SERM. extraordinary resolution, do surmount the obstacles which LXVII. are set against it.

It was well said of St. Bernard, To be good among good men hath safety, but to be such among bad men hath also praise; (a man will be saved by that, but he should be commended for this ;) that hath as much facility as it hath security, this is of as much worth as difficulty.

Indeed if we consider the nature of things, or consult the history of times, we shall find that virtue must be, and ever hath been, liable to this imputation; it is commonly so hard and hazardous to be good in any notable degree, that few will take the pains, or undergo the hardships requisite to attain or exercise it.

Hence the best men (who are such, not according to the blind conjecture of men, but in God's sure esteem) are an 1 Pet.ii. 9. elect, and peculiar sort of people, a few choice persons culled out of a great lump of those, who either reject religion, or embrace it only in verbal profession or formal shew. Hence it hath been the observation and complaint of all times,

Hence the most renowned men for goodness, and who by God's special care have been recommended to us as patterns thereof, have been very singular in it; and their singularity did much enhance the price of their goodness.

Gen. v. 22. It is said of Enoch, that he walked with God; but it seemeth with small or no company beside; otherwise it would not have been so particularly recorded of him.

Noah was content to be a man by himself, a preacher of righteousness against the vogue, and a practiser thereof Gen. vii. 1. against the stream of his whole age; for thee (said God of him, that is, thee alone) have I seen righteous before me in this generation. He was no less aingular in his goodness,

than in his salvation.

b Inter bonos, bonus esse salutem habet, inter malos vero et laudem; illud tantæ facilitatis est, quanta et securitatis; hoc tantæ virtutis, quantæ et difficultatis. Bern. Ep. 25.

Abraham had no common qualities, which moved God SERM.

LXVII. to pick him out, and separate him from the rest of mankind, (to single him from his kindred and country) to con- Gen. xii. 1. fer special graces and blessings on him.

Lot had his righteous soul vexed with the filthy conver- 2 Pet. ii. 7. sation of the wicked, which did inclose him, yet so that he did retain a sound and clear integrity among them.

Job had this testimony from God, examining Satan concerning him, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that Job. i. 8. there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an up right man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

What was the resolution of Joshua? did he value being sole or singular in his practice? No; for, propounding to his people whether they would choose God or not, he told them that however it were, although all of them should forsake God, he was resolved to stick fast to him, not regarding their practice; But, said he, as for me and my house, we will Josh. xxiv. serve the Lord: that indeed was nobly resolved; it was a resolution worthy of such an hero, to stand alone in so good and wise a choice against his whole nation. It was a resolution suitable to that his behaviour, which he expressed in

15.

these words, My brethren that went up with me made the Josh.xiv. 8.

heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the Lord my

God; in regard to which his comrade Caleb, being of the

24.

same spirit with him, is called a man of another spirit ; Numb. xiv. different from, and above the mean spirit of his fellows. What was David? was he not a man by himself? was he not like one, of whom the poet saith,

Egregium sanctumque virum si cerno, bimembri

Hoc monstrum puero, vel fœtæ comparo mulæ ?

a

Juv. Sat. xiii.

• A wonder

Ixxi. 7.

in N.Tr. Psal. ad- cxix. 51. re-Ev

So he telleth us, I, saith he, am become as it were monster unto many, but my sure trust is in thee. Did Elias, to shun the imputation of singularity, or regard to common practice, swerve from his faithful herence to God's service, although he did passionately sent, and bewail his case? No, for I have, said he, been gra very jealous for the Lord of hosts; for the children of Israel xix. 10. have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and

1 Pet. iv. 4.

1 Kings

SERM. slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am LXVII. left, and they seek my life, to take it away.

Lam. iii. 14.

What was the case of Jeremy? I, saith he, was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day: yet did Jer. i. 18. he maintain his integrity, and was a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and a brazen wall against the whole land; against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, and against the people of the land.

Murus

aheneus.

Acts iv. 27.

What was the condition of our Lord? was not he onLuke ii. 34. μstov ávriñsyóμevov, a prodigy spoken against by all; against Heb. xii. 3. whom both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, Is. lxiii. 3. and the people of Israel were gathered together; who trod John xii. the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with him; who in his life was regarded by few, and at his death (when he yielded his great attestation to truth and righteousness) was deserted by all?

37.

John xvi.

32.

Matt. xxvi. 31, 56.

22.

What was the Apostles' condition? were they not sinActs xxviii. gular men? were not they held a sect everywhere spoken against, and impugned with all violence of spirit and rage? Heb. x. 33. were not they made a spectacle to the world, to be gazed at, 1 Cor. i. 26. with scorn and reproach? did not they (a few, simple, poor,

2 Cor. iv. 9.

weak folk) in doctrine and practice cross and controul the world, confuting, reproving, condemning the generality of men, of error, of folly, of wickedness?

It can therefore be no just blame or reasonable discouragement to appear singular in the practice of virtue.

Such a singularity is no good argument of fond conceitedness, of wilful humour, of arrogant pride. For,

Can it be fond conceitedness to follow the dictates of the best reason, to observe the advices of the wisest men in all times, to follow the direction and conduct of infinite wisdom; to embrace that, which in most cases natural light, common sense, and continual experience do approve? is it not wildness to do otherwise, though all should do it?

Can it be wilful humour to hold fast our best interest, our truest comfort, our eternal salvation? is it not rather so, to comply with a perverse generation in running headlong to their own ruin?

Can it be pride or arrogance to acknowledge our Maker, SERM. to be loyal and dutiful to our heavenly Sovereign, to fear LXVII. the Almighty God, to submit to his will, to tremble at his

word, to be afraid of his judgments, to shun his fierce anger and severe vengeance?

Is it a bad ambition to seek that honour and immortal glory which God doth offer, to shun that everlasting shame and contempt which he doth menace?

Is it not rather monstrous presumption, and enormous vanity, to consort and conspire with rebels against God's law, with despisers of his grace?

In fine, when the most men are foolish and vain, when the world is depraved and dissolute, it is necessary that the best reason should be called humour, and the wisest men should be deemed extravagant; that the best things should be slighted, and the best persons represented with odious characters: but hence to renounce wisdom and goodness is abominably absurd; as if we should therefore put out our light, because it is night about us, or in deep winter should put off our clothes among the wild Indians.

9. Of affinity to the foregoing principles is this most plausible apology for smothering our conscience, namely, a prudential apprehension, that we shall not come off well in openly avowing and abetting goodness, so as to do any good or service to it thereby; but shall thereby rather work prejudice and disservice to it.

The age (will such a wise man say) is incorrigibly degenerate; wickedness is not only bold and impudent, but even outrageously insolent; so that to appear strictly good is a kind of scandal, to pretend conscience for our rule of action is to be ridiculous, to patronize duty is to provoke Job xii. 4. scorn and obloquy, to mention religion is to prostitute and profane it, to concern God in our doing is to expose his most sacred and venerable name to irrision and foul abuse, Such is the posture of things, that of all the sects and factions which divide the world, that of Epicurean scorners and mockers is become the most formidable; with dis

SERM. dainful pride insulting and vapouring over the professors LXVII. of religion, persecuting all soberness of mind and staunchness of manners with a fierce rage and a kind of satanic zeal.

3, 4.

The state of the world being like to that when the holy Psal. xciv. Psalmist cried out, Lord, how long shall the wicked, how 1. x. 3. long shall the wicked triumph? how long shall they utter and speak hard things, and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

In such a case, is it not seasonable to observe our Lord's Matt. vii.6. advice, not to give that which is holy unto dogs, nor to cast our pearls before swine; (not to expose good doctrine and holy practice to scurrilous and sensual people, who will snarl and bark at it, will scorn and trample on it, will bite and tear you for it?)

Eph. v. 15.

Is it not then wisdom rather fairly to retreat, withdrawing our virtue into a safe retirement, than by openly contesting for it against overmatching forces to hazard its being baffled and abused, its being trampled on and triumphed over, by scornful pride and malice?

In such a world to oppose impiety, what is it but attempting to stop a torrent, to allay a storm, to gape against an oven, to blow against the wind, to kick against the pricks?

But if this case be rightly weighed, it rather strongly may engage us to an open profession and practice of the strictest virtue, than excuse us from it.

St. Paul doth enjoin us to walk accurately, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, for this reason, because the Phil. ii. 15. days are evil; and that we should be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, shining among them as lights in the world, and *holding forth the word of life.

*(or hold

ing fast, Επέχονο τες.)

And great reason for it; for the worse the world is, the more need there is of good patterns to instruct and guide it, to admonish and excite it to goodness.

If the days are evil, it is high time that we should apply our best endeavours to the mending of them.

If virtue be so near lost, or so quite gone from among