SERM. finifter refpects, should embrace virtue, (when it is marvelLXVI. lous that a reasonable man fhould decline it;) that fo many, of themselves inclinable to goodness, fhould be fo weak as to be deterred from it by so vain an apprehenfion; and that the name of hypocrify fhould drive away piety; that it should become defirable, that hypocrites might abound in the world, lest religion both in truth and shew fhould be discarded. In fine, we may otherwise fupprefs this odious imputation than by deserting goodness; we may demonstrate ourselves serious and fincere by an inflexible adherence to it in the continual tenor of our practice; and especially in fome inftances of duty, which are hardly confiftent with hypocrify for no man can hold long in a strained posture; no man will take much pains, or encounter great difficulties, or fuftain grievous hardships and afflictions, crofs his appetites, forego gains and honours, for that Matt. xxiii. which he doth not heartily like and love: he may counterfeit in ceremonies and formalities, but he will hardly feign humility, meekness, patience, contentedness, temperance, at least uniformly and constantly. Even the patient enduring this cenfure will confute it, and wipe off the afperfion of hypocrify. 23. SERMON LXVII. PROVIDE THINGS HONEST IN THE SIGHT OF 2 COR. viii. 21. Providing for honeft things, not only in the fight of the 6. ANOTHER great impediment of good conversation SERM. before men is a defire of seeming courteous and civil. LXVII. Men ufually conform to finful practices, because they would not be held clowns, rude and distasteful in converfation; they would not give offence to their company, by clashing with their humour; by preferring their own judgment, and feeming to be in their own conceit wiser and better than those with whom they converfe; by provoking them to think they are held fools or worse, by fuch non-compliance. This is an ordinary fnare to easy and ingenuous natures; but the ground of it is very unreasonable: for although in matters of indifference, where duty and fin do not fall into confideration, to be limber and ductile as can be, (which is the temper of the best metal,) to have no humour of our own, or to refign up all our humour to the will of our company, to condefcend unto, and comport with any thing; to raife no faction or debate, but prefently to yield to the fwaying vote; to become all things to all men in a ready complaifance, be wisdom and good manners, doth argue good nature, good understanding, good breeding; is a rightly gentle and obliging quality: SERM. Yet where duty is concerned, where finning or not finLXVII. ning is the cafe, there courtesy hath no room; there it is vain to pretend any engagement to complaifance. For furely it is better to be held uncivil, than to be ungodly; it is far better manners to offend any number of men, than to be rude with God, to clafh with his pleafure, to offer indignity and injury to him: there can be no competition in the cafe; no fhadow of reason, why we should displease God to please men. As it were more civil to offend ten thousand boors (peasants) than to affront our king; fo to offend ten thoufand kings than to affront our God were in policy more advisable, and in equity more juftifiable: fo the royal Pfal. cxix. Pfalmift did judge; for, Princes, faid he, did fit and speak against me, but thy fervant did meditate in thy ftatutes: fo Matt. x. 18. Mofes, fo Samuel, fo Elias, fo Jeremy, fo Daniel, fo the three noble children, fo the holy Apostles did conceive; 23. L who being perfons otherwise very courteous and gentle, yet had not that confideration of mighty princes, as not rather to approve their confciences to God, than to comply with their pleasure; how much less should we, upon pretence of courtesy toward inferior perfons in ordinary conversation, transgress our duty? Our own intereft in fuch cafes is too confiderable to be facrificed to the conceit or pleasure of any men: ́our falvation is no matter, wherein formality of refpect should intervene, or have any weight; to gain or forfeit our eternal happiness is no bufinefs of compliment or ceremony: it were a filly courtefy for a man to wait on his company to hell, a wild point of gallantry to be damned in complaifance. Who would take himself to be obliged in good manners to hold on the round in a cup of poison; to leap down after thofe, who, from blind inadvertency, or wilful perverfenefs, tumble into a gulf, to gafh or ftab himself in conformity to fome defperate folk? Much lefs can a man be engaged out of any fuch regard (in compliance with the mistake, weaknefs, or pravity of others) to incur guilt, to provoke divine wrath, to expofe his foul to utter ruin, to undergo a damage, for which all the world cannot SERM. make any reparation or amends? LXVII. Is it not far better to disgust than to gratify those, who have fo little confideration of our welfare; who indeed are very difcourteous and heinously rude in offering to tempt us unto fin, to defire a compliance therein with them; to expect from us, that we should adventure fo much for their vain fatisfaction? Indeed to gratify fuch perfons were great and noble courtesy but really to do it, we should not go this way; for this is a spurious courtesy, rather confpiracy and treachery, than courtesy. It is in truth, at the bottom, great difcourtesy (involving much unkindness, real abuse, unmerciful inhumanity and cruelty) to fecond, to countenance, to fupport or encourage any man in doing that which manifeftly tendeth unto his great prejudice, to his utter bane. It is the trueft civility (implying real humanity, genuine charity, faithful kindness, and tender pity) to stand off in fuch cases, and, by refufing (in a modest, gentle, discreet manner refufing) to concur in fin with our friends and companions, to check them, to warn them, to endeavour their amendment and retreat from pernicious courses; to exercise that compassion toward them, which St. Jude calleth pulling them out of the fire. Jud. 22, 23. In fuch cases to repel them, yea to reprove them, is the greatest favour we can fhew them; it is not only safe for ourfelves, but kind to them to obferve St. Paul's precept, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, Eph. v. 11, but rather reprove them; for which deportment, whenever 7. they come to themselves, and foberly reflect on things, they will thank and bless us; and it will happen as the Wife Man faith, He that rebuketh a man, afterwards fhall Prov.xxviii. find more favour than he that flattereth with his tongue. In fine, if we throughly scan the business, we shall find that commonly it is not abundance of courtesy, but a defect of charity, or of conscience, or of courage, which difpofeth us to reservedness, or to concurrence upon fuch occafions, in regard to unallowable practices. 23. SERM. 7. Another fnare which catcheth and holdeth us in LXVII. open practice of fin, or neglect of duty, is deference to the opinion, authority, custom, or example of others; to the common opinion, to the authority of great and leading perfons, to the fashion of the world, and prevalent humour of the age. -illos De fendit numerusJuv. Sat. ii. 45. A man (not confulting or not confiding in his own rea→ fon) is apt to credit the vogue, to defer a kind of veneration to the general fentiments of men, (especially of men qualified,) apprehending that allowable or tolerable, which men commonly by their practice feem to approve. He is prone to fufpect his own judgment of mistake, when it doth thwart the opinion of so many; and hardly can have the heart to oppose his single apprehension against so common notions. The commonness of fin, and multitude of offenders, doth in a manner authorize and warrant it, doth at least seem to excuse and extenuate it. A man easily conceiteth himself safe enough, while he Ecclus. xvi. is in the herd, while he walketh in the road, when he 17. hath the broad coverlet of general ufage to fhroud him : from blame he doth at least fancy confolation in undergoing a doom with so many. But upon many accounts, this is a very fallacious and dangerous ground of practice. Ant. ix. 18. For multitudes are no good authors of opinion, or guides of practice. xi. 3, 4. Argumentum peffimi turba. Sen. de Vit. b. 2. Wife men have ever been apt to fufpect that to be bad, which is most commonly admired and affected. Nothing is more vulgarly noted, than the injudiciousnefs, the blindnefs, the levity, temerity, and giddinefs of the vulgar; temper, inclination, appetite, intereft, and the like perverting biafes, have moft fway on them; any specious appearance, any flight motive, any light rumour doth ferve to perfuade them any thing, to drive them any whither. All ages have deplored the paucity of wife and good men; the genuine difciples of our Lord, and fons of wif dom have ever been pufillus grex, a small flock; our Lord |