must take it as spoken to our selves and here is now the act of Faith to make that particular which is spoken in general This is now a Fourth direction I shall name but one more and so conclude Fifthly If we would hear the Word of God in Faith so as to profit by it then we should act Faith variously according to the several kinds or parts of the Word for you know there are divers parts in the Word as now there is a Word of Doctrine and a Word of Promise some are Commands and some are Threatnings now I say we should act Faith upon the Word variously according to the several parts of it as now for example if so be that we meet with a word of Doctrine as concerning the Creation of the World that was made out of nothing or the Resurrection of the Dead that every person shall be raised again or concerning the Trinity of persons in the Godhead or the union of two natures in one person or our being justified by Faith in the Righteousness of Christ c. These things are Doctrinal now Faith is to be acted here Namely by giving our assent to the truth thereof by believing of it as faithful and true He that receiveth his Testimony hath set to his seal that God is True John 3.33 And by Faith we believe that the World was created out of nothing this is acting of Faith upon this part of the Word by giving our assent to it and believing of it to be true because the Lord hath spoken it possibly we cannot understand it how there should be three persons in one essence and that the same Body shall be raised again that is mouldered into Dust we cannot understand the reason of it but because God hath spoken it we should believe it But then there is another part of the Word that contain Promises now how should Faith act upon the Promises namely by leaning and resting with expectation upon the Lord for the performance of them being perswaded that God can do it and that God will perform what he hath spoken just like Abraham Rom. 4.20 21. God had made him a promise to give him a Son in his old Age Flesh and Blood would have disputed against this promise but saies the Apostle He was strong in Faith giving Glory unto God he believed that God would perform what he had spoken it was against Flesh and Blood Sarah was Old and he was a Hundred years old or there-about he might have said how can these things be and refused to believe it no but he gave Glory to God by believing Thus we are to act Faith upon that part of the Word Another part of the Word is Commands The word of Command how is Faith to act there Namely in a way of Obedience we should yeild Obedience to what God Commands though it may be very hard to us Just as Abraham did God commanded him to go out of his own Country and to go into a Land he knew not whither Abraham by Faith obeyed and went out not knowing whither he went and so God commanded him to offer up his Son Isaac Abraham acted Faith in a way of Obedience to the Command And then another part of the Word is Threatning and how is Faith to act upon the Threatnings Namely thus in a way of fear to endeavour to avoid those Judgements that are threatned in Hebrews 11.7 By Faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moâ—ed with fear prepared an Ark to the saving of his House c. Truly thus I say Faith is to 〈◊〉 set a work and to act variously according â—o the several parts of the Word of God There are several parts of the Word of Goâ— now the whole word of God is the Objeâ—â— of Faith but yet notwithstanding Faith doâ—â— act variously according to the variety oâ— the parts of the Word Now it is the wisdom of Christians to exercise Faith sutably according to that part of the Word that Faith is exercised about And thus Brethren I have briefly given you four or five Directions how we are to exercise Faith in hearing of the Word that so we may not hear without profit that so we may please God in our hearing for without Faith it is impossible to please God Brethren and Beloved I must not enlarge but in a word It hath been the complaint of most Christians and possibly some here present their want of profiting by the Word Oh! I hear and hear but the Lord knows I do not profit this is the matter of your complaint well now you may go home and lay your hand upon the Sore the Lord hath discovered to me this day the great Cause why I have profited no more under the Word that I have heard so often I see now it is for want of the exercise of Faith I have heard my duty but the Lord knows I have exercised Faith but little and therefore I say here is matter of humiliation for us before the Lord we should lye low in the presence of the Lord for our so little acting of Faith in our hearing the Word of God And Oh! therefore for the future as we do desire that the Lord may be pleased with our hearing so let us be careful to exercise Faith in our hearing you have heard the Directions I shall not need to repeat them but go home and consider them and be careful to put them in practice that you may be acting and exercising Faith in hearing the Word for without Faith it will be impossible for you to please God Though you should hear Sermons never so often if you neglect to act and exercise Faith you will not profit by them nor please God in your hearing And so now I have done with this particular namely how we are to exercise Faith in hearing the Word it remains that we should speak about exercising Faith in our partaking of the Lords Table But thus much shall suffice for the present SERMON IX Hebrews XI 6. But without Faith it is impossible to please him THE words of the Text is a Proposition I have spent some time in the handling of it we came by way of inference to this That if it be impossible to please God without Faith then it doth concern us every one in all the duties and services that we perform to be acting and exercising of Faith not only without the Grace of Faith but without the exercise of Faith we cannot please God and therefore to this end we came to lay down some Directions how we may come to exercise Faith in those Duties that we perform that so we may please God we gave you some Directions the last time about the exercise of Faith in hearing of the Word I come now to lay down some Directions about our partaking of the Lords-Supper in Faith That Faith is requisite and necessary to our partaking of the Lords-Table that I think is out of doubt and
THE GLORY OF CHRIST Set forth in several SERMONS FROM JOHN III. 34 35 36. and V. 25. AND The necessity of Faith in order to pleasing GOD. FROM HEBREWS XI 6. By that able and faithful Servant of Jesus Christ Mr. Thomas Allen late Pastor of a Church in the City of Norwich LONDON Printed by A. M. and R. R. for Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market-place 1683 TO THE READER IT being desired that more might be published of the Works of this Reverend Author Mr. Thomas Allen you have here some more Sermons taken from him in short-hand which have been transcribed with care and diligence The main points of the Gospel are handled in these Sermons so that those that Read them may understand the Authors knowledg in the mystery of Christ And they are delivered with plainness of speech with words easie to be understood so that it will easily appear that his aim was to set â—orth Christ and not to set forth himself in â—is Preaching His speech and his preachâ—ng was plain grave solid weighty and â—owerful like an Ambassador of Christ These Sermons arise naturally from the Texts of Scripture they are upon for it was not the manner of this Author to name a Text only for fashion sake One great cause of ignorance in the people is because there is no more direct opening and applying the Scripture The more Scripture is solidly opened and practically applied in a Sermon the better the Sermon is whatsoever the injudicious and ignorant do think to the contrary Indeed as I never heard any man Pray too long at a time so I never heard any man Preach too long upon a Text. But as many that seem to pray long do oftentimes rather Discourse than Pray and keep so little to the business of Prayer that while they seem to Pray long they Pray very little So it is with some in Preaching that though they name the same Text a great while as if they Preached many Sermons from it yet it may be Preach not one according to the direct scope and tendency of the words they are upon I take notice of this to commend the Author of these Sermons as a pattern to young Preachers not to think it any part of the excellency of their Sermons to take but a few words for their Text or to be long upon the same words but to open and apply as much Scripture as they can at 〈◊〉 time which will not only prevent many impertinences in Preaching But when what is said ariseth immediately and naturally from the portion of Scripture handled the people may take notice that it is not so much the Minister as God himself that speaks these things to them in his word These Sermons also are Orthodox sound according to the truth which is after godliness We have lived in a time of an inundation of errors and heresies and yet the Lord hath continued the truth of the Gospel in the Churches of the Saints And although the Churches of the Congregational way have been looked upon by some as Seminaries of error yet through the presence of Christ in the midst of them the truth of the Gospel hath continued in them as well as in other Churches of Christ that differ from them in some points of order and discipline Blessed be the Father of lights that hath kept the guides and members both of Congregational Churches and other reforming Churches stable and steady in the main truths of the Gospel which have been publickly owned and professed in the Land since the reformation whereas many others have been carried away with diverse and strange Doctrines There seems to be a great conspiracy in these days against the Lord Jesus as the Mediator between God and sinners Men are studying how they may ascribe as little to Christ as may be to whom we are to ascribe all concerning the making atonement for our sins and the bringing in an everlasting righteousness to justifie us before God Indeed Christ hath been so abundantly Preached amongst us and many have such outward advantage by a profession of his name that they cannot well openly renounce him yet they are secretly undermining the very fundamental points of our Religion Many amongst us slight what hath been generally taught concerning our fall in Adam original sin Christs satisfaction for sin and the imputation of his righteousness to them that believe on his name and make a mock of being weary and heavy laden with the sense of the wrath of God due to us for sin and looking to Jesus as the Mediator and resting our weary Souls and perplexed Consciences upon him as our only Saviour Now if these foundations be destroyed if these main Doctrines be denied we are really putting away the Lord Jesus from us though we use never so many external Rites to make shew of honour to his name Yea it is considerable That this opposition to the main points of our Religion is fiercey maintained by persons greatly differing in other things yet in this they agree and are very earnest upon the matter to deny the Gospel I speak of these things to this end to shew what great need there is of Preaching much of our fall in Adam of the corruption of our nature of the sentence of death and condemnation that we are under for sin of the person and offices of Christ the Mediator of the necessity of knowing him and fleeing for refuge unto him as this Author hath excellently shewed in these Sermons and so he did in all his Preaching Indeed this Author was a son of thunder and a son of consolation he took all occasions from the Texts he Preached upon to thunder out the wrath of God against sinners to set them before Mount Sinai and shew them the fiery Law that they might be convinced of their lost and undone condition in themselves and then endeavoured to bring them unto Mount Sion and shew them Jesus the Mediator and the blood of sprinkling that taketh away sin In his Preaching he shewed the people the flaming Sword the curse of the Law shewed them that the avenger of blood was coming and then told them of Christ as the City of refuge and cryed to them to flee unto him And indeed he is a right Preacher of the Gospel that can thus change his voice and readily turn his discourse upon all occasions The blessing of Heaven go along with these Sermons that they may be for the profit of many that they may be saved Martin Finch The Glory of Christ set forth John III. 34 35 36. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him The father loveth the son and hath given all things into his hand He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not on the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him IN these Words our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is described
O! Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sin of the World believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved and have everlasting Life You know not what to do but O flee to Christ for help he came into the World to save sinners and he is able to save all that come unto God by him whatsoever their guilt whatsoever their sins are The second Argument or motive to believe in Christ is taken from the Misery and lost Estate and Condition of those who do not believe on Christ He that believeth not the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him Doct. 2. That he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him He that beliveth not the Son that is he that believeth not on the Son this is Spoken in Opposition to the former part of the Verse He shall not see Life 'T is a Metaphorical Expression the meaning is he shall not enjoy everlasting Life he shall not enter into it he hath no part in eternal Life yea and for the present the wrath of God abideth on him as to the State and Condition wherin he is Some take these words to be intended of those only who never to the last believe in Christ that such shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on them This is true but because the Apostle saith even of the Elect that they are by Nature Children of Wrath even as others Ephes 2.3 We may take the words so that all whatsoever whilst unbelievers shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on them The Elect though they are given to Christ from Eternity yet they are neither justified nor Sanctified till they do believe in Christ Indeed the Lord hath thoughts of Peace to them which shall be manifested in due time but they having sinned as well as others they are under the Curse of the Law as well as others until they do believe on Christ yet so as that they shall not any one of them have the Sentence of Condemnation Executed upon them but shall be delivered from going down to the Pit Because the Lord hath sound a Ransom for them The Decree of Election shall be executed upon them and the Redemption of Christ shall be applied to them to prevent the fall and final Execution of the Curse of the Law in their Eternal Damnation But as for those who never believe one the Son the Curse of the Law comes Fully and Eternally upon them and so the Wrath of God abideth on them for ever All have sinned in Adam and so are become guilty before God All have an inward Rebellion and Opposition in their Nature against God All when they come to understanding are Guilty of Actual sin So that it cannot be that ever we should see Life but should have the wrath of God abide upon us except we be justified freely by Grace through the Redemption which is in Jesus Christ our Lord and we receive this Grace by believing on Christ whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation for sins through Faith in his Blood Rom. 3.25 It is by Faith that we receive the attonement that Christ hath made for our sins and the everlasting Righteousness that he hath performed for us Now concerning the Wrath of God which the Text speaks of you must not understand it as if there were such Passions in God as there are in man but the Scripture speaks of things to our weak capacities God's Wrath is his afflicting and punishing 't is his revenging Justice and this all men are liable unto for their sins who do not believe on the Name of the Son of God Application Use 1. Learn hence that it is not incongruous or disagreeing to the Praching of the Gospel to hold forth threatnings of Wrath. Here John the Baptist in thâ—s Evangellical discourse of Christ doth hold forth most terrible threatnings unto those that continue in the state of Unbelief he saith They shall not see Life but the Wrath of God abideth on them And so our Saviour when he sent out the Apostles to Preach unto the Gentiles saith he He that believeth not shall be Damned Mark 16.16 Threatnings are a means appointed to awaken us to see our danger and are useful in the Preaching of the Gospel Hebr. 2.3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Hebr. 12.25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on Earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven Therefore both the Terrors of the Law and the Threatnings for refusing Christ the Mediator are to be set home upon the Consciences of men Use 2. Learn hence what cause they have to rejoyce and praise the Lord who have been drawn to Christ to know him and believe in him Such are not only delivered from the wrath to come but they shall see Life they shall enjoy everlasting Life And though Believers have the Death of the Body to encounter with yet they need not be dismayed they may say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.55 O! Death where is thy sting O! Grave where is thy Victory He triumphs over Death as if it were a poor unarmed Captive Where is thy power and strength And as to Afflictions although Believers may have much of the Cross yet they have nothing of the Curse Christ hath delivered us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us Gal. 3.13 And we know that all things shall work for good to them that love God who are called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 You that are Believers in Christ you may have free access to God through him you may ask for your selves you may ask for your Children that they might live before him you may ask for the Nation you may ask for your Friends Though you be unworthy in your selves yet coming in his Name and as those that are in him whatsoever you ask according to the Will of God he heareth you And besides all your Mercies and Priviledges here when your days are expired you shall have the full enjoyment of Everlasting Life Use 3. Seeing he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him This should put us all upon this great work of believing on Christ This seems to be the very scope of this holy man John Baptist in what he had said here he would have those that he spake unto to believe on Jesus Christ He shews them it is a matter of great concernment a matter of Life and Death Be you perswaded of it that this is a truth that John Baptist here speaks That he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him And O! Do you think that you are able to grapple with the
will do it Your heart was not right says he ye pretended and said whatever the Lord our God shall say we will do but ye did dissemble This is one kind of hypocrisy and guile when a Soul doth dissemble with God and seem to worship God and yet the heart is far from God pretend to come to know the Mind of God and yet have not a full purpose and resolution of heart to do what God shall reveal and make known to be his Will And then there is another kind of hypocrisy and guile which is towards men when as a man doth pretend love to his Neighbour and kindness and friendship in Word and Lip and yet there is no reality at all in the heart The Apostle John speaks of this very thing says he 1 Joh. 3.8 My little Children let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth It is not a love in deed and in truth when as our Brother or Neighbour stand in need of supply and help and we shut up our bowels towards him here is dissembling we pretend love and there is no reality Now says the Apostle if you will hear the Word so as to profit by it you must lay aside all guile and hypocrisy this may be another great cause and reason why people do come and hear much and profit little because they harbour guile and hypocrisy in their hearts therefore this you must be careful also to lay aside Thirdly Another impediment which the Holy-Ghost also points at in Scripture which doth hinder us from profiting by the Word is this when we come to hear with our hearts royled with passion and anger and wrath when we come to hear and have our spirits in a storm as it were with passion then we may hear and hear but shall not profit by our hearing for now the heart and spirit is like a joynt or bone out of the Socket now it hath no ability to act its part to do what lay upon such a Member to do So 't is in this case when the heart and spirit is in a royle it is put out of joynt and frame by passion and being disturbed now 't is unfit to attend upon God to hear what God shall speak Now a mans passion may be disturbed one of these two ways so as to be put out of frame to attend upon God to hear the Voice of God in his Word 1. Sometimes by some pinching Providence of God some afflicting Hand of God upon him which doth pinch and disturb the spirit and put it into a royle now a man or woman being thus disturbed in his spirit is unfit to hear what God speaks though he speak to him in a way of mercy and grace you have an instance for this in Exod. 6.9 And Moses spake so unto the Children of Israel but they hearkned not unto Moses How did he speak to the Children of Israel See vers 6.7 8. Wherefore say unto the Children of Israel I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians and will rid you out of their bondage and I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a God and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God which brought you out from under the burden of the Egyptians and I will bring you in unto the land which I did sware to give it to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and I will give it you for an heritage I am the Lord. And Moses spake so unto the Children of Israel but they hearkned not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage Through the Providence of God it came to pass that they were oppressed under Egyptian power and when Moses came to speak of inlargement and deliverance they were oppressed and their spirits were filled with anguish and trouble and now let the Lord speak in never such a gracious manner by his Prophet they could not attend to him for anguish of spirit 2. And so sometimes the spirit may be put into a royle and passion for some small petty cross some kind of vexation which others do occasion when they cross them and vex them and thereby their spirits are put out of order and now they are unfit to attend upon God You have an instance for this in 1 Sam. 1.6 7. concerning Hannah it is said there that her adversary provoked her sore for to make her fret because the Lord had shut up her womb and she went up to the House of the Lord and she wept and did not eat she could not tell how to keep the Feast to wait upon God in his Ordinances Why because her spirit was vexed and did fret So you may observe it if your spirits be put out of order as sometimes they are upon a small occasion observe it the Devil is wont to take such opportunities when you are about to draw near to God in any Ordinance then to minister some occasion or other to put you into a fret possibly a little thing out of the way will do it sometimes the misplacing of a Pin will disturb the spirit and sometimes the Husband may take some offence against the Wife and the Wife against the Husband or against the Servants or Children and the Spirit is royled and now you come to hear you shall not profit because now your spirits are royled with passion and this is another impediment and here may be also one great reason why people come and hear and hear and profit little because many times their spirits are royled with passion and this also must be removed Fourthly Another Impediment that must be removed if you will hear the Word to profit then take heed that your hearts do not go after covetousness be not inordinately set upon the riches of this world bent and resolved to be rich in the world truly this will be an impediment and will hinder you from waiting upon God in his Word this will be like Thorns to choke the Word for now the Word is that which doth cross and thwart us in our reaches after the riches of the world The Word tells us of other riches that are more true Riches now when a mans heart is set upon the riches of the world he cannot then yield to what is spoken just like the rich man we read of in Matt. 19. The rich man comes to Christ to know what good thing he shall do to inherit eternal life Go says Christ in ver 21.22 sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven And it is said he went away sorrowful because this was contrary to his grain his mind and heart was set upon riches and he could not yield to this Word of Christ And our hearts are ready to scorn and slight and despise what is spoken if our hearts be set upon the riches of the world as you may read in Luke 16.14 't is
said there when Christ was warning them to take heed of the world Ye cannot serve God and Mammon The Pharisees who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him this was against the grain their hearts were covetous and set upon the riches of the world and now whatever Christ speaks they despise and set at nought This is that which the Holy-Ghost doth warn us against and doth shew us that this is the great ground and cause why people hear the Word and profit not because their hearts go after their covetousness Ezek. 33.31 32. says the Lord there This people cometh unto thee as the people cometh and sit before thee as my people and they hear my words and they seem to be pleasing to them and they take delight in them and thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and they hear thy words and do them not why so for with their mouth they shew much love but their hearts goeth after their covetousness Their hearts goeth after the world and therefore whatever is spoken will do them no good and therefore Christ doth admonish us and advise us to take heed and beware of covetousness Luke 12.15 Well this is another impediment if we do desire to hear the Word to profit and edification let us get our hearts off from the riches of the world Fifthly To name no more Take heed also of having the heart filled with the cares and matters of this world if our hearts be filled with the world there will be no room for the Word to take place Just as if a Room be filled and taken up there is no room for others to come in If the world and business and occasions of the world come and take up the head and the heart here will be no room for the Word to take place it is just as it is in a great croud where there is a great noise if there be a great noise in the Street if one come and speak a word in your ear you cannot hear him because of the noise so if our hearts and ears be filled with the cares and the business of the world it makes such a noise as we cannot hear and therefore Christ tells us that these cares of the world are like Thorns in Matt. 13.22 He that receiveth seed among thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choak the Word and he becometh unfruitful Though we hear much and there be much Seed sown yet if it spring up among Thorns it will never come to any maturity and therefore hence it is that Christ by two Parables doth shew us how the occasions and businesses of the world doth hinder people from listening to the voice of Christ in his Word in Luke 14. There is one Parable of a great Supper that a great man made and invited many but they refused to come and made light of it And the other Parable you have in Matt. 22.5 concerning a King which made a Marriage Feast for his Son and invited his Guests and when the Feast was prepared they made light of it and would not come What was the Reason One must go to his Farm and another to his Merchandise one about this business and another about that and they could not attend to the Lords Voice in his Word Christ doth thereby shew us that the matters and cares of this world when they fill the head and the heart they do hinder us from attending upon God in his Word This is now another impediment which is to be removed if we would so attend upon the Word as to hear it with profit And truly Brethren to speak plainly I am afraid that this is one great cause why many do profit so little by hearing the Word they come reeking out of the world and their hands and heads and hearts are full of the world and by that means the Word comes to be unprofitable to them Oh! that we could therefore learn to understand the Lords Will to understand what are the impediments that hinder us from hearing the Word with profit and be careful to get them removed This is the second Direction how to hear the Word in a way of Faith Faith doth put us upon the removing those impediments that do hinder us from profiting by the Word Thirdly The Third Direction is this If we would hear the Word in a way of Faith so as we may profit by it it is to hear it as the very Word of God as if God should speak from Heaven to us immediately How would we hear the Word if God should speak to us immediately from Heaven with what reverence and attention would you hear how would you be careful to swallow up every Word that God should speak Brethren know this that God out of tenderness and respect to us speaks in another manner and way to us now instrumentally by man more mediately because we are not able to bear the immediate Voice of God as they said at Mount Sinai Let not God speak any more to us for we cannot bear it Now the Lord out of indulgency to us because we cannot bear his own immediate voice the Lord is pleased to speak to us by means and instruments by men that are like our selves now I say it is God that speaks to us by men it is God that speaks from Heaven to us by men therefore we are to hear the Word as if God from Heaven did speak to us as the Apostle speaks in Heb. 12.25 Take heed that ye refuse not him that speaks from Heaven This is the way now to profit by the Word and to hear it in Faith you shall find that Cornelius he heard in this manner when Peter came to Preach to him Cornelius attended to him as if God himself spoke to him in Acts 10.33 Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God as if we should hear God himself speak And you see what the advantage and benefit of it was it is said in vers 44. that while Peter yet spake these words the Holy-Ghost fell on all them that heard him By this means the Word was made profitable and effectual to them the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard it as if God himself had spoken to them And the like you read concerning the Thessalonians in 1 Thess 2.13 says the Apostle For this cause thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of man but as it is in truth the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe Ye received it not as the word of man though it was spoken by man but ye heard it as the very Word of God as if God himself spake from Heaven to you and therefore Brethren mind this when we come to