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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>A SERMON Preached at <HI>WHITE-HALL,</HI> ON <HI>Sunday,</HI> the 17th. of <HI>February,</HI> 1694/5. Before the Right Honourable the Lord Chamberlain, Ladies of the Bed-Chamber, and others of the Hou&s;hold to our late Gracious Queen <HI>MARY,</HI> of Ble&s;&s;ed Memory.</P>
<P>By <HI>J. Adams,</HI> A. M. Rector of S. <HI>Alban's Wood&s;treet.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Publi&s;h'd at the Reque&s;t of that Honourable Audience.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed by BENJ. MOTTE, 1695.</P>
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<HEAD>A SERMON ON ISAIAH xxxii. 17. <HI>The Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall be Peace, and the Effect of Righteou&s;ne&s;s Quiet|ne&s;s, and A&s;&s;urance for Ever.</HI></HEAD>
<P>HUman Nature is very &s;ubject to Pre&s;umption or De&s;pair, according as mens Circum|&s;tances are: this appears in the <HI>Jews</HI> particu|larly; and therefore 'twas the manner of their Pro|phets to mingle Threats and Promi&s;es together.</P>
<P>Thus in the beginning of this Chapter, the Evange|lical Prophet de&s;cribes our Saviour, and the Happi|ne&s;s of his Kingdom, under the Per&s;on of <HI>Heze|kiah.</HI> (ver&s;e 9.) Then turns them of a &s;udden to a &s;ight of tho&s;e Mi&s;eries which &s;hould befal their Na|tion
<PB N="2" REF="3">before this &s;hould come to pa&s;s; but then le&s;t this &s;hould deject them too much, he a&s;&s;ures them that their Afflictions &s;hall la&s;t no longer, then <HI>Until the Spirit was poured out upon them from on High,</HI> (ver&s;e 15.) at which time <HI>Judgment &s;hould dwell in the Wilderne&s;s, and Righteou&s;ne&s;s remain in the fruitful Field.</HI> Nor was this all, but <HI>The Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall be Peace, and the Effect of Righteou&s;ne&s;s Quietne&s;s, and A&s;&s;urance for Ever.</HI></P>
<P>By the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s is meant, as this place refers to Chri&s;t, and concerns us in particu|lar, the Acting according to the Precepts of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>The Word Peace has a large &s;ignification, but &s;eems to be u&s;ed here for the inward Peace or Tran|quility of the Soul: By Quietne&s;s is meant Secu|rity from outward Dangers: by A&s;&s;urance for Ever a Settled Tru&s;t, an Entire Confidence in God.</P>
<P>That the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s produces Peace, Quietne&s;s, and A&s;&s;urance for Ever, in the&s;e Sen&s;es which I have mention'd, I &s;hall endeavour to &s;hew,</P>
<P N="1">I. As to the Inward Peace, or Tranquility of the Soul; the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s caules this upon &s;everal accounts.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="3" REF="3"> 1. Becau&s;e this is mo&s;t Natural to the Soul of Man. If Rea&s;on be the thing which di&s;tingui&s;hes Man from other Creatures, his Ea&s;e and Happine&s;s mu&s;t con&s;i&s;t in the Acting according to this, and the improvement of it. But Rea&s;on leads us of it &s;elf to the chief grounds of tho&s;e things which are Com|manded us in the Go&s;pel, as the Works of Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s: as the Knowledge of a God, of Good and Evil, and Reward and Puni&s;hment hereafter.</P>
<P>And tho men are &s;ometimes &s;o perver&s;e, as to en|deavour to de&s;troy the&s;e Notions in them&s;elves and others, yet all the while they do this Violence to their Under&s;tandings, the Soul is unnaturally forc'd and &s;train'd, as appears by its frequent &s;triving in Doubts and Fears. Whereas he that Acts according to his Rea&s;on, and Endeavours to improve the Na|tural Notions of a God by Searching into His Re|veal'd Will, and living according to it, does that which is mo&s;t agreeable to His Nature, and finds the mo&s;t perfect Peace of Mind; and the Re&s;t and Acqui|e&s;cence, which is the Effect of having done Well, is like that which Natural Bodies find by lying &s;till in their proper Places: Which proves that Righteou&s;ne&s;s is particularly agreeable to the Soul of Man, and that the Works of it give Peace and Satisfaction; while every Work of Wickedne&s;s is Acting contrary to &s;ome
<PB N="4" REF="4">Principle or other belonging to it, and con&s;equently cau&s;es Di&s;quiet and Confu&s;ion.</P>
<P N="2">II. The Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, or the Acting ac|cording to the Precepts of the Go&s;pel, brings Peace to the Mind, by leading it to a clearer Knowledge of God than it can have from Nature, and by conducing to the improvement of that Knowledge.</P>
<P><HI>Tho the corruptible body pre&s;&s;eth down the Soul, and the earthly tabernacle weighteth down the mind. Wi&s;d.</HI> 9.15. yet the&s;e Expre&s;&s;ions &s;hew that this is unnatural, and argue Re&s;i&s;tance and Reluctancy; Accordingly, we may ob&s;erve that the Soul is frequently &s;trugling and endeavouring upwards, and by its quitting &s;o &s;oon its fulle&s;t Enjoyments, by its perpetually hunting about after new Objects, &s;hews plainly, that Nothing of this World is of &s;ufficient Worth, to improve, or employ it. But if at length it can, by the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of Right Rea&s;on and Divine Grace, rai&s;e it&s;elf to Heaven, what Joy, what &s;weet Acquie&s;cence does it find in the Knowledg and Contemplation of its God! For if there be the &s;tronge&s;t Inclination to Union be|tween things of the &s;ame Nature, the Soul being im|material, can have no immediate, no proper Con|nexion with material Objects; But when it meets with Spiritual ones, rejoyces in what is like it&s;elf: How then mu&s;t it be plea&s;ed, when it has di&s;covered
<PB N="5" REF="4">the Father of Spirits! What un&s;peakable Joy mu&s;t it find, in being united to God him&s;elf by the Works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s!</P>
<P>But alas! In how wretched a Condition was Man|kind in this Regard before the Go&s;pel? How little Knowledge had they of God, and therefore how little Progre&s;s did they make in the Works of Vir|tue? Some thought Him a Cruel and Inflexible Being, and that whatever came to pa&s;s, was by ab&s;olute Ne|ce&s;&s;ity; and this took off all Hope and Comfort in Affliction: Others thought Him an Idle and Carele&s;s Being, not concerning Him&s;elf at all with the Events of Things, or Actions of Men; and this took away the Reli&s;h of Succe&s;s, made it always &s;u&s;pected, &s;ince what came by Chance, might be as quickly lo&s;t by it. As for the Jews, tho they had a better Notion of the True God, yet the Pa&s;&s;ion which work'd chiefly up|on them was Fear: God revealed Him&s;elf to this &s;tub|born People, by His dreadful Attributes of Power and Ju&s;tice, and therefore their Obedience was Servile and Unea&s;ie to 'em: But how &s;oon were all the&s;e Evils Remedy'd! And how plainly did God Reveal Him|&s;elf to the whole World, by the Coming of our Ble&s;|&s;ed Saviour? By His Coming the Abominations of the Heathen Wor&s;hip, the Delu&s;ions of their Oracles, the vain Boa&s;ts of their Virtue were Di&s;cover'd, by the Coming of the <HI>De&s;ire of</HI> all <HI>Nations,</HI> the <HI>Prince of
<PB N="6" REF="5">Peace,</HI> the <HI>Lord of Life and Glory:</HI> That Fear and Dread which attended the Mo&s;aical Law was quali|fy'd by that Love which is the Foundation of the Go&s;pel; and the terrible Name of the <HI>Lord of Ho&s;ts, the God to whom Vengeance belongeth,</HI> changed in|to the Mild and Sweet Style of <HI>the God of Peace and Con&s;olation, the Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> So that all here contributes to our inward Peace: Here Power and Goodne&s;s, Ju&s;tice and Mercy, Moderate our Fear and Love &s;o &s;weetly, that they produce &s;uch a Smoothne&s;s in the Mind, as cannot be equall'd by Love or Joy alone; for tho the Pa&s;&s;ions of Love and Joy are more agreeable to Nature, becau&s;e their Ob|jects are what we &s;uppo&s;e to be good, then Fear or Sadne&s;s, becau&s;e their Objects are what we &s;uppo&s;e to be Evil; yet they are no le&s;s Trouble&s;ome and Dan|gerous in the Exce&s;s; So that they require a convenient Allay, and an equal Mixture of both together: and in this equal Mixture, wherein the Soul is neither to&s;s'd nor driven violently one way or other, con&s;i&s;ts its Ea&s;e and Happine&s;s.</P>
<P>This is that Ea&s;e which the Mind finds in the Know|ledg of God, which mu&s;t be &s;uppos'd as the Ground of our Obedience in Working Righteou&s;ne&s;s; and this Knowledg is wonderfully increa&s;ed by the Works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s. A Barren Contemplation of the Perfe|ctions of the Divine Nature, is no Improvement of the
<PB N="7" REF="5">Soul; but when it is withal fruitful in good Works, this is what the Scripture calls <HI>Drawing nearer to God,</HI> and being <HI>like Him:</HI> and for this God has promi&s;ed His Holy Spirit; by which they &s;hall have a more full Knowledg of Him. Thus our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, (14. <HI>John</HI> 21. <HI>ver&s;e.</HI>) <HI>He that hath my commandments, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me, &s;hall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manife&s;t my &s;elf unto Him.</HI> And from the&s;e Grounds it is, that the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s brings Peace to the Soul in the following Re&s;pects: as,</P>
<P N="3">III. The Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s contributes to the Peace of the Soul, by the Plea&s;ure which is to be found in the in&s;tant of doing it. This, I do not que&s;tion, but every Body here has frequently ex|perienc'd: there is no one Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s which regards God or our Neighbour, but bring along with it its peculiar Satisfaction.</P>
<P>What an un&s;peakable Peace of Mind accompanies Devout and Fervent Prayer? How is the Heart en|larged in Holy Joy, when it pours out it&s;elf in Prai&s;e and Thank&s;giving to its Great and Good Crea|tour? And when we a&s;&s;i&s;t our Neighbour, either by Relieving his Wants, or Comforting his Sorrows, are we not good to our &s;elves, in the Satisfaction which we feel immediately, as well as the Reward which
<PB N="8" REF="6">we expect hereafter! What a generous Delight is there in a Quick and Ample Return of any Benefit! And what a Ble&s;&s;ing to a great Mind is the very Op|portunity of being grateful! But in that Noble&s;t way of Conque&s;t, of overcoming an Enemy with Kind|ne&s;s, when 'tis in our Power to be Severe to him, is a more Rational and Complete Satisfaction, than in that which is counted by &s;ome the Sweete&s;t of all things; Revenge. In a word, the mo&s;t Solid, Sub|lime, and Durable Delight accompanies the Act of Doing Well; and tho there be much Danger in mo&s;t kinds of Satisfaction in ones &s;elf, there is no fear of Flattery in the Applau&s;e of a Faithful Con&s;cience. When a Soul well practis'd and experienc'd in Virtue, and con&s;cious of a due and regular U&s;e of its free Will Acquie&s;ces in its good Actions, and &s;omething whi&s;|pers from within, <HI>Well done thou good and faithful &s;er|vant.&mdash;Happy is the people that are in &s;uch a ca&s;e: yea, ble&s;&s;ed is the man who has</HI> (thus) <HI>the Lord for his God. P&s;al.</HI> 144. <HI>v.</HI> 15.</P>
<P N="4">IV. The Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s promotes our In|ward Peace by Regulating our Pa&s;&s;ions: How great Di&s;turbers of the Mind the&s;e are, is too well Known; and yet how ready is every Body to be led away by them: How little of the lea&s;t of them, is &s;uffici|ent to make vain Man! That Lord of the World! That Boa&s;ter of his Rea&s;on! A Tyrant over his fellow
<PB N="9" REF="6">Creatures, and a Slave to him&s;elf. Sometimes the unea&s;ine&s;s of Pride Sours him into Habitual Peevi&s;h|ne&s;s; &s;ometimes he is rais'd in unrea&s;onable Joy; and then ca&s;t down again in as unju&s;t De&s;pair; then Envy and Ambition, Grief, Hatred, and Revenge, Rage in him by Turns, and often all together: What can expre&s;s the mi&s;ery of the Soul in this Condition? Yet this is not all; this makes a Man not only mi&s;erable as to him&s;elf, but odious or Contemptible to all the World.</P>
<P>There is &s;omething in Gentlene&s;s and Meekne&s;s which is mo&s;t proper to procure Re&s;pect and Love; For the&s;e Qualities are the Cau&s;es of Order and Beauty, not only in Peoples Looks, but in their Words and Actions; but in Anger or any other violent Pa&s;&s;ion, all is Deformity; yet &s;uch a Deformity as becomes rather ridiculous than terrible; for tho it may &s;ur|pri&s;e at fir&s;t, yet when it is found to be unrea&s;onable and cu&s;tomary, it is &s;corn'd and contemn'd, and when it finds that it is &s;o, it rages often unto Mad|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Now this Violence of Pa&s;&s;ion is chiefly occa&s;ion'd by Mens being mi&s;taken in their E&s;teem or Di&s;like of the things of this World, and the Ra&s;hne&s;s of their Inclinations or Aver&s;ions accordingly. Whereas the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;uppo&s;es a true Knowledg
<PB N="10" REF="7">of the Good and Evil of &s;uch things; and is nothing el&s;e but a Regular Pur&s;uit of the fir&s;t, and an Orderly Flight from the latter: And in this con&s;i&s;ts the Go|vernment of all our Pa&s;&s;ions, and our Peace and Hap|pine&s;s. An ill Man can find nothing of this, while his Pa&s;&s;ions drag or hurry him each a different way; But O, what Re&s;t, what Quiet, what Security of Mind can a good Chri&s;tian want, when every Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s joyns kindly with the other, and all contribute &s;weetly to his Peace! The Wicked are, in reference to their Extravagant Re&s;tle&s;s Pa&s;|&s;ions, <HI>compar'd to a troubled &s;ea, which ca&s;ts up mire and dirt,</HI> (<HI>I&s;.</HI> 57.20.) Turn the Metaphor, and you will find the whole Life of the Righteous Man a continu'd Calm; How Compos'd is his Tem|per! How moderate are his De&s;ires! and how well Govern'd his Fears!</P>
<P>And this is not only caus'd but al&s;o promoted by &s;uch Works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s as are enjoyn'd by the Go&s;pel; becau&s;e that Je&s;us who enjoyns them there, give us al&s;o the greate&s;t Example of Humility and Meekne&s;s: for with what Patience did He go about do|ing Good! Healing the Sick Graciou&s;ly, In&s;tructing the Ignorant Gently, and Reproving the Wicked Calmly! With what Lowline&s;s did He bear the greate&s;t Inju|ries of Contempt or Violence! Alas, if we reflect in the lea&s;t upon His mi&s;erable Life and Death, we
<PB N="11" REF="7">&s;hall find a Thou&s;and In&s;tances, wherein we may <HI>Learn of him to be meek and lowly,</HI> (<HI>Mat.</HI> 11.) and in &s;o doing, to <HI>find Re&s;t to our Souls.</HI> When I name the Word Je&s;us, &s;ays one of the Fathers, (<HI>Bernard. in</HI> 15. <HI>Serm. Cantic.</HI>) all that is Sweet and Delightful comes into my Mind; Grace, Mercy, Bounty, Forgivene&s;s, Goodne&s;s and Love, compo&s;e the Ble&s;&s;ed Sound, and the very Pronouncing of it, as it ca&s;t out Devils heretofore, might be &s;ufficient now to Allay our Pa&s;&s;ions, and Compo&s;e our fierce&s;t Anger or Revenge.</P>
<P>But of all the Pa&s;&s;ions, there is none more unea&s;ie than Fear, and no Object &s;o apt to cau&s;e this as Death; but the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s continues Peace to the Soul, by &s;ecuring it from this: The Wicked are in this Regard the farthe&s;t from any Peace, they own that Death cannot be avoided, they are ignorant when it will happen, and yet never think of it till 'tis upon 'em: Then all the Faculties of the Soul are in as great Confu&s;ion as a Town taken by Surpri&s;e, and the &s;tubborn ob&s;tinate Wretch &s;its him down, and expects the Wor&s;t in a &s;urly De&s;pair: the more timorous &s;neak and cringe in Officious Super|&s;tition; this upon a &s;udden Attack of Death; but if it comes on by Degrees, if they reach old Age, what &s;ad Spectacles of Woe are they! What Ruines of Vice appear in every Limb! yet their greate&s;t Hell
<PB N="12" REF="8">is not vi&s;ible, the Torments of the Mind are far more in&s;upportable.</P>
<P>But the Righteous feel nothing of all this; there can be no Fear where no Guilt is, and for Death it &s;elf, they know that this is but the Pa&s;&s;age to that Eter|nity which is their Reward: How ble&s;s'd and hap|py is he! How &s;ecure his Innocence! Who reflecting upon one well-&s;pent Day, can &s;ay, <HI>Return to thy Re&s;t, O my Soul, for the Lord hath rewarded thee:</HI> 'Tis but doing thus for a little while, and he may with as much Readine&s;s and Joy lie down in the Grave.</P>
<P>The Life of a Good Chri&s;tian ought to be a con|tinual Contemplation upon Death; for he that keeps this farthe&s;t Point in his Eye, &s;hall never mi&s;take his Way: He that con&s;iders how &s;oon his Body, tho <HI>it be fearfully and wonderfully made;</HI> though he be never &s;o Healthful or &s;o Young, &s;o Great or &s;o Good; is by the lea&s;t Accident &s;haken into its Du&s;t, will ever be in readine&s;s; if Death come never &s;o unexpected, 'twill find him doing his Lords Will: but if he be continu'd to a good old Age, his Bo|dy fails Regularly, becau&s;e he liv'd &s;o; every Pa&s;|&s;ion and Appetite grows le&s;s imperious, as every Sen&s;e decays, and the Soul grows more &s;prightly and vigorous the nearer it is to its Separation. Nay
<PB N="13" REF="8">let us follow &s;uch a one to his la&s;t Minute, let us con&s;ider him as ju&s;t pa&s;&s;ing into the next World; if he have lei&s;ure to look back on this, what a Ble&s;&s;ed and Chearful Pro&s;pect does his well &s;pent Life afford him; how do his Works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s ri&s;e to his View in Numerous and Goodly Order! There where he &s;ees how many Naked he has Clothed, how ma|ny Sick he has Vi&s;ited, how many Temptations he has Mortified, has he any thing to do think you but to Comfort his Friends u&s;ele&s;s and unrea&s;onable Sorrow? Or does any Pa&s;&s;ion move him, unle&s;s it be a Holy Joy for the Nearne&s;s of Eternity? No, certainly, <HI>Mark the perfect, and behold the upright;</HI> for whatever his Life is, 'tis certain that the Death, <HI>the end of that man is Peace. P&s;al.</HI> 37.37.</P>
<P>But it may be objected, that a Man may be &s;o ab&s;olute an Athei&s;t, and have &s;o &s;ear'd a Con&s;cience, as to be pa&s;t feeling, pa&s;t any Sen&s;e of Guilt, or Fear of Death; &s;uch a Mon&s;ter can &s;carce be fancied, but never known: the mo&s;t Speculative Athei&s;t can get no farther than Incertainty as to a God and future State, and how far incertainty in a matter of &s;o great Im|portance can contribute to a &s;ettled Peace of Mind, any one may gue&s;s, when what Pains &s;oever he &s;hall take to Root up or Stifle the&s;e Notions, the Danger, the di&s;mal Con&s;equence of being mi&s;taken, will re|turn often upon him, and let him choo&s;e what
<PB N="14" REF="9">Vice he plea&s;es (for that's the modern way of Di&s;pelling the&s;e Vapours, as they call 'em) yet after the mo&s;t indu&s;trious Debauch, this Qualm of Mind will al|ways follow; but more e&s;pecially if any Calamity befalls him, what a Wretch does he grow without Council or Courage; then however he has been entranc'd for a Moment, the frightful Images of his former Wickedne&s;s return more powerfully, and increa&s;ing &s;till in Terrour as Death draws on: <HI>There is no Peace, &s;aith my God, unto the Wicked; the way of Peace they have not known</HI> in their Lives, and there|fore &s;hall never find it at their Deaths.</P>
<P N="5">V. The Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s does not only pro|mote Peace in the Act of doing Well, but al&s;o by the memory of &s;uch Actions; by leaving &s;uch &s;weet im|pre&s;&s;ions upon the Soul, as ble&s;s us as often as we Re|flect upon them with ever new and everla&s;ting, Plea|&s;ure. What Horrour! Confu&s;ion and Dejection of Soul attends the Reflections of an ill Con&s;cience! When a Wretch con&s;iders how Perver&s;ly, and Ingrate|fully he has neglected, or De&s;pis'd the mo&s;t gentle and gracious means of Salvation; Fear, Sorrow, Shame, Angui&s;h and D&s;epair, Wrack and Torment him: the Sen&s;e of an Offended God, His Love and Mercy De&s;pis'd, His Ju&s;tice and Anger Provok'd; no length of Time, no change of Place, can give him any Ea&s;e: This is excellently De&s;crib'd in that dreadful
<PB N="15" REF="9">threat. (Deut. 23, 65. <HI>&amp;c.</HI>) <HI>Thou &s;halt find no Ea&s;e, neither &s;hall the &s;ole of thy foot have re&s;t; but the Lord &s;hall give thee trembling of Heart, and failing of Eyes, and &s;orrow of Mind, and thy life &s;hall hang in Doubt be|fore thee; and thou &s;halt fear day and night: in the morning thou &s;halt &s;ay would God it were evening, and in the evening, thou &s;halt &s;ay would God it were morning.</HI> So re&s;tle&s;s a Condition, &s;o far from any the lea&s;t Peace is the wicked Man. And this is the farthe&s;t from Remedy of any Evil, for other Afflictions Rea&s;on Cures, but Rea&s;on it&s;elf promotes remor&s;e upon ill Actions; gnawing upon the Soul to its Shame and Confu&s;ion: For as they who have Agues or Fevers feel a more inten&s;e Heat or Cold than tho&s;e who dwell under the Pole or the Equinoctial: &s;o the mind is le&s;s affected with outward Accidents; but an ill Con&s;cience! when 'tis Eccho'd from within, I! none but I my &s;elf have been the cau&s;e of all this! what Torture and De&s;pair! Whereas on the contrary, the worker of Righteou&s;ne&s;s not only enjoys the imme|diate Plea&s;ure of his good Actions, but provides wi&s;ely again&s;t Age, Adver&s;ity, and Death it&s;elf, and lays up continually Satisfaction for Hereafter: Such Satisfaction as not only Rea&s;on promotes, but Reve|lation Encourages by repeated Promi&s;es of the greate&s;t A&s;&s;i&s;tance and Reward: Wherefore no Plenty of Riches, no Nobility of Blood, no Extent of Em|pire can yield &s;uch Serenity and Calmne&s;s to Life as
<PB N="16" REF="10">the Souls being free from ill Actions; for when that Fountain of Action is pre&s;erv'd pure and clear; good Deeds perpetually flowing from it, ble&s;s us with the &s;weete&s;t Peace, and fulle&s;t Happine&s;s; make us look back upon Life with Plea&s;ure, and forward upon Death with Joy. Let us then be &s;o far from doubting of the Torments hereafter, or que&s;tioning the Eter|nity of them, as rather to be A&s;toni&s;h'd at the Di|vine goodne&s;s in promi&s;ing Immortal Joys, Immor|tal Happine&s;s for our momentary Obedience here, when we have &s;o great, and &s;o immediate a Reward as a good Con&s;cience!</P>
<P>But tho this may be &s;o; yet, Can no outward Evils di&s;turb this Peace of the Mind? Will not the Malice of wicked Men, or the &s;uddenne&s;s of great Afflictions &s;hake and di&s;turb it? In an&s;wer to this I proceed to the other part of my Text, <HI>The effect of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall be Quietne&s;s and A&s;&s;urance for Ever.</HI></P>
<P>By the fir&s;t of the&s;e is meant that the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall produce Peace in regard of our Neighbour: this we are a&s;&s;ured from the Scriptures, <HI>That when a mans ways Plea&s;e the Lord, he maketh his enemies to be at peace with him.</HI> (Prov. xvi. 7.) And that this is agreeable to Rea&s;on, will appear, if we con&s;ider what it is that is mo&s;t apt to Provoke or Plea&s;e mankind, and the Nature of Goodne&s;s or
<PB N="17" REF="10">Righteou&s;ne&s;s in general. The great cau&s;e of Stri&s;e and Contention is the Inju&s;tice that is offer'd to Men in their Per&s;ons, E&s;tates or Reputations, and that by Ambition, Covetou&s;ne&s;s or Detraction: Ambition is generally the cau&s;e of the other two, for this being the thir&s;t of Power; Power con&s;i&s;ts in the having many others at Command, and that comes to pa&s;s either by their nece&s;&s;ary Dependance upon us for their Intere&s;t, or their voluntary Service for Reward, and this is the Power of Riches; or el&s;e it con&s;i&s;ts in the Reverence and Love which Men bear to Superior me|rit, and this is the Power of Reputation. Both the&s;e Ambition endeavours to le&s;&s;en in others, and U&s;urp for it &s;elf by all kinds of Fraud and Inju&s;tice; and from the &s;triving for the&s;e on the one &s;ide, or en|deavouring to keep 'em on the other, ari&s;e mo&s;t Quarrels and Divi&s;ions: But the worker of Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s makes no Enemies by the&s;e ways, but is fair and open in all his Words and Actions; Impartial to Him&s;elf, and Ju&s;t to his Neighbour. Be&s;ides, that Love and Charity which is every where inculcated in the Go&s;pel, &s;o quiets our Pa&s;&s;ions, &s;o &s;oftens our Tempers, cau&s;es &s;uch a generous neglect of Injuries, &s;uch a ready and watchful di&s;po&s;ition to Oblige, &s;uch a calmne&s;s and &s;weetne&s;s of Conver&s;ation, with|out Offence to the Pre&s;ent, or Injury to the Ab&s;ent;
<PB N="18" REF="11">that a Righteous Man has no Affronts to Revenge, becau&s;e he gives none; and no Enemies to fear, be|cau&s;e he makes none: but on the contrary is lov'd and defended, becau&s;e he is a general Good, and becau&s;e his Peace and Happine&s;s is every Mans Intere&s;t.</P>
<P>But further: this is &s;o thro the nature of Goodne&s;s, or Righteou&s;ne&s;s in general, which u&s;es of it &s;elf either to prevail upon the be&s;t Tempers, or to Awe the Wor&s;t.</P>
<P>The Soul beeing mo&s;t work'd upon by Sen&s;ible Objects, the power of Example is very Great in the doing Good as well as Evil. There is a Secret man|ner of Conviction in good Actions, which per&s;uades more than all the force of Rea&s;on or Charms of Elo|quence. Something in Human Nature ri&s;es and op|po&s;es it &s;elf again&s;t Arguments, e&s;pecially when they come from an Equal, not but that we could be conten|ted to entertain Truth could we find it out our &s;elves; but we can &s;eldom endure that Superiority which the Di&s;covery of it &s;eems to give others over us, no not in matters of the greate&s;t importance, of Salvation it &s;elf.</P>
<PB N="19" REF="11">
<P> But when the light of our good Actions &s;hines before Men, it plea&s;es without &s;u&s;pition; it wins in|&s;en&s;ibly upon their Souls, and makes 'em to <HI>Glorifie,</HI> with us, <HI>our Father which is in Heaven.</HI></P>
<P>And if Righteou&s;ne&s;s has not this effect upon &s;tubborn Minds, yet it &s;trikes 'em at lea&s;t with awe and terrour. The mo&s;t ignorant People have very Early Notions of Good and Evil, and if the&s;e be any thing improv'd by Education, open'd and confirm'd by Rea&s;oning, 'tis impo&s;&s;ible that they &s;hould be &s;o entirely rooted out by any Habit of Vice, but that there mu&s;t remain enough of the Knowledge of Good to apprehend what is &s;o in others, and regard it accordingly. There are many In&s;tances in Hi&s;tory how Robbers and Murtherers have &s;uddenly held their Hands at the &s;ight of &s;ingle and di&s;arm'd Men of known Goodne&s;s; and how raging Multitudes have been re&s;train'd by the Pre&s;ence of Men of Pub|lick Worth, as if, as S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tom</HI> &s;ays of <HI>Daniels</HI> Lions, (<GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>T.</HI> 5. <HI>p.</HI> 17.) they &s;aw the Venerable and Ma|je&s;tick Image of God Re&s;plendent in him, they beheld the &s;ame Characters of Goodne&s;s which were vi&s;ible in Adam before his Fall, when every Bea&s;t approach'd to receive its name from him; and this has been par|ticularly
<PB N="20" REF="12">Ob&s;ervable in good Magi&s;trates, or great Per|&s;ons, <HI>who &s;catter evil with their Eyes,</HI> as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ays Ele|gantly; their very looks being &s;ufficient to damp and chill the mo&s;t &s;ucce&s;sful Impudence, and Habitual Wickedne&s;s.</P>
<P>But La&s;tly, Tho this &s;hould not be always &s;o, but good Men may &s;ometimes &s;uffer under the Ma|lice of evil Men: and not only &s;o; but tho they may be afflicted with any other Calamity what&s;oever, yet the Work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s is a &s;ufficient defence again&s;t this, in that A&s;&s;urance which it always car|ries with it. This con&s;i&s;ts in an Ab&s;olute Tru&s;t in God upon account of his Goodne&s;s, Wi&s;dom, and Power, and in a joyful Re&s;ignation of our &s;elves to his good Plea&s;ure; this is the effect of Righteou&s;ne&s;s as 'tis the product of a good Con&s;cience. <HI>Beloved, if our Hearts Condemn us not,</HI> &s;ays S. <HI>John, then have we Confidence towards God;</HI> therefore no Affliction can di|&s;turb the Peace or Quiet of the Righteous; keep thy Eye fix'd in humble Confidence upon the God of Peace and nothing &s;hall offend thee: <HI>Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace who&s;e mind is &s;taid on thee, be|cau&s;e he tru&s;ted in thee.</HI> (I&s;aiah xxvi. 3.) And what is the ground of this A&s;&s;urance; the knowing that God will not tempt 'em; try 'em; farther then they
<PB N="21" REF="12">are able to bear, and the &s;hortne&s;s of &s;uch Try|als: we no &s;ooner hear <HI>that many are the Troubles of the Righteous, (P&s;alm</HI> xxxiv. 19.) but it fol|lows immediately, <HI>The Lord will deliver him out of all.</HI></P>
<P>But then again, the Prophet adds <HI>for ever:</HI> the Effect of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall be quiet, and A&s;&s;urance for ever. This is that which makes the Righteous Mans Joy complete, and which &s;ettleth his Hope, and confirms his Faith; all other A&s;&s;urance is vain and finite, that, in God infinite as His Being: What Confidence, alas! in Man, <HI>who&s;e Days are a Shadow that flyeth away, their Breath goeth forth, they return to Earth, and all their Thoughts, their Projects peri&s;h:</HI> This is the end of that bu&s;ie Creature, who is &s;o in|genious in Di&s;turbing his Neighbour and him&s;elf. <HI>But thou, O God, art from Everla&s;ting, and thy Years &s;hall not fail; thou art God ble&s;&s;ed for ever, and thy Righteou&s;ne&s;s extends to Childrens Children, even to all Generations.</HI></P>
<P>This is that A&s;&s;urance for ever, which &s;upports &s;uch as work Righteou&s;ne&s;s in the Day of Trouble, and in the Day of Death: All Evils are dreadful
<PB N="22" REF="13">only as they threaten Death; but what is this, in all its utmo&s;t Horror, to a good Con&s;cience? They who believe that all things happen by Chance, and that nothing is after Death, may be frighted and alarm'd at whatever di&s;turbs or &s;hortens their <HI>only</HI> Being. But they who believe another World, may enjoy the fulle&s;t Quiet in the greate&s;t Afflictions, yes, when the blacke&s;t Calamities thicken dreadfully up|on us; this &s;weet A&s;&s;urance breaks thro all, and &s;hews us beyond 'em the Pro&s;pect of Heaven open|ing &s;till wider and wider to our view, and the Son of God Him&s;elf encouraging us to be faithful unto Death (but unto Death, which is never far off in Pro&s;perity, but which is &s;till nearer, the greater the Adver&s;ity is) <HI>Be thou faithful unto Death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore with what an equal and deliberate Cou|rage, with what a generous Indifferency, as to Life or Death, doth the Good Chri&s;tian bear him&s;elf; he di&s;dains to fly to a Grave in the greate&s;t Cala|mites; and yet whenever his Lord calls, he readily re&s;igns his Du&s;t and A&s;hes; He gladly quits that Body which is &s;ubject to &s;o many Dangers and Di&s;ea&s;es, to receive it again in a &s;hort time; to re|ceive it &s;o chang'd, &s;o improv'd, &s;o &s;piritualiz'd, as
<PB N="23" REF="13">never to be &s;ick, never to be tempted, never to be laid down more, but to remain with Him for ever, <HI>who is the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, who liveth and was dead, and is now alive for evermore.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="14">
<PB REF="14">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
