5. This expectation neceffarily includes a holy preparation, and fuch a preparation as relates to the majefty of him, whom we expect, the greatness of the judgment, that he will come to execute, and the eternal benefits, of which we hope to partake. (6) We must not imitate that wicked fervant in the parable, who faid my Lord delays his coming, and who, under cover of that delay, beat his fellow-fervants. When Efther was to appear before Ahafuerus, fhe spent many days beforehand in preparing herself, adorning herself with her moft coftly habits, that the might appear before him in a proper manner. Such is the waiting of a believer, he employs all his life-time to prepare (6) Hope prepares. Agreeable to this is the faying of St. John, 1 Ep. iii. 3. Every man, that bath this hope in bim; purifieth himself, even as he is pure; that is, he takes his ideas of purity from Jefus Chrift, and prepares to meet him with a fpecial view. to that kind of purity, which Quid non fpes audet? will beft agree with the inflexible juftice of his judge. This grace, hope, which is ufually accounted the lowest degree of christian moral excellence, is alone fuperior to all the highest Pagan virtues, and produces far nobler effects! To what arduous fervices hath it excited the peo❤ ple of God! Indeed, hope, if it have a large object, is always a vigorous, bold, enterprizing difpofition. It is fo, when its object is natural : what muft it be with fuch an object as eternal felicity! a felicity altogether fupernatu ral and divine! Sperat, qui curvo fulcos perrumpit aratro. Naufragus, hac cogente, natat per foeta procellis, &c. &c. VOL, II. Incerti autoris, vid. vol. i. p. 420. n. 9. prepare for that folemn hour, when eternity will begin. (7) (7) 4 Chriftian employs all his life to prepare for eternity. We have no book on this fubject in English, that I have ever feen, beyond Baxter's faint's everlasting reft. It is a body of heart-divinity, abounding with the moft animating fentiments, and all calculated on Mr. Claude's plan of making every day preparatory to ultimate happinefs in heaven. "Thou fayeft, fays this excellent man, thy comfort is all in Chrift: but, I must tell thee, it is a Chrift remembered and loved, and not a Chrift forgotten, or only talked of, that will folidly comfort." Saint's reft, Part iv. Intro duct. The fecond advent of Jefus Chriit, of which our Author fpeaks, is confiderable in three points of light. 1. As it regards each individual, this our divines place at death. 2. As it regards a future, more glorious ftate of the church on earth. A multitude of prophecies exhibit this object to our hope. 3. As it regards future, final, general judgment. A very honest laborious divine of our own has remarked twenty events, which he calls " tural preparations for the deftruction of Anti chrift, and for the revival of primitive na The Chriftianity." Some of these events follow. "1. The revival of learning in Europe upon the retreat of the Greeks, with their ancient books, from the east into the weft, at the taking of Conftantinople by the Turks, 1453. ing. 2. The invention of print 3. The recovery of liberty by the Swiss Cantons, and afterward by the Dutch. 4. The Proteftant reformation begun by Luther, 1517. 8. Discoveries in natural philofophy, by the Royal Society-by Mr. Boyle-by Sir 1. Newton, and others, which have broken all pretences to Atheism and irreligion from philofophy, and ftrongly confirmed the foundations of true religion, the being and providence of God, by the certain phenomena of the natural world. 9. The erection of feveral focieties-for promoting chriftiap knowledge-&c. &c. 10. The converfion of the ftudies of divines from schooldivinity, &c. 12. Modern tyrannical impofitions on the confciences of men wearing off by degrees. 16. The tranflation of the crown of Great Britain from popish to proteftant fucceffors." You might eafily take the characters of vices from this pattern of characterizing virtues; however, I will add an example on avarice (8) taking for a text Heb. xiii. 5. Let your converfation be without covetousness, and be content with fuch things as ye have. 1. Avarice is a difpofition fo grofs, that it obfcures the understanding and reason of a man, even fo far as to make him think of profit, where there is nothing but lofs, and imagine that to be ceconomy, which is nothing but ruin. Is it not in this manner, that a covetous man, instead of preventing maladies by an honeft and frugal expence, draws them upon himfelf by a fordid and niggardly way of living; and by this mean brings himself under an unavoidable neceffity of confuming one part of his fubftance to recover a health, which by an exceffive parfimony he has loft. There are even fome, who tatis egregia defcriptio, bene oculi: ii enim foli fruuntur divitiis apud avaros. Grotius Itin Eccl. iv. 8. I have not tranfcribed the vitiis. Eccl. iv. 8. Avidiwhole lift of events mentioned by this writer, I am not fure that I have not tranfcribed too many. was peculiar to this induftri- An immoderate love of ous good man to mix reverie money is an extreme oppowith religion. Literal Ac-fite to prodigality, the first comp. of Scrip. Proph. By Will. Whifton. faves all, the laft fpends all." A virtuous use of money is a narrow path, that lies between these two extremes. Moralifts affirm, that of the two evils avarice is the greateft. Profufenefs, fay they, may be reformed by poverty: but avarice is incurable. An extravagant man benefits others, while he impoverishes himfelf: but a miser neither profits himself, nor any other Nec fatiantur oculi ejus di perfon, &c. &c. (8) Avarice is a vice. Avarice is thus defined by an accurate writer. "Even things inanimate often raise emotions accompanied with defire: witnefs the goods of fortune, which are objects of defire almost univerfally; and the defire, when immoderate, obtains the name of avarice." who bring inevitable death upon themselves, rather than ipend any thing to procure neceffary relief, and are impertinent enough to imagine that riches had better be without a poffeffor, than a poffeffor without riches; as if man were made for money, and not money for man. (9) (9) Avarice blinds reafon. We will not here collect trite examples of irrational parfimony. Moral writers abound with them. They tell us of one, who by will properly executed left all he had to himself-of another, who, when he found himfelf a dying, difcovered no concern about that: but was extremely difconcerted. at the approaching expence of his funeral and of a third, who hung himself in a penny cord to fave the charge of dying under the direction of a doctor. We waive thefe, and we will remark the wonderful power of intereft over the understandings of minif ters in church-controverfy. The difpute between conformifts and non-conformists exhibits a fad example of this. I do not fcruple to put a thousand abfurd pofitions to the account of an understanding blinded by intereft; for, had these very pofitions been profeffed by the puritans, perfecuted by the crown, and every where appeared in mean and contemptible garb; muft they have been preached in a barn, printed in a cellar, and profeffed at the peril of all, that men But 2dly, hold dear, is it credible thefe pofitions would have had fuch defenders? Truth, and truth only, can abide all these fiery trials. What conviction are folitary arguments like to produce in a mercenary man, who is to have five thousand a year for not believing them! Here follow fome of these pofitions. "The magiftrate is empowered to govern the confciences of his fubjects. Private perfons have no right to judge, they are not mafters of their own actions, nor ought they to be governed by their own judgments: but they ought to be directed by the publick conScience of their governors. If the magiftrate impofe any thing finful, he, and not the people who fubmit to the impofition, is accountable to God for it." Parker Eccl. Pol. "When governors enjoin ceremonies in religion plainly, and diametrically oppofite to the law of God, it is a virtue in the people to fubmit to them." Hickeringill. Greg. Pater. It is fafer to err, that is, to fin, with our church-governors, But 2dly, this would be but little if avarice affected only the avaricious themselves, it goes much farther, it renders a man ufelefs to fociety. It fubverts the idea of our living to affift one another, for a covetous man is useless to the whole world. He resembles that earth, of which St. Paul fpeaks, which drinketh in the rain, that comes often upon it, and beareth only thorns and briars. He is an unfruitful tree, a gulph, which draws in waters from all parts; but from which no ftream runs ; or, if you will, an avaricious man is like death, vernors, than to feparate rightly from them." Long. Cont. Hales. "The people ought to fubmit to their church-governors, although a doubtful confcience may dictate the contrary." Thomdyke Pond. et Menf. The writer, who relates and confutes these abfurdities, laughs at the cant of doubtful confciences, as it is applied to the non-conformifts. Church champions debated at that time of day the rights of fcrupulous confriences doubting confciences and fo on; and, when the civil powers obliged them to cease brawling, and to allow liberty of confcience, they came into these court measures, they protefted, because, compaffionate fouls, that they were! they really that thought fomething fhould be done for the eafe of doubting confciences. Thus rolls the ball along! God knows, we, who best know our own confciences, we have NO DOUBTS. "Futiliter de RE, de qua lis eft. Nos, qui nonconformes fumus, non hæremus judicio fufpenfo et pendulo; fed judicamus credimufque ritus illos, quibus nofmet fubjicere refugimus, haud abfque gravi peccato a nobis poffe recipi. De DUBIIS itaque non eft inftituenda queftio." Gul. Jenkins Refut. Grovii. fec. vi. This article would fill a volume: but this is a note, and I defift; adding only one verfe of a father, on magiftratical authority over confcience, which always pleases me. Juffum eft principis ore Galieni Factorem Dominumque Galieni. Prudentius. |