passeth knowledge Quest. WHerein doth the Love of Christ appear to be a surpassing love This appears in his putting himself into our Nature His putting himself into our room Putting our lives into his purchase putting his name into our bond Putting our names into his will Putting his spirit into our hearts Putting his glory into our hands First It appears in putting himself into our nature What admirable love and condescention was this as we were Creatures there was an infinite distance between us and Christ much more as we are sinners but this infinite condescention was nothing to the love of Christ. He stept from the Court of his angels to the reproaches of men at one step O what a step was this for Christ to take our nature upon him is more than for an Emperour to become a beggar Yea there is no comparison that can express it This was love indeed surpassing love that the Lord Jesus Christ should have such a love to man that he should become of 〈◊〉 to sinners flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone here is matchless unparallel'd love Secondly It appears in putting himself in our room Christ did not onely become man with us he doth not onely take the rags of our Nature upon him but our condition upon him the pain shame curse that was due to us upon him He was content to be in our stead to suâ—…er dy for us herein is love Christ knew before hand what it would cost him if he would become surety for us he knew the death we had deserved the wrath that was our portion and yet he was content to put himself into our room that we might be exempted and excused Christ hath put in himself for us not to be bound for us for a time but did engage himself resolving to pay for us that we might be excused It was much that Christ did become man for us but now that he should not onely take our nature upon him but our curse upon him too and become sin for us and a curse sor us this makes it more wonderful It is strange that Christ should take our nature upon him but if you consider the end why he did it this would be more wonderful it was that he might be miserable and become capable to be accursed for us that he might be cursed and killed by the wrath of God! He had not become man had it not been for this end Now that he should become man for this end how great was this and yet this was his end When Justice must have blood that he would take his blood and give it for us and that he might he would take himself a humane body and soul. Thirdly It appears in putting our lives into his purchase This is another strange expression of the love of Christ. O if Christ had dyed for others and not for us if he had put in others names and not ours then we might have passed our days with sorrow and gone into the Mountains and pined away in sadness But now that he should leave out any others names and put in ours O here is distinguishing love did you ever hear of a man that took in a beggar from the door to be his heir but suppose such a thing might be done did you ever hear of a man that took in his enemy to be his heir and made over all that he hath to him thus hath Christ done for us Ah Brethren how may we stand astonished at this love and say as he John 14. Lord whence is it that thou dost manifest thy self to us and not to the world That thou hast put in our names and not others surely here is great grace O the free grace of God to us though Christ hath dyed yet you know the greatest part of the world shall be never the better for his death Though he hath dyed for man yet the most of men through the obstinacy and hardnesse of their hearts do resist him but he hath overcom the obstinacy of our hearts and hath made us partakers of his death Fourthly It appears in putting his name into our bonds Herein is the love of Christ manifested in that he should become surety and bound for us You know that the surety is to set his name to the bond Now a man will be very wary sor whom he is bound the man is not a man that is insufficient Did you ever hear of a man that bound himself for one that he knew that he should pay it himself thus hath Christ done for us he knew that all our debts would come upon him and yet notwithstanding he did engage himself for us Beloved the debt of sin is a very formidable debt it is such a debt as if so be the debt of the least sin had been laid upon all the Saints and Angels in glory to give satisfaction for it they had bin drowned in everlasting perdition But now Christ undertook to pay for all out of his own stock though he knew what it would cost him if he did become bound for us O what love is 〈◊〉 Fifthly It appears in putting our names into his will Brethren herein is the love of Christ seen towards his people in that he hath distinguished between them and others When he made his last VVill and Testament he put in believers names and left out the rest Rev. 21. 27. There shall in no wise enter any thing that 〈◊〉 c. But they which are written in the â—…mbs book of Life This is a priviledge indeed to have your names written in his book upon his will Our Saviour bid his disclples rejoyce in this that their names were written in heaven in Christs book and upon his will this is matter of joy But how shall we know whether our names are written in heaven who shall ascend up into heaven to fetch it down from thence I answer we have the copy of his will here upon earth This word is the copy of his will that is in heaven If our names be in this book our names are in his heart Now let us go to the Law and Testimony what saith that that saith if thou believe thou shalt be saved If thou repent and be converted thy sins shall be blotted out Act. 3. 19 Sixthly It appears in putting his spirit into our hearts Ezek. 36. 27. And I will put my spirit within you Brethren herein is the infinite goodness and love of Christ seen that he should bestow so great a gift upon so unworthy a receiver O what love is this that those hearts that have been the stables of unclean 〈◊〉 that Christ should take up his abode there here is strange love indeed Is it true indeed will God dwell on earth 1 Kings 8. 27. And if it were matter of wonder to Solomon that God should shew some Token of his presence in so excellent a fabrick as that was what matter of wonder is it that he should come and make shew of
REMAINES OF That Excellent Minister Of JESUS CHRIST Mr. Joseph Alleine BEING A Collection of Sundry Directions Sermons Sacrament-Speeches and Letters not heretofore Published All tending to promote Real Piety LONDON Printed for Peter Parker at the Leg and Star in Cornhil over against the Royal-Exchange 1674. The Epistle READER THere needs no more to commend this Book Remains of Mr. Joseph Alleine to thee but to assure thee that it is his own and though a Posthumous yet no spurious birth Though some parcels come to thee with this disadvantage onely as they were taken from his mouth as he preached yet much of it was written with his own hand If thou hast tasted that divine and warm spirit which run through his other Writings already published it will sure set thee a thirsting after what els hath drop'd from the same holy lips or hands The labours of a man of God so mighty in the Sriptures and in the power of God will not be either unuseful or unacceptable though what thou hast here be but fragments yet thou wilt find them to be of the same bread with those loves which have been already dealt out to thee by the same hand The Publisher hath gathered up these fragments it being pity they should be lost For my part I have not had the time to read through the whole Book since it came to my hands but have so far lookt into it that I Judge it to be singularly useful for the engaging thee in and directing and quickning thee to that even spiritual active life which will be both thy beauty and thy comfort That the spirit of the living God which so eminently furnished the head fired the heart and filled up the life of this holy man may so animate these holy lines that they may become effectual to the forming their very Image upon thy soul and life is the prayer of Thy Friend in Christ Richard Alleine June 11th 1674. A Table of the several Treatises contain'd in this Book I. The Art of dying well Grounded on Luke 19. 20. with 15 several directions thereunto II. A discourse about self-Examination on Psal. 4. 4. pag. 1 III. A Sermon on Deuteronomy 32. 46. p. 29 IV. A serious call to Christians to win Souls to Christ with helps there unto on Proverb 11. 30 p. 47 V. A Sermon on Revel 3. 1. with ten parting Counsels p. 61 VI. A Sermon on Psal. 74. p. 83 VII A discourse made by Mr. Joseph Alleine unto his people at Taunton the night before his departure from them p. 99 VIII A Sermon preached in order to the Sacrament on a Sacramental day on Luke 2. 10 11. p. 119 IX A thanksgiving Sermon preached July 1665 at Mr. R. Ms on Psal. 147. 20 p. 137 X. A Sacramental Speech grounded on Psal. 40. 7. p. 167 XI Another Sacramental speech on Isa. 9. 6. p. 185 XII Another Sacramental speech on Eph. 3. 19. p. 195 XIII Another Sacramental speech on Eph. 5. 2. p. 201 XIV Another Sacramental speech on Mat. 15. 28. p. 215 XV. Another Sacramental speech on Mark 1. 15. p. 227 XVI Four several Letters to his most beloved people in Taunton p. 237 XVII A Practical Case on Phil. 3. 13. 14. p. 263 XVIII A discourse on Psal. 144. 3. p. 279 XIX Heavens joy and triumph on Luke 15. 23 24. p. 297 XX A Letter sent by him to an intimate friend p. 310 The Art of Dying well Luk. 12. 19 20. Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years But God said Thou fool this night shall thy soul be required of thee Qu. SInce no man hath one dayes certainty of his life what may we do to be secured from being surprised by death 1. Sit loose from the world that you may be able to packup â—…nd be gone upon sudden warning Here was the folly and misery of this rich man that he had set his heart upon the world his mind did run upon his Barns and upon his Belly his Goods were his Gods he wiâ—…hes no other felicity than to eat and be merry If you would be sit for your great Journey to your long home you must lay aside every weight and in special the incumbring and intangling and insnaring clog and burthen of worldly affections you must take heed to your selves least at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfetting and drunkenness and the cares of this life if you would not have that day come upon you unawares It is said there is a 〈◊〉 whose heart is in his Belly would there were no such Monsters among men Certainly that man whose heart is in his Belly or on his Cosfer that Idolizes his friends or his reputation is no more fit for the assaults of Death than the unhappy Trojans buryed in Sleep and Wine for the Invasion of the well-appointed Greeks or the secure Laish for the subtle Danites or the Shechamites when sore and unwieldy for the Sons of violence and Instruments of cruelty Study to be Crucifyed to the world to use all earthly comforts in a mortifyed manner as those that are taking their long leave and let Death find you dead besore-hand and then let it come when it will and do its worst 2. Intrench not on Gods Prerogative in carving out the future time Reckon not upon hereafter this was the unhappiness of this rich fool he counts upon many years God had given him much goods and now he is so bold as to cast upon many merry dayes to spend them but God is angry at his usur pation and since he would presume to be his own carver God rebukes his boldness and will shew his Prerogative and will cut him short enough this night shall thy soul be required Remember your times are in Gods hands improve with all possible diligence your present allowance he gives you wealth to lay up for hereafter but he keeps your time in his own hands so that you shall not know one day whether you shall ever have another or be allowed to live till the nâ—…xt cast not upon to morrow Live this day well When shall we learn to practice the received Lesson to live every day as if it were our last Blessed men that we should be if we would but live up to this short rule Christians why are our lives so far wide of our rules and principles Doth Conscience witness that you live up to this If the rule be good why do you not daâ—…ly study to consorm to it is it not a shame that a heathen should teach you think saith he every morning when thou risest I may never lye down again and every night thou lyest down it may be I may never rise again when thou goest out I may never return when thou comest in I may never more go out Christian let it be thy serious thought every morning I will spend this day for eternity 3. Store up in Heaven â—…pace and see that you be rich towards God It was the want
and yet he loved us and washed us when he was fain to stop his breath as it were and hold his nostrils yet he would come and wash us yea he would make a bath of his own blood Christ commended Mary that she washed his feet with her tears but how is the love of Christ commended in that he hath washed us in his blood Christ hath our names down upon his book Rev. 21. 27. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that desileth c. But they that are written in the book of life Mark Christ keeps his book for you lest you should be forgotten or there should be any mistake It is a metaphor taken from men that keep their books because they will not let any thing be mistaken or forgotten Yea but books may be mislaid therefore Christ hath your names written on his breast The High preist was to have the names of the twelve Tribes upon his breast So doth Christ he hath you for remembrance sake engraven upon his hands Isaiah 4. 9. 15. Can a woman sorget her sucking child c. She may forget but I have engraven thee upon my hands yea he hath you upon his heart He challengeth all the world for his love to you He tels you that a woman may forget her child but he will not forget you A woman cannot chuse but have a very tender respect for her child for this child saith she have I born many a bitter throw and pain now for you did Christ travail Isaiah 53. 11. And so the Apostle Peter speaking of the Resurrection of Christ Acts 2. he tels us that he being freed from the pains of death it being impossible he should be holden of them The word in the Greek signifies birth-pains Believers they did as it were come forth of the womb of his love There is the very picture of a believer upon the heart of Christ. So that he cannot look upon his hands or his heart but he must be put in mind of us so dear was was his love to us What characters of love be ther that cannot be found in Christ Love covereth a multitude of faults And O how may this be seen in Christ we have may sins and yet Christ passeth by them all Thou art all fair there is no spot in thee Cant. 4. 7. Again Love is strong as death And so it was in Christ his love was stronger than death he under went death it self for us He was not afraid to passe under the pangs of death that he might redeem us Again love fils the heart with love to the person beloved what a dear respect hath Christ for his spouse every thing of theirs is sweet to him Come my Love that art in the clefts of the Rock in the secrets places of the stairs let me see thy Countenance let me hear thy voyce for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance is comely Cant. 2. 14. The Church says she is black but Christ says she is comely But more particularly I shall shew you some evidences of the greatness of Christ's love His letters are letters of Love His lips they are lips of Love His Tokens are the tokens of Love His Testâ—…ment is the evidence of Love His Blood is a stream of Love 1. His letters are the letters of Love the Gospel is the book sent down from heaven wherein every chapter is a letter of love Thou art ready to faint sometimes Christian and unbelief is ready to prevail here thou mayst read the promises under Christs own hand sent down srom heaven to thee Here thou mayst read how love did care sor thee when thou wast in thy blood he said Live Here thou mayst read what expressions of love there was between Christ and thee when he was wooing of thee here are the letters of his love Here thou mayst read those loving melting passages of his whereby he wooâ—…d thee and prevailed with thee Here he shews though he be absent for a while yet he will come again Here he hath set the time and the day when thou shalt be marryed to him even when the body of Christ is compleat O how canst thou hear these letters of love and not be in love with Christ again Secondly His lips are lips of love the kisses of his mouth are sweeter than wine the words of his mouth are better than life His lips drop as the Honey-comb Never man spake like this man all that heard him bare him witnesse and wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Well did Mary chuse to sit at the seet of Christ rather than at the feast she found more sweet in the Honey-comb of Christs lips than at the feast Let us but look over the last sermon of Christ and the last prayer of Christ and how may this set us a loving of Christ. Look over his last sermon John 14. 15 and 16. chapters how lovingly doth he dispute down the unbelieving fears of our hearts Let not your heart be troubled And he propounds loving arguments though he be gone he will send us the comforter and he will not be long from us neither and then we shall be in no worse a case or place than he himself And in the mean time his going from us is out of love to us not because he wanted love for us but because he went to prepare a place for us Look into his last prayer and how lovingly doth he carry us in his arms to his Father when he was going out of the world begging his Fathat he would sanctiâ—…ie us and keep us from the evil of the world and that he would at length bring us to enjoy his glory Thirdly His tokens are tokens of love As a woman will be often looking over her tokens because in these she sees the heart of her beloved so if you would be in love with Christ be often looking over the love-tokens of Christ. Thou canst not turn thy eye but thou must see his tokens But there are three or four tokens especially that you should be looking into First He hath sent thee a pardon for thy sins O what a blessed token is this Psa. 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man whose sin is for given c. He is blessed and blessed again over and over blessed he is a thrice happy man that hath got his pardon why this is the token that Christ hath sent thee that art a believer O look after thy pardon and thou shalt find that thy pardon is written in the blood of Christ for it was his blood that made satisfaction He loved thee and therefore washed thee from thy sins in his blood O with what joy and sweetness shouldest thou look over thy pardon Christian it is that which must carry thee through all thy dissiculties Doth the Devil assault thee do but shew thy pardon and this will worst him Doth the Lord frown upon thee shew him thy pardon this will silence him Doth thy
you to rejoyce and lift up your heads before the Lord you are the chosen vessels of the Lord. What! will you hear these things with low Affections and common hearts Do you believe or do you not If you do not why are you called Christians If you do Oh what an extasie of Joy should your hearts be raised too Oh look upon the miserable condition of the perishing world the reprobate world look down and see what burnings do betide them better for them that they had never been born And shall it but a little affect you that God hath seperated you from them all I may say of you as the Apostle doth with thankfulness of his Thessalonians 2 Thess. 2. 13. We are bound to give thanks to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation Oh how should you bless the Lord for his eternal purpose which he purposed toward you Eph. 1. 4. O let sree grace now be exalted hath God made you I mean believers to be the choice of his heart and will you hear this with little and low affections as if it did but little concern you when you are the people of Gods choise Oh how did Christ bless the Lord for you and should not you for your sâ—…lves he was transported with Joy for this â—…ke 10. 21. He rejoyced in spirit and said Father I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hâ—…st made them known to babes And he calls upon his Disciples to rejoyce in this rejoyce not in this that the devils are made subject to you but rejoyce in that your names are written in heaven Your names are written in the lambs book of life while others are written in the â—…rth What! are there but few chosen in the world and are you some of those few and will you not rejoyce in this Oh rejoyce in this God speaks of your priviledges as if they were already come Heb. 12. 22. But you are come to 〈◊〉 Sion to the Church of thâ—… living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an 〈◊〉 company of 〈◊〉 to the general assembly and Church of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 written in heaven and to God the judge of 〈◊〉 and to the spirits of just â—…en â—…ade perfect and to Jesus the mediator of the New Coveâ—… Secondly You are the pillâ—…rs of his name when others are but broken useless pot sheards My brethren God hath raised you up for quite another end than he hath others You know what the Lord speak of Pharaoh Exod. 9. 16. And in every deed for this cause have I raised thee up to shew in thee my power that my name may be declared throughout all the earth That God might shew in him the power of his wrath and severity But now beloved you are raised up for another end that you may bear up the name of God and be the instruments of the glory of God before all men God hath no active glory from the rest of the world But you are the people whom God hath raised up on purpose for his name and for his glory â—… Sâ—… 18. 18. Absolom we read had taken and reared a pillar for himself and he called the pillar after his own name Thus hath the Lord God erected you as pillars to keep up 〈◊〉 name in remembrance For the unreasonable Creatures they cannot but by dumb and silent 〈◊〉 to man praise their Creator For the ungodly they do the contrary they dishonor his name And were it not for you the name of God would not be kept up in the world God would be cast out and the very remembrance of him out of his own world Oh my brethren I may say of you of every one of you that are believers as God speak concerning Paul Act. 9. 15. You are chosen vessels to bear Gods name before the world Alas for others of how little use are they in the world this is a miserable case to be of no use better to have no being than to be of no use How contemptible doth the Lord speak of that wicked King Coniah he calls him a despised broken Idol Such a kind of one is every unsanctified person they are but as broken useless pot-sheards let them be so great as they will yea they are worse than for no purpose they are for bad purposes Oh what cause have you then to bless the Lord that you are the people that must bear up his name Thirdly You are the vessels of his glory when others are the vessels of his wrath you are not as others vessels of wood and stone but you are all vessels of gold and silver vessels not to dishonor but to honor Vessels sanctified and made meet for the Masters use and prepared for every good work 2 Tim. 2. 20 21. Ah brethren read and rejoyce with trembling what is written Rom. 9. 18. onward where the Apostle lively sets forth this great distinction Hâ—… hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Hath not the potter power over the clay to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath sitted to destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Ah brethren when others are vessels of wrath sitted to destruction you are vessels of mercy vessels of glory made for this blessed use and service that you may be the instruments of Gods glory and mercy before the world that God may take you and single you out at the great day when you shall be severed as a man severeth the sheep from the goats God shall take you and single you out before the world and tell the world what a God can do for a poor creature to make you the monuments of his magnificence and bounty to shew how he could exalt the dust of the earth This is the use you serve for in the world Do not live as if you were made for little things and for little use you are made for this use that you should be vessels prepared to have the infinite fulness of God pouring into you as vessels standing by for the same purpose and runing over to all eternity When you shall be ever full and running over with the glory of God When the Al-sufficiency of God shall be for ever emptying it self into you How is it that God hears no more of you hath he done so for any other no he hath prepared them for vessels of wrath on whom he will be pouring out his wrath to aâ—…l eternity Both of these vessels were made of one sort of clay and yet see what difference here is that free-grace hath made Fourthly You are the Temples of his presence when others are the styes of uncleanness God doth live in