Ornamental piety

When Moses returned from the Mount, unto this Idolatrous People, this was One of the awful Demands, which he brought from Heaven unto them; Therefore now Put off thy Ornament from thee. The Chaldee reads it; Put off thy Armour. And, if it be so read, it seems the Language of a Provoked General, Ordering the Rebellious Legions ▪ to be Disarmed, that so he may proceed unto what Punishment he please upon them. Or, if we rather say, Put off thy Ornaments, it looks like a Master Ordering a Slave to be Stripped, that he may then Resolve, Whether to Punish him or no, according to his Demerits. It administers occasion, by the way, to let fall an Admonition concerning a Fault which is too common among us; On our Days of HUMILIATION many of our People appear with too gay Ornaments upon them. If Sack cloth of old, (the same with Sagum,) a Black rough Garment made of coarse Wool, (called, The Garment of Sorrow) was thought the only Suitable Habit for such Days, I would bespeak your Plainest, Meannest, Humblest Habit for them. When such Days arrive; Christians, Don't Affront Heaven with any Bravery, but, Put off your Ornaments. What I have now to Observe is this. To Put off their Ornaments, is here ⟨image ?⟩Enjoined upon the People, as an Expression of Repentance. There is a Confession implied in this Expression. The Confession is of this importance; Lord, We have Stripped our selves of all real Ornaments; No real Ornaments do now belong unto us. They were to Put off their Ornaments, in token of what they now Saw and Owned themselves to be Really before the Lord; A Ragged, Squalid, Horrid Spectacle! They were to own it, and they did so, with a Wonderful contrition before the Lord.

When Moses returned from the Mount, unto this Idolatrous People, this was One of the awful Demands, which he brought from Heaven unto them; Therefore now Put off thy Ornament from thee. The Chaldee reads it; Put off thy Armour. And, if it be so read, it seems the Language of a Provoked General, Ordering the Rebellious Legions ▪ to be Disarmed, that so he may proceed unto what Punishment he please upon them. Or, if we rather say, Put off thy Ornaments, it looks like a Master Ordering a Slave to be Stript, that he may then Resolve, Whether to Punish him or no, according to his Demerits. It administers occasion, by the way, to let fall an Admonition concerning a Fault which is too common among us; On our Dayes of HUMILIATION many of our People appear with too gay Ornaments upon them. If Sack cloth of old, (the same with Sagum,) a Black rough Garment made of coarse Wooll, (called, The Garment of Sorrow) was thought the only Suitable Habit for such Dayes, I would bespeak your Plainest, Meannest, Humblest Habit for them. When such Dayes arrive; Christians, Don't Affront Heaven with any Bravery, but, Put off your Ornaments. What I have now to Observe is this. To Put off their Ornaments, is here

I lay hold on this Intention. There is a Doctrine, which I may very Properly inculcate on my Children; Oh! That I may do it as Pungently; and very Profitably!

Sinful Men, do by their Sins, Miserably

Strip themselves of Ornaments.

They that are in ill Terms with Heaven, by being yet in their Sins, have cause to apprehend themselves really and utterly destitute of all Real Ornaments. A Sinner, however he may be adorned▪ Spoils, and Wounds, and Loses all his Ornaments. Ah, Sinner, Put off thy Ornaments. Do not pretend to be an Owner of any Ornaments! I have these things to say upon it.

I. Ungodly People may have those things, which may be Esteemed Ornaments. ⟨p. 5⟩Many choice Endowments & Ornaments may be bestowed upon Ungodly People. There are Persons, whose Names God has not Written in the Book of Life: Persons, whom God has rejected from His Eternal Purposes of Mercy; Persons, that continue in a State of Enmity to God; And yet, the Great GOD, Adorns these Persons, with many and lovely Ornaments. They that are Loathsome to God; the People of whom the word of God assures us, The Lord Abhors them. Yet God may bestow those Ornaments on these People, which may mightily Set them off in the Eyes of the World. The Image of God, wholly does consist of Ornaments. There may be seen Remainders of the Image of GOD, in ungodly People. Those in whom the Image of GOD is not Restored by a Saving Work of Heaven upon them, Yet have something of it Remaining in them. There was one shut out from the Kingdom of God; One who Lacked that One thing, which is the Chief Ornament of all: Yet such were his Ornaments, that we read; Mark 10.21. Jesus beholding him, Loved him.

I. Ʋngodly People may have those things, which may be Esteemed Ornaments. ⟨p. 5⟩Many choice Endowments & Ornaments may be bestow'd upon Ʋngodly People. There are Persons, whose Names God has not Written in the Book of Life: Persons, whom God has rejected from His Eternal Purposes of Mercy; Persons, that continue in a State of Enmity to God; And yet, the Great GOD, Adorns these Persons, with many and lovely Ornaments. They that are Loathsome to God; the People of whom the word of God assures us, The Lord Abhors them. Yet God may bestow those Ornaments on these People, which may mightily Set them off in the Eyes of the World. The Image of God, wholly does consist of Ornaments. There may be seen Remainders of the Image of GOD, in ungodly People. Those in whom the Image of GOD is not Restored by a Saving Work of Heaven upon them, Yet have something of it Remaining in them. There was one shut out from the Kingdom of God; One who Lacked that One thing, which is the Chief Ornament of all: Yet such were his Ornaments, that we read; Mark 10.21. Jesus beholding him, Loved him.

There may be Internal Ornaments, upon those, who yet upon other accounts are within full of all Hypocrisy and Iniquity. Internal Ornaments are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit of God. There are Common Gifts of the Holy Spirit, granted unto Reprobates: They are not the Better things which accompany Salvation. ⟨p. 6⟩We read concerning a Wicked man, 1 Sam. 10.9, 10. God gave him another Heart; the Spirit of God came upon him. Rare Talents may be Conferred on Persons who are Haters of God, and whom God Hates, as the Workers of Iniquity.

And there may be many External Ornaments Enjoyed by them, who have nothing but what is merely External to boast of. The Providence of God may Enrich those, who are Internally very Poor Creatures. It may Advance those, who are Internally the Basest of Men. It may give a Fair Skin, a Speckled Coat, unto those who are Internally full of Deadly Poison. We read concerning the most Unhappy Fools; Psal. 49 14 They have a Beauty, that shall Consume in the Grave.

And there may be many External Ornaments Enjoy'd by them, who have nothing but what is meerly External to boast of. The Providence of God may Enrich those, who are Internally very Poor Creatures. It may Advance those, who are Internally the Basest of Men. It may give a Fair Skin, a Speckled Coat, unto those who are Internally full of Deadly Poison. We read concerning the most Unhappy Fools; Psal. 49 14 They have a Beauty, that shall Consume in the Grave.

In the world before the Flood, we read of Two Generations. There were the Children of Cain, & there were the Children of Seth. Among the Cainites, we read of Notable Artists; We read of them that Built and Owned whole Cities; we read of Women that were very Beautiful. Among the Sethites, we read not of such things; but we read of Men Walking with God, and then Taken by Him. The Ancient Writers of Primitive Christianity make an Illustrious Type of this matter. The Cainites are a Type of the Men of this World, or▪ of the Kingdom of Satan in this World. The Sethites are a Type of the Godly, who are called out of this World, into the Kingdom ⟨p. 7⟩of God. Even among the Cainites, there may be Great Hero's, there may be Great Scholars, there may be Wealthy Landlords; and there may be those who may have all the Charms of Nature upon them.

In the world before the Flood, we read of Two Generations. There were the Children of Cain, & there were the Children of Seth. Among the Cainites, we read of Notable Artists; We read of them that Built and Own'd whole Cities; we read of Women that were very Beautiful. Among the Sethites, we read not of such things; but we read of Men Walking with God, and then Taken by Him. The Ancient Writers of Primitive Christianity make an Illustrious Type of this matter. The Cainites are a Type of the Men of this World, or▪ of the Kingdom of Satan in this World. The Sethites are a Type of the Godly, who are called out of this World, into the Kingdom ⟨p. 7⟩of God. Even among the Cainites, there may be Great Hero's, there may be Great Scholars, there may be Wealthy Landlords; and there may be those who may have all the Charms of Nature upon them.

There is the Unaccountable Sovereignty of GOD, in Ordering of it. All the Children of men must Confess unto the Lord, Isa. 64.8. O Lord, We are the Clay, and thou art our Potter. The Sovereign Maker of men, may set off His Clay Vessels with whatever Ornaments He pleases. The Vessels, which He will at last make Vessels of Wrath, He may now set them off with very Fine Figures, & fill them with what may give a grateful Entertainment. It is even so; Lord of Heaven and Earth, Because it pleases thee!

The Compassion of Heaven also does Consult the Welfare of Humane Society in thus Ordering of it. The Compassionate Lord, has a mighty Tenderness for Humane Society. The Ornaments of Ungodly Men, are made unspeakably Serviceable, incredibly Beneficial, to Humane Society. The World, yea, and the Church of God in the world, fares the better, for the Ornaments of Ungodly People. God makes a Good Use of Ill People. He furnishes Ill People with abundance of Good, because He will Employ them to Do abundance of Good. He Lodges Good Qualities, and Brave, and Neat Ornaments in Bad People, because He will make use of ⟨p. 8⟩them for the Good of others. Oh! The Goodness of God! How Great is His Goodness and His Beauty!

The Compassion of Heaven also does Consult the Welfare of Humane Society in thus Ordering of it. The Compassionate Lord, has a mighty Tenderness for Humane Society. The Ornaments of Ungodly Men, are made unspeakably Serviceable, incredibly Beneficial, to Humane Society. The World, yea, and the Church of God in the world, fares the better, for the Ornaments of Ungodly People. God makes a Good Ʋse of Ill People. He furnishes Ill People with abundance of Good, because He will Employ them to Do abundance of Good. He Lodges Good Qualities, and Brave, and Neat Ornaments in Bad People, because He will make use of ⟨p. 8⟩them for the Good of others. Oh! The Goodness of God! How Great is His Goodness and His Beauty!

II. There is a Wondrous, an Hideous, Ugliness in all Ungodly People, notwithstanding all their Esteemed Ornaments. Hear this O Proud and Vain and Self-applauding Sinner: There is not one Ungodly Sinner, but what is a Prodigy of Deformity. Abominable Men, who Drink in Iniquity like Water! The Person who for many Ages was the Greatest Person in Europe, is called, Dan. 11.21. A Vile Person. Why? He is the Man of Sin. Sin, Sin, always makes a Vile Person ▪ [Compare, Psal. 15.4] We read, — and Oh! What Pumice stones are our Eyes, that we can read it with Dry Eyes! Psal. 14.1, 3. They are Corrupt, they have done abominable Works, they are all together become Filthy. Tis the Description of all Ungodly People. Hear this, O all ye People, every one of You.

II. There is a Wondrous, an Hideous, Ʋgliness in all Ungodly People, notwithstanding all their Esteemed Ornaments. Hear this O Proud and Vain and Self-applauding Sinner: There is not one Ʋngodly Sinner, but what is a Prodigy of Deformity. Abominable Men, who Drink in Iniquity like Water! The Person who for many Ages was the Greatest Person in Europe, is called, Dan. 11.21. A Vile Person. Why? He is the Man of Sin. Sin, Sin, always makes a Vile Person ▪ [Compare, Psal. 15.4] We read, — and Oh! What Pumice stones are our Eyes, that we can read it with Dry Eyes! Psal. 14.1, 3. They are Corrupt, they have done abominable Works, they are all together become Filthy. Tis the Description of all Ungodly People. Hear this, O all ye People, every one of You.