Sermons (LXXX Sermons etc.); Holy Sonnets

RoA-s xiii. 7. Render therefore to ail men their dues. [ The text being part of the Epistle of that day, that year. l Tn largeness of this short text eonsists in that word, therefore; therefore beeause you bave been so partieularly taught your partieulr duties, therefi)re perform them, thereïore praetise them, tgeddite omTtibus debita, Render tkerefore to ererff man kis due. The philopher might seem to have eontraeted as large a law, into a few words, in his suum cui,lue, as the Holy Ghost had done m his reddite omnibus, if it were hot tbr this, therefore; for that erries out eonsideration over the whole epistle. This epistle partieularizing all duties, whieh appertain to out religious vor-

]0 PREACHED ON C&NDLEMA8 DAY. [ER. IX, sbip of God, te charitable offices towards one another, and te t sanctification and holiness of lire in otu'selves. You haro seen t list of your debts, says the apostle, and (that whieh lllen deeply indebted are loath te de))'ou have seen what you owo God, what)'ou owe yourselves, and what 3"ou owe the world, be thorefore bohindhaud with noue of these, but render unto ail their dues: for our debts hero arc net restrained te those that are montioned in the fol]owing part of this verse, tribute, and custom, and fear, and holour, but it is the knot that ries up all, and diis text in this verso, is the saine that begins the next verse also; Bouder te ail rnen their dues, and owe othiu.q te aty man, is ail one: it is farther than many use te corne, te kuow what they owe; sinee I have broug, ht 'on se far, says out apostle, tfendêr t.o ail rnen their dues. It is one degree of thrift, (but for the most part it cornes late) te bring out debts iuto as few hauds as we eau. Our debt here we canner bring into fewor than these three, te God, te out neighbour, te ourselves. Consider out debts te God te be out sins, and se we date net collle te a reekoning with him, but we discharge ourselves entirely upon out surety, out Saviour Christ Jesus: but yet of that debt we must pay an acknowledgnent, an interest (,as it were) of praise for all that ve bave, and of prayer for al| that we would bave, and these are'out debts te God. Consider out debts te man. and our ereditors are persons abovo us, and 1)erso]s helow us,.uperiors, and inferiors; and te superiors (who are tbe porsons of whom this text, or this verse, is most ]itera]ly intended)wo are debtors first in nlatter of substance, expresse«l bore, in those words tribute, and eustom; and in niatter of eeremony, expressed here, in those words, fear, and boueur. And te out inferiors, wo are debtors for eounsol te direct them, and for relief in compassion of their sutthrings. And thon te eome te our thlrd sort of ereditors, te ourselves, we owe ourselves seine debts which are te be tendered at noon, whieh are te be paid in out best stren,th and prosperity, iu the course of our lires; and some which arc te be teudered at uight, at out suuset, at out deaths: 17eMer tlerefore te ail tleir dues. For 'our tiret debt, te God, we bring 3-ou te ehurch; this is no place te arrest in:. but 'et the 8pint of God eall upon 3"ou for thoso dcbts, praisc him in his holy place, and pray to him in his house, which is the houle of prayer. For your debts of the second kind, to other men, for those to superiors, we send you to court; for thoso to inferiors, we send you to hospitals, and prisons; and though courts and prisons be iii paying places, yet pay you your debts of substance, and of ceremony, of tributo, and of honour, at court; and your debt of counsel and relief to thoso that need them, in the thrkest corners. And for your third kiud of debts, debts to yourelves, mako even with yourselves ail the way in your lives, lest your paymeut prove and your hearts break, when you corne that upon your death-bcd: ]?end«r to yourselves, their dues.

toc heavy, aud you break, to sec that you cannot do aH, to God, to mau, to

To begin then with out beginning, out debts to God; if wo tako that defiuition of debts, which arises out of the sound of thc word, debere est de clic abere, a man owes ail that whieh he hath received of anothcr, we are debtors of ail that we bave, and ail that we are, to God; our wcll being, and our very being is from him. If wo tako that dcfinition of debt, Deb«re est j«re aliquo te«r ad dadm «tt.f, cied«m aliquid, To owe, is to bo bound by some law, to give something, or to do something to some person; tho law of nature in our hearts, the law of tho creature in out eyes, the law of the word in our ears, provokes us to give aud to do something to that God, who bath given aud donc ail to us; and more than giviig or doing, bath suflred so much for us. What then is the pa)neut which we are to make.  First, gloT, praise: for, in ail his works, God still proposed to himself, his glory. Those men who will needs be of God's cabinetcouncil and pronounce what God did first, what was his first decree, and the first clause in that decree, those nen who will needs know, aud then lmblish God's secrets, (and, by the way, that, which sometimes it may concern us to know, yet it nmy be a libel to publish it; those mysteries, vhich, for the opposing and conntermining stubborn, and perverse heresies, it may concern us, in councils and synods, and other fit places, to argue, and to clear, if may be an injury to God, and against his crown, and diguity, iu breaking the peace of the church, to publish and divulge to every popular auditory, and every itching car, and thereby perplex the consciences of weak men, or otTer contcntious men, that which is their food, and delight, disputation;) theso men, I say, though they differ, iu their order, whether God's decree of reprobation and salvation, were belote his decree of ereation, (for some place it belote, and seine after) yet ail, on ail sides agree in this, tlmt God's first purpose was his own glory; tht was his first decree, by what degrees soever ho proceeded te the exeeution of that decree. A nd se in the great and incomprehensible work of out salvation, when that was uttered in the mouth of angels te the shepherds, that ambassage began with a Gloria in excelsls, there was peace upon ealh, and there was good will towards nlen, but first there was glory te God on high. And though te correct heretical and schismatical men, amongst whom, seine would express themselves in God's service, in one manner, and seine in another, te the endangering of doctrine, and te the confusion of order, and thereupon seine would say, in the church service, Gloria Patri, in Filio, per,qpiritum,S'anctum, Glory be to the Father, in the Son, by the Holy Ghost; and some Gloria Parti per Fillum, Glory be to the Father hy the Son; and SOlne Gloria P«tri, et Filio, per Spiritum,$anctum, Glory be to the Father, and tlle Son, bythe Holy Ghost; though to prevent the danger of these divers forms of service, the chureh came to determine all, in that one, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, yet we cee out of the forms of the heretics thcnlselves, still so far as they conceived the Godhead to extcnd, ho far they extended glory, in that holy acclamation; those who believcd hOt the Son to be God, or the Holy Ghost hOt to be God, left out glory, when they came to their persons; but to him tiret is God, in a]l confessions, glory appertaius. Now glory is, Clara enm la,ode notitia, savs St. Ambrose: It is an evident knowledge, and acknowledement of God, by which, others corne to know him too; which acknowledgment is well called a recognition, for it is a second, a runfinated, a reflected knowledge: beasts do remember, but they do lot remember that they remember; they do hot refleet upon t, which is that that constitutes memory: every carnal and natural man knows God, but the acknowledgment, the recognition, the manifestation of the greatness and goodness of God, accompanied with praise of liim for that, this appertains to the god]y man, and this constitues glory. If God have delivered me from a sickness, and I do hot glorify him t'or that, that is, make others know his goodness to me, my sickness is but changed to a spiritual apoplexy, to a lethargy, to a stupefaction. " If God have delivered us from destruction in the bowcls of the sea, in an invasion, and from destruction in the bowels of the earth, in the powder-treason, and we grow faint in the publication of out tlmnks for this deliverance, onr punishment is but aggravated, for we shall be destroyed both for those old sins which induced those attempts of those destructions, and for this later and greater sin, of forgettiug those deliverances; God requires lmthing else; but he requires that, ghwy nd praise. And that book of the Scriptnres, of which St. Basil says, That if all the other parts of Scripture could perish, yet out of that book alone we lnight bave enongh for all uses, for ctechising, for preaching, for disputing; that whole book, which contains all subjects that appertain to religion, is called altogether,,%l)ier TJdllim, Tie Book of Praises, for ail our religion is praise. And of that book every particular Psahn is app:inted by the church, and continued at least for a thousand and two hundred years, to be shut up with that humble aud glorious acclanmtion, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; 0 th«t men woMd therefore praise the Lord, and declare the wonder.fM worif's that he doth for tke sos of men.t A'il quisquam debet Hsl 9uod tttrte est, o reddere, says the lav: itis ttrige, an infamous aud iénomî- nious thing, not to pay debt; and, infamous and ignominious, are heavy and reproachful words in the law; and the Gospel would add to that turpe, imloium: it is not only an infamous, but an impious, an irreligious thing, hot to pay debts. As in debts the state and the judge is my security, they undertake I shall be paid, or they execute judgment; so, consider ourselves as Christians, God is rny security, and he will punish where I ara defrauded. Either thou owest God nothing, (and then, if thon owe him nothin e, from whom, or from what bath she stolen that face, that is fair; or he that estate, that is rich; or that office, that eommands others; or that learning, and those orders and commission, that preaches to others; or they their souls, that understand me now . If you owe nothing, from whom had you all these, ail this.) Or if thou dost owe, it is an Ultworthy, it is a dishonest, it is an irreligious flfing, hOt fo pay him, in that money, wh]ch his oxm Spirit mints, and coins in thee, and of his own bullion too, praise and thanksgiving, lot to pay him then, when he himself gives thee the money that must pay him, the spirit of thankfulness, falls nnder all the reproaches, that law or Gospel eau inflict in any names. How many men have we seen moulder and crumble away gl'eat estates, and yet pay no debts. It is all our cases: What poems, and what orations we make, how industrious and witty we are, to m'el'-praise men, and never give God his due praise. lay how often is the pulpit itself ruade the shop, and the theatre of praise upon present men, and God left out'. How often is tiret called a sermOll, that speaks more of gi'eat men, than of oui" gi'eat God ". David calls upon the angels, and ail the host of hea'en, to praise God, and in the Roman church, they will eulploy willingly all their praise upon the ange]s, and the host of heaven itself; and tlis is hot reddere debitum; here is money enough spent, but no debt paid; pi'aise enough given, but hot to the truc God. David calls upon tiroirs, and tbwl, and catt]e fo pi'aise God. and we praise, and set forth oui" ]ands, and fruits, and fow], and cattle, with all h)Terbolical praises; and tllis is no pa.anelit of a del)t, where it is due. He calls Ul)On old nien, and young men, and "" ". I II'glllSç fO praise the Lord, and we spend ail out praises, upon young nlen, wh]ch are growing up in favour, or upon oh[ men, who have the y.overnment in their hands, or upon maidens, towards whm out affections have transported us, and all this is no paylnent of the debt of l)raise . He calls Ul)On l;ings, and judges, and magistrates to l)raise God, and we employ all our praise upon the actions of those persons themselves. Beloved, God cannot ]»e flattered, he cannot be over-praised, we can eak nothing hyI)erbo]ica|ly of God: but ]le cannot be mocked neither; he will hot be told, I have praised thee, in praising thy creature, wh]ch is thine image; would that discharge any of nly de],t to a merchant, fo tell him, that I had bestowed as nmch, or nmre money than my debt, upon his picture. Though princes, and judges, and magistrates be  Ver. I 1.

SR. lX.] O- TIIE PUIIFI(.,T|O,o 17-5 piemre, nd imge oç God, thouh beuty, nd riehe, honour, nd power, ud ïavour, ho, in • propor¢ion, «o oo, ye¢,  I bough no¢ th¢ merehan¢' piemre, beeause i¢  hic, or for love of him, but beeuse t w  good pieee, and of a good mer' lmnd, md  good houo ornnment; o though I pend my night, nd day, nd thoughts, nnd pirie, and word, and preaching, nd writing, npon princes, nd judges, and and perdus of estimation, and their praise, yet my inntion de, freines in that use which I bave of their favour, and respects hot the glory of God in them; and when I have spent myself to the ]ast farthing, my hmTs to the last breath, my wit to the ]ast metaphor, nlV tonyne to the ]ast syllable, I bave hot paid a farthing of my debt to God; I bave not praised him, but I bave pmised tllem, till hot onlv myself, but even they, wholn I have so mispraised, are dru worse in rite sight ot" God, for my overpraising; I bave flattered them, and they have taken occasion that, to think that flleir fimlts are hOt discerned, and so Omy bave peeded in them. This is then out first debt to God, glory and praise, which is, (as we said out of St. Ambrose) a manifestation of God's blessing to : for it is hot towards God as it is towards great persons, under whom we bave risen, that we muld be afi'aid to 1 the world know, how rich we are, lest thcy that raised us, shou]d borrow of us, or &'aw us in bands for them: God ruires nothing but the glory, the manifestation, that by knong what he hath done for thee, others may know what to hope, and what to pray for, at his hands: in out debts to God, the noverSt miversi, is the quiets est, out puhlishmg of them, m his praise and glory, is his acquittance and diseharge for them. Out other debt fo God is prayer, for that alto is due to him, and him only; for, 57 qtod peteMttm est petit, sed pendttm est, impitts etC: Ifwe direct out prayers to any, even for temporal things, as to the attthors of those benefits, we may pour out as many prayers, as would bave paid that debt, if they h been rightly p]aced, but yet by such a payment, our dcbt o a debt of a higher nature, a tin. This is a circumance, • haastine.

nay, an e.sential difference peculiar to our debts to God, that we do hot pay them, except we coutract more; we grow best out of debt, by growing farther in debt; by praying for more, we pay our former debt. lly house, says God, ig a house of prayer; for this use, and purpose, he built himself a bouse upon earth; he had praise and glory in heaven before, but for prayer he erected a house here, his ehurch. All file world is his exchequer, he gives in ail; from every creature, front heaven,'and sea, and land, and all the inhabitants of ail them, we receive benefits; but the church is his court of requests, there he receive» our petitions, there we receive his ansxvers. Itis truc that neither is that bouse only for prayer, nor prayer only fol. that house: Christ, in his person, consecrated that place, the temple, by preaching too: and for prayer elsevhere, Christ did much accustom himself to private prayer: but in him, who was truly head of the ehurch, the whole church was; Christ alone, was a congregation he was the Catholic Church. But when we meet in Godes house, though by occasion, there be no sermon, yet if we meet to pray, we pay our debt, we do our duty; so do we not, if we meet at a sermon, without prayer. The chureh is the bouse of prayer, so, s that upon occasion, preaching may be lei out, but never a bouse ot" preaching, so, as that prayer may be left out. And for the debt of prayer, God will hot be paid, with money of out owu coining, (with sudden, extemporal, inconsiderate prayer) but with current money that bears the king's image, and inscription; the church of God, by his ordinance, hath set his stamp npon a liturgy and service, for his bouse. Audit Deus in corde cogitantis, quod ec ipse audit, qui co.qitat, says St. Bernard: God hears the very first motions of a man's heart, whieh, that man, till he pl'oeeed to a farther eonsideration, doth hot hear, not ïeel, not deprehend in himoelf. That soul, that is aeeustomed to direct heroeff to God, upon every occasion, that, as a flower at sun-rising, eoneeives  sense of God, in every beam of his, and spreads and dilates itself towards him, in a thankfuluess, in every small blessing that he sheds upon her; that soul, that as a flower at the sun's deelining, eontraetç and gathers lu, aud shuts up herself, as though she had reeeived  blow, whensoever she hears her Saviour wounded by

11. IX.] ON THE I'[;RIFICATIO.N'o 177 an oath, or blasphemy, or execration; that sou/, who, whatsoever string be stmck in her, base or treble, her high or her low estate, is ever tuned toward God, that soul prays sometimes when if does hot know that it prays. I hear that m naine God, and k him what said you, and perchance he cannot tell; but I oemembcr, &at he casts tbrth somo of those das of a devout soul , whid], though they have hot paicular deliberations, and be hot formal prayem, yet they are the preant evidences and blesoed fi.uits of a religious custom; much more is it true, which St. Bernard says of them, God hears that voice of the beaU, which the heart itself hears hot, that is, at first considers hot. Those occasional and transitory prayem, and those fixed and smtionary prayers, for xvhich, many times, we bind ourselves m private prayer at such a rime, are paents of this debt, in such pioees, and in such sums, as God, no doubt, accepts at out hand. But yet the solemn days of paent are the Sabbaths of the rd, and the ploee of this paent is the bouse of the Lord, wheœe, as Teullian expresses it, Aymfne facto, we muster our fooees together, and besiege God; that is, hot taking up every tteœed fellow, every sudden rag or frent of speech that ri from out ngue, or out affections, but mustering up those words, which the chuœeh hafl levied for that service, in the confsions, and absolutions, and collects, and litanies of the chuœeh, we pay this debt, and we receive our acquittance. First, we nmst be sure to pray, where we may be sure to eed, and o]fly God can give. Itis a strange thing, says Justin Mayr,  pray to Esculapius, or to Apollo for health, as gods thereof, when they who pray m them, may know, to whom those go weœe beholden for ail their medicines, and of whom they learned ail their physic: XVhy should they hOt rather pray to their mters, than to them  Why should Apollo, Chiro's scholar, and hot Chiro, Apollo's toaster, be the god of physic  Why should I pray to St. George for victory, when I may go to the Lo of Hosts, Almighty God bimseif; or consult with a serjeant, or corporal, when I may go the general? Or to another saint for peoee, when I mav go to the Prince of peace, Crist Jesus

We corne to God's bouse to paya debt, and out debt is, to confess that we can bave from none but him, nor desire from him any more, than he is pleased to give. We corne now to out second sort of creditors, to whom we are commanded to tender their dues; to men: and of them, to our superiors first, and then to out inferiors. For that with which the aposfle entera into thls chapter, Let every sou] be subject to the higher powers, St. Chrysostom applies ad proptSetam, et evanydistarn, though he were a prophet, or an evangelist; St. Bernard, ad episcopum, e arctiepiscopu, though a bishop, or archbishop, (for, though they be as spiritual meteors between heaven and vrth, and stand between God and us, yet they are subject to that jurisdiction, which God bath given man over man, though they were in an extraordinary calling, (the larophets were so) yet they were subject to an ordinary jurisdietion ) and Theophylaet, and Theodoret both, apply it ad monaclum eg fratrem, to onks anti friars; though they seem to be gone out of the world, yet to this intendment of being enbjeet to higher powers, they are ail within the world; no cloister, no cathedral church, no pvfession, no dignity is a sanctum,y, a privileged place, from the payment of thls debt. Hero is a qw warrano to be brought against ail, and wtt exception can be pleaded to this, let eery soul be subject . The Anabaptist would hot pay this debt, he acknowledges no magistrate, and yet John Baptist did, who subnntted himself to Herod  the Jesuit will hOt pay this debt, he aelnowledges no secular mastrate, and yet Christ Jesus did, who submitted himself to Pilate; ]Vemo secularior Pilato, cul adetitit l)ominu judimndus, says St. Bernard, There was never a more secular jndge than Pilate, and yet the Lord of life was judged to death by him. We cannot enlarge this consideration to aH out creditors, in these debts, hot to all superiors, natural, as parents, and civil, as magistrates, and ecclesiastical, as prelates, and that which is rnixed of all, matrimonial, from the wife to the husband, and therefore we contract it to the foot of ail, the sovereign; and to him we eonsider first a real and substantia], and then a circumstantial and ceremonial debt. The substantial debt is paid in a faithftd, in a ready and cheerful paying of those debts, those tributes, ad cutoms, (as th aposfl« calh th¢m hrc) whieh belong N2

180 PREACHED ON CANDLEMA8 DA,'. tSER. IX. to the king, and he that maies no conscience in defrauding the public, he that withholds part of this debt, whensoever he can, he would pay that which he pays, in counterfeit money, ff he durst: he that deceives, because he secs he can escape with that deceit, he would coin too, if he saw too, that he could escape for that coining. A principal reason that makes coining and adulterating of money capital in ail 8tates, is hot so much because he that coins usurps the prince's authority, (for every coiner is hot a pretender to the crown)nor because he diminishes the prince's majesty. (for what is the prince the worse in that his face is stamped by another in base metal, than when that is donc by himself, or wben bis face is graved in any stone that is hot precious.) as because he that coins, injures the public: and no man injures the public more, than he, who defrauds him, who is God's stexvard for the public, the king. In matter of clothes and apparel, God wrought a miracle in private men's cases, in continuing and enlarging the ctfildren of Israel's clothes in the wilderness: in marrer of meat he wrought a miracle in private men's behalf too, in feeding so many with so few loaves and fishes; and 8o he did for drink too, in a miraculous proiding of xxne at the marriage; for meat, and drink, and clothes, are things necessary for every man: but because money is hOt so, if these other things may otherwise be had, (as 8orne nations bave lived by permutation of commodities, without money) therefore God never wrought a miracle in matter of money, in any private man's case; but because money is the most necessary of ail to the public, to the prince, therefore he wrought a miracle for that; and for that, only then, when that money was to be employed upon tribute to Coesar* no miracle in marrer of money but for tribute. As it is a sign of subjection to sec a man stand bare-headed, so it may be a declination towards a worse condition, to sec a state bare-headed, to sec the prince, the head, kept bare, by beillg either defrauded of that which is ordinarily due to him, or denied that which becornes a]so due in the payment, though it were extraordnarily given in the grant. But I ara not here to deal upon affections, but consciences, and but 8o far upon them, in this point, as they find themselves in a rectified, and well-exanlined conscience, to sz. ]x.] oN "rHz Pvmrwxzo.. 181 bave been enemies to the public, by having defrauded that, by any means, of that which vas truly due to it. And to bring tht inm considertion, which is little considered, that as it is  eater sin to defYaud the public, than  defraud any private person, so doth the aiing of the public lay  greater oblition upon us, than the assiing of any other by private altos.. The other debt onl us to men, and of them to superiors, and ' them princiI/y to the sovereign, we called eeremonial; and the astle, in that which tbllows in this verse, refers ehiefly to that, in those wor, fear, and honour, for it eonsists especially in o things, wherein, by outward reverenee, we eontribute fo the maintenance, and upholding of the dignity of the prince; and of these outvard cemoniM things bath God Mways professed himself tobe mo jealous. And, (if 1 mistake hot, as I may easily do, in things so far removed out of my way) when in your judOdal pmceMings in criminal causes, you make the greate offences to be against the crown and dignity, in the first, (the ero) you intend the essential part, and in the other, (the dignity) the eerw monial, the honour, and reverenee, and reputation of the prince. God gave his very essence to his Son, he w very God of very 6od; but when this Son of his became man, that which God ys in general, my honour will I give to no man, reaches so far fo the Son of God himself, as that the honour due to God, is hot to be given to the body, hot to the manhood, of Christ Jesus himseF. How very great a part of the law of Goal was eeremonial! And how very hea punishments were ordained for the breakers even of those ceremonies The Sabbaths themselves, St. Pa purs amongst eeremonies»: and that man, who assisd the retbrmation of religion «, vith as mueh learning, and mtç as any, defines the commandment of the Sabbath well, to be moral« TroEceptum, de ceremoffali, that though the mmanquent be moral, and bind ail men for ever, yet that which is commanded in that moral commaudment, is in itself eeremonial; tbr, indeed, ail that whieh ve eall by the general naine of religion, as it is the outward wohip of God, is eeremonial, and there is nothing more moral, than that some eeremonial things there must be. Now,  these ceremonial things are due to God himseF, so  Coloss. ri. 17. « [elancthon.

182 VSXCULD os c».Ms )','. are they to them to whom God bath imparted his naine, in sying they are God's. We shall hot read in any secnlar or profane stor.v, of greater humility and reverece in subjects to their princes, than in the book of Go(l. to the kings there. What phrases of abjecting themselves, in respec of the prince, can exceed David's humble expressmg of himself to Saul.  Or Daniel's magnifying the king, when he calls him King of Kings And certainly some of the best, and most religious of Christian emperors took to themselves so great titles, in their style, a« cau be excused no other way, but because their predecessors had done so, there lav  necessity urn them, to keep this ceremonial respect and dignity at tho saine height, because upon the ceremonial, mucit of the e.sential depen4 too. And therefore God pierces to the root. to the heart, when he forbids an irreverent, or t.mrespective thou.ht of the prince, ri,r, says he, Thos wit.os, skall d«rlam the marrer ; God employs so many inf«)rmers, as angels; it is hot an office unworthy of the angels of heaven, much less of any other angels of the church, (no, net though it be delivered bv way of confession) te discover any disloyal purpoes  thouh in other cases, hy our own canons, that seal of confession layjustly a strong obligation upon us, and God #res angels an ability, a faculty, which in their nature they have net, that te know thoughts, for this purpose, for the discovery of such irreverent and disloyal hearts. Angcls de net know thoughts naturally,)'et te this pm'p(se they shall know thoughts, says God. Moral men should net discover the secrets of friends, wo shonld net discover the things we receive in confession; but when cornes te marrer of di.loyalty, ail nmral seals, and ail ecclesiastical seals lose their obligation. The foot of this account, the total sure of this ceremonial debt te superiors, is, that due respect be given te evorv man, in his place; for when young men think it the only argmment of a good.pirit, te behave themselves feliowly, and frowardly, te great persous, those greator persons in thne take away their respect frein princes, and st lat, (for in the clmin of order, every link depends upon one another) God loses the respect and honour due te him private men lesen their respect of magistmtes, and magitrates

ERo IX,] ON THE PUI|F|CAT|ON. 183 of princes, snd princes and all, of God. And theoefore that which St. Chsm ys of the highest rank, Aon put ('ristia pMlosMw dignitem di, reach m ail sorts, let no man think that he depas from the dignity of a Christian, in attributing to eveD, man that which appeains to the digity of his ple. I speak hot ail this, as though a man should lose the stance for the ceœemony; that that man, whose place itis to advise and counsel, should be so ceremonious svith his superior,  concur with him in the allowance of ail his errors, neum co«quassatm t (it s an expostulation of St. Bernard's) my head is bruid, cormpted, putrified, (he speaks it of his head, his superior, a bishop) jam sanMne eblliete.putaerim e,»e teged«m, Now my head runs do with bld, can I think to cover it [ QMcquid apposuero, eruenbit«r, XVhaLoever I lay to it will be bloedy too; if l dissemble, or eover his faults, hlood will all un me. and I shall have pa of his sins. Eve wife hath • superior at home, so hath eve ehild, and every en'ant, and every man  superior somewhere, in mme respect, that is, in a piritual re«pect: for so, hot on]v the king, but the highest spirituM person bath a superior for absolution. And this superior reeetively, every mun owes a remoniM respect,  u debt; though this debt be hot o far,   eompny him, or to encourage him in his ill purpose, for tht is mo high eeoemony, and t transcendant a compliment, to be damned for hi ke, bv eoncurng with my 8uperior in hi8 sin8. And then ey wh office it isto dioeet even their superiom by deir eounsri, ( tht office nmy in c belong  a wife, to a ehild, to oervant, as Job professes it was in his fmily) bave also a ceremonial duty in that duty, whieh is. m do even that with sweev n, with respect, with reverence. It w a bezef mie in high a busine, than a man wotdd loek for at a frioe's hand, which St. BernaM bath, lb,qz«e prentia  benerolentla, untpeçtèeta c,illa: o man is a good eounsellor, for a. wisdom, and for ail his libey of ch, exeept he love the per- on whom he eounsels: if he do hot sh him we,  well as tell him his faults, ho is rathor a tirist, and  lumniamr, and ks to vent his o sdom, and  exorci hic authoty, tn good eounellor. And thefom, vs that Fathor, booe ri

]84 PREACItED ON CANDLEMAS DAY. [ER. iX. took Peter into that high place, he asked him, and asked thrice, Lovest thou 7ne? He wou]d be sure of his love to him first, before he preferred him; Vix in multitudine hominum, znum rerio, in utralue yratia consumnat.um, sa.vs he still: hot one man amongst a thousand, that is both able to give counsel to great persons, and then doth that office out of love to that person. but rather to let others sec his ability in himself, or his authority and power over that person, and so upon pretence of counselling, opens his weaknesses to the knovledge, and to the contenlpt of other men; as David's wife, when he had danced (as she thought) indecently before the ark, spoke freelv enough, with libeoEy enough, but it was with scorn, and contempt: and this is in no sort auy pa)anent of this ceremonial debt, which is, (the foundations, and the substance being preserved, that is, the glory of God, and moral, and religious truths beiug kept inviolate) to think, and sa)', and do, those things 4fich may conduce to the estimation, and dignity of his superior. low this bath led us to our other list of human creditors, that is, our inferiors, and to render to them al their dues; for, to thenl we said at the beginning there was due counsel, if they were weak in understanding; and there was due relief, if they were weak in their fortunes. For the first, there are some persons in so high place in this world, as that they can owe nothing to any temporal superior, for they have noue: but there is none so low in this world, but he hath some lower than he is, to pay this debt of counsel and advice to: at least the debt of prayer for lmn, if he will not receive the debt of counsel to him. But in this place (tbr haste) we contract ourselves to the debt of relief to the poor: amongst whom, we may consider one sort of poor whom we ourselves have ruade poor, and damnified, and then our debt is restitution, and another sort whom God, for reasons unknown to us, hath made poor, and there our debt is alms. "For the first of these (those whom thou hast damnified and ruade poor) tbou needst not corne to the apostles' question of the blind lnan, Did this nan sin. or his parents, that he is born blind? Did this man waste himself in housekeeping, or in play, or in wantonness, that he is become poor.  Neither he sined, nor his parents, says Christ; neither excess, nor play, nor wantolmess hath undone

SEP,.!. 1 ON Trie PURIFIç.TIOX. ]5 this man. but thy prevarication in hls cause» thy exmion, thy oppression: and now e starves, and tou huntest açter a popular reputtion of a ood housekeeper with his meat  now he freeoes in nakedness, and thy train shines in liveries crut of his wardrobe; every constable is rey to lay hdd upon him for a rogue, and thy son is knighted with his money.,5'ileat liret.t;ma. ton siletJàmes, ys goed and holy Bernard, Faine may be silent, but falnine will not: perchance the world knows llOt this, or is weary of speaking of it, but those poor wretches that starve by thy oppression, know it, and cry out in his hearing, where thine own conscience accompanies them, and cries out with them against thee. Pay this debt, this debt of restitution, and pay it quickly; for nothing perishes, nothing decays an estate nlore, nothing consumes, nodfing enfeebles a soul more, than to let a eat debt run on long. But if they be poor of God's making, and not of thine (as they aoe to thee, if thou know hot why, or how they are become or; for though God bave inflicted povey upon them tbr their sins, that is a secret between God and thenl, that which God hath oevealed to thee, is their poverty, and hot their sins) then thou owest them a debt of altos, though not restitution: though thou have nothing lu thy hauds whieh ws theirs, yet thou hast som thing whieh should be theirs; nothing perehauee whieh thou hast ken from them, but SOlnething eerinly whieh thou hast reeeived from God for them  and in that sense St. Bernard says truly, in the beha, and il the person of the poor, to wtethl lllen, %strum est q«od OE)nditis, you are pro&gal, there is oue fault; but flen you are prodigal of that whieh is hOt your o, but ours, aud that la a greater; and then we whose goods you wte, are poor and miserable, and that is the greatest fault of ail. Abis crMeliter s«btrahit«r, 9uod iaiter ««penditls, Vhatsoerer you spend wantonly and vainly upon yourselres, or sinfully upon others, is erueHy attd bloodily draxl out of our bowels, and woroe than so, soerilegiously too, beeause we are the temples of the Holy Ghost: if hot properly taken away, beeause we had it hot, yet unjustly and cruelly withheld altd kept away, beeause we should bave it, say those poer oeuls to these wastethl pw&gals in that devout and persuasive mouth of St. Bernard. Here is a

]8( PREACHED ON CANDLEM.,$ DAY. [/$ZRo IX. dou]e misery., of which you» you that are prodiga]s arc autho, s vanitnd periti«, nos pol&ndo perimiti, In this pdility you wae yoselves, cven vour souls, and you b us  you leave u« naked in the eold. and you eas urselves into dark and to menting tire. So that whether they be pr of God's making, or pr of your making, pay the debt you owe, to the one bv alms, to the other by restitution. Vo de,end now to our las ereditors, om'selves. It is a good rule of St. Bernard, (lui ad ti menuram proxinum diligit, ei sure dilige .orit, Sinee wo are oemmanded to love our neighbour, m ourIves, we must be sure to love ourselves so as wo should do, or else we pveeed by  ong, and  crooked rule. So to give some guets of our abilitv and of our xfilliness to pay our debts to G, and onr debts to man, wo must eonsider what xvo owe, and how we pay, ourselves. Thou art a det, tor (as St. Paul sys of himsel 0 to the Gree', and to tke barbarlan, to tke «ise, and to the ncise ; and thon thyself art amongst some of these  wise and learned in the best a, though thou know hot  lter, rieh and mlghty in the bt treasure, tbouçh thou posse hot a penny, if thon y these dal)fs du]y, (for a God tells us we may buy xvithout money, so we may pay debts without money) and then iorant and unlettered, in the midst of thy lihrary and ]ana..ges, and poor and beggarly in the midst of thy coflrs and rentals, if thou eall hot thyself to this aeeount; for his debt to himself alone, is debt enouçh to oppress anv man. l ara bishop (says St. Bernard,) over no man but myself. I have no larger diese than mine ox person, no man's debts to pay but mine oxm, nor anv man to pay tllem to, but to myse]f, yet I ara scandaliz in mvsel£ I have brought an i]l naine upon myself, to be an ill paymasr ta mine own soul  though I bave no critor  dimppaint but myself, yet I ara wown a tedious, and dilato man to mvself. I bave ken longer and longer days th mylf, and still put off my vpentances. from sickn to sickness, I ara a burden to myoelf, I have over-burden myself even th eoll teral ecurity, fith en,ring into new bands, with new vows un my repentances, new eontets, new stipations, new pr testations to my God. which I have forfeited al I ara beoeme

mt. ix.] o "r ,w, rae^aao.',. 187  dangorou man fo myelî, I daro hot trust myselî alone, though I btain îrom mv former infid eompany, yet cu_tom of sin bath ruade mo a temptation to myelf, and I sin whero no tomptation offers itself: I haro nobodv to [ave, _avs St. Bernard. in his eloister, but myself, and I cannot d«» that, but I damn myelf alone. Begin thereïoro fo pay theo debts to thvself betimes: for, as we told you at tho boginning, r, ome you are to tender at noon, omo at ovoning. E'en at your noon and warmest sunshine of propority,)'ou owo 3"ourelre a true information, how you came by that properity, who/,,are it you, and why he gave it °. Let hot tho olive boat of ber own thtnos, nor the fig-tree of her own weetness, nor the vine rof her om fruitfu]ne, for we were ail but bramblos. Lot no man _ay, I eouhl hot miss a fortune, for I haro studied ail my youth; how many men haro tudied more night, than he hath done hour, and studied themselres blind,,and mad in tho mathematies, and yet 5ther in beggar.v in a corner. Le him noyer ad,l, But ] studied in a,,sefi,l and gainful proïes- ion; how many have done so too, nd yet nerer eompassed the. favour of a judgo . and how many that bave had ail that, haro struek upon a rock, oven af fidl sea, and perished there.  In their grandfathers, and geat-grandfathers, in a ïew generations, whooever is greatest now, mn say, Vith this _taF came I over.lordan; nay, without any staff came ] over Jordan, for ho had in them at firs, a beginning of nothing. As ïor spiritual happines, it is hot in him that -ould run, nor in him that doth, but only in God that prospers his course; so for tho things of this world, it is in vain fo fise early, and to lio down late, and to ¢at tho bread of.sorrow, t}r, oxeept tho Lord build the house, they labour in vain; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Corne hot therefore, to say, I studied more than my ïellows, and therefore ara ficher than my fellows, but ay, God that gave me my contemplations at tirst, gave me my praetiee aftor, and bath given me his blessing now. How ma.ny men hnve worn their brains upon other udies, and spent their rime and themselve thorein. How nmny mon have studied more in thine own proïossion, a.nd Set, for diflïleneo in thomselvos, or omo difavour from others, haro hot had thy practice; How .hdg. ix. 7.

many men have been equal to thee, in study, in praetice, and in getting too, and yet upon  wanton confidence, that that world would always last, or upon the burden of many children, and n expensive breeding of them, or ir other reasons, which God hath round in his ways, are left upon the sand at last, in  low fortune.  Vhilst the sun shines upon thee in ail these, pay thvself the debt, of knowing whence and why ail this not know bow nmch, or hov little is corne to restore that which is none of came, for else thou canst thine, nor thou canst not thine, but unjus4ly wrung from others. Pay therefore this debt of surveying thine estate, and then pay thyself thine om too, by a chearful enjoying and using that which is truly thine, and do not deny nor defraud thyself of those things which are thine, and so become a wretched debtor, to thy back, or to thy bell.v, as though the world had hot enough, or God "knew hOt what were enough for thee. Pay this debt to th.vself of looking into thy debts, of surveying, of severing, of serving thyself with that which is truly thine, at thy noon, in the best of thy/brtune, and in the strenh of thine understanding; that when thou comest to pay thy other, thy last debt to thyself,,vhich is, to open a door out of this word, by the dissolution of body and soul. thou have not ail thy noney to tell over when the sun is ready to set, ail the account to make of every bag of money, and of every quillet of land, whose it is, and whether it be his that looks tbr it from thee, or his from whom it was taken by thee; whether it belong to thine helr, that weeps jofful tears behind the curtain, or belong to him that weeps true, and bloody tears, in the hole in a prison. There will corne a time, when that land that thou leavest shall not be his land, when it shall be nobody's land, when it shall be no land, for the earth must perish; there will be a rime when there shall be no manors, no acres in the world, and yet there shall lie manors and acres upon thy soul, when land shall be no Bore, svhen time shall be no more, and thou passest away, hOt into the land of the living, but of eternal death. Then the accuser will be ready to interline the schedules of thy debts, thy sins, and insert false debts, by abusing an over tenderness, which may be in thy conscience then, in thv last sickness, in thy deathbed: then he will be ready to add a cypher Bore to thy debts, and make hundreds thousands, and abuse the faintness which may be in thy conscience then, in

BER. IX.] ON THI- PURIFICATION. ]8.0 thy last sickness, in thy deathbed. Then he wiil be ready to abuse even thy confidence in God, and b.ring thee to think, that as a pirate ventures boldly home, thongh ail that he bath be stolen, if he be rich enongh to bribe for a pardon; so, howsoever those familles perish whom thon hast ruined, and those whole parishes whom thon hast depopulated, thy soul may go confidently home too, if thon bribe God then, with an hospital or  fellowship in a college, or a legacy to any pious use in appearance, and in the eye of the world. Pay thyself therefore this debt, that is. make up thine aceount ail the way, for when that voice cornes, Gize.up an acco«nt oftl!! stewardsip'°, it is hot, go home now, and make up thy account perfect; but now, now deliver up thine aceount; if it be perfect, it is well, if it be not, here is no longer day, for ow ttou cast be,to lon.¢er steward, now thou hast no more to do with thyself. Here the voice is not iii the word to Hezekiah, Put ti«y ltoue in ortier, for tlou sl,.alt die u; for there God had a gracious purpose, to give him a longer terre; but here it is, Fool, t]is iyt, not t)ey sall, but tl, ey do f«tcl awa!! t!/ soul, and then what is become of that to-morrow, which thou hadst imagined and promised to thyselt for the payment of this debt, of this repentance. Be just therefore to thyself ail the way, pay thyself and take acquittances of thyself, ail the way, which is only donc under the seal and iii the testimony of a rectified conscience. Let thine own conscience be thine evidence, and thy rolls, and not the opinion of others. It is not providently donc, says St. Bernard, to lock thy treasure in a chest, of whieh thou hast no key, and fo which thou hast no access. If thou build thy reputation upon my report, it is now in my power, not in thine, whether thou shalt be good or bad, honourable or infamous. A good conscience is a sweet vessel, and a strong; whatsoever thou layest up in that, shall serve thee ail thy lire, and after; and that shall be thine aequittance, and diseharge, at thy last payment, when thou returnest thy spirit, into his hands that gave it: and then thon shait bave rendered to ail their dues, when thou hast given the king, honour: the poor, altos; thyself, peace; and God, thv soul. w Luke xvi. 2. " I.aiah xxxviii.!.

MXT,. v. 2. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. THE chureh, which is the daughter ot" God, and spouse ot" Christ, celebrates this day, the purification ot" the blessed Virgin, tho mother of God: and she celebrates this day by the name, vulgrly, of Candlemas-day. It is the day of lights; the chureh took the occasion of doing so ti'Oln the Gentiles; at this time of the year, about the beuning of February, they celebrated tho feast of Februus, which is their Pluto; and, beeause that was the god of darkness, they solemnized it with a multiplicity of lights. The chureh of God, in the outward and ceremonial part of his wohip, did not disdain the ceremonies of the Gentiles; men who are so severe as fo condemn, and to remove from tho church, whatsoever was in use amongst the Gentiles before, may, before thev a aWal'e, become sm'¢eyo, and controllers upon Christ himselï, iii the institution of his greatest seuls: for baptism, which is the sacrament of purification by washing in water, and the very sacrameut of the supper itself, relious eating, and drinking in the temple, were in use amongst the Gentiles too. It is a perverse way, rather to abolish things and humes, (for vehement zeal will work upon nanœes as well as things) because thev bave been abtrsed, than to reduce them to their right use. We dealt in the reformation of religion, a Christ did in the institution thereoï; he tbund ceremonies amongst the Gentiles, anti he took them in, hot becanse he round them there, but because the Gentiles had received them fim the Jews, as they had their wshin, and their rehgious meetings to eut and drink in the temple, ïrom the Jew's Passover. Christ borrowed nothing of the Gentiles, but he took lais ow-a wher he ïound it: thoe ce,emonies, which himselï had instituted in the first church of the Jews, anti the Gentilea had purloined, and profaned and

». x.] ox "ru: ,vm'wAïo. 191 eorrupted fter, he returned oe •   agin. And so did we in the efoation, in some ceremonies which had been of use in the primitive churcb, and depraved and corpted in the oman. For the solemnizin dE this day: Candlcmaday, when thc church did mitait candles into the cburch,  thc Gentiles did. it was hot un the rean ot" the Gentiles, who worshipped therein the g of darknes Febus, Plut,»; but because he who was the ligbt of the wod«l, xw this day preoented and l»ught into the temple, the «hnrch adlnitted li.ghts. The church would signify, that  we are to walk in the ]ight, so ve are to receire out light tom the church, and to reive Christ, and out kowledge " m,  as Christ hath notified himself to us. So it is  day of purification to us, and  dy of lights, and so our text fits the day, Blessed are the «re h heart, br tey shall see God. In these words we shall eonsider fit, who they are, tha are brought into eonsideration, that are put into the balanee, and they are, ueh s are lno'e  heart; and secony, wha they oeme  be, and that is, hlessed; blessed are the pure in heart; and lastly, from whence this blessedness aeerues and arises unto them, and in what blessed are the ure wherein hese men differ from other nlen, and  is in this main diflèrenee, that whereas beaU, is mdy eril contlnttallfl , they re pure of heaa. Ask me what they ge by that, they get this main purehase, thae whieh ail the boeka of ail the philosophe eould never aeh th 8o mueh as what i was, that is true blessedness; that, their poeketbook, their manual, their bosom boek, their conscience, doth hOt only show them, but give them, no only decla it to thenl, bu poes them of i. Ask nie how long this blesee shall last, eau aH thgse blessednesse which philophers have imaned, as honour, and health, and profi, and pleasure, and the like, haro evarated and vanished away, this shall last for ever  they shall s G, and hey shaH no more ee an end of their eeing God, han an end of his being G: Blessed are the nr i beaU, for they »hall see The then ar out three pas; st the priee, cleannes and cleanness of heart secondly, the purchase, blessedness, the present possession of blessedness, blessed are tey: and then thirdly, the terre, everlastinmess, because it consists in the enjoying of hirn who is everlasting, te!! s]«ll sec God. These arise out of the text; but from whence arises the text tself.  The text itself is a piece of a serrnon of that blessed sermon of out Saviour's, which is called the Sermon of Beatitudes. So that we shall make it a part apartç to consider the sermon fi'orn which this text is taken, belote we dilate the text itself into a sermon: for thcre will arise sorne useful observations, out of these three doubts, first, what this sermon itself was  and then, to what auditory it was preached; and lastly, in what manner Christ preached this sermon: and these three, the serrnon, the auditory, the disposition of the preacher, will also be three branches of this, which we shall rnake our first part, belote we corne to the other three of the text itself. First then, there is this doubt ruade of this serrnon altogether, whether this sermon which St. Matthew recols here, be the sarnc sermon which St. Luke mentions in his sixth chapter, or whether they were preached at several rimes; the greater part of the ancients (but yet not all) take them to be several serinons; the greater part of the later men (and yet hot all neither) take them t,» be but one and the sarne sermon. If it be so, if both be hut one sermon, this mav be but justly considered, that since St. Luke remembers but a tiw passages, and a few parts of that sermon, in respect of St. Matthew, (for,St. Matthew's relation is large and particular, and,St. Luke's more brief and summary) they that corne to hear serinons, and wouhl make benefit by thern, by a subsequent meditation, must not think themselves frustrated of their purposes, if thev do hot understand all, or not remernber al] the sermon. Scarce anv sermon is so prea«hed, or so intended, as that ail works upon all, or al] belongs unto all. The Lord and his Spirit purs into the preacher's mouth, a judgment against oppression, against extortion, against usurv, and he utters that judgment. But perchance thou hast no lands to rack tenants, no office to rind suitors, no monev to devour a debtor bv IlSlll'.Vç and so that passage of the serlllOll, bent against oppression, or extortion, or u.ury, concerns lt»t thee, affeets hot thee. But next

SEL X.] ON Trie PURIFICATION. 193 to thee there may st an oppressor, or extortioner, or usurer, and he needed that, and by God's grace receives benefit by that, which round nothing to work upon in thee. And then thy turn cornes after, and God speaks to thy soul, in a discovery of those sins to which thou art inclined; and then he gives thy neighbour (who was pinched, and brought to a remorse belote) that refreshing which thou hadst before, that is, a thankfu] acknowledgrnent, that though he be subject to other sins, yet God hath prese]ed him from that particular. God directs the tongue of his ministers, as he doth his showers of rain: they fall upon the face of a large cornpass of earth, when ail that earth did hot need that tain. The whole congregation is, oftentimes, in common intendment, conformable, and well settled in all matters of doctrine, and ail matters of discipline. And yet God directs us sometimes to extend our &scourse (perchance with a eal and a vehemence, which may seem unnecessary, and impertinent, because ail in the church are presumed to be of one mind) in the proof of our doctrine against papists, or of our discipline against nonconformists. For God's eye secs, in what seat there sits, or in what corner there stands, some one man that wavers in matters of doctrine, and inclines to hearken after a seducer, a jesuit, or a semi-jesuit, a practising papist, or a sesquijesuit, a jesuited lady; and God's eye secs in what seat there sits, or in what corner there stands, some weak soul that is scandalized with some ceremony, or part of our discipline, and in danger of falling from the unity ot" the church: and for the refreshing of that one span of gronnd, God lets fall a whole shower of rain  for the rectifying of that one soul, God pours out the meditations of the preacher, into such a subject, as perchance doth little concern the tst of the congregation. St. Matthew relates Christ's sermon at large, and St. Luke but briefly, a.nd yet St. Luke remembers some things that St. Matthew had left out. If thou remember hot ail that was presented to thy faith, ail the citations of places of Scriptures, nor ail that was presented to thy reaon, ail the deducemets, and inferences of the schoo|s, nor ail that was presented to thy spiritual delight, all the sentences of ornament produced ont of the tthers, yet if thou remember that which concerned thy si, and thy soul, if thou meditate upon VOL. I. 0

].Q PREtCHED ON' CA.DLEMAS DAY. [8R. X. that, apply that, thou hast brought away ail the sermon, ail that was intended by the Holy Ghost to be preached to thee. And if thou bave done so, as at a donative at a coronationi or other so|emnity, when money is thrown among the people, though thou light but upon one shilling of that money, thou canst not think that aH the test is lostç but that some others are the ficher for it, though thou beest hot; so if thou remember, or apply, or understand but one part of the sermon, do hOt think all the rest to bave been. idly, or unnecessarily, or impertinently spoke., for thou broughtest a • fever, and hast had thy juleps, another brought a fainting, and a dittldent spirit, and must bave his cordials. Thus then,if St. Luke's sermon be the saine that St. Matthew's was, we sec by St. Luke's manner of repeativg it. that a sermon nmv be wdl remembered, and well applied, though all the parts thereof be hot so. And then; if these were divers serinons, and so preached by Christ at se-eral times, there arises also this consideranon, that Christ did hOt, and theretbre we need hot, forbear to preach the saine particular doctrines, or to handle the same partictdar points, which we, or others in that place have hmdled before: a preacher's end is not a gathering of faine to himself, but a gathering of souls to God; and his way is not noveltv, but edification. If we consider the sermon in St. Matthew, and the sermon in St. Luke, the purpose and the scope of both, the nlatter and the form of both, the body attd the parts of both, the phrase and the language of both, is for the most part the smne, and yet Christ forbore hot to preach it twice. This excuses no man's ignorance, that is hot able to preach seasonably, and to break, and diribute the bread of lire according to the emergent necessities of that congregation, at that time; nor it excuses no man's laziness, that will hot employ his whole rime upon his calling; nor any man's vain gloD', and ostentation, who, having ruade an oration of flowers, and figures, and pln.es without strength, sings it over in every pulpit: it excuses no man's ignorance, nor laziness, nor vain glol?', but yet it reproaches their itching and curious ears, to whom any repetition of the same things is irksome and fastidious. You may bave heard an answer of an epiammatist appliable to this purpose; when he read his el)igranls in an auditory, one of the hcarers sri. x.] o vn l,,mrwa'o.x. 195 stopped him, and sai Did not I hear an epigram to this purpose from you last year  Yes, says he, it is like you did; but is hot that vice still in you this yealç which last al"s epigram repr hend«l  If your curiosity bring you to say to any preacher, Did hot I hear this point thus handled in your sernlon last year[ Yes, mt he say, and so you must next year again, till it appear in your amendment, that you did hear it. The devil maintains war goed cheap, if he may fight th the saine sword, and we may hot defend with the saine buckler  if he can tempt a son with his father's covetousness, and a daughter with ber mother's wantonness, if he need hOt vary the sin, nor the temptation, must we vary our doetrine  This is indeed to put uew wine into old vesoels, new doctrine into ears, and hearts hot disburdened of old sins. We say, as the spouse says', We prepare old and new, that may any way serve your holy taste, and conduce to your spiritual nourishment; and ho is hOt a preacher sufleiently learued, that must of necessity preadl the saine things again, but he is hot a preacher su$ciently discreet neither, that fi»rbears hing thefore, because himself or another in that place, bath hanoeed that belote. Christ himself varied his sermon very little, if this in St. Matthe and that in St. Luke, were ivers rmons. The second doubt which is ruade about flfis sermon, aud which nfinisers to us occasion of auother kind of observations, is the audiry, to whom Chri pached this sermon. For st, as this evangelist repos it, it seems to bave been cowio ad clerum, rmon preached fo them who had taken degroes in Chrisçs Schoel, and followed him, and hot ad popul«m, to the pmmiscuou and vulr people; for, he says, that Christ s«iy t mtdtitude, went tp bto a ottain, aad titer is disciples came, ad to t  reacd: and then, as St. Luke repo¢s, though the sermon seem princilly fo be di]cted fo the disciples, yet it was in the poesence and hearing of all; for he says, Chri cam dow, and stood in te plab, ad a yreat multittde of people im . Both must be donc; we must preaeh in the mountain, and preach in the plain toe; preoeh to the learned, and preach to the simple too; pach to the cou, and preach to e country  Cant. vii. 13. Luke ri. 17. o2

196 PREACHED ON" CANDI, EMA DA'* SI,. X* toe. On]y when we preach in the mountain, they in the plain muni no ca]umnate us, and say, This man oes up to esa]em, he wH] be heard by none bu princes, and great peons,  though t were hot of affectation, and hOt in discharge of our duty that we do prech there: and when ve preh on the p]n, they of te motan must not y, This man may rve for  mean audto, for a mple coneton, for a country church, as though the fitting of ourselvs to the capacity, and the edification of such persons, vere out of iorance, or laziness, and nota performance of out duties, as well as the other. Christ preached on the mountain, and he preached in the plain; he bath llis chuoeh in both; and they that preach in both, or either, for his glory, and hot their o vain glory, have his example for their action. To make the like use of the other diculty, arising out of the several relation of this semmn, which is, in what manner, in what position of body Christ preached this sermon, by this evangelist it seelns that Christ preached sitting', and by the other, that he poeached standing ». Now, tbr the nmst part, Christ did preach sitting. SVhen he preached in the s)magoe of Nffzareth, and took that text, out of Ey, The,irit of the Lord is vpo me, 'c. He sto up to read, (says the story) and then he closed the book, atd sat dowts to preach'. So also when he came do from the Mount of Olives into the temple, hesatdown there atd tatçqkt tkem . And so Christ himself professes, that it was his ordinary custom to do; for, when they oeme to apprehend hiln, he id, Are ye co» ot«t, as aaist a rhin? I sat dailll wkh:/ott, teachitt9 in the temple, an ye lald no kold on qte . And according to this custom of his, they who came m great place, and diity in the chch, did ordinarily preach sitting toe; and therefore their churches were caed cathedral, because they preached sitting in chairs. Vhy then wffi such men, as in a actions of divine serce, pretend to limit everhing precisely to the pattern of Chri msel£ to do jt as he d, and no otherwise, why ll they admit any other sition of the body, in preoehing, than sitting,  Ver. l. a Luke i. 17. Luke iv. 16.  Jolm 4fi. 2.  3[att. xx. 55.

since, at Ieast for the moet , Chri did preach sîtting  Or if Christ did both sit, and stand, whv will they hot acknowlede, that all lsitions of the body, that are reveoent, are indifferent in themselves, in the service of G; and bein so, 'hy 11 they hot adroit that position of the body, which being indiflërent in itself, is by the just command of hwtl auority, ruade nece sa to them, that is, kneeling at the sacrament  They who fuse if, pretend but two reans; first, because Christ af the institution thereo, did hot use that position of neeling, but sitting; sondly, bccause they miht seandalize others, or enter  thlse belief inm others, who should see them kneel, that they kneeled in such adoration thereof, as the papists do. But for the first, who refer a]l (in their desire) to the practice of Christ him8elf heoein, it cannot be a clear case, in what sition of body Christ did institute this sacrement. Theoe was at that rime,  civil supper, the oinary houshohl supper, and there was a legal supper, the eating of the passover, and then this cramental SUl»ler, of  new institution; and it is cleaç that Christ did not continue one poeition all this while, but he oee d did some actions between; neither could that position of y, which they used at the table, for their civil supper, and natural retbction, be pmperly caHed  sitti, for it xs rather  l)ng, a reclining, a leaning upon  bed; and let it be exactly a sitting, and let that sitting run thmugh all the three suppe, yet how will that position of sitting, justit that canon, which hath ps in a syn amongs our neighbours, ibertm est stando, sededo, etdo, coea» celebrare, wn attem.qeicda»do"? How will standing, or walkiug, be any nmre maintainable-than kneeling, by Christ's example and yet thcy say, sitting, or walking, or standing, they may receive, but kneellng they must hot; but this I presume that particular synod did not declare by way of doctrine, to bind other churches, but ejoined  discipline for their own. Now, for the danger of scadalizing others, ail that corne to church, and are of our protbssion in religion, are suciently catechized, and intbrmed of the reason of our kneeling, and that we are therein thr from the adoration of the Roman practice. It  Haonia 8mod. Belg. de Coena. Art. 8.

198 IREACKED ON CANDLEMAS D.'. [SEIo Xo is a complaint often ruade, and often to be repeated, tat one of the greatest illusions, and impostures of the Roman church, is, that tho book-doctrine of their learned men, and the ordinary practico of dwir people agree hot. They know tho peoplo do commit dolatry, in their manner of adoring the bread in the sacrament, and they never preacb against this error of tbe people, nor tell them wherein that idolatry lies; if is true, that in their books of coutr.oversies, which tho people eould hot understand, if they mi.ht read thent, nor may read them, if thev conld understand them, in thoso books they proceed upon safcr grounds; there thoy say, that whon a man adores tbe sacrament, he mu.st bo sure, that he carry hOt his thoughts upon anythiug that ho sees, hot only hot upon bread mtd wine, (for that they must hot bclieve to be there, whatsoever they see or taste) but hOt upon those species and appearances of bread and wine, which they seem to see, btlt he must carry all his floughts upon the persou of Christ, who is there, thouh be see him hot; for, otherwise, say they, if he should adore that which he sees. ho should commit idolatry. 'ow, if file peoplo were acquainted with this doctrine, and could possibly observe it, the danger were hot so great, in that adoration of tho sacrament. Much less is there in out kneeling, who, as wo acknowledge, that God is premnt everywhere, yet otherwise present to us, when we throw ourseh'es dom befol'e him in dovotion, and prayer in our dtamber, thnn he is in the markot, or in the street, and othcrwise in the congretion, at public prayer, than at private prayer in our charnber; so we acknowlede, that he is otherwise present at the sacrament, than at anv other act of Divine service. That which Christ's example left indifférent, tbe authority of that church, in which God hath given thee thv statiou, mav make necessary to thee; though hot absolutely necessary, and thnt nono can be saved that do hOt kneel at the sacrament, therefore because they do hot kneel, yet necessary as if is enjoined bv lawful authority, and to resist lawful authority, is a disobedience, that may endanger any man's sMvation. Now from this sermon, which gave us our text, we pass to the text, which mu.t._-,ire ns cur sermon, the particular branches of the text it.elf, which we prol,osed at first, for our second part.

And there, out first is, i Mn, who they be that are brought in eonsideration, Titre that are ure OE heart; fir Fure, and then, Furo OE I. In tho purest times of the primitive cheh, there crept in false opinions of purity; we find two s of puri- ns then; the Catharists, and the Cathari; the Cathafists were purifying Puritans, and the Cathari were purified Puritans: the first thought no ereatures pure for man's use, till they were sanetifled by them; and thereupon they induc ceain chas, and forms of purification, t detestable to be named amongst Chri tims. And then the Cathari, the purified Pitans, thought no men pure but themselves, and themselves so pure,  that they left out that petition out of the rd's prayer,bryie  oto" tres- aes, for they thought they had trespassed in nothing. They bave a third state of Puritans above these, in the Roman chut&; where they say that a man corne to such a state of purity in this lire, as that he shall be abraeted, hot only from a inordinatene of affections and passions, but fm apprehending anything by the lazy de.ces of the senses, and the phant,, and diourse, and reading, and meditntion, and conversation, but they dlall corne to such a familiarity 5th God, as that they shall know ail by immediate revdation; they mean, (and, indeed, me of them y) that a man corne to that purity in thi lire, that in this life, he shall be in possession of that very beatifical vision, which is e ate of glou" in heaven; in which purity, they say also, that . man may hOt only be empty of all sin, but he may be gmce, so far tiret their last order, their example} they shall be put to that exclamation, Recede à ne Domine, 0 Lord depa faher from me, and withdraw me of this grace, which thou poest upon me. And then besides these three imaginau" and iu, pties, the Catharis that think no things pe, the Catri that tnk no men pure but themIv, and the Super-Catfi, in the Roman church, that think the men as pure as the aints, who are in "  St. Php de Italy, 'm bo at orence  1515. From  otion  s dth (tyfour y) he never niti. He possession of the sight of God in heaven, there is a true purity, which will net serve out turus, which is a pazoEial purity; that pureness, that cleanness, that innocency, te which David se otten refers himself in his religious and humble exlstulations with God, Judge me, and deal with me, accordin.q te my riylteou.mess, and mine inocency, and cleanness of teart, and hands, says David; that is, as I ara innocent, and guiltless, in that particular, which Saul imputes te me, and perecutes me for. For this pureness, which is this mark of the saints of God, is net partial, but univers,al; it is net a fig-leaf, that covers one spot et nakedness, but an entire garment, a cleanness in ail our actions. We say sometilnes, and net altogether improperly, that a man walks clean, if in a foui way he contract but a few spots of dirt; but yet this is net an absolute cleanness. A bouse is net clean, except cohwebs he swept down; a man is net clean, except he remove the lightest and slightest occasions of provocation. Itis the speech of the greatest te the greatest, of Christ te the church, Take u the little foxes, for they devour the vine. It is net a cropping, a pilling, a retarding of the grooEh of the vine that is threatened, but a devouring, though but frein little foxes. It is net se desperate a state, te bave thy seul attempted by that lion, that seeks whom he may devour, (tbr then, in great and apparent sins, thou 41t be occasioned te call upon the lion of the tribe of Juda, te thine assistance) as it is te bave thy seul eaten up by refrain, by the custom and habit of small sins. God punished the Egyptians with little things, with hailstones, and frogs, and grasshoppers; and Pharaoh's conjurers, that comterfeited all Moses" eater works, failed in the least, in the making of lice. A man may stand a great temptation, and satisfy himself in that, and think he hath done enough in the way of spirituaJ valeur, and then fall as irrecoverably under the custom of small. I were as good lie under a millstone, as under a bill of sand; for howsoever I might haro blown away every grain of sand, if I had watched it as it fell, yet when it is a bill, I cannot blow it, ner shove it away: and when I shall think te say te God, I bave done no great sins, God shall net proceed with me by weight, but by measure, ner ask how much, but how long I bave sinned. And though I may have done thus much towards this purity,

SEIo X.] 01 THE PURIFICATION. 201 &s that for  oo rime I ve scontnue my n, yet if my hea be still oet un the delight, and enjoining of that svhich w got by my tbrmer sins, though I be not that dog that returns to his vomir, yet I ara still that w, that waHows in ber mire; though I do hot thrust my hands into new dirt, yet the old is still un my hands; though mine own clothes do not defile meagain,  Job speaks ', (though I do not relapse to the practice of mine old sin) yet I have none of Jerenly's nitre, and soap, none of Job's snow-water, to wash me clean, except I corne W oestitution. As long as the hean is oet upon things sinfully got, thou sinnest over those year's SillS every day: thou an hot couru to the purity of this xt, tbr it is pure, and Tt«re lu heart. But can any man conte to that pureness  to have a hea pure fmm ail tbulness  Can a man be born so  lVho ca« briçq a can thiff out 'fllthiness I, is Job's unanswerable question. Can any man make it clean, of himself Il'ho can sa, I bave ruade cleau raff heart ? is Solomon's uuauswerable question. loved, when such questions as these, are asked in the Seripmoes, How can? who ca» do this? sometimes they impo an ablum impossibility, it cannot be done by auy nmans; and metimes they import but a diculty, it can hardly be done, it ean be done but Ollle one way. Wheu the prophet ys, What //ood can an idol, or an idolatrotts reliio do us"? It shall not help us in ul, in repumtion, in pretrment, it will deceive us every way, it is ablutely impossible, that an idol, or an idolatrous religion should do us any goed. But then when David say¢ Zoed who shaH ascend to th/i t««bera&, and dweH in t@ hol t«iH»? David does not mean that thel'e is no possibility of ascending thithcr, or dwelling there, though it be hard clambering thier, and hard holding there; and thetbre when the prophet says, Who is so wise as to fld out this wa «, he places this cleanne which we inquire ater, in wisdonl. What is wisdom  we may content ourselves with flat old definition of wisdom, that it is rerum hamaam, et dirbarum scietia; the wisdom that acoemplishes this cleanne, is file knowledge, the right valuation of this world, and of the next; to be able w compare the joys of tt Job . 22.  Job v. 4. ta Prov.   Hab .

heven, and the pleares of this orld, and the gain of the one, th the loss of the other this is the way to this clcanuess of the heurt; because that hca that considers, and examines, what it tak in, vill take in no fol no infections thin. God «t cal&d us to nncleanness, bu to hdins , savs the astle. If we be in the ways of uncleanness, God hzth hot eaHed us thither: we may slip into them, by the infirmity of out nature; or we may run into them by a custom of sin; we may be drawn into them, by the inordinatcuess of out affections; or we nmy be driven into them, by tar of losing the favour of those great persons, un whom we depen& and so oeeompany, or assist them in their sins. So we may sllp, and run, and be drawn, and be driven, but we are not called, hOt called by God, into any sin; hot ealled by any decree of God. not by any profession or ealling; hot by any complexion, or constitution, to n neeessity of eommitting any all sin is ti'om ourselves: but  we be in the ways of holiness, it i God tiret called us thither, we have hot bmught ourselves. God calls us bv his ordinance, and ministry in the church; but when God bath called us thither, we nmy sec, what he ex,ets ri.oui U, bv that which the apostle says, Let us cleanse ourselves from allfilthi»ess TM; that is, let us employ that facn]ty, that h in ourselvcs, let us be al»pliable and supple, easy and ductile, in those ways, to which Go,1 hath ca]led us. Since God, by breeding us in the Chritian churc]l, and iu the knowledge of his Wol'd, by putting that balance into oui. hand, to try heavenly, and eahlv t]lings, bv vhich we mav «fistinëuish, I«Tram à non l«wa, what is a leprous and sintl, what is an indiflbrent, and elean aaion, let us be courent fo put the ware, and the weights into the balance, that is, to bring all objoets, and all oetions to a eonsideration, and to an examination, bv that trial, belote we oet out hearts uln them: for God leares no man, with whom he hath proeeeded so far, as to breed him in the Christian ehureh, without a power  do that, to diseern his own actions, if he do hot wink. Upon those words, Isaae digffed the cells  cater, chich they had dça9ed in tke daffs  Abraham, and the Pkilistines kad st- ped'*, Origen extends this power far, though hot very eonfidently; tf 1 The. iv. 7.  2 Cor. vil. 1. » Gen. xx. 18,

Fortè in unlu»culusque nostrum anima s°, says he; Perchanco in every one of out souls, there is this well of the water of life, and this power to open it: whether Origen's zostrum, out soul, he intended by him of us, as we are men, or of us, as we are Christians, I pnouneo hot; but divide it in 11 us_, as we are naturai men, there is this vell of water of lire, Abraham digged it at first, tho Father of the faitlfful out heavenlv Abraham, infised it into us ail at first in Adam, ri.oto whom, as we have the image of God, though defaced, so we bave this well of water though stopped up; but then the Philistines having stopped this well, (Satan by sin having barred it up) the power of opening it a,_-,ain is not in the ]]atural man; but Isaac digs them agaiu,!saac who is.fllius lwtitiw, the Son of joy, our Iaac, our Jesu., he opens them again, to ail that reeeive him aceording to his ordinanee in his chureh, he bath given this power, of keeping open in themselves, this well of life, these means of salvatiou: Pccata tua alios inducunt colores, savs Origen in the saine place; Thv sins cover the image of God with other images, images of beauty, of honore', of pleasure, so that sometime. thou dost hOt discern the image of God, in thv soul, but yet there it is: sometimes thou fillest this well with other waters, with tears of hypocrisy, to dcceive, or tears of lamentation for worldly crosses, but yet sud a well, such a power to assist thine owu salvation, there is in thee: the womau who had lost lier piece of silver, tbund it hot dthout doors, but within; it was when her house was ruade clean, but it was within the house, and within her o'wn bouse. Make clean thy house, by the assistances, which Christ aflbrds thee in his church, and thou shalt never fail fiudiug of that within thee, which slmll save thee: hot that it grows in thee naturally, or that thon canst produce it of thyself, but that God bath hound himself by his holy covenant, to perfbct his work, in eve, man, that works with him. So then in repenting of former sins, in breaking off the practice of those sins, in restoring whatsoever was gotten by those sins, in precluding ail relapses, by a diligent survey and examination of particular actions, this is this cleanness, this purity of heart, which constitutes out first branch of o Homil. 13, in Gen.

this part; nd the second is the çurche, what we get by it, which is blessedne, Essed are t p«r n rt. In this, we make two steps, blesdns, and the prment session of tis lessedness. Now, to this?urpose, it is  goo rule that St. Bernard gives, and  goed wy that he goes: Cci 9EEuwoEue res saiun rou sun, is sapiens est, )'s he: e tt tte and apprehends all things in their proper and natural te, he that takcs ali things aright as they are, nothing distasteS him, nothing alters him, he is wise. If he ke the rich of this worhl m be in their nature, indifferent, neither goed, nor bad themseives, but to oeceive their denomination in their uoe. If he take long lit to be naturally an effect of a goed constitution, and teniperanlent of the body, and  goed husbanding of that temper by temperance, if he take ickness to be  declination and disorder thereof, and so other calalnities to be the declination of their power, or their favour, iii whose protection he trusted, then he kes all these things, pro« s«n, as they are, in their right tas, and is eapies ee, he that takes things so, is morally wioe. But thus far, St. Bernard does but te us, Q«is sapiens, Vho is wise; but then, Cci ipsa sapientia sapit, prott est, is beatus, He that stes this sdom itself al'ight, he only is blessed. Now m taste this moral wiMom aright, to make the right use of that, is to direct all that knowled upon heavenly rhino. To understand the wretchedness of this world, is to be wise, but to make this wisdom apprehend a hal»piness in the next world, that is m be blessed. "If I can digest the want of riches, the want of health, the want of reputation, out of this consideration, that goed men want these, as well as bad, this is moral wisdom, and a natural man may be as wioe herein, as I. But if I ean make th wisdom carry me to a higher eontemplation, that God bath cast the wants upon me. to draw me the more easily to him, and to see, that in aH likelihoed, my disposition being considered, more wlth, mooe health, more preferment wod have retarded me, and slackened my pace in his senice, than this wisdom, that this e of this moral wisdom, bath ruade me blessed; and to this blessedns, a natural man cannot corne. This bleedns then, is a concoence, a confluence, an cu- mulation of ail that is good; and he that is pure of heurt, sale in a rectified conscience, hath that. Not that everTthing, that hath any tincture, or naine of good in it, as riches, and health, and honour, must necessarily rail upon every man, that is good and pure of heurt; for, for the most part, such men want these more than any other meu. But because even those things, which hve in them, some tincture, and naine of iii, as sickness of body, or vexation of spirit, shall be good to them, because they shall advance them in their way to God  therefore are they blessed, as blessedness is the accumulation of ail that is good, because nothing cn put on the natnre of ill, to them. And though blessedness seem to be but an expectative, a reversion reserved to the next lire, yet so blessed are they in this testimony of a rectified conscience, which is this purity of heart, as that they hve this blessedness in a present possession, Blessed are the pure in keart; they are now, they are already blessed. The farthest that any of the philosophers went in the discovery of blessedness, was but to corne to that, nemo aute obitum, to pronounce that no mn could be called blessed before his death; hot that they had round what kind of better blessedness they went to after their death, but that still till death they were sure every mn was subject to new miseries, and interruptions of an)oEhing which they could bave called blesseduess. The Christian philosophy goes farther  it shows us a perfecter blessedness than they conceived for the next lire, and it imparts that hlessedness to this lire a[so: the pure in heurt are blessed already, hot only comparatively, that they are in  better wy of hlessedness, thon others are, but ctuaily in a present possession of it: for this world and the next world, are hot to the pure in heurt tvo houses, but two rooms, a gailery to pass through, and a lodging to test in, in the saine bouse, which are both under one roof, Christ Jesus; the militant and the triumphaut, are hot two chur«hes, but this the porch, and that the chancel of the saine church, which are under one head, Christ Jesus; so the joy, and the sense of salvatiou, which the pure in heurt have here, is hot a joy severed from the joy of heaven, but a joy that begins in us here, and continues, and accompanies us thither, and there flows on, and dilates itself fo au infinite expansion, (s, if you should touch one coru of

0 PREACHED ON CANDLEMAS DAY. [SER. No powder in a train, and that train should carry tire into a whole city, from the beginning it was one and the saine fi) though the fness of the glory thereof be reserved to that which is exprd in the  branch, TA y all see God; for,  St. Bernard notes, Vhen the chch  highliest extolled for ber beauty, yet it is but ]m&kerrima int nuliere, the Jhiret anyt womet, that is, ys he, Inter anina erretas,  autem inter anyelica beatL tudi, She is hOt compared with ber o sta in heaven, she hall bave a better state in that state, than she hth here; so when John Baptist's oee is highliest extolled, that he is called tke yreatest oph, it is but at9t the son of women, he is hot eompared with the Son of God. So this blesseess approp6- ated to the pure in h, gi'es a poesent suranee of fiture joy, and a present inehtion of that now, though the plenary eonsummation therf be respited, tffi we see God. Aud first zidebunt et non contremisct; this is a blesseess, they shall see God, and be glad to see him; see him in judent, and be able to stand in judent in his sight; they sha see him, and never trouble the hills to fall upon them, nor ca the mountains to eover them; upon them he shall hot oeeal as a thief in the night, but beeause he bath used to snd at their door, and knoek, and enter, they shall look for his eoming, and be glad of it. Firt they eome fo a true valuation of this world; I count all thiq but duça, but los,for the exc«llency  the knowdye  Ckrit Je»« y Lord "; when they bave found the te value of worldly things, they fill eome to something worth the getting, they will eome to St. Paul's way of gain, tkat to die i yain and adrantaye n: when they know that, they  coneeive a relious eovetousness of that. and o eome to St. Paul's desire to be di solved, and  be with Christ: when they bave enteained that desire, they fill declare if, make a petition, a suit for if, Ce Lord Jeu, corne uickly; and they sha bave a holy and me, but yet an infaible assuranee of this awer to their petition; Corne ye bleed  my Father, inherit tke khydom prepared for you from the foundation¢ of tke oeorld"; o by this aequainting themselves, and etonfing themselves to his presenee, in all s h. OE 8.  . i. 21.  Iatt. . .

szR. x.] o. 'e lJmPtc,'m.. 0-07 their actions, and mcditatlons in this llfe, they sh]l see hlm nd  gld to e him, even in judgmenL in the next. But the soeing of God prlnciplly intended in this place, is that vido beac«, to see G so,  tht that very seeiug makes the seer bleed, they are blessed therefore, because they see him  and tht is to see the very essence nd nture of God. For, that we shll see G in his essence is evident enouh by tht place of the apostle, w we ae te so OE God', (tht is, now by this Furity of hem't, and testimony of  rectified conscience we are ) and it doth hot yet appear 'hat we shall be, (that is, there are degrees of glory reserved for u that yet do hot appear to out understanding, we cannot conceive them) but we ktww, that u'et! shag appear, we shall be like him, (that is, receive incorruption anti gloff in out bodles, as he bath doue) and then the reason giveu there, of that, is, For we ehall see him, as he is, in his eence; all out beatification, and glorification in out bodies conds in this, that we shall see him as he is, in his essence. Then says St. Paul, I shall know, eee as I ara known , essentially. But whether then, in the resurrection, and glorification of the dy, G in his essence be to be seen with thoee e)s which the by sll then bave, is yet, and bath been long a question. The Scripture goes no farther, than to St. John I shall s him as he i, and to St. Paul's, I shall ktow Mm  I ara k»oea; but th what eyes I shall see him, (without any pelexing curiositi) we wi look a little into the fathers, and into the school, and concludo so, as may best adçance out edification. For the fathers, it may be sufficient to insist upon St. Au tine; hot because ho is always to be preferred belote ail, but bause in this point, he bath best collected ail that were before him, and is be foHowed of all that corne ater. St. Autino had written ainst a bishop who was of the sect of the Anth mohites, whose heresy was that G had a body; and in opsition of him, St. Augustine had said, that God was so f tom having a body, that out bodily eyes, howsoever glorified, should never see God. In that treatise St. Augustine had been ve bitter against that blshop, and being warned of it,jn another epistle to another bishop, Founatian» he repen, and retracts t! Jo i. 2. ' a! Cor. , 12.

« x.] os "r, eJlVc,vso. 09 o what particular ue spiritual, ho will no pnd fo know: whether the body of man shl be se attented and rarified, as tht the whole mn sll become opirit, whher the body shaH contribute and ssist the facties of the seul, as in this lire it doth, says that bled d sober father, I confess I never read any ing that I thought sucient te oectify mine o judent, much ls te cnge anothes: but te all those places of Scri ture, which a to this purpose, Tat te angel sec te fac of God, and that u'e shall be like the anyels, and sec God faoe te face, he answers well, Facies Dei ca est, qua De innotescit nobis, That is the tee of God te us all, by whieh God is knox and manifested te us; in whieh sense, ason is the face of God te the mtuml n, the hw te the Jew, and the gospel te us; and such a sight of God, doth no more put sueh n power of seeing in out dily eyes, than it purs a foee un God: we shall sec Ood face te face, and y Ood sll bave no face te be seen, ner we bodily eyes te sec him by: for, that I bave net read, says he; this, says he, I bave oead, Unto the Kin 9 eternal, immortal, ineisible «, &e. Neither da I, sa)'s St. Auguine, sever those things whieh the spirit of God bath joined, I date net sy that God is immoral in this world, and in the next world o, but infisible in this world only, and risible in the next, for the Holy Ghost bath pronounced him invisible, as far as immoral. If you pss me, says he, canner God then be sn  Yes, I eonfess ho ean. If you ask me, how $ He may ho seen when he wi, and how he will. If you psue if, can he net be seen in his essence  Yes, ho ean; if you peeed farther, and ask me how again  I can say no more, sys he, than Christ says, We shag be like the a»yels, and we shall sec God, se as tho angels de, but they sec hiln net with boly eyes, ner as an object, which is that that St. Ambrose, and St. Hierome, and St. Chrysostom intend, when they deny that the angels sec the essence of God, that is, they seo hi]n net other than by undersnding him. Ail aee in this relution, solus eus vide cor, et solum c vid Deum, only God ean sec the heart of man, and only the hea of man ean sec God: for, in this world, out bodily eyes de net sec dies, they sec but eolours and dimensions, they sec net bies;  I Tire. i. 17. VOL. i. P

210 PIIEACHEn ON CANDLE.'t|AS DAYmuch less sU o e)es, though spiritual, see spirits least of aU, that Sprit, in compason of whom, angels, and out spirits ara but oss bodi. Se far the fathem lead  towar  dermhation hemin; and thus far the schoel; nll« io aturalis  terris; here, in th lii, neither the eyes, ner the mind of the nlO subtle, and mos nctified man n see the essence, of God: ull« zisio corporalis u celis, the boly eyes of no man, in the highest state of glorification n heaven, can esia odto, that facty of man, which aU see the esoence of God in heaven, yet comprehend, is net te know  tng, as well as I cn know it, but te know it as we  that thiug can be kno; and se only God hielf can see, and kow, that i comprehend God. Te end ail, in the wholo body of the Scriptures we haro no liht, that out bodily eyes shU be se enlightened in the re- rection, as te fl«sh I shall su God , and mine e9 s/caR see God, (if these wor must necessarily bo understo of the last resurrection, which ome expositors deny, and Calvin in panicar, understands them of a panicular resurmction from at ealamity which lay upon Job at that time, and of his confidence that God wodd raise lfim again, even in this life) yet howsoever, and to which resurrection ever you refer them, the words must be understoed thé, flesh, tt is, when my sod shall re-assme this flesh in the r- rection, in that flesh I sll see God; he doth hot say, that flesh shall, but he, in that flesh, hall. So when he adds, shaH do it, ho inten those eyes, of which the apo»tle eaks, The eg " our Merstadig beiff facdty to seo him m, in his essence, with boly eyes, we fiud hot in Scripture; but yet in the Scriptes we do find, tht we shaH see him  £e is, iu his essence; how  It is a sale answer which St. Augtino gives in a such question Meliñ armamus, de uibus [inind dubimus, Only those things e fely amed, and oesolved, wch ait no doubt: this bath never admitted any doubt, but that out so, and ber facties shall be so exMted in tht  of glo, as at in thoee inteal factiea of the  Job . 26. sa Eph  18.

seul, se exalted, we shall see the very essence of God, which no measure of the light of grace, communicated te any, the most sanctified man here, doth eflict, but only tho light of glory there shall. And therefbre this heing clear, that in the fkeulties of out seuls wo shall seo him, ltesta u de ill« isione »ecundum interiorem hominem certissimi simus, says that hlessed and sober father, As out rean is satisfied that the saints in heaven shall sec God se, se let out consciences he satisfied, chat we bave art interest, in Chat state, and Chat we in patieular shall eome te that sight of God. Let us net abuse ourselves with atu'anees, ner test in any other, Chan this, chat we bave ruade elean, and pure out very hearts, tbr only such shall sec God. Omnls meridie dilacuhm habMt, (as the saine father continues this meditation) The brightest noon had a ïaint twilight, and break of day; the sigh of God whieh we shall bave in heaven, must bave a diluculum, a break of day here; il' we will sec his face there, we nmst sec it in seine beams here: and te chat pmpose, Y'isuslPer omues sensas recarrit, (as St. Augustine hath eolleeted out of several places of Seripture) Every sense is ealled sight, there is odora et :ide, and gusta et,idê, Caste md sec how sweet, and smell and sec what a saveur of litb che Lord is; se, St. Johtt turned about, te sec a,oice «, there hearing was sight; and se out Saviour Chris says, Handle and see , and there feeling is seeing. Ail things eoneur te this seeing, and therefore in all the works of your senses, and in ail your other ïaeulties, sec ye che Lord; hear him in his word, and se sec him; speak te him in your prayers, and se sec him; toueh him in his saerament, and se seo him  present holy and religious actions unto him, and se sec him. Daid's heart was towards Absalo, , savs that story: Joab saw chat, and, as every man will ho forward te ïttrther persons growing in faveur, (tbr se it should be donc te him, v,'hom king will honour) Joab plotted and eflieted Absalon's return, but ye Absalon saw net the king's face in two years. Beloved in Christ Jesus, che heart of your gracious God is set upon you and we his servants have told you se, and brought: you thus near him, into his court, lute his bouse, into che church, but yet we canner get you te co his face, te cOllle te that tenderness of o Apoc. i. 12. $o Luke xxiv. 39. Zl 2 8am. xiv. 1,2 conscience, as to remember and consider, that all your most secret actions are done in his sight and his presence; Coesar's face and Coesar's inscription you can see; the face of the prince in his coin you can rise before the sun fo see, and sit up till mid-night to see; but if you do hot see the face o God upon every piece of that money too, all that money is counterfeit; if Christ bave hOt brought that fish to the hook, that brings the money in the mouth, (as he did to Peter")that money is ill fished for; if nourishing of suits, aud love of contention anaongst others, for your own] gain, have brought it, it is out of the way of that eounoel, Follow Teac citk ai1 men, and holiness, cithout wh[ch no »an shall see (od 33. This is tke.qeneratio of them that seek hiTn, that seet[" thy face, 0 Jacob "; of inuoeent hands, and a pure hear; either such an innocence, as never fouled the hands, or such an innocency as hath washed them elean again, such an innoeency as hath kept)'ou from corrupt getting, or sueh an innoeeney as hath restored us, by restoring that, which was eorruptly got. It is testified of Solomon, that he exceeded ail tke khçqs of the earth, for,cisdom, and for riches, and ail the earth so,çqht the.face of,S'olomon'; a greater than Solomon is here, for wisdonl, and riches; your wisdom is foolishness, and your riches beggary, if you see not the face of this Solomon; if either you have studied or practised, or judged, when his back is towards)'ou, that is, if)'ou have not done ail, as in his presenee. S'ou are in his presenee now; go hot out of it, when you go from henee. Amor rerum terrenarum, :iscus pennarum spiritualhtm; God hath given)-ou tlle wings of dores, and the eyes of eagles to see him now, in this place; if in returning from this place, you return to your former ways of pleasure or profit, this is a breaking of those dores" wings, and a sealing of those eagles' eyes. C.qe cor tunm co9itare dirina, compdh,, ur.qe, says that father; Here, in the church, thou eanst not choose but see God, and raise thy heart towards him: but when thou ar returned to thy several distractions, that vanities 8hall pull thine eyes, and obtreetation, and libellous defamation of others shall pull thine ears, and profit shall pull thy hands, then co9e, compelle, nr9e, force and eompel thy heart, and press, even in that thrust of tentations, to see God. s- Matt. xvii. 27. ï Hcb xii. 14. s Psalm xxiv. 3. a 1 Kiags x. 24.  Augustine.

SElf. X.] ON THE PRIFICATIO.. 21.3 What God is in his essence, or what out siht of the essence of God shall be in the next wor]d, dispute hot too curious]y, determine hot no t, is excellent]y sid by St. Austine: If thou begin to think, what the esoence of God is, and canst brin that thouht to an end, thou hast mistaken it; whensoever thou canst sy, this is God, or G is this, tht is hot G, God is not that, for he is more, infinite]y more than that. But if thou a hot able to say, this is God, God is this; be able to say, this is ot God, God is wt this: the belly is hot G; mammon is hOt God; Mauzzim, the god of forces, oppression, is hot Goal; Belphegor, licentiousness, is not God: howsoever God sees me, to my confusion, yet I do not see God, when I ara sacrificing to these, which are hOt gs. Let us begin at that which is nearest us, within us, pureness of heart, and from thence receive the testimony of God's privy sl, the impression of his Spirit, that we are blessed; and that leads us to the great sl, the full fruition of ail; we shall see God, there, where he sall male us drink p«res; there is fifiness, plenty; but let it should be a tast of one day, or of a few, as it is said, they are iers, so it is adde wit tee is te yttair of l; an abundant river, to convey, and and then, wherein appears ail this [ In this, for i» tby li.qt we sall «e lit; in seeing God, we shall see ail that concerns us, and see it ahvays; no night to determine that day, uo cloud fo oveast it. Ve end ail with St. Austine's devout exclamation, Glorious God, what kind of eyes shall they be  how bright eyes, and how well set[ how strong eyes, and how durable t What quality, what value, what naine shall we give fo those eyes [ I would say something of the beauty and glory of these eyes, and can find no words, but such as I myseff bave misused in lower things. Out best expressing of if, is to express a desire to corne to it, for there only we shall learn what fo call it. That so we may go the apostle's way, to his end, Tat beby madefree from si, and be¢ome servants to God, we may bave otr fruit hollness: ad then the erd, loEè ererlastig s'. s Psalm xxxvi. 8. ss Rom. vL 22,

JoB xvi. 17—19. l'ot for any injustice in rny hands: also my prayer is pure. 0 earth cover not thou my blood  and let my cry bave no place. Also now behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. Jo's friends (as, in civility, we are fain to call them, because they came upon a civil pretence, to vlsit him, and to comfort him) had now done speaking. It was long before they would bave done. I Itare often heard swh thi».qs as you say', says Job to them, they are hot now new to me; and therefore, miserable comforters, troubleso»te comforters are ye ail. old and new. But. says he,,çkall your wid!! words, your empty, your air)', your frothy words bave any end ? low they bave an end. Eliphaz ends his charge in the la, and lu this chapter Job begins to answer for himseff. But how . By a middle way. Job does hot justify himself; but yet he does hot prevarlcate, he does hot betray Iris innocence neither. For there may be a pusillanimity even towards God; a man may over-clog his own conscience, and belle himself in his contbssions, out of a distempered jealousy, and suspicion of God's pulposes upon him; Job does hot so. Many men bave troubled themselves more how the soul cornes into man, than how it goes out; they wrangle, whether it cornes in by infusion from God, or by propagation from parents, and never consider, whether it shall return to him that ruade it, or to him that marred it, to hlm that gave it, or to him that corrupted it. So, many ofour expositors upon this Book of Job, bave spent themselves upon the person, and the place, and the rime, who Job was, when Job was, where Job was, and whether there were ever any such person as Job, or no; and bave passed over too slightly the senses, and doctrines of the book. St. Gregory bath, (to good use) given us many momls, (as he calls them) upon this book, but, truly, hot many literals, for.  Ver. 2. « Ver. 3.