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OP
WILLIAM BEVERIDGE, D.D.
SOMETIME LORD BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH.
VOL. VIII.
THE CHURCH CATECHISM EXPLAINED;
PRIVATE THOUGHTS ON RELIGION;
THE GREAT ADVANTAGE AND NECESSITY OF PUBLIC PRAYER,
AND OF FREQL'ENT COMMUNION;
AND
A DEFENCE OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS, COLLECTED INTO ENGLISH METRE
BY THOMAS STERNHOLD, JOHN HOPKINS, AND OTHERS.
OXFORD :
JOHN HENRY PARKER.
MDCCCXLVI.
LONDON:
rniNTED nv ceoroe Barclay, castle street,
LEICESTEU square.
r N
OF
THE EIGHTH VOLUME.
THE CHURCH CATECHISM EXPLAINED,
FOR THE USE OF THE DIOCESE OF ST. ASAPH.
PAGE
Dedication to the Clergy of that Diocese iii
Preface vii
The Introductory Questions 17
Part I. The Baptismal Vow 23
Part II. The Creed 28
Part III. The Ten Commandments 67
Part IV. The Lord's Prayer 104
Part V. The Sacraments 110
Section I. Of the Sacraments in general . . . .110
Section II. Of the Sacrament of Baptism . . . 113
Section III. Of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper . .117
PRIVATE THOUGHTS UPON RELIGION.
PART I.
Thoughts on Religion 137
Article I. I beheve there is One God, the Being of all beings . 140
Art. 11. I believe that whatsoever the Most High God would have
me to believe or do, in order to His glory and my happiness, He
hath revealed to me in His Holy Scriptures .... 143
Art. III. I believe that as there is One God, so this One God is
Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost . . . .164
Art. IV. I believe that I was conceived in sin, and brought forth in
iniquity ; and that, ever since, I have been continually conceiving
mischief, and bringing forth vanity 166
iv
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Art. V. I believe the Son of God became the Son of Man, that I, the
son of man, might become the son of God . . . .167
Art. VI. I believe that Christ lived to God, and died for sin, that I
might die to sin, and live with God 172
Art. VII. I believe that Christ rose from the grave, that I might
rise from sin ; and that He is ascended into Heaven, that I might
come unto Him 174
Art. VIII. I believe that my person is only justified by the merit of
Christ imputed to me ; and that my nature is only sanctified by
the Spirit of Christ implanted in me 177
Art. IX. I believe God entered into a double covenant with man,
the covenant of works made with the first, and the covenant of
grace made in the second, Adam 188
Art. X. I believe that as God entered into a covenant of grace with
us, so hath He signed this covenant to us by a double seal. Bap-
tism and the Lord's Supper 195
Art. XI. I believe that after a short separation, my soul and body
shall be united together again, in order to appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ, and be finally sentenced according to
my deserts 203
Art. XII. I believe there are two other worlds besides this I live in ;
a world of misery for unrepenting sinners, and a world of glory
for believing saints 210
RESOLUTIONS FORMED FROM THE FOREGOING
ARTICLES.
I. GENERAL RESOLUTIONS.
Resolution I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to walk by rule,
aud therefore think it necessary to resolve upon rules to walk by 217
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to make the Divine
Word the rule of all the rules I propose to myself . . .218
Resol. III. I am resolved, that as I am not able to think or do any
thing that is good, without the influence of the Divine grace, so
I will not pretend to merit any favour from God upon account
of any thing I do for His glory and service . . . .219
II. CONCERNING MY CONVERSATION IN GENERAL.
Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to make Christ the
Pattern of my life here, that so Christ may be the Portion of
my soul hereafter 222
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to walk by faith, and
not by sight, on earth, that so I may live by sight, and not by
faith in Heaven 223
CONTENTS.
V
PAGE
Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to be looking
upon God as alwaj's looking upon me 224
III. CONCERNING MY THOUGHTS.
Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to watch as much over
the inward motions of my heart a? the outward actions of my life 226
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to stop every thought
at its first entering into my heart, and to examine it whence it
comes, and whither it tends 227
Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as fearful to
let in vain, as careful to keep out sinful, thoughts . . . 229
Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be always exer-
cising my thoughts upon good objects, that the Devil may not
exercise them upon bad 230
Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to marshal my
thoughts, that they may not one jostle out another, or any of
them prejudice the business I am about 232
IV. CONCERNING MY AFFECTIONS.
Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to make my
affections subservient to the dictates of my understanding, that
my reason may not follow, but guide my affections . . . 234
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to love God as the
best of goods, and to hate sin as the worst of evils . . . 236
Resol. III. I am resolved, by the assistance of Divine grace, to make
God the principal object of my joy, and sin the principal object
of my grief and sorrow ; so as to grieve for sin more than suffer-
ing, and for suffering only for sin's sake 238
Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to desire spiritual
mercies more than temporal, and temporal mercies only in refer-
ence to spiritual 240
Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to hope for nothing
so much as the promises, and to fear nothing so much as the
threatenings, of God 241
Resol. VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to arm myself with
that spiritual courage and magnanimity, as to press through all
duties and difficulties whatsoever, for the advancement of God's
glory, and my own happiness 244
Resol. VII. I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to be angry as
not to sin, and therefore to be angry at nothing but sin . . 245
V, CONCERNING MY WORDS.
Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, never to speak much,
lest I often speak too much, and not to speak at all, rather than
to no purpose 248
CONTENTS,
PAGE
Eesol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, not only to avoid the
wickedness of swearing falsely, but likewise the very appearance
of swearing at all 250
Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to make my
tongue and heart go together, so as never to speak with the one
what I do not think in the other 252
Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to speak of other
men's sins only before their faces, and of their virtues only
behind their backs 253
Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to speak
reverently to my superiors, humbly to my inferiors, and civilly
to all 255
VI. CONCERNING MY ACTIONS.
Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do every thing in
obedience to the will of God 257
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do every thing
with prudence and discretion, as well as with zeal and affection 259
Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, never to set my
hand, my head, or my heart, about any thing but what I verily
believe is good in itself, and will be esteemed so by God . . 260
Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do all things for
the glory of God 262
Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to mingle such recrea-
tions with my business as to further my business by my recreations 263
VII. CONCERNING MY RELATIONS.
Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to honour and obey
the king or prince whom God is pleased to set over me, as well
as to expect he should safeguard and protect me, whom God is
pleased to set under him 266
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the same Divine grace, to be as constant
in loving my wife as cautious in choosing her .... 268
Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my endeavour
to give to God whatsoever children He shall be pleased to give
to me, that as they are mine by nature, they may be His by
grace 271
Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my duty to
my servants, as well as expect they should do theirs to me . 273
Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to feed the flock
that God shall set me over with wholesome food, neither starving
them by idleness, poisoning them with error, nor puffing them
up with impertinencies 275
Resol. VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as faithful and
constant to my friend, as I would have my friend to be faithful
and constant to me 278
CONTENTS. vii
VIII. CONCERNING MY TALENTS.
^ PAGE
Eesol. I. I am resolved, if possible, to redeem my time past, by using
a double diligence for the future ; to employ and improve all
the gifts and endowments, both of body and mind, to the
glorj' and service of my Great Creator .... .281
Resol. II. I am resolved, by the Divine grace, to employ my riches,
the outward blessings of Providence, to the same end; and to ob-
serve such a due medium in the dispensing of them, as to avoid
prodigality on the one hand, and covetousness on the other . 282
Eesol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve the
authority God gives me over others, to the suppression of vice
and the encouragement of virtue, and so for the exaltation of
God's Name on earth, and their souls in Heaven . . . 284
Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the Di\-ine grace, to improve the affec-
tions God stirs up in others towards me, to the stirring up their
affections towards God 286
Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve every
good thought to the producing of good affections in myself, and
as good actions with respect to God 288
Resol. VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve every
affliction God lays upon me, as an earnest or token of His affec-
tion towards me 289
PEIVATE THOUGHTS UPON A CHRISTIAN LIFE.
PART II.
I. UPON THE EDUCATION OF A CHRISTIAN.
The advantage of being well grounded in the Christian religion
The want of this is the occasion of so little true religion among us .
The direction of the Church in this behalf, and of God Himself
The obligation on parents to observe it
The Church Catechism most easy, and yet most full and compre-
hensive
The necessity of being made Christians by baptism
And that for children as well as for adult persons ....
The promise made at baptism implies the necessity of Christian in-
struction
The several parts of that promise lead to the knowledge of all the rest
of the Catechism ; viz. of the Creed, Ten Commandments, Lord's
Prayer, and Doctrine of the Sacraments
Vlll
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Directions for instructing children in this Catechism . . . 303
They must begin with them betimes 303
Employ others to teach them if they cannot do it themselves . . 305
When taught the Catechism, send them for further instruction to
the Minister 305
The great obligation upon parents to instruct their children . . 307
Abraham's care in this respect rewarded, and Eli's neglect punished 307
The advantage of it to themselves, and to their children . . 309
An exhortation to it 309
II. UPON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
Though all men agree about religion in general, yet they differ about
nothing more than the particular exercise of it . . . -310
Our form of worship incomparably best 311
To serve God aright, it is necessary to know that God whom we are
to serve 312
To know what He is 312
To know all His attributes and all His works .... 313, 314
To know that in the One Godhead there are Three Persons . . 314
Our knowledge of God must also be practical and experimental . 315
That all this knowledge is necessary towards serving God aright . 316
The error of the Church of Rome in this particular . . . .317
Arguments to induce us to seek after this knowledge . . . 318
How we ought to serve God 319
What it is to serve Him 320
We must serve Him with all we are, and with all we have . .321
Pay Him sincere and universal obedience 322
We must serve Him wth a perfect heart 324
And with a willing mind 324
For what reason we ought thus to serve God 325
An exhortation to it 327
III. UPON THE MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY.
It is impossible to be truly religious without knowing God . . 329
"^ATiich we cannot truly do but by the light of revelation . . 330
Which alone discovers to us the mystery of the Trinity . . . 330
Into which our Saviour commands all nations to be baptized . 330
Where we must consider the work He sends His Apostles about . 331
What is meant by teaching 332
The mistake which occasioned the sect of Anabaptists . . . 332
Our Saviour speaks not of teaching before baptism, but after it . 332
So that Infant-baptism is commanded in those very words which are
pretended to forbid it 333
The large extent of the commission here given .... 334
CONTENTS. ix
PAGE
Not understood by the Apostles themselves till interpreted from
Heaven 334
The manner of admitting all nations into Christ's Church . . 334
The Church always baptized in the Xame of the Three Persons . . 336
The Trinity of Persons proved from the Scriptures of the Old Tes-
tament 336
And especially of the Xew 337
The Godhead of each Person .338
Particularly of the Son, who othersvise could not be our Saviour . 339
And of the Holy Ghost 340
The order of the Persons 342
Why the Father is the first 343
Why the Son the second 343
Why the Holy Ghost the third 345
His procession from the Son • 345
Inferences from the whole 346
The conclusion 347
IV. UPON WORLDLY RICHES.
Sectios I.
Why Christians, notwithstanding the excellency of their religion, lead
as bad lives as other men 349
This cannot be owing to any defect in the Gospel .... 350
But proceeds from being too much concerned for the things of this
world 352
The love of money is the root of all evil 352
By money the Apostle means the things of this world . . . 353
In what the love of these consists 353
How the love of money is the root of all evil .... 354
Of all the evils of which we are guilty, viz. of sins of omission . . 355
And commission 357
Of all the evil which we suflFer in this hfe 359
And fear in the next 360
Directions for taking off our affections from the things of this world 361
Section II.
Timothy first bishop of the province of Ephesus .... 364
He and all IMinisters enjoined to preach with authority . . 365
To charge not only the poor but the rich 368
Whom the Apostle means by them that are rich .... 368
"VNTiy they are charged not to be high-minded 369
Why not to trust in uncertain riches 371
What good they are enjoined to do 372
Works of piety towards God 372
Works of charitj' towards the poor 374
And to be rich in good works 374
X
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Which are our principal riches 375
Ready to distribute 376
Willing to communicate 376
The reward promised to this duty 377
V. UPON SELF-DENIAL,
The introduction 379
Mistaken notions about Christianity 381
How to know what it is to be a true Christian 381
It is not so easy to be so as some imagine 383
They that will be such must deny themselves 383
Deny their reason in matters of Divine revelation which are above it 384
Their wills in submission to God's 385
And their affections 386
And the enjoyment of their estates, when they come in competition
with their duty 387
They must deny themselves in those sins and lusts they are used to
indulge 387
And must renounce their own righteousness, which will not justify,
but rather condemn 388
And look upon themselves as unprofitable servants .... 389
Why we must thus deny ourselves 390
We must also take up the cross 393
Which they only do who suffer for conscience .... 394
The reasonableness of this duty 395
An exhortation to it 395
VI. UPON STRIVING TO ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE.
All must expect ere long to be in another world, either of endless
happiness or of endless misery 397
Our Saviour's direction in this case 399
The way to destruction broad and easy 400
But that to happiness narrow and difficult 401
It implies the forsaking of all sin 402
The performance of many hard duties 404
Yet it is Avorth striving to obtain it, 405
For though hard yet it is possible' 407
We are invited to it by God Himself 408
Who affords us all necessary means to obtain it . . . . 409
The difficulties wU soon be over 409
Heaven will make amends for all . . • • .410
In order hereto we must first resolve 411
And then set upon a new life 411
Depending entirely upon the merits of Christ 412
Praying for the assistance of His grace 412
And waiting His answer to our prayers 413
CONTENTS. xi
VII. UPON THE IMITATION OF CHRIST.
PAQB
Christ came into the world to save sinners 414
Paying, by His death, the debt we owe to God .... 415
Giving us a pattern of holiness in His life 415
More perfect than any before or since 416
"Which we are bound to follow 417
But we must not presume to follow Christ in what He did as God 418
Xor in what He did as God-man, but only in what He did as mere
man 419
In His duty to His parents 420
And to His governors 420
In His meekness towards all men 421
In His bounty and goodness to all, even to His enemies . . .421
And in His piety towards God 422
Increasing in wisdom as in stature 423
Though, as man, His knowledge was finite, yet that implies no imper-
fection or sin 424
Such ignorance is no sin, but only the ignorance of what we ought to
know 424
At least we should thus increase in godly ^visdom when grown up . 425
Teach our children after Christ's example 425
Who, as He grew in godly ^^^sdom when a child, also used that wisdom
when grown, and devoted Himself wholly to the service of God 425
His resignation to God's will, love of Him, zeal for Him, trust in
Him, were also most exemplary 427
So were also His external acts of devotion, frequently retiring to pray 427
The meaning of nf«irsi/;^;>i 427
Frequenting the synagogue on the Sabbath 428
An exhortation to follow Christ . • 429
VIII. UPON OUR CALL AND ELECTION.
" Many are called, but few chosen," a hard saying . . . .431
The Jews rejecting Christ's invitation, the Gentiles are called . 432
What is meant by being called 434
We are called from darkness to light 434
From superstition and idolatry to the true worship .... 435
From sin unto holiness 435
From temporal things to eternal 436
From misery to happiness 436
God hath called some by immediate revelations .... 437
He calls all by His works and pro\-idences 437
But our Saviour means His call by the ministry of His Word . . 438
That many have been, and are thus called 439
But few chosen 441
Xll
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Not absolutely, but comparatively few 441
Only such as do God's will 443
No atheistical persons 444
None that are ignorant of the principles of religion .... 445
Nor vicious and profligate persons 446
Nor hypocritical professors 449
Nor self-righteous persons 449
Why many are called, but few chosen 450-459
IX. UPON THE APPEARANCE OF CHRIST, THE SUN OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Why the Scripture represents spiritual things by sensual objects . 460
As, Christ's coming, by the rising of the Sun of Kighteousness . 461
To burn up the wicked, but with healing in His wings to such as fear
God; that is, to all true believers 461
This Sun is the object only of our faith 462
He gave some light before His rising 463
Christ is often foretold under this emblem 464
Is properly styled the Sun with respect both to what He is in Himself . 466
And to what He is to us, the Fountain of our light and of our life 467
And of all our joy and comfort 467
Of our fruitfulness in good works 469
The Sun of Righteousness, thus displayed by a lively faith . 472
Would have a great influence on the holiness and happiness of our
lives 473
THE GREAT NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGE
OF PUBLIC PRAYER . . . .477
THE GREAT NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGE
OF FREQUENT COMMUNION . . . 532
A DEFENCE OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS,
COLLECTED INTO ENGLISH METRE,
BY THOMAS STERNHOLD, JOHN HOPKINS, AND OTHERS;
WITH CKITICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE LATE NEW VERSION,
COMPARED WITH THE OLD . i . .613
THE
CHURCH CATECHISM
EXPLAINED:
FOR THE USE OF
THE DIOCESE OF ST. ASAPH.
In the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by
my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown
tongue. — 1 Cor. xiv. 19.
And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath ; but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. — Eph. vi. 4.
BRETHREN, BELOVED IN THE LORD,
As God our Saviour, the Head of the whole Church,
which He hath purchased with His blood, hath been pleased
to call me, the unworthiest of His servants, to take care
of that part of it which He hath planted in the Diocese to
which you belong ; so I verily believe and expect that He
will ere long call me to give Him an account how I have
discharged the trust, and performed the duty, which He
hath laid upon me. The consideration whereof hath made
me very solicitous and thoughtful what to do, and how I
may behave myself in this place and station, so that I may
appear before Him at that day with joy, and not with shame
and grief.
Whereupon, calling to mind the several parts of the
office which He hath conferred upon me, and the promises
which I made when I was admitted into it, I presently
thought it necessary to begin with that, without which,
whatsoever else either you or I sh^ll dOj will turn to little
or no account as to the main end of our ministry ; I mean,
4
Dedication.
the duty of catechising or instructing the people committed
to our care in the principles of the Christian religion, that
they may know what they must believe and do, that they
may serve God acceptably while they live upon earth, and
be happy for ever.
Not as if I thought that this duty hath been hitherto
neglected among you : for I have heard, to my great com-
fort, that it is generally practised throughout the Diocese
every Lord's Day. But, taking my measures from what I
have observed in other places, I fear, that notwithstanding all
your care and diligence, you have not yet found that happy
effect of it which you desire ; and therefore will be glad of
any direction or assistance that may be given you, for the
more effectual performance of it.
It is, I confess, a thing much to be lamented, that among
the many who profess the faith of Christ, there are so few
that either strive to live up to it themselves, or take care
that their relations and families should be taught it.
Whereby it comes to pass, that in many places the Minister
is often forced to omit this duty, for want of some to whom
he may perform it. But, howsoever, that should not dis-
courage, but rather excite you to use the greater diligence
and application both in public and private, to convince
those under your charge of the great necessity that lies
upon them to observe what the laws both of God and man
require in this case, as ever they expect or desire that either
they or theirs should be saved : not doubting but that God's
blessing will attend your sincere endeavours in this, as well
as in the execution of any other part of the office and minis-
try to which He hath called you.
And whatsoever other difficulties you may meet with, you
have a great advantage in having so many persons of great
worth and quality among you, who, rightly understanding the
excellent and truly Apostolical constitution of our Church,
Dedication.
5
have a just value and zeal for it; which I doubt not but
they will be ready upon all occasions to shew, by setting
before their tenants and neighbours a good example, as in
other respects, so particularly in sending their children and
servants to be catechised publicly in the Church : which
they will do the more constantly, when they find that you
do not only examine those who are sent, whether they can say
the Catechism, but set yourselves in good earnest to instruct
them thoroughly in all the fundamental articles of the
Christian faith, and in all the duties which they owe to
Almighty God, to their sovereign, to their parents, and to
all their other relations, as well as to themselves and to one
another. For they will then see that this is the best sort
of education that parents can give their children, and that
which will do them more good than any thing else which
they can ever do for them.
Upon these and the like considerations, having spent
some thoughts about catechising in general, so as to attain
the end of it in the way that is here proposed ; and having
accordingly drawn up a short explication of the Catechism
which our Church has set forth, I thought good to present
you with it, as a testimony of my readiness to contribute
what I can towards the laying the foundation in some, as
well as to the building up others of the Diocese in our most
holy faith.
If it hath no other, I hope, at least, it will have this good
eflPect, that it will put you in mind to stir up the gift of God,
which is in you, by the imposition of hands, and to exert it
in studying, contriving, and using all the means and methods
that you can think of, that all in your respective parishes,
who as yet are young or ignorant, but capable of learning,
may be so well instructed in the Church Catechism, set forth
for that purpose, that they may be fit to be confirmed.
6
Dedication.
In the meanwhile, I commend you to God, and to the
word of His grace, which is able to crown all your labours
with success, and to carry you through the whole work
which He hath set you, to the glory of His great Name, the
benefit of His Church and people, and to your own ever-
lasting joy and felicity.
W. ASAPH.
London, mh September, 1704.
PREFACE.
If we consider the excellency of that religion which Jesus
Christ hath revealed and delivered to us in His GosidcI, we
may well expect, that all who embrace and profess it should
be the most excellent persons upon earth, far exceeding all
other men in piety, and justice, and charity, and temper-
ance, and every thing that is virtuous and praiseworthy.
But we see to our grief and shame, that many who do not
only profess it among us, but have the Gospel continually
preached to them, are notwithstanding as bad, if not much
worse, than some of those who never heard of it. Neither
can it be otherwise, so long as the great duty of catechising,
or instructing people in the first principles of the Christian
Religion, is so generally neglected or slightly performed, as
it hath been for many years together. For people being
baptized into Christ, as they ought to be, in their infancy,
although they then promised by their sureties to believe all
the articles of the Christian faith, and to obey God's Com-
mandments, and are accordingly obliged to do so, yet unless
they be rightly informed, as they grow up, of what they
then promised, before they have contracted any ill habits,
whatsoever outward profession they may make of the
Christian Religion, it hath little or no effect upon them.
"Vcr they usually profess it, not as it is the religion of Christ,
but as it is the religion of their country, in which they
are born and bred. And although they have the Gospel
preached over and over again to them, and make it a great
8
Preface.
part of their religion to hear it, yet it makes but little
impression upon them, because they do not understand the
principles we go upon, nor the meaning of the terms we
use, and must of necessity use, in the right preaching of it :
which to me seems one of the chief reasons, why so many
sermons in our days are preached to no purpose, except
it be to aggravate the faults of those that hear them ;
whereas, if the principles of our Holy Religion were first
instilled into those which are young, as they grow in years,
they would grow in grace too, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and so by degrees would be
rightly disposed and qualified both to understand and to
receive the Word with all readiness of mind, and would
profit more by any one sermon they hear, than others do by
all, how many soever they be.
Upon these, among many other accounts, it is to be ear-
nestly wished by all that love Christ and His religion, that
the Rubrics and Canons of our Church concerning Cate-
chising could be generally and duly observed. The Church
of Christ would then put on another face, and true Primi-
tive Christianity would soon be revived among us. For in
the Book of Common Prayer, first composed and established
by our Church, and then confirmed by the civil power in
the last Act of Uniformity, immediately after the Catechism,
we have these two Rubrics, that is, directions or rules to be
observed.
" The curate of every parish shall diligently, upon Sun-
days and holydays, after the second lesson at Evening
Prayer, openly in the Church, instruct and examine so
many of his parish, sent unto him, as he shall think conve-
nient, in some part of this Catechism.
" And all fathers, mothers, masters, and dames shall
cause their children, servants, and apprentices (which have
not learned their Catechism) to come to the Church at the
Preface.
9
time appointed, and obediently to hear and be ordered by
the curate, until such time as they have learned all that is
here appointed for them to learn."
Where we may first observe, that in the Book of Com-
mon Prayer, set forth in King Edward the Sixth, and in
Queen Elizabeth's reign, as also in the 59th Canon of our
Church, the time appointed for catechising was half-an-
hour before Evening Prayer ; but now it is to be done after
the second lesson at Evening Prayer, that those also of riper
years which were not taught the Catechism in their youth
(which though not heretofore, yet now make up the greatest
part, if not the whole, of most congregations in England),
may learn what they ought to believe and do, by hearing the
younger sort examined and instructed in it.
Here we may likewise observe, that every curate or
minister of every parish in England, is obliged by this law,
not carelessly but " diligently," not privately but " openly,"
to examine and instruct some of his parish in some part of
the Catechism every Sunday and holyday throughout the
year: so that none can ever neglect or omit it upon those
days, without manifest and wilful disobedience to the laws
both of the Church and State under which they live, and
that too in a thing which they are bound to do, out of duty
to God, and to the people committed to their charge,
although there was no such positive law for it. But how-
soever lest any should be so stupid and insensible of their
duty herein, as, notwithstanding all this, still to continue in
the neglect of it, our Church in the foresaid Canon hath
enforced it with the greatest penalty that she can inflict : for
her words are these, " And if any minister shall neglect his Can. 59.
duty herein, let him be sharply reproved upon the first com-
plaint, and true notice thereof given to the Bishop or Ordi-
nary of the place. If, after submitting himself, he shall
willingly offend therein again, let him be suspended. If so
10
Preface.
the third time, there being little hope that he will be therein
reformed, then excommunicated, and so remain until he be
refoi'med."
But then we must observe withal, that as all ministers
are bound to catechise every Lord's Day and holyday in
their respective parish churches, so all fathers, mothers,
masters, and dames, even every head of a family in every
parish, are bound by the same law, to cause all in their
respective families that have not yet learned the Catechism,
whether children, servants, or apprentices, to come to
Church at all such times, and there obediently submit them-
selves to be examined, instructed, and ordered by their
minister, not only now and then, but constantly, until they
have learned all that is here appointed. And to make them
more careful to perform their duty herein, I wish they
would consider the punishments which the Church hath
declared to be due, and therefore decreed to be inflicted
Can. 59. upon those who neglect it, in these words, " And likewise, if
any of the said fathers, mothers, masters, or mistresses,
children, servants, or apprentices, shall neglect their duties,
as the one sort in not causing them to come, and the other
in refusing to learn, as aforesaid, let them be suspended hy^
their Ordinaries (if they be not children), and if they so per-
sist by the space of a month, let them be excommunicated."
Another thing much to be observed in these laws is, that
every minister is bound not only to teach the youth and
ignorant persons of his parish their Catechism, and to exa-
mine whether they can say it, but he is bound likewise to
" instruct them in it," and to " examine " whether they
understand it or no ; and that too so long till they can all,
according to their several abilities, give a good account of
their faith, and of all the duties which God requireth of
them.
Now if all this was duly and generally observed all the
Preface.
11
kingdom over, what an excellent Church and people should
we then become ! Then the promise which God hath made
to His Church in general would be fulfilled to ours particu-
larly. For we should " all know Him from the least to the Jer. 31.34,
greatest of us." And if we knew Him aright we could not
but serve, honour, and obey Him as we ought, and so live as
becometh Christians, shining as lights in the world.
But this we can never expect, until it please God to open
the eyes of parents and others, that they may see it to be
both their duty and their interest to teach their children
their Catechism as well as they can at home, and then to
send them, together with their servants and apprentices, to
be further instructed in it by the Minister of their parish,
not only while they are six or seven years old, as the custom
of late hath been, but till they come to years of discretion,
so as to be able fully to understand all that is necessary for
them to know, in order to their living in the true faith and
fear of God all the while they are upon earth, and so to
their obtaining forgiveness of their sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith, that is, in Jesus
Christ. Whatsoever they may think, I am sure they can do
nothing more pleasing to God or of greater advantage to
themselves : for by this means they may, upon good
grounds, promise themselves a great deal of comfort in their
children and families, together with God's blessing upon
them ; which otherwise they can never expect : in that they
live in such a sin, for which the Church hath declared them
worthy to be excommunicated, and requireth them to be so,
if they continue in it.
And as for such (of which there are too many all over the
kingdom) who never having learned the Catechism them-
selves, cannot teach it their children, they have more need
to attend constantly when it is repeated and explained
openly in the Church, and must take the more care to
12
Preface.
send their children to the Minister of their parish, that he
may teach them, and instruct them in it, whose duty it is
to do it.
And it is indeed a very hard and difficult duty to do it
effectually. It is easy enough, I confess, to hear children
or others say their Catechism by rote. But that signifies
very little, unless they understand Avhat they say. But to
make them understand every word and expression, as it is
necessary they should, in order to their being fully in-
structed in it : this, I think, is one of the hardest duties
belonging to the Ministerial Office. For it requires great
presence of mind and quickness of invention, to explain
every thing so as the weakest capacities may apprehend it.
But how hard soever it is, it is necessary to be done. And
therefore every Minister should study and strive all he can
to do it, so as that it may answer the end for which it is
appointed, and that he may give a good account of it at the
Last Day.
For which purpose many have taken great and worthy
pains in subdividing the Catechism into lesser Questions
and Answers to be got without Book, and repeated by those
who come to be examined and instructed in it. And that,
doubtless, is of great use, if due care be taken that they do
not make such answers, as they are apt to repeat the Cate-
chism, only by rote, without understanding what is meant
by them. But herein lies the main difficulty, even how to
possess young and ignorant people with a clear understand-
ing, right apprehensions, and a due sense of all that is con-
tained in the Catechism ; that they may become wise unto
Salvation. Which every one should endeavour by all such
ways and means which he finds or thinks will conduce most
towards it, due consideration being had of the place where
he lives, and of the circumstances of the persons that come
to be examined and instructed by him.
Preface.
13
The course that to me seems the most effectual to this
purpose is, by giving them first a short, plain, and easy ex-
position of some one part of the Catechism, and then
examining whether they understand what was said, by pro-
pounding such questions to them as had been resolved in the
foregoing exposition. And where we find their under-
standing, or their memory, or both, to fail them, then to tell
them the same thing over again in other words, such as we
think most easy and familiar to them. And this not only
at that time, but when they come next to be examined
again ; by which time their parents or some other that were
present, may have helped them by repeating the same
things so often to them that they may be able to give some
tolerable account of them, considering each one's capacity
and age. And if this course be continued so as to go over
the whole Catechism in this manner once or twice a-year
to the same persons, though they began young and ignorant,
yet I doubt not but, by the blessing of God, they will at
last come to have a right understanding in all things ne-
cessary to their Salvation, and to be fit to be confirmed by
the Bishop, and then admitted to the Communion of the
Body and Blood of Christ our Saviour.
This therefore being the best way that I could ever yet
find out whereby to catechise to good purpose, so as to
attain the end of its institution, I have here given a speci-
men of it. I have drawn up a short exposition of the
several parts of the Catechism in the plainest and easiest
terms that (considering the nature of each subject) I could
think of, still keeping to such words and phrases as are
used in the Holy Scriptures, and by the Catholic Church
in the interpretation of them, and explaining them if there
was occasion, so that all may understand the meaning of
them. I have, according to the wise and pious design of the
Catechism, waved all manner of disputes and controversies,
insisting only upon such things which are there propounded
14
Preface.
as necessary for all Christians to believe and know. As
our whole religion, summarily contained in this Catechism,
is grounded upon God's Word, so I have all along shewed
what places of His said Word each part of it is grounded
upon, regard being had to the original text. I have divided
the whole into so few parts, and made every part so short,
that as the substance of all that is delivered in every part
may be easily remembered, so the whole may be gone over
in so short a time, that both they who are catechised, and
all the people there present, may be often put in mind of all
the principles of our Holy Religion, many whereof are
seldom touched upon in our ordinary way of preaching.
Lastly, to every part, I have subjoined such questions as are
proper to be asked, and may be generally resolved from
something that was before delivered in the exposition, if
they to whom they are propounded did but attend to what
they heard, and by the help of the Catechist understand it ;
which they will strive to do when they know that they shall
be afterwards examined about it. By which means they
will learn also by degrees to be more attentive at our
Prayers and Sermons, as well as more affected with them
than people commonly are.
But that this, or any other way that shall be taken, for
the instructing children, may have its due effect, they must
not only be taught the Catechism, while they are young and
repeat it publicly for a while, and then leave it off again,
perhaps in a year or two, but they must continue it for
many years together. And though it may be proper to
propound to them at first only one or two questions, such as
the Minister shall think fit, under each head, yet, as they
grow in years, and so are more capable, every thing that is
necessary to be known in every part of the Catechism,
should by degrees be made plain and easy to them, till they
understand the whole, and are able to give a good account
of any material question that can be propounded to them
Preface.
15
out of it. But this cannot be done in a short time. They
who are designed for any art or trade are generally seven
years in learning the mystery of it, although they be usually
sixteen or seventeen years of age before they begin. How-
then can children, before that age, be thought able to learn
all the mysteries of our Holy Religion in less time? No,
it is well if they can do it in so little : or rather, it is scarce
possible they should, unless there be more than ordinary
care and pains taken with them. The frequent repeating of
the Catechism may imprint the words upon their minds.
But to bring them to a right understanding and. due sense
of the matter contained in those words, will require a great
deal of time, if not all they have, till they are fit to go out
into the world, or at least are sixteen or seventeen years old.
Neither do I see how it can be done in that time, unless the
Minister performs his duty, as it is enjoined, every Lord's
Day, or at least so as to go over the whole Catechism once,
if not oftener, every year. For if he doth it only at one
time of the year, as suppose in Lent, the children having
forgotten what they learned the year before must always
begin again, and so never come to the end. Whereas, if
these great truths and duties be inculcated into them every
Lord's Day, and so over and over again all along till they
come to the foresaid years, or, if there be occasion, longer ;
they will, in all probability, make such impressions upon
them as will stick by them as long as they live, and by the
grace and blessing of God keep them always steadfast in the
Faith, and sincere in their obedience to Him. And if this
was thus constantly practised in every parish as it ought,
the whole nation would soon find the happy effects of it.
This being one of the best means that can be used for the
reforming the many disorders that are in it, and without
which it can never be done effectually.
I shall only add, that we having at this time so many
worthy and learned men in our Church, I could heartily
16
Preface.
wish they would all seriously consider how this great work
may be best managed, so as to attain its end in their respec-
tive cures, as well as elsewhere ; and accordingly set them-
selves in good earnest about it. I know not how they can
employ their parts of learning to more advantage for the
Church, their people, or themselves. But we can never
expect to see it carried on effectually throughout the whole
kingdom, unless some way could be found out to enforce
the execution of the laws above-mentioned, so as to make it
as much the interest as it is the duty of all parents and
masters to send their children, servants, and apprentices to
be instructed by their Minister in the Catechism, until they
fully understand all the principles of our Holy Religion con-
tained in it. But that being supposed, it may be easily
done : for I doubt not but the Clergy would be all willing
and ready to do their duty. And if any one refuse or neg-
lect it, which God forbid, he may be compelled to it by his
Ordinary. So that nothing would then be wanting to com-
plete the work, but that every Bishop go through his whole
diocese, as the law requires, at least once in every three
years, to see how it hath been done, and to confirm those
who have been thereby fitted and prepared for it. Without
which all will come to nothing. For unless a Bishop doth
his duty, or, in case of necessity, procure it to be done by
another, both his Clergy and the people will be apt to neg-
lect theirs ; and the fault will, in great measure, lie at his
door. Which therefore cannot be supposed of any who are
sensible of the strict account they must give at the Last Day
of all their actions, and especially of this, wherein the
glory of God, the good of His Church, the Salvation of
the souls committed to their care, and by consecpience their
own, is so highly concerned.
A CATECHISM:
THAT IS TO SAY,
AN INSTRUCTION TO BE LEARNED OF EVERY PERSON BEFORE
HE BE BROUGHT TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE BISHOP.
Question. What is your name?
Answer. N. or M.
As there is no national Chui-ch upon earth but admitteth
the children of believing parents to holy Baptism, so there
is none we know of but hath some public catechism or
summary of Christian doctrine for such children, so soon as
they are able to learn : but there is no such catechism
set forth by any Church (much less by any private person)
that doth or can exceed this of ours ; which is so short, that
the youngest children that can learn any thing at all, may
learn and say it by heart, and yet so full, that the oldest
Christians that are need know no more than what they are
there taught to believe and do that they may be saved. For
it contains all things necessary to salvation, and nothing
else.
And in this it seems to excel most other, that as all per-
sons are (or ought to be) baptized, not into any particular,
but into Christ's Catholic Church ; so here they are not
taught the opinions of this or any other particular Church
or people, but the doctrine only of the Catholic Church ;
nothing but what the whole body of Christians all the world
over agrees in. If it may any where seem to be otherwise,
it is in the doctrine of the Sacraments, But that also is
c
18 The Church Catechism Explained. ■
here worded with so great wisdom, caution, and temper, as I
not to contradict any other particular Church, but that all
sorts of Christians, Avhen they have duly considered it, may
subscribe to every thing- that is here taught.
From hence apjjears the excellency of this which our
Church has set forth and calls ' A Catechism,' that is to say,
' An instruction to be learned of every person before he be
brought to be confirmed by the Bishop :' for, when any are
brought to be confirmed by the Bishop, they must, in the
presence of God and of the congregation there present, re-
new the solemn promise and vow that was made in their
names at their baptism, ratifying and confirming the same
in their own persons, and acknowledging themselves bound
to believe and do all those things which their godfathers
and godmothers then undertook for them : which they can
never do with that judgment and discretion that is neces-
sary to so solemn a work, unless they first know what those
things are, and for that purpose have learned this Catechism,
consisting of five parts, every one of which is necessary for
every Christian to be instructed in; viz. 1. Our Baptismal
Vow, or that solemn promise which we made when we were
baptized; — 2. The Apostles' Creed, wherein are con-
tained all the articles of the Christian faith; — 3. The Ten
Commandments, or the Moral Law, wherein the whole
duty of man is declared in God's Own words ; — 4. Our
Lord's Prayer, wherein Ave are taught, by Him, how to
pray for all things needful for us ; — 5. The Doctrine of
THE Sacraments that Christ hath ordained in His Church.
All which I shall endeavour, by His assistance, to instruct
you in, that ye may understand the true sense of every word
in this Catechism, and so all things necessary to your eternal
salvation.
First, therefore, this Catechism being designed for such
as are baptized in their infancy, as well as for other, that
they may be taught, so soon as they are able to learn, what
a solemn vow, promise, and profession, they made then
by their sureties, it was very proper to begin it with this
question, 'What is your name?' Not only because their
name being the first thing that children usually know, this
is the easiest question that can be put to them, and therej^
Introductory Questions.
19
fore the fittest to be put first ; but chiefly because it is
a very proper introduction to the foresaid vow, which they
made when they were baptized, and leads them directly to
the articles of the Christian faith, and to the rules of holy
life which they then promised to believe and observe.
For, whereas they have every one two names, — a Christ-
ian and a surname, — the latter they have from their natural
parents of whom they were at first born, which is therefore
properly the name of their family. But the other was given
them by their spiritual parents, their godfathers and god-
mothers, when they were born again of water and of the
Holy Spirit, and so were made Christians ; which therefore,
is called their Christian name, and is proper to every Christ-
ian person as such, as he is a Christian, that is to say, a
disciple or a scholar of Jesus Christ, one who professeth Acts
to learn of Him and to believe and live as He hath taught
in His Holy Word. This every one undertaketh and pro-
miseth when he is baptized, or christened ; that is, made a
Christian, and therefore hath this his Christian name given
him.
Wherefore, as this is the only name we mean, when
we ask this question, ' What is your name ? ' meaning your
Christian name : so their answer to this question, by declar-
ing their Christian name, naturally brings in all they pro-
mised in their Baptism, when this name was given to them :
and therefore this is the most proper question that could
be thought of to be first propounded to them.
From whence we may also observe, that every one's
Christian name, as it is the proper name of his person, it
distinguisheth him from other Christians ; and as it is a
Christian name, it distinguisheth him from all other sorts of
people, and so puts you in mind, that you are not Jews, or
Turks, or Heathens, but Christians : that you are of that
religion which Jesus Christ hath revealed and settled in the
world ; which being not only the best, but the only good
and true religion professed upon the earth, you, who profess
it, should be the best of men : so far exceeding all other
in virtue and goodness, that no other people may so much
as seem to be good and virtuous in comparison of you.
You " name the Name of Christ," and therefore you should
20 The Church Catechism Explained.
2 Tim. 2. 19. "depart from all iniquity." You are "called by Him out
1 Pet. 2. 9. of darkness into His marvellous light," and therefore you
Phil. 2. 15. should " shine as lights in the world." This your Christian
name, whensoever you write, or read, or speak, or hear it
mentioned, should put you in mind of.
QUESTIONS.
Wherein appears the excellency of this Catechism ?
How many parts doth it consist of?
Why doth it begin with this question, ' What is your
name ? '
How many names have you ?
Which is here meant?
Why is it called your Christian name ?
What is a Christian ?
What doth this name put you in mind of?
Q. Who gave you this name ?
A. My godfathers and godmothers in my Baptism, wherein
I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an
inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.
They who bring a child to holy Baptism, are called his
godfathers and godmothers, because they are the means of
his being there regenerate, or born again of God. They
also give him his Christian name, because that belongs to
him only as he is a Christian, and so the child of God ; and
they gave him this name in his Baptism, or at the same time
that he is baptized, because it is then that he is brought into
this relation to God ; so as to be made His child according
to the tenour of the New Covenant, which God hath made
with mankind in Jesus Christ, promising jiardon, and peace,
and grace, and His Own Fatherly care of, and provision for
Jer 31. 33 those who repent and believe in Him.
10 ' 12^^*' ^' '^"'^ ^^^^^ '^^ most pi'o])er time for it, appears also
in that Abram had his name Abraham given him by God
Himself, at the same time that he entered into Covenant
with him, and ordained circumcision to be the outward sign
or way whereby he and his posterity should be admitted into
Gen. 17. i^. So that he had this new name given him the same day
■^'^^^ that he was circumcised, and that too by God's Own ap-
Introductory Questions.
21
pointment. From -whence His Church could not but con-
chide, that it was His Divine will, that when any were
circumcised, and so admitted into His Covenant, they should,
at the same time, have the name given them by which they
should ever after be called, to put them always in mind of
the conditions of that Covenant which they were then ad-
mitted into.
And accordingly this was the constant practice of the
Jewish Church all along to our Saviour's time; and there-
fore we read that John the Baptist had his name given him Luke i. 59-
when he was circumcised, and so had Jesus himself Which ^h. 2. 21.
same Jesus having laid aside that troublesome and painful
yoke of circumcision, and instead thereof instituted the most
easy Sacrament of Baptism, to be the means or rite of admit-
ting persons into His Church, and so into the aforesaid
Covenant which God in Him hath made with mankind;
therefore His Church hath ever since used to give every
person that is baptized his name at the same time that he is
baptized, and so admitted into the great privileges of the
New Covenant, to be a member of Christ, the child of God,
and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.
He is in baptism made a ' member of Christ,' because he
is made a member of His Church. For Christ and His
Church, or the Congregation of all Christian people, are one
body, of which Christ is the Head, and all Christians are the iCor.6.15;
members, every one in his place and station. Therefore we coi. ui"'
are said to be baptized into Christ, and by one Spirit we are cai. 3. 27 ;
all baptized into one body, even into the body of Christ, and f °(^rf'i2!
by that means are made the members of Christ ; so as to be
moved, influenced, and actuated, by that Holy Spirit which
proceeds from Him, as the members of our natural bodies
are by the spirits which flow originally from the head.
He is therein also made ' the cliild of God,' because at
the same time that he is baptized, or born again of water,
he is born also of God the Spirit, and therefore is His child, John 3. 5.
as having received " the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry
Abba, Father," that is, call God our Father. And besides, Rom. s. 15 ;
he that is the ' member of Christ,' is therefore also ' the ^■
child of God :' for Christ being the Son of God, all His mem-
bers must needs stand in the same relation to God that He
22
The Church Catechism Explained.
doth, thougli in a lower degree, according to their capacities.
Hence it is that, as it is He that gives them power to become
John 1.12. the sons of God, so "He is not ashamed to call theni bre-
Matt.^25'.^ thren," as He doth, because His Father is their Father also,
40; 28. 10. and therefore theirs, because His.
John 20. 17.
And as every member of Christ is a child of God, so
every child of God is ' an inheritor,' that is, an heir ' of the
Kingdom of Heaven :' so as to have a just title to it, as an
heir-at-law has to an estate upon earth ; for " if children,
Rom. 8. 17; then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." They
Gal. 4. 7. g^pg u joint-heirs," or, as we may say, co-heirs, not with one
another, as if the inheritance was to be divided amongst
them : for here every child is an heir to the whole, having
the same right and title to all the inheritance, as if he was
the sole heir. But they are all and every one "joint-heirs
Heb. 1. 2. "^'it^^ Christ," Who is " heir of all things." And therefore
Rev. 21.7. jjj jjiiu they shall also every one inherit all things.
This is that which is here called ' the Kingdom of Heaven,'
of which every child of God is the inheritor ; which there-
fore consisteth not in the enjoyment of any one or more
particular things, but of all things that God hath made, and
of Him too that made them ; and yet, to our unspeakable
comfort, all that are duly baptized according to Christ's
institution, are thereby made heirs or inheritors of this King-
dom. It is settled upon them in their Baptism ; and they
shall hereafter have the full possession and enjoyment of it,
unless, while they are in this world, they provoke their
Heavenly Father to disinherit and cast them off, by not
doing what they promised when they were baptized. What
that is, we shall see in the answer to the next question, and
thereby know how to prevent our being disinherited.
QUESTIONS.
Who are they whom ye call godfathers and godmothers?
Why are they so called ?
Why did they give you your name ?
Why did they give it in your Baptism?
How do you prove that to be a proper time for it?
What do you mean by your being a member of Christ?
How doth it appear tliat you were made so in Baptism?
The Baptismal Vow.
23
How do you prove that you were then also made the child
of God ?
In what sense were you in baptism made an inheritor of
the Kingdom of God ?
In what doth the Kingdom of God consist?
May you not be disinherited ?
What must you do to prevent it ?
Part I. Of the Baptismal Vow.
Q. What did your godfathers and godmothers then for
you ?
A. They did promise and vow three things in my name.
First, that I should renounce the Devil and all his works, the
pomps and vanity of this wiched world, and all the sinful
lusts of the flesh. Secondly, that I should believe all the arti-
cles of the Christian faith. And thirdly, that I should keep
God's holy ivilland Commandments, and walk in the same, all
the days of my life.
All that naturally proceed from the first man being born
in sin, are by nature the children of wrath, obnoxious to the
displeasure of the Almighty God, with all the dismal effects
and consequences of it. But when any of them are bap- Eph. 2. 3.
tized, they are taken off from the old stock, the first Adam,
and there grafted into, and so made members of Christ, the
last Adam. And in Him they are received into the favour iCor. 15.45.
of God, made His children, and entitled to all the great
blessings that He hath promised, both in this world and the
next ; which promise, He, for His part, will be sure to per-
form to them, if they do but continue to live as becometh
His children, and according to the laws of that new state
into which they are admitted.
Which that they may, although they are bound to do it
by the very nature of the state itself, and are admitted into
it only upon that condition, yet to tie them more strictly to
it, they must solemnly vow and promise it, before they can
(except in some extraordinary cases) be baptized. If they
be of riper years, they must make this promise every one
for himself, in his own person : but if they be children, not
24 The Church Catechism Explained.
yet come to the use of their reason, they are allowed and
required to do it by their godfathers and godmothers, who
accordingly make this promise in the name of the child
which they bring to be baptized.
They do not then make the promise for themselves, for
that was done at their own Baptism ; neither do they pro-
mise that the child shall do it, for that is not in their power,
and therefore more than they can promise ; but they make
the promise in the child's name, as his proxies, so that the
child doth it by them. The minister saith to each of them,
' Dost thou, in the name of this child, renounce the Devil
and all his works?' &c. To which the child answers by
them, ' I renounce them all.' The minister saith, ' Dost
thou believe in God, the Father Almighty?' The child
answers by them, ' All this I stedfastly believe.' Again, the
minister saith, 'Wilt thou be baptized in this faith?' To
which the child answers by them, ' That is my desire.' They
speak the words, but they speak them only in the name of
the child : so that he makes the answer in ancl by them.
As, when a king is crowned in his infancy, he takes the
coronation oath by some deputed to take it in his name ;
and he is bound as much by it as if he took it himself.
And in such tenures of land, where the heir cannot be ad-
mitted without doing homage, or swearing fealty to the
head-landlord ; if a child or minor doth it by his guardians,
or they in his name, it is as good in law as when it is done
by the heir himself in his own person.
The promise which his godfathers and godmothers thus
make in the child's name, consisteth of three parts, or, as
the child is here taught to answer, ' They did promise and
vow tliree things in his name;' whereof the first is, that ' he
should renounce the Devil and all his works, the pomps and
vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the
flesh.'
By the Devil we are here to understand that subtle
serpent, who having tempted our first parents to eat of
the forbidden fruit, and so brought them and their whole
posterity into the same state of sin and misery with himself,
he hath ever since domineered over all mankind, " carrying
2Tim.2.26. them captive at his will," so long as they continue in their
The Baptismal Vow.
25
natural state. Now, when any one is to change this state
of nature for that of grace, wherein he will have power to
overcome the Devil, he then promiseth to ' renounce him,'
to disclaim his dominion, resist his temptations, and leave
off all his works, such as he doeth himself, and tempts men
to do ; such as pride, rebellion, apostasy, hatred, malice,
murder, lying, slandering, backbiting, hypocrisy, and all
uncharitableness. These are properly ' the lusts of the
Devil,' which our Saviour speaks of, and those ' works of the John 8. 44.
Devil' which He came to destroy, which all, therefore, that iJohns. s.
would be His Disciples must renounce ; that is, avoid, for-
sake, and leave off, so as not to do them any more. And so
they must renounce, too, the pomps and vanity of this wicked
world, that is, all things that are apt to draw off men's
minds from the other world, and fix them upon this : there-
fore called ' pomps,' because they make a great show, as the
word imports, and appear great in the eyes of sinful men,
but they have nothing in them of real goodness or satisfac-
tion, and therefore called also ' vanity,' or emptiness. Such
are the riches and honours, as they are called, of this world ;
which every one, therefore, that would be a Christian, must
renounce, so as not to be covetous of the former, nor ambi-
tious of the latter. He must " not love the world, nor the ch. 2. 15.
things that are in the world."
He must also renounce, subdue, and avoid all the sinful
lusts of the flesh ; what they are, the Apostle tells us, saying,
" Now the works of the flesh are manifest : which are these. Gal. 5.
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedi-
tions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like." The renouncing of all which is the first
thing that is here promised.
The second thing is, that he will ' believe all the articles
of the Christian faith:' that is, all such doctrines as are
revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures, written by the inspi- 2Tim.3.i6.
ration of God, and are briefly contained in the following
Creed.
The third is, that ' he will keep God's holy will and
Commandments, and walk in the same all the days of his
26 The Church Catechism Explained.
life.' Wliat they are, we shall see, God willing, when we
come to the Ten Commandments, wherein they are all
comprised.
QUESTIONS.
Why is any such promise made in baptism ?
In what sense do godfathers and godmothers make it in
the name of the child ?
How many parts doth the promise consist of?
What do you mean by the Devil and his works ?
What by the pomps and vanity of this wicked world ?
What by the sinful lusts of the flesh ?
In M'hat sense did you promise to renounce all these ?
What are those articles of the Christian faith which you
promised to believe ?
Where are they revealed ?
What are those Commandments of God which you pro-
mised to keep ?
Q. Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe and
to do as they have jjromised for thee?
A. Yes verily ; and by God's help, so I will. And I
heartily thank our Heavenly Father, that He hath called me
to this state of Salvation, throuyh Jesus Christ our Saviour.
And I pray unto God to give me His grace, that I may con-
tinue in the same unto my life's end.
Although the promise which godfathers and godmothers
make in the name of a child at his baptism, be, as we have
seen, the child's own promise, and he is bound to perform it
when he is come to years of discretion, as much as if he had
made it in his ow'n person, and with his own mouth, whether
he afterwards own it or no : yet to make him the more
sensible of it, so soon as he is capable, he is put in mind of
it, and taught to acknowledge it with his own mouth : for
when this question is put to him, ' Dost thou not think
that thou art bound to believe, and to do as they have pro-
raised for thee?' He answers, 'Yes verily; and by God's
help, so I will.' He makes no doubt at all of it ; but posi-
tively affirms it to be a great truth, that he is bound to
The Baptismal Vow.
27
believe and do all that was then }3romised in his name,
saying, ' Yes verily.' And accordingly, in a most solemn
manner, he now promiseth it over again with his own mouth,
saying, 'And by God's help, so I will.' So that every time
that a child saith his Catechism, he renews the said promise,
and that too in the Name of God Himself, ' as God shall help
him:' which imprints upon his mind a sense of his own
inability to do it of himself, and teacheth him to look up to
God for His help and assistance in it, and to trust on Him,
according to His promise, for it : not doubting in the least
but that God will help him, and therefore saying confidently,
'Yes verily ; and by God's help, so I will.'
After this, to possess his mind with a due sense of God's
mercy in admitting him into the Church of Christ ; and that
he may learn betime to give God thanks for the same from
the bottom of his heart, he is taught farther to say, ' And
I heartily thank our Heavenly Father, that He hath brought
me to this state of Salvation, through Jesus Christ our
Saviour.' He looks upon Himself now as in the number of
God's children, and therefore calls Him ' our Heavenly
Father:' and returns Him his most hearty thanks for bring-
ing him 'into this state of Salvation;' that is, into such a
state and condition of life wherein he may be saved, and
shall certainly be so, if he doth but perform what he pro-
mised, when he was by baptism admitted or brought into it,
and what he hath now promised again.
For, seeing God " addeth to the Church daily such as Acts 2. 47.
shall be saved," he being now ' added to the Church,' is in
the ready way to be saved, and therefore is properly in a
'state of Salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour:'
which he therefore adds, both because it is ' only through
Jesus Christ ' that he is brought into this state, and because
it is a state of Salvation also 'only through Jesus Christ;'
Whom he therefore calls ' our Saviour,' because He is the
only Saviour of mankind, without Whom no man ever was ch. 4. 12.
or ever can be saved.
But though he be now in a state of Salvation, unless he
continue in it he cannot be saved. As they who were with
Noah in the ark, the type of Christ's Church, were safe so
long as they stayed there ; but if any of them had thrown
28 The Church Catechism Explained.
themselves overboard, they would certainly have perished.
Wherefore the child is here taught to pray unto God for
grace to ' continue in the same state,' not only for some
time, but 'to his life's end;' without which he cannot be
Mark 13. saved. But he cannot do that, nor any thing: that is e:ood,
13. Heb. 3. . ' ./ o D '
14; Rev. 2! of himself, nor any other way than by the grace of God,
2Cor.3. 5. through faith in Christ. And therefore he prays God to
2Cor'^i2'^' S^^^ 'His grace,' to keep him stedfast in his true faith
9;PhU. 4. and fear as long as he lives, through Jesus Christ our
13. . ' &
Saviour.
QUESTIONS.
Are you not bound to perform what your godfathers and
godmothers jiromised in your name ?
Do you now promise the same thing again yourself?
Why do you say, by God's help ?
Why do you call God our Heavenly Father ?
What do you mean by the state of Salvation ?
Why do you call Christ our Saviour?
What must you do that you may be saved by Him?
Why do you pray to God to give you grace to do it ?
Part II. — The Creed.
Catechist. Mehearse the articles of thy belief.
Answer. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maher
of Heaven and earth.
Of the three things that are promised by every one that
is baptized, the first, as we have seen, is, that he should
renounce the Devil, the world, and the flesh : which he
accordingly doth at the same time. Now the second is,
that he should ' believe all the articles of the Christian
faith:' which were therefore read to him before he was
baptized ; and he was asked, whether he believed every one
of them ? And he then answered, ' All this I stedfastly
believe.' He then professed to believe them all in his own
person, if he was of riper years ; or if an infant, by his sure-
ties. Wherefore the Catechist, or he that instructeth the
The Creed.
29
child in his Catechism, doth not here ask him, what are the
articles of the Christian faith, nor whether he belie veth them
or no. But, taking it for granted that he both knoweth
and believeth them, as he had professed at his Baptism, he
only bids him, ' Rehearse,' or say them over again, saying,
' Rehearse the articles of thy belief ; ' those which thou didst
profess stedfastly to believe when thou wast baptized, and
which thou dost still believe, according to that profession.
Upon which he repeats the same Creed to which he then
gave his assent, and in which all the fundamental articles of
the Christian faith are briefly contained, to the enjd. that he
may now be more fully instructed in them. Which that he
may, it will be necessary to explain every word and expres-
sion in the said Creed.
The first words, ' I believe,' respect every one of the
articles or parts of the Creed, as well as those two to which
they are prefixed. And this every one saith for himself, in
his own person, ' I believe : ' not only, I think, I suppose, I
hope, or the like ; but, ' I believe ; ' that is to say, I heartily
assent and consent, being fully persuaded of it, upon the
testimony of God Himself, and, therefore, in the highest
manner that I can be persuaded of any thing in the world.
For though all creatures may deceive me, God neither will
nor can. Wherefore, having His word for every thing con- jit. i. 2
tained in this Creed, although my finite and corrupt under-
standing cannot reach or comprehend it, yet I verily believe,
I am fully persuaded of the truth and certainty of it, as I am
that there is a sun in the firmament, although I know not
what it is.
This is that true Christian belief or faith which the
Apostle saith, is "the substance of things hoped for, the Heb. 11.1.
evidence of things not seen." So that by it, I doubt no
more of what God hath promised, and I therefore hope for,
than as if I was already possessed of it : and the great things
that He hath revealed, though I never saw, nor am able to
comprehend them, yet they are as clear and evident to me
as if I did. This being the way whereby God is pleased to
convey such things into our minds, and whereby He doth it
in the most powerful manner that can be, even by His Own
infallible almighty Word.
30
The Church Catechism Explained.
He hath given us senses whereby to discern the figures,
and colours, and otlaer circumstances of bodies. And He
hath given us reason whereby to govern ourselves in the
affairs of this life. But as for the things that concern
Himself and belong to our everlasting peace, for them He
hath given us His Own Word as the ground of our belief ;
that there may be no place left for diffidence or doubting,
but that we may rest fully satisfied in our minds about
them : which we cannot always be, about what our senses
seem to discover, and our reason to dictate to us. For we
find by experience that they often fail us ; but God's Word
can never fail us.
Wherefore, as we make no doubt of such things as we see
and hear every day ; nor of such things as appear self-
evident to our reason, as that the whole is greater than any
part ; nor yet of such things for which we have the concur-
rent testimony of many men, as that there are such places
as France, and Spain, and India, though we never saw
them : much less can we doubt of any of the articles of the
Christian faith ; as, that God made and governs the world ;
that His Son became man, and died for the sins of mankind ;
that He is now in Heaven, continually making intercession
for us ; and that He will come hither again at the Last Day
to raise the dead and judge the world. For these and such-
like Divine truths being revealed to us in the Holy Scrip-
tures, we have the testimony of God for them, the Word of
Truth itself ; by which, when duly considered, and fixed
upon our minds, we are possessed with so strong a persua-
sion, so firm and constant a belief of them, that all the
faculties of our souls are thereby influenced, and inclined to
act accordingly : so that he that believes in God cannot but
love Him and fear Him, and trust on His word and jiro-
mise.
I thus first ' believe in God : ' for he that cometh to God,
Heb. 11. 6. as I desire to do, " must believe that He is." And I accord-
ingly believe there is such an invisible Being in and over
John 4. 24. the world, which we call God, who is a Spirit, and therefore
Luke 24.39. witliout body, parts, or passions, but a most pure, simple,
immutable, eternal Being, Jehovah, the Lord, the Lord of
Sabaoth, that is, of the World, or of all things that are ;
The Creed.
31
existinp- in and of Himself, in all tliino-s, above all thinsrs, Exod.3. u.
Ps 139.
every where the same ; of infinite wisdom, knowledge, good- y.io.
ness, and all other perfections ; and in Whom every perfec-
tion is infinite, and Himself. "Such knowledge is toover. 6,
wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it." But
I believe it, because it is agreeable to the revelations which
He hath made of Himself to me in His Holy Word.
Thus I believe in One living and true God ; the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I first believe in God the
Father, because He hath a Son, an Only Son, begotten of iThess. i.i.
Himself, therefore called " the Only-begotten of the Father," John 1. 14.
without which He could not properly be a Father : so that
I cannot believe in God the Father, but I must believe in
His Son too. And so I do, as you will see in the next
article.
I believe also that this God, the Father, is Almighty, that
is, I believe that He can do whatsoever He will. For " who Ps. 115.3;
hath resisted His will V Wherefore " with God all things Rom. '9. 19.
are possible," but only such things as He will not do ; as Matt.19.26.
" He cannot lie " it is impossible for God to lie." So He Tit. 1. 2.
cannot deny Himself; He cannot die; He cannot do such
things, because He will not; and He will not, because if He
did, He would cease to be God ; the doing of such things
proceeding from weakness and impotence. Neither is it
indeed doing any thing, but suffering ; which is contrary to
His Divine nature. So that He is not the less Almighty
because He cannot do such things ; but He therefore cannot
do them because He is Almighty, and cannot but always be
so : it being impossible that any thing should be ever im-
possible to Him, who can do what He will, only by willing
it should be done.
For I believe further, that this God the Father Almighty
is ' the Maker of Heaven and earth.'. For it is written, " In Gen. 1. 1.
the beginning God created Heaven and earth." That is, the
whole world : all things that are made, visible and invisible.
He created them all ' in the beginning,' and, therefore, out
of nothing. And He thus made all things as He would
have them to be, only by signifying it to be His will they
should be so. He only said, " Let there be light, and there ver. 3.
was light." Thus " by the Word of the Lord were the hea-
32
The Church Catechism Explained.
vens made, and all the hosts of them," that is, all things in
Ps. 33. 6. them, " by the breath of His mouth."
Neither did He only make all things at first, but He is
still the Maker of them, by preserving and upholding all
things in their being, by the same power, will, or word, by
Heb. 1. 3. which He at first made them. So that " it is in Him we live,
Acts 17. 28. and move, and have our being."
And seeing Almighty God made and preserveth, I cannot
but believe that He governeth and disposeth of all and
every thing that is, according to His Own will : the least
thing, as well as the greatest, and every thing in particular,
Matt.io.2o, ^gji gg things in general. Insomuch that nothing can
30. o » o
stir or happen in the world without His special providence :
by which He ordereth every thing after such a manner as to
make it tend to the advancement of His Own glory, to the
good of the whole creation, and to the benefit of every parti-
cular person in it, who duly acknowledgeth, admires, and
adores His infinite wisdom, power, and goodness, in the
first establishment and continual government of the world ;
which God grant I may always do.
Rom. 11. 36. For " of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all
things : to Whom be glory for ever. Amen."
QUESTIONS.
What do you mean by the articles of your belief?
Why do we say, Rehearse them ?
What mean you by saying, I believe ?
What ground have you for this belief?
What is belief or faith, according to the Apostle ?
What do you believe concerning God ?
What is God ?
Why do you believe in God the Father ?
Why is He said to be Almighty ?
What is meant by Heaven and earth ?
Out of what did God make them ?
How did He make them ?
Doth not He also preserve them ?
Who governs the world, and orders all things in it ?
How, or after what manner, doth God do it, and to
what end ?
The Creed.
33
And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord.
As I believe in God, I believe also in Jesus Christ,
according to His command, I believe in Him who is called John u.\.
' Jesus,' that is to say, the Saviour, because He saveth His
people from their sins, and 'Christ,' that is, the Anointed, Matt. i. 21.
because He was anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with
power, to he a Prophet, a Priest, and a King, in order to Acts 10. as.
His perfecting our Salvation.
He is first that great Prophet spoken of by Moses, Who Deut. is.
hath all along revealed the Will of God to mankind, and g^Va!' ^"^^
foretold all things that were necessary for them to know,
first, by His Spirit in the Prophets, then in His Own person, 1 Pet. 1. 11.
and afterwards by His Apostles and Evangelists. All which john 14.^26';
His projjhecies and Divine revelations are recorded in the
books of the Old and New Testament, Avhich therefore con-
tain all things necessary to our Salvation. 2Tim.3.i6,
He is also a Priest, an High Priest, the only true Priest Heb. 3. i;
that ever was in the world, who could ofier up a sacrifice, ^' ^'
acceptable in itself, to God for the sins of mankind. The
Levitical priesthood, with all its sacrifices, being only a type
and shadow of His,' who now once in the end of the world ch. 10. 1.
hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, ch. 9. 26.
that is, by offering up Himself upon the altar of the cross, as
a sacrifice and propitiation for the sins of the whole world, by 1 John 2. 2.
virtue whereof He continually maketh atonement, reconcili-
ation, and intercession for us in Heaven, as our true High
Priest, and " therefore is able to save them to the uttermost Heb. 7. 25.
that come unto God by Him."
He is likewise a King, an Almighty King, the universal
Monarch of the world, " King of kings, and Lord of lords." iTim. 6. 15
For " the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all ^^^.^ie.^^*
iudgment to the Son," and hath given Him "all power both Jj^t^jg^^s
in Heaven and earth," and that too not only for a long time,
but for ever: " For of His Kingdom there shall be no end." Lukei.ss.
These are the three great offices to which Jesus was
mointed for the perfecting of man's Salvation, and therefore
ivas called Christ, or the Anointed.
And as I believe in God the Father, so I believe that this
34
The Church Catechism Explained.
Jesus Christ is His " Only Son," that Son of Whom He is
there said to be the Father, as being truly begotten of Him,
John 1.14, and therefore called His Only-begotten Son. And seeing
18 i f John He was begotten of the Father, I believe He is another, or
^- a distinct Person from the Father, as a son must needs be
from his father : but I believe withal, that He was so
begotten of Him, that He is of one and the same Divine
nature, essence, or substance with the Father, one and the
same God.
For this He Himself hath revealed to me, where, speaking
John 5. 26. of His eternal generation from the Father, He saith, "For
as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the
Son to have life in Himself." For none hath life in himself
as the Father hath, but only the One living and true God :
and therefore, seeing the Son hath life in Himself, as the
Father hath, although it was communicated or given to Him
of the Father, yet I cannot but believe it was so given Him,
that He is that One living and true God that the Father is.
ch. 10. 30. Especially having His Own word for it, saying, "I and
the Father are One," not one person ; but, as the word in the
original importeth, one thing, one being, Jehovah, the Lord,
as it is expressed Deut. vi. 4, By which name, Jehovah, proper
only to the true God, the Son as well as the Father, is often
Gen. 19.24; also Called in the Old Testament; and all along in the New,
^osea 1. 7, called " the Lord," as being " the true God," Who " is
Rom^g.'s!'' over all, God blessed for ever." And Who demonstrated
Himself to be so, by the wonderful works which He did
when He was uj^on earth : such as none could do as He did
them, but only Almighty God ; doing what He pleased, as
Matt. 8. God made the world only with His Word, Who therefore
3-16, &c. ^j^^ g^jjj caused them likewise to be recorded, that
John 20. 31. we might believe " that He is the Christ, the Son of God."
And if the Son of God, then equal to God, and God Himself.
For so the Jews, whose language He spoke, understood
Him : insomuch that they accused Hiin of blasphemy, for
saying that He was the Son of God, or that God was His
ch. 5. 18; Father ; and so making Himself God, which they could not
have done if it had not been the received opinion among
them, that the Son of God was the self-same with God
Himself.
The Creed.
35
Neither is this contrary but agreeable to reason itself.
For seeing God hath given power to His creatures to beget
sons in their own likeness, every one of the same specific
nature with his father ; when God Himself begets a Son, His
Son must needs be of the same nature with the Father, in a
more eminent and Divine manner. Not only so as to be a
God as well as the Father, for that is no more than what is
common among men ; the son of a man being in that sense a
man as well as his father.
But when the Scripture, and we from thence, speak of
God's begetting a Son, we cannot but believe it to be, in a
much higher sense, the highest that can be. But we cannot,
by all our reason, imagine an higher, nor any other becom-
ing His Divine and indivisible essence, than that His Son is
of the same individual nature or essence with the Father,
one and the same God tliat the Father is, according as He is
declared to be in the Holy Scriptures.
Wherefore when I say, that ' I believe in Jesus Christ,
His Only Son,' or the Only Son of God the Father ; I thereby
profess that I believe the said Jesus Christ to be truly God,
of one substance with the Father : which I must necessarily
believe, as ever I desire to be saved. For I can never
believe that any one can save me but He that made me ; the
Salvation of mankind being certainly as Divine a work as
the creation of the world : and therefore I must of necessity
believe Christ to be God, for otherwise I cannot believe in
Him as my Saviour, or that He is able to save me, that being
more than any one or all the creatures in the world can do.
But, blessed be His Name for it, there is no one article of
our faith more clearly revealed to us than this is ; and there-
fore I hope He will always keep me stedfast in the belief of
it to my life's end, that, believing and trusting on Him for
all things needful to my Salvation, I may then receive the
end of my faith, even the Salvation of my soul, by the same
"God my Saviour."
And I further believe that this Jesus Christ, the only Son
of God, is ' our Lord.' He is 'our Lord,' as He is the Son
of God our Maker ; as He is Jesus our Saviour ; and as He
is Christ our King. He hath absolute dominion over the
whole creation, but is, in a peculiar manner, the Lord of all
36
The Church Catechism Explained.
those wliom He hath redeemed and purchased to Him-
Titus2. 14. self. To whom He therefore saith, "Ye call Me Lord and
° " ■ ■ Master, and ye say well, for so I am," and I now, looking-
upon myself as in the number of them, call Him not only
my, but ' our Lord,' and desire accordingly to serve and
iCor. 6. 20. glorify Him both in my body and in my spirit, which
are His.
QUESTIONS.
Why is the Son of God called Jesus, or the Saviour ?
Why is He called Christ, or the Anointed ?
What was He anointed with ?
To what offices was He anointed ?
How do you prove that He was a Prophet?
Wherein did He, and still doth, manifest Himself to be a
Priest?
What kind of King is He ?
Of whom was He begotten ?
Is He a distinct person from the Father ?
Is He of one substance with the Father, or one and the
same God that He is?
How do you prove that ?
Did not His works shew it ?
Is this contrary to reason ?
Is it not necessary to believe that He is the true God ?
Why do you call Him ' our Lord?'
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, horn of the
Virgin Mary.
Although Jesus Christ was, from all eternity, begotten of
God the Father, in so wonderful and Divine a manner, that
He Himself is one and the same God with the Father, yet
in time He was pleased to become man too, like unto us, by
being conceived and born into the world as other men are,
but in a manner quite different from all other ; as it was
necessary He should be, that so He might be free from that
original sin that all are subject to, who are conceived and
born the ordinary way : wherefore, although He was con-
ceived, it was not, as other men are, by the help of man, but
The Creed.
37
' by the Holy Ghost :' and though He was born of a woman,
that woman was not like other women that bear children,
but a virgin, ' the Virgin Mary.'
I believe He ' was conceived by the Holy Ghost,' because
of the Angel's word sent from God to acquaint the said
virgin with it. For when He had said to her, " Behold
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and
shalt call His name Jesus:" the Blessed Virgin wondering
how that should be, seeing she knew not a man. He answered
and said to her, " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, Luke i. 35.
and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee ; there-
fore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee, shall
be called the Son of God." To which she having given her
consent, by saying, " Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be ver. as.
it unto me according to Thy word," I believe, as the Angel
then departed from her, so the Holy Ghost came accord-
ingly upon her, and by His Almighty power, that " Holy
Thing" was then conceived in her ; as the Angel told Joseph
also, to whom the said virgin was espoused : for he, finding
her after this to be with child, and therefore thinking to put
her away privily, the Angel said to him, " Fear not to take Matt. 1.20.
unto thee Mary thy wife ; for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost."
And as He was thus conceived by the Holy Ghost, so I
believe He was ' born of the Virgin Mary :' for it being in
her womb that He was conceived, He could be born of no
other but of her, and she must needs be a virgin still, in that
she had conceived no otherwise than by the immediate
power of God : for which reason also the Son of God is said
to be " made of a woman," in that he, the second or last Gal. 4.4.
Adam, was formed out of her substance, as the first Adam
was out of the dust of the ground by God himself. Gen. 2. 7.
Now seeing the only Son of God, or, which is the same,
God the Son, was thus conceived and born of a woman, I
believe that He thereby became the Son of Man too, or
really and truly man. As St. John saith, " the Word," or John 1. u.
Son of God, "was made flesh, and dwelt among us;" and
St. Paul, Jesus Christ " being [or subsisting] in the form Phii.2.5-7.
[or nature] of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God ; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon
38
The Church Catechism Explained.
Him the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of
men," that is, of the same nature that all men are of, con-
sisting of a reasonable soul and human flesh, with all the
faculties, members, and qualities that are proper and essen-
tial to either of them singly, or to both as united together :
as likewise with all the infirmities incident to mankind in
general. He ate, He drank. He slept; He was hungry,
and thirsty, and M'eary, and the like, but all without sin,
and such effects or consequences of it as particular men are
subject to : so that as He was truly God, He was now as
Tim. 2.5. truly " the Man Christ Jesus," " the man," man in general,
Cor.15.47. and the " second man," the whole nature of man being as
fully in Him as it was in the first man Adam.
But this the whole nature of man, thus assumed by the
Son of God, having never subsisted of itself out of His
Divine Person, but being taken into it at its first formation
or conception in the womb ; it could not make a person of
itself, distinct from the divine, no more than the body that
is formed together with the soul of a man, can make an
human person without it. Wherefore, although I believe
that Jesus Christ being begotten from all eternity of the
Father, is truly God ; and being born in time of a woman,
is truly man ; yet I do not believe that He is one Person as
God, and another Person as man, but that He is both God
and man in one and the same Person : according as I am
taught in the profession of faith, commonly called the Creed
of Athanasius, where it is said, that Jesus Christ, ' although
He be God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ ;
one, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by
taking of the manhood into God ; one altogether, not by
confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the
reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is
one Christ.'
And I further believe that it is necessary for me to be-
lieve this, even that Jesus Christ is thus God and man in
one Person, or that He is but one Person both as God
and man : because it is upon this that the virtue and eflficacy
of His sufferings for me chiefly depends. For if He had
been one Person as God, and another as man, then all His
sufferings as man would have been the sufterings only of an
Tlie Creed.
39
human, a finite person, and so would have terminated in
Himself, without affecting any, much less all other men :
neither would they have been any way proportionable to, or
satisfactory for, sins committed against the Infinite and
Eternal God.
Whereas He being both God and man in one Person,
though He suffered only in His manhood, yet His sufferings
were of infinite value and merit for all men, because they
were the sufferings of an Infinite, a Divine Person. Inso-
much that when they killed Him, they " killed the Prince of Acts 3. 15.
Life." They crucified " the Lord of Glory," and His blood 1 Cor. 2. s.
was the " blood of God," and therefore must needs be of Acts 20. 28.
sufficient worth and virtue to wash away all our sins ;
" hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down Uohns.ie.
His life for us." This I am taught to believe also in the
Creed itself ; for seeing the same person who is here called
the only Son of God, the same was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary, He must needs be still
one and the same Divine Person, after He was conceived
and born, that He was before.
QUESTIONS.
Why was Christ conceived and born in a different way
from other men ?
How was He conceived ?
Why do you believe that He was so conceived ?
Of whom was he born ?
How do you prove that she was a virgin ?
Did He thereby become a real man ?
Was He not then two persons, one as God and another
as man ?
Is it necessary to believe that He is both God and man
in one person ?
How do you prove He is so from the Creed ?
Is it necessary to believe this ?
How do you prove that it is so ?
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, teas crucified, dead, and
buried; he descended into Hell.
When Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, was thus mi-
40 The Church Catechism Explained.
raciilously conceived and born into the world, He afterwards
grew up by degrees, as other men do, to the ordinary stature
of a man ; living all the while in a private condition, till
He was about thirty years of age. But then being baptized
Luke^^2i, by John the Baptist, and anointed by the Holy Ghost,
3. 16, 17. He after that appeared publicly in the land of Judea, in
the time that Tiberius Caesar was emperor of Rome,
Luke 3. 1. and Pontius Pilate was under him, governor of Judea,
whose name was, therefore, put into the Creed, that man-
kind may always know in what age of the world Jesus
Christ lived, and how He came to die upon a cross : that
being a kind of death that was never inflicted upon any
by the Jews, but only by Roman governors, such as Pontius
Pilate was.
Under this Pontius Pilate, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
being now also a man, as such He lived a most holy life, and
went about doing good and working miracles, to shew forth
His Divine Power and Godhead : yet, nevertheless, He
' suffered,' that is, He underAvent a great deal of trouble
and sorrow in the world ; not for Himself, for He never
1 Pet. 2. 22. sinned, and therefore could never suffer for any thing that
He Himself did. But having taken our nature upon Him,
He suffered for us, and for our sins, which were laid upon
isa. 53.5,6; Huu. He Suffered reproach in His name, grief in His
1 Pet. 2 21 • .
3. 18 ; 4. 1.' heart, pain in His body, and all manner of affronts and in-
dignities that were offered Him. He was apprehended,
arraigned, accused, and condemned as a malefactor. He
was scourged. He was stripped, He was mocked. He had a
crown of thorns put upon His bare head, He was spit upon
Matt. 27. and abused, as if He had been the worst of men.
26, &c. ^l^jg^ i jjg suffered under Pontius Pilate;' by whose
order He was also crucified :' that is, a straight piece of
timber being set fast in the ground, with a cross beam to-
wards the upper end of it. His hands were fastened with
nails, the one to the one side, and the other to the other side
of the said cross beam, and His feet to the straight timber
that stood in the ground. His body being sustained or held
up by a little piece of wood that jetted out for that purpose
about the middle of the said timber. In this most painful
and ignominious posture. He hung for several hours toge-
The Creed.
41
ther ; and all for us, that He might redeem us from the
curse of the La^, by being made a curse for us ; for it is
written, " Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Gal. 3. is ;
From whence I believe it was necessary to our redemption, 23!]"*'
that He should not only suffer in general, but that He should
also suffer upon the cross, or be crucified ; that so He might,
in our stead, undergo that curse which God had denounced
' against every one that continueth not in all things written Gal. 3. 10;
in His law,' and therefore against every one of us. '
But for that end, it was necessary that He should not
only be crucified or nailed to the cross, but that He should
die too. For God hath said, that he will punish every sin
or transgression of His law with death. But all men are Gen. 2. 17 ;
guilty of sin, and, therefore, as such, are bound over by God's
Own Word to suffer death. jS^either do I see how it can be
possible, according to the revelations that God hath made
of Himself and His will to us, that any one should escape
this death which God Himself hath threatened, unless some
other hath undergone it in His stead. But this none was
ever capable of doing for us, but only Jesus Christ: He
being the only man that never sinned Himself; the only
man in general who had the whole nature of man in Him,
and so could suffer for anj- or for all that are of that nature ;
and the only man, too, who was God as well as man, and so
could suffer as much, yea, more, in their nature, than all
the men in the world could ever do in their own persons ;
and so was every way qualified to undergo the death which
God had threatened, in our stead, and so to make satisfac-
tion to the Law, to the justice, to the word, and to the truth
of God for us, that v, e, by Him, may not only escape death,
but likewise attain eternal life.
For this purpose, therefore. He was not only crucified,
but dead too f that is. He hung upon the cross so long, till
at length ' He gave up the ghost,' or died, and so offered Matt. 27.
up Himself as a sacrifice to God, for the sins, and in the 23.' 46.^^
stead, of all mankind. For "He died for our sins;" HeiCor. 15. 3.
was a " propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but 1 John 2.1,
also for the sins of the whole world ;" " He gave Himself a I'xim. 2. 6.
ransom for all," or instead of all ; " He tasted death for Heb. 2. 9.
every man;" for He took not on Him the i)erson, or the
42
The Church Catechism Explained.
nature, of any one or more particular men only, but the
nature of man in general, that which all and every man is
of. And, therefore, the death which He suffered in that
nature must needs be for every one that is of that nature ;
so that there is no man but may be saved by it, if he will but
John 3. 16. believe in Him as he ought.
Jesus Christ being thus ' dead,' I believe further that He
iCor. 15.4. was ' buried ;' that is. His body being now bereaved of its
soul, it was laid in a grave, tomb, or sepulchre, in the ground,
Mau.27.60. by Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, a ruler of the
John 19. 39. Jews. But in His soul He 'descended into Hell.' For
though as He was God, the penitent thief was to be with
Luke23.43. Him in Paradise the same day He died, yet as man He did
John 20. 17. not yet ascend unto the Father. But He Himself, in
Ps. 16. 10; David, said unto the Father, " Thou wilt not leave My soul
Acts 2. 27.
in Hell." From whence I cannot but believe also that He
went to Hell, although the end for which He went thither
be not clearly revealed by God, and therefore not necessary
to be known or determined by us. Be sure He suffered
nothing there; for He had suffered enough before for our
redemption ; as He shewed also, in that all the power of
Hell was not able to keep Him there ; which might be one
great end of His going thither ; even to shew that He had
suffered the extremity of the Law, paid the uttermost far-
thing, and so made complete satisfaction for us.
QUESTIONS.
Who was Pontius Pilate ?
Why was his name put into the Creed ?
Wliat did Jesus Christ suffer under him ?
For whom did He suffer ?
What do you mean by His being crucified?
Why was He crucified ?
Did He die upon the cross ?
Why was it necessary that He should die ?
For whom did He die?
What was done to His body after His death ?
Whither went His soul ?
What ground have you to believe it went to Hell ?
The Creed.
43
The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended
into Heaven, andsitteth at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty.
Although Jesus Christ died, -was buried, and descended
into Hell, and so was truly in the number of the dead for
some time, yet He afterwards ' rose again from the dead;'
that is, the same soul that departed from His body upon the
cross, was again united to the same body, so that He revived
and became alive again, as He was before He died. For
this is attested by all the Evangelists, and many others who
saw him and conversed with Him after He was risen again. Acts 13. 30,
yea, and saw the prints of the wounds which the nails, ?5.'4,'5^&c.
wherewith he was fastened to the cross, had made in His
hands and feet, and which the spear wherewith He was Luke 24. 39.
pierced, had made in His side, whereby they were fully joi^ 19
assured that it was the very same body which they had seen
before upon the cross.
Neither do I only believe that Christ rose again from the
dead, but that He rose again ' the third day,' that is, the
third day from or after His death inclusively, the day on
which He died being reckoned for one, and the day on
which He rose for another, according to the common way
of speaking among all people, and particularly the Jews. 1 Cor. 15.4.
And I further believe, that as He died for us, so He like-
wise rose again for us. "For He was delivered for our Rom. 4.25.
oflFences, and raised again for our justification."
But for that purpose, after He was risen from the dead.
He continued only forty days upon earth, and then ' He Acts 1. 3.
ascended into Heaven;' that is. He in that soul and body
which He had assumed, and in which He died and rose
again, He, in the same soul and body, and so in the whole
nature of man united to His Divine Person, was taken
from the earth and carried up to that high and holy place
M hich we call Heaven, where the glorified Saints and Angels
live and enjoy God. And He was no sooner there, but He Luke 24.
was set ' at the right hand of God ;' that is. He was made 9.11.
much better than the Angels. " Angels, and authorities, Hebl'i'; g^^f,
and powers, being made subject to Him." For God hath p^*'^^ gi^"
there " highly exalted Him, and given Him a name that is 11.
44 The Church Catechism Explained.
above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth, and that every tongue should con-
fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Eph. 1. 20- Father." Yea, God hath now " set Him at His Own right
hand, in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave
Him to be Head over all things to the Church."
Thus the man Christ Jesus, immediately upon His ascen-
sion into Heaven, ' was set at the right hand of God,' ad-
vanced to the highest degree of honour in the world, and
vested with absolute and supreme authority over all ihings
Matt.28.18. in it. " All power is given to Him both in Heaven and
Johns. 22, earth." For "the Father judgeth no man, but hath cora-
mitted all judgment to the Son ; that all men should honour
the Son, even as they honour the Father." So that He is
1 Tim. 6. now " Lord of lords, and King of kings, the only Potentate ;"
the universal Monarch of Heaven and earth ; the Governor
of all the creatures in the world. They are all and every
one not only in His hand, but under His feet, that He may
do and deal with them as He pleaseth : for He is " Head
over all things;" and that also "to the Church;" for the
good and benefit of the Church, which He hath purchased
with His Own blood ; and therefore we may be sure He
Matt. 16. takes care that, according to His promise, " the gates of
Hell should never prevail against it," which they would
certainly do, if He had not such absolute dominion over
them and all things else ; that as the Father ordereth all
things for the good of the world in general, so Christ the
Son doth the same for his Church in particular, that all
things may work together for the good of that, and of every
Rom. 8. 28. sound member in it.
And as Jesus Christ, being set at the right hand of God
the Father Almighty, is Himself also an Almighty King,
and can do whatsoever He will ; so He sits there likewise
Ps. no. 4 ; as a Priest, " a Priest for ever." He hath " an unchange-
ver!'24 25! able priesthood, ever living to make intercession for them
who come unto God by Him." For them He intercedeth.
The Creed.
45
but for none else. Though we often read that He died for
all, it is nowhere written that He maketh intercession for
all. But He Himself saith He doth not, where, speaking
to His Father of such as believe in Him, He saith, " I pray John, 17.
for them, I pray not for the world." And that is the reason Mauao^sl"
why, thougli He died for all, yet all are not saved by His
death, because they will not believe in Him, nor come unto
God by Him, and therefore He doth not a^-eply the merits
of His death to them, by making intercession for them : but
for all true believers He intercedes with the Father, that
they may be justified and saved by virtue of that great pro-
pitiation which He hath made for the sins of the world.
And the Father always hearing Him, they are all accord- John ii. 42.
ingly justified and saved by Him, or through His mediation
and intercession for them. Who is the " only Mediator be- 1 Tim. 2. 5.
tween God and men."
Where by ' His mediation or intercession,' I do not un-
derstand any formal request or supplication that He maketh
to the Father for us, but His appearing before Him in our
nature and in our behalf. As it was typified in the old law,
when the high-priest went on the day of expiation into the
most holy place, he only carried some of the blood of his
sacrifice with him, and sprinkling it about, he thereby made
atonement and reconciliation for himself and the people : so Lev. 16.
Christ having offered up Himself in our nature for the sins
of the world. He in the same nature entered into Heaven,
and in it " appeareth there in the presence of God for us," Heb. 9. 24.
and thereby maketh atonement, reconciliation, and inter-
cession for us ; His body being there a standing monument
of the great propitiation that He hath made for our sins.
So that God the Father having that always in His eye, is
pleased to receive us into His grace and favour, only upon
His Son's appearing so before Him in our behalf, and willing
to have the merits of His death applied to us for our pardon
and salvation. According as He prayed also when He was
upon earth, " Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast John 17.24.
given Me be with Me where I am."
This intercession, I believe, Jesus Christ is continually
making in Heaven for all His faithful people upon earth.
For He was not only set there at first, but, as it is in the
46
The Church Catechism Explained.
Creed, ' He sitteth at the right hand of God :' He sitteth
there at this time, and at all times continually : and so never
ceaseth to make intercession for us : but we may always
Heb. 9.24. say, "He now appeareth in the presence of God for us."
Hence it is, that although the Almighty Creator and Go-
vernor of the world be continually offended by all men upon
earth ; yet He is good and kind unto them all : but infi-
nitely gracious and merciful to such as repent and believe
the Gospel, because they have a Mediator or Advocate
sitting continually at His right hand, and interceding there
so effectually for them, that their sins are all pardoned, and
Acts 5. 31 ; God is perfectly reconciled to them. They are justified or
2Cor. 5. 18, g^ggQj^j,(.gj righteous in His sight. Their prayers are heard,
8^°33' 34^^' whatsoever they ask in His Name, if it be good, it is cer-
John 14-^1^3, tainly done for them. They are continually sanctified, di-
Phii. 4'. 13! rected, and assisted by His Holy Spirit ; so that they " can
do all things through Christ Which strengtheneth them."
And all the good works they do, though imperfect in them-
iPet. 2. 5. selves, yet are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Heb. 7.25. " Who therefore is able to save to the uttermost them who
come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make in-
Johnu. 2. tercession for them," and is "preparing a place for them in
His Father's house," where they will all join together in
Rev. 7. 10. praising Him for bringing them thither, saying, " Salvation
to our God Which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
John 1. 29. Lamb:" " the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of
the world."
QITESTIONS.
What do you mean by Christ's rising from the dead ?
How do you prove He did so ?
In what sense did He rise the third day ?
For what purpose did He rise again ?
What part of Him went up to Heaven ?
Where did He sit when He came there ?
What do you understand by His sitting at the right hand
of God ?
What power hath He there ?
To what end is it given Him ?
What doth He do there ?
The Creed.
47
For M hom cloth He intercede ?
What do you mean by His mediation or intercession ?
How doth He make it ?
How often doth He intercede for us?
What benefits do we receive thereby 1
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
It is now about 1670* years since Jesus Christ ascended
into Heaven, where He hath been ever since, and is now,
sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. But
He shall one day ' come from thence ;' that is. He shall come
from Heaven to earth again. As the two Angels acquainted
His Apostles at His ascension, saying, "Ye men of Galilee, Acts i. ii.
why stand ye gazing up into Heaven ? This same Jesus
which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven." He
went to Heaven in a cloud, with an innumerable company ver. 9.
of holy Angels surrounding and attending upon Him. And
so He will come again from thence " in great glory ;" for all
the holy Angels shall come along with Him. He shall come Matt.25.31.
again " with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and 1 Thess. 4.
with the trump of God ;" for " He shall send His Angels Matt.24.31.
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather to-
gether His elect from the four winds, from one end of
Heaven to the other." Then the dead shall be raised, and
all mankind shall see the Son of Man thus " coming in the 3o.
clouds of Heaven with power and great glory." What a
glorious sight will that be !
But " of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the Matt.24.36.
Angels of Heaven, but the Father only." God hath been
pleased to conceal it from all the world, that all the world
may be in daily expectation of it. But this we know, that
it shall be at the end of the world. It shall be the last day ch. 24.3.
that the world shall continue in that state and form it is
now in. For "the Heaven and the earth which now are, by
the same word " whereby they were made, " are kept in 2 Pet. 3. 7.
store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment, and
perdition of ungodly men." But " the day of the Lord will ver. 10.
come as a thief in the night, in the which the Heavens shall
* This exposition of the Catechism was first published in the year MOi— Editor.
48
The Church Catechism Explained.
pass away witli a great noise, and the elements sliall melt
with fervent heat ; the earth also, and the works that are
therein, shall be burnt up."
At that day the Lord Jesus shall come from Heaven to
judge the world, as He came at first to save it. For the
John 5. 22. " Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
ver. 27. to the Son," and hath " given Him authority to execute
judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." Yea, He
Acts 17. 31. hath appointed "the day in the which He will judge the
world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained,
whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He
hath raised Him from the dead." It is God therefore that
will judge the world, but He will do it by the Man Christ
Jesus, Who, as man, now sitteth at the right hand of the
Father, above all the creatures in the world ; and as man
too, at the Last Day, will execute His authority over them,
by passing judgment upon them. So that we shall then see
our Judge in our own nature, and hear Him pronouncing
sentence upon us, which we may be confident shall be most
perfectly just and righteous, in that although He doth it as
man, yet He that doth it being God too, as such He is per-
fectly acquainted with every thing that we, or any creature
in the world, ever thought, or spake, or did.
Thus therefore the Lord Jesus shall "judge the world,"
that is. He shall review and examine all men's lives, and
call every one to account for all his actions from first to last,
Eccles. 12. whether secret or open : for " God will bring every work to
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
Rom. 2. 16. whether it be evil," and will "judge the secrets of men by
Matt.12.36. Jesus Christ." And He Himself hath told us, that " every
idle Avord that men shall speak, they shall give an account
thereof at the Day of Judgment," and so they shall of their
not doing what they ought, as well as of their doing what
ch. 25. 42, they ought not. All this He will then examine, not as if
He did not know it before, but that all other men may
know that He knew it, and so their own consciences like-
wise may witness for or against them. After which He will
pronounce judgment upon all; justifying the righteous, and
ver. 46. condemning the wicked. And " these shall go into everlast-
ing punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."
The Creed.
49
He shall thus judge " both the quick and the dead," that Acts 10.42;
is, both those who shall be quick or alive at the time of His 1 peT. l. 5.'
coming, and those who died before, and so shall be then
dead. There will be doubtless many then living upon earth,
perhaps as many, if not more than there are now : these
therefore shall not sleep, or die, but "they shall all be iCor.15.51.
changed." The righteous which shall then remain alive,
shall, together with those who died before in Christ, be
caught up " in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." 1 Thess. 4.
And all others shall be changed too ; for they shall be sum-
moned to appear before His judgment-seat, and be there
adjudged by Him to their eternal state. And so shall the
apostate angels too, for " they [also] are reserved unto the 2 Pet. 2. 4;
judgment of the great day." This they themselves know,
and that Jesus Christ also shall be their Judge. As a^ipears
from their saying to Him, " Art Thou come to torment us Matt. 8.29.
before the time?"
And as all that shall be then alive, so the dead too shall
be then judged: for they shall all be raised up to life again.
Adam himself and his whole posterity ; every one that ever
lived upon the face of the earth, or ever shall. We shall
all then meet together in a body. For " we must all appear 2Cor.5. 10.
before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may
receive the things done in the body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad."
QUESTIONS.
From whence will Christ come?
How will He come?
When will He come ?
What will He come to do ?
What do you mean by His judging the world ?
What will be the issue of His judging it ?
Whom do you understand by the quick and dead ?
Shall the devils or fallen angels be then judged?
Shall all mankind be judged, and you and I among the
rest?
How do you prove that ?
E
60
Church Catechism Explained.
I believe in the Holy Ghost.
The first words of the Creed, ' I believe,' which have
hitherto served to all the articles concerning God the Father
and God the Son, are here repeated concerning- God the
Holy Ghost; that we may the more clearly and expressly
declare our belief in Him, in the same way and manner as
in the other two Divine Persons. And accordingly, ' I be-
lieve in the Holy Ghost,' as a distinct Person from the
Father and the Son, but of one Divine Essence or Substance
with them.
I believe, first, that He Who in the Scriptures is called
the Holy Ghost, that is, the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of
God, is not the same Person that is called the Father, nor
the same that is called the Son, but that He is a Person,
in Himself, distinct from both them. This I believe, not
only because they are all Three, and He among them, often
Matt. 28. named together as Three distinct Persons, but likewise be-
13.' 14; 7' cause He is said to be sent in the same sense, after the same
John 5. 7. xnanner, and at the same time, both by the Father and the
Johni4.26; Son. Which plainly shews that He is a distinct Person
15- 2 , 16. both, and also that He comes or proceeds from both,
from the Son as well as from the Father, as appears also
from His being called the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit
Rom. 8. 9; of the Son as well as of the Father, and from His being- said
1 Pet 111- . . .
Gal. 4. 6. ' to receive of the Son, all which is the same thing in effect,
John 16. 14, -vvrj^icii otherwise call His proceeding from Him.
AVherefore, although He be nowhere in the Scripture
expressly said to proceed from the Son, as He is said to
ch. 15. 26. proceed from the Father ; yet it is so plainly implied, and
so necessarily inferred from those other expressions, that I
cannot but believe that He proceedetli both from the Father
and the Son ; only with this distinction, that the Father
hath the Spirit proceeding from Him, in and of Himself ;
whereas the Son hath it in Himself but of the Father, of
Whom He was begotten, and so received all He is or hath
as God, and therefore this too, even the Spirit's proceeding
from Him : as He Himself also intimates, where He saitli,
ch. ifi. 15. " All things that the Fatlier hath are Mine : tlierefore, said
The Creed.
61
I, He, the Holy Spirit, shall take of Mine, and shall shew it
unto you."
But as the Son was so begotten of the Father as to be
one God with Him, the Holy Ghost so proceedeth from the
Father and the Son, that He is oue and the same God
that they are. For there is but one God, and the Holy
Ghost is often declared to be that one God, as well as the
Father and the Son. When St. Peter had said that Ananias
had " lied to the Holy Ghost," in the next verse he saith,
that he had " lied to God." St. Paul saith, " Know ye not f^^'^^/- ^j*-
that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?" and again elsewhere, he saith, that the
bodies of the saints are " the Temples of the Holy Ghost," ch. 6. 19.
which could not be unless the Holy Ghost be God : for it is
God's inhabitation only that makes a place to be a temple ;
at least, to be a Temple of God.
The same thing appears also from our Saviour's saying,
that the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.
"What that is, we may learn from the occasion of His speak-
ing it. He had cast out a devil " by the Spirit of God." ^latt. 12.
The Pharisees said. He did it " by Beelzebub, the prince of ver. 24.
the devils," upon which our Lord saith, " All manner of sin ^er- 3i.
and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blas-
phemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto
men," and the reason why He said so was, "because they ^^ark 3. 30.
said He hath an unclean spirit." From whence it appears,
that the sin against the Holy Ghost is properly that kind of
blasphemy when a man saith, that the works which Christ
did by the Spirit of God were done by the Devil, and so, in
effect, calls the Spirit of God a devil, an unclean spirit, and,
by consequence, Christ himself an impostor : which, if true,
no sin could be forgiven : and then it is no wonder if that
shall never be so ; at least to those who, living at that time,
saw Christ do His wonderful works, and yet had the im-
pudence to blaspheme that Holy Spirit by which He did
them.
Whether any in this age can be guilty of this sin as they
were, I shall not determine : but am sure it behoveth all
men to keep as far from it as they can, and for that purpose
never to blaspheme, or say anv thing against God's Holy
52
llie Church Catechism Explained.
Spirit, that so they may be sure never to fall into the
unpardonable sin : which, although it be not therefore
unpardonable because He is God, yet unless He was God,
it could not be unpardonable. And therefore this is an
undeniable argument of His Godhead. And all had best
take care how they deny it, and so blaspheme the Holy
Ghost.
There are many other places all over the Bible where the
Holy Ghost is expressly called ' God,' and Jehovah, ' the
Lord:' and where the works and properties of God, such
also as are incommunicable to any creature, are attributed
unto Him : and which by consequence demonstrate the
Holy Ghost to be the one living and true God so clearly,
[Vol. VII. that I cannot but believe this as firmly as any article of our
187.] Christian faith.
Neither can any doubt of it, who believe the Holy Scrip-
2Tim.3. 16. ture to be the Word of God, or to be " given by inspiration
of God." For the God Whose Word it is, and by Whose
inspiration it w^as given, is the Holy Ghost. It was He
that spake in and by the Prophets, or they by Him, by His
Marki2.36. direction and inspiration. " David said, by the Holy Ghost,
Acts 28. 25. The Lord said unto my Lord ;" " Well spake the Holy
Heb. 3. 7 ; Ghost by Esaias the prophet ;" " As the Holy Ghost saith,
9.V|T(l isj To-day if ye will hear His voice." Wherefore when the
J^: 2 Pet' J' prophets say, "Thus saith the Lord," their meaning is,
21- ' Thus saith the Holy Ghost,' as the prophet Agabus ex-
Acts 21. 11. pressed it, which is so full a demonstration of His Godhead,
that I see no place left to doubt of it.
Hence, therefore, ' I believe,' according as this article is
explained in the IN'icene Creed, ' I believe in the Holy
Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life,' or rather, according to
the Greek, ' the Lord and the Giver of Life.' For He is
not here said to be the Lord of Life, as he is the Giver of .
it (as our English translation may be misconstrued), but
the Lord in general, Jehovah, the Almighty God ; and the
John 6. 63. Giver, the Maker, the Author of Life, of all life, both
natural and spiritual. ' Who proceedeth from the Father
and the Son ; who with the Father and the Son together is
worshipped and glorified,' as being of one substance, power,
and glory with them ; " Who spake by the prophets." To
i
The Creed.
53
Whom we are therefore obliged for all the revelations that
God hath made of Himself and His will to mankind, by
any of the Prophets since the world began. " For the pro- 2Pet. 1.21.
phecy came not in old time by the will of men, but holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
According as our Saviour said to His Apostles, " It is not ye Matt.10.20.
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father Which speaketh in
you."
QUESTIONS.
Why do you here say again, I believe ?
What do you mean by the Holy Ghost ?
Is He the same Person with the Father and the Son?
From whom doth He proceed ?
Is He one God with the Father and the Son?
How do you prove that?
What is the sin against the Holy Ghost?
What hath He done for us ?
How do you prove that He spake by the Prophets?
What is meant by His being the Lord and Giver of Life ?
How were the Holy Scriptures given us ?
The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the
Forgiveness of Sins.
By the word ' Church,' I here understand the company or
congregation of all such people as profess to believe in the
true God, and to worship and serve Him, according to the
revelations that He hath made of Himself and of His will
to them. Sonie such people I believe there always have
been in the world ; and therefore a Church in all ages, since
the beginning of it. In the middle age between the first
and last Adam, God was pleased to reveal Himself in a
more especial manner to Abraham ; and to promise that
Christ, the last Adam and Saviour of the world (as the first
was the destroyer of it), should be born of his seed. And
from that time forward, his family and posterity, the Jews
or Israelites, were the Church of God all along until Christ
was accordingly born and appeared among them. So that
wheresoever they were, there was the Church. Which is
54
The Church Catechism Explained.
therefore said to be " in tlie wilderness," wlien tliey were
Acts 7. 38. there.
But now, I believe, ' the Church' is not confined to that
or any one nation or people, but is Catholic, that is to say,
general or universal, spread over the face of the whole
earth : there being no nation or people but what either are
Matt.28.19. or may be of it. For our Saviour commanded His Apostles
to make all nations His disciples, and bring them into His
Church by Baptism. And accordingly we find that the
Gentiles were soon after brought into it as well as the Jews.
Since which time there always hath been, and still is, a Ca-
tholic Church ; that is to say, a congregation of all Christian
1 Cor. 1. 2. people dispersed throughout the world, even of " all that
in every place call upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
both theirs and ours." For all that do so are neither Jews
eh. 10 32 Gentiles, but " the Church of God," that Church with-
out which there is no Salvation : forasmuch as " there is no
name given under Heaven among men whereby we must be
Acts 4. 12. saved," but the Name of Jesus Christ, But His Name is
made known and professed only in His Church. And
ch. 2. 47. therefore "the Lord added to the Church daily such as
should be saved." And that is also the reason why there
Matt.16.18. always was, and always will be, a Church upon earth, and
likewise why it is now so necessary for all to believe tlie
Church to be Catholic ; that every one may look upon it to
be as free for him as for any other to be added to it, that he
may be saved.
I believe, further, that this Catholic Church is holy. Not
but that there are many unholy persons in it; many who
profess the Name of Christ, but will not observe His laws:
as H6 Himself foreshewed, by comparing His Church to a
ch 3 24 ^^^^ wherein there are tares as well as wheat, and to a net
25- that gathereth of every kind, " good and bad," yet never-
theless the whole Church, as such, is holy, in respect of the
holy doctrine which it teacheth, the holy discipline which it
exerciseth, the holy laws which it publisheth, the holy wor-
ship which it performeth, the holy Sacraments which it
administereth, and especially in respect of its most holy
Eph. 5. 23, Head, Jesus Christ.
2/ , Col. 1. jje having " purchased His Church with His Own
The Creed.
55
blood," He looks upon it as His Own body, which He, as Acts 20. 28.
the Head, actuates and influences by His Holy Spirit, moving
and working- in His Word and Sacraments as there admi-
nistered, by officers constituted and appointed by Himself
for that purpose. By which means all that are admitted ^^''^ j^^^^^'
into His Church may be sanctified or made holy. If any 12.' 28.
be not, it is their own fault. But none can ever become
truly holy, but only in the Catholic Church. Which there-
fore may well be called holy, as the particular Church orceut. 7. 6;
people of the Jews often is in the Old Testament. ^•
But though there may be none elsewhere, I believe that
in Christ's Holy Catholic Church there is a * Communion
of Saints ;' that is to say, a company or society of holy per-
sons, who are "called to be Saints," and are accordingly 1 cor. 1. 2.
" sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus," so as to be Acts 26. is.
" holy, as He who hath called them is holy in all manner iPet. 1.15.
of conversation." These are truly the servants of the Most
High God, His children. His elect, " a chosen generation, a ch. 2.9.
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people ; that
they should shew forth the praises of Him Who hath called
them out of darkness into His marvellous light." They, as
" lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priest- ver. 5.
hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ," which they strive to do with all their might :
making it their constant care and study to serve and please
God, by doing all such good works as He hath set them.
And God is graciously pleased to accept of what they do,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, their Mediator and Ad-
vocate with Him. In Whom they have likewise the Almighty
Governor of the world always reconciled unto them, and
well pleased with them : they have His Holy Spirit to
direct and assist them in all their actions : they have His
Holy Angels " to keep them in all their ways." They have Ps. 91. 11.
" all things working together for their good." And there- Rom. s. 28.
fore, whatsoever their outward condition may seem to be,
they are always happy, and the only happy people in the
world.
This is that which we call the ' Invisible Church,' a dis-
tinct society from the rest of mankind, having a peculiar
56
The Church Catechism Explained.
fellowship or coninumion both with the Father and with His
iJohn 1. 3. Son Jesus Christ, and likewise with one another, or among
Eph. 2. 19. themselves, as being fellow-citizens together, and " of the
Household of God." Fellow-members in the same body,
iCor.12.13. the body of Christ : for " by one Spirit they are all baptized
into one body." Therefore, as we have many members in
one body, and all members have not the same office ; so the
Rom. 12. 4, Saints " being many, are one body in Christ, and every one
members one of another." By which means all the true
Saints of God, in what part of the world soever they live,
they have the same fellowship as the members of the same
body have with one another; being all actuated, influenced,
and governed by one and the same Spirit : for through Him
Eph. 2. 18. in Whom they are, they have all " access by one Spirit unto
the Father." And how far soever they live asunder, among
ch. 4. 4-6. them all there is " one body, one Spirit, even as they are all
called in one hope of their calling"; one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all,
and through all, and in them all."
From whence ariseth that strict union and ' Communion
of Saints,' that they all think the same thing ; they are all
of one mind in all things necessary to Salvation : they ' love
as brethren ;' and strive about nothing but which should
serve God best, and do most good in the world ; every one
Phu. 3. 14. " jiressing towards the mark for the prize of the high call-
Eph. 4. 13. ing of God in Jesus Christ," till they " all come, in the
unity of the Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
Col. 1. 12. the fulness of Christ,'' and so are " meet to be partakers of
the Inheritance of the Saints in light." God grant that I
may be of this Holy Communion; that I may be numbered
with the Saints in glory everlasting.
Eccies. 7. But " there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good,
and sinneth not," that is, transgresseth not the Law of God ;
1 John 3. 4. foi" " sin is the transgression of the Law." And every trans-
gression of the Law in thought, word, or deed, is sin. But
every sin deserveth death, and is threatened with it by God
Rom. 6.23; Himsclf. And therefore all having sinned, there are none
GaT. 3^ lo!' but who want to have their sins forgiven before they can be
The Creed.
57
saved. But I believe that, in the Holy Catholic Church,
' forgiveness of sins' may be had; and that all that are of
the Communion of Saints have it by Christ.
For " in Him they have Redemption through His blood, Eph. i. 7;
even the forgiveness of sins." That is, whereas they, as ^'
well as all other people, have sinned, or transgressed the
Law of God, and are therefore bound over to suflPer the
punishments which He hath threatened against those who
do so : they, upon their repentance and faith in Christ, are
discharged from their obligation to suffer the said punish-
ments, being redeemed or bought off by the blood of Christ,
which was " shed for many, for the remission of sins." It Matt.26.28.
was shed for all, but so that none have remission of sins by
it except they believe. But how many soever believe in
Him, as all the Saints do, their sins are actually remitted,
and all their obligations to punishment for them cancelled
and made poid by it. . For as He once shed His blood, so by
virtue of that He is always making intercession for them ;
and doth it so effectually, that His death being accepted of
instead of theirs, they are no longer obnoxious to the pu-
nishments that were due unto their sins ; but are as perfectly
absolved and acquitted from them as if they had never
sinned.
Neither is that all ; for their sins being so forgiven, they
are also justified; that is (as our Church explains it in the
Article of Justification), ' they are accounted righteous
before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, by faith, not for their own works or deserv-
ings.' Whatsoever good works they do, as be sure they do
all they can, they cannot deserve or merit any thing at all
from God by them, much less so much as that they should
be accounted righteous before Him, notwithstanding that
they are not perfectly so in themselves. But Christ having
been made "sin [or a sin-offering] for them, [to that end 2Cor. 5.21.
and purpose] that they might be made the righteousness
of God in Him,'' therefore what is wanting in themselves,
they have it abundantly in Him.
For being by faith engrafted into Him, the True Vine,
and so made members of His body, they partake of His
merits and righteousness. " They are found in Him not Phil. 3. 9.
58
The Church Catechism Explained.
having their own righteousness, which is of the Law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith." And having such perfect right-
eousness as that is in Christ, they are thereby justified, as
they well may, or accounted righteous before God. By
which means the great loss which manliind sustained in
their first parent, is now fully repaired in so wonderful a
Rom. 5. 19. manner, that " as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of One many are made
righteous ;" as righteous in Him the second Adam, as they
were made sinners by the first: and being " thus justified by
faith, they have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus
ch. 5. 1. Christ." " This honour have all His Saints."
[Ps. 49. 9.]
QUESTIONS.
What do you understand by the word ' Church V
How long hath there been a Church ?
Where was it before Christ was born ?
What mean you by the word ' catholic?'
What by the Catholic Church ?
Why is it necessary to believe the Church to be catholic?
In what respects is it said to be holy ?
Can we be sanctified or saved any where but in the
Church ?
What is meant by the Communion of Saints ?
Who are Saints ?
What communion have they together?
What is sin ?
What do you mean by the forgiveness of sins ?
Whose sins are forgiven ?
By what means are their sins forgiven?
What do you understand by their being justified ?
How are they justified ?
What benefit have they thereby ?
The Resurrection of the Body, and the Life Everlasting.
By the ' resurrection of the body,' I here understand and
believe, that every body that ever was informed or endued
with a reasonable soul, and is afterwards parted from it
by death, although it be then reduced to earth again, or
The Creed.
59
eaten up of worms, or beasts, or fishes, or any other way
consumed, and the parts of it scattered abroad and dis-
persed all over the eai-th, yet, at the last day, all the parts
and particles of it shall come together again, every one into
its proper place where it was before, so as to make up again
the same individual body ; to which the same soul that
before departed from it, being again united, the same person
that before died, shall revive, or rise to life again. So that
every human person that ever did, or ever shall die, from
the beginning to the end of the world, shall then rise again
and live as really as ever he did before.
That this is possible I cannot doubt, who believe that
God is Almighty, and can do what He will ; and that He
will thus raise up our bodies to life again, I believe, because
He Himself hath said He will. We have His Own Word
for it, not only in the New, but likewise in the Old Testa-
ment. For there also He hath declared this to be His will
so plainly, that they who believed Moses and the Prophets
believed also the resurrection of the dead ; as appears in
that this was generally believed by all the Jews in our
Saviour's time, except some few among them called Sad- -^^^^^
ducees, who denied it. f'^' A.cts23.
But what little reason they had to deny it appears from ^att. 22.
the weak question they propounded to our Lord about it,
Who also convinced them of their error by an argument
drawn from Moses himself, so as that they had not one
word to say for it. " But as touching the resurrection of ver. 31,32;
the dead," said He, " have ye not read that which was ^^2^*^
spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ? God is not
the God of the dead, but of the living ; " for " all live unto Luke2o.38.
Him." Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were then dead, and
yet God said to Moses, that He was their God ; which Exod. 3. 6,
could not be if they should always continue in a state of
death. For " He is not the God of the dead, but of the
living." The dead are not in being as men ; and then He
could not possibly be their God. He could not be the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when there were no
such persons in the world, nor ever would be, unless they
rise again : and therefore His calling Himself their God,
60
The Church Catechism Explained.
was an undeniable argument that He would raise them up
again from death to life. And if He would raise them, then,
by necessary consequence, all other too.
Especially considering, that " all live to God." They
also who are dead to us, live to Him ; to Whom all things are
present, and therefore the resurrection, which being certainly
determined by God, He looks upon the dead as if they were
already raised and now living : as He plainly shewed in
calling Himself their God. But if the dead should never
rise again, they could not live to Him : for they would never
live again at all, and so would be utterly incapable of having
God to be their God :
Wherefore God, by saying that He was their God, plainly
declared that He would raise them up to life again ; which,
therefore, is so clear and evident a proof of the resurrection,
that I do not wonder that the Sadducees " were put to
Matt.22.34. silence" at their first hearing it.
There are many other places in the Old Testatnent, where
this great truth is revealed to us : but in the New it is so
fully explained and proved, that no Christian can doubt of
1 Cor. 15. it. Insomuch that I believe, that as really as I am now
Rev. 2o! 12, alive, and as certainly as I shall never die, I shall be raised
again to life at the Last Day : and not only I, but all man-
kind that ever did or shall die, both just and unjust. For,
as our Lord Himself hath taught us, " the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice,
and shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation."
And as I thus believe ' the resurrection of the dead,' I
believe also ' the life everlasting,' that shall follow upon it.
For I believe, that when the dead shall be raised up to life
again at the Last Day, they shall never die any more, but
from that day forward they shall live for ever. For they
shall be no sooner raised, but they shall all appear before
the judgment-seat of Christ, Who shall adjudge them all to
their everlasting state ; the wicked to everlasting punish-
Matt.25.46. meut, and the righteous to everlasting life.
To the wicked He will then say, as He Himself hath told
ver. 41. us beforehand, " Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting
John 5. 28,
29.
The Creed.
61
fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels." So that He
will then " take vengeance on them that know not God, and axhess. i.
that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : who '
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the pre-
sence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." They
shall be " cast forth into outer darkness, where shall be Matt. s. 12.
weeping and gnashing of teeth," " where the worm dieth Mark 9. 44.
not, and the fire is not quenched," where they shall live
with the fiends of Hell, and sufi'er the same unexpressible
pains and torments which were at first prepared for them,
not only for some ages, but to all eternity.
But the saints, or " righteous, shall then shine forth as Matt.13.43.
the sun in the Kingdom of their Father;" for the Judge
shall say to them, at that day, " Come, ye blessed of My ch. 25. 34.
Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world." Every one of them being a son,
and therefore an heir of God, shall inherit a kingdom : a
kingdom not newly erected, but prepared for them from
the foundation of the world, of all things that were then
made: for they shall every one " inherit all things." A Rev. 21.7.
kingdom Avhere there is "no night, nor any need of the sun ch. 21.23;
or moon to shine in it ; for the glory of the Lord shall ^'
lighten it ;" under the light of Whose countenance shining
continually upon them, they, being made equal to the Holy
Angels, shall live with them in perfect love, and j^eace, and
joy, and glory, and happiness, for ever. This is that which
in the Holy Scriptures is called " everlasting life," and
which I therefore believe shall be conferred upon all that John 3. 16.
believe in the " only-begotten Son of God."
To Whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be
all honour and glory, now and for ever.
QUESTIONS.
What do you mean by the resurrection of the body ?
Did the Jews believe it ?
What ground had they for it ?
Why do you believe it ?
What do you understand by everlasting life?
What kind of life thall wicked people live for ever ?
62 The Church Catechism Explained.
What is that everlasting life which the righteous shall
have ?
Q. What dost thou chiefly learn in these articles of thy
belief?
A. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, Who hath
made me and all the world.
Secondly, In God the Son, Who hath redeemed me and all
mankind.
Thirdly, In God the Holy Ghost, Who sanctifieth me and
all the elect people of God.
Our Blessed Saviour, a little before His ascension, com-
manded and empowered His Apostles to " go and teach," or
Matt.28.19. (as the original word signifies) make all nations His disciples,
by baptizing them " in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost," which was perfectly a new
institution. For though baptizing, that is, dipping, or
washing, or sprinkling with water, was commonly used in
admitting proselytes, and upon other occasions among the
Jews before ; yet never in this form, in the Name of the
Three Divine Persons, as our Saviour here commandeth it
to be done ; and thereby hath given us reason to believe,
that the Jews understood what was meant by these terms,
" the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." For other-
wise our Saviour would have spoken unintelligibly to them ;
which we cannot imagine He would, in the institution of a
Sacrament. But they being conversant in the writings of
Moses and the Prophets, had often read, as of the Father,
so of the Son, or Word of God ; and likewise of the Holy
Ghost, or Spirit of God. And they knew well enough that
these are not creatures, but that each of them is God : as
appears particularly concerning the Son, from their saying
John 5. 18. that Jesus Christ, by calling Himself" the Son of God," or
ch. 10.33. saying that God was His Father, made Himself equal with
God, and, which is the same, made Himself God. For this
plainly shews, that although they would not own Jesus to
be the person, yet they believed that God hath a Son, and
that this Son is equal with God, or that He is God Himself,
of the same essence with the Father.
The Creed.
63
But this fundamental article of our belief, the Trinity in
Unity, even that these three, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost, are one God, is now so plainly revealed in
the Holy Scripture, given by His inspiration, that none can
doubt of it who believe what is there written ; and so
necessary to be believed, that we can believe none of the
articles that belong to our Salvation, unless we first believe
this. We cannot believe in God the Father, unless we
believe He hath a Son begotten of Himself : for otherwise
He would not be truly a Father. We cannot believe in one
God, unless we believe tlie Father and the Son to be one.
We cannot believe in the Son, for our redemption, unless
we believe Him to be God, forasmuch as it cost more to
redeem us, than any could give but God Himself We
cannot believe in the Holy Ghost, to sanctify us, unless we
believe Him to be God. For none, be sure, can sanctify us,
or make us holy and new creatures, but He Who at first
created us : which none did or could do but God.
And yet we cannot believe that these Three are so many
several Gods ; for then there would be more Gods than
one : which is contrary to reason, as well as Scripture, where
every one of these Divine Persons being called Jehovah, the
most proper and incommunicable Name of God, lest people
should be thereby tempted to think that there are more
Gods than one, they had this remarkable caution given
them, " Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord," (as Deut. 6.
our translation hath it,) or " one Jehovah," which there
would have been no occasion for, if no more than one
Person be Jehovah ; or it had not been necessary to believe
that the Three who are so called are all One Jehovah, or
Being in general (as the word signifies), which can be but one.
But according to the idiom and usage of the Hebrew
tongue, wherein the great and incommunicable Name of God,
which we read Jehovah, and translate ' the Lord,' seldom,
if ever, hath an adjective joined with it ; those remarkable
words, which are ushered in with "Hear, O Israel," and con-
cluded, in the original, with a letter greater than ordinary,
as the first word also is, to shew some extraordinary mystery
to be contained in them, may, and ought to be thus trans-
lated, 'The Lord, our God, the Lord, is one.' Whereby the
64
The Church Catechism Exjylained.
Unity iu Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, is still more clearly
revealed to us, as clearly as it well can be in that language.
For here is first God the Father called Jehovah, ' the Lord
then God the Son, called, as He usually is in Holy Scrip-
ture, ' our God ;' and God the Holy Ghost, called also
Jehovah, ' the Lord ;' and these Three are expressly said to
be ' one.'
It is true, this is a great mystery, far above our compre-
hension ; but so are all the perfections of the Godhead, as
well as this. And therefore we are not required to com-
prehend it, but only to believe it ; and to believe it upon
His word. Who hath revealed it to us, and so hath made it
necessary for us to believe it : which therefore we must be
sure to do, so as to continue firm and stedfast in this faith,
as ever we desire to believe aright in Almighty God, or
hope to be saved by Him.
Especially considering that God our Saviour, in that He
commanded that every one of these Divine Persons should
be distinctly named in the very act of making- His disciples,
hath thereby given us to understand that He will own none
for His disciples, or true members of His Church, but only
such as believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
as Three Divine Persons, but one God : which He here
also gives us firm ground to believe, in that He ordained
this Sacrament to be administered (not in the names, but) in
the Name of these Three Persons ; and so hath signified His
pleasure that the same honour and worship should be given
to all and every one of them alike : and by necessary conse-
quence, that we should believe all and each one of them to
be of one Essence or Substance ; or, as He expresseth it by
His Apostle, that ' the Father, the Word, and the S23irit,
these three are one.' Three in the masculine gender, and
therefore three persons : one in the neuter, and therefore
1 John 5.7. one thing, as the word signifies. Wliich I therefore believe
upon His word : and so all must do, that desire to be His
true and faithful Discijjles ; so as to have " the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion
2Cor.i3.i4. of the Holy Ghost," always with them.
Hence it is that the Church hath all along required, that
they who desire to be admitted by Baptism into it, should
The Creed.
65
first profess to believe in God the Father, the Son, and the
t Holy Ghost ; which is the sum of the whole Creed, and that
which we chiefly learn in it, as our Church hath here taught
us ; even that we believe in God the Father, God the Sou,
and God the Holy Ghost; putting the word 'God' before
every person, the better to express and declare our belief,
that every one of these three Persons is the one living and
true God.
But that we may understand something also how these
three Divine Persons, subsisting in the one Divine essence,
are pleased to manifest and distinguish themselves in their
operations towards us, and the rest of the creation, every
one that is catechised is here taught to say, as I now do
from my heart, that ' I first believe in God the Father, Who
hath made me and all the world;' that is, all things that
were ever made, visible and invisible ; which in the begin-
ning of the Creed, as all along in the Holy Scriptures, are
all comprehended under these two words, ' Heaven and
earth.'
Secondly, ' I believe in God the Son, Who hath redeemed
me and all mankind.' I believe that He 'redeemed me'
particularly ; or, as St. Paul expresseth it, that " He loved Gal. 2. 20.
me and gave Himself for me." And not only me, but ' all
mankind :' for " He gave Himself a ransom for all." He 1 Tim. 2. 6.
was a propitiation " for the sins of the whole world ;" and 1 John 2. 2.
"tasted death for every man." For, every man being of that Heb. 2. 9.
nature in which He died, and so paid the price of man's
redemption, every man was redeemed by it, even they also
' who do not accept of His redemption, nor believe in Him
for it, and so receive no advantage by it. As our queen,* ^^^^^g' j^j'
suppose, having many of her subjects made slaves in
I j Barbary, if she agrees with the king of the country for the
j redemption of them all, and accordingly pays the price
; j agreed upon, they are all now equally redeemed ; although
> some, perhaps, living in remote or obscure places of the
t country, never hear of it, or will not believe it ; and others,
1 having been long accustomed to it, prefer their slavery be-
fore liberty, and choose to continue there rather than return
* Queen Anne.
66
The Church Catechism Explained.
into their own country, and so lose tlie benefit of their re-
demption.
Thirdly, ' I believe in the Holy Ghost, Who sanctifieth
me and all the elect people of God.' Who ' sanctifieth,' not
Who ' hath sanctified,' as the Father ' hath made,' and the
Son ' hath redeemed me,' heretofore, but ' doth sanctify me'
at present, and continually ; this being a work that is always
in doing while we are in this world. And as the Son did
not redeem all the world which the Father made, but only
' all mankind,' so the Holy Ghost doth not sanctify all
mankind which the Son redeemed, but only ' all the elect
people of God ;' such as they only are, who truly believe in
His Son Jesus Christ, and so have Him to intercede for
them, that they may have His ' Holy Spirit ' to abide with
Johnu.i6; Him, and to sanctify them, which therefore is accordingly
shed on them abundantly, and renews or sanctifies them
Tit. 3. 5, 6. through the same Jesus Christ our Saviour. He ' sanctifieth
them,' that is. He makes them holy and new creatures, He
mortifieth all their sins, purifieth all their hearts, and is a
Acts 26. 18. principle of new life in them : " He openeth their eyes, and
turneth them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins,
and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith
that is in Jesus Christ."
QUESTIONS.
What way did Christ ordain for the admitting persons
into His Church, or making them His Disciples ?
Had the Jews any ground to believe the blessed Trinity
in Unity ?
Can any one be a true disciple of Christ without believing
in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ?
What ground have we to believe they are all one God ?
What do you chiefly learn in the Creed ?
What do you believe that God the Father did ?
What did God the Son ?
How do you prove that He redeemed all mankind ?
What doth God the Holy Ghost ?
Why do you "Bay, ' He sanctifieth ; ' and not, ' He sanc-
tified?'
The Ten Commandments.
67
Whom doth He sanctify ?
Who are the elect people of God ?
What do you understand by His sanctifying them ?
PART III. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Q. You said that your godfathers and godmothers did
promise for you, that you should keep God's Commandments.
Tell me how many there he ?
A. Ten.
Q. Which be they ?
A. The same which God spake in the twentieth, chapter of
Exodus, saying, I am the Lord thy God, lolio brougJit thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
I. Thou shalt have none other gods but Me.
Op the three things which godfathers and godmothers
promise in the name of the child, or the child by them, the
last is, that ' he will keep God's Holy Will and Command-
ments, and walk in the same all the days of his life.' Where-
fore the catecliist having examined and instructed him in the
true faith, 'without which it is impossible to please God,'
or keep His Commandments, he now puts him in mind of Heb. u.e
the ' Commandments' which he promised to keep.
And the first question he asketh the child about them is,
'How many there be?' To which he answereth, 'Ten:'
that being the number of them, according to the Scriptures. Deut.4.13
For though there be many more particular precepts, they
are all reducible to those Ten general Commandments
which God was pleased solemnly to proclaim with thunder
and lightning, and with the voice of a trumpet, upon Mount
Sinai, &:c., and which He afterwards wrote upon two tables Exod. 19.
of stone, with His Own finger, to signify their perpetual ^h.' sk is';
force and obligation to the end of the world, when every ,„
=> ' Deut.9. 10
man shall be judged according as he hath or hath not ob- 10.4.
served them. For which reason also they are directed
every one to every man singly, or by himself ; ' Thou shalt,'
or, ' Thou shalt not,' &c. that every man may look upon
68 The Church Catechism Explained.
theiu as spoken particularly to him, and accordingly take
care to do -what is there commanded, and to avoid what is
there forbidden, either expressly or implicitly.
For where any thing is forbidden, the contrary duty is
implicitly commanded : and so where any thing is com-
manded, every thing contrary or different from that is
forbidden : which that we may the better understand, God
Himself hath been graciously pleased to signify His pleasure
herein, more particularly in other places of His Holy Word.
Out of which I shall therefore, by His assistance, shew you
how you ought to keep all and every one of these His Com-
mandments, according to the 2:)romise which ye made when
ye were baptized.
The next question, therefore, concerning the Command-
ments, is, 'Which be they?' To which it is answered,
'The same which God spake in the twentieth chapter of
Exodus that is, which He is there recorded to have spoken,
" saying, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." For this
is not any of the Commandments, but a general preface to
them all, which He was pleased to put before them, to shew
the indispensable obligation that lies upon all men to observe
all these laws ; seeing He that commanded them, is ' the
Lord,' the Supreme Governor and Lawgiver of the world,
Whom all the creatures in it are bound to obey, at their
utmost peril. ' I,' saith He, ' am the Lord : I, Who make and
publish these laws, am Jehovah, the " Lord of Hosts," the
Lord of the whole creation. Who give essence and existence
to, and have absolute dominion over all things in it.'
And then, to enforce them more particularly upon His
people, for whom He had a special kindness. He adds, " I
am the Lord thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage." His people, at that
time, were the children of Israel, whom He had lately deli-
vered from the Egyptian bondage ; and therefore He speaks
more immediately unto them : but, in them, to all the true
Israel of God ; to all that follow the faith of their father
Abraham, in all ages ; to all His elect and peculiar people,
which He hath redeemed from the slavery of sin and Satan,
of which the deliverance out of Egypt was a type and figure.
The Ten Commandments.
69
' So that this is the same, in effect, as if He had said, ' I, Who
i give thee these laws, am the Lord thy God, Who have re-
deemed thee from all iniquity, to be My Ow n, and therefore
expect and require that thou, above all peoijle, take special
I care to observe all these My Commandments :' whereof
I The First is, Thou shall have none other gods but Me, or
I before Me.
Although there be really no other but one God, the
Creator and Governor of all things : yet there be many
I " which are called gods," and esteemed so by men : who i Cor. 8. 5.
having, by the fall of our first parents, lost the right sense
I and knowledge of the true God, and retaining only some
general notions of such a Being in the world, they have
been apt, in all ages, to imagine one creature or other to
, be God. Some have thought the sun, moon, and stars ;
f others, ancient and famous men, to be gods ; some one thing,
, some another. Insomuch, that there is scarce any creature
f in Heaven or earth, but what hath been reputed as a god by
) some or other. Hence it is that we read of so many, and
) such various gods, in all ages. The Jews themselves, tojer. 2. 28;
r whom this law was given, had at one time as raanj^ gods as
5 cities. So it was for many ages with all the rest of man-
» kind ; and so it is with many at this day. And all people,
, naturally conceiving God to be of supreme excellency,
r justice, goodness, and power over them, whatsoever it is
1 that they imagine to be God, they honour, and fear, and
5 love, and trust on it, as if it was really so. And therefore,
e although it be not so in itself, it is as a god to them.
This, therefore, is that which the Almighty Creator of the
i I world, the one living and true God, doth here expressly
1 forbid; "Thou shalt have no other gods but Me:" or,
\ \ according to the letter of the Law, 'There shall be no other
t| gods to thee before Me:' that is, 'Thou shalt not think,
. I believe, or own, any thing to be God but Me. Thou shalt
si not ascribe supreme authority, power, or goodness, or any
e other Divine perfection, to any but Me. Thou shalt not
r fear any thing visible or invisible but only Me. Thou shalt
not regard them that have familiar spirits, nor seek after
I witches or wizards, nor use divinations, or enchantments, or
... Lev. 19. 31 •
>, any suchlike abominations. Thou shalt not put any trust Deut.is.io,'
70
The Church Catechism Explained.
or confidence in any creature that is in Heaven or earth.
Thou shalt not love, nor respect, nor value, nor desire, any
thing in comparison of Me. If thou doest any of these
things, thou hast other gods before Me, or in My sight.
Who am the Searcher of hearts, and see and know it.'
By this, therefore, you may see what it is which Almighty
God here commands every one to do, according as He hath
elsewhere also signified His Divine Will. He commands
thee to believe in Him the Lord thy God, the Father, Son,
and the Holy Ghost, One God, the only Wise, Almighty,
John 14. 1; Inunortal God, and in Jesus Christ, thy God, " thy Gracious
Exod. 34. 6. ' ' J ' J
and most Merciful God, long-suffering, abundant in good-
Prov. 3. 6. ness and truth." He commands thee to " acknowledge Him
1 Thess. 5. in all thy ways," and to own thyself " obliged to Him, and
18, Eph. 5. thank Him for all thou hast." He commands thee " to
isa. 8. 13. ganctify Him, the Lord of Hosts, and to make Him thy only
Prov.23. 17. fear and thy only dread," so as to be " in the fear of the Lord all
ch. 3. 5. the day long." He commands thee " to trust on Him with
Ps. 73. 25. all thy heart ;" " to desire Him above all things ; " and " to
PM. 4. 4. rejoice in Him always:" and that "thou love the Lord thy
Matt. 22. God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind ; for this is the first and great commandment."
QUESTIONS.
What is the third thing which you promised in your
Baptism ?
How many Commandments are there?
How did God proclaim them?
Why did He write them upon tables of stone ?
Why do they all run in the singular number ?
Where do you find them written ?
Why did God say, " I am the Lord thy God," &c. before
He began them ?
Did He not give them to other people, as well as to the
Jews ?
Which is the First Commandment?
Are there any other gods but One ?
Why then doth God command us to have no other?
What doth God forbid in this Commandment ?
What doth He here command every one to do ?
The Ten Commandiiienta.
71
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the
likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or in the earth
beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow
down to them, nor worship them : For I the Lord thy God
am a jealous God, and visit the iniquities of the fathers upon
the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate Me; and shew mercy unto thousands in them that
love Me, and keep My Commandments.
As the Lord " made all things for Himself," so He still Prov. 16.4.
upholdeth and governeth all things for Himself, to shew
forth His glory, that all such creatures, as He for that pur-
pose hath made capable of it, may see His wonderful works,
and accordingly praise and glorify Him for them. Which
being His great end in what He hath done and still doeth,
He will not suffer this His glory to be given to another:
" I am the Lord," saith He, " that is My Name : and My isa. 42. s.
glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to
graven images." Hence it is, that as the first thing He
commands is, ' That we shall have no other gods but Him,'
no, not in our thoughts ; that we shall not think or believe
there is any other God that made and governeth the world,
but only He the Lord our God : so, in the next place. He
forbids all such outward acts, whereby we may seem to own
any other God, and so to give His glory to another : which
being plainly the great end and design of this law in general,
we shall easily see into the true meaning of each particular
branch of it.
First, saith he, ' Thou shalt not make to thyself any
graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in
Heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water
under the earth :' that is, thou shalt not make any such
thing to thyself, for thee to perform any such acts to it
whereby thou mayest seem to think it to be God, whether
thou really think so or no.
He doth not here simply forbid the making of the picture,
image, or likeness of any creature : for He himself appointed
some such to be made in the old Law, particularly the
72
The Church Catechism Explained.
cherubim in the most holy place. Neither doth He ex-
pressly forbid the making any image or likeness of Himself ;
for that He knows is altogether impossible.
But He forbids the making the likeness of any creature
in Heaven or earth, or under the earth, to represent Him
our Creator to us, so as to look upon it as God, or His
image, and to carry ourselves accordingly towards it, as if it
was indeed the True God. Such was the calf which Aaron
made soon after this law was given, which God Himself
Exod.32. 8. intimates to be a breach of it. The people looked upon it
as ' their Gods,' or the divine persons that brought them out
ver. 4. of Egypt, and as ' Jehovah, the Lord,' and so as the Lord
i^Kin^s 12. their God. This was their sin (as it was Jeroboam's after-
wards). As appears also from Moses's putting them in
Deut. 4. 15, mind, that they saw no similitude, when the Lord spoke to
them in Horeb, as an argument why they should not make
any graven image.
AVhich clearly shews the meaning of this law to be, that
we must not make the image or likeness of any thing
whereby to represent Almighty God to us ; Who is so infi-
nitely above all things, that it is impossible any thing should
isa. 40. 18; be like Him, and therefore it is a great disparagement and
Acts 17. 29. (JiQ^iiiis]^ing of His glory, to offer at representing Him by
any picture or image. Wherefore He here expressly for-
bids both the making any such image, and the worshipping
it when it is made. For it follows :
' Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them :'
or (as it is in the original text), ' Thou shalt not worship
them, nor serve them.' For here are two things forbidden
to be done to an image or likeness of any thing, that it may
not become an idol, or reputed as a God, ' worship ' and
' service.'
First, ' Thou shalt not worship them ; ' or, ' Thou shalt
not bow down to them,' as the word here used signifies.
Neither is there any word in all the Holy Scriptures that
is commonly translated ' worshipping,' but what properly
signifies, ' to bow,' or ' fall down,' or use some such outward
gesture. Which being a sign of great subjection, he that
doeth it to an image, doth thereby signify his subjection to
it ; and whatsoever he may think or intend in himself, as to
The Ten Commandments.
73
all outward appearance, he seems to acknowledge and be-
lieve it to be God. And therefore the three children chose Dan. 3.
rather to be cast into a furnace of fire, than to fall down to
the image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up ; lest they
should break this commandment, and sin against God, by
owning that image to be God.
And then it follows in the text, ' nor serve them :' that
is, as thou shalt not actually bow down unto, and so wor-
ship, the image or likeness of any thing; so neither shalt
thou do any thing for it, or about it: thou shalt not assist in
the making or maintaining it; thou shalt not build any
temple or altar for it ; thou shalt not offer sacrifice, nor burn
incense, nor pray to it, nor contribute any thing towards its
having any signs of religious honour or worship performed
to it. He that doeth any such thing to or for an image, or
any creature whatsoever, he thereby serves it as God, and so
makes it an idol, and is guilty of ' idolatry;' that is, of
' serving an idol,' as the word properly signifies.
' For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquities of the fathers upon the children,' &c. Here it
hath pleased God to back and enforce this law with several
reasons and arguments, to make us the more careful of
observing it.
First, because He is a 'jealous God;' that is, speaking
after the manner of men. He is 'jealous' that they who
perform any external acts of religious worship and service
to any image or creature, whatsoever they may pretend
to the contrary, they do really worship and serve it as
God, and so give it that honour and glory which is due
only to Him.
Secondly, because He will punish those who break this
law most severel)', not only in their own persons, but in their
posterity also, 'to the third and fourth generation.'
And, lastly, because of the infinite goodness and mercy
that He will shew to ' thousands,' even to all that love and
honour him, so as to keep this and His other Commandments,
throughout all generations, even for ever and ever.
Now, by this we may learn what the Lord our God doth
here positively require of every man : for in that He forbids
74
21ie Church Catechism Explained.
you to do it to an image or idol; He as plainly requires and
commands every one of you to ' bow your head' or ' knees
before Him ;' and so to ' worship Him,' whensoever you come
into His special presence or speak to Him, or hear Him
speaking to you.
As when Abraham's servant blessed the Lord for His
Gen.24. 26. gyccess, "he bowed down his head and worshipped the
Exod.34. 8. Lord," When Moses heard God speaking, " he bowed his
Neh. 8. 6. head towards the earth and worshipped." When Ezra
blessed the Lord, the Great God, in the midst of the con-
gregation, " all the people answered. Amen, Amen, w'ith
lifting up their hands, and they bowed their heads and wor-
shipped the Lord with their faces to the ground." Thus
Exod.4.31; the Saints of old constantly worshipped God, and so did our
2o^2Chron! Blessed Lord Himself in the garden, and upon the cross ;
30 &c' ^^"^ "^^^ Ajiostles and Disciples after Him.
Matt.26.39; But then you must take care to worship Him at the same
Luke22.41. . , T 1 . T • • , ■ 1 , i-i
John 19.30. time, as they did, in the spirit too, by using such bodily
9.4*0- 20^36- gestures and adorations before Him, out of a deep sense
21. 5, &c. iioiy fear of His Divine Majesty, and supreme authority
John 4. 24. over you.
He commands you also to ' serve Him;' that is, to do
what you can to promote His honour and glory in the world.
For in that His Own glory is the great end that He aims at,
Prov. 16.4. and carrietli on in all things He doeth, so far as you do any
thing that conduceth to that end, so far you serve Him ;
which you are all therefore bound to do, according to your
several abilities, by defending and enlarging His Church,
where only He is known and worshipped upon earth ; by
making all your prayers and solemn addresses to Him, as
the Giver of all good gifts ; by praising and magnifying His
Name together ; by building and adorning places where to
do it ; by observing the times that He hath set apart for His
Own worship and service; by celebrating the Sacraments
that He hath ordained ; by keeping His laws yourselves, and
persuading others to do it; by relieving His poor servants;
and by walking in holiness and righteousness before Him
iCor.10.31. all the days of your life, and doing all things to His glory;
Matt. 5. 16. that " your light may so shine before men, that they may
The Ten Commandments.
75
see your good works and glorify your Father Which is iu
Heaven." Thus " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, Matt. 4. lo.
and Him only shalt thou serve."
QUESTIONS.
What is the general design of this commandment?
Are we here forbidden to make any image or picture?
In what sense doth God forbid us to make the likeness of
any thing ?
Can He be represented by an image?
Why are you forbidden to worship or bow down to an
image ?
How are you forbidden to serve an image?
What is that sin called ?
What reasons are here given for the keeping this law?
What is here positively commanded ?
How must we worshi^D God ?
What service must we do for Him ?
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.
T'hou shalt not tahe the Name of the Lord thy God in vain :
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name
in vain.
This commandment is designed for the same end with the
two former, even to keep up the honour of Almighty God,
and His glory shining in the world. For which purpose,
having first commanded you to have or own no other gods
but Him, and then not so much as to seem to do so by per-
forming any external acts of religious honour and worship
to any but Himself : He here commandeth you ' not to take
His Name in vain,' but to give Him that honour which is
due to Him, whensoever you may make any mention of
Him.
He doth not here forbid you to take His Name into your
mouths at all, but not to do it ' in vain,' But rather, on the
contrary, by forbidding you to do it ' in vain,' He requires
you to do it upon solemn occasions, when it may tend to His
honour ; as it always doth, when you are lawfully required
to swear by it, and accordingly to do so in a lawful and
76 The Church Catechism Explained.
religious manner. For hereby you publicly own Him to be
the Searcher of hearts, omniscient in knowing whether you
really think as you say ; and to be just in punishing you if
you do not. Hence He forbade His people to make men-
Josh. 23. 7. tion of the names of false gods, or " cause to swear by them,"
Deut.6. 13; but commanded them to swear by His Name : " Thou shalt
fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him, and shalt swear by
His Name," and gave them directions how to do it aright,
Jer. 4. 2. saying, " Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth in truth, in judg-
ment, and in righteousness."
And accordingly we find His people, in all ages, were
wont to swear by His Name, or call upon Him to witness
what they said, where there was need of it, not only in the
^Coni.23; Old Testament, but likewise in the New. And therefore
Phu*. i'. 8. ' you not only may, but ought to swear by His Name, when
you are required to do it by the governors which He hath
Heb. 6. 16. set over you in Church or State. " An oath for confirma-
tion putting an end to all strife."
But that which He here forbids, is, the taking His Name
' in vain ;' that is, when you have no just or necessary occa-
Lev. 19. 12. sion for it, as He Himself explains it, where He saith : " Ye
shall not swear by My Name falsely, neither shalt thou pro-
fane the name of thy God. I am the Lord." You must
not ' swear falsely' by His Name ; that is, you must never use
His Name, nor call upon Him to attest any thing but what
is really just and true, or what you know or verily believe to
be so : and if you promise any thing upon oath, or in His
Num. 30. 2. Name, you must be sure to perform it. Otherwise you swear
Ps. 24. 4. falsely and deceitfully, and so ' take His Name in vain,' to
the highest degree that can be.
And as you must not swear falsely by it, so neither must
you ' profane the Name of the Lord ;' that is, you must not
use it upon every impertinent occasion in your common
discourse, as if it was not a sacred, but a profane or com-
mon name; for that also is taking it in vain, and to no
purpose. This is that which our Saviour means, where He
Matt. 5. 34. saith, " Swear not at all," that is, in your communication or
familiar discoursing with one another, as He Himself ex-
ver. 37. plains it. To the same purpose is that of St. James : " Above
Jam. 5. 12. ^.j^jjjgg^ swear not, neither by Heaven, neither by earth.
The Ten Commandments.
77
neither by any other oath ; but let your yea be yea, and your
nay, nay, lest ye fall into condemnation." That is, in your
ordinary conversation, never swear to what you say, but
only affirm or deny, as the matter requireth, without calling
upon God, or using His Name, either directly or indirectly,
as a witness to it; for this is ' profaning the Name of God,'
for which you may justly be condemned.
And verily you can expect no other : for the Lord, the
Almighty God, here saith, that ' He will not bold that man
guiltless that taketh His Name in vain ;' that is, He will most
certainly and most severely punish those who break this law,
to which this threatening is in a peculiar manner annexed,
above all others, in that they are so far from honouring and
glorifying Him, the great Creator and Governor of all things,
as they ought; that they dishonour and disparage Him all
they can, by putting no difference betwixt Him and His
creatures ; betwixt His Name and theirs ; but using His great
and glorious Name upon all occasions, as if He was one of
the common subjects they talk of every day. Which is so
great a sin, so highly offensive to His Divine Majesty, that
He will never suffer it to go unpunished ; but will inflict
some extraordinary judgment, not only upon the person that
commits it, but upon the land, too, where it is usually com-
mitted and tolerated. Yea, it is one of those sins for which Hos. 4. 1,2.
He sendeth His curse upon the whole earth. Zech.5.2-4.
And to shew His extreme displeasure against this sin,
when a man had blasphemed His Holy Name, although it
was in his passion, while he was striving with another man,
the Lord Himself commanded him to be " stoned by the Lev. 24. u.
whole congregation." And then to explain and confirm what
He had enacted in this ' Third Commandment,' He made
this law : " Whosoever curseth his God, shall bear his sin. ver. 15, i5.
And he that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord, he shall
surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall cer-
tainly stone him : as well the stranger, as he that is born in
the land, when he blasphemeth the Name of the Lord, shall
be put to death."
Wherefore you had need to take special care that you
never swear, nor curse, nor blaspheme, nor profane the Name
78
The Church Catechism Explained.
of the Lord, the Most High God ; but keep as far as pos-
sibly you can from it, lest you fall into condemnation. And
for that purpose, you must carefully observe what He here
commandeth : for in that He forbids you to profane, or take
His Name in vain, He commands you to hallow or sanctify
Lev. 22. 32. it : " Neither shall ye (saith He) profane My Holy Name,
but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel." That
is, whensoever you speak of Almighty God, you must make
a distinction between His and other names ; you must use it
as a holy, a most sacred name, with reverence and godly
Deut.28.58. fear : " that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name,
the Lord thy God."
This is that which we are comtnanded to pray that it may
be done before all things else, saying, " Hallowed be Thy
Name." And which we should, therefore, take care to do,
before all things upon earth, as the holy Angels do it in
isa. 6. 3; Heaven, saying, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the
ev. 4. 8. gaj.^]^ ig full Qf JJig glory."
QUESTIONS.
What is the general design of this commandment?
Are you here forbidden ever to speak of God ?
Are you forbidden to swear by His Name ?
How must you swear by it ?
What is here forbidden ?
What do you understand by profaning the Name of the
Lord?
What is meant by ' not holding him guiltless,' that
doeth it ?
How were they to be punished that were guilty of it ?
What is here commanded ?
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
Remember that thou heep holy the Sabbath-day. Six days
shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do ; but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou
shalt do no manner of ivork, thou, and thy son, and thy
daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy cattle.
The Ten Commandments. 79
and the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the
Lord made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath-day, and hallowed it.
This is the only commandment that we are particularly
required to remember. The reason is, because all the others
were written at first upon the table of our hearts, engraven
in our very nature, so that we may have a connatural sense
of them upon our minds ; and therefore cannot properly be
said to remember them, but rather to feel them, being sen-
sible and conscious to ourselves of our duty and obligation
to observe them. But this is a positive precept, given to
man after he was made, and therefore not imprinted in his
heart, but conveyed through his ears into it, by the external
Revelation or Word of God, who, therefore, commands us to
remember it, to keep it in our hearts, so as to call it to
mind upon all occasions, or at the return of every Sabbath-
day, that we must keep that holy. " Remember (saith He)
that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day:" or rather, as it is
in the original, ' Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it
holy.' Remember both the day itself, and to keep it holy,
when it comes.
What day He here means by the Sabbath, we may learn
from the reasons which He is pleased to give us for the
observation of it : which are two ; one at the delivery of
the law in Exodus, the other at the repetition of it in
Deuteronomy. The reason that He gives in Exodus, is,
because in six days the Lord made all things, and rested
the seventh day ; " wherefore," saith He, " the Lord blessed
the Sabbath Day," (as it is in the original ; not the ' seventh,'
as it is in some translations,) " and hallowed it." From
whence it appears, that the reason why He blessed this day
was because. He having made all things in six days, He
then rested, or ceased to make any thing anew upon the
seventh day ; and therefore He blessed and sanctified that
day, as He here saith He had done, before the giving of the
Law upon Mount Sinai. And so we find He did at the be-
ginning of the world, where it is said, that " He blessed Gen. 2. 3.
the seventh day, and sanctified it;" which was no express
80
Ike Church Catechism Explained.
command that men should keep it holy : but, howsoever, it
was so clear a declaration of His will they should, that
I do not doubt but His faithful people kept it, in some
measure, all along, (except perhaps in Egypt, where their
bondage might make it impracticable, if not forgotten,)
though we have no certain footsteps of it till about a month
Exod. 16. after the children of Israel were come out of Egypt, no
more than we have of its being kept after they came into
Canaan, by Joshua, by the Judges, by Samuel, by David
himself, or by any of the kings of Judah or Israel, or
2 Kings 4. by any that lived under them, till the time of Elisha the
Prophet.
But although there be no mention made of it in all that
time between Moses and Elisha, yet notwithstanding none
ever doubted but that the Sabbath was kept in those days.
There is as little reason to doubt but that the Patriarchs
before Moses kept one day in seven, although there be no
records left of it from whence we can be certain after what
manner they kept it, and whether it was the seventh day
which the Jews were afterwards commanded to observe, or
that which we now keep, as some have thought.
Be sure when Almighty God inserted this into the body
of His laws which should be always observed. He spake not
a word of their keeping alway just the seventh day from the
Creation, but commanded them to " remember the Sabbath
Day to keep it holy," and told them, that because He rested
upon the seventh day, therefore " He blessed the Sabbath
Day, and hallowed it." He did not say, that He " blessed
the seventh day," lest they should mistake His meaning, and
think that He would have them always keep the same
seventh day. But He altered the phrase, and said, "• He
blessed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it," to shew, that
He would always have them keep a Sabbath or a day of rest
once in seven days, or one day in every seven. But which
of the seven days was to be observed, that He reserved in
His Own power to determine when He pleased : only they
must keep that which He then appointed, till He should see
good to alter it.
From whence we may gather, that by the Sabbath Day
we are here to understand that day in every week or seven
The Ten Commandments.
81
days, -which He did then, or afterwards should, appoint to
be a day of rest, or holy to Himself
But where this amongst the rest of the Commandments
is afterwards repeated, the foresaid reason is quite left out,
and another given of it, which cannot be supposed to be
done but for some great end and purpose. For there, after
the words of command, it is said, " And remember that De«t. 5. is.
thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the
Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty
hand, and by a stretched-out arm : therefore the Loi'd thy
God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day." Here
the redemption of the children of Israel out of Egypt
is given as the reason why God commanded them to keep
the Sabbath Day, and to keep it in memory of that redemp-
tion ; which makes it very probable that they came out of
Egypt upon the Sabbath Day, or upon that day which from
thenceforward they kept as the Sabbath, or day of rest,
in memory of their beginning that day to rest from tlieir
bondage.
Howsoever, it is evident from hence that the Sabbath
was to be kept for another reason besides that of the
creation, even because God redeemed His people out of
Egypt ; which being a type of our redemption by Christ,
it was plainly hereby signified, that when our redemption
should be accomplished by Him, the Sabbath should be kept
in memory of that ; and therefore upon the day on which
our Redeemer rose again, and so rested from the death
■which He suffered for our redemption, and thereby demon-
strated it to be accomplished.
Now our Redeemer rose upon the first day of the Jewish
week : though it might be, for aught we know, really the
seventh day from the creation ; so that God rested from
His works both of creation and redemption the same day.
Be sure they are both commemorated upon this day, the
creation as it is one day in seven, and the redemption as it is
that day of the seven whereon our Redeemer rose from the
dead ; Who being the Supreme Lawgiver, and particularly
" the Lord of the Sabbath," He altered the day from that Mark 2. 28.
which His people had hitherto kept, at least since their
G
82 21ie Church Catechism Explained.
coming out of Egypt, to that on which He rose again, even
the first day of their week: not by any express command.
But as God at first only blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it, and so set it apart for a day of rest, without
any word of command : so our Lord, the same God, blessed
the first day of the week and sanctified it, by rising from
the dead upon it, by appearing to His Disciples upon it,
John2o. 19- both the day He rose, and the next first day of the week
Acts. 2. 1. after, and by sending down the Holy Ghost upon it, which
though it was not a verbal, it was a real and actual sancti-
fication of it, and a sufficient declaration of His will, that
this day should ever after be kept holy; insomuch that the
Apostles, who perfectly knew His will, from that time
Acts 20. 7 ; forward accordingly had their holy exercises upon this day,
■ and called it " the Lord's Day," as being sanctified by Him,
Rev. 1. 10. and set apart for His service, and the whole Catholic
Church hath ever since kept this day holy, according to this
commandment, " Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it
holy."
" Keep it holy," not according to the ceremonial or the
bye-laws which were given only to the children of Israel
about it, but according to what is required in this moral
commandment of universal and perpetual obligation : that
is, upon the six days you must do all your own works, all
the worldly business that you have to do in the whole week;
you must do none of that upon the Sabbath, or the Lord's
day; but you must keep it wholly as " holy to the Lord,"
Whose day it is, in commemorating and celebrating His
creation of the world and His redemption of mankind, and
in performing all such works of piety and charity as tend
more immediately to the setting forth His honour and glory
Canon 13. for the same; that is, as our Church hath determined, ' in.
hearing the Word of God read and taught ; in private and
public prayers ; in acknowledging your offences to God, and
amendment of the same ; in reconciling yourselves charitably
to one another, where displeasure hath been ; in oftentimes
receiving the Communion of the body and blood of Christ;
in visiting the poor and sick, using all godly and sober con-
versation,'
The Ten Commandments.
83
QUESTIONS.
Why are j'ou commanded to " remember the Sabbath
Day?"
What day is meant by the Sabbath ?
How many reasons are given for the keeping it?
Which is the first ?
Doth God here command the seventh day from the crea-
tion to be always kept holy ?
Which is the other reason that He giveth for it ?
Why was the Sabbath altered from the seventh to the
first day of the week?
Who altered it ?
How doth it appear that Christ altered it ?
How is this day to be now sanctified, or kept holy ?
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be
long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Although Almighty God was pleased to proclaim all the
Ten Commandments together upon Mount Sinai; yet HeDeut. 9. lo.
wrote them afterwards upon two tables of stone. The four
first, which have an immediate respect unto Himself, He
wrote upon one, which is therefore called ' the first table.'
Upon the other, therefore called ' the second table,' He
wrote the other six commandments : wherein He hath re-
vealed His Divine will, how we should carry ourselves to
one another while we live together upon earth, in the several
places, stations, and relations, that He is pleased to set us
in ; so as that we may always better join together in pro-
moting the end of our creation, by serving and glorifying
Him, our Almighty Creator.
The first of the second table is, concerning the respec-t
and honour which is due to parents, whether natural, spi-
ritual, or civil. First, " Honour thy father and thy mother,"
thy natural parents, of whom thou wast born and brought
up: honour them; that is, have a good opinion of them,
and esteem them highly, for their love and care of thee, and
84
The C/ivrch Catechism Explained.
curry thyself accordingly with all lowliness, meekness, and
Col. 3. 20; reverence towards them, and " obey them in all things."
Eph.6. 1. Wherefore you must hearken to their instructions, and do
whatsoever they, or either of them, bid you. You must
study all you can to requite the care and pains they have
iTim. 5. 4. taken for you. If there be occasion, you must succour and
relieve them, and never suffer them to want any thing that
you can help them to. As our blessed Saviour, when He
was upon the cross, shewed His great respect unto His
mother, by committing her to the care of His beloved
John 19. 26, Disciple, whereby He hath taught you to take care of your
parents, not only while you live, but when you die.
Col. 3.21. On the other side, parents must " not provoke their child-
ren, lest they be discouraged," but must bring them up
Eph. 6. 4. " in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," that they
may understand the principles of the Christian religion, and
the laws by which they must govern themselves through the
Deut. 6. 7. whole coui'se of their lives. As Abraham taught and com-
Gen. 18.19. maudcd his children to " keep the way of the Lord," and is
commended by God Himself for it.
And as parents are thus to be spiritual guides to their
children, so all spiritual guides are to be reckoned and re-
2 Kings 2. spected as parents. Elisha called the Prophet Elijah
ch. 13. 14. " father ; " so did King Joash call the Prophet Elisha.
iCor. 4. 15. And St. Paul tells the Corinthians, that he had " begotten
them in Christ," and so was their " father," and, for the same
Phiiem.io. reason, he calleth Onesimus his son. As St. John often
doth those that were converted to the faith by his means.
Wherefore the ministers of the Gospel, by whose means
you are born again, and afterwards fed Avith the bread of
life, are properly your ghostly, that is, your spiritual fathers,
and you must honour them as such : you must " know them
which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord,
and admonish you;" and you must esteem them very highly
1 Thess. 5. in love for their work's sake. You must " obey them, and
Heb^s.i?. submit yourselves to them, for they watch for your souls."
iTim. 5. 17. You must " accouiit them worthy of double honour," and
Gal. 6. 6. " communicate to them in all good things." For " so hath
1 or. 9. 14. ^j^^ i^Qy^i ordained that they who preach the Gospel should-
live of the Gospel."
The Ten Commandments.
85
The came duties are owing also, by God's commandment,
to your civil father, to the king or queen, the father or
mother of the country where you live. You must not
" curse the ruler of thy people," no, not so much as " in thy Ex. 22. 28.
thought." You must not " despise dominion nor speak evil fo^^^^'
of dignities," but you must " honour the king." You must i'^pet'2'^i7'
" submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the ver. 13, 14.
Lord's sake : whether it be to the king, as supreme ; or unto
governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punish-
ment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well."
You must " obey magistrates." You must not rebel, nor Tit. 3. 1.
resist, but be " subject to the higher powers," and that, Rom. 13. 1,
too, " not only for wrath, but likewise for conscience' sake ;" 5
that is, you must be subject and obedient to them, not only
for fear of the punishment which they may otherwise inflict
upon you, but out of a sense of your duty, and in obedience
to the command of God. For the same reason you must
also "pray for kings, and for all that are in authority." 1 Tim. 2. 2.
And as you must " fear the Lord," for His sake you must
"fear the king, and not meddle [nor mingle yourselves] with Prov.24.21.
them that are given to change." These are the express com-
mands of the Most High God : so that no man can rebel
against his lawful prince without rebelling against Him, the
Universal Monarch of the world.
But every master of a family is likewise the father of
that family ; and therefore his servants are all obliged by
this law to honour and obey him. They must " count their
own masters worthy of all honour;" they must be " obe- 1 Tim. 6.1.
dient to them with fear and trembling, in singleness of Eph. 6.5-7;
heart, as unto Christ : not with eye-service, as men-pleasers,
but as the sej;vants of Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart ; with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and
not to men." They must strive to "please them in all Tit. 2. 9,10.
things ; not answering again, not purloining, but shewing
all good fidelity;" and must be" subject to them with all iPet. 2. is.
fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward."
" Masters [also must] give unto their servants that which is Coi. 4. 1.
just and equal," and "forbear threatening, knowing that Eph. 6. 9.
they also have a Master in Heaven."
86
The Church Catechism Explamed.
This is the sum of that which the Apostle observes to be
Eph.6. 2. " the first commandment with promise," from those words
Deut. 5. 16. annexed to it, " That thy days may be long ; "• or, " That it
may go well with thee in the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee." Whereby Almighty God promiseth life,
prosperity, and happiness, to all that sincerely keep this
Ex. 21. 15, commandment. But as for such as " smite [or] curse their
21.' i?*2o. father or mother," and will not obey their voice, them He
Himself commanded to " be put to death." And accord-
ingly we find the breach of this law usually punished, and
the observation of it rewarded even in this life.
QUESTIONS.
How many tables was the law written upon ?
How many commandments belong to each table ?
To which table doth this belong?
Who are here meant by ' parents ?'
How must you honour your natural parents ?
What must parents do for their children ?
Who are your sjjiritual or ghostly fathers ?
What is your duty to them ?
Who are your civil father and mother?
How must you honour them ?
What is the duty of servants to their masters, and of
masters to their servants ?
What is the promise annexed to this commandment ?
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt do no murder.
It having pleased God to make man in His Own image,
and so capable of living in the other world, as well as this ;
although He hath given him power over all other creatures
that live only upon earth, and nowhere else, so that he may
at any time take away their life : yet He doth not suffer one
man to take away the life of another, and so despatch him
out of this into the other world, till He Himself is pleased
to send for him. For He sends no man hither but upon
business, and gives him time to do it in, so much as He
Tlie Ten Commandments.
87
sees good : but that He reserves wholly to Himself, and
will not have any man shorten the time that He hath given
another wherein to do His work. And He hath signified
His will in this commandment, ' Thou shalt do no murder ;'
or, thou shalt not take away the life of another man.
Xot that this was the first time that He had revealed this
to be His will : for this, as well as the rest of these com-
mandments, was from the beginning. But, by reason of
the indispensable necessity of having this universally ob-
served, that men might live and follow His business peace-
ably and quietly together, without being in continual fear
of one another, He repeated this to Xoah, with this severe
sanction, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his Gen. 9. 6.
blood be shed ; for in the image of God made He man."
Where we may likewise observe, that man's being made
in the image of God, is given for the reason of this law, as I
intimated before.
And here He publisheth it again, together with the rest
of His laws that are of perpetual and universal obligation,
that all men may take notice of it. But lest any should
mistake His meaning, He Himself was pleased afterwards Num. 35.
to explain it, saying, that if any man smite another with an
instrument of iron, by throwing a stone, or with his hand, or
any other way, " out of hatred or enmity, so that he dieth,"
that man is a murderer, he breaks this law, and therefore
he shall surely be put to death.
But if one man happens to kill another, as we say, ' by
chance medley,' without having any enmity against him, or
design to do him any harm, in that case God appointed ver. 11,12,
cities of refuge for such a man to fly to, that he might not ^SjDeut.ig.
die, which shows that in that case the man had not broken
this law : he was not properly guilty of murder. And the
reason is given by God Himself, saying, " He that smiteth a Ex. 21. 12,
man so that he die, shall be surely put to death. But if a
man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand, then
I will appoint him a place whither he shall flee." For from
hence it appears, that in this case God Himself delivered him
that was killed into the hands of him that killed him, who
was therefore only the instrument in it, executing the will of
God, Who hath absolute dominion over all men's lives, and
88 The Church Catechism Explained.
Who therefore allowed such a man the benefit of the sanc-
tiiary or city of refuge. But he must continue in the nature
Num. 35. of a prisoner, and not have his perfect liberty " till the death
25, 28. ^j^^ High Priest," to put him in mind, that though he
was not guilty of murder, yet he had contracted so much
guilt by being accessary to another man's death, though it
was only for want of due care and consideration in him, that
he could not be fully pardoned but by the death of Jesus
Christ, the true High-Priest.
For the same reason, also, when a man is condemned by
the law to die, they who pronounce or execute the sentence,
and accordingly put him to death, do not transgress this law.
There were many offences which God Himself, in Moses,
commanded to be punished with death, particularly this of
murder. AVherefore they who put such offenders to death,
did not break, but execute the command of God. So it is
Rom. 13. 4. still : the magistrate is the " minister of God, a revenger to
execute wrath upon him that doeth evil," and therefore,
when he condemneth a man according to law, he doeth it
only as God's minister. And they who put the man to death,
do it not out of malice or hatred, but in obedience to those
whom God hath set over them, and employed to send such
a person to give account to Him of all his actions : where-
fore they are no way guilty of breaking this law, which was
made for men to observe, not for God, Who may take away
any man's life when He pleaseth.
But we must not think that nothing is here forbidden but
actual murdering, or killing a man out of malice and design.
For the Lawgiver Himself hath taught us otherwise, saying,
isiatt. 5.21- " Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time.
Thou shalt not kill : and whosoever shall kill, shall be in
danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whoso-
ever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in
danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his
brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but who-
soever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.
Wherefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there
rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee," &c.
Whereby He hath given us to understand, that when He
said, " Thou shalt not kill," He did not forbid only the very
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89
act of one man's killing another, but every thing that tends
towards it, or may be any way the occasion of his doing or
attempting it. Wherefore all anger, hatred, and malice, all
reproachful and provoking language, all strife and conten-
tion, all pride, ambition, lust, jealousy, and revenge, and
whatsoever usually doth, or ever may, set one man against
another, so as to kill or maim, or any way hurt his body, is
here forbidden under the name of murder. And therefore
St. John saith, "Whosoever hatetli his brother is a mur- Uohns.is
derer."
And by necessary consequence, you are all here com-
manded to be meek, and patient, and gentle, to one another ;
" to put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, Col. 3. \i,
meekness, long-suffering ; forbearing one another, and for-
giving one another, if any man hath a quarrel against any :
even as Christ forgave you, so must ye do. And above all
these things, to put on charity, which is the bond of perfect-
ness,'' so as to " love your enemies, to bless them that curse Matt. 5.44
you, to do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
that desjjitefully use you and persecute you." If you do
these things, you can never fall into that horrid sin which
is here forbidden.
QUESTIONS.
For what reason was this law made ?
When was it first made?
How is he that breaks it to be punished ?
What is here meant by 'murder?'
Is he that kills a man by chance guilty of it?
Why is he not ?
Are they guilty of it who condemn or execute a man
according to law ?
What is here forbidden besides actual murder ?
What is here commanded ?
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not commit Adultery.
When God at first made mankind. He made them male Gen. 5. 2.
and female, and called them both Adam, they being both
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but one flesh, as He ordained them to be ; and not only
them, but every man and woman that should afterwards be
joined together in marriage. They are thereby so united as
Gen. 2. 24; to become " One flesh," and should therefore live together.
Matt. 19. 5. to all conjugal affections, as if there was never another
man or woman in the world but themselves. And so they
would most certainly have lived, if man had continued in his
first estate.
But by the fall of our first parents, our nature is so cor-
rupted, that notwithstanding this union into one flesh, one
or other, if not both parties so joined together, are often
prone to run after strange flesh, which is not their own, and
perhaps another's. Which, if it should be permitted and
generally practised, would not only frustrate the end of this
holy institution, but it would breed such confusion and
disorder in the world, that a great part, if not all mankind,
would degenerate so far as to become little better in this
respect than brute beasts, if not much worse ; brutes them-
selves generally observing the laws and rules which God
hath set them much better than such men do it.
By this we may see into the necessity of making, and '
likewise into the true meaning of this law, ' Thou shalt not
commit adultery.' For hereby Almighty God commandeth,
that no man use any woman in a conjugal way, but one that
is really his wife, and so his own flesh : and that no woman
use any man so, but one that is joined to her in marriage, so
as to become one flesh with her. And therefore, that he
who hath not a wife, and she who hath not a husband, must
use none at all as such, until they have. And they who
have not the gift of continency, nor power over their own
wills, must marry ; as God requires by His Apostle, saying,
1 Cor. 7. 2. " To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and
ver. 9. let every woman have her own husband." " For it is better
to marry than to burn."
But that is not all : for He that made this law, and there-
fore best knows the true meaning and extent of it, hath
been pleased to interpret it of adultery and fornication, not
Matt. 5. 27, only in the act, but likewise in the very thought: " Ye have
heard,^' saith He, " that it hath been said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you.
The Ten Commandments .
91
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart." From
whence it appears, that every motion or inclination of a
man's mind to lust after strange flesh, is a breach of this
law, although it never break forth into act, nor go any
further than the heart. Which should make all people set
a strict watch and guard over their hearts, seeing that adul-
teries and fornications do not only proceed from thence, as
our Lord hath taught us, but (as He here teacheth) they may Matt.15.19.
be also committed there, and so expose a man to all the
judgments that God hath threatened against this sin, as well
as the outward commission of it.
And verily, the judgments which God hath threatened
against the breach of this law, are very severe and terrible.
For, not to insist upon the punishments He appointed for it
in the Old Testament, in the New we read, that " marriage Heb. 13. 4.
is honourable, and the bed undefiled : but whoremongers
and adulterers God will judge." " For this ye know, that Eph.5.5,6;
no whoremonger nor unclean person hath any inheritance ^" ^'
in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive
you with vain words : for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."
Wherefore all had need beware of this sin ; especially
Christians, to whom the Apostle saith, " Know ye not that 1 Cor. 6. 13,
your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take
the member of Christ, and make it the member of an harlot ?
God forbid." " For this is the will of God, even your sane- 1 xhess. 4,
tification, that ye should abstain from fornication : that every
one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sancti-
fication and honour : not in the lust of concupiscence, even
as the Gentiles that know not God." " But fornication and Eph. 5. 3.
all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named
among you, as becometh Saints."
Neither is it enough to avoid what is here expressly for-
bidden ; but every one must do what is implied here to be
commanded by God ; even that every husband and wife,
being but ' one flesh,' should have but ' one heart' and ' one
mind' between them: that " they do not defraud one an- 1 Cor. 7.5.
other." That the husband ' love' his wife as ' himself,' and Eph. 5. 33.
the wife her husband as ' herself.' And as the husband
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The Church Catechism Explained.
1 Pet. 3. 7. must " give honour to the wife," so must the M'ife " submit
Ej)h. 5. 22- and reverence her husband." And ' both ' must not
only be true and faithful to one another, but must strive all
they can to promote one another's good, both temporal and
spiritual. And both they that are, and they that are not
married, must be sober, chaste, and modest in their dress,
discourse, and behaviour ; so as not to excite, but suppress,
as much as in them lies, all unclean thoughts, both in them-
selves and others.
And as for them who have heretofore transgressed this
Holy Commandment, in thought, word, or deed, they must
repent of their sin, and turn sincerely from it, while they
may, and as soon as possibly they can. For which purpose,
Gal. 5. 24. they must " crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts."
Col. 3. 5. They must " mortify their members that are upon the earth."
They must not come near such places or company as are apt
to raise in them any lustful or lascivious thoughts, and so
incline them to this horrid sin. They must avoid drunken-
1 Cor. 9. 25. ness and gluttony, as ' deadly poison.' They must be " tem-
[Matt. 26. perate in all things." They must ' fast,' and " watch, and
^''-^ pray, that they may not enter into temptation." They
Rom. 13.14. " must not make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts
thereof; ' but must follow the example of the Holy Apostle,
1 Cor. 9. 27. who said, " I keep under my body, and bring it into subjec-
tion : lest by any means, when I have preached unto others,
I myself should be a cast-away."
QUESTIONS.
What reason was there for this law ?
What is the general meaning of it?
Is not adultery and fornication in the heart here for-
bidden ?
What judgments hath God threatened against those who
break this law ?
Are not Christians, in a more especial manner, bound to
keep it?
What are the duties here commanded ?
What must they do who have broken this Command-
ment?
The Ten Commandments.
93
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shall not steal.
Seeing Almighty God, ' by the Word of His power,' at first [Heb. 1.3.]
ci-eated, and still preserveth and upholdeth all things that
are ; all things that are must needs be His, and He may
dispose of them as He pleaseth. And so He doth : He dis-
poseth of all and every thing that is in Heaven or earth ;
particularly all the houses, lands, cattle, monies, goods, or
the riches, as men call them, of this life; they are all His,
and wholly at His disposal ; and He accordingly gives them
how, and when, and to whom He will. So that whatsoever
any man hath, and howsoever he came by it, whether by
inheritance, gift, or purchase, by his wit or valour, by any
office or calling, by his care and industry, or any other
lawful way, it still comes originally from God ; Who distri-
buteth the necessaries, the accommodations, and the conve-
niences of this life to all men, to some more, to some less,
as He Himself sees good. And whatsoever He gives, or
puts into the hands of any man, although He still reservetli
to Himself His Own propriety in it, so that He may take it
away again when He pleaseth ; yet He thereby gives that
man so much right and title to it, that it is his own, in
respect of all other men : no other man hath any thing to
do with it, but only he ; and he alone must give account of
the use of it to God, from Whom he received, and under
Whom he holds it. Which he could not do if another man
should take it from him.
Wherefore, to secure and confirm to every man both the
civil right, and the use of what He sees good to put into
his hands, God was pleased to make and publish this law,
for all mankind to observe, ' Thou shalt not steal ;' that is
to say, Thou shalt not take from another man any thing that
is his, or that God hath given him : thou shalt not take it by
force, or by fraud, neither openly nor secretly : thou shalt
not take it out of his house, or shop, or fields, or barns, or
pockets, nor upon the highway, nor anywise whatsoever,
without his consent and will.
For we must not understand this law only of that which
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we commonly call ' theft,' or ' robbery ;' but of every unlaw-
ful or indirect way, whereby it is possible for one man to
come at that which God hath given another : whether it be
by forgery, perjury, or suborning witnesses in courts of
judicature; by lying, dissembling, or concealing the truth;
by false measures, false weights, or false lights ; by extortion,
oppression, or false accusation ; by defrauding, cheating, or
over-reaching in any contract or bargain ; or any otherwise
than such as God allows and approves of, for the transferring
the things of this world from one man to another ; so that
He Himself may be truly said to do it. For whosoever
getteth the possession of what belongs to another, any
otherwise than what is agreeable to the revealed will
and Word of God, he breaketh this commandment ; ' he
stealeth.'
But that no man certainly would do, if he would but first
consider what he doeth. For this is to usurp upon the pre-
rogative of God Himself; to take that away which He gives,
and which He gives for His Own use, to be employed in His
service, and for His honour. And therefore he will be sure
to revenge Himself of such as shall presume to deprive that
man of it, to whom He was pleased to give it; as He hath
iThess.4.6. assured us by His Apostle, requiring, that " no man go
beyond or defraud his brother in any matter, because that
the Lord is the Revenger of all such."
Wherefore this is one of the two sins for which He sends
His 'curse' upon the earth, which " enters into the house of
Zech.5.3,4. the thief, remains there," and " consumes it with the very
timber and stones thereof." And accordingly we commonly
see that what is unjustly gotten brings a curse upon that
which is also gotten justly, and upon him too that got it;
Jer. 17.11. for, "as the partridge sitteth upon eggs, and hatcheth them
not ; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave
them in the midst of his days, and at the end shall be a fool."
And that which is worst of all, ' thieves,' and ' extortioners '
1 Cor. 6. 10. are reckoned among those who " shall not inherit the King-
dom of God."
But what then must they do who have transgressed this
holy commandment, that they may escape the vengeance
and judgment of God? They must first follow the advice of
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95
St. Paul, or rather the command of God by him, " Let him Eph.4. 28.
that stole, steal no more : but rather let him labour, working
with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have
to give to him that needeth ;" and then they must follow the
example of Zaccheus. They must restore what they have Luke 19. s.
unjustly gotten, if not ' fourfold,' as he did, at least the thing
itself, or the full value of it, with interest for all the time
they have had and used it : for till they do that, they still
live in the breach of this law, and can never be said to keep
it, till they have made full restitution of whatsoever they
have gotten by breaking it. And if they cannot find the
persons themselves to whom they ought to restore it, they
must restore it to God, the head Landlord, or Supreme Pro-
prietor of all things in the world, by giving it to some pious
or charitable use. They must in that case restore to Him
what they have stolen from men, as well as what they have
stolen from God Himself, by taking or converting to their
own use any thing that hath been given, consecrated, or
dedicated to Him : which is the worst sort of stealing ; the
stealing that which is ' sacred,' therefore called ' sacrilege,' Rom. 2. 22.
and the ' devouring that which is holy,' which, unless vomited
up again, will certainly be a ' snare ' to them. Prov. 20.25.
From hence, you may easily observe, that you are all here
positively commanded to be true and just in all your deal-
ings : to " render unto all their dues ; tribute to whom ^om. 13. 7
tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, ^•
honour to whom honour:" to "owe no man any thing, but
to love one another ;" to promote as much as you can one
another's good and welfare : to " do to all men as ye would Matt. 7. 12.
they should do to you ;" to take care to pay whatsoever any
man can justly demand of you, and to give what you are
able to the relief of those who want it : for that is a debt
which God hath charged upon your estates ; which unless
you discharge and pay, you wrong the poor, and so break
this commandment.
QUESTIONS.
Who gives all men what they have ?
Have men a right to what God hath given them ?
"Wherefore doth God forbid men to steal ?
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Tlie Church Catechism Explained.
What is here meant by stealing ?
Are not all unlawful ways of getting- here forbidden ?
How are they punished that break this law ?
What must they do who have broken it?
How must restitution be made when the })eison wronged
cannot be found ?
What is here positively commanded ?
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.
Thou shalt not hear false tcitness against thy neighbour.
There is nothing in the make or frame of man but what
is an admirable 'instance of the infinite wisdom and power of
his Maker ; particularly, that He hath so contrived it, that
we can discover the thoughts and affections of our souls,
only by moving our tongues several ways, which we call
' speaking ;' without which we could have no society toge-
ther, no more than brute beasts have. Whereas by this
means we can communicate to one another all our opinions,
desires, hopes, fears, designs, and whatsoever else can come
into our minds. Insomuch, that although we cannot look
into one another's hearts, yet one man may know wliat an-
other thinks there, as well as he that thinks it.
But for that purpose it is necessary that every man should
always speak as he thinks ; otherwise we can never certainly
know one another's thoughts, no more than as if we did not
speak at all ; and so God would lose His end in giving us
this power, and we the great benefit and use of it. For the
prevention of which, with many other mischiefs, which the
James 3. 8. tougue, as it is now become "an unruly evil," is apt to
betray men into. Almighty God our Maker hath been
pleased to give us rules how to use it aright. He before
taught us how to speak of Himself, or to use His Name : and
here He teacheth us how to speak or use our tongues, in
respect of one another.
This, therefore, is the general rule or law that He hath
given for every man to observe whensoever he speaks to or
of another man, " Thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbour:" or rather, as the words in the original text
may be interpreted, ' Thou shalt not bear false witness of thy
llie Ten Commandments.
97
neighbour:' that is, thou shalt never speak any thing of thy
neighbour but what is true, either for him or against him.
So our Lord, the Lawgiver Himself, and His Apostle after
Him, interjjret the words in general, " Thou shalt not bear Matt.19.i8
false witness." And therefore all ' false witness,' or speak- ^
ing that which is false, of or concerning our ' neighbour,'
that is, concerning any man whatsoever, is here forbidden.
And so is all ' lying,' too, or speaking that which is not
true to him, as well as of him. According to that other law,
where the next before and this are put and explained toge-
ther, " Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one Lev. 19. 11
to another." Wherefore the Apostle requires all men " to Eph. 4. 25
put away lying, and to speak every man truth with his^°^'^'^'
neighbour." And by consequence, all slandering, false
accusing, and backbiting one another, is here forbidden ; for
that is all ' lying :' and so is 'judging' or ' censuring ' one
another too. For no man perfectly knowing another's
heart or state, can possibly pass a true and certain judgment
upon him. And therefore every man is expressly forbidden Matt. 7. 1.
to do it. For the same reason also, we are commanded " to tu. 3. 2.
speak evil of no man," lest what we say of him should happen
to be false, as we do not know but it may, and so break this
commandment, which requireth us ' not to bear false wit-
ness' either for or against our neighbour.
And verily, although the general practice of the world
seems to argue as if this commandment was repealed or out
of date, it is certainly of the same force with the rest, and as
necessary to be observed as any commandment whatsoever.
Let us hear what the Judge of the world hath told us
beforehand, concerning His proceeding at the Last Day in
this matter : " But I say unto you, That every idle word that Matt.12.36
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof at the Day
of Judgment : for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and
by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
And if men must give account of every ' idle word,' what
account must they give of lying and slandering one another?
What can they who live in this sin expect, but to be con-
demned to that everlasting fire which is prepared for the
" father of lies ?" " They are of their father the Devil, and ch. 25. 4U
the lusts of their father they do," and therefore must l)c
H
98 The Church Catechism Explained.
John 8.44. punished equally with him. He is the ' father of lies,' and is
called the ' Devil,' that is, the ' accuser,' from his false
Rev. 12. 10. accusing and slandering the brethren, and so from the
breach of this commandment.
Which therefore all must keep, as ever they desire not to
be like him, the Devil, both in what he doeth and in what he
suffereth ; and as they desire, too, not to be ' thieves ' and
'murderers;' it being usual for men's whole estates, and
their lives also, to be taken away by lying and bearing false
witness against them. For they who allow themselves in
this sin are usually left to themselves ; as they give them-
selves to ' tell ' lies, God gives them up to ' believe ' lies, and
suffers them to fall into all manner of vice and wickedness ;
every lie and liar being 'an abomination to Him' Who is
Prov. 6. 16, truth itself. And then it is no wonder, that " whosoever
Rev. 22. 15. loveth and maketh a lie," shall be shut out of Heaven ; and
ch. 21.8. that "all liars shall have their portion in the lake which
burnetii with fire and brimstone."
Wherefore it behoves you all to take special care of
observing what is here commanded. As God hath given you
the power of expressing your minds to one another, for your
mutual benefit and comfort, beware of frustrating His holy
end in giving it, by abusing it to one another's prejudice
and wrong. For which purpose, you must lay aside that
wicked custom of talking of other people : or if you must
needs be doing it, at least talk of their virtues only behind
their backs, and of their vices never but before their faces,
Gal. 6. 1. so as to reprove and "restore them in the spirit of meek-
ness." But rather, instead of speaking of one man's faults
to another, you must strive all you can to conceal other
men's as well as your own.
Above all, you must beware of lying, or speaking falsely
to one another, upon any account whatsoever, although it
was possible for you to get never so much by it : for you
can never get so much as you lose by it. By it you lose the
favour of Almighty God, which is worth more than all the i
world besides. Wherefore, as you tender His love, and your :
own welfare, you must make it your constant care and study
Ps. 15. 2. to " speak the truth from ycur hearts," as becometli honest i
and good men, and never to say any thing but what you i
The Ten Commandments.
99
believe to be not only true, but some way or other beneficial
to those Avho hear it ; according to that excellent rule which
God hath given you, as a full interpretation of this law, by
His Apostle, saying, "Let no corrupt communication pro- Eph. 4. 29.
ceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use
of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
Remember the words of St. James : " If any man offend not james 3.2.
in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle
the whole body."
QUESTIONS.
What is the use and end of speaking ?
Wherefore hath God given us laws about it?
What is here meant by ' bearing false witness ? '
Who is our ' neighbour?'
^Mlat necessity is there of avoiding what is here for-
bidden ?
j How shall liars, and all breakers of this law, be punished ?
What must we do, that we may always keep this com-
mandment ?
I THE TENTH COMMANDMENT.
I Thou shah not covet thy neighbour s house ; thou shall not
' covet thy iieighhours tcife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor
his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.
It being impossible that any state or society of men
should subsist without some government, or that government
without laws : as we find no place where any considerable
number of men live together, but they have some sort of
government or other among them, so all sorts of governors
have always found it necessary to make some laws or other,
to be observed by those that live under their respective
governments. But all the laws that were ever made by any
governors upon earth respected only the words and actions,
or the outward carriage and behaviour of their subjects.
None ever off"ered to give laws to the minds or hearts of
men, what they should think, or love, or desire, or the like :
and it would have been ridiculous and absurd to have dune
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The Church Catechism Explained.
it ; because they could never have known whether such laws
were observed or no : forasmuch as it is impossible for one
man to know what another thinks, or how he stands affected
in his heart, unless he himself discover it by words, or
some overt act. And if he doth that, it is not his thoughts
and affections, but his words or actions, that come under the
cognizance of other men.
Herein, therefore, as well as in all other respects, the
laws of God infinitely exceed all other, in that they are
prescribed to the very minds of men, to their thoughts, and
the most secret motions of their hearts, as Avell as to their
outward actions. Which is also a most clear and undeniable
argument that these laws were made by the all-wise God,
and by none else. For none but He knows the hearts of
men ; and therefore none but He can give any laws to
them.
As we see He doth in this Commandment, requiring us
' not to covet' or 'desire' any thing that is another's. He
had before tied up our hands from stealing any thing from
one another : but here He ties ujj our hearts too from having
any desires or inclinations to it, saying, "Thou shalt not
covet," or thou shalt not desire, ' thy neighbour's house,
or wife, or man, or maid, or ox, or ass, or any thing that is
his.' That is, what God hath given to another man, from
the greatest to the least thing that is, thou shalt not so
much as ' desire ' to have it from him, unless he be willing
to part with it, and hath full satisfaction made unto him
for it.
This is a law much to be observed for the nature as well
as for the great force and obligation of it. For, as St. Paul
Rom. 7.7. saith, " I had not known sin, but by the Law ; for I had not
known lust, except the Law had said. Thou shalt not covet."
We had not known that mere lust, desire, or coveting, that
goes no farther than the heart, had been a sin, if it had not
been here forbidden. But here we see that it is as great a
sin to covet or desire, as it is to steal a man's goods ; that
covetousness is as bad as theft : for the same law forbids
both. And therefore all the disorders and irregularities of
a man's heart, as well as the enormities of his life ; as, all
ch. 12. 3. " h'gl*" ^'i<i " l>i"oud thoughts " of a man's self, all " foolish"
The Ten Commandments.
101
and " vain thoughts ;" " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the J'j ,^^"^
eye, and the pride of life ;" " all love of this world :" these Coi. 3. 2; '
and all suchlike disorderly motions of the heart, although ijohn2. 16.
they never break forth into act, are, notwithstanding, evil or
sinful, in that God hath forbidden them, and therefore takes
as much notice of them as He doth of sinful words or deeds :
for it is written, " God saw that the wickedness of man was Gen. 6. 5.
great upon the earth, and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually."
And it may not be amiss to observe that this law is placed
last, to be a defence, as it were, and safeguard to all the rest.
For no man can keep any of the other, except he keeps this ;
but he that fully keeps this will easily keep all the rest.
For it is the lust or desire of a man's corrupted heart, that
puts him upon the neglecting or transgressing any of God's
laws. As St. James observeth, "Every man is tempted, James 1.14,
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed : then
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin." And our
Lord Himself saith, that " out of the heart proceed evil Matt. 15. 19.
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false wit-
ness, blasphemies." So that all manner of sin begins in the
heart, and from thence comes forth into the life, and all for
want of avoiding or suppressing those desires, or lusts of the
heart, which are here forbidden.
Wherefore, as ever you desire to keep any of God's laws,
you must be sure to keep this to the utmost of your power.
And for that purpose, you must constantly observe and
follow the wise man's counsel, " Keep thy heart with all Prov. 4. 23.
diligence," or above all keeping, " for out of it are the issues
of life." That is, all that a man speaks or doeth in his life,
whether good or bad, comes forth out of his heart. As not
only our own experience, but Wisdom itself, hath taught us,
saying, " A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, Luke 6. 45.
bringeth forth that which is good ; and an evil man, out
of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which
is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaketh."
And therefore you had need take special care to keep
your hearts always right with God, inclined wholly to Him,
and fully content and satisfied with what He, in His infinite
102
The Church Catechism Explained.
Heb. 13.5. wisdom, secs good to bestow upon you. " Let your conver-
sation be without covetousness, and be content with such
things as ye have," and then ye will find it easy, by God's
Luke I. 6. assistance, to walk in all these " Commandments and Ordi-
nances of the Lord blameless/' as Zacharias and Eliza-
beth did.
These are those Ten Commandments which Almighty
God, the Maker and Governor of the whole world, positively
requireth all mankind to keep, and which you promised to
keep when you were baptized ; and so are doubly bound to
do it, both by God's command and your own promise. And
that you may the better know how to do it, our blessed
Saviour, into Whom you were baptized, hath reduced them
Matt.22.36, all to two general heads : for being asked, " Which is the
3" 40. .
great commandment in the Law ?" He said, "Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great Com-
mandment. And the second is like unto it : Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. Upon these two Commandments
hang all the Law and the Prophets." That is, the due obser-
vation of all that God hath commanded, either in His Law,
or by His Prophets that explained it, depends upon our
sincere love to God and to our neighbour.
He that loves God with all his soul, cannot but keep all
the Commandments of the First Table, that have an imme-
diate respect to God, Whom his soul loveth. And he that
loves his neighbour as himself, will do him no more hurt
than he would have done unto himself, and therefore will
keep all the Commandments of the Second Table that respect
his neighbour as he desires his neighbours should keep
them towards him. So that he who keeps his heart aright
towards God and towards men, according to the purport of
this last Commandment, can never wilfully break any of the
Ten, but will strive all he can, by the grace of God, not only
to keep them all, but to do it out of pure love and obedience
to Him.
Now from what you have heard upon them, you may
easily observe, that there are ' two things ' which you ' chiefly
learn from these Commandments ;' your ' duty towards God,'
and your ' duty towards your neighbour.' That your duty
The Ten Commandments.
103
towards God is, ' to believe in Him, to fear Him, and to love
Him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your
soul, and with all your strength ; to worship Him, to give
Him thanks, to put your Avhole trust in Him, to call upon
Him, to honour His Holy Name and Word, and to serve
Him truly all the days of your life.' And that your duty
towards your neighbour is, ' to love him as yourself, and to
do unto all men as you would they should do unto you : to
honour and obey the King, and all that are put in authority
under him : to submit yourselves to all your governors,
teachers, spiritual pastors, and masters : to order yourselves
lowly and reverently to all your betters : to hurt nobody by
word or deed: to be true and just in all your dealings: to
bear no malice nor hatred in your hearts : to keep your
hands from picking and stealing, and your tongues from
evil-speaking, lying, and slandering : to keep your bodies in
temperance, soberness, and chastity : not to covet nor desire
other men's goods, but to learn and labour truly to get your
own living, and to do your duty in that state of life unto which
it shall please God to call you.'
QUESTIONS.
Did any earthly governoi's ever make laws for the hearts
of men?
Why did they not?
Hath God made any such ?
Where do you find such a law?
What do you mean by coveting?
May you covet nothing that is another man's ?
Is mere coveting a breach of this law ?
Why is this law placed last ?
From whence comes all sin ?
What must a man do, that he may keep this and all the
commands ?
To how many heads doth our Lord reduce all the Com-
mandments ?
What do you chiefly learn by these Commandments ?
What is your duty towards God ?
What is your duty towards your neighbour ?
104 The dhnrcli Catechism Explained.
PART IV. THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Catechist. My good child, knoio this, that thou art not
able to do these things of thyself, nor to walk in the Com-
mandments of God, and to serve Him, loithout His special
grace, which thou must learn at all times to call for by dili-
gent prayer. Let me hear, therefore, if thou canst say the
Lord's Prayer.
Answer. Our Father Which art in Heaven ; hallowed
be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as toe forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
He that is not sensible of his own weakness, will never
look out for help. Wherefore it is necessary for all to
know this, that they are not able of themselves, or by their
own natural power, to keep God's Commandments : for,
2 Cor. 3. 5. " we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God." And although
He giveth all men so much grace or power to do His will,
as makes them inexcusable before Him, if they do it not ;
yet, notwithstanding, none do all that is required of them,
without something more than what is common to all men,
therefore called His ' special grace,' which He giveth in
a special manner to those who, believing in Jesus Christ,
the One Mediator between God and men, have Him to in-
tercede for them, that they may have it : Who therefore saith,
John 15. 5. " Without Me ye can do nothing." But, as His Apostle
Phil. 4. 13. said, " I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth
me."
This ' special grace,' therefore, we must ' learn at all
times to call for by diligent prayer.' For as we read in the
James 1. 5. Epistle of St. James : " If any of you lack wisdom, let him
ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him." And our Saviour Hira-
Luke 11.13. self saith, " If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
things unto your children, how much more shall your
The Lord's Prayer.
105
Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
Him?" "
And if His Holy Spirit, then His ' special grace :' it being
by His Holy Spirit that we are sanctified, and specially en-
abled to keep His Holy Commandments. This, therefore,
we must learn to call for, not only now and then, but at all
times, every day at least, twice or thrice, if not oftener,
either at church or in our closets ; and that, too, not in a
careless, indifferent manner, but by diligent, hearty, and
earnest prayer.
And having no ground to expect any such special grace
or favour at the hands of God, but only through Jesus
Christ our Lord, we must learn to pray for it in His Name,
Who said, " If ye ask any thing in My iS'ame, I will do it." Johnu. u;
And therefore having His word for it, when we have asked
it, we must believe and trust on Him for it; not doubting
but that He, according to His promise, will give it us, in
the use of the means which He hath ordained and appointed
for that end ; such as private and public prayers, fasting and
watching, and humbling ourselves before God, reading and
hearing His most Holy Word, and receiving the Sacrament
of the Lord's Supper ; which are, therefore, called ' the
means of grace,' because it is by them that God ordinarily
conferreth His ' special grace' upon us.
But we not knowing what to pray for as we ought, the
Lord, even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, was graciously
pleased to compose a prayer for us ; and commanded, that
when we pray, we should say that : " When ye pray," (saith Luke 11.2.
He), " say. Our Father which art in Heaven," kc. Xot
but that we may say other prayers too ; but we must say
that, whensoever we pray, both because He hath commanded
it, and because it is the only prayer that we are sure is per-
fectly agreeable to the will of God, as being made by
Himself; and most acceptable to Him, as being given us
by Him, by Whom alone any of our prayers or duties are
accepted of Him.
So that when we pray in the very words, as well as in the
Name of our Mediator, we have no reason to doubt but our
I prayers shall be heard, and all the good things we asked
shall be granted to us, through His merits and mediation ;
106
The Church Catechism Explained.
tliat is to say, for the sake, or upon the account of His death,
whereby He merited, or deserved and purchased for us, all
the good things we can desire : and by the power of that
mediation or intercession, which He, by virtue of His said
death, is continually making at the right hand of God the
Father for us.
And besides, although we may use many other words,
there is nothing that we can ever want or desire, that is
really good for us, or necessary either for life or godliness,
but we ask it in this prayer of our Lord's composure ; and
that too in the same method, and in such terms as He Him-
self would hava us ask it in, by Whose mediation only it can
be granted.
Hence it is that the Church, in His Name, requires every
one of her members to learn this Prayer; and here asketh,
by her Catechist, or him that catecliiseth them, whether
they can say it. Not doubting, but if they can say this
Prayer aright, they may obtain God's special grace to keep
His Commandments, and to serve Him faithfully all the
days of their life. But for that purpose it is necessary that
they should understand the true meaning and extent of every
expression of it.
First, therefore, we here call Almighty God " Our Father,"
and so address ourselves and our prayers to Him, not as He
is only the Supreme Governor of the world, absolutely in
Himself considered, but as He is related to us so as to be
John 1. 12. Our Father. But He is Our Father only in Jesus Christ;
and therefore it is in His Name only that we say this
prayer : and none can truly say it, but such as are baptized
into Him, and made members of His body, and so are be-
come the children of God in Him. And every one that is
thus made a child of God, although He saith this prayer
only by Himself as well as together with others ; yet not-
withstanding. He doth not say, ' My Father,' but ' Our
Father:' because he saith this prayer only as he is a
member of Christ, and so in communion and conjunction
with all the members of his body, children of the same
Father. " Which is in Heaven : " that is. Who rules and
reigns on high over the whole world, and therefore can
give us whatsoever we ask.
The Lord's Prayer.
107
"Hallowed be Thy name :" that is, as if we should say,
' holied,' or ' sanctified be Thy name let it be acknow-
ledged and accounted holy, infinitely above all other names,
and accordingly admired, celebrated, glorified, and praised
by all the creatures in the world. So that in this, we both
pray that His Name may be sanctified by all others, and we
do it ourselves : for hereby we join in effect with the holy
Angels, in singing, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts : isa. 6. 3.
the whole earth is full of His glory," which is the first thing
that we here desire and do, because it is the first and chief
end of all things.
"Thy Kingdom come." That is, let the Kingdom and
power of Thy grace come into our hearts : let Thy Holy
Spirit rule there, subdue us to Thyself, and rest continually
upon us ; that by Thy ' special grace' preventing, exciting,
assisting, and strengthening us, we may serve and honour
Thee, our Almighty King and Governor, all the days of our
life. And let the Kingdom of Thy glory come, let it come
quickly, that we may all glorify and enjoy Thee together.
" Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." That is,
grant, we beseech Thee, that we and all mankind may, by
Thy assistance and grace, perfectly submit to, obey, and do
Thy will on earth ; and the holy Angels, and the spirits of
just men made perfect, do it continually in Heaven : that
we may be perfect as they are, and fulfil Thy Holy Will
perfectly as they do.
" Give us this day our daily bread." That is, give us, we
humbly beseech Thee, the Author and Giver of all good
gifts, give us this, and so every day, all things necessary
both for life and godliness, both for our souls and bodies.
" Feed us with food convenient for us," and supply us con- Prov. 30. s.
tinually of Thy infinite goodness, with all such things as
Thou knowest to be anywise needful for us in this mortal
state.
" And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that
trespass against us." That is, as we, from the bottom of our
hearts, forgive all the wrongs and injuries that other men
have done us ; so be Thou graciously pleased, of Thy infinite
mercy in Jesus Christ, to forgive all the trespasses, trans-
gressions, or sins, that we have ever committed against Thee,
108 The Church Catechism Explained.
so as never to punish us for any of them, either in this worhl
or that which is to come.
" And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil." That is, lead us not Thyself, nor suffer us to be led
by the Devil, our ghostly enemy, nor by any other, into any
temptation or trial tliat may be too hard for us, so as to
cause us to fall ; but deliver us from the Evil One, and from
all manner of evil, both of sin and misery. So that we here
pray for every thing that is or can be good for us : it being
a great evil to want any thing that is good.
Here endeth this Divine Prayer, as it was once delivered
Luken.2. by Our Lord. But at the delivery of it another time. He
Matt. 6. 13. added, " For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, for ever. Amen." And therefore our Church, fol-
lowing His example, in her Liturgy sometimes accordingly
omits, and sometimes adds those words, called the Doxology,
or giving glory, as setting forth the glory of God, in the
reasons wherefore we ask these things of Him ; even be-
cause ' His is the Kingdom,' or empire of the world ; He
rules over all, and hath all things at His command : and
' His is the power ;' He can do what He will, and therefore
can give us whatsoever we ask, if He please: and ' His is
the glory ;' it is for His glory that we ask these things, that
the glory of His Divine perfections may shine forth more
clearly among us ; the glory of His mercy and truth, in
granting them to us ; and the glory of His power and su-
preme authority in effecting them for us. And all the glory
that shall arise from our having, using, and improving of
them, will redound wholly to Him, and be for ever His.
And then we conclude with saying, " Amen ; " which, in
Hebrew, signifies both ' so be it,' and ' so it is ;' whereby we
therefore both repeat or renew our desires of what we have
asked ; and likewise express our trust and confidence, that
Our Heavenly Father will accept of what we have done,
and grant all that we have desired of Him, for the glory of
His great Name, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
QUESTIONS.
Can you of yourselves keep God's Commandments?
Do any keep them without His ' special grace ? '
The Lord's Prayer.
109
What is His ' special grace ? '
How may we obtain that grace 1
How must we pray for it ?
In whose name must we pray ?
What are those means of grace wherein He usually
gives it ?
Who made that which is called the Lord's Prayer?
Why must we always say that prayer ?
What do you mean when you say in your prayers,
'through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ?'
Do you pray for all good things in the Lord's Prayer ?
Why do you there call God ' Father ?'
Why, ' Our Father?'
Why is He said to be ' in Heaven ?'
What do you mean by ' hallowed be Thy Name?'
What is that ' Kingdom' of God you desire may ' come ?'
What do you mean by, ' Thy will be done in earth as it is
in Heaven ? '
What by, 'Give us this day our daily bread?'
What by, ' Forgive us our trespasses ?'
What by, ' Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil ? '
Why is the Doxology sometimes added and sometimes
omitted in our common prayers?
What is meant by ' Amen ? '
Q. WJiat then desirest thou of God in this prayer ?
A. I desire my Lord God, Our Heavenly Father, Who is
the Giver of all goodness, to send His grace unto me, and to all
people that loe may loorship Him, serve Him, and obey Him as
tve ought to do. And I pray unto God, that He will send us
all things that be needful both for our souls and bodies ; and
that He will be merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins; and
that it will please Him to save and defend us in all dangers
ghostly and bodily ; and that He will keep us from sin and
wickedness, and from our ghostly enemy, and from everlasting
death. And this I trust He ivill do of His mercy and good-
ness, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore I say.
Amen, So be it.
110
The Church Catechism Explained.
PART V.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENTS.
SECTION I. OF THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.
Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in His
Church ?
A. Two only, as generally necessary to Salvation ; that is
to say, Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Q. Wliat meanest thou by this icord ' Sacrament V
A. / mean an outicard and visible sign of an inivard and
spiritual grace, given unto us, ordained by Christ Himself, as
a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure
us thereof.
Q. How many parts are there in a Sacrament ?
A. Two, the outtvard visible sign, and the inward spiritual
grace.
The word Sacrament was used by ancient writers of the
Church, for any sacred or holy mystery, rite, or ceremony ;
every one calling what holy thing he pleased a Sacrament.
By which means the number of things that have been called
by this name is very great and uncertain. Wherefore the
question here is not, how many Sacraments there are in
general, or how many things have been, or may be called
sacraments ; but how many Sacraments hath Christ or-
dained, and that too in His Church, to be always observed
there?
Of such Sacraments there be two, and two only, as gene-
rally necessary to Salvation. There may be other things
ordained, but not as necessary to Salvation : some as neces-
sary to Salvation, but not generally. As the ordination or
consecration of persons to holy offices. This is necessary to
Salvation, because it is necessary to the right administration
of the means of grace and Salvation. But it is not generally
necessary : it is not necessary for all men ; as if none could
be saved except they be in holy orders. And therefore
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
Ill
neither can that be said to be ordained by Christ as generally
necessary to Salvation ; nor any other sacred rites, but only
two ; that is to say, Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Baptism was ordained by Him to be the Sacrament, or
sacred rite of making Disciples, or admitting persons into
the congregation and society of all Christian people, called
His Church. For a little before His ascension into Heaven,
He said to His Apostles, as it is in the original, " Go ye, Matt.2s.19.
therefore, and make all nations Disciples, baptizing (or, by
baptizing) them in tlie Name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost." So that, as before that time per-
sons used to be admitted into the Church by being circum-
cised, according to God's institution ; from that time for-
ward, by the institution of the same God our Saviour, not
only Jews, but people of all nations, are to be made His
Disciples, and brought into His Church, by being baptized ;
that is, as the word signifies, either dipped, or washed, or
sprinkled with water, ' in the Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' And as this was thus or-
dained or instituted by Christ our Saviour, it must needs be
not only necessary, but generally necessary, to Salvation,
seeing it is the only way or means ordained by Him,
whereby to be admitted into His Church, out of which
there is no Salvation. Acts 2. 47.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was ordained by
Him the same night in which He was betrayed. For being
then at supper with His Disciples, " He took bread, and
when He had given thanks. He brake it, and gave it to
them, and said. Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken
for you : this do in remembrance of Me. After the same
manner He took the cup, when He had supped, saying,
" This cup is the New Testament in My blood : this do, as icor.11.23,
oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me." Where we see 2^;^att.26.
that what our Lord Himself then did. He ordained and
commanded the same to be continued in His Church, and
to be always done in remembrance of Him, until His
coming again, to judge the world. And that must needs be iCor.11.26.
generally necessary to the Salvation of mankind, which is
ordained by the authority and in remembrance of the only
112
IVie Church Catechism Explained.
Saviour we have in all the world, and so for the exercise and
confirmation of our faith in Him, without which we can
never be saved by Him.
But that we may rightly understand the nature and de-
sign of these two Sacraments, ordained by Christ in His
Church, we must farther consider what is properly meant
by this word ' Sacrament,' which is therefore here described
by the general nature, by the Author, and by the ends of it.
As to the general nature, ' it is an outward and visible sign
of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us,' So that
in every ' Sacrament,' properly so called, there must be some
' invisible spiritual grace' or favour given unto us by God,
and there must be also some ' outward and visible sign,'
whereby the said grace is signified or represented to us.
Where either of these is wanting, there is no Sacrament:
where they both are, there is a Sacrament in general.
But to make it such a Sacrament as is here spoken of,
it must be ' ordained by Christ Himself,' as the Author ;
not by Moses or the Prophets before Him, nor by His Apos-
tles or His Church after Him, but ' by Christ Himself,' in
His Own person, with His Own mouth, as we see Baptism
and the Lord's Supper were.
And as for the end of such a Sacrament, it is twofold.
First, to be the ' means' whereby we may receive the spi-
ritual grace there signified. For whatsoever grace Grod is
pleased to give us. He ordinarily gives it not immediately
from Himself, but in the use of some means which He hath
appointed for that purpose, and which therefore operate or
work upon us, not by any power in themselves, but by virtue
of His institution and appointment, and by the power of His
Holy Spirit, moving and working in them, upon all such as
use them aright. And each of the Sacraments is such a ' means'
ordained and appointed by God our Saviour, whereby to be-
stow His grace upon us, that is there signified.
The other end is, to be a ' pledge to assure us thereof:'
for by admitting us to the Sacrament, and so applying the
outward sign to us. He thereby certifies and assures us of
His favour, and readiness to give us the spiritual grace sig-
nified thereby ; and we ought accordingly to believe, depend.
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
113
and trust upon Him for it. And if we do that, He will
certainly bestow it upon us.
From all which it appears, that in every Sacrament, pro-
perly so called, there are two parts ; an ' outward visible
sign,' and an ' inward spiritual grace.'
QUESTIONS.
Why do we not ask. How many Sacraments there are,
but, ' How many hath Christ ordained in His Church?'
AVhy is it said that there are ' two only, as generally
necessary to Salvation?'
Which are those two ?
When was Baptism ordained by Christ?
To what end was it ordained ?
What doth the word Baptism signify in general ?
Why is Baptism generally necessary to Salvation?
When was the ' Lord's Supper' ordained?
What is the general nature of a Sacrament ?
Who is the author or ordainer of it ?
To what ends is a Sacrament ordained ?
How many parts are there in a Sacrament ?
SECTION II. OF THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM.
Q. What is the outward visible sign or form in Baptism ?
A. Water, wherein the person is baptized, in the Name of
the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Q. What is the inward and sjnritual grace?
A. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteovsness :
for being by nature horn hi sin, and the children of wrath, we
are thereby made the children of grace.
Q. What is required of persons to be baptized?
A. Repentance, whereby they forsahe sin; and faith,
whereby they steadfastly believe the promises of God, made
to them in that Sacrament.
Q. Why then are infants baptized, when, by reason of their
tender age, they cannot perform them ?
I
I
114
The Church Catechism Explained.
A. Because they promise them both by their sureties ; which
promise, when they come to age, themselves are bound to
perform.
There are two parts, as we have heard, in every Sacra-
ment as such, an ' outward visible sign,' and an ' inward
spiritual grace.' Which being the integral or essential parts
of a Sacrament, without either of which it is no sacrament
at all, properly so called ; therefore, to understand the true
nature of either of the Sacraments, it will be necessary to
consider distinctly both these parts in it.
First, for the Sacrament of Baptism, the ' outward visible
sign' or ' form' of that, whereby it is distinguished from the
other Sacrament, is, ' water,' not simply in or by itself, but
Matt.28.19. ' water wherein the person is baptized, in the Name of the
Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,' according to the
first institution of it. For although a person be ' baptized,'
that is, dipped, sprinkled, or washed, with water, unless it
be done in the Name of these Three Divine Persons, seve-
rally and distinctly pronounced, it is not the ' Sacrament of
Baptism.' Neither is it so, although these Divine Persons
be distinctly named, unless the person be at the same time
baptized with water. And therefore it is not either of these
singly by itself, but both together, and so the whole action
of using or applying ' water' to a person ' in the Name of
the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,' that is, the
' outward visible sign' of this Sacrament as instituted by our
Lord and Saviour.
And it is observable, that there is no language wherein
those words may not be easily pronounced, so there is no
habitable place where water may not be easily had ; it being
the most common thing upon earth : which shews that our
Lord, considering the great necessity of all men's being
within the pale of His Church, instead of the painful and
troublesome Sacrament of circumcision, whereby persons
were before admitted into it, was graciously pleased to in-
stitute and ordain the most easy and obvious sign that could
be invented for it; that no man might pretend any trouble
or difficulty in it. But all must acknowledge that in this.
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
115
as well as in other respects, " His yoke is easy, and His Matt.u.30.
burden is light."
As that is the 'outward and visible sign' in this Sacrament,
so the ' inward and spiritual grace' signified by that sign,
is a ' death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness.'
That both these are signified in the Sacrament of Baptism,
we learn from the Apostle, saying, " Therefore we are buried Rom. 6. 4.
with Him by Baptism unto death, that like as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
should walk in newness of life." For here ' death ' is plainly
taken in a spiritual sense, for ' death unto sin,' that is, for
our ceasing to live any longer in it. But the Apostle saith, ch. 6. 2.
that we are ' baptized unto this death.' And therefore this
'death' must needs be ' signified' in Baptism ; wherein, as
our bodies are washed with water from their filth, so our
souls are washed by the blood of Christ from sin ; not only
from the guilt of sin, for its pardon or remission, but like- Acts 2. as ;
wise from the strength and power of it, for its mortification,
that ' sin may not have dominion over us,' who being bap- Rom. 6. i4.
tized, are " not under the Law, but under grace."
Which ' death unto sin' is necessarily accompanied with,
or rather it is effected by, ' a new birth unto righteousness ; '
that we may walk for the future ' in newness of life,' as the
Apostle speaks in the words above mentioned. And that
this great spiritual grace or favour is bestowed upon us, and
therefore is signified in Baptism, appears also from its being
" the washing of regeneration," wherein, as our Lord Him- Tit. 3. 5.
self, who ordained it, speaks, we are regenerated, or " born Johns. 5.
i again of water and the Holy Ghost."
For by nature we are all born in sin. Everyone may say
: with David, " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin Ps. 51. 5.
■ did my mother conceive me." For seeing we all proceed
: from the loins of our first parents, and were then contained
1 in them when they fell into sin, and by consequence under
• God's displeasure ; we fell in them, and with them, and so
• I come into the world both guilty of, and defiled with, ori-
\ ginal sin : which therefore (as the Church hath declared)
•I ' standeth not in the following of Adam, but is the fault
and corruption of every man, that naturally is engendered
of the offspring of Adam, whereby a man is far gone from
116 The Church Catechism Explained.
original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to
evil.' And therefore it is called 'original sin;' because
our nature, from its original or first conception, was cor-
rupted with it. So that we are all ' by nature the children
of wrath,' continually subject and obnoxious to the wrath
and indignation of the Almighty Creator of the world, with
Eph. 2. 3. all the dismal consequents and effects of it. But by Baptism
we are made, as we have seen already, ' the members of
Christ, the children of God, and inheritors of the Kingdom
of Heaven;' and so the ' children of grace:' and because
1 Pet. 3. 7. children, therefore " heirs also of the grace of life."
Now there are two things required of all persons, in
order to their being thus baptized : first, ' repentance,
whereby they forsake sin ;' according to that saying of St.
Acts 2. 38. Peter, "Repent and be baptizeu. Wherefore, when a
person is to be baptized, he is first asked, in the Name of
God, and in the presence of the congregation, as witnesses
of it, whether he doth renounce and will forsake all manner
of sins? To which he answereth, ' I renounce them all.'
And if he makes this answer heartily, sincerely, and with a
good conscience, so as afterwards to perform what he then
promised, he partakes of the grace signified in this Sacra-
ment, and is certainly saved by it ; according to that of the
iPet. 3. 21. same Apostle, where he saith, that " Baptism doth now save
us : not (the outward sign) the putting away the filth of the
flesh, but (the inward grace) the answer of a good con-
science towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
The other condition required is ' faith,' whereby they
steadfastly believe in Jesus Christ, and the promises which
God, in Him, hath made and confirmed to them ' in that
Sacrament.' That this is required, appears from what is
recorded concerning Philip's baptizing of the eunuch : for
when the eunuch said, " See, here is water ; what doth
hinder me to be baptized ?" Philip said, " If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest." And when the eunuch
had said, " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,''
Acts 8. 36, Philip immediately baptized him. And accordingly, when
any one comes or is brought to Holy Baptism, he must
first make profession of his faith, before the Sacrament
can be administered to him ; unless it be in some extra-.
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
117
ordinary cases, wherein he is allowed and required to do it
afterwards, when he is publicly received into the Church.
But ' Why then are infants baptized, when by reason of
their tender age they cannot perform these conditions?'
The reason is, not only because they have the seeds of
repentance and faith in them, which may afterwards grow
ujj to perfection ; but chiefly, because they then ' promise to
perform them.' Which is as much as we know adult persons,
or those of riper years, do. They only profess and promise
to repent and believe : but whether they really do so, or ever
will, is known only to God. So infants make the same pro-
fession and promise, though not in their own persons, yet
by their sureties or guardians, which do it in their name
and stead : and when they come to age, they are as much
bound to perform what they so promised, as if they had done
it themselves, in their own person. (As was observed and
more fully shewn in the beginning of the Catechism.)
QUESTIONS.
What are the two parts of a Sacrament?
What is the ' outward sign' in baptism ?
Is water alone the sign ?
Why is so common a thing as ' water' used in it ?
What is the ' spiritual grace ' here signified ?
What do you mean by ' a death unto sin?'
How do you prove that is signified in Baptism ?
How doth it appear that we are therein ' born again V
How were we born at first ?
What is ' original sin?'
How do you prove that ' repentance' and 'faith' are re-
quired of persons to be baptized ?
How then do ' infants' profess and promise to do them?
SECTION III. OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.
Q. Why was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper or-
dained?
A. For the continual remembrance of the Sacrifice of the
Death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby.
118 The Church Catechism Explained.
Q. What is the outward part or sign of the Lord's Supper ?
A, Bread and wine, which the Lord commanded to be
received.
Q. What is the inward part, or thing signified ?
A. The body and blood of Christ, which are verily and
indeed taken, and received by the faithful in the Lord's
Supper.
Q. What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?
A. The strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the
body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the bread
and wine.
When our ever-blessed Redeemer instituted the Sacra-
Luke22.i9; ment of His Last Supper, He said, "This do in remem-
lOor 11 24
■ brance of Me;" whereby He laid His command upon His
Apostles there present, and, in them, upon His Church in
all ages, that they should continue this His holy institution
' in remembrance of Him,' or of that death which He was
the next day to suffer for the sins of the world ; and that
they should do it all along, until His coming again. As we
iCor.11.26. learn also from His Apostle, saying, " As often as ye eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death
till He come."
This, therefore, is to be always done, ' for the continual
remembrance of His death,' as it was a ' sacrifice' for the sins
of the world ; therefore called here ' the sacrifice of the
death of Christ.' For, as the Apostle informs us from Him,
Heb. 9. 26. " He once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin
ch. 7. 27. by the sacrifice of Himself ; " " Who needed not daily, as
the priests under the Law, to offer up sacrifices first for His
Own sins, and then for the people's ; for this He did once,
when He offered up Himself." He then offered up Himself
iJohn2.i,2. as a " propitiation," or propitiatory sacrifice, " for the sins
of the whole world."
And therefore His death was not only a true and proper
sacrifice, but the only true and proper sacrifice for sin that
was ever offered up in the world. For His being offered up
for the sins of the whole world, there was no sin for which
any other need or could be offered up. Or if there had been,
Heb. 10. 4. no other could have taken it away : " For it is not possible
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
119
that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins."
Yet such only were all the ' sacrifices,' as they were called,
under the Law ; which, therefore, were not real expiatory
sacrifices in themselves, but only types and shadows, ap-
pointed by God to foreshew, typify, and represent ' the sacri-
fice of the death of Christ,' then to come.
And in like manner the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
is now ordained by Him, to set forth and commemorate the
same sacrifice as now already offered up for the sins of
mankind : which therefore is necessary to be continued to
the end, as the typical sacrifices were from the beginning of
the world.
For this purpose, therefore, was this Sacrament ordained,
even ' for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the
death of Christ,' and, by consequence, ' of the benefits which
we receive thereby.' Which are so many and so great, that
they can neither be numbered nor weighed. For it is by it
that we receive the pardon of our sins, atonement, and recon-
ciliation to the Almighty Creator of the world, the gifts and
graces of His Holy Spirit, and all the blessings that we ever
had, or have, or can have, or are, or can be made capable of
having, both in this world and the next. They were all
merited for us ' by the sacrifice of the death of Christ,' and
are bestowed upon us by means of that intercession which
He continually maketh for us in Heaven, by virtue of the
said sacrifice which He once offered up to God for us when
He was upon earth.
The outward part or sign in this Sacrament is only bread
and wine, wliich the Lord commanded to be received ; that
is, to be received into our bodies. For in the institution of Matt.26.26,
this Sacrament, when He had blessed the bread. He said,
"Take, eat:" when He had blessed the wine. He said,
" Drink ye all of this." The one is to be eaten, the other
drunk, and so both received into our bodies. And therefore
bread and wine, thus received according to Christ's institu-
tion and commandment, is the outward part or sign in tliis
Holy Sacrament.
But the inward part, or thing signified by that sign in
the Lord's Supper, is, ' the body and blood of Christ, which
are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in
120
The Church Catechism Explained.
the Lord's Supper.' For when the Lord, at His Last
iCor.11.24; Slipper, had taken bread and blessed it, and siven it to His
Matt. 26. 28. 1- 1 ' o
' Disciples, saying, " Take, eat;" He presently said, " This is
My body, which was broken for you." Likewise, when He
had taken the cup, and blessed it, and had given it to them,
saying, " Drink ye all of this;" He said, " For this is My
blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins." Whereby He plainly signified, that what
He now gave them to eat and drink. He would have them
look upon it, and receive it, not as common bread and wine,
but as His body and blood ; the one as broken, the other as
shed, for their sins.
Which, therefore, are not in show and appearance, but
verily and indeed, (according to the sense wherein the Lord,
instituting the Sacrament, spoke those words,) taken and
received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper : by the faithful,
even by all such, and only such, as believe the Gospel, and
what our Lord said, and accordingly receive what He now
Heb. 11.1. gives them with a true faith. Which being " the substance
of things hoped for," as well as " the evidence of things not
seen," it causeth that which our Lord said, and what they
therefore hope for and receive, upon His word, to subsist
really and effectually in them, to all intents and purposes
to which the body and blood of Christ can possibly be
communicated and received ; according to that remarkable
iCor.io. 16. saying of His Apostle to the same purpose, "The cup of
blessing which we bless, is it not the Communion of the
blood of Christ ? The bread which we break, is it not the
Communion of the body of Christ?"
And doubtless the benefits that we receive by this Sacra-
ment are suitable and proportionable to the expressions
which our Lord used in the institution of it, when He said,
'This is My body,' and 'This is My blood.' Which being
the highest expressions that could be used about it, avc
ought accordingly to have the highest opinion of it, and the
greatest expectations that can be from it.
And so we well may : for whereas the Only-begotten Son
of God, having assumed a human body, gave it to be broken,
and the blood in it to be shed, and so offered it up as a
sacrifice for the sins of mankind in general ; in this Sacra-
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
121
ment He communicates and applies it particularly to His
faithful people, saying to them, ' This is My body which is
broken for you, and this is My blood which is shed for you.'
So that all who rightly receive this Sacrament, do thereby
actually partake of that great sacrifice which He offered, and
of all the benefits which He thereby merited for mankind, in
order to the sanctifying and saving of their souls.
For though the thing signified in the Sacrament of the
Lord's Supper be the body and blood of Christ, yet it is not
received, as the sign is, into our bodies only, but into our
souls. It is the inward and spiritual part in the Sacrament,
and therefore hath respect only to the inward and spiritual
part of him that receives it. As our Lord saith upon another
occasion, " My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink John 6.55.
indeed ;" but He adds soon after, " The words that I spake ver. 63.
unto you they are spirit and they are life." So when He
saith of that which He gives us in this Sacrament to eat and
drink, ' This is My body,' and ' This is My blood,' He
means it in a spiritual sense ; not as food for our bodies, but
for our souls, which are strengthened and refreshed by the
body and blood of Christ, the inward and spiritual grace,
as our bodies are strengthened and refreshed by bread and
wine, the outward and visible sign in this Sacrament.
Our souls are strengthened by the body and blood of
Christ, received by faith in this Sacrament, because by this
means we have Christ Himself to dwell in our hearts by
faith, as the Apostle speaks. For He Himself saith, " He Eph. 3. 17.
that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, dwelleth iu ^-
Me, and I in him." And seeing He that is the Fountain of
all grace and strength dwelleth in us and we in Him, " His 2Cor. 12.9.
grace is always suflicient for us. His strength is made perfect
in our weakness; and His power resteth continually upon
us." So that " we can do all things through Christ Which Pho. 4. 13.
strengtheneth us."
Many who have been accustomed to the frequent re-
ceiving of this Holy Sacrament, have thus, by their own
experience, found it to be the means whei'eby to receive
the grace of God, to strengthen their souls, and make them
'steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the f^^or. 15.
Lord.' Whereas they who seldom receive it, as perhaps
122
The Church Catechism Explained.
twice or thrice a-year, they never knowing how to do it
as they ought, for want of use, find themselves but little the
better for it. But such as live in the wilful neglect of it (as
too many do), starve their own souls, and have no ground to
expect that Christ should save them, seeing they live in a
known sin, even in the breach of that positive command
■which He laid upon His Disciples, " Do this in remem-
brance of Me;" which He would never have commanded, if
it had not been necessary to be done in order to our being
saved by Him.
Neither are our souls only strengthened, but likewise
refreshed by this Holy Sacrament, as it is a pledge whereby
we are assured of the grace of God, as well as a means
whereby to receive it. For, seeing our Blessed Saviour
Himself is pleased to tell us in this Sacrament, that His
body was broken, and His blood shed for us, and for the
remission of our sins, if we really believe His Word, and
accordingly receive His said body and blood there offered to
1 Pet. 1. 8. us, with a quick and lively faith, we cannot but " rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory."
For hereby we do not only receive, to our great comfort,
the pardon of all our sins, signed with the blood of the
[John 1. "Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world;"
29.]
but, as our Church expresseth it in the prayer after the
Communion, God Himself doth hereby ' assure us of His
favour and goodness towards us, and that we are very
members incorporate in the mystical body of His Son, which
is the blessed company of all faithful people ; and are heirs
through hope of His everlasting Kingdom, by the merits of
the most precious death and passion of His dear Son.'
Which is certainly the greatest refreshment and comfort to
our souls on this side Heaven ; enough to make us run, not
only with patience, but with pleasure, the race that is set
before us.
From hence we may see, that as in the Sacrament of
Baptism, ^ve being born again of water and of the spirit, are
quickened with a new and spiritual life : so in the Sacra-
ment of the 'Lord's Supper, this new and spiritual life is
supported and nourished by the body and blood of Christ,
as our natural life is by meat and drink. And therefore, as
The Doctrine of the Sacraments. 123
we eat and drink something or other every day to keep up
our bodies in life and health, so we must take all oppor-
tunities that we can get of feeding upon this spiritual food,
the bread and water of life, to keep our souls in health and
strength as to their spiritual state ; and must look upon our-
selves as bound by our own interest, as well as duty, to do
it as often as we can : this being the best means that we
can ever use, whereby not only to live, but to " grow in 2Pet. 3. is.
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ : to Him be glory now and for ever."
QUESTIONS.
To what end did our Lord ordain the Sacrament of His
Last Supper ?
What is commemorated in it ?
Was His death a proper sacrifice?
What are the benefits that we receive thereby ?
What is the ' outward part' in this Sacrament?
How is that to be received ?
What is the ' inward part,' or ' thing signified ?'
Are the body and blood of Christ received in the Lord's
Supper ?
By whom are they received ?
How are they received by them ?
What do they partake of who faithfully receive them ?
What part of us is 'strengthened' and 'refreshed' by
them ?
How are our souls thereby 'strengthened?'
How are they ' refreshed' by the body and blood of Christ ?
How often ought we to receive the Lord's Supper ?
Q. What is required of them, who come to the Lord's
Supper ?
A. To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly
of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life;
have a lively faith in God's mercies through Christ, icith a
thankful remembrance of His death, and he in charity with
all men.
Although Our Lord used such expressions and terras in
124
The Church Catechism Explained.
the institution of the Sacrament of His Last Supper, as, if
duly considered, would deter all people from approaching to
it without reverence and godly fear ; yet, nevertheless, there
were some at first, especially at Corinth, who not rightly
understanding, or else not duly considering it, ventured to
come to it as to an ordinary meal ; and to eat and drink the
body and blood of Christ like common meat and drink.
Which St. Paul hearing of, he rebuked them sharply for it,
1 Cor. 11. telling them in plain terms, that "this was not to eat the
20-22. Lord's Supper." But looking upon it as proceeding chiefly
from their ignorance of the institution, he acquaints them
particularly with all the circumstances of it, as he had re-
ver. 23-25. ccivcd it from the Lord Himself, and likewise with the great
ver. 26. end and design of it, even to " shew forth the Lord's death
till He come."
And then, to convince them of their former error, and to
make them more careful for the future to avoid it, he adds,
ver. 27. " Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this
cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord." As if he [had] said, ' Seeing this which
I have now declared, is the nature and the end of this holy
institution ; therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and
drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, as you have hitherto
done, shall be guilty of a great sin, in profaning the body
and blood of the Lord.' And that they might better under-
stand his meaning, he repeats the same thing again in other
ver. 29. and plainer words, saying in the next verse but one, " For
he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation (or judgment) to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body."
He doth not say, he that being unworthy (for so all men
are) shall, notwithstanding, presume to eat this bread and
drink this cup : but, he that doeth it unworthily, in an un-
worthy, irreverent, and unseemly manner, not becoming so
holy an institution, as the Corinthians he speaks of did it ;
such a one eateth and drinketh not the body and blood of
Christ, but damnation (or rather, as the word signifies, judg-
ment) to himself; at least some teiupoi'al judgment, as he
ver. 30. explains it in the next verse, saying, " For this cause many
are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
125
But to shew more fully what kind of unworthy receiving
he here means, having said, " He that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself;" he
adds, "not discerning the Lord's body:" that is, not duly
considering that it is the Lord's body, and therefore making
no difference between that and common food ; but eating
this bread and drinking this cup after the same manner as
they do their ordinary meat and drink. This is the sin
which the Apostle here reproves and corrects, and labours
for the future to prevent.
For which purpose he lays down this general rule to be
observed by all that come, as all Christians ought to do, to
the Lord's Supper: "But let a man examine himself, and iCor.ii.28.
so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." He
only saith in general, "Let a man examine himself;" with-
out telling us particularly what he should examine himself
about, supposing that to appear sufficiently from the nature
of the Sacrament itself, and the end of its institution, which
he had now declared to them. Howsoever, from these
words of the Apostle, many of late years have taken occa-
sion to write whole books — some, large volumes — concern-
ing the preparation required to the due receiving of the
Lord's Supper. But all that hath been, or need, or can be
said to any purpose about it, is here delivered and taught
by our Church in few words, even, that they who come to
the Lord's Supper are required ' to examine themselves
about their repentance, their faith, and their charity.'
They must first examine themselves, '-whether they repent
them truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead
a new life.' For unless they be sensible of, and truly peni-
tent for, their former sins, they cannot have that respect and
value for the body and blood of Christ, that was broken and
shed for them, which is necessary to their due, reverent,
and worthy receiving of them, when offered in this Holy
Sacrament. ?s"either are they qualified for that pardon or
remission which is there offered to them : for that being
promised only to the penitent, none else are capable of it,
and therefore cannot possibly receive it in that Sacrament.
Neither is it sufficient that they be grieved and troubled
for their former sins ; but they must ' repent them truly'
126 The Church Catechism Explained.
of tlieiu, so as ' steadfastly to purpose' and resolve, by the
grace of God, 'to lead' for the future 'a new life:' for
otherwise it is no true repentance. And besides, our souls
are here strengthened and refreshed only as to their ' new
and spiritual life,' as we have shewn already. And there-
fore they who do not lead such a ' new and spiritual life,'
or at least do not ' steadfastly purpose' to do so, having no
subject-matter for the body and blood of Christ to work
upon, cannot receive it ' worthily,' for they cannot receive it
to any purpose or effect.
Wherefore they who come to the Lord's Supper must
search very diligently into their hearts and lives, and im-
partially examine themselves, and consider whether they
have not hitherto lived in some known sin, or in the neglect
of some known duty : and if they have, they must resolve,
by God's assistance, to do so no longer ; but to live for the
future a truly pious and good life, as becometh the Gospel
of Christ. And if they have done any wrong to any man,
they must make him restitution, and all the satisfaction that
they are able, as ever they desire to be worthy communi-
cants in those holy mysteries, or to receive any benefit or
comfort from them. In short, they must seriously consider
wherein they have broken that solemn vow M'hich they
made to God in the Sacrament of Baptism ; and whensoever
they come to that of the Lord's Supper, they must renew
and ratify the said vow, and resolve in good earnest to keep
it in all points more exactly for the future.
Having thus examined their repentance, they must, in the
next place, examine whether they have ' a lively faith in
God's mercies through Christ, with a thankful remembrance
of His death.' For without faith, as hath been shewn, they
cannot receive the body and blood of Christ at all, and
therefore not worthily. Without faith, also, they cannot
rightly discern the body and blood of Christ from the bread
and wine, and therefore must needs eat that bread and drink
that cup of the Lord unworthily.
NoAV this faith necessarily supposeth our knowledge of the
fundamental articles of the Christian faith, the nature of this
holy institution, and likewise the mercies which God hath
promised in J[esus Christ, upon which it must be in this
The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
127
case particularly exercised, ' with a thankful remembrance
of that death' by which He merited, and upon the sole
account whereof God hath promised, the said mercies to us.
So that when upon examination we find that we ' truly
repent of our former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a
new life,' we must come to the Lord's Supper with a
' lively faith,' firmly believing, that as really as we there
eat and drink the outward elements of bread and wine,
we do at the same time receive the full pardon of all our
sins, by means of the body and blood of Christ, then and
there communicated to us as broken and shed for us : and
not only the pardon of our former sins, ' of God's infinite
mercy in Christ,' but likewise grace and strength to perform
our holy purposes and resolutions, so as to live for the
future in newness of life. He that comes to the Lord's
table with such a well-grounded faith, can never return
without the blessings he came for, but will find his soul
more strengthened and refreshed by the body and blood
of Christ his Saviour, than any can imagine but he that
feels it.
Wherefore, it being, requisite that no man should come
to the Lord's Supper but with such a full trust and con-
fidence in God's mercies through Christ ; if any man, by
looking carefully into his heart, finds his conscience touched
with so quick a sense of his former sins, that he knows
not what to do, nor can satisfy his own mind, so as to be
able to come to the Holy Communion with a lively faith
and quiet conscience, ' he should then go to some discreet
and able minister of God's Word, and open his grief, that by
the ministry of God's Holy Word he may receive the benefit
of absolution, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to
the quieting of his conscience, and avoiding all scruples and
doubtfulness.' As our Church directeth in the exhortation,
when the minister giveth warning of the celebration of the
Holy Communion.
The last thing which they who come to the Lord's
Supper must examine themselves about is, whether ' they
be in charity with all men : so as not to bear any grudge,
malice, or hatred, against any person whatsoever.' For the
Lord Himself having said, " If ye forgive not men their Matt. 6. is.
128
The Church Catechism Explained.
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,"
unless we forgive all the wrongs or injuries that other men
have done us, we cannot go to this Sacrament with any true
faith and trust in God's mercies for the pardon of our sins :
for He hath told us beforehand that He Avill not pardon
Matt. 5. 23, them. " Therefore," saith He, " if thou bring thy gift to the
altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught
against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy
way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and
offer thy gift." Whereby He hath plainly given us to under-
stand, that He will not accept of the offering that we make,
nor of any thing we do at His Own table, except we ' be in
charity with all men.'
And therefore, where there hath been any hatred, malice,
or variance betwixt parties, they must of necessity first
be reconciled to one another, before they can be reconciled
to God, so as truly to partake of the body and blood
of Christ for the pardon of their sins. But if one of the
parties hath a mind to be reconciled, and the other not, the
Church hath given directions what is to be done in that case
in the rubric before the Communion.
He who, upon due examination, finds that he thus ' truly
repenteth of his former sins, hath a lively faith in God's
mercies through Christ, and is in charity with all men,'
may well come to the Lord's Supper, without fear of eating
that bread and drinking that cup of the Lord unworthily.
For coming with a deep sense of his former sins upon his
mind, he cannot but carry himself there with all humility,
revAence and godly fear, that is due unto and becoming
those holy mysteries : coming with a quick and lively faith,
[1 Cor. u. he must needs ' discern the Lord's body :' and coming like-
wise with a true Christian charity, he is every way qualified
to receive the body and blood of Christ and to partake
of the great benefits and blessings which are offered and
exhibited to the faithful in the Lord's Supper.
And if he finds, moreover, that he doth not only act these
Christian graces at present, but hath exercised himself so
long in them that they are now become habitual to him,
then he will not always need so much actual preparation ;
but being thus always habitually disposed for it, he may, to
Postscript.
i2g
his unspeakable comfort, receive the blessed body and blood
of his Saviour, vphensoever it is administered, though it be
every Lord's Day in the year, as it was in the primitive
times, or every day in the week, as it was some time in the
days of the Apostles, and may be so still, according to the
Liturgy of the Church of England.
QUESTIONS.
What is meant by eating this bread and drinking this cup
of the Lord unworthily ?
What is required in general to the due receiving the
Lord's Supper?
What are the particular things tliat men must examine
themselves about ?
Why must they examine whether they repent?
Why must they resolve to lead a new life?
How must they do that ?
What need is there of examining their faith ?
How must they exercise their faith in the Lord's Supper?
What must they do who are troubled with scruples and
doubtings ?
Why must they examine their charity ?
What is here meant by ' charity?'
What must they do who are at variance ?
Can they who truly repent, believe, and are in charity
with all men, eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord
unworthily ?
How often may they come to the Lord's Supper in whom
these graces are habitual ?
POSTSCRIPT.
After this short exposition of the Catechism was drawn
up, looking it over again, I saw it expedient to add something
here concerning it ; for some, I believe, will be apt to think
it too short : and it might, I confess, have been made much
I longer, and perhaps with more ease ; but I confined myself
I to this narrow compass on purpose that I might not have
130 The Church Catechism Explained.
room to bring in any thing but what I thought necessary,
and that the whole might be sooner comprehended. There
are necessary things enough for people to learn without
being troubled with things unnecessary. If here be all that
they need to know of what they ought to believe and do as
Christians, it is enough : more would but confound them,
especially the younger and weaker sort, for which this is
chiefly designed.
For whose sake also I have added the questions at the
end of each discourse, such as may be put to those who are
catechised, whereby to know whether they fully understand
it. For if they do, they may readily return an answer to
such questions out of what was there treated of, or out of
some expressions used in treating of it. And if they stick
at any thing, the Catechist may help them out, by varying
the words and phrases, till he light upon such as they can
best apprehend ; and by shewing them how to resolve such
(if there be any such) questions, to which they cannot find
a direct answer : and if there be occasion, he may ask them
any other questions, and likewise talk familiarly to them
upon these or such other plain catechetical heads, without
using any premeditated or set discourse, till he find that
they understand all that is necessai'y for them to know,
in that part of the Catechism which he instructs them in.
But I am very sensible, that although this or any other
way of catechising to good purpose, may seem easy in the
theory, it will be difficult to bring it every where into prac-
tice. For there are several parishes in the country where
there are few or none of the parishioners that can read
or say the Catechism themselves, much less that will teach
others to read or say it. And what can a Minister do in that
case ? Is he bound to teach children or others to read ?
That is no part of the ministerial office ; neither is there any
necessity of it. In the first ages of the Church, there were
few that could read, yet many were so well instructed in the
faith of Christ, that they cheerfully suffered martyrdom for
it. For being taught only necessary things, such as those
few contained in our Church Catechism, they soon learned)
them so as to be deeply affected with them, and retain them'
in their hearts as well as heads ; but they were generally
Postscript.
131
people of riper years. To make people understand the
Catechism, who cannot read nor were taught it before, will
require more time and patience ; but it may be done : and
the law requires that they be instructed and examined every
Lord's Day in some part of the Catechism, without taking
notice whether they can read, or had learned any thing of it
before; and commandeth all parents, masters, and dames, to
cause their children, servants, and apprentices (which have
not learned their Catechism), to come and be ordered by the
Curate till they can say all that is appointed for them to
learn. All that ai-e concerned, would do well to consider
how this law, which tends so much to the good of those
which are committed to their charge, may be best observed,
and the end of it attained.
But there are other parishes, both about London and in
the country, so very large and populous, that it is morally
impossible for their respective Ministers to instruct all the
children and ignorant persons that are in them. This seems
to be foreseen in making the law : for it is there provided,
that the Curate of every parish shall, every Lord's Day,
instruct and examine so many of the children of the parish
as he shall think convenient ; and therefore he satisfies the
law, w ho instructs some at one time, and some at another,
so many as he conveniently can. But by this means the
Curate in some parishes can scarce go through all in a whole
year ; and so can instruct none so fully as they ought to be
instructed, unless he always takes the same ; and then all
the other will be neglected, and suffered to continue in their
ignorance.
Neither do I see how this can be prevented in such great
parishes any other way than by erecting catechetical schools,
such as were usual in the primitive times, and contributed
very much to the propagation of the Gospel. There was [st. Jerom.
such a school at Alexandria, so ancient that it was thought j;^^e?!tom.
to be begun by St. Mark the Evangelist ; of which the two U^' ^t'- ^
n . EusebHist.
famous men, Pantsenus and Clemens Alexandrinus, were Ecdes.v.io;
successively masters. Origen also taught in the same school, 30.]
and afterwards in such another at Caesarea ; and so did St.
Cyril at Jerusalem, who was afterwards Bishop of the place;
whose expositions of the principles of our Holy Religion,
132
Tlie Church Catechism Explained.
which he made, as it is supposed, when he was only a deacon
and catechist, are still extant, and highly esteemed, as they
deserve.
And indeed this seems to have been a great part of the
[Bingham, Deacons' office in those days. They were not only to take
15.']"" care of the poor, but to instruct the ignorant, or at least
assist the Priests in doing it. And so it is or ought to be
at this day among us, by the orders find constitutions of our
Church, which in this, as in all other particulars, keeps close
to the pattern of the Primitive and Apostolical. As appears
from tlie form of ordaining a Deacon : for there the Bishop
tells him who is to be ordained, that it appertains to the
office of a Deacon, in the Church where he shall be appointed
to serve, among other things, ' to instruct the youth in the
Catechism.' And he then solemnly promiseth that he will
do so, ' by the help of God.' Whereby the Church layeth
as great an obligation as can be well made, upon every one
that is so ordained, to instruct the youth of the parish where
he is to serve. And none can be admitted to the office,
unless he have a title to some place where he may serve
[Can. 33.] God and the Church in the execution of it.
Now if this was duly observed, it would conduce very
much to the furtherance of this great work : for Deacons
being obliged by the law to continue one whole year at
least in that, before they are advanced to the higher order;
if they all catechised the youth of the places where they
serve all that time, the youth of such places would, at least
for that time, be taken care of: and they themselves by
teaching others would learn more, and be better fitted for
the Priesthood, than by any other studies which they can
follow in the meanwhile. And if none could be ordained
Priests without letters testimonial, that they have faithfully
executed this, as well as the other parts of the Deacon's
office, it would make them more diligent and careful to
perform what they promised at their ordination.
This, therefore, being an office >Yhich Deacons, as well as
those in higher orders, may and ought to execute; and
there being so many Deacons every year ordained in our
Church out of them, together with those who are already
admitted to the Priesthood, and are out of place (of which
Postscript.
133
there are too many), all the great parishes may be supplied
with as many as are needful to the instructing of all the
children and ignorant people in them, so as that the incum-
bents may have no more to do in this business than what
they may easily compass. For they being all before in-
structed in one or more private schools, according to the
extent of the parish, the Minister upon the Lord's Day need
only examine in the Church as many as he thinks convenient
at one time, to see whether they be fully and rightly in-
structed, and at another time as many more, and so by
degrees go through the whole parish, and then begin again
with those which he first examined : for by this means there
will not be that necessity of examining the same persons
publicly every Lord's Day: for they all continuing to be
instructed in the schools, they will not lose what they have
learned, as they otherwise would, but rather learn more
than perhaps they could at Church. And if they be at
Church too, as they ought to be, while the other are in-
structed and examined, they may receive the same benefit
there, as if they themselves also were so.
This I the rather observe here, lest any should think that
these private catechetical schools might supersede the Mi-
nister's duty in catechising publicly in the Church. For this
is what the law requires, and the private instructions are
only in order to the having so good a law better observed.
And besides, as the Minister to whom the care of the youth
is committed, must have an eye to the private schools, to see
whether they be rightly instructed there ; so it is requisite
that he should instruct and examine them in public, that his
parishioners likewise may be satisfied as well as he that
they are so, and may be thereby also put in mind of many
things which otherwise they might not think of.
And I hope there is never a Pastor in the Church that
will think this below him, upon which depends the safety of
so great a part of his flock as the lambs are, which he is
expressly also commanded to feed as well as the sheep, and
that too in the first place. I am sure the great Apostle did Jolm2i.i5-
not think so when he solemnly professed, that although he
spake with tongues more than all those he wrote to, yet in
the Church he had rather speak five words with his under-
134
The Church Catechism Explained.
^ ^ standing, that he might catechise others also, (so it is in tlie
18, 19. ' original,) than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
But the main difficulty will be in getting such schools for
the children and servants of the rich, as well as poor (for
whom there are charity-schools already in some places), set
up in all parishes that have occasion for them, besides the
grammar and other schools, if there be any, where the
masters ought to instruct their scholars in the Churcli Cate-
chism, as well as in any other science, art, or language. In
many such parishes the maintenance of the Minister is so
small, that it cannot be expected that he should do it him-
self : where it is otherwise, I doubt not but that he who is
intrusted with the care of all the souls in the parish will do
what he can towards it, as many do already. But as the
case now stands with us, I do not see how it can be univer-
sally practised, as it ought to be, without the liberal contri-
bution of pious and well-disj^osed Christians.
But, praised be God for it, we have still some among us,
who, out of a deep sense of their duty, and pure zeal for
the honour of Almighty God, are as forward and free to any
pious and good work, as if they could merit by it : and such
can never express their piety and charity both together any
other way better, if so well as this, which hath an immediate
tendency both to the glory of the Most High God, our
Maker and Most Merciful Redeemer, and likewise to the
Salvation of so many thousand souls, as well as to the
benefit of the Church and kingdom in which they live;
and that too not only for the present, but for all future
ages.
PRIVATE THOUGHTS
UPON
RELIGION,
DIGESTED INTO
TWELVE ARTICLES,
WITH
PRACTICAL RESOLUTIONS FORMED THEREUPON.
PART I.
PRIVATE THOUGHTS
ON
RELIGION,
When, in my serious thoughts and more retired meditations,
I am got into the closet of my heart, and there begin to
look within myself, and consider what I am, I presently find
myself to be a reasonable creature ; for was I not so, it
would be impossible for me thus to reason and reflect. But
am I a reasonable creatnre ? Why then I am sure, within
this veil of flesh there dwells a soul, and that of a higher
nature than either plants or brutes are endowed with ; for
they have souls indeed, but yet they know it not ; and that
because their souls or material forms (as the philosophers
term them) are not any thing really and essentially distinct
from the very matter of their bodies, which being not
capable of a reflective act, though they are they know it
not, and though they act they know it not ; it being not
possible for them to look within themselves, or to reflect
upon their own existences and actions. But it is not so
with me ; I not only know I have a soul, but that I have
such a soul which can consider of itself, and deliberate of
every particular action that issues from it. Nay, I can
consider that I am now considering of my own actions, and
can reflect upon myself reflecting ; insomuch, that had I
nothing else to do, I could spin out one reflection upon
another to infinity. And, indeed, was there never another
argument in the world to convince me of the spiritual
nature of my soul, this alone would be sufficient to wrest
138
Private Thoughts on Religion.
the belief and confession of it from me : for, what below a
spirit can thus reflect upon itself? or, what below a spirit
can put forth itself into such actions, as I find I can exercise
myself in ? My soul can, in a moment, mount from earth
to Heaven, fly from pole to pole, and view all the courses
and motions of the celestial bodies, the sun, moon, and stars ;
and then, the next moment, returning to myself again, I
can consider where I have been, what glorious objects have
been presented to my view, and wonder at the nimbleness
and activity of my soul, that can run over so many millions
of miles, and finish so great a work in so small a space of
time. And are suchlike acts as these the effects of drossy
earth, or impenetrable matter ? Can any thing below a
spirit raise itself so much beyond the reach of material
actions ?
But stay a little ; what is this soul of mine, that I am
now speaking of, that it is so nimble in its actions, and so
spiritual in its nature ? Why, it is that which actuates and
informs the several organs and members of my body, and
enables me not only to perform the natural actions of life
and sense, but likewise to understand, consult, argue, and
conclude, to will and nill, hope and despair, desire and
abhor, joy and grieve, love and hate, to be angry now, and
again appeased. It is that by which, at this very time, my
head is inditing, my hand is writing, and my heart resolving
what to believe and how to practise. In a word, my soul
is myself ; and therefore when I speak of my soul, I speak
of no other person but myself. Not as if I totally excluded
this earthly substance of my body from being a part of
myself ; I know it is. But I think it most proper and
reasonable to denominate myself from ray better part : for,
alas ! take away my soul, and my body falls, in course, into
its primitive corruption, and moulders into the dust from
[isa.40. 6.] whence it was first taken: "All flesh is grass," says the
[1 Pet. 1. prophet, " and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of
^^•^ the field." And this is no metaphorical expression, but a
real truth ; for what is that which I feed upon, but merely
grass, digested into corn, flesh, and the like, which, by a
second digestion, is transfused and converted into the sub-
stance of my body. And hence it is, that my body is but
Private Thoughts on Religion.
139
like the grass, or flower of the field, fading, transient, and
momentary, to-day flourishing in all its glory, to-morrow
cut down, dried up, and withered. But now, how far is [Ps- so. 6.]
this below the spiritual and incorruptible nature of my im-
mortal soul, which subsists of itself, and can never be dis-
solved, being not compounded of any earthly or elementary
matter, (as the body is,) but is a pure spiritual substance,
infused into me by God, to Whom, after a short abode in
the body, it is to return, and to live and continue for ever,
either in a state of happiness or misery in another life.
But must it so indeed ? How much then does it concern
me seriously to bethink myself where I had best to lead this
everlasting life — in the heavenly mansions of eternal glory,
or else in the dreadful dungeon of infernal misery ? But
betwixt these (as there is no medium, so) there is no com-
parison, and therefore I shall not put it to the question,
which place to choose to live in ; but, without giving the
other that honour to stand in competition with it, I, this
morning, with the leave of the Most High God, do choose
the land of Canaan, the Kingdom of Heaven, to be the lot
of mine inheritance, the only seat of bliss and glory for my
soul to rest and dwell in to all eternity. But Heaven, they
say, is a place hard to come at; yea, the King of that
glorious place hath told me, that "strait is the gate, and Matt. 7. i4.
narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, and that there
be but few that find it," yea, and that "many shall seek to Luke 13.24,
enter in, and shall not be able." What, therefore, must I
do? Why, I must either resolve to make it my whole
business to get to Heaven, or else I must never hope or
expect to come thither. Without any further dispute,
therefore, about it, I resolve at this time, in the presence of
Almighty God, that from this day forward, I will make it
my whole business, here upon earth, to look after my happi-
ness in Heaven, and to walk circumspectly in those blessed
paths that God hath appointed all to walk in that ever
expect to come to Him.
Now, though there be but one way, and that a narrow
one too, that leads to Heaven, yet there are two things
requisite to all those that walk in it, and they are " faith"
and " obedience," to believe and to live aright. So that it
140
Private Thoughts on Religion.
as mucli behoves me to have my faith rightly confirmed in
the fundamentals of religion, as to have my obedience ex-
actly conformed to the laws of God. And these two duties
are so inseparably united, that the former cannot well be
supposed without the latter ; for I cannot obey what God
hath commanded me, unless I first believe what He hath
taught me. And they are both equally difficult as they are
necessary : indeed, of the two, I think it is harder to lay the
sure foundation of faith, than to build the superstructure of
obedience upon it ; for it seems next to impossible, for one
that believes every truth, not to obey every command that
is written in the Word of God. But it is not so easy a
thing as it is commonly thought, to believe the Word of
God, and to be firmly established in the necessary points of
religion, especially in these wicked times wherein we live ;
in which there are so many pernicious errors and dam-
nable heresies crept into the articles of some men's faith, as
do not only shock the foundation of the Church of Christ,
but strike at the root of all religion. The first thing, there-
fore, that, by the grace of God, I am resolved to do, in re-
ference to my everlasting estate, is to see to my faith, that it
be both rightly placed, and firmly fixed, that I may not be
[Eph.4.14.] as a " wave tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine,
by the cunning craftiness of those that lie in wait to deceive ;"
but that I may be thoroughly settled in my faith and judg-
ment concerning those things, the knowledge of and assent
unto which is absolutely necessary to my future happiness.
Let, therefore, what times soever come upon me, let what
temptations soever be thrown before me, I am resolved, by
the grace of God, steadfastly to believe as followeth.
ARTICLE I.
/ believe there is One God, the Being of all beings.
The other articles of my faith I think to be true because
they are so ; this is true, because I think it so : for if there
was no God, and so this article not true, I could not be, and
Private Thoughts on Religion.
141
so not think it true. But in that I think, I am sure I am ;
and in that I am, I am sure there is a God ; for if there was
no God, how came I to be ? How came I hither ? Who
gave me my being ? Myself? That could not be; for be-
fore I had a being, I was nothing, and therefore could do
nothing, much less make myself a being. Did my parents
i give me my being? Alas! they knew not that I should be
' before I was ; and therefore, certainly, could not give me
my being when I was not. As to my soul (which I call
myself) it is plain they could not give me that, because it is
a being of a spiritual nature, quite distinct from matter, as
my own experience tells me, and therefore could not be the
product of any natural or material agent : for that a bodily
substance should give being to a spiritual one implies con-
tradiction. And if it could neither make itself, nor take its.
rise from any earthly or secondary cause, I may certainly
conclude, from my own reason, as well as from Divine reve-
lation, that it must be infused by God, though I am not
able to determine either when or how it was done ? As to
my body, indeed, I must own it was derived from my
parents, who were immediately concerned in bringing the
materials of it together : but then, who made up these coarse
I materials into the form or figure of a body ? Was this the
I eflTect of natural generation ? But how came my parents
by this generative power? Did they derive it by succession
from our first parents in Paradise? Be it so. But whence
came they ? Did they spring out of the earth ? Xo ; what
then? Were they made by chance? This could not be;
for as chance seldom or never produces any one effect that
is regular and uniform, so it cannot be supposed, that a
being of such admirable beauty, symmetry, and proportion,
and such a nice contexture of parts as the body of man is,
should ever be jumbled together by a fortuitous concourse
of atoms, which nothing but the chimeras of Epicurus could
ever reduce into a regular form and composition.
And the like may be said of all other created beings in
the world. For there is no natural cause can give being to
any thing, unless it has that being it gives in itself ; for it
is a received maxim in philosophy, that ' nothing can give
what it has not.' And so, however the bodies of men, or
142 Private Thoughts on Relir/ion.
brutes, or plants, may now in the ordinary course of nature
be jiroduced by generation, yet there must needs be some
one Supreme Almighty Being in the world, that has the
Being of all other beings in itself ; Who first created these
several species, and endued them with this generative power
to propagate their kind. And this Supreme Being is that
which we call God. Hence it is, that there is not a leaf,
no, not a line in this great book of the creation, wherein we
may not clearly read the existence and perfections of the
Great and Glorious Creator, and that even by the glimmering
light of nature. For who is it that bedecked yonder stately
canopy of heaven with those glistering spangles the stars ?
Who is it that commands the sun to run his course, and
the moon to ride her circuit so constantly about the world ?
Who is it that formed me so curiously in my mother's
womb ? Who is it that gives my stomach power to digest
such variety of meats into chyle, and my heart or liver to
turn them all to blood ; and thence to send each particle to
its proper place, and all to keep up this crazy carcass?
Doubtless these, and suchlike things, however ordinary or
natural they may appear to us at present, are in themselves
very great and wonderful effects, that must at first be pro-
duced by some infinitely powerful and supernatural agent,
the High and Mighty God, Who is not only the Chiefest of
beings, but the Being of all beings whatsoever. I say, the
Being of all beings, because whatsoever excellency or per-
fection is in any other thing, is eminently, yea, infinitely
comprehended in Him ; so that He is not only the creatures'
perfection in the concrete, but in the abstract too ; He is not
only All-wise, All-good, All-mighty, &c. but He is All-
wisdom, All-goodness, All-might, All-mercy, All-justice, All-
glory, &c. And as He is the Ocean and Abyss of all these
perfections in Himself, so is He the Fountain of them all to
us. Insomuch that we have nothing, not so much as the
least moment of life, but what is communicated to us from
this Ever-living God. And not only what we poor sinful
worms are, or have, but even whatsoever tliose nobler crea-
tures the Angels have, it is but a beam darted from this Sun,
it is but a stream flowing from this overflowing Fountain.
Lift up thine eyes, tlierefore, O my soul, and fix them a little
Private Thoughts on Reliyion.
143
upon this Glorious Object! How glorious, liow transcend-
ently glorious must He needs be. Who is the Being of all
beings, the Perfection of all perfections, the very Glory of all
glories, the Eternal God ! He is the Glory of love and
goodness, Who is good, and doeth good continually unto me,
though I be evil, and do evil continually against Him. He
is the Glory of wisdom and knowledge, unto Whom all the
secret thoughts, the inward motions and retirements of my
soul, are exactly known and manifest. Never did a thought
lurk so secretly in my heart, but that His all-seeing eye could
espy it out : even at this time He knows what I am now
thinking of, and what I am doing as well as myself. And,
indeed, well may He know what I think, and speak, and do,
■when I can neither think, nor speak, nor do any thing,
unless Himself be pleased to give me strength to do it. He
is the glory of might and power. Who did but speak the
word, and there presently went out that commanding power
from Him, by which this stately fabric of the world was
formed and fashioned. And as He created all things by the
word of His power, so I believe He preserves and governs
all things by the power of the same word : yea, so great is
His power and sovereignty, that He can as easily frown
my soul from my body into Hell, or nothing, as I can throw
this book out of my hand to the ground : nay, he need not
throw me into nothing, but, as if I should let go my hold,
the book would presently fall ; so, should God but take
away His supporting hand from under me, I should, of my-
self, immediately fall down to nothing. This, therefore, is
that God Whom I believe to be the Being of all beings, and
so the Creator, Preserver, Governor, and Disposer of all
things in the world.
ARTICLE II.
/ believe that whatsoever the Most High God would have me
to believe or do, in order to His glory and my happiness.
He hath revealed to me in His Holy Scriptures.
Upon the same account that I believe there is a God, I
believe likewise that this God is to be worshipped; the
144
Private Thoughts on Religion.
same light that discovers the one, discovering the other too.
And therefore it is, that as there is no nation or people in
the world but acknowledge some Deity ; so there is none
but worship that Deity which they acknowledge ; yea,
though it be but a stick or a stone, yet if they fancy any
thing of divinity in it, they presently perform worship and
homage to it. Nay, that God is to be worshipped, is a
truth more generally acknowledged than that there is a God,
No nation, I confess, ever denied the latter, but no particular
person ever denied the former: so that the very persons,
who, through diabolical delusions, and their own prevalent
corruptions, have suspected the existence of a Deity, could
not but acknowledge that He was to be worshipped if He
did exist ; worship being that which is contained in the very
notion of a Deity ; which is, that He is the Being of all
beings, upon Whom all other things or beings so dejiend,
and unto Whom they are beholden both for their essence and
subsistence. And if there be such a Being that is the spring
and fountain of all other beings, it is necessary that all other
should reverence and worship Him, without W^hom they
could not subsist. And therefore it is, that men are generally
more superstitious in their worshii^ping than they ought to
be, rather than deny that worship to Him Avhich they ought
to give.
That, therefore, there is a God, and that this God is to
be worsliipped, I do not doubt ; but the great question is,
Who is this God Whom I ought to worship? and, what is
that worship which I ought to perform unto Him? The
former I have resolved upon in the foregoing article, as the
light of reason and my natural conscience suggested to me ;
the latter I am resolved to search out in this, viz. which of
all the several kinds of worship, that men perform to the
Deity, and the several religions that men profess in the
world, had I best make choice of to profess and adhere to ?
The general inclinations which are naturally implanted in
my soul to some religion, it is impossible for me to shift off ;
but there being such a multiplicity of religions in the world,
I desire now seriously to consider with myself which of
them all to restrain these my general inclinations to. And
the reason of this my inquiry is not, that I am in the least
Private Thoughts on Religion. 145
dissatisfied with that religion I have already embraced, but
because it is natural for all men to have an overbearing
opinion and esteem for that particular religion they are born
and bred up in : that, therefore, I may not seem biassed by the
prejudice of education, I am resolved to prove and examine
them all, that I may see and hold fast to that which is best.
For though I do not in the least question but that I shall,
upon inquiry, find the Christian religion to be the only true
religion in the world, yet I cannot say it is, unless I find it
upon good grounds to be so indeed. For to profess myself
a Christian, and believe that Christians are only in the right,
because my forefathers were so, is no more than the Heathens
and the Mahometans have to say for themselves. Indeed,
there was never any religion so barbarous and diabolical, but
it was preferred before all other religions whatsoever by
them that did profess it, otherwise they would not have pro-
fessed it. The Indians that worship the Devil would think it
as strange doctrine to say, " that Christ is to be feared more
than the Devil ; " as such as believe in Christ think it is to
say, " the Devil is to be preferred before Christ." So do the
Mahometans call all that believe not in Mahomet, as well
as Christians call those that believe not in Christ, infidels.
" And why," say they, " may not you be mistaken as well
as we? especially when there is, at the least, six to one
against your Christian religion ; all of Avhich think they
serve God aright, and expect happiness thereby as well as
you." So that to be a Christian only upon the grounds of
birth or education, is all one as if I was a Turk or a Heathen :
for if I had been born amongst them, I should have had the
same reason for their religion as now I have for my own :
the premises are the same, though the conclusion be never
so different. It is still upon the same grounds that I pro-
fess religion, though it be another religion which I profess
upon these grounds : so that I can see but very little
difierence betwixt being a Turk by profession, and a Chris-
tian only by education ; which commonly is the means and
occasion, but ought by no means to be the ground, of any
religion. And hence it is, that in my looking out for the
truest religion, being conscious to myself how great an
ascendant Christianity hath over me beyond the rest, as
L
146
Private Thoughts on Religion.
being that religion wliereinto I was born and baptized ; that
M'hich the supreme authority has enjoined, and my parents
educated me in ; that which every one I meet withal highly
approves of, and which I myself have, by a long-continued
profession, made almost natural to me, I am resolved to be
more jealous and suspicious of this religion than of the rest,
and be sure not to entertain it any longer, without being
convinced, by solid and substantial arguments, of the truth
and certainty of it.
That, therefore, I may make diligent and impartial in-
quiry into all religions, and so be sure to find out the best,
I shall, for a time, look upon myself as one not at all
interested in any particular religion whatsoever, much less
in the Christian religion ; but only as one who desires, in
general, to serve and obey Him that made me in a right
manner, and thereby to be made partaker of that happiness
my nature is capable of. In order to this, it will be neces-
sary to propose to myself some certain marks or characters,
whereby I may be able to judge and make choice of the
religion I intend to embrace ; and they are, in general,
these two, viz. —
First, That is the best religion wherein God is worshipped
and served most like Himself, i. e. most suitably and con-
formably to His nature and will. And,
Secondly, Since all men naturally desire and aspire after
happiness, and our greatest happiness consists in the fruition
of God, that is certainly the best religion which gives me
the best and most comfortable assurances of being happy
with God to all eternity.
To embrace a religion without these marks, would be
worse than to have no religion at all ; for better it is to
perform no worship to God, than such as is displeasing to
Him; to do Him no service, than such as will be ineffectual!
to make me happy, and not only frustrate my expectations!
of bliss, but make me for ever miserable.
The religion, then, that I am to look after, must be such!
a one wherein I may be sure to please God, and to be made!
happy with Him ; and by consequence such a one whereini
all the cause of His displeasure, and my misery, may be
removed ; and that is sin : for sin being infinitely opposite tO;
Private Thoughts on Religion.
147
Him, as He is a Being of infinite purity and holiness, must
certainly set me at the greatest distance from Him, and
render me most odious in His sight ; and whatsoever does
so must make me as miserable as misery can make me.
For as our holiness consisteth in likeness, so doth our happi-
ness in nearness, to God : and if it be our happiness to be
near unto Him, it must certainly be our misery to be at a
distance from Him. In enjoying Him, we enjoy all things.
He being and having all things in Himself ; and so, in not
enjoying Him_, we are not only deprived of all that we can
enjoy, but made liable to the punishments that are the
consequence of it.
That there is no such thing in nature as virtue and vice,
as good and evil, as grace and sin, is what I can by no
means persuade myself to ; for my conscience tells me that
there is : and not only mine, but every one's that ever yet
lived upon the face of the earth. All people, of whatsoever
nation or language, still acknowledging sin to be sin, and
that the displeasing the Deity which they worship, is indeed
an evil that ought to be carefully avoided. And therefore
the very Heathens did not only upbraid others with it, but
likewise often checked themselves for it : and all men natu-
' rally desire to seem, though not to be, holy. But let others
say what they will, I, for my own part, cannot but see sin in
myself, by the very light of nature. For my reason tells
me, that if God be God, He must be just and perfect; and
' if I be not so too, I am not like Him, and therefore must
needs displease Him ; it being impossible any thing should
please Him, but what is like unto Him. And this difFormity
I to the will and nature of God is that which we call sin, or
I which the word sin, in its proper notion, brings into my
I mind. And being thus conscious to myself, that I have
1 sinned against my Maker, I may reasonably conclude, that
; I as He is omniscient, and by consequence a witness of these
my oflfences, so must He likewise be just in the punishment
1 ; of them ; for it cannot stand with His justice to put up with
In such offences, without laying suitable punishments upon
]ii the offender ; and these punishments must be infinite and
eternal. For wherein doth the nature of Divine justice
;l| consist, but in giving to sin its just punishments, as well as
148
Private Thoughts on Religion.
to virtue its due rewards. Now, that the punishment of sin
in this world is not so much as it deserves, nor by conse-
quence as much as in justice ought to be laid upon it, to me
is clear, in that every sin, being committed against an infi-
nite God, deserves infinite punishment ; whereas all the
punishments we suffer in this world cannot be any more
than finite, tlie world itself being no more than finite that
we suffer them in.
Upon these grounds, therefore, it is, that I am fully
satisfied in my conscience that I am a sinner ; that it cannot
stand with the justice nor the existence of God that made
me, to pardon my sins without satisfaction made to His
Divine justice for them ; and yet, that unless they be par-
doned, it is impossible for me to be happy here or hereafter.
And therefore must I look after some religion wherein I
may be sure my sins may be thus pardoned, and my soul
made happy, wherein I may please God, and God may bless
me. Which that I may be the better able to discover, I
shall take a brief survey of all the religions I ever heard of,
or believe to be in the world.
Now, though there be as many kinds of religions as
nations, yea, almost as particular persons in the world, yet
may they all be reduced to these four : the Paganish, Maho-
metan, Jewish, and Christian religion.
As to the first, it is indeed of a very large extent, and
comprehends under it all such as neither acknowledge Ma-
homet to be a Prophet, nor expect a promised Messiah, nor
believe in a crucified Jesus. And since it is the majority of
numbers that usually carries the vogue, let me see whether
the Paganish religion, being further extended and more
generally professed than any, or indeed all the rest, be noti
the true religion wherein God is most rightly worshipped,!
and I may be the most certainly saved ? And here, when I
take a view of this religion, as it is dispersed through several
parts of Asia, Africa, and America, I find them very devoui
in worshipping their deities, such as they are, and they hav^
great numbers of them. Some worship tlie sun, others the
moon and stars, others the earth and other elements, ser-!
pents, trees, and the like. And others, again, pay homag(
and adoration to images and statues, in the fashion of meil
Private Thovcjhts on Religion.
119
and women, hogs, horses, and other shapes ; and some to
the Devil himself, as in Pegu, &c. But now, to go no fur-
ther, this seems to me, at first sight, to be a very strange
and absurd sort of religion, or rather, it is quite the reverse
of it : for the true notion we have of religion is the wor-
shipping the true God in a true manner ; and this is the
Avorshipping false gods in a false manner. For I cannot
entertain any other notion of God than as one Supreme
Almighty Being, Who made and governs all things, and
Who, as He is a Spirit, ought to be worshipped in a spiritual [John 4.
manner. And therefore, as the very supposing more deities
than one implies a contradiction, so the paying Divine
homage in a gross, carnal manner to material and corporeal
beings, which are either the work of men's hands, or, at
best, but creatures like ourselves, which can neither hear
nor understand what we say to them, much less give us
what we desire of them, is not religion, but idolatry and
superstition, or rather madness and delusion. So that this
! religion, I see, if I should embrace it, would be so far from
; making me happy, that the more zealous I should be for it,
the more miserable I should be by it. For He that made
these things cannot but be very angry at me, if I should
give that worship to them which is only due to Himself ;
i and so the way whereby I expect my sins should be par-
doned, they would be more increased ; it being a sin against
f the very light of nature to prefer any thing before God,
!or to worship any thing in His stead : therefore, leaving
1 these to their superstitious idolatries and diabolical delu-
■1 sions, I must go and seek for the true religion some-
1; where else.
I The next religion that hath the most suffrages and votes
on its side is the Mahometan religion, so called from one
[ Mahomet, an Arabian, who, about a thousand years ago, by
|! the assistance of one Sergius, a Nestorian monk, compiled a [Sale's Ko-
li; book in the Arabian tongue, which he called Alcoran, which x^.'^?03,
(t he made the rule of his followers' faith and manners, pre- "^^^^-^
I,! tending that it was sent from Heaven to him by the hand of
f. the Angel Gabriel.
, This book I have perused, and must confess find many
, things in it agreeable to right reason; as, that there is but
150
Private Thoughts on Religion.
[Sale's Ko- one God, gracious and merciful, the Lord of the whole
cxu. v^^" 2 universe ; that this God we are to resign ourselves wholly
*^<=-] to ; that all that obey Him shall be certainly rewarded, and
[Cap. vii. V. that disobey Him as certainly punished; and the like.
39,43, &c.] But yet I dare not venture my soul upon it, nor become one
of the professors of it, because, as there are many things
consonant, so are there many thing: dissonant to the
natural light that is implanted in me ; as, that God should
swear by figs and olives, by Mount Sinai, as this book
[Cap xcv iii3,kes Him to do, in the chapter of the Figs ; that Solomon
V- 1] should have an army composed of men and devils and
[Cap. xxvii. birds ; and that he should discourse with a bird which
^' ^^-^ acquainted him with the affairs of the Queen of Sheba ; and
the like.
As to the argument whereby he would persuade us, that
. this book was sent from God, viz. " that there are no con-
V. 28.] tradictions in it," I take it to be very false and frivolous ;
for, besides that there are many books compiled by men
which have no contradictions in them, it is certain there are
a great many plain conti'adictions in this book, which over-
throw his supposition. Thus, in the chapter of the Table,
[v. 74, 78 ] saith, that " All that believe in God, and the resurrection
[Cap. xi. V. dead, and have done good works, shall be saved
2, 21, &c.] ]3ut, in the chapter of Gratification, he saith, " All that do
not believe in the Alcoran shall be destroyed ;" and so in
the chapter of Hod. In like manner, he tells us again, in
[v. 51-56.] the chapter of the Table, that " the books of the Old and
New Testament were sent from God," and at the same time
supposes that the Alcoran was sent from Him too, which to
me seems impossible. For my reason tells me, that God,
Who is truth and wisdom itself, cannot be guilty of false-
hood or contradiction. And if these books contradict one
another, as it is evident they do in many instances, it is
plain God could not be the Author of both ; and, by conse-
quence, if the Scripture be true, the Alcoran must of neces-
sity be false. To instance but in one particular, the Alcoran
[Cap. iv.v. says, in the chapter of Women, " God hath no Son;'' the
^^^•J Scripture, in Matt. iii. 17, God said, of Jesus, " This is My
beloved Son, in Whom I am well jjleased ;" and Heb. iv. 14,
it expressly calls that Jesus the " Son of God ;" and so in
Private Thoughts on Religion.
151
many other things. Now, it is impossible that both these
should be true, or by consequeuce that that should be true
which says both are so. But if this were granted, there is
still another objection against this religion, and that is, that
the rewards therein promised will not avail to make me
happy, though I should be partaker of them. For all the
promises made to us in this Paradise are but mere sensible
pleasures ; as that we shall have all manner of herbs, and
fruits, and drinks, and women with exceeding great and
black eyes, as in the chapter of the Merciful, and of Judg-
ment, and elsewhere ; and such pleasures as these, though [Sale's Ko-
they may indeed affect my body, yet they cannot be the vtv'o^^&c.f "
happiness of my soul. Indeed I know not how this book
should promise any higher happiness than that of the body,
because it shews no means of attaining to it ; it shews no
way how my sins may be pardoned, and so my soul made
happy. It saith, I confess, that God is gracious and mer-
ciful, and therefore will pardon them ; but my reason tells
me, that as God is gracious and merciful, and therefore will
pardon sin, so is He also just and righteous, and therefore
must punish it ; and how these two can stand together is not
manifested in the Alcoran, and therefore I dare not trust my
soul with it.
Thus, upon diligent search, have I found the two reli-
gions that are most generally professed, to have little or
nothing of religion in them. I shall, therefore, in the next
place, take a view of that religion which hath the fewest
followers, and that is the Jewish. A religion not established
by any human laws, nor, indeed, generally professed in any
nation, but only by a company of despicable people, scat-
tered up and down the world ; which, as the Prophet ex-
presses it, " are become a proverb of reproach, and a by- [jer.24.9.i
word among all nations whither they are driven." The
principles of this religion are contained in a book written in
the Hebrew tongue, which they call the nn'm Torah, or Law,
composed of several precepts, promises, and threatenings ;
together with histories of things past, and prophecies of
things to come. This book, they say, was written by men
inspired by God Himself, and therefore they avouch it not
152
Private Tliovghts on lleliyion.
to be of a human invention, but merely of Divine institu-
tion. This book, also, I have diligently read and examined
into, and must ingenuously confess, that, at the very first
glance, methought I read divinity in it, and could not but
conclude, from the majesty of its style, the purity of its
precepts, the harmony of its parts, the certainty of its pro-
mises, and the excellency of its rewards, that it could be
dei'ived from no other author but God Himself. It is here
only that I find my Maker worshipped under the proper
notion of a Deity, as He is n'Tn"; Jehovah ; and that in the
Deut. 6. 5; rioht manner, for we are here commanded to " love and
10. 12. . .
serve Him with all our hearts, with all our souls, our might,
and mind," which is indeed the perfection of all true worship
whatsoever. And as God is here worshipped aright, so is
the happiness which is here entailed upon this true worship
the highest that it is possible a creature should be made
capable of, being nothing less than the enjoyment of Him
we worship, so as to have Him to be a God to us, and our-
Jer. 31. 33. selves to be a people to Him.
But that which I look upon still as the surest character
of the true religion, is its holding forth the way how I,
being a sinner, can be invested with this happiness; or how
God can shew His justice in punishing sin itself, and yet be
so merciful as to pardon and remit it to me, and so receive
me to His favour ; which the religions I viewed before did
not so much as pretend to, or offer at all at. And this is
what this book of the Law does likewise discover to me, by
shewing that God Almighty would not visit our sins upon
ourselves, but upon another person ; that he would appoint
and ordain One to be our Sjwnsor or Mediator ; Who, by His
infinite merit, should bear and atone for our iniquities, and
so shew His love and mercy in justifying and acquitting us
from our sins, at the same time that He manifests His
justice in inflicting the punishment of them upon this Per-
son in our stead, a method so deep and mysterious, that if
God Himself had not revealed it, I am confident no mortal
man could ever have discovered or thought of it.
Neither are there any doubts and scruples concerning
this great mystery, but what this book does clearly answer
Private Thoughts on Religion.
153
and resolve, as will appear more plainly frorn a distinct
consideration of the several objections that are urged
against it.
As, 1st, That it does not seem agreeable either to reason
or Scripture, that one man should bear the sins of another,
because every man has enough to do to bear his own
burden ; and since sin is committed against an infinite God,
and therefore deserves infinite punishment, how can any
finite creature bear this infinite punishment, especially it
being due to so many thousands of people as there are in
the world ?
But this book sufficiently unties this knot for me, by
shewing me that it is not a mere man, but God Himself
that would bear these my sins, even He whose name is
^3)"J"|2 " The Lord our Righteousness," where the essen- Jer. 23. 6.
tial Name of the Most High God, which cannot possibly be
given to any but to Him Who is the Being of all beings, is
here given to Him Who should thus " bear my sins," and [Heb. 9.
justify my person ; whence David also calleth Him " Lord ;" Ps'.-'no. 1.
Isaiah calleth Him " the Mighty God yea, and the Lord isa. 9. 6.
of Hosts Himself, with His Own mouth, calls Him His
" Fellow." Zech. 13. 7.
Obj. 2. But my reason tells me, God is a pure act,
and therefore how can He suffer any punishments ? or sup-
pose He could, how can one nature satisfy for the offences of
another? It was man that stood guilty, and how can it
stand with the justice of God not to punish man for the sins
he is guilty of?
To resolve this doubt, this Holy Book assures me, that
this God should become man, expressly telling me, that as
His Name is " Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the isa. 9. 6.
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," so should He be
born a " Child," and given as a " Son." And, therefore, at
the same time that the Lord of Hosts calls Him His
"Fellow," He calls Him a "Man" too: "Against the ^ech. 13. 7.
Man that is My Fellow, says the Lord of Hosts."
Ohj. 3. But if He be born as other men are. He must
needs be a sinner as other men be ; for such as are born by
natural generation, must necessarily be born also in natural
corruption.
154
Private Thoughts on Religion.
Tsa. 7. 14. To remove this obstacle, this Holy Book tells me, that " a
virgin shall conceive and bear this Son, and His Name shall
be Immanuel." And so being begotten, but not by a sinful
man. Himself shall be a Man, but not a sinful man : and so
being God and Man, He is every way fit to mediate be-
twixt God and man, to reconcile God to me, and me to God,
that my sins may be pardoned, God's wrath appeased, and
so my soul made happy in the enjoyment of Him.
But there is one thing more that keeps me from settling
upon this religion, and that is the expiration of the time in
which this Book promiseth this Person should come into the
Dan, 9. 24. world ; for it is expressly said, that " seventy weeks are deter-
mined upon Thy people, and upon Thy city, to finish the trans-
gressions, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconcilia-
tion for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and
to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the most
holy :" from which " anointing," He is in the next verse called
n'^jya, Messiah, the Anointed, (under which name He is from
hence expected by the Jews,) and the beginning of these
ver. 25. seventy weeks is expressly said, to be " at the going forth
of the commandment to build and restore Jerusalem." Now,
if we understand these seventy weeks in the largest sense, for
Lev. 25. 8. seventy weeks or " sabbaths of years," as it is expressed,
the time of the Messiah's coming must have been but four
hundred and ninety years after the commandment for the
building of the city : whereas, whether we understand it of
2Chron.36. the decree and command that Cyrus made, or that which
ifz'raV. 1-3. Darius made, or that Artaxerxes made ; I say, whichsoever
of these decrees we understand this prophecy of, it is evi-
dent that it is above two thousand years since they were all
made, and therefore the time of this person's coming hath
been expired above sixteen hundred years at least. So like-
wise doth this Book of the Law (as they call it) assure us
Gen. 49. 10. that " the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-
giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come," where the
Jews themselves, Jonathan and Onkelos, expound the word
riVti; Shiloh, by n^'tt'o, Messiah, and so doth the Jerusalem
Targum too. Now it is plain that there hath been neither
sceptre nor lawgiver in Judah, nor any political government
at all among the Jews, for above sixteen hundred years ;
Private Thoughts on Religion.
155
which plainly shews, either that their prophecies and ex-
pectations of a Messiah are false, or that He came into the
world so many ages since, as were here prefixed. So like-
wise it was expressly foretold in this Book, that " the glory Hag. 2. 9.
of the second Temple should be greater than the glory of
the former." Now the Jews themselves acknowledge, that
there were five of the principal things which were in the
first wanting in the second Temple, viz. — 1. The ark, with
the Mercy-seat and Cherubim. 2. The n3''pa7, Shechinah,
or Divine Presence. 3. The Holy Prophetical Spirit.
4. The Urim and Thummim, 5. The heavenly fire: and
from the want of these five things, they say the word "J-^I^j
" I will be glorified," wants an n at the end, which, in nu- 8.
meration, denotes five. Yea, and, when the very foundation
of the second Temple was laid, the old men that had seen the
first wept, to see how far short it was likely to come of the
former. To make up, therefore, the glory of the second Ezra 3. 12.
Temple to be greater than the glory of the first, notwith-
standing the want of so many glorious things, they must
of necessity understand it of the coming of the Messiah
into it, AVho is called " the Desire of all Nations." Whereas, [Hag. 2.7.]
the Jews themselves cannot but confess, that this Temple
hath been demolished above sixteen hundred years; and
therefore it is impossible for the Messiah to come into it,
and so for its glory to be greater than the glory of the first
Temple, and, by consequence, for the word w hich they profess
to believe in to be true.
Indeed, the time of the Messiah's coming was so expressly
set down in these and the like places, that Elias, one of their
great Rabbis, gathered from hence that the world should
last six thousand years, two thousand without the Law, two
thousand under the Law, and two thousand under theMessiah, Sanh. c.n.
which computation of the Messiah's coming, after four
thousand years from the beginning of the world, comes near
the time of the Sceptre's departing from Judah, and the
end of Daniel's seventy weeks; which shews, that this
Rabbi was fully convinced that it was about that time that
the Messiah should come. And therefore it was, likewise,
that about sixteen hundred years ago the Jews did so ge-
nerally expect His coming ; and that so many did pretend to
156
Private Thouglits on Helujion.
be the person, as Bar-Cozbah, who, about that time, venting
himself to be the man, almost the whole nation unanimously
[Basnage, concurred in following him; insomuch that, as the Jews
Jews', lib. report, there were no less than four hundred thousand, or,
S-'xrans ] Others, five hundred thousand men slain, by Adrian the
Emperor, in the city Bitter, all fighting in defence of this
pretended Messiah. There were likewise many others that
fancied themselves to be the man, and were esteemed so
by some, till manifestly convinced of their error, as we
may read in a book of theirs called nTirt"; ta^tl?. And, unto
this day, many of them hold that He is already come ;
but that, by reason of their sins. He is not yet revealed to
them.
Hence it is that my natural reason draws me into this
dilemma, that either that book which the Jews receive as the
word of God, is indeed not so; or else, that they do not
rightly ajiply it : and so, that either their religion is a false
religion, or else their profession of it is a false profession.
And therefore I must go hence, and seek me some other
religion to fix my soul upon : not as if my reason told me,
that all the prophecies that I have mentioned here were false
in themselves, but only that they appear so to this sort of
professors ; for, my own part, I cannot shake off my faith
in this law, which they profess to believe in ; especially now I
have so seriously perused it, and so deliberately weighed and
considered of it. Neither can I believe that ever any Ma-
hometan or Indian that did, without prejudice, set himself to
read it through, and to examine every particular by the light
of unbiassed reason, could say it was ever hatched in a
human brain ; but that it is, indeed, of a Heavenly stamp
and Divine authority. And therefore, though I am forced,
by the strength of reason, to shake hands with this religion,
yet the same reason will not suffer me to lay aside that law
which they do profess, but only their profession of it. So
that whatsoever religion I settle upon, my natural conscience
still commands me to stick close to this Book of the Jewish
LaAV, and to receive and entertain it as the Word of the
Glorious Jehovah, the Being of all beings.
Well, there is but one religion more generally professed
in the world that I am to search into, which if, upon good
Private Thoughts on Religion. 157
grounds, I cannot fix upon, I shall be the most miserable of all
creatures; and that is the Christian religion, so named from
Jesus Christ, whose doctrine, life, and death, are recorded
by four several persons in a book which they call the Gospel :
and this book appears to me to be of undoubted authority,
as to the truth and certainty of those things that are therein
recorded. For if they had been false, both the persons that
wrote them, and He of Whom they wrote, had so many
malicious enemies ready upon all occasions to accuse them,
that they had long ago been condemned for lies and forgeries.
But now these writings have been extant for above sixteen
hundred years, and never so much as suspected, but, even
by the worst of enemies, acknowledged to be a true relation
of what passed in the woi'ld about that time; my reason will
not permit me to be their first accuser, but enjoins me to
receive them under that notion, in which they have been
brought down to me through so many generations, without
any interruption whatsoever. For this general reception on
all hands is a sufficient ground for me to build my faith
upon as to the truth of the relation, though not a sufficient
ground to believe every thing contained in the book to be
the word of God Himself : for, in this particular, it is not
the testimony of others that I am to build upon, but its own.
I may read its verity in man's testimony, but its divinity
only in its own doctrines.
This book, therefore, I have also diligently perused, and
find it expressly asserts that Jesus Christ, Whose life and
death it records, was indeed that Person Who was so long
ago promised by God, and expected by the Jews : and that
all the prophecies under the Old Law concerning that Mes-
siah, God-man, were actually fulfilled in this Person ; which
if, upon diligent search, I can find to be true, I shall pre-
sently subscribe both with hand and heart to this religion.
It is a comfort to me that it acknowledgeth the Jewish Law
to be sent from God ; for truly, if it did not, my conscience
■would scarce permit me to give any credit to it, being so
fully convinced that that book is indeed of a higher extract
than human invention, and of greater authority than human
institution. And therefore it is that I cannot, I dare not
believe, but that every particular prophecy contained in it.
158
Private Thoughts on Religion.
either is, or shall he, certainly fulfilled, according to every
circumstance of time and place mentioned therein ; and, by
consequence, that this prophecy in particular concerning the
Messiah's coming is already past, the time wherein it was
foretold He should come being so long ago expired. So that
I do not now doubt whether the Messiah he come or no, but
whether this Jesus Christ, Whom this book of the Gospel
speaks of, was indeed the person. And this I shall best find
out by comparing the Christian's Gospel with the Jewish
Law ; or the histories of Christ under the one, with the pro-
phecies of the Messiah under the other ; still concluding,
that if whatsoever was foretold concerning the Messiah was
fulfilled in this Jesus Christ, then He was indeed the Messiah
that was to come into the world. And to make this com-
parison the more exact, I shall run through the several
circumstances that attended his birth, life, death, resurrec-
tion, and ascension, and shew how punctually the prophecies
were fulfilled in every particular.
And, first, for the birth of the Messiah, the Law saith. He
Gen. 22. 18. '"'f^s to be " born of the seed of Abraham," and "David,"
ls^™i^/^ and of "the stem of Jesse :" from whence He is frequently
called by the Jews TIT ]3, "The Son of David:" the
Matt. 1. 1. Gospel saith, "Jesus Christ was the Son of David, the son
isa. 7. 14. of Abraham." The Law, that He " was to be born of a
Matt. 1. 18; virgin :" the Gospel, that "Mary, a virgin, brought forth
.Hs'f 2.^5-7^' this Jesus." The Law, that " He was to be born at Beth-
Matt^a^i- ^^^^^'^ Ephrata:" the Gospel, that this Jesus was born
Luke2.5,6. there. The Law says, that He was to be "brought out of
Matt. 2.19, Egypt : " the Gospel, that Jesus was called thence. The
Mai. 3. 1. -"-"^^ saith, that " one should go before the Messiah," and
Isa. 40. 3. should "cry in the wilderness:" the Gospel, that John
Matt.3.1,3; Baptist did so before Christ. The Law, that the Messiah
isa.'^sl'i^^ should " preach the doctrine of Salvation in Galilee," who,
sitting before in darkness, should see great light : the
Matt. 4. 12, Gospel, that Jesus did so. The Law, that in the Messiah's
Isa. 35. 5,6. days the "eyes of the blind should be opened," and the
" ears of the deaf should be unstopped," and the " lame
leap," and the "tongue of the dumb sing:" the Gospel,
Matt.4. 23; that it was so in the days of Jesus Christ. But for all these
Isa. 6. 9. wonders and miracles, the Law saith, they "should hear,
Private Thoughts on Religion.
159
but not understand ; and see, yet not perceive:" and the
Gospel, that " seeing they did not see, and hearing they did Matt.ia.is;
not hear, neither did they understand." The Law, that He
should be " despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, isa. 53. 3.
and acquainted with grief:" the Gospel, that "Jesus Christ Matt. 8. 20.
had not where to lay His head ;" " His soul was exceeding ch. 26.38.
sorrowful, even unto death ;" yea, He was in " an agony," Luke22.44.
and His " sweat was as drops of blood," so well was He
acquainted with grief. The Law says, that He should " ride Zech. 9. 9.
into Jerusalem upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an
ass:" and the Gospel, that "Jesus Christ, as He was going John 12. i4;
to Jerusalem, having found an ass, sat thereon." At which ^^''-•^i-e.
time the Law saith, the people should cry, " Hosanna, Ps. iis. 26.
blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord !" the
Gospel, that the "multitude" did so to Christ. The Law, Matt. 21. 9.
that " one of His Own familiar friends, in whom He trusted, Ps. 41. 9.
which did eat of His bread, should lift up his heel against
Him:" the Gospel, that Judas, who was one of Christ's
Disciples, and so ate of His bread, did betray Him into the
hands of the Jews. The Law, that He should be " prized at, Matt.26.47;
and sold for, thirty pieces of silver," with which should be zech.u.' laj
"bought the potter's field:" the Gospel, that they cove-
nanted with Judas to betray Jesus for tliirty pieces of silver, Matt.26.15.
with which they afterwards " bought the potter's field." The ch.27.7.
Law, that He " should be numbered amongst transgressors:" isa. 53. 12.
the Gospel, that Jesus was " crucified betwixt two thieves." Mark 15.27;
The Law, that He "should be wounded and bruised :" the ua^'s.^s^^'
Gospel, that " they scourged Jesus," and " smote Him." M^kis'ig'
The Law saith, they should "pierce His hands and feet : " Ps.22. 16 ;
the Gospel, that " they crucified Jesus," which was a death M^att.27.35;
wherein they used to pierce the hands and feet of those that Luke 23.33.
were put to death, and nailed them to the cross. But
though they should pierce His flesh, yet the Law saith, they
should not "break His bones, no, not one of them:" theEx. 12. 46;
Gospel, that they " brake not the legs of Christ." The Law, Ps. 34. '20.'
that they that should "see Him should laugh Him to scorn, ggl"'
shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying, He^^-^^-^-
trusted in the Jjord that He would deliver Him, let Him
deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him : " the Gospel, Matt.27.42,
that the Scribes and Elders did so to Christ. The Law saith,
160 Private Thoughts on Religion.
Ps. 69. 21. they should " give Him gall for meat, and vinegar to drink :"
Matt.27.34, and the Gospel, that they gave Christ " vinegar to drink
Ps. 22. 19. mingled with gall." The Law, that they should " part His
garments amongst them, and cast lots upon His vesture :"
Matt.27.35; the Gospel, that they " parted Jesus' garments, casting
John 19. 23;, „ ■ , o , • i • t i • •
Marki5.24. lots. And as for the time of this Jesus coming into
the world, it is certain that this Jesus came before the
Luke 19. 45. " second Temple " was demolished, for it is said that He
ver. 47. " went into it," yea, Himself " taught daily in it," by which
Hag. 2. 9. means the " glory of the second Temple was greater than the
glory of the first," according to the prophecy. And as for
Gen. 49. 10. Jacob's pi'opliecy, that the " sceptre should not depart from
Judah, nor the lawgiver till Shiloh," or the Messiah,
"come;" it is certain that it did not depart from Judah
till Herod, by the senate of Rome, was made king of Judea,
Matt. 2.1; in whose days this Jesus was born. And so did Daniel's
Luke 1.5. 1 P 1 1 , 1 .
seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years, exactly
reach unto and were determined in the days of this Jesus ;
as might easily be demonstrated. So that all the old pro-
phecies concerning the time of the Messiah's coming are
I)erfectly fulfilled in this Jesus of Nazareth. But further,
the Law saith, that though the Messiah should be crucified,
Ps. 16. 10. " yet God would not leave His soul in Hell, nor suffer His
isa. 53. 10. Holy One to see corruption," and that " when God should
make His soul an offering for sin. He should see His seed,
and prolong His days," which plainly implies, that though
the Messiah should die, yet He should rise again, and that
within a few days too, otherwise He would have seen
Matt.2s.6; (.Qj.^Liption. Now the Gospel saith, that this Jesus "rose
Luke 24. 6. ^ '
Matt. 28. 9. from the dead," and that He was "seen" of several "after
Markie.u. His resurrection," as of" Mary Magdalen," " of the eleven
Luke24.i3- I^isciples," of the "two that were going to Eramaus," of
ver 34 " ^6ter," and of tlie " Disciples that were gathered together,
John 20. 19. the door being shut." And to be sure it was Himself, and
ch. 20. 27. not an apparition, Thomas, one of the twelve, " thrust his
hands into His side," and found it flesh and blood indeed, as
Luke24.43. before. "And He did eat before them," which it is impos-
iCor. 15. 6. sible for a spirit to do ; yea, " He was seen of above five
ver. 8. hundred at one time," and of "Paul himself." Neither
Marki5.42. did He He so long as to " see corruption," for He was buried
Private Thoughts on Religion.
16]
but "the day before the Sabbath," and rose the day after. Mark i6. i.
Lastly, He was not only to rise again, but the Law saith,
" He was to ascend on high, to lead captivity captive, and to Ps. 68. is.
give gifts to men." Now this cannot but be an undoubted
character of the Messiah, not only to rise from the dead, but
to ascend up to Heaven, and thence to disperse His gifts
amongst the children of men ; and that Jesus did so, is like-
wise evident from the Gospel; for, "after He had spoken Markie.ig;
with them. He was received up into Heaven, and there sat
at the right hand of God." And He gave such "gifts to Acts 2. 8.
men," as that His Disciples of a sudden were enabled " to
speak all manner of languages," to "work" many " signs ch. 5. 12.
and wonders," " to heal all manner of diseases," yea, " with ver. 15, 16.
a word " speaking, to " cure a man lame from his mother's ^' ^'
womb."
Thus the Gospel seems to me to be a perfect transcript of
the Law, and the histories of Jesus nothing else but the
prophecies of Christ turned into an history. And when to
this I join the consideration of the piety of the life which
this Man led, the purity of the doctrine which He taught,
and the miraculousness of the works He wrought, I cannot
but be farther confirmed in the truth of what is here related.
For the miracles which He wrought, as the healing of the [Matt. 8. s-
sick with a word of His mouth, raising the dead, feeding jg'. ^•
so many thousands with five loaves, and the like, were *o55;Johnii.
powerful and convincing, that His very enemies, that would 9-13, ic]
not believe Him to be the Messiah, could scarcely deny
Him to be a God. And it is to this day a tenet amongst Joseph,
some of them, that the miracles which Jesus did were not xvj^"^J.''4"
the delusions and jugglements of the Devil, but real miracles,
wrought as they say, by the virtue of the Name of God,
nSn'^. Jehovah, which He had gotten out of the Temple. By
which it is plain they acknowledged God to be the Author
of them, which I cannot see how He should be, unless they
were agreeable to His will, and for the glory of His Name.
Neither was the doctrine of the Gospel only established
at the first, but likewise propagated by miracles afterwards,
■ as it was necessary it should be ; for if it had been propa-
gated without miracles, that itself had been the greatest
miracle of all. It was, no doubt, a great miracle, that a
M
162
Private Thoughts on Religion.
doctrine so much contrary to flesh and blood should be pro-
pagated by any means whatsoever ; but a far greater, that
it should be propagated by a company of simple and illite-
rate men, who had neither power to force, nor eloquence to
persuade, men to the embracing of it. For who would have
thought that such persons as these were, should ever make
any of the Jews, who expected a king for their Messiah, to
advance them to temporal dignities, believe that that Jesus i
Whom themselves scourged and crucified at Jerusalem, was '
the Person ? Or, that they should be able to propagate the i
Gospel amongst the Gentiles also, who neither believed in
the true God, nor expected any thing of a Messiah to come '
and redeem tliem ? But this they did, and brought over not a
only many persons, but whole nations and countries to the J
profession of the Gospel ; propagating this most holy doc- t
trine amongst the most barbarous and sinful people in the I
world, maugre all the op2)osition that the world, the flesh, li
and the Devil, could make against it. Now, can any man ts
that exerciseth his reason think they did all this purely by ii
their own strength? No, sure, none of these wonderful tli
effects could ever have been produced by any thing less than lo
the wisdom, and power, and faithfulness of their Lord and ai
Master, Whose service they were engaged in, and Who Hi
Matt.28.20. promised to be with them " to the end of the world," an
Questionless, it was nothing else but the Spirit of the Most set
High God that went along with them, and accompanied the I
word they preached ; otherwise it never could have made 'e-
such deep impression upon the hearts of them that heard it,
as not only to command their attention, but to hinder them
from resisting, when they strove and endeavoured to do it,
the power and authority by which the Disciples spake.
And now, methinks, I begin to perceive this Divine Spirit t
is come upon me too, and seems, by its powerful influence,
to be working up itiy heart into a thorough persuasion that
it is Christ, and Christ alone, I am to cast my soul upon;
that it is He alone that is the way to life, and His Word
[Mark IS. alone the Word of Life, which " whosoever believes and is
baptized into shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall
be damned." Away, then, with your Paganish idolatries,
your Mahometan superstitions, and J ewish ceremonies ; it is
Private Thoughts on Religion,
163
the Christian religion alone that I am resolved to live and
die in, because it is this alone in which I am taught to wor-
ship God aright, to obtain the pardon and remission of my
sins, and to be made eternally happy. And since all its
doctrines and precepts are contained in the Holy Scriptures,
it is necessary that I should assent unto them, as a standing
revelation of God's will, and an eternal treasure of Divine
knowledge, whereby all that sincerely believe in Christ may
be sufficiently instructed, as well as thoroughly furnished
unto every good word and work.
Without any more ado, therefore, I believe, and am
verily persuaded, that all the books of the Ancient Law, with
all those that have been received into the canon of the
Scripture by the Church of God, since the coming of Christ,
which we call the New Testament, — I say, that all these
books, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the
Revelation, are indeed the Word of the Eternal God, dic-
tated by His Own Spirit, unto such as Himself was pleased
to employ in the writing of them ; and that they contain in
them a perfect and complete rule of faith and manners, upon
the due observance of which I cannot fail of worshipping
and serving God in such a manner as will be acceptable to
Him here, and of enjoying hereafter " those exceeding great [2Pet.i.4.]
and precious promises " that He has reserved in Heaven for
such as do so.
Unto these books, therefore, of the Law and Gospel, I am
resolved, by His grace that wrote them, to conform all the
ensuing articles of my faith, and all the actions and resolu-
tions of my life. Insomuch, that whatsoever I find it hath
pleased His Sacred Majesty herein to assert, I believe it is
my duty to believe ; and whatsoever He hath been pleased
to command me, 1 believe it is my duty to perform.
164
Private Thouyhts on Religion.
ARTICLE III.
/ believe, that as there is One God, so this One God is Three
Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
This, I confess, is a mystery which I cannot possibly con-
ceive, yet it is a truth which I can easily believe ; yea,
therefore it is so true that I can easily believe it, because it
is so high that I cannot possibly conceive it : for it is
impossible any thing should be true of the infinite Creator,
which can be fully expressed to the capacities of a finite
creature. And for this reason I ever did, and ever shall,
look upon those apprehensions of God to be the truest,
whereby we apprehend Him to be most incomprehensible ;
and that to be the most true of God, which seems most
impossible unto us. Upon this ground, therefore, it is, that
the mysteries of the Gospel, which I am less able to con-
ceive, I think myself the more obliged to believe ; especially
this mystery of mysteries, the Trinity in Unity, and Unity
in Trinity, which I am so far from being able to compre-
hend, or indeed to apprehend, that I cannot set myself
seriously to think of it, or to screw up my thoughts a little
concerning it, but I immediately lose myself as in a trance,
or ecstasy : that God the Father should be One perfect God
of Himself, God the Son One perfect God of Himself, and
God the Holy Ghost One perfect God of Himself ; and yet
these Three should be but One perfect God of Himself ; so
that One should be perfectly Three, and Three perfectly
One, that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, should be Three,
and yet but One ; but One, and yet Three. O heart-amaz-
ing, thought-devouring, unconceivable mystery ! Who can-
not believe it to be true of the glorious Deity ? Certainly
none but such as are able to apprehend it, which I am sure
I cannot, and believe no other creature can. And because
no creature can possibly conceive how it should be so, I
therefore believe it really to be so, viz. that the Being of all
beings is but One in essence, yet Three in subsistence ; but
Private Thoughts on Religion.
165
one nature, yet Three Persons ; and that those Three Per-
sons in that one nature, though absolutely distinct from one
another, are yet but the same God. And I believe these
Three Persons in this one nature are indeed to one another
as they are expressed to be to us ; that the one is really a
Father to the other, that the other is really a Son to Him,
and the third the product of both ; and yet, that there is
neither first, second, nor third amongst them, either in time
or nature ; so that He that begat was not at all before Him
that was begotten, nor He that proceeded from them both
any whit after either of them : and therefore, that God is
not termed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as if the Divine
nature of the one should beget the Divine nature of the
second ; or the Divine nature of the first and second should
issue forth the Divine nature of the third ; (for then there
would be three Divine natures, and so Three Gods essentially
distinct from one another; by this means also only the
Father would be truly God, because He only would be
essentially of and from Himself, and the other two from
Him). But what I think myself obliged to believe is, that
it was not the Divine nature, but the Divine Person of the
Father which did, from eternity, beget the Divine Person
of the Son ; and from the Divine Persons of the Father and
of the Son did, from eternity, proceed the Divine Person of
the Holy Ghost ; and so one not being before the other in
time or nature, as they are from eternity Three perfectly
distinct Persons, so they are but One co-essential God.
But dive not, O my soul, too deep into this bottomless
ocean, this abyss of mysteries ; it is the Holy of Holies,
presume not to enter into it ; but let this suffice thee, that
He Who best knows Himself hath avouched it of Himself,
and therefore thou oughtest to believe it. See Matt, xxviii.
19 : "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." And again, 1 John, v. 7 : " There are Three that
bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost ; and these Three are One."
166
Private Thoughts ov Religion.
ARTICLE IV.
/ believe that I teas conceived in sin, and brought forth in
iniquity, and that ever since, I have been continually con-
ceiving mischief, and bringing forth vanity.
This article of my faith I must of necessity believe, whether
I will or no ; for if I could not believe it to be true, I should
therefore have the more cause to believe it to be so ; because,
unless my heart was naturally very sinful and corrupt, it
would be impossible for me not to believe that which I have
so much cause continually to bewail ; or if I do not bewail
it, I have still the more cause to believe it : and therefore
am so much the more persuaded of it, by how much the less
I find myself affected with it. For certainly I must be a
hard-hearted wretch indeed, steeped in sin and fraught with
corruption to the highest, if I know myself so oft to have
incensed the wrath of the Most High God against me as I
do, and yet not be sensible of my natural corruption, nor
acknowledge myself to be by nature a child of wrath, as
well as others. For I verily believe, that the want of such
a due sense of myself argues as much original corruption
as murder and whoredom do actual pollution. And I shall
ever suspect those to be the most under the power of that
corruption, that labour most, by arguments, to divest it of its
power. And therefore, for my own part, I am resolved, by
the grace of God, never to go about to confute that by
wilful arguments, which I find so true by woeful experience.
If there be not a bitter root in my heart, whence proceeds
so much bitter fruit in my life and conversation ? Alas ! I
can neither set my head nor heart about any thing, but I
still shew myself to be the sinful offspring of sinful parents,
by being the sinful parent of a sinful offspring : nay, I do
not only betray the inbred venom of my heart, by poisoning
my common actions, but even my most religious perform-
ances also, with sin. I cannot pray but I sin, I cannot hear
or preach a sermon but I sin, I cannot give an alms or;
Private Thoughts on Religion.
]67
receive the Sacrament but I sin ; nay, I cannot so much as
confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggrava-
tions of them ; my repentance needs to be repented of, my
tears want washing, and the very washing of my tears needs
still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer.
Thus, not only the worst of my sins, but even the best of
my duties, speak me a child of Adam, Insomuch, that
whensoever I reflect upon my past actions, metliinks I
cannot but look upon my whole life, from the time of my
conception to this very moment, to be but as one continued
act of sin. And whence can such a continued stream of
corruption flow, but from the corrupt cistern of my heart?
And whence can that corrupt cistern of my heart be filled,
but from the corrupt fountain of my nature ? Cease, there-
fore, O my soul, to gainsay the power of original sin within
thee, and labour now to subdue it under thee. But why do
I speak of my subduing this sin myself? Surely this would
be both an argument of it, and an addition to it. It is to
Thee, O my God, Who art both the Searcher and Cleanser of
hearts, that I desire to make my moan. It is to Thee I cry
out in the bitterness of my soul, " O wretched man that I Rom. 7. 24.
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
Who shall ? Oh, who can do it but Thyself? Arise Thou,
therefore, O my God, and shew Thyself as infinitely mer-
ciful in the pardoning, as Thou art infinitely powerful in the
purging away, my sins.
ARTICLE V.
/ believe the Son of God became the Son of Man, that I, the
son of man, might become the son of God.
Oh ! how comfortably does this raise me from the lowest
abasement of sin and misery, which I have before acknow-
ledged to be my natural state, to the highest exaltation of
happiness and glory in a spiritual one ! This is that great
article of faith by which all the benefits of our Saviour's
death and passion are made over to me in the new covenant,
j
168
Prioate Thoughts on Religion.
and by which, if I perform the conditions therein required,
I shall not only be retrieved from the bondage and corruption
that is inherent in me, as a child of wrath, but be justified
and accepted as the son of God, and be made a joint-heir
with Christ. This is a point of the greatest moment and
concern, which, by the grace and assistance of Him of Whom
I speak, and in Whom I thus believe, I shall therefore be
the more exact and particular in the searching and examining
into. Now, when I say and believe that God became
man, I do not so understand it, as if the Divine nature took
upon it a human person, but that a Divine Person took
upon Him the human nature ; i. e. it was not the Divine
nature in general, without respect to the persons, but one of
the Persons in the Divine nature, which took flesh upon Him.
And yet, to speak precisely, it was not the Divine Person
abstracted or distinct from the Divine nature, but it was the
Divine nature in that Person which thus took upon it the
human. And this was not the first or third, but the second
Person only in the sacred Trinity, that thus assumed our
nature ; as, considering the mysterious order and economy
of the Divine Persons, it seems to be necessary that it
should. For, first the Father could not have become this
Son of Man, because then He that had begotten from eter-
nity should have been begotten in time ; by which means,
as He was the Father to the Son, so would the Son also have
been the Father unto Hira, and so the order betwixt the
Father and the Son destroyed. Nor, secondly, could the
Holy Ghost have taken our nature upon Him, because the
bond of personal union betwixt the Divine and human nature
is from the Spirit, (and thence it is that every one that is
partaker of Christ's Person is partaker of His Spirit also,)
which could not be, if the Spirit itself had been the Person
assuming. For I cannot conceive how the same Person
could unite itself by itself to the assumed nature : and
therefore we read, that in the Virgin's conception of our
Saviour, it was neither the Father, nor the Son Himself,
Luke 1. 35. but the Spirit of the Most High which did " overshadow
her." And farther, if the Holy Ghost had been my Re-
deemer, who should have been my Sanctifier ? If He had
died personally for me, who should have applied His death
Pricate Tltouylits on Religion.
169
effectually to me? That I could not do it myself, is, beyond
contradiction, evident; and that either the Father or the
Son should do it, is not agreeable to the nature or order of
the Divine operations ; They, as 1 believe, never acting any
thing ad extra, personally, but by the Spirit proceeding from
them both. And therefore it is, that Christ, to comfort His
Disciples after His Death, promiseth them in His lifetime,
that He would send them " the Comforter," which is " the John i6. 7.
Spirit of truth." He doth not say He will come again
personally, but mystically to them by His Spirit. But now
that the Spirit, AVhose office it is to apply the merit and me-
diation of God-man to me, could not have done it, if Himself
had been that God-man, seems to me as clear and manifest
as the other : for if He had done it. He should either have
done it by the Father, by the Son, or by Himself He could
not do it by the Father, nor the Son, because He doth nothing
by Them, but all things from Them. The Father acts in
the Son by the Spirit, the Son from the Father by the Spirit,
the Spirit from the Father and the Son. And therefore it
likewise follows, that as the Spirit could not unite itself
before, so neither can it apply itself here to the human
nature ; for to assume the human nature into the Divine,
and to apply the Divine nature to the human, are two
distinct offices, and therefore to be performed by two dis-
tinct persons. The first could have been done only by One
that was really man as well as God ; the other only by
one that was merely God, and not man ; and that must
needs be so ; for otherwise God should act upon man by
man, by the person man as well as God ; and by conse-
quence all the dispensations of His grace towards us would
have been stopped in the frailty of the human, though
perfect nature. So that it would have availed me nothing,
if the Spirit had taken my nature upon Him, because, though
He had assumed the human, I could not thence have par-
ticipated of the Divine nature ; nay, therefore, I could not
have participated of this, because He had assumed that by
which alone I could be brought into this capacity ; and so
by this means I should be further off than I was before.
And lastly, as, if the Father had become man, there would
have been two fathers ; so, if the Spirit had become man,
I*,
170
Private Thoiights on Religion.
there would have been two sons ; the second person begotten
from eternity, and the thu'd person begotten in time. But
now, by the Son's taking our nature upon Him, these and
far greater difficulties are avoided, which we might easily
perceive, could we sufficiently dive into the depth of that
wisdom of the Father, in sending His Son rather than His
Spirit, or coming Himself in His Own Person. Howsoever,
to us it cannot but seem most equitable (if reason may hold
the balance), that He Who is the middle Person betwixt the
Father and the Spirit should become the Mediator betwixt
God and man ; and that He Who is the Son of God in the
glorious Trinity, should become the Son of Man in this
gracious mystery.
But, on the other side, as it was not the Divine nature,
but a Divine Person, that did assume, so neither was it a
human person, but the human nature, that was assumed ;
for otherwise, if He had assumed the person of any one man
in the world, His death had been beneficial to none but him
whose person He thus assumed and represented. Whereas,
now that He has assumed the nature of man in general, all
that partake of that nature are capable of partaking of the
benefits He purchased for us by dying in our stead. And
thus under each Adam, as the representation was universal,
iCor.15.22. so were the effects designed to be : " For, as in Adam all
died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
Again, when I say the Son of God became the Son of
man, I do not mean as if by this He should cease to be what
He was before, the Son of God ; for He did not leave His
Godhead to take upon Him the manhood, but I believe He
took the manhood into His Godhead : He did not put off" the
one to put on the other, but He put one upon the other :
neither do I believe that the human nature, when assumed
into the Divine, ceased to be human ; but as the Divine
Person so assumed the human nature, as still to remain a
Divine Person, so the human nature was so assumed into a
Divine Person, as still to remain a human nature : God
therefore so became man, as to be both perfectly God and
perfectly man, united together in one person. I say in one
person, for if He should be God and man in distinct persons,
this would avail me no more than if He should be God only,
Private Thoughts on Religion.
171
and not man, or man only, and not God ; because the merit
and value both of His active and passive obedience is
grounded merely upon the union of the two natures in one
and the same person. He, therefore, by His life and death
merited so much for us, because the same Person that so
lived and died was God as well as man ; and every action
that He did, and every passion that He suffered, was done
and suffered by Him that was God as well as man. And
hence it is that Christ, of all the persons in the world, is so
fit, yea, only fit, to be my Redeemer, Mediator, and Surety ;
because He alone is both God and man in One Person : if
He was not man, He could not undertake that office : if He
was not God, He could not perform it ; if He was not man,
He could not be capable of being bound for me : if He was
not God, He would not be able to pay my debt : it was man
by whom the covenant was broken, and therefore man must
have suitable punishment laid upon him ; it was God with
Whom it was broken, and therefore God must have sufficient
satisfaction made unto Him : and as for that satisfaction, it
was man that had offended, and therefore man alone could
make it suitable : it was God that was offended, and there-
fore God alone could make it sufficient.
The sum of all is this, man can suffer, but he cannot
satisfy ; God can satisfy, but He cannot suffer ; but Christ,
being botli God and man, can both suffer and satisfy too ;
and so is perfectly fit both to suffer for man, and to make
satisfaction unto God — to reconcile God to man, and man to
God. And thus, Christ having assumed my nature into His
person, and so satisfied Divine justice for my sins, I am
received into grace and favour again with the Most High
God. Upon this principle, I believe that I, by nature the
son of man, am made by grace the son of God, as really as
Christ, by nature the Son of God, was made by office the
Son of man ; and so, though in myself, I may say to corrup-
tion, " Thou art my mother," yet in Christ I may say to [JobiT.u.]
God, "Abba, Father." jSTeither do I believe this to be a [Rom. s.
metaphorical expression, viz. because He doeth that for me ^"'^
which a father doeth for his child, even provide for me
whilst young, and give me my portion when come to age;
but I believe, that in the same propriety of speech that my
172
Private Thonglits on Religion.
earthly father was called the father of my natural self, is
God the Father of my spiritual self : for why was my earthly
father called my father, but because that I, as to iiiy natural
being, was born of what proceeded from him, viz. his seed ;
why so, as to ray spiritual being, am I born of what proceeds
from God, His Spirit : and as I was not born of the very
substance of my natural parents, but only of what came from
them, so neither is my spiritual self begotten again, quick-
ened, and constituted of the very substance of my Heavenly
Father God, but of the Spirit and spiritual influences pro-
ceeding from Him. Thus therefore it is that I believe that
Christ the Son of God became the Son of man ; and thus it
is that I believe myself, the son of man, to be made thereby
[Mark 9. the son of God. " I believe," O my God and Father, " do
"^^'^ thou help mine unbelief;" and everyday more and more
increase my faith, till itself shall be done away, and turned
into the most perfect vision and fruition of Thine Own most
glorious Godhead.
ARTICLE VI.
I believe that Christ lived to God, and died for sin, that I
might die to sin, and live with God.
And thus, by faith, I follow my Saviour from the womb
to the tomb, from His incarnation to His death and passion,
believing all that He did or suffered to be for my sake ; for
Christ did not only take my nature upon Him, but He
suffei'ed and obeyed. He underwent miseries, and undertook
duties for me ; so that not only His passive, but likewise His
active obedience unto God in that nature was still for me.
Not as if I believed His duty as man was not God's debt
by the law of creation ; yes, I believe that He owed that
obedience unto God, that if He had committed but one sin,
and that of the lightest tincture, in all His life-time. He
would have been so far from being able to satisfy for my
Heb. 7.26, sins, that He could not have satisfied for His Own : "For
such an High Priest became us, Who is holy, harmless,
Private Thoughts on Religion.
173
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens ; Who needeth not daily, as those high-priests, to
offer up sacrifice, first for His Own sins, and then for the
people's." So that if He had not had these qualifications in
their absolute perfection, He could not have been our High-
Priest, nor, by consequence, have made atonement for nor
expiated any sins whatsoever. But now, though both as Man,
and as God-man, or Mediator too, it behoved Him to be
thus faithful and spotless, yet as being God, co-equal and
co-essential with the Father, it was not out of duty, but merely
upon our account, that He thus subjected His neck to the
yoke of His Own Law, Himself as God being the Legislator
or Lawgiver, and so no more under it than the Father
Himself.
And hereupon it is that I verily believe, that whatsoever
Christ either did or suffered in the flesh was meritorious;
not that His life was righteous towards God only that His
death might be meritorious for us (which I believe otherwise
it could not have been), but that His life was equally meri-
torious as righteous. So that I believe my person is as
really accepted as perfectly righteous, by the righteousness
of His life imputed to me, as my sins are pardoned by God,
for the bitterness of the death He suffered for them ; His
righteousness being as really by faith imputed to me, as my
sins were laid upon Him : as these are set upon His, so is
that set upon my score, and so every thing He did in His
life, as well as every thing He suffered in His death, is mine :
by the latter God looks upon me as perfectly innocent, and
therefore not to be thrown down to Hell ; by the former He
looks upon me as perfectly righteous, and therefore to be
brought up to Heaven.
And as for His death, I believe it was not only as much,
but infinitely more satisfactory to Divine justice, than though
I should have died to eternity ; for by that means justice is
actually and perfectly satisfied already, which it could never
have been by my suffering for my sins myself; for if justice
by that means could ever be satisfied, if it could ever say,
' It is enough,' it could not stand with the same justice, now
satisfied, still to inflict punishment, nor, by consequence,
could the damned justly scorch in the flames of God's wrath
174
Private Thoughts on Reliyion.
for ever. Neither did the death of my Saviour reach only to
the condemning, but likewise to the commanding power of
sin ; it did not only pluck out its sting, but likewise deprive
it of its strength, so that He did not only merit by His death
that I should never die for sin, but likewise that T should die
to it. Neither did He only merit by His life that I should
be accounted righteous in Him before God, but likewise that
I should be made righteous in myself by God. Yea, I be-
lieve that Christ, by His death, hath so fully discharged the
debt I owe to God, that now, for the remission of my sins,
and the accepting of my person, (if I perform the conditions
He requires in His covenant), I may not only appeal to the
throne of grace, but likewise to the judgment-seat of God :
I may not only cry, ' Mercy, mercy, O Gracious Father !'
but ' Justice, justice, my Righteous God !' I may not only
say, ' Lord, be gracious and merciful,' but ' Be just and
faithful to acquit me from that debt, and cancel that bond
which my Surety hath paid for me, and which Thou hast
1 John 1. 9. promised to accept of ; ' being " not only gracious and mer-
ciful, but just and faithful to forgive me my sins, and to
cleanse me from all unrighteousness."
ARTICLE VII.
/ believe that Christ rose from the grave, that I might rise
from sin ; and that He is ascended into Heaven, that I
may come unto Him.
As Christ came from Heaven to earth, so I believe He went
from earth to Heaven, and all for the accomplishment of my
salvation ; that after He had lived a most holy life, He died
a most cruel death ; that He was apprehended, arraigned,
accused, and condemned, by such as could not pronounce the
sentence against Him, did not Himself at the same time
vouchsafe them breath to do it ; and that He that came into
the world to take away the sins of it, to bring sinners to the
joys of life, was Himself by those very sinners brought into
the pangs of death. But yet, as it was not in the power of
Prioate Thoughts on Religion.
175
death long to detain the Lord of life, so, though worms had
power to send Him to the grave, yet I believe they had not
power or time to feed upon Him there ; for He rose again
from the dead the third day : He lay three days, that I
might believe He was not alive, but dead : He arose the third
day, that I might believe He is not dead, but lives : He de-
scended down into Hell, that He might make full satisfaction
to God's justice for my sins ; but He is now ascended up into
Heaven, that He may make intercession to God's mercy for
my soul : thither I believe He is gone, and there I believe
He is, not as a private person, but as the Head and Saviour
of His Church. And under this capacity, as I believe that
Christ is there for me, so I am there in Him : " for where
the Head is, there must the members be also ; " that is, I
am as really there in Him my representative now, as I shall
be in my own proper person hereafter ; and He is as really
preparing my mansion for me there, as I am preparing my-
self for that mansion here. Nay, I believe that He is not
only preparing a mansion for me in Heaven, but that Him-
self is likewise preparing me for this mansion upon earth ;
continually sending down and issuing forth from Himself
fresh sujjplies and influences of His grace and Spirit ; and
all to qualify me for His service, and " make meet to be Coi. i.
partaker of His inheritance with the Saints in light."
Which inheritance I believe He doth not so much desire
His Father to bestow upon me, as clgjms it for me. Himself
having purchased it with the price of His Own blood. And
as He hath purchased the inheritance itself, so likewise the
way unto it for me ; and therefore sues out for the pardon
of those sins, and subduing those corruptions, which would
make me unworthy of it : and for the conveyance of those
graces to me whereby I may walk directly to it: not only
saying to His Father concerning me, as Paul said to Philemon
concerning Onesimus, " If this Thy servant oweth Thee any PhUem.
thing, set it upon My account, I will repay it ;" but, 'What
this Thy servant oweth Thee, see, it is set upon My score
already, and I have paid it; what punishments he is indebted
to Thee, for all the offences he hath committed against Thee,
behold I have borne them already ; see how I have been
176
Private Thoughts on Religion.
isa. 53. 5. " wounded for his transgressions, and bruised for his ini-
quities, the chastisement of his peace was upon Me, with My
stripes, therefore, let him be healed." ' And thus, as He
once shed His blood for me amongst men. He now pleads
it for me before God ; and that not only for the washing out
the guilt of my transgressions, but likewise for the washing
away the filth of my corruptions. Himself having purchased
the donation of the Spirit from the Father, He there claims
the communication of it unto me. And that He hath thus
undertaken to plead my cause for me, I have it under His
Own hand and seal ; Himself, by His Spirit, assuring me,
ijohn2. 1. ti^at if I " sin, I have an Advocate with the Father, even
Jesus Christ the Righteous;" so that I believe He is not so
much my Solicitor at the mercy-seat, as my Advocate at the
judgment-seat of God, there pleading my right and title
to the crown of glory, and to every step of the way that I
must go through the Kingdom of grace unto it. In a word, I
believe that Christ, upon promise and engagement to pay
such a price for it in time, did purchase this inheritance for
me from eternity ; whereupon 1 was even then immediately
chosen and elected unto it, and had by this means a place
in Heaven before I had any being upon earth : and when
the time appointed by covenant was come, I believe Christ,
according to His promise, paid the purchase-money, even
laid down His life for me ; and then forthwith went up and
took possession of thjs my kingdom, not for Himself, but
for me, as my proxy and representative : so that whilst I
am in my infancy, under age, I am in possession, though I
have not the enjoyment of this my inheritance ; but that is
reserved for me till I come at age. And, howsoever, though I
do not enjoy the whole as yet, my Father allows me as much
of it as He sees convenient, so much grace and so much
comfort as He thinks best ; which are as a pledge of what
He hath laid up for me in His Kingdom which is above.
Private Thonyhls on Reliyion.
177
ARTICLE VIII.
J believe that my 'person is only justified by the merit of Christ
imputed to me ; and that my nature is only sanctified by
the Spirit of Christ implanted in me.
And thus I do not only believe Christ to be my Saviour, but
I believe only Christ to be my Saviour. It was He alone
that " trod the wine-press of His Father's wrath," filled with Rev. 19.
the sour and bitter grapes of my sins. It was He that carried
on the great work of my Salvation, being Himself both the
" Author and Finisher" of it. I say, it was He, and He Heb. 12.
alone ; for what person or persons in the world could do it
besides Himself? The Angels could not if they would, the
devils would not if they could ; and as for my fellow-creatures,
I may as well satisfy for their sins as they for mine ; and how
little able even the best of us are to do either, that i.s, to
atone either for our own transgressions or those of others,
every man's experience will sufficiently inform him. For
how should we poor worms of the earth ever hope, by the
slime and mortar (if I may so speak) of our own natural
abilities, to raise up a tower " whose top may reach to Gen. 11.
Heaven?" Can we expect, by the strength of our own hands,
! to take Heaven by violence ? or by the price of our works to
purchase eternal glory ? It is a matter of admiration to me
how any one, that pretends to the use of his reason, can
imagine that he should be accepted before God for what
comes from himself : for how is it possible that I should be
justified by good works, when I can do no good works at all
before I be first justified ? My works cannot be accepted as
good till my person be so ; nor can my person be accepted
by God till first engrafted into Christ; before which en-
grafting into the True Vine it is impossible I should bring
forth good fruit: for " the plowing of the wicked is sin," p.ov. 21.
I says Solomon ; yea, " the sacrifices of the wicked are an is. s.
! abomination to the Lord." And if both the civil and spi-
ritual actions of the wicked be sin, which of all their actions
N
178
Private Thoxtghts on Religion.
shall have the honour to justify them before God ? I know
not how it is with others, but for my own part I do not
remember, neither do I believe, that I ever prayed in all
my lifetime with that reverence, or heard with that attention,
or received the sacrament with that faith, or did any other
work whatsoever with that pure heart and single eye as I
ought to have done. Insomuch, that I look upon all my
isa. 64. 6. righteousnesses " but as filthy rags ; " and it is in the robes
only of the righteousness of the Son of God that I dare
appear before the Majesty of Heaven. Nay, suppose I
could at length attain to that perfection as to do good works,
works exactly conformable to the will of God, yet they must
have better eyes than I, tliat can see how my obedience in
one kind can satisfy for my disobedience in another; or how,
that which God commands from me should merit any thing
from Him.
No, I believe there is no person can merit any thing from
God, but he that can do more than is required of Him, which
it is im])ossible any creature should do. For in that it is a
creature, it continually depends upon God, and therefore is
bound to do every thing it can by any means possibly do for
Him ; especially considering that the creature's dependence
upon God is such, that it is beholden to Him even for every
action that issues from it ; without Whom, as it is impossible
any thing should be, so likewise that any thing should act,
especially what is good. So that to say a man of himself
can merit any thing from God, is as much as to say that he
can merit by that which of himself he doth not do, or that
one person can merit by that which another performs, which
is a plain contradiction. For in that it merits, it is neces-
sarily implied that itself acts that by which it is said to
merit; but in that it doth not depend upon itself, but upon,
another in what it acts, it is as necessarily implied that itself
doth not do that by which it is said to merit. Upon this
account I shall never be induced to believe that any crea-
ture, by any thing it doeth or can do, can merit or deserve
any thing at the hand of God, till it can be proved that a
creature can merit by that which God doeth ; or that God
can be bound to bestow any thing upon us, for that which
Himself alone is pleased to work in us and by us ; which,
Private Thoughts on Religion. 179
in plain terms, would be as much as to say, that because God
hath been pleased to do one good turn for us, He is therefore
bound to do more ; and because God hath enabled us to do
our duty. He should therefore be bound to give us glory.
It is not, therefore, in the power of any person in the
world to merit any thing from God, but such a one who is
absolutely co-essential with Him, and so depends not upon
Him either for His existence or actions. And as there is no
person can merit any thing from God, unless he be essen-
tially the same with Him, so likewise unless he be person-
ally distinct from Him ; forasmuch as though a person may
be said to merit for himself, yet he cannot be said, without a
gross solecism, to merit any thing from himself. So that he
that is not as perfectly another person from God, as really
the same in nature with Him, can never be said to merit any
thing at His hands.
But further, God the Father could not properly be said to
do it in His Own person, because being (according to our
conception) the party offended, should He have undertaken
this work for me, He, in His Own person, must have under-
taken to make satisfaction to His Own person for the offences
committed against Himself ; which if He should have done,
His mercy might have been much exalted, but His justice
could not have been satisfied by it. For justice requires
either that the party offending should be punished for these
offences, or at least some fit person in his stead, which the
Father Himself cannot be said to be, in that He was the
party offended, to Whom this satisfaction was to be made:
and it is absurd to suppose that the same person should be
capable of making satisfaction both by and to himself at the
same time.
It remains, therefore, that there were only two persons in
the Holy Trinity who could possibly be invested with this
capacity, the Son and the Spirit : as to the latter, though
He be indeed the same in nature with the Father, and a dis-
tinct person from Him, and so far in a capacity to make
satisfaction to Him, yet not being capable both of assuming
the human nature into the Divine, and also uniting and ap-
plying the Divine nature to the human, (as I have shewed
before in the fifth Article,) He was not in a capacity of
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Private Thoughts on Religion.
making satisfaction for man ; none being fit to take that
office upon him but He that of Himself was perfectly God,
and likewise capable of becoming perfectly man, by uniting
both natures in the same person ; which the Holy Ghost
could not do, because He was the person by Whom, and
therefore could not be the person also in Whom, this union
of the two natures was to be perfected. And yet it was by
this means, and this method only, that any person could
have been completely capacitated to have borne the punish-
ment of our sins : he that was only man could not do it,
because the sin was committed against God ; and He that
was only God could not do it, because the sin was committed
by man.
From all which, as I may fairly infer, so I hope I may
safely fix my faith in this Article, viz. that there was only
one person in the whole world that could do this great work
for me, of justifying my person before God, and so glorifying
my soul with Him ; and that was the Son of God, the se-
cond person in the glorious Trinity, begotten of the sub-
stance of the Father from all eternity ; Whom I apprehend
and believe to have brought about the great work of my
justification before God, after this or the like manner.
He being in and of Himself perfectly co-equal, co-essential,
and co-eternal with the Father, was in no sort bound to do
more than the Father Himself did, and so whatsoever He
should do, which the Father did not, might justly be ac-
counted as a work of supererogation ; which, without any
violation of Divine justice, might be set upon the account of
some other persons, even of such whom He pleased to do it
for. And hereupon, out of mercy and compassion to fallen
man, He covenants with His Father, that if it pleased His
Majesty to accept it. He would take upon Him the suffering
of those punishments which were due from Him to man, and
the performance of those duties which were due from man
to Him ; so that whatsoever He should thus humble Him-
self to do or suffer, should wholly be upon the account of
man. Himself not being any ways bound to do or suffer
more in time than He had from eternity.
This motion, the Father, out of the riches of His grace
and mercy, was pleased to consent unto : and hereupon the
Private Thoughts on Religion.
181
Son assuming our nature into His Deity, becomes subject
and obedient both to the moral and ceremonial Laws of His
Father, and at last to death itself, " even the death of the [PWi- 2. 8.]
cross." In the one He paid an ' active,' in the other a
' jmssive,' obedience ; and so did not only fulfil the will of
His Father, in obeying what He had commanded, but satis-
fied His justice in suffering the punishment due to us for the
transgressing of it. His ' active' obedience, as it was infi-
nitely pure and perfect, did, without doubt, infinitely
transcend all the obedience of the sons of men, even of
Adam too in his primitive state. For the obedience of
Adam, make the best of it, was but the obedience of a
finite creature ; whereas the obedience of Christ was the
obedience of one that was infinite God, as well as man.
By which means the laws of God had higher obedience
performed to them than themselves in their primitive in-
stitution required ; for being made only to finite creatures,
they could command no more than the obedience of finite
creatures ; whereas the obedience of Christ was the obe-
dience of One Who was the Infinite Creator as well as a
finite creature.
Now this obedience being more than Christ was bound
to, and only performed upon the account of those whose
nature He had assumed, as we by faith lay hold upon it,
so God through grace imputes it to us, as if it had been
performed by us in our own persons. And hence it is, that
as in one place Christ is said to be "made sin for us," so in 2Cor.5.2i.
another place He is said to be " made" our " righteousness." 1 Cor. 1.30.
And in the forecited place, as He is said to be made " sin for 2 Cor. 5.21.
us," so we are said to be " made righteousness" in Him : but
what righteousness ? Our own ? No ; " the righteousness
of God," radically His, but imputatively ours : and this is
the only way whereby we are said to be " made the right-
eousness of God," even by the righteousness of Christ being
made ours, by which we are accounted and reputed as
righteous before God. These things considered, I very
mucli wonder how any man can presume to exclude the •
active obedience of Christ from our justification before God ;
as if what Christ did in the flesh was only of duty, not at all
of merit; or, as if it was for Himself, and not for us.
182
Private Thoughts on Religion.
Especially when I consider that suffering the penalty is not
what the Law primarily requireth ; for the Law of God
requires perfect obedience, the penalty being only threatened
to (not properly required of) the breakers of it. For, let a
man sufi'er the penalty of the Law in never so high a
manner, he is not therefore accounted obedient to it; his
punishment doth not speak his innocence, but rather his
transgression of the Law. Hence it is that I cannot look
upon Christ as having made full satisfaction to God's justice
for me, unless He had performed the obedience I owe to
God's Laws, as well as borne the punishment that is due to
my sins : for though He should have borne my sins, I can-
not see how that could denominate me righteous or obedient
to the Law, so as to entitle me to eternal life, according to
Lev. IS. 5. the tenure of the old Law, " Do this, and live." Which
old covenant is not disannulled or abrogated by the cove-
Rom. 3. si. nant of grace, but rather " established," especially as to the
obedience it requires from us, in order to the life it pro-
miseth ; otherwise the laws of God would be mutable, and
so come short of the laws of the very Medes and Persians,
[Dan.6. 8.] which altered not. Obedience, therefore, is as strictly re-
quired under the New as it was under the Old Testament,
but with this difference : there obedience in our own persons
was required as absolutely necessary, here obedience in our
Surety is accepted as completely sufficient. But now if we
have no such obedience in our Surety, (as we cannot have,
if He did not live as well as die for us,) let any one tell me
what title he hath, or can have, to eternal life ? I suppose
he will tell me he hath none in himself, because he hath not
performed perfect obedience to the Law. And I tell him
he hath none in Christ, unless Christ performed that obe-
dience for him, which none can say He did that doth not
believe His active as well as passive obedience to be wholly
upon our account. And now I speak of Christ's being our
Heb. 7. 22. " Surety," as the Apostle calls Him, methinks this gives
much light to the truth in hand : for what is a surety but
one that undertakes to pay whatsoever he whose surety he
is is bound to pay, in case the debtor prove non-solvent, or
unable to pay it himself? And thus is Christ, under the
notion of a surety, bound to pay whatever we owe to God,
Private Thoughts on Religion.
183
because we ourselves are not able to pay it in our own per-
sons. Now, there are two things which we owe to God,
which this our Surety is bound to pay for us, y\z. first, and
principally, obedience to His laws, as He is our Creator and
Governor; and, secondly, by consequence, the punishment
that is annexed to the breach of these laws, of which we are
guilty. Now, though Christ should pay the latter part of
our debt for us, by bearing the punishment that is due unto
us, yet if He did not pay the former, and principal part of
it too, that is, perform the obedience which we owe to God,
He would not fully have performed the office of suretyship
which He undertook for us ; and so would be but a half
Mediator or half Saviour, which are such words as I dare
scarce pronounce for fear of blasphemy.
So that though it is the death of Christ, by which I
believe my sins are pardoned, yet it is the life of Christ by
which I believe my person is accepted. His passions God
accounts as suffered by me, and therefore I shall not die
for sin : His obedience God accounts as performed by me,
and therefore I shall live with Him. Not as if I believed
that Christ so performed obedience for me, that I should
be discharged from my duty to Him, but only that I should
not be condemned by God in not discharging my duty to
Him in so strict a manner as is required. I believe the
active obedience of Christ will stand me in no stead, unless
I endeavour after sincere obedience in mine own person :
His active as well as His passive obedience being imputed
uuto none but only to such as apply it to themselves by
faith ; which faith in Christ will certainly put such as are
possessed of it upon obedience unto God. This, therefore,
is the righteousness, and the manner of that justification,
■whereby I hope to stand before the judgment-seat of God ;
even by God's imputing my sins to Christ, and Christ's
righteousness to me ; looking upon me as one not to be
punished for my sins, because Christ hath suffered, but to
be received into the joys of glory, because Christ hath per-
formed obedience for me, and does by faith, through grace,
impute it to me.
And thus it is into the merit of Christ that I resolve
the whole work of my Salvation, and this not only as to that
184
Private Thoughts on Religion.
which is wrought without me, for the justification of my
person, but likewise as to what is wrought within me, for the
sanctification of my nature. As I cannot have a sin par-
doned without Christ, so neither can I have a sin subdued
without Him ; neither the fire of God's wrath can be
quenched, nor yet the filth of my sins washed away, but by
the blood of Christ. So that I wonder as much at the doc-
trine that some men have advanced concerning free-will, as
I do at that which others have broached in favour of good
works : and it is a mystery to me how any that ever had
experience of God's method in working out sin, and planting
grace in our hearts, should think they can do it by them-
selves, or any thing in order to it. Not that I do in the
least question but that every man may be saved that will
(for this I believe is a real truth) ; but I do not believe that
any man of himself can will to be saved. Wheresoever God
enables a soul effectually to will Salvation, He will certainly
give Salvation to that soul : but I believe it is as impossible
for any soul to will Salvation of himself, as to enjoy Salva-
tion without God. And this my faith is not grounded upon
a roving fancy, but the most solid reasons : forasmuch as of
ourselves we are not able in our understandings to discern
the evil from the good ; much less then are we able in our
wills to prefer the good before the evil ; the will never set-
tling upon any thing but what the judgment discovers to it.
But now that my natural judgment is unable to apprehend
and represent to my -svill the true and only good under its
proper notion, my own too sad experience would sufficiently
persuade me, though I had neither Scripture nor reason for
it. And yet the Scripture also is so clear in this point, that
I could not have denied it, though I should never have had
any experience of it ; the Most High expressly telling me,
1 Cor. 2. 14. that the " natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned." " Nei-
ther can he know them," i. e. there is an absolute impos-
sibility in it, that any one remaining in his natural j^rinciples,
without the assistance of God, should apprehend or conceive
the excellency of spiritual objects ; so that a man may as
soon read the letter of the Scripture Avilhout eyes, as under-
Private Thoughts on Religion.
185
stand the mysteries of the Gospel without grace. And this
is not at all to be wondered at, especially if we consider the
vast and infinite disproportion betwixt the object and the
faculty ; the object to be apprehended being nothing less
than the best of beings, God, and the faculty whereby we
apprehend it, nothing more than the power of a finite crea-
ture, polluted with the worst of evils, sin. So that I believe
it is a thousand times easier for a worm, a fly, or any other
despicable insect whatsoever, to understand the affairs of
men, than for the best of men, in a natural state to appre-
hend the things of God. No, there is none can know God,
nor by consequence any thing that is really good, but only
so far as they are partakers of the Divine nature. We must,
in some measure, be 'like to God, before we can have any
true conceptions of Him, or be really delighted with Him.
We must have a spiritual sight, before we can behold spiri-
tual things ; which every natural man being destitute of, he
can see no comeliness in Christ, why He should be desired ;
nor any amiableness in religion, why it should be embraced.
And hence it is, that I believe the first work which God
puts forth upon the soul, in order to its conversion, is to
raise up a spiritual light within it, to clear up its apprehen-
sions about spiritual matters, so as to enable the soul to look
upon God as the chiefest good, and the enjoyment of Him
as the greatest bliss ; whereby the soul may clearly discern
betwixt good and evil, and evidently perceive that nothing
is good but so far as it is like to God, and nothing evil but
so far as it resembles sin.
But this is not all the work that God hath to do upon a
sinful soul, to bring it to Himself ; for though I must con-
fess, that in natural things the will always follows the ulti-
mate dictates of the understanding, so as to choose and
embrace what the understanding represents to it, under the
comely dress of good and amiable, and to refuse and abhor
whatever, under the same representation, appears to be evil
and dangerous ; I say, though I must confess it is so in
natural, yet I believe it is not so in spiritual matters. For
though the understanding may have never such clear appre-
hensions of spiritual good, yet the will is not at all affected
with it, without the joint operations of the grace of God
186
Private Thoughts on Reliyion,
upon us ; all of us too sadly experiencing what St. Paul long
Rom. 7. 15. ago bewailed in himself, that " what we do we allow not,"
that though our judgments condemn what we do, yet we
cannot choose but do it ; though our understandings clearly
discover to us the excellency of grace and glory, yet our
wills, overpowered with their own corruptions, are strangely
hurried into sin and misery. I must confess, it is a truth
which I should scarcely have ever believed, if I had not
such daily experience of it : but, alas ! there is scarce an
hour in a day, but I may go about lamenting with Medea,
[The pas- in Seneca, Video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor, ' though
in^o^d','^^ I see what is good, yea, and judge it to be the better, yet I
J^fv°2o^^' ^^^y often choose the worse.' And the reason of it is,
because as by our fall from God the <\ hole soul was despe-
rately corrupted, so it is not the rectifying of one faculty
which can make the whole straight ; but as the whole was
changed from holiness to sin, so must the whole be changed
again from sin to holiness, before it can be inserted into
a state of grace, or so much as an act of grace be exerted by
it. Now, therefore, the understanding and will being two
distinct faculties, or at least two distinct acts in the soul, it is
possible for the understanding to be so enlightened as to
prefer the good before the evil, and yet for the will to remain
so corrupt as to choose the evil before the good. And hence
it is, that where God intends to work over a soul to Himself,
He doth not only pass an enlightening act upon the under-
standing and its apprehensions, but likewise a sanctifying
act upon the will and its alFections, that when the soul per-
ceives the glory of God and the beauty of holiness, it may
presently close with, and entertain it with the choicest of its
affections. And without God's thus drawing it, the under-
standing could never allure the soul to good. And there-
fore it is, that for all the clear discoveries which the under-
standing may make to itself concerning the glories of the
invisible world, yet God assures us it is Himself alone that
affects the soul with them, by inclining its will to them ; for
PhU. 2. 13. it is " God Which worketh in us both to will and to do of His
Own good pleasure." So that though God offer Heaven to
all that will accept of it in His Holy Scripture, yet none
can accept of it but such whom Himself stirs up by His
Private Thoughts on Religion.
187
Holy Spirit to endeavour after it. And thus we find it was
in Israel's return from Babylon to Jerusalem, though King
Cyrus made a proclamation, that whosoever would might go
up to worship at the holy city, yet there was none that Ezra i.
accepted of the offer " but those whose spirit God had raised ver. 5.
to go up." So here, though God doth, as it were, proclaim
to all the world, that whosoever will come to Christ shall
certainly be saved, yet it doth not follow that all shall
receive Salvation from Him, because it is certain all will not
come ; or rather none can will to come, unless God enables
them.
I am sure, to say none shall be saved, but those that will
of themselves, would be sad news for me, whose will is natu-
rally so backward to every thing that is good. But this is
my comfort, I am as certain my Salvation is of God, as I am
certain it cannot be of myself. It is Christ Who vouchsafed
to die for me. Who hath likewise promised to live within
me ; it is He that will work all my works both for me and
in me too. In a word, it is to Him I am beholden, not only
for my spiritual blessings and enjoyments, but even for my
temporal ones too, which, in and through His Name, I daily
put up my petitions for. So that I have not so much as a
morsel of bread, in mercy, from God, but only upon the
account of Christ; not a drop of drink, but v/hat flows unto
me in His blood. It is He that is the very blessing of all my
blessings, without Whom my very mercies would prove but
curses, and my prosperity would but work my ruin.
Whither, therefore, should I go, my dear and blessed
Saviour, but unto Thee ? " Thou hast the words of eternal [John 6
.life," and how shall I come but by Thee? Thou hast the
treasures of all grace. O Thou that hast wrought out my
Salvation for me, be pleased, likewise, to work this Salvation
in me. Give me, I beseech Thee, such a measure of Thy
grace, as to believe in Thee here upon earth, and then give
me such degrees of glory as fully to enjoy Thee for ever in
Heaven.
188 Private Thoughts on Religion.
ARTICLE IX.
/ believe God entered into a double covenant loith man, the
covenant of works made with the first, and the covenant of
grace made in the second, Adam.
That the Most High God should take a piece of earth,
work it up into the frame and fashion of a man, and
[Gen. 2. 7.] " breathe into his nostrils the breath of life," and then
[Lev. 18.5.] should enter into a covenant with it, and should say, " Do
this, and live," when man was bound to do it whether he
could live by it or no, was without doubt a great and
amazing act of love and condescension ; but that when
this covenant was unhappily broken by the first, God
should instantly vouchsafe to renew it in the second Adam ;
and that too upon better terms, and more easy conditions,
than the former, was yet a more surprising mercy : for the
same day that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, did God
Gen. 3. 15. make him this promise, that " the seed of the woman should
break the serpent's head." And this promise He afterwards
explained and confirmed by the mouth of His Prophet
Jer. 31.33. Jeremiah, saying, "This is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days ; I will put My
Law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ;
and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a
people." And again by St. Paul, under the New Testament,
almost in the self-same words, Heb. viii. 10. A covenant so
gracious and condescending, that it seems to be made up of
nothing else but promises. The first was, properly speaking,
a covenant of works, requiring on man's part a perfect and
unsinning obedience, without any extraordinary grace or
assistance from God to enable him to perform it ; but here
in the second, God undertakes both for Himself and for man
too, having digested the conditions to be performed by us
into promises to be fulfilled by Himself, viz. that He will not
only pardon our sius, if we do repent, but that He will give
us repentance, that so we may deserve His pardon ; that He
Private Thoughts on Religion.
189
will not only give us life if we come to Christ, but even draw
us to Christ, that so He may give us life ; and so not only
make us happy if we will be holy, but make us holy that so
we may be happy : for the covenant is not that ' He will be
our God, if we will be His people,' but " He loill be our
God, and we shall be His people." But still all this is in
and through Christ, the Surety and Mediator of this cove-
nant, in Whom all the " promises are Yea and Amen." So 2Cor. 1.20.
that Christ may be looked upon not only as a surety, but as
a party in this covenant of grace, being not only bound to
God, but likewise covenanting with Him for us. As God-
man He is a surety for us, but as man He must needs be a
party with us, even our Head in the covenant of grace, as
Adam was in the covenant of works.
What, therefore, though I can do nothing in this covenant
of myself, yet this is my comfort, that He hath undertaken
for me Who can do all things. And therefore is it called a
covenant of grace and not of works, because in it there is
no work required from me, but what by grace I shall be
enabled to perform.
And as for the tenour in whicli this covenant runs, or
the habendum and grant which each party covenants for, it
is expressed in these words, " I will be your God, and you
shall be My people." God covenants with us, that we shall
be His people ; we covenant with God, that He shall be our
God. And what can God stipulate more to us, or we
restipulate more to Him than this 1 What doth not God
promise to us, when He promises to be our God ; and what
doth He not require from us, when He requires us to be His
people 1
First ; He doth not say, I will be your hope, your help,
your light, your life, your sun, your shield, and your exceed-
ing great reward ; but I will be your God, which is ten
thousand times more than possibly can be couched under
any other expressions whatsoever ; as containing under it
whatsoever God is, whatsoever God hath, and whatsoever
God can do. All His essential attributes are still engaged
for us, we may lay claim to them, and take hold on
them : so that what the Prophet saith of His righteousness
and strength, "Surely shall one say, in the Lord have isa.45. 24.
190
Private Thovfjhts on Religion.
I righteousness and strength." I may extend to all His
other attributes, and say, Surely in the Lord have I mercy
to pardon me, wisdom to instruct me, power to protect
me, truth to direct me, grace to crown my heart on earth,
and glory to crown my head in Heaven : and if what He is,
then much more what He hath, is here made over by
Rom. 8. 32. covenant to me. " He that spared not His Own Son,"
saith the Apostle, " but delivered Him up for us all : how
shall He not but with Him likewise freely give us all
things?" But what hath God to give me? Why, all He
Rath is briefly summed up in this short inventory : what-
soever is in Heaven above, or in earth beneath, is His ; and
that this inventory is true, I have several witnesses to prove
Gen. 14. 19. it, Melchizedech, and Moses, and David. Indeed, reason
1 Chr'on. 29! itself will coucludc this, that He that is the Creator and
Preserver must of necessity be the Owner and Possessor of
all things ; so that let me imagine what possibly I can in all
the world, I may, with the pen of reason, write under it,
' This is God's.' And if I take but the pen of faith, with it
I may write, ' This is mine in Jesus Christ.' As, for ex-
ample. Hath He a Son ? He hath died for me. Hath He
a Spirit? It shall live within me. Is earth His? It
shall be my provision. Is Heaven His? It shall be my
portion. Hath He Angels? They shall guard me. Hath
He comforts? They shall support me. Hath He grace?
That shall make me holy. Hath He glory? That shall
Ps. 84. 11. make me happy ; for " the Lord Avill give grace and glory,
and no good thing will He withhold from those that walk
uprightly." And as He is nothing but what He is unto us,
so He doeth nothing but what He doeth for us. So that
whatsoever God doeth by His ordinary Providence, or (if
our necessity requires) whatsoever He can do by His extra-
ordinary power, I may be sure He doeth, and will do for
me. Now He hath given Himself to me, and taken me
unto Himself, what will He not do for me that He can ?
And what can He not do for me that He will ? Do I want
Ex. 16. 4. food ? God can drop down manna from the clouds, or bid
the quails come down and feed me with their own flesh, as
ver. 13. they did the Israelites, or He can send the ravens to bring
1 Kings, 17. j^j^j fjggi^^ ^j^gy jjj^l jjjg Prophet Elijah. Am I
Private Thoughts on Religion.
191
thirsty ? God can broach the rocks, and dissolve the flints
into floods of water, as He did for Israel. Am I cast into a Deut. s. is.
a fiery furnace? He can suspend the fury of the raging
flames, as He did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Dan. 3. 25.
Am I thrown amongst the devouring lions 1 He can stop
their mouths, and make them as harmless lambs, as He did
for Daniel. Am I ready to be swallowed up by the merci- ch. 6. 22.
less waves of the tempestuous ocean ? God can command
a fish to come and ship me safe to land, and that in its own
belly, as He did for His Proi^het Jonah. Am I in prison? Jonah 1.17;
God can but speak the word, as He did for St. Peter, and ^'
the chains shall immediately fall off", and the doors fly open,
and I shall be set at liberty, as he was. And thus I can Acts 12. 7-
have no wants, but God can supply them ; no doubts, but
God can resolve them ; no fears, but God can dispel them ;
no dangers, but God can prevent them. And it is as
certain that He will as that He can do these things for me.
Himself having by covenant engaged and given Himself
unto me.
And as in God's giving Himself, He hath given what-
soever He is, and whatsoever He hath unto me, and will
do whatsoever He can do for me ; so in my giving myself to
Him, whatsoever I have I am to give to Him, and whatso-
ever I do I am to do for Him. But now, though we should
thus give ourselves up wholly to God, and do whatever He
requires of us (which none, I fear, without some degree of
presumption, can say he has done), yet there is an infinite
disproportion betwixt the grant on God's part and that on
ours, in that He is God, and we but creatures, the " work- [is. 64. s.]
manship of His Own hands," to Whom it was our duty to
give ourselves, whether He had ever given Himself to us
or no : He is ours by covenant only, not by nature ; we are
His both by covenant and nature too. Hence we may infer
that it is not only our duty to do what He hath commanded
us, because He hath said, " Do this, and live," but because
He hath said, " Do this ;" yea, though He should say, ' Do
this, and die,' it would still be our duty to do it, because we
are His, wholly of His making, and therefore wholly at His
disposing ; insomuch, that should He put me upon doing
that which would inevitably bring ruin upon me, I am not
192 Private Thoughts on Religion.
to neglect obeying Him for fear of destroying myself, His
will and pleasure being infinitely to be preferred before my
life and salvation.
But if it were my duty to obey His commands, though I
should die for it, how much more when He hath promised
I shall live by it? Nay, I shall not only live if I obey,
but my obedience itself shall be my life and happiness ; for
if I be obedient unto Him, He is pleased to account Him-
John 15. 8. self as glorified by me, " For herein is my Father glorified,
if ye bring forth much fruit." Now what greater glory
can possibly be desired than to glorify my Maker? How
can I be more glorified by God than to have God glorified
by me? It is the glory of God to glorify Himself; and
what higher glory can a creature aspire after, than that
which is the infinite glory of its all-glorious Creator? It is
not therefore my duty only, but my glory, to give myself,
iCor.6. 20. and whatsoever I am, unto Him, to " glorify Him both in my
body and in my spirit, which are His," to lay out whatsoever
Prov. 3. 9. I have for Him, to " honour Him with all my substance,"
iCor.10.31. and " whether I eat or drink, or whatsoever I do, to do all
to His glory." Not as if it was possible for God to receive
more glory from me now, than He had in Himself from all
eternity. No, He was infinitely glorious then, and it is im-
possible for Him to be more glorious now ; all that we can
do is duly to acknowledge that glory which He hath in
Himself, and to manifest it, as we ought, before others;
which though it be no addition to His glory, yet it is the
perfection of ours, which He is pleased to account as His.
As for the grant, therefore, in the covenant of grace, I
believe it to be the same on our parts with that in the cove-
nant of works ; i. e. that we Christians are as much bound
to obey the commands He lays ujion us now, as the Jews
under the old covenant Mere. What difference there is, is
wholly and solely on God's part ; AVho, instead of expecting
obedience from us, is pleased in this new covenant to give
this obedience to us. Instead of saying, " Do this, and
live," He hath in effect said, ' I will enable you to do this,
iieb. 8. 10. that so you may live.' " I will put My laws into your
minds, and write them in your hearts ; and I will be to you
a God, and you shall be to Me a people." Not ' I will, if
Private Thoughts on Religion.
193
you will ;' but ' I will, and you shall.' Not ' If you will do
this, you shall live;' but ' You shall do this, and live.' So
that God doth not require less from us, but only hath pro-
mised more to us in the new, than he did in the old cove-
nant. There we were to perform obedience to God, but it
was by our own strength ; here we are to perform the same
obedience still, but it is by His strength. Nay, as we have
more obligations to obedience upon us now than we had
before, by reason of God's expressing more grace and favour
to us than formerly He did ; so I believe God expects more
from us under the new, than He did under the old covenant.
In that He expected the obedience of men, in this He ex-
pects the obedience of Christians, such as are by faith united
unto Christ, and in Christ unto Himself : and so are to do
what they do, not by the strength of man as before, but by
the strength of the Eternal God Himself ; Who as He at first
created me for Himself, so He hath now purchased me to
Himself, received me into covenant with Him, and promised
to enable me with grace to perform that obedience He
requires from me; and therefore He now expects I should
lay out myself, even whatsoever I have or am, wholly for
Him and His glory.
This, therefore, being the tenour of this covenant of
grace, it follows, that I am now none of my own, but
wholly God's : I am His by creation, and His by redemp-
tion, and therefore ought to be His by conversation. Why
therefore should I live any longer to myself, who am not
my own, but God's ? And why should I grudge to give
myself to Him, Who did not grudge to give Himself for me?
Or rather, why should I steal myself from Him who have
already given myself to Him ? But did I say, I liave given
myself to my God ? Alas ! it is but the restoring myself
to Him, AVhose I was ever since I had a being, and to Whom
I am still infinitely more engaged, that I can thus cordially
engage myself to Him ; for as I am not my own, but His,
so the very giving of myself to Him is not from myself, but
from Him. I could not have given myself to Him, had
He not first given Himself to me, and even wrought my
mind into this resolution of giving myself to Him.
But having thus solemnly, by covenant, given myself to
o
194 Private Thoughts on Relif/ioti.
Him, how doth it behove me to improve myself for Him?
My soul is His, my body His, my parts His, my gifts His,
my graces His, and whatsoever is mine is His ; for without
Him I could not have been, and therefore could have had
notliing. So that I have no more cause to be proud of any
thing I have, or am, than a page hath to be proud of his
fine clothes, which are not his, but his master's ; who be-
stows all this finery upon him, not for his page's honour or
credit, but for his own. And thus it is with the best of lis
in respect of God ; He gives men parts, and learning, and
riches, and grace, and desires and expects that we should
make a due use of them : but to what end 1 Not to gain
honour and esteem to ourselves, to make us proud and
haughty, but to give Him the honour due to His Name ;
and so employ them as instruments in promoting His glory
and service. So that whensoever we do not lay out our-
selves to the utmost of our power for Him, it is downright
sacrilege, it is robbing God of that which is more properly
His, than any man in the world can call any thing he hath
his own.
Having therefore thus wholly surrendered and given up
myself to God, so long as it shall please His Majesty to
intrust me with myself, to lend me my being in this lower
world, or to put any thing else into my hands, as time,
health, strength, parts, or the like, I am resolved, by His
grace, to lay out all for His glory. All the faculties of my
soul, as I have given them to Him, so will I endeavour to
improve them for Him ; they shall still be at His most
noble service ; my understanding shall be His, to know
Him ; my will His, to choose Him ; my affections His, to
embrace Him ; and all the members of my body shall act in
subserviency to Him.
And thus having given myself to God on earth, I hope
God in a short time will take me to Himself in Heaven
where as I gave myself to Him in time, He will give Him-
self to me unto all eternity.
Private Thoucjhts on Religion.
195
ARTICLE X.
/ believe that as God entered into a covenant of grace with us,
so hath He signed this covenant to us hy a double seal.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
As the covenant of works had two Sacraments, viz. 'the [Gen. 3.22.]
tree of life' and ' the tree of the knowledge of good and [ver. 17.]
evil ;' the first signifying and sealing life and happiness to
the performance, the other death and misery to the breach
of it : so the covenant of grace was likewise sealed with two
typical Sacraments, 'Circumcision and the Passover;' the
former was annexed at God's first making His covenant
with Abraham's person, the other was added at His fulfil-
ling the promises of it to his seed or posterity, which were
therefore styled ' the Promised Seed.' But these being
only typical of the true and spiritual Sacraments that were
afterwards to take place upon the coming of the Messiah,
there were then, in the ' fulness of time,' two other Sacra-
ments substituted in their stead, viz. 'Baptism' and the
' Supper of the Lord.' And these Sacraments were both
correspondent to the types by which they were represented.
As to the first, viz. 'Circumcision,' whether I consider
the time of conferring it, or the end of its institution, I
find it exactly answers to the Sacrament of Baptism in both
these respects. For as the children under the Law were
to be circumcised in their infancy at eight days old, so are
the children under the Gospel to be baptized in their infancy
too. And as the principal thing intended in the rite of
Circumcision was to initiate or admit the children of the
faithful into the Jewish Church ; so the chief design of
Baptism now, is to admit the children of such as profess
themselves Christians into the Church of Christ. And for
this reason, I believe, that as under the Old Testament
children had the grant of covenant-privileges and Church-
membership as really as their parents had, so this grant
was not repealed, as is intimated, but further confirmed in Acts 2. 39.
196
Private Tkoiu/his on Religion.
the New Testament; in that the Apostle calls the children
iCor. 7. 14. of believing parents "holy," which cannot be understood of
a real and inherent, but only of a relative and covenanted
holiness, by virtue of which, being born of believing parents,
themselves are accounted in the number of believers, and
are therefore called " holy children" under the Gospel, in
Deut. 7. 6; the same sense that the people of Israel were called "a
14.2-21. Yio\y people" under the Law, as being all within the cove-
nant of grace, which, through the faith of their parents, is
thus sealed to them in their Baptism. Not that I think it
necessary that all parents should be endued with what we
call a saving faith, to entitle their children to these privi-
leges, (for then none but the children of such who have the
Spirit of Christ truly implanted in them would be qualified
to partake of the covenant) ; but even such who, by an out-
ward historical faith, have taken the Name of Christ upon
them, are, by that means in covenant with God, and so ac-
counted holy in respect of their profession, whatever they
may be in point of practice. And if they are themselves
holy, it follows on course that their children must be so too,
they being esteemed as parts of their parents till made dis-
tinct members in the body of Christ ; or, at least, till they
come to the use of their reason and the improvement of
their natural abilities.
And, therefore, though the seal be changed, yet the cove-
nant-privileges, wherewith the parties stipulating unto God
were before invested, are no whit altered or diminished ;
believers' children being as really confederates with their
parents in the covenant of grace now, as they were before,,
under the Jewish administration of it. And this seems to
be altogether necessary, for otherwise infants should be
invested with privileges under the type, and be deprived of
or excluded from them under the more perfect accomplish-
ment of the same covenant in the thing typified ; and so the
dispensations of God's grace would be more straight and
narrow since, than they were before the coining of our
Saviour ; which I look upon to be no less than blasphemy
to assert.
And, upon this ground, I believe it is as really the duty
of Christians to baptize their children now as ever it was
Private Thouyhts on Religion.
197
the duty of the Israelites to circumcise theirs ; and therefore
St. Peter's question, " Can any man forbid water, that these Acts lo. 47.
should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost
as well as we?" may very properly be applied to tliis case.
Can any one forbid water, that children should not be bap-
tized, who are in covenant with the Most High God as well
as we ? For what is it, I pray, that the riglit to Baptism
doth depend upon? Surely, not upon performing the con-
ditions of the covenant, for then none should be baptized
but such as are true believers in themselves, and known to
be so by us, and, by consecpience, none at all ; it being only
God's prerogative to search their hearts, and to know the
truth of that grace which Himself hath been pleased to be-
stow upon them. But children's right to Baptism is
grounded upon the outward profession of their believing
parents ; so that as a king may be crowned in his cradle,
not because he is able to wield the sceptre, or manage the
affairs of his kingdom, but because he is heir to his father;
so here children are not therefore baptized because they are
able to perform the conditions of the covenant which is
sealed to them, but because they are children to believing
parents. And this seems to be yet further evident from the
very nature of seals, which are not administered or annexed
to any covenant because the conditions are already per-
formed, but rather that they may be performed ; and so
children are not baptized because they are already true
Christians, but that they may be so hereafter.
As for a command for Infant Baptism, I believe that the
same Law that enjoined Circumcision to the Jewish enjoins
Baptism likewise to Christian children, there being the
same reason for both. The reason why the Jewish children
were to be circumcised was because they were Jewish
children, born of such as professed the true worship of God,
and were in covenant with Him ; and there is the same
reason why Christian children are to be baptized, even be-
cause they are Christian children, born of such as profess
the true worship of the same God, and are confederates in
the same covenant with the Jews themselves. And as there
is the same reason, so likewise the same end for both, viz.
that the children might be actually admitted into the same
198
Private Thoughts on Religion.
covenant with their parents, and have it visibly confirmed
to them by this initiating seal put upon them : so that Cir-
cumcision and Baptism are not two distinct seals, but the
same seal diversely applied ; the one being but as a type of
the other, and so to give place to it whensoever by the
institution of Christ, it should be brought into the Church of
God. And therefore the command for initiating children
into the Church by Baptism remains still in force, though
Circumcision, which was the type and shadow of it, be done
away. And for this reason, I believe that was there never
a command in the New Testament for Inftmt Baptism, yet,
seeing there is one for Circumcision in the Old, and for
Baptism, as coming into the place of it, in the New, I should
look upon Baptism as necessarily to be applied to infants
now, as Circumcision was then.
But why should it be supposed that there is no com-
mand in the New Testament for Infant Baptism ? There
are several texts that seem to imply its being practised in the
first preaching of the Gospel, as particularly in the case of
Acts 16. 15, Lydia and the keeper of the prison, who had their whole
families baptized ; and we nowhere find that children were
excepted. On the contrary, St. Peter, exhorting the con-
verted Jews to be bajitized, makes use of this argument to
ch. 2. 38,39. bring them to it, " For the promise," says he, " is unto you
and to your children," which may as reasonably be under-
stood of their infants as of their adult posterity. But be-
sides, it was the express command of Christ to His Disei-
Matt.28.19. pies, that they should " go and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."
The meaning of which words I take to be this, ' Go ye and
preach the Gospel amongst all nations, and endeavour
thereby to bring them over to the embracing of it; that,
leaving all Jewish ceremonies and heathenish idolatries,
they may profess my Name, and become my Disciples, re-
ceive the truth and follow me ; which, if they do, I charge
you to " baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost:"' for the word iJ^a^fiTihsaTi doth not signify
' to teach,' but ' to make disciples,' denoting the same here
John 4. 1, that /iaSjjras ffo/sTv doth upou the like occasion.
And this is the sense that all the ancient translations
Private Thoughts on Religion.
199
agree in ; nor indeed will the text itself bear any other,
especially not that of teaching ; for though the Apostles
should have taught all nations, yet they were not presently
to baptize them, unless they became disciples and professors
of the doctrine that they were taught. A man may be
taught the doctrine of the Gospel, and yet not believe it;
and even though he should believe, yet unless he openly
professes his faith in it, he ought not presently to be bap-
tized. For without this outward profession, the very pos-
sessing of Christ cannot entitle a man to this privilege
before men, though it doth before God ; because we cannot
know how any one stands affected towards Christ, but only
by his outward profession of Him. It is the inward 210s-
session of Christ's Person that entitles us to the inward
spiritual grace ; but it is the outward profession of His Name
only that entitles us to the outward visible sign in Baptism :
so that a man must of necessity be a professed disciple of
the Gospel before he can be admitted into the Church of
Christ. And hence it is that the words must necessarily be
understood of discipling or bringing the nations over to the
profession of the Christian religion : or else we must sup- .
pose, what ought not to be granted, that our Saviour must
command many that were visible enemies to His cross to
be received into His Church ; for many of the Jews were
taught and instructed in the doctrine of the Gospel, who,
notwithstanding, were inveterate enemies unto Christ. They
were taught, that He was the Messiah and Saviour of the
world, and that " whosoever believed in Him should not [Johns.ie ]
perish, but have everlast'ing life ; " and they had all the
reason in the world to be convinced of it ; yet I hope there
is none will say, that the bare knowledge of, or tacit assent
unto, these things, are a sufficient ground for their reception
into the Church.
Now, as it was in the Jewish Church, when any one
became a proselyte, not only himself but whatsoever child-
ren he afterwards had, were to be circumcised ; so in the
Church of Christ, whensoever any person is brought over
into the profession of the Christian religion, His seed are
all equally invested with the outward privileges of it with
himself, though they be not, as yet, come to years of dis-
200
Private Thoughts on Religion.
cretion, nor able of themselves to make their profession
of that religion they are to be received and baptized into.
For so long as children are in their infancy, they are (as
I before observed) looked upon as parts of their parents,
and are therefore accounted holy by the outward profession
which their parents, under vphom they are comprehended,
iCor. 7. 14. make of it ; and in this sense, " the unbelieving husband"
is said to be " sanctified by the believing wife, and the
unbelieving wife by the believing husband ; " that is, man
and wife being made one flesh, they are denominated, from
the better part, holy, and so are their children too.
And hence it is that I verily believe, that in the commis-
[Matt. 28. sion which our Saviour gave to His Apostles, to " disciple
'^■^ and baptize all nations," He meant, that they should preach
the Gospel in all nations, and thereby bring over all persons
of understanding and discretion to the profession of His
Name, and, in them, their children ; and so engraft both
root and branch into Himself, the True Vine, by baptizing
both parents and children " in the Name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost."
The main objection against this is, that infants are not
in a capacity either to learn and understand their duty in
this covenant, or to stipulate and promise for their future
jjerformance of the conditions of it. But this difficulty is
easily removed when I consider, that it is not by virtue
of their own faith or knowledge, but that of their parents,
that they are admitted to this Sacrament; nor is it required
that they should stipulate or promise in their own persons,
but by their godfathers or sponsors, who enter into this
engagement for them, and oblige them, when they come
of age, to take it upon themselves ; which accordingly they
do. And this engagement by proxy does as effectually bind
them to the performance of the conditions, as if they were
actually in a caj^acity to have stipulated for themselves, or
sealed the covenant in their own persons. For these spi-
ritual signs or seals are not designed to make God's word
surer to us, but only to make our faith stronger in Him ; nor
are they of the substance of the Covenant, but only for the
better confirmation of it.
And as Baptism thus comes in the place of the Jews'
Private Thoughts on Religion.
201
Circumcision, so doth our Lord's Supper answer to their
Passover. Their Paschal Lamb represented our Saviour
Christ, and the sacrificing of it the shedding of His blood
upon the cross ; and as the Passover was the memorial of
the Israelites' redemption from Egypt's bondage, so is the Exod.12.14.
Lord's Supper the memorial of our redemption from the
slavery of sin, and assertion into Christian liberty : or rather,
it is a solemn and lively representation of the death of
Christ, and offering it again to God, as an atonement for sin
and reconciliation to His favour.
So that I believe this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
under the Gospel succeeds to the rite of sacrificing under
the Law, and is properly called the Christian sacrifice, as
representing the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. And
the end of both is the same : for as the sacrifices under
the Law were designed as a propitiation or atonement for
sins, by transferring the punishment from the offerer to
the thing offered, which is therefore called " the accursed
thing," as we read, Lev. xvii. 11, so under the Gospel we
are told that it was for this end that our Saviour died and
suffered in our stead, that He might obtain the pardon of
our sins, and reconcile us to His Father, by laying the guilt
of them upon His Own Person. And accordingly He says
of Himself, that " He came to give His life a ransom for Matt.20.28.
many;" and St. Paul tells us, that " He was made sin for 2Cor. 5.21.
us. Who knew no sin."
And as the end of both institutions was the same, so they
were both equally extended. The Paschal Lamb was offered
for all the congregation of Israel, and so is the Sacrament of
the Lord's Supper to be administered to all the faithful people
in Christ, that do not exclude themselves from it. And for
this reason I believe, that as all the congregation of Israel
was to eat the Passover, so is all the society of Christians to
receive the Lord's Supper : those only to be excepted, who
are altogether ignorant of the nature of that covenant it seals,
or openly and scandalously guilty of the breach of the con-
dition it requires.
But why, say some, should there be any exception ? Did
not Christ die for all mankind ? And is not that death said
202
Private Thoughts on Religion.
to be " a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and
satisfaction for the sins of the whole world ? " All this is
true : but it does not from hence follow that all men must be
actually saved and absolved from their sins by virtue of His
death. No; it is only they who apply to themselves the
merits of His passion, by partaking duly of this Holy Sa-
crament, which is the proper means by which these blessings
[Eph. 4. are conveyed to us, " whereby we are sealed to the day of
^^'^ redemjjtion." I say ' duly,' because though this Sacrament
was ordained for all, yet all will not make themselves worthy
of it ; and those that are not so, are so far from reaping any
icor.n.29. benefit from it, that, as the Apostle says, " they eat and
drink their own damnation, not discerning the Lord's body,"
And therefore I believe that, as in the institution of the
Passover there were some particular duties and ceremonies
enjoined for the better solemnization of it, so there are some
preparatory duties and qualifications necessarily required for
the celebration of the Lord's Supper, which, before I pre-
sume to partake of it, I must always use my utmost en-
deavours to exercise myself in.
And these are. First, That I should examine, confess, and
bewail my sins before God, with a true sense of and sorrow
for them, and, taking firm resolutions for the time to come
utterly to relinquish and forsake them, solemnly engage
myself in a new and truly Christian course of life.
Secondly, That I should ' be in perfect charity with all
men,' that is, that I should heartily forgive those who have
any Avays injured or offended me, and make restitution or
satisfaction to such whom I have, in any respect, injured or
offended myself.
And then, thirdly. That I should, with an humble and
obedient heart, exercise the acts of faith, and love, and
devotion, during the celebration of that holy mystery; and
express the sense I have of this mystery, by devout praises
and thanksgivings for the great mercies and favours that
God vouchsafes to me therein ; and by all the ways and mea-
sures of charity that He has prescribed, manifest my love to
)ny Redeemer, by my love and beneficence to my Christian
brethren.
Private Thoughts on Iteligioyi.
203
These are the proper graces, this is the wedding-garment,
that every true Christian, who comes to be a guest at this
Holy Supper, ought to be clothed and invested with.
Do thou, 0 Blessed Jesus ! adorn me w ith this holy robe,
and inspire my soul with such Heavenly qualities and dispo-
sitions as these ; and tlien I need not fear but that as " oft as
I eat the flesh of Chi-ist, and drink His blood," I shall effec-
tually obtain the pardon and remission of my sins, the
sanctifying influences of His Holy Spirit, and a certain
interest in the Kingdom of glory.
See further. Treatise of the Sacrament.*
ARTICLE XI.
/ believe that after a short separation, my soul and hody shall
he united together again, in order to appear hefore the
Jndgment-seat of Christ, and be finally sentenced according
to my deserts.
I KNOW this body, which for the present I am tied to, is
nothing else but a piece of clay made up into the frame and
fashion of a man ; and therefore, as it was first taken from
the dust, so shall it return to dust again : but then I believe,
on the other hand, that it shall as really be raised from the
earth, as ever it shall be carried to it; yea, though perhaps
it may go through a hundred or a thousand changes before
that day come. There are, I confess, some points in this
Article which are hardly to be solved by human reason ; but
I believe there are none so difficult but what may be recon-
ciled by a Divine faith : though it be too hard for me to
know, yet it is not too hard for God to do. He that should
have told me, some years ago, that my body then was, or
should be, a mixture of particles fetched from so many parts
of the world, and undergo so many changes and alterations
as to become in a manner new, should scarce have extorted
* The Treatise above alluded to, is supposed to be " The Great Necessity and
Advantage of Frequent Communion," printed after Bishop Beveridge's decease,
and which will be found in the subsequent part of the present volume. — Editor.
•204
Private Thoughts on Reliyion.
the belief of it from me, though now I believe it to be a real
truth ; the meats, fruits, and spices, which we eat, being-
transported from several different places and nations, and by
natural digestion transfused into the constitution of the
body. And why should not I believe that the same Almighty
Power Who made these several beings or particles of matter
by which I am fed and sustained, can as easily, with His
Word, recall each part again from the most secret or remote
place that it can possibly be transported to ? Or, that He
Who framed me out of the dust, can, with as much ease,
gather all the scattered parts of the body, and put them
together again as He at first formed it into such a shape, and
infused into it a spiritual being ?
And this Article of my faith I believe is not only grounded
upon, but may, even by the force of reason, be deduced from,
the principles of justice and equity, justice requiring, that
they who are co-partners in vice and virtue should be co-
partners also in punishments and rewards. There is scarce
a sin a man commits but his body hath a share in it ; for
though the sin committed would not be a sin without the
soul, yet it could not be committed without the body ; the
sinfulness of it depends upon the former, but the commission
of it may lawfully be charged upon the latter : the body
could not sin if the soul did not consent ; nor could the soul
sin (especially so oft) if the body did not tempt to it. And
this is particularly observable in the sins of adultery, drunk-
enness, and gluttony, which the soul of itself cannot commit,
neither would it ever consent unto them, did not the pre-
valent humours of the body, as it were, force it to do so.
For in these sins, the act that is sinful is wholly performed
by the body, though the sinfulness of that act doth princi-
pally depend upon the soul.
Neither is the body only partner with the soul in these
grosser sins, but even the more spiritual sins, which seem to
be most abstracted from the temperature of the body, as if
they depended only upon the pravity and corruption of the
soul, — I say, even these are partly to be ascribed to the
body. For instance, an atheistical thought, which one would
think was to be laid only upon the soul, because the thought
takes its rise from thence ; yet if we seriously weigh and
Private Thoughts on Religion.
205
consider the matter, we shall find that it is usually the sinful
affections of the body that thus debauch the mind into these
blasphemous thoughts ; and that it is the pleasures of sense
that first suggest them to us, and raise them in us : and this
appears, in that there is no person that ever was, or indeed
ever can be, an atheist at all times ; but such thoughts spring
up in the fountain of the soul, only when mudded with fleshly
pleasures. And thus it is in most other sins, the carnal ap-
petite having gotten the reins into its hand, it misleads the
reason, and hurries the soul wheresoever it pleaseth. And
what then can be more reasonable, than that the body should
be punished, both for its usurping the soul's prerogative, and
for its tyrannizing so much over that which at the first it
was made to be subject to ? But further, it is the body that
enjoys the pleasure, and therefore good reason that the body
should likewise bear the punishment, of sin. Indeed I can-
not conceive how it can stand with the principles of justice,
but that the body, which both accompanies the soul in sin,
enjoys the pleasures of it, and leads the soul into it, should
bear a share in the miseries which are due to and inflicted
upon it. For what doth justice require, but to punish the
person that offends for the offence he commits : whereas, if
the soul only, and not the body, were to suffer, the person
would not suffer at all ; the body being part of the person
as well as the soul, and therefore the soul no person without
the body.
Hence it is, that though the Scripture had been silent in
this point, yet, methinks, I could not but have believed it.
How much more firm and steadfast then ought I to be in my
faith, when Truth itself hath been pleased so expressly to
affirm it ! For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, " Thy dead isa. 26. 19.
men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise."
" And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth Dan. 12. 2.
shall awake ; some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt." And thus saith the Saviour of
the world, " Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,"
" The hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves John 5. 28,
shall hear His voice, and shall come forth ; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." The same
206
Private Thoughts on Religion.
hath it pleased His Divine Majesty to assert and prove with
Matt.22.31, His Owu month, and by His Spirit, and in many other
1 Cor. 15. places. From all vchich I may with comfort and confidence
Job. 19. 25- draw the same conclusion that holy Job did, and say, " I
know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at
the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God ;
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold,
and not another ; though my reins be consumed within
me."
And as I believe my body shall be thus raised from the
grave, so I believe the other part of me, my soul, shall never
be carried to it ; I mean, it shall never die, but shall be as
much, yea more, alive, when I am dying, than it is now, by
so much as my soul shall be the more active in itself, by how
much it is less tied and subjected to the body.
And further I believe, that so soon as ever my breath is
out of my nostrils, my soul shall remove her lodging into the
other world, there to live as really to eternity, as I now live
here in time. Yea, I am more certain that my soul shall
[Eccies. 12. " return to God that gave it," than that my body shall return
to the earth, out of which I had it. For I know it is possible
my body may be made immortal, but I am sure my soul shall
never be mortal. I know that at the first the body did
equally participate of immortality with tlie soul, and that
had not sin made the divorce, they had lived together like
loving mates to all eternity. And I dare not affirm that
Enoch and Elias underwent the common fate, or suppose
they did ; yet, sure I am the time will come, when thousands
of men and women shall not be dissolved and die, but be
immediately changed and caught up into Heaven, or, to their
eternal confusion, thrust down into Hell ; whose bodies,
therefore, shall undergo no such thing as rotting in the
grave, or being eaten up by worms, but, together with their
souls, shall immediately launch into the vast ocean of eter-
nity. But who ever yet read or heard of a soul's funeral ?
Who is it? Where is the man? Or, what is his name that
wrote the history of her life and death ? Can any disease
arise in a spiritual substance, wherein there is no such thing
as contrariety of principles or qualities to occasion any dis-
Private Thoucjhts on Ttelhjion.
207
order or distemper? Can an Angel be sick or die? And
if not an Angel, why a soul, which is endowed with the
same spiritual nature here, and shall be adorned with the
same eternal glory hereafter ? No, no, deceive not thyself,
my soul, for it is more certain that thou shalt always live,
than that thy body shall ever die.
Not that I think my soul must always live, in despite of
Omnipotence itself, as if it was not in the power of the
Almighty to take my being and existence from me; for I
know I am but as a " potsherd" in the " Potter's hand,"
and that it is as easy for Him to dash me in pieces now, as it
was to raise me up at the first. I believe it as easy for Him
to command my soul out of its being as out of its body ;
and to send me back into my mother nothing, out of whose
womb He took me, as it was at first to fetch me thence. I
know He could do it if He would ; but Himself hath said
He will not, and therefore I am sure He cannot do it ; and
that not because He hath not power, but because He hath
not will to do it ; it being impossible for Him to do that which
He doth not will to do. And that it is not His w ill or plea-
sure ever to annihilate nfiy soul, I have it under His Own
hand, that my " dust shall return to the earth as it was, and Eccies.12
my spirit to God that gave it." And if it return to God, it
is so far from returning to nothing, that it returns to the
Being of all beings ; and so death to me will be nothing
more than going home to my Father and mother ; my soul
goes to my Father, God, and my body to my mother, earth.
Thus likewise hath it pleased His Sacred Majesty to as-
sure me, that if our " earthly house of this tabernacle were 2Cor. 5.
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made
with hands, eternal in the Heavens," so clearly hath the
Great God " brought life and immortality to light through 2Tim.i.
the Gospel." The light of nature shews the soul can never
perish or be dissolved, without the immediate interposition
of God's Omnipotence, and we have His Own Divine Word
for it, that He will never use that power in the dissolution of
it. And therefore I may, with the greatest assurance, affirm
and believe, that as really as I now live, so really shall I
never die ; but that my soul, at the very moment of its de-
parture from the flesh, shall immediately mount up to the
208 Private Thoughts on Religion.
tribunal of the Most High God, there to be judged, first
privately, by itself (or perhaps with some other souls, that
shall be summoned to appear before God the same moment).
And then, from these private sessions I believe that every
soul that ever was or shall be separated from the body, must
either be received into the mansions of Heaven, or else sent
down to the dungeon of Hell, there to remain till the grand
iCor.15.52. assizes, the " judgment of the Great Day, when the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed." And " when" our bodies, by the Word
of the Almighty God, shall be thus called together again, I
believe that our souls shall be all prepared to meet them,
[2 Cor. 5. and be united again to them, and so both " appear before
the Judgment-seat of Christ, to receive" sentence " accord-
ing to what they have done in the flesh, whether it be good,
or whether it be evil." And though it is very difficult, or
rather impossible, for me to conceive or determine the par-
ticular circumstances of this Grand Assize, or the manner
and method how it shall be managed, yet from the light
and intimations that God has vouchsafed to give us of it, I
have grounds to believe it will be ordered and carried on
after this or the like manner.
The day and place being appointed by the King of kings,
the glorious Majesty of Heaven, the Saviour of the world,
Jesus Christ, Who long ago received His commission from
John 5.22; the Father, to be the " Judge of quick and dead," " shall
fThes.4.iG! descend from Heaven with the shout of the Archangel, and
with the trump of God," royally attended with an innume-
Matt.25.31. rable company of" glorious Angels," These He shall send
ch. 24. 31. with the great sound of a trumpet, and they "shall gather
together His elect from the four winds, from the one end of
Heaven to the other," yea, and the wicked too, from what-
ch. 13. 49. soever place they shall be in ; and then shall He " sever the
wicked from the just." So that all nations, and every par-
ticular person that ever did or ever shall live upon the face
of the earth, shall be gathered together before Him, and
ch. 25.32,33. He shall " separate the one from the other, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats ; and shall set His sheep
on His right hand, but the goats upon the left."
Things being thus set in order, the Judge shall read His
Private Thoughts on Religion.
209
Commission, that is, declare and manifest Himself to be the
Judge of. all the earth, sent by the God of Heaven to judge
them that had condemned Him, and in that very body that
once Tvas crucified upon the cross at Jerusalem for our sins.
So that all the world shall then behold Him shining in all
His glory and majesty, and shall acknowledge Him to be
now what they would not believe Him to be before, even
both God and man, and so the Judge of all the world, from
Whom there can be no appeal. And having thus declared
His Commission, I believe the first work He will go upon
will be to open the " book of God's remembrance," and to [Mai.s.ie.l
cause all the indictments to be read that there are found on
record against those on His right hand ; but behold all the
black lines of their sins being blotted out with the red lines
of their Saviour's blood, and nothing but their good works,
their prayers, their sermons, their meditations, their alms,
and the like, to be found there ; the Righteous Judge, before
Whom they stand, turning Himself towards them, with a
serene and smiling countenance, will declare to them, before
all the world, that their sins are pardoned, and their persons
accepted by Him, as having believed in Him ; and therefore
will He immediately proceed to pronounce the happy sen-
tence of election upon them, saying, " Come, ye blessed of [Matt. 25.
My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world."
The sentence being thus pronounced, the righteous (and
I hope myself among the rest) shall go up with shouts of
joy and triumph, to sit with our Blessed Redeemer to judge
the other parts of the world, who stand at the left hand of
the Tribunal, with ghastly countenances and trembling
hearts, to receive their last and dreadful doom. Against
these, all the sins that ever they committed, or were guilty
of, shall be brought up in judgment against them, as they
are found on record in the book of God's remembrance, and
the indictment read against every particular person, high or
low, for every particular sin, great or small, which they have
committed.
And the truth of this indictment shall be attested by their
own consciences, crying, ' Guilty, guilty :' I say, by their
own consciences, which are as a thousand witnesses ; yea.
210
Private Thouyhts on Religion.
and by the Omniscience of God too, which is as a thousand
consciences. And therefore, without any further delay, shall
the Judge proceed to pronounce the sentence, the doleful
[Matt. 25. sentence of condemnation upon them, " Depart, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels."
This, I believe, or such like, will be the method of Christ's
proceeding with us in that great and terrible day of trial and
retribution.
Oh ! may these awful thoughts and ideas of it always
accompany me, and strike such a deep and lively impression
upon my heart, in every action of life, as to deter me from
offendhig this just and Almighty Being, in Whose power it
[ch. 10.28.] is to " destroy both body and soul in Hell ;" and engage me
in such a regular, strict, and conscientious course of life, as
to be always ready, whenever He shall be pleased to sum-
mon me, to give in my accounts at the Grand Audit, and
with a holy assurance fly for mercy and succour into the
hands of my Redeemer, and be permitted to enter into the
joys of His rest.
ARTICLE XII.
/ believe there are two other xcorlds besides this I live in, a
world of misery for unrepenting sinners, and a world of
glory for believing saints.
When death hath opened the cage of flesh wherein the
soul is penned up, whither it flies, or how it subsists, I
think it not easy to determine, or indeed to conceive. As
for the Platonic aerial and ethereal vehicles succeeding
this terrestrial one, I find neither mention of, nor warrant
for them in the Word of God. And, indeed, to suppose that
a spiritual substance cannot subsist of itself, without being
supported by a corporeal vehicle, is in my opinion too gross
a conceit for any philosopher, much more for one that
professes himself a divine, to advance or entertain. Only
this I am sure of, that according to the distinction of lives
here into good or bad, and the sentences passed upon all
Private llioughts on Religion.
211
hereafter, of absolution or condemnation, there will be a two-
fold receptacle for the souls of men, the one of happiness,
the other of misery.
As to the first, I believe, that at the great and general
assizes of the world, there will be a glorious entrance
opened for the righteous into the holy of holies, the seat
and fountain of all bliss and happiness, where they shall
draw nigh to the Most High God, behold His presence in
righteousness, and reign with Him for ever in glory, where
they "shall see Him face to face," "and know Him, the iC0r.13.12.
only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent." And 17. 3.
this knowing and beholding God face to face, is, I believe,
the very Heaven of Heavens, even the highest happiness that
it is possible a creature should be made capable of : for, in
having a perfect knowledge of God, we shall have a perfect
knowledge of all things that ever were, are, shall, yea, or
can be, in the world. For, God being the Being of all
beings, in seeing Him, we shall not only see whatsoever
hath been, but whatsoever can be communicated from Him :
the contemjilation of which cannot but ravish and transport
my spirit beyond itself ; especially when I consider, that in
knowing this One- All-Things, God, I cannot but enjoy
whatsoever it is possible any creature should enjoy. For
the knowing of a thing is the soul's enjoyment of it ; the
understanding being to the soul what the senses are to the
body. And therefore as the body enjoys nothing but by its
■ senses, so neither doth the soul enjoy any thing but by its
understanding : and as the body is said to have whatsoever
affects its proper senses, so may the soul be said to have
whatsoever comes under its knowledge. Nay, the soul so
far hath what it knows, that, in a manner it is what it
knows ; itself being in a spiritual manner, enlarged accord-
ing to the extent of the objects which it knows, as the body
is by the meat it eats ; the truths we know turning into
: the substance of our souls, as the meat we eat doth into
the substance of our bodies. But O ! what a rare soul shall
; I then have, when it shall be extended to every thing that
[ I ever was or ever could have been ! What a happy creature
shall I then be, when I shall know and so enjoy Him that is
all things in Himself! What can a creature desire more ?
212 Private Thoughts on Religion.
yea, what more can a creature be made capable of enjoying
or desiring ? And that which will always accompany this
our knowledge and enjoyment, is perfect love to what we
enjoy and know, without which we should take pleasure in
nothing, though we should have all things to take pleasure
in. But who will be able not to love the chiefest good, that
knows and enjoys Him, and therefore enjoys Him because
he knows Him ? Questionless, in Heaven, as I shall enjoy
whatsoever I can love, so shall I love whatsoever I enjoy.
And this therefore I believe to be the perfection of my hap-
piness, and the happiness of my perfection, in the other
world, that I shall perfectly know and love, and so perfectly
enjoy and rejoice in the Most High God ; and shall be, as
known, so perfectly loved and rejoiced in by Him. And,
questionless, for all our shallow apprehensions and low esti-
mations of these things now, they cannot choose but be vast
and unconceivable pleasures, too great for any creature to
enjoy whilst here below.
If we have but the least drop of these pleasures distilled
unto us here upon earth, how strangely do they make us, as
it were, beside ourselves, by lifting us above ourselves ! If
we can but at any time get a glimpse of God, and of His
love to us how are we immediately carried beyond all other
pleasures and contentments whatsoever ! How apt are we
[Matt. 17. to say with Peter, " It is good for us to be here !" And if
the foretastes of the blessings of Canaan, if the dark intima-
tions of God's love to us be so unspeakably pleasant, so
ravishingly delightsome, O what will the full possession of
Him be! What transporting ecstasies of love and joy shall
those blessed souls be possessed with, who shall behold the
King of glory smiling upon them, rejoicing over them, and
shining forth in all His love and glory upon them ! O what
astonishing beauty will they then behold ! What flowing,
what refreshing pleasures shall then solace and delight their
spirits unto all eternity ! Pleasures far greater than I am
able either to express or conceive, much less to enjoy, on
this side Heaven. My faculties are now too narrow and
scanty for such an entertainment; and therefore, till they
are spiritualized and enlarged, they cannot receive it. This
is the portion only of another world, this the " crown of
Private Thoughts on Religion.
213
righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge" reserves
in Heaven for me, and which, at His second coming, He has
promised to bestow upon me, and not upon me only, but
" upoa all them also that love His appearing." [2Tim.4.8.]
As to the other state, viz. that of the wicked in another
life, I believe it will be as exquisitely miserable and wretched
as that of the righteous is happy and glorious: they will
"be driven for ever from the presence of the Lord," from [2Thess. i.
those bright and blessed regions above, " where Christ sits [col. 3. i.]
at the right hand of God," to those dark and dismal dungeons
below, where the Devil and his angels are for ever doomed
to be tormented.
What sort of torments or punishments they are there to
undergo, I am as unable to express as I am unwilling ever
to experience; but according to the notions which Scripture
and reason give me of these matters, I believe they will be
twofold, viz. 1. Privative, and, 2. Positive; that is, the
wicked will not only be deprived of all that is good and
happy, but actually condemned to all that is evil and miser-
able, and that in the most transcendant degree.
The first part of their punishment will consist in envious,
melancholy, and self-condemning reflections, upon their hav-
ing defeated and deprived themselves, not only of their carnal
mirth and sensual enjoyments, their friends, fortunes, and
estates in this world, but also of all the infinite joys and
glories of the next, the presence of God, the society of saints
and angels, and all the refreshing and ravishing delights
which flow from the fruition of the chiefest good : and what
adds yet further to their anguish and remorse is, that they
have lost the very hopes of ever regaining any of these en-
joyments.
O how infinitely tormenting and vexatious must such a
condition be, wdiich at once gives them a view both of the
greatest happiness and the greatest misery, without the least
hopes either of recovering the one, or being delivered from
the other ! How must they tear, torment, and curse them-
selves for their former follies ; and, too late, wish that they
had been stifled in the womb, or drowned in the font which
was to be their second birth !
And if the bare privation of Heaven and happiness be so
214
Private Thoughts on Relicjion.
miserable and torruentiiig, how will it rack their consciences,
and fill their souls with horror and amazement, to behold
the eternal God, the glorious Jehovah, in the fierceness of
His wrath, continually threatening to pour out His ven-
geance upon them ! How much more when He positively
consigns them over to the power of the Devil, to execute
His judgments in full measure; when they are gnawed
upon by the worm of their own consciences, feel the wrath
of the Almighty flaming in their hearts, and fire and brim-
stone their continual torture ; and all this without the least
allay or mixture of refreshment, or the least hopes of ending
or cessation : in a word, when they have nothing else to
expect but misery for their portion, weeping and wailing for
their constant employment, and the Devil and damned fiends
tlieir only companions to all eternity. And this is that
world of misery which all that will not be persuaded to
believe in Christ here must be doomed for ever to live in
hereafter.
I know the subjects of this Article Avere never the objects
of my sight, though they are of my faith. I never yet saw
Heaven or Hell, the places I am now speaking of ; but why
should my faith be staggered or diminished because of that?
I never saw Rome or Constantinople ; I never saw the
flaming Sicilian hill iEtna ; yet I can believe there is such a
burning mountain, and such glorious cities, because others
who have been there have told me so ; and faithful writers
have related and described them to me. And shall T believe
my fellow-worms, and not my great Creator, Who is Truth
itself? What though I never did see the New Jerusalem
that is above, nor the flaming Tophet that is below, yet since
God Himself hath both related and described them to me,
why should I doubt of them ? Why should not I a thousand
times sooner believe them to be, than if I had seen them
with mine own eyes? I cannot so much believe that I have
now a pen in my hand, have a book before me, and am
writing in it, as I do and ought to believe, that I shall one
day, and that ere long, be either in Heaven or in Hell ; in
the height of happiness, or the depth of misery.
I know my senses are fallible, and therefore may deceive
me ; but my God, I am sure, cannot. And therefore let
Private Thouyhts on Religion.
215
others raise doubts and scruples as they please, T am as fully
satisfied and convinced of the truth of this Article as any of
the rest.
Do Thou, O niy God, keep me stedfast in this faith, and
give me grace so to fit and prepare myself to appear before
Thee in the white robes of purity and holiness in another
world, that whenever my dissolution comes, I may cheer-
fully resign my spii'it into the hands of my Creator and
Redeemer ; and from this crazy house of clay take my flight
into the mansions of glory, where Christ sits at the right
hand of God ; and with the joyful choir of Saints and Angels,
and the blessed spirits of just men made perfect, chant forth
Thy praises to all eternity !
RESOLUTIONS
FORMED FROM
THE FOREGOING ARTICLES.
I. GENERAL RESOLUTIONS.
As obedience without faith is impossible, so faith without
James2.26. obedience is vain and unprofitable: "For as the body," saj^s
St. James, " without the spirit is dead, so faith without
good works is dead also." Having therefore, I hope, laid a
sure foundation, by resolving what, and how, to believe, I
shall now, by the grace of God, resolve so to order my con-
versation, in all circumstances and conditions of life, as to
raise a good superstructure upon it, and to finish the work
God has given me to do, that is, so to love and please God
in this world as to enjoy and be happy with Him for ever in
the next. And it is absolutely necessary that I should be
speedy and serious in these resolutions ; especially w^hen I
reflect Avith myself how much of my time I have already
spent upon the vanities and follies of youth, and how much
enhanced and increased this work by acquired guilt, by set-
tled and repeated habits of sin, which are not, without great
difficulty, to be atoned for and removed. My heart, alas !
is now more hardened in iniquity, more puffed with pride,
and more averse from God, than when I first entered into
covenant w^ith Him : and I have added many actual sins and
provocations to my original guilt and pollution. Instead of
glorifying God, I have dishonoured Him ; and instead of
working out my own Salvation, I have taken a pleasure and
delight in such things as would, in the end, be my ruin and
destruction. So that before I can be able to make any pro-
Resohttions.
217
gress in the duties of religion, or walk in the paths that lead to
life, I must first be freed and disentangled from those weights
and encumbrances that clog and retard me in my spiritual
course; I must have my heart cleansed and softened, hum-
bled and converted to God, and all my transgressions purged
and pardoned by the merits of my Redeemer. And then,
being fully persuaded, that there is no way for me to come
to the joys of Heaven but by walking according to the
strictest rules of holiness upon earth, I must endeavour, for
the future, by a thorough change and reformation of my life,
to act in conformity to the Divine will and pleasure in all
things, and " perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord:" for [2Cor.7.i
the Most High has told me, in His Word, that " without [Heb. 12.
holiness no man shall see the Lord."
In order, therefore, to qualify myself for this happiness,
it will be necessary for me to settle firm and steady resolu-
tions, to fulfil my duty in all the several branches of it — to
God, my neighbour, and myself ; and to take care these
resolutions be put in practice according to the following
method.
Resolution L
J am resolved, by the grace of God, to walk hy rule, and there-
fore think it necessary to resolve upon rules to walk by.
And this the rather, because I perceive the want of such
rules has been the occasion of all or most of my miscar-
riages. For what other reason can I assign to myself for
having trifled and sinned away so much time, as I have done
in my younger years, but because I did not thoroughly
resolve to spend it better ? What is the reason I have
hitherto lived so unserviceably to God, so unprofitably to
others, and so sinfully against my own soul, but because I
did not apply myself with that sincerity of resolution, dili-
gence, and circumspection, as a wise man ought to have
done, to discharge my duty in these particulars ? I have,
indeed, often resolved to bid adieu to my sins and follies,
and enter upon a new course of life : but these resolutions
218
Private Thoughts on Religion.
being not rightly formed upon steady principles, the first
temptation made way for a relapse, and the same bait that
first allured me has no sooner been thrown in my way, but I
have been as ready to catch at it again, and as greedy to
swallow it as ever. At other times again I have acted
without any thought or resolution at all ; and then, though
some of my actions might be good in themselves, yet being
done by chance, without any true design or intention, they
could not be imputed to me as good, but rather the quite
contrary : so that, in this respect, the want of resolution has
not only been the occasion of my sinful actions, but the
corruption of my good ones too. And shall I still go on in
this same loose and careless manner as 1 have formerly
done ? No ; I now resolve with myself, in the presence of
the Most High and Eternal God, not only, in general, to
walk by rule, but to fix the rule I design to walk by ; so that
in all my thoughts, and words, and actions, in all places,
companies, relations, and conditions, I may still have a sure
guide at hand to direct me, such a one as I can safely depend
upon, without any danger of being deceived or misled, that
is, the Holy Scriptures. And therefore,
Resolution II.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to mahe the Divive Word
the rule of all the rides I propose to myself.
As the will of God is the rule and measure of all that is
good, so there is nothing deserves that name but what is
agreeable and conformable thereto ; and this will being fully
revealed and contained in the Holy Scripture, it will be
necessary for me, in directing my course over the ocean of
this world, that I should fix my eye continually upon this
star, steer by this compass, and make it the only land-mark
by which I am to be guided to my wished-for haven. I
must not, therefore, have recourse to the inward workings
of my own roving fancy, or the corrupt dictates of ray own
carnal reason ; these are but blind guides, and will certainly
lead me into the ditch of error, heresy, and irreligion,
which, in these our self-admiring days, so many poor souls
Resolutions.
219
have been plunged in. Alas ! how many hath the impetuous
torrent of blind zeal and erroneous conscience borne down
into a will-worship and voluntary subjection of themselves
to the spurious offspring of their own deluded fancies ! If
the light that is within them doth but dictate any thing to
be done, or rather, if the whimsy doth but take them that
they must do thus or thus, they presently set about it, with-
out ever consulting the sacred writings, to see whether it is
acceptable to God, or displeasing to Him. Whereas, for my
own part, I know not how any thing should be worthy of
God's accepting that is not of God's commanding. I am
sure the Word of God is the good old way that will certainly
bring me to my Father's house ; for how should that way
but lead me to Heaven, which Truth itself hath chalked out
for me ? Not as if it was necessary that every one of my
resolutions should be contained, word for word, in the Holy
Scriptures ; it is sufficient that they be implied in and
agreeable thereto. So that though the manner of my ex-
pressions may not be found in the Word of God, yet the
matter of my resolutions may clearly be drawn from thence.
But let me dive a little into the depth of my sinful heart ;
what is the reason of my thus resolving upon such an exact
conformity to the Will and Word of God ? Is it to work my
way to Heaven with mine own hands ? To purchase an in-
heritance in the land of Canaan, with the price of my own
holiness and religion ? Or to swim over the ocean of this
world, into the haven of happiness, upon the empty bladders
of my own resolutions ? No,
Resolution III.
/ am resolved, that as I am not able to think or do any thing
that is cjood, without the influence of the Divine grace,
so I icill not pretend to merit any favour from God, upon
account of any thing I do for His glory and service.
And, indeed, I may very well put this resolution amongst
the rest ; for should I resolve to perform my resolutions by
mine own strength, I might as well resolve never to perform
them at all ; for truth itself, and my own woeful experience,
220
Private Thoncjlits on Religion.
hath convinced me that I am not able of myself so much as
to think a good thought : and how then shall I be able, of
myself, to resolve upon rules of holiness, according to the
word of God, or to order my conversation according to these
resolutions, without the concurrence of the Divine grace ?
Alas ! should the Great God be pleased to leave me to my-
self, to resolve upon what is agreeable to my corrupt nature,
what strange kind of resolutions should I make! What
should I resolve upon? Certainly upon nothing but to
gratify my carnal appetite with sensual and sinful pleasures,
to indulge myself in riot and excess, to spend my time and
ravel out my parts and talents in the revels of sin and vanity.
[Tit.2. 12.] But now to " live holily, righteously, and godlily in this
present world," to deny my own, that I may fulfil the will
of God ; alas ! such resolutions as these would never so
much as come into my thoughts, much less would they dis-
cover themselves in my outward conversation.
But suppose I should be able to make good resolutions,
and fulfil them exactly in my life and actions, yet what
should I do more than my duty ? And what should I be
esteemed of for doing that? Alas! this is so far from
pufiing me up, that I am verily persuaded, should I spend
all my time, my parts, my strength, my gifts for God, and
all my estate upon the poor ; should I water my couch con-
tinually with my tears, and fast my body into a skeleton ;
should I employ each moment of my life in the immediate
worship of my glorious Creator, so that all my actions, from
my birth to my death, should be but one continued act of
holiness and obedience ; in a word, should I live like an
Angel in Heaven, and die like a Saint on earth, yet I know
no truer, nor should I desire any better epitaph to be en-
graven upon my tomb than this, " Here lies an unprofitable
servant." No, no, it is Christ, and Christ alone, that my
soul must support itself upon. It is holiness, indeed, that
is the way to Heaven, but there is none, none but Christ can
lead me to it. As the worst of my sins are pardonable by
Christ, so are the best of my duties damnable without
Him.
But if so, then whither tend my resolutions ? Why so
strict, so circumspect a conversation ? Why ? It is to justify
Resolutions.
221
that faith before others' and my own conscience, which, I
hope, through Christ, shall justify my soul before God.
And I believe further, that the holier I live here, the happier
I shall live hereafter ; for though I shall not be saved for
my works, yet I believe I shall be saved according to them.
And thus, as I dare not expect to be saved by the perform-
ance of my resolutions without Christ's merit ; so neither
do I ever expect to be enabled to perform my resolutions,
without His Spirit assisting me therein.
No, it is Thyself, my God and my Guide, that I wholly
and solely depend upon. Oh ! for Thine Own Name's sake,
for Thy Son's sake, and for Thy promise sake, do Thou both
make me to know what Thou wouldst have me to do, and
then help me to do what Thou wouldst have me to know :
teach me first what to resolve upon, and then enable me to
perform my resolutions, that I may walk with Thee in the
ways of holiness here, and rest with Thee in the joys of hap-
piness hereafter.
II. CONCERNING MY CONVERSATION IN
GENERAL.
Having thus far determined, in general, to form resolu-
tions for the better regulating of my life, I must now descend
to particulars, and settle some rules with myself, to resolve
my future life and conversation wholly into holiness and
religion. I know this is a hard task to do, but I am sure
it is no more than what my God and my Father hath set
me ; why, therefore, should I think much to do it ? Shall I
grudge to spend my life for Him, Who did not grudge to
spend His Own blood for me ? Shall not I so live that He
may be glorified on earth, AVho died that I might be glori-
fied in Heaven ? Especially considering, that if my whole
life could be sublimated into holiness, and moulded into an
exact conformity unto the will of the Most High, I should
be happy beyond expression. O what a heaven should I
then live on earth ! What ravishments of love and joy
would my soul be continually possessed with ! Well, I am
222
Private Thouyhts on Religion.
resolved, by the grace of God, to try. And to that end do,
this morning, wholly sequester and set myself ajiart for God,
resolving, by the assistance of His grace, to make all and every
thought, word, and action, to pay their tribute unto Him.
Let this man mind his profit, a second his pleasures, a third
his honours, a fourth himself, and all their sins, I am resolved
to niind and serve my God, so as to make Him the Alpha and
Omega, the First and the Last, of my whole life ; and that I
may always have an exact copy before me to write and frame
every letter of this my life by.
Resolution I.
I am resolved, by the yrace of God, to make Christ the Pattern
of my life here, that so Christ may he the Portion of my
soul hereafter.
Let the whole world go whither it will, I am resolved to
walk in the steps that my Saviour went in before me : I
shall endeavour, in all places I come into, in all companies
I converse with, in all the duties I undertake, in all the
miseries I undergo, still to behave myself as my Saviour
would do was He in my place. So that wheresoever I am,
or whatsoever I am about, I shall still put this question to
myself. Would my Saviour go hither ? Would He do this
or that ? And every morning consider with myself. Suppose
my Saviour was in my stead, had my business to do, how
would He demean Himself this day ? How meek and lowly
would He be in His carriage and deportment ! How cir-
cumspect in His walking ! How savoury in His discourse !
How heavenly in all, even His earthly employments ! Well,
and I am resolved, by strength from Himself, to follow Him
as near as possible. I know I can never hope perfectly to
transcribe His copy, but I must endeavour to imitate it in
the best manner I can, that so, by doing as He did in time,
I may be M'here He is to all eternity. But, alas ! His life
[Rom. 7. was spiritual, and " I am carnal, sold under sin," and every
petty object that doth but please my senses ■v^ ill be apt to
divert and draw away my soul from following His steps.
In order, therefore, to prevent this.
Resolutions.
223
Resolution II.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to tvalk by faith, and not
by sight, on earth, that so I may live by sight, and not by
faith, in Heaven,
And truly this resolution is so necessary to the perform-
ance of all the rest, that without it I can do nothing ; with
it I can do every thing that is required. The reason why
I am so much taken with the garnish and seeming beauty
of this world's vanities, so as to step out of the road of
holiness, to catch at, or delight myself in them, is only
because I look upon them with an eye of sense; for could
I behold every thing with the eye of faith, I should judge
of them, not as they seem to me, but as they are in them-
selves, " vanity and vexation of spirit." For faith has a [Eccles.
quick and piercing eye, that can look through the outward '^'^
superficies into the inward essence of things. It can look
through the pleasing bait to the hidden hook, view the sting-
as well as the honey, the everlasting punishment as well as
the temporal contentment, there is in sin. It is, as the
Apostle very well defines it, " the substance of things hoped Heb. u.
for, and the evidence of things not seen." It is, " the sub-
stance" of whatsoever is promised by God to me, or expected
by me from Him : so that by faith whatsoever I hope for in
Heaven, I may have the substance of upon earth : and it is
" the evidence of things not seen," the presence of what is
absent, the clear demonstration of what would otherwise
seem impossible ; so that I can clearly discern, as through
a prospective, hidden things, and things afar off, as if they
were open and just at hand. I can look into the deepest
mysteries, as fully revealed, and see Heaven and eternity as
just ready to receive me. And O! could I but always look
through this glass, and be constantly upon the mount,
taking a view of the land of Canaan, what dreams and
shadows would all things here below appear to be ! Well,
by the grace of God, I am resolved no longer to tie myself
to sense and sight, the sordid and trifling affairs of this life,
but always to walk as one of the other world, to behave
224 Private Thoughts on Religion.
myself in all places, and at all times, as one already pos-
sessed of ray inheritance, and an inhabitant of the New
Jerusalem : by faith assuring myself I have but a few raore
days to live below, a little more work to do ; and then I
shall lay aside my glass, and be admitted to a nearer vision
[1 Cor. 13. ajid fruition of God, and " see Him face to face."
12.]
By this means I shall always live as if I was daily to die ;
always speak as if my tongue the next moment were to
cleave to the roof of my mouth ; and continually order my
thoughts and affections in such a manner as if ray soul were
just ready to depart, and take its flight into the other world.
By this means, whatsoever place I am in, or whatsoever work
I am about, I shall still be with my God, and demean my-
self so, as if, with St. Jerome, I heard the voice of the trum-
pet crying out, " Awake, ye dead, and come to judgment!"
And thus, though I am at present here in the flesh, yet I
shall look upon myself as more really an inhabitant of
Heaven tlian I am upon earth. Here I am but as a pilgrim
or sojourner that has no abiding city ; but there I have a
sure and everlasting inheritance, which Christ has purchased
and prepared for me, and which faith has given me the
possession of. And therefore, as it is my duty, so will I
constantly make it my endeavour, to live up to the character
of a true Christian, whose portion and conversation are in
Heaven, and think it a disgrace and disparagement to my
profession, to stoop to, or entangle myself with such toys
and trifles as the men of the world busy themselves about,
or to feed upon husks with swine here below, when it is in
ray power, by faith, to be continually supplied with spiritual
raanna from Heaven, till at last I am admitted to it. And
that I may awe my spirit into the performance of these and
all other my resolutions.
Resolution HI.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, always to he loohing upon
God as always looking upon me.
Wheresoever I am, or whatsoever I am a-doing, I must
still consider the eye of the Great God as directly intent
upon me, viewing and observing all my thoughts, words,
Resolutions.
225
and actions, and writing them down in the book of His
remembrance ; and that all these, unless they be washed out
with the tears of repentance, and crossed with the blood
of my crucified Saviour, must still remain on record, and
be brought in judgment against me at the great day. That
therefore I may always behave myself as in His presence,
it behoves me thoroughly to consider and be persuaded, not
only that my outward man, but even all the secret thoughts,
the inward motions and retirements of my soul, all the
several windings and turnings of my heart, are exactly
known and manifest, as anatomized before Him. He knows
what I am now a-thinking, doing, and writing, as well as
I do myself; yea. He sees every word whilst it is in my
heart, before it be brought forth and set down. He knows
all the resolutions I have made, and how often, poor crea-
ture! I have broken them already since I made them.
Upon this consideration, I resolve to stand my ground
against all temptations, and whenever I find myself in
danger to be drawn aside by them, to oppose the bent of my
corrupt affections, by these or the like questions : Am I
really in the presence of the Almighty, the great Lord of
Heaven and earth, and shall I presume to afi'ront Him to
His face, by doing such things as I know are odious and
disj^leasing to Him ? I would not commit adultery in the
presence of my fellow-creatures, and shall I do it in the pre-
sence of the glorious Jehovah ? I would not steal in the
sight of an earthly judge, and shall I do it before the Judge
of all the world ? If fear and shame from men have such
an influence upon me, as to deter me from the commission
of sin, how ought I to be moved with the apprehension of
God's inspection, Who does not only know my transgressions,
but will eternally punish me for them ? May these thoughts
and considerations always take place in my heart, and be
accompanied with such hap])y effects in my conversation,
that I may live with God upon earth, and so love and fear
His presence in this world, that I may for ever enjoy His
glory in the next !
Q
226
Private Thoughts on Religion.
III. CONCERNING MY THOUGHTS.
But who am I, poor proud and sinful dust and ashes, that
I should expect ever to live so holy, so heavenly, as is here
[Matt. 7. supposed ! " Can grapes he gathered from thorns, or figs
from thistles?" Can the fruit be sweet when the root is
bitter? or the streams healthful when the fountain is poi-
soned ? No, I must either get me a new and better heart,
or else it will be impossible for me ever to lead a new and
better life. But how must I come by this pearl of inesti-
mable value, a new heart? Can I purchase it with my own
riches ? or find it in my own field ? Can I raise it from sin
to holiness ? from earth to Heaven ? or from myself to God ?
Alas ! I have endeavoured it, but I find by woeful experience
I cannot attain to it : I have been lifting and heaving again
and again, to raise it out of the mire and clay of sin and
corruption, but, alas ! it will not stir : I have rubbed and
chafed it with one threatening after another, and all to get
heat and life into it, but still it is as cold and dead as ever.
I have brought it to the promises, and set it under the drop-
pings of the sanctuary ; I have shewn it the beauty of
Christ, and the deformity of sin ; but yet it is a hard and
sinful, an earthly and sensual heart still. What therefore
shall I do with it? O my God, I bring it unto Thee, Thou
that madest it a heart at first, canst only make it a new
[Ps.51.10.] heart now ! O do Thou purify and refine it, and " renew a
right sjjirit within me!" Do Thou take it into Thy hands,
and out of Thine infinite goodness new-mould it up, by Thine
Own grace, into an exact conformity to Thine Own will. Do
Thou but give me a new heart, and I shall promise Thee,
by Thy grace, to lead a new life, and become a new creature.
Do Thou but clear the fountain, and I shall endeavour to
look to the streams that flow from it ; which that I may be
able to do with the better success.
Resolution I.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to tvatch as much over the
inward motions of my heart as the outward actions of my
life.
For my heart, I perceive, is the womb in which all sin is
Resolutions.
227
first conceived, and from wliich, my Saviour tells me, " pro- Mark 7. 21,
ceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness." So that, as ever I would
prevent the commission of these sins in my life, I must en-
deavour to hinder their conception in my heart, following
the wise man's counsel, to " keep my heart with all diligence, Prov. 4. 23.
because out of it are the issues of life." Neither is this the
only reason why I should set so strict a watch over my heart,
because sinful thoughts lead to sinful acts, but because the
thoughts themselves are sinful, yea, the very first-born of
iniquity; which though men cannot pry into or discover,
yet the all-seeing God knows and observes and remembers
them, as well as the greatest actions of my life. And O !
what wicked and profane thoughts have I formerly enter-
tained not only against God, but against Christ, by ques-
tioning the justice of His laws, and doubting of the truth of
His Revelation, so as to make both His life and death of
none efiect to me : which, that they may never be laid to my
charge hereafter, I humbly beseech God to pardon and ab-
solve me from them, and to give me grace for the remainder
of my life, to be as careful of thinking as of doing well,
and as fearful of offending Him in my heart, as of trans-
gressing His laws in my life and conversation. To this
end,
Resolution II.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to stop every thought at
its first entering into my heart, and to examine it whence
it comes and whither it tends.
So soon as ever any new thought begins to bubble up in
my soul, I am resolved to examine what stamp it is of,
whether it spring from the pure fountain of living waters, or
the polluted streams of my own affections ; as also which
way it tends or takes its course, towards the ocean of happi-
ness, or the pit of destruction. And the reason of this my
resolution, I draw from the experience I have had of the
Devil's temptations, and the working of my own corruptions ;
228
Private Thovghts on Religion.
by which I find that there is no sin I am betrayed into but
what takes its rise from my inward thoughts. These are
the tempters that first present some pleasing object to my
view, and then bias my understanding, and pervert my will,
to comply with the suggestions. So that though the Spirit
of God is pleased to dart a beam into my heart at the same
time, and shew me the odious and dangerous efi'ects of such
thoughts, yet, I know not how or why, I find a prevailing
suggestion within, that tells me it is but a thought, and
that so long as it goes no further, it cannot do me much
hurt. Under this specious colour and pretence, I secretly
persuade myself to dwell a little longer upon it : and finding
my heart pleased and delighted with its natural issue, I
give it a little further indulgence, till at last my desire breaks
out into a flame, and will be satisfied with nothing less than
the enjoyment of the object it is exercised upon. And what
water can quench such a raging fire as is thus kindled by
the Devil, and blown up by the bellows of my own inordi-
nate affections, which the more I think of, the more I in-
crease the flame ? How nearly, therefore, does it concern
me to take up this resolution of setting a constant watch
and guard at the door of my heart, that nothing may enter
in without a strict examination ! Not as if I could examine
every particular thought that arises in my heart, for by that
means I should do nothing else but examine my thoughts
without intermission. But this I must do, whensoever I
find any thought that bears the face or appearance of sin, I
must throw it aside with the utmost abhorrence : and when
it comes in disguise, as the Devil under Samuel's mantle, or
when it is a thought I never conceived before, and know not
but it may be bad as well as good ; then, before I suffer it
to settle upon my spirits, I must examine, as well as I can,
whether it be sent from Heaven or Hell, and what message
it comes about, and what will be the issue of it. And thus,
by the Divine assistance, I shall let nothing into my heart
but what will bring me nearer to my God, and set me at a
greater distance from the evil and punishment of sin.
Neither do I think it my duty only to be so watchful against
such thoughts as are in themselves sinful, but,
Resolutions.
229
Resolution III.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to he as fearful to let in
vain, as careful to keep out sinful, thoughts.
I do not look upon vain thoughts as only tending to sin,
hut as in themselves sinful : for that which makes sin to be
sin, is the want of conformity to the will of God ; and that
vain thoughts are not conformable and agreeable to the
Divine will, appears in that God Himself, by the mouth of
His royal Prophet, expressly saith, "I hate vain thoughts." Ps.119.u3.
Again, vain thoughts are therefore sinful, because they have
in them nothing that can denominate them good : for as, in
a moral sense, there is never a particular individual act, so
neither is there any particular thought, but what is either
good or bad, in some respect or other. There is not a
moment of my life but it is my duty either to be thinking,
or speaking, or doing good ; so that whensoever I am not
thus employed, I come short of my duty, and, by conse-
quence, am guilty of sin.
But what are these vain thoughts I am thus resolving
against? hy, all wanderings and distractions in prayer,
or in hearing the Word of God : all useless, trifling, and im-
pertinent thoughts, that do not belong to, nor further the
work I am about, the grand affair of my Salvation, may
properly be called ' vain thoughts.' And, alas ! what swarms
of these are continually crowding into my heart ! How have
I thought away whole hours together, about I know not
what chimeras, whereof one scarce ever depends upon
another ; sometimes entertaining myself with the pleasures
of sense, as eating and drinking, and suchlike earthly en-
joyments, sometimes building castles in the air, and clamber-
ing up to the pinnacle of wealth and honour, which I am
not half way got up to, but down I fall again into a fool's
paradise.
Or if I chance at any time to think a good while upon one
thing, it is just to as much purpose as the man's thoughts
were which I have sometimes heard of, and smiled at, who
having an egg in his hand, by a sort of chimerical climax.
230 Private Thoughts on Religion.
improved it into an estate ; but while he was thus pleasing
himself with these imaginary products, down dropt the egg,
and all his hens, and cattle, and house, and land, that he
had raised from it, vanished in the fall. These, and such-
like, are the vain thoughts that I must for the future en-
deavour to avoid ; and though it will be impossible for me
wholly to prevent their first entering into my mind, yet I
resolve, by the grace of God, not to harbour or dwell upon,
or delight myself in them. And then, notwithstanding they
are in some sense sinful, yet they will not be imputed to me
as such, provided I use my utmost endeavours to avoid
them : which that I may be the better able to do,
Resolution IV.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to he always exercising my
thoughts upon good objects, that the Devil may not exercise
them upon had.
The soul being a spiritual substance, is always in action,
and its proper and immediate act is thinking, which is as
natural and proper to the soul as extension is to the body :
it is that upon which all the other actings of the soul are
grounded ; so that neither our apprehensions of, nor affec-
tions to, any object can be acted without it. And hence
it is that I think the soul is very properly defined sub-
stantia cogitans, ' a thinking substance ;' for there is nothing
else but a spirit can think, and there is no spirit but always
doth think. And this I find by experience to be so true and
certain, that if at any time I have endeavoured to think of
nothing, (as I have sometimes done,) I have spent all the
time in thinking upon that very thought. How much, there-
fore, doth it concern me to keep my soul in continual exercise
upon what is good : for, be sure, if I do not set it on work,
the Devil will ; and if it do not work for God, it will work
for him : I know sinful objects are more agreeable to a sinful
soul ; but I am sure holy thoughts are more conformable
to a holy God. Why, therefore, should I spend and
ravel out my thoughts upon that which will destroy my
soul ? No, no ; I shall henceforth endeavour always to be
Resolutions.
231
employing my thoughts upon something that is good ; and
therefore to have good subjects constantly at hand to think
upon, (as the attributes of God, the glory of He aven, the
misery of Hell, the merits of Christ, the corruption of my
nature, the sinfulness of sin, the beauty of holiness, the
Tanity of the world, the immortality of the soul, and the
like,) and likewise to take occasion, from the objects I
meet or converse with in the world, to make such remarks
and reflections as may be for my advantage and improve-
ment in my spiritual affairs. For there is nothing in the
world, though it be never so bad, but what I may exercise
good thoughts upon : and my neglect in this kind has been
the real occasion of all those vain thoughts that have hi-
therto possessed my soul. I have not kept them close to
their work, to think upon what is good ; and therefore they
have run out into those extravagancies, which, by the bless-
ing of God, in the performance of these resolutions, I shall
endeavour to avoid.
It is indeed a singular advantage of that high and
Heavenly calling in which the Most High, of His wisdom
and goodness, has been pleased to place me, that all the
objects we converse with, and all the subjects we exercise
our thoughts upon, are either God and Heaven, or some-
thing relating to them. So that we need not go out of our
common road to meet with this Heavenly company good
thoughts. But then I do not account every thought of God
or Heaven, which only swims in my brain, to be a good and
holy thought, unless it sinks down into my heart and affec-
tions, that is, unless to my meditations of God and another
world I join a longing for Him, a rejoicing in Him, and a
solacing myself in the hopes of a future enjoyment of Him.
Neither will this be any hinderance, but a furtherance to my
studies ; for as I know no Divine truths as I ought, unless
I know them practically and experimentally, so I never
think I have any clear apprehensions of God, until I find
my affections are inflamed towards Him ; or that I ever un-
derstand any Divine truth aright, until my heart be brought
into subjection to it.
This resolution, therefore, extends itself not only to the
subject-matter of my thoughts, but also to the quality of
232
Private Thoughts on Religion.
them, with regard to j^i'actice, that they may influence my
life and conversation, that whether I speak, or write, or eat,
or drink, or whatsoever I do, I may still season all, even my
commonest actions, with Heavenly meditations; there being
nothing I can set my hand to, but I may likewise set my
heart a-working upon it. Which accordingly I shall en-
deavour, by the blessing of God, to do. And for the better
ordering of my thoughts.
Resolution V.
I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to marshal my thoughts,
that they may not one jostle out another, nor any of them
prejudice the business I am about.
My soul being by nature swift and nimble, and by cor-
ruption inordinate and irregular in its operations, I can never
set myself to think upon one thing, but presently another
presses in, and another after that, and so on, till by thinking
of so many things at once, I can think upon nothing to any
purpose. And hence it is that I throw away thousands of
thoughts each day for nothing, which, if well managed,
might prove very profitable and advantageous to me. To
prevent, therefore, this tumultuous, desultory, and useless
working of my thoughts, as I have already resolved to fix
and settle my heart upon necessarj'^, and useful, and good
objects, so as to prevent my thoughts rolling from one thing
to another, or leaping from the top of one to the height of
another object, I must now endeavour to rank and digest
them into order and method, that they may for the future be
more steady and regular in their pursuits. I know the
Devil and my own corrupt nature will labour to break the
ranks, and confound the order of them ; what stratagem,
therefore, shall I use to prevent this confusion? I shall
endeavour, by the grace of God, whensoever I find any idle
thoughts begin to frisk and rove out of the way, to call
them in again, and set them to work upon one or other of
these objects before mentioned, and to keep them for some
time fixed and intent upon it; and, considering the relations
and dependencies of one thing upon another, not to suffer any
foreign ideas, such, I mean, as arc impertinent to the chain
Resolutions.
233
of thoughts I am upon, to jostle them out, or to divert my
mind another way. No, not though they be otherwise good
thoughts ; for thoughts in themselves good, when they crowd
in unseasonably, are sometimes attended with very ill effects,
by interrupting and preventing some good purposes and
resolutions, which might prove more effectual for promoting
God's glory, the good of others, and the comfort of our own
souls.
These, and suchlike, are the methods by which I design
and resolve to regulate my thoughts : and since I can do
nothing without the Divine assistance, I earnestly beg of
God to give me such a measure of His grace, as may enable
me effectually to put these resolutions in practice, that I
may not think and resolve in vain.
IV. CONCERNING MY AFFECTIONS.
But whilst I am thus ranging my thoughts, I find some-
thing of a passion or inclination within me, either drawing
me to, or driving me from, every thing I think on ; so that
I cannot so much as think upon a thought, but it is either
pleasing or displeasing to me, according to the agreeable-
ness or disagreeableness of the object it is placed upon, to
my natural affections. If it comes under the pleasing dress
and appearance of good, I readily choose and embrace it :
if otherwise, I am as eagerly bent to refuse and reject it.
And these two acts of the will are naturally founded in those
two reigning passions of the soul, love and hatred, which I
cannot but look upon as the grounds of all its other motions
and affections. For what are those other passions of desire,
hope, joy, and the like, but love in its several postures ? And
what else can we conceive of fear, grief, abhorrence, &c.
but so many different expressions of hatred, according to
the several circumstances that the displeasing object appears
to be under? Doth my understanding represent any thing
to my will under the notion of good and pleasant? my will
is presently taken and delighted with it, and so places its
love upon it ; and this love, if the object be present, inclines
234
Private IViovghts on Religion.
me to embrace it with joy ; if absent, it puts forth itself into
desire ; if easy to be attained, it comforts itself with hope ;
if difficult, it arms itself with courage ; if impossible, it boils
up into anger ; if obstructed, it presently falls down into
despair. On the other hand, doth my understanding repre-
sent any object to my will as evil, or painful, or deformed?
How doth it immediately shrink and gather up itself into a
loathing and hatred of it ! and this hatred, if the ungrateful
object be present, puts on the mournful sables of grief and
sorrow : if it be at any distance from it, it boils up into
detestation and abhorrence ; if ready to fall upon it, it shakes
for fear; if difficult to be prevented, it strengthens itself
with courage and magnanimity, either to conquer or undergo
it. These affections, therefore, being thus the constant
attendants of my thoughts, it behoves me as much to look to
those as to the other ; especially when I consider, that not
only my thoughts, but even my actions too, are generally
determined to good or bad, accordingly as they are influenced
by them. That my affections, therefore, as well as my
thoughts, may be duly regulated,
Resolution I.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, always to make my affec-
tions subservient to the dictates of my understanding, that
my reason may not follow, hut guide my affections.
The affections being of themselves blind and inordinate,
unless they are directed by reason and judgment, they
either move toward a wrong object, or pursue the right
in a wrong way. And this judgment must be mature and
deliberate, such as arises from a clear apprehension of the
nature of the object that affects me, and a thorough consi-
deration of the several circumstances that attend it. And
great care must be taken that I do not impose upon myself
by fancy and imagination, that I do not mistake fancy for
judgment, or the capricious humours of my roving imagina-
tion for the solid dictates of a well-guided reason : for my
[Matt. 15. fancy is as wild as my affections, and if " the blind lead the
^^•J blind, they will both fall into the ditch." And, alas! how
oft am I deceived in this manner ! If I do but fancy a thing
Resolutions.
235
good and lovely, how eager are my affections in the pursuit
of it ! If I do but fancy any thing evil and hurtful to me,
how doth my heart presently rise up against it, or grieve and
sorrow for it! And this, I believe, hath been the occasion
of all the enormities and extravagancies I have been guilty
of, through the whole course of my past life, divesting me
of my reasonable faculties, as to the acts and exercises of
them, and subjecting my soul to the powers of sense, that I
could not raise my affections above them. Thus, for in-
stance, I have not loved grace, because my fancy could not
see its beauty ; I have not loathed sin, because my fancy
could not comprehend its misery ; and I have not truly de-
sired Heaven, because my fancy could not reach its glory :
whereas, if the transient beauty and lustre of this world's
vanities were but presented to my view, how has my fancy
mounted up to the highest pitch of pleasure and ambition,
and inflamed my heart with the desire of them !
And thus, poor wretch ! have I been carried about with
the powerful charms of sense, without having any other
guide of my affections but what is common to the very
brutes that perish ; fancy supplying that place in the sen-
sitive, which reason does in the rational soul. And, alas !
what is this but, with Nebuchadnezzar, to leave communion
with men, and herd myself with the flocks of the beasts of
the field? And what a shame and reproach is this to the
image of God, in which I was created ! Oh ! Thou that art
the Author of my nature, help me, I beseech Thee, to act
more conformably to it for the time to come, that I may no
longer be bewildered or misled by the blind conduct of my
straggling fancy, this ' ignis fatuus,' that hurries me over
bogs and precipices to the pit of destruction ; but that I
may bring all my affections and actions to the standard of a
clear and sound judgment, and let that judgment be guided
by the unerring light of Thy Divine word, that so I may
neither love, desire, fear, nor detest any thing, but what my
judgment, thus formed, tells me I ought to do.
I know it will be very hard thus to subject my affections
to the dictates and commands of my judgment: but how-
soever, it is my resolution this morning, in the presence of
Almighty God, to endeavour it, and never to suffer my heart
to settle its affections upon any object, till my judgment
236
Private Thoughts on Religion.
hath passed its sentence ujion it. And as I will not suffer my
affections to run before my judgment, so, whenever that is
determined, I steadfastly resolve to follow it ; that so, my
apprehensions and affections always going together, I may
be sure to walk in the direct path of God's Commandments,
and enter the gate that leads to everlasting life. And the
better to facilitate the performance of this general resolution,
it being necessary to descend to particulars,
Resolution II.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to love God as the best of
goods, and to hate sin as the worst of evils.
As God is the centre of our concupiscible affections, so
sin is the object of those we call irascible : and the affections
of love and hatred being the ground of all the rest, I must
have a great care that I do not mistake or miscarry in them :
for if these be placed upon wrong objects, it is impossible
any of the rest should be placed upon right ones. In order,
therefore, to prevent such a miscarriage, as God is the
greatest good, and sin the greatest evil, I resolve to love
God above all things else in the world, and to hate sin to
the same degree ; and so to love other things only in rela-
tion to God, and to hate nothing but in reference to sin.
As for the first, the loving God above all things, there is
nothing seems more reasonable ; inasmuch as there is nothing
lovely in any creature but what it receives from God ; and
by how much the more it is like to God, by so much the
more it is lovely unto us. Hence it is, that beauty, or an
exact symmetry and proportion of parts and colours, so
attracts our love, because it so much resembles God, Who is
beauty and perfection itself. And hence it is, likewise, that
grace is the most lovely thing in the world, next to God, as
being the image of God Himself stamped upon the soul;
nay, it is not only the image and representation, but it is the
influence and communication of Himself to us ; so that the
more we have of grace, we may safely say so much the more
we have of God within us. AVhy, therefore, should I grudge
my love to Him, Who only deserves it; Who is not only
infinitely lovely in Himself, but the Author and Perfection
Resolutions.
237
of all loveliness in His creatures ? Why ? The true reason
is, that my affections have run a-gadding Tv ithout my judg-
ment, or else my judgment hath been balked or anticipated
by my fancy ; whereas now that my apprehensions of God
are a little cleared up, and my judgment leads the way,
though nobody sees me, yet, methinks, I cannot but blush
at myself that I should ever lie doting upon these dreams
and shadows here below, and not fix my affections upon the
infinite beauty and all-suflSciency of God above, Who de-
serves my love and admiration so infinitely beyond them.
Howsoever, therefore, I have heretofore placed my affections
upon other things above God, I am now resolved to love
God, not only above many or most things, but above all
things else in the world.
And here, by loving God, I do not understand that sensi-
tive affection I place upon material objects ; for it is impos-
sible that that should be fixed upon God, Who is a pure
spiritual Being : but that as by the deliberate choice of my
will I take Him for my chiefest good, so I ought to prefer
Him as such before my nearest and dearest possessions,
interests, or relations, and whatsoever else may at any time
stand in competition with Him.
And thus, as I shall endeavour to love God, so likewise
to hate sin above all things : and this is as necessary as the
former, for all things else have something of good in them,
as they are made by God ; but sin being in its own nature a
privation of good, and directly opposite to the nature and
will of God, (as I have before shewn,) it has nothing of
beauty or amiableness to recommend it to my affections.
On the contrary, it is a compound of deformity and defile-
ment, that is always attended with punishment and misery,
and must therefore be the object of my hatred and abhor-
rence, wheresoever I find it. For as God is the cejitre of all
that is good, so is sin the fountain of all the evil in the
world. All the strife and contention, ignominy and disgrace,
misfortunes and afflictions, that I observe in the world ; all
the diseases of my body, and infirmities of my mind ; all the
errors of my understanding, and irregularities of my will
and affections ; in a word, all the evils whatsoever that I am
affected with or subject to in this world, are still the fruits
238
Private Thoughts on Religion.
and effects of sin : for if man had never offended the chiefest
good, he had never been subject to that train of evils which
attended his transgression. Whensoever, therefore, I find
myself begin to detest and abhor any evil, I shall for the
future endeavour to turn my eyes to the spring-head, and
loathe and detest the fountain that sends forth all those
bitter and unwholesome streams, as well as the channels of
those corrupt hearts in which they flow. And for this reason
I resolve to hate sin wheresoever I find it, whether in myself
or in others, in the best of friends as well as the worst of
riPet.4.8.] enemies. Love, I know, and " charity covers a multitude
of sins," and where we love the man, we are all of us but too
apt to overlook or excuse his faults. For the prevention of
this, therefore, I firmly resolve, in all my expressions of love
to my fellow-creatures, so to love the person as yet to hate
his sins ; and so to hate his sins as yet to love his person.
The last of which, I hope, I shall not find hard to practise,
my nature, by the blessing of God, being not easily inclined
to hate any man's person whatsoever ; and the former will
not be much more difficult, when I consider that by hovv
much I love my friend, by so much more should I hate what-
soever will be offensive or destructive to him.
Having thus fixed my resolutions with regard to those
two commanding passions of my soul, love and hatred,
Resolution III.
/ am resolved, by the assistance of Divine grace, to make God
the principal object of my joy, and sin the principal object
of my grief and sorrow ; so as to grieve for sin more than
suffering, and for suffering only for sins sake.
The affections of joy and grief are the immediate issues
of love and hatred, and therefore not at all to be separated
in their object. Having, therefore, resolved to love, I cannot
but resolve likewise to rejoice iu God above all things ;
for the same measure of love I have towards any thing, the
same measure of complacency and delight I must necessarily
have in the enjoyment of it. As, therefore, I love God above
all things, and other things only in subserviency to Him,
so must I rejoice in God above all things, and in other
Resolutions,
239
things only as coming from Him. I know I not only may
but must rejoice in the mercies and blessings that God
confers upon me ; but it is still my duty to rejoice more in
what God is in Himself, than in what He is pleased to com-
municate to me : so that I am not only bound to rejoice in
God, when I have nothing else, but when I have all things
else to rejoice in. Let, therefore, my riches, honours, or my
friends, fail me ; let my pleasures, my health, and hope, and
all, fail me, I am still resolved, by His grace, to rejoice in the
Lord, and to joy in the God of my Salvation, On the other
hand, let honour or riches be multiplied upon me ; let joy
and pleasure, and all that a carnal heart (like mine) can
wish for or desire, be thrown upon me, yet am I still
resolved, that as it is my business to serve God, so shall it
be my delight and comfort to rejoice in Him.
And as God shall thus be my chiefest joy, so shall sin be
my greatest grief ; for I account no condition miserable, but
that which results from, or leads me unto sin : so that when
any thing befalls me which may bear the face of suffering,
and fill my heart with sorrow, I shall still endeavour to keep
off the smart, till I know from whence it comes. If sin has
kindled the fire of God's wrath against me, and brought
these judgments upon me, oh ! what a heavy load shall I then
feel upon my soul ! And how shall I groan and complain
under the burden of it ! But if there be nothing of the poison
of sin dropped into this cup of sorrows, though it may per-
haps prove bitter to my senses, yet it will, in the end, prove
healthful to my soul ; as being not kindled at the furnace of
God's wrath, but at the flames of His love and affection for
me. So that I am so far from having cause to be sorry for
the sufferings He brings upon me, that I have much greater
cause to rejoice in them, as being an argument of the love and
affection He bears to me ; " For whom the Lord loveth He Heb. 12.6.
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son M hom He receiveth."
And having thus resolved to rejoice in nothing but God,
and grieve for nothing but sin, I must not be cast down and
dejected at every providence which the men here below
count a loss or affliction ; for certainly all the misery I find
in any thing extrinsical is created by myself ; nothing but
what is in me being properly an affliction to me, so that it is
240
Private Thoughts on Religion.
my fancy that is the ground of misery in all things without
myself. If I did not fancy some evil or misery in the loss
of such an enjoyment, it would be no misery at all to me;
because I am still the same as I was, and have as much as I
had before. For it is God that is the portion of my soul ;
and, therefore, should I lose every thing I have in the world
besides, yet, having God, I cannot be said to lose any thing,
because I have Him that hath, and is, all things in Himself.
Whensoever, therefore, any thing befalls me that uses to be
matter of sorrow and dejection to me, I must not presently
be affected with, nor dejected at it, but still behave myself
like an heir of Heaven, and, living above the smiles and
frowns of this world, account nothing matter of joy, but so
far as I enjoy of God's love, nor any thing matter of sorrow,
but so much as I see of His anger in it.
Eesolution IV.
/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to desire spiritual mercies
more than temporal, and temporal mercies only in reference
to spiritual.
Having rectified the balance of my judgment according
to Scripture, when I would begin to weigh temporal things
with spiritual, I find there is no proportion, and so no com-
parison to be made betwixt them. And will any wise man,
then, that pretends to reason, be at a stand which of these
to choose, which to esteem the best, or desire most ? Alas !
what is there in the world that can fill the vast desires of
my soul, but only He Who is infinitely above me and my
desires too 1 Will riches do it ? No ; I may as soon under-
take to fill my barns with grace^ as my heart with gold, and
as easily stuff my bags with virtue, as ever satisfy my desires
with w^ealth. Do I hunt after pleasures ? These may, indeed,
charm and delight my brutish senses, but can never be
agreeable or proportionate to my spiritual faculties. Do I
grasp at honour and popularity ? These, again, are as empty
and unsatisfying as the former ; they may make me look
high and great in the eye of the world, turn my head giddy
with applause, or puff up my heart with pride, but they can
Resolutions.
•241
never fill up the measure of its desires. Aud thus, if 1
should have the whole world at my command, and could,
with Alexander, wield both sword and sceptre over all the
nations and languages of it, would this content me ? or
rather, should I not sit down and weep with him, that I had
not another world to conquer and possess ? Whereas God,
being an infinite good, it is impossible for me to desire any
thing which I may not enjoy in Him and His mercies : let
me, or any other creature, extend our desires never so far,
still the graces and blessings of this infinite God will be in-
finitely beyond them all : insomuch that though ten thousand
worlds are not able to satisfy one soul, yet one God is able
to satisfy ten thousand souls ; yea, and ten millions more to
them, as well as if there was only one soul in all the world to
I satisfy.
Come, therefore, my dear Lord and Saviour, whilst Thy
servant is breathing after Thee, and possess my heart with
the spiritual blessings of grace and faith, peace and charity ;
and let none of these empty and transient delights of this
world stand in competition with them. Thou art the source
and centre of all my wishes and desires ; even " as the hart [Ps- *2. i.]
panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after
i Thee, 0 God." Oh ! when shall I appear in Thy presence ?
When, when shall that blessed time come, that I shall see
Thy sacred Majesty face to face? This is a mercy, I con-
fess, which I cannot expect whilst imprisoned in the body ;
but howsoever, though I must not yet appear before Thee,
do Thou vouchsafe to appear in me, and give me such
glimpses of Thy love and graces here, as may be an earnest
of the bliss and glory I am to enjoy hereafter.
Resolution V.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to hope for nothing so much
as the promises, and to fear nothing so much as the threat-
enings, of God.
My soul being inflamed with holy desires after God, my
heart cannot but be big with the hopes and expectations of
Him : and, truly, as there is nothing that I can absolutely
R
242
Private Thoughts on Religion.
desire, so neither is there any thing that I can assuredly
hope for and depend upon, but God Himself, and the pro-
raises He has made to me in His Divine Word. For as all
things derive their being and subsistence from Him, so they
are all at His beck and command, and are acted and in-
fluenced as His wisdom and pleasure sees fit to order them.
All the secondary causes are in His hand, and He turns
them which way so ever He will ; so that however improbable
and disproportionate the means He uses may appear to be,
He never fails to accomplish the end, or whatever He wills
and decrees to be done. And therefore wherever I meet with
any promises made over to the faithful in His sacred word,
(since they are the promises of One Who is infinitely just and
true. Who can neither dissemble nor deceive,) I cannot in the
least doubt but they will be punctually fulfilled ; and if I am
of that happy number, (as I trust, through the merits of
Christ, and my own sincere endeavours, I shall approve
myself to be,) I have as much assurance of being partaker of
them, as if I had them actually in possession, or as any of
the faithful servants of God, who have already experienced
the accomplishment of them.
But suppose God should not favour me with the bright
part of His promises, but, instead of the blessings of health
and prosperity, should visit me with crosses and afilictions:
yet I have still the same grounds for my hope and confidence
[Heb. 14. in Him, and may say with the Psalmist, " The Lord is my
^■J Helper ; I will not fear what" the devil or " man shall do unto
me." For though their spite and malice may sometimes
cross, afflict, and persecute me, yet since I am assured they
are only as instruments in the hand of God, that cannot go
beyond their commission, nor make me suffer more than I
am able to bear, I may comfort myself under all these
afflictions by the same Divine promise that St. Paul had
Rom, 8. 28. recourse to on the like occasion, to wit, " That all shall
work together for good to them that love God, who are the
called according to His purpose." The Devil could not
touch the possessions of Job, till he had received a commis-
sion from God ; nor could he come near his body till that
commission was renewed ; and so neither can he, or any
creature whatsoever, throw any evil upon me, without the
Resolutions.
243
Divine permission ; and even that, though it seems to be
evil, shall really, in the end, turn to my benefit and advan-
tage. Oh! what a sovereign antidote is this against all
despondency and despair, even under the deepest and se-
verest trials ! Permit me, O my God ! to apply this sacred
promise to myself, and say, I am assured of it by my own
experience. For I can hardly remember any one thing that
ever happened to me, in the whole course of my life, even to
the crossing of my most earnest desires and highest expecta-
tions, but what I must confess, to the praise of Thy grace
and goodness, has really, in the end, turned to my advantage
another way. Oh ! make me truly sensible of all Thy pro-
mises to, and dealings with me, that whatever storms and
surges may arise in the tempestuous ocean of this transient
world, I may still fix the anchor of my hope and hajipiness
in Thee, Who art the source and spring of all blessings, and
without Whom no evil or calamity could ever befall me.
And as the promises of God, upon all these accounts, are
to be the object of my hope ; so are His threatenings to be of
my fear and aversion : as the former are of excellent use
to raise and revive the most drooping hearts, so the latter
are of weight enough to sink and depress the stoutest and
most undaunted spirits, and make them lick up the dust of
horror and despair. Not to mention any thing of the ex-
quisite and eternal miseries denounced against the wicked
in the next world, with which the Scriptures every where
abound, there is one punishment threatened to be inflicted
here, which is, of itself, sufficient to do this ; and that is in
Mai. ii. 2 : "If ye w ill not hear, and if ye will not lay it to
heart, to give glory to My Name, saith the Lord of Hosts,
I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your
blessings." Most dreadful sentence, which none that con-
sider aright can be able to read without trembling and
astonishment. Alas ! if God should curse me, where should
I seek for blessing, since He is the only Fountain from which
it flows, and by which it is conveyed and communicated to
me ? And if He should curse my very blessings, what could
I hope for but misery and despair ? My health, my wealth,
my preferments, my relations, nay, my very life itself, would
all be accursed to me : and what is yet worse, even my
244
Private Thoughts on Religion.
spiritual exercises and performances, upon which I chiefly
build my hopes of happiness, my preaching, praying, and
communicating, Avould all become a snare and a curse to
me : yea, and Christ Himself, Who came into the world to
bless and redeem me, if I walk not in His fear, believe not
in His Gospel, or give not glory to His Name, will Himself
be a curse and condemnation to me. So that I may say of
every thing I have, or enjoy, or expect, all these God has
made curses to me, because I have not blessed and glorified
Him in them. Oh ! who would not tremble and be wrought
upon by these threatenings ? Who would not fear Thee, O
King of nations. Who art thus terrible in Thy judgments?
Who would not love and obey Thee, Who art so gracious in
Thy promises ? Teach me, I beseech Thee, so to place my
fear upon the former, that I may still fix my hope upon the
latter, that though I fear Thy dreadful curses, yet I may
never despair of Thy tender mercies.
Resolution VI.
/ (im resolved, hij the grace of God, to arm myself ivith that
spirit/ad courage and magnaidmity, as to press through all
duties and difficulties whatsoever, for the advancement of
God's glory, and my own happiness.
Christianity is well termed a Avarfare, for a warfare it is,
Avherein no danger can be prevented, no enemy conquered,
no victory obtained, without much courage and resolution.
I have not only many outward enemies to grapple with, but
I have myself, my worst enemy, to encounter and subdue.
As for those enemies which are not so near me, by the
assistance of God's Spirit, I can make pretty good shift to
keep them at sword's point. But this enemy that is gotten
within me, has so often foiled and disarmed me, that I have
[2 Sam. 22. reason to say, as David did of his enemies, " it is too strong
I.Ps^i8.i7.] for me:" and as he said of the chief of his, " I shall one
1.] day fall by the hands of Saul ;" so have I too much occasion
to say, I shall one day fall by myself, as being myself the
greatest enemy to my own spiritual interest and concerns.
How necessary is it then that I should raise and muster up .
Resolutions.
245
all my force and courage, put on my spiritual armour, and
make myself strong in the Lord, and in the power of His
might ! I know I must strive before I can " enter in at the [Luke i
strait gate ;" I must win the crown before I can wear it, and
be a member of the Church militant before I be admitted
into the Church triumphant. In a word, I must go through
a solitary wilderness, and conquer many enemies, before I
come to the land of Canaan, or else I must never be pos-
sessed of it. What then, shall I lose my glory to balk my
duty? Shall I let go my glorious and eternal possession to
save myself from a seeming liardship which the Devil would
persuade me to be a trouble and an affliction? Alas! if
Christ had laid aside the great work of my Redemption, to
avoid the undergoing God's anger and man's malice, Avhat a
miserable condition had I been in ! And therefore, whatever
taunts and reproaches I meet with from the presumptuous
and profane, the infidel and atheistical reprobates of the age ;
let them laugh at my profession, or mock at what they are
pleased to call preciseness ; let them defraud me of my just
rights, or traduce and'bereave me of my good name and
reputation ; let them vent the utmost of their poisonous
malice and envy against me, I have this comfortable reflec-
tion still to support me, that if I suffer all this for Christ's
sake, it is in the cause of One Who suffered a thousand times
more for mine, and therefore it ought to be matter of joy
and triumpli, rather than of grief or dejection to me : espe-
cially considering, that " these my light affiictions, which are ^2 Cor.
but for a moment, will work out for me a far more exceed- '7-3
ing and eternal weight of glory." Upon the prospect of
which, I firmly resolve, notwithstanding the growing strength
of sin, and the overbearing prevalency of my own corrupt
affections, to undertake all duties, and undergo all miseries,
that God in His infinite wisdom thinks fit to lay upon me,
or exercise my patience in.
Resolution VII.
I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to be angry as not to
sin, and therefore to be angry at nothing but sin.
The former part of the resolution is founded in the
246
Private Thouglils on lieliyion.
Eph. 4. 26. express command of St. Paul, " Be ye angry, and sin not ; "
and the latter is an explication of, as well as an inference
drawn from it. For if anger be not only lawful, but a duty,
as is here supposed, when it does not involve us in sin, the
only difficulty is to know how that passion ought to be qua-
lified to justify the exercise of it without being guilty of sin :
and the circumstances or qualifications required for this are,
first, that it be placed upon a due object; and, secondly,
that it do not exceed its proper bounds.
Now, as nothing can deserve my anger, but what is dis-
agreeable to my nature, and offensive to the Author of it, so
nothing but sin can properly be called its object. The chief
thing that I am to aim at in my actions, is the honouring,
serving, and pleasing of God ; and how can I sei-ve and
please God in being angry at any thing but what I know is
displeasing to Him? I may be scorned, reproached, and
vilified among my equals, or accused, condemned, and
punished by my superiors ; and these are treatments that
are but too apt to raise and transport men into anger and
revenge: but then, before I suffer this passion to boil up in
me, I ought to consider, whether I have not behaved myself
so as to deserve this sort of treatment ; if I have, then there
is no injury or injustice done me thereby, and therefore I
ought not to be angry at it : if I have not, I nmst not be
angry at the persons who act thus falsely and unjustly
against me, but only at their sin ; for to speak properly, it
is not the person that ofiends me, but the sin. And this,
not because it is injurious to me, but because it is offensive
and displeasing to God Himself; for to be angry at any
thing but what displeases God, is to displease God in being
angry. Whenever, therefore, I receive any affronts or pro-
vocations of this nature, I am resolved, by God's grace
assisting my endeavours, never to be moved or troubled at
them, further than they are in their own nature sinful, and
at the same time abstracting the sin from the persons, to
pray for the pardon of those that are guilty of it; and not
only so, but, according to the command and example of my
Saviour, even to love them too.
But how shall I be sure to be angry at nothing but sin,
and so not to sin in my anger, when every petty trifle or
Resolutions.
247
cross accident is so apt to raise this passion in me? Why,
the best method I can take, is that which the wise man
directs me to, " Not to be hasty in my spirit," but " to Eccies. 7. 9.
defer my anger" according to " discretion." So that when- Prov. 19.11.
soever any thing happens that may incense and inflame my
passion, I must immediately stop its career, and suspend the
acts of it, till 1 have duly considered the motives and occa-
sions that raised it. And as this will be a very good means
to regulate the object of my anger, so likewise the measure
of it : for he that is slow to wrath takes time to consider,
and by consequence puts his passion under the conduct of
his reason ; and whoever does so, it will never suffer it to be
transported beyond its proper bounds ; whereas he whose
anger is like tinder, that catches as soon as the spark is upon
it, and who uses no means to stop its spreading, is presently
blown up into a furious flame, which, before it is extinguished,
may do more mischief than he is ever able to repair ; for no
man knows whither his anger may hurry him, when once it
has got the mastery of him. In order, therefore, to prevent
the fatal consequences of this passion, I now resolve never
to speak or do any thing while 1 am under the influence of
it, but take time to consider with myself, and reflect upon
the several circumstances of the action or object it arises
from, as well as the occasion and tendency of it; and as oft
as I find any thing in it displeasing to God, to be regularly
angry at that, to correct, rebuke, and reprove it with a
zeal and fervour of spirit suitable to the occasion, but still
to keep within the bounds of the truly Christian temper,
which is always distinguished by love and charity, and exer-
cises itself in meekness and moderation. And O ! w hat a
sedate and contented spirit will this resolution breed in me !
How easy and quiet shall I be under all circumstances !
Whilst others are peevish and fretful, and torment them-
selves with every petty trifle that does but cross their
inclinations, or seem to be injurious to them, or fall into
the other extreme of a stoical apathy or insensibility, I shall,
by this resolution, maintain a medium betwixt both, and
" possess my soul in peace and patience." [Luke 21.
248
Priiuite Thoufjiits on Religion ,
V. CONCERNING MY WORDS.
Having thus far cleansed the fountain of my heart, with
regard to my thoughts and affections, which are the imme-
diate issues of my active soul, the next thing incumbent
upon me is to regulate my outward conversation, both with
respect to my words and actions. As to .the first, the Holy
Jam. 3. 6. Scripture assures me, that the tongue is "a world of ini-
ver. 8. quity," and again, that " it is an unruly evil, which no man
can tame." But is it indeed so unruly? then there is the
more occasion to have it governed and subdued; and since
that is not to be done by man alone, it is still more necessary
that I should call in the assistance of that Divine Spirit that
gives this character of it, first to fix my resolution, and then ^
to strengthen me in the performance of them. I stedfastly
purpose to imitate the royal Psalmist in this particular, and
Ps. 39. 1. to "take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my
Job27. 3,4. tongue." Yea, I am resolved, with holy Job, that " all the
while my breath and the spirit of God are in my nostrils, I
my lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter ,
deceit." But since it is such an unruly instrument, so very I
difficult to be bridled or restrained, do Thou, O God, Who
[Ps. 141. first madest it, enable me to get the mastery of it : "Set a
watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my
[Acts 26. lips," that, with St. Paul, " I may speak forth the words of
truth and soberness," and make this unruly evil a happy
instrument of much good. Which that I may do,
,1
Resolution I.
/ can resnlved, by the giace of God, never to speak much, lest
I often spcdk too much, and not to speak at all, rather
titan to no purpose.
Ecci. 5. 3. It is the " voice of fools that is known by the multitude of ■
pioV.'io.i9. words." In which there are "divers vanities," and "sin" ]■
too, whereas he that refraineth his lips is wise. This is that 11
piece of Christian wisdom which I am now resolving to ■
Resolutions.
249
look after ; and therefore never to deliver my words out to
the world by number but by weight, not by quantity but
quality ; not hiding my meaning under ambiguous terms
and expressions, but fitting words exactly to express my
meaning: not amusing those I converse with, with circles
of impertinence and circumlocution, but coming directly to
the matter, by the straight line of apt expressions ; so as
never to speak more than the matter requireth, nor to speak
at all when no matter requireth. For why should I spend
my breath for nothing ? Alas ! that is not all ; if I spend
it ill, it will be far worse than spending it for nothing ; for
our blessed Saviour has told me that I must answer " for Matt.12.36.
every idle and unprofitable as well as profane word."
JBut now, if all the vain words I ever spoke should be
written, as I have cause to believe they are, in the book of
God's remembrance, how many vast volumes must they
make ! And if an index should be made where to find pro-
fitable, and where idle words, how few references would
there be to the former ! what multitudes to the latter! and
(what is yet more terrifying) if all these words should be
brought in judgment against me at the Last Day, how would
those very words then make me speechless, and what shame
and confusion of face would they then strike me with ! But
I trust, through the blood of my Redeemer, and the tears of
my repentance, they will all be washed and blotted out be-
fore I come to appear before Him. In order to this, as I
heartily bewail and detest my former follies in this respect,
so I firmly purpose and resolve to use my utmost endeavours
for the time to come, not to give way to any more such idle
words and expressions as are likely to be thus prejudicial to
my eternal interest; but always to consider well before-
hand, what, and how, and why I speak, and suffer no corrupt
communication to " proceed out of my mouth, but that Eph. 4. 29.
which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace to the hearers."
I know there are some words that are purely jocose,
spoken with no other intent, but only to promote mirth and
divert melancholy ; and these words, so long as they are
harmless and innocent, so long as they do not reflect dis-
honour upon God, nor injure the character and reputation
250 Private Thou<jhts on Religion.
of my neighbour, are very lawful and allowable, inasmuch
as they conduce to the refreshing and reviving of my spirits
and the preservation of my health. But then I must always
take care so to wind and turn my discourse, that what
recreates me in speaking, may profit others when spoke, that
my words may not only be such as have no malignity in
them, but such as may be useful and beneficial ; not only
such as do no hurt, but likewise such as may do much good
to others, as well as to myself. To this end I firmly resolve,
by the grace of God, never to speak only for the sake of
speaking, but to weigh each word before I speak it, and
consider the consequence and tendency of it, whether it may
really be the occasion of good or evil, or tend to the edifying
or scandalizing of the person I speak it to.
Resolution II.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, not only to avoid the
icickedness of swearing falsely, hut likewise the very appear-
ance of swearing at all.
Perjury is a sin condemned by the very laws of nature,
insomuch that I should wrong my natural faculties, should
I give way to, or be guilty of it. For the same nature that
tells me the person of God is to be adored, tells me likewise
His Name is to be reverenced ; and what more horrid im-
piety can possibly be imagined, than to prostitute the most
sacred Name of the Most High God, to confirm the lies of
sinful men ? I know swearing in a just matter and right
manner may be as lawful under the New as under the Old
2 Cor. 1.18, Testament ; for thus I find St. Paul saying, "As God is
true :" " I call God for a record upon my soul :" wherein is
contained the very nature of an oath, which is the calling
God for a record and a witness to the truth of what we
speak: but when it is to maintain falsehood, which is to an
ill purpose, or lightly and vainly, which is to no purpose at
all, it is a sin of the highest aggravation, that ought with
the greatest detestation and abhorrence to be shunned and
Lev. 19. 12. avoided. God saith, by Moses, " Thou shalt not swear by
My Name falsely, neither shalt thou profane tlie Name of
Resolutions.
251
Thy God: I am the Lord." "Thou shalt not take the Exod.20.7
Name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not
hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain." But
farther, God says by Christ, " Swear not at all, neither by [Matt. 5.
Heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is
His footstool," kc. So that not only by God and by Jesus
are oaths, but swearing by any of God's creatures, is, in a
manner, to swear by God Himself. I swear by the Heavens,
can the Heavens hear, or witness what I say ? No, it is the
glorious Majesty that rules there that I call upon to witness
the truth of the words I speak, and the sinfulness of my
heart for swearing to them. Do I swear by my faith ? But
how is that? Can faith testify what I say? No, it is only
He that wrought this faith in my heart can witness the
truth of my words. And if I swear by the gifts of God, I
do, in effect, swear by God Himself; otherwise I ascribe
that to the creature which is only compatible to the glorious
Creator, even the knowledge of the thoughts of my heart,
how secret soever they be.
But again, there is more in the Third Commandment
than the Devil would persuade the world there is ; for when
God commands me " not to take His Name in vain," it is
more than if He had commanded me only not to swear by
it : for I cannot persuade myself but that every time I speak
of God, when I do not think of Him, I take His Name in
vain ; and therefore I ought to endeavour to avoid even the
mentioning of God, as well as swearing by Him, unless upon
urgent occasions, and with reverence and respect becoming
His Majesty; for, questionless, 'O Lord,' and 'O God,'
may be spoken as vainly as ' By Lord,' and ' By God.'
And therefore I ought never to speak such words without
thinking really in my heart what I speak openly with my
mouth, lest my name be written amongst those that " take
the Name of God in vain." But, further still, I am resolved
not only to avoid downright swearing, but likewise the very
appearance of it : so that what doth but look like an oath,
shall be as odious to me as what looks like nothing else.
252
Private Thoughts on Religion.
Resolution III.
lam resolved, by the grace of God, always to mahe my tongue
and heart go together, so as never to speah with the one
what I do not think in the other.
As my happiness consisteth in nearness and vicinity, so
doth my holiness in likeness and conformity, to the chiefest
good. I am so much the better, as I am liker the best ; and
so much the holier, as I am more conformable to the Holiest,
or rather to Him Who is holiness itself. Now, one great
title which the Most High is pleased to give to Himself, and
by which He is pleased to reveal Himself to us, is the God
of truth : so that I shall be so much the liker to the God of
truth, by how much I am more constant to the truth of God.
And the farther I deviate from this, the nearer I approach to
John 8. 44. the nature of the Devil, who " is the father of lies," and liars
too. And hence it is, that of all the sins the men of fashion
are guilty of, they can least endure to be charged of lying.
To give a man the lie, or to say, ' You lie,' is looked upon as
the greatest affront that can be put upon them. And why
so ? but only because this sin of lying makes them so like
their father, the Devil, that a man had almost as well call
them devils as liars : and therefore to avoid the scandal
and reproach, as well as the dangerous tualignity of this
damnable sin, I am resolved, by the blessing of God, always
to tune my tongue in ' unison ' to my heart, so as never to
speak any thing but what I think really to be true. So that
if I ever speak what is not true, it shall not be the error of
my will, but of my understanding. I know lies are com-
monly distinguished into officious, pernicious, and jocose ;
and some may fancy some of them more tolerable than
others. But for my own part, I think they are all pernicious,
and therefore not to be jested withal, nor indulged upon any
pretence or colour whatsoever. Not as if it was a sin not to
speak exactly as a thing is in itself, or as it seems to me in
its literal meaning, without some liberty granted to rhetorical
tropes and figures, (for so the Scripture itself would be
chargeable with lies, many things being contained in it which
Resolutions.
253
are not true in a literal sense,) but I must so use rhetorical,
as not to abuse my Christian, liberty; and therefore never
make use of hyperboles, ironies, or other tropes and figures,
to deceive or impose upon my auditors, but only for the
better adorning, illustrating, or confirming the matter. But
there is another sort of lies most men are apt to fall into,
and they are promissory lies ; to avoid which I am resolved
never to promise any thing with my mouth but what I intend
to perform in my heart, and never to intend to perform any
thing but what I am sure I can perform. For this is the
cause and occasion of most promissory lies, that we promise
that absolutely, which we should promise only conditionally:
for though I may intend to do as I say now, yet there are a
thousand weighty things may intervene, which may turn the
balance of my intentions, or otherwise hinder the perform-
ance of my promise. So that unless I be absolutely sure 1
can do a thing, I must never absolutely promise to do it;
and therefore in all such promises shall still put in, ' God
willing,' or, ' by the help of God ;' at the same time lifting
up my heart to God, lest I take His Name in vain.
Resolution IV.
I am resolved, by the grace of God, to speak of other men's sins
only before their faces, and of their virtues only behind
their backs.
To commend men when they are present, I esteem almost
as great a piece of folly as to reprove them when they are
absent ; though I do confess in some cases, and to some
persons, it may be commendable, especially where the person
is not apt to be puffed up, but spurred on by it. But to rail
at others when they hear me not, is the highest piece of folly
imaginable ; for as it is impossible they should get any good,
so it is as impossible but that I should get much hurt by it.
For such sort of words, make the best we can of them, are
but idle and unprofitable, and may not only prove injurious
to the person of whom, but even to whom, they are spoken,
by wounding the credit of the former, and the charity of the
latter ; and so, by consequence, my own soul ; nay, even
254
Private Thoughts on Religion.
tliough I speak that which is true in itself, and known to be
so to me : and therefore this way of backbiting ought, by all
means, to be avoided. But I must, much more, have a care
of raising false reports concerning any one, or of giving
credit to them that raise them, or of passing my judgment
till I have weighed the matter, lest I transgress the rules
of mercy and charity, which command me not to censure
any one upon others' rumours, or my own surmises ; nay, if
the thing be in itself true, still to interpret it in the best
sense. But if I must needs be raking in other men's sores,
it must not be behind their backs, but before their faces ;
for the one is a great sin, and the other may be as great a
duty, even to reprove my neighbour for doing any thing
offensive unto God, or destructive to his own soul, still
endeavouring so to manage the reproof, as to make his sin
loathsome to him, and to prevail upon him, if possible, to
forsake it : but there is a great deal of Christian prudence
and discretion to be used in this, lest others may justly
reprove me for my indiscreet reproof of others. I must still
fit my reproof to the time when, the person to whom, and
the sin against which, it is designed ; still contriving with
James 5.20. myself how to carry on this duty, so as that by " converting
a sinner from the evil of his ways, I may save a soul from
death, and hide a multitude of sins ;" not venting my anger
against the person, but my sorrow for the sin that is reproved.
Hot, passionate, and reviling words will not so much exas-
perate a man against his sin that is reproved, as against the
ch. 1. CO. person that doth reprove it. It is " not the wrath of man
that worketh the righteousness of God." But this, of all
duties, must be performed with a spirit of love and meek-
ness ; I must first insinuate myself into his affections, and
then press his sin upon his conscience, and that directly or
indirectly, as the person, matter, or occasion shall require,
that so he that is reproved by me now may have cause to
bless God for me to all eternity.
Resolutions.
255
Resolution V.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, ahoays to speak reverently
to my superiors, humbly to my inferiors, and civilly to all.
The Most High God, the Master of this great family of
the world, for tlie more orderly government of it, hath,
according to His infinite wisdom, set some in higher, some
in lower places ; hath made some as stewards, others as
under servants ; and, according to every man's work that He
expects from him. He measures out his talents to him.
Blessed be His Name for it. He hath set me in a middle
form, giving me Agar's wish, subject neither to envy on one
hand, nor pity on the other ; so that I have both superiors
to reverence, and inferiors to condescend to. And accord-
ingly it is my duty so to behave myself towards them, that
the reverend expressions of my mouth may manifest the
obedient subjection of my heart to the power and authority
God has given them over me. It is the express command of
the Gospel that we should render to every man his due,
"fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour belongeth," Rom. 13. 7,
which words plainly imply both that it is some men's due to
receive honour, and other men's duty to give it. And
accordingly we find Paul, when he was brought before Acts 26. 25.
Festus, doth not say, 'Art thou he whom they call Festus?'
or, 'Thou, Festus,' as the misguided enthusiasts in our days
would have said, but, " Most noble Festus." In like man-
ner, St. John doth not call her he writes to in his Second
Epistle, being a person of quality, ' woman,' but " elect lady."
And this sort of reverence is further confirmed to us, not
only by the constant custom of all nations, in all ages of the
world, but it is likewise highly agreeable to the rules of right
reason, as well as the order of government. For as there is
both a natural and civil superiority, a superiority in gifts and
age, and superiority likewise in ofiice and station ; so there
is nothing can be more necessary than that there should be,
in both these respects, a reverence and respect paid to the
persons of men, answerable to these distinctions. And
therefore I cannot but condemn that rude and unmannerly
256
Private Thoughts on Religion,
behaviour of some of our nioderu schismatics towards their
superiors, as factious and unreasonable, as well as repugnant
to the dictates of the Divine Spirit, which the Prophets and
Apostles were inspired and influenced by.
And as there is a reverence due from inferiors to their
superiors, in point of conversation, so likewise are there
some decent regards and civilities to be shewed even by
superiors to their inferiors, who are always to be treated with
candour and condescension in their ordinary capacities, and
even where they are considered as criminals, with meekness
and moderation. Insomuch that, methinks, it is one of the
worst sights in the world to see some men that are gotten
upon a little higher ground than their neighbours are, to
look proudly and scornfully down upon all that are below
them, disdaining to vouchsafe them the least favour or re-
spect whatsoever. Such churlish, haughty, and foul-mouthed
Nabals as these, are not only very unjust and unreasonable
in their behaviour to others, but they are certainly the
greatest enemies to themselves that they have in all the world
besides; not only by drawing upon them the hatred and
enmity of all that are about them, but likewise by torment-
ing themselves with such frivolous things as such spirits
commonly do. Wherefore, that I may please God, my neigh-
bour, and myself in what I speak, though I could excel
other men (which is impossible for me to suppose) in every
thing, I resolve, by God's grace, always to behave myself
so as if I excelled them in nothing ; and not only to speak
reverently to them that are above me, but humbly and
civilly to those that are beneath me too. I will always en-
deavour to use such humble winning words, as to manifest
more of my love to them, than my power over them ; I will
always season my tongue with savoury, not bitter expres-
sions, not making my mouth a vent for my fury and passion
to fume out at, but rather an instrument to draw others' love
and affection in by ; still speaking as civilly unto others, as
I would have them speak civilly to me.
Resolutions.
257
VI. CONCERNING MY ACTIONS.
The other way of my soul's putting forth and shewing her-
self to the world is by her actions, which it concerns me as
much to look to and regulate as my words ; forasmucli as
there is not the least ill circumstance in any action but what,
unless it be repented of, must be brought into question, and
answered for at the Last Day : for, though an action cannot
be denominated good unless it be good in all circumstances
and respects, yet it is always denominated bad, if it is bad only
in one. As it is in music, if but one string jar, or be out of
tune, the whole harmony is spoiled ; so here, if but one cir-
cumstance in an action be wanting or defective, the whole
action is thereby rendered immoral.
How much, therefore, doth it behove me to keep a strict
watch over myself, and so to perform every action, and place
every circumstance in it, that it may have its approbation in
the court of Heaven ! Well, I am resolved, by the grace of
God, to try what I can do. I know it is impossible for me
to resolve upon particular actions : but howsoever, I shall
resolve upon such general rules, the application of which to
particular acts may make them pleasing and acceptable in
the sight of God, always premising this which I have re-
solved upon before as the best foundation, viz. to square all
my actions by the Scripture rule, and to do nothing but
what I have some way or other a warrant for in the word of
God. Upon this fixed and steady principle,
Resolution I.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to do every thing in
obedience to the will of God.
It is not sufficient that what I do is the will of God, but
I must therefore do it, because it is the will of God. For
what saith my Father ? " My son, give Me thine heart, and Prov.23.26.
let thine eyes observe My ways ; " so that my Father will
not only have my hand, but my heart too : and my feet
s
258
Private T)ionghts on Religion.
must not walk in the ways of God, till my eyes have ob-
served and discerned them to be so. I may do an action
that in itself is good, and yet, at the same time, not do a good
action, if I do not therefore do it because it is so ; e.g. I may
give an alms to the poor, feed the hungry, or clothe the
naked ; but let me examine and consider well upon what
principle these actions are founded, whether I, therefore, do
them because God hath commanded them ; if not, my feeding
1 Kings 17. of the poor will be no more a good action than the " ravens
feeding the Prophet" was. Their feeding of the Prophet
was commanded by God, as well as my feeding of the poor ;
but I cannot say they did a good action, because though
they did do this which was commanded by God, yet being-
irrational creatures, they could not reflect upon that com-
mand, and so could not do this in obedience to it. There
are some persons, to the very frame and disposition of whose
spirits, some sins are in their nature odious and abominable.
Thus I have known some whose very constitutions have
carried them into an antipathy to lust and luxury ; and
others, again, who could never endure to drink beyond their
thirst, much less to unman and bebeast themselves by drink-
ing to excess. And the like may be observed of covetous-
ness, which Luther was such an enemy to, that it is said
to be against his very nature. Now, I say, though the
abstaining from these sins be highly commendable in all
sorts of persons, yet, unless, together with the streams of
their natural dispositions, there runs likewise a spiritual
desire to please God and obey His commands, their abstain-
ing f m these vices is no more than the brute beasts thera-
.es do, who always act according to the temper of their
bodies, and are never guilty of any excesses that are pre- i
judicial to them. Hence servants are commanded to be
Eph. 6.5, 6, " obedient to their masters with' good will, doing service as:
to the Lord, and not to men," which clearly shews, thati
though a servant doth obey his master, yet if he doth not do
it in obedience unto God, he will not find acceptance with
Him. So that whensoever I set my hand to any action that <
is good, T must still fix my eye upon God's commanding ofj
it, and do it only in respect to that, as knowing that if Ifl
give but a farthing to the poor in all my life, and do it in'
i
Resolutions.
259
obedience to God's commands, it shall be accepted sooner
than theirs who feed hundreds at their table every day, and
have not respect to the same command. Do I see a poor
wretch ready to fall down to the earth for want of a little
support, and my bowels begin to yearn tow^ards him, let
me search into my heart, and see what it is that raises this
compassion in me. If it flows only from a natural tender-
ness to a brother in misery, without regard to the love of
God, Who has commanded and enjoined it, the poor man
may be succoured and relieved, but God will not be pleased
or delighted with it. Again ; do my friends stir me up to
pray or hear, or do any other spiritual or civil action, and I
therefore only do it because of their importunity, I may
satisfy my friends' desire, but cannot properly be said to
obey the commands of God in such a performance; so that
the great and only foundation that I must resolve to build
all the actions of my life upon, is an uniform obedience
to that God by Whom alone I am enabled to perform
them.
j Resolution II.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to do every thing with
prudence and discretion, as tcell as with zeal and affection.
Whilst I am penned up in this earthly tabernacle, I live
I] almost as in a darksome dungeon, having no light to work
.1 by, but a little that springs in at the narrow crevices of my
understanding. So that I had need to make use of all that
r little light and knowledge I have to regulate the heat and
. 1 zeal that sometimes sits upon my spirit. For good passions
el may sometimes carry me into bad actions; my zeal, when
i! hot in the pursuits of God's glory, may sometimes hurry me
it: beyond His laws ; especially where Christian prudence hath
0 not first chalked out the way, and set the bounds for it : as
li in discourse, my zeal may put me upon throwing pearls
it before swine, or using words when silence may be more
commendable. So in my actions too, unless wisdom and
1 discretion govern and command my affections, I shall fre-
il quently run into such as would be altogether needless and
260
Private Thoughts on Heligion.
impertinent, and therefore ought to be omitted, and daily
neglect several duties which ought to be performed.
But my understanding and discretion are chiefly requisite
for the ordering of time and place, and other particular
circumstances, the irregular management of which may
easily spoil the best of actions. For instance, that may be a
good work at one time and place which is not at another ;
and may be very innocent and becoming in one person,
though quite contrary in another. It is therefore the proper
office of my understanding to point out the fittest time, and
place, and person, for the performance of each action I
engage in. As, for example, in distributing to the poor, my
hand of charity must be either guided by the eye of under-
standing, where, when, how much, and to whom to give, or
else I may, at the same time, not only offend God, but wrong
my neighbour and myself too ; and so for all other actions
whatsoever, whicli I ought therefore never to set myself
about, though it be of the lowest rank, without consulting
the rules of wisdom, modelled by the Law of God.
Resolution III.
/ am resolved, hj the grace of God, never to set my hand, my
head, or my heart, about any thing but what I verily
believe is good in itself, and loill be esteemed so by God.
Heb. U.6. "Without faith," the Apostle tells me, "it is impossible
Rom. 14.23. to please God;" "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
AVhere, by faith we are not to understand that saving faith
whereby I believe my person is justified through Christ;
but that whereby I believe my works shall be accepted by
God : for faith here is opposed to doubting; and that not
about Christ's dying for me, or my living in Him, but about
the particular actions of my life. " He that doubteth," saith
the Apostle, " is damned if he eat," that is, he that eateth
that which he doubteth whether he may lawfully eat or no,
is damned, because he sins in doing it, and therefore may be
damned for it. But why so ? Because " he eateth not of ,
faith," because he doth that which he knows not whether lie
may do or no, not believing it to be really good in itself, or
Resolutions.
261
acceptable unto God. And though the Apostle here in-
stances only in that particular action of eating, yet what he
says with relation to that is properly applicable to all the
other actions of life : for he afterwards subjoins, " What-
soever is not of faith is sin ; " whatsoever it is, good or bad,
if not done by faith, it is sin. And truly, this particular
will be of great use through my whole life, for the avoiding
of many sins, and for the doing of much good : for many
things which are good in themselves may, for want of faith,
become quite otherwise to me ; my heart not believing what
I do is good, my hand can never make it so. Or if I think
what I do is bad, though it be not so in itself, yet my very
thinking it so will make it so to me. And this is that which
we call doing any thing with a good conscience, or keeping,
as St. Paul did, "our conscience void of offence." And to [Acts 24.
go contrary to the dictates of my conscience, in this parti- ^^'^
cular, is to transgress the command of God. For in this
conscience is as God's vicegerent in my soul ; what con-
science commands, God commands ; what conscience forbids,
God forbids ; that is, I am as really vinder the power of con-
science as the commands of God in such a case. So that if I
do not obey the former, it is impossible for me to obey the
latter. But how much then doth it behove me to see that
my conscience be rightly informed in every thing? For as,
if a judge be misinformed, it is impossible he should pass
righteous judgment ; so if conscience be misinformed, it is
impossible I should do a righteous act. And what a miser-
able case shall I then be in ? Tf I do what in itself is sinful,
though my conscience tells me it is good, yet I sin, because
the act in itself is sinful ; and if I do what in itself is good,
and my conscience tells me it is bad, I sin, because my
conscience tells me it is so : so that as my conscience is,
so will my actions be. For this reason I resolve, in the
presence of my great Creator, never to do any thing till I
j have first informed my conscience, from the Word of God,
whether it be lawful for me to do it or no ; or, in case it be
not determined there, to make a strict search and inquiry
into each circumstance of it, considering with myself what
good or evil may issue from it, and so what good or evil
there is in it; and according as my conscience, upon the
262
Private Thoughts on Religion.
hearing of the arguments on both sides, shall decide tJio
matter, I shall do or not do it ; never undertaking any thing
upon mere surmises, because it may be good, but upon a real
and thorough persuasion that it is so.
Resolution IV.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to do all things for the
glory of God.
As I was not made by, so neither for myself ; for God,
Piov. 16. 4. says the wise man, " made all things for Himself." And
being thus made for God, it follows of course that I ought
to act for God ; otherwise I shall frustrate the end of my
creation. Insomuch, that whatsoever I make my chief aim
in what I do, I make that my God. Do 1 aim at the glory
of the All-glorious Jehovah ? it is Him I make my God.
Do I aim at riches ? then it is Mammon I make my God ;
Col. 3. 5. and therefore is it that covetousness is called idolatry. Do
Phil. 3. 19. I aim at pleasures? it is my senses I make my God. Do I
aim at popular applause or worldly advancements ? or, do I
aim at my own health or life? These are my gods. For
what is worshipping but making all the powers of my soul
and actions of my body to bow and stoop to them? Hence
[isa.42. 8.] it is that the Most High God, Who hath said. He " will not
give His glory to another," hath been so express in com-
iCor.10.31. manding me to do all things to His glory : " Whether ye
eat or drink," says the Apostle, " or whatsoever ye do, do
all things to the glory of God." But how can I, poor worm,
be said to do any thing to the glory of the eternal God ?
Why, in the same manner as He is said to do what He doeth
for His Own glory. And how is that ? By manifesting
His glory unto others. Thus if I can but so live and act as
thereby to evidence that the God I serve is a glorious
God, glorious in holiness, glorious in goodness, glorious in
wisdom, glorious in power, and the like, this is doing all
things to the glory of God. For example, by praying to
God, I avouch Him to be a God infinite in knowledge, that
He is present with me, and hears me pray wheresoever I
am ; and I own Him to be infinite in mercy, in that He will
Resolutions.
263
siilFer such a sinful creature as I am to address myself to
Jlim, &c. And so there is not the least action I undertake,
but I am so to manage it, as to manifest the glory of God
by it, making it my end and design so to do : otherwise let
me do what I will, I am sure to sin ; for though, I confess, a
giiod end can never make a bad action good, yet a bad end
will always make a good action bad : so that as ever I
would do anything that is good, I must be sure to do it to
the glory of God.
Resolution V.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to mingle such recreations
with my business as to further my business by my recrea-
tions.
Having wholly devoted myself to God, all I have or am
is still to be improved for Him ; insomuch that was it not
for the necessities of nature, every moment of my life should,
and ought to be spent in the immediate worship and service
of Him. But though nature requires some time from my
solemn serving of Him for the recreating of myself, yet grace
requireth that this recreating of myself should still be for the
promoting of His service : so that my recreations do not
only fit me for further service, but they, in themselves,
should be some way or other serviceable to Him ; which
that they may be, I must have as great a care in the choice
as in the use of my recreations.
There are some recreations that are so far from conducing
to His service, that they make more for the incensing of
His wrath ; as drinking and gaming, which, though in
themselves lawful, yet, as they often prove an occasion of
swearing, lying, cheating, and contention amongst men,
and by consequence of wrath in God ; so they ought, by all
means, to be shunned and avoided. Indeed it may be ques-
tioned whether gaming be ever a lawful recreation ; for
either it is a lottery, or not ; if it be a lottery, it is not
lawful, because it is a great presumption and sin to set God
at work to recreate ourselves ; for poor nothings to employ
the chiefest good immediately to determine such frivolous
264
Private Thoughts on Reliyion.
and trifling- impertinences. If it be not a lottery, then it is
not a pure recreation ; for if it depends upon man's wit and
study, it exercises his brain and spirits as much as if he was
about other things. So that being on one side not lawful,
on the other side no recreation, it can on no side be a lawful
recreation : for what is the end of recreations but to revive
niy languishing spirits, to let them rest and be quiet a little,
when they are tired with too much exercise, that they may
be fresher, livelier, and fitter for work afterwards ? Hence
it is that God indeed hath provided a recreation for all
sensible creatures, sleep, which is the rest of the spirits in
the nerves. When the little animal spirits have been all
the day running up and down upon the soul's errands, then
to lie down still and quiet is a great refreshment and revive-
ment to them, provided still that it be moderately used :
Avhereas the indulging ourselves too much in it is rather a
clogging and stupifying of them ; as we see in our bodies,
which, when not accustomed to, are most averse from, and
unfit for, exercise. So that the chief and only time for
recreation is, when my spirits are either weary with labour
and study, or else called in to some necessary employment
in some other place ; as at and after meals, especially such
as are of a hard digestion ; for then the spirits have enough
to do to turn the food we eat into good nourishment. And,
therefore, the intenseness of study, running, wrestling, and
suchlike violent exercises, are not proper at such a time ;
because as in studying we draw the spirits from the stomach
to the head ; so in the other exercises, such as moderate
walking, conference, and free discourse about common but
necessary points, we send them from the stomach into other
parts of the body, where they are to be set on work. But
that which I have found the best recreation both to my
body and mind, whensoever either of them stands in need
of it, is music, which exercises at once both my body and
my soul, especially when I play myself. For then, me-
thinks, the same motion that my hand makes upon the
instrument, the instrument makes upon my heart; it calls
in my spirits, composes ray thoughts, delights my ear, re-
creates my mind, and so not only fits me for after business,
but fills my heart, at the present, with pure and useful
Resolutions.
265
tliouglits ; so that when the music sounds the sweetliest in
my ears, truth commonly flows the clearest into my mind.
And hence it is that I find my soul is become more har-
monious, by being accustomed so much to harmony, and
so averse to all manner of discord, that the least jarring
sounds, either in notes or words, seem very harsh and un-
pleasant to me.
That there is something more than ordinary in music,
appears from David's making use of it for driving away [i Sam. i6.
the evil spirit from Saul, and Elisha for the bringing of 3^ '15.]^"*^^
the good Spirit upon himself. From which I am induced
to believe, that there is really a sort of secret and charming
power in it, that naturally dispels from the mind all or
most of those black humours which the evil spirit uses to
brood upon, and by composing it into a more regular, sweet,
and docible disposition, renders it the fitter for the Holy
Spirit to work upon, the more susceptive of Divine grace,
and a more faithful messenger whereby to convey truth to
the understanding. But however that be, I must necessarily
acknowledge, that of all recreations, this is by far the most
suitable to my temper and disposition, in that it is not only
an exercise to my body, but to my mind too ; my spirits
being thereby made the more nimble and active, and, by
consequence, the fitter to wait upon my soul, and be em-
ployed by her in whatsoever business she is engaged. But
in this, and all other recreations, I must always take care not
to exceed my measure, either in point of time or intention ;
I must not follow them too close, nor spend too many hours
in them, but still resolve to use them, as that they may not
become a snare to me, but answer the ends for which they
were designed, that when God shall call me to it, I may
give Him as good an account of my recreations as of ray
necessary duties.
VII. CONCERNING MY RELATIONS.
But be not deceived, O my soul, thou art not yet advanced
far enough : it is not sufficient to pretend to holiness in my
thoughts and affections, and in my words and actions, unless
I express it likewise in all the relations and conditions of
266
Private Tlioughts on Religion.
[Ps. 119. life. The Commandments of God are said to be " exceeding
^^'^ broad;" they extend themselves to every capacity I can pos-
sibly be in, not only enjoining me to live soberly in respect
to myself, but righteously to my neighbour, obediently to
my sovereign, lovingly to my wife, and faithfully to my
people ; otherwise I cannot live holily unto God. And
therefore, if I would be thoroughly religious I must further
endeavour to fix my resolutions with regard to the several
duties the Most High expects from me in all those par-
ticular relations I bear to Him during my sojourning here
on earth.
Resolution I.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to honour and obey the
king or prince lohom God is pleased to set over me, as
well as to expect he should safeguard and protect me,
whom God is pleased to set under him.
The King of kings and Lord of lords, the great and
glorious Monarch of all the world, having enacted many
gracious laws, is pleased to set over every kingdom and
nation such persons as may put them in execution. So that
I cannot but look upon a lawful king as truly a representa-
tive of the Most High God, as a parliament is of the people.
And am therefore persuaded, that whosoever rebels against
him, rebels against God Himself; not only in that he rebels
against the ordinance of God, and so against the God of that
ordinance ; but because he rebels against him whom God
hath set up as His vicegerent to represent His Person, and
execute His laws, in such a part of His dominions. Hence
[1 Pet. 2. it is that these two precepts, " Fear God and honour the
king," are so often joined together in Holy Writ ; for he
that fears God's power cannot but honour His authority ;
and he that honours not the king, that represents God, can-
not be said to fear God, Who is represented by him. And
hence likewise it is, that God hath been as strict and express
in enjoining us obedience to our governors as to Himself:
Rom. 13. 1. for, thus saith the Loi'd of Hosts, " Let every soul be sub-
ject to the higher powers." Why? Because " there is no
power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God :"
and He has denounced as great a judgment against such as
rchel against the magistrate He hath ordained as against
Resolutions.
267
those that rebel against Himself ; " for whosoever resisteth ver. 2.
the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that
resist shall receive to themselves damnation." So that the
wrath of God shall as certainly fall upon those that rise up
against the king as upon those that fight against God. And
no wonder that the punishment should be the same when
the fault is the same : for he that fights against his king^
fights against God Himself, Who hath invested him with
that power and authority to govern His people, representing
His Own glorious Majesty before them. Upon this ground
it is that I believe the wickedness of a prince cannot be a
sufficient plea for the disobedience of his subjects; for it is
not the holiness, but the authority of God that he represents,
which the most wicked, as well as the most holy person may
be endowed with : and therefore when the Gospel first began
to spread itself over the earth, though there was no Christian
king or supreme magistrate, of what title soever, to cherish
and protect it ; nay, though the civil powers were then the
greatest enemies to it ; yet even then were the Disciples
of Christ enjoined to " submit themselves to every ordi- [1 Pet. 2.
nance of man for the Lord's sake." Insomuch that did I ^^'^
live amongst the Turks, I should look upon it as my duty
to obey the Grand Seignior in all his lawful edicts, as well
as the most Christian and pious king in the world. For
suppose a prince be never so wicked, and never so neg-
ligent in his duty of protecting me, it doth not follow
that I must neglect mine in obeying him. In such a
case I have another duty added to this, and that is to
pray for him, and to intercede with God for his conversion :
for thus hath the King of kings commanded, that " prayers,
supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made
as for all men," so more especially " for kings, and those ixim. 2.1,2.
that are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable
life, in all godliness and honesty." So that whensoever I
address to the Court of Heaven, I must be sure to remember
my sovereign on earth, that God would be pleased to enable
His servant to reign on earth, as Himself doth in Heaven,
in righteousness and mercy. But especially in case of any
seeming or real default or defect, though I do not think it
a subject's duty to judge or censure his sovereign's actions,
268 Private Thoughts on Relujion.
I am to be the more earnest in my prayers and intercessions
for him; but upon no account to fight or rebel against
him.
And if I am thus strictly obliged to honour, obey, and
pray for a bad prince, how much more should I pay those
duties to one who represents God, not only in His autho-
rity, but in His holiness too ! In this case, sure, as there
is a double engagement to reverence and obedience, so I
am doubly punishable if I neglect to shew it either to the
prince himself, or those that are set under him ; for the
same obligations that lie upon me for my obedience to the
king, bind me likewise to obey his inferior officers and ma-
gistrates that act under him ; and that for this reason,
because as he represents God, so they represent Him;
and therefore whatever they command in His Name, I look
upon it as much my duty to obey, as if it was com-
manded by His Own mouth ; and accordingly do, from
this moment, by the grace of God, resolve to put this duty
in practice.
Resolution II.
/ am resolved, hy the same Divine grace, to he as constant in
loving of my wife as cautious in choosing her.
Though it be not necessary for me to resolve upon mar-
rying, yet it may not be improper to resolve, in case I
should, to follow these rules of duty, first in the choice of
a wife, and secondly, in the affection that I ought to bear
towards her.
As for the first, I shall always endeavour to make choice
of such a woman for my spouse who has first made choice
of Christ as a spouse for herself, that none may be made one
flesh with me who is not made one spirit with Christ my
Saviour. For I look upon the image of Christ as the
best mark of beauty I can behold in her, and the grace of
God as the best portion I can receive with her. These are
excellencies which, though not visible to our carnal eyes,
are nevertheless agreeable to a spiritual heart, and such as
all M'ise and good men cannot choose but be enamoured
Resolutions.
269
with. For my own part, they seem to me such necessary
qualifications, that my heart trembles at the thoughts of
ever having a wife without them. What ! shall I marry one
that is wedded already to her sins ? or have possession of
her body only, when the Devil has possession of her soul ?
Shall such a one be united to me here who shall be sepa-
rated from me for ever hereafter, and condemned to scorch
in everlasting burnings ? No, if ever it be my lot to enter
into that state, I beg of God, that He would direct me in the
choice of such a wife only to lie in my bosom here as may
afterwards be admitted to rest in Abraham's bosom to all
eternity ; such a one as will so live, and pray, and converse,
with me upon earth, that we may both be entitled to sing,
rejoice, and be blessed together for ever, in Heaven.
That this, therefore, may be my portion and felicity, I
firmly resolve never to set upon such a design before I have
first solicited the throne of grace, and begged of my Hea-
venly Father to honour me with the partnership of one of
His beloved children ; and shall afterwards be as careful and
cautious as I can never to fix my affections upon any woman
for a wife till I am thoroughly persuaded of the grounds I
have to love her as a true Christian.
If I could be thus happy as to meet with a wife of these
qualities and endowments, it would be impossible for me
not to be hearty and sincere in my affection toward her,
even though I had the greatest temptations to place them
upon another : for how could I choose but love her, who has
God for her Father, the Church for her mother, and Heaven
for her portion, who loves God, and is beloved of Him ? espe-
cially when I consider, that thus to love her, will not only
be my duty, but my happiness too.
As to the duty, it is frequently inculcated in Scripture,
that " husbands should love their wives," and that not with
a common love, but as " Christ loved His Church," " yea, as Eph. 5. 25.
their own body," or, " as themselves," and they are so to yen 33.'
love them as not to be " bitter against them," not to be pas- coi. 3. 19.
sionate or angry with them upon every light matter, nor
suffer their resentments to rise to that height upon any
occasion whatsoever, as to abate the least spark of conjugal
affection towards them, but to *' nourish and cherish them,
270
Private Thoughts on Religion,
even as the Lord the Church." In a word, to do all the
kind offices they can for them in their civil capacities, and
to help and forward them, hy all means possible, in the way
that leads to Heaven ; that as they are united in the flesh,
so they may likewise be united in the spirit, and raised and
rewarded together at the general resurrection.
And as love is the great duty, so is it likewise the chief
happiness of a married state. I do not mean that love
whereby she loves me, but that wherewith I love her ; for if
I myself have not a cordial esteem and affection for her,
what happiness will it be to me to be beloved by her ! or
rather, what a misery would it be to be forced to live with
one I know I cannot love ! As ever, therefore, I desire to be
happy, I must perform my duty in this particular, and never
aim at any other end, in the choice of a wife, or expect any
other happiness in the enjoyment of her, but what is founded
in the principle of pure and inviolable love. If I should
court and marry a woman for riches, then whenever they
fail or take their flight, my love and my happiness must
drop and vanish together with them. If I choose her for
beauty only, I shall love her no longer than while that con-
tinues, which is only till age or sickness blasts it, and then
farewell, at once, both duty and delight.
But if I love her for her virtues, and for the sake of God,
Who has enjoined it as a duty, that our affections should
not be alienated or separated by any thing but death ; then,
though all the other sandy foundations fail, yet will my
happiness remain entire; even though I should not perceive
those mutual returns of love which are due to me from her
upon the same bottom. But O ! the happiness of that
couple whose inclinations to each other are as mutual as
their duties ; whose affections, as well as persons, are linked
together with the same tie. This is the chief condition
required to make the state of matrimony happy or desirable,
and shall be the chief motive with me to induce me to enter
into it. For though it be no happiness to be beloved by
one I do not love, yet it is certainly a very great one to be
beloved by one I do. If this then be my lot, to have mutual
expressions of love from the person I fix my affections upon,
what joy and comfort will it raise in my heart, with whal
Resolutions.
271
peace and amity shall we live together here, and what glory
and felicity may we not promise ourselves hereafter ! What
is here said of the duty in choosing and loving of a wife may
be likewise applied to the woman's duty in choosing and
loving her husband. But being not so immediately con-
cerned in this, I pass on to my next resolution.
Resolution III.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to do my endeavour to
give to God lohatsoever children He shall be pleased to give
to me, that as they are mine hy nature, they may be His by
grace.
I have sometimes wondered at the providence of God, in
bringing so many millions of people out of the loins of one
man ; and cannot but make this use of it, even to stir up
myself to a double diligence, in bringing up my children
" in tlie nurture and admonition of the Lord." For who [Eph.6.4.]
knows but the salvation of ten thousand souls may depend
upon the education of one single child ?
If I train up my son in the ways of religion, and teach
him what it is to keep " a conscience void of offence [Acts 24.
towards God and towards man ;" he will then not only have ^^'-^
an inward sense of his own" duty, but take all possible care
to instil it into others, whether children or servants, that are
committed to his charge : and these again will do the same
to theirs, by teaching them to walk in the same path ; till,
by degrees, the piety and holiness of one man has diffused
itself to all -succeeding generations. But now, on the other
hand, if I neglect the care of my son's education, and suffer
the leprosy of sin and wickedness to taint and corrupt him,
it is great odds, without an extraordinary interposition of
Divine grace, but the infection may spread itself over all my
posterity ; and so draw down upon me the curses and accu-
sations of ten thousand souls in Hell, which might otherwise
have been praising and blessing God for me to all eternity,
in Heaven. Hence it is that I am resolved to endeavour to
be a spiritual, as well as natural father to my children ; yea,
to take more care to get a portion for their souls in Heaven,
272 Private Thoughts on Religion.
than to make provision for their bodies upon earth. For if
[iTim.5.8.] he be " accounted M'orse than an infidel, that provides not
for his family " the sustenance of their bodies, what is he
that suffers his family to neglect the Salvation of their souls?
That nothing of this, therefore, may be laid to my charge, if
ever Providence sees fit to bless me with children of my
own, I will take effectual care, so soon as conveniently I
can, to devote them unto God by Baptism, that what guilt
they have contracted, by coming through my loins, may be
Avashed away by the laver of regeneration ; and then to be
constantly soliciting the throne of grace, that He AVho hath
given them to me would be pleased to give Himself to
them.
The next thing to be done, as soon as they come to be
capable of instruction, is to take all occasions, and make
use of all means, to work the knowledge of God into their
heads, and the grace of Christ into their hearts ; by teaching
[Eccies. 12. them to " remember their Creator in the days of their
youth ;" by acquainting them with the duties that He that
made them expects from them ; with the rewards they shall
have if dutiful, and the punishment they shall feel, if disobe-
dient children ; still accommodating my expressions to the
shallow capacity of their tender years. And according to
their doing, or not doing, of what they have been told, I
shall reward them with what is most pleasing, or punish
them with what is most displeasing to their years. To
speak to them of Heaven and eternal glory will not encou-
rage them so much as to give them theii- childish pleasures
and desires : and the denouncing of a future Hell will not
affright them so much as the inflicting a present smart.
Hence it is that Solomon so ©ft inculcates this upon parents,
[Prov. 13. as their duty to their children, that they should not " spare
23.'i3^'i4.]' the rod, lest they spoil the child." But I must still take
care to let them understand, that what I do is from a prin-
ciple of love and affection to them, not of fury and indig-
nation against them. For, by this means, God may correct
me for correcting them ; I may set before my children such
an example of indiscreet and sinful passion, as they will be
apt enough to learn without my teaching them. On the
other hand, it behoves me, if possible, so to order my family.
Resolutions.
273
that my clilltlren may not see or hear, and so not learn any
thing but goodness in it ; for commonly, according to what
we learn when we are young, we practise when we are old.
And therefore, as I shall take great care that my children
learn nothing that is evil or sinful at home, so likewise that
they do not come into such company abroad, where their
innocence may be assaulted with swearing, cursing, or any
kind of profane or obscene discourse, which the generality
of our youth are so obnoxious to. Or, at least, if this is not
wholly to be avoided, to prevent these poisonous weeds from
taking root in the heart, it behoves me to take all oppor-
tunities of discoursing to them of God and Christ, of the
immortality of their souls, and the future state they are to
be doomed to in another world, when they have lived a little
while in this ; that, according as they grow in years, they
may " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and [2 Pet.
Saviour Christ." And when they come to years of discre-
tion, capable of doing further honour and service to God
and their country by some calling or profession, I must be
sure to place them in such a one as may be no hinderance
to that high and Heavenly calling which they have in Christ
Jesus, but rather contribute to further and promote it ; that
being like tender plants engrafted into the true vine, they
may bring forth much fruit, to God's glory, to my comfort,
and their own Salvation.
Resolution IV.
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to do my duty to my
servants, as well as expect they should do theirs to me.
It was Joshua's, and, by God's grace, it shall be my re-
solution, that " I and my house will serve the Lord." I in [Josh,
the first place, and then my house ; for if I myself do not, ^^''^
I cannot expect that they should. So that for the ordering
of my family in general, I must not only press their duty
upon them, but likewise practise my own duty in sup-
pressing all vicious and lewd conversation, and composing
all strife and contention amongst them ; in praying every
day at the least twice with them ; in catechising and ex-
274
Private Thoughts on Religion.
poniuliiig the principles of religion to tlieni, and in calling
for an account of every sermon and godly discourse they
hear, either in private or in public ; in seeing that they con-
stantly frequent the Divine Ordinances, and that they behave
themselves so conscientiously therein, that they may be, some
way or other, the better by them. And to these ends, I
think it my duty to allow my servants some time every day
wherein to serve God, as well as to see they spend their other
hours in serving me ; and to make them sensible that they do
not serve me only for myself, but ultimately and principally
in reference unto God ; their serving me making way for my
better serving God. And for this reason I cannot believe but
it is as great a sin to cumber my servants as myself with too
much worldly business. For how can they spend any time
in the service of God, when I require all their time in my
own ? And how justly should I be condemned, if by this
means I should bring them into a sort of necessity of sinning,
either in not obeying God, or not obeying me ! Not that I
think it a servant's duty to neglect his Creator to serve his
master; on the contrary, he is obliged in all cases where
[Acts5.29.] their commands interfere, to " obey God rather than man."
But where they do not, there is a strict injunction upon all
Eph. 6. 5. servants, that the}^ should be " obedient to their masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness
of heart, as unto Christ." But how with fear and trem-
bling ? Why, fearing lest they should offend God in offend-
ing them, and trembling at the thoughts of being disobedient
Tit. 2. 9. to the Divine command, which enjoins them to " be obedient
to their masters in all things, not answering again," that
is, not repining at their masters' lawful commands, nor
muttering and maundering against them, as some are apt
to do. For it is a great sin in servants to speak irreverently
to their masters, as in masters to speak passionately to their
servants. But how are servants to give obedience to their
masters with " singleness of heart as unto Christ?" Why,
« by obeying them only in obedience unto Christ; that is,
they are therefore to do their masters' will, because it is the
Eph.6.6,7; Lord's wmH they should do it ; serving them " not with eye-
Col. 3. 22. ggpYice, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing
the will of God from the heart, with good-will, doing service
Resolutions.
275
as to the Lord, and not to men." This is the duty, there-
fore, that I shall oft be inculcating upon my servants, and
shall as oft be reflecting upon myself, that what I require for
my own service may always be in subordination to God's,
Who is our common Lord and Master, Whose laws are
equally obliging to all ranks and conditions of men, and in
whose sight " there is no respect of persons." [Coi.3.25.]
Resolution V.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to feed the flock that God
shall set me over with loholesome food, neither starving
them hy idleness, poisoning them with error, nor pvjffing
them up with impertinencies.
And here I cannot but declare, that ever since I knew
what it was to study, I have found by experience that spi-
ritual and intellectual pleasures do as far surpass those that
are temporal and sensual, as the soul exceeds the body. And
for this reason, as I always thought the study and profession
of divinity to be the noblest and most agreeable of all others,
as carrying with it its own encouragement and reward, so I
have often wondered with myself, that the greatest persons in
the world should not be desirous and ambitious of exercising
their parts in the study of this necessary as well as sublime
science, and even devoting themselves to the profession of
it. For, do they aspire after honour ? what greater honour
can there be than to be the mouth of God to the people, and
of the people unto God ; to have the Most High Himself
not only to speak by them, but in them too ? What greater
honour than to have a commission from the King of kings,
to represent Himself before His people, and call upon them
in His Name, to " turn from the error of their ways," and
walk in the paths of God to everlasting glory? What greater
honour, than to be an instrument in His hand to bring poor
souls from the gates of Hell, to set them among princes in
the court of Heaven ? Do they thirst after pleasures ? What
greater pleasure can they have, than to make it their business
to feed themselves and others with the bread and water of
276
Private Thoughts on Religion.
life ? But stay, my soul, let not thy thoughts run only upon
the dignity of thy function, and the spiritual pleasures that
attend the faithful discharge of it, hut think likewise upon
the strict account thou must give of it in another life. The
serious consideration of which, as it cannot but be a great
comfort to the true and faithful pastor, who has diligently
[iPet.2.2.] fed his flock with the " sincere milk of God's word;" so
must it be a great terror and confusion to the slothful and
negligent, the false and deceitful dispensers of the Divine
mysteries, who have either carelessly lost, or treacherously
deluded, the souls of those committed to their charge, which
tliey must one day answer for, as well as for their own. And
therefore, that nothing of this kind may ever be laid to my
charge, I solemnly promise and resolve, before God, so to
demean myself in the exercise of my ministerial function, as
to make the care of souls, especially of those committed to
my charge, the chief study and business of my life, and
that without partiality or exception. I must not single out
some of the best of my flock, such as I have the highest
respect for, or have received the greatest obligations from ; i
but " minister to every one according to their several neces-
sities." If I meet with men of knowledge and virtue, my
business must be to confirm and establish them therein; if
with those that are ignorant and immoral, to teach and i
instruct them in the ways of religion, and by all means
possible to reclaim and reduce them to the exercise of their
duty; always remembering, that as the blessed Jesus, the
[1 Pet. 2. " Great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls," w\as " not sent i
[Matt. 15. save unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel," and " came
24 ; 9. 13.] jjqj. gjj^ji ^],g righteous, but sinners to repentance," so it is
the indispensable duty of His Apostles and ministers (and,
by the grace of God, I shall make it mine) to follow His
example in this particular, to spare no time nor pains in the i
reformation of sinners, though it be never so irksome and
diflicult to accomplish ; even though I should meet with such
[Ps.50.17.] as the Prophet David speaks of, " who hate to be reformed,
and cast my words behind them." And, therefore, as I
know it is my duty, so I shall always endeavour to take
pleasure in the several offices I perform of this kind, " to
Resolutions.
Ill
strengthen the weak, heal the wounded, and bind up the
broken heart ; " to call in those that err and go astray, and
11 1 1 1 „ [Lul
to seek and save those that are lost. lo.]
To these ends, though preaching is, without doubt, a
most excellent and useful, as well as necessary duty,
(especially if it be performed as it ought, with zeal and
reverence, and the doctrine applied and pressed home with
sincerity of affection,) yet I shall not think it sufficient to
instruct my people only from the pulpit, but take all oppor-
tunities to instil good thoughts and principles into their
minds in my private conversation. I know it is impossible
for all ministers frecpiently to visit every particular person
or family in their parish, there being in some parishes, espe-
cially in and about London, so many thousands of souls.
But, howsoever, if it should please the Lord to call me to
such a flock, though I cannot visit all, I shall visit as many
as I can; especially those that are sick and infirm, and be
sure to feed them " with the sincere milk of the word," such
as may turn to their spiritual nourishment, and make them
" grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ." I will not fill their heads Avith specu-
lative notions and niceties in divinity (which, among the less
judicious, are very often the occasion of heresy and error,
and sometimes also of delusion and distraction). But my
chief care shall be to instruct them in those necessary truths
which their Christian faith indispensably obliges them to
know and believe, and press them to the performance of
those duties, without which they cannot be saved ; meekly
and impartially reproving the particular vices they are most
inclined and addicted to, and cheerfully encouraging and
improving whatever virtuous actions they are any of them
exemplary in, and whatever good habits or inclinations the
Divine grace has put into their hearts. And since love and
charity is the great characteristic of our profession, the bond
and cement of all other Christian duties, in order to make
my ministry the more successful, I resolve, in the last place,
not only to avoid all differences and disputes with them
myself, but amicably to compose all such as may arise among
the neighbours. In a word, I shall make it my endeavour
in all things so to approve myself as a faithful minister,
278
Private Thoughts on Religion.
both in life and doctrine, before them, that at the Last Day,
when the great God shall call for my parish and myself to
appear before Him, I may be fitly prepared to give an ac-
count of both ; at least to answer for as many of them as
He requires; and may with joy and comfort pronounce this
sentence of my Saviour, if it may without offence be applied
to His ministers, " Behold I and the children which Thou
hast given me."
Resolution VI.
/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as faithful and con-
stant to my friend, as I would have my friend to be faith-
ful and constant to me.
Having before resolved to be zealous in loving God, I
here resolve to be as constant in loving my friend. But why
do I thus resolve upon this? Is it possible to live and not
to love ? This to me seems as plain a contradiction as to live
and not to live. For love, in my opinion, is as much the
life of the soul, as the soul is the life of the body. So that
for my own part I shall expect to cease to live at the very
moment that I cease to love ; nay, I do not look upon love
only as my life, but as the joy and comfort of it too. And,
for this reason, I shall never envy any man his riches, plea-
sures, or preferments, provided that I can but enjoy the per-
sons my soul delights in, viz. Christ in the first place, and
my friend and neighbour in the second : but then must have
a great care where, and how, I place this affection ; for if I
place it wrong, my very loving will be sinning. And, there-
foi*e, I shall always endeavour to make such only my friends
as are friends to God. Not that I look upon it as necessaiy
to love my friends always under that notion only, as they are
friends of God ; for then no love but that which is spiritual
would be lawful ; whereas there is, doubtless, a natural love,
that is no less a duty, and, by consequence, no less lawful
than the other ; as the love of parents towards their children,
and children towards their jDareuts ; and the mutual com-
placency that arises betwixt friends as well as relations, from
the harmony and agreement of humours and tempers. Thus
Resolutions.
279
our Saviour is said to have loved St. John more than any of
His other Disciples, which cannot be understood of a spi-
ritual love, for this undoubtedly was equal to all ; but being
a man subject to the like passions (though not imperfec-
tions) as we are. He placed more natural affection upon, and
might have more natural complacency in John, than in
His other Disciples. And therefore when I say I am to
make such my friends only as are friends to God, my
meaning is, that I will make none my friends but such as I
know to be good men and good Christians ; such as deserve
my love in a spiritual as well as a natural sense : and since I
may lawfully love my friend in both these senses, the one is
so far from being exclusive, that it is really perfective, of the
other. And for this reason, as the spiritual good of my
friend is always to be preferred before that which is tem-
poral, I am resolved to found the one upon the other. I
will always be ready, as oft as He stands in need either of
my advice, encouragement, or assistance, to do Him all the
kind offices I can in His worldly atfairs ; to promote His
interest, vindicate His character from secret aspersions, and
defend His person from open assaults ; to be faithful and
punctual in the performance of my promises to Him, as well
as in keeping the secrets He has intrusted me with. But
all these things are to be done with a tender regard to the
honour of God, and the duties of religion ; so that the ser-
vices T do Him in His temporal concerns, must still be con-
sistent with, and subservient to, the spiritual interest and
welfare of His immortal soul, in which I am principally
obliged to manifest my friendship towards him. If I see
him wander out of the right way, I must immediately take
care to advertise him of it, and use the best means I can to
bring him back to it ; or if I know him to be guilty of any
reigning vices, I must endeavour to convince him of the
danger and malignity of them, and importune and persuade
him to amend and forsake them. And lastly, I must be as
constant in keeping my friend, as cautious in choosing him ;
still continuing the heat of my affections towards him,
in the day of his affliction, as well as in the height of his
prosperity.
280 Private Thoughts on Religion.
These are the rules Avhereby I resolve to express niy
friendship unto others, and whereby I would have others
to express their friendship unto me.
VIII. CONCERNING MY TALENTS.
Having so solemnly devoted myself to God, according- to
the covenant He hath made with me, and the duty I owe to
Him, not only what I am, and what I do, but likewise what
I have, is still to be improved for Him. And this I am
bound to, not only upon a federal, but even a natural ac-
count; for whatsoever I have, I received from Him, and
therefore all the reason in the world, that whatsoever I have
should be improved for Him. For I look upon myself as
having no other propriety in what I enjoy, than a servant
hath in what he is intrusted with to improve for his master's
use : thus, though I should have ten thousand pounds a-year,
I should have no more of my own than if I had but two-
pence in all the world. For it is only committed to my care
for a season, to be employed and improved to the best ad-
vantage, and will be called for again at the grand audit,
when I must answer for the use or abuse of it ; so that what-
soever in a civil sense I can call my own, that, in a spi-
ritual sense, I must esteem as God's. And therefore it
nearly concerns me to 'manage all' the talents I am en-
trusted with, as things I must give a strict account for at the
Day of Judgment. As God bestows His mercies upon me,
through the greatness of His love and affection, so I am to
restore His mercies back again to Him, by the holiness of
my life and conversation. In a word, whatever I receive
from His bounty, I must some way or other lay out for His
glory, accounting nothing mine own any further than as I
improve it for God's sake, and the spiritual comfort of my
own soul.
In order to this, I shall make it my endeavour, by the
blessing of God, to put in practice the following resolutions.
Resolutions.
281
Resolution I.
/ am resolved, if possible, to redeem my time past, hy using a
double diligence for the future; to employ and improve all
the gifts and endowments, both of body and mind, to the
glory and service of my Great Creator.
Time, health, and parts, are three precious talents gene-
rally bestowed upon men, but seldom improved for God.
To go no further than myself, how much time and health
have I enjoyed, by God's grace, and how little of it have I
laid out for His honour ! On the contrary, how oft have I
offended, affronted, and provoked Him, even when He has
been courting me with His favours, and daily pouring forth
His benefits upon me ! This, alas ! is a sad truth, which,
whensoever I seriously reflect upon, I cannot but acknow-
ledge the continuance of my life as the greatest instance of
God's mercy and goodness, as well as the greatest motive to
my gratitude and obedience. In a due sense, therefore, of
the vanities and follies of my younger years, I desire to
take shame to myself for what is past, and do, this morning,
humbly prostrate myself before the Throne of Grace, to im-
plore God's pardon, and to make solemn promises and reso-
lutions for the future, to " cast off the works of darkness, [Rom. 13.
. 12.]
and to put on the armour of light;" and not only so, but
to redeem the precious minutes I have squandered away, by
husbanding those that remain to the best advantage. I will
not trifle and sin away my time in the pleasure of sense, or
the impertinences of business, but shall always employ it in
things that are necessary and useful, and proportion it to the
weight and importance of the work or business I engage
myself in ; allotting such a part of it for this business, and
such a part for that, so as to leave no intervals for unlawful
or unnecessary actions to thrust themselves in, and pollute
my life and conversation.
For since it has pleased God to favour me with the
blessing of health, and I am not certain how soon I may be
deprived of it, and thrown upon a bed of sickness, which
may deprive me of the use of my reason, or make me un-
282
Private Thoughts on Religion.
capable of any thing else but grappling with my distemper ;
it highly concerns me to make a due use of this blessing-
while I have it ; to improve these parts and gifts that God
has endowed me with, to the manifestation of His glory, the
salvation of my soul, and the public good of the community
whereof I am a member.
To these ends, it will be requisite for me frequently to
consider with myself, which way my weak parts may be the
most usefully employed, and to bend them to those studies
or actions which they are naturally the most inclined to, and
delighted in, with the utmost vigour and application ; more
particularly, in spiritual matters, to make use of all oppor-
tunities for the convincing others of God's love to them, and
their sins against God, of their misery by nature, and hap-
piness by Christ ; and when the truth of God happens to be
any ways traduced or opposed, to be as valiant in the de-
fence of it as its enemies are violent in their assaults against
it. And as I thus resolve to employ my inward gifts and
faculties for the glory and service of God, so,
Resolution II.
/ am resolved, hy the Divine grace, to employ my riches, the
outward blessings of Providence, to the same end; and to
observe such a due medium in the dispensing of them, us to
avoid, prodigality on the one hand, and covetousness on
the other.
This, without doubt, is a necessary resolution, but it is
likewise very difficult to put in practice, without a careful
observance of the following rules : — First, never to lavish
out my substance, like the prodigal, in the revels of sin and
vanity : but, after a due provision for the necessities and
conveniences of life, to lay up the overplus for the acts of
love and charity toward my indigent brethren. I must con-
sider the uses and ends for which God has intrusted me
with such and such possessions ; that they were not given
me for the pampering my body, the feeding my lusts, or
puffing me up with pride and ambition, but for advancing
His glory and my own, and the public good. But why do
Resolutions.
283
I say given, when, as I before observed, I have no pro-
priety in the riches I possess ? they are only lent nae for
a few years, to be dispensed and distributed as my great
Lord and Master sees fit to appoint ; viz. for the benefit
of the poor and necessitous, which He has made His depu-
ties, to call for and receive His money at my hands. And
this, indeed, is the best use I can put it to, for my own advan-
tage as well as theirs : for the money I bestow upon the
poor, I give to God to lay up for me, and I have His infallible
word and promise for it, that it shall be paid me again with
unlimited interest, out of His Heavenly treasure, which is
infinite, eternal, and inexhaustible. Hence it is, that when-
soever I see any fit object of charity, methinks I hear the
Most High say unto me, Give this poor brother so much of
My stock, which thou hast in thy hand, and I will place it to
thy account, as given to Myself ; and " Look what thou [ProT. 19.
layest out, and it shall be paid thee again."
The second rule is, never to spend a penny where it can
be better spared ; nor to spare it where it can be better
spent. And this will oblige me, whensoever any occasion
offers of laying out money, considerately to weigh the cir-
cumstances of it, and according as the matter, upon mature
deliberation, requires, I must not grudge to spend it: or,
if at any time I find more reason to spare, I must not dare to
spend it ; still remembering, that as I am strictly to account
for the money God has given me, so I ought neither to
be covetous in saving or hoarding it up, nor profuse in
throwing it away without a just occasion. The main thing to
be regarded, is, the end I propose to myself in my expenses,
whether it be really the glory of God, or my own carnal
humour and appetite. For instance, if I lay out my money
in clothing my body, the question must be, whether I do
this only for warmth and decency, or to gratify my pride
and vanity ? If the former, my money is better spent ; if
the latter, it is better spared than spent. Again, Do I lay it
out in eating and drinking? If this be only to satisfy the
necessities of nature, and make my life the more easy and
comfortable, it is, without doubt, very well spent; but if it
be to feed my luxury and intemperance, it is much better
spared ; better for my soul in keeping it from sin, and better
284
Private Thouylits on Religion.
for my body in preserving it from sickness. And this rule
is the more strictly to be observed, because it is as great a
fault in a servant not to lay out his master's money when he
should, as to lay it out when he should not.
In order, therefore, to avoid both these extremes, there is
a third rule to be observed, under this resolution, and that
is, to keep a particular account of all my receipts and dis-
bursements, to set down in a book every penny I receive at
the hands of the Almighty, and every penny I lay out for His
honour and service. By this means I shall be in a manner
forced both to get my money lawfully, and to lay it out
carefully ; for how can I put that amongst the money I have
received from God, which I have got by unlawfid means ?
Certainly such money I may rather account as received from
the Devil, for his use, than from God, for His. And so must
I either lay every penny out for God, or otherwise I shall
not know where to set it down ; for I must set down nothing
but what I lay out for His use ; and if it be not for His use,
with what face can I say it was ? And by this means also,
when God shall be pleased to call me to an account for what
I received from Him, I may with comfort appear before Him ;
and having improved the talents He had committed to my
charge, I may be received into His Heavenly Kingdom, with
[Matt. 25. a " AVell done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into
thy Master's joy."
Resolution III.
I am resolved, hy the grace of God, to imj)rove the authority
God gives me over others, to the suppression of vice and
the encouragement of virtue, and so for the exaltation of
God's Name on earth, and their souls iri Heaven.
That all power and authority hath its original from God,
and that one creature is not over another, but by the provi-
dence and will of Him Who is over all, and, by consequence,
that all the authority we have over men is to be improved for
1 Cor. 4.7. God, is clear, not only from that question, " Who made thee
to differ from another ? and what hast thou that thou didst
not receive?" but likewise, and that more clearly from that
Resolutions.
285
positive assertion, " The powers that be are ordained of God." Rom. 13.
That therefore I may follow my commission, I must stick
close to my present resolution, even in all the power God gives
me, to behave myself as one invested with that power from
above, to restrain vice and encourage virtue, as oft as I
have an opportunity so to do, always looking upon myself
as one commissioned by Him, and acting under Him. For
this reason I must still endeavour to exercise my authority
as if the Most High God was in my place in person as well
as power. I must not follow the dictates of my own carnal
reason, much less the humours of my own biassed passion,
but still keep to the act wliich God Himself hath made,
either in the general statute-book for all the world, the
Holy Scriptures, or in the particular laws and statutes of
the nation wherein I live. And, questionless, if I discharge
this duty as I ought, whatever sphere of authority I move
in, I am capable of doing a great deal of good, not only
by my power, but by influence and example. For common
experience teaches us, that even the inclinations and desires
of those that are eminent for their quality or station, are
more powerful than the very commands of God Himself ;
especially among persons of an inferior rank and more
servile disposition, who are apt to be more wrought upon by
the fear of present punishment or the loss of some temporal
advantage, than any thing that is future or spiritual. Hence
it is that all those whom God intrusteth with this precious
talent, have a great advantage and opportunity in their
hands for the suppressing sin, and exalting holiness in the
world : a word from their mouths against whoredom,
drunkenness, profanation of the Sabbath, or the like, yea,
their very example and silent gestures, being able to do more
than the threatenings of Almighty God, either pronounced
by Himself in His word, or by His ministers in His holy
Ordinances. This, therefore, is my resolution, that what-
soever authority the Most High God shall be pleased to
put upon me, I will look upon it as my duty, and always
make it my endeavour, to demolish the kingdom of sin and
Satan, and establish that of Christ and holiness in the hearts
of all those to whom my commission extends ; looking more
at the duty God expects from me, than at the dignity He
286
Private Thoughts on Religion.
confers upon me. In a word, I will so exercise the power
and authority God puts into my hands here, that when the
particular circuit of my life is ended, and I shall be brought
to the general assize to give an account of' this' amongst
my other talents, I may give it up with joy ; and so ex-
change my temporal authority upon earth for an eternal
crown of glory in Heaven.
Resolution IV.
/ am resolved, hy the Divine grace, to improve the affections
God stirs up in others towards me, to the stirring vp) of
their affections towards God.
If the authority I have over others, then questionless
the affection others have to me, is to be inproved for God ;
and that because the affection they bear to me in a natural
sense hath a kind of authority in me over them in a spiritual
one. And this I gather from my own experience ; for I
find none to have a greater command over me than they
that manifest the greatest affections for me. Indeed, it is a
truth generally agreed on, that a real and sincere esteem for
any person is always attended with a fear of displeasing that
person ; and where there is fear in the subject, there will
doubtless be authority in the object; because fear is the
ground of authority, as love is, or ought to be, the ground
of that fear. The greatest potentate, if not feared, will not
be obeyed ; if his subjects stand in no awe of him, he can
never strike any awe upon them. Nor will that awe have
its proper effects in curbing and restraining them from sin
and disobedience, unless it proceeds from and is joined with
iJohn4.i8. love. I know the Scripture tells me, " There is no fear in
love, but that perfect love casteth out fear." But that is to
be understood of our love to God, not to men, and that a
perfect love too, such as can only be exercised in Heaven.
There I know our love will be consummate, without mix-
ture, as well as without defect ; there will be a perfect ex-
pression of love on both sides, and so no fear of displeasure
on either. But this is a happiness which is not to be ex-
pected here on earth ; so long as we are clothed with flesh
Resolutions.
287
and blood, we shall, in one degree or otlier, be still under
the influence of our passions and affections. And therefore
as there is no person we can love upon earth but who may
sometimes see occasion to be displeased with us ; so he will
always, upon this account, be feared by us. This I look
upon as the chief occasion of one man's having so much
power and influence over another.
But how comes this under the notion of a talent received
from God, and so to be improved for Him? Why, because
it is He, and He alone, that kindles and blows up the sparks
of pure love and affection in us, and that by the breathings
of His Own Spirit. It was the Lord that gave Joseph favour
in the sight of the keeper of the prison, and that brought Gen. 39. 21.
Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the
eunuchs. And so of all others in the world : for we are told Dan. 1. 9.
elsewhere, that as "God fashioneth the hearts of men," so [Ps.33.15.]
" He turneth them which way soever He will." Insomuch [Prov. 21.
that I can never see any express their love for me, but I ^'^
must express my thankfulness to God for it : nor can I feel
in myself any warmth of affection towards others, without
considering it as a talent hid in my breast, which I am
obliged in duty to improve for Him, by stirring up their
affections unto Him, whose affections Himself hath stirred
up toward me. And this will be the more easy to effect, if
I take care,' in the first place, to express the zeal and sin-
cerity of my own love to God, by making Him the chief
object of my esteem and adoration, and manifest my aversion
to the sins they are guilty of, by representing them as most
loathsome and abominable, as well as most dangerous and
damnable. For wherever there is a true and cordial affec-
tion to any person, it is apt to bias those that are under the
influence of it, to choose the same objects for their love or
aversion that such a person does, i. e. to love what he loves,
and hate what he hates. This, therefore, is the first thing
to be done, to stir up the affections of others to love and
serve God.
Another way of my improving the affections of others to
this end, is by setting them a good example ; for commonly
what a friend doeth, be it good or bad, is pleasing to us,
because we look not at the goodness of the thing which is
288 Private Thoughts on Religion.
done, but at the loveliness of the person that doeth it. And
if the vices of a friend seem amiable, how much more will
his virtues shine ! For this reason, therefore, whensoever
I perceive any person to shew a respect for, or affection to
me, I shall always look upon it as an opportunity put into
my hands to serve and glorify my great Creator, and shall
look upon it as a call from Heaven, as much as if I heard
the Almighty say to me, ' I desire to have this person love
Me, and therefore have I made him to love thee, do thou
but set before him an example of goodness and virtue, and
his love to thy person shall induce and engage him to direct
his actions according to it.' This, therefore, is the rule that
I fully resolve to guide myself by, with relation to those who
are pleased to allow me a share in their esteem and affection,
which I hope to improve to their advantage in the end :
that as they love me, and I love them now, so we may all
love God, and God love us to all eternity.
Resolution V.
/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve every good
thought to the producing of good affections in myself and
as good actions with respect to God.
Whatsoever comes from God being a talent to be im-
proved to Him, I cannot but think good thoughts to be as
precious talents as it is possible a creature can be blessed
with. But let me esteem them as I will, I am sure my
Master will reckon them amongst the talents He intrusted
me with, and will call me to an account for, and therefore I
2 Cor. 3. 5. ought uot to neglcct them. The Scripture tells me, " I am
not sufficient of myself to think any thing as of myself, but
that my sufficiency is of God." And if I be not sufficient
to think any thing, much less am I able, of myself, to think
of that which is good ; forasmuch as to good thoughts there
must always be supposed a special concurrence of God's
Spirit, whereas to other thoughts there is only the general
concurrence of His presence. Seeing, therefore, they come
from God, how must I lay them out for Him ? Why, by
sublimating good thoughts into good affections. Does God
Resolutions.
289
vouchsafe to send down into my heart a thought of Himself?
I am to send up this thought to Him again, ia the fiery
chariot of love, desire, and joy. Doth He dart into my soul
a thought of holiness and purity ? I am to dwell and medi-
tate upon it till it hreak out into a flame of love and affec-
tion for Him. Doth He raise up in my spirit a thought of
sin, and shew me the ugliness and deformity of it ? I must
let it work its desired effect, hy making it as loathsome and
detestable as that thought represents it to be.
But good thoughts must not only be improved to produce
good affections in my heart, but likewise good actions in my
life. So that the thoughts of God should not only make me
more taken with His beauty, but more active for His glory ;
and the thoughts of sin should not only dainp my affection
to it, but likewise deter and restrain me from the commission
of it.
And thus every good thought that God puts into my
heart, instead of slipping out, as it does with some others,
without regard, will be cherished and improved, to the pro-
ducing of good actions ; these actions will entitle me to the
blessing of God, and that to the Kingdom of glory.
Resolution VI,
/ am resolved, hy the grace of God, to improve every ajffliction
God lays upon me, as an earnest or token of His affection
towards me.
Every thing that flows from God to His servants, coming
under the notion of talents, to be improved for Himself, I
am sure afflictions, as well as other mercies, must needs
be reckoned amongst those talents God is pleased to vouch-
safe. Indeed, it is a talent, without which I should be apt
to forget the improvement of all the rest; and which, if well
improved, itself will " work out for me a far more exceeding 2 Cor. 4.17.
and eternal weight of glory." It is the non-improvement
of an afiliction that makes it a curse ; whereas, if improved,
it is as great a blessing as any God is pleased to scatter
amongst the children of men. And therefore it is that God
most frequently intrusteth this precious talent with His
u
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Private Thoughts on Religion.
Amos 3. 2. own peculiar people ; " You only have I known of all the
families of the earth ; therefore will I punish you for your
iniquities." Those that God knows the best, with them will
He intrust the most ; if not of other talents, yet be sure of
this, which is so useful and necessary to bring us to the
knowledge of ourselves and our Creator, that without it we
should be apt to forget both. It is this that shews us the
folly and pride of presumption, as well as the vanity and
emptiness of all worldly enjoyments, and deters us from in-
censing and provoking Him, from Whom all our happiness,
as well as our afflictions, flow. Let, therefore, what crosses
or calamities soever befall me, I am still resolved to bear
them all, not only with a patient resignation to the Divine
will, but even to comfort and rejoice myself in them, as the
greatest blessings. For instance, am I seized with pain and
sickness ? I shall look upon it as a message from God, sent
on purpose to put me in mind of death, and to convince me
of the necessity of being always prepared for it, by a good
life, which a state of uninterrupted health is apt to make us
unmindful of. Do I sustain any losses or crosses? The
true use of these is to make me sensible of the fickleness
and inconstancy of this world's blessings, which we can no
[Prov. 23. sooner cast our eye upon but they immediately " take to
themselves wings, and fly away" from us. And so all other
afflictions God sees fit to lay upon me, may, in like manner,
be some way or other improved for my happiness.
But besides the particular improvements of particular
chastisements, the general improvement of all is the in-
creasing of my love and affection to that God who brings
these afflictions upon me. For how runs the 'mittimus,'
whereby He is pleased to send ine to the dungeon of afflic-
1 Cor. 5. 5. tions ? " Deliver such a one to Satan to be bufifeted [in
the flesh], that the spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus." By this it appears, that the furnace of afflic-
tions, which God is pleased at any time to throw rae into, is
not heated at the fire of His wrath, but at the flames of His
affection to me. The consideration whereof, as it should
more inflame my love to Him, so shall it likewise engage me
to express a greater degree of gratitude tow-ards Him, when
He singles me out, not only to suflfer from Him, but for
Resolutions.
291
Him too. For this is an honour indeed peculiar to the
saints of God, which, if He shall be pleased ever to prefer
me to, I shall look upon it as upon other afflictions, to be
improved for His glory, the good of others, and the ever-
lasting comfort of my own soul.
Thus have I reckoned up the talents God hath or may
put into my hands, to be improved for His glory. May the
same Divine Being that intrusted me with them, and in-
spired me with these good resolutions concerning them,
enable me, by His grace, to make a due use of them, and
carefully to put in practice what I have thus religiously
resolved upon.
There are some other mercies which might be set down in
the catalogue of talents, as the graces and motions of God's
Holy Spirit, and the use of His holy Ordinances, under the
ministry of the Gospel ; but these being included and insisted
on under several of the foregoing heads, will not require a
distinct consideration.
PRIVATE THOUGHTS
uroN A
CHRISTIAN LIFE;
OR,
NECESSARY DIRECTIONS
FOR ITS
BEGINNING AND PROGRESS UPON EARTH,
IN ORDER TO ITS
FINAL PERFECTION IN THE BEATIFIC VISION.
PART II.
J
PRIVATE THOUGHTS,
Sfc. 8rc.
I. THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.
If the principles of the Christian religion were well rooted
in the hearts of all mankind, what excellent fruit would they
produce ! The earth would put on another face, bearing some
resemblance to Heaven itself. Idolatry, with all sorts of
wickedness and vice, would be every where discountenanced
and suppressed ; for all would worship the one living and
true God, and Him only. There would be no more wars,
nor rumours of wars ; kingdom would not rise against
kingdom, nor nation against nation, but all princes would
be at peace with their neighbours, and their subjects at
unity among themselves, striving about nothing but which
should serve God best, and do most good in the world.
Then piety, and justice, and charity, would revive and flou-
rish again all the world over, and particularly in the Church
and kingdom to which we belong. Then the prayers would
be read twice a-day in every parish as the law requires, and
all people would heartily join together in offering them up
to the Almighty Creator of the world. Then all that are of
riper years would, at least every Lord's Day, celebrate the
memory of the death of Christ, by which their sins are
expiated, and the Most High God reconciled to them, and be-
come their God and Father ; and as all sorts of people would
thus continually worship God in His Own house, so where-
soever they are, they would do all they could to serve and
honour Him : " whether they eat or drink, or whatsoever [i Cor. lo.
they do," they would " do all to His glory." And as for ^^'^
their fellow-servants, they would all love as brethren, and
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PriiHtte Thoughts
[Matt. 7. every one seek another's good as well as their own : "What-
soever they would that men should do to them," they would
do the same to all other men. In short, all would then
[Tit. 2. 12.] " deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world," and so walk
[Matt. 7. hand in hand together in the " narrow way that leads to
everlasting life." This would be the happy state of all
mankind, if they were but well grounded in that religion
which the eternal Son of God hath planted ujjon earth.
But not to speak of other people, Ave of this nation
rarely find any such effect of this religion among ourselves.
Though it be as generally professed, and as clearly taught
among us, as ever it was in any nation, there are but few
that ai e ever the better for it ; the most being here also as
bad both in their principles and practices, as they which
live in the darkest corners of the earth, where the light of
the Gospel never yet shined. Though the kingdom in general
be Christian, there are many heathens in it, people that
[Eph 2 12] ■^^'^'"^ never christened ; many that were once christened, and
are now turned heathens again, living as " without God in
the world ; " many that would still be thought Christians,
and yet have apostatized so far as to lay aside both the
Sacraments which Christ ordained, and every thing else that
can shew them to be so : many that privily bring in damn-
able heresies, " even denying the Lord that bought them,
and so bring upon themselves swift destruction:" many that
2Pet.2.i-.3. follow their pernicious ways, "by reason of whom the way
of truth is evil-spoken of, and through covetousness, with
feigned words, make merchandise of men," as St. Peter
2Tim. 4. 3. foretold. " Many who will not endure sound doctrine, but
after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears ;" and so fulfil the prophecy of St. Paul. And
of those who still continue in the communion of the Church,
and in the outward profession of the true Christian faith,
Tit. 1.16. "There are many, who, although they profess to know God,
yet in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobe-
dient, and unto every good work reprobate." Many did I
say? I wish I could not say almost all; but alas! it is too
plain to be denied.
For, of that vast company of people that are called
upon Christian Education.
297
Christians in this kingdom, how few are there that live as
becometh the Gospel of Christ — that finish the work that
God has given them to do, even glorify Him in the world !
How many that refuse or neglect to worship and serve Him
upon His Own day ! How few that do it upon any other
day, when they have any thing else to do ! How many that
never received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in their
whole lives ! How few that receive it above two or three
times in the year, how often soever they are invited to it !
How many are the proud, the passionate, the covetous, the
intemperate, the incontinent, the unjust, the profane and
impious, in comparison of the humble, and meek, and
liberal, and sober, and modest, and righteous, and holy
among us ! The disproportion is so vastly great, that none
but God Himself can make the comparison ; so little of
Christianity is now to be found amongst Christians them-
selves : to our shame be it spoken.
It is indeed a matter of so much shame as well ds grief,
to all that have any regard for the honour of Christ their
Saviour, that they cannot but be very solicitous to know
how it comes to pass that His doctrine and precepts are so
generally slighted and neglected as they are in our days? and
how they may be observed better for the future than now
they are? — both which questions may be easily resolved;
for we cannot wonder that of the many which profess the
Christian religion, there are so few that live up to it, when
we consider how few are duly instructed in the first prin-
ciples of it.
The religion which Christ hath revealed to the world, is,
by His grace and blessing, settled and established among us,
so as to be made the religion of the kingdom in general ;
and therefore, all that are born in it are, or ought to be,
according to His order or institution, soon after baptized,
and so made His Disciples or Christians by profession. And
the Church takes security of those who thus bring a child to
be baptized, that when it comes to be capable of it, it shall
be instructed in the Catechism which she for that purpose
hath set forth, containing all the principles of that religion
into which it was baptized. But, notwithstanding, this hath
been neglected for many years, whereby it is come to pass
that the far greatest part of the people in this kingdom
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Private Thoughts
know little or nothing of the religion they profess, but only
do profess it as the religion of the country where they live.
They may, perhaps, be very zealous for it, as all people are
for the religion in which they are born and bred, but take
no care to frame their lives according to it, because they
were never rightly informed about it ; or, at least not soon
enough, before error or sin hath got possession of them,
■which one or other of them commonly doth before they are
Eph. 4. 14. aware of it ; for they are always " as children tossed to and
fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive." And whatsoever sin gets dominion over
them, there it reigns and domineers in their mortal bodies,
so that they obey it in the lusts thereof, in sjjite of all that
can be said to them out of God's Own Word ; for they are
no way edified by any thing they hear, in that the foundation
is not first laid, upon which they should build up themselves
in that most holy faith that is preached to them. The wo.'-d
[Matt. 13. they hear is a " seed that falls by the way-side," or " upon a
rock," or else " among thorns," and so never comes to per-
fection ; their hearts not being prepared beforehand and
rightly disposed for it, by having the principles of the doc-
trine of Christ first infused into them.
This, therefore, being the great cause of that shameful
decay of the Christian religion that is so visible among ns,
we can never expect to see it repaired, unless the great duty
of catechising be revived, and the laws that are made about
it be strictly observed all the kingdom over : as most cer-
tainly they ought to be ; not only as they are the laws both
of the Church and state under which we live, but likewise
for that they are grounded upon the Word of God Himself,
Who expressly commands the same thing by His Apostle,
[Eph. 6. 4.] saying, " Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
For here by ' nurture,' we are to understand, as the Greek
word cra/Ss/a signifies, that discipline wdiich parents ought to
exercise over their children, to prevent their falling into, or
continuing in any wicked course. And by the ' admonition
of the Lord,' is meant the catechising, or putting them in
mind of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of what He would have
them believe and do that they may be saved. For the
upon Christian Education.
299
original word, wJ^iaia, which we translate ' admonition,' pro-
perly signifies 'catechising' (xaT/);>//^E/v- vo\j?ttTiT\i, Hesych.) ; and
therefore to catechise or instruct children in the knowledge
of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, is a duty here laid upon
all parents by Almighty God Himself; and all that neglect
to educate or bring up their children in the admonition of
the Lord by catechising or teaching them the principles of
His religion, they all live in the breach of a plain law, a law
made by the Supreme LaAvgiver of the world, and must ac-
cordingly answer for it at the Last Day.
Wherefore all that are sensible of the great account which
they must give of all their actions, at that time, to the
Judge of the whole world, cannot but make as much con-
science of this as of any duty whatsoever, so as to use the
utmost of their care and diligence, that their children may
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, and so be wise unto Salvation. Neither
is this any hard matter for those to do, who live in the com-
munion of the Church, having such a Catechism or summary
of the Christian religion drawn up to their hands, which is
easy both for parents to teach, and for children to learn ;
and yet so full and comprehensive, that it contains all things
necessary for any man to know in order to his being
saved. As you may clearly see if you do but cast your
eye upon the method and contents of it ; which may be all
reduced to these five heads, the ' Baptismal Vow, the Apos^
ties' Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer,
and the Doctrine of the Sacraments ordained by our Lord
Christ.'
It begins where a child begins to be a Christian, and
therefore hath a Christian name given him, even at his
Baptism, ' wherein he was made a member of Christ, a child
of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.'
Which great privileges belong to all that are baptized, and
to none else ; none else being in the number of Christ's
Disciples : for our Lord Christ, a little before His ascension
into Heaven, left orders with His Apostles, and in them with
all that should succeed in the Ministry of the Church to the
end of the world, to make all nations His Disciples, by bap-
tizing them " in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Matt.28.19,
300
Private Thoughts
Ghost," as the original words plainly import. And there-
fore, as people of all nations are capable of being made His
Disciples, so none now are, or ever can be made so any other
way, than by being baptized according to His order. But
they who are not thus made His Disciples by being " bap-
tized unto him," are not the members of Christ ; and if they
be not the members of Christ, they cannot be the children
of God, nor have any right to the Kingdom of Heaven,
that being promised only to such as believe and are bap-
Mark 16.16. tized. And our Saviour Himself elsewhere also saith,
John 3. 5. " That except a man be born again of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."
Whereby we may perceive the great necessity of this Sa-
crament, vrhere it may be had, as our Church observes, in
her office for the ministration of it, to such as are of riper
years.
It is to be further observed, that when our Saviour or-
dained Baptism to be the way or means of admitting persons
into His Church, or the congregation of His Disciples, lest
we should think, as some have done, that He meant it only of
those who are of riper years. He used the most general terms
that could be invented, requiring that all nations should be
baptized ; and if all nations, then children also, which are a
great, if not the greatest part of every nation. And accord-
ingly His Church hath always bajjtized children as well as
adult 2jersons : when any who were come to years of discre-
tion, were willing and desirous to become Christ's Disciples,
that they might learn of Him tlie way to Heaven, they were
made so by being baptized ; and if they had children, they
were also baptized at the same time with their parents ; and
so were the children which were afterwards born to them ;
they also were baptized soon after they were born. And
that it is our Saviour's pleasure that children also should be
brought into His Church, appears likewise in that when His
Disciples rebuked those who brought children to Him, He
Mark 10.14. was much displeased, and said unto them, " Suffer the little
children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such
is the Kingdom of God."
But seeing they who are thus baptized according to the
institution of Christ are thereby made His Disciples, and in
upon Christian Education.
301
Him the children of God, it is necessary they should then
promise to believe and live from that time forward, accord-
ing as He hath commanded ; which jiromise, therefore, all
that are grown up always use to make every one in His Own
Person, and for that purpose were and ought to be cate-
chized beforehand, and put in mind of what they were to
promise when they were baptized ; and therefore were called
'Catechumens.' But children not being capable of making
any such promise themselves in their own persons, they
were always admitted and required to do it by their guar-
dians, that is, by their godfathers and godmothers, which
brought and offered them to be baptized ; and are, therefore,
obliged to take care that they be afterwards catechized or
instructed in the principles of that religion into which they
were admitted, and put in mind of the promise which they
then made of framing their lives according to it.
This promise, therefore, which children make at their
Baptism by their sureties, and which is implied in the very
nature of the Sacrament, whether they have any sureties or
no, consists of three general heads :
First, " That they will renounce the Devil, and all his
works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all
the sinful lusts of the flesl ."
Secondly, " That they will believe all the articles of the
Christian faith."
Thirdly, " That they will keep God's holy will and Com-
mandments, and walk in the same all the days of their
life."
Which three things, under which the whole substance of
the Christian religion is contained, being all promised by
children when they are baptized into it, it is absolutely ne-
cessary that they be afterwards put in mind, so soon as they
are capable, of the promise which they then made, and of
the obligation which lies upon them to perform it : for
otherwise it can never be expected that they should either
do, or so much as know it ; whereas by instructing them in
this, the first part of the Catechism, we prepare and dispose
them for the understanding all the rest.
Particularly the Apostles' Creed, which is next taught
them, containing all those articles of the Christian faith,
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which they promised to believe, and nothing else ; nothing-
hut what is grounded upon plain texts of Scripture, and
hath been always believed by the whole Catholic Church in
all ages and places all the world over. Here are none of
those private opinions and controverted points which have
so long disturbed the Church, and serve only to perplex
men's minds, and take them off from the more substantial
and necessary duties of religion, as we have found by woeful
experience ; which our Church hath taken all possible care
to prevent, by inserting no other articles of faith into the
Catechism which her members are to learn, than what are
contained in this Creed received and approved of by the
whole Christian world ; and then acquainting them what
they chiefly learn in it, even to " believe in God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost," in Whose Name
they were christened, and therefore must continue in this
faith, or cease to be Christians.
The other thing which they who are bajitized promise,
is, " that they will keep God's Commandments," which,
therefore, are next taught in the Catechism, without any
mixture of human inventions or constitutions ; those Ten
Commandments, which the Supreme Lawgiver Himself
proclaimed upon Mount Sinai, and afterwards wrote with
His Own finger upon two tables of stone. These they are
all bound to learn, because they are bound to keep them all,
as they will answer it at the Last Day, when all mankind
shall be judged by them.
But no man can keep these Commandments without
God's special grace, which we have no ground to expect
without praying to Him for it. And, therefore, children are
in the next place taught how to pray according to that form
which Christ Himself composed, and commanded us to say,
Luke 11.2. whensoever we pray. And as he who believes all that is in
the Apostles' Creed, believes all that he need believe, and
he that keeps all the Ten Commandments doeth all that he
need to do ; so he that prays this prayer aright, prays for all
things which he can have need of: so that in this short
Catechism, which children of five years old may learn, they
are taught all that is needful for them, either to believe, or
do, or pray for.
upon Christian Education.
303
The last part of the Catechism is concerning the two
Sacraments which Christ hath ordained in His Church, as
' generally necessary to salvation ; that is to say, Baptism
and the Lord's Supper :' both which our Church hath there
explained with such extraordinary prudence and caution, as
to take in all that is necessary to be known of either of them,
without touching upon any of the disputes that hare been
raised about them, to the great prejudice of the Christian
religion.
Seeing, therefore, this Catechism is so full, that it con-
tains all that any man needs to know, and yet so short
that a child may learn it, I do not see how parents can
bring up their children in the " nurture and admonition of [Eph.6.4.]
the Lord," better than by instructing them in it. I do not
say by teaching them only to say it by rote, but by instructing
them in it, so that they may understand, as soon and as far
as they are capable, the true sense and meaning of all the
words and phrases in every part of it : for which purpose it
will be necessary to observe these rules : —
First, You must begin betime, before your children have
got any ill habits, which may be easily prevented, but are
not so easily cured. When children are baptized, being
"born again of water and of the Spirit," as the guilt of their [Johns. 5.]
original sin is washed away in the " laver of regeneration,"
so that it will never be imputed to them, unless it break forth
afterwards in actual transgressions ; so they receive also the
Spirit of God to prevent all such eruptions, by enabling them
to resist the " temptations of the world, the flesh, and the
devil," to believe and serve God according as they then
promised ; so far at least, that " sin shall not have dominion Rom. 6. 12,
over them, that they should obey it in the lusts thereof,
seeing now they are not under the Law, but under the grace
of Christ." But that the seeds of grace which were then
sown in their hearts may not be lost, or stifled, but grow up
to perfection, great care must be taken that they may be
taught so soon as they are capable to discern between good
and evil, to avoid the evil and do the good, and to believe
and live as they promised, when they were endued with
grace to do it. " Hast thou children?" saith the son ofEccius. 7.
Sirach, " instruct them, and bow down their neck from their
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youth." Give thy son no liberty in his youth, and wink not
Eccius. 30. at his follies. " Bow down his neck while he is young, and
beat him on the sides while he is a child; lest he wax
stubborn, and be disobedient unto thee, and so bring sorrow
ch. 6. 18. to thine heart." Whereas " he that gathereth instruction
from his youth, shall find wisdom till his old age." Ac-
Prov 22 6 cording to that of the wise man, " Train up a child in the
way that he should go, and when he is old he will not de-
2 Tim 3 15 P^''* from it," " as Timotliy from a child" had known the
" Holy Scriptures." And that was the reason that he was so
expert in them when he became a man : which, therefore,
that your children may also be, the first thing they learn
must be their Catechism, where they are taught all the great
truths and duties that are revealed in the Holy Scriptures
as necessary to salvation.
But how can such parents do this, that cannot read nor
say the Catechism themselves ? This, I fear, is the case of
too many among us. There are many who, having not been
taught to read when they were young, neglect or scorn to
learn it afterwards, and so lose all the benefit and comfort
which they might receive by reading the Holy Scriptures :
but this, I confess, is not so necessary, especially in our
Church, where the Holy Scriptures are so constantly read in
public, that if people would as constantly come and hearken
to them, they might be wise unto salvation, although they
cannot read; as few heretofore could, at least in the primitive
times, when notwithstanding they attained to the knowledge
of God, and of their duty to Him, as well as if they had been
the greatest scholars in the world. But then considering
that they could not read, they supplied that defect by
attending more diligently to what they heard out of God's
Holy Word, and laying it up in their hearts, so that they
understood all the principles of the Christian religion, and
were able to instruct their children in the same as well as if
they could read. But this is not our case : for now there
are many who can neither read nor so much as say the
Catechism, having never learned it themselves, and therefore
cannot possibly teach it their children. Such as the Apostle
Heb. 5. 12. s^ieaks of, who " when, for the time, they ought to be
teachers," they " have need that one teach them again.
upon Christian Education.
305
which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong- meat."
And what must such do ? They certainly, as they tender
their own good must be doubly diligent in the use of all
means that may tend to their edification and instruction ;
and as they desire the good of their children, they must
send them to school, or provide some other person to teach
them ; which if the parents neglect to do, the godfathers
and godmothers of every child should put them in mind of
it, and see that the child be taught, so soon as he is able to
learn, what a solemn vow, promise, and profession, he made
by them at his baptism. And that he may know these
things the better, they must call upon him to hear sermons ;
and chiefly they must provide that he may learn the Creed,
the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, in the
vulgar tongue, and all other things which a Christian ought
to know and believe to his soul's health, as they are con-
tained in the Church Catechisnti, and then to bring them to
the bishop to be confirmed by him.
But for that purpose, when children have been taught the
Catechism, they must be sent to the minister or curate of the
parish where they live, that he may examine and instruct
them in it : examine them whether they can say it, and in-
struct them so as to make them understand it. For though
the words be all as plain as they can well be made, yet the
things signified by those words are many of them so high,
that it cannot be expected that children should reach and
apprehend them without help, which therefore they must go
to their minister for, whose duty and office it is to acquaint
them with the full sense and meaning of every word, what is
signified by it, and what ground they have to believe it is
God's Holy Word. But to do this to any purpose, requires
more time than is commonly allowed for it in our days. And
that is one great reason there are so few among us that are
built up as they ought to be " in their most holy faith."
Many refuse or neglect to send their children to be cate-
chized at all : and they who send them, send them so little,
and for so little a time, that it is morally impossible they
should be much the better for it, as many have found by ex-
perience ; who, although in their childhood they were taught
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the Catechism, and could say it readily, yet having not been
sufficiently instructed in it, they afterwards forgot it again,
and knew no more than if they had never learned it. I wish
this be not the case of too many parents : wherefore, that
this great work may be done effectually, so as to answer its
end, as children should begin as soon as ever they are able
to learn the Catechism, and go on by degrees till they can
say it perfectly by heart ; so when they can do that, they are
still to continue to be instructed in it all along, till they
understand it all so well as to be fit to receive the Sacrament
of the Lord's Supper, which usually may be about sixteen or
seventeen years of age, more or less, according to their
several capacities. By this means, as they grow in years,
2Pet. 3. 18. they would grow also in grace, and " in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." This likewise would
be a great encouragement to the minister to take pains with
them, when they are such as can understand what he saith to
them, and will continue under his care and conduct until
they are settled and grounded in the faith, and have their
senses exercised to discern between "good and evil;" and
so shall be every way qualified to serve God, and do their
duty to Him, " in that state of life to which He shall be
pleased" afterwards " to call them" upon earth, and then to
go to Heaven.
If this could once be brought about throughout the king-
dom, that all children that are born and bred up in it,,
were thus fully instructed in the knowledge of Christ, and of
that religion which He hath revealed to the world, till they
are fit for the Holy Communion, and ready to engage in the
aff'airs of the world, the next generation would be much
better than this, and Christianity would then begin to flourish
again, and appear in its native beauty and lustre. And
verily, whatsoever some may think, such especially as were
never catechized themselves, this is as great and necessary a
duty as any that is required in all the Bible. For God Him-
self by His Apostle expressly commands all parents to bring
LEph.6.4.] up their children in the "nurture and admonition of the
Lord ;" that is, as I have shewed, to catechize or instruct
them in the principles of the doctrine of our Lord Christ.
And therefore they who do it not, live in the breach of a
upon Christian Education.
307
known law, yea, of many laws ; there being many places in
God's Holy Word, where the same thing is commanded, in
other terms, by Almighty God Himself, saying, " These Deut. 6. 7.
words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart,
and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children." And
again, " Therefore shall ye lay up these words in your heart, ch. u. is,
and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand,
that they may be as frontlets between your eyes ; and ye shall
teach them your children." This is that which He com-
mands also by the wise man, " Train up a child in the way Prov. 22. 6.
he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from
it." The word in the original which we translate ' train up,'
signifies also to dedicate or devote a child to the service of
God, by instructing him how to do it, and exercising him
continually in it ; and therefore, in the margin of our
Bibles, it is translated 'catechize a child;' so that we have
here both the necessity and usefulness of this duty : the
necessity, in that it is commanded to ' train up,' or catechize
a child in the ways of God ; and the usefulness, in that what
a child is thus taught, will remain with him all his life long.
Seeing, therefore, that God hath laid so strict a command
upon all parents, to bring up their children in the knowledge
of Himself, and of their duty to Him, they can expect no
other, but that He should take particular notice whether
they do it or not, and reward or punish them accordingly.
As we see in Abraham, what a special kindness had God for
him on this account. " Shall I hide from him," saith the
Lord, " that thing which I do : seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations
upon earth shall be blessed in him ?" But why had He such
an extraordinary favour for Abraham above all other men ?
God Himself gives us the reason of it, saying, " For I know Gen. is. 19.
that he will command his children and his household after
him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord." This was
the reason that Abraham was so much in favour, that he was
called the " friend of God." James2. 23.
And how much God is displeased with parents neglecting
to bring up their children in His true faith and fear, and
suffering them to grow up and go on in a course of vice and
profaneness, appears sufficiently from that severe judgment
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which he inflicted upon Eli and his whole house for it, saying
1 Sam. 3. 13, to Samuel, " For I have told him, even Eli, that I will judge
his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth,
because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained
them not. And therefore I have sworn to the house of
Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with
sacrifice nor ottering for ever." The execution of which
dreadful judgment is left upon record in the Holy Scrip-
tures, as a standing monument and caution to all parents,
to take heed how they educate their children.
Be sure the Saints of God in all ages have taken as much
care to bring up their children well, as to live well them-
selves ; making as much conscience of this, as of any duty
whatsoever which they owe to God : that the children which
lie hath given them, may answer His end in giving them ;
that they may not be insignificant ciphers in the world, or
as " fruitless trees," that serve only to cumber the ground ;
but that they may serve and glorify God whilst they are
[Col. 1.12.] upon earth, so as to be " meet to be partakers of the inheri-
tance of the Saints in light."
And verily all parents would make this their continual
care and study, if they minded either their own or their
children's good. Many complain, not without cause, that
their children are disobedient and undutiful to them; but
the cause is chiefly in themselves. When they have neglected
their duty to their children, how can they expect their
children should perform their duty to them? They were
never taught it, how then can they do it ? If, therefore, they
prove stubborn and obstinate, if they give themselves up to
all manner of vice and wickedness ; if instead of a comfort
they be a grief and trouble to their parents, their parents
must blame themselves for it : and when they come to reflect
upon it, their sin in neglecting their duty to God and their
children in their education, will be a greater trouble to them
than any their children can give them. Whereas when
parents bring up their ciiildren in the "nurture and admo-
nition of the Lord," if their children notwithstanding happen
to miscarry after \^•ards, they have this to comfort them, that
they did their duty, and have nothing to answer for ujioa
that account.
vjwyi Christian Education.
309
But what a mighty advantage would it be to the children
themselves to be thus continually put in mind of their bap-
tismal vow, the articles of our faith, the duties of religion,
and what else is contained in the Catechism, from their
childhood all along till they come to be men or women !
Their minds would be then filled with such Divine truths,
and M'ith so great a sense of their duty, that there would be
no room left for heresy or sin to enter, at least not so as to
get possession, and exercise any dominion there. The first
impressions that are made upon us are not soon worn out,
but usually remain as long as we live : as the wise man
observes, " Train up a child in the way he should go, and Prov. 22. 6.
when he is old he will not depart from it." When one hath
been all along from his childhood brought up in the know-
ledge of God and His Holy Will, it will stick by him so as to
be a constant check upon him, to keep him within the com-
pass of his duty in all ordinary cases ; and if any thing extra-
ordinary happen to draw him aside, it will make him restless
and uneasy till he hath recovered himself, and got into the
right way again ; and so it will either keep him innocent, or
make him penitent. In short, by the blessing of God
attending, as it usually doth, this great duty when it is con-
scientiously performed, it is the best means that parents can
use, whereby to breed up their children for Heaven, to
make them fellow- citizens v/ith the Saints and of the house-
hold of God, both in this world and for ever.
Wherefore, if we have any regard either to our own or to
our children's eternal welfare, let us set upon this duty in
good earnest ; let us bring up our children so long in the
" nurture and admonition of the Lord," till they fully know
Him, and all that He would have them believe and do, that
they may be saved. But we must be sure to teach them by
our example as well as instructions ; we must not tell them
one thing, and do another ourselves ; but shew them how to
keep the faith and laws of God, by keeping them ourselves
before their eyes, all the while we live together upon earth :
that when we are all got, one after another, out of this trou-
blesome and naughty world, we and our children may at
last meet together in Heaven, and there praise and glorify
Alcaighty God, we for them, and they for us, and all for His
grace and truth in Jesus Christ our Lord.
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After this general instruction in the principles of our holy
religion, it will be necessary, as soon as our young Christian
is capable of it, to inform him more particularly in the
nature of God, and the great mystery of the Trinity, into
which we are all baptized, which therefore shall be my next
subject.
II. THOUGHTS UPON THE KNOWLEDGE OF
GOD.
Though religion in general be a thing that all men natu-
rally agree in, yet there is nothing, I think, that men differ
so much about, as about the particular acts and exercise of
it : for all nations in the world have some religion ; but there
are scarce two amongst them all that have the same, yea, in
one and the same nation too there are divers modes of reli-
gion professed and practised. No nation or country in the
world but will afford us instances of this ; and our own, I
think, as many as any other whatsoever. For could we but
cast our eyes into the several corners of this land, at this
very moment, what variety might we observe in those acts
which the several parties amongst us account to be reli-
gious ! Some we should see sitting silently for a while toge-
ther, without either speaking or hearing a word spoken,
until at length up starts a man or a woman, or some such
thing, and entertains them with a discourse made up of
censures and malice, blasphemy and nonsense ; and this is
all the religion they pretend to. Others we should find
crowded together in several corners, sometimes praying,
sometimes discoursing as it were, sometimes arguing the
case -with Almighty God, and acquainting Him with what
happens in the world, and that with as much confidence and
malapertness, as if He was their fellow-creature ; and then
very gravely walk home and please themselves with a vain
conceit that they are more religious tlian their neighbours.
Another sort of people there are amongst us, who are super-
stitious as the former were slovenly and irreverent in their
devotions : for these having been sprinkled with a little holy
water, and performed their obeisance to a crucifix or pic-
upon the Knowledge of God.
311
ture, presently fall a-pattering over Ave IVIarias and Pater
Nosters to themselves, as fast as they can ; whilst the priest
in the meanwhile says something too, but the people gene-
rally do not know what it is, nor indeed what themselves
say, it being all in an unknown tongue. But, howsoever,
though they know not what they say, they think that God
doth, and therefore satisfy themselves that they have said
something, though they know not what, and think that God
is well pleased with what they have done, because them-
selves are so.
Others there are, and, by the blessing of God, far more
than all the rest in this nation, who present themselves
before the Great Creator and Possessor of the world, in
that solemn and reverent manner as the constitutions of
our Church direct, humbly confessing their manifold sins
against God, begging mercy and pardon from Him, im-
ploring His favour, and praising His Name for all the
expressions of His undeserved love to mankind : and all this
in our vulgar tongue, that we all understand, and so perform
a reasonable service unto God.
And verily, if we consider the institution itself of that
religious worship which we thus perform, it is certainly the
best that ever was prescribed by any Church, as being most
consonant to the general rules of devotion laid down in
Scripture, as also most conformable to the discipline and
practice of the primitive Church. But we must not think
that we serve God aright, because we be present with them
that do so. I do not doubt but that there are many amongst
us who sincerely endeavour to worship God, whensoever
they present themselves before Him in public ; I wish that
all of us would do so. But we must still remember, that
we should serve the Lord elsewhere as well as at church,
and on all other days as well as upon the Lord's Day : and
that if we would be truly religious, our whole man must be
devoted to the service of God, yea, and our whole time too.
We must not think that it is enough to do something, but
we must do all things that are required of us; which, not-
withstanding, we can never do, unless we know both that
God Whom we ought to serve, and that service which we
ought to perform unto Him. And therefore David directs
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his son to the right and only way to true religion, saying,
iChron.28. " And thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy
father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing
mind :" which words, did we apply them to ourselves, would,
by the blessing of God, put us upon sincere endeavours after
real and universal obedience to all the commands of God,
and persuade us not to content ourselves with vain pretences
to, and professions of religion, as most do ; but strive to live
up unto our profession, and carry and behave ourselves so as
becometh those who desire to be religious, and to serve God
in good earnest : which that we may do, let us observe the
rule and method which David here prescribes to his son ;
first, to know God, and then to serve Him with a perfect
heart and a willing mind.
I shall not trouble the reader with any critical division
of the words, for they naturally divide themselves into two
])arts; first, that we should know, and then that we should
" serve God with a perfect heart and with a willing mind."
I. I shall begin with the first, not only because it is first
])laced, but because it necessarily must precede the second;
it being impossible for us to serve God aright unless we
know Him : for without this, all our services will be but like
[Acts 17. the altar which the Athenians dedicated " to the unknown
^^'^ God :" by which inscription they manifested to the world,
that they knew that they ought to serve some God, but that
they knew not that God Whom they ought to serve. But
that we may so know Him as to seiwe Him aright, I shall
first shew what it is of God which we must know in order to
our serving Him aright.
1. Therefore he that would serve God aright, must
(].) Believe and know that "He is ;" that is, that there is
Heb. 11. 6. g^jgjj ^ supreme and all-glorious Being in and over the world
that we call God, that made, preserves, governs, and dis-
poses of every thing in the world, as seemeth best to Him ;
and that it is not only probable that there is such a One ;
but that it is the most certain and necessary truth in the
world : without which there would be no such thing as
truth or certainty. For, indeed, if God was not, nothing
could be. He alone being the basis and foundation of all
being in the world, yea, and of all motion too. And there-
upon the Knowledge of God.
313
fore, " every thing that lives, every thing that moves," nay, AcU 17. 28.
" every thing that is," argues God to be ; which therefore
is the first great truth upon which all the rest depend ;
without which nothing would be true, much less would our
services be so : so that the first thing to be done in order to
our serving God, is to " know and believe that He is," and
that He ought to be served and adored by us.
(2.) Secondly, It is necessary to know His essence too, as
well as His existence ; what, as well as that He is ; what He
is in Himself, and what He is to us: that in Himself He is
what He is, in and of Himself, the source of all Avisdom, the
abyss of all power, the ocean of all goodness, the fountain
of all happiness, the principle of all motion, and the centre,
yea, perfection of all perfections in the world ; whose nature
or essence is so pure, so glorious, so immense, so infinite,
so eternal, so every way perfect, transcendent, and incom-
prehensible, that the more we think of Him, the more we
contemplate upon Him, the more we praise and admire
Him, the more we may. And the highest apprehensions
that we can have of Him, is still to apprehend Him infi-
nitely higher than all our apprehensions of Him. And
therefore, that man best knows God, that knows Him to be
beyond His knowledge, and that knows he can never know
Him enougii.
But we must know too what He is to us, even the Author
and Giver of every good thing we have, and Who in Him-
self is whatsoever we can desire to make us happy ; and
therefore it is, that in the covenant of grace, when He would
assure us that we shall have all things that we can enjoy,
He only promises to be " our God," which is as much as we Heb. 8. 10.
can desire, and indeed as Himself can promise ; for in pro-
mising Himself, He hath promised whatsoever He is, what-
soever He hath, whatsoever He doetli, nay, whatsoever
He can do, as God. And thus are we to look upon God as
the only object of all true happiness, and the only centre
wherein all the desires and inclinations of our souls can rest.
(3.) Tldrdly, It is necessary also to know the several
attributes and perfections which He hath revealed of Him-
self in Scripture ; that He is so wise as to know whatsoever
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Private Thouyhts
can be known ; so powerful as to do whatsoever can be
done; so great and glorious in Himself, that we have all
just cause to fear Hiua ; so kind and gracious in His Son,
that it is our duty also to trust in Him ; so true, that what-
soever He says is true, because He saith it; so good, that
whatsoever He doeth is good, because He doeth it; so just
as to punish every sin that is committed, and yet so merciful
as to pardon every sinner that repenteth ; that He is pure
without mixture, infinite without bounds, eternal without
beginning, everlasting without end, and every way perfect
without comparison.
(4.) Fourthly, We must know also the works of God,
what He hath done, wherein He hath manifested Himself to
us. But what hath God done? Or rather what hath He
not done? It was He that raised this stately fabric of the
world we live in out of the womb of nothing. It was He
that extracted light out of darkness, beauty and perfection
out of a confused chaos. It was He that bedecked the
glorious canopy of Heaven with those glittering spangles,
the stars. It was He that commanded the sun to run its
course by day, and the moon to ride her circuit by night
about the world, to shew the inhabitants thereof the glory
of their all-glorious Maker. It was He that hung the earth
upon nothing, and spread upon the surface of it a curious
carpet, embroidered with all manner, not of painted, but
real flowers, and plants, and trees. It was He that at first
produced all things out of nothing, and it is He that still
preserves all things in their being. It is He that orders
the affairs of kingdoms, manages the intrigues of state,
directs the events of wars, and disposes of every particular
person as Himself sees good. In a word, whatsoever was
[Exod. 20. ever made in " Heaven above or on earth beneath," it was
^'-^ He that made it; and whatsoever is still done in " Heaven
above or on earth beneath," it is He that doeth it ; so that
nothing ever was, or is, or ever will be, or can be done, but
what is done by Him, as the first and universal cause of all
things.
(5.) Fifthly, It is necessary also to know, so as to believe,
that though there is but One God, yet there are Three Per-
upon the Knowledge of God.
315
sons, all and every One of Which is that One God. I do
not say it is necessary to understand or comprehend this
mystery, for that we cannot do ; but we are not therefore
the less to believe it, because we cannot understand it : for
there are many things in Divinity, yea, many things in
natural philosophy, and in geometry itself, which we cannot
understand, and yet for all that both know and believe them
to be true. But how much more cause have we to believe
this, which God Himself hath asserted of Himself? nay, and
besides that, we have the same obligations to serve and
honour every Person as we have to serve and honour any
One Person in the sacred Trinity ; our Saviour Himself
having expressly told us, " That all men should honour the John 5. 23.
Son, even as they honour the Father." But that we cannot
do, unless we believe the Son to be God as well as the
Father; and by consequence, unless we acknowledge this
fundamental article of our Christian faith, into which we
were all baptized.
2. Secondly, We must consider what kind of knowledge
we ought to have of God, in reference to our serving Him
aright.
For we must not think that it is enough to know in
general that there is a God, and that He is wise and power-
ful, great and glorious, true and faithful, good and gracious ;
these things a man may know in general, so as to be able to
discourse of them, and dispute for them too, and yet come
short of that knowledge which is requisite to our true
serving of God : which should be such a knowledge as will
not only swim in the brain, but sink down into the heart ;
whereby a man is possessed with a due sense of those things
he knows, so that he doth not only know, but in a manner
feel them to be so. Thus David, who, in the text, calls upon
his son to " know the God of his fathers," intimates else- [1 Chron.
where what knowledge he means ; saying, " 0 taste and see Ps. 34. 8.
that the Lord is good." Where we may observe, how He
requires our spiritual senses to be employed in our know-
ledge of God, so as to see that He is good, yea, and taste it
too ; that is, feel and experience it in ourselves ; which
though it may seem a paradox to many of us, yet there is
none of us but may find it to be a real truth, and attain unto
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it, if we be but careful and constant in our meditations upon
God, and sincere in performing our devotions to Him ; for
by these means our notions of God will be refined, our con-
ceptions cleared, and our affections, by consequence, so
moved towards Him, that we shall taste and experience in
ourselves, as well as know from others that He is good, and
that all perfections are concentred in Him.
But this practical and experimental knowledge of God
doth necessarily presuppose the other, or the general know-
ledge of Him, so as to be acquainted with the several
expressions which God in Scripture hath made use of,
whereby to reveal Himself and His perfections to us ; as
when He is pleased to call Himself the Almighty God, the
all-wise and infinite, the just and gracious God, and the
[Exod. 3. like ; or to say of Himself, " I am that I am ;" that is, in and
of Myself eternal. Unless we first know that these, and
such like expressions, belong to God, and what is the true
meaning and purport of them, it is impossible for us to
arrive at that knowledge of Him which is necessary to our
serving Him aright.
And so I come to the last thing to be considered here
concerning the knowledge of God, even that it is necessary
to our serving Him ; so that none can serve Him that does
not first know Him, and therefore that the metliod as well
as matter of David's advice is here observable : " Know
thou the God of thy fathers, and serve Him ;" or, first know
Him, and then serve Him " with a perfect heart and a will-
ing mind."
And verily, one would think that this is a truth so clear,
so evident of itself, that it needs no proof or demonstration ;
for how is it possible for us to know how to serve God,
unless we first know that God Whom we ought to serve?
for all our services unto God should be both proper to His
nature, and suitable to His perfections ; and therefore, unless
I first know His nature and perfections, how can I adjust
my services to them ? As, for example, I am to fear His
greatness, and " trust on His mercy," and rejoice in His
goodness, and desire His favour : but how can I do this,
unless I know that He is thus great and merciful, good and
favourable ?
upon the Knowledge of God.
317
Moreover, as a man cannot serve God when he hath a
mind to do it, so neither will he have a mind or heart to
serve Hira, unless he first knows Him. For the motions of
the will are always regulated by the ultimate dictates of the
practical understanding ; so that a man chooses or refuses,
loves or hates, desires or abhors, according as he knows any
object that is presented to him to be good or evil. And
therefore how can I choose God as my chiefest good, unless
I first know Him to be so ; or love Hira as I ought, above
all things ; unless I first know Him to be better than all
things ; or perform any true service to Him, unless I first
know Him to be such a one as deserves to have true service
performed unto Him ?
Nay, lastly, nothing that we do can be accepted as a ser-
vice to God, unless it be both grounded upon, and directed
by a right knowledge of Him. God would not accept of
blind sacrifices under the Law, much less will He accept of
blind services now under the Gospel ; and therefore He
expects and requires now, that whatsoever we do, either to
or for Him, be a Xoyixri Xar^ua, "a reasonable service." That Rom. 12.
our souls as well as bodies, yea, and the rational as well as
sensitive part, be employed in all the services which we jjer-
form to Him ; which certainly cannot be, unless we first
know Him ; so that there is an indispensable connexion
betwixt our knowing and serving God ; it being as impos-
sible for any man to serve Him, that doth not first know
Him, as it is to know Him aright, and not to serve Him.
But however indispensable this connexion be in its own
nature, the Church of Rome can make a shift to dispense
with it; yea, so far as to assert that 'ignorance is the mother
of devotion.' But you must excuse them, for they do not
mean by devotion, as we do, the real serving of God, but
only the performing of some outward services to Him. And
such a kind of devotion, I confess, ignorance may be the
mother of : but a man must be grossly ignorant that thinks
this to be devotion, which is but a piece of pageantry, a
mocking instead of serving God. And, for my part, I cannot
but tremble to think what a dismal, what a dreadful account
the heads of that church must hereafter give, for daring to
keep the people in so much ignorance as they do ; so as to
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render them incapable of serving God, that so they may be
the more ready to serve the Church ; that is, the interests
and designs of the court of Rome.
But let them look to that ; whilst we, in the meanwhile,
study to know God before all things else, considering,
(1.) First, God therefore made us that we might know
Him, and that we might know that He made us. And
therefore it is that He hath made rational creatures capable
of reflecting upon Him that made us so : neither did He
only make us at first, but He still preserves us ; we feed
daily at His table, and live upon His bounty. And the very
beasts that any of us keep, know those that keep them ; and
shall we be more brutish than brutes themselves, and not
know Him that keeps and maintains us ? O ! how justly
isa. 1.2-4. may God then call " Heaven and earth to witness against
us," as He did once against His people Israel.
(2.) Secondly, There is none of us but have attained to
knowledge in other things : some of us have searched into
arts and sciences, others are acquainted with several lan-
guages ; none of us but are or would be expert in the affairs
of this world, and understand the mysteries of our several
trades and callings ; what, and shall He alone, by Whom we
know other things, be Himself unknown to us ? What is, if
this be not, a just cause, wherefore God should infatuate and
deprive us of all our knowledge in other things ? seeing we
labour more to know them than Him from Whom we I'eceive
our knowledge.
Hos. 4. 1. (3.) Thirdly, " Ignorance of God " is itself one of the
greatest sins that we can be guilty of, and which God is
most angry for. And there God Himself imputes the
ver. 6. destruction of His people to the " want of knowledge." Nay,
and it is that sin too that makes way for all the rest. For
what is the reason that many so frequently blaspheme God's
Name, slight His service, transgress His laws, and incense
His wrath against them, but merely because they do not
know Him, how great, how glorious, how terrible a God He
is ! For did they but thus rightly know Him, they could
not but regard the thoughts of doing any thing that is offen-
sive to Him ; and therefore the true " knowledge of God "
would be the best security, and the most sovereign antidote
upo7i the Knowledge of God.
319
in the woi Jcl against the infection of sin, and the prevalency
of temptations over us ; neither would it only preserve us
from sin, but put us upon duty and service, and direct us
also in the performance of it. Insomuch that the hardest
duty will be easy to one that knows God ; the easiest will be
hard to one that knows Him not. Hard did I say? yea,
and impossible too; for although a man may know God, and
yet not serve Him, it is impossible that any man should
serve God unless he knows Him ; knowledge itself being
both the first duty that we owe to God, and the foundation
of all the rest.
And therefore, to conclude^ if any desire to perform the
vow they made in their Baptism, ' to love and fear,' to
' honour and obey the eternal God ' that made them : if any
desire to be Christians indeed, and " holy in all manner of [i Pet. i.
conversation;" if any desire to trust on the promises, and ^^'^
observe the precepts of the great Creator and Possessor of
the world, to live above the snares of death, and to antedate
the joys of Heaven ; if any desire to live the life and to " die [Num. 23.
the death of the righteous," to serve God here so as to enjoy ^^'^
Him hereafter ; let all such but study the Scriptures, and
frequent the public ordinances ; be constant and sincere in
prayer and meditation, neglecting no opportunity of ac-
quainting themselves with God, but making use of all means
possible to get their hearts possessed with a reverential
apprehension of God's greatness and glory, and with a due
sense of His goodness and perfections, and their work will
be soon done : for if they thus know God, they will serve
Him too with a " perfect heart and a willing mind." [1 chron.
II. We have seen how we ought to know God, and we ^'^
are now to consider how we ought to serve Him ; without
which, indeed, our knowledge of Him will avail us nothing.
Por, as the Apostle argues, "Though I speak with the 1 Cor. 13. 1.
tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am
become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." So here :
though we should have the highest notions and speculations
in divinity, that men or angels ever had ; though we should
understand the highest mysteries in religion, and dive into
the profoundest secrets of Christian philosophy ; though we
should excel the greatest schoolmen, and the most learned
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doctors that ever lived ; and were able to baffle heresies,
dispute error and schism out of the Christian Church, and
evince the truth of the articles of our faith, by more than
mathematical demonstrations ; yet, if after all this our know-
ledge be only notional, not moving our affections, nor put-
ting us upon the practice of what we know, " it is but as
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal:" it may make a noise
in the world, and get us applause amongst men, but it will
stand us in no stead at all before the eternal God, yea, it
will rise up in judgment against us another day, and sink
us lower into the abyss of toi'ments. And therefore, though
men may, God doth not look upon this as the true know-
ledge of Himself. Neither can any one be properly said to
know God, that doth not serve Him with a perfect heart
and a willing mind. And therefore, having discoursed of
that knowledge which is necessary to our serving God, I
shall now endeavour to shew how we ought to serve God
according to our knowledge.
In speaking unto which, I must beg the reader's most
serious and Christian attention, as to a matter which con-
cerns our lives ; yea, our eternal lives in another world. I
hope there are none of those that pretend to instruct, so
brutish and atheistical, as not to desire to serve God : none '
so proud and self-conceited, as to think that they serve Him
well enough already, or at least know how to do it. I write
only to such as desire to be instructed, read books of prac-
tical religion with no other design but to serve God, and to
learn how to serve Him better. And if this be our only i
design, as I hope it is, let us manifest it to the world, and to
our consciences, by attending to, and fixing what we read
upon our own hearts. For I may venture to say, that this
is the noblest and most necessary subject that I can write,
or any one can read of ; and that which, if seriously weighed,
rightly considered, and truly practised, will most certainly
bring us to the highest happiness which our natures are
capable of, or our persons were at first designed for. Now,
for our clearer proceeding in a matter of so great importance,
we will,
1. i^i/'s^. Consider what it is to serve God ? A question
very necessary to be treated of and resolved, because of the
upon the Knowledge of God.
321
general mistakes that are in the world about it : many }3eople
fancying the service of God to consist in some few particular
acts; as in saying their prayers, reading the Scriptures, going
to Church, and giving an alms now and then to the poor:
especially, if they be but zealous and resolute in the defence
of the party or faction they are of, so as to promote it to
the highest of their parts, estates, or power, then they think
they do God good service, and that this is all He requires
of them. Others think they serve God by serving of His
creatures, as in praying to saints, bowing to images, and
falling down before the eucharist when it is carried in pro-
cession : nay, many there are who think they serve God
when they dishonour Him, wresting His Scriptures, corrupt-
ing His doctrines, opposing His vicegerents, seducing His
people and servants into error, and all for the promoting of
some temporal interests or groundless opinions. But we
must know that the service of God is a thing of a higher
nature and nobler stamp than such silly mortals would per-
suade us it is ; consisting in nothing less than,
(1.) In devoting of ourselves, and all we have, or are, or
do, unto the honour of the eternal God ; resigning our
hearts wholly to Him, and subduing all our passions and
affections before Him. For, seeing we were wholly made
by Him, and wholly depend upon Him, if we would serve
God at all, we must serve Him with all we are; every
faculty of our souls and member of our bodies employing
themselves in those services which He hath set them, so as
to live as none of our own, but as wholly God's ; His by
f creation, it was He that made us ; His by preservation, it is
He that maintains us ; and His by redemption, it is He that
I hath purchased us with His Own most precious blood ; and
therefore, being thus bought with a price, we should " glorify iCor. 6.20.
God both in our souls and bodies, which are His."
And as we are to serve Him with all we are, so also with
' all we have. " Honour the Lord with thy substance, and Prov. 3. 9.
with the first-fruits of all thine increase." Whatsoever we
I have we receive from His bounty, and therefore whatsoever
I we have we should employ for His glory ; our parts, our
', gifts, our estates, our power, our time ; whatsoever we can
call ours, is His in our hands, and therefore to. be improved,
Y
322
Private Thoughts
not for ourselves, but Him ; as our Saviour shews iu the.
parable of the talents, which the master of the house distri-
[Matt. 25. buted amongst his servants ; " to some he gave one, to some
five, to others ten," that every one might employ his pro-
portion to his master's use ; neither squandering it away,
[Luke 19. nor yet " laying it up in a napkin." It is God that is the
grand Master and Possessor of the world, Who parcels it out
amongst His creatures as Himself sees good ; but where-
soever He intrusteth any thing. He expects the improve-
ment of it for Himself. And so, I suppose, doth every one
of us from such servants as we keep ; we expect that what
we put into their hands be laid out, not for themselves, but
for us ; and that they spend their time in our service, not
their own : and if they do otherwise, none of us but will say,
they do not serve us, but themselves. How then can we
expect that God will look upon us as serving Him, when we
do not do so much for Him as we expect from our own
servants, though our fellow-creatures ? or how can we think
that we serve Him as we ought, unless we serve Him as
much as we can ? or that God should look upon us as His
servants, unless we employ and improve whatsoever we have,
not for our own pleasure, profit, or applause, but for His
honour and glory, from Whom we did receive it ? Let us
Matt. 5. 16. remember our Saviour's words, " Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father Which is in Heaven."
(2.) Hence the serving of God consisteth also in the
performing of sincere and universal obedience to all His
laws and commands : which is but the natural consequent
of the former ; for if our whole man, both soul and body, i
and whatsoever we have or are, ought to be devoted to His
glory, it must needs follow, that whatsoever we do should
be conformable to His precepts ; which also is no more than
every one of us expects from our servants : for those whom
we have covenanted with to be our servants, and whom we
keep upon that very account, that they may serve us; we
all expect that they should observe all our commands, and
do whatsoever in justice and by our covenants we can enjoin
them. But how much more then must we ourselves be
obliged to obey all the laws and precei)ts of Him that made
upon the Knowledge of God.
323
us, Whose creatures we are, and Whose servants, by conse-
quence, we ought to be ! I say, ' all His laws and precepts;'
for we must not think to pick and choose, to do some things,
and leave other things undone : for we should take it ill if
our servants should serve us so ; if when we send them
; upon several businesses, they should mind only one of them,
! and neglect all the other, we should questionless look upon
• them as very idle and careless servants : but let us consider
• and bethink ourselves, whether we have not served our
Master, the eternal God, as bad as our servants have, or
! can serve us. He hath given us several laws to observe,
t and hath set us several works to do, and we perhaps can
I make a shift to do something that is required of us ; but
. never think of the other, and perhaps the principal things
; too that He expects from us.
< Just as if, when Moses had broken the two tables of stone [Exod. 32.
0 whereon the Ten Commandments were written, one man ^^'^
1 should have come and snatched away one piece, a second
• run away with another piece, and a third with another, until
• at length ten several persons had gotten ten several pieces
i, whereon the Ten Commandments were severally written ;
1) and when they had done so, every one of them should have
is striven to keep the Law that was written on his own piece,
■> never minding what was written on the others. Do you
•r think that such persons as these are could be reputed the
servants of God, and to observe His laws, when they minded
e only one particular branch or piece of them ? The case is
\i our own ; we hearing of several laws and commands, which
lit the Most High God hath set us, get some one of them by
;r. the end, and run away with that, as if we were not con-
ii cerned in any of the rest. But let us still remember, that
1 the same finger that wrote one of the commands, wrote all
iD the other too. And, therefore, he that doth not observe all,
J as well as one, cannot properly be said to observe any at
if all. Neither, indeed, doth he serve God in any thing : for
5( though he may do something that God requires, yet it is
;l plain that he doth not therefore do it because God re-
j quires it ; for if he did so, he would do all things else too
1 that God requires. And therefore such a person doth not
ijii serve God at all in what he doeth ; no, he serves himself
324 Private Thomjhts
rather than God, in that he doeth it not in obedience to
God, but with respect to himself, as to get himself a name
and credit amongst men, or perhaps to satisfy his trouble-
some conscience, which would not let him be at quiet unless
he did it. .
Ps. 119. 6. But now one that would serve God indeed, hath " respect
Luke 1. 6, to all His Commandments," " and walks in all the Command-
ments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless," as Zacharias
and Elizabeth are said to have done. And thus whosoever
would serve the Lord in any thing must serve Him in all
things that He requireth. And this is that which David
[^Chron. means in this advice to his son, saying, " Know thou
the God of thy fathers, and serve Him :" that is, observe
and do whatsoever He enjoins, and that too with " a perfect
heart and a willing mind." And so I come,
2. To the second thing to be considered here ; that is,
the manner how we ought to serve God, " even with a
perfect heart and with a willing mind."
(1.) First, "With a perfect heart;" that is, with in-
tegrity and sincerity of heart, not from any by-ends, or
sinister designs, but out of pure obedience to the laws of
God, as He is the Sovereign of Heaven and earth, and iu
Christ, our Lord and our God: — a thing much to be ob-
served in all our services, without which, indeed, they are no
services at all. Insomuch that should we pray our tongues
to the stumps, and fast our bodies into skeletons ; should
we fill the air with sighs, and the sea with tears for our sin ;
should we spend all our time in hearing of sermons, and our
whole estates in relieving the poor ; should we hazard our
lives, yea, give our bodies to be burnt for our religion, yet
nothing of all this would be accepted as a service unto God,
unless it be performed out of a sincere obedience to His laws,
and with a single eye aiming at nothing but His glory, which
iCor.10.31. ought to be the ultimate end of all our actions.
(2.) Secondly, We must not only serve God " with a
perfect heart," but with a "willing mind" too, n^sn t£?5?5
properly " with a willing soul ;" that is, our will and all the
affections of our souls should be carried after and exercised
in the service of Almighty God. Our desires are to be
inflamed towards it, our love fixed upon it, and our deliglit
upon the Knowledge of God.
325
placed in it. Thus the Israelites are said to have " sought achron. is.
the Lord with their whole desire." And we are com-
manded to " love the Lord our God," and so " to serve Him Deut.ii.is.
with all our heart, and with all our soul;" yea, we are to
" delight to do the will of God," as our Saviour did, saying, Ps. 4o. s.
" It is My meat to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to John 4. 34.
finish His work." Thus are we to esteem the service
of God above our necessary food, pleasing ourselves in
pleasing Him, and so make His service not only our busi-
ness, but our recreation too ; and whosoever doeth not so,
whatsoever he doeth for God, he cannot be said to serve
Him, because he doeth it against his will, and against the
bent and inclination of his soul. And therefore, though,
as to the outward act, he may do that which God com-
mands, yet inwardly he doeth it not, because his soul is still
averse from it ; by which means it ceaseth to be the service
of God ; because it is not performed by the whole man, even
soul and body, both which are necessarily required in our
performance of real service to Him that made them both.
(3.) Tliirdly, What is the reason why we ought to serve
God so ? Because " He searcheth the hearts, and under- [1 chron.
standeth all the imaginations of the thoughts : " that is. He
is thoroughly acquainted with every thought in our hearts,
and with every motion and inclination of our souls, infinitely
better than ourselves are. And therefore it is in vain for us
to think to put Him off with outward and formal, instead of
inward and real service : for he doth not only see what we
do, but knows too what we think while we are doing of it :
and doth not only observe the matter of our actions, but the
manner also of our performing them : it being His great pre-
rogative to " search the heart, and to try the reins, and to Heb. 4. 13.
have all things naked and open unto Him," so that He
seeth what the soul doeth within doors, in the secret closets
of the heart, as clearly as what it doeth without in the open
streets of the world : every affection of the soul being as
manifest unto Him as the actions of the body are ; and
I therefore hypocrisy is the most foolish and ridiculous sin
imaginable, making as if we could cheat and deceive God,
and hide our sins from the all-seeing eyes of Omniscience
itself, or make God believe that we are holy, because we
appear to be so to men.
326
Private Thoughts
But to bring this home more closely to ourselves : we
have been all at church, perhaps, performing our service
and devotions to Him that made us ; it is true, as to our out-
ward appearance, there hath been no great difference betwixt
us, we have been equally present at these public ordinances,
and we do not know but one hath prayed and heard the
Word of God both read and preached as well as another ; so
that seemingly our services are all alike as to us ; but are
they so to God too ? That I much question : for He hath
taken especial notice all along, not only of the outward
gestures of our bodies, but likewise of the inward behaviour
of our hearts and souls before Him ; and therefore, as I hope
He hath seen many of us serving Him with a " perfect heart
and a willing mind ;" so I fear He hath found too many of us
[Ezek. 33. tardy, " coming before Him as His people come, and sitting
before Him as His people sit," while our hearts in the mean-
time have been about our covetousness ; and hath plainly
seen, though our bodies have been at church, our souls have
been elsewhere, thinking upon our relations, or estates, or
something or other besides what our thoughts should have
been employed about in so solemn a duty as the public wor-
ship. But know this, " O vain man, whosoever thou art, that
God will not be mocked : " and though thou hast not seen, or
perhaps so much as thought of Him, He hath seen thee and
thy thoughts too ; yea, at this very moment looks upon thee.
And what wilt thou answer Him, the Great Judge of the
whole world, when He shall tell thee to thy face, and call His
Omniscience to witness, that He saw thee at this, as at other
times play the hypocrite with Him, making as if thou
servedst Him, when thou servedst Him not ; and instead of
serving Him " with a perfect heart and a willing mind,"
servedst Him neither in heart nor mind. Let us all remem-
ber this when we approach God's house, and also bethink
ourselves afterwards, whether we have not been guilty of this
sin ! if we have, we may be sure God knows it, and we
shall hear of it another day. But to prevent what justly
may be our doom, let us repent of our former neglects in this
kind ; and, for the future, whensoever we are serving God,
let us still look upon Him as looking upon us, and fix in our
hearts this one thing, " That God knows all things in the
world." And therefore let us not think to put God off with
upon the Knowledge of God.
327
such careless and perfunctory services as heretofore too many
of us have done ; but if we desij-e to serve Him at all, let us
serve Him " with a perfect heart and a willing mind."
Thus I have endeavoured to shew both what it is to
serve God, and how we ought to do it : now let us not
think it sufficient that we know how to serve God, unless we
serve Him according to our knowledge. Let us remember
our Saviour's words: " If ye know these things, happy are John i3. 17.
ye if ye do them." Which happiness, that all who read
this may attain unto, let me advise them, in the Name of
the Eternal God that made them, to renounce and forsake
their former masters, sin, Satan, and the world, whoever
may have hitherto been enslaved by them, and now dedicate
themselves wholly to the service of Him that made them
for that very purpose that they may serve Him ; yea, and
Who hath composed our natures so that the highest hap-
piness we are capable of consists in our serving Him: and
therefore let us not think that He calls upon us to serve
Him because He wants our service : no, be it known unto
all, that He is infinitely happy in the enjoyment of His Own
perfections, and needs not the services of such poor silly
mortals as we are, who have nothing but what we receive
from Him : and therefore He doth not call upon us to serve
Him because He cannot be happy without us, but because
we cannot be happy without Him : not because He wants
our service, but because we want it ; it being impossible for
us to be happy, unless we be holy ; or to enjoy God, unless
we serve Him.
AVherefore, all ye that desire to go to Heaven, to have
Him that made you reconciled unto you, and smile upon
you ; or that desire to be really and truly happy, set upon
the work which God sent you into the world about ; put it
not off any longer, and make no more vain excuses, but
from this day forward let the service of God be your daily,
your continual employment and pleasure; study and con-
trive each day how to advance His glory and interest in the
■world, and how you may walk more strictly, more circum-
spectly, more conformably to His laws than ever. But
whatsoever service you perform unto Him, be sure to do it
" with a perfect heart and a willing mind." Think not to
328
Private Thoughts
put Him off with fancy instead of faith, or with outward
performances instead of real duties : but remember that He
[Jer. 17. " searclieth the hearts, and trieth the reins of the sons of
'"■■^ men," and observes the inward motions of the soul, as well
as the outward actions of the life : and therefore, where-
soever you are, whatsoever you do, still bethink yourselves,
that He that made you still looks upon you ; taking notice
not only of the matter of the actions which you perform, but
also of the manner of your performing them ; and therefore
be sure to have a special care in all your services for or unto
God, that your hearts be sincere before Him, and your minds
inclined to Him, that so you may " serve Him with a perfect
heart and a willing mind."
But to conclude; whoever you are that read this dis-
[Luke 19. course, I have here shewn you the " things that belong unto
your everlasting peace," having acquainted you with the
method and manner of your serving God in time, in order
to your enjoyment of Him to eternity ; how you are affected
witli what you have read, and whether you be resolved to
practise it, yea, or no, it is only the Eternal God that
knows. But this I know, that if you will not be persuaded
to serve God, yea, and to serve Him too " with a perfect
heart and a willing mind," you will one day wish you had,
but then it will be too late. And therefore, if you will put
it to the venture, go on still, and with the unprofitable
[ver. 20.] servant, " hide your talents in a napkin," or lavish them out
in the revels of sin and vanity ; let tliy belly be still thy god,
and the world thy lord ; serve thyself or Satan, instead of
[Eccles. 11. tbe Living God: "but know that for all this God will
bring thee into judgment;" after which, expect nothing-
else but to be overwhelmed with horror and confusion to
eternity.
Whereas, on the other side, such amongst you as shall
sincerely endeavour from henceforth to serve God " with a
perfect heart and a willing mind," I dare, I do assure them
[1 Cor. 15. in the Name of God, their " labour shall not be in vain in
the Lord :" for God suffers not His enemies to go unpunished,
nor His servants unrewarded.
And therefore go on with joy and triumph in the service
of so great and so good a Master, and devote yourselves
upon the Mystery of the Trinity. 3'29
Avbolly to His service, and employ your talents faithfully for
His glory. Remember the time is but short; and Christ
Himself will receive you into eternal glory, saying, " Well
done, good and faithful servants."
III. THOUGHTS UPON THE MYSTERY OF THE
TRINITY.
Though there be many in the world that seem to be
religious, there are but few that are so : one great reason
whereof is, because there are so many mistakes about reli-
gion, that it is a hard matter to hit upon the true notion
of it : and therefore, desiring nothing in this world so much
as to be an instrument in God's hand to direct men into the
true religion, my great care must, and by the blessing of
God shall be, to instil into them right conceptions of Him,
that is the only object of all religious acts, without which it
is impossible to continue, or indeed to be religious : the true
nature and notion of religion consisting in the right car-
riage and deportment of our whole man, both soul and body,
towards Him that made us : Whom, therefore, unless we
truly know, we can never be truly religious ; and therefore
they that begin their religion with zeal and passion, begin at
the wrong end ; for indeed they begin where they should
end : our zeal for God, and love unto Him, being the highest
acts of religion, and therefore cannot be the first; but they
necessarily presuppose the true knowledge of God, without
which our zeal will be blind, and our love both groundless
and transient.
But as it is impossible to be truly religious unless we
know God, so it is very difficult so to know Him as to
become truly religious. It is true that there is such a Su-
preme Being in and over the world as we call God ; the
very light of nature teaches, and reason itself demonstrates
it to be most certain and undeniable. But what He is, and
what apprehensions we ought to have of this glorious Being,
none but Himself is able to describe and manifest unto us;
so that our conceptions of Him are still to be regulated by
330
Private Thoughts
the discoveries that He hath made of Himself to us ; with-
out which, though we may have some confused notions of
Him, yet we can never so know Him as to serve Him faith-
fully, and by consequence be truly religious.
Hence, therefore, if we would know God, we must search
the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, wherein
God hath been j^leased most clearly to manifest and discover
Himself unto us : I say, both the Old and New Testaments,
for otherwise our kno\'i ledge of God may be very defective
and erroneous, there being several things which God, in tlie
New Testament, hath most plainly revealed of Himself,
which in the Old Testament are more darkly and obscurely
delivered to us. As, for example, the great mystery of the
Trinity ; though it be frequently intimated in the Old Testa-
ment, yet it is a hard matter rightly to understand it without
the New : insomuch that the Jews, though they have had
the Law above three thousand, and the Prophets above two
thousand years among them, yet to this day they could never
make this an article of faith ; but they, as well as the Ma-
hometans, still assert, " That God is only One in Person
as well as nature :" whereas nothing can be more plain from
the New Testament than that there is but One God, and yet
there are Three Persons, every One of Which is that one
God : and so that though God be but One in nature, yet He
is Three Persons ; and so Three Persons, as yet to be but
One in nature.
And verily, although there was no other text in all the
Scripture, whereon to ground this fundamental article of our
Matt.28.19. Christian faith, that, " Go ye, therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," is a sufficient foundation
for it; there being nothing, I think, necessary to be believed
concerning the glorious Trinity, but what may easily and
naturally be deduced from these words ; which were spoken,
it is true, by our Saviour before His ascension, but I ques-
tion whether they were thoroughly understood till after the
Holy Ghost was come down to earth : it being only by God
Himself that we can come to the true knowledge of Him,
much less are we able rightly to apprehend, and firmly to
believe Three Persons in the Godhead, without the assist-
upon the Mystery of the Trinity.
331
ance of One of them, that is, of the Holy Ghost, by Whom
the other Two are wont to work ; He being the issue, if I
may so say, and breath of both. Hence it is, that the wis-
dom of the Church, for these many centuries, hath thought
fit to order that this great mystery be celebrated the next
Lord's Day after the commemoration of the Holy Spirit's
coming down upon the Disciples, and in them, upon all true
believers ; both because all Three Persons have now mani-
fested Themselves to mankind; the Father in His creation
of them, the Son in His conversing with them, and the Holy
Ghost by His coming down upon them : and also to shew,
that it is only by the grace and assistance of God's Spirit
that we can rightly believe in this glorious and incompre-
hensible mystery which our Saviour hath so clearly revealed
to us in these words, " Go ye, and teach all nations," &c.
For the opening of which, we must know that our Sa-
viour, in the foregoing verse, acquaints His Disciples, that
now all power was given Him " in Heaven and in earth ;" by
virtue whereof He here issueth forth His commission to His
Apostles, and in them to all that should succeed them, to
supply His room, and be His vicegerents upon earth, He
being now to reside in His Kingdom of Heaven. For, saith
He, " All power is given to Me in Heaven and earth • go
ye, therefore, and teach all nations." As He also saith
elsewhere to them, " As my Father hath sent Me, even so
send I you." As if He should have said, ' My Father john 20. 21.
having committed to Me all power and authority both in
Heaven and earth, I therefore authorize and commissionate,
yea, and command you to go and teach all nations,' &c.
This, therefore, is part of the commission which our Lord
and Master left with His Apostles immediately before He
parted from them ; those being the last words which St.
Matthew records Him to have spoken upon earth ; and
therefore they must needs contain matter of very great im-
portance to His Church ; and it must needs highly concern
us all to understand the true meaning and purport of them.
Which that we may the better do, in treating of them, I
shall observe the same method and order as He did in
speaking them.
I. First, Therefore, here is the work He sends the Apos-
tles about; "Go ye, therefore, and teach;" Tojsy^sms oZv
332
Private Thouykts
fia^riTivgars, wliich more properly may be rendered, " Go ye,
therefore, and disciple all nations," or " make the persons of
all nations to be My disciples," that is. Christians. That
this is the true meaning of the words is plain and clear, from
the right notion of the word here used, ^a3?)r£uw, which
coming from /^aS^jr^s, ' a disciple,' it always signifieth either
to be or to make disciples, wheresoever it occurs in all the
Scriptures ; as /Ma^rirs'j'^di, Matt. xiii. 52, which is ' instructed,'
say we ; the Syriac better, joiAZz\ic;, that is, made a dis-
ciple, a l^'dhn, that is, not only a scholar or learner, but a
follower or professor of the Gospel, here called the King-
dom of Heaven. Another place where this word occurs is
Matt, xxvii. 57, J^aS^rsycs Tu I»)(roD, where we rightly trans-
late it, ' was Jesus' disciple.' Another place is Acts, xiv. 21,
xa; /xaSjirsjffamg /xawOc, which we improperly render, 'having
taught many;' the Syriac and Arabic, more properly, ' having
made many disciples.' And these are all the places in the
New Testament where this word is used, except those I am
now considering, where all the Eastern languages render it
according to its notation, ' disciple.' The Persian para-
phrastically expounds it, ' Go ye and reduce all nations to
My faith and religion.' So that whosoever plead for any
other meaning of these words, do but betray their own igno-
rance in the original languages, and by consequence in the
true interpretation of Scripture.
I should not have insisted so long upon this, but that the
false exposition of these words hath occasioned that no less
dangerous than numerous sect of Anabaptists in the world ;
for the old Latin translation having it, ' Euntes ergo, docete
omnes gentes ;' hence the German, where Anabaptism first
began, and all the modern translations, render it as we do,
" Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them."
From whence it was supposed by some that were not able
to dive into the true meaning of the words, that our Saviour
here commanded that none should be baptized but such as
were first taught the principles of the Christian religion ;
which is the greatest mistake imaginable ; for our Saviour
doth not speak one word of teaching before Baptism, but
only after (verse 20, bihdexovric) ; His meaning being only
that His Apostles should go about the world and persuade
all nations to forsake their former idolatries and supersti-
upon the Mystery of the Trinity.
333
tions, and to turn Christians or the disciples of Jesus Christ ;
and such as were so, should be baptized. And therefore
infant-baptism is so far from being forbidden, that it is
expressly commanded in these words ; for all disciples are
here commanded to be baptized ; nay, they are therefore
commanded to be baptized, because disciples. And seeing
all disciples are to be baptized, so are infants too, the
children of believing parents ; for they are disciples as well
as any other, or as \Tell as their parents themselves ; for all
that are in covenant with God must needs be disciples : but,
that children were always esteemed in covenant with God,
is plain, in that God Himself commanded the covenant
should be sealed to them, as it was all along by Circumcision.
But that children were disciples as well as others, our Sa-
viour puts it out of all doubt, saying of children, "of such is Mark 10.14
the Kingdom of God." And therefore they must needs be
disciples, unless such as are not disciples can belong to the
Kingdom of God, which a man must be strangely distem-
pered in his brain before he can so much as fancy.
And besides that, children, so long as children, are looked
upon as part of their parents ; and therefore as their parents
are, so are they : if their parents be Heathen, so are the
children : if the parents be Jews, so are the children : if the
parents be Christian, so are the children too ; nay, if either
of the parents be Christian or disciple, the children of both
are denominated from the better part, and so looked upon
as Christians too, as is plain. " But now are they holy," 1 Cor. 7. h
that is, in a federal or covenant sense, they are in covenant
with God ; they are believers. Christians, or disciples, be-
cause one of their parents is so.
Now seeing children are disciples as well as others, and
our Saviour here commands all disciples to be baptized, it
necessarily follows that children must be baptized too. So
that the opinion which asserts, that children ought not to be
baptized, is grounded upon a mere mistake, and upon gross
ignorance of the true meaning of the Scripture, and especially
of this place, which is most ridiculously mistaken for a pro-
hibition, it being rather a command for infant-baptism.
But I must crave the reader's excuse for this digression
from the matter principally intended, though I could not tell
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Private Thovyhts
how to avoid it ; nothing being more needful than to rescue
the words of our blessed Saviour from those false glosses and
horrible abuses which these last ages have put upon them,
especially it coming so directly in my way as this did.
II. Secondly, Here is the extent of their commission,
which is very large indeed, not being directed to some few
particular persons, but to nations ; nor to some particular
nations only, but to all nations ; " Go ye, therefore, and
disciple all nations ;" or all the world, as it is, Mark xvi. 15.
This was that which the Prophet Isaiah, or rather God by
isa. 49. 6. him, foretells, which our Saviour Himself seems to have
Luke24. 46, respect unto. The meaning whereof, in brief, is this, that
though the Jews hitherto had been the only people of God,
and none but they admitted into covenant with Him, now
the Gentiles also are to be brought in and made confede-
rates or co-partners with them in the covenant of grace ;
that the partition-wall being now broken down, the Gospel
is to be preached to all other nations, as well as the Jewish ;
[ch. 2. 32.] Christ being now come to be " a light to lighten the Gen-
tiles," as well as " the glory of His people Israel."
But though the words of the commission be so clear to
this purpose, yet the Apostles themselves understood it not,
till God had interpreted it from Heaven to St. Peter, shew-
Acts 10. 28. ing him in a vision that he should call no man " common or
unclean." From which time forward, he, with the rest of
the Apostles, observed their commission exactly in preach-
ing to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And this was one
end wherefore the Holy Ghost came down amongst them,
even to enable them to do what their Master had com-
manded them ; for He had here commanded them to
preach unto all nations ; but that they could not do, unless
they could speak all languages, which, therefore, the Holy
Acts 2.4,5. Ghost enabled them to do, which also is a clear demonstra-
tion of the true meaning and purport of these words : for
there was no necessity that the Spirit should teach the
Apostles all languages, but that the Son had first enjoined
them to preach unto all nations.
III. Thirdly, Here is the manner whereby they are to
admit all nations into the Church of Christ, or into the
Christian religion, by baptizing them " in the Name of the
upon the Mystery of the Trinity. 335
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." For the
opening whereof we must know that Baptism was a rite in
common use amongst the Jews before our Saviour's time,
by which they were wont to admit proselytes into their
religion, baptizing them " in the Name of the Father," or
of God. A little before our Saviour's appearance in the
world, John Baptist being sent to " prepare the way" for
Him, baptized the Jews themselves, as many as came unto
him, in the Name of the Messiah to come, which was called
' the Baptism of Repentance.' " I indeed baptize you," says Matt. 3. u.
he, " with water to repentance : but He that comes after me
is mightier than I," &c. But when our Saviour was to go to
Heaven, He left orders with His Apostles to make disciples,
or admit all nations into the religion that He] had preached,
confirmed with miracles, and sealed with His Own blood,
by baptizing them " in the Name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost;" which form of Baptism, questionless, His
Apostles faithfully observed all along, as may be gathered
also from Acts, xix. 2, 3, where we may observe how when
they said that they " had not so much as heard of an Holy
Ghost," he wondering at that, asked them, " Unto what,
then, Avere ye baptized ?" plainly intimating, that if they had
been baptized aright, according to Christ's institution, they
could not but have heard of the Holy Ghost, because they
had been baptized in the " Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." But, verse 5, as also Acts, ii. 38,
chap. viii. 16, we read of " Baptism administered in the Name
of the Lord Jesus;" from whence some have thought that
the Apostles baptized only the Gentiles " in the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," but the
Jews " in the Name of the Lord Jesus" only : because, they
believing in the Father already, if they were baptized in the
Name of Jesus, and so testified their belief that He was the
Messiah, they could not but believe in His Spirit too: but
this expression of baptizing in the Name of the Lord Jesus,
seems to me rather to intimate that form of Baptism which
the Lord Jesus instituted : for, doubtless, the Apostles ob-
served the precepts of our Lord better than so as to do it
one way, when He had commanded it to be done another ;
and baptized only in the Name of Jesus, when He had en-
336
Private Thovghts
joined them to baptize in the " Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Neither did the Church ever esteem that Baptism valid,
■which was not administered exactly according to the insti-
tution, in the Name of all the Three Persons ; which the
primitive Christians were so strict in the observance of, that
it was enjoined, that all persons to be baptized should be
plunged three times into the water, first at the " Name of
the Father," and then at the " Name of the Son," and lastly,
at the " Name of the Holy Ghost;" that so every Person
might be distinctly nominated, and so our Saviour's institu-
tion exactly observed in the administration of this Sacra-
ment. Hence also it was, that all persons to be baptized
were always required either with their own mouths, if adult,
or if infants, by their sureties, to make a public confession
of their faith in the Three Persons into Whose Names they
were to be baptized : for this indeed was always looked upon as
tlie sum and substance of the Christian religion, to " believe
in God the Father, in God the Son, and in God the Holy
Ghost;" and they who believed in these Three Persons were
still reputed Christians; and they who did not were esteemed
infidels or heretics. Yea, and our Saviour Himself hath
sufficiently declared how necessary it is for us to believe
this great mystery ; as also how essential it is to a Christian,
seeing that He requires no more in order to our initiation
into His Church, but only that we be baptized " in the Name
of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." In which words we
may observe :
I. First, A ' Trinity of Persons,' into Whose Names we
are baptized, the ' Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.' This is
that mystery of mysteries which is too high for human
understandings to conceive, but not too great for a Divine
faith to believe ; even that although there be but One God,
there are Three Persons, ' the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost,' every one of which is that One and the self-same
God : and therefore it is that Baptism is here commanded
to be administered in the Name of all Three.
Now to confirm our faith in this great mystery, whereinto
we were all baptized, I shall endeavour to shew in few terms
what grounds we have in Scripture to believe it. For which
vj)on the Mystery of the Trinity. 337
end we must know, that though this great mystery hatli
received great light by the rising of the Sun of Righteous-
ness upon the worLd, yet it did not lie altogether undis-
covered before ; " yea, from the very foundation of the
world," the Church, in all ages, hath had sufficient ground
whereupon to build their faith on this great and fundamental
truth : for in the very creation of the world. He that created
it is called C3""nb^, in the plural number : and in the creation
of man He said, " Let Us make man in Our Own image ;" [Gen. 1.26]
from whence, though not a Trinity, yet a plurality of persons
is plainly manifested ; yea, in the beginning of the world
too, we find both Father, Son, and Spirit, concurring in the
I making of it. For,
(1.) First, It is said that "God created Heaven and
earth," and then that " the Spirit of God moved upon the Gen. 1. 2.
; face of the waters." There are two Persons, God and the
i Spirit of God. And then we read how God made the world
I by His Word : " He said. Let there be light ; and there was
j light;" from which expression St. John himself concludes,
j " That all things were made by the Son of God," or " His John 1. 3.
' Word," and so does St. Paul, Col. i. 16.
(2.) Thus we read afterwards, "The Spirit of the Lord 2 Sam. 23. 2.
spake by Me, and His Word by My tongue," where we
have " Jehovah, the Spirit of Jehovah," and the " Word of
Jehovah," plainly and distinctly set down. As also in
' Psalm xxxiii. 6, and Isa. xlii. 1, where there is the Lord
speaking of His Son, and saying, that " He will put His
Spirit upon Him ;" and this also seems to be the reason why
I the holy Angels, when they praise God, say, " Holy, holy, isa. g. 3;
holy. Lord God of Hosts," saying holy thrice, in reference
to the Three Persons they adore.
(3.) Thus we might discover this truth in the Old Testa-
ment; but in the New we can scarce look over it. For
when Jesus was baptized, had we, who know nothing but by Matt. 3. 16.
, our senses, been present at this time with Jesus at Jordan,
our very senses would have conveyed this truth to our
understandings, whether we would or no. Here we should
have heard a 'voice from Heaven;' whose was it but 'God
the Father ?' Here we should have seen one coming out of
Jordan ; who was that but ' God the Son V Here we should
' z
338
Private Thoughts
have seen something- else too in the form of a dove ; who
was that but ' God the Spirit V Thus was ' God the Fatlier '
heard speaking ; ' God the Son ' was seen ascending out of
the water ; and ' God the Holy Ghost ' descending from
Heaven upon Him. The first was heard in the sound of a
voice, the second was seen in the form of a man, and the
third was beheld in the shape of a dove.
Voce Pater, natus Corpore, flamen Ave.
But there are many such places as this all the New
Testament over, where the Three Persons of the Godhead
are distinctly mentioned, as Luke i. 35; John xiv. 16, 26;
chap. xvi. 7; Gal. iv. 6. But the words of St. Paul are very
Gen.18.2,3; remarkable too, 2 Cor. xiii. 14; and yet "that all these
Johnio.30. pgj.gQjjg were but One God," St. John expressly asserts,
iJohns. 7. sayjng, "There are Three that bear record in Heaven, the
Father, and the Word, and the Spirit, and these Three are
One," which certainly are as plain and perspicuous terms as
it is possible to express so great a mystery in. But I need
not have gone so far to have proved that there are Three
distinct Persons in the Godhead ; the words I am treating of
being a sufficient demonstration of it : for as all the Three
Persons met togetlier at our Saviour's Baptism, so doth our
Saviour here command, that all His disciples be baptized in
the Name of all Three : and therefore I cannot but admire
how any one should dare to profess himself to be a
Christian, and yet deny or oppose the sacred Trinity, into
which he was baptized when he was made a Christian : for,
by this means he, renouncing his baptism, blasphemes
Christ, unchristians himself, blotting his own name out of
the catalogue of those who were made Christians only by,
being baptized " in the Name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost."
2. Here is the Godhead of the Trinity, or of every Person
in the Trinity, that one as well as the other is God : for here
we see Divine worship is to be performed to them all ; and all
that profess the true religion must be baptized in the Name
of the Son and Holy Ghost, as well as of the Father ; which
certainly would be the greatest absurdity, yea, the most y
horrid impiety imaginable, were not they God as well as He. j.
wpon the Mystery of the Trinity. 339
For if they be not God, they are creatures ; if they be crea-
tures, reason as well as Scripture forbids the same honour
and worshiji to be conferred on them, Avhich is given to God
Himself, and only due to Him ; which here, notwithstanding,
we see is given to them, and that by our Lord Himself, com-
manding Baptism to be administered in His Own Xame and
in the Name of the Holy Ghost, as well as in the Name of
the Father, and so making Himself and the Spirit equal
sharers in the same honour that is given to the Father. So
that, was there no other place in the whole Scripture to
prove it, this alone would be sufficient to convince any gain-
sayer, that the Son and Spirit are God, as well as the Father,
or rather the same God with Him. But that I may unveil
this mystery, and confirm this truth more clearly, we will
consider each person distinctly, and shew that one as well as
the other is really and truly God.
(1.) That the Father is God, none ever denied it, and
therefore we need not prove it. But, if the Father be God,
the Son must needs be God too ; for the same names, pro-
perties, works, and worship, which in Scripture are ascribed
to the Father, are frequently ascribed to the Son also in
Scripture ; the Father is called Jehovah in Scripture, so is
the Son, Hos. i. 7; Jer. xxiii. 6: the Father is called God, so
is the Son ; " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word John
was with God, and the Word was God;" with God, as to
His person; God, as to His nature. So also, John xx. 28;
Acts XX. 28, &c. Moreover, is the Father Alpha and Omega,
the First and the Last? So is the Son, Rev. i. 8. Is the
Father eternal ? So is the Son, Isa. ix. 6 ; Rev. i. 8. Is the
Father Almighty ? So is the Son, Heb. i. 3. Is the Father
every where ? So is the Son, Matt, xviii. 20. Doth the
Father know all things? So doth the Son, John xxi. 17;
chap. ii. 24. Did the Father make all things ? So did the
Son, John i. 3. Doth the Father preserve all things ? So
doth the Son, Heb. i. 3. Doth the Father forgive sins ? So
doth the Son, Matt. ix. 6. Is the Father to be worshipped?
So is the Son, Heb. i. 6. Is the Father to be honoured ? So
is the Son, John v. 23. No wonder, therefore, that Christ,
being thus in the " form of God, thought it no robbery to be PWl.
equal with God." He did not rob God of any glory, by
340
Private Thoughts
saying Himself was equal to Him. The greatest wonder is,
how any one can believe the Scriptures to be the Word of
God, and yet deny this great truth, than which nothing can
be more plain from Scripture ; nothing being more fre-
quently and more clearly asserted than this is. And verily
it is well for us that it is so ; for if Christ was not God, nei-
ther could He be our Saviour ; none being able to free us
from our sins, but only He against Whom they were com-
mitted. And therefore I cannot imagine how any one can
doubt of Christ's divinity, and yet expect pardon and Salva-
tion from Him : all our hopes and expectations from Him
depending only upon His assumption of our human nature
into a Divine Person.
(2.) And that the Holy Ghost also is God, is frequently
asserted in the Holy Scriptures, which Himself indited.
Indeed this very inditing of the Scriptures was a clear argu-
ment of His Deity, as well as the Scriptures indited by Him.
What man, what Angel, what creature, who but God, could
compose such articles of faith, enjoin such Divine precepts,
foretell and fulfil such j^rophecies as in Scripture are con-
tained ? Who spake unto or by the Prophets ? Whom did
they mean when they said, " Thus saith the Lord of Hosts ? "
Who was this Lord of Hosts that instructed them what to
speak or write? Was it " God the Father," or " God the
2Pet. 1.21; Son?" No, but it was " God the Holy Ghost:" " For the
Acts28.25; prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
The Holy Ghost, therefore, being the Lord of Hosts, He
must needs be God ; there being no person that is or can be
called the Lord of Hosts, but He that is the Very and Eter-
nal God.
This also may be gathered from 1 Cor. iii. 16. " Know
ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?" for none can be the Temple of God, but
he in whom God dwells ; for it is God's dwelling in a place
that makes that place the Temple of God ; and yet we are
here said to be the Temjjle of God, because the Spirit dwell-
iCor.6. 19. ^th in us. And so elsewhere, "Know ye not," saith the
Apostle, " that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost
that is in you?" which could not be unless the Holy Ghost
vpon the Mystery of the Trinity.
341
was God. Another express Scripture we have for it in Acts
V. 3, 4, where St. Peter propounds this question to Ana-
nias, " Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost?" and then tells him in the next verse, " Thou hast
not lied to men, but to God," and so expressly asserts the
Holy Ghost to be God.
Moreover, that the Holy Ghost is truly God, co-equal to
the Father and Son, it is plain in that the Scriptures assert
Him to be, to have, and do whatsoever the Father or Son
is, hath, or doeth, as God. For, is the Father and Son
eternal? So is the Spirit, Heb. ix. 14. Is God the Father
and the Son every where? So is the Spirit, Ps, cxxxix. 7.
Is God the Father, and the Son, a wise, understanding,
powerful, and knowing God? So is the Spirit, Isa. xi. 2.
Are we baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son?
So are we baptized in the Name of the Holy Ghost. May
we sin against the Father and the Son? So may we sin,
I too, against the Holy Ghost. Nay, the sin against this Per-
son only is accounted by our Saviour to be a sin never to be
pardoned. Matt. xii. 31, 32. We may sin against God the
] Father, and our sin. may be pardoned; we may sin against
God the Son, and our sin may be pardoned ; but if we sin
or speak against the Holy Ghost, " that shall never be for-
, given, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come."
, But, if the Holy Ghost be not God, how can we sin against
f Him ; or how comes our sin against Him only to be unpar-
donable, unless He be God? I know it is not therefore
[j unpardonable, because He is God, for then the sins against
, the Father and the Son would be unpardonable too, seeing
.. They both are God as well as He ; yet though this sin is
not therefore unpardonable, because He is God, yet it could
^ not be unpardonable, unless He was God. For, supposing
] Him not to be God, but a creature, and yet the sin against
,| Him to be unpardonable, then the sin against a creature
,j would be unpardonable, when sins against God Himself are
,j pardoned : which to say, would itself, I think, come near
■]. to the sin against the Holy Ghost. But seeing our Saviour
describes this unpardonable sin, by blaspheming or speak-
ist "'g against the Holy Ghost, let them have a care that
.4
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Private Thoughts
they be not found guilty of it, who dare deny the Holy
Ghost to be really and truly God, and so blaspheme and
speak the worst that they can against Him.
3. We have seen what ground we have to believe that
there are Three Persons in the Godhead, and that every one
of these Three Persons is God ; we are now to consider the
order of those Persons in the Trinity, described in the words
before us : — First the Father, and then the Son, and then
the Holy Ghost : every one of which is really and truly God :
and yet they are but one real and true God. A mystery
which we are all bound to believe, but yet must have a great
care how we speak of it, it being both easy and dangerous
to mistake in expressing so mysterious a truth as this is. If
we think of it, how hard is it to contemplate upon One
numerically Divine nature, in more than One and the same
Divine Person ; or upon Three Divine Persons in no more
than One and the same Divine nature! If we speak of it,
how hard is it to find out fit words to express it ! If I say the
' Fatlier, Son, and Holy Ghost,' be Three, and every One
distinctly God, it is true ; but if I say. They be Three, and
every One a distinct God, it is false. I -may say, the Divine
Persons are distinct in the Divine nature ; but I cannot say,
that the Divine nature is divided into the Divine Persons.
I may say, God tlie Father is One God, and the Son is One
God, and the Holy Ghost is One God ; but I cannot say,
that the Father is One God, and the Son another God, and
the Holy Ghost a Third God. I may say, the Father begat
another Who is God; yet I cannot say, that He begat
another God. And from the Father and the Son proceedeth
another. Who is God ; yet I cannot say, from the Father
and the Son proceedeth another God. For all this while,
though their Persons be distinct, yet still their nature is the
same. So that though the Father be the first Person in
the Godhead, the Son the second, the Holj' Ghost the
third ; yet the Father is not the first, the Son the second,
the Holy Ghost a third God : so hard a thing is it to word
so great a mystery aright, or to fit so high a truth with ex-
pressions suitable and proper to it, without going one way
0)' another from it. And therefore I shall not use many
upon the Mystery of the Trinity. 343
words about it, lest some should slip from me unbecoming
of it ; but, in as few terms as I can, I will endeavour to shew
upon what account the Father is the first, the Son the se-
cond, and the Holy Ghost the third Person in the Trinity.
(1.) First, Therefore, the Father is placed first, and really
is the first Person, not as if He was before the other Two,
for They are all co-eternal ; but because the other Two re-
ceived Their essence from Him ; for the Son was begotten
of the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceedeth both from
the Father and the Son ; and therefore the Father is termed
by the Primitive Christians, 'P/^a xa; Unyh Qtornrog, ' the Root
and the Fountain of Deity.' As in waters there is the
fountain or well-head, then there is a spring that boils up
out of that fountain, and then there is the stream that flows
both from the fountain and the spring, and yet all these are
but one and the same water ; so here God the Father is the
Fountain of Deity ; the Son, as the spring that boils up out
of the fountain ; and the Holy Ghost, that flows from both ;
and yet all Three are but One and the same God. The
same may also be explained by another familiar instance:
the sun, you know, begets beams, and from the sun and
beams together proceed both light and heat; so God the
Father begets the Son, and from the Father and Son toge-
ther proceeds the Spirit of knowledge and grace : but as the
sun is not before the beams, nor the beams before the light
and heat, but all are together : so neither is the Father
before the Son, nor Father or Son before the Holy Ghost,
but only in order and relation to one another ; in which
only respect the Father is the first Person in the Trinity.
(2.) Secondly, The Son is the second Person, Who is
called the Son, yea, and the ' Only-begotten Son of God,'
because He was begotten of the Father, not as others are
by spiritual regeneration, but by eternal generation, as none
but Himself is : for the opening whereof, we must know,
that God that made all things fruitful, is not Himself sterile
or barren ; but He that hath given power to animals to ge-
nerate and produce others in their own nature, is Himself
much more able to j^roduce one, not only like Himself, but
of the self-same nature with Himself, as He did in begetting
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Private Thoughts
His Son, by coiumunicating His Own unbegotten essence
and nature to Him. For the Person of the Son was most
certainly begotten of the Father, or otherwise He would not
be His Son ; but His essence was unbegotten, otherwise He
would not be God ; and therefore the highest apprehensions
that we can frame of this great mystery, the eternal gene-
ration of the Son of God, is only by conceiving the Person
of the Fatlier to have communicated His Divine essence to
the Person of the Son ; and so of Himself begetting His
other self, the Son, by communicating His Own eternal and
unbegotten essence to Him : I say, by communicating of
His essence, not of His Person to Him, for then they would
be both the same Person, as now They are of the same
essence : the essence of the Father did not beget the Son
by communicating His Person to Him, but the Person of
the Father begat the Son by communicating His essence to
Him ; so that the Person of the Son is begotten, not com-
municated, but the essence of the Son is communicated, not
begotten.
This notion of the Father's begetting the Son, by com-
municating His essence to Him, I ground upon the Son's
Own words. Who certainly best knew how Himself was
John 5. 26. bcgotteu : " For as the Father," saitli He, " hath life in
Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Him-
self." To have life in Himself is an essential property of
the Divine nature ; and therefore wheresoever that is given
or communicated, the nature itself must needs be given and
communicated too.
Now here we see how God the Father communicated this
His essential property, and so His essence, to the Son, and,
by consequence, though He be a distinct Person from Him,
yet He hath the same unbegotten essence with Him ; and
therefore, as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath the
Son life in Himself; and so all other essential properties of
the Divine Nature, only with this personal distinction, that
the Father hath this life in Himself, not from the Son, but
from Himself; whereas the Son hath it, not from Himself,
but from the Father ; or the Father is God of Himself, not
of the Son ; the Son is the same God, but from the Father,
upon the Mystery of the Trinity.
345
not from Himself ; and, therefore, not the Father, but the
Son, is rightly called by the Council of Nice, ' God of God,
Light of Light, yea, very God of very God.'
(3.) Thirdly, Having thus spoken of the two first Persons
in the sacred Trinity, we now coine to the last, the Holy
Ghost. The last, I say, not in nature or time, but only
in order ; for, as to their nature, one is not better or more
God than another ; neither, as to time, is one before another ;
none of them being measured by time, but all and every one
of them eternity itself. But though not in nature or time,
yet in order one must needs be before another : for the
Father is of Himself, receiving His essence neither from
the Son nor from the Spirit, and therefore is, in order,
before both ; the Son received His essence from the Father,
not from the Spirit, and therefore, in order, is before the
Spirit, as well as after the Father ; but the Spirit, receiving
His essence both from the Father and the Son, must needs,
in order, be after both.
I confess the Spirit is nowhere in Scripture said to pro-
ceed from the Son, and therefore the inserting this into the
Nicene Creed was the occasion of that schism betwixt the
Western and Eastern Churches, which hath now continued
for many ages ; in which I think both parties are blame-
worthy ; the Western Churches, for inserting this clause
following into the Nicene Creed, wnthout the consent of a
general council ; and the Eastern for denying so plain a
truth as this is : for though the Spirit be not said to proceed
from the Son, yet He is called the "Spirit of the Son," Gai. 4. 6;
which questionless He would never have been, did He not ^'
proceed from the Son as w ell as from the Father. And,
verily, the Father communicating His Own individual
essence, and so whatsoever He is (His paternal relation
excepted), to the Son, could not but communicate this to
Him also, even to have the Spirit proceeding from Him as
it doth from Himself So that as whatsoever the Father hath
originally in Himself, that hath the Son hy communication
from the Father : so hath the Son this, the Spirit's proceed-
ing from Him by communication from the Father, as the
Father hath it in Himself : and the Spirit thus proceeding
346
Private Thovglits
both from the Father and the Son, hence it is that He is
placed after both, not only in the words before us, but also
in 1 John v. 7, and so elsewhere.
III. From what I have hitherto discoursed concerning
this great mystery, the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Tri-
nity, I shall gather some few inferences, and so conclude.
1. Is the Son God, yea, the same God with the Father?
Hence I observe, what a strange mystery the work of man's
redemption is, that God Himself should become man ! And
[that] He that was begotten of His Father, without a mother,
from eternity, should be born of his mother, without a father,
in time ; that He Who was perfect God, like unto the Father
in every thing. His personal properties only excepted, should
also be perfect man, like unto us in all things, our personal
infirmities only excepted ; that He that made the world
should be Himself made in it ; that eternity should stoop to
time, glory be wrapt in misery, and the Sun of Righteous-
jiess hid under a clod of earth ; that innocence should be
betrayed, justice condemned, and life itself should die, and
all to redeem man from death to life. 0 wonder of won-
iTira.3.i6. tiers! how justly may we say with the Apostle, "Without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness!"
2. Is the Spirit also God? Hence I observe, that it is
God alone that can make us holy ; for seeing the Scripture
all along ascribes our sanctification unto the Spirit of God,
and yet the Spirit of God is Himself really and truly God,
it necessarily followeth, that the special concurrence and
influence of Almighty God Himself is necessary to the
making us really and truly holy.
3. Are all Three Persons in the Trinity one and the same
God ? Hence I infer, they are to have one and the same
honour conferred upon Them, and one and the same worship
performed unto Them. Or, as our Saviour Himself saith,
Johns. 23. "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour
ch. 14. 1. the Father ;" and, " ye believe in God, believe also in Me."
And as we pray to the Father, so should we pray to the Son
too, as the Apostles did, Luke xvii. 5 ; and St. Stephen, Acts
vii. 59 ; and St. Paul to all Three, 2 Cor. xiii. 14.
4. Is Baptism to be administered in the Name of the
upon the Mystery of the Trinity. 347
Father, and of the Son, of the Holj^ Ghost? Hence I
observe how necessary it is to believe in these Three Per-
sons, in order to our being real and true Christians ; for we
being made Christians in the Name of all Three, that man
ceaseth to be a Christian that believes only in One ; for faith
in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost,
is necessary to the very constitution of a Christian ; and is
the principal, if not the only characteristical note whereby
to distinguish a Christian from another man ; yea, from a
Turk; for this is the chief thing that the Turks, both in
their Alcoran and other writings, upbraid Christians for,
even because they believe a Trinity of Persons in the Divine
nature. For which cause they frequently say they are
'people that believe God hath companions;' so that take
away this article of our Christian faith, and what depends
upon it, and there would be but little difference betwixt a
Christian and a Turk : but by this means Turks would not
turn Christians, but Christians Turks, if this fundamental
article of the Christian religion was once removed ; for he
that doth not believe this, is no Christian, upon that very
account, because he doth not believe that by which a
Christian is made ; and whatsoever else errors a man may
hold, yet if he believes in God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Ghost, I cannot, I dare not but acknow-
ledge him to be a Christian in general, because he holds fast
to the foundation of the Christian religion, though perhaps
he may build upon it hay and stubble, and so his super-
structure be infirm and rotten.
I shall conclude with a word of advice to all such as call
themselves by the Name of Christ : I suppose and believe
they are all Christians, from their taking that name, and
therefore I need not use any arguments to persuade them
to turn Christians, for so they are already by profession :
but seeing that they are Christians, let me desire them to
consider how they came to be so ; even by being baptized
in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. And if they desire to be Christians still, I must
advise them to continue stedfast in that faith whereby they
were made so. Of all the errors and heresies which Satan
hath sowed amongst us, let us have an especial care to avoid
348
Private Thoughts
sucli as strike at the very foundation of our religion ; I
mean the Arians, Macedonians, Socinians, and all manner
of Antitrinitarians, such as deny the most sacred Trinity.
But I hope we have better learned Christ than to hearken
to such opinions as these are; and therefore my next advice
in brief is only this, that as we excel others in the truth
of our profession, so we would excel them also in the holi-
ness of our life and conversation : let ns manifest ourselves
to be Christians indeed, by believing the assertions, trusting
in the promises, fearing the threatenings, and obeying the
precepts, of Christ our Master, that both infidels and heretics
may be convinced of their errors, by seeing us outstripping
them in our piety towards God, equity to our neighbours,
charity to the poor, unity amongst ourselves, and love to all ;
for this would be a clear demonstration, that our faith is
better than theirs is, when our lives are holier than theirs
are ; and for our encouragement thereunto, I dare engage,
that if we believe thus, as Christ hath taught us, and live
as He hath commanded us, we shall also obtain what He
hath promised, even eternal happiness in the world to come ;
where we shall see, enjoy, and praise that God, into Whose
Name we are baptized, even Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
for evermore. There, with Angels and Archangels, with
the Heavens and all the Powers therein; with Cherubim and
Seraphim, and all the blessed inhabitants of those everlast-
ing mansions ; with the glorious company of the Apostles,
the goodly fellowship of the Prophets ; the noble army of
Martyrs ; all the company of Heaven, and the Holy Church
throughout all the world, we shall eternally laud and mag-
nify Thy sacred Name, ' O God the Father of Heaven ; O
God the Son, Redeemer of the world ; O God the Holy
Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son ; O Holy,
Blessed, and Glorious Trinity, Three Persons and one God,
evermore praising Thee, the Father of an Infinite Majesty ;
together with Thine Honourable, True, and Only Son; Thee
the King of Glory, O Christ ; and Thee, O Holy Ghost, the
Comforter ; still joining with the Heavenly choir, and saying.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth
are full of Thy glory ; glory be to Thee, 0 Lord Most High.
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify •
upon Worldly Riches.
349
Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, 0 Lord
God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord,
the Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, O Lord God, Lamh of
God, Son of the Father, Thou Who takest away the sins of
the world, and sittest at the right hand of God the Father.
O Blessed, Glorious, and Eternal Spirit ; for Thou only
art Holy, Thou only art the Lord ; Thou only, O Christ,
with the Holy Ghost, art Most High in the glory of God
the Father : for Thine, O Lord, is the kingdom, the power,
and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.'
' Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hast given unto us
Thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to ac-
knowledge the glory of the Eternal Trinity, and in the
power of the Divine Majesty to w'orship the Unity; we
beseech Thee that Thou wouldst keep us stedfast in this
faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities. Who
livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.'
And now having led the Christian through this first stage
of his course, and instructed him in the principles of his
religion, and in the great mystery of the Trinity, into which
he was baptized, it may be fit to bring him into the world,
and shew him how he ought to demean himself in regard to
the things of it.
IV. THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES.
Section I.
He that seriously considers the constitution of the Chris-
tian religion, observing the excellency of its doctrines, the
clearness of its precepts, the severity of its threatenings, to-
gether with the faithfulness of its promises, and the certainty
of its principles to trust to ; such a one may justly be
astonished, and admire what should be the reason that they
who profess this not only the most excellent, but only true
religion in the world, should notwithstanding be generally
as wicked, debauched, and profane, as they that never heard
of it. For that they are so, is but too plain and obvious to
350
Private Thoughts
every one that observes their actions, and compares them
with the practices of Jews, Turks, and infidels. For what
sin have they among them, which m o have not as rife among
ourselves ? Are they intemperate and luxurious ? Are they
envious and malicious against one another? Are they un-
charitable and censorious ? Are they given to extortion,
rapine, and op2:)ression ? So are most of those who are
called Christians. Do they blaspheme the Name of God,
profane His Sabbaths, contemn His Word, despise His Or-
dinances, and trample upon the blood of His only Son?
How many have we amongst ourselves that do these things
as much as they ?
But how comes this about, that they who are baptized
into the Name of Christ, and profess the religion which He
established in the world, should be no better than other
people, and in some respects far worse? Is it because,
though they profess the Gospel, yet they do not understand
it ; nor know what sins are forbidden, nor what duties are
enjoined in it ? That none can plead, especially amongst us
who have the Gospel so clearly revealed, so fully interpreted,
so constantly preached to us as we have. Insomuch that if
there be any one person amongst us, that understands not
what is necessary to be known, in order to our everlasting
happiness, it is because we will not, wilfully shutting our
eyes against the light.
But what, then, shall we impute this wonder to, that ■
Christians are generally as bad as Heathens ? Does Christ
in His Gospel dispense with their impieties, and give them
indulgences for their sins, and license to break the Moral
Law ? It is true, his pretended vicar at Rome doeth so ; but
far be it from us to father our sins upon Him Who came
into the \vorld on purpose to save us from them. Indeed, if
we repent and turn from sin. He hath both purchased and
promised pardon and forgiveness to us, but not till then :
but hath expressly told us the contrary, assuring us, that
Luke 13. 3. "except we repent, we must all perish," I confess there
have been such blasphemous heretics amongst us called
Antinomians, who are altogether for faith without good
works, making as if Christ, by erecting His Gospel, de-
stroyed the Moral Law ; but none can entertain such a
upon Worldly Riches.
351
horrible opinion as that is, whose sinful practices have not
so far depraved their principles, that they believe it is so
only because tliey would have it to be so, directly contrary
to our Saviour's Own words : " Think not that I am come Matt. 5. 17.
to destroy the Law or the Prophets ; I am not come to de-
stroy, but to fulfil!" But I hope there is none of us but
have better learned Christ, than to think that He came
to patronise our sins. Who was " sent to bless us, by turning Acts 3. 26.
away every one of us from our iniquities." But how come
Christians, then, to be so bad and sinful as other men ? Is
it because they are as destitute as other men of all means
whereby to become better? No, this cannot possibly be the
reason ; for nothing can be more certain, than that we all
have, or at least may, if we will, have whatsoever can any
way conduce to the making us either holy here, or happy
hereafter. We have the way that leads thereto revealed
to us in the Word of God ; we have that Word frequently
expounded and applied to us; we have all free access, not
only to the Ordinances which God hath appointed- for our
conversion, but even to the very Sacraments themselves,
whereby our faith may be confirmed, and our souls nourished
to eternal life. And more than all this too, we have many
gracious and faithful promises, that if we do but what we
can, God, for Christ's sake, will afford us such assistances
of His grace and Spirit, whereby we shall be enabled to
perform universal obedience to the Moral Law, such as God,
for Christ's sake, will accept of, instead of that perfection
which the Law requires. So that now, if we be not all as
real and true saints, as good and pious Christians as ever
lived, it is certainly our own faults : for we have all things
necessary to the making of us such, and if we were not
wanting to ourselves, it is impossible we should fail of
having all our sins subdued under us, and all true grace
and virtue implanted in us. Insomuch that since the
Christian religion was first revealed to the world, there have
been certainly millions of souls converted by it, who now
are glorified saints in Heaven, which once were as sinful
creatures upon earth as we now are. But it seems they
found the Gospel an effectual means of conversion and
salvation ; and therefore it cannot be imputed to any defect
352
Private Thoughts
in the Gospel, or the Christian religion, that we are not all
as good men as ever lived, and, by consequence, better than
the professors of all other religions in the world.
But what, then, shall we say to this wonder of wonders,
that Christians themselves, in our age, live such loose and
dissolute lives as generally they do? What shall be the
reason that all manner of sin and evil should be both prac-
tised and indulged amongst us, as much as in the darkest
corners of the world upon which the Gospel never yet
shined? Why, when we have searched into all the reasons
that possibly can be imagined, next to the degeneracy and
corruption of our nature, this must needs be acknowledged
as one of the chief and principal, that men living upon
earth, and conversing ordinarily with nothing but sensible
and material objects, they are so much taken up with them,
that those Divine and spiritual truths which are revealed in
the Gospel make little or no impression at all upon them :
though they hear what the Gospel saith and teacheth, yet
they are no more affected with it, nor concerned about it,
than as if they had never heard of it, their affections being
all bent and inclined only to the things of this world. And
therefore it is no wonder that they run with so full a career
into sin and wickedness, notwithstanding their profession of
the Gospel, seeing their natural propensity and inclination
to the things of this world are so strong and prevalent
within them, that they will not suffer them to think seri-
ously upon, much less to concern themselves about, any
thing else.
The Apostle, in his First Epistle to Timothy, chap, vi.
endeavouring to persuade men from the over-eager desire of
earthly enjoyments, presses this consideration upon us, that
such an inordinate desire of the things of this world betrays
1 Tim. 6. 8, men into many and great temptations. And then he gives
ver. 10. this as the reason of it. " For the love of money is the root
of all evil ;" that is, in brief, the love of riches and temporal
enjoyments is the great reason why men are guilty of such
great and ati'ocious crimes as generally they are ; there being-
no evil but what springs from this, as from its root and
origin ; which is so plain a truth, so constantly and univer-
sally experienced in all ages, that the heathens themselves.
upon Worldly Riches. 353
the ancient poets and philosophers, could not but take notice
of it. For Bion the philosopher was wont to say, that [Stob Fio-
. ^ / , , "leg- ^•
(piKaoyuPia, 'the love ot money, was xax/a^ //.r,T^6'zoXis, the ss, vol. i.p.
metropolis of wickedness :' and Apollodorus, 'AXXa eyjhw n caisf.f ^'
70 %iipa)Mm rSiv y.ax.ctiy e'lony-ag, iv (piXapyjp'ia yas ■yafx' 'ivi, ' When [Tit.xvi.ll,
thou speakest of the love of money, thou mentionest the 339.] ^
head of all evils, for they are all contained in that.' To the
same purpose is that of the poet Phocylides, 'H 62 piXo'/,irs- [Fragm.
/ioa-jvYj iJ^nrri^ -/.aMTriToi (iTaGr,;, ' The love of riches is the mother Gaisf Poet,
of all wickedness.' What these saw by the light of nature,
hath here Divine authority stamped upon it; God Himself 448.]
asserting the same thing by His Apostle, 'P/^a yu: -javruv ruv j^'""" ^"
xay.w iffTiv ri fiXagyj^la, " The love of money is the root of all
evils ;" which that we may the better understand, we must
consider,
, I. What is here meant by money.
II. What by the love of riches.
III. How the love of money is the root of all evils.
I. As for the first, I need not insist long upon it, all men
, knowing well enough what money is. But we must remem-
I ber, that by money is here understood not only silver and
gold, but all earthly comforts, possessions, and enjoyments
I whatsoever, whether goods, lands, houses, wares, wealth, or
J riches of any sort or kind whatsoever.
, II. By the love of money we are to understand that sin
which the Scriptures call " covetousness ;" and the true
nature and notion of it consisteth especially in three things.
1. In having a real esteem and value for wealth or
money, as if it was a thing that could make men happy,
. or better than otherwise they would be; as it is plain all
covetous men have their desire of riches proceeding only
from a groundless fancy, that their happiness consists in
having much, which makes them set a greater value upon
J riches, preferring them before other things, even before God
Himself. Hence the love of money is altogether incon-
, sistent with the love of God : " If any man love the world, ijohn2.i5.
the love of the Father is not in him." It being impossible
j to love God as we ought, above all things, and yet to love
the world too at the same time.
2. Hence the love of money supposeth also a delight and
A A
354
Private 1 houghts
complacency in the having of it, proceeding from the afore-
said esteem they have for it ; for, being possessed with a fond
opinion that the more they have, the better they are, they
cannot but be pleased with the thoughts of their present
Lukei2.i6. enjoyments, as the rich man was in the Gospel, who, because
his ground brought forth plentifully, resolved to enlarge his
barns, and lay up stores for many years, and bid his soul
take her ease. How many sucli fools have we amongst us,
who please and pride themselves with the thoughts of their
being rich !
3. From this esteem for, and complacency in, money or
wealth, it follows that men are still desirous of having more,
placing their happiness only in riches ; because they think
they can never be happy enough, therefore they think too
they are never rich enough. Hence how much soever they
have, they still desire more, and therefore covetousness in
Scripture is ordinarily expressed by TXsovsg/a, which properly
signifies ' an inordinate desire of having more ;' which kind of
desires can never be satisfied, because they are able to desire
more than all the world, and to raise themselves as high and
as far as the infinite Good itself
III. Now such a love of money as this is, consisting in
having a real esteem for it, in taking pleasure and delight
in it, and in longing and thirsting after it ; this is that which
the Apostle here saith " is the root of all evil ;" that is, it is
the great and principal cause of all sorts of evil that men
are guilty of, or obnoxious to ; which that I may clearly de-
monstrate to you, we must first know in general that therei
are but two sorts of evil in the world, the evil of sin, and the
evil of punishment or misery ; and the love of money is the,
cause of them both. ;
1. To begin with the evil of sin, which is the only foun-i
tain from whence all other evils flow, and itself doth cer-j
tainly spring from the love of money, as much or more
than from any thing else in the whole world. InsomuchI
that the greatest part of those sins which any of us art
guilty of, proceed from this master sin, even the love o;
money, as might easily be shewn from a particular enumera^
tion of those sins which men generally are addicted to. But
that I may proceed more clearly and methodically in demon-
upon Worldly Riches.
355
strating this, so as to convince men of the danger of this
above most other sins, I desire it may be considered that
there are two sorts of sins that we are guilty of, sins of
omission and sins of commission, under which two heads all
sins whatsoever are comprehended.
(1.) For sins of omission. It is plain that our love of
money is the chief and principal cause that makes us neglect
and omit our duties to God and man, as it is manifest we
most of us do. In speaking unto which I must take leave
to deal plainly, for it is a matter that concerns our eternal
salvation : and therefore howsoever some may resent it, I
am bound in duty and conscience to remind men of their
sins, and particularly of this great prevailing sin of covet-
ousness, or inordinate love of money, which most men give
but too much reason to fear they are guilty of; and there-
fore I may tell them of it, without any breach of charity.
It is true, I cannot pretend to be a searcher of hearts, — that
is only God's prerogative, and therefore I shall not take
upon me to judge or censure any particular persons; but I
shall speak to all in general, and leave every one to make
the particular application of it to himself. Neither shall I
speak of things at random, but I shall instance only in such
sins which I can assert upon my own knowledge that most
men allow themselves, and that upon this account only,
because they love money. For,
[i.] First, What is the reason that so few, indeed scarce
any of us, are at prayers at church upon the week-day, to
perform our devotion to Him that made us? Is it because
we think it impertinent to pray unto Him ? No, our pre-
sence there on Sundays contradicts that ; and I have more
charity than to think that any are so atheistical as to imagine
it to be superfluous to pay our homage to the Supreme
Governor of the world, and to implore His aid and blessing
^ upon us. But what then should be the reason of it? In
fid plain terms, it is nothing else but because men love money,
sj and therefore are loath to spare so much time from their
, J sports or callings, as to go to church to pray to God for
jei» what they want, and praise His name for what they have.
Br Let us search into our hearts, and we shall acknowledge this
356
Private Thoughts
to be the only reason of it. But it is a very foolish one, for
who can bless us but God ? i
[ii.] What is the reason that so many neglect the Sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper? Do we not all look upon it as
our duty to receive it ? I dare say we do ; Christ Himself
Luke 22. 19. having commanded it, and it being the only way whereby
to manifest ourselves to be Christians ; what then can be the
reason of this neglect of it, but merely the love of money,
which makes men loath to spend time in preparing and
fitting themselves for it ? But seeing men thus excommu-
nicate themselves by not coming to the Communion, in plain
terms they deserve to be excommunicated by the censures
of the Church ; and if God should in His providence deprive
them of ever having an opportunity of receiving the Sacra-
ment again, they must even thank themselves for it. How-
soever this shall be their present punishment, that they shall
be deprived of it, until they think it worth their while to
come unto it.
[iii.] What is the reason that the Sabbath is so profaned,
that so many take their recreations upon the Lord's Day,
but because they cannot spare time for it from getting money
on other days ? thinking the day long, because they can get
little in it, as Amos, viii. 5. And why do so many profane
the Sabbath while at church, by thinking upon the world,
but because they love it ?
[iv.] What is the reason that charity is so cold, but that
the love of money is grown so hot among us ? For do not
we all know it is our duty to relieve the poor ? Hath not
God expressly commanded it ? Hath He not threatened a
curse to them that do it not, and promised a blessing to
them that do it ? What, then, can be the reason that so
many neglect it, but because they love their money more
than God?
To these might be added many other sins, which the
love of money daily occasions. For what is the reason that
many read the Scriptures so seldom and so cursorily as they
do ? What is the reason that they either have none, or
commonly neglect their family duties ; that every slight
occasion will make them omit their private devotions ; that
upon Worldly Riches.
357
they can find no time to look into their own hearts, to con-
sider their condition, and meditate upon God and Christ, and
the world to come ?
What is the reason that many know their shops better
than their hearts, and are acquainted with the temper of
their body more than with the constitution of their souls ;
that they are so careful and industrious in the prosecution
of their worldly designs, so negligent and remiss in looking
after Heaven ? What is or can be the reason of these things,
but that inordinate love and affection they have for money,
or the things of this world, which makes them so eager in
the pursuit of them, that they forget they have any thing
else to mind, and so much taken up with worldly business,
that God and Christ, and Heaven and soul, and all, must
give way to it? Oh the folly and madness of sinful men!
What a strange, corrupt, and degenerate thing is the heart
of man become, that we should be so foolish and unwise, as
to prefer our bodies before our souls, earth before Heaven,
toys and trifles before the eternal God, and the worst of evils
before the best of goods, even sin itself, with all the miseries
that attend it, before holiness and that eternal happiness
which is promised to it ; and all for nothing else but the love
of a little pelf and trash, which hath no other worth but what
our own distracted fancies put upon it !
(2.) And if the love of money be the root of so many sins
of omission, how many sins of commission must needs sprout
from it ! Indeed they are so many, that it would be an end-
less thing to reckon them all up, and therefore I shall not
undertake it, but shall mention only such of them as every
one, upon the first reading, shall acknowledge to be the
cursed offspring of this one fruitful and big-bellied sin of
covetousness, or the love of money ; of which Cicero observes,
that 'Xullum est ofiicium tam sanctum atque solemne, quod [Proaulnt.
non avaritia comminuere atque violare soleat.' So we may *^P-^*2^-J
say on the other side too, that there is no sin so great and
horrid but covetousness will sometimes put men upon it.
[i.] Is idolatry a sin ? Yea certainly, one of the greatest
that any man can be guilty of ; and yet nothing can be more
plain than that covetousness, wheresoever it comes, draws
it along with it, insomuch that every covetous man is as^
358
Private. Thoughts
Eph. 5. 5. serted by God Himself to be an idolater, and covetousness
Col. 3. 5. to be idolatry itself. And the reason is plain, for what is
idolatry, but to give that worship to a creature which is due
only unto God 1 But what higher acts of worship can we
perform to God, than to love Him, and to trust on Him,
which it is certain every covetous man gives to his money,
and therefore covetousness is here called tpiXa^yu^la, ' the love
of money?' And we cannot but be all sensible what trust
and confidence men are wont to repose in their estates and
incomes. But such will say, ' We do not fall down before
our money, nor pray unto it ; ' but they trust on it, and that
is infinitely more than bare praying to it : and though they
do not bow down before it in their bodies, yet they make
all the faculties of their souls to bow down and stoop unto it;
they love and desire it ; they rejoice and delight in having of
it ; they are grieved and troubled for nothing so much as
the parting with it ; nor fear any thing so much as the
losing of it.
But they will say again, ' We do not sacrifice to our bags,
nor burn incense to our estates ; we never did nor intend to
ofter so much as a lamb or calf unto it.' It is true they do
not, but they offer that which is far better, they offer the
poor to it, suffering them to perish with hunger, thirst, and
cold, rather than relieve them with that necessary main-
tenance which God has put into their hands for them : they
off'er their own bodies to it, exposing them to heats and
colds, to dangers and hazards both by sea and land, and all
for money ; yea, they offer their own souls to it likewise
as a whole burnt-off"ering, giving them to lie scorching in Hell
flames to eternity, and that upon no other account but to
get money ; and tell me which are the greatest fools and tlie
most odious idolaters, — such as offer beasts to the sun and
flames, or such as off'er themselves both soul and body to dirt
and clay ? We cannot but all acknowledge the latter to be
far the worse, and by consequence the covetous man to be
the greatest idolater in the world, and that too only because
he is a covetous man.
[ii.] Moreover, is not extortion and oppression a sin ?
And yet we all know that it is the love of money that is the
only cause of it. Is not strife and contention a sin ? whence
upon Worldly Riches.
359
comes it but from our lusting after money ? Is not jjerjury James 4.1.
\< a sin? Is not corruption of justice a sin? Is not cheating
e and cozenage a sin? Is not pride and haughtiness a sin?
e Is not unrighteous dealing betwixt man and man a sin ? Is
not theft and robbery a sin ? Is not treason and rebellion a
I, sin ? Are not all these sins, and great ones too ? But
i M-hence spring these poisonous fruits into the lives of men,
I but from the bitter root of covetousness in their hearts ? It
1 is the love of money that makes these sins to rise amongst
e us ; it is this that makes men forswear themselves, and cozen
I others ; it is this that ofttimes makes fathers ruin their
V children, and children to long for the death of their fathers ;
e it is this that makes neighbours go to law, and brethren
; themselves to be at variance; it is this that makes men
f strive to overreach each other, and to blind the eyes of those
s they deal with ; it is this that hath caused some to murder
e others, and others to destroy themselves. What shall I say
more ? There is no impiety that can be committed against
God, nor injury that can be offered unto men, but the love
of money hath been the cause of it in others, and will be so
in us, unless it be timely prevented, and therefore it may
well be termed the ' root ' of all the evil of sin.
2. And it being the root from whence all the evil of sin
springs, it must needs be the root of all the evil of punish-
ment and misery too, misery and jjunishment being the
necessary consequents of sin. Indeed this sin carries its
misery along with it, as Seneca himself saw by the mere
light of nature, saying, " Nulla avaritia sine poena est, quam- [Epist.
vis satis sit ipsa poenarum :" ' No avarice is without punish- ^^^'^
ment, though it be itself punishment enough.' For, what a
torment is it for a man to be always thirsty, and never able
to quench his thirst ! Yet this is the misery of every covetous
man, whose thirst after money can never be satisfied, and
who is so desirous of having more, that he can never enjoy
with comfort what he hath, loving money so well that he
grudgeth himself the use of it. Hence the aforesaid author
observed, that " In nullum avarus bonus est, in seipsum [Epist.
pessimus:" 'The covetous man is good to none, but worst of
all to himself.' And as this is the natural consequent of this
sin in itself, so it is the ordinary punishment that God inflicts
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upon men for it, not suffering them to take any pleasure in
Eccies. 6. the use of what they love. And besides that, what cares
^' ^' and fears, what labours and travels, what dangers and
hazards, doth the love of money put men upon ! How do
they rack their brains and break their rest to get it ; and
when it is gotten, what fears are they always in lest they
should lose it again ! What grief and trouble do the poor
wretches undergo for every petty loss that befalls them ! so
that every covetous man is not only miserable, but therefore
miserable because covetous.
But if their misery be so great in this life, how great will
it be in that to come ! Concerning which there are two
things to be observed : First, that the very having of riches
Matt. 19. makes it very difficult to get to Heaven. Hence Agur was
Luke 16. afraid of them. Neither do we ever read of any of the
Proviso 8 Patriarchs, Prophets, or the Saints recorded in Scripture,
to have been guilty of this sin, unless Baruch, who was
Jer. 45. 5. reproved for it.
And as the having of money makes it difficult to get to
Heaven, so the loving of it makes it impossible to keep out
of Hell. For, so long as man is covetous, he is liable to
every temptation, ready to catch at every bait that the Devil
throws before him ; so that he is led by him as he pleaseth,
1 Tim. 6. 9. till at length he be utterly destroyed. And therefore the
Eph.5. 5, 6. same Apostle elsewhere tells us, that the covetous have no
inheritance in the Kingdom of God, but the wrath of God
will most certainly fall upon them. But the wrath of God
is the greatest evil of punishment that it is possible for men
to bear : indeed it is that which once being incensed makes
hell-fire. And yet we see that the heat of our love to money
will enkindle the flames of God's wrath against us ; yea, and
Mark 9. 44. such flames too as will never be quenched. And so for the
little seeming transient pleasure they take in getting or
keeping money now, they must live in misery and contempt,
in shame and torment, for evermore.
Thus now we see that the love of money will not only put
us upon the evil of sin, but it will also bring the evil of
ver. 9, 10. punishment upon us, both which the Apostle here imputes
to this sin. And therefore he both well may and must be
understood of both these sorts of evil, when he saith, that
upon Worldly Riches.
361
" the love of money is the root of all evil;" which, the pre-
mises considered, I hope none can deny ; and need I then
heap up more arguments to dissuade men from this sin, and
to prevail with them to leave doting upon the world and
loving money 1 Is not this one argument of itself sufficient ?
For is it possible for us to indulge ourselves in this sin, now
we know it is the root of all evil ; and that if we still love
money, there is no sin so great but we may fall into it, and
no misery so heavy but it may fall upon us ? Surely, if this
consideration will not prevail upon us to despise and con-
temn, rather than to love and desire this world, for my part
I know not what can. Only this I know, that so long as
men continue in this sin, all writing and preaching will be
in vain to them ; and so will their hearing be, their going to
church, their reading the Scriptures, their hearing them
read and expounded to them ; all this will signify nothing,
this root of all evil is still within us, and will bring forth its
bitter fruit do what we can. And therefore, as ever we
desire to profit by what we hear, as ever we desire to avoid
any one sin whatsoever, to know what happiest means to
escape either present torment or eternal misery, as ever we
desire to be real saints, and to manifest ourselves to be so, to
go to Heaven, and live with God and Christ for ever, let not
our affections be entangled any longer in the briers and
thorns of this lower world, let us beware of loving money.
" If riches increase, let us not set our hearts upon them," but P3.62. 10.
scorn and despise them hereafter, as much as ever here-
tofore we have desired or loved them.
But I cannot, I dare not but in charity believe and hope,
that by this time my readers are something weaned from
their doting upon this present world, and desire to know
how they may for the future get off their affections from it,
so as to have this root of all evil extirpated, and quite
plucked up from within them. I hope this is now the desire
of all, or at least of most of them ; and therefore I shall now
endeavour to shew them how they may infallibly accomplish
and effect it. In order thereto,
1. Let such persons often consider with themselves how
unsuitable the things of this world are for their affections
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and love, which were designed only for the chiefest good.
When God implanted the aflfection of love within us, He did
not intend it should be the root of all evil, but of all good
unto us ; and therefore He did not give it to us, to place it
fondly upon such low and mean objects as this world pre-
sents unto us, but that we should love Himself with all our
Deut. 6. 5. hearts and souls. And surely He infinitely deserves our
love more than such trash can do.
2. Let them remember that so long as they love money,
they may pretend what they please, they do not love God,
1 John, ii. 15, nor Christ, Matt. x. 37, Luke, xiv. 26, and by
consequence they have no true religion at all in them,
James, i. 27.
3. Let them often read and study our Saviour's Sermon
upon the Mount, where He pronounces the meek and low,
Matt.5.3,4. not the rich and mighty, to be blessed, and weigh those
strong and undeniable arguments which He brings, to
prevail upon us not to take thought for the world, nor
trouble our heads about the impertinent concerns of this
ch. 6.24-28. transient life.
4. Let them labour to confirm and strengthen their trust
and confidence on the promises of God, Who hath assured
us, that if we love and fear Him, He will take care of us,
ver. 33. and provide all things necessary for us. This is the great
argument which the Apostle uses, Heb. xiii. 5, 6.
5. Let them remember that they are called to higher
things than this world is able to afford them ; the Christian
is a high and Heavenly calling ; we are called by it, and
1 Thess. 2. invited to a kingdom and eternal glory, and therefore ought
not to spend our time about such low and paltry trash as
riches and wealth.
6. Let them get above the world, let their conversation
• be in Heaven, and then they will soon look down upon all
[St. Greg, things here below, as beneath their concern, ' Vilescunt tem-
i^¥va!?g.™ poralia, cum desiderantur aeterna,' said St. Gregory. He
toin"i ^^^^^ seriously thinks upon and desires Heaven, cannot but
1626, E.and vilify and despise earth. Oh what fools and madmen do the
torn. ii. p. ' blessed Angels and the glorified Saints in Heaven think us
BenO^** poor mortals upon earth to be, when they see us busying
upon Worldly Riches.
363
ourselves about getting- a little refined dirt, and in the mean-
while neglecting those transcendent glories which themselves
enjoy, although they be offered to us !
7. Let them never suffer the vanity of all things here
below to go out of their minds, but remember still, that, get
what they can, it is but vanity and vexation of spirit, as
Solomon himself asserted upon his own experience, though
he be sure had more than any of us are ever likely to enjoy.
And let them not only often repeat the words, but endeavour
to get themselves convinced thoroughly of the truth of them,
which their own experiences, duly weighed and rightly ap-
plied, will soon do.
8. Let it be their daily prayer to Almighty God, that He
would take off their affections from the world, and incline
them to Himself, as David did, saying, " Incline my heart to Ps. 119. 36.
Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness."
To all these means, let them add the constant and serious
consideration of what they have here read, that the love of
money is the root of all evil ; assuring themselves, that if
they will not believe it now, it is not long before they will
all find it but too true by their own sad and woeful experience,
when they shall be stripped of their present enjoyments, and
so turn bankrupts in another world, where they will be cast
into prison without ever having a farthing to relieve them-
selves, or so much as a drop of water to cool their inflamed
tongues.
By these and suchlike means, none of us but may sup-
press the love of money in us, which is the root of all evil,
and so avoid or prevent all the evil which otherwise will pro-
ceed from it. Whether any of my readers will be persuaded
to use these means or no, I know not ; however, let me tell
them, that if they are loath to strive to get their affections
deadened to the world, it is an infallible sign that they are
too much in love with it, and that this root and seed of all
manner of evil remains in them ; nor can it be expected they
will be persuaded to any one duty whatsoever, until they are
first prevailed upon to do this, even to mortify their lusts
and affections to the things of this world. For so long as
those are predominant within us, no grace whatsoever can
be exerted, nor duty performed, nor any sin avoided by us.
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Private Thovghts
But oh how happy would it be, if it should please the
Most High God to send what I have here said so home upon
any, as to induce them to set themselves seriously for the
future to the eradicating or rooting up this love of money
out of their hearts ! What a holy, what a blessed, what a
peculiar people should we then be, and how zealous of good
works ! Then we should take all opportunities of perform-
ing our devotions to Almighty God : then we should have
as many at the Sacrament as at a sermon ; then our
Churches would be filled all the week as well as on Sun-
days, and the Eternal God constantly worshipped with re-
verence and godly fear : then we should take delight in
clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and relieving the
oppressed : then there would be no such thing as cheating
and cozenage, as lying and perjury, as strife and contention,
amongst us. But we should all walk hand and hand to-
gether in the ways of piety, justice, and charity upon earth,
until at length we shall come to Heaven, where we shall be
so far from loving or desiring money, that we shall account
it as it is, even dross and dirt ; where our affection shall be
wholly taken up with the contemplation of the chiefest Good,
and we shall solace ourselves in the enjoyment of His per-
fections for evermore.
Section II.
Timothy, after his conversion to the Christian faith, being
found to be a man of great parts, learning, and piety, and
so every way qualified for the work of the ministry, St.
Paul, who had planted a Church at Ephesus, the metropolis
or chief city of all Asia, left him to dress and propagate it,
after his departure from it; giving him power to ordain
elders or priests, and to visit and to exercise jurisdiction over
1 Tim. 1. 3. them, to see they did not teach false doctrines, that they be
ch. 5. 7. unblameable in their lives and conversations, and to exercise
ver 19 authority over them, incase they be otherwise. And, there-
fore, it cannot in reason but be acknowledged that Timothy
was the bishop, superintendent, or visitor of all the Asian
upon Worldly Riches.
365
Churches, as he was always asserted to have been by the
Fathers of the Primitive Church ; as Eusebius reports, saying, [Hist.
Tifiohog rrii 'Etpieuiira^or/Jai 'lero^iTrai cr^Sirog rriv i'j'iay.oTrriv iiXriynvoLi,
' that Timothy is reported to have been the first bishop of
the province of Ephesus.' Be sure he had the oversight of
all the Churches that were planted there ; and not only in
Ephesus itself, but likewise in all Asia ; Avhich was subject
then to his ecclesiastical power and jurisdiction.
And hence it is that the Apostle St. Paul, in his first
Epistle to him, gives him directions how to manage so great
a work, and to discharge so great a trust as was committed
to him, both as bishop and priest ; both how to ordain and
govern others, and likewise how to preach himself the
Gospel of Christ. And having spent the whole Epistle in
directions of this sort, in the close of it, as it were, at the
foot of the Epistle, he subjoins one general caution to be
constantly observed by him : " Charge them that are rich in i Tim. 6.17.
this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in un-
certain riches, but in the living God, Who giveth us richly
all things to enjoy;" which words, though first directed to
Timothy, were in him intended for all succeeding ministers
and preachers of the Gospel ; such I mean who are solemnly
ordained and set apart for this work. We are all obliged to
observe the command which is here laid upon us, as without
which we are never likely to do any good upon them that
hear us : for so long as their minds are set altogether upon
riches, and the things of this world, we may preach our
hearts out before we can ever persuade them to mind Heaven
and eternal happiness in good earnest. This St. Paul knew
well enough, and therefore hath left this not only as his
advice and counsel, but as a strict command and duty in-
cumbent upon the preachers of the Gospel in all ages, that
they " charge them that are rich," &c. ; where it may be
observed,
I . In the first place, how we are expressly enjoined to
" charge them that are rich," &c. a word much to be ob-
served. The Apostle doth not say, desire, beseech, counsel,
or admonish the rich, but Tra^ayysXXs roTg rrXo-jskig, " charge
and command them that are rich." The word properly sig-
nifies such a charge as the judges at an assize or sessions
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Private Thoughts
make in the king's name, enjoining his subjects to observe the
establislied laws and statutes of the kingdom. And so the
word is always used in Scripture for the strictest way of corn-
Acts 5. 28. manding any thing to be observed or done, as oh iru^a-yyiXUf,
■■zaortyjiiXaiMsv v/j^n ; "Did we not strictly command you?"
Lukes. 14. 'ja^riyyuXiv ahrtZ, " He charged him to tell no man." Thus,
therefore, it is that we are here enjoined to " charge the
rich," in the name of the Kings of kings, "not to be high-
minded, nor to trust in uncertain riches," &c.
And this is the proper notion, and the only true way of
preaching the Word of God, Avhich therefore in Scripture is
ordinarily expressed by the word 5c?)gi<rffs/v, which properly
signifies to publish or proclaim, as heralds do the will and
pleasure of the prince, and in his name to command the
people to observe it. Thus we are enjoined to preach the
Word of God, by publishing His will and pleasure to men ;
charging them in His Name to obey and practise it. For
we come not to them in our own names, but in His that
created and redeemed them ; and therefore, although we
neither have nor pretend to any power or authority over them
from ourselves, yet, by virtue of the commission which we
have received from the Universal and Supreme Monarch of
the world, we not only lawfully may, but are in duty bound,
to charge and enjoin all in His Name to observe what He
hath commanded them. Insomuch, that although we pre-
tend not to Divine inspiration, or immediate revelations from
God, such as the Prophets had ; yet we, preaching the same
Word which they did, may, and often ought to use the same
authority which they used, saying, as they did, " Thus saith
the Lord of Hosts ; " for whatsoever is written in the Scrip-
tures, is as certainly God's Word now, as it was when first
inspired or revealed to them. And therefore it cannot be
denied but that we have as much power to charge upon all
the observation of what is there written, as they ever had,
we being sent to preach and proclaim the will of God unto
all, by the same person as they were. Hence it is that the
Apostle in the Name of God commands Titus, and in Him
all suceeeding ministers of the Gospel, to speak or preach the
Tit. 2. 15. Word of God, to exhort and rebuke with all authority. From
whence nothing can be more plain, than that it is our duty to
upon Worldly Riches.
367
preach with authority, as those who have received power
from God to make known His will and pleasure to all men ;
or as the Apostle here expressly words it, to " charge them
not to be high-minded," and the like.
But this I fear may be a very ungrateful subject to many,
and therefore I should not have insisted so long upon it,
but that there is a kind of necessity for it. For I verily
believe, that the non-observance of this hath been, and still
is, the principal reason why people receive so little benefit
by hearing of sermons as they usually do : for they look
upon sermons only as popular discourses, rehearsed by one
of their fellow-creatures, which they may censure, approve,
or reject, as themselves see good. And we ourselves, I fear,
have been too faulty, or at least remiss, in this particular ;
in that when we preach, we ordinarily make a long harangue
or oration concerning some point in polemical, dogmatical,
or practical divinity, and use only some moral persuasions
to press upon our auditors the observance of what we say,
without interposing or exercising the authority which is
committed to us, so as to charge them, in the Name of the
Most High God, to observe and practise what we declare
and prove unto them to be His will, and by consequence
their duty. But for my own part, did I think that preaching
consisted only in explaining some point in divinity, and
using only moral arguments to persuade men to perform
their duty to God and man, I should not think it worth my
while to do it, because I could not expect to do any good at
all by it. For all the moral arguments in the world can
never be so strong to draw us from sin, as our own natural
corruptions are to drive us into it. And therefore we can
never expect to do any good upon men either by our logic
or rhetoric ; but our arguments must be fetched from on
high, even from the Eternal God Himself, or else they are
never likely to profit or prevail upon them. We must
charge and command them in God's Name, or else we had as
good say nothing.
It is true, did we, who preach God's word, propose
nothing else to ourselves, but to tickle men's ears and please
their fancies, and so to ingratiate ourselves into their love
and favour, it would be easy to entertain them with dis-
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courses of another nature, stuffed with such fine words,
quaint phrases, and high notions, as would he very pleasing
and acceptable unto them. But I must take leave to say,
that we dare not do it ; for we know that as our auditors
must give an account of their hearing, so it is not long
before we also must give an account of our preaching too ;
Heb. 13.17. for so God Himself hath told us beforehand by His Apostle.
But how shall we be able to look the Eternal God in the
face, yea, or to look our auditors in the face at that time,
if instead of charging their duty upon them, in order to
their eternal salvation, we should put them off with general
discourses, which signify nothing, only to please and gra-
tify them whilst we remain with them? No, we dare
not do it, and therefore I wish men would not expect it from
us ; for we must not hazard our own eternal salvation to
gain their temporal favour or applause. And therefore,
seeing God hath been pleased to intrust us so far with men's
souls, as to direct them in the way to eternal life — howsoever
they resent it, we are bound in duty, both to God, to them,
and ourselves, to deal plainly with them, and to use the
authority which He hath here committed to us, where He
hath expressly commanded us in His Name, to " charge
them that are rich in this world," &c.
Where I desire the reader to observe, in the next place,
that we of the clergy are not only empowered to charge the
poorer or meaner sort of people, who, by reason of their
extreme poverty and want, may seem inferior to us, but even
rich men too ; " charge them," saith the Apostle, " that are
rich in this world." And the reason is, because we come
unto them in His Name, Who gives them all the riches they
do enjoy, and can take them away again when He Himself
pleaseth ; so that He can make the poor rich, and the rich
poor, when He pleaseth ; and therefore the poor and rich are
all alike to Him ; His 2)0wer and authority is the same over
both ; and therefore we, coming in His Name, are ordered to
make no distinction, but to charge the one as well as the
other ; yea, here we are particularly commanded to " charge
them that are rich." Which is the next thing to be con-
sidered in these words.
II. Even whom the Apostle means by them that "are
upon Worldly Riches.
369
rich in this world ? " Which is a question that needs a
serious resolution. For many men, not thinking themselves
as yet to be rich enough, will be apt to conclude from thence
that they are not to be reckoned amongst those whom the
Apostle here calls " rich in this world." But whatsoever
they may think of themselves, I believe there are but few,
except the very poor, who in a Scripture sense are not rich
men ; for whatsoever any have over and above their neces-
sary maintenance, that the Scriptures call riches, as is plain
from Agur's wish, " Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed Prov. 30. 8,
me with food convenient for me." From whence it is easy
to observe, that as nothing but the want of convenient food
is poverty ; so whatsoever a man hath over and above his
own convenient or necessary food, is properly his riches :
and so he that hath it, is, in a Scripture sense, a rich man,
who is therefore called here in my text ^rXoiff/os, quasi
mX-jo-jdio;, 'one that hath much substance,' or more than he
hath necessary occasion for. And therefore, although some
may be richer than others, yet I believe the generality may
be justly reckoned in the number of rich men here spoken
of ; at least all such as, by the blessing of God, have not only
what is necessary for their present maintenance, but likewise
something to spare ; and so may all come under the notion
of those whom we are here commanded to charge not to be
high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, &c.
Having thus considered the act which we are here com-
manded to exert, and the object, the rich of this world, we
are now,
III. To consider the subject-matter, what that is which
we are here commanded to charge upon them ; but that is
here expressly set down in several particulars, all which I
shall endeavour to explain as they lie in order.
1. That they " be not high-minded ;" a necessary caution
< for rich men. For riches are very apt to puff men up with
. vain and foolish conceits of themselves, so as to think them-
selves to be so much the better, by how much they are
richer than other people ; but this is a grand mistake, which
we are here enjoined to use the utmost of our power and skill
to rectify, by " charging them that are rich not to be high-
minded;" that is, not to think highly and proudly of them-
B B
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selves, because they are richer or wealthier than other men,
but to be every way as humble in their own eyes, and as
lowly-minded in the enjoyment of all temporal blessings, as
if they enjoyed nothing ; as considering,
(1.) How much soever they have, they are no way really
the better for it.
[i.] Not in their souls ; they are never the wiser nor
Eccies.9.11; holicr, nor more acceptable unto God, by their being rich.
Job34.l9. ^ „ . , . , ,. , ,
[n.J JNor m their bodies; they are never the stronger, nor
healthier, nor freer from pain and trouble, nor yet longer-
lived than others.
[iii.] Nor in their minds ; their consciences are never the
quieter, their hearts never the freer from cares and fears,
Eccies.5.12. neither can they sleep better than other people.
[iv.] Nor yet in their estate and condition.
First, Not in this life. For riches can never satisfy them,
nor by consequence make them happy ; but they may still
be as miserable in the enjoyment, as in the want of all
ver. 11. things.
Secojidhj, Nor yet in the life to come ; they are never the
nearer Heaven, by being higher upon earth ; their gold and
silver can never purchase an inheritance for them in the land
James 2. 5. of Canaan.
(2.) They are so far from being better, that they are
rather much worse for their having abundance here below.
[i.] They have more temptations to sin, to luxury, to
covetousness, to the love of this world, to the neglect of their
duty to God, to pride and self-conceitedness, to security and
Luke 12. 19. presumptiou.
[ii.] It is harder for them to get to Heaven than it is for
others ; and by consequence, the richer they are, the more
Matt.19.23. danger they are in of being miserable for ever. Whence
our Saviour Himself denounceth a woe upon them that are
Luke 6. 24. rich, and James bids them " weep and howl for their mise-
Jamess. 1. pjgg." therefore advises us to rejoice rather at poverty
cii. 1. 9, 10. than riches. Now these things being considered as spoken
by God Himself, none can deny but that the rich are most
certainly in a worse condition than the poor ; and by conse-
quence, that men have no cause to be proud or high-minded,
Jer. 9. 23. uor to gloi'y in their riches. And therefore whatsoever out-
ujjon Worldly Riches.
371
I ward blessings God hath bestowed upon us, " Let us not be Roin.11.20,
high-minded, but fear."
2. Nor " trust in uncertain riches," which I confess is a
very hard lesson for a rich man to learn, nothing being more
difficult than to have riches, and not to trust in them, as our
Saviour Himself intimates ; in explaining the one by the Markio.23,
other, as things very rarely severed. Bat certainly it is
altogether as foolish a thing to trust in riches, as it is to be
proud of them. For,
(1.) They of themselves can stand us in no stead; they
cannot defend us from any evil, nor procure us any good ;
; they cannot of themselves either feed us, or clothe us, or
refresh us, or be any ways advantageous to us, without God's
blessing. How much less can they be able to deliver usProv. 11.4.
from the wrath to come ? No ; we may take it for a certain
1. truth, our riches may much further our eternal misery, but
il they can never conduce any thing to our future happiness.
J! (2.) If we trust in them, be sure they will fail us, and
bring us to eternal misery and desolation ; for to trust in any
J thing but God, is certainly one of the highest sins we can be
] guilty of; it is in plain terms idolatry; and therefore " He ver. 28.
,1 that trusteth in riches is sure to fall." For this is to deny
God. Job 31. 24,
::c (3.) They are but uncertain riches, " they make them- prov. '23. 5.
selves wings, and fly away." They are in continual motion,
•} ebbing and flowing, and never continuing in one stay. So
that you are never sure of keeping them one day. And
ij what reason, then, can we have to trust on them? especially
considering, that they are not only uncertain, but uncer-
• • tainty itself, as the word here signifies, " trust not in the
uncertainty of riches."
But in the living God ; He, He is to be the only object of
our trust, whether we have or have not any thing else to
.A trust on ; or, to speak more properly, there is nothing that we
,^ can, upon good grounds, make our trust and confidence, but
only Him Who governs and disposeth of all things according
to His Own pleasure. So that it is He, and He alone, that
giveth us all things richly to enjoy. It is not our wit or
policy, it is not our strength or industry, it is not our trading
and trafficking in the world, it is none but God that giveth
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Deut. 8. IS; us wliat we liave. And as it is He that niaketh men ricli,
" so He can make them poor again, when He Himself
pleaseth ; and they have cause to fear He will do so too,
unless they observe what is here charged upon them.
There are four duties still behind, which we are here com-
manded to charge all those who are rich to observe.
1. That they "do good." In treating of which I might
shew the sereral qualifications required to the making up
of an action good : as that the matter of it must be good,
as commanded, or at least allowed by God ; that the manner
of performing it be good, as that it be done obediently,
understandingly, willingly, cheerfully, humbly, and sin-
cerely ; and that the end be good too, so as that it be
directed ultimately to the glory of God. But not to insist
upon that now, I shall only consider what kind of good
works the rich are here commanded to do, as they are rich
men. And they are two, works of piety and works of
charity.
(1.) They are here commanded to do works of piety;
where by works of piety, I mean not their loving, and fear-
ing, and honouring of God, nor yet their praying to Him,
their hearing His Word, or praising His Name, for such
works of piety as these are, the poorest as well as the richest
persons amongst us are bound to do ; whereas the Apostle
here speaks only of such works as they who are rich are
bound to do, upon that account because they are so. And,
therefore, by works of piety here, I understand such works
as tend to the honour of His Name, to the performance of
worship and homage to Him, to the encouragement of His
ministers, the propagating of His Gospel, and the conversion
of sinners to Him ; all which they are bound to do, to the
utmost of their power, out of the estates which for these
purposes He hath intrusted with them. For thus they are
expressly commanded to honour the Lord with all their
substance or riches, and with the first-fruits of all their
ch. 3. 9. increase. And the reason is, because God is the universal
Proprietor, the head Landlord of all the world, and we have
nothing but what we hold under Him ; neither are we any
more than tenants at will to Him, who may fine us at His i
Own pleasure, or throw us out of possession whensoever He
upon Worldly Riches.
373
sees good. Now lest we should forget this, even upon what
tenure it is that we hold our estates, God hath enjoined us to
pay Him, as it were, a quit-rent or tribute out of what we
possess, as an acknowledgment that it is by His favour and
blessing alone that we do possess it. So that whatsoever we
do, or are able to offer Him, is but a due debt which we
owe Him ; which if we neglect to pay Hira, we lose our
tenure, and forfeit what we have to the Lord of the manor,
the supreme Possessor of the world. Hence it is, that in all
ages, they who were truly pious, and had a due sense of
God upon their hearts, were always very careful to pay this
their homage unto God; insomuch that many of them never
thought they could give enough to any pious use, wherein
to testify their acknowledgment of God's dominion over
them, and His right and property in what they had. A
noble instance whereof we have in the children of Israel ;
for when- the tabernacle was to be built for the service and
worship of God, they were so far from being backward in
contributing towards it, that they presently brought more
than could be used in the building of it. So it was too in Ex. 36. 5-7.
the building of the temple, which David and the chiefs or
nobles of Israel made great preparations for. And that they iChron. 29.
did this, thereby to acknowledge God to be the Lord and
Giver of all, is plain from the following words. The same ver. 11-13.
was also observed in the building of the second temple, as
the raising the first out of its rubbish, wherein it had lain for
many years. And as for Christians, I need not tell you how
forward those who have been truly pious, have always been
in doing such works of piety, seeing most of the churches in
Christendom, or be sure in this nation, have been erected by
particular persons. And it is very observable, that the more
eminent any place or age hath been for piety and devotion,
the more pious works have always been done in it, for the
service and worship of Almighty God ; which plainly shews,
that where such works are wanting, whatsoever pretences
they may make, there is no such thing as true piety and the
fear of God. And therefore, as ever we desire to manifest
ourselves to be what we profess, true Christians indeed, men
fearing God, and hating covetousness, we must take all
opportunities to express our thankfulness unto God for
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■R hat we have, by devoting as much as we can of it to His
service and honour.
(2.) Besides these works of piety towards God, the rich
are enjoined also works of charity towards the poor ; which
though they have an immediate reference to the poor, yet
God looks upon them as given to Himself. Hence it is that
Matt.25.40. God accepts of such works as these also for part of the
tribute wliich we owe Him ; whereby we acknowledge the
receipt of what we have fi-om Him, and express our thank-
fulness unto Him for it, without which we have no ground
to expect a blessing upon what we have, nor that it should
iTim. 4. 4. be really good to us: for, as the Apostle tells us, "every
creature of God is good, if it be received with thanksgiving,"
not else. But no thanksgiving is acceptable but that which
is expressed by works as well as words. And therefore it is
necessary for us to pay this duty and service to God, out of
what we have, in order to the cleansing and sanctifying the
residue of our estates unto us, without which we have not
the lawful use of what we possess, but every thing we have
is polluted and unclean to us, as our Saviour Himself inti-
Luken.4i. mates ; a thing much to be considered. For I verily believe
that the great reason why so many estates are blasted so
soon, and brought to nothing amongst us, is because men do
not render unto God His duty and tribute out of what they
have ; and therefore it is no wonder that God in His Provi-
dence turns them out of their possession, and gives their
estates to other persons who shall be better tenants to Him,
and be careful to pay Him the duties which He requires of
them. And therefore, in order to men's securing their
estates to themselves and posterity, it is absolutely necessary
that they observe the duty which we are here recommended
to charge upon all that are rich in this world, even to do
good with what they have ; and not only so, but,
2. " To be rich, too, in good works;" that is, not only to
do good, but to do as much good as they are able with their
riches, so as to proportion their good works to the riches
which God hath given them wherewith to do them, according
to the Apostle's directions, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Thus in the place
before quoted, Luke xi. 41, where our Saviour bids the Phari-
sees to " give alms of such things as they have," his words are,
upon Worldly Riches.
S7o
TO. hovra bors rnv iXin/MevvYiV, ' give alms as much as ye are
able,' for so the words properly signify. And verily what-
li soever we do, unless it be as mucli as we can, God will
li not look upon us as doing any thing at all ; for we must not
t think to compound with Him. When He hath given us all
it we have, He expects that we render all that He requires of
e us, that is, as much as we are able to pay unto Him. As if
J a man owes you money, you will not accept of part instead
of the whole ; so neither will God from us ; we all owe Him
J as much as we are able to devote to His service and honour,
J " and we must not think to put Him off with part of it ; for
He reckons that He receives nothing from us, unless it be
' proportionable to what He hath bestowed upon us. But
[, how little soever it is that we give or offer to Him, if it
. be but answerable to our estates, it will be accepted by Him.
,[ This our Saviour Himself hath assured us of, Mark xii. 43, 44,
J From whence we may certainly conclude, that there is not the
, poorest person whatsoever but may be as rich in good works
J as the richest, because God doth not measure the goodness of
our works by their bulk or quantity, but by the proportion
J which they bear to our estates; so that he who gives a penny
J may do as good a work as he who gives a pound ; yea, and a
better too, because his may be as much as he is able, whereas
the other's is not : I wisb all men would seriously weigh
and consider this, lest otherwise they go out of the world
without ever having done one good work in it ; for we may
assure ourselves, he that is not thus rich in good works, doeth
no good at all with his riches.
But it is further to be considered here, that this expres-
sion, " rich in good works," implies that good works are
indeed our principal riches ; and that men must not com-
pute their riches so much, from what they have, as from
what they give and devote to God. For what we have is
not ours, but God's in our hands : but what we give is ours
in God's hands, and He acknowledgeth Himself our debtor
for it, in that He tells us that we lend it to Him, and pro-
miseth to pay it to us again. And therefore they who cast up Prov. 19.17.
their accounts to know how rich they are, ought not to reckon
upon what they have lying by them, nor upon their houses
and lands that are made over to them, nor yet upon what is
376
Private Thoughts
owing to them by men ; but should reckon only upon what
they have given to pious or charitable uses, upon what
treasures they have laid up in Heaven. For whatsoever
they may think at present, I dare assure them, that will be
found to be their only riches another day. And, therefore,
if any one desires to be rich indeed, let him take my advice,
do what good he can with the riches he hath, and then he
will be rich enough ; for this is the way to be rich in good
works. But in order unto that, he must likewise observe
what follows : to be
3. " Ready to distribute ; " that is, ready upon all occa-
sions to pay his tribute unto God, whensoever He in His
providence calls for it ; taking all opportunities of doing
Gal. 6. 10. good, and glad when he can find them. Thus, therefore,
whensoever any opportunities present themselves of ex-
pressing our thankfulness unto God, by works either of piety
or charity, whatsoever other businesses may be neglected,
we must be sure to lay hold on that. For I dare say, that
there is none but will grant me, that there is all the reason
in the world, that God should be served in the first place,
Prov. 3. 9; and that He should have the first-fruits of all our increase.
fg^Deut. -^"d therefore we cannot but acknowledge, that works of
26. 2. piety towards God, and of charity to the poor, or, as the
Scripture calls them in general, good works, are always to
be done in the first place : and whatsoever other works may
be omitted, be sure they must not. But we ought still to
be as ready to pay our duties unto God, as we are to receive
any thing from Him, as ready to give as to receive ; and, by
consequence, as men let no opportunities slip wherein they
can increase their estates, they are much less to let any
opportunities pass wherein they can any way improve their
estates for God's glory and others' good ; that they ought to
be ready upon all occasions to distribute what they can upon
charitable and pious uses.
4. " Willing to communicate." As we must do it with
a ready hand, so we must do it with a willing heart too.
iChron.28. Thus wc are enjoined to serve God willingly and cheerfully.
9;^2Cor.9. j,-,jgg(j accepts of none but freewill-offerings. If we
be not as willing to do good works as we are to have where-
with to do them, we may be confident God will never accept
upon Worldly Riches.
377
of them. And tljeiefore in plain terms, if any would be
rich in good works, as becometh Christians, and as it is our
I interest to be, they must not stay till they be compelled,
persuaded, or entreated by others to do them; but they
must set upon them of their own accord, out of pure obe-
dience unto God, and from a due sense of their constant
dependence upon Him, and manifold obligations to Him ;
yea, so as to take pleasure in nothing in the vrorld so much
as in paying their respects and service to Almighty God.
Now, to encourage the rich to employ their estates thus
in doing good, the Apostle adds, in the last place, that this
is the way to " lay up for themselves a good foundation
against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal
life." A strange expression ! yea, such an one, that had
not St. Paul himself spoke it, some w'ould have been apt to
have excepted against it for an error or mistake. What,
good works the foundation of eternal life? No, that is not
the meaning of it ; but that good works are the foundation
of that blessed sentence which they shall receive who are
made partakers of eternal life, as is plain from our Saviour's
Own words. Matt. xxv. 34-36.
And verily, although there be no such intrinsic value in
good works, whereby they that do them can merit any thing
from God by their doing of them ; yet, nothing can be more
certain than that God, of His infinite mercy in Jesus Christ,
will so accept of them as to reward us for them in the world
to come. For this our Saviour Himself doth clearly intimate
to us in the place before quoted ; as also Matt. vi. 20 ; Luke
xii. 33 ; xvi. 9, that is, distribute and employ the unrighteous
or deceitful riches you have in this world in such a way as
is most pleasing and acceptable unto God, that so He may
be your friend, and receive you into everlasting habitations,
when these transient and unstable riches fail you. From
whence I beg leave to observe, that to do good with what
we have, is the only way whereby to improve our estates for
our own good, so as to be the better for them both in this
and also in the world to come. The Rabbins have a good
saying, that npT2 pnts nba, ' good works are the salt of
riches,' that which preserves them from corruption, and
makes them savoury and acceptable unto God, as also
378 , Private Thoughts
useful and profitable to the owners; unless we do good with
our estates, we forfeit our title to them by the non-payment
of the rent-charge Avhich God hath reserved to Himself upon
them ; and therefore we may justly expect every moment
to be cast out of possession ; or howsoever, though He may
forbear us awhile, yea, so long as we are in this world, what
good, what benefit, what comfort, shall we have of our
estates in the world to come ? Certainly no more than the
ricli man in the Gospel had when he lay scorching in hell-
fire, and had not so much as a drop of water to cool his
inflamed tongue. Whereas, on the other side, if we do
good with our estates, if we devote them to the service of
God, and to the relief of the poor, by this means we shall
not only secure the possession of them to ourselves here,
but shall also receive comfort and benefit from them in the
world to come ; so that our estates will not die with us, but
we shall receive benefit by them, and have cause to bless
God for them unto all eternity ; the Apostle himself assuring
us, that by this means we shall lay up for ourselves a good
foundation for the time to come, so as to lay hold on eternal
life.
This one argument being duly weighed, I hope I need
not use any more to persuade men to do good with what
they have, and to make the best use of it they can. For I
know I write to Christians, at least to such as profess them-
selves to be so ; and therefore to such as believe there is
another world besides this we live in, and, by consequence,
that it concerns them to provide for that, which, as I have
shewn, we may do in a plentiful manner, by the right
improvement of what God hath intrusted with us in this
world. What, then, do the generality of men mean to be so
slack and remiss in laying hold on all opportunities of doing
good ? What, do they think it possible to lose any thing
they do for God? or do they think it possible to employ
their estates better than for His service and honour Who
gave them to us ? I cannot believe they think so, and there-
fore must needs advise the rich again and again, not to lay
up their talent in a napkin, but to use their estates to the
best advantage for God and their own souls ; that so when
they go from hence into the other world, they may be re-
upon Self-denial.
379
ceived into eternal glory, with a " Well done, good and
faithful servants, enter into your Master's joy."
But fearing lest these moral persuasions may not prevail
so much upon my readers as I desire they might, they must
give me leave further to tell them, that I am here com-
manded to charge them that are rich in this world to be
rich also in good works : and therefore, seeing, as I have
shewn, there are few but who in a Scripture sense are rich
in this world; in obedience to this command which here is
laid upon me, in the Xame of the Most High God, I charge
you, and not I only, but the eternal God Himself, He wills
and requires all those whom He hath blessed with riches
in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in
uncertain riches, but that they put their whole trust and
confidence only in the Living God, Whose all things are,
and Who gives us whatsoever we have : that they do good
with what He hath put in their hands, laying it out upon
works of piety towards Him, and of charity to the poor, that
His worship may be decently performed, and the poor li-
berally relieved ; that they be rich in good works, striving
to excel each other in doing good in their generation ; that
they be ready every moment to distribute, and always willing
to communicate to every good work, wherein they can pay
their homage, and express their thankfulness to Him for
what they have.
V. THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DEXIAL.
The most glorious sight, questionless, that was ever to be
seen upon the face of the earth, was to see the Son of God
here, to see the Supreme Being and Governor of the world
here ; to see the Creator of all things conversing here with
His Own creatures ; to see God Himself with the nature and
in the shape of man, walking about upon the surface of the
earth, and discoursing with silly mortals here ; and that with
80 much majesty and humility mixed together, that every
expression might seem a demonstration that He was both
God and man. It is true we were not so happy as to see
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Private 77ionghts
this blessed sight ; howsoever, it is our happiness tliat we
have heard of it, and have it so exactly described to us, that
w e may as clearly apprehend it as if we had seen it : yea,
our Saviour Himself hath pronounced those in a peculiar
John 20. 29. manner blessed, " who have not seen, and yet have believed,"
that is, who never saw Christ in the manger, nor in the
Temple, who never saw Him prostrate before His Father in
the garden, nor fastened by men unto His cross ; who never
saw Him preaching the Gospel, nor working miracles to
confirm it ; who never saw Him before His passion, nor after
His resurrection ; and yet do as firmly believe whatsoever is
recorded of Him, as if they had seen it with their eyes. Such
persons our blessed Saviour Himself asserts to be truly
Heb. 11. 1. blessed, as having such a faith as is " the substance of things
hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen."
Hence, therefore, although we lived not in our Saviour's
time, and therefore saw Him not do as never man did, nor
heard Him speak as man never spake, we may notwith-
standing be as blessed, or rather more blessed, than they
that did, if we do but give credit to what is asserted of Him,
and receive and believe what is represented to us in His
holy Gospels, where by faith we may still see Him woi-king
miracles, and hear Him declaring His will and pleasure to
His disciples, as really as if we had then been by Him.
And therefore, whatever we read in the Gospel that He
spake, we are to hearken as diligently to it, as if we heard
Him speak it with our own ears, and be as careful in the
performance of it, as if we had received it from His Own
mouth ; for so we do, though not immediately, yet by the
infallible pen of them that did so. And seeing He never
spake in vain or to no purpose, nor suflTered an idle or su-
perfluous word to proceed out of His sacred and Divine
mouth ; whatsoever He asserted, we are to look upon as
necessary to be believed, because He asserted it. And
whatsoever He commanded, we are to look upon as ne
cessary to be observed, because He hatli commanded it
for we must not think that His assertions are so frivolous, or
His commands so impertinent, that it is no great matter
%vhether we believe the one and obey the other or no : no,
we expect to be justified and saved by Him, He expects to
vpon Self-denial 381
be believed and obeyed by us, without which He will not look
upon us as His disciples, nor by consequence as Christians,
but as strangers and aliens to Him, whatsoever our pro-
fessions and pretences are.
It is true, we live in an age wherein Christianity in the
general notion of it is highly courted, and all sects and
parties amongst us making their pretences to it; whatsoever
opinions or circumstances they differ in be sure they all
agree in the external profession of the Christian religion,
and by consequence in the acknowledgment that they ought
to be Christians indeed. But I fear that men are generally
mistaken about the notion of true Christianity not thinking
it to be so high and Divine a thing as really it is : for if they
had true and clear conceptions of it, they would never fancy
themselves to be Christians, upon such low and pitiful
grounds as usually they do, making as if Christianity con-
sisted in nothing else, but in the external performance of
some few particular duties, and in adhering to them that
profess it ; whereas Christianity is a thing of a much higher
and far more noble nature than such would have it ; inso-
much, that did we but rightly understand it, methinks we
could not but be taken with it, so as to resolve for the future,
to the utmost of our power, to live up to it ; to which could
I be an instrument of persuading any, how happy should I
think myself! Howsoever, it is my duty to endeavour it,
and for that purpose I shall now clear up the true notion of
Christianity, that we may know, not what it is to be pro-
fessors and pretenders to Christianity, but what it is to be
real Christians, and true disciples of Christ Jesus, such as
Christ will own for His in another world.
Now, to know whom Christ will accept for His disciples,
our only way is to consult Christ Himself, and to consider
what it is that He requires of those that follow Him, in
order to be His disciples ; a thing as easily understood, as
it is generally disregarded ; for nothing can be more plain,
than that Christ requires and enjoins all those that would
be His disciples, to observe not only some few, but all the
commands that He hath laid upon us. " Ye are My John is. u.
friends," saith He, and therefore My disciples, " if ye do
whatsoever I command you." So that unless we do what-
382
Private Thoughts
soever He commands us, we are so far from being His dis-
ciples, that we are indeed His enemies. Nay, they that
would be His disciples, must excel and surpass all others in
John 15. 8. virtue and good works. " Herein," saith He, " is My Father
glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit, so shall ye be My
ch. 8. 31. disciples," yea, and continue in them too. He tells us also,
Luke 14.26. that they that would be His disciples, " must love Him above
all things," or rather hate all things in comparison of Him.
Joiin 13.35. And " that they love one another, as He hath loved them."
To name no more, read but St. Matthew, xvi. 24, and there
you may see what it is to be a Christian indeed, or what it is
that Christ requires of those who would be His disciples.
" If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take
up his cross, and follow Me." Did v.e but understand the
true meaning of these words, and order our conversations
accordingly, we should both know what it is to be true
Christians, and really be so ourselves. For I think there is
nothing that Christ requires of those who desire to be His
disciples, but we should perform it, could we but observe
what is here commanded : which that we may all do, I shall
endeavour to give the true meaning of them, and of every
particular in them, as they lie in order.
For, saith He, " If any man will come after Me," that is,
if any man will be My disciple ; for masters, you know, use
to go before scholars, and disciples to follow after. And our
Saviour here speaks of Himself under the notion of a
Master, that hath disciples coming after Him, and saith, that
if any one would be one of His disciples, so as to go after
Him, " he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow
Him." So that here are three things which our blessed
Saviour requires of those that would be His disciples, and by
consequence of us who profess to be so ; for I dare say there
is none of us but desires to be a Christian, or at least to be
thought so ; for we all know and believe Jesus Christ to be
the only Saviour of mankind ; that none can save us but He,
and that there is none of us but He can save ; and that all
those who truly come to Him for pardon and salvation, shall
most certainly have it : hence it is that we would all be
thought at least so wise, and to have so much care of our
own souls, as to go after Christ and be His disciples. I
vjion Self-denial.
383
hope there are but few but who really desire to be so. Yet
t I would not have any think that it is so easy a matter to be
1 a disciple of Christ, or a real and true Christian, as the
r I world would make it : no, we may assure ourselves, that as ,
it is the highest honour and happiness we can attain unto,
, so we shall find it the hardest matter in the world to attain
; unto it ; not in its own nature, but by reason of its contra-
riety to our natural temper and inclinations. For here we
see what it is our blessed Saviour requires of those that
; would go after Him, even nothing less than to deny them-
! selves, take up their crosses, and follow Him. All Avhich
are far greater things than at the first sight or reading they
; may seem to be. For,
; I. First, saith He, " If any man will come after Me, let
i him deny himself," which being the first thing which Christ
! requires of those that go after Him, it is necessary that we
i search more narrowly into the nature of it. For if we fail
> in this, we cannot but fail in all the rest. And therefore, for
! the opening of this, I shall not trouble the reader with the
I various expositions and the divers opinions of learned men
' concerning these words, but only mind him in genei'al, that
the self-denial here spoken of is properly opposed to self-
love, or that corrupt and vicious habit of the soul, whereby
I we are apt to admire and prefer our own fancies, wills, de-
sires, interests, and the like, before Christ Himself, and what
1 He is pleased either to promise to us, or require of us.
And, therefore, when He commands us to deny ourselves,
His will and pleasure in general is this, that we do not in-
dulge or gratify ourselves in any thing that stands in oppo-
sition against and comes in competition with His interest in
the world, or ours in Him, howsoever near and dear it may
be unto us : but to deny ourselves whatsoever is pleasing to
ourselves, if it be not so to God and Christ too, so as not to
live to ourselves, but only unto Him that died for us ; to live
those who are none of our own, but are bought with a
price, and therefore should glorify God both in our soulsicor.e.
and in our bodies, which are His. But seeing this is not ^o-
only the first lesson to be learned by Christ's disciples, but
that which is necessarily required in order to whatsoever
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else He commands from us, I shall shew you more particu-
larly what it is in yourselves that you are to deny.
1. You must deny your own reasons in matters of Divine
revelation, so as to use them no further than only to search
into the grounds and motives that we have to believe them
to be revealed by God. For this being either proved or
supposed, we are not to suffer our reasons to be too curious
in searching into them, but believe them upon the word and
testimony of God Himself, Who is the supreme truth, or
verity itself
For we, who by all our art and cunning cannot under-
stand the reasons of the most common and obvious things in
nature, must not think to comprehend the great mysteries
of the Gospel, which, though they be not contrary to our
1 Cor. 2. 14. reasons, are infinitely above them : "For the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned." So that to the understanding of
the things of the Spirit, or which the Spirit of God hath
revealed to us, there is a great deal more required than what
we have by nature, even the supernatural assistance of the
ch. 3. 18. Spirit Himself that revealed them. And, therefore, " if any
man" amongst us " seemeth to be wise in this world, let him
become a fool, that he may be wise," that is, he that would
be wise unto salvation, must look upon himself as a fool,
as one incapable by nature of understanding the things that
belong unto his everlasting peace, without both the revela-
tion and assistance of God Himself ; and therefore must not
rely upon his own judgment, but only upon God's testimony
in what he doth believe, not believing what his reason, but
what God's Word tells him ; looking upon it as reason
enough why he should believe it because God hath said it.
I know this is a hard doctrine to flesh and blood. For,
Job 11. 12. as Job tells us, " vain man would be wise, though man be
born like a wild ass's colt." Though by nature we be never
so foolish, vain, and ignorant, understanding the great mys-
teries of the Gospel no more than a "wild ass's colt" doth a
mathematical demonstration, yet howsoever we would fain
be thought very wise men : yea, so wise as to be able to
vpon Self-denial.
385
comprehend matters of the highest, yea, of an infinite
nature, within the narrow compass of our finite and shallow
capacities. But this is that which we must deny ourselves
in, if we desire to be Christ's disciples, so as to acquiesce,
in His Word, and believe what He asserts, only because He
asserts it, without suffering our reason to interpose, but look-
ing upon His AVord as more than all the reasons and argu-
ments in the world besides.
2. You must deny your own wills. Our wills, it is true,
at first were made upright and perfect, every way corre-
spondent to the will of God Himself, so as to will what He
wills, that is, what is really good ; and to nill what He nills,
that is, what is really evil. But being now perverted, and
corrupted with sin, our wills are naturally inclined to the
evil which they should be averse from, and averse from the
good which they should be inclined to. So that, instead of
choosing the good and refusing the evil, we are generally
apt to choose the evil and refuse the good : yet for all that
our wills are thus crooked and perverse, we cannot endure to
have them crossed or thwarted in any thing, but would needs
have our own wills in every thing, so as neither to do any
thing ourselves, nor yet have any thing done to us, but just
as ourselves will, who will usually just contrary to what we
should. But now they that would be Christ's disciples
must not be thus self-willed, but deny themselves the ful-
filling of their own wills, when it doth not consist with the
will of God to have them fulfilled. This our Lord and Mas-
ter hath taught us by His example as well as precept, say-
ing, " Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me; Luke 22.42.
nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done." Where we
may observe that our blessed Saviour, as man, could not but
have a natural averseness from death, as all men by nature
have, and that without sin. Yet though Christ's will, as
man, was never so pure and perfect, yet He wholly submits
it to the will of God. He manifested, indeed, that it was
the will of that nature which He had assumed, not to suffer
death, saying, " If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me ;"
but He shews withal, that the will of man must still be sub-
ject to the will of God ; and that man, even as man, must
deny his own will, whensoever it runneth not exactly paral-
c c
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lei with God's, saying," Nevertheless, not My will but Thine
be done."
And if Christ Himself denied His Own most pure and per-
fect will, that His Father's might be accomplished, how much
more cause have we to deny our wills, which, by nature, are
always contrary to His will, yea, and to our own good too,
preferring generally that which is evil and destructive to us,
before that which is truly good and advantageous for us !
And verily a great part of true Christianity consisteth in
thus resigning our wills to God's, not minding so much
which way our own inclinations bend, as what His pleasure
and command is. A notable instance whereof we have in
old Eli, who questionless could not but be very willing that
the iniquity of his sons might be forgiven, and his family
prosper in the world : yet, howsoever, when God had mani-
fested His pleasure to him that his house should be destroyed,
18. he submitted his own will wholly unto God's, saying, " It is
the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good." And who-
soever of us would be Christ's disciple indeed, must be sure
thus to deny and renounce his own will, whensoever it ap-
pears to be contrary unto God's, so as even to will, that not
his own will but God's be fulfilled, as our Lord and Master
Himself hath taught us each day to pray, " Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven." And whosoever hath learned
this art of making his own will bow and stoop to God's,
hath made a very good progress in the Christian religion,
especially in that part of it which requires us to deny our
selves.
3. And seeing we must deny our wills, we must needs
deny our affections too, which are indeed nothing else but
the several motions of the will towards good and evil ; but
usually they are so disorderly and irregular, as to place
themselves upon objects directly opposite to what they were
designed for ; for that we ordinarily love what we ought to
hate, and hate what we ought to love ; desire what we
ought to abhor, and abhor what we ought to desire ; rejoice
in those things which we ought to grieve for, and are grieved
at such things as we ought to rejoice in : so that if we
suffer our affections to move according to their natural ten-
dency and corrupt inclinations, we shall be so far from
upon Self-denial.
387
going after Christ, that we shall continually be running from
Him. And therefore it must be our great care and study to
bridle our affections, deny them their unlawful, and fix them
upon their projjer objects ; yea, and to deny ourselves, too,
the lawful use of such things as our affections are apt to be
unlawfully placed upon. As for example, it is lawful, yea,
our duty to love our relations ; but, if our love to them
becomes exorbitant, so as to love them more than God, our
love to them must be turned into hatred in comparison of
our love to Him. And whatsoever lawful thing it is that we Lukeu.26.
take pleasure in, if once we find that our pleasure in that
extinguisheth, or but damps that pleasure which we used,
or ought to have in God, we are to deny ourselves such
pleasures as these are, and rather despise ourselves than
God.
4. Yea, we must deny ourselves moreover the use and
enjoyment of our estates and earthly possessions, when-
soever they come into competition with His glory : so that
if it comes to that point, that we must either leave our estates
to enjoy Christ, or leave Christ to enjoy our estates; we
must be willing and ready, without any more ado, to aban-
don and renounce whatsoever else we have rather than
our interest in Christ. For indeed he is not worthy to be
Christ's disciple that doth not prefer Him before all things
else ; neither he that loves the world at all in comparison
of Christ: " For if any man love the world, the love of the ijohn2.i5.
Father is not in him." And therefore he that would be
Christ's disciple indeed, must fix his heart so fast on Christ,
that it hang loose and indifferent as to all things here below,
being no more proud of them, no more delighted in them,
no more concerned about them, than as if he had them not.
So that though he have all things besides Christ, he must
have nothing but Him, or at least in comparison of Him ;
yea, be ready to part with all, that he may gain Christ.
And though many of us may think this a hard saying, we
may assure ourselves it is no more than what we must do, if
we desire to be Christ's disciples. Luke 14.33.
6. Furthermore, we must deny ourselves those sins espe-
cially, and lusts which we have or do still indulge ourselves
in ; for thus the Gospel teacheth you in a particular manner
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Tit. 2. 12. " to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts." And therefore
we in vain pretend to be true Christians, so long as we live
in any one known sin with any love unto it, or delight in it.
I suppose none of my readers guilty of all sins, and I fear
there are few but live in some. No man but may be natu-
rally averse from some sins, but it is very rare to find one
that is inclined to none ; for ordinarily every man hath his
darling, his beloved sin, his own sin, as David himself once
Ps. 18. 23. had, though he afterwards kept himself from it. So I fear
none of my readers but have some sin, which he may in a
peculiar manner call his own, as being that which his
thoughts run most upon, and his desires are carried most
unto, which he labours most after, and takes most pleasure
in, which he is most loath to be reproved for, and most easily
overcome by. Now this, and whatsoever other sins any of
us are addicted to, we must wholly leave and utterly re-
nounce, if ever we desire to be Christ's disciples. And
therefore, so long as any of us live in any known sin, as in
pride or prodigality, in oppression or covetousness, in malice
or uncleanness, in drunkenness, uncharitableness, or any
other sin whatsoever, we must not think ourselves to be
Christians indeed, Christ will never own us for His disciples,
for so long as we live in any known sin, it is that sin, not
Christ, that is our master ; and therefore, if we would list
ourselves into His service, we must be sure to deny ourselves
whatsoever we know to be offensive to Him.
6. There is still another thing behind wherein we must
deny ourselves, if we desire to go after Christ ; and that is,
we must deny and renounce all our self-righteousness, and
all hopes and confidences from ourselves, and from what we
have done, which I look upon as a very great piece of self-
denial ; for naturally we are all prone to sacrifice to our
own nets, to burn incense to our own drags, to boast of our
own good works, and to pride ourselves with the conceit of
our own righteousness. Though we be never so sinful, we
would not be thought to be so, but would very fain be
accounted righteous, not only by men, but by God Himself,
for something or other which ourselves do ; though, when
all comes to all, we know not what that should be ; but
howsoever, the pride of our hearts is such, that we are loath
upon Self-denial.
389
to go out of ourselves to look for righteousness, or to be
beholden to anoth-^r for it. And this is the reason that
justification by faith in Christ hath had so many adversaries
in the world ; mankind in general being so much in love with
themselves, and doting upon what themselves do, that they
cannot endure to renounce and vilify their own obedience
and good works, so much as to think they stand in need of
any other righteousness besides their own, as if their own
righteousness was so perfect that God Himself could find no
fault with it, nor make any exceptions against it, but must
needs acknowledge them to be just and righteous persons
for it.
Whereas, alas! there is not the best action that ever a
mere mortal did, but, if examined by the strict rules of
justice, it is far from being good, yea, so far, that God Him-
self may justly pronounce it evil, and by consequence con-
demn the person that did it for doing of it. And therefore
I cannot but wonder what it is that any man doeth or can
do, for which he can in reason expect to be justified before
God ; our very righteousness being, as the Prophet tells,
" but as filthy rags," and our most holy performances fraught [(sa. 64.6.]
with sin and imperfection, and therefore so far from justify-
ing us, that we may justly be condemned for them ; but this
mankind doth not love to hear of, the pride of our hearts
being such, that by all means we must have something in
ourselves whereof to glory before God Himself. But woe
be to that person who hath no other righteousness but his
own, wherein to appear before the Judge of the whole world ;
for, however specious his actions may seem to men, they will
be adjudged sins before the eternal God.
7. He, therefore, that would come to Christ, although
be must labour after righteousness to the utmost of his
power, yet, when he has done all, he must renounce it, and
look upon himself as an unprofitable servant : " For Christ Matt. 9. 13.
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,"
that is, ' He came not to call such persons as think they
have righteousness enough of their own to serve their turns,
for such persons think they have no need of Him, and
therefore it would be in vain to call them : but He calls
sinners, such as may, perhaps, be as righteous as the oilier ;
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but they do not think themselves to be so, but look upon
themselves as undone for ever, unless they have something
else to trust to than their own good works and obedience to
the Moral Law.' Such persons, therefore, Christ came to
call; and if they come to Him, they cannot but find rest
and righteousness in Him : and if any of us desire to go
after Christ, so as to be His disciples, we must be sure to
look upon ourselves as sinners, as deserving nothing but
wrath and vengeance for whatsoever we have done; we
must renounce all our own righteousness, and be so far from
depending upon it, as to think that we have none to depend
upon, for so really we have not. And when we have laid
aside all thoughts of our own righteousness, as to the matter
of our justification before God, then, and not till then, shall
we be rightly qualified to embrace another's, even that
righteousness which is by faith in Christ. Thus St. Paul,
though he had as much, yea, more reason to trust in the
Phil. 3. 6. flesh or in himself than others ; for himself saith, " that as
touching the righteousness which is of the law, he was
ver. 7-9. blameless." "Yet," saith he, " what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord. For whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win
Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteous-
ness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."
Thus, therefore, it is, that all those must do who desire to be,
as St. Paul was, real disciples of Jesus Christ ; as we must
forsake our sins, so we must renounce our righteousness too.
It is true, this is a great and difficult part of self-denial, thus
to deny ourselves all that pride, pleasure, and confidence,
which we used to take in the thoughts of our own righteous-
ness and obedience to the Law of God ; but we must remem-
ber, that the first thing which our Saviour enjoins those that
come after Him, is to deny themselves.
Thus T have shewn what it is in ourselves that we must
deny, and how it is that we must deny ourselves, if we desire i
to go after Christ. We must deny ourselves the curiosity
of searching too much into the mysteries of the Gospel by i
upon Self-denial.
391
the light of our own clouded reasons; we must deny our
self-conceit, our self-will, our self-love, self-interest, self-
confidence, and whatsoever proceeds from and terminates in
our sensual and sinful selves, so as to have no delight in,
nor dependence upon ourselves ; yea, we must so deny our-
selves, as to be quite taken off of our former selves, and
become other creatures than what before we were. Thus
St. Ambrose explains these words, saying, " Seipsum sibi [Oe Poenit.
homo abneget, et totus mutetur :" ' Let a man deny himself to i^o'gg ."^^Ji
himself, so as to be wholly changed from what he was.' But
then you will say, w hat need is there of all this trouble ;
what reason can be given that a man must deny himself
before he can be a true Christian ?
To that I answer, it is reason enough that Christ hath
commanded us to do it ; and surely He best knows whom
He will accept of as His disciples, and what is necessary to
be done in order to our being so : and He hath said in plain
terms, " If any man will come after Me, let him deny him-
self;" implying, that he that doth not deny himself cannot
go after Him.
But besides that, there is an impossibility in the thing
itself, that any one should be a true Christian, or go after
Christ, and not deny himself ; as may be easily perceived,
if they will but consider what true Christianity requires of
us, and what it is to be a real Christian. A true Christian,
we know, is one that lives by faith, and not by sight : " that [2 Cor. 4.
looks not at the things which are seen, but at those which ^^'^
are not seen ;" that believes whatsoever Christ hath said,
trusteth on whatsoever He hath promised, and obeyetli what-
soever He hath commanded ; that receiveth Christ as His
only Priest to make atonement for him, as his only Prophet
to instruct, and as his only Lord and Master to rule and
govern him. In a word, a Christian is one that gives up
himself and all he hath to Christ, Who gave Himself and all
He hath to him ; and therefore the very notion of true
Christianity implies and supposes the denial of ourselves,
without which it is as impossible for a man to be a Christian,
as it is for a subject to be rebellious and loyal to his prince
at the same time; and therefore it is absolutely necessary
that we go out of ourselves before we can go to Him, we
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Private Thoughts
must strip ourselves of our very selves before we can put
on Christ ; for Christ Himself hath told us that " no man
Matt. 6. 24. can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise
the other." We " cannot serve both God and Mammon,"
Christ and ourselves too ; so that we must either deny our-
selves to go after Christ, or else deny Christ to go after
ourselves, so as to mind our own selfish ends and designs in
the world.
Wherefore I hope I need not use any other arguments to
persuade any to deny themselves in the sense already ex-
plained ; I dare say there is none amongst us but would
willingly be what we profess, even a real Christian, and so
go after Christ here as to come to Him hereafter. But we
have now seen how Christ Himself hath told us, that " we
must deny ourselves," if we desire to serve and enjoy Him :
and verily it is a hard case if we cannot deny ourselves for
Him who so far denied Himself for us as to lay down His
Own life to redeem ours. He Who was equal to God Him-
self, yea. Who Himself was the true God, so far denied
[isa.53.3.] Himself as to become man, yea, " a man of sorrows, and ac-
quainted with griefs," for us ; and cannot we deny ourselves
so much as a fancy, a conceit, a sin, or lust, for Him ? How
then can we expect that He should own us for His friends.
His servants, or disciples ? No, He will never do it, nei-
ther can we in reason expect that He should give Himself
and all the merits of His death and passion unto us, so long
as we think much to give ourselves to Him, or to deny our-
selves for Him. And therefore, if we desire to be made
partakers of all those glorious things which He hath pur-
chased with His Own most precious blood for the sons of
men, let us begin here, indulge our flesh no longer, but deny
ourselves whatsoever God hath been pleased to forbid. And
for that end, let us endeavour each day more and more to
live above ourselves, above the temper of our bodies, and
above the allurements of the world ; live as those who be-
lieve and profess that they are none of their own, but
Christ's : His by creation, it was He that made us ; His by
preservation, it is He that maintains us; and His by re-,
demption, it is He that hath purchased and redeemed us
upon Self-Deniul.
393
with His Own blood. And therefore let us deny ourselves
for the future to our very selves, whose we are not, and
devote ourselves to Him Whose alone we are ; by this we
shall manifest ourselves to be Christ's disciples indeed,
esjjecially if we do not only deny ourselves, but also take up
our cross and follow Him ; which brings me,
II. To the second thing which our blessed Saviour here
requires of those who would go after Him, even " to take up
their cross."
Where, by the cross, we are to understand whatsoever
troubles or calamities, inward or outward, we meet with in
the performance of our duty to God or man, which they that
would go after Christ must take up as they go along, with-
out any more ado, neither repining at them, nor sinking
under them, for we must not think that Christ invites us to
an earthly paradise of idleness or outward pleasure, as if we
had nothing to do or to sulfer for Him : for even as men we
cannot but find many crosses in the world, but as Christians
we must expect more, for Christ Himself hath told us, " that John 16.33.
in the world we shall have tribulation." And therefore
whatsoever we meet with is no more than what we are to
look for ; especially, if we walk uprightly in the way that
leads to Heaven, we cannot but expect to meet with many a
rub, for God Himself hath told us that it is " through many Acts 14. 22.
tribulations " that we must " enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven." And therefore we must not think to be carried
up to Heaven with the breath of popular applause, nor to
swim through a deluge of carnal pleasures into the haven of
everlasting happiness. No, we must look to be tossed to
and fro in this world, as in a raging and tempestuous ocean,
and never look for perpetual calmness and tranquillity, until
we have got above the clouds, yea, even above the sun and
stars themselves. This world was always a world of trouble,
and ever will be ; its very friends, and they that have their
portion here, can find no quiet nor satisfaction in it ; but the
disciples of Christ "they are not of this world," as Christ John 17. m.
Himself tells us. And therefore no wonder if the world
frowns more upon them than others ; the way they walk in
is opposite to the world, it is enmity itself to the flesh, and
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Private Thoughts
therefore no wonder if they meet with so much enmity and
opposition here ; the way wherein they go after Christ is a
cross way, it is cross to sin, cross to Satan, cross to the
world, cross to our very selves as we are by nature, and
by consequence cross to all men in the world but Christ's
disciples ; and therefore it is no wonder they meet with so
many crosses in it. But howsoever, if we desire to go after
Christ, He hath told us beforehand what we must expect ; as
He hath borne the cross before us. He expects that we now 1"
bear it after Him ; yea, we must not only bear it, but take it pa
up too : not that we should run ourselves into danger, but 2S
that we should balk no duty to avoid it ; so as to be willing k
and ready to undergo the greatest suffering rather than to s'l
commit the least sin, and to run the greatest danger rather
than neglect the smallest duty. If, whilst we are walking in I'
the narrow path of holiness, there happens to lie a cross in >k
the way, we must not go on one side nor on the other side of ^
it out of the path we walk in, neither must we kick and iki
spurn at it, but we must patiently take it up, and carry it
along with us ; if it be a little heavy at first, it will soon grow
lighter, and not at all hinder, but rather further our progress
towards Heaven.
But here we must have a great care to understand our
Saviour's meaning, and so our own duty aright ; for we must
not think that every trouble we meet with in the world is
the cross of Christ, for we may suffer for our fancy or
humour, or perhaps for our sin and transgression of the laws
of God or men ; and if so, it is our own cross, not Christ's,
which we take upon us ; we may thank ourselves for it ; I
1 Pet. 2. 19, am sure Christ hath no reason to thank us : " For this is .
thank- worthy," saith the Apostle, " if a man for conscience "
toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully." And there-
fore the duty which our Saviour here imposeth on us in few
terms is this, that we be ready not only to do, but to suffer
what we can for the glory of God, and the furtherance of the
Gospel, and that we omit no duty nor commit any sin for '
fear of suffering ; not to think much of any trouble that
befalls us for Christ's sake, but rather to rejoice at it, even
Acts 5. 41. as the Apostles rejoiced that " they were counted worthy to
upon Self-Denial.
395
suffer shame for His Name," whicli was a clear instance of
their performing the duty here enjoined both them and us,
under the name of " taking up our cross."
And I hope there is none of us can take it ill, that Christ
hath imposed so severe a duty upon us ; for we may assure
ourselves He requires no more of us than what Himself hath
undergone before ; so that we can suffer nothing for Him
but what He hath suffered before for us. Have we grief and
trouble in our hearts ? So had He, Matt. xxvi. 38. Have we
pains and tortures in our bodies ? So had He, Matt, xxvii.
29, 30. Are we derided and scoffed at ? So was He, Matt,
xxvii. 31. Are we arraigned and condemned, yea, do we
suffer death itself? It is no more than what our Lord and
Master hath done before. And let us remember what He
told us when He was upon the earth, " The disciple is not Matt.io.24.
above his master, nor the servant above his lord." If we
be Christ's disciples, we cannot expect to fare better in
the world than Christ Himself did, neither indeed, can we
fare so bad ; for it is impossible that we should undergo so
much for Him as He hath undergone for us, ours being only
the sufferings of men, His the sufferings of One Who was
God as well as man ; whereby sufferings in general are sanc-
tified to our human nature, it having already undergone
them in the person of the Son of God ; so that it can be now
no disparagement at all to undergo any trouble, as hatred,
reproach, poverty, pain, yea, death itself, or any other cala-
mity whatsoever in this world, seeing the Son of God Him-
self, He that made the world, underwent the same while
Himself was in it. And therefore we need not think it
below us to stoop down and take up the cross of Christ, as
considering that Christ, having borne it before us, hath so
blessed and sanctified it unto us, that it is now become an
honourable, yea, and a pleasant cross, to them that bear it
patiently, thankfully, and constantly, as they ought to do,
especially seeing it is such a cross as leads unto a crown, and
"whatsoever we can do or suffer for Christ here, will be fully
recompensed with glory hereafter ; and therefore, instead of
being troubled to take up our cross, we are rather to rejoice
that we have any to take up.
Thus we see in few words what it is which our Saviour
396
Private Thoughts upon
commands from us, when He enjoins us to deny ourselves,
and take up our cross ; even that we do not gratify ourselves
in any thing that is ungrateful unto Him, nor grudge to
take up any cross, or suffer any trouble we meet with in the
world for His sake, thinking nothing too dear to forsake,
nor any thing too heavy to bear for Him, Who thought not
His Own life too dear, nor the cross itself too heavy to bear
for us. What now remains, but that, knowing our Saviour's
pleasure, we should all resolve to do it ? There is none of us
but hope and desire to be saved by Him ; but that we can
never be, unless we observe what He hath prescribed in order
to our Salvation : and aiuongst other things, we see how He
hath commanded us to deny ourselves, and to take up our
cross. As any of us, therefore, desire to be Christians
indeed, so as to see Christ's face with comfort in another
world, let us bethink ourselves seriously what sins we have
hitherto indulged ourselves in. I fear there are but few, if
any, amongst us, but are conscious to themselves that they
have, and do still live, either in the constant neglect of some
known duty, or else in the frequent commission of some
beloved sin : what that is, I dare not undertake to tell, but
leave that to God and to men's own consciences ; only I
desire them to deal faithfully with their own souls, and not
suffer themselves to be fooled into a fond and vain persua-
sion that they have any interest in Christ, or are truly His
disciples, until they deny themselves that sin, whatsoever it
is, which they have hitherto indulged themselves in. And
let us not think that we shall deny ourselves any real plea-
sure or profit by renouncing our sins ; for what pleasure
can we have in displeasing God, or profit in losing our own
souls ? No, we shall gratify ourselves, more than we can
imagine, by denying ourselves, as much as we are able,
whatsoever is oflPensive or displeasing unto God ; for we may
be sure. He that came into the world on purpose to save us
from evil, commands us nothing but for our own good ;
neither would he ever have obliged us to deny ourselves, if
we could have been saved without it ; and as for the cross,
that He was so well acquainted with, that He would never
have imposed it upon us to take it up, but that it is indis-
pensably necessary for us. And therefore, if we be what we
Striving to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
397
pretend, real and true Christians, let us manifest it to the
■vTorld, and to our own consciences, by denying ourselves
whatsoever Christ hath denied us, and by observing what-
soever He hath commanded us, even to the taking up of any
cross that He for His Own sake shall suffer to be laid upon
us ; still remembering, that self-denial, though it be unplea-
sant, is a most necessary duty ; and the cross, though it be
never so heavy, is but short, and hath nothing less than a
crown annexed unto it, a glorious and eternal crown, which
all those shall most certainly obtain, who deny themselves.
VI. THOUGHTS UPOX STRIVIXG TO ENTER IN
AT THE STRAIT GATE.
As certainly as we are here now, it is not long but we shall
all be in another world : either in a world of happiness, or
else in a world of misery ; or, if you will, either in Heaven
or in Hell. For these are the two only places which all
mankind, from the beginning of the world to the end of it,
must live in for evermore, some in the one, some in the
other, according to their carriage and behaviour here ; and
therefore it is worth the while to take a view and prospect
now and then of both these jilaces, and it will not be amiss
if we do it now : for which end I desire the reader, in his
serious and composed thoughts, to attend me first into the
celestial mansions, above yonder glorious sun and the stars
themselves, wliere not only the Cherubims and Seraphims,
Angels and Archangels, but many also of our brethren, the
sons of men, at this very moment are enjoying the presence,
and singing forth the praises, of the Most High God. There
are the spirits of just men made perfect, perfect in them-
selves, and perfect in all their actions, perfectly free from all
both sin and misery, perfectly full of all true grace and
glory, all their faculties being reduced to that most perfect
and excellent frame and constitution, that their understand-
ings are continually taken up with the contemplations of the
supreme truth, and their wills in the embracement of the
chiefest good ; so that all the inclinations of their souls rest
398 Private Thoughts upon Striving \
in God as in their proper centre, in Whom by consequence
they enjoy as much as they can desire, yea, as much as they
can be made capable of desiring : for all those infinite per-
fections that are concentrated in God Himself, are now in
their possession, to solace and delight themselves in the full
and perfect enjoyment of them ; by which means they are
as happy as God Himself can make them ; insomuch that
at this very moment methinks we may all behold them so
ravished, so transported with their celestial joys, that it may
justly strike us into admiration, how ever creatures which i
were once sinful could be made so pure, so perfect, and
altogether so happy as they are. And could we but leave
our bodies for awhile below, and go up to take a turn in
the New Jerusalem that is above, we could not but be ra-
vished and transported at the very sight both of the place
and inhabitants, every one being far more glorious than the
greatest emperors of this world, with nothing else than
crowns of glory on their heads, and sceptres of righteous-
ness in their hands ; where they think of nothing but of the
glory of God, discourse of nothing but praising Him, do
nothing but adore and worship Him : in a word, whatsoever
is agreeable to our natures, whatsoever is desirable to our
souls, whatsoever can any way conduce to make men happy,
is fully, perfectly, eternally enjoyed by all and every person
that is in Heaven. Whereas, on the other side, if we bring
down our thoughts from Heaven and send them as low as
Hell, to consider the most deplorable estate and condition of
those who inhabit the regions of darkness, them we shall
find as miserable as the others are happy ; not only in that
they are deprived of the vision and fruition of the chiefest ;
good, but likewise in that they are in continual pain and tor-
ment, as great as Infinite Justice can adjudge them to, and I
Infinite Power inflict upon them, insomuch that could we lay j
our ear to the entrance of that bottomless pit, what bowlings
and shriekings should we hear, what weeping and wailing,
and gnashing of teeth, in the midst of those infernal flames,
Mark 9. 44. where, as our Saviour Himself tells us, " The worm dieth not, ft
and the fire is not quenched." That is, where their con- I
sciences are always gnawed and tormented with the remem- I
brance of their former sins, and the fire of God's wrath is I
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
399
continually burning in them, never to be quenched or abated :
for, certainly, as the smiles and favour of the eternal God
constitute the joys of Heaven, so do His frowns and anger
make up the flames of Hell. To see Him that made us
displeased with us, to see Mercy itself to frown upon us, to
see the great and All-glorious Creator of the world, the
; chiefest Good, to look angrily upon us, and to shew Himself
I oflfended at us, and incensed against us ! Methinks the very
r thoughts of it are sufficient to make the stoutest heart
I amongst us tremble. But then what shall we think of those
[ poor souls that see and feel it ? What shall we think of
; . them ? Questionless, they are more miserable than we are
1 able to think them to be. For we cannot possibly conceive
either the greatness of Heaven's glory or the sharpness of
e Hell's torments ; only this we know, and may be certain of,
e that whatsoever is ungrateful to their minds, whatsoever is
troublesome to their thoughts, whatsoever is contrary to
their desires, whatsoever is painful to their bodies, or what-
soever is or can be destructive and tormenting to their souls,
that, all they who are once in Hell shall fear and feel, and
that for ever.
But this is too sad and doleful a subject to insist on long,
I neither should I have mentioned it, but for our own good,
and to prepare us the better, both for the understanding
and improving the advice of our Saviour, " Enter ye in Matt. 7. 13,
at the strait gate ; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way
1 that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat : because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." The
meaning of which words, in brief, may be reduced to these
three heads :
I. That it is an easy matter to go to Hell, that place of
torments we have now been describing, and by consequence
that many go thither : for the gate is wide, and the way is
broad, that leadeth thither.
II. That it is a hard and difficult thing to get to Heaven,
that place of joys we before spake of, and by consequence
that but few get thither : " For strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, that leadeth to it."
III. Howsoever difficult it is, our Saviour would have
400 Private Thoughts upon Striving
us strive to get to Heaven, so as to press through that
strait gate, and walk in that narrow way, that leadeth into
life.
I. As for the first, that the gate is wide, and the way-
broad, that leads to hell, or that it is an easy matter to go
thither, I need not use many words to prove it. For though
there be but few that mind it, I dare say there is scarce any
one but believes it, yea, and hath oftentimes found it too
true by experience, even that it is an easy matter to sin, and
that we know, is the broad way that leads to hell ; so broad,
that they who walk in it, can find no bounds or limits in it,
wherewithin to contain themselves; neither are they ever
out of their way, but go which way they will, they are still
in the ready way to ruin and destruction. And usually it is
as plain as broad, so that men rarely meet with any roughness
or trouble in it, but rather with all the pleasures and delights
which they desire, who look no higher than to please the
flesh ; yea, whatsoever it is that they naturally desire, they
still meet with it in the road to hell ; and whatsoever is
ungrateful and irksome to them, they are never troubled with
it in the ways of sin. There are no crosses to be taken up,
no self to be denied, but rather indulged and gratified ; there
are no such tedious and troublesome things as examining
our hearts, and mortifying our lusts, as praying or hearing,
as fasting or watching : these are only to be found in the
narrow path that leads to Heaven ; the broad way to hell is
altogether unacquainted with them, being strewed all along
with carnal pleasures and sensual delights, with popular
applause and earthly riches, and such fine things as silly
mortals use to be taken with.
And hence it is, that, as our Saviour tells us, many there
be which find this way, and go in at this wide gate that
leads to ruin, because they see not whither it leads, but they ,
see the baits and allurements which are in it, which they 'j
cannot but crowd about as fishes about the hook, or as flies i
about a candle, till they be destroyed. Yea, this way to
destruction is so broad, that almost all the world is con-
tinually walking in it ; the gate so wide, that thousands at a I
time pass through it. And, therefore, we may well conclude,
it is a very easy thing to go to that place of torments which
to Enter in at the Strait Gate. 401
even now we spake of, or rather that it is a hard, a difficult
matter, to keep out of it, the way being so narrow that carries
from it, that it is a difficult thing to find it ; and the way so
broad that leads unto it, that none can miss of it that hath
but a mind to walk in it.
But I hope none of my readers have so, God forbid they
should have, a mind to go to Hell : their taking religious
books into their hands is rather an argument that they have
a mind to go to Heaven, and read on purpose to learn the
way thither. And we do well to take all opportunities of
finding out the way to bliss ; for we may assure ourselves it
is a very narrow one, it is hai'd to find it out, but much more
hard to walk in it ; for it is a way very rarely trodden, so that
there is scarce any path to be seen, most people going either
on one side or else on the other side of it; some running
into the by-paths of error, heresy, or schism ; others into the
broad way of profaneness or security : insomuch that there
are but very few that hit upon the right path that leads
directly to the New Jerusalem, the place of rest. I speak
not this of myself ; no, Christ Himself, that came from
Heaven to earth, on purpose to shew us the Avay from earth
to Heaven, saith, that " strait is the gate and narrow
is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it ! "
II. And let not any think that Christ spoke these words
in vain, or that it is no great matter whether we believe
what He said or no. For, questionless, one great reason
why so few ever come to Heaven, is because most think
it so easy to get thither, that they need not take any care
i or pains about it. For even amongst ourselves, to whom
the Gospel is so clearly revealed, men generally think if
they do but read the Scriptures, and hear sermons, and
live honestly with their neighbours, so as to harm nobody,
but pay every one their own, then they shall as surely come
to Heaven as if they were there already ; nay, many are so
simple as to think that their separation from the Church
militant on earth is the way to bring them to the Church
triumphant in Heaven ; and others so ridiculous as to believe
that a death-bed repentance is sufficient to entitle them to
eternal life. But stay a while : it is not so easy a matter to
402
Private Thoughts upon Striving
get to Heaven. Indeed to me it seenis one of the greatest
mysteries in the world, that ever any man or woman should
come thither; that such sinful worms as we are, who are
born in sin, and live so long in sin and rebellion against the
great Ci-eator of the world, should ever be received so far
into His grace and favour, as to enjoy life and eternal hap-
piness in Him. And did we look no further than ourselves,
we might justly despair of ever obtaining so transcendent
glory which we are so altogether unworthy of. But the
goodness of God both is and hath been so great to mankind,
that there is none of us but, in and through the merits of
Christ Jesus, is in a capacity of it. But we must not think
that it is so easy a thing to come to Heaven, as the Devil,
the world, and our own base hearts, would persuade us it is :
if we do, we are never likely to come thither ; no, we may
assure ourselves, as Heaven is the greatest good that we
can attain, so doth it require our greatest care and study
imaginable to attain it.
This, therefore, is that which I shall endeavour to con-
vince men of, and account myself happy if I can do it. For
I dare say, there is none of us but desire to see Christ in
glory, and to be happy with Him and in Him for ever ; but i
that we can never be, unless we do whatsoever is required of
us in order to it ; and if we think it is so easy a matter to do
whatsoever is required of us, I have just cause to suspect
that we never yet made trial of it, nor set ourselves seriously
upon the performance of those duties which are enjoined us
here in reference to our being happy for ever. For if we
have set upon it in good earnest, we cannot but have foundi
it very hard and difficult, by reason of our natural averse-
ness from what is good, and inclinations unto evif. For we
Heb.i2. 14. all know that " without holiness no man shall see tlie Lord."
So that holiness is the way, the direct and only way that leadsi
to Heaven ; neither is there any way imaginable of being
happy hereafter, but by being holy here. And though it be
an easy thing to profess holiness, and to perform some external!
acts of it, yet to be truly pious and holy indeed, so as wej
must be if ever we would goto Heaven, this is every whit as
difficult as the other is easy.
1. For, first, I suppose all will grant that He is not truljf!
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
403
holy that lives in any known sin, as the Apostle intimates,
saying, "He that is born of God doth not commit sin." uohn 3. 9.
And therefore he that still indulgeth himself in the com-
mission of any known sin, he is not yet regenerate or born
of God, he is not truly holy. So that to our being so holy
here as that we may be happy hereafter, it is absolutely
and indispensably necessary that we forsake and avoid to the
utmost of our power whatsoever is offensive unto God, and
contrary to His laws. But it is as difficult as it is necessary
to forsake sin as we ought to do. It is an easy matter, I
confess, to rail at sin, to backbite others, or blame ourselves
for it. But that is not the business ; but to loathe our
sins as much as ever we loved them, to abhor as much as
ever we desired them, and to be as much averse from them
( as ever we were inclined to them ; to forsake sin as sin,
; and by consequence all sin whatsoever, one as well as
I another ; so as to deny ourselves all that pleasure we were
wont to take in any sin, and all that seeming profit which we
I- used to receive by it, and that too out of love to God, and
I fear of His displeasure : this is to forsake sin indeed, but it is
sooner spoken of than done ; and it requires a great deal of
time, and skill, and pains, to get so great a conquest over
I ourselves as this is, to cut off our right hand, to pluck out
our right eye, and cast it from us ; even renounce and forsake
• I those very beloved and darling sins, which the temper and
1 constitution of our bodies, the corruption of our hearts, and
constant custom and practice, hath made in a manner natural
to us. So that our very natures must be changed before we
can ever leave them. And, therefore, it must needs be a
matter of as great difficulty as it is of moment to master
and subdue those sins and lusts that have been long pre-
dominant in us ; which I dare say many of us have found by
their own sad and woeful experience, having struggled per-
haps many years against some corruption, and yet to this
iday have not got it under, nor totally subdued it. And it
is such, and such alone, who are competent judges in this
case, for they that never strove against their sins, cannot
know how strong they are, nor how hard it is to conquer
them. And therefore it is to those who have made it their
business to destroy and mortify their lusts, that I appeal
404
Private Thoughts upon Striving
■whether it be not hard to do it. I am confident they cannot
but have found it, and therefore must needs acknowledge it
to be so ; and, by consequence, that it is no easy matter to
get to Heaven, seeing it is so hard to keep out of Hell, and
to avoid those sins which otherwise will certainly bring us
thither ; every sin unrepented of having eternal punishment
entailed upon it.
2. And if it be so hard to forsake sin, how difficult must
it needs be to perform all those duties, and to exert all
those graces, which are necessarily required, in order to our
attaining everlasting happiness ! It is true, praying and
hearing, which are the ordinary means for the obtaining true
grace and holiness, are duties very common and customary
amongst us, but they are never the easier because they are
common, but rather far more difficult. For we being accus-
tomed to a careless and perfunctory performing these duties,
cannot but find it a hard and difficult matter to keep our
hearts so close unto them, as to perform them as we ought
to do, and so as that we may be really said to do them.
For we must not think that sitting at church while the Word
of God is preached, is hearing the word of God, or that
being present there whilst prayers are read, is real praying:
no, no; there is a great deal more required than this to our!
praying to the great God aright ; insomuch that, for my
own part, I really think that prayer, as it is the highest, so it
is the hardest duty that we can be engaged in. All the
faculties of our souls, as well as members of our bodies,
being obliged to put forth themselves in their several capa-'
cities, to the due performance of it.
And as for those several graces and virtues which ouri
souls must be adorned withal, before ever they can come to
Heaven, though it be easy to talk of them, it is not so to acti
them. I shall instance only in some few: as to love Godi
above all things, and other things only for God's sake; to
hope on nothing but God's promises, and to fear nothing:
but his displeasure ; to love other men's persons so as to hatei
their vices, and so to hate their vices as still to love their
persons ; not to covet riches when we have them not, nor
trust on them when we have them ; to deny ourselves that
we may please God, and to take up our cross that wc may
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
405
follow Christ ; to live above the world whilst we are in it,
and to despise it while we use it ; to be always upon our
watch and guard, strictly observing not only the outward
actions of our life, but the inward motions of our hearts ; to
hate those very sins which we used to love, and to love
those very duties which we used to hate; to choose the
greatest affliction before the least sin, and to neglect the
getting of the greatest gain rather than the performing of
tlie smallest duty; to believe truths which we cannot com-
prehend, merely upon the testimony of one whom we never
saw ; to submit our wills to God's, and delight ourselves in
obeying Him ; to be patient under sufferings, and thankful
for all the troubles we meet with here below ; to be ready
and willing to do and suffer any thing we can for Him Who
hath done and suffered so much for us ; to clothe the naked,
N feed the hungry, relieve the indigent, and rescue the op-
r pressed, to the utmost of our power : in a word, to be every
i way as pious towards God, as obedient to Christ, as loyal to
J our prince, as faithful to our friends, as loving to our enemies,
as charitable to the poor, as just in our dealings, as eminent
in all true grace and virtue, as if we were to be saved by it,
: and yet put no confidence in it, but still look upon ourselves
as unprofitable servants, and depend upon Christ, and Christ
alone, for pardon and salvation. I suppose I need not tell
• any one that it is hard and difficult to perform such duties,
li and to act such graces as these are ; but this, let me tell the
■i reader,
III. That how hard, how difficult soever it is, it must be
done, if ever we design to come to Heaven ; and, by con-
sequence, it is no easy matter to come thither. Seeing,
therefore, the way that leads to Heaven is thus narrow and
1 hard, it is no wonder that there are but few that walk in it,
or indeed that find it out, as our Saviour Himself assures us ;
for people generally love to swim with the stream, to run
with the multitude, though it be into the gulf of sin and
misery. It is very rare to find one walking in the narrow
way, and keeping himself within those bounds and limits
wherewith it is enclosed ; and this seems to have been the
occasion of these words in the Gospel of St. Luke, where
one said unto Christ, " Lord, are there few that be saved ? " Luke 13.23
406
Private Thoughts upoti Striving
And our Saviour answered in these words, " Strive to enter
in at the strait gate : for many, I say unto you, will seek to
enter in, and shall not be able." Intimating, not only that
there are but few that shall be saved, but likewise that many
of those who seek to be saved shall not attain it ; not as
if any of those who really and cordially make it their
business, to look after Heaven, can ever miss of it ; but,
that many of those who, presuming upon their seeming
obedience and good works, shall think and seek that way to
Matt. 1. 22, enter into the Kingdom of God, " shall not be able. For
many will say unto Me at that day," saith He, " Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Thy Name, and in Thy Name
cast out devils, and in Thy Name done many wonderful
works? and then 1 will profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." And if
many of those who are great professors of religion, and
make a plausible show of piety in the world, shall, notwith-
standing, come short of eternal happiness, and if of those
Matt. 20. " many which are called there are but few chosen," we may
well conclude there are but few, very few indeed, that walk
in the narrow path that leads to life, in comparison of those
innumerable multitudes that continually flock together in
the broad way that leads to ruin and destruction. One
great reason whereof is, because men generally, though they
desire to go to Heaven, yet will not believe it to be so hard
a thing as really it is, to get thither ; and therefore, setting
aside the superficial performance of some few external duties,
they give themselves no trouble, nor take any pains about
it ; as if Heaven was so contemptible a thing, that it is not
worth their while to look after it ; or howsoever, as if it
was so easy a thing to attain it, that they cannot miss of it i
whether they look after it or no. Whereas, questionless, as
Heaven is the greatest happiness that we are capable of, so '
is it the hardest matter in the world for any of us to at-
tain it.
I say not this to discourage any one, but rather to excite
and encourage all to a greater care and diligence in the
prosecution of eternal happiness, than ordinarily men seem
to liave. It is my hearty desire and prayer that every soul
among us may live, and be happy for ever ; but that we
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
407
can never be, unless we be serious, earnest, and constant in
looking after it, more than after all things in the world
besides. And therefore it is that I have endeavoured to
convince men that it is not so easy a thing as they seem to
make it, to go to Heaven, the path being so exceeding narrow
that leads unto it ; which I hope by this time we are all
persuaded of, so as to be resolved within ourselves to play no
longer with religion, but to set upon it in good earnest, so as
to make it not only our great, but our only business and
design in this world to prepare for another, and to work out
our salvation with fear and trembling, and, by consequence,
to walk in that narrow way of true piety and virtue that
leads to Heaven, without going aside into the vices on either
hand ; or howsoever, to use the utmost of our endeavour to
observe the rules which Christ hath prescribed us, in order
to our living with Him for ever. And oh that I knew what
words to take unto myself, and what arguments to use,
whereby to prevail with every soul of us to make it our
business to get to Heaven ; and, by consequence, to walk
directly in the narrow way, and through the strait gate, that
leads unto it. What influence or effect they may have upon
the readers I know not ; howsoever, I shall endeavour to
present them with some such considerations, as I hope, by
the blessing of God and the assistance of His grace, may be
so forcible and prevalent upon them, if seriously weighed,
that they should not methinks be able to resist them.
Let us consider, therefore, in the first place, that though
it be never so hard to get to Heaven, yet it is possible ; and
though there be but few that come thither, yet there are
some, and why may not you and I be in the number of those
few as well as others ? There are many perfect and most
, glorious saints in Heaven at this moment, which once were
i sinful creatures upon earth as we now are; but it seems the
j way thither was not so narrow but that they could walk in
it, nor the gate so strait but they could pass through it ; and
1 why may not we as well as they ? We have the same
natures whereby we are capable of happiness as they had ;
we have the same Scriptures to direct us to it as they had ;
I we have the same promises of assistance as they had ; we
I have the same Saviour as they had ; and why then may not
408 Private Thoughts upon Striving
we get to the same place where they are ? Is the way more
narrow, and the gate more strait, to us than it was to them?
No, surely, it is every way the same. Why, then, should
we desj^air of ever attaining everlasting glory, seeing we
are as capable of it as any one who hath yet attained it 1 It
is true, if no mortal men had ever got to Heaven, or God had
said none should ever come thither, then indeed it would be
in vain for us to expect it, or to use any means to attain unto
it : but seeing many of our brethren are already there, and
many more will follow after them, and we are as capable of
coming to them as any other, the straitness of the gate, the
narrowness of the way, or the difficulty of getting thither,
should never discourage us from endeavouring after it, no
more than it did them, but rather make us the more diligent
in the prosecution of it : especially considering, in the next
place, that we are not only as yet in a capacity of getting
to Heaven, but we are all invited thither, and that by God
1 Tim. 2. 4. Himself, for He would have all men to be saved, and " to
come unto the knowledge of the truth." Yea, He hath
Ezek.33.11. sworn by Himself, saying, " As I live, saith the Lord, I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that
the wicked turn from his way and live : " and therefore calls
upon us all, " Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why
will ye die, O house of Israel ?" Hence it is that He sent
isa. 55. 1. His Prophets to invite us, " Ho, every one that thirsteth
come ye to the waters." Yea, He came down in His Own
person to earth, on purpose to invite us to Heaven, and to
Matt. 11.28. direct us the way thither : " Come to Me," saith He, " all ye
that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Johns, iti. " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-be-
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not'
perish, but have everlasting life." Whence we may observe,
that there is no exception made against any person what-
soever, nor, by consequence, against any of us. It is the
will, yea, and the command of God too, that we all turn
from our evil ways and live, and that every soul amongst us
walk in that narrow way that leads unto eternal bliss ; and
Hos. 13. 9. therefore, if any of us do perish, " Our blood will be upon
our own heads, for our own destruction is from ourselves."
For it is nothing but the perverseness of our own wills, and
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
409
the hardness, pride, and obstinacy of our own hearts, that
can keep any soul of us out of Heaven, howsoever difficult
it is to come thither. For God hath shewn how desirous
He is to have our company there, in that He is still pleased
to grant us both the space and means of repentance. If He
had no mind to have us saved, He could have shut us up
long ago in Hell ; but He is so far from that, that He doth
not only as yet continue our abode on earth, and lengthen
our tranquillity here, but He still vouchsafes unto us what-
soever is necessary, yea, whatsoever can any ways con-
duce to our eternal happiness ; we have His Scriptures, we
have His Sabbaths, we have His Ordinances ; we have His
Sacraments, we have His Ministers, we have the promise of
His Spirit, we have the overtures of Christ, and of all the
merits of His death and passion made unto us ; and what
can be desired more to make men happy ? and yet, as if all
this had not been enough. He still continues calling upon us,
exhorting, commanding, yea, and beseeching us most affec-
tionately to turn that our souls may live ; for we His
ministers are ambassadors to mankind for Christ, as though
God did beseech you by us: "We pray you in Christ's 2 Cor.s. 20.
stead to be reconciled to God." And He hath sent me unto
you that read this, in a particular manner at this time, to call
you back out of the broad way that leads to death into the
narrow way that leads to life and happiness : in His Name,
therefore, I exhort, yea, and " beseech you, by the mercies Rom. 12. 1.
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
" Strive to enter in at the strait gate," and never leave until
you have got possession of eternal glory.
Nor let us be discouraged at any difficulties that we meet
with in the way, for they will soon be over; howsoever hard
and difficult any duty may seem at first, by use and custom
it will soon grow easy. The worst is at first setting out;
when once we have been used awhile to walk in this narrow
way, we shall find it to be both easy and pleasant : for, as
the wise man tells us, the ways of wisdom, or true piety, " are Prov. 3. 17.
ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." Though
it be rough at first, by treading it will soon grow plain ; we
shall soon find the words of Christ to be true, that His
410
Private Thoughts npon Striving
Mau.n.30. " yoke is easy, and His burden light." All is but to be
willing and obedient, and resolved upon it, to press through
all duties and difficulties whatsoever to get to Heaven, and
then, by the merits of Christ's passion and the assistance of
His grace, we need not fear but we shall come thither.
And verily, although the way to Heaven should prove
not only narrow, but hedged in with briers and thorns, so
that we should meet with nothing but crosses and troubles
in our going to it, yet Heaven will make amends for all.
Rom. 8. 18. For we may well reckon with the Apostle, " that the suffer-
ings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the
glory that shall be revealed in us." So that whatsoever
pains we are at, whatsoever trouble we suffer in order to
our attaining everlasting happiness, bears no proportion at
all to the happiness we attain by it ; which is so great, so
exceeding great, that our tongues can neither express, nor
our minds as yet conceive it: consisting not only in the
freedom from all evil, but also in the enjoyment of what-
soever is really and truly good ; even whatsoever can any
way conduce to the making us perfectly and completely
happy : so that no duty can be too great to undertake, no
trouble too heavy to undergo for it. Wherefore, that I
iCor.15.58. may use the words of the Apostle to my readers, " My
beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord."
By this time I hope we are all resolved within ourselves
to follow our Saviour's counsel and advice, even to " strive
to enter in at the strait gate," and " to walk in that narrow
way that leads to life." If we be not, we have just cause to
[Acts 8. suspect ourselves to be in the " gall of bitterness and in the
bond of iniquity;" but if we be resolved in good earnest,
we cannot but be very solicitous to know what we must do
in order to it, or how every one of us may " enter in at the
strait gate," so as to be happy for ever? A question of the
highest importance imaginable ; so that it is absolutely ne-
cessary for every soul amongst us to be thoroughly resolved
in it, for it concerns our life, our immortal and eternal life ;
and therefore I shall endeavour to resolve it in as few and
perspicuous terms as possibly I can, that the meanest capa-
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
411
city may understand it. But I must take leave to say
beforehand, that our knowing of it will signify nothing
unless we practise it, neither will you be ever the nearer
Heaven, because you know the w^ay to it unless you also
walk in it.
1. And therefore the first thing that I shall propound, in
order to our eternal Salvation, is, that we should resolve
immediately in the presence of Almighty God, that we will
for the future make it our great care, study, and business in
this world, to " seek the Kingdom of God and the righteous- Matt. 6.33.
ness thereof," in the first place, according to our Saviour's
advice and command, that we would not halt any longer
between two opinions, and think to seek Heaven and earth
together, things diametrically opposite to one another. If
we really think earth to be better than Heaven, what need
we trouble ourselves any further, than to heap up the riches,
and to enjoy the pleasures of this world 1 But if we really
think Heaven to be better than earth, as all wise men must
needs do, then let us mind that, and concern not ourselves
about this. We know what our Saviour told us long ago,
" No man can serve two masters ; for either he will hate the ver. 24.
one, and love the other ; or else he will hold with the one,
and despise the other : ye cannot serve God and Mammon,"
that is, in plain English, we cannot mind Heaven and earth
both together ; for we can have but one grand and principal
design in the world ; and therefore, if our principal design
be to get wealth or any earthly enjoyment, we deceive our-
selves, if we think that we mind Heaven at all. For that
we can never properly be said to do, until we mind it before
all things whatsoever in the world besides ; and let us not
say, or think within ourselves, that " this is a hard saying," [John 6.
for we may assure ourselves it is no more than what we shall
all find to be really true ; and that never a soul of us shall
ever know what Heaven is, that doth not first prefer it
before all things here below, and, by consequence, make it
his principal, if not only design to get thither.
2. Supposing us, therefore, to be thus resolved within
ourselves, my next advice is, that we break off our former
sins by repentance, and shewing mercy to the poor ; and that
for the future we live not in the wilful commission of any
412
Private Thoughts upon Striving
known sin, nor yet in the wilful neglect of any known duty.
Where it is evident I advise to no more than what all men
know themselves to be obliged to do ; for I dare say, there
is none of us know so little, but what if he would but live up
to what he knows, he could not but be both holy and happy.
Let us but avoid what we ourselves know to be sin, and do
what we know to be our duty, and though our knowledge
may not be so great as others', yet our piety may be greater
and our condition better. But we must still remember, that
one sin will keep us out of Heaven as well as twenty ; and
therefore, if we ever desire to come thither, we must not
only do some or many things, but all things, whatsoever is
required of us, to the best of our knowledge. I speak not
this of myself, but Christ Himself hath told us the same
Matt.19.16, before, even that we must keep the Conmiandments, all the
Commandments, if we desire to enter into eternal life. Not
as if it was indispensably necessary to observe every punctilio
and circumstance of the Moral Law, for then no man could be
saved ; but that it must be both our steadfast resolution and
our chief study and endeavour to avoid whatsoever we know
to be forbidden, and to perform whatsoever we know to be
commanded by God.
And though by this we shall make a fair progress in the
narrow way to life, yet there is still another step behind,
before we can enter in at the strait gate, and that is, to
believe in Jesus Christ, as our Saviour Himself hath taught
ver. 21. us. The sum of which duty in brief is this, that when we
have done all we can in obedience to the Moral Law, yet we
must still look upon ourselves as unprofitable servants, and
not expect to be justified or saved by virtue of that obedi-
ence, but only by the merits of Christ's death and passion ;
humbly confiding that, in and through Him, the defects of
our obedience shall be remitted, our persons accepted, our
natures cleansed, and our souls eternally saved. This is not
Acts 16. 31. only the principal, but the only thing which Paul and Silas
directed the keeper of the prison to, in order to his Salvation,
as comprehending all the rest under it, or at least supposing
them.
Thus, therefore, though obedience be the way, faith is the
gate through which we must enter into life. But seeing the
to Enter in at the Strait Gate.
413
gate is strait as well as the way narrow, and it is as hard to
believe in Christ as to observe the Law, we must not think to
do either by our own strength, but still imj3lore the aid and
assistance of Almighty God, and depend upon Him for it.
For Christ Himself saith, " No man can come to Me, except John 6. 44,
the Father Which hath sent Me draw him." But we can
never expect that He should draw us unless we desire it of
Him ; and therefore it must be our daily prayer and petition
at the Throne of Grace, that God would vouchsafe us His
especial grace and assistance, without which I cannot see
bow any one that knows his own heart can expect to be
saved. But our comfort is, if we do what we can, God will
hear our prayers, and enable us to do what otherwise we
cannot ; for He never yet did, nor ever will fail any man that
sincerely endeavours to serve and honour Him.
3. Lastly, Although we are to trust in God for the answer
of our prayers in this particular, yet we must not expect
that He should do it immediately from Himself, but we
must use those means which Himself hath appointed whereby
to work faith, and by consequence all other graces in us.
Now the Scriptures tell us that faith comes by hearing. Rom. 10.17.
Wherefore, if we desire to believe so as to be saved, we
must wait upon God in His public Ordinances, and there
expect such influences of His grace and Spirit whereby we
may be enabled to walk in the narrow way, and enter in at
the strait gate that leads to life.
Thus I have shewn you in few terms how to do the great
work which you came into the world about, even how to get
to Heaven. For howsoever hard it is to come thither, let us
but resolve, as we have seen, to mind it before all things
else, fear God and keep His Commandments to the utmost
of our power, believe in Christ for the pardon of our sins,
and the acceptance both of our persons and performances ;
pray sincerely unto God, and wait diligently upon Him for
the assistance of His grace, to do what He requires from us ;
— let us do this, and w e need not fear but our souls shall
live. If we leave this undone, w e ourselves shall be undone
for ever. And, therefore, let me advise all to dally no longer
in a matter of such consequence as this is, but now we know
the way to Heaven, to turn immediately into it, and walk
414
Private Thoughts
constantly in it. Tbough the way be narrow, it is not long ;
and though the gate be strait, it opens into eternal life.
And therefore, to conclude, let us remember we have now
been told how to get to Heaven ; it is not in my power to
force men thither, whether they will or no ; I can only shew
them the way. It is their interest as well as duty to walk in
it ; which if they do, I dare assure them, in the Name of
Christ, it is not long, but they will be admitted into the
choir of Heaven, to sing hallelujahs for evermore.
VII. THOUGHTS UPON THE IMITATION OF
CHRIST.
If we seriously consider with ourselves that wonder of all
wonders, that mystery of all mysteries, the incarnation of
the Son of God, it may justly strike us into astonishment,
and an admiration what should be the reason and the end of
it ; why the great and glorious, the almighty and eternal
God, should take our weak and finite nature into His infi-
nite and incomprehensible Person? — why the Creator of all
things should Himself become a creature? — and He that
made the world be Himself made into it? — why the Supreme
Being of all beings, that gives essence and existence to all
things in the world, Whose glory the Heaven of heavens is
not able to contain, should clothe Himself with flesh and
become man, of the self-same nature and substance with us,
■who live, and move, and have our being in Him ? Certainly,
it was not upon any frivolous or ordinary account, that the
Most High God manifested Himself to the sons of men in so
wonderful and extraordinary a manner as this was. But He
did it, questionless, upon some design that was as great and
glorious as the act itself. And if we would know what His
end and design in coming into the world was, the Scriptures
assure us, in general, that it was for the Salvation of man-
1 Tim. 1. 15. kind whose nature He assumed. For " this is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners." And He Himself tells us,
John 3. 16. " That God so loved the world, that He sent His Only-
upon the Imitation of Christ.
415
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." Now for the accomplish-
ment of this no less glorious than gracious design, there are
two things which it was necessary He should do for us,
whilst He was upon earth, even expiate our former sins, and
direct us unto holiness for the future ; both which He hath
effected for us: the one by His death, and the other by His
life.
For, by His death, He hath paid that debt which we owed
to God, having made complete satisfaction to God's justice
for those sins whereby we have incurred His displeasure :
for death was threatened to all mankind in case of dis-
obedience, and by consequence all mankind, being disobe-
dient, are obnoxious to it. Neither would it stand with the
justice of God to falsify His Word ; nor yet with His glory,
to put up the injuries that we have committed against Him,
without having satisfaction made unto Him for them. But,
it being impossible that a finite creature should satisfy for
those sins, which were committed against the infinite God,
hence the infinite God Himself was pleased to undertake it
for us, even to satisfy Himself for those sins which were
committed against Him ; which He did by undergoing that
death which He had threatened to us in our own nature,
united to the Person of His Own and only Son, God co-equal,
co-essential, co-eternal with Himself, Who is therefore said,
to be " a propitiation for our sins." Neither can there any i John 2. 2.
reason imaginable be alleged, why the Son of God Himself
should suffer death, unless it was upon our account, and in
our stead, whose nature He assumed, and in which He suf-
fered it. But not to insist upon that now : the human
nature, in general, having thus suffered that death in the
Person of the Son of God, which all mankind were other-
wise bound to have undergone in their own persons ; hence
it comes to pass, that we are all in a capacity of avoiding
that death which we have deserved by our sins, if we do but
rightly believe in Christ, and apply His sufferings to our-
selves.
And as Christ by His death and passion hath thus satis-
fied for our sins, so hath He by His life and actions given us
an exact pattern of true piety and virtue. And although I
416
Private Thoughts
cannot say it was the only, yet questionless one great end
wherefore He continued so long on earth, and conversed so
much amongst men, and that so many of His actions are
delivered to us with so many circumstances as they are, was,
that we, by His example, might learn how to carry and
behave ourselves in this lower world. For as from that time
to this, so from the beginning of the world to that time,
there had been never a man upon the face of the earth, that
had lived so conformably to the Law of God, that it was safe
or lawful for another to follow Him in all things. For all
flesh was corrupt, and the very best of men were still but men,
subject to failures in their lives, as well as to errors in their
judgments ; yea, those very persons whom the Scriptures
record, and God Himself attesteth to have been eminent in
their generation for piety and justice, did oftentimes fail in
[Gen. 6.9; both. Noah is asserted by God Himself to have been right-
eous in his generation, Abraham to be the Father of the
if-Tkings ffiit^^f^il) Moses to be the meekest man upon earth, David to
4. 31 ; Job be a man after God's Own heart, Solomon to have been the
wisest man that ever lived, and Job to be a "perfect and
upright man, one that feared God and eschewed evil :" yet
none of these most excellent persons but had their vices as
well as virtues : and it is observable, that the more eminent
any were for piety, the more notorious sins God hath some-
times suffered them to slip into, to keep them humble. So
that from the first to the second Adam, there never lived a
man of whom it could be said, ' This man never sinned, never
transgressed the laws of God, and therefore may in all things
be imitated by men.'
But now as the first was made, the second Adam con-
tinued all along most pure and perfect, both in thought,
iPet. 2, 22. word, and action : for " He did no sin, neither was guile
found in His mouth." Never so much as a vain thought
ever sprang up in His most holy heart, not so much as an
idle word ever proceeded out of His Divine lips, nor so
much as an impertinent or frivolous action was ever per-
formed b}' His sacred and most righteous hands; His whole
life being nothing else but one continued act of piety
towards God, justice towards men, love and charity towards
all. And as Himself lived, so would He have all His dis^
upon the Imitation of Christ.
417
ciples live whilst they are here below ; and therefore enjoins
them that go after Him, not only to deny themselves, and
take up their crosses, but also to follow or imitate Him to
the utmost of their power in their life and actions. So that
He now expects that all those who profess themselves to be
His disciples, do first deny themselves whatsoever is offen-
sive unto Him ; and then take up their cross so as to be
ready and willing to do or suffer any thing for Him that
hath done and suffered so much as He hath for us. And
then, lastly, that they write after the copy that He hath set
them, and walk in the steps wherein He hath gone before
them ; even that they follow Him through all duties and
difficulties whatsoever, so as still to do unto the utmost of
their power as He did, otherwise they in vain pretend to be
His disciples. " For he that saith he abideth in Him, ought i John2.6.
himself also to walk even as He walked," that is, he that
professeth to believe in Jesus Christ should live as He lived
while He was upon earth. Hence St. Paul, a true disciple
of Christ, saith, " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am iCor. ii. i.
of Christ." As he followed Christ, he would have others to
follow him ; but he would have them follow him no farther
than as he followed Christ.
It is true, we were bound to be holy and righteous in all
our ways, whether we had ever heard of Christ's being so
or no, the law of God first obliging us to be so ; but how-
soever, we have now an additional obligation upon us to be
holy, " as He Who hath called us was holy in all manner of i Pet. i. is.
conversation." For the Scripture tells us expressly, that
Christ " hath left us an example, that we should follow His ch. 2.21.
steps;" and our Saviour Himself commands all that come Matt.11.29,
to Him to learn of Him. And therefore we can never expect
that He should own us for His disciples, unless we own Him
for our Lord and Master, so far as to obey and follow Him ;
He having commanded all those that come to Him, to deny
themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him. And
seeing we all, I hope, desire to be Christians indeed, as I
"have explained the two former of these duties, I shall now
endeavour to give the true meaning of the latter too, that we
may all so follow Christ here as to come to Him hereafter.
418
Private Thovghts
Now for the opening of this, we must know that we
neither can nor ought to follow Christ in every thing He did
when He was here below ; for even whilst He was here
below, He was still the Most High and Mighty God, the same
that He had been from eternity, and often manifested His
power and glory to the sons of men whilst He was convers-
ing with them in their own nature, Avherein it would be hor-
rid presumption for us to pretend to follow Him. As, for
Matt.12.25. example, " He knew the" very " thoughts of men," which I
suppose is something past our skill to do. Hence also He
ch. 23. 27, jiidged and censured others; " Woe unto you," saith He,
" Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like unto
painted sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly,
but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all unclean-
ness." But this we could not do though we might, not
being able to search into others' hearts ; neither may we
do it though we could, Christ Himself having expressly I
ch. 7. 1. commanded the contrary, saying, " Judge not, that ye be
not judged." Our Saviour also, as God, foretold future
Luke 21. 6. events, and wrought miracles, such as were clear demonstra-
tions of His infinite power and Godhead; but in this He is
to be believed and admired, not followed or imitated by us. i
Thus, also, when He sent His disciples to loose another j
ch. 19. 30. man's colt, and bring him away, that He did as Lord and
Sovereign of the world, or as the Supreme Possessor and
Universal Proprietor of all things ; as when He com- 1
[Exod. 11. manded the Israelites to spoil the Egyptians, and carry i
2; 12.36.] g^^j^y their jewels and raiment; for, all things being His,
He may give them to whom He pleasetli ; and though it
would have been a sin to have taken them away without His
command, yet His command gave them a property in them,
a right and title to them, and they had sinned unless they
had obeyed the command. So here our Saviour sent for the;
colt, as if it had been His Own, for so really it was, as He is
God, which He manifested Himself to be at the same time, in
, , that He inclined the heart of the civil owner thereof to let
Luke 19.33, i ^-^
34. hiin go, only upon the Disciples saying, that " the Lord
had need of him." But this He did not for our example,
but to shew forth His Own power and glory.
upon the Imitation of Christ.
419
There are some things also which our blessed Saviour did
as God-man, or as the Mediator betwixt God and man, as
His making atonement and satisfaction for the sins of man-
kind. His instituting Offices, and Ordinances, and Sacraments
in His Church, and the like; which having an immediate
respect to His office of Mediator, and being done upon that
account, we neither may nor can imitate Him in such things.
But the things which He would have us to follow Him in,
are such and such only as He did as mere man, that had no
immediate dependence upon or reference to either His God-
head or Mediatorship. For He having honoured our nature
I so far as to take it into His Own Divine Person, so as to
, become really and truly man ; as so, He did whatsoever man
is bound to do, both as to God Himself, and likewise as to
t man ; and being absolutely perfect in all the faculties of His
e soul and members of His body, He infinitely surpassed all
y other men both in Divine graces and moral virtues ; so that
e as He never committed any one sin, so neither did He ever
re neglect any one duty which as man He was bound to per-
3- form either to God or men, but still observed every pane-
ls tilio and circumstance of the Moral Law ; by which means
ji, He hath left us a complete pattern of truth and universal
lit holiness, and hath enjoined us all to follow it.
il Hoping, therefore, that all who profess themselves to be .
mJ the friends and disciples of Jesus Christ desire to manifest
IB' themselves to be so, by following both His precepts and
rrt example, I shall give the reader a short narrative of His
iln. 1 life and actions, wherein we may all see what true piety is,
ii ] and what real Christianity requires of us : and may not con-
Hi tent ourselves as many do, with being professors, and ad-
,1 hering to parties or factions amongst us, but strive to be
.It) thorough Christians, and to carry ourselves as such, by
' walking as Christ Himself walked; which that we may at
least know how to do, looking upon Christ as a mere man,
0 I shall shew how He did, and by consequence how we ought
, ' to carry ourselves both to God and man, and what graces
and virtues He exercised all along for our example and
imitation,
M I. Now, for our more clear and methodical proceeding
420
Private Thoughts
in a matter of such consequence as this is, I shall begin
with His behaviour towards men, from His childhood to
His death.
1. First, Therefore, when He was a child of twelve years
of age, it is particularly recorded of Him, that He was sub-
ject or obedient to His parents, his real mother and reputed
Luke. 2.5). father. It is true. He knew at that time that God Himself
ver. 49. was His Father, for, said He, " Wist ye not that I must be
about my Father's business?" And knowing God to be
His Fatlier, He could not but know likewise that He was
infinitely above His mothei' ; yea, that she could never have
borne Him, had not He Himself first made and supported
her. Yet, howsoever, though as God He was Father to her,
yet as man she was mother to Him, and therefore He ho-
noured and obeyed both her and him to whom she was
espoused. Neither did He only respect His mother whilst
He was here, but He took care of her too when He was
going hence. Yea, all the pains He suffered upon the cross
could not make Him forget His duty to her that bore Him ;
but seeing her standing by the cross, as Himself hung on it,
He committed her to the care of His beloved Disciple, who
John 19. 27. " took her to his own home." Now, as our Saviour did, so
are we bound to carry ourselves to our earthly parents,
.whatsoever their temper or condition be in this world.
Though God hath blessed some of us, perhaps, with greater
estates than ever He blessed them, yet we must not think
ourselves above them, nor be at all the less respectful to"
them. Christ, we see, was infinitely above His mother, yet,
as she was His mother. He was both subject and respectful
to her. He was not ashamed to own her as she stood by the
cross, but, in the view and hearing of all there present, gave
His Disciple a charge to take care of her; leaving us an
example, that such amongst us as have parents, provide for
them if they need it, as well as for our children, both while
we live, and when we come to die.
2. And as He was to His natural, so was He too to His
civil parents, the magistrates under which He lived, sub-
missive and faithful : for though, as He was God, He was
infinitely above them in Heaven, yet, as He was man, He
upon the Imitation of Christ.
421
was below them on earth, having committed all civil power
into their hands, without reserving any at all for Himself.
So that though they received their commission from Him,
yet now Himself could not act without receiving a commis-
sion from them. And therefore, having no commission from
them to do it. He would not entrench so much upon their
privilege and power, as to determine the controversy be-
twixt the two brethren contending about their inheritance ;
"Man," saith He, " who made Me a judge or a divider over Luke 12. 14.
you?" And to shew His submission to the civil magistrate,
as highly as possibly He could, rather than offend them. He
wrought a miracle to pay the tax which they had charged
upon Him, And when the officers were sent to take Him, Matt.17.27,
though He had more than twelve legions of angels at His
service to have fought for Him if He had pleased, yet He
would not employ them, nor suffer His Own Disciples to
make any resistance. And though some of late days, who ch. 26. 52,
call themselves Christians, have acted quite contrary to our
blessed Saviour in this particular, I hope better things of
my readers, even that they will behave themselves more like
to Christ, Who, though He was the Supreme Governor of
the world, yet would not resist, but submitted to the civil
power, which Himself had intrusted men withal.
3. Moreover, although whilst He was here He was really
not only the best but greatest man upon earth, yet He carried
Himself to others with that meekness, humility, and respect,
as if He had been the least ; as He never admired any man
for his riches, so neither did He despise any man for his
poverty ; poor men and rich were all alike to Him. He
was as lowly and respectful to the lowest, as He was to the
highest that He conversed with : He affected no titles of
honour, nor gaped after popular air; but submitted Himself
to the meanest services that He could, for the good of others,
even to the washing His Own Disciples' feet ; and all to
teach us that we can never think too lowly of ourselves, nor
do any thing that is beneath us ; propounding Himself as
our example, especially in this particular, " Learn of Me," ch. 11.29.
saith He, " for I am meek and lowly in heart."
His humility also was the more remarkable, in that His
bounty and goodness to others were so great, for He went
422
Private Thoughts
Acts 10. 38. about doing good. Wheresoever you read He was, you
still read of some good work or other which He did there.
Whatsoever company He conversed with, they still went
better from Him than they came unto Him, if they came
Matt. 11.5. out of a good end. By Him, as Himself said, " the blind
received their sight, and the lame walked, the lepers were
cleansed, and the deaf heard, the dead were raised up, and
the poor had the Gospel preached unto them." Yea, it is
observable, that we never read of any person whatsoever
that came unto Him desiring any real kindness or favour of
Him, but he still received it, and that whether he was
friend or foe. For, indeed, though He had many inveterate
and implacable enemies in the world, yet He bore no grudge
or malice against them, but expressed as much love and
favour to them as to His greatest friends. Insomuch, that
when they had gotten Him upon the cross, and fastened
His hands and feet unto it, in the midst of all that pain and
Luke 23.34. torment which they put Him to, He still prayed for them.
Oh ! how happy, how blessed a people should we be,
could we but follow our blessed Saviour in this particular !
How well would it be with us, could we but be thus loving
to one another, as Christ was to all, even His most bitter
enemies ! We may assure ourselves it is not only our misery
but our sin too, unless we be so. And our sin will be the
greater, now we know our Master's pleasure, unless we do
it. And therefore let all such amongst us as desire to carry
ourselves as Christ Himself did, and as becometh His dis-
ciples in the world, begin here.
Be submissive and obedient both to our parents and
governors, humble in our own sight, despise none, but be
charitable, loving and good to all : by this shall all men
know that we are Christ's disciples indeed.
4. Having thus seen our Saviour's carriage towards men,
we shall now consider His piety and devotion towards God :
not as if it was possible for me to express the excellency and
perfection of those religious acts which He performed con-
tinually within His soul to God, every one of His faculties
being as entire in itself, and as perfect in its acts, as it was
first made or designed to be. There was no darkness, nor !
so much as gloominess in His mind, no error or mistake in
upon the Imitation of Christ. 423
Hii5 judgment, no bribery or corruption in His conscience,
no obstinacy or perverseness in His will, no irregularity or
disorder in His affections, no spot, no blot, no blemish, not
the least imjierfection or infirmity, in His whole soul. And
therefore even whilst His body was on earth. His head and
heart were still in Heaven. For He never troubled His
heady nor so much as concerned Himself, about any thing
here below, any farther than to do all the good He could,
His thoughts being wholly taken up with considering how
to advance God's glory and man's eternal happiness. And
as for His heart, that was the altar on which the sacred fire
of Divine love was always burning, the flames whereof con-
tinually ascended up to Heaven, being accompanied with the
most ardent and fervent desires of, and delight in, the
chiefest good.
II. But it must not be expected that I should give an
exact description of that eminent and most perfect holiness
which our blessed Saviour was inwardly adorned with, and
continually employed in ; which I am as unable to express
as desirous to imitate. But, howsoever, I shall endeavour
to mind the reader, in general, of such acts of piety and de-
votion, which are particularly recorded, on purpose for our
imitation.
1. Therefore, it is observed of our Saviour, that " from Luke 2. 52.
a child He increased in wisdom, as He did in stature."
Where by wisdom we are to understand the knowledge of
God and of Divine things. For our Saviour having taken our
nature into His person, with all its frailties and infirmities,
as it is a created being, He did not in that nature presently
know all things which were to be known. It is true, as
God, He then knew all things as well as He had from all
eternity : but we are now speaking of Him as a man, like
one of us in all things, except sin. But we continue some
considerable time after we are born before we know any
thing, or come to the use of our reason ; the rational soul
not being able to exert or manifest itself until the natural
phlegm and radical moisture of the body, which in infants
is predominant, be so digested that the body be rightly
qualified, and its organs fitted for the soul to work upon
424
Private Thoiiyhts
and to make use of. And though our Saviour questionless
came to the use of His reason, as man, far sooner than we
are wont to do, yet we must not think that He knew all
things as soon as He was born ; for that the nature He as-
sumed was not capable of ; neither could He then be said,
as He is, to increase in wisdom, for where there is a perfec-
tion there can be no increase.
But here, before we proceed further, it will be necessary
to answer an objection which some may make against this.
For, if our Saviour as man knew not all things, then He was
not perfect, nor absolutely free from sin, ignorance itself
being a sin. To this I have these things to answer :
(1.) First, It is no sin for a creature to be ignorant of
some things, because it is impossible for a creature to know
all things; for to be omniscient is God's prerogative,
neither is a creature capable of it, because he is but finite,
whereas the knowledge of all things, or omniscience, is
itself an infinite act, and therefore to be performed only by
an infinite being. Hence it is that no creature in the world
ever was or ever could be made omniscient ; but there are
many things which Adam in his integrity, and the very
Angels themselves, are ignorant of ; as our Saviour, speak-
Maiki3.32. iug of the Day of Judgment, saith, " Of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in Heaven,
neither the Son, but the Father." But the Angels are
nevertheless perfect, because they know not this. Nay, it
is observable that the Son Himself, as man, knew it not;
" neither," saith He, " the Son, but the Father :" and if He
knew it not then, much less was it necessary for Him to
know it when a child.
(2.) Secondly, As to be ignorant of some things is no
sin, so neither is any ignorance at all sin, but that whereby
[1 John 3. a man is ignorant of what he is bound to know : " For all
sin is the transgression of the Law." And therefore, if
there be no law obliging me to know such or such things, I
do not sin by being ignorant of them, for I transgress no
law. Now, though all men are bound by the Law of God
to know Him, and their duty to Him, yet infants, so long as
infants, are not, neither can be, obnoxious or subject to that
upon the Imitation of Christ. 425
law, they being in a natural incapacity, yea, impossibility to
perform it ; but as they become by degrees capable of know-
ing any thing, they are obliged questionless to know Him
first from Whom they receive their knowledge.
And thus it was that our blessed Saviour perfectly ful-
filled the Law of God, in that although He might still con-
tinue ignorant of many things, yet howsoever He all along
knew all that He was bound to know, and as He grew by
degrees more and more capable of knowing any thing, so did
He increase still more in true wisdom, or in the knowledge
of God : so that by that time He was twelve years oid. He
was able to dispute with the great doctors and learned
rabbies among the Jews; and after that, as He grew in
stature, so did He grow in wisdom too, and in favour both
with God and man. And verily, although we did not follow
our blessed Saviour in this particular when we were child-
ren, we ought howsoever to endeavour it now we are men
and women, even to grow in wisdom, and every day add
something to our spiritual stature, so as to let never a day
pass over our heads without being better acquainted with
God's goodness to us, or our duty to Him. And by this
example of our Saviour's growing in wisdom when a child,
we should also learn to bring up our children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord ; and not to strive so much to
make them rich, as to use all means to make them wise and
good, that they may do as their Saviour did, even grow in
wisdom and in stature, and in the favour both of God and man.
2. And as our Saviour grew in wisdom when a child, so
did He use and manifest it when He came to be a man, by
devoting Himself wholly unto the service of the living God,
and to the exercise of all true grace and virtue ; wherein His
blessed soul was so much taken up, that He had neither time
nor heart to mind those toys and trifles which silly mortals
upon earth are so much apt to dote on. It is true, all the
world was His, but He had given it all away to others, not
reserving for Himself so much as a house to put His head Matt. 8
in. And what money He had hoarded up, you may gather
from His working a miracle to pay His tribute or poll-
money, which came not to nmch above a shilling. Indeed,
He came into the world and went out again, without ever
426
Private Thowjhts
taking any notice of any pleasures, honours, or riches in it,
as if there had been no such thing here, as really there was
not, nor ever will be ; all the pomp and glory of this deceit-
ful world having no other being or existence, but only in
our distemjDered fancies and imaginations ; and therefore our
Saviour, Whose fancy was sound, and His imagination un-
tainted, looked upon all the world and the glory of it as not
worthy to be looked upon, seeing nothing in it wherefore it
should be desired. And therefore, instead of spending His
time in the childish pursuit of clouds and shadows, He made
the service of God not only His business but His recreation
John 4, 34. too, His food as Well as work. " It is My meat," saith He,
" to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His
work." This was all the riches, honours, and pleasures,
which He sought for in the world, even to do the will of
Him that sent Him hither, and to finish the work which He
ch. 17. 4. came about ; and so He did before He went away : " Father,
I have glorified Thee on the earth, I have finished the work
which Thou gavest Me to do." If therefore we would be
Christ's disciples, so as to follow Him, we see what we must
do, and how we must behave and carry ourselves whilst we
are here below ; we must not spend our time, nor throw
away our precious and short-lived days upon the trifles and
impertinences of this transient world, as if we came hither
for nothing else but to rake and sci'ape up a little dust and
dirt together, or to wallow ourselves like swine in the mire
of carnal pleasures and delights. No, we may assure our-
selves we have greater things to do, and far more noble
designs to carry on whilst we continue in this vale of tears,
[Phu.2.12.] even to " work out our Salvation with fear and trembling,"
[2Pet. 1. and to "make our calling and election sure," and to serve
^^'^ God here, so as to enjoy Him for ever. This is the work
we came about, and which we must not only do, but do it
too with pleasure and delight, and never leave until we have
accomplished it ; we must make it our only pleasure to
please God, account it our only honour to honour Him, and
esteem His love and favour to be the only wealth and riches
that we can enjoy ; we must think ourselves no further
happy, than we find ourselves to be truly holy, and there-
fore devote our lives wholly to Him, in Whom we live.
upon the Imitation of Christ.
427
Tliis is to live as Christ lived, and by consequence as Christ-
ians ought to do.
I might here instance in several other acts of piety and
devotion, which our Saviour was not only eminent for, but
continually exercised Himself in ; as His humble and perfect
submission and resignation of His Own will to God's, His
most ardent love unto Him, and zeal for Him, as also His
firm and steadfast trust and confidence in Him ; so that
nothing could ever disquiet or discompose His mind, but
still His heart was fixed, trusting in the Lord. In all which
it is both our duty and interest to follow Him ; our happi-
ness as well as holiness consisting in our dependence upon
God and inclinations to Him.
3. But we should do well to observe withal, that our
Saviour performed external as well as inward worship and
devotion unto God ; particularly we often find Him praising
God and praying unto Him ; and that with His eyes lift up
to Heaven in a most humble and reverential posture ; yea, ^oim 17. i ;
Luke22. 41 •
when He was to choose and ordain some of His disciples to Matt. 26.39!
the work of the ministry, and to succeed Him after His de-
parture under the name of Apostles, He spent the night be-
fore in prayer to God. I confess the words there used, sv Luke 6. 12.
rrsoai-jyj rov ©soD, will scarce admit of that interpretation
or exposition, signifying rather, in a strict sense, that he
went into a place appointed for prayer, which was usually
called 'TPoaiuyji, ' a place of prayer,' which kind of places were
very frequent in Judea, and some of them continued till
Epiphanius's time, as himself asserts ; and they were only [-j^j^^ hj^.
plots of ground enclosed with a wall, and open above, and ^^^'i^^^o^
were ordinarily, if not always, upon mountains, whither the 2.]
Jews used to resort, to pray together, in great multitudes.
And this seems to be the proper meaning of these words,
where our Saviour is said to go into a mountain, and to
continue all night h rf rrsoGiuyj, roD QzoZ, ' in one of these
proseuches of God,' a place dedicated to His service. Yet,
howsoever, we cannot suppose but that He went thither to
do what the place whither He went was designed for, even
to pray ; and by consequence, that seeing He staid there all
night, questionless He spent the whole night in prayer and
428
Private TJioyghts
meditation, in order to so great a work as the ordaining His
Apostles was.
Here, therefore, is another copy which our Master Christ
hath set us to write after ; a lesson that all must learn and
practise that would be His disciples. Though yve ordinarily
converse with nothing but dirt and clay, and with our fellow-
worms on earth ; yet as Christ did, so should we often retire
from the tumults and bustles of the world to converse with
Him that made us ; both to praise Him for the mercies we
have received, and to pray unto Him for what we want ; only
we shall do well to have a care that we do not perform so
solemn a duty as this is after a careless and perfunctory
manner, because none sees us but God ; for His seeing us is
infinitely more than if all the world besides should see us ;
and we must still remember that prayer is the greatest work
that a creature can be engaged in, and therefore to be per-
formed with the greatest seriousness, reverence, and earnest-
ness, that possibly we can raise up our spirits to. And
besides our daily devotions which we owe and ought to pay
to God, whensoever we set upon any great and weighty
business, we must be sure to follow our Saviour's steps in
setting some time apart proportionably to the business we
undertake, wherein to ask God's counsel, and desire His
direction and blessing in the most serious and solemn
manner that possibly we can. I need not tell the reader
what benefit we shall receive by this means ; none of us that
shall try it but will soon find it by experience.
I shall observe only one thing more concerning our
Saviour's devotion, and that is, that although He took all
occasions to instruct and admonish His Disciples and fol-
lowers, whether in the fields, or upon the mountains, or in
private houses, even wheresoever He could find an oppor-
tunity to do it ; yet upon Sabbath-days He always frequented
the public worship of God ; He went into the synagogues,
places appointed for public prayers and reading and hearing
of the Word, a thing which I fear many amongst us do not
think of, or, at least, not rightly consider it ; for if they did,
they would not dare, methinks, to walk so directly contrary
to our blessed Saviour in this particular ; for St. Luke tells
upon the Imitation of Christ.
429
us, that "when He caiue to Xazareth, where He had been Luke 4. i6.
brought up, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue
on the Sabbath-day." From whence none of us but may
easily observe that our Saviour did not go into a synagogue
or church, by the by, to see what they were doing there,
neither did He happen to go in by chance ujjon the Sabbath-
day, but it was His custom and constant practice to do so,
even to go each Sabbath-day to the public Ordinances, there
to join with the congregation in performing their public ser-
vice and devotions to Almighty God.
And here I must take leave to say, that was there no
other law, nor any other obligations upon us (as there be
many) to frequent the public worship of God, this practice
and exanijjle of our blessed Saviour doth sufficiently and
effectually oblige us all to a constant attendance upon the
public Ordinances. For as we are Christians, and profess
ourselves to be His disciples, we are all bound to follow
Him, He commands us here and elsewhere to do it ; and
certainly there is nothing that we can be obliged to follow
Him in more than in the manner of His worshipping God.
And therefore whosoever, out of any humour, fancy, or
slothfulness, shall presume to neglect the public worship of
•God, he doth not only act contrary to Christ's example, but
transgresses also His command, that enjoins him to follow
that example. What they who are guilty of this will have
to answer for themselves when they come to stand before
Christ's tribunal, I know not. But this I know, that all
those who profess themselves to be Christians should follow
Christ in all things that they can, and, by consequence, in
this particular ; and that they sin who do not.
But in whatsoever other things we may fail, I know the
generality of us do herein follow our Saviour's steps, that
we are usually present at the public worship of God ; but
then I hope this is not all that we follow Him in ; but that as
we follow Him to the public Ordinances, so we do likewise
in our private devotions, yea, and in our behaviour both to
God and man ; w hich that we may the better do, I have
endeavoured to shew wherein especially we ought to follow
Christ, in being obedient to our parents, subject to our
governors, lowly to the lowest, loving and charitable unto
430
Private Thoughts
all ; as also in growing in wisdom and the knowledge of
God, in contemning the world, in devoting ourselves wholly
to the service of God, in resigning our wills to His, in loving
of Him, in trusting on Him above all things else, in daily
praying unto God, and frequenting His public ordinances;
to which I may also add, in denying ourselves, and taking
up our crosses, which He Himself hath done before us, as
well as required of us.
What now remains, but that, seeing the steps wherein our
Saviour walked, we should all resolve to walk together in
them. And I hope that I need not use arguments to per-
suade any to it ; it is enough, one would think, that Christ
Himself, Whose Name we bear, expects and commands it
from us, and in that the sum of all our religion consisteth in
obeying and following Christ ; the circumstances of Whose
life are recorded on purpose that we may imitate Him unto
the utmost of our power, not only in the matter but manner
of our actions, even in the circumstances as well as in the
substance of them.
But this I dare say we all both know and believe, even
that it is our duty to follow Christ; and therefore it is a
sad, a dismal thing to consider, that among them that know
it there are so few that do it; but even those that go under
the name of Christians themselves, do more generally follow
the beasts of the field, or the very fiends of Hell, rather than
Christ our Saviour. For all covetous worldlings that look
no higher than earth, and all luxurious epicures that labour
after no other but sensual pleasures, wdiom do they imitate
but the beasts that perish ? And as for the proud and arro-
gant, the deceitful and malicious seducers of their brethren
and oppressors of their neighbours, all backbiters and false
accusers, all deriders of religion and apostates from it, they
are all of their father the Devil, and his works they do.
And if all such persons should be taken from amongst us,
how few would be left behind that follow Christ ! Very few
indeed ! but I hope there would be some. And oh that
all who read this would be in the number of them, even that
they would all from this day forward resolve to come as
near our blessed Saviour in all their actions both to God
and man as possibly they can; which if we once did, what
upon our Call and Election.
431
holy, wliat happy lives should we then lead ! How should
we antedate both the work and joys of Heaven ! And how
certain should we be to be there ere long, where Christ, that
is the Pattern of our lives here, will be the Portion of our
souls for ever !
Thus I have shewn what Christ requires of those who
would be His disciples, enjoining them to deny themselves,
take up their cross, and follow Him. And now I have done
my duty in explaining these words, it is all my readers' as
well as mine to practise them, which I heartily wish we
would all resolve to do ; and I must say it highly concerns
us all to do so, for we can never be saved but by Christ, nor
by Him, unless we be His disciples ; neither can we be His
disciples, unless we do what is here required of us. And
therefore, if we care not whether we be saved or no, we may
think no more of these things, nor trouble our heads about
them ; but if we really desire to come to Heaven, let lis
remember, He Who alone can bring us thither hath told us,
that we must " deny ourselves, and take up our cross, and [Matt. i6.
follow Him."
Vin. THOUGHTS UPON OUR CALL AND
ELECTION.
" Many are called," saith our Saviour, " but few chosen." Matt.22.14.
O dreadful sentence, who is able to hear it without trem-
bling and astonishment ! If He had said, that of all the
men that are born into the world there are but few saved,
this would not have struck such a fear and horror into us ;
for we might still hope, that though Turks, Jews, and Hea-
thens, which are far the greatest part of the world, should
all perish, yet we few, in comparison of them, who are bap-
tized into His Name, who profess His Gospel, who enjoy His
Ordinances, who are admitted to His Sacraments, that all we
who are called to Him might be chosen and saved by Him :
but that of those very persons who are called, there are but
few chosen — what a sharp and terrible sentence is this !
Who can bear it ? Especially considering by Whom it was
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Private Thotights
pronounced, even by Christ Himself. If a mere man had
spoken it, we might hope it was but a human error; if an
Angel had uttered it, we might think it possible he might be
mistaken ; but that Christ Himself, the eternal Son of God,
AVho is truth and infallibility itself, that He should assert it,
that He Who laid down His life to redeem ours, that He
Who came into the world on purpose to call and save us,
that He in Whom alone it is possible for us to be chosen to
Salvation, that He should say, " Many are called, but few
chosen;" this is a hard saying indeed, which may justly
make our ears to tingle, and our hearts to tremble, at the j
hearing of it. And yet we see our Saviour here expressly
saith it, and not only here neither, but again, Matt. xx. 16.
Whence we may gather, that it is a thing He would have us
often think of, and a matter of more than ordinary import-
ance, in that He did not think it enough to tell us of it once,
but He repeated it in the same words again, that we might
be sure to remember it, and take especial notice of it, that
" many are called, but few chosen."
In which words, that we may understand our Saviour's
meaning aright, we must first consider the occasion of them
in this place, whieli in brief was this. Our Saviour, accord-
ing to the custom that obtained in those days amongst the
wise men of the East, delighting to use parables, thereby to
represent His Heavenly doctrine more clearly to the under-
Matt. 20. 2, standing of His hearers, in this cha^^ter compares the " king-
dom of God to a certain king that made a marriage for his
son, and sent his servants to call them that were bidden to
the wedding." Where, by the king, He means the eternal
God, the universal Monarch of the world, Who intending to
make a marriage betwixt His Son and the Church, styled
the spouse of Christ, He first sent to His guests before
bidden, even the Jews, the seed of Abraham His friend, and
at that time His peculiar people. But they not hearkening
ver. 4. to the first invitation, He sends to them again. Yet they
still made light of it, having, it seems, as we most have,
other business to mind, and therefore went their way, some
ver. 5. to iheir farms, others to their merchandise. By which our
Saviour intimates, that one great reason why men accept
not of the overtures of grace made unto them in the Gospel,
upon our Call and Election.
433
is, because their minds are take 11 up with the cares of this
world, looking upon their farms, their trades, and merchan-
dise, as things of greater moment than Heaven and eternal
glory. Yea, some of them took the servants which were
sent to invite them, " and treated them spitefully, and slew Matt. 20. 6.
them." Why, what is the matter? What injury have the
servants, the Prophets, the Apostles, or the ministers of
Christ, done them ? What ! do they come to oppress them,
to take their estates from them ? to disgrace or bring them
into bondage ? No, they only come to invite them to a
marriage-feast, to tender them the highest comforts and
refreshments imaginable both for their souls and bodies.
And is this all the recompense they give them for their
kindness, — not only to refuse it, but to abuse them that
bring it ? Well might this glorious king be angry and
incensed at such an affront offered him as this was, and
therefore " he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those ver. 7.
murderers, and burnt up their city," as we all know He did
to the murdering Jews, who soon after this were destroyed,
and their royal city Jerusalem burnt. But now the feast is
prepared, shall there be none to eat it ? Yes, for seeing they
who weie first bidden were not worthy to partake of his
dainties, he orders his servants to go into the highways, ver. 6, 9.
and bid as many as they could find to the marriage. The
Jews having refused the Gospel, God sends to invite the
Gentiles to it, who hitherto had been reckoned aliens to the
commonwealth of Israel, " strangers to the covenant of pro- Eph. 2. 12.
mise, having no hope, and without God in the world." But
now they also are bidden to the wedding, they are called to
Christ, and invited to partake of all the privileges of the
Gospel. For the servants, having received the command, Matt.2o.io.
" went out into the highway," even into all the by-places
and corners of the world ; " and gathered together all, as
many as they found, both bad and good ; and the wedding-
was furnished with guests." But amongst these, too, when ver. u.
the king came to see his guests, he saw one that had not on
a wedding-garment. Under which one are represented all
of the same kind who have not on their wedding-garment,
that is, who walk not worthy of the vocation wherewith they
are called, not being clothed with humility, faith, and other
F F
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Private Thoughts
graces suitable to a Christian. All which, notwithstanding
Matt.22.12, *hey were invited, yea, and come in too upon their invitation
yet they are cast out again into outer darkness. And then
He adds, " for many are called, but few chosen ;" as if He
should have said, ' The Jews were called, but would not come ;
the Gentiles are called, they come, but some of them are cast
out again ; so that of the many which are called, there are
but few chosen.' " For many are called, but few chosen."
Which short but pithy saying of our blessed Saviour, that we
may rightly understand, we shall first consider the former part
of it, " Many are called," and then the latter, "but few chosen.'
I. That we may apprehend the full meaning of the first
part of this proposition, " Many are called," there are three
things to be considered :
1. What is here meant by being called.
2. How men are called.
3. How it appears that " many are called."
1. As for the first, what we are here to understand by
being called: — We must know that this is meant only of
God's voice to mankind, making known His will and plea-
sure to them, calling upon them to act accordingly, and so
inviting them to His service here, and to the enjoyment of
His presence hereafter.
But to explain the nature of it more particularly, we must
consider the " terminus a quo," and the " terminus ad quod,"
" what it is God calls us from, and what it is He calls us to,"
both which we shall speak to, jointly or together.
(1.) He calls us from darkness to light, from error and
ignorance to truth and knowledge. As He made us rational
and knowing creatures at first, so He would have us to be
again, so as to understand and know Him that made us, and
that gave us the power of understanding and knowing ; and
not employ the little knowledge we have, only about the
affairs of our bodies, our trades, and callings in this world,
nor yet in learning arts and sciences only, but principally
about the concerns of our immortal souls, that we may know
Him that is the true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He hath
sent; without which, all our other knowledge will avail us
nothing. We are still in the dark, and know not whither we
are going ; out of which dark, and by consequence uncoin-
upon our Call and Election.
435
fortable as well as dangerous estate, God of His infinite
mercy is pleased to call us, that we " should shew forth the i Pet. 2. 9.
praises of Him Who hath called us out of darkness into His
marvellous light."
(2.) God calls us from superstition and idolatry, to serve
and worship Him. For we are called to turn " from idols to iThess.1.9.
serve the living and true God." Thus He called Abraham
out of Chaldea, and his posterity, the Israelites, out of
Egypt, places of idolatry, that they might serve and worship
Him, and Him alone. Thus He called our ancestors of this
nation out of their heathenish superstitions to the knowledge
and worship of Himself and of Hi:^ Son Jesus Christ our
Lord. And thus He called upon us to " flee from idolatry ;" 1 Cor. 10.14.
not only from heathenish or popish, but from all idolatry
w hatsoever, and by consequence from covetousness, which
God Himself tells us in plain terms is idolatry. And so Col. 3. 5.
indeed is our allowing ourselves in any known sin what-
soever ; for we idolize it by setting it up in our hearts and
affections, instead of God ; yea, and bow down to it, and
serve it, though not in our bodies, yet in our souls, which is
the highest kind of idolatry which God calls us from.
(3.) Hence He also calls us from all manner of sin and pro-
fanene?s to holiness and piety, both in our affections and
actions. For, as the Apostle saith, "God hath not called us iniess.4.7.
to uncleanness, but to holiness." Where, by " uncleanness,"
He means all manner of lusts and corruptions which defile
the soul, and make it nnclean and impure in the sight of
God. These God doth not call us to, but from : it is holi-
ness and universal righteousness that He calls us to, and
commands us to follow. This is the great thing that Christ
in His Gospel calls for : " For the grace of God," which is Titus 2. u ,
in His Gospel, " hath" now " appeared to all men, teaching
us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."
" He" now " coramandeth all men everywhere to repent," Acts 17. 30.
and to turn to God. Hence He is said to have " called us 2 Tim. 1. 9.
with a holy calling." And " as He Who hath called us is ipet. 1.15.
holy," so ought we to be " holy in all manner of conversa-
tion." Thus, therefore, we all are called to be a holy people,
a people zealous of good works, a people wholly devoted to
436
Private Thoughts
the service of the living God. In brief, we are called to be
saints, a people consecrated unto God ; and therefore, as
every vessel in the Temple vras holy, so we, being called to
be the temples of the Holy Ghost, everything in us should
be holy : our thoughts should be holy, our affections holy,
our words holy, our desires holy, every faculty of our souls,
every member of our bodies, and every action of our lives,
should be holy ; every thing within us, every thing about
us, every thing that comes from us, should be holy, and all
Eph. 4. 1. because our calling is holy ; and we ought to " walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith we are called."
(4.) God calls us from carnal and temporal things to mind
Heaven and eternal glory. He sees and observes how eager
Ave are in prosecuting of this world's vanities, and therefore
calls upon us to leave doting upon such transitory and un-
satisfying trifles, and to mind the things that belong to our
everlasting peace ; not to be conformed to this world, bat
Rom. 12. 2. transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we " may
prove what is that good, that acceptable, and perfect will of
Col. 3. 2. God." To set our " affections upon things above, and not
Matt. 6.33. upon things that are upon the earth." To " seek the King-
dom of God and His righteousness" in the first place.
Heb. 3. 1 ; Hence it is styled " a Heavenly calling," and " a high call-
Phii. 3. 14. j„g. " because we are called by it to look after high and
Heavenly things. He that made us hath so much kindness
for us, that it pities Him to see us moil and toil, and spend
our strength and labour, about such low and pitiful, such
impertinent and unnecessary things, which Himself knows
can never satisfy us ; and therefore He calls and invites us
to Himself, and to the enjoyment of His Own perfections,
which are able to fill and satiate our immortal souls.
(5.) Hence, lastly, we are called from misery and danger
to the state of happiness and felicity. As He called Lot out
Gen. 19. of Sodom, when fire and brimstone were ready to fall upon
^•^ it, so He calls us from the world and sin, because other-
wise wrath and fury will fall upon our heads. Or, as He
[ch. 7. ].] called Noah into the ark, to preserve Him from the over-
flowing flood, so He calleth us into His service, and to the
faith of His Son, that so we may escape that flood of misery
which will suddenly drown the impenitent and unbelieving
vpon our Call and Election.
437
world. And therefore we must not think that He calls and
invites us to Him because He stands in need of us, or wants
our service ; no, it is not because He cannot be happy with-
out us, but because we cannot be happy without Him, nor
in Him neither unless we come unto Him. This is the only
reason why He calls us so earnestly to Him : " For as I Ezek.ss.n.
live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live :
turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"
Let us not stand, therefore, pausing upon it, and considering
whether we shall hearken to God's call or no, nor say seve-
rally within ourselves, ' How shall I part with my profits ?
How shall I deny myself the enjoyment of my sensual plea-
sures? How shall I forsake my darling and beloved sins?"
But rather say, ' How shall I abide the judgment of the
great God ? How shall I escape, if I neglect so great [Heb.2. 3.]
Salvation as I am now called and invited to?' For we may
assure ourselves this is the great and only end why God calls
so pathetically upon us to come unto Him, that so we may
be delivered from His wrath, and enjoy His love and favour
for ever.
Thus we see what it is that God calls mankind both from
and to ; He calls them from darkness to light, from idolatry
to true religion, from sin to holiness, from earth to Heaven,
and from the deepest misery to the highest happiness that
they are capable of.
2. The next thing to be considered is, how God is pleased
to call us ; for which we must know, that,
(L) He vouchsafed to call some with His Own mouth,
as I may so speak, even by immediate revelations from
Himself Thus He called Abraham and Moses, and several
of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. And thus He called
Paul, Christ Himself calling from Heaven to Him, "Saul, Acts 9. 4.
Saul, why persecutest thou Me ?" And it is observable that
whosoever were thus called, they always obeyed. But this
is not the calling here spoken of.
(2.) God calls all mankind by His works and providences.
All the creatures in the world are so many tongues declaring
the wisdom, power, goodness, and glory of God unto us,
and so call upon us to praise, honour, and obey Him. And
438 Pru-ate Thoughts
all His providences have their several and distinct voices :
His mercies bespeak our affections, and His judgments our
Micah6.9. fear. "Hear ye," saith He, " the rod, and who hath ap-
pointed it." The rod, it seems, hath a voice which we are
bound to hear. But though many, yea, all the world, be
called this way, yet neither is this the calling our Saviour
means, when He saith, " Many are called, but few chosen."
(3.) Lastly, Therefore God hath called many by the
ministry of His Word, and of His servants the Prophets,
the Apostles and their successors declaring it and explaining
it to them. Thus God spake to our fathers by the Prophets,
rising up early, and sending them to call sinners to re-
pentance, by shewing ihem their sins, and the dangerous
consequents of them. As when He sent His Prophet Isaiah,
isa. 58. 1. He bids him, " Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice as a
trumpet, and shew My people their transgressions, and the
house of Jacob their sins." And they being convinced of,
and humbled for their sins, then He sent His Prophets to
invite them to acce23t of grace and pardon from Him, saying,
cli.55. 1-3. in the language of the same Prophet, " Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters ; and he that hath no money,
come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price." And God having thus
Heb. 1.1,2. " at sundry times, and in divers manners, spoken in time
past unto the fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last
days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed
Heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds."
Matt. 9. 13. Who therefore said with His Own mouth, that " He came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Hence
as soon as ever He entered upon His ministry. He called
Mark 1. 15. to mankind, saying, " Repent, and believe the Gospel."
Matt.11.28. And, " Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy-
laden." And when He was to depart hence. He left orders
with His Apostles to go and call all nations, and teach theni
what He had commanded, promising that Himself would
ch.28.is,2o. be with them " to the end of the world." By virtue, there"
fore, of this commission, not only the Apostles themselves,
but all succeeding ministers in all ages, to the end of the
world, are sent to call mankind to embrace the Gospel, and
to accept of the terms propounded in it. So that when we
upon our Call and Election.
439
His ministers preach unto them, or call upon them to repent
and turn to God, they must not think we come in our own
name; for, as the Apostle tells the Corinthians, " We are 2 Cor. 5.
ambassadors for Christ ; as though God did beseech you by
us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
Hence in Scripture we are called also xjjouxs?, ' heralds,' and
our office is y.^Leenv, ' to proclaim as heralds,' the will and
pleasure of Almighty God unto mankind, to offer peace and
pardon to all that have rebelled against our Lord and Master
the King of Heaven, if they will now come in, and submit
themselves unto Him : if not, in a most solemn and dreadful
manner, to denounce His wrath and heavy displeasure
against them. So that as the Angel was sent to call Lot
out of Sodom, when the Lord was going to rain fire and
brimstone from Heaven upon it ; so, God being ready every
moment, to shower down His fury and vengeance upon the
impenitent and unbelieving world. He sends us to call men
out of it, " to open their eyes, and to turn them from dark- Acts2P.
ness to light, from the power of Satan unto God," and to
invite them to His court, to live with Him, and be happy
for ever.
And that this is the proper meaning of our blessed Saviour
in this place, where He saith, " many are called," is plain
from the parable whereon these words are grounded ; where
the king is said to have sent his servants to call the guests
which were bidden to the marriage-feast, and put words into
their mouths, telling them what to say (verse 4), as He hath
given us also instructions how to call and invite mankind in
His Holy Word. And when, of the many which were
called, there would but few come, hence our Saviour uttered
this expression, that " many are called, but few chosen."
From whence it is clear and obvious, that our Saviour means
not such as were called immediately from God Himself,
for they were but few ; nor yet such as are called by the
works of creation and providence, for so not many only, but
all are called ; but He means such as are called by His
Word, and by His servants and ministers reading, preaching,
and explaining of it.
3. And verily that many have been, and still are called
in this sense, which is the next thing I promised to shew,
440
Privnte Thoughts
I need not stand long to prove. For our Saviour, having
commanded His Apostles to go and call all nations to His
faith, which is the proper meaning of that place, Matt,
xxviii. 19, it cannot be denied but that the Apostles pre-
sently dispersed themselves, and preached the Gospel to all
nations; which they did so effectually, that in few years
Rom. 16.26. after, even in St. Paul's time, " The mystery of the Gospel
was made known to all nations for the obedience of faith."
Rev. 7. 9. And in St. John's time, " some were redeemed out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Yea, so
mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed, that the
ancients compared it to lightning, that immediately dis-
persed itself, and was seen all the world over. So that in
[tnst. less than two hundred years, " Ab ortu solis ad occasum lex
cap. 13.] Christiana suscepta est :" ' the Christian religion was received
all the world over, from east to west,' as Lactantius, who
then lived, asserts. From which time, therefore, how many
thousands of millions of souls have been called to the faith
of Christ by the preaching of His Gospel ! And not to
speak of other nations, how soon did the Sun of Righteous-
ness rise upon these western parts of the world, and par-
ticularly upon this nation wherein we dwell ! several of
Christ's Own Disciples and Apostles, as Simon Zelotes,
James the son of Zebedee, Joseph of Arimathea, Aristobulus,
and St. Paul himself, being all recorded by ecclesiastical
writers to have preached the Gospel to this nation. Be
sure in less than two hundred years the Christian faith
was here received : Tertullian himself saying expressly,
[Adv. Jud. " Britannorum inaccessa Romanis loca Christo subdita : "
i!'p.212°d! ' The Romans could scarcely come at Britain, but Christ hath
Ed.Rigait.] conquered it.' And soon after him, Arnobius saith that
[In Psa. the Gospel, " Nec ipsos Indos latuit a parte Orientis, nec ipsos
Britannos a parte Occidentis : " ' was not concealed either
from the Indians in the Eastern part of the world, nor from
the Britons themselves in the West.' And since the Gospel
was first here planted, how many have been called by it to
the faith of Christ ! Yea, through the mercy of the Most
High God, how many at this moment are called all the
nation over ! And to come still closer to ourselves, all that
read this have, I doubt not, been often called heretofore, and
upon our Call and Election.
441
now are called again. For in the Name of the Most High
God, and of His Son Christ, I pray and " beseech you" all i Pet. 2.11.
" as strangers and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts,
which war against the soul," to repent of your sins, and
believe the Gospel. I call and invite you also to accept the
offers of grace and pardon which are made you in Jesus
Christ, to sit down with Him at His Own table, and feed by
faith upon His Body and Blood, that so you may partake of
the merits of His death and passion, and so live with Him
for evermore. Thus you are all called, but I fear there are
but few chosen .
II. Having thus explained and proved the first part of
this proposition, that " mauy are called," we must now con-
sider the meaning, truth, and reasons of the other part of it,
" but few are chosen." TLoXXol yu^ ilci xXriTot, oXh/oi d'l exXr/.To!,
" For many are called, but few chosen ; " that is, there are
but few which are so approved of by God, as to be elected
and chosen from the other part of the world to inherit eternal
life. That this is the main drift and scope of our blessed
Saviour in these words, is plain from the foregoing parable,
which gave Him occasion to pronounce them : for there all
that were first called refused to come to the marriage-feast
which they were invited to, and of them which came, some
had not on their wedding-garment ; that is, although they
came into the outward jjrofession of the Gospel, yet [they]
did not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were
called, and therefore they likewise were excluded ; upon
which our Saviour adds these words, " For many are called,
but few chosen." From whence it is easy to observe his
meaning in general to be only this, that although many
were called to partake of the privileges and graces of His
Gospel, yet seeing of those who were called many would not
come at all, and of those w ho come many do not come so as
the Gospel requires of them, with their wedding-garment on ;
hence, of the many who are called, there are but few chosen
to partake of the marriage-feast, that is, of the glorious pro-
mises made in the Gospel to those that come aright unto it.
Few, not absolutely in themselves considered, but few com-
paratively in respect of the many which are not chosen ; or
442
Private Thovfjhls
rather few in comparison of the many which are called.
For if we consider them absolutely in themselves, they are
Matt. 8. 11. certainly very many: our Saviour Himself saith, " Many
shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven."
And in the Revelation you read of many thousands that
Rev. 7. r. were sealed of every tribe. Yea, there was " a great multi-
tude, which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white, and palms in their
hands." Insomuch, that for all the numberless number
DeCiv.Dei, of fallen or apostatized angels, St. Austin was of opinion,
1. xxu. c. 1, ^1^^^ there will be as many men saved, as there are angels
damned, or rather more. For, saith he, upon the fall of the
angels and men. He determined to gather together, by His
infinite grace, so many out of the mortal progeny, " ut inde
suppleat et instauret partem quae lapsa est angelorura,"
' that He might from thence make up and restore that part of
the angels which was fallen ;' " ac sic ilia dilecta et superna
civitas non fraudetur suorum numero civium, quinetiam
fortassis et uberiore laetetur," ' and so that beloved city
which is above may not be deprived of the number of its
citizens, but perhaps rejoice in having more.' Which
notion he grounds upon those words of our Saviour in this
Matt. 22. chapter, " For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are
given in marriage, but are ledyyiXoi, as the angels of God
in Heaven," or as the words may be interpreted, they are
equal to the angels, and equal in number to the fallen, as
well as in quality to the elect angels, as that learned and
pious father expounds it. But howsoever that be, this is
certain, that the number of men chosen and saved will be
very great, considered absolutely in themselves ; and yet
notwithstanding, if they be compared with the many more
which are called, they are but very few. Christ's flock is, as
L>ike 12.32. Himself styles it, /a/x^ov toV""', ' a very little, little flock;'
that is, in comparison of the vast multitudes of souls
that flock after the world and sin. As in a garden there
are but few choice flowers in comparison of the weeds that
grow in it ; there are but very few diamonds and precious
vpnn our Call and Election.
443
stones in comparison of pebbles and gravel upon the sea-
shore; in the richest mines there is far more dross than
gold and silver;— so is it in the Church of Christ: there
is but little wheat in comparison of the tares that come up
with it ; Christ hath a great many hangers-on, but few
faithful and obedient servants ; there are many that speak
Him very fair, and make a plausible profession of the faith
and religion which He taught, but where shall we find one
that practiseth it ? If there be here one, and there another,
two or three in a parish, or perhaps in a whole city, what is
this to the innumerable company of such as are called by
Him, and baptized into His Name, and yet leave Him to
follow after the world and vanity ? Oh, what just ground
had our Saviour to say, " Many are called, but few chosen !"
But to demonstrate the truth of this proposition still more
fully, and as clearly as possibly I can, I must first lay down
one principle as a postulatiira, which I suppose all will
acknowledge to be true; and that is this, — that whatsoever
profession a man makes of the Christian religion, it will
avail him nothing without the practice of it ; or if you will
take it in our Saviour's Own words, " Not every one," saith Matt. 7.
He, " that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven ; but he that doeth the will of My
Father \Yhich is in Heaven ;" or, as the Apostle expresseth Rom. 2.13.
it, " For not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but
the doers of the Law shall be justified;" that is, it is not
our hearing and knowing our duty that will stand us in any
stead before God, but our doing of it : it is not our believing
that we may be saved by believing in Christ, whereby we
can be saved, without actual believing in Him, — without
such a faith whereby we depend upon Him for the pardon
and salvation of our immortal souls, and consequently for
the assistance of His grace and Spirit, whereby we may be
enabled to obey His Gospel, and to perform all such things
as Himself hath told us are necessary in order to our everlast-
ing happiness : and whatsoever faith we pretend to, unless it
comes to this, that it puts us upon universal obedience to all
the commands of God, we may conclude it will do us no
good ; for it is not such a faith as Christ requires, w-hich
always works by love, conquers the world, subdues sin,
444
Private Thoughts
purifies the heart, and sanctifies the whole soul, wheresoever
it comes. It is such a faith as this which is the wedding-
garment, without which no man is chosen or admitted to
partake of those celestial banquets which Christ our Saviour
hath provided for us. And, therefore, no man can have any
ground at all to believe or hope himself to be elected or
chosen to eternal Salvation, that is not holy in all manner of
conversation ; God Himself having told us expressly, that
Heb. 12. 14. " without holiuess no man shall see the Lord." So that,
having God's Own word for it, we may positively and con-
fidently assert, that no man in the world can, upon just
grounds, be reputed as chosen by God, that doth not in all
things, to the utmost of his power, conform himself, and ad-
just his actions, to the laws and commands of God. So that
how many soever are called, how many soever come into the
outward profession of the Christian religion, yet none of
them can be said to be chosen, but such as are real and true
saints. And how few those are, is a matter which we have
more cause to bewail than to prove ! Howsoever, that we
may see that we have but too much reason to believe this
assertion of our blessed Saviour, that " many are called, but
few chosen," I desire we may but consider the state of
Christendom in general, and weigh the lives and actions of
all such as profess to believe in Christ, view them well, and
examine them by the Gospel rules, and then we shall soon
conclude that there are but few chosen ; or, to bring it home
more closely to ourselves, who are all called, take out.
from amongst us all such persons as come not up to the
terms of the Gospel, and we shall find that there are but
few behind, but few indeed, who can be discerned and judged,
by the light either of reason or Scripture, to be chosen by
God to eternal life. For, take out from amongst us,
1. All atheistical persons, who, though they are baptized
into the Name of Christ, and so are called to the faith of
Christ, yet neither believe in Christ nor God ; such fools as
Ps. 14. 1. say in their heart, " There is no God." For all will grant
that they are not chosen by God, who do not so much as
believe that there is any God to choose them. Neither can
it be imagined that the All-wise God should choose such
fools as these to be vvith Him, who will not so much as
upon our Call and Election.
445
acknowledge Him to be. And yet how many such fools
have we amongst us, whose practices have so depraved their
principles, that they will not believe there is any God, be-
cause they wish there was none ! And when these are taken
from amongst the called, I fear the number of the chosen
amongst them will be much lessened.
2. Take out from amongst us all ignorant persons, that
understand not the common principles of religion, or the
fundamental articles of that faith which they are called to :
for that these are not chosen, is plain, in that though they
be called by Christ, yet they know not what He would have
them do, nor yet Who it is that calls them. And therefore,
as God would have all men to be saved, so for that end He
■would have them " come to the knowledge of the truth." i Tim. 2
That is. He would have them know all such truths as Him-
self hath revealed to them in His Gospel, as necessary to be
known in order to their eternal salvation, without which
knowledge it is impossible for a man to perform what is
required of him ; for though a man may know his duty and
not do it, no man can do his duty unless he first know it.
And therefore gross ignorance and saving faith cannot pos-
sibly consist or stand together : for saving faith is always
joined with, or puts a man upon sincere obedience to, all the
commands of God : but how can any man obey the com-
mands of God, who neither knows that God Whose com-
mands they are, nor yet what these commands are which
God would have him to obey ? No, certainly, a blind man
may as well follow his temporal calling, how intricate soever
it be, as he that is grossly ignorant the high calling of a
Christian ; for he is altogether incapable of it, and so not
only unworthy, but unfit to be chosen to it. Hence God
Himself hath told us, that He is so far from choosing such
as live and die in this manner without understanding, that
He will never shew them any mercy or favour. " For it is Isa. 27.
a people," saith He, " of no understanding ; therefore He
that made them will not have mercy on them, and He that
formed them will shew them no favour." Neither doth He
ever blame mankind for anything in the world more than
for not knowing, and therefore not considering Him that ch. 1. 2,
made and feeds them. And that we may be still further
446
Private Thoughts
assured that He choosetli no such persons to dwell with
Him as do not know Him and His commands, He hath
given it us under His hand, that He rejects them, saying,
Hos. 4. 6. " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge : because
thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that
thou shalt be no priest to me : seeing thou hast forgotten
the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
That, therefore, no persons that are grossly ignorant,
and live and die in that condition, are chosen to eternal
Salvation, I suppose, the premises considered, all will ac-
knowledge. But, alas! how many sucli persons are there
in the world! how many amongst ourselves! How many
who are very cunning and expert in the management of any
worldly business, but are mere novices, or rather idiots, in
Jer. 4. 22. matters of true religion ! or, as the Prophet words it, " who
are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."
How many such ignorant and sottish people are there in
every corner of the land, and in this city itself! where they
do or may hear the word of God read and expounded to
them every day ; and yet ask them seriously of the grounds
of the Christian religion, and the reason of the hope that is
in them, and they are no more able to give a satisfactory or
rational answer, than if they had never heard of any such
book as the Bible in the world, or had been born and bred
in the remotest corners of America, where the sound of the
Gospel never yet came. But all such, how many soever
they be, though they be called, they must stand aloof oft";
for so long as they are such, we may be confident they are
not chosen. Insomuch, that should we take away no other
from the number of the called but only such as know not
what they are called to, it would appear but too clearly to
be true, that of the many which are called there are bat few
chosen.
3. Take out from amongst us all vicious, profane, de-
bauched, and impenitent persons ; all that make a mock of
sin, and that jeer at holiness, that live as without God in the
world, as if they had neither God to serve, nor souls to save ;
— as if rhere was neither a Hell to avoid nor a Heaven to
enjoy, and therefore make it their business to gratify their
Hesh, and to indulge their appetite with carnal and sensual
upon our Cull and Election.
447
pleasures, looking no higher than to be fellow-sharers with
the brutes that perish ; such as in their bewitching cups stick
not to fly in the face of Heaven itself, and dare challenge
God Himself to damn them ; and make lying their usual
dialect, and swearing their pleasing rhetoric ; and are so far
from being troubled for these their sins, that they take plea-
sure and delight in them ; so far from being ashamed of
them, that they make them their pride and glory, and so
make it their pleasure to displease God, and their highest
honour to dishonour Him that is honour and perfection
itself. For that no such persons as those who live and die
in such notorious crimes upon earth are chosen to live with
God in Heaven, none can deny that believes the Scriptures
to be true, which in plain terms assure us of the contrary :
" Know ye not," saith the Apostle, " that the unrighteous i Cor. 6. 9,
shall not inherit the Kingdom of God ? Be not deceived,
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effemi-
nate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the Kingdom of God." And St. John tells us,
that only they who do the Commandments enter into the
city of Heaven : but "without are do":s, and sorcerers, and Rev. 22. 14,
°. 15.
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and who-
soever loveth and maketh a lie." So that all such persons,
without timely repentance, are most certainly excluded from
the number of the chosen. And how many are there
amongst us who allow themselves in some such sin or other ;
or rather, where shall we find a man that doth not ? But
to all persons that continue in such sins, I may say, stand
you by, you have no ground as yet to think that you are
chosen, but have rather all the reason in the world to be-
lieve, that if you go on in such a sinful course, you will
never know what Heaven or happiness is. But when all
such are taken out of the number of the called, what a
piteous scantling will be left behind ! In plain terms, w e
have just cause to fear that ignorant and dissolute persons
make up the greatest part of those who are called Christians.
4. Take out from amongst us all hypocritical and false-
hearted persons, that seem indeed to be honest and good
men, but still retain some secret sin or other, which will as
448
Private Thoughts
certainly keep them out of Heaven as the most notorious or
scandalous crime that is ; such as our Saviour compares to
whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear very beautiful,
Matt.23.27. " but are within full of dead men's bones and of all un-
cleanness." Such whose outward conversation is altogether
unblamable ; so that no man can charge them with theft,
perjury, drunkenness, uncleanness, and the like ; but in the
meanwhile they are malicious, uncharitable, censorious,
proud, self-conceited, disobedient to parents or magistrates,
covetous, ambitious, and the like. And so, though they be
free from those sins which others are guilty of, yet they are
guilty of as bad sins, which the others may be freed from.
To which also may be added all such as make indeed a
greater show of piety, and seem mighty zealous for the little
circumstances of religion, but neglect the weightier matters
of the Law, the love of God, mercy, justice, and the like.
But for all the vain hopes and high conceits such persons
may have of themselves, they are far from being such as the
Gospel requires of them, and by consequence from the num-
ber of the chosen here spoken of. For the Pharisees were
such persons as these, and yet our Saviour Himself tells us,
ch. 5. 20. that " Except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of
the Scribes and Pharisees, we shall in no ways enter into
the Kingdom of God." And when He tells us elsewhere,
Luke 13. 3. that " Except we repent, we must all likewise perish," His
meaning is not that we must repent of some, or many, or most,
but of all our sins ; and so repent of them as to turn from
them ; and so turn from all sin, as for the future to be holy in
all manner of conversation ; otherwise our Saviour Himself
assures us that He will never save us, but we must perish
without remedy.
Let any man consider this, and then tell me what He
thinks of the number of the chosen, whether it be not very
small indeed, in comparison of the many which are called ?
For, not to speak of other parts of Christendom, all the
people of this nation are called to the faith of Christ ; and
how many they are, I cannot say we all know, for it is past
any man's knowledge. But where is the man amongst us
all that doth not harbour some secret lust or other in his
bosom ? — yea, of the many men in this nation, where is he
upon our Call and Election.
449
that can say with David, "I have kept myself from mine [Ps.18 23.]
iniquity?" Or, to use the words of the Prophet, "Run ye [Jer. 5. i.]
to and fro through the streets of the city, and see now and
know, and seek if ye can find a man, if there be any that
executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth, that serveth the
Lord with a perfect heart and a willing iriind." I do not
deny but there are a great many professors of religion
amongst us, who would fain be accounted more strict and
holy than their neighbours, so as to be reckoned the reli-
gious; as the friars and nuns are in the Church of Rome :
but are they therefore to be esteemed the elect and chosen
of God, because they fancy themselves to be so ? Or rather
is not their pride and self-conceitedness an argument that
they are not so ? Blessed be God for it, I have no spleen
nor rancour against any of them, but heartily wish they were
as truly good and holy as they would seem to be. But
what? Is not pride a sin? Is not self-conceitedness a sin?
Is not irreverence in God's worship a sin ? Is not disobe-
dience to magistrates a sin ? Is not uncharitableness or
censoriousness a sin ? Certainly all these will be found to
be sins another day. And, therefore, whatsoever pretences
men may make unto religion, if they allow themselves in
such sins as these, they are as far from being in the number
of the chosen as the most dissolute and scandalous persons
in the world : but when these, too, are removed from the
number of the called, how few of them will appear to be
chosen !
5. Yet once again. Take out all such as believe not in
our Lord Jesus Christ, but, being morally honest and faithful
in performing their duty to God and man, trust more in
their own good works than to His merit and Mediation.
For that all such are to be excluded, is plain from the whole
tenour of the Gospel, which assures us, that there is no
Salvation to be had but only by Jesus Christ ; nor by Hiin
neither, but only by believing in Him. But if Christ
should come this day to judgment, would He find faith upon
earth? Verily, I fear. He would find but very little, if any
at all, amongst us: He might, I believe, find some pretty
strict and circumspect in obeying of His other laws, or at
least in endeavouring to do so. But for man to do all that
G G
450
Private Thoughts
is required of him, and yet to count himself an un])rofitable
servant, — for a man to do all he can, and yet rest upon no-
thing that he hath done, but to depend wholly upon another,
even upon Jesus Christ, for life and happiness, — this is hard
indeed to flesh and blood, and as rare to find as it is to find
a rose among the weeds and thistles of a barren wilderness,
or a diamond amongst the gravel upon the sea-shore : here
and there I believe there may be found one, but so rarely,
that they can scarce be termed any, be sure but very few, in
comparison of the many who are called.
Now, let us put these things together, and we shall easily
grant that this saying of our Saviour was but too true, that
" many are called, but few chosen." And to bring it closer
to ourselves, we are all called to repent and believe the
Gospel : now, take out from amongst us all ignorant per-
sons, that have heard indeed, but understand not what they
hear ; all atheistical persons, that believe not really there is
a God to judge them ; all debauched sinners, that live in
open and notorious crimes ; all pharisaical hypocrites, that
avoid open, but indulge themselves in secret sins, that have
[2Tim.3.5.] "the form but not the power of godliness;" aud all such
[Phil. 3. 6.] who are as St. Paul was before his conversion, "as touching
the righteousness of the Law blameless," but yet believe not
in Jesus Christ. Take out, I say, all such persons as I have
named from amongst us, and what a small number propor-
tionably should we have left behind ! how many would be
excluded the presence of God ! how few would continue in
it! What cause should we then have to say with our
Saviour, that " many are called, but few are chosen !"
Having thus explained the meaning, and confirmed the
truth, of this proposition, that many are called, but few
chosen, we must consider the reasons of it, how it cornes to
pass, that of the many which are called, there are but few
chosen; a thing which I confess we have all just cause to
wonder and admire at. Are not men all rational creatures?
Are they not able to distinguish betwixt good and evil ? Do
not they understand their own interest ? What, then, should
be the reason that so many of them should be called and i
invited to the chiefest good, the highest happiness their
natures are capable of, yet so few of them should mind or
vpon our Call and Election.
451
prosecute it, so as to be chosen or admitted into the partici-
pation of it? What shall we ascribe it to? The will and
pleasure of Almighty God, as if He delighted in the ruin of
His creatures, and therefore, although He calls them. He
would not have them to come unto Him ? No, that cannot
be ; for in His revealed will, which is the only rule that we are
to walk by, He hath told us the contrary in plain terms, and
hath confirmed it, too, with an oath, saying, " As I live, saith Ezek.33.11.
the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but that he should turn from his way and live." And else-
where He assures us, that He would " have all men to be 1 Tim. 2. 4.
saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." And
therefore, if we believe what God saith, nay, if we believe
what He hath sworn, we must needs acknowledge, that it is
His will and pleasure that as many as are called should be
all chosen and saved. And indeed, if He had no mind that
we should come when we are called to Him, why should He
call us all to come ? Why hath He given us His Word,
His Ministers, His Ordinances, and all to invite and
oblige us to repent and turn to Him, if after all He was
resolved not to accept of us, nor would have us come at all ?
Far be it from us that we should have such hard and
unworthy thoughts of the great Creator and Governor of
the world, especially considering that He hath told us
the contrary, as plainly as it was possible for Him to
express His mind to us. I do not deny but that, according
to the Apostle, " Known unto God are all His works from Acts 15. is.
the beginning of the world." And there are several pass-
ages in Scripture which intimate unto us God's eternal
election of all that are truly pious, to live with Him for ever.
But it is not for us to be so bold and impudent as to pry
into the secrets of God, nor so curious as to search into His
eternal and incomprehensible decrees ; but we must still
remember the words of Moses, that "secret things belong Deut. 29.29.
unto the Lord our God ; but those things which are revealed
belong unto us, that we may do all the words of His Law."
Whatsoever is necessary for us to believe or do, in order to
our eternal Salvation, is clearly revealed to us in the Holy
Scriptures ; and therefore what we there read belongs unto
us to know, neither are Ave to look any further than to His
452
Prirate Thoughts
revealed will. But God in the Scriptures doth plainly tell
us, not only in the places before quoted, but elsewhere, tliat
2 Pet. 3. 9. He is " not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance." This is the revealed will of
God, which we are to acquiesce in, and rest fully satisfied
with, so as to act accordingly, without concerning ourselves
about things that are too high for us, and no way belong
unto us. And therefore it is not in His secret but revealed will,
that we are to search for the reasons of this proposition, that
" many are called, but few chosen."
Now, in consulting the Word of God to find out the rea-
sons of this so strange assertion, that many are called, but
few chosen, I know no better or fitter place to search for
them than this parable, which gave our blessed Saviour the
occasion of asserting it ; in which it is very observable that
He meddles not at all with any reasons a priori, deduced
from the eternal decrees of His Father, but He only sug-
gests to us the reasons d posteriori, drawn from the dispo-
sition and carriage of men, why so many of them are called,
and yet so few chosen.
For the opening whereof we must know that the end and
intent of this parable was only to shew the entertainment
which His Gospel had then, and should still meet with in
the world ; many refusing to embrace it at all, and of those
who embrace it, many still walking unworthy of it. So that
the issue and consequence of it will be, that though many be
called to it, there are but few chosen. And He hath so
worded the parable that we need not seek any further for
the reasons of this His conclusion from it, they being almost
clearly couched in the parable itself ; which that we may the
better understand, I shall open and explain them parti-
cularly, so as to make them intelligible, I hope, to the
meanest capacit}'.
1. The first reason, therefore, why so many are called,
but so few chosen, is because they who are called to Christ
will not come unto Him : for this is the first reason which
Matt. 22. 3 our Saviour Himself in the parable assigns for it : " The
king," saith He, " sent his servants to call them that were
bidden to the marriage, and they would not come." " And
they would not come;" so that the great fault is still in the
upon our Call and Election.
453
wills of men, which are generally so depraved and corrupt,
that though they be called never so oft, and cannot but in
reason acknowledge that it is their interest to come, yet they
have so strange an aversion to the holiness and purity of
the Gospel which they are called to, that they will not come
unto it, only because they will not; for here they who are
first bidden give no reason for refusal, only it is said, they
would not come. And good cause why : for, when we have
searched into all the reasons imaginable, why men do not
fully submit themselves to the obedience of the Gospel, they
will all resolve and empty themselves into this, that they
w ill not because they will not. Let ministers say w hat they
can, let the Scriptures say what they will, let God Himself
say what He pleases, yet sinners men are, and sinners they
■will be, in spite of them all ; as the Prophet, rebuking the
people for their sins, said, " But thou saidst, There is no Jer. 2. 25.
hope : no ; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I
go." And so it is to this day ; we tell them of their sins,
and the dangerous consequences of them ; we tell them that
they must not love the world, but seek the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness in the first place ; we tell them from
Christ's Own mouth, that except they repent and forsake
their sins, they must perish ; but they say in effect, that we
had as good hold our tongues ; for they have loved the
world, and after it they will go ; they have found pleasure
in the commission of their sins, and therefore they will
commit them. Christ calls them to come unto Him, and
they know no reason why they should not, but howsoever
they will not come. If we were but once willing, the work
was done ; for what our wills are really inclined to, w e
cannot but use the utmost of our endeavour to attain. But
the mischief is, men read the Gospel, they hear Christ call-
ing upon them to believe and obey it, but their wills are still
averse from it ; there is a kind of antipathy and contrariety
within them against such exact and real holiness as the
Gospel requires of them. So that if they perish, they must
blame themselves for it ; it is their own choice : they choose
and prefer their sins, with all the miseries that attend them,
before the Gospel of Christ, with all the glory and happiness
which is offered in it; and therefore, as God said to His
454
Private Thovghts
Ezek.33.ii. people, "Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?" so say I to these men, Repent, and believe the
Gospel ; for why will )'e die, why will ye perish eternally ?
Have you any reason for it? None in the world but your
John 6. 37. own wills. Christ hath told you in plain terms, " Him that
Cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out ;" but if you will not
come unto Him, who can help that? Are not yourselves
only in the fault ? Will not your blood be upon your own
heads ? What could Christ have done more for you than
He hath done? What could He have suffered more for you
than He hath suffered ? How could He call you to Him
more plainly or pathetically than He doth? But if, after all
this, you will not come unto Him, you must even thank
yourselves for all the torments you must ere long suffer and
undergo. And this is, indeed, the case of the greatest part of
mankind, that though they be called and invited to partake
of all the merits of Christ's death and passion, yet they will
not come unto Him. And this is the first and great reason
ch.5. 40. why so many are called, and yet so few chosen.
2. The second reason is, because men do not really
believe that they are invited to such glorious things as
indeed they are, as our Saviour Himself intimates in the
parable. For when they who were bidden would not come
upon the first invitation, as not believing the message which
those servants brought them, the king sent forth other ser-
Matt. 22.4. vants, saying, " Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have
prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fatlings are killed,
and all things are ready : come unto the marriage." When
the first servants were not believed, he sent others with
fuller instructions, giving them orders to acquaint the guests
that all things were now ready, and to assure them that it
was to a marriage-feast they were invited. But it seems,
whatsoever the first or second servants could say, it was to
no purpose ; they would not believe them, and therefore sent
them away as they came : whereby our Saviour exactly dis-
covers to us the entertainment that His Gospel always did,
and still would, meet with in the world. Before His Own
coming into the world. He sent His Prophets to invite man-
kind to accept of the terms propounded in it, and to call
upon them to repent and turn to God, that their sins might
upon our Call and Election.
455
be blotted out, and their souls admitted into the grace and
favour of Almighty God, and so partake of eternal glory,
Avhich the Prophets call men to, under the notion of a feast :
" A feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat isa. 25. 6.
things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined,"
which they called all men to, saying, " Ho, every one that ch. 55. 1.
thirsteth, come ye to the waters." But how their message
was received, the same Prophet declares, saying, "Who hath ch. 53. 1.
believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed ?" and so it is since. For when the Prophets coufd
not be credited, God afterwards sent His Apostles, and still
to this day is sending servant after servant to invite men to
grace and pardon, to Heaven and eternal happiness. But
we His ministers may still say with the Prophet, "Who hath
believed our report ?" W^e tell men that unless they repent
and turn to God, iniquity will be their ruin ; we tell them
also, that if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall
be saved ; and if they be holy here, they shall be happy
hereafter. But what signifies our telling them of these
things, if they believe not what we say? And yet who doth?
Men give us the hearing, censure what they have heard, and
that is all the use they make of it, never really or firmly
believing any one truth that we make known or expound
unto them ; and this being the case not only of some few,
but of the greatest part of mankind, hence it comes to pass,
that so many are called, and so few are chosen ; even
because they who are called do not believe it, and so it is all
one with them whether they be called or not. Be sure God
chooseth none but such as believe the word He sends unto
them ; for, as the Apostle saith, " God hath chosen the poor Jamesa.s.
of this world rich in faith." If they be not rich in faith,
they are not for His purpose ; and seeing there are but few
that are so, hence of the many which are called there are
" but few chosen."
3. Another reason why of the many which are called
there are so few chosen, is because they have no real esteem
or value for the things they are called to ; as it is in the
parable, when the servants were sent to call upon them to
make haste to the feast, because all things were ready, it is
said that they made light of it. They did not think it worth Matt. 22.5.
456
Private Thoughts
their while to go, though it was to a feast, to a marriage-
feast, yea, to the marriage-feast of so great a person as a
king's son — no, not though they were invited by the king
himself unto it. Thus it was in ancient times, and thus it is
still ; the King of Heaven sends to invite men to His court,
to lay aside their filthy garments, and to put on the robes
that He hath prepared for them, that they may be holy as
He is holy, and so live with Him and be happy for ever.
But they make light of such things as these ; they can see
no such beauty in Christ why they should desire Him ; no
such excellency in God Himself why they should be in love
with Him ; and as for Heaven, they never were there yet,
and therefore care not whetlier they ever come there or no ;
though they be called, they matter not whether they be
chosen to it or not ; and hence likewise it is, that of the
many which are called there are so few chosen.
4. Another reason is, because they who are called are
generally addicted to the things of this life ; they have the
serpent's curse upon them, to feed upon the dust of the
earth, and therefore slight all the overtures that are made
them of Heaven and eternal happiness. As our Saviour
Himself intimates in this parable, saying, that when they
Matt. 22. 5. were invited, " they made light of it, and went their way, one
to his farm, another to his merchandise." Tims we read of
the Phaj'isees, that they being covetous, when they heard
Luke 16. 14. the words of Christ they derided Him. And thus it is to
this day ; though men be called to Christ, they are so much
taken up with worldly business, that they can find no time
to come unto Him ; but away they go again, one to his
trade, anotlier to his merchandise. These are the things
that most men's minds are wholly bent upon, and therefore
they will not be persuaded to leave them to go to Christ.
It is true, if He called them to great estates, if He called
them to a good bargain, if He called them to crowns and
sceptres in this world, then they would all strive which
should be chosen first ; but the things that He calls us to are
quite of another nature : He calls us to repent of our sins, to
believe in Him, to contemn the world, to have our conversa-
tions in Heaven. But these are things which men do not
love to hear of, as being contrary to their earthly temper
upon our Call and Election.
457
and inclinations ; and therefore, we who are God's ministers
may call our hearts out before they will set themselves in
good earnest to muid them. Or, to bring it home still closer
to us, how often have we all been invited to that spiritual
feast, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but how few are
there that come unto it, when the whole congregation is
called to partake of it! Scarce one in twenty think it worth
their while to stay to have their share in it. What can be
the reason of this, but that our minds are taken up with
other things, which we fancy to be of far greater concern-
ment to us than all the merits of Christ's death and passion?
And therefore it is no wonder that so many of us are called,
and so few chosen, seeing we ourselves choose the toys and
trifles of this transient world, before all those real joys which
in the Gospel we are called and invited to.
5. In the next place, many of them which are called have so
strange an antipathy to God and goodness, that they do not
only slight their Heavenly, in comparison of their earthly
calling, but they hate and abuse such as are sent to call them,
as our Saviour Himself intimates. Matt. xxii. 6. O barbarous
cruelty ! what hurt, what injury is done unto them? They
are invited to a feast, and for this they are angry, and kill
the messengers which are sent to invite them. Thus it hath
been in all ages. This was the entertainment, this the
requital, that most of the Prophets received for the Divine
message they brought to mankind. Yea, Christ Himself, Matt.23.37.
the Son and Heir of God, was put to death for inviting men
to life and happiness, and so were His Apostles too : and so
it is to this day. There is still a secret malice and hatred in
men's hearts against such as sincerely endeavour to preach
the Gospel clearly and fully to them. We tell them of their
sins, we acquaint them with the danger they are in, we call
upon them to forsake and avoid them, we invite them to
Christ, and so to Heaven and eternal happiness ; and for
this many of them are angry with us, and incensed against
us. They may forgive us this wrong ; I can assure them we
intend them no evil, but all the good we do or can desire to
our own souls ; that whatsoever the success be, it is still our
duty to call upon them, to advise them of their duty, and if
possible to reclaim them from their sins ; and if they be
458
Private Thouyhts
angry with us for that, as many are, they cannot wonder
at our Saviour's saying, that " many are called, but few
chosen."
6. The last reason which our Saviour gives in this parable,
why " many are called, but few chosen," is because of those
who are called, and come too at their call, many come not
aright, which He signifies by the man that came without his
Matt. 22. weddino-.o-arment : where, althouo-h He mentions but one
11-13 DO ' ' e>
man, yet, under that one is comprehended all of the same
kind, even all such persons as have the Gospel preached to
them, and so are called and invited to all the graces and
privileges proposed in it ; all such as profess to believe in
Christ, and to expect happiness and salvation from Him,
yet M ill not come up to the terms which He propounds in
Eph. 4. 1, His Gospel to them, even to " walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith they are called." And, indeed, this is the great
reason of all, why of so many which are called there are so
few chosen, because there are so few which do all things
which the Gospel requires of them. Many, like Herod, will
Mark 6. 20. do many things ; and are almost persuaded to be Christians,
Acts 26. 28. as Agrippa was. How zealous are some for, how violent
are others against, the little ceremonies and circumstances
of religion, and in the meanwhile neglect and let slip the
power and substance of it! How demure are some in their
carriage towards men, but irreverent and slovenly in the
worship of Almighty God ! How devout would others seem
towards God, but are still careless and negligent of their
duty towards men ! Some are all for the duties of the first
table without the second, others for the second without the
first. Some are altogether for obedience and good works,
without faith in Christ: others are as much for faith in
Christ, without obedience and good works. Some would do
all themselves, as if Christ had done nothing for them ;
others fancy that Christ hath so done all things for them,
that there is nothing left for themselves to do ; and so be-
twixt both these sorts of people, which are the far greater
part of those who are called, either the merits, or else the
laws of Christ, are slighted and contemned. But is this the
way to be saved? No, surely: if I know any thing of the
Gospel, it requires both repentance and faith in Christ ; that
wpon our Call and Election.
459
we perform sincere obedience to all His laws, and yet trust
in Him, and Him alone, for pardon, acceptance, and salva-
tion. And whosoever comes short of this, though he be
called, we may be sure he is not chosen ; though he come
to the marriage-feast with those that are invited, yet wanting
this wedding-garment, he will be cast out again with shame
and confusion of face. So that it is not our doing some, or
many, or most of the things which the Gospel requires, that
will do our business, unless we do all to the utmost of our
skill and power. Bat where shall we find the man that
doeth so ? What ground have we but to acknowledge that
our Saviour had too much cause to say, " Many are called,
but few chosen ;" which I fear is but too true ; not only of
others, but ourselves too.
I say not this to discourage any one : no, it is my hearty
desire and prayer to the Eternal God, that every soul of us
might be chosen and saved. But my great fear is, that
many think it so easy a matter to go to Heaven, that if
they do but say their prayers, and hear sermons now and
then, they cannot miss of it, and therefore need not trouble
themselves any further about it. But they must give me leave
to tell them, that this will not serve their turn ; if it would,
most of those which are called would be chosen too. Whereas
our Saviour Himself tells us, in plain terms, the contrary.
And yet this should be so far from discouraging of us, that
it should rather excite us to greater diligence about it than
heretofore we may have used, as our Saviour Himself inti-
mates in His answer to this question. And verily, what Luke 13. 23,
greater encouragement can we have, than to consider, that
though there be but few chosen, yet there are some? For
why may not you and I be in the number of those few as
well as others? Are we not all called to Christ? Are not
we all invited, yea, commanded to believe in His Name, and
obey His Gospel, that so we may partake of everlasting
glory ? Let us then all set about that work in good earnest,
which we are called to. Let us but fear God, and keep His
Commandments, and believe in His Son for His acceptance
of us ; and then we need not fear : for though of the many
others which are called, there are but few chosen, yet we few
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who are all called shall be all chosen ; chosen to live with
God Himself and Jesus Christ, and to sing forth His jjraises
for evermoi'e.
IX. THOUGHTS UPON THE APPEARANCE OF
CHRIST THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, OR
THE BEATIFIC VISION.
So long as we are in the body, we are apt to be governed
wholly by its senses, seldom or never minding any thing but
what comes to us through one or other of them. Though
we are all able to abstract our thoughts when we please from
matter, and fix them upon things that are purely spiritual,
there are but few that ever do it; but few, even among
those also that have such things revealed to them by God
Himself, and so have infinitely more and firmer ground to
believe them than any one or all their senses put together
can afford. Such are the great truths of the Gospel, for
which we have the infallible Word and testimony of the
Supreme Truth ; yet, seeing they are not the objects of sense,
but only of our faith, though we profess to believe them, yet
we take but little notice of them, and are usually no more
affected with them, than as if there were no such things in
being. Hence it hath pleased God, in great compassion
to our infirmity, not only to reveal and make known such
spiritual things to us in plain and easy terms, but likewise
to bring them as near as possible to our senses, by repre-
senting them to us under the names and characters of such
sensible objects as bear the greatest resemblance to them ;
that we who are led so much by our senses, may by them
also be directed how to apprehend those spiritual objects
which He hath told us of, on purpose that we may believe
them upon His word.
Thus He often useth the words, hand, eye, and the like,
to signify His Own Divine perfection to us. And thus it
was that our Saviour preached the Gospel to the peo])le, by
parables and similitudes of things commonly seen and done
}ipon the Beatific Vision.
461
among themselves. The Prophets also frequently took the
same course, as might be shewn by many instances ; but
one of the most remarkable is that in Mai. iv. 2, where the
Prophet, in the Name of God, speaking of Christ's coming
into the world, expresses it by the rising of the sun, saying,
"To you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness
arise, with healing in His wings." For that Jesus Christ is
that Sun of Righteousness here spoken of, is so plain from
the context, and the whole design of the Prophet, that I
need not insist upon the proving of it ; but shall only ob-
serve, that this being the last of all the Prophets in the Old
Testament, he shuts up his own and all the other prophecies
with a clear prediction of Christ, and His forerunner John
the Baptist, whom he calls Elijah, or Elias, and concludes
his prophecy with these words concerning Him, " Behold, I Mai. 4. 5,6.
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful Day of the Lord. And He shall turn
the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth (or
rather the land) with a curse." For that by Elijah is here
meant John the Baptist, we are assured by Christ Himself,
Matt. xi. 14. And it is very observable, that as this Prophet
ends the Old Testament with a prediction of Elias, so St.
Luke begins the New with a relation how John the Baptist
was born, and so came into the world a little before Christ,
as the morning-star that appeared before the rising of the
Sun of Righteousness.
But of the day which shall come at the rising of that
glorious Sun, the Prophet saith, that it " shall burn as an ver. 1.
oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them
up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither
root nor branch." It will be a terrible day to those that
shall obstinately refuse to walk in the light of it ; they shall
be all consumed, as we read the unbelieving Jews were at •
the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened soon after
that Sun was up. But then turning Himself, as it were, to
His Own people. Almighty God here by His Prophet cheers
and comforts them, saying to them, " But unto you that fear
My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing
462
Private Thoughts
in His wings." He shall arise to all, but to the other with
such a scorching heat as shall burn them up, to these with
healing in His wings, or rays, so as not to hurt, but heal
them of all their maladies.
Now, that which I chiefly design, by God's assistance, to
shew from these words, is, what thoughts they suggest to
us concerning our blessed Saviour, by calling Him " the
Sun of Righteousness." But to make the way as plain as I
can,
I. We must first consider to whom He is here said to
" arise with healing in His wings," even to those that fear
the Name of God ; i.e. to those who, firmly believing in
God, and being fully persuaded of His infinite power, justice,
and mercy, and also of the truth of all His threats and
promises, stand continually in awe of Him, not daring to
do any thing willingly that may offend Him, nor leave any
thing undone that He would have them do. Such, and such
only, can be truly said to fear God. And therefore the fear
of God in the Scriptures, especially of the Old Testament,
is all along put for the whole duty of man; there being no
duty that a man owes, either to God or his neighbour, but,
if he really fears God, he will endeavour all he can to do it.
But this necessarily supposes his belief in God and His Holy
Heb. u. 6. Word, or rather proceeds originally from it. " For he that
cometh unto God," so as to fear and obey Him, " must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who
diligently seek Him." So that, as no man can believe in
God but he must needs fear Him, so no man can fear God
unless he first believes in Him. From whence necessarily
follows, that by those who are here said to fear the Name of
God, we can understand no other but only such as are pos-
sessed with a firm belief in Him, and with a full persuasion
of the truth and certainty of those Divine revelations that
He hath made of Himself^ and of His will to mankind, and
• therefore live accordingly.
Of these, and these only, it is here said, that to them
" shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His
wings." Not to any other ; no other being able to see His
light, nor capable of those healing influences that proceed
from Him. For though He be a Sun, He is not such a sun
upon the Beatific Vidon.
463
as we see with our bodily eyes in the firmament, but " the
Sun of Righteousness," shining in the highest Heavens,
beyond the reach of our senses, visible only to the eye of
faith, the evidence of things not seen. Insomuch, that
although He be risen, and darts down His beams to this
lower world continually, yet they who have not faith, can
neither see Him, nor enjoy any more benefit by Him, than
as if He was not risen, or did not shine at all. As if a man
be born stark blind, though the sun shine never so clear
about him, he sees no more than he did before, but lives in
the dark at noon-day as much as at midnight ; neither can
you ever make him understand what light or colours are ;
for having not that sense by which alone such things can
be perceived, he can never understand what you mean by
such things, so as to form any true notion of them in his
mind : so it is in our present case ; though the Sun of
Righteousness be risen, and shines most gloriously in the
world, yet being the object only of our faith, without that a
man can discern nothing of Him. He may, perhaps, talk of
Him, as a blind man may talk of light ; but all the while
he knows not what he means by the words which he iiseth
about Him. For he useth them only as words in course,
taken up from those he talks with, without having any
effect or operation at all upon his mind ; whereas they
who really believe God's Word, and what is there revealed
concerning the Sun of Righteousness, they see His light,
they feel His heat, they experience the power and efficacy
of His influences ; and therefore, although they who have
not faith (as few have) can be no way profited by what they
shall hear or read of Him, yet they who have, and act it upon
what they hear or read out of God's Holy Word concern-
ing Him, they will find their thoughts and apprehensions of
Him cleared up, and their affections inflamed to Him ; so as
to love and honour Him for the future, as the fountain of all
that spiritual life, and light, and joy, they have : for to them
He will " arise with healing in His wings."
He did not only arise once, but He continually ariseth to
those who believe in God, and fear Him. For thus saith the
Lord, " To you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Right-
eousness arise with healing in His wings." It is true. He
464 Private Thowjhts
speaks more especially of His Incarnation, or visible appear-
ance in the world ; but, by this manner of speaking. He
intimates withal that this Sun of Righteousness is always
shining upon His faithful peojile, more or less, in all ages,
from the beginning to the end of this world. For in that it
is said, " He shall arise," it is plainly supposed that He was
the Sun of Righteousness before, and gave light unto the
world, though not so clearly as when He was actually arisen.
As we see and enjoy the light of the sun long before he
riseth, from the first dawning of the day, though it grows
clearer and clearer all along as he comes nearer and nearer
to his rising : so the Sun of Righteousness began to enlighten
the world as soon as it was darkened by sin ; the day then
began to break, and it grew lighter and lighter in every age.
Adam himself saw something of this light; Abraham more:
John 8. 56. " Abraham rejoiced to see My day," saith this glorious Sun ;
" he saw it and was glad." David and the Prophets after
him saw it most clearly, especially this the last of the Pro-
phets; he saw this Sun in a manner rising, so that he could
tell the people that it would suddenly get above their horizon :
Mai. 3. 1. " The Lord Whom ye seek," saith he, " shall suddenly come
to His Temple;" and acquaints them also with the happy
influences it would have upon them, saying, in the Name of
God, " Unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Right-
eousness arise with healing in His wings."
11. " The Sun of Righteousness;" that is, as I observed
before, " Jesus Christ the Righteous," Who is often foretold
and spoke of under the name and notion of the Sun or Star
Num. 24. that giveth light unto the world. " There shall come a
2 Sam. 23. Star out of Jacob," said Balaam. " And He shall be as
the light of the morning when the sun riseth," saith David.
And the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of His coming, saith,
isa. 9. 2. " The people that walked in darkness have seen a Great
Light, and they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of
Matt. 4. 16. death, upon them hath the Light shined." For that this
was spoken of Christ, we have the authority of the Evan-
gelists. To the same purpose is that of the same Prophet,
isa.60. 1,2. " Arise, shine, for thy Light is come, and the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee. For behold the darkness shall
cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the
upon the Beatific Vision. 465
Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen
upon thee. " The sun shall be no more thy light by day, isa. 6o. 13.
neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee ;
but the Lord shall be unto thee an Everlasting Light,
and thy God thy glory." To which we may add the many
places where Christ is called n^^', which we translate " the
Branch ;" as, " I will bring forth My Servant the Branch;" ^ech. 3. 8.
" Behold the Man whose Name is the Branch " I will 6.^12.
raise up to David a righteous Branch;" " and a Branch ch. .53. 15.
of righteousness." In all which places the original word
signifies also " the rising of the sun," and is accordingly
rendered by the LXX. avaroXi), " oriens," not that part of
the heavens where the sun riseth, but the sun itself as rising
there : and so it is translated, also, both in the Syriac and
Arabic versions. And where it is said, " In that day shall 2-
the Branch of the Lord be beautiful," in the LXX. it is
£c/Aa,a-4/E/ 0 Qioi, "God shall shine forth:" in the Syriac,
"The rising of the Lord shall be for glory ;" in Arabic,
" The Lord shall rise as the sun." And that this is the
true sense of the word in all these places, appears from the
prophecy of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist; for,
speaking of Christ's coming, he expresses it, according to
our translation, by saying, " The Day-spring from on high Luke 1. 78.
hath visited us." But in the original it is the same word
that the LXX. use in all the aforesaid places, u'juroy.r,,
" oriens, the rising sun." And it is much to be observed,
that all the said places of the Prophets are interpreted of
the Messiah or Christ, by the Targum or Chaldee para-
phrase made by the ancient Jews themselves ; for na^ ' the
rising sun,' is there translated sn''t!?a ' the Christ,' as if
it was only another name for the Messiah, the Saviour of
the world. From all which it appears, that when the
Prophet here calls our Saviour Christ the Sun of Right-
eousness, he speaks according to the common sense and
practice of the Church at the time.
And verily He may well be called the Sun, both in re-
spect of what He is in Himself, and in respect of what He
is to us. As there is but one sun in the firmament, it is the
chief of all creatures that we see in the world. There is
nothing upon earth but what is vastly inferior ; the very
n H
466 Private Thoughts ^
stars of Heaven seem no way comparable to it. It is the top,
the head, the glory of all visible objects. In like manner,
there is but one Saviour in the world ; He is exalted far
above all things in it, not only above the sun itself, but above
all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
Eph. 1. 21, in that which is to come. " All things are put under His feet,
and He is given to be Head over all things to the Church."
1 Pet. 3. 22. The very angels, authorities, and powers of Heaven, " are all
made subject to Him." And that is the reason that He is
said to be at the right hand of God, because He is preferred
before, and set over tlie whole creation, next to the Almighty
Creator Himself, where He now reigns and doeth what-
soever He pleaseth in Heaven and in earth.
And as the sun is in itself also the most glorious as well
as the most excellent creature we see, of such transcendent
beauty, splendour, and glory, that we cannot look stead-
fastly upon it but our eyes are presently dazzled ; so is Christ
Jlatt. 17. 2. « tiie Sun of Righteousness;" when He was transfigured,
" His face did sliine as the sun." When St. John had a
Rev. 1. 16. glimpse of Him, " he saw His countenance as the sun that
shineth in his strength." When He appeared to St. Paul
Acts 26. 13. going to Damascus at mid- day, " There was alight above
the brightness of the sun shining round about him and them
Heb. 1.3. that journeyed with liim." And it is no wonder, " for He
is the brightness of His Father's glory, and the express
Image of His person;" and therefore must needs shine
more gloriously than it is possible for any mere creature to
do : His very body, by reason of its union to the Divine
Phil. 3. 2:. Person, " is a glorious Body." The most glorious, doubt-
less, of all the bodies in the world, as far exceeding the
sun as that doth a clod of earth ; insomuch, that could we
look upon our Lord as He now shines forth in all His glory
in the highest Heavens, how would our eyes be dazzled !
our whole souls amazed and confounded at His excellent
glory ! The sun would appear to us no otherwise than as
the moon and stars do when the sun is up. And He that
so far excels the sun in that very property wherein the sun
excels all other things, may well be called the " Sun" — th
Sun by way of pre-eminence, the most glorious Sun in th
vpo7i the Beatific Vision. 467
world, in comparison whereof nothing else deserves to be
called by that name. Neither may our blessed Saviour be
justly called by this glorious name only for what He is in
Himself, but likewise from what He doeth for us ; as may
be easily demonstrated from all the benefits that we receive
from the sun. I shall instance in some of the most plain
and obvious.
1 . First, therefore, the sun, we know, is the fountain of all
the light that we have upon earth, without which we could
see nothing, not so much as the way that is before us, but
should be always groping and stumbling in the dark;
whereas by it we can discern every thing that is about us, or
at any distance from us, as far as our sight can reach. In
which respect our blessed Lord is the Sim indeed, " the joi,a s. 12.
Light of the world;"' " the True Light that lighteth every , 9
one that cometh into the world;" " a Light to lighten the Luke 2. 32.
Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel;" "a mar- 1 pet. 2. 9.
vellous Light," whereby we can see things that are not
visible to the eye as plainly as we do those that are. For
this " Day-spring from on high," this Sun of Righteousness, nike 1. ?>?,
" hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the
way of peace ;" to shew us the invisible things of God, and
direct us to all things belonging to our everlasting peace
and happiness. He hath made them all clear and manifest
to us in His Gospel. " But whatsoever maketh manifest is Eph. 5. 13.
light." Wherefore He is said to have " brought life and 2 Tim. 1. 10.
immortality to light through the Gospel." Because He
hath there so clearly revealed them to us, that by the light
of His holy Gospel we may see all things necessary to be
known, believed, or done, in order to eternal life, as plainly
as we can see the most visible objects at noon-day.
2. By this light we can see as much of the glory of God
Himself, as our mortal nature can bear. For " no man hath john 1. is.
seen God at any time ; the only-begotten Son, Which is in
the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." " Neither Matt.u.27.
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to
whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." So that no man ever
had or can have any right knowledge of the true God, but
only by His Sou, our Saviour Christ. But by this means
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Private Thoughts
they that lived before might see Him as by twilight ; we
who live after this Sun is risen, may see Him by the clearest
light that can be given of Him ; for He hath fully revealed
and declared Himself to us in the Gospel.
3. By this glorious Light we can see into the mystery of
the Eternal Trinity in Unity, so as to believe that God the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one, one Jehovah, one
God, That God the Father made all things at first by His
word, and still upholds and orders all things according to
His will : that God the Son was made flesh, became man,
and, as such, died upon the cross, and so offered up Himself
as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world ; that He rose
again, went up to Heaven, and is now^ there at the right hand
of God ; that upon our repentance and faith in Him our sins
are all pardoned, and He that made us is reconciled to us by
the merits of His said death ; that by the power of His inter-
cession, Avhich He now makes in Heaven for us, we are justi-
fied or accounted righteous in Him, before His, and in Him
our Almighty Father ; that God the Holy Ghost abides
continually with His Church, moving upon, actuating, and
influencing the means of grace that are there administered ;
that He sanctifies all that believe in Christ, leads them into
all truth, comforts them in all their troubles, and assists
them in doing whatsoever is required of them. These, and
many such great and necessary truths, as lay in a great
measure hid before, are now, by the light of the Sun of
Righteousness shining in His Gospel, made so plain and
evident, that all may see them, except they wilfully shut
their eyes, or turn their back upon them.
4. And though the sun in the firmament enlightens only
the air, to make it a fit medium through which to see ; this
glorious light that comes from the Sun of Righteousness
Ps. 119. 18. enlightens men's minds too, and opens their eyes " to behold
the wondrous things that are revealed in the Law of God."
And that, too, so effectually in some, that they likewise are
Acts 26. 18. able to enlighten others, " to open their eyes, and turn them
from darkness to light." Insomuch that they also are the
Matt 5. 14. " light of the world ; " not originally in themselves, but by
communication from Him, as the moon is first enlightened
by the sun, and then reflects its light to the earth.
upon the Beatific Vision.
469
5. Moreover, the sun is the first cause, under God, not
only of light, but also of all the life that is in any creature
upon earth, without which nothing could live, no, not so
much as a vegetable, much less an animal life ; for that
which we call life, wherewith such creatures as have organs
fitted for it are actuated and quickened, so as to be said
properly to live, it all depends upon the heat and influence
of the sun. Should the sun once cease to be, or to influence
the world, all living creatures would immediately expire and
die. So is Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, the Fountain
of all spiritual life. " In Thee," saith David, " is the Ps. 36. 9.
fountain of life, in Thy light shall we see light;" where we
see that light and life in this sense also go together; they
both proceed from the same Fountain, " the Sun of Right-
eousness;" "Who therefore saith, " I am the Light of the John 8. 12.
world ; he that foUoweth Me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life," that light which hath life
always proceeding from it, and accompanying it ; so that
He is both Light and Life itself " lam," saith He, " the ch. 14.6.
Way, the Truth, and the Life ; " and our Life, as the Apostle Coi. 3. 4.
calls Him, even the Life of all that believe in Him. " The Gai. 2.20.
life that I now live in the flesh," saith the same Apostle,
" I live by the faith of the Son of God." " And therefore Uohns. 12.
he who believeth, and so hath the Son, he hath life ; and he
that hath not the Son, hath not life."
From all which it appears, that " all men by nature are Eph. 2. 1.
dead in trespasses and sins." But when any arise from the ch. 5. 14.
dead by faith, it is Christ that gives them life, " Who came John 10. 10.
into the world on purpose that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly." " More abun-
dantly," that is, in the highest and most excellent manner
that it is possible for men to live. For this life, which the
Sun of Righteousness raises believers to, is the life of right-
eousness, an holy, an heavenly, a spiritual, divine life ; it is
the life of faith, whereby they live to other purposes, and in
a quite different manner from other men ; they live to God,
and not unto the world ; they live in a constant dependence
upon_ Him, and submission to Him ; they live with a firm
belief of His Word, and sincere obedience to His Laws ;
they live altogether in His service, so that " whether they 1 Cor. 10.31.
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Private Thoughts
cat or drink, or whatsoever they do, they still do it to tlie
glory of God." In short, they strive all they can to do the
will of God upon earth, as the holy Angels do it in Heaven,
and so have their conversation there, where their Saviour
and their treasure is.
But this life is infused into them only by the rays of the
Sun of Righteousness, by that Holy Spirit Which proceedeth
from Christ, whereby they, being born again, and made the
children of light, thus walk in newness of life : and so it is
nourished also, preserved, and strengthened, only by Him,
John 6. 35, ^Yho therefore calls Himself "the Bread of Life," and
48. '
ver. 33. " the Bread of God, which cometh from Heaven, and giveth
ver. 51. life unto the world ;" " the Living Bread, of which if any man
eat, he shall live for ever." And this bread which He gives
ver. 54, 55, is His flesh, " which He gave for the life of the world." " For
^^'^ His flesh is meat indeed, and His blood is drink indeed ;
so that whoso eateth His flesh, and drinketh His blood, hath
eternal life, and He will raise him up at the Last Day,
ell. n. 25, that he may live for ever." For Christ is " the Resurrection
and the Life; whosoever believeth in Him, though he were
dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth
in Him shall never die." Though his body may die, yet
not his soul : and his body also at the Last Day shall be
raised again to life, by the power of this glorious Sun :
iCor.15.22. " For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive."
Seeing, therefore, that Jesus Christ is the Fountain of the
life of righteousness, the Author of that spiritual and eternal
life which the righteous live, as the sun is of our natural, He
also may most properly be called the Sun of Righteousness,
as He is in the words before us. And so He may be like-
wise from His cheering and refreshing our spirits in the
Prov. 15.30. inward man, as the sun does in the outward. " The light of
Ecd. u. 7. the eyes," saith the wise man, " rejoiceth the heart." " And
truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the
eyes to behold the sun." This we all find by daily expe-
rience; and so do we, too, that the light and heat of the sun
agitate or move our animal spirits in so benign and delicate
a manner, that we are always more cheerful and pleasant
Avhen the sun shines clearly than we are in a dark niglit or
upon the Beatific Vision.
471
cloudy day. But in this the Sun of Righteousness infinitely
exceeds the other, for He is the Fountain not only of some,
but of all the true joy and comfort that His faithful people
have, or ever can have in the world. It all proceeds from
Him, " Whom having not seen, they love ; in Whom, though i Pet. i. 8.
now they see Him not, yet believing, they rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory." For upon their believing
in Him, as having been delivered for their offences, and
raised again for their justification. He manifesteth Himself
and His special love and favour to them, in the pardon of
their sins, and their reconciliation to Almighty God, whereby
their souls are filled, not only with unspeakable, but glorious
joy, of the same nature with that which the glorified Saints
in Heaven are continually transported with. This is that
which is called the lifting up the light of God's countenance,
and His causing His face to shine upon them ; when the Sun Ps.4. 6;67.
of Righteousness thus shineth upon them, refreshing and Num. 6. 25.
comforting their hearts, by the sweet influences of that Holy
Spirit that proceedeth from Him.
But the sun doth not only refresh the earth, but makes
it fruitful ; it is by his means, under God, that plants grow
and bring forth fruit, and that animals do the respective
works which God hath set them. So is Christ the Cause or
Author of all the good and righteous works that are done
in the world; He Himself saith, " Without Me ye can do John 15. 5.
nothing." And His Apostle could say upon his own expe-
rience, " I can do all things through Christ Which strength- PWi. 4. 13.
eneth me;" and that the fruits, all the fruits, of righteous- ch. i. u.
ness, are by Jesus Christ, or come from Him ; Who therefore
in this respect also may well be termed " the Sun of Right-
eousness."
To which we may likewise add, that as the works which
God hath made upon earth by His power, although they
have no light in themselves whereby they can be seen, yet
they appear in all their beauty and colours by the sun re-
flecting his light upon them ; so the works which His servants
do by His assistance and grace, although they have no real
worth, nor are exactly righteous in themselves, yet by the
Sun of Righteousness reflecting His righteousness upon
them, they seem or are accounted righteous in the sight of
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Private Thoughts
1 Pet. 2. 5. God ; or, as St. Peter speaks, they are " acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ." Without Whom, therefore, there could
be no such thing as righteousness seen upon earth, no more
Rom. 5. 19. than there could be colours without light. But, " as by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obe-
dience of one shall many be made righteous," both sincerely
righteous in themselves, and accepted of as righteous before
God, by His righteousness imputed to them. So tliat all
righteousness, both as it is performed by men, and as it is
approved of by God, comes only from Jesus Christ. And
this seems to be the great reason wherefore He is here called
in a peculiar manner the Sun of Righteousness, and promised
to arise to His faithful people " with healing in His wings,"
that they may grow up as calves in the stalls ; to shew
that it is by Him only that they are healed of their infir-
mities, and restored to a sound mind, so as to grow in grace,
and bring forth the fruits of righteousness, such righteous-
ness as by him is acceptable to God, from Whom they shall
therefore at the Last Day receive the crown of righteousness,
that crown which this Sun of Righteousness hath procured
for them.
Upon these, among many other accounts, Jesus Christ,
the Saviour of mankind, may truly be called the Sun of
Righteousness, as He is here by the Spirit of truth itself, for
our admonition and comfort. For hereby we are put in
mind how to think of our blessed Saviour, and to exercise
our faith in Him, so as to love and honour Him with all our
hearts, and to put our whole trust and confidence in Him
for all things necessary to our eternal salvation. Forasmuch
as we are by this means given to understand, that what the
sun is to this lower world, the same is Christ to His Church.
But the sun, as we have heard, is the most excellent and
most glorious thing that we see in the world. It is the next
cause, under God, of all the light that is in the air, and of
all the life that any creatures live upon the earth. It is that
which refresheth the earth, and makes it fruitful. It is that
also which gives a lustre to all things that are about us, so
as to make them pleasing and delightful to the eye.
And accordingly, whensoever I think of my blessed
Saviour, the Sun of Righteousness, I apprehend, or rather
vpon the Beatific Vision.
473
by the eye of faith I behold, Him in the highest heavens,
there shining in glory and splendour infinitely greater than
any mortal eye can bear, invested with supreme majesty,
honour, and authority, over the whole creation. I behold
Him there surrounded Avith an innumerable company of
holy Angels, as so many fixed stars, and of glorified Saints
as planets enlightened by Him ; all His satellites or servants
waiting upon Him, ready upon all occasions to reflect and
convey His benign influences or favours to His people upon
earth. I see him yonder by His Own light, I behold Him
dis2}laying His bright beams, and diffusing His light round
about, over His whole Church, both that which is triumphant
in Heaven, and that which is militant here on earth ; that
all the members of it may see all things belonging to their
peace. I behold Him continually sending down His quick-
ening Spirit upon those who are baptized into and believe
in His Holy Name, to regenerate them, to be a standing
principle of a new and Divine life in them. I' behold
Him there manifesting Himself, and causing His face to
shine upon those who look up to Him, so as to refresh and
cheer their spirits, to make them brisk and lively, and able
to ".run with patience the race that is set before them." I Heb. 12. 1.
behold Him there continually issuing forth His Holy Spirit,
to actuate and influence the administration of His Word
and Sacraments ; that all who duly receive them may
thereby grow in grace, and be fruitful in every good word
and work. I behold the Sun of Righteousness shining with
so much power and efficacy upon His Church, that all the
good works which are done iu it, though imperfect in them-
selves, do notwithstanding appear through Him as good and
righteous in the sight of God Himself, and are accordingly
rewarded by Him. In short, as the sun was made to rule
and govern the day, so I behold this Sun of Righteousness
as governing His Church, and ordering all things both
within and without it, so as to make them work together for
the good of those who love God, till He hath brought them
all to "Himself, to live with Him in the highest Heavens,
where they also shall by His means " shine forth as the sun Matt.13.43.
in the Kingdom of their Father for ever."
Could we keep these and suchlike thoughts of our
474 Private Thovglds on the Beatific Vision.
blessed Saviour always fresli in our minds ; could we be
always thus looking upon Him as the Sun of Rigbteousness
shining continually upon us and His whole Church, what
holy, what Heavenly, what comfortable lives should we then
lead ! We should then despise the pomps and vanities of
this wicked world, as nothing, as less than nothing, in com-
parison of this most glorious Sun and His righteousness.
Phil. 3. 8, 9. We should then, with St. Paul, " count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our
Lord, and should count them but dung, that we may win
Christ, and be found in Him, not having our own righteous-
ness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." We
should then leave gazing upon the trifles of this lower world,
and should be always looking up to this Sun of Righteous-
Ps. 34. 5. ness, so as to be enlightened by Him with such a light as
will discover to us the glories of the other world, together
with the way that leads to it. We should then abhor and
fRom. 13. detest the works of darkness, and walk as the children of
PhiK 2!f5/i' liglitj and accordingly shine as lights in the world. And
then we should have the light of God's countenance shining
continually upon us, enlightening, enlivening, and refreshing
our whole souls, and purifying both our hearts and lives, so
as to make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the
[Col. 1.12.] Saints in light; in that everlasting light which comes from
the Sun of Righteousness, Who liveth and reigneth, and
shineth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God,
blessed for ever !
NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGE
OF
PUBLIC PRAYER
AND
FREQUENT COMMUNION,
DESIGNED TO REVIVE
PRIMITIVE PIETY.
THE GREAT
NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGE
OF
PUBLIC PRAYER.
Noio Peter and John went vp together into the Temple at the
hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. — Acts, iii. 1.
From your presence here at this time and place, dedi-
cated to the service of the Most High God, I cannot but
in charity conclude, that you all believe that He governs the
world, and disposes of all things in it, according to His Own
will and pleasure ; that it is in Him you live, and move, and
have your being ; that you neither have nor can have any
thing but what you receive from Hiui ; and that you are
therefore come hither now on purpose to acknowledge His
goodness to you in what you have, and to pray unto Him for
what you want. And verily you do well to take all the
opportunities that ye can get to do so; for this is the way to
continue in His love and favour, and to live always under
His care and protection. But for that purpose ye must not
think it enough to pray to and to praise Him only now and
then, when ye have nothing else to do ; but this should be
your daily business, the constant employment of your lives.
He Himself commands you by His Apostle to " pray with- i xhess. 5.
out ceasing," and to " pray always," or " at all times, with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit," and to " watch Eph. 6. is.
thereunto with all perseverance." Not as if ye should do
nothing else but pray ; but that prayer should run through
and accompany every thing else ye do, so as to begin, con-
tinue, and end all your actions with praying to and praising
478 The Necessity and Adcantage
God for His direction and assistance ; though not always
with your mouths, yet howsoever in your hearts, by lifting
them up unto Him, as any man may do, in midst of other
business. Thus David praised God seven times a-day.
Ps. 119. 16 1. " Seven times a-day do I praise Thee," saith he, " because of
Thy righteous judgments." Not that he never did it oftener,
but this was the least he ever did it : for, being a man after
God's Own heart, his heart was always running upon God,
and praying to Him ; and that too not only in his mind, but
Ps. 34. 1. with his mouth also : " I will bless the Lord," saith he, " at
all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
Ps. 35. 28. " And my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of
Thy praise all the day long." Thus all that would live a
truly pious and Divine life, must keep their hearts always
fixed upon God, admiring His goodness, magnifying His
power, and imploring His grace and mercy, not only every
day, but every hour of the day, at all times, upon all occa-
sions that offer themselves, as some or other do continually.
But besides our thus praying to and praising God in the
midst of other business, we ought to set apart some certain
limes in every day wholly for this. The saints of old were
wont to do it three times a-day, as we learn from Daniel.
Dan. 6. n. For when king Darius had signed a decree, "That who-
soever should ask a petition of any God or man for thirty
days, except of the king, should be cast into the den of lions,"
it is written, that " when Daniel knew that the decree was
signed, he went into his house, and his windov. s being open
in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his
knees, three times a-day, and prayed, and gave thanks unto
his God, as he did aforetime." " As he did aforetime :"
which shews that this had been his constant practice before,
and he would not leave it off now, though he was sure to be
cast into the den of lions for it. But wliat times of the day
these were that were anciently devoted to this religious pur-
pose, we may best gather from king David, where he saith,
Ps. 55. 17. " Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry
aloud ; and He shall hear my voice." He begins with the
evening, because day then began, according to the Jewish
account ; but he observed all these times of prayer alike ;
and so, questionless, did other devout people as well as he.
of Public Prayer.
479
The Jews have a tradition that those limes were ordained to
that use, — the morning by Abraham, noon by Isaac, and Jews, lib.
evening by Jacob, But whether they have any ground for Trans'.^ ^
that or not, be sure this custom is so reasonable and pious,
that the Church of Christ took it up and observed it all along
from the very beginning. Only to distinguish thess times
more exactly, the Christians called them (as the Jews also
had done before) by the names of the third, the sixth, and
the ninth hours. Of which TertuUian saith, " Tres istas TertuU. de
horas ut insigniores in rebus humanis itaet solenniores fuisse voi.i.p.Tos'.
in orationibus divinis," ' as they were more famous than ^jg^j.,
others in human affairs, so they were more solemn in Divine
prayers."
I know that the primitive Christians performed their pri-
vate devotions at other times as well as these ; but at these
set times every day, especially at the third and ninth hours,
they always performed them publicly, if they could get an
opportunity. And if we would be such Christians as they
were, we must follow their pious example in this as well as
in other things. This, therefore, is that which by God's
assistance I would now persuade you all to ; and for that
purpose have chosen these words for the subject of my
present discourse, as setting before you the example of two
of Christ's Own Apostles in it, St. Peter and St. John, of
whom it is here said, that " they went up together into the
Temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour."
The Holy Spirit of God, by His amanuensis St. Luke,
is here about to describe a great miracle wrought u^Jon a
man who was above forty years old, and had been lame
from his mother's womb, whom St. Peter made perfectly
sound and whole, only by saying, " In the Name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" And he begins it
with telling us, " that Peter and John went up together
into the Temple at the hour of prayer." But what is this
to the purpose ? Would it not have been sufficient to have
described this as he usually doth other miracles, without
such minute circumstances of time and place? Yes, cer-
tainly, it would have been so. And therefore I can see no
reason why this should be recorded, but only to teach us.
480
The Necessity and Advantage
that though the Levitical Law expired together with our
Saviour, yet the public worship of God ought still to be
kept up at certain times and places set apart for it. For
here we see two great Apostles, the one called the "first,"
the other the " beloved" disciple ; these two, when endued
with a more than ordinary measure of the Holy Ghost, did
not think it enough to pray at home, or together with their
brethren in any private house ; but they went to the place
that was dedicated to the public worship of God, and at the
time when that worship was then performed. And this is
left upon record, that Christians of all ages may know it,
and learn, by their Apostolical example, to lay hold on all
opportunities they can get of performing their public devo-
tions to Almighty God in such places and at such times as
are appointed for that purpose.
For our better understanding of this, we shall consider
two things ; First, the place whither these Apostles went ;
they went up to the Temple : and then the time when they
went ; " at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour."
I. First, they went up into the Temple, i'/'; rh hfov, " to
the holy place," as the word signifies, to the place dedicated
to holy uses, to the service of the Most Holy God. Such
places God always had upon earth, and He always looked
[Ps. 24. 1; upon them as His Own in a peculiar manner. Though "the
26*]"^'^°' ^^'■t^^" be "the Lord's, and the fulness thereof," or, every
thing that is in it ; yet when any part of it is solemnly de-
voted to Him, and to the worship of His Holy Name, He
takes possession of it for Himself, as He did in a visible
manner both of the Tabernacle and Temple.
And, froTii that time forward. He hath a new kind of pro-
priety in such places, distinct from that which He had be-
fore, and reckons them His Own in a more special sense
than other places are. He Himself, as well as others, calls
Ezek. 44. 7. them His: as where He saith, " In that ye have brought
into My sanctuary strangers uncircumcised in heart and flesh,
Is. 56. 7. to be in My sanctuary, to pollute it, even My house." " My
house shall be called a house of prayer ; " and so He fre-
quently saith, " That this house was called by His Name, or
His Name was called upon in it," as Jer. vii. 10; xi. 14.
of Public Prayer.
481
And in all places thus dedicated to Him and called by His
IVauie, He Himself hath promised that He will be present
in a special manner to bestow His blessings upon those who
there sincerely call upon Him. "In all places," saith He, Esod.20.24.
" where I record My Xame, I will come unto thee, and I
will bless thee." The truth of which promise God's faithful
people have had experience of in all ages ; and therefore
always accounted it to be their interest as well as duty to
frequent such places as often as they could. As we see in
David, a man after God's Own heart. What pleasure did
he take in going to the house of God ! " I was glad," saith Ps. 122. 1.
he, " when they said unto me. Let us go into the house of
the Lord." How happy did he esteem those who could be
always there! "Blessed is the man," saith he to God, Ps. 65. 4.
" whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee,
that he may dwell in Thy courts ; he shall be satisfied with
the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy Holy Temple."
How doth he long to communicate with them in it ! " How Ps. 84. i, 2.
amiable," saith he, " are Thy tabernacles, 0 Lord of Hosts !
I My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the
I Lord, my heart and my flesh crieth out for the Living God."
I How doth he envy the very birds that come into the house
I of God, when he himself, being then in exile, could not!
I" Yea, the sparrow," saith he, " hath found a house, and ver. 3.
the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, even
Thine altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King, and my God."
\ How doth he prefer this before all the pleasures of the
I world besides ! " For a day in Thy courts," saith he, " is ver. 10.
better than a thousand : 1 had rather be a door-keeper in
the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wicked-
ness." There are many such places in the Psalms, which
shew the great love and honour he had for the house of
God, and the extraordinary comfort and delight that he used
to find there.
Thus also Daniel, when he was at Babylon, although the Dan. 6. 10.
house of God was then destroyed and not yet rebuilt, yet
in his daily devotions " he opened the windows of his cham-
ber towards Jerusalem," that he might look at least towards
the place where the house of God once stood, and so ex-
pressed his earnest desire to worship God there, and his
482
The Necessity and Advantage
faith in tlie promises which God had made to those who did
so ; and by that means, when he could not possibly do it any
other way, he made his private devotions in a manner public,
joining in his soul with the whole Church of God in his
public worship, when he could not do it in his body.
But not to mention any more of the many instances of
this kind in the Old Testament, in the New it is written,
Luke 2. 37. that " Anna the prophetess departed not from the Temple,
but served God with fasting- and prayers night and day."
ver. 27. It is written, that old " Simeon," that just and devout man,
" came by the Spirit into the Temple." It is written, that
Jesus " Himself went into the Temple, and began to cast out
them that sold therein, and them that bought, saying unto
ch. 19.45- them. It is written. My house is the house of prayer, but
ye have made it a den of thieves. And He taught daily in
ch.24.52,53. the Temple." It is written of the Apostles, that " when
they had seen Christ ascend to Heaven, they worshipped
Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were
continually in the Temple, praising and blessing God." It
Acts 2, 46, is written of all the Disciples, that " they, continuing daily
in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did
eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising
God and having favour with all the people." It is written
ch. 22. 17. particularly of St. Paul, " that when he was come to Jeru-
salem, even while he was praying in the Temple, he was in
a trance." And it is written here of St. Peter and St. John,
that " they went up together into the Temple at the hour of
prayer,"
But wherefore are these things written, but for our admo-
nition ; to teach us that it is God's will and pleasure that we
should perform public devotions to Him, in places dedicated
to His service, and set ajiart wholly for that purpose? Such
as the Temple was at Jerusalem, which therefore was called
isasfi. 7; "a house of prayer" by God Himself; yea, "His house
L^Ve^'?' of prayer." " And I will make them joyful," saith He, « in
My house of prayer," which plainly shews both that prayer
was the most proper work of that house, and also that house
the most proper i)lace for prayer, as being His Own house,
where He Himself was pleased in a more especial manner
to reside, and to distribute His blessings among those who
of Public Prayer.
483
tliere prayed unto Him for them. Hence, whatsoever was
done in tliis house, is said to be done before God, as there
specially present; and when our blessed Lord in His infancy E(-cl.5.i,2;
was first brought to the Temple, it is said, " they brought &c.
Him thither to present Him to the Lord." "Where we may ^^^^ ^'
observe, by the way, that this one place of Scrijiture, duly
considered, would be sufficient to persuade all Christian
parents to have their children baptized, not in their own but
in God's house, that they may be there presented to the
Lord, as Christ was, and so receive His blessing, according
to the prayers which are there made for them in God's Own
house, in His house of prayer, "where He Himself hath Ex. 20. 24.
promised to meet with them, and to bless them." By virtue
of which promise the people of God, in all ages, have found
their common and public prayers to be the most effectual.
There they have greater assistance of God's Holy Spirit,
stronger assurances of His love and favour to them, a clearer
sight of His glory and goodness, and a deeper sense of His
special presence with them, grounded upon their belief of
that remarkable saying of our blessed Saviour, " Where two Matt.i8.20.
or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in
the midst of them." He doth not only promise that He will
be there, but He positively asserts that He will be there in
the midst of them ; which they who meet together in His
Name cannot but believe, with such a faith as is " the evi- Heb. 11. 1.
dence of things not seen," and therefore by it they see Him
there as really as they see themselves, or one another. And
this is that which makes them so desirous of being in such
places, as we see in David, saying, " O God, Thou art my Ps. 63. 1,2.
God, eai'ly will I seek Thee ; ray soul thirsteth for Thee, my
flesh longeth after Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no
water is, to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen
Thee in the Sanctuary." It seems he had seen God in the
Sanctuary, or holy place, before, and therefore longs to go
thither again, not doubting but if he was there he should
see God again, as he used to do. And so do all His faithful
people. They see Him there by faith in His Word ; they
see Him by the light of His countenance, which He lifts up
there upon them. They see Him shining forth in His
glory, and manifesting Himself and His goodness to fhem
484
The Necessity and Advantage
in hearing the prayers, and accepting the praises, they offer
to Him in His Name, Who is in the midst of them, and
John 16. 23. liath promised, that " whatsoever they shall ask the Father
in His Name, He will give it."
These things, I confess, may seem strange to some, espe-
cially to such as have not made trial of them ; but they who
have accustomed themselves to perform their public devo-
tions to Almighty God, with that intention of mind, with
that earnestness of desire, with that faith, with that reve-
rence and humility, as they ought, they know that all
which I have said comes far short of what they sometimes
experience. Be sure, it was not for nothing that the Apos-
tles, in my text, went up to the " Temple at the hour of
prayer," to pray there; as all devout people that dwelt
thereabout were wont to do ; and they also that would bat
seem to be so ; as appears from our Saviour's Parable, where
Luke 18, 10. He saith, " Two men went up into the Temple to pray, the
one a Pharisee, the other a publican." For this shews, that
not only they, but Christ Himself, esteemed that the most
proper place for prayer.
I say the most, not the only proper place. It was at the
Temple only that all the sacrifices were offered, which typi-
fied and represented tlie death of Christ, by which alone our
prayers are heard and our duties accepted. And, therefore,
that was the most proper place for all that lived near it, and
could go thither to perform their daily devotions, because
there they had the most sensible occasions given for the
exercise of their faith in Christ, there typically represented
before their eyes, as dying for their sins, and as making-
intercession for them, with the incense of His Own merits.
But, nevertheless, there were many other places appointed
for public prayers, which were called Synagogues. Tliere
[Basnage, were reckoned at one time above four hundred in Jerusalem
Jews lib V itself, and several others in every city of Judea, and where-
cap. iv. 5.] soever else any Jews dwelt; so that in every place where
there were ten considerable Jews together, they were bound
to have a synagogue; which were, therefore, so many parish
churches belonging to the Temple as the cathedral : or
rather they were as our chapels of ease to the mother
Church. For as there are many parishes in England, where
of Pithlic Prayer.
485
there are several chapels of ease, where people may perform
their public prayers, but they are bound to go to the mother
Church to receive the Holy Sacrament ; so, notwithstanding
the many synagogues which they had in all the parts of
their kingdom, the Jews Avere to offer their sacrifices only at
the Temple. And, therefore, that was properly the metro-
political or mother Church ; and all the synagogues, far and
near, were members of that ; and as such, were houses of
God, and houses of prayer, as that was ; and the prayers
which were made in them were as acceptable to God as those
which were made in the Temple itself.
There were such places as these in David's time : for he,
speaking prophetically of the destruction of that nation,
saith, "They have burnt up all the synagogues," or houses Ps. 74. 8.
" of God in the land." To the same purpose is that of the
Prophet Jeremiah, " He hath violently taken away His Lam. 2. 6.
tabernacle, as if it Avere a garden ; He hath destroyed His
places of the assembly." In both which places Ave see
God's propriety asserted in these synagogues, as well as in
the Temple. They are called the houses of God, and His
places of assembly. The original word in both places is
the same that is used for the tabernacle of the congre-
gation, or " the tabernacle of meeting," as the word signifies;
so called, not only because the people met there, but chiefly
because God met there with the people, as God Himself
assures us ; saying, " In the tabernacle of the congreo-ation," Exod. 25,
22 ; 29. 42
or meeting, " where I will meet Avith thee." From whence 30.' 36.'
it appears that these synagogues also, as called by the same
name, were places where God met Avith His people, and
bestOAved His blessings upon them. And that is the reason
that the Prophets complain so much of this, as one of the
greatest calamities that could befall a nation, that the houses
of God should be burnt and destroyed ; so that they had
no such public and solemn places left where they could meet
with Him : hence also it was that the Jews esteemed the
building a synagogue to be so good a work, and so great
a kindness to them, as appears from their elders commend-
ing the centurion to our Saviour, as a person worthy of
His favour upon that account; for say they, " he loA^eth Luke 7. 5.
our nation, and he hath built us a svnaa-ojrue." And
-18G The Xecensi/i/ mid Ailraiitdiji
hence, lastly, it is, that we so often read in the Gospels and
Acts of the Ajjostles, that Christ Himself and His Apostles
went as constantly into the synagogues when they were in
the country as they went to the Temple when they were at
Jerusalem ; those being the most proper places, not only
for prayer, but likewise for the preaching and hearing God's
Acts 15. 21. Holy Word, which was "read in the synagogues every
Sabbath-day."
These things I thought good to put you in mind of at
this time, that you might know how great a value the
Church and people of God, in ancient times, set upon places
devoted to Him, and might learn from thence to do so toj;
for our churches now are as solemnly dedicated to the
service of God, and therefore are as much His houses, His
houses of prayer, as ever the Jewish synagogues were, or
the Temple itself. The very name " church," in Greek, from
whence it comes, signifies " the Lord's house." And it
cannot be imagined by any Christian, but that God hath as
much propriety in, and as much respect unto. His houses now
as He ever had. It is true, we have not such sacrifices
offered in our churches as were in the Temple ; but we have
One which answers the ends of all these sacrifices, and far
exceeds them all together, even the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper, instituted and celebrated in memory of the death
of the Lamb of God, which, by the legal sacrifices, was only
foreshewed and typified. And whereas then sacrifices were
offered only in one place, at the Temple in Jerusalem, not
in any of their synagogues ; the Holy Sacrament of Christ's
body and blood is administered not only in our cathedrals,
but in all our parish churches. And it being only by virtue
of that blood which was only " typified" in theirs, but is
" commemorated " in our churches, that our prayers are heard,
our services accepted, or any of God's promises are ever
fulfilled to us ; we cannot doubt but that all the promises
which he made of meeting and blessing his people in suck
places, were intended for, and belong to, us and to our
churches, as much as ever they did to any : and by conse-
quence that it is both our duty and interest to go to our
respective churches, as the two great Apostles did to the
Temple at the hour of prayer.
of Piiblk I'nujn-.
4N7
IT. And that is tlio other tliiiio- whicdi I promised to
consider in these words, — the time when these Apostles went
up together into the Temple : they went at "the hour of'Jo^i" n- 9-
prayer, being the ninth hour ; " that is, at three o'clock in
the afternoon : for the Jews divided the day from sun-
rising to sun-setting into " twelve hours ; " and therefore,
according to their account, the time of the sun's rising,
about six o'clock, was their first hour; their third hour
was our nine o'clock in the morning ; and their ninth hour
three in the afternoon, And these two last, even the third
and the ninth hours, or, according to our account, nine in
the morning and three in the afternoon, were their constant
hours of prayer every day in the year. But to understand
how they came to be so, we must first observe, that in the
old Law God commanded two lambs to be offered upon the
altar every day as a continual burnt-offering : " The one
lamb," saith He, " thou shalt offer in the morning, and the Exod. 29.
other lamb thou shalt offer at evening ; " or, as it is in the 28.' 4!""""
Hebrew, C:^3~ii7n Y"^, ' between the two evenings,' or
about the midst between noon and sun-set, which was,
according to their reckoning, the ninth hour. This we may Josephus,
learn from Josephus, the best Jewish writer that is extant, 1'.
where he saith that the solemn sacrifices were offered twice ^ ^"
a-day, cTiioi"' re y.ul crsj/' lyvaTr^v wsav, ' in the morning, and about
the ninth hour.' And so the Talmudists tell us, that the daily
evening sacrifice was killed at half an hour past eight, and
offered upon the altar after nine. These, therefore, were
tlie two set hours for the continual burnt-offerings every
day ; three in the morning, which is our nine ; and nine,
which is our three in the afternoon.
These two hours being appointed by God Himself for the
daily sacrifice, there was, doubtless, great reason for it, which
seems to be this : these, as all the bloody sacrifices, were
offered up only as types and representatives of that grand
sacrifice which Christ the Lamb of God was to offer for the
sins of the world : and therefore they were appointed at the
same hours wherein His death was begun, as I may so speak,
and finished. About the third hour, or nine in the morning,
he was delivered to Pilate, accused, examined, and con-
demned to die ; and therefore the morning sacrifice was
488
The Necessity and Advantage
appointed at that hour. About the sixth hour, or noon, this
Lamb of God was laid upon the altar of the cross, and at the
ninth hour expired ; as we learn from St. Matthew, saying,
Matt. 27. " Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the
40, -t6, 50. J ^^^^^ ^j^^ ninth hour ; and about the ninth hour Jesus
cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ! My
God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ! and having
cried again with a loud voice. He yielded up the ghost."
And this I verily believe was the reason that the evening
sacrifice every day was appointed to be offered up at the
ninth hour, that so the very time of Christ's suffering might
be foreshewn and typified by it, as the place also was ; it
being absolutely forbidden to offer up any such sacrifices after
the Temple was built, any where else but only at Jerusalem,
where Christ was to suffer.
Now, to bring this nearer to our present purpose, we
must further observe, that in all these continual burnt-
offerings, when the lamb was laid upon the altar, a priest
with a censer took some of the coals from off that altar, and
carried them into the holy place, where he put incense upon
them, and so offered it upon the golden altar before the
veil, made for that purpose. This took uj) some considerable
time, usually about half an hour : all which time the people
were at their devotions, worshipping, and praying, and
praising God ; as appears from St. Luke himself, who,
speaking of Zacharias, the father of St. John the Baptist,
Luke 1. 9, saith, " According to the custom of the priest's office, his
lot was to burn incense when he went into the Temple of
the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were
praying without at the time of incense." This, therefore, was
their time of prayer ; and it was the most proper time that
could be for it, while the lamb was burning upon the altar
without, as a type of the death of Christ ; and the sweet
incense was burning within the holy place, upon coals taken
from thence, to put them in mind of His intercession which
He makes by virtue of that death He suffered for them, that
their prayers might be heard, and their services accepted,
before God. All which was represented in a vision to St.
Rev. 8. 3, 4. John, when he " saw seven angels which stood before God;
and another angel (which Avas Christ the Mediator) came
of Public Prayer.
489
and stood at the altar, having a golden censer ; and there
was given unto Him much incense, that He should offer it
■w ith the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which
was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense,
which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up
before God out of the Angel's hand."
For hereby is plainly signified, that God smells a sweet
savour in the prayers of His people, or accepts of them, only
upon the account of the merits of the death of Jesus Christ,
the Angel of the Covenant, and by means of His Mediation
for them, typified by the sweet incense burning upon coals
taken from the altar whereupon the lamb was offered, at
the same time that the people were at their devotions, and
so ascending up together with them into Heaven, and there
rendering them acceptable unto God. The same "is inti-
mated also by St. Peter, where, speaking to the Saints of
God, he saith, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up aiPet. 2. 5.
spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Where, as
our prayers, and the other services which we perform to
Him, are called sacrifices, in allusion to, but spiritual to
distinguish them from, those under the Law ; so they are
said to be acceptable to God, not in themselves but by
Jesus Christ, — by Jesus Christ perfuming them with the
spiritual incense of His Own merits, and so making them a
sweet savour to the Lord, as it was typically expressed in
the Law. Lev.?.9,&c.
By this, therefore, we may see how the third and ninth
hours of the day, or, as we speak, nine in the morning and
three in the afternoon, came to be their chief set hours for
prayer every day ; even because at these hours the daily
sacrifices were offered, and the holy incense burnt, as types
of Christ's death and intercession, whereby alone their
prayers could go up as a memorial before God, and be well-
pleasing to Him. For this cause, therefore, these were their
constant hours of prayer, not only at the Temple in Jeru-
salem, but in their synagogues also all the country over,
devout people daily resorting thither at the said hours to
perform their devotions, that so they might both keep up
their communion with the Church at Jerusalem, and like-
The Xccessi/i/ aiid AdiHititoije
wise communicate in the sacrifices and incense, which were
there offered at tliese hours, or rather in what was signified
by them for God's acceptance of what tliey did. But they
who dwelt at Jerusalem, usually went to the Temple itself at
the foresaid hours. And that is the reason that there were
Acts 2. 15. so many " gathered together there upon the day of Pente-
cost, at the third hour of the day," as St. Peter saith, that
ver. 41. " three thousand of them were there converted to the faith of
Christ." And there were as many, or more, there at the
ninth hour, when St. Peter and St. John went thither toge-
ch. 4. 4. ther, as appears in that there were " above five thousand at
that time converted."
But liow many soever were there besides, be sure these
two great Apostles went together " into the Temple at the
hour of prayer, being the ninth hour:" not now out of any
respect to the sacrifices which were still continued to be
offered by the unbelieving Jews ; for the Apostles knew well
enough that all the laws about them expired upon the death
of Christ, so that now all such sacrifices could signify no-
thing at all. But they went to the Temple, as it was a house
of prayer, — a duty that always was, and always must be,
performed unto God. " And they went at the ninth hour,
because it was the hour of prayer." It had been so for many
ages, and there was no reason why it should be now laid
aside ; God Himself had appointed it for the time of the
evening sacrifice, because Christ, the grand sacrifice of the
world, was to be offered up at that time. And though the
virtue of the legal sacrifice was now ceased, yet the reason
why that time was appointed for it still continued ; there
being as much reason why Christ's death should be com-
memorated by our Chrisiian sacrifice, as there was that it
should be foreshewn and typified by the legal, about the
time it happened : at least there was no reason to the con-
trary. And therefore, that being the usual time for public
prayers in the place where they then were, they went up
together into the Temple at that hour to perform their
devotions. And it is left upon record that they did so, as
I observed before, on purpose that the Church, in all ages,
might learn by their example to set apart some certain times
every day in the year for public prayer. And, accordingly,
i,f Ftiblic Pniijp,
491
as the Jewish Church had by God's Own appointment the [Exod. 29.
1 • -n 1 • .1 ,,38-40.]
raornuig and evenmg sacrifice every day in the year, so all
Christian Churches have been used to have their morning
and evening prayers publicly performed every day ; as might
easily be shewn out of the records of the Church from the
beginning of Christianity.
Not to insist upon other Churches, I shall instance at
present only in our own, which, as in all things else, so
particularly in this, is exactly conformable to the Catholic
and Apostolic Church. In the first book of Common Prayer,
made by our Church at the beginning of the Reformation,
there was a form composed both for morning and evening-
prayer : the title of that for the morning ran thus, " An
Order for Matins daily through the Year," and of that for the
evening, "An Order for Even Song throughout the Year;"
and accordingly there were psalms and chapters appointed
both for the morning and evening of every day. About
three or four years after the same book was revised and put
forth again. And then the Church taking notice that daily
prayers had been in some places neglected, at the end of
the preface she added two new rules, or, as we call them,
" rubrics," which are still in force, as you may see in the
Common Prayer books which we now use.
The first is this :
And all priests and deacons are to say daily the morning
and evening sprayer, either privately or openly, not being let
hy sickness, or other urgent cause.
By this, every one that is admitted into holy orders,
although he be neither parson, vicar, nor curate of any par-
ticular place, yet he is bound to say both morning and
evening prayer every day, either in some church or chapel
where he can get leave to do it, or else in the house where
he dwells, except he be hindered by some such cause which
the ordinary of the place judges to be reasonable and urgent.
The other order is this :
And the curate that minister eth in every parish church or
chapel, being at home, and not being otherwise reasonably
492
llie Necessity and Advantage
hindered, shall say the same in the -parish church or chapel
where he ministereth, and shall cause a hell to he tolled there-
unto, a convenient time he/ore he bee/in, that people may come
to hear God's Word, and -pray ivith him.
Here we have a plain and express command, that the
curate, whether lie be the incumbent himself, or another
procured by him to do it, whosoever it is that ministereth
God's Holy Word and Sacraments in any parish church or
chapel in England, shall say the same morning and evening
prayer daily in the j^arish church or chaj)el where he minis-
tereth, and shall take care that a bell be tolled a convenient
time before he begins, that people having notice of it may
come to God's house to hear His Holy AVord read, and to
join with the minister in performing their public devotions
to Him. This every curate or minister in England is bound
to do every day in the year, if he be at home, and be not
otherwise reasonably hindered. And whether any hindrance
be reasonable or no, the minister himself is not the ordinary
judge : for in all such cases that is referred by the common
laws of the Church to the bishop of the diocese, or the oi'di-
nary of the place where he ministereth.
The law hath made this the duty of every minister, and
the bishop or ordinary is to see he doeth it ; and whether
any have reasonable cause ever to omit it, or whether the
cause they pretend for it be reasonable or no ; this is left
by the law to him. He may allow or disallow of the pre-
tence, as he upon the full hearing of it shall see good ; and
may punish with the censures of the Church any minister
within his jurisdiction that doth not read the prayers of the
Church, or take care they be read, every morning and even-
ing in the year, except at such times when the minister can
prove that he had such a reasonable hindrance or impedi-
ment as will justify him before God and His Church.
This care hath our Church taken, that public prayers be
read every morning and evening throughout the year in
every parish within her bounds, that all who live in her com-
munion may, after the example of the Apostles in my text,
go every day into the temple or church at " the hour of
prayer." She hath not appointed the hour when either
of Public Prayer.
493
morning or evening prayer shall begin, because the same
hour might not be so convenient in all places: so that in
some places it might be pretended that there was a reason-
able hindrance, that it could not be done just at the time.
AVherefore, to prevent any such plea, and to make the duty
as easy and practicable, both to the minister and people, as
it could be, the Church hath left that to the ministers them-
selves, who, considering every one his own and his people's
circumstances, may and ought to appoint such hours both
for morning and evening prayer in their respective places,
as they in their discretion shall judge to be most convenient.
Only they ought to take care, in general, that morning
prayers be always read before, and the evening after, noon.
And it is very expedient that the same hours be every day,
as much as it is possible, observed in the same place, that
people, knowing it beforehand, may order their affairs so as
to be ready to go to the Church at the hour of prayer.
But notwithstanding this great care that our Church hath
taken to have daily prayers in every parish, we see by sad
experience they are shamefully neglected all the kingdom
over ; there being very few places where they have any public
prayers upon the week-days, except, perhaps, upon Wed-
nesdays and Fridays, because it is expressly commanded
that the Litany be read upon those days ; but it is as ex-
pressly commanded that both morning and evening prayers
be read every day in the week, as the Litany upon those.
And why this commandment should be neglected more than
the other, for my part I can see no reason. But I see
plain enough that it is a great fault, a plain breach of the
known laws of Christ's Holy Catholic Church, and par-
ticularly of that part of it which by His blessing is settled
among us. But where doth this fault lie ? I hope not in the
clergy. For I dare not suppose or imagine, but that every
minister in England, that hath the care of souls committed
to him, would be willing and glad to read the prayers every
day for their edification, if the people could be persuaded to
come to them. I am sure there is never a minister but is
obliged to read them daily ; and never a parish in England
but where the people may have them so read if they will ;
for they may require it by the laws both of our Church and
494
21ie Necessity and Advantage
State, except at such times when their minister is reasonably
hindered from the execution of his office, in the sense before
explained.
But the mischief is, men cannot, or rather will not be
persuaded to it. They think it a great matter to come to
church upon the Lord's day, Avhen they cannot openly follow
their particular callings if they would. Upon other days
they have other business to mind of greater consequence,
as they think, than going to prayers. To some it is a great
disturbance to hear the bell sounding in their ears, and
calling them to their duty, which they being resolved not to
practise, it makes them very uneasy to be so often put in
mind of it. Others can make a shift to bear that pretty
well, as not looking upon themselves as concerned in it ;
for they take it for granted that prayers were intended only
for such as have nothing else to do. As for their parts,
they have a great deal of work upon their hands, and must
mind that, without troubling their heads about any thing
else. This is the plain case of some, but not of all. Blessed
be God, He hath opened the eyes of many, especially in this
city, who now see the things that belong to their everlasting
peace, and therefore are as constant at their public devotions
as they are at their private business. And I trust in His in-
finite goodness and mercy, that He Who hath begun so good
a work among us, will one day perfect it, that we may all
meet together with one heart and with one mouth to pray
unto Him, and praise and glorify His great Name everyday
in the week, both in this city and and all the kingdom over.
What a happy city, what a glorious kingdom would it then
be ! and how happy should I think myself if it would please
God to make me, the unworthiest of all His servants, an in-
strument in His Almighty hand towards the effecting of it
in this place. It is too great a felicity for me to flatter myself
with the least hopes of. Howsoever, I must do my duty,
and leave the issue to Him Who hath the hearts of all men
in His hand ; and therefore, in His Name, shall lay some
such plain and obvious considerations before you, which I
hope, by His blessing, may prevail upon all here present to
follow the Holy Apostles in my text, in going together into
the house of God " at the hour of prayer."
of Public Prayer.
495
For tliis purpose I miglit first shew the excellency and
usefulness of the prayers which our Church hath appointed
to be read every morning and evening. But having already
offered at something towards that wpon another occasion, I
shall here only premise in general, that they are such, both
for the language, the matter, the method, and the manner of
performing them, that, to speak with the least, there never
was, that we know of, nor is at this day, a better or more
proper form of public devotions prescribed and used in any
part of Christ's Church militant here on earth ; there being
nothing wanting in them that can any way conduce to the
ends for which they are designed, even to the setting forth
of God's glory, and to the edifying of His people. There
we confess our sins to God, and have His pardon and absolu-
tion of them declared to us, being penitent, by one of His
Own ministers. There we praise and magnify His glorious
Name in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. There
we have some part of His Holy Word read, and so His
Divine will made known to us. There we pray for all things
necessary both for life and godliness ; for whatsoever we can
want or desire to make us happy in this world and in the
next. And all this we there do in such a solemn and reverent
manner as becomes the work we are about ; insomuch that if
it be not our own fault, we can never go to church but we
shall return better than we went. Which if all people were
but as sensible of as some are, we should not need to use any
arguments to persuade them to frequent our public prayers
as oft as possibly they can. But it is impossible they should
ever know what advantage it would be to them, unless they
first make trial of it.
AVhich, therefore, that I may, by God's assistance, per-
suade all here present for the future to do, I desire you to
consider, first, that He Himself that made you hath suffi-
ciently declared it to be His will and pleasure that you
should perform public devotions to Him twice a-day, morn-
ing and evening, in that He expressly required and com-
manded his ancient Church and people, the children of
Israel, to do so. For, as I have shewn. He commanded [Exod. 29.
1 -r. , , 1 -1 • 38-40.1
them to sncnfice two lambs every day, one m the morning,
and the other in the evening, or afternoon ; which was
496 The Necessity and Advantage
the same in effect, as to command them to perform their
public devotions to Him twice every day. For such were
the saci'ifices unto them. Not only because, by offering up
such sacrifices to Him, in obedience to His command, they
publicly acknowledged His supreme authority and power
over all things ; but likewise because, together with their
sacrifices, they always offered up, as they were bound, their
prayers and praises to Him. For they never sacrificed but
they prayed at the same time, and esteemed no prayers so
effectual as those which were joined with sacrifices ; as
appears from several places of Scripture, where we read,
Gen. 12. 7. tliat " Abraham built an altar unto the Lord, and called
ch. 26. 25. upon the Name of the Lord ; " and so did Isaac. He first
built an altar, whereon to offer his sacrifice, and then prayed.
1 Sam. 7. 9. And of Samuel it is said, that " he took a sucking lamb,
and offered it for a burnt-offering wholly unto the Lord ;
and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel, and the Lord
heard him." And when Samuel had blamed Saul for offering
a burnt-offering before the time that he came to him, ac-
ch. 13. 12. cording to his promise, Saul, to excuse himself said, " I
said the Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal,
and I have not made my supplication unto the Lord. I
forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt-offering."
Where he speaks as if offering his sacrifice, and making his
" supplication unto the Lord," was one and the same thing ;
not that it was so in itself, as some have thought, but
because that sacrifice was so necessary to make his prayer
acceptable unto God, that he could not do one without the
other ; he could not pray, as he thought, effectually without
a burnt-offering. There are many such places in the Old
Testament, from whence it might be proved, that sacrifices
and prayers always went together ; neither are there some
wanting in the New. As in the place which I mentioned
Luke. 1. 10. before upon another occasion, where it is said, that " the
whole multitude of the people were praying without at the
time of incense." For the time of incense was while the
sacrifice was burning upon the altar, and therefore that was
the time of their public prayers. But I need not have gone
from my text to have proved this. For " the ninth hour"
is here called the hour of prayer ; but that, as I have proved
of Public Prayer.
497
already, was the hour of the evening sacrifice, which puts
it beyond all doubt that their daily sacrifices were alwaj's
accompanied in course with public prayers and devotions.
And that is the reason why the Temple, where the sacrifices
were offered, was called " an house of prayer" as well as 2 Sam. 7.12.
the " house of sacrifice." Yea, it is much oftener called
by that name than it is by this ; prayer being the duty
principally required there, and sacrifice only for the sake
of that, to make way for it to go up as a memorial before
God, and to be well-pleasing to Him ; not as if there was
any such virtue in the blood of the lamb, or in flesh
smoking upon the altar, but by means of the typical relation
which it had to Christ, " the Lamb of God, that taketh [John 1.
)> ' 29.1
away the sins of the world;" by Whom alone our prayers
are acceptable unto God, as 1 observed before.
ATherefore, seeing God was pleased to command that
sacrifices should be offered twice a-day, to accompany and
assist His people's devotions, there was plainly something
moral, as well as Levitical, in that command. As it re-
spected the sacrifices, it was purely Levitical, and therefore
to cease at our Saviour's death : but, as it respected the
people's devotions, it was moral, and of perpetual obligation.
People always were, and always will be, bound to offer up
their prayers and thanksgivings unto God ; and this, as
being a moral duty, was even in those days reckoned the
more acceptable sacrifice of the two. " I will praise the ps. 69. 30,
Name of God," saith David, " with a song, and will magnify
Him with thanksgiving ; this also shall please the Lord
better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs."
And therefore, when God commanded the less, it cannot be
imagined but that He required the more jDrincipal duty,
even public prayers and praises to be offered to Him twice
a-day ; as the Jews plainly understood it : as appears, in
that they had their daily prayers as constantly as their daily
sacrifices, and that too at the same times when God com-
manded them to be offered, even every morning and even-
ing, which they would not have had, if they had not looked
upon themselves as obliged by that command to pray as well
as to sacrifice at those times.
But surely, to pray to God, and to praise His Holy Xame,
K K
498 The Necessity and Advantage
which make up our public devotions, is a duty as much
incumbent upon Christians as ever it was upon the Jews. It
is our only daily sacrifice which we offer unto God, in the
Heb. 13. 15. Name of His Son : " By Him therefore," saith the Apostle,
" let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that
is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks unto His Name."
This is now to be our continual sacrifice; and though we do
not offer up a lamb to God, together with our devotions every
day, yet we present that to Him which is of more worth and
value than what the Jews offered. They presented the
shadow, we the substance : they offered a lamb as a type of
Christ to come, we offer up onr prayers to God, in the Name
of Christ Himself, as already sacrificed for us, and as pre-
senting our prayers to His Father with the incense of His
Own merits. Whilst they prayed, Christ's death and inter-
cession for them were only typically represented by a lamb
burning upon one, and incense upon another altar. But in
all our prayers we actually name Him as the Person by
Whose alone merits and Mediations our prayers can be
accepted, concluding every Collect with saying, ' through
Jesus Christ our Lord,' or something to that purpose.
By which means we have better ground and clearer oc-
casion also given us to trust in God, for His acceptance
of our devotions, than they had, and therefore ought cer-
tainly to be as constant as they were in the performance
of them, otherwise we can expect no other but that they
will rise up against us in judgment at the Last Day ; neither
do I see what we can answer, or plead for ourselves. For
God having once commanded that sacrifices should be
offered to Him every morning and evening in the year. He
thereby plainly signified, that it is His Divine will and plea-
sure, that His people, in all ages, should do something twice
every day, whereby to make their public acknowledgments
of His absolute dominion over them, and of His infinite
goodness and mercy to them. But this we cannot do now
any other way, but by praying to Him ; and praising and
magnifying His most glorious Name in a public and solemn
manner, which we are therefore doubtless bound to do, or
at least to take all opportunities that we can get of doing
it twice every day.
of Public Prayer.
499
And indeed, Christ Himself doth in effect require the
same thing of us ; for, that it is His pleasure, that we should
constantly use that form of prayer which He, as our great
Lord and Master, was pleased to compose for all His Dis-
cijiles, is so plain that I wonder how any can doubt of it ;
there being no command in all the Bible more plain than
that, " When ye pray, say. Our Father, Which art in Hea- Luke ii. 2.
ven," (fee. But it is as plain that He designed this prayer
should be used publicly and in common by His Disciples,
when met together in their public assemblies. In that He
hath drawn it up all along in the plural number, that many
may join together in it, and say, " Our Father, Which art in
Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us
our trespasses as we forgive them that tresjiass against us :
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
So that there is not one petition, nor one expression in it,
but what a whole congregation may jointly use. From
whence St. Cyprian truly observed, that this is " publica et [De Orat.
communis oratio," ' a public and common prayer.' Not but ed°'oxon.]'
that it may, and ought to be used also privately, by every
single Christian apart by himself; because every Christian
is a member of Christ's Catholic Church, and should pray
as such in private as well as in public ; and for all his fellow-
members as well as for himself, they being all but one body.
But, however, it must be acknowledged, that it being so
exactly fitted to a public congregation, it was primarily and
chiefly intended for that purpose. And that our Saviour
would have us say this prayer every day, appears most
plainly from that petition in it, " Give us this day our daily
bread." For this shews, that as we depend upon God every
day for our necessary food, so we ought to pray unto Him
every day for it. And if we must put up this petition every
day, we must put up all the rest with it ; for Christ hath
joined them altogether, and therefore we must not put them
asunder. Neither is there any part of the prayer but what
is as necessary to be said every day as this.
Wherefore, seeing our blessed Saviour Himself was most
graciously pleased to compose this prayer, so as to suit it to
our daily public devotions, and hath j^lainly commanded us
lo use it, according as He had composed it ; we may reason-
ably from thence infer, that it is His Divine will and plea-
500
The Necessity and Advantage
sure that we should publicly pray to our Heavenly Father
every day, as His Church had all along before done it,
morning- and evening. Be sure His Apostles thonglit so,
[John 16. when they had received His Holy Spirit, to " lead them,"
13, 14. .6.] a(,gQj.(jj,^g. jjjg promise, " into all truth," and to " bring
into their remembrance all things that He had said unto
them." For after the day of Pentecost, on which the Holy
Ghost came upon them, the next news that we hear of any
of them, is, that " Peter and John went up together into the
Temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour," or the
hour of " evening prayer which they would not have
done, if they had not believed it to be agreeable to the doc-
trine which He had taught them.
And if there was no Divine revelation for it, our own
natural reason might teach us the same thing. For, seeing
we depend continually upon God, and every day receive
fresh mercies from Him ; there is all the reason in the world
that we should every day, some way or other, testify our
acknowledgment that we do so. For that is all that we can
do to Him, for all that He doeth for us. V/e cannot give
Him any thing, for we have nothing but what He gives us.
And therefore He expects nothing from us, for all the
favours He is pleased to shew us, but only to own that they
come from Him, and to shew we do so, by all such means
and methods as He for that purpose hath prescribed to us.
Of which, the performance of public devotions was always
reckoned the most plain and proper. I say public, for what
■we do in i)rivate, none in the world knows but God and
ourselves. But by performing our public devotions to Him,
we demonstrate to the world, that we believe and acknow-
ledge that He is the Supreme Governor and Disposer of all
things in it ; that it is in Him we live, and move, and have
our being ; and that we neither have, nor can have any
thing but what we receive from Him. By our praising Him
for what we have, we own that it was He Who gave it ; and
by praying to Him for what we want, we own it is He alone
Who can give it to us. And by doing this publicly, we shew
that we are not ashamed to own it, nor care if all the world
knows that we have nothing of our own ; nothing but what
we receive from God, and wish that all others would join
with us, and assist us in praising of Him, and in praying to
of Public Prayer.
501
Him, both for themselves, and for us too. This is properly
to serve God, and glorify Him in the world : the great vi'ork
we were made for, and for which we are still supported and
maintained by Him. So that by this means we may so far
answer the end of our creation, and the end of all His good-
ness and mercies to us. For He " made all things for Him- Prov. i6. 4.
self" at first. And He still doeth all things for Himself,
even for His Own glory. And we accordingly set forth His
glory in all our public devotions ; by owoing Him publicly
for our great and continual Benefactor, by recounting the
glorious works that He hath done for us, and supplicating
Him for all the good things that we can ever have : and so
ascribing the glory of all to Him. And therefore we ought
in reason to perform such devotions as often as we can. We
are bound to do it, by all those reasons which oblige us to
serve God that made us, and to do the work which He sent
us into the world about. For that this is properly the serv-
ing of God, or, as we therefore call it, ' Divine service,' the
Holy Ghost Himself testifies, where, speaking of Anna the
Projihetess, He saith, that " she departed not from the Luke 2. 37.
Temple, but served God with fasting and prayer night and
day," that is, as she constantly kept the fasts of the Church,
so she as constantly " went to the Temple at the hour of
prayer," both evening and morning ; and there performed
her devotions. And if we would have the same testimony
that she had, even that we serve God, we must endeavour
all we can to follow her pious example, as we see the Apos-
tles in my text did, by going " into the Temple," or the
house of God, " at the hour of prayer."
And, as this is much for the honour of God, so it is also
for the honour of Christ, and that holy religion which He
hath jilanted upon earth ; which, though it be the best, or
rather the only true religion professed in the world, yet it
cannot appear to be so any other way than by the lives and
actions of those who profess it ; and particularly by the
frequency of their public devotions to the Supreme Governor
of the world. If they who profess the Christian religion
come short of other people in this, it would be a great
reflection upon the Founder of it. For it would seem to
intimate, as if His religion had not that power upon the
minds of men as others have, nor answered the end and
502
The Necessity and Advantage
notion of religion in general, even the glorifying Almighty
God, so well as others do. But there are no people upon
earth we know of, who have any sense of religion at all,
but they do something or other every day, whereby to ex-
press it, and to shew the great esteem and i-espect they
have for the God they worship.
The Mahometans, although their religion be grounded
upon mere imposture, yet notwithstanding, being obliged
by it to pray five times a-day, they usually do it, if they
can, in their mosques or temples. I know the primitive
Christians prayed oftener, and so do many at this day, either
in public or private. But the greatest part of those which
are called Christians scarce ever pray, at least as we know
of, so much as once a-week, unless it be perhaps on the
Lord's Day. Nay, I fear there are many, who never pub-
licly pray at all, for a whole year together, if in their whole
lives. But woe to such Christians as these, if they may be
called so, who thus crucify to themselves the Son of God
afresh, putting Him to open shame. It will be far more
tolerable for Turks and Mahometans at the Day of Judg-
ment than for these.
The Jews, as I have shewn, had their set hours of prayer
every morning and evening, both at the Temple and in all
their synagogues, which were dispersed all over the country.
And they were so constant and punctual in going thither "at
the hours of prayer," that if any one lived near a synagogue,
and did not then go to pray with the congregation, they put
a mark upon that man, calling him ^"i pa', 'an ill neighbour,'
as Maimonides, a learned Jew, assures us in his Tejjhillah.
I wish there were no such neighbours among us, ' ill neigh-
bours,' that seldom or never join with us in our public
devotions ; and so, as to all outward appearance, live as
[Eph. 2. "without God in the world." But what a reproach is this to
our holy religion, and to our blessed Saviour Himself, the
Author of it, that Jews and Turks, who are strangers, yea,
enemies to His religion, should be more constant at their
devotions to Almighty God, than they who profess it! God
grant it may never be laid to their charge. But why do I
wish that, when I know that it will ? It will most certainly be
laid to their charge ere long, except they repent of it before
it be too late ; and that too, so as to be as constant for the
of Public Prayer.
503
future at our public prayers, as they have hitherto slighted
or neglected them.
This would, in a great measure, retrieve the honour which
our religion hath lost by such careless professors of it ; for
it would cast such a lustre upon it, as would make it outshine
all other religions in its outward appearance, as much as it
excels them in its inward purity and truth ; which would
redound very much to the glory of Christ, our ever-blessed
Redeemer. And, therefore, all that have any regard for
that, as I hope we all have, cannot but look upon themselves
as bound in duty to take all opportunities they can get of
performing their public devotions to Almighty God, accord-
ing as that religion requires which He hath taught, and they
profess.
If we would but give ourselves time to look into these
things, which I have thus briefly explained, we might easily
see what obligation lies upon ministers to read, and upon
people to assist at, our public prayers, w hen and wheresoever
they can get an opportunity. It is God's will, and for His
glory ; and therefore it is our duty, and we are bound to do
it, whether we can get any thing by it or no. But that great
and most gracious God, Whom we serve, hath of His infinite
goodness so ordered it, that whatsoever is done in obedience
to His command, and for the honour of His Name, doth,
ipso facto, tend also to our profit and advantage. And this
particularly doth so in a high degree.
Prayer itself, in general, is a duty so well-j^leasing unto
God, that He hath appointed it to be the means whereby to
obtain of Him all the good things we can want or desire ;
He hath passed His word, and hath promised to grant them,
if we ask them as we ought, in the Xame of Christ, and with
faith in His word and promise. And if the prayers which matt. 7. 7-
single persons make in their own private houses or closets ^J^^^'j^ 24.
be so powerful and prevalent, those are much more so which Johmo. 23;
are made by several persons met together for that purpose
in God's house. To these public prayers there are many
special promises made, which belong peculiarly unto them.
I shall instance only in two. The first shall be that of our
Blessed Saviour : "Again I say unto you, that if two of you Matt. 18,19.
shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall
504
The Necessity and Advantage
ask, it shall be done for them of My Father Which is in
Hea /en. For where two or three are gathered together in
My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Here we
have Christ's Own word, that where any two (mnch more
where many) agree to ask any thing of God, as we do in
every petition we put up in our public prayers, it shall be
done for them. And that where two or three, or any number
of devout persons, are met together in His Name, He is
specially present with them, to hear their prayers, and to
present them to His Father, to be accepted and granted by
Him, Which promise, in all respects, doth as properly
belong to our public as to any prayers that can be made ;
they being such as we all agree in beforehand ; and we do
not only meet, but put them up also in the Name of Christ.
The same may be said also of the promise which God
made to the house that Solomon had built and dedicated to
2Ciiron. 7. Him, Saying, " Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears
attend unto the prayer that is made in this place." Foi-
though this promise was first made to that house parti-
cularly, yet in that it was designed for all such places as
should be dedicated to God, as that was. As, God having
Josh. 1.5. said to Joshua, " I will not fail thee nor forsake thee;" the
Heb. 13. 6. Apostle from thence infers that we may boldly say, " The
Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do
unto me;" so here, the Lord having said to Solomon,
" Mine ears shall be attentive to the prayer that is made in
this place ;" we may boldly say, the Lord hath a particular
respect to places devoted to His service, and will in a
peculiar manner hear and accept the prayers which we make
in them.
Now seeing there are such special promises made to
prayers publicly performed by several persons together in
God's Own house, we therefore ought to have a special
regard to such prayers, and a special trust and confidence
that God, according to the said promises, will in a special
manner hear them, and grant what we there pray for toge-
ther. And then He will certainly do it, as the Saints of God
in all ages have found by experience ; and therefore have
always preferred the public before the private devotions.
And if they could not be bodily present with them, while
of Public Prayer.
505
their brethren were at their public devotions in God's house,
yet they had such a respect to them, that they would pray at
the same time, and so join with them in their souls, although
they could not do it with their bodies. There are many
instances of this in the Holy Scripture ; and some wherein
God Himself was pleased, in a wonderful manner, to signify
His approbation of it. It was at the evening sacrifice, the
time of public prayer, that Ezra made that solemn prayer,
which was so highly approved of as to be made part of the
canonical Scriptures. It was at the time of the offering the Ezra 9. 5.
evening sacrifice at Jerusalem, that Elijah the Prophet, at
Mount Carmel, prayed so effectually, that " the fire of the 1 Kings is.
Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood,
and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that
was in the trench," which he had there made, to the con-
firming of the people in the worship of the true God, It was
about the time of the evening oblation that Daniel was Dan. 9.21.
praying, when the Angel Gabriel was sent to acquaint hira
with the precise time of the Messiah's coming. And if we
may believe an Apocryphal book, it was about the time that
the incense that evening was offered at Jerusalem, " in the Jud. 9. 1.
house of the Lord," that Judith prayed at Bethulia, so as to
overcome that vast army which then lay before the place.
Be sure it was at " the ninth hour," the hour of public Acts 10, 3,
prayer, that Cornelius was praying in his house, when an
Angel was sent to acquaint him, that " his prayers and his
alms were come up for a memorial before God," and to
direct him how to come to the knowledge of Christ, and so
into the way of Salvation,
It was not certainly for nothing that it is so particu-
larly noted, that these prayers were made by such eminent
saints at the time of evening sacrifice, or, which is the
same, at " the ninth hour," the hour of public prayer.
Neither do I see any reason why such a circumstance
should be so often left upon record, but that we should
learn thereby that God hath a particular respect, according
to His promise, to the public devotions which His people
perform together to Him ; so as to hear also the prayers
which are made at the same time by others, who join
with them in their hearts, though they cannot any other
506
The Necessity and Advantage
way. As David also did, when, praying in private, or at
Ps. 141. 3. some distance from the Temple, he said to God, " Let my
prayer be set forth before Thee as incense, and the lifting
up of my hands as the evening sacrifice," where we may
observe that in this, as well as in all the places before
quoted, not the morning, but the evening sacrifice, is par-
ticularly named ; because, as I suppose, that was the greater
sacrifice of the two, as being offered at the same hour
wherein the death of Christ, typified by it, was actually
accomplished, and for that reason, also, no sacrifice was to
be offered after that. And here we may likewise observe
how great esteem David had for the public service at the
Temple, and how much he preferred it before his own
private prayer, in that he had not only an eye to it while
he prayed, and so joined as well as he could in it, but he
desired that his private prayer might be like to that, or as
acceptable as that was to God.
But the more pleasing any duty is to God, the more
profitable it is to those who do it. And therefore he having
so often, both by word and deed, manifested himself well
pleased with the public or common service which His people
perform to Him, we cannot doubt but they always receive
proportionable advantage from it. The Jews call stated
public prayers niTJpi^a, ' stations,' and have a saying among
them, ' tliat without such stations the world could not stand.'
Be sure, no people have any ground to expect public peace
and tranquillity, without praising and praying publicly unto
Him Who alone can give it. But if all the people, suppose
of this nation, should every day with one heart and mouth
join together in our common supplications to Almighty God,
how happy should we then be ! how free from danger ! how
safe and secure under His protection ! This is the argu-
ment which Christ Himself useth, why " men ought always
to pray and not to faint ;" in the parable of the unjust judge,
M'ho was at last prevailed with to grant a widow's request,
merely by her importunity in asking it. " And shall not
God," saith He, " avenge His Own elect, which cry day and
night unto Him, though He bear long with them ? I tell
you He will avenge them speedily." But then He adds,
Lukei8.7,8. " Tsevertlieless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find
of Public Prayer.
507
faith on the earth?" As if He had said, God will most cer-
tainly avenge and protect those who cry day and night,
morning and evening, to Him. But men will not believe
this ; and that is the reason why there are so few who believe
that He will hear their prayers, according to His promise.
But blessed be God, though they be but few, there are some
who really believe God's Word, and accordingly pray every
morning and evening, not only for themselves, but for the
country where they live, for all their governors both in
Church and State, and for all sorts and conditions of men
among us. To these the whole kingdom is beholden for its
support and preservation. If they should once fail, I know
not what would become of us. But so long as there are
pious and devout persons crying day and night to God for
aid and defence against our enemies, we need not fear any
hurt they can ever do us ; at least according to God's ordi-
nary course of dealing in the world. I know that He is
sometimes so highly incensed against a people, that He will
hearken to no intercessions for them. As when He said of
the idolatrous and factious Jews, " Though Moses and Samuel Jer. 15.
stood before Me, yet My mind could not be towards this
people." Moses had before diverted His wrath from them,
Exod. xxxii. 11, 12, 14, and so had Samuel, ] Sam. vii. 9,
but at this time He saith. Though both of them stood
before Him and besought Him for it, yet He would not be
reconciled to this people. Which plainly implies that this
was an extraordinary case, and that He ordinai'ily used to
hearken to the prayers which His faithful servants, such as
Moses and Samuel were, made to Him in behalf of the
people among whom they dwelt : according to that of the
Apostle St. James, "The effectual fervent prayer of a right- James 5. 16.
eous man availeth much." To the same purpose is that
parallel place in the Prophet Ezekiel, where God saith,
"That if a land sin grievously against Him, and He send Ezek. 14.14,
the famine, the sword, the pestilence, or the like punishment,
to cut off both man and beast from it, though these three
men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver
none but their own souls." But here we may likewise ob-
serve, that in such an extraordinary case as this, which God
grant may not be our own ere long, although such righteous
508 The Necessity and Advantage
persons by all tlieir prayers and tears can deliver none else,
yet they themselves shall be delivered. As Lot was out of
Sodom, and the Christians at the final destruction of Jeru-
Joseph. de saleui, when eleven hundred thousand Jews perished, and
vU. c. "7. " not one Christian, they being all by the secret providence of
Euseb. God conveyed out of the city before the siege began ; which
1. iii. c. 5.' shews the particular care that God takes of all that believe
and serve Him. And that one would think is enough to
prevail witli all that consult their own or others' welfare, to
neglect no opportunities which they can get of serving so
great and good a Master all the ways they can, and particu-
larly by performing their daily devotions to Him. In that
they have good ground to hope that He will hear their
prayers for others, but may be sure He will take care of
them, whatsoever happens.
Besides these common benefits which accrue to the king-
dom and Church in general, from the common prayers
which are daily performed in it, and to the persons who
perform them as they are members of the same ; there are
likewise many others which they thereby receive, every one
in his own private capacity, as he is a Christian in general;
especially when they perform these their daily devotions,
according to that excellent order which our Church hath
appointed for them. For by thus addressing themselves
every day to God as their Heavenly Father, they learn to
live with an entire submission to Him, and dependence upon
Him, in all the changes and chances of this mortal life. By
confessing their sins every day to God, their hearts are
always touched with a sense of them, and with godly sor-
row and repentance for them. By having God's absolution
of them declared every day unto them by one of His Own
ministers, they are confirmed in their hopes of pardon by
the blood of Christ. By praising and glorifying Almighty
God every day, their hearts are cheered and their spirits
refreshed with the remembrance and recognition of His
glory and goodness towards them, as David's was, when he
Ps. 63. 5. said, " My soul shall be satisfied even as it was with marrow
and fatness, when my mouth praiseth Thee with joyful lips."
By hearing some part of God's Holy Word read to them
every day, they are constantly put in mind of their duty to
of Public Prayer.
509
Him, what He would have them to believe and do, which
otherwise they might be apt to forget. By repeating the
Apostles' Creed every day, wherein all the fundamental
articles of our Christian religion are comprehended, they are
kept firm and steadfast in the true faith of Christ. By pray-
ing every day for pardon, and peace, and grace, and all
things necessary both for this life and the next, they have
the word and promise of God Himself continually engaged
to grant them, and therefore may be always confident that
they shall have them. By approaching every day into God's
special presence, and there conversing with Him according
to His Own ordinance and appointment, they live always
with a quick sense of God upon their minds, and under the
influences of His Holy Spirit to assist and direct them in all
their ways.
But why do I offer at shewing the many and great ad-
vantages which arise from the daily frequenting the public
prayers of the Church, with that attention, faith, reverence,
and devotion, which is requisite to so Divine a duty ? — when
they are so many and so great that no man is able fully to
describe them, nor can any conceive aright of them, but only
they who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern them. They find by experience, that next to the
frequent receiving of the Lord's Supper, this is the most
effectual means they can use, whereby to keep their minds
always in a truly pious and Christian temper; and therefore
are ready upon all occasions to attest it, not only with their
lips, but also in their lives and actions ; and cannot but
wonder how people should slight those holy exercises, which
they reap so much profit from, and feel so much pleasure and
delight in. Whereas, on the other side, they who never go
to the prayers at all, or but very seldom, and so never
receive any benefit from them to themselves, they wonder
as much how others should receive any ; if they be not some-
times tempted, also, to say or think with those sons of Belial
in Job, " What is the Almighty that we should serve Him ? job 21. 15.
and what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?"
I hope there are not many who really think so, but I am
sure that most men act as if they thought that there is no-
thing to be got by serving God or praying to Him. For all
men naturally desire that which will bring them in any profit
510
The Necessity and Advantage
or advantage, and lay out themselves wholly for the obtain-
ing of it. And, therefore, if they believed that the serving
of God would do that, they would need no other arguments
to persuade them to it. If every man that came to prayers
could be sure to get but one shilling for every time he came,
I am ajit to think that all the churches where there are daily
prayers, would be every day as full as they can hold both
morning and evening. But the mischief is, the profit which
is to be had here is of another nature, and such as they can-
not fancy to be any profit at all, in that they are not as they
think made richer by it in the things pertaining to this life.
1 Tim. 4. s. Though that also is a great mistake ; " For godliness," or
the worshipping and serving God, " hath the promise of the
life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." But
howsoever, this being only in promise, not in jjresent pay-
ment, they cannot get it into their heads that it is worth
their while to look after it. And as for the other world,
which the promises respect, they have no sense of that upon
their minds, or at least, not enough to overbalance their cares
for this. And though men may pretend a thousand little
excuses for their neglecting the public service of God, this
still lies at the bottom of them all. They do not really
believe that they can get so much by that as they may by
doing something else. If they did, our churches would be
all as full as the Exchange is every day in the week.
Whereas, we find the contrary by sad and daily experience ;
insomuch that in this great and populous city, which pro-
fesseth religion as much, if not more, than any city in the
world, to our shame be it spoken, there is scarce one in a
hundred that take any more notice of God and His service,
than as if they had no God to serve, all the week long. And
that which is worst of all, they are not sensible that it is a
fault, and so cannot repent of it. Though St. Peter and St.
John, and such great Saints, used to go every day to church
at the hours of prayer, they do not look upon themselves as
bound to do so, for several reasons which they know, but do
not care to tell them. And they do wisely in keeping them
to themselves ; for they may perhaps make a shift to satisfy
themselves at present with them, but I fear they can never
satisfy others, nor themselves neither, at the Last Day, much
less the Judge of the whole world. It would be very well
of Public Prayer.
511
if they could. But so far as we can guess at them, if we
examine them but by the little light we have in this world,
we may easily see into the vanity and weakness of them.
This, therefore, is that which I shall now endeavour to do.
Not that I can pretend to search into all the reasons, if they
may be so called, which keep men from our daily prayers.
Some, I believe, have none but their own wills ; wdth such
it would be in vain to argue. But they which have any
shadow of reason for it, though some have one, some another,
as they themselves best know ; yet I humbly conceive they
may all be reduced to these following heads, which I shall
now consider.
1. First, Therefore, some will not come to our prayers,
because, as they jDretend, they do not like them. But why
do not they like them ? Is there any thing in them contrary
to the Word of God, or unbecoming His service? That
most of them, be sure, cannot say, for they never read nor
heard them in their lives, nor are suffered to do it by those
which have power over them, lest they should see, as they
certainly would, their error or mistake. And they who
have sometimes perhaps read or heard them, if they would
but impartially examine them by God's revealed will, cannot
but acknowledge them to be exactly consonant and agree-
able to it; and some of them have testified the same, by
joining with them upon occasion, which it is supposed they
would never have done if they thought it unlawful, as it
must needs be, if there be any thingjn them contrary to
God's Word. But why, then, do not they do it often? why
not every day? The great reason which they pretend is,
because our prayers are read out of a book, and they had
rather hear a man pray by heart and extempore, which they
think to be more edifying; but the contrary to that hath
been often demonstrated beyond all contradiction, together
with the many and great inconveniences which usually fol-
low upon such private extempore prayers in public, not to
be suffered in the Church of Christ, as they never were in
any part of it till of late years, and then too, nowhere else
but in this island. And therefore at present I would only
desire those, who separate from our public prayers, not out
of humour or faction, but merely out of an erroneous and
512
The Necessity and Advantage
niisguided conscience, of vvliich sort I hope there are some :
— I would desire such to consider, whether the great pro-
mise which our Saviour hath made to public prayers can
possibly be applied to their way of praying. To me it seems
impossible, in that thej' do not perform the condition required
Matt.18.19. in it. The promise I mentioned before : it runs thus, " Again
I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of my Father Which is in Heaven." It is plain that
this promise belongs to public prayers, such as are made by
several persons together, at the least by two : and it is as
plain also, that it belongs only to such public prayers
wherein those several persons agree together beforehand
what they shall ask or pray for. But where the Minister
useth only an extempore prayer, how many people soever
may be present at it, there are no two of them who agree
what they shall ask; that is left wholly to the Minister,
none of the people so much as knowing what he intends to
ask ; nor he himself neither before he hath asked it. They
may perhaps agree to it after they hear it, and perhaps not ;
but if they do, that is not the thing which the promise
requires: for it is made only to those who agree touching
any thing that they shall ask ; and so requires a previous
agreement about the matter of our public prayers, before
we put them up to Almighty God, which they who use only
extemporary prayers can by no means pretend to, nor, by
consequence, to this great promise of God's granting what
they ask.
But now, in the public prayers of the Church, we keep
close to the condition of the promise : we ask nothing but
what we all agree beforehand shall be asked. All the
clergy in England, by their procurators in Convocation,
and all the commons by their representatives in Parliament,
agreed together touching every thing that should be asked
every day in the year. And so do all that come to the
prayers ; they all know before what shall then be asked,
and accordingly agree in the asking of it ; and therefore
have sure ground to believe, that God, according to His
promise, will do it for them.
These words of our Saviour might be further improved
of Public Prayer. 513
to shew, not only tlie lawfulness, but the necessity of set
forms of prayer in the public service of God. But I suppose
there are none here present but who are satisfied already in
that, and therefore shall only add, that they, who pretend
this to be the reason why they do not join with us in our
daily prayers, because they like those in private congrega-
tions better, at the same time give us too much cause to
suspect that there is something else at the bottom ; for if
that was all, they would have those which they call public
prayers every day in their own way ; or at least would come
to ours when they have none of their own, which they never
do, and so perform no sort of public service to God upon
the week-days; which how they will answer at the Last
Day, for my part, I know not ; but if they do, it will be very
well.
2, There are others, who have a more plausible excuse
for their not assisting at the public, because they daily
perform their private devotions according to Christ's Own
command, saying, " And when thou prayest, thou shalt not Matt.6.5,6.
be as the hypocrites ; for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may
be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their
reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father Which
is in secret ; and thy Father Which seeth in secret shall
reward thee openly." But, in these words, our Saviour is
so far from excusing us from public prayers that He only
directs us how we ought to perform them aright ; that we
must not pray as the hypocritical Pharisees did, only to be
seen of men, and so make that the end of their public
prayers, which were ordained, and therefore ought to be
performed, not for our own, but for God's honour and glory.
And whosoever performs them only to be seen of men, they
have their reward they looked for, even the applause of
men : but they have no ground to expect any reward from
God, Who never accepts any services, but such as are per-
formed out of sincere obedience to His laws and for the
honour of His Name. And therefore, he that would pray
acceptably to God, as he must often pray secretly in his
closet, where he cannot have the applause of men in his eye,
L L
614
The Necessity and Advantage
because none seetli him but God ; so, even in his public
prayers, he must act with the same sincere intentions as if
he was in private, aiming sincerely at the glory of God, as
the great end for which public prayers were ordained, and
to which they conduce much more than our private can ;
for in private, none sees us but God ; but in public, though
we must not pray therefore that men may see us, yet we
cannot pray but some will see us acknowledging God's
goodness, and imploring His mercy to us, which is much for
His honour and glory. According to that remarkable
Matt. 5. 16. saying of our blessed Saviour, " Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father Which is in Heaven."
Wherefore they who sincerely desire to observe all Christ's
commands, as becometh good Christians, they must make
conscience of praying often every one in his closet, or by
himself. But they must not look upon themselves as
thereby excused from praying also publicly as often as they
have opportunity ; for that also, as I have shewn, is else-
where commanded by Him. But rather, if they happen to
be brought into such a strait, that it is morally impossible
for them to perform both, they must jarefer the public before
their private devotions ; and in both must take especial care
to act with that simplicity and godly sincerity as becometh
those who have to do with an all-seeing God, Who hates
nothing more than hypocrisy and deceit.
The same may be said of those prayers which are, or
ought to be, performed in every family apart, and by itself,
as the great means whereby to keep up the sense of God in
it, and to have His blessing always upon it. For which
purpose the Common Prayer is certainly the best that can
be used, as it may all be, except the " Absolution," by any
master of a family, who by this means may, in a great
measure, as to his own family, supply the want of the public
prayers of the Church where they cannot be had ; but where
they may, these family prayers should not hinder, but rather
make way for them, by fitting the members of each family
better for the more solemn service of God in the public
congregation. It cannot be doubted but that St. Peter and
St. John prayed both in their closets and in their families
of Public Prayer.
515
" every day ;" and yet, for all that, they went up " together
into the Temple at the hour of prayer."
3. Another excuse that men commonly make unto them-
selves for their neglecting- of our daily prayers, is, because
God, as they say, hath given them " six days" to labour in,
and hath reserved only "one" for Himself; therefore now
called " His," or the " Lord's Day." But that they solemnly
observe, by joining Avith the congregation in His public
service; and therefore do not think themselves obliged to
do so upon other days also, whereon God doth not only
permit, but require them to follow their respective callings
for the maintenance of themselves and families. It is true,
he doeth so : but it doth not from thence follow, that they
need not serve God upon those days as well as upon His
Own. His Day ought to be sjient wholly in His service,
and no other business to be done upon it, which may as well
be done another day. Upon other days men may and ought
to mind their particular callings, as well as their public
devotions ; but still these ought to be minded as well as
those. No people were ever more strictly commanded to
keep the Sabbath than the Jews were; yet they were com- [Exod. 29.
manded also to serve God publicly twice every day, by offer- ^s-^o.]
ing a sacrifice together with their prayers every morning
and evening in the week ; to which there were only two [xum. 28.
more extraordinarily added upon the Sabbath. And we ^' '"'•^
certainly are as much bound to offer up our prayers and
praises unto God, as they were to offer up their sacrifices
every day ; otherwise our religion, in the very point of de-
votion, would come short of theirs ; which cannot be sup-
posed without great absurdity, by any that understand it,
and know the Author of it.
But the vanity of this excuse appears sufficiently from
what I discoursed before, concerning the necessity and ad-
vantages of daily prayers ; and therefore shall say no more
to it here, but that they who never perform their public
devotions unto God, but upon His Own day, will hardly do
it well then : and that all who desire in good earnest to keep
the Lord's Day as they ought, must go to Church at the
"hour of prayer," every day in the week, if they can.
But some, perhaps, may say they cannot do it ; they
cannot spare so much time as that requires, from their
516
TJie Necessity and Advantage
worldly business, upon the week-days, without apparent
danger of ruining themselves and families. Some, perhaps,
may say this : I am sure all cannot. There are many in
and about this city, and in the country too, who have no
worldly business to do, or at least do none, all the week
long. To them every day is a Sabbath — a day of rest —
Avherein they liave nothing else to do but to serve Him Who
hath given them so much leisure on purpose that they might
do it. They keep holyday every day, and therefore should
keep every day holy, or at least so much of it as is necessary
for the offering up their public prayers and praises unto
God, Who hath provided so liberally for them ; otherwise
the time that He hath given them will be spent to little
purpose, and their estates, if possible, to less. For they will
be so far from doing them any good, that they will but
increase their misery, if not in this world, as they often do,
yet most certainly in the next.
And as for such among you as follow some particular
calling, I must acknowledge it is no more than what you
may and ought to do, so far as it is necessary for the main-
tenance of yourselves and those of your own house, and for
your being better able to relieve others, and to do good in
the world. But I do not think that you can be therefore
excused from attending daily upon the public worship of
God, as often as you can ; I say, as often as you can. For
I know things may sometimes fall out so, that you cannot
do it without very great inconvenience. And at such times
I humbly conceive you may lawfully be absent witiiout any
scruple. But I speak only of the general course of a man's
life. As it is said of our blessed Saviour, that being at
Luke 4. 16. Nazareth, "He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-
day, as His custom was," so it ought to be your usual cus-
tom to go every day to Churcli, " at the hours of prayer,"
notwithstanding any ordinary business which you may have
to do in the mean time. As I doubt not but you yourselves
will acknowledge, if you would but seriously consider these
few things.
First, Consider that you have souls as well as bodies to
take care of every day in the year, and another world to
provide for as well as this, — an eternal world, where you
must live in happiness or misery for ever. And therefore it
of Public Prayer.
517
would be the height of folly and madness to suffer the ordi-
nary affairs of this life to hinder you from using the means
■whereby to obtain grace and salvation in the next.
Consider also, That you neither have, nor can have, any
thing but what you receive from God. It is only His bless-
ing that " raaketh rich." And the way to have that, is to Prov. 10.22.
seek it daily of Him, and to prefer your duty to Him before
all things else ; without which, you have no ground to ex-
pect it : but by this means yon cannot fail of it, for you have
His Own Word for it. Matt. 6. 33.
Again consider, You can never get hurt by doing good,
nor lose anything by serving God, except that which is
better lost than found. Whilst you are sincerely praying to
or praising Him W^ho orders all things in the world, you
may be confident, that whatsoever happens to you at that
time, shall one way or other turn to your good, or, at least,
no real evil shall befall you. As you see in the children of
Israel ; all their men met together by God's command, at
Jerusalem, at three certain times every year; whereby the
whole land was left naked and open, without any defence at
those times against their enemies round about. And yet it
is very observable, none ever invaded it, nor ever so much
as attempted to do it, at any of those times when they were
met together before God : as He Himself had promised,
saying, " Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou Exod. 34.
shalt go up to appear before the Lord thrice in the year."
Furthermore, consider. None of you, I believe, are so
busy all the day long in your trades, but you can find time
to visit a friend. And what better friend can you visit than
Him Who "loved you, and gave Himself for you ?" None ^^^•^•2° '
of you but can find time to go from your own into your ^'
neighbour's or perhaps to a public-house, and there con-
tinue, perhaps, an hour or two together. And what house
can you go to better than God's — His house of public
prayer ? And where can you spend an hour or two in a day
j better than there? None of you but can find time every
I day to converse with one company or other, either about
news, or business no way relating to your trades. And what
better company can you keep — whom can you converse
with better than Him Who governs and overrules all the
I occurrences of the world ? And what better news can you
518
The Necessitrj and Advantage
hear than that which is publicly said to you out of His
Holy Word, by one of His Own officers ? None of you but
can find time, every day, when tired with business, to divert
yourselves with some recreation or other. And where can you
find better diversions? How can you recreate your spirits
better than as the glorified Saints and Angels do, by praising,
[Rev. 5. 6; admiring adoring the eternal God, the Lamb that sitteth
•22 1 1 &' & ' _
■-' upon the Throne in Heaven ? In short, if you have no time,
for a wliole day together, to mind anything else but your
particular calling, I heartily pity you. If you have, I am
sure you can no way spend it better thau by going into the
house of God " at the hour of prayer."
And besides, you who fear that you may lose something
by it, I desire you to consider how much you may lose
unless you go. If Anna the prophetess had not been in the
house of God at the " hour of prayer," when Christ was first
brought thither, she had lost the sight of her Saviour, the
Lui<e2. 37, most blessed sight that ever mortal saw. If St. Paul had
not been praying in the Temple, he had lost that Heavenly
trance or ecstasy wherein Christ Himself appeared and
Acts 2-2. 17. spake to him. If St. Peter and St. John had not gone " into
the Temple at the hour of prayer," they had lost the happy
opportunity of working a great miracle, and of converting
about five thousand persons to the faith of Christ. And
those five thousand persons, if they had not been there at
that time, they might have lost their souls, and have been
undone for ever. So here, suppose you should happen to
lose something by leaving your shops or trades awhile, to
come to Church and serve God there, you may lose ten times
more, yea, ten thousand times more, by not doing of it. l!?he
utmost that you can lose by coming to Church, is only the
taking or getting a little money, which may do you more
hurt than good. But by not coming, you will lose the
pleasure of praising and magnifying Him that made you;
you will lose the honour of conversing with Him at His
Own house, and in His most special presence ; you will lose
the profit you might receive from His Holy Word there
read ; you will lose the benefit of all the prayers which are
there made ; you may lose the love and favour of God, and
His blessing upon what you have ; you may lose that clear
sight and sense of His Divine goodness, which He has often
of Public Prayer.
519
been pleased to give His people, by " lifting up the light of LPs. 4. 6.]
His countenance upon them" hile they are before Him ;
you will lose the satisfaction of having done your duty and
pleased God. Indeed, you may lose you know not what,
nor ever will know, till you cast up your accounts at the
Last Day, and state your profit and loss impartially on both
sides. Then you will clearly see, that the losses which you
sustained by the neglect of your daily devotions were infinite
and inestimable, and that all the profits you got by it were
mere ciphers, signifying nothing at all.
Next to this, you may consider also that you are so happy
as to live in a place where the prayers are read most hours
of the day. So that if you cannot order your aSairs so as to
go at one hour, you may go at another. And both morning
and evening prayer do not take up much above an hour, or
an hour and a half in a day; and it is much if you cannot
find so much time in a whole day, wherein to serve and wor-
ship Him Who gives you all the time you have. And if
some of a family happen to be so necessarily employed for
a whole day together, that they cannot, yet it is but rare but
others may be spared to go to Church at the hours of prayer.
There is no master or mistress of a family but may, if they
cannot come themselves, at least send some that belong to
them, that so the family may have some share in our prayers
if they will. They that will not do so much as that, have
little cause to pretend any love to God, to Christ, or to their
own, or to any other souls that He hath purchased with His
Own blood.
Above all, consider the great end of your coming into and
living in the world. God did not make you only to eat
and drink, much less to moil and toil only for food and
raiment. It is true. He having made such things necessary
for the preservation of your life, He doth not only permit,
but require you to make use of all lawful means for the
getting of them. But still they are only the means, not the
end of your living. And as you do not live only to eat, but
you eat to live, so you live not for your own sakes, but for
His Who gave you life, — even for the sake of God, Who
gave you life at first by His Word, without any means, and
still continues it to you by the same AVord, in the use of
520
llie Necessity and Advantage
the foresaid means, and all for Himself, for His On^n honour
and glory : Avhich therefore is, or ought to be, the great end
of your eating or drinking, and of all and every action of
your whole life ; as we learn from His Apostle, saying,
iCor.10.31. "Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do,
do all to the glory of God." This, therefore, is the great
end of your coming into the world, and the great work you
have to do in it, even to jiroraote His glory all you can.
But in doing this work you will also work out your own
Salvation. For it hath pleased God, of His infinite good-
ness, to join your works and your ways. His glory and your
happiness, so inseparably together, that you cannot do one
without the other, nor attain either but you shall have both.
So far as you advance God's glory, so far you advance your
own happiness. If you glorify Him, He will glorify you,
though not for any virtue or merit there is in any thing you
do for Him, — all you do being infinitely short of what you
owe Him ; yet by the merits of that death which His Son
hath suffered, and by virtue of that intercession He always
makes for those who finish the work which He hath given
[Johni7.4.] them to do, even " glorify God in the world."
Wherefore, as ever you desire, — as I hope you all do, —
not to live in vain and to no purpose, but to do the work
which you were sent hither about, you must make it your
chief care and study every day, and neglect no opportunities
that ye can get of promoting the glory of God, and in that
your own happiness. But there is nothing you can do
every day that conduceth more to that end than our public
devotions ; for by them, as I have shewn already, we both
set forth God's glory, and forward our own Salvation. And
therefore they ought, in reason as well as duty, to be pre-
ferred before your ordinary affairs, as being of more con-
sequence to the main end of your living than any thing else
that you commonly do. In other cases, you yourselves
always make lesser businesses give way to greater. At
any time you will neglect the getting a penny rather than
lose a pound. And whatsoever work you have upon your
hands, you will lay it aside to feed your bodies, your frail
and mortal bodies, two or three times a-day, because you
think that to be the more necessary work. And do not you
of Public Prayer.
521
think it as necessary to take care of your souls as of your
bodies ? and to serve God, as to feed yourselves every day ?
Yea, is not this " the better part — the one thing needful ?"
I am sure you cannot deny it ; for Christ Himself hath said
it, Luke X. 42. And therefore you cannot but acknowledge
that this ought to be done in the first place. So that all the
common affairs of this life ought, both in reason and con-
science, to give place, as much as is possible, to your serving
God, so as that your souls may live, and be happy for ever.
If you would but keep these things always in your mind,
you would never suffer any slight occasion to keep you
either from your private or public devotions ; you would
not consider whether you can spare time from minding the
world to serve God, but whether you can spare time from
serving God to mind the world ; not what you may lose
by going to Church, but what you may lose by staying at
home: and so would need no other monitor to put you every
day in mind of going to the house of God, as the Apostles
did, " at the hour of prayer."
But, after all, I fear there are but few will do it — but few
of those also who have now heard it to be their duty. They
think it enough that they have been hearing ; as for prac-
tising, that they do not love to think of. But I heartily
wish that such hearers would consider what St. Paul saith, Rom. 2. 13.
" Not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the
doers of the Law shall be justified:" what St. James saith, james 1.22.
" Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves :" what Christ Himself saith, " That servant Luke 12.47.
which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither
did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes:"
and what they themselves can say for themselves at the Last
Day. I am sure they cannot plead ignorance, for they have
been now sufficiently told of it. And what other excuses
they can make besides those whicb have been already an-
swered, I cannot imagine, except it be one which is not
worth answering, but that it will give us occasion to explain
the way and manner of performing our daily devotions
aright, to God's glory and our own good ; — and for that
purpose it may not be amiss to take notice of it. In short,
therefore, it is this : some, perhaps, may say that they have
522
The Necessity and Advantage
been sometimes at our daily prayers, but never found them-
selves any better for it ; and therefore do not think it worth
their while to go any more.
This, I must confess, may seem a notable argument to
such as measure their duty only by their profit, and think
it not worth their while to do any thing for God, unless
they can get something to themselves by it. But I would
have such to know that God is their Maker, and they are
therefore bound to do what He commands, whether they can
get any thing by it or not. If He gives them any thing, they
must thank Him for it. For they are still but " unprofitable
Lukei7. 10. servants," they have done no more than what was their
" duty to do," nor so much if they do it only for their own
advantage. For it is their duty not only to do what He
commands, but to do it, therefore, because He commands it,
in sincere obedience to Him and His supreme authority
over all things. Unless they do that, they have no ground
to expect any thing from Him for what they do, but wrath
and judgment for not doing it as they ought. And how
much soever they do, and how well soever they do it, He is
not obliged to them, but they to Him for it ; it being only by
His power they can do it at all, and by His grace only they do
it well. And therefore, if He consider them for their doing
their duty to Him, they must ascribe it wholly to His free
grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, which whether He is pleased
to vouchsafe unto them or not, they are still bound to obey
and serve Him as much as if He did, and that too, not with
respect to their own profit, but to His will and pleasure.
I speak not this, as if we could ever serve God for nought.
For we can never do any thing for Him, but it will most
certainly redound by His goodness to our advantage. But
I speak it only to sliew the vanity of this excuse that some
men make for their neglecting their public devotions, be-
cause they have been sometimes at them, but do not per-
ceive themselves any better for it. But, after all, I am
much of their mind. I do not think that they are or can be
much the better for attending upon the public worship of
God only sometimes. For it is plain that they who do it
only sometimes, do it only by the by, when they have no
great matter else to do. They do not make it their work
of Public Prayer.
523
or business, and therefore cannot expect any reward for it,
nor get any good at all, much less so much as to be made
better by it.
The solemn praying and praising God, and reading and
hearing His most Holy Word read, and so His Divine will
published and declared in His Own house, by one of His
Own ministers, are the ordinary means of grace. But they
work not by any virtue inherent in themselves, but by the
jjower of Christ's Holy Spirit, which, according to His pro-
mise, abides continually in His Church, assisting and actu-
ating the said means, when duly administered in it, so as to
make them effectual to the end for which they were ordained.
And therefore, they who would attain that end, must use
those means, not only now and then, but constantly, or at
least as often as they can. They must " watch daily at the Prov. s. 34.
gates of Wisdom, and wait at the posts of her doors," if ever
they desire to be admitted in. They must live continually
under the influences of God's Holy Spirit, moving upon
their souls as He did upon the waters in the creation, till
He hath brought them into order, and created them again
in Jesus Christ unto good works. Otherwise they have no
ground to expect to be made new creatures. It is not a
man's going into the right way sometimes, but his walking
in it, that will bring him to his journey's end. Our public
devotions are the way, the right way that leads to the grace
of God : but he that would come at the end, so as to have
the grace of God always sufl&cient for him, he must not only
step into this way sometimes, but he must keep always in it,
as much as it is possible, so as to let slip no opportunity he
can get of going to the house of God " at the hour of prayer."
Neither is that all : it is not enough to go into the house of
God " at the hour of prayer," but when he is there, he must
do the work of that time and place, and nothing else. He
must not stand looking about him, as if he had nothing to do
there ; neither must he suffer his thoughts to wander about
upon other things, like those the Prophet speaks of, saying,
" And they come unto Thee as the people coraeth, and they Ezek.33.31.
sit before Thee as my people, and they hear Thy words, but
they will not do them ; for with their mouth they shew
much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."
524
The Necessity and Advantage
Such people had as good be out of tlie Churcli as in it, for
any good they either do or get there. Indeed, they are not
wholly in it ; only their worser part, their bodies, are there ;
their souls are at home in their shops, among their chapmen
or neighbours, or running about the country, perhaps as far
as the Indies, minding their affairs there. And how can
such people expect to be ever the better for being in God's
house, when they affront Him to His face, making a show
as if they served Him, when really they were about other
business ? Yet this is the case of most of those M'ho go
thither only sometimes ; for, not being used to that kind of
work, they do not know how to set about it, much less to
keep their minds so intent upon it as is necessary to the due
performance of it.
The work we have to do in God's house is a great work,
the greatest we can ever do ; it is God's Own work, the work
He tells us to do for Himself, even to serve, and worship,
and glorify Him that made both our souls and bodies ; and
therefore both our souls and bodies must be wholly employed
in it. As for our bodies. He hath given us this general rule,
Eccies. 5. 1. " Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God,"
that is, to look to thy ways ; take care of thy outward car-
riage and deportment ; see thou behavest thyself, in God's
house as becometh one who believeth himself to be in the
presence of the greatest person in the world. For so we are
whensoever we meet together in God's house; we are in His
[Matt. 18. special presence. He Himself hath said, that He is "in the
""■^ midst of us;" and therefore we are bound to believe it, and
to shew we do so, by all such reverent and humble gestures
before Him as we should certainly use if we saw Him with
our bodily eyes. Especially when we pray unto Him, we
must do it upon our knees, as we should if we put up a peti-
tion but to an earthly prince. How much more to the King
of all kings ! And when we praise His holy Name, although
we do it standing, yet that also must be done in such a pos-
ture of adoration, as may testify our fear and reverence of
His Divine Majesty. Some, perhaps, may think these to be
mere ceremonies ; but I am sure, that kneeling and bowing
to Almighty God is that which the Holy Scriptures mean by
worshipping of Him, and therefore forbid us to do it to any
of Public Prayer.
525
in a religious manner but to the true God. And as this is
the way to worship God with our bodies, so it is the best
means we can use whereby to keep our souls too in a pious
and devout temjier before Him. For by this means we are
all the while put in mind of that glorious Person we are
speaking to, and of the great work we are about, which
otherwise we should be very apt to forget ; as we have too
much cause to fear they do, who speak to God in the same
posture as they do to one another. I say, speak, not pray,
for that is the work of the heart as well as of the mouth.
And if their hearts were upon God, while they are speaking
to Him, I do not see how it is possible for them not to fall
down and worship before Him.
But we must remember, that " God is a Spirit ; and they John 4. 24.
that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth,"
that is, at the same time that they worship God with their
bodies, they must do it also in their spirits, without which
all their bodily worship will signify nothing. For worship,
properly so called, is nothing else but some outward sign of
our inward fear of God. But where there is no fear of God
in the spirit, there cannot be truly any outward sign of it.
And therefore such cannot be said to worship God in truth,
who do not worship Him in their spirits as well as with their
bodies.
Here, then, is the great task we have to do in all our public
devotions, even to keep our spirits or hearts in a right posture
all the while that we are before God, Who sees them and
takes special notice of all their motions: that we may "pray iCor.i4.i5.
with the spirit, and pray with the understanding also," as
St. Paul did. I call this a great task, because I know it is
the hardest work we have to do ; our thoughts being so
very quick and nimble, so unconstant and desultory, that
it is difficult to keep them close to the work we are about,
so as to serve the Lord without distraction. But it is a thing
that must be done, if we desire to receive any real benefit
and comfort from our devotions. And blessed be God, by
His assistance we may all do it, if we will but set ourselves
in good earnest about it, and observe these few rules, which
may be very helpful unto us in it.
First, when we go to tlie house of God at the hour of
526 The Necessity and Advantage
prayer, be sure to leave all worldly cares and business behind
you, entertaining yourselves, as ye go along, with these, or
Ps. 42. 1, 2. suchlike sentences of Scripture : " Like as the hart desireth
the water-brooks, so longeth ray soul after Thee, O God !
My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God.
When shall I come to appear before the presence of God ? "
Ps. 84. 1,2. " O how amiable are Thy dwellings. Thou Lord of Hosts !
My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts
of the Lord. My heart and my flesh rejoice in the living
Ps. 132. 7. God." " We will go into His tabernacle, and fall low on
our knees before His footstool."
Gen. 2s. 17. When you come into the church, say with Jacob, " How
dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of
God, and this is the gate of Heaven!" or something to
that purpose. And as soon as ye can get an opportunity,
prostrate yourselves upon your knees before the Master of
the house, the Great God of Heaven, humbly beseeching
Him to unite your hearts unto Himself, to cleanse your
thoughts by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit, to open
your eyes, and to manifest Himself unto you, and to assist
you with such a measure of grace in offering up these your
spiritual saci'ifices, that they be accejJtable to Him by Jesus
Christ.
And now set yourselves in good earnest as in God's sight,
keeping your eye only upon Him, looking upon Him as
observing what you think as well as what you say or do, all
the while you are before Him.
While one or more of the sentences out of God's Holy
Word (wherewith we very properly begin our devotions to
Him) are reading, apprehend it as spoken by God Himself
at first, and now repeated in your ears, to put you in mind of
something which He would have you to believe or do upon
this occasion.
While the exhortation is reading, hearken diligently to it,
and take particular notice of every word and expression in
it, as contrived on purpose to prepare you for the service of
God, by possessing your minds with a due sense of His
special presence with you, and of the great ends of your
coming before Him at this time.
While you are confessing your sins with your mouth, be
of Public Prayer.
527
sure to do it also in your hearts, calling to uiiud every one,
as many as he can, of those particular sins which he hath
committed, either hy doing what he ought not to do, or not
doing what he ought, so as to repent sincerely of them, and
steadfastly to resolve never to commit them any more.
While the Minister is pronouncing the absolution in the
Name of God, every one should lay hold upon it for himself,
so as firmly to believe that, upon true repentance and faith
in Christ, he is now discharged and absolved from all his
sins, as certainly as if God Himself had declared it with His
Own mouth, as He hath often done it before, and now by
His Ministers.
While you together with the Minister are repeating the
psalms or hymns to the honour and glory of God, observe
the Minister's part as well as your own ; and lift up your
hearts together with your voices, to the highest pitch you
can, in acknowledging, magnifying, and praising the infinite
wisdom, and power, and goodness, and glory of the Most
High God in all His works, the wonders that He hath done
and still doeth for the children of men, and for you among
the rest.
While God's Word is read in either of the chapters,
whether of the Old or New Testament, " receive it not as iThes.2.13.
the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the Word of God,
which effectually worketh in you that believe." And there-
fore hearken to it with the same attention, reverence, and
faith, as you would have done if you had stood by Mount
Sinai, when God proclaimed the Law, and by our Saviour's
side, when He published the Gospel.
While the Prayers or Collects are reading, although you
ought not to repeat them aloud, to the disturbance of other
I^eople, yet you must repeat them in your hearts, your minds
accompanying the Minister from one prayer to another, and
from one part of each prayer to the other, all along, with
affections suitable to the matter sounding in your ears,
humbly adoring and admiring God, according to the names,
properties, or works, Avhich are attributed to Him at the
beginning of each prayer, earnestly desiring the good things
which are asked of Him in the body of it, for yourselves or
others; and steadfastly believing in Jesus Christ for His
528
The Necessity and Advantage
granting- of them, when He is named, as He is at the end of
every i)rayer, except that of St. Chrysostom ; because that is
directed immediately to Christ Himself, as promising that
" when two or three are gathered together in His IS'ame, He
will grant their requests," which is therefore very properly
put at the end of all our daily prayers, and also of the Litany
(most part whereof is directed also to our Saviour), that
when we have made all our common supplications unto
Him, we may act our faith in Him again for God's granting
of them according to His said promise, and so may be dis-
missed with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of
God the Father, and the communion or fellowship of the
Holy Ghost, under which are comprehended all the blessings
that we have or can desire to make us completely happy both
now and for ever.
After the blessing, it may be expedient still to continue
for some time upon your knees, humbly beseeching Almighty
God to pardon what He hath seen amiss in you since you
came into His presence ; and that He would be graciously
pleased to hear the prayers, and to accept of the praises,
which you have now offered up unto Him, through the
merits of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate.
These few directions I thought good to lay before you,
as being of great use towards the right performance of your
public devotions, so as that they may be both acceptable to
God and profitable to yourselves. I fear some may think
it hard to keep their minds intent so long together ; but they
can do it much longer upon worldly affairs, and therefore
may in this too, if they will, " If they will:" there lies the
main stress of the business. If men will resolve, by God's
assistance, to fix their minds upon Him and His service
while they are before Him, they may certainly do it in a
high degree, as I do not doubt but many here present have
found by their own experience ; such I mean, who have been
long accustomed to it : and though to others it may seem
difficult at first, yet by use it will soon grow easy, if they
will be persuaded to make trial of it, which I wish heartily
you would all do. Try a little what it is to go to the house
of God every day at the hours of prayer, and there to per-
form your devotions to Him with all your hearts as near as
of Public Prcnjer.
529
you can. Do but use yourselves to it for one quarter or
half a year, and I dare say that you will find it not only easy,
but so pleasant and profitable to your souls, that you will
never leave it off" so long as you are able to do it. And
though you cannot do every thing so well as you would at
first, let not that discourage you, but strive to do it as well
as you can ; and then, by His assistance. Who is there spe-
cially present with you, by degrees you will overcome all
difficulties, and learn to use those blessed means of grace, so
as to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ every day more and more. [-2 p
And, indeed, unless ycu do that, you may be confident
that you do not use them aright. For there are so many
promises made to them by Him Who cannot lie, that if there
be no failure in the use, they can never fail of their effect.
Insomuch, that if, notwithstanding your frequenting our daily
prayers, you shall still continue in any known sin ; if you do
not gather strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and
the devil ; if you do not increase in the knowledge and love
of God, in temperance, patience, meekness, and humility, in
justice, charity, and all manner of virtue ; in short, if you do
not live more soberly, more righteously, and more godly in
this present world than otherwise you would ; you may be
sure, that although you live under the means of grace, you
do not make that use of them which you might and ought to
do ; though you seem to perform your devotions to God, yet
really you do it not. How oft soever your bodies may be at
church, your hearts are always somewhere else. And so
you come to no purpose at all, or rather to very ill purpose.
For this is plainly to mock God and to play the hypocrites
with Him, making as if you had a mind to serve and glorify
Him, when you mind nothing less, but rather do Him all the
disservice and dishonour that you can, by giving occasion to
the enemy to blaspheme His holy Name, and to think it is to
no purpose to serve God, seeing you who seem to do it are
as bad as other people. And besides, hereby you may dis-
courage many who otherwise would be inclined to set upon a
pious and religious course of life. For when they observe
any of you, who come to church every day, guilty of the
same vices as they are who never come at all, they will be
M M
530
The Necessity and Advantage
tempted to judge that all are so ; and by consequence, that
there is nothing in devotion but a mere outward show and
appearance of religion ; and that they who go to church do it
not to serve God, but themselves, to get themselves the name
and reputation of being pious and godly men, and under that
cloak to hide their faults, and commit all manner of villany,
as some sort of men, we know, of later years have done, to
the scandal and reproach of the Christian religion. So that,
by this means, your very coming to church would be more
for the Devil's service than for God's. The Devil always
had, and always will have, a spite at our public devotions,
and catch at all opportunities to throw dirt in their face, to
make them appear as deformed and ugly as he can. And if
any of those who frequent God's house, and seem to serve
Him there, should notwithstanding lead wicked and profane
lives, they would promote the same hellish design of bringing
devotion into contempt and scorn, and so would do the
Devil's work, and must expect their wages from him at last.
Heb. 6. 9. " But, bclovcd, we are persuaded better things of you,
and things that accompany Salvation, though we thus
speak." And although some of those who come to prayers
only now and then, when they have nothing else to do, may,
perhaps, be the Devil's drudges in this matter ; yet I
cannot imagine how they should be so who make it their
business to serve God publicly every day. For that must
needs give check to any evil motions, and leave such a
tincture upon their minds, that will break and shew itself in
all holy conversation and godliness. And, therefore, I
speak this only to shew how much it concerns you to take
care how you live, and, for that purpose, how you pray :
that your lives may in all points be such as becometh the
Gospel of Christ; that you may adorn your profession with
all virtuous and good works ; that you may shine as lights
in the world : so that men may see there is more in going
every day to church than they are aware of, and so may be
])ersuaded to follow you thither " at the hours of prayer."
But for that purpose, whenever ye go thither ye must be
sure to do the work you go about as well as possibly you
can. For the better you serve God there, the better you
w ill do it every where else ; the more serious and hearty you
of Public Prayer.
531
are at your public devotions, the more righteous and holy
you will be in all manner of conversation both towards God
and towards men. For as these are in themselves some of
those duties which we owe to God, so they are the means,
too, which He hath appointed whereby to give us grace to
perform all the rest. And the more carefully we use the
means, the more grace we shall get by them. So that by this
means we may " add to our faith, virtue ; and to virtue, know- 2Pet.i. 5-7.
ledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance,
patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to godliness,
brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity."
Neither shall we only add one grace to another, but also
one degree of every grace unto another. "We shall goEph.4. 13.
from strength to strength, till we come, in the unity of the
faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ."
This is a great truth. But I would not have you take it
only from me, but from yourselves ; and for that purpose
make the experiment. Take all occasions you can get of
going daily into the house of God, " at the hours of j^rayer,"
and to His Table when His Supper is there administered, and
perform the several duties which are there required of you,
with all the care and diligence that you can. Do but this,
and you will find all that I have said to be not only true, but
short of what you yourselves will feel ; and so will be soon
convinced by your own exjjerience, that weekly Sacraments
and daily prayers are tlie greatest blessings you can have
on this side Heaven, and the best way to bring you thither,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, to Whom, &c.
532 The Necessity and Advantage
THE GREAT
NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGE
OF
FREQUENT COMMUNION*
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drinh this cup, ye do
shew the Lord's death till He come. — 1 Cor. xi. 26.
The Lord's death here spoken of is the death of the Lord,
the Ahiiighty and Eternal Son of God : that death which He
suffered in the nature and in the stead of mankind in general,
and particularly of us who are here present : that death,
whereby He expiated our sins, and made complete satisfac-
tion to the Divine truth and justice for them : that death,
whereby He appeased the wrath which He that made us
had justly conceived against us, and hath reconciled Him
again unto us : that death, whereby He delivered us from
the slavery of sin and Satan, and asserted us into the glo-
rious liberty of the sons of God : that death, whereby He
redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made Himself
a curse for us : that death, whereby He purchased for us
both pardon, and peace, and mercy, and grace, and power
to eschew evil and do good, and all the blessings we can
ever have or desire, either in this world or the next : that
death, by virtue whereof He entered into Heaven, " now to
lY.f'' ^' appear in the presence of God for us," and therefore " is able
ch. 7. 25. gg^^^g ^l^g utmost them that come unto God by Him,
seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." This
is that Lord's death, which the Apostle here saith we shew,
" as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup" he speaks
of in the verses before my text, where he saith, that " the
* First printed in 1710, after the author's decease. — Editor.
of Frequent Communion.
533
Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took
bread, and when He had given thanks He brake it, and said.
Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you : this do
in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He
took the cup, when He had supped, saying. This cup is the
New Testament in My blood : this do ye, as oft as ye drink
it, in remembrance of Me." In which words we have Christ's
Own institution of the Sacrament of His Last Supper, toge-
ther with the end of it, declared by Himself, saying, at the
institution of the bread, " This do in remembrance of Me :"
and, again, at the cup, " This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of Me ;" that is (as is signified in the insti-
tution itself), ' in remembrance of My body as broken, and
My blood as shed, and so in remembrance of Me, as dying
for the sins of the world, and yours among the rest.' And
that this is the great end of this holy institution, the Apostle
further proves and explains in the words of my text, from
this reason, because hereby we " shew the Lord's death ;"
the bread shews the breaking of His body, the cup shews
the shedding of His blood, and so both together shew the
death He suffered for us, " For as often," saith He, " as ye
eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's
death till He come."
In which words we may first observe, that every time
that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is administered.
His death is thereby shewn and declared to all that are there
present. As when the Jews ate the Paschal lamb, the master [Exod. 13,
of the family declared the reasons why they ate it, why they ^'^
ate it with bitter herbs, and why with unleavened bread, and
the like : so here, when we eat the bread and drink the cup
according to Christ's institution, we thereby declare the
reasons of it, though not by words, yet by the very act itself,
and the several circumstances of it. By the " breaking of
the bread," we declare Christ's body to be broken and
wounded to death ; by the " cup," we declare His blood to
be shed or poured out for the sins of the world, and by
distributing both the bread and the cup to each communi-
cant apart, we declare to every one particularly that Christ
died for his sins, and that he may be saved by Christ's
534 The Necessity and Advantage
death, if lie will but receive and apply it to himself as he
ought, by a quick and lively faith.
In the next place, we may here observe, that the Apostle
doth not say that Christ's death is repeated, or that He is
offered up again every time this Sacrament ie administered,
but only that the Lord's death is shewn by it. And, there-
fore, that this is not, as the Papists absurdly imagine, a ' pro-
pitiatoi-y sacrifice for the living and the dead,' but only
' commemorative' and ' declarative' of that one Sacrifice
w^hich Christ once offered to be a propitiation for the sins of
the whole w'orld. We may here likewise observe, that the
Apostle doth not say, ' As often as ye eat this bread, ye shew
the Lord's death,' but ' ye do it as often as ye eat this bread
and drink this cup :' and therefore, unless both kinds be
administered, as Christ's institution is not observed, so
neither is the end of it attained ; for His death is not shewn
by any one, but by both together.
Moreover, we may observe that the Apostle here plainly
calls it " bread," and the " cup," or " wine ;" not the very
body and blood of Christ : yea, he saith it is bread we eat,
and it is the cup or wine we drink ; and therefore we do not
eat the very body that hung upon the cross, nor drink the
blood which was there spilt for us, but only in a sacra-
mental sense; which quite overthows the ' doctrine of tran-
substantiation.'
Again, we may from hence observe, that this was no tem-
porary institution, which was to continue only for some
time, but to the end of the world, or, as the Apostle here
expresseth it, " till He," our Lord and Saviour, " come."
As, from the beginning of the world, as often as they
offered, according to its first institution, any bloody sacrifice
to God, they thereby foreshewed the death of Christ, typi-
fied by it, until His first coming into the world to save it :
so, since that time, " as often as we eat this bread, and drink
this cup," according to Christ's Own institution, " we shew
forth His death" all along, until His second coming into the
world to judge it. So that it is now by this Sacrament
that mankind is, and always must be, put in mind of their
Saviour, and what He suffered for them ; and therefore this
of Frequent Communion.
535
can never be laid aside, but must continue in the Church
to the end of the world. Neither can that be reckoned
any part of Christ's Church, where this His Onn most
holy institution is rejected, disused, or never observed as
it ought.
Lastly, we may here observe, that as this Sacrament is
to continue always in the Church, so it must be often
repeated by the same persons in it. The other Sacrament,
even Baptism, is likewise to be always administered in the
Church, but it can be administered but once to one and the
same person ; but the Apostle, here speaking of the Sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper, saith to the same persons, " As
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup :" and to the
same purpose our Lord Himself, in the institution of the cup,
saith, " This do ye, as often as ye drink it:" plainly imply-
ing, that this should be often done by those who are once
admitted into His Church : as a man can be born but once,
but when he is once born, he must often eat and drink such
things as God hath appointed for the preservation of his
natural life ; so, when a man is once regenerate and born
again of water and of the Spirit, he must often eat this
bread, and drink this cup, as the great means appointed
by Christ Himself for the preservation of his spiritual life,
which can never be supported aright without this spiritual
food, no more than the natural life can without bodily
sustenance.
This, therefore, is that which I intend, by God's assist-
ance, in a more especial manner to speak to at this time.
And it is but time to say all we can of it, when this Holy
Sacrament is so generally neglected, as it now is (to our
shame be it spoken), all the kingdom over. Blessed be God,
except some few heathens which are among us, such I mean
as were never yet baptized, the nation in general is Christian,
the people all profess Christ's religion, and have it esta-
blished among them by civil laws and sanctions : they are all
admitted into Christ's Church, and hope to be saved in it :
they all believe Him to be the only Saviour of the world, and
therefore expect Salvation only from Him. They all know
too, or at least have heard, that He instituted this Holy
536 The Necessity and Advantage
Sacrament, and commanded tliem to receive it in remem-
brance of Him : and yet, after all, they regard it no more
than as if it had never been instituted by Him, no more
than as if it was no matter whether they ever remembered
Him or not. I need not go far for instances. In this place,
where it is as constantly administered, and as much fre-
quented, as in any part of the kingdom, there are several
who receive it but very seldom ; some never, unless it be to
qualify them for an office : many, a great many, I fear, of
those who are now present, never yet received it at all : but
though they be twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years old, and
upwards, yet have lived all this while in the neglect of this
Divine institution, having never been so much as once at our
Lord's Table, nor knowing what it is to partake of that most
blessed body and blood which was broken and shed for them.
And so it is in all parts of the kingdom, which is a very sad
and melancholy consideration. They who have any love
either for God or their neighbours, cannot but be grieved at
their heai'ts to think of it. We have only one Saviour in
the world, and He hath instituted only one Sacrament to
put us always in mind of Him ; and yet that people, that
Christians should slight that ! what shall I say ? I know
not how to express their folly and ingratitude, much less the
dismal consequences of it. But how to remedy it, I know
not. I have done what I could ; I have taken all occasions to
convince you of your sin and danger in neglecting this blessed
Sacrament, and to persuade you to a more frequent receiving
of it : but I see nothing will do, indeed, nothing can do it,
but the almighty power of God, Whom I therefore beseech,
of His infinite mercy, to open men's eyes, that they may see
the things that belong to their everlasting peace before they
be hid from them. And then I am sure, this Sacrament
would be as much frequented as it hath been hitherto neg-
lected. But seeing He is usually pleased to do this great
work by the ministry of His word, I shall make it my
business, at this time, in His Name, to put you in mind of
your duty and interest in this particular, and so set before
you such reasons why you ought to take all opportunities
of receiving the mystical body and blood of Christ your
of FrequeM Communion,
537
Saviour, as I hope, by His blessing, may prevail with many
to do it : God grant it may do so with all that hear me at
this time.
For this purpose, therefore, I desire you to consider,
first, that this is Christ's Own institution and command.
He " Who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery [Phu. 2.6.]
to be equal with God, and yet made Himself of no reputation
for your sakes :" He, Who loved you so as to give Himself
for you : He, Who laid down His Own life to redeem and
save you : He, the very night before He died for you, He
then instituted this Holy Sacrament : and He then said to
all that hope to be saved by Him, and to you among others,
" Do this in remembrance of Me ;" and " do this as oft as
ye drink it, in remembrance of Me." What ! and will you
that hope to be saved by Him, will you never do this at all?
Or only now and then, when, perhaps, you have nothing else
to do? How, then, can you hope to be saved by Him?
Do you think that He will save you, whether you observe
His commands or not? And which of all His commands
can you ever observe, if you do not observe this, which is so
plain, so easy, so useful, and so necessary for you? No;
deceive not yourselves : He that came into the world, and
died on purpose to save you, you may be confident, would
never have required you to do this, and as often as you do
it, to remember Him ; but that it is necessary for your Sal-
vation that you do it, and that you do it as often as you can,
in remembrance of Him. And if it had been necessary in
no other, as it is in many respects, yet His very command-
ing it makes it so to you, and to your Salvation. For as
He is the only " Author of eternal salvation," He is so only ueb. 5. 9.
to " those who obey Him," that is, " to those who observe Matt.28.20.
all things whatsoever He hath commanded." But this is
one of those things which He hath commanded ; and there-
fore, unless you do this, you do not obey Him, and so have
no ground to expect Salvation from Him. He Himself hath
told you, in eff"ect, that He will not save you, in that He
said, " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." But Luke 13. 3,
you all know that he who lives in any wilful and known sin, ^"
or in the wilful neglect of any known duty, he hath not yet
repented and turned to God, but is still in his natural state.
538
The Necessity and Advantage
in a state of sin and damnation. And if he happens to do
so, he must inevitably perish ; there is no help in the world
for it.
Wherefore, my brethren, you had need look about you.
Christ, your Saviour, hath expressly commanded you often
to receive the Sacrament of His body and blood in remem-
brance of Him. And, therefore, you who never yet received
it, have lived all this while in the wilful breach of a known
law; and, by consequence, in a wilful and known sin: and
you who receive it but seldom, do not fully obey or come
up to the Law, which plainly requires you to do it often — at
least if it may be had. It is true, should God in His provi-
dence cast you upon a place where you could not receive it
if you would, I do not doubt but He would accept of your
earnest desires of it as well as if you did receive it, and
would make up the great losses you sustained in your
spiritual estate for want of it, some other way. But, blessed
be His great Name, this is not your case. For He in His
good providence hath so ordered it that you live in a place
Avhere this Holy Sacrament is actually celebrated every
Lord's Day, and may be so, if there be occasion, every day in
the year. Our Church requires the first, and hath provided
for the other, by ordering that the same Collect, Epistle, and
Gospel, which is appointed for the Sunday, shall serve all
the week after ; and, by consequence, the whole Communion-
service, of which they are a part. And, therefore, unless
you receive it, and receive it often too, you live in the gross
neglect, if not in a plain contempt, of Christ's command ; as
you will one day find to your shame and sorrow. For how
well soever you may otherwise live, this one sin is enough
to ruin and destroy you for ever. For, as St. James saith.
Jam. 2. 10. " Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet ofiend in one
point, he is guilty of all." And therefore, whatever else you
do, if you do not this, but oftend in this one point, you are
liable to all the punishments that are threatened in the Law
of God. Neither is there any way to avoid them, except
you repent, and turn from this as well as from all other sins.
And, that you may not think that the receiving of this
blessed Sacrament only now and then, as perhaps two or
three times a-year, will excuse you from the imputation of
of Frequent Communion.
539
living in the neglect of Christ's command, I desire you to
consider how the Apostles themselves and the Primitive
Christians understood it ; which they sufficiently declared
by their practice. For when our Lord was gone to Heaven,
and had, according to His promise, sent down the Holy
Spirit upon His Apostles, and by that means brought into
His Church about three thousand souls in one day, it is said
of them, " That they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' Acts 2. 42.
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in
prayer." And of all that believed, it is said, " That they, ver. 46.
continuing daily with one accord in the Temple, and breaking
of bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness
and singleness of heart." Where we may observe, first, that
by breaking of bread in the New Testament is always meant
the administration of the Lord's Supper. Secondly, this they
are said to have done -/.ar ohov, ' from house to house,' as we
translate it, or rather ' in the house,' as the Syriac and Arabic
versions have it, and as the phrase xar' oJkov is used by the
Apostle himself, Rom. xvi. 5 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 19 : that is, they did
it either in some private house where there was a Church, or
more probably in some of the houses or chambers belonging
to the Temple, where they daily continued. Thirdly, as
they continued daily in the Temple at the hours of prayer,
to perform their solemn devotions there, so they daily re-
ceived the Holy Sacrament, and ate this spiritual food,
" with gladness and singleness of heart." This being,
indeed, the chief part of their devotions, whensoever they
could meet together to perform them, especially upon the
Lord's Day, as the Holy Ghost Himself informs us, saying,
" And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples ch. 20. 7.
came together to break bread, Paul preached to them, being-
ready to depart on the morrow," where we see they did
not only break bread, or administer the Sacrament of our
Lord's Supper, upon the first day of the week, which we
from St. John call the Lord's Day, but upon the day they
came together for that end and purpose. It is true, St.
Paul being to go away next day, he took that opportunity,
when they were met together for that end, to give them a
sermon. But that was not the end of their meeting together
at that time. They did not come to hear a sermon, though
540 The Necessity and Advantage
St. Paul himself was to preach, but they came together to
administer and receive Christ's mystical body and blood,
which plainly shews that this M'as tlie great work they did
every Lord's Day : and that they came together then on
purjiose to meet with Christ, and to partake of Him at His
Ex. 23.15, Own Table. And seeing that the Law itself required, " that
none should appear before the Lord empty," therefore St. Paul
requires, that upon the first day of the week, when Christ-
1 Cor. 16. 2. ians thus met together to receive the Sacrament, "every
one should lay by him in store," as God prospered him, for
pious and chai'itable uses. And hence proceeded that
custom which is still continued in our Church, and ought to
be so in all, that whensoever we appear before the Lord at
His Own Table, we, every one according to his ability, offer
up something to Him of what He hath bestowed upon us,
as our acknowledgment of His bounty to us, in giving us
whatsoever we have, and of His infinite mercy in giving
Himself for us.
Now, seeing the Apostles themselves, and such as they
first converted and instructed in the faith of Christ, usually
received this Holy Sacrament every day in the week, and
constantly upon the Lord's Day, it cannot be doubted, but
that they looked upon themselves as obliged by Christ's
command to do so : and that when He said, " Do this, as oft
as ye do it, in remembrance of Me," His meaning and
pleasure was, " That they should often do it, as often as they
met together to perform their public devotion to Him, if it
was possible, or at least upon the Lord's Day." And as this
was the sense wherein the Apostles understood our Saviour's
words, so they transmitted the same, together with the faith,
to those who succeeded them. For Tertullian, who lived in
the next century after the Apostles, saith, that the Sacrament
Tertuli. of the Eucharist, " in omnibus mandatum a Domino, etiam
cap^s^^^'^ antelucanis coetibus," ' was commanded by our Lord to be
Ed' r' °it ^^^^^^^t^*^ Christian assemblies, even those which
were held before day.' And before him Pliny the Second,
who was contem23orary with St. John, in the account he
gave of the Christians' manners to the Emperor Trajan, saith,
PUn. Epist. among other things, ' That they were wont upon a certain
g'^ " ""P" (lay to meet together before it was light, and to bind them-
of Frequent Communion.
541
selves by a sacrament, not to do any ill thing,' which can be
understood only of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as
administered and received by them upon the Lord's Day.
And Justin Martyr himself, who lived in the next age after,
in the Apology he wrote to Antoninus Pius in behalf of the
Christians, giving a particular account of what they did in
their public congregations, saith, that rov ^jX/ou Xiyo/iivp
rilis^a, ' upon that which is called the day of the sun,' or
Sunday, all Christians that live either in the cities or in
the country meet together ; where they hear the writings of
the Prophets and Apostles read, and an exhortation made to
them: and then, they having all joined together in their
common prayers, bread and wine is brought and consecrated,
or blessed by the president or minister ; and distributed to
every one there present, and carried by deacons to such as
were absent. Kai 75 diddosi; -/.a.! ri /isra/.jj-y/j aero roiiv sip^a^/tfr?!- j^st. Mart.
&ivruv v/.derui y'mrat, ' and the distribution and participa- p^i62^^^
tion of the consecrated elements is made to every one.' Steph.
And this food, saith he, xaXsTra; vas jj/xTV 'E-j'/^aPidTia, ' is
called by us the Eucharist.' From whence it appears, that
in those days every one that was at prayers and sermon
received also the Holy Sacrament, at least upon the Lord's
Day. None offered to go out till that was over ; or, if they
did so, they were cast out of the Church, as not worthy to be
called Christians, as appears from the Apostolical Canons
made or collected much about that time, or soon after; one
whereof runs thus, UdvrKg ro-jg vsiovrag msrovg, kc, ' all Can. Apos-
believers that come to church and hear the Scriptures, but*°^'^'
do not stay to join in the prayers and the Holy Communion,
ought to be excommunicated, as bringing confusion into the
Church.' It was then, it seems, reckoned a great disorder
and confusion for any to go out of the church, as they now
commonly do, till the whole service, of which the Communion
was the principal part, was all over ; and if any did so, they
were judged unfit to come to church, or keep company with
Christians any longer. This was the discipline of the Primi-
tive and Apostolic Church. This was the piety of the first
Christians, and it continued in a great measure for some
ages, as might easily be shewn. But this may be sufficient
at present to prove that the Apostles and Pi-imitive Christians
542 The Necessity and Advantage
did not think that they observed our Lord's command in the
institution of this Holy Sacrament aright by receiving it only
now and then. For as they would never have done it all,
but only in obedience unto that command, so in obedience
to that command they took all opportunities they could get
of doing it; at least they never omitted it upon the Lord's
Day. But upon that day, whatsoever they did besides, they
always did this, in remembrance of what their great Lord
and Saviour had done for them. And if we desire to be
such Christians as they were, we must do as they did. We
must, after their pious example, observe our Lord's com-
mand, by eating this bread and drinking this cup as often
as we can, lest otherwise we lose the benefit of that death
He suffered for us, by our neglecting to do what He hath
commanded in remembrance of it. And, verily, to remember
Christ and His death is a thing of far greater consequence
than people are commonly aware of. The people of God
under the Law, by His Own appointment, had it typified and
represented to them every day in the year, by having two
lambs offered up for a burnt-offering, the one in the morning
and the other in the evening, as a type of that Lamb of God
Exod^29. " which taketh away the sin of the world." These were
28.'3; John oflTcred every day, besides the sin-offerings, trespass-offerings,
^' and suchlike, as were offered upon particular occasions.
Wherefore, these two lambs were called the continual burnt-
offering, as being continually offered every day in the week.
Num.28. 9. And upon the Sabbath-day there were two more added.
So that upon every Sabbath-day in the year there were four
lambs offered, that they might be sure at least upon that day
to think of that grand sacrifice which was to be offered up
for them. And it may not be amiss to observe, that every
one of those lambs had a meat and a drink-offering to attend
it : a meat-offering made of flour, and a drink-offering of
wine; which are both the same elements which Christ Him-
self instituted to signify His body and blood. And besides
the burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and drink-offerings, every
Sabbath-day, the high-priest was to set the shew-bread upon
the holy table, and to put frankincense thereon, which was
to continue there before the Lord till the next Sabbath, when
the priests had eaten the bread, and burnt the frankincense
of Frequent Communion. 543
nnSTsb, " for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Levit. 2. 4,
the Lord." All which, as most things in the Levitical Law, 25. 30.' ^'
had, doubtless, some respect or other to Christ ; as is in-
timated in the Law itself, where it is said, that this shall be
t done by an " everlasting covenant," even that which is Lev. 24. 9.
5 founded in Christ. The bread, consisting of twelve loaves
1 or cakes, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,
i and of Christ's Apostles, was set upon the table in two rows,
which might put us in mind of the two natures in Christ,
" the Bread of Life which came down from Heaven." In John 6. 33,
Hebrew this is called Q'^pS DCib, ' the bread of the faces,'
I because it was to be " set before the face of God con- Ex. 25. so.
I tinually," as Christ " continually appeareth in the presence Heb. 9. 24.
I of God for us." Upon this bread was laid pure frankin-
cense, called in Hebrew n3""ab, " olibanum," from its white-
ness, by reason whereof it was used in sacrifices as a symbol
1 of God's pardoning of sin, as it was likewise of His ac-
ceptance of what was done by the sweet scent it made when
burnt. This was laid upon the bread, to be to it for a
memorial, as the Hebrew words signify, to call to remem-
brance the offering made by fire unto the Lord ; that is, the
death of Christ typified by all such off'erings. The bread
was to be eaten, not burnt; but the pure frankincense that
was laid upon it was to be- burnt, and by its sweet smell call
to mind the death of Christ, by virtue whereof God smells
a sweet savour, or accepts of the sacrifices and services we
offer and perform to Him. And all this was to be done, 1 Pet. 2. 5.
the bread to be eaten, the frankincense burnt, and new put
in their places every Sabbath-day throughout the year, that
upon that day especially men might be put in mind of their
Saviour, and accordingly act their faith on Him for their
pardon and acceptance with God.
There were many such ways whereby the people of God,
in those days, were constantly put in mind of what the Sa-
viour of the world was to do and suffer for them ; all which
are now laid aside, and only this one Sacrament of His Last
Supper instituted by Himself in the room of them. This is
now our " Christian shew-bread," whereby " we shew the
Lord's death till He come." This is our burnt-offering, our
sin-offering, our trespass-offering, our thank-offering, our
544 The Necessity and Advantage
meat-offering, our drink-offering, and all the offerings re-
quired of us, whereby to commemorate our blessed Saviour,
and what He hath done for us. And therefore, as the Jews
were punctual and constant in observing all things pre-
scribed to them for the same end, we certainly ought to do
this as often as we can ; this one thing which answers the
end of all their offerings, and yet hath neither the trouble,
nor the charges, nor the difficulty of any one of them.
Especially considering that God would never have ap-
pointed so many ways whereby to put them in mind of their
Saviour, but that it was necessary for them to have Him
always in their minds. And it must needs be as necessary
for us as it was for them ; otherwise He Who came into the
world on purpose to save us, would never have commanded
us to eat this bread and drink this cup in remembrance of
Him. But He hath commanded us not only to do it, but to
do it for this very end, that we may remember Him. And
therefore we may be confident, that to remember Him is
very necessary to our being saved by Him ; and by conse-
quence, that all who desire to be so in good earnest, must do
this so often, as to keep Him always fresh in their minds and
memories. And the reason is plain ; for all the promises of
Salvation by Christ are made only to those who believe in
Him. But this believing in Him is not a transient act, or a
thing to be done only once or twice; but it is to be the
continual Avork and employment of our lives. As we must
constantly believe what He hath taught, so we must con-
stantly trust and depend on Him for all things necessary to
our Salvation, according to the promises He hath made us.
He that does not do this cannot be truly said to believe in
Clirist at all ; or at least, not to any purpose. But it is im-
possible for us thus constantly to believe in Christ, without
keeping Him always in our minds ; and it is as impossible
for us to keep Him thus always in our minds without fre-
quent receiving of this Holy Sacrament. If we could have
done so without it, Christ would never have appointed this
Sacrament to put us in mind of Him ; for He need not have
done it.
The plain case is tliis : There is no way whereby it is
possible for any of us to be saved but by Jesus Christ ; nor
of Frequent Communion.
545
by Him, without believing in Him. And tlurefore we had
need use all the means we can for the exercising our faith in
Him, and keeping it always fixed upon Him. But we can
by no means do it so effectually, as by the frequent receiving
of that Holy Sacrament which He Himself ordained for that
very purpose, that we might remember Him so as to believe
and trust on Him for all things relating to our Salvation.
For He hath so ordered it, that this Sacrament doth not
bring Him into our remembrance only in a slight and super-
ficial manner, without making any impression upon our
minds, but it exhibits and presents Him to our very eyes as
dying for our sins ; or, to use the Apostle's words, " Herein Gal. 3. 1.
Jesus Christ is evidently set forth before our eyes as crucified
among us," whereby our minds are deejjly affected, and our
faith confirmed in Him. All the promises which God hath
made us in Christ being hereby sealed, as it were, and de-
livered to us in His blood. As the Sacrament of Circum-
cision is said to be a "token of the covenant betwixt God Gen. 17.11.
and man," " and a seal of the righteousness of faith," so the Rom. 4. 11.
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper both signifies and seals to
us the covenant of grace, founded in the death of Christ,
there represented before our eyes, whereby our faith is
strengthened, and we are able to look upon ourselves as
entitled to, and interested in, all the blessings which are
promised in the said covenant, by the means of that body
and blood which we there behold as broken and shed for us.
For which purpose also Christ Himself, in the institution of
it, calls the signs by the name of the thing signified, saying,
" This is Mv body which is broken for vou, and this is Mv iCor.n.24;
" J ^ %i '\Ja^|; 26 28
blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the
remission of sins." Whereby He fully assures us, that this
is not common bread and wine, but His Own body and
blood, not in a carnal, but in a spiritual or sacramental
sense : so that, by eating this bread and drinking this cup,
we partake of His body and blood to all intents and pur-
poses for which the one was broken and the other shed ;
and that, too, as much, or rather more, than we could have
done it by eating His very body and drinking His very
blood, in a carnal and literal sense. To the same purpose is
that of the Apostle, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is iCor.io.i6.
N N
548
The Necessity and Advantage
sins be great ? I confess they are so ; they are very many,
and they are very great. But I am truly humbled for them,
I heartily repent of them ; I steadfastly resolve, by God's
assistance, never to return any more unto them, but to spend
the rest of my life wholly in His service and to His honour.
What then need I fear? Shall I fear the curse of the Law ?
[Gai.3.13.] My Saviour hath redeemed me from it, being made a curse
for me. Shall I fear shame, or pain, or death itself? My
Saviour hath suffered them all for me, so that none of them
can now come near to hurt me. Shall I fear that sin will
still have dominion over me ? My Saviour hath overcome
it, and His grace shall be sufficient for me. Shall I fear the
powers of Hell? My Saviour hath triumphed over them all,
and will enable me to do so too. Shall I fear the wrath of
God ? My Saviour hath appeased it with His Own blood,
and so hath restored me to His love and favour : for He died
for me. He Himself hath now told me so ; and therefore I
Rom. 8. 38, believe it, and am now persuaded, that "neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor- powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord."'
Now, seeing the receiving of the Sacrament of His Last
Supper conduceth so very much both to the exercising and
strengthening our foith in our blessed Saviour, we, who can
never be saved without believing in Him, cannot surely but
acknowledge that it is as much our interest, as it is our duty,
to receive it as often as we can. For my own part, I do not
see how it is possil)le for us to live either so comfortably or
so piously, as becometh those who expect Salvation by
Christ, without it. For, first, we cannot but be all conscious
to ourselves of the many sins and failures that we are con-
tinually subject to through the whole course of our lives.
There is not a day passeth over our head without doing
something we ought not to do, or else not doing something
which we ought. Our thoughts, our affections, our W'Ords,
our actions, are all one way or other faulty. The very best
works we do have something that is not good in them ; so
that every day we contract new guilt, and have more sins to
answer for than we had the day before. But every sin that
of Frequent Communion.
649
we commit exposeth us to the wrath of Almighty God, and
makes us obnoxious to all the curses which He hath threat-
ened in His Word ; the thoughts whereof cannot but often
cut us to the heart, and make us cry out with David, " Mine Ps. 38. 4.
iniquities are gone over my head ; as a heavy burden, they
are too heavy for me to bear." But what then shall we do ?
Whither shall we go for ease ? Where can we find any rest
and quiet for our troubled minds? Nowhere certainly so
well as at our Lord's Table. It is only He that can give
rest unto our souls, and it is there He doeth it most effect-
ually; for He there acquaints us that He Himself hath
borne the punishment of our sins, and shews us how He did
it, even by giving His body to be broken and His blood to
be shed for them. We there see that the Son of God died
for the sins of the world, and for ours among the rest. Yea,
He there tells us He did so, by saying, " Take, eat, this is
My body which is given for you, and this is My blood which
is shed for you," — for you, and for your sins, as well as for
any other ; as if He should say to every particular person by
Himself, ' Behold, and see what I have done, and what I
have suffered for thee. It was for thee that I assumed a
human body and blood ; and this body I gave to be broken,
this blood I gave to be shed for thee, and I now give it to
thee for the expiation of thy sins ; therefore, be of good
cJieer, My son, thy sins are pardoned : only be not faithless,
but believing.'
He that thinks not this to be a great comfort, must needs
be very much hardened in his sins, so as not to feel the
burden of them ; for he that doeth that, as all true penitents
be sure do, cannot but be highly pleased with any assurance
that can be given him that his sins are pardoned ; much
more Avith the greatest he can ever have on this side Heaven,
even that which is given in the Holy Sacrament, where his
pardon is sealed with the blood of Christ, and delivered to
him by His officers ; and therefore such a one cannot but be
always longing for an opportunity of receiving it, and em-
brace it with all his heart wheresoever it comes, although it
be every day in the week, as the Primitive Christians had it,
for this very reason, even because of their daily sins, as St.
Cyprian informs us, ' De Oratione Dominica.' But in our fP. 149.
Oxon.]
550
The Necessity cnid Advantage
age the case is altered. Once a-week is now tliouglit too
much. And I do not deny, but that they who can live a whole
week together without sin, may not have so much need of
receiving it so often. But where shall we find such a man?
Not among us, be sure. We all know that we sin in thought,
word, or deed, every day in the week, if not every hour in
the day too ; and therefore, if we have any care of our souls,
if any true sorrow for our sins, if any desire to obtain the
pardon of them from the hands of God, we must catch at
all the opportunities we can get of receiving that blessed
Sacrament, where it is offered to us by Christ Himself, and
that too upon the most easy terms that can be imagined,
nothing but repentance and faith in hini.
Neither is this all. For we are sensible, not only of our
manifold sins, but likewise of the cause or occasion of them,
even the corruption of our nature : which is so very much
[2Cor.3.5.] disordered and out of tune, that 'we are not sufficient of
ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, much less to
do any thing that is truly good ; but when we would do
good, evil is present with us, and spoils all we do : so that
Rom. 7. 18. we may every one say, with St. Paul, " I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing. For to will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I
find not." But how to perform that which is evil, we all
find. We all find that very easy and natural to us. Our
thoughts are always running after it, our hearts inclined to
it ; and do what we can by our own strength, some sin or
other is apt to get dominion over us, and to reign in our
mortal bodies. Yea, though " we delight," as the same
ver. 22,23. Apostle spcaks, " in the Law of God after the inward man,"
yet " we see another law in our members, warring against
the law of our minds, and bringing us into captivity to the
law of sin, which is in our members." And if we be really
concerned, as we ought to be, for the glory of God, and for
our own good, this must needs be the greatest trouble we can
have in this world, and make us cry out, every one, in the
ver. 24. bitterness of his soul, as he did, " O wretched man that I am !
who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But
ver. 25. then we may say also, as he doth in the next words, " I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord," He can deliver
of Frequent Communion.
551
us, and will too, if we do but apply ourselves aright unto
Him for it. But for that purpose there is nothing like to
the frequent receiving His blessed body and blood. Our
very preparation for that Holy Sacrament, by recollecting
our sins, by considering what we have deserved, and what
our Saviour suffered for them, and by examining our repent-
ance of them, whether it be sincere or not, doth of itself
contribute very much to the taking off our affections from
them, and to the putting us upon constant endeavours to
forsake and avoid them. And so do the impressions also
which the solemn administration of so Divine an ordinance
makes, and leaves upon our minds afterwards, by setting
before us the death which the Son of God suffered for our
sins, and assuring us of pardon if we repent of them. By
which means they who frequently receive this Holy Sacra-
ment, as suppose every Lord's Day, are always kept upon
their guard, between the preparations they make for it, and
the impressions that are made upon them by it. Which, if
duly observed, must needs meet together, and so give them
no time to indulge themselves in any vice or wickedness.
For being to receive it upon the Lord's Day, they cannot
surely but think of it, and prepare themselves for it two or
three days before ; and when they have been there, they
cannot but remember what they saw and heard, and did
there, at least three or four days after, and so to the time
when they are to prepare themselves again for it. Whereby
their minds are piously disposed and employed all the week,
either about what they did the Sunday before, or what they
are to do the Sunday following. Which must needs con-
duce very much to the arming them against all tempta-
tions, to the preventing their falling into any gross sin, and
to the keeping them continually in a holy and devout
temper.
But that which doeth it most effectually of all, is the
ghostly strength they receive at the Sacrament itself. Where,
as our Church rightly observes and asserts in her Catechism,
' Our souls are strengthened and refreshed by the body and
blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the bread and wine.'
Meat and drink, w-e know, are by God's Own appointment
the common supports of human life. Of all meats, bread is
552
The Necessiti/ and Advantacje
reckoned the most strengthening ; of all drinks, wine is the
most refreshing. Now, as our bodies are strengthened and
refreshed by these, M hich are there used as the outward part
or sign of the Lord's Supper ; so are our souls by the thing
signified by them, even by the body and blood of Christ,
Avhich, as I have shewn, are there ' verily and indeed taken
and received by the faithful.' It is a great refreshment to
our souls, as we have seen already, to have the pardon of
our sins sealed and delivered to us, as it is there, in the
blood of Christ. And our souls are as much strengthened by
the grace of God, which always follows upon His pardon and
reconciliation to us, and acoonipanieth the body and blood
of Christ, wheresoever it is. And therefore, all who duly
John 1.16. receive it, do thereby receive it from Him, "and grace for
Eph.4. 13. grace," and so go from strength to strength, till they " come
to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the full-
ness of Christ."
John G. 35. Let us hear what He Himself saith, "I am the Bread of
Life," saith He, " he that conieth to Me shall never hunger,
ver. 51. and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst." " I am the
Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If any man
eat of this bread, he shall live for ever : and the bread that I
will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the
ver. 54-57. woi'ld." " Whosocver eateth My flesh and drinketh My
blood, hath eternal life : for My flesh is meat indeed, and
My blood is drink indeed : he that eateth My flesh and
drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the
living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father; so he
that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." But then He
ver. 63. adds, afterwards, " It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh
profitetli nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life." As if He had said, ' All
that I have now spoken is to be understood in a spiritual
sense and of a spiritual life. I am the life of your souls :
it is by My body and My blood that your souls are quick-
ened, nourished, strengthened, and preserved to eternal
life.'
For this we have Christ's Own word, and therefore may
be confident, that as it is by Him only that we can be rege-
nerate and born again to a new and spiritual life, so it is by
of Frequent Communion. 553
»
Him only that tliis new and spiritual life can be maintained
and excited in us, so as to put forth and manifest itself
in our actions. " AV^ithout Him we can do nothing," as He John is. s.
Himself said, but " we can do all things through Christ Pi"i- 4. i3.
Which strengtheneth us," as His Apostle found by expe-
rience. But He strengthens none but those who believe in
Him, and therefore only because they do so. For it is by
our believing in Him that we are made members of His
body, and so receive strength and nourishment from Him
our Head. And according as our faith is stronger or weaker,
so is the strength we receive from Him more or less. And
therefore the Holy Saci'ament being the most sovereign
means for the confirming our faith in Him, our souls must
needs be very much strengthened and refreshed by it. For
we there receive the proper food of our souls, the bread of
life and the water of life, the blessed body and blood of
Christ Himself And if His body and blood, then His
Spirit too, which is always with them ; that Holy Spirit
which purifies our hearts, which sanctifies our nature, which
worketh in us both to will and to do, which strengthens and
enables us to overcome the world, to withstand temptations,
to mortify our sins, to do our whole duty both to God and
man, and so " offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God i Pet. 2.5.
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
From hence, therefore, we may see the great advantage,
if not the necessity, of frequent communion. We all know
that our bodies cannot subsist long, but very few days,
without food. And why should we think that our souls
should do so better than our bodies ? We all find by daily
experience, that our souls are altogether as frail and infirm
as our bodies are ; subject to as many distempers, and every
way as apt to decay, to grow faint and feeble, unable to
walk at all in the narrow path that leads to life, without
stumbling, or at least reeling to one side or other, unless
they be always kept in good plight, nourished and strength-
ened with such food as is proper for them. And certainly
we have as much reason, at least, to take care of our
immortal souls, to preserve their life, and health, and vigour,
as we have to look after those lumps of clay which ere long
must crumble into dust. But as for our bodies, we feed
554
The Necessity and Advantage
them every day, several times a-day, and that too with the
best that we can get for them. And shall we think once
a-week too often to feed our souls? And where shall we get
such proper food for them as that which God Himself hath
provided, even the blessed body and blood of His dear Son ?
which is so nourishing, so strengthening, so refreshing
to our souls, that the Primitive Christians, by the frequent
use of it, were able and ready, every moment, not only to do,
but to suffer cheerfully whatsoever could be laid upon them,
even death itself, for the sake of Christ. But the Sacrament
is the same still as it was then. And if Ave could use it as
constantly as they did, we might live as they lived, and die
too, if God should be pleased to honour us so far as to call
us to it, for His sake who died for us, and Whose death we
there commemorate.
Wherefore, as ever we desire to be strong in faith, and
[Eph.6.16.] zealous for the honour of God ; — as we desire "to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked ;" — as we desire to crucify
[Gal. 5. 24.] the flesh with the affections and lusts; — as we desire to
live above this world, so as not to be ensnared or over-
powered by any thing that is in it ; — as we desire that the
power of Christ should always rest upon us, and enable us to
[Lukei.6.] walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord
blameless ; — in short, as we desire, by His assistance, both
to live the life and to die the death of the righteous, — we
must often eat this bread, and drink this cup, and bless God
for all opportunities that we can get to do it.
These are some of the many arguments and reasons that
might be produced for frequent communion. What effect
they will have upon those that hear them, I know not ;
but fear that it will be much the same that reason and
argument usually have upon the greatest part of mankind ;
that is, very little, or none at all. But for mine own part,
when I seriously consider these things, I cannot but wonder
with myself how it comes to pass, that this Holy Sacrament,
instituted by Christ Himself, is so much neglected and
disused as it is, in a place where His religion is professed
and acknowledged to be, as really it is, the only true reli-
gion in the world. And after all my search, I can resolve
it into nothing else but the degeneracy of the age we live
of Frequent Communion.
555
in, and the great decay of that most holy religion amongst
us, I am sure, from the beginning it was not so. For
some ages after the first establishment of the Christian reli-
gion by Christ our Saviour, so long as they who embraced
it gave themselves up to the conduct of that Holy Spirit
which He sent down among them, and were inspired by it
with true zeal for God, and inflamed with love to their
ever-blessed Redeemer, so as to observe all things that He
had commanded, whatsoever it cost them, then they never
met together upon any day in the week, much less upon
the Lord's Day, for the public worship of God, but they
all received this Holy Sacrament, as the principal business
they met about, and the most proper Christian service they
could perform. And it is very observable, that so long as
tliis continued, men were endued with the extraordinary
gifts as well as with the graces of God's Holy Spirit, so
as to be able to do many wonderful things by it : yea, and
suffer too whatsoever could be inflicted on them for Christ's
sake. But in process of time men began to leave off their
first love to Him, and to turn His religion into dispute and
controversy ; and then, as their piety and devotion grew
cooler and cooler, the Holy Sacrament began to be neglected
more and more, and the priests who administered it had fewer
and fewer to receive it, until, at length, they had sometimes
none at all. But still they took themselves to be obliged
in duty and conscience to consecrate and receive it them-
selves, although they had none to receive with them. And
this mistake, I suppose, gave the first occasion to that
multitude of private masses which have been so much
abused in the Church of Rome, where the priest commonly
receives himself, although he hath never a one to commu-
nicate with him : and so there can be no communion at all.
And as that abuse, so the disuse of the Holy Sacrament,
sprang first from men's coldness and indifferency in religion,
which hath prevailed so far in our days, that there are many
thousands of persons Avho are baptized, and live many years
in the profession of the Christian religion, and yet never
received the Sacrament of Christ's body and blood in all
their lives ; and but very few that receive it above once or
twice a-year, which is a great reproach and shame to the age
556
The Necessity and Advantage
we live in ; but none at all to the Church : for she is always
ready to administer it, if people could be persuaded to come
to it. But that they cannot, or rather will not be : they have
still one pretence or other to excuse themselves, but none
that will excuse them before God and their own consciences
another day.
What their pretences are, I shall not undertake to deter-
mine. They are so many, that they cannot easily be num-
bered ; and many of them so vain and trifling, that they
are not worth rehearsing. But the bottom of them all is
this, men renounced the world, the Devil, and the flesh, in
their baptism, but they are loth to do it in their lives : they
then promised to serve God, but now they find something
else to do. They have all one sin or other that reigns over
them, and captivates their hearts and affections, so that
they cannot endure the thoughts of parting with it ; and
they tliink, as they ought to do, that if they come to the
Holy Sacrament, they must first examine themselves, repent
of all their sins, turn to God, renew their baptismal vovv,
and resolve to lead a new life. But this they are resolved
not to do; and if they should come to the Sacrament, it
would but disturb their quiet, make them uneasy in their
minds, and hinder them from enjoying the pleasure they
•were wont to take in their sins ; and for their part, they had
rather displease God than themselves, and neglect their duty
rather than leave their sins ; and so add sin to sin, and
[Rora.2.5.] " treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath,
and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God." This
is plainly the case of most of those who live in the neglect
of this holy commandment ; and what can be said to such
men ? So long as such, they are not fit to come to the
Communion ; and therefore all that can be said to them is
only to beg of them to consider their condition before it
be too late, and to repent as soon as they can ; lest they die,
as they have lived, in sin, and so be punished with ever-
[2Thess. 1. lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from
^■■^ tlie glory of His power.
But there are others who do receive the Sacrament of
Christ's body and blood sometimes, as perhaps two or three
times in a year ; and my charity prompts me to believe that
of Frequent Communion,
557
they would do it oftener, if they thought it to be their duty.
But there are some things which, at first sight, may seem, at
least to them, to plead their excuse, and therefore deserve to
be duly considered by us : as, first, they say our Church
requires them only to receive three times a-year ; and they
do not question but she would oblige them to receive it
oftener if it was necessary. This is a mistake that a great
many have fallen into, and by that means have been kept
from the Sacrament more than otherwise they would have
been. I call it a mistake ; for it is so, and a very great one.
For, as in all things else, so particularly in this, our Church
keeps close to the pattern of the Apostolic and Primitive
Church ; when, as I have before observed, the Lord's Sup-
per was administered and received commonly every day in
the week, but most constantly upon the Lord's Day : and
our Church supposeth it to be so still, and therefore hath
accordingly made provision for it. Which that I may fully
demonstrate to you, it will be necessary to inquire into the
sense and practice of our Church in this point all along
from the beginning of the Reformation ; or, to speak more
properly, from the time when she was restored to that Apo-
stolical form which she is now of, as she was at first; which
we date from the reign of King Edward VI.
For in the first year of that pious prince, the Liturgy, or
Book of Common Prayer, was first compiled, and in the
second, it was settled by Act of Parliament. In which book,
it is ordered that the exhortation to those who are minded
to receive the Sacrament shall be read ; which is there set
down, much the same that we read now. But afterwards it
is said, ' In cathedral churches, or other places where there -poi. 123.
is daily communion, it shall be sufficient to read this exhorta-
tion above written once in a month ; and in parish churches,
upon the week-days, it may be left unsaid.' Where we
may observe, first, that in those days there was daily com-
munion in cathedral churches, and other places, as there
used to be in the Primitive Church. And accordingly, I find
in the records of St. Paul's, that when the plate, jewels, &c.,
belonging to the said cathedral, were delivered to the king's
commissioners, they, upon the dean and chapter's request.
558
The Necessity and Advantage
Dugdaie's permitted to remain, among other things, ' two pair of basins
Paul's" p^*' for to bring the communion-bread, and to receive the ofFer-
ings for the poor ; whereof one pair silver, for every day ;
the other, for festivals, &c. gilt.' From whence it is plain,
that the Communion was then celebrated in that Church
every day ; and so it was even in parish churches : for other-
wise it needed not to be ordered, as it is in the Rubric above-
mentioned, that in parish churches, upon the week-days, the
said exhortation may be left unsaid. And to the same pur-
Foi. 132. pose it is afterwards said, ' When the Holy Communion is
celebrated on the work-day, or in private houses, then may
be omitted the Gloria in Excelsis, the Creed, the Homily,
and the Exhortation.'
Next, after that we quoted first, this Rubric immediately
follows, ' And if upon the Sunday or holyday, the people be
negligent to come to the Communion, then shall the priest
earnestly exhort his parishioners to dispose themselves to the
receiving of the Holy Communion more diligently, saying,'
&c. Which shews that upon all Sundays and holydays
people then generally received : the Church expected and
required it of them. And if any minister found that his
parishioners did not always come, at least upon those days,
he was to exhort and admonish them to dispose themselves
more diligently for it ; and that by the command of the
Church itself, whereby she hath sufficiently declared her will
and desire, that all her members should receive the Commu-
nion as they did in the primitive times, every day in the
week, if possible : and if that could not be, yet at least every
Sunday and holyday in the year.
In the Rubric, after the Communion-service, there are
several things to the same purpose. For it is there ordered,
that upon AVednesdays and Fridays, ' although there be
none to communicate,' the ^Jriest shall say all things at the
altar appointed to be said at the celebration of the Lord's
Foi. 130. Supper, until after the offertory : and then it follows, ' And
the same order shall be used, whensoever the people be
customably assembled to pray in the Church, and none dis-
posed to communicate with the priest.' Whereby we are
given to understand, that upon what day soever people came
of Frequent Communion. 559
to Church, the priest was to be ready to celebrate the Holy
Sacrament if any were disposed to communicate with him.
And if there were none, he was to shew his readiness, by
reading a considerable part of the Communion-service.
There is another Rubric, in the same place, that makes it
still plainer ; which I shall transcribe, because the book is
not commonly to be had, neither can it be expressed better
than in its words, which are these : ' Also, that the receiving
of the Sacrament of the blessed body and blood of Christ
may be most agreeable to the institution thereof, and to the
usage of the Primitive Church, in all cathedral and collegiate
churches, there shall always some communicate with the
priest that ministereth. And that the same may be also
observed every where abroad in the country, some one at
the least of that house in every parish, to whom by course,
after the Ordinance herein made, it appertaineth to offer for
the charges of the Communion, or some other whom they
shall provide to offer for them, shall receive the Holy Com-
munion with the priest : the which may be the better done,
for that they know before when their course cometh, and
may therefore dispose themselves to the worthy receiving
of the Sacrament. And with him or them, who doth so offer
the charges of the Communion, all other who be then godly
disposed thereunto, shall likewise receive the Communion.
And by this means the Minister having always some to
communicate with him, may accordingly solemnize so high
and holy mysteries, with all the suffrages and due order
appointed for the same. And the priest on the week-day
shall forbear to celebrate the Communion, except he have
some that will communicate with him.'
Here we see vfhat care the Church took that the Sacra-
ment might be daily administered, not only in cathedral, but
likewise in parish churches. For which purpose, whereas
every parishioner had before been used to find the holy loaf,
as it was called, in his course, in the Rubric before this it is
ordained, that every pastor or curate shall find sufficient
bread and wine for the Communion, and that the parishioners,
every one in his course, shall offer the charges of it at the
offertory to the pastor or curate ; and in this it is ordained,
that every such parishioner shall then in his course commu-
560
The Necessity and Advantage
nicate, or else get some other person to do it, that so the
Communion may be duly celebrated ; and all there present
that were godly disposed might partake of it : which one
would have thought as good a provision as could have been
made in the case. But notwithstanding, through the obsti-
nacy or carelessness of some, in not making their said offer-
ings as they were commanded, it sometimes failed ; as appears
from the letter, written about a year after, by the Privy
Council, and subscribed by the Archbishop of Canterbury
and others, to the bishops, to assure them that the king in-
tended to go on with the Reformation ; wherein among
Burnet's Other things they say, ' And farther, whereas it is come to
Reformfvoi! o"'' knowledge that divers froward and obstinate persons do
CoU^nV'i? ^'^^"^^ to pay towards the finding of bread and wine for the
p. 273. Holy Communion, according to the order prescribed in the
said book, by reason whereof the Holy Communion is many
times omitted upon the Sunday : these are to will and com-
mand you to convent such obstinate persons before you, and
them to admonish and command to keep the order prescribed
in the said book. And if any such shall refuse so to do, to
punish them by suspension, excommunication, or other cen-
sures of the Church.' From whence we may also learn how
much they were troubled to hear that the Holy Sacrament
was any where omitted even upon the Sunday, upon any
Sunday ; how great a fault and scandal they judged it to be,
and what care they took to prevent it for the future.
This was the state of this affair at the beginning of the
Reformation, and it continues in effect the same to this day.
About three or four years after the aforesaid Book of Common
Prayer first came out, it was revised and set forth again with
some alterations in the form, but none that were material in
the substance of it. Only the former way of the parishioners
finding bread and wine for the Communion, every one in his
" course, being now found not so effectual as Avas expected,
that was now laid aside, and it was ordered to be provided
at the charges of the parish in general, in these words :
' The bread and wine for the Communion shall be provided
by the curate and churchwardens, at the charges of the
parish: and the parish shall be discharged of such sums of
money or other duties, which hitherto they have paid for tlie
of Frequent Communion.
561
same, by order of their houses, every Sunday.' Where we
may take notice, that as hitherto it had been provided every
Sunday by the houses of every parish, as they lay in order,
it was now to be provided by the minister and churchwarden
at the charges of the whole parish, but still every Sunday,
as it was before ; which being the most certain way that
could be found out for it, it is still continued. The first part
of this Rubric, whereby it is enjoined, being still in force.
But the latter part, from these words, ' And the parish shall
be discharged,' &c, is now left out, as it was necessary it
should be, after the former course had been disused for above
a hundred years.
Now this Book of Common Prayer, which was thus settled
by Act of Parliament, in the fifth and sixth years of Edward
the Sixth, was that which was afterwards confirmed. And
this was that which was afterwards confirmed in the begin-
ning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, with one alteration, or
addition of certain lessons to be used on every Sunday in
the year, and the form of the Litany altered and corrected,
and two sentences only added in the delivery of the Sacra-
ment to the communicants. These were all the alterations
that were then made, or indeed that have been ever made,
since that time to this, except it be in words or phrases, in
the addition of some prayers, and in some such inconsider-
able things as do not at all concern our present purpose.
For the care of our Church to have the Holy Communion
constantly celebrated, hath been the same all along, from
the time that the Book of Common Prayer before spoken of
was first settled ; as may be easily proved from that which
was established by the last Act of Uniformity. Which,
therefore, I shall now briefly consider, so far as it relates to
the business in hand ; that we may understand the sense of
our Church at present concerning it.
For this purpose, therefore, we may first observe, that
the Communion-service is appointed for the Communion
itself, and therefore called the ' Order for the Administra-
tion of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion.' Now,
our Church, supposing or at least hoping that some of her
members will receive this Holy Communion every day, hath
taken care that this service may be used every day in the
o o
562
The Necessity and Advantage
week, as appears from the Rubric immediately before the
proper lessons, which is this : ' Note also, that the Collect,
Epistle, and Gospel appointed for the Sunday, shall serve
all the week after, where it is not in this book otherwise
ordered.' But the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, are part of
the Communion-service, for which there is no occasion on
the week-days, neither can it be used except the Communion
be administered ; which, therefore, is here supposed to be
done every day in the vveek. And so it is also in the
celebration of the Communion itself where there are proper
prefaces appointed to be used upon certain days ; upon
Christmas-day, and seven days after ; upon Easter-day, and
seven days after ; upon Ascension-day, and seven days
after ; upon Whit-Sunday, and six days after (the next day
being Trinity-Sunday, which hath one peculiar to itself).
Now to what purpose are these prefaces appointed to be
used seven days together, or six, none of which can be a
Sunday, if the Sacrament ought not to be administered upon
all those days, and so upon week-days as well as Sundays ?
They are all, as I intimated before, to be used in the actual
administration of it, and therefore plainly suppose it to be
actually administered upon each of those days ; which, being
for the most part neither Sundays nor holydays, they most
evidently demonstrate, that, according to the mind and
order of our Church, as well as the Primitive, the Lord's
Supper ought to be administered every day, that all who
live as they ought, in her Communion, may be daily par-
takers of it.
In the rules and orders (which we call the ' Rubric')
after the Communion-service, there are several things that
deserve to be considered in this case. It is there ordered,
that there shall be no celebration of the Communion, except
there be a convenient number, that is, four, or three at
the least, to communicate with the priest. According to
which rule, although the priest have all things ready, and
desires to consecrate and receive the Holy Sacrament him-
self, yet he must not do it, unless he have such a number
to communicate with him, that it may be properly a Com-
munion. But, as it is there ordered, ' upon the Sundays
and other holydays (if there be no Communion) shall be
of Frequent Communion.
563
said all that is appointed at the Communion until the end of
the general prayer (for the good estate of the Catholic
Church of Christ),' where we may observe that the Church,
as I have shewn, appoints the Sacrament to be administered
every day. But if it so fall out, that there be not in any
place a convenient number to communicate with the priest,
and by consequence, according to the order beforementioned,
no Communion; yet, nevertheless, upon Sundays and other
holydays, so much of the Communion-service shall be said
as is there limited. Why only upon Sundays and holydays
but to distinguish them from other days ; on which, if there
be a sufficient number of communicants, the whole Com-
munion-service is to be used ; but no part of it, except there
be so 1 But upon Sundays and holydays, although there
be not such a number, and therefore no Communion, yet,
however, the priest shall go up to the altar, and there read
all that is ajipointed to be said at the Communion, until the
end of the prayer for Christ's Catholic Church, w hei'eby the
peojjle may see, that neither he nor the Church is to be
j blamed, if the Holy Sacrament be not then administered.
I Forasmuch as he is there ready by the order of the Church
I to do it, and goes as far as he can in the service appointed
' for it, without the actual administration of it: and there-
fore, that the fault is wholly in themselves, that it is not
actually administered, because they will not make up a con-
venient number among them to communicate with him;
which is a most excellent order; for the people hereby
have not only God's Holy Commandments solemnly pro-
) claimed, the Epistle and Gospel for the day, the Nicene
t Creed, and Prayers proper for that occasion read to them,
, but they are likewise put in mind of their duty to their
t Saviour in receiving His most blessed body and blood, and
t upbraided with their neglect of it. For which purposes also,
0 I think it very expedient, that the order of the Church for
(1 the reading that jiart of the service at the Communion-table,
1- even when there is no Communion, be duly observed.
1 The next Rubric in the same place, that concerns our
1- present business, is this, ' And in all cathedral and colle-
fj giate churches, and colleges, where there are many priests
and deacons, they shall all receive the Communion with the
564
The Necessity and Advantage
priest every Sunday at the least, except they have a reason-
able cause to the contrary.' Where we see that the Church
doth not command, but supposes that the Sacrament is
constantly administered in all such places, taking it for
granted that it is never omitted there, where there are so
many persons devoted to the service of God, but that there
is always a sufficient number to communicate. But she
absolutely commands, that all priests and deacons that
belong to such foundations shall receive the Communion
with the priest every Sunday at the least, except any of
them have a reasonable cause to the contrary, which the
Ordinary of the place (I suppose) is to be judge of. They
are bound, therefore, all and every one of them, to receive it
every Sunday ; which, notwithstanding, they cannot do,
unless it be administered every Sunday among them.
Wherefore, if there be any such places where it is not so
administered, or any such persons who do not, without just
cause to the contrary, receive it every Sunday in the year,
I do not see how they can answer it to God, to the Church,
or to their own consciences. Neither are they bound to
receive it only every Sunday, but every Sunday at the least ;
which plainly supposeth that it is administered upon other
days as well as Sundays ; for otherwise they could not re-
ceive it oftener if they would. And it is to be hoped, that
all such persons receive it as often as it is administered
among them. But the Church expressly requires them to
receive it at least every Sunday, so as never to omit it at
least upon that day, except they have a reasonable or such
a cause to the contrary as will justify their omission of it
before the Church and Christ Himself, at the Last Day.
These things being thus briefly explained, we shall easily see
into the true meaning of the words that gave us the occasion
to discourse of them, which are these, in the place last quoted,
' And note, that every parishioner shall communicate at the
least three times in the year, of which Easter to be one.'
From whence some have been tempted to think, that the
Church doth not look upon it as necessary, that they should
communicate above thrice a-year. I say, 'tempted to think'
so : for no man, surely, in his right wits, can of himself
draw such an inference from these words, which is so
of Frequent Communion.
565
directly contrary to the sense of the Church, and hath no
foundation at all in the words themselves. For the Church,
as I have shewn, hath taken all the care she can, that the
Holy Sacrament should be every where administered, if it
was possible, every day, at least every Sunday and holyday
in the year, which she would never have done, if she had
thought it sufficient for any one to receive only thrice a-
year ; for then all her care about the frequent administration
of it would be in vain, and to no purpose. And, besides,
she hath drawn up an excellent exhortation to be read by
the Minister of every parish, in case he sees the people
negligent to come to the Holy Communion, beginning thus :
' Dearly beloved, on I intend, by God's grace, to cele-
brate the Lord's Supper.' Where we may observe that it is
not said, on such a Sunday, but on with a blank, to
shew that the Minister may appoint the Communion on any
day of the week, when he can have a sufficient number to
communicate with him ; and so it is in the other exhorta-
tion, only there is ' day' put in, which may be understood
j of Tuesday or Wednesday, or any other day as well as
Sunday for the same reason. In that first mentioned, the
Minister, in the words and by the order of the Church,
invites all there present, and beseecheth them, for the Lord
Jesus Christ's sake, to come to the Lord's Supper. And
among other things, he saith to them all, ' I bid you in the
Name of God, I call you in Christ's behalf, I exhort you as
you love your own Salvation, that ye will be partakers of
this Holy Communion.' There are several such pathetical
expressions in that exhortation, wherewith the Church most
earnestly exhorts, adviseth, admonisheth, all persons to
come to this Holy Sacrament. And this exhortation every
Minister is to read publicly befoi'e all his congregation,
whensoever he sees them negligent to come to it ; as all are,
who come but two or three times a-year, where they may
have it oftener if they will. They plainly live in the neglect
of it, and therefore ought to have this exhortation read
to them according to the order of the Church ; whereby
she hath sufficiently demonstrated, that she doth not think
it enough for people generally to receive it only three times
in a year ; but that it is her opinion that they ought, and
566
The Necessity mid Advantage
her hearty desire they would, receive it as often as it is,
or, according to her order, ought to be administered among
them.
But, then, she wisely considers withal, that being a Na-
tional Church, made up of all sorts of persons, it is necessary
that her general rules and orders should be accommodated,
as much as possible, to the several conditions and circum-
stances that many of them may be sometimes in. And,
therefore, although she exhorts all her members to frequent
and constant Communion, yet she doth not think fit to
command and oblige them all, under the pain of excom-
munication, to receive oftener than three times a-year, lest
some might be thereby tempted to come sometimes without
that preparation and disposition of mind that is requisite to
the worthy partaking of so great a mystery. I say, ' under
pain of excommunication ;' for that is the meaning and the
effect of this law, that they, who do not communicate at
least three times in a year, may and ought to be cast out of
the Communion of Christ's Church, as no longer fit to be
called Christians, seeing they live in such a gross neglect of
Christ's Own command, and of that duty whereby Christians
are in an especial manner distinguished from other men.
Other men, as Jews, Turks, and Heathens, may fast and
pray, and hear sermons in their way ; but to receive the
Sacrament of Christ's Supper, is proper and peculiar only
to Christians, or such as profess that religion which Jesus
Christ hath settled in the Avorld. And, therefore, they who
receive that Sacrament do thereby manifest themselves to
be Christians ; they who do it not make it at least doubtful
whether they be Christians or not. For although they
were baptized, and so made Christians once, who knows
whetlier they have not renounced their Baptism, and apo-
statized from the Christian religion ? They themselves,
perhaps, may profess they have not, but the Church can
never know it, but hath just cause to suspect the contrary,
so long as they refuse to renew the vow they made in the
Sacrament of Baptism, by receiving that of the Lord's
Supper. And the least that can be required of them for that
purpose is, to do it three times a-year ; which, therefore, the
Church absolutely requires: not that it is not necessary for
of Frequent Communion. 567
them to receive it oftener in order to their Salvation, but
because it is necessary they should do it at least so often,
that the Church may be satisfied that they continue in her
Communion, and constant to that religion wherein alone
Salvation can be had.
And hence it is, that in the rule itself, it is not said,
that ' every person,' but ' every parishioner,' shall com-
municate at the least three times in the year. Which, there-
fore, is required of all ; not as they are members only of the
Catholic, but as they are members of a Parochial Church ;
and they are bound by this law to do it at least so often in
their own parish church, where they are parishioners : other-
wise they do not do it as parishioners, as the law requires.
So that, although a man communicates a hundred times in
any other place, as in the cathedral, which is free to all of
the diocese, or in a chapel of ease, or in any other church,
when he cannot have it at his own, this doth not satisfy the
law : but he must communicate, at least, three times in the
year, as a parishioner, in his own parish church, where there
are officers, called church-wardens, appointed on purpose
to take notice of it, and to inform the Church against him,
if he neglect to do it so often as she requires ; that she
may use the most effectual means to bring him to re-
pentance for his sin, and to make him more careful for the
future, to perform so great and necessary a duty as this is ;
or. if he continue obstinate, cut him off from the body of
Christ, as no longer worthy to be called a member of it.
And, therefore, all that can be reasonably inferred from this
law is, that the Church doth not think them fit to communi-
cate at all, who will not communicate at least three times in
the year. But as for her opinion, of the necessity of com-
municating oftener, in order to men's obtaining eternal
Salvation by the blood of Christ, that she hath sufficiently
declared, by the great care she hath taken to have this holy
Sacrament administered constantly, as often as it was in the
Apostles' and primitive times of Christianity ; that is, as
often as any Christian can desire to have it. For, according
to the order and discipline of our Church, if a sufficient
number of parishioners, against whom there is no just ex-
ception, desire to receive it every Sunday, or every day in
568
The Necessity and Advantage
the year, the Minister of their parish not only may, but, as I
humbly conceive, is bound to consecrate and administer it
to them : the want of such a number being, as far as I can
perceive, the only reason that can ever justify the omission
of it.
I have endeavoured to set this matter in as clear a light
as I could, because it will discover to us several things very
observable concerning the Church we live in. For hereby
we see how exactly she follows the pattern of the Primitive
and Apostolic Church in this particular, as well as others :
what great care she hath taken, that the bread and water of
life may be duly distributed to all her members, whenso-
ever they hunger and thirst after it : with how great
])rudence she hath so ordered it, that all may have it as
often as they will, and yet none compelled to receive it
oftener than it is absolutely necessary, in order to their
manifesting themselves to continue in the faith of Christ :
how desirous she is that all would receive it constantly,
and yet how careful that none may receive it unworthily :
how uniform she hath been in her orders about it all along :
and, by consequence, what cause we all have to bless God,
that we live in the Communion of such a Church ; and how
much it behoves us to receive the Holy Communion of her,
not only as often as she strictly commands all to receive it,
under the pain of excommunication, but as often as she
adviseth and exhorteth us to do it in order to our eternal
salvation, and as she is ready and desirous to communicate
it to us. And then we should be sure to receive it as often
as we are bound, either in duty to God, or by our own
interest, to do it.
Another reason why many do not oftener eat this bread
and drink this cujj, is because, as they pretend, they dare
not, for fear of sinning against God, and incurring eternal
damnation by it. For the Apostle, in this very place, saith,
iCor.ii.27. " Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the
Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood
ver. 29. of the Lord." And " he that eateth and drinketh unwor-
thily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not dis-
cerning the Lord's body." But they cannot but acknowledge
themselves to be unworthy of it; and if they should do it
of Frequent Communion.
569
often, they might sometime do it unworthily, and so might
hazard their salvation by it. This is a mistake that many
have lain under; and therefore it will be worth our while to
lay it as open as we can, that people may see into the vanity
and falsehood of it.
First, therefore, if there be any force in this argument
against frequent Communion, it holds as well against ever
communicating at all. For if every unworthy person that
presumes to eat this bread, and drink this cup, and every
one that doth it any way unworthily, is thereby rendered
obnoxious to eternal damnation, then all would be so that
ever eat and drink it at all ; forasmuch as no man is worthy
of any, much less of so great a mercy as that is, neither can
any man do any, much less so great a work as that is, every
way so exactly as he ought. And therefore, no man, accord-
ing to this opinion, can ever obey this command of his
Saviour, without running the hazard of losing his salvation
by it; which is such a groundless and vain conceit, that I
wonder how it first came into any man's head. For it is the
same as to imagine, that He Who came into the world on
purpose to save us, should require us to do that, in order to
our Salvation, which we can never do without being damned ;
which is so absurd, that whatsoever is, this, be sure, cannot
be the Apostle's meaning in those words.
Neither, indeed, can the words themselves bear any such
sense, without plain force and violence put upon them; for
the Apostle doth not here speak of the unworthiness of the
person, but of the action. He doth not say, ' If any unworthy
person shall eat this bread and drink this cup ;' for all are
unworthy, and they usually the most, who think themselves
the least — and they least, who think themselves the most
unworthy. But he saith, " he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily," or after an unworthy manner, unbecoming so
great and sacred a duty as that is ; and what this unworthy
manner of receiving the Holy Sacrament was, which he
here speaks of, appears plainly from the context. He is
here reproving the Corinthians for some disorders that were
among them, and particularly in the celebration of the
Lord's Supper. For, first of all, saith he, " When ye come iCor.ii.is.
together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among
570
The Necessity and Advantage
you, and I partly believe it." It seems there were divisions
among them, not only in other places, but in the church
itself ; nor at other times only, but likeveise when they were
receiving the Holy Communion itself; and then he adds,
1 Cor. 11. " When ye come together therefore into one place, this is
not to eat the Lord's Supper ; for in eating every one taketh
before [other] his own supper, and one is hungry, and
another is drunken. What! have ye not houses to eat and
drink in ? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them
that have not," or are poor ? Where we may observe, that
they came together, as I have observed before, to eat the
Lord's Supper ; that was the end, as they pretended, of their
meeting, but as they ordered the business, they did not do it ;
they did not eat the Lord's Supper, but their own. Some
ate but little, so as to be still hungry ; others ate and drank
so much as to be drunken, and that in the church itself.
For that they ate their own supper there, appears from the
Apostle's calling it their own, and not the Lord's Supper,
and also from his saying in the next verse, " What, have ye
not houses to eat and drink in, or despise ye the Church of
God," making as if that was but like one of your own
houses, where ye eat and drink every day ? And, lastly, from
the direction he afterwards gives them how to amend this
ver. 33, 34. fault. Saying, " Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come toge-
ther to eat, tarry one for another : and if any man hunger,
let him eat at home, that ye come not together unto con-
demnation," or judgment. This, therefore, is the thing
which the Apostle here condemns. They had got, it seems,
a wicked custom among them to bring their own ordinary
food to the church, and to eat and drink it there; and
because they did it in the church, they looked upon it as the
- Lord's Supper, or at least ate that there no otherwise than
they used to eat their own at home ; without shewing any
respect to Christ's mystical body and blood, or making any
difference between His supper and their own, but only that
they ate the one in the church and the other at their own
houses ; which was a great mistake and fault ; for which the
ver. 22. Apostle meekly reproves them, saying, " What shall I say
to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." And
then he gives them the reason why he could not praise, but
of Frequent Communion. 571
blame them for it, even because the Lord's Supper was insti-
tuted by the Lord Christ Himself, to keep up the remem-
brance of Himself in the Church, to their ignorance of which
he, in great charity, imputes their fault ; not doubting, but
that if they had known the nature and end of that Holy
Sacrament, they would have set a greater value upon it;
and therefore, perceiving that they did not rightly under-
stand what he had before delivered to them about it, he fully
declares it again to them, saying, " For I have received of ver. 23-25.
the Lord," &c. After which, having acquainted them in my
text, how this is done in remembrance of Christ, even by
shewing forth His death, he draws this inference from it :
wherefore " whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this ver. 27.
cup [of the Lord] unworthily, shall be guilty of the body
and blood of the Lord," which therefore must needs be
understood of that unworthy manner of doing it, which he
before spoke of, and which gave him the occasion of saying
it, even their eating this bread and drinking this cup of the
Lord after the same manner as they ate and drank at home,
without expressing any reverence to the Holy Sacrament, or
to Christ's body and blood there represented ; and therefore
he saith, that wliosoever doeth so, " is guilty of the body
and blood of the Lord ;" that is, he is guilty of profaning
Christ's mystical body and blood, crucifying, as it were, to
himself, " the Son of God afresh, and putting Him to an Heb. 6. 6.
open shame," by eating His body and drinking His blood
as common things, and so exposing Him to contempt and
scorn.
That this is the true meaning of the phrase, appears also
from the next verse but one, where it occurs again: " For icor.11.29.
he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body,"
' not discerning,' that is, not considering whose body it is,
nor making any difference between that and their ordinary
food, as the original word biu%^lv'jiv plainly imports. This,
therefore, is that unworthy receiving which the Apostle here
particularly condemneth : when men come to the Lord's
Table, and receive the outward signs of bread and wine,
without discerning by faith the Lord's body signified by
them, and therefore without shewing any more regard and
572
The Necessity and Advantage
reverence to what they eat and drink there, than they do
to any other meat and drink : which horrid sin, although
the Corinthians fell into it before they fully understood the
nature and end of Christ's institution, yet I hope few are
guilty of it amongst us, now that the institution of this Holy
Sacrament is so clearly delivered and explained by the
Apostle in this place. They seem to come nearest to it who
sit at the Lord's Table as they do at their own, and receive
Christ's body and blood with no more reverence and godly
fear than they eat and drink at home.
But that which hath frightened people most from this
Sacrament is the Apostle's saying, according to our transla-
tion, " He that eateth and di-inketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself." And I confess at first sight
it looks very frightfully ; for it seems to imply, that whoso-
ever receiveth the Holy Sacrament after any unworthy man-
ner, or any otherwise than he ought, is, ipso facto, damned,
or adjudged to eternal punishments for it, which, if true,
would discourage all considering persons from ever receiving
at all, unless they have greater assurance of their own worthi-
ness and abilities than can reasonably be expected in this
life, or justly pretended to by any that know themselves.
But our comfort is, this cannot possibly be the meaning of
the words ; for besides that no man can receive it so wor-
thily as he ought, and every unworthy receiving, as I have
shewn, is not that w^hich the Apostle here speaks of — be-
sides that, I say, the word xg^xa, which is translated ' damna-
tion' in the text, in the margin of our Bibles is rendered
'judgment;' which shews that our translators themselves
were not satisfied that the word here signified ' damnation,'
but that it might be taken in the other sense. But, howso-
ever, they put ' damnation ' into the text, to make people, I
suppose, the more careful how they received, not foreseeing
w hat ill uses might be made of it ; and accordingly have been
so in our age, wherein, through the ignorance or indiscretion
of some persons, this one word hath kept more people from
the Holy Communion than all the commandments for it can
bring to it ; not in itself, or from its own proper meaning, but
by reason of the harsh sound it makes in our ears, who com-
monly use it for damnation to eternal punishments, whereas
of Frequent Communion.
573
it may be applied as well to those which are only temporal ;
and so it must be here. The original word -/.sTimu signifies
'judgment' in general, whereby a man is adjudged to any
sort of punishment ; but what that is, in particular, must be
determined from the circumstances of the place where it is
used ; as in this place the Apostle Himself plainly shews
what kind of judgment or damnation he means by it: for
having said, " He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth
and drinketh damnation," or judgment, " to himself," he
immediately adds, " For this cause many are weak and sickly iCor. 11.30.
among you, and many sleep." From whence it is easy to
suppose that some epidemical distemper at that time raged
at Corinth, j^articularly among the Christians, of which many
died, and others, though they escaped death, yet continued
weak and sickly for some time after. This the Apostle
ascribes to the judgment of God upon them, for their un-
worthy and profane eating and drinking Christ's mystical
body and blood, as if it had been common food : " For this
cause," saith he, " many are weak and sickly among you,"
&c., and therefore this must needs be the judgment which
he here means. But this is so far from eternal damnation,
that it is usually inflicted on purpose to prevent that ; and
that it was so at this time, appears from what follows : " For," ver. 31, 32.
saith he, " if we would judge ourselves, we should not be
judged; but when we are judged, we are chastened of the
Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."
This was the end of that, as it is of all the judgments which
God lays upon His people, even to bring them thereby to
such a sight and sense of their sins, and to such an hearty
and sincere repentance, that they may not be condemned for
them ; and therefore, when the Apostle saith, " He that
eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damna-
tion to himself;" and again afterwards, " If any man hunger, ver. 34.
let him eat at home, that ye come not together unto con-
demnation," (where the same word is used again in the
original,) neither the etymology nor common use of the
word in other places, much less will the context here suffer
it to be understood of eternal damnation, but rather of such
temporal judgments, which are designed by Almighty God
574
The Necessity and Advantage
to keep us from being condeuined with the wicked and
impenitent workl.
Thus we see, in short, the whole scope and design of the
Apostle in this remarkable passage concerning the Holy-
Sacrament; from whence we may easily observe, that all
that can be reasonably inferred from what he here saith, is,
that as it is a sin not to pray, or fast, or give alms, or hear
God's Word aright, so it is a sin too not to receive the Lord's
Supper aright, or as we ought to do it. But as we must
Luke 8. 18. "take heed how we hear," so we must take heed how we
receive, that we may do it with that faith and reverence
which becomes so Divine an institution, and so Heavenly a
duty as that is, lest otherwise we offend God, and provoke
Him to lay some heavy judgment upon us, and, except we
repent, condemn us at last to everlasting fire, as He justly
may, for any sin that we stand guilty of, before Him. But
it is a great affront and abuse put upon God's Holy Word, to
make this an excuse for our not frequenting the Holy Com-
munion, when the Apostle designed it only for an argument,
why we should receive it always in a worthy and decent
manner ; and therefore this is the great and only use we
should make of it, that seeing, " He that eateth this bread
and drinketh this cup of the Lord unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body;" therefore as oft as we eat this bread and drink this
cup, we must take care to do it worthily, discerning the
Lord's body, and deporting ourselves accordingly in receiving
of it : whensoever we are invited to this spiritual wedding,
we must be sure to come, but we must be sure to come with
[Matt. 22. our "wedding-garment" on, with such a temper and dispo-
"■•^ sition of mind, as becomes the place, the company, and the
feast we go to ; for which purpose, we must prepare our-
selves beforehand, and put our hearts into such a frame, that
we may so feed upon the blessed body and blood of Christ
our Saviour, that He may preserve both our souls and bodies
to eternal life. But then you will say, perhaps' ' This
requires a great deal of time, more than we can often spare
from our necessary employments ; and that is the reason
that we do not receive so often as we otherwise would ; ' and
of Frequent Communion.
575
I believe so too: that is the reason, the great reason of all,
that this Holy Sacrament is so shamefully neglected by most
jjeople ! They know it is a very good thing, and they would
oftener partake of it, but that they have other business of
greater consequence, as they wisely think, to mind, so that
they cannot find time enough to prepare themselves as they
ought for it. As in the parable ; when a certain man had
made a great supper,, and sent his servants to call those
which he had invited to it, they all presently began to make
excuse: "The first said to him, I have bought a piece ofLukeu.is-
ground, and I must needs go and see it ; I pray thee have
me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke
of oxen, and I go to prove them ; I pray thee have me
excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and
i therefore I cannot come." So it is to this day. Christ, the
Eternal Son of God, at the expense of His Own blood, hath
provided a supper, His Own Last Supper, the best feast that
can be had on this side Heaven, and all things being ready,
He sends His Ministers to invite all that are admitted into
His Church to come and partake of it ; but they all, or at
least the far greatest part, desire to be excused ; and if we
would know the reason, it is because they have other busi-
ness to do : one hath his farm to look after, another his shop,
a third his warehouse and merchandise ; and so every one
finds something or other to do ; any thing rather than come
to the Lord's Supper. But these are but vain excuses, like
those in the parable designed on purpose to shew the folly
I of those which made them : " The first had bought a piece of
ground, and must needs go and see it;" wherein he betrayed
his folly, in buying that which he had not seen. And so did
the second, in buying " five yoke of oxen " before he had
proved them, to know whether they were fit for his turn.
But the greatest fool of all was the last, who said, " I have
married a wife, and therefore I cannot come;" as if his mar-
rying a wife could hinder him from coming to a feast. Such
j are the excuses that men commonly make for their not
I coming when they are invited to our Lord's Table : they
serve only to discover tlie weakness and folly of those
whicli make them. For how can a man betray the weak-
ness of his judgment more than by preferring the most
inconsiderable before the most valuable things that are ?
576
The Necessity and Adcantage
Yet this is the case of all who at any time neglect the Holy
Communion for any worldly business. They prefer their
bodies before their souls, the world before their Saviour;
earth, with all its vanities and troubles, before Heaven, and
all the glory that He is there preparing for all those who
keep His Commandments : for otherwise they would never
suffer any thing in this world to hinder them from doing
what He hath commanded for their more effectually obtain-
ing eternal Salvation by Him.
But this being the most common objection against fre-
quent Communion, let us look a little more narrowly into it,
that we may see what cause men have to make it. First,
some have none at all : yea, there are many such ; many
who are not incumbered with the affairs of this life, having
a sufficient maintenance transmitted to them from their
ancestors, or else acquired already by God's blessings upon
their own endeavours, whereby they are able to supjjoi't
themselves and their families, without taking any further
care about it. I do not question but there are many sucli
here present at this time. Now what can you plead for your
not frequenting the Holy Sacrament ? You cannot say you
have not time to prepare yourselves ; for you have more
upon j^our hands than ye well know what to do with ; and
therefore are often forced to invent ways how to spend it,
which usually are as bad as to sit still and do nothing. And
is it not a sad thing, that you should choose to do nothing,
or worse than nothing, rather than that which God Himself
hath set you, and hath given you so much time, on purpose
that nothing might divert you from it ? Remember, the time
will come when time will be no more ! And then you will
wish with all your hearts, that you had employed it better
while you had it. And I am sure there is no way possible
for you to make better advantage of it, than by spending it
in preparing yourselves for the Holy Communion, and then
receiving it accordingly : this being the best course you
can ever take, for your employing not only that, but all the
rest of your time well. Whereas, if you still continue to
neglect so great a duty, notwithstanding that you have little
or nothing else to do in the meanwhile ; for my part, I
know not how you can answer it, either to God or your own
consciences, nor what account you can give, either of your-
of Frequent Communion.
577
selves or of your time, at the Last Day ! But tlils I know, that
you have but too much cause to suspect and fear that all is
not right within you ; that whatsoever your temporal estate
may seem, your spiritual is very bad; and that all the ease
and plenty which you now enjoy, will hereafter serve to no
other purpose, than to increase your pain and misery.
But there are others who really have a great deal of
worldly business upon their hands, more perhaps than they
can well turn them to. But I would desire such to consider,
that whatsoever worldly business they have, it is still but the
business of this world, this transient and uncertain world,
that soon passeth away : that they have another world to
live in as well as this, a world that will have no end. And if
they take so much care and pains about their living a few
years, or perhaps a few days, upon earth, they ought surely
to be much more careful how to live eternally, as they must,
either in Heaven or Hell, eithei- in the greatest pleasure they
can enjoy, or else in the greatest pain they can endure. The
difference betwixt which two is so vastly great, that who-
soever duly weighs and considers it, must needs be inclined
to make it his chief study and business in this world, to
prepare for the next, — to " seek the Kingdom of God and Matt. 6. 33.
His righteousness, in the first place," as our Saviour Him-
self commands. And he who doeth that, will be sure to
order all his temporal affairs so that they shall never inter-
fere with his spiritual, but give place to them upon all
occasions. Although he be diligent and industrious in his
calling, yet if things so fall out, that he must either neglect
that for a while, or else his daily prayers, he doth not stand
pausing which he had best do ; as seeing there is no com-
parison at all between them, the one having respect only to
his present, the other to his future and eternal state. And
so for the Holy Sacrament : if he have an opportunity put
into his hands of receiving that, he dares not let it slip upon
any worldly account whatsoever ; as knowing that he may
get more there than all this world is worth, and lose more by
the neglect of that, than of any other opportunity that can be
offered him.
This is the sense and practice of every wise and good man
in this case. But as for such, whose heads and hearts, as
p p
578 The Necessity and Advantaf/e
well as hands, are so taken up with worldly business, that
they cannot, or rather will not, spare so much time from that
as to ]>repare themselves for the Holy Communion, they
plainly shew that they prefer the things of this life before
their duty to God, their bodies before their souls, and their
temporal before their eternal hajipiness and welfare. These
are the men of this world, who have, or at least desire to have,
their portion in this life rather than the next. And these
Phil. 3. 18, are they which St. Paul speaks of, where he saith, " Many
walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even
weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Christ, whose
end is destruction, whose god is their belly, whose glory is in
• their shame, who mind earthly things." I ^vish there were
none such among us at this time. If there be, it will be in
vain to say much to them, their hearts being so full of this
world, that there is no room left for sober and good advice.
And therefore I shall only desire, that when they are at
Matt.i6.26. leisure, they would remember our Saviour's words, " What
is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for
his soul ?"
But some of those who thus live in a crowd of cares for
this present life, may, notwithstanding, sometimes think of
their future state, and then they resolve to set upon the use
of those means which God hath appointed for their Salvation,
and particularly the greatest of all, the Holy Sacrament, at
least when their hurry of business is over, which they hope
may be in a week or fortnight's time; but in the meanwhile
they desire to be excused.
Let us suppose that you are so resolved at present. But
are you sure that those resolutions will hold, and that you
will be in the same mind a fortnight hence that ye are in
now? How do ye know but other business may come in
before that, which may distract your thoughts as much or
more than that ye have now upon you? But above all, what
assurance have ye that ye shall live so long ? And what if
ye should die, as ye may, before that time ? What do ye
think will then become of you ? If ye cannot fit yourselves
for the Holy Sacrament, will ye be fit to die ? No, surely !
If ye be not prepared to appear before Christ at His Holy
of Frequent Communion.
579
Table, you will be much less prepared to appear before Him
at His Judgment-seat, wbere you will receive your final and
irrevocable sentence from Him. And, therefore, you had
need to look about you, and to be always ready, as Christ
Himself requires you to be with His Own mouth, saying,
"Take heed to yourselves, lest at anytime your hearts be ^'"''e 21.34.
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
Whence yon may observe, that He Who will be your Judge
hath forewarned you, that the cares of this life will make you
as unfit to appear before Him, as surfeiting and drunkenness
itself. And therefore, if you have any care of your souls,
take heed of the cares of this life, that they hinder you no
longer from receiving His most blessed body and blood as
often as ye can ; for if they do, they will much more hinder
you from giving a good account of yourselves before His
tribunal. But as ye desire to be always ready for death
and judgment, be always ready for that Hjly Sacrament,
which is the best preparatory in the world for it. And
for that purpose, whensoever ye are invited to our Lord's
Table, think thus with yourselves : ' I have now an oppor-
tunity put into my hands of partaking of the body and blood
of my ever-blessed Saviour, to preserve my body and soul
to everlasting life. It is true, I have at this time more than
ordinary business upon my hand ; but what is all this world
in comparison of everlasting life and happiness? And who
knows whether I shall ever have such another opportunity
as this as long as I live?' Do but, I say, think thus, and
then let slip any such opportunity if you can : for my part, if
ye have any regard for your immortal souls, I believe it will
be very difficult, if not impossible.
But that which deserves most to be considered in this
case, is the preparation that is necessarily required to the
•worthy receiving of the Lord's Supper ; concerning which
many whole books have been written, and some so large,
that the very reading of them requires more time than a
good Christian need spend in the duty itself. And this I
believe hath discouraged many from receiving the Holy
Sacrament so often as they ought, and as they otherwise
would. For, meeting with such books as make the prepara-
580
The Necessity and Advantaye
tlon to it so tedious and troublesome, that they cannot read
and observe all that is there said about it, without laying
aside all other business for a long time together, they are
quite disheartened from ever attempting it, but when they
can find a time wherein they have nothing else to do ; M'hich,
to those who follow any calling as they ought, happens but
very rarely: who, therefore, very rarely so much as think of
it, especially if they chance to meet with such books, as they
sometimes may do, which make their preparation so nice
and ticklish a thing, that they despair of ever observing all
the little rules which are there laid down, and therefore
seldom or never trouble their heads about it; which shews
what great care and caution should be used in treating upon
this subject, lest we raise such scruples and difficulties in it,
which may deter men from the Holy Sacrament, instead of
preparing them for it. For my own part, I do not see but
that whatsoever is generally necessary in order to it, may be
brought within a small compass : for it may be all reduced
to these few heads :
First, to the receiving the Lord's Supper aright, it is
necessary that we be rightly instructed in the nature and
end of it, that we may be able to " discern," as the Apostle
speaks, " the Lord's body," or understand the difference
between that and our ordinary food, and so know what we
do ; without which it is impossible for us to do it as we
ought. But for this purpose we need not run over great
volumes, for we have every thing necessary to be known
concerning it briefly but fully set down in our Church
Catechism ; so briefly, that a child may learn it all ; and yet
so fully, that the greatest scholar upon earth need know no
more, in order to his worthy receiving this Holy Sacrament :
for there we have the end why it was ordained, even ' for
the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of
Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby:'
there we have both the parts of it described and explained
to us, that ' bread and wine which the Lord commanded to
be received, is the outward part or sign of the Lord's
Supper;' and that the 'inward part or thing signified,
is the body and blood of Christ, which are verily and indeed
taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper:'
of Frequent Communion. 581
there we have also the benefits whereof we are partakers
thereby, even ' the strengthening and refreshing our souls
by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by bread
and wine.' In which few words, we have all things necessary
to be known concerning this Holy Sacrament, in order to
the worthy receiving of it; and they are all so plain and
easy, that we cannot suppose that any one who is bred up in
the Christiaji religion, and is come to the years of discretion,
can be ignorant of them. And if any be, it is but turning
! to the Catechism in their Common Prayer Book, and there
they may find them ; as they may all things else that are
requisite for them either to know or believe, or do, or desire,
i that they may be saved.
In the next place, as in all our addresses to Almighty
God, so especially in this, we ought certainly to endeavour
all we can to prepare ourselves beforehand for it. For
which purpose, the Apostle lays down this general rule :
" Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that i Cor.i
bread, and drink of that cup." But he doth not tell us
particularly what we should examine ourselves about, because
that may be easily gathered from what he there saith con-
cerning the Sacrament itself, and the manner of receiving it.
But lest we should be mistaken in it, our Church hath taken
care to give us particular directions about it, in the last
words of her Catechism, where she tells us that it is required
of them who come to the Lord's Supper, ' to examine them-
selves whether they repent them truly of their former sins,
] steadfastly purposing to lead a new life, have a lively faith
in God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance
of His death, and be in charity with all men.' Which words
are so plain, that they cannot be made plainer : and yet so
full, that they contain all that can be truly and pertinently
said upon this subject. If ye read all the books that have
been written, and all the directions that are there given,
about your preparation to the Lord's Supper, you will find a
great many more words ; but all that are to the purpose
, amount to no more than what is here said. I do not deny
but that the reading of such, or any other books of devotions,
' that are written with that care and prudence which the
subject requires, may be a good help to bring your minds
582
The Necessity and Advantage
into a fit temper and disposition for the blessed Sacrament.
But still this is the sum and substance of all that you need
to do in order to it, even to set apart some time before-
hand wherein to ' examine yourselves, whether you truly
repent of your former sins, so as steadfastly to purpose
for the future to lead a new life:' whether you have a
' lively faith in God's mercies through Christ,' joined with
a ' thankful remembrance of His death : ' and whether ye
' be in charity with all men.' And if upon due examination,
ye find that ye have such ' repentance,' such ' faith,' and
such ' charity' as this is, which, be sure, all true Christians
have, you need not doubt but that you are fit to receive the
Holy Sacrament, and ought accordingly to do it. But that
ye may be more fully assured of it, especially at the time of
receiving, the Church itself is pleased to tell you it in the
exhortation at the same time, saying, 'Judge, therefore,
yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord;
repent you truly for your sins past, have a lively and stead-
fast faith in Christ our Saviour, amend your lives, and be in
perfect charity with all men. So shall ye be meet partakers
of these holy mysteries.' And, therefore, she afterwards
invites all that are so prepared, to ' draw near with faith,'
and to ' receive the Holy Sacrament to their comfort.'
This, therefore, is all that is necessarily required to the
worthy receiving of the Lord's Supper. But all this may be
easily done by any true Christian. It requires no great
parts, or learning, nor time neither, for a man to look into
his own heart, to review his life, to consider wherein he hath
hitherto done amiss, and to resolve, by God's blessing, to do
so no more, but to endeavour all he can to lead, for the
future, a new and holy life, as becomes the Gospel of Christ.
This is no more than what many do every day, or at least very
often, whether they are to receive the Holy Sacrament or
not ; and so are always ready, wheuioever they can get an
opportunity to receive it, especially if they have been long
accustomed to it. For by this means their repentance,
faith, charity, and all oth. i- gi aces, being kept in continual
exercise, and receiving strength and nourishment from the
body and blood of Christ frequently communicated unto
them, they by degrees grow up into habit and custom, so as
of Frequent Communion.
583
to be ready upon all occasions to exert and put forth them-
selves with ease and pleasure. And therefore such happy
persons need not spend much time in their actual prejDaration
for the Holy Communion, as having such an habitual dispo-
sition, whereby they are always duly qualified and prepared
for it. Insomuch, that if they happen to come into a place
where it is administered, although they did not know or
think of it before they came, yet they can receive the benefit
and comfort of it, and bless God for giving them such an
opportunity, which they did not look for, but being put into
their hands, they cannot but take hold of it, and improve it
to their best advantage.
These, I confess, may seem to be of the higher rank of
Christians, to which few ascend the ordinary way, without
more than ordinary care and diligence in the use of those
means which, by the grace of God accompanying of them,
lead up to it. But we must not think, as some have done,
that none but such as these should receive the Sacrament of
the Lord's Supper ; for that was intended for all that believe
in Christ, arid are baptized in His Name : yea, they are all
commanded to do this in remembrance of Him, one as well
as another; the weak as well as the strong in faith: the
I weak, that they may be strong ; and the strong, that they
may not be weak again, but rather grow stronger and
stronger, till they " come unto a perfect man unto the Eph
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." I know
there are many ignorant, though perhaps well-meaning,
persons among us, yea, and some who pretend to great
knowledge in the mysteries of our religion, who yet think
that none but great men and eminent saints should come to
the Holy Sacrament, they who have attained already to such
an excellent and Divine temper of mind, as to live always
above this world, and out of the reach of the Devil and his
temptations : but, as for others, who are conscious to them-
selves of their daily infirmities, and are often in danger of
being overpowered by one temptation or other, they must
by no means venture upon it. But this certainly is a very
great and dangerous mistake, and one of the Devil's tricks,
to keep men off from using the best weapons, whereby to
i csist and conquer him. For all Christ's disciples are equally
584
Tlie Necessity and Advantage
bound by His command to do this in remembrance of Hini.
And all have equally need of it. If any want it more than
others, it must be such whose faith is so weak, as not to be
able as yet to overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil,
but are still wrestling and fighting with these their spiritual
enemies, and therefore have need of all the aids and assist-
[Heb. 2. ances which the " Captain of our Salvation" hath provided
in that case ; of which the receiving His most blessed body
and blood was always found to be the most powerful and
prevalent.
But that it may be so to them, it is necessary that such
persons take pains in preparing themselves for it. They
must look back upon their lives, and bring to their remem-
brance as many as they can of their former sins, especially
such as they have been most guilty of, and whereby they
have most offended and dishonoured Almighty God ; and
must not only abhor and humble themselves for them, but
also resolve never to commit them any more. They must
search narrowly into their own hearts, to find out the weakest
side, and resolve to set a stronger watch and guard than
they used to do about it. They must bethink themselves
what sort of temptations they have been most subject to,
and oftenest overcome by, and must resolve never to give
way to them any more, but to withstand them with all their
might. They must consider what place, what company,
what employment, what recreations or other circumstances
of their life, have exposed them most to such temptations,
and have been their chief occasions of their falling into sin,
and must resolve for the future to forsake and avoid them.
They must consult their own breasts, to know how they have
performed their duties to God, and used the means that He
hath appointed for their obtaining grace at His hands ; how
they have fasted and watched ; how they have prayed both
in public and private ; how they have read and heard God's
Holy Word ; and how they have received the Sacrament of
the Lord's Supper : whether they have lived in the neglect
of some or other of these necessary duties, or else performed
them in a careless and superficial manner; and must re-
solve to be more constant, and more hearty and sincere in
all and every one of them, than hitherto they have been.
of Frequent Communion.
585
They must examine themselves, whether they be in cliarity,
and in the faith, whether they really believe all the articles
of the Christian religion, and have a sure trust and con-
fidence in Christ their Saviour, and in all the promises which
God hath made to mankind in Him, and must resolve to con-
tinue firm and steadfast in the same unto the end ; and they
must make all these holy resolutions, not in their own, but
in the Xame of Jesus Christ, believing and depending upon
Him for grace and power to perform them, so as to live
accordingly for the future all the rest of their days. In short,
they must call to mind the solemn vow and promise which
they made to God, when they were admitted into His Church
by the Sacrament of Baptism, and must now renew and
ratify the same at the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, faith-
fully promising again to Him, and purposing with them-
selves, by His assistance, to believe and do as they then
promised, and to continue in the same unto their lives' end.
They who have thus prepared themselves for the Lord's
Supper, whensoever it is administered, may, and ought most
thankfully to receive it, not doubting but they shall find
favour and acceptance with God, and great benefit and
advantage to themselves by it, through His merits and inter-
cession, whose body and blood they there receive. And yet
all this may be easily and soon done by any of Christ's
disciples ; by those of- the lowest, as well as of the highest,
forms in His school ; yea, it ought to be often done by all
at other times, as well as when they are to receive the Holy
Communion. It is true, it is in a particular manner requisite
and necessary that a man examine himself before he eat of
that bread, and drink of that cup, because, unless a man first
knows the true state of his soul, he will not know how to
make the right use of what he there receives, to his spiritual
advantage. The Sacrament of Christ's body and blood is an
universal remedy for all the distempers of our souls ; but
except a man knows where his distemper lies, and what
part is most affected, he cannot apply the medicine to it,
and so can receive no benefit from it. But howsoever we
must not think that self-examination is a duty to be per-
formed only upon that occasion ; for he who never examines
himself but only when he is to receive the Holy Sacrament,
586
21i.e Necessity and Adimntage
had need to receive it very often, or else he will be a great
stranger to himself, not knowing what condition he is in,
nor what progress he makes in the way to Heaven, but rather
will have just cause to suspect that he goes backward, and
grows worse and worse every day : and therefore he wlio is
really solicitous about his future state, as all true Christians
be sure are, cannot but often reflect upon himself, and upon
his present condition, although he have not an opportunity
of partaking of Christ's body and blood as yet to make it
better ; and if he lives in a place, as many do, where such
opportunities are seldom to be had, he must, notwithstand-
ing, often call himself to account, look into the state of his
soul, and settle all his spiritual affairs as solemnly as if he
was to receive the Holy Sacrament immediately upon it.
By this means he will be always prepared for it, and always
longing and thirsting after it, and ready to catch at the next
opportunity he can get of receiving it ; and in the meanwhile
he may make a shift to keep up his mind in a pretty good
temper, through the grace and mercy of God, who, knowing
that it is not his own fault that he doth not actually receive
the Holy Sacrament, will be graciously pleased, as we have
good ground to believe, to make up the want of it some other
way.
But, blessed be God for it, this is not our case, who may
receive the Holy Communion every Lord's Day in the year,
and oftener too if we have a mind to it. How happy would
some good people think themselves if they could have such
opportunities as these are ! and how miserable shall we be
if we neglect and slight them ! For my part, I do not see
how we shall be able to answer it either to God or to our-
selves another day ; neither do I know what excuse or pre-
tence any can have for it, besides those which we have now
refuted ; except it be this one, which some have made to
themselves, even, that they have been several times at the
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but have not found that
benefit and comfort from it which they expected, and there-
fore think it to no purpose for them to receive it oftener than
they are obliged to do it, in order to their continuing in the
Communion of the Ciiurch.
This, I know, hath been a great stumbling-block to many
of Frequent Communion. 587
■well-meaning people, and therefore I shall endeavour to
remove it out of the way as clearly as I can ; for which pur-
pose we may first observe, that what God commands us to
do, we are therefore to do it because He commands it, whe-
ther we can get any thing by it or not; otherwise we do it
not for His sake, but our own ; not in obedience to His
command, but in hopes of profit and advantage to ourselves,
whereby it ceaseth to be a good work, or any way acceptable
to God ; in that we do not respect Him, but ourselves, and
so prefer ourselves before Him in it, as in our present case.
We are commanded by God, our Saviour, to do this in re-
membrance of Him : now, if we do it only in expectation of
gaining something to ourselves by it, we do not regard or
obey Him at all in it ; in that we neither do it therefore
because He commanded it, nor as He commanded it to bo,
done ; for He commanded it to be done " in remembrance
of Him," and so made that, not our profit, the chief end of
His Institution : and therefore, although He hath com-
manded us nothing but what is really for our good, and that
this is so in an high and special manner, yet we must not
make that our end in doing it, but we must " eat this bread,
and drink this cup, in remembrance of Him," whether we
receive any benefit from it or not, yea, although we were sure
to have none, and so do it in pure and sincere obedience to
His commandment ; which whosoever doeth,will be sure, one
time or other, to find the benefit and comfort of it, though
not, perhaps, at present.
For the blessed body and blood of Christ, received, as it
ought to be, with a quick and lively faith, will most cer-
tainly have its desired effect : but it operates, for the most
part, upon our souls, as our ordinary food doth upon our
bodies, insensibly and by degrees. We eat and drink every
day, and by that means our bodies grow to their full stature,
and are then kept up in life, health, and vigour, though
we ourselves know not how this is done or perhaps take
any notice of it. So it is with this spiritual meat and
drink, which God hath prepared for our souls. By eating
and drinking frequently of it, we grow by degrees in grace,
and iu "the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus [| Pet. 3.
Christ," and still continue steadfast and active in the true
588
The Necessity and Advantage
faith and fear of God, though, after all, we may be no way
sensible how this wonderful effect is wrought in us, but only
as we find it to be so by our own experience. And if we
do that, we have no cause to complain that we get nothing
by it ; for we get more than all the world is worth ; being-
strengthened in the inward man, and so made more fit for
the service of God, more constant in it, and more able to
perform it ; or, at least, are kept from falling back, and
preserved from many sins and temptations which otherwise
we might be exposed to : and this, surely, is enough to
make any one, that really minds the good of his soul, to
hunger and thirst after this bread and water of life, and
to eat and drink it as often as he can, although he do not
presently feel the happy effect of it, as some have done, and
as he himself sometimes may, when God seeth it necessary
or convenient for him. In the meanwhile, he may rest
satisfied in his mind, that ho is in the way that Christ hath
made to Heaven ; and thank God for giving him so many
opportunities of partaking of Christ's body and blood, and
also grace to lay hold of them, to improve them to his own
unspeakable comfort, such as usually attends the worthy
receiving of the Lord's Supper ; whereby we are not only
jiut in mind of the great sacrifice which the Son of God
offered for our sins, but likewise have it actually com-
municated unto us, for our pardon and reconciliation to the
Almighty Governor of the world ; which is the greatest
comfort we can have on this side Heaven ; so great, that
we shall never be able to express it unto others, how deeply
soever we may be affected with it in ourselves. And though
we be not always thus sensibly cheered and refreshed with
it as we could wish to be, howsoever we can never receive
the blessed Sacrament, but we have the pleasure and satis-
faction of having done our duty to our Maker and Re-
deemer, which far exceeds all the comforts of this life, and
therefore may well stay our stomachs till God sees good to
give us more.
But let us now suppose that a man hath been often at
our Lord's Table, and yet hath seldom or never received any
real benefit or comfort from it, not so much as that which
ariseth from our reflecting upon our having done what our
of Frequent Comrminion. 589
Saviour commanded us. This, I confess, may be the case
of some persons : but then such should consider where the
fault lies. It cannot lie in the institution itself : that can
never fail of producing the same effect, where it is duly
observed, at one time as well as at another, and in one
person as much as in another ; and therefore the fault must
be in the persons themselves ; they do not duly observe the
institution, and then it is no wonder if they be never the
better for it. Now there are two things required to the due
observation of it ; first, that men come rightly prepared to
the Holy Sacrament ; and then, that they receive it aright.
They who fail either of these ways, must blame themselves
if they miss of what they expected from it. What is neces-
sary to the preparing ourselves for it, I have already spoken
of, and have shewn that it is no more than what may be
easily done, if men will but set themselves in good earnest
about it. But if men will not do that, but come to the
Lord's Table as they do to their own, without putting them-
selves, by God's assistance, into a right temper and dis-
position for it, they have no ground to expect any advantage
by it ; for they are not subjects capable of those spiritual
profits and pleasures which are there exhibited. Their hearts
are not set towards them, but rather quite bent another
way, and therefore cannot possibly be touched or affected
by them. What wonderful power hath the sun upon plants
and seeds in the earth, to make them grow and bring forth
fruit ! And yet such plants or seeds which are rotten, cor-
rupted, or not rightly set and disposed as they ought to be,
are never the better for the influences of the sun, but remain
just as they were, how long soever it shines upon them. So
it is here : Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shines most
powerfully in His Church especially at the commemoration
of the great eclipse which He once suffered, as they find by
experience, who come duly prepared to it, being so quick-
ened, enlivened, actuated, and strengthened by it, that they
bring forth " love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, oal. 5. 22,
faith," and all the other fruits of God's Holy Spirit, as they
are reckoned up by His Apostles, whereas they who are
disordered and out of tune, and will not take pains to put
themselves into a suitable temper and disposition for it,
590
The Necessity and Advantage
they are no way wrought upon, or influenced by it, but still
continue barren and unfruitful. And so all must needs do
who come not rightly qualified to the Holy Sacrament ; they
cannot truly eat of the blessed body and blood of Christ,
and if they did, they could not digest it into proper food
and nourishment for their souls, and so can receive no real
profit or advantage by it ; which, notwithstanding, should
not discourage any from coming as oft as they can to the
Lord's Table, but should rather excite them to prepare
themselves always as well as they can for it ; for then they
will never complain of unprofitableness any more : but let
them come as often as they please, they will every time go
home better than they came, if they do but come thus
riglitly disposed to receive the body and blood of Christ,
which is there communicated to them, and then likewise
receive it also as they ought.
How they ought to receive it is the next question to be
considered, and it had need be considered very seriously
by all that expect any benefit from the Lord's Supper; for,
although they come with never so good a disposition to it,
yet unless they keep themselves in the same while they
are at it, and actually partake of Christ's body and blood
according to His holy institution, their expectations will be
all frustrated : for the great benefit which we receive from
this Holy Sacrament, is ' the strengthening and refreshing
of our souls by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies
are by bread and wine.' But as our bodies cannot be
strengthened or refreshed by bread and wine unless we eat
and drink it ; so neither can our souls be so by the body
and blood of Christ unless we actually partake of it : but
our souls cannot actually partake of the body and blood
of Christ any other way than by some act of their own ;
even by acting their faith in what is there signified and
j-epresented to them. What we there see with our bodily
eyes, although consecrated to an holy use, it is still in its
own nature plain bread and wine, which may strengthen
and refresh our bodies, but can have no such influence or
effect upon our souls, as being of a quite different nature
from them. But by faith we look upon them as the signs
and symbols of Christ's body and blood, and receive them
of Frequent Communion.
591
as such upon His Word ; which, as I have shewn, is a mighty
strengthening and refreshing to our souls. But we can
never thus receive Christ's body and blood, nor so much as
discern it, any other way but by a quick and lively faith ;
but that, as the Apostle saith, " is the substance of things Heb. ii. i.
hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen." The body
and blood of Christ is not seen in the Holy Sacrament, but
faith doth plainly evidence, yea, itself is the evidence of it
to us. So that by faith I am as fully persuaded of it, as if I
saw it ; and although we do not see it there, yet we hope for
it because of Christ's Word ; and what we thus hope for,
our faith is the substance of it to us, causing it to subsist and
operate in us as etfectually, to all intents and purposes, as
we can expect or desire, for the strengthening and refresh-
ing of our souls; whereas, without such a faith as this, we
can receive nothing but bread and wine, and, by conse-
quence, no spiritual benefit or comfort at all from the Holy
Sacrament; and that is the reason why, according to the
appointment of our Church, at the distribution of the Sacra-
mental bread, we say to every communicant, ' Take and eat
this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on
Him in thy heart by faith ;' whereby every one is put in
mind, in the very act of receiving, that he must there feed
upon Christ by faith, as the only means whereby he can par-
take of His body and blood, so as to receive strength and
Hourishment to his soul from that holy feast.
For, indeed, the whole stress of this great work lies upon
our faith. Unless that be duly exei ted and acted, though
men come to the Lord's Table, and feed upon the outward
elements which are there given them, this is not to eat the
Lord's Supper ; for that is a spiritual banquet which cannot
be so much as tasted of any otherwise than by faith ; and
therefore they who do not receive it with faith, have no cause
to complain that they are never the better for receiving the
Lord's Supper ; for they do really receive it no more than as
if they were not present where it is administered ; and so
can expect no more benefit from it than from food or physic
which they do not take. But this should not dishearten any
from coming to the Lord's Supper as often as they can, but
should make them more careful to receive it always, as they
592
The Necessity and Advantage
ought, with faith ; and then they can never fail of their
expectations from it ; but will always receive as much, and
often more than they could expect.
By this we may see how we ought to receive the Lord's
Supper. If we desire to partake of the benefits of it, we
must receive it with faith; and hence it is that our Church
hath, in her great wisdom, so contrived that incomi)arable
office which she hath made for the administration of this
Holy Sacrament, that, from the beginning to the end of it,
there is matter and occasion given us, all along, for the
exercise of our faith in Christ, and the promises which God
hath made us in Him, that so we may be sure to partake of
His most blessed body and blood, and of all the merits of
His death, whensoever we meet together for the celebration
of it ; which that I may the better demonstrate, and like-
wise shew how we should act our faith all the while that we
are at our Lord's Table, so as to receive spiritual strength
and comfort from it, it will not be amiss if we go through
the whole office, especially so much of it as is or ought to be
always used when there is a Communion, and not at any
other time. From the beginning of the service to the end
of the prayer for Christ's Holy Church, is appointed to be
read upon Sundaj's and holydays, although there be no
Communion : but if there be a Communion in the Church
upon any other day as well as those, it ought to be read.
And therefore it will be expedient to premise something
concerning that, at least so much that we may understand
the design of it, and how it makes way for our better per-
forming of this great duty.
This service, therefore, being appointed for the Com-
munion of the body and blood of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, as it is to be all and always read at His Table
by one of His Ministers, so it begins with His prayer, the
prayer which He Himself composed, and left to His Church
as a standing general form, to be used by all persons, at all
times, and upon all occasions ; to which it is fitted in such a
wonderful manner, as sufficiently shews both the Author and
intent of it. To this is subjoined a short prayer for this
particular occasion, that God would be pleased to * cleanse
the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of His Holy
of Frequent Communion.
593
Spirit, that we may perfectly love Him, and worthily magnify
His Holy Name,' in keeping His Commandments, which
immediately after are so solemnly repeated in His Name by
one of His Ministers standing at His Table, that we may and
ought to hearken to them witli the same attention, reve-
rence, and godly fear, as if God Himself pronounced them
again to us, as He did to the Israelites from Mount Sinai, Exod. 20. i-
with thunderings and lightnings, and the noise of the
Angelic trumpet sounding in our ears. While we are thus
hearkening to these Divine Laws, distinctly published and
proclaimed to every one of us in particular, we cannot but
every one call to mind his own sins, whereby he hath
offended against these Laws, and how unable he hath been
to keep any one of them as he ought, without the grace of
God ; and therefore we have no sooner heard any of them
repeated, but we immediately beg of God mercifully to
j pardon our former transgressions of it, and to give us grace
to observe it for the future, saying, after the repetition of
each Commandment, from the bottom of our hearts, as well
as with our mouth, ' Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline
our hearts to keep this law!' all which must needs be
acknowledged to be of great use to our due commemoration
of that death which the Son of God suffered for these our
I sins, and to our partaking of His body and blood for the
! pardon of them, and for grace to walk hereafter in all the
. Commandments of the Lord blameless. For though we did
! examine ourselves privatelj' before, we do it again publicly
j in the special presence of God Himself, openly declaring and
I making known His Laws particularly unto us, whereby our
1 sins and infirmities are brought afresh to our remembrance,
I and we come to the Holy Sacrament with an actual sense of
them upon our minds, and so are better able to apply the
I great remedy which is there prepared for our ease and cure.
Upon which account I cannot but admire the prudence as
I well as piety of our Church, in appointing the Command-
I ments to be publicly read upon this occasion.
The Commandments of Almighty God having been thus
solemnly read to us, in obedience to them we first pray, as
I we are bound to do, in every distinct service, for His vice-
' gerent upon earth, and then for ourselves and brethren in
Q Q
594
The Necessity and Adcardage
the Collect for the day ; which, if it be an holyday, hath
respect to the blessing we then commemorate, otherwise it
is for some special grace or mercy that we have all need of.
After this follows the Epistle, that is, some part of those
Epistles which St. Paul, or other Apostles, wrote by the
inspiration of God, wherein we are usually reminded of
some of those duties which we heard before enjoined us in
the Commandments, or upon some particular occasions, some
other portion of Scripture relating to that occasion. Then
follows the Gospel, or some of the Divine sayings, or acts
of our blessed Saviour, as they are recorded by one of the
four Evangelists, which never alters. There is never any
other portion of Scripture appointed for the Gospel as there
is for the Epistle : but that is always taken out of the very
Gospel itself; by which means we always hear something
which Chi'ist Himself spake with His Divine mouth for our
instruction when He was upon earth ; or else something
which He did by His Divine power for the confirmation of
our faith in Him. Hence it is, that at the reading of the
Gospel, the people are all required to stand up, not only to
shew their readiness to stand by and defend it to the last,
but likewise to express their respect and reverence to Christ
Himself, Whose Gospel it is, and Whose words and works
they hear rehearsed ; and therefore must needs stand up to
hearken diligently to them, as they would have certainly
sdone, if they had been near Him when He spake or did them.
And hence also it is, that in the first Common Prayer-book
w^hich was put out by King Edward VI. so soon as the
Minister had said. The Holy Gospel is written in such a
chapter, the people were ordered to say, ' Glory be to Thee,
O Lord!' to testify their acknowledgment that He, Whose
Gospel they were now to hear, is their Lord and Master,
the Great and Almighty God ; that all glory and honour is
due to Him for revealing this Gosjiel to them, and accord-
ingly to adore and worship Him for it, as all should do when
they pronounce these words.
So soon as the Gospel is read, the Nicene Creed begins,
which itself also contains the sum and substance of the
Gospel ; and therefore is appointed to be said or sung by all
the people, standing in the same posture as they did in
of Frequent Communion.
595
hearing of the Gospel. And that, I suppose, is the reason
why, although after the reading of the Epistle the Minister
is to say, ' Here endeth the Epistle ;' yet after the reading
of the Gospel, he is not to say, ' Here endeth the Gospel'
(as many, who do not consider the Rubric, are wont to do),
because the Gospel doth not properly end there, but con-
I tinues to be declared and published in the following Creed ;
in which are briefly comprehended all the great articles
of that holy religion, which Christ hath revealed to us in
I His Gospel : and therefore it ought to be jointly repeated by
' all the people there present, that all may thereby publicly
own and profess their belief of all and every one of those
articles, and so of the whole Gospel of Christ, in order to
their being admitted to the Holy Communion, which other-
wise they ought not to be.
After this Creed, there follows one of the Homilies, or
sermons set forth by authority, or else one composed by the
Minister himself, for the fuller explication of some part
of the said Creed, or else of the Commandments before
repeated ; which therefore comes in very properly in this
place : after the summary of that Christian doctrine, accord-
ing to which all sermons ought to be framed. After ser-
mon, the Priest returns to the Lord's Table, and then begins
the Offertory, reading some sentences of Holy Scripture,
chosen out on purpose to excite and stir up the people to
give, every one according to his ability, something to pious
and charitable uses. And while these sentences are in read-
ing, the deacons, churchwardens, or some fit persons ap-
pointed for that purpose, gather the alms and other devotions
of the people, and bring them to the Priest, who humbly
presents and placeth them upon the Lord's Table, as devoted
to Him, and then begins the prayer for the whole state of
Christ's Church Militant here on earth.
Thus much of the Communion-service, even from the
beginning of it, to the end of the foresaid prayer for Christ's
Catholic Church, is to be said upon Sundays and other holy-
days, although there be no Communion, for want of a suffi-
cient number to communicate with the Priest. In the first
Common Prayei'-book of King Edward VI. it was ordered
that the Priest, although there were none to communicate
596
77/e Necessity and Advantage
with liim, shall say all things at the altar appointed to be
said at the celebration of the Lord's Supper, until after the
Offertory, upon Wednesdays and Fridays, without any men-
tion of Sundays and holydays. From whence it appears,
that they took it for granted, that there would always be a
sufficient number of communicants, upon every Sunday and
holyday at the least, so that they could not so much as
suppose there would be no Communion upon any of those
days. But it seems they feared that upon other days there
might be sometimes none to communicate with the Priest,
and so no Communion ; and therefore ordered, that if it
should so happen for a whole week together, yet, never-
theless, upon the Wednesdays and Fridays in every week,
so much shall be said of the Communion-service as is before
limited. But afterwards, as piety grew colder and colder,
the Sacrament began to be more and more neglected, and
by degrees quite laid aside upon the week-days ; and then
the Church did not think it convenient to order any of the
service appointed for it to be read upon any other days but
only upon Sundays and holydays. But upon those days she
still requires, that although there be no Communion, yet all
shall be said that is apjjointed at the Communion until the
end of the general prayer (for the good estate of the Catholic
Church of Christ), together with one or more of the Col-
lects at the end of the Communion-service, concluding with
the Blessing.
And, verily, there is great reason it should be so ; not only
because it is fitting tliat our devotions should be longer upon
those than they are upon other days; but likewise there are
several things particular in that part of the service which
require it.
Here are the Commandments of Almighty God, the
supreme Lawgiver of the world, Avhich it is requisite that
people should hear, and be put in mind of, at least upon
those days which are dedicated to His service. Here is the
Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, proper to many Sundays, and
to all the holydays in the year, without which they could not
be distinguished from one another, nor from other days, nor,
by consequence, celebrated, so as to answer the end of their
institution, unless they were read upon their proper days.
of Frequent Communiun.
597
Here is the Nicene Creed, wherein the Divinity of our blessed
Saviour is asserted and declared, and therefore very proper
to be said or sung upon those days which are kept in memory
of Him, and of His Apostles, by whom that doctrine, together
with our whole religion grounded upon it, was planted and
propagated in the world. Here is the offertory and choice
sentences of Scripture, read to stir up people to offer unto
God something of what He hath given them, as their acknow-
ledgment that He gives them all they have, and that they
hold it all of Him ; which, howsoever it be now generally
neglected, except there be a Communion, yet people ought
certainly to be put in mind of it, at least upon all holydays,
and especially upon the Lord's Owii Day, according to His
Own order, written by His Apostle St. Paul, 1 Cor. xvi. 2.
Here, among others, is the prayer for the whole state of
Christ's Church Militant here on earth ; and it is but reason
that we, as fellow-members of the same body, should join
together in it upon all the great festivals of the year, which
are generally celebrated by the whole Church we pray for, and
by that means testify our communion with it. And besides,
this, as well as the other part of the Communion -service, is
performed at the Communion-table, the place where the
Primitive Church used to perform its public devotions ; and
ours, which in all things else is conformable to that, cannot
but imitate it in this particular, at least so far as to have
some part of its services performed at the same place upon
Sundays and holydays, although there be no Communion.
But the main reason why so much of the Communion-
service is ordered to be read upon Sundays and other
holydays, notwithstanding that thei'e is no Communion,
seems to be, that the Church may shew her readiness to
administer it upon these days, and so that it is not hers, nor
the Minister's, but the people's fault, if there be no Commu-
nion. For the Minister, by her order, goes up to the Lord's
Table, and there begins the service appointed for the Com-
munion, and goes on as far as he can, till he come to the
actual celebration of it ; and if he stops there, it is only
because there are none, or not a sufficient number of persons,
to communicate with him : for if there were, he was bound
and is ready to consecrate and administer it to them. And
598
Tlie Necessity and Advantage
therefore if there be no Communion upon any Sunday or
holyday in the year, the people only are to be blamed, and
must answer for it another day. The Church hath done her
jDart in ordering it, and the Minister his in observing that
order : and if the people would do theirs too, the Holy Com-
munion would be constantly celebrated, in every parish
church in England, every Sunday and holyday throughout
the year. Neither can they plead ignorance in the case, or
say they did not think it to be their duty to communicate so
often. For every time they see the Minister go up to the
Communion-table, and there read part of the service ap-
pointed for the Holy Communion, they are put in mind of
their duty, and upbraided with their neglect of it. From all
which we may observe, by the way, how much those Minis-
ters are to be blamed, who ever omit this part of the service,
or do not perform it at the place appointed for it. How they
can answer it to God, to the Church, to their people, or to
themselves, for my part I know not.
Having thus briefly run over so much of the Communion-
service as is to be read when there is no Communion, as well
as when there is, we are now come to that part of it which
never is, nor can be used, but only when the Holy Com-
munion is actually administered ; and therefore is chiefly to
be considered in our present design, of shewing how w^e may
and ought to receive it, so as to find the benefit and comfort
of it. For which purpose we may observe, that after the
prayer for Christ's Holy Catholic Church before mentioned,
the Minister, who is always a Priest, seeing a competent
number of devout Christians ready and desirous to partake
of the body and blood of our blessed Redeemer, first reads
to them a grave, pious, and pathetical exhortation, to con-
sider what they are about to do, of how great benefit it will
be to them, if with ' a true, penitent heart, and lively faith,
they receive that Holy Sacrament ;' how dangerous to
receive the same unworthily ; how they should come to it ;
what cause they have to give their most hearty thanks to the
most Holy Trinity, for the redemption of the world by Jesus
Christ, Who ordained these holy mysteries as pledges of His
love, and for the continual remembrance of His death, to our
great and endless comfort. All which is so clearly and affec-
of Frequent Communion.
699
tionately expressed, that it contributes very much to the
making up the defects of their preparation for it, and to
raise tlieir minds into such a holy and devout temper, as to
be capable both of performing this great duty aright, and of
receiving the benefits and comforts of it.
The exhortation being ended, the Minister (in the name
of Christ and His Church) iuviteth all who are thus godly
disposed to the Lord's Supper, saying to them, ' Draw near
with faith, and take this Holy Sacrament to your comfort.'
He invites them first to ' draw near,' thereby patting them
in mind, that they are now invited into Christ's more special
presence, to sit down with Him at His Ovvn Table, that so
they may be as near Him as they can be in this world, and
therefore, as an emblem thereof, should come from the more
remote parts of the Church, as near to the said Table as they
may. But then He adviseth them to draw near ' with faith,'
as without which all their bodily approaches will avail them
nothing, it being only by faith that they can really draw
near to Christ, and take this Holy Sacrament to their com-
fort. And therefore they should take special notice of this
expression, used on purpose in this place, to stir up their
pure minds by way of remembrance, to keep their faith in
continual exercise all the while that they are at our Lord's
Table, so as to look upon Him as there present with them,
observing all the motions both, of their souls and bodies, and
ready to communicate His Own most blessed body and blood
unto them, to preserve their souls and bodies to everlasting-
life. But, seeing they cannot act their faith as they ought in
Christ, Who died for their sins, until they have confessed
and repented of them, therefore he calls upon them to make
their humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling
upon their knees.
And now all that are to communicate, being prostrate
upon their knees, as so many guilty malefactors before the
Judge of the whole world, do in a most humble and solemn
manner jointly ' acknowledge and bewail the manifold sins
and wickedness, which they from time to time have com-
mitted in thought, word, and deed, against His Divine
Majesty;' professing themselves 'most earnestly to repent
of them,' humbly beseeching Him to pardon what is past.
GOO
The Necessity and Adcuntage
and to grant them grace for the future to ' serve and please
Hiiu in newness of life,' for Clirist Jesus' sake. All which is
done with such apposite and pathetical words, that I do not
see how it is possible for us to express our hearty and sincere
repentance better than we do at that time.
While the people continue in this humble posture, begging
for mercy and grace at the hands of God, His Minister
stands up, and in His Name assures them, that He of His
infinite mercy ' hath promised forgiveness of sins to all them
that with hearty repentance and true fiiith turn unto Him ;'
and therefore he applies the said promises to all and every
one there present, praying, that Almighty God would accord-
ingly ' have mercy upon them, pardon and deliver them
from all their sins, confirm and strengthen them in all good-
ness, and bring them to everlasting life, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.'
And here it is that our faith must begin to work, as it is
[Heb.ii.i.] the " substance of things hoped for," or a solid and sub-
stantial confidence that God will give us all the good things
which He hath promised, and we therefore hope for at His
hands, so as firmly and steadfiistly to believe, that upon our
hearty and sincere repentance, we are now absolved from all
our former sins, and that from this time forward God will
assist us with Plis grace, to serve and please Him, according
to the prayers we have now put up to Him, and the promises
which He hath made to us in our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. For all the benefit of absolution, as pronounced by
the Minister, depends wholly upon this, our believing in the
promises and word of God upon which it is grounded.
Which, therefore, that Ave may do, the Minister presently
reads some select sentences of the Holy Scriptures, wherein
God hath promised or declared His willingness to pardon
and absolve us from our sins in the blood of His Son, that so
we may act our faith accordingly upon them. And there-
fore He calls upon the people to hear, and take special notice
of them.
As, first, those comfortable words which our Saviour saith
Matt.11.28. to all that truly turn to Him, "Come unto Me, all that
travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you." Which
words contain so firm and solid a foundation whereupon to
J
of Frequent Communion.
601
build our most holy faith, that if we be but truly penitent,
we cannot doubt of God's mercy to us. For here His Only
Son, with His Own Divine mouth, invites all that are so to
come to Him, promising, or engaging His Word, that He
will refresh them ; He will give them peace in their minds,
quiet in their consciences, rest to their souls : He will take
care that they shall neither travail nor be heavy-laden any
longer with the burden of their sins. For He will refresh
them with the sense of God's mercy, in the pardon of all
their faults, and with the assistance of His grace, in the
mortifying of all their lusts. " Sin shall no longer have Rom. 6.
dominion over them, because they are not now under the
Law, but under His grace."
Now these being the words of Christ, of truth itself, we
may and ought to have a sure trust and confidence on them ;
so as to be fully persuaded in our minds, that we being in
the number of those whom He calls, and having obeyed His
call in coming to Him, He, according to His Word, will ease
us of our sins, and give us rest : especially considering, that
He Himself assures us, also, with His Own mouth, that
" God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten John 3.
Son, to the end that all that believe in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." Which words, containing
the substance of the design of the whole Gospel, pronounced
by Christ Himself, are therefore read in the next place, that
we might have occasion to exercise our faith in all of it, and
so have no place left for diffidence or doubting. For seeing
the great reason that moved God to send His Son, was His
infinite love of mankind, and the only end why He did it,
was, " that all who believe in Him might not perish, but
have everlasting life;" what can we desire more to excite
and confirm our faith in Him ? For, " He that spared not Rom. 8.
His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not but with Him also freely give us all things?"
But, lest the sense of our former sins should be apt to
make us despond or despair of mercy, that nothing may be
wanting to complete and strengthen our faith at this time,
there are two other Divine sentences read, the one of
St. Paul, saying, " This is a true saying, and worthy of all iTim. 1.
men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world
602
The Necessity and Advantage
iJohn2. i.to save sinners;" and the otlicr of St. John, " If any man
sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the Righteous, and He is the Propitiation for our sins."
AVherehy we are given to understand and believe that Christ
came into the world on purpose to save such sinners as we
are; that He was made a propitiation for our sins, by under-
going all the pnnisliments that were due unto us for them;
and that He is now our Advocate in Heaven, always inter-
ceding for us, and ready to apply the merits of His death
unto us. At the hearing of which, our faith hath so much
ground and matter to work upon, that we may well say with
Rom. 8. 33, St. Paul, " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ?
It is Christ that died ; yea, rather that is risen again. Who is
even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh inter-
cession for us."
Having thus exercised our faith, and so got above this
world, Ave are now ready to go into the other, and to join
with the glorified Saints and Angels in praising and adoring
that God, Who hath done so great things for us : which that
we may the better do, the Minister calls upon us to ' lift up
our hearts,' to lift them up as high as we can, by a quick and
lively faith in the Most High God, the Supreme Governor
of the whole world : which being now ready to do, we imme-
diately answer, ' We lift them up unto the Lord.' And our
hearts being now all lift up together, and so in a right
posture to celebrate the high praises of God, the Minister
invites all to join with him in doing it, so as at the same
time to believe that He is our Lord and our God, saying,
' Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.' Which the people
having consented to, and approved of, by saying, ' It is meet
and right so to do,' he turns himself to the Lord's Table, and
acknowledgetli to His Divine Majesty there specially pre-
sent, that, ' It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty,
that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to
Him.' And then the Minister looking upon himself and
the rest of the communicants, as members of the Church
Triumphant, and all apprehending themselves by faith, as in
the midst of that blessed society, we join with them in sing-
ing forth the praises of the Most High God, Father, Son,
of Frequent Communion.
G03
and Holy Ghost, saying, ' Therefore, w ith Angels, and Arch-
angels, and with all the company of Heaven, we laud and
magnify Thy glorious Name, ever more praying Thee, and
saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and
earth are full of Thy glory. Glory be to Thee, O Lord Most
High.' And certainly if ever our souls be in Heaven while
our bodies are upon earth, it must be in the singing of this
heavenly anthem, when our spirits, ' with those of just men
made perfect,' yea, with the whole company of Heaven, in
so solemn and seraphic a manner, adore and magnify the
eternal God, our Maker and Redeemer : especially, when
we celebrate the nativity, the resurrection, and ascension of
our blessed Lord, His mission of the Holy Ghost, or the
most glorious Trinity, for which there are proper prefaces
appointed to raise up our hearts as high as possible, in
praising God for such transcendent mysteries and mercies
as those are.
Now, if ever, our minds must needs be duly prepared to
receive the blessed body and blood of our dear Lord. And
therefore, the Minister having first acknowledged our un-
worthiness of so great a mercy, and prayed to God to assist
with His Own grace to receive it worthily, he then saith the
prayer of consecration.
And now there is nothing either seen, or said, or done,
but what puts us in mind of something or other whereupon
to employ and exercise our faith in the highest manner that
we can.
When we see the bread and wine set apart for consecra-
tion, it minds us of God's eternal purpose and determinate
counsel, to offer up His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the
world.
The Minister's reading the prayer of consecration, and
performing that whole work alone, none of the people
speaking a word, or any way assisting him in it, may put us
in mind how the whole work of our Salvation was accom-
plished by Christ alone, no mere creature contributing any
thing at all towards it ; and therefore we should believe in
Him as our only Mediator and Advocate.
When we hear those words, " Who in the same night that
He was betrayed took bread," we are then by faith to be-
601
The Necessity and Adcantage
hold our Lord at His Last Supper, there mstitnting this
Sacrament which we are now to receive, and distributing it
to His Apostles with His Own most blessed hands.
When we see the bread broken, we should then call to
mind that grief and pain, those bitter agonies and passions,
which the eternal Son of God suffered for our sins and in
[Is. 53. 5.] our stead. How " He was wounded for our transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities:" how His blessed body was
broken, His hands and His feet fastened to the cross, with
nails drove through them, and all for our sins, even for ours.
And so when the Minister takes the cup into his hands,
or pours out the wine, we are then by faith to behold how
fast the blood trickled down from our dear Lord and
Saviour's head when crowned with thorns, from His hands
and feet when nailed to the cross, from His side when pierced
with the spear, and from His whole body when He was in
His agony, and all to wash away our sins : still believing
that it was for our sins that all this precious blood was shed :
for such and such sins, which we know every one ourselves
to have been guilty of.
When we hear the words of consecration repeated, as
they came from our Lord's Own mouth, " This is My body
which is given for you, and this is My blood which is shed
for you," and for many, " for the remission of sins," we are
then steadfastly to believe, that although the substance of the
bread and wine still remain, yet now it is not common bread
and wine as to its use, but the body and blood of Christ, in
that Sacramental sense wherein He spake the words ; inso-
much, that whosoever duly receives these His creatures of
bread and wine, according to Christ's holy institution, in
remembrance of His death and passion, are partakers of His
n^ost jirecious body and blood, as it is expressed in the prayer
of consecration.
AVhen we see the Minister distributing the Sacramental
bread and wine to the several communicants, we are then
by faith to look upon our Lord as offering His blessed
body and blood, and all the benefits of His death, to all that
will receive them at His hands : entertaining ourselves all
the while others are receiving with these or suchlike
meditatiojis :
of Frequent Communion.
605
' Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sins
of the world ! Behold the Son of God, the Only-begotten of
the Father, Who loved us, and gave Himself for us ; Who
Himself bare our sins in His Own body on the tree, and
washed us from them in His Own blood ! See how willing
and ready He is to communicate the blessings He hath
thereby purchased ! how desirous that all would partake of
them ! Methinks I hear Him crying out, " Come unto Me, [Matt. ii.
all ye that travail and are heavy-laden, and I will refresh '^^-^
you." Methinks I see Him yonder going about by His
Minister, from one to another, and offering His most blessed
body and blood, with all the merits of His most precious
death, to all that will receive them faithfully. Happy, thrice
happy, are they who do so ! They are absolved from all
their sins, and accounted righteous before God. They are
delivered from the wrath to come, by the blood of the
Lamb, as the Israelites were by that which was typically
sprinkled upon their door-posts. They are reconciled to
the great Creator and Governor of all things, and are made
His children by adoption and grace. They are always safe
and secure under His care and protection, and never want
anything that is really good for them. They have His Son
always interceding for them, and His Spirit always abiding
with them, to direct and assist them in what they do. "They ' Cor.6. ii,
are washed, they are sanctified, they arejustified in the Name
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," and there-
fore they will be glorified with Him for ever. O that I
might be in the number of those blessed souls! When will
it once be ? When will my Lord and Saviour come to me,
that I also may partake of His most blessed body and
blood ? Mv heart is readv, O Lord, mv heart is ready to [Ps- 63. i ;
. 'J •/ Rev.22.20."l
receive it. My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh also longeth
after Thee. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.'
Tims we may employ our thoughts, while others are re-
ceiving ; but when it comes to our turns to receive it, then
we are to lay aside all thoughts of bread, and wine, and
Minister, and every thing else that is or can be seen, and fix
our faith, as it is " the evidence of things not seen," wholly
and solely upon our blessed Saviour, as offering us His Own
body and blood, to preserve onr bodies and souls to ever-
lasting life, which we are therefore to receive by faith, as
606 The Necessity and Advantage
[Heb. 11. it is " the substance of things hoped for," steadfastly believing
it to be, as our Saviour said, " His body and blood," ' which,'
as our Church teacheth us, ' are verily and indeed taken and
received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper;' by which
means, whatsoever it is to others, it will be to us, who receive
it with such a faith, the body and blood of Christ onr Saviour,
the very ' substance of all things hoped for,' upon the account
of His body that was broken, and His blood that was shed,
for us.
And the better to excite and assist us in the exercise of
our faith after this manner, at our receiving this Holy Sacra-
ment, the Minister, at the distribution of it, first applies the
merits of Ciirist's death to each particular person that
receives it, saying to every one singly, and by himself, ' The
body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee, and
the blood which was shed for thee, preserve thy body and
soul to everlasting life,' that so I may apply and appropriate
it to myself as the body and blood of Him that loved me, and
gave Himself for me, to preserve my body and my soul to
everlasting life. And then he adds, at the distribution of
the bread, ' Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ
died for tliee, and feed on Him in thy heart by faith with
thanksgiving.' Whereby I am put in mind again to eat it
in remembrance that Christ died for me in particular, and
then am taught how to feed upon Him, even ' in my heart
by faith with thanksgiving.' In my heart, because it is
not bodily but spiritual food: by faith, as the only means
W'hereby the heart or soul can take in its proper nourishment,
and receive the substance of things hoped for, even the body
and blood of Christ ; and then it must be with thanksgiving
too as the necessary consequent of faith. For as no man can
be truly thankful to Christ, unless he actually believe in
Him, so no man can actually believe in Him, but he must
needs be truly thankful both to and for Him ; and therefore,
at the distribution of the cup, after the words, ' Drink this
in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for thee,' it is
only added, 'and be thou thankful;' because this necessarily
supposeth and implietli our feeding upon Him in our hearts
by faith, as without which it is impossible for us to be truly
thankful.
Hence also it is that our Church requires us to receive the
of Frequent Communion.
607
Holy Sacrament kneeling, not out of any respect to the
creatures of bread and wine, but to put us in mind that
Almighty God, our Creator and Redeemer, the only object
of all religious worship, is there specially present, offering
His Own body and blood to us, that so we may act our faith
in Him, and express our sense of His goodness to us, and
our unworthiness of it, in the most humble posture that we
can ; and, indeed, could the Church be sure that all her
members would receive, as they ought, with faith, she need
not command them to receive it kneeling, for they could not
do it any other way : for how can I pray in faith to Almighty
God to preserve both my body and soul to everlasting life,
and not make my body as well as soul bow down before
Him ? How can I by faith behold my Saviour coming to
me, and offering me His Own body and blood, and not fall
down and worship Him ? How can I by faith lay hold upon
the pardon of my sins, as there sealed and delivered to me,
and receive it any otherwise than upon my knees ? I dare
not, I cannot do it ! and they who can, have too much cause
to suspect that they do not discern the Lord's body, and
therefore cannot receive it worthily. Be sure, our receiving
the blessed body and blood of Christ, as the Catholic Church
always did, in an humble and adoring posture, is both an
argument and excitement of our faith in Him. By it we
demonstrate, that we ' discern the Lord's body,' and believe
Him to be present with us in a peculiar Sacramental sense ;
and by it we excite and stir up both ourselves and others to
act our faith more steadfastly upon Him, in that by our
adoring Him, we actually acknowledge Him to be God as
well as man, and therefore on Whom we have all the reason
in the world to believe and trust for our Salvation.
When we have thus spiritually eaten the flesh of Christ,
and drunk His blood, then we are firmly to believe, and rest
fully satisfied in our minds, that, according to His Own
word, " Clirist now dwelleth in us, and we in Him ; that
Christ is one with us, and we with Him ;" and therefore
that God hath now sealed to us the pardon of our sins in
His blood, and will enable us for the future to walk in holi-
ness and rigliteousness before Him all our days : which faith,
together with our thankfulness for so great a mercy, we
608
The Necessity and Adoantaye
ought to exercise all the while that the rest of the commu-
iiicants are receiving, not suffering our thoughts to wander
up and down, but keeping them as close as we can to the
work, still ruminating upon that spiritual food which we
have eaten, after tiiis or the like manner: —
Ps.103. 1,2. ' " Praise thou the Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within
me, praise His Holy Name. Praise thou the Lord, O my
isa. 12. 2. soul, and forget not all His benefits." " Behold Cod is my
Salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord
Jehovah is my strength and my song : He also is become
my Salvation." He Himself, by the one oblation of Himself
once offered, hath made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacri-
fice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole
world ; and He hath now given me a share in it : for He
hath communicated unto me that body and blood wherewith
He did it, and hath assured me thereby of His favour and
goodness towards me, in the pardon of all my sins, and that
I am a member incorporate in His mystical body, and an
heir, through hope, of that everlasting Kingdom which He
hath purchased with His Own blood. What shall I render
unto the Lord for these His most inestimable benefits? I
will offer and present myself, my soul and body, to be a
reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto Him, I will be-
lieve in Him, I will trust in Him, I will love and honour
Him with all my heart and soul ; I will spend the rest of
[Phil. 1.27; my days wholly in His service, and to His glory. I will
JmI. 4.^7*;' order all my conversation as becometh His Gospel ; I will
iTi'eis 5^22^- ^^'^^'fy ^es\\ ; I will resist the Devil ; I will keep myself
Eph. 2. 10; unspotted from the world; I will abstain from all appear-
9.] ' ance of evil, and do all such good works as He hath pre-
pared for me to walk in ; for His grace shall be sufficient
for me, His strength shall be made perfect in my weakness,
His power shall rest upon me, His Holy Spirit shall abide
continually with me, and in me, to direct, sanctify, and
govern both my heart and body in the ways of His laws,
and in the works of His Commandments, so that now,
through His most mighty protection, I shall be preserved
both in soul and body to everlasting life. Amen. Hallelujah.
Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, be unto the
Lord our Cod, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever !'
of Frequent Communion.
609
Now, when all have communicated with the same humble
confidence, we jointly address ourselves to Almighty God,
as our Heavenly Father, in that Divine form of prayer,
which He, whose body and blood we have now received, was
pleased to compose, and require us to use upon all occasions :
after which, having added another prayer proper for this
great and solemn occasion, we join together iu singing or
saying that incomparable hymn, ' Glory be to God on high,'
&c. the first part whereof was sung by the choir of Heaven [Luke 2.
at our Lord's nativity, and the rest added by the Primitive, ^'^'^
if not by the Apostolic Church ; it being the most ancient
hymn that we know of, and that which hath been generally
used both by Greek and Latin churches all along from the
beginning of Christianity : and this is the most proper place
for it, now that our hearts are strengthened and refreshed
by the body and blood of Christ, and so ready to sing and
give praise in the best manner that we can ever do it upon
earth. But for that purpose it will be necessary to keep
our minds all the while intent, and our faith still fixed upon
God the Father Almighty, and upon His only-begotten Son,
Jesus Christ, to whom we here speak in a particular manner,
and therefore should look upon Him as specially present
with us, hearing what we say to Him, and observing how
earnestly we beseech Him, the Lamb of God, the Son of the
Father, " Who taketh away the sins of the world," to have [John 1.
mercy upon us, and how heartily we adore and magnify His
Divine holiness. His absolute dominion over the whole world,
and His, together with the Holy Spirit's, infinite height in
the glory of the Father.
After all which duly performed, having prayed for God's
acceptance of what we have done, and for His blessing upon
us, we are accordingly dismissed, as well we may, with
"the peace of God Avhich passeth all understanding, and [Phii.4. 7.]
with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost," which will most certainly be and remain
with those who thus receive the Holy Communion always,
I have now gone over the whole Communion-service,
taking notice by the way of such things only as are -^I-mw
and obvious in the sevej'al parts of it. From whence it
is easy to observe, that it is all contrived so as to set before
R R
GIO
Tlie ISiecessity and Advantage
us continual matter for our faitli to work upon, before as
well as at the receiving the Holy Sacrament ; that our faith
having been kept so long in exercise upon our blessed
Saviour beforehand, it may be more ready to be fixed upon
Him in the actual receiving the Holy Communion, so as that
we may partake of His most blessed body and blood, which
othervv^ise we could not: for without faith, as it is impossible
to please God, so it is impossible to partake of Christ ; and j
therefore, not only infidels who have no faith at all, but
they also who have faith, unless they use it at the Holy
Sacrament, they can only receive the outward part or sign of
the Lord's Supper ; they cannot possibly partake of His body
and blood signified by it : for that cannot be so much as
discerned, much less received, any other way than by faith. |
And that is the reason why so many go from the Holy
Sacrament no better than they came to it : because, while
they are there, they either stare about them, or think of i
other things, at least they do not keep their minds and
faith intent upon the work they are about. They feed only
upon the bread and wine with their mouths, they do not
feed upon Christ in their hearts by faith, and therefore
cannot possibly receive any spiritual strength or refreshment
from Plim : whereas, if, whilst they arc eating and drinking
the outward elements, they would at the same time lift up
their hearts, and fix their faith upon that which is signified
and represented by them, their souls would be much more
strengthened and refreshed by the body and blood of Christ,
than their bodies are by the bread and wine.
From hence it appears, both how little reason any can
have to plead their unprofitableness under it as an argument
for their not frequenting the Holy Sacrament, and likewise
how we may receive it, so as to be always the better for it.
But for that jiurpose it is requisite that we do it often :
for the oftener we do it, the more expert we shall be at it,
and the more benefit and comfort we shall receive from it. I
It is very difticult, if not impossible, for those who do it 1
only now and then (as once or twice a-year), ever to do it as i
they ought : for every time they come to it, they must begin
as it were again ; all the impressions which were made upon
their minds at the last Sacrament being worn out before the
of Frequent Coimnuniun.
611
next; and it being a thing tliey are not accustomed to, they
' i are as much to seek how to do it now as if they had never
1 i done it before. It is by frequent acts that habits are pro-
' I duced : it is by often eating and drinking this spiritual food
t j that we learn how to do it so as to digest and convert it into
I I proper nourishment for our souls ; and therefore I do not
' j wonder that they who do it seldom, never do it as they
I ought, nor, by consequence, get any good by it: I should
rather wonder if they did. But let any man do it often, and
always according to the directions before laid down, and my
i life for his, he shall never lose his labour, but, whether he
perceives it or not, he will grow in grace, and gather spi-
ritual strength every time more and more.
If such considerations as these will not prevail upon men
to lay aside their little excuses for the neglect of so great a
! duty, and to resolve for the future upon the more constant
f performance of it, for my part I know not what will ; and
1 therefore shall say no more, but that I never expect to see
our Church settled, primitive Christianity revived, and true
t piety and virtue flourish again among us, till the Holy Com-
i munion be oftener celebrated than it hath been of late, in all
I ' places of the kingdom : and am sure, that if people were but
sensible of the great advantage it would be to them, they
would need no other arguments to persuade them to fre-
i quent it as often as they can ; for we should soon find, as
; many have done already by experience, that this is the great
means appointed by our ever-blessed Redeemer, whereby to
communicate Himself and all the merits of His most pre-
1 cious death and passions to us, for the pardon of all our sins,
t and for the " purging of our consciences from dead works [Heb. 9.
I to serve the living God." So that by applying ourselves
thus constantly unto Him, we may receive constant supplies
of grace and power from Him to live in His true faith and
fear all our days ; and by conversing so frequently with Him
at His Holy Table upon earth, we shall be always fit and
t ready to go to Him, and to converse perpetually with Him
s in His kingdom above, where Ave shall have no more need
1 of Sacraments, but shall see Him face to face, and adore
1 and praise Him for ever, as for all His other blessings, so
;■ particularly for the many opportunities He hath given us of
partaking of His most blessed body and blood.
A DEFENCE
OF THE
BOOK OF PSALMS,
COLLECTED INTO ENGLISH METRE, BY THOMAS STERNHOLD,
JOHN HOPKINS, AND OTHERS.
WITH
CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE LATE NEW VERSION,
COMPARED WITH THE OLD.
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray: Is any merry, let him sing psalms. —
James, v. 13.
Let the Word of God dwell in you richly, in all wisdom ; teaching and admonishing
one another, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs ; singing with grace in
your hearts to the Lord. — Col. iii. 16.
A
BOOK
DEFENCE
OF THE
OF PSALMS*
The great endeavours that liave been made, of late, to cast
out the Old, and bring- in a New Version of the Singing-
Psalms into our Church, have made so great a noise among
us, that many must needs be thereby stirred up to consider
what great faults there are in the Old, for wliich it may
justly be ejected, after so long possession ; and wherein the
New is so excellent, that both that, and all other, ought to
give place to it. I, amongst others, was so startled at the
hearing it, that I could not be at rest in my own mind till
I had impartially weighed one Version against the other,
and both against the text. When I had done that I found
the one so very light and airy, the other so grave and solid,
that I could not think that any who consider what they
do, would ever change upon such unequal terms. But after-
wards, T heard that some in and about the City of London
had actually done it ; which I could not but much wonder
at ; and more, that none of our learned divines have under-
taken the defence of that which hath been used in their
own, and all the parish churches in England, time out of
mind. But they, perhaps, may look upon it as standing
upon so firm a bottom, that all attempts against it will, in a
short time, come to nothing ; and I am much of the same
mind : yet, nevertheless, hoping that it may do some service
to the Church, or, at least, shew my good-will to it, I shall
endeavour to recollect and put in order some of the ob-
servations that I have made upon each Version, especially
the Old.
* First published in the year 1710.
G16
A Defence of the
First, therefore, it is a great prejudice to the New, that
it is new, wholly new ; for whatsoever is new in religion,
at the best, is unnecessary. People having been religious
before, they may still be so, if they will, without it: which,
therefore, can be of no real advantage to them, but may do
them much hurt. For, when a thing hath once been settled,
either by law or custom, so as to be generally received and
used by them for a long time together, it cannot be after-
wards put down, and a new thing set up in its stead, without
giving them great offence and disturbance, putting them out
of their road, and perplexing their minds with fears and
doubts which way to take, and inclining them also to have
an ill opinion of the Church they live in : for, nothing is
a greater blemish to a Church, nor gives more just cause to
suspect that all is not right in her, than her not being
steadfast and immovable, but shifting and changing at all
turns. Which, therefore, every well-established Church
must endeavour to avoid as much as it is possible ; so as
never to suffer any thing to break in upon its first establish-
ment, upon any account, nor alter so much as any con-
siderable circumstance in it, but where there is such an
absolute necessity for it, that the reason why it is altered,
may be as plain and evident to the people, as that it is so ;
that so tliey may not be tempted to think, that it is altered
only for alteration's sake ; or, that something new is brought
in among them, for no other reason but because it is new.
I speak not this as my own, but as the sense also of
Christ's Holy Catholic Church, and particularly that part of
it of which I am an unworthy member. For I have ob-
served, that she hath all along taken special care to avoid
all suspicion of novelty : and for that end, established all
things so well at first, that there might be no need of
adding any thing new afterwards, nor of making any altera-
tions, unless they were such as no way affected her first
establishment, but that might always continue the same, as
much as a man is the same, after he hath altered his clothes,
as he was before. To see this, we need only cast our eye
upon what hath been the practice of our Church, both at
and ever since the Reformation, from whence we date our
present establishment.
Old Singing-Psnlms.
617
Onr first Reformers did not undertake to make a new-
religion, but only to restore the old : they laid aside nothing
but what was lately brought in, at least, in comparison of
the old doctrine and discipline, which they retained, as
having been taught and practised by the Apostolical and
Primitive Church, both in the East and AVest, before it was
corrupted. And accordingly, finding, by their great reading,
that no National Church was ever established without a
Liturgy, or Form of Common Prayer, to be used in the
service and worship of Almighty God, they also composed
one for the use of this Church. But, how did they compose
it ? Not out of their own heads, but out of the Holy Scrip-
tures, and such forms of prayers and praises as had been
used long before, in the best and purest ages of the Church.
As when they wanted a Collect, wherewith to conclude the
morning and evening prayer every day, they would not
make one of their own ; but finding one proper for the
occasion in the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom, who lived above
a thousand years before, they took that out of the said
Liturgy, where it is still extant (about the middle of it), [Vol- "
and put it at the end of theirs. The same may be observed savu.]
of the other Prayers, and Creeds, and Hymns, they being
such as had been used in the service of God, by his saints
and people, many ages before ; and therefore might justly
be presumed to be more acceptable to Him, than any new
inventions. So great care did our Reformers take to keep to
the good old way which the first Christians walked in, and
to admit nothing that was new into her constitution, for
that very reason because it was so. By which, among
other means, this Church still holds communion with the
whole Church of Christ militant here on earth ; which is as
great an happiness to us, as it is an honour to her.
Tiie first draught of this Liturgy was made towards the
beginning of King Edward VI. 's reign ; but, before it could
be well settled, the same was brought into another form,
and established by Act of Parliament, in the fifth and sixth
years of the said king : but that Act being repealed, in the
reign of Queen Mary, the Liturgy was laid aside till Queen
Elizabeth came to the crown. And then, again, it was
found necessary to have some Liturgy or other. But did
618
A Defence of the
they go about to make a new one ? So far from that, that
they only repealed the aforesaid Act of Repeal, and so re-
established the former, as it was left by King Edward,
without innovating any thing in the substance of it, nor
making any other but one alteration or addition of certain
Lessons, to be used on every Sunday in the year, and the
form of the Litany altered and corrected, and two sentences
only added in the delivery of the Sacrament to the Com-
municants ; and none other, or otherwise, as appears from
the Act for Uniformity, Primo Eliz. by which it was esta-
blished. And so it continued all her reign. And when her
successor, King James I., had heard all the objections that
could be made against it, in the conference at Hampton
Court, he, by his own authority, ratified the same, without
any alterations, except in some few of the Rubrics; and
they also were so inconsiderable, that scarce any in those
days could take notice of them ; and there are but few, I
believe, in this age, that know what they were. And so,
again, at the Restoration of King Charles 11. the same
Liturgy was restored ; in all points the same, being no way
altered, except in some words and phrases, and with the
addition of a few prayers, which made no alteration in the
body of the book, but that was and still is the same, that
was established at the beginning of the Reformation. So
far is our Church from chopping and changing any thing
material in her first establishment, notwithstanding all the
clamours that her enemies have raised against it.
To this we might add, that when, in the reign of the Queen,
they were to settle the doctrine of the Church in XXXIX.
Articles, they did not make a new body of Articles, but
took those which had been agreed upon and set forth in
the reign of King Edward VI. without any alteration at
all in the doctrine, and very little in the words and ex-
pressions. But that which may seem to come nearest to
our purpose, is, the translation of the Bible. For, in the
beginning of her reign, the Queen having appointed and
authorised several of the Bishops (not to make a new one,
but) to review the old translation of the Bible, they, accord-
ingly, set forth that which was afterwards used all her
reign, throughout the kingdom, being commonly called, ' The
Old Singing -Psalms.
619
Bishops' Bible.' But in the reign of King James I., at the
conference at Hampton Court, it was resolved, that there
should be a uniform translation, which should be done by
the best learned in both Universities, then reviewed by the
Bishops, and ratified by royal authority, to be read in the
whole Church, and no other. Which great work was com-
mitted by his Majesty to the care of the most learned men
that could be found in the kingdom. To whom the King
himself gave several rules to be carefully observed in it :
the first whereof was this, " The ordinary Bible read in the
church, commonly called 'The Bishops' Bible,' to be fol-
lowed, and as little altered as the original will permit."
Which was done accordingly ; insomuch, that although that
which was then made be commonly called the IN'ew Transla-
tion, yet it is the same that the former was, with so few
alterations, and those so imperceptible, at least to the vulgar,
that the Old hath been read in several Churches instead of
the New, ever since, to our days, the people perceiving no
difference between the one and the other.
Seeing, therefore, our Church, in the many revolutions
that she hath gone through, hath stuck thus close to her
first constitution, so as to admit of nothing that was new
into it, no new Liturgy, nor new Articles of Faith, nor so
much as a new translation of the Bible, but hath still kept
to the old, and hath made no alterations in that neither,
except in such little circumstances as had no influence upon
the substance ; we may certainly conclude, that if it was
left to her to consider what to do about the translation of
the Singing-Psalms, she would do with that as she hath
done with the other things; that is, she would retain the
old just as it is, or, if she saw occasion, alter here and there
a word ; but would by no means admit of a new one, how
much so ever it was recommended to her. And, therefore,
all that have that honour for our Church, which is really
due to her, can need no other argument than this, that is
drawn from her pious and prudent example, to persuade
them to reject all new translations of the Psalms, and still
to keep up that which hath been used ever since the
Reformation.
Which suggests another reason, why they ought to do
620
A Defence of the
so: for, as it is a great prejudice to the New translation,
that it is new; so it is a great advantage to the Old, that it
is old, — as old as the Reformation itself; when the Church
(I speak not of the State) was inflamed with more than
ordinary zeal for the honour of God, and was, accordingly
influenced and actuated with an extraordinary measure of
His Holy Spirit, as it was necessary she should be, for the
carrying on and finishing so great a work in that critical
juncture : insomuch, that I have heard it observed by
divines, as well as other considering persons, that what was
done at that time, is scarce imitable in this. We may
pretend to more art and learning than they had ; but we
cannot reach that strain of wisdom, piety, and devotion, that
runs through all their writings, especially such as were
designed for the public service of God and His Church.
And therefore we had need take heed how we meddle with
any thing that was done at that time; at least, not so as to
lay it aside. If we do, we shall soon find the want of it;
for, notwithstanding all our high conceits of ourselves, we
shall find it diflScult, if not impossible, to substitute any
thing else in its place, which will answer the end for which
it was designed, so well as that doth. Wherefore, the
translation of David's Psalms into English metre, which
was made at the beginning of the Reformation, in the reign
of King Edward VI. and therefore savours of the spirit
which w as then in our Church, upon that account ought to
he highly valued by all that have any respect for the
Reformation ; and is, indeed, in itself more valuable than
most people are aware of.
But to set this in so clear a light that all may see it,
it will be necessary to proceed gradually. For we must first
observe, that our first Reformers, being very conversant in
the Holy Scriptures, in Ecclesiastical History, in the writings
of the Fathers, and in the Canons and Constitutions of the
Church of God in all ages: they found, that psalmody, or
the singing of Psalms and Hymns to the praise and honour
of Almighty God, always made a considerable part of the
public service that His people performed to Him in their
religious assemblies : the chief end of all such assemblies
being to worship His Divine Majesty, by expressing their
Old Singing- Psalms.
621
reverence and godly fear of His supreme authority over all
the world ; by celebrating the glory that shines forth in His
creation and government of it ; and by acknowledging and
recounting His goodness, His mercy, and trutli, and all the
wonderful works that He hath done, and still doeth, for the
children of men. Which could not be so w ell done, as by
the whole congregation joining together in singing such
Psalms and Hymns of praise and thanksgiving, as wore
composed by His Holy Spirit in the Scriptures, or else in His
Church, for that end and purpose. Which, therefore, having
been practised in all the Churches from the beginning of
Christianity, as well as before, our Reformers took care to
keep it up in this too. And for that purpose, they appointed
the Psalms of David, dictated to Him by the Spirit of God,
to be repeated all over every month in the year, by certain
portions every day, and an Hymn after each lesson, both at
morning and evening prayer, and always one, sometimes
two Creeds. All which Psalms, and Hymns, and Creeds,
they ordered to be ' said' or ' sung' in every congregation:
— ' Said,' where they could not be sung ; but ' sung,' w here-
soever they could be so. And, that they might be always
' sung,' at least, in all cathedral and collegiate churches,
certain persons were appointed, in each of them, to learn
the art of singing by musical notes ; that, by their assistance,
the whole congregation might join together in praising
God, by singing, or making melody, at least in their hearts,
unto Him ; this being the best means that could be thought
of, to raise up our hearts to a due pitch for so high a work ;
as they know by experience, who have been long used to it,
so as to be able to join heartily and sincerely in it. For
which reason also, besides these stated Psalms, and Hymns,
and spiritual songs, after the third Collect both at morning
and evening prayer, there is another Hymn or Anthem to be
sung in such places. But what that shall be, is not ap-
pointed by the Church ; but it is left to the discretion of one
who presides there, to choose such a one as he shall judge
most proper to set forth the glory of God in general, or upon
any particular occasion that shall offer itself. In which,
great care ought to be taken that it be such as will answer
its end, and that the whole congregation may understand
622
A Defence of the
and join together in it. Otherwise, instead of furthering, it
will interrupt their devotions : which whosoever shall be
the cause of, either by his carelessness or indiscretion in
the choice, ought to be called to account for it by his
superiors here, and will certainly be so by the Supreme
Judge of the world at the Last Day.
But there is so much art and skill required to this way
of singing, that it cannot be practised in ordinary parish
churches ; which our first reformers being sensible of, they
did not appoint the psalms and hymns aforesaid to be only
' sung,' but either ' said' or ' sung;' that where they cannot
be ' sung,' they may, at least, be ' said :' — not ' read,' as the
Lessons are appointed to be, by the Minister only, but
' said,' that is, as the word implies, repeated by the whole
congregation, the Minister saying one verse, and the people
another, as the first Christians used to do. Which, though
it be not singing, yet it comes as near it, and answers the end
of it, as much as it can be done in parish churches ; for-
asmuch as, by this means, the whole congregation joins
together, as if they sung, in offering up their praises and
thanksgivings to their Almighty Creator and Redeemer ;
and therefore it always was, and still is, practised in all
regular parish churches, to the glory of God, and the great
edification of His people.
Thus, our first reformers took care, that Psalmody should
be kept up to the highest pitch in cathedral, and, as well as
it could be, in prose, in parochial churches also. And this
is all that the laws then made positively requisite in this
matter. But then there was another way also found out,
whereby all sorts of people might have the benefit and
comfort of singing the praises of God both at church, and
in all other places ; and that was, by turning the Psalms of
David, and the other hymns, into English metre, that they
might be more easily got by heart, and kept in memory,
and then setting such plain musical tunes to them as might
be easily learned and practised, even by the meanest of
the people. The first that attempted this, was Thomas
Sternhold, Esq. groom of the robes to his Majesty King
Henry VIII. and then to his son King Edward VI. He,
at first, translated about twenty of the Psalms, which were
Old Singing-Psalms.
623
then printed, with the translator's epistle dedicatory to the
King, still extant. Afterward, he, John Hopkins, and others,
undertook and finished all the rest. And then the whole
was printed together, with this title : —
THE WHOLE BOOK
OF PSALMES,
Collected into English Meetcr hy Thomas Sternhold, John
Hopkins, and others, conferred ivith the Hebrew, with apt
Notes to sing them withall.
Set forth and alloived to be sung in all Churches, of all the
People together, before and after Morning and Evening
Prayer, and also before and after Sermons : and moreover
in private Houses, for their godly Solace and Comfort,
laying apart all ungodly Songs and Balades, which tend
only to the nourishing of Vice, and corrupting of Youth.
James v.
If any he afflicted, let him pray ; if any he merry, let him sing Psalms.
Col. iu.
Let the Word of God dwel plenteously in you, in all Kisdome, teaching and exhorting
one another, in Psalmes, Hymnes, and spirituall Songs, singing to the Lord, with
Grace in your Hearts.
London.
Printed hy G. M.for the Company of Stationers.
Cum Priiilegio Regis Regali.
This is the old title of the book, constantly prefixed to it
in all the old London editions that I have seen, without any
alteration, except that when the musical notes are left out
in the body of the book, those words, ' with apt notes to
sing them witliall,' are left out also, as it was necessary they
should be, in the title ; and that the words, ' with grace,' in
the second text of Scripture, are left out in some editions ;
and sometimes one, sometimes both the texts themselves.
But that is a great fault, those texts having been, doubtless,
put in from the beginning ; as appears from their agreeing
neither with King James's nor the Bishop's translation of
the Bible, and therefore must be taken out of that which
was set forth in King Edward's or his father's reign.
Now, from this, the original title of the book, there are
several things much to be observed, to our present pur-
pose. As,
624
A Defence of the
1. That these Psalms were ' set forth, and allowed to be
sung in all churches :' which could not be, without the royal
authority ; none having power over all the churches in the
kingdom, but the King himself. And therefore, although
his letters-patent, or his sign-manual, cannot be now pro-
duced ; yet, that they who first printed or set forth this
book, had his order or license under his hand for it, cannot
be doubted. For, otherwise, they durst never have pre-
sumed to have said, that it was set forth and allowed to be
sung in all churches. And if they had done it at first, they
would soon have been questioned for it, and those words i
ordered to be left out in all future editions ; but we see they
have been kept in all the reigns ever since. From whence
we may certainly conclude, that this translation of the
Psalms stands upon the same bottom with the last, and all
other translations of the Bible ; that is, upon the royal pre-
rogative and authority. .
The same thing appears also from the last words in the
title-page, ' Cum privilegio Regis Regali.' For the Company
of Stationers could never have published to the world, that
they had the King's royal privilege for the printing of this \
book, unless they had it under his hand and seal, with all
the formalities wherewith such grants used to be made by
the crown ; and if they had assumed to themselves any such
privilege, which cannot be supposed, without the King's
grant, that would soon have been detected, and other people
would have printed it as well as they, whereas none ever
publicly attempted to do it in London ; which plainly shews,
that it was owned and acknowledged by all, that the Com-
pany had this privilege granted them from the King, who, be
sure, would never grant them the privilege of printing any
book, but what he himself had first allowed of ; and if they
had no other, this very privilege was a sufiicient allowance
of it. But here was plainly both the King's order for the
printing it, and his grant to that Company only to do it, which
is more than they can pretend to for the printing the New
Version ; for, though it be said to be printed for the Com-
pany of Stationers, those words, ' Cum Privilegio Regis
Regali,' are not added ; which they would certainly have
added, in the title-page of the New, as well as of the Old
Old Singing- P salms.
625
I Version if any such privilege had been granted to them ;
j and if they have no such privilege for it as they have for the
I other, how they can print it in opposition to the other, is a
thing which the Company w ould do well to consider of.
Another thing to be observed from the title of this book
is, that the Psalms were set forth ' with apt tunes to sing
them withal.' There were in those days several persons
eminent for their skill in music, many of their compositions
being still extant and admired, and these, it seems, did not
only set tunes to the Psalms, but such as were apt and
proper for the subject-matter of each Psalm ; and where
the same tune would serve indifferently for several Psalms,
they set it only to one, and referred to that in the other ; by
which means the peoi)le soon learned to sing any of the
Psalms in their proper tunes, both at church, and in their
own houses, or wheresoever else they were. And that was
one of the great and pious ends for which these Psalms were
then set forth in this manner, that they might be sung, not
only in all cliurches, by all the people together, but likewise
1 ' in private houses, for their godly solace and comfort; lay-
I ing apart all ungodly songs and ballads, which tend only to
the nourishing of vice and corrupting of youth ;' as it is
expressed in the title-page. And if this had been generally
observed ever since the first edition of this book to our days,
as it was for some time in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, our
youth had not been so corrupted, nor vice so rampant, as
now it is.
But that which is chiefly to be observed in the title is,
that this AYhole Book of Psalms, collected into English
IVIetre by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others, was
' conferred with the Hebrew.' Though they who did it were
doubtless good men, and as good poets as the age afforded,
and, at least, one of them in great favour at court ; yet it
was not set forth and allowed to be used in all churches,
till other learned men had conferred or compared it with the
Hebrew. So great care was then taken, that nothing might
be used publicly in the church, as the Word of God, but
what was really so ; for, although this book be part of the
Holy Scripture given by inspiration of God, yet it being
written originally in the Hebrew tongue, no translation of it
s s
626 A Defence of the
into any other language, either in prose or verse, is any far-
ther the Word of God, or can be properly called a ' transla-
tion of the Psalms,' than as it agrees with the Hebrew text.
Where it disagrees, it is not of Divine inspiration, but human
invention ; and, therefore, they who undertake to translate
this, or any other part of the Holy Scripture, had need
be very careful of what they do ; for this is not to be dealt
with like other books, where a translator may take the
liberty to vary from the text, and to mend it too, where he
sees cause, as he often may, there being no human composi-
tion but is liable to many faults, which another may see
better than the author. But it is not so with the Word of
God. There is no mending of that, nor so much as varying-
from it, without a fault, and a great one too ; not only in
that to give that as the mind of God revealed in Scripture,
■which is not there revealed, is plain belying Him and His
Holy Word ; but likewise, in that by this means many may
be insensibly led into dangerous, if not damnable, errors and
heresies, as many have been by false translations of God's
Holy Word ; for, most people reading the Scripture no
otherwise than as it is translated into tlieir own language,
they look upon every thing which they find in such a trans-
lation as the Word of God, especially if it be publicly owned
and commonly used as such among them ; and, if there be
any thing in it contrary to, or differing from, the mind of
God expressed in the original, they, notwithstanding, receiv-
ing it as His Word, are unavoidably drawn into mistakes, and
sometimes such as may endanger both their own welfare and
the peace of the Church. For the preventing of which
mischief, when this translation of the Psalms was made,
it was not suffered to be published till some who well
understood the Hebrew had examined every part of it,
whether it agreed with the original, and corrected it where
it did not.
And how faithfully they, to whom this great work was
referred, discharged the trust reposed in them, appears suffi-
ciently from the work itself. For several well skilled in the
Hebrew tongue, in our age, have observed this translation
to agree so exactly with the Hebrew text, that they could
not but wonder how Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and
Old Singing -Psalms.
627
such others, could make it ; not considering that we have it,
not as it was at first made by them, but as it was afterwards
adjusted, by other learned men, to the original. And if any
one will take the pains to compare this translation of the
Psalms, with that in the Bible, made out of the Hebrew, in
King James I.'s reign, he will find, that it generally gives
the same sense of the text as that doth, in such places also
where that differs from the old translation in our Common
Prayer-books, except where this latter seems to give the
sense more clearly than the other. In some places, I con-
fess, it differs from both ; but they are such where the text
is so obscure, that interpreters do not agree about the mean-
ing of it. In which case, it is very observable, that this old
translation follows the Septuagint, the most ancient and most
authentic translation that is extant, which shews not only
the great learning, but likewise the extraordinary care and
diligence that was used in the reviewing of it, that we might
have the sense of the Hebrew text, where it was doubtful,
according to the most approved interpreters of it. But, in
plain uncontroverted places, this old translation in verse
generally agrees so exactly with the new in prose, though
made above sixty years before it, that if the latter was not
in some places taken out of the old, the old must needs be
drawn from the same fountain with it, or, at least, reduced
to it ; and so it plainly was, not in a cursory and superficial
manner, but with so much art and discretion, that it often
renders the sense clearer than the other doth. And where
a place is equally capable of a double sense, so that some
translations give it one sense, some another, this strives to
take in both, that we may be sure to have the right; as I
have sometimes found, in comparing this translation with
the text, for which I must thank the New Version, in that it
gave me the occasion of looking thus narrowly into the Old ;
for though I had always a good opinion of it, I could never
else have thought we had such a jewel among us, which, if
it was but as rare as it is common, all the learned that study
the Scripture would strive to get it at any rate.
But, can we say as much of the New Version, which is
now brought into competition with it? I heartily wish we
could. But I do not hear that this was ever conferred with
G28
A Defence of the
the Hebrew as the other was, nor so much as tliat any of our
Bishops or other learned in that language were appointed or
autliorized to do it; and there is too much cause to suspect
that it was never done ; for, if we may take our measures
of its agreeing or disagreeing with the Hebrew text, from its
agreeing or not agreeing with the Psalms in the new trans-
lation of the Bible, made out of the Hebrew, we may thence
conclude, that there was not the care taken about this as
there was about the Old Version, so far, at least, as I am
able to judge; who, having got a sight of this new transla-
tion of the Psalms in verse, could not satisfy my own mind
about it without comparing it with the new translation in
prose, which I had no sooner begun, but I found so many
variations, that I thought to have gathered together all that
I judged to be so, throughout the whole book, Avithout any
other design but for ray own satisfaction ; but when I had
gone a little way, I found them multiply so fast upon me,
that I could see no end, and tlierefore was forced to give it
over, and to content myself v\ ith observing the reason of it,
which, to me, seemed to be this : — That whereas the com-
posers and reviewers of the old translation had nothing else
in their eye, but to give us the true sense of each place in as
few words as could be in verse, and, therefore, keep close to
the text, without deviating from it upon any account: in
this new translation, there is so much regard had to tlie
poetry, the style, the running of the verse, and suchlike
inconsiderable circumstances, that it was almost impossible
to avoid going from the text, and altering the true sense and
meaning of it ; for hence it came to pass, that although the
authors, doubtless, designed a true translation, yet other
things crowding into their heads at the same time, justled
that design so, that it could not always take effect.
But, notwithstanding this great advantage which the old
translation hath above the new, in that it comes and keeps
nearer to the text, there are otiier things wlierein the new
may seem as much preferable to the old. As particularly,
in that the style of the old is plain, and low, and heavy ;
the other is brisk, and lively, and flourished here and there
with wit and fancy. But for this we may first consider,
who they are that make this objection against the old
Old Sinying-Psalms.
629
translation : not they for whom it was chiefly intended, the
common people, that are the far greatest part of the king-
dom : you never hear them, or any of them, complain, that
tlie Psalms which they sing in their churches are too plain,
too low, or too heavy for them ; but they rather love and
admire them the more for it, and are more edified by the use
of them. The plainer they are, the sooner they understand
them ; the lower their style is, the better it is levelled to
their capacities ; and the heavier they go, the more easily
they can keep pace with them. And therefore they are so
I far from looking upon this as a fault in their Psalms, that
they prize them the more for it. And so do all wise and
considering men, as well as they ; for they know and con-
sider, that the style of the Scripture, of which the Psalms
are part, is all such : there are no enticing words of man's
j wisdom there, no flights of wit, no fanciful expressions, no
! rhetorical, much less poetical, flourishes ; but every thing
necessary for mankind to believe and do, is delivered there
i in such a plain and familiar style that all sorts of people
' may understand it. When Almighty God Himself speaks
of Himself, He condescends so low as to use such words and
, expressions as we commonly use among ourselves. And
seeing the whole Scripture is written in such a style, all
translations of it must be so too, or else they cannot be true
translations : and therefore, this is so far from being a fault,
that it is one of the greatest excellencies of this old trans-
lation of the Psalms, that it doth not only keep to the sense
of the text, but to the same manner of expressing it, which
is there used. And so all must do, that would express the
sense aright : they must not go about to fetch in fine words
and phrases, but confine themselves to such as most plainly
and properly signify what is meant in the text ; otherwise,
instead of the mind of God, they may give us only their own
conceits. And that is the reason that the old translation
seems so mean and dull to some kind of people, because it
never goes from the plain meaning of the text, but strives to
render that in as fit and proper terms as it can, howsoever
low and bald they may seem to be : by which means,
although it may not seem so pleasing to the ears or fancies
of some men, it comes with greater force and authority upon
630
A Defence of the
them, as being tlie very Word of Aliiiiglity God Himself ;
and so is really in itself more brisk and lively than any
human conceits can make it.
For, as for that which we call wit and fancy, tbere
being no such thing in the Holy Scriptures, if there be
any of it in a translation, it must needs differ from the
original. And although there may still be something of
the general sense and design of the place to be found in
it, yet it being wrapped up in such light and gaudy expres-
sions, it will be very difficult to find it ; and, if found, it
will not have that power and efficacy that it hath in its
plain native colours. For, that which tickles the fancy
never toucheth the heart, but flies immediately into air,
from whence it came; which therefore ought to be avoided,
as much as it is possible, in all discourses and writings of
religion. For religion is too severe a thing to be played
with ; especially the foundation of it, the Word of God ; in
which the very poetry is all solid, substantial, and Divine.
And so must be the translation of it into other languages ;
at least, there must be nothing of flashy wit, nothing light or
airy in it. If there be, it may, perhaps, serve young people
for their diversion : but it can be no help to their devotion,
but rather an hinderance ; their minds being apt to be so
much taken up with such a manner of expressing it, that
they neglect the matter designed to be expressed by it.
Whereas, when the Scripture, or any part of it, is so trans-
lated, that there is nothing else to exercise the thoughts
upon, but only the thing itself that is there revealed, if a
man that reads it thinks at all of what he reads, he must
think of that, and nothing else. And therefore the old trans-
lation of the Psalms is so far from being to be blamed and
despised, as it is by some, for the plainness and simplicity
of its style, that it ought to be the more commended and
valued for it ; as it is by all that prefer the plain AVord of
God before the inventions of men, how well soever they may
be adorned and set off.
Another cavil that some make against this old translation
is, that the rhyme is not always good. They cannot deny
but, for the most part, it is better than could be well expected
from the age it was made in, and as good as can be desired
Old Singing-Psalms.
631
now ; but they say, it is sometimes faulty. And so it is in
most books of English poetry, of the same bulk, that I have
seen. But, what then ? The Psalms were collected into
metre, that they might be better sung to God. And while
devout people are singing forth the praises of God, do they
mind the rhyme ? or whether the words sound alike at the
end of every other verse or line ? This is not their business
at that time; neither need they ever concern themselves
about it. If it was not the mode of our English poetry, and
some help to the memory, it would be no matter whether
there was any rhyming at all in the Psalms, so long as the
metre, or number of syllables in each verse, is proportioned
to the tune set to it.
But the main objection against this old translation is,
that there are many old words in it, which are now grown
obsolete and out of use. There may, perhaps, be some, but
not many, if any at all, among the vulgar, for whose use it
was chiefly designed. They still use those words, or, at
least, understand them as w^ell as any that are in common use
among them. It is, we know, among the common people,
that the language of every nation is best preserved. The
learned, that understand other tongues, and such as converse
wnth foreigners, are apt to take in the words of other lan-
guages and mix them with their own, and so, by degrees,
lay aside some of their own for such as they have borrowed
from other countries. But it is not so with the plain country
people : they know no other but their own mother tongue ;
and using that only upon all occasions, they still keep up the
words and phrases that are proper to it, as they received
them from their forefathers, and shall tell you the meaning
of them better than they who are more learned. Therefore,
as to such people, this objection hath no weight at all in it,
nor, indeed, as to any other. For, who is it that knows not
the meaning of all the words in this old translation of the
Psalms ? or, at least, may not understand them, if he will, as
well as any new words when he first hears them ? What
exception, then, can be taken against those old words ? Are
they not all true English words 1 And is it any fault that
they are not Latin or French? It must come to that, at
last ; for you can scarce find any better English. What
632
A Defence of the
necessity, then, can tliere be of changing them? Must the
translation of the Holy Scripture be altered, as often as any
affect new words and modes of speaking ? or, as some alter
their clothes, only to be in the fashion ? They who are thus
given to change, will never want occasion for it : for,
suppose we should lay aside the old words, and put new in
their places ; the new, in time, would grow old too ; and
then new ones must be invented to supply their room :
and so there will be no end of changing : but every age
must have a new translation of the Psalms, and of the
whole Bible too. Whereas, all such public writings that
are of general use, especially in religion, ought to be pre-
served entire (as old Acts of Parliament and law-books are),
just as they were at first written ; that people may know
what to stick to, and not be tempted to think their religion
to be as changeable as their language.
But if there was any force in this objection, it is now
taken off in some late editions of this old translation of the
Psalms in metre, where the old words and phrases are taken
out, and such put in their places as are now in common use.
Who was the author, I know not ; nor by what authority the
Company of Stationers printed it so altered. But I think it
had as good have been let alone ; and better too, for the
reasons before-mentioned ; and for other, which I shall not
mention now, but may do it presently.
But I cannot but further observe here, that of all the
metrical translations of the Psalms made since this, there is
not one that I have seen but hath several words, phrases,
and expressions in it, as hard, if not much harder to be
understood, than any that are in this. I shall not except the
New Version itself, which is now so publicly set up against
the Old. I cannot say that I have read it all over ; but I have
gone so far in it, that I have met with many expressions
which I could not understand ; and therefore cannot imagine
how this comes to be set up above the other, as being more
plain and intelligible to all capacities. There are, perhaps,
no old English words in it : but there are many taken from
the Latin and French, and Greek too, which none can fully
understand, except they have some skill in those languages,
or, at least, more learning than is commonly found among
/
Old Singinrj-Psalms.
633
our country people : and besides, there are some words and
expressions tliat have an ill aspect, and are liable to very-
bad constructions ; which cannot be said of any thing- that is
found in the old translation.
That none may suspect that all this is spoken without
ground, it will be necessary to give an instance or two of it ;
from whence they may pass their judgment upon the rest.
For which purpose, therefore, I shall first set down a verse in
prose, according to the new translation of the Bible ; then
the same verse in metre, according to the old translation ;
and then the same again according- to the new : —
PSALM xxxvii. 34.
Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the
land : when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
THE OLD TRANSLATION.
Wait thou on God, and keep His way,
He shall preserve thee then,
The earth to rule, and thou shalt see
Destroy'd these wicked men.
THE NEW TRANSLATION.
Wait still on God, and keep His way,
And thou, advanc'd the land to sway,
Thy firm possession ne'er shalt quit.
With longing eyes thou soon shalt see
The wicked's fatal tragedy.
And as a glad spectator sit.
Here we see the old translation keeps close to the text,
without adding or diminishing any thing in it. But the new
is rather a paraphrase than a version in this, as well as many
other places, stretching the sense much further than either
the words or the design of the place can bear. God here
promiseth, that His people shall inherit the land ; but not,
that they ' shall never quit their possession.' That is the
poet's own fiction. And so it is, that the righteous shall,
with ' longing eyes,' see the destruction of the wicked ; and
be ' glad spectators' of it. This also is foreign to the text,
and to truth too. For, though God hath threatened destruc-
tion to the wicked, and hath said His people shall see it,
634
A Defence of the
wliero is it said, that they shall long, and be glad to see it?
I had thought all the righteous upon earth had learned to
desire and long for the repentance of the wicked, and rejoice
to see them converted, rather than destroyed : but here they
are taught another lesson, if they would learn it ; which I
suppose, they will not be very forward to do, notwith-
standing it is got into the Psalms, a book they so much
admire. For, they know it was not originally there ; but is
a perfect stranger, got in they know not how. Let us try
another place, to the same purpose: —
PSALM XCI. 8.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked.
THE OLD TRANSLATION.
But thou shalt see it for thy part,
Thine eyes shall well regard,
That even Uke to their desert,
The wicked have reward.
THE NEW TRANSLATION.
Thou only shalt look on and see
The wicked's dcserv'd tragedy,
And count the sinner's mo\u-nful gains.
Here, again, it is obvious, that the old translation confines
itself to the plain words of the text ; but the new goes far
beyond it. The text only saith, that the righteous shall see
the wicked punished as they deserve : but this translation
adds, that they shall ' count the sinner's mournful gains.'
It is an odd expression, I confess, which few people know
what to make of. All the meaning that I can apprehend in
it, is, that the righteous shall not only see, but count the
punisliments which wicked men shall have for their wicked-
ness. But this is more than the text saith, and more than
the righteous can do : for, the punishments of the wicked
being innumerable and eternal, though the righteous shall
see them, they will not be able to count them, no more than
a man can count the sand upon tlie sea-shore, w hensoever he
sees it. It would be well for the sinners, if their ' mournful
Old Singing -Fsalms.
635
gains' should be no greater, nor more than could be counted,
as this translation would make them : but I would not have
them trust it ; for, though it be in this translation, it is not
in the text, nor in any other part of the Holy Scriptures ;
which plainly teach us, that the wicked shall go into ever-
lasting punishment ; and, therefore, such as can never be
counted or reckoned up.
By this we may see something of the style of this New
Version, such as is used only by one kind of writers, not by
any other, much less in common conversation, as the style of
the Old is, and ought to be. It is a ' New Version' indeed,
a great part of it running in a style that is wholly new,
according to the new modes of w riting, invented and prac-
tised only in this age, and will go near to expire with it, and
be condemned in the next, as much as they are now admired ;
at le.ast, in all sacred writings. There are many such new
phrases and romantic expressions in this version, which are
taken up by our present poets ; and being now in fashion,
may serve well enough in other places, but can by no means
suit with a Divine poem, much less by one inspired by God
Himself. I shall not undertake to count theiu, if I could ;
for, if we could get the whole number, they would be but
' mournful gains.' Neither was this in my thoughts, when I
made choice of the verses above written, to shew the truth
of what I had before observed. But that which I took more
special notice of, was, that in both those verses (and, for
aught I know, in others) there is the word ' tragedy' used :
which is perfect ' Greek' to our common people ; they know-
ing no more the meaning of it, than they do the language it
comes from. A comedy and a tragedy is all one to them : few
of them ever saw either of them acted, and it is no matter
whether they ever do. How, then, can they understand
what is here meant by spectators sitting in a playhouse and
there seeing a tragedy ? Is there any thing in the old trans-
lation so strange and unintelligible to them as this ?
But that is not all. How came the righteous to be here
represented, as seeing the destruction of the wicked, as
people see a tragedy in a playhouse ? They in a playhouse
know, that notwithstanding all the scuffle upon the stage, as
if they were wounding and slaying one another, yet, after
636
A Defence of the
all, there is no hurt done : it was all but in jest, and to make
sport for the spectators. And will the destruction of sinners
be so ? in show only, and not in reality 1 They will find it
to be in good earnest, though all the poets in the world
should represent it only as a feigned tragedy. Be sure, the
Judge doth not here say that the righteous shall sit as spec-
tators in a playhouse, and see the wicked acting a tragedy ;
but, that they shall see them destroyed, and punished
according as they had deserved.
But, how comes King David to be here brought in as
speaking of a tragedy acted in a playhouse ? Was he ever at
a play in his life ? Was there any such thing ever seen in
his court? or in all Jerusalem? or in all his kingdoms? or
in all the world at that time ? If there had, we should cer-
tainly have heard of it somewhere or other. But we know
that both the thing and the word was invented by the Greeks,
a long time after King David's reign. And therefore it is
an unaccountable piece of liberty, or rather licentiousness
of poetry, to make him allude to spectators sitting and
seeing a tragedy acted, at a time when there was no such
thing in the world.
This is bad enough : but there is still a great deal worse
in this poetical .strain. For, though David composed the
Psalms, he did it by the inspiration of God : it was the Holy
Ghost that spoke in him and by him. So that Almighty
God Himself is here represented as alluding to tragedies, in
the promises which He makes unto His people ; telling
them, that when the wicked shall be punished, they shall sit
and look on, as a spectator doth, when a tragedy is acted in
a playhouse. But it cannot be supposed that He should
thus signify His pleasure to His people, by such a similitude,
if the thing itself was displeasing to Him. His very alluding
to it, upon so solemn an occasion, would be a sufficient indi-
cation that He approved, or, at least, allowed of it ; insomuch,
that if there had been any such expression in the text of the
Psalms, none could have doubted of the lawfulness of acting
or seeing tragedies or other plays acted, the Holy Scripture
itself being, upon this supposition, so plainly for it. And
they who believe this to be a true version of that holy book
can have nothing to say against it.
Old Singivg-Psalins.
637
For, suppose one of our honest countrymen being invited
to go to see a tragedy, and having some scruples upon him
whether it was lawful or not, should go to one of his
neighbours, that is reckoned a judicious and knowing man,
to be resolved in the case. He, having heard the question,
presently returns this answer : ' Neighbour, I do not wonder
that you make a question of it, whether you may lawfully go
and see a tragedy or other play acted, and there spend some
of the time that lies so heavy upon your hand ; for I myself
had once such a scruple in my mind : but it is gone now ; so
that I make no doubt at all of it, since our doctor brought
down the New Book of Psalms, which, you know, is now
used every Sunday in our Church, by his order. For, looking
over that book, I find there were tragedies acted in David's
time, and people used then to sit as spectators, as they
now do in our playhouses. David speaks of it as a known
and common thing in those days, without blaming them for
it: which he, be sure, being a man after God's Own heart,
would not have done, if it had been any way contrary to
the law of God : and not David only, but God Himself,
speaking in him, saith, that His people shall see the wicked's
fatal tragedy, and sit there as glad s])ectators, much jDleased
with the act. It is true, I do not find this in the Psalms
that are in our Bibles or Coramon Prayer-books, nor in
our old Singing -Psalms : but it is in this New Book of
Psalms, which being the last, must needs be the best : as
our doctor, be sure, knows ; otherwise he would never have
brought it among us, who are committed to his care ; much
less would he have suffered it to be sung in our Church, in
time of Divine service. And therefore you cannot doubt
but that this is done exactly according to the mind of God,
in Scripture. And seeing God Himself here speaks of His
people's sitting as spectators to see a tragedy, without the
least intimation that He would not have them do it, you
cannot in reason make any question of it, but that it is
agreeable to His will ; and you may lawfully go when you
please to see a tragedy, having now His license and autho-
rity for it.'
Now, what can our honest man reply to all this ? This
is so natural a way of reasoning among our country people.
638
A Defence of the
that there is no withstariding it. They know the Psalms
of David are part of the Holy Scriptures : they see this New
Version, expressly called ' The Psalms of David,' in print ;
and they sing it, as such, in their Church, by the order
of the Minister vpho hath the care of their souls ; and there-
fore cannot but believe it to be the very Word of God, as
niuch as any other part of the Holy Scriptures. And seeing
it is here said that the righteous shall look on, and see the
wicked's deserved ti'agedy, they presently conclude that they
not only may, but ought to go and see a tragedy acted, that
they may be able to understand this part of Scripture. For,
if they should never see one, how can they tell what is
meant by being a spectator there ? And therefore make no
further scruple of it. Thus, by having this version com-
monly used among them, people may be brought to believe
that the acting and seeing tragedies, or any sort of plays, is
allowed and authorised by God Himself: which, whatsoever
the stage may have, I am sure the Church hath no cause to
thank the authors for.
Not that I think they had any such ill design in com-
posing this ' New Version.' For, though I have no personal
knowledge of them, yet from their employing their thoughts
and parts u23on so Divine a subject, I cannot but believe that
their aim in general was good ; and that these and suchlike
expressions (of which there are several in this version),
which seem to have an ill tendency, dropt from them un-
awares, without their foreseeing the ill use that some men
may make of them. Neither do I see how it can be avoided
in any version, which the author contrives to make fine and
modish ; for, when that is in the eye, it will hinder it from
looking much further. If a word or phrase appear but gay
and fashionable at present, little regard will be had to any
remoter consequences that may follow upon it : and not
much, whether it be fit and proper for the place it is designed
for ; at least, not so much as is necessary in a version of any
part of Holy Writ ; which is no further true, than as it
agrees exactly with the original text. Though the poetry be
never so exact, and the style as elegant as words can make
it, yet, after all, unless it truly and fully expresseth the
meaning of the Divine Author, it fails in the main point :
Old Singing- Psalms.
639
It is no true version, nor deserves to be called by that
name.
But now, as to the Old Version, the composers and re-
viewers of that having more regard to the sense than to the
words, and to the words no further than as they might best
represent the sense, they used no more than what were just
necessary to the translating the sense into English metre,
and therefore none that could be liable to misconstruction,
any more than the sense itself is. And -whatsoever other
accomplishments it may seem to want, it hath this, the
greatest accomplishment of any version, that it is true, or
agreeable to the text ; expressing the sense and meaning of
it all along, in as fit and proper words as could be then found
out in the English tongue. Insomuch, that although some
few of the words being not so commonly used in this age as
they were in that, it hath been thought expedient to have
them changed for such as are now in common use ; yet it is
very difficult to do it, without altering the sense too. It
hath been attempted, as I observed before, in some late
editions ; but to little jjurpose, as might easily be shewn
from many instances. It may be sufficient, at present, to
give one or two.
The word that most stumble at is at the very threshold,
in the first verse of the first Psalm, which the last translation
in prose renders thus : " Blessed is the man that walketh not
in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Only in the
margin, over against the word ' ungodly,' is put ' or wicked,'
that you may take which you please, they being both much
of the same signification. But in our old translation of the
Psalms in metre, this verse runs thus :
The man is blest that hath not bent
To wicked rede his ear,
Nor led his Ufe as sinners do,
Jsor sate in scomers' chair.
That which they find fault with here is the word ' rede,'
which they say, is now grown out of use, so that many do
not know the meaning of it. But must the word be blamed
for people's ignorance ? This is not only the best, but the
640
A Defence of the
only English word I know of in all our tongue, that signifies
that which we otherwise call 'advice,' or 'counsel:' for
these two words, the one is taken from the French, the other
from the Latin : but 'rede' is truly and originally an English
Saxon word; commonly used, to this day, in Germany, from
whence our language came : only there they now write it
'rhat;' as in Poland, 'rada;' in Holland, ' raed.' In our
old Saxon books it is written 'raed ;' and, therefore, 'rede,'
as it is written in the translation of the Psalms (not ' read,'
as in some later editions), is properly a true English word,
and was always used in the same signification as we now use
counsel and advice, words plainly of foreign extraction.
And, therefore, I can see no reason why it should give
place to them : it is very hard, that a native of our own
country should be cast out, only to make way for a foreigner;
and that too for no other reason but because he is old :
whereas, for that very reason, he ought rather to be kept
in and maintained. Let any one, if he can, find a better
English, truly English word, to put in its place. I believe
he will find it a hard matter. Be sure, they who have
taken it out in the late edition, have left the place empty :
for they have thus altered the two first lines of the said
verse :
The man is blest that hath not lent
To wicked men his ear.
Where, we see, the word ' rede ' is left out, and no other of
the same or like signification substituted in the room of it;
whereby the sense is made imperfect, and far short of the
design of the holy writer in that place. For, he describes
that man to be blessed, that doth not hearken to the rede of
ungodly and wicked men, so as to do what they, as such,
advise him to. "Whereas, according to this version, he must
not so much as lend his ear to wicked men, or hear any thing
they say, whether they give him any counsel or not : which
is far from the sense of the text. Neither can it be rightly
expressed without the word ' rede,' or some other equivalent
to it ; that being the most material word in that part of the
text, without which the design of the place is wholly lost; as
it plainly is in this new alteration of the Old Version, where
Old Singing -Psalms.
641
that word is neither expressed, nor so much as implied : so
: difficult a thing it is to alter any thing in the Old Version
without making it worse.
J But let us try another place, where a word occurs that, at
1 first sight, may seem the strangest of any in the book. It is
t in the translation of these words of the Psalmist, " There Ps. 91. lo
r shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh
thy dwelling," which the Old Version in metre renders
thus :
Thou shalt not need none ill to fear,
With thee it shall not mail ;
Nor yet the plague shall once come near
The house where thou dost dwell.
Here, in the first line, are two negatives, which was usual
heretofore and as emphatical in English as in Greek. But
that which they are so much displeased with here is the
word ' mell.' ^ If it had been ' meddle,' they would have
liked it well enough ; for then the sense would have been
plain to them also, the very same that it is in the text, ' It
shall not befall thee, or meddle with thee* But, what is this
word 'mell?' In plain English, it is nothing but the very
word 'meddle,' rightly spelt and pronounced, as our learned
etymologist hath observed ; and it is still pronounced so in
the northern counties, signifying, to mingle oneself with any
other's person or matter. And, therefore, how strange
soever the word may seem, it is much stranger that any
should be displeased with it for its being rightly spelt. They
should rather commend this version, for keeping up the
right pronunciation of the word, which otherwise might have
been lost ; at least in some places, where it hath been long
corrupted. But, let us now hear how well they who under-
took to mend the old translation have mended the matter
in this place. They have thus altered it in some late
editions : —
No evil thou shalt need to fear.
With thee it shall go well.
Where we may observe, that as in altering the word 'rede,'
they come short of the sense of the text, so here they go
beyond it. For it is not here said, ' It shall go well with
T T
642
A Defence of the
tliee;' tliat is more than is in the text, which saith only,
' No evil shall befall thee.' So that this alteration fails as
much in adding to God's Word, as the other doth in dimi-
nishing from it. Both which faults ought to be carefully
avoided in all translations of the Holy Scripture, as they are
in this old one in metre, so exactly, that it is evident from
these, as well as from many other instances, that there is no
meddling, or, to speak more properly, no melling with it,
without spoiling it.
This may serve as a specimen of what may be said in
defence of the Old Version of the Psalms, against the new
alterations that have been made in it. I never heard who
made them, nor by what authority it was done, or whether
by any at all : but whosoever it was, he took upon him a
greater task than he was aware of, and more than was fit for
one man to undertake. For this Old Version of the Psalms
in metre, was the work of many, if not of most of the learned
men of that time. Though it was composed at first by few,
yet, as I have already observed, it was afterwards reviewed
and compared with the Hebrew ; which could not be done
but by the most learned of that age, who took such pains,
and used such skill in doing it, that there was not a verse,
not a sentence, not a word, but what was strictly examined
by them ; and nothing suffered to pass but what was proper
to express the true sense and meaning of the text all along :
insomuch that when it was set forth, it found that general
applause and approbation that it was used by all the clergy
and laity, learned and unlearned, all over the Church and
kingdom ; and continued to be so for above one hundred
and forty years together : and after all this, for a private
person to undertake to correct and mend it, was a bold
attempt ; and though I doubt not but he designed to serve
the Church in it, yet he could hardly have done it a greater
disservice, in a thing of this nature. For the Singing-Psalms
being now printed (I know not by what authority) with
these alterations, and commonly bound up with our Bibles
and Common Prayer-books, when people come to sing, as
they are wont, to the honour of God, some sing one thing,
and others another ; which breeds a great confusion, where
every thing should be done decently and in order. And
Old Singing -Psalms.
643
besides, it is a great cheat put upon the people that buy the
Psalms : they think they buy one thing when they have
another : they expect such Singing-Psalms as they used to
have, and are put off with such as are so altered in many
places, that they are not the same : and not altered for the
better neither, but generally for the worse ; for I do not per-
ceive that it is any where altered for any other purpose but
only to accommodate it to the humour of the present age,
not to the text. It agreed with that well enough as it was
before ; and these alterations are so far from making it
agree better, that they often make it differ from the sense
of the text, as in the instances abovementioned, and in
many other which might be produced, if there was occasion
for it.
Wherefore, all things considered, I do not see wherein
this Old Version of the Psalms in metre is one jot the
better for the alterations that have been made in it, nor
what necessity there was of making any at all ; much less,
how a thing of such public use can ever be altered without
public authority, or by that, so as to be made much better
than it is, or, at least, than it was when first set forth and
published. It hath since that time been often printed, oftener,
I believe, than any one book in England ; and when the press
hath committed an error in one edition, it is commonly pro-
pagated, and runs through all that follow after ; by which
means there are several such errors got into it, which have
given the greatest occasion to all the clamours that have
been made against it. If they could be mended, so that we
could have the whole book as it was at first composed and
corrected, there could be no material exception made against
it by any who prefer the plain word of God before their
own or other men's conceits. And take it as it is now
commonly printed with all its faults (except such as spoil
the sense), and you will find, upon an impartial examination,
that they are so few, and those few so inconsiderable, in
comparison of what may be found in other books of the
same kind, and that the whole is generally so well adapted
to the text, and to the use it was designed for, that there is
no reason why it should be laid aside ; but all that can be
imagined, in a thing of this nature, that it should still be
644 A Defence of the
continued and used as it hath been all along- ever since our
Reformation.
For, suppose it was not so good a version as really it is,
but only tolerable, so that it may still be used, as it hath
been hitherto, without any detriment to the Church, reproach
to religion, or hazard of people's souls ; yet it having been
used all along in our Church, since it was reformed ; to throw
it aM^ay now, and take up another in its stead, what a reflec-
tion would that be upon our Reformers ! People would be
apt to think they were a company of very ignorant or ^care-
less men, that knew not how to make a good version of the
Psalms, or if they did, yet they set forth such a one to be
sung in all Churches that was not fit to be sung in any
Church at all, any longer than until wiser men could be
found out to make a better ; and, by consequence, tliat what-
soever else they did, being of the same piece with that, was
so weak, that it could never have held up so long, but would
have fallen to the ground before now, if it had not been
backed with the laws of the realm, as the Book of Common
Prayer was. And it was very well it was so ; for otherwise,
at this rate, that also would be laid aside whensoever two or
three can agree together to shew their talent in making new
forms of prayer ; and so, in time, we might have as many,
or more than ever : one, ' secundum usum London ;' another,
'secundum usum Richmond;' another, 'secundum usum
Sarum;' and so on, 'secundum usum' of every city and
great town in England. For there is no such place but may
afford some or other that think themselves wiser than all
their forefathers, and capable of making better prayers as
well as better translations of the Psalms. But if this liberty
should be allowed to any that have a mind to take it, what
would become of our Reformation ? That also must be
reformed, and every thing that was then done now laid aside
to make way for something that will suit better with the
genius of the present age ; which abounds in learning, and
wisdom, and piety, so far beyond the last, that there is no
comparison between them. I heartily wish it did so: but
there is little sign of it, when we are so insensible of God's
goodness to us in what was then done, and so ungrateful
to the happy instruments of it, as to find fault thus, without
Old Sincjing-Psalms. 645
any ground, with what they did, and throw it away as stuff
not fit for the use they made it for.
Neither doth this reflect only upon our first Reformers,
but likewise upon all the convocations that have been held
ever since. They are the proper judges of what is or is
not fit to be used in the service of God ; and all the members
of them, both in the Upper and Lower House, knew all
along that this old translation of the Psalms was used in all
the churches throughout the kingdom, and particularly in
those to which they themselves belonged ; and yet we do
not hear that any of them ever censured it, or so much
as complained of it, much less condemned it to be cast
away, or desired that a new one might be made and used
instead of it. If any of them had done thus, they would
certainly have taken care that such a one might have been
made and reviewed by themselves, or some appointed by
them to do it, that it might be set forth with their appro-
bation as well as by the king's authority : but seeing that
was never done, it is evident that all the convocations that
have been held since the Reformation have approved of this
translation, so far, at least, that it might be still continued
in the Church; and never judged it either necessary or
expedient that any other should be brought in, or the old
one so much as altered, which would be a great reproach
to them, and so to the whole Church of England repre-
sented by them, if there was any real necessity of either.
And as the whole Church in general, so every particular
bishop, parson, and vicar in it, is concerned to defend him-
self from the aspersion which would be hereby cast upon
him ; for they having all, in their respective dioceses and
parishes, the care of souls committed to them, are obliged,
in conscience, to see that the people under their charge have
all things necessary to the Salvation of their souls, and
every thing the best they can get in its kind. But they
have all suffered their flocks to use this Old Version of
the Psalms in their churches, and they themselves have
joined with them in it, and so have commended it to them
by their own practice, which they can never answer to God.
or their own consciences, if it was such a version as was not
fit to be used by them, but deserved to be banished out
646
A Defence of the
of their churches, that another might be brought in which
should be more for their edification. For I do not hear
that any one of them ever admonished his people of this, or
told them ' it was not his fault they had not better Psalms :
for his part, he did not like them, but would endeavour to
get them better as soon as he could ; but they must stay till
better could be made, and allowed to be sung in churches.
In the meanwhile they must take heed how they use these
old Psalms ; for though they might, perhaps, be tolerable,
and serve well enough for the blind times they were made
in, yet now they are grown old and musty, and very un-
wholesome food for their souls.' This every Minister was
bound, some way or other, to give his people notice of,
if there was any such occasion, as is now pretended, for
it ; and they were highly to be blamed for not doing it.
But we never heard of any that have done it, and therefore
ought, in justice and charity, to conclude that the whole
body of the clergy, down from the Reformation to the last
yeai', never looked upon it as a crime, but were fully satisfied
with their and their people's using the Old Version of
Psalms, and that there was no necessity of introducing a
new one, as some few have lately done, and so have sepa-
rated themselves from the rest of the body in this particular,
for reasons best known to themselves.
But what would the people say, if this was done all the
kingdom over? They have been accustomed from their
youth to sing these old Psalms in their churches every
Lord's Day, and have found such extraordinary benefit and
comfort from that most excellent and Heavenly spirit of
piety and devotion that runs through them, and moves upon
their souls in the due use of them, that they have got many
of them by heart, and are able to repeat and sing them by
themselves, in their own houses or closets, or wheresoever
they are: and whensoever they have a mind, as all good
people often have, to be cheerful and merry, to rejoice in
the Lord, and magnify His glorious Name for His manifold
favours and mercies to them, then these Psalms come into
their minds, and fill them with unspeakable joy and thank-
fulness to God, and with reverence and fear of His Holy
Name : so that whatsoever their condition is, they find some-
Old Singing- Psalms.
647
thing here that suits it as exactly as if it was designed for
it. They also that cannot read, by the frequent use of these
plain Psalms, can say many of them by heart, and call them
to remembrance upon all occasions, and exercise their faith,
and fear, and trust on God, in the repetition of them. Upon
which, and many such accounts, our common people, Avhich,
as they are the far greatest part of the nation, so they afford
the greatest number of sincere Christians, they have such a
value and fondness for these old Psalms, that they would
not part with them for the world : and, after all, to force
them from them would be to rob them of the patrimony
which God, the Church, and their forefathers, have left them
for their direction, instruction, and comfort, in the various
changes they are subject to in this mortal life ; insomuch
that I have sometimes wondered to hear, how they have
been nettled and disturbed at the very report that there was
such a thing in hand ; printing of papers, writing of letters,
and running about with them to all they thought would
have any compassion of them ; begging and beseeching
them, as for their lives, that they would use all the interest
they had that their old Psalms might not be taken from
them. From whence the least that can be inferred is, that
whatsoever other people, who seldom use these Psalms, and
never any otherwise than in a customary and superficial
manner, may think of them, yet they who have been long-
accustomed to a hearty and sincere use of them, have found,
by their own experience, that they have been of such mighty
advantage to them, that they cannot bear the thoughts of
being deprived of them, or having any other imposed upon
them. And what necessity can there be? What reason
can be given for the raising such a disturbance in the nation
about the Psalms that are to be sung in churches?
Is there any thing heretical in that version which the
people so much admire? any thing disagreeable to the
Word of God ? any thing profane, light, or comical ? any
thing tending to rebellion or sedition ? any thing that may
be easily turned to the corruption of people's faith or
manners ? I wish the New Version was as free from all
such imputations as the Old ; which is so free from them,
that among all the exceptions that have been made against
648
A Defence of the
it, nothing of that nature hath been ever charged upon it ;
nor can ever be : it being so far from having any thing in it
that may do hurt, that there is nothing in it but what may
do people as much good as it is possible for any version of
the Psalms to do ; and therefore to unsettle people's minds,
and disturb their peace and quiet, by casting it out of the
Church after it hath been so long in it, is a thing so unac-
countable that one would wonder how it could get into the
thoughts of any man that overlooks before him and considers
the consequences of what he doeth.
Neither do the people only, but the clergy likewise, suffer
by this attempt. Many have suffered already, and many
more will do so, if it should go on. I speak not of the hard
words that have been given them, and the groundless reflec-
tions that have been made upon those whose judgments
would not suffer them to comply with it, which are the far
greatest part, or rather, almost the whole body of the clergy :
for they, I hope, are wiser men and better Christians than to
take notice of such revilers, any further than to pity and
forgive them. But, what divisions will this make among the
clergy themselves! — while some are for the Old Version,
others for the New ; one useth this, another that, in his
Church : and each thinking that he useth the best, is apt,
such is the weakness of human nature, to undervalue the
other's judgment, and cast reflections upon him. But, in
the meanwhile, what is become of our uniformity ? Is there
to be none in the Church, but what is to be settled by Act of
Parliament? And, what will the people think of these
things ? If Ministers themselves cannot agree about it,
how can they expect their parishioners should do so ? And
Avhat confusion will this make in parishes, where the
Minister brings in this New Version ! Some of the people
may perhaps submit to it, but others will certainly be against
it, and against him too, for bringing it in : as we see by the
parish in London, where, as I have read in print, the
Minister brought it in and the vestry cast it out again.
And what could the Minister say to it? For they certainly
had as much right to throw out the New Version as he had
to throw out the Old, which had been used there before he
or his great-grandfather was born, unless he be a very old
Old Singinfj- Psalms.
649
man indeed. But at this rate, how can Ministers keep their
parishes in any tolerable order? And if they cannot do it
in London, how can our Ministers in the country do it ? It
is out of respect to them that I have written this ; that they
may not hazard the peace of the Church, and of their
parishes, and consequently the success of their ministry ;
and all for no purpose, as appears, I hope, sufficiently from
the foregoing discourse.
But I am much of opinion, that all these pains might have
been spared, for that this Old Version of the Psalms in
metre can never be cast out by any artifice whatsoever:
forasmuch as it hath not only immemorial custom and pre-
scription to plead (though that, one would think, should be
enough to keep it in), but it is got into almost all the Bibles
and Common Prayer-books, as well as churches, in Eng-
land ; by which means, there are millions of them dispersed
over the kingdom. There is not a family where any one can
read, but there is one or more of the Psalm-books there ;
and in many families, more than inhabitants ; so that no one
thing can be so properly said to be got into all hands as this.
How, then, is it possible to get it out again ? Must all the
Bibles and Common Prayer-books be changed, or bound
up anew, that the New Version may be put into them ?
What a charge would that be to the nation ! and when
could it be effected ? But if the Old be continued in all the
said books, as formerly, what will become of the New ?
People will never mind that, so long as they have another
in their Bibles, and a better too. For, all that I have said
about the inconvenience and ill consequences of changing
the one for the other, is only upon supposition that they
were of equal worth and value : but he who considers how
much the Old is plainer to all capacities, better fitted to
raise devotion, less liable to be abused, and, above all, how
closer it keeps to the original text, and to the sense and
meaning of God's Holy Word, than that which is now set
up against it ; can never think that it will give place to that
in all churches, so long as there is a man in England that
knows how to distinguish between them.
But, is not all this overruled by the royal authority?
That may be pretended, but without ground. The New
650
A Defence of the
Version, they say, is allowed by the King ; so, as we have
shewn, was the Old ; whicli, therefore, in this respect also,
stands, at least, upon equal ground with the New. And
though the King hath allowed the New, he hath not for-
bidden the Old : neitlier hath he ' commanded,' but barely
' allowed' the New to be used in churches : as ajjpears from
the order itself, as it is printed ; wherein, after the recital of
the petition, it is said, ' His Majesty, taking the same into
his royal consideration, is pleased to order in council, that
the said New Version of the Psalms in English metre be,
and the same is hereby allowed and permitted to be used
in all churches, chapels, and congregations, as shall think fit
to receive the same.' Where we may see his Majesty's
great wisdom and goodness, in that although he was gra-
ciously pleased to allows and permit this version, yet he
would do no more than only allow and permit it to be used,
and that too, only in such places, ' as shall think fit to
receive the same.' Here is no command or injunction, nor
the least intimation of his Majesty's pleasure, that it should
be any where received, but rather that all should consider
(as I and others have done), whether it be fit to be received,
or not ; and then to receive it, or not receive it, according
as they do or do not think fit. So that he doth not so
much as allow it to be used any where, but where it is
thought fit to be received. But what, then, is the eflPect of
the royal permission or allowance ? It hath this great
effect, that by virtue thereof, this New Version of the
Psalms may now be used in all [such] churches, chapels,
and congregations, as shall think fit to receive the same,
without their being liable to be called into question for it in
any of his Majesty's Courts, as otherwise they might be.
Which makes me sometimes wonder to hear, that in some
places they publicly use neither this New Version of the
Psalms, nor the Old, but some other, which were never
allow ed by any prince, who alone could do it. What they
can answer, if called to account for it, I know not ; it is
well if they themselves do. But this New Version, be sure,
may be lawfully used wheresoever it is thought fit to be
received, now that his Majesty hath been pleased to permit
and allow it : although he hath neither commanded nor so
Old Singing- Psalms.
651
much as recommended it, as his royal grandfather did in the
like case, as we shall see presently.
But though his Majesty hath not, yet the Lord Bishop
of London, they say, hath recommended it. Suppose he
hath, he recommended it only to the clergy of his own
diocese, not to any other : and his recommendation of it to
them also being grounded npon his Majesty's permission, it
can be extended no further, than that he recommends it to
be used in such churches of his diocese as shall think fit to
receive the same, without laying any command or obligation
upon them to use it. That great Prelate understands him-
self better, than to take upon him to command that which
his Majesty thought good only to permit. Neither do I find
that he sent his recommendation to bis Clergy by an officer,
•as is usual in such cases, where he or any other bishop
signifies his pleasure to them, what he would have them do.
I have lately seen some of his Clergy, but cannot hear that
he ever sent itto them, or any way recommended it to them,
or any one particularly ; which he would certainly have done,
if he had a mind, or thought it either necessary or expedient
they should use it. But it is plain, that his Lordship also
leaves all under his jurisdiction to the liberty which is given
them, of judging whether it befit or no. And, therefore,
although there be but few churches in his diocese wherein
it is used, so few, that if I be not misinformed, they can
scarce be termed any in comparison of those wherein it is
not; yet, notwithstanding, I never heard that he blamed
any for not using it ; taking it for granted, according to his
wonted candour and temper, that the only reason why they
have not received it is, because they do not think it fit.
And, indeed, I do not see how they can, considering the
great inconveniences that would necessarily follow upon it ;
such as make it altogether impracticable. Neither is this
the first time that it hath been found to be so ; as will
plainly appear from this short account of what happened in
the reign of King Charles I.
After the new translation of the Bible was finished by
the order of King James I., the said king, judging it very
proper and convenient that a new translation of the Psalms
in metre should be made exactly according to that new
652 A Defence of the
translation in the Bible, he would not commit that work to
any other, but undertook it himself, employing his vacant
hours in the composing of it, till he had collected the whole
Book of Psalms into English metre, so exactly according to
the sense, and as near as it was possible to the very words
of the new translation in prose, that he set verse by verse,
one in prose against the other in metre, that any one, at first
sight, might see how well they agreed. After the advance-
ment of this wise and learned prince to the Kingdom of
Heaven, his son, King Charles I., of ever-blessed memory,
finding among his papers this New Version of the Psalms
in metre, composed by his royal father, he ordered it to be
printed, and it is still extant, with these words on the
title-page, ' The Psalms of King David, translated by King
James;' and underneath, 'Cum Privilegio Regiae Majes-
tatis:' and on the opposite page, his royal order concerning
the same is engraven in these remarkable words : —
' CHARLES REX.
' Having caused this translation of the Psalms (lohereof
our late dear father was author) to he perused, and it being
found to he exactly and truly done, We do hereby authorize
the same to be imprinted, according to the patent granted
thereupon, and do allow them to he sung in all the churches of
our dominions, recommending them to all our good subjects
for that effect'
Whence we may first observe, that King Charles himself
here positively affirms, under his hand, that his father was
the author of this translation of the Psalms ; so that we
cannot doubt but that he really was so, how incredible
soever it may seem, that he should find leisure to complete
such a W'Ork, the only work we know of this nature that was
ever. composed by a prince of so large dominions. But he
hath other works besides this still extant, singular and ex-
traordinary in their kind. We may here likewise observe,
that although this Version of the Psalms was made by a
king, and by his own dear father, yet King Charles I. would
not let it pass into the world, nor allow it to be used in
churches, till he had caused it to be perused by such whose
judgments he could rely upon, that it was ' exactly and
Old Singing-Psalms.
653
truly done;' or an exact and true translation of David's
Psalms. When he was fully satisfied in that point, by such
learned men as he had entrusted with the perusal of it, then,
and not till then, he authorised it to be printed, and allowed
it to be ' sung in all churches of his dominions,' without any
limitation, and without making any question but that all
Churches of his dominions would think fit to receive a
Version of the Psalms, made by his father, allowed by him-
self, and so well approved of as that was ; yet, howsoever,
that he might give it all the countenance and encouragement
that a thing of this nature was capable of, he did not only
allow it to be sung in all churches of his dominions, but re-
commended it also, under his royal hand too, ' to all his
subjects for that effect,' even that they should use it in all
their churches.
How can any New Version of the Psalms in metre ever
come upon the Old with greater force and advantage than
this did ? Who could have thought but that this would
have been received and used in all the churches of England
with applause and triumph, and with acclamations of joy
and thankfulness, to the memory of so great a monarch
employed in so good a work, especially when it was not
only allowed but recommended by another monarch, whose
piety and goodness was too great for this world to bear
long, and whose praise was then, and ever will be, in all
churches ? It cannot be doubted but that many imme-
diately received it, many more than have received that which
is now set up ; yet, after all, they could not hold it long,
but they who had taken it up were soon forced to lay it
down again. The Old Version had got such firm possession
of the hearts of the people, as well as of the Churches, that
it could not be removed or turned out, no, not by a royal
version, recommended and confirmed by royal authority;
but still it kept its place in the Church, and hath continued
to do so all along to these times; whereas the other hath
lain hid for these many years in private studies and libraries,
known to very few, and used publicly by none. And if a .
translation of King David's Psalms into English metre,
made by King James, and recommended by King Charles I.
to be used in all churches ; if that was not able to justle
654
A Defence of the Old Singing -Psalms.
out the old translation that was made by Thomas Sternhold,
John Hopkins, and others, how any other, much less one
made by private persons, and never recommended by any
prince, can ever do it, let all the world judge.
Some, perhaps, may wonder why any one should thus
trouble himself about so low and mean a subject as this is
generally thought to be. But I think nothing mean or low
that hath any relation to the service of God and His Church.
And although I was surprised, at first, with the report, that
there was a New Version of the Psalms in metre designed to
be brought over the head of the Old, yet I had no thoughts
of taking any further notice of it, till very lately, that I
heard, by a second rebound from the prints which go
about the country, that the New Version was received into
a great church near the City of London. Whether it be so
or no, I know not. But, howsoever, this put me upon
thinking how much it concerned all the members, as well as
the Clergy, of the Church of England, to stand up for her
reputation in using the Old Version so many years together
as she hath done, when, if there had been any such need or
occasion for it, she had, all along, learned men enough to
have made another much better than the New ; I do not say
than the Old, neither did she think so; if she had, she would,
most certainly, have procured such a one to be made and
allowed before now. And, withal, I considered how much
it behoves all that are really for our Reformed Church to
stand up for those who reformed it, and for what they did to
that intent and purpose, who did all things so well, that if
the discipline, worship, manner of life, and every thing else,
as well as doctrine established by them, could have been
kept up and practised according to their pious model and
design, our Church, as then reformed, might, under God's
protection, have continued so, without interruption, to the
end of the world. Now, mercy and truth preserve it.
THE END.
London: Printed by George Barclay, CasUe Street, Leicester Square.
\
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