birth begins our progress unto death A time a way we have but it leads unto death There is a way from the Tower to Tyburn but it is a way to death Until thou comest to be reconciled unto Christ every hour tends unto thy death there 's not a day that thou canst truly say thou livest in thou art ever posting on to death death in this world and eternal death in the world to come And as it is thus with us at our coming into the world so we are to understand it of that little time we have above ground our days are full of sorrow But mark when I speak of sorrows here we must not take them for such afflictions and sorrows as befal Gods children for theirs are blessings unto them Chastisements are tokens of Gods love For as many as I love I rebuke and chasten saith Christ. Revel 3.19 Affliction to them is like the Dove with an Olive-branch in her mouth to shew that all is well but take a man that is under the Law and then every cross whether it be loss of friends loss of goods diseases on his body all things every thing to him is a token of Gods wrath not a token of Gods love as it is to Gods children but it is as his impress money as part of payment of a greater sum an earnest of the wrath of God the first part of the payment thereof It 's the Apostles direction that among the other Armour we should get our feet shod that so we might be able to go through the afflictions we shall meet withal in this life Eph. 6.15 Let your feet be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace What is the shooing of the feet a part of the Armour Yes For in the Roman discipline there were things they called Galltraps which were cast in the way before the Army before the horse and men they had three points so that which way soever they threw them there was a point upwards Now to meet with and prevent this mischief they had brazen shooes that they might tread upon these Gall-traps and not be hurt As we read of Goliah amongst other Armour he had boots of Brass To this it seems the Apostle had reference in this metaphorical speech The meaning is that as we should get the shield of faith and sword of the spirit so we should have our feet shod that we might be prepared against all those outward troubles that we should meet with in the world which are all of them as so many stings and pricks all outward crosses I say are so And what is it that makes all these hurt us what is it that makes all these as so many deaths unto us but sin If sin reign in thee and bear rule that puts a sting into them It is sin that arms death against us and it is sin that arms all that goes before death against us Hast thou been crossed in the loss of thy Wife Children good friends c. why the sting of all is from sin sin it is which makes us feel sorrow What shall we then do Why get thy feet shod with the preparation of thâ— Gospel of peace Prepare thy self get God at peace with thee and then whatsoever affliction cometh howsoever it may be a warning piece to another that Gods wrath is coming yet to thee it is a messenger of peace Now these outward troubles are the least part of a wicked mans pâ—yment though all these are a part of his death so long as he remains unreconciled whatsoever comes upon him whereby he suffers either in himself or in any thing that belongs unto him they are all tokens of Gods wrath and are the beginnings of his death in the 26th of Levit. and the 28th of Deut. the particulars of it are set down But this is that I told you the last time how that the law of God is a perfect law and nothing is to be added to it yet the variety of the curses belonging unto a man unreconciled are so many that the ample book of God cannot contain them Deut. 28.61 All the curses which are not written c. we read v. 27. The Lord shall smite thee with â—he botch of Aegypt and with hemeroids and with a scab and with itch See the diversities of plagues all these are made parts of the curse The very itch and scab is a part of the payment of Gods wrath in hell Lev. 26.26 I will send a Sword amongst you which shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant the sword that shall destroy you that when you shall hear of war of the coming of the sword which the children of God need not fear all is alike unto them it shall be to avenge the quarrel of Gods Covenant The Book of God comprehends not all the curses that are to light on the wicked And therefore we find in Zachary a Book a great Folio Book every side whereof was full of curses Cap. 5.2 He said unto me what seâ—st thou And I said I see a flying roll the length thereof is 20 cubits and the breadth thereof is 10 cubits Here 's a big book indeed but mark what is in it Sure it is not for nought that the Holy Ghost sets down the dimensions of it there is something questionless in it the length thereof is 20 cubits and the breadth 10 cubits a huge volume Nor is it a Book but a Roll so that the crassitude goeth into the compass and this is written thick within and without and is full of curses against sin Now for the dimension of it compare this place with 1 Kings 6.3 and you shall find them the very dimensions of Solomons Porch A great place where the people were wont to come for the hearing of the Word and not only in that time but it was continued to the time of Christ and the Apostles For we read how our Saviour walkâ—d in Solomon 's Porch and the Apostles were in Solomons Porch Acts 5. So large then was this Roll that it agreed in length and breadth with Solomons Porch and so many curses were written in it as were able to come in at the Church door It is as if we should see a huge book now coming in at the Church door that should fill it up Such a thing was presented unto him and it was a Roll full of curses and all these curses shall come on those that obey not all the Commandments all shall come upon them and overtake them Cursed shalt thou be in the City and cursed shalt thou be in the field cursed in thy basket and in thy store cursed when thou comest in and when thou goest forth Deut. 28.16 Till a man come to receive the Promises till he come to be a son of blessing till he be in Christ he is beset so with curses that if he lie down to sleep there is a curse on his pillow if he put his Money in his cofer he lays up a curse
the root of the Tree 3. And Christ himself coming into the World and Preaching to Nicodemus begins Vnless a man be bâ—rn again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3. A man in his natural condition can never enter into Heaven for he is carnal That that is born of the flesh is flesh and that that is born of the Spirit is Spirit It 's carnal and must be born again A little patching will not serve the turn Thou must be new born new moulded a little mending is not sufficient A man must be a new creature and new made So that this is the substance of this Doctrine of Christ that if thou be no better than moral vertue or civil education can make thee if thou hast any thing less than Regeneration believe me thou canst never see heaven There 's no hope of heaven till then till thou art born again till then our Saviour excludes all false fancies that way 4. The Apostles begin to gather the first Church after Christs Resurrection Act. 2.23 They do not begin to preach Christ first his Vertue and Efficacy but first they tell them of their great sin in crucifying the Lord of Life viz. Whom with wicked hands you have taken and crucified But what was the end of their doing thus It 's set down v. 37. They were pricked to the heart and then they cried out Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved See this was the end of all the humbling of them that by declaring what they had done they might be pricked at the heart so that now they see it if it be no better with them then for the present it 's like to go ill with them This makes them cry out What shall we do Then saith Peter repent and be baptized and you shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost After he had told them their own had brought them to their search which is their first work then comes the promise of Christ. Observe the Apostles method in the Epistle to the Romans which Book is a perfect Catechism of the Church which contains these three parts of Divinity Humiliation Justification and Sanctification See how the Apostle orders his method From the first Cap. to part of the third he treats all of the Law and convinces both Jew and Gentile and all of sin Then Cap. 3.19 mark his Conclusion that every mouth may be stopped When he had stopped every mouth cast down every strong hold which lifted it self up against God when he had laid all at Gods feet and left them bleeding as it were under the knife of God then comes he to Christ Rom. 3.21 The righteousness of God without the Law is manifest He had done his first business in humbling them in shewing them their sins by the Law and assoon as that was done when every mouth was stopped then comes he to the promise by faith in Jesus Christ to all that believe You see then the method of the Scripture is first to conclude all under sin and so to fit men for the promise of Jesus Christ. Know therefore that Law is the high-way to the Gospel the path that leads to it that way which must be trodden in we are still out of our way till we have begun our walks in this path And if thou art not terrified by the Law and the sight of thy sins been at thy wits end as it were weary of thy condition and bondage thou art not in the way yet Our sowing must be in tears Psal. 126.5 And it is said that in the Church Triumphant all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes That 's a promise But is it possible that tears should bâ— wiped from our eyes before we shed them Shall we look to go to Heaven in a way that was never yet found out Shall it be accounted a point of preciseness to walk in this way or a soul-torturing doctrine to preach it This is the way that all our Fore-Fathers have both preached and gone This is that time of sowing spoken of in Psal. 126.5 6. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy It brings us joy in the end to begin our sowing in tears It waters that precious seed and makes it bring forth joy unto us in abundance yea such as no man can take from us So then having laid laid this point for a foundation we now will come to the next That until we come to Christ the Law layes hold of us Till Christ come we are shut up under the Law kept under it And if there were nothing else in the World to make a man weary of his condition this were enough Until a man hath given over himself to Christ and renounced his own righteousness he is subject to the Law kept under it not under grace It brings a man only to the place where grace is Put this therefore close to your consciences and jumble not these two together First Nature cometh and whilst you are under that you are under the Law Never think you are under the Covenant of Grace till you believe of which belief we shall speak more hereafter Whilst you are under the Law you are held under it and by it made obnoxious to the wrath of God Whoever is under the Law is under the curse Now that I may unfold it and shew what a fearful thing it is to be under the Law to be held under it although many think it no great matter hearken what the Apostle saith of it Cursed be every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to doe them Gal. 3.10 Well then art thou under the Law Then never think of being under grace at the same time not but that we may hope to be under grace afterwards By this Law we must be judged and the Judgment of the Law is very severe It requires not onely that thou do this or that good thing but if thou continuest not in every thing that is written therein it condemns thee Strange conceits men have now adayes and strange Divinity is brought forth into the World That if a man does as much as lies in him and what he is of himself able to do nay farther though he be a Heathen that knows not Christ yet if he doth the best he can if he live honestly towards men according to the conduct of his reason and hath a good mind towards God it 's enough he need not question his eternal welfare A cursed and desperate Doctrine they conclude hence Why say they may not this man be saved as well as the best But if it be so I ask such What is the benefit and advantage of the Jew more then the Gentile What is the benefit of Christ of the Church of Faith of Baptism of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper This ground of Pelagianism is that for which the devout Spouse of Christ the Church abhors us when we shall undertake
be mine I may challenge forgiveness of sins the favour of God and everlasting life But how is Faith wrought believe not that foolish conceit that is too common in the world that faith is only a strong perswasion that God is my God and my sins are forgiven this is a foolish thing a fancy a dream unless it be grounded on the Word of God It s but a dream else that will lead thee unto a fool's Paradise Nothing can uphold faith but the Word of God here 's the point I being as bad as bad can be what ground have I out of the Word of God of an Unbeliever to be made a Believer Now we must not take every Text but such only as may be appliable to a dead man one that hath no goodness in him that is yet out of Christ we were all swimming at liberty till this Word catched us in we never thought of the business before till we were thus taken Now there are certain degrees to get faith in us 1. The first word is a general proclamation whereby Christ gives any one leave to come and take him Christ is not only a Fountain sealed as in the Canticles but a Fountain open for sin and for uncleanness as in Zachary So that now when he keeps open house he makes proclamation that none shall be shut out He puts none back sins not the greatest that can be can keep thee back This is the first thing and to confirm it we have our Saviour's own proclamation Isa. 55.1 Ho! every one that thirsteth come you to the waters and he that hath no money come buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price A strange contradiction one would thing What! buy and yet without money and without price The reason is because there is a certain thing which fools esteem a price which is none Rev. 3.18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold which is tryed in the fire Why How must this be done Truly thus whensoever a sinner comes to Christ to have his sins pardoned and to be a Subject of Christ's Kingdom thou must not then be as thou wast but thou must be changed Thou must not live as thou didst before in the state of rebellion Now to leave sin is not worth a rush it is not a sufficient price but yet we see a fool will esteem his own bables I must lay down my lusts I must lay down my covetousness intemperance c. and a man thinks it a great matter thus to do and to leave the freedom that he had before though it be a matter of nothing When a rebel receives his pardon is the King's pardon abridged because he must live like a Subject hereafter Why should he also seek for the benefit of a Subject This is said in respect of the foolish conceit of man who thinks it a great price to forsake his corruptions Again Joh. 7.37 with the same loud voice Christ cryed when he offered himself a Sacrifice for sin he cryed at the time of the great feast that all should come In the last day the great day of the feast Jesus stood and cryed saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink In ult Rev. there is a quicunque vult that is it I pressed It is a place worth gold And these are the places which being applyed make you of strangers to draw near but now these are not appliable to a man before he hath grace every one cannot apply them Never forget that place while you live it is the close of God's Holy Book and the sealing up of his Holy Book What 's that It is in Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that is a thirsty come and drink of the water of life freely Whosoever will let him come what wouldst thou have more Hast thou no Will to Christ No Will to salvation then it is pity thou shouldst be saved No man can be saved against his Will nor blessed against his Will If thou wilt not have Christ if thou wilt try conclusions with God then go further and fare worse but whosoever will let him come Oh! but I have a Will Why then thou hast a warrant take Christ. Object But O Sir you are a great Patron of Free will What doth it all lie in a man's Will Will you make the matter of taking Christ lie there Sol. I say if thou seest thou hast a Will then thou hast a warrant I say not that this Will comes from thy self It is not a blind faith will do thee good the Word of God works faith in thee thou hast not a Will to it born in thee It is not a flower that grows in thine own Garden but is planted by God Joh. 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him What Will Christ offer violence to the Will and draw a man against his Will No there is no such meaning It is expounded in the 65th verse No man can come unto me except it were given him of my Father By this Christ sheweth what he meant If thou hast a Will to come thank the Father for it for of Him as in the Philippians we have both the Will and the Deed. Take for example that general Proclamation in the book of Ezra Whatever Jew would might be free Ezra 1.3 So said the King that had power to make them free Who is there among you of all his people his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build the house of the God of Israel Then we read vers 5. Then rose up the chief of the Fathers of Judah and Benjamin and the Priest and the Levites with all them whose Spirit God had raised up to go up Observe here though the proclamation were general yet the raising up of the Will was from the Spirit of the Lord. We must not by any means take our Will for a ground the Will cometh from God but if thou hast the Will thou hast a warrant Whoever will let him take the water of life freely without covenanting say not if thou hadst but a measure of faith and such a measure of humiliation for that were to compound with Christ away with that whosoever will let him come Christ keeps open house Whosoever will let him come whosoever comes to him he will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 If thou hast a heart to come to him he hath a willing heart to receive thee as it was with the Prodigal Son the Father stays not till he comes to him but runs to meet him he is swift to shew Mercy and to meet us though we come slowly on towards him But this is not all there is a second gracious Word that is preached to a man not yet in the state of Grace A man that keeps open house he seldom invites any particularly but if he come he shall be