egregiously do abuse themselves and would impose on SERM. others; namely these, and the like: They would not, by a fair show and semblance of piety, give cause to be taken for hypocrites; whereas, by dis sembling their conscience, and seeming to have no fear of God before their eyes, they incur an hypocrisy no less criminal in nature, but far more dangerous in consequence, than is that which they pretend to decline. They would not be apprehended vain-glorious for. affecting to serve God in the view of men; whereas often at the bottom of their demeanour a most wretched and worse than Pharisaical vain-glory doth lie; they forbearing the performance of their duty merely to shun the censure or to gain the respect of the vilest and vainest persons. They would be deemed exceedingly honest and sincere, because forsooth all their piety is cordial, pure, and void of sinister regards to popular esteem; whereas partial integrity is gross nonsense; whereas no pretence can be more vain, than that we hold a faithful friendship or hearty respect for God, whom we openly disclaim or disregard; whereas also it is easily discernible, that although their piety is not, yet their impiety is popular, and affected to ingratiate with men. They would be taken for men of brave, courageous, and masculine spirits, exalted above the weaknesses of superstition and scrupulosity; whereas indeed, out of the basest cowardice, and a dread to offend sorry people, they have not a heart to act according to their duty, their judgment, their best interest. LXIV. They would seem very modest in concealing their virtue; while yet they are most impudent in disclosing their want of conscience; while they are so presumptuous toward God, as to provoke him to his face by their disobedience; I. lxv. 8. while they are not ashamed to wrong and scandalize their Jer. vi. 17. brethren by their ill behaviour. They would not be uncivil or discourteous in thwarting the mind and pleasure of their company; as if in the mean time they might be most rude toward God in viii. 12. SERM. affronting his will and authority; as if any rule of civility LXIV. could oblige a man to forfeit his salvation; as if it were not rather most cruel discourtesy and barbarous inhumanity to countenance or encourage any man in courses tending to his ruin. They would not be singular and uncouth, in discosting from the common road or fashion of men; as if it were better to leave the common duty than the common faults of men; as if wisdom and virtue were ever the most vulgar things; as if the way to heaven were the broadest and the most beaten way; as if rarity should abate the price of good things; as if conspiracy in rebellion against God might justify or excuse the fact; as if it were advisable to march to hell in a troop, or comfortable to lie there for ever among the damned crew of associates in wickedness. They cannot endure to be accounted zealots or bigots in religion; as if a man could love or fear God too much; or be over-faithful and careful in serving him; as if to be most earnest and solicitous (not in promoting our own fancies, but) in discharging our plain duties could be justly reproachable, or were not indeed highly commendable. These things I may hereafter fully declare; in the mean time it is manifest that such a practice is extremely prejudicial to religion and goodness; so that it may be very useful to employ our meditations upon this text of the Apostle, which directly doth oppose and prohibit it. The same text he otherwhere (in his second Epistle to the Corinthians) doth repeat in the same terms, (only inserting a clause more fully explaining his sense,) backing his precept with his own example; for We, saith he there, did so manage the business of collecting and dis2 Cor. viii. pensing alms, as to avoid that any man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us; providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but in the sight of men. 20, 21. The words do imply a precept of very large extent, and touching a great part of our duty; even all thereof which is public and visible; for which we are accountable to the SERM, world, whereof man can take any cognizance; which LXIV. concerneth all our speech and conversation, all our dealing and commerce, all our deportment relating to human society, civil or spiritual, I shall first a little consider its meaning and design; then I shall propose reasons and inducements to its observance ; then I shall declare the folly of those principles and pretences which obstruct that observance. I. The meaning of it is, that we should have a special care of our external demeanour and conversation, which cometh under the view and observation of men; that it be exempted from any offence or blame; yea, that it be ATOcomely and commendable. Phil. ii. 15. *Ανέγκλητοιο The terms in which it is expressed are notably emphati- Col. i. 22. cal; we are directed #govo, to provide, to use a providence and forecast in the case: ere we undertake any design, we should deliberate with ourselves, and consider on what theatre we shall act, what persons will be spectators, what conceits our practice may raise in them, and what influence probably it will have on them. We should not rush on into the public view with a precipitant rashness, or blind negligence, or contemptuous disregard, not caring who standeth in our way, who marketh what we do, what consequence our proceeding may have on the score of its being public and visible: we should advise beforehand, lay our business, and on set purpose order our behaviour with a regard to those to whose sight and notice we expose it, foreseeing how our actions may affect or incline them. So we must provide; what things? xalà, things fair and handsome; things not only good, innocent, and inoffensive to the sight of men; but goodly, pleasant, and acceptable to well-disposed beholders; such as our Apostle doth other where recommend, when he chargeth us to regard, a osuva, whatever things are venerable, ösa Phil. iv. 8. goopin, whatever things are lovely, oa pua, whatever things are of good report, iris savos, whatever things are laudable; Rom. xiii. and when he doth exhort us to walk boynuóvws, handsomely 13. and decently, in a comely garb and fashion of life: this 12. εἴ 1 Thess. iv. SERM. may add an obligation to some things not directly prescribed LXIV. by God, which yet may serve to adorn religion, but it cannot detract any thing from what God hath commanded; it doth comprehend all instances of piety and virtue practicable before men; it certainly doth exclude all commission of sin, and omission of duty; for that nothing can be fair or handsome which is ugly in God's sight, which doth not suit to his holy will. 1, 5. 5. Such things we must provide, ἐνώπιον πάντων ἀνθρώπων, before all men; not only before some men, to whom we bear a particular respect, of whom we stand in awe, upon whom we have a design; but universally before all men, as having a due consideration of all those upon whom our deportment may have influence; not despising or disregarding the observation of the meanest or most inconsiderable person whatever. But in this practice, to avoid misapprehensions, we must distinguish; for it is not required that we should do all things openly, nor intended that we should do any thing vainly; but that we should act constantly according to the nature and reason of things, with upright and pure intention the Apostle doth not mean that in our practice we should resemble the Pharisees, whom our Lord reproveth Matt. vi. for doing their alms before men, for loving to pray standing in the synagogues, for doing all their works to be seen of men; performing those acts of piety openly in the corners of the street, which should have been done secretly in the closet; and so doing them out of vanity and ambitious design, to procure the good opinion and praise of men: he doth not intend that we should assume a formal garb of singular virtue; that we should aim to seem better than we are, counterfeiting any point of religion or virtue; that we should affect to appear even as good as we are, exposing all our piety to common view that we should Matt. vi. 2. sound a trumpet before us, making an ostentation of any good deeds, catching at reputation or applause for them; that we should do any commendable thing chiefly to obtain the good opinion of the world, or to escape its censure: infinitely far it was from the Apostle's intention, that we should be like those whited sepulchres, which appear beauti- SERM. ful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all LXIV. uncleanness; that is, like those Pharisees, who did out- Matt. xxiii. wardly appear righteous, but within were full of hypocrisy 27, 28. and iniquity: No; πλάςους In some cases we must be reserved, and keep our virtue close to ourselves; and ever under a fair show there must be a real substance of good, together with an honest inten- To privá tion of heart; a good conscience must always lie at the bottom of a good conversation; the outside must be good, but the best side must be inward; we must endeavour to sanctify our life and conversation, but we must especially labour to purify our hearts and affections. Ant. i. §. 9. 2. §. 5. Join the precept with others duly limiting it, and it doth import, that with pure sincerity and unaffected simplicity (void of any sinister or sordid design) we should in all places, upon all occasions, in all matters, carefully discharge that part of our duty which is public, according to its nature, season, and exigency, that is publicly: not abstaining from the practice of those good deeds, which cannot otherwise than open. ly be well performed; or the conspicuous performance whereof is absolutely needful in regard to God's law and the satisfaction of our conscience, is plainly serviceable to the glory of God, is very conducible to the edification of our neighbour, or which may be useful to good purposes concurrent with those principal ends: we should as good trees from a Matt. vii. deep root of true piety, in due season naturally, as it were, Luke vi. 44. shoot forth good fruits, not only pleasant to the sight, but Psal. 1. 3. savoury to the taste, and wholesome for use; as St Paul, who, as he saith of himself, that he did provide things honest 2 Cor. viii. in the sight of all men, so he also doth affirm, that his rejoicing was this, the testimony of his conscience, that in simplicity, and godly sincerity-he had his conversation in the world. There are indeed some duties, or works of piety and virtue, the nature whereof directeth, that in the practice of them we should be reserved; such as those wherein the world is not immediately concerned, and which may with best advantagebe transac ted between God and our own VOL. III. 17. 21. 2 Cor. i. 1. |