The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Edward Reynolds, Lord Bishop of Norwich

not a bare speculative science, which ultimately terminateth
and stoppeth in the understanding, but that it is a doctrine
ordered and directing unto practice, prescribed not only the
knowledge of spiritual truth, but the doing and loving of
spiritual good. The apostle calleth it the acknowledge-
ment of the truth which is after godliness; the learning
of Christ, and of the truth as it is in Jesus. As light and
heat, lustre, motion, and influence, are united in the sun,
the one working with and by the other; so treasures of
wisdom and knowledge are joined with fulness of grace
and holiness, in the sun of righteousness, whose wings have

•

a Aquin. part. 1. Qu. 1. Art. 4. et Scholastici in Prolog. Sent.

xvii. 3. Ephes. iv. 13.

d Tit. i. 1. Eph. iv. 20.

b John

healing in them. The doctrine of religion is like the pro-
phet's vision of cherubims, where he saw wheels full of eyes,
the one for vision, the other for motion: and hands under
wings; these to soar in contemplation; those to be em-
ployed in action: and lamps, and burning coals of fire; the
one for light, the other for heat. As an heathen's and he-
retick's moral actions do not benefit him without faith in
Christ; so a Christian's speculative knowledge, and mere
doctrinal faith will not save him without good works, and
the fruits of new obedience h.

Though therefore we dare not ascribe unto good works
any meritorious dignity or proper causality, whereby they
procure or produce salvation for us; yet such a necessity
of them we ever acknowledge, as that without walking in
the way of holiness, we shall not arrive at the kingdom of
glory; without doing the will of God, we can never expect
to receive the promises. And as it is a dangerous tempta-
tion of Satan on the one hand, to persuade men to deify
their own good works by putting confidence in them; so it
is no less dangerous on the other hand by mere notional,
airy, and Platonical speculations, to eat out all care of good
works, and those moral duties of piety, temperance, right-
eousness, and charity, in which the life, power, virtue of
true saving faith doth exert itself.

These considerations moved me, when I was invited to
preach before you at that solemn time, when many proper
objects of good works use to be presented to your eyes,
to single out that argument to treat upon. And that so
much the rather, because we live in times, wherein there is
a concurrence of many of those symptoms and distempers,
upon which our Saviour' hath concluded, that the love of
many should wax cold: wars, and rumours of wars, nation

e Ezek. i. 8, 13, 16, 18. ↑ Aug. de Civ. Dei, l. 19. c. 15.-De Nupt. et
Concupisc. 1. i. c. 3.-Contr. 2 Ep. Pelag. 1. 3. c. 4.-Contra Julian. Pelag. ).
4. c. 3.
8 Aug. Tom. 4. lib. de fide et oper. c. 14. Ad Simplician.
Qu. 2.
hAug. de Trinitat. 1. 15. c. 18. Qualis est illa confessio, quæ
sic Deo credit, ut pro nihilo ejus ducat imperium? aut quomodo ex animo et
vere dicimus "Domine, Domine," si ejus, quem Dominuin confitemur, præ-
cepta contemnimus?-Inter Christianum et Gentilem non fides tantum debet,
sed etiam vita distinguere. Hier. epist. ad Galat. de ratione pie vivendi.

1 Hebr. xii. 14. x. 36. Vide Davenant. de Justitia actuali, c. 30, 31.
Gal. v. 6. 1 Thess. 1. 3. 1 Tim. i. 5. Tit. 3. 8. 1 Matth. xxiv. 6, 12.

against nation; kingdom against kingdom; many offended;
many hating one another, many false teachers, many se-
duced people, and above all, an abundance of iniquity. And
indeed, it may be justly feared, that where there are so
many divisions, prejudices, animosities, differences both of
judgement and interest, to say nothing of the luxury, de-
licacy, vanity and excess in private expenses, there cannot
but consequently be a very great obstruction in the current
of good works.

My hearty desire and prayer is, that as this Sermon re-
ceived favourable audience from you, and is now by your
own direction exposed to a more general view, so some
signal blessing may follow the publication thereof, that
thereby the hearts of many rich men may be enlarged to
honour the Lord with their substance, and to let their mer-
chandise, and their treasures have inscribed upon them,
"Holiness to the Lord."

Your Honours' most humble servant in Christ,
EDWARD REYNOLDS.

1 Tim. vi. 17—19. Charge them that are rich in this world, &c.
These words have four parts.

I. Timothy's duty: charge. The rich must be charged, not flattered,

74; as being in more need, 77, and more danger than other peo-

ple, 77.

II. Subject of the charge, 78: charge the rich. The apostle does not

forbid to be rich, or to acquire riches by lawful means, 79.

III. Limitation of the subject of the charge: rich in this world, 80. We

must labour for durable riches, 81.

IV. Matter of the charge. A rich man should not be high-minded, since

riches confer no real value, 84. Rich men are but stewards, 85,

and walk among more temptations, 85. The higher the rich are