A Hand of Fellowship to Help Keep Out Sin and Antichrist, Dedication 4
TO THE WORſhipfull his worthy friends, Maſter WALTER ROBERTS Eſquire, and Miſtreſſe MARGARET his most louing yoke-fellow; Life, Health, and Saluation.
Worſhipfull and worthy friends:
THIS Sermon hath beene ſome yeeres in both your hands. And I ſee in the returne of it the good entertainment which it hath found, by the well-wearing of the Copie while it was in your cuſtodie. It was the requeſt of one of you, but it was, in the inioyment, common to you both: and I ioy that the word of God deliuered plainly, in euidence of ſpirit, can finde ſuch fauourers.Pſal. 45.12. Though the daughters of …yrus with the rich of the people doe homage before the face of Gods Church with preſents, and Egypt doe ſometimes ſuccour Chriſt, Matth. 2.duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page yet ordinarily the poore receiue the Goſpell. Oh how hard is it for a learned Phariſie, or for a Ruler of the people to yeeld to the doctrine of a crucified Sauiour. Puto multos potuiſſe ad ſapient…m p…rv…n…re niſi putaſſent ſe perveniſſe.Many might hauehave beene wiſer, if their breeding had not taught them to thinke that they had wit enough. To ſee therefore Heires of great Houſes, and men and women of qualitie and faſhion (as we ſay) to renounce their owne wiſdome, and to become fooles that they may be wiſe, is a ſpectacle worthy the beholding. How glorious an example doth Hiſtory offer vntounto vsus in King Alfred, who is reported to hauehave diuided the night and day into three parts. Eight houres he ſpent in writing, reading, and praying: eight houres in ſleepe, and other bodily prouiſions: and eight houres in hearing the complaints of his ſubiects. Lay before your eyes, I beſeech you, ſuch excellent patternes: and by how much more rare and difficult it is (in the throng of ſo many temptations both at home and abroad) for eminent perſons to be eminent in grace and goodneſſe, and to appeare aboue others as the tops of the mountaines in the ebbing of that great Floud, Gen. 8.5.by ſo much ſhew your godly cares to ſtriue to enter into the ſtrait gate, and, as they who are violent, to take the kingdome of heauen by force. There are two dangerous rocks in the courſe of Chriſtianitie, which I pray God you may ſtill auoid: the one is fruitleſſe knowledge; the other is the mixture of fleſhly wiſdome with the wiſdome of the ſpirit. Many are like to the Athenians, Nummos habuerunt ad numerandū, ſcientiam ad ſciendum.of whom it is ſaid, that they had their money only to tell, and their knowledge to know. Oh what a butter-flies life is this, who ſpends her time in painting of her wings (as ſome Naturaliſts hauehave ſaid) euen a theſe men doe in gilding of their braines. Demoſthenes was little the better, though when he went in the ſtreets, the people would ſay, There goeth learned Demoſthenes: neither ſhall we be euer the happier, except our heads rule our hearts, hands, and feet, to louelove and doe according to Gods will. If we know theſe things, we ſhall not be bleſſed except wee doe them: for the knowledge that bringeth bleſsing is compared to the waters of the Sea, which as they are plentifull,Eſ. 11.9. ſo they are brackiſh, yea and are conueyed vntounto vsus by the ſalt of the earth, to ſeaſon vsus, that our obedience may be better than ſacrifice in the ſight of God. As for the mixture of worldly wiſdome, doe yee not ſee how it choaketh and ſmothereth grace? This is that god (Policie) which we worſhip, and of which we make more account than of God and Man. In this we hide our ſelues from ſimple honeſt men and fooles; and of this wee hauehave ſo high a conceit, that wee flocke to thoſe Idols that moſt flouriſh with it as to an Oracle. It is our Purueyour to get, our Treaſurer to keepe, and our Steward to ſpend: ſo that if we can get, keepe, or ſpend by policie, we neuer hearken to the voice of conſcience, we hauehave no feeling what God commands, nor any care what men ſay. By this, Kain ſpake peaceably to his brother Abel when he meant to murther him. By this,Gen. 4.8. Exod. 1.10.Pharaoh dealt wiſely (as he thought) in the ſuppreſsing of Gods people. By this, the Politician in the Pſalmes crowched and bowed,Pſal. 10.10. when he meant that heapes of poore innocents ſhould fall by his might. O curſed policie, whither wilt thou goe? How many Chriſtian duties doſt thou ſuppreſſe in others, and hinder in thy owner? Goe on (my deare and worthy friends) to gouerne your liues by godly wiſdome, and to keepe out this monſter. I contemne not the gifts of any man; but deſire to ſee God in the meaneſt of his creatures: yet (ſo far as my muddie braine can pierce) the French Charrons Books of Wiſdome, vnderunder ſmooth precepts of wiſdome, giuegive too great way to principles of Atheiſme; and ſo magnifieth this Idoll, that God loſeth his honour, and nature is ſo lifted vp, that it cannot ſubmit it ſelfe vntounto the croſſe of Chriſt. I commend therefore no precepts of wiſdome but Gods, and doe humbly deſire that Ieſus Chriſt may dwell in your hearts by faith. He alone who is the wiſdome of the Father, can make you truly wiſe: and to follow his imitable patternes and precepts ſhall be your wiſdome and glory.Sir Walt. Rawl. hiſt. l. 1. cap. 9. §. 4. out of Charrons chap. of Nobil. Thoſe that magnifie this Humane wiſdome, hauehave conſidered three ſorts of honours; Honour n…turall, which comes by deſcent, and may fall vponupon a true villaine: Honour in parchment, which is bought with ſiluer or fauour, and depends vponupon the fauour of Princes: and Honour perſonall, which depends vponupon vertue and well-deſeruing: and theſe men hauehave had ſo much wiſdome giuen of God, as to account vertue the forme of honour, and that which giues life and being to it. To the end therefore that yee may be a little furthered by me to this true Honour, I doe offer this Sermon to you againe; intreating your peruſall and obſeruation. It was once heard by you with delight; yee may many times reade it with the ſame affection, if yee finde it worthy. The like power yee cannot expect, God will hauehave this honour in his ordinance, that the liuely voice ſhall leaue a more ſecret working in the ſoule than all written ſcrowles. This yee ſhall finde, that I hauehave not ſtriued aboue my ordinarie ſtraine, wherein I aime to ſpeake to the hid man of the heart: for whom I hauehave prepared ſuch diet, as I may commend, if good meat be not marred in dreſsing. What euer they be, the defects are mine; what euer it be, the good is Gods, and for your, with other of Gods peoples, goods. Let God hauehave your praiſe, to whom it is due: let me hauehave your prayers, who need and craue them, that I may ſtill continue
Your faithfull Shepherd, wiſhing and ſtriuing for your eternall good, ROBERT ABBOT.