248 Thoughts upon the Mystery of the Trinity.

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ship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God "the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son "of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, "and sittest at the right-hand of God the Father, O blessed, glorious, and eternal Spirit; for thou only art holy, thou only art the Lord; thou only, O Christ, "with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of "God the Father; for thine, O Lord, is the kingdom, "and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. "Amen."

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Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; we beseech thee, that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen.

And now having led the Christian through this first stage of his course, and instructed him in the principles of his religion, and in the great mystery of the Trinity, into which he was baptized, it may be fit to bring him into the world, and shew him how he ought to demean himself in regard to the things of it.

THOUGHTS

UPON

WORLDLY RICHES.

SECT. I.

HE that seriously considers the constitution of the Christian religion, observing the excellency of its doctrines, the clearness of its precepts, the severity of its threatenings, together with the faithfulness of its promises, and the certainty of its principles to trust to; such a one may justly be astonished, and admire what should be the reason that they who profess this not only the most excellent, but only true religion in the world, should notwithstanding be generally as wicked,debauched, and profane, as they that never heard of it. For that they are so, is but too plain and obvious to every one that observes their actions, and compares them with the practices of Jews, Turks, and Infidels. For what sin have they amongst them which we have not as rife amongst ourselves? Are they intemperate and luxurious? Are they envious and malicious against one another? Are they uncharitable and censorious? Are they given to extortion, rapine, and oppression? So are most of those who are called Christians. Do they blaspheme the name of God, profane his sabbaths, contemn his word, despise his ordinances, and trample upon the blood of his only Son? How many have we amongst ourselves that do these things as much as they?

But how comes this about, that they who are baptized

into the name of Christ, and profess the religion which he established in the world, should be no better than other people, and in some respects far worse? It is because though they profess the Gospel, yet they do not understand it? nor know what sins are forbidden, nor what duties are enjoined in it? That none can plead, especially amongst us who have the Gospel so clearly revealed, so fully interpreted, so constantly preached to us, as we have. Insomuch that if there be any one person amongst us that understands not what is necessary to be known, in order to our everlasting happiness, it is because we will not; wilfully shutting our eyes against the light,

But what then shall we impute this wonder to, that Christians are generally as bad as heathens? Does Christ in his Gospel dispense with their impieties, and give them indulgences for their sins, and license to break the moral law? It is true, his pretended Vicar at Rome doth so; but far be it from us to father our sins upon him, who came into the world on purpose to save us from them. Indeed if we repent and turn from sin, he hath both purchased and promised pardon and forgiveness to us, but not till then: but hath expressly told us the contrary, assuring us, that except we repent we must all perish, Luke xiii, 3. I confess there have been such blasphemous heretics amongst us, called Antinomians, who are altogether for faith without good works, making as if Christ by erecting his Gospel destroyed the moral law; but none can entertain such an horrible opinion as that is, whose sinful practices have not so far depraved their principles, that they believe it is so only because they would have it to be so, directly contrary to our Saviour's own words, Matt. v. 17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. But I hope there is none of us but have better learned Christ than to think that he came to patronize our sins, who was sent to bless us, by turning away every one of us from our iniquities, Acts iii. 26. But how come Christians then to be as

bad and sinful as other men? Is it because they are as destitute as other men of all means whereby to become better? No, this cannot possibly be the reason: for nothing can be more certain, than that we all have, or at least may, if we will, have whatsoever can any ways conduce to the making us either holy here, or happy hereafter. We have the way that leads thereto revealed to us in the word of God; we have that word frequently expounded and applied to us; we have all free access not only to the ordinances which God hath appointed for our conversion, but even to the very Sacraments themselves, whereby our faith may be confirmed, and our souls nourished to eternal life. And more than all this too, we have many gracious and faithful promises, that if we do but what we can, God for Christ's sake. will afford us such assistances of his grace and Spirit, whereby we shall be enabled to perform universal obedience to the moral law, such as God for Christ's sake will accept of, instead of that perfection which the law requires. So that now, if we be not all as real and true saints, as good and pious Christians as ever lived, it is certainly our own faults: for we have all things necessary to the making of us such, and if we were not wanting to ourselves, it is impossible we should fail of having all our sins subdued under us, and all true grace and virtue implanted in us. Insomuch that since the Christian religion was first revealed to the world, there have been certainly millions of souls converted by it, who now are glorified saints in heaven, which once were as sinful creatures upon earth as we now are. But it seems they found the Gospel an effectual means of conversion and salvation; and therefore it cannot be imputed to any defect in the Gospel, or the Christian religion, that we are not all as good men as ever lived, and by consequence better than the professors of all other religions in the world.

But what then shall we say to this wonder of wonders, that Christians themselves in our age live such loose and

dissolute lives as generally they do? What should be the reason that all manner of sin and evil should be both practised and indulged amongst us, as much as in the darkest corners of the world, upon which the Gospel never yet shined? Why, when we have searched into all the reasons that possibly can be imagined, next to the degeneracy and corruption of our nature, this must needs be acknowledged as one of the chief and principal, that men living upon earth, and conversing ordinarily with nothing but sensible and material objects, they are so much taken up with them, that those divine and spiritual truths, which are revealed in the Gospel, make little or no impression at all upon them; though they hear what the Gospel saith and teacheth, yet they are no more affected with it, nor concerned about it, than as if they had never heard of it, their affections being all bent and inclined only to the things of this world. And therefore it is no wonder, that they run with so full a career into sin and wickedness, notwithstanding their profession of the Gospel, seeing their natural propensity and inclination to the things of this world are so strong and prevalent within them, that they will not suffer them to think seriously upon, much less to concern themselves about, any thing else.

The apostle, in his Epistle to Timothy, chap. vi. endeavouring to persuade men from the over-eager desire of earthly enjoyments, presses this consideration upon us, that such an inordinate desire of the things of this world betrays men into many and great temptations, ver. 8, and 9. And then he gives this as the reason of it, ver. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil; that is, in brief, the love of riches and temporal enjoyments is the great reason why men are guilty of such great and atrocious crimes as generally they are; there being no evil but what springs from this, as from its root and origin; which is so plain a truth, so constantly and universally experienced in all ages, that the heathens themselves, the ancient poets and philosophers,