SOME PROFITABLE DIRECTIONS BOTH FOR PRIEST AND PEOPLE, IN TWO SERMONS, PREACHED BEFORE THESE EVIL TIMES: THE ONE TO THE CLERGY, THE OTHER TO THE CITIZENS OF LONDON. BY HENRY HAMMOND, D.D. These two following Sermons were subjoined by the Author to the review of his Annotations on the New Testament, published 1657, with this Advertisement. TO THE READER. My fear that these additional notes may fall into some hands, which for want of sufficient acquaintance with the larger volume, may miss receiving the desired fruit from them, hath suggested the affixing this Auctarium of two plain, intelligible discourses; the one prepared for an auditory of the clergy, the other of citizens or laity, and so containing somewhat of useful advice for either sort of readers, to whose hands this volume shall come. That it may be to both proportionably profitable, shall be the prayer of Your Servant in the Lord, H. HAMMOND. SERMON XI. A SERMON PREACHED TO THE CLERGY OF THE DEANERY OF SHORHAM IN KENT, THE PASTOR'S MOTTO. 2 COR. xii. 14. For I seek not yours, but you. XI. THIS text hath somewhat in it seasonable both for the SERM. assembly and the times I speak in; for the first, it is the word or motto of an Apostle, non vestra sed vos, "not yours but you," transmitted to us with his apostleship, to be transcribed not into our rings or seals of orders, but our hearts, there, if you please, to be engraven with a diamond, set as the stones in our ephod, the jewels in our breast-plate, gloriously legible to all that behold us. And for the second, consider but the occasion that extorted from our humble saint this so magnificent elogy of himself; you shall find it that which is no small part of the infelicity of his successors at this time, the contempt and vileness of his ministry, a sad joyless subject of an epistle, which would have been all spent in superstruction of heavenly doctrine upon that precious foundation formerly laid, in dressing of those noble plants, that generous vine, that had cost him so much care to plant, Is. v. [2.] but is fain to divert from that to a comfortless πáρeрyov, a parenthesis of two or three chapters long, to vindicate himself from present danger of being despised, and that even by his own children, whom he had begotten in the Gospel, but other pseudos, made up all of lying and depraving, had debauched out of all respect to his doctrine, or estimation to his person. I should have given a St. Paul leave to have hoped XI. SERM. for better returns from his Corinthians, and now he finds it otherwise, to have expressed that sense in a sharper strain of passion and indignation than Tully could do against Antony, when on the same exacerbation he brake out into that stout piece of eloquence, Quid putem? contemptumne me? non video quid sit in moribus aut vita mea, quod despicere possit Antonius. But there was another consideration, which, as it composes our Apostle's style, so it enlarges it with arguments, all that he can invent to ingratiate himself unto them, because this contempt of their Apostle was a most heinous, provoking sin, and withal that which was sure to make his apostleship successless among them. And then, though he can contemn reputation, respect, any thing that is his own, yet he cannot the quæro vos, "secking of them," that office that is intrusted him by Christ, of bringing Corinthians to heaven. Though he can absolutely expose his credit to all the eagles and vultures on the mountains, yet can he not so harden his bowels against his converts, their pining, gasping souls, as to see them with patience posting down this precipice; by despising of him, prostituting their own salvation. And therefore in this ecstatic fit of love and jealousy in the beginning of chap. xi. you may see him resolve to do that that was most contrary to his disposition, boast, and vaunt, and play the fool, give them the whole tragedy of his love, what he had done and suffered for them, by this means to raise them out of that pit, force them out of that hell, that the contempt of his ministry had almost engulphed them in. And among the many topics that he had provided to this purpose, this is one he thought most fit to insist on, his no design on any thing of theirs, but only their souls; their wealth was petty inconsiderable pillage and spoil for an Apostle in his warfare; too poor, inferior gain for him to stoop to; a flock, an army, a whole Church full of ransomed souls, fetched out of the jaws of the lion and the bear, was the only honourable rexvii. 34.] ward for him to pitch design on, non quæro vestra sed vos, "I seek not yours, but you." [1 Sam. a In handling which words, should I allow myself licence to [Quod putem? contemtumne me? non video nec in vita, nec in gratia, nec in rebus gestis nec in hac mea mediocritate ingenii quid despicere possit Antonius. Cic. Orat. Phil. ii. 1.] XI. observe and mention to you the many changes that are rung SERM. upon them in the world, my sermon would turn all into satire, my discourse divide itself not into so many parts, but into so many declamations: 1. against them that are neither for the vos nor vestra, the "you," nor "yours;" 2. those that are for the vestra, but not vos, the "yours" but "not you;" 3. those that are for the vos, "you," but in subordination to the vestra, "yours," and at last perhaps meet with a handful of gleanings of pastors that are either for the vestra, "yours," in subordination to the vos, "you;" or the vos, "you," but not vestra, "yours." Instead of this looser variety I shall set my discourse these strict limits, which will be just the doctrine and use of this text; 1. consider the Tò pnròv, the truth of the words in St. Paul's practice; 2. the Tò λoyikov, the end for which they are here mentioned by him; 3. the Tò kòv, how far that practice and that end will be imitable to us that here are now assembled; and then I shall have no more to tempt or importune your patience. 25; Phil. i. First of the first, St. Paul's practice in seeking of the vos, "you." That his earnest pursuit of the good of his auditors' souls, though it have one very competent testimony from this place, ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καὶ ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ver. 15. ¥ʊxŵv iμâv, “most willingly will I spend and be spent for your souls," even sacrifice my soul for the saving of yours, yet many other places there are which are as punctual and exact for that as this in this text; nay, it is but a ŋτŵ, “seek,” here, but you shall find it an ȧywviçoμaι, "contend," in many other places; all the agonistical phrases in use among the [1 Cor. ix. ancient Grecians culled out and scattered among his epistles, 30; Col. ii. fetched from Olympus to Sion, from Athens to Jerusalem, 1; 1 Thess. and all little enough to express the earnest holy violence of xii. 4.] his soul in this kaλòs ȧyov, "good fight;" as he calls his [1 Tim. vi. ministry, running and wrestling with all the difficulties in the iv. 7.1 world, and no ẞpaßeîov or ålλov, "price" or "reward" of all that industry and that patience, but only the vμâs, “you,” gaining so many colonies to heaven. But then for the non vestra, "not yours," his absolute disclaiming of all pay for this his service; this text and the verses about it are more punctual than any that are to be met with. In other places he can think fit the soldier, i. e. minister, "should not war 7,9; 1 Tim. v. 17, 18.] ii. 2; Heb. 12; 2 Tim. [1 Cor. ix. |