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  THE

  WORKS

  OF

  RICHARD HURD, D.D.

  LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.

  VOL. VI.

  Printed by J. Nichols and Son,
  Red Lion Passage, Fleet Street, London.




  THE

  WORKS

  OF

  RICHARD HURD, D.D.

  LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.

  IN EIGHT VOLUMES.

  VOL. VI.

  [Illustration]

  LONDON:

  PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, STRAND.

  1811.




  THEOLOGICAL WORKS.

  VOL. II.




  SERMONS

  PREACHED AT

  LINCOLN’S-INN,

  BETWEEN THE YEARS 1765 AND 1776:

  WITH

  A LARGER DISCOURSE,

  ON

  CHRIST’S DRIVING THE MERCHANTS
  OUT OF THE TEMPLE;

  IN WHICH THE NATURE AND END OF THAT FAMOUS

  TRANSACTION IS EXPLAINED.

  SATIS ME VIXISSE ARBITRABOR, ET OFFICIUM
  HOMINIS IMPLESSE, SI LABOR MEUS ALIQUOS
  HOMINES, AB ERRORIBUS LIBERATOS, AD ITER
  CŒLESTE DIREXERIT.
                                LACTANTIUS.




  TO THE

  MASTERS OF THE BENCH

  OF THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF

  LINCOLN’S INN,

  THE FOLLOWING SERMONS,

  IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THEIR MANY AND

  GREAT FAVOURS,

  ARE BY THE AUTHOR

  MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.




CONTENTS

OF

THE SIXTH VOLUME.


  SERMON I. Preached Feb. 3, 1771.

  MAT. xiii. 51, 52.

  _Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood
  all these things? They say unto him, Yea,
  Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore
  every scribe which is instructed unto the
  kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that
  is an householder, which bringeth forth out
  of his treasure things new and old._                              1


  SERMON II. Preached Nov. 8, 1767.

  1 COR. x. 15.

  _I speak as to wise men: judge ye what I
  say._                                                            23


  SERMON III. Preached May 17, 1767.

  ROM. ii. 14, 15.

  _When the Gentiles, which have not the Law_,
  DO _by Nature the things contained in the
  Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law
  unto themselves: which shew the work of
  the Law written in their hearts, their_ CONSCIENCE
  _also bearing witness, and their
  thoughts in the mean while_ ACCUSING _or else_
  EXCUSING _one another_.                                          37


  SERMON IV. Preached May 24, 1767.

  GAL. iii. 19.

  _Wherefore then serveth the Law?_                                52


  SERMON V. Preached May 1, 1768.

  HEB. ii. 3.

  _How shall we escape, if we neglect so great
  Salvation?_                                                      67


  SERMON VI. Preached Nov. 16, 1766.

  JOHN xiv. 8.

  _Philip saith to him, Lord, shew us the Father,
  and it sufficeth us._                                            83


  SERMON VII. Preached in the year 1771.

  JAMES iv. 1.

  _From whence come wars and fightings among
  you? Come they not hence, even of your
  lusts that war in your members?_                                101


  SERMON VIII. Preached April 29, 1770.

  1 TIM. i. 5.

  _The end of the Commandment is Charity, out of
  a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and
  of faith unfeigned._                                            116


  SERMON IX. Preached Nov. 9, 1766.

  ROM. xii. 10.

  —_In honour preferring one another._                           130


  SERMON X. Preached May 6, 1770.

  JOHN xiii. 8.

  —_Jesus answered him, if I wash thee not,
  thou host no part with me._                                     143


  SERMON XI. Preached June 20, 1773.

  MARK ix. 49.

  _For every one shall be salted with fire, and
  every sacrifice shall be salted with salt._                     160


  SERMON XII. Preached Feb. 9, 1766.

  GAL. vi. 3.

  _If a man think himself to be something, when
  he is nothing, he deceiveth himself._                           174


  SERMON XIII. Preached May 16, 1773.

  2 COR. x. 12.

  _We dare not make ourselves of the number, or
  compare ourselves, with some that commend
  themselves: But they, measuring themselves
  by themselves, and comparing themselves
  among themselves, are not wise._                                187


  SERMON XIV. Preached April 27, 1766.

  St. MARK iv. 24.

  _Take heed what ye hear._

  Or, as the equivalent phrase is in

  St. LUKE, viii. 18.

  _Take heed_ HOW _ye hear_.                                      201


  SERMON XV. Preached Nov. 24, 1765.

  ROM. xvi. 19.

  _I would have you wise unto that which is good,
  and simple concerning evil._                                    215


  SERMON XVI. Preached Dec. 1, 1765.

  ROM. xvi. 19.

  _I would have you wise unto that which is good,
  and simple concerning evil._                                    230


  SERMON XVII. Preached Nov. 22, 1772.

  JOHN v. 44.

  _How can ye believe, which receive honour one
  of another, and seek not the honour that
  cometh of God only?_                                            245


  SERMON XVIII. Preached April 23, 1769.

  JOHN ix. 41.

  _Jesus saith to them, If ye were blind, ye should
  have no sin; but now ye say, we see; therefore
  your sin remaineth._                                            260


  SERMON XIX. Preached May 12, 1771.

  1 COR. viii. 1.

  _Knowledge puffeth up; but Charity edifieth._                   276


  SERMON XX. Preached Nov. 19, 1769.

  ACTS OF THE APOSTLES xxvi. 9.

  _I verily thought with myself, that I ought to
  do many things contrary to the name of
  Jesus of Nazareth._                                             290


  SERMON XXI. Preached May 10, 1767.

  St. LUKE vi. 26.

  _Woe unto you, when all men speak well of you._                 304


  SERMON XXII. Preached Feb. 6, 1774.

  St. JOHN viii. 11.

  _Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee;
  Go, and sin no more._                                           319


  SERMON XXIII. Preached March 1, 1772.

  St. MATTHEW xi. 29.

  _Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
  heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
  souls._                                                         333


  SERMON XXIV. Preached April 30, 1769.

  LUKE xvi. 14.

  _And the Pharisees also, who were covetous,
  heard all those things: and they derided
  him._                                                           350


  SERMON XXV. Preached June 25, 1775.

  ECCLESIASTES v. 10.

  _He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied
  with silver._                                                   366


  SERMON XXVI. Preached Feb. 21, 1773.

  1 COR. vi. 20.

  _Therefore glorify God in your body, and in
  your spirit, which are God’s._                                  378


  SERMON XXVII. Preached March 13, 1774.

  JOB xiii. 26.

  _Thou writest bitter things against me, and
  makest me to possess the iniquities of my
  youth._                                                         393


  SERMON XXVIII. Preached May 28, 1769.

  ECCLESIASTES vii. 21, 22.

  _Take no heed unto all words that are spoken,
  lest thou hear thy servant curse thee. For
  oftentimes, also, thine own heart knoweth,
  that thou thyself, likewise, hast cursed
  others._                                                        407




SERMON I.

PREACHED FEBRUARY 3, 1771.

ST. MATTH. xiii. 51, 52.

_Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say
unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe
which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that
is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new
and old._


If there be any difficulty in these words, it will be removed by
considering the _manners_ of that time, in which Jesus lived, and the
_ideas_ of those persons, to whom he addressed himself.

The Israelites were a plain, frugal people; abundantly supplied
with all things needful to the convenient support of life, but
very sparingly with such as come under the notion of ornaments or
superfluities. They drew their means of subsistence chiefly from
pasturage, agriculture, and other rural occupations. Gold and Silver
was scarce among the ancient Jews; and the less necessary to them, as
they had little traffic among themselves, and still less with their
pagan neighbours; the wisdom of their Law having purposely restrained,
and, upon the matter, prohibited, all the gainful ways of commerce.

Now, to a people, thus circumstanced, unfurnished, in a good degree,
with arts and manufactures, and but slenderly provided with the _means
of exchange_ for the commodities they produce; management, thrift,
and what we call _good husbandry_, must have been a capital virtue.
_Householders_ were especially concerned to hoard up, and keep by them,
in readiness, all such things as might be requisite either to cloath or
feed their respective families. And therefore, as they were continually
making fresh additions to their stock, so they carefully preserved
what things they had, provided they were of a nature to be preserved,
although time and use had impaired the grace, or diminished the
value, of them. Thus, they had things _new and old_ laid up in their
store-house, or _treasury_ (for these provisions were indeed their
_treasure_), which, as the text says, they could _bring forth_, on any
emergency that called for them.

And to this Jewish _Householder_, thus furnished and prepared for all
occasions, our Lord compares _the scribe, instructed unto the kingdom
of heaven_, in other words, the minister, or preacher of the Gospel.
Every such _scribe_ was to be suitably provided with what might be
serviceable to those committed to his charge: And the Text delivers
it, as _a general inference_ from the example of Christ himself (who,
from a variety of topics, some _new_, some _old_, had been instructing
his disciples in this chapter), that WE, the teachers of his religion,
should likewise have in store a variety of knowledge for the supply
of his church, and that we should not be backward or sparing, as we
see occasion, in the use of it. THEREFORE, says he, that is, _for
this end_[1] that your respective charges may be well and perfectly
instructed by you, as you have been by me, _every scribe, which is
instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an
householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and
old_.

It is true, if this instruction of our Lord and Master had concerned
_only_ the preachers of the word, I might have found a fitter place and
occasion for a discourse upon it. But the case is much otherwise; and
it concerns _all_ the faithful to understand what the duty of those is,
who are intrusted to dispense the word of life, lest they take offence
at the ministry, without cause, and so deprive themselves of the fruit
which they might otherwise reap from it.

Let me therefore lay before you some plain considerations on the
aphorism in the text; and submit it to yourselves how far they may
deserve the notice of all Christians.

It would be ridiculous, no doubt, to torture a meer figure of speech;
and to pursue a metaphor through all the minute applications, which an
ordinary imagination might find or invent for it. But I shall not be
suspected of trifling in this sort, when I only conclude, from the
comparison of a _Christian Scribe_ to the _Jewish Householder_;

I. That all the treasures of knowledge, which the MINISTER OF THE
GOSPEL may have laid up in his mind, are destined, _not to the purposes
of vanity, but to the use of his charge_; for such must have been the
intention of a reasonable _Householder_, in the stock of provisions he
had so carefully collected:

II. That such use must be estimated from the apparent _wants of those,
to whom this knowledge is dispensed_; for so the frugal _householder_
expends his provisions on those who evidently stand in need of them: And

III. Lastly, That among these wants, some, at certain conjunctures,
may be _more general_, or _more pressing_, than ordinary; and then his
first care must be to relieve these, though other real, and perhaps
considerable wants, be, for the present, neglected by him: just, again,
as the discreet _householder_ is anxious to provide against an uncommon
distress that befalls his whole family, or the greater part of it, or
that threatens the immediate destruction of those whom it befalls,
though he suspend his care, for a season, of particular, or less
momentous distresses.

In these THREE respects, then, I propose to illustrate and enforce the
comparison of the Text, without any apprehension of being thought to do
violence to it.

I. The knowledge of a _well-instructed Scribe_ must be directed to the
edification of his charge, and not at all to the gratification of his
own vanity.

This conclusion results immediately from the _subject_ of the
comparison. For the _Christian Scribe_ is not compared to a _prince_,
who is allowed, and even expected, to consult his own state and
magnificence; or, to one of those popular _magistrates_ in ancient
times, whose office it was to exhibit splendid shews, and furnish
expensive entertainments, to their fellow-citizens: but to a plain
Jewish _householder_, who had nothing to regard beyond the necessary,
or, at most, decent accommodation of his family.

And the comparison is _aptly_ made, as we shall see if we consider,
either the _end_ of a preacher’s office, or the _decorum_ of his
character.

His OFFICE obliges him to intend the most essential interests of
mankind, the reformation of their lives, and the salvation of their
souls. And when the object of his care is so important, what wonder if
all inferior considerations fall before it?

Besides, the Christian preacher has a _commission_ to discharge, a
divine _message_ to deliver. And in such a case, men look not for
ingenuity, but fidelity. An ancient, or a modern sophist may make
what excursions he thinks fit into the wide fields of science; and
may entertain us with his learning, or his wit, as he finds himself
able. He _may_, I say, do this; for he has only to recommend himself
to our esteem, and to acquire a little popular reputation. But WE
have a _dispensation_ committed to us, _a form of sound words_, from
which we must not depart, _a doctrine_, which we are to deliver with
_uncorruptness_, _gravity_, _sincerity_[2]. We please not men, but God;
or if men, _to their good_, only, _to edification_[3].

The DECORUM of our character requires, too, that we be superior to all
the arts of vanity and ostentation. Even in secular professions, it is
expected that this rule of propriety be observed. A _Physician_ would
be ridiculous, that was more curious in penning a prescription, than in
weighing the matter of it: and the _Advocate_ would be little esteemed,
that should be more solicitous to display himself, than to serve his
client. How much more then may it be expected from _a preacher of
righteousness_, that HE should forget his own personal importance amid
the high concerns of his profession!

And such was indeed the conduct of our best guides, in the ministry.
The ancient Fathers were, many of them, richly furnished with all the
endowments, that might be required to set themselves off to the utmost
advantage. Yet we find them, in their homilies and discourses to the
people, inattentive to every thing but their main end; delivering
themselves, with an energy indeed, but a plainness and even negligence
of expression[4], that tempts frivolous readers, sometimes, to make
a doubt of their real, and, from other monuments of their skill and
pains, unquestioned abilities.

And, in this contempt of secular fame, they did but copy the example
of St. Paul himself, the great Apostle of the Gentiles; who, though
distinguished by the sublimest parts, though profound in his knowledge
of the Law, and not unacquainted with Gentile learning, affected no
display either of his natural or acquired talents, but, as he tells
us himself (and his writings attest the truth of his declaration),
_determined to know nothing_, among the faithful, _save Jesus Christ,
and him crucified_[5].

Not that what abilities we have, are always to lie concealed. There are
occasions, no doubt, when they may properly, that is, usefully, be
exerted. But the minister of the Gospel does not go in quest of such
occasions: he only adapts himself to them, when they come in his way;
and then pursues them no farther than the end, he has in view, the
edification of others, not his own credit, demands from him.

By this rule, the preachers of the word are to conduct themselves.
By the same rule, it will, therefore, be but just to estimate their
charitable labours; and, when we see nothing to admire in them, to
conclude, That this plainness of character may not be always owing
to incapacity, but sometimes, at least, to discretion and the higher
regards of duty.

And this candour, as liable as it is to misinterpretation, will not be
thought excessive, if you reflect, that, as, in general, they are bound
to consult the good of their charge, and to deliver nothing to their
auditors, but what they foresee, or presume at least, will be _useful_
to them: So

II. In the next place, The _degree_ of that utility must be regarded by
the prudent dispenser of God’s word, and can only be estimated by the
apparent _wants_ of those, to whom his instructions are addressed.

It is an especial part of the _householder’s_ prudence to take care,
that his treasure be laid out on those, who have most need of it.
He has enough to do, perhaps, to satisfy the more pressing demands
of his domestics; and the rules of a good œconomy require that he
regard those, before their humourous inclinations, or even their more