SERMON VIII.
Let your light se shino beforo r, en, that they may sec your good works, and glorify yom" Father which is in Heavcn. EITnEa of tho names of this day woro toxt enough for a sermon, Purification, or Candlemas. Join we them together, and raiso wo only this one note frein both, that all truc purification is in tho light: corner purity, clandestine purity, conventicle purity is net purity. Christ gave himself for us, says tho apostle, that he might p«rify te Mmself a eectdiar peoTle. How shall this purification appear. It follows; Tey shall be zealots of good wor]'s ; they shall net wranglo about faith and works, but be actually zealous of good works. For pm'ification was accompanied vith an oblation, something was te ho given; a lamb, adove, a turtle; ail emblems of mildness; truc purity is mild, meek, humble, and te devise and undervaluo others, is an inseparablo mark of fa]se purity. Tho oblation of this day's purification is light; se tho day names it, Candlemas-day, se your custom celebmtes it, with many lights, low, when God received lights into his tabernacle, ho received none of tallov, (the ex bath horns,) ho received nono of wax, (the bec bath lais sting) but ho received only lamps of oil. And, though frein many fruits and berries they pressed oil, yet God admitted no oil into the service of the church, but only of Tit. il. 14. Levit. xii. 6.
8Ea. vm.] oN Ta PtRtrtc«TtoN. 151 tho olive; tho olive, tho emblem of peace. Out purification is with an ohltion, out obhtion is light, out light is goed works; out peoeo is rather te oxho you te them, than te institute any sdemn, or other than occasional eomparison between hith and them. Every gd work hath hith for tho root- but overy hith th net goed works for tho fruit thereof. And if is observable, tht in all this great sermon of out Sviour's in tho Mourir, (which possesscth this, and tho two nex chapters) thero is no mention of faith, by way of persuasion or exhorttion thereunto, but tho whdo sermon is ent upon good works. For, good wor presuppose faith; and therefore ho concldes that they had but little faith, becuoe they wero se solicitous about tho things ofhis world, O e OElitt faitl, . And as Chrg eondudes an teadthstness in their hith, out of thcir solicitu,lo for this world, se my tho world justly conelude an establishment in their faith, if they sec thom exorcise themselves in th works of mercy, nd se I tleir lço sM boEor men, tla t.e za seo ir goed cork, and glor teir atlwr cicl is i ltea'e. Theso ro words spoken by o Savio fo his disciples in tho Mount; a treasuro deposited in thoso disciples, but in thoso disciples, s depositaries for us; an o1o uttored te thoso disciples, but through thoso oeiples te us; Paradiso convÇyed te tho disciples, but te those disciples, as feoffÇes in trust for te evÇry ono of , in them (frein him, that rides with s hundrod of torches, te him that cmwls with his rush canne) out viow ys, Let yfour liyk se site boEore me, tat tey ma[ your yood corks, c. Tho words haro two paas; se must our explication of them; first a precept, L your lça se bre men, and then the reason, the purposo, tho end, the effcct, tltat me may e your yoed u'orks, and e. Frein thc first bough will divers brnches spring, and divers frein tho other; a of goed tto and noufishmont, if wo might stay press the fruits therf. Wo canner; yet in tho first wo shall imist awhih un each of theso teo; tiret, tho light itse what that is, L your liyh o sltinv; and then, secondly, what this propriety ig 1 your liyk shino, yo; and lstly what this emanation of this light upo othom is, let your light shio bbro . Tho ttt. a0.
second pa, which is the reon, or tho effect of this precept, tha n may s yr good orks, and 9oEy your Father hic is in heaen, abounds in paicr considetions; and I should weary you, if I shod m3ke ]you snd he3T 3 load, as chrge your memories with 311 thooe icars, so long before I corne to h3ndle them. Reseng them thefore m their due time, anon, proceed we now to the thoee bronches of out first pa, first the light in itseff, then the propriety in , lstly, the en3tion upon othcrs, L your liyh »o gffne boEoee en. First, for the light itself, There is light th3t lighteneth eve man that cometh into e world. And even this univerl light is tChrist, ys St. John, He u'as that light that li9htetk an tkat ceth into te w'. And this iveal enunciation, H« liyhteneth ery man, moved St. Cil fight of nature, 3nd n3tur31 reason. For even ntum and n3tural ron is from Cist. All thiqs ere by km , s3ys St. John, even nature itself. And, By ldm, andfoe km, all thitys zlsible, and invisible were created «, ys the 3postle. d therefore out ltter men of the Refo3tion, 3 hot to be bmed, who for the most p3, pursuing St. Cil's interet3tion, inteoet this universel light, that liyhtenh light of n3te. Divers others of the fathe ke this univel light (beeau Christ is sid to be this light) to be baptism. For, in the primitive chch, as the n3tivity of Ch w3s c3Hed the Epiphany, Manifestion, so baptism w3s called II]fin3tion. And , Christ fightens eve man that cornes hto the world, (tt is, into the christian world) by that sacrent of tion, baptism. St. Austine brought the exposition of tht univel proposition into n3rrow room; th3t he enlightened ail th3t came into the wofld, th3t , 311 th3t were enlightened in the world, were enlightened by him and so he m3kes ts light to be the light of f3ith, and the fight of effeetual ge, which all h3ve hot, but they th3t h3ve, h3ve it from Christ. ow wch of these lights is intended in out text, Let you li9ht shine out? Is it of coming into the world, or the fight of b3ptism, and th3t genet31 Jo i. 9. Jo i. 3. « Coloe. L 16.
grace that accompnies ail God's ordinances, at our coming into the church, or the ]ight of faith, and particular grace, sea]ing our n.doption, and spiritual filiation there . Proper]y, out ]ight is none of these three; and yet it is trtdy, ail; for our light is the light of good works; and that proceeds from ail the other three, and sois ail those, and then it goes beyond ail three, and sois none of them, It proceeds from ail; for, if we consider the first ]ight, the ]ight of nature, in our creation, 1é a'e, (says the apostle,) his rorlmansldp, creatêd in Christ Jesns unto yooc corks . So that we were ail ruade for that, for good vorks; even the natural man, by that first light. Consider it in thc second light, in baptism; there we die in Christ, and are buried in Christ, and fise in Christ, and in him we are new ereatures, and with him we make a eovena.nt in baptism, for holiness of lire, whieh is the body of good works. Consider the third, that of faith, and as everything in nature is, so faith is perfeeted by working; for, raira is dead 8, without breath, without spirit, if if be n'ithot rorks. So, this light is in ail those lights; ve are ereated, we are baptised, we are adcpted for good vorks; and it is beyond them ail, even that of faith; for, though faith have a pre-eminenee, beeause works grow out of it, and so faith ('as the root) is £rst, yet works havo the pre-eminenee thus, both that they inelude faith in them, and that they dilate, and difllase, and spread themselves more declaratorily, than faith doth. Therefore, as out Saviour said to some that asked him, IVhat shall z'e do that.tre niyht rork the rorl« of God ? (you see their mind was upon works, something they vere sure was to be done) This is the vcork of God, that ye beliere in him t'hom he hatl sent, and so refers them to faith, so to another that asks him, l'hat shall 1 do, that I nay haw eternal lire TM? (ail go upon that, that something there must bo done, works there must be) Christ says, Keep the commadments, and so refers him to works. I-Ie hatl shou'ed thee, 0 nan, 'ha is 9ood, and chat dotk the Lord require of thee bnt to do jnstly, and to how »wrcy, and to ealk humbly cith tky God,? This then is the light that lighteth every naan hat goes out of the world, good eorks; for, their n'orks follow Ephes. ii. 10. Jam iL 26. John ri. 28. o latt. xix. 16. n llicah vi. 8.
a.a. vm.] os t »canc^Tms. 155 ploo of Habskkuk (as ho doth oito it three soversl rimes TM) in ull those ple« lesves out tlmt particle o propfiety, snd quition, M», nd still ys, Tk« jus »kal li« b«ith, snd ho sys no more. And when out blesoed Saviot says to the woman with the bloedy ioeue, Daughter, thff faith hath ruade theo who , it was said thon, whon ho had seen that woman como trcmbling, and fa down ai his feet; he saw outward declar fions of her faith, ho w work. And so, in vem of those phces, where Chrisg repeats thag, thy faith, wo find i added, Jes »eei thrfaith. Wi whag eyes$ he looked upon them tll his hulnan eyes, no his divine; he aw hot (that considered hot af ghag rime) their heas, but thoir outvard declarations, and preeding as a good man would, out of their works concludes faith. Velle et colle wstrum est °, fo assen or fo disassont is o own; we may chooso which wo will do; IpsumoEue quod nostrum est, sine Dei miseratione nostrum ou est; Bu though this faculty ho ours, i is ours, bu because God bath imprinmd if in us. So that still fo will, as well as to do, fo believe, as well as m work, is all from God; bug ye they aro from God in a divorse manner, and a diverse respect; and eertainly our works are moto oum than out faith is, and man ¢oncum otherwiso in the acting and peq)etmtion of a good work, then he doth in the reception and mission of faith. nonfecimus iFsi, says the poet; and he was rates, a prophet in mying so, Vix ca nostra ¢oco; nothing is ours, bug that which wo haro donc ourselves; and all thag is ours. And though Christ refer us often to belief, in this lire, becauso he would bo so fo plang, and fasten safely that which is the. only truc rooE of all, that is, faith, yet when he cornes to judgment, in tho nex lire, all his proceedings is grounded upon works, and he judges by o fruit. So ghen God gives us faith inediately fmm himself, and out of that faith he produces good woïks instrumentally by us, so as that those works aro otherwise ours, than hith is. And this is tho propriegy, let your lOht shine, which wo proposed for the second branch in this first pa, that God vouchsafes fo afford us an interes in o working of our salv a Rom. i. 17. G. . l 1. Heb. x. 36. » $Ik v. 34. 0 tion; and thon our third branch is, the emanation of this light, from us, to others, let your light shine belote men. There was a particular holyday amongst the heathen, that bore the name of this day, Accensio luminum, Candlemas-day; a superstitious multiplying of lamps, and torches in divine service. This superstition Lactantius reproves, elegantly, and bitterly. 2Vtm mentis s.uw COml)OS pntandts est? can we think that man in his hts, that offers to God, the Father, and Fountain, the Author and Giver of ail light, a candle for an oblation, for a sacrifice, for a new year's gift.,S'olem contemlgletnr, says he; let that man but eonsider seriously the sun, and he wi]l sec, that that God who could slare him so glorious a light as the sun, needs hot his candle. And therefore says Tertullian, (reprehending the same superstition) Lncernis diem non ioErinffimns, we do hot eut off, we do hot shorten our days, by setting up lights at noon, nor induee, nor force, nor make night belote it cornes. I would hot be understood to eondemn all use of eandles by day in divine service, nor ail churehes that have or do use them; for, so, I might eondemn even the primitive church, in ber pure and innocent estate. And therefore, that which Lactantius, almost three hundred years after Christ, says of those lights, and that whieh Tertullian, almost a hundred years belote Lactantius, says, in reprehension thereof, must necessarily be understood of the abuse, and imitation of the Gentiles therein; for, that the thing itself was in use, belote either of the rimes, I think admits little question. About Laetantius" time, fell the Eliberitan eouneil; and then the use, and the abuse was evident. For, in the thirty-fourth canon of that eouncil, it is forbidden to set up candles in the church-yard: and, the reason that is added, deelares the abuse, Non srtnt inguietandi Slffritns fidelim, that the souls of the saints departed should hot be troubled, lIow, the setting up of lights eould hot trouble them; but these lights were accompanied with superstitious invocations, with magieal incantations, and with howlings and ejaeulations, vhieh they had learned from the Gentiles, and with these, the souls of the dead were in those rimes thought to be aflbcted, and disquieted. It is in this ceremony of lights, as it is in other ceremonies: they may be good in their institution, and &n'ow iii in their sR. vm.] oN THE PURFeATmN. 157 practice. So did mny things, which the Chriin church received fmm the Genti]es in hrmless innocency, degenerte fter, into pesti]ent perition there, as mongst the Gentiles themselves. For, ceremonies, which were received, bt for the insction, nd efiction of the weker sort of people, were me rel ps of the service of God, nd meritorios sacrifices. To those cemonies, which were rwcived as helps to excite, nd awken devotion, was attributed n operation, nd n effectl power, even to the ceremony itself; and they werc hOt pmctis, as they shod, siyatiè, but cti, hot s thins which should simify to the pple hiher myste6es, but 3s things 3s powe 3ad effectu31 in themselves, as the e3test mysteries of all, the sacr3ments themselves. So lights were received in the primitive Chch, fo signify to &e people, tht God, the Fther of light w3s otherwise present in tht ploee, th3n in any other, nd en, men c3me to offer lights by way of sacrifice to God; 3ad so, tht which w3s prodenfly intended tr m3n, who indd needed such help w3s turned upon God, as though he were to be supplied by us. But wht then Bec3e things in their institution may be depmved in their practice, Ergone nihil ceremouiarum riorib dabitur, juvaudam eorum imperitlam ShaH therefore the people be denied all ceremonies, for the assistance of their weakness I(1 ego non dico; I say hot so, says he. Omaino illis utile ee sentio ho¢ gen adminlculi; I think these kinds of helps to be very behoevef for them; ail that I strive for, is but meration; and that moderation he places very discreetly in this, that these ceremonies y be few in nber; that they nmy be easy for obseation; that they may be clearly undemtoed in their signification; we must hot therefore be hty in condemning paicular ceremonies; for, in so doing, in ts ceremony of lights, we may condemn the primitive chch, that d use them, and we condemn a eat and noble pari of the refoed church, which doth use them at this day. These superstitio lights, are hot the fights we ca tbr here, let your light shine out; but your light, e light of go works; let that shine out. Try, thh carng, and diffing of light to others is so lessed a thin, as that thogh Lcffer, (whom name siifies the carrylng of liht) be now an oos name, an famos namc, alied only to the de,l, yet a eat ishop in te rimitivc chmrc astalncd dot from that namc, forbore hot that name, Lcr Talaitam; that he might carry about him, in his name, a remembrancer, ferre 1, to carry light to others, he was content -ith that name, Lucifer. G had ruade light the fi dy, and yet he ruade many lights after. One light of thine shincs out in o eyes, thy profession of Christ; let us more lights, wor woahy of that profession. God cas the sun, and the moon too, great light beuoe though there be grter in the fimmment, they appear greatest to us; those works of oum are eate in the sight EE God, that are goeatest in the sight of men, that are most benefieial, mt exemplary, and eonduee mo to the promoving of others to glofify God. To such fieh men, as produce no light at a, (no works) tht of St. Austine is appliable, cimices sunt, they are as these worms, or flie the mices, ui iei mdt, mortM forent, they bite, and suck a man, whilst they lire, and ey i pestilently, anù offend , hen they are dead. The actions of such fich men are mischievous whilst they live, and their memory oous when they are dead. But all rich men are hot ch, to be absolutely without all light. But then they may have liëht, ( determined purpose to do somc good works) and yet this light hot shine out. o man eau more ppedy be said to hide his light der a bmhel, (which beme fist says, in the ver belote o text, no man does, cehly no man shod do) than he, who hath disposed soue part of his estatc to pious mes, but hides it in his will, and locks up that I1 in his cabinet; for, in this case, though there be light, yet it does hOt she out. Yonr yold, and your silv«r is cank«ed, sa St. James, and the rnst thêm shall be a wltness, and shall ea yourflesh, as it u'e tire . He does hot say the gdd and the silver itseff, as oeproving the getting OE it, but the rust, the hiding, the concealing thereof, sha be this tne against thee, this exeeutioner upon thee. That man dies in an iii ate, of whose faith we bave had no evidence, tHl, aer his death, his execmors mea, and open s , and then pubsh some lecies Joe v. 3.
to pious uses: and we had no evidence belote, it" he had done no good belote. For, »how e thy faith eithot thy eors ", says the apostle; and he propoees it, as an impoible thlng, impo sible to show it, impossible to haro it. And therefore, as good works are out o, so are they never so propedy our o, when they are done with out own hands; for ts is the true hining of our light, the emanation from us upon others. And so haro you the three pieces, which constitute out first part, tho precept, Let yo iyt se be e; the liht itself, hot the ht of nature, nor of ba.ptism, nor of adoption, but the liht of good works; and then the appropriation of this ]iht, how thee works are ours, thogh the oodne thereof be on]y from God; and lastly thc emanation of this liht upon othcrs; which canhot w«H ho sd to be an emanation of out ]iht, of liht from us, except it be whi]st we are we, that is, alive. And so we p to those many particulars, which frame our second part, the reason, and the end of this, Tat e ay see and ylorj yt Fatke chich îs n heaen. In this end, out beginning is, that en ma? see it. he app fifions in old rimes, were evermore aeeompanied with lights; but e were Wivate lights; sueh an old woman, or sueh a ehild w ligh; bu i did no shine out, so tha men migh see his ligh. We bave a story delivered by a very pious man ', and of e tth whereof he seems to be very well assured, tha one Conradus, a devou pries, had sueh an illustration, sueh an irradiation, sueh a eoruseation, sueh ligh a the tops oî those $nges, hieh he sed in he eonseeration of the eramen, as tha b that llght of his fingerg ends, he eould bave read in the nigh, as well as b so naan eandles; but this was but n private ligh; i did no shine out, so tha men migh see i. Blessed 8. Austine repos , (if tha epile be S. Aus6ne's) tha when himlf was iting fo S. ierome, fo know his opinion oî the measure and quality of the joy, and glory of heaven, denl in his ehamber here appeared itoEabile lumen, says he, an unspeakable, an nexpressible ligh, «otris ch n ligh as out rimes never w, and ou of tha light issue
160 PREACHED ON C.¢DL),S V.Y. [S'L vm. this voice, t[ieronym anma sure, I ara the sou] oî tht I-Iierome to whom thou art writing, who this hour died at Beth]em, and ara corne from thence to thee, &c. But this was but a irivate light, and whtsoever St. Augustine saw, (who was hot easi]y deceived, nor would deceive ithers) non ideban omines, this liht dii hot shine so, as that men miht see it. I-Iere, in our text, there is a liht required that men may see. Those lights of their apparitions we cam-ot see; there is a light of ours, which onr adversaries may see, and will hot; which is truly" the light of this text, the light of ood works. Thongh our zeal to good works shine out assidously day by day, in out sermons, and shine out powerïully in the homilies of or church, composed expressly to that pnrpose, and shine ont actually in out many sumptuous buildings, and rich endowments, (in which works, we of this kindom, in this last centry, since the reformation of religion, bave perhaps exceeded our fathers, in any one hundred of years, whilst they lived under the Roman persuasion) yet still they cry out, we are enemies of this light, and abhor good works. As I bave heard them in some obscure places abroad, preach, that here in England, we had hot only no true church, no true priesthood, no true sacraments, but that we bave no material churches, no holy convocations, no observing of Sundays, or holy days, no places to serve God in; so I bave heard them preach, that we do not only hot advance, but that we cry down, and discredit, and dissuade, and discountenance the doctrine of good vorks. It is enough to say to them, as the angel said to the devil, T]w Lord rebule thee l'. And the Lord does robuke them, in enabling us to proceed in theso pions works, which with so notorious fa]sehood they deny; and wo do rebuke them, the best and most powerful way, in that (as tho apostle says) IVe consider one another, (consider the necessitios of others) alMprovoke one another to lo:e, and good works 7. But then, if this ho God's end in out good works, that men may seo them, why is Crist so earnest, in this very sermon, as to say, Take heed?]ou do hot your altos belote men, fo be seen of tlemç8? Is there no contradiction in these. far from it; the intent of both precepts together make up this doctrine, that we Jude 9. 7 ]/eb. - 24. batt ri, 1.
EIt.o VIII.] ON Trie IUR|F|C&T|ONo o them hot therefore, hot to tht end, tht mcn my sec thcnl. o ïar we must corne, that mon rouit sec them, but we must hot est there Mn« out teore; out doing of good works must bave frtbcr M, tn the knowledge of mon, s we hlI sec, tovar out Hd HOH. Mou must sec them thon, and sec them to be works, That vay see your u'orks: which fs a word that itnplies dieulty, and?zin, nd hbour, nd fs aeeompanied with some loathness, with me eolluetim,. Do sueh works, for God's sake, zs re hard or thee to do. In such a word does God deliver his commandtnent of the Sbbath; hot tiret word, which in tht lauguage ignifies ordinry and esy works, but servile and hborious works, oilsome and gaiuil works, those works al,ou mayest hot do an the Szbbath. But those works, in tlle viloEue of the preeept »f this text, thou must do in tlle sight of men; those that are aaM ibr thee to do. Dvid would hot eonsecrate, nor oflbr unto od, tht whieh eost hiln nothing* first ho would buy Arauaah's threshing-floor at a valuable price, nd thon ho would dedi-:ate it to God. To giçe old clothes, past wea6ng, fo the poor, fs ot goed z work as to make new tbr them. To give little of four superfluities, not so acceptable as the widow's gift °, that ve ail. To give z poor soul trthing at tlmt dr, where you ive a phyer sllilling, fs not equal deali**g; for, this fs fo give The,'tse OE the n'boat ". But do thou some such things, ts are truly works in out sense, such as are against the nature,.ud ordinry practice of worldly mon fo do; some things, by "hich they nmy sec, tiret thou dost prefer God beibre honour, nd wiib, nd children, and hadst rather build, and endow some,hee, for God's service, than pour out money to multiply titles.f honour upon thyoelf, or elllarge jointures and portions to an nnry and unmeasurzble proportion, when there fs enough one before. Let mon sec that which thou doest, to be a work, qualified with nie dieulty in the doing, and thon those works, to be g works,;d«at oper(z bona, that they may see your ffo u'orbs. They are or good works, how maguificet:t soever, if they be »or dircctcd VOL.!.
to ood ends. A superstitious end, or seditious end vitites the be work. Grea contributions lmve been rnised, nd mmes given, to build, and endow seminries, nd schoo]s, nd colleges in forein parts; but that hath a superstitious end. Great contributions bave been raised, and great sums given at home, for the maintenauce of such refractory persons, as by opposing the government and discipline of the church, have drawn upon themselves sileucings, and suspensions, and depriçtions; but that bath a seditious end. But gi'e so as in a rectified conscience, and hot a distempercd zeal, (a rectified conscience is that, that hath the testimonv and approbation of most good men, in a succession of rimes, and hot to rely occasionally upon one or a few nlen of the separation, for the present) give so, as thou mayest sincerely aay, God gave me this, fo give thus, and so it is a good work. So it lnUSt be, a work (something of some impoSante) and a 9ood wor', hot depraved with an ill end) and then your work, that the/ ma/ see /our ood works. They are hot your works, if that that you give be hot your own. 'or is it your own, if if were ill gotten af first. How long soever it have been possessed, or how often soever it have been transformed, from money to ware, from ware to land, from land to oce, from oce to honour, the money, the ware, tho land, the oce, fle honour is noue of thine, if, in thy knowledge, it were ill gottcn at first. Zaccheu, in St. Luke , gives half his goods to the poor; but it is hall of his, his own; for theoe might be goods in his house, which were none of his. Therefore in the saine instrmnent, he passes that scrutiny, if I have taken any thing unjustly, I restore him fourfold. First let that that was fil gotten, be deducted, and restored, and then, of the rest, which is truly thine own, We cheerfullv. When Moses sa, that out years are threescore and ten, if we deduct from that terre all fle hours of our unnecessary sleep, of superfluous sittings at feasts, EE euriosity in dressing, of largene in recreations, of plotting, and compassing of vanities, or sins, scarce any man of threescore and tcn, would be ten years ohl, when he dies. If we should deal so with worldlv men's estates, (defalce unjust gettin,,)« it wonld abridge and attenuate many a swelling inven- z Luke . 8.
tory. Till this defalcation, this scrutiny be ronde, that you know wht's your o, whaC other men's, as your tomb hall be but moment of your rotten bones, how much gold or marblv oeever be bestowed upon il, so tht hospitl, that free-school, that college that you shall build and endow, will bv but a monument of your bribery, your extoion, your oppression and God, ho will not bc in dcbt, (though he owe you nothing that built il) may be pleased to givv the reward OE ail that, fo them, from whom that which was ent upon il. was unjustly taken; for, Te u'ealt of te siner is laid «pfor te çoteos , says Solomon. Tho sinner may do pious works, and the rightus may be waed for them; tho world my think of one founder, and knows another. Tha which is enjoined in tho namo of liht here, is rork», (nog trifles) and 9ood rorks, (ruade goed by he g ends fley aro directed fo) and then your 'orks (dono ou of tha which is truly your own) and by,eei»g ti lçqt, men will be moved to glor lo«r FatAer wMc is iz hearen; which is tho truo end of ail; tha men my see them, bug seo them theoefore, ço glor yor F«ther 'ic is iz heaen. He does no say, tha by oeeing your good works, men shall glorify your sons upon earth. And yet truly, even tha par of ho oeward, and retributiou is worth a great deal of your cost, and your altos; hag God flmll estblish your poserity in the world, and in the good opinion of good men. As you have your estates, you bave your ehildren from Goal too. As ig is David's reeognifi, Te Lord i tke portio, OE mine inheritance *, so EvCs reeognition upon tho birfl of ber first son Cain, was, I Aare çogen, I pse», a man from t« Lord . Nowtha that man that thou oe from the Lord, thy son, may poss tha land that thou ssesse from the Lo, i behoves theo fo be righteous; for , (by tha righteousness) thou becomesg a foundafion for çosterity, (the rlghteo,«s is raz ererlating [bundation ') his light, (his good works) shall be a cheerful light unto him; (for, çhe iigt OE tAe riAteou rolcetk hi»z.) They shall be so in this life, and, He,hall Aare ope in i deat ', mith Solomon; tha is, hope for himself lu another world, and hope of his posterity Prov. xiii. 22. PI. x. . *» Gen. iv. 1. * Prov. x. 2b. Prov. i. 9. Prov. . 23.
in this worhl; for, says he, II,, lear«th an inkeritance to ckildren's children ; that is, an inheritanee, out of whieh he |lath taken, and restored a]l that was unjust]y got from men, and taken a bountifu| part, which he bath oflèred to God in pious uses, that the rest may deseend free froln a]l e|ailns, and ineumbranees upon his ehildren's ehildren. The 'igkteous is merci.fui, and lendeth "°, says David. Mereifu| as his Father in heaven is mereifid; that is, in perpetua|, hot transitory endowments, (for, God did hot set up his lights, his sun, and his noon for a day, but for ever, and sueh should our light, or good works be too.)
He is nlerciful, and he giveth; he looks for no qgon u'kick ke casts hic pity on the poor, lendeth and lendeth «, and then, lendeth; to whom. for to the poor he return front them, for they are the waters bread. Yet he lendeth; He that hath fo thê Lord. The 'ighteous is merciful (as David adds there) Hisseed fs blesd.
Blessed in this (whieh f, llows there) that he skall inherit the land, and du'ell thereit for êrer", (which he ratifies again,,S'urebj he shall n.ot be movêd for erer "; that is, he shall never be moved, in his posterity) and as he is blessed that way, blessed in the establishment of his possession upon his children's children, so is he blessed in tllis, that his honour, and good naine shall be poured out as a fragrant oil upon his posterity, The riyhteous shall he had la ererlastSçq 'emembrance. Their memory shall be always alive, and always fresh in their posterity, when The naine of the u'&EEked shall rot". So then, the fi'uit of tke 'i.qhteoas is tke tree of l(fe «, says Solomon; that is, the righteous shall produee plants, that shall grow up, and flourish; so his posterity hall be a tree of lire to nlany generations; and then The 9lory of&ildren are their./àtkers ", says that wise king; as fathers receive comfort from good ehildren, so children receive glory from good parents; in this are children glorified, that they had righteous fathers, that lent unto the Lord. So that, (fo recollect these pieces) if is no small reward that God affords you, if men, seeing your good works, glorify, that is, esteem, and respecoE, and love, and honour your children upon earth. But it is not only a Prov. xii. 22. o Psal. xx.xvii. 26. ' Prov. xLx. 17. « Psal. xx.xq.i. 29. Prtl. c.xii. 4. Prov. x. 7. « Prov. xi. 30. «« Prov. xvii. 6.
ss. vin.] os "r Pmrczom 165 that; nr ood wors hall ho an occasion of carryng glo upon the gh object, they sha]l 91orj your ther, whic is i kearen. It i hot, te Father which is in heaven; that they hould gloriy God, as the eommon Father o ail, by ereation. For for at they need hot your light, your good works; te [[«aeens declare the glory OE çod, says David; that is, glori him in an acknowledlent, that he is the Father oç them, and oç ail other things by ereation, ls o he thy Father bath he no ruade thee'r? is an interrogatory miniered by Moses, to which ll thin must ansver with the prophet Malachi, yes, He is ont Father,brhe bath made ris «. But that is hot the paternity of this text, as Goal is Father of us ail by cretion. Nor a he is a Father of some in a more prticular consideration, in giring them large poions, great patrimonies in this wodd; for, thus, he nmy my Father and yet disinherit me; he may give me plenty of temporal blessings, and withhold from me spiritual, and eternal blessings. Now, to see this, men need not your light, your good works; for, they see daily, that he maketh his sun to shine on the eril, and on tke /ood; and causeth if to tain on the j«st, and the nÇust; he feeds goats as well as sheep, he gives the wieked temlral blessings, as well as the righteous. These then e hot the paternities of our text, that men, by this oeeasion, glorify God the Father of all men by ereation, nor as the Father of ail rieh men, by their large patrimonies, not as he is the Father, hot he is a Father, but as he is lour Fatker, as ho is ruade yos, he is beeome yours, by that pmoEieular graee of using the temporal blessings whieh he hath fiven you, to his glory, in letting your light shine before men. For, if were hetter God disinhefited us, s to give us nothing, than that he gave us nog tho aee to use that that he gave us, well: without this, all his bread wero stone, and ail his fishes serpents, ail his temporal libemlity mmediction. How mueh happier had that man been, that bath wed thounds in play, in riot, in wantonness, in sinf exeesses, if his parents had left him no more at first, than he hath let himself at ]ast How mueh nearer to a kingdom in heaven had he been, if he had been born a beggar here Nay, though he haro done no ill, (of sueh excessive kinds) how mueh happier * Deut. . 6. . ri. 10.
166 IREACIIED ON CANDLEMAfl DAY." [fiER. VIII. had he been, if he had had nothing left him. if ho hve donc no good. There cannot be a more fcarful COlnmination upon man, ner a more dangerom dereliction ri-oto God, than when God says, I eill ot reprove teeJbr thg sacrdces'"; though thou oflbr none, I care lier, I xll never tell thee of it, ner rcprovo theo for it, I will net reprove theo for thy sacrifices. And when he says, ( he does there) If I be bungrg I «ill ot t«ll tbee; I will net awake thy eharity, I wil] net excite theo, net provoko theo, with any occasion of fbeding me, in feding the poor. XVhen God shl say te nie, I caro net whether you coma te church, or no, whether you pray or no, repent or no, confbss, receivo or no, this is a feafful dereliction; se is it, when ho sa)s te a rich man, I care net whether your light shine out, or no, whether mer seo Tour gOOd works or no; I tan provido for my glory other ways. For, certainly God hath net determined his purposo and his glory se nmch in that, te mako seine men rich that the pr might be relieved, (fbr tha ends in bodily relie0 a in this, that he bath ruade seine men poor, whereby tho rich might bave occasion te exerciso their charity; for that reoehes te spiritual happiness; fbr whieh use, tho poor de net se much need o rich, as tho rich need the poor; the poor may better be savM without tho rich, than the rich without the poor. But when men shall sec, that that God, who is the Father of us l, by creating us, and the Father of all the rich, by enriching them, is ao become your Father, yours by adoption, yours by infhsion of tha particdar ace, te de good with your goods, then are you ruade bleed instruments of that which God seeks here, hi glo, they shall glort your Father which is in hearen. Glory is so inseparable to God, as tha God himseff is ealled Glory, They chaned their 91ory into the similitude a ox*; heir glory, their true Goal ino an inglorious idol. Tkat 91ory maydwell i our lad , sa} he; hat is, that God may dwell erein. The firs end of letting our ligh to shine betbre men, is, tha they may know God's proeeedings; but, the ]as end o whieh ail eonduees, is, tha God may bave glory. Vhatsoever God did firs in his om boom, his own deeree, (wha that w, eontentious men 11 needs wrangle) whatsoever tha first aet w, God's las end in tha first aet of his wa his om glory. . L. 8 d 12. c+ 20. P LV. 10.
flEll. VIII.] O "file PURIFICA"fIO, 167 And therefore fo impute any inglorious or ignoble thing to God, cornes too near blasphemy. Aud ho any man who hath any snse or tgste of nobleness, or houour, judge, whether there be any glory in the destructiou of thoso creatures whom they haro raised, till thosepersons have deserved ill at their hauds, aud iu some way have damnified them, or dishonoured them. Nor can God propose that for glory, to destroy man, till he find cause lu man. Now this glory, to whieh Christ bends ail lu this text, (that meu by seei,g your good works, might glorify your Father) eousists especially in these two declaratious, eommcmoration, aud imitation; a due celebration of former founders and benefitctors, and a pious proceediug aceording to such prccedents, is this glorifying of God. When God calls himself o often, The God of Abr«ham, of I»aac, a»d of Jacob, God would bave the world remember, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wcre extraordinary mcn, memorablo men. Vhen God says, Thou.qh thesv three men, Aoah, D«nhl, and Job were lere, they sltould hot deli»êr this l, eoph,, God would have it knovn, that iNoah, Daniel, and Job were memorablo men, and able to do nmch with him. V'hen the tloly Ghost is so careful to give men thcir additions, That J,«bal was thefi«thêr " snch as dwell b tents, and bee]9 cattle, and Jubal thê ];ttler of atTêrs, and or[/anists, and Tabal-cab of all.qrarers in brass and iron »: md vhen he preseuts with so many particularities every pieee of work that Hiram of Tyre wrought lu brass for the furnishing of Soloumn's Temple u, God eertaiuly is uot afraid that his honour will be dimiuished, in tire lmnourable mentioning of sueh men as have benefitted the world by publie good works. The wise man seems to settle himself upon that meditation; Let us now praise famous men », says he, and our ththers that begot us; and so he institutes a solenm commemoration, and gives a catalogue of Enoch, and Abraham, and Moses, and Aaron, and so many more, as possess six chapters; hot doth he ever end the meditation till he eud his book; so was he fixed upon the commemoration of good men; as St. Paul likewise feeds aud delights himsclf in the like meditation, evcn from Abel «. It is therefore a wretched impotcncy, hot to endure tho commemoration, and Ezech. xiv. 14. » Gon. iv. 20. s 1 Kings vil 13. » Ecclus. xLiv. 1. e tlOb '
]68 PREACHED ON CANDLE|bS DA t'. [SEI],. rlll. |mnonrablc mentioning of out founders and benefaetors. God hath delivered us, and out church, from thoee straits, in which some churches of the Reformation have thonght tbemselves to when thcy bave matie canons, that there should be no bell rtmg, no do]e given, no mention rnade of the dead at any funeral, lest that should savour of superstition. The I-Ioly Ghost bath taught us the différence between praising the dead, and praying for the dead, between eommenmrating of sints, and invoeating of saints. We understand what David means, when he says, This honour bave ail his saints 51, and what St. Paul meaus, when he says, Unto the onl!t wlse God be honottr, and ylory, for erer and erer Se. God is honoured in due honour given to his saints, and glorified in the eomnmmoration of those good men whose light hath so shined out before men, that they have seen their good works. But then he is glorified more in out imitation, than in out eommemoration, H«reb is zny Father ylorified, (says Christ) that ye bear much fruit 5. The seed sowed in good ground, bore some an hundredfold, the least thirty. The seed (in this case) is the example that is belote)'ou, of those good men, whose light hath shined out so, that you bave seen their good works. Let this seed, these good examples bring forth hundreds, and sixties, and thirties in you, much fruit; for herein is your Father.çlorified, that you bear nmch fruit. Of which plentiful increase, I ara akaid there is one great hinderance that passes through many of you, that i, that when your will lies hy you, in which some little lamp of this light is set up, something ven to God in pious uses, if a ship miscarry, if a debtor break, if your state be any way impaired, the first that sufl'ers, the first that is blotted out of the 'ill, is God and his le,eacy; and if your estates increase, portions increase, and perchance other legacies, but God's portion and l%mcy stands at a stay. Christ left two uses of his passion; application and imitation. He sufferedfor us °, says the apostle; for us, that is, that we might nmke his death ours, apply his death, and then (as it tbllows there) he left us an examide. So Christ vives us two uses of the reformation of religion: first, the doctrine, how to do good works without relying upon thenl, as merilorious; and then example, many, very many men (and 51 Peal. cx.ix. 9. se 1 Tire. i. 17- John xv. 8. eo 1 Pet. iL 22.
more by much, in seine kinds of charity, s'ince the reformation of religion, than belote) even in this city, whose light bath shined out beforo you, and you bave seen their good works. That as this noble city hath justly acquircd the reputation and the testimony of all who bave had occasion te consider their dealings in that kind, that they deal nlost faithfully, most justly, most providently, in all things which are committed te their trust for pious uses, frein others, net only in a thll employment of that which was given, but in an improvement thereot and then an employment of that improvement te tire sanie pious use, se every man in his particular may presse te himself ]lie of those blessed examples which hve riseu amongst yourselves, and follow that, and exceed that; that as yotr lights are torches, and net petty candles, and your torches better than others" rches, he also may be a larger example te others, than others hve been te him, for, Herein is yottr Father [/lor«d, " you bear much fruit, and that is the end of ail that we ail do, That men seeitg it, ma glorifij out Fatker wkich is in Heaen.