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Show ~20 J668. 1,/"'y"".J Chap. IX. ~ft:h. ;.r,2• No C R 0 S S, No C R 0 W N. VoLJ: Ha•on was firft Minifter of State and Favorhe to Ki~g .A.baflltnn. The Text fays, Th:u the Kingfet his Stat above aU the Prznces tbat were w!tb him; and all rbe King's Servants b()fl)td 11nd rever~n~td Haman; for the Krnl bad _fo cGmmanded conce~nin8 him: &r ~ordecat (1t fee111:s) bowed nor, nor lid him Reverence. Thts, at fidl, made ill for Mordecm: A Gallows was prepared for him at Hamon's Command. But the Sequel ?f the Story thaws, that Haman proved his ow~ ln'O'ention, and ended his Pride w!rh his Life upon it. Well now, fpeakmg as the World fpeaks, and looktng tzpon MorJuai without the Knowledge of the Succefs4 Was not Morduat a very Gown, at leaft a Silly, Morofc! and Hu~orous Man, to run fuch a Hazard for a Trifle? What hurt had 1t done h1m to have bowed to, and Honoured one rhe King Hono~trtd? Di_d 1Ie. not deijlife the King, in difre-= garding Haman? Nay, had nor the Kmg commanded that Rej}tO? And. arc nor we ro Honour and Obey the King? One would have thOught, he might have bowed for the King's Sake, whatever he had in his Heart, and yet have com~ off well enough; for that he bowed not mcerly to Hamanf but to the King's Authority ; befides, it was but an Innocent Ceremony. Bur it feems, Mordecai was too plain and ftour, and not Fine and Subcil enough to avoid the Difpleafure of Haman. . Howbeit, he was an eicellent Man: Ht feared GoJ, and wroutbt Rrthtt .. oufncj!. And in this very Thing alfo, he pleaf~d God, and even the Kio& roo, ar laft, that had moft Cauie to be angry wnh h1m: For he advanced. .him ro Hanuzn's Dignity; and, if it could be, to greater Honour. "Tis true, fad News firft c~me; no lefs than Dcftrufiion to Mordecai, and the whole Peoplt: of the ]twr befides, for his fake: But Mordtct~i's Integrity and Hu· miliation, his Fafting and thong Cries to God, prevailed, and the People were faved. and poor condemned Mordecai comes, after all, to be exalted above the Princes. 0 this has great D.oB:rine in ir, to ·an thofe that are in their Spiritual Exetcifes and Temptations, whether in this or any othe[ Refpet\ I They that endure Faithful in that which they are convinced God requires of them, rho' againft the GtJin and Humour of the World, and themfdves too, they !hall find a bldl'ed Recompence in the End. My Brethren, remember the Cup of cold Water! Wt /hall rttlp, if roe faint trot: And call to mind, that our Captain Bowtd not to him that tofd him, If· thou wilt fall down ottd Worjhip me, 1 will tivt tbtt all tbt Glory of tbt World ' Shall we bow then? 0 no! Let us follow our blell'ed Leader. §. XXX. But before !leave this Seaion, 'tis fit I add, That in Confet· ence wirh a late Bijhop (and none of the leaft Eminem) upon this Subjeil and loftance, I remember he fought to evade it rhus: .Mordecai (fays be) J.id not rtfufe to bow, tU it WtU a Teflimo'!l of Re_l)tlltn tht Kinlr Favo• ~itc; but bt being a Figurt and Type of Cbrijt, be refufed it, becaujt Haman fJ)tU of the Uncircumcijion, and o11gbr to bow to him rather. To which I r~ plied; That allowing Mordecai to be a Figure of Chrilt, and the Jeuu of God's People or Church ~ and that as the Jewr were faved by hlordecai, fo the Church is faved by Chrift; this makes for me: For then, by that RC3~ fan, the Spirirua/Cirfumcijion, or People of Chriit, are not to Receive and Bow ro the Fafhions and Cufi:oms of the Spiritual Vncircumcijion, who are the Children of the World ; of whic:h, fuch as were condemnable fo long ago, in the Time of the Type and Figure, can by no Means be juftifiably Received or Pra8:ifed in the Time of the .Anri~rype or Suhflance it felf. On the contrary, this fhews exprefly, we are faithfully to decline fuch worldly Cuftoms, and not to fafhion our felvcs according to the Converfarion of Earthly·minded People; but be renewed and changed in our Ways; and keep .clofe to our Mordecai, who having not Bowed, we muft nOt Bow, that are h1s People and Followers. And whatever be our Sufferitlg or Reproach~ u, they wilt have an End: Mordecai our Cal'tain, that appears for his Peer tJle throughout. all che Provinc_es, in the Kmg's Gace1 will deli\'er us :a !aft; and, for bts fake, we !hall be favoured and loved of tbe King himfelf too. So Powerful is faithful Mordecai at hlft. Therefore let us alL look to Jefus, ou• l>lorduai, th~ Ifrarl indeed; he th>t has Power with God, and would VoL. I. No CROSS, No CROWN reouM nor. Bow· ~n the liour of Tt!nptation, hut has mightily pr~aileJ; and therefore IS a Prmct for ever:, a!'d of hh Government there jht1fl never he l!.ftd. §. X~XJ. The next Scnpture lnfiance I urge againft thcfe Cuftorns," is a Pa!fage !n Job. thus e~preft; ~t me not, 1 prayl)·ou, accept any Mon'r Per· Jon~ h~llhtr _Itt me. grvt Fla.ttenog Titles unto M11n, for 1 know not to give Fhare!1ng T1tle~; zn.fo domg my Maker would foon take mt-away. The Q,uefhon. 1hat wtlt anfe upon the ~llegadon of this Scripture is this viz What Titles ~~~e. Flaltcring_l Th: Anfwer ie as ob\'ious, namelY, Such ~tar; emp_ty ttndfi8rtzoy;, a_nd make Jnm mor~ than be i!. As to call a Man what bets not, to pleafe' htm; or to exalt htm beyond his true Name Office or Defert, to gain upon his AffeEl:ion; who it may be, lufteth to Honour 'ttnd Rej}efl' Sucb as tbefe, ~Oil lf~cellent, ~oil ~eb, lJ.IOUt <l!tllte. l!!D1lt ILOtOIIJfp, !))oil !IDteall ~afellp, Rtgbt ljonoutable, Rfubt umorl)Jfpful map ft pleafe pout ll)afellp, ll!our <l!tlltt, !?OUt J.orblfJfp, ll'Our f!onour: IOUt.4illO'U,)fp, and. the like unneceffary Titles and Attributes; calculated only to pleafe and t~ckle Poor, Proud, Vain, yet mortal Man. Likewife 10 call Man what he.ts n~t, as lll}p Uotb, ~I' !ll)allet, ~c. And ®lffe, ]Uil, or $o.ot:J, (wh~~ he IS neuher) only to pleaJe him, or thew him H.tj}ell. 1668. ~ Chap. IX. Jfa. 9· 7• job12. :n, "· It was farm bar thus to do among the ]b.Ju under their Degeneracy . ~herefore. one came to Ch.rift an~_faid; Good A1;flcr, Wbat jhall 1 do robav; Luke 1s. 1s; Et.ernal !--ife? It was a Salutatton or Addrefs of Refpea in thofe Times. 19. 71s fam1l!ar now: Good ~>: Lord, Good Sir, Good Mfljler, do this, or do that. But what w~s Chnfi's ~nfwer? How did he take it? Why caOeft rbo1~ 11Jt ~ood? fays Chn(t, !bcre u none. Good fave One, tbat U. God. He rejeEt· ed lt, that had more l\lght to keep tt than all Mankind: And why? BeCatffe there was one Greater than he; and rh:n he faw the Man addreft ir to his .M_an~oo~, after the Way .cf the Tif!Jes. and nor his DiVinity which dwelc wuhm It; therefore Chuft refufl:s tt, fhc!wJng and inlhulling us th:it we !bould not give fuch Epithets ~nd Ti~les commtm.ly ro Me,i: For Good be-mg due alone to God and Godhnefs, It can only be faid in' Flattery to fallen Man, and therefore Sinful to be fo faid. This Plain and ExaEl: Life well became him that was on Purpofe manie fefied to Return a~d Refto~e Man from his Lamentable Degeneracy, to the Innocency and Pumy ~f h1s fi~ft Creation; who has r3ughc us to .. be care· ful, how 'We ufe and g1Ve Annbutes unto 'Man, hy rhar moft feverc f3ying That every Jd/t Word th.u Menjha!J /peak, they ]hall £1Ve an .JJ.uountihereOj Mat. 12, ~~ rn tbf D<~y of }uJg'mrnr. And that which lhould "'""all Men of the Lati-tUde they take herem, and fufficiently juftifie our Tcndernefs, is this, Thor Man COt! fcarctly commtt !,Nattr ln;tlrJ and Offence tJgamfl .Aimrgbly God tb11n to afcnbe lilt) of brr AurJbuttr -unto filaR, the Cfeat11re of bu fVord: ·trnd tke Wo;k of hu Ht~mh. He is a J~lous God of h rs ·Honour, ahd will not gtve hts Glory unto another. Befides, it is fo neat the Sin of the 41- pmng, fallen .dngel.t, that affected to be greater and better than they were made an~ 1bted by the great Lord of al1 ; and to entitle Man to a Stauon above hts Make and Orb looks fo lrke Uoimy (the unpardonable Stn uii• det the Law) that i~ is hard to think, Mw Men and Women ptolellin TCtmibamty, and. fen?uily reHeCltcg upon thFir Vanity tand Evil in thefe hu~gs, can contlh.ue m them, much le'fs ple3.d for them, :md h~aft of all Reproach and Dende thofethat rhrough ~endernefs Of ('onlcience cannQt ufe .and glve1hem. It ~Itls•tll':tt Er.bu1!ili I1d dare tadu it. but ut fuch Wetght up.on the Matter, as to give this for one Re1fun ,of hts torbear· ance, to Wlt,_ Ltjlmy Ma_ker jho'lt'ldf.oo~ Nrlct'm~ away: .IThat is, For FtlJr ~~/hDuld flnkt mt Jet~J,, I dare 1101 g1vr /Man fl'ltltr, tbat'ore nbove him, or • '(/tbr 111~t,jly to pleaJe h1m. I may 'll~t, 6y any Me.tnr, ;.,gral.ific t'kat Spfric tc u. I~J'ttb aJttr fucb !hilfJt • . God .is to be exalted, ·and N-!an3&afetl. God u ;etdOJR of Man' I btrnt }tt hither tban bir Station : He rtJilJ IJ11ve b}Jtl Juep lm Place, know bh Oritinal, and remember tht Rock [rom whence be &ame: Th~t what be bar il ·borrDrtJtJ, " 6!"'/n$ I!TJfll i'Oflt b1r Mkktr'l wbu ~roughr hun forth, 'Qnd fuj111in_.rd /Jim, t'bith. Mn~ ir ik.ty 4,8} to forttt. . .:a..J kfl Ijbould be a<etf!ary to u by Flattering Titles, injfead of telling bim T t tr¥'! |
