XI.

lowest degree that can be reconcilable or compatible with SERM. an Apostle, is the not suffering your quæro vestra, “your hope" or design of secular advantages, gaining of gratuities, gaining of applause, to have any the least influence on your preaching, to intermix never so little in your seeking of souls. This is the кaπηλevε Tòv λóyov TOû bεOû, "dashing" [2 Cor. ii. 17.] or "embasing the word of God," corrupting it with our unworthy mixtures, making it instrumental to our gain or popularity, the meanest office, the vilest submission in the world. I remember a note of Procopius on 2 Kings, [2 Kings iv. 29.] that Elisha sending his servant to cure the Shunamite's child, forbids him to pass any compliment with any by the way; I had thought it had been for speed, but he saith, de τὸ φιλότιμον· ἡ δὲ φιλοδοξία τὴν θαυματουργίαν κωλύει, “ he knew his popular humour, and that popularity hinders working of miracles ;" and then by the same reason we may conclude that that must needs enervate the word of God, and make it heartless and lifeless in our hands, and the minister that is given to it will hardly ever work wonders in the curing or recovering of souls. But that servant you know had another fault, piλapyvpía, "desire of money," Ts [1 Tim. vi. κακίας μητρόπολις, “ the mother city whence all wickedness comes forth," said Bion of old; and Timon puts them both together, ἀπληστία καὶ φιλοδοξία τῶν κακῶν στοιχεῖα, "insatiate love of wealth and honour are the elements of evil;" and it is strange to see how truly those wise men were called vates, what prophets they were, what direct satires those words of theirs are against the times we live in. Our ἀπληστία and φιλοδοξία, “ covetousness and popularity,” are the elements of all the ruin, the seeds of all the desolation that is threatened against this Church; some of us by the notorious scandalous guilt of those two crimes, tempting rash uncharitable spectators to resolve that those sins are the formalis ratio of a clergyman, accidents of the essence, and inseparable from the order; and it is not the illogicalness of the inference that will excuse them that have joined with Satan in temptation to make that conclusion, nor de

φιλαργυρία,

10.]

SERM. liver us from the destruction that follows it. Others of us XI. on the contrary side, but from the same principles, decrying all due either of maintenance or respect to the clergy, divesting themselves of all but contempt and drudgery, hoping— we have just reason to suspect-by flying both to be courted. by them both, to have them more sure at the rebound than they can at the fall, to run from them here most violently, that they may have them alone to themselves when they meet at the antipodes. What imprudent bargains such men are likely to make if they should be taken at their words; what skittish things popular benevolence and popular applause have been always found to be, experience hath taught others. I desire even they that make that choice may never pay so dear for that knowledge; but whatever the error prove in the transitory commodities of this world, it matters little, for wealth and honour are, sure, things that we may go to heaven without, and so, for as much as concerns our individuals, are not necessary to us as Christians; yet can I not assure you, but that they are necessary to us in some degree as ministers; wealth in a competence to rescue us from contempt; and respect, at least so far as a ne quis te [Tit. ii.15.] despiciat, "let no man despise thee," to keep us from being utterly unprofitable; some revenue of our own, to keep us from the quæro vestra, and some authority of our own, to enable us for the quæro vos, somewhat of either from the character of our office, that we be not tempted to seek either by unlawful means to purchase the vestra by the sale of vos, to acquire the favour of our auditors by the exposing of their souls. Think but how probable a fear this may be, when things come to such a complication that he that hath a sin to be preached against hath a benevolence to be preached for; he that hath a wound to be cured, is able to be thankful if he may be kindly used, yea, and to mulct the chirurgeon if he be too rough; when he that hath somewhat to mend, hath also somewhat to give, a commutation to escape his penance; whether this may not prove a temptation to him that hath no other livelihood to depend on, and consequently whether rankling and gangrening may not be looked for as an ordinary title in our weekly bills, when the skinning of wounds is become the gainful craft, and compliance and

XI.

popularity the great Diana, that trade by which men have SERM. their wealth. But perhaps the most of this is an extravagance, I wish and pray it may prove an unnecessary one.

There is yet one branch of the application behind; the end why St. Paul delivered this text of mine, that I told you was the vindicating his ministry from contempt, the gaining some authority with the Corinthians. And let that be our method also, to come to that end by the non vestra sed vos, not to acquire that thin blast of air that chameleons are wont to feed on, but that solid substantial estimation that dwells only in the account of God and the hearts of true Corinthians; that that may disperse those fumes of prejudices that Satan is wont to blast the minister with when any saving effect is to be wrought by his ministry, that unblemished reputation here, that when it is to be had is a precious blessing, very instrumental to the edifying of others, and is a kind of coronet here in this life, preparatory to that crown hereafter. And sure there is no work of ours that we can justly hope God will think fit to reward with such a crown, but the sincere labouring in the word and doctrine, filling our souls with the earnest desire of saving others, espousing it as the sole felicity of our lives, the one promotion that we aspire to, to people heaven with saints, to send whole colonies of inhabitants thither. It was the excellence and pride of the ancient Jews, yea, and the craft peculiar to them, saith Josephus, TEKVOTTOINTIKỲ, "getting of children, propagating miraculously," and the barren was the most infamous person among them, "Behold I go childless, the saddest [Gen. xv. lamentation," and "Give me children or else I die," and "Take away our reproach," most pathetical Scripture ex- i. 25.] pressions; yea, and among the Romans the jus trium liberorum, "the right of three children," you know what a prerogative it was. This is our trade, my brethren, to beget children to heaven, and according to the law of the Goel in Deuteronomy, now our elder Brother (Christ) is dead, we are [Deut.xxv. the men, who by right of propinquity are obliged to raise up seed to our elder Brother. O let it not be our reproach to go thus childless to our graves, at least our guilt and just accusation to bereave our Saviour of that seed He expects from us; you know what a sin it was to repine at that duty;

2; xxxi.

23; Luke

5.1

XI.

SERM. let not us be wanting to Christ in this so charitable a service; charitable to Christ, that His blood may not have been shed in vain; charitable to others, whom we may by God's blessing convert unto righteousness, and the charity will at last devolve on ourselves, who by this means shall "shine as [Dan. xii. the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever 3.] and ever."

SERMON XII.

PREACHED IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCH BEFORE THE LORD MAYOR AND ALDERMEN

OF THE CITY OF LONDON, ON APRIL 12, A.D. 1640.

THE POOR MAN'S TITHING.

DEUT. XXVI. 12, 13.

When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year... Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God...

THAT the first sound of this text may not possess you with an expectation of a vicar's plea, a discourse of tithes, and querulous invective against sacrilege; and consequently by this prejudice your ears and hearts be fortified, impenetrable and impregnable against the speaker and the sermon; that I may reconcile the choice of this text with the imploring and hoping for your patience; I shall immediately deliver you from your fears, by assuring you that the main of this text is, and the total of my discourse shall be, bent quite toward another coast, that which in the sincerity of my heart I conceive may best comply with your designs, either as Christians, or as men, most tend to your serving of Christ, and enriching of yourselves with the increase of your wealth here and glory hereafter. And when I have told you this, I cannot choose but say that I am your friend, and for that may claim not as an act of favour, but justice, the payment of this debt, the return of your patience in receiving, and care in practising what shall be delivered.

There was a double tithing among the Jews, the every year's tithing and the third year's tithing; the every year's tithing you know whose patrimony it was; but after that was set apart and presented unto the owners every third year, there was another to be raised, over and above, for the stranger,

SERM.

XII.