The Project Gutenberg EBook of Three Sermons, Three Prayer, by Jonathan Swift (#7 in our series by Jonathan Swift) Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission. Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** **eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** *****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** Title: Three Sermons, Three Prayer Author: Jonathan Swift Release Date: , 2000 [EBook #4738] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 10, 2002] Edition: 10 Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII
Transcribed by Stephen Rice. Additional proofing by David Price,
email
ccx074@coventry.ac.uk. From the 1889 "Tale of a Tub and Other
Works"
George Routledge and Sons edition.
THREE SERMONS AND PRAYERS BY JONATHAN
SWIFT
Contents:
On Mutual Subjection
On Sleeping in Church
On the Wisdom of this World
Prayers used by the Dean for Stella
ON MUTUAL SUBJECTION {1} -
(First Printed in 1744)
“Yea, all of you be subject one to another.” - I Peter v. 5
The Apostle having, in many parts of this Epistle, given directions to
Christians concerning the duty of subjection or obedience to superiors,
in the
several instances of the subject to the prince, the child to his
parent, the
servant to his master, the wife to her husband, and the younger to the
elder,
doth here, in the words of my text, sum up the whole by advancing a
point of
doctrine, which at first may appear a little extraordinary. “Yea,
all of
you,” saith he, “be subject one to another.” For it should seem
that
two persons cannot properly be said to be subject to each other, and
that
subjection is only due from inferiors to those above them; yet St. Paul
hath
several passages to the same purpose. For he exhorts the
Romans “in
honour to prefer one another;” and the Philippians, “that in lowliness
of
mind they should each esteem other better than themselves;” and the
Ephesians,
“that they should submit themselves one to another in the fear of the
Lord.”
Here we find these two great Apostles recommending to all Christians
this duty
of mutual subjection. For we may observe, by St. Peter, that
having
mentioned the several relations which men bear to each other, as
governor and
subject, master and servant, and the rest which I have already
repeated, he
makes no exception, but sums up the whole with commanding “all to be
subject
one to another.” Whence we may conclude that this subjection due
from
all men to all men is something more than the compliment of course,
when our
betters are pleased to tell us they are our humble servants, but
understand us
to be their slaves.
I know very well that some of those who explain this text apply it to
humility,
to the duties of charity, to private exhortations, and to bearing with
each
other’s infirmities; and it is probable the Apostle may have had a
regard to
all these. But, however, many learned men agree that there is
something
more understood, and so the words in their plain natural meaning must
import, as
you will observe yourselves if you read them with the beginning of the
verse,
which is thus: “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder;
yea,
all of you be subject one to another.” So that, upon the whole,
there
must be some kind of subjection due from every man to every man, which
cannot be
made void by any power, pre-eminence, or authority whatsoever.
Now what
sort of subjection this is, and how it ought to be paid, shall be the
subject of
my present discourse.
As God hath contrived all the works of Nature to be useful, and in some
manner a
support to each other, by which the whole frame of the world, under His
providence, is preserved and kept up, so among mankind our particular
stations
are appointed to each of us by God Almighty, wherein we are obliged to
act as
far as our power reacheth toward the good of the whole community.
And he
who doth not perform that part assigned him towards advancing the
benefit of the
whole, in proportion to his opportunities and abilities, is not only a
useless,
but a very mischievous member of the public; because he takes his share
of the
profit, and yet leaves his share of the burden to be borne by others,
which is
the true principal cause of most miseries and misfortunes in
life. For a
wise man who does not assist with his counsels, a great man with his
protection,
a rich man with his bounty and charity, and a poor man with his labour,
are
perfect nuisances in a commonwealth. Neither is any condition of
life more
honourable in the sight of God than another; otherwise He would be a
respecter
of persons, which He assures us He is not; for He hath proposed the same
salvation to all men, and hath only placed them in different ways or
stations to
work it out. Princes are born with no more advantages of strength
or
wisdom than other men, and, by an unhappy education, are usually more
defective
in both than thousands of their subjects. They depend for every
necessary
of life upon the meanest of their people; besides, obedience and
subjection were
never enjoined by God to humour the passions, lusts, and vanities of
those who
demand them from us; but we are commanded to obey our governors, because
disobedience would breed seditions in the state. Thus servants are
directed to obey their masters, children their parents, and wives their
husbands, not from any respect of persons in God, but because otherwise
there
would be nothing but confusion in private families. This matter
will be
clearly explained by considering the comparison which St. Paul makes
between the
Church of Christ and the body of man; for the same resemblance will
hold not
only to families and kingdoms, but to the whole corporation of
mankind.
“The eye,” saith he, “cannot say unto the hand, ‘I have no need of
thee;’ nor again the hand to the foot, ‘I have no need of thee.’
Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble
are
necessary; and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with
it; or one
member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” The case is
directly the same among mankind. The prince cannot say to the
merchant,
“I have no need of thee,” nor the merchant to the labourer, “I have no
need of thee.” Nay, much more those members which seem to be more
feeble
are necessary; for the poor are generally more necessary members of the
commonwealth than the rich; which clearly shows that God never intended
such
possessions for the sake and service of those to whom He lends them,
but because
he hath assigned every man his particular station to be useful in life,
and this
for the reason given by the Apostle, “that there may be no schism in the
body.”
From hence may partly be gathered the nature of that subjection which
we all owe
to one another. God Almighty hath been pleased to put us into an
imperfect
state, where we have perpetual occasion of each other’s
assistance.
There is none so low as not to be in a capacity of assisting the
highest, nor so
high as not to want the assistance of the lowest.
It plainly appears, from what hath been said, that no one human
creature is more
worthy than another in the sight of God, further than according to the
goodness
or holiness of their lives; and that power, wealth, and the like outward
advantages, are so far from being the marks of God’s approving or
preferring
those on whom they are bestowed, that, on the contrary, He is pleased
to suffer
them to be almost engrossed by those who have least title to His
favour.
Now, according to this equality wherein God hath placed all mankind with
relation to Himself, you will observe that in all the relations between
man and
man there is a mutual dependence, whereby the one cannot subsist
without the
other. Thus no man can be a prince without subjects, nor a master
without
servants, nor a father without children. And this both explains
and
confirms the doctrine of the text; for where there is a mutual
dependence there
must be a mutual duty, and consequently a mutual subjection. For
instance,
the subject must obey his prince, because God commands it, human laws
require
it, and the safety of the public makes it necessary; for the same
reasons we
must obey all that are in authority, and submit ourselves not only to
the good
and gentle, but also to the froward, whether they rule according to our
liking
or not. On the other side, in those countries that pretend to
freedom,
princes are subject to those laws which their people have chosen; they
are bound
to protect their subjects in liberty, property, and religion, to
receive their
petitions and redress their grievances, so that the best prince is, in
the
opinion of wise men, only the greatest servant of the nation - not only
a
servant to the public in general, but in some sort to every man in
it. In
the like manner a servant owes obedience, and diligence, and
faithfulness to his
master, from whom, at the same time, he hath a just demand for
protection, and
maintenance, and gentle treatment. Nay, even the poor beggar hath
a just
demand of an alms from the rich man, who is guilty of fraud, injustice,
and
oppression if he does not afford relief according to his abilities.
But this subjection we all owe one another is nowhere more necessary
than in the
common conversations of life, for without it there could be no society
among
men. If the learned would not sometimes submit to the ignorant,
the wise
to the simple, the gentle to the froward, the old to the weaknesses of
the
young, there would be nothing but everlasting variance in the
world. This
our Saviour Himself confirmed by His own example; for He appeared in
the form of
a servant and washed His disciples’ feet, adding those memorable
words, “Ye
call me Lord and Master, and ye say well, for so I am. If I then,
your
Lord and Master, wash your feet, how much more ought ye to wash one
another’s
feet?” Under which expression of washing the feet is included all
that
subjection, assistance, love, and duty, which every good Christian
ought to pay
his brother, in whatever station God hath placed him. For the
greatest
prince and the meanest slave are not, by infinite degrees, so distant
as our
Saviour and those disciples, whose feet He vouchsafed to wash.
And although this doctrine of subjecting ourselves to one another may
seem to
grate upon the pride and vanity of mankind, and may therefore be hard
to be
digested by those who value themselves upon their greatness or their
wealth, yet
it is really no more than what most men practise upon other
occasions. For
if our neighbour, who is our inferior, comes to see us, we rise to
receive him;
we place him above us, and respect him as if he were better than
ourselves; and
this is thought both decent and necessary, and is usually called good
manners.
Now the duty required by the Apostle is only that we should enlarge our
minds,
and that what we thus practise in the common course of life we should
imitate in
all our actions and proceedings whatsoever; since our Saviour tells us
that
every man is our neighbour, and since we are so ready, in point of
civility, to
yield to others in our own houses, where only we have any title to
govern.
Having thus shown you what sort of subjection it is which all men owe
one
another, and in what manner it ought to be paid, I shall now draw some
observations from what hath been said.
And first, a thorough practice of this duty of subjecting ourselves to
the wants
and infirmities of each other would utterly extinguish in us the vice
of pride.
For if God has pleased to intrust me with a talent, not for my own
sake, but for
the service of others, and at the same time hath left me full of wants
and
necessities which others must supply, I can then have no cause to set
any
extraordinary value upon myself, or to despise my brother because he
hath not
the same talents which were lent to me. His being may probably be
as
useful to the public as mine; and therefore, by the rules of right
reason, I am
in no sort preferable to him.
Secondly, It is very manifest, from what has been said, that no man
ought to
look upon the advantages of life, such as riches, honour, power, and
the like,
as his property, but merely as a trust which God hath deposited with
him to be
employed for the use of his brethren, and God will certainly punish the
breach
of that trust, though the laws of man will not, or rather indeed
cannot; because
the trust was conferred only by God, who has not left it to any power
on earth
to decide infallibly whether a man makes a good use of his talents or
not, or to
punish him where he fails. And therefore God seems to have more
particularly taken this matter into His own hands, and will most
certainly
reward or punish us in proportion to our good or ill performance in
it.
Now, although the advantages which one possesseth more than another
may, in some
sense, be called his property with respect to other men, yet with
respect to God
they are, as I said, only a trust, which will plainly appear from
hence: if a
man does not use those advantages to the good of the public or the
benefit of
his neighbour, it is certain he doth not deserve them, and consequently
that God
never intended them for a blessing to him; and on the other side,
whoever does
employ his talents as he ought will find, by his own experience, that
they were
chiefly lent him for the service of others, for to the service of
others he will
certainly employ them.
Thirdly, If we could all be brought to practise this duty of subjecting
ourselves to each other, it would very much contribute to the general
happiness
of mankind, for this would root out envy and malice from the heart of
man;
because you cannot envy your neighbour’s strength if he make use of it
to
defend your life or carry your burden; you cannot envy his wisdom if he
gives
you good counsel; nor his riches if he supplies your wants; nor his
greatness if
he employs it to your protection. The miseries of life are not
properly
owing to the unequal distribution of things, but God Almighty, the
great King of
heaven, is treated like the kings of the earth, who, although perhaps
intending
well themselves, have often most abominable ministers and stewards, and
those
generally the vilest to whom they intrust the most talents. But
here is
the difference, that the princes of this world see by other men’s eyes,
but
God sees all things; and therefore, whenever He permits His blessings
to be
dealt among those who are unworthy, we may certainly conclude that He
intends
them only as a punishment to an evil world, as well as to the
owners. It
were well if those would consider this, whose riches serve them only as
a spur
to avarice or as an instrument of their lusts; whose wisdom is only of
this
world, to put false colours upon things, to call good evil and evil
good against
the conviction of their own consciences; and lastly, who employ their
power and
favour in acts of oppression or injustice, in misrepresenting persons
and
things, or in countenancing the wicked to the ruin of the innocent.
Fourthly, The practice of this duty of being subject to one another
would make
us rest contented in the several stations of life wherein God hath
thought fit
to place us, because it would, in the best and easiest manner, bring us
back, as
it were, to that early state of the Gospel when Christians had all
things in
common. For if the poor found the rich disposed to supply their
want, if
the ignorant found the wise ready to instruct and direct them, or if
the weak
might always find protection from the mighty, they could none of them,
with the
least pretence of justice, lament their own condition.
From all that hath been hitherto said it appears that great abilities
of any
sort, when they are employed as God directs, do but make the owners of
them
greater and more painful servants to their neighbour and the
public.
However, we are by no means to conclude from hence that they are not
really
blessings, when they are in the hands of good men. For, first,
what can be
a greater honour than to be chosen one of the stewards and dispensers
of God’s
bounty to mankind? What is there that can give a generous spirit
more
pleasure and complacency of mind than to consider that he is an
instrument of
doing much good; that great numbers owe to him, under God, their
subsistence,
their safety, their health, and the good conduct of their lives?
The
wickedest man upon earth takes a pleasure in doing good to those he
loves; and
therefore surely a good Christian, who obeys our Saviour’s commands of
loving
all men, cannot but take delight in doing good even to his
enemies. God,
who gives all things to all men, can receive nothing from any; and
those among
men who do the most good and receive the fewest returns do most
resemble the
Creator; for which reason St. Paul delivers it as a saying of our
Saviour, that
“it is more blessed to give than receive.” By this rule, what must
become of those things which the world values as the greatest
blessings -
riches, power, and the like - when our Saviour plainly determines that
the best
way to make them blessings is to part with them? Therefore,
although the
advantages which one man hath over another may be called blessings, yet
they are
by no means so in the sense the world usually understands. Thus,
for
example, great riches are no blessings in themselves, because the poor
man, with
the common necessaries of life, enjoys more health and has fewer cares
without
them. How then do they become blessings? No otherwise than
by being
employed in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, rewarding worthy
men, and,
in short, doing acts of charity and generosity. Thus, likewise,
power is
no blessing in itself, because private men bear less envy, and trouble,
and
anguish without it. But when it is employed to protect the
innocent, to
relieve the oppressed, and to punish the oppressor, then it becomes a
great
blessing.
And so, lastly, even great wisdom is, in the opinion of Solomon, not a
blessing
in itself; for “in much wisdom is much sorrow;” and men of common
understanding, if they serve God and mind their callings, make fewer
mistakes in
the conduct of life than those who have better heads. And yet
wisdom is a
mighty blessing when it is applied to good purposes, to instruct the
ignorant,
to be a faithful counsellor either in public or private, to be a
director to
youth, and to many other ends needless here to mention.
To conclude: God sent us into the world to obey His commands, by doing
as much
good as our abilities will reach, and as little evil as our many
infirmities
will permit. Some He hath only trusted with one talent, some with
five,
and some with ten. No man is without his talent; and he that is
faithful
or negligent in a little shall be rewarded or punished, as well as he
that hath
been so in a great deal.
Consider what hath been said, &c.
ON SLEEPING IN CHURCH
“And there sat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus, being
fallen
into a deep sleep; and while Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with
sleep,
and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.” - Acts xx.
9.
I have chosen these words with design, if possible, to disturb some
part in this
audience of half an hour’s sleep, for the convenience and exercise
whereof
this place, at this season of the day, is very much celebrated.
There is indeed one mortal disadvantage to which all preaching is
subject, that
those who, by the wickedness of their lives, stand in greatest need,
have
usually the smallest share; for either they are absent upon the account
of
idleness, or spleen, or hatred to religion, or in order to doze away the
intemperance of the week; or, if they do come, they are sure to employ
their
minds rather any other way than regarding or attending to the business
of the
place.
The accident which happened to this young man in the text hath not been
sufficient to discourage his successors; but because the preachers now
in the
world, however they may exceed St. Paul in the art of setting men to
sleep, do
extremely fall short of him in the working of miracles, therefore men
are become
so cautious as, to choose more safe and convenient stations and
postures for
taking their repose without hazard of their persons, and upon the whole
matter
choose rather to trust their destruction to a miracle than their
safety.
However, this being not the only way by which the lukewarm Christians
and
scorners of the age discover their neglect and contempt of preaching, I
shall
enter expressly into consideration of this matter, and order my
discourse in the
following method:-
First, I shall produce several instances to show the great
neglect of
preaching now among us.
Secondly, I shall reckon up some of the usual quarrels men have
against
preaching.
Thirdly, I shall get forth the great evil of this neglect and
contempt of
preaching, and discover the real causes whence it proceedeth.
Lastly, I shall offer some remedies against this great and
spreading
evil.
First, I shall produce certain instances to show the great
neglect of
preaching now among us.
These may be reduced under two heads. First, men’s absence from
the
service of the church; and secondly, their misbehaviour when they are
here.
The first instance of men’s neglect is in their frequent absence from
the
church.
There is no excuse so trivial that will not pass upon some men’s
consciences
to excuse their attendance at the public worship of God. Some are
so
unfortunate as to be always indisposed on the Lord’s day, and think
nothing so
unwholesome as the air of a church. Others have their affairs so
oddly
contrived as to be always unluckily prevented by business. With
some it is
a great mark of wit and deep understanding to stay at home on
Sundays.
Others again discover strange fits of laziness, that seize them
particularly on
that day, and confine them to their beds. Others are absent out
of mere
contempt of religion. And lastly, there are not a few who look
upon it as
a day of rest, and therefore claim the privilege of their cattle, to
keep the
Sabbath by eating, drinking, and sleeping, after the toil and labour of
the
week. Now in all this, the worst circumstance is that these
persons are
such whose company is most required, and who stand most in need of a
physician.
Secondly, Men’s great neglect and contempt of preaching appear by their
misbehaviour when at church.
If the audience were to be ranked under several heads, according to
their
behaviour when the Word of God is delivered, how small a number would
appear of
those who receive it as they ought! How much of the seed then
sown would
be found to fall by the wayside, upon stony ground, or among thorns!
and how
little good ground would there be to take it! A preacher cannot
look round
from the pulpit without observing that some are in a perpetual whisper,
and by
their air and gesture give occasion to suspect that they are in those
very
minutes defaming their neighbour. Others have their eyes and
imagination
constantly engaged in such a circle of objects, perhaps to gratify the
most
unwarrantable desires, that they never once attend to the business of
the place;
the sound of the preacher’s words do not so much as once interrupt
them.
Some have their minds wandering among idle, worldly, or vicious
thoughts; some
lie at catch to ridicule whatever they hear, and with much wit and
humour,
provide a stock of laughter by furnishing themselves from the
pulpit. But
of all misbehaviour, none is comparable to that of those who come here
to sleep.
Opium is not so stupefying to many persons as an afternoon sermon.
Perpetual custom hath so brought it about that the words of whatever
preacher
become only a sort of uniform sound at a distance, than which nothing
is more
effectual to lull the senses. For that it is the very sound of
the sermon
which bindeth up their faculties is manifest from hence, because they
all awake
so very regularly as soon as it ceaseth, and with much devotion receive
the
blessing, dozed and besotted with indecencies I am ashamed to
repeat.
I proceed, secondly, to
reckon up some of the usual quarrels men have against preaching, and to
show the
unreasonableness of them.
Such unwarrantable behaviour as I have described among Christians in
the house
of God in a solemn assembly, while their faith and duty are explained
and
delivered, have put those who are guilty upon inventing some excuses to
extenuate their fault; this they do by turning the blame either upon the
particular preacher or upon preaching in general. First, they
object
against the particular preacher: his manner, his delivery, his voice,
are
disagreeable; his style and expression are flat and slow, sometimes
improper and
absurd; the matter is heavy, trivial, and insipid, sometimes despicable
and
perfectly ridiculous; or else, on the other side, he runs up into
unintelligible
speculation, empty notions, and abstracted flights, all clad in words
above
usual understandings.
Secondly, They object against preaching in general. It is a
perfect road
of talk; they know already whatever can be said; they have heard the
same a
hundred times over. They quarrel that preachers do not relieve an
old
beaten subject with wit and invention, and that now the art is lost of
moving
men’s passions, so common among the ancient orators of Greece and
Rome.
These and the like objections are frequently in the mouths of men who
despise
the foolishness of preaching. But let us examine the
reasonableness of
them.
The doctrine delivered by all preachers is the same: “So we preach, and
so ye
believe.” But the manner of delivering is suited to the skill and
abilities of each, which differ in preachers just as in the rest of
mankind.
However, in personal dislikes of a particular preacher, are these men
sure they
are always in the right? Do they consider how mixed a thing is
every
audience, whose taste and judgment differ, perhaps, every day, not only
from
each other, but themselves? And how to calculate a discourse that
shall
exactly suit them all, is beyond the force and reach of human reason,
knowledge,
or invention. Wit and eloquence are shining qualities that God
hath
imparted in great degrees to very few, nor any more to be expected in
the
generality of any rank among men than riches and honour. But
further, if
preaching in general be all old and beaten, and that they are already
so well
acquainted with it, more shame and guilt to them who so little edify by
it!
But these men, whose ears are so delicate as not to endure a plain
discourse of
religion, who expect a constant supply of wit and eloquence on a
subject handled
so many thousand times, what will they say when we turn the objection
upon
themselves, who, with all the rude and profane liberty of discourse
they take
upon so many thousand subjects, are so dull as to furnish nothing but
tedious
repetitions, and little paltry, nauseous commonplaces, so vulgar, so
worn, or so
obvious, as, upon any other occasion but that of advancing vice, would
be hooted
off the stage? Nor, lastly, are preachers justly blamed for
neglecting
human oratory to move the passions, which is not the business of a
Christian
orator, whose office it is only to work upon faith and reason.
All other
eloquence hath been a perfect cheat, to stir up men’s passions against
truth
and justice for the service of a faction, to put false colours upon
things, and,
by an amusement of agreeable words, make the worst reason appear to be
the
better. This is certainly not to be allowed in Christian
eloquence, and
therefore St. Paul took quite the other course. He “came not with
the
excellency of words, or enticing speech of men’s wisdom, but in plain
evidence
of the Spirit and power.” And perhaps it was for that reason the
young
man Eutychus, used to the Grecian eloquence, grew tired and fell so
fast asleep.
I go on, thirdly, to set forth the great evil of this neglect and scorn
of
preaching, and to discover the real causes whence it proceedeth.
I think it is obvious that this neglect of preaching hath very much
occasioned
the great decay of religion among us. To this may be imputed no
small part
of that contempt some men bestow on the clergy, for whoever talketh
without
being regarded is sure to be despised. To this we owe in a great
measure
the spreading of atheism and infidelity among us, for religion, like
all other
things, is soonest put out of countenance by being ridiculed. The
scorn of
preaching might perhaps have been at first introduced by men of nice
ears and
refined taste, but it is now become a spreading evil through all
degrees and
both sexes; for, since sleeping, talking, and laughing are qualities
sufficient
to furnish out a critic, the meanest and most ignorant have set up a
title, and
succeeded in it as well as their betters. Thus are the last
efforts of
reforming mankind rendered wholly useless. “How shall they hear,”
saith the Apostle, “without a preacher?” But if they have a
preacher,
and make it a point of wit or breeding not to hear him, what remedy is
left?
To this neglect of preaching we may also entirely impute that gross
ignorance
among us in the very principles of religion, which it is amazing to
find in
persons who very much value their own knowledge and understanding in
other
things; yet it is a visible, inexcusable ignorance, even in the meanest
among
us, considering the many advantages they have of learning their
duty. And
it hath been the great encouragement to all manner of vice; for in vain
we
preach down sin to a people “whose hearts are waxed gross, whose ears
are dull
of hearing and whose eyes are closed.” Therefore Christ Himself
in His
discourses frequently rouseth up the attention of the multitude, and of
His
disciples themselves, with this expression, “He that hath ears to hear
let him
hear.” But among all neglects of preaching, none is so fatal as
that of
sleeping in the house of God. A scorner may listen to truth and
reason,
and in time grow serious; an unbeliever may feel the pangs of a guilty
conscience; one whose thoughts or eyes wander among other objects may,
by a
lucky word, be called back to attention; but the sleeper shuts up all
avenues to
his soul; he is “like the deaf adder, that hearkeneth not to the voice
of the
charmer, charm he never so wisely;” and we may preach with as good
success to
the grave that is under his feet.
But the great evil of this neglect will further yet appear from
considering the
real causes whence it proceedeth, whereof the first I take to be an evil
conscience. Many men come to church to save or gain a reputation,
or
because they will not be singular, but comply with an established
custom, yet
all the while they are loaded with the guilt of old rooted sins.
These men
can expect to hear of nothing but terrors and threatenings, their sins
laid open
in true colours, and eternal misery the reward of them; therefore, no
wonder
they stop their care and divert their thoughts, and seek any amusement
rather
than stir the hell within them.
Another cause of this neglect is a heart set upon worldly things.
Men
whose minds are much enslaved to earthly affairs all the week cannot
disengage
or break the chain of their thoughts so suddenly as to apply to a
discourse that
is wholly foreign to what they have most at heart. Tell a usurer
of
charity, and mercy, and restitution - you talk to the deaf; his heart
and soul,
with all his senses, are got among his bags, or he is gravely asleep and
dreaming of a mortgage. Tell a man of business, that the cares of
the
world choke the good seed; that we must not encumber ourselves with much
serving; that the salvation of his soul is the one thing necessary; you
see,
indeed, the shape of a man before you, but his faculties are all gone
off among
clients and papers, thinking how to defend a bad cause or find flaws in
a good
one; or he weareth out the time in drowsy nods.
A third cause of the great neglect and scorn of preaching ariseth from
the
practice of men who set up to decry and disparage religion; these,
being zealous
to promote infidelity and vice, learn a rote of buffoonery that serveth
all
occasions, and refutes the strongest arguments for piety and good
manners.
These have a set of ridicule calculated for all sermons and all
preachers, and
can be extremely witty as often as they please upon the same fund.
Let me now, in the last place, offer some remedies against this great
evil.
It will be one remedy against the contempt of preaching rightly to
consider the
end for which it was designed. There are many who place abundance
of merit
in going to church, although it be with no other prospect but that of
being well
entertained, wherein if they happen to fail, they return wholly
disappointed.
Hence it is become an impertinent vein among people of all sorts to
hunt after
what they call a good sermon, as if it were a matter of pastime and
diversion.
Our business, alas! is quite another thing; either to learn, or at
least be
reminded of, our duty; to apply the doctrines delivered, compare the
rules we
hear with our lives and actions, and find wherein we have
transgressed.
These are the dispositions men should bring into the house of God, and
then they
will be little concerned about the preacher’s wit or eloquence, nor be
curious
to inquire out his faults and infirmities, but consider how to correct
their
own.
Another remedy against the contempt of preaching is that men would
consider
whether it be not reasonable to give more allowance for the different
abilities
of preachers than they usually do. Refinements of style and
flights of
wit, as they are not properly the business of any preacher, so they
cannot
possibly be the talents of all. In most other discourses, men are
satisfied with sober sense and plain reason; and, as understandings
usually go,
even that is not over-frequent. Then why they should be so over-
nice in
expectation of eloquence, where it is neither necessary nor convenient,
is hard
to imagine.
Lastly, The scorners of preaching would do well to consider that this
talent of
ridicule they value so much is a perfection very easily acquired, and
applied to
all things whatsoever; neither is anything at all the worse because it
is
capable of being perverted to burlesque; perhaps it may be the more
perfect upon
that score, since we know the most celebrated pieces have been thus
treated with
greatest success. It is in any man’s power to suppose a fool’s-
cap on
the wisest head, and then laugh at his own supposition. I think
there are
not many things cheaper than supposing and laughing; and if the uniting
these
two talents can bring a thing into contempt, it is hard to know where
it may
end.
To conclude: These considerations may perhaps have some effect while
men are
awake; but what arguments shall we use to the sleeper? What
methods shall
we take to hold open his eyes? Will he be moved by considerations
of
common civility? We know it is reckoned a point of very bad
manners to
sleep in private company, when, perhaps, the tedious impertinence of
many
talkers would render it at least as excusable as the dullest
sermon. Do
they think it a small thing to watch four hours at a play, where all
virtue and
religion are openly reviled; and can they not watch one half hour to
hear them
defended? Is this to deal like a judge (I mean like a good
judge), to
listen on one side of the cause and sleep on the other? I shall
add but
one word more. That this indecent sloth is very much owing to
that luxury
and excess men usually practise upon this day, by which half the
service thereof
is turned to sin; men dividing their time between God and their
bellies, when,
after a gluttonous meal, their senses dozed and stupefied, they retire
to
God’s house to sleep out the afternoon. Surely, brethren, these
things
ought not so to be.
“He that hath ears to hear let him hear.” And God give us all,
grace
to hear and receive His Holy Word to the salvation of our own souls.
ON THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD
“The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” - I Cor. iii.
19.
It is remarkable that about the time of our Saviour’s coming into the
world
all kinds of learning flourished to a very great degree, insomuch that
nothing
is more frequent in the mouths of many men, even such who pretend to
read and to
know, than an extravagant praise and opinion of the wisdom and virtue
of the
Gentile sages of those days, and likewise of those ancient philosophers
who went
before them, whose doctrines are left upon record, either by themselves
or other
writers. As far as this may be taken for granted, it may be said
that the
providence of God brought this about for several very wise ends and
purposes;
for it is certain that these philosophers had been a long time before
searching
out where to fix the true happiness of man; and not being able to agree
upon any
certainty about it, they could not possibly but conclude, if they judged
impartially, that all their inquiries were in the end but vain and
fruitless,
the consequence of which must be not only an acknowledgment of the
weakness of
all human wisdom, but likewise an open passage hereby made for letting
in those
beams of light which the glorious sunshine of the Gospel then brought
into the
world, by revealing those hidden truths which they had so long before
been
labouring to discover, and fixing the general happiness of mankind
beyond all
controversy and dispute. And therefore the providence of God
wisely
suffered men of deep genius and learning then to arise, who should
search into
the truth of the Gospel now made known, and canvass its doctrines with
all the
subtilty and knowledge they were masters of, and in the end freely
acknowledge
that to be the true wisdom only “which cometh from above.”
However, to make a further inquiry into the truth of this observation,
I doubt
not but there is reason to think that a great many of those encomiums
given to
ancient philosophers are taken upon trust, and by a sort of men who are
not very
likely to be at the pains of an inquiry that would employ so much time
and
thinking. For the usual ends why men affect this kind of
discourse appear
generally to be either out of ostentation, that they may pass upon the
world for
persons of great knowledge and observation, or, what is worse, there
are some
who highly exalt the wisdom of those Gentile sages, thereby obliquely
to glance
at and traduce Divine revelation, and more especially that of the
Gospel; for
the consequence they would have us draw is this: that since those
ancient
philosophers rose to a greater pitch of wisdom and virtue than was ever
known
among Christians, and all this purely upon the strength of their own
reason and
liberty of thinking; therefore it must follow that either all
revelation is
false, or, what is worse, that it has depraved the nature of man, and
left him
worse than it found him.
But this high opinion of heathen wisdom is not very ancient in the
world, nor at
all countenanced from primitive times. Our Saviour had but a low
esteem of
it, as appears by His treatment of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who
followed the
doctrines of Plato and Epicurus. St. Paul likewise, who was well
versed in
all the Grecian literature, seems very much to despise their
philosophy, as we
find in his writings, cautioning the Colossians to “beware lest any man
spoil
them through philosophy and vain deceit;” and in another place he
advises
Timothy to “avoid profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science
falsely so called;” that is, not to introduce into the Christian
doctrine the
janglings of those vain philosophers, which they would pass upon the
world for
science. And the reasons he gives are, first, that those who
professed
them did err concerning the faith; secondly, because the knowledge of
them did
increase ungodliness, vain babblings being otherwise expounded vanities
or empty
sounds; that is, tedious disputes about words, which the philosophers
were
always so full of, and which were the natural product of disputes and
dissensions between several sects.
Neither had the primitive fathers any great or good opinion of the
heathen
philosophy, as is manifest from several passages in their writings; so
that this
vein of affecting to raise the reputation of those sages so high Is a
mode and a
vice but of yesterday, assumed chiefly, as I have said, to disparage
revealed
knowledge and the consequences of it among us.
Now, because this is a prejudice which may prevail with some persons so
far as
to lessen the influence of the Gospel, and whereas, therefore, this is
an
opinion which men of education are likely to be encountered with when
they have
produced themselves into the world, I shall endeavour to show that their
preference of heathen wisdom and virtue before that of the Christian is
every
way unjust, and grounded upon ignorance or mistake; in order to which I
shall
consider four things:-
First, I shall produce certain points wherein the wisdom and
virtue of
all unrevealed philosophy in general fell short and was very
imperfect.
Secondly, I shall show, in several instances, where some of the
most
renowned philosophers have been grossly defective in their lessons of
morality.
Thirdly, I shall prove the perfection of Christian wisdom from
the proper
characters and marks of it.
Lastly, I shall show that the great examples of wisdom and
virtue among
the heathen wise men were produced by personal merit, and not
influenced by the
doctrine of any sect; whereas, in Christianity, it is quite the
contrary.
First, I shall produce certain points wherein the wisdom and
virtue of
all unrevealed philosophy in general fell short and was very
imperfect.
My design is to persuade men that Christian philosophy is in all things
preferable to heathen wisdom; from which, or its professors, I shall,
however,
have no occasion to detract. They were as wise and as good as it
was
possible for them to be under such disadvantages, and would have
probably been
infinitely more so with such aids as we enjoy; but our lessons are
certainly
much better, however our practices may fall short.
The first point I shall mention is that universal defect which was in
all their
schemes, that they could not agree about their chief good, or wherein
to place
the happiness of mankind; nor had any of them a tolerable answer upon
this
difficulty to satisfy a reasonable person. For to say, as the most
plausible of them did, “That happiness consisted in virtue,” was but
vain
babbling, and a mere sound of words to amuse others and themselves;
because they
were not agreed what this virtue was or wherein it did consist; and
likewise,
because several among the best of them taught quite different things,
placing
happiness in health or good fortune, in riches or in honour, where all
were
agreed that virtue was not, as I shall have occasion to show when I
speak of
their particular tenets.
The second great defect in the Gentile philosophy was that it wanted
some
suitable reward proportioned to the better part of man - his mind, as an
encouragement for his progress in virtue. The difficulties they
met with
upon the score of this default were great, and not to be accounted for;
bodily
goods, being only suitable to bodily wants, are no rest at all for the
mind; and
if they were, yet are they not the proper fruits of wisdom and virtue,
being
equally attainable by the ignorant and wicked. Now human nature
is so
constituted that we can never pursue anything heartily but upon hopes
of a
reward. If we run a race, it is in expectation of a prize; and
the greater
the prize the faster we run; for an incorruptible crown, if we
understand it and
believe it to be such, more than a corruptible one. But some of
the
philosophers gave all this quite another turn, and pretended to refine
so far as
to call virtue its own reward, and worthy to be followed only for
itself;
whereas, if there be anything in this more than the sound of the words,
it is at
least too abstracted to become a universal influencing principle in the
world,
and therefore could not be of general use.
It was the want of assigning some happiness proportioned to the soul of
man that
caused many of them, either on the one hand, to be sour and morose,
supercilious
and untreatable, or, on the other, to fall into the vulgar pursuits of
common
men, to hunt after greatness and riches, to make their court and to
serve
occasions, as Plato did to the younger Dionysius, and Aristotle to
Alexander the
Great. So impossible it is for a man who looks no further than
the present
world to fix himself long in a contemplation where the present world
has no
part; he has no sure hold, no firm footing; he can never expect to
remove the
earth he rests upon while he has no support besides for his feet, but
wants,
like Archimedes, some other place whereon to stand. To talk of
bearing
pain and grief without any sort of present or future hope cannot be
purely
greatness of spirit; there must be a mixture in it of affectation and
an alloy
of pride, or perhaps is wholly counterfeit.
It is true there has been all along in the world a notion of rewards and
punishments in another life, but it seems to have rather served as an
entertainment to poets or as a terror of children than a settled
principle by
which men pretended to govern any of their actions. The last
celebrated
words of Socrates, a little before his death, do not seem to reckon or
build
much upon any such opinion; and Caesar made no scruple to disown it and
ridicule
it in open senate.
Thirdly, the greatest and wisest of all their philosophers were never
able to
give any satisfaction to others and themselves in their notions of a
deity.
They were often extremely gross and absurd in their conceptions, and
those who
made the fairest conjectures are such as were generally allowed by the
learned
to have seen the system of Moses, if I may so call it, who was in great
reputation at that time in the heathen world, as we find by Diodorus,
Justin,
Longinus, and other authors; for the rest, the wisest among them laid
aside all
notions after a deity as a disquisition vain and fruitless, which
indeed it was
upon unrevealed principles; and those who ventured to engage too far
fell into
incoherence and confusion.
Fourthly, Those among them who had the justest conceptions of a Divine
power,
and did also admit a providence, had no notion at all of entirely
relying and
depending upon either; they trusted in themselves for all things, but
as for a
trust or dependence upon God, they would not have understood the
phrase; it made
no part of the profane style.
Therefore it was that, in all issues and events which they could not
reconcile
to their own sentiments of reason and justice, they were quite
disconcerted;
they had no retreat, but upon every blow of adverse fortune, either
affected to
be indifferent, or grew sullen and severe, or else yielded and sunk
like other
men.
Having now produced certain points wherein the wisdom and virtue of all
unrevealed philosophy fell short and was very imperfect, I go on, in
the second
place, to show, in several instances, where some of the most renowned
philosophers have been grossly defective in their lessons of
morality.
Thales, the founder of the Ionic sect, so celebrated for morality,
being asked
how a man might bear ill-fortune with greatest ease, answered, “By
seeing his
enemies in a worse condition.” An answer truly barbarous,
unworthy of
human nature, and which included such consequences as must destroy all
society
from the world.
Solon lamenting the death of a son, one told him, “You lament in
vain.”
“Therefore,” said he, “I lament, because it is in vain.” This was
a plain confession how imperfect all his philosophy was, and that
something was
still wanting. He owned that all his wisdom and morals were
useless, and
this upon one of the most frequent accidents in life. How much
better
could he have learned to support himself even from David, by his entire
dependence upon God, and that before our Saviour had advanced the
notions of
religion to the height and perfection wherewith He hath instructed His
disciples!
Plato himself, with all his refinements, placed happiness in wisdom,
health,
good fortune, honour, and riches, and held that they who enjoyed all
these were
perfectly happy; which opinion was indeed unworthy its owner, leaving
the wise
and good man wholly at the mercy of uncertain chance, and to be
miserable
without resource.
His scholar Aristotle fell more grossly into the same notion, and
plainly
affirmed, “That virtue, without the goods of fortune, was not
sufficient for
happiness, but that a wise man must be miserable in poverty and
sickness.”
Nay, Diogenes himself, from whose pride and singularity one would have
looked
for other notions, delivered it as his opinion, “That a poor old man
was the
most miserable thing in life.”
Zeno also and his followers fell into many absurdities, among which
nothing
could be greater than that of maintaining all crimes to be equal;
which, instead
of making vice hateful, rendered it as a thing indifferent and familiar
to all
men.
Lastly, Epicurus had no notion of justice but as it was profitable; and
his
placing happiness in pleasure, with all the advantages he could expound
it by,
was liable to very great exception; for although he taught that
pleasure did
consist in virtue, yet he did not any way fix or ascertain the
boundaries of
virtue, as he ought to have done; by which means he misled his
followers into
the greatest vices, making their names to become odious and scandalous
even in
the heathen world.
I have produced these few instances from a great many others to show the
imperfection of heathen philosophy, wherein I have confined myself
wholly to
their morality. And surely we may pronounce upon it, in the words
of St.
James, that “This wisdom descended not from above, but was earthly and
sensual.” What if I had produced their absurd notions about God
and the
soul? It would then have completed the character given it by that
Apostle,
and appeared to have been devilish too. But it is easy to observe
from the
nature of these few particulars that their defects in morals were
purely the
flagging and fainting of the mind for want of a support by revelation
from God.
I proceed, therefore, in the third place,
to show the perfection of Christian wisdom from above; and I shall
endeavour to
make it appear from those proper characters and marks of it by the
Apostle
before mentioned, in the third chapter, and 15th, 16th, and 17th
verses.
The words run thus -
“This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual,
devilish.
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil
work.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and
easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality
and
without hypocrisy.”
“The wisdom from above is first pure.” This purity of the mind and
spirit is peculiar to the Gospel. Our Saviour says, “Blessed are
the
pure in heart, for they shall see God.” A mind free from all
pollution
of lusts shall have a daily vision of God, whereof unrevealed religion
can form
no notion. This is it that keeps us unspotted from the world, and
hereby
many have been prevailed upon to live in the practice of all purity,
holiness,
and righteousness, far beyond the examples of the most celebrated
philosophers.
It is “peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated.” The Christian
doctrine teacheth us all those dispositions that make us affable and
courteous,
gentle and kind, without any morose leaven of pride or vanity, which
entered
into the composition of most heathen schemes: so we are taught to be
meek and
lowly. Our Saviour’s last legacy was peace, and He commands us to
forgive our offending brother unto seventy times seven. Christian
wisdom
is full of mercy and good works, teaching the height of all moral
virtues, of
which the heathens fell infinitely short. Plato indeed (and it is
worth
observing) has somewhere a dialogue, or part of one, about forgiving our
enemies, which was perhaps the highest strain ever reached by man
without Divine
assistance; yet how little is that to what our Saviour commands us, “To
love
them that hate us, to bless them that curse us, and to do good to them
that
despitefully use us.”
Christian wisdom is “without partiality;” it is not calculated for this
or
that nation of people, but the whole race of mankind. Not so the
philosophical schemes, which were narrow and confined, adapted to their
peculiar
towns, governments, or sects; but “in every nation, he that feareth God
and
worketh righteousness is accepted with Him.”
Lastly, It is “without hypocrisy;” it appears to be what it really is;
it is
all of a piece. By the doctrines of the Gospel we are so far from
being
allowed to publish to the world those virtues we have not, that we are
commanded
to hide even from ourselves those we really have, and not to let our
right hand
know what our left hand does, unlike several branches of the heathen
wisdom,
which pretended to teach insensibility and indifference, magnanimity and
contempt of life, while at the same time, in other parts, it belied its
own
doctrines.
I come now, in the last place, to show that the great examples of
wisdom and
virtue among the Grecian sages were produced by personal merit; and not
influenced by the doctrine of any particular sect, whereas in
Christianity it is
quite the contrary.
The two virtues most celebrated by ancient moralists were fortitude and
temperance, as relating to the government of man in his private
capacity, to
which their schemes were generally addressed and confined, and the two
instances
wherein those virtues arrived at the greatest height were Socrates and
Cato.
But neither these, nor any other virtues possessed by these two, were
at all
owing to any lessons or doctrines of a sect. For Socrates himself
was of
none at all; and although Cato was called a Stoic, it was more from a
resemblance of manners in his worst qualities, than that he avowed
himself one
of their disciples. The same may be affirmed of many other great
men of
antiquity. Whence I infer that those who were renowned for virtue
among
them were more obliged to the good natural dispositions of their own
minds than
to the doctrines of any sect they pretended to follow.
On the other side, as the examples of fortitude and patience among the
primitive
Christians have been infinitely greater, and more numerous, so they were
altogether the product of their principles and doctrine, and were such
as the
same persons, without those aids, would never have arrived to. Of
this
truth most of the Apostles, with many thousand martyrs, are a cloud of
witnesses
beyond exception. Having, therefore, spoken so largely upon the
former
heads, I shall dwell no longer upon this.
And if it should here be objected, Why does not Christianity still
produce the
same effects? it is easy to answer, first, that, although the number of
pretended Christians be great, yet that of true believers, in
proportion to the
other, was never so small; and it is a true lively faith alone that, by
the
assistance of God’s grace, can influence our practice.
Secondly, We may answer that Christianity itself has very much suffered
by being
blended up with Gentile philosophy. The Platonic system, first
taken into
religion, was thought to have given matter for some early heresies in
the
Church. When disputes began to arise, the Peripatetic forms were
introduced by Scotus as best fitted for controversy. And however
this may
now have become necessary, it was surely the author of a litigious
vein, which
has since occasioned very pernicious consequences, stopped the progress
of
Christianity, and been a great promoter of vice; verifying that
sentence given
by St. James, and mentioned before, “Where envying and strife is, there
is
confusion and every evil work.” This was the fatal stop to the
Grecians
in their progress both of arts and arms; their wise men were divided
under
several sects, and their governments under several commonwealths, all in
opposition to each other, which engaged them in eternal quarrels among
themselves, while they should have been armed against the common
enemy.
And I wish we had no other examples, from the like causes, less foreign
or
ancient than that. Diogenes said Socrates was a madman; the
disciples of
Zeno and Epicurus, nay, of Plato and Aristotle, were engaged in fierce
disputes
about the most insignificant trifles. And if this be the present
language
and practice among us Christians no wonder that Christianity does not
still
produce the same effects which it did at first, when it was received and
embraced in its utmost purity and perfection; for such wisdom as this
cannot
“descend from above,” but must be “earthly, sensual, devilish, full of
confusion and every evil work,” whereas, “the wisdom from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy
and good
fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” This is the
true
heavenly wisdom, which Christianity only can boast of, and which the
greatest of
the heathen wise men could never arrive at.
Now to God the Father, &c.
THREE PRAYERS USED BY THE DEAN FOR STELLA IN HER LAST SICKNESS, 1727
I.
Almighty and most gracious Lord God, extend, we beseech Thee, Thy pity
and
compassion toward this Thy languishing servant; teach her to place her
hope and
confidence entirely in Thee; give her a true sense of the emptiness and
vanity
of all earthly things; make her truly sensible of all the infirmities
of her
life past, and grant to her such a true sincere repentance as is not to
be
repented of. Preserve her, O Lord, in a sound mind and
understanding
during this Thy visitation; keep her from both the sad extremes of
presumption
and despair. If Thou shalt please to restore her to her former
health,
give her grace to be ever mindful of that mercy, and to keep those good
resolutions she now makes in her sickness, so that no length of time nor
prosperity may entice her to forget them. Let no thought of her
misfortunes distract her mind, and prevent the means toward her
recovery, or
disturb her in her preparations for a better life. We beseech
thee also, O
Lord, of Thy infinite goodness, to remember the good actions of this Thy
servant; that the naked she hath clothed, the hungry she hath fed, the
sick and
the fatherless whom she hath relieved, may be reckoned according to Thy
gracious
promise, as if they had been done unto Thee. Hearken, O Lord, to
the
prayers offered up by the friends of this Thy servant in her behalf, and
especially those now made by us unto thee. Give Thy blessing to
those
endeavours used for her recovery; but take from her all violent desire
either of
life or death, further than with resignation to Thy holy will.
And now, O
Lord, we implore Thy gracious favour toward us here met together.
Grant
that the sense of this Thy servant’s weakness may add strength to our
faith;
that we, considering the infirmities of our nature and the uncertainty
of life,
may by this example be drawn to repentance before it shall please Thee
to visit
us in like manner. Accept these prayers, we beseech Thee, for the
sake of
Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who, with Thee and the Holy Ghost,
liveth
and reigneth, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
II. Written October 17, 1727
Most merciful Father, accept our humblest prayers in behalf of this Thy
languishing servant; forgive the sins, the frailties, and infirmities
of her
life past. Accept the good deeds she hath done in such a manner
that, at
whatever time Thou shalt please to call her, she may be received into
everlasting habitations. Give her grace to continue sincerely
thankful to
Thee for the many favours Thou hast bestowed upon her, the ability and
inclination and practice to do good, and those virtues which have
procured the
esteem and love of her friends and a most unspotted name in the
world. O
God, Thou dispensest Thy blessings and Thy punishments as it becometh
infinite
justice and mercy; and since it was Thy pleasure to afflict her with a
long,
constant, weakly state of health, make her truly sensible that it was
for very
wise ends, and was largely made up to her in other blessings more
valuable and
less common. Continue to her, O Lord, that firmness and constancy
of mind
wherewith Thou hast most graciously endowed her, together with that
contempt of
worldly things and vanities that she has shown in the whole conduct of
her life.
O All-powerful Being, the least motion of whose will can create or
destroy a
world, pity us, the mournful friends of Thy distressed servant, who
sink under
the weight of her present condition, and the fear of losing the most
valuable of
our friends. Restore her to us, O Lord, if it be Thy gracious
will, or
inspire us with constancy and resignation to support ourselves under so
heavy an
affliction. Restore her, O Lord, for the sake of those poor who,
by losing
her, will be desolate, and those sick who will not only want her
bounty, but her
care and tending; or else, in Thy mercy, raise up some other in her
place with
equal disposition and better abilities. Lessen, O Lord, we
beseech Thee,
her bodily pains, or give her a double strength of mind to support
them.
And if Thou wilt soon take her to Thyself, turn our thoughts rather
upon that
felicity which we hope she shall enjoy, than upon that unspeakable loss
we shall
endure. Let her memory be ever dear unto us, and the example of
her many
virtues, as far as human infirmity will admit, our constant
imitation.
Accept, O Lord, these prayers, poured from the very bottom of our
hearts, in Thy
mercy, and for the merits of our blessed Saviour. Amen.
III. Written November 6, 1727
O merciful Father, who never afflictest Thy children but for their own
good, and
with justice, over which Thy mercy always prevaileth, either to turn
them to
repentance, or to punish them in the present life in order to reward
them in a
better; take pity, we beseech Thee, upon this Thy poor afflicted
servant,
languishing so long and so grievously under the weight of Thy
hand. Give
her strength, O Lord, to support her weakness, and patience to endure
her pains
without repining at Thy correction. Forgive every rash and
inconsiderate
expression which her anguish may at any time force from her tongue,
while her
heart continueth in an entire submission to Thy will. Suppress in
her, O
Lord, all eager desires of life, and lessen her fears of death by
inspiring into
her an humble yet assured hope of Thy mercy. Give her a sincere
repentance
for all her transgressions and omissions, and a firm resolution to pass
the
remainder of her life in endeavouring to her utmost to observe all Thy
precepts.
We beseech Thee likewise to compose her thoughts, and preserve to her
the use of
her memory and reason during the course of her sickness. Give her
a true
conception of the vanity, folly, and insignificance of all human
things, and
strengthen her so as to beget in her a sincere love of Thee in the
midst of her
sufferings. Accept and impute all her good deeds, and forgive her
all
those offences against Thee which she hath sincerely repented of or
through the
frailty of memory hath forgot. And now, O Lord, we turn to Thee
in behalf
of ourselves and the rest of her sorrowful friends. Let not our
grief
afflict her mind, and thereby have an ill effect on her present
distemper.
Forgive the sorrow and weakness of those among us who sink under the
grief and
terror of losing so dear and useful a friend. Accept and pardon
our most
earnest prayers and wishes for her longer continuance in this evil
world, to do
what Thou art pleased to call Thy service, and is only her bounden
duty, that
she may be still a comfort to us and to all others who will want the
benefit of
her conversation, her advice, her good offices, or her charity.
And since
Thou hast promised that where two or three are gathered together in Thy
name
Thou wilt be in the midst of them to grant their request, O gracious
Lord, grant
to us who are here met in Thy name that those requests, which in the
utmost
sincerity and earnestness of our hearts we have now made in behalf of
this Thy
distressed servant and of ourselves, may effectually be answered,
through the
merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Footnotes:
{1} A clearer
style, or a
discourse more properly adapted to a public audience, can scarce be
framed.
Every paragraph is simple, nervous, and intelligible. The threads
of each
argument are closely connected and logically pursued. - Orrery.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Three Sermons, Three Prayer
by Jonathan Swift
by Jonathan Swift
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