denunciation of punishment against any crime than this: Know ye not that unjust persons (saith St. Paul, meaning this sort of unjust persons, so most properly and strictly called) shall not inherit the kingdom of God" and xhentai, лhɛovexTai, doлayes, thieves, exactors (or cheaters), and rapacious persons, make a good party in the catalouge of those who shall be excluded from eternal bliss. jured in judgment) against thy neighbour as a false witness; so that primarily, it seems, bearing false testimony against our neighbour (especially in matters of capital or of high concernment to him) is prohibited; yet that not only this great crime, but that all injurious (even extrajudicial) prejudicing our neighbour's reputation, and consequently his safety or his welfare in any sort, is forI should add the positive duties here to bidden, we may collect from that explibe understood, and referred to this mat- cation of this law, or that parallel law, ter, the which are commended to us in which we have in Leviticus: Thou shalt scripture such are, diligence and indus- not, it is there said, go up and down as a try in our calling, whereby, with God's talebearer among thy people; neither blessing, we may support ourselves, pre-shalt thou stand against the blood of thy venting the need, and escaping the temp-neighbourt as talebearer, that is, tation of encroachment upon our neighbour's property (whereby we may, as St. Paul speaketh, have need of nothing, may eat our own bread, may even have where with to impart to the needs of others;) contentment in that estate wherein God hath placed us, how mean soever; trusting in God and relying upon his providence; casting our burden and care upon him, who hath promised to sustain us, who hath said that he will never leave or stories concerning our neighbour, to his a merchant, or trader in ill reports and prejudice; defaming him, or detracting from him, or breeding in the minds of and mischievous practice is otherwhere men an ill opinion of him; which vile under several names condemned and reproved: such are muttering (The words of a mutterer, saith the Wise Man, are as wounds, going into the innermost forsake us; lastly, charitable relief of parts of the belly,) whispering, vivoiσuòs: we have often, in the Son of Sirarch and our neighbour in his need; for in such a in St. Paul, mentioned with a bad characcase our neighbour hath a title to the ter, or with prohibition and reproof: supgoods we possess, derived from the ap- planting (so in the good man's descrippointment and donation of God, who is tion, Psal. xv. it is said, He supplants the absolute proprietor of all we have, not with his tongue; so the word signiwe being only his stewards and dispensers fies:) detraction, or backbiting, zarakathereof, according to the rules he hath, which is so often in the apostolical declared; so that if we do not according writings forbidden and reprehended: to his order, supply our poor neighbour, slander, or calumny, and sycophantry; we are in just estimation, we shall in God's that is, oppressing, abusing, or any way judgment appear to be, thieves, both in harming men by false tales, suggestions, respect to God himself and to our neighbour; for that we thereby detain from how base they are in themselves (nothor pretences:" which sort of practices, God what by original right is his, and bereave our neighbour of what God hath and ingenuous mind, nothing more ugly ing being more unworthy of an honest to the judgment of them who have any sense of goodness;) how contrary they are to justice, which doth not permit us to wrong our neighbour, as well in his credit and good name, as in his other goods (for they perhaps may be as much valued by him, may really be of as much bestowed on him. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour. (Ninth Commandment.) It is in the Hebrew, Thou shalt not answer (to wit, being examined or ad consequence to him, as any thing that he hath;) which bindeth us to abstain from hurting him, as well in word as in deed; how opposite they are to charity, which obligeth us to think the best of our neighbour, and to endeavour that others also may do so; to conceal his real faults and blemishes; much more not to devise and affix false ones to him, not to gather and disperse ill reports to his prejudice; of how mischievous consequence also they are, breeding ill-will, and sowing strife in all societies both public and private (even separating chief friends, as the Wise man telleth us), common sense and experience do show: they consequently must be very odious in the sight of God, who loveth the place and welfare of men; and very offensive to men, who do the mischiefs springing from them. To this law may be reduced our obligations to be candid in our opinions and discourses concerning others (according to St. Paul's excellent description of charity; to forbear rash and harsh censure, as you know our Saviour in his most divine sermon on the mount chargeth us; to be veracious, sincere, and faithful in all our conversation; which duties are so often taught and pressed in both Testaments: Ye shall not (saith the Law) steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie one to another; and, To walk uprightly, and work righteousness, and speak the truth from his heart, are the first lineaments in the good man's character drawn by the Psalmist; and, These are the things ye shall do, saith God in the prophet; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: and in the New Testament, To lay aside lying, to speak the truth every man with his neighbour; to lay aside all malice, all guile, all hypocrisies, envyings, and backbitings, are apostolical commands." • Prov. x. 12; 1 Cor. xiii. 5, 7. • Prov. xvi. 28. Levit. xix. 11; Psal. xv. 2. * 1 Cor. xiii. Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's House; thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife; nor his Man-servant, nor his Maid servant, nor his Ox, nor his Ass, nor any thing that is thy Neighbour's. (Tenth Commandment.) This law is comprehensive and recapitulatory, as it were, of the rest concerning our neighbour,prescribing universal justice toward him (whence St. Mark, it seems, meaneth to render it in one word, by un uлoσregions, deprive not," or bereave not your neighbour of any thing;) and this not only in outward deed and dealing, but in inward thought and desire, the spring whence they do issue forth (for, from the heart, as our Saviour teacheth, do proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false-witness, blasphemies;") we are obliged to be so far from depriving our neighbour of any good thing belonging to him, that we are not so much as to wish or desire it; not only to abstain from injurious action, but to repress covetous inclinations: wherein is also implied, that we should have a delight and complacence in our neighbour's good; not envying him any enjoyment; being in our minds content with the portion God pleaseth to vouchsafe us; and entirely trusting in him, that he will supply us with what is needful or befitting to us, without the damage of our neighbour. Thus God's law is, as St. Paul observed, spiritual; not only restraining exterior acts, but regulating our inmost thoughts, quelling all inordinate appetites and affections of heart within us; the which may be extended so as to respect not only matters of justice toward our neighbour, but all objects whatever of our practice; so as to import that which in the Christian law is so frequently enjoined us, as the life of our religion, circumcising our hearts, crucifying the flesh with its pas Zech. viii. 16; Eph. iv. 25; Col. iii. 9;sions and desires, mortifying our earthly 1 Pet. ii. 1. members, putting to death by the Spirit man, which is corrupted according to the deceitful lusts: Ov× Ovμíos, Thou shalt not unlawfully or irregularly desire, doth, according to the spiritual intent, import all this. the deeds of the body, putting off the old of loving God with all our heart, and loving our neighbour as ourselves; seriously and honestly attending unto which, we can hardly fail of knowing what in any case our duty is: it remains that we employ our best care and endeavour on the conscientious practice thereof; imploring therewith the assistance of God's grace, and that good Spirit, which God hath most graciously promised to those who duly ask it, by which alone we can be enabled to keep God's commandments: to him be all glory and praise. Amen. I have done; and shall only add, that the sum and end of these, and all other good laws, of all religion, and all our duty, is (as we often are taught in the New Testament) comprised in those two rules, Rom. ii. 29; Phil. iii. 3; Col. ii. 11; Gal. v. 24; Rom. vi. 6; Col. iii. 5; ii. 11; Eph. iv. 22; Rom. viii. 13. • 1 Tim. i. 5. THE DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENTS. devotion toward him, to quicken our resolutions of obeying his will; to enable and excite us to the practice of those great duties, which he requireth of us: Our Lord Jesus Christ (saith St. Austin) hath subjected us to his gentle yoke and light burden; whence, with sacram nts most few in number, most easy for ob ervance, most excellent in signification, he bound together the society of new people: and, The mercy of God (saith he again) would have religion free, by the celebra tion of a most few and most clear sacra It is a peculiar excellency of our religion, It hath, especially upon vulgar and weaker Of these there appear two (and St. Austin, in the place cited, could instance in no more) of general and principal use, instituted by our Lord himself; which, because they represent to us somewhat not subject to sense, and have a secret influence upon us; because what is intended by them is not immediately discernible by what is done, without some explication (their significancy being not wholly grounded in nature, but depending upon arbitrary institution, as that of words, which is of kin to them; whence St. Austin calls a sacrament, Verbum visibile), have usually been called mysteries (that * Dominus noster leni jugo suo nos subdidit, et sarcina levi; unde sacramentis numero paucissimis, observatione facillimis, significatione præstantissimis societatem novi populi colligavit; sicut est baptismus Trinitatis nomine consecratus, communicatio corporis et sanguinis ipsius ; et si quid aliud in scripturia canonicis commendatur, &c.—Ep. 118.-Religionem paucissimis et manifestissimis celebra fionum sacramentis misericordia Dei liberam esse voluit.-Id. Ep. 119. is, actions of a close and occult importance, of deeper meaning and design than is obvious to ordinary perception;) and thence are also called sacraments, for no other reason, I conceive, than because the ancientest translators of the Bible into Latin did usually render the word uvorov by the word sacramentum; whence every thing containing under it somewhat of abstruse meaning, is by ancient writers termed a sacrament. (So Tertullian calls all Christianity the sacrament of Christian religion; and Elisha's axe he calls the sacrament of wood; and St. Austin speaks of the sacrament of bread, of fish, of numbers, of the rock, &c.* In short, he says of all signs, that when they belong to divine things they are called sacraments:† which shows to how small purpose the disputes are, yea, on what small grounds the decrees are, concerning the number, general nature, and efficacy of sacraments: for where a name or form of a sacrament is of so large, ambiguous, and indeterminate signification, there can be nothing but confusion in the disputes about it.) But those which chiefly at least, and in way of eminency, have obtained this name, are those two instituted by our Lord, Baptism and the Lord's Supper; of which I shall in order discourse; and so of each, as very briefly to consider the occasion of their institution; the actions enjoined in them; the nature of them, or wherein their mystery doth consist; the ends for which they were intended; and the effects they produce; together with the dispositions and duties (antecedent, concomitant, and consequent) required of us in the use and practice of them. And first, and customs teach, that they never did receive any person into their covenant, whether that which was more strict (to which natural Jews and proselytes of righteousness were tied), or that which was more lax, with which strangers and proselytes of the gate did comply, without a baptism. And that priests and Levites entering into their office were to be sanctified by washing with water, we see plainly prescribed in their Law; likewise that all persons who had contracted any kind of defilement were purified by the like ceremony, particularly children new born, is expressed there." Moreover, that it was in use for persons, who were conscious to themselves of having transgressed God's law, being in God's name invited by some person of eminent authority (a prophet, or like a prophet, one commissionated by God) unto repentance and amendment of life, to be washed by him, in testimony of their steadfast purpose to amend, and in hope to obtain pardon from God of their past offences, and to be reinstated in his favour, appears probable by St. John the Baptist's undertaking, and the success thereof. For if the manner of his proceeding had been altogether unusual and unknown, so many, it seems, would not so readily (without any stir or obstacle) have complied therewith; especially among the Scribes and Pharisees, those zealous adherents to traditionary practice, who, to maintain their credit and interest with the people, were so averse from all appearance of novelty. This practice, than, of washing, in so many cases, and to so many purposes, customary among God's people, to signi fy men's entering into a new state or course of life, being withal most apt and proper for his design, our blessed Saviour, who never favoured needless innovations, was pleased to assume and impose upon the disciples and followers of his religion, accommodating it to those holy purposes, which we shall now endeavour to declare. What the action itself enjoined is what the manner and form thereof, is apparent by the words of our Lord's institution: Going forth therefore (saith he) teach (or disciple) all nations, baptizing them Exod. xxix. 4; Numb. viii. 6. Levit. xv. 8, 16, 18, 27; xxii. 6; Numb. xix. 7, &c.; Ezek. xvi. 4. • John i. 25, 33. |