Sermons, Sermon 1
The I. Sermon.
EZEK. XVI. 30.
The Work of an imperious Whoriſh Woman.
NOt to chill your ears by keeping you long at the doors; not to detain you one minute with a cold unprofitable Preface: This Chapter is the exacteſt Hiſtory of the Spiritual eſtate of the Jews, i. e. The elect of God, and the powerfulleſt exprobration of their ſins, that all the Writings under Heaven can preſent to our eyes. From the firſt time I could think I underſtood any part of it I have been confident, that never any thing was ſet down more rhetorically, never more foreign and foreign, more affection and ſublimity of ſpeech, ever concurred in any one writing of this quantity, either ſacred or prophane. 'Twere a work for the ſolidſt Artiſt to obſerve diſtinctly every part of Logick and Rhetorick that lies concealed in this one Chapter, and yet there is enough in the ſurface and outward dreſs of it, to affect the meaneſt underſtanding that will but read it. For our preſent purpoſe it will ſuffice to have obſerv'd, 1. That the natural ſinful eſtate of the Jews, being premiſed in the five firſt Verſes: 2. The calling of them in this condition, in their pollutions, in their blood, and beſtowing all manner of ſpiritual ornaments upon them, following in the next ten Verſes; the remainder is moſt what ſpent in the upbraiding and aggravating their ſins to them in a moſt elevated ſtrain of reproof; and the foreign or higheſt pitch of it, is in the words of my Text, The work of an imperious Whoriſh Woman.
For the handling of which words, I firſt beg two poſtulata to be granted and ſuppoſed, before my diſcourſe, becauſe I would not trouble you to hear them proved.
I. That the elect choſen people of God, the Jews, were degenerate into heathen, deſperate, devilliſh ſinners.
II. That what is literally ſpoken in aggravation of the Jews ſin, is as fully applicable to any other ſinful people, with whom God hath entred Covenant, as he did with the Jews.
And then the ſubject of my preſent diſcourſe, ſhall be this, That Indulgence to ſin, in a Chriſtian, is the Work of an imperious Whoriſh Woman. And that 1. Of a Woman noting a great deal of weakneſs; and that not ſimple natural weakneſs, through a privation of all ſtrength, but an acquired, ſluggiſh weakneſs, by effeminate neglecting to make uſe of it. 2. Of a Whore, noting unfaithfulneſs and falſeneſs to the Husband. 3. Of an imperious Whore, noting inſolency and an high pitch of contempt.
And of theſe, briefly and plainly; not to encreaſe your knowledge, but to enliven and enflame the practical part of your ſouls; not to enrich your brains with new ſtore, but to ſink that which you have already down into your hearts.
And firſt of the firſt, That Indulgence to ſin, in a Chriſtian, is the work of a Woman; an effect and argument of an infinite deal of weakneſs, together with the nature and grounds of that weakneſs: The work, &c.
And this very thing, that it may be the more heeded, is emphatically noted three ſeveral times in this one Verſe. 1. The work of a Woman, in my Text, a poor, cowardly, puſillanimous part that any body elſe, any one that had but the leaſt ſpark of valor or manhood in him, would ſcorn to be guilty of, an argument of one that hath ſuffered all his parts and gifts to lie ſluggiſh & unprofitable, and at laſt, even quite periſhed by difuſing. As the weakneſs of Women, below Men, proceeds not only from their conſtitution and temper, but from their courſe of life; not from want of natural ſtrength, but of civil manlike exerciſe, which might ſtir up and diſcipline, and ripen that ſtrength they have: For if their education were as warlike, and their ſtrength by valiant undertaking, ſo ſet out; Virago's and Amazons, would be well-nigh as ordinary as ſoldiers. And ſo will the compariſon hold of thoſe womaniſh, ſluggiſh, abuſers of Gods graces. Then in the firſt words of this Verſe, How weak is thy heart?] noting it to be a degree of weakneſs below ordinary; as we call one a weak man, that hath done any thing raſhly or unadviſedly, which, if he had but thought on, he could never have been ſo ſottiſh, his ordinary reaſon would have prompted him to ſafer counſels. In brief, Any frequent, indiſcreet actions, argue a weak fellow: Not that he wants ſtrength of diſcretion to do better, but that he makes no uſe of it in his actions. Thirdly, How weak is thy heart?] Thy heart, i. e. The principal part of the Man, (as the Brain is the ſpeculative) the fountain of good and evil actions, and performances. Now the word foreign in the Original, ſignifying the heart; being naturally of the Maſculine Gender, is here ſet in the feminine, out of order, perhaps emphatically, to note an unman-like impotent, effeminate heart; all its actions are mixt with ſo much paſſion and weakneſs, they are ſo raw and womaniſh, that it would grieve one to behold a fair, comely, man-like Chriſtian in ſhew, betraying ſo much impotency in his behaviour, (even like the Emperour a ſpinning) one who had undertaken to be a Champion for Chriſt, led away, and abuſed and baffled by every pelting paultry luſt. 'Tis lamentable to obſerve what a poor, cowardly, degenerous ſpirit is in moſt Chriſtians; with how ſlender aſſaults and petty ſtratagems, they are either taken captive, or put to flight; how eaſily in their moſt reſolute undertakings of piety or vertue, they are either vanquiſht, or caught. The ordinarieſt, courſeſt, had-favouredſt temptation that they can ſee, affects and ſmites them ſuddenly; they are entangled, before they are wooed; and the leaſt appearance of any difficulty, the vizard or picture of the eaſieſt danger is enough to fright them for ever from any thought of Religion, or hope of Heaven.
For a meer natural man that hath nothing but original ſin, or worſe in him, that hath received nothing from God and his parents, but a talent in a broken Veſſel, a ſoul infected by a crazy body, diſeas'd as ſoon as born; for an Heathen that hath nothing to ſubſiſt on but a poor pittance of natural reaſon, but one eye to ſee by, and that a dim one; for a meer Barbarian or Gentile to be thus triumphed over by every Devil, (as an Owl by the ſmalleſt Bird in the air) might be matter of pity rather than wonder: And yet few of them were ſuch cowards; thoſe very weapons that Nature had furniſhed them with, being rightly put on, and fitted to them, ſtood many of them in very good ſtead. There were few paſſions, few ſins of an ordinary ſize, but a Philoſopher, and meer Stoick would be able to meet and vanquiſh: And therefore 'tis not ſo much natural, as affected weakneſs, not ſo much want of ſtrength, as ſluggiſhneſs and want of care; not ſo much impotency, as numbneſs and ſtupidity of our parts, which hath ſo extremely diſ-abled thoſe that take themſelves to be the weakeſt of us.
The truth is, we are willing to conceive that our natural abilities are quite periſht and annihilate, and that God hath no ways repaired them by Christ, becauſe we will not be put to the trouble of making uſe of them: We would ſpare our pains, and therefore would fain count our ſelves impotent, as ſluggards that perſonate and act diſeaſes becauſe they would not work; or the old Tragedians which could call a god down upon the Stage at any time, to conſummate the impoſſibleſt Plot, and therefore would not put their brains to the toil of concluding it fairly.
Certainly the decrepiteſt man under Heaven (if he be but a degree above a Carcaſs) is able to defend himſelf from an ordinary Flie; 'Tis one of the Devils titles to be Beelzebub the Prince of Flies; and ſuch are many of his temptations; He that hath but life in him, may keep himſelf from any harm of one of them; but the matter is, they come in flocks, & being driven once away, they return again. Muſcaeſt animal inſolens, and the Devil is frequent in theſe temptations, & though you could repel them as faſt as they come, yet 'twould be a troubleſome piece of work; it will be more for your eaſe to lye ſtill under them, to let them work their will: So in time Fly-blows beget noyſomneſs and vermine in the ſoul; and then the life and death of that man becomes like that of the Egyptians, or Herod, and no plague more finally deſperate, than thoſe two of Flies and Lice. I am reſolv'd there be many temptations which foil many jolly Chriſtians, which yet a meer natural man that never dream't of Scripture, or Gods Spirit, might, if he did but bethink himſelf, reſiſt, and many times overcome. Many acts of uncleanneſs, of intemperance, of contempt of ſuperiours, of murther, of falſe-dealing, of ſwearing and prophaning, that cheap, unprofitable, that untempting, and therefore unreaſonable ſin. Many acts I ſay, of theſe open, abhominable ſins, which either cuſtome or humane Laws make men aſhamed of, and the like; the very Law of Reaſon within us is able to affront, and check, and conquer. That foreign,In Phol. p. 915. as Methodius calls it, that Law born with us; Naturale judicatorium, Wiggers, pr. ma ſecundae, pag. 160.ſaith Auſtin againſt Pelagius; Lux noſtri intellectus, ſay the Schoolmen out of Damaſcen; Nay, foreign,A…ian. Epict. l. 2. c. 9. ſaith the Stoick, the promiſe that every one makes to nature, the Obligation that he is bound in when he hath firſt leave to be a man, or as Hierocles on the Pythagorean Verſes, foreign, That Oath that is coaetaneous, and co-eſſential to all reaſonable natures, and engages them foreign, &c. not to tranſgreſs the Laws that are ſet them.foreign, … foreign, l. 1. p. 12. & lib. 2. p. 36. foreign, l. 4. p. 50. This is I ſay, enough to keep us in ſome terms or compaſs, to ſwathe and bind us in, to make us look ſomewhat like men, & defeat the Devil in many a skirmiſh. But how much more for a Chriſtian, who if it were by nothing but his Baptiſm, hath certainly ſome advantages of other men: For one that, if he acknowledge any, worſhips the true God; never went a fooling after Idols, which was the Original of the Heathens being given up to vile affections, Rom. I.Rom. 1. for one that lives in a civil Countrey among people that have the faces and hearts of men and Chriſtians, made as it were,Wiſd. II. to upbraid his wayes, and reprove his thoughts; for one that is within the ſound of Gods Law, and Light of his Goſpel, by which he may edifie more than ever Heathen did by thunder and lightning; for one that cannot chuſe but fear and believe, and love, and hope in God, in ſome meaſure or kind, be he never ſo unregenerate; for him, I ſay, that hath all theſe outward reſtraints, and perhaps ſome inward twinges of Conſcience, to curb and moderate him, to be yet ſo ſtupid under all theſe helps, as never to be able to raiſe up one thought toward heaven, to have yet not the leaſt atome of Soul to move in the ways of godlineſs, but to fall proſtrate like a Carkaſs, or a Statue, or that Idol Dagon with his feet ſtricken off, not able to ſtand before the ſlighteſt motion of ſin; or if a luſt, or a phanſie, or a devil, be he the uglieſt in Hell, any thing but God appear to him, preſently to fall down and worſhip. This is ſuch a ſottiſh condition, ſuch an either Lethargy or Conſumption of the Soul, ſuch an extream degree of weakneſs, that neither original ſin, that Serpent that deſpoiled Adam, nor any one ſingle Devil can be believed to have wrought in us; but that foreign (as the Platonicks call it) A popular Government of ſin, under a multitude of Tyrants, which have for ſo long a while, waſted and haraſſed the Soul; ſo that now it is quite creſt-faln,Mark V. 3. as that legion of Devils, Mar. V. 3. which dwelt among the Tombs in a liveleſs, cadaverous, noiſome Soul; or more truly that evil ſpirit, Mark I. 23.Mark I. 23. that made the man diſclaim and renounce Chriſt and his mercies, when he came to cure; Let us alone, what have we to do with thee? By which is noted, That contentedneſs and acquieſcence in ſin; that even ſtubborn, wilfulneſs, and reſolvedneſs to die, that a long ſluggiſh cuſtom in ſin, will bring us to; and that you may reſolve on, as the main diſcernable cauſe of this weakneſs of the heart, a habit, and long ſervice and drudgery in ſin. But then, as a ground of that, you may take notice of another, a phanſie that hath crept into moſt mens hearts (and ſuffers them not to think of reſiſting any temptation to ſin) that all their actions, as well evil as good, were long ago determined and ſet down by God; and now nothing left to them, but a neceſſity of performing what was then determined. I would fain believe, that that old hereſie of the Stoicks, revived indeed among the Turks, concerning the inevitable production of all things; that fatal neceſſity, even of ſins, ſhould yet never have gotten any footing or entertainment among Chriſtians; but that by a little experience in the practice of the world, I find it among many a main piece of their faith, and the only point that can yield them any comfort; that their ſins, be they never ſo many & outragious, are but the effects, or at leaſt, the conſequents of Gods decree; that all their care, and ſollicitude, and moſt wary endeavors, could not have cut off any one ſin from the Catalogue; that unleſs God be pleaſed foreign; to come down upon the Stage, by the irreſiſtible power of his conſtraining ſpirit, as with a Thunderbolt from Heaven, to ſhake and ſhiver to pieces the carnal man within them, to ſtrike them into a ſwoon as he did Saul, that ſo he may convert them; and in a word, to force and raviſh them to Heaven: foreign.Unleſs he will even drive and carry them, they are never likely to be able to ſtir; to perform any the leaſt work of reaſon, but fall minutely into the moſt irrational, unnatural ſins in the world, nay, even into the bottom of that pit of Hell, without any ſtop, or delay, or power of deliberating in this their precipice. This is an hereſie that in ſome Philoſopher-Chriſtians hath ſprouted above ground, hath ſhewed it ſelf in their brains and tongues; and that more openly in ſome bolder Wits, but the Seeds of it are ſown thick in moſt of our hearts, I fear in every habitual ſinner amongſt us, if we were but at leiſure to look into our ſelves. The Lord give us a heart to be forewarned in this behalf.
To return into the rode: Our natural inclinations and propenſions to ſin, are no doubt, active and prurient enough within us, ſomewhat of Jehu's conſtitution and temper, they drive very furiouſly. But then to perſwade our ſelves, that there is no means on earth, beſides the very hand of God, and that out of our reach, able to traſh, or overſlow this furious driver; that all the ordinary clogs that God hath provided us; our reaſon and natural conſcience, as Men; our Knowledge, as Chriſtians; nay, his reſtraining, though not ſanctifying graces, together with the Lungs and Bowels of his Miniſters, and that energetical powerful Inſtrument, the Goſpel of Chriſt, Which is the power of God unto ſalvation, even to every Jew, nay, and Heathen, Rom. 1. To reſolve, That all theſe are not able to keep us in any compaſs, to quell any the leaſt ſin we are inclined to; that unleſs God will by force make Saints of us, we muſt needs preſently be Devils, and ſo leave all to Gods omnipotent working, and never make uſe of thoſe powers, with which he hath already furniſhed us. This is a monſtrous piece of unchristian divinity; a way, by advancing the Grace of God, to deſtroy it, and by depending on the Holy Ghoſt, to grieve, if not to ſin againſt him; to make the corruption of our nature equal to nay, ſurpaſſing the puniſhment of the Devils; a neceſſary and irreverſible obduration in all kinds and meaſures of ſin.
This one practical Hereſie will bring us through all the prodigies of the old Philoſophical Sects, from Stoicks to Epicuriſm, and all ſenſual Libertiniſm, and from thence to the foreign of the Pythagoreans. For unleſs the ſoul that is now in one of us, had been tranſplanted from a Swine, or ſome other the moſt ſtupid, ſottiſh, degenerous ſort of Beaſts, it is impoſſible that it ſhould thus naturally, and neceſſarily, and perpetually, and irrecoverably, delight & wallow in every kind of ſenſuality, without any check or contradiction, either of Reaſon, or Chriſtianity. If I ſhould tell you that none of you, that hath underſtood and pondered the Will of God, wants abilities in ſome meaſure to perform it, if he would muſter up all his forces, at time of need; that every Chriſtian hath grace enough to ſmother luſts in the Womb, and keep them, at leaſt, from bringing forth; to quell a temptation before it break out into an actual ſin, you would think perhaps that I flattered you, and deceived my ſelf in too good an opinion of your ſtrength. Only thus much then, It would be ſomewhat for your edification to try what you could do: Certainly there is much more in a Chriſtians power (if he be not engaged in a habit of ſin) than we imagine; though not for the performing of good, yet for the inhibiting of evil. And therefore bethinking our ſelves, foreign, ſaith Arrian, That we are the ſons of God, foreign, Let us not have too low and degenerous an opinion of our ſelves. Do but endeavour reſolutely and couragiouſly to repel temptations as often as they ſollicite thee; make uſe of all thy ordinary reſtraints; improve thy natural fear and ſhamefac'dneſs, thy Chriſtian education, tender diſpoſition to the higheſt pitch; do but hold ſincerely as long as thou art able, and though I will not ſay that all thy ſins ſhall be confin'd to thoſe two heads of original (a branch of which are evil motions) and of omiſſion; yet I will undertake, that thou ſhalt have an eaſier burthen of actual commiſſions upon thy ſoul, and that will prove a good eaſe for thee: Thoſe are they that weigh it down into the deep, that ſink it deſperatelieſt into that double Tophet of obduration and deſpair. Final obduration being a juſt judgment of God, on one that hath fill'd up the meaſure of his iniquities, that hath told over all the hairs of his head, and ſands of the Sea in actual ſins; and a neceſſary conſummation of that, deſpair; the firſt part, the Prologue and Harbinger to that worm in Hell.
'Twere eaſie to ſhew how faith might afford a Chriſtian ſufficient guard and defence againſt the keeneſt weapon in the Devils armory, and retort every ſtroke upon himſelf: But becauſe this is the Faith only of a Wife, not as we now conſider as a woman at large, but in a nearer obligation, as a Spouſe, We ſhall more opportunely handle that in the next Part, where we ſhall conſider Indulgence in ſin, as the work of a whoriſh Woman; where whoredome, noting adultery, preſuppoſes wedlock, and conſiſts in unfaithfulneſs to the Husband, the thing in the next place to be diſcovered: The Work, &c.
That Chriſt is offered by his Father to all the Church for an Huſband; that he waits, and begs, and ſends preſents to us all to accept of the propoſal, the whole Book of Canticles, that Song of ſpiritual love, that affectionate wooing Sonnet will demonſtrate: That every Chriſtian accepts of this Match, and is Sacramentally eſpouſed to Chriſt at his Baptiſm; his being call'd by the Husbands Name imports:Iſai. IV. 1. For that is the meaning of the phraſe, Iſai. IV. 1. Let us be called by thy Name, i. e. marry us. That Faith is the only thing that makes up the Match, and entitles us to his Name, and Eſtate, is obſervable, both from many places of Scripture, and by the oppoſition which is ſet betwixt a Chriſtian, and all others, Jews and Infidels, betwixt the Spouſe, and either the deſtitute Widow, or barren Virgin; the ground of which is only Faith.
So then, every Chriſtian at his Baptiſm being ſuppoſed a Believer, and thereby eſpouſed ſacramentally to Chriſt, and ſo obliged to all the obſervances, as partaker of all the priviledges of a Wife: doth at every unchaſte thought, or adulterous motion, offend againſt the fidelity promiſed in marriage, by every actual breach of this faith, is for the preſent guilty of Adultery, but by indulgence in it, is downright a whore; i. e. either one that came to Chriſt with an unchaſte, adulterous love to gain ſomewhat, not for any ſincere affection to his perſon, but inſidious to his eſtate; and having got that, is ſoon weary of his perſon: or elſe one that came to him with pure virgin thoughts, reſolving her ſelf a perpetual captive to his love, and never to be tyred with thoſe beloved fetters of his embraces; but in time meets with a more flattering amiable piece of beauty, and is ſoon hurried after that, and ſo forgetteth both her vows and love.
Thus ſhall you ſee an handſome, modeſt, maidenly Chriſtian, eſpouſed to Chriſt at the Font, and fully wedded by his Ring at Confirmation: Nay, come nearer yet to him, and upon many ſolemn expreſſions of fidelity, and obedience, vouchſafed the ſeal of his very heart in the Sacrament of his Blood: Another that hath liv'd with him a long while in uniform, conſtant loyalty, noted by all the neighborhood for an abſolute Wife; a grave ſolemn, matronly Chriſtian: yet either upon the allurements of ſome freſh ſprightful ſin, or the ſollicitations of an old-acquaintance luſt, the inſinuations of ſome wily intruder, or a ſpecious ſhew of a glorious glittering temptation; or when theſe are all wanting, upon the breaking out of an evil heart of unbelief (which ſome outward reſtraints formerly kept in) departing from the living God, profeſs open neglect and deſpight againſt the Husband which before they ſo wooed, and flattered and made love to. 'Twere long to number out to you, and give you by tale a Catalogue of thoſe defections and adulterous practices which Chriſtians are ordinarily obſerved to be guilty of, (which whether they go ſo far as to make a divorce betwixt the ſoul and Chriſt, or whether only to provoke him to jealouſie, whether by an interciſion of Grace and Faith, or by an interruption and ſuſpenſion of the acts, I will not now examine) I will go no farther than the Text, which cenſures it here as a piece of ſpiritual whoredom, of treacherous unfaithful dealing, to be light, unconſtant, and falſe to Chriſt; whoſe Spouſe they are eſteemed, whoſe Name they bear, and Eſtate they pretend title to. And ſo indeed it is, for what greater degree of unfaithfulneſs can be imagined? What fouler breach of Matrimonial Covenants, than to value every ordinary proſtitute ſin, before the precious chaſteſt embraces of an Husband, and a Saviour? to be caught and captivate with the meaneſt vanity upon earth, when it appears in competition with all the treaſures in Heaven? Beſides, that ſpiritual Armor which Faith beſtows on a Chriſtian, Eph. vi. 16. ſufficient to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, Eph. vi. 16.or, as the Greek hath it, foreign that wicked one, the Devil, methinks there is a kind of moral influence from Faith on any wiſe & prudent heart, enough to enliven, and animate, and give it ſpirit, againſt the force or threatnings of any the ſtrongeſt temptation, and to encourage him in the moſt crabbed, uncooth, diſconſolate undertakings of godly obedience. For what ſin didſt thou ever look upon with the fulleſt delight of all thy ſenſes, in the enjoying of which, thy moſt covetous, troubleſome, importunate luſts would all reſt ſatisfied, but one minute of Heaven, truly repreſented to thy heart, would infinitely out-weigh? A Turk is ſo affected with the expectation of his carnal Paradiſe, thoſe Catholick everlaſting Stews, which he fancies to himſelf for heaven, that he will ſcarce taſte any wine all his life-time, for fear of diſabling and depriving him of his luſt; he will be very ſtanch from ſin, that he may merit and be ſure to have his fill of it. And then certainly one clear ſingle apprehenſion of that infinite bliſs which the Eye of Faith repreſents to us, were enough to raviſh a world of ſouls, to preponderate all other delights, which the moſt poetical fancy of man or Devil could poſſeſs us with. Were but the love of Chriſt to us, ever ſuffered to come into our hearts, (as Species to the Eye by introreception) had we but come to the leaſt taſte and reliſh of it, what would we not do to recompence, and anſwer, and entertain that love? what difficulty would it not ingratiate to us? what exquiſite pleaſure, or carnal rival, would not be cheap and contemptible in its preſence? If thou haſt but faith to the ſize of a grain of Muſtard-ſeed, ſpeak to this mountain, and it ſhall be removed, the talleſt, cumberſome, unweildy temptation which all the giants in Hell can mould together, (as once they are feign'd to do the Hills to get up to Heaven, Pelion Oſſae, &c.) if thou doſt but live, or breath by Faith, ſhall vaniſh at the leaſt blaſt of thy noſtrils. The clear repreſentation of more valuable pleaſures, and more horrid dangers than any the fleſh can propoſe, certainly attending the performances, or breach of our Vow of Wedlock, is enough to charm and force us to perpetual chaſtity; to fright or ſcoff all other wooers out of our ſights; to reprobate and damn them as ſoon as they appear: There is on this husband of ours a confluence of all infinite imaginable delights, which whoſoever hath but once taſted, but from a kiſs of his mouth, he is not unconſtant, but ſottiſh, if he ever be brought to any new embraces. But then openly to contemn, to profeſs neglects, to go a wooing again, to tempt and ſollicite even temptations, to give gifts to all thy lovers, to hire them that they may come unto thee on every ſide for thy whoredoms, Verſ. 33.verſ. 33. of this Chapter; This is a degree of ſtupidity and inſolence, of inſatiable pride and luſt, that neither the iniquity of Sodom, nor ſtubbornneſs of Capernaum, nor the Rhetoricall'ſt Phraſe almoſt in the very Scripture can expreſs, but only this in my Text, which comes in the laſt place with a marvellous Emphaſis, Imperious.] The work, &c.
In which one Epithet many of the higheſt degrees of ſin are contein'd. 1. Confidence and ſhameleſneſs in ſinning, an imperious Whore, mulier impudicae libidinis, one that is better acquainted with luſt, than to bluſh when ſhe meets with it; modeſty and coyneſs are but infirmities rather than good qualities of youth; effects of ignorance and tenderneſs and unexperience in ſin, a little more converſation in the world, will ſeaſon men to a bolder temper, & in time inſtruct them, that this modeſty is the only thing they ought to be aſham'd of. 'Tis not ingenuity but cowardiſe, a poor degenerous, puſillanimous humour, to go fearfully about a vice, to ſin tremblingly and with regrets: This country diſpoſition, or ſoft temper, when we come abroad into the world, amongſt men, 'tis quite out-dated: Thus is impudence and a forehead of ſteel, grown not the armour only, but even the complexion of every man-like ſpirit. He is not fit for the Devils war, that is ſo poorly appointed either with courage or munition, as to be diſcomfited by a look; 'tis part of his honour not to fear diſgrace, and his reputation, not to ſtand upon ſo poor a thing as reputation.
2. Imperious,] taking all authority into her own hands, ſcorning to be afraid either of God or Devil, quae regno poſita neminem timeat, having fancied her ſelf in a throne, never thinks either of enemy to endanger, or of ſuperiour to quell her; but ſins confidently, & in Cathedrâ, Pſal, I. 1. in ſtate, in ſecurity, and at eaſe,Pſal. I. 1. and never doubts or fears to be removed.
And this is moſt primarily obſervable in the Jews, depending on their carnal Prerogatives, as being of Abrahams ſeed; and yet thus alſo may we ſuſpect do many among us, ſome tying Gods decree of Election to their perſons, and individual entities, without any reference to their qualifications, or demeanors; others by a premature perſwaſion that they are in Chriſt, and ſo in ſuch an irreverſible eſtate, that all the temptations, all the Devils, nay, all the ſins in Hell, ſhall never diſpoſſeſs them: Others reſolv'd, That God can ſee no ſin in his children, in imitation of Marcus in Irenaeus, whoſe Hereſie, or rather Fancie it was foreign, that by the redemption they were become inviſible: Upon theſe I ſay, and other grounds (how true, I will not now examine) do many raſh preſumers abuſe the grace of God unto wantonneſs; never fear to ſin, becauſe they need not fear to be puniſhed; never ceaſe to provoke God, becauſe they are ſure he is their friend; and being reſolved of him as a Saviour, contemn him as a Judge. Multiad ſapientiam perveniſſent, &c. ſaith he, Many had come to learning enough, had they not believed too ſoon they had attain'd it. No ſuch hindrance to proficiency, as too timely a conceit of knowledge: Thus might we ordinarily gueſs ſome men to have been in good towardly eſtates, had they not made too much haſt to conceive ſo; and having once poſſeſt themſelves of heaven on ſuch ſlight grounds, ſuch as not a ſolemn examination of themſelves, but ſome gleams of their fancy had beſtowed upon them; 'tis no wonder if all the effects of their aſſurance be ſpiritual ſecurity, and ſupine confidence in ſinning: they have hid their heads in heaven by their vain ſpeculation, and then think their whole body muſt needs be ſafe, be it never ſo open and naked, and bare to all temptations. Nay, be they up to the ſhoulders in carnality, nay, earth, nay, hell, yet ſeeing caput inter nubila] their head is in the clouds, there is no danger or fear of drowning, be it never ſo deep or myrie. This was Laodice as eſtate,Rev. III. 17. Rev. III. 17. She fancied her ſelf great ſtore of ſpiritual riches & brought in an Inventory of a very fair eſtate, I am rich and am encreaſed in goods, and have need of nothing: any more acceſſion, even of the graces of God, would be but ſuperfluousand burthenſome, not knowing all this while, That ſhe was wretched, and miſerable, and poor, and blind, and naked. There is not a bleſſing upon earth, that can any way hope or ſeem to parallel a ſober wellgrounded aſſurance here, that in time we ſhall be Saints in Heaven; 'tis ſuch a Paradiſe upon Earth, that Heaven it ſelf ſeems but a ſecond part of it, differing from it rather in degrees, and external accompliſhments, than in any diſtinct ſpecifical kind of happineſs: (The Lord of Heaven by his mighty working, when it ſhall pleaſe him, begin and conſummate it in us.) But then to make uſe of this Patent of Heaven to engage us further in the deep, to keep us not from the Devils works, but from his attachments; only as a protection to ſecure our miſdemeanors, not to defend our innocence: for a man thus appointed to venture on a Precipice, as the Turks, ſaith Busbequius, Ep. 3.are wont to try the goodneſs of an horſe, by riding him poſt down the ſteepeſt hill; to outdare the Devil in his own territories, (as Chriſt is ſaid to deſcend thither to triumph over him) to beſiege and ſet upon Hell, preſuming of our intereſt in Heaven, as of a Magical Charm, and foreign to keep us ſafe from death or maims in the midſt of enemies, nay of friends; this is a piece of ſpiritual pride of Lucifer's own inſcribing, an imperious majeſtick garb of impiety, a triumphant or proceſſionary pomp, an affected ſtately gate in ſin; that nothing but a violent rending power of the Spirit, or a boiſterous tempeſtuous judgment can force us out of. Such a prophane Fiduciary as this, which hath even defiled Heaven by poſſeſſing it, ſuch an Helliſh Saint is like to be torn out of the third Heaven into which his ſpeculation hath rapt him, and after a long dream of Paradiſe, find himſelf awake in Hell. And from this degree of religious prophaneneſs, this confidence in ſinning on preſumption that we are under grace; from this premature reſolution, that no ſin, no Devil can endanger us; from this imperious whoredom, as from the danger of Hell, Good Lord deliver us.
3. Imperious] ſignifies more diſtinctly a tyrannical Lording behaviour, uſurping and exerciſing authority over all. And this the Apoſtate Jew and Chriſtian Libertine doth: 1. By tyrannizing over himſelf, i. e. his faculties and eſtate: 2. Over all that come near him. Over himſelf, by urging and driving on in a carnal courſe; not patient of any regrets and reſiſtances that a tender diſpoſition, motions of Gods Spirit, or gripes of Conſcience can make againſt it, goading and ſpurring on any of his faculties, as being too dull, & unactive, and ſlothful in the ways of death, even forcing them (if they be any time foreſlowed and traſhed by either outward or inward reſtraints) to ſin even in ſight of them, and haſtening them to a kind of unvoluntary diſobedience. Thus will a ſtone when 'tis kept violently from the ground, being held in a mans hand, or the like, preſs and weigh towards the Earth inceſſantly, as if it were naturally reſolved to be revenged on any one; to tire him out, that thus detained it from its place; nay, when it is let down, you may ſee it yet preſs lower, make its print in the Earth, as if it would never be ſatisfied, till it could reſt in Hell. The ſinner is never at quiet with himſelf, Inſtat & imperat; He is urgent and importunate upon himſelf, to ſatisfie every craving luſt. Not the beggarlieſt affection, or lazieſt, unworthieſt deſire of the fleſh, but ſhall have its alms and dole, rather than ſtarve, though it be an atome of his very ſoul, to the utter undoing and bankrupting of him that gives it.
And for his tyranny over his eſtate, whether Temporal or Spiritual, his goods of Fortune, or gifts of Grace, they muſt all do homage to this carnal Idol. All his treaſures on Earth are richly ſold, if they can but yield him the fruition of one beloved ſin. And for Spiritual Illuminations, or any Seeds of Grace, he will loſe them all; and even ſhut himſelf for ever into the darkneſs of Hell, rather than ever be directed by their light, out of thoſe pleaſing paths of death.
A reſtraining grace was but a burthenſome, needleſs encumbrance; and a gleam of the Spirit, but a means to ſet Conſcience a working, to actuate her malice and execution on ſin; and it were an happy exchange, to get but one loving delight or companion for them both. Let but a ſin be coy and ſtanch, not to be gain'd at the firſt woing, and all theſe together, like Jacob's preſent out of all his goods, ſhall be all little enough for a ſacrifice or bribe, to ſollicite, or hire it. And this the Prophet notes here diſtinctly, Verſ. 33. and 34. Thou art contrary to all the Whores in the World. Verſ. 33. & 34.In other places Men give gifts to all Whores, but thou giveſt gifts to all thy lovers. None follow or bribe thee to commit whoredoms: Thou giveſt a reward, and no reward is given to thee; therefore thou art contrary.
The ſinner in my Text, ſcorns to ſet ſo low a value on ſin, as that profit or advantage ſhould ingratiate it to him; it is ſo amiable in his eyes of it ſelf, he will prize it ſo high, that any other treaſure ſhall not be conſiderable in reſpect of it: It is part of his loyalty and expreſſion of his ſpecial ſervice to the Devil, to become a bankrupt in his cauſe, to ſell all that he hath, both God, and fortunes to follow him. It is the art and cunning of common Whores, to raiſe mens deſires of them, by being coy, Difficultate augere libidinis pretium, to hold off, that they may be followed. Verſ. 34. But this ſin is not at ſo artificial, her affections are boyſterous and impatient of delay; ſhe is not at ſo much leiſure as to windlace, or uſe craft to ſatisfie them; ſhe goes downright a woing, and if there be any difficulty in compaſſing, all that ſhe hath is ready for a dowry, and proſtitute before her idol, Luſt.
Laſtly, Imperious over all that come near him, either men or ſins: Everyman muſt ſerve him,Pſal. I. 1. either as his pander or companion, to further or aſſociate him. I told you he ſinned in Cathedrâ, Pſal. I. 1. that is alſo doctorally and magiſterially; every ſpectator muſt learn of him, it is his profeſſion, he ſets up ſchool for it, his practiſes are ſo commandingly exemplary, that they do even force and raviſh the moſt maidenly tender conſcience. And then, for all inferiors, they are required to provide him means and opportunities of ſinning, to find him out ſome game; and no ſuch injury can be done, as to rouze or ſpring a ſin, that would otherwiſe have lodged in his walk. It was part of the Heatheniſh Romans quarrel againſt the Primitive Chriſtians, ſaith Tertullian, that they drove away their Devils: Theſe Exorciſt-Chriſtians had baniſhed all their old familiars out of the Kingdom, which they were impatient to be deprived of. And thus careful and chary are men of their helps of opportunities to ſin; it is all the joy they have in the world, ſometimes to have a temptation, and to be able to make uſe of it; to have the Devil continue ſtrong with them, in an old Courtier's phraſe, It is their very life; and he that deprives them of it, is a murtherer.
And for the ſins themſelves, Lord, how they tyrannize over them; how they will rack, and torture, and ſtretch every limb of a ſin, that they may multiply it into infinites, and ſin as often at once, as is poſſible? Adam in the bare eating of an Apple, committed a multitude of ſins.Leo, Epiſt. 86. Auguſt. lib. 21. Leo in his 86 Epiſt. Auguſt. de Civit. Dei. and other of the Fathers, will number them out to you.
And thus far this tyrant over Impiety and Luſt, will be a Pelagian, as to order all his deviation by imitation of Adam's. Every breach of one ſingle Law ſhall contain a brood or neſt, into which it may be ſubdivided; and every circumſtance in the Action ſhall furniſh him with freſh matter for variety of ſin.
Again, How imperious is he in triumphing over a ſin, which he hath once atchieved? If he have once got the better of good nature and Religion; broke in upon a ſtubborn, ſullen vice, that was formerly too hard for him; how often doth he reiterate and repeat, that he may perfect his conqueſt, that it may lie proſtrate and tame before him, never daring to reſiſt him? And if there be any Virgin modeſt ſins, which are aſhamed of the light, either of the Sun, or Nature, not coming abroad but under a veil, (as ſome ſins being too horrid and abominable, are fain to appear in other ſhapes, and ſo keep us company under the name of amiable or innocent qualities) then will this violent imperious ſinner, call them out into the Court or Market place; tear away the veil, that he may commit them openly; and, as if the Devil were too modeſt for him, bring him upon the ſtage againſt his will, and even take Hell by violence and force.
Thus are men come at laſt to a glorying in the higheſt impieties, and expect ſome renown & credit, as a reward for the pains they take about it; and then certainly, honour is grown very cheap, when it is beſtowed upon ſins, and the man very tyrannical over his ſpectators thoughts, that requires to be worſhipped for them. This was a piece of the Devils old tyranny in the times of Heatheniſm (which I would fain Chriſtianity hath out-dated) to build Temples, and offer ſacrifice to ſins under the name of Venus, Priapus, and the like; that men that were naturally foreign, ſuperſtitious adorers of Devils, or anything that was called God, might account Incontinence Religion, and all impieties in the World a kind of adoration. Thus to profeſs whoredoms, and ſet up trophies in our eyes, to build their eminent place in the head of every way, in the verſe next to my Text, was then the imputation of the Jews, (and pray God it prove not the guilt of Chriſtians) from whence the whole Church of them is here ſtyled, An imperious, &c.
Thus hath the Apoſtate Jew been repreſented to you, in his picture and reſemblance, the Libertine Chriſtian; and Ezekiel become an Hiſtorian as well as Prophet. Thus hath indulgence in vice among Profeſſors of Chriſtianity been aggravated againſt you, 1. By the weak Womaniſh condition of it; nature it ſelf, and ordinary man-like reaſon is aſhamed of it. 2. By the Adulterous Unfaithfulneſs, 1. Want of Faith, 2. Of Fidelity bewray'd in it, 3. By the imperiouſneſs of the behaviour, 1. In ſhameleſneſs, 2. In confidence and ſpiritual ſecurity, 3. In tyrannizing over himſelf and faculties, by force compelling, and then inſulting over his goods and graces, prodigally miſpending them in the proſecution of his luſts, and Lording over all that come near him, men, or ſins; firſt preſſing, then leading the one, and both raviſhing and tormenting the other, to perform him the better ſervice.
Now that this diſcourſe may not have been ſent into the air unprofitably; that all theſe prophetical cenſures of ſin may not be like Xerxes his ſtripes on the Sea, on inanimate ſenſeleſs bodies; 'tis now time that every tender open guilty heart begin to retire into it ſelf; every one conſider whether he be not the man that the parable aims at, that you be not content to have your ears affected, or the ſuburbs of the Soul filled with the ſound, unleſs alſo the heart of the City be taken with its efficacy. Think and conſider whether, 1. This effeminacy and womaniſhneſs of heart, and not weakneſs, but torpor and ſtupidity, 2. This unfaithfulneſs and falſeneſs unto Chriſt expreſt by the ſpiritual incontinence and whoredoms of our ſouls and actions, 3. That Confidence and magnanimous ſtately garb in ſin, ariſing in ſome from Spiritual Pride, in others from Carnal Security; whether any or all of theſe may not be inſcrib'd on our Pillars, and remain as a foreign againſt us, to upbraid and aggravate the nature and meaſure of our ſins alſo. I cannot put on ſo ſolemn a perſon as to act a Cato or Ariſtarchus amongſt an Aſſembly that are all Judices critici, to reprehend the learned and the aged, and to chide my teachers: You ſhall promiſe to ſpare that thankleſs task, and to do it to your ſelves. It will be more civility perhaps, and ſink down deeper into ingenuous natures, fairly to beſpeak and exhort you; and from the firſt part of my Text only, (becauſe 'twould be too long to bring down all) from the weakneſs and womaniſh condition of indulgent ſinners, to put you in mind of your ſtrength, and the uſe you are to make of it▪ in a word and cloſe of Application:
We have already taken notice of the double inheritance and patrimony of ſtrength and graces, which we all enjoy, firſt, as Men; ſecondly, as Chriſtians: And ought not we, Beloved, that have ſpent the livelieſt and ſprightfulleſt of our age and parts, in the purſuit of Learning, to ſet ſome value on that eſtate we have purchaſed ſo dear, and account ourſelves ſomewhat the more men for being Scholars? Shall not this deſerve to be eſteemed ſome advantage to us, and a riſe, that being luckily taken, may further us ſomething in our ſtage towards Heaven? That famous diviſion of Rational Animals in Jamblicus out of Ariſtotle, into three different ſpecies, That ſome were Men, others Gods, others ſuch as Pythagoras, will argue ſome greater priviledges of Scholars above other men: That indeed the deep Learneder ſort, and eſpecially thoſe that had attained ſome inſight foreign in divine affairs, were in a kind of a more venerable ſpecies, than ordinary ignaro's.
And for the benefits and helps that theſe excellencies afford us in our way to Heaven, do but conſider what a great part of the world overſhaded in Barbariſm, brought up in blind Idolatry, do thereby but live in a perpetual Hell, and at laſt, paſs not into another kind, but degree of darkneſs; Death being but an officer to remove them from one Tophet to another; or at moſt, but as from a Dungeon to a Grave. Think on this, and then think and count what a bleſſing divine knowledge is to be eſteemed; even ſuch a one as ſeems, not only the way, but the entrance; not only a preparation, but even a part of that viſion which ſhall be for ever beatifical: And therefore it will nearly concern us to obſerve, what a talent is committed to our husbanding, and what increaſe that hard Maſter will exact at his coming. For as Dicaearchus in his Deſcription of Greece, ſaith of the Chalcidians, That they were foreign, born, as it were, with one Foot in Learning, and both by the genius of the place and Language, which they ſpake being Greek, even ſuckt the arts from their Mothers Breaſts, at leaſt were prepared for, and initiated in them by nature; and therefore it would be a great ſhame for them, not to be Scholars. So moſt truly of thoſe of us, that are learned, full, illuminate Chriſtians; the very language that we ſpeak, and air we breath in, doth naturally infuſe ſome ſacred inſtincts into us; doth ſomewhat enter us in this Spiritual, Heavenly Wiſdom; will be ſome munition for us, and not ſuffer us to be ſo pitifully baffled, & befooled, and triumphed over by that old Sophiſter. And if for all theſe advantages we prove dunces at laſt, it will be an increaſe, not only of our torments, but our ſhame; of our indignation at our ſelves, at the day of doom; and the reproach and infamy ſuperadded to our ſufferings, will ſcarce afford us leiſure to weep and wail, for gnaſhing of our teeth. And therefore, as Joſephus of the Jews, Cont. Ap. l. 2.That they prayed to God daily, foreign, &c. not that he would beſtow good things on them; for he did that already on his own accord, pouring out plenty of all in the midſt of them: But foreign, that they might be able to receive and keep what he beſtowed. So will it concern us to pray, and labor mainly for the preſerving, that we be the better for this great bounty of Gods: That neither our inobſervance of his gifts, ſuffer them to paſs by us unprofitably, and neglected, being either not laid hold on, or not imployed; nor the unthrifty miſ-husbanding of them, cauſe the Lord to call in the talent entruſted to us already, becauſe unworthy of any more.
It was a ſhrewd, though Atheiſtical ſpeech of Hippocrates, That ſure, foreign.if the Gods had any good things to beſtow, they would diſpenſe them among the rich, who would be able and ready to requite them by Sacrifices: But all evil preſents, all Pandora's Box ſhould be divided among the poor, becauſe they are ſtill murmuring and repining, and never think of making any return for favours.
The Eye of Nature, it ſeems, could diſcern thus much of God and his gifts, that they are the moſt plentifully beſtowed, where the greateſt return may be expected: And for others, from whom all the liberality in the world, can extort no retribution, but grumbling and complaints; it is not charity or alms, but prodigality and riot to beſtow on them. Theſe are to be fed not with bread but ſtripes; they are not foreign, but foreign rather beggars than poor, like Pharaohs lean Kine, after the devouring of the fat ones, ſtill lank and very ill-favoured. And the judgment of theſe you ſhall find in the Goſpel, From them ſhall be taken away even that which they have. And therefore, all which from God, at this time, and for ever, I ſhall require and beg of you, is the exerciſe and the improvement of your talent; that your learning may not be for oſtentation, but for traffick; not to poſſeſs, but negotiate withal; not to complain any longer of the poverty of your ſtock, but preſently to ſet to work to husband it. That knowledge of God which he hath allowed you, as your portion to ſet up with, is ample enough to be the Foundation of the greateſt eſtate in the World; and you need not deſpair, through an active, labouring, thriving courſe, at laſt to ſet Heaven as a Roof on that Foundation: Only it will coſt you ſome pains to get the materials together for the building of the Walls, it is as yet but a Foundation, and the Roof will not become it, till the walls be raiſed; And therefore every faculty of your Souls and Bodies muſt turn Bezaleels and Aholiabs, Spiritual Artificers for the forwarding and perfecting of this work.
It is not enough to have gotten an abſtracted Mathematical Scheme or Diagram of this Spiritual Building in our Brain; it is the Mechanical labouring part of Religion that muſt make up the edifice; the work and toil, and ſweat of the Soul; the buſineſs not of the Deſigner, but the Carpenter; that which takes the rough, unpoliſhed, though excellent materials, and trims and fits them for uſe; which cuts and poliſhes the rich, but as yet deformed jewels of the Soul, and makes them ſhine indeed, and ſparkle like ſtars in the Firmament. That ground or ſum of Pythagorean Philoſophy, as it is ſet down by Hierocles in his foreign, if it were admitted into our ſchools or hearts, would make us Scholars and Divines indeed; that Virtue is the way to Truth: Purity of affections a neceſſary precurſory to depth of knowledge, foreign, the only means to prepare for the uppermoſt form of Wiſdom the ſpeculation of God, which doth ennoble the Soul unto the condition of an foreign or foreign, of an heroical, nay ſacred perſon, is firſt to have been the perſon of a man aright, and by the practice of vertue to have cleared the eye for that glorious Viſion. But the divinity and learning of theſe times floats and hovers too much in the brain, hath not either weight or ſobriety enough in it to ſink down, or ſettle it in the heart. We are all for the foreign, as Clemens calls it;foreign. the art of ſorting out, and laying in order all intellectual ſtore in our brains, tracing the Councils of God, and obſerving his methods in his ſecrecies, but never for the foreign, the refunding and pouring out any of that ſtore in the alms, as it were, and liberality of our actions. If Gerſon's definition of Theology, that it is ſcientia effectiva non ſpeculativa, were taken into our conſideration at the choice of our profeſſions, we ſhould certainly have fewer pretenders to Divinity, but 'tis withal hoped more Divines.
The Lacedaemonians and Cretians, ſaith Joſephus, brought up men to the practice, foreign. l. 2. p. 946.but not knowledg of good, by their example only, not by precept or law: The Athenians, and generally the reſt of the Grecians uſed inſtructions of laws only, but never brought them up by practice and diſcipline: But of all Lawgivers, ſaith he, only Moſes, foreign, diſpenſed and meaſured both theſe proportionably together. And this, beloved, is that for which that policy of the Primitive Jews deſerved to be called foreign, by a ſpecial name, the Government of God Himſelf. This is it; the combination of your knowledg with your practice, your learning with your lives, which I ſhall, in fine, commend unto you, to take out both for your ſelves and others. 1. For your ſelves, that in your ſtudy of Divinity you will not behold Gods Attributes as a ſight or ſpectacle, but as a Copy, not only to be admired, but to be tranſcribed into your hearts and lives; not to gaze upon the Sun to the dazling, nay, deſtroying of your eyes, but, as it were, in a burning-glaſs, contract thoſe bleſſed ſanctifying rayes that flow from it, to the enlivening and inflaming of your hearts. And 2. In the behalf of others; ſo to digeſt and inwardly diſpenſe every part of ſacred knowledg into each ſeveral member and vein of Body and Soul, that it may tranſpire through hands, and feet, and heart, and tongue; and ſo ſecretly inſinuate it ſelf into all about you; that both by Precept and Example, they may ſee, and follow your good works, and ſo glorifie here your Father which is in heaven: that we may all partake of that bleſſed Reſurrection, not of the learned and the great, but the juſt; and ſo hope and attain to be all glorified together with him hereafter.
Now to him, &c.