Works Volume 4, Sermon 7
THE SEVENTH, Being a Lent SERMON at Oxford, A. D. 1643.
JOHN 18.40.
Not this Man, but Barabbas.
THIS paſſage of Story not unagreeable to the time (every day of Lent being a foreign to the Paſſion-week) hath much of the preſent humour of the World in it, whether we conſider it as an act of Cenſure, or as an act of Choice: both theſe it is here in the Jews.
1. An Act of popular Cenſure, i. e. moſt perfect injuſtice, very favourable to the Robber, and very ſevere to Chriſt; Barabbas may be releas'd, the vileſt wretch in the world, one that was attach'd for robbery, and for inſurrection, may become the peoples Favourite, be pitied and pleaded for, and abſolutely pardon'd: dat veniam corvis, the blackeſt Devils in Hell ſhall paſs without any of our malice, our indignation, our animoſities; but an innocent Chriſt, or any of his making, one that comes from Heaven to us, upon errands of holineſs, of reformation, that by authority of his doctrine and example would put vice out of countenance, diſcover our follies, or reproach our madneſſes, and in the Wiſemans phraſe, upbraid our ways, and reprove our thoughts, he that hath no ſins to qualifie him for our acquaintance, no oaths, no ribaldry to make him good company, none of the compliances or vices of the times to commend him to our friendſhip, at leaſt to our pardon, none of that new kind of popularity of being as debauch'd and profeſtly vitious as other men, ſhall be ſupected, and feared, and hated, the moſt odious, unpardonable, unſufferable neighbour, grievous unto us even to behold, Wiſd. 2.15. Innocence is become the moſt uncomely degenerous quality, vertue the moſt envious, cenſorious thing; the not being ſo near Hell as other men, the moſt ridiculous ſcrupuloſity, and folly in the world. And the miſery of it is, there is no diſcourſing, no reaſoning this humour out of us, they had cried once before, and the croſſing doth but more enflame them; the charm, that ſhould have exorciz'd, doth but enrage the evil ſpirit, Then cried they all again, ſaying, Not this man, but Barabbas.
But beſides this, I told you, theſe words might be taken in another notion, and under that it is, that we are reſolved to handle them, as an act of the Jews choice, of their abſolute inconditionate decree, their loving of Barabbas, and hating of Jeſus, not before they had done either good or evil, but after one had done all the evil, t'other all the good imaginable; then hating the Jacob, and loving the Eſau; electing the Robber, and rejecting the Saviour; the Barabbas becomes a Barabbas indeed, according to the origination of the name, a ſon of a father, a beloved ſon in whom they are well pleaſed, a choſen veſſel of their honour, and Chriſt the only refuſe veſſel of diſhonour, the only unamiable, undeſirable, formleſs, beautileſs reprobate in the maſs: Non hunc, ſed Barabbam, Not this man, &c.
In the words under the notion of the Choice, you may pleaſe to take notice of theſe ſeverals:
1. A Competition precedaneous to this Choice, preſumed here, but expreſs'd in St. Matt. foreign, which of the two will ye, &c.
2. The Competitors, Barabbas and Chriſt.
3. The choice it ſelf, not only preferring one before t'other, non hunc, ſed, but 1. abſolutely rejecting of one, non hunc, not this man; and then by way of neceſſary refuge pitching upon t'other, Non hunc ſed Barabbam, Not this man, but Barabbas.
And of theſe in this order.
And Firſt, of the firſt, That there is a Competition, before what the Competitors are, or what the Choice.
1. I ſay that there is a Competition, a canvaſs, or plying, before we come to chooſe any thing; This is a truth moſt conſtantly obſervable, in all which we are moſt concern'd in, in that tranſcendent intereſt, the buſineſs of our ſouls. Were there but one object repreſented to the faculty, one Chriſt, one holineſs, one ſalvation, the receiving him would be any thing rather than Choice; Chance it might be, or Neceſſity it might be; Chance it might be, that ſuch a thing had the luck to come firſt, to prepoſſeſs and foreſtal us, to get our favour when there was no body elſe to ſue for it; and indeed, he that ſhould be godly, or Chriſtian on ſuch a felicity as this, through ignorance only, or non-repreſentation of the contrary, he that ſhould give his voice unto Chriſt, becauſe there was no body elſe to canvaſs for it, that if Mahomet had plied him firſt, would have had as much ſaith for the Alchoran, as he hath now for the Bible, been as zealous for a carnal, ſenſual, as now for a pure ſpiritual Paradiſe; he that if he had been born of Heathen Parents, or put out to nurſe to an Indian, would have ſuck'd in as much of Gentiliſm, as by this civil Engliſh education he hath attain'd to of the true Religion, that hath no ſuperſedeas, no fortification againſt worſhipping of Sun and Moon, poſting from one Heathen Shrine (as now from one Sermon) to another, but only that Chriſtianity beſpake him earlieſt, that Idolatry was not at leiſure to crave his favour, when Proteſtancy got it; is I confeſs, a Chriſtian, he may thank his Stars for it, Planetarius Sanctus, a Saint, but ſuch an one as a Jew would have been, might he have been a Changling ſtollen into that cradle, or the moſt barbarous China-Infidel, had he had (as he of old, fortunam Caeſaris, ſo) fortunam Chriſtiani, the Chriſtians fortune to have tutor'd him: And ſo for vertue and ſinleſſneſs alſo, he in whom 'tis not conſcience, but baſhfulneſs, and ignorance of vice, that abſtains only from uncreditable or unfaſhionable, from branded or difuſed ſins, ſwears not, only becauſe he hath not learnt the art of it, hath not yet gotten into the Court, or into the Army, the ſchools where that skill is taught, the ſnops where thoſe reverſt thunderbolts, ſo tempeſtuouſly ſhot againſt Heaven, are forg'd, he that is no Drunkard, no Adulterer, no Malicious perſon, only quia nemo, becauſe he hath no company to debauch, no ſtrength to maintain, no injury to provoke the uncommitted ſin; is all this while but a child of Fate, born under a benign Aſpect, more lucky, but not more innocent, more fortunate, but not more vertuous than other men.
Again, if there were no Competition, as it might be Chance, ſo it might be Neceſſity too; Thou art fain to be vertuous, becauſe thou canſt be nothing elſe, goodneſs muſt go for thy refuge, but not thy choice, were there no rival ſin, no competitor luſt to pretend for thee.
'Tis therefore not only an act of wiſdom, but of goodneſs too, obſervable in Gods wonderful diſpenſation of things under the Goſpel, to leave the Chriſtian, foreign, in the confines of two moſt diſtant people, improveable into good, and capable of evil, like Eraſmus's Picture at Rome, or that vulgar Lie of Mahomet's Tomb at Aleppo betwixt two Load-ſtones, foreign, as Syneſius calls it, a ſtake between God on one ſide, and all the Devils in Hell on t'other, made up of a Canaanite and an Iſraelite, a law in the members, as well as a law in the mind, or as *foreign.Antoninus foreign, perſwaſions in the members, many Topicks of Rhetorick, many ſtrong Allectives to evil in the lower carnal part of the man, as well as invitations and obligations to good in the upper and ſpiritual. Thus did God think fit to diſpoſe it, even in Paradiſe it ſelf, the fleſh tempted with carnal objects, even before the firſt ſin had diſordered that fleſh; A Palate for the ſweetneſs of the Apple to pleaſe, and an eye for the beauty to invite, as well as an upper Maſculine faculty, a Reaſon for commands to awe, and threats to deter; yea, and it ſeems in Heaven it ſelf, and the Angels there, where is no fleſh and blood, that officina cupidinum, ſhop or workhouſe of deſires, yet even there, is an inlet for Ambition, though not for luſt, a liableneſs to the filthineſs of the ſpirit, though not of the fleſh, or elſe Lucifer had ſtill ſtood Favourite, could never have forfeited that ſtate of bliſs. And ſo 'tis ever ſince in this inferiour Orb of ours, Behold! I ſet before thee life and death, bleſſing and curſing, on one ſide all the joys of Heaven to raviſh and enrap thee, the mercies of Chriſt to draw thee with the cords of a man, with the bands of love, to force and violence thy love by loving thee firſt, by ſetting thee a copy of that heavenly paſſion to tranſcribe, but then withal death in the other ſcale, death which it ſeems hath ſomething amiable in it too, it would not be ſo courted elſe, a foreign, as Macarius ſtyles it, a gallantry of Hell, a purple garment of darkneſs, that ſuch ſholes of men, and I tremble to think and ſay, ſo large a quantity of baptized Chriſtians are ſo ambitious of, ſell all that's comfortable and valuable in this life, to purchaſe it: And were there not both theſe ſet before us by God, life on one ſide, and death on t'other, bleſſing on one ſide, and curſing on t'other, a double canvaſs for thy ſoul, a rivalry, a competition, and ſomewhat on both ſides amiable to ſomewhat in thee, life to the immortal, death to the periſhing part of thee, bleſſing to the rational, divine, curſing to the bedlam brutiſh part of thee, the man of God could not go on, as he doth in that place, Deut. 30.19. therefore chuſe life, that thou and thy ſons may live. Were there but one in our reach, 'twere neceſſity ſtill, and not choice, and that moſt abſolutely deſtructive of all judgment to come; Hell might be our Fate, but not our Wages, our Deſtiny, but not our Reward, and Heaven any thing more truly than a Crown of righteouſneſs.
A Piece of the Philoſopher there hath been a long while in the world, that hath had a great ſtroke in debauching the Divine, that the Underſtanding doth neceſſarily and irreſiſtibly move the Will, that whatever hath once paſſed the judicium practicum, got not only the aſſent of the Judgment that 'tis true, but the allowance alſo that 'tis good and fit to be choſen, cannot chuſe but be deſired and proſecuted by the Will: from whence the Divine ſubſumes, that where Faith is once entered, though that but a Speculative (I wiſh it were not ſometimes but a Phantaſtical) Faith, there Works muſt and will infallibly follow. I confeſs it were admirable news if this were true, if all that knew theſe things were ſure to do them, if there were no ſuch thing poſſible as Sin againſt Light, Sin againſt Goſpel, Sin againſt Conſcience; if the lives of Believers could not prove infidel, the actions of thoſe that acknowledge God, that make no doubt of the truth of Chriſtianity, could not avoid or eſcape being Godlike and Chriſtian, if 'twere but a flaſh of S. Auguſtin's wit, that the wicked Infidel believes contrary to Faith, the wicked Believer lives contrary to it: There were then but one care left a Chriſtian, to be catechiz'd aright, which the Solifidian calls Faith; or to be confident of his own Election, which the Fiduciary calls Faith; and then Quis ſeparabit? any thing elſe will be wrought in me by Chriſt, or that any thing elſe will be unneceſſary to be wrought. Inſtead of this Pagan Principle that ties up all in the chains of inevitable Fate, if it be examin'd, give me leave to mention to you one Aphoriſm of Chriſtian Philoſophy, which is but the interpretation of the competition that now I ſpeak of; that the Will is no more neceſſitated to obey the ſuggeſtions of Reaſon, than of the Senſual Appetite, of the upper than the lower Soul, that 'tis an indifferent middle Faculty, able to chuſe the evil and refuſe the good, or (to ſatisfie the Philoſophers importunity, which reſolves it impoſſible to chuſe the evil, unleſs under the appearance of good, you may take it in a clearer notion) able to chuſe the pleaſant and refuſe the honeſt, to chuſe the ſenſual carnal, and refuſe the intellectual ſpiritual good. And that you may ſee the ground of this, obſerve that the whole Man is made up of three parts, Spirit, Soul and Body.
1. The Body or Fleſh luſting againſt the Spirit. And 2. the Spirit again luſting againſt the Fleſh. Thoſe two Extremes perfectly contrary one to the other in their appetites, and therefore called by the Ancients foreign, and foreign, one the Maſculine, t'other the Feminine part, one the Monarch in the Soul, t'other the foreign, or Commonalty; one the foreign, the Maſter, t'other the foreign, or Child; one the foreign, the voice and image of God in us, t'other the foreign, the beſtial part; one the Man, t'other the foreign, the four-footed creatures in us. And theſe are contrary the one to the other, ſo that you cannot do, or, as the Greek, foreign, ſo that you do not, this is a conſequent of that Contrariety, you do not the thing that you would; i. e. perhaps perfectly, purely without ſome tack or mixture; however I am ſure, not quietly, ſtilly, without ſome oppoſition of the other. And then comes in in the third place, foreign, the Soul, the Elective Faculty, i. e. the Will betwixt them, courted and ſollicited by both, as that which hath the determining caſting voice; if the beaſt can carry it, if the ſenſual ſuggeſtions get the conſent of the Will; obtain the embrace, have its carnal propoſals yielded to; then in the Apoſtles phraſe luſt conceives, and within a while proceeds from conſent to act, bringeth forth ſin; but when the Spirit prevails, when the Reaſon, the Conſcience, the God within the, is allowed to be heard, when that chaſte, ſober, matronly Spouſe gets the embraces, the conſent of the Will; then the Spirit conceives, and from thence ſpring all the foreign, which the Scripture ſpeaks of, the fruits and productions of the Spirit. You ſee now the competition, the conſtant importunities and ſollicitations, the rivalry for thy ſoul, not an action of moment or importance in thy life, but the houſe is divided about it, the ſpirit for one way, and the fleſh for another, and that that prevails, i. e. gets the Will of its ſide, denominates the action, and the action frequently and indulgently reiterated, denominates thee either fleſh or ſpirit, either captive to the law of ſin, or obedient to the commands and dictates of Chriſt, a carnal ſinner, or a ſpiritual diſciple.
And then my brethren, by way of Uſe;
1. You ſee the anſwer to that hard probleme, what is the reaſon and ground of the infiniteneſs of thoſe puniſhments that await ſinners in another world: Here you have the oyl that maintains that accurſed Veſtal fire, ſo much beyond Tulliola's or Pallas's Lamp in Licetus, burning ſo many Ages under ground and not conſumed; I mean, this competition in this Text (the foreign, which of the two infinites will you) and that other we mention'd of life and death, bleſſing and curſing, ſet before us by God, the leaving to our option whether of the two infinites we will have; This, and nothing but this, hath made it moſt perfectly reaſonable, that Deſpiſers ſhould periſh eternally, that he that will contemn immortal life, that foreign, as Clemens St. Pauls contemporary calls it, that eternity put into our hands by Chriſt, and make his deliberate covenant with death, that his immortal part may die eternally, ſhould be thought worthy, as the Book of Wiſd. hath it, to take his portion or part with it. And then,
2. O how much the more care, and caution, and vigilance will it require at our hands, to keep guard over that one faculty, that ſpring of life and death, that fountain of ſweet and poyſonous water, that of chuſing or rejecting, willing or nilling; never to diſpenſe thoſe favours looſly or prodigally, never to deny them raſhly or unadviſedly, but upon all the mature deliberation in the world! Keep thy heart with all diligence, the heart this principle of action, keep it above all keeping, for out of it are the iſſues of life, Prov. 4.23. That when I would do good, evil is preſent with me, temptations of the carnal appetite to the contrary, it matters little, ſo I hold off my conſent, reſiſt their importunity; and that all the Devils in Hell are a whiſpering blaſphemy within me, it matters as little, ſo I reject the ſuggeſtions; Reſiſt, and he ſhall flie; that he is looſe to tempt, this is my infelicity perhaps, but not my guilt, I and that miſhap improved into a bleſſing, foreign, this tempter a kind of donative of Heaven, to buſie my patience, and exerciſe my vigilance, to ſet out my Chriſtian valour, to make me capable of the victory firſt, and then the crown; the nations left to prove Iſrael, Jud. 3.1. yea and to teach them war, verſe 2. at leaſt ſuch as before knew nothing thereof. Only be ſure that thoſe Nations get not the upper hand; to that purpoſe, that they be not pamper'd and fed too high, till they grow petulant and unruly, that this jumentum hominis, as St. Jerom calls it, this Aſs, or beaſt-part of the man, prove not the Rider's Maſter: this is the greateſt danger firſt, and then reproach in the world, which you will more diſcern if you proceed from the competition to the Competitors, and conſider who they are, in us ſpirit and fleſh, God and Devil, as in the Jews Barabbas and Chriſt, my ſecond particular.
'Tis none of the leaſt of God's mercies among his diſpenſations of providence, that the competition falls to be betwixt ſuch perſons ſo acknowledgedly diſtant, and hugely contrary, a Chriſt and a Barabbas, the one ſo pretious, and the other ſo vile, the Prince of Peace, and the Author of an Inſurrection, a foreign and an foreign, a Saviour and a Deſtroyer; had it been betwixt a Chriſt and a Nicodemus, a Carpenters Son, and a Rabbi or Ruler in Iſrael, the choice might have been more difficult, or the miſtake more pardonable; But ſo God loved the world, ſuch were the riches of his goodneſs to an infatuated rebellious people, he ſets before them a beautiful Chriſt, and an odious foyl to make him more beautiful, to make it impoſſible for them to be ſo mad, as to refuſe and finally to reject Chriſt, that was on ſuch grounds, and in ſuch company a ſuing and importuning for their favour; none but a Barabbas to pretend againſt him, that that notion had of him, might ſerve inſtead of the fiſhes gall to recover the blind Tobits ſight, help the blindeſt natural man to diſcern ſomewhat tolerable, if not deſirable in the Chriſt, that in ſo poor a choice, an undervalued, prejudg'd, ſcandalous Jeſus might have leave to be conſidered, and owe a preferment ali…nis vitiis to the faults of the other, though not virtutibus ſuis to any thing amiable or eſteemable in himſelf. The ſame oeconomy you may generally obſerve even from the firſt of Paradiſe to this day; When our firſt Parents were the prize, the Competitors were of ſomewhat a diſtant making, God and the Serpent, not the King of Heaven and one of his chief Courtiers, God and an Archangel of light, but God and a damned Spirit, a black Prince, and he but in very homely diſguiſe, but of a Serpent, which though he were then a foreign, as Cedrenus out of ſome of the Antients will have it, ſomewhat a taller and goodlier creature, than now the Serpent is, that his Legs be cut off, yet the Text ſaith, a beaſt for all that, I and that beaſt branded for craft, infamous for the ſubtileſt creature, and ſo not likely to prove the moſt honeſt and ſolicitous of their good; and this cunning Pytho had made friends to ſpeak, contrary to his kind, there was ſure ſome ſorcery in that; and all this, one would think, was enough to have added authority to God by ſuch a prejudg'd Competitor. And juſt ſo was it to the Iſraelites at their coming out of Aegypt, God and a cruel Pharaoh, a Deliverer and a Tyrant, one to have them Slaves in Aegypt, t'other to have them Princes in Canaan; a ſufficient inequality betwixt the Pretenders, that it might be impoſſible for any to prefer the Onions and the Garlick, before the Manna and the Kingdom. After, 'twas betwixt God and a golden Calf, a Calf ſtill, no very honourable creature, though 'twere of gold: and anon, betwixt God and a brazen Serpent, Serpent and brazen too, neither form, nor metal to commend it; and all along through the heathen world, the competition was yet more unequal, betwixt the God of Heaven, and Wood and Stone of the Earth, the moſt glorious Creator, and vileſt Creature, nay the piece of Wood, as the Prophet ſets it, that was not fit for any uſe, not ſo much as to be burnt, the very refuſe of the refuſe, is the thing the Idol was made of, and none but that Idol thought fit to be a Competitor with God for the adoration. If you look back to Judaea again, at the time of the great competition for the hearts of Iſrael betwixt Rehoboam and Jeroboam, it was ſtill of the ſame making, betwixt a Kings ſon, and a Servant, a right Heir and a cunning Seducer, a kind of Serpent again; yes, and betwixt the glorious Temple of Jeruſalem on one ſide, and the upſtart Dan and Bethel on t'other; the high Prieſt on one ſide, and the baſeſt of the People on the other, betwixt the Calves at that Dan, and the Cherubims at that Jeruſalem; and ſo ſtill there was advantage enough, one would think, on Gods ſide, againſt ſuch Competitors. And if we look now abroad into the moſt idoliz'd adored Diana's, the ſins that get all the cuſtom away from Chriſt, the only rivals with him for our ſouls, we ſhall find them but little advanc'd above that old pitch, little lovelier than the Serpent, juſt ſuch are our crafts, our unſanctified counſels, our wily artifices, that have nothing but Serpent in their compoſition; little honourabler than the Calf, juſt ſuch are our Gods of gold, which I cannot mention, but in Moſes paſſion, O theſe people have committed a great ſin, have made them Gods of gold! all piety transform'd and contracted into the worſhip of that one ſhrine, our gain the only godlineſs we can hear of: and then a multitude more, of a yet viler making, fit only for a competition with that knotty refuſe piece of wood of which the Idol was made: the more ſhame, they ſhould outvie a moſt glorious God, a Chriſt, that if he had nothing in his life amiable, yet hath died for us, and ſo hath dearly purchas'd a title to our love, yea and a bleſſed Spirit, come down on purpoſe to ſublime our judicative faculty, to convince the world of the unreaſonableneſs of ſin; yea, and a poor thirſty panting ſoul (which hath ſome reaſon to expect kindneſs from us) a heaven and an immortal bliſs.
Conſider but a few of that glittering train of reigning ſins in this our Land, in this my Auditory, and be aſtoniſhed, O Earth, that they ſhould ever be received in competition with Chriſt. The oaths, that all the importunity of our weekly Sermons turn'd into Satyrs againſt that ſin, cannot either ſteal or beg from us, what gain or profit do they afford us? which of our ſenſes do they entertain, which of our faculties do they court? an empty, profitleſs, temptationleſs ſin, ſenſuality only to the devil-part in us, fumed out of hell into our mouths in a kind of hypochondriacal fit, an affront to that ſtrict command of Chriſt, his ego autem to his Diſciples, but I ſay unto you, Chriſtians, ſwear not at all: the beſt quality that it can pretend to, is that that Hierocles of old mentions with indignation, foreign, to fill up the vacuities of the ſpeech, to expreſs and man a rage, i. e. to act a mad man the more perfectly. And of him that hath in his time ſworn over all the hairs of his head, I would ſtill ask but this one queſtion, foreign, what fruit had he then of this ſin, (then, when it was full in his mouth, a ſwelling his cheeks) whereof he is now aſhamed, cannot chuſe but bluſh, his ears glow, or be in ſome pain till I have done ſpeaking of it: and yet beyond this, the end of thoſe things is death, a ſeveral fiend in hell moſt ſadly to come, the paiment of every of thoſe gainleſs oaths. It were but a foreign, or cold addreſs to this kind of ſinner, to beſpeak in that of expoſtulating ſtile; what advantageth it, to gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? 'twere more to his purpoſe to demand, what advantageth it him to gain not one atome, or moſt diminutive part of the world, not the leaſt acquiſition of any thing deſirable even to the carnal man, ſatisfactory to any part of his appetite, ſave that in a manner Platonick, deſignleſs love of ſinning, and ruining his own ſoul, and yet to do that as ſure, as if he had Satans totum hoc, his whole Exchequer of wealth and honour in exchange for it? I ſhall rather add, what ſhall that man give in exchange for his ſoul to get it back again, which he hath parted with ſo cheap without any barter, ſold it for nought and taken no mony for it, in the Pſalmiſts phraſe, and now cannot redeem it with all his patrimony? 'Twould grieve one, I confeſs, that did but weigh this ſin in this ballance, and obſerve the Tekel in the wall over againſt it, how light and kexy and impertinent a ſin this is, to hear that any body ſhould be damn'd for it in another world, part with ſuch treaſures for ſuch trifles, make ſuch African voyages, carry out the ſubſtantial commodities of a good land, and return with a fraight of toies or monſters, pay ſo hugely dear for ſuch perfect nothings; and yet 'twould grieve one more, that this ſin ſhould glitter in a Proteſtant Court, become part of the gallantry and civility of the place, I and defame and curſe our Armies, that the improſperouſneſs, ruin, perhaps foreign, of a whole Kingdom ſhould be imputable to one ſuch ſin, and all our prayers to Heaven for you, be outſounded and drown'd with that moſt contrary eloquence. 'Twere the Juſteſt thing in the world, that he, that upon my preſent inſtance, (this more than foreign, ſecond admonition) will not now vow to part for ever with this one ſin, ſo threatful to his Soveraign, his Country, his own Soul, to the hoſts gone forth againſt the enemy, to all that is or ſhould be pretious to him, and ſo abſolutely gainleſs to himſelf in his vileſt capacity, even as a ſenſual brute, ſhould never be admitted within theſe doors again, never be preach'd to more, never be conſider'd as a Chriſtian ſo much as in profeſſion, that will part with his true Chriſt or Jeſus, rather than with the Names of them to blaſpheme by; That he ſhould be delivered up to Satan, as the primitive Offenders were, foreign, to be corporally tormented by him, foreign, to the tearing that foul tongue, that noiſome piece of fleſh out of his mouth, that by that means at leaſt, foreign, he may be diſciplin'd or taught not to blaſpheme.
Will you look into another ſin (a time of humiliation may be an excuſe for the digreſſion) that of uncleanneſs, whether of the eye, the libidinous look, that men are ſo hardly perſwaded to believe to be a ſin, (i. e. in effect, that Chriſt forbad any thing under that phraſe of looking in a Woman to luſt) or whether that of the tongue that oris ſtuprum, unſavoury diſcourſe, rotten, putrid, noiſome converſation, which makes it ſo abſurd for that man ever to pray, (to bleſs God in the Church, with that part that was ſo polluted in the Chamber) or whether the groſſer ſin, the making the members of Chriſt members of a Harlot, (meant by the Apoſtle as an huge expreſſion, members of a Swine, a Toad, had been nothing to it) what is this, but a Barabbas ſtill, a Robber in competition with Chriſt for that body, which is, ſaith the Apoſtle, for the Lord, and not for fornication, 1 Cor. 6.13. A vile infamous crime, that ſtaies not, for the moſt part, for its hell, its puniſhment in another world, meets with its Limbo, its Tophet here, torments and curſes enough in this life, if they might have leave to be conſider'd.
'Tis worth obſerving in the New Teſtament, that the Name of Idolatry, not often mention'd there, doth moſt times very probably denote this ſin of uncleanneſs or carnality; the obſervation might be made good at large, if 'twere now ſeaſonable; and I would to God my auditory would be perſwaded, thus to keep themſelves from Idols, to flie from this kind of Idolatry, that mens natures have a thouſand times more temptations to, than that other ſin that bears the envy of all our miſery, the Idolatry that the ſacrilegious ſo declaim at: believe me, there is not a ſin more incompetible with the Goſpel-mercy, a more unreconcileable rival of all godlineſs, a greater waſter of conſcience, griever and quencher of the Spirit, a more perfect piece of Atheiſm, and Heatheniſm, be it the faireſt outſide Chriſtian; nor withall, a greater blaſting and curſe to a Nation, an Army, a Garriſon town, than the permiſſion of this one ſin, the voice of it crying to Heaven, as loud as Sodom, for fire from Heaven, for judgment upon the place. Remember the fierce judgment in Shittim, Numb. 25. upon the peoples joyning to Baal Peor, that filthy heatheniſh Idol, expounded ver. 1. by committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab; the heads of the people, remember that, the heads of the people, the principal men in Iſrael, either becauſe they were moſt guilty, or becauſe the matter required ſuch a… expiation, muſt be hang'd up againſt the Sun, that the anger of the Lord might be turned away from Iſrael, (and I believe 'twould poſe a man to give any reaſon why this ſin (of adultery at leaſt) in this Land, as well as ſtealing of a trifle, ſhould not be awarded in the ſtyle of that text with hanging up againſt the Sun) and the command there, is to them in place of Judicature to ſee the execution of the Law againſt them, Slay you every one his men, ver. 5. But this is a Judaical outdated puniſhment among us, and it hath been the cunning of Satan that it ſhould be ſo, who having proſpered ſo far for his Clients, would not be quiet till he had gotten all kind of reſtraint or diſcouragement of this ſin to be ſo too, till he had made the fouleſt inceſt a far cheaper ſin and ſafer poſſeſſion, than the practice of ſome Chriſtian vertues; nay, which is obſervable to the laſting ſhame of this Land, till the injur'd man thus deſpoiled and robbed by the Adulterer, be made; by a kind of national cuſtom, the only infamous perſon, and the Barabbas that robb'd him, puniſhed only with that curſe in the Goſpel, of having all men ſpeak well of him. O what is this, but as the Pſalmiſt ſaith, to bleſs them whom God abhors, or as the Prophet, Mal. 3.14. And now we call the proud, happy; and they that work wickedneſs, are ſet up! Believe it, one or two ſuch ponderous guilts as theſe, are able to keep the juſteſt cauſe from buoying up it ſelf, and our ferventeſt prayers from their foreign, from working any ſaving miracles upon a Land.
I wiſh there were now no more Barabbas's amongſt us, a canvaſſing againſt Chriſt, but I muſt not flatter you with ſo ſhort a catalogue; Look on your indevotion, that heartleſs zealleſs behaviour in this very houſe of God. Your Hearing, which is moſtly the faireſt part of you, what is it but as of a Rhetor at a Desk, to commend or diſlike, the ſame which you have as well for the Stage as the Pulpit, a Plaudite or an Hiſs; and for that other of Prayer, though it be for thoſe bleſſings of peace, of ſafety, the Shalom that many men have more devotion for, than that other great ſenſe of that word, the ſalvation of their ſouls, and which ardent prayer is the only means to bring down upon us; yet what cold addreſſes, what wandering eyes and thoughts, what irreverent negligent motions, what yawning inſtead of ſighing out our parts of it, what abſolute indifference, if God will take our own witneſs, whether we be heard or no? This want of ardency in us, this no-fire on our Altar of Incenſe, is certainly the thing that hath provoked God to deliver up our Liturgy to Satan, to oppoſe and malign, to calumniate and defame as at this day; the Lord pardon us our part of this ſin. This is the preferring of Barabbas, a Robber, a Devil perhaps, that ſteals away our hearts from Chriſt, even when we are in cloſeſt converſe with him. As for faſting, what is that but an empty, formal, unſignificant name? The ſcorn of the Phariſees twice a week, hath quite driven it out of our Calendar. O conſider this, and but once more conſider; Look on the Sermon in the Mount, the ſeveral graces and duties that there make up the Chriſtian ſomewhat above the pitch of a Scribe or Phariſee, and then every of the contrary vices, nay the very Jewiſh or Heathen, the moral or natural mans vertues, that come ſhort of that high Philoſophy, are every one, the Barabbas in the Text, directly this Jewiſh choice; He that cannot forgive an enemy, bleſs him, pray for him, heap all the hot burning coals of Charity upon his head, and melt him by that artifice, rather than break him, ruine him, damn him by any other, what doth he but prefer his own revengeful luſt, that helliſh piece of ſenſuality, that food for the Wolf, the Vultur, the Salamander, the Devil in him, directly before the commands, not only counſels of Chriſt? and ſo Non hunc, ſed Barabbam, a Barabbas is ſtill the Choice, and the Chriſt the reprobate ſtill; which brings me to the third particular, the Choice it ſelf, not only preferring one before t'other, but 1. abſolutely rejecting of one: and then 2. ad evitandum vacuum, to fill up the vacuity, pitching upon t'other, non, ſed, not this, but, &c.
And 1. abſolutely not this, a downright reiterated nolumus hunc, moſt vehement diſlikes to Chriſt aſſoon as ever he is mention'd: the Jews had particular quarrels to him, foreign, they were many times ſcandaliz'd at him, but not they only, but it ſeems, we Gentiles too, the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit, whether the graces or the promiſes, foreign, he receives them not, not only that he cannot attain to them, for that is ſaid in the latter words, neither can he know them, but foreign, he receives them not, will not accept them when they are offer'd, for they are fooliſhneſs to him, not worth taking up in the ſtreets, he cannot ſtoop to ſuch trifles; and in another place, the ſame Apoſtle ſaith it of Chriſt crucified, To the Jews a ſtumbling block, and to the Gentiles fooliſhneſs; the things of the ſpirit are fooliſhneſs, and the Chriſt fooliſhneſs too, we not only not chuſe him, when any other comes in competition with him, but not take him, when none; An antipathy to Chriſt as Chriſt, an abſolute averſation, rejection of ſuch merchandiſe, though there were no price to be paid for them. This is a Myſtery of hell, let us view it a while, and to that end conſider Chriſt, in the two main parts of him, in which he ſhines moſt illuſtrious towards us, His graces and his promiſes, the diet all the year long for his ſervants, and the wages at the end of his ſervice; the viaticum he affords in the voyage, and the reward in the haven.
For the former of theſe, for grace, the Bridegrooms feaſt, Luke 14. which ſo many were bid to, ſee there what difficulty there is, to bring men to it, not one comes on the firſt invitation, though it ſeems all were really expected, and the entertainment provided; when all is ready, the ſervants are again ſent out to tell them, they are ſtaid for, and the iſſue is, they all with one conſent began to make excuſes; the feaſt was ready, grace ready to be ſpoyl'd for want of gueſts, and yet neither civility, nor pity, nor common gratitude can work upon them, or extort the acceptance of ſuch a donative; The Field, the Oxen, the Wife, are like the Barabbas here, not the reaſons but excuſes of their contempt, pretences only and opportunities of getting off more cleanly, more handſomely from Chriſt; and if you mark it, ſo it is. There's nothing that we have learned ſo perfect from Adam, as that art of excuſes; and withall, nothing that we ſo vehemently deſire to be excuſed from, as the power of grace, when it makes toward our ſouls, when by the preaching of the word powerfully applied, with an [Awake thou that ſleepeſt, and ariſe from the dead] and [O conſider this, ye that forget God, leſt he tear you in pieces] and [Behold ye deſpiſers, and wonder, and periſh:] when by …e meſſage of that Angel come up cloſe to us, the Holy Ghoſt begins to overſhadow and beget Chriſt in us, that procreative light of Heaven darting its beams, and thoſe attended with ſome conceptions of holineſs in a carnal breaſt, O how uneaſie we are, how incumbred, till we can get rid of this burthen, like ſo many Harlots that live by the trade of not-conceiving, or when that will not be done, force an abortion if it be poſſible; we muſt be excuſed from that auſterity, we are impatient of being ſo attenuated, and ſpiritualiz'd, wreckt, though it be but from our lees; the laſt flaſh of the candle, pangs of the expiring ſoul, are time enough for this bearing fruit unto God. Lord make us chaſt, make us ſober, make us humble, then, let me die the death of the righteous, and my laſt end be like his, let me have a ſhower of ſanctity, a Clinicks baptiſm, ſome good wholſome wiſhes or ejaculations to bathe me before my laſt journy, an Elias's fiery Chariot of zeal then to hurry me to Heaven, ſed noli m…dò, Lord none of this purity yet, the foreign, in Eunapius, the danger of being all ſoul, all holineſs all heavenly mindedneſs ſo early, is a ſad frightfull thing for a young Courtier, a young Souldier, a young Academick, for any that are under the age, or not come to the infirmities of the Clinic… in the Primitive Church, (thoſe that would not be Baptiz'd till they were ready to die, and ſo were literally foreign, baptiz'd for dead, then, and not till then, deſired to be baptized.) Holineſs is a dull melancholy thing, fit only for a hypocondriack to be entertain'd with. Thus when the creſt-faln Iſraelites were to be redeemed from an Aegypt to a Canaan, they cry out upon Moſes and Aaron, Exod. 5. chide with their Saviours, abomine their Deliverers; thus the harraſt degenerous emaſculate ſlave is offended with a Jubilee, a manumiſſion, ſervitude is his ſenſuality, he will not go out free, brings his ear to his Maſter and deſires to be bored thorow it, that he may be a ſlave for ever. Once more, thus the man poſſeſs'd with no leſs than a legion of Devils, caſting him ſometime into the fire, ſometime into the water, tearing him till he foameth again, is paſſionately faln in love with that legion, hath not the patience to be rid of theſe Devils; when Chriſt comes to caſt them out, he is moſt out of charity with that Chriſt, foreign; what have I to do with thee? not thou Devil, that haſt tormented me all this while, but thou Jeſus the eternal Son, or thou piety the pretious grace of God, art thou come to torment, i. e. to ſanctifie or diſpoſſeſs me before my time? torment me by delivering me from the Tormentor, diſeaſe by curing, poyſon me by thy balm or balſome, wound me by thy mollifying plaiſters, condemn me to Hell by bringing me into a ſight of Heaven? thus when the Beloved comes and knocks at the door of the eſpouſed ſoul, Open to me my ſiſter, my love, and there waits without doors moſt unſeaſonably and beyond all patience, till his head be fill'd with the dew, and his locks with the drops of the night, all the anſwer that is to be had, is no more but this, I have put off my coat, how can I put it on? I have waſhed my feet, how ſhall I defile them? I have put off righteouſneſs like a garment, denudated my ſelf of all that looks like holineſs, and all the wooings of the true-beloved, cannot give me patience to put it on again, I have waſh'd my feet in m…e or ink, douz'd my carnal affections in all the vileneſs of the world, and how ſhall I defile them with grace, pollute them with chaſtity, defame or profane them with any thoughts of holineſs? thus doth the ſwine waſh her ſelf in the mire, and he that comes to cleanſe, defiles her; the linner never ſo well pleaſed, as when he is given up to all vile affections, the offers of Chriſt, the importunities of grace, go for the only oppreſſion, and uſurpation, and tyranny in the world, and ſo non hunc, not this man, not Chriſt, as Chriſt ſignifies grace, that inchoation of ſanctity, that he came to bring among us.
And non hunc again, as that ſignifies the promiſes which Chriſt brought with him, though thoſe promiſes be of all that is valuable to immortal ſouls, of nothing but Heaven and bliſs, non hunc, none of Chriſt when he comes but a Herald of theſe. For even againſt this, we have two diſlikes:
1. This bliſs is of a new ſpiritual making, (and that is one reaſon why we deſpiſe the Promiſes) conſiſts in the viſion of God, contemplation of heavenly excellencies, nothing of the Turkiſh carnal Paradiſe in it, nothing that this fleſh and bloud, the habitual ſinner can tell what to make of. I remember Philoponus his conceit, that to have a right apprehenſion of God, 'twas neceſſary to ſtudy the Mathematicks. Praefat. in lib. de an.Men naturally cannot underſtand any thing but by phantaſms, and thoſe ſtill mixing in the contemplation of God, make men phanſie God foreign, with matter and corpulency; and the Mathematicks are a neceſſary means to help us to abſtract from that. I would to God we had ſome ſuch engine, or crane, or pully to elevate our fanſies, to make it poſſible to think any thing pleaſure which is not corpulent and carnal. A madneſs, believe it, that we wrong the Epicureans, to think any of that ancient Sect was ever guilty of it: No, they could pleaſe themſelves with ſpiritual beauty, as far as they apprehended there was any; witneſs Epicurus himſelf, who though he were under thoſe pains of Strangury and Dyſentery that were not capable of increaſe, of which, it ſeems by Laertius, he died, yet, ſaith he, in his Will, foreign,Laert. l. 10. p. 721. the joy of his Soul was able to hold out againſt all theſe: Only the Mahometan, and the carnal Chriſtian, is the true Epicurean ſwine that Horace propheſied of, that can find no pleaſure, but in the mire and dunghill, and that's one main reaſon of the non hunc, as he refers to promiſes; becauſe they are celeſtial inviſible felicities, that he cannot find any juice or taſte in.
But beſides that, there is another reaſon of it, another objection the carnal Jew-Chriſtian hath to thoſe promiſes, becauſe indeed they are but promiſes, becauſe of the futurity of them; he is a man of ſenſe, and not of faith, filius hujus ſeculi, all for preſent poſſeſſions, nothing for advouzons and reverſions. Ephraim is like the Heifer, ſaith the Prophet, that loveth to tread out the corn, the reaſon of that love was, becauſe of that law, that the mouth of the Ox or Heifer muſt not be muzzel'd at that time; ſhe is allow'd to eat at the inſtant that ſhe doth the work, is not put off to ſo long a date, ſo tedious an expectation of ſweating here, and being fed and rewarded in another life, and that made Ephraim love to toyle ſo well. A little preſent payment will go further with her, than the richeſt moſt glorious futurity. Poor ſhort-ſighted creatures▪ who cannot ſee a hand-breadth before us, like Socinus, huge enemies of Preſcience, will not allow it poſſible for God himſelf to ſee any future, farther than he hath decreed and determin'd it. For God to know, or us to believe any thing but what is before us, is a prodigy that carnal reaſon cannot conſent to; and ſo you ſee the grounds of the [non hunc] the no Chriſt abſolutely at a venture, becauſe there is nothing in him to be eſteemed, neither form, nor comelineſs, no carnal or preſent beauty, that we ſhould deſire him, Iſa. 53.2. and therefore it follows, he is deſpiſed and rejected of men: non hunc, not this man.
But then this is not all; The diſaffection to Chriſt is ſo great, that rather than have him, the Barabbas ſhall be releas'd: this, you are miſtaken, if you think any large expreſſion to Barabbas, they could value their own lives better, than to deſire impunity for murtherers. The ſhort is, they are ſo bent againſt Chriſt, that ſeeing there is a neceſſity of chuſing one for releaſe, of ſacrificing ſome part of their malice and revenge to their preſent feſtivity, they will part with any the moſt reaſonable part of it, rather than that was pitch'd on Chriſt. Barabbas was a notorious Priſoner, one that had troubled the whole City, and every mans appetite was up to have Barabbas crucified; and yet, rather than Jeſus ſhall live, Barabbas ſhall not be crucified; more inſurrections, more bloud, more ſeditions, more any thing, rather than be in danger to have Chriſt for their King. You may ſee it in Saint Peters meditation upon that part of the ſtory, Acts 3.14. But ye denied the holy One, and the juſt, and deſired a Murtherer to be given unto you, and killed the Prince of life: the holy One, the juſt, the Prince of life, holineſs, juſtice, life it ſelf, are things not to be endured, to be hunted, purſued, driven out of the world, and in compariſon with them, the Murtherer turns Saint, the moſt abhorr'd ſins ſhall paſs for moſt deſireable rarities, Apollyon the only friend, and Hell it ſelf the vaſteſt preferment.
You ſee from hence, that we may draw toward a concluſion, what hath help'd Barabbas to his favour, what 'tis that hath brought moſt of the ſins of the world into faſhion among men: not any things eſteemable or deſireable in themſelves, no not ſo much as to fleſh and bloud, till a habit and cuſtom hath ſmoothed them to our throats, ſweetened them to our palats, diſguiſed their horrour, and given us ſome tolerable pleaſure in them. Believe it, there are few ſins, but ingenuous nature, when once the fury of youth is over, hath ſufficient diſlikes unto, that foreign, the light of natural conſcience, that foreign, in Hierocles, foreign, in Arrians ſtyle, that oath or promiſe, that ſacrament in the mothers womb that every man takes to God, when he hath firſt leave to become a man, can help us to hate them perfectly. Extemplo quodcunque malum committitur, ipſi diſplicet: that one auxiliary in our breaſts, is abundantly able to fortifie againſt them, ſo far, that the man ſhall ſay really and in ſobriety, he hath no pleaſure in them; but then, in many others there is a keen tooth, a ſtinging tail over and above the no pleaſure, many tormina and twinges ſuperadded, the Drunkard that follows that trade of Beſtiality moſt cloſe, finds it a very painful joyleſs calling; I will reveal this ſecret of his confeſſion, though he fall into it oft, he hath no pleaſure in it, no joy in thoſe daily vomits, were they not Phyſick againſt ſomething elſe, againſt that burthen of time that lies ſo unſupportable upon his hands, againſt Melancholy, againſt pangs and twinges of conſcience, like Cain's building of Cities, and his Childrens inventing of Muſick, that the noiſe of the Hammers and the melody of the Inſtruments might out-ſound the dinne within him, or at leaſt to take up quarter before Chriſt, to help ſtop the ear from that foreign foreign, that ſtill whiſpering trumpet in Appian, fit for the ſecret invaſion of the ſoul, to keep him from the pain, or perhaps the reproach of being too preciſe: and moſt other ſins are of the like making, we flie to them as to our refuge to ſave us from Chriſt, as the horns of our Altar to keep us from that Goel which we dread, as the Revenger of blood, our only enemy and perſecutor in the world. 'Tis not any prime quality, any ſpecial excellence we find in our carnal entertainments, (thoſe not only vanities but vexations, not only unſatisfying but wounding acquiſitions, thoſe gainleſs torments, thoſe painted flies, with barbed hooks under them) that makes us ſo paſſionately dote upon them, (the Jews were not in love with Barabbas) but only our prejudices to Chriſt, our vehement diſlikes to holineſs, our impatience of any thing that may do us good, our league with perdition, our covenant with death, our zeal to Hell, and abſolute reſolvedneſs to be miſerable eternally.
Such malice hath every ſinner to his own ſoul, ſuch hating to be reformed, that the painful'ſt uneaſieſt ſin, the moſt prodigal expenceful luſt, a very Sodom of filth and burning, not only the ſins of Sodom, but the fire and brimſtone rain'd down and mixt with the ſins, gotten into their compoſition, ſhall be abundant pleaſure and Epicuriſm to him, that hath found no other to ſtay his appetite. I appeal to your conſciences, whether many of you have not ſuffer'd more hardſhip in Satans ſervice, than any man hath in Gods? whether your very ſins have not coſt you dearer, than every any Martyr paid to get to Heaven? Tell me, hath not your luſts had Martyrs of you, many paſs'd thorow the fire to Moloch? hath not your ambition had Martyrs of you, many a baſe ſubmiſſion, a toilſome pluck, a climbing or crawling up that hill of honour? Believe it, the Poet jeer'd you in that not truth but irony, that ſarcaſm and bitter taunt againſt you, Facilis deſcenſus Averni, the deſcent to Hell is an eaſie paſſage; If he ſpake what he thought, I am confident you can give him the lye, produce your ſelves ſo many viſible demonſtrations of the contrary truth, that you can ſhew him by your ſcars as 'twere by the Half-moon in your Breaſts, what a tyrannical Turkiſh task-maſter Satan hath been to you. 'Tis an ordinary paſſage in the ſtory of Julian, that when he receiv'd his deaths wound, he fell a railing at Chriſt; but Philoſtorgius ſeems to rectifie the ſtory, tells us, it was his own Gods, i. e. Devils, that he rail'd at, that he took his blood in his hand out of his wound, and caſt it againſt the Sun, his deified Idol, with a foreign, be thou ſatisfied; yea, and call'd the reſt of his many Gods, ſaith he, foreign, (ſo the Manuſcript hath it) evil and execrable perſons, foreign, curſing and declaiming at his own Gods, and not at Chriſt: the application is plain, the Devil he is the bloody Maſter, his is the courſe ſervice, and ſad wages, not Chriſts; none is ſo fit to be curſt by his own Clients, as that Prince of darkneſs, foreign, the Monarch ruler of this Age of ours. I have reaſon to believe, there are no fitter Judges to appeal to in this particular, than my preſent Auditory. 'Twas a French Friars conceit, that Courtiers were of all men the likelieſt to bear him company to his Covent, not only fitteſt, but likelieſt to forſake the world, and turn Penitentiaries: He judg'd it, becauſe ſuch an one of all others, had moſt reaſon to be diſpleas'd with the pleaſures of the world, he hath ſeen to the bottom of ſenſual delights, found the emptineſs and torments of thoſe things, which the diſtance and ignorance, that other men are kept at, makes them behold with reverence and appetite; the Courtier hath made the experiment, and ſees how ſtrangely the world is miſtaken in its admired delights, and with Solomon, after a glut of vexatious nothings, is now fit to turn Eccleſiaſtes, or Preacher. I wiſh you would be but at ſo much leaſure, as to think of the Friars meditation, that you would try what mortifying Sermons you could make out of your own obſervations, concerning the vanity of ſenſual miſcalled pleaſures. I am confident, you would be very eloquent, able to outpreach all the Orators you ever heard from the Pulpit, to write more pathetical deſcriptions of the madneſs of a carnal life, than from any more innocent Speculator could be hoped for. That you may begin that uſeful, edifying, laſting Sermon, I ſhall cloſe up mine, having at length run thorow the particulars of my Text, ſhew'd you your ſelves in the Jewiſh glaſs, if it were poſſible to put you out of countenance, to ſhake you out of all tolerable good opinion of your ſelves: And now let every man go home with a [tu es homo] he is the very Jew I have preach'd of all this while.
O that he would think fit to hate that Jew, humble him, labour his converſion, bring him down into the duſt, if ſo be there may yet be hope: And that God that can bring from the duſt of death again, open this door to us, a forlorn deſtitute people! ſo ſhall we ſee and praiſe the power and ſeaſonable bounty of our Deliverer, and aſcribe unto him (as our only tribute) the honour, the glory, the power, the praiſe, the might, the majeſty, the dominion, which through all Ages of the world have been given to him that ſitteth on the Throne, to the holy Spirit, and to the Lamb for ever more. Amen.