love, is that which makes men Humble. Knowledg helps them to be humble in their Judgments: Love aſſiſts them to be humble in their Hearts. The more they Know & Love, the greater is the aſsiſtance of God's Grace, which is the only means of making all things eaſy to us. Why then may we not conclude? Whoever is a Saint, the greater Saint he is, the eaſyer 'tis for him to be humble.

Sinners indeed have much more matter for Humility to work upon. Their Weakneſs, their Corruption, & the Miſery of their deplorable condition, are incomparably worſe. But, which is worſt of all, they are ſo miſerably blind, as not to know their miſery. A Beggar, in his drink, imagines he's a Prince: & is as proud as if he were. Tis true; he's miſerably poor: but ſince he knows it not; what ſignifies it? He's as proud, as if he were the richeſt man alive. Tis ſo with Sinners. They are drunk with Self-love, Pride, & Vanity. They little know, & much leſs think, how Poor, how Miſerable, how Contemptible they are. And we may very well apply to them thoſe words of the Apocalypſe: Becauſe Thou ſayſt, Ch. 3.17.18. I am rich, & have need of nothing; & knowſt not that thou art wretched, & miſerable, & poor, & blind, & naked: Therefore I counſell thee, to annoint thy eyes, that thou mayſt See. This is the generall Reaſon why Humility is harder to be found in Sinners, than in Saints. The Firſt have more to humble them: but the more they have, the blinder they are, & the leſs they know it. The Second have leſs to humble them; but the leſs they have, the more their eyes are open by God's Grace, & the more clearly they diſcover what's enough to make them fear & tremble all their life.

SECT. VI. Firſt Reaſon why the greateſt Saints are the moſt humble.

I Shall only add two Reaſons more: becauſe all Saints (I ſpeak of ſuch as are now living) are compris'd in theſe two Claſſes: They are either ſuch as have been Sinners heretofore; or ſuch as may be ſo hereafter.

The firſt Reaſon is ſo univerſall, that it comprehends them both: but more particularly Thoſe who have preſerv'd the Innocence of their Baptiſmall Grace. D. Sp. ch. 26. Tis gatherd from that Oracle of Scripture; work out your Salvation with Fear & Trembling: Philip. 2.12.13. For it is God who works in you to will & to do; according to his pleaſure. See the unſearchable Abyſs of the Almighty's Judgments! where tis dangerous to dwell too long, & ſearch too curiouſly, leſt it caſt us into an exceſs of Fear. Tis enough, that none are ſav'd, but who perſever to the End; & that the greateſt Saints can never be aſſur'd of their Perſeverance. Tis a ſpeciall Gift which the Apoſtle chiefly points at, when he ſays; Rom. 9.18.16. God has mercy on whom he will have mercy. It is not of him that wills, or him that runs; but of God that shews Mercy. And again: Epheſ. 2.8.9. By Grace you are ſav'd: & that not of your ſelves: it is the Gift of God: Not of works; leſt any Man should boaſt. Alas! how is it poſſible for any Saint to be aſſur'd of his condition for the future, ſince he is not certain even of his preſent State? Who can ſound the bottom of our Heart? Or rather, Who can ſound the Heart of God, & tell us what He thinks of our condition? Who is He, that can aſſure us, We are good enough to be Rewarded by Him? wo be to that Life, how innocent ſoever, ſays S. Auſtin, Pſal. 19.12. which He Judges without Mercy. VVho is He, ſays David, that can underſtand his failings? Cleanſe me from my ſecret faults, Pſal. 143.2. O Lord: and enter not into judgment with thy ſervant; for in thy ſight shall no man living be juſtified; if once Thou judgeſt him according to the utmoſt rigour of thy Juſtice. Who is there that dos not tremble, when he hears the Juſt & Holy man, whom God himſelf was pleas'd to praiſe, confeſs that, all his life time, God was ſuch a Terrour to him, Job. 31.23. he was hardly able to endure it? Who can, without trembling, hear the Prophet Iſaiah tell us; 64.6. we are all unclean; & all our righteous works, like filthy Rags? Or hear S. Hierom, in the life of S. Hilarion, tell us how that bleſſed Saint was terrified at the approach of Death; & to encourage his departing ſoul, ſaid to himſelf; Go forth, my Soul; what are thou Now afraid of? Thou haſt ſerv'd thy God theſe threeſcore & ten years; & doſt thou tremble Now to appear before him?

Let us therefore fear & tremble in the way to Heaven. Never let us fancy, we are ſo advanc't in Virtue; that we need not fear. The greateſt Saints were never ſo Preſumptuous, as to banish from their thoughts the Fear of God. Philip. 2.12. They workt out their Salvation with Fear & Trembling. They were always full of Fear: & this Fear always Humbled them. They were not Blinded, as we are, with Paſsion & Humour; but, as they improv'd in Grace, they every day diſcover'd more & more their ſecret Imperfections.

The Property of Grace is to enlighten the Underſtanding, as well as to enflame the Heart. It makes us Know our Miſery, & Love our God, who only can deliver us. Theſe two Effects of Grace were lively repreſented on the Day of Pentecoſt, by that myſterious Fire which reſted on the heads of the Apoſtles. Fire gives Light & Heat: & as the Fire encreaſes, it affords more Heat & greater Light. So, Grace Enlightens and Enflames the Minds & Hearts of Saints, with Knowledg of themſelves, & Love of God: & as their Grace improves, this Heat and Light encreaſe: They diſcern more clearly the innumerable dangers that ſurround them; & become more Humble under the Almighty Hand of God. 1. Pet. 5.6.

S. Paul compares the different States of Sin & Grace, to Light and Darkneſs, Night and Day. Rom 13 12.13. The Night ſays he, is ſpent; the Day is at hand. Let us caſt of the works of Darkneſs, & put on the armour of Light. Let us walk honeſtly, as in the Day. A Traveller benighted, walks he knows not where. He hardly ſees his Hand; much leſs his Feet. He ſees perhaps, ſome Stars shine through the clouds, whoſe ſparkling light ſerves only to amuſe him, & miſlead him to a Precipice. But when the riſing Sun appears, the Stars immediatly vanish out of ſight; our Traveller no longer gazes there; but has a much more uſefull proſpect, of the Earth below him; where he plainly ſees the Ground he go's upon, the Riſings, the Deſcents, the Inequalities, & Precipices of it. Sinners, like benighted Travellers, march blindly on; mind little what they Do; & much leſs where they Go. However, now & then, they practiſe ſome good actions, either out of cuſtom, or good nature; & amuſe themſelves with ſome few ſemblances of virtue, whoſe dim luſtre ſeems perhaps more ſparkling in the Darkneſs of that Night, which hides them, even from themſelves. But tis not ſo with Saints. Their Night is ſpent; their Day appears. The Sun of Juſtice Riſes in their Hearts. 2. Pet. 1.19. Their Virtues, like the Stars, (which only shine in Darkneſs) diſappear immediatly. The Clay which they are made of; the Corruption of their Nature; the Enormity of Sin; the Power of their Paſſions; & the Weakneſs of their Reaſon: Theſe are Motives of Humility, which Now they clearly ſee, & dayly have before their eyes. Beſides all This; they plainly ſee an infinite variety of Artifices & Diſguiſes of Self-love, which eaſily aſſumes all shapes, & counterfeits all Virtues, even Charity it ſelf. And therefore they ſuſpect the beſt of all their Actions; trembling at the very thought of them, for fear they may be ſecretly corrupted by Self-love. But, above all, the importunity of Pride, which never ceaſes to attack them; but continually endeavours to ſurpriſe them (notwithſtanding all theſe motives of humility) is that which ſeems the moſt extravagant of all their faults; & humbles them the moſt.

Behold the Miſery of Man! And, what can be more miſerable, if the Sight of ſo much miſery ſuffices not to humble him! the greateſt Saint, who is not conſcious to himſelf of any forfeiture of his firſt Innocence, has no Aſſurance of his being juſtified. D. Sp. ch. 27. He may be in the State of Grace; but whether ſo, or not. He cannot tell. And, which is worſe, although he knew it, He has no aſſurance of Perſevering one ſingle moment. He who Stands, may Fall: & He who is a Saint, may prove a Sinner. Nothing but God's Grace is able to ſupport him, to the End: and the Continuance of this Grace requires ſo faithfull & ſo punctuall a Cooperation with it; that a very ſmall Omiſſion oftentimes ſuffices to deprive him of it. His Perſeverance is, as it were, a Chain of Graces, linkt together, & continued to the utmoſt period of his life: S. Tho. 1.2. q. 114.9. & this is more than He can Merit. All that he can do, is to be always vigilant & faithfull in the Ʋſe of every ſingle Grace God offers him. One Grace, well us'd, draws on another; This, a third; & That, a fourth: but if he trip the leaſt in his Fidelity, the Chain immediatly breaks. And this is that great Diligence which the Apoſtle recommends ſo earneſtly to all good Chriſtians: 2. Pet. 1.10. Ʋſe Diligence, ſays he, to make your Calling & Election ſure. For IF YOU DO, you shall never fall. I muſt confeſs, this Saying is extremely comfortable; if we do: But, if we do not, what becomes of us? If all our life, we Ʋſe ſuch Diligence; the Apoſtle tells us, we shall never fall: But, if we do not; what remains, but that the greateſt Saint amongſt us will be ſure to fall? Conſider this; & Tremble, Whoſoêre you are. Aſſure your ſelf, the more you are a Saint, the more you'l tremble, & the more you'l ſee, how terrible a truth This is; which is one Reaſon why the greateſt Saints (who are the moſt convinc't of it) are always the moſt Humble.

SECT. VII. Second Reaſon why the greateſt Saints are the moſt humble.

I Have ſaid enough of Saints, who have preſerv'd their Innocence. The Second Reaſon only has regard to Saints, who by their Crimes have loſt it heretofore; & now are truly Penitent. If They who Know Themſelves the beſt, are therefore the moſt Humble, becauſe they Doubt the moſt of their Perſeverance. Surely Theſe who Know moſt clearly the Enormity of Sin, which they are guilty of, have much more Reaſon to be Humble; becauſe they Doubt much more, of their obtaining Pardon.

There is a great deal of difference ſays S. Jerome, Epiſt. ad Salv. betwixt a Man whoſe Veſſel is entire, & richly laden, when he ſails into the Port of Bliſs: & Him who, after Shipwrack, after Swimming for his life, rides naked on a Plank; & after being dasht, a hundred times against the rocks, at length is caſt upon the Sands, half-dead, & almoſt bruis'd to pieces. If a man, who ſails in a ſound Veſſel, never is ſecure from Storms which may ariſe, but always doubts of his arrival at the Port: we may be ſure his Caſe is much more doubtfull & more terrible, who has already ſufferd Shipwrack; & has nothing left him, but a Single Plank, to bear him up.

Tis true: it happens now & then (& 'tis a comfortable Obſervation of a Holy Man, Abbé Jean. Entretien. 7. whoſe Name is famous in our preſent Age) it happens now & then, that He, Math. 8.27. to whom the winds & & ſea obey, is pleas'd to make them for a time ſo calm & quiet, that a Man who ſwims upon his plank with induſtry & courage, meets at length, by Providence, another Veſſel, better than his own; & ſails with much more Comfort, much more Joy, into the Haven, than he would have done if he had never ſufferd Shipwrack in a Storm. S. John Climacus, in his 15. Degree, inquires which of the two is Greater in the ſight of God; he who died by ſin, & roſe again to life by Grace? Or he who never died the ſpirituall death of Sin? And anſwers, that whoever Thinks the Innocent more happy of the two, is much miſtaken. The Reaſon is: becauſe All Sanctity is founded in Humility & Charity. Whoever Loves God beſt, & is moſt Humble, is the Greateſt Saint. It happens oftentimes that He to whom a little is forgiven, Luc. 7.47. Loves but little: & it happens now & then, that He Loves beſt, who is moſt mercifully pardon'd, v. 43. & forgiven moſt. We read in Scripture ſeverall examples of this nature. Zachary as ſoon as he had done ſufficient Pennance for his incredulity, immediatly had his Speech reſtor'd him; & not only that, but he was alſo honour'd with the Gift of Prophecying; which we do not read he had before. The Prodigall receiv'd much greater favours and careſſes from his Father, than he ever had experienc't before he left him. Lazarus himſelf, (who was the Figure of great Sinners) never had the honour to be entertain'd, at Table, with the Son of God; before he was, by miracle, rais'd from the Grave. S. Peter had not confidence, before he ſinn'd, to ask our Saviour, Who he was that would betray him? But, when he had washt away his ſins with Tears, he was permitted to be more familiar with his Maſter, and was made the Souvereign Paſtor of his Church. From whence tis eaſy to conclude, that Sinners may ſometimes, by Pennance, grow more Perfect than thoſe Saints who having kept their Innocence, Love God leſs fervently, & ſerve him, with more coldneſs & indifference. Behold, ſays Saint Ambroſe, the great Goodneſs of our God! How liberall & generous He is, to whom He pleaſes to be mercifull! He's not contented to reſtore what they have loſt. He grants them over & above, ſuch Graces, & ſuch Favours, as they never dirſt have hop'd for. Thus, as the Apoſtle ſays, Rom. 5.20. where Sin abounded, Grace abounds much more: becauſe, the more Sin Humbles them, the more they are Exalted. When a Penitent, whom Sin had blinded, once begins to See, & to diſcover clearly the Enormity of his offences, he has much more reaſon to be humble all his life, than if he had been always innocent. He looks upon himſelf no better than a Criminall repriev'd, who is upon his good behaviour for his pardon; & perſuades himſelf that he can never give ſufficient proof of his Fidelity, & the Sincerity of his Repentance. All his Exerciſes of continuall Pennance never make him Vain; but only ſerve to humble him the more: becauſe he looks upon them, only as the Remedies of his Diſeaſes; & ſuch Remedies as he muſt uſe till Death; which is the only End, he hopes to ſee, of his Diſtempers. The Employment of his Thoughts is the Conſideration of his grievous Sins, which he perpetually laments; Where êre he goes, he never leaves the dolefull Memory behind him; Micah. 6.14. His humiliation is always in the midst of him. Since therefore He, who hates the Proud, 1. Pet. 5.5, gives Graces to the Humble; is't not lawfull to inferr, that Sinners may ſometimes arrive to a more eminent Degree of Sanctity, than many of thoſe Saints, who never fell quite down, but yet walk ſlowly in the way to Heaven?

This happens, now & then 'tis true: but ſuch Examples are as rare, as they are great. They are effects of more than ordinary Grace, which God grants only when and where he pleaſes. S. Peter never would have wept ſo bitterly, if Jeſus had not mercifully turn'd & lookt upon him. Luk. 22.61.62. Lazarus had never riſen from the grave, if Jeſus had not come himſelf, & call'd him forth with a loud voice. Jo. 11.43. The Prodigall had never come back to his Father, if he had not firſt come to himſelf. Luke. 15.17. Alas, poor Wretch! he follow'd Swine before; & if he might have fill'd his belly with their husks, v. 16. he would have been contented. See the blindneſs of a Sinner! But as ſoon as ever he came to himſelf, v. 17. his eyes were open; & the opening of his eyes was that which brought him to himſelf. He Saw the great Enormity of his offences; I have ſinn'd, ſays he; v. 18. I have ſinn'd againſt Heaven; & before my Father's face; v. 19. I am not worthy to be call'd his Son. The Idea of his Sins was now ſo terrible, & made ſo deep impreſſion in him; that it humbled him, not only in his Judgment, but his Heart. It humbled him ſo much, that he not only thought himſelf unworthy, but deſir'd to be receiv'd accordingly; & beg'd his Father not to entertain him as a Son, but as one of his hired ſervants. v. 19.

When once the Grace of God enlightens us, & by a miracle of Mercy breaks through the impenetrable Darkneſs which our Paſſions cloud our Reaſon with; this Light diſcovers clearly to us the Enormity of Sin; & as this Light encreaſes, we diſcover dayly more & more. This Light is followd with a Sacred Heat that ſoftens the obdurate coldneſs of our Temper; by which means, the terrible Idea of our Guilt makes, every day, a deeper & more ſenſible Impreſsion in our Hearts. And This is the Second Reaſon, why the Greateſt Saints are the moſt humble: becauſe, the greater Saints they are, the more They ſee the great Enormity of Sin; the more They feel the Terrour of their Guilt; the more They doubt of their obtaining Pardon; & the more They fear and tremble all their life.

I. The Enormity of Sin.

THe humble Penitent; whoſe words I lately cited, thus deſcribes his coming to himſelf. Entretien. 7. Whilſt I purſued, ſays he, the wandring Errours of my Heart, I drunk iniquity like water, & not only that, Job. 15.16. but was ſo hardned, & ſo blind, that whatſoêre I read, or heard, of Sin, made no impreſſion; & inſteed of working my Converſion, only ſerv'd to render me more Guilty, & more inexcuſable. At length, the happy Time arriv'd, 2. Cor. 1.3. in which it pleas'd the Father of all Mercies, & the God of all our Comfort, to beſtow a favourable look upon me: and the firſt Glance preſently diſperſt the Darkneſs of my Soul. The very Dawning of that Light diſcover'd to me the Infernall Monſter, in whoſe company, I had ſo long liv'd unconcern'd. I ſaw, and was immediately ſeizd with ſo prodigious Fear and Trembling at the Sight, that I am confident, as long as I have breath to live, I never shall recover it.

S. Ifidore of Damiette deſcribes this Monſter in ſurpriſing terms: Ibid. Some think, ſays he, that the Devil was the Father of Sin: & others on the contrary maintain, that Sin was the Father of the Devil. Be it how you pleaſe, ſays he, I leave you to imagine, either what a Father it muſt be of ſuch a Son; or what a Son we may expect of ſuch a Father. This, I muſt confeſs, is Black enough: But all it's Blackneſs only ſerves to leave us in the Dark. We are not yet, one jot the nigher Knowing, what Sin is. And all that we can gather from it, is that we are never like to have it painted to the Life, unleſs an Angel undertake to draw it, & the Devil ſitt for the Picture.

The Philoſopher was in the right of it, when being askt the queſtion, what God is? he took a Day; then two; then three; & after all, ingenuouſly confeſs'd, the more he thought of it, the more he found himſelf unable to expreſs it. If a man should ask me the like queſtion; what a Sinner is? I should not be asham'd to own, I am not able to deſcribe the one, no more than he was to expreſs the other.

If God be the Supreme & Souvereign Good, if with Him all things elſe are good, if nothing elſe be good without Him; We may, in proportion, ſay the ſame of Sin. Tis the Supreme & Souvereign Evill, All things elſe are evill with it, Nothing elſe is ſo to us without it.

If it be true, that All good comes from God, as from the Firſt & Univerfall Cauſe of All; The ſame is true of Sin, which is the Firſt & Univerſall Root of all our Evills. God made Heaven: Sin made Hell. He made the Earth: Sin made it miſerable. He created Angells in his Paradiſe above: Sin threw them down. He created Man & Woman in our Paradiſe below: & Sin immediately caſt them out.

Conſider all the Torments of the Damn'd, the cruell Pains of thoſe Eternall Flames, the neverceaſing Anguishes of their deſpairing Rage, &c. All This, & More than All that you are able to conceive, is only Part of the Effects of Sin. Twas Sin prepar'd All this, & More than this, for Them & Us.

If what you only know by Faith make no impreſſion: if you are more ſenſible of what we ſuffer here, than what they ſuffer there: Conſider the Revolt of all the Elements againſt us. Fire which once was only made to ſerve us, now becomes the fatall inſtrument our angry God makes uſe of to deſtroy & punish us: the very Air we breath, infect's us with Diſeaſes: & the Earth, we walk on, trembles, opens, buries us alive. All This had never been, if Man had never Sinn'd.

Conſider all the Miſeries, which Famine, Plague, & War involve us in: the Poverty of half the World; with all the Hunger, Thirſt, Cold, Sickneſs, & Deſpair, which Follow it: And after all, the Civil War of Paſſion againſt Reaſon; which, if well examin'd, will be found the Greateſt & moſt Painfull of our Miſeries; from whence proceed our Ignorance & Malice; and from thence all Immoralities, Corruptions, & Scandals, which we meet with in the World: All This had never been; if Man had never Sinn'd.

Conſider all the ſad Diſaſters, You or Yours have mett with; all the Loſſes you have ſufferd, in your Family, Eſtate, or Friends; & all the Croſſes you have born with ſo much Pain: Whatever you have undergone, you never had been ſubject to; your Heart had never ak't; if Man had never Sinn'd. Accurſed Sin! the only firſt Beginning, & firſt Cauſe of all our Miſchiefs, both in this World & the next!

My God! 1. Jo. 3.2. if once we Saw Thee as Thou art, we could not poſſibly be Tepid & Indifferent; the very Sight of ſo much Goodneſs would, in ſpight of all our Paſſions, force us to Admire, Adore, & Love Thee above all the World. Accurſed Sin! if we once we could but See Thee as Thou art; the very Sight of ſo much Malice would not ſuffer us to Love Thee any longer; it would be impoſsible for either World, or Flesh, or Devil to prevail againſt us; we should Hate Thee above all things; we should then abhorr, deteſt, abominate Thee evermore. Accurſed Sinner! ſuch Goodneſs: & & Thou not Love it! ſuch Malice: & Thou not Hate it!

If the Eternall Source of all our Good be infinite in Goodneſs: what's the Firſt & Everlaſting Root of all our Evills? Is't not infinite in Malice? Queſtionleſs it is. Beſides; God is not only infinite in Goodneſs; He is infinite in Wiſdom, infinite in Juſtice, infinite in all Perfections whatſoever. So is Sin. It is not only infinite in Malice; it is alſo infinite in Folly, infinite in all the Notions we can frame of it. The Treachery, Diſloyalty, Impiety, Ingratitude, Preſumption, Pride, & Inſolence; All This, & More than all that we can think of, All is infinite.

According to the Principle which I have here laid down, if any man should ask me, what a Sinner is? I should not know what other Name to Give him: SINNER is his only Name: & I can think of nothing like Him, but the Man related in S. Mark. Ch. 5.2. He is poſſeſst with an Ʋnclean Spirit: poſſeſst with the Devil; & which is worſe; poſſeſst with Sin, the Father of the Devil. He is ſo unruly in his Paſſions, Inclinations, & Humours; v. 3. that No Man can bind Him: No, not with Chains. The Laws of God are his Fetters; but theſe He breaks in pieces; v. 4. neither is it poſſible for any man to tame Him. If you ask his Name; the Ghoſpel ſays 'tis Legion, v. 9. becauſe He is Many. Sin, and Sinner, are two Names, like that of Legion: Every Mortall Sin, is Many Sins: and every Sinner, is as Many Sinners. Tis impoſſible to number all the Aggravations of a Mortall Sin: They are as numberleſs as the Perfections of our offended God: & therefore I shall only mention thoſe which are the moſt Notorious, the moſt Obvious to common Senſe, & ſuch as are moſt Odious betwixt Man & Man.

A Sinner, Every ſinner, is in every mortall Sin, not only guilty of one Crime, but of a Legion of Crimes. He is a Treacherous Souldier, who Deſerts his Generall: a Diſloyall Subject, who Rebells againſt his King: an Impious Son, who Dethrones his Father: an Ʋngratefull Villain, who Betrays his Benefactor: a Preſumptuous Slave, who Abuſes his Deliverer: a Proud Servant, who Deſpiſes his Maſter: an Inſolent Criminall, who Offends before his Judge's face. All▪ theſe are Crimes we have a Horrour of, when we obſerve them only betwixt Fellow-creatures, betwixt Man & Man. All theſe are infinitely Greater, betwixt Man & God. And every Mortall Sin includes the utmoſt Aggravations of them All.

II. The Treachery of a Sinner.

WHen the Prophet Nathan had a mind to open David's eyes, & make him ſenſible of the Enormity of his Offence; He firſt began, by way of parable, to tell him of a certain Man, who was exceeding Rich in herds & flocks, 2. Sam. 12.2. & yet was ſo injuſt, ſo cruell, as to rob a poor man of his little Lamb, the only Lamb he had. He told the Story in pathetick terms, which though they were but few, ſuffic'd to make him have a horrour of ſo cruell an Injuſtice. David little thought, he was the Perſon aim'd at in the parable. The indignation he conceiv'd, was ſuitable to the Good nature & the Zeal which always had appear'd in him. He preſently pronounc't the Sentence of no leſs than Death, upon the Man that had been guilty of ſo barbarous a Crime: As the Lord lives, v. 5. ſaid he, the Man that has done this, shall ſurely die. Upon this; the Prophet preſently lett fall the mask, v. 7. & ſaid; Thou art the Man.

If Parables be lawfull, upon ſuch occaſions; I beg the leave, to tell you one. There was a Generall, the moſt Endearing, moſt Deſerving, & moſt Juſt that ever liv'd. He had a Standing Army under his Command for ſeverall years: an Army which He generouſly rais'd, & paid, Himſelf: an Army which He cherisht, as a Maſter would his Family. He rais'd it meerly for his Country's ſervice; more for their advantage, than his own; and with no worſe Deſign, than to ſecure the Publick Peace from either forreign or domeſtick Enemies. He rais'd Them out of Nothing; They ſubſiſted by his Service; Their Eſtates were the Preferments He beſtowd upon them. They were punctually payd; well arm'd; well cloath'd; and No convenience wanting, which a reaſonable Souldier could require. The Camp was his Delight: His Fellow-Souldiers were his Company: Their Exerciſes were the chief Diverſion He took pleaſure in. His Courage He had shewd aboundantly in former Wars, where He expos'd his Life in their Defence: He never Commanded any thing but what He did Himſelf: They never ſufferd any hardship, which He did not firſt endure: and in the greateſt Dangers, where Death lookt moſt Terrible, He always was the Firſt to meet it, at the head of them, & look it boldly in the Face. If any thing were able to endear a Souldier's heart, He wanted no accomplishment: He always shewd himſelf as Brave, as He was Good and Juſt. There never was a Man that lov'd his Souldiers more than He: Nor ever was a Generall, in all appearance, more belov'd. No men could shew more ſigns of being glad to ſerve him with their lives & fortunes. Their Fidelity was written in their foreheads: You might read it in their looks: Their Acclamations shewd it, in his Preſence; Their Addreſſes, in his Abſence. The Profeſſions, Proteſtations, & ſolemn Oaths, which they ſo frequently repeated, were ſuch evidence, as any man (though not ſo Good as He) might venture to rely upon. When firſt the unexpected noiſe of an approaching Enemy began to fill the Land, They ſeem'd as firm as ever. They were All in readyneſs to march at firſt Command. They never shewd more cheerfullneſs, than when they went to meet the Forreign Power which diſturb'd their Peace. Nor is it any wonder that they were ſo cheerfull. They were well inform'd of the condition of their Enemies: They knew their weakneſs: in a word, They knew that they were ſure to Conquer, if they would but Fight. Their Generall, who had ſome ſecret reaſons to miſtruſt them, could not ſo diſſemble his concern, but they obſerv'd it. They aſſur'd Him of the contrary. They made Him fresh Profeſſions, Proteſtations, & Oaths, that they would faithfully ſtand by Him, to the utmoſt moment of their Lives. He heard: And, even to the laſt, was willing to beleeve. But yet the dolefull proſpect, which He had, of ſo inhuman Treachery, where He had plac't ſuch Confidence; was an Affliction ſo ſurpriſing & ſo ſenſible; it made Him bleed with grief, to think of it. His Fears immediatly prov'd true. The day of Battell was no ſooner coming, but they almoſt All deſerted Him, & ſerv'd his Enemy.

Sinner, whoêre Thou art, that readſt this Parable, if Thou haſt any ſpark of Honour left, or any thing of common Juſtice, or Good nature in Thee; I am confident, Thou canſt not but conceive ſome horrour of ſo baſe a Treachery. However, have a care of being ſo ſevere, as David was, in giving ſentence. Have a care, I ſay, of calling God to witneſs, that the men who have done this, 2. Sam. 12.5. deſerve to die. Remember, what the Prophet ſaid; Thou art the Man. Remember the Apoſtle's words; Rom. 2.1. O Man, whoêre Thou art that judgeſt, Thou condemnst thy ſelf; Thou doſt the ſame. And I dare boldly add; Thou doſt incomparably more. In every mortall ſin, which Thou art guilty of, thy Treachery is infinitely worſe.

If once We Sinners were ſufficiently ſenſible, of what we are our ſelves, We then should be more moderate in cenſuring, & railing at, the crimes of Others. If we find our ſelves tranſported with an unbecoming Zeal, which we too often shew too much of; Let us call our Anger home, & find Employment for it there. The Caſe is ours. Tis we who are the Men: Tis we, who are the Traytors: We our ſelves, who are the Treacherous Souldiers, that deſert in time of Battle. If we offer to compare our Generall with theirs; we cannot but confeſs, that Ours is infinitely more Endearing, more Deſerving, & more Juſt. When we, in former wars, had been defeated by the common Enemy, & taken priſoners by the Devil; God himſelf deſcended to aſſiſt us, & to rally up our ſcatterd Forces. He immediatly cloath'd us; arm'd us; punctually payd us; taught us all our Exerciſes; train'd us up to all the hardship of a Souldiers life. Whatever He commanded us to do or ſuffer, He endur'd and did Himſelf: in every danger He was always at the head of us: and every drop of his moſt Sacred bloud, He freely Sacrific'd to ſerve us. See the Standing Army which our God has mercifully rais'd, to fight for Heaven againſt the Powers of Hell. The Devil with a forreign Army of ſuch Spirits as himſelf, endeavours to ſurpriſe us. He would never venture to attack us, if he had not ſome intelligence amongſt us. All our Paſsions, Inclinations, and Humours are his Friends. With theſe He always keeps a private correſpondance: and by their Aſſiſtance, which they under hand aſſure him of, He ventures to invade us, even when our God himſelf is at the head of us. Before the Day of Battell comes, we never shrink the leaſt: We march on cheerfully: We know that we are ſure to conquer, if we will but fight. Tis true: Our Generall, who ſees the bottom of our Hearts, has reaſon to ſuſpect our Conſtancy. Yet, we aſſure him of the contrary with new Profeſſions of Fidelity: We ſolemnly declare, that we will rather Die than Yield: We take the Sacrement upon it: And yet, after all, the Hour of Tryall, the firſt Moment of Temptation, is no ſooner come, but we immediatly Deſert our God, & Serve the Devil. Was there ever any Treachery, ſo baſe, ſo horrid, ſo extravagant as This!

III. The Diſloyalty of a Sinner.

THis is not All. The God we thus Deſert, not only is our Generall; but He is alſo King of all the World. We are not only Souldiers to our Generall; but we are alſo Subjects to our King: And every Sinner is, in every Sin, as much Diſloyal to the One, as he is Treacherous to the Other.

Tis a shame to ſee, how eaſily, how clearly, we diſcover all the Malice & Injuſtice of Rebellion in our Neighbours: & how little we obſerve it in our ſelves. If any of our Neighbours, one day, preach up Loyalty, Obedience, Non-Reſiſtance; &, the next day, take up arms againſt their Souvereign: If, to day, they humbly offer their Addreſſes to their lawfull Prince, with all expreſſions of their Duty, Conſtancy, & Reſolution to ſerve Him; & perhaps, the next day, call a forreign Power in, to head their Faction againſt him: If, to day, they ſwear Allegeance; & the next day, break their Oath: How ſcandaliz'd we are! what Liberty we take, of ſaying what we pleaſe! how Violent we are in our Invectives againſt Rebells!

All this while, we are the Men: we do the Same: And, which is worſe, we do a great deal more in every Mortall Sin. Our Paſſions, Inclinations & Humours, like ſo many factious Common-Wealth-Men, always are endeavouring to ſubvert the Gouvernment of Reaſon; which is, in effect, the Gouvernment of God himſelf, who made us Rationall. He made us out of Nothing: Therefore, we are All Entirely His. He, every moment of our Life, preſerves us from returning back to Nothing: Therefore we are Always His. We cannot poſſibly be any Body's elſe but His: He cannot give us over to another Maker or Preſerver. Tis impoſſible for God to Abdicate his Right of Gouverning the World. His Title to the Monarchy of all the Univerſe, is as Unalterable & Unqueſtionable as the Deity it ſelf. There's no Appearance of Appeal from Him who is Eſſentially Supreme, in Heaven as well as Earth. No Deiſt ever had the Face to ſay, His Right deſcends originally from the Mobile, who gave it Him upon ſuch Terms as they thought Fit, & ſuch as He agreed to: Upon which account, unleſs He Gouvern as they pleaſe to underſtand the Contract betwixt Him & Them, They ſtill reſerve the Power to Depoſe his Majeſty, & ſett another in his Place. No, no: As weak as human Reaſon is, it never was ſo blind, as to ſubſcribe to ſo much Blaſphemy as This.

And yet, the Common Outcry of our Paſsions is for Liberty & Priviledges of the Subject: They perpetually complain of Slavery & Arbitrary Power: They are Mortall Enemies to any Gouvernment, in which they have no Voice. The Paſſion which we call Predominant, is that which heads the Faction: And, although there be no Colour for the Crime, they openly Rebell: Luke. 19.14. we will not have this Man, ſay they, Reign over us. Our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt Commands us All to follow his Example; not to ſett our Hearts upon the Riches, Pleaſures, Honours, of this World; but to be always ready, for his ſake, to ſuffer Poverty Affliction & Diſgrace: we will not have this Man reign over us. He bids always be upon our Guard, & make it our chief Buſineſs to obſerve the Motions of our Enemy: He bids us Mortify our Paſsions, Diſengage our criminall Affections, and Avoid all dangerous Occaſions of Sin: in short, He bids us Love Him above all things, & our Neighbour as our ſelves: we will not have this Man reign over us.

This Man! And Who is He? Tis He who is true God as well as Man. Tis He who meaſures out the waters, Iſay. 40.12.17. in the Hollow of his Hand: who meaſures out the Heavens with a Span: Before whom all the Nations of the Earth are Nothing; even leſs than Nothing. Tis He whom all his Creatures wait upon, Pſal. 104. that He may feed them in due Seaſon: who gives them, & they Gather; who opens his Hand, & they are fill'd; who takes away their Breath, & they return to Duſt. Tis He, who ſitts in the Heavens, & laughs at the Kings & Rulers of the Earth: Pſal. 2. who makes their Devices of no effect: Pſ. 33. who breaks them with a Rod of iron; Pſ. 2.9. & dashes them in pieces like a Potters Veſſell: He who is the Lord of All; Pſ. 47. moſt High; moſt Terrible; and GREAT KING over all the Earth. This King we openly Rebell againſt, in every Mortall Sin.

IV. The Impiety of a Sinner.

THe Duty which we ow to Parents, is a Virtue which we commonly call Piety: And every Breach of ſuch a Duty may be properly call'd Impious. Tis a Virtue by it ſelf; whoſe Character, compar'd with other morall Virtues, is as different from them, as 'tis eminent above them. Her Authority extends to all of them: And when they are obedient to her orders, when they ſerve her, when they wear her Livery; we call them by her Name. Tis thus we call all Virtues Pious, & all Vices Impious.

The Reaſon is, becauſe our God not only is a Generall to his Souldiers, & a Monarch to his Subjects; But He alſo is a Father to his Children. We are All of us his Children. He's a Father to us All. Each virtuous Action of our life is more or leſs a Duty which we ow to ſuch a Father; and is therefore Pious. On the contrary, in every Offence, we Sin againſt our Father, & are therefore Impious.

Whenſoever we offend our God, we ſin againſt our Generall. We baſely break the Promiſes of our Fidelity, which once we made ſo ſolemnly in Baptiſm, & ſince ſo frequently renew'd: We treacherouſly Deſert him, even in the very moment when we should begin the Battle. Whenſoever we offend our God, we ſin againſt our King. We break the ſacred Oaths of our Allegeance, which we ſeal'd ſo often with the Sacrament: We trample under foot all Tyes of Loyalty, & openly Rebell againſt Him. Whenſoever we offend our God, we ſin againſt our Father. We are Impious, even beyond expreſſion; we Dethrone his Majeſty; we Banish him from our Heart; we Ʋſurp the Gouvernment of it our ſelves, & manage it againſt Him.

When the Scribes murmur'd at our Saviour, Luke. 15.2. for receiving Sinners, & eating with'em: He told them of the Prodigall Son, who was not only Receiv'd, but Feaſted by his Father; after he had ſo unkindly left Him, after he had waſted all his Subſtance in a forreign Country; after he began to be in want, feed Swine, & long for busks to fill his belly with. His chief Deſign in telling of the Parable, (as we may judge by the occaſion) was not to accuſe the Son, but to excuſe the Father, & by conſequence Himſelf. His principall intention was to juſtify the Father's Mercy Tenderneſs & Kindneſs to his Son: & therefore twas not proper to exaggerate his fault. Twas fitter for the preſent purpoſe, to ſett forth his great Contrition and Humility; who notwithſtanding all his former Folly Brutishneſs & Blindneſs, yet at length came to himſelf; repented; v. 17. & return'd with ſuch a contrite, ſuch an humble heart, to caſt himſelf before his Father's feet.

A willfull Fool; A ſwinish Brute; & Both ſo Blind as not to ſee their Miſery; is the Idea of a Sinner, & the whole Idea, which the Scripture gives us, in this Parable. There's no Ingratitude, Preſumption, Pride, or Inſolence appears, from the beginning to the end of it. The Treachery & the Diſloyalty, which I have lately ſpoken of, have no room there: Much leſs the great Impiety which now I am about to ſpeak of. He was no Deſerter, Rebell, or Uſurper. True it is; He left his Father, when he went to ſeek his Fortune: but we do not read, that he Deſerted Him in time of Battle. He return'd again without his Father's leave: but yet we do not read, that he appear'd in Arms againſt Him, & by Force oblig'd Him to Submitt. He envy'd not his Father's Power & Authority. His great Ambition only was to be as happy as his hired ſervants. He deſir'd no more than to be one of'em. He came & humbly ſaid; Luke. 15.21. Father, I am not worthy to be call'd your Son. He did not impiouſly tell him; Father, You are not worthy to be Maſter of your Houſe. We do not read; He ſent a Meſſenger, with peremptory Orders to his Father's Palace, to Command him to be gone by ſuch an Hour. What would you have ſaid; Suppoſe our Prodigall had been ſo Impious as This?

Ah Sinner! Let not too much Zeal tranſport Thee. Call thy Anger home: The Caſe is thine: Thou art the Man. In every Mortall Sin, which we conſent to, We are All as Impious, & infinitely more.

Our Heavenly Father, is He not our King? Our Heart, is it not his Throne? Was it not He who Made it for Himſelf? And is it not his Right to Gouvern it, & Guide it to the Happyneſs for which He made it?

As often as we Value any Honour Intereſt or Pleaſure, any Paſſion Inclination or Humour, more than his Commandements; So often we Ʋſurp the Empire of our Heart; we ſway the Scepter; Gouvern as we pleaſe; & Banish Him from thence. And is not This as much as if we ſaid; Father, You are not worthy to be Maſter of your Houſe?

As often as the Devil tempts us, or our Wickedneſs inclines us, to preſerr our Self, or any other Thing before Him, If we freely give Conſent; & ſuffer any Creature to poſſeſs the Chief Place in our Heart; So often we are every jot as Impious, as if we ſent Him peremptory Orders to be Gone, that very Hour.

I tremble whilſt I write. Each Line encreaſes my Deſpair of ever being able to expreſs the Malice of a Mortall Sin. The more I amplify, the more I ſee how much I am to blame, for undertaking ſo impoſſible a Thing.

V. The great Ingratitude, Preſumption, Pride, & Inſolence, of every Sinner.

I Have ſaid enough to shew that every Sinner is a treacherous Souldier, a diſloyall Subject, & an impious Son. I now deſign to shew, This is not All: but that He alſo is a moſt ungratefull Villain who betrays his Benefactor; a preſumptuous Slave who abuſes his Deliverer; a proud Servant who deſpiſes his Maſter; & a Criminall ſo inſolent as to offend before his Judge's face.

A moſt ungratefull Villain. A meer Upſtart, rais'd from leſſe than Duſt. An empty Thing, extracted out of Nothing. That ſuch a Thing as this, & ſo exalted as it is, should be ſo ſtupid, ſo inſenſible of all his Obligations, ſo unmindfull of the Favours he receives, & ſo illnatur'd to his greateſt Benefactor; who continually makes him all he is; who dayly gives him all he has; to whom he ows, the bread he eats, the air he breaths, the ground he goes upon, the hand he moves, the very life he ſpends in Sin, & all the Time allowd him to repent! Can ſuch a Creature; ſo oblig'd; by ſuch a Benefactor; be ſo baſely & ſo horribly ungratefull, to betray Him; & preferr before Him the unreaſonable ſatisfaction, of a ſilly Humour? of a shamefull Paſſion? of a ſinfull Inclination? Open (once for all) thy Eyes, Blind Sinner; & confeſs, that no Ingratitude, but that of Judas, can compare to thine.

A Slave; (I wish he were ſo, to his Maſter) A Slave to Paſsion & Humour; A Slave to Sin & Miſery; A Slave condemn'd to worſe than Galleys, during Life, & afterwards to the Eternall Flames of Hell, 1. Cor. 2.9. where neither Eye has ſeen, Nor Ear has heard, nor has it ever entred into the heart of any Man, what Torments God's great Juſtice has prepar'd for thoſe who dare abuſe his Mercy. A vile Slave, deliver'd from the miſchief of all This; by God himſelf; deſcending from his Glory; living here a poor & painfull life; & laying down the ſame, with every drop of his moſt precious bloud, to pay the the ranſom of this Wretch: That ſuch a Slave; deliver'd ſo; by ſuch a Hand; should offer to abuſe the Mercy which once ſav'd him, & ſtill holds him by a ſlender thred, from falling into everlaſting Miſery!

A Servant; I should have ſaid, A miſerable Inſect, full of ſinfull putrefaction; A vile Spawn of Man's originall Corruption; A Worm, whoſe very Crawling on it's fellow-duſt is more Preferment than it can deſerve. That ſuch a Thing as This, should be ſo proud as to deſpiſe the Maſter of the World! So Great, ſo VViſe, ſo Infinitely Perfect, & ſo every way Deſerving, as He is! This Vermin has indeed a Soul; an Angell once, by Grace; but now, by Sin, a Devil black as Hell it ſelf; Gen. 3.5. Iſai. 14.14. a Lucifer that will be knowing Good & Evill, will be like the Higheſt, will pretend to Gouvern in his Maſter's Houſe, deſpiſe his Orders, ſlight his Menaces, neglect his Admonitions. Be aſtonisht, Jer. 2.12. O ye Heavens, at this.

A moſt inſolent Criminall; A Criminall ſo inſolent, as to offend before God's Face; in preſence of his Generall, his King, his Father, his Deliverer, his Benefactor, & his Maſter; and beſides all this, in preſence of his Judge; before the very Bar, where he continually is upon his Tryall for his everlaſting Life or Death. Our Saviour ſays, that Whoſoêre beleeves not, Jo. 3.18. is condemn'd already. We may ſay the ſame of every Sinner: In the very moment he offends, He is condemn'd already. His All-Seeing Judge is always VVitneſs of his Thoughts Words Actions & Deſires: and He no ſooner is a Criminall, but He is Tryd & Judg'd.

This Inſolence of his, in ſome reſpect, exceeds all other Aggravations of his Crime. Tis an Extravagance of which we hardly find the leaſt Example betwixt Man & Man. We often hear of Souldiers that Deſert: But whenſoêre they go, they ſteal away: We never hear that they acquaint their Generall with ſuch Deſigns. We often hear of Subjects that conſpire againſt the Gouvernment: but never hear them talk ſuch matters loudly, in the hearing of their Prince. We often hear of Murders, Robberies, & many other Outrages, committed in the World: But when the Priſoner once was brought to Tryall, did you ever hear, He either Robb'd, or Murder'd, at the Bar? No, no, ſuch Inſolence was never heard of, betwixt Man & Man. And yet this very Inſolence is infinitely leſs than Ours, which we are always guilty of, in every Mortall Sin.

I ſay no more. I tremble at the very thought of having ſaid ſo much; when I reflect, how All that we can either ſay or think, will nêre convert us without Grace. There's nothing but the Grace of God can make a deep Impreſsion of it in our Hearts.

VI. Our Saviours Idea of Sin: & the Impreſsion it made upon Him.

OUr Saviour Jeſus Chriſt beſt knew the great Enormity of Sin: & we may judge how great it is, by the Impreſsion which it made upon Him; when the approaching Hour of his Paſſion laid before his Eyes the terrible Idea of it.

Twas the firſt bloudy Scene of all his Sufferings. He began to be Sorrowfull & very heavy. Math. 26.37. A Deluge of Grief broke in upon his Soul; quite overwhelm'd his Heart; & lay ſo heavy upon his fearfull Thoughts, He was not able to conceal it any longer, & ſupport the preſſing weight of his Affliction, all alone, in ſilence. His three moſt Dear & moſt Familiar Diſciples, were ſurpris'd ſo much, to ſee this ſuddain alteration in their deareſt Lord; They were not able to enquire the Cauſe, but like Job's three Friends they ſtood aſtonisht, & ſpoke not one word to Him, Job. 2.13. becauſe they ſaw his Grief was very Great.

Our Saviour could hold no longer; but broke out into this dolefull expreſſion; Math. 26.38. My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull, even unto Death. Ah my dear Diſciples! if you knew, as well as I do, all the Motives of my Grief; you would not wonder that the very Thought of them makes me look pale, & shews you the face of Death in my countenance. The violent pangs of my afflicted Soul are ſo sharp & piercing, that, did not my Divinity ſupport me & preſerve my life, I should immediatly, this very moment, dy upon the place. Stay a while, and watch with me. Math. 26.38. You, who love me beſt, who have been always moſt familiar with me, Be not now ſo unkind as to leave me in this ſad condition all alone: Stay a while, & watch with me, till my Storm of Grief blow over.

Dear Chriſtians, Let us ſtay a while; & with theſe three Diſciples, not only admire but ſearch into the cauſe of this great alteration in the Soul of our Redeemer. How was it poſſible that now He should begin to fear ſo much that Death, which all his life He had ſo much deſir'd? His Love for Man, & his Deſire of dying for us, were conceiv'd by the operation of the Holy Ghoſt; they came into the World with him; & ever after ſo employ'd his Thoughts, He ſcarce could talk of any thing elſe. Amongſt his Diſciples, his common Diſcourſe was of his Sufferings, the Cup he was to drink, his Obligation, his Readyneſs, his Impatience, to fullfill the Prophecies. I have, ſays he, Luke. 12.50. a Baptiſm to be baptis'd with; & how am I ſtraitned, till it be accomplisht? When the time drew nearer, He redoubled his deſires of dying for us: Luke. 22.25. with Deſire I have deſir'd to eat this Paſſeover with you. And why? (ſays S. Chryſoſtom) Becauſe it is a preparation to my Paſſion, which I have ſo long, ſo earneſtly deſir'd. He knew, from the beginning, every Torment; every degree of it: Often reflected on each Circumſtance apart; & as often took delight in viewing all of them together. Upon mount Thabor, when the Glory of his Bleſſed Soul shin'd through his body, like the Sun through a tranſparent cloud, upon the dazled eyes of his Diſciples; giving them a glympſe of the Eternall Glory we expect hereafter: Our Saviour ſeem'd to be as much delighted with the proſpect of his Paſſion, as with all the joys of Heaven: and as, upon another occaſion, Jo. 4.31.34. when his Diſciples pray'd him to eat; He told them, My meat is to do the will of Him that ſent me, & finish his work; So when they deſir'd Him to ſtay and make Tabernacles, Luke. 9.30.33. it was his joy & delight to talk with Moyſes & Elias of his Deceaſe, his Paſſion which he should accomplish, v. 31. at Hieruſalem.

Ah Chriſtians! you have reaſon to admire, & wonder that the God of all your comfort is now heavy & diſconſolate: 2. Cor. 1.3. But you will fear and tremble, more than wonder, if you ſeriouſly reflect that all his Grief proceeded chiefly from the terrible Idea which He had of Sin; not his but ours. S. Hierome ſays, Apud D. Tho. In Cat. His greateſt Grief proceeded not from fear of ſuffering, becauſe He came to Suffer; But He cheifly griev'd for Judas, for the Scandall of the Apoſtles, and the Reprobation of the People, &c. ...

This agrees exactly with our Saviour's words, Luke. 23.27.28. to thoſe who follow'd Him to Calvary; when turning to the women who lamented Him, He ſaid, Daughters of Hieruſalem, weep not for me only, weep alſo for your ſelves, & for your children. Weep not for me; My torments will be short: weep for your ſelves; your torments (if you do not weep, repent, & mend) will be Eternall. Alas! the Torments which I willingly & freely ſuffer for your ſake, are Nothing to the Pains of Hell, which you for ever will endure, unleſs by penitentiall tears, mixt with my bloud, You wash away your Sins. v. 31. If they do thus, in the green wood; what will they do, in the Dry? If I, though Innocent, ſuffer thus for your Sins: You, who are Guilty, what are you like to ſuffer for your own? If I, who am true God, the only beloved Son of my Eternall Father, who never once offended Him; if, becauſe I interpoſe betwixt you & his Juſtice, I am thus ſeverely treated; what will become of miſerable Creatures, grievous Sinners, who ſo often have offended Him, if they do not joyn their tears with mine; if they are not afflicted with me for their Sins, for which I dy upon the Croſs? Levit. 23.29. Every Soul who upon this day is not afflicted, shall perish. Every Soul who thinks upon this Day, and is not afflicted with his dying Saviour; is not heartily afflicted for thoſe Sins, for which He dies; shall certainly perish.

Neither does it contradict, what commonly is ſaid; that One great Difference betwixt our Saviour & his Martyrs was, that by a miracle of Grace He gave them that undaunted Courage, which by a greater miracle He now refus'd to himſelf. Tis true: He freely ſufferd in himſelf the Naturall Fear of Death; to shew himſelf True Man as well as God; to let us ſee at once the Weakneſs of our Nature, & the Power of Grace; and comfort us, by making it appear that ſuch Infirmities of Nature are not Sins, as long as Reaſon gouverns them, & Reſignation ſubmitts to the will of God. But yet there is another greater Difference betwixt his Caſe & theirs. Martyrs, who die for God's ſake, are Secure of their Succeſs; they are ſure not to ſuffer in vain; they are certain to poſſeſs All that they deſire, & to enjoy eternally their God to whom they Sacrifice their Lives. This is the reaſon why our Martyrs look Death boldly in the face; with open armes receive it; & go to meet it with the ſame aſſurance, as if they went to Heaven. Let the Body ſuffer all the worſt of Pains; the Soul is unconcern'd, Anima de Deo ſuo ſemper ſecura. S. Cypr. the Soul is ſecure of God, the Soul is in Heaven before hand. When Man dies to enjoy God, he is ſure he shall enjoy him. But (alas!) it is not ſo when Jeſus dies for Man. He dies to gain his Love; & at the ſame time knows that he will prove ungratefull. He dies to enjoy him in Heaven; & foreſees he will be damn'd for all Eternity. The lively apprehenſion of his torments all together was enough to make him Sorrowfull, even to Death; but however, if he have promis'd himſelf the Eternall Salvation of all thoſe dear-bought Souls for which He died, the joyfull aſſurance of ſo happy a Succeſs, would have eas'd the burthen of his Grief; His torments, all of them, would have been well come upon that condition. But to ſweat bloud in vain; to be ſcourg'd to no purpoſe; to ſpend the laſt drop of his ſacred veins to no effect; was an Affliction not to be ſupported, without praying his Eternall Father to have pitty & compaſſion on Him: Math. 26.30. Father, if it be poſſible, diſpence at leaſt with this part of my Sentence; Let me die; But do not let me die in vain.

Tis ſaid of Joſeph in the Book of Geneſis; 45.15. He kiſs'd all his Brethren, & wept over every one of them. I may ſay the ſame of Jeſus in the Garden of Gethſemane: He griev'd for All is brethren, & wept over every one of them, in particular. He ſaw before his eyes the Sins of every perſon in the World; the Graces which he would from time to time beſtow upon us; the neglect of all his Offers; & abuſe of all his Favours. He foreſaw every Temptation which we yield to; & griev'd to ſee it. He foreſaw each profanation of the Sacrament, which we frequent unworthyly, and fainted with grief, when He thought how often his moſt precious Bloud would by our fault become the Poyſon of our Souls. He foreſaw in the whole courſe of our Lives, where, when, & how, we would reſiſt, & render ineffectuall, all the Directions, Admonitions & Exhortations of his Miniſters; and fell into a bloudy Sweat at the very thought of our Ingratitude, by which the chief means of attaining Everlaſting Happyneſs ſerve only, in the end, to juſtifie our Sentence of Eternall Miſery. Iſaiah. 35.4.6. He bore our Griefs; He carried our Sorrows; He took upon him the Iniquities of us All; and every one of our moſt grievous Sins appear'd to him in a more hideous shape, than ever it appear'd to any Creature.

Mortall Sin is as Bad as God is Good. It ſeparates us from our God, & leaves our Souls as Empty as our God is Great. So that as God is infinitely Good, the Malice of a Mortall Sin is infinitely Evill. As none of us can underſtand the infinite Goodneſs of the one; ſo none of us are able to conceive the infinite Malice of the other. Chriſt himſelf, as God, could comprehend them Both: as Man, He comprehended neither. But yet the clear & full Idea He had of it was proportion'd to his Beatifick Viſion of God's Eſſence, & by conſequence the perfecteſt that ever was. His cleareſt Sight, & ardent Love of God, were in a manner infinite: So were his Knowledge & his Hatred of all Mortall Sin. And the Impreſſion this Idea made upon him, was the chief, if not the only, Reaſon why our Saviour could not hold from telling his Diſciples; My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull, Math. 26.38. even unto Death. His Soul was overwhelm'd with ſuch a Deluge of Affliction, that his Grief, not being able to contain it ſelf within the Bounds of Nature, violently forc'd it ſelf through all his Pores, in Tears of Bloud.

Ah my dear Jeſus! when shall I be able to make ſuch a perfect Act of true Contrition for my Sins, as Thou haſt made for mine! When shall I be able to ſay, My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull even unto Death! When shall I lament my grievous Sins in Tears of Bloud! Give me, at leaſt, Jerem. 9.1. water to my Head, & Fountains to my Eyes. No Contrite Heart, but Thine, bleeds otherwiſe than at the Fyes: and 'tis (I hope) enough for me, if I can be ſo ſorry for my Sins, as to lament them all the days I have to live, & rather Die than ever Sin again.

VII. The Saints Idea of Sin. How much it humbles Them.

THere's Nothing but the Grace of Jeſus Chriſt can make us Saints. There's Nothing elſe can make us clearly See and heartily Deteſt the Malice of our Sins. The greater share we have of this great Grace, the more we ſee it & deteſt it; ſo much more we fear and tremble at the very thought of it; & as our Grace encreaſes, we grow every day more humble by remembring it.

To make this out, I need not write the lives of all the Saints. A Pattern is enough to judge of all the Piece: eſpecially ſuch a one as S. Deg. 5. John Climacus, an ancient Father of the Church, has left behind him. He aſſures us, Ar. 20. his Relation is no Fable: He affirms that, what he ſays, Art. 2. He ſaw with his own eyes: & that He was a whole month in their Company. Ar. 27.

Draw near, ſays he, all You who have provok't the wrath of God by your Offences: Come, & Hear the Wonders He was pleas'd to let me See, for my Edification: Be attentive to my words, all You who have a mind to reconcile your ſelves to God, by a ſincere Converſion.

When I was, ſays he, in the Monastery of Penitents; I ſaw Men ſo extremely humbled with the grievous weight of their Offences, that their cries & prayers to God, would even move the ſtones themſelves. With heads bow'd down, & eyes upon the ground, I heard them ſay: we confeſs, O Lord, we confeſs that we deſerve to ſuffer all chaſtiſements & afflictions; becauſe our Sins are ſuch, that should we Summon all the Ʋniverſe to weep for us, the Tears of all the world would never make ſufficient Satisfaction. There remains one only thing we ask, one only thing we pray for; that Thou never mayſt correct us in thy Anger, Pſ. 6.1. nor chaſtiſe us in thy great diſpleaſure; but a little ſpare us, through thy infinite Mercy. Tis enough, O Lord, that Thou deliver us from thoſe inexplicable Torments hidden in the Center of the Earth. VVe dare not ask a full & perfect Pardon: we, who have not kept the holy Laws of our Profeſſion; but have broken them again, when Thou hadst given us the moſt endearing Marks of Love & Mercy, in forgiving of our Sins.

Who ever ſaw them Laugh? Who ever heard amongſt them any idle Talk? Who ever could obſerve that any Paſſion tranſported them? Or any Anger mov'd them? Alas! they hardly knew what Anger was: their great Affliction and continuall Grief had now extinguisht in them all Emotions of Reſentment. There was never known the leaſt appearance of Diſpute: the leaſt lashing out in Diſcourſe: the leaſt Sign of Vainglory. There was no Jollity of Feaſting: no Concern for the body: no Love of eaſe & pleaſure: no Thought of Wine: no Uſe of fruits: no Care for delicacies pleaſing to the palate. The Deſire of all ſuch things was quite extinct. And after all, there was not to be found the leaſt Cenſoriouſneſs, or leaſt appearance of an Inclination to Judge their neighbours.

Some of them, now & then, would knock their breaſts; and, as if they were already at the Gate of Heaven, Open us, ſaid they, O Judge of Mankind, Open us the Gate of Happyneſs, which we have shat by Sin. Others would ſay, Luke. 1.79. Give light to us, O Lord, who ſitt in Darkneſs, in the Shades of Death; & guide our ſteps into the way of Peace. Others again; will the Almighty look upon as any more? Is't poſsible to pay our Debts, & ſatisfy for our Offences? will our God, once more, afford us any Comfort? we are laid in chains of Sin; And shall we one day, hear him ſay, Come forth?

They always had their Hour of Death before their eyes; & ſometimes they would ſay to one another; what will then become of us? what Sentence will our God pronounce upon us? what will be our End? shall we be then call'd home from Banishment, to which we have been hitherto condemn'd for our Offences? Shall ſuch Criminalls, as we, find any favour then? Such Sinners as we are? Such miſerable wretches, coverd with Confuſion & Darkneſs? Have our Prayers mounted to the Throne of God? Or have they been rejected, as they well deſerve? If well receiv'd, how far have they prevail'd? Have they obtaind a full Diſcharge, or only Part? Alas! they could not have much force, proceeding from ſuch mouths, ſo ſinfull, ſo impure, as Ours.

At other times, They thus diſcourſt their fears & doubts: what think you Brethren? Do you think that we advance? Do you think that we obtain the effect of our Demands? Do you think that God will once again receive us? Do you think He'l open us the Gates of Heaven? VVho can tell, (ſaid the Ninivites;) who knows, but God may change the Sentence which He has pronounc't againſt us? Though perhaps He will not free us from the rigorous Chaſtiſements which we have deſerv'd: However, Let us labour all we can, & Do whatever we are able. If He open us the Gate of Heaven, we are Happy: if He dos not, He is Juſt: & therefore never let us ceaſe to bleſs Him. Doubtfull, as we are, of what may be our Deſtiny, we muſt continue all our life, ſtill knocking at the Door. Perhaps our Importunity, our Conſtancy, & our Perſeverance may find Admittance, in the End.

Behold the Language of the Saints! Conſider how their Fear & Trembling humbles them, in Preſence of their angry God. Conſider the Idea which They have of Sin: how different it is from what we generally have. Conſider the Impreſsion which it makes upon them, & compare it with our Stupidneſs, our Hardneſs, our Inſenſibility. Conclude with shame & ſorrow, that this Difference twixt them & us proceeds not from their having been much greater Sinners than we are; but from our being much leſſe Saints than They.

When any of theſe Penitents drew nigh the hour of Death; how Terrible, how Lamentable was the Spectacle! Theſe Bleſſed Criminalls, when any one of their Companions was upon the point of leaving them; They All ſurrounded him, with aking hearts, & weeping eyes, to ask him; How do you find your ſelf, Dear Brother; Dear Companion in our Miſeries & Sufferings? what ſay you, Now? what do you hope? what do you think? Have you obtain'd what you have labour'd for, with ſo much pain? Or is your labour loſt? Are you arriv'd at the Port? Or are you not? Have you a full Aſſurance of your Happyneſs? Or have you only an uncertain Hope? Do you find your ſelf in perfect Liberty of Mind? Or are you yet in Trouble & Anxiety? Have you heard already, in the Secret of your Soul, a voice, which tells you; Your ſins are forgiven you? Math. 9.2. Pſal. 9.17. Or do you ſeem to hear that formidable Sentence; The wicked shall be turn'd into Hell? what ſay you, Brother? Tell us, we conjure you, Tell us Now ſincerely; that by knowing what Condition you are in at preſent, we may gueſs, what State we may be in, one Day, our ſelves.

To theſe Demands, ſome of theſe dying Penitents made anſwer: Pſal. 66.20. Bleſſed be God who has not turn'd away my Prayer nor his Mercy from me. Others, in a dolefull tone replyd: Pſal. 124.4. Can our Soul go over the Stream of waters, which are like to overwhelm us? This they ſaid, not being yet aſſur'd of their Salvation; but conſidering with fear and trembling what might happen to them in the terrible Accompt which now was nigh at Hand. And others anſwer'd more uncomfortably: wo be to the Soul that has not kept inviolably all the Laws of it's Profeſsion. See; the Hour is come; the only Hour in which we shall begin to know our State for all Eternity.

Theſe Bleſſed Penitents, for one Relapſe, did Pennance, the ſevereſt they were able to invent: And we, for numberleſs Relapſes, many of them worſe than theirs, Do none at all. Theſe Penitents Perſever'd in the ſame Auſterities till Death; their Pennance had no End: We ſtill Perſever in our Sins; our Pennance never begins. Their Fear & Trembling, their profound Humility, went hand in hand with all their Pennance & Perſeverance: Our Confidence & Ʋnconcern'dneſs, our extravagant Preſumption, always keep an equall pace with our Tepidity & Slothfulneſs. Dear Chriſtians, give me leave to ask, Why all this difference twixt them and us? A thouſand years, betwixt their Age, & this which now we live in, have they alter'd the Almighty? Has He leſs Authority to punish us? Or we, leſſe Obligation to Obey Him, Honour Him, & make Him Satisfaction, if we do not? Is our God leſs Juſt, becauſe we more abuſe his Mercy? Or more Mercifull, becauſe we leſs regard his Juſtice? Alas! Our Blindneſs is the only Reaſon: We are blinder than They were: And therefore we are more ſecure, more unconcern'd, more proud, more tepid, & more ſlothfull.

Jeſu, Luke. 18.38. Son of David, have Mercy on me. Thou Bleſſed Saviour of the World, Jo. 1.9. who enlightneſt every man that comes into it; Open once, my eyes; & keep them ever open; that I may continually See and Love thy Goodneſs, Wiſdom, Mercy, Juſtice; & by the aſſiſtance of ſo great a Grace, perpetually See and Hate the Malice of my Sins. There's nothing but thy Grace, that can enlighten every man that comes into the world: There's nothing elſe can Clear my Underſtanding, & Enflame my Heart: There's nothing elſe can make me truly Contrite, truly Humble. Jeſu, Son of David, Luke. 18.38. have Mercy on me, a Sinner, who am not in the way, nor going on, but ſitting by the way-ſide, v. 35. begging thy Aſſiſtance. Here I ſitt, & wait thy paſsing by: My Blindneſs hinders me from doing any more: And even when I hear Thee paſſe, v. 36. I know not how to follow Thee. The Croud of all my Paſſions, Inclinations & Humours, and the Multitude of my Engagements Cares & Troubles, make a noiſe about me; ſuch a one (I fear) as will not let Thee hear me. When I offer to cry out for help, they try to ſtop my mouth, v. 39. & bid me hold my peace: and therefore I cry out ſo much the more; v. 39. Jeſu, Thou Son of David, have Mercy on me. Thou need'ſt not ſtand to ask me what I want, or what I will that Thou shouldſt Do unto me; v. 41. Thou, who knowſt my Wants ſo infinitely better than my ſelf. The only Favour, which I humbly beg, v. 41. is that I may receive my Sight. Say only, to my Soul, as once Thou ſaidſt to that Blind Man who was a Figure of me; Say, Receive thy Sight; v. 42. Thy Faith has ſav'd Thee: Say but this, (Thy words are powerfull, & make themſelves prove true) Say only This; & then immediatly I shall receive my Sight, & follow Thee. v. 43. I then shall follow thy Example. I shall follow thy Diſciples, & thy Saints. I then shall do fit Pennance for my Sins: & shall Perſever in it to the End. I then shall ſtudy how to punish every Paſſion Inclination & Humour which induc't me to Offend Thee. I shall then be truly Contrite, truly Humble; I shall Glorify Thee all my life; v. 45. and all the People, when They See the Happy Change, shall give the Praiſe to God. Amen.

THE CHARACTER OF A GOOD CHRISTIAN.

SECT. I. The Perfection of his Duty,

WHoever ſeriouſly profeſſes the Religion of Chriſt, D. Sp. P. 1. c. 3 and takes the Ghoſpel for the Rule of that Divine Religion, making it his Buſineſs to acquire that Sanctity which Jeſus Chriſt demands of his Diſciples; is a Chriſtian. The Ghoſpel was not only writt for thoſe we call Religious. We are, All of us, Religious perſons; of the Beſt & Firſt of all Religions, which is that of Jeſus Chriſt. We have a Rule, a Habit, & a Founder: We have Vows & Exerciſes. Chriſt firſt inſtituted & eſtablisht our Religion: He's the Founder of our Order. Innocence & Sanctity make up the Habit, we receive in Baptiſm. Our Promiſes of abrenouncing all the Pomps & Works of Satan, are our Vows. The Ghoſpel is our Rule. Our Prayers, Pennances, & generally all Good Actions, are our Exerciſes.

Do you think the Ghoſpel was not written, Ibid. ſays S. Baſil, every jot as much for married perſons, as for Monks? Ʋndoubtedly 'tis by this Rule, that Both are to be Judg'd. Tis well, if married people can obtain God's pardon for the faults committed in that State. In all things elſe, they are as much oblig'd to live like Saints, as the Religious are. The Tyes of marriage, & Engagements of the world, will never juſtify an idle Life; or any way Diſpenſe with the laborious Task of living like a Chriſtian. Tis lawfull to live in the world; but not, to live according to the Maximes of it. On the contrary; the more we are expos'd to the Temptations of the Devil, ſo much more we are oblig'd to uſe our utmoſt Care & Vigilance.

Beleeve not, Ibid. ſays S. Chryſoſtom, that God expects from wordly Men a Sanctity quite different from that of Monks. Tis true, indeed, that Thoſe may marry, & Theſe may not: But in all things elſe, the Caſe is equall. They have Both receiv'd the ſame Laws; & Both are ſubject to the ſame Punishments. VVhen Jeſus laid his Curſe upon the Rich, & thoſe who lead a jolly life in Senſuality & Pleaſure; when He ſpoke of the Evangelicall Beatitudes; He ſpoke, not only to Religious, but to all the Faithfull; and without the leaſt exception. He was never heard to ſay; that the Religious Man shall ſuffer for his Sins, but not the Secular. The difference we fancy in this point, is only an Invention of Men; it is not grounded in the word of God, who equally obliges All, that will be ſav'd, to keep his Laws. S. Paul, addreſsing his diſcourſe to married perſons, dos not He require of them as great a share of Sanctity as we can find in the moſt perfect Monks? what Diſengagement he preſcribes to all of us! what Moderation in our Cloaths, our Diet, & our Ʋſe of Riches! 1. Tim. 6.8. Having Food, ſays he, & Raiment, Let us be contented. They who are married, 1. Cor. 7.29.30.31. Let them be as if they were not: & They who uſe the world, as if they us'd it not: what more can we expect from thoſe we call Religious? Let us therefore never ſay, that wordly Men are either not oblig'd or elſe not able to obſerve the Rules of Chriſtianity; and that Religious only can attain to ſuch ſublime Perfection. There is Nothing ſo pernicious as this falſe Opinion. It maintains the greateſt part of Libertins in their diſorders, & encourages imperfect Souls to lead a looſe & lazy Life. Aſſure your ſelves Our God requires, of All, one ſelfsame Sanctity. The Means, of our arriving to it, may be different; but yet Religious Perſons have no other Aim than we have. They deſign to ſave themſelves, and ſo do we. They are not to be ſav'd, but by the narrow way; & we shall never be ſav'd, by walking in the broad one.

Hence it follows clearly, Ibid. that the Ghoſpel being preach't & made for All, we All are bound to follow it; we All muſt labour to acquire the Sanctity demanded by it; we muſt All be thoroughly perſuaded, that it is the only way which leads to Heaven, and that every other way is ſure to end in everlaſting Death. Tis true; the methods & the Exerciſes, which are us'd & follow'd in Religious houſes, to arrive to ſuch Perfection, are quite different from what is uſually preſcrib'd to Wordly Perſons: But their Virtues always are the ſame, although their Exerciſes are not. Theſe two things we commonly confound; to wit, the Exerciſes & the Virtues of a Chriſtian. We imagine, for example, that a modeſt & a homely Dreſs is only fit for Cloiſters; where they always wear a certain Habit, poor & plain. We fancy that the Recollection which is practis'd in Religious Houſes is a thing peculiar to their Character; becauſe we find, that only They have certain Hours allotted them for keeping ſilence. We imagine alſo that a Penitentiall life belongs to none but them; becauſe They faſt, & practiſe ſeverall Auſterities commanded by Superiours. Tis a great miſtake. Theſe Virtues all are Evangelicall: We find them in the Ghoſpel, which is ours as much as theirs: They are preſcrib'd to all Men by the Common Rule of Chriſtianity: And, though we have not (as Religious have) ſo great Advantages to make the practiſe of them Uniform & Eaſy; Nevertheleſs we All are indiſpenſably oblig'd to have them, & to practiſe them. Our Modeſty, our Moderation, Phil. 4.5. muſt be known to All, as well as theirs. Our Recollection of Mind muſt be preſerv'd amidſt the Multitude of our Employments. We are equally oblig'd to Mortify & Circumciſe our Heart, & to Extinguish in it, all our Senſuall Deſires. Theſs. 5.17. The Precept of Continuall Prayer, is as much for us, as them. We are not bound to ſing in Choire at certain Hours as they do: but our Heart muſt be, as much as theirs, continually united to our God, by Loving of Him above all things. Though we have not made a Vow of Poverty; yet we muſt be, as well as They, entirely diſengag'd from all the Riches of the Earth, & never ſett our Hearts upon them, whilſt we uſe them. Though we have not Vow'd Obedience, we are All oblig'd, as much as They, to be attentive to the Precepts of our Founder Jeſus Chriſt, & punctually obſerve the leaſt of his Commandements. Math. 5.19.

Behold the Duty of a Christian! See how Generous, how Noble, how Heroicall his Reſolution is, of making good the full Signification of his Name! He meets with an infinity of Obſtacles: but notwithſtanding all, He is reſolv'd to Sacrifice and Save himſelf: He is reſolv'd to uſe all Violence, what ever may be requiſite, to make his way to Heaven, Math. 11.12. & to take it even by force.

SECT. II. His Contempt of the VVorld.

HE always looks upon himſelf, S. Chryſoſtom. Hom. 24. in Ep. ad Hebr. as a meer Stranger in this World; & the continuall Remembrance of his being So, is the Foundation & Root of all his Virtue. He takes little pleaſure in employing of his buſy thoughts about this Life, & the Affairs relating to it: but is like a banisht Man, who lives uneaſy in a forreign Country; always looking homeward with extreme Impatience, to ſee the Bleſſed Place which gave him Birth; and always doing all he can, to lay all things in readyneſs for his Return. He never is dejected with Adverſity, nor puft up with Proſperity, which happen to attend his Fortune here; but paſſes unconcern'dly by, without regarding either; & without the leaſt ſtop in his way, purſues his journey, like a Traveller, who longs to be at Home, & thinks of nothing elſe but how to make haſt thither. And this is the Reaſon why our God obliges him to ſay, in his dayly Prayer, Thy Kingdom come; that he may always have before his eyes, the happy Day which is to be his Laſt, & generouſly ſcorn to value any tranſitory Honour, Profit, Pleaſure, which he meets with upon Earth.

A Chriſtian by theſe noble ſentiments of true & ſolid Wiſdom mounts to ſuch a height above the reach of all this World, S. Chryſoſtom. Hom. 15. ad Popul. Antiochen. that He is hardly capable of feeling, much leſs of admiring, whatſoever paſſes in it. He is like a man who from the top of an aſpiring Mountain takes a view of All below him, & can hardly See the Towns & Cities, which appear like Molehills; where the numerous Inhabitants like ſwarms of Ants, run up & down, & follow eagerly their little Trade, of hoarding up a petty Treaſure, which is nothing to his purpoſe. All his Treaſure & his Heart are both in Heaven. There his Loving Eye is generally fixt; And if he now & then look down upon the Riches, Glory, Power, Honour, of this miſerable World, they all ſeem trifling matters; All ſuch Things are little, inconſiderable, & contemptible, to Him.

And yet, He cannot juſtly be accus'd of Pride, S. Chryſoſtom. Hom. 11. in ep. 1. Cor. becauſe he thinks the wiſeſt Politicians are but Fools; their Riches, Shadows; all their Pleaſures, Dreams; & all their Titles, Dignities, and Honours, only Childrens Baubles. No; it cannot juſtly be accounted Pride: Tis certainly the greateſt Wiſdom to ſubmitt our Judgments, & conform them, to the Eternall Truth of God himſelf; & judge of things, as they are truly in themſelves. Or otherwiſe we muſt allow that Salomon himſelf was guilty of Preſumption & Arrogance; when, after a full Tryal, after long & ſad Expeperience, He pronounc't that All the World is Vanity of Vanities, & nothing elſe but Vanity.

He labours all he can to make his Soul become a Heaven upon Earth; S. Chryſoſtom. Hom. 16. in Epiſt. ad Heb. & failes not to ſucceed in ſuch a noble entrepriſe. The Heaven which we ſee, & ſo admire, is but an Embleme of his Happyneſs. As Heaven is enlightned by the riſing Sun; his Soul is more enlightned by the Grace of God, the Sun of Juſtice, which ariſes, without ſetting, in his Heart. As Heaven always is the ſame; ſtill beautifull & bright within it ſelf, although the midnight Darkneſs ſeem to alter & obſcure it; ſo his Soul is ſtill the ſame, 'tis always eaſy & content within it ſelf, although He live obſcurely, in diſgrace or poverty, & ſeem a miſerable man to thoſe who little underſtand the Secret of his Happyneſs. As Heaven is ſo high above the Winds and Storms, that the moſt violent diſturbance of the Air can never reach it; ſo the Soul of a good Chriſtian, even when the World combines to make him ſuffer moſt, receives no harm at all. His Treaſure is in Heaven, & his Heart is with it. He's above the reach of all that they can do. His Heart is rais'd to ſuch a height, that when He takes a proſpect of the Earth below, He ſees no difference twixt Men & Piſmires. Neither are the Poor the only Objects that ſeem little in his Sight; but Kings themſelves, & Generalls of Armies, Politicians, Uſurers, & what you pleaſe, ſeem every jot as little & contemptible as They. The Difference of Poor & Rich makes no impreſſion upon Him; no more than when He ſees, amongſt a Swarm of little Piſmires, ſome creep loaded, others empty.

What can Men do to ſuch a Man as This, S. Chryſoſtom. Hom. 5. ad Popul. Antio. ſuppoſe they have a mind to make him miſerable? Will they rob him of his mony? All his Riches are in Heaven. Will they Banish him from home? He has no other Home but Heaven; & it is not in their Power to Banish him from thence. Will they lay him faſt in Chains? His Conſcience will ſtill be free: And, for his part, He fears no other Chains but thoſe of Sin. Or will they kill him? When they have done this, They have no more to Do; And even then, His Soul will Live for ever, his body one day Riſe again.

A Man, S. Chryſoſtom. lib. 2. ad Theod. lapſum. c. 3. who lives not but for Jeſus Chriſt, is quite above the reach of all misfortunes that can threaten him. Provided that He will not freely & deliberately hurt himſelf, No man alive can have the leaſt advantage over Him. He's invincible at all Arms. The Loſs of his Goods is no Affliction to him, becauſe he well conſiders, that we All bring Nothing with us, at our Birth; & that we All shall carry Nothing with us, at our Death. The vain deſires of Reputation & Honour cannot ſeize his Heart; becauſe he knows that all our Converſation ought to be in Heaven. All the injuries & outrages He meets with, are not able to provoke him: He's a Chriſtian: And, being truly ſuch, He fears but one great Danger of one only Loſs; the Danger of offending God, & Looſing of his Favour, All things elſe, as Baniſhment and Poverty, with all the greateſt & moſt dangerous Extremities, He values not at all: & even Death it ſelf, which others think ſo Terrible, is always moſt agreable, moſt comfortable, & moſt wellcome, whenſoêre it comes.

SECT. III. His Deſire of Heaven.

THe Scripture generally repreſents a Chriſtian, as a Perſon diſengag'd & ſeparated from the World. If you were of the world, S. Jo. 15.19. ſays our Saviour, the world would love his own: but becauſe you are not of the world, & I have choſen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 1. Jo. 2.15. He loves not the world, nor the things that are in the world: Becauſe, if any man love the world, the Love of God is not in him. Rom. 12.2. He is not conform'd to the world, but transform'd by the renewing of his Mind, that He may prove what is the good the acceptable & perfect will of God. He uſes the world, 1. Cor. 7.31. Gal. 6.14. Coloſs. 3.3. Jam. 1.27. 1. Pet. 2.11. as if he us'd it not. The world is crucifyd to him, & He to the world. He is Dead, & his Life is hid with Chriſt in God. His Religion pure & undefil'd is that by which He keeps himſelf unſpotted from the world. He abstains from all Deſires which war againſt the Soul, becauſe He is a Stranger & a Pilgrim in the World. But that which moſt inclines him to Deſire the Happyneſs of Heaven, is his Knowing that, as long as He is here, 2. Cor. 5.6. He's Abſent from his God.

No wonder He ſo much Deſires to be in Heaven: D. Sp. Par. 2. Ch. 21. All his Comfort is his Hope of being there. The Gate ſo ſtrait; The way ſo narrow; The continuall Violence ſo neceſſary to be us'd; The Croſs he dayly bears; The Self-Denyall which he always practiſes; The Pennance without which we All shall perish, Luke. 13.3. if we do not mortify our Paſſions, curb our Humours, & reſiſt our Inclinations: All this, putt together, is enough to make a Chriſtians Life, ſo painfull, troubleſome, & diſagreable, 1. Cor. 15.19. that if in this life only, He had Hope, He would of all Men be moſt miſerable.

Tis no wonder therefore He ſo much Deſires the Sight of God, Ibid. which only can deliver him from all the miſeries He labours under. Ch. 22. Tis the great Affliction of the Juſt; to ſee themſelves ſo far from Sion, ſeparated from their God, & baniſht from their Heavenly Jeruſalem. Although the Riches of the World were all their Own, They ſtill would think themſelves Unfortunate, becauſe their Treaſure is is not here; 'tis only to be found hereafter. They as earneſtly Deſire the Happyneſs of Heaven, as a Hart long hunted thirſts for Water. Tis a Duty indiſpenſably incumbent upon all true Chriſtians to Deſire it above All Things.

Hear S. Auſtin: Ibid. Ch. 21. He who finds himſelf at Eaſe on Earth; who is contented to live always Here; And finds his greateſt Joy & Satisfaction in this world; will never enter Heaven. If you ask the Reaſon; He replys: becauſe He has not in his Heart the Love of God, whoever dos not Sigh, & above all things Wish, for the Enjoyment of Eternall Life. Examine well your Heart. If God should promiſe you a long Life upon Earth; & tell you▪ You shall here enjoy whatever you can wish for; Riches, Pleaſures, Honours, Health, Proſperity, & what you pleaſe beſides, shall every where attend you: Only, You shall never See me; You shall never have a Share with Me in Heaven: would you be Content? whoever is in ſuch a Diſpoſition, dos not yet begin to Love Him above All Things.

Hear the Royall Prophet: Ibid. Ch. 22. Hear the Language of his Love. As the Hart pants after water, Pſ. 42.1.2.3. ſo my Soul pants after Thee, My God. My Soul is thirſty for Thee, O Thou Living God, the only Life & Comfort of my Soul. My Tears have been my Entertainment Day & Night; & tis the only Eaſe of my impatient Grief, to have the Liberty of weeping in thy Abſence. VVhen shall I appear before my God? When once that happy Day approaches, Pſ. 17.15. when I once Behold thy Face, I shall be Satisfyd: but never shall be ſatisfyd till then. Tis this, Pſ. 27.4. & only this One Thing I always have Deſir'd of Thee; that I may Dwell in thy Houſe for ever, & behold thy Beauty.

All God's Children ſay the ſame: Ibid. they dayly pray to their Eternall Father, that his Kingdom come: And their Deſire of Everlaſting Life, (though ſometimes out of Mind) is always in their Heart. By this, they Pray inceſſantly. By this, they are attentive to God's Preſence, in the midſt of thoſe Employments & Affairs, which otherwiſe would eaſily divert them from the Thought of Him. By This, they frequently Recall their wandring Thoughts, Renew their decaying Fervour, Enflame their cooling Love, Encourage their deſponding Hearts, & March a great deal faster towards Heaven. VVhen the Scripture commands us, ſays S. Auſtin, to Pray Always; we are not therefore oblig'd to be always on our knees, or always ſinging Pſalms in Choire: we only are oblig'd to have continually, in the Bottom of our Heart, a true Deſire to leave this Earth & enter into Heaven. This continuall Deſire muſt ſtill perſever in our Heart. VVe always muſt lament, & ſigh; and ſay; I am a Captive & a Pilgrim; I am far from Home; I am not with my God. Tis true, (S. Auſtin adds,) a Juſt Man may divert himſelf ſometimes; & ſpend ſome hours, in ſuch Employments as appear quite different from Gaining Heaven. Tis, alas! the Servitude of his Captivity, which thus obliges him to work for the Egyptians, whilſt he is a Slave to Pharaoh But however, in the midſt of all his Slavery, He never can forget the Land of Promiſe; He laments, He ſighs, He always wishes to be There: And Thus He always Prays to God that He will pleaſe to grant him the Poſſeſſion of that Souvereign Good, which only can Suffice to make Him truly & for ever Happy.

THE CONTENTS Motives of Love. §. 1. How much it imports us to Love God above All Things. pag. 1 §. 2. That the Love of God is our Greateſt Duty. 3 §. 3. That the Love of God is our Greateſt Good. 20 §. 4. That the Love of God is the chief Grace of the Holy Ghost. 40 §. 5. That we ought to prepare our Hearts for this great Grace, 57 Motives of Fear. §. 1. How much it imports us to remember the Day of Judgment. 71 §. 2. That our Laſt Day is the fatall End of all our tranſitory Happyneſs. 75 §. 3. That our Laſt Day is the ſad Beginning of our Everlaſting Miſery. 90 Motives of Hope. §. 1. How unreaſonable a thing it is for any Sinner to Deſpair. 109 §. 2. That God can help us, if He will. 115 §. 3. That God will help us, if we pleaſe. 130 Danger of Delay. §. 1. How apt we are to Differr Repentance. 149 §. 2. How dangerous it is to Differr Repentance. 153 §. 3. Reaſons why Delay is ſo Dangerous. 161 §. 4. That we ought to begin immediatly, without Delay. 172 A Contrite Heart. §. 1. Sorrow for our Sins. 189 §. 2. Reſolutions of Amendement. 193 An Humble Heart. §. 1. The Neceſsity & Advantages of Humility. 201 §. 2. Firſt Degree of Humility. 213 §. 3. Second Degree of Humility. 219 §. 4. An Objection anſwer'd. 233 §. 5. Third Degree of Humility. 242 §. 6. Firſt Reaſon why the greatest Saints are the moſt humble. 249 §. 7. Second Reaſon why the greateſt Saints are the moſt Humble. 262 I. The Enormity of Sin. 273 II. The Treachery of a Sinner. 285 III. The Diſloyalty of a Sinner. 296 IV. The Impiety of a Sinner. 303 V. The great Ingratitude, Preſumption, Pride, & Inſolence of every Sinner. 311 VI. Our Saviours Idea of Sin: & the Impreſsion it made upon Him. 319 VII. The Saints Idea of Sin: How much it humbles them. 335 The Character of a Good Chriſtian. §. 1. The Perfection of his Duty. 352 §. 2. His Contempt of the VVorld. 362 §. 3. His Deſire of Heaven. 372 FINIS.