able destruction of Jerusalem, does in the next words assign a reason for it: "For it is a people of no understanding." This ignorance is here explained to be not that of an empty understanding, but of a depraved heart and corrupt disposition, and there- I. The relation of a Creator strongly engages God to put forth acts of love and favour towards his creature. The strength of which obligement ap- pears, 1. Because it is natural. 2. Because God put it upon himself. Three engaging things, implied in the creature's relation to God, that oblige him to manifest himself in a way of goodness to it: 1. The extract or original of the creature's being, which is from God himself, which includes in it two other endearing considerations: (1.) It puts a likeness between God and the creature; (2.) Whatsoever comes from God, by way of creation, is good, and so there naturally does result an act of love. 2. The dependence of its being upon God. 3. The end of the creature's being is God's glory. II. How sin disengages, and takes off God from all those acts of favour that the relation of a Creator engaged him to. 1. It turns that which, in itself, is an obligation of mercy, to be an aggravation of the offence. 2. It takes away that similitude that is between God and the creature, which (as has been observed) was one cause of that love. 3. It takes off the creature from his dependence upon God; that is, his moral dependence, which is a filial re- liance and recumbency upon him. 4. It renders the creature useless as to the end for which it was In an application of the foregoing, the first use is to obviate and take off that common argument, in the mouths of the ignorant, and in the hearts of the knowing, that God would never make them to destroy them; and therefore, since he has made them, they roundly conclude that he will not destroy them. Now the reasons upon which men found their objections may be these two: 1. A self-love, and a proneness to conceive some extraordinary perfection in themselves, which may compound for their misdemeanours. 2. Their readiness to think that God is not so exceeding jealous of his honour, but he may easily put up the breach of it, without the ruin of his creature. These pleas and objections of men answered by considering and comparing the offence of a child against his natural parent, with that of a creature against his Creator. The second use is to inform us of the cursed, provoking nature of sin. The third use may shew us under what 1. The person making the address to Christ, who was one whose reason was enlightened to a solicitous consideration of his estate in another world; 2. The thing sought for in this address, namely, eternal life; 3. The condition upon which it was proposed, and upon which it was refused, namely, the sale and relinquishment of his temporal estate; 4. His beha- viour upon this refusal, "he departed sorrowful." Which are all joined together in this one proposi- tion, namely, he that deliberately parts with Christ, though for the greatest and most suitable worldly enjoyment, if but his natural reason is awakened, does it with much secret sting and remorse. In the I. Whence it is that a man, acted by an en- lightened reason, finds such reluctancy and regret upon his rejection of Christ: it may proceed from 1st, From the nature of conscience, that is apt to recoil upon any error, either in our actions or in our 2dly, From the usual course of God's judicial pro- ceeding in this matter, which is to clarify the eye of reason to a clearer sight of the beauties and excel- lencies of Christ, in the very moment and critical 3dly, Because there is that in Christ, and in the gospel, even as they stand in opposition to the best of such enjoyments, that answers the most natural and generous discourses of reason. For proof hereof, two known principles of reason produced, into which the most severe commands of the gospel are resolved: 1. That the greatest calamity is to be endured, rather than the least sin to be committed. 2. That a less good is to be forsaken for a greater. To reduce this principle to the case in hand, two things are demonstrated: (1.) That the good pro- mised by our Saviour to the young man was really greater than that which was to be forsook for it; (2.) That it was proposed as such with sufficient clearness of evidence, and upon sure, undeniable grounds. Here, to omit other arguments, the truth of the gospel seems chiefly to be proved upon these two grounds, -1. The exact fulfilling of prophecies in the person of Christ. 2. His miraculous actions; the convincing strength of which is undeniable upon these two most confessed principles: (1.) That they did exceed any natural created power, and therefore were the immediate effects of a divine; (2.) That God cannot attest, or by his power bear witness to, II. The causes are shewn why, notwithstanding this regret, the soul is yet brought, in the issue, to reject Christ. 1. The perceptions of sense overbear the discourse of reason. 2. The prevailing opposition of some corrupt affection. 3. The force and tyranny Now the inferences and deductions from the words thus discussed are these: 1. We gather hence the great criterion and art of trying our sincerity. 2. That misery which attends a final dereliction of SERMON XXII. — P. 203. "Who, being reviled, reviled not again.” – 1 PETER, ii. 23. A Christian's duty is fully comprised in his active and his passive obedience. Christ's example shews, that he was not only able to do, but also to suffer miracles; and all his actions are usually reduced to three sorts: 1. His miraculous. 2. His mediatorial. 3. His moral actions; which last he both did himself, and also commanded others to do: wherefore it is our positive duty to imitate this particular instance of Christ's patience. The words are discussed in three particulars: I. In shewing what is implied in the extent of this duty of "not reviling again." It implies two things: 1. A suppressing of our inward disgusts. 2. A restraint of our outward expressions. A caution given for our regulation in this duty, that a due asperity of expression against the enemies of God, the king, and the public, is not the reviling in the text, the scene of which is properly private revenge. II. In shewing how the observation of this duty comes to be so exceeding difficult. It is so, 1. From the peculiar, provoking quality of ill language. 2. Because nature has deeply planted in every man a strange tenderness for his good name, which, in the rank of worldly enjoyments, the wisest of men has placed before life itself. III. In shewing by what means a man may work himself to such a composure and temper of spirit, to observe this excellent duty. Nothing less than God's grace can subdue the heart to such a frame ; but we may add our endeavours, by frequently and seriously reflecting, that to return railing for railing is utterly useless to all rational intents and purposes. This is made appear inductively, by recounting the several ends and intents to which, with any colour of reason, it may be designed: 1. The first reason should be to remove the cause of the provocation received. 2. May be by this means to confute the calumny, and to discredit the truth of it. 3. To take a full and proper revenge of him that first reviled. 4. To manifest a generous greatness of spirit, in shewing impatience of an affront. By severally unravelling of which is shewn, how unfit reviling again is to reach or effect any of them. And Saint Paul writes, "If any one that is called a brother be an extortioner or a railer, not to keep company with such an one, no, not to eat," but especially at the Lord's table: and he that is thus excommunicated and excluded the company of the saints in this world, is not like to be thought fit for the society of angels in the next. that bears a similitude to those effects that anger produces in men. The prosecution of the words is managed in four particulars: I. Two preparatory observations are laid down concerning God's anger: 1. That every harsh and severe dispensation is not an effect of it. 2. That there is a great difference between God's anger and his hatred. II. Those instances shewn in which this unsupportable anger of God does exercise and exert itself: 1. It inflicts immediate blows and rebukes upon the conscience. 2. It imbitters afflictions. 3. It curses enjoyments. III. Those properties and qualifications considered, which set forth and declare the extraordinary greatness of it: 1. It is fully commensurate to the very utmost of our fears. 2. It not only equals, but infinitely transcends our fears. 3. Though we may attempt it in our thoughts, yet we cannot bring it within the comprehension of our knowledge. 4. The greatness of God's anger appears, by comparing it with that of men. IV. Some use and improvement made of the whole. As, 1. It may serve to discover to us the intolerable misery of such as labour under a lively sense of God's wrath for sin. 2. It may discover to us the ineffable vastness of Christ's love to mankiad in his sufferings for them. 3. It speaks terror to such as can be quiet, and at peace within themselves, after the commission of great sins. 4. All that has been said of God's anger is a warning against sin, that cursed thing which provokes it. Therefore men are advised to begin here, and not expect to extinguish the flame till they withdraw the fuel. Let them but do this, and God will not fail to do the other. SERMON XXIV.-P. 215. "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell."MATT. X. 28. Christ in this chapter is commissioning his twelve apostles for their evangelical expedition: from the fifth verse almost to the end of the chapter we have an explication of their commission. 1. In respect of the place where they were to administer it. 2. In respect of the doctrine they were to preach. Christ's instructions are reducible to these two: 1. A caution against the luxury of the world. 2. An encouragement against the cruelty of the world. To make his admonitions more effectual, he descends to those particular things he knew they chiefly feared. 1. Bodily torments. 2. Disgrace. 3. Death; which last he cautions them against for these three reasons: Because it is but the death of the body; (2.) hell more to be ; (3.) Because they live under the special care of God's overseeing providence; and therefore cannot be taken away without his special permission. An objection concerning the fear of men stated, and answered. These things premised, the words of the text are pregnant with many great concerning truths. As, 1. That it is within the power of man to divest us of all our temporal enjoyments. 2. That the soul of man is immortal. 3. That God has an absolute and plenary power to destroy the whole man. 4. That the thought of damnation ought to have greater weight to engage our fears than the most exquisite miseries that the power or malice of man is able to inflict. The prosecution of this lies in two things: I. In shewing what is in these miseries which men are able to inflict that may lessen our fears of them. Seven considerations ought to lessen our fears of those miseries: 1. That they are temporal, and concern only this life: as, (1.) Loss of reputation; (2.) Loss of an estate; or, (3.) Loss of life, which of itself is quickly past. 2. They do not take away any thing from a man's proper perfections. 3. They are all limited by God's overruling hand. 4. The good that may be extracted out of such miseries as are inflicted by men, is often greater than the evil that is endured by them. 5. The fear of these evils seldom prevents them before they come, and never lessens them when they are come. 6. The all-knowing God, who knows the utmost of them better than men or angels, has pronounced them not to be feared. 7. The greatest of these evils have been endured, and that without fear or astonishment. II. In shewing what is implied in the destruction of the body and soul in hell, which makes it so formidable. After running over several common considerations, this gives a sting to all the rest, that it is the utmost the Almighty God can do to a sinner. Some objections about total annihilation and diminution of being, here answered. Application in exhorting us, whenever we are discouraged from duty, or tempted to sin by man, on one side conscientiously to ponder man's inability, and on the other God's infinite power to destroy. The power of the latter consideration instanced in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; of Joseph, and of the apostles' perseverance in preaching; and the neglect of the former consideration in the case of Saul and Amalek, David's madness, and Peter's denial of Christ. 2d use, That it is not absurd to give cautions for the avoiding eternal death, even to those whose salvation is sure, and sealed up in the purpose of God. 3d use, This speaks reproof to that slavish sort of sinners who are men-pleasers. Flattery of men always carries with it a distrust or a neglect of God; it is ignoble as a man, and irreligious as a Christian. SERMON XXV.-P. 225. "For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.". HEB. ii. 16. The dark and miserable ignorance considered, that had overspread almost all the world for four thousand years before the coming of Christ, who was born to be the great Mediator and Instructor of mankind; which he was to do by the strongest methods, and most miraculous condescensions to our likeness. A critical exposition of the words to vindicate the translation of the text, which is prosecuted in two particulars : I. In shewing what is naturally inferred from Christ's taking " on him the seed of Abraham." Four things follow, and are inferred upon it: 1. The divine nature of Christ is unavoidably consequent from hence. 2. The reality of Christ's human nature. 3. The truth of his office, and the divinity of his mission is deducible from the same ground. 4. Christ's voluntary choice and design, to assume a condition here upon earth low and contemptible. II. In shewing why Christ took upon him the nature of man, and not of angels. The reasons whereof (besides that it was the divine will, which is a very sufficient one) may be these two: 1. The transcendent greatness and malignity of the sin of the angels above that of men: (1.) As being committed against much greater light; (2.) As commenced upon a greater liberty of will and freedom of choice. 2. Without such a Redeemer the whole race and species of mankind had perished, as being all involved in the sin of their representative; whereas, though many of the angels sinned, yet as many, if not more, persisted in their innocence. We are exhorted to a return of gratitude, and to a remembrance that Christ made himself "the Son of man," that, by the change of our nature, we might become "the sons of God." SERMON XXVI.-P. 330. "And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." ―JOHN, ix. 2, 3. The circumstance of this blindness, thus expressed in the words of the first verse, was the occasion of those words that follow in the two next; in which we have, 1. A question of Christ's disciples. The design of the proposal may be twofold: (1.) Simply and positively as their opinion, really judging_all maladies of the body to come from the antecedent demerit of sin, as past and actually committed, or as future and foreknown by God; (2.) Only for argu ment sake. 2. The answer or rejoinder of Christ, in which, by a reprehensive shortness, he both clears the man's innocence, and vindicates God's proceedings. The words thus cleared briefly exhibit to us the erroneous curiosity of the disciples, in their inquiry into the reason of God's judgments, and the state of another man's soul: the design of them is prosecuted in three propositions: I. That men are prone to charge God's judgments upon false causes. And, 1. These false causes are shewn; which are, (1.) Sin on his part that suffers; (2.) Hatred on God's part. 2. The principles are shewn, inducing men to make such false references: and these are, (1.) The fallibility of the rule, and the falseness of the opinion by which they judge; (2.) Their inability in discerning, joined with their confidence in pronouncing; (3.) The inbred malice of our nature. II. That not always the sin or merit of the person afflicted, but the will of God that afflicts, is sometimes the sole, but always the sufficient reason of the affliction. In support of which, God's own testimony, Job, xlii. 7, is produced; a distinction is made between punishments and afflictions, and God's proceeding herein cleared from injustice upon these reasons: 1. His absolute, unaccountable dominion and sovereignty over the creature. 2. The essential equity of his nature. 3. His unerring, all-disposing wisdom. III. God never inflicts evil upon men but for the great end of advancing his own glory, and that usually in the way of their good. This is sufficiently clear in the present instance, and expressed in those words of the text, "that the works of God might be made manifest in him." The works that God intends thus to glorify, usually are, 1. The miraculous works of his power. 2. The works of his grace. The use and improvement of the doctrine thus discussed is a confutation and reproof of the bold, uncharitable interpreters of God's providences; whose peremptory way of judging is peculiarly odious to him for the cursed cause of it, curiosity, which may be properly accounted the incontinence of the mind, and is but one remove from the rebellion of it. After man had once sinned, and so was for ever disabled to stand before God upon terms of the law, which spoke nothing but irrevocable death to him who transgressed in the least iota, had God continued this inexorable sentence, it would of necessity have wrought in man these two things: 1. Horror of despair. 2. Height of malice. God therefore assumes to himself the most endearing description in these words; which consist of two parts: I. A declaration of mercy in these words, "There is forgiveness with thee;" and the greatness of it is displayed in the consideration of three things: 1. The principle from which it flows. It is from the free, spontaneous motion of God's good pleasure. This evinced by sundry reasons. His mercy shewn to be consistent with his justice, and the former to be made glorious; (1.) In the relaxation of the law, which required of every sinuer a satisfaction in his own person; (2.) That, as he was pleased to be satisfied with a surety, so he himself found and provided this surety. 2. The sins that are the subjectmatter of it and the greatness of the pardon advances upon considering them, as they are heightened by these two properties: (1.) Their number ; (2.) Their greatness. 3. The persons on whom this pardon is conferred, who are men; that is, very worthless and inconsiderable creatures, in comparison of those to whom the same pardon is denied. II. The end and design of such a declaration, which is fear and obedience: under which head are shewn, 1. What that fear is, which is here intended. There are three sorts of fear: (1.) An anxious, distracting, amazing fear, such as Moses felt upon the sight of God; (2) A slavish and servile fear, such an one as is called, "the spirit of bondage," (3.) A filial, reverential fear, such an one as is enlivened with a principle of love: which is that alone that is designed in these words. 2. How God's forgiveness may be an argument to enforce this fear as, (1.) Because the neglect of the fear of God, upon supposal that he has forgiven us our sins, is highly disingenuous; (2.) Also most provoking and dangerous. Hence we learn, 1. The different nature of Christ's spiritual kingdom from all other kingdoms in the world, in respect of the fear of the subject; 2. Upon what ground every man is to build the persuasion of the pardon of his sins, namely, the effects this persuasion of God's mercy works upon their spirits: for he, that from God's mercy gathers no argument for his fear, may conclude thus much, that there is indeed forgiveness with God, but no forgiveness for him. SERMON XXVIII.-P. 248. PREACHED JUST AFTER CROMWELL'S DEATH. "Yet the Lord has not given you an heart to per ceive, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear, unto this day." DEUT. xxix. 4. God's miraculous favours to the children of Israel are shortly enumerated, and their invincible hardness, strange unbelief, and frequent rebellion under them. An interchange of mercies on God's part and murmurings on theirs being the continual custom and manner of their whole life, Moses might well accompany the repetition of the covenant, with this upbraiding reprehension. From the several phrases of the same signification in the text, we may collect the exceeding stupidity and total ignorance of the Jews, in apprehending the divine dispensations; or refer them to those several means which God suited to every apprehensive faculty of their soul, that he might force his convictions upon them. The words afford us these observations: 1. That the heart may remain unaffected and unconvinced in the midst of convincing means, so termed ; (1.) Because they do actually convince some, though they miscarry in others; (2.) Because they have a fitness or aptitude to convince all. 2. That a perceiving heart is totally and entirely the free gift of God; free, (1.) in respect of the motive; (2.) in respect of the persons on whom it is conferred. 3. That God's denial of such a perceiving heart does certainly infer (but not cause) the unsuccessfulness of all the means of grace. In handling of which is shewn, I. What is meant by God's giving to the soul a perceiving heart; which is here set out by such acts as are properly acts of knowledge, as understanding, seeing, hearing; not because grace is placed only in the understanding, as some imagine; but, 1. Because the understanding has the precedency and first stroke in holy actions, as well as others. 2. Because the means of grace are most frequently expressed by the word of truth, and the understanding is that faculty, whose proper office it is to close in with truth as such. To have a perceiving heart is not, 1. To understand and receive the word according to the letter and notion, by a bare assent to the truth of it. But, 2. To have a light begot in the mind by an immediate work of the Spirit, whereby alone the soul is enabled to apprehend and discern the things of God spiritually, and to practise them effectually. II. Whence it is, that without this gift the soul cannot make any improvement of the means of grace. It arises from two reasons: 1. From its exceeding impotence and inability to apprehend these things. 2. From its contrariety to them, which chiefly consists, (1.) In carnal corruptions; (2.) In carnal wisdom. III. That although, upon God's denial of a perceiving heart, the soul remain unprofitable under the means of grace, 66 so as not to hear nor perceive;" yet this unprofitableness cannot at all be ascribed to God as the chief author of it. God's denial of a perceiving heart admits of a double acceptation : 1. It implies only a bare denial of grace. It is not this denial that causes us to reject the means of grace, but the immediate sinfulness of the heart. 2. It includes also a positive act of induration. Now God, without begetting any evil disposition in the heart, may harden it to sin; (1.) By affording a general influence or concurrence to the persuasions or sug- gestions of Satan or sinful men, so far as they are natural acts; (2.) By disposing and offering such objects and occasions, which, though good in them- selves, yet, concurring with a corrupt heart, have a fitness to educe that corruption into act; (3.) By affording his concurrence to those motions that such objects and occasions stir up in the soul, so far as they are positive and natural. IV. How God can justly reprehend men for not hearing nor perceiving, when upon his denial of a heart there is a necessity lying upon them to do neither. For clearing this, it is already shewn, that God's denial of a heart is not the cause of the necessity of the soul's not perceiving, but its own native hardness. Now this hardness is the imme- diate product of the sin of Adam, which was most free and voluntary; and every man is as really guilty of this sin, as he was really represented in Application. 1st use, This doctrine speaks refu- tation to that opinion, that states a sufficiency of grace in the bare proposal of things to be believed and practised. The 2d use, is of exhortation; that in the enjoyment of the means of grace we should "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of These words contain two general parts: I. The promise of sending the Spirit: wherein we have a full description of him, 1. In respect of his per- son; he is said to "proceed from the Father." There has been great controversy between the Latin and Greek churches concerning his procession, the former holding that he proceeds equally from the Father and the Son, and the latter that he proceeds from the Father only by the Son. 2. In respect of his office or employment in these two things: (1.) That he is a "Comforter;" (2.) That he is the "Spirit of truth." He is a "Comforter," because he is "the Spirit of truth" and truth has this comforting influence upon the mind, (1.) From the native congenial suitable- ness that it has to man's understanding ; (2.) From the sovereign virtue it has to clear the conscience; first, from guilt, secondly, from doubt. II. The end of his being sent, which was to testify of Christ. In which are considered. 1. What the Spirit was to testify of Christ; which was, that he was the Son of God, the Messias, and Saviour of the world. 2. By what ways and means he was to tes- tify this of him; which were the gifts conferred by him upon the disciples; three of which seem more eminently designed for the great purpose of preach- ing the gospel: (1.) The gift of miracles; (2.) The gift of tongues; (3.) That strange, undaunted, and supernatural courage he infused into the disciples. the Spirit. If they find not only cominent, but text also, and plead the spirit in defiance of the letter; it is not God's Spirit that acts them, but the spirit of darkness and desolation, that ruins government and subverts kingdoms. But thankfully and forgetfully to accept our oppression, the king's restoration is commemorated as the work of the Holy Ghost, carrying in it such bright testimonies of a superna- tural power, so much above, nay, against the means and actors visibly appearing in it, that it may pro- perly be expressed in those words, Zech. iv. 6, "Not by might, nor by strength, but by my Spirit, saith Trinity Sunday. Though the chief subject of the text was the Holy Spirit, yet it seems to point both at the Pentecost and the Trinity; for in the words, we have, 1. The person sent, which was the Holy Ghost. 2. The person sending him, which was the Son. 3. The person from whom he is said to proceed, which was the Father, all employed in From the whole passage may be collected two things: 1. God's gracious love and condescension to man. 2. The worth of souls: the salvation of which Few men being kept from sin but merely by the check of their fears representing to them the endless, insupportable torments of another world, as the cer- tain, consequent, and terrible reward of it; atheists, who shake these fears off, are admonished, that God can antedate the torments they disbelieve, and, by what he can make them feel, teach them the cer- tainty of what they refuse to fear. By way of explanation of the words is premised, 1. That by "spirit" is meant the soul, in which there is a lower or inferior part, the sensitive faculties and appetites ; and a more noble portion, purely intellectual, in operation, as well as in substance, perfectly spiritual. 2. By being" wounded" is to be understood, its being deeply and intimately possessed with a lively sense of God's wrath for sin. The sense of the words, then, lies full and clear in this one proposition, namely, that the trouble and anguish of a soul, labouring under a sense of God's displeasure for sin, is inex- pressibly greater than any other grief or trouble whatsoever, which is prosecuted under the following I. What kind of persons are the proper subjects of this trouble, namely, both the righteous and the wicked, but with a very different issue. II. Wherein the excessive greatness of this trouble doth appear; which may be collected, 1. From the behaviour of our Saviour himself in this condition. 2. From those raised and passionate expressions that have been uttered by persons eminent in the ways of God, while they were labouring under it. 3. From the uninterrupted, incessant continuance of it. 4. From its violent and more than ordinary manifestatation of itself on outward signs and |