Four Sermons, Dedication 2 – Table of contents
TO THE TRVELY RELIGIOVS, HONORABLE, NOBLE, AND Worſhipfull Juſtices, and other Gentry of Kent, who have heard, and may happen to reade theſe poore Sermons, eſpecially to thoſe of his owne Pariſh, all good.
HONORABLE, Noble, Worſhipfull, you may juſtly aske, whence this ſight comes? I muſt excuſe it a great deale, from importunity. But what is the preſent? A cup of cold water to good Diſciples of Chriſt: and you know that brave commander who did accept of as low a preſent, from as poore a man as my ſelfe. It will bee rejected; becauſe there is too much of that already: Charity and Iuſtice are too much watered, they are growne cold, they have waded ſo long that they are benummed, and leſſe apt for uſe. I hope better things. They may bee dwarfed in ſome, like thoſe three bones in the head of a man which Anatomiſts call Malleolus, Incus, and Stapes, which are as bigge in a child as in a man▪ but the leſſe the body is in this (I hope) the more is the heate, the more vigorous the ſpirits: & it may be this may water by an Antiperiſtaſis may make this heate greater, but cannot leſſen it in thoſe that are ſo full of goodneſſe.
Your worths are wel knowne to others, and are beleveed by me: go on ſtill to doe worthily in Ephrata, and to be famous in Bethlehem. Doe worthily in piety, do worthily in private charity; and doe worthily in publick Iuſtice. Wee have an age made up of too much ſinne, prophane ſwearing, and brutiſh profaning of the Lords day, drunkenneſſe, and malicious quarrellings cover too much chriſtians ground amongſt us. As it is with the ſea, there goes that Leviathan, and creeping things innumerable; ſo is it with the land; there are too many maſter ſinnes, and untellable other ſinnes, which wound ſingle, but oppreſſe by heapes. A King wee have by Gods bleſsing never better; lawes never wiſer, and proviſions never more wary: but to make all right, as the oratour magnified pronunciation, ſo doe I execution.
Many hands make light worke: and your hearts will ſet them on worke; up and be doing. I neede not provoke your willing mindes: yet may I ſhew you what you do, or ſhould, though I preſſe you not to what you doe not.
A poore oppreſſedSurius in vita S. Baſil. woman did obſerve Saint Baſil to have ſome credit with the governour of his place. Shee ſolicits him to write to the govenour in her behalfe. The good Biſhop preſently tooke pen, inke, and paper; and wrote to this effect. This poore woman came unto me ſaying, that my letters have great weight with thee: If it be ſo, heare her, and ſhew it. The woman carried it, the governour read it, and writes backe this againe. Holy father; for thy ſake I would have had pitty upon this poore woman, but I could not, except ſhee pay all that is required of her. The good Biſhop writes againe (once more) thus. Seeing thy will is ready but thy power is wanting, it is a tolerable excuſe: but if thou couldeſt, and wouldeſt not, Chriſt will make thee ſo poore, that where thou wouldeſt, thou ſhalt not be able. Theſe words were propheticall to this unjuſt governour: for not long after he fell into the Emperours diſpleaſure, was caſt into priſon, and expected puniſhment. But then he remembred Saint Baſil, whoſe interceſsion he ſought, and obtained, and by that meanes, his liberty. Hee then came to Saint Baſil, called to minde the poore woman, ſent for her, and reſtored to her the goods, hee wrongfully withheld, twofold. Hee would not hazard a ſecond puniſhment for an act of Injuſtice unrepented of.
My obſervations upon this ſtory are theſe; It is a great honour to be in authority, it makes the Saints of God on earth to ſue unto them. It is a miſerable place to bee upon earth, oppreſsions may bee done to Gods poore ſervants. It is a fearefull thing not to relieve the oppreſſed when it is in our power; it caſts the mighty from the throne, and brings them to ſhame. It is a brave thing to doe Iuſtice at firſt: but better late then never, better of love then when it is whipt outwith ſtrokes▪ It is glorious too, not to refuſe to doe right at laſt, when at firſt wee have done wrong as hee: for not one of a thouſand meets with ſuch a day.
You will bee pleaſed ever to bee better preſidents of Iuſtice then that Iuſticer, and not to ſtand in neede of his beſt part, his late repentance, whereof you are not ſure. And thus, the eyes of the Lord will bee upon the juſt, and his eares will bee open to their prayers: His eyes will bee upon the iuſt. As hee that hath made a goodly picture, looks upon it againe and againe, that hee may ſupply to every defect at laſt: ſo God deales with the godly that are juſt. His eares are open to their prayers. When they call he will heare, when they cry, he will ſay Ecce adſum, behold here am I, nor behold I wil come becauſe hee is hard at hand to comfort them with bleſsings, who comfort others with upright Iuſtice.
I cannot teach the meaneſt amongſt you in your way: onelyonly I have preſumed to preſent this ſtory, and withall to offer to your eyes (if you pleaſe) what you have heard with your eares, The Aſsize of God, and The Aſsize of Nature. If theſe may ſtand you in the leaſt ſtead to ſhew you what you are and doe, and put you in minde what you muſt continue, it is all the hearty wiſhes, & humble prayers (upon this occaſion) of him that is, and will be
Your worthineſſes to uſe in poſsible ſervices ROBERT ABBOT.
THE CONTENTS OF THESE SERMONS in ſhort. 1 The Lords Aſſize, from Iudg. 11. 27.
1 Which is fitted to the time, or ſetting down a triall of
1 The life.
2 The liberty
3 The goods.
4 The goodname.
Of Iſrael▪
Of Amōn
2 And propounded to perſwade all trials by the Lord the Iudge. Where both.
1 What keepes the Lord from judging.
1 When truth is witheld in unrighteouſneſſe.
1 By deniall.
2 By falſe accuſation.
3 By profit.
4 By lingring delaies.
5 By flattery, feare, hope, &c.
2 Wher (if truth appeare) judgment doe not attend upon it in full glory,
2 What brings the Lord to judging.
1 When ſuch perſons ſit to judge as God would have.
2 When the whole worke is carried for the honour of the God of truth.
1 By an holy heart.
2 By an holy hand.
3 By an holy eie.
4 By an holy mouth.
THE CONTENTS OF THE Second SERMON 2 Natures Aſſize from Math. 7. 12.
1 Where for introduction 2 knots are clea…ed.
1
What it is inferred upon?
How it is the law and the prophets?
1 Whether in the law there bēe more then one precept?
2 Whether there bee a connexion of all vertues, where one?
2 Where for tractation:
1 Are examined.
1 Lawes of nature.
2 Principles 2 of nature.
Are ſhewed.
1 The praiſes of this law.
2 The power of it.
| 1 Briefe. | from | Chriſt. |
| 2 Plaine. | Nature. |
1 In ſenſe: layed downe
1 Negatively.
1 Not what we liſt.
2 Nor what others doe to us.
3 Nor what others do to others.
4 Nor what themſelves would.
5 Nor what we have bin accuſtomed.
6 Nor what profit, honour, pleaſure perſwades.
7 Nor as the lawes of the land permit.
2 Poſitively, As would others doe to us.
1 Whence this rule ariſeth?
2 When ſelfe-love is right charity?
3 How this rule of juſtice muſt be carried?
2 In application.
To all.
To the occaſion.
1 With 2 meanes to doe it.
2 With 2 motives to further it.
THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD, and fourth SERMONS. 3 The Chriſtians Thrift in keeping, from 1 Tim. 1. 19.
1 Where we are taught.
1 To keepe faith, where.
1 How we muſt keep it? By holding,
1 The ground of faith.
2 The object of faith.
3 The act of faith.
4 The power of faith.
2 Why we muſt keep it?
1 Faith is our life.
2 Faith is our power of working.
3 Faith is our workeman.
4 Faith is our beſt light here.
5 Faith makes earth heaven.
2 To keep our keeping of it, and to uſe meanes ro keep it.
2 Where alſo we are taught.
1 To keep a good conſcience: where.
1 How we muſt keep it? By keeping.
1 The light of conſcience.
2 The love of conſcience.
3 The worke of conſcience.
4 The charge of conſcience.
2 Why we muſt keepe it?
1 If it be gone, God wil be againſt us.
2 Without it nothing wil do us good.
3 Without it nothing can do us hurt.
4 It carries with it more then the whole world.
2 To try our keeping of it, and to uſe meanes to keepe it.