verence toward God, out of good-will and kindnefs to- SERM. XXXI. ward his brother, hath dispersed, and given to the poor. God will not, as the Apoftle faith, be unjuft to forget his Heb. vi. 10. labour of charity in miniftering to his poor brother: from the feed which he hath fown to the Spirit, he fhall affur- Gal. vi. 8. edly reap a moft plentiful crop of bleffings fpiritual; he fhall effectually enjoy the good foundation that he hath 1 Tim. vi. ftored up for the goods he hath fold and delivered, he fhall bona fide receive his bargain, the hidden treafure and pre- Matt. xiii. cious pearl of eternal life; for this best improvement of 46. his talent of worldly riches, he fhall hear the Euge bone Matt. xxv. Serve, Well done, good and faithful fervant, enter into 21, 23. thy mafter's joy he fhall at last find God infinitely more bountiful to him, than he hath been unto the poor. Thus when all the flashes of fenfual pleasure are quite extinct; when all the flowers of fecular glory are withered away; when all earthly treasures are buried in darkness; when this world, and all the fashion of it, are utterly vanished and gone, the bountiful man's ftate will still be firm and flourishing, and his righteousness shall endure for ever. 19. 13. 1 Kings i. It follows, His horn fhall be exalted with honour. A horn is an emblem of power; for in it the beafts' firength, offenfive and defenfive, doth confift; and of plenty, for it hath within it a capacity apt to contain what is put into it; and of fanctity, for that in it was put the holy oil, 1 Sam.xvi. with which kings were confecrated; and of dignity, both in confequence upon the reafons mentioned, (as de- 39. noting might, and influence, and facrednefs accompanying fovereign dignity,) and because also it is an especial beauty and ornament to the creature which hath it; fo that this expreffion (His horn shall be exalted with honour) may be fuppofed to import, that an abundance of high and holy, of firm and folid honour shall attend upon the bountiful perfon. And that fo it truly fhall, may from many confiderations appear. 1. Honour is infeparably annexed thereto, as its natural companion and fhadow. God hath impreffed upon all virtue a majefty and a beauty, which do command respect, SERM. and with a kindly violence extort veneration from men: XXXI. fuch is the natural conftitution of our fouls, that as our fenfe neceffarily liketh what is fair and fweet, so our mind unavoidably will efteem what is virtuous and worthy; all good actions as fuch are honourable: but of all virtues, beneficence doth with most unquestionable right claim honour, and with irresistible force procures it; as it is indeed the most divine of virtues, fo men are most apt to venerate them, whom they observe eminently to practise it. Other virtues men fee, and approve as goodly to the xed fight; but this they taste and feel; this by most senig Tv fible experience they find to be pleasant and profitable, ps and cannot therefore but highly prize it. They, who do g. Arif. their alms before men, although out of an unworthy vainMatt. vi. 1. glorious defign, have yet, as our Saviour intimates, their reward; they fail not to get honour thereby; and even fo Φιλῦνται λιγα οἱ έλευ ὠφέλιμοι 1. ατείαι καὶ ὁ have no bad pennyworth: for, in the Wife Man's judgProv. xxii. ment, A good name is rather to be chofen than great riches; they receive at least fine air, for grofs earth; and things very spiritual, for things moft material; they obtain that which every man doth naturally defire and prize, for that which only fashion in fome places endeareth and comAi yag du- mendeth: they get the end for the means; for scarce any man feeketh wealth for itself, but either for honour, or for virtue's fake, that he may live creditably, or may do good therewith: neceffity is ferved with a little, pleasure may be fatisfied with a competence; abundance is required only to support honour or promote good; and honour by a natural connection adhereth to bounty. He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life, righteoufnefs, and honour. Prov. xxi. 21. πλᾶτος διὰ Tμ ἐσιν αἱρετά, Arift. 2. But farther, an acceffion of honour, according to gracious promise, (grounded upon fomewhat of special reason, of equity and decency in the thing itself,) is due from God unto the bountiful perfon, and is by special providence furely conferred on him. There is no kind of piety, or inftance of obedience, whereby God himself is more fignally honoured, than by this. These are chiefly Matt. v. 16. thofe good works, the which men seeing, are apt to glorify 12, 13. our Father which is in heaven. Phil. i. 11. Being filled SERM. with the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Chrift Jesus XXXI. to the glory and praife of God. To these fruits that is moft applicable which our Lord faith, Hereby is my Fa- John xv. 3. ther glorified, if ye bear much fruit; for as he that oppress- Prov. xiv. eth the poor reproacheth his Maker; fo he honoureth him, 31. that hath mercy on the poor. The comfortable experience of good in this fort of actions will most readily dispose men to admire and commend the excellency, the wisdom, the goodness of the divine laws, will therefore procure God hearty praise and thanks for them: for, as St. Paul teacheth us, The administration of his fervice not only 2 Cor. ix. Supplieth the want of the faints, but is abundant alfo by many thanksgivings unto God; whilft by experiment of this miniftration, they glorify God for your profeffed fubjection unto the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal diftribution unto them, and unto all men. Since then God is fo peculiarly honoured by this practice, it is but equal and fit that God fhould remunerate it with honour: God's noble goodness will not let him feem defective in any fort of beneficial correfpondence toward us; we shall never be able to yield him any kind of good thing in duty, which he will not be more apt to render us in grace; they who, as Solomon speaketh, honour God with Prov. iii. 9. their fubftance, fhall by God certainly be honoured with his bleffing: reafon intimates fo much, and we befide have God's exprefs word for it: Them, faith he, who ho- 1 Sam. ii. nour me, I will honour. He that abfolutely and independently is the fountain of all honour, from whom, as good 1 Chron. king David faith, riches and honour cometh, for that he reigneth over all, he will affuredly prefer and dignify thofe, who have been at special care and coft to advance his honour. He that hath the hearts of all men in his Prov.xxi. 1. hands, and fashioneth them as he pleaseth, will raise the bountiful man in the judgments and affections of men. He that ordereth all the events of things, and difpofeth fuccefs as he thinks fit, will cause the bountiful perfon's enterprises to profper, and come off with credit. He will not fuffer the reputation of fo real an honourer of himself 30. xxix. 12. Pf. xxxiii. 15. SERM. to be extremely flurred by disaster, to be blafted by slanXXXI. der, to be fupplanted by envy or malice; but will bring Pf. xxxvii. forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noon-day. 6. Heb. xiii. 20, 21. 3. God will thus exalt the bountiful man's horn even here in this world, and to an infinitely higher pitch he will advance it in the future ftate: he fhall there be fet at the right hand, in a most honourable place and rank, among the chief friends and favourites of the heavenly King, in happy confortfhip with the holy angels and bleffed faints; where, in recompence of his pious bounty, he fhall, from the bountiful hands of his moft gracious Lord, receive an incorruptible crown of righteoufnefs, and an unfading crown of glory. The which God of his infinite mercy grant unto us all, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom for ever be all praife. Amen. Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. SERMON XXXII. UPON THE PASSION OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR. PHIL. ii. 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. WHEN, in confequence of the original apoftasy from SERM. God, which did banith us from paradife, and by conti- XXXII. nued rebellions against him, inevitable to our corrupt and Cyril. c. impotent nature, mankind had forfeited the amity of Jul. viii. p. God, (the chief of all goods, the fountain of all happi- 303. nefs,) and had incurred his displeasure; (the greatest of all evils, the foundation of all mifery :) 278. ix. p. John iii. 36. Col. iii. 6. 34. When poor man having deferted his natural Lord and Iren. iii. 33, Protector, other lords had got dominion over him, fo that Ifa. xxvi. he was captivated by the foul, malicious, cruel fpirits, and 13. enflaved to his own vain mind, to vile lufts, to wild paffions: Iren. iii. s. ii. 17. When, according to an eternal rule of justice, that fin Gen. iv. 7. deferveth punishment, and by an exprefs law, wherein death was enacted to the tranfgreffors of God's command, the root of our ftock, and confequently all its branches, Iren. v. 16. stood adjudged to utter destruction: 19. Θεῷ. When, according to St. Paul's expreffions, all the world Rom. iii. was become guilty before God, (or, fubjected to God's judg- irédines r ment :) all men (Jews and Gentiles) were under fin, under condemnation, under the curfe; all men were concluded in- v. 16, 18. to difobedience, and shut up together (as clofe prifoners) Rom. xi. Gal. iii. 10. 32. εἰς ἀπείθειαν. Gal. iii. 22. |