what is past? This is a material consideration in the righteousness evangelical. But then, B) We must know that in keeping of God's commandments every degree of internal duty is under the commandments; and therefore whatever we do, we must do it as well as we can. Now he that does his duty with the biggest affection he can, will also do all that he can ; and he can never know that he hath done what is commanded, unless he does all that is in his power. For God hath put no limit but love and possibility, and therefore whoever says, 'Hither will I go and no further,' 'This I will do and no more,' Thus much will I serve God, but that shall be all;' he hath the affections of a slave, and the religion of a pharisee, the craft of a merchant, and the falseness of a broker; but he hath not the proper measures of the righteousness evangelical. But so it happens in the mud and slime of the river Borborus, when the eye of the sun hath long dwelt upon it, and produces frogs and mice which begin to move a little under a thin cover of its own parental matter, and if they can get loose to live half a life, that is all; but the hinder parts, which are not formed before the setting of the sun, stick fast in their beds of mud, and the little moiety of a creature dies before it could be well said to live: so it is with those Christians, who will do all that they think lawful, and will do no more than what they suppose necessary; they do but peep into the light of the Sun of righteousness; they have the beginnings of life; but their hinder parts, their passions and affections, and the desires of the lower man are still unformed; and he that dwells in this state is just so much of a Christian as a spunge is of a plant, and a mushroom of a shrub: they may be as sensible as an oyster, and discourse at the rate of a child, but are greatly short of the righteousness evangelical. I have now done with those parts of the christian righteousness, which were not only an ὑπεροχή or excess, but an ἀντιστοιχείωσις to the pharisaical: but because I ought not to conceal any thing from you that must integrate our duty, and secure our title to the kingdom of heaven; there is this to be added, that this precept of our blessed Saviour is to be extended to the direct degrees of our duty. We must do more duties, and we must do them better. And in this, although we can have no positive measures, because they are potentially infinite, yet therefore we ought to take the best, because we are sure the greatest is not too big; and we are not sure that God will accept a worse, when we can do a better. Now although this is to be understood of the internal affection only; because that must never be abated, but God is at all times to be loved and served with all our heart, yet concerning the degrees of external duty, as prayers and alms, and the like, we are certainly tied to a greater excellency in the degree, than was that of the scribes and pharisees. I am obliged to speak one word for the determination of this enquiry, viz., to how much more of external duty Christians are obliged, than was in the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees. In order to this, briefly thus;- I remember that Salvian" speaking of old men summing up their repentances, and making amends for the sins of their whole life, exhorts them to alms and works of piety. But enquiring how much they should do towards the redeeming of their souls, answers with a little sarcasm, but plainly enough to give a wise man an answer. "A man," says he, "is not bound to give away all his goods, unless peradventure he owes all to God; but in that case I cannot tell what to say; for then the case is altered. A man is not bound to part with all his estate; that is, unless his sins be greater than his estate; but if they be, then he may consider of it again, and consider better. And he need not part with it all, unless pardon be more precious to him than his money, and unless heaven be worth it all, and unless he knows justly how much less will do it. If he does, let him try his skill, and pay just so much and no more than he owes to God: but if he does not know, let him be sure to do enough." His meaning is this not that a man is bound to give all he hath, and leave his children beggars; he is bound from that by another obligation. But as when we are tied to pray continually, the meaning is, we should consecrate all our time by taking good portions out of all our time for that duty; the devoutest person being like the waters of Siloam, a perpetual spring, but not a perpetual current; that is, always in readiness, but actually thrusting forth his waters at certain periods every day so out of all our estate we must take for religion and repentance such portions as the whole estate can allow; so much as will consecrate the rest; so much as is fit to bring when we pray for a great pardon, and deprecate a mighty anger, and turn aside an intolerable fear, and will purchase an excellent peace, and will reconcile a great sinner. Now in this case a Christian is to take his measures according to the rate of his contrition and his love, his religion and his fear, his danger and his expectation: and let him measure his amends wisely; his sorrow pouring in, and his fear thrusting it down, and it were very well if his love also would make it run over. For deceive not yourselves, there is no other measure but this; so much good as a man does, or so much as he would do if he could, so much of religion and so much of repentance he hath, and no more: and a man cannot ordinarily know that he is in a saveable condition, but by the testimony which a divine philanthropy and a good mind always gives, which is to omit no opportunity of doing good in our several proportions and possibilities. There was an alms which the scribes and pharisees were obliged by the law to give, the tenth of every third year's increase; this they Χάρις, always paid, and this sort of alms is called dukatorum, 'righteousness' or justice; but the alms which Christians ought to give is and it is ȧyán, it is 'grace,' and it is 'love,' and it is abundance;' and so the old rabbins told, Justitia proprie dicitur in iis quæ jure facimus, benignitas in iis quæ præter jus. It is more than righteousness, it is bounty and benignity, for that is the christian measure. And so it is in the other parts and instances of the righteousness evangelical. And therefore it is remarkable that the saints in the Old testament were called eveîs, 'right men,' and the book of Genesis, as we find it twice attested by S. Hieromex, was called by the ancient hellenists Βίβλος εὐθέων, the book of right or just men,' the book of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: but the word for Christians is xpηoroì, good men, harmless, and profitable; men that are good, and men that do good. In pursuance of which it is further observed by learned men, that the word ȧpern, or 'virtue,' is not in the four gospels; for the actions of Christ's disciples should not be in gradu virtutis only, virtuous and laudable, such as these Aristotle presses in his Magna moralia; they must pass on to a further excellency than so, the same which he calls πpágeis Tŵv pάw they must be sometimes, and as often as we can, in gradu heroico, or, that I may use the christian style, they must be actions of perfection. 'Righteousness' was the ovvóvvpov for alms in the Old testament, and Teλeióτns, or 'perfection' was the word for alms in the New; as appears by comparing the fifth of S. Matthew and the sixth of S. Luke together; and that is the full state of this difference in the enquiries of the righteousness pharisaical and evangelical. I have many more things to say, but ye cannot hear them now, because the time is past. One thing indeed were fit to be spoken of, if I had any time left; but I can only name it, and desire your consideration to make it up. This great rule that Christ gives us, does also, and that principally too, concern churches and commonwealths, as well as every single Christian. Christian parliaments must exceed the religion and government of the Sanhedrim. Your laws must be more holy, the condition of the subjects be made more tolerable, the laws of Christ must be strictly enforced, you must not suffer your great Master to be dishonoured, nor His religion dismembered by sects, or disgraced by impiety: you must give no impunity to vicious persons, and you must take care that no great example be greatly corrupted; you must make better provisions for your poor than they did, and take more care even of the external advantages of Christ's religion and His ministers, than they did of the priests and Levites; that is, in all things you must be more zealous to promote the kingdom of Christ, than they were for the ministeries of Moses. The sum of all is this; the righteousness evangelical is the same Comment. in xii. Esai. [lege, in et lib. vi. in Ezek. xviii. [tom. iii. col. Esai. xliv. qui est lib. xii. comment.] 328, 819.] y [lib. ii. cap. 5.] with that which the ancients called ἀποστολικὴν διάγειν πολίτειαν, 'to live an apostolical life.' That was the measure of Christians, the οἱ ἐναρέτως καὶ θεαρέστως βιοῦντες, men that desired to please God; that is, as Apostolius most admirably describes it, men who are curious of their very eyes, temperate in their tongue, of a mortified body and a humble spirit, pure in their intentions, masters of their passions: men who when they are injured return honourable words; when they are lessened in their estates, increase in their charity; when they are abused, they yet are courteous and give en- . treaties; when they are hated, they pay love: men that are dull in contentions, and quick in loving-kindnesses, swift as the feet of Asahel, and ready as the chariots of Amminadiba. True Christians are such as are crucified with Christ, and dead unto all sin; and finally place their whole love on God, and for His sake upon all mankind. This is the description of a Christian, and the true state of the righteousness evangelical; so that it was well said of Athenagoras', οὐδεὶς χριστιανὸς πονηρὸς, εἰ μὴ ὑποκρίνεται τὸν λόγον, ‘no Christian is a wicked man, unless his life be a continual lie,' unless he be false to God and his religion. For the righteousness of the gospel is, in short, nothing else but a transcript of the life of Christ. De Matthana Nahaliel, de Nahaliel Bamothe, said R. Joshua; Christ is the image of God, and every Christian is the image of Christ; whose example is imitable, but it is the best; and His laws are the most perfect, but the most easy; and the promises by which He invites our greater services are most excellent, but most true; and the rewards shall be hereafter, but they shall abide for ever; and (that I may take notice of the last words of my text) the threatenings to them that fall short of this righteousness are most terrible, but most certainly shall come to pass, they shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven;" that is, their portion shall be shame and an eternal prison, aopaλTodes peûμa, a flood of brimstone,' and a cohabitation with devils to eternal ages and if this consideration will not prevail, there is no place left for persuasion, and there is no use of reason; and the greatest hopes and the greatest fears can be no argument or sanction of laws; and the greatest good in the world is not considerable, and the greatest evil is not formidable; but if they be, there is no more to be said; if you would have your portion with Christ, you must be righteous by His measures; and these are they that I have told you of. [Cent. iii. prov. 89; e Suida in voc. ȧTоσтоAIK, post S. Basil., hom. in s. baptism., § 7.-tom. ii. p. 120 C.] Eor δὲ αὐτὴ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀκρίβεια, γλώσσης ἐγε κράτεια, σώματος δουλαγωγία, φρόνημα ταπεινὸν, ἐννοίας καθαρότης, ὀργῆς ἀφα νισμὸς ἀγγαρευόμενος προτίθει [al. προστ τίθει], ἀποστερούμενος μὴ δικάζου, μισού μενος ἀγάπα, βιαζόμενος ἀνέχου, βλασφημούμενος παρακάλει, νεκρώθητι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, συσταυρώθητι [al. σταυρώθητι] τῷ Χριστῷ, ὅλην τὴν ἀγάπην μετάθες ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον. [Cant. vi. 12.] Legat. pro christianis. [c. ii. p. 14.] [Numb. xxi. 19, a passage often allegorized by the Talmudists; and by later writers. Matthana enim hebr. idem est quod donum descendens, scilicet a patre luminum: ex quo primo ascendunt in Nahaliel, id est in hæreditatem, vel possessionem Dei, per activæ vitæ virtutem: deinde in Bamoth, id est in excelsa, scilicet contemplativæ vitæ.'-Rupert, See Corn, a Lapide, and Dorscheus (Biblia numerata) in loc. Compare p. 258 above.] SERMON II. THE CHRISTIAN'S CONQUEST OVER THE BODY OF SIN. ROM. vii. 19. For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I WHAT the eunuch said to Philip", when he read the book of the prophet Isaiah, "Of whom speaketh the prophet this, of himself, or some other man?" the same question I am to ask concerning the words of my text; does S. Paul mean this of himself, or of some other? It is hoped that he speaks it of himself; and means that though his understanding is convinced that he ought to serve God, and that he hath some imperfect desires to do so, yet the law of God without is opposed by a law of sin within. We have a corrupted nature, and a body of infirmity, and our reason dwells in the dark, and we must go out of the world before we leave our sin. For besides that some sins are esteemed brave and honourable, and he is a baffled person that dares not kill his brother like a gentleman; our very tables are made a snare, and our civilities are direct treasons to the soul. You cannot entertain your friend but excess is the measure; and that you may be very kind to your guest, you step aside and lay away the christian; your love cannot be expressed unless you do him an ill turn, and civilly invite him to a fever. Justice is too often taught to bow to great interests, and men cannot live without flattery; and there are some trades that minister to sin, so that without a sin we cannot maintain our families; and if you mean to live, you must do as others do. Now so long as men see they are like to be undone by innocence, and that they can no way live but by compliance with the evil customs of the world, men conclude practically, Because they must live they must sin; they must live handsomely, and therefore must do some things unhandsomely, and só upon the whole matter sin is unavoidable. Fain they would, but cannot tell how to help it. But since it is no better, it is well it is no worse. For it is S. Paul's case, no worse man; he would and he would not, he did and he did not; he was willing, but he was not able; and therefore the case is clear, that if a man strives against sin, and falls unwillingly, it shall not be imputed to him; he ['unperfect' B.] b [Acts viii. 34.] C |