ii. 25. our disgrace, our wretchedness; the which indeed is SERM. the only dishonourable and despicable thing; the LXVI. which did first produce shame, and did introduce it into the world, (for while innocence did abide, there Gen. iii. 2. was no shame,) and the which will ever carry shame along as its inseparable adherent: it would indeed become us to blush at our horrible unworthiness and detestable ingratitude toward our bountiful Lord, and most gracious Redeemer; it were proper for us to be confounded at our extreme folly and foul treachery toward ourselves, in betraying our souls to guilt, to regret, to wrath and punishment: who should be ashamed, who not, the holy Psalmist hath well taught us, Let none that wait on thee be Psal. xxv. 3. ashamed; let them be ashamed which transgress 78-80. without cause: and, Let the proud be ashamedbut let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. It is true modesty to be ashamed of doing unworthy and unhandsome things; but to be ashamed of doing what reason and duty require, is pitiful weakness of mind. We do not owe so much regard to vicious and vain persons, as to be dashed out of countenance by them; we should rather by our masculine resolution and upright confidence put them to confusion. Psal. cxix. Tit. ii. 8. If shame be an evil which we would avoid, the only remedy thereof we may learn from those words of the Psalmist, Then shall I not be ashamed, when Psal. cxix. I have respect to thy testimonies: but it is a fond course to shun disgrace by doing that which alone deserveth it. Is it not also a wild thing to seem modest toward men, while we are really so bold with God, as. pre 6. Jer. vi. 17. viii. 12. SERM. sumptuously to offend him, to affront him, to proLXVI. voke him (as those in the prophet did) to his face? Is. lxv. 3. for so indeed every sinner doth; and as it is the greatest inadvertency not to consider God alway present with us, so it is the height of impudence to sin in his presence, or to prefer a regard to men before the reverence due to his eye". Wisd. iv. 20. Is it not also great folly for declining a little present transient disgrace, to do that whereof afterward we shall be grievously and perpetually ashamed; which we shall never remember or reflect upon without confusion, (according to that of the apostle, (Jer. xxii. What fruit had ye of those things whereof ye are Rom. vi. now ashamed?) the consequence whereof is our Dan. xii. 2. standing obnoxious to shame and everlasting contempt. 22.) 21. Luke ix. 26. xii. 9. 2 Tim. ii. 12. If we be thus ashamed of God, and of our duty to him, may he not justly in recompense be ashamed of us, and disdain to own us in favour and mercy? He will surely, he hath often declared so; Whosoever, saith our Lord, shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 2. Another principle, near of kin to the former, disposing men to commit sin, or wave duty in their open conversation, is fear of losing the good-will, or getting the ill-will of men. It must often happen, that whoever will be virtuous, and stick to his duty, will forfeit the favour of men, will incur their displeasure, will provoke their indignation; by crossing their humour and a Quid quæso rationis habet verecundari ad diem hominis, et vultum Dei non vereri? Bern. Ep. 108. LXVI. conceit, by implicitly slighting their opinion and SERM. condemning their practice: this is the portion and fate of strict and stiff piety; the friendship of God and the world are not well consistent; and St. Paul's rule may be converted, If I should please men, I Jam. iv. 4. should not be the servant of Christ: hence men 15. prizing the favour of men with the advantages of Gal. i. 10. it, and dreading their anger, hatred, disdain, with the mischiefs consequent on them, are scared from their duty. But in truth this is a silly, a base, a sorry fear, arguing wretched meanness of spirit, and pitiful cowardice. For Dost thou, fond wretch, fear to lose the favour of man, whose favour doth avail nothing to thy main interests, and cannot anywise considerably benefit thee, (for in no respect dost thou depend on his will and providence,) but dost not fear being deprived of God's favour, upon which all thy good hangeth, wherein thy felicity consisteth, without which thou art uncapable of any prosperity, of any security, of any joy or comfort? I John ii. Dost thou fear the displeasure of man, of poor impotent man, a sorry frail worm, whose breath is Job xxv. 6. in his nostrils, (ready to fly away in every moment,) Is. ii. 22. whose anger can do thee no real harm, whose power can hardly touch thee, can nowise reach thy soul or Matt. x. 28. its concerns; whilst thou dreadest not to offend the eternal almighty God, under whose feet thou liest, ready to be crushed into nothing, or stamped down into hell at his pleasure? Darest thou not, O heartless dastard, to do that which is in thy power easily to do, which thou art infinitely concerned to do, which upon so many ac SERM. counts thou art obliged to do, out of fear to cross LXVI. thine equal, yea far thine inferior in this case; for he that standeth to his duty, as he hath the better cause, so he hath the greater force, and assuredly will defeat all his opposers? Art thou, O pusillanimous slave, in regard to any creature, thy fellow-subject and servant, afraid of expressing thy loyalty to thy sovereign Lord, thy love to infinite goodness, thy gratitude to thy best friend and kindest benefactor, thy reverence toward the divine majesty, thine awe of uncontrolable power? is this a reasonable, an excusable, a tolerable fear? Surely if ever to be driven out of heart is reproachful, if ever to be cowed doth argue infirmity and abjectness of spirit, it is in this case; when we have all the reason and obligation in the world to be most courageous and resolute, to fear no colours, to make our party good against all opposition; when we have the greatest necessity to engage us, and the greatest advantage to encourage us to hold out stoutly; the greatest necessity, seeing all that we have, our life, our salvation, our eternal weal doth Deut.xxxii. lie at stake; for it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life: the greatest advantage, for that if we will, we are invincible, and assured of an easy victory, seeing we take part with God, and have omnipotency on our side; so that we can say Psal. cxvii. with David, The Lord is my helper, I will not Heb. xiii. 6. fear what man can do unto me: The Lord is my xi. 4. xxvii. light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? the 1,3. xlvi. 2. Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? 47. 6. Psal. lvi.11. Jer. i. 8. XX. II. Isa. xli. 10. Gen. xxvi. 24. XV. I. There is not indeed, to those who are under 9. Deut. 2 Chron. Jer. v. 22. God's special protection, and confide in him, any SERM. thing in nature really formidable or terrible: it is LXVI. his peculiar attribute to be the mighty and terrible Num. xiv. One; he recommendeth himself to us as our fear, xxxi. 8. that is, the special object of it; we therefore do sa- xx. 17. crilegiously wrong him, by fearing any other thing in such cases of competition, and when we concerned to fear him; whence then we are hibited to fear the greatest powers in the world; Ps. lxxvi. 7, Fear not them which kill the body, (if God permit Is. viii. 12. them,) but are not able to kill the soul: but rather xli. 10. fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul 26, 28. in hell. are Rev. xv. 4. Dent. vii. pro- 21. x. 17. xxviii. 58. II. xcix. 3. Matt. x. των Who, saith St. Peter, is he that will (or that can) Tís i xaxúharm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 1 Pet. iii. —wherefore be not afraid of their terror, neither 13, 14. be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, (by a pure confidence in him.) In such cases, we should be ready to accost the greatest potentates in terms like those of the three brave youths in Daniel; O Nebuchadnezzar, we Dan. iii. are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If16-18. it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But (however) if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship thy golden image which thou hast set up. And if, in imitation of so worthy an example, we should defy the wrath of the greatest kings, demanding any sinful compliance from us, how poor a thing is it to fear the displeasure of sorry companions enticing us to the like! how much more should we defy all the crew of hectorly ruffians and huffing braggadocios! |