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SERMON LXV.

PROVIDE THINGS HONEST IN THE SIGHT OF
ALL MEN.

ROM. xii. 17.

Provide things honeft in the fight of all men.

I HAVE formerly difcourfed upon this apoftolical pre- SERM. cept; and having declared the meaning of it, (briefly im- LXV. porting that we should have a special care of our external behaviour, coming under the view and obfervation of men, that it be perfectly innocent and inculpable,) I did propose divers motives inducing to the observance of it; but divers others of great importance the time would not allow me to urge; I fhall therefore now proceed to offer them to your confideration.

I did then fhew that a regard to the reafon and nature of things, to the fatisfaction of our confcience, to the honour of God, and to the credit of our religion, did require from us a good conversation before men; I now farther add, that,

I. The real interest of piety and virtue do exact fuch a conversation, as the most effectual way of upholding, advancing, and propagating them among men.

Example is a very powerful thing either way, both for attraction to good, and feduction to evil; fuch is the nature of men, that they are more apt to be guided by the practice of others than by their own reason, and more eafily can write after a copy than by a rule; that they

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SERM. are prone to imitate whatever they see done, be it good LXV. or bad, convenient or inconvenient, profitable or hurtful, emulating the one, and aping the other; that they love to be in the fashion, and will go anywhither in company, prefuming of fupport, defence, and comfort therein; that they will fatisfy their minds and justify their doings by any authority, deeming that laudable or allowable, or at leaft tolerable and excufable, for which they can allege precedents; judging, that if they are not fingular, they are innocent, or however not very culpable; that hardly they will undertake any thing without countenance, whereby their modesty is in some measure secured, and partners engaged to bear a fhare with them in the cenfure to which their deportment is liable. Hence a vifible good converfation will have a great efficacy toward the promotion and propagation of goodness; the authority of that being adjoined to the native worth and beauty, to the rational plausibility, to the fenfible benefit of virtue, will cogently draw men to it; it will be a clear pattern, whereby they shall be informed what they are obliged and what they are able to perform; it will be a notable fpur, fmartly exciting them to mind and pursue their duty; it will be a vigorous incentive, inflaming their courage, and provoking an emulation to do well.

The vifible fuccour and countenance of many, efpoufing the cause of goodness by their practice, will affuredly bring it into request and vogue, and thence into current use and fashion; so just a cause cannot fail to profper, having any reasonable forces to maintain it; it will have great ftrength, great boldness and affurance, when a confiderable party doth appear engaged on its fide.

Yea, fometimes even the example of a few will do it great fervice; the rarity giving a fpecial luftre to their virtue, and rendering it more notable; according to that intimation of the Apostle, when he thus doth exhort the Philippians to a cheerful and forward practice of goodPhil. ii. 14, nefs; Do all things, faith he, without murmurings and difputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the fons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and

15.

perverse generation, among whom ye fhine as lights in the SERM. world. LXV.

A good converfation doth notify good men to one another, and draweth them together, and combineth them in a party, for the protection of goodness, heartening and aiding one another.therein.

Such advantages goodness doth always need; for it ever hath in the world many adverfaries, ftriving by violent force to beat it down, or by treacherous fraud to fupplant it; who use their authority and intereft to fupprefs it; who by their evil example do feduce from it; who labour by detraction to blast it, by scorn and reproach to discourage it, by divers temptations and baits to entice from it; who combining their forces with the wicked fpirits, and with the corrupt inclinations of men, do raise a mighty party for wickedness.

Wherefore, to balance such oppofitions, goodness doth need friends to maintain it; not only friends in heart, or fecret well-wishers; but open friends, who frankly will avow it, and both in word and deed will ftoutly abet it.

A demure, bashful, timorous friendship, will rather prejudice than help it; for nothing will more animate its foes to affail and persecute it, than observing its friends to flink and fneak: when good men hide their faces, as if they were ashamed of their goodness, then bad men will grow more impudent and infolent in their outrages against it.

Wherefore, if we would have goodness hold up its head, we must openly take its part; if we would not be guilty of its ruin, we muft ftand up to uphold it; for whoever openly complieth with fin, or neglecteth his duty, may well be charged with its ruin; fince if thou so desertest goodness, another after thy pattern may do the like, and a third may follow him; fo the neglect of it may foon be propagated, until at length it may be quite abandoned, and left deftitute of fupport: if it doth not thus happen, it will as to thee be accidental, and no thanks to thee for its better fortune.

The declenfion of piety is not perhaps more to be

SERM. afcribed to any other cause than to this, than that men LXV. who approve goodness in their hearts are fo backward to

Rom. xiv.

19.

26.

fhew it in their practice; that good men do so affect retirement and wrapping up their virtue in obfcurity; that most men think it enough if in the cause of religion against profaneness and diffoluteness they appear neuters, and do not impugn it: for if in a time of infection all found men do fhut up themselves, and all fick men walk abroad, how neceffarily must the plague reign in the place?

II. Charity toward our neighbour demandeth from us a great care of our conversation before men.

The law of charity, which is the great law of Chriftianity, doth oblige us earneftly to further our neighbour's good of all kinds, especially that which is incomparably his best good, the welfare of his foul; which how can we better do, than by attracting him to the performance of his duty to God, and by withdrawing him from the commiffion of fin? And how can we do that without an apparently good conversation, or without plainly declaring, as occafion fheweth, for virtue, both in word and deed? how can a fhy reservedness conduce to that end? what will invifible thoughts or affections of heart confer thereto ?

It is a precept of charity, that we fhould pursue things 1 Cor. xiv. wherewith one may edify another: and how can we perform that duty, without imparting our mind, and, as it were, transfufing it into others; so as by converting them from error and fin, by inftilling good principles, by exciting good refolutions, to lay in them a foundation of goodnefs, or by cherishing and improving the fame to rear a ftructure of virtue in them? how can we mutually edify without mutually advifing virtue, exhorting to it, recommending and impreffing it by our exemplary behaviour?

Παρακαλεῖ.

σε ἀλλήλους.

1 Theff. v.

11.

Heb. x. 24.

Εἰς πωρο

ξυσμόν.

The Apostles do enjoin, that we fhould exhort one another, and edify one another; that we should confider one another, to provoke (or to whet and inftigate one another) to love and to good works; the which can nowife be' performed, without exprefsly declaring for goodness and remarkables acting in its behalf: to commend and press it by word is a part of our duty; but not all of it, nor fuf

ficient to this purpofe; efpecially seeing we cannot urge SERM. that with good confidence, nor fhall be held ferious in LXV. pleading for it, which we do not ourselves embrace in practice; for how can we expect that our reafon should convince others, when it doth not appear really to have perfuaded ourselves, when our doings evidently do argue the weakness of our discourse?

Words hardly will ever move without practice, although practice fometimes will perfuade without words; according to that of St. Peter, Ye wives, be in fubjection to 1 Pet. iii. 1. your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they may without the word be won by the converfation of the wives, while they behold your chafte conversation coupled with fear, (or due reverence to them.)

viii. 9.

2

13.

Again; We are frequently commanded to fhun the giv- 1 Cor.x. 32. ing any offence, or the putting a ftumbling-block, or any Cor. vi. 3. occafion to fall, in the way of our brother; that is, to do Rom. xiv. any thing, which anywife may confer to his incurring any fin: the which precepts are violated not only by pofitive and active influence, by propofing erroneous doctrine, evil advice, fraudulent enticements to fin, or discou ragements from duty; but also by withholding the means serving to prevent his tranfgreffion; fuch as a tacit indulgence or connivance, when good admonition may reclaim him; the omiffion of good example, when it is seasonable, and probably may prove efficacious: for these neglects have a moral caufality, inducing or encouraging the commiffion of fin; our filence, our forbearing to act, our declining fair opportunities to guide him into the right way will be taken for figns of approbation and confent; and confequently as arguments to justify or to excuse bad practice, in proportion to the authority and esteem we have; which ever will be fome in this cafe, when they favour the infirmity of men.

Charity doth farther oblige us, upon just cause, and in due feafon, to check and reprove our neighbour misdemeaning himself; for, Warn the diforderly, faith the Apo- 1 Theff. v. file; and, Have no fellowship, faith he, with the unfruitful Eph. v. 11. works of darkness, but rather reprove them; and, Thou Levit. xix.

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