The Whole Duty of Man, Part 2
PARTITION II. Of HUMILITY, Of Submission to Gods Will, in respect of Obedience, Of Patience in all sorts of sufferings, and of HONOUR due to God in several wayes, in his House, Possessions, his Day, Word, Sacraments, &c.
§. 1. A SIXTH Duty to God is HUMILITY, that is, such a sense of HUMILITYour own meannesse and his excellency, as may work in us lowly and unfeigned submission to him: This Submission is twofold; first, to his Will, secondly, to his Wisdom.
2. The submission to his Will is also of two sorts, the submission either of obedience or patience, Submission to Gods will in respects of obedience.That of obedience is our ready yielding our selves up to do his Will, so that when God hath by his command made known to us what his pleasure is, chearfully and readily to set about it. To enable us to this, humility is exceeding necessary; for a proud person is of all others the unaptest to obey, and we see men never pay an obedience but where they acknowledge the person commanding to be some way above them. And so it is here, if we be not throughly perswaded that God is infinitely above us, that we are vileness and nothing in comparison of him, we shall never pay our due obedience.
3. Therefore if ever you mean to obey intirely (as you must if ever you mean to be saved) get your hearts possest with the sense of that great unspeakable distance that is between The great distance between God and us.God and you Consider him as he is a God of infinite Majesty and glory, and wee poor worms of the earth; he infinite in power, able to do all things, and we able to do nothing, not so much as to make one hair white or black; as our Saviour speaks, Mat. 5. 36. He of infinite purity and holiness, and we polluted and defiled, wallowing in all kinde of sins and uncleanness; he unchangeable and constant, and we subject to change and alteration every minute of our lives. He Eternal and Immortal, and we frail mortals, that when ever he taketh away our breath we die, and are turned again to our dust, Psal. 104. 29. Consider all this, I say, and you cannot but acknowledge a wide difference between God and man, and therefore may well cry out with Job, after hee had approach't so near to Goa, as to discern somewhat of his excellency, Job 42. 56. Now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore 1 abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes.
4. And even when this Humility hath The unworthiness of our best work.brought us to obedience it is not then to be cast off, as if we had no further use of it; for there is still great use, nay necessity of it, to keep us from any high conceits of our performances, which if we once entertain, it will blast the best of them, and make them utterly unacceptable to God like the strictness of the Pharisee, which when once he came to boast of, the Publican was preferred before him, Luke 18. The best of our works are so full of infirmity and pollution, that if we compare them with that perfection, and purity, which is in God, we may truly say with the Prophet, All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, Isaiah 64. 6. And therefore to pride our selves in them, is the same madnesse, that it would be in a beggar, to brag of his appared when it is nothing but vile rags, and tatters. Our Saviours precept in this matter must alwayes be remembred, Luke 17. 10. When you have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprositable servants; if when we have done all, we must give our selves no better a title, what are we then to esteem our selves, that are so far from doing any considerable part, of what we are commanded? Surely that worser name of sloathful and wicked servant, Matth. 25. 26. we have no reason to think too bad for us.
5. A Second sort of Submission to his will, is Submission in respect of Patience.that of Patience; this stands in suffering his will, as that of obedience did in acting it, and is nothing else, but a willing and quiet yielding to whatever afflictions it pleases God to lay upon us. This the forementioned humility will make easie to us; for when our hearts are throughly possest with that reverence and esteem of God, it will be impossible for us to grudge or murmure at whatever he does. Wee see an instance of it in Old Elie, 1 Sam 3. Who after he had heard the sad threatnings of God against him, of the destruction of his family, the loss of the Priesthood, the cutting off both his sons in one day, which were all of them afflictions of the heaviest kinde, yet this one consideration, that it was the Lord, inabled him calmly and quietly to yield to them; saying, Let him do what seemeth him good, Verse 18. The same effect it had on David, in his suffering, Psalm 39. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth because thou didst it: God doing it silenced all murmurings and grumblings in him. And so must it do in us, in all our afflictions, if we will indeed approve our humility to God.
6. For surely you will not think that child hath due humility to his parent, or that servant to his Master, that when they are corrected, shall flie in the Father or Masters face. But thus do we when ever we grudg and repine at that which God layes upon us. But besides the want of Humility in our so doing, there is also a great want of justice in it; for God hath, as we are his creatures, a Right to do with us what he will, and therefore for us to resist that right of his, is the highest injustice that can be; nay farther, it is also the greatest folly in the world, for it is only our good that God aims at in afdicting us; that heavenly Father is not like our earthly ones, who sometime correct their children only to satisfie their own angry humour, not to do them good. But this is subject to no such frailties, he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of man, Lam. 3. 33. They are our sins, which do not only give him just cause, but even force and necessitate him to punish us He carries to us the bowels and affections of the tenderest Father: now when a Father sees his childe stubborn and rebellious, and running on in a course that will certainly undo him, what greater act of Fatherly kindness can he do then chasten and correct him, to see if by that means he may amend him; nay indeed he could not be said to have true kindness to him if he should not. And thus it is with God when he sees us run on in sin, either he must leave off to love us, and so leave us to our selves to take our own course, and that is the heaviest curse that can be fall any man; or else if he continue to love us, he must correct and punish us to bring us to amendment. Therefore when ever he strikes, we are in all reason, not only patiently to lie under his rod, but (as I may say) kiss it also; that is, be very thankful to him, that Thankfulness for Gods Corrections.he is pleased not to give us over to our own hearts lusts, Psal. 18. 12. but still continue his care of us; sends afflictions, as so many messengers to call us home to himself. You see then how gross a folly it is to murmure at those stripes, which are meant so graciously; it is like that of a froward patient, which reproaches and reviles the Physician that comes to cure him, and if such a one be left to die of his disease, every one knows whom he is to thank for it.
7. But it is not only quietness, no nor thankfulness Fruitfulnes under them.neither under afflictions, that is the full of our Duty in this matter; we must have fruitfulness also, or all the rest will stand us in no stead. By fruitfulness I mean the bringing forth that, which the afflictions were sent to work in us; viz. the amendment of our lives. To which purpose in time of affliction it is very necessary for us to call our selves to an account, to examine our hearts and lives, and search diligently, what sins lie upon us, which provoked God thus to smite us, and whatsoever we find our selves guilty of, humbly to confess to God and immediately to forsake for the rest of our time.
8. All I shall adde concerning this duty of In all sorts of sufferings.patience, is, that we are as much bound to it in one sort of sufferings, as another, whether our suffering be so immediately from Gods hand, that no creature hath any thing to doe in it, as sickness, or the like; or whether it be such wherein men are the instruments of afflicting us. For it is most sure, when any man doth us hurt, he could not do it, without Gods permission, and sufferance, and God may as well make them the instruments of punishing us, as do it more directly by himself; and it is but a counterfeit patience, that pretends to submit to God, and yet can bear nothing from men; we see holy Job, who is set forth to us as a pattern of true patience, made no such difference in his afflictions, he took the loss of his Cattel, which the Chaldeans and Sabeans rob'd him of, with the very same meekness, with which he did that, which was consumed by fire from heaven. When therefore we suffer any thing from men, be it never so unjustly in respect of them, we are yet to confess it is most just in respect of God, and therefore in stead of looking upon them with rage and revenge, as the common custome of the world is, we are to look up to God, acknowledge his justice in the affliction, begging his pardon most earnestly for those sins, which have provoked him to send it, and patiently and thankfully bear it, till he shall see fit to remove it; still saying with Job, blessed be the name of the Lord.
9. But I told you, Humility contained in Submission to Gods Wisdome.it a submission not only to his Will, but also to his Wisdome; that is, to acknowledge him infinitely Wise, and therefore that whatever he doth is best and fittest to be done. And this we are to confesse both in his commands, and in his disposing and ordering of things: First, whatsoever he commands In his Commands.us either to believe or do, we are to submit to his Wisdome in both, to believe whatever he bids us believe, how impossible soever it seems to our shallow understandings, and to do whatever he commands us to do, how contrary soever it be to our fleshly Reason or humour, and in both to conclude, that his Commands are most fit and Reasonable however they appear to us.
10. Secondly, We are to submit to his Wisd…me in respect of his Disposal and Ordering In his Disposals.of things; to acknowledge he disposes all things most Wisely, and that not only in what concerns the world in general, but also in what concernes every one of us in particular; so that what condition soever he put us in, we are to assure our selves it is that which is best for us, since he chuses it for us who cannot erre. And therefore never to have impatient desires of any thing in this world, but to leave it to God to fit us with such an estate and condition as he sees best for us, and there let us quietly and contentedly rest; yea, though it be such as of all others we should least have wisht for our selves. And this surely cannot but appear very reasonable to any that hath humility; for that having taught him, that God is infinitely wise, and he very foolish, he can never doubt but that it is much more for his good that God should chuse for him, then he for himself; even as it is much more for the childes good to have the parent chuse for it, then to be left to those silly choices it would make for its self. For how many times would it cut, and burn, and mischief it self if it might have every thing it desires? And such children are we, we many times eagerly desire those things which would undoe us if wee had them. Thus many times wee wish for Wealth, and Honour, and Beauty, and the like, when if we had them they would only prove snares to us, we should be drawn into sin by them. And this God, who knowes all things, sees, though we do not, and therefore often denies us those things which he sees will tend to our mischief, and it is his abundant mercy that he doth so. Let us therefore when ever we be disappointed of any of our aims and wishes, not only patiently but joyfully submit to it, as knowing that it is certainly best for us, it being chosen by the unerring wisdom of our heavenly Father.
11. A seventh Duty to God is HONOR, that HONOVR.is, the paying him such a reverence and respect as belongs to so great a Majesty. And this is either inward or outward. The inward is the exalting him in our hearts having alwayes the highest and most excellent esteem of him. The outward is the manifesting and shewing forth that inward; and that is the first general in the whole course of our lives, the living like men that do indeed carry that high esteem of God. Now you know if we bear any special Reverence but to a Man, we will be careful not to do any foul or base thing in his presence, and so if we do indeed honour God, we shall abhor to do any unworthy thing in his sight. But God sees all things, and therefore there is no way to shun the doing it in his sight if we do it at all; therefore if we do thus reverence him, we must never at any time do any sinful thing.
12. But besides this general way of honouring Several wayes of honouring God.God, there are many particular acts by which we may honour him, and those acts are divers, according to the severall particulars about which they are exercised. For we are to pay his honour not only immediately to himself, but also by a due estimation and account of all those things that neerly relate or belong to him. Those are especially six; first, his House, secondly, his Revenue or income (as I may say) thirdly, his Day, fourthly, his Word, fifthly, his Sacraments, and sixthly, his Name; and every one of these is to have some degree of our Reverence and Esteem.
13. First, his House, that is, the Church, In his House.which being the place set apart for his publick worship, we are to look on it, though not as Holy in respect of it self, yet in respect of its use, and therefore must not prophane it by imploying it to uses of our own. This Christ hath taught us by that act of his, Matth. 21. 12. in driving the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, saying, My house is called the house of prayer: And again, John 2. 16. Make not my Fathers house a house of Merchandize. By which it is clear, Churches are to be used onelyonly for the services of God, and we are to make that the only end of our coming thither, and not to come to Church as to a Market, to make bargains or dispatch businesses with our neighbours, as is too common among many. But when ever thou entrest the Church, remember that it is the House of God, a place where hee is in an especial manner present, and therefore take the counsel of the Wise man, Eccles. 5. 1. and keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God; that is, behave thy self with that godly awe and reverence which belongs to that great Majesty thou art before. Remember that thy business there is to converse with God, and therefore shut out all thoughts of the world, even of thy most lawful business, which though they be allowable at another time, are here sinful. How fearfull a guilt is it then to entertain any such thoughts as are in themselves wicked? It is like the treason of Judas, who pretended indeed to come to kisse his Master, but brought with him a band of Souldiers to apprehend him, Mat. 26. We make shew in our coming to Church, of serving and worshiping God, but we bring with us a train of his enemies to provoke and despite him. This is a wickedness that may outvie the profaneness of these dayes, in turning Churches into Stables; for sinfull and polluted thoughts are much the worst sort of beasts.
14. The second thing to which respect belongs, His possessions.is his Revenue or income; that is, whatsoever is his peculiar possessions, set apart for the maintenance of those that attend his service; those were the Priests in time of the Law, and Ministers of the Gospel now with us. And what ever is thus set apart, we must look on with such respect as not to dare to turn it to any other use. Of this sort some are the free-will-offerings of men, who have sometimes of their own accord given some of their Goods or Lands to this Holy use; and whatsoever is so given, can neither by the person that gave, nor any other be taken away without that great sinne of Sacriledge.
15. But besides these, there was among the Jews, and hath alwayes been in all Christian Nations, something allotted by the Law of the Nation for the support and maintenance of those that attend the service of God. And it is but just and necessary it should be so, that those who by undertaking that Calling are taken off from the wayes of gaining a livelyhood in the world, should be provided for by them whose souls they watch over. And therefore it is most reasonable, which the Apostle urges in this matter, 1 Cor. 9. 11. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? That is, it is most unreasonable for men to grudge the bestowing a few carnal things, the outward necessaries of this temporal life, on them from whom they receive spiritual things, even instruction and assistance towards the obtaining of an eternal life.
16. Now whatsoever is thus appointed for The great sin of Sacriledge.this use, may by no means be imployed to any other. And therefore those Tithes which are here by Law allotted for the maintenance of the Ministry, must by no means be kept back, nor any tricks or shifts used to avoid the payment either in whole or in part. For first, it is certain, that it is as truly theft as any other robbery can be, Ministers having right to their tithes by the same Law which gives any other man right to his estate. But then secondly, it is another manner of robbery then we think of, it is a robbing of God, whose Service they were given to maintain, and that you may not doubt the truth of this, it is no more then God himself hath said of it, Mal. 3. 8. Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed me; yet ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? in tithes and offerings. Here it is most plain that in Gods account the with holding tithes is a robbing of him. And if you please you may in the next verse see what the gains of this robbery amounts to, Ye are cursed with a curse: A curse is all is gotten by it; and common experience shewes us that GODS vengeance doth in a remarkable manner pursue this sin of Sacriledge, whether it be that of with holding tithes, or the other The punishment.of seizing on those possessions, which have been voluntarily consecrated to God. Men think to enrich themselves by it, but it usually proves directly contrary; this unlawful gain becomes such a Canker in the estate, as often eats out even that we had a just title to. And therefore if you love (I will not say your souls, but) your estates, preserve them from that danger by a strict care never to meddle with any thing set a part for God.
17. A Third thing, wherein we are to expresse our Reverence to God; is the hallowing of the times, set apart for his service. He who hath given all our time, requires some The times for his service.part of it to be paid back again, as a rent or tribute of the whole. Thus the Jews kept holy the seventh day: and we Christians the Sunday, or Lords day; the Jews were in their Sabbath especially to remember the Creation of Lords day.the World, and we in ours, the Resurrection of Christ by which a way is made for us into that better world we expect hereafter. Now this Day thus set apart, is to be imployed in the Worship and Service of God, and that first more solemnly and publickly in the Congregation, from which no man must then absent himself without a just cause: and Secondly, privately at home, in praying with, and instructing our families, or else in the yet more private duties of the closet, a mans own private prayers, Reading, Meditating, and the like.
And that we may be at leisure for these, a Rest from all worldly business is commanded; therefore let no man th…nk that a bare rest from labour is all that is required of him on the Lords day, but the time which he saves from the works of his calling, he is to lay out on those spiritual duties. For the Lords Day was never ordained to give us a pretence for idleness, but only to change our unployment from worldly to heavenly, much less was it meant that by our rest from our callings we should have more time-free to bestow upon our sins, as too many do, who are more constant on that day at the Alehouse then the Church. But this Rest was commanded, first, to shadow out to us that Rest from sin which we are bound to all the dayes of our lives. And secondly, to take us off from our worldly business, and to give us time to attend the service of God and the need of our souls.
18. And surely if we rightly consider it, it is a very great benefit to us that there is such a set time thus weekly returning for that purpose. We are very intent and busie upon the world, and if there were not some such time appointed to our hands, it is to be doubted we should hardly allot any our selves: And then what a starved condition must these poor souls of ours be in, that shall never be afforded a meal? whereas now there is a constant diet provided for them every Sunday, if wee will conscionably imploy it, may be a festival day to them, may bring them in such spiritual food, as may nourish them to eternal life. We are not to look on this day with grudging, like those in Amos 8. 5. Who ask, When will the Sabbath be gone, that we may set forth wheat? As if that time were utterly lost, which were taken from our worldly business. But we are to consider it, as the gainfullest, as the joyfullest day of the week, a day of harvest, wherein we are to lay up in store for the whole week, nay for our whole lives.
19. But besides this of the weekly Lords day, there are other times, which the Church The Feasts of the Church.hath set apart for the remembrance of some special mercies of God, such as the Birth and Resurrection of Christ, the Descent of the Holy Ghost, and the like; and these dayes we are to keep in that manner which the Church hath ordered, to wit in the solemn worship of God, and in particular thanks giving for that special blessing we then remember. And surely whoever is truly thankful for those rich mercies, cannot think it too much to set apart some few dayes in a year for that purpose.
But then we are to look that our Feasts be truly spiritual, by imploying the day thus holily, and not make it an occasion of intemperance and disorder as too many, who consider nothing in Christmass and other good times, but the good cheers and jollity of them. For that is doing despight, in stead of honour to Christ, who came to bring all purity and soberness into the world, and therefore must not have that coming of his remembred in any other manner.
20. Other dayes there are also set a part in memory of the Apostles, and other Saints, wherein we are to give hearty thanks to God, for his graces in them; particularly, that they were made instruments of revealing to us Christ Jesus, and the way of salvation, as you know the Apostles were by their Preaching throughout the World. And then farther, we are to meditate on those Examples of holy life, they have given us, and stir up our selves to the imitation thereof. And whoever does uprightly set himself to make these uses of these several Holy dayes, will have cause, by the benefit he shall finde from them, to thank and not to blame the Church for ordering them.
21. Another sort of dayes there are, which The Fasts.we are likewise to observe, and those are dayes of fasting and humiliation; and whatever of this kinde the Church injoynes, whether constantly at set times of the year, or upon any special and more sudden occasion, we are to observe in such manner as she directs; that is, not onelyonly a bare abstaining from meat, which is only the bodies punishment; but in afflicting our souls, humbling them deeply before God, in a hearty confessing, and bewailing of our own, and the nations sins, and earnest prayers for Gods pardon, and forgivenesse, and for the turning away of those judgements, which those sins have called for: But above all, in turning our selves from our sins, loosing the bands of wickedness, as Isaiah speaks, Chap. 58. 6. and exercising our selves in works of mercy, dealing our bread to the hungry, and the like, as it there followes.
22. Fourthly, we are to expresse our reverence Gods Word.to God, by honouring his Word; and this we must certainly do, if we do indeed honour him; there being no surer signe of our despising any person, then the setting light, by what he sayes to us; as on the contrary, if we value One, every word he speaks will be of weight with us. Now this Word of God is expresly contained in the holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testament, where he speaks to us, to shew us his Will and our duty. And therefore The holy Scriptures.to this Word of his, we are to bear a wonderful respect, to look upon it, as the rules by which we must frame all the actions of our life; and to that end to study it much, to read in it as often as we can, if it may be, never to let a day pass us without reading or hearing some part of it read.
23. But then that is not all: We must not only read, but we must mark what we read, we must diligently observe, what duties there are which God commands us to perform, what faults they are, which God there charges us not to commit, together with the rewards promised to the one, and the punishment threatned to the other. When we have thus marked, we must lay them up in our memory, not so loosely and carelesly that they shall presently drop out again; but we must so fasten them there by often thinking and meditating on them, that we may have them ready for our use. Now that use is the directing of our lives; and therefore when ever we are tempted to the committing of any evil, we are then to call to minde this is the thing which in such a Scripture is forbidden by God, and all his vengeances threatned against it; and so in like manner when any opportunity is offered us of doing good, to remember, this is the duty which I was exhorted to in such a Scripture, and such glorious rewards promised to the doing of it; and by these considerations strengthen our selves for resisting of the evil and performance of the good.
24. But besides this of the written Word, it hath pleased God to provide yet further for our instruction by his Ministers, whose Office it is to teach us Gods Will, not by saying any thing contrary to the written Word (for whatsoever is so, can never be Gods Will) but by Explaining it, and making it easier to our understandings, and then applying it to our particular occasions, and exhorting and stirring us up to the practice of it; all which is the end at which first their Catechizing and then their Preaching aimeth. And to this we are to bear also a due respect by giving diligent heed thereto, not only being present at Gatechizings and Sermons, and either sleep out the time, or think of somewhat else, but carefully marking what is said to us. And surely if we did but rightly consider, how much it concerns us, we should conclude it very reasonable for us to do so.
25. For First as to that of Catechizing, Catechizing.it is the laying the foundation upon which all Christian practice must be built, for that is the teaching us our duty, without which it is impossible for us to perform it. And though it is true, that the Scriptures are the Fountains, from whence this knowledge of duty must be fetched, yet there are many who are not able to draw it from this Fountain themselves, and therefore it is absolutely necessary it should be thus brought to them by others.
26. This Catechizing is generally look't on as a thing belonging only to the youth, and so indeed it ought, not because the oldest are not to learn, if they be ignorant, but because all children should be so instructed, that it should be impossible for them, to be ignorant when they come to years. And it neerly concernes every Parent, as they will free themselves from the guilt of their childrens eternall undoing, that they be carefull to see them instructed in all necessary things; to which purpose it will be fit early to teach them some short Catechism, of which sort none so fit as the Church Catechism; yet are they not to rest on these endeavours of their own; but also to call in the Ministers help, that he may build them up farther in Christian knowledge.
27. But alas! it is too sure that parents have very much neglected this Duty, and by that means it is that such multitudes of men and women that are called (bristians, know no more of Christ or any thing that concerns their own Souls, then the meerest Heathen.
28. But although it were their Parents fault that they were not Instructed when they were young, yet it is now their own if they remain still ignorant; and it is sure it will be their own ruine and misery if they wilfully continue so. Therefore whoever it be, of what age or condition soever, that is in this ignorant estate, or in any such degree of it, that he wants any part of necessary saving knowledge, let him as he loves his soul, as ever he would escape eternal damnation, seek out for instruction, and let no fear of shame keep any from it: For first, it is certain the shame belongs only to the wilful continuing in ignorance, to which the desire of learning is directly contrary, and is so far from a shameful, that it is a most commendable thing, and will be sure to be so accounted by all wise and good men. But secondly, suppose some prophane, senseless people should deride it, yet sure that shame were in all reason to be undergone joyfully rather then venture on that confusion of face which will at the day of iudgement befal those, who to avoid a little false shame amongst men, have gone on in a wilful ignorance of their duty, which ignorance will be so far from excusing any sins they shall commit, that it adds one great and heavy sin to all the rest, even the despising that knowledge which is offered to them. How ha…nous a sin that is, you may learn in the first Chapter of the Proverbs, where hating knowledge v. 29. is said to be the thing that draws down those sad vengeances forementioned, even Gods forsaking men, laughing at their calamity in stead of helping them: Which is of all other conditions in the world the most miserable, and surely they are madly desperate that will run themselves into it.
29. As for those who have already this foundation laid by the knowledge of the grounds of Christian Religion, there is yet for them a farther help provided by Preaching. And it is no more then needs, for God knows those Preaching.that understand their duty well enough are too apt to forget it; nay, sometimes by the violence of their own lusts to transgress it even when they do remember it, and therefore it is very useful we should be put in minde of it to prevent our forgetting, and also often exhorted and assisted to withstand those lusts which draw us to those transgressions. And to these purposes preaching is intended, first, to warn us to be upon our guard against our spiritual enemy, and then to furnish us with weapons for the fight; that is, such means and helps as may best enable us to beat off temptations and get the victory over them.
30. Since therefore this is the end of Preaching, we must not think we have done our duty when we have heard a Sermon, though never so attentively, but we must lay it up in our hearts those instructions and advices we there meet with, and use them faithfully to that end of overcoming our sins. Therefore when ever thou comest to the Physician of thy Soul, do as thou wouldst with the Physician of thy Body; thou comest to him not only to hear him talk and tell thee what will cure thee, but also to do according to his directions; and if thou dost not so here, thou art as vain as he that expects a bare receipt from his Doctor shall cure him though he never make use of it. Nay, thou art much more vain and ridiculous, for that though it do him no good will do him no harm, he shall never be the worse for having been taught a medicine though he use it not: but in these Spiritual Receipts it is otherwise, if we use them not to our good they will do us a great deal of harm, they will rise up in judgement against us, and make our condemnation so much the heavier. Beware therefore not to bring that danger upon thy self, but when thou hast heard a Sermon, consider with thy self what directions there were in it for enabling thee to eschew evil, or to do good. And if there were any thing especially concern'd thine own bosome sin, lay that close to thy heart, and all the week after make it matter of meditation, think of it even whilst thou art at thy work, if thou wantest other time; and not only think of it, but set to the practice of it, do what thou wert advised to, for the subduing sins and quickning grace in thee. Finally, look carefully to practice the counsel of the Apostle, Jam. 1. 22. Be ye doers of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving your own souls. To hope for good from the Word without doing of it, is, it seems, nothing but a deceiving our selves: Let us never therefore measure our godliness by the number of Sermons which we hear, as if the hearing many were the certain mark of a good Christian; but by the store of fruit we bring forth by them, without which all our hearing will serve but to bring us into that heavier portion of stripes, which belongs to him that knowes his Masters will and does it not, Luke 12. 47. But this reverence which is due to Preaching we must not pay to all that is now a dayes called so, for God knows there are many false Prophets gone out into the world, as the Apostle speaks, 1 John 41. And now, if ever, is that advice of his necessary, To try the spirits whether they be of God. But what I have said, I mean only of the Preaching of those who first have a lawful calling to the Office, and secondly frame their doctrine according to the right rule, the written Word of God. But if any man say, He is not able to judg whether the Doctrine be according to the Word or no, let him at least try it by the common known rules of duty which he doth understand, and if he find it a Doctrine giving men liberty to commit those things which are by all acknowledged sins, such as rebellion, injustice, unmercifulness, uncleanness, or the like, he may conclude, it is utterly contrary to God and his Word, and then abhorrence, and not reverence belongs to it.
31. Fifthly, we are to express our honouring The Sacraments.of God by Reverencing his Sacraments: those are two; Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord. And this we are to do; First, by our high esteem of them; Secondly, by our reverent usage of them: we are first to prize them at a high rate, looking on them, as the instruments of bringing to us the greatest blessings we can receive. The first of them, Baptism, that enters us into covenant with God, makes us members of Christ, and so gives us right to all those precious benefits, that flow from him, to wit, pardon of sins, sanctifying grace, and heaven it self, on condition we perform our parts of the Covenant. And as for the Lords Supper, that is not only a signe and remembrance of Christ and his death; but it is actually the giving Christ, and all the fruits of his death to every worthy receiver; and therefore there is a most high estimation, and value due to each of them.
32. And not only so; but in the second place we must shew our reverence in our usage of them; Of Baptism.and that, First, before, Secondly, at, and Thirdly, after the time of receiving them. It is true that the Sacrament of Baptism being now administred to us, when we are Infants, it is not to be expected of us, that we should in our own persons do any thing, either before or at the time of receiving it, those performances were strictly required of all persons, who were baptized when they were of years. But for us, it suffices to give us this right to Baptism, that we are born within the pale of the Church, that is, of Christian parents; and all that is required at that time is what we can only perform by others, they in our stead promising that when we come to years we will perform our parts of the Covenant. But by how much the less we are then able to do so much, the greater bond lies on us to perform those after-duties required of us, by which we are to supply the want of the former.
33. Now if you would know what those The vow of Baptism.duties are, look over those promises which your Godfathers and Godmothers then made in your name, and you may then learn them. I cannot give you them in a better form then that of our Churches Catechism, which tells, That our Godfathers and Godmothers did promise and vow three things in our names; first, that we should forsake the Devil and all his workes, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh. Where, by the Devil is meant, first, the worshipping of all false gods, which is indeed but worshipping the Devil: A sin which at the time of Christs coming into the world was very common, most part of mankinde then living in that vile Idolatry. And therefore when Baptism was first ordained, it was but needful to make the forsaking of those false gods a principal part of the vow. And though those false worships are now much rarer, yet there was one special part of them, which may be feared to be yet too common among us, and that is all sorts of uncleanness, which though we do not make Ceremonies of our Religion as the Heathens did of theirs, yet the committing thereof is a most high provocation in Gods eyes, such as drew him to destroy whole Cities with fire and brimstone, as you may read, Gen. 19. Nay, the whole World with water, Gen. 6. and will not fail to bring down judgments, and strange ones, on any that continue therein; and therefore the forsaking them well deserves to be look't on as an especial part of this promise. Besides this, all dealing with the Devil is here vowed against, whether it be by practising witchcraft our selves, or consulting with those that do upon any occasion whatever, as the recovery of our health, our goods, or whatever else; for this is a degree of the former sin, it is the forsaking of the Lord, and setting up the Devil for our God, whilst we go to him in our needs for help.
34. But we also renounce all the works of the Devil, and those are either in general all those which the Devil tempts us to, or else those particular kinds of sin which have most of his image on them; that is, those which he himself most practises, such are pride (which brought him from being an Angel of light to the accursed condition he is now in) and lying; he is, as our Saviour saith, John 8. 44. A lyar, and the Father of it; and such also are malice and envy, especially killing and destroying of others, for he was a murderer from the beginning, John 8. 48. But above all there is nothing wherein we become so like him, as in tempting and drawing others to sin, wch is his whole trade and business, and if we make it any part of ours, we become like that roaring Lion, that goes about seeking whom he may devour, 1 Pet. 5. 8.
35. The second thing we vow to forsake, is the pomps and vanities of this wicked world. By the pomps and vanities there are several things meant; some of them such as were used by the Heathens in some Unlawful sports of theirs, wherein we are not now so much concern'd, there being none of them remaining among us: but besides that, there is meant all excess, either in diet, or sports, or apparel, when we keep not those due measures, which either by the general rules of sobriety, or the particular circumstances of our qualities and callings we are bound to. Next, by the wicked world, we may understand, first, the wealth and greatness of the world, which though we do not so totally renounce, that it is unlawful for a Christian to be either rich or great, yet we thus far promise to forsake them, that we will not set our hearts upon them, nor either get or keep them by the least unlawful means. Secondly, by the wicked world, we may understand the companies and customes of the world, which so far as they are wicked we here renounce; that is, we promise never to be drawn by company to the commission of a sin, but rather to forsake the most delightful company then be ensnared by it; nor yet by custome, but rather venture the shame of being thought singular, ridiculous persons, walk as it were in a path by our selves, then put our selves into that broad way that leads to destruction, by giving our selves over to any sinful custome how common soever it be grown. If this part of our vo… were but throughly considered, it would arm us against most of the temptations the world offers us, company and custome being the two special instruments by which it works on us
36. A third thing we renounce, is all the sinful lusts of the flesh; where the flesh is to he understood in that sense wherein the Scripture often uses it, for the fountain of all disordered affections. For though those unclean desires which we ordinarily call the lusts of the flesh are here meant, yet they are not the only things here contained, there being divers other things which the Scripture calls the works of the flesh; I cannot better inform you of them then by setting down that list S. Paul gives of them, Gal. 5. 19, 20, 21. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like. This, with those other descriptions, you will finde scattered in several places of Scripture, will shew you there are many things contained under this part of your vow, the forsaking all the sinful lusts of the flesh.
37. The second thing our Godfathers and Godmothers promised for us, was, that we should believe all the Articles of the Christian faith. These we have summed up together in that which we call the Apostles Creed, which since we promise to believe, we are supposed also to promise to learn them, and that not only the words, but likewise the plain sense of them, for who can believe what he either never heard, of, or knows not any thing of the meaning of it? Now by this believing is meant not only the consenting to the truth of them, but also the living like them that do believe. As for Example, our believing that God created us, should make us live in that subjection and obedience to him which becomes Creatures to their Creator; the believing that Christ Redeemed us, should make us yield up our selves to him as his purchase, to be disposed wholly by him, and imployed only in his service. The believing a judgment to come, should give us care so to walk that we may not be condemned in it. And our believing the life everlasting, should make us diligent so to imploy our short moment of time here, that our everlasting life may be a life of joy, not of misery to us. In this manner from all the Articles of the Creed, we are to draw Motives to confirm us in all Christian Practice, to which end it is that our learning and believing of them tends, and therefore without it we are very far from making good this part of our vow, the believing all the Articles of the Christian faith.
38. The last part of our vow is, that we should keep Gods holy will and Commandments, duplicate page duplicate page and walk in the same all the dayes of our lives. Where by our keeping of Gods holy will and commandments, is meant our doing of all those things, which he hath made known to us to be his will we should perform; wherein he hath given us his holy Word to instruct us, and teach us, what it is that he requires of us, and now he expects that we should faithfully do it without favouring our selves in the breach of any one of his commands. And then in this entire obedience, we must walk all the dayes of our lives: That is, we must go on in a constant course of obeying God; not onelyonly fetch some few steps in his wayes, but walk in them, and that not for some part of our time, but all the dayes of our lives, never turn out of them, but go on constantly in them, as long as we live in this world.
39. Having now thus briefly explained to you this vow made at your Baptism, all I The strict obligation of this vow of Baptism.shall adde concerning it, is only to remember you how nearly you are concern'd in the keeping it: and that first in respect of justice, secondly, in respect of advantage and benefit. That you are in justice bound to it, I need say no more but that it is a promise, and you know justice requires of every man the keeping of his promise. But then this is of all other promises the most solemn and binding, for it is a vow; that is, a promise made to God; and therefore we are not only unjust, but forsworn, when ever we break any part of it.
40. But secondly we are also highly concern'd to keep it, in respect of our own benefit. I told you before, That Baptism entred us into Covenant with God; now a Covenant is made up of two parts, that is, something promised by the one party, and something by the other of the parties that make the Covenant. And if one of them break his part of the Covenant, that is, perform not what he hath agreed to, he can in no reason look that the other should make good his. And so it is here, God doth indeed promise those benefits before mentioned, and that is his part of the Covenant. But then we also undertake to perform the several things contained in this vow of Baptism, and that is our part of it, and unless we do indeed perform them, God is not tyed to make good his, and so we forfeit all those precious benefits and advantages, we are left in that natural and miserable estate of ours, children of wrath, enemies to God, and heirs of eternal damnation. And now what can be the pleasure that any or all sins can afford us that can make us the least degree of recompence for such a loss, the loss of Gods favour and grace here, and the loss of our own souls hereafter? for as our Saviour saith, Mark 8. 36. What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? yet this mad bargain we make when ever we break any part of this our vow of Baptism. It therefore most neerly concerns us to consider sadly of it, to remember that every sin we commit is a direct breach of this vow, and therefore when thou art tempted to any sin, seem it never so light, say not of it as Lot did of Zoar, Gen. 6. 20. Is it not a little one? but consider that what ever it is, thou hast in thy Baptism vowed against it, and then be it never so little it draws a great one at the heels of it, no lesse then that of being forsworn, which whoever commits, God hath in the third Commandement pronounced, He will not hold him guiltless. And that we may the better keep this vow, it will be very useful often to repeat to our selves the several branches of it, that so we may still have it ready in our mindes to set against all temptations; and surely it is so excellent a weapon, that if we do not either cast it aside, or use it very negligently, it will enable us, by Gods help, to put to flight our spiritual adversary. And this is that reverence we are to pay to this first Sacrament, that of Baptism.