So that though God gives us not heaven for our growth in grace yet ordinarily God intails a greater measure and increase of gifts upon the well using of them while we are in this world Open your mouthes wide and God will fill them The more wide we are in our desires and expectations the more we shall be filled 2. For Reprehension Is it so that in all matters of soul concernment we should put forth a great deal of diligence then this should be a great scourge to that sluggishnesse of spirit that most men in the world are guilty of What benummednesse and what sluggishnesse of spirit do most men lie under Many men are as David was 1 King 1.1 who when he grew old he was so cold no clothes could warm him There are many men that haply have been hot and zealous in profession yet in processe of time they grow so cold that all Ordinances cannot warm them And though ordinarily the words of the wise saith Solomon are as nails and goads they are as nails to fasten us in a course of profession they are as goads to put us on every Ordinance is as a goad in our side still putting us on in a course of holinesse yet O that sluggishnesse and O that deadnesse of spirit that lies upon mens hearts they go but a snails pace in the way to heaven whereas they can run as fast as a Dromedarie in the waies of sin It is the Observation of a Rabbi That the Snail above all other creatures was by God pronounced unclean because of its slow and easie pace God looks upon thee as an unclean man and an unclean woman that hast a sluggish and a slow spirit in matters of Christianity There are many men that like no life like an idle life they are never weary so much as they are weary of doing good and weary of duties an hour at a Sermon a day at a Fast a little time at a prayer quite tires them whereas waies of vanitie and waies of pleasure they are never weary of It was the speech of that Epicure Marcus Lepidus who lying under a shady tree upon a Sunshine day stretching himself cries out O would to God this were to take pains to live at ease There are many men as sottish as he they could wish I would to God to sit in a Tavern were the way to go to heaven I would to God to walk in the fields to sit at the door on the Sabbath day that this were the way to heaven many men would be saved more easily Why how should this condemn that great sluggishnesse and idlenesse of mens spirits that they do so little in the matters of soul concernments Beloved you have cause to labour because you finde many that have taken pains for heaven that never came to heaven Many shall strive to enter but shal not be able Luke 13 Had not you therefore need to take heed Nay Beloved suppose it is a supposition Aegydius hath though not true yet I say suppose it that all the world should be saved but one man yet saith he you have cause to take pains to be happy lest you should be that one man should perish If all the world should be saved but one man only if one man should be damned I have cause to labour with all my might that I be not that one man Here then great cause you have not to lye under sluggishnesse in all matters pertaining to the soul You have a great deal of do and haply but a little time if you knew the greatnesse of your work and sâ—ortnesse of your time haply you would now set about the businesse of your salvation It was the speech of young King Charles of Sicily lying upon his death bed I have scarce yet begun to live and now woe is me I am compelled to dye Beloved Many of you may have cause to say thus you have scarce yet done one good action that may give you any evidence to be happy with Christ another day Happily you have not yet begun to be Christians and you may be soon called to dye and what an affliction would this be to you that you have hardly begun to live a life of grace and yet you must dye the life of nature This Diligence is conversant about many things 1. In getting grace Here you have a great work to do to get grace Above all gettings get understanding And the difficulty of getting grace doth shew the goodnesse of grace As we say in nature the most vile things are most obvious to the eye and most common to be found you have stones and dirt every where but things of a more excellent nature are more hard to come by if you would have Gold you must dig into the earth if you would have Pearle you must dive into the â—ea things that are excellent nature hath made them hard to come by This shewes the goodnesse of those matters which concern the soul that they are very hard to be got Prov. 2.2 4. Seek fâ—r wisdome as for silver and dig for it as for hidden Treasure And then 2. Diligence is required not onely to get grace but to keep it and it is no lesse skill to keep grace then to get it there are so many temptations lie in your way And then 3. To watch the heart that doth conspire against your grace and against your soul Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life 4. In examining the heart Psal 64.6 The heart is deep and Psal 77.6 All these considered you have cause to take pains in all the matters of the soul Thus having finish'd this Doctrine I now pass to the Particulars to which this diligence is applied Give diligence to what Why To make your Calling and Election sure From whence the second Observation I shal draw is this That Christians that profess the Gospel ought to put forth a great deal of industry and diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called and eternally elected Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Now I cannot handle this Doctrine in the bulk of it but must of necessity take it into parts and handle it piece by piece that so I may give you the strength of the whole Observation in the Application of it And seeing Calling lies in the front I shal in a few Sermons treat of that And the Point from thence wil be this That That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually Called Beloved This is a very material Point I am now upon especially in this deceitful age wherein men plunge themselves into a gulfe of presumption wherein many times men take faith upon trust and Christ upon trust It is meet that you that live under the Gospel should trie your Calling by the Gospel whether
or embrace the call of Jesus Christ unto grace and glory And in answer to this I shal lay down onely four suggestions of the Devil wherewith he entangles a man that he should not yeild to the cal of Jesus Christ And as I lay them down I shal labour to take them a way As 1. The first temptation the Devil wil suggest is to you that are young men and to you he wil suggest that you are yet too young to embrace the call of Jesus Christ 't wil be time enough hereafter and you may do it soon enough hereafter you are two young now to be abridg'd of your pleasure and to mortifie your lusts and to betake your selves unto so serious a course as Christ cals you to and by this temptation the Devil prevails with young men more especially And I remember Austine saith that this temptation of the Devil made him keep off for seven years together from embracing the cal of Jesus Christ the Devil would stil tel him in his heart thou art too young to leave thy Drunkennesse and too young to leave thy Harlots til at last he cryed out How long shal I say it is too soon Why may I not repent to day This temptation I say it hath fastened upon many before you that they were too young to come in to Jesus Christ and to this end the Devil wil suggest to you that old and false Proverb A young Saint and an old Devil Whereas indeed if you are young Devils you wil be old Beelzebubs And therefore this being a suggestion prevailing witâ— many hearts I shal lay down six considerations to take off this temptation that it may not prevail with you First If the Devil tempt you that you are too young to hearken to Christs cal consider That the Devil cannot give you a Lease of your lives if the Devil could give you a Lease of your lives and tell you you should live til old age you might then with more safety harken to his temptation but your lives are not at the Devils disposal God is the Author of your life the issues of life and death are in his hands you may die in youth uncalled you may be damned as wel as dead You may be as these men Job 36.14 that shall die in their youth and their lives shall be among the unclean And therefore though the Devil tempt you that you are too young seeing he cannoâ— assure you of your lives you have no reason to hearken to his temptation Secondly Suppose the Devil could assure you you should live til old age yet take this consideration that in putting off your calling and the work of conversion from your youth this may so provoke God that he may harden your hearts in your old daies that you shal have no heart to think of and embrace the call and invitation of Jesus Christ Jer. 22.21 I spake to thee in thy prosperity but thou wouldst not hear and this hath been thy manner frâ—m thy youth Thou wouldst not obey my voyce God spake but they would not hear and it was from their youth that they did thus therefore God would never speak more God hardened their hearts that they should never receive or embrace the cal of Jesus Christ So Isa 6.9 10. Seeing the Jewes from their youth were obstinate against the word of God Go saith God make their ears heavy and their hearts fat and their eyes blind that they should not be called and converted and I should save them Let this therefore be a second consideration that the putting off your cal til your old age may so provoke God as never to give you hearts to embrace his cal Thirdly Suppose al this that you could have a Lease of your lives and you could be assured that when you come to old age your hearts should not be hardened yet consider this that the more sinful and evil the daies of your youth have been the more disquietnesse of minde and horror of conscience will this breed in you when you are old though you shal be called and converted by Jesus Christ Job 13.24.25 26. Thou â—idest thy face thou holdest me as thy Enemy Thou dost drive me as a leaf to and fro and thou dost pursue me like dry stubbâ—e Now why doth Job complain thus Mark the next words For thâ—u writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Job when he was a young man it seemâ— he was a wicked man and had many sins in his youth and this in his old age made him cry out and say that God took him for his Enemy and that God brake him like a leafe driven with the wind O beloved the sins of your youth though you should be Jobs converted yet they wil bring great disquietnesse and great horroâ— when you come to age the lusts of youth and the vanities of youth and the sensual pleasures of your youthful daies they wil lay a foundation of sorrow when you come to gray hairs to be neare your graves so Job 20.11 And therefore put the case you should repent and should be called when you are old you have no cause to put off the cal of Jesus Christ seeing sins of youth wil fill you with horror and disquietnesse of minde Hence it is that David after he was call'd by the power of the word cries out Psal 25. Lord remember not the sins of my youth that gravelled and gall'd his conscience the sins of his youth before his cal It is the speech of an Author that to look on the pleasurable vanities and contents of youth this wil become an heavy burden and bitter vexation to old age Beloved the more evil you run out into in your youthful daies the greater and deeper foundation of disquietnesse and sorrow you lay in your souls in your latter daies though you should be called by Jesus Christ 4. If the Devil suggest that you are too young to embrace the invitation of Christ consider That Jesus Christ wll take it most kindly at your hands if while you are young you wil give entertainment to his cal Jer. 2.2 I remember thee saith the Lord and the kindnesse of thy youth that thou wouldst follow me in the Wildernesse in a land that was not sown Mark how the Lord speaks and how kindly he takes it that they would in their youth follow God the Lord wil remember it and take it acceptable from you if while you are young while the Marrow is in your bones and strength in your joynts you wil embrace the waies of Jesus Christ It is an observation that some have concerning the Beloved Disciple John John 20. He is called the Disciple whom Christ loved and that leaned upon his brest of al the other eleven Disciples Christ did love John above the rest and Divines give this reason of it John was the youngest of al the Disciples he was converted and called by Christ when he was a young
20. When Christ called a companie of men there to come to him what excuse have they Saith one I have bought a yoke of oxen and I must prove them I have bought a Farm saith another and I must manage that I have marria wife and therefore cannot come saith a third All these were lawful callings and yet these callings kept them from Heaven and kept them from Jesus Christ You read Acts 24.25 When Paul did startle Felix's conscience by a powerful Sermon of judgement to come Felix's heart trembled but mark now how did Felix put off the power of the word Why Now saith he I am not at leasure but go thy waies and in convenient time I will send for thee to speak of this matter As if he should say I am now to go about some other business about the affairs of my Kingdome and cannot have leasure to hear thee now and so by some outward imployment he justled the power of the word from his heart and had not convenient time to imbrace Jesus Christ Fourthly Consider this That this plea of yours in making your callings an excuse to neglect your effectual calling it is the only way to provoke God to curse and blast all your outward callings to you and to engage him to curse all you put your hands unto Hagg. 1.6 9. Because they neglected Gods Worship and Gods Ordinances Therefore saith God you shall have much but it shall come to nothing and what you get you shall put into a bag with holes You shal lose all you get and all you sow and all you labour for because you would not look after Gods worship So Micah 6.13 14. I will make thee sick in smiting thee and desolate because of thy sins Thou shalt eat and not be satisfied thou shalt sow and not reap thou shalt tread Olives and not anoint thy selfe with oyle and make sweet wine but shalt not drink it For the statutes of Omri are kept and all the manners of the house of Ahab and you walk in their counsels As much as if the Lord should say You wil not hearken to my Statutes and to my Counsels but Omri's statutes and Ahabs counsel you wil hearken to Therefore now you shall eat and not be satisfied sow and not reap That is God wil curse what you have and what you doe because you wil not hearken to Gods cal and counsel So Deut. 28.38 to 46. Thou shalt carry much seed into the field and gather but little the Locusts shall consume it ther 's one curse And shalt plant Vineyards but shalt not drink the wine nor gather the grapes the worm shall eat them another curse Thou shalt have Olive-trees throughout all thy coasts but shalt not anoint thy selfe with Oyl for thy Olives shall fall there 's a third curse Thou shalt beget sons and daughters but shalt not enjoy them all the trees and fruit of the Land shall be consumed Now what 's the reason of all this that God should thus blast their callings and their comforts to them Verse 45. Yea all these curses shall come upon thee and pursue thee and overtake thee because thou hearknedst not to the voice of thy God to keep his commandements and his statutes which he commanded thee Here is the reason they would not hearken to God nor obey God and therefore God would blast their comforts to them Now then Beloved think of this you that make your callings a plea why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ this plea is a great provocation to engage God to blast and to curse your very callings to you Fifthly Take this consideration that God will the more blesse you in your callings and prosper you in the work of your hands the more consciencious you are in hearkning to the call and invitation of Jesus Christ And the reason is because Godlinesse hath not onely a promise of the life to come but of this life also 1. Tim. 4.8 And Mal. 3.10 11 12. Bring yea all the tythes into the Store-house that there may be meat in my house that is saith God Use all means and take all care that there may be meat in my house that Ordinances may be on foot that my worship may be maintained and what then And if you will take care of his Ordinances God bids you prove him and try him if he will not take care of you ver 11. Mâ—rk the words Let there be meat in my house and prove me now saith the Lord if I will not open the windows of heaven and poure forth a blessing upon you and there shall not be room enough to receive it A strange blessing that if men wil take care to have meat in Gods house have a care of Gods ordinances God would open the very windows of heaâ—en and make the earth so fruitful they should not have room to receive Gods blessings And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and all Nations shall call you blessed and call you a delightsome land Here now you see if you will take care of Gods Ordinances and imbrace his cal God wil blesse your outward calling the more and give you in a more abundant increase if you imbrace the cal of Jesus Christ 6. You that urge your outward callings as a reason why you cannot hearken to the cal of Christ take this for answer that if truth were known it is not the urgencie of your callings but the obstinacie of your wils and the slugishnesse of your spirits is the cause you do not give entertainment to the cal of Jesus Christ If it were mens callings urged them they would not take pleasure in sin therefore it is not their callings but the badnesse of their hearts they do not love Christ and love his waieâ— but think it too industrious a work to labour for conversion and therefore they make this plea. John 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have life When will is wanting saith Doctor Preston any vain excuse wil be pretended When wil is wanting to walk in the waies of God any groundlesse pretence wil be made to excuse their negligence And thus much to take off the second suggestion that men have callings to follow in the world and therefore they haue no leisure to look after their effectual calling by Jesus Christ 3. Sug. Thirdly The Devil suggests if you give entertainment to the cal of Jesus Christ this wil expose you to a great deal of povertie and persecution in this world and therefore you must not hearken to his cal And he wil urge Scripture for this First for poverty the Devil wil urge Matth. 8.19 20. Christ said the Foxes have holes the Birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath no where to lay his head The Devil wil urge this Scripture and tel you you are exposed to poverty want and beggery if you follow Christ And this we read in history likewise of Lucius the fiâ—st
sorrow never to be sorrowed for nay it is not such a sorrow as is not to be repented of but it is a sorrow that laies a foundation to a great deal of future joy They that sow in tears shall reap in joy But now al the joy of wicked men is a joy to be repented of They must repent of all their jovial bouts and repent of all their merry pastimes this wil be sadnesse to their remembrance whereas the sorrow of the godly is never to be sorrowed for Thirdly It is true it may be they are sorrowful but they are sorrowful for sin which you have cause to be that are uncalled as wel as they and more Now if a godly man be sorrowful for sin this wil never prejudice him Indeed Worldly sorrow brings forth death saith the Apostle but godly sorrow brings forth salvation never to be repented of Fourthly It may be they are sorrowful but how is it They are not sorrowful because they are good but they are sorrowful because they are so bad It is not profession makes them sorrowful but it is because they can professe Christ no better and professe him no more zealously this is their sorrow and this sorrow should be in all of us that we can serve God no better and bring God no more Glory Fifthly They are sorrowful but it not for themselves but for thee they are not sorry because they are good but because thou art so bad they are sorry because of thy sins because they see thee an uncalled man stil and they see thee drunk and see thee profane and see thee dishonour God and damn thy soul and this makes them more sad then they would be Lot his righteous soul was vext within him for the wickednesse of the Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.8 And Jeremiah his eyes run down with tears for the iniquity of the people he lived amongst And so Paul I told you before and now tell you weeping there are wicked livers among you that walk not according to the truth Phil. 3.17 18. Paul did not weep because he was miserable but because he saw so many wicked and abominable in their lives So David Psal 119.136 Mine eyes run down with water because men keep not thy Law Ezek. 9.4 And lastly Though you see some men sad and melancholy yet think not ill of the wayes of God because this way of all other doth most invite to joy and gladnesse in the Lord. Rejoyce evermore and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4.4 And John 16. These things I speak saith Christ that your joy might be full In the profession and following of Christ it is the intendment of Christ to give you more joy then ever you had before there is no such cause therefore to entertain a prejudice by the Devils temptation against the wayes of Jesus Christ when he cals you to professe his Gospel And thus much be spoken to the second case of conscience in reference to wicked men There is a third case touching men uncalled and that is What delusions doth the Devil deceive hypocrites by to make them nourish presumptuous perswasions that they are effectually called when they are not And I intreat you give me your attention a little in the dispatch of this material question I shal onely lay down four Delusions whereby the Devil deceives many 1. The Devil may delude men by this because they do delight to hear the word preacht therefore the Devil would egg on this perswasion surely your dâ—lighting to hear the word and your following of Sermons this must needs be an evidence of your effectual calling And here the Devil would misapply Scripture as John 8.47 He that heareth not my words saith Christ is not of God he that is of God heareth my words Now here the Devil would misapply this Scripture and tel you you that hear Gods word and delight to hear Sermons this can be no other then an infallible evidence of your â—ffeâ—â—ual calling Now I beseech you to follow me in the taking off this delusion and shewiâ—â— you wherein in what cases this will prove but a broken reâ—d unto you And I shall shew you that in five cases hearing the word of God with dâ—light is no evidence of effectual calling but may be a meer delusion of Satan As 1. If your hearing the word be but a bare hearing and not a hearing with practice if you have not practice joyned with what you hear and know your thus hearing the word with delight is no evidence of your effectual calling Ezek. 33.31 They come before thee as my people cometh thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice as one that can play well upon an instrument of musick Here the Lord sets forth with what delight they heard Ezekiel preach they heard him as a man that had a very lovely voice and they heard him as a man that played upon an Instrument of Musick much delight they took in hearing Yet saith God they hear thy words but do thâ—m not Beloved though you take as much delight in hearing a Sermon as to hear the most melodious musick a cunning hand can make yet if you barely hear with delight not joyning practice with your hearing this is no evidence of effectual calling Hence it is James saith James 1.21 Be not hearers of the word onely but doers also lest you deceive your own souls Implying that you will deceive your souls â—bout effâ—ctual calling if you onely hear and do not do This was the fault of the stony ground Matth. 13.20 2. If your hearing be a partial hearing I mean thus if you hear and wiâ—l hear but part of the word or leave but some part of your sins by hearing will pick and chuse both whom you will hear and what you will hear in that case your hearing with delight can be no evidence of your effectual calling If it be a partial hearing as first that you will hear some part and will not hear other to hear the promising part and not the commanding part to hear with delight the commanding part and not hear the threatning part of the word in this case thus hearing will be no evidence of your call Mark 6.20 Herod it is said of him he heard John Baptist gladly and did many things There was his partial hearing he heard him with joy in many things but he would not do all Now if you ask wherein was Herods failing Herod heard the word with gladnesse yet this was no evidence of his effectual calling Wherein did he fail Why mark compare this Scripture with Luke 3.18 19 20. Herod it is true he heard John Baptist gladly while he preached of ordinary matter but when John came to reprove him of his sins and told him he was an Adulterer then he could not endure to hear John preach ver 18. Many things in his exhortation did John preach to the people but Herod the Tetrarch being reproved by John
vomit not as if he loathed his meat but if he could free himself from those pangs he would fain have the meat in his body to nourish him Thus a wicked man he may disgorge and vomit up his sins and leave his sins but why it is not because he hates his sins no he would keep them as a sweet morsel under his tongue but it is because those sins cause horrour and trouble of conscience he cannot deceive nor he cannot follow his lusts but conscience will follow him Now if thou change thy sin only to stop consciences mouth and muzzle conscience this is no Argument of effectual calling Fourthly Men are tempted by the Devil to nourish presumptuous perswasions that they are effectually called when they are not because they are miscalled and reproached by the men of this world Now think they I should never be miscalled and reproached by wicked men if I were not called by my God Now to take off this briefly I answer Every reproach from wicked men can be no argument of an effectual call from God because men may be miscalled upon a twofold ground There are some men suffer as Christians and some as evil-doers we may suffer either for Christs sake or for our own sakes The distinction is laid down 1 Pet. 4.15 16 17. Let none of you suffer as a murtherer as an evil doer as a Thief as a Busie-body in other mens matters but if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed So that some men may be punished for their own evils they have done and so suffer no more then they have deserved but other men suffer for their profession because they professe Jesus Christ Now to suffer because of your evil doings this can be no evidence but to suffer for Christ meerly for professing his name this is an argument of effectual calling Therefore Christ pronounceth those blessed Matth. 5.11 Blessed are you when men shall revile you and speak evil of you for my sake This is an evidence of your effectual calling by Jesus Christ SERMON VII 2. Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrinâ— I am yet upon drawn from these words is this That Christians should put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the prosecution of which I have gone over many particulars and resolved some cases of conscience in reference to wicked men I am now at this time to dispatch some cases of conscience more touching them that are effectually called by Jesus Christ As 1. Whether men that are effectually called by Christ into a state of grace and hope of glory may in this life attain to an infallible and firm assurance of their own effectual calling 2. If it be found that it is attainable in this life then what is the reason that many Christians who are effectually called doe so much suspect and doubt their own calling and walk so sadly for want of their assurance 3. What must be done that so you may make it sure to your own soules that you are effectually called by Jesus Christ First whether it be attainable in this life that men who are effectually called by Christ may have a firm and infallible assurance of their own call And in resolution of this I shall briefly free it from two extreams both of which are untrue about this Query The first is that of the Papists who utterly deny any such thing as assurance about a mans Calling Justification or Election by God and they hold all their followers in suspence affiâ—ming that the most a man can have is a conjectural faith an hope or conjecture that he shall be saved And hence it is that in that Popish Councel of Trent they made this Canon that if any man doth say that he is bound of faith to believe that he is certainly in the number of Gods called ones or justified ones or elect ones let him be Anathema let him be accursed That man that would so much as take this assurance to himselfe they would hold that man accursed And the reason why they doe it is because they hold another errour to wit falling from grace which they could not maintain did they not hold this also This is the first extream 2. Another extream is of the Lutherans they being opposite to the Papists in this point of assurance to confute them who deny all assurance they run into this extream to hold that assurance is of the nature of faith and whosoever hath faith hath assurance but this is another extream and an uncomfortable Doctrine for doubting Christians were it true Therefore to keep this truth in the middle betwixt two extreams I shall lay down this position by way of Answer That though sometimes persons effectually called may be without a particular assurance of their own call yet this assurance is attainable by Christians in this life and Christians may be assured of their own effectual calling And this I shall prove by four Mediums First Because the Apostle injoyns it here in my Text Give diligâ—â—ce to make your Calling and Election sure Now this is a rule in Divinity No man is bound to doe a thing impossible and therefore in that we are commanded and bound to doe it it is clear that it is possible and may be made sure Secondly because it is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to work this particular assurance in the hearts of those that are effectually called that they are in the state of grace and shall be brought to glory 1 Cor. 2.12 We have received not the Spirit of this world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God 1 John 5.10 He that believeth he hath a witnesse in himself a witness to his own soul that he doth believe Eph. 1.13 14. There the Spirit is called a Seal you are sealed by the Spirit of promise and verse 14. it is called the earnest of our inheritance Now a seal and earnest is to give more assurance to a promise and here the Spirit of God is given to Believers as a seal and earnest-penny that as they have the first fruits in grace they shall have their harvest in glory 1 Iohn 4.13 Hereby we know we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us his Spirit It is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to assure our hearts in this particular Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it selfe beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Thirdly Particular servants of God in Scripture that have been partakers of this mercy they have had this firm assurance of their effectual calling I shall instance in three First in Paul and the Scripture tels us of him that he had a clear evidence of his effectual calling Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I
to salvation Secondly though men have been notoriously wicked in their lives before calling yet if this notorious wickedness doth lay any engagement upon them to make them labour to be more eminent in grace after calling this is rather a sign of election then reprobation It is observable in Paul he was a notorious wicked man before his call but now this exceeding wickednesse of his before call did engage him to labour to exceed all others in goodnesse after he was converted and the more evil he was before the more holy he labours to be after As he laboured before to hale men to prison for professing Jesus Christ he is now as zealous to draw men to Jesus Christ after his call he was very industrious to do evil before his call and this made him after his call as he saith himself I was in labours more aboundant then they all And so Mary Magdalen who before her calling was a vile woman one that was a common harlot a woman out of whom Jesus Christ cast seven devils and yet this woman after her calling she laboured to be more eminent in godly sorrow then any woman before or since she washed Christs feet with her teares and wiped them with the haires of her head The like of which you do not read of any woman in Scripture And this was a very good sign when your notoriousness in waias of sin before calling shall lay such an engagement upon you to become more eminent in grace after calling this is a very good encouragement or evidence that you are within the compasse of Gods election and therefore you have no cause to be discouraged Suppose before the word laid hold upon your conscience you were guilty of filthy sins not fit to be named in the congregation if you will the more honour God and praise God now and walk more humbly and labour to excell each other in grace now as you did in sin in times past This is a great sign that you are in the compasse of Gods Elect ones Thirdly you that have been scandalous in your lives before calling for your comfort know that God in his eternal counsel doth commonly make the profane and wicked and the worst of men the objects of his election rather then civil honest men rather then men that are of an honest and civil and moral conversation here in this world And the Lord doth it upon this ground the more to magnifie the freenesse and the riches of his own grace in electing men to life For should God only chuse moderate and civil honest men in the world men would be apt to think it is that mans morality and that mas civility that was the motice which provoked God to elect them and therefore God to overthrow these thoughts he lets electfon runne rather unto men that have been notoriously grosse and sinful in â—heir lives then other men Manasseh a notorious bloody man yet falls within the compassâ— of Gods election when many a civil man is left out Maâ—y a common harlot yet chosen when many a modest chaste woman was cast into hell Matth. 21.31 32. That Christ urgeth a parable of two men One that said he would go and follow Christ but did not and the other said he would not go but did now which of these twain did the will of Christ and they said the first And Jesus said unto them Verily I say unto you that publicans and harlots shall go into heaven before you But you will say was this common this was onely one single time therefore mark the next words For Johâ— came to you in the way of righteousness and you believed not but the publicans and harlots believed in Christ John came preaching and you would not believe you Phrisees strict moral men that did not flie out into such scandals as other men did you would not believe saith Christ but Publicans men that were most addicted to extortion and unconscionable gain they imbraced Jesus Christ when moral men would not This therefore should be another comfort for you that many times election runns rather to the profaner sort of men then to men that are civil and righteous dealing men here in the world and this God hoth to magnifie the riches of his own grace Fourthly that it is no matter what you were before your callâ—ng if you are a repentant and holy people after your former miscarriages shall no way prejudice your future blessednesse 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. Neither Fornicator nor Idolater nor Adulâ—erer nor envious nor thiefe nor covetâ—us nor reviler shall enter â—nto the Kingdome of Heaven and such were some of you c. Here you see a Catalogue of vile evils heaped together and such wâ—re some of you but now you are washed now you are sanctified â— So that no matter what you were before conversion though guilty of great sins so you are now a reformed people now a sanctified people Titus 3.3 We our selves were sometimeâ— foolish disâ—bedient decieved serving divers lusts and pleasures and living in malice and envy c. You were so but after the kindness love of God appeared to you after they were converted they were not so So that these four particulars wil clearly take off this objection that no matter what you were before conversion if you are now a repentant people and bewail your evils and reform your waies your former ill led life will be no hindrance at all to your election Indeed this I must needs say that you that have been most notorious in sin God expects this at your hands that you be most eminent in grace most deep in humiliation most eminent in godly sorrow though your former evils do no way prejudice your election Secondly if the devil cannot fasten this upon you he will come upon you with this assâ—ult viz. your frequent falling into scandalous and foul and grosse enormities after you took upon you a profession of Jesus Christ And this the devil will lay close happily sin before conversion was not so great but now since you have followed Sermons and since you have professed Jesus Christ since that time you have fallen foulely into grosse and scandalous sins and surely this is inconsistent with grace and cannot befal persons within the compasse of Gods election And I confesse this is both sad and hazardous yet I shall lay down three things to uphold thee that yet for all this thou maiest be within the compasse of Gods election As First that divers persons that were within the compasse of Gods election have fallen foulely into grosse sins after their call Lot after he was called fell to be incestuous and fell to drunkenesse David after he was called fell into Adultery Peter after he was called fell to a denial of Jesus Christ Yea you read of Solomon 1 Kings 11.9 That his heart was tuâ—ned from the Lord after the Lord had revealed himself unto him twice After God had revealed himself to Solomon and converted him